Irina Pavlova

Actually he is better armed at present. For those not up on their early 20th century British oddball firearms, its a Webley-Fosberry Automatic Revolver in .455 caliber, and it is hidden at the small of Ian's back well concealed by a tuxedo. Not sure where Zed concealed his.

Okay, I've been trying to post, but I have no clue who this Ross guy is, and why someone doesn't just shoot him already.

((Facility- Morgue level, Heralokk, Industrial District on Mercadia III)) ::It was safe to say that things were not going well. Armed men in the room outside, the power and the lights out, and their teenaged guest starting to get restless.:: Pavlova: They’re approaching the door, whatever you do, do it fast. Walker: I can get us out. But we'll have to take Kai'la with us. Leaving her here would be... oO a death sentence Oo bad.. Vahl: Obviously. Besides we've already agreed that Kai'la was an asset to this mission. Pavlova: Do it. Walker: Let's get some lights in here.. because it's gonna get dark. :: She waited a second.. then sent the command that shut down the warp core.. plunging the room into darkness. :: Kai'la: Can I go home now? ::Irina could hear the fear in the girl’s voice and immediately thought back to that fateful day, 223-years-ago when she had to putter own daughter into stasis on the badly damaged USS Columbia, not knowing if Katya would ever wake up, and if she did, if Irina would be there to see her.:: ((Flashback, Bridge USS Columbia NX-03, March 9, 2172) ::Smoke clung to the ceilings everywhere on the ship, while sparks erupted seemingly at random just about everywhere she looked. The bridge wasn’t even the hardest hit part of the ship, and with the main computer down there was no damage control readout other than for engineering, shields and weapons, which were mostly ruined.:: Moretti: Commander Lennon, Captain Treng, get as many crewmen as possible down to the surface. Transporters are offline, and with that ionic soup of an atmosphere I wouldn’t trust them even if they weren’t. ::The commodore looked around the bridge, making eye contact with Irina briefly:: : Take Irina and bring the backup weapons, you don’t know what that atmosphere will do to the modern stuff. We have oxygen for only three more hours, so I’m putting the rest of the crew into stasis. Wake me last when you’ve ferried everyone else to the surface. Lennon: Yes commodore. ::the XO turned to Irina:: : You heard him lieutenant, gear up and meet me in the shuttle bay loaded for bear. Pavlova: My daughter, I… Lennon: Go, check on her. Shuttle leaves in 20 minutes, so long as you are armed and seated in 18 minutes I don’t care how you use the other sixteen. Pavlova: Thank you sir. ::With that Irina didn’t bother summoning the broken lift and with her uninjured right arm forced open the Jeffries tube hatch and practically slid down the ladder until she reached her deck. In barely three minutes she was at the sickbay with her two-year-old daughter held tightly in her injured left arm.:: ((Sickbay USS Columbia NX-03)) Pavlova: Grace, take her. I’ve been ordered to the surface. Solis: Hear, give her to me. ::The toddler clasped her arms around her mother’s neck tightly and started to cry, but Irina pushed her away and into the chief medical officer’s arms.:: Pavlova: The commodore’s ordered everyone into stasis. Solis: I know. There should be enough tubes, but lets put your Printzyessa here in first. ::Both women held the screaming toddler and carried her over to the nearest cryotube, but the girl screamed louder the closer she got until Irina finally took her back into her arms and held her tightly.:: Pavlova: Can you do something? ::Lieutenant Commander Grace Solis took the hint, and seconds later returned with a small hypo and injected it into the girl’s neck. Within seconds the screaming stopped and the child grew very groggy.:: Pavlova::Softly:: : Its just a short nap Printzyessa, mommy will be here when you wake up. Katya: I’m scared. Pavlova: Me too, but I won’t let anything happen to you. I love you. Katya: I love you too. ::The last word was barely a whisper as Katya drifted to unconsciousness and Irina just stood there holding her, crying.:: Solis: We’re out of time Irina, put her in the tube. ::Irina just stood there, almost paralyzed as the tears streamed down her cheeks and into Katya’s dress. Finally she felt the gentle push of her friend and doctor’s hand and followed her lead, approaching the tube and gently setting Katya inside, then kissing her lovingly on her forehead.:: Pavlova: Watch out for her Grace, if I don’t come back, watch out for her. Solis: I won’t leave her side until you come for her, and if you don’t, I’ll raise her as my own. ::Irina wrapped her arms around the decade older Mexican woman and held her tightly.:: Pavlova::Whispering:: : Thank you. Solis: Now go protect the away team, and then come back for us. ((End Flashback)) Pavlova: Not yet Printzyessa. ::Irina watched as Kai’la sank a bit lower with a look of fear and sadness that she knew all too well. She approached, apprehensive because it was clear that the girl found her threatening, but her maternal instincts took over and she couldn’t help herself.:: Kai'la: So how are we getting out of here? Pavlova::In as soothing a voice as she could muster:: : Luna has some very modern machines that can move us. I wish I could tell you how they work, but honestly I don’t really understand it too well myself. I trust her though, she will get us out. Kai'la: What can I do to help? Pavlova: For now, just stay behind me and I’ll protect us long enough for Luna to do her thing. I won’t let any harm come to you, I promise. Kai’la: Response? Pavlova: Those men outside? No, I didn’t hurt them. Its a special gun that just knocks people unconscious for an hour or so. I promise, they’ll all wake perfectly fine, if a bit confused about what happened. Kai’la: Response? Pavlova: in a louder voice :: : How about that exit plan Luna? Walker: Response? TBC Major Irina Pavlova Chief of Marines USS Excalibur-A

My dirty mind went all the wrong places when I read that. Those words were carefully considered. He may be older, but he'll always be James Bond.

Most warrants and NCOs once they hit E-8.

Haha. Right there in the job description. It is, right under minimum education requirements, ability to lift at least 50 lbs over one's head and passing a physical.

T'Pol, definitely.

Meyer, definitely. LOVED Star Trek VI.

As a college instructor, I can say that I know (and have used myself!) this face. Great description! Haven't we all.

Many thanks to CPT Manno for administering the Challenge, and like others have expressed, I am very sorry to see it go.

Congratulations to the winner and runner, both excellent entries indeed. Also, a big thanks to all of the judges and participants. I've really enjoyed participating in the Writing Challenge, and have learned a lot about character development, style and structure from the many excellent judges and my fellow contributors. I am very sad to see the contest going away and will miss it greatly, but of course the stories of these characters should continue for a long time to come.

Yup.

You're killing us.

Good luck to all who submitted!

Minor typo on the grave marker. Death date should be 2256, not 2156. Dimitri was 112, not 12 when he died. Sorry, the system won't let me edit.

Liked this topic so much I just had to write another one. Same characters, same story, different perspective.

Stargazer The woman and the little girl stood in silence as the snow blew all around them. The girl was bundled from head-to-toe and looked more like a bright blue marshmallow than a human being. The woman on the other hand could have fit any era in this place wearing as she was a grey wool long coat with an upturned fur collar, tall black leather boots and thin leather gloves. Her light brown hair was capped with a traditional Russian fur hat. The two of them just stood there looking down at the old grave marker. Dimitri Popov Born October 10, 2144 Died March 7, 2156 Stargazer The stone was old now, worn and weathered by 150 harsh Russian winters, but the words could still be read. That one word told the man’s story. Stargazer, it was who and what Dimitri was, on all levels, and in all ways. The story began centuries ago in a humble mid-20th century Soviet-era apartment building that 100 years after construction remained as working-class accommodations for ordinary Russian families who couldn’t afford the nicer parts of St. Petersburg, but weren’t so poor as to live in the slums. The building was clean, spacious and while old, had a certain charm. In addition to it, specifically apartment 212 being the boyhood home of Dimitri Popov, it, as in apartment 209, was the home of Irina Pavlova, four-months-older than Dimitri, and the very same woman who would, 247 years later, stand out in the blowing snow holding her daughter’s hand looking down at Dimitri’s grave. Dimitri and Irina, Irina and Dimitri. The pair were inseparable for the first 22 years of their lives. They did everything together, from Dimitri staying in the care of Irina’s Aunt every day while both sets of parents went to work, to being in the same classes at the same schools and even playing on the same sports teams. Irina was always the star athlete, captain of the football (soccer) team, ballet, swimming, every sport she touched, she dominated. Dimitri was nowhere near her league and usually played third string if not just warming the bench, but they were still closer than siblings. Neither one of them dated, as somehow they just knew that they would always be together. They graduated from high school together, and even joined the Marines together, though as with sports before, Irina was always on a whole other level when it came to fitness and military skills. From the first time on the shooting range even the drill sergeants knew they were in the presence of greatness, and somehow, Dimitri was always there at her side. They went to Recon Sniper school as a team, she the shooter and he the support, carrying the tripod, ammunition and spotting her shots, though never needing to call position as she simply never missed. It was only when the newly formed Starfleet launched the first of its ambitious five-year-missions that finally separated Dimitri and Irina, with Commodore Moretti asking for Irina’s assignment as his armory officer by name; unheard of for a brand new officer, especially a marine. Strings were pulled, arrangements made, and Irina Pavlova became the only marine assigned to USS Columbia, NX-03. The night before she left, she told him she loved him. He proposed, and they spent their first night together as lovers, and their last night together period. That morning she made him promise to wait, to which he replied that five years was nothing, that he would one hundred. Stargazer. Every night after Columbia set sail Dimitri looked up into the stars. He bought and later built greater and greater telescopes, hoping to see the same stars Irina was visiting. He learned of the birth of their daughter nine months after Columbia’s departure, and a year later when he mustered out of the Marines, he took a job at the most desolate outpost in Antarctica because it had the clearest skies and Earth’s best observatory. He started as just a janitor, but eventually became recognized by the scientists for his knowledge of astronomy and was elevated to lab assistant and eventually staff astronomer. Three years into Columbia’s mission the ship was listed as missing in action, but Dimitri knew that the love of his life and the daughter he had never met were still out there, and he kept looking for them. A year later the ship was listed as missing, presumed lost with all hands, but Dimitri never gave up hope. He knew that if he just looked hard enough, somehow he would find them despite the knowledge that the light he was looking at was millions, if not billions of years old. He knew one day he would be notified of her return, pack his bags and return to Russia to be reunited with his love. They would share stories of the many worlds she had visited in person, and he, the Stargazer, had seen through the great observatory telescope. He died waiting for that call, always gazing at the stars. Of course Irina thought about him constantly at first. She learned of her pregnancy a few weeks into Columbia’s voyage, and wrote to him constantly those first three years. When the Columbia was attacked by three smaller, though more powerful ships and barely escaped in one piece, the writing stopped and the missing in action report went out. Columbia did in fact survive, traveled tremendous distances through what is now known as the Aurix II wormhole and emerged on the other side with failed life support and one damaged and one obliterated warp nacelle, though through blind luck a fully functioning warp drive. With no life support, the USS Columbia took up a stable orbit around the only remotely habitable planet within their 72 hour travel range, the second planet of an unidentified system now known as Kjenta. Kjenta II was a post-apocalyptic wasteland with extremely high gravity, harsh weather and an atmosphere impenetrable by scanners and worse yet, it drained all electricity from anything that passed through it. Columbia’s first evacuation wave crashed rather than landed on Kjenta II, and the rest of the survivors including young Katya Pavlova were put into cryogenic stasis before the breathable oxygen was entirely consumed. Irina’s story didn’t end, and every night she would look up at the night sky and think of Dimitri back home, at first hoping he kept his promise, and later praying he had not. Kjenta II, harsh as it was, had a strange type of solar radiation that prevented organic cellular decay. Much like the metaphysic radiation found on the planet Ba’ku, the multi-phasic radiation of the Kjenta star rejuvenated all life on the planet’s barren surface. Irina stayed on that miserable rock for 219 years because her eventual rescue. At the end of those 219 years she had long since lost all hope that Dimitri was still alive, but she still had hope. Hope that their daughter was somehow still alive in stasis on the Columbia, and perhaps even more than that, hope that Dimitri had not kept his promise, that he had not waited. “Why are you crying mommy?” the little blue marshmallow girl asked her mother. “Stargazer” Irina replied. “What does that mean?” Katya persisted. “It means that he liked to look at the stars.” “I like looking at stars too” Katya replied proudly. “Even when I’m gone, if you look up at the stars, you’ll know I’m looking at them too.” “Did that man look for you?” “He looked for both of us. All his life he looked up at the stars, waiting for us to come back to him.” Even at age 6, Katya understood how long they were away. She knew the story well, had read her mother’s diaries and saw the pictures of her and Dimitri together. “Do you still love him?” she asked, strangely sounding far older than her age. “I’ll always love your father Printzyess, and I’ll always love you.” “So why didn't you stay with him if you loved him?” “I was so eager to explore the stars, and he had always been at my side. I knew he would wait for me. I made him promise to wait for me. “What did he say?” “He said “Five years is nothing, I’ll wait 100 years for you. And every night I’ll look at the stars and know that you are looking at the same stars as I am.” “Did he wait 100 years?” “Almost. He died before the time was up. He never broke his promise, a promise I should never have asked him to make.” The woman and the girl just stood there for almost an hour despite the setting sun and the blowing snow. After a while the stars came out in the night sky and Irina squeezed katya’s hand. “Come Printzyessa, its time to go.” “Are you still waiting for him mommy?” Irina looked up at the stars briefly as another tear slid down her cheek. “I’m finished waiting Printzyessa. I ruined his life, I won’t ruin what’s left of yours and mine.” They stood and looked up for another moment, then both turned and walked back toward the waiting shuttle. Major Irina Pavlova Chief Tactical Officer Duronis II Embassy / USS Thunder A

Out There July 20, 2169 Dimitri was a very happy man. He woke up more content than ever. He and Irina had been friends as long as he could remember, which made sense as they were born only 4 months apart and lived right next door to one another all their lives. This morning was different though, for after 23 years of sharing everything from babysitters and playpens, the barracks at Marine Corps Officer Candidate School and everything in between, the one thing they had never shared was a bed. Dimitri had been in love with Irina ever since the first hints of puberty hit, but he had never said or done anything out of fear of losing the girl who was as more of a sister than his real sister was. Irina likely felt the same, as she never hinted at any romantic interest even though she didn’t date much. She was also always locked away in her apartment practicing that violin of hers. It was only the sudden attack by the Romulans that ended her plans for a life of music and found both of them joining the marines together to defend their planet. Even through four years at the academy and the end to the Earth-Romulan war the two had remained the strongest of friends, but neither had had the courage to move things to the next level. It was only when Irina was selected for the USS Columbia and her five-year-mission that she had finally told him how she really felt. Of course Dimitri hated the fact that she had been in love with him all of those years that he had been in love with her, and neither had said or done anything about it. But now, on the morning she was set to depart with the Columbia for parts uncharted, he woke up with a smile, not to mention her face nuzzled on his naked chest. It had been a long and wonderful night, far better than he had ever imagined it could be. November 18, 2169 Dimitri had moved mountains, or at least starships, freighters, lots of red tape and even the Vulcan high command to make this possible. The string of relays was extremely complex. The powerful Luna base transmitter’s signal was the longest-ranged system available to Earth, but Columbia was so far out that the signal needed to relay off the Centauri gateway station, a Bolian freighter, Columbia’s sister ship Enterprise and even a Vulcan battleship to finally reach the USS Columbia’s communications range. It was worth the effort, however, and Dimitri would have even reached out to the hostile Klingons and their vanquished Romulan adversaries if necessary after learning in her last letter that Irina was pregnant with their child. Two more letters back and forth, one for him to propose and the other for her to accept and the plan was in motion. It wasn’t a legal ceremony, but that didn’t stop him. Both the communications room on the Columbia and the one at Luna base were decorated for a traditional Russian wedding or at least a miniature version thereof. The Russian Orthodox chaplain was standing just behind him and both sets of parents were all crammed into the tiny communications hub. It was only the physical placement of the ring and final kiss that stood in the way of the ceremony’s legality as both had digitally signed all of the required documents. It would be good enough for now. Columbia was due to rendezvous with a Vulcan ship for crew rotation, and the now 4-months-pregnant Irina was at the top of the list of reassignment. They could make it legal then, but at least in the eyes of god and their family, baby Katya would be born inside of wedlock. “The link is established Lieutenant” Luna’s communications tech announced and immediately everyone moved into their respective places. May 7, 2172 Dimitri read the headline again. He just couldn’t believe it. Hadn’t the Romulans surrendered over a decade ago? He didn’t care if this meant a return to war, he just focused on the single word “Columbia”. Irina was supposed to be transferred off that ship two-years-ago, but the rendezvous with the Vulcan ship never happened and the decision was made to not make another crew rotation attempt. Katya was born on a starship and was probably talking by now, or would be if the Columbia was not lost with all hands after an attack by three unidentified vessels that everyone knew were Romulan. Dimitri just didn’t believe it. There had to be something else going on. Were they on some sort of secret mission? Had they found something that fleet didn’t want public? He just could not accept that his wife and the daughter he had never met were dead. It was not possible. He’d already closed escrow on the little house outside of St. Petersburg and had put in his separation papers to take effect immediately on expiration of his service obligation in late August. November 18, 2199 As the sun went down Dimitri lit two candles in the window as he did every year on the anniversary of his wedding, and again every year on Katya’s birthday. It was the same routine these last thirty years. Light the candles, pour a very tall and strong drink and then sit out on the porch and look up at the stars until he either fell asleep or the sun came up and overpowered the stars. He knew she was still out there somewhere. No debris had ever been recovered, no acknowledgment of any attack by the Romulans or the Klingons, and never a detailed report from Earth Defense or later Starfleet. Dimitri had never married, never moved from the little house outside of St. Petersburg, and never stopped waiting for the love of his life to return home. He took and left jobs, stayed in touch with Irina’s family, but every night he cried himself to sleep and woke every morning to an empty bed and an empty soul. March 10, 2274 Irina’s grand-nephew Igor stood at the head of Dimitri’s grave as he read the eulogy. Most of it was the usual stuff, descriptions of his accomplishments, his education, his record in the Romulan war and his decades of service at the observatory. It was only when he got to the last sentence that his voice broke. “Dimitri is survived by his wife Irina and daughter Katya, who are out there, somewhere in the endless nothing of space.” Major Irina Pavlova Chief Tactical Officer Duronis II Embassy / USS Thunder A

Oooooooooooh, I've got this one. Its been hinted at in RP a few times.

Congrats to the winners, some really great writing this yime around.

Or as I thought, both.

Until last week I was worried I'd be both first and last place.

Until last week I was worried I'd be both first and last place.

And to think, until last week it looked liked as though I was set to come in both first and last place.

That is some great writing.