S6: E2 - Truth and Consequences

[Nira Said]

[Station Operations - Starbase 185]

Ian's eye's widened at the rapidly forming misconception that was developing and knew he had to get ahead of the misunderstanding before it took on any more life of its own about the Landsers.

"Sir, that's the thing, it wasn't an attack. The temporal pulse is an integral by-product of the Fold Space technology. Not unlike 32 years ago when Doctor Serova proved that warp engines at the time were damagin' subspace. It wasn't intentional then, same with the Landsers now. We had time ta take extensive scans of their probe, both externally and internally. They don't have space weapons or shieldin' technology of any kind. That thing is about as dangerous as a work bee maintenance pod. I admit, that a Fold Space drive could be used as a de facto weapon, but it was never intended for that purpose. I believe they are here because, like it or not, we visited them and they are simply returnin' the favor."

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Ops | Deck One | Starbase 185]

Gillespie double-taked and blinked in surprise. "Oh," he said. "My apologies, then, laddie, I tend to think in terms of what's best for protection, along with the rest of Starfleet Security..."

The people who are more zealous for protection and defense of the Federation than us at Starfleet Security are, by a bloody longshot, Section Bloody Thirty-One, Gillespie added to himself mentally.

"And yeh do have a point; I never forgot the warp five speed limit until the lads at the Corps of Engineers worked aroond it. If a temporal pulse is an indication of their aboot to come to call, they really ought to give advanced bloody notice before they show up, because most people would be inclined to assume an attack is hitting them, like how I did..."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Starbase 185 - Function Room Mayflower - center stage >>>  USS Challenger]

[Station Operations - Starbase 185]

Galloway winced when he heard his PADD ping and was stunned at Gillespie's order. However, rather than ask questions, he immediately tapped his combadge before the admiral could change his mind.

"All hands, this is the Captain speakin', report on the double ta your duty station on the Challenger immediately. This a full complement recall. This is not a drill."

Lahr had been up on stage with Lieutenant Wu when the Captain's call came in.  Lahr looked to the man and gave a slight shrug before turning to head to the back stage exit at a jog.  Lahr didn't bother with trying to get a transporter beam up... that sort of thing was reserved for bridge crew or senior officers, not enlisted.  The halls of the starbase were very congested on the route to the docked ships; but now that people weren't panicked the flow was rather orderly.  That was one of the benefits of repetitive emergency drills.

It took Lahr five minutes to make his way from the Mayflower room to the Challenger's airlock.  By this time, the Bridge crew should already be assembled and prepping the ship for disembarking.  Once aboard, Lahr hurried to his shared quarters and did a quick change out of his civvies and into his uniform, then he headed to Main Engineering.  He'd find out his duty station once he got there.  He was betting that he'd been assigned to working with Damage Control Team One.  That seemed to be where the Chiefs - past and present - liked to assign him.

[Ch'e N'ok Savyn]

Max looked curiously at Savyn first and then at Leran. The Bajoran boy simply shrugged as if to say "Vulcans amirite?"

"Umm... well... it was a virus." Max offered. Then figuring he ought to explain more..."Well, the scientists made a virus that could make people age super slow but it mutated and killed all the adults. And older kids... and uhh... then the Enterprise showed up... the first one... with Kirk and Spock... and Doctor McCoy did some stuff and now we're here." Truthfully, Max only knew the broad strokes. He wasn't a history buff like Kyan. Max was more into engineering.

"Yeah, you should ask Kyan about it. He knows the history." Leran added. "You'll meet him when he heals up from getting hurt on the Landser planet. He's the First Officer. Well... he will be...again. Zhuk is now... but Kyan was. Anyways... so you're gonna be on the Challenger? You'll get to work with my dad! He's a doctor."

[Starbase 185 | Function Room Mayflower]

"Fascinating," the Vulcan seemed genuinely interested, his eyes a bit more expressive than would be typically anticipated from one of his species. "Epidemiology is my specialty. I will research this more at a later date..."
Savyn seemed to trail off slightly, lost in thought for a moment as he considered the implications of such a virus.

Savyn opened his mouth to add something else, but before he could speak again the station itself seemed to rattle as if impacted by a great force. He lost his balance easily and barely managed to grab onto a nearby chair to steady himself before he toppled to the floor completely. "What... Was that...?" He asked no one in particular, looking around with wide eyes as people seemed to panic. He heard the instructions given over the microphone, but the sensory overload was beginning to cloud Savyn's mind and he only barely managed to understand what his orders were.

[James Carter]

[Station Operations - Starbase 185]

Ian's eye's widened at the rapidly forming misconception that was developing and knew he had to get ahead of the misunderstanding before it took on any more life of its own about the Landsers.

"Sir, that's the thing, it wasn't an attack. The temporal pulse is an integral by-product of the Fold Space technology. Not unlike 32 years ago when Doctor Serova proved that warp engines at the time were damagin' subspace. It wasn't intentional then, same with the Landsers now. We had time ta take extensive scans of their probe, both externally and internally. They don't have space weapons or shieldin' technology of any kind. That thing is about as dangerous as a work bee maintenance pod. I admit, that a Fold Space drive could be used as a de facto weapon, but it was never intended for that purpose. I believe they are here because, like it or not, we visited them and they are simply returnin' the favor."

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Ops | Deck One | Starbase 185]

Gillespie double-taked and blinked in surprise. "Oh," he said. "My apologies, then, laddie, I tend to think in terms of what's best for protection, along with the rest of Starfleet Security..."

The people who are more zealous for protection and defense of the Federation than us at Starfleet Security are, by a bloody longshot, Section Bloody Thirty-One, Gillespie added to himself mentally.

"And yeh do have a point; I never forgot the warp five speed limit until the lads at the Corps of Engineers worked aroond it. If a temporal pulse is an indication of their aboot to come to call, they really ought to give advanced bloody notice before they show up, because most people would be inclined to assume an attack is hitting them, like how I did..."

[Starbase 185 | Ops]

Carter laughed slightly and folded his arms. "Glad I'm not the only one that thought of the comparison to the damage warp does to subspace. A good point Cap." The admiral said before turning to Gillespie. "Earlier you mentioned the attack on Risa, but there's a lesson I learned in my time dealing with the T'Kori. Sometimes something looks like an attack but it's not intended that way. Awhile after that experience on Risa we met them again. They'd erected a giant electronic dampening tower. The T'Sari thought it was an attack but since both of the sister species are very integrated with their technology they had erected that tower to establish a DMZ and prevent both sides from using weapons for peace talks."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Function Room]

Ardy nodded. It seemed like Neva caught her drift, taking the faint mental impression she had gotten, and running with it. It would be hard to explain in words. She was still not all that good at mental reading, and probably would never be, but, it was definitely a lead. She looked at the camera feeds, scanning the face of the man who did the dosing of the punch. "That.... That kind of  looks like one of the reporters, don'tcha think?" she asked the other two.  She could feel the leftover drugs in her system. all filters were off.

Suddenly , she heard the call for all hands to get back on board. They'd have to get Maddy soon. She moved to Alex. "They'll need us to start the ship soon. We should get the kiddo. "

[Interrogation rooms]

[As Maddy]

A grave look crossed the little girl's face. That was good. She knew what to do on the ship during a red alert, but whatever that was, it was kinda scary. "C'mon. We gotta follow that man!" she said to Mo, getting off the seat and into the hallway, looking for the Security Man.

She closed her eyes, trying  to hear that man's thoughts so she could follow him. It wasn't too hard to find. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she could feel like he was being sneaky.

She noticed the man in red who was giving her those feelings and ducked behind a chair. He seemed to be receiving a call.

Challenger is returning from docking?! Right away, Then. I can't miss this. Thank you"   %&@$! The ship leaving early is not going to help my case at all!  Maybe I can be the First Officer, however... They're still missing one of those, I can wait my time...

[Tora Zalos]

[Station Operations - Starbase 185]

Galloway winced when he heard his PADD ping and was stunned at Gillespie's order. However, rather than ask questions, he immediately tapped his combadge before the admiral could change his mind.

"All hands, this is the Captain speakin', report on the double ta your duty station on the Challenger immediately. This a full complement recall. This is not a drill."

Ian was even more surprised by Admiral Carter's support as he was still uncertain of his standing with the man.

"Sir, the biggest issue I see is the immediate need for more chronitons. Even if all the Landsers do is say 'now that we've found you we're leavin',' we don't ken how long the Wu Defense works. Personally, and I'm nae a boffin, I believe the chronitons are expended each time they stop a pulse, so the station goin' ta have ta start generatin' them for when the Landsers do leave whenever that may be.

"And I believe now, the proper thing ta do is ta talk ta them, they've traveled 36 light years ta get here, I figure we owe them that much. So with your leave, Sirs, and Captain, I'd like ta reply."

When Sonak nodded his acceptance, Ian stepped into view of the Landsers.

"I greet you Explorers Marek Garr and Neediki Remos. This is Galloway. When we last spoke, the Land Moot had agreed ta suspend operation of the Great Work."

"We greet you Captain Ian Galloway. There was much debate on stopping the Great Work. After several weeks of discussion, it was decided that the work of five generations could not simply be shelved. We understand the threat and as much as it pains us, our technology will not go into common use. However, in knowing that your Federation uses a different method has our scientists in a frenzy to unlock other options. It is said that knowing a thing can be done is half the battle of making a thing. We only hope it doesn't take five generations to decipher.

"Technical issues aside, we did come here for another very important reason, we are the authorized envoys of the Moot Master Inti and the Landser people, we would speak with you if such a thing is possible."

Ian looked to the senior officers who nodded and he replied.

"The Federation is always welcome to meet with other explorers in peace. We will have a means ta pull your ship aboard this station so that we may meet in person. I look forward ta seein' you soon."

"This is most acceptable. End transmission."

Ian turned back to the command team.

"I hope I didn't overstep Sir."

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Function Room Mayflower]

Ouch. That was the precise feeling that immediately spiked through when Tora heard the announcement come over  the starbase's comms. And to think she'd put so much effort into organizing this fun little night for everyone only to have it so rudely interrupted. Someone would have to clean up the function room, of course, and dispose of whatever was left of the food and drink that'd gone unconsumed tonight, and she pitied the unlucky one. Orders were orders, though, whether anyone liked it or not. "Let's not give the cleaning crew so much trouble." She decided, pulling little plastic boxes from under the dining table to carry food back in. She let whomever was willing to pitch in help her out before departing the function room with boxes of food tucked under her arms. Surely whomever was waiting at the Challenger's airlock wouldn't question it too much? She could always give the food away, and it wouldn't be wasted then.

"I thought the Challenger was being refitted in drydock. Evidently not."  She said absently to Zhuk. "If that was an attack, I'm so not looking forward to being thrown back into battle." Even as the words left her mouth, Tora knew it was a big, big ask not to have anything unusual happen in her line of work. That was the nature of the job, and there was nothing she, nor any of her colleagues, could do about that.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Party]
"No need for the formalities, either. Ardyn or Ardy works just fine." Ardyn said, encouraging the Caitian to relax.
Ardyn took a  bit of a swig of the punch.  Her face scrunched a little as she noticed a strange aftertaste of a sort.  Weird. Somebody must have added some prune juice or something.    Either way, she was here to celebrate! "You know, guys for a glorified interrogation and another trial that might give us the boot, this ain't  a bad way to spend it." she said out loud to the partygoers.

What the? A look of confusion hit her as soon as the words left her mouth.  She didn't mean to say it like that. It was honest and blunt, but given that it was the truth... Was it the tequila? She had tried to keep herself NOT to the point of drunkenness. Was she losing her touch? Her head was starting to spin, sending her stomach into loops. "Um, something's not right," she said,  suddenly heading to the nearby trash can and relieving her stomach. "I was feeling just fine two seconds ago. Wasn't even drunk. What the #%&#?"

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Function Room Mayflower | Starbase 185]

The Caitian let out a small chuckle as she reassured him that calling her just 'Ardyn' or 'Ardy' would suffice. He was not certain that he should refer to her using the latter term, considering how... casual it was. Then again, she had given him express permission to do so. It could not hurt, correct? And it was a good sign that she was willing to make friends. He took a deep breath, ultimately coming to terms with it, and turning his attention back towards Jaeger.

That was, until he saw her barreling towards a nearby trash can,

"Ardy, are you well? What is transpiring?"

He approached, earnestly concerned, a hand coming on top of her shoulder. What was transpiring here? Was she allergic to any fruit on the punch? He did not remember any mention of an allergy. Strange.

[Starbase 185 - Mayflower Function Room]
"Don't worry about it tonight, that's a tomorrow problem." Alex reassured the Caitian as the 'Zhuk' chants faded into generalized partying. Lahr seemed to have his finger on the pulse, playing just the right amount of energy for the group. His enjoyment was short-lived though, as he saw Ardyn go pale and sway out of the corner of his eye. "Ardyn?" Alex managed to grab the glass before it fell from her hand, setting both on the table. "Hey, you okay?" He followed her to the garbage can, making it just in time to sweep most of Ardy's hair out of her face while she upchucked.

Picking a few bits of soggy pretzel out of the strands which didn't escape the deluge, Alex forced himself not to grimace at the not-unfamiliar smell of partially digested food intermixed with alcohol. There was something to be said for synthehol, which the tequila certainly was not. "Did you sneak shots with Neva while I was in the washroom?"

[Party]
Ardyn shook her head as she wiped off her mouth after the sudden scene that just happened, face somewhat flushed from embarrassment, given that all eyes were now on her.  "No. I just had the two shots. Was actually trying to avoid a hangover today so I could pick up Mads later," she said, really confused as to why she lost her lunch. If she wanted to, normally she could hold her liquor pretty well. Several years on the circuits would do that.  She wasn't even really drunk right now, at least, she didn't feel that way." Everything seemed just fine before she had that glass of punch.

"That punch had a weird aftertaste, did you guys notice it? she asked the others standing around their table.

"Implausible. The presence of alcohol was forbidden within the premises, as per Tora's decree on the party," Zhukdra'shar thought, keeping it to himself for now. He wondered if calling a medic to the party would be appropriate, but then he would certainly cause a ruckus that he wished to avoid.

That all ended as Ardy mentioned a peculiar aftertaste on the drink. He raised an eyebrow, and shook his head,

"I am afraid that I have not partaken in the beverage thus far, Ardy. But if that is the case, I should warn my fellow coordinator about it. She was to bring me a glass..."

Concerning. What was going on here? Sabotage? A mistake? He did not like it. But as Chief of Security, he would get to the bottom of this. That was for certain.

Lahr, who had been watching the Caitian for his reaction to the song, grinned an honest smile when his friend nodded in apparent approval.  DJ Lahr still has the knack for picking the perfect song.
Speaking of which, with the remix being so short, Lahr cued up the next song, and at the appropriate time mark swapped one for the other almost seamlessly.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|Starbase 185|Mayflower Function Room]

Neva sipped her scotch, eyes dancing over the room. She'd felt something wasn't "right." People were "popping drunk" quicker than any should. She could feel their shock and surprise at an admission of something they didn't usually say. What would cause that?
Neva grabbed her glass & took the final sip. Grimacing slightly from the burn, she put the glass down and headed for the refreshment table. As she gathered the food, Neva kept scanning the room in her Betazoid fashion. No one seemed to be feeling "proud" or "happy" from what they'd done, but she wasn't surprised. How many people actually watched their handiwork so overtly? She gave a little snort of laughter and shook her head to dismiss the thought.

She took a small amount of punch, then returned to her table. Setting everything in front of her, she hit her comm badge and murmured, "Computer, scan this plate and cup for any..." She stopped a moment, considering how to phrase her request. Her lips thinning into a line and pulling in a deep breath through her nose, the young engineer continued."Computer, scan this food and drink for any contaminants that could affect those in this room."

"Scan results show the punch has an 80% concentration of Cardassian Truth  Serum. All other edibles are not contaminated." Neva's eyes widened in surprise. She almost jumped out of her chair & looked for someone who either was or had been Medical trained. Not seeing someone off the bat, she made her way to Alex's side. Tapping his right shoulder from behind, she leaned in and whispered loud enough for only him to hear.

"Alex, someone spiked the punch. Get everyone to stop drinking it. I'm not sure of what someone's after, but a scan I did showed it had been contaminated with Cardassian Truth Serum." Before he could answer, Neva tore away and knocked a crewman's hand away from the punch bowl's ladle. "Don't drink that! Get something from the bar or the replicator. Trust me!" She hissed. She got an annoyed look and a muttered curse as the crewman left the table. Neva rolled her eyes and surreptitiously grabbed the punch bowl and headed to a replicator to dispose of it.
'Nobody messes with my crew!' She thought angrily 'They may not be on my Iron Lady, but they're with my Iron Lady!'

One of his ears swished toward the direction of Lahr's next song, finding some relief in the delightful tunes that he played. Before the Challenger, he wouldn't have gathered an appreciation for such modern, synthetic tunes. Yet, now, he found them utterly fantastic. He wondered why it was the case. Maybe the harmony that they intrinsically possessed. Or maybe because he appreciated Lahr, who had shown them to him in the first place. An acquired taste, certainly.

His thoughts were ultimately interrupted by Neva barging in, taking Ardy's glass and partaking in a sip. He had noted her reactions previously and had concluded that she was unusually unstable. Prone to anger and recklessly acting. A valuable personality type on some occasions, but certainly not in this one. At least, she promptly managed to confirm, using the computer, that it had been spiked. She also prevented another crew member from taking a drink of it. Not the best way to do it, in his opinion, but it got the job done.

He at least was happy that she was no part of Security. Though maybe her temperament could make her a valuable member of the team. Maybe just... direct it appropriately. Zhuk walked to the punch and raised a hand towards any new individuals who wanted to drink, coming across Tora as a result,

"My apologies, but please refrain from consuming the punch. It may be contaminated. There is nothing to worry about..."

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Function Room Mayflower|Starbase 185]

Right up till a few minutes ago, Tora had been convinced that nothing could go wrong on this amazing night. Like, really, was one peaceful night to relax too much to ask? Then the entire starbase shuddered, and it didn't take a genius to realize immediately that something was wrong. Starbases were built to last. For one to shudder so heavily, something had to have gone very, very wrong.

The panicked silence that momentarily descended upon the room was deafening. Tora looked around at the crowd, who had begun to surge towards the doors in a frenzied panic. "Everyone, remain calm, please!" She called out to all present. She didn't want to end the party, of course, and she knew most people here didn't either - but there was nothing else for it. "Zhuk, help me with-" Tora never finished her sentence. The crowd stampeded past her in a panicked fit, drowning out her words in a cacophony of footsteps and screaming.

[Starbase 185 - Mayflower Function Room]

Eschewing the stairs, Alex unceremoniously clambered up onto the stage, both to get out of the quieter but still a hairsbreadth away from stampeding crowd, and to get a better grasp of the situation. Lahr's announcement and directions were working well, though he could already see one problem which they were both a part of. "Hey Chief, can I borrow your microphone for a second?" He asked, scanning the floor until he spotted Zhuk's furry ears rising above the other heads. "Challengers, listen up! Move to the edge of the room out of the way, and stay put for further instruction!" The issue was, their crew didn't have a ship or stations to go to, with Challenger sequestered for the refit and investigation. They needed to account for everyone, a task which would be made all the harder if they were allowed to scatter throughout the station. "Commander Mrekrerhas, to the stage please."

Zhukdra'shar increased the speed of his digitigrade footsteps as he overheard Tora try to convey something to him after the station shook for the first time. That was unusual. What was transpiring here? First Cardassian truth serum, now quakes? He was cut short before he could reach Tora, however, by a crowd of panicked civilians and even crew-members which screamed and pushed towards the exit,

"Exit the premises in an organized manner, through the primary entrance! Senior officers-" He joined Lahr as he broadcasted the instructions through the microphone. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked onto the floor by a particularly burly individual, barely avoiding a set of footsteps, but not an unlucky human who tripped over him, further preventing him from rising. The Caitian felt his blood boil, retreating his tail closer to his body so that he wouldn't be stepped on. He heard Lieutenant Wu asking him to head to the stage, though he found such a task impossible to complete at the moment. He struggled to rise, pushing aside the dizzy human who had fallen on top of him, before being struck in the shoulder by a knee.

His ears went flat on his face, and murder intent became visible in his eyes. He would not be further shamed by bumbling buffoons who could not follow proper instructions!

[Station Operations - Starbase 185]
Galloway winced when he heard his PADD ping and was stunned at Gillespie's order. However, rather than ask questions, he immediately tapped his combadge before the admiral could change his mind.

"All hands, this is the Captain speakin', report on the double ta your duty station on the Challenger immediately. This a full complement recall. This is not a drill."

Finally, after much effort, several footprints, and clawing at a couple of individuals, Zhuk managed to escape from his precarious position. As he overheard the message of the Captain, he decided to forgo his arrival on the stage, remaining completely ignorant as to what may have transpired with the punch. With all of the civilian staff having left, and only the Senior Staff remaining, he considered that his presence would serve elsewhere better. Especially because he was the second in command while Kyan recuperated.

[Ensign Tora Zalos|Function Room Mayflower]

Ouch. That was the precise feeling that immediately spiked through when Tora heard the announcement come over  the starbase's comms. And to think she'd put so much effort into organizing this fun little night for everyone only to have it so rudely interrupted. Someone would have to clean up the function room, of course, and dispose of whatever was left of the food and drink that'd gone unconsumed tonight, and she pitied the unlucky one. Orders were orders, though, whether anyone liked it or not. "Let's not give the cleaning crew so much trouble." She decided, pulling little plastic boxes from under the dining table to carry food back in. She let whomever was willing to pitch in help her out before departing the function room with boxes of food tucked under her arms. Surely whomever was waiting at the Challenger's airlock wouldn't question it too much? She could always give the food away, and it wouldn't be wasted then.

"I thought the Challenger was being refitted in drydock. Evidently not."  She said absently to Zhuk. "If that was an attack, I'm so not looking forward to being thrown back into battle." Even as the words left her mouth, Tora knew it was a big, big ask not to have anything unusual happen in her line of work. That was the nature of the job, and there was nothing she, nor any of her colleagues, could do about that.

Wincing, he made his way toward the Challenger, coming across Tora by the airlock. Zhuk looked disheveled, bewildered, and furious, though the latter did not register on his voice as he spoke to her, "Perhaps... the refitting finished with the upgrades..." He suggested, before frowning, "I truly would prefer if that was not the case... I would also abhor the idea of fighting as we are. Still, perhaps we should continue. I must reach my posting..."

Zhuk of course, was not fully truthful. He wanted a fight so that he could release all this pent-up anger after being rag-dolled and humiliated like that on the dance floor. If he could find whomst had thrown him like that, he would make sure to make him regret the treatment he had been given...

[As Maddy]

[Interrogation Rooms]

"Okay." said Maddy, also smiling. She knew that if she was extra nice to the Security man it would really help in convincing him. It usually worked that way with grownups.  Maybe it was because she could tell what some people were feeling? She wasn't sure why, but it worked. The Security man'd watch them, but that was okay with her for now. As they followed him into the offices and rooms of the Interrogation room, she hoped Zala was OK after being asked a lot of questions.

The Efrosian  man with the long mustache escorted the two kids to an interrogation room to wait until he could find Zala. This was where she was... Right?

Hopping onto a chair, her legs dangling slightly as she fidgeted. Zala would probably be coming out there really soon. she thought as they watched the general bustle of security officers went about their businesses through the frosted window, albeit with some surprised looks  as to why two little kids were out here alone. Suddenly, She saw Kyan, one of the big kids, coming into that same room.  He was one of the big kids who came over to play with the junior-level classes sometimes.  Why was he here? This was a place for grownups.  "We're here to find his big sis, Zala." she said, pointing to Mo. "She might know if  my mommy and daddy might lose their jobs, 'cause they won't tell me what's wrong."

Suddenly, they heard a man pass by, talking loud enough to be heard through the door.  " -Someday I'm gonna get the Big Chair, Just you wait. Once we convince the Federation that Galloway's  messed up big time, They'll have to have me at the head of the Challenger...

Maddy stood up, very worried. She could feel that Man's thoughts. And it wasn't good.  He was looking to fire the Cap'n! And Maybe everyone else!"

~10 minutes later, Interrogation room, Security complex.

Sneaking out of the party had been easy enough. What Kyan hadn't counted on was a diligent member of station security wondering why he was roaming the administration area unaccompanied. After an exchange of words wherein the Efrosian security officer was loudly compared to an old Earth cartoon character from the Yosemite who chased around a rabbit Kyan found himself being hauled off to the security office. Once there, he was unceremoniously shoved into an interrogation room.

Turning around as soon as he was pushed past the door, Kyan yelled "Stick it up yer arse ye ditzy rocket!" he shouted as the door closed. When he turned back around, the Onlie found a wide eyed pair of children looking back at him.

"Maddie? Mo? What are you two doing in here?"

[Little Mo | Interrogation Rooms | Starbase 185]

Mo found himself embodying a spaceship while he and Maddy waited in the interrogation room, his arms spread wide like wings as he made starship-y sounds. He stopped almost immediately as he saw Kyan come in, however. Letting Maddy inform him of the situation, he promptly proceeded to nod as to confirm the story,

"Yep! That's it!" Came the cheerful of the child, a big smile coming forth into his face. Suddenly, something clicked into his mind, as he gleefully turned his head towards Maddy,"Oh! But you are a Sec officer, Kyan! Can you tell Maddy if things are gonna be ok?"

He looked at Kyan with hopeful, puppy eyes. He was confident that he would be able to tell them that yes, indeed everything would be okay for Maddy and her family. And that Maddy and him would be able to keep playing at school like they always did.

However, with his large, sensitive ears, he managed to perceive the voice from the outside. He gasped, looking at his other two companions with no small amount of worry. That was bad, right? But why was Cap'n Ian getting sacked? That made no sense to him.

[As Maddy]

The lurch sent Maddy tumbling off her chair, rather dramatically, given that she was so small.  "Mo, Kyan, what was that?"  she asked, really trying to not look like she was scared.  She tried getting a better mental glimpse at the man, but he was walking further away. "That man, He's thinking getting rid of the cap'n. I heard it."

Mo walked closer to Maddy, before falling onto the floor as the ship shook, "Owww! What is happening?!" He asked, tears beginning to swell in his eyes as he found himself having scrapped his leg in the fall, "I-I... I want my sister!"

[As Maddy]

A grave look crossed the little girl's face. That was good. She knew what to do on the ship during a red alert, but whatever that was, it was kinda scary. "C'mon. We gotta follow that man!" she said to Mo, getting off the seat and into the hallway, looking for the Security Man.

She closed her eyes, trying  to hear that man's thoughts so she could follow him. It wasn't too hard to find. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she could feel like he was being sneaky.

She noticed the man in red who was giving her those feelings and ducked behind a chair. He seemed to be receiving a call.

Challenger is returning from docking?! Right away, Then. I can't miss this. Thank you"   %&@$! The ship leaving early is not going to help my case at all!  Maybe I can be the First Officer, however... They're still missing one of those, I can wait my time...

Being strong, he took a deep breath and stood up, following after Maddy. His leg hurt, and he wanted to look for Zala. But Maddy was right. They needed to follow that guy. Find out why he was mean, and what his plan was. Fortunately, even though he did not feel his best, Mo was rather stealthy, and swift, maintaining a good pace behind the man. Hiding behind a nearby potted plant, he listened in to the conversation, gasping softly.

Being the First Officer? How? He did not understand! That man couldn't be First Officer. Right? They had to tell one of the adults about it! His thoughts went back over to Zala. If only she was here, she would know what to do...

[Ian Galloway]

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Ops | Deck One | Starbase 185]

Gillespie double-taked and blinked in surprise. "Oh," he said. "My apologies, then, laddie, I tend to think in terms of what's best for protection, along with the rest of Starfleet Security..."

The people who are more zealous for protection and defense of the Federation than us at Starfleet Security are, by a bloody longshot, Section Bloody Thirty-One, Gillespie added to himself mentally.

"And yeh do have a point; I never forgot the warp five speed limit until the lads at the Corps of Engineers worked aroond it. If a temporal pulse is an indication of their aboot to come to call, they really ought to give advanced bloody notice before they show up, because most people would be inclined to assume an attack is hitting them, like how I did..."

[Statio

[Starbase 185 | Ops]

Carter laughed slightly and folded his arms. "Glad I'm not the only one that thought of the comparison to the damage warp does to subspace. A good point Cap." The admiral said before turning to Gillespie. "Earlier you mentioned the attack on Risa, but there's a lesson I learned in my time dealing with the T'Kori. Sometimes something looks like an attack but it's not intended that way. Awhile after that experience on Risa we met them again. They'd erected a giant electronic dampening tower. The T'Sari thought it was an attack but since both of the sister species are very integrated with their technology they had erected that tower to establish a DMZ and prevent both sides from using weapons for peace talks."

[Station Operations --> Conference Room - Star Base 185]

Ian listened to the two admirals, but the bulk of his attention was tracking the tractoring of the Landser probe into one of the starbase's many shuttlebays. Once the probe was secure, he answered Gillespie's probably rhetorical question.

"Sir, I have a theory on why they didn't announce themselves prior ta their arrival. Aside from pullin' off what was thought ta be impossible by inventin' a functionin' Fold Space drive, the rest of their technology is mid-21st Century. They dinna have subspace communications, so their radio frequency communications would travel like a snail through mud at merely the speed of light. They can't send a message that would arrive before they do. Regardless, their probe is aboard. I would be honored if'n you'd join me in the conference room ta talk ta our guests."

It was a short trip to the conference room and the two Landser 'Explorers' rose when Ian and the others entered the room.

"We greet you Captain Ian Galloway." Said Marek Garr.

"Your...installation is most impressive." Added Neediki Remos.

"I greet you as well Explorers. Allow me to introduce Admiral Gillespie and Admiral Carter. They are my superiors within Starfleet. However, I must make it clear, this is nae 'my installation'. This is a Federation starbase. I do not command here. I am the commander of the USS Challenger here for some repairs and upgrades only, the Federation Council runs and speaks for the Federation as a whole."

"Is it possible to speak to this Council?"

Ian turned to face the two admirals and asked.

"Is it Sirs?"

[Alexander Wu]

"All hands, this is the Captain speakin', report on the double ta your duty station on the Challenger immediately. This a full complement recall. This is not a drill."

[Starbase 185 - Mayflower Function Room]

Well that solves that problem, Alex thought as the Captain's order came through. "I'll see you onboard." He mentioned to Lahr before the Andorian disappeared through a discreet backstage door. The crowd had noticeably thinned meanwhile, enough so Alex didn't have to fight elbows and feet to get back to Ardyn, meeting her halfway.

Suddenly , she heard the call for all hands to get back on board. They'd have to get Maddy soon. She moved to Alex. "They'll need us to start the ship soon. We should get the kiddo. "

"Are you feeling any better? Someone needs to tell medical that people have been drinking that truth serum, maybe they can come up with an antidote." Alex grasped Ardyn's hand as they made their way towards the exit too.

"Bradley to Lieutenant Alexander Wu."

Alex could barely hear the voice over the general crowd, but he tapped his commbadge in reply. "Wu here, go ahead."

"Lieutenant, this is Principal Troy Bradley from the consolidated school board. During our shelter in place roll call, two children from your vessel were unaccounted for, including your daughter, Maddison. We contacted station security right away, and they have located her in the security block, interrogation center. They need a parent or guardian to take custody."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Alex tried to hold back his frustration. "Of course she did. It's not like we have enough problems going on here." He was surprised even as the words came out of his mouth. "What...I did not mean to say that out loud. Sorry, yes, we'll go get her, thank you for letting us know. Wu out."

"I guess that serum works. I just had a sip too." Alex looked worriedly at Ardyn, unsure how much she had drunk. Enough to make her throw up at least. "Did you want to go back to the ship and I'll go find Maddy? Or stick together?"

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Main Engineering]

Upon arriving at Main Engineering, Lahr was surprised to see so few fellow engineers present.

"Um... where is everyone?" he asked a crewman already at her station.

"I saw several heading to sickbay.  They weren't feeling well.  Something at the party seems to have made quite a few folks sick."

Lahr's expression turned to concern and looked about to see if there was any Engineering officer at all present, or if he really was the highest rank at the moment.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Function room]

"Better than I was. I think most of it's out of my system when I lost my lunch, but I would rather not do that combo again. " She shook her head, really trying to stay focused and not about to give a flirty comment at Alex which was pretty unwarranted at the moment. "Most people didn't have tequila like I did, but it acts pretty fast.  Either way, It's something to warn the medical folks about in case there's side effects we don't know about. Someone's gotta do it. "

At the message from the Principal, Ardyn swore.

"We forgot to mention that little detail to the teachers, didn't we?" She said, facepalming. "He said the Interrogation rooms? What did she get into now?!"

She dodged a partygoer who was heading back to the Challenger. " At least thety've found her. We might need to get her a tracking device to wear if she keeps up this." she said, unsure if she was making a joke or just saying the thoughts going through her mind. "Can you get Maddy? I'll meet you on the ship once we've gotten stuff sorted." she said, giving him a squeeze on the hand and mental

She moved to one of the medical people in the room. She hadn't really met him before, but she might as well. "Um, Hey... we have good reason to  think someone spiked the punchbowl with Cardassian Truth Serum.  Just giving you a heads up about the matter

[As Maddy]

Maddy kept quiet as she watched and followed the man. She nodded to Mo. "You heard that, right?" she whispered, trying to be really quiet.

[Nira Said]

[Statio
[Station Operations --> Conference Room - Star Base 185]

Ian listened to the two admirals, but the bulk of his attention was tracking the tractoring of the Landser probe into one of the starbase's many shuttlebays. Once the probe was secure, he answered Gillespie's probably rhetorical question.

"Sir, I have a theory on why they didn't announce themselves prior ta their arrival. Aside from pullin' off what was thought ta be impossible by inventin' a functionin' Fold Space drive, the rest of their technology is mid-21st Century. They dinna have subspace communications, so their radio frequency communications would travel like a snail through mud at merely the speed of light. They can't send a message that would arrive before they do. Regardless, their probe is aboard. I would be honored if'n you'd join me in the conference room ta talk ta our guests."

It was a short trip to the conference room and the two Landser 'Explorers' rose when Ian and the others entered the room.

"We greet you Captain Ian Galloway." Said Marek Garr.

"Your...installation is most impressive." Added Neediki Remos.

"I greet you as well Explorers. Allow me to introduce Admiral Gillespie and Admiral Carter. They are my superiors within Starfleet. However, I must make it clear, this is nae 'my installation'. This is a Federation starbase. I do not command here. I am the commander of the USS Challenger here for some repairs and upgrades only, the Federation Council runs and speaks for the Federation as a whole."

"Is it possible to speak to this Council?"

Ian turned to face the two admirals and asked.

"Is it Sirs?"

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Ops | Deck One | Starbase 185]

Gillespie nodded in understanding. He could understand what Galloway meant: Somebody who traversed space without warp the same way the Iconians had, and yet still have twenty-first century capabilities. He was nonetheless gobsmacked.

He was even more so when the Landsers wanted to meet people from the Federation Council. Then he said, "We...could get in touch with some members of the Federation Council. I dinnae ken about the whole council...Carter, what do you think?"

[Alexander Wu]

[Function room]

"Better than I was. I think most of it's out of my system when I lost my lunch, but I would rather not do that combo again. " She shook her head, really trying to stay focused and not about to give a flirty comment at Alex which was pretty unwarranted at the moment. "Most people didn't have tequila like I did, but it acts pretty fast.  Either way, It's something to warn the medical folks about in case there's side effects we don't know about. Someone's gotta do it. "

At the message from the Principal, Ardyn swore.

"We forgot to mention that little detail to the teachers, didn't we?" She said, facepalming. "He said the Interrogation rooms? What did she get into now?!"

She dodged a partygoer who was heading back to the Challenger. " At least thety've found her. We might need to get her a tracking device to wear if she keeps up this." she said, unsure if she was making a joke or just saying the thoughts going through her mind. "Can you get Maddy? I'll meet you on the ship once we've gotten stuff sorted." she said, giving him a squeeze on the hand and mental

[Starbase 185 - Function Romm Mayflower]

"I had the same thought." Alex replied, thinking about how they could make Maddy wear a commbadge necklace or bracelet. Or maybe sew something into all her clothes. "Right, well you need to go get checked over in sickbay before anything else. Hey Neva!" Catching sight of Ardyn's fellow betazoid nearby, he waved her over. "Our daughter decided to pull one of her escaping acts, I need to go get her. Would you mind making sure Ardy gets back to Challenger and gets seen in sickbay? And you have to tell the CMO about what you found, they'll need to come up with something to counter the serum, most of the crew's probably had at least a sip of that punch tonight."

"Thanks, I owe you!" He called over his shoulder while going towards the exit, heading towards the nearest turboshafts.

[Starbase 185 - Interrogation Complex]

Arriving back at the same nondescript offices which he'd been earlier questioned in, Alex was nearly run over by a harried looking commander heading in the opposite direction. "Pardon me, sir." He stepped aside to let him out first before going inside the lobby, glancing about for someone who looked like they worked there. It turned out there was no need however, as he caught sight of a familiar face peeking out from behind a planter. "Maddison Petra Jaeger-Wu, what are you doing here?" Alex walked closer, realizing she wasn't alone, a young ferengi crouched next to her. "I see you've made a friend." He said dryly, with a strong suspicion that this was the other missing Challenger child the principal had mentioned.

Kneeling down to her level, Alex sighed, trying to hold back his frustration while speaking firmly, but calmly. "Maddison, you know you're not supposed to leave school on your own. It's not safe. You need to ask your mommy or me first, and be with an adult that we know and have said you can go with. We've had this talk before, haven't we?"

[James Carter]

[{NPC} Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Ops | Deck One | Starbase 185]

Gillespie nodded in understanding. He could understand what Galloway meant: Somebody who traversed space without warp the same way the Iconians had, and yet still have twenty-first century capabilities. He was nonetheless gobsmacked.

He was even more so when the Landsers wanted to meet people from the Federation Council. Then he said, "We...could get in touch with some members of the Federation Council. I dinnae ken about the whole council...Carter, what do you think?"

[Starbase 185 | Ops]

Carter sighed and shook his head. Slowly he began to pace weighing the options in his mind. After thinking a moment he returned to the conversation. "Yeah, technically possible. I can call in favors with a few of them, get them on short notice. Even calling in favors I don't know what portion I can get though. They've not exactly just been sitting around since Frontier Day." The admiral continued pacing, still thinking about the situation. He didn't like involving the counsel when he didn't have to. "I'll send a few messages, see who we can pull together."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Starbase 185 - Function Romm Mayflower]

"I had the same thought." Alex replied, thinking about how they could make Maddy wear a commbadge necklace or bracelet. Or maybe sew something into all her clothes. "Right, well you need to go get checked over in sickbay before anything else. Hey Neva!" Catching sight of Ardyn's fellow betazoid nearby, he waved her over. "Our daughter decided to pull one of her escaping acts, I need to go get her. Would you mind making sure Ardy gets back to Challenger and gets seen in sickbay? And you have to tell the CMO about what you found, they'll need to come up with something to counter the serum, most of the crew's probably had at least a sip of that punch tonight."

"Thanks, I owe you!" He called over his shoulder while going towards the exit, heading towards the nearest turboshafts.

[Starbase 185 - Interrogation Complex]

Arriving back at the same nondescript offices which he'd been earlier questioned in, Alex was nearly run over by a harried looking commander heading in the opposite direction. "Pardon me, sir." He stepped aside to let him out first before going inside the lobby, glancing about for someone who looked like they worked there. It turned out there was no need however, as he caught sight of a familiar face peeking out from behind a planter. "Maddison Petra Jaeger-Wu, what are you doing here?" Alex walked closer, realizing she wasn't alone, a young ferengi crouched next to her. "I see you've made a friend." He said dryly, with a strong suspicion that this was the other missing Challenger child the principal had mentioned.

Kneeling down to her level, Alex sighed, trying to hold back his frustration while speaking firmly, but calmly. "Maddison, you know you're not supposed to leave school on your own. It's not safe. You need to ask your mommy or me first, and be with an adult that we know and have said you can go with. We've had this talk before, haven't we?"

[As Maddy]

It was kind of  fun, being like a spy and all.  The bad man who wanted to take the Cap'n's job didn't even notice her or Mo following him.  She'd have to let Kyan know about what she found so they could make a plan. If the bad man got to the ship... who knew what would happen?!

Maddy was just about to tell Mo to get back before the other , when suddenly she saw her dad come up into the office. She was pretty much caught. Why was he here?

At the mention of he friend, she nodded. "This is Mo! We were gonna see if we could find his big sister. She knows a lotta stuff!"

Maddy wilted as she heard Daddy use her full name, the one he used when she was in trouble. She guessed she was, since this wasn't the first time she did this, after all. But this was important! Mommy and Daddy's jobs were on the line, as well as the Cap'n and First Officer's now!

"Yeah... But it's really important!"

She pulled on her shirt nervously, before stomping her foot in determination. They had to catch the Bad Man.  "I was worried you and Mommy would lose your jobs and then we wouldn't be on a spaceship anymore and we were gonna ask his big Sis if she knew, but then we got here and I heard this bad man say he was gonna steal the cap'n's job! We both heard it, right Mo? Kyan too!" she said, looking to Mo to back her up.