Episode 2.02: Rivulets of Copper, Eyes Aflame

[Davy, aka GM]

ShiKahr, N'Varas' Residential Building
At the statement of defiance, the precinct captain's eyebrow lifts slightly, seemingly of its own accord. At the mention of Section 17, it launches to its acme. T'Paara raises a hand, and her officers pause their confiscation duties.

"I will, of course, be required to verify your statement, Mr. Cole," she responds calmly. "You may retain your phasers, but they must stay in their place."

"By the way, are you aware that the security station appears to be on fire?"

T'Paara resists the urge to sigh, answering, "It did not escape our notice. Excuse me."

She steps away and produces her communicator to make a call. Meanwhile, about half of the V'Kor officers stand guard over Cole and his people, while the remainder return to their initial examination of the security console and adjacent areas. A few moments later, the precinct captain stows her communicator and turns back to the Starfleet personnel.

"My superiors have verified your status," T'Paara says. "We had only just arrived and entered the building to secure the lobby when you materialized. We will remain here to prevent ingress and egress, while you secure Principal Investigator N'Varas' floor."

[Davy, aka GM]

Bridge, USS Drake
A moment after the security RRT has been transported to ShiKahr, Chief Nnamdi announces, "Captain, Commander Sorak wishes to speak to you."

"I'll take him here."

The communications specialist transfers the call to the science station and Treyva answers.

"Sir, if I may be permitted, I would prefer to remain at my father's estate as an 'extra layer of protection,' so to speak," the first officer questions. "T'Kiri and I can use our time here to consolidate and collate our known data."

[Renny]

ShiKahr, N'Varas' Residential Building
 We will remain here to prevent ingress and egress, while you secure Principal Investigator N'Varas' floor."

Cole resists the urge to grin and gestures for his team to move up.

"Of course, Captain. Which floor is the investigators accommodation located on? I take it there is stairwell access as well as elevator?"

[Renny]

OOC: Quick question if I may, how many people does Cole have with him?

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Cole has 6 members of the RRT with him: Lt. Lear, Ensign O'Neil, Chief Morais, PO1 Mattin, Spec-2 Obi, and Spec-3 Welsh. The seventh was with Banks when she was beamed up.

[Davy, aka GM]

"Of course, Captain. Which floor is the investigators accommodation located on? I take it there is stairwell access as well as elevator?"

A V'Kor officer with subcommander-equivalent rank insignia on his collar notes that the stairs are behind and to Cole's right at the corner of the lobby. The two lifts are opposite, to the left (ahead and to the right of Cole).

[Renny]

A V'Kor officer with sub commander-equivalent rank insignia on his collar notes that the stairs are behind and to Cole's right at the corner of the lobby. The two lifts are opposite, to the left (ahead and to the right of Cole).

"Thank you sub commander" , Cole acknowledges. He moves across to Lear. "David, you take Welsh and take the stairs. O'Neill, you, Mattin and Obi in the left lift. I'll take the Chief with me in the right. Let's move people. And watch yourselves. We don't know what we're walking into."

As his people move off to their assigned tasks, Cole calls over to T'Paara. "Captain, we'll check in once we have an idea of the situation."

[Renny]

OOC: Random thought, I did check and Australians do tend to use the term lift rather than elevator. Hopefully his team won't be looking at him blankly :-)

[Davy, aka GM]

"Thank you sub commander," Cole acknowledges.

The senior watch officer raises a bemused eyebrow at the use of the military rank, then returns to his other tasks.

He moves across to Lear. "David, you take Welsh and take the stairs. O'Neill, you, Mattin and Obi in the left lift. I'll take the Chief with me in the right. Let's move people. And watch yourselves. We don't know what we're walking into."

"On it, boss," Lear responds. "Let's get moving, Welsh; only sixteen flights to go."

O'Neil also acknowledges his orders and takes his team to the left.

As his people move off to their assigned tasks, Cole calls over to T'Paara. "Captain, we'll check in once we have an idea of the situation."

T'Paara looks up from a datapad in hand and nods once.

OOC: The building is T-shaped, with the front of the building facing southeast. So, residential wings stem out from the intersection NE, NW, and SW. Each floor has a lobby, and the arrangement of the lifts, NW hallway, technical room, and stairway can be approximated as:

Left Lift - Right Lift -| NW Hallway |- Tech Room - Stairs
<-- SW Hallway ---------------------------- NE Hallway -->

The SW and NE hallways hold 10 apartments, and the NW hallways holds 8 (slightly larger) apartments

Chief Morais punches in floor 17 as Cole enters, and the lift rises smoothly to its destination. As the doors open, Cole sees O'Neil and his team carefully exiting their lift (now on his right). The floor's lobby contains avant-garde seating along the far wall on either side of the transparent aluminum triple-door entrance to a moderate-sized conference space contoured to the shape of the front of the building.

Nary another soul can be seen in either direction. Morais points in the direction of the northwest hallway, indicating the location of N'Varas' apartment.

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Meanwhile, what do Treyva and Tobin want to do, now that the excitement has shifted to ShiKahr and N'Varas' apartment?

[Patrick Goodman]

See if there's a pub....

[Renny]

"Chief, see if your tricorder can tell us anything about who else is on this floor", Cole whispers, reluctant to break the silence of the lobby.

He signals for O'Neill and his team to set up in position to watch the hallway while the Chief runs his scan.

[Nolmir]

OOC: After verifying there are no anomalous life signs still present at Spalan's estate, Tobin will shift to providing overwatch for Cole's team at N'Varas' apartment. I suppose he'll have to wait to figure out how the attacker masked his transport signature until the crisis is past ...

[Davy, aka GM]

Bridge, USS Drake
Tobin's final check of the Spalan estate shows that only five life forms, four Vulcan (Sorak and family) and one human (Chief Dhall), remain at the estate. He then works to aim the ship sensors toward ShiKahr. It takes a moment to zero in on the "Kolnar-Kan NNE013" residential tower, but he's soon looking at the 26-floor T-shaped building and its quite full complement of residents and, now, visitors. Knowing N'Varas' residence is on the northwest side of his building (apartment 1726), he focuses his scan on that floor...

Kolnar-Kan NNE013, 17th Floor Lifts
Acknowledging his orders, O'Neil directs Obi to cover the northeast hallway and Mattin the southwest, while he covers the northwest (the direction of N'Varas' apartment). Morais' tricorder begins its soft whir as he gains the lay of the land and the denizens therein.

At that point, O'Neil announces, "Might be a body down this corridor."

OOC: Layout
Apartments in the southwest hallway are numbered 1701-1710 (odd on left, even on right).
Apartments in the northeast hallway are numbered 1711-1720 (odd on right, even on left).
IOW, odd-numbered apartments in these hallways are on the front side of the building.
Apartments in the northwest hallway are numbered 1721-1728 (odd on left, even on right).
Lower numbers are closer to the lobby.
N'Varas' apartment 1726 is third on the right down this hallway.

Findings
Of the 28 apartments on this floor, 25 of them are occupied. (1701, 1712, and 1714 are empty)

Nolmir, please make an Insight + Security task vs. Difficulty 1, assisted by the ship's Sensors + Security. I'll roll Morais' tricorder task when I get home this evening.

[Renny]

Kolnar-Kan NNE013, 17th Floor Lifts
Acknowledging his orders, O'Neil directs Obi to cover the northeast hallway and Mattin the southwest, while he covers the northwest (the direction of N'Varas' apartment). Morais' tricorder begins its soft whir as he gains the lay of the land and the denizens therein.

At that point, O'Neil announces, "Might be a body down this corridor."

Cole exchanges glances with Morais at this. He then strides across to O'Neill's position.

"Move up, i'll cover you," he says to O'Neill, rechecking the setting on his phaser.