Marcus settled into the Intelligence office, the door closing behind him as the sounds of the bridge and the rest of the ship faded into the background. He brought the latest Priority One transmission onto his terminal and read it again, more slowly this time.

There was an important distinction in the wording. Starfleet Command wasn’t simply asking them to investigate an incident. They were concerned that the Predator might be connected to something larger, while at the same time making it clear that the safety of the Manhattan and its crew remained paramount.

He opened a series of research windows and began building a working intelligence file.

First came the Predator itself. Marcus pulled every available record on Klingon vessels by that designation, comparing registry information, known configurations, command histories, reported missions, and last known locations. He was particularly interested in anything that might establish how the vessel had reached the Delta Quadrant and whether its presence could be explained by any known Klingon activity.

He then broadened the search.

Klingon activity in the Delta Quadrant over the previous several decades was sparse by comparison with other regions of Federation interest. Marcus began cross-referencing known encounters, exploratory missions, pilgrimages, diplomatic contacts, and any reported Klingon vessels or personnel. The old Voyager records provided a useful baseline, but he wasn’t interested in simply confirming that Klingons had been here before. He wanted to know whether there was anything that suggested a change in pattern.

A third file began taking shape alongside the others: Regional Activity.

Marcus entered every known piece of information concerning unidentified vessels, unexplained transmissions, unusual sensor reports, anomalous activity, and known local powers in the vicinity of the Predator. Anything potentially connected went into the working file, but he deliberately marked unconfirmed information separately rather than allowing speculation to become fact simply through repetition.

He leaned back for a moment, studying the growing collection of data.

“Establish the facts,” he murmured quietly.

That, at least, was something he could work with.

Returning to the terminal, Marcus began constructing a preliminary timeline. The Predator’s known movements would be placed against everything else they knew about the region. If there was a pattern, he intended to find it. If there wasn’t one, that was useful information too.

His attention eventually settled on the question that seemed most significant.

Why were the Klingons here?

Marcus opened another search and began digging.

OOC: GM if you wouldn’t mind :-)

Lt Marcus Kane
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Manhattan