Proper Procedures

[DJ McKinny 0]

In spite of their differences, DJ knew something was wrong the moment Nick stepped into Sickbay. He'd been with Drankum and company to welcome Captain Thomas Halloway back to Aegis. Yorktown was also delivering the Aegis science team from TKR 117, the same team that refused to return to the station when ordered to do so by Ambassador Drankum.

 

Leilani Feretti and Le Morte had been off station for quite some time. It was standard operating procedure in such cases for personnel to report to Sickbay for a complete physical. However, Feretti and Le Morte were no where to be seen when Nick returned to the medical facility. DJ connected the dots even before she asked the CMO what happened upstairs. She was absolutely certain Dr. Lepage reminded the Ambassador of this particular protocol. He might even have insisted. But Drankum was still intent on proving who was boss. DJ could only assume he'd ordered the science officers to the brig.

 

For Nick's part, he refused to discuss it, preferring instead to find out why he'd been commed during the welcoming ceremony. It was DJ who'd called him but it was really Mimi who need to talk to Nick. She'd detected the peculiar chip in Chirakis' forearm and gone above and beyond trying to determine exactly what it was. Her attempts were in vain. The function of the chip remained a mystery along with the reason why it was never detected before. The next step was to inform the CMO and request his guidance on how to proceed.

 

DJ assured Mimi she would stand by her during the briefing. Lilllan had agreed to be there as well. McKinny was curious how Nick would choose to proceed. Considering the Commander's background, perhaps it was reasonable for her to have such a device imbedded in her arm. But it was perplexing that it never showed up on any scans until now. Even more concerning was the high level classification surrounding the chip's purpose. There was another issue as well. Eventually, the Ambassador would find out about it. Unless they could prove the device was innocuous, DJ was certain its presence in Chirakis' arm would cast even more suspicion on her.

 

And now there was something else to worry about. Feretti and Le Morte were probably in the brig when they should be in Sickbay undergoing their physicals. DJ already knew what she had to do. Drankum was the chief operating officer on Aegis but even he needed to follow proper procedures. She wasn't above reminding him of that.