S4: E11 - Fracture Lines

[Don Damien Addams]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

[Present]

Casey was happy it was easy sailing to Edoran. There were no side quests. No warp drive kicked out under them. No Q. There was no supernova to blow the space around them. He had fun times hanging out with other crew members and flirting!

Casey sat there hearing out the leader saying how he had wanted to assist Starfleet and they had some survivors on the planet. They could just beam them up. They could scan the area. Play detective work. He was glad he had not served on a science vessel. That would be the boring ship of all. He would rather wear a spacesuit and try to play soccer on the hull of the ship.

Then the Captain had asked anyone if they had anything. Not one thing to say. Not one peep. Nope. Not one or two.

But Casey had wondered where are the pirates hiding? Are they waiting to pounce on them like a little kitten going for a shiny object. No. Who would do that? Strike another ship from Starfleet. That would bring the fleet down their threats. Come on he had played Pirate once on earth when he was in the Pacific ocean with his family. Not real pirates. But it was pretending and reacting to be a pirate.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian eyed the new counselor and not having a reason to decline his request, he replied.

"As you wish, but there will nae be much ta see, we're cruisin' at warp and will be for four days. It will be an exercise in boredom for you."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian smiled at Ruth as she entered the bridge and made her rounds. When she asked about what needed tending. He thought for a moment and frowned.

"Only thing I can think of that may need sortin' is engineerin'. I hate ta even say that, because Lieutenant Thane normally runs a tight department, but you were on the receivin' end of what happened durin' the last mission with that nonsense with the sensors. Give them a visit and see if'n you can sense anything out of place."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Orbit of Edoran - Three Days Later]

The Challenger settled into her assigned close orbit per the instructions from Planetary Approach Control. No sooner had the ship came to a halt when there was an audio only hail from the planet. The speaker identified himself as Minister Conacian, the leader of Edoran government.

"Welcome to Edoran Captain Galloway. Your government contacted us to tell us who would be responding to this horrible tragedy. First, let me offer the condolences of my entire world for those lost on the Dawnspring. I also offer the assistance of my government in resolving the cause behind loss of such a fine ship. We have been taking care of the seventeen survivors and have made some inroads into determining the cause of the starship's loss and our preliminary findings are that the ship was lost due to an internal explosion rather than an external attack. I would like to invite you and whomever of your staff as you deem appropriate to beam down to the Hall of Ministers to discuss our findings with our Planetary Council at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you Minister for your kind words. I and my staff will be down shortly. Challenger out."

As soon as the channel was closed, Ian asked.

"Thoughts?"

[USS Challenger - Bridge - three days later]

Jettis was, predictably on the Bridge once again, as the crew finally arrived at their destination. Entering the orbit of the planet, Jettis was hesitant to immediately begin scanning. Obviously, they were there to investigate why the ship had seemingly self-destructed, but he did not want to offend them right off the bat. Struggling back and forth with it for a moment, he pursed his lips together before deciding on a radiation scan.

It wasn't long before a transmission came through - strangely, it was audio only. Cocking his head a bit, he made a quick mental note, before letting it go and listening to the message. It was short and sweet - literally. It was a very kind message, that portrayed their willingness to help. He could only hope that those intentions would hold up - he was sick of the cruel plot twists in the Challenger's story. As the transmission ended, and everybody ruminated on it, the Captain asked everyone's thoughts on the issue. He wasn't sure if he meant the situation as a whole, or specifically the transmission, however he waited for any other takers, before piping up-

"There are a lot of factors to consider. I've begun a scan for radiation in the surrounding area, and if possible I'd like to find a piece of the Dawnspring to scan. I just want to cover all possibilities of a possible radiation breach, that triggered the engines to explode. I find it unlikely - the crew should have felt effects far before that happened, and if that is true, the planet might be jeopardized as well. Nevertheless, I feel the need to check."
He paused, collecting his thoughts a bit further. "Should that all come back clear, the survivors - if fit to speak about it - may be able to shed some more light on the matter." His suggestion could be taken lightly, and at this he finished speaking, turning back to his scans. It was his hopes that perhaps, he could find a large remaining chunk of the ship, to confirm or debunk his suspicions. It was a cruel way of looking at it, but Jettis had come to realize he needed to have a more emotionless, calculated approach when it came to Bridge duty. He couldn't allow his emotions to get the best of him, and unless he got assigned to go planet side, scans didn't require emotions. So with a tight jaw and a deep breath, he tried to forget about all the lives lost on the ship, and rather focus on their goal.

[Don Damien Addams]

[USS Challenger - 3 days later on Bridge]

Shazham felt the noise from Edoran as Challenger made its orbit. It was hard to miss it. That was why he was walking off the turbolift onto the bridge.

The planet sat there with its population as busy bodies. Shazham had tuned them down to a very soft whisper. There were strong emotions stirring on the bridge. There was anger and sorrow from the Bridge. That was expected a normal emotion for what had happened here.

Then he walked to the command staff and stop to observe the planet. He had control of staying calm from meditating. He had to be here.

[Ocras Abisa]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Reading the scans, Ocras ported the results over to Jettis' station so the Science officer didn't need to duplicate that effort. The summary read: Significant antimatter/ion residue in orbit, seems to have an outbound trajectory; Multiple warp signatures leaving the system.

When there was a break, Ocras spoke from the Tac Station. "Captain, the residue signatures I found look like the residue is moving away from the planet, along with a large number of warp signatures. I don't see many coming in. With that pattern of residue, it is likely that the ship was in motion when the disaster struck." He paused, then continued. "Also, I can sense that the Minister is hiding something. I recommend taking an empath with you on the away team to watch for signs that this deception could be related to the Dawnspring."

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge - three days later]

Jettis was, predictably on the Bridge once again, as the crew finally arrived at their destination. Entering the orbit of the planet, Jettis was hesitant to immediately begin scanning. Obviously, they were there to investigate why the ship had seemingly self-destructed, but he did not want to offend them right off the bat. Struggling back and forth with it for a moment, he pursed his lips together before deciding on a radiation scan.

It wasn't long before a transmission came through - strangely, it was audio only. Cocking his head a bit, he made a quick mental note, before letting it go and listening to the message. It was short and sweet - literally. It was a very kind message, that portrayed their willingness to help. He could only hope that those intentions would hold up - he was sick of the cruel plot twists in the Challenger's story. As the transmission ended, and everybody ruminated on it, the Captain asked everyone's thoughts on the issue. He wasn't sure if he meant the situation as a whole, or specifically the transmission, however he waited for any other takers, before piping up-

"There are a lot of factors to consider. I've begun a scan for radiation in the surrounding area, and if possible I'd like to find a piece of the Dawnspring to scan. I just want to cover all possibilities of a possible radiation breach, that triggered the engines to explode. I find it unlikely - the crew should have felt effects far before that happened, and if that is true, the planet might be jeopardized as well. Nevertheless, I feel the need to check."
He paused, collecting his thoughts a bit further. "Should that all come back clear, the survivors - if fit to speak about it - may be able to shed some more light on the matter." His suggestion could be taken lightly, and at this he finished speaking, turning back to his scans. It was his hopes that perhaps, he could find a large remaining chunk of the ship, to confirm or debunk his suspicions. It was a cruel way of looking at it, but Jettis had come to realize he needed to have a more emotionless, calculated approach when it came to Bridge duty. He couldn't allow his emotions to get the best of him, and unless he got assigned to go planet side, scans didn't require emotions. So with a tight jaw and a deep breath, he tried to forget about all the lives lost on the ship, and rather focus on their goal.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Reading the scans, Ocras ported the results over to Jettis' station so the Science officer didn't need to duplicate that effort. The summary read: Significant antimatter/ion residue in orbit, seems to have an outbound trajectory; Multiple warp signatures leaving the system.

When there was a break, Ocras spoke from the Tac Station. "Captain, the residue signatures I found look like the residue is moving away from the planet, along with a large number of warp signatures. I don't see many coming in. With that pattern of residue, it is likely that the ship was in motion when the disaster struck." He paused, then continued. "Also, I can sense that the Minister is hiding something. I recommend taking an empath with you on the away team to watch for signs that this deception could be related to the Dawnspring."

[Bridge - USS Challenger --> Transporter Room --> Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

Ian hid a small smirk as he replied.

"Thank you for volunteerin' Mister Abisa. I believe you'll be needed as well Mister Jyur. Ops, please have Lieutenant Tharn meet us in transporter room two. Ruth, you have the bridge."

The away team stopped briefly in the transporter room to equip themselves with tricorders and phasers before beaming down to the coordinates provided. Edoran proved to be a very hot, dusty world, and they arrived on a city street paved with cobblestones and surrounded by brick, adobe, and stucco buildings with slate roofs and spread awnings.

The streets were crowded with people -mostly Orion- many of whom watched with a mix of open hostility, open curiosity, and even open dismay. Before the could interact with any of the locals, the away team was approached by a massive mountain of a man dressed in elaborate robes and wielding a large pole-arm/halberd who identified himself as Rijan and said with authority.

"Greetings. You are summoned to meet with the Council."

Rijan led them past a set of large, thick, and elaborately carved wooden doors, through an elaborate foyer with parquet floors, and thence into a low, comfortable, and elaborate furnished meeting room filled with men and two women.

The Edoran Council of Ministers was arrayed on a series of pillows and low divans around a central meeting area. Thick and luxurious rugs and draperies decorated the room in a sumptuous -and blatant- luxury. A small trio of armed guards (swords and disruptor pistols) stood decorously along the rooms perimeter.

Several of the ministers were smoking from elaborate hookas, while others sipped at a variety of unknown liquors, while others still had elaborate platters of small foods and sweet-meats within arm's reach. On seeing the away team, despite the languorous setting, the Ministers were all alert and perhaps even wary.

Rijan tapped his pole-arm three times against the hardwood floor and announced.

"The Federation officers, my lords and ladies."

A greying man in heavily and ornately dress hurried toward the away team and shook Galloway's hand with both of his own and said.

"I am Minister Conacian, I welcome you and again express my condolences on the loss of the Dawnspring. Please join us."

Conacian then led the away team to one of the low tables to sit.

"Would you please eat and share a drink before we must get the business that brought you here today."

"We thank you for your hospitality Minister. May I introduce Lieutenant Ocras Abisa, Lieutenant Jettis Jyur, and Lieutenant Dashlish Tharn. They will be the leading points of contact during the investigation."

"Charmed to meet all of you. Now please eat."

Ian sat and indicated for the rest of the away team to do so as well. As they took their seats, he made the Minister a discrete internal assessment of Conacian.

"I would nae buy a used hovercar from this bugger."

[Ocras Abisa]

[Bridge - USS Challenger --> Transporter Room --> Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

Ian hid a small smirk as he replied.

"Thank you for volunteerin' Mister Abisa. I believe you'll be needed as well Mister Jyur. Ops, please have Lieutenant Tharn meet us in transporter room two. Ruth, you have the bridge."

The away team stopped briefly in the transporter room to equip themselves with tricorders and phasers before beaming down to the coordinates provided. Edoran proved to be a very hot, dusty world, and they arrived on a city street paved with cobblestones and surrounded by brick, adobe, and stucco buildings with slate roofs and spread awnings.

The streets were crowded with people -mostly Orion- many of whom watched with a mix of open hostility, open curiosity, and even open dismay. Before the could interact with any of the locals, the away team was approached by a massive mountain of a man dressed in elaborate robes and wielding a large pole-arm/halberd who identified himself as Rijan and said with authority.

"Greetings. You are summoned to meet with the Council."

Rijan led them past a set of large, thick, and elaborately carved wooden doors, through an elaborate foyer with parquet floors, and thence into a low, comfortable, and elaborate furnished meeting room filled with men and two women.

The Edoran Council of Ministers was arrayed on a series of pillows and low divans around a central meeting area. Thick and luxurious rugs and draperies decorated the room in a sumptuous -and blatant- luxury. A small trio of armed guards (swords and disruptor pistols) stood decorously along the rooms perimeter.

Several of the ministers were smoking from elaborate hookas, while others sipped at a variety of unknown liquors, while others still had elaborate platters of small foods and sweet-meats within arm's reach. On seeing the away team, despite the languorous setting, the Ministers were all alert and perhaps even wary.

Rijan tapped his pole-arm three times against the hardwood floor and announced.

"The Federation officers, my lords and ladies."

A greying man in heavily and ornately dress hurried toward the away team and shook Galloway's hand with both of his own and said.

"I am Minister Conacian, I welcome you and again express my condolences on the loss of the Dawnspring. Please join us."

Conacian then led the away team to one of the low tables to sit.

"Would you please eat and share a drink before we must get the business that brought you here today."

"We thank you for your hospitality Minister. May I introduce Lieutenant Ocras Abisa, Lieutenant Jettis Jyur, and Lieutenant Dashlish Tharn. They will be the leading points of contact during the investigation."

"Charmed to meet all of you. Now please eat."

Ian sat and indicated for the rest of the away team to do so as well. As they took their seats, he made the Minister a discrete internal assessment of Conacian.

"I would nae buy a used hovercar from this bugger."

[Bridge - USS Challenger > Planet]

Ocras was pleased to be chosen. He wasn't sure which way the Captain was going to go, but it made sense to have the security focused telepath on the mission. As he walked with Jettis and the captain to the transporter room, he began a series of mental exercises that were designed to center him while lowering his walls. He was going along with the intent of using her empathy, so walling himself off was the opposite of what was needed.

On planet, he almost asked to beam back to the Challenger. The crowds wore their emotions on their faces, and that was only a tenth of the emotion the were projecting around them. Walking through the crowd was like walking through a cloud of buzzing insects that might sting. They saw the Federation officers as intruders. Ocras did his best to walk calmly and confidently, but without doing anything that might be threatening. He didn't want to do anything that might set off the crowd.

Aside from the mood of the planet's citizens, the dry air would be a problem eventually. Betazed was a lush world, positively damp when compared to other worlds in the Federation, and Betazoids generally preferred humid worlds. Ocras would have to pay extra attention to staying hydrated here.

Among the Ministers, the mood shifted. The hostility was muted under deception. With his mental walls down, he tried to discreetly pick up the emotional state of each of the Ministers on the council. There were times to make it obvious that you were scanning a crowd, but when dealing with the leaders of a planet, such an obvious search would offend them. So, while he sat and enjoyed the meal offered, he worked his empathic muscles while chatting pleasantly. His recent experience as a diplomatic attache was oddly relevant to this moment.

The food was spiced well and very different to what Ocras was used to at home... but he enjoyed it. He did not eat much. Enough to appreciate it and avoid offending their hosts, but he did not eat a full meal. There was the chance that the meal was laced with something, so the less he consumed, the less would have to be pumped out of him later. He grinned at his own paranoid thought... but they were here to investigate an exploded Federation ship... so some paranoia was sensible.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Reading the scans, Ocras ported the results over to Jettis' station so the Science officer didn't need to duplicate that effort. The summary read: Significant antimatter/ion residue in orbit, seems to have an outbound trajectory; Multiple warp signatures leaving the system.

When there was a break, Ocras spoke from the Tac Station. "Captain, the residue signatures I found look like the residue is moving away from the planet, along with a large number of warp signatures. I don't see many coming in. With that pattern of residue, it is likely that the ship was in motion when the disaster struck." He paused, then continued. "Also, I can sense that the Minister is hiding something. I recommend taking an empath with you on the away team to watch for signs that this deception could be related to the Dawnspring."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Jettis perked up as the scans finished, and in addition to his own, Ocras ported over his findings from tactical as well. Pulling them up side by side, he grimaced at the implications of them. This was far from a good sign. Lifting his head, he glanced over as Abisa announced their findings to the Captain. He waited for his pause before piping up - "It's possible they could have landed on the planet for some unknown reason. And gotten into trouble when they left." That's perhaps the least insidious option - which was still very disconcerting. Glancing back at his console, he tried to sift through the scan's findings, looking for any other key clues, or ideas.

[Bridge - USS Challenger --> Transporter Room --> Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

Ian hid a small smirk as he replied.

"Thank you for volunteerin' Mister Abisa. I believe you'll be needed as well Mister Jyur. Ops, please have Lieutenant Tharn meet us in transporter room two. Ruth, you have the bridge."

The away team stopped briefly in the transporter room to equip themselves with tricorders and phasers before beaming down to the coordinates provided. Edoran proved to be a very hot, dusty world, and they arrived on a city street paved with cobblestones and surrounded by brick, adobe, and stucco buildings with slate roofs and spread awnings.

[USS Challenger - Bridge > Planetside, Edoran]

Jettis' head lifted again, and he gave a nod. "Aye, sir." He responded, following the Captain out and to the transporter room. He quickly grabbed himself a tricorder, and after a moment of deliberation, the most easily concealed phaser there.

As they appeared down on the planet, Jettis quickly tried to take in as much as he could. It seemed like a typical colony - if a bit overcrowded, of course. He scanned the gazes of the onlookers, likely they knew very little about what was happening, so he didn't blame those of the crowd that seemed hostile. Perhaps they felt threatened, or thought repercussive action would be taken against them.

As they were met by what he could only assume was the Ministers' guard, lead them to the Hall of Ministers. As they stepped inside, Jettis could feel the difference between the town square, and the lavish decorations of the Hall. The science officer made a mental note of that, that could lead to a lot of tension between the Government and the people. Perhaps after, he could get the chance to speak to some civillians.

As they entered the chamber of the ministers, the lavish, luxurious setting only intensified. They lived a life of ease, it was clear to see. Wracking his brain, Jett tried to recall all of the Orion social cues and culture he could remember, perhaps he could gain their respect by showing knowledge. During his traveller's days, he'd had many encounters with them - some good, some bad. But none quite like this, obviously.

Rijan tapped his pole-arm three times against the hardwood floor and announced.

"The Federation officers, my lords and ladies."

A greying man in heavily and ornately dress hurried toward the away team and shook Galloway's hand with both of his own and said.

"I am Minister Conacian, I welcome you and again express my condolences on the loss of the Dawnspring. Please join us."

Conacian then led the away team to one of the low tables to sit.

"Would you please eat and share a drink before we must get the business that brought you here today."

"We thank you for your hospitality Minister. May I introduce Lieutenant Ocras Abisa, Lieutenant Jettis Jyur, and Lieutenant Dashlish Tharn. They will be the leading points of contact during the investigation."

"Charmed to meet all of you. Now please eat."

Ian sat and indicated for the rest of the away team to do so as well. As they took their seats, he made the Minister a discrete internal assessment of Conacian.

"I would nae buy a used hovercar from this bugger."

[Edoran - Hall Of Ministers]

Jettis gave a smile as the began the formalities, and were introduced. As it came to him, he dipped his head in gratitude, before clasping his hands in front of him. As they took a seat, Jettis glanced quickly at the Captain, suppressing the urge to voice his discomfort. The thought of dining with them before speaking about such serious topics put him on edge greatly. He was nothing but uneasy, and did not have faith that they were not up to something nefarious, so it was entirely against his better judgement. Already, it seemed likely they had lied about their findings, although he would need more evidence for proof it was intentional. However, refusing would be incredibly rude, no doubt.

Hopefully, the rest of this meeting would go smoother than the rocky beginning. As they dined, he  made a point to compliment the delicacies, as well as displaying as much enjoyment in the undoubtedly expensive liqours, most of which he could identify thankfully. Which also meant he could hopefully identify when the taste was off, and tried to do so as discreetly as possible. A few times in the meal he glanced over at Abisa, trying to gauge if he was getting bad feelings about this, and adjust his behavior accordingly. When he seemed to be giving little of a reaction, and Jettis himself wasn't getting any overwhelmingly bad feelings, he continued to enjoy the meal, suspicions draining away ever so slightly.

He needed to remain on guard though - something was just off about this entire situation, and he didn't appreciate being left in the dark.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge - USS Challenger > Planet]

Ocras was pleased to be chosen. He wasn't sure which way the Captain was going to go, but it made sense to have the security focused telepath on the mission. As he walked with Jettis and the captain to the transporter room, he began a series of mental exercises that were designed to center him while lowering his walls. He was going along with the intent of using her empathy, so walling himself off was the opposite of what was needed.

On planet, he almost asked to beam back to the Challenger. The crowds wore their emotions on their faces, and that was only a tenth of the emotion the were projecting around them. Walking through the crowd was like walking through a cloud of buzzing insects that might sting. They saw the Federation officers as intruders. Ocras did his best to walk calmly and confidently, but without doing anything that might be threatening. He didn't want to do anything that might set off the crowd.

Aside from the mood of the planet's citizens, the dry air would be a problem eventually. Betazed was a lush world, positively damp when compared to other worlds in the Federation, and Betazoids generally preferred humid worlds. Ocras would have to pay extra attention to staying hydrated here.

Among the Ministers, the mood shifted. The hostility was muted under deception. With his mental walls down, he tried to discreetly pick up the emotional state of each of the Ministers on the council. There were times to make it obvious that you were scanning a crowd, but when dealing with the leaders of a planet, such an obvious search would offend them. So, while he sat and enjoyed the meal offered, he worked his empathic muscles while chatting pleasantly. His recent experience as a diplomatic attache was oddly relevant to this moment.

The food was spiced well and very different to what Ocras was used to at home... but he enjoyed it. He did not eat much. Enough to appreciate it and avoid offending their hosts, but he did not eat a full meal. There was the chance that the meal was laced with something, so the less he consumed, the less would have to be pumped out of him later. He grinned at his own paranoid thought... but they were here to investigate an exploded Federation ship... so some paranoia was sensible.

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Jettis perked up as the scans finished, and in addition to his own, Ocras ported over his findings from tactical as well. Pulling them up side by side, he grimaced at the implications of them. This was far from a good sign. Lifting his head, he glanced over as Abisa announced their findings to the Captain. He waited for his pause before piping up - "It's possible they could have landed on the planet for some unknown reason. And gotten into trouble when they left." That's perhaps the least insidious option - which was still very disconcerting. Glancing back at his console, he tried to sift through the scan's findings, looking for any other key clues, or ideas.

[USS Challenger - Bridge > Planetside, Edoran]

Jettis' head lifted again, and he gave a nod. "Aye, sir." He responded, following the Captain out and to the transporter room. He quickly grabbed himself a tricorder, and after a moment of deliberation, the most easily concealed phaser there.

As they appeared down on the planet, Jettis quickly tried to take in as much as he could. It seemed like a typical colony - if a bit overcrowded, of course. He scanned the gazes of the onlookers, likely they knew very little about what was happening, so he didn't blame those of the crowd that seemed hostile. Perhaps they felt threatened, or thought repercussive action would be taken against them.

As they were met by what he could only assume was the Ministers' guard, lead them to the Hall of Ministers. As they stepped inside, Jettis could feel the difference between the town square, and the lavish decorations of the Hall. The science officer made a mental note of that, that could lead to a lot of tension between the Government and the people. Perhaps after, he could get the chance to speak to some civillians.

As they entered the chamber of the ministers, the lavish, luxurious setting only intensified. They lived a life of ease, it was clear to see. Wracking his brain, Jett tried to recall all of the Orion social cues and culture he could remember, perhaps he could gain their respect by showing knowledge. During his traveller's days, he'd had many encounters with them - some good, some bad. But none quite like this, obviously.

[Edoran - Hall Of Ministers]

Jettis gave a smile as the began the formalities, and were introduced. As it came to him, he dipped his head in gratitude, before clasping his hands in front of him. As they took a seat, Jettis glanced quickly at the Captain, suppressing the urge to voice his discomfort. The thought of dining with them before speaking about such serious topics put him on edge greatly. He was nothing but uneasy, and did not have faith that they were not up to something nefarious, so it was entirely against his better judgement. Already, it seemed likely they had lied about their findings, although he would need more evidence for proof it was intentional. However, refusing would be incredibly rude, no doubt.

Hopefully, the rest of this meeting would go smoother than the rocky beginning. As they dined, he  made a point to compliment the delicacies, as well as displaying as much enjoyment in the undoubtedly expensive liqours, most of which he could identify thankfully. Which also meant he could hopefully identify when the taste was off, and tried to do so as discreetly as possible. A few times in the meal he glanced over at Abisa, trying to gauge if he was getting bad feelings about this, and adjust his behavior accordingly. When he seemed to be giving little of a reaction, and Jettis himself wasn't getting any overwhelmingly bad feelings, he continued to enjoy the meal, suspicions draining away ever so slightly.

He needed to remain on guard though - something was just off about this entire situation, and he didn't appreciate being left in the dark.

[Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

Ian sampled each of the dishes offered, but only a little as he didn't want to eat a full meal or insult the Edorans. Conacian played the role of convivial host to the hilt as he described the various dishes and drinks laid out in abundance. After roughly a half hour, his expression became more serious.

"It pleases me to provide what I have to any guests that pass through those doors. Now that propriety has been served, I, regretfully, must speak of unhappy things. First of all, the Dawnspring survivors are nearby and will be brought in shortly, but the Ministers and I wanted to discuss their findings before they arrive to spare the survivors what can only be a painful conclusion.

"According to our investigation, the Dawnspring was lost due to some sort of accident aboard, apparently in Engineering. The ship was in standard orbit, with no other vessel nearby. It took a bit of luck and skill on the part of our security forces, but they were able to reconstruct, and computer enhance, sensor data from the few government sources within line of sight, and thus recreate the chain of events leading up to the ship's loss. I will now show you the visuals of that sensor data."

The playback opens with a low-oblique view of the starship as she orbited high overhead. After several unremarkable minutes, a small blossom of fire appears low on Dawnspring's secondary hull, close to her warp-core ejection hatch, this is followed by a massive plasma explosion which blows apart the secondary hull and sends the vessel careening off screen.

The view pans wildly for a moment as the operator attempts to focus in on the dying starship, and succeeds momentarily, just long enough to see the primary hull disintegrating as it tumbles into the atmosphere. The replay ends a moment later. After a moment of silence, Conacian speaks again.

"As you can see, there was no activity near the starship before she was destroyed. Our analysis suggests that the explosion was the result of a warp-core breach or failure of one of the ship's EPS conduits. We have managed to locate the major pieces of the wreckage, but sadly, no survivors from aboard the ship when she was lost. As I mentioned before, we pledge our full cooperation with your investigation, and fervently hope that this matter can be resolved quickly."

[Jettis Jyur]

[Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

Ian sampled each of the dishes offered, but only a little as he didn't want to eat a full meal or insult the Edorans. Conacian played the role of convivial host to the hilt as he described the various dishes and drinks laid out in abundance. After roughly a half hour, his expression became more serious.

"It pleases me to provide what I have to any guests that pass through those doors. Now that propriety has been served, I, regretfully, must speak of unhappy things. First of all, the Dawnspring survivors are nearby and will be brought in shortly, but the Ministers and I wanted to discuss their findings before they arrive to spare the survivors what can only be a painful conclusion.

"According to our investigation, the Dawnspring was lost due to some sort of accident aboard, apparently in Engineering. The ship was in standard orbit, with no other vessel nearby. It took a bit of luck and skill on the part of our security forces, but they were able to reconstruct, and computer enhance, sensor data from the few government sources within line of sight, and thus recreate the chain of events leading up to the ship's loss. I will now show you the visuals of that sensor data."

The playback opens with a low-oblique view of the starship as she orbited high overhead. After several unremarkable minutes, a small blossom of fire appears low on Dawnspring's secondary hull, close to her warp-core ejection hatch, this is followed by a massive plasma explosion which blows apart the secondary hull and sends the vessel careening off screen.

The view pans wildly for a moment as the operator attempts to focus in on the dying starship, and succeeds momentarily, just long enough to see the primary hull disintegrating as it tumbles into the atmosphere. The replay ends a moment later. After a moment of silence, Conacian speaks again.

"As you can see, there was no activity near the starship before she was destroyed. Our analysis suggests that the explosion was the result of a warp-core breach or failure of one of the ship's EPS conduits. We have managed to locate the major pieces of the wreckage, but sadly, no survivors from aboard the ship when she was lost. As I mentioned before, we pledge our full cooperation with your investigation, and fervently hope that this matter can be resolved quickly."

[Planetside, Edoran - Hall of Ministers]

The pleasantries  were nice, but only lasted for so long, before Conacian decided it was time now to get to the point of Starfleet's presence.

As he spoke, Jettis gave him his undivided attention, nodding as he took the survivors feelings into account. They no doubt, would need to be spoken too eventually, but perhaps they could be spared the trauma, so shortly after the accident. As he continued speaking however, Jettis' mood soured even further at his announcement of their findings. As the man expected, they reported no nearby vessels, which directly conflicted with the findings of the Challenger.

As the visuals were shown, Jettis inhaled slightly, making another effort to divorce himself from the situation. As the crew sat through the visuals, he retreated, trying to think of how to respond. Obviously, he couldn't divulge the fact the crew knew that was a lie. That would ruin any chance at cooperation between the two. Somehow, they needed to get more information - perhaps it wasn't a lie at all, but faulty sensor readings, or something else.

As the footage ended, and Conacian began speaking again, Jettis licked his lips, pondering for a moment. How could he phrase this...diplomatically? Shooting a glance at Abisa, he waited for any input from the Captain before piping up.
"This is very convincing evidence that the loss of Dawnspring was due to a warp core breach. It appears they attempted to eject it, but unfortunately failed in escaping the explosion's radius." After those solemn words, he paused to take a deep breath. "If it is possible, Minister, I would like to inspect the wreckage that you have located. Starfleet ships are not well known for exploding randomly, and I want to fully ensure that you and your people are in no danger due to what the Science vessel may have been carrying, nor what caused the malfunction." Or that there was no sabotage involved in the wreck. But that was a thought he would not be voicing out loud.
"As a Science officer myself, I can vouch that many non-toxic components can become toxic after being rapidly heated, or super-cooled. I feel it my duty to ensure it is properly disposed of." Hopefully this doubling down would strike the Ministers sincere. If he showed genuine concern for the contents of the ship, hopefully it would display he fully trusted it was an accident.

[Ocras Abisa]

[Planetside]

Ocras frowned as he watched the playback. The readings from his scans had shown the antimatter/ion residue trailing away from the planet. An explosion that resulted in debris falling to the surface was unlikely to have an outward bound pattern. His empathic sense of the Ministers revealed their tension, but none of them felt like they were actively lying about the ship's fate, and none of them seemed pleased with the destruction of the Dawnspring.

This was strange. Were there other actors? Dissidents? Perhaps a lone actor had sabotaged the ship?

After Jettis' diplomatic phrasing, Ocras followed suit. "Thank you for your time and assistance, Ministers. I would appreciate being able to speak with the operator that noticed the disaster and refocused the sensors. Perhaps there is something that the individual noticed that the sensors missed." He nodded, "After that, I think it would be a good idea to speak with the remaining crew to see if they are aware of anything onboard that might have driven this."

He took a padd from his belt and added a few notes from watching the playback. The tricorder and phaser remained in their places. The facts that had been revealed didn't add up yet. The crew of the Challenger would solve this mystery.

[Ian Galloway]

[Planetside, Edoran - Hall of Ministers]

The pleasantries  were nice, but only lasted for so long, before Conacian decided it was time now to get to the point of Starfleet's presence.

As he spoke, Jettis gave him his undivided attention, nodding as he took the survivors feelings into account. They no doubt, would need to be spoken too eventually, but perhaps they could be spared the trauma, so shortly after the accident. As he continued speaking however, Jettis' mood soured even further at his announcement of their findings. As the man expected, they reported no nearby vessels, which directly conflicted with the findings of the Challenger.

As the visuals were shown, Jettis inhaled slightly, making another effort to divorce himself from the situation. As the crew sat through the visuals, he retreated, trying to think of how to respond. Obviously, he couldn't divulge the fact the crew knew that was a lie. That would ruin any chance at cooperation between the two. Somehow, they needed to get more information - perhaps it wasn't a lie at all, but faulty sensor readings, or something else.

As the footage ended, and Conacian began speaking again, Jettis licked his lips, pondering for a moment. How could he phrase this...diplomatically? Shooting a glance at Abisa, he waited for any input from the Captain before piping up.
"This is very convincing evidence that the loss of Dawnspring was due to a warp core breach. It appears they attempted to eject it, but unfortunately failed in escaping the explosion's radius." After those solemn words, he paused to take a deep breath. "If it is possible, Minister, I would like to inspect the wreckage that you have located. Starfleet ships are not well known for exploding randomly, and I want to fully ensure that you and your people are in no danger due to what the Science vessel may have been carrying, nor what caused the malfunction." Or that there was no sabotage involved in the wreck. But that was a thought he would not be voicing out loud.
"As a Science officer myself, I can vouch that many non-toxic components can become toxic after being rapidly heated, or super-cooled. I feel it my duty to ensure it is properly disposed of." Hopefully this doubling down would strike the Ministers sincere. If he showed genuine concern for the contents of the ship, hopefully it would display he fully trusted it was an accident.

[Planetside]

Ocras frowned as he watched the playback. The readings from his scans had shown the antimatter/ion residue trailing away from the planet. An explosion that resulted in debris falling to the surface was unlikely to have an outward bound pattern. His empathic sense of the Ministers revealed their tension, but none of them felt like they were actively lying about the ship's fate, and none of them seemed pleased with the destruction of the Dawnspring.

This was strange. Were there other actors? Dissidents? Perhaps a lone actor had sabotaged the ship?

After Jettis' diplomatic phrasing, Ocras followed suit. "Thank you for your time and assistance, Ministers. I would appreciate being able to speak with the operator that noticed the disaster and refocused the sensors. Perhaps there is something that the individual noticed that the sensors missed." He nodded, "After that, I think it would be a good idea to speak with the remaining crew to see if they are aware of anything onboard that might have driven this."

He took a padd from his belt and added a few notes from watching the playback. The tricorder and phaser remained in their places. The facts that had been revealed didn't add up yet. The crew of the Challenger would solve this mystery.

[Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

In response to the questions, Conacian simply nodded to Rijan, who turned and opened the ornate doors to the Hall to allow the survivors of the Dawnspring to enter. The Nova-Class surveyor normally had a compliment of 80, but only seventeen crew entered the Hall of Ministers. The crew of the Challenger had already received the list of who survived and among those were the ship's Executive Officer, Commander Jedda Adzhak-Dall, a Deltan male; the Operations Officer, Lieutenant Guo Jian, a human female, and the Main Propulsion Assistant; Petty Officer First Class Sythaa Zh'zhaalren, an Andorian female.

Conacian stood and added.

"Captain, I'm certain you would like to speak to your fellow officers in private. I have arranged chambers for you, your crew, and the crew of the Dawnspring. Rijan here will escort you there. Should you have any questions or requests, you may contact me at your leisure."

The rooms set aside for the Starfleet personnel were within the Hall of Ministers and were only a short walk away. Once Rijan withdrew from the room, the survivors finally relaxed the tension that it didn't take a telepath to notice with clear indications of anger and frustration.

"Captain, are we glad to see you!" Commander Adzhak-Dall spoke first. "We're all are in good health, and have been treated well, but when the Dawnspring was destroyed, we were 'gathered and quartered'-"

"More like 'rounded up and detained'." One of the other survivors interjected.

Adzhak-Dall silenced the crewman with a look before continuing.

"Phelps isn't all that wrong Sir, we've been held essentially incommunicado and haven't been allowed to play any role in either the search or the investigation. And to tell the honest truth, the forced inactivity has been driving us all slightly to distraction."

Crewman Phelps looked like he was about to add something, but decided he had probably already pushed his luck too far already.

Ian listened to the survivors and could feel their resentment as they gave voice to their frustrations, with which he could sympathize before replying in a measured tone.

"I can promise all of you one thing, your voices will no longer be silenced. You will also be directly involved in the investigation, because no one here knew your ship like you did. Let me make some introductions."

Ian then quickly introduced Jettis, Ocras, and Dashlish to the others before continuing.

"We've already made some scans as we arrived and we've seen the sensor logs that the Edorans have. I've brought along science, security, and engineerin' ta get ta the bottom of what happened here. It's the least we can do for those who fell. Now, let's put our heads together and get on it."

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

Reply to Lt Jettis:

The emotions of a mental barrier came from the Science Station was a brief moment The Scientist was empath of sort. The Scientist greeted the counselor too. "œAs you, Lieutenant," he replied.

Reply to the Captain:

Shazam turned his head to the center of the bridge where the Captain was sitting. Shazham nodded his head slowly at the Captain as he introduced himself and the ship itself. Then  the Captain had a mental note the mood of the bridge was in good cheer.  The choice to change the topic was a good choice.

"œWe are here to serve. Our doors are always open. And thank you Captain," his upper body bow of thanks.

Reply to XO Sigurdsdottir

Casey of course turned to see the XO come in. He waved his hand at her. The smile was wide on the helmsman. She was a ginger. He liked ginger heads. And she was the commander. Lahr was one lucky man. She was very sweet and nice. Of course when someone was sweet as sugar. The opposite could be bad. She was into viking and fighting with axes. So he had not the chance to see her in battle with her axes. Lahr must be good at combat too. One day they will have that sweet opportunity! If not. They had holovids.

Casey had hoped they would have more food parties! The potluck party was a success! More of those would be great. He had a good blessing to eat all he could and not gain weight! He had good metabolism and good Irisj genes!

Shazham saw the ginger head first officer strolling onto the bridge and bee line to security. She had congratulated the science of his new role as chief.

The XO introduced herself to Shazham. "œYes, I am," he replied. "œCongratulations on your promotion. And to you," he turned his eyes on Jettis. "œAnd you too," he had a puzzle look. The counselor was obvious he was not acquainted to names and faces.

"œDo you wish me to stay on the bridge, Captain?" he had asked Ian.

[Bridge - 3 days ago]

Ruth smiled at the Counsellor looking at the pools of black in his eyes.  She always liked Betazoids, they had a strict code to when they used their talents other than those they couldn't help... the feeling of emotions.  She hoped that he could feel just the camaraderie from those on the Bridge and would feel at home here.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian eyed the new counselor and not having a reason to decline his request, he replied.

"As you wish, but there will nae be much ta see, we're cruisin' at warp and will be for four days. It will be an exercise in boredom for you."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian smiled at Ruth as she entered the bridge and made her rounds. When she asked about what needed tending. He thought for a moment and frowned.

"Only thing I can think of that may need sortin' is engineerin'. I hate ta even say that, because Lieutenant Thane normally runs a tight department, but you were on the receivin' end of what happened durin' the last mission with that nonsense with the sensors. Give them a visit and see if'n you can sense anything out of place."

The XO chuckled.  "As well you know, Captain, I'm perfectly happy to let Lt. Thane run as tight a ship down there as required.  Not entirely clueless in Engineering but not far off it!  I'll check it out though Sir!"

[Bridge - USS Challenger]
[Orbit of Edoran - Three Days Later]

The Challenger settled into her assigned close orbit per the instructions from Planetary Approach Control. No sooner had the ship came to a halt when there was an audio only hail from the planet. The speaker identified himself as Minister Conacian, the leader of Edoran government.

"Welcome to Edoran Captain Galloway. Your government contacted us to tell us who would be responding to this horrible tragedy. First, let me offer the condolences of my entire world for those lost on the Dawnspring. I also offer the assistance of my government in resolving the cause behind loss of such a fine ship. We have been taking care of the seventeen survivors and have made some inroads into determining the cause of the starship's loss and our preliminary findings are that the ship was lost due to an internal explosion rather than an external attack. I would like to invite you and whomever of your staff as you deem appropriate to beam down to the Hall of Ministers to discuss our findings with our Planetary Council at your earliest convenience."

"Thank you Minister for your kind words. I and my staff will be down shortly. Challenger out."

As soon as the channel was closed, Ian asked.

"Thoughts?"

[Bridge - 3 Days Later]

Ruth let out a long slow breath.

"My gut is telling me there's something 'off' about that but I may just be being paranoid after recent events we've gone through." she admitted.

[USS Challenger - Bridge - three days later]

Jettis was, predictably on the Bridge once again, as the crew finally arrived at their destination. Entering the orbit of the planet, Jettis was hesitant to immediately begin scanning. Obviously, they were there to investigate why the ship had seemingly self-destructed, but he did not want to offend them right off the bat. Struggling back and forth with it for a moment, he pursed his lips together before deciding on a radiation scan.

It wasn't long before a transmission came through - strangely, it was audio only. Cocking his head a bit, he made a quick mental note, before letting it go and listening to the message. It was short and sweet - literally. It was a very kind message, that portrayed their willingness to help. He could only hope that those intentions would hold up - he was sick of the cruel plot twists in the Challenger's story. As the transmission ended, and everybody ruminated on it, the Captain asked everyone's thoughts on the issue. He wasn't sure if he meant the situation as a whole, or specifically the transmission, however he waited for any other takers, before piping up-

"There are a lot of factors to consider. I've begun a scan for radiation in the surrounding area, and if possible I'd like to find a piece of the Dawnspring to scan. I just want to cover all possibilities of a possible radiation breach, that triggered the engines to explode. I find it unlikely - the crew should have felt effects far before that happened, and if that is true, the planet might be jeopardized as well. Nevertheless, I feel the need to check."
He paused, collecting his thoughts a bit further. "Should that all come back clear, the survivors - if fit to speak about it - may be able to shed some more light on the matter." His suggestion could be taken lightly, and at this he finished speaking, turning back to his scans. It was his hopes that perhaps, he could find a large remaining chunk of the ship, to confirm or debunk his suspicions. It was a cruel way of looking at it, but Jettis had come to realize he needed to have a more emotionless, calculated approach when it came to Bridge duty. He couldn't allow his emotions to get the best of him, and unless he got assigned to go planet side, scans didn't require emotions. So with a tight jaw and a deep breath, he tried to forget about all the lives lost on the ship, and rather focus on their goal.

The XO nodded slowly in agreement.  Inwardly chuckling, the Science Department was in good hands.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Reading the scans, Ocras ported the results over to Jettis' station so the Science officer didn't need to duplicate that effort. The summary read: Significant antimatter/ion residue in orbit, seems to have an outbound trajectory; Multiple warp signatures leaving the system.

When there was a break, Ocras spoke from the Tac Station. "Captain, the residue signatures I found look like the residue is moving away from the planet, along with a large number of warp signatures. I don't see many coming in. With that pattern of residue, it is likely that the ship was in motion when the disaster struck." He paused, then continued. "Also, I can sense that the Minister is hiding something. I recommend taking an empath with you on the away team to watch for signs that this deception could be related to the Dawnspring."

"I read a subtext in that of 'watch our backs when we leave'... they could potentially be all nicey-nicey to our face then we go away all 'Good job, we did well... BANG'..." Ruth said with a small pull of her lips.

[Bridge - USS Challenger --> Transporter Room --> Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

Ian hid a small smirk as he replied.

"Thank you for volunteerin' Mister Abisa. I believe you'll be needed as well Mister Jyur. Ops, please have Lieutenant Tharn meet us in transporter room two. Ruth, you have the bridge."

Ruth grinned and fixed Ian with a look.  "I'm not even gonna bother saying it.  You know what I'm saying anyhow and I won't change your mind.  Just be careful down there please.  I don't want to be explaining to a certain person why I didn't stop you!"

She waited until they had departed then turned to those left on the Bridge.

"I'm not taking any chances... I want a lock on their commbadges, and their lifesigns at all times, and one of the shuttles on standby to go down and grab them with a team of Security if anything happens.  For that reason alone I am going to be an old meanie and not have music on the Bridge at the moment but if anyone wishes to grab some refreshments you may do so and bring me a Waring Special Blend while you're at it."

Ruth then walked over and almost lovingly caressed the arm PADD, before sitting in the Captain's chair.

'Ah the conflict, I both miss this, and don't want the responsibility any more!' she said to herself, shuffling her bottom back in the seat to be a little more comfortable.  That didn't sit well with her, she was too worried at the gut feeling that something was going on so she started pacing the Bridge.

"Belay that coffee, I'm going to check those sensors are 100% I'm not running that risk again, I know I've been in Engineering every day this week but I just need to have everything perfect."  She turned to the Lt. j.g. who had taken over for Lt. Jyur.  "You have the Bridge for 5 mins..." but gave a look over to Ops and Flight that they all had to keep an eye on the away team.

[Engineering]

Ruth pulled herself together in the Turbolift trying not to freak at being left in charge again and hoping that the Counsellor didn't see or feel the insecurity there.  She could do it, she just needed to clamp down on the memories of what had happened when she'd regularly sat in that seat.  She'd passed all the psych eval tests following Leyton and she was more than fit for duty.

Striding into the department she called out knowing that Thane was planetside.  "Hello... anyone down here able to chat for 5 mins?"

[Don Damien Addams]

[Bridge - 3 days ago]

Ruth smiled at the Counsellor looking at the pools of black in his eyes.  She always liked Betazoids, they had a strict code to when they used their talents other than those they couldn't help... the feeling of emotions.  She hoped that he could feel just the camaraderie from those on the Bridge and would feel at home here.

The XO chuckled.  "As well you know, Captain, I'm perfectly happy to let Lt. Thane run as tight a ship down there as required.  Not entirely clueless in Engineering but not far off it!  I'll check it out though Sir!"

[Bridge - 3 Days Later]

Ruth let out a long slow breath.

"My gut is telling me there's something 'off' about that but I may just be being paranoid after recent events we've gone through." she admitted.

The XO nodded slowly in agreement.  Inwardly chuckling, the Science Department was in good hands.

"I read a subtext in that of 'watch our backs when we leave'... they could potentially be all nicey-nicey to our face then we go away all 'Good job, we did well... BANG'..." Ruth said with a small pull of her lips.

Ruth grinned and fixed Ian with a look.  "I'm not even gonna bother saying it.  You know what I'm saying anyhow and I won't change your mind.  Just be careful down there please.  I don't want to be explaining to a certain person why I didn't stop you!"

She waited until they had departed then turned to those left on the Bridge.

"I'm not taking any chances... I want a lock on their commbadges, and their lifesigns at all times, and one of the shuttles on standby to go down and grab them with a team of Security if anything happens.  For that reason alone I am going to be an old meanie and not have music on the Bridge at the moment but if anyone wishes to grab some refreshments you may do so and bring me a Waring Special Blend while you're at it."

Ruth then walked over and almost lovingly caressed the arm PADD, before sitting in the Captain's chair.

'Ah the conflict, I both miss this, and don't want the responsibility any more!' she said to herself, shuffling her bottom back in the seat to be a little more comfortable.  That didn't sit well with her, she was too worried at the gut feeling that something was going on so she started pacing the Bridge.

"Belay that coffee, I'm going to check those sensors are 100% I'm not running that risk again, I know I've been in Engineering every day this week but I just need to have everything perfect."  She turned to the Lt. j.g. who had taken over for Lt. Jyur.  "You have the Bridge for 5 mins..." but gave a look over to Ops and Flight that they all had to keep an eye on the away team.

[Engineering]

Ruth pulled herself together in the Turbolift trying not to freak at being left in charge again and hoping that the Counsellor didn't see or feel the insecurity there.  She could do it, she just needed to clamp down on the memories of what had happened when she'd regularly sat in that seat.  She'd passed all the psych eval tests following Leyton and she was more than fit for duty.

Striding into the department she called out knowing that Thane was planetside.  "Hello... anyone down here able to chat for 5 mins?"

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Casey relay the message to shuttle bay to have one shuttle ready for stand by to aid the away team. He figured that would be a neat job. Then they would be sitting and waiting. That was okay. Then he would not be here on the Bridge and miss the fun!

"There is always something off, sir. Its like going on date. You have clue you mess up. Say the right thing. And you wonder what she is up to? Is she really wanting---er never mind," he chuckled. "This is far from being a date. But first impression indeed"

Shazham saw Commander readjust herself in the command chair. There was an discomfort in where she was felt unsure. There was more to it. Everyone was their own book with stories.

He nodded his head as she asked for a coffee. He turned to the replicator to get her coffee as he felt change from her. Then she had dismiss the coffee and she got up and walked out. She was on her way to Engineering.

Shazham went back looking at the planet below to focus on the away team and what is around them. He had no strong tie to the other Betazoid, Lieutenant Abiss but as now he was using him as pin point.

[Derek Rodwell]

[Engineering]

Ruth pulled herself together in the Turbolift trying not to freak at being left in charge again and hoping that the Counsellor didn't see or feel the insecurity there.  She could do it, she just needed to clamp down on the memories of what had happened when she'd regularly sat in that seat.  She'd passed all the psych eval tests following Leyton and she was more than fit for duty.

Striding into the department she called out knowing that Thane was planetside.  "Hello... anyone down here able to chat for 5 mins?"

Derek looked up form his console when he heard a voice call out. He was rather surprised to see Commander, Hell. How do you pronounce her last name again? he chided himself. He stood to see what the Chief Science Officer, Damn it. No. The new XO. Briggs was gone. Pull your shiz together man. He quickly straightened himself and his uniform.

"Commander. How may I help you, Sir? Ma'am? My apologies. I'm not sure which you prefer." he managed to say.

[Ocras Abisa]

[Hall of Ministers - Edoran]

In response to the questions, Conacian simply nodded to Rijan, who turned and opened the ornate doors to the Hall to allow the survivors of the Dawnspring to enter. The Nova-Class surveyor normally had a compliment of 80, but only seventeen crew entered the Hall of Ministers. The crew of the Challenger had already received the list of who survived and among those were the ship's Executive Officer, Commander Jedda Adzhak-Dall, a Deltan male; the Operations Officer, Lieutenant Guo Jian, a human female, and the Main Propulsion Assistant; Petty Officer First Class Sythaa Zh'zhaalren, an Andorian female.

Conacian stood and added.

"Captain, I'm certain you would like to speak to your fellow officers in private. I have arranged chambers for you, your crew, and the crew of the Dawnspring. Rijan here will escort you there. Should you have any questions or requests, you may contact me at your leisure."

The rooms set aside for the Starfleet personnel were within the Hall of Ministers and were only a short walk away. Once Rijan withdrew from the room, the survivors finally relaxed the tension that it didn't take a telepath to notice with clear indications of anger and frustration.

"Captain, are we glad to see you!" Commander Adzhak-Dall spoke first. "We're all are in good health, and have been treated well, but when the Dawnspring was destroyed, we were 'gathered and quartered'-"

"More like 'rounded up and detained'." One of the other survivors interjected.

Adzhak-Dall silenced the crewman with a look before continuing.

"Phelps isn't all that wrong Sir, we've been held essentially incommunicado and haven't been allowed to play any role in either the search or the investigation. And to tell the honest truth, the forced inactivity has been driving us all slightly to distraction."

Crewman Phelps looked like he was about to add something, but decided he had probably already pushed his luck too far already.

Ian listened to the survivors and could feel their resentment as they gave voice to their frustrations, with which he could sympathize before replying in a measured tone.

"I can promise all of you one thing, your voices will no longer be silenced. You will also be directly involved in the investigation, because no one here knew your ship like you did. Let me make some introductions."

Ian then quickly introduced Jettis, Ocras, and Dashlish to the others before continuing.

"We've already made some scans as we arrived and we've seen the sensor logs that the Edorans have. I've brought along science, security, and engineerin' ta get ta the bottom of what happened here. It's the least we can do for those who fell. Now, let's put our heads together and get on it."

[Planetside, Edoran, guest accomodations]

After the Commander spoke and the Captain introduced them, Ocras stepped forward. "Commander," Ocras nodded to the Deltan, and then to the officers and crew of the Dawnspring. "As the Captain said, I am Lt. Abisa of Security. Before we delve into the facts as they have been presented, I would appreciate it if you would all consider a few questions I have."

"First, in your research, did you find any anomalies that might have impacted The Dawnspring? Or perhaps any anomalies that might have indicated something being hidden? Were there any interactions with locals or other visitors that turned confrontational? Finally, while you were planetside, were there any indications that you were being targeted for observation?" Ocras paused, his empathy stretched out to gather any reaction from the crew as they considered his questions. Hopefully, something he asked would jog memories that might give them something to investigate other than a potentially fabricated warp core breach.

If the crew were exceptionally formal, the Commander would reply to those questions first then the rest in descending order by rank. How they answered his questions would tell him almost as much as what they actually said.