Closing Night

 Episode Name:  Closing Night

   Written By:  Grey

         Cast:  Dane, Goodwin, Grey, McTiernan, Mulwray, Sunan and Voka'ra.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Grey

     Aired On:  Sat Jul 09 11:38:12 2005

     Stardate:  55102.3

Time: Fri Jul 08 20:27:03 2005

Stardate: 55100.8

McTiernan is armed, PADD in hand, as she makes her way through the crates piled up in wait for distribution to the station and its inhabitants. She stops at one crate to verify information stamped on it with what is listed on her PADD before she moves on.

As she moves on she gets a tingle of something wrong, that elusive sixth sense kicking in to warn her that there is something out of place in the cargo bay. Another moment and she sees the boot. Yes, behind the crate in the corner is a humanoid and judging by the boot its a Klingon.

McTiernan slowly rises to her feet, the PADD brought up to hide her hand which hovers over her combadge. "You might as well come on out now" she begins, her tone firm and steady. She takes a step away from the crate beside her so she's not in fear of being jumped, as it were.

Now that Piper moves she realizes he is laying there. Laying there and not moving at all. Or making any sounds.

McTiernan mutters something in Bolian that not even the UT's pick up then she says out loud. "Computer, seal cargo bay doors, authorization to open only to security personnel, senior officers, and myself. Also scan for other life signs this location" Once the computer chirrups in answer, she's on her combadge.

McTiernan taps her com badge and says, "Security Team to Level 25."

The computer chirps. "There are no other lifeforms in Cargo Bay 1."

. o O McTiernan thinks, "I see dead people. .... Am I authorized to see dead people? I'm pretty sure I didn't have to test for this part of my job."

The turbolift doors slide open with a hiss.

Mulwray steps out of the turbolift.

Mulwray has arrived.

The turbolift doors slide closed.

McTiernan taps her com badge and says, "Medical Team to Level 25."

The doors to the turbolift tube unseal, and as if boiling forth like a cloud of locusts comes the requested security team; a gaggle of armed non-coms, phasers drawn, emerges onto the deck - and behind them, roiling like a thundercloud, is Lieutenant Mulwray. Damned impressive entry, those boys have.

With the call made to Security and Medical, McT has thrown caution to the wind and made her way to the body of the downed Klingon to check for signs of life. She uses the edge of the crates stacked near by to walk a straight line to the body giving her a way to walk straight back out again and not disturb any forensics left behind. With two fingers pressed to the back of the throat, she checks for a pulse. "Over here!" she calls out as she hears the security team roll in.

There in the corner hunches McTiernan over the Klingon body, one that Mulwray recognizes immediately. Bor'ta, cousin to the famed Klingon Opera star Voka'ra who performed the night before. He's also quite dead.

GAME: Mulwray contests his Personal Equipment vs Routine and Fails.

And out they fan. Mulwray, his eyes blazing like a maddened bull, quickly sweeps the perimeter with a look - unlike his lads, his hands are filled not with phasers but with a tricorder busily chewing up the ether with its scrutinizing rays. "Fan out and secure the area," the big man barks, shaking his head as he consults his device - but there's no joy in Mudville. He closes it up, approaching the hunched McTiernan and the fallen Klingon with grim recognition firmly in his features. "Lieutenant. What's happened here?"

Sunan steps out of the turbolift.
Sunan has arrived.

Sunan steps into the cargo bay carrying a medical kit in one hand. He glances around then moves towards McTiernan and the body.

McTiernan finds no pulse on the cooling Klingon and sighs. Slowly she pushes to her feet and says to the computer first, "Computer, compile a list of all personnel granted access to this area in the last 24 hours." Then she turns to Mulwray. "I was doing a routine cargo check and found him like this. So, I sealed the cargo bay, had the immediate area scanned for other life signs, and called in Security and Medical. So beyond the obvious.. be shouldn't be here, let alone dead."

Sunan pauses about ten meters from the body, looking at it for a moment. "Does anyone recognize him?" he asks.

"I do." Jim frowns thickly as he looks down at the body, shaking his head. "This is the cousin of Voka'ra of the House of Koraga." Watch the respect flow off his tongue in the face of the dead, won't you? "Right. I'll need to take your statement - Lieutenant Sunan, can you get me a quick reading as to time and cause of death?" Out comes the hand with its closed tricorder, waving around the security officers as they proceed to secure the area. "Scour this place," he barks. "I want it stripped to the atom, you lot."

McTiernan nods, "Sure thing, Lieutenant. I'll need to check all the other crates in this bay to make sure that nothing is missing, else this becomes more then a B&E and murder."

Sunan nods to Mulwary and begins to move to the body. "With your permission I would like to hail Ms. Voka'ra for a personal identification?"

"I'll send someone up," the big man says with a shake of his head, frowning at the cordon of officers - he picks one out with a pointing finger. "Or not. Better go ahead, Lieutenant." And with that he clears his throat. "All right, Lieutenant McTiernan. Give me the exact details leading up to your discovery of the body."

Meanwhile, he points to one of the non-coms, making a vague sign with his hand; the fellow stops to tap his commpin after acknowledging the gesture.

The turbolift doors slide open with a hiss.

Goodwin steps out of the turbolift.

Goodwin has arrived.

The turbolift doors slide closed.

McTiernan blinks up and up and up at Mulwray. "Lieutenant, I'll be more then happy to give you any more detail you need but I need to make sure all the correct cargo is here. Other wise, what I need to tell you might grow and expand beyond this unfortunate soul." She offers a soft smile as she shifts her PADD into her other hand and begins to do just that. "I won't leave, I promise."

Goodwin makes his way out of the tubolift. Piper did, after all, only seal this off to people who weren't seniro staff, and Josh is among that. "Lieutenant," he says to Mulwray. "I got the message he's dead. What happened to him?" He makes his way over towards the body.

Sunan nods to Mulwray before beginning to move towards the body. He kneels beside the body, beginning to run a tricorder over the body.

GAME: Sunan contests his Personal Equipment/Medical Tricorder vs Routine and Succeeds.

Well, what else can the big man say? With a nod, Mulwray looks back to the body. "..very well," he states, and then suddenly there's a senior officer on hand - he looks down at his superior, bowing his head a bit (with no small degree of an odd sort of reverence) before gesturing to the kneeling Tellarite. "We're just about to see, sir."

Sunan taps his com badge. "Lieutenant JG Sunan to Crew Quarters 1519."

Over Sunan's com badge, someone sounds rather distracted. "What? Yes?"

Goodwin nods his head once. "And what the hell is he doing down here?" he wonders, shaking his head. "I don't get it." He turns towards Piper. "Lieutenant, I need you to do some Ops work for me."

Into his com badge, Sunan says, "Ms. Voka'ra, please go to the security office. An officer will escort you to Deck 25."

"You'll want to hurry up the preliminaries," Jim murmurs down to the medical officer. "When she gets here, she'll want answers. After she's sent his soul to Sto-Vo-Kor." You know. Send him to burning Heaven with a roar.

McTiernan steadily works her way through the crates, confirming what is there with what is supposed to be there. For the most part she simply ignores the others, letting them do their jobs as they need too. She's done what she can do thus far.

Over Sunan's com badge, Voka'ra says, "The security office? Lieutenant, I have a transport to catch soon..."

But wait.. Piper turns to look at Goodwin and blinks, "Sir?" she asks, awaiting clarification.

"I need a compilation of who called Bor'ta in the last twenty-four hours and who he has called," explains Goodwin. "Also, get me his movements in and out of his assigned quarters. When he went in and out from access logs, all right?" A beat. "There'll probably be more, but I can't think of it right now."

McTiernan nods a touch. "I've got the computer already working on compiling information, Sir. I'll add those things in as well."

Sunan glances up from the body. "It was a bare-hand double-hand strike which crushed his hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers and spleens all at once. That marks the killer as a Mok'bara master or someone else with comparable skill."

Into his com badge, Sunan says, "Ms. Voka'ra, its regarding your cousin. Please come immediately."

Over Sunan's com badge, Voka'ra pauses a long moment. "Very well," she says calmly.

Sunan's com badge clicks as Voka'ra drops off channel. The channel closes.

GAME: Mulwray contests his Security/Security Systems vs Routine and Succeeds.

. o O Voka'ra thinks, "What have you done now, cousin?"

The turbolift doors slide open with a hiss.

Voka'ra steps out of the turbolift.

Voka'ra has arrived.

The turbolift doors slide closed.

Into the cargo bay walks Voka'ra. In the corner kneels a doctor, working with a tricorder over the still and quiet form of Bor'ta. Mulwran, McTiernan and Goodwin are doing various tasks while the security non coms comb over the scene.

Mulwray eyes Sunan faintly. "Really." There's awe in the man's voice, just a little. "How long has he been dead, Lieutenant?" He then begins barking orders to the aether. "Computer," he rumbles into the air, "Enable a full security lockdown across the station - authorization Mulwray Alpha One-Four-Seven-Seven." Then it's his commpin, into which he's barking with the same intensity. "Security Office, this is Lieutenant Mulwray. Inform all personnel that we have a possible assassin on the station - I've already enacted a lockdown on avenues of exit, but I want patrols out immediately. Get to work."

Mulwray adds, "The culprit is apparently highly skilled in Klingon hand-to-hand techniques; keep your eyes open, and be careful."

"Do we have defensive wounds? Did he fight back?" asks Goodwin, continuing to pepper the medical officer with questions. But at the presence of Voka'ra, he crosses to her. "Ms. Koraga. Thank you for coming so quickly." He swallows his next words, for a moment, and then finally offers. "Security fOperations found your cousing here, murdered, not too long ago. As you can hear, we are using every resource we have to find the culprit."

Mulwray, for his part, is stepping out of the way between the body and its living relative. He's pretty sure what's coming next.

Voka'ra steps briskly into the cargo bay, ignoring the security peon that accompanies her. This is probably explained by the annoyance readily apparent in her expression when she appears. But, taking in the scene, then hearing Mulwray... Well, the annoyance disappears. And then her intense gaze turns to Goodwin. Without replying to him, she turns on her heel to stride toward her cousin's body.

McTiernan sets the computer to working on the other things that Goodwin wants as she keeps clacking on the crates. It's a long and checking job but it needs doing.

"Klingon or other brutal unarmed combat styles," corrects the doctor. "For example, a skilled Andorian fighter could have done this. He was killed at approximately 0330 last night. And no, no defensive wounds," he says before looking to Voka'ra. "My apologies, madame."

"Around...five hours, five and a half after the performance?" thinks Goodwin out loud. "Maybe a bit more, actually." He falls into thought, and then waits, waits, waits for the computer to finish working.

Voka'ra glances toward the doctor, as she kneels beside her cousin. "Why? Did you kill him?" she says scornfully, then ignores the medico, before leaning forward to look over her kinsman without touching him. After a moment, she kneels back once more, and tosses her head back to ROAR, long and hard, an unearthly sound even at the best of times. Add in the trained voice of a premier opera singer...

GAME: Mulwray spends a courage point.

GAME: Mulwray contests his Shipboard Systems/Security+A vs Challenging and Fails.

Standing in the background like a pillar, Jim has produced a PADD and is stabbing into it...but when the opress kneels at the side of her slain kinsman, something happens. Even the skilled fingers of the Starfleet officer are stumbled by the mournful, keening roar cast upward, conducting the sould of her departed cousin into the halls of the departed heroes. It makes him stare, with naked reverence and understanding, at the woman for a moment - just enough for him to screw up his attempt at work. The PADD's chiming breaks the reverie.

Goodwin on the other hand, just suppresses a wince. "Doctor," whispers Goodwin to the medical officer near the body. "Do you know if he was killed here or killed elsewhre and transported here?" he asks.

McTiernan is waiting as well. Then finally her PADD beeps and she pauses to read over the details. "All the cargo that's supposed to be here, is here. I show that Bor'ta placed calls to Voka'ra and received calls from the same. Bor'ta also placed a call to a civilian on base but that call was not answered and the connection was ended after only about five seconds time. I also show he never returned to his rooms last night after the performance, Sir."

. o O Voka'ra thinks, "Struck down from behind. Fitting but... O Cousin!"

GAME: Mulwray contests his Shipboard Systems/Security+A vs Challenging and Succeeds.

Sunan blinks at Voka'ra and shakes his head. "I didn't kil...' he starts, before stepping back from her. He glances to Goodwin and nods. "He was killed here."

Voka'ra's keen ends abruptly, and just as abruptly, she rises, and settles her gaze on the medic. "You will ready my cousin for transport to Qo'nos immediately."

Goodwin nods his head. "Is the blow from the front or behind?" he asks, finally. He's apparently trying to visualize how this may have happened.

"Definitely from the front," replies the doctor, turning to Goodwin. He raises his arms and places them diagonally across the man's chest. "The attacker hit him like this and cursed his organs in one lethal blow."

Without the beautiful monster making her wail, Jim's able to get work done - not that it wasn't an interesting distraction. His fingers work the PADD sending commands to unnamed systems over the airwaves - face locking up into a single piece of concentrated gravity. Hrrbl.

"He must have known his attacker," mutters Goodwin, thinking to himself, but out loud. "No way he'd let someone --" He turns to Piper. "Who did he call and when? The civilian call that wasn't picked up."

Voka'ra's brow furrows as she looks back and forth between the Starfleet officers. "Excuse me." It's not a polite phrase at the moment. "This is all irrelevant."

That makes Jim look up, though his expression hasn't shifted. "I beg your pardon, Madame Koraga? Why is it irrelevant?"

McTiernan taps something out on her PADD then stands there, silent, her gaze on Goodwin.

Voka'ra lifts her chin. "Because House Koraga does not desire your investigation into my cousin's death." She pauses. "Now, as I was saying- Prepare his remains for transport immediately, or disrupt them."

Goodwin looks down at his PADD when it beeps and nods, slightly. "All right," he tells the doctor. "Do you need anything else for your medical reports, or can the body be removed?" he asks.

McTiernan frowns and tips her head, asking curiously. "I realize that the Klingon culture doesn't bury their own.. but why would you not want to know how this happened? How is there.." she pauses a moment to think then brightens as she thinks of the right word, ".. honor in his death this way?"

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen immediately." Mulwray's rumbling refusal is stated with respect...and leaden certainty. "Your cousin has been found in a restricted area and a crime has been committed - I'm afraid Federation law holds, as this /is/ Federation property, that the body can be held until the conclusion of the investigation." He matches black eyes with those of the alien diva. "His soul has been attended to, madame. What harm is there until justice can be done?"

Goodwin makes his way over to Piper, scuttling about while Mulwray deals with the diva. "Lieutenant, I need logs of everyone in and out of here for the last twenty-four hours," says Goodwin. "Access logs. Get me diagonstics, too, on whether the lock could have been hacked during that time."

Voka'ra turns a shrewd look on McTiernan. "There is no honor in this death, in any way," she then says simply, before looking... well, glaring... at Mulwray.

Mulwray, for his part, is not cowed. "I'd like to request that you remain here as well, madame, until such time as the investigation can be concluded. Until the killer is located, or at least their identity, this station is locked down anyway."

. o O Voka'ra thinks, "Damn you, cousin. Why couldn't you just have stayed out of trouble?"

Sunan nods to Goodwin. "I've completed the medical examination, yes. I have all the scans that I need."

Voka'ra's glare turns into an outright scowl at Mulwray. "By 'here' I assume you mean this station. Very well. Anything else?" she inquires icily, turning toward the door.

"We can move the body for transport, then, Lieutenant Mulwray," murmurs Goodwin with a nod to the security officer. Though it's a polite, low-key statement, it's also an order.

McTiernan nods, "Yes, Sir. I started the computer on that just after Lieutenant Mulwray's arrival."

"That would be correct," states Jim - he pauses, then looks between Goodwin and the lady. "Keep your schedule open, madame. I'll be coming to see you soon." And then, after a pause, "My condolences for your loss." He then turns to Goodwin and Sunan. "The data's still computing, sir. Shouldn't be much longer."

Voka'ra whirls in a flash of heavy robes, and departs. Condolences, shmondolences.

Goodwin nods his head once. "All right," he murmurs, not sure what else, perhaps to say or do for the moment, ruminating in his head. He pauses and then looks down at the body, thinking some more. But mainly, he waits for the computer's compilation.

Voka'ra touches the pad beside the turbolift door.

Voka'ra summons the turbolift.

The turbolift doors slide open with a hiss.

Voka'ra boards the turbolift as the double doors slide open.

Voka'ra has left.

The turbolift doors slide closed.

"Right," Jim finally says after the doors seal - he looks directly to the Commander. "I need to talk to you, sir. Lieutenant? Can you give us a moment?"

Goodwin nods his head once. "Sure thing, Mister Mulwray? What's going on?" He does wait, however, for Piper to give them some space to talk in more private.

McTiernan's PADD beeps and she takes a moment to read it. "This is really odd, Sir. The compiled list shows that no one has accessed this area in the last 24 hours. I'm not even on that list and should be so I'd suggest getting an engineer down here."

Once Piper's given them room, Jim produces his PADD - pointing out whatever's on it for the Commander's benefit. Plenty of sudden rumbling begins.

"Start running the automatic diagnostics, Mister McTiernan, and then we'll see about geting you and an engineer to go over the logs for intrusion attempts," says the second officer, to her, then turning back towards the PADD. "Mmhm."

McTiernan nods, "Aye Sir" she answers with a chipper tone of voice. And thus begins the diagnostic.

A few more seconds and whatever Mulwray was pointing out is done with; he turns off the PADD, tucking it under his arm, and looks down at the shorter man. "Orders, sir?"

Goodwin is quiet for a few long moments, considering. "All right. The most important question is why he's down here. Figure that out and we're a good way to getting this solved," mutters Josh. "So if he wasn't hailed, let's figure out what could have brought him here. I want the cargo manifests checked for any suspicious items or seemingly fake senders or receivers. Bring Mister Lopez down if you have to." A beat. "Maybe the logs of access were cut, but bring up the turbolift logs and diagnostics. Let'see when it's make runs down to this level and hope that our bad guy isn't that smart." He's thinking aloud,.

McTiernan frowns suddenly. "No dice, Sir" she comments then shows him the PADD. "Diagnostic shows that everything is normal and we know that can't be. As for the manifest, here you are" She hands over her PADD. After all, it's what she was doing when she found the Klingon.

"Sir," speaks up Jim, "All the tracks are more or less covered. There's no evidence remaining."

Mulwray says, "Well. At least in that respect."

"Dammit," grumbles Goodwin with a shake of his head. "All right. Well. Get together his PADD-mail traffic, the headers on them from our servers. We'll work on getting a warrant for the actual contents." He gestures, vaguely. "Let's try to run down this Randal Thorne angle, too. Mister Mulwray, I'll leave the report filing and starting on this to you."

"It shall be done." Jim's looking over the Commander's head and shoulder at McTiernan; the lieutenant gets a nod as well. "I'd better take care of this, then. Lieutenant, feel free to send the men up once they're finished. All right?"

McTiernan peers at the others, "Shall I go now?" she asks. Then she adds, "Once you're ready for my statement, let me know and I'll see it's done."

Goodwin lets out a sigh. "Let's broaden our searches on his comm and PADD traffic to since he came on station, all right, and his movements." He waves his hand. "Might as well cast the net as wide as possible. I want a time-line of movements and expenditures and comm-calls and anything else he's done while on this station." A pause and a furrowed brow. "Call Mister Ueno and get her working on investigating the computer intrusion, if any, in depth."

Orders given, Goodwin makes his way for the turbolift once more, looking over the scene. "Can't I get a nice, easy day one of these days?" he asks, a bit anguished, the doors swishing shut behind him, the camera fading out on the scene of security enlisted men processing the scene with a grim professionalism.