Not Adding Up

Judith Eastman
Civilian

Grandma

Posts: 2,593
Likes: 84

Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human

Not Adding Up Feb 5, 2021 22:55:30 GMT

Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 5, 2021 22:55:30 GMT

6 days after S2E1

[Lt. j.g. Mabel Henriksen - Mabel's quarters]

Mabel stared angrily at her PADD. It was late, but she was resolute to crack this vexing puzzle.

"I don't get it!" she complained, to her dog Bernie.

It, in this case, was Thomas Jett's flight logs.

Mabel had cross-referenced with every kind of crime that she could think of, from the drug trade to securities fraud, and couldn't find a common thread. Some things provided partial explanations, but it all looked like noise.

"What brought Jett to all the most brutal dictatorships around?"

Bernie, a Pyrenees Mountain Dog with no awareness of his own size, decided to claim Mabel's lap, causing her to set the PADD aside before the dog trampled her.

"Why would you go to all the dictatorships, Bernie?" she asked the dog, petting his floofy back with both hands as he filled her bed, and sweatpants, with fur. "Why would you go?"

Bernie, not understanding this, just gave his owner a big, sloppy dog kiss.

"Maybe he's collecting," Mabel speculated, wiping the dog slobber off her cheek.

"I just don't know, Bernie. I'll ask Judy tomorrow."

Judy, Max

Judith Eastman
Civilian

Grandma

Posts: 2,593
Likes: 84

Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human

Not Adding Up Feb 10, 2021 4:23:52 GMT

Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 10, 2021 4:23:52 GMT

The next morning

[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Lt. j.g. Mabel Henriksen - CO's Office]

Judy sat in her office chair, as usual, poring over reports. She liked to spend the morning catching up, to make sure she was on top of goings-on on her station.

She was just looking at some numbers from Customs, when Mabel came in.

"Morning, sweetie," the Captain greeted the young woman.
"Morning, Judy. I want to talk to you about the Jett assignment," Mabel replied, eager to get it off her chest.
"Here, pull up a chair, we can talk about it."

Mabel pulled one of the chairs up next to Judy, on her side of the desk.

"So I haven't found anything in common with all the places he's been to, other than that they're all the worst places, humanitarian-wise," Mabel explained. "These places are poverty-stricken, diseased, ruled by dictators, or all of those things."

Judy trusted that Mabel, her able assistant, hadn't missed anything obvious, like the drug trade.

"Well, you can try to work with that. Look at what happened in these dictatorships, when he came to visit. Feel free to use my clearance to poke around places you don't belong," the Captain answered.

"Good idea, boss. Thank you," Mabel took that, and stood up.

"I'll see what Captain Ellis has to say about him. She seemed to like him."

"Thank you."

Judy, Max

Judith Eastman
Civilian

Grandma

Posts: 2,593
Likes: 84

Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human

Not Adding Up Feb 13, 2021 5:45:33 GMT

Post by Judith Eastman on Feb 13, 2021 5:45:33 GMT

4 hours later

[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Lt. j.g. Mabel Henriksen - Commanding Officer's Office]

"I've got it!"

With her other tasks seeming so plain by comparison, the Jett job had become central to Mabel's day, and cracking it was that much more exciting. In fact, she was positively beaming as she walked up to Judy's desk.

"That's excellent. Let's take a look," Judy answered, as Mabel pulled up a chair at her desk.

"So what I did was identify, one at a time, what kinds of things happened at the places Jett went to, when he was there. These are some of the most repressive regimes in the area, but I found a pattern covering 73% of his trips, of various vigilante acts, the kind we want to do but can't because they're dangerous and illegal, where he was, while he was there," Mabel explained, showing off a spreadsheet on a PADD.

"That lines up with what Felicity told me[fn]OOC: I asked Flick what Felicity would say - I'm responsible![/fn]. She says he hasn't really moved on from the Captaincy, the responsibility, the authority. Pair that with the extraordinary guilt he must feel after what he did, and that fits your theory quite neatly," Judy replied. She still doubted the man was innocent, but vigilantism fit a lot better for the man than common smuggling.

"So what do we do now?" Mabel asked.

"We wait, and we watch, and we have lunch. Hot dogs?"
"Sure."

Mabel didn't like playing the long game on Jett, but what choice did they have?

Last Edit: Feb 13, 2021 5:47:13 GMT by Judith Eastman

Judy, Max

Guest: Hello, I'm thinking of joining. Could I ask if a new mission/cycle begins in January 1? If so I might wait a few more days to refine the character and wait to start fresh if that were the case. Dec 21, 2021 20:26:45 GMT

Charlie Fox: There's a link to our Discord in this shoutbox, at the top. There's also another link to our server at the top of the page, just underneath the FRONTIER banner.