Eelim and Dolittle: Just the facts...

Posted on 08 Jun 2017 @ 9:33pm by Rear Admiral Harold Doolittle & Lieutenant JG Eelim Galan

2,164 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Starfleet Command - Doolittle's Office
Timeline: MD03 0800 hours

ON:

Eelim sat in front of the Admiral's office. He hated being summoned like this. He knew that this was as debrief and it would relatively be simple but he had too much energy and too much on his mind.

As Doolittle returned to his office, he noticed a man sitting outside his door and he recognized from the file he had seen that it was Lieutenant Galan.

"You're a bit early lieutenant," the admiral said as he opened the door to his office. "Well, better early than late. Step into my office please."

Eelim got up and headed into the office. "I tend to be early a lot." He muttered.

"Have a seat," he said as he walked around the desk and took his own chair. He studied Galan for a long moment before speaking.

"Lieutenant, I don't believe in wasting time so let's just get down to cases, shall we? Why don't you tell me what you know about this situation with the Galileo..."

Eelim cringed, "I'm sorry Sir, I'm not trying to be a cuss...but which one. There were so many situations with the Galileo since we got to the nebula and onwards."

"Why don't you tell me why the Galileo was in the Paulson Nebula in the first place," the admiral said. "I would think that nebula and the area is already fairly well known. Were you doing research in there or was there some other reason?"

Eelim gave a nod. "We were en route to Starbase 234. We were part of the way there and we got a distress call. It came from the Paulson Nebula. We were having trouble getting it all to be understood and when we did we figured out it was from a ship missing for 40 years. We didn't know what to think." He shook his head as if it was still hard to believe.

Doolittle searched his memory. Over the past 40 years there were probably dozens of ships that had been reported missing - perhaps hundreds, but the only one that came to mind was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an ore freighter that had gone missing near the Badlands some years back.

"Did you find the ship that was missing?" he asked. "If so, what was the situation when you found her?"

"There was no ship." He said bitterly. "It was a beacon that was on a loop sending the distress call. It was a trap. The whole crew knew it."

It was pretty much the same story he had heard before so he was satisfied that at least that much of what he'd been told was true. But there were still other questions that remained to be answered.

"Were you aboard the Klingon ship as well, Lieutenant Galan?" Doolittle had heard of an attempted takeover of the Klingon ship by what was possibly a band of renegade Klingons. Perhaps Galan could expound on what he had heard and shed some light on it.

"We went into the nebula, they figured out our transmission were jammed. We were surrounded, it all...." His eyes seemed to jump all over the place. "It was all so quick. The ships came from all over and I was still recovering. When we were boarded I wasn't fast enough. Damned knife wound..."

"So you were ambushed." The admiral furrowed his brow in thought. "Klingons are not ones to shy away from battle, that is true. But they are an honourable race. Where is the honour in ambushing your enemy?" H shook his head slowly. "Something just doesn't seem to fit here." He looked out the window of his office for a moment, his gaze taking in the grounds around Starfleet, San Francisco Bay, and the Golden Gate bridge. After a moment, he turned his attention back to Galan. "How many ships did they hit you with, Lieutenant...?"

Eelim shook his head, "I don't know. I was in the brig on light duty after my injury but I heard from the tactical officer on the bridge 5 then 7 from another. I don't know exactly. One minute I was sitting guarding the prisoner and the next the ship started to shake. I just remember the chaos and then the escape pods. They picked us off like grapes and straight into the brig. I heard the Admiral and another crew member were on the ship when she..." He shook his head. He still couldn't believe the events of the last few months.

"When she what?"

"When the ship was destroyed sir. We didn't find out that the Admiral was alive until we were on Krenus." He said.

"How long was it after the Galileo was destroyed until you found out that Admiral Saalm was still alive?" He knew what he had been told by his previous interviewees and, while he did not doubt what they had told him, he wanted to see if the perspective was different from each one.

He shrugged, "I don't know about anyone else but I found out when we got on the Klingon ship. That was...a bitter pill to swallow for a many people."

"Oh? And why was it a bitter pill?" Doolittle thought it a bit odd that anyone might be disappointed or concerned that their commanding officer had survived. "I would think that everyone would be pleased that Admiral Saalm had survived."

"Some of us were but the rumours started flying. She was in command of the Klingon ship many began to wonder if she hadn't lead us into a trap." He said in a matter of fact way.

This wasn't the first time he had heard of this suspicion and he filed it away in the back of his mind for future reference. He was scheduled to interview Admiral Saalm at a later date. Perhaps this was something he should bring up with her.

"I see..." he said carefully. "And did you have any opinion on this subject one way or the other?"

"I did, I don't believe she was involved. I believe that she did what she had to in order to save her crew. She lost much during this incident." Eelim said.

"I suppose you are referring to her ship and crew? Or is there something else that I am missing?"

Eelim gave a nod, "The ship, crew and she was pregnant with twins. She was looking forward to having them."

Doolittle had found no record of a pregnancy in Saalm's personnel file, but that could be simply because it had not been updated by the medical staff recently. And it had no real bearing on this investigation, so he would press on to other subjects.

"Tell me about Krenus." Doolittle glanced down at the notes on his PADD, then looked back at Galan. "What were the conditions there for you?"

He sighed, "Not good. They lack in medical facilities and equipment, we worked in the mines or water plant, I got the water plant. Not enough food for everyone, and those damned chips."

He was the second one after Eviess to bring up the subject of those chips. "Ah yes, the chips. I've heard about them. Seen one of them. What can you tell me about them?"

"I didn't even know we had on until Evie...Doctor Eviess became ill and they had to remove it. Then word spread we all had one." He shook his head. "I had mine removed on Starbase 234. Doctor Wagby was able to do it within the hour and he sent it to I believe Starfleet Engineering."

"Eviess showed me the one that was removed from her spine," Doolittle said. Perhaps Starfleet Medical or Science will be able to shed more light on it when they get a chance to look at one. Other than the implants, how were you treated during your stay there?"

"The Klingons were rough, a bit smelly, always ready to pick a fight and it was much like a Cardassian prison." It was that simple.

"In other words, they were typical Klingons..." Doolittle said with a slight chuckle. "Let's go back to the attempted takeover for a minute. Who instigated it?"

"A group of Klingons," Eelim said. "They tried to use our pilot to do it. She went along with it but warned the Admiral."

He had heard of this before but it was good to have confirmation of it from another source. "So was the fact that your helmsperson alerted the admiral what led to stopping the mutiny or was there something or someone else involved?"

"Well she alerted her partner Luke. He was injured in trying to stop the mutiny. His daughter Abbey...then tried to harm our pilot. Derani, our pilot, passed a note to Luke Wyatt. That is how all this got started, she actually warned the Admiral after...if I recall correctly." Eelim said.

"Ah yes - Commander Wyatt, your Chief of Security. So your Flight Control Officer played along with them to buy time and that allowed the security teams the time they needed to put down the mutiny?"

"In a way. She provided the information and Wyatt got us ready." He shrugged, "She had no choice and she did the best she could to warn everyone. She was probably scared out of her mind. The Admiral was fine and all ended alright. The Romulans came, reveled a shocker and the rest as they say is history." Eelim Said.

"A shocker?" Doolittle looked up quickly from his PADD, the question he had been formulating now pushed to the back of his mind. "What did the Romulans reveal?"

Things we didn't know. Apparently we were all there to deliver Ko'rah one of the head Klingons from the colony to the Council. Counsilor Karh or something. The Romulans were following us. The crew thought we were there on a diplomatic mission to help but we were used again." There was anger in his tone.

Doolittle caught the inference that there may have been more than one time. "Again? he asked. "Was there more than one incident or occasion?"

"Well we were used by the Klingons for their own blood feuds and then by the Romulans...It was a struggle but I must say once we got on the Romulan ship things did get better."

"Tell me about your experiences on the Romulan ship. How were things better there?"

"Everyone treated us with respect, we were comfortable, had access to showers and food. I've always been partial to Romulans over Klingons." Eelim said.

"Yes, well, Romulans have at times seemed to be a bit more..." he debated for a moment, hesitant to use the word 'civilized'. "Well, let's just say that I've found them at times to be more accommodating than Klingons." Doolittle suddenly remembered something that Galan had said earlier. "You said a few minutes ago that someone attempted to harm your Flight Control Officer. Who was that someone?"

Eelim shifted uncomfortably for the first time. He debated telling Doolittle. He knew he had to but his loyalty to Abby still gave him pause. He finally signed knowing that the Admiral already knew. "Abbey, she is Luke's daughter. She was angry that the pilot got her father involved and he was injured during all this."

"And because her father got involved in something evidently of his own free will, she was willing to throw the rest of the crew under the starship?" he asked. Perhaps this Abby was someone he might need to speak with as well.

"She was mad at Miraj. She thought that this all was her fault. She calmed down and I know that she understands what she did was wrong." Of course she'd almost phasered Eelim at one point.

"How do you know that she knows what she did was wrong? Did she tell you that? And can you categorically state that you believe she would not do something like that again?"

Eelim started to get a headache. "I know because you could see it in her eyes. I can't guarantee it but she did have her father hurt in front of her eyes. If anything she needs counselling."

"Believe me, lieutenant, I understand what you're saying and as you obviously know her far better than I do, I accept your judgment. I might be able to get further clarification if I speak to her myself. Is there any other information you can think of that we have not covered that might aid in this investigation?"

Eelim thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of sir."

"Then I think we're done here for now. Remember, all gag orders are in effect and I may need to speak to you again at a later time."

Eelim gave a nod. "Understood sir." He stood, saluted and waited to be dismissed.

"That will be all, Lieutenant..." Doolittle said, giving him a short nod of dismissal.

OFF:

RAdm. Harold J. Doolittle
Starfleet Bureau of Personnel
Starfleet Command Headquarters

&

Lt. JG Eelim Galan
Security Officer
Earth

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