Questions of Loyalty

As the crew of the Mazu sets out to continue their search for Dr. Jennifer Prescott and the mysteries behind the slaughter at Arista III, a dinner party brings the senior staff closer together! But as their investigation leads them to a troubled colony on Ajilon Prime, the crew's own secrets may test their newfound bond! The answers may not be pretty when you have to face...Questions of Loyalty!

## Opening Log

> Chief Engineer's log.
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> I am out of practice.  The ship and crew have been in very serious peril, and I… doubted myself.  What's worse, I doubted the crew.
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> The Mazu has been on quiet patrol missions for so long now that the crew has never really known a sense of urgency, and protocol is more of a suggestion.
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> It's no secret that assignments like the Mazu are where Starfleet drops problematic officers, burnouts, and green officers who need a few more reps before they move on to bigger and better things.  I just assumed this new captain and XO were more bright-eyed new command officers, but then this assignment came with them.  We've seen more action in the last week than the whole of the previous decade!
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> I can't put together why this ship has been assigned to such a sensitive mission. And then the whole sector was hit with - I don't even know what hit us!  I've never encountered anything that can just break a ship like that.  I've already started reviewing sensor data.  I'll have to run it by Thyron and see what he makes of it.
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> For all the unknowns, I'm really proud of how the crew has performed.  All that time and energy spent obsessively maintaining the ship paid off, and I'm extremely proud of how well my engineering team worked under pressure.  Take care of the ship and the ship will take care of you - I've always believed that, and made sure my engineers do as well.
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> I'm also pleasantly surprised with the performance of the new COs.  Captain Ral and Commander Neumann are really something special.
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> But now we're escorting a ship full of political refugees back to K7, and I'm worried for their futures.  I certainly agree with the call the captain made (with the rather fierce insistence of our new chief medic, who has been working non-stop to treat these poor people aboard their ship). It feels right to grant these people asylum - Federation negotiations be damned - but I'm not in command, and I don't ever expect to be. I'm not the one with a bright future to endanger, and I'm not about to push anyone out into a deep moral grey area - there are court marshals in those waters.
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> I hope they can all come out relatively unscathed.  I haven't even had a chance to host my traditional welcome dinner for the new senior staff!
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## Synopsis

The Mazu has returned to Deep Space K7 with the Oryani refugees. Cade has overseen their medical care on the station, while Captain Ral has been called in for debriefing, after significant diplomatic fallout from what is now being called the “Oryani Incident.” Admiral Davis informs her that the Starfleet diplomatic core is extremely unhappy, and the Oryani government wants the crew of the Mazu to stand trial on their home world.  When Starfleet refused, the Oryani declared war against the Federation.  While the Oryani themselves pose very little threat to the Federation, having a system in the middle of Federation space in open conflict with them could create an advantage for the Federation’s stronger enemies.

There have been calls within Starfleet for a court martial for the Mazu’s senior officers, but both Admirals Davis and Grasic have adamantly defended the crew.  Starfleet command has been understanding and supportive, and there will be no further repercussions for the Mazu crew.  Davis tells Ral to expect some paperwork, but he will otherwise deflect heat.  The priority mission is still to find the survivors of the station at Arista III.

On her way back to the ship, Captain Ral checks on Cade.  He says the refugees are doing better, and many are feeling hopeful for the first time, but he also wants to know why he wasn’t consulted earlier in the process.  Ral explains that she was concerned about his subjectivity.  Cade insists that while he did have strong feelings on the matter, if the captain can’t trust his judgement, then he doesn’t need to be her chief medical officer. Ral explains that building trust takes time, and that they just haven’t had much time.

Ral returns to the ship. Ramirez is out of commission in sickbay, after being injured during the Quake.  Ral updates Neumann and Izzy on the bridge.  Izzy reports that the ship is good to go, and that she has ordered extra parts, just in case.

Ral seeks out Morganth to give her an update.  When Ral particularly thanks Morganth for her performance during the crisis, Morganth explains that she appreciates Ral’s supportive style of leadership, but that what the crew needs is not support, but *leadership*.  The Oryani situation might have been resolved in a more amicable way if emotions had not played such a large role in the decision making process, but ultimately the captain is in charge, and it’s her call.

Cade returns to the ship, along with additional supplies, including some extra foodstuffs Izzy procured.

Izzy and Neumann have been doing research on the Quake, with data collected from all over the sector. There were significant subspace abnormalities at the moment of the Quake, as well as huge spikes in tetryon excitement.

With everyone back aboard, the ship heads for Ajilon Colony at Warp 7, and should reach the colony in about a day.

Izzy invites the senior staff to a traditional welcome dinner in her quarters.  Among the goods she was able to procure at K7 are ingredients close enough for Cade to cook a Bajoran hasperat.  Ral, Neumann, Cade, and Morganth all attend. Cade has brought along Bajoran ale for everyone, and Morganth has apparently been coerced into attending with her favorite dish - deviled eggs.  The dinner is a success.

Neumann explains to Cade that he should not be judged as a former member of the Bajoran militia, that everyone within the Federation had to fight for their freedom against oppressors at some point, and that that fight is honorable and necessary.  “If I have a problem with you, it will be because of something *you* do.”  Morganth agrees that she is only concerned with a person’s past as it reflects upon their present.  She also reminds him that she is wary of everyone.

The next morning, the Mazu arrives at Ajilon Prime.  The colony is relatively new, close to the old Klingon Neutral Zone, and managed by an organization called Resource.  They arrive to find that the colony is still struggling to keep power up and running after the Quake, and that they also have a Rigalian flu outbreak while low on medical staff.  The Mazu crew offers assistance.

Izzy and Deloran take loaner power cells to work on the power problem.  Cade and Jorsh go to the medical facility to offer assistance.  Neumann and Morganth go to speak to the colony’s Administrator Calder in the hopes of clandestinely searching for Amber Prescott - the sister of missing scientist Dr. Jennifer Prescott.

Izzy and Deloran find the colony’s power systems were damaged in the same way the Mazu was, and get to work.

Tomal, the colony’s Vulcan chief medical officer, puts Cade to work running triage.  He sees no mention of a Prescott among the patients, but is recognized by an older Bajoran woman named Nerys.  She was also part of the resistance, and is surprised to see him with Starfleet.

While Morganth gathers sensor data on the Quake from the administrator, Neumann finds the location of Amber Prescott’s farm.  After checking in with the captain, Neumann and Morganth beam to that location, and find a nice subsistence farm, and Amber Prescott living there with her young daughter - who is named Jennifer.  When they inquire about Dr. Jennifer Prescott, Amber replies, “Jennifer Prescott is dead.”

Back in the medical facility, Cade learns that recently supplies have gone missing from the facility at an increasing rate, and offers to help with the investigation.  After consulting with the captain back on the Mazu and with Izzy, he determines that the missing supplies and their inventory tags can’t be scanned for at long distance, so he’ll have to do further investigation there at the facility.

Neumann and Morganth learn from Amber Prescott that her sister Jennifer died three years ago.  She says she went to the funeral, and is very upset and wants them to leave.  Morganth asks for some water and to use the facilities in the farm house, and uses the opportunity to look for family photos.  She does a quick empath check on Amber and finds that she is afraid of them.  She recognizes a photo of Michael Prescott at his Academy graduation a few years prior, and pretends to be one of Michael’s classmates.  They talk briefly about him, his time in Nova Squadron, his death at Wolf 359, and Amber explains that he was her nephew.  Amber says her sister Jennifer died in a lab accident, and that she didn’t know the nature of Jennifer’s work.  She is clearly hiding something and a telepathic check reveals she is very afraid for *Jennifer*.

As they leave, the younger Jennifer peeks around a corner and asks, “Is Aunt Jennifer gonna be ok?” They learn from her that her Aunt Jennifer had in fact come to visit with in the last few days, and brought a “blue friend” who didn’t talk. Aunt Jennifer didn’t seem normal - she “didn’t play with me.”  Amber finds Morganth and Neumann talking to her daughter, and tells them again to leave, furious.

Izzy gets the power back up, and joins Neumann and Morganth back at the administrator’s office.

While Cade continues investigating the missing medical supplies, Nerys tries to recruit him into helping her cause - she is stealing supplies for the Maquis.  He says he’s already doing what he can, and can smooth this over, but warns her that she is drawing attention, and needs to be more careful.  She tells him, “The runabout wasn’t us.”

Izzy has a bright idea about how the inventory sensors might have been tampered with, and heads over to medical to check on it, so that Cade can get back to doing medical work.

Neumann, Morganth, and Ral research Amber Prescott and the Andorian scientist from Arista III, Shaal Azequin.  Prescott had lived on Earth until recently moving to Ajilon.  She had applied to Starfleet Academy and been rejected.  Shaal Azequin doesn’t show up in Starfleet records, but does ping a record in Andorian Security.

Cade learns from Tomal that the colony’s runabout was stolen the day before the Quake, and the crew get that runabout’s transponder signal.  Cade tells Tomal that he suspects the supply thieves were also responsible for the runabout, and that they have likely left the system.  Izzy discovers that the sensors on the medical storage were killed from one particular panel within the building.  With that information, Tomal seems to think the issue is resolved, and Cade instructs Nerys to lay low for a while, then find a new method and be more careful going forward. She should be clear of suspicion for the time being.