Not forgetting the lost
Posted on 09/27/2021 @ 8:40pm by Lieutenant Kaylee Serra & Captain Cornelius Harrington & Lieutenant Isabelle Mattix
2,627 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
The Mirror’s Edge
Location: Station Morgue
Timeline: Current
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Kaylee walked into Samson's office, her brow furrowed, and eyes saddened. "Samson has anyone gone to check on Style's body yet or even checked it out? I know I haven't and I feel rather, awful for not even going to see if there is any evidence on him or for that matter, get him to where his family is. How about we go do that detail, even though it is an unpleasant one. Are you up to doing that?"
Craig stood up from behind his desk. Trying to keep order on the station had taken all of his time in recent days. It seemed everyone was on edge, so he hadn't even had a chance to consider paying his respects to his former subordinate. "Of course, Lieutenant. It's the right thing to do," he responded, a bit embarrassed, as he motioned toward the door.
"We're also going to have to have scans run of him I don't know if they've even done a forensics examination on him either. Just so much has happened in such a small amount of time." Kaylee remarked. "I did get word on a new person who has recently signed on, her name is Isabelle Mattix and she is a lieutenant. She's got a specialty in investigations perhaps we can get her help in looking at those who have died. May pick up something we have missed, and a good way to meet her. What do you think?"
"Sure, we can do that. I remember approving her transfer. Should we see if she's around or out on an investigation?" Craig asked.
"Let's send out the message for Lieutenant Mattix to come to the morgue and we also have one other person who can help out. And she is Ens. Louise Fletcher she is a Forensics Scientist."
Craig nodded and tapped his commbadge. "Samson to Mattix and Fletcher, please meet me in medical." Turning to Kaylee, he motioned toward the door, "Shall we?"
--
It seemed to Kaylee that her footsteps echoed inside the morgue. There was a sense of things being silent, as the dead don't physically speak. However to her, there was the sense of unseen beings waiting for their turn to be put to rest. She gave a bit of a shiver, looking towards where the remains of Styles were waiting. He was a piece of a rather large puzzle, that not all of the pieces have been found. She's been in a morgue before when she had to identify one of her own, from her security team who had died in the line of duty. Kaylee shivered as being here brought back those memories.
She looked at Samson, "This certainly isn't my favorite place to be, but still it is important to be here. I hate the fact that we lost Styles to what I consider a senseless act of terrorism."
"There's an old Earth saying about the risks we take in the line of duty," Craig said after a pause, "We know what could happen to any one of us at any moment, but nothing can ever really prepare us for when it happens to our colleagues... our friends." He looked over toward the freezer units, one of which contained the body of his late subordinate.
"This is so true" Kaylee responded, walking over towards the 'box' which held the remains of Styles. "We'll do our best to find who did this." touching the outside of it.
Isabelle was still getting familiar with the station, it was a big change from the Endeavour and she'd gone from mostly security and grunt work to actual detective work when she passed the Investigation exam. There were a lot more players, a lot more things happening and she still had been assigned to a department beyond the investigations department. She was dressed in her standard security uniform, her hair up in a French braid to keep it out of her face with a few tendrils of hair floating down the sides of it.
Before stopping at the morgue, she checked out a phaser, a tricorder and a small evidence gathering kit and then made her way though the station to the morgue. It took a bit to find what she was looking for, but two of the security bigwigs was enough to give away where she needed to be.
"Lieutenant Mattix, as ordered," She spoke as she entered.
"Lieutenant Craig Samson, Chief of Station Security," Craig responded with a weak smile, still getting used to his new, non-acting job title, "I wish we could meet under better circumstances, Lieutenant, but it seems there's no rest for security on this station."
"Nice to meet you sir," Isabelle returned his smile, but only briefly, before looking back over the room. "Yes, the station is much bigger than the Endeavour, I'm still adjusting and while I managed to get two full gold, I'm only a Jr. investigator. I am eager to get started."
"I'm Lieutenant Kaylee Serra-Reynolds. Glad you could meet us here." giving a nod in greeting. "Now all we need is our other person then we can hopefully give these two a chance to rest." Kaylee said. "Though I am sure we can also give you details as to what happened, and bring you up to speed."
"On that note, what have you been told about our current situation so far, Lieutenant?" Craig asked Isabelle.
Kaylee was thinking about something. "Sorry to interrupt Samson, maybe we ought to also bring in the Chief of Science as well, along with Fletcher. They were both looking at other details of this case."
"Good idea," Craig nodded, "Hopefully they're not busy." He tapped his commbadge, "Samson to Brell and Fletcher, please meet me in the station morgue."
Isabelle waited until Craig was finished with the comm before speaking up, she was looking over the bodies with an inquisitive eye but so far nothing of note was jumping out at her. "Very little honestly. Only that it was a homicide investigation. Considering it has your interest, I am guessing it's not run of the mill."
Kaylee took a look at where the bodies were, "That is what we're, wanting to know besides putting Styles to rest.
"If you also see something strange beneath the surface here, then it seems your recommendation letters were right after all, Lieutenant," Craig said to Isabelle with a weak smile, "An investigator I used to work under years ago used to always say there was no such thing as a coincidence, and with the nanites, the murder of a noted scientist, and an airlock explosion all happening within the span of a week, there has to be some connection somewhere. The trick is going to be finding it."
"The key is not to trust coincidence, but coincidences happen every day. Running into a friend at a coffee shop for example," Isabelle said with a shrug, as she started with the remains of Salar. She pulled on a pair of gloves and started to look over the body closely. "They key is figuring out what is a coincidence and what is not."
The doors parted and Brell stepped into the morgue, he was wearing what looked to be his gym gear, the vest top barley covering his shoulders and chest and a sheen of perspiration covering the exposed skin that quickly began to vanish given the temperature of the room.
"Apologies" he said, still wiping his forehead with a towel which he slung around his neck when he had finished. "You caught me in the gym.... What can I help you with... Lieutenants"
Fletcher came in late, she only could tell because it seemed like everyone was already there. She smiled, half-heartedly, as it seemed like the enter room turned to look at her. "So, I was summoned here but it looks like all the experts are here already," she looked around, "how can I help?"
Isabelle was looking over the fingers on Styles body, she glanced over at the two new comers before focusing back on the body. "Anything on the body of note that we can find, no matter how small. This is Mr. Styles. Don't be shy he won't complain much, but wear gloves and don't contaminate the body."
Iy'dan grabbed some gloves as he deposited his gym bag and towel on a small table knowing that the fibres could have easily contaminated the body and made his way over.
"Understood.... Where would you like me to start?"
Isabella looked up from Styles' body, as she considered where best to utilize the science officer. "There are no obvious burns, he wasn't shot. We don't have the toxicology report back yet. Do you think you could analyze what's his his blood while I keep looking his body over for... anything out of the ordinary?"
"Of course... Are the samples over here" pointing at the sample chiller as he moved, wishing he had now changed before reporting to the morgue... It was certainly more chilled than he was accustomed to and his current apparel did nothing to help keep him warm.
There was beep and then a message came over the speaker, "Lieutenant Brell, please report to communications, immediately you have an urgent call."
Brell looked up and says, "If you will excuse me I need to take this, I will send another person to help out. Brell took off his gloves, threw them away, grabbed his belongings and headed out at a rapid pace.
Kaylee wondered what the call was but she'll find out later on what was going on.
Isabella glanced at Kaylee, before she tapped her commbadge. "Lieutenant Mattix to science. Can we get a forensic scientist sent down to the morgue?"
There was an acknowledgment before she changed out the glove she'd used to touch her commbadge and then went back to examining the body. She really hoped she could find something and didn't look like a complete fool while she did so.
A short time later an Orion in a blue uniform with the rank of Lieutenant (JG) on her collar. She glanced at the others in the room, before tucking some of her dark hair behind one of her ears and moved over to the body on the table.
"I'm assuming you need my help? I'm Lieutenant Vilani Telour. How can I help?"
"We're trying to figure out how Commander Styles died," Isabella answered. "No evidence of energy weapons or physical assault or blunt force trauma. He was young, healthy and the Chief and Assistant Chief believe he was murdered. I'm trying to prove it."
"And you'd like me to start checking his physical chemistry, stomach contents, and various organs to see if he was poisoned or something along those lines?" Vilani asked.
Isabella smiled and nodded, "Exactly."
Fletcher looked at the newest arrival then to the Security Officer, "wasn't the Commander involved in that airlock accident?" Louise was puzzled. They could run all the tests, check all his systems, and verify poison, but in the end, the results would be the same. Fletcher looked around the room, "The most common cause of death in a blast event is secondary blast injuries. These injuries are caused by flying debris generated by the explosion. In this case, the debris from the station itself. Panels, metal, consoles, blunt caused trauma to the Commander's systems."
"He was," Isabelle said with a nod, before turning to look at the man. She took a deep breath and looked over the man's chest. "But I am operating under the theory that he was already dead when the explosion when off."
She grabbed and lifted both of his arms, "There are no wounds on his arms and his uniform should have been burned and melted into them if he had been standing and facing the explosion. He wasn't or he made absolutely no effort to protect himself. Most species naturally try to protect their heads, it's instinct to protect our brains, we do it without thinking and yet he didn't. Next, if you look at the pattern of all the scraps and burns, they are moving in an upward pattern suggesting he was laying on the ground when the explosion washed over the top of him. The back of his head isn't wounded, if he were thrown back and hit the ground or a bulkhead it should have been. I'm going to need to use everything I can compile to run some simulations with the computer on the holodeck but I think he was on the ground when the airlock exploded."
"I will also need to look at his uniform, I'd be willing to be the top of it is burnt and melted and the bottom of it is showing signs of being pushed or dragged along the floor, again suggesting he was already laying down. Now, before I go off accusing someone of murder I'd like that confirmed. There are other explanations and possibilities."
Kaylee looked over towards Samson, then back to Fletcher and Mattix, then at Vilani"I do believe all that was gathered and put in the forensics lab along with the other evidence that was collected." shifting her feet slightly then took a better look at what Isabelle and the team were looking at.
"I'll want to take a look at all of it, have the computer build as complete a holodeck program as possible," Isabelle said with a nod. "See if we can confirm the theory or start looking for other possibilities."
Looking over towards Samson, Kaylee responded, "I'll go retrieve the requested items shouldn't take too long, and there should be the necessary information already listed in the records. I'll be sure to send them to you. "
With that goal in mind, Kaylee left the morgue to get what was needed, returning a small amount of time later, carrying a box, and wearing gloves as well. "Here you go and the scans of the area should arrive shortly to your padd."
Fletcher looked over to the young Officer, "I think you are correct Lieutenant, I hadn't noticed that before. I had assumed this was an open and shut case. There's been so many of them with this explosion that I just assumed." The Ensign blushed, "so given this new information we are suggesting that something happened to Commander Styles before the explosion and then used the explosion to help cover up the crime," she started to look over the uniform, "but why?"
She knew it was a stupid question but it slipped out, "just thinking out loud, sorry."
"Don't apologize for asking why, it is the next logical question," Isabelle shook her head at Fletcher, after she'd accepted the box of evidence from Kaylee. "But we have to figure out if my theory is even correct first, it's going to take me some time to compile all the evidence and confirm if I'm even correct."
"When can we expect your report, Lieutenant?" Craig asked Isabelle. The sooner they had more information, the better, before the perpetrators got too far away. However, he would prefer to have the right information later as opposed to incorrect information sooner.
"I would probably have a preliminary report together in six hours," Isabelle said with a nod. "If you want all the bells and whistles I'll need a day, but I'd rather hit the ground running on this."
"For Lieutenant Styles' sake, I want us to find the people who did this," he said, looking over toward the body of his fallen comrade, "So take the time you need to get it right."
TAG:
Lieutenant Kaylee Serra-Reynolds
Assistant Chief of Security
Lieutenant Isabelle Mattix
Security Investigations Officer
Lieutenant Craig Samson
Chief of Station Security
Ensign Fletcher
Forensics
Iy'dan Brell
Chief Scientist
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