Evan Delano

((Outside of New Macau, Antor II, in a mine.. under a bunch of rocks)) oO Ow.Oo :: Her first thought on awakening.. it was immediately followed by.. :: oO Danni's going to kill me.. Oo :: Despite the pressure on most of her body, the pain of multiple rocks attempting to become one with her body, and the possibility of being buried alive, she couldn't stop the momentary grin at her next thought. :: oO But only if she finds out. Oo :: She opened her eyes slowly, glad for the light and hum of the force field above her head. Apparently she'd been at least partially successful in throwing herself to it, though the throbbing in her head said she hadn't been perfectly so. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to pass.. when she heard voices nearby. :: Voice 1: And I'm telling you we don't NEED to move at all now. They tripped the trap and "proved" this mine is unstable. Heck, they'll probably fall back to the refugee camp mentality after this. :: Even with her head still feeling like she'd just barely survived a killer party the night before, she forced herself to lie still and listen. Both voices were male, that was something... :: Voice 2: We got lucky is what I'm saying. And see this force field? It's not like Starfleet is going to forget about that. Or her! :: "Her" which likely meant Thorin was further trapped in the rubble somewhere. Or hopefully had gotten out entirely. :: Voice 1: Take a look at this. If they had a stronger reactor, this would easily hold the weight. But as it is? It's going to die out in not that long. And when it does? The rest of this area will collapse. Even if she eventually wakes up.. which from the bleeding on the back of her head seems unlikely.. oO Wait! I'm bleeding? Oo Voice 1: ... the rest of this will crush her. No mess, no fuss. Meanwhile, Blackhurst is going to be having to deal with people hearing that Starfleet can't help them. Come to think of it, having some news crews present and recording as the broken bodies come out would be a crushing blow. oO This doesn't sound like Jilor's work at all.. Oo Voice 2: Wait! I think she moved. :: Luna felt a barrel pushed up against her head. She forced herself to remain limp, despite the agony that rolled through her. A ragged moan slipping out between her lips. :: Voice 2: She's alive! We need to kill her now.. what if she tells someone! :: The voices at this point seemed to fade in the distance behind the pain. She knew they were close because she could feel the weapon.. and feel it knocked away...rocking her head back slightly and sending the world spinning. :: oO Come back here.. I'll vomit all over your legs Oo Voice 2: Ow! What was that for? You said she was going to be dead soon anyway.. I'm just making sure. Voice 1: What are you, stupid?!? If the ceiling falls on her, they may suspect sabotage.. but they can't prove it. Even if they do, it's a trap laid. but if they find any part of her missing... like from a disrupter... they are going to know someone was here.. and look around! Voice 2: :: Petulantly:: Still no reason to hit me. What if I take a rock and bash her head in then.. will that work? oO Ok.. We have a daughter. She went back into the past to save Danni. This can't be the end for me.. otherwise she'd be here. Stay calm.. Oo :: She fought back the seemingly rational voice that pointed to temporal fluctuations, the possibility of a Q showing up to bring her back later.. or a host of other increasingly unlikely scenarios. Panic wouldn't help... yet. :: Voice 1: No.. too risky. Besides.. that rock there? As soon as the force field fails.. even for a moment.. that's going to fall perfectly without us doing anything. :: His voice took on a note of concern:: In fact, let's just leave to the deeper levels now.. no sense in risking being caught. And once we hear the collapse, we can move onto the next phase of the plan. Voice 2: :: Excited:: Finally! We'll see some action. And won't they be surprised when... oO When what?!? Oo :: Luna tried to focus, but the pain from her head shifting was intense enough to send her back down into the black for a long moment.. :: James: Really? I let you leave for not even ten minutes, and you just lie down? :: Luna blearily opened her eyes, half expecting to see her wife standing there. Instead... she remained alone. :: Walker: Figment.. right.. :: She closed her eyes again:: g'night fiment.. just need a couple minutes... James: Figment am I? :: She paused for a moment:: Well maybe I am... But that doesn't change things.. you need to move! Walker: You may have noticed the rock formation on my back. I'm a miracle worker.. but even I can't move mountains. James: What? Is the mighty Luna Walker admitting she can't do something? Giving up and allowing one of her engineers to die because of a pebble or two? :: Her head really hurt.. but the words echoed in her head:: Walker: Wait. what? Pebbles? I'm not positive that there isn't light coming in from above.. James: Drama queen. you know the first level of this mine wasn't more than a dozen feet below the surface. This is the area that they'd bring inspectors down to prove safe conditions. and since we can't see light.. that means that you have at most ten feet of rock on you.. likely much less. Walker: Yay me? :: Further proof that this Danni was a figment, despite not being able to see her.. she still knew that her eyes were rolling:: James: Wow.. you are pretty dim right now. It means that if you can wriggle yourself free.. you can get loose.. and get to the force field controls. Holding all of this up might be too much... Walker: ... but reducing the area will keep it going longer. :: The half romulan was likely concussed, and she didn't want to know what condition the rest of her body was in, though "thankfully" she was still receiving pains. so there wasn't loss of sensation. But real or not, "Danni" had made her point. Lying here was simply waiting for death. It took longer than she wanted, but she managed to slowly work her arms free of the rubble without disturbing it. And by stretching as much as she could... she was just short of the controls. After a brief nap.. or passing out in reality.. she tried again. Slowly pulling her body forward until she reached the controls. Her celebration was cut short by the sound of rubble shifting behind her..and the white hot pain suddenly radiating from her lower leg. :: Walker: Don't pass out. can't pass out.. don't.. pass out.. :: The world greyed around her, everything focusing down to the controls in her hands. She kept chanting her mantra, unable to do anything more for awhile.. Finally, she managed to make the adjustments she needed. More rubble fell in front of her, but the generator no longer drained as quickly. :: Walker: Come on guys.. if there was ever a time to impress the boss.... (TBC) Lieutenant Commander Luna Walker Chief Engineer, USS Veritas I238010BW

((Captain's Quarters, USS Veritas - Around 0400 hours)) ::Sometimes, fate and the universe were truly cruel masters. Just a few months after Tristam’s Starfleet commission had been reactivated, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers saw fit to have him head off on assignment elsewhere in the Shoals--away from Veritas and away from Roshanara.:: ::It made complete logical sense of course. She’d probably have assigned him similarly if she were back on Earth looking over the Corps’ resources and seeing a components expert posted on a deep space cruiser that didn’t really offer him the same resources as say a Galaxy class ship or a starbase for research. More importantly, Tristam’s skills were vital to the Corps’ efforts (and the Federation Council’s stated commitment) to improve infrastructure throughout the Shoals.:: ::But she thought they’d have more time.:: Rahman: I know we should go to sleep, but I don’t want this night to end… ::Her voice was wistful, her head resting on his chest as they both lay in her bed staring up above. Tristam gave a quiet sigh, nuzzling against her hair.:: Core: The good news is, it’s still in the area. Rahman: Hmmph. Ketar? Karakka? Wherever they send you out here, it might as well be the Delta Quadrant. ::She turned slightly to look up towards him.:: Rahman: You know it could be months before we see each other again... Core: I’m not thrilled about it, either. But maybe it’s a good thing - professionally, I mean. Walker has everything tied down here. With everything else . . . well, I mostly fixed the com problem, remember? Rahman: True… and since that is what I presume you’ll be focussing on now for the rest of the Shoals, maybe finding a way to keep us in touch better is a pretty good incentive for you to do well. Core: Well, I’ll need numerous com tests. Veritas is equipped for that. Not my fault if the captain decided to take those calls. ::She chuckled, reaching back with her right hand to stroke his lightly-shaved beard with the back of her fingers. As she thought though of what their relationship was to become--long distance, again, and one sustained (inshallah!) by subspace calls--painful memories of her last experience with such an arrangement began to resurface.:: Rahman: Tristam, we don’t have to do this. ::He frowned a little, the hand that had been tracing small patterns on her arm now still.:: Core: I’m guessing you don’t mean halting my transfer to the outpost. ::He was trying to keep things light, fully aware of what she was trying to say, but unwilling to let it, or rather, his reaction to it, ruin a good day.:: Rahman: It’s just… I’ve been down this road before. I know how hard it can be. ::She stopped to correct herself.:: Rahman: How hard it *will* be. ::She closed her eyes as she felt them begin to water.:: Rahman: If it becomes too hard for you, I don’t want you to feel like you can’t tell me. And if there’s any doubt, then maybe it’d be best to resolve it here, now--while we’re together. Not months or even years from now when we’re divided by a screen. ::He didn't want to dismiss her concerns. He had no intention to, not after the disaster that had been his time on Rodul. But he couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t getting the whole story here. He thought about it for a few moments, hand resuming its patterns on her arm.:: Core: Is that what *you* want? ::She didn’t answer immediately. What did she want? Was she just trying to give him permission to break up with her? Or was she just too afraid of enduring a familiar pain again? Of loneliness and insecurity.:: Rahman: I want… I want you to be happy. ::She sat up a bit, propping her elbow on the bed and placing her chin now on her palm. She looked over at him as he continued to lie there, curious all-black eyes staring back.:: Rahman: I love you, Tristam. And I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re trapped or that you’ve been expected to hold up an obligation to us--to me. Especially when we’re not even married. ::She glanced down a bit, her voice quieter.:: Rahman: I don’t want you to ever become resentful because of what we decide tonight. ::He gave her a curious look, opting now to sit up with her, stealing a pillow to lean on.:: Core: I see it in that we have two options. Rahman: I’m listening. Core: We can call it quits here, if that's what you want. It's not what I want. Because I don't feel trapped. But I do have an obligation to us. And I might not completely understand your reasoning, but I respect you too much to make *you* feel like you're stuck with *me*. ::At that, her chuckle erupted into a snicker, almost an embarrassing snort.:: Core: Or, ::He said, smiling and tilting his head (perhaps a bit too far to the right by typical standards):: We stick it out. Being on Rodul was the hardest time in my life - and I say that knowing I have another two hundred years to go. I know we distanced ourselves then, and time zones were unbearable, but I regret us, or really, *me*, not telling you about what was going on. I think I can do better than that. I *know* I can do better than that. ::Roshanara sighed. The time Tristam had been away on Rodul had been hard for both of them, but she couldn’t fault him for needing to take the time to figure out what he wanted. And it had ironically been her own prodding that he finally go back and revisit his homeworld.:: ::It was more the feeling of being left out of a decision that affected both of them that had hurt her more. It was what had happened before with Javed, and what she feared would happen now, even if she were bracing for it.:: Rahman: Just… promise me one thing. ::She stuck out her right index finger and traced it along his bare chest in a similar pattern as he had been tracing on her arm earlier.:: Rahman: Just keep me in the loop about how you’re feeling as time goes by. About us. I know you don’t want us to part ways today. And maybe not tomorrow or a few months from now--or ever. But... ::She let her finger run in a spiral until she stopped it right over his heart.:: Rahman: ...anyway, let’s both be better than that. ::He smiled again, black eyes sparkling in the low lighting.:: Core: Of course, ervami. ::By now, the late hour had finally started to bear its brunt on the Kriosian, whose eyelids began to fall lower and lower. She drew closer to him and placed her head back against his now slightly upright chest.:: Rahman: Good. Mmmmmm. ::She closed her eyes, drifting towards slumber but not before whispering one final, barely audible remark.:: Rahman: ...if you ever break up with me over subspace, I’ll hunt you down, stuff you in a torpedo and shoot it into a blackhole… ::He chuckled.:: Core: It'd be a waste of a torpedo. Rahman: Shhh. Pillows don’t talk. === Lt. Cmdr. Tristam Core Components Expert, Starfleet Corps of Engineers C238803SB0 & Capt. Roshanara Rahman Commanding Officer, USS Veritas I238705TZ0

Welcome, Ensigns. Looking forward to seeing great things!

((Sky Blake’s Quarters, USS Veritas)) ::Getting into contact with Veritas had been easy when the news spread like wildfire. Rosa Carrero had been killed in an altercation involving an unknown group in the governor’s “luxury” apartment. Not only had this happened when the Veritas was away - meaning Carrero probably would have found it pointless to even try to call for help - but the assailants had completely disappeared from colonial security.:: ::So understandably, the First Officer of the Veritas had been less than happy about the entire thing. The crew’s morale had dropped considerably - the trip back to Shadow’s Edge probably hadn’t been filled with any sort of joy, and the minute Sky stepped aboard, it was like being hit with a tidal wave of grief. Because the Veritas was the only Starfleet vessel out here, and communications and letters had sketchy and delayed timing at best, the crew had long ago dealt with any potential problems and meshed well as a family - a cliche description, but nonetheless accurate. Losing one of their own had been incredibly hard on them. The fact that they’d lost their commanding officer had only made it worse.:: ::Despite the problems in communication, Starfleet had been suspiciously swift in delivering a new command verdict. And when all doors had closed, and they’d ended their duty shift, the human had begun pacing her small living area, and now he was hurtling every last curse word at Admiral sh’Hiel, some of which she’d never even heard before.:: ::Zhou Tai-Sheng had throughout his career cultivated a reputation for being laid back among those who worked with him and later under him once he became a security chief and later a first officer.:: ::But today, he didn’t hold back. His anger was raw, and it had been looking for someone to strike. First it was of course the assailants responsible for the captain’s death. But next was the governor’s security detail and then the governor himself. The latest person to find themselves in his cross-hairs was the Starfleet admiral who’d recalled Veritas back to Esperance--to receive a new commanding officer.:: Zhou: We’ve been out here for how long now, put up with how much grief trying to get what she wants done no matter how unrealistic, and now she’s just going to swap in someone else who’s never even set foot in this region? Blake: The only way Starfleet want this to go down is by the book. That way the colonies are confident that the Veritas won’t be dead-set on simply hunting down Carrero’s killers and ignoring the other priorities we have. ::She hated being the middleman, trying to be the voice of both comfort and reason when in reality, she was just as ready to start a riot as he was. But someone had to maintain as much calm to keep things together - and given that the rest of the crew were having a hard time with that, and that she generally avoided being emotionally aggressive, the role seemed to have fallen to her.:: ::The first officer turned abruptly to glare back at Sky.:: Zhou: You’re damn right we’re going to hunt down the [...]s who did this! What other priorities supersede that?! ::Every time he got louder, she only got softer. She leaned against the table, putting her glass down and clasping her hands together as she kept eye contact with him.:: Blake: Do you know what Lieutenant Sands and I did today? ::Her sudden question, seemingly out of nowhere, finally made him take a breath.:: Zhou: Really? Blake: Really. ::He huffed, letting his shoulders relax, the tension having been building for the past several minutes.:: Zhou: Fine. What? Blake: Cheshire’s Run was attacked by four people with EM pistols, intent on harming innocent bystanders going about their night. While I pulled two Romulan refugees out of the line of fire, Sands took down three armed men in the span of five minutes as well as prompted the fourth to go down. ::He should have been impressed, and on any other day, he would. But now he just put his hands up in the air in frustration.:: Zhou: So now we’re the local police? Is that it? They can’t even take care of petty crime--and this is after Elis has been supposedly training the deputies for the past two months! Blake: That’s not the point, Tai. If we weren’t there, people would have died at the hands of Starfleet weaponry. That would have been pinned on us, ancient weapons or not. And saving the lives of a handful of people, no matter how we expect it to not impact anything, is better than wasting time chasing cold leads of murders. Carrero would want you to do the right thing - and the right thing here, is to continue with the job we’ve been given. Like it or not, but until such time we get a captain, you’re in charge, and I’ll be damned if I let you send us on a witch hunt. ::Of all the people, Sky Blake was the one now reminding him of his duty. He shook his head and sighed, rubbing his forehead. She was right of course. He had a duty, and it wasn’t to avenge the captain but to take care of the crew left behind in the wake of her death.:: Zhou: Do you think the attack is in anyway related to the captain’s death? Blake: It wouldn’t have mattered. Even if she called for help, there’s no way of knowing if any one of us could have gotten there in time. Not without the Veritas transporters. Zhou: No, I mean… do you think there’s a connection between the assailants? Blake: If I thought so, you’d have been first to know. But there’s no pattern - there wasn’t even a leadup. No tell-tale signs for me to go on. ::She shook her head.:: It’s too clean. ::He curled his fingers into fists, bringing them to his temples. And then he released the tension once more, taking another breath.:: Zhou: We have to leave now if we’re to get to Esperance in time, but some part of me feels like if we go now, we may never find who did this. You and I both know how many cases go unsolved here. Their clearance rate is a joke. Blake: When Command finally pulls strings and allows us to be involved, we’ll start looking. But right now, forcing our way into this will only create tension we don’t need. ::He nodded and then finally tapped his combadge.:: Zhou: =/\= Zhou to bridge. =/\= Bridge: =/\= Yes, sir? =/\= Zhou: =/\= Set course for Esperance and proceed at best possible speed. =/\= ::There was a slight pause as no doubt everyone on the bridge realized that they really were leaving, no answers in sight.:: Bridge: =/\= ...aye, sir. =/\= ::Once the com closed, Zhou looked back at Sky.:: Zhou: We should make arrangements for a service in the meantime. ::He shook his head again, looking down.:: Zhou: We don’t even have a body… ::Not until the colony’s morgue released it anyway.:: Blake: Do you really think she’d have wanted people to stare at her corpse? ::He looked back up at her, slightly annoyed.:: Zhou: That’s not the point, Sky. Sometimes… seeing the body can help bring closure for those mourning... ::His voice trailed off though as he realized Sky of course was no stranger to death, having lost her husband.:: Zhou: ...well, you know what I mean. Blake: For the sake of avoiding tears, I’ll pretend I don’t. ::She gave a weak smile.:: But I’ll see to the arrangements. ::Seeing that sliver of vulnerability from Sky made him realize that he was being selfish. The crew needed a captain now, and whether or not he was going to remain their captain once they got to Esperance, he’d step up until then.:: Zhou: Thank you. ::He reached out to touch her arm.:: They’ll get through this. We all will, I know. It’s a good crew… I just. I can’t let myself forget how I feel right now. I’m not going to let the captain became just one more statistic. Blake: Then don’t. No one is expecting you to have a typical Vulcan calm, no one is expecting you not to care. Every step we’ve taken here has been one fight after another - there’s nothing Command can throw at us that we break down to. We just . . . need time. To recover. By the time we get to Esperance, we’re all going to be yelling. ::He nodded. And so they would mourn and recover as one. And they would find those responsible.:: ::But for now, he had a eulogy to prepare.:: TBC… Commander Zhou Tai-Sheng First Officer, USS Veritas I238705TZ0 & Lt. Cmdr. Sky Blake Strategic Operations Officer, USS Veritas C238803SB0

Hi everyone! I'm happy to announce that I'm returning to Starbase 118 after a year on leave and am in the process of going through the mandatory retraining. Since it's been a while, I thought I'd take a few minutes to reintroduce myself. So, my name's Cameron. I'm currently working as a freelance technical writer in the Denver, Colorado area. My primary character is Evan Delano, who has a background in tactical, security, and strategic ops. I've previously simmed on Tiger-A, Garuda, and Invicta. I've simmed with a lot of you in the past, but I know there are a lot of new faces as well. I'll be looking forward to writing with each.

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. Thanks for nominating it!

Thanks for nominating this. I'm flattered!