S1E10 Listening In

[Dylan Torngate]

[Starfleet Security Compound- Betazed]

Dylan walked down the corridors of the subterranean bunker, cool metal walls on his left and right and a processed smell in the atmosphere. The place was almost like a fortress... or the confines of an early spaceship, except it was on a planet. The small windows that dotted the walls at the very top let natural sunlight stream in. Dylan walked quickly, his shined boots striking loudly on the polished metal of the walkway beneath him, a phaser in its holster at his side. He walked quickly toward the door, passing several guards before turning into a small antechamber. There he stood and spoke his name.

"Captain Dylan Torngate, clearance for secured areas."

Moments later the doors opened, a room of stoic guards letting him pass into the next area.

The Challenger and her crew had been assigned by Starfleet for a rather unusual meeting. After unfortunate incidents recently, harsher restrictions were being placed on the security of Starfleet and the Federation's leadership. The Challenger had been assigned to send a ground team consisting of all over the departments to come bolster the local security detachment, for a special meeting of some special assembly of Starfleet Intelligence and Starfleet Security. Dylan didn't know why, but he and several of his crew had been assigned there, while the rest enjoyed leave on the planet below.

He walked a catwalk, his hand brushing by his phaser as he walked his set pattern, nodding to the people he saw as he went. The meeting went on below him, with people talking about... something well beyond Dylan's pay grade. Looking down, he accidentally made eye contact with a Tellarite Admiral who looked up in exasperation, before Dylan swiftly broke the contact and continued along.

Simple, Boring, and something he didn't want to be doing. He continued through the next door, hoping for it to be over soon.

[Lizzie Vaughan]

Central Hospital - Betazed

While a good portion of the Challenger's crew were providing security for the high level meeting, Lizzie had decided to return to a hospital she had not been to for many years. As part of her internship with the inter-species medical exchange, she had served in a number of medical facilities throughout the Federation, though one of the most unusual had been the 6 months spent here at the Batazoid Central Hospital. Thankfully there had been a number of humans on staff who had helped her acclimate to the unusual conditions she had experienced. She had left with a new experience of medicine and several good friends that she still maintained a correspondence with to this day. She had written to one of them, who was now head of surgery, advising that the Challenger would be in orbit for the duration of the conference and offering her services. This had been accepted and she had looked forward to it.

She was now in the intake area of the Accident and Emergency department. This was where she had been asked to help out and she could see why. Most of the Doctors were young, some not even out of medical school. The few experienced ones were rushed off their feet. When she had arrived and introduced herself, the head of the department had remembered her from her internship and they had shared several stories over a cup of tea. Then there had been an accident in the form of a sub-orbital flyer crash. When she heard this, she had winced as another old friend of hers had been orphaned in such an incident. Things were better this time as none were dead. They had to hustle to make sure the more serous were treated.

She was working with a small team of four student doctors. She had them work in pairs and made sure they knew to listen to the nurses. Especially after she heard one of them make disparaging remarks. She had quickly put her foot down on that and proceeded to drum it into them that nurses were not only a valuable resource but often knew more about patient care than most doctors.

It was busy, but she liked it like that. She was now treating a small child with scalds on her hands from spilling a hot cup of something over themselves. She had to keep reminding the child to speak out loud but was basically calm, but the Mother was almost hysterical and in the end had to be sedated. After giving the child something for the pain, she used a dermal regenerator to repair the damage. She then woke the mother up and gave the little girl a lollipop, still a popular treat, for her good behaviour.

[Olivia Briggs]

[Briggs' Guest Quarters - Betazed]

With only a few weeks until their son turned 1, Liv could currently be found moving toys out of Elijah's reach as he held onto the sofa and walked along the edge wanting him to find the confidence to take off properly so they could show his daddy the progress he had made. It was still hard to believe that they would soon be parents of a one year old as it only seemed like yesterday when he had been placed in her arms after a short labour but wouldn't change a single thing or the time they had gotten to spend with Kyle once the pair had reunited.

They had talked about giving their son a sibling but there was no rush as they wanted to wait until he was a little older and besides it was fun practising. She was also glad that the crew had been given shore leave on Betazed a place she hadn't visited since she was younger when her mum was alive and worked here for a short time.

Liv was looking forward to showing both Kyle and Elijah the places she remembered but also knew that Kyle had to work so was making the most of the time they had together before returning to the ship. For now she continued to encourage Elijah until it was time for them to get ready and go out for the day.

[Rayek trLhoell]

PO2 Rayek
[Starfleet Security Compound - Betazed]

[Starfleet Security Compound- Betazed]

Dylan walked down the corridors of the subterranean bunker, cool metal walls on his left and right and a processed smell in the atmosphere. The place was almost like a fortress... or the confines of an early spaceship, except it was on a planet. The small windows that dotted the walls at the very top let natural sunlight stream in. Dylan walked quickly, his shined boots striking loudly on the polished metal of the walkway beneath him, a phaser in its holster at his side. He walked quickly toward the door, passing several guards before turning into a small antechamber. There he stood and spoke his name.

"Captain Dylan Torngate, clearance for secured areas."

Moments later the doors opened, a room of stoic guards letting him pass into the next area.

The Challenger and her crew had been assigned by Starfleet for a rather unusual meeting. After unfortunate incidents recently, harsher restrictions were being placed on the security of Starfleet and the Federation's leadership. The Challenger had been assigned to send a ground team consisting of all over the departments to come bolster the local security detachment, for a special meeting of some special assembly of Starfleet Intelligence and Starfleet Security. Dylan didn't know why, but he and several of his crew had been assigned there, while the rest enjoyed leave on the planet below.

He walked a catwalk, his hand brushing by his phaser as he walked his set pattern, nodding to the people he saw as he went. The meeting went on below him, with people talking about... something well beyond Dylan's pay grade. Looking down, he accidentally made eye contact with a Tellarite Admiral who looked up in exasperation, before Dylan swiftly broke the contact and continued along.

Simple, Boring, and something he didn't want to be doing. He continued through the next door, hoping for it to be over soon.

From his assigned stationary position just outside the meeting room, Rayek watched the Captain walk past after exiting the meeting room via the overhead catwalk.  It was the Captain's 8th round that shift.  But to the man's credit, Captain Torngate didn't show the boredom he must have been feeling.

During the Challengers briefing about the mission, Rayek had inquired as to who exactly they would be guarding thinking to research ahead of time known opposing factions so he could better prepare a defense strategy should an attack happen but he had been told that was classified and that he didn't need to know.  Basically he was told to shut up and just do his job.

This shift Rayek was assigned a position outside the meeting room with 3 other Challenger crew - not all of whom were part of the security department.  It seemed to Rayek to be counterproductive to assign Ops and Engineers to stand guard but those had been the orders.  They wanted bodies not skill.  So Rayek had done his best to organize this rag-tag team into something efficient.

Tomorrow's shift he was on a roving patrol.  Rayek figured he would prefer that much more, at least then he'd have somewhat of an outlet for his tension.

[Lyric McDaniels]

[Betazed Meditation Gardens]

Lyric decided to make the most of her allotted shore leave by spending as much time as possible outdoors. Although she enjoyed her work as a crewman aboard the Challenger, a part of her craved the fresh air and sunshine she had 'grown' up with on the colony she considered home. Betazed was home to numerous plant life and fauna she'd never seen in person, and as always she was eager to learn more.

While Lyric made her way through the gardens, a few Betazoids stopped and stared at her. First the looks were curious, then puzzled frowning. The Changeling took note of their attention and figured her Starfleet uniform marked her as not belonging. As soon as she was alone again, she shifted her outfit to a light summer sundress and cardigan. It was not her intention to make anyone uncomfortable with her presence.

She stood at the edge of a reflective pond with lovely flowering lilypads. Several fat pampered koi-esque fish swam up, expecting some sort of treat. Their long fanned fins trailed lazily in the rippling water. Lyric waded in with a giggle and began to pat at them like one would a cat or other similarly furred animal. She found their chubby faces cute and liked the surprised 'O' movement of their mouths. Swimming around a sun dappled pond on a lazy day seemed like a good way to spend a few hours of free time and without another thought, she morphed into a fish, taking the form of the chubby koi around her.

[Bonnie Moors]

Betazed Meditation Gardens

It had been 19 years since Bonnie had last stepped foot on Betazed. She was 6 years old when she left with her mother and set off for Texas, things used to be simpler then. Sometimes she wished she could go back to easier times like that, and yet here she was, strolling through a meditation garden on a planet that was pretty much alien to her despite being half Betazed herself.

Bonnie exhaled deeply and sat down on a bench in the garden, she looked up to the sky and closed her eyes. The fact that she was here made her feel as though she should seek out her father, but it felt wrong. She didn't think it was the right time, or at least something was telling her that it was a bad idea.  She felt somewhat hopeless, she had so many unanswered questions. Why did he leave her mother? Why didn't he stay in contact? What is he doing now? Does he have a new family? So many questions, and they'd just have to stay unanswered.

Topped with the questions she had for her father and everything else on her mind made for a nasty combination which was eating away at her. She didn't know what to do about anything. If there was a time where she could finally get some peace then this would be it. The meditation garden seemed to be a good place to do that, it was a shame it didn't make a difference.

Despite the uncertainty Bonnie had running through her mind, she was in a much better state than she was previously. She felt much better, it was a start. Bonnie dropped her head down and scanned around the garden, she managed to show a small smile as she looked around the garden and observed every different vibrant colour of green, all complementing each other to create the garden that seemed to have been masterfully crafted. It was impressive, there was no doubt about that.

[Kyle Briggs]

[Starfleet Security Compound- Betazed]

Eleven. That's how many days Kyle had been pulling twelve hours shifts in the exact same location. It was a square catwalk, located above some private conference room where some major Security meeting was being held. There were a couple of dozen guards stationed along the catwalk in stationary locations while Kyle and three others walked around, one of them always on one side or another. They were all armed. None of this bothered Kyle really, except the fact that it was his eleventh straight day here. ALL the other guards had been rotated in and out at one point or another. He never saw the same people two days in a row. He had been able to speak to a few of the crew during what little down time they had and when he wasn't asleep or spending a little time with Liv and Elijah. No one seemed to know how the assignments were chosen or who they came from. He had only seen the Captain like four time in this time span and even he wasn't privy to the information. The only thing all this walking was good for was giving Kyle time to try and figure out who's *Sem'hal stew he had pissed in.

*Cardassian dish

[Lek]

[Jenaran Falls Betazed]

Lek sat with his feet in the rushing water of the river downstream of the falls and simply was. No real thoughts, no worries, no orders, no danger, just simply existing. His head was canted slightly to capture all the nuances of the myriad of tinkling sounds of the cascading falls. The falls were visually stunning, but what truly made them spectacular was the sounds they made. It was a Ferengi thing, to be sure, as most species would be caught up in the visual grandeur of the setting and would completely miss the auditory glory their puny lobes could not detect.

"Their loss."

He allowed that one stray thought to penetrate his calm before dismissing it to just revel in the feel of true sunlight on his face and to let Starfleet cease to exist for now.

[Olivia Briggs]

[Briggs' Guest Quarters - Betazed]

Liv placed Elijah into the stroller, placating him with a sippy cup of juice as he tried to resist being strapped in but her ploy worked and he settled back happily drinking from the cup as she secured him in then placed his diaper bag over the handles. Then satisfied that she had everything they would need, she wrote a quick note for Kyle to let him know where they had gone should he return from his shift early before leaving their guest quarters to go for a walk.

[Meditation Gardens]

Betazed was just how she remembered it as she pushed Elijah along in his stroller, stopping every now and then to show him different things or to make sure he wasn't trying to climb out before they finally entered the Meditation Gardens. It was so peaceful and tranquil here but knew that there would be plenty for her to do with her son to keep him occupied including the picnic she had brought for the pair and a few of his toys.

As they walked through she was pretty sure that she had spotted Bonnie from the ship and acknowledged her with a friendly wave before continuing on their way until they stopped in front of the reflective pond. Taking Elijah out of his stroller so they could sit on the edge and look properly at the fish, smiling as Elijah touched the water with his fingers, gurgling happily as the fish came up just under the surface allowing him to stroke them.

[Bonnie Moors]

[Briggs' Guest Quarters - Betazed]

Liv placed Elijah into the stroller, placating him with a sippy cup of juice as he tried to resist being strapped in but her ploy worked and he settled back happily drinking from the cup as she secured him in then placed his diaper bag over the handles. Then satisfied that she had everything they would need, she wrote a quick note for Kyle to let him know where they had gone should he return from his shift early before leaving their guest quarters to go for a walk.

[Meditation Gardens]

Betazed was just how she remembered it as she pushed Elijah along in his stroller, stopping every now and then to show him different things or to make sure he wasn't trying to climb out before they finally entered the Meditation Gardens. It was so peaceful and tranquil here but knew that there would be plenty for her to do with her son to keep him occupied including the picnic she had brought for the pair and a few of his toys.

As they walked through she was pretty sure that she had spotted Bonnie from the ship and acknowledged her with a friendly wave before continuing on their way until they stopped in front of the reflective pond. Taking Elijah out of his stroller so they could sit on the edge and look properly at the fish, smiling as Elijah touched the water with his fingers, gurgling happily as the fish came up just under the surface allowing him to stroke them.

Meditation Gardens

Bonnie sat in silence as she mulled over the many things she had on her mind. Everything she had on her mind built up and made her feel unsettled, it gave her a nervous feeling and had her on edge. She just hoped that people wouldn't notice it on her, she wasn't trying to make it obvious.

Bonnie's trace of thought was cut off when she saw a familiar face from the Challenger walk by. She looked up, smiling and waving back at Olivia and raising to her feet. She'd been keeping to herself for the past couple of days while she revisited the planet which was left so distantly in her mind. She'd been isolated for long enough, it was time for her to see someone.

Bonnie walked over to Olivia and her child and smiled. "Olivia, it's nice to see you. How are you finding Betazoid?" Bonnie asked her, sitting down on the edge with her and Elijah.

[Olivia Briggs]

Meditation Gardens

Bonnie sat in silence as she mulled over the many things she had on her mind. Everything she had on her mind built up and made her feel unsettled, it gave her a nervous feeling and had her on edge. She just hoped that people wouldn't notice it on her, she wasn't trying to make it obvious.

Bonnie's trace of thought was cut off when she saw a familiar face from the Challenger walk by. She looked up, smiling and waving back at Olivia and raising to her feet. She'd been keeping to herself for the past couple of days while she revisited the planet which was left so distantly in her mind. She'd been isolated for long enough, it was time for her to see someone.

Bonnie walked over to Olivia and her child and smiled. "Olivia, it's nice to see you. How are you finding Betazoid?" Bonnie asked her, sitting down on the edge with her and Elijah.

[Meditation Gardens]

Elijah continued to pet the fish occasionally squealing in delight as they darted away then came back to him and once or twice Liv had to stop him from wanting to climb in and splash about. She loved moments like this and the memories they were making yet felt guilty that Kyle was missing out on it but understood when it came to the nature of his job and besides would have a lot to tell him when they did get to see him later.

Looking up when she heard her name and smiled when she saw it was Bonnie, up until now she hadn't spoken to her fellow civilian but was glad to get that chance now as she joined her and Elijah. " It's nice to see you too Bonnie " she replied " I'm enjoying being back here as I haven't visited Betazed since I was a child".

[Bonnie Moors]

[Meditation Gardens]

Elijah continued to pet the fish occasionally squealing in delight as they darted away then came back to him and once or twice Liv had to stop him from wanting to climb in and splash about. She loved moments like this and the memories they were making yet felt guilty that Kyle was missing out on it but understood when it came to the nature of his job and besides would have a lot to tell him when they did get to see him later.

Looking up when she heard her name and smiled when she saw it was Bonnie, up until now she hadn't spoken to her fellow civilian but was glad to get that chance now as she joined her and Elijah. " It's nice to see you too Bonnie " she replied " I'm enjoying being back here as I haven't visited Betazed since I was a child".

Meditation Gardens

Bonnie smiled and let out a small sigh. "You'd think I would've been here at some point recently given that I'm half Betazed but I haven't. It's been nineteen years since I was here last. We used to live here before my parents split and made everything so complicated." She turned and looked to Elijah, smiling and continuing. "We were all so innocent when we were that age. Not a care in the world." She paused for a moment and she observed the fish for a moment, once they darted away, she continued. "We all thought that we got it hard when we were young, how wrong were we all." She looked back up to Olivia, realising she was probably being too negative.

She paused for a moment and continued, changing the subject to something else. "It's so beautiful, Betazed. Don't you think?" Bonnie asked, smiling and looking around in awe of the garden around them. "It's much better than Earth here, If I end up moving back planet side after my contract I'll probably come here." She finished.

[Olivia Briggs]

Meditation Gardens

Bonnie smiled and let out a small sigh. "You'd think I would've been here at some point recently given that I'm half Betazed but I haven't. It's been nineteen years since I was here last. We used to live here before my parents split and made everything so complicated." She turned and looked to Elijah, smiling and continuing. "We were all so innocent when we were that age. Not a care in the world." She paused for a moment and she observed the fish for a moment, once they darted away, she continued. "We all thought that we got it hard when we were young, how wrong were we all." She looked back up to Olivia, realising she was probably being too negative.

She paused for a moment and continued, changing the subject to something else. "It's so beautiful, Betazed. Don't you think?" Bonnie asked, smiling and looking around in awe of the garden around them. "It's much better than Earth here, If I end up moving back planet side after my contract I'll probably come here." She finished.

[Meditation Gardens]

Bonnie had her full attention as she shared an insight into her life, listening with interest and understood what it was like to finally be able to open up to someone and glad that Bonnie was comfortable enough to do that with her. Liv always had that ability to be a shoulder to cry on or the person someone could open up to when they had bottled up everything for so long and never once had issue with that and perhaps in some way she was an unofficial counsellor.

Elijah still gurgling happily trying to formulate words as Bonnie smiled at him then continued before changing the subject and didn't blame her for doing so. " I'm glad that you could open up to me Bonnie, I can only imagine how you must of felt but just like me being here allows us to remember the good times and I agree at Elijah's age I didn't have a care in the world either " she replied softly.

Then answering her question about Betazed " It is beautiful and I'm happy that we've got to experience this and I can see the appeal of moving here".

[Dylan Torngate]

[Security Compound- Betazed]

Dylan sighed as he completed another lap. This was his final one. He still hadn't figured out why the meeting was taking place, but overall it was heated down there. Tellarite facing off against Andorian, Human arguing with Denobulan. Civilians and Starfleet all having their own discussions. Dylan had just finished a loop on the catwalk when an ear-piercing shriek filled the air. Doors hissed shut and sealed magnetically as alarms went off, security flooding the area below to secure the brass as Dylan drew his own phaser, looking around for the cause of the alarm.

The more he looked around for the source, the less he understood. The screen indicated a leak of some kind- not an intrusion, but something that had gotten out. A mass transmission had been intercepted leaving the facility via unauthorized means. Unfortuately, Dylan was partially responsible for security here, so he had to go investigate more. He tapped his Commbadge. He knew he'd seen at least two people he could trust around here.

Rayek and Briggs, this is the Captain. Report to my location. he said, using a wall console as he began to walk down the corridors to the base of the meeting room.

On his way there, he accessed the Challenger's communication systems.

Captain to all hands, Emergency recall. Security breach at site Beta, report to the ship or to site Beta immediately.

He sighed as he waited for the crew to respond and show up. There was a spy somewhere, and they needed to be rooted out.

[Lizzie Vaughan]

[Security Compound- Betazed]

Dylan sighed as he completed another lap. This was his final one. He still hadn't figured out why the meeting was taking place, but overall it was heated down there. Tellarite facing off against Andorian, Human arguing with Denobulan. Civilians and Starfleet all having their own discussions. Dylan had just finished a loop on the catwalk when an ear-piercing shriek filled the air. Doors hissed shut and sealed magnetically as alarms went off, security flooding the area below to secure the brass as Dylan drew his own phaser, looking around for the cause of the alarm.

The more he looked around for the source, the less he understood. The screen indicated a leak of some kind- not an intrusion, but something that had gotten out. A mass transmission had been intercepted leaving the facility via unauthorized means. Unfortuately, Dylan was partially responsible for security here, so he had to go investigate more. He tapped his Commbadge. He knew he'd seen at least two people he could trust around here.

Rayek and Briggs, this is the Captain. Report to my location. he said, using a wall console as he began to walk down the corridors to the base of the meeting room.

On his way there, he accessed the Challenger's communication systems.

Captain to all hands, Emergency recall. Security breach at site Beta, report to the ship or to site Beta immediately.

He sighed as he waited for the crew to respond and show up. There was a spy somewhere, and they needed to be rooted out.

Outside Betazoid Central Hospital

Lizzie had just finished her shift. She had been there for just over 8 hours and she was still buzzing. While she loved working in a Starship Sickbay, there was something about the sheer unknown of what could happen in a civilian emergency treatment centre that she really enjoyed.

She was just heading towards her friends house, who she was staying with while on the planet, when Dylan's call came in.

She quickly sent a message to the hospital telling them she had been recalled and to her friend requesting that she pack Lizzie's stuff and send it up to the Challenger. Once that was done, she tapped her com-badge.

Vaughan to Challenger. One to Beam up!

Seconds later she was standing in one of the transporter rooms on the Challenger.

Transporter Room One

Lizzie got off the pad, nodded to the duty Chief and immediately headed to her quarters to change into her uniform before heading to Sickbay.

Sickbay

Not 10 minutes after arriving on board, Lizzie walked into Sickbay and up to the Duty Nurse.

"How many personnel are we missing?" She asked.

"None Doctor." The Nurse, a tall Vulcan named T'Pell, replied. "Most of the Medical staff stayed on board and those like yourself that did go down to the planet have already returned."

Lizzie nodded.

"Thank you. I'm going to the Bridge to see if I can help co-ordinate anything. Call me if I'm needed." She ordered.

"Yes Doctor." T'Pell impassively replied as she returned to her work.

Lizzie left Sickbay and headed up to the Bridge. But before she could even reach the turbolift another call came through.

Alex Munro to Dr Vaughan. Just to let you know Doctor that Alys and I have returned to the ship.
I figured she would be safer this way.

Lizzie tapped her Badge in relief.

Alex this is Lizzie. Thank you for looking out for her. I'm back on board myself so if you could bring Alys back to our quarters and keep her there, I would be grateful.

Of course Doctor. I'll get her settled in and hopefully we'll see you soon. Alex Munro out.

Lizzie smiled as she stepped into the turbolift. She had been hoping Alex would do this as Alys was safer from whatever it was on the Challenger than on the surface. Seconds later the doors opened and she stepped out onto the Bridge.

Bridge

Lizzie stepped out of the turbolift and looked around the Bridge. None of the senior officers were present, they must still be on the surface. She went up to the Duty Officer.

"Have any of the senior staff returned yet?" She asked.

"Only you Doctor. The Captain and Mr Briggs are still on the surface." He replied. "I don't know what is going on, only that there has been an incident at the compound that most of the crew were involved in securing." He added.

Lizzie nodded.

"Very well. I'll stay here until we know more. If Sickbay needs me, they will call."  She replied, seating herself at one of the auxiliary stations to await further developments.