Post by thetokenbrit on Jul 19, 2017 16:15:54 GMT
The waves lapped gently over the body as Captain Elizabeth Watson knelt down beside it.
"We have to seal this area off. No tourists allowed in. I want to speak to the local who discovered the body."
She said it calmly as the face of the dead person stared back at her. His eyes still seemed so alive and she willed herself to focus on other aspects of his body. His rolled up trousers, soaked in the Risian briny waters, his hula shirt flapping open in the breeze to expose his slightly tanned torso.
The local Risian nodded and set about her work, relaying the orders, setting up a cordon. Beth got up, looking away, searching for evidence. Her security officer background coming out again. This was big. Very big. An apparent suicide on Risa. There may never have been one before. She had to keep the news contained. Luckily, the victim had chosen a quiet, out of the way spot where he was only spotted by a local that morning on a floater run over the island. She'd been alerted at the resort by a local as she was a ranking Starfleet officer and hurried to assess the situation before tourists decided to flock to gaze upon the scene. When she'd got there and seen who it was, she held it together surprisingly well.
She took out her commbadge and called her ship in orbit.
"Mister Storry, send down the Doctor and a security team to my location."
A few moments later, Doctor Mik beamed down with a nurse and a two man security team. Mik looked at the man and then at Beth.
"That's.." he started to say, Beth nodded.
"I know. Just run a scan Doctor..." Beth managed to say before turning to look at the swaying palm trees, gritting her teeth.
The Doctor ran a scan as the security team fanned out, one of them alerted Beth to two sets of foot prints. She composed herself and walked over to the crewman. He was correct. There were clearly two sets of prints, one pair obviously belonged to the deceased while the other was smaller, and backtracked up the beach.
"Captain, I have completed my scan." Mik said as he came over. "It appears he was injected with a lethal dose of Veridium Six. It was more than enough to kill him. Indeed, you'll notice that El Aurian physiology is different to that of most other humanoids in that his system tried to counteract the poison with no success."
One of the security team suddenly knelt in the sand and called. "Captain! Here!" Beth and the Doctor walked over to where the man was knelt. There, half buried in the sand was a hypospray. The Doctor ran a scan.
"Well, there's your murder weapon. I'm showing traces of Veridium Six in the hypo vial."
Beth nodded. "Have it secured and beamed to the lab for further testing."
She looked back at the body. "Doctor, have Tora beamed into a stasis chamber aboard the Scorpion as soon as you can."
Beth looked away from the scene as Mik went to instruct his medical team. She crossed her arms, looking up as tears started to form in her eyes. She had to inform James, who would no doubt rip Risa apart looking for Tora's killer. She would too. She remembered how good Tora had been with her, when she was crushing hard on James, he was a sympathetic listener. Indeed, Tora's easy charm had almost made her fall for him herself. She knew he was as big a rogue as James though, he even saw it before she did. She closed her eyes and his words repeated in her head.
"Don't fall for people like James and I, Beth. Fall for someone who can take care of you as you should be taken care of."
She hurriedly walked away from the scene, she felt the tears flow. Mik called out to her but she ignored him. She walked a ways into the jungle and fell to her knees and bawled. Tears of hurt, anger, everything came out. She buried her face in her hands.
After a few moments, she got herself together and looked up, coming face to face with Tora. Startled, Beth fell back.
"You're alive!" she shouted at him.
Tora shook his head. "No, I'm not. Not technically speaking anyway. I also can't tell you who killed me either, I didn't see them. That was damned inconvenient too! I was just about to go for a swim!"
He chuckled.
Beth frowned. "W-What?! But you're here! Standing in front of me!"
Tora grinned. "No, I'm not. I'm in your mind, Beth. I'm just pure energy now. That body really was limiting! But I'm here, in my previous form. Perhaps a little more handsome than..." he nodded towards the beach at his body.
Beth looked him over. He looked the same as usual. She looked back. "Mik!" she called to the Doctor kneeling by Tora's body, covering it up.
"He can't hear you." Tora said, smiling. "We're in what I like to call a moment. Almost like a bubble. El Aurians, we can do that, you know. To your crew, you're still here, crying your pretty little head off."
Beth looked back at Tora, he did seem to be shimmering slightly, as if slightly out of focus.
"Why can't you just...go back into your body?" she asked. Tora laughed.
"I think it was high time for me to move on, don't you? Besides, I have much more freedom this way."
Beth shook her head, slowly getting up and standing, looking at him.
"But...are you really dead?" she asked. "What am I supposed to do, Tora?!"
She was getting annoyed at him now. In death, he was as frustrating as he was in life.
Tora grinned. "I am dead. I've been dead for a long time."
Tora gave a little wave as he shimmered out of existence. She started to head towards him, to grab on to him.
"Tora! Wait!"
She snapped her head up. She was still on her knees on the floor. Beth quickly rose and looked around warily, was it just a grief induced hallucination? Mik was standing close.
"Captain, we're ready to transport on your order." he said, watching her in the way that a Doctor does, looking to see if she wasn't having a complete breakdown.
"Uh, yeah, Mik. Beam up. I'm going to stay down here and go over the area again."
Mik nodded and headed back to the beach as Beth looked back at the spot where Tora had been standing.
Or had he really been there? He'd been dead for a long time? What the hell did he mean by that?! She sighed and shook her head, heading back to the scene of the crime. It had to have been a hallucination. One thing she was certain of however, this was going to be one long headache.
"We have to seal this area off. No tourists allowed in. I want to speak to the local who discovered the body."
She said it calmly as the face of the dead person stared back at her. His eyes still seemed so alive and she willed herself to focus on other aspects of his body. His rolled up trousers, soaked in the Risian briny waters, his hula shirt flapping open in the breeze to expose his slightly tanned torso.
The local Risian nodded and set about her work, relaying the orders, setting up a cordon. Beth got up, looking away, searching for evidence. Her security officer background coming out again. This was big. Very big. An apparent suicide on Risa. There may never have been one before. She had to keep the news contained. Luckily, the victim had chosen a quiet, out of the way spot where he was only spotted by a local that morning on a floater run over the island. She'd been alerted at the resort by a local as she was a ranking Starfleet officer and hurried to assess the situation before tourists decided to flock to gaze upon the scene. When she'd got there and seen who it was, she held it together surprisingly well.
She took out her commbadge and called her ship in orbit.
"Mister Storry, send down the Doctor and a security team to my location."
A few moments later, Doctor Mik beamed down with a nurse and a two man security team. Mik looked at the man and then at Beth.
"That's.." he started to say, Beth nodded.
"I know. Just run a scan Doctor..." Beth managed to say before turning to look at the swaying palm trees, gritting her teeth.
The Doctor ran a scan as the security team fanned out, one of them alerted Beth to two sets of foot prints. She composed herself and walked over to the crewman. He was correct. There were clearly two sets of prints, one pair obviously belonged to the deceased while the other was smaller, and backtracked up the beach.
"Captain, I have completed my scan." Mik said as he came over. "It appears he was injected with a lethal dose of Veridium Six. It was more than enough to kill him. Indeed, you'll notice that El Aurian physiology is different to that of most other humanoids in that his system tried to counteract the poison with no success."
One of the security team suddenly knelt in the sand and called. "Captain! Here!" Beth and the Doctor walked over to where the man was knelt. There, half buried in the sand was a hypospray. The Doctor ran a scan.
"Well, there's your murder weapon. I'm showing traces of Veridium Six in the hypo vial."
Beth nodded. "Have it secured and beamed to the lab for further testing."
She looked back at the body. "Doctor, have Tora beamed into a stasis chamber aboard the Scorpion as soon as you can."
Beth looked away from the scene as Mik went to instruct his medical team. She crossed her arms, looking up as tears started to form in her eyes. She had to inform James, who would no doubt rip Risa apart looking for Tora's killer. She would too. She remembered how good Tora had been with her, when she was crushing hard on James, he was a sympathetic listener. Indeed, Tora's easy charm had almost made her fall for him herself. She knew he was as big a rogue as James though, he even saw it before she did. She closed her eyes and his words repeated in her head.
"Don't fall for people like James and I, Beth. Fall for someone who can take care of you as you should be taken care of."
She hurriedly walked away from the scene, she felt the tears flow. Mik called out to her but she ignored him. She walked a ways into the jungle and fell to her knees and bawled. Tears of hurt, anger, everything came out. She buried her face in her hands.
After a few moments, she got herself together and looked up, coming face to face with Tora. Startled, Beth fell back.
"You're alive!" she shouted at him.
Tora shook his head. "No, I'm not. Not technically speaking anyway. I also can't tell you who killed me either, I didn't see them. That was damned inconvenient too! I was just about to go for a swim!"
He chuckled.
Beth frowned. "W-What?! But you're here! Standing in front of me!"
Tora grinned. "No, I'm not. I'm in your mind, Beth. I'm just pure energy now. That body really was limiting! But I'm here, in my previous form. Perhaps a little more handsome than..." he nodded towards the beach at his body.
Beth looked him over. He looked the same as usual. She looked back. "Mik!" she called to the Doctor kneeling by Tora's body, covering it up.
"He can't hear you." Tora said, smiling. "We're in what I like to call a moment. Almost like a bubble. El Aurians, we can do that, you know. To your crew, you're still here, crying your pretty little head off."
Beth looked back at Tora, he did seem to be shimmering slightly, as if slightly out of focus.
"Why can't you just...go back into your body?" she asked. Tora laughed.
"I think it was high time for me to move on, don't you? Besides, I have much more freedom this way."
Beth shook her head, slowly getting up and standing, looking at him.
"But...are you really dead?" she asked. "What am I supposed to do, Tora?!"
She was getting annoyed at him now. In death, he was as frustrating as he was in life.
Tora grinned. "I am dead. I've been dead for a long time."
Tora gave a little wave as he shimmered out of existence. She started to head towards him, to grab on to him.
"Tora! Wait!"
She snapped her head up. She was still on her knees on the floor. Beth quickly rose and looked around warily, was it just a grief induced hallucination? Mik was standing close.
"Captain, we're ready to transport on your order." he said, watching her in the way that a Doctor does, looking to see if she wasn't having a complete breakdown.
"Uh, yeah, Mik. Beam up. I'm going to stay down here and go over the area again."
Mik nodded and headed back to the beach as Beth looked back at the spot where Tora had been standing.
Or had he really been there? He'd been dead for a long time? What the hell did he mean by that?! She sighed and shook her head, heading back to the scene of the crime. It had to have been a hallucination. One thing she was certain of however, this was going to be one long headache.