| abstract | - Karina sat with Jennifer on her knee sleeping. She was awoken by a smahing sound, she placed Jennifer on the couch and went to find the source of the noise. She walked into her kitchen area when she was hit over the head with a hard object. She was unconscious. Returning from his shift a few hour later Andre went into the kitchen for a drink, he saw blood on the floor and as he turned the corner saw Karina on the floor her head and face covered in blood. In sickbay Andre watched his wife being treated by the doctors. "Andre." Bertus started "She's had a brain hemorrhage, shes braindead." Andre for the first time let his emotions run, he started to sob into Karinas limp chest. "There is treatment to cure it but it is a 5 hour procedure." "Anyhting, just keep her alive." "Andre, the operation is life threathening, in a way she is already dead. When she wakes up, unless the operation is perfect, she will not be the person you married." "I don't care cure her." "Okay, Ensign prepare theater." Bertus ordered an officer. "If she dies we have a murder inquiry on our hands. Someone is onboard who shouldn't be!" Bertus added. Andres face turned from sadness to anger. "I'll kill him!" Emily was standing against the sickbay wall talking to Bertus and Andre "I think I'm ok to command the ship..." Rantonia was saying "but your too personally involved to be placed in charge of the inquiry" Emily said "yep so one of you two will have to take charge of the inquiry" "well i'm needed here for at least another 5 hours" Bertus said "right so that leaves you Emily make sure you catch the person that did this" "I'm no detective captain" Emily said "and I'm not a rule holder" "ok then i'll do the job but i'll need help from Bertus and from monroe" "fine" "but remember to use different quarters as yours are the scene of a crime also I want to stick a marine on you as a guardian angel" Rantonia nodded and walked away and Emily looked at Bertus "I want a full analysis of the wound and possible cause as soon as possible" "ok" Emily found Sargent Major O'Reilly in the marine area and had everyone assembled "privates Reui and Sardin will be on guard duty outside sickbay, privates Oben,Koil and leity will be guarding the quarters where the attack took place, private moore will be inside those quarters gathering as much infomation as possible about the attack. Private Cunningham and Private Pai'lak will be using the holodeck to create a possible reconstruction of the attack. Everyone else is on door to door enquirys except O'Reilly who I want a word with." Emily finished and no one moved "well get to it then" she said they got to it and Emily turned to O'Reilly "I want you to shadow the captain and at the first sign of trouble you are to intervene" she said "you think Karina wasn't the target?" "I don't know dismissed" Andre stood outside the theatre waiting for news on Karina. She had been in for 1 hour now. A cough behind him caught his attention. He turned around. "Admiral Watts" Andre said. "Captain." the man replied. "I have just arrived from starbase 1. I was told that there was an inquiry onboard." he said. Andre replied. "Yes, my wife was assaulted in her quarters". "Well, we'll have this sorted out soon enough, if you need me i'll be in the conference room." the Admiral said and left. While Watts was walking through the ship he saw that Marines patrolled every section and when he tried to get onto the bridge one marine had the nerve to order his ID. Eventually he got through and when he got to the conference room there were a few Marines and officers. The officer at the tead of the table had her head buried in a padd. "Excuse me" he said. The officer looked up. "Can I help you sir?" she asked. "Yes, i'm here to lead the investigation into the assault" The officer stood up. "Admiral, i am Lt.Col. Sullivan" "Yes you will be my second in command for the time being." Watts replied. "First things first we need to investigate the scene of the crime." Emily and Watts arrived at the scene of the crime the quarters were a mess when you looked from the outside she signalled at private Reui who was guarding the door and they walked through it Emily found private Moore who she had assigned to analyse the quarters for blood samples, fingerprints etc and she crouched down and looked at him with Watts listening in the background "well whats the probable cause?" Emily asked "She was hit over the head with a heavy object" Moore replied "any sign of a struggle when you looked at the medical notes?" "no she must have been hit from behind and then blacked out almost immediately" "movement?" "nothing yet but I'm working on it" Emily stepped back outside with Watts "well its clear that it was attempted murder the attacker got his target" Watts said "I don't think so" "come on its so obvious now if you'll excuse me I think I'll go and unpack in my temporary quarters" Emily looked at Sardin who had just walked up to relieve Reui of guard duty then she turned her attention back to Reui "I don't think Karina was the target I think the admiral knows that as well so why hasn't he said it?" Emily said "I don't know" "well whatever the reason it means that we have a problem Reui download all the statements we have to my laptop which is the marine area then tell the marines to patrol with full equipment at hand" "Ok" Emily walked into the marine area a few minutes later the place was practically empty except for the occasional voice from the holodeck where privates Cunningham and Pai'lak were creating the possible reconstruction she slipped off her outer layer so that only her green shirt showed then pulled her so called battle uniform out of her locker it was black and had a red flame on the front and sleeves it was made of very tough fibres which could take a lot of punishment before they gave way she strapped her belt on and slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder as every other marine had she was taking no chances not with a possible murderer on board. she went into her office and was pleased to find all the statements there on her computer then she knew what she had to do but did she have the authority to do it the thing that was needed was to contain the murderer on the ship and flush him out on the ship "computer seal all exits off the ship and place forcfields around each one forcefields are only to be removed with the voice ID of Lt col Emily sullivan" she said "forcefields in place exits sealed" the computer said Emily walked out and was soon face to face with Watts "What did you mean when you said that commander Rantonia wasn't the target?" he asked " consider this if the attacker has knocked her out so she can't defend herself then why hasn't he or she finished her off and then why spare the children?" "I don't know what are you suggesting?" "that Karina was in the wrong place at the wrong time" "so who was the target?" "isn't it obvious? most likely it was Captain Rantonia" Emily stood in the holodeck watching the reconstruction it seemed simple Karina had walked into the kitchen and had been hit over the head well that was all obvious as everything said was accounted for she looked at Watts "well we have the what,where and how" He said "but we're still missing the why and most importantly the who" "I know we'ed better get on it" "I will but first I want to see how commander Rantonia is doing in the operation" "ok" Emily walked to sickbay where she found Rantonia waiting outside the theatre she looked at him and she could see his eyes were full of tears "don't worry she'll be fine" Emily said "Will she?" he replied Emily decided on a different tactic to try and cheer rantonia up "You remember her first few days on board the firebreather?" she asked "always the carer" "yeah remember when she picked ensign Roban up during that battle with the romulans?" "yep that was her first bridge shift" "yeah I know" "then a couple of months later she asked me out" "how could we forget those aguments between you and Bertus in the ready room about the prime directive" " a captain of a starship is not obliged to marry a member of his crew" Rantonia said in a moronic voice which Emily laughed at "yeah then she asked you to marry her" Emily said "not exactly the way I wanted to seal my future" "well the mans always supposed to do the proposing" "I know" "then the hectic wedding arrangements" "I didn't need the guard of honor in that shuttlebay or the just married sign painted on the back of a shuttle" "well it was me,Arka, Peruva and Fitzar who did that. "yeah I found out soon after" "then we had that Izenian mission there were points when I thought I was going to loose her during that" "thats not mentioning what could have happened if the marines hadn't checked the pitfalls during the mission after that" "thats thanks to you" "then having the children" "yes thats why she can't die I need her they need her" he was crying freely now "She needs you as well remember when all that titanium came crashing down on top of you on starbase 464?" "yeah" "well I made the decision to leave you everyone but Karina made the same choice she attacked me and gave me a stunning cut on my forehead for the next few days I can tell you" "thanks" he was still crying Having been a drone Emily had never quite expiereinced human emotion nor had she understood it but now she had to comfort the captain. "Listen Karinas a fighter she'll hold out through this and hopefully it will bring you closer together" "what do you mean?" "Captain shes half klingon and klingons value honor very highly I should know I have a klingon in the flame marines but it is dishonourable for a klingon to die from such a cowardly blow she knows this and won't give in to it easily" "how do you know" "For the same reason as most shes a friend and more importantly she seems like family to me all of the crew does" "So?" "I cannot believe that Karina is going to die and I won't unless she actually does and theres no way to bring her back. you should believe the same sir" Andre was sat down as Bertus exited theatre. "She will be unconscious for a while, and we can't tell if she will surive the General Anaesthetic yet." Andre smiled weakly and sat down again. In the Rantonias quarters Watts and Sullivan were examining the scene. Bertus' niece was looking after Jennifer and Maria who didn't know what was going on. "She was hit over the head with the butt of a phaser rifle it appears." Sullivan observed. "Yes and the assailent dropped it and ran." Watts replied. "Well the rifle isn't showing any fingerprints!" Emily excalaimed. "I'll send it to Starbase 1 to be fully tested. In the mean time i'll start looking for DNA traces, anything like a hair, Colonel, you go to the sickbay and interview the Captain." Watts ordered. "Admiral, i hardly think that Rantonia is in a fit state to..." she was interrupted. "Thats an order Sullivan!" Emily walked into sickbay and Andre was staring at his feet. "Captain. I have been ordered to ask you some questions, do you feel ready to?" she asked. "Yes" he said after a pause. Emily looked across at Rantonia "Captain do you know anyone who had a grudge against you?" she asked "erm.. no one I don't think anyone hated me or my wife" "any idea why someone would attack your wife?" "I don't know maybe she was secretly in love or something like that" "did it ever occur to you that Karina could just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time?" "no maybe she was maybe they were after me" "well they most likely are" "what" "could it have been a revenge attack?" "for what she hasn't done anything to warrant revenge attacks" "supposing she was in love with someone else who do you think that would be?" "she had a previous husband, but he's....dead! No, he died on the original Firebreather..It can't have been him" "Kuvar" "yes" "theres got to be something you know something that could clinch this case" "yes but I don't know what it is" "wheres a counsellor when you need one" "I don't know" "Captain there are other members of your family whose lives are at stake here so please tell me what it is that you think you know" "Kuvar Ju'To was a starfleet officer, as you know he invaded mine and Karinas wedding" "yes so?" "Hes dead it couldn't have been him" "are you sure hes dead?" " i don't know...yes...no...i don't know!" "Is there any way Kuvar could have found out where the Firebreather A was if he survived?" "only by starfleet records" "would he have had access to starbase 1?" " probably" "you mentioned he was a starfleet officer what department did he work in?" "engineering" Light suddenly dawned on Emily she had a possible sceanario she looked at Rantonia "I think I have it" "well what is it?" " if it is Kuvar then it is.Kuvar worked in engineering so he would have access to the basics of weapons and he would have access to all the tools required to make a portable phased cloak which explains how he managed to slip onto the firebreather undetected at starbase 1. the phase cloak would mean that people on the ship would move through him as if he wasn't there however it needs recharging so he has to find somewhere on the ship to recharge it somewhere where he cannot be discovered. The phased cloak also explains how he was able to gain access to the armoury as he could move through the wall and get the phaser rifle from there then he is able to use the same trick to conceal himself in your quarters then he accidentally smashes something as we found a smashed glass several feet away from where Karina fell and it was clean. the smash makes him panic so he hits the person who enters without checking to see whether or not its you. When he realises its not you but Karina his ex-wife he runs away in anguish and luckily doesn't wait around for you or harm the kids" Emilys combadge went off "Emily its O'Reilly" "what is it?" "theres been another attack" "who?" Emily listened and then she and Rantonia walked to the captains temporary quarters. Emily unslung her sniper rifle as they entered and they found Sarah on the floor unconscious. Emily looked to the captain "well he got the babysitter" "where are the kids?" Rantonia asked "there're back here sir" Sargent O'Reilly said as he appeared around the corner Private moore was attending to Sarah pending Bertus's arrival he looked at Sarahs neck "low level phaser blast burns" he said Bertus walked out of the turbolift with his medkit in his hand. All he knew was that there had been another attack but he didn't know who had been hit. He walked around the corner and entered the room. "Okay, who's the patient?" He asked. "Bertus, it's Sarah." Emily said walking to him. "She got low level phaser burns in her neck." "What? Sarah? Let me through." He ran to her and opend the medkit. "Okay. let me see how severe it it." He got out his med trycorder. After scanning for a few seconds he looked at the readings. "Okay. This wil heal without treatement but I am going to treat it. Emily, hand me the dormital regenerator. She handed him the DG. "Will she come around by herself?" "Yes. But it could take a few hours. I'll beam her to sickbay right away. I'll be there for a few more hours so i'll be able to keep an eye on her." He stood up. "Hansman to transporterroom 1. Beam Sarah and me to sickbay. Energize" Emily was in sickbay with Bertus looking at Sarah who had just started to wake up she was clearly in shock Emily was talking with Bertus who was still having a look at what remined of the burns "Shot in the front and in good light chances are that she saw her attacker" Emily said "most likely probably the same person as attacked Karina?" Bertus asked as he looked across to where Karina lay. "I think so nothing to say ethier way at this time" Further conversation was stopped as Watts burst in "I need a description of the attacker!" he roared "admiral you can't just come baging in here making demands about a patient whos only ju..." Bertus started but Watts had barged past him and was now no more than 5 paces from where Sarah was Emily stepped between them her hand going for her phaser "Admiral Sarah is till recovering and will be able to give you that description in a couple of days" she said "I need it now" "why you can afford to wait" "more people are at risk" "scared that your suspect?" "how dare you say that" "you are though your movements are unaccounted for during the time frame in which Sarah was attacked and as far as I'm concerned your only on this ship to head an inquiry your not here to decide when a patient is ready to submit evidence so get on with your job" Emily shouted Andre came over to them "His whereabouts are accounted for Sullivan, he was talking to me." Andre felt the strength in him as his powerful voice retuerned. He was no longer slouching his shoulders were broad and he stood tall. "Captain I..." she replied. "No" he interrupted her. "Admiral, walk with me, Bertus if Karina wakes up contact me immediately." he exited with Watts following behind. "Admiral, do you have any leads to who could be attacking people?" "Not yet Andre, if we find someone you will be the first to know." "I hope we find someone quickly" "So do I" Back on the bridge new crewmember Ishkar Ru'Berk had just stepped in. "Where is the captain?" she asked immediately. "In sickbay" an Ensign replied. She set off towards sickbay. On her way there she bumped into the captain. "Captain!" the Klingon barked "Here are my details" she handed the captain a padd. "Ah Ensign! Welcome to the firebreather!" Andre replied. He looked at the padd she ahd given him, Ru'Berk spoke quickly "Erm..theres nothing there of interest captain. Oooh i'm hungry shall we get something to eat?" Ru'Berk turned around quicky but Andre was quicker. "Ensign!" he shouted. Ru'Berk turned around. She mumbled. "Yes captain?" "It says here that you..." he began, Watts interrupted. "Cheated on your entry exams!" he sounded shocked. "Oh" Andre said "I didn't see that, i was ging to say that she was commended for her actions when helping another crewmember. But now I see that I don't know if we can trust our new Counsellor" he said walking up to Ru'Berk. "Oh, you can sir!" she said quickly. "I hope so!" Andre said before his commbadge interupted him. "Sir" it was the voice of Ensign Louise Jackson, child play therapist for the nursery on the ship. "Yes?" Andre replied. "Sir, you daughter has been attacked." Andre looked shocked. But he didn't let this get in his way, he burst into the nursery bellowing. "Where are my children!" Jackson showed him Jennifer who had a badly fruised forehead and was clutching her stomach. Andre looked at Ru'Berk. "Well don't just stand there!" the new officer flicnhed at the sound of the COs voice. "Get a doctor!". Ru'Berk tapped her commbadge and asked for a doctor. A few minutes later a doctor arrived. Her diagnosis was clear. "She was hit with a blunt object in her stomach and kicked in the forehead, she is suffering from shock but she will be ok." Jennifer was crying and sucking her thumb. Andre was cradling her. "Captain" Watts said. "The ship is not a safe place for you or your family. You must leave!" "No" Andre replied. "If I did, where to?" "Starbase 1" Watts said. "No, that is my answer, we will stay!" Andre made it clear. Maria tapped his shoulder. "Daddy" she said in her innocent little voice. "Yes sweety" Andre replied. "I know him" she replied. Watts took the girl by the arm and almost dragged her out of the door. "Admiral! Give me back my daughter!" Andre bellowed. "No! She must be questioned!" he shouted back. "Then under under Order 104, Section A, you are relieved of command until I say so, go to your quarters." Andre ordered, Watts let go of the girls arm and left. Maria ran towards her father. Both girls were crying now. Andre smiled at Jackson. "A little help!?" he laughed. For the first time since returning to the Firebreather he smiled. Andre returned to sickbay and updated Bertus and Sullivan of proceedings. He tapped his commbadge and said what he should have said when the whole incident started. "Bridge go to Condition Orange!" At these words orange lights flashed and Karina stirred. Suddenly she went into a spasm. "Shes fitting!" Bertus said quickly jumping into action. "Sir, shes arrested!" a nurse said. "OK, traditional methods!" Bertus said. "CLEAR!" he shouted jumping Karinas heart back into aciton. After a major scare she was well again...for now. Karina opened her eyes and looked at her husband. "A...Andre?" she stuttered. "Karina!" The captain sobbed into his wifes shoulder. "I'm resigning!" she said quickly. "What?!" Andre looked at his wife. "I have been through too much, maybe one day I will rejoin but not now, Andre, I resign as Chief Operations Officer of the USS Firebreather!" she said sternly. Andre smiled at his wife hiding the pain in his heart and hugged her, suddenly bursting throught the door came both children. "Mummy!" they screamed running towards her. "Jenny! Maria!" Karina hugged her children. "Don't leave Karina! Please!" Andre said. "Who said anything about leaving?!" she said shcoked. "I'm resigning but i'm not leaving you onyour own. I love you!" she said reassuring the captain. "Good" Andre said kissing her forehead. Now he had to tell ehr what had happened. "Karina you were attacked by someone, we don't know who, he has attacked two other people since then, one of them was Maria." Karina looked at her daughters bruised face. "Who would do that to my daughter!" she cried. "We don't know!" Andre said. "But if we get a word out of that girl!" A voice came from the door. "Admiral, you have been relieved!!!" Andre shouted. "I need to question her!" "You do not! I will ask her and record the conversation. Understand? Good now return to your quarters!" Emily stood against the wall of sickbay and had watched as Karina came round she couldn't believe what had happened to Maria she was still wondering who could have done this when Bertus came up to her "Sarahs got something to say to the admiral" he said "the admiral has been relieved of duty until the captain says otherwise so i'll have to hear it" Emily followed Bertus to where Sarah lay in her biobed this was on the oherside of sickbay to where Karina and Maria were "well sarah what did you want to say?" Emily asked "the attacker... tall... not human dark hair... an odd forehead" Sarah stammered "thank you" Emily was sure she knew who it was now Sarahs description had helped a lot as she now had enough evidence for an arrest thats if it was who she thought it was. She arrived in the marine area where she and O'Reilly looked where all the empty quarters were on the ship then calculating the time it would be before a phased cloak would disrupt they narrowed it down to threee possibilities then grabbing their equipment they went to check each one. the first one was a dead end as they walked in and found ensign Ru'Berk unpacking her things Emily apologised and they went to the second one where they found nothing of interest but then they arrived at the third set of quarters which looked like Kristovs old quarters "locked" O'Reilly said after he had tried the manula release which had been broken to not allow them entry "right stand back" Emily said O'Reilly smiled he knew what was coming Emily unslung her phaser rifle and fired it at the door easily blasting a way through then in the corner they saw someone they couldn't make out who but they went for weapons O'Reilly his sniper rifle and Emily went for her hand phaser. O'Reilly stayed in the doorway as Emily neared who it was she was almost there when he turned around revealing himself to be Kuvar Ju'tu. Kuvar just smiled and activated his phased cloak he must have ran straight through the wall Emily and O'Reilly ran out of the quarters "One EMP grenade each in different directions" Emily said they chucked one EMP grenade each both ways down the deck now had an EMP there it worked though Kuvar tempoairily lost his phased cloak O'Reilly saw him and raised his sniper rifle and taking careful aim shot the cloaking band Kuvar ran Emily shot stun blasts none of which hit but at least now she was certain as to who had conducted the attacks Andre watched as Kuavar ran, Sullivan chased him, Andre went with her. Running down a corridor full of officers wondering why there CO was being a madman Andre tripped and fell forwards, as he fell he grabbed Kuvars trouser leg and ripped it, it came off in his hand! Emily continued the chase but was stopped as she heard shouting behind her. "I KNEW IT!" shouted someone manically. Watts arrived on the scene. "Sir...I.." Sullivan began.# "It is the morning Lieutenant."he repleid. The chase continued until they reached the docking bay and Kuvar stood with his phaser to an officers neck. "Lieutenant Ju'To, put the phaser down!" Rantonia commanded. "Kuvar please!" came a soft voice from behind, everyone turned around to see Karina in a wheelchair. Kuvars face turned to fear from anger. "Karina...don't" he said. "Kuvar, put it down and do as my husband tells you too." she said. Kuvars face turned back to anger as he threw the officer across the room, falling in a heap on the floor. He turned the phaser on Karina...and fired. Andre saw this and ran towards his wife he pushed her over and his leg took full force of the blast. He screamed in Agony. Watts made his move, he grabbed a phaser rifle and started shooting, Kuvar ran for the nearest shuttle and got moving. Watts houted. "Wherever you go Kuvar, you will answer to Admiral James Watts! I will hunt you down! That I swear!" he bellowed. He ran to another shuttle and also got moving and both of them were away chasing each other.
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