Big Needle, Small Haystack
Episode Name: Big Needle, Small Haystack Written By: Raijin Cast: Ashilav, Dakin, Golden, Leah, Lorn, Raijin, Spect and Turtledove. Produced By: Starfleet Directed By: Raijin Aired On: Wed Sep 18 02:05:00 2002 Stardate: 52641.3
Time: Tue Sep 17 21:44:00 2002
Stardate: 52640.9
Both teams approach the opening in the back of the ship and climb the ramp, leading to the cargo bay. The ship itself is rather small, only moderately larger than a runabout. That is fortunate, under the circumstances. Within the cargo bay, lights from the auxiliary power system glow illuminating the contents within, many of them already marked by the station crew as illegal.
Golden whispers to Leah, " You take point then veer at the first left."
Spect sits at Mission Operations in S419, "Spect to Away Team. All bio-sensors are a go. You are all looking good from here."
Golden whispers to Lorn, " You stick to your tricorder, if we take fire you take cover and report, you also take the rear."
Dakin takes point upon their entry into the Kris. "Right," he says in a low voice. "Golden, your team will hold position here in the cargo bay. Ashilav, Turtledove, you and I'll be heading to the bridge."
Ashilav adjusts the strap of her engineering kit on her shoulder, looking down the length of the ship, frowning in thought.
Turtledove follows closely behind Dakin, eyes alert. She nods, then continues watching.
Leah gives Golden a quick handsignal, acknowledging his order. She frowns slightly as Dakin orders that they stay behind.
Examination of the cargo bay reveals on exit that leads further in to the ship.
"Shall we knock, Lieutenant?" Ashilav asks, glancing over towards Dakin.
Golden says, "Right. Mr Lorn go back to the wall there and climb up that ladder, take an elevated position along the catwalk and use your eyes and your tricorder. Call in if you see anything, but keep to cover. Do not engage unless I order you to. Mr. Leah, set your weapon to wide beam and move back behind those cargo containers to cover the entire back of this vessel, if somebody comes out and it's not us, you have my permission to stun them then ask questions. I'll move up along the side and cover the other access hatch."
Leah nods and moves to the cargo containers, readjusting her weapon once she's found herself a good spot.
Turtledove raises an eyebrow at the brazen Andorrian. Her mouth quirks upward slightly. She glances back at Dakin, waiting.
Golden moves to the entrance to the cargo bay and locks the exit with his security code and sets the external hatch to lock on his authoriziation or a higher ranking officer's only. He then moves to his own cover position.
Dakin gives Leah a nod and smile of encouragement, before leading Ashilav and Turtledove towards the exit. Upon reaching it, and Ashilav's query, he looks to the Andorian, "Scan it and make sure it isn't rigged with anything. And keep a passive scan going, I want no surprises, Ensign."
Ashilav flips open her tricorder and begins a slow scan of the hatch.
<CONTEST> Ashilav contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Fails!
Ashilav shakes her head, glancing to Dakin. "Nothing I can detect, sir."
Turtledove stands ready and alert, glancing with slow deliberation about the cargo bay.
Dakin nods to Ashilav then says to Turtledove, "Cover us, I'm going to try and open this."
Turtledove nods to Dakin, and stands ready to defend the team from forces beyond the door.
Dakin flattens himself against the adjoining bulkhead, hefting his rifle with one hand, and using the other to hit the keypad that should open the door.
Ashilav moves off to the side as well, staying in Dakin's shadow.
The door slides open, revealing a lighted corridor with a door at the end. Nothing remarkable there.
Dakin looks to Ashilav. "Check it. Turtledove, keep her covered."
Ashilav slowly steps out, and towards the exposed hallway, tricorder out and active.
GAME: Ashilav spends a courage point.
Leah steadies her weapon on top of one of the cargo containers and aims at the exit ramp of the ship, all business apparently.
<CONTEST> Ashilav (claiming advantage) contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!
Turtledove continues watching, weapon raised.
"Sir," Ashilav says, studying her tricorder. "My readings indicate that at the end of that door is a large power source, likely engineering. There is another smaller energy reading but I cannot pinpoint it."
Spect comes in over your radio, "Spect to Away Team. Main Power on the Vessel is down. It is running on auxilary power. It suggests some sort of damage."
Dakin hits his combadge. "Acknowledged, Mr. Spect. Ensign Ashilav has detected a smaller power source other than from the ship's engine room. Can you isolate it?"
Spect responds, "Stand By."
Golden =/= "Recommend we hold up and cover each other as put on EVA suits to protect us from any radiotion if the core is damaged, also we should advise Main Engineering to have them analyze the data for possibility of core break or antimatter containment weakening before proceeding, sir." Golden says into his combadge.
<CONTEST> Spect contests his Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds! JOBS: New REQ job # 197 submitted by Jackson: message
Ashilav shakes her head. "My readings show this is not a leakage of radiation, Lieutenants," she says.
Spect says, "I second Ashilav's observation. You are in no environmental danger at the moment. The ship is however showing Minor damage through out. It has benn patched up but still showing damage. Also lieutenant, I am picking up a weapon fully charged. it is reading as ..as...a Disruptor Pistol. No one on the Away Team is carrying one. Right?"
Dakin says, "That's correct, Mr. Spect. Have the quartermaster beam enough EVA suits for the entire team directly to the cargo bay."
Spect says, "Sir, I am reading a fully charged Disruptor in that engineering room.."
Spect says, "Damage Control Teams are quite certain that you will not need them sir."
Golden says, "If you can lock onto the weapon signature, can you beam the weapon out?"
Dakin waits for Golden's request to be answered before proceeding.
Spect responds to the Away Team, "I am pretty sure that I can."
Dakin nods. "Then do it, and give us exact coordinates of the beam-out site. That'll give us a fix on his position."
Ashilav glances sidelong to Dakin, and murmurs, "This is a desperate man. He may resort to desperate measures. He may try and explode the ship, and all of us. We must be careful."
Dakin says, "Spect, belay that. Let's give him a false sense of security instead."
Spect says, "Copy That, I will try to keep a fix on the weapon."
Dakin nods. "Channel on standby." Then to his teammates. "I'll take point. Ashilav, you're after me. Turtledove, you've got our six." With that, he grips his rifle with both hands and makes his way into the corridor carefully.
The door slides closed behind them, as expected, and Team 1 is in the corridor in front of the door presumed to be leading to engineering.
Turtledove hrms, but nods and follows at a few paces behind her team. She keeps a watchful eye on things, weapon at the ready.
Ashilav follows in after Dakin, tricorder still scanning, knees slightly bent as she moves, almost like she were tensed for a fight.
Dakin taps his combadge. "Dakin to Golden. Once we've secured the engine room, get a team from security down here to secure the exit hatch and come in after us."
Murmured to Dakin, Ashilav says, "Still nothing, sir."
Leah keeps her eyes and ears open as she watches the exit ramp, finger just a hair away from the trigger of her rifle.
Golden says, "Aye aye sir." he redirects his com-message, "Golden to security, send down the Beta Shift detail to Cargo Bay 3, signal me when you reach the exterior hatch. Golden out.""
Dakin nods and hunches near the door once he reaches it, attempting to open it as before. He nods to his teammates in silent prompting for Ashilav to get ready and Turtledove to provide cover.
Lorn is up on the catwalk. Tricorder is out and he's scanning.
Lorn seems quite content with his scans, and keeps doing them for now. Occasionally he looks around the bay to visually scan the area as well.
Ashilav stands off to the opposite side, tricorder moved to her off-hand, ready for anything.
The door slides open...and it doesn't look like anybody is there. It's certainly the engineering room, as the core is visible though silent. The hum of the auxillary power system can be heard. This large chamber has four doors, one of them being the door Dakin just opened. Another lies across the room from Team 1, presumably leading up to the bridge. The other two doors are on opposite sides of each other, though who knows where they lead? In the center of the floor in front of the core is a Romulan disruptor pistol, lying still without an owner.
Turtledove nods, and assumes a menacing stance. By her expression, however, one might guess that she's starting to enjoy the excitement.
Dakin steps into the room quickly and whips his rifle to his immediate left, then right, then above. Assuming he sees nothing further, he motions for the two women to enter.
<CONTEST> Ashilav contests her Intellect (Perception) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Turtledove follows fluidly, providing cover all the while.
Ashilav holds up a hand. "Sir, the pistol. It's humming. Something is wrong." And the tricorder becomes focused on it.
<CONTEST> Ashilav (claiming advantage) contests her Personal Equipment (Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Turtledove glances at the rifle, then continues to glance carefully about the engineering room.
Golden says, "Beam the weapon a kilometer off the station outside the trade lane now Mr. Spect!"
"Sir, I..." Ashilav begins to speak, but gets cut off by Golden. "Umarin's Breath, no! It's not overloading!"
Spect responds, "Copy That"
Dakin says, "Belay that order, Mr. Spect!!"
Golden says, "Belay that beam out."
Spect responds againg with a giggle, "OK, Copy That."
Dakin sighs. "Cool heads, people..." Then to Ashilav, "You were saying?"
The Andorian engineer scowls, turning back to her tricorder. "Remind me to instruct Lieutenant Golden on the finer points of /chain/ of /command/," she grumbles.
Dakin says, "Noted, Ensign, now again, you were saying?"
Turtledove glances quite briefly at Ashilav, then continues watching the room.
Ashilav nods slightly. "Yes, sir. As I was saying, it's not set for overload. There's only a margain of interruption between the trigger contacts. Should it be disturbed, I do believe it -would- overload." That said, she offers, "I suggest we erect a level ten containment field, and evacuate everyone from this ship, before an attempted beamout."
Lorn sighs. He lowers his tricorder and looks down from the catwalk into the bay.
Turtledove's brow creases gently. "Why would he leave this weapon here? He might well suspect that we'd beam it out... He would be putting himself in danger as well." She pauses then adds. "If he's even still on the ship."
Dakin considers. "You're suggesting we evacuate in case the field fails then? If the field fails and the disruptor overloads, it could take out the entire docking bay."
"He set this up for a reason, sir," Ashilav states. "Kneejerk decisions with regards to this little curiosity could get us killed. I have no other information to give you, however."
Turtledove hrms. "A backup plan?", she offers.
Dakin nods. "Get started on the containment field. But I think evacuating the ship's a moot point if it goes off."
Dakin looks to Turtledove. "More than likely. Probably hedging his bets."
Ashilav says, "I'd also like to note that this disruptor is only dangerous should its detonation come in contact with the core. Otherwise, only the room would be blown to atoms. A ruptured, inactive core would have coolant and radiation leaks."
Turtledove nods to Dakin, then continues her careful scanning of the room.
Dakin nods. "All right... go ahead and make the necessary preparations. I want this taken care of before this mission goes any further."
Ashilav nods, and taps her compin. "Ensign Ashilav to Operations. Erect a level ten forcefield around the disruptor energy source here in this room. I want it contained when we beam it off the station. I want an extremely redundant transporter confinement beam as well." She glances over to Dakin, and says, "We should likely back out."
Spect says, "Operations here, copy that. Make sure you keep your distance"
GAME: Spect spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Spect (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Security) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!
Dakin nods. "Agreed." He heads back towards the exit, motioning for the others to do the same.
Spect says, "I can't get a forcefield up around the energy source. Shall I proceed to transport it?"
Dakin looks to Ashilav. Her area of expertise.
Turtledove's eyebrows twitch upwards slightly.
"Stand by, Operations," Ashilav says into her compin. She taps it off, frowning. "This does not bode well, Lieutenant. I am officially going on the record as being uneasy about this. I stress that beaming it out might indeed trigger the overload."
Spect says, "I can try it again sir. I think I have found the problem."
"Everyone out before he tries, sir," Ashilav warns.
Dakin nods. "And even if we got out, there's still the ship's captain to consider." At Spect's comment, "Stand by. Attempt on my order only." He then nods to the two women to follow him out the door. "Will the cargo bay give us enough safe range from any explosion?"
Ashilav nods affirmatively. "Yes, sir. There will likely be damage to the ship's inactive core, however. Our fugitive will be forced to come out, sooner or later, or die from radiation poisioning."
Turtledove's brow creases slightly as she follows on Dakin's orders.
Dakin strides down the corridor towards the cargo bay door, allowing Ashilav and Turtledove to exit beforehand. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Once everyone's outside and the door's shut, he calls out to everyone. "All hands brace for possible explosion!"
Ashilav moves to a safe vantage point, and begins recording results with her tricorder.
Spect says, "Operations standing by..."
Lorn looks down again, and reaches for the nearest hand hold after putting his tricorder away.
Turtledove braces herself against the far wall.
Leah remains at her little ambush spot, using her vantage point to give team 1 cover.
Dakin grabs onto a hunk of pipe attached to a far bulkhead. "Dakin to Spect. Green light."
Spect says, "Going"
GAME: Spect spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Spect (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Security) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!
Golden moves away from his position to a place better suited to giving him cover from an explosion and the subsequent radiation leak.
Spect says, "My second attempt at the forcefield was unsuccessful as well sir. Do I try to transport it without the forcefield?"
Ashilav glances towards Dakin, and gives him a look of uncertainty. "Your call, sir," she says weakly. "I've illustrated the risks."
Turtledove glances at Dakin. The side of her mouth quirks up in a reassuring gesture.
Dakin says, "Try it once more, Mr. Spect. If it doesn't work this time, notify us and I'll okay a beam-out." To Ashilav, "It's a risk we'll have to take, Ensign... the humans have a saying in these matters: 'damned if we do, damned if we don't.'"
Ashilav nods slightly, and turns back to her tricorder, brows knitted in concentration.
Spect responds, "Attempting once more....OK, I think I got it. Yes, forcefield is up sir."
Dakin smiles. "Good work, Mr. Spect. Lock on and energize. Target for five kilometers off station perimeter opposite of trade lane."
Spect says, "Yes Sir, got signal, transporting to coordinates specified....It is out...and it was rigged. I am detecting an explosion sir."
Dakin releases the pipe. "Saves us the trouble of having to shoot it. All right, Ashilav, Turtledove... let's try this again." He hefts his rifle and heads back towards the door.
Lorn sighs quietly and lets go of the handhold he'd grabbed. He takes out his tricorder again and scans the area...again.
Golden silently moves back to his previous position.
Dakin pauses as he opens the door. "Golden, have the security reinforcements arrived yet?"
Ashilav makes a soft trilling sound as she sighs with relief, once it's been successfully beamed off. She follows after Dakin, murmuring something in Andorian to herself.
Golden moves back towards the doors saying, "They just called in sir. I'll position them then we'll follow up behind you."
Turtledove resumes her position behind Ashilav, moving with quiet purpose a few paces behind.
Golden unlocks the door with his access code and directs the team that enters to take the positions his team was holding before.
Dakin nods and makes his way into the corridor once again, just as carefully as before.
The corridor is just as empty as Team 1 left it.
Dakin gives his teammates the same signals as before as he prepares to open the door to Engineering.
The doors open and the room looks precisely as it did before. Three other doors visible, one across from the team, the other two across from each other. Where the pistol was now there is only a small slab of metal, apprarently the object that held the trigger for the booby-trap in place.
Lorn walks back to the ladder and climbs down once his place is taken, proceeding to join Golden.
"He's crafty, this one," Ashilav says to Dakin, glancing around as she does sweeps with her tricorder.
Turtledove takes another quiet sweep of the room with her eyes, phaser rifle at the ready.
Golden signals for Leah and Lorn to follow him in, then he leans low along his weapon line and rushes up into the ship, moving to a covering position from the door frame that he jams open to the corridor, he deploys Leah to the alternate side and keeps Lorn back tricordering.
Dakin nods. "Indeed." Into his combadge, "Dakin to Golden. Engine room secure. Come on in."
Golden Gestures to Leah to move first, then follows behind her to next point, that being the engine room.
Leah moves in from her position, climbs up the ramp and takes a position indicated by Golden. Then she moves again, up to the doorway to the engine room.
Golden "In position, sir." He says into his combadge.
Dakin looks around the place a bit, then waits for everyone to assemble. "All right... Mr. Golden, we have three doors here. Here's how I'd care to play this... one team holding the fort in Engineering while the second team checks the other sections."
Golden says, "Understood sir. Perhaps we can bypass the security interlocks on the two doors you don't choose and set them to open on a signal from our tricorders, that would help contain the egress points and prevent a surprise strike. We could in fact try that on all three doors so that way when you open your first one we don't get a surprise. Do we have this ship class specifications on file? You may have to find a hidden compartment off a floor access or such if the Nausicaan was accurate."
Ashilav offers up, "It's a retrofitted Ferengi cargo ship. It's rather old, but I'm sure there are a multitude of smuggling chambers and whatnot." She smiles slightly, somewhat dryly. "We may have to take the ship apart, compartment by compartment."
Golden says, "If such is the case, perhaps we should bring some security screens like we use to fortify a beach head up in hear and shield up around the sensitive parts of engineering to prevent a deliberate or stray shot from setting off something unpleasant."
Spect says, "That's what I am here for Lieutenant. It is a Glortook Class Ferengi Freighter. I have the specs for orginal designs. The one you are on has ben modifiyed, but I am sure I can give you the basics."
Dakin smiles to Ashilav. "Tragic." Then to Spect, "Upload the deckplans into our tricorders. Be nice to have a map." Then to Golden, "Good ideas across the board, Lieutenant, but hurry them along. I've a feeling time's of the essence here."
Spect says, "Sending deckplans now..."
Lorn tricorders the whole while, waiting for other specific orders.
Leah keeps both her hands on her rifle, letting Lorn and Ashilav worry about any scanning. She keeps rather quiet, listening to the sounds of the ship.
Dakin says, "All right, Ashilav, I'm assuming that the bridge is the center door?"
Ashilav nods slightly. "Yes, sir."
Golden says, "Aye aye sir. Mr. Spect if you could see to having those force screens brought to the bay I would appreciate it."
Spect says, "I am own it sir."
Golden says, "Mr Lorn, if you would go back outside and bring those up when they arrive that would be most helpful. Mr Ashilav, if you will see to configuring the doors to function as I outlined, Mr Leah, you will hold the trigger tricorder so please assist her."
Dakin nods to her. "Our first stop then."
Golden moves to a point where he can take opportunity fire on the three doors and crouches there bracing.
Lorn nods. "Aye sir." He backtracks out of the room to tend to the screens.
Turtledove assumes a position similar to Golden's, standing ready to provide cover.
<CONTEST> Spect contests his Shipboard Systems (Mission Ops) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Ashilav glances towards Golden, and for a moment, just looks at him. But soon, she sounds off, "Yes, sir. I'm on it." And turns to the first available console.
GAME: Ashilav spends a courage point.
Lorn returns a few minutes after the screens come to life in their assigned positions. He pauses in the doorway, not wanting to be in any sort of a firefight.
Dakin says, "Everything in position, everyone?"
Leah moves to assist Ashilav, pulling her tricorder out as she does so.
Lorn calls, "Screens are up."
The screens glow around the engineering core, protecting it from any hazards.
Dakin nods. "All right. Lieutenant, we're checking out the bridge first. Lock down the other two doors."
Golden says, "Aye aye sir."
Golden signals Leah to activate the lockdown override.
Leah uses the tricorder, after Ashilav has set up the doors, and locks out the other two doorways, only leaving the one to the bridge open. She looks to Dakin, "There you go...... Be careful."
Dakin nods to Leah with a smile, then looks to Turtledove. "Shall we, Ensign?"
Turtledove grins. "Let's do it, sir."
Lorn watches the whole thing. He pulls out his tricorder and begins scanning again. Briefly he checks the warp core just to make sure it's good and the screens have it all covered.
Dakin says to Lorn. "Lorn, if you wouldn't mind joining us?" He then walks over to the door and positions himself at its side, giving Turtledove the shoot-anything-that-comes-out look.
Turtledove nods and stands ready.
Dakin tabs the button that opens the door, grip on his rifle tightening.
Turtledove watches the door, eyes glittering...
The doors open to an empty intersection. The map on the tricorder shows that the fore door leads to the bridge with the port and starboard doors lead to their own sets of quarters.
Lorn looks up and nods. He begins following them, tricorder staying out though.
Dakin heads over towards the portside door, then looks to Lorn. "Anything?"
Turtledove stays alert, watching and waiting.
Lorn scans the indicated direction, trying everything he knows to pick up anything that might be there.
Lorn says, "Nothing sir."
Dakin tabs open the door to the portside quarters, nodding Turtledove to follow suit.
The door opens, revealing 5 distinct doors leading to crew quarters. One of them has a black star painted on the door.
Turtledove acknowledges with a nod and stands ready to follow.
Lorn wants to wait outside in the corridor, and seems hesitant to follow.
Since he hasn't been ordered yet...
Dakin steps carefully into the corridor then looks over towards the room with the star on it. He looks towards Lorn and motions him in closer.
Golden frowns to himself and levels his tricorder with his off hand at the powered down warp core, adjusting his tricorder scan for the trace energies found around Federation Pre-Contact observation suits, Dominion Shrouds and Romulan/Klingon cloaks.
Lorn inwardly sighs and follows in, already scanning the door with the star on it.
Turtledove follows at a distance, glancing carefully around the whole area.
Lorn says, "It's fine sir. Nothing strange."
Golden nods more to himself and closes the tricorder with his left hand sliding it back onto his belt.
Dakin nods and approaches, tabbing open the starred door.
Turtledove stands ready to provide cover when the door opens.
The doors open revealing what is obviously the captain's quarters. There is a console on the desk and a few decorations about the room.
Dakin motions Lorn inside and points out the console to him.
Turtledove continues to provide cover, though from outside the Captain's quarters.
Leah keeps her tricorder in one hand, whilst her phaser rifle she aims in the general direction of the door to the crew quarters. "Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" she asks nobody in particular.
Golden whispers to Leah, " Adjust your phaser to the frequency harmonic of the force screen and you can shoot through it like we do our starship shields... just set your phaser resequencing to match the modulation pattern of the shield and you should be good to go. Just in case there is an explosion you and your baby should be okay."
Lorn moves slowly in and first thing, scans the terminal. If he can be satisfied it's clean, he'll get to work on it.
Leah looks to Golden and nods. "I'm worried about Rann, Lieutenant... I..." She trails off as she realizes the com is still probably open. Lowering her weapon just a bit, she starts making the adjustments Golden advised.
Lorn opens up his kit and pulls out a couple items. He proceeds to hook them into the terminal and then attaches his padd to the whole mess. Typing something out, he starts working on a back door into the system.
GAME: Lorn spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Lorn (claiming advantage) contests his Systems Engineering (Computer) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!
A containment field springs up in the doorway, seperating Turtledove from the rest of her team. From the ceiling, two vents open and begin to pour out a thick, green smoke.
Golden says, "GAS GAS GAS!"
Golden immediately dons the mask he picked up on the way to the hanger bay and checks the seal.
Dakin blinks and lifts his own mask to his face.
Lorn curses and sucks in some air, refusing to waste time putting on his mask until it's necessary. He starts furiously typing on his padd, trying to bypass the security systems and get that gas shut off. In the middle, he pauses and decides it's better to have his mask on than off, so puts it on.
GAME: Lorn spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Lorn (claiming advantage) contests his Systems Engineering (Computer) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Dakin frowns as the gas billows in. Reflexively, he kneels down on the ground.
Turtledove regards the containment field with an expression of quiet horror. She hits her compin. "Turtledove to ops. We got some kind of containment field here. I'm locked out of the Captain's quarters. Lorn and Dakin are trapped inside."
The field disappears, the gas stops pouring out, and the vents suck it back in, clearing the air. Dakin and Lorn might be a bit nervous, but fortunately can breathe due to Golden's foresight.
Turtledove blinks. Then grins.
Dakin exhales and turns to Lorn. "Nice save."
Leah frowns and steps forward towards the shields that are in place.
Spect says, "Spect here, I am reading...wait wait..I've lost it. Are you OK?"
Dakin taps his combadge. "Dakin here, Spect. All's well."
Lorn lets out his breath, not realizing he'd been holding it even with the gas mask on. He looks at the screen, and slowly smiles. "It seems I have a nice little side effect to stopping the gas...I'm into the computer. Personal logs, anything else you want..."
Dakin says, "Do a search on anything having to do with Crichek's stealth device. We find out what it is, we can find out how to counteract it."
Lorn nods and taps some buttons on the padd. "Got something. Shall I play it? It's a personal log."
Dakin nods to Lorn. "Let's see it."
Turtledove continues to grin, though she steps back and turns slightly, allowing herself to monitor the outer room briefly.
Lorn taps the pad once and the thing starts playing.
Lieutenant Matthew Crichek's mug appears on the screen, smirking arrogantly. In his hand he dangles a belt and says, "Captain's log, stardate 52637.2. It would seem as though the Romulans have been working on getting their own version of the Jem'Hadar shroud technology." He laughs and kisses the belt. "Not quite up to those standards, but it will mask life signs from sensor sweeps. Could come in handy." His eyes narrow and he says, "The crew know most of the hiding places on this ship save one. I'll hide this there, it's too valuable. Now, if only I can figure a way to distract the doctor...end log." The screen blinks out.
Dakin thinks for a moment. "Search the logs for each and every hidden compartment on this ship. And see if you can find anything with him giving any idea where that special hiding place of his might be."
Lorn nods and inputs said requests.
Leah speaks up over the com, having heard the personal log. "Um... I think it's in the sick bay."
Lorn squints and grins again. Tapping another pair of keys, he brings up on both the padd and the computer terminal a map of the ship. There are many small compartments marked on it. "This is it. Nothing else having to do with where it could be."
Dakin smiles to himself after hearing Leah's revelation. "Check the sickbay compartments. They large enough to fit a human male?"
Lorn says, "Nothing on this map that fit that, nope."
Dakin thinks. "Might be worth checking regardless. If he didn't want his crew to know, it might not be on the map to begin with." He then turns to head out of the room. "Dakin to Golden. We're coming out and going for the portside door next."
Golden says, "Roger that sir."
Leah readies the tricorder that controls the door mechanisms and waits for Dakin and co. to re-emerge from the central corridor.
The team works it's way to the engineering room and stands in front of the door to the sickbay.
Dakin stands off to the side as before, nods to Turtledove to get ready, and opens the door.
Leah quickly shuts and seals the door, then releases the lock mechanism on the port-side door.
Turtledove assumes the position...
Lorn remotely copies the contents of the computer to the station's computers into an area he will be able to easily find later. Then he starts rapidly backing out of the computer and then unplugs his equipment. "Ready."
The "sickbay" appears to have taken some alterations. It looks more like a lounge now. Couches and easy chairs hang about the area with an old-fashioned dart board and pool table there for entertainment. Against the aft wall is a tall bookcase filled with volumes of hardback books, an odd commodity to find in most places let alone a pirate ship.
Lorn scans it with his tricorder.
Dakin blinks. "Interesting decor."
Lorn sniffs to "itch" his nose. Then reports, "Alrighty. This room is /not/ as big as the map says it is...and that book case," he points to it, "seems to be emitting a photonic energy signiture."
Dakin smiles. "Hologram. Can you disable it?"
Lorn frowns and shakes his head as he scans it again. "It doesn't look like a hologram at all, sir. There are no photonic emitters anywhere. Just a photonic signiture..."
Dakin's brow creases as he carefully approaches the book case. "Cover me, Turtledove."
Turtledove nods and stands ready.
Dakin examines the books cursorily. "Mr. Lorn, what else besides holograms give off photonic energy signatures?"
Turtledove's eyebrows twitch upward slightly. She regards the bookcase intently, taking a step backwards. "Sir?"
Lorn bites his lip. "Uh..there's an odd signiture coming from a book in the case..." he walks over and points at it, not touching. Turning, he says, "War and Peace...."
Dakin nods and backs off himself. "Dakin to Spect. Are you reading a photonic energy signature close to my present location?"
Golden says, "HOldl on sir... photonic grenades also make as similar emission don't they?"
Spect says, "Yes Sir, I have it on sensors. Sir, it is an explosive photonic. Recommend you get out of that vicinity"
Dakin nods and does so, shoving out Lorn and Turtledove in the process. "Lock this door, Lieutenant."
Lorn says, "Sir! Wait. The explosive is dormant.."
Lorn says, "For now at least."
Dakin pauses and sighs. "Place's got more traps than a Cardassian novel has chapters... Lorn, can you scan anything beyond the explosive. It's obviously there for a reason."
Golden says, "Sir, doesn't Lt Havaris have a background in demolitions? Maybe we can call him in to consult on this matter?"
Lorn says, "As I said, sir. The book War and Peace has a strange signiture. Looks like an electronic field. Beyond that I'm not entirely sure yet."
Dakin says, "True, or we could just beam it into space like the last trap."
Dakin says, "Dakin to Spect. If you can get a transporter lock on the energy signature, stand by to transport it into open space. Same parameters as before."
Spect says, "Transporter lock established...I think I can get a forcefield around this one as well..standing by."
Dakin says, "Do so, Mr. Spect, and energize."
Spect says, "Forcefield ...up...transporting now.....coordinates, same as last....transport successful..."
Dakin looks to Lorn. "Anything else of note in here?"
Lorn says, "Well...it's here...somewhere..the room I mean. Just, I don't know where exactly...I mean, this place isn't shaped like it is on the map, and that book is still giving off that energy field."
Golden says, "What sort of energy field is it? Perhaps we can neutralize it with a modification of a tricorer emission, unless it's a trigger of some sort, which would be bad."
Dakin looks to Lorn. "Can that be done?"
Lorn scratches his head, "Sir...it's similar to what a door keypad would give off. To tell you much else, I'd have to mess with the book probably."
Turtledove glances briefly at Dakin and Lorn. "I can check the book, sir."
Golden says, "Sir, I recommend you attempt a security signal bypass via your Tricoder. If the book is emitting something, it's powered and has lines to it, localize the lines, see if you can run a security bypass interface by patching a PADD into the line and then using the PADDs subspace connection to your tricorder from a safe distance to actuate the bypass."
Lorn speaks up, "It doesn't necessarily have lines. Could be an internal power supply."
Dakin looks to Turtledove for a moment, just as Golden weighs in. "Mr. Lorn, do as Mr. Golden suggests." To Turtledove, "Appreciate the enthusiasm, Ensign, but I think we'd best err on the side of caution here..."
Turtledove nods, a subtle grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Lorn nods. Localizing the lines, he attempts the mentioned security bypass. "He was right, by the way. It is lines.." He pulls a thing out of his kit again and attaches his padd to it. "Ready."
Leah shifts at her post, fingering the tricorder she's holding. "After all this trouble this guy better be here."
Dakin gives Lorn the go-ahead nod, gripping his rifle tightly.
Turtledove takes a more enthusiastic grip on her rifle and stands ready.
Lorn hits the button after taking three steps backwards, behind the two with guns, and looks up to see what his work accomplished.
The bookcase slides open only to show what appears to be an empty room initially. From around the corner of the hidden room, a disruptor rifle comes about with an angry looking man behind it. He immediately takes aim and fires.
<CONTEST> Leah contests her Dodge skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Spect says, "I am reading weapons fire. What's going on Away Team?"
Moving before she really knows why, Leah dodges to the floor, a rather lethal disruptor blast narrowly missing her.
<CONTEST> Dakin contests his Energy Weapon (Phaser Rifle) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Lethal indeed, a bulkhead melts.
<CONTEST> Turtledove contests her Energy Weapon (Phaser Rifle) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Crichek tries for another shot before 2 beams of phased energy hits him in the chest and put him down for the count.
<CONTEST> Lorn contests his Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!
Dakin cranes his head out the door. "Morgan, you all right?!"
Leah looks more than a little shaken up as she stands, casting about for her tricorder and rifle. "I'm fine," she calls back, though she doesn't sound fine.
Turtledove regards the fallen pirate with an odd expression. She relaxes slightly, though her rifle remains trained on his limp form.
Lorn just blinks repeatedly, holding the phaser outward still, though he's nowhere near the trigger.
Golden says, "Are we secured? Don't touch him yet... check him for a deadman's switch or a rig line to a chemical detonator. He's just the sort to rig his own revenge before the fact."
Dakin says, "We're fine, Spect, we have him. Get a medical team down here, the poor man's been phaser-stunned." At Golden's suggestion, he looks to Lorn. "Is he?"
Lorn shakes himself out of the shock when the orders come and he drops the phaser, putting it away and replacing it with his tricorder, which he retrieves from the ground. "He's clean..." he reports shakily.
Dakin nods and looks to Turtledove. "Get his weapon vouchered for evidence. He's under arrest on attempted murder." He then steps out of the sickbay and says to Golden, "He's clean," before checking on Leah.
Leah picks up her rifle, hands shaking, then bends to pick up her tricorder. "I hope that schmuck was worth it."
Turtledove glances at Lorn, regarding him calmly. She gives him a friendly, reassuring smile, then turns to Dakin. "Yes, sir." She shoulders her rifle, and gets to work.
Spect says, "Medical Team on its way sir."
Dakin blinks. "Morgan, are you sure you're all right?"
Spect says, "Good Job Away Team, remind me to remind you how many times I saved you lives."
Leah forces her hand to still and puts on a smile for Dakin, "I'm fine... /really/." She hefts her phaser rifle and takes a look in on the stunned man. "Looks like you got him."
Dakin nods with a reassuring smile to his fiancee then says to all of them, "Nice job, everyone. Good teamwork all around."
Moving forward finally to join the rest of the team, Golden offers a steadying arm to Leah and a reply to her sentiment. "He wasn't worth it, but the justice that will be served was. This man was once one of us, he betrayed the uniform, betrayed the trust given him by the Federation. He murdered his fellows in Starfleet, he raided and pillaged across borders against his own and others for the sake of filthy lucre. He is an example of all that is the worst of any of us, and he should be made and example to all of the price such trechery and villainy must pay. He's not worth it... no, but we'll make him pay for all of it anyway."
