Tuvok had known that something was going on the minute another StarFleet vessel had shown up on their view-screen. He had been waiting for the moment when Captain Janeway invited him into her ready room with more then just ghosts floating around the air regarding the other crew.
The door swished closed behind him as he stepped forward into the inviting office. This morning, the usual cheerful office lacked that certain charm. Janeway was sitting on the couch, staring out at the stars. "Captain?" He quarried.
"Come in, Tuvok." She said, not looking at him.
He walked further into the room and up the stairs into the sitting area. Belying his usual custom, he took a seat; sensing that this was going to be a longer conversation then usual.
"I want you to start an investigation into the Belfast." The captain said. "I was sent some files that need decrypting. I want you to run them through the computer." She looked at him. "I also want you to work with Commander Carey during this investigation; she knows her crew, knows their secrets; she might be of help to you."
"What exactly am I investigating?" Tuvok asked. "Do you suspect that it was sabotage?"
"I have too." Janeway replied. "Captain Olsen all but admitted to me that he had a saboteur aboard. This person or persons was attempting to stop their mission into Cardassian space. I have to assume that the same person is attempting to stop the members of the Belfast from returning to Earth and completing that mission."
"I would like to start attempting to decrypt those bio signs that we detected several days ago." Tuvok said. "With your permission, I would like to make use of Lt. Torres' skills."
"Granted. Take anyone you need." Janeway agreed. Tuvok rose to his feet and started walking towards the door. "Tuvok?"
He glanced back.
"Be careful." Captain Janeway told him. "We don't need anyone else to end up in a coffin."
He inclined his head and exited the ready room.
o0o
The beeping of two PADD's toned throughout Commander Carey's quarters. Tuvok was sitting across from her. Every so often he would stop looking at his PADD and glanced up at the commander. It was curious to him why he was here.
She looked up. "Any particular reason you're watching me?" She asked.
"I am trying to determine your motives for inviting me into your personal quarters." Tuvok said coolly.
"Well, if we're going to be stuck on this ship for the next fifty years we might as well try to get along." Natalia said turning her eyes on the PADD in her hand.
That answer wasn't satisfactory to him and somehow she sensed it. She looked up at him. "Something wrong, Commander?"
"Several things." He replied. "But for one, I'd like to know who had the time and motive to sabotage the Belfast's warp core."
"Then let's get back to this list." She picked up her PADD and started to scroll through more names.
Raising an eyebrow, but gamely picking up his PADD, Tuvok read off the next name. "Crewmen Tessa Byron."
Carey shook her head. "She's assigned to surveying new moons we come across. She has no experience with warp cores. Next."
"Lt. Jamie Conner." Tuvok said.
"Maybe, but he was on Voyager when it happened." Natalia sighed and put down her PADD. They had been at this for several hours already. "I can't believe any of them could have done it. Chris handpicked the crew; they all were vetted and double checked."
"Obviously, one of them was overlooked." Tuvok pointed out. "Some did sabotage the Belfast's warp core."
"And I'm not disputing that." Natalia said. "How many more to go?"
Tuvok checked the PADD in his hand. "Three." He said.
"Mm. Two of them were on Voyager" Natalia replied looking at her PADD. "Mess hall; several people saw them there and interacted with them."
"That leaves Lt. Phillip Jennings." Tuvok said. "He has a degree in warp core physics and was stationed in engineering."
Carey shook her head. "I know Jennings; I have a hard time believing it was him. It seems too easy."
"Perhaps it would be conductive to have a conversation with Lt. Jennings." Tuvok looking down at his picture.
"It's too late to do anything tonight." Carey said. "Why don't we do it in the morning?"
"I concur." Tuvok agreed. "Some rest would do both of us some good."
o0o
The strains of one of Mozart's compositions could be heard faintly through the door to the Captain's ready room.
Chakotay pressed the chime and at Janeway's command, walked into the room.
"Computer, pause music." Janeway said putting the PADD, she had been reading down on the table.
"You wanted to see me?" Chakotay asked.
"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about Commander Carey." Janeway replied.
"What about her?" Chakotay asked.
"How do you feel about her?"
"She seems competent enough. A few issues, but nothing that is out of line with what she and the rest of the crew have suffered. Why? What do you think of her?"
"I keep getting the feeling that there's something more to her then what we're seeing." Janeway said. "And then there's this. We managed to get the weird bio-signs decoded. Only Tuvok and I have seen this." She handed him the PADD that had been in her hand.
"Three bio-signs, two of them normal. Look at the third one. We had to wade through two other bio signs, Corvaian and Human before we found this one."
Chakotay did. "Cardassian?" He said in surprise. He looked up. "Carey is a Cardassian?"
"That's what the scans suggest. Now I'm quite curious to know why a Cardassian bio sign is showing up attached to the commander for all intents and purposes looks like a human. Her StarFleet records even say that she was born on an Earth colony."
"What's she doing here? Wearing a StarFleet uniform?" Chakotay asked.
"I don't know." Janeway admitted. "But something tells me that Captain Olsen wouldn't have let a Cardassian agent onboard his ship. There's more going on here then meets the eye."
"Let me have a talk with her." Chakotay said. "There's got to be a reason for this." He motioned to the PADD in his hand.
"Let's not tip our hand, Chakotay." Janeway cautioned. "I already have Tuvok with her; if she really is a Cardassian agent, I don't want to spook her into doing something drastic."
"And if she's not, then we're leaving out a valuable resource to help us find the real killer." He argued. "One conversation."
Katheryn looked at him for a long moment; he knew that she was gauging how far to trust his intuition.
"Just one." Janeway agreed finally. "I trust your judgement, Chakotay."
"I hope so." He replied. "Because I have a feeling that we're wrong about this, Katheryn."
"I believe it when the evidence suggests otherwise. For now, I need to do what's best for this crew. And if that is putting a suspected Cardassian spy into the brig for the next fifty years, then that's what I intend to do."
o0o
Down on the lower decks in her borrowed quarters, Commander Carey was trying to enjoy some down time, unsuccessfully. The doors chimed interrupting her attempted tries at reading.
"Enter!' Natalia called from her place on the couch. The doors opened and Samar walked into her room. He took in the minimal decorating and the subdued lighting.
"Commander." He said nodding to her. "I hope I'm not interrupting you."
"No, Samar." She replied, closing her book. "I'm just trying to get some down time. What can I do for you?"
"I am in need of your override codes." The Vulcan said bluntly.
"What?" Natalia asked, putting her book down and swinging her feet onto the floor.
This was more serious then she'd first thought. The two of them had meet several times over the last few days to discuss crew dynamics and how to keep some order now that they had been integrated into Voyager's crew. There were many of the Belfast that were angry and with good reason; their captain had been murdered.
"I need your override codes." He repeated. "Since you are working with Voyager's crew, you have higher clearance then I do."
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Lt." Natalia said stepping closer to him. "What do you need them for?"
"I cannot ell you."
"And why not?" The Vulcan didn't answer.
"Samar, what's going on?" Natalia asked.
"I cannot tell you." He repeated.
"You're going to have too. I don't give my codes without knowing what they are going to be used for."
"I give you my word that no on will be harmed by my actions." Samar said.
"I still can't give them to you." She repeated again. "Not without knowing what you're going to use them for."
"I need those codes." Samar said stepping closer to her, his voice no longer devoid of emotion. He grabbed her arm tightly.
Natalia felt a momentary flash of fear. Samar was only part Vulcan. His mother had been a Romulan and she knew that with his Vulcan strength and Romulan emotions, he could be dangerous.
The door chimed. "Come in." Natalia said, managing to make her voice sound steady.
Samar let go of her arm and stepped back as the doors opened. Natalia winced, rubbing at her bare arm. His hand had left a bruise. Commander Chakotay walked in.
"Am I interrupting?" He asked.
"No, the Lieutenant was just leaving." Natalia replied, hiding her arm behind her back. She managed to not make that sound like an order. What was going on with Samar? He never acted like this, never acted out of control.
"Commander." Samar nodded to Chakotay and left, the doors hissing closed behind him.
"I was hoping we could talk." Chakotay said. "I heard that Captain Olsen and you were close. I'm sorry. It must be difficult."
"Is this your unofficial counsellor coming out again?" She asked with a small smile. It was a sad smile though.
Chakotay smiled. "Something like that. I wanted to apologize. I was a bit harsh with you before."
"Sympathy apology?"
"Sincere apology." Chakotay reassured her.
"Thank you." She replied. Awkwardly, she motioned to the couch. "Sit?"
"Okay." Chakotay sat on the couch and she settled in on the other end. "I wanted to touch base with you about your crew, how they are holding up with the integration."
"Samar and I met yesterday with a few of them. I need more answers then I can give them. For the most part their frustrated and understandably so. I may know a few more pieces then them and this whole thing still makes me angry!"
She took a breath.
"You could unclassify the whole thing." Chakotay suggested. "Then maybe your crew would have an easier time understanding why their captain was killed."
"Tell them there's a saboteur aboard and it could be anyone of their fellow crew mates?" Carey shook her head. "It would cause mass panic. Chris and I already discussed all the possible courses of action and telling the crew was last on the list. Only if we were forced into revealing it would we do so."
"If we could gain a better understanding of your mission, then we'd be able to help figure out who the traitor is." Chakotay said.
Carey leaned back in the chair. "You're not the first one whose tried that tactic, Commander. Tuvok was in here earlier today, fishing for information. I know that he's here to keep an eye on me."
"Would Chris have done it differently?" Chakotay asked.
Carey smiled. "No. He would have made sure I was the one sitting in this room. I don't an any issue with having your security officer keep an eye on me, I do have an issue with people questioning my oath to StarFleet. I'm not the one who classified those documents. If I tell you their contents, I am disobeying a direct order from someone high over your head. I'm not about to throw that our just because I'm sitting fifty years from home."
Chakotay stood up. "I was hoping I could help change your mind."
"Some things should stay buried, Chakotay." She told him, looking up into his dark eyes. "Secrets are there for a reason."
"Just as long as those secrets don't get more members of this crew killed." He replied quietly. "Good night, Commander." He turned and left her quarters.