Interrogating the Klingons

Posted on Sat Nov 5th, 2022 @ 3:18pm by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine & Commander Antonia 'Tony" Stoffels & Lieutenant Commander Aalis Rinne & Lieutenant Sky Jansen-Carey & Lieutenant Commander Rutherford (RJ) Milton

Mission: Traitor amongst us?
Location: brig/holodeck

ON:

The three Klingon prisoners are being marched through the ship. Commander Wagnor was in the lead, followed a squad of security people, then the Klingons, then another squad of security. They were all armed with phaser rifles an at no time were less than four of them pointed at each of the Klingon's heads.

The last part of their march took them through an archway and into the inner-room of the Resolution's port, forward airlock. The lighting was dim and the door to the outer airlock was open.

Waiting inside were Lieutenants Rinne and Milton, and 'Commander Doctrine. The Intelligence officer was wearing her all black uniform and her hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

When Wagnor, the security detail, and the prisoners arrived Diane pointed to a place on the floor. This was where the Klingons would be lined up, three abreast, with the security detail staying far enough away to not be grabbed in a surprise melee, but close enough so the they simply could not miss if they fired their rifles.

Diane glared at them trying to decide which one to talk to first. The lowest ranking one, she decided, would be appropriate. She moved to stand in front of the Klingon soldier, "Your name, rank, and house," she demanded speaking their native tongue.

"Ethall Qossirr, warrior, ehhrr house Grilka." He muttered.

Wagner stood with his man his face was neutral, this was Doctrine's show. He followed her instructions exactly, he wasn't didn't like like plan. The fact that she thought he would go along with this made him wonder how much she really knew about it's past.

Milton had his part to play in all this; keeping them from being physically abused or worst is his line in the sand. He would follow the instructions Diane asked of him and had his Medical Satched for field medicine on him for the added resources. This is her show and he would leave her to it.

Continuing in Klingon Diane asked, “You will tell me, Qossirr, why you captured Starfleet officers and tortured them for information.”

He shrugged. "Don't know. Just following orders."

Diane’s eyes narrowed and she pressed, “What were your orders, exactly.”

"To scare them and have some fun with them, especially the boy."

“Who gave those orders?” Diane took a step towards Klingon soldier.

Not impressed he just shrugged in the direction of his superiors.

Diane flicked her head towards the airlock opening. Everyone knew their part and the signals that would be given. Six of the security guards pick up Qossirr by his limbs and tossed him into the airlock chamber and closed the inner door.

Diane pressed the intercom button and sneered, “You are quite useless.” She took her finger off the intercom button and activated the outer door.

Away Qossirr went into the vastness of space.

"Commander!" Milton all but screamed. "Y-you can't blow someone out the airlock that is murder..." Milton protested until the hulking security man put up a warning finger.

The fact of the matter was, they were all on the holodeck and Qossirr was just beamed back to his holding cell. Everyone present knew that except for the Klingon prisoners, of course. Diane knew they only had two chances left to get the prisoners to talk. If this ruse didn’t work as planned, they’d have to find another way.

Diane swiveled to face the doctor. With her face out of the prisoner’s view she offered the barest wink at Milton and admonished him serverely, “You saw what they did to our people! How can you defend that barbarism?”

"Sit down Doc, that was clearly an accident." Wagnor barked.

Diane flashed a ‘c’mon, play along here’ look to Soran. She turned fully on him and with a raised voice said, “It was not and you know it! Don’t defend these p’htak! You saw how they treated Nick and Tasin! Klingons killed my parents and I intend to avenge them and Nick and Tasin somehow, if I can do a little of that here and now I WILL!”

Wagnor stayed at the back of the room he didn't want any part in this morbid game, but he continued playing his part. "The report will say it's an accident and we can't have people thinking that Federation officers throw prisoners out of airblocks no can we?"

Sky had arrived at the opportune time, later than she was planning but just in time to play along. “She’s quite serious Commander,” She gave Soran a serious look, and a wink when the Klingons weren’t looking.

Soran didn't respond to Sky his eyes were cold.

Aalis nodded to the counselor as she entered. She turned her attention back to the Commander. "I mean, engineering can show that there was a power surge or something or another that caused the airlock to malfunction, Sirs."

“Of course you can,” Diane’s tone took on a mischievous quality. Now she focused on the next higher ranking prisoner. In Klingon she asked, “How useful are you going to be?”

"Not." The woman growled back. "Puny human!"

Diane flicked her head towards the airlock again and the scene repeated itself.

One left, Diane thought to herself, this idiot better say something. She was taking a gamble and she knew it. This ruse would only work once. Getting them to talk after would be extremely difficult at best.

She stood right in front of the highest ranking Klingon that was captured and spoke calmly. “Well Lieutenant, I think by now you know what I want to know, are you going cooperate?”

The young lieutenant looked a little green and uneasy. Part of him was sure that Federation officers would never do this. But could he be sure? Dying this way was not exactly honorable either. Yet... giving information about his lord and house... He licked his lips. "I ehm followed orders."

“Tell me about your orders,” Diane insisted.

He thought for a while. "Air lock is at least quick. My lord would make it last days if I betray him."

Diane’s eyes narrowed and her lips curled into an evil grin, “What makes you think I’ll toss you out today?”

"Commander, if I may?" she asked before stepping up to the Klingon. "I mean, if you want us to make it last like your Lord's torture, we could just toss you in there and only crack the seal. You'll slowly suffocate and freeze to death," Aalis stated. "It could last weeks if we put some water and food in there for you too. We'll just let your Lord know that we ran out of Brig cells and this was the next viable option." Aalis was playing along with a deadpanned seriousness.

K'tam was close to cracking. "You... you are Federation... you can't" He was a young man and this had been one of his first assignments. "You." He looked at the doctor. "Don't let them do this."

"I could tell you the results of the plan." Milton spoke. "Dying from dehydration is generally not uncomfortable once the initial feelings of thirst subside. If you stop eating and drinking, death can occur as early as a few days, though for most people, approximately ten days is the norm. In the warrior genetics of Klingons, the process can take as long as several weeks. While the pre-active stage lasts for about three weeks, the active stage of dying lasts roughly three days... average." Milton was serious in his expression like never seen by most. "I will not go into the agonizing feeling of the throat drying without water, just to say the experience is highly uncomfortable and should be avoided ." He looked to the Klingon. "I will forgo you the description of the shock as every breath is labored while the body withers away slowly."

He seemed done with his dissertation.

Sky felt a little like a spare wheel in the room with the torment of the Klingons ongoing, she walked across to Soran simply standing beside him out of the way. She wasn’t an interrogator, and she had nothing to say on the topic of torture of any kind.

Wagnor watched the situation unfold the he seen similar atrocities before, only it hadn't been a hollow deck. He clenched his jaw, he pushing the memories out of his head.

"You... are serious." The young Klingon man said nervously. "My lord underestimates you." He seemed to be giving in.

“Your Lord underestimates quite a bit,” Diane sneered, “Now, you tell me who he is and you tell me what your mission was and you tell me why you tortured Starfleet personnel!” As she spoke her voice grew louder and harsher as she took several steps towards the Klingon Lieutenant.

He took an involuntary step backwards. "Will... will you grant me asylum if I tell you? And protection?"

Diane started pacing in a circle around the Klingon trying to keep a grin of glee off her face. When she came back around to be in K’Tam’s view again her duty face resumed, “We have a Betazoid in this room, if you lie, well, I don’t have to tell what will happen now, will I?” She stopped in front of K’Tam and faced him squarely. “If what you tell us can be confirmed, we can arrange asylum.”

He nodded. "My lord is Ke'ren Epetai Subaiesh. He has declared blood feud with house Pallara and all it's allies. It was my job to lay a trap for the humans, Stoffels, and London by all means necessary and then to kill as many of their line as I could. My team was not the only one sent out to do this."

Diane gave a side glance to Sky hoping for confirmation K’Tam was telling the truth, although she expected he was based on his body language and the sweat on his brow.

Sky had been closely monitoring the conversation, she looked towards Diane. “From what I can tell, He’s telling you the truth.”

“Name the other teams and don’t forget their targets,” Diane stared back at K’Tam with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"I don't know, honest to Kahless I don't know."

Sky nodded to Diane confirming it was the truth.

Diane leaned a little closer, “Kahless can’t help you now… what is the exact reason for this blood feud?”

Aalis was taking notes on the PADD that she had with the information that the Klingon officers were giving them. Now knowing that there was a second team was disconcerting, especially since they had one of the Stoffel line aboard.

To his horror he could feel something trickle down his legs. J'nohis had never wanted to be a warrior, he had wanted to be an architect but coming from a family of warriors his father had given him no choice. Fiercely loyal to house Subaiesh he had made his eldest son go to the warrior academy and then offered him in direct service to the Epetai of the house.

"It was before my time. I only know the stories my father told me. I think grand admiral Pallara tricked our Epetai's father in a battle very dishonourable. Our Epetai's uncle and some cousins were killed in that battle. But that was many years ago. I think there has been a blood feud ever since. And my father told me that Pallara had only been able to win that battle because of even greater treachery. Using Starfleet. It is all I know. I swear. ... I did not enjoy this mission." In fact he had not participated in the torture but he had watched. Part of him was even glad sergeant Rahnon was gone. She had been the real brains behind this small party and a bitch.

“That wasn’t so difficult after all now was it?” Diane kept her expression neutral.

He nodded his head looking at the ground to embarrassed to do anything else.

“You don’t need to feel embarrassed,” Diane said, “You may have aided us in uncovering a conspiracy. I may have a few more questions for you later. At any rate, we’ll get you asylum and a place to live out your life and to stay out of trouble.” Diane then gave the signal for K’Tam to be taken back to his cell.

Aalis tapped something on the PADD and three security officers walked into the Holodeck and around the holographic corridor to escort him back to the Brig.

Wagnor nodded Aalis as she passed with the guards and the prisoner. Then he have Doctrine a look of cold fury, he hated mind games and this one was over the line. Now prisoners were out of the room, he let some of his guard down.

"Commander we're going to need to talk," he growled.

Diane watched K'Tam be marched off to his cell. She could tell by his tone exactly what Soran wanted to talk about. She let out small, relieved sigh that the business was over for the time being. "Okay. Let's talk. Tell me what's on your mind."

Soran looked over at the Doctor and the Counselor, then back at and Doctrine. "In private."

Now it was Diane's turn to glance over at Doctor Milton and Lieutenant Jansen. She blinked once slowly. "Fine, if you two don't mind. Computer, arch," the doors to the holodeck appeared.

"My office in five minutes," Soran said as he turned on his heel. "I need to see to the prisoners first."

"I assure you they are fine although I think K'Tam needs clean undergarments. They are each in a separate cell with an opaque containment field. They shouldn't be allowed to converse or even see each other... but I suspect you know that already," Diane told him. "I should also talk to Rahnon again. I have a suspicion she knows the most."

Sky looked at Diane offering a polite nod before making her way out of the room. She was aiming to catch Soran, but she doubted he’d appreciate talking about what just occurred with Diane. Instead she headed on her way, she could always talk to Soran later.

Milton had hoped to speak privately about his help he had given in rigging the Holo-Deck for this prodcedure and if she approved of his work? It is a matter for a later time of course. Milton took his leave.

Diane was the last one out of the holodeck with a somewhat cross expression her face.