"The Transfer" "The Transfer"
Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Chief Counselor/Nurse
Ensign Heather Grant-Wellington
Counselor
USS Galaxy
***Karyn's Office, USS Galaxy***
In an oh so rare interlude in the action on ship, Karyn was handling routine reports. It never failed, she could spend hours getting caught up and not ten minutes later she would be assaulted by new things to read, sign or comment on. Most of it was pretty routine and included the weekly schedule, copies of session notes from the other counselors for her to review, and the medical reports detailing the latest list of injuries.
She had to appreciate being back in her own office even if it meant that she had to suffer the sleepiness that always accompanied a sudden loss of adrenaline. She probably needed sleep, but for now, she turned to her good old friend, iced mocha raktajeeno. Was it possible to build a tolerance for caffeine? She thought about getting an IV setup in her office. It would sure save her a lot of time.
Karyn read the next PADD in the pile and grimaced as the icy sweet liquid made its way down her throat. Ensign Grant-Wellington, the newest addition to the staff, was requesting a transfer to a different department. Karyn closed her eyes. If this showed what she thought it might show, she would scream... Carefully opening her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief upon reading the department name. "Helm. Well, that's original." Karyn grinned. She was pleased to see all departments were equal opportunity usurpers. She was beginning to think security had cornered the market on fresh, young psyche grads.
Taking another sip of her drink, she went on to read the message in full. It read: Request transfer to Helm 'Chief Counsellor Dallas
I would like if at all possible considering the present circumstances of this mission, to arrange a time to see you. I wish to discuss my consideration to apply for one of the Flight Control positions recently made available. I would like to continue performing counselling duties, but perhaps on a more part-time basis. I would also like to discuss the possibility of setting up some kind of counselling group for the civilians, to be held three nights a week, especially with affects felt by a number of civilians in the light of the recent combat situation this ship confronted.
Ensign Heather Grant-Wellington'
She wanted to be pleased, and she was, for this would probably make Heather a lot happier. She hadn't gotten much of an opportunity to know the young woman, but knew from her experience as the supervisor of the counseling department's revolving door, that the first few weeks usually determined who was going to stick it out and who was going to go. Karyn could appreciate ambition, though she had probably been the Chief so long that she had forgotten what it was like to be starting fresh. Still, she didn't like letting another one go, and so early in a career.
She responded to Heather's request for a meeting in ten minutes and decided to get another cup while she waited.
***
Ten minutes later, Karyn was greeted by the door chime. "Come in," she called. The doors opened to reveal Ensign Grant-Wellington striding toward Karyn's desk.
"Thank-you for seeing me so quickly, Counsellor." Greeted Heather, reconsidering if she was making the right decision. After all, she had not given her present position much of a chance to prosper, and she had spent basically eight years of her life studying to be a counsellor, not to throw all of it away.
"Before we start." She began as she sat down in a chair in front of the desk. "My consideration of transfer isn't because of something you or the other counsellors have said or done, but rather because I feel uncomfortable as a full time counsellor at present. I just feel that I want to do more than just counselling duties."
Karyn nodded, though it did not make her feel any better. "What was it about this position that, well let's see... did not meet your expectations?"
Karyn would be the first to admit it wasn't easy being the new counselor. She had had a rough start too, but fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how one looked at it) she was promoted to Chief Counselor and given the responsibility of handling everyone when she didn't know their names, let alone their neuroses. She could sympathize with Heather's frustration, but was a transfer going to alleviate that?
Heather had thought about the position in depth earlier, while waiting for a response. "Well, I was expecting to be counselling at least a couple of clients in my first week. Though I wouldn't classify that as a disappointment considering recent circumstances, but, I don't feel confident with being assigned to sickbay during battle stations. I felt helpless and sort of disorientated with not seeing what was causing the ship to shutter violently as it did. It was an experience that.." She paused to work out in words how she felt. "That triggered something within my past I honestly thought I had dealt with. It's an event I hoped to never have to deal with again, and here I am trying to deal with my first combat by way of reliving the past."
Karyn changed the tact of the meeting from why Heather wanted to transfer briefly, and asked her if she wanted to discuss the past event triggered by her first combat experience. Heather took a deep breath. It was one thing to counsel somebody else, but when she was opening up to a counsellor herself, Heather wanted to get up and leave.
"Simply, I have being experiencing repetitive dreams, flashbacks, of my husband's death. This time, it is one of the Galaxy's doctors announcing my death to either my husband, who appears alive and well, or to another doctor. In these dreams, I appear as I saw my husband when I had to identify his body." She stopped to struggle with her emotions. Heather often wanted to avoid expressing her emotions at all costs, even though she was a Terran and not a Vulcan. She admired Vulcans for their ability to bury their emotions, a talent she wished she had.
"How was the body presented?" persisted Karyn after a long period of silence. Karyn knew Heather needed to finish for her own peace of mind.
Heather snapped back from the depths of her soul and looked to the side of the room searching for restraint. "Michael was killed in a shuttle accident. As the pilot, he had to make an emergency landing in a dense jungle, which ended with the shuttle colliding into a heavily, over grown rock face. His console had exploded and knocked him out. Fortunately, his fellow crew mate was further back and had remained conscious after the impact. A fire broke out in the cabin. By the time Michael had been dragged out, he had received a number of burns to over fifty percent of his body. By the time the pair reached medical assistance, Michael had died from the burns and serious cranial trauma he had received." She paused for composure. "When I went to identify his body, he was lying on an autopsy table, his body so badly burnt, that I could barely tell it was him. After seeing so many of the casulties lying in sickbay awaiting medical assistance, some of whom had burns, I can't shake this dream."
Karyn felt a twinge of guilt at hearing her say this, but there was no way to know what had happened, and in some respects she doubted Heather would want to receive special treatment anyway. "That's understandable," Karyn replied gently, "but how do you feel transferring to helm can help you over come this?" the Chief Counsellor wondered, starting to think perhaps Heather was working and living in the wrong environment. Her desire for transfer and her trouble coping with her nightmares were two separate things. It seemed Heather was using her unresolved grief as an excuse not to have face it. Karyn knew a transfer wasn't going to change that, and she had a feeling Heather did as well.
Heather glanced back at her superior, realising she needed to reprocess her ability to be in control of the situation. "I would feel that I could have some control over the direction of combat and that I would be able to see what I'm truly up against. I don't want to chuck away counselling altogether, but being a full-time counsellor who is seeking counselling herself, would not go down with her own clients. Counsellor, I believe I am going to need professional help for a while until I can fully move on from this experience. To regain control, I believe I need to have something else to contend to and I feel putting my present piloting skills into some kind of use can be of some help."
Karyn was now a little confused. "So, you don't want to give up all of your counselling duties?"
"I want to work both as a Flight Control Operator and as a part-time Counsellor. I would like to suggest, may be I could set up a counselling group to be held three nights a week, especially for the civilians and perhaps for new crew members. I'd much rather contend to group therapy at the moment compared to one on one. This way, I can deal with my own issues, fulfil a position I feel I can go places with, and I can still assist the civilian members of this ship."
Karyn looked at the young Ensign and saw someone a lot like herself. "I have the utmost respect for someone who can admit they need help and take steps to get it, and I'm not going to force you to stay in a department in which you're not comfortable, but, I'd like you to consider thinking more about this decision before you move forward. Heather, I know what you're going through. As someone else who values control, I know how frustrating it can be to feel helpless and out of control," she paused, "But entering into the Helm Department will not be any easier than it was to be new here. I can also tell you from my experience on the bridge that you don't have any more control over things there than you do here, and I'm sure the Captain and any of our Helm Officers would tell you the same thing. Regardless of where you work, you give up some control. Shuttles crash, conduits fail, people commit suicide, are attacked, all without your being able to stop it. It can bug the hell out of you, believe me, I know, but whether or not you can see it coming isn't a guarantee you'll be able to stop it. Changing departments will not protect you from what might happen, and I think you run the risk of selling yourself short if you think it can."
She took a sip of her drink and then continued after pausing. "I and I'm sure anyone else would be happy to help you come to terms with the loss of your husband, but I do believe throwing yourself into duties, whatever they might be, is just another way to avoid what's going on. You tell me, are you having doubts about being a counselor and all that it entails, or are you just having doubts about yourself period?"
She wanted so much to get away from all this and maybe she felt because she was still grieving she wouldn't make a good counselor, but grief and doubt could follow someone anywhere and didn't make someone better or worse, just a normal person.
Heather sighed in defeat. She asked herself had she really thought this decision through, or was she just making up an excuse as she went? Either way, Counsellor Dallas was right about one thing, no matter where you are no one can control fate and changing departments was not going to make her grieving process any easier. Heather knew this, but for some reason she had made out in the process of the discussion that she was obvilious to the fact. The other question she really needed to go away and think about, was whether she was having doubts about her counselling abilities or about her own abilities in general.
"To be honest, I'm not sure of the answer. Perhaps I haven't thought this through as much as I have led myself to believe." She admitted, feeling a hint of guilt at wasting her superior's time on an issue she had only moments ago, was positive about knowing the answers to. "I feel that may be it is time for me to leave and seriously consider my request more. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."
"You haven't wasted my time at all, Heather," replied Karyn gently. "I'm just glad you came to me with this. We all need a sounding board once in awhile. More than anything else, as a fellow crewmember, I want you to be happy. That includes professionally and emotionally, but I also want to see you reach your potential, which might not always be the easiest or most convenient route available, but is equally fulfilling."
The Chief Counsellor's gentleness and understanding was welcomed, but it did not ease Heather's mind entirely. She was determined to work out why the idea of working as a Flight Control Officer had appealed to her so much earlier without any clear indication as to why.
"Well, we'll be in space dock for a few weeks. Why don't you use that time to carefully examine your role as the new counsellor for the civilians and science crew, and then work out why you suddenly want to transfer to helm. Just keep in mind that transfering to any other department so early in your career, will not help you overcome your grief of losing your husband, nor will it solve your discomfort within this department.. Personally, I think you should give counselling some more time, particularly as this is your first assignment since graduating. Perhaps over the next few weeks, you may have clients stopping by taking advantage of the non-eventual period. "Should you still feel like transfering by the time the Galaxy is ready to depart, then please come and see me again and we can discuss this further."
Heather relaxed her shoulders and reluctantly agreed. Karyn then asked her if she wished to add anything further. Heather glanced down, running over the ideas in her mind. Looking up again a moment later, she acknowledged a negative. The Chief Counsellor smiled a little in order to cheer up the atmosphere in her office, before dismissing Heather. Heather was so confused inside, that she thanked her superior and left without returning the smile.
Karyn sighed as she watched the young woman leave. It wasn't easy to someone so troubled and unfortunately, Karyn didn't think a transfer had anything to do with it.
****Nine Weeks Later******
Karyn was on her way to the bridge, in preparation for their new assignment, when Heather Grant-Wellington managed to catch up with her.
"Excuse me, Counsellor. Could I possibily meet with you later? I have seriously thought over my transfer consideration and I believe I may have come to a better conclusion than a couple of months ago."
"Well, I'm heading for the bridge right now. Why don't you tell me along the way?"
Heather agreed. "Since our last meeting, I have had a chance to talk to a couple of helmsmen and held a few counselling group sessions with the civilians and a couple of the new crew. I realise now that helm will be no paradise, but after studying counselling for the past ten years, I want to do something that is of a different challenge while not entirely throwing away what I have poured a decade of my life into. I also realise now, that transferring or staying will not ease the burden of losing my husband. It's an issue I'm just going to have to deal with along the way, rather than using it as an excuse." She stopped for a moment, thinking as the two counsellor's moved into the turbolift.
Karyn was glad to hear this news. She hadn't objected to the transfer so much as she knew the reasons behind it weren't exactly the best justification for a career change. She wanted to be sure it was something Heather wouldn't regret later.
"I don't know if I mentioned earlier, but I used to do a lot of piloting when I was younger, but I gave it up after Michael was killed. It was one of my passions and I think the reason why the idea of working at the helm seems appealing is because I
have the urge to pilot back. I want to meet that urge and the challenge, while maintaining my assistance to the civilians. " she paused to take an excited breath. "Am I making sense?"
Karyn laughed. "You're making perfect sense. That excitement I see and hear in you is exactly what I exuded when I discovered I wanted to be a ship's counselor. I'm happy to report that I am still as passionate about it, even if my ideas about the profession have changed over time. Send me the transfer orders and I'll approve them right away, but promise me you won't be a stranger and that you'll seek the help you need."
Heather swallowed and took a double take at her superior. She could not believe it, as she had half expected the Chief Counsellor to attempt another blockage of her transfer. Taking a moment to over come the shock, she acknowledged Karyn “I’m definitely not going to be a stranger. Not while I’m seeking help from another counsellor. Thank-you so much Counsellor. I appreciate this.”
"Good luck, Ensign," Karyn shook Heather's hand warmly. "Here's to proving that counselors can and do pilot starships as well as any veteran helmsperson." Karyn shook her head ruefully. Deanna had still not been able to live that one down.
The turbolift opened and the Chief Counsellor exited, but not before Heather thanked her again. As the doors closed, Heather requested the computer to take her to Deck 14. The computer responded and the whizzing sound of the turbolift moving through the shaft began. Waiting until she reached her destination, Heather took a moment to come to terms with the agreement. She realised that once the transfer papers went through, life was going to become very hectic but also very interesting. When the doors opened again, she stepped out and walked down the corridor with a grin she could not hide. Later that day, she personally took the transfer paperwork to the Chief Counsellor, who dealt with them appropiately during her next quiet time.
=====
Ensign Heather Grant-Wellington
USS Galaxy
Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy
"Ranting and raving."
By Ensign Peter Lockhart
"So you're not happy?" Annalise asked as her and Peter sat in a corner of Ten Forward.
"Damn right I'm not happy!" Peter bawled back.
"Keep it down Peter. Officers don't show disagreement with one another, especially in front of crewmembers." she reminded him. Ten Forward was quieter than normal, with a lot of crew on edge regarding the Borg. Indeed, just through the windows the pair could see wreckage of Dominion ships float by.
"Sorry." Peter whispered. "I just didn't want this to happen. I explained my motives to Lieutenant Richeson and now him and von Ernst are completely ignoring him. Five mile jogs! Security training. I left that department six months ago. I don't want to go back."
"What EXACTLY happened?" she asked.
"You've read my mind right?" Peter asked, grabbing his pint and taking a long swig.
"Yes, and I also know you want to vocalise it." she answered.
"You're right. I do! I wanted phasers on the bridge and I was happy to accept marksman classes that went with it. But not more physical training. We already do enough of that in Standard Starfleet update training sessions. Half of the reason I left security was because I was going nowhere there. 'Commander Albrecht was about ten minutes away from swabbing the deck with me and I'd racked up more unofficial reprimands than Captain Price has Australian sayings."
"Why don't you just go to these sessions?" Annalise asked.
"Cos they're CRAP!" Peter bawled again, before slapping his hand over his mouth. "Sorry." he whispered. "I'm not good at them, I don't like them and I don't want to do them."
"But if you don't go.....?" Annalise asked.
"Say hello to civilian Lockhart." Peter pandered. "At least then everyone will have to call me sir." he mused. "Not all bad I suppose."
"Well.... why not try and do something about it then. Speak to Richeson or von Ernst and try and get them to understand your point." Annalise advised.
"And if they don't listen?" Peter answered.
"Then go to these training sessions." Annalise said.
"That'll never happen." Peter muttered.
"Either that or civilian Lockhart, like you said." she replied.
Peter took another sip of his drink and sat there musing. About a minute of silence passed between the pair before the yellow alert lights came on.
"Saved by Yellow alert." Annalise said, getting up. "I'll be in sickbay."
"I'll be in bed." Peter said also getting up and following her out.
"Another Story for Rose's Past"
By Lt. Rose Isis MacAllen, Science Officer
Lt. Michala Lynn, Medical Doctor
**Sickbay***
Rose walks in and look around with a smile hoping to she friend Michala plus she also wanted to talk about somethings she was hoping Michala could cheer her up.
Michala came out of the forensics area. She was still dressed from the autopsy. "Hi Rose? You are out of department today? Off duty?" Michala placed her copy of the report on her desk.
"Though that we can do something fun together plus I need a friend to talk to." Rose said trying to smile.
"How much do you like chemistry?" Michala asked thoughtfully
"I like it ok, I made a C- in it why my friend?" Rose looks at Michala/
Michala had to smile at that. "I thought members of the science department aced everything scientific?"
"Not everything but I tryed, you know I glad we are very good friends." Rose said with a grin.
"Good enough friends to help me with something? I just finished an autopsy. I found a chemical substance and I can't figure out what it is." She said looking at the PADD with a puzzled expression.
"I would love to help, let me see the PADD." Rose said with a smile, she knew everthing about some chemical found on human bodies.
Michala handed the PADD over. "I think they are using it as an intoxicant, but I am not sure. I found a dried white froth on the body on the mouth and nose."
Rose looks at it, "I seen this before, it use to either kill the person or to knock the person out cold."
"I think they have modified it. I think they are using it for a thrill somehow?'" Michala gave her the readings on brain chemicals.
Rose was shocked when she saw the readings, "Holy hell they did modify, I want to help all I can with this because I know this chemical very well some of my friends either killed by this or knocked out cool so the person can rape the other person, it not a pretty sight." Rose trying to smile not trying to think about her rape that was close to two years ago.
Michala looked up at Rose a little shocked. "I don't know Rose. The brain reading don't concur with that kind of event, but I can't be sure of that? How do you know this chemical so well unless you were?" Michala let the question lay between them.
Rose sighs and looks at her, "It too painful to talk about it, I want to help please let me help."
"Uhhuh, the doctor in me says that might be too personal for you. Call it a gut instinct." MIchala reached up and pulled her into a chair beside her. "Talk!" She said gently. "It stays here." She pointed to her heart.
"When I was on the Yorktown there was murders like this, I caught the person who was doing then he was my best friend, for some damn reason he was trying to get my....well I don't know what he wanted from me, he started killing off my friends. One day the Captain called me in and asked me to help then get this man, before that happen the man escaped, all his left behind was a rose by my office door." Rose looked at her, "Please let me help you with this, I promise not to take this personal."
"Well, talk to Lt. Darkstar. If he okays your involvement, then I will let you work with me on the chemical compounds and the analysis? Okay?" Michala did not feel comfortable adding her friend without the security officers permission, given her personal experiences. However, he might find Rose' insight helpful.
"Oh I will, I want to help put this sicko away for good this time if he the same man who did it on the Yorktown a few years ago. Your a good friend worrying about me but I be fine I changed since I came here over a year ago, you know that and the crew knows that. Beside I need to kick somebody's ass on this ship I need some action.'" Rose said trying to make her friend smile.
Michala stood and smiled. "Go then, as soon as I get the Lieutenant's permission, we will start working on what parts of that chemical are responsible."
"When I get the word I will be here." Rose said walking out the door, think if this was the same man or not.
Chris had been sitting the captain's chair waiting for him to return from his ready room and conference call with the admiral. It wasn't the first time he'd sat in this chair or the last. Of course this wasn't the only captain's chair he'd sat in, during his career in Starfleet, but it was the only one that felt like home.
"Commander Thomas perhaps you should take an away team over to the Romulan vessel to help with the evacuation and have a look around the ship while you're over there." Captain Price said after having returned from his ready room. "We could use some answers, Chris."
"Aye sir, answers would be nice and the Romulan ship might have some sensor readings that we could make use of to help in our own investigation." Chris said as he begin to think of the away team complement. Engineer, science, medical, ops, security and maybe one or two others. They would need to work fast.
"Surok, Tim, you're with me." Chris said as he pointed at them. They didn't hesitate to move from their stations. Lt. von Ernst timidly replaced the chief at tactical and Ensign Reece replaced Surok at operations for the moment. Jamson was still on light duty at the moment.
Chris tapped his combadge as he made his decision about the rest of the away team makeup, " Lt. Commander Suder, Lt. Andree Dothan, Ensign MacCauley and Ensign Quevvenson please report to the weapons locker." Chris said as he thought about the trip over to the Romulan vessel.'Security.' he thought to himself. But the away team was already a seven member away team and there was no telling what to expect over there.
"Lt. Rayna O'Grady please report to the weapons locker with two other security officers." Commander Thomas said as he now had a 10 member away team they would have to beam over in groups of five.
"Aye sir." came the Lt.'s response.
Chris, Surok and Tim exited the bridge via the rear turbolift and headed for the ship's weapons locker.
****
"Weapons Locker." Commander Thomas said as the doors to the turbolift closed on the bridge.
"Sir why are we going to weapons locker first if I may ask?" Lt. Richeson inquired.
"The Romulan ship show's signs of being assimilated before something happened, but we don't know what yet. I want everyone armed and ready for combat if needed." Commander Thomas said.
"And by armed," Surok interviewed, "You'd mean carrying type three phaser rifles designed to fight of Borg or Dominion soldiers."
"Yes I would." Chris said. "Given the nature of this battle field and the unknown we can't be to cautions. Plus there's always the possible the Dominion might decide to take notice of our presence and I'd rather be armed and trapped then just trapped on that rust bucket." Chris said as they rode the turbolift.
"Mr. Surok, the game plan is going to be this, myself, Lt. Richeson, Lt. O'Grady and the two security officers will transport over to the Romulan D'drerix class warbird first to secure our position. You will then proceed to transport over with the rest of the away team if we signal everything is clear." Chris said.
"And if things are not?" Surok asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Then I'll either order our beam out or for Lt. Commander Savat and his security team to join us instead." Chris said. He figured that way a security presence in the transporter room could be maintained regardless of how things went initially.
Surok nodded.
"Now.." Chris started to say as the turbolift came to a stop and they were only a short distance from the weapons room. It was time to lock and load.
"You were going to say?" Tim asked.
"Oh yes I was going to finish laying out the mission plans." Chris said as they walked out of the turbolift and headed for the weapons locker where they would meet up with the rest of the away team. "Lt. Dothan will setup triage where we beam in and work from there to start with. A security officer will remain there. Mr. Surok you Ensign Quevvenson and Ensign McCauley will proceed to the bridge. Download the ship's information and see what else you can find out." Chris said as he knew he'd be repeating himself again. "Mr. Richeson you, Lt. O'Grady and the other security officer will proceed to search the ship for information and victims."
"Aye sir." they said.
"Myself and Mr. Suder will make our way to engineering and see what we can learn from down there." Commander Thomas said as he laid out the plan. Now he could just replay it in his mind to the rest of the away team in transporter room 2.
The three of them entered the weapons locker room. Not everyone had arrived yet, but Lt. O'Grady and the two security officers were already there waiting for the first officer to arrive.
"Reporting as ordered sir." She said.
"Thank you Lt." Chris said. "We're going over to the Romulan vessel to help with the rescue mission of those are injured and to have a look around before we lose the chance to do so and miss out on some key answers." Chris said.
"Aye sir." She said. "Phaser types?"
"Type three for those yourself and the security team." Chris said. "Type two for Lt. Dothan, Ensign McCauley and Ensign Quevvenson."
Rayna nodded and looked at them, "And for yourselves?" she asked.
"Mr. Surok and myself will take both types." He said. "I don't know about Lt. Richeson or Lt. Commander Suder, but I suspect type 2's for them." Chris said.
"Aye sir." Lt. O'Grady said.
While they were getting their weapons, tricoders the rest of the away team arrived to collect their own weapons and tricoders. This process took about seven minutes from the time he'd left the bridge and called them to getting here, but this was a large away team.
"Alright everyone, we'll regroup in transporter 2 and I'll give the mission orders there." Commander Thomas said. "Alright let's go!"
Commander Thomas waited patiently in his office. He was to have a meeting with Lt. Commander Sunder in fifteen minutes. They were going to go over the mission, his performance, his department's performance and then talk. He wanted to make sure he made the right selection for this job.
"Come in Suder." Thomas said as he sat at his desk.
"Commander." Ethan gave a nod as he entered the First Officer's office.
"Thank you for dropping by." Chris said as he invited the chief to have a seat.
"Thanks for inviting me." Ethan replied sitting down. "Always nice to have a talk with you."
"I wanted to talk with you about the mission, the outcome and some other things." Chris said as he considered how to go forward. This was the second meeting with Lt. Commander Suder the ship's chief of engineering.
"It was a tough mission at that." Ethan stated. "It's been a while since the engines have pushed to the limits like it was. We still need to run a few diagnostics when we get back to the Starbase."
Chris decided that he wouldn't hide the primary reason by this second meeting as it were with the chief engineering. "As you know last time we spoke about reports, I was also conducting a interview for the second officer's position. When the mission came, I had to put it on hold, but the mission I believe turned out for the best. It has allowed me to narrow the search down for the ship's next second officer."
"Well I'm glad to be here. Would you mind if I asked who else has been finalized for the position?" Ethan asked.
"The finalist include yourself, Lt. Commander Savat and Lt. Commander Surok." Chris said as he answered the question.
Ethan thought for a moment. It was a tough challenge. He was glad there was no competition to take place. He didn't favor his odds against two Vulcans, but would no doubt do his best if there was to be a challenge. But unlikely, this was all based on reports, duty performances and statistics. "An interesting, but logical choice. Their performance since their arrival on the ship has been admirable." Ethan stated. "Has there been a request made from either 'Commander Surok or Savat?" Ethan asked still thinking about the three candidates. He wondered how he compared to the other two Vulcans on file. He would have to look into that.
"The decision on the finalist was only logical, the three of you have the best services records, rank, qualifications and talent for the position, logic in it's simplest form." Chris said in a Vulcan style tone, "As for conversation you're the first."
Ethan gave another nod. "An honour I'm sure."
"Alright I believe there's some things we need to discuss." Chris said.
"Agreed. What's on the list?"
"What's the status of engineering?"
"Engineering is fine. We've got main power back up to all primary systems and just about every secondary systems. Holdeck Three is still off-line for obvious reasons. The warp core seems very stable but we're going to run those diagnostics I mentioned earlier just to make sure. Power output and power flow seems normal. We're still repairing parts of the ship, mainly the Bridge, but we should have everything back up soon, and with the help of some Engineers from the Starbase, we'll be ready in a few days."
"Good sounds like the ship is fairing better then some of her crew are right now." Chris said. "I am sure the captain was pleased to be able to return to the main bridge and his ready room there, then being on the battle bridge."
"Well, always like to please the Captain." Ethan replied.
"Mr. Jamson will be helping engineering maintain the holodecks for the next year after the counselors give him the ok to return to minimal duty in the next few days. So you can give him the task of helping to repair holodeck 3 under supervision." Chris said.
"Commander, as much as I respect 'Commander Jamson, and I do respect him, would it be proper for him to take on Engineering duties in the Holodecks? I just don't want a repeat of recent events."
"It's only fair he broke the Holodeck, so he should have to help fix it, I'd say to make him fix it on his own, but then it might never get done." Commander Thomas said with a slight smile.
"So much for pleasing the Captain," Ethan joked, "and the rest of the crew." he said with a slight chuckle.
Commander Thomas thought a moment about questions that he should ask the chief engineering that would be relevant to helping him decide on who to recommend as the ship's next second officer. "If it was your call to decide how to handle Mr. Jamson's punishment what would you have done?"
"I would have gathered all the facts concerning the 'Commander's actions and the recent mission, I understand there was an outside influence, this, Stone of Tears?" Ethan said. "I don't know the full details, so based on the reports and incidents, I would no doubt follow protocol and do things by the book. My recommendations would be discussed with the First Officer and with Starfleet Command. Then action would be taken. I don't know if this answer is a bit cryptic at best, but as I said, I don't know the full details of the Stone of Tears." Ethan replied.
Commander Thomas gauged the chief engineers answer for what it was and responded, "That is true without knowing all the details, how can one be expected to give an answer." Chris said. "If I could give you the details I would, but that wouldn't appropriate at this point. However I would be inclined to say that his actions and the stone's presence were factored into the decision to drop charges occurring after his release from the brig." Which should never have occured in the first place, but that was another matter and it was exactly why the captain feared having the incident come before a Starfleet Court-martial board. Now he understood the captain's motives and in the capacity as first officer gave him a chance to avoid the ugly matter. "I really can't tell you much more, so I guess we should move on to another question."
Ethan gave another nod. "Ok." he said.
"Before I ask you anymore questions, I think I should ask you something first as not to waste time needlessly."
Again, Ethan gave another nod and resisted the urge to use his Betazoid abilities. He felt it would have been unfair to know the question and prepare his answer before the Commander spoke, on the other hand, it might give him a slight advantage to the other Vulcans that are also being questioned for the position of Second Officer. But he'd just wait and see what the Commander wanted to ask.
Chris thought for a moment, "'Commander Suder let's be frank, are you interested in the Second officer position at this time?"
Ethan was surprised, he didn't really have to think about the answer much and he thought this question would be coming anyway. "Of course, Commander. I've come a long way since the Academy, which seems so long ago." he smiled. "And I'd like to continue advancement up the ladder, as it were. To be frank, I like responcibility, otherwise I would never have excepted the position as Chief Engineer. I know it involves more paperwork, more work in general, Bridge duties from time to time. And no doubt, the position as Second Officer would also include more work and responcibilites as well as more challenges. I find the more responcibility I get, the more rewarding my job is." Ethan replied hoping that his answer was what the First Officer was hoping for.
"Achieving Lt. Commander isn't done without some sort of success and responsiblity. Becoming a department head shows you've earned the chance to lead a department, because you know how to get the job done and how to work with people. The pinicale idea of the Second officer's role is to begin training you for the future, namely the first officers role either here or on another ship in the future. It also can be a jump start to getting your own command these days, really. Starfleet lost good officers in the war and captains were among the losses." Chris said. "You can image the need for new officers these days."
"Of course, Commander. I'm eager to maybe one day get my own command. But I know that it will be a lengthy process of training and experience before it happens, so I understand the need for training etc, so I'm quite happy to advance if the opputunity comes my way and accept all challenges and prospects of the job." Ethan replied.
"As for paperwork, this is nothing trying being the head of the intel department. My desk was always burried under PADD's containing reports from the most mundane reports to the very exciting and newest findings." Chris said. "This job is light in that duty comparred to the other one. I don't miss that."
"Don't blame you." Ethan said with a very slight smile. "We've got several projects going on in Engineering, also I'm going through reports presented to Starfleet Engineering and there's lots of daily reports concerning Engineering as well as requests, questions and such, so I like to think I'm used to being buried under data padds. Although I'm a lot more organised than I was when I first took charge of Engineering. I have a routine now."
Now what, Chris thought. "Do you think you can handle the role, you don't get away from engineering, you just get to add a new job tittle to your record." Chris said.
"I know this may sound a bit ambitous, but I think I'm quite willing and able to handle the job. I think my record has shown a continuous history of being able to take on more responcibilities and jobs in general. I can adapt to more work and would enjoy the opputunity to continue bridge watch and more training exercises concerning Command." Ethan explained. "Over the past several years, I've been running various programs on the Holodeck. Just little senario's, I'm in command, there's a challenge, we try to resolve it. The program was given to me by Captain Benteen, Commander of the USS-Lakota?" Ethan asked not sure if Chris knew of the Captain. "I'd quite like to run that program and others like it if it'll help with the role of Second Officer, although I may need to update the program from an Excelsior class vessel to a Galaxy class." Ethan explained again. "I'd like to think that my record shows that I can handle unexpected situations that suddenly arise out of no where and I know it shows I'm willing to advance up the ranks."
Being shy or conserative about his amitions and career history, set him apart from the other canidates. "While I've had the pleasure of following the ventures of many ships, I am really frimilar with the Lakota and her captain." Chris said as he continued.
"A good ship and crew it is." Ethan stated proudly as he too know them very well. He had only served on the ship for a couple of years, but that was still quite a while.
Commander Thomas was going to ask him a question, stopped and then decided to ask it anyway. "What do you believe is your strongest talents and what will you bring to the role as second officer?"
"I believe my strongest talents are being able to meet very strict deadlines and being able to handle any situation calmly and respectively. If I were to become Second Officer, I would like to think that members of the crew could approach me if yourself or the Captain were not available. That also includes taking command if needed in emergency situations. I would also be quite happy to relay messages to Starfleet and back if there were certain issues concerning again, yourself or the Captain. As Second Officer, I imagine I would need to join the Captain and you in several meetings discussing crew performances, future objectives for the ship and crew and other such reports like recommendations, any issues the crew have or that I've noticed. Generally, being there when needed for any situation." Ethan replied.
"What do you think about the prime directive?" Chris asked moving to another question.
"I think it has proven to be a valuable guideline." Ethan said stroking his chin slightly. He hadn't expected that question and wanted to give a good answer but he had several issues with past missions concerning the Prime Directive. More so, the Captain. But if he were to split hairs, maybe he broke orders and not the Prime Directive. Was there much difference in that? "While I don't think a rule can be made up for every kind of situation, as I said, it is a helpful guideline. There are many situations that can take place out here in the Universe. I suppose that's why we have constant contact with Starfleet. I've always tried to follow the Prime Directive to the best of my abilities and I've kept an eye out for others as well. Don't want anyone getting cocky now do we?" Ethan said with a slight smile.
Commander Thomas made some notes on a padd for the first time during their meeting. He was happy with the results of their meeting so far, but he did have his doubts with Mr. Suder as he had with all of the finalist. "One more question 'commander. Do you have fear?"
"Most days, Commander." Ethan replied truthfully. "Not about being Second Officer. But fear that I'm going lose some of my crew in Engineering or anyone on the ship at any time. I've lost quite a few friends since being on this ship. I look around and their not here, yet I am. I think that's one of my biggest fears, but it comes with the job and territory. I think of it as another challenge and something to overcome. At the end of the day, it's just something I think we all have to accept. No one on this ship wants to lose a fellow crew member, but that's one of the dangers of being out here in the deep space. Like they say in the Academy, 'if yu can't hack it, get out'." Ethan explained thoughtfully. He knew Commander Thomas wanted the truth, even if it did mean not getting the new job, but it didn't really bother Ethan, he knew it would go down well that he was honest and able to voice his opinions.
"Thank you 'commander." Chris said as he thought a moment, "Fear can be one of our greatest enemies out here, and it's not always going to be easy to deal with. The second officer, the first officer can't let fear control their lives, it doesn't mean that have to be fearless or not have any fear, because if that's the case then they're already dead. Controling your fear and coping with it are the key to the command chair." Commander Thomas said.
"That's what I have observed from the Captain and yourself, sir." Ethan replied.
"Thank you 'commander for taking time out to speak with me and answer some questions." Chris said as he stood up from his chair.
Ethan stood up also and gave another nod. "My pleasure, Commander, hope this answers some of your questions." he said with a smile.
"I hope to make a decision in a timely manner." Chris said. "I will let you know either way."
"Thank you for your time." he replied before turning around and heading for the exit. His mind raced as if pondering the situation. Would it have been better if he had said something else during that interview? Well, no point worrying about it, Ethan would find out soon enough.
Stardate: occurs 6 weeks before current mission.
Commander Thomas had finished his meetings with Savat, Surok and Suder several days ago. He was still complying the information form meeting with them and making his final decision about who of the three to recommend to the captain for the position of second officer on the Galaxy.
The meetings were finally over he'd spoken with several officers about the position. Then narrowed it down to just three officers for the position, now he was going to narrow that down to one and make it his recommendation to the captain. A challenging event to say the least, all of them were qualified and fit the idea second officer he had in mind. They all were still interested in the position, which made his decision no easier then it was when he'd selected them as finalist for the position.
Chris poured over his final notes.
The decision he was coming to would be based upon everything he had on file from his interviews with Suder, Surok and Savat. It was going to be the toughest decision of his career to this point in a way. He'd found that all of them could hold the position and even in some cases could hold his position maybe better then he. But there was only one Second officer position onboard the ship.
"Commander Thomas to Captain Price." Chris said as he tapped his combadge having reached his final decision. This had been a long time in coming, but he believed it was well worth the wait, as it was a important decision.
"Go ahead Mate." Price said from somewhere else on the ship.
"Captain I have finished my investigation and evaluation process to find the ship's next second officer. After having meet with all the department heads and some that weren't I have reached a logical and inevitable conclusion." Commander Thomas said.
"And that would be mate?"
"That I now know the identity of the ship's second officer, or at least the one I'd like to recommend to you in person." Chris said.
"Very well then, when would like to meet commander?" Price asked.
"Say thirty minutes from now in your ready room?" Chris asked more then made it a request.
"Very well then Mate I'll see you in thirty." Price said.
"Thank you sir." Chris said as the channel between himself and the captain was closed. Well there you had it, he'd finally reached the decision and told the captain. Now it was just a matter of meeting with going over things and tell him who was the lucky sole for the job.
-------
"Ghosts"
A solo post Starring
Lt (j/g) Rebecca von Ernst
With brief snip from Chris Patton's "A Romulan Ship" And a flashback to My early days of writing Rebecca.
(Bridge USS GALAXY)
["Surok, Tim, you're with me." Chris said as he pointed at them. They didn't hesitate to move from their stations. Lt. von Ernst timidly replaced the chief at tactical and Ensign Reece replaced Surok at operations for the moment. Jamson was still on light duty at the moment.]
Ascending to the Arch where Richeson had stood only moments before, Rebecca once again felt the cool tingle of fear wash through her trembling limbs.
~~This is REAL~~ she thought, swallowing a dry lump in her throat.
This was no holosimulation where she could issue orders on a moments whim, and live or die, nothing ever went wrong. Nobody ever got hurt, and her bed was always warm and waiting to sooth away her tears.
"This is real…" she whispered to herself. So real that outside the main viewscreen the debris of a thousand Starships tumbled cold and shattered in the night.
It didn’t Get any more real!
Fingers trembling, she pushed back an errant strand of her red hair and tucked it neatly behind her ear. Her darting eyes quickly scanned the display before her, and not for the first time Rebecca regreted her diminutive stature that made it difficult to see over the polished wooden Arch.
~~ Noodles, they designed this for Klingons, not little girls ~~ she fretted.
"Steady as she goes Helmsman." Captain Price's voice rang out from somewhere in front of her…..his plush Command chair and silver head of hair was hidden from view behind the too-tall display.
"Continue tracking on the Warbird Lieutenant." Price ordered again, and it took the nervous Rebecca a second or two to realize that it was directed at her.
"Y…yes….I mean Aye sir." She quavered hating the fear in her voice, "Tactical scanners monitoring on all bands….ready to engage with all Tactical options through deployment of Multiphasic Torpedoes. Standing by at your Command."
"Ease up on the trigger there lass." The Captain's disembodied voice called again, and Rebecca could here the sound of him readjusting slightly in his chair, "Be a bloody shame to test our new toys on Commander Thomas's Away Team……Just make sure nobody sneaks up on us."
"Oh….aye sir."
She had stood here countless times, during countless holo-simulations, and in nearly every one ha come away triumphant in a manner which impressed her instructors near and far.
But this was real!
The tension in the air was real.
Her heart pounding in her chest was real.
If she screwed up……well that was real too.
Licking her lips, Rebecca keyed the private Comm to Ensign Reno down on the Battle Bridge.
Uh…..Von Ernst to Reno. Uh…..everything on line down there."
[Copy that Lieutenant] came the quick reply, [I'm monitoring all your systems and activities from down here, and am ready to switch over at a moments notice in case of Emergency.]
"Right….uh….ok" Rebecca answered lamely. The newcomer Ensign Reno played a vital function in the Tactical options for the GALAXY. In case of Saucer separation, or even Catastrophic Primary Hull Damage, there was no time in the middle of a fight to wait around to transfer personnel from one Bridge to the other.
Reno was keyed in so if the Main Bridge went off line, should could instantly assume full tactical responsibilities, and keep the gun firing as it were. It was a worse case scenario…….but no one wanted to test it.
"Well keep it up." Rebecca transmitted again, "In the meantime monitor secondary tactical systems and coordinate with Ops for allocation of Power and Targeting Computer Resources."
[You got it Lt…….we are go on all lights, and at 100% War-Time efficiency.]
~~ Except for the silly little girl in charge of it all.~~ Rebecca thought glumly as she closed the circuit. ~~ How did I end up here again? ~~
Strictly speaking this was not the first Combat situation Rebecca had found herself in……as a matter of fact a little over one year ago she found herself aboard the USS Victory (Defiant Class) staring down the business end of a rather irate Lyran Commander during the Blockade of Nar Hallas………
It had been …..in short…..a disaster for the Federation.
=========================================================
The USS VICTORY hung proud in space over the contested World of Nar Hallas. Already the Sturdy Captain Chamberlain had seemed to bring the Lyrans to their knees, and the great cat-like Aliens were moving their Damaged Dreadnought closer in to the tiny Federation vessel.
Two Starships were already burniong in space, but with Victory's Arrival, the tables had soon turned.
Alone at her station, Chief Helmsman Ensign Rebecca von Ernst was awash in the horror of it all..........Monsters from her most vile nightmares, complete with claws, fangs and a killer's heart. ~~Oh noodles what have I gotten myself into this time~~ she raged at herself. ~~Eight foot tall Tigers Commanding Starships!~~
Blinking her eyes against the tears, Rebecca attempted to cpncentrate on the tactical situation…….The Lyrans were surrendering…..heaving to and preparing to be boarded……
~~Doesn’t that mean we won?…..It means…~~
The thought however was interrupted by a new set of data on her display.........She pulled up a small tactical sub-menu, and suddenly the pattern that had been there all along, but she had been too scared to notice became crystal clear......In a flash her mathematical mind deciphered the reality of the situation………..a situation that was anything but surrender……..
~~No......surely they wouldn't .~~ she cut herself off and cleared her throat, "Ummm...uh...C...c...Captain?" she squeaked.
"Report Ensign."
"I..i..I think the Lyrans are uh.......well that is to say....If they do the Lyrans will....uh......"
"ENSIGN STAND TO AND REPORT!!!" Captain Chamberlain barked.
The pixie-like girl jerked to her feet and shriveled before the Captain's tone. Her jaw worked soundlessly and her tiny freckled nose began to blush bright red. "I...i...i..." she stammered, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
"Captain!" Storek the Science Officer interrupted too late as the Seemingly crippled Dreadnought suddenly surged back to life and rounded on the tiny VICTORY
SLAM!!!!
With a violent lurch the Victory heaved beneath their feet and a shower of sparks exploded from one of the overhead breakers.
Pulling himself back upright in his chair Chamberlain barked, "Report Mr Storek!!"
The Slim Vulcan drew himself up from the deck and consulted a display, "The Lyrans pulled in close in order to fire their ESG,......damage is negligible, but we are tumbling free in space."
"Helm get us under control!" the Captain roared.
Unfortunately, tiny Rebecca had been tossed a country mile by the sudden lurch, and was curled up in a tiny petite ball near the forward viewscreen, she didn't seem to be hurt, but rather was mesmerized by the swirling starfield displayed there.
"Ensign von Ernst Man your Post!!"
Cringing in fear, Rebecca huddled tighter, and started wide eyed at the approaching Drednought…….this was it!!! She was going to DIE!
Chamberlain had had enough, "Mr. Storek take the Helm!! Ensign you are relieved from the bridge!"
The Vulcan slid easily into the Forward Station and calmed the tiny Vessels tumbling, bringing it back about on an attack vector, and at the same time engaging the cloaking device.
"Off my Bridge Ensign NOW! Your hesitation in reporting has cost this ship time and LIVES!! Mr. Storek bring us into an attack vector………"
The tiny elfin helmsman gave Chamberlain a stricken look and ran from the bridge nearly bursting with tears, the doors hissing shut behind her.
==========================================================
Lieutenant (j/g) Rebecca von Ernst felt her legs go wobbly beneath her and clung to the USS Galaxy's Tactical arch to maintain her footing.
~~ It'll happen again. ~~ she quaked. ~~ Somewhere somehow…..I'll freeze and people will die again. ~~
=
She felt like she had just gotten there when Gustavson's hand came to rest on her shoulder to notify her he was there and ready to take up his shift.
The past six hours had been spent with the helm controls and the bridge; Wren had listened intently to the discussions going back and forth-- every time the word "Borg" was mentioned, an unconscious little shiver would crawl up and down her spine, a combination of excitement and suppressed fear. They were preparing to beam the Romulan survivors on board, who would be quite the task indeed and every one was walking on pins and needles because of it.
Wren stood and briefly summarized what she had been doing before she walked off the bridge.
She managed to her quarters through the masses of security that were taking up around the ship and moving toward sickbay and the brig for their new Romulan friends. Her quarters were just as she had left them: dark, peaceful, well put together. Always well put together. She was tidy, not her fault, she blamed her mother.
She changed into her workout clothing and moved to the holodeck, after making sure one was open. "Computer," she said, as she fixed her braid, which had started to come loose. "Load program Wren-Alpha. Start when I enter." She entered, glanced around. Perfection. The house was just as she left it-- she had not opened the program since she left the Bryce.
On a table by the foot of the sweeping stairway lay her belt. She took it, buckled it around her waist; two handguns rested in their holsters at the small of her back, while a five inch and eight inch knife lay at either hip. She sighed deeply, looking around.
It was silent. She never remembered it being like this... then she recalled she increased the difficulty. Damn... forgot about that. Oh well, not worth it now. Besides, according to Captain Price decree, safeties were to be on at all times... took all the fun out of it. But, she supposed she understood. As captain, she would probably do the same.
Still…
"Come on you little buggers, I know you are here somewhere. Do not make me come looking for you..." she sighed deeply and turned, staring up into the belly of the large mansion. The spiral staircase swept up nearly three floors, and in the circular center, there was a large dome ceiling of glass. It was really quite beautiful with the simulation time was in the day; at night it was dark and foreboding. She trembled a moment, caught off guard by the foreboding wave which swept over her. It was still unnerving, even though she created it, and did so almost three years before. Of course… she had been in her 'dark' stage then. Her mother would say: 'and you got out of it, Wren?'
Wren listened to the silence carefully for a minute or two. "Damn, I hate it when the program tries this." She reached behind her, rested her hands on the butt of each weapon and slowly began to climb the stairs, her heavy black boots echoing against the marble floor, off the high ceiling. "Come out, come out wherever you are…" The staircase split, one half going up to the left balcony, the other going to the right. Wren took the left, a habit. A councilor at the academy, from when Wren was in the middle of her 'issues', said it was the sign of a pessimistic mind… what a load of…
There was a creek and she turned just in time to be knocked on her back to the ground by a harsh force, the intruder landing on her. He was heavy, strong, holding her down. Wren grunted, and with a solid movement, kneed him harshly and tossing her legs up, flipped him over her onto the landing. She managed to jump to her feet and grabbed the guns from behind her, holding them out just as a comm. Link opened and the man got off his shot-
"Computer! Freeze program!" she shouted. The bullet stopped right in front of her face and she took a deep breath, trying to regulate her breathing.
'Cripes, I am getting rusty,' she thought as the first officer's words came through the open link. "Lt. Commander Suder, Lt. Andree Dothan, Ensign McCauley and Ensign Quevvenson please report to the weapons locker."
Wren frowned a moment, walked down the stairs, listening, and then glanced down at her clothing and her heart jumped into her throat. "Oh, bugger!" she exclaimed as she ran toward the doorway. "Computer, arch! End program!"
Her mansion disappeared as she exited, running down the corridors of the ship. She could not be late for this, figured she had five minutes-five minutes to make herself Star Fleet regulation and get from deck 3 to 38… not a problem.
But hell… with her luck, every turbo lift would be full and she would disappoint before her first away mission even began. She hated being superstitious.
~-Finis-~
Kent rubbed his temples as he looked at the new departmental structure. There had been several departures - Lieutenant Commander Jake Olson, Ensign Yuri Dar, Ensign David Re'Cannto - all of whom where off to serve elsewhere in the Fleet. It left the Chief Science Officer with several unexpected openings and meant that he needed to work through the roster again to tie up those loose ends.
"Peterson to MacAllen," the lieutenant commander said as he reached across his chest and tapped the communicator firmly attached to his duty shirt.
["Lieutenant MacAllen here, sir."]
"Lieutenant, has Mister Olson left the ship yet?"
["It would appear so. Why did you need to get him a message?"]
"No. I was hoping to see him before he departed. I'll send him a message before we leave."
["I don't think he's expected to leave with his son until tomorrow morning. You should be able to catch him before the Galaxy leaves the starbase."]
"Understood. Peterson out."
Kent leaned towards the desktop console and marked several of the personnel files for review. However, before he had the opportunity to peruse through them the door chime to his office sounded. "Enter."
The door opened and Kent sat up straight as soon as he saw who was in the doorway. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least - Counselor Karyn Dallas. He did not really know her since they had only really spoken at the Captain weekly senior staff meetings.
"Lieutenant Commander Peterson," she said, moving in to the chief scientist's office.
"Counselor," Kent said with a nod of his head. Standing he waited for her to say why she was in his office. Admittedly he had been expecting one of the counseling department to come by for a little talk. They always did from time to time.
"I'm sorry?" Karyn asked as the office doors closed behind her.
"No, I'm not having any trouble sleeping."
Karyn wasn't sure what he was speaking of but decided to play along. "That's great, really. Neither am I actually." she snapped her fingers and muttered, "Damn, I knew I should've brought champagne for some reason." She smiled and was pleased to see he was returning the gesture slightly. Karyn made no secret of the fact she didn't know what he was talking about.
The counselor thought about it for a moment. It took a moment but she realized why he made the off-center remark that he did.
Dallas shook her head. "I'm not here about that," she said with a smile. "At least not this time."
She felt a bit guilty she hadn't picked up on his remark earlier, but if she was still somewhat aware of what was going on with at least some of what was going on with the nine hundred ninety- nine plus people aboard, she figured she was doing ok. On second thought, losing track of even one person screwed with her track record. She shrugged inwardly and teased herself. *I'm slipping.*
"Oh," Kent said as he pushed the chair directly opposite him out of the way so she could get closer in her grav-chair. "Then I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off that harshly. It's just, well, every time I start off somewhere new, or we get a new counselor, the first thing they do when they read my file is hassle me. I didn't mean to presume that ..."
"It's all right. You'd be surprised how often some counselors simply don't know when to leave well enough alone." *And I count myself among them.* "I promise to put away my Freudian accent for this meeting, but no guarantees next time." She laughed lightly.
Karyn and Kent took their respective positions, his in his chair, and she closer to him. Now that her reasons where clear the Chief Science Officer began to relax a little more readily.
"So, Counselor, what can I do for you?"
"Actually, I just came by to see how you were handling your departmental responsibilities. It can't be easy being the new guy and I just wanted to see how you were settling in?" She was aware of the tension between he and Thomas but thus far, it hadn't interfered with ship's business so she let it alone for now.
"Piece of cake," Kent replied as he leaned back in to his chair. "It's going well I guess. I'm in the process of reorganizing the department to meet with Commander Thomas' requirements. Other than that I'm not aware of any problems. Like most departments we're going through a period of constant change. I'm confident that everyone can handle it."
Karyn smiled. "And you?"
"I can't complain. Sure I miss my last posting ... I was there for four years and I knew many of the officers I served with. But, I feel confident that my decision to accept this position was a good one," Peterson said as he folded his arms. Smiling, "Aside from that my quarters are bigger, which is never a bad thing."
"I know what you mean," Karyn regarded his stance, the one that said 'that's my story and I'm sticking to it.' "I need to know your secret. When I had as much time on the Galaxy as you did, I still wasn't sure of anything, and on some days I'm still not," she lowered her voice and as an aside added, "depends on the day you ask me..." She smiled. "How can you be so sure so soon?"
"Call it a gut feeling," Kent replied casually.
Karyn laughed and smiled knowingly. "Ah, the 'gut feeling', otherwise known as the best way to avoid sorting out my emotions and therefore avoid having to share those with anyone else. You're very good at tap-dancing around us counselors, Lt. Commander, I'm sorry if you felt a need to be on the defensive. That is not what I intended."
"Defensive?" Kent responded. The scientist was left to think about it for several moments. Looking directly into the eyes of the Ship's Counselor he said, "I'm being serious Counselor. When I was offered this position I genuinely wanted to take it because it was a good opportunity. I know it was the right decision for me career. Perhaps you are overlooking the fact that I am well in my thirties, Counselor, I'm not some gun-ho ensign arriving on his first assignment."
"Perhaps I am missing something. Was there a memo sent that said all lieutenant commanders well in their thirties couldn't be a bit apprehensive about receiving a new position among those he has never worked with?" Her eyes sparkled with a touch of amusement. "I'm not questioning your competency Kent, or whether coming to the Galaxy was a sound career move. I am curious as to how you feel you're faring as the new officer among a tight senior staff. You say you feel you're doing fine, simply because it's a 'gut feeling' which by the way is not what I'd expect to hear from a scientist," she added, "And I'm telling you, 'not good enough' so, C.S.O. Peterson, I'll ask you again. How can you be so sure?" Her eyes shone with the same sparkle once again.
"You know what Counselor, you'd make a damn fine science officer," he remarked. Momentarily looking down at the sheen on the desk in his office he looked back to her, "Certainty is a powerful word in my profession. You are absolutely correct."
"And ..."
"And you are right," he finally conceeded. "Of course I was apprehensive at first. Who wouldn't be?" the lieutenant commander responded. "As for the closeness of the other senior officer, well, let's just say that I have not been around long enough to really develop any close ties with them. That will no doubt come with time, especially if you decide to accept my invitation to dinner this evening..."
*** Present time - Several weeks later ***
Stellar Cartography was completely still, except for the Deltan ensign working at the end of the gantry, and the Human lieutenant commander standing behind her with his arms folded. The large three-dimensional display moved through the computer-generated visual of the debris field. Every fragment and vessel scanned was reproduced to scale by the powerful computer managing the systems on the Galaxy-class vessel.
The terminal Wej worked on beeped regularly as she fed information in to the computer. In response the computer kept updating several smaller side diplays that she and her departmental commander were readings.
One of the displays output information gathered by the short-range sensors on lifesigns. According to the readout, the only lifesigns they were detecting came from the crews on the Federation vessels and the crippled Romulan vessel off their starboard.
"What about mineralogical data," Kent said as he continued to read the displays while Samthia brought up the available sensor data.
The display zoomed in on the largest body of hull debris from the many Dominion cruisers. They had all been ripped apart and now littered a three hundred and seventy-seven million kilometer region of space. Even without the aid of the main sensor array and the computer analyses, visual confirmation on the ship types would be enough to confirm the extent of the damage to the Dominion taskforce as a result of the battle.
It was beginning to paint a terrifying picture. All the Chief Science Officer could think of was the devastating panorama left after Wolf 359 - large fragments of Federation starships littering the Wolf 359 star system so close to his home planet ....
"Get us out of here," the fellow ensign said as he turned to the science officer seated next to him. Their uniforms were covered had been blackened by the events on the Starship Roosevelt - the place they were trying to get themselves and the other people on the shuttlecraft as far away from.
Peterson took a good look at the starship he called home. It was a disturbing site. The mighty Excelsior vessel seemed to hang there in space as most of the auxiliary systems - the only things keeping it function - began to go offline one by one. Several small explosions littered the upper decks of the primary hull as containment fields gave was and exposed the corridors and rooms - most of them personal quarters of the crew - to the cold space.
A green beam of energy shot out from the large cubic mass and struck the USS Roosevelt. The impact made the vessel shudder as the structural integrity began to fail. In moments the majority of the primary hull was disintegrated by the Borg weapon. The series of explosion around the destroyed hull cause what remained of the ship to be pushed away. It now joined the remains of the other starships that now littered the large area.
The small group of Starfleet officers in the Type VI shuttlecraft could only watched helplessly as the Roosevelt was ripped apart ....
"... 'Commander," Wej said as he gave her report but with no further word from Lieutenant Commander Peterson
Not even the encounter in the Typhon Sector compared to the horrifying first encounter between the Federation and the Borg. They were both very different circumstances - Starfleet was 'in theory' more prepared for their second encounter with the Delta Quadrant natives.
"I'm sorry Ensign," Kent said with an almost with a monotonous tone. His mind had obviously been somewhere else than concentrating solely on the information she had been presenting. "Could you repeat what you said."
Smathia brought up the information once more. "I'd say it's fair to say that the Borg vessel was already traveling through Dominion space when it was detected and the Dominion responded accordingly. How the cube became disabled or what the Romulans are doing here," she added, "that will take a little more time."
"The computer is reading enough signatures to identify at least one hundred and seventy Dominion vessels. Everything from their Jem'Hadar fighters upwards to their cruisers and battleships."
"That was one hell of a battle," Peterson remarked. "They sent everything they had available, from the looks of things."
The lieutenant commander continued to watch the side displays and the large three-dimensional visual that Wej manipulated.
"I'm also detecting some unusual readings from within the debris field."
"Specify."
Ensign Wej attempted to refine the resolution of the sensor sweep. Shaking her head, "I cannot be more specific." Tapping the console a few more times she brought up the wave analysis of the readings that had caught her attention. "What do you think?"
Kent studied the wave as the computer displayed the mathematical data on it. "Definitely artifical," he replied. The older scientist shook his head too, "I'd hazard a guess that they are probably some residual radiation from the Borg vessel."
Samthia continued to scan the region as the Chief Science Officer continued to stand there. There was a strange uneasy sense of calm - something granted by knowing for certain that the Borg were involved. Hopefully once they explained what had occurred and recover the cube so that the Dominion cannot use technology from it, this mission will be over and he can but it passed him.
"Confirmed," the Deltan scientist announced as she patched the readings through to the three-dimensional display. "They do appear to be residual radiation from fragments of the Borg vessel," she said as the displayed moved to them. "Mineralogical scans suggest that the fragments were torn from the Borg vessel's hull during the battle."
It was still not clear what part everybody played - maybe the Romulans orchestrated this battle in one of their deceptive machinations - but at least the hard evidence was starting to come together.
Peterson nodded. "Keep scanning the area," he said, unfolding his arms. "I'm going to report back to the Bridge. Keep me informed."
"Aye sir," the ensign replied as she began to hear the footfalls of the Human male. As she continued to work he cast a shadow on the gantry as the doors to Stellar Cartography opened up.
Lieutenant Commander Peterson continued to walked along the corridor running passed Stellar Cartography's upper deck.
["Dallas to Peterson,"] the voice of the Ship's Counselor said as he turned the corner.
As Kent proceeded towards the turbolift, he reached across his chest and tapped his communicator badge. "Go ahead Counselor."
["If you aren't busy this evening,"] she said with a calming voice, ["maybe we should finally sit down and have that dinner you promised me."]
Peterson smiled to himself. The last few weeks had got totally out of hand. He been busy reorganising his department and getting caught up in the missions, including the one to the Molaris Cluster. "Sure," he replied. "Your place or mine?"
["How about a compromise,"] she replied. ["I'll meet you in Ten Forward around twenty-one hundred hours."]
"I'll see you then."
["Good. Dallas out."]
Commander Thomas waited patiently in his office. He was to have a meeting with Lt. Commander Surok in fifteen minutes. They were going to go over the mission, his performance, his department's performance and then talk. He wanted to make sure he made the right selection for this job.
Commander Thomas thumbed through some information while he waited.
The operations manager approached the XO's office thinking he knew exactly what commander Thomas wished to discuss. The situation with 'commander Jamson was, at best, disturbing to the even-tempered Vulcan. Since the executive officer's area of responsibility encompassed the performance and discipline of every officer on the ship, it stood to reason that Michael Jamson would be the major topic of discussion during their meeting.
*Then again,* thought Surok, *he will likely wish to discuss my own performance during our 'diplomatic' mission to Decilia.* He mentally reviewed his personal appearance and concluded that he was presentable as he activated the chime on the wall beside Thomas's doors.
"Enter" Commander Thomas said as he was expecting the third and final candidate.
"Reporting as ordered, sir," the Vulcan said in his rich, dry voice.
"Lt. Commander Surok, thank you for coming by." Chris said. "I know you're busy like the rest of us, but I wanted to talk with you one more time before making my decision about the second officer's position."
Surok did not betray a reaction to the XO's first topic. He inclined his head, indicating assent.
"Please have a seat 'commander." Chris said.
Surok glanced at the chair. "Thank you, sir." He sat stiffly with his hands clasped in his lap.
"I think first however we need to talk about Lt. Commander Jamson." Chris said. "Are you aware of his punishment?"
The change of topic brought the meeting back in line with Surok's expectations. "I believe so, commander. I have reviewed the disciplinary report you prepared after your meeting with the captain." After a brief pause, Surok admitted, "I have been unable to meet with the lieutenant commander regarding his plans vis-a-vis returning to normal duty."
"I want you to keep a close eye on him and make sure he gets the help he needs." Chris said.
Unmoving but with typical Vulcan surety, he said, "As you wish, sir. I will utilize a personal approach to 'commander Jamson's rehabilitation. However," he qualified, "I served with him only a short time before his assault on holodeck three. I must rely extensively upon his counselor in order to gauge his progress."
"Understandable, it is exactly why I felt that Mr. Jamson should see a counselor on more frequent basis and attend them until such time as the counselor feels he's no longer a danger to himself or his crewmates." Chris said as he thought about further. "As the chief of operations you have the authority to decide his schedule. I'd like him put on a light work schedule so that he's got plenty of time to think about his actions."
"A logical precaution," the Vulcan agreed. "It will allow him to be a productive crewmember with opportunities to excel, as well as offering sufficient time for counseling sessions, meditation, and personal reflection."
"Of course if you see or feel that additional requirements of his time should be established you have the authority to do so." Chris said.
Surok placed his hands on his knees, leaning slightly forward. "I shall assume, therefore, that you wish me to exercise my own judgment. Thank you for your confidence in my leadership abilities."
"Is there anything else that you can think of that we should discuss regarding Mr. Jamson's future on board the Galaxy?" Commander Thomas asked.
The operations manager considered his reply for a moment before saying, "Sir, while reading your disciplinary report I developed a hypothesis that you and the captain did not agree upon the exact details of lieutenant commander Jamson's punishment. I realize that it may be inappropriate for you to discuss the specifics of your conversation with the captain; however, can you explain to me why the 'commander is not being court-martialed?"
Surok watched commander Thomas who seemed to be thinking carefully about answering his question. To clarify his position, Surok elaborated, "I should explain that I believe the answer to my question will have serious bearing upon my ability to command mister Jamson. If, for some reason, his aberrant actions are to be repeatedly disregarded in the future, I am skeptical of my ability to maintain discipline."
Chris thought about how the captain worded it and his own views. "You are correct that the captain and I didn't see eye to eye on this issue, as I suspect there's going to be many issues that we do not see eye to eye. The captain believes in team work, ignoring certain Starfleet regs and rules when he believes they are inconvenient and he's got a very strong sense of the idea family on the ship." Chris said in a frank tone to the chief operations officer. A Vulcan would review all the facts and draw his own conculsion about things. "While I do agree with the captain's sense of a ship being like a family and the need for flexibility in Starfleet Regulations, I do believe that there has been several occasions when he's over stepped the rules and bent them too far. It was exactly the reason why I was assigned to the ship in first place to watch and remind the captain of those things he'd bend with too much frequency for Starfleet. It's what cost him the rank of Fleet Captain and a promotion to Commodore." Commander Thomas said with a tone of knowledge and logic in the manner. Chris started to continue and decided to stop. "Needless to say the captain and I probably won't see eye to eye on certain things, but I will carry out my duties and orders to the best of my ability." when they don't conflict with my sense of loyalty and duty to Starfleet.
"And despite all of his faults and short comings, I still respect the man and I will not cross the line of mutiny, but if he gives me no other choice." Commander Thomas said with affection for the captain in the sense of family.
"To answer your question I needed to say that first. The captain noted the Mr. Jamson has already lost rank and his own command for his actions before, and being placed in situation he wasn't suited to be in. In my an excuse of convenience, but he wants the man to have a second and third chance." Chris said. "You should also know however that Mr. Jamson crosses the same line again he will be in the brig and charges filed."
Surok made a mental note to look into the matters commander Thomas referenced at a later time. Captain Price a maverick captain? Commander Thomas a direct agent of the admiralty? And, 'commander Jamson's past transgressions would also bear further investigation. The executive officer's assurance that Jamson would end up 'in the brig and charges filed' inspired little confidence in the Vulcan. Surok raised an eyebrow at his superior officer, who continued speaking.
"Now what we want to do is prevent that from happening again, taking all possible steps. Including keeping out of situations that might be dangerous enough to trigger a response. You'll need to know the reports from the counselors evaluations of him, and we keep him away from Cardassians at all times." Chris said, already noting a few things from his own exprience in talking with the man.
"A delicate situation," Surok commented. "We shall do what we can to accomodate such strictures while these factors remain present."
"We're going to give the man another chance to prove himself, to be apart and valued member of this crew." Chris said with the tone of command, but he knew Surok would recongize that he was saying Jamson has a chance to choose success or failure. "He can choose to adept and change his ways, with help or he's going to show himself the door."
The ops manager considered the Terran idiom 'show himself the door.' Simple, yet colorful. He wanted to clarify his department's situation, so he said, "Commander, it doesn't appear that mister Jamson is in any condition to have a position of authority over the others under my command. And yet, a further demotion in title would seem contrary to the captain's plans for him. Shall we designate an officer to replace him as assistant operations manager? Or is it wiser to simply leave mister Jamson in the position without any of the associated duties?"
"I believe that is your decision as department head, you have to consider what's best for your officers." Chris said. "However I am sure you'd prefer to have a little more support on the matter, before making a decision. I would say that Mr. Jamson's actions warrant that he needs counseling and as such he shouldn't be placed into a situation that might cause problems. I would feel better if Mr. Jamson was placed on light duty as I said and at least a temporary assistant chief is named for a while." Chris said.
"I believe ensign Reece has qualified for a promotion," Surok suggested. "Her skills are sufficient for the responsibilities, and she has untapped potential for command. I can see many benefits to giving her the position, even on a temporary basis."
Commander Thomas nodded in agreement with the chief operations officer. "Ensign Reece would be an excellent choice to take over the major duties of assistant chief, on a temporary basis at this point. Mr. Jamson is going to have his hands full for now, I will make it a point to speak with the chief counselor about Mr. Jamson and the need for his counseling to reach a point that she or whoever is assigned to the job feels he's ready to return to a heavy work load and those responsbilities of such a position."
"Very well, sir. I will speak with both the 'commander and ensign Reece about the temporary change in position," Surok said.
Commander Thomas paused for a moment to consider if there was anything else they needed to discuss about Lt. commander jamson before moving onward to other areas of ship's business. "I believe that covers it for now about Mr. Jamson."
Surok gave his Vulcan half-nod in reply.
"I would like to ask you a question, Mr. Surok something that may require you to think a little bit."
Surok raised an eyebrow at the commander's choice of wording. "I shall endeavor to provide a suitable reply."
"As you know I have been working on filling the second officer's slot since Mr. Sullax's departure from the ship." Chris said.
"Yes, that is correct. We last spoke of it prior to transporting Madame Kiye and Lady Tarie of Decilia," Surok recounted.
"Are you interested?" Chris said in a typical Vulcan style fashion.
"That question is not difficult to answer, commander," Surok said. "I have given the question some thought since we first spoke of it. The question, as you have stated it, is binary. And my answer is yes."
Commander Thomas was pleased to hear his answer and slightly fustrated as it meant that in likelyhood he would be back to having to chose between the three canidates. Chris nodded, "Thank you. You believe this would then fit into your future goals."
Surok replied, "Simply put, my career goal is to lead an exploratory vessel as her captain. The second officer position on the USS Galaxy is an appropriate waypoint toward that goal. I am qualified for the position, both referentially and by command experience. I would also compliment the command styles of our captain and first officer."
"But of course," he allowed, "you have other candidates to consider."
Commander Thomas felt that he almost heard emitions in statement, ego and logic. A combination that could be viewed as almost typical vulcan in a way. "Yes there are two others that I have to consider, along with you for the position." Chris said. "One might think that you considered yourself as the only canidate for the position?"
Completely still, Surok replied, "One would be mistaken to think so. There are several other qualified officers for the second officer position."
Commander Thomas thought about they needed or he wanted to ask the 'commander. "You believe that you would compliment the command staff, do you." Chris said. "How, what do you or would you bring to this role?" He knew the officer's record as he knew the other's records and their preformance on the ship since he'd taken over as first officer. Now he wanted to see if the Vulcan highlight what he would bring to the role.
"The basic administrative skills are not far different than those required of a department head," the Vulcan began. "However, I have been on the Bridge on two occasions when the captain and yourself have been at odds on a subject. An emotional person, biased by life experiences he has not been trained to view objectively, would be a destabilizing element to the command team's already confrontational dynamic."
Commander Thomas listened with intent, he wanted to judge the response to his question.
Surok continued, "Additionally, both you and the captain may rely upon me as a source of knowledgable input on a variety of subjects. I have served tours in Helm, Tactical, Science and Engineering, in addition to Operations. For a time I served as an instructor at StarFleet Academy on Earth. The benefits of such experience should be immediately obvious."
"Thank you 'commander." Chris said as he considered any final questions. "Do you have anything to ask or say at the moment?"
"Only this," said Surok. "Whomever you select for the second officer position will have my full endorsement and cooperation. I am incapable of envy and I am confident in the abilities of the most likely candidates."
"If it wasn't for the fact that I know Vulcan's so well I would disagree with you. But I know your reputation as a species and I've come to learn a lot about you through our conversations over the past months. " Chris said as he adjusted his sitting position, "So your belief is that you'll bring a unique point of view to any command discussion, one of logic, versus emotions or biasis towards a situation." Chris said.
"Yes, sir."
"I see and your input would be welcomed always." Chris said as he thought about if there was anything else for them to discuss at the moment. "What is your view of the Prime Directive?" the first officer asked he wanted to test the Vulcan's logic.
Surok raised an eyebrow. "The Prime Directive is the cornerstone of the Federation's identity. It is the primary difference between the UFP and virtually every other governmental body we have encountered. Logically, it is our greatest security against future turmoil and corruption."
"I mean is the Prime Directive absolute?" Commander Thomas said as he clarifed his question.
"Not," Surok said, "as absolute as it should be in many ways." Surok inhaled, "When applied to cultures defined as 'pre-Archain' on the T'Rila scale of development, enforcement must be swift and absolute. Those cultures have experienced first contact, yet their cultures are still delicate. The protections necessary are inversely proportional to the level of technological and economic development of each society. Cultures above Archain are at such a state of development that interaction with more developed cultures like those in the Federation can often serve to strengthen the identity of sentient species."
Surok continued, "So you see, my major disagreement with the enforcement of the Prime Directive is that it is insufficiently enforced regarding cultures that have broken the 'warp barrier' and thus are subject to first contact. Similarly, it is applied too readily when dealing with advanced cultures."
Commander Thomas smiled, "Enforcement of the Prime Directive is subjective to the captain of any given Starship, as they decide how vigrously they're going to enforce the meaning of it. However there are times when Starfleet feels that a culture while having developed warp capablities is not ready to have contact with the Federation." Chris said. "It's not easy job to apply the Prime directive to every culture based on a scale, because there are things that happen that aren't controlled."
"True. Put in example form," the Vulcan clarified, "a Starfleet captain faced with breaking the laws of an advanced foreign power in order to save his ship and crew should be permitted authority to determine how he or she should proceed. Conversely, no officer should be permitted to enforce Federation values, technology, or interests on a less-developed world like Bantrala IV which is technologically and economically inferior to most Federation worlds."
"A Starfleet captain must have the authority and ability to protect his or her crew from outside influences or threats, that are within reason and logic of course. There's a certainly level of grey that must be applied, but respect must also be shown for the foreign power as the situation warrants." Chris said. "And yes the Federation doesn't have a right to enforce of values on a culture that isn't ready to be a member of the Federation. However with that said there are times when our interventure whether for the right reasons may be needed to save a culture from extinction due to unforseen actions on our part."
Surok nodded in Human fashion, "Logic dictates that a strict policy of non-interference is beneficial to all cultures involved. However, that logic functions in a closed universe. Our galaxy is not a closed universe, and competing cultures obey no such taboo. The logic of pragmatism dictates that in all situations where our own influence is undue, non-interference is the only defensible policy. In situations where our own interests are sacrificed for the sake of a culture that actively seeks to apply the same pressures against ours, we must relax our obedience and seek equilibrium."
Chris smiled, "If our universe was a closed one, then logic would dectiate that everyone should be Vulcan like in thinking." Chris said with a smile. "Of course then we'd be in for a real shock if we encountered someone from another universe that wasn't logical thinking beings." the first officer said.
Surok broke Chris's attention, commenting, "My understanding is that upon first contact with a non-Vulcanoid species, the scientists involved were quite 'shocked', commander."
Commander Thomas looked at his desk unit, which had the Prime Directive loaded and being displayed. It was the foundation of the Federation, it's creed or motto one might say.
~As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Star Fleet personnel may interfere with the healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes the introduction of superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Star Fleet personnel may not violate this Prime Directive, even to save their lives and/or their ship unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations, and carries with it the highest moral obligation. ~
Chris glanced at his notes and thought for a moment. "Thank you for your time 'commander Surok I believe I have all the information I need to finish in my decision making process." Chris said.
"Very well, sir," replied the ops manager. "I intend to review our discussion and make further study. Perhaps we will find an opportunity to debate the Prime Directive as it relates to recent political events."
"Do you have any questions or final comments to make before you leave?"
The Vulcan stood from his chair. "No sir. I have much work to which I must return."
Stardate: occurs 6 weeks before current mission.
Commander Thomas had on the padd all of his evaluation reports from meeting with the department heads, right down to his final decision. The meetings had taken place several weeks ago and then even earlier then that for the first round. Now everything had come down to his final decision which it was time to deliver to the captain.
Commander Thomas approached the captain's ready room door.
"Show time." Chris said to himself and tapped the door's chime.
"Come in Commander. I've been expecting you 'mate."
"Thank you captain." Commander Thomas said as he entered the ready room. "As I said I have finished with my search for the ship's next second officer."
"That's Bonzer. I'm anxious to see the results of what I hear was quite an extensive search." Lee stated with a smile.
Commander Thomas handed the captain a PADD that contained all of his research and discussion. "As you know the position is one that requires the right person and could be comfortable with the role of first officer or even captain if required." Chris said.
The General took the padd and began to activate it while nodding his agreement to the Commander's comments. "It's basically a Executive Officer in training position. That is correct."
"That is why it's taken me this long to reach a decision. I spoke with every department head and some that were not department heads in my search. This process allowed me to review and consider all possibilities before making a decision. Which I am happy to say that I have reached the conclusion."
Lee raised his eyebrows as he scrolled through the data Thomas had compiled. "I can see that you have quite a lot of research here 'mate. But I haven't yet spotted where you make a selection..."
"My recommendation for the position of second officer is Lt. Commander Surok." Commander Thomas said to the captain.
Deactivating the padd, the Captain placed it onto his desk. "That seems like a logical choice, if you'll excuse the pun 'mate." Lee grinned impishly. "I will make the necessary arrangements with Starfleet Command and to get Mister Surok added into the command authorization subroutines for override codes and destruct sequences and so forth. If you can do the honors of advising Mister Surok of the decision and get him started in orientating him in his new duties as Second Officer, that would be apples Commander."
"I will inform the 'commander shortly." Commander Thomas said. "I am sure that he will make an excellent second officer."
"Dismissed 'mate." Lee said with a nod, allowing his Exec to get to Lieutenant Commander Surok with the good news that he was the Galaxy's new Second Officer.
Commander Thomas nodded and departed the captain's ready room.
"Thought Patterns"
~You made history my dear. Do you realize that?~
~No daddy, Rurke made history, I told the world who Rurke was.~
Gently, their thoughts made themselves clear. Sitting on the small, ornately carved wooden bench, father and daughter shared a precious moment of peace at the Betazed Museum of Art. Grasping her hand softly, his dark brown eyes met hers.
~You appear lost Savanna, so lost right at this moment.~
Forcing a small smile, the newest security officer of the Galaxy sighed audibly.
~No, I'm just very tired. So much has happened in so little time.~
~Yes, but your adventure is just beginning. The Galaxy.....a fine starship from what I've heard.~
Turning to Luke, she grabbed both of his hands, and vocalized her thoughts in an urgent, yet timid tone of voice as a single tear ran down her face.
"Will the memories ever go? The horrors I saw? Will they ever leave my mind?"
Bringing his hand up, he caressed the tear away. His weathered hand felt warm against her soft skin.
"Yes, in time I'm sure they will. Cover up these recent memories with new memories on the Galaxy. Do not be frightened baby girl. Go to your destiny and seize it."
Commander Thomas and the away team arrived in Transporter room 2 where Savat and a security team were already in place to greet the Romulans when they were brought over from their ship. They'd visit the ship's weapons locker and were packing type 2 for those like the doctor and type 3 phasers for those like the security officers.
"Commander Thomas." Savat said seeing the first officer's team arrive.
"'Commander Savat, I am taking an away team over to the ship to help with the evacuation of the Romulans from their ship. We'll also use this opportunity to have a look at the damage to the ship and get their sensor logs for some more answers as to what happened here." Chris said. "And maybe even find out what they're doing here."
"Yes sir." Savat said.
Commander Thomas turned his attention to the group of officers gathered in the transporter room now and spoke. "Alright I know it's crowded in here at the moment, but I need everyone's attention!" Commander Thomas called out as he wanted their attention for the moment so he could go over the mission.
The room grew silent as everyone began to turn their attention to listen to what the first officer had to say about the mission.
"The game plan is going to be this Lt. Richeson, Lt. O'Grady, Ensign Wellsmen, Ensign Taw and myself will transport over to the Romulan D'drerix class warbird first to secure our position." Commander Thomas said. "Once we've secured our position we'll signal everything is clear. Lt. Commander Surok you will then proceed to bring the rest of the away team over." Chris said, but he moved on from there quickly. "And if things are not secure," Chris said turning to Savat,"Then I'll either order our beam out or for Lt. Commander Savat and his security team to join us instead." Chris said. He figured that way a security presence in the transporter room could be maintained regardless of how things went initially.
"Lt. Dothan will setup triage where we beam in and work from there to start with. A security officer will remain there. Mr. Surok you, Lieutenant, Junior Grade Quevvenson and Ensign McCauley will proceed to the bridge. Download the ship's information and see what else you can find out." Chris said as he knew he'd be repeating himself again. "Mr. Richeson you, Lt. O'Grady and the other security officer will proceed to search the ship for information and victims."
"Aye sir." they said.
"Myself and Mr. Suder will make our way to engineering and see what we can learn from down there." Commander Thomas said as he laid out the plan. Now he could just replay it in his mind to the rest of the away team in transporter room 2.
"Questions?" Commander Thomas said after having laid down the game plan.
Ethan looked at the others. He had no questions, but some of the younger officers may have.
Ethan thought about what to expect on the Romulan ship. He had gone over many reports about the Romulans technology and their computers. He had no doubt in his mind that he'd be able to handle their configuration. He'd find out soon enough.
"Has the captain hailed the Romulan Vessel, sir?" mister Surok asked as he strapped the electric torch to his left wrist. Then he looked over to Ensign MacAuley and handed her a tricorder. She would need it to translate the Romulan instrumentation into Federation Standard.
"No, not that I am aware of" Thomas said stepping around to the transporter console to verify his own assumptions. "Just as I suspected 'commander. The Romulan's communication systems are down and there's a full hull breaches."
"Romulans," opined the Vulcan ops manager, "are difficult to predict at the best of times. Currently, the survivors of that vessel may be expecting further Borg boarding parties. We must not expect a friendly greeting." He checked the settings on his rifle and pistol.
Wren frowned, her forehead creasing as she glanced down at her Type 2 just like the Vulcan. It was times like these she wished she was a security officer... they, at least, got something half way intimidating. She, on the other hand, was not intimidating. To anyone. She drew a deep breath. Oh well, just had to watch her backside was all.
Lt. Rayna O'Grady leaned over to her security guard that was going to be with her and whispered something to him. They exchanged looks, then she asked her question, "I do have one sir...You mentioned survivors and victims, how many are unaccounted for?" Rayna was ready to go as usual. She hated the question and answer periods...always had.
"Unknown." Commander Thomas said. "While our sensors are tops out there, there's just to much electromagnetic and residual Borg weapons fire to get a clear reading." Chris said. "And on top of that it appears the Borg had started to assimilate the Romulan ship. Which is why we're going over they're with phasers set to heavy stun, if you encounter Borg you authorized to eliminate them." Chris said.
"And on top of that it appears the Borg had started to assimilate the Romulan ship. Which is why we're going over they're with phasers set to heavy stun, if you encounter Borg you authorized to eliminate them," Chris said.
Borg... Ensign Wren McCauley mentally cringed at that mention and felt her heartbeat increase. She had absolutely no experience with the Borg. None. She had never even seen one except for in simulations and texts, all at the academy, which was quite different from most of her crew members whom had either had previous fights with them or seen the Wolf tragedy. Wren cleared her throat. "Commander, I have two, actually... are we to expect Borg? Because, I was not aware that any of the scans showed signs of them... and if we do encounter them, what exactly do we do when they adapt? Run like hell?" She paused a moment, realized what she said, and quickly added: "Sir" to the end, not meaning how it sounded. Bugger, she had no idea how to act around this group of people. The Borg might be a comfort. At least with them, she knew where she stood.
Commander Thomas was surprised by Ensign McCauley's reaction upon hearing that the Borg had been around here. "We should expect anything, Borg, Dominion, frightened Romulans, I repeat anything. With that said however there are no indications of Borg active on the ship." Chris said trying reassure her of the situation, but also make it clear there was danger here. "If we or your party encounters them, kill them." Commander Thomas said. "We are still at war with the Borg, despite recent events and the lack of formal declaration."
Lt. (j.g) Quevvenson was content with the answers he had heard. As such he prepared to go into battle. He hoped that he could at least hit whatever he was aiming at this time. But he was unsure if he would be able to, as battle tended to make one's aim even more shaky.
Rayna was already getting antsy while everyone was busy asking questions that no one had answers to. The only way they for sure would know if there were any Borg, etc. would be to get there and search. She stood up, "Instead of talking about this and not getting the answers we need, let's get going. I'd like to get back in time for dinner if at all possible."
------------
Autumn sent the now Fit-For-Duty ensign on his way. She walked back into her office and sat down. She had five mins until Michala came back for her examination. Her mind flicked back over the rumors she had heard when she had been in Ten Forward on night before the fighting on Bajor and what followed. 'Michala Lynn and Eric Odin' she thought 'Trill and a mixture.'"Computer please set up for DNA scanning and contact LT Lynn and tellher I'm ready when she is" Computer: Acknowledged
A few minutes later, Michala entered nervous. She should have done this some time ago, but she didn't want to face the possibility of abnormalities her unique physiology could make. It was a miracle she existed,Starfleet Medical was going to have a hey day with the fact she was pregnant. "Hey Michala. Ready?" Autumn looked at Michala’s face. “You ok? You don't look to hot" She continued as they walked into a small examination room.
"Just nervous. I mean, I know the chances of there being absolutely no complications with all theses racial differences is slim." She said taking a deep breath.
"OK Michala just relax and we'll get this over with." Autumn glanced one last time at the other woman and began the exam. "And relax will you.I am sure there will be no complications after all your perfectly healthy and there is no reason to be concerned" 'Oh goody gum drops' She thought watching the child. This kid will have such a screwed up DNA its not funny. Bajorian, terran , Vulcan and Trill. And if the father is Trill like the rumor says this child might be able to host a symbiote' She finished the examination and said to Michala "Wait here a second while I get the results from the computer ok?" She walked into the small lab off to one side and hit a button. The computer downloaded the baby's DNA Results and also the results of all the tests onto Autumn's PADD. She walked out into the room and smiled at Michala."I don't think there will be any complications with this child if you take care of yourself Michala. In fact I think this child will have a very good chance of being healthy and wise when born. Here" She handed Michala the data Padd. ON it was the child's DNA composition and its sex.
* Child of Michala Lynn: DNA Signature:
"Well what do you think Michala?"
"Its a boy?" She looked at the Padd. "How can it be so much trill? I am mostly Bajoran? Or at least, I look Bajoran?" She took a deep breath realizing she wasn't giving Autumn a chance to answer.
"whoa Girl calm down! You have to see it this way. A baby gets half of its DNA from its mother and Half from its father. So half of you DNA Plus half of the Father. Eric ODIN. He is A TRILL. A full Trill so logically his half can dominate you half and there fore the trill part of your DNA adds to his 50% and bobs your uncle the DNA of your baby boy."
"What about the brain lobes? I mean, I have four. I am really worried about that?"
She said trying to keep calm. Her own training seemed to just disapate. "Tests show it should be a normal baby in all respects and it should even be able to host a Trill symboite when it is older and trained to."
Autumn placed a hand on Michala's shoulder. "Breath Michala before you faint on me."
Michala tried to calm her breathing. Then much to her suprise, she burst into tears The stress of the incident with the prophetess, with Deiran, and not knowing the fate of her baby had been wearing on her heavily. Add to that the changes to her body and emotions and the relief of good news and Michala lost it.
She looked up at Autumn trying desperately to get a hold of herself.
Autumn placed her arms around Michala. "Hey Calm down Michala. Here is my advice. REST and RELAXATION" She helped Michala to her feet and reached out for a hypospray and handed it to her. "Mild sedative. Relax you it will.Now go and lie down I'll send the chief a message to that affect and I don't want to see you until tomorrow ok?"
Michala nodded. "I guess. Just for today though, I don't know what is wrong with me?" She dashed the tears away and took the hypo. "I will see you tomorrow." She gave Autumn a quick hug and hurried off.
Autumn smiled after her and picked up a spare Data Padd and typed a small message to the head of Medical with a copy to captian Price.
To: Captian Price and Commander Mass.
Today after a Pre-natal examination, Michala Lynn was in my opinon to emotionally upset to continue her shift. It was my recomendation that Michala take the rest of the day off to sleep. Mother and baby are doing fine and Michala should carry the baby to term. Michala will hopefull take a mild sedative and get some well needed rest. She will be back to duty tomorrow.
Ensign Autumn Jamieson.
Autumn then quickly got up and heaed off to her next patient or paper work.. whatever came first.
Captain Price stood on the bridge near the tactical station. Commander Thomas' away team had just beamed over to the Romulan ship to help evacuate any survivors from what appeared to be an attack by the Borg.
"The Commander's team has safely transported over Captain." Lieutenant' von Ernst informed.
The General gave a nod. "Any sign of Borg on the vessel 'mate?"
Rebecca hesitated for a moment before she somewhat nervously tapped a few controls. "The ship is heavily damaged sir. It's difficult to get an exact reading with all the pulsing circuits and it appears that the singularity the Romulans use to power their ships is emitting interference. However what areas I can get readings on show no active Borg."
"Well keep scanning. And make sure the transporter room keeps a lock on Commander Thomas' team, just in case an emergency beam out is needed." The Captain stated.
"Yes - yes sir." Rebecca semi-stuttered her response.
"Open a channel to Captain Reinhart on the Merrimac. I want to find out what the Dominion are up to with what's left of the Borg cube." Captain Price ordered.
"Right away Captain." Rebecca returned, tapping the correct sequence to open a channel. "Merrimac, this is the USS Galaxy. Captain Price wishes to speak with Captain Reinhart."
A moment later a voice responded, ["Stand by Galaxy, I'll patch you through to the Captain."]
Lieutenant' von Ernst glanced at the Captain with her eyes briefly. Rebecca had her chin down, nose buried into her station, wishing to God that the Captain would go back down into the command well and sit down. Having Price standing near the tactical arch was making her nervous.
Captain Price didn't seem to notice the Lieutenant's glance or behavior. He just stood there patiently, waiting for the Captain of the Merrimac to respond. Finally he did.
["Dallas here. Go ahead Captain Price."]
"G'day 'mate. We have just sent an evacuation team over to the damaged Romulan ship. I thought that while we wait for Commander Thomas' team to carry out the evacuation, I could get a status report on what the Dominion are up to. Have they spotted your vessel Captain?" Lee asked.
["Not that we are aware of. If they have, they are certainly playing it cool."] Captain Reinhart began. ["Regarding the Dominion, we have counted seven ships in total. A spot of damage on a few of them, but for the most part they all look to be intact. We've detected several transports between the ships and to the cube, most likely salvage parties. There are at least a few Borg remaining on the cube that we can detect, though they appear to be regenerating. Right now the ships are coordinating their efforts to tractor the remains of the Borg vessel towards their homeworld. They are not making very good progress. Less than a couple of kilometers an hour by our calculations."]
"Well, that is good news for the moment." Captain Price acknowledged while walking down the ramp to the command well. Rebecca let out a gentle sigh of relief at seeing the Captain depart.
"I've consulted with Starfleet Command, and they have made it clear that we can not allow the Dominion to study the Borg technology remaining on that cube. Once Commander Thomas' team finishes evacuating the Romulan ship, the Galaxy will be joining you, along with the rest of the ships in the fleet to try and convince the Dominion to abandon their little salvage operation." Price explained.
["That should be fun."] Dallas answered whimsically. ["I suppose you are just going to ask them to let it go and watch all that Borg tech get destroyed before their eyes?"]
"Something like that. We've been authorized to take matters into our own hands and destroy the Borg ship if the Dominion is unwilling to cooperate." Lee explained.
["Great. Just when the crew thought we were going to get out of this without a fight. I mean, how often does a Federation task force come across a Borg ship that had already been neutralized? One thing is for sure, the Dominion will be jumping mad after their prize is reduced to ions."] Reinhart pointed out.
"Aye. But we do have them out numbered with a larger fleet of vessels. Hopefully they will see things that way and not risk loosing their remaining ships in an unnecessary battle. At least that is what I'm hoping for." Lee expressed.
["I wouldn't count on it. I'm sure if our positions were reversed, and the Federation lost a great number of ships defeating a Borg ship, we would do everything in our power to insure their loss wasn't for nothing. So what are our orders Captain?"]
"Maintain a watch on the Dominion ships, and continue to try and remain hidden in the debris field 'mate. Once we finish our evacuation of the Romulan vessel, I'll order the fleet to your location. Then we can approach the Dominion together."
["Strength in numbers."] Reinhart stated.
"Exactly 'mate. Galaxy out." Captain Price stated while he sat in the command chair before closing the channel to the USS Merrimac.
From the tactical arch,
Lieutenant' von Ernst called out some what tentatively, "Captain, I'm detecting weapons fire on board the Romulan ship..."
Lee glanced back quickly as he ordered, "Get Commander Thomas on the channel!..."
NRPG: Happened earlier, before this mission started.
"The Starfleet Slumber Party Massacre--Part 1"
by
DA GIRLS!!
;)
It was a Dark and Stormy night....
The wind outside the old haunted mansion howled like banshees wailing for their lost souls, and the pelting rain beat a tattoo of doom on the creaky wooden shutters.
Every crash of thunder was like the end of the world, and every flash of lightning revealed the hidden horrors that were better left for the depths of darkest hell. Prissy Trueheart, gasped aloud as the flickering illumination revealed the dark and foreboding interiors of the dusty old House. Her Heaving bosoms rose and fell in great gasps as fear seized her hear in an icy grip.
Prissy Trueheart stood alone in the secret heart of old House Le-Blood. Here at last was the central lair of the evil Count Le-Blood who disappeared all those years ago under such strange circumstances. The way had been fraught with peril, and all of her teenage companions had gone missing along the way, but now the intrepid and nubile young heroine stood before the final door that lay between her and the answer to this most ancient mystery.
The buxom blond stood trembling before the great oaken door, her smooth womanly curves barely contained by the skimpy, and see-through undergarments that she had felt compelled to wear while exploring the mansion. A shimmering layer of nervous sweat glistened on her ample cleavage, and she licked her ruby-red lips nervously as she reached for the door knob. Every instinct told her to run and hide, but the nubile young woman could not resist turning the handle, and pulling the door open with a slow creaking motion......
"I calculate a 97.08% chance that opening that door will lead to her untimely death." Lt. T'Lil of Vulcan announced in the darkened interior of the Holodeck Movie house. All around her a half dozen other female officers franticly 'shushed' her into silence. "Be quiet you'll ruin the movie." One whispered.
"I merely point out the illogic of the protagonists course of actions." T'Lil replied conversationally.
Sure enough, the On-screenPrissy Trueheart screamed in horror as a loathsome beast dripping with foul ichor leapt from the opened closet. On the darkened holodeck, nearly 30 other females of various races likewise recoiled and not a few squeaked out a similar gasp of surprise. The USS Galaxy's All-Female Slumber party was well into its third Horror-Film, and the well designed sound-systems along with appropriate dim lighting provided all the necessary atmosphere for the event.
The Vulcan T'Lil, had not known what to expect when she first received the invitation top attend the Holodeck get-together, but the opportunity to study first-hand an alien ritual known as a "Slumber Party" was too tempting to pass up.
Now that she was here, she had concluded that the name was a misnomer, as very little 'slumber' seemed to be in the offering. Events seemed tailored around scary movies, ghost stories, and a curious ritual known as a pillow fight.
In the name of pure research T'Lil had attempted to join in the aforementioned Pillow-Fight, but was rapidly disqualified when her formidable Vulcan strength nearly sent a hapless young Ensign to the Sick Bay with a concussion.
"Illogical choice of weapons." T'Lil had remarked at the time. "A Pillow neither serves as a proper implement of Attack or Defence, and even properly wielded only serves to make the target madder." Skipping the long tables laden with all sorts of food of questionable Nutritional value, the slim Vulcan now studied the so called "Horror-movie" with a critical eye. On screen Prissy Trueheart screamed and wailed as she ran through the darkened halls attempting to flee the pursuing ghoul. Her great bosoms bounced with every step, and the camera made sure to capture every jiggle. "While I admit her choice of rather miniscule undergarments seems immodest." T'Lil commented again out loud, "I suppose it does provide for a certain freedom of movement to better enable her escape."
"T'Lil.... shut up!" someone whispered in the dark.
"However her choice of Stiletto high-heels for footwear seriously negates any advantage the garments may have provided." As much as it was a distraction, a few of the other girls had to giggle at T'Lil's comments. Trust a Vulcan to analyse the logic behind a slasher-flick.
=================
Across the room , Rebecca von Ernst balanced a large bowl of popcorn on her knees and wondered what all the giggling was about down towards the front. The petite redheaded officer sat a little apart from the rest of the main group, not at all comfortable with her surroundings. She too, had no idea of what to make of the invitation when it arrived. While she understood the concept of a Slumber Party well enough, her own experiences were sadly lacking due to a derth of friends while growing up. The other women on the Holodeck seemed to adapt very well to the social situation, and even that Vulcan lady.........(..what was her name)........was widely accepted into the group.
For herself, Rebecca stood alone and apart, silently watching the events with a nervous eye, and using the excuse of visiting the snack-table to get herself out of any embarrassing events. Mostly she was rather modest and self-conscious about her appearance and attire.
Starfleet Command seemed to be well stocked with young nubile females who pranced around in various assortments of sleepwear, long-limbed and smooth. To be sure some wore simple modest Pyjamas (As did Rebecca--The Flannel Variety) but many others went for the more revealing variety with everything from simple T-Shirts, to one shocking individual that bounced around in a THONG! The sight had shocked Rebecca to her core.. she wasn't even aware underwear came in that variety!
She had watched earlier as the pretty girls giggled and battled during the pillow-fight....she had likewise groaned in horror when the emotionless Female Vulcan stepped into the ring, and with one quick swipe sent a girl flying to the floor.
~~ That had to hurt! ~~ she had thought at the time.
Now crunching softly on her popcorn, Rebecca wiggled her toes nervously in her fluffy Bunny-Slippers, as the movie continued to play. On-Screen Prissy Trueheart was running UP-STAIRS in an attempt to escape her pursuer. From somewhere up front Rebecca though she heard T'Lil commenting on the illogic of that tactic.
~~ Illogical.~~ Rebecca mused. ~~Just like me being here in the first place.~~
========================
Autumn sat on the floor behind the Vulcan and considered showing her how good pillows really were for silencing people. She was about to stand when she spotted a small red head sitting by herself and looking very nervous. She got up and tiptoed across to Lt Von Ernst. "Hey" She whispered as she sat down beside her. "My name's Autumn. Enjoying the movie?"
Rebecca looked up at the smiling dark haired woman and shrugged nervously.
"S..s.sure." she whispered, "I don't really understand the plot really. Except for some girl running around in her underwear."
Autumn giggled a bit, and glanced around at the mass of women crowding the Holodeck. "Seems to be a lot of us running around here too."
Blushing Rebecca wiggled her Bunny slippers again in nervousness. "Yeah...at least nobody is wearing anything TOO outrageous..." she started to say when a new figure strolled out of the darkness and plopped down next to her..
Nilani had entered and moved next to the pair, and took a seat next to Rebecca. She wore a set of hot pants shorts that had two zippers running up the sides that could pull the shorts off whole. Her top was covered by a black teddy that just covered her breasts!
Rebecca and Autumn exchanged glances and could help giggling. Outrageousness, (it seemed) had strolled up for a visit. Nilani moved in and squeezed herself closer down beside Rebecca, leaning over and whispering in her ear "I'm sorry I'm late.... I had a meeting with Kayrn, she insisted that I come to this party.... Plus I had to make myself look good!"
*******************************************************
Meanwhile across the room.......
Rose walks into the holodeck late while wearing a Betazoid red gown, "So sorry I'm late my Chief Science Officer wanted me to some report before leaving for the night." she said with a smile, then she saw her old friend Alisha Reno so Rose walked over. "Hey old friend what's up?" Rose said with a smile.
Wren had grudgingly accepted the invitation; she had never really been one for sleepovers or female friends. Sure, she had a few, but they were never particularly close and those friendships were mostly forced upon her by way of the academy. Wren had always been more the tomboy really, with her black and darkness and obsession with flight and fighting, with weapons. She had yet to find a woman she completely got along with though hell, she was still looking for a man she did. Now that was a dilemma indeed. 'Course, she had acquaintances. Rose for instance, who had sat beside a woman Wren did not recognized and started a conversation. Wren shook her head, her eyebrows raised as she stared at the screen. She leaned toward the woman beside her.
"Who chose this movie?" she questioned, slightly disgusted. "It looks like something one of my girlhood boyfriends would have watched." Rose smiles at her new friend Wren and whispers, "I know it suck I played in a much better horror movies that the Academy, I played vampires and evil Egyptian goddesses and queens."
Wren laughed softly. "And they say *I* have a dark side." She glanced at Rose and chuckled. "I was never in a movie, everyone said I should be, but... never really my thing. I do not know, I think the portrayal of... that poor woman for instance... It is an abhorrence. Not to mention the acting is atrocious and the dialogue is trite."
Rose kept talking to Wren about some of the movies she did while at the Academy, "Maybe we can do some acting or maybe sword fighting I got excellent holodeck programs." Rose said while trying to keep her red gown down.
***************************************************************
Jessie entered the dim room dragging Serena behind her both were dressed in Normal PJ's and Jessie was so glad to finally get there. She spotted LT Von Ernst with two other women and smiled that her Assistant Head of department had found some friends. Dragging Serena with her she slipped over and squeezed in beside the Brunette with bright green eyes. "Hi Lt!" She whispered as The Brunette moved over. Serena sat on the floor and smiled at them " I'm Serena!" She said from her seat.
She turned and glanced around. "Lots of people here tonight" "I'm Jessie" Jessie added as she shook hands with the other two present.
"Hello. My name is Autumn." Autumn smiled hands with the two newcomers and then reached over Serena's head to reach another bowl of popcorn. She grabbed it and passed it to Jessie. "Here have some!" She smiled. She nudged Rebecca and pointed to the Girl wearing the THONG! "That's Kira Murphy. She's a medical doctor. She is harmless. I should know... I work with her."
****************************************
Jumping out of the way, Kira dodged a pillow and thanked her luck that the slumber party was being held in the holodeck, where the program had been adjusted to provide a low-level force field effect around her to help compensate against gravity.
When she had been getting ready, she searched through the computer's records, ranging from flowery (hence ghastly to Kira) silk kimonos to plain flannel PJ's. Finally, she decided to go in a cute yet very skimpy micro mini string top and thong in pink, expecting to lose the top during the slumber party. Now, she was happy that she chose well, and had already managed to lose the top.
After making her way through the room and dodging pillows, she got herself a lime cordial and took a breather. Bach on Gemworld, something like this was very rare, and Kira was really enjoying it.
Looking around, she saw that Nilani was over near Rebecca and someone she didn't know. Crouching, Kira slowly and quietly made her way through the room. When she was about two metres behind them, she sprang forward and crash-tackled into Nilani, swinging her pillow as the pair rolled forwards.
Giggling wildly, Kira rolled away and used the pillow to defend herself from Nilani's retaliation. Suddenly, Kira felt something cold... She suddenly realised her thong was no longer on, and giggled more, trying to shift away from Nilani. Finally, Nilani managed to hold Kira down and started tickling her mercilessly. After a few minutes, Nilani let up and Kira rolled over onto her stomach, kicking her knees back and forwards behind her and leaning on her elbows as Nilani dropped Kira's thong onto her back. Smiling, she grinned, "Hiya! I decided to gate-crash the quiet section."
When the bouncing bra-less bundle of Kira Murphy came tumbling into Nilani, poor petite Rebecca almost got dragged along into the fray. As it was her popcorn bowl was sent flying, and she huddled against the wall eyes wide, as the wrestling goddesses tickled and giggled across the floor, and -GOOD LORD.. SHE LOST HER UNDIES--
To say there was an awkward silence would have been putting it mildly. On one side stood the red faced and conservatively dressed group of Rebecca, Autumn, Serena, and Jessie. As a whole they were rather tastefully arrayed in modest flannel silk Pyjamas that covered 99% of their bodes.
On the other hand....There were the two Amazonian beauties of Kira and Nilani who rolling on the floor giggling their long limbs glistening in the pale movie-light. Between the two of them Nilani was scantily clad in her rubber-zipper thing, and Kira...well she just stood there as casual as could be plumb-NEKKID!
Rebecca quickly averted her gaze to the floor, her freckled cheeks glowing in embarrassment. The images on the flickering screen were bad enough, but the sight of all these real-life jutting breasts and heaving bosoms was rather intimidating for the terminally flat-chested redhead. ~~Noodles, she's got more boobs on her pinky than I have on my chest!~~ Rebecca thought glumly and flecked a piece of scattered popcorn off her bunny slipper.
Nobody seemed sure what to say next, except for the amazons who chatted and giggled cheerfully as if their exposure meant nothing in the world. "OH MY LORD!" Autumn said in a false shocked voice "Kira Murphy put your clothes back on!" Autumn also put a reassuring hand on Rebecca's shoulder and tried had to give comfort. Soon however the unfolding action on the silver screen distracted the girls again. As Autumn turned away, Kira poked her toungue out.
Poor Prissy Trueheart had at last eluded her fiendish pursuer, and once again found herself wandering the darkened halls of haunted House Le-Blood. Fortunately, (it seemed) for our young heroine she ran across the muscle bound figure of Steve Stud, the ultimate hero with the bluest eyes and a rippling 12-pack across his abdomen. Together the duo... sensing the imminent danger of the situation...decided to do the only logical thing they could think of: They retired to the nearest bedroom, and proceeded to take a roll in the sheets!!
"Now that's just strange." One of the girls remarked critically while munching on a piece of popcorn. "You'd think they'd try to leave the mansion instead." T'Lil the Vulcan raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps sensing their imminent deaths they seek to propagate the species by ensuring for their descendants existence. In that fashion their deaths will not have been in vain."
"T'Lil.. shut up." The
first voice whispered. Autumn let out an audible groan of total exasperation and grabbed a pillow from behind Serena and sent it flying towards the Vulcan with a "T'Lil hush up!" It connected lightly with her back and she didn't even seem to notice. "Well I think old Mr. Stud up there is rather cute." Another crewmate put in
"Oh hush." Replied the first. "Honestly girl.. If I was about to be eaten by a ghost, Id sure get my fun in." Gales of giggles sprinkled through the crowd. "Well I would if that was Commander Thomas up there!" someone said. "Get out! He's like married!" "Cute though...yum."
The topic of discussion quickly turned from the events on screen to evaluating the merits of the male half of the crew. "What about it girls?" The still naked Kira Murphy turned to the embarrassed foursome with a sly grin. "Which of the guys do you think is hot?" Autumn got a thoughtful look on her face and said "There is a Lt(jg) that I like but I don't think he even knows I exist"
Nilani looked to Kira and threw the pillow. "Get over it.... there is NO MAN on this ship that even comes near to looking good...Actually I've seen Targs that look better than the men on this ship!" she looked to Rebecca and smiled. She looked to Kira and laughed "For light sake girl.... put something on...your frightening the more conservative people here!" Looking up, Kira pouted before giggling again.
Rose smiles, this was the first time in a very long time that she was really having fun and it felt good. Autumn glanced at Jessie and Serena and asked " What about you two? Any cute men on board that you like?" Jessie blushed and before she could say anything Serena let the cat out of the bag! "Jessie is currently dating Simon Andersen From Helm! And he is totally besotted with her!"
"SERENA!" Jessie hissed through clenched teeth " We have only had on date and that doesn't count and besides I am not even sure I like the guy!!!" Serena bust into giggles at this and added her own two cents worth "Sure Girl sure!"
*********************
Heather had arrived for the slumber party a few minutes into the second movie. She was not a fan of horror films. Under one arm was her pillow and a blanket, while she had a medium size, brown teddy bear tucked under the other. Behind her, Heather dragged a small trolley of drinks and snacks. The trolley was not full, but it was handy considering both her arms were full. Heather had excepted the invitation, simply so she could meet some more of the crew and hopefully make some friends, all while having some much needed fun.
She had spent what had seemed hours working out the appropriate sleepwear. Usually, she wore a silk nightie, but she felt it may be too skimpy for a party. Luckily she had a pair of deep purple, flannelette pyjamas tucked away in the back corner of her bottom draw. On her feet, she wore her matching purple slippers that had a light purple, imitation sheep's skin inner sole, which folded back a little around her ankles.
When she arrived, there was a group of people sitting towards the front of the holodeck. Due to it being so dark, she could not recognise any of the highly engross crowd from behind. Quietly, she pulled the trolley to the side and left it until the movie ended. She then went and plunked herself down at the back of the group, and attempted to work out the storyline from total confusion.
*********************
To be continued...................
By Ensign Samthia Wej and
It wasn’t as though she’d never been faced with an awkward moment before tonight. It was just that she had become quite adept at avoiding them that being confronted with one caught her off guard… so to speak.
So it was with great trepidation that she stood in the galley at this late hour, with only one other occupant seated at a table.
Her choices were, a) seat herself at another table and avoid any social interaction or b) seat herself at the same table and engage in small talk.
Wej gazed at the slight, red headed Lieutenant and decided that option b would not be an unpleasant choice. Perhaps they would find something in common.
Samthia carried her tray to where Lt. Rebecca von Ernst sat, her head lowered, intent on her meal.
“Ahem, Lieutenant, do you mind if I join you?” Rebecca looked up into the placid expression of Samthia Wej. “I, uh… well, yes… I mean… no, I don’t mind at all.” She managed.
Wej slipped into the fixed seating. “It’s usually empty at this time of night.” She commented.
“I know… that’s why I come at this time.” Rebecca could have kicked herself. “That’s not what I mean… I mean that…”
“you enjoy dining alone… “ Samthia finished for her. “I do as well.”
“You do?” Rebecca asked, relieved that Wej seemed unoffended.
“Yes. I’m always working on solving problems in my head; even when I’m off duty. It’s not that I don’t like company; but even when I appear as though I’m not busy, really I am.” Wej explained.
Lt. Von Ernst put her fork down. “That’s exactly how I am!” Samthia smiled and Rebecca smiled back. It was a comfortable, polite, silence and the two officers ate peacefully, alone with their thoughts until they neared the end of their meal.
“What are you working on?” Rebecca suddenly asked.
“Really want to know?” Wej asked, leaning forward slightly in her chair.
“Uh, yeah, I do.”
“Shrodinger’s cat.”
“Quantum physics? That’s my specialty!” Rebecca said, astounded to find someone with the same interest as herself. "But can I ask why?" Rebecca found herself developing a curiosity about the bald stellar cartographer.
Wej chuckled. "You may ask, Lieutenant… but may I remind you… curiosity killed the cat."
Rebecca stared for a half second in silence before bursting out in peals of unrestrained laughter. Clutching her belly the small girl giggled herself silly for nearly a minute. "Oh gawd oh gawd." she snickered between breaths, wiping tears out of her eyes, " I've never heard anything so funny. Thats a teriffic joke!"
Wej grinned brilliantly, endlessly amused at the human girl's boisterous reaction. "Thank you Lieutenant… I don’t get much call for quantum-comedy; it tends to be a rather select audience who could actually appreciate its subtleness."
"I bet." Rebecca giggled, her cheeks nice and rosy now. "I sometimes run into problems trying to simplify higher mathematics in order to explain something to someone in Tactical; but usually I get stuck with the Central Computer as my only sounding board."
"Tactical?" The Deltan raised an eyebrow. "Odd place for a mathematics specialist isn’t it?"
"Oh don’t even start." Rebecca waved that one away with a flick of her wrist. "That story has been done to death."
"As you wish, Lieutenant." Wej replied.
"And don’t Loo-ten-nant me either. Call me Rebecca please. I hate this icky rank stuff.
Wej smiled. "Of course Rebecca. Call me Sam."
Ensign Samthia Wej
Lieutenant Rebecca von Ernst
Location: Security Office, USS GALAXY
(Previously: Baffled by the string of bizarre drug related deaths on the ship, the Galaxy welcomes aboard Lt. Richey, temporarily on loan from the Starbase, to help track down the cause of the deaths. Upon finding the fourth victim, Raven and Tex set out to interview potential witnesses.)
'Bubba, anyone ever tell you that your a bit too tense sometimes?"
Raven just snorted as they walked through the doors of the Security office. Tex plopped down behind his desk and tossed his hat down on the desktop.
'Seriously now. You walk around all day looking like your about to explode. Best way I know to develop an ulcer," the older man leaned foreword a bit and said in a much softer tone: " It also throws your bowels out of joint too."
Raven swallowed hard. Unlike Leo Streely, Tex was technically a superior officer, even though he didn't let it show and always let Raven take the point in the investigation. As a ranking officer, he was still due a certain amount of professional respect.
"Your concern for the well being of my bowels is admirable."
'Ah don't mention it, Bubba. Regularity is the center of a man. Too little or too much and it throws you off your feed. A man can't work properly if his bowels ain't focused."
Raven closed his eyes as officers walked by his desk chuckling after hearing snippets of their conversation. "Rest assured that I am as regular as clockwork, and as for my demeanor, being carefree and easygoing are not traits that will carry you far in the security field."
The cowboy chuckled loudly and smoothed his slightly graying hair. "Hogwash, son. I been riding this range for 7 years now, and I been able to find things that some ornery S.O.B.s miss, and do you know why they miss the little things?"
Again Raven closed his eyes and took a shot in the dark. " Because of their bowels?"
Tex slapped his knee and yelled aloud. " Your damn right, its their bowels. You a fast learner Bubba. It's gonna be a pleasure to work with ya. I just know it!"
"Yes, well. Back to the subject of work, as far as I can tell we hit a dead end with the fourth body.Nobody had any idea where she got the drug. Now we just sit here and wait for body number five, I suppose," the Indian said dejectedly while tossing the PADD across the desk and rubbing his eyes with his fingers.
Ever the optimist, Tex sprung up and walked over to the dry erase board by thier desk and grabbed a lightpen. "Now I wouldn't say that just yet."
On the board already were the names of the four deceased that had been found so far. Underneath the names were areas of the ship that they had been known to frequent, missions they had been on, and places they were seen on the day of their death.
The cowboy added what little data they had collected about victim number four as Raven chimed in. "Trying to find a common link is going to get more impossible with the passing of time. The longer the drug is out there, the less restricted it is going to be in its place of origin. There's no telling how wide spread it is right now."
"Now hold on there, Bubba. I have a hunch that this here snakebite is still confined to certain areas. Humor me here a little," he said in his drawl as he began to delete items that weren't common in all four of the deceased.
When he was finished, only six common locations remained. Shore leave, Science department, the ships gym, the ten foreword and the holodeck and the sick bay.
"You can probably delete shore leave. Numbers 1 and 2 took leave just after Ursid and went back home to earth. 3 and 4 went to Bajor and that was after Dellcia IV." Raven said, following the cowboy's reasoning with his own.
"That brings us down to five. Quite a bit smaller than when we first started, I reckon." Tex said with a smile as Heather Sanchez swung around the corner and handed a PADD to Raven.
"M.E. report on your latest find. Just came in." she said hurrying off.
Raven scanned the data intently. The chemical traces in the three previous bodies had broken down too far to be identified. He had hoped finding number 4 so soon would make it easier....and there it was.
"I think we have something here. Look at this." Raven said as Tex sauntered over to his side and read over his shoulder.
"I'll be go to hell!" There are two different drugs."
"The plot thickens.' Raven said reading further and seeing Lt. McAllen's request to assist in the investigation. He keyed in authorization, asking McAllen to work in conjunction with Dr. Lynn when his badge chirped.
Lt. Commander Savat's cool emotionless voice filled the air..
[ "Savat to Darkstar. You are needed in the transporter room immediately and it is advised that you arm yourself."]
"Acknowlaged." the Indian replied, removing a type II phaser from the desk drawer. He made it no secret that he preferred to work unarmed, so Savat's request meant that this was not just rousting drunks from the 10 Foreword. This was something serious.
Ensign Salt stuck his head around the desk's partition. "Just got the call. Someone's found another Jane Doe. Looks like another overdose."
"When it rains it pours don't it, Bubba." Tex chuckled plopping his black cowboy hat back on his head.
Raven appeared torn between heading to the transporter room or heading out to the 5th body. Tex seemed to pick up on this.
"Now get movin there! They need a big ol hoss like yourself at the transporters. There ain't no time to waste. Somebody probibly needs a head busted. I'll fill you in on what I find. Don't you worry now."
Raven nodded and moved quickly out the door. Tex looked at Ensign Salt.
"Bubba, you busy right now?'
Salt shook his head no.
"Wonderful! your with me. What's your name son?"
"Ensign Salt, sir."
"Now that's a mighty odd name for a man to have. Salty, you ever seen a dead body before?" Tex asked.
Salt shook his head yes with reluctance and a hint of confusion on his brow.
The cowboy clapped him on the back and laughed.
'That's good, Bubba! I think you's gonna do just fine. Grab a tricorder and follow me. We have some investigating to do."
Salt shot tiny dirty looks to the other officers who were snickering as he walked out with Tex. They had just about walked out of the office when Richey turned to Ensign Salt and asked: " So Salty. Tell me..how are your bowels?"
Upon completion of her "fit for duty" physical, Ensign Worthington meandered the corridors back to her quarters. Having unpacked earlier, she granted herself a cursory glance around her half of the living space.
Savanna had yet to meet her roommate. However, she had some idea of what the young woman was like. It appeared, the two ensigns would get along just fine.
Walking to the left, she paused for a long moment in front of the black case that rested silently on her wall. Knitting her eyebrows, she stepped forward and eased the small black case down. Locking her vision on the box, she back stepped, gingerly sitting down on the couch that was in the middle of the room. Closing her eyes, she told herself to relax, but it was to no avail. Her hands began to shake violently, forcing the box to fall to the floor. A trance like stare hardened across her face. Unaware of the shards of glass that stuck out of the box, she proceeded to reach her left hand into the box to extract what it held.
The air around her was silent. No sound fell on her ears as the razor sharp sliver of glass quietly slide itself against the edge of her hand. Instantly, drops of crimson fell inside the white satin lined container. Lifting up the gold circular medal from it's resting place, a sad angered look expressed itself on her features. The crimson fluid flowed more evenly down her arm. Feeling the wetness, she glanced down and smirked.
"A medal for twelve people's lives. I still can't believe Starfleet thought my endeavors worthy of this."
-----------------A year earlier----------------
"Worthington?!?!" A curt, baritone voice cut through the hazy room.
Raising her head, she ran her fingers through her long dark hair. A slightly irritated look graced her usually soft face. "Yes, sir ?"
"What have you got? Anything yet?"
He approached her. Fully thankful that he wasn't a Betazoid, she could let her thoughts run free concerning the superior officer. Why Starfleet let overly obese people who had no sense of hygiene roam free was certainly beyond her comprehension. His smell was almost overwhelming at times. Forcing a small smile instead of the smirk that she truly wanted to express, Savanna spoke.
"Two more bodies this week. All with the same "calling card" so to speak."
"Yes, I am aware of that. Do you have any more information concerning the suspect?"
Sighing, she let her true emotions show. "Other then what I have already compiled for you, I'm sorry but no. I've run into a brick wall here. Everything, every murder has the same clues. Until this person, thing, flubs up and leaves a different clue, we are stuck using what we have in our arsenal now."
"Which isn't much, is it?"
"No sir, at this time, I'm afraid not."
Turning back to the data padds, Savanna grimaced as she called up the images of that week's victims.
-------------------------------------------
Blinking slowly, she gently placed the medal on the couch and rose. Once in the bathroom, Savanna rinsed her wound. The pain had not registered till now. Wincing, she wrapped the towel around her hand and headed to the replicator. A few minutes had passed with a few things accomplished. Having her hand bandaged was one of them. The other was a renewed sense of peace. She received the peace from concentrating on the picture in front of her. A replica, it was her and her father's favorite. The original rested in the Betazed Museum of art.
Content for the moment, Savanna decided to take a quick walk around some sections of the ship before her duty shift.
*** Sickbay ***
"Computer, activate Dr Martin" the CMO commanded.
"Please State the nature of the Medical Emergency.", the beautiful nubian interface stated.
"The Galaxy has encountered a damaged Romulan Vessel that appears to have battled the Borg. We should be receiving survivors shortly. Please buffer known Romulan ailments, so you can help treat expected wounds."
"Certainly. I have an index of 243 Romulan sicknesses. And over 600 diseases that effect their Vulcan cousins."
"Very well. I must see to other matters. Please wait to recieve Romulan patients in a few moments."
Just as Captain Price had warned, Security personnel reported to Sickbay. Jeral moved the two remaining convalescent patients to the back of the room, leaving the main healing area available for the guests.
The Trill had also checked the Vulcanoid blood supply. They were low on plasma with a B- blood type. Fortunately, three Vulcans aboard had the rare PH factor in their circulatory system. Blood was soon drawn to prepare for injured Romulans.
Jeral increased the light level plus 3 notches from normal. As with Vulcans, Romulans lived on a world where they adapted to bright light. The Doctor advised Galaxy personnel to wear protective polarized visors if their physiology made the lighting levels uncomfortable.
Romulus is also a hot world, so Sickbay was now heated ten degrees hotter than normal. Taking his prerogative, the CMO had relaxed the uniform standard for the space. Accordingly, so people could wear loose fitting tunics that dissipate more heat than standard dress.
By the Captain's permission, routine sick call was routed to Cargo Bay 1. Some of the crew bore grudges against the Romulans (with legitimate reasons.) Having them in separate quarters would be one way of preventing trouble from developing.
Jeral accessed the bridge log. The science station reported observing plasma venting, so the Doctor requested extra plasma burn kits from ship's stores. If it was true that the Romulan Vessel was attacked by the Borg, injuries of all types could have occurred. With the help of Technician Poole, and Angela Dana from engineering, all of Sickbay's equipment was calibrated to be more effective on Romulan patients.
Replicator templates were also checked. Romulan artificial hearts and other replicatable organs were now in the buffer, to speed use if needed. An index of known Romulan ailments was also high lighted, since Federation doctors don't routinely treat them. (This idea was a backup to asking the EMH directly for help.)
Things were ready for the injured to arrive. To make them more comfortable, Jeral had Ensign Garg make a selection of Romulan foods. Jeral accessed Romulan entries in the Fleet's musical library, and selected the Passion suite inspired by Admiral Jurok. When the patients arrived, Maas hoped the relaxed enviornment would put them at ease.
Starring the womanly Ensign Salt and the apparently blind 'Tex" Richey
Location: Hallway, USS GALAXY
"Son, now don't you worry none about the body and all. I'll walk you through it and well be done before ya know it."
At that very moment, Ensign Salt could take no more. First in the office in front of the rest of the Security staff and now in the hallway of the ship. What the hell was this guy's problem?
"NOW HOLD ON A SECOND!" the Ensign said, startling the cowboy to a shocked stop.
Standing in front of the older man, Ensign Salt whipped open her tunic and exposed her breasts.
Tex's jaw fell open. " Son...Son...you got a pair of..boy you got..you got boobs there!"
'YOUR DAMN RIGHT I GOT BOOBS!" Salt yelled giving them a slight jiggle.
Tex could only stutter some more. " You ...you ain't one of those there hermeodite thingys..part man and part woman..."
"ILL SHOW YOU HOW MUCH OF A WOMAN I AM YOU BLIND OLD COOT!" Salt said reaching for her zipper.
Tex shot his hands out to cover the woman while averting his eyes.
"NO! NO! I mean...I'm sorry...Geezus Christ! I must be gettin blind in my old age! What the hell is the matter with me? You'd think I was Leo Streely!" he said blinking his eyes rapidly, concerned that he had developed some sort of alien cataract.
Salt zipped herself again. " NO MORE CALLING ME SON OR BUBBA! IM A WOMAN! W-O-M-A-N!!! YES, I HAVE BOWELS BUT NO, I HAVE NO TESTICLES!!! IF YOUR WRITER TOOK THE TIME TO LOOK AT THE WEB SITE TO DOUBLE CHECK HIS DATA INSTEAD OF FILLING HIS POSTS WITH CORNY JOKES, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT ALREADY!"
"All right! All right! I read ya! I know your a woman! Jeez. Anyone every tell you that your too uptight. Best way I know to develop an ulcer."
Ensign Salt, now fully dressed thrust out her finger, stopping him in mid sentence. " Not one word about my bowels or any other bodily orifice. Lets just forget this ever happened and move along. There is a body to look at, remember?"
"I got you. Lead on Bubb...I mean...Lady's first!" He said with a sweeping arm gesture.
Salt just rolled her eyes and walked on.
****USS Galaxy, Deck 10****
Ten Forward was unusually crowded for the time of day, though few if any of the officers present were engaged in social banter. They stood facing the large observation window, gazing out at the vast expanse of debris littered space, occasionally pointing or whispering amongst themselves. Most of them were too young to remember Wolf 359 or the defense of sector 001, but there were a few veterans amongst the gathered throng whose haunted expressions betrayed the memories that were running through their heads. For them, even a floating graveyard of shattered Borg technology was too close for comfort.
Savat stood off to one side, lost in his own thoughts, or rather, the thoughts of his fellow crewmates. He felt the fear of assimilation held by Lieutenant Commander Petersen. He noted the satisfaction felt by Lieutenant Corgan at the destruction of one hundred and fifty Dominion vessels. He worried about a small girl named Nikki and what would happen to her if her mother died on during the upcoming away mission.
All of these thoughts and many others were imprinted into his hippocampus, the after effects of a flurry of mind melds conducted during the mission to Decilia VII. Fortunately for Savat, he had managed over time, to bring the borrowed thoughts and memories under control to the point where his own mind could observe the thoughts objectively from a distance. He was himself again, or at least a close approximation. It took a great deal of control to remain so and achieving the control had not been an easy matter. A month earlier, it had been an entirely different story...
****Vulcan, One Month Earlier****
The Plateau of Tai-La in Gol was as desolate a place as one could find on the parched surface of Vulcan. Uninhabited, except for the isolated Kolinahru Monastery, the hot sandy terrain was frequented by seventeen varieties of poisonous snakes and other reptiles, as well as the fearsome Le-Matya. No rational Vulcan ventured there unless their situation was truly dire.
And yet, on this particular day, the gentle sound of the winds blowing across the plains was permeated by the crunch of leather soled boots on the hard baked ground. The local fauna paused in their daily routine of survival to gaze upon the stranger in their midst. He wore a full length robe that covered him from head to toe, only an occasional flash of flesh was seen, on the back of a hand that clutched a gnarled but intricately carved walking stick. The hand seemed unsteady as it worked to guide the man across Tai-La. The trail of footprints in the sand were winding and uneven. The man would pause for minutes at a time before continuing his journey. Sensing no threat, the desert inhabitants returned to their business or catching meals and avoiding becoming one themselves.
The three suns combined with the steady wind to create conditions akin to the inside of a forge bellows. Had the man been Human, and possessed of sweat glands, he might have already wasted away from dehydration. He lacked any of the usual tools for survival. He possessed no water or food, no shelter other than the clothes on his back. And apparently, he had no destination in mind. In Tai-La, that was a recipe for death.
The man stagger stepped and fell to his knees, his breathing labored. Hand trembling, he reached under his robes and removed a baseball sized metal sphere. The sphere covered with engraved runes written in ancient Vulcan and was adorned with small pale blue crystals that seemed to pulsate slowly to their own rhythm. With one hand, the man reached up and pulled back his hood. Even with his secondary eyelids protecting him, the sudden shock of desert light and heat caused him to wince.
To those who knew Lieutenant Commander Savat, the unkempt bearded visage before them would have been nearly unrecognizable. Gone was any pretense of calm and poise. The muscles of his face twitched involuntarily as he held the sphere aloft, cupping it in both hands. Savat began to mutter under his breath, the words fast and disjointed and spoken in multiple voices. Like a wild man possessed, his diatribe continued, building in intensity, until it became little more than a primal scream echoing across the plateau. His body arched and convulsed and he pitched forward face first onto the hot sands, his right hand clutching the sphere in a death grip.
**** ****
Savat found himself standing alone on the desert sands, dressed in his Starfleet uniform. He could feel no sensation of heat, nor hear the wind blowing across the plateau. He arched an eyebrow in curiosity. "Fascinating." He said to himself. "This is not what I was expecting at all." He felt a sense of calm that had eluded him for weeks. His mind felt structured and resonant again. From all appearances, his lengthy ritual had been a success."
"No." A voice hissed from behind him. "No that easy. Never that easy!"
Savat turned in his tracks and beheld a doppelganger. His own face stared back at him, a feral smile lending him a look of dangerous instability.. Savat was momentarily taken aback, before his logical mind began to process what he was seeing. "You are, no doubt, a mental artifice created by the Ska-Plak sphere."
The wild eyed duplicate laughed out loud, an act Savat found particularly disturbing. "No, I was created by you. Where do you think we are? In Tai-La? We are one!" The vision casually plucked the comm-badge from his uniform and jabbed it down into the back of his hand. Savat gasped, feeling the pain in his own hand. He looked down to see a small rivulet of blood trailing down between the webbing of his fingers.
"So we are within my own mind." Savat said calmly. "Now all that remains is to excise you from my consciousness."
"We like it here!" The other shouted. His voice was a chorus of both male and female. Savat recognized each and every tonal inflection. "You want us removed? Then fight us!" The elder Vulcan watched as his twin assumed a fighting stance and began to close the distance between them.
"Using physical conflict to resolve a matter of mental instability is illogical." Savat stated as he assumed a defensive stance and began to circle his opponent.
His twin laughed in derision. "If you still possessed your precious logic, we wouldn't be here, now would we? You can always withdraw. We will keep you company forever."
Savat merely nodded. "I have no desire for your continued company."
"You have no choice!"
"There are always choices." Savat replied.
And then their hands were at each other's throats.
**** ****
Savat had no idea how much time had passed. He was still face down in the sands, his body too weak to move. Through grit encrusted eyes, he was able to make out the shape of the Ska-Plak sphere few inches from his nose. It appeared distorted and burnt out. With his muscles and tendons failing him, Savat had little more to do but plumb the depths of his own thoughts and memories. The others were still there, but they were a mere echo of their former selves, no longer warring within his mind for supremacy. This was something he could handle. With daily meditation, he could banish the foreign thoughts and emotions to where they would do no harm.
But all of that was academic, he realized. Without control of his physical form, he would slowly die. He had no clear way to estimate how long he could hold out for or if there would be a point to trying. He was in the middle of Tai-La, a place frequented only by those few engaged in the most serious of mental rituals. The area covered by the plateau was vast and he had given strict orders at the monastery that no one was to attempt contact until his return. There were still far to many variables to make an accurate prediction, but Savat gave himself slightly less than a day to live.
He spent another six hours unmoving, his attempts to overcome his physical condition though sheer mental determination proved fruitless. So instead, he had shut down all non-essential systems, lowering his heart rate and respiration to conserve what little energy he had left. He also lowered his natural mental barriers, making his mind a beacon for anyone trained to look for it. It was a last, desperate gambit, and one that Savat did not expect to work. Not for the first time, he questioned his judgement in electing to come to Vulcan for the Tai-La ritual. He determined his reasoning had been sound. Though his death was imminent, the alternative was to continue living with a mind that was no longer his own and he simply had not seen that as an option. The ritual had worked, even if the physical results were unexpected. Had he been a younger man, he surmised, it might not have been a problem.
On the verge of passing out, Savat felt an unexpected sensation, the soft touch of another highly trained mind, one that was very distant. He pushed himself, attempting to grasp onto the contact and maintain it, but after only a few seconds, he felt a black wave of exhaustion enveloping him.
The quiet contact related a single thought to him.
[Rest]
**** ****
Savat awoke in the cool darkness of shelter, resting on a sparse but comfortable cot. His body ached from head to toe and his skull felt like it had been polished with sandpaper from the inside out. But he was very much alive.
He had no recollection of how much time had passed, but a simple taste of the air lead him to believe he was back at the Kolinahru Monastery. He also felt, rather than saw, a presence with him in the room.
"How long?" Savat murmured.
"Is time of any relevance in your current situation?" A calm and steady voice inquired.
"It is not." Savat admitted. "However, I prefer to maintain a chronological point of reference whenever possible."
"Then know it has been four days, sixteen hours and twenty three minutes since you left on your journey into the Tai-La plateau."
"Then I have not been unconscious for long." Savat attempted to sit up, but then thought better of the idea. "You voice is familiar." The elder Vulcan stated. "I am certain that I know you."
"You do indeed, old friend." A shadowy figure arose from the corner of the room and stepped into visual range. "Though it has been many years since last we met."
"Tuvok." Savat said in surprise. "This is unexpected. My reports of your whereabouts are obviously out of date."
"Voyager has returned." He stated, pulling up a seat next to his old comrade.
They had first met decades ago, back when they were both ensigns. Savat had been stationed on the Enterprise B under Captain Harriman and Tuvok was serving aboard the Excelsior under Captain Sulu. Captain Sulu had taken a special interest in the Enterprise B, as it was the assignment of his daughter, Demora, a helmsman like her father. The two Captains made certain their vessels and crews met at every opportunity. It was during one of those meetings that Savat and Tuvok first became acquainted. They maintained a cordial if infrequent friendship over the years. Security was not a common field for Vulcans in Starfleet so their paths had reason to cross on more than one occasion.
"Do I have you to thank for my rescue?" Savat asked.
"No thanks is required." Tuvok stated. "I, like you, had reason to journey into Kai-La. I am heartened to say that my journey was a successful one. Did you accomplish your own goals, Savat?"
Savat thought about his answer before speaking. He took the time once again to review his thoughts, memories and emotions. Everything was properly tucked away in its place. "My journey also met with success. My thoughts are clear."
"As are mine." Tuvok stated. "Perhaps when you recover, you will honor me with your presence at my home. I believe you favor Tranya?" Savat merely nodded. "My wife kept my stock intact during my absence."
"I would indeed be honored." Savat replied.
****The Present****
Savat pulled himself away from the observation window and headed down to the transporter room. His teams were in place, preparing for the arrival of the survivors from the Romulan ship. A second away team was also ready to go on a moment's notice, in case the first team needed assistance. He also posted extra security around sickbay, engineering and the bridge, as well as making certain a proper welcoming committee awaited the Romulans in the transporter room.
In the back recesses of his mind, voices and emotions spoke of the Dominion and the Borg and a hundred other dangers. He ignored them and continued his work. There would be time enough to meditate when the current task was through.
**** ****
Lieutenant Commander Savat
With excerpts from "Silent Vow"
"Good God." He moaned. "This is about the most bored I've ever been in my life."
~Opps!~ Savanna thought to herself. Moments ago, she had noticed the Assistant noticing her at her monitor, watching the away team's portable scanner feeds. In an instant, his demur had changed and Savanna now knew that she was in to be an observer concerning this potential confrontation.
"On your feet, Ensign." He said, a little harsher than He intended.
It's okay Lt.......~ She thought as she brought her mug of coffee up to conceal any emotions that would erupt on her soft features.
"But sir..." the Ensign started.
~Geez, I would rephrase that if I were you ensign.~ Taking another sip, she caught the attention of the Lt. and quickly glanced down to the data that was floating across her screen. Raising her head, she detected a wry sense of humor in the Assistant Chief of Security. ~Indeed, He and I both have a lot to learn.~ Shaking her head slightly, she focused back into the task at hand. ~Stay out of his business.~
"Well sir, I've seen all the training sims, and I took part in the Assimilation Scenario at the Academy -"
Then you've never seen them. Up close. Face to face as your phaser does nothing. Looking them in the eye, and knowing the person that is now your enemy used to be your friend..." He paused, swallowing. "Or your Captain."
The image of Captain Williamson, no longer human, but Borg, as He began assimilating the Kongo's bridge crew returned to Elaithin's mind unbidden. With effort, He swallowed, and put the image away.
Savanna's eyebrow's knitted as she was now thoroughly studying the man that stood to the side of her. He's interesting, and quite complex she thought. Elaithin's thoughts hurled themselves into Savanna's mind. All his experiences concerning Captain Williamson and the Borg. ~How absolutely horrible for him.~ The Ensign thought.
Forshaw seemed much less eager now.
Elaithin said, vowing to himself that the same fate would not befall the Galaxy's crew.
He saw Ensign Worthington - who was a Betazoid, He now realized - pale slightly at his thoughts. She was the only one He really knew what He meant.
At that moment, Savanna looked directly at Elaithin, her dark eyes expressing deep sympathy for him. Waiting for Ensign Forshaw to look away, Savanna kept the Assistant Chief's attention for a moment and stated very gently and softly......"I'm sorry......."
OOC: Probably takes place sometime BEFORE the Slumber Party. If you get confused about the continuity errors with people being two places at the same tiem, just imagine its a typical episode of VOYAGER, and it will all make sense.
by The Tactical Gals
(Holodeck)
Proper stretching and warm-up was the key to a successful running-workout, according to the manuals.
One could not overemphasize the importance of loosening up those muscles prior to jogging.
Rebecca had other notions: For her the key to a really successful run was not puking your guts up after the first half mile.
Also, one could not overemphasize the importance of taking a trip to the potty just prior to jogging......Who knows how long those five miles were going to take.
Rebecca von Ernst stood amongst a group of various Security and Tactical crewmembers all engaged in the various bending and contortions required in 'warming up.'
She, like everybody else, was clad in simple running shorts and a pullover sweatshirt. Hers read STARFLEET ACADEMY CLASS OF 74 in pale blue letters.
The young officer shivered slightly in the morning chill, the holodeck was doing a grand job of simulating an early morning breeze complete with dew-drops and fog near the ground.
Bending over at the waist, Rebecca allowed her shoulder length red hair to fall forward, and slowly tucked her freckled little nose into place between her knees and held it for a moment feeling the slow burning release in her hamstrings. Jessie let out a small grunt as she streached beside Rebecca and aimed it towards Peter. "Your dead Lockhart" From this upside-down position however, the first warning Rebecca had of the group's PT instructors arrival was when a spotless pair of AIR-KLINGON Running shoes stepped into her field of view barely a few inches from the toes of her own rather flimsy shoes. "Up and at em snowflake.....It's time to sweat!" Startled, Rebecca straightened up too quickly and wobbled a bit as the blood rushed out of her head. Jessie reached to steady her as she wobbled and tried to look confident. Before her stood the proud confident figure of the most intimidating female Rebecca had ever seen in her life. Her face bore a disapproving scowl while a pair of shorts, and a simple running-bra covered her lean body of pure muscle.
To Rebecca it looked like the woman was sculpted from steel cable and iron. "I am." The woman began with a sneer, " Lieutenant Heather Sanchez. For you new pukes out here, I will be your Physical Training Motivator. I will take the sorry lumps of flabby tactical flesh that you are, and I will smooth it and I will craft it into a form more to my liking!"
Rebecca's eyes widened, as she and a few of the other Tactical crew took a step backwards.
Lt. Sanchez planted her hands on her slim hips emphasizing her rock-hard abs. To Rebecca it looked like you could bounce a quarter off that lady's belly.
~~ What the heck am I doing here? ~~
"Now some of you may be wondering why you are here." Sanchez continued, slowly pacing back and forth in front of the crowd. Rebecca was fascinated with the way her calf-muscles snapped with every step. "Some of you may be saying to yourselves.'The heck with this crap.I'm tactical.I don't need this stuff.Just give me a phaser.'...Well I'm here to tell you woosies, that there is a heck of a lot more to Starship Security than pointing and shooting!"
'Who said I wanted a phaser anyway' Jessie thought rebeliously, as Sanchez continued her triade.
Sanchez marched up to the group and stared each dead in the face. "If you think you're good enough to carry a phaser on MY BRIDGE..I'm gonna make damn sure you know how to handle it. I'm gonna make damn sure you know what to do when some alien beams over who is NOT AFFECTED by phasers!!"
'Your BRIDGE?!?! I thought it was Captian Price's Bridge' But Jessie just kept her face staight and thought her sarcastic comments.
She stopped in front of the elfin Rebecca and bent over to look her square in the eye. "I'm gonna make sure 'snowflake' here knows what to do when a Klingon grabs her by the neck and starts breathing his foul gagh-stained breath all over her. I'm gonna show 'snowflake'here how to reach down that Klingon's throat and yank out his lungs!!"
Rebecca gulped and suddenly felt the need to pee again.
Straightening Heather Sanchez addressed the group again. "But none of that's gonna happen if you wimps don't get in shape first! First day! Five mile Run..anybody who drops out has to answer to ME!"
Jessie let out a small whimper and deceided killing Peter was too good a punishment. She started to say something out loud about leaving and then telling Peter off but Sanchez cut her train of though off
The PT-goddess Sanchez took her spot at the front of the group. "Lets go get skinny ladies." She said with an evil wink.
"Hey who said we were fat" Muttered Jessie to Rebecca and another tactical female, as Bosco led the way for tactical.
by
da Girls!
(Holodeck One)
The All-Female Slumber Party in Holodeck 1 was still in full swing. On every deck on the Galaxy, the male half of the crew sat at their various posts and workstations, and wondered about the party. What was going on down there? What were the girls talking about? What were they doing? Why cant I go down and have a peek? So far however nobody had the nerve.
======================================================
Meanwhile on the aforementioned Holodeck, yet ANOTHER horror flick had replaced the one that proceeded it, and soon yet another scantily clad teenager was running for her life through the woods. From the floor below, the various females of the Galaxy either booed or cheered in turn at the rather pathetic antics of the latest heroine.
Autumn watched the movie with horror filling her body. 'Man I hate these types of flicks' But she had come to make more friends. She turned and saw Rebecca going white as a ghost and felt sorry for the poor girl. But she noticed that Nilani and Kira were to busy showing off their bodies to even notice the film. She leaned close to Rebecca and whispered. "Shall we start telling jokes to lighten the atmosphere in here?"
Rebecca half smiled at the pretty Doctor and sighed in thanks. On the whole the idea of attending the party was turning into one huge mistake. While the various women of the Galaxy turned out to be much friendlier than the cruel tormentors Rebecca had roomed with back at the Academy, she still felt dreadfully out of place. What was she supposed to talk about? Nobody here seemed interested in discussing advanced Quantum Mathematics, and Rebecca had no idea on how to gossip about men, or other such trivialities. To make matters worse, two of the prettiest women in the room seemed to be having a striptease competition barely a few meters from her seat. The twin goddesses of Nilani and Kira flaunted their ample charms with impunity, while the depressingly flat-chested Rebecca wanted to sink into her pyjama's and die of embarrassment. She remembered back at the Academy what an ordeal it had been dealing with the community showers, and how she avoided them until late at night when she could rush in and scrub clean in a hurry before any other girls could enter. A tactic that was not always successful. Smiling again at Autumn, Rebecca timidly replied. "T..thanks. I don't know any jokes..b.but maybe we could go somewhere else and talk." Taking note of Nilani and Kira, the Doctor quickly agreed. "Sure thing, lets go by the tables and refill on popcorn." Sighing in relief, Rebecca Gathered up her empty bowl, and shuffled off in her bunny slippers with Autumn towards a better lit portion of the holodeck. Autumn glanced and sighed at all the Junk food piled on the tables. "I'm gonna need to really work out tomorrow to rid myself of all this extra... on Second thoughts ill just stay the way I am. Rebecca? When we were talking about the male crew before you went awfully quiet. why is that?" Autumn gently probed her new Friend.
The little redhead's steps faltered a bit at Autumn's question, and out of habit she quickly averted her gaze to the floor. A defensive tactic. ~~ Silly girl, she's not the enemy, she's just being friendly. ~~ one part of her mind scolded her. ~~ A Friend? ~~ another part scoffed, ~~ She's a Doctor! She's probably like all those other shrinks you have to see. Probably wants to do a research paper on the 'Amazing von Ernst' ~~ Softly Rebecca chose the more evasive of possible answers, "Oh..you know., " she said and fell silent. Autumn smiled "yeah I get the picture. Never Mind. Let me tell you about this great guy I know. Well he is in Sc.." She turned and stared. Having entered the party late, Savanna glanced around the room.
Observing what appeared to be all the girls being comfortable, the ensign shrugged. Untying the piece of fabric of her robe, it fell to the floor in a soft swoosh of fabric. Being a full Betazoid, Savanna felt most comfortable, completely nude. Wearing nothing but a smile, the six foot two inch security officer approached the group.
"Hello." She stated simply.
Autumn trailed off as the young woman waltzed up to them and grabbed at Rebecca to stop her from swaying. "Hi!" She covered brightly for Rebecca, giving her time to collect herself
Wren was doing her best to keep whatever the hell it was inside her from boiling out. She was staring, eyebrow raised, in Vulcan-like disapproval, at her crewmates-- she was not quite sure of their names, Nilani and Kira? Something close anyway. They were standing there, striping and comparing body parts. Wren finally cleared her throat and drew a deep breath.
"Are you two really this insecure that you have to walk around her and show yourselves off to everyone else, as though we really actually care what you look like? Do you really feel this insecure about yourselves that you have to make other people feel bad about themselves? Do you get a thrill from that? Some sort of sick joy? Please, take a little journey out of the twentieth century because you are about four centuries behind. In case you were not paying attention in history class, and considering you are who you are I would not be too surprised, women finally won over this... image-conscious sob-fest, thank God, and I am having a really hard time sitting back here and watching you two make it worse, pulling and primping and bouncing and generally making a mockery of yourselves and all of us with you!"
Wren stood, brushing past the display, fuming, her British thick, her face approaching that colour red she swore she would never, ever touch again-not after a terrible mistake involved a man, dinner, and a red dress, a mistake which also turned her off colour period. She approached the popcorn table where the shy red head, a doctor she barely recognized, and who looked like a Betazoid who Wren did NOT recognize, stood. "Now better not go comparing either!" she exclaimed, gesturing at the naked woman with one while she grabbed a handful of popcorn with the other. "They make me so bloody angry! I want to kick something!" The little red head seemed to almost cower and Wren frowned. "I do not mean you," she said, smiling slightly. "No worries, pally, no worries."
Autumn flashed a smile and said "Oh they are harmless.. Kira is like that all the time... Its who she is.. But Nilani I'm not to sure about." Her aussie accent (not as strong as Captain Price's) seemed soothing to the girl and Autumn kept her voice steady so it wouldn't frighten anyone else Standing amidst these women, Rebecca began to get a rather familiar feeling. ~~ Noodles, not only am I the FLATTEST one here, but I'm also the Shortest!!~~ Sure enough between Autumn and Wren who stood at an impressive 5'10", and the long and lean Savannah who topped out at over 6' 2"...Rebecca's paltry 5 foot-nothing put her eye-level right at boob-level for the others.~~ Adding insult to injury ~~ she thought to herself wondering what it was about her that seemed to attract naked women. Avoiding eye-contact with the small group, she sought to further distance herself from the knot of lean bodies and shuffled along in her bunny slippers over to an empty corner of the room. She had kinda liked Autumn, and at least that British lady had been wearing something, but the statuesque Betazoid totally intimidated her to the point of seeking shelter elsewhere. ~~ This was such a mistake ~~ she fretted.
Sensing the majority of the woman were slightly irritated and intimidated by Savanna's "show", the ensign quietly slipped into the corner and donned her robe once more. Feeling the comfortable factor raise somewhat, she padded over to Rebecca. "I have to apologize. I had no intention of intimidating you or anyone else here. Call it a desperate need to fit in, which I really didn't do to well just now, did I?" Not waiting for a response, she smiled and rose her voice to accommodate the crowd. "Did I hear someone mention the men factor on this ship?" Rose smiles at everybody while she sits with Wren and her old friend from the Academy Savanna, then said out loud, "Oh yes the men on this ship is very handsome and strong willed." she said then starts laughing, it been while since she had fun.
Autumn watched her disappear and signalled to Jessie and Serena to join Rebecca and her. "Excuse me" she said to the other two as she slipped to Rebecca's side.
Slumping down in a corner against the wall, Rebecca drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Staring out over her knees, she watched Autumn pad over towards her, and nodded slightly when the doctor asked is she could sit down as well. Amazingly , Autumn was sensitive enough not to press the issue or begin questioning Rebecca over her rather anti-social behaviour. The two watched in silence as Savannah came over to apologize, to which Rebecca could only shrug nervously. They sat for awhile while all around them the girls blew off frustration, by engaging in everything from eating, to gossiping, to make-up tips, and watching movies. Another pillow fight started up across the room, but the last thing Rebecca needed was to get clobbered by these too-tall models. "Its hard." She whispered at length. Not sure if she was addressing herself or Autumn. "I..I used to worry so much about being picked on.. being hazed like at the Academy, but no I wonder If I'm more afraid of someone being nice to me." Autumn listened attentively. "I used to think I knew nothing about MEN. That I had no idea on how to handle them.." She gestured out to the crowd of giggling girls. "I think instead, that I know nothing about being a real girl. Everything I do seems wrong. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be."
Jessie spotted Autumn's signal and grabbed Serena's hand. Joining the tow over in the corner Jessie said brightly "What we need to do next time is say only P'J's allowed in sleepover nights on holodeck. Serena nodded and smiled. "Hows about we give them a scare?" "What type of scare Sere?" Autumn looked thoughtful and headed for the arch dragging Rebecca and the others behind her. "Time to call in the Guys!" She whispered to them as they walked. "Lets start with the captain and Commander Thomas.. and then. " She collapsed into giggles at the looks on the other girls faces. "Come on think about their faces when the command crew enters and sees them ion the pyjama's?" Serena giggled and reached for the communicator panel. Jessie grabbed her hand and hissed "Wait. Rebecca what do you think?" She turned to Rebecca and waited for an answer. Rebecca didn't quite comprehend what the girls were planning, however the prospect of MEN showing up scared her half to death.
"N.n.n..no way!" she stuttered for the first time in a long time. "I.I.I.I'm in my u...un..underwear!" She gestured towards the thick flannel Pyjamas that (if anything) concealed more of her body than her duty uniform did. Still to Rebecca, it was the principal. A guy seeing her in her bed-clothes would be trauma beyond belief. Autumn glanced at Rebecca. "Hmm got an idea. Computer dress Lt Von Ernst in standard Starfleet Uniform." Computer: Working. Rebecca was suddenly surrounded by a shimmer and there she stood in full uniform. "That's better." Autumn stated and hit the call button. "Computer put this message through to all Male Personnel on galaxy. *Come one Come all to Holodeck one. Surprise in store!* That should do it!" Autumn turned back to the group. "Lets hide and wait for their arrival?"
***elsewhere on the Holodeck***
Rose when walking to a nearby bathroom as she walks in Rose looked at herself in the mirror, "Gods I'm fat." Then she did that she vow never to do again but the everthing in her life wasn't going as plan, she bend over and make herself throw up.
To Be continued………
ooc: this log takes place at the end of last mission, sorry about the delay.
Elaithin Jii sat in the main Security room as Red Alert was called. With much of Security's senior officers either medically incapacitated or on Decilia, Jii was the senior man in the Department at the moment. If the Galaxy's shield's fell, and the Federation starship was boarded, the young Bajoran would be responsible for keeping the ship out of enemy hands.
With all luck, that would never happen.
And with luck, it never did. His bridge monitor showed the reports of what happened with Gul Buchoe, and witnessed the Captain and 'Commander Savat skillfully negotiate a peaceful solution. It was good to know that the Galaxy's actions on Cardassia Prime (Also the last time he's meen shot, a much worse wound requiring over three months at the Starfleet Medical Center on Luna) had had a lasting effect on the Cardassian citizenry.
Security teams were already standing by, ready to be dispatched to transporter rooms should any help be required on Decilia, or in the unlikely event that they would be boarding the Cardassian vessels.
That didn't really happen either. Most people tended to forget that, yeah, while Security like a cool, fun, and exiciting job (and it was), if everything went right, you spent most of your time just standing around.
Elaithin knew the luck wouldn't hold out.
His feeling was reaffirmed by a Petty Officer, - Kabance, he thought - calling for him.
"Lieutenant! We're reading transporter activity in the Brig!"
"La'oa."Jii muttered, thinking he was right in that the Cardassian Daughter of the infamous Inquisitor, Gul Madred was not to be trusted. "Get a trace on where it's coming from. If it's an aboardship transporter, I want it locked out. Myers. Farley. You're with me." He said to the two petty officers, who armed thier phasers and followed the Lieutenant.
The trio arrived at the brig in fairly short order, to find the new Ensign...what was his name? Forshaw, Jii remembered. .....was slumped over some sort of sandwich.
"What a waste of perfectly good tuna fish." Myers muttered.
Elaithin smirked, and slapped his commbadge. "Elaithin to Security. Any luck on that transporter trace?"
["No, sir."] Kabance replied over the comm.["There's some sort of high-level access code blocking the trace. It appears to be a code belonging to a Captian Dieran Casey."]
Elaithin snorted. That was a name he knew well enough. The egotistical man had formerly been the Galaxy's Exec, before Commander Thomas. And Elaithin Jii knew damned well that Dieran Casey was not aboard the Galaxy. Drinking went up in Ten-Forward a great deal whenever the man was aboard.
"Allright, Kabance, send teams to all transporter rooms. La'oa has escaped. Also have a medical team sent down to the brig. Ensign Forshaw appears to have been drugged."
["Copy. Security out."]
This was the part he really didn't look forward to.
"Lt. Elaithin to the Captain." he said, tapping his commbadge again.
["Price here. Go ahead, mate] came the Captain's reply.
"Captain, Gul Madred's daughter has escaped via transporter. Ensign Forshaw appears to have been drugged somehow. As she was alone, and her father is on the planet,I very much doubt the Ensign drugged himself." Elaithin reported tersely.
["I can't say I like the direction this is going, mate."] The Captain replied.
"Nor do I, sir. But nonetheless, She had to have had help. Someone on the ship."
["Find out what you can, Lieutenant, the report back to me."]
"Aye sir."
["Price out."]
Commander Thomas and Lt. Commander Savat had left the transporter room behind, and were on their way to the ship's brig. Everything that happened lead both of them to the logical conculsion that they would find some of the answers there. It was after all were Madred's daughter was being held on the ship and he wouldn't leave without his daughter. After a short time the two officers arrived in the ship's brig and found Lt. Elaithin along with other security officers working.
"What's happened here Lt." Lt. Commander Savat asked.
"La'oa's made an escape somehow, Commander." Jii reported to his superior. "We found Ensign Forshaw face down in a tuna sandwich. Sickbay says it was a mild sedative, and he'll be alright. She was transported off the ship by some who used Captain Casey's access codes."
Commander Thomas looked at Lt. Commander Savat with the look, 'well we know that's not possible since Captain Casey isn't here'. "Alright then we know someone is impersonating Captain Casey, because he's not here." Chris said.
"That would be a logical assumption." Savat said. "Lt., do we have any idea to who's might've used Commander Casey's codes?"
"We've got DNA traces running in the transporter room - sickbay is running them now. So far we've confirmed Lo'oa's DNA pattern, as well as Chief Jensen's. There's two more DNA traces, but the lab boys are having trouble trying to separate them. They say they'll know in about thirty minutes."
Commander Thomas listed to what the two security officers had to say, "My recommendation would be review the security tapes from the brig monitors for answers, and we'll need to track down which transporter was used first." Chris said as he considered who should do want, "Lt. Elaithin - you pull the brig's sensor reports and take charge of the investigation here, while Mr. Savat and I go have a look at the transporters. We'll cover more ground by splitting up the workload on this matter, then being all in the same place."
"Aye sir," the Bajoran nodded. "I'm on it."
Each of them had something important to offer to this investigation which was just getting underway, but they would need to have answers not only for the captain, but for Starfleet Command and Thomas wanted some answers about who helped the murderer Madred get away and why.
---
It had taken the security officer's words to get the mission going and Wren watched as the first away team disappeared from the transporter pad.
"And now... we wait," she stated, folding her arms across her chest. She sighed deeply, glancing at the person closest to her, who was about a foot taller than her 5'10" frame-- all muscle-- and whose arm was the size of her twenty-four inch waist. The man looked down on her and Wren could almost hear him growl. She somehow managed a smile and glanced away, feeling that sick feeling at the bottom on her stomach. She doubted it was nerves, it was more that foreboding sense of dread and she had a feeling they really should not have gone over to that ship...
Oh well, too late now.
She glanced around at the others: they seemed content to stand there in the transporter room and wait, well Wren hated waiting, she always had.
'If you want to be a Starfleet officer, Wren, you're going to have to learn how to wait,' Captain Nathan Foster had told her at the academy. Yes, her old protocol professor was some sort of Buddha. He tried to convince her that patience was a virtue, and all that jazz, just like her mother. Shame was, they were old friend, Captain Foster and Mari McCauley, and if Wren was going to go into Starfleet, Mari wanted her daughter to have as hard a time as possible. Wren was positive that was the reason she had to repeat the standard protocol requirement. Completely trampled her GPA.
Bloody damn though. Two years with Foster... that was worth it.
Wren brushed a piece of hair away from her face. Her chin-length bangs were getting in the way again and they would not stay tucked behind her ears yet they would not stay in the braid either.
She glanced again at the monstrous man at her side. If he was not three times her width in muscle, he might have been attractive and tempting, but she did not go for the Mr. Universe types. Not at all.
On a side note, it amused her to no end they once held the Universe pageants back when the human race still thought they were alone... amusing as all hell.
Was hell amusing? And if it was, would that not dash out the purpose of hell?
"Oh father dear, I oft-times hear you speak of Erin's isle/Her lofty hills, her valleys green, her mountains rude and wild..." Wren began to sing softly under her breath. Mr. Rock glanced at her, he was the only one who could hear, and if he took a small step out of her bubble he would not be able to, but did he think of that? No. So he would have to suffer because she was not going to shut her gob. My God, if she was going to have to wait, she would sing classics under her breath. A woman had to keep herself interested somehow. "They say she is a lovely land wherein a saint might dwell/So why did you abandon her, the reason to me tell." Mr. Rock made a sort of grunting sound. Wren raised her eyebrow. "Worry you not sir, only eight more verses..." She grinned when he muttered something about Irish ballads and stepped away from her.
The comm. system chirped and Wren swore her heart skipped a beat.
"Lt. Savat," the Commander's voice stated crisply, "please bring over an additional security team or two." Chris said. "Then please have all transporters on standby to get us out of here. Lt. Commander Surok as soon as Savat's team is over proceed to beam over with your away team unit as well." Chris said. "A change of plans, but we're going to have work fast if we want to get some answers."
Additional security? That could not be a good thing, what was over there?
"Ah bloody hell," Wren whispered. "Guess there's only one real way to find out."
*~finis~*
Bruce finally came too, looking thru a haze and seeing the burn marks and cuts all over his chest. He tries to look around to see or hear if anyone else was in the room and found himself to be weak. His body wracked with pain and fire from anger. He started to realize his body was working against him for he had not eaten for awhile now. His thoughts began to wander to his family, Shinta, the Kids and then to a way to get out of this predictament. He then heard the door open.
"Look here are play toy is awake and seems ready for more." The voice rang again and was followed by laughter.
"You pieces of......" Bruce began to state and then felt a shock run thru his body. He looks around to see who did it but no one was there.
"Ah I see you realize we have a new toy on you now. With but a touch we can shock you until you die if I wish." The voice went on. "You must realize alot of here on the ship have been waiting to get our hands on you in revenge, Lt. You have hurt most of us in ways unspeakableand we plan to return the favor, do you wish to say anything before the pain begins again?"
"I am going to kill you all, and laugh as I fly away." Bruce said thru gritted teethe and then spit blood in the direction of the voice. He then bears down ready for the shock.
The waves of energy quickly began to pulse thru him. It lasted for seemed like hours before he passed out agian. He finally awoke to the feeling of water on his skin. He looked around and saw a Bajoran female, about in her teens wiping and cleaning his cuts.
"Shinta, is that you?" Bruce said weakly.
"I have not a name, I am just a slave." she answered quietly.
"I am sorry to hear this, My wifes name is Shinta, she is Bajoran." Bruce said taking comfort in the girl's company.
"I see, a slave like me." She said.
"No, she is a Lt. in the Federation. She can do as she pleases. I miss her and our children." Bruce said as he kept looking around his surroundings.
"She is not a slave, I have only known servitude, I......" She was interupted by a chime and she hurried out of the room.
Bruce began to look at his shackles and around the room. All he had to do is free one hand and he could release the rest. He searched for shafts or ventalation system. Anything that could be useful. Then the door opened up.
"Are you ready for the next phase, al those you have wronged are involved in this one, they will walk in and get two hits on you then leave." The Cardassian voice stated as another walked up.
The hits begin to land fast and hard. Bruce kept trying to take it the best he could, the line never seemed to end. After a few hours, the voice of what Bruce guessed to be the commander of the ship walked up and spoke. "Now my turn, then rest for you will be treated so you can take more." With that he landed two hits to bruc'e ribs and one cracked loudly.
The Bajoran girl comes back in carrying a medkit and begins to rapair and fix what she can. She wince's at most the damage on Bruce, and tries to fix the rest. "Are you awake?" she wispered.
"I am barely. How can I help you?" Bruce said weakly.
"Tell me about this Shinta,is she happy?" She asked.
"Yes, well maybe not now. I am probably listed as MIA, or dead." Bruce tried to kid.
"If I help you will you take me with you and to this Shinta who is like me." She pleaded.
"Aye, I will or die trying." Bruce said with hope in his voice.
She looked around and began to undo the shackle. Bruce swung over his arm and began to undo the rest. She handed him some scraps of food which Bruce devoured. "When will they be coming back?" Bruce asked in a hushed voice.
She looked at him and then the door. "Not until tomorrow, I think."
"Okay, can you open the door?" Bruce asked.
"No, I have to wait for the chime then I have to hurry before it closes again." She answered.
Bruce nodded and waited he began to feel around on his back and felt the nodes. Bruce detached the nodes and then searched the girls back and found none. He then leaned against the wall and waited for the chime to sound. After a while it rang out and the door opened and Bruce and the Girl headed for the door.
When Bruce darted into the Hallway...............
To be continued.
"Moral crash"
A short, high-pitched alarm wakes Malgin from his sleep. He groans and rolls over "OK, OK, I'm awake... Man, I HATE this alarm. Computer, what's the time?" The alarm stops and computer answers.
"19:55".
"WHAAAAAAAAT?" He immediately gets up and dressed, remembering, that meeting with Torsag was scheduled on 20:00 at ten-forward. Malgin bursts through the corridor and suddenly crashes into ensign Jamieson. He already heard rumors about her strong anticipation to him. In any case, he hated she too.
"Hey! You'd better buy eyeglasses!" Jamieson shouted and wanted to add something more, but Malgin ran into turbolift and made his way to ten-forward.
Exactly at 20:00 he is there. Malgin grumbles something in Russian. If somebody could understand him, they'll listen something like "==censored==". Torsag was already waiting him at the bar.
"Hello, Torsag! How are you?" Malgin asked. "Everything is good, and how are you?". "Not very nice. Every time I meet this Jamieson from Medical, I feel like... I'm meeting Victoria again. She is absolutely like her."
He ordered "Zenith" cocktail. Meeting lasted for an hour, then Malgin returned to his room. "There is still 1 hour before shift and I can relax...Computer, wake me at 23:45" He tried to sleep, but suddenly feels sorry for his treatment to she. "Man, it's not like me! I've never ever was so ashamed of anything... Computer, cancel alarm."
He waked up and went to counselor office (to ensign Trenton). "Ensign, may I come in?" "Of course, please". Malgin entered her room and sat on the chair. Trenton asked him "Ensign, I wasn't expecting you here. As a matter of fact, I wasn't thinking, that you'll ever need a counselor".
"I wasn't thinking so too, but... What I can do to make my relations with ensign Jamieson easier?"
"Maybe you just need to tell everything you feel to her?" Counselor answered. "But I don't know what I feel"
"Then just listen to your heart" said Trenton and smiled.
Malgin then goes on his shift...
NRPG: Takes place shortly before the Galaxy leaves SB114
It was nearly shift change on the USS Galaxy's Bridge. Things were very quiet, and many of the stations were vacant. Docked at Starbase one-fourteen, her repair, upgrade and resupply nearly complete, there was little need for most of the bridge crew. Operations, however, was a round-the-clock necessity to coordinate the final configurations of power and other resources with the Galaxy's engineers and the Starbase's engineers.
The turbolift doors opened and the Benzite, Boaz Trinker, stepped out onto the upper deck of the Bridge. Lieutenant commander Surok stepped out behind him and followed him to the forebridge. Boaz sniffed from the puff of gas that atomized before his nostrils from the contraption around his neck. He said, "Lieutenant' Reece, I am here to relieve you."
Electra stood from the ops station, several inches taller than the Benzite. Quietly she said, "Thank you, ensign. It has been fairly routine. Just a few blips as the station crew has been fixing things." She nodded to him as he turned to the station. She turned to find herself facing her CO. She was momentarily speechless.
Surok spoke bruskly. "Lieutenant' Reece, please accompany me," he instructed.
"Of course," she replied to his back as he turned away. She followed him to the upper deck and through the short passage that led to the newly reconstructed conference lounge. ~ Great, what's wrong now? I haven't screwed up. I've been working with the team and I've been getting counseling. Unless, he's heard about my problems from Security. Their investigation may have been noticed by him. ~
The lounge was essentially identical to the original in shape and structure. But the decor was a step up from the bland selection of pastel earth tones and furnishings without design character. Despite the large selection of new furnishings, mister Surok ignored the chairs in favor of standing. As soon as the doors closed behind them, he turned to face the newly-promoted Reece.
Electra stopped in time to avoid plowing into her chief.
Surok wasted no time in getting to his point. "We have not spoken of your recent promotion. You should know that, despite my initial reservations of your ability to work as part of a team, your performance was exemplary during the Galaxy's last mission. I was pleased to second the captain's recommendation for your promotion."
Electra stared at the Vulcan in shock. She had been sure he was going to try to block her promotion. She had been amazed when she received notification of her achievement. The last time the two of them had talked one-on-one he had ordered her to get counseling because she had gotten trashed in a food fight that hadn't been her doing. He had also had memories of her from the Academy and thought she was horrible. And now...he had seconded her promotion? She listened closely.
The Vulcan then said, "What I need to know now, is if you are prepared to take on the additional responsibilities that come with increased rank."
~ Oh, I get it. He still thinks I am a problem. No doubt he wants to see if he is right about me not being a team player. Well, I'll prove I can do this. No matter what. ~
Electra gazed at him and slowly, to avoid stuttering, stated, "I believe that I am ready to handle the responsibilities that come with that extra pip. I have been taking time to learn the ship closely. I am familiar with my duties and can do more."
~ Let's see how he handles that! ~
"Very well," said the operations manager. "I have a temporary assignment for you. Lieutenant commander Jamson is currently on light duty. You have been selected to take on the assistant operations manager position until a determination has been made regarding his ability to return to full duty." Surok stared emotionlessly at the raven-haired young woman. "Will you accept the position?"
~ Oh, no! Hoist by my own petard. Assistant chief of Operations? Great stars. I never thought this. I figured he would give me extra shifts or something. Angels and ministers of grace defend! I don't know. I would have to talk to people and give orders. But I can't back down or he'll never trust me. ~
"I'll accept the position, 'Commander. I wish that it were under better circumstances. I've heard that Lieutenant Commander Jamson is really in trouble. But while he is on light duty, I will cover the heavier of his duties." Electra paused as a thought occurred. "Will I take over his shift on the bridge? I am not clear on my duties, sir. I would understand more fully if I were more than an interim, but as it is, I would like to know what he will still handle and what will be in my province." Electra let out a breath, hoping she sounded competent.
Surok replied, "The 'commander has the support of the Galaxy's command staff. He will have every opportunity to choose a path to recovery from his condition." Without a change of tone or expression, the Vulcan managed to seem challenging as he said, "Until further notice, you will be acquiring all of his Operations responsibilities. However, Bridge command duty will be handled by officers with command qualifications."
"You will be the primary contact for special projects such as engineering details and computer maintenance," Surok explained. "And, I will delegate many department management processes to you. You will assist in running team meetings and in disseminating information to the rest of the department."
Electra's eyes widened. "I understand, 'Commander. I will co-ordinate a team meeting to disseminate this information. And, I realize that I would not have command duty, sir. But, will I be responsible for the Beta shift OPS bridge station or will I remain on Gamma shift as I am now or will I pull both shifts, sir?"
"Your duties will likely demand effort beyond your Bridge watches," he replied. "But I will reschedule ensign U'Brafe and ensign Polarasi to cover the now-vacant shifts."
Surok added, "Our goal will be to qualify you to manage the department. I estimate that you should have the procedures down within six weeks, if you remain in the position. The 'finer points', however, shall take years to master."
Electra was surprised that he even thought she would have the position for that length of time. She wondered if Jamson was going to be put back on regular duty at all. Time would tell and she couldn't ask because she knew the stoic Vulcan wouldn't reveal anything that he knew. "I will strive to do my best, s-sir." Electra mentally grimaced at the stutter. She had been doing so well. "I will learn all that I need to know, though I am sure it would indeed take years to be at your level of expertise." Electra came to an abrupt halt, hoping she hadn't just sounded like a suck up but meaning what she had said, sincerely. She gave a small grin and met the iron stare.
"Indeed?" Surok asked with eyebrow raised. "I shall expect no lesser effort."
The ops manager considered taking a chair, as the Human department heads would do when broaching a personal subject like the one he was about to open. However, he reconsidered. He was Vulcan, after all, and could not fake Human compassion, nor inspire camaraderie through casual behavior. Instead, he gravely said "Lieutenant', I have been approached by Security for information regarding some recent events in your o
ff-duty life."
Electra closed her eyes, wishing he had not brought this up but knowing it had been inevitable. "Th-there have been some p-problems, sir."
"Would you care to elaborate?" Surok asked.
"I have b-been getting n-n-notes and strange g-gifts and they are n-not signed, s-sir. I h-hope it is j-just a practical joke b-but it has b-been a while and I thought that S-security sh-should know about it. J-j-just in case." Electra sighed. "I w-w-WON'T let this affect my job, sir."
"That is... gratifying to hear." In truth, that had been his first concern. The Ops Manager decided to offer his assistance to the woman who would be his assistant. "If the security officer assigned to your case is not handling it properly, I will speak with 'commander Savat on your behalf," he offered.
"They have just started the investigation, sir. They said it might take a while unless they catch someone in the act. But," Electra smiled, relieved that the Vulcan didn't think her foolish or blame her for the situation, "thank you for your offer."
Surok said coldly, "I am merely acting in the best interests of our department, lieutenant'." He considered asking for more details of the strange practical joke that she was suffering, but decided against it.
"That is all, lieutenant' Reece. Your new duties begin tomorrow. I will expect to see an outline of your planned team meeting by eleven hundred hours. Dismissed," he said finally.
Electra nodded and exited the lounge, planning the meeting in her head.
-----
Andree had reported to the weapons locker to get his phaser and was now waiting in the transporter room, waiting for something to happen. Cmd. Thomas had beamed over with a security team to secure the beam in area, and untill that could be accomplished, Andree was all decked out with medical supplies and noone to treat.
~Oh Well, hopefully something will happen soon.~ he thought. Little did he know...
Zara had just finished her shift and pushed herself into living quarters aboard the USS Galaxy. Her feet were tired even after the short day she had just worked. But she wasn't a complainer and enjoyed her job on the Galaxy working in Ten-Forward. Since their recent departure she had the chance of meeting some of the crew and hearing their stories. Perhaps one day she'd meet the Captain. After hearing such fine things about him, she was eager to see him in person.
Carefully, she allowed the green slippers to fall off her feet. And with a small jump, she landed on her couch wondering when her roommate would be in. Looking to her left upon a small table stood the picture of her father in full StarFleet Uniform. She missed him greatly. The Borg had took his life. She was instantly brought out of a small childhood day dream to realize the situation around her. Other crew members had been talking in Ten-Forward. The Galaxy was on their current mission and rumors had gone around. Romulans had encountered the Borg. The rest was fuzzy to hear - very unclear. She preferred to keep it that way.
******************************************************************************
Ensign Culton Manley sat up in his bed. He rubbed his left hand through his short blonde hair as his chest moved quickly with his breathing patteren. "Computer," he stated, "lights." The room was suddenly filled with lights. He was covered in sweat. It was a nightmare.
Drewar Prison Camp. The people were from his past but he was at his present age. And Don was there, his best friend he met on Earth and attended the Academy with. It was the first nightmare since his early childhood just after he escaped from the Camp. There was no other reason for the dream except his extreme loneliness aboard the USS Galaxy. Slowly, he lowered himself back down into his bed. He allowed the lights to remain on until he could fall asleep again.
Guest Starring Lieutenant Jg. Rebecca Von Erst, Tactical Officer
James was feeling the rhythm of his footsteps. Each foot harshly tapped the ship’s floorboards as he trod past in a steady jog. He kept pace with the rhythm, almost like a song so that he can concentrate on the beat instead of the rapid fatigue that accumulated in him.
One two… one two… one two… three four… one two… one two… one two… three four…
Even with his sweat collecting, his face turning red and his breath heavy and stressed, the newly promoted Lieutenant kept a steady pace with the rest of security and the newly joined members of tactical in the 5 mile run. All he needed was the steady beat he brought on himself.
One two… one two… one two… three four… one two… one two… one two… three four…
His mind wandered a bit, but he didn’t mind. Just as long as it helped him ignore his aching lungs and his protesting legs it was fine by him. He started thinking about why the Tactical department bothered to try and join security in their running exercises and phaser drills. He didn’t mind that they joined in, because he enjoyed their company much more than the meatheads in security. Tactical people were smart, and like Lieutenant Corgan they tended to better conversationalists. While Security officers were brash and prone to bragging, Tactical officers were intellectuals, musicians, flyboys and other types of people that gave Tactical a variety of personalities to choose from that James found interesting. They were almost like the people in an old movie he saw called Platoon. The security people that Lieutenant Corgan knew were a bunch of tough guys (or girls, in the case of Lt. Heather Sanchez ) that came in tune to the people of another movie he watched; Starship Troopers. Lieutenant Jg. Corgan gave up being a tough guy after the embassy incident, since it was just a load of crap, so he didn’t really consider himself a dogface anymore.
One two… one two… one two… three four… one two… one two… one two… three four…
The thinking about tactical brought him back to why the Galaxy went all the way back to the Gamma Quadrant. He tried to avoid thinking about it, but it always came back to scare the hell out of him.
One two… one two… one two… three four… one two… one two… one two… three four… ‘WE ARE THE BORG’
“Hhhhuuuuuuu…” James gasped and staggered to the side. He presumed his jog afterwards, thinking, “What is going on?”
WE ARE THE BORG! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
“Oh my god!” He thought, “What is happening?”
He thought about the Typhon Expanse, the famed second invasion by the Borg. During his cadet cruise, he had the unfortunate karma of having to encounter the universe’s most deadly sentient locusts. It was only a simple response to a boarding… just to repel some invaders…
WE ARE THE BORG! YOU MUST COMPLY!
“Stop it!”
One two… one two… one two… three four… one two… one two… one two… three four…
He saw the scene like it was played yesterday. He and a couple of officers headed off the three Borg that were trying to tap into an LCARS panel. The two security officers shot the Borg, but the Borg adapted to their frequencies. He only tried to stop them and change his phaser frequency, but one of the Borg grabbed him with a massive, claw like servo arm.
One two… one two… FUTILE…
And Lieutenant Corgan swore he saw the injection tubes whip out and aim for his neck before he shot the Borg…
YOU WILL SURRENDER TO THE BORG!
“STOP!”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rebecca Von Erst was thinking of the biggest, hardest, most flaming wad of chow mein noodles that she could come up with. Anything, anything worse than the burning pain in her chest that was threatening to expand until she exploded into a noodle-esque mess. So far, she couldn’t think of anything worse than the run at the moment, because she was too busy thinking about how much her lungs ached and her legs hurt.
“Why me?” She thought. If she were more aggressive, she would have thought of how fun it would be if she could shoot Ensign Drake out of a torpedo tube and see how multi-phasic he was.
She thought of how many more miles she had to go through just so that she can take the pain off her mind. Her brain brought up the miles… 5 miles… at a speed of 3.5 miles an hour… currently finished lap 3, equals…
“Oh noodles…” She griped, “it took me a millisecond to figure out… I have 45 minutes to go!”
She picked up her jog and moved along at a slower than steady pace, complaining all the way along about that burning sensation in her chest. She didn’t have much time to complain, because someone or something bumped into her rapidly, and with great force. She was flung into the wall by the sheer force.
“Hey! What was tttttttthat for?” She demanded.
She turned to look at the person that bumped into her. It was Lieutenant Jg. Corgan, the person she meet a few times before. He was jogging like somebody possessed., but when he turned to see who he bumped into, his eyes looked wild and frightened.
“James?” She asked.
“Get away…” He cried.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“James?” Lieutenant Corgan heard, but it all seemed to swirl and echo in his head as his vision started to turn to green. “What’s wwwwrrrong Jaaaaammmeesssss……..” Everything slowed down and all he could see was a twisted nightmare of steel and green haze.
“Jamessss… speak to me.” Rebecca pleaded.
“Get away….” Lieutenant Corgan forcefully commanded.
He saw Lieutenant Jg. Von Erst, but she was looking different. The image of her flashed on and off, turning from the frightened and shocked young tactical officer to something out of his nightmares. She looked like tubules were sticking out from her head like coiled black snakes. Armored plating covered her skin, and the skin that wasn’t covered was a ashened white. The image faded out and re-appeared again, showing a massive servo arm with a brutal claw, and a glimmering eyepiece that stared back menacingly.
“You will be one with us.” The drone threatened.
“Get away!” Corgan growled.
“What? Whhhhaaaaattt are you talking aaabout? James? JAMES!” Rebecca implored.
“Help…”
Lieutenant Corgan leaned up against the wall and braced himself. Rebecca grabbed the larger security officer, but his weight was almost double her 95 pound frame. She strained to keep him on his feet, but he slid to the ground. There wasn’t much that her small, fatigued body could do to keep him up, so she helped him slide down and sit beside the wall.
“Noodles, you’re heavy!” She griped.
Lieutenant Corgan saw a small female borg drone say the very same thing.
“Noodles, you’re heavy!” The little drone mechanically spoke.
“What the f**k?” James rasped, looking straight at Rebecca, but only seeing a borg drone kneel beside him with her hand dangerously close to his neck. If that was so, where were the injection tubes?
“Are you ok, James?” Lieutenant Von Erst asked nervously.
“Is that you?” He asked back. His vision started to come back to normal, and he saw Lieutenant Jg. Von Erst as normal. “Whoa… what the heck?” Corgan added.
“Wwwhattts… going on? You’re scaring me? Are you all right?” Rebecca stuttered.
James got up from his seat on the floor and shook his head, trying to shake off the fugue that persisted in him. The daydream was gone, replaced by the Galaxy’s normal hallways and one confused tactical officer. His head hurt, and his breathing was still labored from the panic attack and flashback.
“It was just you?” James asked.
“Yeahhhh… Just me… Why?” She questioned, “Are you ok?”
“No, I am not.” He answered truthfully, “I think Savat’s walls are crumbling down, and being so close to the Borg has made things worse.”
“I know hoooowwww brutal the Borg are, but you fear them?”
“Yes, I do. I faced them on my cadet cruise in the Typhon Expanse. They… they… oh god… I have to face them again. Pray to god that they don’t take you.”
“What? Stop, please… you’re scaring me. Mmmaybe you should go visit sickbay…”
“No. I must conquer my fear, Rebecca. I have to stand up to them, or else I’m no use to the ship. I have to take the Borg on, or else I am weak…”
Jame's steps were uncertain as he restarted his jog. He only had a few more minutes to go, and he would be glad to get it done, and then maybe write his will and possibly go to sickbay to dope himself up on powerful drugs. Anything just to get himself away from his own fears.
He had to stop just for a moment to let Rebecca catch up, but that wasn't the only reason. Looking out from the observation windows of the Galaxy, he noticed ships. There were hundreds of them, all blown away to scrap. The beetle-like underside of a Jem-Hadar fighter floated ominously through space, like a ghost in the fog. All around it scrap was suspended in this haunted graveyard. It gave Corgan the chills, but he also noted the irony of it all. Here it was, two of the Federation's greatest enemies, the two biggest bullies in the yard, going at it like there's no tomorrow. He felt satified, like there was actually justice in the universe.
"They both had it coming, Rebecca. Both of them. I hope they both burn in hell for this." James said bitterly.
"The... borg did this?" Rebecca asked.
"They sure did, Rebecca. That's why they have the reputation as the meanest motherf**kers on the block. This could happen to us, and I don't know how i'm going to handle facing death once again. Tell you what, if I die or get assimilated, I want you to take my guitar and music collection back to my sister in New Orleans. Then, tell her I died facing my fears."
"But... you're not dead yet." Rebecca countered.
"I'm already dead inside. Right here. No heart left to give, no soul left to sell, no mind left to salvage. There is no hope for me, but I do hope that I can be useful until the very end. But you have hope. Just remember that."
Much to the relief of the wierded out Rebecca, Lieutenant Jg. Corgan's comm-badge kicks in. He taps it to reply.
[Savat to Corgan. Please report to security. We have detected a romulan warbird that is partially assimilated. We need you on standby.]
"Yes sir. I'll be with you all shortly. Corgan out."
Commander Thomas made the call, it was time to go. They'd already taken twelve minutes to go from their assigned duty post to assembling here and they were on a very tight time window. "Alright I hate to cut things short here, but times wasting and we don't have a luxury of wasting anymore time right now." Chris said as he moved from the transporter console to the transporter padd. "First away team to the padd." he ordered.
"Lt. Commander Savat, Surok standby for my signal." Chris said as he stepped on the padd and was shortly joined by the rest of the away team.
"Aye sir." Richeson said.
"Weapons, level 3 stun setting." Commander Thomas ordered.
The away team nodded in agreement.
"Ready?" Chris asked the Lt.
"Yes sir." the Lt. said.
"Energize!" Commander Thomas ordered.
They felt the sensation of the transporter beam engulfing their bodies and starting to turn them into energy for transportation to the Romulan ship where they would then reappear as matter. It could be quite disconcerting at times if one thought about the process to much or in a few rare cases developed a transporter phobia.
The away team appeared on the Romulan ship, where they weren't completely sir as they didn't have full detail layouts of this kind of Romulan ship. However the transporter chief had placed them down near the ship's sickbay, making it about halfway to get to the bridge or engineer. Everyone was tense as soon as they arrived on the ship and began looking around.
"Lights." Commander Thomas called out.
Quickly they all turned on the palm lights and those carrying type 3 weapons the lights came on automatically. The area was dark and void of life, it was a very eery and dark place. This was working against the away teams on courage and helping to enhance their fears of the worst. He could see the expression on everyone's face right now change to a grim cautions look.
"Tricorders." Commander Thomas said.
With that one word he, Tim and Rayna had their tricorders out scanning the surrounding environment.
"I am not detecting any life signs in the vicinity." Tim said.
"Nothing here, either." Lt. O'Grady said.
This was spooking in a way, but not spine tingling yet. "Nothing here either, it would appear we're in a abandoned part of the ship. I am detecting no power, no life signs of any kind." Chris said as he glanced around. "Not even a Borg signature."
"We should spread out and look around a bit, sir." Lt. Richeson offered his opinion.
Chris tapped his combadge. "Commander Thomas to Galaxy, the spearhead unit has arrived safely on board the Romulan ship, no signs of Borg or anyone alive in our present location. We're proceeding to spread out from the beam in point and have a quick look around, stand by." Chris said.
"Commander keep an open comm channel." Captain Price said.
"Aye captain." Chris said as they began to spread out.
"Be back here in 6 minutes." Chris said, "If you run into something call for backup and retreat if your position is going to be compromised."
"Aye sir." Everyone said and moved away from the center. Only Ensign Taw remained behind to help provide backup and guard the beam in point in case they needed to exit or more people had to come over.
*** In Commander Thomas's direction
Commander Thomas proceeded to check out his direction and see what was down this way. Without having precise design specs for a Romulan ship there was no real way of figure out things without doing some searching. "Commander Thomas to Galaxy." Chris said as he stepped over some debris.
"Galaxy here."
"The ship's a mess, so far I've encountered nothing and I've not heard anything from anyone else encountering something over here either. However just to be on the safe side, fire up a couple of extra transporters and have them ready as well." Chris said.
"Aye, sir."
"There are signs of fighting, between the Romulans and the Borg I would speculate. There are some indications of Borg activity on board the ship, but nothing conclusive in this area at the moment." Chris said as he continued to walk and scan the area with his tricorder while his phaser was ready to be draw at any time.
Commander Thomas continued to sweep his area.
*** In Lt. Richeson's direction
"Nothing to report here so far, sir." Tim said as he moved along watching for any signs of threat.
*** In Ensign Wellsmen's direction
Ensign John Wellsmen left the 'bip' and proceed down the hallway of the haunted ship. This place was dead, and he wondered why someone believed there were people still alive around here, but he would follow orders.
John walked and walked, he was keeping track of the time he'd been away, two minutes thirteen seconds. Nothing was going on around here, the ship is dead.
"Ensign Wellsmen to Commander Thomas, I've encountered a B.... zzttt"
*** In Commander Thomas's direction
"Report, what's happening!" Commander Thomas called out as he spun on his heal and sprinted back in the direction he'd just come from. Something had happened to Ensign Wellsmen. "Commander Thomas to away team, Ensign Wellsmen maybe in trouble."
"Ensign Taw here, sir. I am holding guard at the beam in point should I check up on Ensign Wellsmen?" he asked the commander.
"No hold your position, until someone rejoins you." Chris said as he continued his sprint down the corridor.
Two minutes later he'd made it back to the 'BIP' where Ensign Taw was waiting.
"Let's go." Chris said. "The other's should be right behind us."
"Aye sir." Ensign Taw said as he joined in behind the commander. They proceeded quickly but with some caution as well.
Commander Thomas and Ensign Taw arrived on the scene moments later.
"A Borg, sir." Ensign Taw whispered to the commander.
Chris nodded in agreement, and then it stepped to one side, just enough to show it was attempting to assimilate Ensign Wellsmen body into the collective, but didn't appear to be having much luck in doing so. Commander Thomas leveled his phaser rifle at the Borg, nodded to Ensign Taw be ready in case he missed.
Taking a bead, Chris fired the phaser rifle, hitting the Borg just as Price's voice came over his combadge. "Report, Commander what's happening over there."
When the Borg didn't move after being hit, nor did it vanish, the concern on the commander's face rose 10 fold. "Commander Thomas to Captain Price, we've encountered a sole Borg on the ship. However it appears there maybe more around here working to assimilate anything that's biological, including animals. They however don't appear to be having much success."
[Aye commander, keep me informed.]
"Commander Thomas, Lt. Savat." Chris said tapping his combadge as Lt. O'Grady and Richeson arrived on the scene to cover their backs.
[Savat here go ahead, commander.]
"Ensign Wellsmen is dead, a Borg attempted to assimilate without success." Chris said. "A gruesome death."
[Acknowledged Commander.] Savat said.
"We're going to need a more forceful presence to proceed with the mission." Commander Thomas said. "Captain did you copy that?"
[Yes commander, I copy.] Price said from the bridge.
Chris hated to put more people on this ship, but they were going to get answers then there was little choice but to do just that. "Lt. Savat, please bring over an additional security team or two." Chris said. "Then please have all transporters on standby to get us out of here." Chris said.
"Understood commander, we're on our way." Savat said in response.
"Lt. Commander Surok as soon as Savat's team is over proceed to beam over with your away team unit as well." Chris said. "A change of plans, but we're going to have work fast if we want to get some answers."
Surok's voice came over the comm badge. "Affirmative, sir. We are prepared to depart."
--------
"Have we heard anything from the Third?" the Vorta asked. He stood at the front of the Bridge on the Jem'Hadar vessel, just staring through the visor he wore on his head. His hands were held tightly behind his back. He was silently stressing over the current situation. Many Dominion ships had been heavily damaged or destroyed during the recent attack with the Borg. But here was... again.
"I believe Third Karoon is still having problems with the communications array. According to my readings, they should be operational within the hour. They have also joined the salvage team." the First Jem'Hadar replied.
"Continue monitoring repairs on all Dominion ships. Take us closer to the cube." the Vorta ordered. The Jem'Hadar First gave a nod and carried out his instructions whilst the Vorta strolled off the Bridge to report to the Founder.
Upon entering the small dark chamber where the Changling stayed during most of the trip, the Vorta looked around. There didn't seem to be any sign of the Founder. He was about to turn around to leave when the corner of the room began melting. It didn't take long to realise that it was the Founder, disguising itself as part of the wall. The Vorta lowered his head slightly and kept his eyes fixed on the ground in front of the Founder as the Changling took humanoid shape.
"It does feel good to be able to change shape again." the Founder said as if he had not changed shape in a very long time. The Founders had been cured of the disease for quite some time now, but the Founder did enjoy taking on all the forms that it hadn't been able to since the disease struck home.
"You have lost the ability to maintain a perfect shape." the Vorta replied.
"Hmmf." the Changling replied. "How is the salvage operation proceeding Weyoun?"
"All according to plan, Founder." Weyoun replied, his eyes still fixed on the floor and his arms apart from his body slightly as a gesture to indicate that he always considered himself a lower being compared to the God that stood before him. "There are now two wings conducting sensor readings on what remains of this Borg cube. All other ships are attempting to repair or salvage what they can off heavily damaged Dominion ships. There is also a wing searching for the other Founders that were on several of the ships destroyed during the attack."
"They may not be found." the Changling repleid turning away from Weyoun. It was only then did he briefly glance up at the Changling before staring back down at the floor.
"Surely not even the Borg can kill a God. Nothing can." Weyoun replied in a tone that told the Changling that he was not argueing or questioning anything that had just been said.
"I want to see it." the Changling said. Seeing that Weyoun was a little confused, he continued. "The remains of the Borg vessel. You understand my eagerness?"
"The technology the Borg possess may give us the edge we need to continue a campaign in the Alpha Quadrant?" Weyoun said.
"That is correct. Their technology is certainly more advanced than what we have. It took over a hundred ships to destroy this vessel. I want that technology!" the Founder demanded.
"And so it shall be." Weyoun replied giving a slight bow to the Founder as he walked by towards the door.
After entering the Bridge, the Changling and Weyoun strolled to the front of the Bridge and placed the visors on again. The Changling looked at the remains of the Borg vessel, and then scanned the area for other Dominion ships and to see what they were doing.
"As you can see, Founder. The operation is running smoothly. We should have a complete sensor reading of the Borg debris within a matter of minutes. We can then organise salvage pods to begin the dismantling of the debris." Weyoun explained.
The Changling smiled and gave a quick glance at Weyoun. Such an efficient Vorta. "I see we made the right choice in cloning you, again." the Changling added.
"I exist to serve. It gives me pleasure to continue my service in the Dominion until the Gods see me unfit to do so." Weyoun replied.
"Just be thankful." the Founder said. "If we didn't find the remains of the DNA sequencing in the debris of the Cloning facility in the Alpha Quadrant, you wouldn't be here now."
Weyoun nearly flinched. He hated hearing of the Alpha Quadrant, it just kept reminding him of his failures to serve the Founders. He had made the Founders so pleased with him. He had had a very long and distinctive career in the Dominion, no doubt that was why he was Ambassador to the Dominion. But then he lost control of their Command Center in the Alpha Quadrant causing the Federation Alliance to win the war. A war that should not have lasted as long as it did. Weyoun should have taken charge of Cardassia from the beginning. He was still unsure why the Founders cloned him after his disappointing failure to win the war. Maybe it was because of his extensive knowledge about the Alpha Quadrant and other races etc. That was what he thought anyway. But at the end of the day, it didn't really matter. He was here again, that was what counted.
"Everything seems to be going as planned." the Founder said. "Take us in closer to the Borg debris, I want to get a first hand look at the technology."
"Understood." the First replied setting in new co-ordinates in the helm.
"Contact our cloning and ship yard facilities. We need to increase the number of ships and clones to replace all that was lost here today." the Founder said. "And they must be replaced soon!"
"I will contact them immediately." Weyoun replied moving to the Jem'Hadar that stood next to the communications console.
The Founder looked on. He was pleased that they finally had the chance to salvage the Borg technology. "I will transport over to one of the operational Battleships and report back to the other Founders. Weyoun, get this salvage underway as soon as you can." the Changling ordered with such a tone that Weyoun swallowed hard and was afraid of making another mistake. He didn't want to do that.
"As you wish." he said, his eyes fixed the floor yet again as the Founder left the Bridge to go to the Transporter Room. Weyoun returned his attention to the Borg and Dominion debris. He would not make any mistakes. Not again. This operation would go on as planned...
Commander Thomas had been speaking with the Galaxy about the situation, and Ensign Taw was preparing Ensign Wellsmen's body for transportation back to the Galaxy for the doctor to have a look what happened to him.
"We should return Wellsmen's body back to the ship for a proper funeral." Ensign Taw suggested not worrying about speaking out of place here.
"Make it so." Thomas said as he didn't see any point in not doing it.
"Ensign Taw to transporter room 3." Taw said as he watched for movement around them.
[Transporter room 3, go ahead ensign.]
"Please lock onto Ensign Wellsmen's combadge and prepare to beam him to sickbay." Taw said. "Stand by."
"Commander Thomas to Dr. Mass." Chris said as they were preparing to return back to the beam in point to meet up with the away team.
[Dr. Mass here, go ahead commander.]
"We're sending you a present to study." Chris said with detachment. "Ensign Wellsmen's body. A Borg attacked him and was attempt to assimilate him into the collective, but failed and he wasn't the first one to suffer a similar fate doctor." Commander Thomas said glancing around. "There's at least four others here that appeared to have suffered the same fate, all Romulans."
[Understood, commander we'll examine the body. Commander could you please send one of those Romulan bodies over to us as well.] Dr. Mass said.
"I would recommend a level 5 containment scenario, doctor." Thomas said.
[We'll take precautions, commander.]
"Very good Doctor. Ensign Taw you may proceed." Chris said, "Thomas out."
"Ensign Taw to transporter room 3, please lock on Ensign Wellsmen's body and the closest Romulan body as well. Please beam them directly to sickbay, Dr. Mass should be sending your transport coordinates were to deposit them." Taw said.
[Acknowdlged, 'Commander Mass has just forward the needed information. We're ready to transport the bodies.]
"Proceed." Ensign Taw said.
Commander Thomas and the others watched as the two bodies disappeared from the ship. They hoped that the doctor might be able to find some answers from the two dead bodies, but there was no guarantee.
"Alright let's move people we have to get back to the beam in point, Lt. Commander Savat and his security teams should be there by now." Chris said as even he was getting nervous about remaining here any longer then they had to.
"Dispatch"
Autumn led the girls over to a secluded corner and watched the door carefully. "Now we wait" she whispered. She hoped at least some Guys would take up the invitation. Nilani looked, she knew what they were saying about her... and everything was wrong! she was still in all her clothes and there was NO WAY she was comparing herself with Kira... They hadn't spoken a word to each other since she had 'crashed' there little section. She heard something about men and decided that prehaps now was the best time to go... There was no way she was going to let a Man see her dressed up this way... She had been burnt to many times and wasn't about to be seen or viewed in the same situation again! She quickly slid her leather pants and vest on over her clothing and then placed the black night top into her bag, taking cover next to Rebecca. She looked to her friend and smiled "Rebecca.... what I said before last mission I ment.... I ment every word of it... I'm not asking for your appology for something I believe in... But I am asking that you give me a chance"
Autumn grabbed her and dragged her down beside them. "Stay and watch the show Nialani?" She asked hopefully?
Rebecca gave Nilani a totally confused look. "What do you mean?" she asked scrunched up her nose. "Give you a chance at what? What did you say to me when? I......your.....this is all......Augh!"
Venting in frustration Rebecca stamped the floor with her foot. The other hiding women looked at her with raised eyebrows. They'd never seen the small girl get mad before.
"Wrong wrong worng!" Rebecca was saying, "There is nothing funny about being exposed. It is totally wrong and improper to be seen withoutyour clothes, and I cant stand it!"
"No wait..." Autumn called as Rebecca started to stomp off....again. "Its just in fun."
Whirling around Rebecca faced the group of plotters, her red hair swirled about her freckled cheeks as she spun. "No....its....NOT. I spent f....f....four years of h...h....heck at the Academy tortured by girls who thought it was all in f...f...fun."
She gestured to the playful antics of the semi-clad women around her. " I cant even beleive I'm h....h....here. What would my m....m...mom say if she saw me in a party lke this? Its wrong wrong wrong, and I....I....I'm ashamed to be a part of it."
Whirling again, Rebecca stomped off for the exit, before realizing the uniform she was wearing was only holographic, and if she left the deck she'd once again be deposited into her P.J.'s and Bunny slippers. Scrunching her nose in frustration, she executed a 90 degree turn into the provided changing rooms, where she had deposited her REAL clothes.
((You dont actually think she walked down to the holodeck in her Pajamas do you?))
Selecting her outfit from a small cubby-hole on the wall, she enterd the small booth, and nearly slammed the door shut behind her.....(she didnt because her mom taught her NEVER to slam doors).....but she sure felt like it.
....{Theme from 2001 space odyssey begins to play}....
You asked for him....You begged for him...you stood there amongst the crowd and chanted his name....( OK maybe it was just one or two of you suggesting him, but who cares!)...Ladies and gentleman....he has returned!
A Super spy in the tradition of James Bond...an investigative journalist seen as the Tom Brokaw of his generation..an unlikely best selling author ala' Mick Foley..REBECCA AWARD nominee....and lover with a slow hand and a gentle touch......LEEEEEEEOOO STREEEEELYYYYY!!!! ( nice Michael Buffer imitation there, eh?)
And here we go......
Location: Deep within the USS GALAXY residential quarters. Time: Whenever the heck the slumber party fits into the continuity.
'AAARRRGGGHHH!" Leo Streely cried out thumping his forehead repeatedly against the desk in his quarters. The little man was bored to tears.
He had come back aboard in secret, looking to suprise Raven Darkstar and also to be safe from that back stabbing, story stealing...well, we'll save that story for a future post. Only Captain Price and Dr. Maas, who conducted the standard ship's physical for new residents, knew he was back onboard. In all actuality, he assumed he was listed somewhere on the ships manifest, but he wanted to keep a low profile.
He had been assigned his own permanent quarters but told to stray from them as little as possible.
The isolation drove Leo nuts. He was a man of the people! He needed to be out among his adoring public, yet here he sat. It was like house arrest! He might as well be locked in the Brig!
To pass the time, Leo spent hours at his computer terminal. Occasionally he would write. Sometimes he would surf the Federation news and keep in touch with old connections. Games of solitaire had become a habit for him. He was a bit disappointed that "Blondes and Brunettes" wasn't a pictorial log of the Galaxy women, but the game was still addictive.
Right now he just stared at the desktop.
"I am in hell," he mumbled to himself. " I don't know what I did in a past life, but I must have been a real hell raisin son of a bitch to deserve to be this bored."
He stood up and wandered over to his bed, dejectedly. He paused for a moment to pull on his boxershorts, freeing them from between his cheeks. The image of Mr. Spock giving the Vulcan salute was on the back and it almost looked as though Spock's silk-screened face was happy to be free from Leo's ass.
That would have been illogical to think, of coarse.
Leo fell foreword on his bed. " If I don't find something to do, I'm gonna loose my mind! What a loss that would be to the universe, too! Imagine a world without Plato! Einstein! Cochrane! Streely!" he shuddered.
He rolled off the bed and laid on the floor. "This is so boring! My God!"
He crawled to his knees and looked at the ceiling "Please God! Its me, Leo the humble. I know that I haven't really talked to you too much lately, but I could really use some divine intervention right now. If you could help me out here I would be forever grateful! I would fast on the holidays and not insult the Veddiks and even take the celibacy oath if that would help.."
Suddenly a voice rang out over his intercom.
{ATTENTION ALL MEN! THERE IS A SUPRISE IN HOLODECK ONE!}
The little man's eyes lit up instantly. He leapt to his feet, still looking at the heavens. " Thank You! Thank You! I owe you one! I mean what I said about Veddiks but don't hold me to the celibacy thing, OK?"
He began to race out the door but stopped himself. Hitting the holodeck in his shorts was not the ideal way to keep a low profile. He thought for a moment before yelling aloud.
"A DISGUISE! That's it! Leo you sly old fox, you. They didn't call you the man of a thousand faces for nothing, OK? All right, all right. Think Leo, think. You want to blend in. Something inconspicuous. Something..hmm...I got it! " he thought, calling up the replicator menu for theater makeup.
Minutes later he held a sloppy looking rubber forehead prosthesis and a tangled gray wig. He held them up to his face in the mirror and smiled widely." Perfect! I just need something to keep it in place..."
He called up the menu for adhesives. " Rubber cement...never heard of it. It must be used to keep rubber in place. Computer...rubber cement."
A jar of clear liquid appeared in the replicator port and Leo began to apply it to his forehead. " Imagine 'the Chameleon' walking right under their noses! This will be my best one yet!"
***** Holodeck One, moments Later *****
The doors to the holodeck swished open and Leo stepped inside.
His mouth fell open faster than the doors could return closed.
There were women everywhere! Everywhere! Not a man insight! And even better, some of them were stark naked! Not a stitch of clothing!
"ITS LIKE SOME AMAZON LESBIAN COMMUNE! JESUS! Oh I wondered what you looked like naked.." he said watching Kira Murphy walk directly in front of him with little regard to her state of undress.
Over in the corner, Lt. Von Ernst, Autum Jameson and a few others were giggling in the corner. Kahn Niliani, also stark naked, glanced up and saw a tiny, rumpled, raggedy Klingon gawking at the women in the holodeck.
The uncharacteristically small Klingon intrigued her. First off she couldn't tell exactly what sex it was under the bulky odd looking robe it had on. Secondly she had never seen 'it' before on the ship so she decided to investigate a little and sauntered over to the creature.
Meanwhile, Leo was now a firm believer in the power of prayer. It was enough to almost make him consider becoming a man of the cloth himself. Speaking of firm, Leo took notice of Khan Nilinai marching over and standing before him. Her lean naked form seemed to glisten in the holodeck lighting.
"Welcome to the party. I don't think we've met," she said extending a hand to the little alien.
Leo just stared at her from head to toe. He tried to blink but was afraid he didn't have enough free skin left to accomplish the task.
"Anybody home?" Nilani asked waving a hand in front of Leo's face.
Leo had begun to draw a crowd now. Oddly enough, most of them were nude. Nilani's snapping fingers woke Leo from his trance and he answered in a strange cracked voice.
"Bok chok dok rock!"
"I'm not that familiar with that dialect of Klingon, Savanna said as she stood beside Leo, her silken robe falling open to reveal her naked form too.
"F..Few are." Leo stuttered out," I'm ..I'm L'eo."
"L'eo? What department are you in?" the ever curious Niliani asked.
"I'm the ah...I'm the ships barber."
"A Klingon barber? Don't you people just let your hair grow?" Jessie Parrow asked.
Leo continued on like the pro he was, his eyes jumping from pelvis to glorious pelvis. " I...there..is much honor in ..battling split ends and waging war on the hair of the victorious warrior. Gwar be praised."
" You mean Gowron?" Savanna asked.
"Him too! Leo said, his eyes staring directly ahead at the Betazoid woman's bare breasts which to him were eye level. Savanna was looking at the odd sloped ridges of the little Klingon's face which were seemingly covering one eye.
"What is wrong with your eye?" she asked.
"I'm just...partially blind." Leo said.
" A partially blind Klingon barber?" Nilani said skeptically crossing her arms over her chest. Leo didn't notice. There were many others to ogle at the moment.
"Are you staring at my chest? ' Savanna asked.
"What...big...eyes you have" Leo said nose to nipple.
"My God, she really is blind." Savanna said
"Or she has a thing for women. You like women?" Niliani asked.
"Oh yes! ..I mean...No! er..a...a Klingon likes battle and mayhem and pain and the sound of boners breaking..i mean bones..just bones .."
"And cutting hair." Savanna added laughing.
"I think I may need a hair cut myself." Nilani said.
"My dear...you don't have any hair." Leo said with a dreamy smile of admiration.
Nilani chuckled loudly and placed her hand on Leo's shoulder." Nice one. You'll fit right in with the girls. Feel free to take off your tunic. As you can see we're pretty relaxed here."
"Ah ..um..a Klingon must always be dressed and ready to do battle. One wouldn't want to enter the stove corps and greet his ancestors without their armor."
"No, I suppose not. Well, don't be shy. If you get hot just flick of your...your.. what do you call this?" Nilani asked, looking at what appeared to be a bedspread with a hole torn into it.
"It's the sacred, ritualistic shroud of the culling of the follicle. And, since were all girls here, can I ask you a personal question?" Leo said trying to sound as femine as possible.
"Sure, L'eo."
"Are those.you know, your ..things naturally that bouncy? Or did you have some work done?"
"There real all right.. Here feel! "
'No I could......" Leo was stopped in mid sentence by Nilani grabbing his hand and running it over her breast.
Leo pulled his hand back as if he had scalded it. " Oh that's nice, Very nice. A little too nice, if you know what I mean."
Savanna pointed at Leo's waste. What is that sticking out of your tunic there?"
"Leo blushed under his makeup and quickly covered himself." That! ha ha. that's ..just..that's a pain stick! Never know when I have to whip it out and go to town. A warrior must always be ready to dive right in when opportunity shows itself."
'A pain stick?"
"Oh its quite painful too. Throbbing even." Leo said, then quickly changed the subject. 'So are there any refreshments like a good war nog or some blood wine?"
Nilani pointed to the table near the tiny little redhead and a few other officers. Leo rubbed his forehead nervously then wiped his hand off on his tunic only to find the rubber cement from the face piece had smeared on his hand. He wiped it on his tunic which had begun to come undone.
Quickly he gathered it in his hand and wandered over to the redhead hoping to see her with no shirt on too. As he rounded the table he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror.
His face piece had torn! His forehead could be seen underneath!!
Quickly he grabbed a bowl of popcorn and plopped it, upside down on his head. White fluff cascaded down from his head. Rebecca only stared in amazement. Wren spoke up first.
"What in the bloody blazes are you doing?"
"Klingon party custom! It symbolizes diving in to recreation head first. Go ahead..you all try. C'mon. There that's it."
One by one the women plopped popcorn bowls on their heads until they all were adorned my silly head gear.
"Wasn't that fun! Oh! hahaha! Honor and death to the infidels of the empire!" Leo said waving his hands in the air.
His toga, now bonded to his palm, flew up as he did so revealing his hairy legs.
"Oh this is the time of my life." Rebecca said, her head nearly engulfed in the bowl.
Leo meanwhile was holding the robe down with his bonded hand and balancing the bowl on his head with his other. Somehow a few pieces of popcorn had worked their way into his shorts and he began to dance and twitch as the kernels secretly orbited the family jewels.
"Um..are you ok?" Serena asked.
"Oh, I'm just as good as a broken tooth raked across a forehead! I just have to use the little Klingon woman's room to urinate on the souls of my enemies."
"Right over there" she said somewhat relieved when she saw the odd little alien waddle off into the bathroom. She turned to the girls and said "What the hell was that?"
"I think it was the ships barber." Wren said.
"Reminds me of a Klingon Leo Streely." Rose said laughing.
"Oh God, could you imagine?" Serena said as the girls laughed.
**** Women's room, Holodeck one. *****
Leo was in a stall tugging and pulling on the bowl and toga, both of which were now glued to his body.
"C'Mon you bastard," he grunted.
"OOOOAAAHHHUUUUHHH!" He yelled out pulling on the bowl.
"Oh man your really stuck," he said gasping before he grunted fiercely again flopping against the stall walls.
"Christ, I may need some help with this one."
A flushing could be heard from the next stall as a nervous looking Jesse Parrow swiftly exited the women's room and called back:" Um..you might want to try more fiber in your diet."
"Oh thanks for the suggestion. Now what the hell am I gonna do. I can't go out there like this." He said with sweat on his brow.
He reached for some toilet paper to wipe his face and that too stuck to his body like some Halloween prank. He flailed around some more but only succeeded in bonding the paper further to his flesh and attire.
He didnt have his commbadge, or he would have called for an emergency beamout that left only one viable, sane option.
***** Holodeck One *****
All heads turned as a tiny figure covered in toilet paper streamers and a tattered afghan with a bowl on its head came racing out of the women's room screaming and bellowing as it ran out of the holodeck and into the hallway.
Kathleen Sierra wandered over and stuck her arm around Rebecca and said: " A little too much to drink for her, eh? Great party Rebecca."
"T-t-thanks. I think." the redhead replied.
NRPG: Takes place prior to the start of our new adventure and before Karyn's promotion. I know it's been awhile, but Mike was just about to tell Karyn how he killed Rayna's rapist. ~Lori
Lt. Mike O'Grady MSW
Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Talk about dropping a bombshell on his boss, Mike looked at his coffee and for one time in his life and wished with all his heart that there was a dollup or 6 of whiskey in there. It would make this story much much easier.
"Well... You remeber when we docked at our last layover, Rayna, Nikki and myself got that shuttle and left suddenly?"
"Yes, I signed your leave request. I assumed you and your family needed some time away." *Had I known you were going to kill someone, I never would have authorized it!*
"Well, Nikki's biological father filed for custody on some backwater planet Maximus 7, basically really a feudal world, where some things are marked with trial by combat."
"I see, and I take it one of those 'things' marked for trial by combat was custody of your daughter?"
Mike nodded, "Yeah, the person claiming custody can demand trial by combat."
"I have a feeling I know where this is going to go," said Karyn grimly, "but speaking as your boss for a moment, I find it hard to believe that this was the only way this could be handled. Why didn't you come to me or the Captain? I guess it doesn't seem plausible that this planetary government could place you in this position. What was Nikki's father's connection to Maximus 7?"
"After he got out of prison he moved there, to start a new life, and to find a new way to sieze Nikki, if I had've gone to the Captain, or you, they would have told us to stay put, if we stay put we're hiding from him and we felt absolutely that we didn't want to hide from him."
Karyn nodded her understanding. "I can appreciate that, but this endeavor could have gotten you both killed, and then how much good would you have been to Nikki? If you had gotten in serious trouble, we wouldn't have been able to get you out or even known where you were. You put your career on the line here."
"I know it's a stupid macho thing, but I didn't want to hide from him, so we went, and after the testimony, and everyone spoke, the challenge was made. I accepted before I knew what was going on."
"So, what happened next? Was Nikki there?"
"No she wasn't there." Mike looked at her, "well we squared off in the arena, and I ended up cutting off his head." Taking a breath he remembered the blood on the sand of the arena and the headless corpse on the floor. "I had a briefing with the JAG office on the way back, legally I'm in the clear. But the big thing is dealing with my conscience on the fact that I killed someone."
Karyn pursed her lips thoughtfully. Guilt was not an easy thing to get rid of. It wasn't enough to say 'You did what you had to do'. Guilt was highly personal and only when one had realized that for oneself was there to be any relief. "So you feel you should have been punished? That perhaps things could have worked out differently had you not reacted without thinking?"
"Perhaps I could have gotten him to yield, drop his sword, but to be frank there was a part of me that wanted to kill him for Rayna. And that's what I can't come to grips with."
"As a fellow counselor, I can understand what you mean. As like any medical personnell, we see ourselves as healers, not killers or people capable of violence. Given the circumstances, I think you'd agree that you weren't acting as a healer, but as a husband trying to protect his wife. If you weren't thinking and acting as a counselor, I don't think it's realistic to expect to find any sort of justification for it as you think and act as a counselor now. I'm not going to tell you I condone what you did, and I suspect now that you look back on it, you can't condone it. But as with all things, there is a lesson to be learned from our experiences, so, Mike, what have you learned from this?"
"What I learned, is well that I would do anything to protect my family and that will never change, that I love my wife, and that next time he shows up I'll call an exorcist." A joke was a way to deal.
"Is that all?" asked Karyn neutrally. She recognized avoidance when she heard it.
"No," Mike shook his head, "I learned that some times you have to do things you may find disgusting to survive."
"How is Rayna holding up?"
"Well after it happened we at first didn't know how to handle it, I even went to confession. But finally we sat down and had a long talk. We're actually closer for it."
"And perhaps that's your silver lining... It was good that you talked, and though as a counselor I know I can't share my personal beliefs on such matters, off the record let me just say that I'd be hard pressed to react any better than you. I'd be more concerned if you didn't feel any guilt at all, but all I can do is urge you to keep things in perspective. There's no way anyone can say anything that's going to let you off the hook in your own mind, but as long as you recognize how you feel now, I believe you'll use what you've learned from this experience to help you act better in the future. You and Rayna can always come to me if you need to talk."
"Thanks chief, I'll talk to Rayna and we will make an appointment. Figure it's good to talk about it anyway."
"That it is. The less stress the better. Besides, I hear you two are going to have your hands full with two babies. Congratulations! You two must be in shock!" She laughed.
Mike got a laugh too, "Gee, we were kinda hoping to keep it secret for a little bit, but then again, gossip on a starship travels at transwarp. Yeah, Rayna's last prenatal checkup had a little bonus blessed event as my father would say. "
"Yeah, sorry about that. When you read medical reports as part of the routine, and good news is so rare anyway, it tends to stick out like a sore thumb. I was really happy to see it after all we've been through as of late. We need more blessed events here."
She was still smiling despite the seriousness of his confession when the doors closed behind him. A baby was enough to let anyone forget their troubles.
=====
Commander Karyn Dallas RN
NRPG: takes place just prior to the start of this adventure.
Captain Deiran Casey
Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Deiran had spent two days moping around the ship. Of course he only moped when there was privacy. Even Deiran knew how to keep up the morale of his crew. But, somehow losing Michala in his life was a bigger blow than he ever wanted to admit.
Now his babies had no mother, he had no lover. But, Michala had never been just his lover, she was his friend, his companion a gift from God created in circumstances beyond the cosmos control. Deiran knew it and deep down maybe Michala did too.
He would admit to anyone that he made a mistake in his reaction to Michala being pregnant. But only because he was jealous and ashamed that he was not there or she was not with him so it never happened. Regardless, some day the man who did do that to her, which was no less considered statutory rape in his opinion, would get sentenced by the justice that was Deiran Casey, he was his own justice.
He also knew that there was one woman in the whole world who could him right now, one person whom was as close to him as a sister, Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas. A lady whom he missed very much.
"Computer, put a call through to Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas, USS Galaxy, highest priority, Captain's sec clearance." No sense in waiting forever to get the call connected, use the power you had, Deiran always said.
"Deiran, or shall I say *Captain* Casey? It's good to hear from you Dee," She smiled warmly, for as angry as she had been at him, and let's face it, still was, she and Deiran had grown pretty close as friends on the Galaxy and she had counseled him for two years which had to count for something. The least she could do was offer civil salutations rather than the 'I'm so pissed at you, what could you possibly want, let alone hope to get from me' she had originally planned on opening with.
In truth, she had been expecting this call as much as she dreaded it. In a way, she was glad she could take the opportunity to say all the things she wanted to say but couldn't the day he left. She still knew his call had a more important purpose than just shooting the breeze as after all, they hadn't parted on the best of terms, but Dee wanted Michala and as the woman's counselor, she was leverage. Calling on her mental resolve, Karyn began the mental countdown in her head. Just how long could he tapdance before bringing up Michala? It was a question that once upon a time she could've answered in a heart beat, but she was out of practice.
"So Karyn how are things? How is everything on the Galaxy? I miss the ol' girl," Deiran asked, giving her that usual Casey smile. But, this time it didn't have the usual shine it always did. His demeanor was guarded, but open. It was not hard to see the pain in the man's eyes.
Try as she might, she couldn't keep from cracking a smile. "Ol' girl? I don't think she'd appreciate the comment if she could say anything about it. Hell, for a second I thought you were talking about me." She wondered if she looked as worn out as she felt. A lot of the stuff she probably took more to heart than she should have, she just never had developed an ability to separate her job from her personal life. She could see the fatigue and frustration in Deiran's features very clearly now. She was startled to think that when he was on the Galaxy she could have washed over it so many times, but she couldn't remember a time when there wasn't pain in his eyes over something.
She reminded herself that a lot of it he had brought on himself, which only served to fuel her anger more. "Things here are fine. Same old stuff, always some personnel or shipwide crisis to distract me," *except nothing could distract me from being angry at you* she thought. "How are things on the Constitution? Are you getting along with your new senior staff ok?"
Deiran finished laughing over her "ol' girl" comment and looked at Karyn in the eyes. "Karyn things on the Constitution are just fine, senior staff is good. Alexa and Lucas should be arriving soon, Kay is making Engineering her own. A lot of the senior staff are just temp people, until I assemble a complete staff. They're fine men and women. Everything is fine, everything is wonderful, dandy, superb, my life is nothing but flowers and puppy dog tails!" it was clear that Deiran was at the breaking point and the puppy dog tails was the final clue that Deiran was about to erupt.
Karyn, despite knowing how upset he must be, decided to fight sarcasm with sarcasm. "So you're mocking me, are you? I knew you would call just to gloat," she replied with mock seriousness.
"Life sucks, to be honest. I have the position I've dreamed of, on a ship that is one of the most powerful in the 2nd fleet, if not the whole of Starfleet, and all I can think about is Michala. I did some searching in records of the Galaxy," he paused, she'd know how he got access, "it seems that you're counseling Michala?" he asked her sternly, not mad at her, but upset that he'd lost the woman he loved.
Bingo. *I'd say that took about a minute and a half. I gave it about one minute. Still, that's pretty damned impressive* "Deiran, don't insult my intelligence by asking questions you already know the answers to. It doesn't become you, and frankly, it's a pointless waste of my time," she replied evenly. It had begun.
"Then can you please tell me what the hell is wrong with her? She gave me back my ring and abandoned our children!" he screamed at Karyn, he was so upset and so hurt that it all rushed out of him to the one woman alive he could trust with showing his true feelings too. Which was probably why he called her in the first place.
Karyn sighed and answered with more than a touch of annoyance. "You know as well as I do that I can't divulge anything that she and I talk about in counseling, and besides, we don't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do or doesn't think is best for her," Karyn looked him directly in the eye. "You took care of that all on your own, didn't you?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, shouting. Things for Deiran were dangerous now. For the first time in his life he felt alone. And it was showing in his eyes and how he reacted.
"Stop-yelling-at-- me," Each word was uttered with deadly calm, each syllable punctuated for effect. "All I'm saying is that your reaction to her pregnancy and then telling her she is not fit to be a mother wouldn't do a damn bit of good to woo her to you. In any event, whether you pushed her away or she pushed you, she has decided on her own accord to move on. I can't make her love you, Deiran, I think it's time you let her go. You said yourself she's damaged goods and we all know what you do to damaged goods, don't we? I'm sure you can find another excellent replacement." Karyn was beginning to feel the sting of tears and rage of her own.
"I never said she wasn't a fit mother!" he roared. "The baby was not mine, I was not there to protect her. I was upset, in shock when I reacted to her pregnancy," he turned the console to show a beautiful blue basinet at the side of his desk, "That was a present for her before she decided to throw her life away. So, damn you to hell Karyn Dallas and your self-righteous, I'm better than everyone attitude!" he screamed and shut off the transmission.
=====
Captain Deiran Casey
Lt. Commander Karyn Dallas RN
He sat in the chair and steamed. Deiran never took criticism very well. Sure he made mistakes, but he always made up for them. Basically he was just hurting that Michala had left him so abruptly and without explanation. But what really mystified him, is how she could just turn her back on her children.
It was a few minutes before he answered Karyn's return call.
"You son of a bitch! Who the hell are you to be calling me self-righteous? I can get you the vids of the last conversation you had with Michala if you like, to show you what you said to her, how she would never go near the children again. I'm beginning to understand why you're having so much trouble with women, Dee, you can't remember what lies you told them from day to day." She was sobbing now, shaking with rage.
"I never lied to Michala! I love her you stupid bitch!" Oh Deiran was pissed at Karyn. "Is everyone on the Galaxy turned into psychotic monsters? What the hell has gotten into you people? I may have to call in investigators to make sure you all are okay and report you all for psychiatric evals!" Deiran bellowed.
"Oh wouldn't that be rich coming from you! I watched you every day, Deiran, watched you tell me how much you loved Miran. She was the love of your life and you would do anything for her, and forgive me, I believed you! But then you sent her away and moved on, only this time Michala outgrew you! How does it feel to be the one being rejected instead of the one doing the rejecting?"
"This is not about Miran, Dallas! This is about Michala. But, Miran was sick, there was nothing I could do for her. When she died I mourned for her. It's easy to sit there and preach your self-righteous baggage but it's another to watch the one you love fade away and finally die, not once but twice! You have no right to tell me who I love and how I love. You have no right to judge me! At least I have the guts to love at all!" he used the best jab he could, knowing Karyn ran from love and relationships with the stamina of a marathon runner. "Michala did not outgrow me, she is sick in the head! She's been brainwashed by you or some fanatic or whatever the hell is going on. But, the Michala I talked to, who left me was not the Michala I knew and loved. And I have been ripping apart because she left me you asshole!" Deiran was pissed, so pissed that he was swearing profusely at one of the closest friends he had in life.
"That's right, Deiran, we're all crazy because we don't adore you as much as you adore yourself. I think this is about Miran. From the moment you layed eyes on Michala, you wanted and needed her to be Miran's replacement. You felt guilty for Miran's accident, but you were perfectly willing to accept Michala as your trophy wife because you found yourself a perfectly good nanny and lover. Yes, isn't free will a bitch? I can't make her love you, nor will I help you smother her in the Casey tradition. That was always your problem, wasn't it? As long as the little woman stayed perfect and adoring, things were fine. But Miran was no longer perfect and you couldn't waste your precious time helping her to heal, so you send her away, like garbage! Well news flash Casey! Michala isn't perfect either, but she knows what she wants and decided to do something about it! Your definition of love is someone to raise your children and share your bed!" She paused to catch her breath and wipe the stinging tears from her eyes.
"Women have no freaking clue what the hell they want! Especially not Michala. She doesn't even know who she is, much less what the hell she wants! I smothered no one ever! And NEWSFLASH DALLAS Miran never got better! She was dead the day she rematerialized and everyone knew it and saw it! Wake up! She's dead! You could help if you wanted to, bring a family together. But you're too damn stubborn and I think you enjoy seeing me in pain, you bitch! Why did I ever trust you?" he asked.
She ignored his question for the moment and started speaking as if very far away. "Before you threw her away, she was lucid for a time and knew you were divorcing her. She looked me right in the eyes and asked me why you were abandoning her. She begged me to convince you that she wasn't dirty, that she was... could still love you after the Cardassians..." she couldn't finish as sobs threatened to rip her apart. She finally looked at him with such sadness that Casey finally was seeing her as she must have looked the day she spoke with Miran. "Do you have any idea what that was like for me? For that moment I couldn't stop you from making both of us feel this big," she held her thumb and forefinger up to demonstrate, "You're just like my Dad. You don't use your fists, you don't come into people's rooms at night, but you're still a controlling bastard. Michala may not know who she is or what she truly wants, but she knows that you can't be the one to tell her how to live her life. Hell, maybe you're right, maybe I am stupid and can't love. Maybe I am dead just like you see Miran as dead, but I fight every day to have the courage and the will to take every breath. Miran had no one! I watched her give up once you gave up on her and I can't go through that again. I shouldn't have to 'help' you make a family, Deiran. The kind of family you want takes acceptance and trust you can't begin to give."
It was Karyn who ended the call this time. She was exhausted and couldn't believe she'd spoken to anyone but Shinta about the abuse she'd endured at the hands of her father. Whether it was rational or not, Deiran had rejected Miran because he wasn't willing to help her recover, and Karyn felt personally betrayed that he could toss his wife aside after speaking of how much he loved her, a similar affection that she thought he shared for her, but now she saw that he was with her as long as she could keep it together.
He didn't care who she really was, they never did...
=====
Main Engineering was alive with activity. In addition to the excitement from the Galaxy's latest mods, there was the anticipation of heading into an uncertain sector. The ambient low hum of the warp core was punctuated by frequent shouts of stressed engineers as they watched and waited.
T'Zaq was mostly watching the other engineers, gauging their reactions and delegating the few tasks that were left. They were on edge, she noticed, not so much from the workload as the uncertainty of heading into another war. Everyone knew about the Romulan and Dominion ships, and seemed to understand that somewhere in the course of the next few cycles there would be some encounter with the Borg.
The Borg.
Two little words that were bound to strike some strong emotion in almost any Federation citizen. Almost everyone, it seemed, had a friend, family member or lover assimilated by the notorious enemy.
T'Zaq didn't understand the fundamental "evil" nature of the Borg as presented in Federation propaganda. Perhaps it was because she was among the few who had never lost a loved one to them. As she saw it, the Borg collective and the Federation were fundamentally similar in their goals: survive, propagate, expand, explore. Just because the Borg happened to expand by taking over other civilizations didn't necessarily make them evil or wrong... simply unpopular. Even the Federation could not claim innocence in this. They 'assimilated' warp-capable cultures by political means, making it an unwise move for a newly discovered independent civilization to reject their offers of protection and alliance.
As an engineer, she had to admit that the Borg's union of flesh and machine was an attractive idea. They had advantages most human adolescents only dreamed about: personal forcefields, onboard weaponry, virtually unlimited strength and lifespan. They were a perfect team, working for a unified goal without the quibbles and personal issues of individuals...
'Commander Suder's voice startled her out of her reverie for a moment. "I'll be on the Bridge. Trust you can handle things down here, mate?"
T'Zaq looked at him oddly. She hadn't known him to imitate the captain's mannerisms before. Perhaps he was trying to relieve the tense atmosphere too. She nodded an affirmation to the question and Suder rushed away, leaving T'Zaq to drop back into her train of thought.
*Why does the Federation treat beings with non-individual identities as if they have a disease and must be rehabilitated?* she thought. T'Zaq remembered working with an individualized Borg during her tour of duty on Outpost 77. Federation medical technology hadn't been as advanced then, so they hadn't been able to remove most of the Borg implants from Ensign Leslie's physique, even though the engineering team had thoroughly deactivated her link to the collective. As a result, poor Leslie was hit with prejudice both from her coworkers who saw her as a full Borg, and the medical therapy team who saw her as damaged, in need of therapy to realign her to an individual identity.
Of course, individuality was seemingly a key tenet of the Federation, and the Borg represented direct opposition to individuality. So powerful and devoted to their cause of converting the galaxy to their point of view, no one could negotiate with them. Barring some unforeseen circumstance, the Federation and the Borg would remain at war until one gave up.
"Varelse... the eternal stranger." T'Zaq murmered aloud without realizing it.
"What was that, sir?" Ensign Hondo piped up.
T'Zaq shook her head. "Just talking to myself, never mind."
Lt. Maxwell Shinta
Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Her talk with Michala had done her a lot of good, but now she would have to face her boss, and tell Karyn about Bruce. She was not looking forward to that, because Shinta knew that if she wanted to stay sane she had to keep working, and she was not sure that Karyn would agree to that. So she hoped that for now she could keep her emotions in check.
After a short knock she went into the office. "Karyn, Bruce is missing, presumed dead. I would like to keep working, if you do not mind." She willed herself not to cry, not to show any emotion at all.
Karyn paled, "Gods, Shinta, I just read the news myself and can hardly believe it. Are you all right?" Karyn came around the desk and headed straight for Shinta, arms open ready to embrace her. She could tell she was trying to hold it together, but Karyn knew her too well. The comment about work was her way of bulldozing right over her fear and Karyn couldn't allow her that. It wasn't healthy and if she needed to fall to pieces for a bit, at least she would feel more comfortable in front of Karyn.
Shinta could not keep it up anymore, seeing Karyn, seeing how much she cared, she started to cry again. "Just let me work, I do not want to sit at home the whole day. I will go crazy. I miss him so much, Michala is staying with me, the children are well cared for. Oh gods Karyn, what am I going to do?" She embraced the other woman, sobbing her heart out.
Karyn held her as she cried, feeling a bit of deja vu, reminded of when Michael was in a coma. They had told her nothing could be done either and she'd nearly gone crazy wth grief. Work was the only thing that saved her, though she doubted she had been much good to anyone. "You're going to have hope, that's what you're going to do. They'll find him. You just have to believe. We're all here for you, Shinta. I will let you work, but only light duties for awhile. You need to give yourself time to adjust to this. All this worry is going to wear you out. I won't have you sick when Bruce comes home."
Gods, she hoped she wasn't giving her false hope.
Shinta tried to smile. "Thank you Karyn, thank you for being there and for letting me work. I am going to need you and Michala very badly now. Because I am not doing so well." More tears came. "And by the way, congratulations on your promotion, you deserve it."
Karyn's heart warmed. How she could remember and care about Karyn's promotion when so much was topsy turvy in her world was beyond Karyn. "Thanks, sweetie, but you know know what? I haven't celebrated with anyone yet, and I was hoping you would help me? We can talk some more if you want and then you could get back to work. Besides you look like you could use something stronger than raktajeeno. How about it?"
Shinta tried to smile. "I would like that very much, boss." She said.
"Transporter problem"
With brief and unauthorized appearances by the Operations Team
Electra sat in the observation lounge. Lieutenant Commander Surok was on an away mission and she was therefore in charge of the department. She decided to clear up some misunderstandings that had been occurring since she had been named as acting Assistant Chief. She typed into the PADD in her hand.
---------------------
Since Lieutenant Commander Jamson was given light duty and I was appointed to his position for the interim, there has been some confusion regarding bridge duty shifts. Hopefully this memo will clear up any problems. The Bridge Duty Roster is as follows:
Alpha 0900-1530
Beta 1500-2130
Gamma 2100-0330
Delta 0300-0900
Shuttle Operations Chief – Lieutenant j.g. Kimi Okuda (no bridge duty, rotating weekly shifts in the shuttle bay)
Note: all other Ops officers on duty in respective shifts will be assigned as back-up officers, often in the shuttle bay
Lieutenant Commander Jamson is on light duty. That means no bridge shift and no duty shifts. The above schedule will change once again when ‘Commander Jamson is back on regular duty.
I hope that this clears up all confusion. Please be sure to report to your duty shift on time. Also, all OPS personnel should hand in their duty log before the end of their shift or directly following it. The half hour overlap between shifts is for writing your duty log and reporting in to your replacement. Please take advantage of it and get your reports in on time.
-----------------
Electra sighed as she closed the memo and sent it to its recipients. She was glad she could use this method to reach the team rather than a staff meeting. That had been brutal. Her thoughts drifted to the meeting she had called in the observation lounge the day after she had accepted her new position.
******************One month past****************************
Electra had gotten to the observation lounge early and sat at the table near the head, reserved for Surok. She was very nervous but everyone had gotten and acknowledged the note telling about this meeting. Within ten minutes the lounge filled with OPS personnel and Surok announced the change. There was a good deal of hostility from Freeman and Uhura. They were both of higher rank than Electra but Surok had chosen her. Electra tried to smile as she gave a speech about teamwork and cooperation but nearly started to cry after she began stuttering halfway through from the heat of Freeman’s glare and Uhura’s curled lip. Finally the meeting ended and those two raced out of the room. The other junior members of the department rose with less alacrity and smiled or nodded briefly before exiting. Surok had simply looked at her with one eyebrow cocked, then turned and left the room. Electra wanted to fall through the floor and die but she returned to the bridge and took over the OPS station, teeth gritted with determination and eyes blinking back tears of embarrassment.
******************Present*******************
Electra looked down at the PADD in her hand and saw the memo she had sent. She smiled slightly and nodded, glad it had not gotten garbled by the computer. She then accessed the duty logs for the past shift and began reading.
*** Cube 346, Dominion space, Gamma Quadrant ***
Twisted fragments of Borg Cube 346 were streched over the battle field. Species 5017 had repelled it with an armada of more than 100 of their ships, most of which had sacrificed themselves so the cube could not procede deeper into Dominion territory.
Borg bodies were torn assunder. Only one section of the cube was large enough to have active members of the collective. But the communication module was missing. They had no way of communicating with their home in the Delta quadrant.
That was before they captured a Jem 'Hadar ship entact, beaming the cloned wariors directly into assimulation chambers for processing. Harvesting the communication equipment from the captured vessel took only 15.2 minutes with the collected will of the remaining Borg focused on it.
The Borg experiement had failed. Species 5017, known to others as the Founders, would be more difficult to assimulate than originally thought. Their morphigenic ensymes clashed with cybernetic implants, destablizing them.
Terchiary adjunt 3 of unimatrix 6 (4 of 9) lost ten drones before determining the plan to assimulate them should be posponed pending further study. Again, she looked at the dead drones which failed to assimulate the Founders 'non-solid' genetic code. Several implants had come loose, and their limbs fluctuated as parts of them started to change their shape.
The actual message recieved when attempting to process them was "Assmiluation Error- biomatter becomes unstable during assimulation process. Reevaulation of assimulation process for species 5017 needed before collective can proceed." Species 5017 also has substantial technological resources to resist assimulation.
4 of 9 was pleased the new comm equipment was functioning, sending a report of the assimulation error back to the main host of the collective. Things appeared to function correctly, but the message did not make it through the broadcast stage cleanly.
Species 5017 was persistant, trying to tractor small pieces of the cube back to their homeworld for study. If they gained techniques from the collective's technology, they would be harder to assimulate in the future. The 'lead' Borg used the last of the weapons arrary to vaporise what remnants of the cube remained. 4 of 9 concluded it would be a while before the Borg returned to make a new assimulation attempt...
And that would normally would have been true. Except for the fact the Dominion's comm array processed data differently than Borg ones would have. The information transmitted was not exactly what was sent, causing waves of decention and chaos in the collective.
*** Cube 179, Approaching Klingon homeworld, Alpha Quadrant ***
The Queen of cube 179 was at their communication node when reports concerning the Assimulation failure of the Dominion came in. However, the alien communication gear distorted part of the message.
"Cube 346 needs additional resources to Assimulate speices 5017.", she said to herself. As a metamorphic race, 5017 proved to have a rich culture that could add much to the collective. It was not hard to decide. The Queen raised the Cube's speed to reach the nearest trans warp conduit, and calculated which access port would take them closest to Cube 346's position. It would be there soon...
*** Tetrahedran 258, Assimulating T'rak noir, Beta Quadrant ***
It had not been a good day. Species 4511 had resisted more than others. Their technology was more advanced than reported, resulting in having to eject the protective Tetrahedran, exposing the cube inside. Add to that a bad report from Cube 346, and things were not going smoothly.
Furious at these assimulation failures, the Queen of what was now Cube 258 decided to head into Dominion Terratory to see for herself what the trouble was.
*** Sphere 900, Activity Supervision module 64 ***
***Incoming Transmission from Cube 346, assigned task Assimulation of species 5017***
"Assimulation error- Biomatter becomes unstable during assimulation process."
The Supervision queen pondered the message and comptemplated a response for 560 nano seconds. Species 3034 had just been added to the collective a few hours before. Techniques learned processing them should help with the assimulation of the Dominion.
Other Gamma quadrant races previously assimulated were considered and reviewed. The Dominion had a large millitary presence that might foil Borg activity. The supervisor polled the collective and reached a concensus. The Queen walked across the room and activated the comm pannel.
"This is Supervisor 900, placing resource dispatch request. Send 15 cubes and 5 supervisor spheres to the last reported coordinates of Cube 346 in the Gamma Quadrant."
The Collective approved the request, and both Cubes and Spheres were soon heading to the battle ground just outside Dominion space...
Commander Thomas and the other three officers ran some tricorder scans before deciding it was time to return to the bip. They could return to this place if needed, but at the moment they needed to check in with everyone else and get things in motion before something else happened on the ship.
Ensign Taw was very unsettled to see Ensign Wellsmen's current appearance with Borg implants hanging out of him like springs.
"You ok Ensign?" Chris asked as he stepped over to the man's location.
"Yes sir, I mean no sir. I .. he's dead just like that." Ensign Taw said.
Commander Thomas could see it in his eyes he was completely scared, but just couldn't admit to it at the moment. "Come on Ensign hold it together, we need to get back to the beam in point, more reinforcements are coming."
** BIP **
A cascade of light heralded the arrival of the of Lieutenant Commander Savat and the security reinforcements. The Vulcan calmly surveyed the situation around the beam in point and pulled out a tricorder. He quickly scanned the nearby corridors, allowing him to build a mental map of the potential combat zone. Slipping the tricorder back onto his belt, he turned to his team.
"I want this area secure. There are two corridors leading to this juncture. Form up in pairs and set up a two layer defense in each corridor, fifty meters apart. Be prepared to fall back as needed but under no circumstances should you allow this area to be overrun. The modifications to your phaser rifles should buy you some time, but if all else fails, resort to hand to hand."
There was a nervous chorus of "aye sirs" as the security officers broke off into pairs and began reinforcing the perimeter. Savat nodded with approval. In spite of their fears, his men and women were fighting back their emotions and carrying out their duty with admirable efficiency. He tapped his comm-badge and signaled the Galaxy. "This is Savat. BIP is secure. Begin transport of next team."
====================== Surok =========================
Moments after the beam-in point was clear of people, three shimmering columns appeared. Quickly, three officers materialized from the beams. All had weapons drawn, and leveled. Seeing the area secure, they each lifted their sights toward the upper deck.
The Vulcan immediately noticed the metallic, slightly sulphurous smell of Romulan plasma fire-suppression gasses lingering in the air. Another odor beneath the first suggested a malfuncitoning life support system. Time was obviously short.
Surok looked to the security chief, but said nothing. He turned his attention to Quevvenson and McCauley. Both officers appeared ready for conflict.
==================== End Surok =======================
Commander Thomas, Lt. Richeson, Lt. O'Grardy and Ensign Taw emerge from a corridor on the right. They'd sent Dr. Mass two dead Borg for examination, one being their own Ensign Wellsmen for the purpose of giving him a proper funeral when the time was right.
====================== Surok =========================
Surok's team was prepared to accomplish their mission, but the mission had been changed at the last moment by the Away team leader. "Commander," he said, standing before his team, "we await our new orders."
==================== End Surok =======================
Chris nodded, noting that both the ensign was dead and there were Borg on the ship at the moment. "The Borg are not behaving normally, well at least not the one we encountered anyway." Chris said.
"Curious." The Vulcan security chief replied. "Please elaborate."
"The Borg appeared to be malfunctioning, he was trying to assimilate the ensign, over and over again without success." Chris said. "He didn't even realize we were there. It was obviously too busy trying to assimilate him and not pay attention to us, something's odd." Chris said.
"Bees." Savat said after a moment's thought. "When the drones are cut off from their queen, there is confusion. Sometimes, this will lead to seemingly aimless activity. Other times, confusion will lead to fear and anger, causing the drones to lash out at anything that crosses their path, an instinctive drive to sting."
"And you that's the case here?" Thomas asked.
"It is as logical a position to take as I can surmise, given the current empirical data."
Commander Thomas thought about how to proceed next with the mission. "Given this change of events I believe we must change our own plans." Chris said. "Lt. Commander Savat deploy guards to hold this position, and to serve as a fall back point if something happens and we need a safe place to run back to." Chris said.
"Already taken care of, sir." Savat replied. "We will hold this position to the best of our ability."
This is were the change in plans had to take place, "Lt. Commander Surok, I want you take an away team to the bridge and attempt to download as much information from their databanks as possible and help any Romulans along the way. Sickbay should ready for them." Commander Thomas said.
====================== Surok =========================
Surok said, "Very well, commander," as his teammates nodded their heads confidently. Now that they knew active Borg were on the ship, Surok set his rifle for high level rotating frequencies. His pistol was still set on high stun, in case they ran into Romulan resistance.
==================== End Surok =======================
"Lt. Commander Savat I want you take a team and search the ship, aide an Romulans you come across and get them back to the ship." Chris said.
"Understood sir." The majority of the security team was already manning their defenses. He decided to keep the search parties small, preferring to make certain the line was held at the extraction point. "Sanchez, you're in charge of the defenses here. Lieutenant Corgan, you're with me. Lieutenant Elaithin, continue monitoring the security needs here and on the Galaxy and strengthen any problem areas as you see fit. Everyone stay in touch and share information as the Borg adapt. And above all, stay focused. Identify your targets before opening fire. It could just as easily be a Romulan or a member of your crew coming around the corner suddenly as a drone."
"Lt. Commander Suder and I will proceed to engineering. We'll attempt to assess any problems from there and correct them if possible." Chris said as he looked at the chief engineer. "Suggestions anyone?" Commander Thomas asked as he wanted to make sure he'd not over looked anything.
====================== Surok =========================
The ops manager's team set off for the warbird's Bridge. Surok took point with his heavy rifle levelled before them. As they moved away from the BIP, the smells of fried electronics became more powerful. Lighting had failed in many areas of the ship, and collapsed infrastructure made walking treacherous.
Surok gave further instructions to the junior grade lieutenant and the ensign that accompanied him. "Ensign McCauley, as we find injured Romulan crewmembers you will be responsible for coordinating their evacuation with Transporter Room Two and Sickbay on the Galaxy. Lieutenant' Quevvenson and I will assist as necessary. In the interest of speed, you will have to explain the situation to them as we move."
"Aye, sir," Ren said. "And how do I explain the situation to them?" she asked, thinking that some facts might be better left unrevealed.
Surok seemed to scowl when he passed over a fallen light, which cast strange shadows on his face. "Their ship is damaged, and occupied by an unknown number of Borg drones. We are here to see what aid can be offered, and to collect information on the battle that took place here."
The party found a ladderway that led toward the Bridge. Surok handed his rifle to Wilhem so the Human could cover him as he climbed. "Mister Quevvenson," he continued, "direct uninjured Romulans to the BIP where our main force is centered for their safety. Any command officers will insist on accompanying us to the Bridge. I expect you to stay behind them with your weapon to ensure cooperation."
==================== End Surok =======================
Savat and Corgan made their way forward down the corridor, past the steely eyed security officers. Soon, they were alone in the damaged ship. "The range of our tricorders is limited due to the background interference, but we should be able to detect any living Romulans within fifty meters." The Vulcan stated. "When possible, we simply tag them with an emergency transponder and beam them out on the spot. If we still lack a good signal, then we get them as close to the BIP as possible."
"Yes sir." Corgan replied confidently, clutching his rifle. Savat knew that the young Lieutenant would hold up better than most under combat conditions. But beneath the bravado, his mind would be a swirling mass of dark and depressing thoughts. Savat knew this because the small part of his long term memory that retained Corgan's mental patterns from the Decilia mission were doing their best to send him those exact type of thoughts and emotions as they worked their way through the shattered vessel. It was a distraction, but only a minor one.
*** Romulan ship, Beam in Point. (BIP) ***
"Sanchez, you're in charge of the defenses here. Lieutenant Corgan, you're with me. Lieutenant Elaithin, continue monitoring the security needs here and on the Galaxy and strengthen any problem areas as you see fit. Everyone stay in touch and share information as the Borg adapt. And above all, stay focused. Identify your targets before opening fire. It could just as easily be a Romulan or a member of your crew coming around the corner suddenly as a drone." Lieutenant Commander Savat ordered calmly.
"Lt. Commander Suder and I will proceed to engineering. We'll attempt to assess any problems from there and correct them if possible." Commander Thomas stated before adding, "Suggestions anyone?"
Heather glanced around at the faces of the officers from the Galaxy. She had lost count of the number of drills that had been run on the holodeck, simulating just such a set of circumstances. While the Lieutenant tightened her grip on the phaser riffle she was holding as a sort of silent acknowledgment of her assignment by her Vulcan superior officer, Sanchez couldn't help notice the antsy behavior and even fear that was present. Running the security simulations had always been something Security looked forward to. A chance to play cowboys and shoot up their holographic Borg adversaries. But this wasn't a simulation with the safeties turned on. This was real. They were not on a holo-grid on a simulated Romulan ship. They were on the real thing. And the Borg here wouldn't try to assimilate any officer unfortunate enough to make a screw up and result in an end to the simulation, or an announcement that "Lieutenant Sanchez has just been assimilated. Please remove yourself from the exercise Lieutenant." No, this was for keeps and that reality was reflected on the face of every member of the away team.
Sanchez watched as Commander Thomas and Lieutenant Commander Suder headed towards the Romulan engineering deck. Mister Savat and his team departed as well to search for any surviving Romulans that needed saving from the Borg. That just left Heather and Lieutenant Elaithin to stand by and hold down the beam in point (BIP) where the away team would gather to return to the Galaxy if all went well.
"Looks like we get to mind the store." Elaithin smiled. The Bajoran was also holding a phaser riffle in his two hands -- like it was his best friend in the whole wide universe right about now.
Heather's eyes glanced at the way Elaithin was holding the phaser. It was all the indication she needed to know that he was as uneasy about getting to stand around waiting for something to happen as she was.
"It looks that way all right. All of the drills, and all of that training, and when we finally get here, Savat has two Lieutenants guarding the BIP." Sanchez says shaking her head as if she didn't approve. But there was something telling in the way she did it. Something that betrayed the fact that she too was edgy about being on a Romulan vessel riddled with Borg drones.
Elaithin picked up on it right away. Stepping over, he turned away from Sanchez, standing back to back to optimize their view of the two entry points to their present position. "You know, this isn't exactly one of Savat's many holodeck drills. There is nothing wrong with being a little nervous..."
Heather gave a perturbed glance over her shoulder at Jii's somewhat chauvinistic comment. She knew he was every bit as apprehensive as she was.
"I'm not nervous Lieutenant. I just think guarding the BIP is something that the Ensigns could do. That's all." Sanchez countered.
Elaithin nodded while glancing off down the corridor in the distance. Playing it macho-cool, like he hadn't a care in the world. "I'm sure Mister Savat has his reasons Sanchez. And I'm willing to bet they are all logical ones too." Elaithin was going to continue to comment on his thoughts of the Chief, but he stopped when he thought he saw a shadow move down the end of the hall.
Sanchez picked up on it intuitively, sensing the Lieutenant's body as it tensed. This situation had placed her senses into hyper sensitivity. "You see something Jii?" she asked over her shoulder, while keeping her eyes posted down her opposite end of the corridor.
"Possibly..." Elaithin said quietly and calmly. Inching his finger over, he tapped the weapon's power settings and started the Christmas tree indicator moving upward.
Heather recognized the sound Elaithin's phaser was making. She could field strip and reassemble a phaser blindfolded. Her love for weapons had taught her every sound a Federation phaser could make. If Elaithin was powering up his phaser, it could only mean that trouble was about to go down. Moving her finger, she too raised the power setting on her weapon as she asked again, "Jii? Talk to me man..."
About twelve meters away, several Borg drones came charging out and rapidly advancing on their position at the BIP. The Drones were focused and ran with their arms and cyber appendages held out, like an erie scene from a B rated monster movie.
"SHIT!" Elaithin declared as he bend his knees a bit, setting his stance and began opening fire on the Drones. "Sanchez, watch your back!"
Heather saw nothing coming from her end, so she swiveled on her heal and side stepped Elaithin to level her weapon at the charging Drones. Their phasers sang out repeatedly, hitting their targets and causing the first few Drones to fall. While they were firing, Heather tapped her comm badge and called out.
"Savat! Elaithin and I are under attack at the BIP. Borg drones. Lots of them."
Elaithin continued to fire his weapon in short bursts. In the span of just a few seconds, a half a dozen Borg lay motionless in the corridor. That was when things started to go badly.
"By the Prophets, they have adapted!" Elaithin declared.
It was true, the Borg that advanced now had personal force fields that repelled the phaser fire from Elaithin's weapon.
Heather could see it happening before her very eyes. Swiveling her phaser over to cover Elaithin, she was able to down the first couple of advancing drones before they adapted to her phaser riffle as well. "Crap!" she shouted.
Elaithin discarded his riffle, and moved to the side, reaching for his hand phaser. It was tuned to a different frequency then the riffles, so that would offer a few additional shots and hopefully precious seconds. Leveling his phaser, Elaithin began to fire.
"We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!" Sanchez shouted as she held onto her useless phaser riffle, but turned sideways in the hall and whipped out her own hand weapon.
["Lieutenant, can you hold your position?"] the logically unflappable voice of Mister Savat asked over the open channel.
"Not at this rate sir..." Sanchez managed while firing her phaser.
"We need to fall back." Elaithin stated from his squatting position.
Heather nodded in agreement over the sound of the phaser pulses. So many Borg Drones had fallen now in the corridor, it was actually slowing down the others that continued to try to advance on their position. But they still were not stopping in the attempt as they managed to step over their fallen comrades or in some cases climb over them.
"Go! I'll cover you." Heather gestured with her riffle arm while firing her hand phaser with the other.
Elaithin looked at Sanchez for a brief moment, and then started moving back down the corridor, away from where the Drones were coming from. As he started, he grabbed his phaser riffle off of the floor and began to run with it.
["Then get out of there Lieutenant. Fall back to a defensible position or beam out to the Galaxy."] Savat ordered.
Heather was concentrating too much to respond. The grip of her hand phaser was growing warm from the continuous use. Then, once again, the Borg adapted.
"GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!" Sanchez declared emotionally as she turned to withdraw from her present position.
["That activity would be ill advised at the moment Lieutenant."] Savat stated in a tone that indicated he didn't quite understand the context of the statement.
Running down the corridor, phaser beams from Elaithin's hand phaser whizzed past Heather and struck the Drones that were advancing behind her. When she reached Elaithin's position, she stopped, heart pumping from adrenaline, and looked directly at him. The two exchanged desperate glances when they realized they were not going to be able to stop these aggressively advancing drones. It was as if the Borg drones were being driven by instinct to attack and assimilate all that lay in their path. In all of the simulations they had experienced on the holodeck, neither officer had ever seen Borg behave in such a savage, determined fashion.
"They have adapted again." Elaithin said quietly. They were now effectively unarmed in regards to energy weapons.
Looking into Elaithin's eyes, Heather nodded, acknowledging the bitter defeat. "I'll order an emergency beam out."
When Heather reached for her badge, Elaithin grabbed onto her hand for a moment, drawing her eyes and gaze into his. "No time..."
The Drones were upon them, appendages flailing. Ducking the pincher like extension, Elaithin swatted it aside using a Naussican move, and then followed with a heal of hand to the Drone's mid section. The Lieutenant was surprised at the shear mass of the Borg. The blow would have lifted the average man up off his feet, but the weight of the cybernetically enhanced organism felt like punching a redwood tree; just a slight give but it sure as hell didn't move any. Thinking quickly, the Lieutenant reached with his other hand and used a tiger's claw to rip the Borg's optical implant off it's head. The move stunned his adversary, forcing the Drone to stumble back and reach for his eye, disoriented at the sudden loss of sensory input.
Sanchez was also busy in hand to hand combat with the Borg. Using her phaser riffle like a short staff, she bashed one up side his head and then stepped by and threw a leg sweep to topple the cyborg to the ground. Turning, she went to hit the fallen drone in his back, but was grabbed by the back of her neck by a third drone. It's metallic pinchers wrapping around her throat and lifting her off of her feet. Dropping her weapons, Heather grabbed with her hands to try and pry the giant ant-like pinchers away from her throat, but she was unable to. Carrying her like a helpless puppy, the Borg held Lieutenant Sanchez up and brought it's other appendage around. A tiny door slid open and exposed the orifices of it's assimilation needles.
"Resistance is futile. We will add your uniqueness to our own."
Heather was struggling madly. Her legs were flailing, and her hands and knuckles were white with pain from trying to break the Borg's grip about her throat. The words the Borg spoke were hollow and distant. She'd heard them a hundred times before in the many anti-Borg simulations on the holodeck. Watching with horror, Heather felt like everything was moving in ultra-slow motion as the snake-like assimilation injector tubes began to wiggle their way out of the Drones sheath. Sanchez could not believe this was happening. She felt helpless, a feeling she had struggled her whole life to over come. Her thoughts flashed to her past, to her family. Her mother and father. Her five brothers. Her step father and the way he raped her. The helpless feeling she had then and now. Blood began dripping from Heather's fingers as she desperately tried in vane to free herself from the Borg's grasp. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched her fate slowly approach and the Drone go on about "You will be assimilated."
["Lieutenant report."] Savat's voice was barely heard in what sounded to Sanchez as distorted, slow motion, tones; Like a recording played back at one tenth it's normal speed.
Elaithin shuffled forward after temporarily disabling the first drone that attacked him. Turning, he could see another drone advancing on his position. Readying his phaser riffle like it were a baseball bat, the Lieutenant glanced over and could see Lieutenant Sanchez pinned by the throat to the bulkhead by a powerful Borg drone. Her feet were a good ten inches off the flooring, and the drone was preparing to inject her with assimilation nanites as he had witnessed in numerous holodeck simulations. Screaming, Elaithin hollered, "NO!!!" and rushed the Borg, hitting it so hard with his phaser riffle that the weapon broke in two over the cyborg's head.
The attack was enough to distract the Drone momentarily as it took a steadying step back and glanced at Lieutenant Elaithin.
"Resistance is futile."
Elaithin was thinking what to do next, when he was grabbed from behind by a different drone who effectively wrapped him up and held onto him in a sort of bear hug to immobilize him.
"You are irrelevant. You will be assimilated and made to service us."
Heather was nearly oblivious to the Bajoran's efforts. Her vision was blurry and she had started to turn blue from a lack of oxygen. She felt herself slipping away and could barely resist when the drone that held her finished speaking to Elaithin and returned it's attention to her, raising it's arm. She could see the slithering assimilation needles as they snaked towards her neck. Then she saw a bright flash and felt as if she was falling...
Another blast rocked the corridor, ripping out the side of the drone that held onto Elaithin. When the Lieutenant felt his feet land on the floor, he turned to look, expecting to see Mister Savat and the rest of his crew mates from the Galaxy. If Heather had had her senses about her, she could have told Jii, just by the sound, that it was Romulan disruptor fire he was hearing.
"MOVE!" one Romulan demanded both loudly and rudely as he motioned to the side of the corridor.
Elaithin didn't argue with the universal sign language and jumped aside as four Romulans began illuminating the corridor with the ear piercing sound and sights of disruptor fire.
"Come, this way!" the Romulan ordered when the firing stopped, and his comrades stood ready to lay down more suppression fire.
Elaithin drew himself to his feet and stared towards Sanchez, who was laying on the floor and choking from where her neck was held. "She needs help."
The Romulan looked displeased, but stepped forward and dipped the pointed shoulder of his uniform to help the Starfleet officer get his crew mate to her feet. "It is not safe here. Come, I will take you someplace secure."
Elaithin nodded, and felt relieved when he could see some color coming back to Heather's face.
["Lieutenant report please."] Mister Savat repeated.
While Elaithin and Sanchez withdrew with the Romulans, Jii tapped his comm badge to respond. "Elaithin here 'Commander. Lieutenant Sanchez and I are shaken but okay. The beam in point has been compromised however. We are withdrawing with the assistance of some Romulans."
["How many Romulans have you found Lieutenant?"] Savat asked, going right to the mission objectives with no human emotion to the ordeal the two officers had likely just gone through. ["Are they willing to be evacuated to the Galaxy?"]
Elaithin had an arm around Heather, while the Romulan had an arm around her other shoulder. Glancing over, the Romulan just blinked his eyes in a lowering fashion, indicating that an evacuation would be acceptable, but being sly enough to never utter so much in words so he could deny it later.
"I believe so sir. I will advise you in a few minutes once we are safe. Elaithin out." Jii stated as he closed the channel and followed the Romulan soldiers through the corridors of the Romulan ship.
Following a few corridors, Elaithin was surprised to discover where he and Sanchez were being taken. Ultimately they ended up on the Romulan's detention deck; The Romulan equivalent of the Galaxy's brig. When they entered, there were a couple dozen Romulans, maybe more, standing around. And though they showed the same sort of stuck up, almost snobbish behavior at seeing the Federation officers enter, Elaithin felt as though he also sensed a glimmer of hope in their eyes that they were not doomed to be trapped here to ultimately be assimilated by the Borg.
"The Story Lives Within"
Lt. Eric Odin
Lt Michala Lynn
Eric walked into sickbay looking for Michala. He spotted her and walked up
to her noting no one else was around her at the moment and said,"Michala,"
He paused and asked,"Are you busy?"
"Not quiet. I have an autopsy to do, but I can give you a few minutes. "What
is up?" Michala had been forced to switch to a looser uniform style as her
pregnancy had begun to show.
"Well we haven't really talked in awhile and I'd check up to see how you were
doing and thought maybe we could chat when you're not working?"He missed
their conversations from before.
"That would be wonderful. How about coffee after my shift. I will meet you
in the forward lounge?" She said with a soft welcoming smile.
He nodded and said,"I'll see you there then."He smiled warmly and with hope.
Michala smiled and waived him off. She went and and changed for the
autopsy. She didn't expect to find anything different from the first one.
Four hours later, she was sitting in the lounge, waiting for Eric Odin.
Eric strolled in wearing basically what he had before and spotted Michala.
He walked over and asked,"May I sit?"
"I believe the seat was reserved for you." She said with a smile.
He pulled it out and said,"I'm sorry for being late. How have you been?"
"I had a wonderful time on leave. I am happy and healthy. I guess, I have
been great. You?" She said, her face showing she spoke truthfully. The only
adverse sign was that she had dark circles around her eyes as if she hadn't
been sleeping.
Eric smiled and had changed much more thna she had. His off-time duties had
been solely dedicated to training. He said,"Well you look great and you
seem very happy." he said with a smile and added,"I notice that you look
pretty tired." His body had undergone a bit of a transformation as it was
almost complete muscle now and that was due to his training. He was however
just as gentle as ever.
"Likewise. You have been increasing the level of training again." She said
both scolding and admiring. "So.. what did you what to chat about?"
He smiled and said,"Yah, I like to keep in good shape in case I ever need
it. I just thought we might want to chat, you seem to be missing out on
sleep." he said indicating the rings under her eyes.
"I still have some nightmare issues from my dealings with the prophetess."
She said honestly. "Don't worry, it is not serious."
"Alright, I'll take your word on that. Hows the baby doing?" he wasn't sure
if it was alright to call it their baby even though it was.
"I had my first prenatal today." She figured she was going to get scolded for
that one. Because, she was almost through her first trimester.
"That's great. It'll be a strong baby that's for sure. It comes from some
good stuff on it's mother's side. It's father however is somewhat of
lesser. I'm glad you're so happy Michala I really am."
She smiled. "Are you nervous. I mean, about being a father?"
"Very, to be honest. That's why I train so hard in some ways. It's my
escape and way to deal with things in my own way. I'm not sure you'd know
what I am talking about. I am nervous, but also excited. I am happy for
you. Word gets around this tub."He smiled warmly.
"I am happy for me to." She said with a smile. "Are you doing okay.. I mean
since she left?"
He smiled and said,"I am doing as well as can be expected. I'm trying to
keep my life together. I've actually had to get a bigger uniform since all I
did was train after our mission was over. Thank you for asking."
"I know what you have been doing physically, but that is not what I asked.
Are you doing okay in here." She pointed to her heart.
He smile and said,"Not great, I think it's one of those processes. I don't
know how long it'll take, but it might be awhile. I would hate for that to
be so, but it might be." He did still look saddened by the blow he was delt
when Anika left.
"Are you still in contact, does she still do photo shoots?" She asked gently.
"We are still in contact and as much as possible we try to get a photo
shoot. We've had one since she left. We try to keep in contact, but it is
hard."He smiled glad they were able to talk like this.
"I imagine. I still haven't had the nerve to return Deiran's calls." She
flinched as the memory of their last conversation swung over her. The yellow
alert sounded and she looked up with concern. Almost immediately her
communcator sounded.
"Lt. Lynn, you are needed back in sickbay. Dr. Maas is calling in all
medical staff for incoming wounded."
"Understood." Michala rose up. "I guess we will have to finish this later
Eric?"
"Of course. I'll contact you later."Eric said with a smile.
"A Romulan Ship"
by Commander Thomas
First Officer - USS Galaxy "SO: Second Round Suder"
by Commander Thomas - First Officer
& Lt. Commander Suder - Chief Security Officer
USS Galaxy "Final Consideration"
by Commander Thomas
First Officer
USS Galaxy
tbc......... "Danger in the Corridor"
by Ensign Wren McCauley
*9.30 am*
= "Adjustment."
By Lt. Commander Kent Peterson & Commander (Counselor) Karyn Dallas "SO: Second Round Surok"
by Commander Thomas
& Lt. Commander Surok "And the Winner Is"
by Commander Thomas - First Officer
by Captain Price - Captain
USS Galaxy "Silent Vow"
by Lt. Elaithin Jii
Asst. Chief of Security , USS Galaxy
Lt. Elaithin sat in the main security room, standing by with several
other officers. The new girl - what was her name - Ensign Worthington - was
sitting at the monitor, watching the feeds from the Away Teams portable
scanners.
Just sitting around, waiting for trouble.
And waiting.
And waiting.
After twenty minutes had passed without incident, another rookie - Ensign
Forshaw - sighed at sat down.
"Good God." he moaned. "This is about the most bored I've ever been in my
life."
For some reason, the Bajoran Lieutenant didn't like the young human much.
Maybe it was because Forshaw had been the one to let the daughter of Gul
Madred, a war criminal from the occupation, escape from the ship.
That was something he didn't want to talk about in the slightest. "On your
feet, Ensign." he said, a little harsher than he intended.
"But sir..." the Ensign started.
Damn, the kid had a lot to learn.
Then Elaithin had to chuckle himself. You know, Jii, he thought to himself,
wasn't too long ago you were that kid. Was't but a little under three years
ago, you came to the Galaxy, a fresh-faced operations Ensign off his first
six month cruise obn the Kongo. That in mind, Elaithin turned to the Ensign
again.
"No buts, Ensign Forshaw. Yes, the waiting is boring. Prophets willing, all
we'll have to do is wait." he said, then thought of his first assignment
some more - the reason he'd transferred to the Galaxy was because the Kongo
was a part of the Fleet the last time the Borg tried an assault on Earth.
Before the Enterprise had arrived to save the day, the Kongo had been
disabled, and Borg drones had been aboard. The crew had had to evacuate to
the lifepods while the USS Trieste destroyed the Kongo to keep it from being
assimilated.
"Tell me, Ensign, have you ever seen the Borg?" he asked, his voice quieter.
A casual observer wouldn't have known it was the same man as the jovial
Bajoran Lieutenant, known for his religous devotion and for being quick with
a quip.
"Well sir, I've seen all the training sims, and I took part in the
Assimilation Scenario at the Academy -"
"Then you've never seen them. Up close. Face to face as your phaser does
nothing. Looking them in the eye, and knowing the person that is now your
enemy used to be your friend..." he paused, swallowing. "Or your Captain."
The image of Captain Williamson, no longer human, but Borg, as he began
assimilating the Kongo's bridge crew returned to Elaithin's mind unbidden.
With effort, he swallowed, and put the image away.
Forshaw seemed much less eager now.
"No...sir...I...uh...can't say that I have."
"Then pray, Ensign. Pray that you never do." Elaithin said, vowing to himself
that the same fate would not befall the Galaxy's crew.
No matter the cost.
He saw Ensign Worthington - who was a Betazoid, he now realized - pale
slightly at his thoughts. She was the only one he really knew what he meant.
~Pat Weber
GM,Cpt Victor Murdock, USS Miranda
http://ussmiranda.s5.com
CGM,Cpt Jon Westmoreland, USS Titanic (CO, USS Edmund Fitzgerald)
http://usstitanic.s5.com
CGM,Cpt. Kedron Sylthan, XO, USS Nimitz
http://ussnimitz.s5.com
Lt. Elaithin Jii, Security, USS Galaxy
http://www.aesim.com/galaxy
Ens. Elaithin Lena, Engineer, USS Horizon
http://horizonfiles.hispeed.com/
Ensign Savanna Worthington "Visiting A Romulan Ship"
by the following authors
Commander Christopher Thomas - First Officer
Lt. Commander Surok - Chief Operations Officer
Lt. Commander Suder - Chief Engineer
Lt. Tim Richeson - Chief Tactical Officer
Lt. Andree Dothan - Medical Officer
Lt. Rayna O'Grady - Security Officer +2 Npc's
Lt. (j.g.) Wilhem Quevvenson - Science Officer
Ensign Talryn McCauley - Helm Officer
tbc........... "Michala' Baby"
BY Lt Michala Lynn and Ensign Autumn Jamieson, Medical Department
60% Trill
15% Bajorian
12.5% Vulcan
12.5% Human
Sex: Male
*
From: Ensign Jamieson
Subject: Michala Lynn. "Standing watch"
by Captain Robert Edward Lee Price Curiosity… and the Cat
Lieutenant Rebecca von Ernst
Stellar Cartography
Tactical "So tell me...how are your bowels?"
With Lt.(jg) Raven Darkstar, Security and Lt. Frank 'Tex" Richey (NPC) also in Security
Time: Slightly before sensors detect the crippled Warbird "Yet Another Opening"
Ensign Savanna Marie Worthington-Security Preparing for Romulans
by Commander Jeral Maas, CMO. "A SALTY REVISION!!!'
Time: Shortly after receiving tons of email regarding my huge error in the last post! :) "Mixed Emotions"
By Lieutenant Commander Savat
Chief Security Officer, USS Galaxy
AKA
David Friedland
ICQ# 5805168 "Observing the silent vow"
By Ensign Savanna Marie Worthington
Security "Morning Jog" "Starfleet Slumber Party Massacre Part II" "Escapee"
by Lt. Elaithin Jii,Asst. Chief of Security
& Commander Thomas, First Officer
tbc... "Ever Seek Revenge for Skibbereen"
by Ensign Talryn McCauley "Revenge for Crimes Of Duty!2"
By Lt.Bruce Maxwell
Prisoner
by ensign dr. Vladimir Malgin "Temporary Assignment"
by Lt Cmdr Surok
and Lt jg Electra Reece
Dr. Andree Dothan (Lt.)
ACMO USS Galaxy
----- Trouble Sleeping
by Ensign Culton Manley. “Fear Effect”
By Lieutenant Jg. James Lionel Corgan
Security Officer, USS Galaxy
With unauthorized appearance by Lieutenant Commander Savat "Visiting A Romulan Ship" pt. 2
by the following authors
Commander Christopher Thomas - First Officer
Lt. Commander Surok - Chief Operations Officer
Lt. Commander Suder - Chief Engineer
Lt. Tim Richeson - Chief Tactical Officer
Lt. Andree Dothan - Medical Officer
Lt. Rayna O'Grady - Security Officer +2 Npc's
Lt. (j.g.) Wilhem Quevvenson - Science Officer
Ensign Talryn McCauley - Helm Officer
tbc.... Starring those that were thought dead... "Sending Mass a Present"
by Commander Thomas - First Officer
Aboard the Romulan Ship
by Lt. Elaithin Jii, Asst. Chief of Security
Jii looked up from his conversation with Worthington when the call came
through.
["Thomas to Security"] came the voice over the comm.
"Elaithin here, Commander. Need some help, sir?" the Lieutenant replied.
["Send over two more Security teams, Lt. Pronto. Send a team to sickbay, as
well. We're beaming over two Borg infested volunteers."] the exec ordered.
"Aye, sir. Security out." Elaithin scanned the room. "Astrid, Tex, Forshaw,
Sanchez, and anyone else who wants to volunteer, report to the transporter
room. Corgan, Ral, head to sickbay. Keep things under wraps there."
There was a chorus of acknowledgements as the groups moved out. The only
complaint was from Astrid. Salt approached the Elaithin quietly. "Jii, come
on...PLEASE don't make me go with Tex..."
"But you're getting along so well. Have fun, Astrid." Elaithin said with a
smile.
The Starfleet Slumber party Massacre 3 "Crashing the slumber party" "True Confessions, Part Two"
Counselor
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy "Calling On A Friend, Part One"
Commanding Officer
USS Constitution
Chief Counselor
USS GALAXY
Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy
"Calling On A Friend, Part Two"
Commanding Officer
USS Constitution
Chief Counselor
USS GALAXY
Commander Karyn Dallas RN
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy "Varelse"
by Lt. Commander T'Zaq The Day Must Go On"
Assistant Chief Counselor
Chief Counselor/Nurse
USS Galaxy :
Lt. Eric Odin
While on shift he was told to repair one of the most vital tools for the
transporting process. The pattern buffer. Since the buffer is located
beneath the transport chamber a jefferies tube was the way to get to it. He
crawled for about fifty-feet and was glad he was in good shape or otherwise
he would have had some troubles with this. He opened up the access door to
the transporter for transporter room three. He spotted the pattern buffer
and ran his tricorder over it noting that the pattern holding time had
dropped from 420 seconds to 120 and that emergency shunting would be nearly
impossible do to the fact that the device wasn't holding together all that
well. He opened the device up and spotted the problem. The matter stream
containment had been compromised. He had brought out the sealer and sealed
it up and put the casing back on. He ran his tricorder over it gain and
noted that it had returned to normal. “Operations Memorandum”
By Lieutenant j.g. Electra Reece
Acting Assistant Chief of Operations
TO: ALL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL
FROM: Lieutenant j.g. Electra Reece, Acting Assistant Chief of Operations
RE: Revised Duty Roster
- Lieutenant Commander Surok [Chief Operations Manager]
Lieutenant Norman Freeman
- Lieutenant j.g. Electra Reece [Acting Assistant Chief]
Lieutenant Mohammed Uhura
- Ensign U'Brafe
Lieutenant j.g. Anna Chillemi
- Ensign Tesaria Kay Polarasi
Ensign Boaz Trinker Assimulation Error-please clarify
by 4 of 9, Terchiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 6
reviewed by Captain Price. "Visiting A Romulan Ship" pt. 3
by the following authors
Commander Christopher Thomas - First Officer
Lt. Commander Surok - Chief Operations Officer
Lt. Commander Savat - Chief Security Officer "The beam in point has been compromised"
by Captain Robert Edward Lee Price