Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in Anger and Accountability…Finding the spies…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present.

Posted by Lieutenant River Styxx (OIC Marine) in Anger and Accountability…Finding the spies…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present.

Posted by Captain Kelly Bordeaux (Commanding Officer) in Anger and Accountability…Finding the spies…When the past doesn’t match the future or the present.
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
“Um Styxx,” O’Neill looked at the Marine Lt and adjusted his hat. “You know I am all about religion,” he said in his slightly southern twang. The humor of his statement was not lost on anyone that could hear his comment. O’Neill only showed up for the holy trinity because Mrs. O’Neill had stated his presence was expected each week. Normally his presence included a few snores and jabs in the ribs during the hour service but like all husbands and fathers, he endured it. “But we got at least a team of three loose on this ship that started this whole rigmarole. We have two down on the bridge that you took out and the one in medical Peter escorted out. The standard procedure says that the team should be six so where are the other three?”

River looked at O’Neil and smirked “Way ahead of you” she said as she hit her combadge.

=^= Styxx to Qrow. Any luck finding those spies =^= she said into her com. River had figured the team working against them was a large one. As soon as she has been beamed out to face Da Mu she had ordered Qrow to start looking for primrose and the spies. She had made sure however that he cheeked on her wounded first. Qrow like River had no love for spies. Which some had thought odd as his late wife was a star fleet intelligence officer.

Adjusting his hat he turned his head slightly as if not wanting Jessa to overhear the conversation. “My guess is two are in security and one in engineering. Someone just beamed two people off the ship before Nash was able to shut down the transporters. Care to help me out in finding where these people are and then accidentally blow them out of the airlock?”

“I don’t intend to let them live long enough to get near an airlock” River said darkly

Jessa stared at Styxx with daggers in her eyes. “So was the offer to help me with the funeral just an empty platitude to get me to do what you wanted?”

Jessa Novar

River glanced at Jessa “Listen. take it form a master sass only gets you so far” she said simply “I will still help you with the funeral, but I must secure this ship first and deal with those who have plotted against us.” she said sternly pausing for a moment.

“At the risk of someone’s immortal soul. We are talking about an Elder here,” Jessa snapped. “I will not..”

However before Jessa could reply River raised her hand to shush her “Before you kick off again. Let me explain, these people will not honour your dead, they will have no moral problem with attacking the funeral and desecrating your elder body to further their own goals. I’ve seen their type do it before. I stopped them then and I intend to stop them again.” She said sternly but it was clear River was talking form the truth of experience.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

Jessa nodded feeling a welling up of emotions in her. She had no idea what she was going to do or how to do it.

“Sir,” a Marine officer came up to Styxx interrupting them. “We think we might have found the control room. Diplomatic suite 118. We have taken up a position in the hall and are waiting for your commands. Hold teams until you get their or take the room?”

Jessa

River looked at her officer and her jaw clenched, it was an attempt to hide the smirk threatening to form on her face Pay back she thought to herself the spies and bleed her sand her men now she was going to pay them the extend them the same treatment. She looked down at Jessa and then back to her officer “O’Neill your with me. Jessa stay with my colleague and then come down once we have secured the room” she said she wanted Jessa to see who her true enemy were, while it wasn’t 100% accurate. she figured she might as well enforce the old saying and the enemy of my enemy is a friend.

After she had given her orders River headed down to the diplomatic suite. Her marines where stacked along each side of the corridor ready to make entry. River brought her rifle to ready and moved to the front of the line of marines. Using hand signals she laid out her plan and how they where going to breach the door. Like the highly trained unit they where River’s Marine’s acted out her orders grabbing the emergency release handle and getting ready to open the door. She looked at her men and each one nodded. Once they had all acknowledged her she nodded and singled to begin entry.

Within seconds the door was open and one marine threw in a flash bang. Then twee marines moved in through the door with River close behind “Star fleet Marine corps” she yelled as she entered the room. Now that she had identified who they where she could Do what she needed to.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

Entering the room, they would see little to initially indicate the room was anything other than a diplomatic suite. The furniture was slightly upgraded from that of the crew quarters and there were the niceties of art and vases placed precisely by decorators to create a welcoming feel like that of a luxury hotel. Sweeping the room, however, it was readily apparent there was a struggle of some sort. Two bodies were lying on the ground and neither was moving.

River noted the state of the room and stood her marines down, she was not expecting to find the job already done, but that was good in a way one less chance for her marines to get battered again. They had been through enough already and while she was not a religious person it was hard for river not to think that fate had it in for her men and her. “You two secure the corridor. No one comes in or out unless you have my express orders” she ordered.

The two marines she indicated both human nodded and acted.

The first body was that of an Andorian wearing an Atlantis uniform. He was face down with his hands splayed out showing he had been taken by surprise and had not even tried to brace his fall. There was no blood so it was unclear without a cursory examination to determine if he was dead or unconscious. What was most interesting to note was the rank of Commander on his collar. Only two men had this rank on the ship. One was Rinker whose uniform was not gold. The other was the XO.

River crouched down next to the first body, she grabbed their should and flipped then over, as a corpsman checked them over. River took a good look at the person face, Jessa had mention the XO before but River hoped that she would see any other face instead of his. Not only had River delt with a traitorous XO before and didn’t want to do so again. He had been a marine and to think a Marine, even a former one, could willing do so much danger to his brothers and sisters made her blood boil.

The only resemblance to the XO was the fact that the man now face up was Andorian. Walking over O’Neill adjusted his cap and fixed a frown to his face. “Okay that is not the XO,” he stated in his typical dry sarcasm.

“I can also tell you that Jessa has had zero contact with anyone other than the ones that came into sick bay.” As soon as the words left his mouth O’Neill grimaced slightly. “Aside from the clandestine group that somehow made contact with Jessa while she was in Sick bay under my watch.” There was no point in denying what had to have happened. The more important things however was why and how it happened.
“Anyway, what I can tell you is that if Jessa said it was the XO then our friend here told her he was the XO.”

“So we can add impersonating an officer to the growing list of charges.” she said pasui9ng for a moment “So if he’s not the XO then who the hell is he?” She asked none in particular.

The other body was the puffed and bloated form of Captain Niles Primrose. He was also on the ground but next to a broken chair. The angle of the overturned chair and the fact Primrose’s foot was entangled in it showed the man had probably been fleeing before his fall. It was unclear without examination if Primrose was dead or unconscious.

Once the first person had ben checked River walked over to primrose and smirked “Lucky git, whoever it was that got to knock his lights out.” she said amusement in her voice as her corpsman checked him as well.

“O’Neil, check and secure these two over there. Snap cuffs only” River barked pointing to the furthest corner in the room. It was the easiest to cover and more importantly had no avenues of escape “Get three marines to help you drag them over there

“With pleasure,” O’Neill called out as he snapped cuffs to Primrose’s hands.

On the small desk off to the side, a portable computer was running. The screen was black but one of Styxx’s Marines might have been able to at least open it and start trying to see what information they could glean from it.

“Tech take a look at the computer see what you can find” She said as a young marine stepped over to the computer. At first glance Tech seemed like a normal human but it only took a moment and a good look at him to see the remnants of implants and the greyish hue of his skin. Tech had been assimilated as a child and never knew his really name. once he had been liberated he chose a new one. River liked the kid, he was quick loyal and dam good with computers. River had always made sure that no one treated him worse just because of his past. A fate she wished she had been able to avoid herself.

What would be most curious however was the lack of evidence of someone coming into or leaving the room. The angle at which the people in the room were lying indicated the person that attacked them did not come from the front entrance. Since there were no other entrances for the room it was a perplexing mystery.

Primrose

River surveyed the room and tried to peace together what had happened. it was clear that whoever did this was skilled, experienced and very well trained.

“No other entrances. No signs of their attacker. How does someone come in do this and vanish?” NP Wraith asked her voice cold but seductive . Wraith was a female Orion she had been raised by humans after being found floating in an escape pod as a baby. Wraith was cold, efficient and merciless when the situation called for it.

“By coming though the front door. There are only a hand full of officers onboard who could pull this off. Mardusk, myself, our XO and maybe the captain. But we where all otherwise occupied.” River said as she paced the room taking in what clues she could and trying to figure out what had happened

“The Captain, you sure about that?” Wraith asked

River smirked “It doesn’t matter she’s in sickbay.”

“Well it is not like sick bay hasn’t been a revolving door,” O’Neill called out. He, like Styxx had zero doubt Kelly had anything to do with this but the more O’Neill thought about it there were a lot of people in and out of sick bay.

” Which leaves two options, one the cell turned on each other which is possible but unlikely or Two someone on board did this” she said simply

“Who?” Wraith asked.

River thought for a bit longer then smiled “Our Chief Intelligence officer, that’s who.” Wrath looked sceptical so River continued “Being an intelligence officer he would know how cells like this operate and he would probably have experience destroying said cells, however that’s speculation as even my Romulan contacts can’t find much on him. He has the eyes of a warrior and he knows far more about espionage then any of us will ever know.” She said pausing for a second to take a look at the walls to see any signs of scoring from phaser weapons.

“He could out talk, out jargon and out manoeuvre this lot. Added to the fact that this was quick, clean and efficient and we haven’t heard from him makes me think he’s either part of this and got rid of them because they had failed or he’s playing an angle to learn more about what’s going on and how far the conspiracy goes. But of course I’m just speculating. Hopefully we’ll have some real evidence soon.” she said turning to Tech

“Anything on that Computer.” she called over to him. Tech was analytical and very computer like, she knew that any answers he did find would be given in a very direct and efficient manner but it would just be the important stuff.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

“Logs are reporting only one person beamed in and the bio signs do not match the CIO chief but it explains how they made contact with Jessa. It also means they must have someone in engineering or transporting,” the Tech responded. “I am so finding reference to a prior contact before the aliens showed up on the Atlantis but that makes no sense. If they knew what we were walking into why didn’t they tell us?” As the TECH began to download the files the computer suddenly locked up. “Crap crap” the TECH called out pulling the data chip from the computer as it started to smolder. The thick scent of melted wiring and fried computer parts filled the space. Holding up the data chip, the TECH frowned. “I am not sure what we got before the fail safe engaged but we got something.”

“Because to Section 31 we are expendable. Our lives mean nothing in their grand scheme of things.” River said anger in her voice. She hated Section 31 with a passion and made no attempt to hide it. While many didn’t understand or refused to ask about it, no one really knew the true breath of River’s experiences with the organisation.

Regaining her composer, or what was left of it. River looked to tech “Keep that chip on you, share it with no one unless I tell you to.” she snapped.

“What chip boss,” the marine said with a smirk pocketing the chip instead of placing it with the rest of the items they were inventoring.

“What what…what is going on here,” Primrose began to bluster finally waking up. “I demand to know why you were not here to protect me from these terrorists.” Seeing the state of the room and knowing what happened, the only role Primrose had was to blame those around him for his failure.

“I demand to go to sick bay. I am injured and need medical treatment,” he said.

Primrose.

River rolled her eyes as soon as she heard Primrose but then a nasty look swept across her face. Walking over she beckoned for her marines to form up around her, They would of course follow her orders and face the pair with weapons raised “If I get my way the only place you’re going is the brig” River snapped as she crouched down in front of primrose, if he was to look at her he would see that her eyes where cold and dark, a dark half smile on her face.

“Are you daft,” Primrose bellowed at her? “I was hurt. I was attacked. I could have died and would have if I did not fight off the agents trying to take me out to gain control of the ship.” The plan had gone terribly wrong. Instead of sitting on the bridge in the command seat, he was now cuffed on the floor of his room.

River rolled her eyes, she was clearly not buying it at all “And yet there was no weapon near you, no defensive wounds consistent with being in a fight and the only other person here is him” she said gesturing to the Andorian “And from where he was lying it’s clear he had his back to you. Which means if you had done any fighting you shot him the back. But then I ask myself why would an alleged attacker have his back to you.” she said simply her tone unimpressed.

“Besides thanks to you and your fellow traitorous terrorists, sick bay is full. A lot of people have suffered thanks to you and I assure you that you will pay for it” she said her tone cold.

“Of course how much you pay for it will entirely depend on what you chose to do next. I’ll spell it out for you, there are about a thousand people on this ship that want to hurt you and they are between you and wherever I stick you.” River said but before she could continue one of Wraith spoke up.

“I vote the airlock” she said her tone emotionless.

“Or inside the warp core” another marine chipped in. Soon the marines where adding more and more suggestion each one deeply unpleasant. However they all stopped once River raised her hand.

“While they are all good suggestions. We must exercise Mercy” River said mockingly it was clear the power was entirely in her hands “That mercy is that I’m the one at the moment, standing between you and all those horrible ideas. So if you do as I demand, I will do my best to keep you in one piece long enough for you to stand trial.” she added her tone still cold and emotionless “So what do you say?” she asked.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

“Me stand trial,” Primrose laughed. “I am a Captain. My orders come from others much higher up. You can stand with me or against me. Make your choice.”

Primrose

River laughed coldly “You mean Perkins. I wouldn’t bet on that one. Perkins knows that he has to keep me in his good books, because I can sink him and his career. If he tries to help you, you both come crashing down and we both know, Perkins is far to self centred to risk his own skin for someone else.” she said coldly.

“This is not just about Admiral Perkins,” Primrose shot back coldly with an equally icy stare. “And use the rank he deserves. Admiral Perkins is one of the last true patriots of the Federation. He and those that stand with him at Starfleet command will be the ones that go down in history as the savoirs of the Federation while your imaginary benefactor Admiral McLaren and his like will be forgotten from history for their lack of foresight. You still have time to stand on the side that is loyal to the Federation.”

“I am on the side of true loyalty, it is you who is not. You are on the side that seeks only to further their own power and influence. You hide your selfish goals behind a façade of loyalty.” River snarled “And how dare you trash talk Admiral McLaren, the man who came to the aid of million, the man who helped me save so many. A man who made sure I got a fair trial and fought people like you every step of the way so I would be judged fairly.” she paused for a moment so she could control her rage. “He deserve his admiralty far more then Perkins and he, unlike Perkins he earned it through his deeds and actions. Not kissing the A$$ of the higher ups” she added.

“As for your rank, you are a star fleet captain. Not a Star fleet marine corps Captain. And seeing as Marines have been directly affected by this and star fleet sand the star fleet marine corps are two completely different organizations. The star fleet marine corps has every right to pursue you and your fellow co-conspirators for your crimes against marines.” River said as she paused for a moment to let it sink in that Primrose was backed into a corner.

“And before you bluster about being star fleet and untouchable or what every prattle you can come up with. Let me counter with this if star fleet can put a marine on public trial for doing her duty. Then the Marine corps can do the same to you and believe me our courts are far harsher then star fleets.” she said not backing down. It didn’t take a genius to figure out River was referring to her own personal experience “So I offer you my terms again. You can stand with me or against me, your choice” she added using Primrose’s own statement against him.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

Primrose stared at Styxx with pursed lips. They were drawn so tightly all the color had drained from them making his mouth appear to be a straight slit across his face. “You think this is about standing with you and your irksome Captain or against you?” Primrose let out a laugh. “This is about the very survival of the Federation. You think your Marines have taken a hit now wait.” His voice held an ominous warning. “We are still reeling from the Dominion War losses and our preliminary estimates show it will be on a Borg-level invasion of blood and death.” Primrose paused and stared at Styxx hard. There was no denying he hated the Marine lieutenant staring back at him. Classically love and hate were the two things that could cement people together for a common cause no matter what their backgrounds. Since there was no love loss between Primrose and anyone on the Atlantis, he would settle for hate as a bonding factor.

Primrose

“Then you have shown your incompetence, you have made several tactical mistakes already and if you continue to do so then you’ve already lost. By striving to remove my captain, you are striving to remove a captain who has experience. In times of wart finding experienced captain is almost impossible as your causalities mount. Secondly you tried to take over this ship with out analysing it fully and underestimating all of us on board. To defeat your enemy you must know them.” she said her tone calmer but it was clear her hatred was bubbling close to the surface.

“Thirdly you are succeeding in alienating one of your most vital assets… Me. River Styxx the Devil of Acheron, recipient of the Captain Christopher Pike medal of valour, first human recipient of the Sotarek Citation from the Romulan star empire, recipient of the star of Kahless form the Klingon high council.” She said. While River was never one to blow her own trumpet or big up her awards. She would use them now and again to make a point. The point she was trying to make was that even if Perkins, Primrose and the rest where competent they are where costing themselves more and more and making it far more likely that what ever threat they thought was coming would win. A federation divided and command structure devoid of trust and a star fleet looking over its shoulder the whole time was a far easier thing to conquer then a united front. But River knew trying to explain any of this would be pointless. Primrose and his lot where far to blinded by their arrogance and sense of entitlement.

“When it comes to fighting federation ending threats I have the freshest experience and I did it with a hell of a lot less resources ,then your lot would have. But you’ve attacked my ship, my Captain and my crew. Spoken ill of everyone i respect and now you try to threaten me with a threat you haven’t even explained. Did it every cross that pompous, arrogant, self centred mind of yours’s that if you’d explained what the hell was going on to this ship and crew, instead of treating us like expendable lab rats. We could have helped you and been far more willing to listen to you now?” River asked.

Lieut Styxx (Marine OIC)

OOC: I got carried away again Sorry. Nathan