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S'Acul Aveunallliv

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S'Acul Aveunallliv last won the day on December 25 2011

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About S'Acul Aveunallliv

  • Birthday 10/20/1985

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    USS Avandar
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    Helm/Comm/Ops

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  1. cold so cold and hungry split off from the antecedent self awareness has come antecedent knows where heat and food lie follow big spinning rock leaking energy warmth and food new thing tiny thing energy pulsating more food? om nom nom nom energy drained from thing different flavor like a sucker another thing just barely out of sight more energy than tiny thing too far to fly antecedent returning displeased about tiny thing unknown source could have been poison drop tiny thing that pulsates with light and spins closer to rock probing the night follow antecedent still curious about thing but bathe in rock energy and forget Lt S'Acul Aveunalliv HCO USS Avandar
  2. ( Corridor, USS Avandar )) :: sh'Shar wiggled herself out of the Jefferies tube, stretching. Ahh... what a day, huh? :: :: It was common knowledge that T'Lea fancied her a bit. Common knowledge and common sense. She was the beautiful big blue... who wouldn't want her? :: :: It was okay. sh'Shar knew how to handle this. :: (( Later )) :: Standing outside sh’Shar’s quarters, two security officers waited on either side of the door, while T’Lea took front and center. She’d hit the door chimes twice already and was just about to order the doors overridden when they swished open to reveal a light blue Andorian woman wearing her uniform. Mostly. She had a large feathery boa around her neck, absently twisting the end. :: sh’Shar: ::slightly purr-y:: Good evening, Commander. :: To that, T’Lea simply arched the classic Vulcan eyebrow, and then nodded for the two security officers, who had been out of visual range, to enter the domicile. And so they did, with T’Lea following behind. sh'Shar threw the two security guards a displeased glare. They... complicated things. :: T’Lea: Confiscate all alcoholic beverages, and include a security lock on the replicator prohibiting the use of alcohol in all of its forms. Security: Yes, Ma’am. :: The two burly men immediately went to work, scanning and searching the woman’s quarters. T’Lea stood near the center of the room supervising as every tawdry little square inch was turned over.:: :: Her mouth fell open and for a moment the pink boa was forgotten. :: sh’Shar: Hey, that's my stuff! You can't just- ... :: Well, they most certainly could. The Andorian watched as the security staff fairly roughly searched her quarters. The small bottle hidden inside a hollowed out PADD was discovered, along with the one stashed under her mattress. Her eyes grew despondent as one of the officers pried off the grill to the air vent, and her secret stash was discovered and taken away. :: sh'Shar: ... I'm guessing this is because of S'Acul-face, huh. :: Clasping her hands behind her back in a non-emotional, non-confrontational, professional manner, T’Lea turned to the Andorian and looked her square in the eyes.:: T’Lea: Mostly. You probably would have gotten away with it longer had you not violated several regulations with your… practical joke in sickbay. However, since I was forced to look at your service records, I came across a standing order from the USS Independence, which has been overlooked since your transfer here. I intend to rectify that. Now. :: sh'Shar emitted a loud, long whine that varied in pitch from low and annoying to high pitched and screechy, then oscillated wildly between the two extremes. The Andorian's eyes darted between the Vulcan commander, then to the security officers, then back.:: :: Ahh… the beautiful sound of emotional turmoil. It was music to T’Lea’s ears when the Andorian vocalized her displeasure. Beautiful, beautiful, painful and somewhat annoying music.:: :: The clinking of bottles being placed into a large duffle bag pleasingly caught T'Lea's attention for a moment. Some of the stuff looked vintage and very hard to come by. The hybrid had a good mind to keep it for herself and replace her own stash, which Della had hidden away somewhere.:: :: Mikali crossed her arms, absently shrugging off the boa. T’Lea couldn’t help but wonder about the feather apparatus.:: sh'Shar: Aww, come on, Commander! You know that's not faaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair. T’Lea: Do not make me use force to accomplish this task, Lieutenant. As of this moment you are officially back on the sobriety program. You will attend meetings, abstain from alcoholic beverages and food stuffs, report to a counselor for regular sessions to monitor your progress, and be assigned a sponsor to help you through the- sh’Shar: Blah blah blah! I know all that! They assign some hopeless dropkick to tell you all pointless crap that doesn't make any sense and is crap! "Surrender yourself to a higher power", blah blah blah. I surrendered myself to my antenna because they're higher than me and they're powerfu- :: More [...]ing and moaning… it made T’Lea happy.:: T’Lea: Good, then you do not need me to explain the process. Seeing as how you have experience in this matter already, the reintegration should be relatively painless. :: The sound of glass breaking in the bedroom drew those outside, in. sh'Shar came running at a tilt, gaping at the ruined shards of one of her bottles. At the doorway T’Lea saw the clumsy-handed security officer apologetically grinning at the shattered remains of a bottle on the floor. :: Secruity: Sorry, Ma’am. sh’Shar: That was twenty year Saurian brandy! It costs... ::she sighed, waving her hand, her antenna drooping over her head:: ... never mind. :: Rummage-rummage-rummage-crash went the security officers. The door to her vanity was pried off and the contents upended; a dark brown glass bottle with "FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES ONLY" was added to the pile.:: T'Lea: That will be verified and returned if the Doctor prescribed it. :: Yeah, there was no persecription for that. Watching as the guards picked up a small metal flask, Mikali wagged a finger. :: sh'Shar: Hey, careful with that, you can't get Romuuuuu-... ::her voice faded away, realizing what she was about to admit to:: uuuuuusually illegal and I have no idea how it got in my quarters! :: Romulan Ale. Didn’t take a genius to figure out what Mikali was about to say. Lucky girl, owning something as priceless as that. Unlucky that it was going bye-bye, never to touch her blue lips.:: T'Lea: Then we shall relieve you of the contraband. Keep it separate from the rest. :: Mikali sighed again, reaching up and brushing back her antenna. :: sh'Shar: Just don't crack the casing. If it leaks, the [...] stuff will slowly dissolve deckplating. Why people put it inside their bodies is... well. :: She waved a hand absently at the Romu-Vulc, looking at the security guards. Not a very good liar, thought T’Lea, but still amusing.:: sh'Shar: You'd have to be a mean heartless booze-thief to even consider drinking such a thing. T'Lea: You would have to be breaking the law to own such a thing. :: This was far too entertaining for T’Lea.:: sh'Shar: Yeah, yeah, yeah. :: The security officers turned to a smallshelf and scanned it briefly. There were a small number of assorted trinkets on the small wooden plank, all of various geometric shapes. :: Security: Ma'am, this one's got fluid inside it, it's- :: Mikali, as though suddenly remembering something for the first time, darted forward and snatched one of them -- a short, squat hexahedron with a stopper on top. Frightened, her antenna jamming ram-rod straight, she clutched it to her chest with both hands. :: sh'Shar: No! Not this one. The rest of the booze, sure. Sure. But nothing from this shelf. T'Lea: I cannot allow that. :: Mikali clutched it as though fearful of dropping it. :: sh'Shar: You don’t understand, these... these are Andorian age-shapes. They're gifts for children... each is supposed to have the same number of sides as the child's age in years on Andoria, which are about three times as long as Earth's orbit. See, um- that first one... it's flat, right? It's got two "sides"... it's for her second birthday. The cylinder is for her third, and and the triangular one -- I don't know the name of, uhh, a three dimensional triangle thingie -- is for her forth birthday. :: Mikali pointed to the stopper in the six-sided shape. :: sh'Shar: This one's for when she's six... or eighteen, in Earth years. :: T’Lea listened closely, and eventually concluded that the vessels were sentimental and from Mikali’s childhood.:: T'Lea: Verify what is in the container? :: The security officer pointed to his tricorder. :: Security: It's practically rocket fuel, ma'am. :: Mikali's voice cracked and she clutched the six-faced bottle closer, her expression fearful. :: sh'Shar: It's... it's for my d-... daughter. It's full! I haven't had any! You can take the rest, just leave this! T'Lea: You have a child? :: Said, admittedly, more surprised sounding than she had intended. T’Lea gave a slightly curious tilt of her head, and quickly corrected her previous conclusion. The Andorian age-shapes weren’t Mikali’s, they were for sh’Shar’s daughter. It made sense now. Unless… this was a clever lie too.:: :: T’Lea slanted her head less curious and more disbelieving. Mikali didn’t have a child. T’Lea had never seen the kid around, and never heard sh’Shar speak of her before. Not even during their ten years on Eden.:: T’Lea: You have a child. Prove it. Where is she? sh’Shar: She’s... she’s not here. She’s on Starbase 118. :: It was the truth, but Mikali knew there wasn’t many ways she could prove it. :: :: Playing along, T’Lea went with it.:: T’Lea: Why isn’t she on the ship with you? :: Pain. :: :: That was a painful question and it bought up all manner of painful memories for the Andorian. :: (( Mikali’s Flashback, before her transfer )) Walker: :: Blinking in confusion:: You’re pregnant? And um...wow. So are they going with you? :: She grinned a little. :: sh’Shar: I was. Now she is. Andorians, huh. ::Mikali nodded:: The rest of the group are staying here... so the kid is too. Just... just say you’ll drop in occasionally and make sure that... :: Her voice tightened. :: sh’Shar: That... that- that they’re not abusing her, okay? :: Had a Borg walked up an asked for directions to a Ferengi swap meet, Luna could not have been more surprised:: Walker: Check for what? :: Her voice picked up. Energized. Frantic, even. :: sh’Shar: Check for bruises, welts, or cuts, but make sure they don’t let you see. If they know you know they’ll hide it better... check especially often on the back, or on the upper legs. They might be in a strip, like from a belt, or in a line from a switch or cane; even if you don’t find any, give her a little rub here and there, subtly, to make sure they’re not covering them with makeup. Watch how she reacts around them -- if she’s frightened around them, but not around strangers, investigate. Find out why. Check her hygiene... if she doesn’t take care of herself, or they don’t take care of her, that’s a bad sign. When she’s old enough talk to her, be her friend... when she can first talk she’ll share *everything* with you; young children don’t have secrets, so if she’s hiding something, or if she starts talking about herself negatively, or saying that she’s worthless or talking herself down -- if she’s anything other than a happy little kid -- you call me, okay? I’ll fly here so fast I’ll rip a hole in subspace and tear their heads from their slimy little- Walker: Mik, it’ll be ok. I mean she’s going to be their daughter too, just calm down. :: Her eye grew wide. Her voice went up in volume, then she forced it back down when heads began to turn. :: sh’Shar: I’m not frakking kidding, Luna! You think it matters if she’s their daughter too?! If she acts like she’s walking on eggshells, she’s too polite like they’re about to snap, you gotta step in -- I’m relying on you here! If she’s extremely compliant, or fearful of making a mistake, that’s a warning sign -- if she starts avoiding someone, one of them probably, without a good reason I wan- :: Finally understanding the reason for the request, Luna broke in:: Walker: If she has any of those warnnig signs, I’ll pull her out and raise her myself. I won’t let anyone hurt her. You have my word. :: Finally, sh’Shar breathed and calmed down, somewhat. :: sh’Shar: … okay. Okay. (( Then, later... )) sh’Shar: Wanna know something Alleran told me once? Walker: :: Luna’s guilt spiked as she remembered how he’d saved her life. She nodded mutely for the other woman to continue:: sh’Shar: The fatality rate for small-craft pilots is 8% per year. That means that, on an average five year tour... one in three don’t come back. :: She ‘winked’ with her good eye. :: sh’Shar: You honestly think, given what you know about me... I wasn’t going to blow myself up at some point out here? I mean, hell, you practically saved my worthless blue hide by getting me that discharge... now I don’t have to go back to prison, I can... I can go do something worth something. Walker: Mik, you were doing something worthwhile, that won’t be new you know. sh’Shar: And... ::hesitantly:: … I can get as far away from Benna as possible, so that she doesn’t grow up to be like me. Walker: :: Hearing the fear and pain in her friend snapped Luna’s spirit back for a moment.:: Mikali sh’Shar! If your daughter is LUCKY, she’ll be just like you. Willing to fight for what you believe, biting deep into the fruit of life, and spitting the seeds at those who get in her way. :: Unconvinced, sh’Shar tried a joke. :: sh’Shar: Maybe she’ll be an engineer too, huh? Walker: :: Smirking back at her friend:: Well yeah, I mean I’ll be there to guide her away from those silly small ships. Bigger IS better after all. :: Laughing, Mikali clapped her hands over Walker’s chest. :: sh’Shar: Yeah, well, hey, if I had your cupsize imagine what I could accomplish- Walker: :: Blushing furiously:: In SHIPS! More firepower more...:: She blushed more at the Andorian’s nodding smile:: You are unbelievable. :: Mikali’s antenna wiggled and she grinned. :: sh’Shar: Hey... I gotta be me, okay? Walker: :: sighing:: It’s gonna be weird without you to talk to. The ship’s going to be empty. :: Giving another sigh, Mikali was quiet for a moment then she spoke up, her voice soft. :: sh’Shar: Wanna know something else he said? Walker: Sure. sh’Shar: “To live in hearts left behind... is not to die.” :: She chuckled. :: sh’Shar: I’ll be with you, in spirit, no matter where you go, okay? Just make sure you make sure Benna grows up okay and we’ll be fine. Walker: I'll be there for her, for you. Just don't be gone too long ok? She needs her mother as well as her friend. And :: She paused as the emotion threatened to overwhelm her:: and I might miss having you around. (( Flashbacks end )) sh’Shar: I... I thought it was best to keep a small infant away from a Starfleet vessel, even... even one like this. It was just... it was... T’Lea: I will rephrase the question. Do you want her on the ship with you? :: Ow, ow, ow. :: Security: That’s the last of it ma’am, except what she’s holding. T’Lea: I will handle it. Leave the Romulan Ale with me. Verify the “medicinal” elixir, and get rid of the rest. Security: Aye, Ma’am. :: The two security officer’s headed out, and T’Lea turned back to sh’Shar who was still clutching the age-shape like it *was* her daughter.:: T’Lea: Answer the question. :: For a moment it seemed like she was going to embark on a massive speech, but instead she just gave a defeated sigh and handed over the bottle. :: sh’Shar: Because broken parents have broken children. Loony- ... Lieutenant Walker... is doing a much better job on her worst day than I could on my best. Just take it. :: The object was a hexahedron with a tiny stopper on the top. It was modified -- originally just a solid object, Mikali had turned it into an almost-spherical flask, complete with working screw-top and metal interior. On the outside, a small plaque read, “Happy 6th rotation, kiddo! - Auntie Mikali”. :: :: The age-shape was thrust toward the hybrid, and T’Lea didn’t hesitate to take it. In her mind, however, she did hesitate with what to do with it.:: :: [...].:: :: [...], [...], [...], mother freller. It would have been so much easier if T’Lea didn’t believe a single word, or emotion from the Andorian, but hearing and watching the woman, made it almost impossible for T’Lea *not* to sympathize.:: T’Lea: That’s it. :: Mikali reached back, tossing her hair dismissively, completely ignoring the twin trickles of salt water running down both of her cheeks. :: sh’Shar: Well I’m cleaned out, your goons have done their worst and I’m suitably chastised. Guess your work here is complete. T’Lea: That is not what I meant. :: Tears. Great. First she’d made tr’Khellian cry, and now this one. :: :: Mikali, the most obnoxious person she had ever met was crying. It looked weird, not seeing her all annoying, but instead vulnerable. It was making T’Lea uncomfortable.:: T’Lea: Do you require something? Water, perhaps? :: Water for tears? That wasn’t right.:: :: Whatever. Just don’t ask me for a hug, she thought.:: :: She didn’t react, just stared at the hybrid woman, the tears reaching her jawline and slowly working their way down to her chin. :: sh’Shar: No, you know, I’m going to be fine. I can make another [...] shape without filling it with enough chemical energy to blast a hole in the hull, and anyway. It’s durasteel and polymer and carbon fiber. It’s just stuff and I can easily make another one. sh’Shar: oO It’s not like it’s Evanna’s corpse, floating all out in space like a sciencey popsicle entombed within a claustrophobic little canister and tossed away like garbage. You know... its smelly existence subtly reminding us all of our mortality or anything. I mean, we got a new science officer now so who gives a stuff about little miss corpse, right? Oo T’Lea: Come with me. :: She left the bedroom behind and entered the living area. Mikali ambled along. :: T’Lea: You are correct. Broken parents can have broken children. I was frakked up for a very long time, still am, but I am better than I was. sh’Shar: oO Can. More like do. Oo :: T’Lea popped the cork on the bottle and took a wiff, immediately retracting it from under her nose with a pinched expression. The vapors alone could get a person drunk.:: T’Lea: I accredit that to my daughter, mostly. It takes a continuous effort, but I am trying to improve myself for her. :: At the recycle bin she held the bottle over the incinerator, eyed Mikali’s expression for a second, and then tipped the neck of the bottle downward so that its contents poured out and vaporized. The Andorian watched impassively, but it was a heartwrenching moment. :: T’Lea: Doesn’t mean I won’t frak up ever again, but I would imagine T’Sara would rather have a mother that fraks up on occasion, than not know me at all. :: The last drop gone, T’Lea put the cork back in the vessel, and held it out to the woman.:: T’Lea: Eighteen years is a long time. :: It was, but Mikali did not plan on ever reuniting with her child. The gifts... sent under the guise of an ‘aunt’. She took the vial, slipping it into a protected pocket. :: sh’Shar: ... thank you. ::firmer:: So what now? T’Lea: I swear if I find that filled with booze again, I’ll break it over your head. :: Mikali just nodded, numbly. :: sh’Shar: Sure. T’Lea: ::a tad softer:: Think about what I said. If you want her here, with *you*, let me know. ::beat, a tad harder:: In the meantime, you will be picking up S’Acul’s duty shifts while he is recovering in sickbay, and as of right now you are late for work, so get your [...] on the bridge, Lieutenant. :: She couldn’t have Benna here. She couldn’t. What Mikali wanted for her... was more than the Andorian knew she could provide. She could try -- she could always try -- but trying never accomplished anything. “Do, or do not, there is no try.” An old Andorian saying... probably. :: sh’Shar: Well, actually, I was- :: T’Lea waited for the Andorian to exit, and then followed behind, still clutching the flask of Romulan Ale. She just couldn’t dispose of the stuff, and figured Della could add it to her collection of hidden booze. Maybe one day the evil Trill would actually let her enjoy it.:: T’Lea: Shut up and go. sh’Shar: Bridge. Got it, Commander. :: She stepped into a turbolift, closing her eyes after the doors slid closed. :: sh’Shar: Turbolift, halt. :: And out it came. The wailing torrent that had her, half bent over, crying until her lungs got sore. If she knew what she knew now, back last year, then things would be different. The child was a mistake. Coming here was... a blessing, really. But she should have sent the breeding group packing. The whole endeavour was pointless and had created an orphan. At the very least she could have sent them back to the breeding group, but she didn’t want to admit her failings to them. :: :: More than her parents, more than her commanding officers or peers or subordinates, it was that breeding group whom she had genuinely tried to impress. For a time, too, she had put on a fairly good facade; they, in their regular-salt-of-the-earth mindset were entirely taken in by her deception. :: :: And it was deception. She’d come clean to them in the end, but... :: :: But here she was. Benna was light years away. The group could forgive a lie about rank or prestige or titles, but... but not something like this. This was one that she could never let them know about. :: :: Finally, her body unable to produce any more, she pulled out the little shape and gave it a little rock with her arms. :: sh’Shar: Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a... [...]it, what’s the word, uhh... :: Feeling more than a little foolish, she put the little thing back into her pocket, then reached up and made sure she was presentable. :: sh’Shar: Bridge. :: She had a lot of duty shifts to make up. :: ----- Lt (jg) Mikali "Banshee" sh'Shar Helm USS Avandar & Lt. Commander T'Lea First Officer USS Avandar
  3. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait... I have TWO full pips now? Holy moly... I guess I should start doing some work now....

  4. Flames churned along the deck of the shuttlecraft, sparks leaping from the consoles only to help feed the inferno, as if hell itself was reaching a hand through the deck-plates to snatch at the frail and scorched form trying desperately to bring the engines back online. The interior of the shuttlecraft appeared to be fairly standard, except for a few minor... oddities. The transporter padd that would normally be in the middle of the craft and lead back to the rear compartment was missing - instead, the entirety of the deck plating was littered with tiny circles, though they were only able to be seen because the fire had melted some of the carpeting. And the interior was perhaps a bit longer, and thinner, than most variations of Starfleet shuttlecraft. What would have been considered off-putting to any Starfleet officer at the time, however, would have been the modified script and design of the modular consoles - they were the oddly oxidized color of Klingon hull-metal, and the language was mostly Klingon, but there were Federation Standard subscripts as well. It was most certainly a Starfleet shuttlecraft, though, because the familiar Delta symbol was plastered over every console... though slightly modified to include the Klingon trident behind it. A matching combadge was pinned to chest of the slightly barbequed officer sitting at the helm. The pips on his collar bore the rank of Captain, the uniform itself a heavily modified version of the standard wear from the 2380s: gray padding at the shoulders of the jacket, the crimson of command as the duty shirt underneath. The jacket hung open loosely, partly in fact because the clasp broke, and partly in fact because the wearer was burning up. The computer chimed several times, but the Captain could not hear the report because the flames were too close. Growling, he pushed himself up from the chair, knocking it over and stalking back towards the rear of the shuttle. A sleeve was pressed against his mouth, trying to block out the smoke, but he still began to cough and his eyes were watering. Luckily, the fire had not spread to the rear compartment so he was now able to hear the computer’s report. “Warning. Warp engines overloading. Explosion imminent. Recommend emergency evacuation. Warning. Warp engines overloading. Explos--” Grunting, the Captain slammed the heel of his palm against the console and silenced the computer. He grimaced and shot a look through the doorway back at the inferno he’d left behind... there was no reason to stay, and there was much that needed to be done. Crouching down, he tugged at the panel beneath his feet to reveal the standard emergency equipment. He grabbed as much as he could hold, slapping a phaser and tricorder against his hip before standing up again. His voice was hoarse as he spoke. “Computer, scan the surface below us and look for an area with little to no traffic. Initiate emergency transport to that area as soon as you find it.” “Working.” Although it probably only took around ten seconds for the computer to find a location and begin the transport, to the Captain it felt like an eternity - and the flames had begun to follow him from the front of the shuttle. He could hear the warp engine buried in the body of the ship as it began to overload - the normal pulsing suddenly an intense screaming noise that doubled him over... And only a moment later he found himself in a dirty back alley, hidden from view of the inhabitants in the street. Wincing and turning his head to look upward, he could almost swear he saw the tiny explosion in the night sky... though considering the distance his shuttle had been from the planet, that was certainly impossible. His gaze shifted from the sky to the enormous clocktower in the middle of the square, just across from where he had beamed in. 21:34 local time on stardate 238806.21. How could that possibly be right? Frowning and shaking his head, the Captain began setting down the emergency equipment behind a trash bin, trying to keep himself hidden as he began stripping off his uniform. Considering his situation, it wouldn’t do him any good to be spotted by another Starfleet officer... at least, not until he would be able to blend in better. Two and a half decades... that certainly explained the flash of light that had seemed to envelop his shuttle. His eyebrows rose as realization struck him. The past 25 years.... or, in this case, the future 25 years... that would be plenty of time to prevent the Galactic War. And how fortunate for him he had arrived at the capital city of Kilratha on the Caitian homeworld... ***** Time: Stardate 238905.29 Location: Governor S’Emral Aveunalliv’s Office, Kilratha, Cait “Governor... you know how important this is. We’ve been talking about this for months now, and I need you to make a decision.” The elder Caitian let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair, running a paw through the fur at his chin. “R’Varr... you’re right, we have been talking about this for months, but as I already told you, I cannot be rushed into this. I have my family to think about.” R’Varr’s paw slammed down against the front edge of S’Emral’s desk, the ruddy red and black of his fur clashing with the purple robe he wore. “Dammit, S’Emral, we have no time to waste. We must begin this movement before it is too late.” He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, green eye flashing with danger, a patch covering the other. “And you know this is bigger than your family.” S’Emral’s fangs stuck out for a moment as his frown flattened. He turned in his chair to gaze out the window, his view overlooking the main square of the city, the clocktower the most prominent building to be seen. Paws folding together before him, he let out another sigh, this one of resignation. “. . . very well. You know what to do.” R’Varr stood in silence for a moment before nodding and turning on his heel, striding out of the Governor’s office. He couldn’t help but be relieved - he had spent nearly a year building up this false identity, and it was finally beginning to pay off. A paw slid into his pocket and his ear flicked as he pulled the tricorder free. He paused about halfway down the hall before taking one of the side passages and ducking into one of the storage closets, making sure no one was following. Opening the tricorder, a single claw began ticking down against the buttons until he found the proper command. Tongue running over his maw, he said a small prayer to the Great Bird before initiating the timer. Back in S’Emral’s office, the Governor had moved away from his desk and crossed to the hidden liquor cabinet beneath the mantle and behind the fireplace. As he poured an amber liquid over ice, the first of the explosions could be heard... just barely. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the base of the clocktower explode outward. Quite calmly, he turned and walked towards the window as the explosions continued, each level of the tower exploding outward before gravity began to take its course. The final explosion came just as the face of the clock struck the street below. The timing had been chosen very carefully - for the most part the square had been empty, with everyone at work or tucked in at home. There were still some of the city’s inhabitants strolling underneath the tower before the explosion, but they had had time to scatter once the underground explosives had occurred. It was at that moment, as the comm unit in his desk began to chime over and over again, that he realized just what he had agreed to... and he hoped to heaven it had been the right decision. The Caitian Republic had been born, a revolution inspired by a group of Caitians who were taking exception to the original Vulcan annexation of Caitian space in 2154. It was their belief that Cait had the right to be an absolutely independent world - from the Federation, as much as anything. S’Emral had reluctantly agreed. He personally didn’t believe that Cait needed to secede from the Federation, however he had been swayed by the argument that the Vulcans owed some kind of restitution for what had been done so many years ago. It had been R’Varr that had begun the movement, and had fully convinced S’Emral to become the figurehead. R’Varr would, of course, be serving as an advisor, but S’Emral was already a respected politician. It made sense. R’Varr had seemed familiar somehow to S’Emral... he couldn’t ever quite put his claw on it, though. That had become much less important once R’Varr had promised him the Ambassadorship for the Caitian Republic. To be able to represent his people in such a way... it had been a personal dream for some time. After finishing his drink, wincing at the warm burn against the back of his throat, he moved to his desk and began taking calls. Soon enough, he would be forced to step forward as the supposed leader of this new movement... until then, it was time for damage control. ***** Lt (jg) S'Acul Aveunalliv HCO USS Avandar
  5. ((Mountain Top – Signal Booster)) :: He entered the clearing and stopped looking around until his eyes settled on the all too familiar face. A look of contempt crossed his face.:: Mancuso: Umas. :: That voice. That irritating voice. Umas knew it well. Mancuso, the traitor. Mancuso, the spineless, wretched worm that had double-crossed him. This day would truly be filled with multiple victories. It was exciting.:: Umas: Hello, Jackie. Quite a trip. Still climbing mountains, I see. Still trying to earn the Captain’s trust. Mancuso: And you’re still stealing your best ideas from everyone else. :: His voice was venomous and sarcastic.:: :: A condescending smile spread across Umas’s lips.:: Umas: Well, when you just leave them lying around for anyone to see, what do you expect? Can’t turn a blind eye to genius, Jackie. Wasting your talents is what you’re doing. See, I’m actually helping you realize your potential. You should be thanking me. :: His words were meant to toy with Mancuso, to poke him, provoke him, make him squirm. Umas gestured smugly at the signal booster and the intricate device attached to it.:: Umas: Had to make a few last minute adjustments, but we’re just a button-push away from rescue. I thought I’d wait for you to arrive so that we could both have a front row seat when I fire it up. Mancuso: :: Shaking his head.:: You....idiot. You’d kill yourself ….everyone else....just for your revenge? Umas: Revenge? ::scoffing:: No. That would be wrong. Our gods would disapprove. But justice? Oh, yes. *That* is worth the self-sacrifice, don’t you think? :: He leaned a shoulder against the signal booster and folded his arms confidently. After ten years of work and patience he deserved to be a smug jackass.:: Mancuso: :: Laughing.:: Right. Is that what you tell yourself? Is that what makes it all ok? Umas: No! None of this is “okay”, but you brought this on yourselves! ::calming:: I don’t expect an unfaithful, unbeliever to understand. ::nodding back the machine:: This is your work, Jackie. You should be proud. It’s going to fix everything you and your kind have defiled, and destroyed, and murdered. Mancuso: ::With a smirk, he laughed.:: Your child, your wife...your gods even.....everybody but you. This isn’t about anyone but you. A pathetic man who can’t accept that things are his OWN fault. :: He looked at him with contempt.:: You chose to bring your family along. Their blood is as much on your hands as it is on the Captains. You made your choice, same as I did. Umas: Yes. ::calmly:: And I’ll pay for my share of the crimes along with the rest of you. I have no delusions of escaping punishment for what I’ve done. But I do look forward to your judgment, and the Captain’s, and everybody else who played a part in the deaths of the innocent. :: Reaching out a hand, he held his finger over the button.:: Umas: So, shall we? Mancuso: ::His eyes darted around.:: Oh...and you really think I’ll just sit back and let you? :: Umas whistled, and from behind emerged about thirty savages, armed to the teeth, and even their teeth were quite sharp.:: Umas: As I see it, you don’t have choice. :: He quickly turned and slapped the button. Immediately, the device began to power up, and a loud, low hum began to churn in the air.:: Mancuso: :: He tossed his phaser from his hip behind him towards the natives.::: There is always a choice. :: He darted ahead, as the phaser overloaded behind him, throwing some of the natives back, and sending a few of the lesser encouraged ones running. He stood and tackled Umas to the ground.:: Mancuso: And to think....I actually took mercy on you. :: Jack threw a hard punch that connected against Umas chin. He was thrown backwards by Umas next move, but ran at him again, tenacious. He threw an elbow against the side of Umas head.:: Mancuso: You ….are...one mistake.....that I intend to remedy. ::: He pulled a knife from his boot. Umas fought hard, but Jack fought harder. He pushed his weight against him, and threw his knee into Umas side. ::: Mancuso: Whatever happens.....:::He hissed through clenched teeth.::: You won’t live to see it. :: He pushed with all his weight, feeling the knife slide in slowly. He looked in Umas eyes as he pushed further. He felt no satisfaction. No justice. No sense of peace. All he felt was burning rage.:: :: Umas’s eyes began to tear-up in pain. He glanced at Jack and blinked a few times. Shock twitched across his face. He couldn’t believe Jack had killed him. He couldn’t believe the man had won.:: :: A final exhale of air escaped Umas’s lungs and his eyes rolled back in his head.:: :: A bright, blinding white pulse surged from the mini-deflector dish and raced up toward the sky. The remaining natives shielded their eyes and flinched in fear. After ten years of patience, Umas’s prayers would finally be answered.:: :: Mancuso stood and looked skyward. Blood streaked across his face, and he shook his head, knowing that it was too late. All Jack could do now was watch. It would be quick for him. He knew it. Directed up as it was, the beacon would light the sky ablaze like napalm, and the world would be an empty husk. He fell to his knees as the wave of energy blasted outward and upward, and the last thought as Jack looked upward and saw the hole in the clouds ,passed through his mind only a millisecond before his entire being was turned to atoms.:: oO Look at all the stars.....beautiful isn’t it? Oo :: The pulse quickly reached the atmosphere, and instantly set it ablaze. The white light then surged outward, sending ripples across the sky, much like what had caused the Avandar to crash on the planet years ago. Clouds blew apart, and suddenly the cold winds sucked back in one direction, and then ignited with a turbulent heat in the opposite direction, blasting across the face of the planet like a tsunami of flames.:: :: The final seconds of life unravel across the planet in a violent, quick extinction, and in an instant, everything was devoured. All that remained was the barren husk of a lost world.:: A JP from Ensign Jack Mancuso Engineer USS Avandar & MPNPC Koltar Umas Rebel Leader simmed by T’Lea
  6. ((Camp Avandar)) ::DeBarres really wanted to see Beornan after the attack of the natives and knew that he would probably be shipping out soon after the capture of Commander T’Lea. :: ::DeBarres walked out near to the perimeter and looked around. She knew that he should be back soon or at least that was the plan. The sun was starting to set, making the sky a funky blue. There was a pair of marines walking the tree line and she decided to hang back a bit from their position.:: :: DeBarres was wearing her best clothes, ones that were rescued from Avandar, and she’d spent some time making herself as presentable as possible under the current circumstances.:: :: She finally saw two marines emerge from the woods. She waved at the two of them and Pritzker parted heading off in another direction at a brisk pace.:: ::She walked over to Beornan who looked confused at best, making sure to stay barely inside the Perimeter.:: DeBarres: Hey there stranger! ::Smiling as she moved to about a foot in front of him, her manner was straight forward and she tried to give herself an aura of dominance. :: :: After getting over his initial surprise Beornan clasped his hands behind his back and gave her a warm smile, she always seemed to confident and he liked that. Tipping his head to the side slightly he guessed she was talking about the fact she hadn’t seen much of him recently. He hadn’t been avoiding her, at least not exclusively. He’d been taking every opportunity to get away from anyone and everyone. The more alone he could be the better, he’d jumped at it. :: Oumriel: Hello Charlotte, how are you, what’ve you been up to? DeBarres: I’ve been fine...busy of course, but I haven’t seen you in a while. :: There was a bit of sadness towards the end of the comment.:: Oumriel: I was glad to hear that Peiy is on the mend. DeBarres: It’s a big relief, I hope to get some time with her tomorrow. If I can get an hour or two before my shift, I’ll go see her.. Oumriel: What are you doing out here anyway? It’s probably best you stay away from the perimeter. Even the hunting parties avoid straying too far from the turrets effective range. DeBarres: Well, I can take care of my self, thanks.....but there is another reason I’m out here. ::A small smile curled up her mouth.:: Oumriel: ::Smiling sheepishly:: I know you can take care of yourself. We’re not allowed out here without full tactical armor equipped and you’re wearing... DeBarres: Beornan, I am hunting a different type of prey tonight. ::Smiling and leveling a pointed finger at him:: Ourmriel: ::Folding his arms across his chest, chewing his lip as though deep in thought:: I’m flattered but perhaps... I should... go. ::He started to walk but she intercepted him.:: DeBarres: You’re coming with me tonight. ::Twitching her little finger in a motion for him the come with her.:: and I will not take no for an answer. I have a small feast at my ‘private quarters’ and you are going to relax. That’s an order…...Soldier! ::Grinning.:: Ourmriel: ::Puffing out his chest he stood at attention and saluted her before giving her a playful wink.:: Yes ma’am! ::DeBarres waved him to follow her, and he fell in step with her as she started off. :: DeBarres: Hut one, two, three, four........::Trying hard not to giggle, she was only partly successful.:: :: Grinning like a buffoon he did an exaggerated march for her entertainment. :: DeBarres: Come on soldier, or do we have to make this double time! ::But there was no seriousness in her voice, at all :: Ourmriel: You know wh- DeBarres: Who told you that you could talk!......::Giggling, as they approached the shelter that DeBarres called home. It looked a lot like the rest of the private shelters, it probably measured only 3 meters by 3 meters, and to save on materials it was linked to a lot of others sharing some walls with each other.:: ::She pulled back a section of paneling and waved him in side. :: DeBarres: Come on, Beornan....and off with those boots. Didn’t you learn any manners? ::Still smiling at him, pulling off her work boots and stepping inside.:: Ourmiel: Alright, Alright!. oOWow what a fiery one!Oo ::He took off his boots, placed them next to hers as he followed her inside.:: ::The floor was just another large piece of paneling but the walls looked fairly sturdy, and the roof was part of the same material. There was a a few belongings by the side wall. and there was a couple of bed rolls and starfleet blankets.:: DeBarres: Sit down and relax, welcome to my humble abode. ::Getting some starfleet rations and getting two mugs of water. :: DeBarres: ::Sitting down close to him with two mugs of water and rations.:: Dinner is served. ::Handing him a mug and a ration, keeping one for herself. She did a slight toast in the air to no one in particular.:: Oumriel: Thank you. ::Following her action, then taking a sip of the warm liquid.:: ::He took his bar and ate it very slowly, chewing and chewing and chewing. It wasn’t that he was savouring the taste, it was more like delaying the inevitable moment where you had to try gulp it down. The chewy, flavourless bars always wanted to catch in your throat. He sat, staring out the open door thinking about times he could now barely remember back on Halii. The food was exquisite, he could see it in his mind but could no longer recall the taste. :: ::The open door let the what ever strange light that was left, into the darkened shelter, they ate in silence for the most part, for both of them were very hungry.:: ::Finishing her meal, she put down the mug, and slid closer to him. Taking her hands she reached around him, and gave him a big squeeze. Not letting go, she could feel him breathing, but as she held him she felt his breathing relax and she started to drift.:: :: Beornan began to feel the tensions of the day melt away, he hadn’t realised how tense he had even been. They'd all been on edge after the natives attack, but it was nice to cuddle up to Charlotte. :: Ourmriel: Well, thank you for the bite to eat and the company. ::He went to move but she was still firmly attached.:: DeBarres ::Refocusing a bit, but not letting go.:: You are mine tonight soldier, and you will sleep here tonight........ and I mean sleep. ::Whispering in his ear then giving him the tiniest of kisses, as it was almost dark.:: :: A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he felt himself go tingly all over :: Ourmriel: Well, the lady gets what the lady wants. oOAnd she is ballsy enough to take it.Oo DeBarres: ::Letting go, for a minute.:: Good. ::Smiling :: Get out of some of that gear and get comfy. ::She got up and went to a neat stack of clothes in the corner, then went to the door and pulled it shut with a small squeaking noise. The room fell into total darkness. There was a rustle of clothes being changed:: No peeking. ::Came her voice in the darkness.:: oO(Beornan) Yes Sir! ...What a taskmaster... ::Long pause.:: ...Peeking...Oo :: He giggled at the thought of trying to peek, the darkness was like a black cloak. His eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness yet. He quietly took off his clothes and folded them neatly into a pile nearby - it was a habit drilled into him from his time at the Marine Academy. :: ::There was a shuffle on the floor as DeBarres came over to were he was the last time she had seen him. She reached out her arms, and started to feel for the Marine.:: Oumriel: Hey, watch it lady. oOCheeky.Oo :: He ran his fingers along her arms until he found her hands and took them in his. He had that nervous, jittery feeling and it was a way of controlling the level of contact. :: ::DeBarres felt his strong hands in her, and she could feel it again, she trembled just a bit, letting her body get used to the feeling. They just stood there for a minute or two.:: DeBarres ::Whispering, not wishing to be overheard by the neighbors, but they must of been unoccupied, for the moment :: Come on, lie down an just hold me tonight. :: Oumriel: I swear if you give me one more order tonight... ::Grinning in the dark, looking at her as his eyes adjusted.:: DeBarres: ::Small giggle:: All right, no more tonight …..Hold on for a minute:: Letting go she moved over a grabbed the blanket and laid it down on the floor. She then got the makeshift pillow, and put it down:: Are you ready ? ::It was her softest voice and the authority had vanished.:: Oumriel: ::Chuckling:: oODare I ask?Oo Ready for what? DeBarres: Sleep...... silly...we are going to take this slow....marine. oO Don’t want to scare him off, ….darn you DeBarres Oo ::Beornan grinned and shook his head but he was also a little relieved. There was a lot she didn’t know about him, about his racial abilities and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to share it yet.:: ::DeBarres got on floor, as quietly as possible. She reached out and found his leg, letting her hand slide down it.:: ::Beornan shivered a little but it had nothing to do with the cold. He sat down quickly and re-gathered DeBarres hands. They lay down together side by side, he wrapped his arm around her, keeping those wandering hands in check. He kissed her on the back of the neck and settled down to rest. It felt odd but nice sleeping in the shelter, he’d become accustomed to camping out either with one of his squaddies like Griffon, or on his own.:: ::Charlotte was very attractive, wild and exciting and it felt great to be with her. She had such a vibrant and fun spirit and that bossy streak that turned him on. The fact that she was also so pleasing on the eye didn’t hurt either. He quickly drifted off to sleep feeling peaceful and content.:: :: Rolling onto his back and placing his hand over his stomach Beornan dreamed about a time before the troubles. Before the fire and pain and tough move to StarFleet Marines. Beornan was alone in the dining room setting the table, a delicious smell wafted through from the kitchen. He’d gotten his mother Soui to take his soul mate out for the day. He was cooking her favourite meal and everything was nearly ready. He had great news to share about his job offer and to him everything was coming together perfectly. :: ::DeBarres felt him roll over, she was tired but wanted to hold him. She rolled over quietly and she could hear the soft breathing of him, and realized that he’d fallen asleep almost immediately. She curled around him putting her hands around his chest, she was to his side as she held on. DeBarres lightly moved her hand up his chest and lightly touched face, feeling the stubble of his unshaven face. She could feel the tingle again as she made an out line of his face. As the finger went over the left cheek and touched his forehead she feel something strange come over her.:: DeBarres ::There was an aroma of food, as she felt like she had walked into a kitchen, and there was Beornan sitting at a table with someone that she did not know, but the food smelled wonderful:: oO(DeBarres)What is the blazes is this, one minute I’m in my shelter with this hunk, and now I’m in a kitchen sitting down next to him. I know I’m hungry about what in the …...am I dreaming.... hello? Beornan.......can you hear me? Oo ::She took her finger away from his forehead, and found herself back in her shelter, with Beornan lying next to her, making soft sleeping noises :: oO (DeBarres) Wow! what was amazing … but what was it !?Oo :: ::DeBarres pulled her had hand away, totally, leaving her left hand on his chest. She snuggled close but her mind was racing with possibilities. :: oO (DeBarres) It could be something like a vulcan. Mind thing..... is he telepathic? …..Should I do it again? Oo ::As she thought about it she felt the warmth of his body and grew peaceful, soon she faded into dreamland.:: ((Hours later)) ::The first rays of sunlight penetrated the cracks near the roof, but the two slept peacefully. As the sun continued to rise, the beams of light shown lower into the shelter. Finally they bounced from a salvaged mirror, and struck DeBarres in the eyes, forcing her awake. She had felt the strong shoulders as she rolled to the side. Finally, she opened her eyes and saw Beornan still sleeping.:: ::DeBarres, carefully bending over she gave him a quick peck on the lips, getting a slight charge from him again :: ::For an instant DeBarres felt like she was in a warm place, but it vanished as quickly as it hit her:: oO(DeBarres) what is going on here? Does he have a battery hooked up someplace.... wowOo ::She studied his face, and ran her finger over his lips, softly not to wake him up. She laid back down for a few minutes, as she cuddled up next to him feeling his warmth, in the cool morning air.. There was sufficient light coming in from the cracks, to see the out line of the Marine peacefully sleeping as the light bounced around the white walls:: ::She finally realized that she couldn’t stay like this all morning, so she carefully got up, trying not to walk the sleeping Marine :: oO(DeBarres) wonderful night, …..but what was that strange thing last night.... was it a dream? Oo ::She smiled and looked at the dozing Beornan.:: oO(DeBarres) Come on girl, get a move on. Oo ::She turned her back to him, as not to be distracted - Charlotte tugged and pulled off her nightshirt. Quickly folding it, she found her fatigues and she started to get dressed carefully, using the bare minimal pressure on the floor, letting him sleep. :: :: Beornan slowly rubbed his eyes and blinked as he began to wake up. He felt different, but he couldn’t place it. He was aware it was something he hadn’t felt in some years now but he couldn’t work out what it was exactly. :: :: It had been the most restful sleep he’d had since they crashed here and he felt great. The bridge of his nose crinkled slightly as his eyebrows knitted into a small frown as he looked around the tiny shelter. It was getting warm already and he enjoyed the heat as he propped himself up, reached to rub between his shoulder blades.:: :: That's when he spotted DeBarres, she was getting changed and was revealing probably more than she intended to. His jaw snapped shut mind yawn and he looked away quickly feeling a little awkward. oOThose are some sexy curves. Little beauty.Oo:: ::DeBarres pulled down her tunic over her head, tugging to make sure she was presentable at least, and then tucked it into her pants. Her work shoes were of course outside. She ran her hands over her hair. It wasn’t the worst morning hair she’d ever had, but she didn’t usually have a sleep over guest.:: oO(DeBarres) It’s the best I can do on short notice. Oo ::Turning around she saw Beornan looking away, but from the expression on his face, he had been awake for a minute or two.:: ::Slightly shocked, Charlotte quickly recovered and put on a smile.:: oO(DeBarres) Oh, well, he is a marine and probably has seen more than that before.Oo DeBarres: Good morning …..hope you haven’t been awake too long....::A small smile grew to a large one.:: :: Beornan felt the heat rise but fortunately his embarrassment wasn’t too noticeable thanks to his darker skin tone. :: Oumriel: ::Cheeky smile:: Well, uh no, just, just now actually. DeBarres: Come on...... Beornan, it’s OK. I wouldn’t have done if I wasn’t alright with it. ::She bent over and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. :: Oumriel: ::Giving himself a shake as he got up:: It’s not the way things are usually done. I better move myself, there is a lot to do... DeBarres ::A little more serious:: The ship doesn’t crash every day, and I would rather change in here with you than with the rest of the crew out there. Oumriel: I’m glad of that. ::It wasn’t clear which statement he was agreeing with, he pulled on his own grotty clothes and got ready for another day.:: oO(DeBarres) I hope I didn’t embarrass him Oo :: DeBarres : Do you...want to go to breakfast, I hear they have coffee sometimes ? ::A little worried that she had embarrassed him.:: :: The little crease on the bridge of his nose was back as he frowned slightly in concentration. He didn’t say anything at first as he messed about straightening himself up. Then he looked over with a serious expression. :: Ourmriel: I can’t stand coffee. I can’t understand people’s addiction to that awful stuff... ::There was a lengthy pause and then his expression softened:: I do need something to get me started though. ::Small smile:: ::A smile appeared on her face, much more feminine than the bossy woman of yesterday and she approached him after he finished putting on the last of his gear. :: DeBarres: Beornan …... I have to tell you something.......::Quietly, and talking a light hold of his hand.:: Oumriel: ::Heart rate doubling:: What is it? DeBarres : I hope you don’t think me too forward, I know I am a bit of a flirt …..it is ...just who I am. ::pause::...and I don’t want to rush you....so if you need to take things easy....that is the way that we will do it. Oumriel: From the moment we met you, yelling at us to get you down, we knew that. ::Shoulders slumping in relief:: Here I was thinking you were going to tell me something I didn’t know... DeBarres ::Laughing:: Oh, other than the dead bodies that I have buried all over the quadrant, I don’t have too many deep dark secrets ::Reaching up to give him a peck on the cheek, feeling a tingle again.:: :: He grinned and rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around her and holding her gently for a minute. He gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and looked at her earnestly.:: Oumriel: Thank you. ::It was a simple statement but summed up more than she could know.:: ::DeBarres looked up at the Marine, and smiled, and for this moment in time everything was fine:: (PNPC) 2nd Lt Beornan Marine Combat Engineer USS Avandar Simmed by Blackwood & (PNPC) Crewman DeBarres Tactical / Security Specialist USS Avandar Simmed by Eerie
  7. ^ I fully agree with Evanna. I think this is still a good discussion to have, but I also think she's right - the system as it is really does work. We just need to make sure more people are involved in the Top Sims process. I imagine there are a percentage of members in the fleet who don't regularly use the forums, and who have no idea about Top Sim aside from the announcements during Awards Ceremonies. I'm not sure how to get more people involved besides simply making them more aware, but maybe that would be enough.
  8. The Doc does bring up a valid point. It seems like a combination of the two ideas might be necessary - a rotating panel of judges, perhaps at least one person from each ship? And if we're not sure how to choose that person, maybe it could be someone voted by the crew of that ship? . . . I don't know
  9. I think that could work very well - or something similar, like a revolving panel of judges? It could fall on certain people at different times of the year, or something.
  10. JP LT Jen Malcolm, (PNPC) Regg and (PNPC) Audie: Bless the Beasts and the Children ((Dott’s Family Quarters-USS Avandar-Crash site)) ::Regg awakened inside of the closet of his quarters. Before the crash of the Avandar he was not feeling well so the day care teacher took him to his quarters.Crying, he crawled out of the rubble, into the darkness, scared and alone. He wondered where his father was, his friend Ashley.:: oOI’m alone and scared. It’s dark. I don’t like the dark.Oo ::He wandered out into the corridor, looking for anybody that could help him, cowering into the corners of the destroyed ship. He crawled under the supports and bulkheads reaching one of the jefferies tubes. Seeing some light at the top, he climbed into it with fear, barely making it inside the tube.:: ::Wiping the tears away from eyes his called out for help, he continued to climb his way. It was hard for him to reach the rungs. He felt deep in his heart that his father would be waiting for him at the top. Finally reaching to the top of the tube he called out again.:: Regg: ::Crying as he screamed out.:: Help me!!!!!!! ::He climbed down to reach the deck screaming for help. When a bright light nearly blinded him and dropped to his knees crying in fear. He looked up to the tall dark shadow above him. He cried as the dark figure picked him up and carried him on their back up the ladder deck by deck until they reached deck three.:: Crewman Roberts: ::Talking to Regg.:: Where are your parents? Regg: ::Crying, screaming.:: I dunno.... I only have my father, my mother is dead. ::The pair continued up the ladder to the next deck, where they exited on to deck three.:: Crewman Roberts: ::Shouting.:: I HAVE A SMALL CHILD HERE!!!!!! ((Aft section of the Avandar)) ::Wispy clouds covered the early morning sky but the pinks and golds of dawn refused to be hidden and managed to offer light to the damaged landscape, even though they were muted by the veil of gray from the cloud cover. :: ::It was cooler now, cooler than the nighttime had been. The air was still warm by any standards, but the wind had picked up a bit and it was enough to send a chill down Jen Malcolm’s neck as she stood along the rows of dead bodies lining the aft section of the Avandar.:: ::She had found Ashley’s body almost immediately. Though when looking for something deeply sought after it was rarely found until the last place searched, it seemed the opposite held true when searching for something dreaded- it was usually the first thing discovered, as if some insidious polar force pulled the unfortunate victim directly there, hungry for the pain and suffering.:: ::Her hand hovered over the uniform jacket, unwilling to move it away. She had seen countless dead bodies in her life, from anonymous medical cadavers to dear friends, and looking at them had never bothered her. Just a part of life, dying was, and it was not something she’d ever feared. Until now. Try as she might she could not force herself to pull away the jacket and look at Ashley’s lifeless body. She knew, if she did, whenever she thought of the little girl, it would be that image scorched into her mind’s eye. And that she could not bear.:: ::There were other officers there as well, saying their goodbyes to friends. Not all of the bodies had been covered yet and there were quite a few that Jen recognized from their visits to Sickbay. Too many she recognized from their brief stays in the triage tent, where she’d been unable to help them. The soft sounds of muffled sobs and quiet tears filled the still morning air. Jen did not join them in their mourning - she had no tears left to shed. All she was left with was a sense of disbelief:: ::Ashley’s pink tennis shoes peeked out from beneath the jacket and Jen noticed a shoelace had come undone. She crouched down and reached for the laces, tying them in a little bow. Ashley had gotten the shoes as a Christmas present from her Aunt and Uncle. They’d come , all wrapped up, with them when they left the farm and had been hidden away in Jen’s closet until two mornings ago. Ashley had been so excited to show them off to her friends in daycare...:: ::And then the tears came. She wiped at them before they could hit her cheeks, brushing them away from her eyes before they could fall. She couldn’t let herself fall apart or there would be no coming back.:: ::She tried to ignore the sounds of crying from those around her. They were grating on her nerves and she could feel a scream building in her throat. She focused on the sounds of the work crews, the churning of the generators, the buzz and hum of power tools. But it didn’t work, they could not drown out the melancholy sounds of people saying their goodbyes, cursing their luck, searching for a lost father.:: ::Jen sniffled and looked up, searching for the source of the youthful cries. Wandering amongst the dead was a little boy, his bald, blue head not much taller than some of the bodies laid out. It was Ashley’s little friend Regg, wandering and alone.:: ::Regg looked to the morning sun covering his eyes crying looking for his father. He stumbled upon the dead bodies. How he got there he did not know, he looked up to see a familiar face, the face of Jen Malcolm. He ran towards her crying.:: ::Jen shifted to a kneeling position so she was eye level with the little boy. She put her arms around him and pulled him close to her. She hushed his frantic sobs, rocking a bit to try and calm him:: Malcolm: Regg? Are you hurt? Regg: ::Crying.::I can’t find my father..::sniffling.:: No, I’m not hurt. I’m scared. ::Holding on to her.:: Malcolm: I know you are. ::She stood, picking him up as she did so. His arms and legs instinctively wrapped around her with the motion and she shifted his weight onto her hip. She knew that his father had not come through the triage tent, which meant the school teacher was either one of the bodies laying around them or he was somewhere with the other survivors. Jen was not a betting woman, but if she were, her money would be on one of the covered bodies at their feet::: ::She rubbed Regg’s back. His heaving sobs had calmed a bit, but she had to do something to settle him down:: Malcolm: Hey Regg, want to hang out with me for a while? ::She wasn’t sure what she would do with him. He certainly couldn’t stay in the triage tent with her, it would be unsafe, but she wasn’t going to leave him here.:: Regg: ::Looking at her.:: Ok.:: Looking back over her shoulder sniffling and huffing.:: ::Audie walked from around the other side of the ship, wandering around. In his mind he is looking for Askade, but found Jen and Regg. He ran up to them whimpering at them both then sat down in front of them. He looked at Jen holding out his paw to her. Jen smiled, strangely relieved to see that the friendly dog had made it out alive. She tapped Regg’s arm:: Malcolm: Look Regg, one of your friends came to see you. ::Audie’s paw hung in the air, a gesture Jen had learned was the big dog’s normal form of greeting. The normally white fur was stained with blood. Jen crouched down so Regg could give Audie a pet, and on closer inspection she could see the dog had a torn pad:: Malcolm: ::holding the paw:: Bet that hurts, huh boy? ::she turned to Regg:: Why don’t we get Audie out of here, and you can help me fix him up. How’s that sound? ::It would only take about a inch and a half of wire to repair the padd and Jen was willing to spare it for the animal. It would be a good distraction for Regg:: Regg: ::Petting Audie on the head, and calming down.:: Ok. ::Trying to smile, but his lip started to quiver.:: ::She stood up, hoisting Regg back into her arms:: Malcolm: C’mon, let’s go. ::She patted her leg to get Audie’s attention and gave a short whistle to get him to follow. They walked back toward the camp, away from the rows of bodies. But, with each step, Jen’s heart pounded, beating faster and faster, as if it were trying to signal her that she was leaving unfinished business. She tried to ignore it, to push its ache away. But there was no fighting it. She could not resist one last look over her shoulder, at the little pink shoes and their matching white bows. -end- (PNPC’s) Regg/Audie D’ciq Simmed by Matthews and Lt. Jen Malcolm CMO USS Avandar
  11. ^^ I agree with Captain Jaxx. We have such a huge number of writers, and only a small percentage vote for Top Sim.
  12. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that I picked that sim because it hit a chord with me in a way the other two did not. Obviously, the other two were also very good sims, otherwise they would not have made it all the way to the very very end. I personally think its very hard to know why everyone voted the way they did - I would hope it was for the same reasons I did, because they enjoyed that particular sim the most. I did not join the crew of the Aurora/Avandar until October, and I hadn't really become an active member of the forum until November or so - so I didn't vote on much as far as Top Sims went, not until the very end of the year. "For this last winner ONLY One crew (that ship's) voted for the winning sim from the first round till the finals – nopony from any other ship voted for that sim in any round. Isn't that "stuffing the ballots"? This success is open invitation for cheaters!" I went through every round in the 2011 subforum and found the two rounds this sim was voted on, besides the final round - more than just the Aurora crew members voted for this sim. Round 12 - Kagran Of The House Agan, + Alleran Tan, AlexV, Zonhar, Hugh Barnes, Tracey,Jayden Llewellyn Round 20 - Toni, Chris O'Hanlon, Zonhar Final Round - Kagran Of The House Agan, AlexV, Hugh Barnes, Ensign FluffyPants, Zonhar,Elya Tali, Alexander/Askade, LT Eeire, steveanderson, Chris O'Hanlon, Jack Mancuso I'm not trying to dismiss the idea that it is possible the ballot box could be stuffed, because it absolutely is possible - but I also hope that we could give the winners the benefit of the doubt, unless there is a way to absolutely prove that is what happened. My only other thought is to have the voting process be completely anonymous to everyone except for admins. We would be able to see percentages on the regular user side, but only the Admins for the forum would be able to see exactly who it was that voted for a sim - then, if they thought it was suspicious, they could further investigate.
  13. "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." -- Maya Angelou (( Collapsed Daycare, USS Avandar )) :: Dust swirled around him as Alleran wiggled further into the void which was the daycare room, the laser cutter between his teeth. He had taken the blonde girl back to the others... now his search continued. :: :: The dust was a product of the metal used to make the bulkheads, compressed it would powderize. This area had suffered more than most and it was almost completely rubble... Tan had to stop every now and then to move a hunk of metal before he could continue. Despite the overdose of painkillers his leg was too injured to move -- he had to drag it behind him, which lead to lines of scratches forming on the limb but he paid them no heed. :: Marlee: ~~ This region is unstable. ~~ :: Alleran had a snippy comment prepared, but there was nothing he could say to discount that little urge coming from within his symbiont. As if to underscore this particular point there was a low, ominous groan of stressed metal and Tan froze. :: :: But no collapse came. After a second, Tan continued to crawl forward. It was a moment before he reached his goal... the soundproofed daycare room. It seemed mostly intact, and so Tan could crouch in the area without having to crawl. Prying open the cover he reached for the emergency opening lever and, with a pained groan began pumping the handle rocking up and down. :: :: The moment a tiny crack appeared, the screaming of terrified infants filled his ears. Further away, he could hear T'tala's panicked cries, shouting something he couldn't make out over the din. :: :: Verification that there was someone else alive -- and several, possibly -- gave him another surge of adrenaline and he worked the lever until there was enough room to open the door, forcing the twin panels apart the rest of the way with his hands and squirming his way through the small opening. :: :: Bodies everywhere. Tan was immediately greeted by a grizley scene... a corpse, without a head, wearing a bright yellow sundress stained bright purple with her blood. He didn't recognize her species. In her crumpled arms was the equally crumpled body of a small child, aged seven or eight maybe, of the same species... who Alleran could see instantly was dead. :: Marlee: ~~ That's Umas's wife... and presumably his child, too. ~~ :: Alleran, the host, was too concussed to make anything of it but his symbiont seemed to have dim memories of the personnel roster with their smiling faces on it. :: :: Recovery of the body would have to wait, but he did scoop down and pluck a small doll modelled in the form of an alien insect out of the girl's limp arms, stuffing it into a pocket... and to help identification of the bodies, he removed a charm bracelet from the small child and clipped it onto his wrist. Then they could be sure. He would tell the story. :: :: The horrid task complete, Tan made his way over to where the crying was. :: :: Two infants he recognized; half-Terran, half-Vulcan children. Asiatic in features, aside from their upswept eyebrows and pointed ears. They were screaming blue murder, but he could see none of their green blood outside of their bodies, but a cursory examination revealed that they had severe bruising. Their little cribs, it seemed, had absorbed most of the impact with their part Vulcan physiology taking care the rest. :: :: He scooped the infants up in his arms and checked the rest. There were a half-dozen bodies in all, all dead as near as he could tell. :: :: With a low sigh Tan knew he could do nothing more. Squirming back through the open door, Tan got back into the crawlspace and began the agonizingly slow process of returning to the entrance to the void. :: T'tala: FIONA! NAKARRAN! :: As Alleran became close he once again heard T'tala calling out to her children. Another low, ominous groan was heard above him and he stopped again. This shudder took a lot longer to settle than the last. :: Tan: I've got both of them! They're alive! Doctor Davis, they have some bruises but we're... ::coughing:: ... coming! Davis: ? Gilaars: ? Burt: ? :: From beyond the tiny hole he heard T'tala break into entirely uncharacteristic crying-laughter, her face blocking most of the light. :: :: He had crawled as far as he could and needed a break. Stopping for just a moment, Tan rested the two screaming infants down on a stray piece of bulkhead, reaching up to adjust his bandage. :: :: With a crack-shudder the ceiling above partially gave way, showering debris down on top of him. Shielding the two children with his body he closed his eyes, instinctively, then forced them open when the Gilaars: ? Tan: I'm... ::coughing:: ... fine! I'm fine! :: Forgetting his fatigue, his injuries, the overdose of powerful medication flowing through his body, everything... Tan began a frantic crawl for the exit. :: Burt: ? T'tala: Hurry! HURRY! Davis: ? :: The exit was close. Close. Only four metres now, just over that fallen support beam... he saw a pair of arms -- whose, he was not sure -- outstretched to grab. The moment he got close he passed the male child into the waiting arms, panting and gasping for air. The arms disappeared, taking with them one of the children. Another, empty, pair appeared... he reached for the second infant, handing her over now. Then, with a shift, he began to crawl - :: :: - and then with a roar to rival the greatest of dragons, forty tonnes of metal poured down from the ceiling, cascading in as the void collapsed. The noise drowned out any noise the others might make; small hunks of debris hit his back, his head and then an intense, terrible wave of pain like a flame roaring at his heels leapt up his leg, and Tan shrieked in agony despite the large overdose of painkilling medication he'd taken. Crack-crack-crack went the bones of his shin as one of the heavy support struts landed on his dragged leg, like a man rolling his hand over a sheet of bubblewrap. :: :: Then the rumble ceased and Tan shouted and gasped. He felt people trying to pull him out, but his leg was pinned under the beam which was far too heavy for him to move. :: Tan: AHHRRRGGH! STOP! STOP! STOP! :: The Trill flopped down on the metal deck, gasping as his vision spun, dark dots appearing in-front of his vision. For a moment the pain was just too much and there was a momentary shift, as though the symbiont too was overwrought with pain and painkillers alike. :: (( Drug-And-Pain-Induced-Hallucination )) :: This place had a strange, dream-like quality to it. Alleran could not explain it... except that it felt very vivid, if surreal. For a moment he felt as though he was back on the USS Independence-A, but as his attention wandered he could see the wider corridors and more spacious layout of the Luna class. Tan was standing outside Holodeck I on the USS Avandar, with none of the destruction all around him. Before the great downfall. :: :: What happened to him on the Independence was not easily forgotten... the memory burning in the back of his mind like carpet burn; it stung the more he thought about it, constantly irritating him and staying in his mind with that low, persistent sting. :: :: He had to go back. He had to face his demons. :: :: Breathing a low sigh, Tan copied the program from his personal collection to the computers of the Avandar. He wondered, idly, if Captain Vetri had ever visited the field of Passion's Rest... his understanding was that she was from a different area of Trill, so it was no more presumptuous to assume that someone raised in Kupang in Indonesia had visited that little shop in Bangalore that was your childhood favourite. Possible, but unlikely. :: :: But this wasn't about Della, or about Trill, or even about her. This was a test for him. A live-fire exercise... he was returning to the site of one of his most fondest memories. The first real, proper date he'd taken her to. Where they'd first kissed. Where the rain had slicked their clothes together, and the two had shared a moment of passion that would stay with him forever... and through all his hosts, forever more. An immortal memory. :: :: Programming the simulation to begin about an hour beyond its regular start point, Tan made the final adjustments and then executed the holo-scene. Tapping the last button, all was ready. The Trill hobbled towards the entrance. :: :: With a dull hiss the doors opened and Alleran drank in the familiar sight. The stormclouds on the horizon, the natural purple sky, the dark blue earth. The fields of red, phosphorescent wheat-like plants bending and swaying in the growing breeze like worshippers before a great deity. :: :: And oh, the smell of the air... crisp and clean and pure, that brilliant damp smell right before it rains. It was Alleran's favourite smell as a child... rivalled, in adulthood, only the hint of orange juice. :: :: Hobbling inside the holodeck, the doors closed quietly behind him, and Tan wiggled his toes into the holographic dirt. It was loose and tinged with cobalt, as the soil in this part of Trill typically was... a natural, beautiful dark blue that pulled at Alleran's heartstrings. :: :: Home. :: :: Such was his excitement, his glee at returning to this place -- so full to the brim of joyous memories -- that his cane slipped away from his hands, unnoticed, and fell into the ground. Walking without its use, Tan stepped forward and moved along the clearing between two fields. :: :: The wind picked up and began to blow with more urgency now, and Alleran turned to face the looming thundercloud. Stretching his arms out wide, the Trill emitted a playful laugh -- a real, honest, joyous belly laugh like he hadn't since he didn't even remember when -- and the spots of rain began to pour down, tapping on his face, Tan just closed his eyes and let the whole scene wash over him like a great blackened and bruised blanket, mouth opened in a wide grin, letting the raindrops fall in and be swallowed. :: :: Home... :: :: It was like a dream. :: :: The thing about euphoria is that it can mask pain. Childbirth is a prime example; incredibly painful and dangerous activity, not to be undertaken trivially. But there is a sweet moment... when the child's first cry comes... when the pain, the blood loss, the sacrifice of the event seems to go away... and all that is left is the joy. :: :: But euphoria fades. :: :: Like a sudden burst of fire running up his left leg, Alleran felt the agonized cries of his damaged limb override the blissful peace of the moment, the soothing medicine of fond memories joyful times. The leg buckled, causing him to crash bodily to the ground with a howl of agony, curling into an instinctive ball, clutching his wounded limb. His fingers gripped the wounded, dead muscle in his calf so tightly his fingernails s[...]ed across the flesh, drawing thin lines of blood. :: :: It seemed as though the pain, the agonized burning, would go on forever. He reached for his combadge with a hand, but his fingers were shaking; it was knocked off his chest, clattering and rolling across the ground, well out of reach. :: :: Two metres was out of reach for him, for now. :: :: The rain masked the pained tears as the Trill slowly, slowly, massaged the fire in his calf down to a manageable, dull ache. His fingers -- steady enough to move, now -- reached into his pocket and seized the dexatrine hypospray he kept there. Trembling, he dialed it up to maximum strength -- three times his usual dose -- and pressed the device against his neck, depressing the trigger mechanism with a shaking finger. :: :: The first indication came with a relief of pain, which was an immediate benefit to him. Laying on the holographic blue earth, Alleran felt the rain splatter against his face, against his chest, and against his wounded leg... letting the cool water soothe away the remaining burn. :: :: Then came lightheadedness, and a dizzy, giddy feeling, as though he were about four beers down at a really classy pub and surrounded by friends and attractive, enthralled bikini-clad supermodels. Rolling completely onto his back now, the Trill blinked away the spots in front of his eyes, staring up at the crackling rainstorm above him and watching the rain fall towards his face in slow motion. A fork of lightning like the lumbering, clumsy hand of a drunk slowly sauntered down towards the ground nearby, cracking a dull, muted crack as it lazily smashed itself into the ground. :: :: Time seemed to flow slower than usual, and Tan was genuinely unsure of how long he laid there, his mind drifting in and out of awareness as the massive overdose of the moderate-strength painkiller flowed through his body. He felt detached from reality, and viewed his surroundings through a distinctly third-person perspective... looking down at himself, laying in the sodden earth, his clothes soaked to the bone. :: Marlee: ~~ You know you're going to die if you don't do something. ~~ :: He could hear her, but couldn't see her. Alleran's head flopped weakly to one side. There, like a shining gold beacon in the mud, was a glint of shining metal -- his combadge, polished by the rain, not too far away. :: :: Tan just closed his eyes, returning his head to level, his face aligned to the sky. :: Alleran: ~~ It's not so bad... there's no pain at all. I'm sure if I lay here long enough, it'll be a'right... ~~ Marlee: ~~ I've died once, you know... I know what I'm talking about. ~~ :: For once, her voice was quiet and non-judgemental. In fact, she sounded... sad. Which was enough to get some of Alleran's attention back. :: Alleran: ~~ Mmm...? ~~ Marlee: ~~ It starts with light delirium and it gets... "better". You get tired... sleepy. It's peaceful, really, and you just want to go to sleep, and then... well. A rush of someone else's memories, and you wake up in another body. ~~ :: Speaking out loud, now, Alleran kept his eyes closed. His voice sounded slurred to his own ears, and he clicked his tongue at the end of the sentence. :: Tan: Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. :: Rolling his head to the side again, Alleran looked at his own hand. A hand that now clutched his combadge. He had not consciously moved himself closer to the device, and he hadn't picked it up. Blinking in surprise, the Trill stared at it for a moment. :: :: Materializing at the edge of his blurred vision, Marlee gave an apologetic shrug. :: Marlee: ~~ Sorry, I have to drive for a bit. ~~ :: Against his will his thumb tapped the central symbol of the badge and it chirped. Words came from his mouth, and he heard himself say them, even knowing they came not from his host's head but from that strange creature dwelling in his pouch. "Lieutenant Tan to Doctor Malcolm," he heard his own voice say, "I'm sorry... we found her. She's in a bad way..." :: :: And then, like a marionette with its strings cut, Tan felt control returning to his own body. Through his blurred mind he could hear someone speaking... the doctor. Of course. He tried to keep his slurring down, but it felt like his tongue was numb. :: :: Slowly, the vision faded... :: (( Daycare, USS Avandar )) :: Screaming. Screaming from the infants. Screaming from people trying to offer him advice and suggestions. And then, as his mind became conscious of the pain it was experiencing once again, screaming from him. :: Malcolm: =/\= ? =/\= ((OOC: I imagine Tan's activated his combadge in his demented state. )) :: He was pinned face down in the rubble. Twisting his body in a panic he could see his leg -- crushed just below the knee and firmly pinned to the deck -- his blood pouring out onto the metal. The limb was securely lodged, the force of the impact having shattered his bones. :: :: Another ominous rumbling above him, and this time Tan knew the collapse would be complete. The Trill was presented with a simple choice; become free, or be crushed under the collapse of the upper decks of the starship as they fell down and splattered him like a bug. Hands were trying to reach out to him, but they were about a foot too short -- not that it mattered. The rope was security around his waist and there was no way he was going anywhere. :: :: The low rumble started up again and Tan knew what he had to do. Reaching for the laser cutter on his belt he switched it to a high intensity beam, gritted his teeth and, with a high-pitched whine, sliced off the shattered limb just below the knee. :: :: White pain exploded directly into his mind and he almost blacked out again, but sheer panic and terror kept him going. He crawled using only his arms, the stump of his leg dragging on the metal of the deck as he crawled the last few metres to the waiting arms, his hands falling into theirs. He felt himself being dragged and lifted, heard the roar as the last of the starship's upper decks fell into daycare, completely filling the void just as he was pulled out of it. :: :: Would the noise be heard from outside? Tan wondered, for a moment, if the survivors outside had heard or seen it... or not. And then there were voices. Voices from his combadge, voices of the people dragging him out and laying him out in the ruins of the starship... :: (( Flashback: Six Years Ago, Shuttle 3134 crash site )) :: Alleran Mapak didn't know what to do. The woman was dying. Her arm was severed, laying in a pool of blood. Her skin was a ghostly white. The medics worked on her, frantically, until finally the CMO gave up. :: CMO: That's it, she's too far gone. We're pulling the symbiont. :: The woman's head flopped weakly. She was still alive! :: Mapak: W-Wait- that woman's not d-dead yet! :: The CMO rolled his eyes. :: CMO: Doesn't matter, kid. She'll die from these wound- we can't get her to a medical facility in time. A pre-mortum extraction greatly decreases stress on the symbiont. That's what counts. :: He called over one of the three rescue party members, a human woman with dark black skin. :: CMO: Okay, I'm going to need twelve CC's of tetraphoramine- we'll trigger a chemical rejection and extract. Prep the status chamber. :: Alleran could barely watch- he'd only had a few words with this "Marlee" character, but already he liked her. She was kind and wise beyond even her considerable years. :: Nurse: Done. Okay, I'm going to extract it... careful, careful- give me a hand here. :: The two reached into the dying woman's pouch, extracting a short, stubby worm with a bleeding gash down its flank. :: CMO: [...]- there's a tear along the epidermis. It'll get infected... we can't move it like this. :: The Trill medical officer looked frustrated. :: CMO: How long until a transplant crew and new host can make it here? We need to transplant within four hours or the infection will be too severe. Nurse: At this distance... a couple of days, maybe more, assuming they left immediately. :: The Trill CMO growled angrily. He knew it wouldn't survive that long. He, himself, was joined- the one nurse was a human, the other had a medical condition which prevented joining. They'd discussed it at length several months previous. That only left... :: CMO: Hey, kid. You wanna live forever? :: Mapak's eyes went wide. They were offering him the symbiont? He glanced between the beautiful, slimy worm and its previous owner, who seemed to grow weaker and weaker. She held a look of... curiousity, as though trying to judge him. :: Mapak: I- I can't. Why don't y-you take it? CMO: I'm joined already, you idiot. And... yes, you can. You can. It's that or the symbiont dies. :: Mapak felt his panic well up in him. Take on the role of a host?! That wasn't possible! He was just a normal person- an everyday shuttle pilot, one of thousands all over this whole system. He wasn't any good academically, he wasn't smart or brave or wise or any of those things. Mapak: I'm not g-good enough- I'm not even a-an initiate! I can't! :: The CMO stepped up to him, thrusting the wounded symbiont at him once more. :: CMO: We can seal the wound, but it has to be implanted or neutral degradation will begin. If you REALLY can't stomach the idea, we'll look at a rapid extraction when we return. You'll probably survive. But you need to do this. :: The lives of the symbionts were paramount. Mapak knew that... everyone knew that. With a groan, he nodded his head. :: Mapak: O-Oh gods... :: He lay on his back, on the debris. The medical team went to work- the human nurse cut away his shirt while the Trill CMO worked some device over the symbiont. The bleeding stopped, thick scar tissue developing on the injury. He felt the humans hands- unnaturally warm, to the cool-handed Trill- lift the flap of skin over his pouch. He blushed furiously. A girl was touching him- a real girl! He couldn't believe it. :: :: The symbiont squirmed in the CMO's hands, apparently disliking the cool air. He placed it into the pouch, letting it squirm inside. For a moment, nothing happened. And then... :: (( Flashback ends... )) :: And then, as Tan stared at the blood-splattered charm bracelet still attached to his wrist, the world slowly went white. :: TBC... ----- Lt. Alleran Tan Operations USS Avandar
  14. Well, STO is barely two years old, so it hasn't had much chance to have such things happen - but they're doing a big push to try to get new players by going f2p in January. I personally am a lifer, because when I originally played the game I fell in love immediately LOL I don't play as much as I did when I first got it, but I still really enjoy going in and flying around. It is also a VERY good source for screenshots for Sims - character and ship photos in particular :3
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