She smiled pleasantly as he set down a cup of tea in front of her, tilting her head back to look at him as he lowered himself into the seat across from her. "So you said you were at the Burgundy Gardens when the bombing occurred?" he began, rather tactlessly.

"Yes, I was having lunch there with Victor Tyne, someone on my staff," Jesa said, pondering if this particular person would run the name through the records and see that he was shown as a prisoner. "Our conversation was rather rudely interrupted by something of a buzzing noise. I wasn't entirely sure what it was, but I had the impression it couldn't be good for my health so I pushed him out of his chair and flattened to the ground. A moment later the thing exploded against the far wall."

There were about a dozen questions he wanted to ask her about the statement she had just given, and he noted them all on a padd he was holding, in addition to writing down her response. "Why did you not wait for security personnel to respond to the incident so as to give your statement then? And why come to me now with this information?"

Jesa shrugged, "I knew I needed to give what I knew, and figured one of you would come track me down for the information anyway. And as to the reason I didn't stay at the scene: that thing was aimed at my head. I thought by remaining in place I was putting both myself and those around me in further danger. I made sure those around me were not in critical condition, then left." Her tone was level, calm, nothing in it could give the least cause for worry or concern.

"So you were sure it was aimed at you then?" Croft asked.

"Either myself or Tyne." Jesa said, looking levelly at Croft. "I think it was pretty clear it would have hit one of us as it came quite near the table, and we were sitting on the balcony side of the room. Have your findings indicated something different?" she queried, as innocently as possible.

"No," he replied. "Which side of the table were you sitting on?"

"The left side, as facing the balcony from the middle of the room," Jesa responded. Croft gave a frown at the information as he noted it down on the padd.

"How many people knew you were going to be at the Burgundy Gardens restaurant that day, Commander Callen?" he asked.

"I'd made reservations, so it wasn't precisely privileged information, though I didn't go out of my way to inform anyone. I would guess three people, in addition to any restaurant staff who happened by the reservation log," Jesa replied.

"And you said you heard a buzzing noise prior to the bomb's impact?"

"Yes, that was the only warning," Jesa replied simply.

"Very strange. The residue we found was quite consistent for a Ferengi Locator Bomb, but they do not make any sound, that's why they are so deadly," Croft replied.

"Perhaps it was modified somehow?" Jesa offered, looking almost disinterested.

"Perhaps," he replied. "You seem awfully calm for someone whose life was just put in jeopardy a few hours ago."

Jesa chuckled, smiling at him. "With what's happened in my life recently, that's a minor, if somewhat disturbing, incident." She sat up straighter and looked at him, "I'm much more easily rattled when someone else's life is in danger, not mine."

"Hm, yes, I noted that," he said, looking down at the padd he held.

Jesa's eyebrow rose slightly, "Meaning?"

"Jesa Callen, contradicted the Chief Engineering Officer in a decision regarding the rerouting of power to emergency systems. 'Had a feeling,'" he quoted from his padd, pausing a moment for emphasis, " 'that the system had been compromised.' Insisted she be the one to manually reroute power, that she could get there faster than anyone else. On an away mission, two of the officers disappeared, and you were the one to go it alone and find them, even though your ship's scanners were online at the time and unable to locate comm. badge signals. When the ship was boarded on Stardate 2389492 you were the first to get a phaser and head to a security panel to start corralling the intruders, hunting any remaining ones down 'as though she just knew where they would be.'" He ended, lowering his padd slightly without putting it down. "Quite a hero complex you have there, Commander."

She looked at him a moment, as though trying to decide what he meant by that. Then she laughed, "Maybe so. But you also have to remember I've been commended for two out of three of those incidents you mentioned."

"And now you miraculously hear a bomb that isn't known to make noise, and save your fellow officer from a very unpleasant end," he intoned seriously, accusation settling in his tone.

Jesa crossed her arms in front of her and looked up at him, her tea still untouched from where he had set it. "If you have an accusation or a question, come out and say it, I really have no idea what you're insinuating," her tone almost had a hint of laughter in it, something that was confusing Croft exceedingly.

And she called his bluff. 'Damn,' he thought to himself. "Do you know of anyone who would like to see you dead, Callen?" he asked, trying to recover from that backpedal as gracefully as he could.

She paused a moment, as though thinking. "No, not really. I've ticked off a few Admirals in my time, but nothing that would justify this." Honestly, she didn't know why someone was trying to kill her or Tyne. I mean, why drop him in her lap, then kill him. Someone seeing that they were talking about more than on-duty stuff didn't want something communicated between them? But then none of the rest of the pieces fit.

Jesa was assuming there was only one party of ne'er-do-wells out to get her, but then when she thought of other theories she only gave an inner chuckle and wondered if she was certifiably paranoid yet.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add to the official statement?" Croft asked, watching her intently. She was a very strange mixture of calm and self-assurance for someone who had nearly become a permanent addition to the walls of this station. There was even a slight hint of levity in her tone.

While it wasn't too uncommon someone dealing with attempts on their life could shake it off, pretending nothing had happened, it was usually associated with people having weak psychological profiles, and from everything in Callen's file he saw she was as solid as a rock. Then again, the more recent notes indicated some very confusing entries, so maybe even she had reached her breaking point. 'Dear god,' he thought, 'and they put her in charge of the Isannah.'

"No, but I would like to ask a question," Jesa said, watching him, feeling that if she put herself in a somewhat more submissive posture, it might ease the thoughts running through his mind. They were plainly to be read on his face, for one who knew how to look.

"Shoot," he said.

"Were you able to determine which of us it was aimed at?" Jesa asked simply.

He shook his head, "Not to any great degree of accuracy. No one down below noticed anything unusual, and without a location of origin, it's almost impossible to tell. However, since two of the tables near you were vacant, and the angle at which it struck the wall above the balcony, I can give a reasonable guess."

"And that is?" she prompted.

"You," he said simply.

Jesa's lips pressed into a thin contemplative line. "Thank you."

He nodded, "Not at all, sir. Now, if you will just give me a minute, I'll see who I can assign to your security detail until this matter is cleared up."

"No need," Jesa responded. "I don't want one."

"Sir, until this matter is cleared up, I would feel a great deal more comfortable with you having some armed escort. We don't even know who is attempting your life."

"I know, and from the details you told me, it's unlikely you will know for quite some time. I am taking a two day trip out to Starbase 251 and back for a flag-officer's wedding. I will be quite well away from here should this person decide to strike again. And Victor Tyne already has a guard on him from the Isannah." Jesa explained, trying to soothe his fears and knowing it was going to be an uphill battle if he didn't let it drop at this.

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "But we will check out the craft you will be taking before you leave. Should they decide sabotage would be just as effective in eliminating you." He tried a winning smile, "We wouldn't want our newest commander returning back here in pieces, now would we?"

Jesa forced a smile. "No, I don't think so."

"I will need to get a statement from Tyne later, however," he said, watching her reaction closely to see if she'd object.

"I understand that," Jesa replied, standing. "If there are no more questions, I do have some duties to attend to."

"Of course," he replied.

She gave him a slight nod before turning to leave, the doors closing softly behind her. 'Strange woman,' he thought, then compared her to most CO's he knew. 'Maybe not quite so strange,' he conceded. But he didn't like unexplained explosions happening on his watch. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

Outside the door, Jesa paused in thought. She had the distinctly bad impression she had gotten on the wrong side of someone who wasn't even doing her the decency of informing her that they hated her enough to kill her. Beyond the people she met and knew, the powers that be were veiled in a grey cloud that shrouded all that was unknown to her.

Judging that this man's competency level was decent, but not remarkable, Jesa tried to figure out how he had gotten clearance to view that much of her personal history---yet, obviously, he didn't know what she was. It was all very puzzling, Jesa thought to herself. So he was very dedicated to his job, or someone had tipped him off, but not given him the other half of the information. 'Why does that sound familiar?' Jesa mused wryly.

At least the situation with Terah had gone easier. It had only been a minor bar-fight that her sister had gotten mixed up in, when two men came spilling out of one of the taverns completely drunk and wielding knives. Judging that by the time security got there, someone could end up rather injured, she tried to intervene.

And of course when security did show up, they tried to grab Stephi who was nearly hysterical. So, at least one potentially dangerous situation was diffused without too much blood-shed, and nothing very interesting came of it. How she wished that was true with all these other mysterious happenings. Oh, the wish for easy answers was an often and urgent one.

Loaded: 05.26.2004