Please Report Any Suspicious Behavior

Posted on Wed Jun 3rd, 2026 @ 3:29pm by Commander Rin & Lieutenant Commander Tate Sullivan Ph.D. & Lonian Royal Sovereignty

Mission: Season 6: Episode 7: Crossroads of Destiny
Location: Niea IV
Timeline: MD4
1860 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Along the boardwalk of one of the planet's many beaches were several vendors, many offering simple food items while some sold souvenir trinkets. The late morning sun was just starting to warm things up, and saltwater evaporation left a subtle low tide scent in the air. A group of kids supervised by adults approached the water in wet suits and kid-sized surfboards, their shrill excitement carrying on the gentle breeze. Some people were invested in a game that looked like volleyball but played with the feet.

Tate inhaled and exhaled slowly, her arms spread wide as she sat on the beach under an umbrella. Beside her sat a PADD containing her latest pleasure read, a mystery novel featuring a forensic psychologist as the heroine. It wasn't a totally plausible story, but aboard the Ely, she'd found it distracting enough. The counselor had every intention of reading more while on the beach, but so far she was just enjoying the fresh air and the people watching. There was an added thrill being on a real beach with new people all around her, and none of them expected anything from her or had any preconceived notions about her because of her vocation or role within Starfleet.

Rin had decided to take a walk down the beach, letting the water flow around her ankles. She had spent enough time in the crowded city to sate her appetite for learning about the new culture. The Elysium was crowded too, so she decided to take some time enjoying the open space. She noted Tate a bit inland from her and waved. It seemed the counselor was enjoying solitude too, something you could only get on the Elysium if you locked yourself in your quarters.

She paused at that thought. She had never minded shipboard life before. She had spent most of the last 10 years aboard starships and space stations. Rarely had she touched ground. On Tavara, yes. She had spent her entire time planet-side. But not with the Federation.

She wanted to go home.

Her mind lingered on that thought as well. She had never thought of any place being "home" other than wherever she was living at the time.

When she had first come aboard, the XO at the time encouraged her to see the crew as family. She found that uncomfortable. That's not how you viewed strangers. That was not something to expect. And it had never really happened. That wasn't to say she disliked the crew. She didn't. And there were those she called friends. But family? No. Family was ...complicated.

What she wanted now wasn't a geographical home. She wanted to see James, and the twins, and her parents. She even kind of wanted to see her sister, although they were estranged and probably always would be. She didn't even know where home would be if and when they returned. James captained the Endurance, although as he was also married, putting in for a transfer would be 5 kinds of weird. The twins were on Charon Station, although she wasn't sure it was in anyone's best interest for them to have constant access to each other. The twins benefitted from support, but they also needed to strike out on their own. Her parents were on Earth, although her draw to them was lesser.

Would she leave Elysium? Best not to dwell too much on it now. It's not like there were other options at the moment.

She continued on her walk.

Seeing Rin wave, Tate waved back, resisting the urge to approach. Rin moved with purpose and seemed lost in contemplation, and the last thing Sullivan wanted to do was interrupt her, especially since they were both on leave, and surely if Tate did approach, that would only reinforce any stereotypes anyone might’ve had about nosy counselors, not to mention it would only prove to Sullivan herself that she was incapable of relaxing without someone else to take care of or at least check in on.

Not far behind Tate was the boardwalk, where people were walking and enjoying the sun. A pair of guards were on their slow patrol, walking with the relaxed posture of a rather uneventful shift. Like many of the other small groupings, they were conversing with each other, their voices lost to the waves and sounds of nature.

One guard glanced past the other, eyeing Tate, then quietly nudged the other officer to look as well. The first one pulled out a datapad from one of her pockets and looked at it, then mentioned something to her companion. The second guard looked at the datapad, then gave a gesture that looked like something was agreeable. The two then changed course, weaving through people without hurry to step off the boardwalk and onto the sand.

"Excuse us," Souva began, once the pair of guards got close enough to converse with Tate. "Forgive the interruption, but we are running an investigation and are looking for people to answer questions. Do you happen to be from the vessel called Elysium?"

Tate was so lost in her own thoughts she didn’t see the guards approach until one of them was already speaking to her. She was surprised and initially confused, but wanted to be polite. Still, she wondered what sort of investigation was ongoing. “Yes, that’s right. I’m Tate Sullivan."

Rin caught sight of the two guards. On the boardwalk, there was nothing suspicious about them. She wasn't a huge fan of the presence of so many guards on the planet, but it certainly wasn't suspicious. There were plenty of reasons why a culture might do so.

She had already moved past by the time they stepped onto the beach, but she caught it out of the corner of her eye. Randomly patrolling through the sand didn't make a lot of sense. She bent down to pick up an entirely unimpressive pebble, casually turning her head to see where they were going, which was clearly in Tate's direction.

That was more concerning. Tate certainly wasn't in distress, nor did she appear to be doing anything other people were not.

Still, it might be nothing. It's not like weapons were drawn. They didn't even seem to be in a hurry. Nevertheless, Rin turned back toward the counselor as if she was just catching up with a friend who had decided to lounge on the beach while RIn had played in the waves.

With a nod, Souva handed a datapad over to Tate. "We are investigating an act of treason committed by someone who arrived on your vessel. Do you know this person?" On the datapad was a familiar face, the name Teevs Dosivi written underneath in several alien languages.

Now a bit more concerned and spotting Rin approaching, Tate answered, “I recognize him as a guest aboard our ship. I haven’t yet spoken with him.”

Good answer, Rin thought to herself as she joined them. "Everything OK over here?"

Tate turned to Rin and answered simply, “I think so.“ She didn’t say anymore, not because she was feeling particularly uncooperative or unhelpful but because a gut feeling told her it was best to not volunteer too much before she understood what was really happening.

"The others are waiting for us up the beach," Rin lied. "We should get going."

"We would appreciate any assistance you could offer. We take treason quite seriously on our world," Souva insisted. They had until Tate packed up her things, so maybe she could get them to change their minds. "Especially when it involved a child."

"Understandably so," Rin said. "As do we."Were they meaning Kerilia? This was getting out of hand. Not that she thought anything inappropriate going on, but whatever confusion had happened would obviously distress Teevs immensely and likely complicate the diplomatic mission. She looked back at Tate to gauge her reaction, making a face and shrugging in a manner she hoped would convey I got nothing on this one. She still wasn't great at deliberately communicating through facial features, partially because the implant largely immobilized the muscle and skin around her left eye.

"I'll join you if you want," Rin said in Tate's direction.

As a therapist, Tate had taught more than a few people about the importance of listening to intuition, especially when it came to situations that just didn't feel right even if there was no overt cause for concern. The two guards had not done or said anything remotely aggressive or threatening, but Sullivan recognized emotional manipulation when she heard it. They were trying to appeal to her helpful nature, and if her own sense of unease hadn't settled in, she might have obliged them.

She didn't know Rin that well, but it appeared both of them were on the same page and that was good enough for Tate. Sullivan stood and nodded toward Rin, keeping her voice casual. "Thanks, I'd like that." She began to move in Rin's direction and kept moving even as she offered, "I hope you find the information you're looking for."

Souva eyed the two women for just a moment longer before sighing and putting the datapad away. "Thank you." She wasn't fully convinced by these two as they tried to remain casual while packing up their things. Surely, they were hiding something, but Lady Sama said she didn't want a scene. She turned to her partner and began to give Tate and Rin space while murmuring discussion passed between them.

"I didn't hear everything," Rin muttered as they moved. "Any sense of why they approached you specifically?"

Tate shook her head, making sure to keep her voice low. "They just asked if I was from the Elysium and if I knew Teevs. I identified myself and was truthful about knowing of him as a guest on the ship, but nothing more. That's when one of them mentioned treason and a child, but I think you heard that. Thanks for coming over. I wasn't alarmed at first, but I'm uneasy."

Rin nodded. "There are official channels for this sort of thing. They don't track people down on beaches."

"Agreed," Tate answered. "I get the impression they're desperate but also are trying to work within parameters they feel trapped by."

Then, something small and round rolled between them in the sand.

"Grenade! Move!" Rin knew there was little chance of them simply diving clear of it, not if these guys were even half decent at tossing it. She shoved Tate to the side and threw herself at the device, attempting to drop on top of it.

Tate had no time to process what was or was not a grenade before she was shoved violently to the ground by Rin. Had she had any time to wrap her head around any of it, she might have found it ironic the first time she ever suffered any direct and immediate personal danger, it was to be on a beach during shore leave.

The device clicked to activate, then a transporter beam engulfed Rin and Tate, leaving behind only their footprints in the sand.