The corridors down past engineering were usually quieter near the middle of the night shift. None of the bustle of the daytime officers running about trying to get business done and dealt with. Sometimes things of minor importance, such as power transfer requests or equipment maintenance.

A lone man wearing the gold trimmed uniform made his way down the corridor and looked around nervously. His brown eyes surverying the scene around him to see if he was being followed or watched as he pulled a hatch open on the wall. The jefferies tube entrance didnt have to go far before he had reached his target. He set to work setting up his device and routing the power through it. If anyone ever noticed the miniscule amount of power being taken, he was sure they could never trace exactly which area it would have been placed.

The man finished up his work and exited the hatch quickly, running into someone else. As he looked up into the same brown eyes that had looked around earlier. His own face, mirrored the surprise upon his own before he slipped a blade into the man’s ribs. Angled to go right into the heart. This was NOT supposed to happen. He heaved the body into the hatch and closed it again. Trembling hands trying to seal it again before he got up and left the area quickly. The only sign of the act being a single blood stain on the deck plating.

-GM

One advantage to being the Chief of Security was being the one who made the roster. Pretha had been unable to sleep if late. With D’Vash doing night duties randomly, she and he hasn’t spent much time together since the last mission. While she’s never admit it to anyone, she was actually missing his body next to her own at night.

So she took the third shift watch again. Wandering the halls this late had another advantage. She could check security measures that were difficult when the corridors were congested with crewmates.

Rounding the corner, she was too late to see or sense the fleeing presence, but not too late to see something out of place. A friend clouded her face as she just happened to glance in time to catch the blood drop. Crouching down to look closer, she pulled her tricorder out to assertion if the of blotch was blood or a chemical. As it ran the scan, she glanced forward and back to see if it was part of a trail she hadn’t seen.

Lt JG Pretha Oberon
CoS

The blood stain wasn’t very large. It was red in color, iron based. This denoted it as human blood, Type A+. The tricorder readings would.not be abke to tell whose it was or from.whence it came. However, there was little to no clotting or coagulation. The key note of a fresh wound. No visible trail could be seen leading off from the location.

-GM

Pretha frowned. No one had come out gone and there was no further blood. “Blast it!” She growled as her first slammed the wall for emphasis. But instead of landing on the flat, solid wall, it slammed against the grate covering. A wince of pain and she lifted her offended fist to get lips to kiss the small red spot. “That’s what you get for your temper, Preth…” She murmured once more glancing at the tricorder as if it would suddenly give her the answers she wanted.

Pretha
((Ooc… Does the grate move or fall?))

The hatch for the jefferies tube slipped open, as though the hatch had been sealed in a hurry and not done properly. The smell of fresh, warm blood wafted from the tube opening.

-GM

NE Winston Hillchurch had left engineering earlier in his shift armed with all that he (presumably) needed to conduct his turbolift calibration exercises. Comparing data from his tricorder with the car computer he compared things such as speed, ride, comfort, accuracy, temperature, auto-inertial compensators and so on. The only thing he thought was missing was a pillow and a pull out stool from the side of the lifts. And he was in desperate need of coffee. This was not just a make work project but it was one that was done on off shifts due to less traffic.

Rounding the corner just as Pretha had banged the grate and it fell he shook his head, “Hey now, that’s Starfleet property. You break it you bought it.” He noted the rank a moment later. “Er, ma’am. Taking out frustration is what holodecks are for, and … is there a problem?”
- NE Winston

Pretha had managed to catch the screen as the Ensign rounded the corner. The coppery smell of the vitae had made Pretha’s nose curl up. “Problem? You can’t smell that?” She set the grate aside and waved her hand as if it would simply make the smell go away. “Someone is dead or dieing in there. And recently.” She glanced back up at the man as her features once more softened as she accustomed herself to the acrid smell. ” Old blood doesn’t have a smell.”

Winston wasn’t that close and couldn’t really smell anything. He was about to make a quip about whether Pretha had had the chili off the replicator - that tended to ‘do’ things and evoke a certain amount of hand waving. When she spoke of a dead body he was almost certain that she was talking about the chili, though her final statement caught his quip in his throat, unsaid. “What are you tal, why, how?” He was running out of stammering commentary as his mind skidded onto this new track.

Now that she’s answered him, Pretha took her first look into the shaft. For a second, her eyes had trouble adjusting. Then she slammed her hand onto her comm badge. =^=Bridge… Security Chief Oberon. I have a body in jefferies tube 15G on engineering deck. Seal the deck! I repeat, seal the deck!=^=

She glanced up at Winston. Her eyes quickly looked him up and down. If she saw even a speck of blood of him, this friendly banter was about to turn seriously unfriendly. Her hand slid to her phaser as she glanced him up and down.

Lt JG Pretha Oberon
CoS

Winston gulped and coughed nervously. She was inspecting him like he did his butterfly collection - well, holographic butterfly collection. Had he wings he would be quite nervous. “I’ll, uh, call someone.” His hand tapped his badge. =^= Hillchurch to engineering. We appear to have a … situation at tube 15G. Security is here. =^= He leaned to peek as much as he could into the tube but he wasn’t at a good angle or close enough.
=^= And? =^= was the reply from a tired ‘Reno’ Crawford.
=^= What do you mean ‘and’? The security chief is speaking of blood. Maybe a bo..body. =^= Gee that stammer sounded good. He sighed.
=^= And? =^=
=^= She said she smelled blood. =^=
=^= Are you sure it wasn’t a lubricant burn and residual leak? It can smell the same. =^=
Winston was about to say something then changed his mind at the ‘look’ from Pretha. =^= She seems pretty sure, Lt. =^=
=^= I’ll call the chief and send a crew over. I’ll do a roll call on the shift crew to see if anyone is missing =^= When the line closed he shuffled his feet and looked nervous. “Can I, ah, help you with anything, Lt?”
- Winston

OOC: You guys ignored my post, thaaaanks lol :p

OOC: my apologies. Doing alot of posting from phone. Started a new job yesterday and have been trying to get things together to turn in for my old job or i dont get my last check.

-Josh
((No I didn’t…I hadn’t gotten down to look yet…M))

bump

((There a bridge thread to this I need to cross post to?… M))

OOC: Always cross post, even if you have to create a new thread to do so. Also, someone should immediately notify Thorne that there is a dead body on the ship. YAY, this is exciting!!

D…

bump for life You guys were doing so well!! C’mon, let’s have some action so everyone can join.

OOC: Feel free to call in medical to examine the remains.

Charley

A shimmering sound filled the Jefferies tube as the body faded from existence in the beam of a transporter. The only reminder that it was even there to start would be the fresh blood smell and a small puddle from the wound on the floor.

-GM

“Did you call for t-t-that?” stammered Winston. She could have called for that before he arrived .. his question was answered a moment later .. “Oh dee-dear.”

Pretha shook her head in amazement. It had startled her. She would have expected almost anything besides a body. “We need a head count of every department.” It was then that the Captain crossed her mind. Tapping her badge, she took a breath. =^=Captain, this is Lieutenant Oberon. We have a situation. A body has been found in Jeffries Tube 15G, engineering deck. Engineering is doing head count. Permission to get counts from other departments?=^=

=/\=Thorne here. Permission granted. I’m on my way to you now. Are you still at the Jeffries location?=/\=

—Thorne, CO

Suddenly the body disappeared and she lunged as if she could snatch it back. “NNOOOO!!!!!” =^=Computer, security shut down of all transporters. Immediately! Security override Oberon Theta Victor Theta!=^= She jumped to her feet and growled. “It’s gone.” =^=Captain, it was just beamed out. I have initiated shut down but I don’t think it was in time.=^= The agitation in her voice was more than evident as she tried to think of other ways to seal the body in whatever area it had ended up in. And a slight prayer went up that it hadn’t been shot into space.

Lt JG Pretha Oberon
CoS

“Medical can still do an identity ch-check from the blood,” Winston said, hopefully helpfully. He moved in closer to take a look, peeking into the tube. Tubes were just too easy to get into, he thought. They needed better controls on them beyond logging who accesses them.
Winston for Sural

OOC: It makes more sense that Thorne would be asleep and not on the bridge, so I will take care of that. Also, you should collect some of that blood before it gets beamed out too!!!EEEKKKK!!!

D…

The Captain arrived on the scene within two minutes of the call. “Lt Oberon, walk me through what you found.”

—Thorne, CO