Covert Investigation

Posted on Fri Dec 8th, 2023 @ 7:54pm by Commander Kevin Lance

Mission: CSI: Chuck Norris
Location: USS Chuck Norris
Timeline: Current

on:
{Bridge, USS Chuck Norris}

Back at the Flight Conn station, Kevin’s hand worked over the controls to review the information that had so far been collected in the murder investigation. Inwardly he was happy to have the distraction. Most of the role of Flight Control Officer involved monitoring systems while in flight, looking for anything out of the ordinary. It left plenty of time for wandering thoughts. Of late, Kevin found his thoughts running towards Lieutenant Commander Rodale especially the encounter with her in the cave on Risa and her reaction upon finding him alive on S’Tokkr Alpha Three. And more often than not, he remembered her in the bathing suit. It was enough to make him long for the more constant demands of Chief Tactical Officer.

But now he had plenty to keep him occupied. The security program provided by Admiral Desai created a clone of the ship’s systems that he could monitor and manipulate with alerting the crew in the computer core. He had wondered about the possibility of the technicians detecting an unexplained increase in the percentage of computational power in use but the security program was feeding the ship’s computer false data to appear as if usage was well within normal parameters.

He read with interest the reports that had been composed about the phaser discharge, the deactivation of the alarms, the masking of the energy signature, and the discovery of the diplomat’s aid in the shuttle bay. Lieutenant B’ners autopsy report detailing her rational behind concluding the victim was a clone was also fascinating if rather technical.

A review of the official and personal log database didn’t reveal any significant change in volume from either before or after the murder. Kevin let his hand linger over the personal logs of Commander Rodale for a moment before deciding that it would be too much of an intrusion. He would limit himself to her entries in the official duty logs.

The communication logs were similarly unenlightening. He did notice, however, that there was no record of the priority communique from Admiral Desai in the official log. No objective evidence that Kevin had been contacted.

Thinking on the energy discharge, Kevin consulted the ship’s operational logs. A ship the size of the Norris usually had thousands of discharges recorded a day. The complexity of the Defiant-class increased that count ten-fold. Almost all were expected and routine occurrences but a small percentage were anomalies that required investigation by the ship’s operations division. Most of those anomalies were identified and correct but a very small number were never resolved. Kevin made note of the unresolved anomalies since departing space dock for further analysis.

“Sir is everything okay?”

Kevin nearly jumped out of his skin as he frantically tapped the “boss key”. The display on the tactical console immediately reverted to standard configuration, concealing his investigations. The question was from Ensign Keegan, one of the Assistant Flight Control Officers. Worried that Keegan had seen the investigative panel, Kevin replied a little too quickly, “Yes. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?”

Keegan gave Kevin a look that was a mixture of concern and confusion. “You shift ended fifteen minutes ago,” Keegan said, “I am here to relieve you.”

Kevin look at the chronometer on the flight console. It did indeed show that he was a quarter of an hour into Keegan’s shift. “I was practicing with the flight controls in a simulation,” Kevin replied with a forced smile, “I guess I lost track of the time.” He grabbed his PADD and vacated the Flight Conn seat for the Ensign.

Kevin berated himself for begin so careless and unobservant. Admiral Desai has me playing a potentially dangerous game, he thought, I need to be more careful.

:off

Lieutenant Kevin Lance
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Chuck Norris