##########
"Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try"
Previous posts (ANU) "Trying To Help, Finale" / (BAS) "Living Planet"
##########
"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 34019.1400
[/\] I really could not care less about what you think, *Captain*. I want answers! I want to know how you managed to lose an artifact with untold potential. I want to know how you allowed a Lokustaar clone who was in your custody just walk out of your brig and beam back to the planet. Most importantly, I want to know whose head is going to be sitting on my desk when you return to base? Let me make myself perfectly clear, someone's head *is* going to be there, and right now I don't care if it is yours or someone else's. Koniki out! [/\]
"Well, that could have gone better," the ship's Avatar said, ANI being the only other person present in the Captain's Ready Room. "What are your orders, Captain?"
The Native American just leaned back into his chair and let out a long breath. The Admiral was pissed, more so then he had ever seen him, but given the chain of events of the last 24 hours, Erik could not blame him. Maybe if he was not so completely shocked by what happened, he might be feeling the same, but right now he could not afford to lose his calm. What he needed was to get to the bottom of this craziness that ended with his Ship's Counsellor land in the brig.
"Access all available sensor data, on and off the ship, for the past 48 hours," Captain Morningstar ordered. "We need to retrace Counsellor Lopez's every move, see who she spoke to and what she was talking about. I want to know everything she did for every second of the last 48 hours. I don't care how or what resources you have to use, just get me everything you can."
"Aye, aye, Captain. Would you rather a chronological report or a holodeck recreation?" The Avatar asked. Knowing the abilities of the ANUBIS, which were her own, it was relatively simple for ANI to recreate the scenes allowing the Captain to get a more complete picture of what happened.
"Holodeck recreation would be fine," Erik stated. "Set it up in the Holographic Simulation Chamber 1, that will be the best place for it. Oh, by the way, ANI, no one else gets to see or access any of that until I am done. As of right now, this investigation is Captain's eyes only, no exceptions."
"Does that include Commander Shar'El? As your First Officer, she is entitled to review the findings of any and all investigations taking place onboard the ANUBIS."
"As much as I hate to say this, I cannot trust *anyone* right now, so yes, that includes her. This is my investigation and I am not letting anyone off the proverbial hook until I have all of the answers."
"Understood Captain. I will inform you as soon as the recreation is complete," the Avatar said watching the man as he rose from his chair and quickly made his way around the desk. "May I inquire as to where you are going? I just need to know so to be in a better position to contact you when I am done."
"I'm going to Sickbay," Morningstar said through clenched teeth. "There is someone I need to see."
=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 34019.1415
A pair of security officers stood guard outside in the corridor and two more kept an eye on the room and its only two occupants. The native American was not in the mood to play games and he was certainly even less in the mood for any more surprises.
"Doctor, how is your patient?" Erik asked while looking over the woman's shoulder to see the individual in question."
"Alive, although I have to admit that I am not certain as to how. I was not down on the planet and was drawn into this only after the fact. Right now, all I can confirm is that they are alive."
"Keep me informed of any changes," the Captain said as he spun around on his heels.
"Where are you going?" Doctor Bruxa wondered aloud, concerned that maybe she would be getting one or more new patients soon judging by the mood of their Commanding Officer.
"To get some answers," was all that Erik said as he walked out.
=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 19, Corridor outside the Brig
Stardate: 34019.1425
Captain Morningstar arrived just as Commander Shar'El was exiting the brig. "Well?" Erik demanded, as much as he did not want to come down hard on those under his command, the Admiral had left him little choice.
"She arranged it all," Shar'El sadly reported. "She is not even trying to hide the memories but I would need to perform a more in-depth scan to get all of the details. If you wish me to, I can do it."
"No," the Native American stated without any hesitation. "She is still a member of my crew and as long as she is that, I will not authorize you or anyone else to go digging into her memories. That said, I might need your help later on, but right now let me do what I can to get as many answers as I can."
"Very well Captain," the Commander acknowledged. Shar'El wanted to ask as to what Erik believed had taken place and the reasons why, but before she could do so the voice of the ship's Avatar came over the man's comm badge.
=/\= ANI to Captain Morningstar, the holographic recreations are ready. =/\=
"Holographic recreations?" Shar'El repeated sounding curious and impressed all at the same time.
"That was quick," Erik noted dismissing his First Officer's query.
=/\= This form is nothing but a physical extension of the ship. I am the ANUBIS. =/\=
"My apologies ANI, I will be right there."
"Captain, do you need me to go with you?" Shar'El asked.
"No," Morningstar replied almost before the question had been fully spoken. "This is my investigation. I will let you know if I need you."
=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Array Section, Deck A-5, Holographic Simulation Chamber 1
Stardate: 34019.1440
The Native American walked in and found the Avatar standing in the middle of the large inactive holodeck. "All right, let's get started."
"As you wish. As per your request, I compiled all available data on Counsellor Lopez's whereabouts over the last 48 hours, since her return from OLTHAR PRIME, Lieutenant Lopez spent the greater majority of her time in her quarters but I did manage to isolate certain specific times that I believe will provide you with the answers you seek. That is unless you wish to review all of her activities since her return to the ANUBIS."
"Let's start with the highlights," Erik stated. "I would rather get this done and over with quicker."
"As you wish," ANI said as she closed her eyes and activated the holodeck. "Time index 34018.1102. Counsellor Lopez, as per your authorization had beamed down to OLTHAR PRIME and met with Elder Emzaw. The discussion up to this point was of no real consequence but what follows does provide some possible answers.
Erik and ANI found themselves in the middle of the Council Greeting Chamber on OLTHAR PRIME which Counsellor Lopez and Elder Emzaw standing one in front of the other.
"Pause program," the captain ordered before the recreation even began. "How were you able to get this level of details?"
"The IGC sensors automatically, and for as long as it is possible, lock on any member of the crew when they are on a planet. The audio was gathered by the communications' array of the Oltharians. The signal was weak but thanks to them being alone, it was not all that complicated to clean up and enhance what was picked up. The synch does have a 0.021-second variant though."
"I think that will be more than acceptable, proceed." With that said, the Avatar resumed the holographic recreation. It was the Elder who spoke first.
"Go ahead, you have my complete attention."
That was all that the Junior Ambassador needed to hear. "Since our return to the ANUBIS, I have been doing some historical and cultural research on your people. There were a couple of things that troubled me about what was said and done while we were in the underground ruins, namely that the device used by the clone made in your image was used as an instrument for capital punishment. As a mere Ship's Counsellor, I might not have looked into this claim further but as a new member of the Ambassadorial corp, I felt the need to learn as much as I could about your people and their ways, both past and present. I quickly learned just how precious Oltharians believe all life to be, so it struck me as odd that such a device would even be considered. Then it dawned onto me, the device drains the life energy from one person in order to transfer it onto another, therefore there was no actual 'killing', but only the moving of life into another body. That view might not be shared by other races or cultures, but I could see that this was a way for your people to bridge necessity with beliefs."
"I guess it would be pointless for me to try and deny this, although I doubt that you managed to find any proof to support your claim," the Elder said, both impressed by the woman's skills in deduction and confident that she would never be able to prove this to anyone else.
"I am not here to openly exposed your past, Elder," Adriana confirmed. "As for my having found proof to support this claim, you are correct, you have done a remarkable job at hiding the truth about this, which forced me to try and understand this entire thing a little more. Like, why would Mordana clone you? Part of that answer was provided to us by the need to open the gates that protected the underground ruins, gates that could only be opened by the head of the Religious Circle, but that got me thinking. The clone was also the only one to use the device, and so far all of our efforts to even try to understand how it works have failed. The added fact that you did not immediately demand the return of this ancient artifact leads me to believe that the knowledge on how to operate the device, like the knowledge of how to open the gates, is solely in the hands of one specific Oltharian."
"Is there a point to any of this?" Emzaw asked rather bluntly. Either he was getting bored by Adriana's lengthy exposition or she was hitting the mark far too close for his comfort. Judging by the Oltharian's posture, the Counsellor/Junior Ambassador believed the latter was right.
"There is," the Adriana said not letting the highest-ranking official of the Oltharian people intimidate her. "Ambassador Bonviva is dying and I believe that this device would be able to heal her. I do not know exactly how this works, but from everything I have learned about your people, this makes the most sense. Since life is so precious, you would do everything possible to preserve its loss, and this device allowed you to dispense the ultimate justice while holding true to your highest belief. Since it also made no sense to transfer a life force into someone who did not need it, logic dictates that it was used to heal those most in need. So, am I right?"
"Even if you were right, which I am not saying you are, the practice of capital punishment is not something that we support, and it would be against our highest belief to take a life to save another even if it were freely given, as I suspect that is what you are offering. I can see that you care very much for Ambassador Bonviva, why else come here and tell me everything that you have so far, not that any of it is true."
"The thought of offering my life to save hers did cross my mind for a brief moment," Adriana pointed out. "A far better option, and one that suits both of our immediate needs came to me not long after. We currently have in custody your clone, a perfect copy of not only your physical attributes but also of your memories including the knowledge of how to open the gates of the underground ruins, how to operate the device and possibly countless other secrets you would rather never saw the light of day. My offer is simple, his life for that of the Ambassador. I will even make sure that the device is safely returned to you, that way your secrets will remain a mystery to everyone."
Bardef took a moment to consider the woman's offer, then a few more moments to truly weight her words and their implications. Officially he had to state that she was wrong, that everything she said up until now was nothing more than the exaggerated imaginings of an off-worlder who was using ancient myths to create a story that suited her twisted views of his people. On the other hand, having such a precious cultural artifact returned to its people would be preferable in countless ways, and seeing the disappearance of his own clone would certainly not hurt things. "Say, for the sake of argument, that I agreed with you, how do you suggest we proceed? Both the device and clone are on board your ship, and knowing what I do of Starfleet thanks to Elan and my position as Elder, I know that each is under heavy protection."
"Leave that to me," the Junior Ambassador said. "All I require from you is your promise that when the time comes, you will do as I have asked."
The holographic scene came to an end and returned to the standard yellow lines against a solid black background.
"After this, Counsellor Lopez returned to the ANUBIS. Sensor records show nothing of interest until she spoke with Lieutenant Ya'Han while in Sickbay 52 minutes later," ANI reported.
"Show me," the Native American ordered.
"Time index 34018.1155. Counsellor Lopez has just finished speaking to Ya'Han about her feelings of anger regarding the death of Jayson's clone," the Avatar explained as the holodeck returned to life, this time displaying the ANUBIS' own Sickbay where the Counsellor was sitting on the bed where the Chief of Security was.
"You are not alone, so it is not what *you* are going to do but rather what *we* can do," Adriana said as she sat on the bed next to the Nylaan. "You are angry at yourself for feeling the way you do, angry at Jayson for reminding you of the fleeings you had for his clone, and you are angry at the clone for sacrificing himself for you."
"Is that all?" Ya'Han asked not liking what she was hearing but knowing that Adriana was right.
"No," the Counsellor continued. "There is one other you are angry at, the other clone, the one of Elder Emzaw, the one who is ultimately responsible for the death of the other Jayson."
"At least he's in our brig and won't be hurting anyone else," the Chief of Security said as if trying to convince herself that this was compensation enough for what she endured and the pain she felt.
"That is not enough," Adriana said taking Ya'Han's hand into her own. "You and I both know that as long as he lives the feelings of injustice will remain and haunt our every thought."
"What can we do about it?" Ya'Han asked her anger now having been given a single target to be focussed upon. "He is a prisoner of war under the protection of Starfleet, not that this will save him from Admiral Koniki who is going to pull some strange rule to make sure he never gets to see the inside of a Federation prison. He was created by the Lokustaar and is too valuable to be simply locked away for his crimes."
"You are right, but the situation is actually a little more complicated than that," the Counsellor pointed out. "He's a perfect copy of the leader of OLTHAR PRIME, possessing the man's complete knowledge, that alone would make him a gold-mine of knowledge for someone like the Admiral to tap into, it is also our key to resolving this issue ourselves."
"How so?"
"OLTHAR PRIME is not a Federation member but only a protectorate, therefore not all diplomatic avenues are clearly established. The clone committed his crimes *on* OLTHAR PRIME making it the jurisdiction of the local government, and therefore his punishment is *their* responsibility. I have already spoken to Elder Emzaw, the real one, and he has agreed to make an official request to have the prisoner transferred to them."
"There is no way the Admiral is going to allow that, and even if you did manage to convince the Captain to do as you suggest, that would put his career at risk. The Admiral could delay the proceedings, find a replacement for Morningstar and just have the ANUBIS return to base leaving the diplomatic fallouts to be dealt by someone else, and by then it will already be too late." Adriana smiled. Ya'Han's tactical skills were spot on, understand how things would normally unfold, but this was not a normal situation, far from it.
"That is why I need your help. As the Junior Ambassador, I have arranged for Ambassador Bonviva to go to the planet surface and meet with the Oltharian Elder. With your help, the clone could be released from the brig and brought down to the planet surface at the same time. Once there, Xana could explain that this was as per the request of the planet's leader, which it will be, and was agreed upon as a show of good faith between the Federation and OLTHAR PRIME. Once there, I have Bardef's assurance that justice will be served."
"Bardef? You two are on a first-name basis now?"
"Being the Junior Ambassador does have certain advantages over being a simple Ship's Counsellor," Lopez said. "So, will you help?"
"You are walking a very thin grey line," Ya'Han pointed out. "Even if the Ambassador and the Elder cover for what you are planning on doing, the Captain may not like it and could find it hard to trust us ever again."
"I need you to trust me on that part," Adriana said as she held both of the Nylaan's hands in her own. "I have that part covered as well. There is nothing anyone will be able to hold against you as you will be following the orders of the diplomatic envoy sent to OLTHAR PRIME. I checked the regulations and orders, Admiral Koniki gave Xana 'carte-blanche' on this mission, she can do whatever she deems necessary to secure the successful completion of our mission, which is to stop the Lokustaar and ensure the safety of not only OLTHAR PRIME but all Federation allied worlds."
"You really gave this a lot of thought," Ya'Han said adding a faint grin after. "Alright, I will help, but right now I am unable to do so. As long as I am not officially declared as being back to active duty, my codes and clearance access will not allow me to even get close to the prisoner."
"As you said, I have thought about this a great deal," Adriana said as she slid off the medical bed. "Satella is going to be declaring everyone, including you, fit to return to active duty. All I need is for you to wait until everything else is ready."
"All right," Ya'Han said nodding her head. "I will be ready. Just let me know when. I just want to be there when justice is served to that murderous clone."
"You will be there, I promise."
The holodeck recreation ended at that point returning both the Captain and ship's Avatar to the yellow grid. "That explains how our prisoner escaped the brig and found his way to the planet surface. That still does not explain what happened to the Ambassador.
"I believe that the next part may shed some light on that," ANI stated. "Time index 34018.1255, General-use Science Lab. Counselor Lopez went there to see Lieutenant Commander Maya."
The native American sighed deeply. "That is when the Oltharian Artifact was taken."
"Correct," the Avatar confirmed as the holographic scene appeared.
"Maya, how is your research on the artifact progressing?" The Counsellor asked as soon as she stepped into the room.
"Absolutely nowhere," Maya reluctantly admitted. "Scanners are unable to detect any type of internal component or electronics, and I have yet to figure out how to even turn it on. If the reports from the away team did not clearly state that they saw the device function, as I also did, I would be inclined to believe that it never actually happened. Could we all have imagined it or misinterpreted what we saw happen? Could it all have been some sort of holographic trickery?"
"Anything is possible," Adriana said. "We had no instruments to confirm or challenge what we saw from the moment we arrived in those ancient ruins. For all we know we could have been exposed to some hallucinogenic gas that made us see what the Lokustaar wanted us to see to trigger a more fearful response. Whatever happened, the one things I know for sure is that Elder Emzaw has made an official request to have the item returned to him. He claims that it is a historical artifact that belongs to his people and needs to be returned to the ruins where it was taken. Since there appears to be no way to prove that the item is what we believe it to be, I see no reason why we should not comply with his request. Do you?"
"We saw so many incredible things down there," Maya argued back. "It could be very possible that we have just not figured out how to properly scan this item."
"Alright, keep working on it. I will inform Ambassador Bonviva that she will not be able to comply with the Elder's request when she goes down to see him. I just hope she can spin things in order to avoid triggering a diplomatic nightmare, one that could end up forcing Elan to chose between the Federation and his people. I can't imagine how it would feel like to be completely cut off from your own race."
"I can," Maya said with a quivering lower lip. "Here," the Chief Science Officer promptly added while tossing the device over to the Counsellor. "No item is worth seeing anyone separated from their people. Please, make sure that the Ambassador has it with her before she beams down to meet with the Elder."
"I will, thank you, and I am sure that Elan would also thank you if he knew."
The simulation ended returning the Captain and Avatar to the emptiness of the Holographic Simulation Chamber. "These are the most relevant scenes I was able to identify. The actual ceremony down on the planet was held in a location that our sensors could not reach, therefore I can only theorize that it was in the Ancient Ruins. The only ones who know for sure what happened down on the planet are Ambassador Bonviva, Counselor Lopez and Lieutenant Ya'Han."
"Thank you, ANI," Erik acknowledged. "Job well done, now I need to figure out what I am going to do with Lopez." The Captain wanted answers and that was exactly what he received.
"At least the Ambassador is alive and well," the Avatar reported. "According to the latest medical report from Doctor Bruxa, Xana Bonviva is in perfect physical health and is showing no signs of any illnesses whatsoever. It would seem that the device worked as intended by the Oltharians."
"To be honest, I am not sure that makes this situation any easier, for anyone," the Native American noted before making his way out of the inactive Holographic Simulation Chamber.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA