[240103.15 Ancient ch`Rihan...]
After having reported the Agent's rather odd behavior to the RS, and assuring the barmaid that help was on its way with a slight smile, tr`Sorek continued on his own way once more. His objective for the day: finish repairs to one of the computers in the computer core. Heading towards the ship, he hears the voice of t`Hietan call out to him. Stopping to turn towards the younger, enthusiastic assistant operations officer as she ran up to him, tr`Sorek bowed his head slightly, "Erien....Jolan`tru. Au needed to speak with me?"
"Jolan`tru," she bowed her head and came to a stop beside him. Motioning towards the ship, she continued, "I saw au headed for the ship, and since I have to go in as well, I thought 'safety in numbers'." she tossed him a nervous little smile, then asked in a sheepish tone, "Would au mind terribly if I walked with au for a little?" the girl paused to look up at the ship, "I know it sounds silly...but I don't feel comfortable going in there alone."
"And why is that?" tr`Sorek nodded once in acceptance of her question of walking with him, and started for the ship once more.
"Well...with the murder of tr`Ehger...." the girl trailed off momentarily, looking from tr`Sorek walking beside her, to the ship, then back at the ground. "I can't imagine anyone hating him enough to do what they did. tr`Ehger wasn't any harm to anyone."
"I see." tr`Sorek nodded. "Well, tr`Ehger was...killed...at night." he pauses to glance up pointedly at the sky, "It's full daylight, so there's na-thing to worry about now, is there?" he smiled at the younger officer.
"I know..." the girl shrugged slightly, "It's silly to feel spooked, I guess...."
"Na at all." tr`Sorek shook his head and interrupted her gently. "There are more experienced officers in the camp that are ... 'spooked', as au say; so it's perfectly natural."
"And au?" she asked quietly, looking up at him, "Aren't au scared about it all?"
"Well, there's na really anything I can do about it. So..." he nodded towards the other officers going on about their own business around them, "I let the proper authorities handle it. In this case, the security department." he looked back to her and smiled in a reassuring way, "That's their job."
"Ie." t`Hietan nodded and returned his smile with a hopeful one of her own, "I'm sure they'll have caught the culprit soon. Then we can all rest a little easier."
"Ie." tr`Sorek agreed, stopping to hand over his work-order isd to the security guard stationed at the entrance. Continuing once they had both been logged in by security, tr`Sorek said, "I'm sure that they're doing everything....I'm going to the computer core... where are au headed, Erien?" he surprised her with the sudden question.
"Oh, um...actually, I have to check the power coupling on deck 3." she shrugged, pausing near an access tunnel, to look at the still walking figure of tr`Sorek.
"Then au had better hurry and check the coupling so au can be on ninte way once more." tr`Sorek nodded, not turning around in the least, and continued on his way to the computer core.
t`Hietan sighed a little forlornly at that, then narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at tr`Sorek's retreating back. Stomping off a moment through the tunnel, her defiant attitude lost itself once again as she heard her footsteps echo hollowly off the walls; the echoes seeming exceedingly loud to her own ears - given emphases to her vulnerability as she was alone.
Lowering her eyes to the scanner that she held in her hand, she kept her mind focused on its small screen, and tapped it's keys as she walked quietly - though swiftly - through the empty corridor. Finding a cluster of the power couplings that she was supposed to check over, t`Hietan ran a quick scan, then spent the next few minutes repairing one of the cables. Splicing a length of new cable to the damaged one, and finishing her task, t`Hietan tossed a nervous glance first down one end of the corridor, then to the other, then quickly made her way back from where she had come from.
Breathing a sigh of relief once she was once more back outside, t`Hietan jumped a foot and let out a little yelp of surprise when tr`Anrex's hand fell on her shoulder after exiting the Morrhae`Vnu. "I need to see ninte work-order isd again." tr`Anrex shrugged by way of apology. "I need to note that au left the ship....so we can keep an eye on au, and know that au`rh safe." he nodded.
"Ie, of course..." t`Hietan nodded back, handing over her isd as she had upon entering after tr`Sorek. "Sorry, I didn't remember...."
"It's alright..." tr`Anrex smiled at the girl, giving her credentials back. As t`Hietan walked away once more, tr`Anrex looked over to the form of tr`Ghist walking towards him. Waiting until the assistant tactical officer grew nearer, tr`Anrex asked in a hopeful air, "Please tell me au`rh my replacement..."
"Ie, that I am." tr`Ghist smiled a bit, "Just make sure au send some-io back for me in a couple hours. I have to help tr`Hynrix do a weapons and equipment check later."
"Ie!" tr`Anrex tossed his own isd to tr`Ghist, "Here's the list, just make sure au check off every io that enters and exits... don't want to have to throw *another* search party. There's already io still out for t`Bahyk and tr`Beck.
And at just that moment, the RS's request for a security team came through, startling them and the rest of the security personnel, followed closely by the Daise`Dehno's report that t`Bahyk and tr`Beck had been found....dead.
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