EXETERRPG: (16 - 2002) CO - Lt.Cmdr Trip Williams & Prisoner - Dr. Fave Itel

[Todd Holladay]

Mission: The flames of purity
Day: 16
Stardate: 2445:09:16

(USS Exeter - Deck 20, Brig - CO - LtCmdr Trip Williams & Prisoner - Dr. Fave Itel - 2002)

Fave had no way of measuring the passage of time. He knew it had been several hours since he had been transferred. Sensing he would get nowhere with Lieutenant Williams who had stone walled him from the beginning, the scientist bided his time and as in most military protocols he was brought back to their ship, the Exeter. Once he was, he put in a request to speak to his jailor. On a starship the ultimate authority for everything was the vessel master or commanding officer.

At least these cells were more comfortable than the escape pod. A bit warmer too. It was certainly no Klingon gulag on an ice planet mining dilithium.

Itel was laying back on the bench he was afforded when he heard the doors open. It didn’t feel like it was time for a shift change, so he sat up to see who was approaching.

Trip walked into the brig. He had done everything he could to Isolate Itel from Jost’s daughter. The two were in the brig rather than the makeshift detention center with the rest of the prisoners. However he made sure that their cells were sound proof, as long as Trip so chose, and that the forcefield keeping them trapped was a dark color they could not see out of, again unless Trip so chose. This was one of those moments. 

He had not spoken to Jost’s daughter. Not yet. But the scientist had asked for him, and Jost’s daughter had not. Trip nodded to the guard as the forcefield shifter to be transparent and it was no longer sound canceling. Trip stood there and looked at Itel. It didn’t take much for Trip to look intimidating. He was 6’4” and built like a tank. One could even say that had he decided to cosplay or LARP, he could easily get away with playing a barbarian or even a Norse god of thunder.

Trip just stared at Itel, not saying a word. 

Itel stood as well, looking up at the man. “Are you this vessel’s master? Her Captain?”

“I am.” His words were short, his voice stern.

“Then I formally request asylum.” Itel said.

“On what grounds? All I see is a war criminal. Asylum denied.”

“Captain, I’m wondering if your choice is made with all the information?” He inquired. “Lieutenant Williams, “stonewalled” me saying something about what I had done to Ryelle, your doctor. ”

“I mean, you had his corpse, you were in the same escape pod. One plus one often equals two.”

“I did no such thing. I offered both your officers Lieutenant Bracken and Doctor Reyelle food and water while they were in our much less comfortable brig. Even extra blankets and pillows.” Itel responded. The accusation he would do that brought up anger in him, but he was no fool. Presenting more that just the facts wouldn’t help, in all likeliness it would greatly hinder his own position.

“Yet you were found with his corpse. Just because you were nice when things were in your favor, doesn’t mean that you didn’t kill him when the tides turned.”

“The logs from our medical bay would show all our limited medics tried to do to revive him. He was in the cell with your Lieutenant Bracken, who I’m told is also a medical doctor of at least some renown. We never removed their medical supplies from them.”

“Well unfortunately for you, we don’t have your medical logs. But, as I am a man who appreciates having a full deck of cards. I’ll see if Lieutenant Bracken corroborates your story. Then you won’t be facing a murder charge. Though war crimes and attempted genocide are still on the table.”

“A coward, maybe. I am certainly no murderer. I am a researcher, Captain. My experiments had nothing to do with people. I was forced to choose a loan shark when banks and legitimate governments wouldn’t fund my experiments. Without some kind of deal on the table signed and sealed, I’m afraid I won’t be discussing exactly what my experiments were. I believe the Federation still upholds the rights of citizens not to incriminate themselves?” Itel said. He was very careful about what he said, he didn’t want to give away his best chance to survive this ordeal.

“However, I have an in with Judge Advocate General of Starfleet. I can ask him to recommend lighter sentences, maybe a comfier prison. But you have to play ball. And not to sound like a Ferengi here, but information is money.”

Trip went over to a side of the room and grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the cell and sat down. “So, you want asylum. Why do you think you deserve it?’

“It’s a pity you don’t have those logs…I was coerced.” Itel lead with. ~If your men had only been more thorough.~ “There was a point where I threatened to leave when I saw what they were doing. I thought I had leverage once I found out my work was integral to the next phase of their plan. I tried to use it. Jost’s right hand man threatened my life, stating to the effect of: losing me would only set them back by a few months, a year at most, they could certainly get another scientist and that if I left the project now they couldn’t let me go, I knew too much.”

“I see.”

“That is what I’m offering, Captain. In exchange for asylum, every contact and code word, frequency, tactics and procedures I know of the group. It’s a high price I know, but it’s a lucrative payload as well.” Itel clarified. 

“Well, it’s a reasonable offer, but how do I know I can trust you, how do I know that you won’t use your time in asylum to cook up more trouble?”

“Simply because I can’t go back, Captain.” Itel answered honestly.

“At the end of the day, that’s not my call to make. It’s for the bigger brass to decide.”

~Besides, we cut off the head, Jost is dead. But he doesn’t know that yet.~ Trip thought to himself.

“But here is my offer, take it or leave it. You give me every contact from the group on in the area of space around Bajor and the Gamma quadrant. Then as soon as we return to Federation Space, rather than handing you over to Starfleet Security or Starfleet Intelligence, who will be none too keen to let you roam around free, and will have ways of getting the information from you without a deal, I will instead ensure you are delivered directly to dealing with the Judge Advocate General. He’ll make the deal if he thinks its worthwhile. Though knowing him, your asylum will probably end up being you working for Starfleet Science, doing R&D, under heavy supervision and surveillance for the rest of your life. But it could be worse.”

“Indeed it could be.” He said. Remembering the Klingon ships the group raided and all this Captain would need to do is hand him over to the Klingons and tell them the group he was with, Itel would be mining dilithium by the end of the week.

“So there it is. Take it or leave it. But you don’t need to decide now. But there is one other thing. My man that you say you didn’t kill. Was a very devout and spiritual man. He loved the prophets dearly. You say you didn’t kill him, fine. But just looking at that red earring on your eye, the antithesis of everything he loved, there on your ear. Just makes my blood boil. So take it off and flush it. You say you are a pawn, that you were coerced, fine, then take off that symbol and destroy it. As a sign of good faith. That you aren’t a true believer. Because honestly, see that on you, knowing what your organization hoped to do. Makes it really hard to trust you.”

Itel had honestly forgotten it was there. “Gladly.” He said removing the simple but very red jewelry. Ripped was more accurate, the barbs on the sides of the pin made a larger hole coming out, than going in. A small amount of blood trickled onto his already red garment. He placed the red metal on the deck plating near the forcefield opening, then backed away to the bench in the back. “Destroy it, I don’t care.”

“The vessel master said it had something to do with the Prophets not seeing into our Pah. A bit of information that may be useful to you in the future?”

"I see."

“While we are on the subject of good faith. Can you send one of your PADDs I believe they are called...with whatever letter of intent you plan on forwarding to your JAG, on an isolinear chip. I will start writing what I know on that, a change of clothes, and a medic to run a dermal regenerator on this wound?” Itel requested.

"One second." Trip turned around to the replicator in the corner and returned with a 20th century legal pad, a box of crayons, and a singular bandaid with the 20th century hero Spiderman on it. Then he handed them to the guard, who then quickly and safely placed them in the cell.

"Here is your pad," Trip said with a chuckle. "I don't trust you with anything sharp or electronic at the moment. So these will have to do. But I'm not a monster. So as a sign of good faith, you can use your new 'pad' to request nicer meals. If that's acceptable."

“It would seem. My fate is entirely in your hands.” Itel said with a frown.
~Taking every precaution. It would seem my good faith has run out.~ Itel thought.

"Now then. Is there anything else?"

“I shall resume my work then.” He said picking up the stack of thinly sliced wood and colored wax sticks. “Remember, Captain. Quid pro quo. No secrets without a deal.”

"Play nice and you'll get it. You'll get a temporary order of asylum on this ship. Then its up to Starfleet JAG to hammer out the rest. Now if you'll be so kind as to write down any Gamma Quadrant assets we should know about, maybe we'll get you some reading material."

Itel applied the adhesive bandage to his ear. He picked a darkish brown color easily visible against the yellow colored paper. ~Paper how, archaic.~ 

“Lucky for you, I have an excellent memory,” he said. Itel ripped out the first and second sheets of his pad. Using a black crayon for the first one. He drew a small circle. He wrote a label: “Shrine world” then wrote down a line with an angle, labelled the vertex at the center of the known universe and another point at the other end of the angle. “This is a bearing to where we had been salvaging Dominion technology. The cannons and the polaron arrays on both vessels came from that. As did the transporters capable of going through your shields. We had no other assets that I’m aware of here in the Gamma quadrant.” He brought out the second paper and wrote a series of alphanumeric characters, this time in violet. “This is the code to disable the remaining security codes on board that derelict carrier.” He stacked the papers, folded them and handed both over. The guard waited for Itel to back off the barrier, which he did. The guard picked them up, stepped out and handed them to the Captain after closing the barrier again.

Itel then picked out another color he quite liked, and started on the third piece of paper in his pack. He began writing down different energy constants from memory, for reference later. Totally oblivious to the cell around him. His mind escaped into his work.

(Reply none)
(Posted by Will B. and Todd) NPC Dr. Fave Itel



“The only way to defeat fear is to tell it 'No'." No - we will not take shortcuts on the path to righteousness. No - we will not break the rules that protect us from our basest instincts. No - we will not allow desperation to destroy moral authority.” - Michael Burnham, Star Trek: Discovery

“No, I’m from Iowa, I only work in outer space.” – Adm. James T. Kirk, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”

Todd Holladay
SGT, IA ARNG (Retired)

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://startrekfreedom.com/pipermail/exeter-rpg_startrekfreedom.com/attachments/20201030/fcbc17dd/attachment.html>