Silent Departures

Posted on Sun Jun 19th, 2016 @ 10:27am by Commander Alexandra Vance & Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Tate & Commodore Samantha York

1,232 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Point of View
Location: Intelligence Offices

Jennifer Tate had at long last taken a rest from the bridge and the anomaly plaguing the Calypso to gain some much needed rest. Her wits had become dulled as the hours weighed down upon her. Rest and quiet were what she needed if she was to have any hope of determining what exactly had invaded the main computer.

However her attention would soon be diverted to a matter of a more personal nature.

"Commander Tate." Came a cold feminine voice from behind her. The tone however did not wreak of malice so much as giving a feeling of disconnect. As she swiveled in her chair her eyes met with those of a woman she had never met but was all to familiar with. Starring back at her, down at her with eyes of brown and blue was one whom she was certain was a ghost.

"So Commodore York was right." Jennifer states.

"Yes, and if you have any aspirations of being her XO you would be wise to put faith in her instincts." Alexandra replied firmly. "But that is not the nature of my visit. I wish to know where Sergeant Beckinsale is."

Jennifer furled her brows. This woman could appear without notice yet couldn't find a crew member whose whereabouts was no secret. "I'd imagine she's in her quarters." Tate replied.

"Computer, locate Sergeant Beckinsale." Alexandra stated as she crossed her arms over her chest clearly unimpressed by the commander's answer.

"Sergeant Beckinsale is not aboard the Calypso." The computer replied.

"You care to try again, Commander?" Vance said sharply in a now frustrated tone.

"What the hell?" Jennifer said flabbergasted. "Sergeant Beckinsale was here, she was under the care of our counselor." She tapped her comm badge.

"Tate to York, could you please come to intelligence, it's urgent."

"On my way," came Sam's reply.

"How much do you trust this counselor?" Alexandra asked flatly.

"If you're asking if he's involved, he's not." Tate shot back.

Sam walked into Intel two minutes later. "What's going on?" she asked, wondering if the emergency was another that could be caused by the entity.

"Ma'am, it appears Sergeant Beckinsale is no longer aboard the Calypso and I cannot find an explanation as to why or when she departed." Jennifer informed Sam.

Alexandra remained silent as she looked at Sam expectant of an explanation.

"Does Mr. Vance know where she is?" Sam asked. "He's spent a good deal of time with her. He might know why she's not on the ship."

Sam turned to Alexandra. "She should still be here. They both should."

"She's not with me." Jethro stated stepping into the room, hands tucked snugly into his black slacks. "I only found out a few hours ago."

His dialogue did not break his stride nor did he seem to pay any additional attention to his daughter. The man's face exhibited no signs of surprise, it was as if he had already known or her disappearance lent no degree of concern to him.

"Perhaps she needed some time away as well. You're not the only one who can become a ghost daughter."

"Spare me your sarcasm. Amarylis is missing and all you can do is make cheap remarks. How sad you've become." Alexandra hissed.

"And how's your approach working? Seems to me like you've left quite a wake, not to mention Commodore York without an XO." Jethro shot back.

"Why has no one bothered telling me that Amarylis is missing?" Sam asked, glancing from Alexandria to Jethro. "And, for the record, Commander Munich is doing a fine job as Acting XO. It is not either of your responsibilities to find me a replacement."

"He shouldn't have to." Jethro retorted glaring at Alexandra before turning to Sam. "You have more pressing issues. I had to determine she was actually missing, not just another malfunction of the computer. This is why I came to see Jennifer."

"I will leave the three of you to find Sergeant Beckinsale. Commander Munich and I will deal with the rest of the ship and her crew," Sam said, her tone brooking no argument. "I expect you to inform me the minute you learn of anything. Understood?"

"I'm afraid that leaves us a problem ma'am. Without being able to rely on the computer I can't put any weight on any data I should find regarding Sergeant Beckinsale. I would suggest getting the Marines and security to do a deck by deck sweep but that is tying up valuable resources and that only tells us what we already know. We need to repair the main computer before moving forward on her whereabouts." Tate chimed in.

"Agreed." Alexandra nodded. "Can we determine if this malfunction is attributed to the environmental conditions or is it purely technical?"

"We could get viable data from the intelligence database as it is isolated from the main computer. The archives from Starfleet Intelligence would be unaffected and would contain reports if another vessel encountered similar circumstances within the sector. Referencing such material could provide us some insight on what we're dealing with."

"Alright, do...." Alexandra stopped herself as she realized her error looking over to Sam. "Your call ma'am."

"We have determined that the computer problems are not due to technical difficulties," Sam said. "And while the Intel computers have offline capabilities, you would need to go through Lieutenant LeBeau for Intel or Lieutenant Wolfe for security. In addition, science may have the ability to do internal scans without using the main computer. For that you'll need to talk to Lieutenant Hale." She paused for a moment, considering her words. "While finding Sergeant Beckinsale is a top priority, you are not to do this on your own. Not any more."

"Then what do you want me to do ma'am?" Jennifer asked with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Alexandra took note of Tate's tone, it did not take a betazoid to see the three had a rift between them. This did not surprise her as her father was quite good and conjuring the worst parts of even the best people. She remained silent once again waiting for Sam to speak.

"Talk to LeBeau. The Horus can do what you need," Sam said, quickly changing her mind. "It also has the ability to do external scans as well as internal."

"Are we trying to solve the computer issue or the whereabouts of Sergeant Beckinsale?" Tate asked.

"Find Beckinsale," Sam said. "I have people working on the computer issue."

"Commander would the shuttle bay logs have been compromised by the current state of the main computer?" Alexandra asked Tate.

"That's hard to say. Ops would have to run integrity checks on the file structures to determine if the information is accurate."

Alexandra nodded as she began to pace. "Talk to Lieutenant LeBeau, have the intelligence stores checked. I am almost certain you will find a discrepancy."

"Keep me and Commander Munich informed," Sam said. "I want to know where Sergeant Beckinsale is and how she managed to get off this ship. In the meantime, I need to go back to the bridge and deal with the rest of the ship." She nodded to the other three and left the room.

____
OFF

Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Tate
Intelligence Officer


NPCs played by: Lt. Commander Jennifer Tate

Jethro Vance(NPC)
Civilian

Commander Alexandra Vance(NPC)

 

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