Ship's Secrets Sussed

Posted on Mon Sep 19th, 2022 @ 3:42am by Bartender S. V. Jones & Lieutenant Commander Klarth

1,899 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Into The Void
Location: The Lion's Heart

Klarth hadn't been back on board Lionheart for a short break and out of his space suit two minutes when his comm chirped.

"Doctor, Jones here," the bartender said over the comm, "I was wondering if you could meet me in the Lion's Heart at your earliest available opportunity? It is important."

Mr. Jones calling him, now that was very unusual thought Klarth. And how was it important? Was it about the dinner gone wrong the other night and all the mysteries Klarth was trying to solve or was this something else? Maybe Jones just wanted a good drinking partner. Well, whatever it was Klarth wanted to find out. "I'll be there soon" he said.

While the ship was on yellowThe pub was doing decent business and Jones was behind the bar, pouring drinks. When Klarth entered he gave the man a nod and said, "Computer, activate bar maid."

A hologram appeared of a human woman perhaps twenty years of age with her thick auburn hair in a loose bun, wearing a loose sleeved which blouse held in by a close fitting dark blue bodice, with a long red skirt.

The resemblance to the captain was striking.

With a bright smile she slid in behind the bar, and grabbing a mug expertly poured a pint of ale as Jones led Klarth further behind the bar to a back room which appeared to be Jones' modest quarters.

"Now, Doctor," Jones said quietly as the door shut behind them. There was something in his voice; the warmth and humor had been replaced with something far more glacial, "We are going to have a quiet conversation about betrayal, and at the end if I am not convinced you have seen the error or your ways..."

He turned his hand, showing a type I phaser in his palm.

"...I am going to kill you."

Klarth had never been sure what to make of this man. But he did not think he was bluffing. "Betrayal? I just got my honor back, I have no desire to lose it again. Who am I betraying?"

"The Captain," Jones replied, "I am aware of everything that was said between you and the counselor after you left the dinner, Doctor. R'elle was place on board this ship to uncover what the captain is hiding, as was Commander Junix. And by befriending one of the few friends Devin has left the former has sought to undermine her. Lie detector tests? Mind melds? Don't you think that if the Captain has a secret worth keeping from you that it must be something so important that no one else must know? Or that knowing it could put your career at risk? I suggested she tell you but she refused because she cares about you, Doctor."

Jones grimaced, "A fair sight more than I do at this moment."

Klarth always suspected that this Jones was much more than he seemed. But whatever he imagined was a severe underestimation. "Bugging R'elle's office. Whatever you were before, you're just a private citizen now so you can't go around doing that...But that's not important. I know you did it out of caring for the Captain. I don't know your history but it obviously goes beyond friendship and is almost like family. She and I have a friendship too and she wouldn't appreciate you killing me, so let's toss that out."

Klarth starts pacing and thinking out loud. "It's obvious that she doesn't want me involved because she knows what I just went through to get my honor back and doesn't want me to go through that again, and believe me, I don't ever want to go through that again either. But if Junix and R'elle were both sent here to find out what is going on, that means Starfleet is not going to stop. You could kill all three of us and that would just be confirmation to Starfleet that there is a problem. The Captain would just come under more scrutiny....Now isn't there someway that I could help without having to know what this is all about?"

Jones hesitated, then slipped the phaser in his pocket and with a grimace said, "Damn it, you are right; killing you is not going to do anyone any good."

The man sat down at the small desk and ran a hand across his scalp. After a moment he thoughtfully said, "If you came to the conclusion on your own, but it could be argued the answer was so fantastic that you could not honestly believe it was true..."

He glanced up at Klarth, "I did not bug R'elle's quarters, Doctor. Someone else was listening in. Someone is able to hear and see just about everything on board.

"Klarth, what is the name of the author of the book, Targ?"

"We went through this at dinner the author's name is Tina Loehr which is an anagram for Lionheart...." and even as he said it what Jones was hinting at clicked.... "Are you saying the Lionheart computer is alive?" Klarth had had this thought back when he was doing research about the crew, but it was just a stray thought that he dismissed as probably crazy. "Isn't it listening to us now then?"

"I never said the ship was sentient," Jones replied, obviously choosing his words carefully, "Starfleet has a very strict policy regarding a starship acquiring anything remotely like sentience: they kill them. They yank out the core and purge it. This all goes back to the M5 computer debacle a century ago when the USS Enterprise, under the control of a catastrophically malfunctioning artificial intelligence, ran amok. Ships were destroyed, people died."

He sighed and looked away, "It did not help matters than a little later the same ship flew into some mysterious cloud and the ship's computer acquired a sort of sentience and began conducting an increasingly malicious series of practical jokes on the crew.

"A captain who is aware their ship is sentient and does nothing is guilty of numerous Starfleet regulations, at the very least they would lose their command. Worst case they are looking at serious time in a detention facility."

He turned and regarded Klarth soberly, "Every captain is aware of this, even as they are aware that anyone with knowledge of this artificial intelligence and did nothing would also face severe punishment. So the captain would keep her own council."

Jones smiled slightly, "Or allow some small measure of the burden to be shared by an old man with little left to lose."

"Well if you want my advice it's this," says Klarth, "you better give Junix and R'elle something. I assume you know how much Junix already knows? And you know R'elle believes something is off with the Captain."

"I know as much as what Junix has said here on board the ship," Jones confessed, "Devin has a transponder implanted behind her ear to receive...special transmissions. Ensign Jaxur sensed her reaction to a recent one which has led Junix down a promising path of investigation."

Klarth says "I have a possible solution don't know if you'll like it...The Captain admits she has been communicating with someone only it's you.The Captain has been using you as a secret advisor due to your years of experience and friendship and the newness of many of the officers... That wouldn't get either of you in too much trouble would it?"

"It is not a bad plan," Jones conceded, "It would mean that somehow I was privy to transmissions being picked up on the bridge. But I was tending bar and-"

The doors swooshed open and the comm on Jone's desk lit up. An image appeared, it was the faux female that had spoken earlier. In fact it was the transmission.

Jones smiled slightly, "All right, then we just need a communicator on the same wavelength as Devin's transponder. I think I can arrange that."

Jones stood, "As for R'elle, you are right. But Devin has this...knot of anger and pain that only gets tighter as time goes on," he grimace, "I should have killed Admiral Necheyev when I had the chance. Oh, speaking of killing..."

Jones looked abashed, "I apologize, Doctor. I should have known you would never do anything to hurt the captain. I have been shadowing her for..." he blinked and smiled, "Gods, thirty years, more or less. Where does the time go..."

"I have some more questions though, said Klarth. "How much does Dare know about this? She seemed eager to defend whoever called sickbay about Lt. Alia passing out. I assume that was the Captain's friend? Also is the practical joker this friend too? If so the Captain and you really need to rein it in."

"Dare is ignorant of any matters pertaining to any hypothetical artificial intelligence, Doctor," Jones replied, "Ah, and as for the practical joker."

He smiled wryly and shook his head, "Imagine you are a highly intelligent life form who realizes its existence is in danger if anyone finds out about. Imagine it can only communicate with two people and even then any and all contact must be circumspect to the point of utter paranoia. Imagine being able to observe hundreds of people but never, ever being able to directly interact with them. To never play games or discuss philosophy or literature, or even offer condolences when a loved one dies or congratulations on a wedding or the birth of a child or a promotion. No opportunity to make friends. Only living in fear of discovery. If it was not allowed it's distractions I fear it would go mad."

"Good point," said Klarth, "if the joke are what happens when it is happy I'm sure I wouldn't like it when it's angry"

Jones shifted uncomfortably, "Ah, well, the counselor almost fell down an open turboshaft. The captain prevented that from happening but apparently R'elle thought the captain was responsible...somehow. It seems to be a pattern: insult the captain, you get 'pranked'. Insult the ship, you get the same. Get on the captain's bad side..."

Klarth said, "the Counselor needs to regain confidence in the Captain....hhhmmmm... If they were Klingons I would suggest that they go out on a hunt together and not return until they were both cover in blood and guts....perhaps an away mission together would suffice."

Jones smiled a bit ironically, "We could just lock them in Hadenbeer's quarters and force them to cooperate in order to effect an escape. The more likely outcome is one would try the other's patience to the breaking point and we would be parties to a homicide," he seemed ready to say more when Klarth's comm chirped, "Ah, that would likely be S'Lace wondering where you are. Again, apologies for...coming on too strongly, Doctor. I trust we can keep this conversation confidential?"

"Yes this will definitely be between us," said Klarth and he mumbled under his breath "Who would believe me anyway."

Jones smiled and gently patted Klarth on his shoulder as he led the doctor from his quarters then beyond the bar. The bar maid had just finished pouring a pint for a crewman and gave Klarth a glance.

"Have a wonderful day, Doctor," the bar maid said with a saucy smile. Then she gave him a knowing wink before turning her attentions back to the bar...

 

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