USS Cherokee episode 845
Grand Theft Artifact, by Steve Weller, Part 1
12203.23

Starring_
Steve Weller as Executive Producer, Cmdr_Bonnie and SO_Lt_Trix 
Zach Farland as CO_Capt_Daniels and OPS_Ens_Granger 
John Garrison as CEO_LtCmdr_Hull, and TO_Lt_Lvor
Pablo Delsoglio as CIV_Capt_Marek and FCO_Lt_Alvarado
Absent
None
The crew of the Cherokee is about to start a briefing with Commander Bonnie of Starfleet Intelligence about their upcoming mission.  He is coming to the Observation Lounge to conduct the briefing.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Begin Mission: Grand Theft Artifact>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
::In the Observation Lounge waiting for Commander Bonnie to arrive::

SO_Lt_Trix says:
::In the Observation Lounge, still wondering just why we need fully functioning Crime Labs on a Starship.  What are we getting into here?::

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
::In the Observation Lounge::

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
::in the Observation Lounge, suffering the consequences of his cheese and crust eating feast::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
::Feels the Turbolift car shift slightly as it transfers itself into the Cherokee from the Station.  Once it arrives, Bonnie exits and steps into the Observation Lounge.:: All: Good morning, all.  Hope you enjoyed your leave.  ::Smiles.::

TO_Lt_LVor says:
::In the Observation Lounge::

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
::nods at Commander Bonnie::

OPS_Ens_Granger says:
::In the Observation Lounge::  Bonnie: Good morning, Sir.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: I've met a few of you before, Captain Daniels and Captain Marek during your training mission for certain.  The rest of you I know second hand, if you will, through the vetting process to set up this mission so it feels like I know you all.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie:  Yes Sir, we always enjoy returning to Starbase!

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
Bonnie: Welcome, Commander.

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
Bonnie: Ah, old sweet times... ::smirks::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
::Pulls out his PADD and taps in a Command Sequence.:: All: Does anyone have any pressing need for outside contact?  If not I'm going to initiate a sort of "privacy screen" of sorts around the ship.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
::Looks over at the Captain::

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
Bonnie: Go ahead, we're ready.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
::Finishes the sequence.::

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
::puts his hands together in front of his face and waits Bonnie to start the presentation::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Excellent.  Your ship's crew has been vetted already, but I'm just making sure we're not being listened to externally.  The mission you've been assigned is...sensitive, in many ways.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie: Understood Commander.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: To put is simply, there have been several, at least ten, thefts of very unique, very historically or socially important artifacts.  And not just in the Federation.

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
Bonnie: I am all ears... ::raises an eyebrow:: Pun intended.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
::Listens intently::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: I was given command of the investigation because I was the first one to put it together as a string of thefts, rather than a number of individual ones, after being put on one.  ::Nods to the SO.:: One that was found by Lieutenant Trix a short time ago.

SO_Lt_Trix says:
Bonnie: What, what did I...oh, the Symbiont carriage?

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
::Looks at SO::

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
SO:  Well, congratulations Lieutenant! 

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
All: It is always the SO... ::smiles::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Yes, the Symbiont Carriage was the first item I was assigned to investigate.  Lieutenant Trix found a carriage used to carry Trill Symbionts from the pools of Mak'ala to the sight of surgery.  Carriages that should not, from all I've learned, ever see the light of day, much less travel off world.

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
::wonders if his suddenly cheerful humor is due to the cheese overdose he had::

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
::nods at Capt Marek, in understanding::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: She found it on Stardate 12109.29 while on leave, and while the return to Trill did not spark any diplomatic issues, it did spark questions from both Starfleet and the Trill authorities.

SO_Lt_Trix says:
All: No one should have seen that outside of a select few.  I thought it was a fake at first.
Bonnie: Any luck on finding how it got here?  To the Starbase I mean?

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
SO: None so far, but the search took my investigation to a number of other thefts.  At least 10, including two in the Klingon Empire and one on Romulus.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: No one saw the link before, so I was "honored" with taking charge of the investigation. My Commanding Officer told me "It's your mess now, you can clean it up".

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: My teams have had one major weakness until now.  A weakness that your ship won't have. In fact, you won't have it because you are a Starship.  My teams don't have the mobility you have, and that mobility should be a huge advantage.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Given your ship's performance in your testing a while back, I pushed to get your ship assigned.  I think you have the best crew for this mission I've encountered, as you can think a bit outside of the box.

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
Bonnie: Thanks for the vote of confidence, Commander.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: It isn't a vote, Captain.  It is a reward for your success in the "Bank Heist" test.  Or a punishment, if you look at it the other way.  ::Grins.::

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
Bonnie: Or... we are the only expendable ones who actually would say yes to such mission... ::smiles::

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CIV: Expendable?  It is a difficult mission, but I don't anticipate any real danger to the ship.  With luck, it will go without conflict, although we can't say for certain.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: It is difficult, though. After all, so far we have almost no answers.  We've found a few patterns in the thefts that lead us to believe it is a single group pulling it off.

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
Bonnie: Relax, Commander, it was an unnecessary remark...

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Unfortunately, by the time my teams have arrived, the trail had gone cold, and often the evidence was lost, whether through neglect or bad luck, crime scenes in historic sites tend to suffer from a lack of preservation.  Sort of ironic, in a way.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie:  Sir! Any suggestion this is an Enemy State Sanctioned theft?  

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
Bonnie/All: We're going to need to compile a list.  What was stolen, when was it stolen and exactly where it was stolen from.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
CO/Bonnie:  Aye Sir!  From what I know of investigations, since there is a pattern seen, there should already be a list, no?

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CEO: If so we aren't certain who it could be.  The Klingons and the Romulans have both been hit, that we know of.  The Cardassians actually recovered the original draft of Keedera's Camp 371.  That, mind you, came close to a diplomatic incident, but still.  The Breen also have contributed Intelligence on the matter.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CO/ CEO: Of course, I have a copy here, and one is being sent to the Cherokee main computer along with what we've found so far.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie:  Interesting group of players Sir!

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
All: Zillions of possible motives for these thefts... Very appealing mystery to be solved

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Yes to both counts.  Three were recovered, in the hands of  collectors who acquired them from dealers with what proved to be fake credentials.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: What makes this timing good though is one factor that is common to most of the thefts.  Before each theft, about a week to ten days before, a number of private space vessels were reported missing or stolen.  In the past week, at least 3 ships have been reported stolen near Betazed.  Odds are we will have a new sight to investigate shortly.

SO_Lt_Trix says:
Bonnie: Any rumors? Leads? Unsupportable suspicions?

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
All: Well that's a place to start, and we won't have too far to go.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie:  Have planet authorities throughout the 4 quadrants been alerted to these types of thefts?  

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
SO: A few of the actions seemed to fit styles of other organizations, but so far nothing we can "latch onto".

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CEO: They have, but the range of potential targets is so great, it's like trying to guess what tree in a forest a woodpecker is going to move to next, if you get my meaning.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie:  It is an immense playground so to speak Sir!  But I believe the best place to start is right in our own backyard.
 
Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Look at the Symbiont Carriage Lieutenant Trix found.  It was an item stored in caverns, right next to the caves the Symbionts live in.  To get to it a person would have to pass through the caves, filled with Symbionts and caretakers.  The store rooms themselves are only entered when one is to be used, and that is a hard event to predict.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: If the Carriage wasn't found, odds are its missing might not have been discovered for years.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie/CO:  What is our authority Sir in our investigation, and what if a hot-pursuit takes place, what happens if/when we are heading for a non-federation sector, or another quadrant?

SO_Lt_Trix says:
Bonnie: Decades, if we had a good run of luck with host mortality.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CEO: I can coordinate access with most of our neighbors.  If you make contact and expect this possibility, you will have access before you need to ask for it.  As long as you inform me as you go along, of course.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie: Understood Sir!

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CO: Captain, I do want to address this next point.  While I am in command of this overall operation, you still maintain complete command of the Cherokee.  I'm not going to "pull rank" in the command structure.  Once you get your assignment details, how you carry it out is entirely up to you.  Within the limits of Federation Law, of course.

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
Bonnie: Got it.

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: That is all I have, although I can answer any questions you may have, of course.

CIV_Capt_Marek says:
::thinks:: So, in case we make a big faux-pas, he keeps his hands clean::

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
All:  So, we may find ourselves traversing throughout the known galaxy by the time we solve these crimes, and back again home to Starbase 33. 

SO_Lt_Trix says:
Bonnie: How is it you didn't get a Starship in this search earlier?  You would think Starfleet would consider this pressing, wouldn't they?

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
CO: Captain, what would you put our operational time away on this mission, before resupply is needed?  

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
SO: I got on this mission a few months ago.  Took us some time to link it to the other thefts.  Now it's about keeping word from spreading almost as much as finding the answers, I'm afraid.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie: Sir! All comms with you will be encrypted, of course!

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
CEO: Starfleet Intelligence has a knack for ensuring that, Commander.  I know you have the capacity on your ship, it is a proven commodity.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
Bonnie:  Aye, rest assured.

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
CEO: We'll play it as we go.

CEO_LtCmdr_Hull says:
CO:  Yes, Sir!

Host Cmdr_Bonnie says:
All: Remember, you have great latitude, but discretion is of the utmost importance.  No one wants word of these lost artifacts getting out. Diplomacy is a big part of this.

Host CO_Capt_Daniels says:
Bonnie: Understood.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<End Mission>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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