A Likely Hypothesis

[Charlotte Matsumura 0]

A Likely Hypothesis

LTJG Charlotte Matsumura

CDR Malcolm Alexander (NPC)

***

 

“Please tell me you're not stepping out for a bit of fresh air.”

 

Charlotte regarded Malcolm Alexander with a wry grin, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms across her chest. It was a natural movement, made more difficult by the extra layers of her hazard suit. “Hardly. Try compressed, stale air aboard a very derelict Augustine.”

 

The commander raised his brows. “You found her?”

 

“We did,” Matsumura replied, “with no evidence of her crew, other than some disturbing organic substances that remind me of the snake house in spring.” Now removed from the situation, she allowed herself a small shudder. Snakes were one of the few things that still made her skin crawl.

 

On the LCARS screen, Alexander grimaced. “There's a cheery thought. Don't suppose the Augustine's crew is being slowly digested by a giant space snake? They do have those sort of things out here, don't they?”

 

“I'm quite sure there are no snakes on this...ship.” Her eyes twinkled as she responded. “As to the local flora and fauna, well, there are vampires and overgrown scorpions, so why not an overgrown space snake? It seems as likely a hypothesis as any.”

 

Reaching up, she tapped a few commands into the terminal. “I'm transmitting our current location. The Augustine apparently took up orbit above an equally derelict Dominion base. What I've read indicates it was taken over by the Allies at the end of the war; it seems to have been marked off-limits shortly thereafter.”

 

“Nothing odd about that... There are Dominion bases all over that sector, left over from their push into our space.” Mal narrowed his eyes, looking off to his left as he surveyed what Charlotte assumed was another data screen. “Now that's a little odd...”

 

“What's a little odd?”

 

Alexander focussed on the data screen, rather than looking to Charlotte as he spoke. “Well, you're right: The base was taken by the Allies after the war, then turned over to the Klingons as part of the treaty. But they turned it back over to the Federation almost immediately.”

 

Surprised, Charlotte blinked. Her brow furrowed as she took in the information. “I've never known the Klingons to cede spoils.”

 

At this, Mal glanced to her. “Me, either,” he replied. “Official record says it was a case of undetonated ordinances.”

 

“Undetonated – Wait. Official record?” Matsumura leaned forward, resting her weight on her forearms on the desk. She cast a glance around, checking the location of her fellow security officers. Most were occupied with other tasks. Should have taken this in my quarters, she thought. Too late now. “So what does the, ah, other record say?”

 

His expression was grim as he regarded her across subspace. “It was quarantined under recommendation from the Chem-Bio team.”

 

Charlotte fought back another shudder. The Chemical and Biological Warfare Unit had a reputation for facing down some of the nastiest bugs and compounds in the known galaxy. That the base had been quarantined spoke volumes as to the threat; in her suspicious mind, it also suggested the Federation might be interested in what resided there. It would explain why the base had been quarantined instead of simply destroyed. “So what was Augustine doing here?”

 

“A more important question is how long are you going to be there?”

 

The wry grin twitched across her own lips. “Asking for professional or personal reasons?”

 

“A little of both.” There was a warmth to his eyes, tempered with concern – a fine line between the professional and the personal. “I might be the tiniest bit biased, but it is off limits for a reason. The last thing we want is to lose another ship to...whatever it is, lurking in the shadows out there.”

 

“I've never been afraid of things that go bump in the night.”

 

“No, but slithering things definitely put you off your game.”

 

“We owe it to the Augustine.”

 

At this, Alexander could only sigh. “I'll make some calls. If I can't find out what you're up against, I can at least find out what Augustine was doing out there.”

 

Charlotte felt a pang deep in her chest, suddenly wishing she were back on the station; back on familiar ground; back with him. She offered him a soft smile. “Thank you, Mal.”

 

“Anytime, love. Check in again soon, hm?”

 

“I will.”

 

There was no further comment as the screen went black. The bad feeling she'd felt aboard Augustine had just grown by leaps and bounds.