Melor's interview

Posted on Sat Nov 5th, 2022 @ 8:20am by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine & Lieutenant Commander Melor Pallara (Stoffels) & Lieutenant Commander Aalis Rinne & Lieutenant Commander Rutherford (RJ) Milton

Mission: Traitor amongst us?
Location: Security

Melor had been let out of sickbay for a few hours for his debrief. He had behaved himself as the doctor had told him and his wounds were healing well. The nightmares were not as bad as they had been the first few nights so he hoped to get away from this without months of talking to a shrink.

He nodded to the security team as he walked in. "So where do you want me?"

There was a table with a chair on one side, and two chairs on the other side. "Just have seat," Diane told him and motioned to the side of the table with the single chair.

Aalis took a seat in the other open chair next to Diane with a PADD to take noted on. There was already a pitcher of water and some glasses. "Please help yourself to some water," she offered.

"I guess something stronger is out with my meds. I could kill for some bloodwine." With strangers he tended to be much tougher than he actually was, showing more of his Klingon side.

“I prefer the warnog myself,” Diane commented. She did not take one of the seats opposite where Melor sat. Instead she folded her hands behind her back and leaned against the wall casually. “So Melor, I’d like to hear in your own words what happened.”

"Hell if I know." He sat and fiddled with his long hair. It was a little unkept and it had been too long since he had been able to wash it. "I am not sure if you are cleared to know everything." He looked over at Ren.

“I can assure you I am,” Diane answered without moving.

"Well I work directly for my step father and General Stoffels. They are ..." he coughed a little "A bit weary of Starfleet Intel."

Diane had to blink to keep from rolling her eyes. If she’d only had a slip of latinum for every time she’d heard that. “I had a conversation with General Stoffels earlier. I don’t think he’d mind at this point, but if you insist, we could bring the General here. Would that allay your worries?” Diane asked showing no emotion. Inwardly she cursed up a storm that could level a continent.

Melor looked at Wagnor sure he would know what the general would want. Melor was completely loyal to these two men, probably even over the federation. They had saved his life when he was just a boy.

"Here's the clearance orders," Wagnor slid a PADD to Melor.

Wagnor looked at Doctrine, he wasn't sure what her game was. She could have easily shown these orders to Melor and avoid this whole conversation.

"Thank you Commander," Diane answered. She expected Soran would have questions about that particular tactic later on but there was a reason for it. Turning to face Melor again she asked him, "Does everything there look all right? Will you answer my questions now?"

Aalis remained quiet, observing the dialogue between the two officers and the Klingon who didn't look quite like a Klingon.

"That seems in order, commander." He said after putting the PADD down. Ask me what you need." Wait what did she just say she had had an inteview with the general and walked away from it without bruises? Her being intel? he could not manage to keep a confused look off his face.

“Just tell me about your assignment,” Diane prodded politely, “Tell me everything.”

"Well by now you may know that my step father and General Stoffels set up their own little intel operations years ago. Tasin and I work for them. We run intel ops for the organisation. This time a tip had come in that an officer high up in house Subaiesh was willing to defect to the Federation. This was to be a fact finding mission with someone he sent over to feel us out. " He sighed. "If we had thought it would be dangerous we would never have taken Nicky along. I do need to apologize to the general about that."

He shifted uncomfortably. "We got to the planet alright and met with our contact at the agreed on time and place. He was a Klingon but they are not uncommon here in this quadrant. Things seemed to go well. He asked us some questions and we had our own. I think we talked for 30 minutes before each going our way. Except we never reached our digs. We were attacked. Everything went black and after that it is all pretty vague until I woke up here on your ship."

“I see,” said Diane patiently, “What did you and the Klingons discuss?”

"What we could offer his employer if he indeed were to defect and if we could guarantee his safety. And of course we wanted some proof of what he was going to bring us."

“Did you ever get this employer’s name?” Diane asked.

"No. Just that it was someone high up in house Subaiesh. But those bastards have screwed us before in the past." He cursed under his breath in Klingon. "We had asked for more proof and he was going to deliver that the next day."

“I see… What can you tell me about House Subaiesh and this person wanting to defect?” Diane was finally beginning to think she was getting somewhere.

"Our houses have been almost at war with each other for decades. My grandfather Grand Admiral Tasin Pallara is a friend of the Federation and he think the future of the Empire lies in working with or even joining the Federation. House Subaiesh has always held the opposite view. They have tried to assasinate my grandfather many times." He exhaled. "I have no idea if they went after him now and if he is even alive. Or my father. They killed my mother when I was very young. She died protecting me." He looked down for a few seconds to gather himself. "So you see we had doubts from the beginning. But if this guy was for real he would have been a huge asset."

Here was something Diane could confirm with Captain Drex, she made a mental note to call him. “Did you ever find out his name?”

"No. The guy said he would give us the name the next day." Melor looked up. "As soon as I feel up to it I plan to head out into the Empire to get to the bottom of this and find out if my family is okay."

Diane shifted her position, “Is it possible, do you think, that this whole episode was a trap for you and the others? That the Klingons who captured you were only trying to gain information about your own family to use in an attempt to get back at them?”

"Very possible. They have been trying to kill all of us for decades. And sometimes succesful. This is a feud."

Diane’s eyes narrowed, “Do you know what started this… feud?”

"Yes I do. It was an event over thirty years ago when my grandfather was a ship's captain and he made the decision to help a Starfleet ship in distress and in so doing befriended it's captain Shanna London. Shanna was later killed by the Subaiesh fraction but not after my grandfather kind of adopted Shanna's younger brother Owain and they became very close."

“House Subaiesh really hates the Federation that much? Surely there’s a little more to this story?” Diane asked. There would definitely be a call going to Captain Drex this evening to try and confirm this.

Wagnor just stood in the corner and observed the entire interview he was more than happy to let Doctrine handle this. Wagnor didn't know much about the family's history in this regard, but was fairly certain Melor was being genuine,

"That's all I know." Melor said. "Maybe my step father and my grandfather can tell you more. I just know this has been going on for decades and it has cost many lives on both sides."

"All right then, if you can think of anything else helpful, don't hesitate to call me," Diane made her way for the door with a nod to Wagnor, "He's all yours again."

Melor blinked. "Am I a prisoner then?"

Aalis looked over to her Chief to answer that question. She didn't see why he needed to remain in the brig, maybe in quarters that were guarded.

"No, but don't leave the ship it's cold outside." Soran smiled. "You have guest access, you are not to discuss anything that we have talked about with anyone. I think you know the drill."

"Joker." Melor muttered. "I know the drill. I do hope I am allowed to visit Tasin and Nicky? Oh and can I try to contact my grandfather?"

"You'll have to clear that with your with the Captain." Wagnor explained.

"Ok. I will do that." He said. "First I have to ask the doctor is I am really allowed out of sickbay. I was going a little stircrazy there."

"Follow the Doctor's orders or I'll put under watch," Wagnor warned.

Melor looked at his doctor. "I promise to behave if you let me stay in normal quarters."

"I would more recommend light duty for a bit until all the body has naturally accepted my work with healing you and report anything out of an occasional pang of pain." Milton continued. "Light physical exercise is okay to strengthen yourself but no 'Workouts. I want you taking it easy for at least a week. If you can do that I will release you on your own recognizance."

"I can do that. Thank you doctor. Now who do I talk to to get some quarters. Or should I sleep on Tony's couch?"

"My influences of sleeping arrangements outside Sick Bay is Limited, maybe have Tony lite a fire under OPS to get you something." Milton joked as he made some notes.

"I will see. I am used to living rough." Melor smiled back. "I am sure I will be just fine. Thank you for your good care doctor."