Posted Aug. 3, 2022, 1:52 p.m. by Jerome Davis
Posted by Civilian Molly Holloway (CEO - Holloway Industries) in Attack at City Center (OPEN TO ALL)
Posted by Jerome Davis in Attack at City Center (OPEN TO ALL)
Posted by Civilian Molly Holloway (CEO - Holloway Industries) in Attack at City Center (OPEN TO ALL)
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻(snip)
Molly listened attentively to the exchange between Colonel Jordan and DCI Pangolin. At the mention of the building, Holloway adjusted her wrist chronometer. The Starfleet Intelligence logo blinked twice on the small screen before disappearing unnoticed to anyone around. She inspected it for a moment before adjusting it again and crossing her arms back over her chest.
This was an assassination attempt. Molly’s heart skipped a beat as the words made their way into her ears. Cal had been right then, she just hoped that Lucas hadn’t been when he had shared with her a few months back his suspicions on who might be behind the attack in New York, and possibly this one.
Pangolin raised his wrist =^=RRU’s to the indicated building=^= He used his other hand to tap a wrist computer =^=Quarantine, clear, and comb. Secondary units escort duty, Sacred Heart. Spot protocols in effect=^= He turned to the Colonel “I have my Rapid Response Units en route to secure the building, Transporter inhibitors will be set up to stop any remaining, Starfleet should be able to track down any attempts to escape the system. When the buildings clear we’ll have CIS check it out.” The Chief Inspector checked his wrist again “This isn’t the first time someone made an assassination attempt on a big shot on Oed, the first time I’ve seen them shoot someone out of the sky though” He said matter-of-factly “Does the CDF have a criminal investigations unit?” He asked.
DCI Pangolin
“Not yet…” Jordan sighed. “… we’ve stood up a Military Police Battalion… but it’s just barely at Strength. We’ve been forced to lean on OED PD for the few investigative cases that have popped up. What do you need from us Inspector…? Hell… what do you need from CCDA at all. This wasn’t just a hit, this was on one of our own. We’re here to help when & where we can.”
Holloway made a mental list of the security measures being taken on the building as Pangolin ordered them, paying particular attention to the mention of transporter inhibitors. That was going to make her visit to the place a little more difficult, but still doable.
As the exchange continued, Molly waited, wondering if there was any helpful information that she might be able to provide.
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Once authorities had arrived, the situation was quickly addressed. Eric stepped out, letting those in actual service gear do their work as he walked to the woman who had come by to help him and Holloway. She hadn’t been inside, but she listened and tried. Having the authorities show up was the main goal.
“Hey,” he said gently to the brunette. “Thanks. I know it’s not much before authorities took over, but communication is key.” He gave her a grin. “How are you feeling? You ok? Adrenaline rush can sometimes push us when we aren’t.” Smoke and dust was smattered into the sweat that was on his face from having been in such a hot confines.
-Eric Carlisle, Owner of Secret Securities
Kristina nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. At least I think. I keep feeling like I should do something, but there’s nothing for me to do, you know?” Her eyes drifted to the scene and she sighed. Maybe she’d find something akin to some emergency preparedness courses or something around here. Anything that might not make her feel like such a liability in a crisis.
Eric wiped off his hands on smudged hands on his pants as he watched her. She seemed very uncertain of what to do or to have done.
“How did you know how to help?”
~Kristina Cosgrove
He gave a soft laugh. “I had training in starfleet. Learned a lot in the many years there. I’m retired now and the new owner of Secret Securities.” He paused as he continued watching her. She seemed lost in thought.
“You know,” he added. “If you’re uncertain about situations like that, we do provide training in my company. Secret Securities is designed to help people become more secure in what they do. We have teams that get hired out as personal bodyguards. We have training sessions for emergency situations. We also provide personalized tactical training for anyone wanting to know some form of self-defense. Maybe I can do something to help?” he offered. It wasn’t as though Eric thought she was totally helpless. If she thought she wanted to be more ready for something like that, he was more than willing to offer assistance.
-Eric Carlisle, Secret Securities
Kristina considered this for a moment and gave a half-nod. “Possibly, yes? A little self-defence wouldn’t be unwarranted, that’s for sure.” Not that she could have done anything the couple of times it mattered, but still, it would give her a sense of reassurance here on the colony as she settled back into life here.
OOC: I’m so very sorry for the delay. June has eaten me alive. I plan on moving ahead later this week
Jerome
OOC: Just bumping, keeping this alive and ensuring that Eric is not actually AWOL for the time. :P Looking forward to what else you have planned Jerome!
-TonyMoments later, the Medics arrived to quickly removed and teleport both Lucas and Calvin to the OED’s Medical Center. Within a few minutes, both were safely away… with accompanying Security Details. Col. Jordan turned to Carlisle and Holloway. “What did you two see?”
Col. Jordan
“Not much to be fair. I was headed back to my company building when that shuttlecraft came hurtling to the ground. I thought I had heard an explosion of some sort, but it seemed a distance off. Maybe it was what caused the crash? Aside from that, I saw most of what you all saw inside. Is there something specific you’re trying to understand?” inquired Eric curiously. He was simply concerned and hoping to give whatever information they needed.
-Eric Carlisle, Owner of Secret Securities
“I was right behind him. Heard the noise first, then the results,” Cosgrove said. She had little that was helpful to ad, or at least as far as she knew.
~Kristina Cosgrove
It was with relief that Molly greeted the incoming medical team, and while she stepped aside to allow them to work, her eyes were trained on the team. It didn’t take too long to transport the two men, but Molly’s insides twisted with every glimpse of their unconscious bodies.
And then they were gone. Discreetly opening her duffel bag again, Holloway wrote a short message on a PaDD and sent her to Jersey. The evidence that Lucas had shared with her a few months back about his involvement with the Syndicate was nothing but concerning and, having experienced first hand what they were capable off, Molly intended to make sure that they were in fact transported to Sacred Heart.
As Jordan’s question reached her ears, Holloway looked up from her PaDD and quickly zipped her bag back in one swift motion. Molly shook her head. “I had just landed at the Spaceport when it happened.” Her stance was that of the starship Captain she had been up until not so long ago. “The explosion was felt inside the building, but there is not much else I can tell you. I arrived at the scene after everything happened.” She paused for a moment before asking Jordan. “Do you mind if I take a look at the shuttle?”
Molly still had a hard time accepting that she was a civilian now, not a Starfleet officer, or at least that was the story Intel had written for her. However, it was her uncle’s shuttle that was currently reduced to a pile of scrap beside them, and she could think of a lot of ‘civilian reasons’ for her to backup her request.
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Jordan, intimately aware that the CEO of Holloway Heavy… technically the other ‘owner’ of the remains before them… was a decorated Starfleet Captain and had been a member of the elite Starfleet Intelligence in her own right and likely more qualified to investigate the crash than even she was. Not to mention, she was the long time partner of the Commandant of the CCDA, General Harris. “Of course, Director. If there’s any help my people can do to help, please let me know.” She paused and then added. “I would ask you not move things around without letting my people grab holos.”
“Oh of course.” Molly had no intention of doing it any differently.
With that, Jordan thanked the others for their statements… got contact information… and then got to work processing the crash site as more members of the Central Military District and OED City PD showed up.
Col. Jordan
Walking back to the shuttle, Molly placed her duffel bag on the ground next to the door she had manually opened, and crouched to take a better look at the inside.
Her insides twisted as she scanned what remained of her uncle’s shuttle. When she had first opened the door and spoken to Calvin, her mind had been in emergency mode and she hadn’t allowed herself space to feel the pain of seeing two of the most important people in her life in tremendous suffering. However, now that they had been transported to the hospital, the true dimensions of the attack finally settled into her consciousness. The destruction, the blood… Holloway shook her head blocking her mind from wondering what Calvin and Lucas had felt when the shuttle was hit.
With a deep breath, Molly tapped her seemingly common wrist chronometer. As she did so, a small holographic screen extended from it and she moved her wrist slowly around as if it was a tricorder, carefully looking at what it showed her.
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
There was little left of the inside of the shuttle Molly had come to know so well over her time on OED. The simple, elegant interior was burnt, scorched and shattered into a barely recognizable mix of wreckage and gore. Molly’s state-of-the-art SFI issued micro tricorder showed her the true extent of the damage. It detected the remains of two adult male humans, ground almost to paste in the forward compartment… the charred remains of upholstery… blood spatter with DNA markers matching Calvin & Lucas’ blood type… curiously the tell-tale remnants of C4 explosive gel and nitro-cellulose, a propellant primarily used in late 20th to early 21st century shoulder-launched rockets, and… a small, undamaged armored container under Cal’s seat. Upon closer investigation, the box was only secured with a slide lock… and the tricorder indicated platinum, gold, and carbon inside a mahogany box inside the container.
Molly’s stomach churned as the readings showed the fate of the two occupants of the front of the cabin. Just like Lucas’s chauffeur, Tommy, in New York City, these were simply two people in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time she’d likely be the one handling the family calls… Taking a deep breath, Molly made a mental note to check who had been assigned to pilot the shuttlecraft that morning.
Everything else seemed expected. The upholstery, Lucas’s and Calvin’s blood… Molly scanned the area twice when the device in her wrist detected traces of C4 explosive gel and nitro-cellulose. Lucas had been right then… the weapons were their own.
So when Admiral Francine Jackson, the Head of Starfleet Security, asked me to develop a couple late 20th, early 21st Century systems for her people to use for a specific mission in the Frontier… I said yes. Lucas’s words from a few months before came back to her mind. Anyway, the missile that took out my car was one of ours. Had it been Quantum… me and everyone around me for two city blocks would have died that day.
Had OED simply shared the same luck? The knot in Molly’s throat grew. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened to the domed city if it hadn’t.
It was then that the readings showed her a small box under Calvin’s seat. She could see traces of platinum, gold, and carbon. Molly’s brow furrowed. What had the Marine been carrying with him?
Looking back over her shoulder to Jordan and Pangolin doing their jobs, Molly made sure no one was looking in her direction. She then reached for the box and pulled it out of the shuttle. She didn’t want to tamper with the investigation, but she wanted to know what Cal had thought so important to carry with him that he had placed it in an armored case.
The inside of the container was free of any debris and inside it sat a small polished wood ring box with the Tiffany’s trademark on the top. If Molly opened the box, she would gaze down onto a ring she had only seen one other time… the ring Lucas had bought to ask her mother to marry him. Only… it had been resized. If she tried on the ring, she would find it fit her left ring finger perfectly.
Condor
Opening the container, her heart did a double take when she laid eyes on the wooden box inside it. The outside of the box gave her a very good idea of what it contained, but even then, Molly carefully lifted the wooden lid.
A small gasp escaped her lips as she found herself staring at the ring that her and Calvin had accidentally found in the box that Lucas had given her with her mother’s photographs a few years before. The same ring that she had given back to her uncle on their trip to New York. It was the ring that he had bought for her mother but that he had never had the chance to give her… and now… had her uncle given it to Calvin so that he could propose to her?
In the middle of the shuttle remains, Molly didn’t want to take the ring out of its current box and accidentally lose it in the wreckage. She would look at it better when she got home, but from what she could see, it would fit her just perfectly. It was a good thing that Holloway had been crouching or she would have had to sit down.
Marriage was never a subject she had given much thought to. Her and Calvin had been together for about five years now, and she was quite comfortable with their current arrangement. However, she knew it mattered to Cal and they had discussed it a few times. She never thought that her uncle of all people, would be in on it. She should have suspected it, though.
A small smile softened her features as she took her time to look at the ring, the world dissolving around her. Until the harsh reality of her thoughts brought her back to the present. What if they didn’t make it? Molly hadn’t allowed her mind to consider that thought… but it was dawning on her as a possibility. No. It wasn’t. They were going to make it. At least telling herself that made her mind a little steadier.
Taking a deep shaky breath Molly closed the ring box and the case around it, and tucked in her duffel bag. There was nothing more for her to do there.
Rising back to her feet, Molly walked over to Jordan. “Colonel, is there anything else you need me for?” The weight of the scene around them was now finally settling in on her features. “If there’s nothing else, I am heading out.”
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Col. Jordan was about to open her mouth to respond when a jet black, visibly armored EGV with four stars on the front plate slammed to a stop about ten feet from where the women stood. “Well son of a…” Jordan cut herself off as the door opened to EGV and the Commander of the Colonial Defence Force, General Devri Hudson stepped from the vehicle followed by the Commander of the Astro Control Service, Admiral Samantha Halloway, at her heel. The two flag officers were in what appeared to be old workout clothes but every member of the CCDA knew both women on sight, regardless of apparel. Jordan snapped to attention and saluted her Branch Chief. “Good Afternoon General Hudson. I was just…” Hudson, in a worn ball cap and sweats snapped a quick salute before cutting the Colonel off. “Not the time for pleasantries Colonel… where the frack are Harris and…” The General stopped mid thought, her eyes clearly just noticing Holloway. “Molly…” The woman looked visibly shocked to see the HHI CEO. “… what in God’s name are you doing here?! Where you onboard that thing!?” Both Hudson and Halloway looked visibly concerned.
Molly knew it had been a matter of time before the pair arrived on the scene. In fact, she was surprised that it had taken them so long. She opened her mouth to respond but Jordan was quicker.
“General…” Jordan continued. “… Director Holloway happened to be in the terminal at the time of the crash. As the owner of the craft, and as a Starfleet Captain in her own right, she was assisting in the rescue and helping my team determine if there was anything out of place onboard. She was about to leave.” Hudson pinched the bridge of her nose and took a slow breath. After a moment, she asked with a snap. “Did they survive the goddamn crash Kasey?!” Jordan flinched and nodded. “Thanks to Director Holloway and Mr. Carlisle, both General Harris and Mr. Holloway were extracted and transported via point-to-point to Sacred Heart about ten minutes ago. The facility was locked down on their arrival but that’s all I know. It…” The women’s voice cracked. “… it’s not good. Flight crew died on impact and Harris & Holloway were both in bad shape. No updates as of yet.” Sam put a comforting hand on Devri’s back as the woman closed her eyes for several moments before looking back at Jordan. “Thank you Kasey… the Admiral and I will leave you & your people to what they do best. I need a car, Colonel.” She then turned to Molly, nodding to the EGV. “Molly… we don’t know what’s going on. And I know you wanna be here… but please, take our car and head home. The Residence is a fortress… you’ll be safe there till we have a better idea of what the hell is going on. Please…” Devri’s eyes looked incredibly sad. “… I’ll keep an eye on your boys…” Hudson smiled softly. “We’ll let you know the second anything changes.” She then added, a soft… gentle tone, one clearly acknowledging that the worst was a very real possibility. “I’m… I’m so sorry Molly.”
Jordan/Hudson/Halloway
Molly shook her head. “They are not dead yet, Hudson. So save your sympathy for another time.” Holloway’s tone was drier than she had meant it, and for someone familiar with Molly’s background it would have been apparent that she was trying to keep herself from giving much thought to the possibility of either of the men not making it. She couldn’t, because if she did she would crumble, and right now none of them could afford it.
“I’m not staying at the house. What am I supposed to do there? Just wait while you ‘keep an eye on them’?” Molly added the air quotes. “Devri, you know better than to treat me like a civilian that needs protection. You know that’s not true.” There was genuine hurt behind her eyes. “I am not some damsel in distress that needs to be buried in a fortress while you look for the bad guys. I know how to take care of myself.”
Before either Hudson or Halloway could intervene, Molly cut them off. “Either of you would do the exact same thing.”
Molly Holloway, CEO Holloway Heavy Industries
Hudson looked incredibly frustrated for a moment before stepping close to Molly, her volume low and her eyes locked on Molly’s. “You know what… you’re right.” The young General whispered, her tone harsh. “I’m not asking you to go home because I think you’re some precious flower that can’t take care of herself. I’m ordering you to take your stubborn ass home because twenty minutes ago my best friend and one of the most important people one this fracking planet got shot out of sky right under my goddamn nose!” Tears shimmered in the woman’s eyes, refusing to fall as her intensely emerald green eyes flashed in both challenge and pain.
“I love Calvin too Molly…” Her voice cracked. “… and right now, I’m trying to get the most important person in his entire universe to take her ass somewhere safe until the military command of this planet has a better grip on what the actual frack is going on. I consider you a friend and I greatly respect what you have done for Starfleet and the UFP…” There was a pause and a firmness returned to the woman’s tone. “… but this planet, this colony is my sandbox, Captain. I’m not asking you… I’m ordering you, as a senior military official of an Allied Star System… get your ass in that car and go home! End of discussion. The second I believe it safe for one of the Federation’s wealthiest citizen’s to be by her partner’s side, she will be. Until then, Captain…” Hudson sighed. “… please, go home.”
General Hudson, CDF
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