>>1713939

The sickbay of the Archimedes looks as slick as the rest of the ship. Fresh, new, and barely used. All the beds are empty, and you and your crew are clustered around the surgical table, on which the body of Ensign Humphrey is laid out. Dr. Mekor Ocett is present, naturally, still in surgical scrubs. There are also First Officer Dorian Wolf, Tactical Officer J’Tal, and Science Officer Ahnassi.

“We’ve got a bit of a medical mystery on our hands.” Dr. Ocett says. He pulls up a scan of the Ensign’s brain. You’re a bit spotty on your medical knowledge, but the dark void in the middle of the man’s brain is a telltale sign of brain damage. “Cause of death was a massive stroke, starting in the brainstem and radiating upwards and outwards. Minor bruising on the knees, arms, and face confirm that Ensign Humphrey was standing when the stroke occurred. The Ensign’s medical records show a minor genetic disposition towards strokes, but he was a good two decades shy of the typical age of onset. Besides, he had the defect corrected as a child, and no case I could find in the database ever exhibited such massive damage. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say a microcharge went off in his head.”

“Are you familiar with such cases?” J’Tal asks.

“I’ve seen it. Once.” Ocett looks mildly uncomfortable. “But those things do most of their damage with oldfashioned shrapnel. Even if you’d surgically transport every last shard out, the signs would be obvious. In this case, it looks like every bloodvessel simply… burst.”

Wolf nods, briefly glances at you, and speaks. “Is there anything that could cause this, as it happened with Ensign Humphrey?”

“In theory any sufficient amount of force could cause damage like this. The brain is a delicate organ. A normal stroke is nothing more than high pressure and weak plumbing. The question I can’t answer is what kind of force it was and how it was applied.”

“I can think of a few ways.” Ahnassi says. “Transporter tricks, phased particles. But they are all intricate procedures...”

“And if this was an attack, it almost assuredly was not premeditated.” J’Tal says. “The Ensign had not been on DS9 before, as far as I can tell there aren’t any people he knows onboard, and we did not plan to lay over.”

“I think we know enough to know we should investigate further.” You say. “And I have enough to bring back to Hir-Bulat. Once I’m done with her, we should have access to the Wealth of Dahkur. In the meantime...”

>”...I want a full historical survey of cases even remotely similar, starting with Deep Space 9, Bajor, and Bajoran colonies.”
>”...I want simulations to be done to determine exactly which ways this sort of damage could be caused.”
>”...I want all crewmembers who have been on the Wealth of Dahkur to undergo a full physical. Whatever happened to Humphrey may not be isolated.”

>>1713941
>>”...I want a full historical survey of cases even remotely similar, starting with Deep Space 9, Bajor, and Bajoran colonies.”

>>1713941
>>”...I want a full historical survey of cases even remotely similar, starting with Deep Space 9, Bajor, and Bajoran colonies.”

>>1713941
>”...I want all crewmembers who have been on the Wealth of Dahkur to undergo a full physical. Whatever happened to Humphrey may not be isolated.”

>>1713961
suport

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>>1713961
Support.

Also, what the fuck did I miss? Last I remember we were in quarks bar talking.

>>1714802
And after we took the scenic route back, Wolf called us to sickbay.

Feel free to peruse the suptg archive for the few posts

>>1715079
Link for archive?

>>1715086
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/1656615/

>>1713961
>>1714023
>>1714613
>>1714702
>>1714802

"Once I’m done with her, we should have access to the Wealth of Dahkur. In the meantime I want a full historical survey of cases even remotely similar, starting with Deep Space 9, Bajor, and Bajoran colonies. Ocett, Ahnassi, that will be your job."
The Cardassian and Caitian exchange a glance. They're both outsider type of personalities, you know. But they're the heads of their respective departments, and an outsider perspective might help.

"J'Tal, I want you to start interviewing everyone on the volunteer crew and establish a timeline from when they transported to the station until they returned." You gesture towards the corpse. "I don't have to tell you to pay special attention to the matter of Ensign Humphrey's death."
J'Tal simply nods. You've given her the easy job for now, but who knows? She might get to flex those Vulcan muscles soon enough.

"Contact me when you discover anything of note. Get to it. Wolf, walk with me, please."
The both of you walk out, side by side through the corridors of the ship. You're heading towards the transporter room, and Wolf knows you're heading towards the transporter room.
"Do you have anything planned for Captain Hir-Bulat?" Wolf asks. "We arrive, only to have a crewmember drop dead while working on one of Bajor's prestige projects, and then go over her head while she's smoothing things over. And you told me she's overworked?"
"Quite. You've been on the station, you've seen those crowds. It's an old Cardassian mining station, and it wasn't half as full with a contingent of slave labourers onboard." You shoot him a sideways glance. "Not no, no plan. Not yet."
"I'll come with you. It'll look respectful. And I have my fair share of experience working with overworked Captains."

>"Good call, Wolf. I'll be happy to have you."
>"I want you on the ship. With half the crew working on this problem, I want my sharpest mind in charge."
>"Actually, I want you to visit the Bajoran consulate. Apologize, empathize, get them to be friendly with us. Suck up, in old Earth terms."

>>1715086
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/1656615/

>>1715402
>Good call, Wolf.

>>1715402
>Good call Worf

>>1715461
>"Good call, Wolf. I'll be happy to have you."
Also csll up the next in line of command and tell him not to break our ship.

>>1715461
>>1715482
>>1715524

"Good call, Wolf. I'll be happy to have you." It's there, faintly, but you think Wolf might be smiling.
"J'Tal is a capable officer. She'll be able to handle the daily things next to the investigation. She won't show it, but she'll appreciate the trust you're placing in her."
You make good time to the transporter room. The both of you take your places on the pad and you give the command to energize to the transporter chief.

It's common courtesy to beam to another transporter room, and there's an extra margin of safety in it. Given the sensitivity and urgency, however, you have decided that it's better to beam directly to Ops. Not without warning, of course. But you do feel slightly clandestine about beaming into an active operations room. And Captain Hir-Bulat is there, waiting for you. Doesn't she ever use her office?

"Captain, Commander." She nods. "I've been expecting you."

Well, she does use her office. To receive guests. You think the floor on your side of the desk is slightly lower than on Hir-Bulat's side, giving her a more imposing stature than that of a typical Betazoid woman. Or maybe that's just because she's tense.

"You stole a corpse from my infirmary."
"It was our corpse." You say.
"You stepped on my toes by going over my head. I don't appreciate that. And yes, that wasn't a very good way to put it. Either way, there are protocols to be adhered to."
"And one of those protocols states that a Captain has the responsibility to see to the remains of his crew. Starfleet Ship Operations Manual Chapter 10, subsection 5.7."
"You think we could not have seen after your crewman here?"

>"Ensigns don't drop dead every day. If there's something rotten on the Wealth of Dahkur, we have to act fast."
>"Our doctor is a veteran of the Dominion War. He can do autopsies with his eyes closed."
>"You were unavailable. I acted in the best interests of my crew at that time. Even the dead one. Especially the dead one."
>Write in

>>1715627
>"Our doctor is a veteran of the Dominion War. He can do autopsies with his eyes closed."
>"You were unavailable. I acted in the best interests of my crew at that time. Even the dead one. Especially the dead one."

>>1715627
>"Our doctor is a veteran of the Dominion War. He can do autopsies with his eyes closed."
>"You were unavailable. I acted in the best interests of my crew at that time. Even the dead one. Especially the dead one."

>>1715627
>I had a well equipped sickbay, a skilled doctor and a highly anomalous death among my crew. I am sorry if you feel slighted by the remiss of protocol, but at the moment I believe the situation warranted quick response and Archimedes had the tools at the ready.

>>1715752 (you)
Maybe replace "I am sorry if you feel slighted by" with "I apologies for"

>>1715627
Supporting >>1715752 with the changes in >>1715774

>>1715627
>Ensigns don't drop dead every day. If there's something rotten on the Wealth of Dahkur, we have to act fast."

>>1715667
>>1715719
>>1715752
>>1715774
>>1715877
>>1718026

I'm going with the second response, because the first two cited two choices instead of one.

"I had a well equipped sickbay, a skilled doctor and a highly anomalous death among my crew. I am sorry if you feel slighted by the remiss of protocol, but at the moment I believe the situation warranted quick response and Archimedes had the tools at the ready."

Hir-Bulat is silent for a second. "Captain, I understand your position, but you have to understand mine. Technically, this is still a Bajoran space station. And while the Bajorans will almost certainly join the Federation one day, they've not done so yet. And they're very sensitive to us acting like they already have."
"I suspect the Bajorans aren't any more thrilled about a fatality on their brand new ship than we are." That's Wolf.
"Correct." Hir-Bulat leans closer. "Building this ship wasn't something the Bajorans did on a whim. They are an enlightened people, but they're like our own world were, in the past. Conflict and scarcity are still very present in the collective memory of their world. I... sense it, in many Bajorans I meet."
"In short," Wolf speaks up, "while we look out for our crew, you are not only looking out for yours, but the Federation's relationship with Bajor."
"Yes. Everything we do here ripples down to the Bajoran Council, and right back up to us." She leans back and folds her hands. "I want to put this matter behind us. The Bajoran repair crew is arriving in a few hours to further complicate matters. My CMO told me he saw no external trauma on the Ensign. Care to enlighten me?"

You and Wolf tell her the story. She promises full access to the medical records kept on the station, though you doubt they contain anything yours don't.

"In light of these circumstances, I suppose you were also planning to meet with the Wealth of Dauhkur's Captain?"
"Naturally." You confirm her suspicions.
"Good. He wants to meet you, too."

>"Let's go."
>"I'd like to bring over a member of my crew. Henrik Westervliet, my Chief Engineer. If this was an Engineering accident, the both of us will have it figured out in no-time."
>"I'd like to bring over a member of my crew. Jalah Zorani, my Civilian Advisor. She has more experience dealing with non-Federation civilians than me and Wolf put together."

>>1718728
>>"I'd like to bring over a member of my crew. Henrik Westervliet, my Chief Engineer. If this was an Engineering accident, the both of us will have it figured out in no-time.

OP a word of advice
Not allowing your players to craft Write-ins or Roll dice creates for very little enthusiasm and player involvement, you should reconsider those choices.

>>1718728
Bring Jalah
>>1718755
But he does take writeins

>>1718728
>>"I'd like to bring over a member of my crew. Jalah Zorani, my Civilian Advisor. She has more experience dealing with non-Federation civilians than me and Wolf put together."

Between us the Bajorana and the crew of the wealth we should be able to puzzle this out

>>1718755
He literally just took one you dolt

>>1718728
>"I'd like to bring over a member of my crew. Jalah Zorani, my Civilian Advisor. She has more experience dealing with non-Federation civilians than me and Wolf put together."

>>1718755
>>1718770
>>1719136
>>1722405

"I'd like to bring over a member of my crew. Jalah Zorani, my Civilian Advisor. She has more experience dealing with non-Federation civilians than me and Wolf put together."
Hir-Bulat raises an eyebrow. "Interesting crew you have, Captain. Tell her to beam over, we'll pick her up on the way."

That's exactly what you do. Jalah is waiting for you in the transporter room, and together you continue to the Wealth of Dahkur, which is docked on one of the station's upper pylons. Two Bajoran crewmen are waiting for you at the airlock, greet you respectfully, and take you further into the ship.

You've seen transports, they're a dime a dozen, as far as starships go. But it's clear to see why Hir-Bulat talks about this ship the way she does. From the moment you enter it's clear that the Bajorans lavished special attention on this vessel. Its corridors are spacious and wide, and as a passenger enters his berth, you can see the quarters are luxurious. It reminds you of the Galaxy class design philosophy. Captain Hir-Bulat follows your glance. You hear her voice in your head.
"The Wealth of Dahkur was designed for long-distance travel. It's not as fast as a Federation ship, but you'll get there in style. You can understand it breaking down before leaving the system was already a sensitive issue. And there are a lot of voices on Bajor who consider it to be an opulent waste."

You pass by an observation deck crossed with an arboretum and a bank of holosuites on your way to the Captain's office. The office is actually fairly modest, decorated with several Bajoran artifacts. The Captain himself is an unassuming looking man, like you can find on any Bajoran street.
"Welcome on the Wealth of Dahkur, Captain Jameson." You shake hands. The Captain greets Hir-Bulat and oyur crew as well. " I was expecting to meet you under better circumstances. I hope your crew isn't too shaken by their loss?"
"They'll survive. But we'd all like to get to the bottom of Ensign Murphey's death." You answer.
"I wanted to extend a hand in friendship. I'd like to offer my full support in your investigation."
"Even if it delays the ship's departure?" Jalah asks. "This is one of the most luxurious vessels I've seen, at least, for its passenger complement. How much does a ship like this cost, just from sitting in dock for an hour?"
The Captain looks at her a bit sheepisly. "I'm under direct instruction from the Council to depart for the Gamma Quadrant as soon as our repairs are complete. My hands are tied. Until then, I will help you however I'm able."

>Talk to the Captain

You can now talk to the Wealth of Dahkur's Captain about the situation. If one answer has popular support, I will select that one. If not, I will select the one I think is the smarters or most entertaining.

>>1726222
Very well, then let's make most of the time we have.
Has anything like this happened before?
Ensign was one of volunteers helping out, but where specifically was he working and who did he come into contact with? Not to make accusations, but to find out more about the circumstances.

>>1726553
>Has anything like this happened before?
Expand this beyond the scope of the ship. Bajor's a damn weird place.

>>1726553
I mostly agree with all of these questions.

Something which is more sensitive, and that we should ask of our more non-traditional staff: does the Ensign's death look like any Bajoran Resistance, Marquis, or Cardassian Resistance assassination methods? Or assassination methods in general? I'm wondering if the Ensign saw something he wasn't supposed to see, perhaps from one of the Wealth's passengers.
Of course, without more evidence, we should stay quiet about this from the other two captains.

>>1726553
>>1726684
>>1727423

"Has anything like this happened before?" You ask. "Ensign Humphrey was one of volunteers helping out, but where specifically was he working and who did he come into contact with?"
"Ensign Humphrey has the misfortune of being the first fatality aboard the Wealth of Dahkur." The Captain answers. He was found in one of the storage spaces in main engineering, close to where your team was working. It was originally reported as medical emergency, and we contacted Starfleet medical personnel at once." He sighs. "If I'd known the man was dead, I'd have ordered the scene of the incident preserved."
"The Ensign suffered an unnaturally massive stroke. Is there any phenomenon known to Bajoran authorities that could cause something like that?"
"I don't know. You'll have to look into medical history. I can't think of anything, unless we're talking about Cardassian assassination techniques. I've seen it once or twice, during the Occupation. But the Cardassian usually weren't shy about making it know that they were killing us."
"Were you in the resistance?" Wolf asks, rather casually.
The Captain smiles wanly. "Yes. A cell in Dahkur, naturally. I... never imagined I'd be sailing the stars in a ship like this... Now, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you the full tour, but I don't doubt that you'll want a look where your team has been working. And where your man was found. I don't think it will help you, but I've found it's a good practice to close a book once it's been opened."

You wouldn't be a good Captain if he weren't right. You prepare to leave, when Hir-Bulat takes you apart.
"I'm going back to my post. I'm expecting the Bajoran repair crew in an hour or two. I don't know how good they are, but unless you plan on tailing this ship into the Gamma Quadrant, we won't have a lot of time to investigate."

The leaves you with Wolf, who hasn't left your side since the news, and doesn't look eager to start, and Jalah.

>"Jalah, I want you to start mingling with the passengers and see if they know anything we don't."
>"Jalah, start talking to the lower ranks. If there's anything known on this boat that we don't, find out."
>Say nothing. Maybe Jalah will have some insights into the scene of the crime.

>>1727572
Can we put a discreet escort on Jalah as she mingles? Wouldn't want any accidents to happen to her. Otherwise let's all take a look at the presumed crime scene.

>>1727572
>Say nothing. Maybe Jalah will have some insights into the scene of the crime.

>>1727669
>discreet tail
Who do you think we are, Starfleet Intelligence?

>>1727669
It's just you, her, and Wolf. People are going to notice if you bring in more crew.

>>1728608
I thought as much, let's move as a group then. Hopefully there will be opportunity for her to chat up people after we check up engineering and move to galley or something.

>>1727669 here btw, not a new vote.

My operating theory: Cardassian saboteur on board set to make sure the Wealth of Dakhur never reaches their destination as a way of fucking with Bajoran domestic politics - the politicians who supported it look like idiots and the other crowd goes "mmhmm, told you so.". Our hapless ensign interrupted the saboteur in the middle of sabotage, and the assassination method was both convenient and appeared accidental - the appearance of an innocent death allows the ship to depart before the sabotage is discovered.

1) We need our engineer on board to look for breakable shit around where our ensign bought it. Look for things that would destroy or disable the ship in particular. If near environmental engineering, look for gas/biological attacks.
2) We need to interview those who ensign was working with, and verify the identity of those still on the vessel, possibly those who have left it in the meantime.

>>1729119
Makes sense, seconding

>>1727669
>>1728002
>>1729119

The Captain leads the way through the ship's opulent corridors, until you pass a door into an area of more restricted access, and the ship's corridors turn plain and practical. Until, eventually, you arrive in main engineering. The ship's warpcore dominates the space, obviously. It's certainly big, but you don't see anything particularly impressive. Not that you expected that you would, it's just the product of one world, after all. Though you see some obvious give-aways that Federation advice must have been asked.

"Your team was working on the port field coils when the... incident took place." The Bajoran Captain says, and moves down another corridor. The trek ends in, as he said, a storage space. There are crates and such stacked on top of one another. Nothing special (a zero G storage system would be more efficient in theory, but Starfleet experiments show that the crew disorientation cancels the effect almost completely, and it makes loose cargo twice as dangerous).

Honestly, you didn't know what you expected to find. It's just a room. There are no valuable items here, no critical systems. But on its own, that doesn't have to mean anything. A ship's systems could melt a person from a distance, if not properly shielded. And the Ensign might not have died here at all.

"I'll expect a full crew roster of everyone who worked in this section at the same time as my team." You say. "And their records."
"And you'll have it." The Bajoran Captain answers.
"Ensign Humphrey was part of a security detail. Why would he waste his time in a storage locker? It doesn't add up." Wolf says.
"Maybe the work crew asked him to get something for them?" Jalah asks.
"Maybe. But you can ask Captain Jameson here that us lifers in red can't tell a hyperspanner from a torque wrench. And on an alien ship? No." He turns to the Bajoran Captain. "I trust you have a security system on this vessel? I would like to see everything the internal sensors recorded around the time of the Ensign's death."
"Of course." The Bajoran Captain says. "Though, they will be edited to exclude state secrets. Policy, I'm afraid. This is the most advanced ship to ever leave a Bajoran shipyard."

You have your body. You have the place where he was found. You have your Tactical Officer interviewing the people he worked with, your Doctor and Science Officer investigating similar occurrances, and the (near) full cooperation of the Bajorans. That is, until the repair team gets this boat underway. Hir-Bulat said they'd be here in an hour or two. You've already spent some of that hanging around here, you will spend more on the exit pleasantries, getting back to your ship, and hearing out your crew on their progress. That leaves you with a little more time to spend here.

>Take a look at the work your crew was doing.
>Investigate Main Engineering for a possible malfunction.
>Depart early. You have a lot of work ahead of you.
>Something else.

>>1734904
>>Take a look at the work your crew was doing.

>>1734904
>Take a look at the work your crew was doing.

>>1734904
>Take a look at the work your crew was doing.

>>1734904
>Take a look at the work your crew was doing.