Far From Over

[Chirakis 1]

Far From Over
Cayne & Chirakis

Bustling crowds filled the commerce deck as soon as station lockdown ended. Of the hundreds who crammed the lifts and stairs, only a few questioned the reason for lockdown.  In fact, most didn't seem to care as long as they could browse, shop, or enjoy their favorite restaurants.  Above them, along the mezzanine, plain clothes security personnel wandered among civilians or relaxed at tables that conveniently overlooked strategic areas.

Kirel stepped from the lift and paused briefly. A few children who caught her eye waved excitedly. Kirel merely nodded in return, knowing that the older children placed bets on the number of times she waved. Though Aegis offered a variety of amenities, it was still a space station, and, as children everywhere, they needed more distractions than Aegis offered.

Such naivete, thought Kirel as she began a slow, measured pace down the stairway and into the crowd.  For the most part, civilians on station led sheltered lives, trusting explicitly in the station’s defenses and command team to keep them safe.  They had no idea how close they had come to disaster.  As for Kirel, Captain Ramson’s words would last way beyond the situation’s resolution.  

“Officially,” Ramson had said, “V'Mal is an agent compromised by a Vulcan isolationist he was investigating. A rogue agent working on his own. Officially this event is over and all that's left for Command is to pick up V’Mal and Mason and her crew. 

“But this is far from over. 

“In private I am being told to to stay on alert,” Ramson continued. “There's more going on than one lone agent. Command is still trying to figure out what's going on. They cleared Mason's mission but no one remembers why.”

Kirel wound her way through the crowd, stopping only occasionally for congenial discourse, before entering the security complex to call  Commander Cayne.  “We have much to discuss,” where her only words, as no others were necessary.  They shared the same concerns: the Stone of Gol, V’Mal’s collaborators, and the Lore Kings’ transwarp conduit, to name a few.  Hopefully they could formulate at least one plan.

“Commander,” she said, hearing the faint swish of her office door.  “Make yourself comfortable.  This could take a while.” 

"Do I need a carafe of coffee this time or will a large mug do?" He said jokingly, though with a sliver of truth.

“Take the entire station’s supply if you need it,” she replied as she pulled up a screen on the main console.  Only three lines appeared: Collaborators, Stone of Gol, and Conduit. 

"I am back at my early Academy days, presentations being the hallmark…. I'm guessing the first two are related more directly?"

“Does it strike you that they are related?” She turned to face him, her expression serious but not to the point of being dire.  

"I'm guessing the stone was V'Mal's main instrument second only to those that helped him. They had to help him get it, but once he had it their mission was a whole magnitude easier." He brought his arm up to his face as though there was a cup is his hand. He became irked once he realized he was daydreaming non-existent cups of coffee. 

Kirel waved a hand toward the carafe.  “Coffee, Commander. Then I have a list we must consider.” 

'Yes please, before I eat my hand." He paused. "This a to-do list?"

“A list of V’Mal’s accomplices... from V’Mal, via Major Butts.”  Half-turning in his direction, she gave a slight grin and threw a list of names onto the screen, adding. “He was very persuasive.  Do you recognize any of these names?”

Cayne peered at the screen as if he was an old man seeing a hologram for the first time. "Hmm, I think two of those I have seen before, but… I'd have to get more information before I can tell you why I know them." He tapped the two names to highlight them.

“Where you know them from will do, Commander, and why they might be accomplices. Do not worry about your security level.  It jumped a few levels as soon as you came to Aegis through October.”

She waited. He seemed hesitant, though judging from his squint, it could have been his age.  “So which ones do you know and why could they have become accomplices?”  She studied his highlighted names.

"The first one has no serious infractions, just so many of them. Mostly theft, but nothing violent. Not sure they shared V'Mal's vision, only profit. Hmm, I guess profit, not prophet," he quipped, spelling out the last word. "The second name may have agreed with V'Mal, but I believe she moved to whatever vision suited her."

“Vision?”

"Philosophy... how she thinks the universe should work? I have not met her, only read. I think she may have intelligence community ties. Will need to investigate that."

“Indeed.”  Kirel stepped back from the screen.  “For now, considering this list, we have recognition and possible cause.  Personally, I see one lieutenant of Ragor Tal—and I am sure that you have had more than a few run-ins with him. Of the other two, I am not sure, and neither registers as ‘wanted’.  However, there are ways to get around that.”  

After a moment of thought, she faced him. “The Stone is secure for the moment. Our focus will be on this list. You take your few and I will take mine and the unknowns.  Can you think of anything else we should address immediately?”

"Just get our security team together as soon as possible...I can speak to Gila, if she passes."

“Commander, Ensign Gila should be the least of your worries, but if you must, you must.  Remember that this is Classified Sensitive Compartmentalized Information.”

Cayne nodded. "Right. I have to speak with her on other matters, and  will perform my own evaluation. Nothing mentioned here today."