Surefoot 78: Bleeding Edge

-Until C'Rash raised a paw to stop him in his tracks. "What's wrong, Shyster? I thought we were all one big happy family now you had us sign our souls away. Why not open up?"

The lawyer drew himself up. "Full disclosure of the nature of our work here was never explicitly promised, Lieutenant; I cannot be held responsible for how you interpret my words."

"Where's Reiser?" C'Rash growled.

"This whole incident has been most upsetting, and Mr Reiser has gone to rest; our Medical Officer will confirm that he is not to be disturbed."

The Caitian glanced up at the camera. "I think he's already well past being disturbed. Ensign: Report."

Tori Emoto, former Surefoot cadet and now the new Assistant Chief Engineer of the ship, rose from her station and approached. "Ma'am: we've run the checks on the Zorin activity logs. The records verify the account made, that two weeks ago they had their accident, had called off the visit from Kolchak and have since been repairing and recovering as best they can. There's no evidence of Genesis technology or materials anywhere here."

"There," Vada sneered. "Satisfied?"

C'Rash ignored him to focus on Emoto. "You sure about all that?"

The human nodded. "That's what's in their records. Their records are bullshit, though." She pointed to the display, and her tricorder sitting beside it. "They've altered operational, security, engineering and communications records, and their official archived copies.

But they never thought to change the data counts. Databases have a subsystem, always running in the background, that records the amount of data on hand every millisecond, and when necessary defragmenting and optimising data retrieval. It's so deep in the infrastructure most people forget about it. There are definite discrepancies in the amount of gigaquads recorded since their accident."

Vada stepped forward, glaring angrily at Emoto. "Young lady, if you say another slanderous word against this company, you'll be buried so deep in litigation you'll wish you were never born!"

C'Rash hissed at him, while still staring at the Ensign. "Can we find the original records, know what's been altered? And what about the details of Project Alkemy?"

"I don't know about finding the original records yet, Ma'am. And there were files regarding Project Alkemy, but they've been removed entirely."

C'Rash looked to Vada again, who responded, more cautiously now, "We lost nearly everything about Alkemy in the explosion; we have been trying to recover what we can. Of course there will be discrepancies! desperate to recover what we can."

"You've been desperate, all right-"

Before she could respond, C'Rash's combadge chirped, as T'Varik announced, "Lieutenant, Mr Kitirik and his Away Team were attacked outside by Zorin security drones, but remain unharmed... and they have located an individual. He has been identified as Darren Kolchak."

Nearby, Dr Rexxil reacted to the name - and C'Rash heard him react. She looked to him as she asked her spouse, "He's alive?"

"Unconscious, suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and numerous phaser burns... but he will recover. What is your status?"

Now C'Rash regarded Vada as she replied, "We're wasting our time here. Prepare to beam up in thirty seconds... Condition Green."

"Acknowledged. Stand by for transport. Surefoot out."

Vada smirked slightly. "It sounds like you've finally seen sense."

C'Rash glowered at him. "Does it, now?"

Suddenly Vada, Rexxil, and everyone who wasn't Starfleet personnel was swaddled in transporter energy columns and vanished.

Seconds later, T'Varik's voice returned. "All Zorin personnel are now in our Brig, Lieutenant."

"Good. Get Mx Bellator down here, they have some files to find."

*

In the Surefoot's Sickbay, the CMO Dr Shyrik rechecked the readings over the biobed where her current patient, a thin, pale, sandy-haired human male of late middle age, lay still, looking gaunt and enervated. "Malnutrition, dehydration, phaser burns, oxygen deprivation, exposure, some infectious from variant strains of bacteria normally employed in terraforming."

"Can he be awakened now for questioning?" T'Varik, standing beside her, asked.

"Give him a little while longer, if possible," the Andorian replied. "Poor bastard's been through a lot the last couple of weeks."

T'Varik nodded at that and turned to another part of the Sickbay, where Kit and his new assistant Srithik flanked a transparent container where the small creature brought back from the planet was busy, devouring food passed to it through a small portal on the side by Srithik. "Lieutenant, report, please."

Kit looked up from his PADD, after keying it into the overhead display. "Respected Captain, this entity appears to be a male Rigelian jackalope, even at the genetic level. But it is not."

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. "Is it a replicant? Or a shapeshifter?"

"Neither; it is a type of... mimetic lifeform, transmuted from some hitherto unknown material. It is only at the subcellular and atomic level that the distinction can be made."

Srithik looked up curiously. "You mean it is not even real?"

Kit shrugged. "That will depend upon one's definition. This entity looks, sounds and behaves exactly like a real jackalope: respiration, digestion, reproduction, excretion. It could even be safely consumed by other lifeforms." He rested a webbed hand on the clear surface of the animal's container. "I collected a number of plant remains and examined them; they, too, appear based at the atomic level on this unknown material. One will only notice the distinction upon decay."

"'Decay'?"

He nodded. "Yes, Respected Captain. Upon death and decay, these transmuted lifeforms break down back into their base components. Unlike untransmuted lifeforms, however, these lifeforms' base components include inorganic polymers that would prove extremely toxic to carbon-based lifeforms."

T'Varik nodded at that, regarding the chittering animal. "Is there any danger to the ship or crew?"

"No, Respected Captain... apart from taking care not to try and feed it by hand." He looked at Srithik in punctuation.

When T'Varik's gaze followed, the Vulcan boy folded his hands behind him and appeared innocent. "It is most fervent in its feeding habits, Aunt."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "I will forgo offering it any temptation, then. 'Life from lifelessness'; that was the original promise of Genesis technology. Are we certain that this lifeform, the lifeforms alive and dead on the surface of the planet, were not created using Genesis?"

"Yes, Respected Captain, that much can be confirmed. But as to what did create them, I cannot determine. I offer my apologies."

"You have nothing to apologise for, Lieutenant," T'Varik countered gently. "I suspect, however, that Zorin Interstellar-"

"Has a lot," Kolchak finished hoarsely, half-sitting up despite Shyrik's attempts to prevent him. He looked around him, before focusing on the jackalope. "Darren Kolchak, Federation News Service. Thank you... thank you for rescuing my little furry companion over there and myself. Did you find any of the Whisper crew? Captain Patterson, the others?"

"Not as yet."

Kolchak swallowed, looking haunted. "You probably won't. Reiser's hired goons were quite thorough, and I was lucky to survive. May I have some water please?"

Shyrik made a sound of assent and moved to the nearby replicator, as T'Varik approached. "Mr Kolchak, I am Captain T'Varik, USS Surefoot. We are currently in orbit around Ucarro Major II, and have the Zorin personnel in custody onboard. According to them, you never arrived here. Can you enlighten us as to what really happened?"

He nodded, stopping to partake from the plastic container of water Malala brought him before proceeding. "I came to do a feature on Zorin Interstellar and some revolutionary new terraforming process in the works... and I also came to speak to an insider, one who secretly contacted our offices about this new process, and how something bad was going down about it.

We arrived at the edge of the system, and got word from Paul Reiser that the visit had been called off, no explanation why. Captain Patterson, for a bonus, offered to sneak me in past their sensors... and since the FNS was paying for this investigation, why not?

Well, we got here, spotted the destroyed refinery... and the patches of life on what was supposed to be a lifeless world. What we didn't spot was the Orion vessel."

"Orion?"

Kolchak nodded. "They hit us hard, knocked out our main systems, we sent out a distress signal but Patterson didn't think it was getting anywhere, and we ended up spiralling down over the polar cap, near the destroyed refinery. I got bundled into an escape pod, and found myself landing in one of the remaining green zones nearby. I buried the pod in sand and waited for help to arrive. And waited. And hid from the Zorin drones while I waited. The rest, you know."

As he paused to drink some more, T'Varik tapped her combadge. "Captain to Bridge: focus scans on the area around the destroyed refinery for evidence of wreckage of the Whisper: the flight recorder, duranium and tritanium plating... casualties... any evidence at all."

"Aye, Ma'am," Giles responded.

"Have we received a response yet from Salem One?"

"No, Ma'am. Subspace channels are thick with interference from the black star, but the current position of the star shouldn't be causing this amount of trouble now."

"Keep trying. T'Varik out." She focused on Kolchak again. "Who is your insider? And were you given any more information about the reason for their whistleblowing?"

"Only that it was one- one of their scientists... and that they're going a-ahead with-"

He dropped his glass and fell backwards onto the biobed, as Shyrik drew closer and examined him, looking to T'Varik. "Exhaustion. You won't get much more from him for a while."

"It was more than sufficient; I will leave you to continue to minister to him. Lt Kitirik, you will remain with your own charge." She nodded to Srithik. "Our new Assistant Science Officer will continue to support you in this endeavour.

In the meantime, I must speak with Lt Cmdr Bellator, and then we shall have words with our guests in the Brig."

"Four letter words, I hope," Shyrik muttered.

*

Station Salem One, Deck R2 - Command Centre:

Hrelle realised early on how much he missed having a centre seat, like he had on the Surefoot and other starships. Now he had to stand, and walk around and feel like he was getting in everyone's way. Maybe a raised platform, overlooking everyone. Yes, and probably some flags and fanfare playing in the background every time he appeared, to stroke your big, fat ego.

Now, however, he stayed focused on the status board, barking, "Well?"

Nearby, Kate Sternhagen, newly reinstated to her former Starfleet rank of Captain in order to fully and permanently resume her duties as Station Chief. "Nothing, Commodore. Too much local subspace interference."

"Why?" He studied the system map; the black star's orbital position around the red giant shouldn't be producing this amount of static. He signalled to one of the Communications Officers nearby. "Alert Captain Arrington, she should be approaching the edge of the system, maybe she can cut through the interference locally." Back to Sternhagen, he asked, "The nearest subspace beacons; can we run remote scans of the local area through them?"

"We could," she agreed sardonically, running a hand through her mass of curly, pepper-black hair. "If they weren't thirty years old. They were never on anyone's priority list to get replaced when I was last working here."

"It is now. Lt Dassene-"

Nearby, Zir barely glanced up from her PADD as she reported, "Priority One Requisition Order for eighteen Type-9 Subspace Beacons, with your authorisation, already on its way to Deep Space 12, Commodore. And I'm sure I can find a few Squabs to press-gang into helping get them installed."

He allowed himself a smile and looked to Commander Haluk, who was hunched over a nearby station, the light from its screens accentuating the gaunt, bearded Vulcan face. "Anything?"

The officer, who officially served at the station as the Superintendent of the cadets - but had other, unofficial roles - straightened up. "The Orion vessel Green Death has been active in the sector following your... absence. No outstanding Federation warrants, however."

Hrelle grunted. "Daalan Sur was always a lucky bastard."

"Not that lucky, Commodore; he committed ritual suicide five years ago. His son Nesrac took ownership of the Green Death, and the Shipmaster title of Sur."

Hrelle blinked, seeking some token moment of remorse for his former adversary... and finding none. "Then his son is out looking for revenge or honour or some other bullshit. The danger is still real, whether from Daalan or Nesrac. That ship was strong, fast and stealthy, and has probably had upgrades since then." He bared his teeth at nothing in particular. "T'Varik and the rest of them are sitting ducks out there."

"Your former First Officer and shipmates are hardly sedentary water fowl," the Vulcan replied, softly and dryly. "And they have benefited from your inestimable influence and training for many years. And Captain Arrington is a seasoned officer with extensive combat experience. They will prevail."

Hrelle nodded in appreciation- then started as his hearing picked up his name mentioned from the Communications Officer, and he turned. "What was that, Mr Ajis?"

The young Bajorn male with crew-crutted chestnut hair started at the sound of his bark, the D'ja pagh earring dangling from his left ear jangling. "Commodore? Sorry, Sir, I didn't mean to disturb you-"

"Just tell me who's trying to reach me."

"Sir, it's a Mr William Buford, he says he's with Zorin Interstellar."

Hrelle glanced at Haluk, before looking back at Ajis. "Put it through to my office."

Seconds later, he was leaning against his desk, arms crossed, looking up at the image of a large, jowly human with a broad nose, straw-blonde hair and dimpled chin, with a smile that Hrelle had seen before... on Ferengi. "Howdy, Pardner!"

Hrelle blinked, waiting for more, before echoing, "Howdy. William Buford, I believe?"

The human nodded. "Call me Billy. I'm the Head of Research and Development for Zorin Interstellar. I thought I might drop you a line and help y'all out some, as one Good Old Boy to another."

Hrelle's gaze narrowed; Buford's accent reminded him of his CMO Doc Masterson, raised on the colony world that embraced the trappings of the American Wild West... but this one added his own sleazy garnish. "Help us out, Mr Buford? How so?"

"Well, I've been on a tour of some of Zorin Interstellar's facilities in your neck of the woods, and heard some of your people were having a look around our labs at Ucarro Major. You know, if you wanted a tour, you could have just called, I could have met your people there and put out the works."

Hrelle felt his hackles rise. "My people aren't there for a tour, Mr Buford. They're investigating what really happened to Mr Kolchak and the Whisper."

Buford chuckled. "Y'all need to catch up some, Pardner. I'm pretty sure our folk there told you we cancelled his visit. They never arrived."

"I know. As I said, Mr Buford, they're investigating what really happened."

The human regarded him, some of the humour draining from his eyes. "You know, Admiral-"

"It's Commodore," Hrelle corrected.

"Keep your nose clean, Pardner, and that can change."

Hrelle's tail twitched against one of the legs of his desk. "Are you attempting to bribe me with a promotion, Mr Buford?"

"Bribe? Me?" He laughed again. "Of course not! How could I do something like that? You must have just misunderstood. I just wanted to pass on to you my assurances that everything Zorin Interstellar is doing on Ucarro Major II is completely legal and copacetic, and that you don't need to linger there any longer than absolutely necessary."

Hrelle uncrossed his arms and rested his paws on the edge of the desk behind him. "Well, thank you very much for those assurances, Mr Buford. I promise you I will give them all the value they deserve. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He reached for the control panel on his desk, cutting off the transmission - but not before seeing the change in the expression on Buford's face.

Someone doesn't like not having control of a situation, he opined... admitting to himself that he at least shared that feeling.

*

The Surefoot's Brig was full: thirty-six captives, spread out evenly over the six cells, a temporarily acceptable measure until measures could be completed.

T'Varik and Bellator entered, looking to C'Rash. "Status?"

The coal-furred Caitian female grunted as she drew up to her partner. "Most of them have been quiet and compliant since arriving. Mr Vada has compensated by nearly going hoarse threatening lawsuits on all of us." Then, she added in a murmur, "Rexxil's guilty scent has been thickening... as has Reiser's fear. Something is scaring him, and I don't think it's fear of facing prosecution for whatever it is they've been doing."

T'Varik nodded in understanding as the three approached the cell holding Vada, Paul Reiser and several others. The Zakdorn lawyer drew up. "Well, Captain, I hope you've enjoyed your career in Starfleet, because I promise you, it will soon be over! You've broken the terms of the Security Agreements you voluntarily assigned, reneged on the promise you made when we first spoke not to interfere once you confirmed that we did not breach the Genesis Protocols! And now you've blatantly abducted us!"

The Vulcan remained composed as she folded her hands behind her. "We voluntary signed those, in the knowledge that Starfleet Regulations supersede any private Security Agreements... as do our obligations. And you have all been arrested, not abducted."

Beside Vada, an agitated, sweating Reiser looked to her. "Arrested? On what charges?"

"Murder, specifically the crew of the SS Whisper; the attempted murder of Darren Kolchak; providing false statements and data to Starfleet personnel in the course of a criminal investigation; and conspiracy to violate Federation Environmental Protection Laws."

Everyone in the cells reacted in varying degrees to the announcement, but still left Vada to respond, "You have no proof whatsoever of any of that!"

"We have all the proof," Bellator informed him, the Nova Roman's face taut. "We located the records you attempted to conceal from us. We found the wreckage of the Whisper on the surface of the planet. We have testimony from Mr Kolchak, and the evidence of the drones you sent to try to find and murder him."

"Mr Reiser," T'Varik continued coldly, catching his attention. "You headed Project Alkemy on Ucarro Major. You were informed by your scientific team of the inherent flaws behind it: that the transmuted organic and inorganic matter would eventually break down into toxic subcomponents, eventually irreparably poisoning any terraformed ecosphere after 30-40 years.

Rather than shelving the project, however, you and your associates in Zorin Interstellar conspired to hide the truth and market the new Alkemy Terraforming Process without a caveat, relying on the inevitable discovery of the toxic contamination decades later to be classified as 'Bleeding Edge Technology': technology with unforeseen design flaws... and the contracts being designed now by your Legal Division would minimise ZI's culpability under Bleeding Edge Technology clauses. The profits you would gain would far outweigh the cost of your legal liabilities."