One of Us

Posted on Mon Mar 30th, 2026 @ 3:55am by Captain Mikoto Misaka & Lieutenant JG Feeva Drylo

1,802 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Preparations
Location: Ready Room

[Ready Room]

The look of tiredness on Misaka's face was evident. But that was no surprise considering that for them it was now the early hours of the morning. "It would seem that we've been robbed." she said simply as she moved from behind her desk to the replicator.

"And after all that careful planning to find the safest place on the ship for it..." Eila's tone simmered in anger with the revelation that all her hard work had been undone so quickly.

The realization of the enormity of what the Captain had said hit Lieutenant Erskin Mon like a ton of bricks. The weapons that they were transporting aboard the Ermiana were of immeasurable value to Starfleet and Deep Space Nine. This was not going to go well for any of them. "Do we have any idea who was behind this?"

"Who else could it be, Lieutenant?" Eila asked, daring Mon to apply logic to their situation. "Who exactly would want to steal weapons from us and deny Deep Space Nine being properly armed?"

"Those damn Cardassians," Hunt spoke up. "Attacking a galaxy class ship in Federation space is a bold move."

"But we have a Peace Treaty with the Cardassians," the young Trill pointed out, "and this would be an act of war beyond measure. There are other possibilities too that we can't discount. The Nausicaans have been known to raid this area, the Orion Syndicate would love to get their hands on Federation weapons, not to mention the Maquis."

"Even the Karemma. They've bothered my people for the past century or so," she added, with a small shrug. It seemed too big of a heist to be them-they were known for being the bankrollers but she wasn't sure they were able to put together something like this.

The security officer thought about the other possibilities. "You're correct. But the odds of any of them being able to acquire a Galor class cruiser. It would be embarrassing for Cardassians to admit being stolen, if that's what happened. But to avoid war, they would at least report it to the Federation. At least, I hope they would have."

"There are other factions too," Mon added, his voice steady despite the tension in the room. He felt a brief, phantom tug of a memory not his, but it was gone before he could grasp it. "The True Way, the Obsidian Order, the House of Matan. All of these groups have access to Cardassian equipment and associated technologies." He glanced down at his hands, feeling the subtle pulse of the symbiont beneath his skin. His predecessor hadn't been a soldier, but they had known how to spot a feint. "One lifetime isn't much to draw on," he admitted quietly, "but even I know that a Galor Class ship is a loud statement. If the Central Command wanted us dead, we’d be stardust. If they wanted us robbed, they’d use a shadow. This feels... performative."

The young Trill looked at the Captain, his expression softening with a hint of ancient weariness that seemed out of place on his youthful face. "My apologies, Captain. I’m merely trying to apply a bit of historical perspective to the situation. We aren't just looking for a ship; we're looking for a motive that doesn't necessarily end in a fleet-wide mobilization."

"We can debate motives all we want, but the fact of the matter is that someone operating a Galor-class cruiser... Most likely Cardassian military, has their hands on Starfleet property. And I'm sure the Captain agrees that our foremost priority is recovering what was stolen, and fast."

Erskin Mon shifted slightly in his chair, the fabric of his uniform rustling in the quiet of the Ready Room. He felt a peculiar sensation in his chest. It was a soft, curious warmth that wasn't entirely his own. It was the symbiont, Mon, reacting to the heightened adrenaline. Being only the second host, Erskin often felt like a man babysitting a very observant, very quiet passenger who was currently wide awake and taking notes. He listened to Hunt and Eila with a respectful tilt of his head, his mind already categorizing their arguments. When Eila dared him to apply logic, Erskin didn’t flinch; he leaned in, the inherent confidence of his personality melding with the faint, ancestral echoes of his predecessor, despite its relative youth.

"Respectfully," Erskin said, his voice gaining that characteristic Trill cadence, "As the one responsible for keeping those systems humming, I find the 'obvious' answer a bit too convenient. If we assume it’s the Cardassian Central Command, we’re saying they’ve traded a peace treaty for a few crates of rifles. It’s burning down a house to steal the silverware." He tapped a finger rhythmically against the arm of his chair. The 'child' within him seemed to pulse with a faint sense of wrongness about the sensor readings he had glimpsed on his way in. "The sensor data showed a Galor-class profile, yes. But the shield failure in the cargo bay? That’s what’s bothering me. My department monitors those emitters 24/7. For them to drop specifically there while the rest of the grid held at eighty percent... that isn't just lucky shooting. That’s surgical."

Feeva nearly piped up that it wasn't but then she realized that he meant it in a more abstract way, and settled back again. Oops. She was still kind of learning Human turns-of-phrase.

He glanced toward the Captain, a slight, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "If I’m a smuggler with a high-end holographic emitter or a Maquis cell with a stolen transponder code, the best way to make the Federation look the other way is to make them look at Cardassia. It’s a classic misdirection. One lifetime isn't much to draw on," he admitted quietly, nodding to the symbiont's brief history, "but even I know that a Galor is a loud statement. If the Central Command wanted us dead, we’d be stardust. This feels... performative."

Erskin straightened his tunic, his mind already diving into the sub-layers of the Ermiana's computer core as he looked around the gathered crew, "With the Captain's permission, I’m going to pull the logs for the shield harmonic frequencies at the exact moment of the breach. If it was a brute-force bypass, it points to military codes. If it was a 'flicker' in the power coupling... well, that’s a thief’s touch. It might tell us if we're looking for a soldier or a ghost." He looked at the Captain, his expression turning more practical, "I'll have my team cross-reference the transport signature with known Cardassian patterns. If there's a discrepancy, we'll find it."

Misaka held up a hand. "I think you're right Lieutenant. This was very obviously a surgical strike to get at those weapons." she paused. "However, there are some very big questions that we need answers to. How did they know we were transporting them? Why did the shields fail only around the cargo bays where they were stored? And the biggest one, who were they and where are they now?"

She rose from behind her desk. "We first need to look for clues. Lets examine all of the sensor logs. I also want security to examine the cargo bays for potential signs of sabotage." she looked around each of them in turn. "There is a possibility that we have someone on board that helped them. This mission was strictly classified, only this crew and a handful of others knew about this. So if there is someone on board who is helping... whoever attacked us, we need to find them."

"Lieutenant Mon. Have your department go through the computer logs, one by one. Everything. Leave no stone unturned. Commander Lurath and Lieutenant Hunt. I want a full deck by deck security sweep of this ship. Every square inch of this ship is to be searched for anything that may be connected to this incident. I also want a full examination of the cargo bays for any sabotage or modifications." Misaka ordered. She then turned to the doctor. "Doctor, I want medical to start running blood screenings on all crew. Lets rule out the possibility of a changeling amongst us whilst we're at it."

Kenneth Hunt silently nodded in response to the Captain's order. The Ermiana was a large ship, but they would get to the bottom of this, if there was a traitor on board.

"Understood, Captain," Erskin said as he stood, his voice crisp and regaining that edge of professional arrogance that usually defined him. "If there’s a ghost in the machine, my team will find the footprint. I'll personally oversee the audit." The Captain’s mention of an internal collaborator didn’t surprise him; it was the only logical explanation for how the shields had "flickered" with such convenient timing.

"Is there anything you're going to require me for, Captain?" Eila asked.

Misaka nodded. "I need you to start interviewing everyone who has access to the shield grid. You were a counsellor, put those skills to use."

Eila nodded.

"I'll get to the bottom of this:" She reassured Misaka. "If there is a saboteur on board, we'll find them real quick..."

"Its going to be a long morning." Misaka said to them all. "Grab yourself some strong coffee and lets get to work."

"Stronger the better, I guess..." Eila grumbled, contemplating how hardcore Scandinavian she wanted hers.

Feeva would take her coffee in sickbay, and stepped back out into the Corridor. Curiouser and curiouser, she thought. A saboteur on the ship? Surely, there had to be a good explanation besides that.

Erskin Mon stepped out of the Ready Room, his mind already spinning through the lines of code he'd be responsible for. The internal pressure of the symbiont felt like a cold, humming engine in his chest, a sharp contrast to the chaotic "day-shift" energy now flooding the corridors.

"Counselor—Commander," Erskin corrected himself, nodding to Eila as they walked toward the Turbolift. "If you're interviewing the grid techs, keep an eye on Ensigns Sastrit and Crewman Vi. They were on the late-watch maintenance rotation near the Cargo Bay. Not that I suspect them," he added with a thin, professional smile, "but their logs showed a 0.04% power fluctuation an hour before the hit. I dismissed it as thermal expansion at the time. Now? I worry it may be a handshake."

Posting by:

Captain Mikoto Misaka
Commanding Officer

Commander Eila Juutilainen 'Illu'
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Commander Lurath, Son of Grogori
Chief Security/Tactical Officer

Lieutenant JG Kenneth Hunt
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer

Lieutenant JG Erskin Mon
Chief Operations Officer

Lieutenant JG Feeva Drylo
Chief Medical Officer

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