Debrief
Posted on Sun Mar 20th, 2022 @ 7:04pm by Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Lieutenant Commander Savin & Senior Chief Petty Officer Mason Malone
Mission:
With Gleaming Eyes
Location: Surface/Decon
Timeline: Post-cure
2156 words - 4.3 OF Standard Post Measure
Following the very short gathering at the landing pad, Zade moved so she was out of the way of the medical team, but watched them for a moment as they started moving equipment. "So the restricted area..." she thought aloud. Turning to Mason, she asked, "what should I know about the Commander to find him?" By default, she'd look for anyone in a Starfleet uniform, but judging by some of the attire she had seen some medical people wearing, there was a chance he'd be wearing something else. It would help to have a physical description or something, in case he was mixed into the crowd of sick people for some reason. It would also be useful when reading tricorder data.
"He is deaf, calling him without him having line of sight will be utterly useless," Mason explained, "he looks Vulcan, but is one hundred percent Romulan. You may find him unusual, as he doesn't adhere to any form of logic, not much anyway... and he emotes, quite a bit." Mason chuckled. "Seeing him smile can be considered a little unnerving, to be honest. Usually, he's accompanied by an aide, who helps with his communication if there's no line of sight, but the aide is currently very sick as I explained already. I think, if you calibrate your tricorder for 'Romulan' there's a good chance you'll find him in a crowd, but what if he's somewhere sensors won't come?"
Zade nodded in understanding as she committed the description to memory. Setting her tricorder's scanner to 'Romulan,' she added, "we'll have to find those areas first. I think a good place to start is where we immediately have access." She doubted the restricted area would allow a tricorder scan, and she wouldn't expect the Cardassians to keep him in one place for long. Unless the entire hospital had some dampening field, perhaps they could get lucky enough to see a blip if the Cardassians happened to be relocating Savin. "It will help to know what areas are restricted or have some dampening field in place." Looking around, the area they currently had access to looked pretty large.
As they walked around the tricorder suddenly seemed to pick up a signal nearby. Mason tilted his head, glanced at the tricorder, and then at Zade. "That way," he said, pointing to one of the buildings that seemed to connect to the hospital. "The signal is getting stronger, as if it is coming this way?"
Zade looked in the direction Mason pointed out, her tricorder beeping as well. There was a door on the visible face of the building. Looking at her own readings, it looked like there was also a Cardassian signature very close to the Romulan one. "Looks like there's a Cardassian with him," she added. Thinking for a moment, gauging their distance to the building, before saying, "let's get a little closer but otherwise wait for a visual before taking action." They knew absolutely nothing about the situation, and she wasn't one to blindly charge. As they got closer, Zade took the moment to do a scan of their surroundings.
When he was younger, Mason had actually been the opposite and had blindly charged before. It had fortunately been during a holodeck training and at what would have been a very high cost had the situation been real. Since then, he'd grown more careful and he nodded in agreement. His left hand rested on his phaser, though for now he didn't deem it necessary to draw it. "Look," he said, as he pointed towards a lone figure that came towards them. The figure looked exhausted, but otherwise unharmed.
He's alone? Zade thought, looking at the figure before confirming with the tricorder. Sure enough, the Cardassian signature that was with him was moving in the other direction, which honestly put her more on guard than if the Cardassian had stayed. Still alert, she gave a nod to Mason, "ok, let's intercept." Like Mason, her hand was near her phasor, and she kept it there as she approached the man in blue. When they got closer, she asked, "are you alright, sir?"
Savin nodded as he saw he was addressed by an unknown Trill in yellow. "Yes lieutenant," he answered quietly, "please take me back to the triage center."
Zade nodded, pocketing her tricorder and moving to his side in case Savin needed the support. "Zade to Dr. Ki, we found the Commander and are bringing him to the triage site for evaluation."
Savin still couldn't fathom how well he'd been treated by the Cardassians after he'd been caught in one of the restricted sections of the hospital. Though as a doctor, it was beyond him why sections would be restricted for medical personnel to begin with.
After a quick check by Doctor Ki, as well as having been given the cure just to be on the safe side, Savin still needed to go through the proper procedures to return to the ship, so now he was 'confined' to decon for the next few hours. It didn't really bother him, as it would give him some time alone, and perhaps try to meditate after all the horrors he had seen. He had been transported straight into decon, where he had rid himself of his uniform and was now sitting on a bench in a simple yet comfortable robe. He was just about to close his eyes, when he caught a sliver of movement outside the room.
Zade had finished entering some notes into a PADD as she approached the decon room. Mason had left after they got Savin to Dr. Ki, leaving Zade to do the debrief. Approaching the window, she collected her thoughts. During the search, Zade learned that this man was deaf but could lipread, which told her how to communicate with him. It looked like her movement near the window alerted him to her presence, but she still did a little wave with her hand to make sure his attention was to the window. "Greetings, Lieutenant Commander, I'm Lieutenant Zade. I have some questions about your experience on the surface, if you're able to answer them?" He did look tired, so she didn't want to push him, but at the same time she wanted the details while they were still fresh in his mind.
"I prefer counselor," Savin answered pleasantly as he got to his feet. "I will answer any question, if I am able," he acknowledged as he studied her, "I do not believe we have met before...have you arrived recently?"
"Yes, I came from the Colossal with a team to offer assistance," Zade replied with a nod. "Dr. Ki mentioned that you were collecting samples from the patients. Can you start from there and describe what happened?"
"I was given an access key to one of the restricted wards, though for obvious reasons I cannot disclose who gave it to me as I do not want to cause this individual further grief. Suffice to say, the patients in the closed ward were in much more dire condition and were obviously not getting the treatment they ought to be receiving. They were all Metis, both hybrid and pureblood. I got out of my EV-suit to be closer to them, offering comfort where I could and I took scans. Obviously, I was caught, and then taken to one of their superiors."
Savin paused, briefly looking away as if to gather his thoughts. "What I found extremely curious, was that I was treated very well. She was perhaps, too friendly?"
"Really?" Zade asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. She had been taking notes while he spoke, at least until the 'captured yet treated well' part. While not unheard of for that to happen, it was still weird and something Zade considered keeping an eye on. At least in her experience, there was usually something else at play. "What did they ask you?"
"Mainly, in a great many different questions, she wanted to know how I got into the restricted ward, and how I would feel if she were to get into restricted areas here on the ship. She persisted in saying that we had no business here, and that treating the Metis was not for us as this wasn't our planet. I did point out that it was not their planet either and that it is our duty to assist anyone who requests that of us." The counselor paused again. "I was given the access key by one of the Metis nurses, but I would not endanger her by telling the Cardassians that. I lied instead, and told her that I had found the key. They are keeping a great many very ill and dying patients away and out of view, and I doubt they get much of any treatment at all."
Suspicious and pushy as ever, the Trill thought, taking notes. But why was there a restricted section of a medical facility? "Did you see anything that might indicate why the Cardassians are keeping the very ill Metis in this restricted area?" It was easy to come up with speculation, but Zade was hoping for something observed, some type of physical evidence or clue that Savin witnessed. "Also, you keep mentioning 'she' when referring to the Cardassian who questioned you. Did you get a name by chance?"
"She was addressed as Legate Velour by the guard who took me into custody, however we never formally exchanged introductions. As far as I am aware, she does not have my name either though I suppose she could easily find out in any regard. Had she asked, I would have engaged introductions. I see no reason to hide who I am." He paused, briefly closing his eyes. "I suppose I am fortunate that she remained facing my way for most of our conversation. The only time I could not see her speak was when she turned away the allow me to get dressed."
The Romulan smiled thinly. "She mistakenly believed I adhere to any sense of modesty, after I requested a uniform. I only had a local medical attire after I chose to discard the cumbersome EV suit in favour of being of comfort to those poor people."
Zade nodded, pausing in her note-taking to think as each response gave her at least one additional question to ask. "Did they confiscate anything from you? The access key could be useful to the medical team..."
"It should be in the possession of Doctor Ki, as anything I had on me was transported to the triage area." Savin cast the Trill woman an apologetic look. "However I consider it likely that by now they traced back who it belonged to, and disabled the key."
"A wise precaution, unfortunately," she mused, knowing she'd do the same thing if the roles were reversed. Her brow gradually furrowed as something bugged her. Why would the Cardassians let Savin go instead of using him to gain something from the Athena? It was practically an invitation to trade for something that advantaged them. Then again, perhaps Savin didn't discover anything sensitive enough that gave the Cardassians a reason to detain him. It still left the question of why there was a restricted section in a medical facility. "Going back to the restricted section," she finally said, "you mentioned sick pureblood and hybrid Metis in this section, but did you see anything else? Anything that might hint at why access is restricted?"
Giving that a moment of thought, Savin finally shook his head. "No, I do not believe I did. If I had, I doubt they had actually released me, or treated me as well as they have. If they are hiding something, they are hiding it very well because beyond patients that were locked away for no good reason, and were not given sufficient care, I did not see anything out of the ordinary."
Zade nodded slowly, "I was thinking the same thing. It was worth a shot, sometimes things can be hidden in plain sight. Any last comments for the record?"
Again, the counselor shook his head. "Only a desire for rest and some sleep," he said slowly, "though I suppose I should again note that I was treated quite well. And held through the night for some reason, without possibility for rest, but I was not harmed."
After sparing a moment to take her last notes, Zade looked at him and gave him a small understanding smile. The whole thing still didn't sit right with her, but anything else she could ask at this point was rooted in speculation. "Thank you for your time, counselor, I will let you rest. If you think of anything else, please don't hesitate to contact me."
"I will if I think of anything," the counselor promised as he returned to the bed, "for now I must rest."
