Vow of Silence

Posted on Mon Nov 6th, 2017 @ 4:14am by Fleet Admiral Donatella Figueroa & Commander Christopher Samuels MDiv, PhD & Lieutenant Commander Ezekiel Hill & Commander K'Niras Sh'howul & Lieutenant Junior Grade Shras th'Zarath & Lieutenant Junior Grade Fiona McGowan & Lieutenant JuniorGrade Fethraie D'Darra

Mission: S01E02 D-8 With the Devil
Location: USS Musashi | Deck 6 | Briefing Room

Donatella had requested that members of her senior staff assemble at what some would describe as 'an ungodly hour,' but she had very little control over it. She could not this cross alone and needed to keep essential members of her crew updated. She had no sooner terminated the communications channel with Commodore Cartwright that she summoned her Yeoman to get the coffee the going, set up the deck six conference room, and start waking up some of the heads of departments and divisions.

It was common practice for The Captain to be first to arrive at these meeting. They tended to have the advantage of already being awake and made aware of just about everything in regards to the mission ahead of them and their crew. However, nothing about this was common practice nor would it be. The meeting was called abruptly leading to several members of the crew being awoken from the dead of the night. The meeting was scheduled for 0345, a peculiar time.

The Captain, however, was tied up for several minutes which delayed her arrival at the meeting. It was just before 0400 when the doors parted ways with a bit of a swoosh. Fig looked around the room, several members of her crew, the department heads strategically planted in their seats around the table. The seat at the head of the table was left vacant for the Captain. "Sorry for igniting the midnight oil folks, but the galaxy does not sleep..." she said shaking her head and proceeded to take her seat. "The past several days, I have been dealing with a lot. Yes, I am well aware that the majority of you here and the rest of the crew know of my current health situation. For those of you who have not been brought up to speed...Yes, I am pregnant. No, that has no bearing on my ability to carry out my duties and lead this crew," she added.

She looked around the table. "Let's nip this in the bud and get it out of our systems now," she said. "If anyone has something to say about my pregnancy, speak now," added Fig.

Fiona was the first to speak up in the hopes of setting the tone, though with her accent, it probably didn't come out as clearly as she had hoped. "Congratulations, keptin! We ur aw huir uv a canty fur ye an' ken yoo'll still be at yer peak sae dornt fash yerse. We'll burn aw th' midnecht oil ye want." In fact, her accent was so thick this time, the UT even kicked in and tried to overlay her speech, causing an annoyed look to momentarily cross her features. "Congratulations, Captain! We are all very happy for you and know you'll still be at your peak so don't worry. We'll burn all the midnight oil you want," came the semi-digitized voice of the computer right behind her own words.

Feth listened intently to Fiona and felt that the Engineering Lieutenant did not know the full span of the situation, the events leading up to the Captain’s pregnancy, or even the genetics of the child growing within. Feth knew that Donatella herself was not at all happy about any of this and, if the rest of those gathered around the table were to be brought up to full knowledge, perhaps they would not be happy either.

“You may relax assured, Captain, that you have the loyalty and support of everyone aboard this ship,” Feth said in the standard monotone, emotionless Vulcan voice. She looked about everyone seated at the table. “I will continue to uphold my charge to ensure the safety and security of this vessel.”

"We're behind you Captain," Shras said.

Christopher Samuels had sat there, hands folded in his lap, his features impassive. He and the captain had already discussed this at length, in his domain really. Fig already knew she had his support in this, so there wasn't anything more he could add. Besides, he knew Fig wasn't really looking for 'congratulations' but more on the lines of validation and to know people still had her back. Apparently they all did, and he had to admit he was quite proud of this senior staff. He and Fig had their issues, sure, but this was no time to abandon the CO, not when she would need him the most.

Though Fig was not personally pleased with her predicament, the crew even her First Officer had been entirely supportive. She would have never thought that she would find comfort and support from a Vulcan and the man she blockaded from getting his own command, but Feth and Chris had not let her down.

Fiona was new. Fig could not blame her in the least bit for not suscribing to ship scuttlebutt yet. In a way, Fig found it soothing to hear the woman praise the pregnancy. It sort of was therapeutic. Maybe I am the only one demonizing this child she thought. "Thank you. All of you."

A pregnancy? Zeke didn't quite know what to think. Just a few days ago, the Captain nearly brought the Musashi's weapons to bear on the Klingons before causally meeting them face-to-face on the Zaranite moon.

Now she's going to round us all up and expect a pat on the back?

He found it odd that nobody had objections, and he bit his tongue until the room became silent. She had kept a medical secret from him, one that had serious ramifications for her command. Zeke tried to keep his thoughts from showing on his face as he stared intently out of the briefing room's window

I don't think so.

K'Niras was surprised. He had suspected that the Captain might be expecting a child, because the smell of her had changed. It wasn't something that he spoke freely of though. He could also tell by her body language, scent and the scent of others around them, as they received the news, that some had known and some had not and some, including Fig, were not as supportive as they seemed. He kept his mouth shut though, certain that there was more information to come regarding the topic at hand and that he shouldn't be too quick to decide if the Captain's news was good or bad.

"Captain," Zeke squirmed in his seat, cleared his throat, and adjusted his uniform, "In the light of recent events, I need you to report to sickbay first thing in the morning for a mandatory medical and psychological evaluation."

Dramatic much? Christopher thought. He refrained from rolling his eyes and held his tongue. He wanted to tell the CMO to take a seat, but figured the man needed this little outburst to make a point. He also held back the sigh. He didn't remember seeing any psychological training in the doctor's profile, so it would be something he would need to recheck.

Medical secret it was not. She had been as shocked and disturbed by the findings as anyone else, if not even more so. She had most certainly not stormed off the Bridge the day prior to plan a baby shower. Though she had been avoiding the Chief Medical Officer. "I've been to Sickbay and agreed to take it easy and rest. I've stayed away from The Bridge...but I'll agree to a psych evaluation if you feel it necessary Doctor," replied Fig.

"However, this is perfect segue into the heart of this mission. I was contacted by an individual claiming a great threat to the Federation... a new Klingon battlecruiser, still a prototype not yet off the assembly line. The Federation and Starfleet has decided to tune out this information given its source," she stated flatly.

Almost laughing, Christopher remained stoic. Perfect segue? He had learned quite quickly that Fig was less than stellar at segue. His thoughts organized and he straightened in his chair, he leaned forward and laced his fingers in front of him. "This isn't like Starfleet to just ignore even a whisper of a rumor of something like this," Christopher stated. "Now I'm curious who this source is?"

“It is also possible,” came Feth’s flat Vulcan voice, “that the Federation and Starfleet are tuning it out as a means to not officially recognize this potential threat. Official recognition breeds media exposure and widespread knowledge. Unofficial recognition puts the weight of the situation upon us to make sure this prototype never sees the light of stars. Regardless of the scenario, it is only logical that this mission and all information be categorized as ‘Classified’ and success is to be our primary concern.”

Looking to the Vulcan ensign, Christopher lifted an eyebrow at what was said. She did make a good point, but the words from Fig, decided to tune out this information given its source made the Vulcan's point somewhat moot. He shook his head. "I doubt that is the case," he said. "Starfleet is not one to just downplay something in order to keep it off the records. The Klingons have been an ongoing threat and a thorn in the Federation's side since we had our first dealings with them more than a century ago. Since the war, Command has been vehemently vocal concerning the Klingons. There is more to this." There was more to this, he could just feel it, he had been in Starfleet--and war--long enough to know there was more to this than just 'tuning out' or 'unofficial recognition'.

Fig looked around the table and lifted both of her hands, a bit of an unspoken gesture on her part to keep the peace and the noise level at a minimum. She was nursing a bit of a headache. It wasn't that either officer had spoken loudly or anything, but Fig was a bit of a 'control freak' or so she had been accused of being in the past. "You both have your points and they both have merit" she said calmly. "We nor any other starship have been given any orders in regards to this alleged Klingon prototype because of this man..." she said turning in her seat and using the projector to project the image of Fleet Captain Kelvar Garth.

"That is Fleet Captain Kelvar Garth," she said sternly. "Or as you kids today call him Garth of Izar. Your Academy History books may not make note of me, but they love him," she added. "As you may know, Captain Garth has had a fall from grace and murdered two members of his own crew. He currently resides on Elba II in Federation Psychiatric Rehabilitation facility."

Now Feth was gaining understanding as to why the Federation was tuning out the issue. “And the creation of a prototype Klingon Battle Cruiser has reached the ears of this psychopath?" Feth asked with a clear dropping of Vulcan mannerisms. “He is confined to a rehabilitation facility… and he gets wind of a Klingon secret project? Without anyone else knowing?”

"Good point," Shras said.

Captain Figueroa looked at the Andorian and gestured towards the carafe of coffee located towards the middle of the table. The Highlander Grogg brew was kept hot and the aroma alone had been enough to perk Fig up. "Such profound words of Andorian wisdom," she said teasing the Navigator. "Shras, have some coffee. Your antennae are looking droopy," she added.

"Was that the matter?" Shras thought to himself. He had been feeling a little off all day. Orange juice was more his "thing," but he got himself a cup. He took a sip and perked right up. He indicated his thanks to his CO

Fig looked around the table and locked onto her head of Security. "Garth's legacy shadows him wherever he may be and he casts a long shadow. It pains me to admit that even after killing two of his crew, people still idolize that man or rather the man he used to be," she explained. "I do not know if this information is true or if it is just Garth seeking an audience. I've inquired about his 'Intel' but Starfleet Brass does not want to hear about it except for one man. A Commodore has broken from the flock and Garth has struck the Commodore's fancy. The question still remains though... can we trust a madman?"

“No, Ma’am,” said Feth without hesitation. “But we can at least hear him out. What he has either heard or created in his own mind is mostly likely conspiracy theory or mere rumor. ‘Facts can prove to be misleading, but rumors, whether they are true or false, are often revealing.’ Hear what he has to say, but do not trust him.”

K'Niras nodded, his ears laid back and his whiskers vibrating with concern. "I agree with the Ensign. We should listen, but maintain our distance and stay alert. I really don't know what else to say. Do we know anything about how he possibly came by this information he's claiming to have?"

The Captain made a 'mhm' sound as she listened to her officers and evaluated their responses. Each of them seemed fairly cautious of everything so far which was in alignment with her own thought processing. "To be frank with you all, I have my doubts that Garth has any credible intel. However, it has been nagging at the back of my mind and I am going to make contact with this Commodore. If anything, I do believe we should pay Garth a visit and look into his claims" she said agreeing with Feth and K'Niras. "No, I have no idea how this alleged intel came to Garth. I also have lost the ability to have blind faith in that man," she added.

Fig looked at her Executive Officer. "What about you Number one?" she said inquiring what his opinions were. "Placing yourself in my chair for a moment, what would you do?"

I also have lost the ability to have blind faith in that man. Those words bounced around Christopher's head as he heard them, they were very telling words in a way and he made a mental note to speak to Fig about it. He had listened carefully to all that had been spoken, and weighed in what he knew of the man called Garth of Izar. War did some nasty things to a lot of people, but did Garth deserve the benefit of the doubt in this? He gave a few moments to think about the question, what would he do in this situation? "The thing about Garth is, though flamboyant in some respects, he was one of the best strategists and tacticians that Starfleet has ever known. Why tell us anything at all, there is certainly nothing to be gained by telling us this? If he had a personal score to settle, he certainly is not doing it correctly..." He let that hang in the air for a moment before he continued. "I agree, we should definitely find out what he knows but we should be cautious. If his intel is correct, we will have a lot more to worry about than Garth of Izar."

Fig threw up her hands. "We that settles that then," she said with a smirk to follow shortly after. "We will go pay a visit to Fleet Captain Garth and talk to him about his intel," the Captain said. She then started rapid firing off some orders.


"Ensign O'Donoghue," she said addressing 'EJ' more formally than she was accustom to. It was the setting of the Briefing room... it just did not feel right to call him EJ. "Take us to Elba II," she said directing the helmsmen.



She then looked at her new Chief Engineer, the Scottish lass. "Lieutenant McGowan, I want a shuttle ready to go by the time we arrive in the Elba system."

Fina nodded seriously. "Aye, keptin. consider it ready awreddy. Tois if ye ken it."

"As memory serves, the environment on Elba II is inhospitable... and that's putting it kindly. Number One, please look into the poisonous atmosphere of Elba II. I want five environmental suits prepared," she said to her Executive Officer.

The captain had been correct, Elba II had an environment that was inhospitable but he couldn't remember the exactly composition, at least not off-hand. This is what years of war, service, and age did to a person, memory just wasn't always what it used to be. This was easy stuff for him, research was his forte after all. "Aye, Captain," Christopher said, echoing the chief engineer.

Lastly, she shot a look over to the Chief Medical Officer. "Don't tell me it's impossible because I've seen it done... You are going along, Doctor. I want a tricorder rigged up to act as a polygraph. I want you to also familiarize yourself with whatever drugs they are pumping into Garth. Please formulate a truth serum that won't kill him, but get me results if I need it," she said firmly.

Every fiber in his being recoiled from the order. It went against every moral principle he had developed as a physician. He'd never done anything like that before, and he didn't intend to start now, orders be damned. Zeke nearly spun around to the captain, "Doing so would go against all of my training. Against the oath I swore to Starfleet, and to myself." He once read about Klingon interrogation tactics. As he recalled they were mostly physical endeavours, but some Klingon agents were more creative.

Zeke sucked his teeth for a moment, still shocked by the request, and then addressed the senior staff. "I remember," He said, "Reading about a cocktail that the Klingons would cook up to inject Starfleet officers with anytime they wanted to know something." He recalled all the chemical components that went into it, but he refrained from giving them the minute details. He wasn't trying to bore them to death. "And then I met an officer who was unfortunate enough to receive an injection of Klingon truth serum. He suffered from brain damage. He was crippled." Then he turned to stare down the Captain, "I will not be an accessory to interrogation by serum, or any other means for that matter."

Fig could feel her body becoming hot and a phantom pain shoot through her body. “I know the Klingon serum that you speak of Doctor. I know it intimately,” she said as her mind momentarily brought her back to the barbarity of the Klingon who held her captive. The one she had just met again in a posturing and peacocking prelude to war. “It burns through you like blood afire, like acidic rain throughout through your veins to the point you will say everything... anything to end the pain,” she said disturbed at the memories.

“I’m not looking to inflict that sort of pain on Garth. Gods no. But I do want something to make him more compliant and forthcoming. I need to know what he tells us is the truth,” she said trying to explain herself.

Fig reached forward across the table and tapped a few controls on a panel. The recorded voice of former President of the Federation, Jonathan Archer read: ‘I solemnly swear to uphold the regulations of United Federation Starfleet as well as the laws of the United Federation of Planets, to become ambassadors of peace and goodwill, to represent the highest ideals of peace and brotherhood, to protect and serve the Federation and its member worlds, to serve the interests of peace, to respect the Prime Directive, and to offer aid to any and all beings that request it’

She looked at the starship’s Physician. “You took this oath when you joined Starfleet, Zeke...’protect the federation’,” she added as she highlighted a part with vocal inflections mimicking that of Archer. “If the Klingons are building something as terrible as Captain Garth claims... Zeke, please. It’s in the interest of protecting the Federation. That’s a hundred or so worlds and growing each day... billions of lives,” she pleaded.

“If I may,” Feth spoke up. “Vulcans are not keen on admitting this but we do have techniques and interrogation methods for extracting the truth. Adding my Security training in Starfleet, I believe I would be an adequate candidate for acquiring the truth from the captain.” She turned her gaze on the doctor. “That is if certain protests persist.”

The Captain was coming to really appreciate having a Vulcan aboard as her head of Security. I never would have imagined being appreciative that they assigned me a Vulcan for this position, she thought to herself. "Thank you, Ensign. I will keep that in mind and add it to my arsenal," replied Fig. Though the Captain focused her attention back towards the Chief Medical Officer.

"Doctor," she said calmly. "I am not going to force you to compromise your character and personal integrity. If you do not consent to formulating a serum, at least meet me part way. I need the tricorder rigged as a polygraph," she added.

Fiona couldn't keep quiet any longer with the talk that was going on, so she added her option of possible interrogation as well. "Keptin, it mauna be mah place tae say thes, but in mah haem we've bin usin' kergo tae gie th' truth it ay fowk fur generations. There's nae faster way tae loosen a person's tongue than tae be their mukker an' tae gie them liquored up." After a few seconds the UT kicked in again and cleared up what she had said to basically 'befriend him and get him drunk on real alcohol,' prompting another annoyed look from Fiona.

"Very well, Captain," Zeke said. "I will monitor his vitals. However, I will cancel this operation if there are any breaches in ethics."

Christopher had been a little surprised by the doctor's outburst. Truth serums were certainly not a new novelty and were still used and well documented. He of course was ethically against anything that would force someone into a situation without consent, but comparing a truth serum cooked up by the Klingons and one on file in the Federation database was like comparing apples and bananas. However, with that said he certainly could empathize and understand Hill's concerns. He also had concerns with what the Vulcan had said. If the Vulcan's weren't so keen to admitting their techniques then that seemed shady and dangerous. He was going to go out on a limb and assume it was something neurological, and what if that caused brain damage. He also knew Vulcans buried their emotions, what if behind closed doors they became savage beasts? Before Fig could respond to Hill, Christopher spoke up. "I think we need to be very careful about what we are proposing here. We are Starfleet Officers and we are here to protect the Federation, but that doesn't allow us to step over a line that we won't be able to so easily cross back over. We have to remember that Garth gave us this information with no 'buts' attached to it. I agree that we have to proceed with caution, and agree we need to verify the information he tells us, but we don't need to go to extremes to do it. "

"I know hearing this info scares the living daylights out of me, H'thern, the Zaranite I spent time with on Zaran Two, had warned me another war was looming. That has stuck with me and if we can prevent another war from happening than I am all for it. But I won't do it by compromising our ethics and morality and what it truly means to be a Starfleet Officer." He looked around the table, meeting the gaze of each man and woman who sat at the briefing table. "Garth might be totally messing with us, but I think we are smart enough to see through the bullshit if it's there."

“That is why I propose we listen to everything he has to say,” Feth spoke up. “After we have everything he is willing to share, if we see any of this…‘bullshit’, anything questionable, then further measures may need to be taken. Yes, there are ethics to be upheld as well as the vows we took upon joining Starfleet. But one thing is paramount above all others. It is logic that I speak of. And it is only logical that we ensure we have the truth from the captain before we proceed.”

K'Niras had been quiet. There wasn't a whole lot for him to say that his colleagues hadn't already said, but there was one thing nagging at him. "Captain? What does the Federation say about this proposed meeting with Garth of Izar? Is the admiralty aware of his offer?" He didn't mean to sound insulting, but he had known Captain's that took their own advice without sharing much with Starfleet Headquarters at all. It wasn't that it bothered him, often those Captain's were among Starfleet's finest and had done much to protect and serve the Federation, but he also wanted to know what kind of situation they could possibly be getting themselves into and not just with the mental patient.

"Everyone, I agree that we proceed with caution, take what he has to say with a grain of salt, and I do not want to cross any ethical lines unnecessarily," said the Captain firmly. "Believe me, I have seen several officers cross lines in my years of service and I do not want to be one of those people," she added.

Fig looked at the Caitian. "I consulted an old friend of mine. She verified that Starfleet Brass were well aware of Captain Garth's claims and alleged intel. They were in no immediate rush to look into it further. However, a Commodore Cartwright did voice his objection to the Admiralty's apathy. We have no assigned orders for the time being. In my mind, that means we look busy... and I don't mind looking busy over near Elba II" she said with a nod. "You all have your orders. Once we reach the Elba system, I will take a small landing party down to 'snoop' around and evaluate what Garth has to say," the Captain stated.

"Doctor, as I stated... you will be coming along," quipped Fig as she stood up from her seat. "EJ, I need a capable helmsmen to pilot a shuttle down to the surface of Elba II. I cannot think of anyone better nor crazy enough to do so. So, grab your gear and suit up," she added. "Ensign D'Darra, you are coming along for security detail," ordered the Captain.

Fig was moving her digits out on her right hand with each officer she addressed, plus one being herself. That made four so far. She had ordered Chris to have the atmospheric readings ready for five prepared suits. "Lieutenant McGowan," said Fig as she let her fifth digit slide outward. "After you have the shuttle ready, suit up. You are coming with."

With that, the meeting came to a close.