X Marks the spot

Posted on Sat Feb 21, 2015 @ 6:38am by Civilian 'Key Holder' Yolanthe Ibalin

1,703 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: https://ds5.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/7
Location: DS-5 Area of operations

[ON]

[FMSS Van Buren Hendricks - Enroute to Navigational Beacon NB-DS-5-29]

TuSelok had answered the call when the Flight Control Center notified the Precinct of the maintenance crew's report. Steiner was off in a meeting in the security department, so now she and Tevlet were aboard their Runabout enroute to the location of the navigational beacon.

"We will need to process the scene" Tevlet explained "Then recover the body and transport it back to the station for an autopsy and further forensic examination. I can do the first part, if you take statements from the maintenance team. I will have the fighter's stand by until we are done then they can escort the shuttle back to the station."

TuSelok nodded "You suspect they could be the perpetrators?"

The Andorian shrugged "It's possible, although unlikely it is certainly a line of investigation we should not ignore"

"I agree" The Vulcan replied "We should also examine the interior of their shuttle for evidence should we not?"

The Andorian nodded. "Yes, it would probably be best if we transport them aboard, take initial statements and secure them here. Then, while you do an initial examination of their shuttle I can process the crime scene and prepare the body for recovery"

The two discussed the matter further as their Runabout sped towards the beacon.


[Oak Squadron - Sector Patrol Flight Seven - Navigational Beacon NB-DS-5-29]

"Huh? What?" Munroe sat up in his seat "What you say Dingo?" His Tactical Systems Operator CPO Adam "Dingo" Barnes had been talking but Munroe had been daydreaming about the Veranda Restaurant again

"I said we've got a ship coming in Snake, looks like a Runabout, must be the Marshals" Barnes replied

"Oh yeah, thanks" Munroe checked his sensors, there was indeed an inbound craft, maybe ten minutes out.

"Think they'll be able to work out who that is?" Barnes asked "They sure made a mess whoever did it. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it, what a way to go!"

Munroe nodded, the sight of the body had indeed been horrific but somehow he was more concerned about being late for lunch tomorrow than what had happened to the unknown victim. it was a shame they just didn't allow reservations He mused

A few minutes later the Runabout arrived and hailed them and the maintenance shuttle.

=^= This is the FMSS Van Buren Hendricks Deputy Marshal Tevlet =^= Came over their comm channel as an Andorian Marshal's features came on screen.

The Marshal proceeded to explain what would be happening next. He and his partner would transport the maintenance crew over to their Runabout. Then one of them would go over to the Beacon to recover the body.

They would then check over the Sigma-44 shuttle before everyone could return to DS-Five.

The Runabout would tractor the shuttle back, with Flight Seven providing an escort.

"So another couple of hours hanging around I guess" Dingo commented.

Munroe just nodded, he was staring off into space out of the cockpit window.


[Navigational Beacon NB-DS-5-29]

Tevlet's boots clamped down solidly on the plating of the beacon and he slowly walked his way around to where the X shaped cross was positioned.

He knew what to expect from the witness's description and what he had been able to see from the windows of the Runabout. He was still a veteran deputy but even so this seemed an usually brutal murder.

Tu-Selok and he brought the two engineers over to their Runabout to interview them. The woman had been very upset, the man just confused and concerned about his work colleague.

After getting initial statements from them both Tevlet doubted either had been involved, from the woman's description the victim had suffered a prolonged torturous death. Certainly it had not happened on board their shuttle and although they might have transported the body out here, he thought that was also extremely unlikely as well.

Looking through his visor he saw the tops of the X coming into view. He walked on, moving around the cylinder to come up on the center of the cross. The Marshal's Service combined video-tricorder attached to his service EVO suit was running and recording the scene as he approached.

The cross was made of two lengths of steel tubing, maybe ten centimeters in diameter, each about two and half meter's long. The cross had been attached to the Beacon by a short length of chain welded to the hull plating.

The corpse was spread-eagled on the cross. It was naked and had the body of a small humanoid, possibly Ferengi he thought. It's arms and legs were attached to the tubes somehow. Tevlet bent down to look closer, he saw a hexagonal metal shape protruding from the left wrist. The body had been bolted directly to the cross. It was hard to tell due to the state of the body but probably while the victim was still alive.

Another length of chain was wrapped around it's middle, just below a large gaping hole in it's abdomen. The hole was ragged and looked to be burnt and sooty, not by an energy weapon, more like it had been caused by fire.

Below the chain the victim had been emasculated, there was a bloody mess at the junction of it's thighs. He assumed it must have been male.

Tevlet turned his helmet upwards, towards the head. Even Kolowski's vivid description could not prepare him for what he saw.

The victim was indeed a Ferengi, what was left of it's ears made that identification possible. But that was about all, nothing was left that would make the victim recognizable.

From the neck upwards all the skin had been removed from the head, peeled away with what looked like surgical precision, exposing the flesh underneath. The incision around the neck appeared to have been instantly cauterized, probably by a laser scalpel.

The mouth was closed and the bared teeth between the peeled lips reflected his helmet lights in a rictus grin. There appeared to be some kind of metal staples inserted in the face above and below the mouth, clamping it shut.

A short length of clear flexible tube protruded from the left nostril. Above the nose, both sets of eyelids had been removed along with the facial skin. The exposed eyeballs were covered with a rime of ice but they had no pupils, instead each orb seemed to be a dirty yellow color, except for a round red puncture mark in each one.

Tevlet's looked to the Ferengi's ears, the left one was closest. There was some kind of dark substance inserted in the ear canal, sealing it off.

From what he saw the victim had been made deaf, dumb and blind as part of the process of their death.

He sighed, this was one of the worse murders he had seen. The level of violence and torture the victim had endured was truly horrible. This was a brutally sadist murder and he knew they needed to catch the killer as soon as possible.

He spent a some more time examining and recording the scene, then reached out and gently attached a transporter tag to the body.

=^+ Tevlet to Tu-Selok, you can initiate transport and place the body in stasis. I will need to dismantle the cross and free it from the beacon before it can be brought aboard =^=

=^=Understood, transporting now =^=

There was a shimmer and the victim disappeared. Once the body was gone Tevlet could see that the cross had been formed by welding the two tubes together in the center to form the X. The securing chain had them been welded in place.

He accessed the tool kit he had brought with him. Using a laser cutter he trimmed the ends off the cross so that the whole thing would fit through the Runabout's hatch. He used a tie to secure the four ends to the center, then set about freeing it from the Beacon's plating.

He carefully cut around the place where the chain had been welded to the hull, preserving the weld by removing a small section of the plate some four inches square.

He placed a temporary repair patch over the hole and, gathering the various parts of the cross, he began slowly walking back towards open outer hatch of the waiting Runabout.


[Oak Squadron - Sector Patrol Flight Seven]

'Looks like the Marshal's done Snake" Barnes told his commander "Can we get out of here now? Damn that was horrible! I need a drink when we get back"

"Yeah, you think there's a long line for dinner too?" Munroe replied, starting his pre-flight checks.

"Where at?"

"The Veranda"

"That new place everyone's going on about?" Barnes replied, also working his checking list "Never been there, I heard the food was awful"

"What? Who told you that?!" Munroe snapped "Its wonderful, best I've ever eaten! The staff are wonderful, who told you it was no good? Who?!" He glared at his friend and colleague

"Hey, easy Snake" Barnes said, surprised at the reaction "I just heard but if you've been there and said it's good, that's good enough for me, ok?"

Munroe was about to reply when a transmission interrupted him.

=^= FMSS Van Buren Hendricks to Oak Flight Seven lead We are ready to return to DS-Five =^=

Munroe replied tersely =^= Copy, we'll escort you back. out! =^=

He turned to look at Barnes, softening his tone he said "Sorry Dingo. it's just that, well... I'll take you there, you'll see it's really wonderful... you'd like it, really"

"Sure Snake" Barnes nodded 'We can give it a try sometime. Oh, time to go! '

The Runabout moved over the maintenance shuttle, projected a tractor beam and took the smaller craft in tow, then turned and began to accelerate away, heading back to Deep Space-Five. The fighters moved in to escort positions and followed the Runabout home


[OFF]

DMTS Tevlet
DM Tu-Selok
FMS

LtJg Edward "Snake Eyes" Munroe
CPO Adam "Dingo" Barns
Oak Squadron

 

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