PHD #397: Flipping Their Lids
Flipping Their Lids
Summary: Kincaid gives Corrath and Constin the news about Abbot and the Gun and the three decide on a course of investigation.
Date: 30 Mar 2042 AE
Related Logs: A Change of View.
Players:
Kincaid Corrath Constin 
S2's Office — Security Hub — Battlestar Cerberus
This smallish styled office is typically made use of by the Master-at-Arms to conduct his business and oversee the MP's. As of late, with the lack of an MaA, the S2 has been making use of it, as is evident by the stacks of paperwork that seem to be accumulating on the desk. To the side, a secured cabinet can be see and a table with the never-ending Marine Coffee Pot <tm>. Across from the desk, two simple chairs are present for those who visit, while behind the desk, a much larger and more comfortable chair can be seen.
Post-Holocaust Day: #397

It's been a hectic few days with Corrath and as a result, he's been holed up in his office once again. The stacks of paperwork that used to litter his desk are gone in favor of a few sheets which he's scattered across the whole desk, letting him scan over each of them without shuffling through. After a little bit of this, he'd summoned the duty Corporal and put in a request to have Kincaid tracked down and sent up to his office.

Kincaid isn't all that hard to track down, having been pawing through some books in the library, where he is often sometimes found. He makes his way into the S-2's office, in his Marine khakis, but not with the Military Police accessories that he wears while on active patrol. He comes to a sort-of at-ease position. "You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" asks the detective.

Constin is shortly behind Kincaid, dressed in the boots, trousers, tanks and trio of dogtags that mark him as being off duty. As a minor note, the cast which swallows his right arm up to the elbow was been decorated with scribbled flowers, and at least one butterfly. Near enough to overhear Kincaid's greeting, the big sergeant waits a moment looking through the doorway before entering.

Once his door opens and Kincaid makes his way in, Corrath's giving a slight nod of his head before motioning towards one of the chairs, "I did, Lance. Take a seat. There's a few things I wanted to go over with you." Then, there's the arrival of Constin and the S2's eyes flit over in the big man's direction, "Perfect timing, Gunny. Come in and take a seat. Close the door, too."

"Of course, sir." Kincaid makes his way into one of the seats, nodding as the Master-at-Arms also enters. "Should I?" He gestures to his pocket where his ever-present steno pad and ballpoint pen lie. It is a wordless question of: Take notes? As of late, he's had more than a few meetings where notes are emphatically NOT allowed.

Constin nods once, grunting, "Sir," to acknowledge Corrath's instructions, stepping into the office and drawing the door closed behind him, before settling his bulk into a chair. "Lance," he drawls as an aside to Kincaid, before eyes settle on Corrath.

A hand lifts to give a slight wave to Kincaid's question before Corrath follows up with, "If you take notes, you'd best make sure -no one- outside of this room ever see's them, shy of Lieutenant Vandenberg." There's a pause as he settles back into his chair, hands coming to clasp in his lap as he turns his gaze to Kincaid, "I wanted to let you know, Lance, that I've been informed of misconduct concerning the trial of Admiral Abbot."

"I know." Kincaid doesn't take out his pad when he hears what this meeting is about. But he also doesn't seem surprised by what it's about. "I reached the same conclusion myself, and I approached Lieutenant Vandenberg about it. She told me about the information she received on her hacked computer."

Constin's blue eyes narrow at the topic, and pass between Kincaid and Corrath, as his expression runs toward a frown. He says nothing however, giving Corrath time to say his piece.

There's a simple nod of the S2's head, "Good enough. Then as a lawyer, you can imagine my … displeasure with learning of this. It basically compromises what we managed to have left of a legal system at this point." Pause. "It's for this reason that I want the two of you to investigate this matter as quietly as you can. I want to know what the frak is going on and who the frak is manipulating people."

"My starting step is to investigate the conference room that was used as the jury room for either bugs or places where bugs might have been. That will tell us how they — whoever they are — found out that she was initially leaning 'Not Guilty.'" Kincaid already has A Plan. "We'll also want to get a squint in to analyze Vandenberg's computer system. Hell, all of ours." A beat. "There's also something else you should know about the Abbot trial."

"What the frak you mean 'there's more'?" Constin growls, already scowling in thought over the logistics of investigating a months-old crime whose tracks were covered moments after they appeared. Eyes swing to Kincaid.

And so it is, with a deep breath, that Kincaid tells the story that he's already told twice before: The story of the Gun's radiation serving as a Cylon detector, of Areion knowing that since August, and of no one taking Abbot to be tested, even though he was executed well after August. "So," the Lance Corporal winds up the story. "The only reason I can imagine not to test him is if you were afraid that the answer might be 'no.'" And then he stops, waiting for the reactions that are now sure to come. "And I imagine the same group between Lieutenant Vandenberg's message is behind this little maneuver."

Constin comments only once- toward the start of Kincaid's story- with an ominous, flat-pitched, "What?" before gritting his teeth together and letting Kincaid go on without further interruption. His seething displeasure becomes increasingly visible as Donut goes on, until by about halfway through, Elf is on his feet, healthy hand gripped into a fist, and arms folded, woodenly across his torso. Restrained anger saturates the sergeant's scarred frame. "Who the FRAK else knows about this shit?" Constin snaps out on the heels of Danny's revelation, a sharp look going to Corrath, with the inquiry. Angry Elf is Angry.

As Kincaid retells the story, Corrath is pretty much just quiet, though his eyes do begin to narrow just a touch as the details are explained. Then, once the Lance has finished and Constin rises to his feet, the S2 allows his hands to unclasp so that one can motion to the chair, "Sit down, Elf." Eyes flit back in the direction of Kincaid, giving a singular nod before he's echoing Constin's question, "Other than the Areion crew, who else knows about this."

Kincaid lifts his shoulders in a shrug. "Lieutenant Vandenberg. I had to explain it to get her to talk about what happened in the trial." His eyes flick from one superior to the other. "At least as far as I am aware. I don't think Captain Mathers made the connection between the testing and Abbot's trial." He's the only one left sitting in the room.

Constin retakes his seat when instructed, mostly for lack of anyplace to storm around in the office. "What you say that 'Gun' shit gave off? Radiation? That's REAL frakking funny, seeing as how at the Audumbla research station, the frakking cylons was using radiation as a frakking BIOWEAPON to castrate our frakking race!" The MaA snarls. "My damned wife got sterilized by that shit, and now alla sudden this Arieon radiation bath- which they CONVENIENTLY didn't take the chance to prove worked when it could've helped us- is some kinda cylon detector? This stinks so bad I wanna puke." A short look back to Corrath, "Sir, we gotta consider Arieon intel suspect. Shit, I'd recommend not even putting sensative material on computers from here on out, since we clearly can't be sure of security."

As Kincaid speaks and then Constin, Corrath simply lets his attention drift between the two as he remains oddly quiet. Even after they've both finished, the S2 remains quiet for a couple of moments longer before he's finally giving a slight nod. "I concur, Gunny. Effective immediately, nothing related to ship security or anything sensative in nature is to be placed on the Cerberus network. Documents are to be hand filed and stored in either my office or yours. Both of which will now be under guard and routinely sweeped for bugs." Now, he's looking back to Kincaid. "For the time being, Lance, consider this information top secret. Shy of the three of us, Lieutenant Vandenberg, Captain Mathers or the Major, no one is to be informed of this. I want this under wraps until we can determine how we're going to address this."

"All right." Kincaid nods. "Fair enough. Presumably it's someone – or, more likely — someones on Areion, but it's going to be hard to get names. If we can get a full fornesic work-up on the computers down here, that should at least give us a start." He pauses. "Anything else we should be taking a look at?"

Hands reclasp in Corrath's lips as he gives a nod to Kincaid and then to Constin before offering, "This is going to be difficult to do. There's no question about that. And if we start poking our nose into area's that people don't like, I have a feeling we're suddenly going to have Command breathing down our necks." There's a moments pause before he's offering another general nod. "You two have carte blanche authority to investigate this matter. Bring in anyone that you need to. Enlisted, Officer, Command. Tap anyone to assist in investigating the computers, but don't give them any more information then absolutely necessary. This is a matter of ship security and should be considered a priority. If you get stopped by a Department Head, inform them you are operating under that guideline and direct them to my office." Now, his hands unclasp so that he can lean forward, arms coming to settle on the edge of his desk as he leans forward. "I won't tolerate people frakking around with our legal system. I won't tolerate people frakking around with the safety of this crew. Find out who's playing with our system and find out why the frak the Areion hasn't offered up this valuable cylon detector when we first encountered them."

"According to Riederer -" The Areion XO. "- 'she didn't want to release it to us until it was actionable.'" Kincaid seems to be providing a direct quote. "She said they knew it 'a few months back.' But their Marine CO says they knew since August. Neat little shading of the truth from the Exec, huh?" But he nods at the general plan. "I'm on it, sir. Is there anything else I need to know before I go to it?" Eyes shift from one to the other.

"Yes, sir," Constin returns to Corrath's outline with a bullish exhale through the nose, before a thought strikes. "And sir? I strongly recommend no body gets exposed to this 'detector' until our people can verify that it don't pose a long-term threat."

"There's nothing else from myself, Lance. Reports are to be provided directly to myself and to the Gunny." Then, Corrath's looking over to Constin, "Agreed, though I'll need to deal with Colonel Pewter and Major Tillman on that. Which, I'll do once we have a little more information." Now, his eyes play between the two men, "I'll leave you two to your investigation. Keep me up-to-date on what you uncover."

"Yes, sir." Finally, Kincaid gets to his feet. He actually remained seated for the whole meeting. "I'm on it. Gunny. Lieutenant. Thanks for bringing me in the loop on this."

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