Spatial Intelligence

Posted on Saturday August 21st, 2021 @ 2:33am by Commander Kanaka Shakura & Lieutenant Commander T'Pri & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Hirsch
Edited on on Saturday August 21st, 2021 @ 8:30am

2,673 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: S1-A1-Ep. 1: Spectrophobia
Location: Deck 01, Bridge Foyer
Timeline: Betreka Nebula; after Continuing Investigations
Tags: Betreka Nebula, Starfleet Intelligence, Syndicate-Tal'Shar

[ON:]

The quietness of the turbo lift was comforting. Hirsch enjoyed the quiet aspects of a Starship, especially in the company of a Vulcan. On their way to the bridge, he had prepared a mental outline of the proposed goals at hand.

There was proof that the Nebula was active with pirates and other interests. This was not a surprise. What was a surprise was that the Watchtower supply depot could be moved, and if it were, then so would evolving routes of attack and escape within the Nebula. This was concerning to Hirsch.

Not to mention the fact that there were breached security verification factors within the Poseidon computers. At the moment, Hirsch was still completing his investigation into the mysteriously placed LCARs and possible monitoring proposed by the Syndicate. He would need a moment to speak with T'Pri when Hirsch finally had his summarization of the breach.

It was important to keep command informed of any situation that could affect either directly or indirectly the success of the mission. Being that both T'Pri and Lt Hirsch were both department heads and it was incumbent on them to report their findings and a course of action to take.

"Excuse me Commander, may we have a few moments of your time"? T'Pri asked.

Since becoming Executive Officer, Kanaka had taken to always doing her morning reviews in the Bridge Foyer after her dawn meeting with the Captain in his Ready Room. For a time, she would be readily available for every Senior Officer to come and give their early briefings to her - just the salient points - or to ask any guidance or advice before they set about their duties for that day. As both T'Pri and Hirsch entered, they would see the Commander standing next to one of the viewports with a cup of green tea in one hand and a PADD in the other, taking glances at both it and the Nebula between sips. She was clearly deep in thought.

At the sound of the Chief Intelligence Officer's voice, Kana turned on her heel with a spring of enthusiasm. When she saw that Hirsch was also accompanying them, her Betazoid senses attuned her to the fact that this was likely not a casual drop-in. Turning off her PADD and placing it under her arm, she approached them both.

"Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant. Good Morning." She gave them a warm expression, "What can I do for you both?"

"We've been in a meeting for the last hour discussing tactical and strategic possibilities for finding and tracking the mobile pirate base, Commander, and we wanted to bring the ideas before you. We wish to utilize multiple probes to try and establish a sensor net in the north west quadrant of the Nebula. The reason for so many probes is to try and establish a movement pattern so that we can track the base at any given moment. The will be passive in nature so that they themselves wont be discovered. The telemetry they send back will look like background radiation form the nebula itself. As you will know I've had a lot of recent experience with fractal encryption codes. We both think it will work given time. We can seed the probes via fighters so that their point of origin will be unknown." T'Pri said

Calvin had looked to Commander T’Pri as the Vulcan had succinctly presented the information well. From a security standpoint, there was not much he had needed to interject at the moment. Hirsch did have a few updates regarding the mysterious LCAR chip, which Chief Engineer Sharpe uncovered.

At the moment. One thing at a time needed clear and conscience airing.

Kana listened intently, her expression becoming considerably more measured as T'Pri explained the situation and their proposed approach. She and the Captain had just been discussing the initial reports of the mobile pirate base, but now that both the Chief Intelligence Officer and Chief Security & Tactical Officer were coming to her with a recommendation of approach, it was obvious that those initial reports were seeming to be taken as credible. With a calm exhale, the Executive Officer nodded. "I see." She gestured for them to move closer to the viewport, away from the centre of the room, so as to give them all a little more privacy.

Once out of the way, she began to ask them both a few questions. "Tell me: what do we know of this mobile base?"

"According to Starfleet Intelligence they are using an old refurbished civilian fleet repair depot as a base deep in the nebula a late 22nd century surplus design, similar to a watchtower class star base, which supports freighters and fighters but is too small to support the larger capital ships of the 24th century. Since it is mobile it will be difficult to locate which is why we want to set up a sensor net inside the nebula Ma'am." T'Pri Replied.

"A Watchtower-Class?" Kana was almost shocked by this, though was very careful to not betray that to the two officers present. Considering T'Pri's reply, she then turned to Hirsch. "Do you think this could in any way be linked with the LCAR chip that Sharpe uncovered recently? It was his and the Captain's belief that they were of Syndicate origin. If that is the case, would the Syndicate have the means to procure such a base of operations?"

“I’ve opened communications with intel sources within the Sector. There have been substantial black market investments by the Syndicate lately. As if they are preparing something.” He offered. “It would make sense, regards to the Syndicate and how they run their operations. A used supply depot, the Watchtower class, wouldn’t be out of the norm.” Hirsch regarded.

“Commander. As for the LCARs, there is little doubt they were manufactured in a black ops tech facility. The high-quality compounds used to manipulate the LCAR buffers are 89.8% di-chromium. That is an expensive asset.” He all but didn’t state that it was the Syndicate.

"That too is unusual. Usually the Syndicate manufactures very good fakes, the high quality merchandize is usually too expensive to make a decent profit for them." T'Pri added.

Kana carefully considered both Hirsch's and T'Pri's responses, rubbing her right hand across her mouth as she considered the implications of all these things. The more these developments seemed to indicate greater connection, the more she began to worry that they were under threat from something far larger than they could see. First, the LCAR chips - expensive and purportedly of Syndicate-Tal'Shar make - which started to appear on the ship after their docking at Starbase forty-seven, and now an entire mobile base within the north-eastern corner of the Nebula.

"One question that pre-occupies my mind, is why here?" Kana expressed to them both. "Why the sudden interest in this sector of the Alpha Quadrant? In Starbase Forty-Seven? There are certainly more lucrative spots for pirates to smuggle and pillage. Their behaviour has been most unusual as of late, what with commandeering both the U.S.S. Cain and the U.S.S. Abel, which they used to attack us in the Bright Nebula..."

She thought more for a moment, before giving them both a rather serious look. "I can't help but have the sinking feeling that we are the target of what's going on here. Doesn't it strike either of you as odd that they would invest so much in all of this?" She looked more explicitly at Hirsch, being the Security and Tactical expert.

Hirsch had nodded. "Why now? The Syndicate, as you know, Commander Kana, is an active trade network. The Syndicate black market trade reaches beyond Orion space and limits Federation explored. The Syndicate created new trade routes. The Orion was defined a soft plutocratic republic, led by Orion merchant lords." He held his index upward, expressing a point. "Orion lords move in new territory when there is new exploitation and economy to steal." Calvin had remembered that "Since the deposits of tentium 4-4401 a scarce and a valuable mineral was discovered in massive quantities in the area over 24 months ago. A merchant lord has moved in to take a holdover rare mineral exchange in the area and make a gambit of it." Hirsch had offered. His records, research, and reconnaissance chat records received inter-data colonial downloads on known criminal whereabouts in the sectors and federation alliances.

Hirsch didn't know as simple Chief of Security and Tactical, but his data had suggested a regional deployment in the past 24 months. It was only a matter of time before the actual lords would move in.

"It is a logical move from both a strategic and intelligence point of view. The Syndicate as well as greatly weakened antagonists are simply looking for new avenues of operations. They must grow to survive, and with Federation expansion everywhere, they must think outside of the proverbial box if they wan to exist and expand." T'Pri stated.

Hirsch questioned to himself. "Commander Shakura. What course of action do you wish?"

Kanaka listened to the reasoned points of both Hirsch and T'Pri, trying to find solace in their knowledge and analysis. They certainly weren't wrong in anything that they said; but something about the entire situation still didn't sit right with her. Her face betrayed her uncertainty just slightly as she shook her head. "I agree with you both, there are lucrative ventures here for the Syndicate to desire to expand, but that still doesn't explain their aggression, particularly towards Starfleet. Surely if they were doing this in order to survive, they would want to draw as little attention to themselves as possible? Also, twenty-four months is a significant turnaround for pirate mining operations, particularly of this magnitude."

She paused for a moment, giving her officers time to consider the gravity of what she was suggesting. "What I'm saying is, I wouldn't rule out the potential possibility that the Syndicate are in this alone."

She now turned to T'Pri, "Did you manage to investigate the computer records as I requested back at Starbase Forty-Seven?"

T'Pri thought back to that encounter. oOO "I've just passed you a data chip which you can use with a PADD; on it you'll find a more detailed brief of Command's concerns and how best we feel to address the situation. The Computer Systems and Records are of the top of our concern. I trust you and your department can look into this with discretion?"

T'Pri palmed the data chip that the Commander had given her without a pause. Clearly a high degree of discretion was required. The Commander thought she might be under surveillance herself, or she could have simply sent an encrypted message. The investigation wasn't over yet. The XO thought or knew a threat still existed. The computer systems and records were commands top concern, She had said. Perhaps they were compromised. T'Pri thought. OOo

T'Pri took out her PADD, and decrypted the file. She has indeed looked at the files and made her recommendations. She gave the PADD to Commander Kana.

"I believe you will find the information and my conclusions useful, Commander. Use at your own discretion. No one has seen this report. I was extremely discreet." T'Pri added.

"Commander, I am continuing in my investigations as we speak. I have an open dialogue with the Chief of Operations regarding computer access, times and dates as we speak." Hirsch had held his hands behind in a stand of upmost respect and readiness.

"Once, we have a clear, solid lead we will update you further Commander." Hirsch then also reactively handed a status report on his findings and current leads up to this point and observations for Kana. Initial crew passive questioning would take place, nothing involuntary. Several laboratory analysis have suggested syndicate tampering, and groups as possible links. Why the Poseidon, what is the information they are after, and how much has been breached in the LCAR network. This was all added to the Captains report, as per standard.

"Once we have the sensors in and operating, we will have more definitive information to prove or disprove our hypothesis". T'Pri said.

"Indeed." Hirsch had added.

"All we need is your permission to proceed, Commander." T'Pri added.

As Hirsch and T'Pri both assured Kana that they were doing their upmost and were prepared to do what she asked, neither of which she doubted, her eyes scanned over the PADD that the Chief Intelligence Officer had handed her. She remained silent for a while, turning on her heels then and again as she digested all the information. The Vulcan had been thorough, as was to be expected; Kana was just looking for the one anomaly. The one thing that would give a hint of something wrong. If someone was trying to sabotage the Poseidon, they'd have to be thorough, but nobody is ever perfect.

In her line of work, Kana had often observed that the most ruthless of people tended to be the most assured of their perfection. She was confident that somewhere, somehow, they'd be sloppy.

Then, her large dark pupils widened ever so slightly. "There." She pointed to the screen of the PADD. "There was a log override registered by the Computer over a month ago, to change the ships manifest...which means someone very likely tampered with our stocks from the beginning."

She looked at them both very sternly. "I'll talk to the Captain and arrange for a time for us to send out the probes, but from this moment forward we can no longer treat all these incidents - the Iso Chips, the increased pirate activity, and the altered logs - as all coincidental. For the safety of the ship, we must treat our situation as compromised until we're certain otherwise. Do you both understand?"

"Acknowledged, Commander. Security Codes, will be changed once more. Subspace communications, encrypted channels, and onboard Starfleet surveillance buoys will be placed on enhanced restrictions for the time. I will do my best to set up firewalls to the systems, but I cannot guarantee what will happen next Commander." Hirsch nodded. He disliked presenting a bleak situation, but the compounding security issues were leading to a crescendo.

"I find that a logical assumption as well, Commander." T'Pri acknowledged.

"None of us can, Lieutenant." Kana replied to Hirsch, "But we can certainly do our best to anticipate a nasty surprise and potentially limit the damage. I want you both to keep me updated daily on anything you uncover, and once I have the Captain's go-ahead for the probes, I'll want briefs on my desk as soon as they send back results. In particular, I think we should be wary just as much of something sneaking up on us as us sneaking up on them. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Commander Shakura. As soon as Commander Perkin's receives our probes, I will be there to help from a security stand point." Calvin acknowledged Shakura. "I will submit my report within the hour as requested, on the hour. I have spoken to the Academy Recruits, and each of their division team leaders. I believe my next visit will bring some faces forward, as I have set in to motion a 'general security review' at least from their perspective right now." Hirsch had his various padds.

"Good. Thank you both, and please...stay safe, for all our sakes. Dismissed." Kana excused her two officers as she turned back to looking outside the viewport and into the vibrant gasses of the Nebula beyond, which now looked a little more violent and turbulent than they had before. As Hirsch and T'Pri took their leave, Kana took another look at the PADD T'Pri had given her, with a growing sense of unease in the pit of her stomach.

[OFF]

Cmdr. Kanaka "Kana" Shakura
Executive Officer & Chief Counsellor
U.S.S. Poseidon

&

Lieutenant Commander T'Pri
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Poseidon

&

Lieutenant Calvin Hirsch
Chief of Security
USS Poseidon

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