Posted by Lieutenant Commander Peter Sigmundsson (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Main Sim [Brig]: Changing of the Guard (TAG Korczak)

Posted by Captain Rende Asam (Captain) in Main Sim [Brig]: Changing of the Guard (TAG Korczak)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Peter Sigmundsson (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Main Sim [Brig]: Changing of the Guard (TAG Korczak)
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

—SNIP—

=/\=Rende to Forgrave. NE Sacco has been detained. When you are finished we need an investigative team down here.=/\=

Rende, CO

The trip from the Holosuite Peter had found himself to the Brig was only a single deck’s turbolift ride. Peter waited for the Security Chief to enter the lift first “This doesn’t sound good, if we can be influenced towards violence it is imperative that I be locked up post haste” He said in a quietly urgent tone. Peter looked down at his hands, larger than most people “Especially if I’m fully capable”

CIO

“Aye; ain’t gonna argue with you there. It’s one thing ta have a few drinks or frag off when yer on duty, but violence… well, that just raises the stakes.” Issac pulled a grimace as he thought for a moment. “Hate ta ask, but honestly I reckon I shoulda done this from the start. If you’ll please put your hands…” As the Security chief reached to a pouch on the back of his belt, he froze; teeth barred in irritation before bringing an empty hand back to his side.

“Well, shame on me - handed off everythin’ ta Yogesh, including my binders. What I get fer being in a rush…” He looked up at the taller man, a tight grin on his face. “Reckon we both get ta hope you remain peaceable for the next while. But uh, iffin’ ya do start feeling a bit ornery, I’d be obliged if you gave me some notice, yeah? Somehow, the idea of me ‘n you scrapping fer keeps ain’t very appealing.”

Forgrave, CoS

“I’ll do my best. Final suggestion I have is simple” Peter spoke in a quiet grim tone “Fight dirty” He didn’t speak again for the remainder of the short trip.

By all accounts, the trip to the brig was uneventful. Lieutenant Baker looked up from his PaDD behind the security desk, nodding politely to Forgrave before going back to whatever he was doing. Reports, from the amount of frustration sketched into the man’s features. Most found him about as personable as a starched uniform but he was efficient and handy with a phaser. The other on-duty security officer, Ensign Chavez, stood near the door to the holding cells chatting up a medical officer, Ensign Linch. Seeing the imposing pair entering the room, they quickly cut their conversation short and watched them intently.

“Another guest, Chief?” Chavez joked kindheartedly.

Issac nodded in reply. “Much as I hate ta say it, Commander Sigmundsson this time; he’ll need his own cell, if at all possible.”

Baker gave a dejected sigh, looked up from his PaDD again. “Two more detainees since you left, Chief. Let’s see here. Ah, yeah. Lieutenant D’Val felt like taking a bath in saurian brandy before taking a stroll to the mess—naked. Have you ever seen a drunk Vulcan? Now that’s a sight. Ensign Pierce thought it would be cute to go climbing in a turboshaft; he said he thought it was a good challenge. Per the commander’s orders, Linch here is passing out scans with the rations.”

Forgrave groaned slightly at the reports - whatever was going on, it was certainly wide-spread across the ship. It occurred to him that it might be good to track down points of origin; see if they aligned with their guest’s movements.

“They seem normal,” the medical officer offered cheerily, hefting her tricorder for emphasis. “Miss D’Val is mortified—can… Vulcans be embarassed?—but otherwise taking her confinement in stride. She’s surprisingly sober for the amount of alcohol in her bloodstream. Mister Pierce won’t stop pacing his cell, keeps saying he’s needed on-duty. I imagine he’ll calm down once the adrenaline has had a chance to dissipate. Shall I give the commander a look-see, or did you want to do the honors?”
—Jas—

Shaking his head, Issac denied the offer. “Nah; wouldn’t know what I’m looking at, and I got other places ta be. Commander’s in y’all’s care now.”

Peter looked down at the medical officer, it was a fact of his life that he looked down on almost everyone. His face had turned wooden once more and he eyed the medical officer with the same stoically neutral expression “I would prefer to be examined with a force field between us, doctor” His voice was calm yet serious “If people are turning violent I’d prefer not to harm anyone unwillingly”

CIO

Ensign Linch blinked up at the larger man, stared almost blankly for a moment before something clicked behind her hazel eyes. “Oh, you mean with what happened to…?”

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer man,” Baker grumbled, rubbing the back of his hand with a thumb.

Chavez hissed. “Kevin!”

The other security officer grumbled and went back to his reports. Under his breath, he groused. “We’re all thinking it. We stop to help him out and he pays us back with taking people over.”

“Thinkin’ or otherwise, rumors and hearsay don’t do any of ya any good. Right now, Hab’rabi is a guest on our ship ‘till proven otherwise; as well as a victim. Investigation is pending, and I’ll thank ya to treat anyone and everyone on this ship with respect. Don’t mean you can’t be suspicious; but respect costs little and can buy a lot.” His quiet lecture over, their chief held their eyes in a level gaze briefly, before turning back to the Intelligence officer now in captivity.

Ensign Linch chuckled nervously, tried her best to give Sigmundsson a cheery smile. “I think you’ll do just fine, sir. Deep down, you’re a big ol’ teddy bear, surely.”

Still, she preceded the larger man to one of the holding cells, already tapping away at her tricorder as if nothing were amiss. Chavez pulled up the rear, a hand gripping the holster of his phaser. He didn’t look eager to draw it, mind. Just ready. Linch barely waited for the energy field to initialize before scanning the commander. She hummed a thoughtful little tune while she worked; Chavez stood nearby, watching dispassionately as if it was just another day. She made a thoughtful noise, squinted at the results before turning to Forgrave.

“And one for the lieutenant!” she chirped happily, giving him the once-over. “All done! I’d offer you both a lollipop for being such good sports, but I didn’t bring any.”

Chavez raised a brow, not sure if she was joking or not.

“I’ll get these results sent to the doctor right away,” Linch promised, a more serious expression crossing her features. “I can see some residual adrenaline in the commander’s system, but I really don’t see anything necessarily suspicious. Some trace amounts of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in his prefrontal cortex, and a bit of alcohol in his system. I’m also reading some kind of electrostatic charge in his synaptic cleft—”

“His sinwhatnow?” Chavez mused.

Linch blushed. “Sorry, don’t mind my shop talk. Basically, his brain has a bit of a buzz, showing a bit of overstimulation, but also a surprising resilience. I’ve never seen anything like it! But that’s just a cursory examination, and I’m not that experienced yet. I’ll get this to medical; maybe they’ll be able to tell us more. But I’d say he doesn’t present any more of a threat to the ship or crew than he normally would. Compared to his last physical, he’s fit as a fiddle. That’s good, right?”
—Jas—

“I reckon… but tell me more about that ‘buzz’. Similar at all ta the other’s you’ve scanned so far? Wait, no; I’m getting distracted - don’t tell me, feel free ta get back ta what you were doing.” Issac shook his head in self-admonishment. Looking up, he spotted the squad that had been following him just entering the brig. “Yogesh! You’ve squared away the Commander’s items? Well, we ain’t done yet - put on yer investigator hat, we’re headed ta deck twenty-five.” Orders given once more, Issac glanced around the room; eyebrows raised and waiting for questions.

“Welp, keep yer heads on a swivel; and stay in contact.”

-Forgrave, CoS

Peter kept a neutral expression during the entire exchange. When the young doctor finished he gave him a flat look “Do that” He turned to the Security Chief “Good luck Lieutenant, I look forward to reading about what happens next” He stepped into the cell, turned to face the exit then lowered himself to his knees then sat back on his heels and closed his eyes.

CIO

With Forgrave departed, the security detail fell back into an almost quiet pattern. Ensign Linch stayed just long enough to poke at her findings and draft a report, disappearing to answer a call to help a nearby turbolift checkpoint. Ensign Chavez conversed mutely with Lieutenant Baker for a while about the upcoming shift change, then disappeared beyond Sigmundsson’s sight. Baker would occasionally cast glances in Peter’s direction, obviously working something silently in the back of his head. Finally, he stood and moved closer to the commander’s cell and leaned against the threshold.

“Are you comfortable, sir?” he asked hesitantly, his thumb moving back and forth across the edge of his index finger like he were flipping an invisible coin. “Is there… anything I can get for you? Maybe something to eat? Replicators are acting up, but if you’re hungry…”
—Jas—

Peter didn’t open his eyes when he spoke “No thank you, I seem to have eaten a large meal in the last few hours.” He spoke in the same quiet baritone he usually did and as always mixed with stern politeness “It’s odd, usually I would be more fatigued and even hungry after an intensive exercise but I feel neither tired nor famished. He remained perfectly still “I would appreciate periodical updates on our situation, no details until I can be completely cleared, just a general impression.”

CIO

Baker nodded slowly, eyes distant and fingers still moving against each other. “Guessing it’s whatever those things did to you, nasty bastards. Be nice when we can figure out how to sweep the ship clean of ‘em and get back underway.”

The man pushed away from the wall, moved to the security desk to retrieve his PaDD. As he tapped away at it, humming thoughtfully as he did. His eyes flickered towards Peter briefly, and there was a twitch to the corner of his lip the other man would have missed with his eyes closed. Contempt? Amusement? Indigestion? It was there and gone in a flash as the PaDD chirped and Baker return his attention to it.

“Just sit tight, sir,” he murmured, twitching his fingers against his lips in thought. “This’ll a-a-all be over soon enough, just you—”

Internally Peter frowned, he’d long since learned how to not give a reaction on his face but something in the man’s tone bothered him. He decided against opening his eyes until the alert came.

=^=Intruder alert!=^= a startled voice cried through the comm overhead. =^=Security to Deck Thirty-Four, Section Seventeen Delta! Hurry!=^=

Baker snapped his eyes towards Sigmundsson, narrowing for a moment. The air seemed to still between them as if the lieutenant were hoping for some reaction from the commander. Dropping the PaDD back to the desk, the security officer pulled a phaser from the nearby weapons locker and shoved it into the holster on his hip. Tapping his comm badge, he sighed—not dejected or frustrated, but… ready.

=^=”Baker here. I’m on my way.”=^=

Half jogging to the door, he then paused and turned to give Peter one last look. The light of the barrier between them seemed to reflect in Baker’s eyes as he nodded. Turning, he left. Somehow the door sealing shut behind him echoed a bit more ominously than Peter would have expected.
—Jas—

Peter watched the security officer with a bland expression. Baker was a decent enough officer but he didn’t exactly have the temperament to be a command-level officer but his attitude was abnormal, he hadn’t been under Peters’s command back when he was Security Chief but he’d made sure to familiarize himself with the Security staff nonetheless.

Some time later after assisting Woods in engineering, Rende headed toward the brig. Sigmundsson was being detained there, along with a couple of other officers. Sigmundsson was an accomplished fighter, but it was his mind she was in need of. His ability to search out information and evaluate events and people. But first she had to know if he was safe to allow him out of the brig. There were answer needed, Forgrave was busy investigating, and the two people she wanted working parallel to Forgrave were Korczak and Sigmundsson. So with that though in mind, Rende paged Korczak to meet her in the brig. Korczak had more than impressed her with his quick and straightforward evaluation of the crew when she had come aboard. She found his opinion and advice invaluable and she needed that now.

=/\=Rende to Korczak, would you meet me in the Brig please.=/\=

Rende, CO

=/\= On my way, Captain. =/\= came the oddly accented voice after less than a few seconds.

Peter stood up and looked out the forcefield, aggression was a common enough character trait in the Security Department. He shook his head You’re just being paranoid, old man He thought to himself as he walked slowly across the small room, He was intimately familiar with the Brig of a Viking class and he knew in theory that escape was possible but a single thought of paranoia was not motive enough to make the attempt, although getting rid of a guard was an essential component to do so when alone.

CIO

Outside the Brig Rende placed her hand to the bioscanner and quietly entered her security clearance code. The door swished open quietly and Rende stepped into the room. Chavez was at the main console and sat up, then stood abruptly. Rende waved him back as she walked over. “Your assignment takes priority over saluting me, Ensign. I’d like to speak with Lt Cmdr Sigmundsson.”

Rende pulled a chair over and sat, legs crossed at the knees and her hands clasped around the top knee. Her inclination was to address him by first name. He’d been through the ringer today. But she didn’t know him overly well, unfortunately (at least not yet), and she didn’t want to set off warning bells by being overly familiar. There was enough paranoia spreading through the ship. “The ship is in quite a state, Cmdr Sigmundsson. I would much prefer you on this side of the brig.”

Rende, CO

Peter had been examining the rear wall when the Captain arrived. He was an odd sight, he was no longer wearing his jacket and had rolled the sleeves of his yellow undershirt up to his elbows. He was also not wearing his shoes or socks. Without his slightly oversized jacket his size seemed less exaggerated even though he was still clearly a very large man. He turned slowly and examined the Captain, his face as if carved from wood “As would I, Captain” He took a single step forward, standing in the middle of the Brig. “But unless I can be cleared for duty I believe it is in the best interest of the crew if I remain behind a forcefield and under guard” He paused “How may I be of service, Ma’am?”

CIO

Rende reguarded him for a moment, “You and I are of the same mind as far as ship’s security, but I need your skills out here. A team will be heading back to the colony ship. If possible, I want you with them. Or interrogating Hab’rabi when…if…he wakes up. So in that direction, Lt Cmdr Korczak will be here soon. He’s going to give you a psychological evaluation.” She didn’t say she expected him to cooperate. He was a good, solid officer and she knew he would.

What to tell him though, some information and guaging his reaction could tell her a lot. “It seems these motes of light are exactly what Hab’rabi said, spirits/energy of the dead. One linked telepathically with one of the doctors and actually left it’s memories with her.” Or something close to that if she read the medical report correctly. “So you can start by telling me what you remember, before, during, and after. As well as any observations you made about our guest.”

Rende, CO

Peter considered the question for a moment “I don’t recall much of anything after my return to the ship, for me the sequence of events was the flight from Hab’rabi’s ship followed by what I can only describe as a flash of nothing, like memories of a blackout event caused by extreme alcohol consumption. Then I remember entering the holosuite and starting an exercise program, a great desire to simply enjoy myself. Nothing mattered beyond enjoying the moment”

Peter took a moment and frowned at his thoughts “I have no problem with taking time for myself and enjoying life but such hedonistic thinking is disturbing” He smoothed his features “In any case I came to my sense after perhaps an hour of exercise and I haven’t felt anything influencing my behavior since then. When Commander Kohr and Lieutenant Forgrave came to arrest me” He paused and the slightest hint of an amused tone entered his voice “With two full security teams to apprehend me I remanded myself into their custody.” The amusement faded “When I heard of the assault I felt it became imperative to lock me up” The thought of himself out of control causing damage to his crewmates was a terrible thought.

CIO

“And what assault are you referring to, Commander?” came the odd accented voice. Korczak was in the room, standing behind and to the left of the CO. How long was a question… then man seemed to literally blend into the background at times. “And how do you feel right now?” Korczak asked as he pushed the glasses up his nose slightly.

Korczak, CNS