<<Engineering>>

At the request of Security, all replicators in the VIP corridor have been inspected for tampering. Good thing too, the replicator in Ambassador Atylori's quarters has been modified. A devise has been added to the materialization system. It appears to change the chemical structure of food and drink items and is activated only when particular items are ordered. A check with the Medical Dept. has confirmed that these chemical changes are consistent with substances found during the autopsy of Vedek Tow. Additionally, an inspection of ten-forward, revealed that replicators have been similarly modified.

The equipment requested by Science has been replicated and delivered to security.

Bruno was up to his neck in things to do, and now, reports to fill out. He managed to delegate authority, and hide(Well, detach himself from a station) long enough to start a full report to the Captain. Including, scans, confirmation, the whole 10-forward thing, the whole shanigan. Sighing Bruno realized he would have to wait some more to see Elroy.

Klaus stared at the screen in his office. Only a few minutes had passed since his conversation with Starfleet Intelligence. He tried security headquarters first. They were no help. SI on the other hand, they had given him some interesting information. He would have to consider what they told him VERY carefully. Well, onto the problems at hand.

The security chief stood and walked into the briefing room. He was glad to see all were there ready to discuss the evening's....incident.

"Room, ten hut!" All members in the room stood at attention. While not required by Starfleet, Klaus liked discipline.

"As you were. Ensign Corbin, report."

"Lieutenant, Doctor Jayngo gave me a supply of modified communicators with biosign monitoring and relay capability. He was reluctant to use the implantable variety for political reasons."

"I agree....was worth a shot though. Have the ambassadors agreed to wear them?"

"All but one sir. Ambassador Atylori."

"Can't say I am surprised. The Cardassian methods of keeping tabs on their populace made the Stasi look like nosy neighbors."

"Stasi, sir?"

"Secret police....part of Germany's history. Point being that now the Cardassians are getting to know privacy and like it. How is your team holding up?"

"Very well sir. I am compiling a rotation schedule of regular security personnel that should begin within 48 hours. All of the ambassadors are accepting the additional body guards."

"Excellent. Thank you, Ensign. Lieutenant Norallah, I owe you an apology. I completely forgot my Trill etiquette concerning address."

"That is quite alright, sir. I do have some very interesting information for you. It appears as though your hunch paid off. Replicators in ten-forward were tampered with and add the substance Dr. Jayngo described when certain items are ordered. We found a similar device in Ambassador Atylori's quarters as well."

Klaus was stunned for a moment. "Please send the modules recovered to the forensics team. What type of food items would set off the device?"

"Unknown sir, analysis is continuing."

Klaus thought for a moment. Could the Vedek have been collateral damage? It wasn't out of the question that he and Ambassador Atylori would share some tastes in food. Was the real target Ambassador Atylori? Was the device in her replicator placed there only to remove suspicion? So many questions. "Has the doctor been informed of your findings?"

"No, sir."

"Klaus to Jayngo."

"Jayngo here, Lieutenant."

"Doctor, I was just informed that replicators were altered in Ten- Forward and in Ambassador Atylori's quarters to produce the substance you mentioned. I think it would be a good idea to determine if Ambassador Atylori, or any of the ambassadors, have been exposed."

"I concur. Thank you, Lieutenant. My office will schedule examinations immediately. Jayngo out."

"Anything else, Lieutenant Norallah?"

"One other item, sir. But I will let Lieutenant Sulu discuss that."

"Thank you. Lieutenant Sulu?"

"Sir, after detailed analysis of sensors operating just outside of the blackout area demonstrate an EM variance consistent with a personal cloaking field. While similar to Starfleet type suits, these readings indicate another manufacturer. The good news is, is that Lieutenant Norallah has had engineering start to produce a modified visor that should be able to see through the field."

Again, Klaus was impressed. Someone very well funded was behind all of this....further deepening his suspicion of a politically or governmentally driven operation. We don't want to tip our hand to this too early.....

"Lieutenant Norallah, would it be possible to produce these devices that look like standard tactical optics used by Ensign Corbin's team?"

"Easily sir."

"Excellent. Ensign Norallah, issue them as soon as they arrive. I want to keep whoever this is comfortable so that they will show themselves again. This time we will be watching. I don't have to tell everyone that this department is looking pretty poor right now. Over the next few days, I will be asking a great deal from all of you. We need to focus now on not just reacting, but being proactive and stopping whatever is going on. Questions?"

For a moment, all in the room sit still. Then Ensign Hurt spoke, "Sir, Ambassador Atylori just arrived."

"Show her to my office. The rest of you, good luck. We should reconvene in 6 hours....at....1000. Dismissed."

"Room, ten hut!"

Klaus left the room without a sound.

David Nganga lay in his bed. The lights were out in his quarters. He lay with his eyes closed. He tried to sleep.

Suddenly, there was a noise in the darkness.

David Nganga began to snore. Not at all McClellan like. It was a quiet snore, but a snore just the same.

Jayngo sat in his office, frustrated. He had already fulfilled all of his official obligations in the murder case, but felt as though there was something else he should do. He had already conducted the autopsy, filled out the proper reports, and submitted them to the Captain and Security. He wasn't sure if it was his fondness for the departed Vedek or flashbacks to his days in security, but sitting around didn't feel natural. Using his computer terminal, he accessed the case files already available to senior staff and learned that engineering had discovered tampering with the replicators in both Ambassador Atylori's quarters and in ten-forward which transformed certain orders into chemicals used in the "rejuvenation" elixir. Running a profile of the chemicals, he worked out that it was the equivalent of a triple dose. Records indicated that Admiral Jameson had taken a double dose to enact his quick transformation that eventually led to his death. As such, the triple dose was a quick death sentence.

:: So, the Vedek was last seen in ten-forward talking with the LBH after having a meeting with Ambassador Atylori. ::

Jayngo stepped out from behind his desk, grabbed the Vedek's datapad, and walked out into sickbay. "Sule, I'm stepping out for a while. I'll be back to start my duty shift after the meeting with the Captain."

"Understood," was the Gallamite's only response.

As Jayngo made his way down the corridor, his communicator chirped =^= Klaus to Jayngo. =^=

"Jayngo here, Lieutenant."

=^= Doctor, I was just informed that replicators were altered in Ten- Forward and in Ambassador Atylori's quarters to produce the substance you mentioned. I think it would be a good idea to determine if Ambassador Atylori, or any of the ambassadors, have been exposed. =^=

"I concur. Thank you, Lieutenant. My office will schedule examinations immediately. Jayngo out." A set of taps later, and Jayngo was in touch with Sule once more. "Schedule appointments with all ambassadors for as soon as possible. Correlate with Yures, who is currently with the Captain, as to when to get in touch with them, however. Give the Captain an opportunity to break the news of the Vedek's death before you call, that way we have a controlled panic instead of widespread hysteria. Get back in touch with me once you have put together the schedule. I'll conduct the exams personally. Make sure, however, that the Vedek's staff and Ambassador Atylori are at the top of the list."

Pale indigo light cast eerie shadows about Skepti's quarters as the man himself worked long into the night. An uneasy communiqué chirped, rousing Calvin's visage from its usual grimace.

+<>+Mr. Skepti... It's Falan. I've got the transmission from this strange communicator you requested I monitor. I'd also like to announce that using this Ferengi communicator makes me feel a little strange.+<>+

(Skepti's voice is a low growl)+<>+Announcement received and discounted, Mr. Falan, dire times require dire deeds. I'll meet you in the pre-decided location.+<>+ ::Perhaps I'm too hard on the boy.:: His ungloved left hand moves up to scratch idly on the scruff gathered about his pockmarked eye. ::Either way, this mystery is solved... Now, how to pass on the evidence without subverting my own position?:: He stands with a grimace, ::Regardless, it's time to meet Mr. Falan. Perhaps, an idea will come on the way. The Captain's meeting isn't far off:: Skepti proceeds to dismantle the various jamming devices and dismantles them into innocuous pieces of decor and moves off to rendezvous with Mr. Falan.

Between the two conversations, Jayngo found getting to the boardwalk and ten forward had taken no time at all. Upon entering the lounge, he was taken back by the significant changes this particular hologram had taken with his programming. As opposed to the EMH's he had encountered at Starfleet Academy, who were very businesslike and to the point, this one was whistling a little song while cleaning a glass. When he noticed the hulking CMO, however, he stopped and crisply asked "What is the nature of the libation desires." The smile crossing his lips showed that he found humor in his own joke.

"Why don't you give me a Vantara Tea, 48 degrees Celsius, with three ounces of Atlarian honey."

"Ahh, the culprit finally steps forward," was the hologram's response.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The other day, I had several requests of this drink, which I researched afterward and found it to be an Atlarian delicacy. As none of them were Atlarian's, and you are, it is only safe to assume that you were the one that introduced it to them. Therefore, you must be Doctor Jayngo."

"Very good." Jayngo brought the PADD he had carried along with him up to the bar and called up a section of the file as the LBH set the drink before him. "As long as you are in a deductive mode, I was wondering if you would be willing to answer a few questions for me."

"Certainly, Doctor."

"I understand that you were the last one to see Vedek Tow alive this morning."

The LBH looked slightly surprised at the bluntness of the question. "That is what I have been told, yes, though I don't have any memory of his departure. We were discussing various beliefs of the afterlife and debating such for the holographic race. The next thing I knew, an engineer was reactivating my program, informing me of a power blackout."

"Was there anything amiss that you recall? Did the argument get heated in any way? Was there anyone else present?"

"Are you a doctor, or a security officer, sir?"

"We all seem to wear multiple hats aboard this starship. You yourself are programmed for medical, we have an engineer who doubles as a doctor, a first officer who is an engineer. Why can't I also pull double-duty?"

"Well, as you so quickly pointed out, I was primarily a medical program, and are therefore sworn to do no harm. It is an intricate part of my programming."

Jayngo stopped, realizing that things were not going the direction he had desired. "I'm sorry. It was not my intention to accuse you of anything. I'm simply trying to figure out what happened to a good man."

"This is something we can both agree upon."

Jayngo held the PADD up so the hologram could see it. "When you saw the Vedek, did he look different from this picture in any way?"

"As a matter of fact, he did. When he first entered ten-forward, he looked exactly like that. After several minutes of privacy with the Cardassian Ambassador, however, she left and he joined me at the bar, and looked several years younger. I thought I had scanned his entrance in error, and didn't give it much thought from then on."

"While he and the Ambassador were speaking, did either of them place an order from the replicator?"

"Yes, Ambassador Atylori did."

Jayngo shook his head. "Thank you. In case of a medical emergency, my I assume it would be fine to summon you down to sickbay to lend a hand?"

"It is no longer my primary function, but yes. I'd be happy to help out in extreme cases."

Jayngo finished his drink and paid his complements to the bartender, then excused himself to the replicator. Calling up the logs, he asked the replicator to reproduce the order placed the night before, sealed for removal from ten-forward. When the computer complied, he set out for the Captain's office for the meeting.

Prologue	Part 1	Part 2	Part 3	Part 4	Part 5	Part 6
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