MELD
Episode 32
Part A

Kim sends the black neatly into a pocket, winning the game of pool he is playing against Paris. They are in the Chez Sandrine holoprogram, designation Paris 3. Kim: "Game."

Paris: "Why don't we make it interesting this time? Let's add some table stakes." Kim: "What kind of stakes?" Paris: "I don't know. Mmm, couple of replicator rations, maybe?" Hologram Ricky: "Don't do it, Harry, he's hustling you." Kim: "Wait a minute. Are you saying he deliberately let me win?" Paris feigns shock: "That would be dishonest, Harry."

Kim smiles and gets the rack out: "I won that game, and I'll beat you again." Paris: "How many rations are you willing to bet on that?" A number of the crew who are standing around watching call out encourage to Kim: "Go for it Harry." Kim: "A week's worth."

Paris goes over to him. "Harry, Harry, Harry, never ever play with anyone, not even your best friend, if he says 'let's make it interesting.' You want a little action, I'll give you a little action. How about an honest game of chance?" Hologram Ricky: "Never play with anyone, not even your best friend, if he offers you 'an honest game of chance', Harry."

Paris calls out: "One replicator ration is all it takes to play, and the only thing you have to do to win is pick a number. Just predict what the radiogenic particle count will be at 1200 hours tomorrow, and if you hit the pot is yours, minus a small handling fee for the bank of course." A crewman calls out: "I'll take a piece of that." Paris: "Harry, get a PADD, take down these names and numbers."

Many of the crewmembers in Sandrine's take part, including officers whose names are called out when numbers are chosen: Jones, Rogers and Lewis. Kim: "I'm in too."

Torres: "Ensign Hogan, still no luck with the warp drive?"

Hogan: "No, Lieutenant. The manifold just won't fire up. We've finally narrowed it down to some kind of a problem in EPS conduit 141." Torres: "Was there any indication yesterday that there was something wrong?"

Hogan: "Suder was monitoring the EPS flow and the CCF. He says everything was fine." Torres: "I guess we'll just have to get in there and track it down."

In the Messhall, Neelix wishes Tuvok: "Happy Kal Rekk, Mr Vulcan!" Tuvok: "The holiday of Kal Rekk is not for two weeks." Neelix: "But it's the Kal Rekk season."

Tuvok: "There is no Kal Rekk season. Kal Rekk is a day of atonement, solitude and silence." Neelix: "Atonement, solitude! All your Vulcan holidays are the same. I've been doing some research - I know." Tuvok: "Why would you need to do research on Vulcan holidays?" Neelix: "It's part of my job as morale officer." Tuvok: "Morale is irrelevant to a Vulcan."

Neelix: "Oh, please. There's no one on this ship requires my services more than you do. I will not rest until I see you smile." Tuvok: "Then you will not rest." Neelix: "I don't suppose you've ever heard of the Vulcan Rumarie?" Tuvok: "The Rumarie is an ancient pagan festival." Neelix: "Full of barely clothed Vulcan men and women covered in slippery Rillan grease, chasing one another." Tuvok: "That has not been observed for a millennium." Neelix: "Well it's time to bring it back!"

The com. signal sounds. Torres, via comms: "Lieutenant Tuvok, report to Engineering immediately." Tuvok, via comms: "Acknowledged." He starts to leave.

Neelix calls after him: "I've been thinking of a Rumarie theme for the Messhall next week!"

After Tuvok has gone, Neelix continues aloud: "Lots of high fat, greasy foods, and if people want to take of their clothes and chase one another it certainly wouldn't hurt morale around here."

Tuvok enters engineering and goes over to where Torres is standing by an open maintenance hatch. Tuvok: "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"

There is a crewman's dead body inside!

Doctor: "98% of his body suffered third degree plasma burns. If the circuit hadn't failed, he would've been vapourised." Tuvok: "It appeared that Mr Darwin had entered the conduit to repair a faulty circuit when the accident occurred." Doctor: "A perfectly good theory. Unfortunately it's wrong."

He activates a monitor and an anatomical scan is displayed. He points: "This contusion is the result of a hard blow to the back of the skull."

Tuvok: "Perhaps he fell and hit his head in the conduit." Doctor: "The coup-contracoup pattern of breakage should tell us if the blow is the result of a moving head hitting a stationary object, or a moving object hitting a stationary head. In this case, the pattern clearly indicates the latter. I'm sorry to report Crewman Darwin was murdered."

"I've been looking over his Starfleet record." "I just knew he was this far away from killing me." "I don't put down hunches or bad feelings in my crew evaluations, Lieutenant. A Vulcan should appreciate that." "Considering the fact that your Maquis crew included malcontents, outlaws and mercenaries, I believe it would have been appropriate." "It seems clear where your investigation should begin, Lieutenant."

Captain's Ready Room. Tuvok: "At first glance there is no obvious motive. Crewman Darwin didn't have any known enemies on board." Janeway: "I've been looking over his Starfleet record. His training instructor recommended him as an officers candidate. He turned it down to come with us. He has three sisters back home." Torres hurries in. "Sorry I'm late. These are the duty logs from last night," handing them to Chakotay. "Lon Suder was the only one in Engineering when Frank Darwin came on duty." Chakotay looks suddenly unsettled when Lon Suder's name is mentioned. Janeway notices. "Something wrong?" Chakotay: "No, not really. I've just never really been comfortable with Suder, that's all. It's not like he ever did anything wrong, it's just-" Torres feels the same way about Suder and finishes: "As a Maquis, he did what he had to do a little too well." Janeway: "As in?" Chakotay: "As in killing Cardassians." Tuvok: "I don't recall observing anything unusual about Mr Suder's behaviour while I was on your ship." Chakotay gets up, remembering Suder: "You weren't with him in battle. Around us he was the quietest, most unassuming guy you'll ever meet, typical Betazoid, kept to himself. I never knew much about him." Torres explains to Janeway: "In the Maquis, we didn't ask for resumes - we needed all the help we could get." Janeway gives a slight nod of acknowledgement. Chakotay: "A lot of us were doing what we were doing to protect our families. But Suder had his own reasons. I wish I could tell you what they were. In combat there was something in his eyes." Janeway: "Maybe he had something personal against Cardassians?" Chakotay: "Sometimes I had to pull him back, stop him from going too far, and once or twice when I did, he looked at me with those cold eyes, and I just knew he was this far away from killing me." Tuvok: "I find it curious that none of this was included in your initial crew evaluation, Commander." Chakotay: "I don't put down hunches or bad feelings in my crew evaluations, Lieutenant. A Vulcan should appreciate that." Tuvok: "Considering the fact that your Maquis crew included malcontents, outlaws and mercenaries, I believe it would have been appropriate." Chakotay: "I wasn't going to make it harder for any of them here. Suder did his job when he was serving with me and he's done his job since he's been on this ship." Janeway, to Tuvok: "It seems clear where your investigation should begin, Lieutenant."