EXETERRPG: (1 - 0915) CO Trip Williams and FO Cmdr Ailynn Bracken

[Mark Howard]

Mission: Murder on the Exeter Express

Day: 2

Stardate: 2445.12.02



(USS Exeter – Captain’s Ready Room - CO Trip Williams and FO Ailynn Bracken
- 0915)



Ailynn strode at full pace down the corridor, she’d changed scrubs, but her
mind remained on the autopsy table. She had failed, of all the things that
niggled at her, that she could be accused of, being a failure was the thing
that she hated, detested being.



Other Officers saw her bear down the corridor, her demeanor of fierce
concentration and absolute focus forced them out of her way. Few on the
Exeter had seen her at this level of focus, she tended to go through the
day at a steady pace, challenges coming and going. Now though, she was back
being a medic, and fate had challenged her, and if there was something that
caused her to awaken her full, immeasurable, intellect, it was the
challenge.



Fate had thrown down the gauntlet.



~Bitch...it’s on.~ her mind had replied as she’d burst out of sickbay. All
of the medics looking horrified, apart from Staff Nurse Carter, who’d known
Ailynn from Mars and had seen this mood before. She’d gently calmed down a
few new nurses who’d been worried by the amazonian figure bursting out of
the mortuary, turning it into a teaching point about focus, devotion to
duty and preparedness. ~Chances were that the medic that burst out of an
autopsy looking like that would burst back in sooner rather than later
demanding a second autopsy.~ The ghost of Millie’s own mentor; Fleet Matron
Callie Weston patted her on her back. Callie had been Ailynn’s personal
surgical nurse most of her fleet life, until her untimely death.



Ailynn exited the turbolift and swept furiously across the bridge, and
straight into the Ready Room, she waited for no door, and there, only
there, did she sit down, her point of focus never changing, she sat at the
couch, in her habitual seat, no word was uttered, no emotion shown, her
utter unbreakable focus on an imaginary point somewhere way off where was
the only indication as to her mental state.



Her brain, her complete and total intellect, was running at one hundred
percent. Absently, she picked a lock of hair, and began to chew it,
thoughtfully.



“Hungry?” Trip said looking at his First officer, obviously perturbed. It
wasn’t often that Ailynn Bracken dropped all etiquette and just came in
without knocking to sit down. If she was this laser focused it meant that
she had met a challenge that her mind just couldn’t wrap her head around
just yet. So Trip knew the best thing he could do right now, is sit,
listen, and help her talk her way through it.



Ailynn shook her head, and scowled briefly. Still sat silent and chewing
her hair. Her thoughts slowly beginning to order themselves in her mind.
She was glad that Trip knew her on a level that was so far beyond a normal
CO/FO relationship.

“Alright Lynn, talk it out, you don’t chew your hair unless you’re brain
stuck.”



“Can’t find it...missing something. Cause of death.”



“Well have you tried checking the body?” Trip said with a laugh. He knew
she couldn’t stand his “dad” jokes in moments like this, but it often
helped get her mind out of a rut.



Her face flickered annoyance, but her eyes smiled. “Arse.” She continued,
her brain now able to at least partly release on the thought it had stuck
focussed on. “I can’t find it T. I’ve got lots of incidentals.”



“Such as?” he asked.



“Cardiac toxins...not enough to kill him; stomach toxins...not enough to
kill him; the entire rear base of his skull utterly caved in…”



“Well wouldn’t that be the cause?” Trip asked.



“Done post mortem. He was already dead. No agglutination or blood pooling.”
She sighed, “I’ve got nothing.”



“Sounds like though, regardless of the cause, this was intentional, as in
someone either killed him, or wanted to make it look like someone killed
him.”



“An otherwise healthy person doesn’t just die. No one passes my table and
remains a mystery.” she half snapped at him, knowing that she could. “It’s
like I’m doing a jigsaw, but I can’t see the pieces and they don’t match
the picture on the box.”



“Well ok, let’s take a step back alright. And again, I’m not a medical
expert. But let’s just take a step back and think alright. So we have what
two different types of toxins in his system. Blunt force trauma to his
head. So obviously the killer wants to leave some red herrings. Make things
look like one thing, but not really. Just enough to confuse you. So they
obviously have what, some knowledge of how the body works.”



Ailynn nodded. “You’re right. Forensic countermeasures. So the killer likes
CSI: Federation.”



“So think of it this way, and I’m not saying you are a suspect. But, you’re
the scientist. How would you have killed him, if you would have then later
given him toxins and a bonk on the head.”



“Toxins in the stomach are incidental. Poor diet, damage to cardiac
arteries support that. He had a rhubarb tart for dessert. Bolian rhubarb
has high ortho-oxalic acid content. Toxins irrelevant.”



“That still doesn’t answer my question.”



“What would I do? Based on the two people I’ve already killed? A knife to
be honest.”



“And where would you stab?”



Ailynn suddenly drew a sharp intake of breath, and held up a hand. “Upward
angle, rear three-quarter between sixth and seventh intercostal space.
Impossible to shout for help.”



“Pretty efficient I might say.”



“Mother…#!@. Oh you stupid stupid girl.”



“Umm, you alright there Lynn?”



She looked up at a plushie of Fluffy Rabbit that Ash had made Trip have on
a shelf. “Its his fault he’s been distracting me…”



“What, my stuffed rabbit?”



“Jigsaw…” Her tone was breathless, impressed even. “Oh that’s good...Oh you
clever clever girl.” she jumped to her feet, her mind awake once more.



“Lynn, you’re starting to worry me.”



“You were right. Countermeasures”



“Well I mean, a broken clock is right twice a day. Why don’t you spell it
out for me though.”



In her mind she started to piece together the image that she’d memorised
earlier. She grabbed a holoimager, “Computer display scan Bracken
00245-alpha-theta”



The image of Nix’s body appeared and she immediately leapt to work. Her
hands manipulating the image in front of her. “Bajoran skull. Not pretty
given the damage. What do you see?”



“Umm….I see the reason why I didn’t take any medical classes in the
Academy. What do you see?”



“It’s a jigsaw. A rather gross one, but all the skull bits go together? I
know what killed him.” Her hands moved quickly in the air positioning tiny
fragments of bone into their proper place. Eventually, the skull was
intact, leaving…



“Broken neck, Cervical vertebrae C1. Death instantaneous. Blitz attack,
unexpected from the rear. Snapped neck, brutal motion to the left. Suspect
is a medic, or has shown significant interest in anatomy.”



“Or was instructed by one on what to do, I still am not sure this was a
solo job. It’s just not sitting right. Too many bread crumbs easily picked
up.”



“Agreed.”



“Did you get Ravok’s brief on who he is interviewing?”



“Trip...We’ve known each other since you were in nappies. Are you asking me
if I know my girlfriend is a suspect, one of my closest friends too?”



“Yes.”



“I heard.”



“Just checking, don’t want you surprised.”



“Does that seem weird to you? Murder is an odd crime, tends to be very
personal, this feels like a….I dunno.”



“Yet all of them have had arguments with the deceased. All of them have
weak alibis. I don’t like it, it’s three of my department heads on the
list. And it seems too easy. But I don’t know, what idea is worse. That one
of my Department heads committed a calculated crime of passion or that
there is a conspiracy. I don’t know?”



“Look. I understand, here’s the thing, we all have a dozen conversations a
day, where the slickest lawyer could focus on a single misspoken word.
Trip...are you asking me if I could shop my closest friends or girlfriend?
Seriously?”



“No, I know you. I trust you. And I would never put you in a position where
you would have to sell out Erin or Caity. Because I know you would always
tell the truth. Even if it meant that you and Caity would be done. Even if
she wasn’t even charged, if you were on the stand and the murderer’s
defense attorney asked you if it was possible Erin or Caity or hell anyone
you’re close to. If they asked you, ‘But isn’t it possible that say it
could have been done by Caity DuBois. Even if you knew it was not likely
but a possibility, even if you knew saying yes might end your relationship.
I know you would say yes and always tell the truth.”



“It’s a curse.” She admitted.



“Likewise I know you would fight like hell to find the truth. But I don’t
want to put you in that position.”



“I know. I can fight my own battles, but I appreciate it…”



“The one benefit for Caity and Erin, is I don’t know if they’d have the
strength to snap Commander Tyko’s neck. Unless of course it was a tag team
effort.”



“Blitz attack...You’re stronger than me yeah? Turn around.”



Trip moved from behind his desk and turned around.



In the three seconds that he had taken to turn around and swept up to him,
whipping her right arm right around his neck and tensing her arm muscles
briefly, then relaxing. She then massaged the tortured muscles.



“My apologies. Easy as that though. He knew his attacker.”



“But you’re forgetting something.”



“Go on…”



“Go to the door. I’m gonna close my eyes, when you’re ready come at me,
I’ll be facing the window.” Trip breathed in and out and closed of his
empathic abilities.



She did as he asked. “Here.”



“Sure.”



“From here there’s no chance…” It was terrible, but she adored these
moments, her intellect against his, a macabre playfulness.



“No I want you to come attack me.”



“You know I can’t. I know I can’t. I have to be closer.”



“Get as close as you need, and strike when you’re ready don’t say a thing.
Don’t tell me when.”



Ailynn nodded. Looking into his eyes and recognising the game that they
were playing. She drew a breath, and half turned. “These shoes are killing
me, going to pull them off.” She said, describing her actions a few seconds
after her they had happened.



Trip turned his back to Ailynn and closed his eyes.



Ailynn snapped round, her focus utterly on her target. Whipping her arm
around Trip’s head she felt an opening, it was intimate.



Trip listened to everything he could here, the rustle of her clothes as she
moved closer. He knew that she was coming, not just because he asked, but
because he was trained. As she went for his head, he moved his left elbow
stopping it in time to touch her gently in the center of her chest. In real
speed it would have been enough to stop her from being able to use the full
speed of her attack.



“Okay...hold…”



“You were expecting that, victim didn’t; held back, killer didn’t”



“Right, but more to the point. The victim was a trained SFI Agent. He would
have been trained to hear and react to the little things, the little
noises.”



“Agreed.” She fell silent for a moment, listening to Trip as her mind
worked.

“Now if Foxglove was on board, she’d be the only one I think who could do
it without him even knowing.”



“Naked.”



“Excuse me?”



“Ailynn Bracken…you are incomperhensably stupid.”



“Umm, well no, actually, lets sit with this for a moment.”



Exstatic in joy, she smiled. “No no no no no! He was naked. Did you take
his clothes off?”



“How stupid do you think I am. I wouldn’t mess with evidence.”



“I know…You’re…”



“Ailynn, could he have been given a paralyzing toxin?”



“I’d find it.” A tone of joy, “You hear me? I WIN!” she screamed at the
universe. “oh….This was gooooood. Clever.” her mannerism was intense her
eyes wide, her whole being utterly switched on.



“Ummm, Ailynn….we’re forgetting something. He called security before he
died.”



“That was the wildcard, I haven’t worked that out yet...ignoring that
what...do...you...have…?”



“He knew he was going to die… knew he was being attacked, but thought he
couldn’t handle it?”



“I grew up hating my brain... You remember when I started? That I’d just
sit in the treehouse and cry? Now…He wasn’t expecting the attack. Suggests
he thought he had a physical advantage. Why…? He hadn’t had intercourse,
but I didn’t check if he was expecting it...!”



“Lynn, what was the time of death?”



“0145 give or take like 30 seconds.” it wasn’t a boast, more a confirmation
of her ability.



“Then he didn’t call security. Someone using his voice did. The call to
security came in at 0150. Security arrived around 0155. Meaning, his
attacker wanted us to find him like that.”



“Time of death is absolutely 0145. Other issues not my problem. Get Merek.”



“Or Ravok.” Trip laughed, “Or we could just go back and forth with insane
theories. Such as how erect was he when he died.” Trip walked over to the
couch and sat down.



“It’s a standard check...not very...however presence of seminal fluid
suggests he was expecting intercourse.” She smiled. “I find it weird to use
that sentence around you.”



“Eh, It’s for science.”



“I’ll speak to the department.”



“So he knew his attacker enough to get naked with them. I heard him
mentally before he died. But I think, I think at that point he might have
been resigned to his fate. Then the killer killed him. Bashed his head.
Used some device to call security and peaced out?”



Ailynn nodded. “Is about the size of it.”



Trip giggled and then recomposed himself. “Go ahead and get your findings
to Ravok, see what he has, try and get a better picture. But I don’t think
this was a passion kill.”



Ailynn nodded. “Passion kills are always to either the face of the
genitalia, this has none of those hallmarks”



“No they don’t. @$#% It’s murder.”



“Murder is personal, this isn’t.” She frowned. “Why would you kill? Hit
me...first thoughts...no hesitation…”



“Ailynn….we’re going in circles. We still need more of the puzzle. If its
not murder it’s an assasination….”



“Same thing...Look...I’m going to talk to the body really nicely and ask
for secrets.”



“You ass.” he smiled. “Look, check the body and double check the cause of
death then get your report to Ravok. I’ll reconvene the Command Staff
around 1200 hours to discuss.”



“I'll be there. Time of death can be considered solid.” She stood up, and
moved toward the door, and smiled gently, “Thanks ‘T’ You're the only one
that understands my moods.”



“Lynn, look, Caity, maybe Erin too, who knows. They both might want to talk
to you for comfort. If they do, be there, listen. I trust you, and I trust
you to not reveal anything you shouldn’t. I trust you implicitly.”



She looked at him, and the years disappeared, “Love you too James.”



“But if it’s too much, let me know, and I’ll take you off this. Hopefully
it clears up soon and clears both. I just… I don’t want you to hurt.”



“I will but…” She leant forward and pecked him on the cheek, “I’m the one
who walks the line.”



“Just….take care of yourself ok.”



She smiled and winked, and then walked out the ready room, her mind already
three steps ahead.


(reply none)
(posted by Mark and Will)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://startrekfreedom.com/pipermail/exeter-rpg_startrekfreedom.com/attachments/20201206/eb6a11a4/attachment-0001.html>