Getting out of the Cold

Posted on Tue Aug 27th, 2019 @ 11:25pm by Lieutenant Aleksander Voroshilov & Lieutenant Alanah Matashi & K'Lok Maarg & Ashe Zachariah

Mission: War and Peacekeeping
Location: Raging Diety

"You know," Aleksi had notice Kaarg's expression when he had handled the bottle, not a totally unjustified one. At the very least he needed to allay that fear. As they walked in he noticed the cleanliness, the almost OCD level of it. Retrieving two shotglasses from under the bar he poured a pair of shots, "I've always heard that drinking before noon was uncivilized."

Opening the tricorder he scanned one glass, unhesitatingly downing the other one. He felt it highly unlikely the vodka had been poisoned, but if it had he'd at least have someone nearby that wouldn't let him die. Or perhaps Kaarg would, "I always thought those people lacked imagination."

Ashe walked into the bar, using her over ride code to gain access, surprised that it had been locked in the first place. The first thing she noticed was Aleksi and Kaarg in the bar, smiling as she shook her head. "Isn't it a bit early for a party?" she asked quietly.

"Dead body in my freezer tends to put me in a drinking mood," Kaarg said, his voice full of anger. "It seems my prediction was correct. I hate being right about these things." He wasn't looking at either Ashe or Aleksii when he spoke, just off towards the windows to space.

"Safe, as I suspected," Taking the other shot he poured three more fresh glasses, one for the each of them, motioning for Ashe to sit, "The short of it is this. Kaarg found a body in the shared freezer. Unfortunately, that body was once Evita, Vicente's right hand woman. Now the boss wants you to do a once over and figure out if anything in the bar has been disturbed."

"Evita?" Ashe asked, color draining from her face. "Is this a joke?" she glanced between Aleksi and Kaarg, gripping the edge of the bar tightly. "Are...are you sure?"

Aleksi nodded, knowing how this could potentially play out. The woman she'd have motive to harm ends up dead in her bar, or at least near it, "We're dead sure."

"I see..." there was a long moment of silence as Ashe leaned heavily against the bar. "I think I'm going to need that drink," she muttered quietly.

Kaarg looked around after handing Ashe the drink. "I hate being right sometimes," he said to no-one in particular.

Finishing the shot, Ashe put the glass back on the bar and walked around to the other side where both Aleksi and Kaarg were standing, casting a glance around. "Someone was in here," she said quietly. "Bottles have been moved, they're out of order. There's glasses missing from the trays..." She leaned toward the bar, sniffing and screwing her face up. "There's chemicals, harsh chemicals, we don't use them."

Aleksi looked at Kaarg, then back to her, a slight smile on his face, "Something wipe away everything. Any bottles empty or missing completely?"

"Bottles have been rearranged, along the bottom shelf," Ashe replied calmly as she cast a discerning gaze over the tiered shelves of alcohol behind the bar. "There's a bottle of tequila missing, it was near full yesterday, and the vodka shouldn't be there, the vodka is normally in the freezer." She sighed softly, moving around behind the bar. "There's not a lot I can see, it's been tidied up, but it's just wrong."

"I pulled the bottle out. It was open and rolling on the floor," Aleksi took a seat at the bar, drumming his fingers, "Well, something happened here. Looking more and more like poison."

"Poison?" Ashe asked, surprise clear on her face. "I thought she was in the freezer? Wouldn't the cold have killed her?" The bartender was clearly confused, and a little concerned that Aleksi had plucked poison out as the cause of death so easily. "Is there something you know that you're not telling the rest of us?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Alanah came through the door after looming through sensor and surveillance logs. "Sensors and surveillance have nothing." She offered to Aleksi before acknowledging the other two in the room. "I believe your poison theory is looking correct." She pulled up a seat.

"There wasn't much of a mess in freezer," Aleksi looked at her, his tone indicating it wasn't just theory speaking, "No struggle, at best she was drugged prior to being put in the freezer. If she was locked in, hoping only the cold would kill her, you'd see everything strewn about, broken bottles as she tried to smash her way out, the window to the freezer would have a distinct freezing pattern as she screamed and breathed on on it asking for help."

"You're kind of creepy sometimes," Ashe said as she looked at Aleksi. "You know that? The fact that you know that in such detail is kinda creepy."

"I think the word you're looking for is experienced," He didn't find the knowledge pleasurable, but it was useful to some extent. It looked like his efforts to keep her away from the shitstorm only brought her in more. Aleksi gave Ashe a small smile before turning to the Chief of Security, "What can we help you with?"

The Klingon finally spoke. "You know, this is all indicating that she knew her attacker. Possibly trusted him or her enough to drink with them without fear for her safety. A potentially poisoned bottle, no struggle, she looked peaceful in there and like she laid down for a nap. Something is off here."

"Like she was hoping someone would open up the door for her," Aleksi drummed his fingers on the bar top, not liking where this could potentially be heading, "Or someone who just gave up."

"Well my team has been working on various theories and these issues you bring up worry us as well. We have started to run with a new theory that what if the killer was one of her own that did this to plant the seed of retaliation ?" Alanah proposed to the group

"Possible," Aleksi didn't want to admit that she was likely right on the money. Of course that was the most likely cause, there'd be more blood otherwise. The last thing he needed was for any of the TLF to be arrested, it wasn't their war. Any move to be made for justice would only bring the violence the Federation, "But that would take time figure out."

The Klinong chef nodded at Alannah as she spoke, his mind already working that angle as well. "I really dislike fanatics," he said to no-one in particular. "Even their own aren't safe."

"It will take some time to prove. In the mean time I spoke to Capt and we are going to flip the switch on things. We have been to accommodating. Both side are going to report here to the lounge. We will have full Security teams and Marines stationed in and out." Alanah explained the plan. "That way we can keep tabs on everyone while we retro fit the Cargo bay as a holding area and investigate their quarters."

"Well, that's a solution," Aleksi stood up, chuckling, "Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor. Maybe we can put an end the civil war mano y mano," His stomach growled, he had been seriously looking forward to breakfast, "Now before we continue speculating I should probably get something to eat. It's too early and I'm too famished to be clever."