ST:OL Polaris ch-8

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Chapter 8... Suspicions

"I dunno what happened." Nussbaum said as Polaris' Doctor Abagail Kelley patched up his nasty headwound. "Some freak-show attacked me from behind. He was fast, but he was big too. I-OW! I think I got off a few shots at him with my phaser."
"Still no idea who or what is was?" Justin asked.
"I said freak-show." Vasily repeated. Justin's face was blank. He obviously didn't know First Fleet slang.
"Freak-show, Boss," I began. "Refers to non-humanoid aliens."
"Oh." He said as the doors leaving sickbay opened with Will stepping through. "What's the word?" Justin asked.
"We think we found the guy who attacked Commander Nussbaum." Will said.
"And?" I ask.
"Well he's dead."
Justin and I glanced at eachother.
"I trust you still have the body." Doctor Kelley asked...reluctently.
"Yes, ma'am." Will said poking his head out the doorway. "Roll him in, boys." He said and two redshirts, one pushing an Insectoid Xindi on a stretcher and the other standing guard, making sure he doesn't wake up.
I chuckle. "Yeah," I said. "He's a real beast." I look up at Nussbaum. "It's a wonder you're alive at all."
Nussbaum glanced at the dead freak-show while Kelley looked away, shivering. "Looked bigger when I couldn't see him." He said glaring.
"Okay," Justin said. "Will, get the dead bug outta here. You're scaring the good doctor."
"Oh, right!" Will said standing out of his guards' way. "Sorry, Doc." He said as the stretcher was pushed out of sickbay.
Kelley shook her head. "No, no..." She said. "No trouble at all." The door hissed shut and Kelley sighed. "Finally!"
"I'm gonna check on Pril." I told the Commander.
Justin nodded and I headed for the lab in the back.
Justin left sickbay.
Doctor Kelley caught up with me. "Um...Lieutenant." She said catching my attention.
"Yes, Doctor?" I replied.
Kelley breathed unconfortably. "You know I'm xeno-phobic."
"Yeah." I nodded.
"And that your Doctor's an alien."
"Yes."
"I was hoping you could give her my thanks." She said. "For treating me and the rest of the crew."
I chuckle. "I'll do that, Doctor." I say.
"Thanks." She replied as I continued to the office.
I knocked on the window. "Doctor, doctor... give me the news."
Prilla chuckled. At least she knows human music. That's a start. "The news is that the Polaris crew, or what's left of it, is as healthy as a golkas."
"What?" I blinked.
"Horse." She shook her head. "Sorry."
I laugh at her. "You're improving." I said as I sat in front of her desk backwards.
"I certainly hope so." She said.
"Hey, uh, Doctor Kelley wanted me to send you her thanks for making her day easier."
"Oh," Prilla lit up. "Well, tell her that I'm happy to be of service."
"I'll pass the message." I said.
Prilla looked like she felt like the weird new kid in school, cast out because of how she looked. "Pril, what's wrong?" I ask.
Prilla looked up. "Nothing." She shook her head.
"Prilla, something's bothering you." I said.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, you Deltans ain't known for your deep, bured emotions." I said. "Those are Vulcans."
Prilla laughed with me. "You're right." She said, fiddling with her tablet pen. "Something is bothering me. It's just that I've never treated a xenophobe before."
I shrugged. "There's first time for everything." I said. "Especially for someone as young as you are."
Pril glared at me. "I'm forty-five years old, Robert."
I sat straight up. "Oh." I said, flushing red. "Well uh..." I cleared my throat. "You're looking pretty good for your age."
Prilla smiled sarcastically. "Thank you." She said.
While Prilla and I continued our awkward conversation in her office, Doctor Kelley was treating Nussbaum's bump. "Are we clear on the plan?" Nussbaum asked Kelley.
"Everyone's up to speed." Kelley said. "But was bug neccesary?"
"Of course it was." Nussbaum said. "We had to make it look believable."
"A little too believable." Kelley commented. "Do we really have to go through with this?"
"The Skipper says it has to be done." He continued. "If we don't carry it out, we could lose our only lead on the weapon."
"These kids saved our lives." Kelley pointed out. "And now we're stabbing them in the back? What kind of role model does that?"
"We're not role models, Ma. We're Starfleet officers."
"So are they."
Nussbaum shut his mouth as Kelley out down her instruments. "Vasya," She began. "Is it really neccesary to make an enemy out of them?"
Vasily didn't bother to look into her eyes to answer. "They already are our enemy." He said.

Marisa threw her tablet pen at the screen and sighed in frusteration. "Nothing, nothing and more nothing!" She groaned and rubbed her eyes.
"This is ridiculous." I said after pounding my fist on the railing of the bridge. "Where could a middle aged Xindi Primate go in three hours?"
"I don't know." Marisa said. "But it obviously isn't back to his home sweet ome." Marisa sighed and layed her head down on the console. "So tired."
I lean against the bulkhead next to her station with folded arms. "Maybe we just haven't covered all the bases." I suggested.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Marisa asked looking back up and me.
"Maybe we haven't looked everywhere." I said and paused for a moment to think. "Scan Polaris."
Marisa looked at me like I was crazy. "What?"
"Just to be sure that it's not them." I said. "Can you do it without being detected?"
Marisa looked quizically for a moment. "No." She shook her head. "But I should be able to get a good look at her innerds by tapping into her own internal sensors."
I nodded. "Sounds good to me." I said.
I headed for the ops console where Laiyal was working. "Laiyal."
"Sir?" The Andorian responded.
I leaned on the bulkhead. "Can you tap the Polaris internal sensors into the science console for Marisa?" I asked.
"I'll have to open a secure comm channel to her communications array." Laiyal mentioned. "And it'll show up on Heinmenn's board."
I sigh and drop my head to my chest. "So much for that." I said.
"But if you wanna tap into it undetected I could disguise the channel as a data packet from our main computer."
"Like spyware on my stupidly downloaded porn." I say. "Music!" I shout. "Downloaded music."
"Well, sort of. We're hacking into Polaris' main computer and using her own data against her, via data packet." He said and shook his head. "I really don't know anything about this 'spyware' of which you speak."
I nodded. "Well at least I know you can do it." I said.
"Yes sir." Laiyal said. "Shouldn't take more than a minute."
"Alright." I said. "Good work, Ensign." I turn  and head for the science station. "Marisa," I called. "You're all set." I said leaning over the console.
Laiyal worke from his station. "You should be getting sensor feed right about...now."
The screens on Marisa's station changed to deck layouts and crew movements on the Polaris. "We're in business." Marisa said. "Thanks, Laiyal!"
"Anytime, Ensign." He said. "Porn?" He repeated with antennae curving down in curiosity. He decided to look it up. "Oh!" His antennae started to erect themselves.
"Okay," Marisa sighed. "Deck 1, nothing interesting there. Deck 2 is empty, so is deck three, four, five..." She continued to count down the decks with nothing of interest. The decks transisioned like an style CAT scan, only on a space ship. "...ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen..."
"Wait!" I said. "Deck thirteen. Go back there."
Marisa zoomed out to deck thirteen.
"There." I pointed at the screen. "The port-side water tank. What's up with that?"
"No idea." Marisa zoomed another screen in on the port-side water tank. It was flashing red. "What does the flashing red mean?" She asked.
"It means it's awful toasty in there." I said. "Over two hundred degrees."
"No human can survive that." Marisa said.
"Water can barely survive half that much." I mention. "What the hell is going on in there?" I ask.
"Let's find out." Marisa attempted to access the internal sensors in the tank but failed. "I can't get a look inside the tank." She said. "It says I need level ten clearence."
"Level ten?" I ask.
"I didn't even know clearence levels wen that high." Marisa said.
"Level ten is for the Captain's eyes only." I told her. "This is suspicious. Lemme get a tablet for you to jot this down for the Commander." I left the science station and headed back for ops. "Hey, Laiyal." I called.
"Yes...sir..?" Laiyal responded somewhat disoriented.
"Are you okay?" I ask him.
"Fine, sir. Just fine." He nodded.
"Well, alright. Could you hand me that tablet back there?" I ask him.
"Sure." Laiyal grabbed the tablet and handed to me, but his vice grip wouldn't give until I yanked it from his hand.
"Thanks." I said.
"Y-you're welcome, s-sir."
I headed back to the science station totally weirded out by Laiyal's behavior.

"The tank was rendered uninhabitable on purpous." Marisa told Justin in his ready room.
Justin skimmed the tablet. "Any theories as to why?" He asked placing it on his desk.
"Only one." I said. "Cap'n Metlesits don't want us to know what's in that tank."
"And the fact that you need level ten clearence to access the internal sensors in the tank is even more suspicious." Marisa said.
"He was a might touchy on the subject of repairing his ship yesterday." I said. "Maybe this is why."
"I thought it was just Captain's pride." Justin said shaking his head. "We're gonna have to send someone in there." He pointed out. "Any volenteers?" He asked
"I'll do it." Marisa said.
"You will?" Justin and I say in unison.
Marisa shrugged and nodded. "Sure." She said. "Took me a while but I think I finally grew my space-legs and I wanna break 'em in."
"You'll have to go in a space suit." I warned.
"I know." Marisa said. "I'll be fine."
I look at Justin perplexed.
"It's her ball." Justin said. "I say she should roll with it."
I look back at Marisa who was giving me a pleading look. "Okay." I said.

On the way to transporter room five, I was trying to brush Marisa up on the back-ups in her suit, which made any of use look like the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still. "Keep an eye on your O-2 meter." I said. "If it goes red, switch to the extra rods."
"Aye, sir." Marisa said as we stepped through the doors to the transporter room.
"And whatever you do don't hyperventilate," I warn her. "You'll use up more oxegen that way."
"Okay."
"And magnetize your boots after you..."
"Robert." She said.
"Yeah?"
"I'll be fine." she said with a smile.
"Okay." I said.
Marisa leaned in to plant a kiss on my cheek. I flush red as she smiles.
"You'll-you'll be okay." I said.
"Okay."
"Okay." I step back and rub my hands together. "You might wanna..."
"Oh!" Marisa put on her helmet and gave Becca the thumbs up.
I turn around to face Becca. "Energize." I say, and in a curtain of light, Marisa is gone.

As Marisa materialized into the empty water tank, I opened a secure comm channel. "What's it like in there?" I ask.
"Warm." Marisa said. She activated her helmet lights and looked around to see walls stained with some kind of sticky yellow substance. Marisa magnetized her boots and walked over to the wall. She pulls out her tricorder and opens the flap, only to have something red drip on the screen. She reluctently looks up and screams at the sight of Praak's body hanging by chains bound at his wrists.