[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

Quote

::Traenor looked to Paku for an explanation.::

Paku: ::wide-eyed, deadpan:: We’re all going to die.

 

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

Lt Blackwell:: Plants Versus Zombies

I loved this title!

::With Sindri covering the right, Teryn turned towards the shrieking, diminutive Janet, hesitating. A pity, really; a Queen deserved a more dignified death. Poison or an assassin’s dagger would have been much more polite - but then, it was never polite to kill your host. It went against the most basic laws of hospitality.::

A very illuminating insight into the way Vehk's mind works.

::I think beyond my world. There was a phrase to make the blood run cold and cause the heartrate to drop below 400 beats per minute.::

Vulcans <3

[Graduating Class of 239411.20]

Congratulations and welcome!

Just wanted to say - Gogigobo Fairhug is the best name ever

[Poll of the Week: "Canon" Fire]

My answer was "it depends", because it varies depending on the medium.

In roleplaying, it's important to have an established canon; while discrepancies can be overcome by using a "Yes, And" mentality, it can sometimes be annoying to have something pre-emptively contradicted! But I think a spirit of collaboration is by and large more important than getting every detail right, and at the end of the day, it's roleplay, not rolepedantry, so Rule of Cool can sometimes apply.

In terms of series, well... this might be an unpopular answer but I actually see canon as fluid. That doesn't mean I think resources like Memory Alpha are pointless or that adhering to canon is wrong. I just think Star Trek needs to be conceived of in the manner of Arthurian legend or Greek Myth, rather than as one linear story that can't contradict itself - because it does contradict itself, frequently! Even things as simple as the colour of Klingon blood or as fundamental as the way time travel works have been dealt with differently between different series.

In the same way, Arthurian legend disagrees with itself on aspects such as the name of Arthur's sword, his personality, and even the events in his life (the quest for the Grail, for example, doesn't appear until the 12th Century, but the legend is thought to have been around since the 5th or 6th) - but it's still a powerful story that isn't weakened by varying interpretations.

And that's why I don't hate Discovery. Die mad about it, haters.

[Poll of the Week: Self Defense in Starfleet]

T'Reshik is still waiting for the higher-ups to grant her request to add a small phaser turret to her wheelchair. She probably wouldn't hesitate to run over someone's face if it came to it, and has surprisingly good upper-body and hand strength.

Partly because of her disability, she wouldn't go on the offensive unless she absolutely had to, but if she had to, she'd absolutely fight dirty.

[[sb118-constitution] JP by Choi, T’Reshik and Saveron: River of Dreams (parts 1-3)]

JP by Choi, T’Reshik and Saveron: River of Dreams - Part 1

“In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To a river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross” ~ Billy Joel, River of Dreams

(( Vulcan - Sutek Monastery ))

::Thunder rumbled distantly over the Voroth Sea, little more than a murmur by the time it reached the shore. The Sutek monastery had stood for a millennium, an airy structure, with a number of arches and plateaus open to the wind and the salt spray of the ocean below below as it dashed against the crags.::

::Ji-hu watched lightning skein across the dark purple sky on the horizon, sitting on the highest plateau, his knees pulled up to his chest. He couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there. He’d been in San Francisco a moment before… or was it the San Francisco district on Starbase 118? He kept blinking, hoping the images of the Vulcan man hemmoraghing before his eyes would go away.::

::A monarch butterfly flew by.::

Choi: Can anyone hear me?!

::Light footsteps sounded behind him. Between two pillars came the glimpse of a dark-haired child in blue robes before she disappeared again, her footfalls echoing into the distance.::

::Ji-hu sat up and turned towards the sound. The child was familiar, he wanted to follow her.::

Choi: T’Reshik, is that you?

:: Rows upon rows of tiny zeroes and ones flashed under his feet with the distant lightning, bright beneath the stone for a moment before disappearing. The Vulcan child slipped into view again, a small, determined-looking girl with a stack of papers in her arms that looked almost too bulky for her to carry. Then she turned and ran, dropping sheets of paper in her wake that turned into butterflies and skittered toward the sea before Choi had a chance to read them. ::

Tirak: They are moving toward the storm.

Choi: ::spinning around:: Wait… I… know you?

:: Sutek’s lab assistant caught one in his hand, and it lingered there for a moment before fluttering on its way again. He was a tall, graceful-looking man, with an auburn tint to his hair that was uncommon in Vulcans of T’Reshik’s ethnicity.::

Tirak: You humans call them “moths”, do you not?

Choi: Butterfly. Danaus plexippus. Monarch. Notable for their annual southward late-summer or autumn migration from northern and central United States and southern Canada to... Florida and... Mexico.

::Ji-hu blinked again, not sure why he was spouting off scientific facts. Didn’t he have better things to do? He should get out of the monastery, get back to… wherever he had been…::

Choi: Do you know where that little girl went? It’s like she’s… hiding from me or something.

Tirak: Interesting. I do not believe it is you she is hiding from. Most likely she does not realize she is hiding at all.

Choi: I should look for her. Can you give me directions to the lab?

::Why he had to go to the lab he couldn’t say, but he had a problem he’d find her there, or maybe some answers.::

Tirak: Unlikely, but deductive reasoning would suggest that moving in the opposite direction to the butterflies will lead you there, if that is where she is headed.

Choi: That is logical… ::Was it?:: Thank you. Are you… going to be okay?

Tirak: Negative. I have been dead for some time now.

Choi: Of… course. I’m so sorry.

::Ji-hu’s hand formed the ta'al, though it felt a perverse symbol given what he knew about Tirak, somewhere deep inside of him. What would happen to the man, or what had already happened. He turned and began down the steps of the monastery, monarch’s passing by in the opposite direction as they danced up the winding staircase, on their way out of the monastery. Flying out to sea. Hopefully they would land somewhere and reproduce so their children could carry on the journey.::

::The sky seemed to progressively darken as Choi descended, not only a result of the approaching storm or the surrounding walls but also of the strange architectural shifts that seemed to happen in dreams. Ancient bricks became ancient cliffsides, then twisted arcs of metal, with butterflies dancing ever upward through the gaps into the distant grey clouds. The sight that greeted him at the bottom was darkly familiar.::

::It was the ESPO, and yet it wasn’t; piles of paper and ancient scrolls had been stacked up at one end, as if forming a flimsy sort of barricade; the consoles around him glowed with unfamiliar colour, bled out into arteries of wire leading to ancient machinery, almost biological in its construction. The girl was standing at the opposite end. She looked to be between nine and eleven years old, but the cast of her face and the determination in her eyes was unmistakable - he was looking at T’Reshik. ::

Choi: T’hy’la? What are you doing?

T’Reshik: You should not be here. ::She looked at the parchment barricade behind her.:: I tried to keep it out. This hurricane will not lose traction when it hits land, and we are too close to the shore.

Choi: What’s… what is it?

::The child-T’Reshik moved to a console, pulled out a wire; blood the colour of emeralds flowed from the empty port, trickling onto the floor in unsettling quantity, staining the girl’s bare feet. She replaced the plug elsewhere, ignoring the bleeding. A low rumbling, the sound of thunder, or wind hitting stone, sent shivers through the building.::

T’Reshik: This? A solution. Ultimately fruitless, but it kept the wolf from the door for a few years. ::She looked at him, her eyes chilling and empty.:: That is the phrase, is it not? The wolf from the door? These new memories are… chaotic.

Choi: Memories? Is that what these are? Last I remember I was… sick… something bad had happened, someone was hurt… Do you know what I’m talking about? I… can’t remember...

::The great stone structure creaked. Papers fluttered to the ground, shrunk and grew wings. Butterflies tried to emerge, but faltered in their flight, weighed down by the thin layer of green blood they were now soaked in.::

T’Reshik: I do not know you. I suspect it is a shame that you must die here. So many have died to this. ::She moved to the next console, grabbing a sheaf of papers and stuffing them into a recess, and blood seeped out from around them, the air smelling of sweet verdigris now, organic and damp.::

::Ji-hu felt queasy from the copper tang in the air, the way the butterflies flapped, caught in the blood. He reached down and scooped one up, the warm blood sticking to his hand, but the monarch came away easy enough, wings twitching, attempting to dry.::

Choi: ::to himself:: I can at least protect you.

T’Reshik: Do you hear that? The oceans on this part of Vulcan are turbulent. The hurricanes can last for days. Perhaps you might find it beautiful. ::She looked up as a crash sounded and the whole building shook.:: It is destroying the monastery. I expected as much.

Choi: ::cupping the monarch in his hand:: What is it? Can we save the monastery? Can we get away?

T’Reshik: It is in here too. ::The wind kicked up around her feet, battering at the bloodsoaked hem of her robe, the discarded papers, the remaining butterflies on the ground. The air seemed to become warmer.:: It always was.

::There was a chilling kind of maturity to the way she enunciated those words. The air picked up further, buffeting at Choi’s form.::

Choi: T’Reshik… you need to help me… I need to get out of here I was...

???: T’hy’la!

::A patter of feet, heavier, and fast. T’Reshik appeared in the doorway - not a child, this time, but an adult, wearing the same lab coat he had seen her in during their mind meld.::

::Ji-hu blinked, as the storm began to wrench apart the laboratory, the winds seemed to muddle his mind. They were chilling, but he felt too hot. His mind was muddled, he could barely think.::

Choi: If you’re… but...

T’Reshik-2: That is not me. Come with me, now.

::She reached out her hand.::

::Ji-hu recoiled away. If he uncupped his hand the butterfly would get torn away by the howling wind as it continued to tear apart the structures around them before it could fly again.::

Choi: No… I’m not g-g-going with you! You… you did something...

::T’Reshik began to physically drag him, and it seemed as if the ground crumbled away behind him at every step. Girders creaked and bricks fell at either side of the staircase, and the wind howled far above.::

Choi: ::shouting:: Help me, I’m so scared, t’hy’la… I feel so lost… Where are we? Are these memories?

T’Reshik-2: ::shouting over the sound:: Unsure. Some kind of shared hallucination. The last I recall, I was about to mind-meld with you. Did that occur?

::Bright green butterflies the colour of blood flooded up around them as they ascended.::

Choi: Mind… meld… yes… we merged, I could remember… too much…

T’Reshik: Ji-hu, this is important. Can you remember anything about what followed? ::prompting:: We were in sickbay, we were initiating a mind meld, and then...

Choi: And then…

::They were in the surgery, but it was more Vulcan in design than anything in Starfleet, parts of the wall were exposed and beyond they could see a hurricane cycling around them, the blazing hot sun of Vulcan cutting through the tendrils of storm.::

::Wyn stood over the operating table, though he was far away, somehow, he wasn’t coming through. T’Reshik lay there, only they were operating on the T’Reshik that had watched her husband die, they could both tell instinctually. Ji-hu was there as well, though he seemed to burn with darkness.::

Foster: ... not ready... withdrawing the probe…

::The other Ji-hu reached a dark, blazing hand out, which found the console.::

Choi: No… no!

::He reached out his hand to stop him, and as he feared the butterfly was whipped away. The room seemed to twist and scream around them, metal screeching against metal, stone grinding against stone. Ji-hu and T’Reshik were cocooned in the structure, obscuring the scene without, protecting them from the storm.::

::Ji-hu glanced down at his hands. They were quite literally covered in warm, oxidizing greenish blood.::

Choi: I… killed you… Wyn wanted to s-s-stop and I…

T’Reshik: ::abruptly:: No. I remember now. That was my influence. You are not to blame.

Choi: No… you don’t understand. I wanted to keep going. It wasn’t just you. I could have stopped but I… wanted to… and now you’re dead… all that’s left is your… katra… I killed you...

::T’Reshik’s eyes widened a little, as if in realization. She spoke rapidly.::

T’Reshik: Choi. If this is true, and I am dead, you need to listen to me, and you need to focus. Something is wrong here. I cannot yet ascertain-

::Ji-hu pushed her away and the cocoon separated them, pushing her out and pulling him in deeper and darker. It was quieter here, calmer.::

Choi: Computer, begin encryption process for a three-tiered firewall security system. I don’t want anyone getting in or out.

Computer: Acknowledged.

::Outside, T’Reshik was joined with the Choi who burned darkly. He smiled at her and took her hand in his own.::

Choi: We make a much more logical pair, wouldn’t you say t’hy’la?

::T’Reshik spun round as the storm battered at her lab coat, jerking her hand out of his. It had seemed natural to offer Choi her hand earlier, despite the intimacy of the gesture - like siblings huddling close against the cold - but the version who had taken it now sent warning tingles up the back of her neck, or the memory of it. If T’Reshik was dead now, it was reasonable to assume that she no longer had a physical form, and that quiet realization felt less important than the idea that her katra was actively endangering its host somehow.::

::It was reasonable also to assume that this dark-burning Choi who seemed to wholly lack the… the humanity of the original was an extension of that problem.::

T’Reshik: What are you?

Choi: I’m Lieutenant Choi Ji-hu, the better parts, anyway. The ambition, the cunning, the intellect. The parts you saw a reflection of yourself in, I’d guess.

::T’Reshik flared her nostrils disapprovingly.::

T’Reshik: I always knew psychoanalysis was a pointless discipline.

::She closed her eyes, attempting to assert some order on the situation; felt the raging torrent of their clashing minds resist, and pushed further. The ground cracked. Walls formed, then were swept away into the whirling chaos; wires unfurled from beneath her feet and spread into the distance, heralded by streaming lines of bright code, and one by one the hurricane tore them up again and dragged them into the distance.::

Choi: ::smiling:: Perhaps you might find it beautiful.

T’Reshik: I am not impressed by you. On the contrary. Now that I have a vague idea of what you are, this should make my task easier.

Choi: There is no task, t’hy’la, there’s no problem to be solved. We were working for the same purpose. To survive and overcome. If that means killing the weaker part of myself… what are you doing?

::T’Reshik turned back to the twisted stone-and-metal cocoon, and started to wrench one of the girders from the outside, her muscles straining implausibly from the exertion - how could one ache in a body that was not there?::

Choi: Why are you hurting yourself to get at… ::motioning at the cocoon:: … that. I’m right here.

T’Reshik: ::straining:: If I am forced to guess, you are some kind of subconscious manifestation of negative emotion, possibly fear. Given that mine is conveniently elsewhere, subduing you should present no difficulty.

Choi: ::amused:: Subduing me. I guess I should know that about you by now. You have a hard time admitting when it’s time to give up.

::She tore the metal away and swung at him.::

::Choi ducked once, then again, bringing his hand up to stop the jagged metal bit.::

Choi: Huh, I’m much better at hand-to-hand without pesky anxiety getting in the way. Though I don’t know why you’re fighting me, t’hy’la. We should be embracing. Oh well...

::The ground shuddered and parted, and she was thrown sideways, her hands scrabbling to keep herself away from the the edge of what was now a deep precipice, nothing visible beyond but the raging sandstorm which smelt of blood. The weapon tumbled out of her grip and fell away.::

Choi: You can’t fix this, there’s no solution. It’s a decision I’ve made myself.

T’Reshik: ::picking herself up:: No. There is always a solution.

::She gave the not-Choi one last, determined look, and ran for the edge.::

TBC

“And even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore
And try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find out what I've been looking for” ~ Billy Joel, River of Dreams

A JP by

Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu
Engineering Officer
USS Constitution-B
C239402CJ0

And

Commander Saveron
Acting First Officer
USS Constitution B
R238802S10

And

Lt (JG) T'Reshik
Science
USS Constitution
D239311T10

 

 

JP by Choi, T’Reshik and Saveron: River of Dreams - Part 2

“In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
And I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I would never lose
Something somebody stole” ~ Billy Joel, River of Dreams

(( Mindscape - unknown ))

T’Reshik: ::picking herself up:: No. There is always a solution.

::She gave the not-Choi one last, determined look, and ran for the edge.::

Choi: Computer, activate program Choi-88.

::The mindscape began to reconstitute itself, metal fragments and stone whipping about in the storm to reform a new space. An amalgam of monastery, laboratory and starship. Choi-88 was a starship bridge simulation. T’Reshik was placed on a ship that was half-Suurok class, half temple, while Choi remained behind on an obsidian black Galaxy-class vessel. He ran his hand over the cocoon, which sat at the centre of the vessel’s.::

Choi: Shields up, red alert.

::T’Reshik stared at her surroundings with disbelief. Something itched at the back of her mind, but she ignored it. What did this… this whatever it was gain by trying to engage her in a simulation? And why did it seem to have so much control? Was she going to have to start trying to think on some kind of symbolic level in order to correct the situation?::

T’Reshik: Computer. Hail enemy vessel.

Choi: =/\= Go ahead, t’hy’la. =/\=

T’Reshik: =/\= What do you want? =/\=

Choi: =/\= I want you to play a game with me! I do love my starship simulators. Although I’m not sure if I’m the computer core, or the captain of this vessel. Why don’t you fire on me and find out? =/\=

T’Reshik: =/\= I will not ‘play your game’ and I refuse to become complicit in harming my friend. Computer, initiate self-destruct-=/\=

Saveron: =/\= Belay that, T’Reshik. =/\=

::The bland voice sounded over the comms as a tiny blip appeared on the sensors, racing impossibly fast towards the confrontation. Vastly smaller than either combative ship, on visual ther vessel featured a crescent-shaped head and rotating drive in the tail, the [...]pit big enough for just one person. It left a streak of green plasma across space, like a comet:: 

::Everything of course, was an overlay. A mind’s way to interpreting what was going on underneath, like a dream. But this one was in the control of one part of one mind. Saveron had fought other minds across the shifting sands of Vulcan, but this time he was playing by someone else’s rules. ‘Seated’ in the [...]pit of a simulacrum of the fastest ship ever to come out of the Vulcan Science Academy, he found himself ‘dressed’ in full robes and deep desert suit, the usual manifestation of the mental protection he maintained when accessing the mind of another.::

::A dark aura flickered around Choi’s ship, menacing in a way only diseased thought processes could be. And he’d seen something similar before.::

Choi: =/\= Identify yourself, unmarked vessel. =/\=

Saveron: =/\= This is Commander Saveron. Lieutenants, stand down. =/\=

::Not that he expected the order to be obeyed, but the possibility warranted the attempt.::

::T’Reshik almost experienced relief. She sat back in her chair, letting out a long breath. So that was the source of the odd feeling - another mind, one she had in fact encountered before, and perhaps the very person who could help.::

T’Reshik: =/\= Your presence is fortunate, Commander. What is your assessment of the situation? =/\=

Saveron: =/\= It is a pathological personality; such cannot be permitted to return to consciousness. =/\= 

::The tiny ship zipped between the two larger ones, jinking and weaving with agility afforded by it’s size the very latest inertial dampeners.::

Choi: =/\= Commander, this matter does not involve you. If you don’t turn back I’ll be forced to fire on you. =/\= 

::The obsidian vessel shimmered menacingly, as if the very thought of opening fire gave it pleasure.::

Saveron: =/\= Incorrect. You will choose to fire on me, and bear the consequences of that choice. =/\=

T’Reshik: =/\= Commander Saveron, recommend we avoid engagement with the enemy if possible. He has - =/\= ::a pause. Then, with some disbelief; :: =/\= The real Lieutenant Choi is aboard there with him. =/\=

::Saveron believed it. He’d seen it before. Commander Ross’s personality, bound and gagged, by the pathological implant who, in that mindscape, had shifted from Ross’s face to his own.::

Choi: =/\= As I explained to T’Reshik, I’ve made my choice. I’ve lived two lifetimes and seen what I needed to. We are of one mind on the matter, a sacrifice in the name of discovery is worth it. T’Reshik has been able to proceed with her life, blood on her hands, and I will do the same… with her help. =/\=

:: T’Reshik gritted her teeth as her hands began to seep with a thin coating of green blood. Why did this mindscape have to be so literal? It was getting difficult to maintain her grip on the piloting controls.::

::There was no real point in engaging in argument with ‘Choi’. He wasn’t interested in discussion, only his own ends. From his words it sounded as though Choi’s stifled curiosity and perhaps his self-loathing over his lack of confidence had combined with T’Reshik’s stubornness and lack of principles to create a gestalt that was almost whole. It’s dissolution could benefit both parties.::

Saveron: =/\= T’Reshik will find it difficult to assist you if you destroy her. =/\= ::He pointed out.::

T’Reshik: =/\= I have no intention of assisting it. Recommend that you prioritise Lieutenant Choi’s mental wellbeing over retrieval of my katra. If my consciousness needs to be purged for him to survive, so be it. =/\=

Choi: ::to himself:: All that remains is to rid myself of this weaker portion… but it will not simply do to jettison it into space… no...

::The little ship, a replica of a single-purpose vessel known as the ‘Jellyfish’’, wheeled in an impossibly tight turn and came back for another pass between the two ships.::

T’Reshik: =/\= Computer, engage shield. Lieutenant Choi, stand down.=/\=

Choi: =/\= Open fire on unidentified Vulcan vessel.  Do your worst, Commander. You’ll be doing me a favour. =/\=

::Dark lances of energy blazed out of the obsidian vessel, twisting and turning through the mindscape space towards the strange little vessel of Commander Saveron.::

::The little ship dodged and wove, looping over it’s own track and skimming the shields of the attacking ship, such that many of the dark blasts of energy barely missed it and impacted not their target but their originator. Of itself however it returned no fire.::

Saveron: =/\= Be careful, Lieutenant. Rash action oft backfires. =/\=

Choi: =/\= And no action gets us nowhere. =/\=

::T’Reshik was yelling instructions before Choi was even finished speaking, although she'd barely had enough time for shields to initialize, and wasn't entirely sure if this would work, given that the capabilities of this esoteric artifact-ship were still largely unknown to her. Her hands smeared blood on the controls as she attempted to maneuver alongside the smaller ship.::

T’Reshik: =/\= Computer, end transmission =/\= - extend deflector shield to cover Jellyfish-class vessel!

::As the small vessel rolled back away from Choi’s ship it matched phase and slipped inside the shields of T’Reshik’s ship.::

::An incoming hail on a closed channel signified to Saveron that T’Reshik was done with diplomacy for now. Neither did she make any attempt to return fire; she seemed to be pouring everything she had into shield strength. ::

T'Reshik: =/\= Jellyfish, this is T’Reshik. I believe Lieutenant Choi to be experiencing remorse over my death and recommend the application of… counselling. =/\= ::She even managed to say that without conveying her overall disgust with the profession. Mostly.:: =/\= I repeat, since enemy captain seems to have taken Choi’s consciousness hostage, I do not recommend returning fire. =/\=

Saveron: =/\= Understood. Ideal outcome is the retrieval of Lieutenant Choi’s consciousness so that we can return you both to your respective bodies. =/\=

T’Reshik: =/\=... repeat that, Commander? =/\=

Saveron =/\= You and Lieutenant Choi are to be returned to your respective bodies, and the pathological personality must be excised. =/\= ::He added, in case that wasn’t obvious.:: =/\= That is the reason for my presence. =/\=

::There was silence on the line.::

T'Reshik: =/\= Am I to understand that I am not dead? =/\=

Saveron: =/\= Affirmative, though your body is currently in a vegetative state. =/\= ::Pending the installation of a consciousness.::

T'Reshik: =/\= … interesting. In which case, what is your recommendation? =/\=

Saveron: ::On the closed line.:: =/\= It is important that you transport Lieutenant Choi’s hostaged personality onto your ship. It must be separated from the pathological personality.=/\=

T’Reshik: =/\= Understood; preparing for transport now. Signal when ready.=/\=

Saveron: =/\= The moment will be apparent. =/\=

::The little ship wheeled around and exited the shields of T’Reshik’s ship again, bringing it once more into weapons, and communications, range of Choi’s. T’Reshik was absolutely right, his weaponry was not phasers, but something far more deadly.::

Saveron: =/\= Do you know why I am here, Lieutenant Choi? =/\=

::T’Reshik stayed silent on the general line, simply listening and waiting.::

Choi: =/\= To interfere, I assume. To return things to the status quo, to steal my t’hy’la and the power of will she has given me away. =/\=

::His ‘t’hy’la?::

Saveron: =/\= That is my purpose, but not the cause. I am here to intervene because Wyn Foster requested that I do so. =/\=

::Silence crackled on the line as the obsidian black ship pulled into a new attack pattern. The little ship dodged and dove, staying out of the line of it’s conventional weaponry.::

Choi: =/\= I won’t be swayed, Commander. I have already made my choice. =/\=

Saveron: =/\= Do you believe that Wyn will not perceive the change, Lieutenant? =/\= ::He asked rhetorically.:: =/\= He is perceptive, and above all a healer. Do you think he will thank you for what you are doing? That cold ambition will appeal to him? =/\=

::Silence.::

Choi: =/\= You’re not wrong, Commander. Maybe this is a sign that I don’t need Wyn any longer… =/\=

::The voice sounded unsure, for the first time. Something of the iron will the Choi-ship was trying to impose had eroded somewhat.::

Saveron: =/\= Perhaps. But does he still need you? It would hurt him deeply to see you change from the Choi he knew and loved to one with no compassion, all ambition. =/\= ::And he knew Wyn wouldn’t stand for it.::

Choi: =/\= Still, better to live from a position of strength and power, than to fall back on old vulnerabilities and failings. Arm photon torpedoes. Fire when ready. =/\=

::A new series of burning dark lances fanned out from the ship, twisting and screaming through space. Again the little ship twisted and dove, though this time the lances missed it by only the narrowest of margins, and it’s shields flashed as they were grazed.::

Saveron: =/\= A pathological personality will not be permitted to survive. If you will not yield now, you will do so on Vulcan. =/\=

::There were those with far greater skills in such things than he.::

Choi: =/\= And if you excise me, what then? Ji-hu will have to live with what he’s done. =/\=

T'Reshik: =/\= Incorrect. I am still alive.=/\=

Saveron: =/\= Both T’Reshik and Choi live, as yet. =/\= ::He confirmed.::

::There was a moment’s silence as the comm line crackled. The shields on the obsidian ship fell.::

Choi: =/\= What the… get those shields back up! Now! =/\=

::T’Reshik activated the transporter hurriedly, still smearing green on the controls as she poured all available resources in attempting to get a lock on the hostage. It might not have been what Saveron had planned, but she knew an opportunity when she saw it.::

::Saveron hadn’t been certain exactly how he was going to get those shields down; the nature of the dreamscape required constant improvisation. Failure from inside suggested that there was still some internal struggle.::

T’Reshik: =/\=Target locked and energizing.=/\=

::T’Reshik turned her face to the materializing figure behind her, blood-slick hand poised over weapon controls. She wasn't going to fire until she knew Ji-hu was safe, but she didn't trust the other Choi not to turn on her the moment he noticed his leverage was gone.::

Saveron: =/\= T’Reshik; set a distant destination, maximum warp, once you have Choi. =/\=

::The “program” began to break apart the second the stone and metal cocooon-computer core transported onto the Vulcan temple-ship. A nearby red dwarf began to fracture apart, as if being torn to pieces by some invisible hurricane out of space. The starry, dark backdrop began to flicker. Only the ships remained, the minds behind them still stabilizing their projection. The “simulation,” however, was breaking down, tearing itself apart.::

Choi: ::darkly:: =/\= T’hy’la, I thought we were one mind on this, but you’re giving me no choice. If I can’t have your katra, I’ll do my best to carry on our work without you. End transmission. =/\=

::The black Galaxy-class vessel wheeled about, entering an offensive posture towards T’Reshik’s ship, and the same dark lances of energy shot forth in tendrils, twisting and turning, bleeding pixels as they skeined their way through space as it broke down.::

::The little ship wheeled around again, flying a long arc across the back of Choi’s temple/ship, and as it reached the zenith of the arc, it’s cargo doors opened, and a sphere was ejected from the ship in the direction of the far larger vessel.::

::In real life the substance had been red; in the dreamscape it was silver and seemed infinitely reflective, yet what it reflected was not the scene before it. Faces came and went; Wyn, Rue, Jalana, Choi’s parents. Scenes familiar and dear, though some were obviously taken from holographs that Saveron had pulled from the computer; others straight from Choi’s memories. The ESPO offices, his messy quarters, Starfleet Academy in summer, Korea in spring. The smell of blossoms and snow on the wind, the taste of hot chips. The friends and family who appreciated Choi for who he was, social anxiety and all.::

::The little ship zipped away again, towards the smaller ship that held T’Reshik and Choi’s consciousness, and the silver sphere fell inexorably towards the giant, looming ship.::

TBC

“I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is that I've been looking for” ~ Billy Joel, River of Dreams

A JP by

Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu
Engineering Officer
USS Constitution-B
C239402CJ0

And

Commander Saveron
Acting First Officer
USS Constitution B
R238802S10

And

Lt (JG) T'Reshik
Science
USS Constitution
D239311T10

 

JP by Choi, T’Reshik and Saveron: River of Dreams - Part 3

“In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams” ~ Billy Joel, River of Dreams

(( Mindscape - unknown ))

::The imposing, black vessel seemed momentarily vexed about continuing the attack pattern against T’Reshik’s ship or pulling away into some kind of defensive maneuver. The momentary hesitation was all it took as the substance hit it. The ship shuddered, went dark and then began to drift, pulled into the gravity well of the black hole’s storm as it tore apart the “simulation.”::

::T’Reshik, delayed by the dual demands of navigational calculations and making sure Choi’s cocoon had arrived in one piece, jumped to warp, and the stars froze and smeared in place on the viewscreen as she left the disintegrating ship far behind her.::

 T’Reshik: Ji-hu? Can you hear me?

::Ji-hu’s eyes fluttered inside the core he had created for himself. A monarch had landed on his eyebrow, it’s wings extending and closing. He felt oddly cool, like a heat wave had broken and a gentle rain had swept through wherever he was. He also felt more tired than he had ever felt in his life.::

Choi: ::exhausted:: Computer, status.

Computer: Level 2 encryption b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-broken. Level 2 encr--SYSTEMS ERROR.

Choi: Release level 3 encryption. System shutdown.

::The chamber around him began to fall apart as the simulation terminated. Suddenly they were all on the monastery’s plateau overlooking the Voroth Sea. A hurricane raged in the distance, a dark, twisting structure of grey and purple.::

::Ji-hu was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest. He glanced up at Saveron and blushed, his eyes falling back down to the violent, churning sea water.::

Choi: You’re the r-r-real Saveron?

::It would be easy to doubt the identity of the tall figure, swathed in heavy robes over a deep desert suit, only the grey eyes visible. But even as it nodded, the cowl fell away and the face mask peeled back, revealing the familiar visage.::

Saveron: Affirmative. 

Choi: ::to T’Reshik:: And… and you’re alive? I didn’t k-k-k-kill you?

::T’Reshik wiped green smears onto her lab coat.::

T’Reshik: I am. You did not.

Saveron: Doctor Foster managed to repair the damage.

::He could have said more, but that could wait until they were all back inside their own heads.::

Choi: I’m so tired. Can we g-go home?

T’Reshik: I concur. Commander? Is that possible?

Saveron: Theoretically. ::He confirmed.:: I have prepared to perform the Fal-tor-pan. 

::Of course, he’d never done it before, nor received the level of training of a Temple Priest, but he’d come this far.::

T’Reshik: ::to Choi:: Are you - :: “Injured”? “Distressed”? Neither of those seemed to make sense in here. T’Reshik settled. :: - alright?

Choi: I’m just so tired… and I r-remember everything now...

Saveron: And yourself?

T’Reshik: ::wiping off more blood (this metaphor was quickly becoming irritating).:: I am unharmed by the experience. Or insofar as I can tell.

::Indeed. The harm that was done to T’Reshik had happened long ago.::

Saveron: Then we should depart. ::He looked at where the simulcrum of Choi was seated, watching the butterflied.:: Once we leave you should regain full possession of your own faculties. Doctor Foster will be summoned for you. 

::Just a little added incentive. Then he turned to T’Reshik..::

Saveron: You must come with me.

::Even if he couldn’t return T’Reshik to her own head, she needed to leave Choi’s for him to heal. In a move entirely uncharacteristic for a Vulcan, he stripped off one glove and held out his hand. Here in the dreamscape, that clasp would act as an anchor.::

::Despite the complete exhaustion he felt in his body, that he now understood wasn’t really his body, Ji-hu managed to clamber to his feet and face the Vulcans. He hoped, despite what he’d experienced in a single day that had felt like… and in some ways, was… an entire lifetime, that Saveron taking away T’Reshik wouldn’t take all of her. He couldn’t imagine life without her memories, her experience, a little piece of her living inside of him. Ji-hu saluted the two with the ta’al.::

Choi: ::in a Da-Leb/Nel-Gathic pidgin:: Peace and long life.

::T’Reshik regarded Saveron’s hand for one long, suspicious moment. Then she returned Choi’s salute, and replied in tentative Korean. ::

T’Reshik: Peace and long life, Ji-hu.

::She took Saveron’s hand.::

Saveron: Live long and prosper, Lieutenant Choi.

::Favouring Choi with the ta’al for a moment, he turned and they began to descend the long, winding steps of the monastery. As they did so they faded from view.::

::Ji-hu sat back down and the plateau and turned to watch the storm as it raged quietly on the horizon. His eyes felt heavy and the world was beginning to soften around him, as if he was going to sleep, but in the wrong direction. Something tickled his eyebrow and he reached up. When he brought his hand back a monarch butterfly perched on his fingers, wings opening and closing. It would be nice to see Wyn again, after so long. He smiled, his head nodding down to his chest.::

::From Saveron and T’Reshik’s point of view the steps let them out onto a vast expland of rolling sand dunes, and when they looked behind them, the monastery had vanished. Here the sands were more yellow than red, and great jagged teeth of rock stuck out incongruously through it.::

T’Reshik: Intersting. I recognize this landscape,  but I cannot name it.

Saveron: This is the Goan desert; where I passed my khas-wan. ::He said quietly.::

::They were suddenly on Vulcan’s western continent. There was no obvious path or direction for them to take, and Saveron sealed up the mask of his desert suit and began to walk in the direction of the sun.::

T’Reshik: Have you performed the fal-tor-pan before?

Saveron: Negative. 

::And he didn’t want to admit that, whilst the initial phase had been successful, now that he had T’Reshik’s katra, he was uncertain what the next step was.::

::T’Reshik wiped off her hand on her lab coat again. The one holding Saveron’s seemed to be behaving itself, but the spare was still bleeding away, and the smears on her lab coat were starting to stink. She momentarily envied Saveron his reduced sense of smell.::

::The two walked in silence for a while. T’Reshik had never held anyone’s hand for so long  before, and she was quickly approaching the conclusion that she didn’t like it. 

T’Reshik: Do you have a physical destination in mind, or are we merely walking until we encounter landmarks?

Saveron: The latter. I am searching for a marker whereby we may access the the place where your consciousness should reside.

::But all around them was bare desert and sharp rocks. T’Reshik’s brain was empty of anything even resembling a mind; they needed some anchor for her.::

::T’Reshik flicked some blood from the free hand as they walked.::

T’Reshik: I assume I am not obligated to converse with you in the meanwhile.

Saveron: You are free to converse or not as you choose. 

::His tone of voice was dull. Saveron wasn’t feeling particularly chatty himself; he was concentrating and battling increasing mental fatigue. He had access to the whole of the brainscape, but there was no obvious point at which to finalise the transfer.::

T’Reshik: Acknowledged.

::They walked in silence for some time, as non-specific as time was in this place, before curiosity got the better of Saveron. One of the few emotions that Vulcans regularly seemed disinclined to rein in.::

Saveron: Do you recognise the Goan from your own experiences, or my memories? ::He asked.::

T’Reshik: Your memories. I have never been there. My kahs-wan took place on my own continent. The sand has a different chemical composition.

Saveron: That is correct. The iron content is lower, and the magnesium and phosphate levels are higher. ::It was one of the things that made the An’ahyaes valley, nearby, so fertile.:: You have retained some of my memories. 

T’Reshik: Only fragments. Children whom I assume to be your offspring. Unfamiliar landscapes. The sound of wind chimes. The cluttered living quarters of what I assume is an elderly relative in the early stages of Bendii syndrome. ::pause.:: Do you have any of mine?

::Saveron suspected that those were his quarters she was talking about.::

Saveron: Also fragments. Wind in the rocks. Pieces of VSL vocabulary. A child’s science kit Some… interesting perceptions following exposure to certain substances and… a damaged coffee machine?

T’Reshik: That is… probably from the Academy.

Saveron: An… interesting period in your life. 

::The fragments of memory were interesting from a disassociated point of view, but unwanted. With every insight into T’Reshik’s mind he saw greater and greater disassociation, even sociopathic tendencies. The more he knew of her the more he wanted to help her, but the less agreeable he found her. She was hardly innocent in her situation.::

::T’Reshik looked to her right, then stopped.::

T’Reshik: I believe those are footprints.

::And indeed they were. Small and wide-spaced and slightly heavy, the brisk walk of a child. Saveron followed her gaze.::

Saveron: Affirmative. We should follow them. 

::He knew that without having to ask how; this was the sign he’d been looking for.::

::The footprints trailed off through the sand, a distance far greater than a barefoot child should have survived in this deep desert. Yet this time as they walked the landscape began again to subtly change. The ground grew redder and more coarse, and the rocky outcroppings became more distant, less jagged. The sky darkened and took on a vague, dreamlike quality. T’Reshik stared up at it as they walked, eyebrows furrowed, then directed the same look at the fading prints on the ground. ::

Saveron: The scene is familiar?

T’Reshik: Unsure. I assumed this was your memory at first. Possibly some kind of transitional terrain… it shares geographical features with my home province.

Saveron: It is becoming less like my own, which suggests that we are transitioning from my seat of consciousness to yours.

::Which was what needed to happen, and he’d begun to doubt was achievable.::

::She reached down and picked up something half-buried in the sand. It looked like a page torn from a chemistry textbook, with a tiny bloodied handprint at the edge. T’Reshik raised her eyebrow at Saveron.::

Saveron: It would appear that we are following the correct trail. 

T’Reshik: I concur. Let us continue.

::The red sands beneath their feet grew fine again, stretching out into dunes ahead of them. The footprints deepened, weaving between patches of rice grass; T’Reshik caught the scent of salt on the air. By the time they were in sight of the sea, she had accrued a handful of discarded papers in varying languages, green-smeared at the edges and peppered with sand. ::

Saveron: This is your home province, is it not?

::It no longer bore any resemblance to the south of Han-Shir.::

T’Reshik: Affirmative. We are in my memories now.

::The maker of the footprints was waiting for them on the beach, a young Vulcan girl with solemn green eyes and a distinctly familiar cast to her features. In what was, for him, an unfamiliar landscape, Saveron regarded the figure cautiously.::

Saveron: Who are you?

::The girl said nothing, but crouched down to lay aside the bundle of scrolls in her arms. She reached her hand out to T’Reshik. Beyond her, they could see dark clouds gathering at the horizon, and the waves lapped quickly against the steep shore as if warning of an oncoming storm.::

::T’Reshik glanced over at Saveron.::

Saveron: Our guide, perhaps. ::Certainly she had the documents from which the pages had been torn.::

T’Reshik: Actually, I believe this is where our path ends.

::She let go of Saveron’s hand and offered the ta’al, then reached out for the child’s.::

T’Reshik: Live long and prosper, Commander. If I do not awake from this, please ensure that I am still credited in any studies resulting from this experiment. ::Pause:: Also, please inform my father that I regret not contacting him sooner.

Saveron: One would question your priorities Lieutenant, but I will do so. ::He raised his hand to return the gesture.:: 

T’Reshik: My priorities are logical. ::To the girl:: I am ready.

::She didn’t look back at Saveron as the child-T’Reshik led her into the water. When the papers in her hands touched it they dissolved into shreds, but the two Vulcans seemed unharmed. The waves rose to greet them and then they were gone.::

Saveron: Peace and long life. ::And never had he meant that expression more, though perhaps ‘peace or long life’ might have been more accurate.::

::As the pair disappeared beneath the waves, the tall figure in desert robes faded from view, until there was nothing left but the water lapping at the sand.::

END

“I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That runs to the promised land” ~ Billy Joel, River of Dreams

A JP by

Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu
Engineering Officer
USS Constitution-B
C239402CJ0

And

Commander Saveron
Acting First Officer
USS Constitution B
R238802S10

And

Lt (JG) T'Reshik
Science
USS Constitution
D239311T10
 

[[sb118-constitution] PNPC Ensign Paku & ESPO - They did Free Bird]

(( USS Constitution - Main Holodeck 01 ))

::Ensign Paku couldn’t shake the feeling of imminent death. Of course, that was a constant in his life. A prey species that is biologically determined to sense impending danger and death in an environment where danger and death were all around them meant his threat ganglia had been working overtime since he’d been accepted into Starfleet Academy. That Paku was, perhaps, slightly more anxious and hypersensitive than the average Kelpien had nothing to do with it.::

::The fact that his superior officer, little more than a child in the Kelpien’s eyes, was installing military-grade tech into an explorer vessel was likely the cause. His threat ganglia twitched and danced all afternoon.::

::After testing the Faust Control Unit and running a series of diagnostics, they were just finishing up and packing it in. Paku was already fantasizing about returning to his quarters where he had the environmental controls and lighting set just right to simulate subterranean Kelpia, when Lieutenant Choi got a call.::

Sindri: =/\= Sindri to Choi? =/\=

::His threat ganglia had just started to relax and retreat, but at the chilling sound of the voice they shot out again. Lieutenant Choi seemed… put off by the voice, but not terrified like he should. Paku tried to wave to get his attention. Cut communications. Run.::

Choi: =/\= Choi here, Lieutenant. =/\=

Sindri: =/\= I’m looking for the vermin that usually inhabit this dank office of yours… I got them a customer. =/\=

::Ensign Frag, the obnoxious, filthy Tellarite, leaned in close to Choi’s communicator.::

Frag: =/\= You promised you’d stop calling Little Dag a customer! He’s a valued member of the crew, Sindri, no matter how short he is! =/\=

Choi: ::sighing:: =/\= We’re just finishing up some work on the holodeck, Lieutenant, we can be down in ESPO within an hour or so. =/\=

Sindri: =/\= Nice… playing nerd games on company time? You think maybe some actual work might be squeezed into your busy schedule? =/\=

Paku: Lieutenant, we need to call security.

::Choi turned to him, raising an eyebrow.::

Choi: Security?! Why?

Paku: Something… bad is happening… or is going to happen. I’m undecided.

Frag: ::grumbling:: Isn’t that Kelpia’s planetary motto?

::Lieutenant Choi stared at Frag, then Paku, looking exhausted. He hit his communicator, reopening the channel to this Lieutenant.::

Choi: =/\= Lieutenant, we’re going to be awhile packing up and submitting documentation to Starfleet R&D. =/\=

Tor: =/\= We’re also not a repair shop. If someone has a maintenance request they ca- - =/\=

::Lieutenant Choi waved his hands furiously at the J’Naii.::

Sindri: =/\= Well, I can wait a few more moments I suppose if you think you’re going to be done? Otherwise we can come back later. =/\=

Choi: =/\= Probably better to just come back, sorry for the bother. Choi out. =/\=

Frag: That was a little too civil for Dag… something’s up…

::Paku’s eyes went wide as he stared at the Tellarite.::

Paku: I’m going to have to agree with Ensign Frag.

Tor: ::muttering:: I suppose there’s a first time for everything…

Frag: ::decided:: He must be leaving me chocolates and flowers! That old romantic!

::Paku braced himself against the wall, threat ganglia twitching aggressively. All he wanted to do was save everyone from a violent demise… was that so much to ask?::

(( Brief Timeskip - ESPO ))

::If Paku’s threat ganglia were twitching before they’d returned to ESPO, they were practically standing up straight out and thrashing as they entered the Constitution’s office. Something was very, very wrong. Over the usual, overwhelming scent of computer parts and Frag’s body odour, there was another smell, something organic and chemical, that Paku couldn’t trace. No one else seemed to notice it even after he’d pointed it out.::

::The Kelpien sat down at his console and immediately began to sanitize everything, as usual, while the others filed their end of duty reports. That’s when things got weird. He felt a hand run over his head and he leapt out of his seat to see Ensign Tor standing behind him, a weird grin on their face, their eyes out of focus.::

Tor: ::laughing:: Who let this big bald kitty in here? Here kitty-kitty…

::Paku backed up against the console and began to move his way around the corner, away from the Ensign, threat ganglia flopping around in terror. He glanced around the corner where he saw that Frag was sitting on the floor and starring at her hands.::

Frag: I can see the entire history of the universe in my palms… and the future, too… wow… I look great in green…

Paku: Ensign? What in the name of- -

Frag: ::looking up at him, terrified:: Are you Hovah? What happened to all your hair? Do you want me to shave? Is that what you’re telling me, sweet merciful Hovah?

::Frag began to cry.::

::Paku glanced over her to see the Bynars dancing, although no music was playing, at least not out loud. He’d never seen them move in that way. They were actually… really good. Lieutenant Choi was nowhere to be found, he’d likely, maybe mercifully, returned to his R&D lab.::

::Paku sighed. This was just like the Starbase 104 Festival of Gratitude all over again. Why did no one ever listen to him? He reached into the sanitation kit he always wore on his hip and handed a pair of gloves to Tor.::

Paku: You can pet the kitty if you wear these medical grade sanitary gloves.

::This did the trick. Tor seemed to loose all interest in him and instead was transported by the material.::

Tor: So shiny.

::Frag continued to sob and whisper prayers to sweet merciful Hovah about how she didn’t want to shave her proud purple mane, before switching at a moment’s notice to a need to satisfy her “munchies.” The Bynars kept dancing.::

::Paku’s threat ganglia finally retreated and he sat down at his console, finishing up with the sanitation wipes, before he pulled up the security logs. A Lieutenant Dag Sindri and Cadet 4th Class Kaith had entered and then promptly left, and nothing had been accessed save a single file on Paku’s console, which had been deleted. He pulled up the deleted file’s cache and restored it, hoping it would help make sense of the situation.::

::Two men were shown in a crowded room, arms slung over one another. One of them was shirtless and wearing a hat shaped like a humanoid mammary that read, “Risa or bust!” although if this had any significance it was lost on the Kelpien. They each swayed violently, clutching huge glasses of amber liquid. They were screaming some sort of ancient chant, or invocation, that was earsplitting in its volume and intensity. “If I staaaaaayed here with you giiiiiiiiiiiirl… things just couldn’t beeeeeeeee the saaaaaaaaame…” The crowd booed and threw various foodstuffs. Perhaps this was some sort of pagan ritual?::

::Paku shuddered and deleted the file, making sure to clear all caches related to it. This was something better left unseen. He turned back to Frag, who was struggling with the industrial replicator to override the settings to give her a “big frakkin’ pizza,” while Tor rubbed the medical gloves against their face, cooing. The Bynars danced. Paku sighed. No one ever listened to him…::

END

The Engineering Systems Programming Office PNPCs
Ensign Frag, Ensign Paku, Ensign Tor and Crewmen Ix & Te

As simmed by:

Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu
Engineering Officer
USS Constitution-B
C239402CJ0

[Poll of the Week: Jolan Tru!]

Cretak is my waifu.

[JP - Lt. Blackwell, Lt. Cmdr. Foster & Ensign Th'Zarin - Old Memories, New Regrets]

Bar fight. Love it. The chaos sustains me. Excellent characterization, and the last line made me lose it.

 

Quote

((Starbase 104 - HopCat Bar and Lounge))

::The HopCat Bar and Lounge was an establishment owned by a Terran and Klingon Duo - Hazel West and K’len Duroth. Featuring a mix of Terran 20’s art deco combined with a variety of intergalactic cultures, the restaurant featured wallset leather sets with tables, cozy areas for small cloistered talks, and with round tables scattered in the space for groups who wanted to mingle. Along one wall, there was a large bar, featuring liquors, spirits, and drinks from around the universe. In the back, there was a kitchen that provided food and treats that spanned a wide array of guest needs. A set of stairs led to a catwalk that widened into further seating areas with comfortable chairs and tables, with each seating area having it’s own “theme”. Finally in the center was a stage that features accommodations for a wide variety of performances and, in the past, was rumored to have even been transitioned into fighting cages for more violent sporting events. The walls were designed with small nooks and crannies that allowed for the display of artwork from all cultures, and above the bar there was a bat’leth displayed on the wall.::

:Rue walked in alone, nodding to the hostess at the front and paying her cover charge with a polite smile.  She was dressed in a long sleeved dress with a color blocked pattern of green, white and black, the hem falling to her thigh, black nylons and combat boots, with a leather jacket. As she stepped in and into the main area, She looked around and gave a low whistle. oO Holy cow - mum and dad would love this place.Oo. At the moment, the restaurant had a few customers but had not yet filled with the throng that would come with later night. She admired a few of items of the decor and then decided to walk up towards the bar.::

Blackwell: Evening ::She smiled towards a bartender, and then glanced at the expansive beer, wine and liquor list. She hemmed and hawed for a few moments, and then decided and glanced to the bartender:: I’ll just have a Cordian blackberry wine, please.

Bartender: ::dressed in a smartly pressed white shirt and dark pants, stood across the bar with a hospitable gaze:: Of course Miss, would you like to start a tab?

Blackwell: ::She nodded:: Sure, put it under Lieutenant Blackwell - U.S.S Constitution-B.

Bartender: ::His head bobbed up and down in understanding, and he smiled graciously:: Of course, Lieutenant. I’ll have your drink in a moment.

::She nodded her satisfaction with that and turned her attention towards the bar to enjoy the ambiance. The trip was two fold - first, she wanted to see if it was a place she could recommend to the rest of the crew. Second, she was feeling rather introverted, and while she could have hid in her quarters, she always found herself ultimately listless. It was better instead to go out and see something new, and to be alone in the crowd. When her drank came, she gave her thanks and then looked towards the stage where a performer was setting up to play a strange instrument she did not recognize::

::To say that this was a mistake, was an understatement. To say that Gabe Sharpe was on the verge of madness or at least being a stalker, was likely full on denial. But nevertheless, he had felt compelled to see if he could have another “chance” meeting. He hadn’t planned on it working out, but when he had spotted Rue walking the entertainment quarter, he followed - not thinking, not considering. As she sat at the bar, he went in and carefully made his way to the catwalk where he could sit without her seeing, though he couldn’t decide if that was what he actually wanted. As he sat in a chair that gave him a view of the bar from above, he ordered a strong gin and tonic that would keep his nerves from giving him away.::

::To say that this was providence would not do the situation justice. Ish Th’Zarin came only for a pint of Andorian ale and a change of scenery. After his conversation with Taurek he was trying to temper his drinking somewhat… not necessarily because he agreed with the counsellor’s assessment that his drinking was a form of self-harm and a method of self-medication for his anger issues, especially over his chan father. In fact, he was so offended at the idea that he was drinking in moderation just to prove that he could, and that Ch’Volnik didn’t have some unknowing hold on him.::

::So there he was at the bar, eying up a sturdy Klingon couple who seemed to be snarling at one another in flirtation, when he glanced over and saw Lieutenant Prudence Blackwell with a glass of wine. He’d dressed in a tight black tanktop--the better to show off his arms after a session on the weights--and a pair of fitted Andorian track pants. He figured he’d cut a dashing figure with his Nova Squadron bomber jacket slung over his shoulder.::

::He was in the seat next to her within seconds.::

Th’Zarin: Sorry to bother you, Lieutenant. ::holding out his hand, grinning:: Ensign Ish Th’Zarin, Constitution HCO. We haven’t met yet.

::She looked over to Ish and blinked, as if coming out of some fog of thoughts, and smiled. She set her glass down and offered her hand to shake and nodded.::

Blackwell: Oh yes, - I think I recognize your name from the updated rosters. Welcome to the crew.

::The smile and greeting was genuine if easy to chalk up to professional courtesy::

Th’Zarin: I haven’t been aboard too long, but I recognized you from the officer’s mess the other day. I couldn’t help but take notice.

::He smirked, giving her a quick but intentionally obvious once over with his eyes, antennae wiggling suggestively.::

::Rue was not someone who self-depreciated her own appearance. She was confident in her own sense of self to extend that out to how she looked. Nevertheless, she knew when someone was undressing her with their eyes, and she always was divided by it - on one hand, it was appealing - being wanted, being desired. On the other hand, the feminist instinct told her to smack down the behavior. Deciding neither side had a good case she merely raised her eyebrows up with an amused face::

Blackwell: Well, I know I’m always at my best when I’m at my work - and I was helping Commander Saveron at the moment with accommodations. By the by, is everything working out with yours?

::Gabe’s drink had been delivered. He had intended to sip it, but instead ended up downing the cup when he watched some young Andorian approach Rue. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the wiggle of the antennae caught his eye - he was certain it was not simply a nervous reaction. He looked to a passing waiter and ordered a refill, keeping his eyes on the scene below him::

::Ish’s eyes widened a little at the remark. She was Chief Ops, but she couldn’t possibly keep track of every little detail aboard the Conny. She couldn’t possibly know he’d been shunted into family quarters to live with his fiancées. He pretended to play it cool.::

Th’Zarin: I’m sharing quarters, and I could do without my roommates most of the time.

Blackwell: Well… if you need to have any changes, let me or my staff know. We want our staff to be as comfortable as possible ::She sipped her wine.:: Have you met anyone else besides your immediate colleagues?

::Again, that got a concerned antennae wriggle from Ish. He suddenly had a horrible fear that she had somehow read his personnel file and learned about Taurek’s efforts.::

Th’Zarin: A couple. No one who really… caught my eye. Present company excluded.

::He leaned against the bar, inching a little closer to her. Although in his mind he could see Taurek floating beside him lit up by the stars of the Lembetta Cluster. He pushed that image away. When he took a sip of his drink he noticed a young… Terran, maybe? Most pinkskins all blended in together in groups. This one was sitting by himself nearby, a drink in front of him, and he was staring intently… even intensely at Ish and Blackwell. Now that gave Ish some ideas. Maybe he could wrangle this into a little ménage à trois--a fantastic Terran phrase--if he played his cards right.::

::Gabe leaned over the railing, attempting to keep his head down and keep between the space of the half wall and the metal rail itself. He had drank too much, too fast, and his stomach was burning. That burning felt like it was spreading through his body, and to his heart. He felt locked in place, like a coil ready to spring.::

::She took a close look at him with his light blue eyes and skin. She took a deep drink of her wine and felt her skin tingle slightly, a strange flutter up her spine. She swallowed and smiled faintly, quirking an eyebrow.::

Blackwell: You Andorians really don’t abide by personal space do you?

Th’Zarin: ::smirking:: Not gonna lie, I don’t really do subtlety.

::A massive understatement.::

Th’Zarin: I think life can be too short, especially for those of us in service, and that if you see someone who’s beautiful, someone really eye catching, you go up to them and tell them. If they tell you to frak off, you frak off, but if they don’t… well…

Blackwell: ::She nodded to that:: It’s a good philosophy - Seize the day, take chances.

Th’Zarin: Like, right now. If you told me to buzz off and never talk to you again, I’d do it. I like a challenge but I’m not a creep. Obviously I’d prefer to stay and talk to you. oO Among other things. Oo But I’ve told you I think you’re eye catching, so the ball’s in your court, Lieutenant.

Blackwell: ::She gave a low breathy laugh:: I’ll take the compliment.

Th’Zarin: I’m not the only one. That guy hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you since I sat down… unless he’s looking at me, in which case… what do you think?

::Ish nodded at the man sitting nearby.::

::Gabe hastily attempted to duck again, but only managed to flail himself over the foot of the table and found himself gripping the rail, nearly avoiding flinging himself over. He managed to straighten, and cleared his throat. Caught, he did the only thing he could do, which was boisterously wave.::

Sharpe: Prudence! Prudence Blackwell! What the hell are you doing here?

::She stared at the sight of a lanky, sunset haired man clumsily avoid flinging himself on the caught walk, and stared, her words caught in her throat. She blinked again, as if unsure she was seeing him, and then realizing it was real, downed the entire thing of her wine - a wine that while safe for humans, was a good deal more potent than most would drink.::

::Gabe looked back and realized that the color was draining out of her face. He thought about just trying to vanish - awkward, but the thought of leaving her with the punk that was far too close - that made him stay. He ambled down the stairs of the catwalk.::

Sharpe: Prudy Prudy! You’re looking great, and who is your friend here?

Th’Zarin: ::dubious:: You know this guy?

::Rue suddenly felt her arm snake around Ish tightly - not hurting him, but as means to hold her back::

Blackwell: Gabe Sharpe. H… How nice to see you. Ish, this is Gabriel Sharpe -we went to the Academy together.

::Gabe walked towards them, and put his empty glass on the bar just beside Rue, angling to stand so that Rue was between them, and then offered hand to Ish.::

Sharpe: Hi there. Nice to meet you.

::Ish narrowed his eyes. His antennae angling forward slightly as if trying to get a better feel of the situation. He’d had more than a few experiences where an ex showed up… or sometimes when a current partner had showed up in one of those dreadful monogamous arrangements… and this was one of them.::

Th’Zarin: Ish Th’Zarin.

::Rue looked between the two, feeling like she was sandwiched between a rock and a hard place, and then smiled wanly to Gabe:: We just arrived on the U.S.S Constitution-B. What are you doing here ::and she looked towards the bartender and motioned for a refill of her wine::

Sharpe:: I’m part of engineering here on the Starbase. Almost to Lieutenant Junior Grade in the next month.

Blackwell: Ah, Congratulations ::she got her second wine and sipped at it, looking between the two::

Th’Zarin: ::smirking, teasing:: Must be really exciting, the glory of fixing toilets in the name of Starfleet.

::She cleared her throat at the awkward silence. She struggled - she was honestly somewhere between wanting to simply walk out, make a lame excuse, or hoping something would explode to give a distraction. When neither of these things seemed to make sense, she went to polite conversation, and then finally looked to Gabe.::

Blackwell: So ...do you frequent this bar often, or is it a favorite of the Starbase crew?

Sharpe: Well, my friend Mia recommended it. She’s on duty tonight so I thought I would check it out. ::He waved to the Bartender:: Another Gin and Tonic - and whatever my two friends here want. ::he smiled blithely at Ish::

Th’Zarin: Another Andorian ale, since the nice pinkskin’s offering.

::He accepted the glass and took a big gulp before he turned back to the Terran man. There was an awkward silence between the three of them as the club’s music blasted in the background. An old 20th century Earth dance tune, something about a hound dog that cried all the time and had trouble catching rabbits. Ish decided he’d rather be dancing with Prudence than sitting here with this creep. Maybe he could scare him off.::

Th’Zarin: So, I take it you two have done the ol’ Denobulan wriggled before.

Sharpe:: :He started to glower:: What did you say?

Th’Zarin: You know, docked the starship in the maintenance station. Went diving in the depths of Risa. Pet one another's tribbles. Sex.

Blackwell: ::Dryly as she sipped at her now refilled glass of wine: Well, Ish - true to your word you are as subtle as a tactical nuke. And I suppose the game is up, as they say. Yes, we know each other, though we parted ways a while ago.

::Gabe was silent for a moment and then downed his gin in a dangerously quick fashion.::

Th’Zarin: Well, what happened, who screwed up?

Blackwell: ::She thought of spitting out something spiteful and then she shook her head:: Well go with both of us.  We both did some really stupid, selfish things. ::she glanced at Gabe and shrugged, before taking another gulp of wine::

Sharpe: ::He looked at Rue, and for a moment looked shocked at her admission, and felt a pang of guilt:: It...wasn’t your… ::and then he trailed off::

Th’Zarin: ::smirking:: I was just telling dear Prudence how life’s too short to beat around the proverbial bush. ::to Sharpe:: Don’t know how much you know about Andorians, but we mate in foursomes. I’m trying to figure out if I can get you two back together for a bit, maybe get in some practice.

::Gabe set the glass on the bar down too sharply - the glass did not crack, but it was close. His eyes met Ish’s.::

Sharpe: Actually, if we are going to be honest, I was thinking I should get your blue [...] away from Rue, you piece of space trash. ::And he grabbed Rue’s arm firmly:: Rue, let's go.

Blackwell: Excuse me? :: while she had to talk loud to be heard over the music, her voice was not what one would call yelling. Instead it was low, commanding and firm. She narrowed her eyes:: Ensign Sharpe - hand off. Now.

::Ish leapt up from his seat, emboldened by the couple of drinks he’d had and this pinkskin getting physical with his former lover. Passion Ish could handle, but roughhousing someone who’d done nothing was where he drew the line.::

::Ish might have focused on helm and astrogation, but he’d minored in Security/Tactical, and he’d studied Andorian hand-to-hand for years. Strategic takedowns to end fights quickly were the best way for Andorians to win fights. Ish planted himself and his hand flew out to the pinkskin’s wrist, putting pressure on the sensitive joints and wrenching his arm away from Prudence. Ish danced around the Terran, pulling his arm behind him and slamming him against the counter.::

Th’Zarin: Come on, pinkskin, I thought we were all friends.

::Gabe was no fighter, but like every academy student, he had gone through some tactical classes, and he was in great shape, but never the less, he was caught off guard. He grunted sharply as his face hit the bar.::

::Rue blinked as she watched Ish pull out a move she had seen plenty of times, and realized that she was in the fantasy of every teenage girl, or and the nightmare of every adult woman - two men, fighting, and seemingly because of her.::

Blackwell: Woah woah woah. Easy! Gabe! Ish! Calm down.

Th’Zarin: I’m calm as an icy lake. I think it’s Gabe here who needs a lesson in manners.

::All eyes seemed on them suddenly, and where a rather large bouncer dressed as a host was making his way over, the crowd suddenly began to cheer.::

Crowd: Fight fight fight! FIGHT

::With the pinkskin pressed against the bar, Ish was lapping up the attention of the crowd that was gathering around them. He gave them a lopsided grin.::

::Propelled by the sound of voices and the jeers, and fueled by the bravery that only alcohol could give, Gabe grabbed his empty glass in his free hand and slammed it against Ish’s nearby head, and pushed off the counter to break free of the Andorian::

Blackwell: GABRIEL, the hell?!

::She went to try and break up the two, only to be held back by two spectators who were now entertained by the spectacle. Before Ish and Gabe could tear each other apart, the two were herded towards the stage, where the band was now clearing way for the new act. The Klingon Bartender got on the microphone and called out “And here it is folks! The First Bar fight of the Night! Lets see what these lads have in store for us!”::

::Now this was Ish’s kind of place, how had he never heard of this place before tonight? Sure, he’d have to go to sick bay to get the shards of glass removed from the side of his head, but a bar brawl turning into blood sport seemed like a perfect way to release some of the tension. As he started to prowl the perimeter of the stage, he took his tank off and dabbed at the little ribbons of blood streaming down the side of his face. This got him a few wolf whistles, which the young Andorian didn’t mind one bit.::

Th’Zarin: Don’t worry, pinkskin. I won’t beat you to a pulp, just tenderize you a little.

Sharpe: ::His mouth broke into an aggressive teeth baring grin, fists clenched:: Keep telling yourself that. Let’s see what color you are after I make you bleed. ::and he shot out with a quick jab, using the intertia of the crowd towards the “fighting stage” to try and herd the Andorian::

::Ish took a couple of aggressive steps forward, feinting to Gabe’s right as he tossed the bloody tank top at the Terran’s face. He used the opportunity to swing himself to the man’s right and deliver a blow to the pinkskin’s ribs as he spun around, trying to dance out of the way of a counter.::

::Gabe ducked and grabbed the shirt away from his face, and felt the blow to his ribs with a grunt. He stooped slightly but then tossed the shirt to the floor and charged Ish, driving him into the ground, hoping to use his mass to an advantage.::

::Ish felt the body slam into him and they tumbled to the ground, the Terran on top of him, Ish’s forearms instinctively covering his face.::

Th’Zarin: ::grunting:: I like your idea of foreplay, pinkskin.

::Rue was pushed back and eventually was able to worm away from the spectators that held her, but the crowd as between her, and the fighting stage. Rue hoped that perhaps security would show but those hopes were dashed when she saw that the bouncers, instead of calling security, had now closed the doors and were standing guard, enjoying the show. She blinked, and looked towards the stairs, and ran to ascend them to get a look over the stage::

::Gabe snarled and tried to leverage himself up to smash his fist against Ish’s face, knuckles bloody.::

Sharpe: You slime. Why do you even want her?

::The Terran got a couple of good hits even as Ish tried to block his punches. The Andorian kicked his legs out and flexed his entire body, trying to get his ankles up underneath Sharpe’s armpits from behind so he could try to throw him off.::

Th’Zarin: ::grunting from the pain and effort:: Why in the twenty frozen hells not? She’s a… beautiful woman! I’d treat her better than whatever you put her through, pinkskin!

::On the catwalk, Rue ran down, smooshing herself between the onlookers until she was at a spot that overlooked the stage. She forced her way to the front and tried to cry out.::

Blackwell: You asses! Cut it out!

::Ish finally managed to hook his ankles underneath Sharpe’s armpits and in one explosive motion he extended his body out, throwing the Terran backwards. Ish leapt after him, using the momentum so he ended up on to of the pinkskin. Fists flying as he knocked Sharpe across the face. He was already feeling the strain though it had only been a couple of moments of going at it. As much as time he’d put into stamina training, his physiology didn’t make that kind of physical effort any easier. He’d feel this in the morning.::

Th’Zarin: ::shouting:: Yield and it’s over, pinkskin!

::Sharpe’s face was speckled with blue blood from Ish’s knuckles, nose and face. Another broken nose in as many weeks… Sick Bay would start asking questions…::

Bartender: And it’s the flying Andorian and the Angry Red tonight folks. Place your bets, as this one is going to be over soon! Place ’em place ’em!

Sharpe: To hell with you - you have no idea who the hell she is!

::And as Ish threw him back, Gabe landed on the stage, thudding hard. That was going to hurt. A lot. He managed only to barely perceive the flying andorian coming at him, and took one fist to the face before grabbing the Andorian’s hands and began to grapple. He started laughing blindly.::

Sharpe: You have no idea who she is ::another painful laugh:: if you did, you’d know better… ::and was silenced as they rolled over one another::

::Rue gritted her teeth and slipping one leg over the catwalk railing, positioned herself over the combatants. There were certainly many times where an idea like this would have struck her as insane or at the very least, quite stupid. Instead, she took no time to think and leapt down, landing with a sharp grunt.::

Th’Zarin: ::grunting, trying to free a fist to strike out:: Dude… I think you’ve got… some serious issues… and coming from me, that’s really saying something!

::Gabe tried to push Ish off of him and gain some sort advantage, only to feel a hand on his shoulder and to be pulled off Ish by Rue herself, grappling him from behind, with his hands despite the size difference. However, not realizing it was Rue who held him, he attempted to shake her off, bending forward and throwing her over his back and towards Ish::

::Ish’s scrambled to his feet, his eyes going wide as Prudence Blackwell went sliding past him. She slid to a halt nearby. Ish was sweating, his body screaming after the few minutes of physical strain. He’d have to work on his upper body strength more...::

Th’Zarin: ::gasping for breath, readying to charge at Sharpe:: Frozen hells...

::She was shocked, to say the least. Gabe had never shown any interest in combat, and she’d always been able to best him, but now the thought had occurred to her - perhaps he let her win, and that made her angry. She managed to avoid hitting Ish and instead slid onto her side in a skid and smoothly righted herself, standing.::

Blackwell: You -unbelievable- [...]. ::She held a hand back towards Ish to hold back.::

Th’Zarin: ::gasping:: Come on… I could do this… all night...

Sharpe: ::He blinked:: Rue- Wait, why are you in here? Get out of the way, Are you serious?

Blackwell: As serious as a damn heart attack, Gabriel. You wanna fight - you can fight me. Or, you can salvage whatever wreckage of respect I have left for you, and -leave-.

Sharpe: ::His face fell - the anger drained and was replaced by a confused sense of shame:: I’m sorry, I didn’t.. ::he was cut off by the approach of the bartender turned announcer::

Bartender: ::He stepped on stage and attempted to shoo Rue off the back:: Lady lady, we got a fight. You can sleep with whoever wins alright?

Blackwell: ::She growled at the announcer:: You want a fight ---

Th’Zarin: ::growling:: I’ll show you a fight!

::Ish charged at Sharpe and brought a fist into Sharpe’s stomach, hard as he could.::

::He seemed to put two to two together. It was a moment of logic cutting through alcohol and shame, and realizing he couldn’t simply walk off with the crowd watching, he instead did the least manly thing he could think of. As Ish’s first hit his stomach, he lurched forward, eyes rolling back, fell forward as if unconscious.::

Bartender: ::He looked at the unconscious human and made a “Hm, okay” expression, shrugging and tilting his head to the side:: Okay then, we got a Winner! ::and went to the Andorian and raised his arm up.::

Th’Zarin: ::grinning, blood dripping down his face:: You pinkskins are wild, Prudence! Really know how to party! Although I think we should get to sick bay or something… My face is my best feature.

Blackwell: ::She breathed hard and groaned : Oh hell, Wyn is going to love this...

(( USS Constitution - Airlock ))

::The last twenty minutes had been a blur. She had managed to coldly and methodically ensure that Ensign Gabriel Sharpe was conscious, aware, and taken back to his quarters on the Starbase. She answered as few questions as possible and spoke to as few people as possible before herding Ish back towards the Constitution. As they walked, she said relatively little save to respond towards the questions or comments Ish made to her as they traveled::

::Prudence and Ish got more than a few stares as they made their way through the starbase and onto the Conny. Blackwell didn’t look to bad, more disheveled from getting tossed around and steaming from the turn the evening had taken. Ish, however, was shirtless--his tank lost somewhere in the scuffle and his bomber jacket slung over his shoulder--knuckles bleeding, cuts along one side of his face, and grinning like an idiot with every wide-eyed stare and double take.::

Th’Zarin: So who’s this guy who’s going to fix me up? Another ex?

Blackwell:::her expression was blank, and her eyes were fixed forward as they walked:: No, his name is Lieutenant Commander Shar’Wyn Foster. He is a friend.

::Her voice sounded calm, but aside from the slightly faster breath from the fast pace they had walked.::

Th’Zarin: ::sighing:: I’m not sure how many more pinkskins I can deal with tonight, Chief.

Blackwell: He’s Andorian.

::She lead them towards the turbolift and hit the panel to open the door and stepped in, waiting for him to come in before pressing to close and hitting the proper floor.::

Th’Zarin: ::raising an eyebrow dubiously:: “Foster” is not exactly a traditional Andorian name.

Blackwell:  He was raised by a human, Lieutenant Commander Cade Foster. He grew up on earth - I’ve known him since childhood ::as if she was providing a brief biography for a speech rather than taking a bloodied hot head to a doctor::

Th’Zarin: Huh… ::pause:: Is he cute?

Blackwell: ::She hit the button and swallowed slowly:: He’s attractive, but also taken. ::Before she could say anything more, the turbolift door open and she walked ahead. Finally she hit a panel along the wall and contacted Wyn’s comm badge::

Blackwell: ::Asked in a rather methodical monotone:: =/\= Wyn - it’s Rue. Could you meet us at sickbay, please. =/\=

::The voice at the other end of the line was bright and brash with a notably Terran accent::

Foster: =/\= Seriously, Rue what did you do to yourself now? =/\=

Blackwell: =/\= I have a crewmember who needs some attention. Ensign Ish Th’Zarin, Andorian - Abrasions, bruising, some minor contusions, and potentially embedded glass. =/\=

Foster: ::Doctor Foster sounded thrilled. Absolutely thrilled.:: =/\= Well, you two had an interesting night.  And you’re OK? =/\=

Blackwell:: I’m fine. I’ll bring him to sickbay.

Foster: =/\= Yeah, I’m already there, stop on by. =/\=

Blackwell::  Thank you. We’ll meet you there. 

::A few moments later they were at SickBay. Rue nodded to Wyn as they walked in and she gestured between the two Andorians.::

Blackwell: Lieutenant Commander Wyn Foster, please meet Ensign Ish Th’Zarin -

::Wyn Foster was already on the defensive.  Most of his interactions with Andorians had been less than pleasant.  Between the half Aenar biology and the human upbringing he didn’t exactly fit with most members of his species.::

::Ish looked Foster up and down. He’d grabbed a couple of shots on his way out of the club to dull the pain, so he was still feeling great.::

Th’Zarin: You’re right Chief, he is cute. ::smirking:: I’m liking it on this ship more and more.

::There was many a time that a comment like that might have made Rue blush, or laugh, or both. Instead she nodded with some assent to his conclusion. For most who didn’t know her, she likely was reading as just fine and calm. A leader who needed to deal with a rather messy situation. For Wyn, however, it may have appeared that the surface was just far too calm. Regardless, she looked at Wyn, and said with the same emotionless calm.::

Blackwell: Thank you for coming, Commander.

Foster: It’s my job.  ::He took a step forward, tricorder already out and working::  Now what happened?

::Ish pointed to his broken nose with his bloodied fist, then he pointed to the cuts along the side of his face.::

Th’Zarin: The Chief and I were walking along, minding our own business, and I tripped and fell… and I lost my shirt somehow. Happens a lot, if you can believe it.

Foster: ::He fixed th’Zarin directly in the eyes, antennae canted forward and spoke in an absolutely no-nonsense tone:: Bull[...].

Blackwell: I’ll explain afterwards, Wyn.

::And while the Andorian’s were verbally sparring, she walked towards the corner of the sickbay where there was a bench and sat quietly, her eyes appearing to be on the two Andorians.::

Foster: Get up on the biobed.  ::He patted the surface before flickering a glance towards Rue.:: You sure I shouldn’t be checking you out, too?

Th’Zarin: ::sighing, complying:: Listen, is this, like, an official visit to sickbay, or can we just sort of all relax and enjoy ourselves? I’m fine, Doctor. I’ve looked worse. Just patch me up and I’ll be on my merry way.

Blackwell: ::Like a good commanding officer to an underling, she said to Ish:: Let him work. He knows his stuff. ::and glancing at Foster:: I assure you, I’m not hurt. He’s the one who is unfortunately bleeding.

Foster: I see that.  Alright, we’ll start with the nose.

::He placed one blue hand on the back of Ish’s head and the other he placed on precise points alongside his nose, pressing carefully with his antennae curled forward feeling for the break before he reset it.::

::As Dr. Foster got to working on him, Ish’s skin tingled from the touch.::

Th’Zarin: ::to Foster:: So, what’s going on with your gonads? You a chan? Thaan?

::Rue closed her eyes at that and swallowed. She tried to shut them out for a moment. She knew Foster could more than handle himself, and at the moment, the ideas her mind was coming up with for actions were nowhere rational or appropriate. She felt a hideous numbness on herself, a sickly sense of logic that was likely more the result of adrenaline than inner strength - and she was not sure how long it would last. Not wanting to test her reserves at the moment, she opened her eyes again and started to pick a bit at her dress, which had acquired a bit of glass and dirt somewhere in the mix, and hoping for the moment she could simply sink into the background.::

::Dr. Foster stopped, fingers alongside the break in a very tender position.  He fixed his crystalline blue eyes on Ish’s and spoke in dangerously low tones.::

Foster: I am what you would consider both a thaan and a fade.  Meaning I’m half Aenar and therefore due to hybrid biology incapable of producing offspring without medical intervention.  Then again I have the medical knowledge to breed damn near anything with anything.  Any questions?

::And that was the moment he reset the nose with blinding fast accuracy and a nasty crunching sound. Ish grunted, mostly from surprise at the noise and the force of the motion.::

::Foster’s low and precise explanation managed to pierce Rue’s emotionally fogged brain. She winced faintly, not at the crunching sound, but at the consideration of what Wyn likely was feeling. She pulled herself out of the dregs of emotional shock long enough to keep her eyes on Ish, ready if the young Andorian decided to make himself more of a problem.::

Th’Zarin: Hey man, if everything works okay, you’d get no complaints from me… ::focusing on Foster’s antennae:: Though I think you should get your antennae checked. They’re kind of… all over the place...

::Next came the glass.  He snatched up a sterilization tool and swept the area before readying a coagulation tool and a forceps.::

Foster: Hold still.  ::Pause::  Quite frankly, I don’t give a targ’s hind end what my species thinks of me.  I came to peace a long time ago with the idea of a race that didn’t care if I lived or died was unworthy of my attention.  Individuals, however, I will take on a case by case basis.

Blackwell: ::she managed quietly, with a smile that could go in the history books as the weakest ever, despite its genuine nature:: And speaking as one of the individuals you have helped, I’m grateful. ::Before glancing back down and picking at an errantly broken fingernail::

Th’Zarin: ::rolling his eyes and antennae:: And people say I have a chip on my shoulder, frozen hells...

Foster: Maybe you do, maybe you don’t.  ::Unconcerned.:: So you guys gonna tell me what happened?

::Glass was removed, now it was time to fix the rest of the bleeding cuts and scrapes.  All very neat and tidy.::

Blackwell: ::she exhaled:: Yes. ::with a weary resignation::

Th’Zarin: Yeah, what was that guy’s deal, Chief? Seemed like a pretty big creep to me.

::She felt her stomach churn at explaining everything, and wasn’t sure if she wanted to throw up, cry, or an ugly combination of both. She took a deep breath instead and started to speak clearly and evenly, albeit without much energy.::

Blackwell: I went to check out a club tonight, see if it was something I could recommend to the crew. Ensign Th’Zarin went separately, and we bumped into each other and well, struck up some conversation. Unfortunately, someone… I was once involved with happened to be in the bar as well. He saw Ensign Ish and I...conversing and decided to… I don’t know… ::she stood and paced:: break us up, interviene. Who the hell knows. He was obviously drunk. Either way, Ensign Th’Zarin and he started verbally sparring and that escalated to this individual… decided to get a bit grabby to pull me out of the bar.  Ensign Th’Zarin attempted to intervene and from there, it escalated.

Foster: Wait a second, someone assaulted you on the Starbase in a barfight?

::Wyn’s tone had dropped to dead serious.  For some reason these two were pussyfooting around this matter and Wyn was shocked that no one had mentioned the perpetrator being dragged to the brig.::

Th’Zarin: Assaulted her?! Did you see the state of me when I walked in?!

Foster: I meant you.::He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, flicking his antennae towards Ish:: Though she’s not doing all that great either. ::He muttered that last bit.  He knew Rue well enough to tell when something was wrong.::

Blackwell: No, he didn’t… ::she rubbed her face as she paced, attempting to hide the fact she was wiping away rebellious tears, and when she felt she could trust herself, she pushed up her sleeves:: See, no bruises. Not even a mark. He didn’t grab that -hard-. ::She glanced to Ish:: And for the record, had you given me half the chance, I could have calmed him down. And that isn’t some victim’s bull[...], I know him.  He’s -never- been violent. Hell, the man nearly failed combat class. I had to tutor the jackass.

Th’Zarin: ::scoffing:: You pinkskins… I might have muscles for days, but I’d never use them to rough around my lovers, even an ex. ::to Wyn, flexing a little:: Unless they’re into that kind of thing.

::Doctor Foster paused in his ministrations and looked between Rue and Ish.::

Foster: Is the guy who did this in the brig?

Blackwell: ::she shook her head, with a look of exhausted dismay on her face:: No -the...bar we were at treats barfights… apparently as some sort of spectacle. By the time we managed to get out… I just wanted to get Ensign Th’Zarin back here, ensure and figure out how to go from there.

Th’Zarin: ::to Blackwell:: I thought you said this guy was cool...

Foster: No, I’m dead serious.  Unless you threw the first punch ::He pointed to Ish:: it is unacceptable for a Starfleet officer to do this to another Starfleet officer without consequences. ::He fixed his crystalline blue eyes on the other Andorian:: And whether I know you or not or like you or not is irrelevant.  I will advocate for you and press charges on your behalf because it’s the right thing to do.

::Rue sighed faintly and nodded, looking quietly to the floor as if the carpeting had either some means of answers, or escape, or because the adrenaline was finally allowing the wine to hit.::

Th’Zarin: Listen, Th’Foster… nope… just doesn’t sound right. Doctor? Doc? Shar’Wyn? That’s better. Shar’Wyn, you seem like decent thaan, but no one was “assaulted.” I mean, I was, but I “assaulted” the creep right back.

Foster: It’s Wyn.  ::He paused and asked clearly back towards Ish:: Did you throw the first punch?

::Ish grinned. If there was one thing he loved to do, it was recount barfights.::

Th’Zarin: So here’s how it went down, and you back me up on this, Chief. Andorian sees girl, girl sees Andorian. ::to Blackwell:: Girl… likes Andorian?

Blackwell: Girl likes Andorian enough to converse ::she started to pace again, letting Ish speak:: but girl isn’t sure of anything else at the moment.

Th’Zarin: Good enough. Pinkskin sees girl and Andorian. Pinkskin feels his manhood shrivel slightly at the sight of all these rippling blue muscles. Pinkskin tries to pull girl away from Andorian. Andorian doesn’t like that and puts him in a grapple. Andorian meets glass… pinkskin and Andorian meet cage fight without the cage. ::to Wyn, with a suggestive wink:: Andorian meets Andorian.

Foster: ::Without missing a beat.:: you’re cute too, but I’m taken.  ::his flickered his gaze back and forth:: So punches were traded, I get that.  Barfights are barfights.  But… you’re both telling me that it’s OK, that you want to give this [...] permission to invade your conversation when neither of you are doing anything against morals or regulations, grab her ::he stabbed a finger towards Rue:: and fight dirty by shoving shards of glass in your head?  ::He flicked that finger towards Ish.:: Which I might add the top shard was only seven centimeters away from the base of your left antennae.  Had that glass or your head been positioned a little differently you’d be off balance for the next week and a half.  ::He drew in a long, slow breath:: Look, I can’t tell you what to do.  You don’t want to press charges, don’t press charges.  But if it were me, I don’t give anyone permission to hurt me or to hurt anyone I care about.  And I will always offer advocacy for anyone who comes into this sickbay and needs - or might need - it.

Blackwell: ::She nodded and finally settled down on the chair again, head in her arms:: It’s...just stupid and complicated. And frankly put, I probably need to go talk to him again and figure out -precisely- what I want to do.

::Doctor Foster would argue that she should have station security go talk to him.  But he decided to bite that tongue for a moment and pry for more information.::

Foster: Who is this guy, anyways?

Blackwell: Look ::she rubbed her neck and chewed on her lip for a moment, and started to speak with a bit more energy, her expression one of exhausted misery:: This guy...his name is Gabriel Michael Sharpe...and he is He...was once my fiance. Not just...some guy I dated. I was going to marry him….in fact, the plan had been right after graduation from the academy. Marry, get on the same Starship, and have the happy ending. ::She glances at Wyn:: I mentioned a relationship that went right off a cliff...well, this was the one. I suppose you can argue it was both of our faults. Long story short...he got over zealous in our last years about me making “safe, smart” choices, became really controlling, and I put my foot down. He responded by...sleeping with someone else..which I had the absolute thrill of walking in on, by the way. After that, things were done between us. I returned the ring,  I was assigned to help with a temporary mission, then got a final assignment here on the Conny...and haven’t spoken to him until tonight.

::She then felt a whimpered sob she was attempted to swallow, failed, and then muttered a curse to herself and got up, walking to where a dispenser of paper towels was and wiped her eyes.::

::Ish looked to Foster, then moved over to Rue and put a hand on her shoulder, he hoped comfortingly.::

Th’Zarin: Men are all redbat guano, Chief. And I am one.

::Wyn made a harrumph sound as if to say that was a little unfair.::

::Somehow in her mind, and spirit, she felt haggard and weary, and she accepted the gesture and for a moment leaned towards the touch just to feel something other than hurt.::

Blackwell: No, men are not redbat guano….just sentient beings… women can be just as wretched if not worse… and I’m not saying his… status as once being my fiance absolves him of being an [...]. Far from. Him being an [...] is -precisely- why things went down in flames. That said, the idea of screwing his entire career seems completely… I don’t know… maybe it is reasonable. I don’t know.. ::She rubbed her face again:: That is -why- I need to talk to him… figure out what the hell got into his head.

Th’Zarin: Probably too much alcohol. ::to Wyn:: Not that I know anything about that. ::another wink::

Foster: Honestly, you want the sober explanation?  A counselor should find that out.  Anyone can let something fester and over time it turns them into a monster.  And it sounds like this Gabe guy has a history of meltdowns.  ::He let that linger.  Escalating meltdowns.  So what would be the next one and who would it be aimed at?::

Blackwell: Look, I’m not going to argue he isn’t violent… given evidence to the contrary ::she motioned to Ish:: but with all respect… I -can- defend myself, and at the moment, he’s in as bad of shape as Ensign Th’Zarin - possibly worse given the last hit he took. He isn’t attacking or fighting anyone at the moment.

Th’Zarin: Yeah, I was declared the champion of whatever that dive was called, or something. I kicked his frakkin’ [...].

Foster: I don’t doubt it.  ::He tipped his antennae towards Ish before turning towards Rue:: So he’s settled… for now.  But he’s got a history of meltdowns and a pattern of escalation.  So what happens when he grabs the next girls and she’s not as able to defend herself as you.  ::He looked pointedly at Rue:: And he punches the next guy who isn’t a big blue chunk of man meat who fights back?  ::He paused and let that sink in.:: The precedent you set now may mean innocent people get hurt - or spared - later.

::Wyn was adamant about this, as if he already had personal experience.::

::Rue looked up to Wyn and looked to him with a mix of regret, resignation, loss and frustrated vehemence.::

Blackwell: In the last twenty minutes, all of those thoughts have occurred to me, and worse. I… know you think I’m naive and I don’t see the issue, but I do. That being said, I’ve also seen the type who's willing to antagonize and threaten those perceived to be weaker, and what happens when it escalates… and how the escalation slips through the cracks, and dealt with as well - though that is another story. That said, even Starfleet has cracks… even if we go through the process, and it looks like he may get consequences, that is no sure deal. Bureaucracy and red tape has a way of either burying people… or cushioning their fall. ::she looked down and pushed her hands through her hair before looking up and standing:: And It’s entirely irrational… past is past, all that, but I feel a lot of  blame in this. I need to fix it and it has to be now. ::she stood up and looked to Wyn:: I’m going to find him. Going to deal with it. Will you come with me?

Foster:  Yes, I am.  ::firm::

Th’Zarin: ::jumping to his feet:: I can go too!

Foster: Haven’t you hit the guy enough for one night?  ::He asked, not unkindly.  There was caution and humor in his tone.::

Th’Zarin: Aww, come on, Wyn. Don’t bench me!

Foster: Most of the action is going to be extremely boring. A lot of talking with security and official paperwork. Not very fun.  ::he was quite sincere about that.::

Blackwell :::She looked to Wyn and nodded, murmuring quietly:: Thank you.

Th’Zarin: ::muttering:: Didn’t even frakkin’ get any tonight… damn pinkskins…

Foster: You know what, if you wanted to get it on so bad you should go find my dad. He's had a lifelong fantasy of a multicolored threesome. I'm sure you and he could hook up and find some dashing exotic lady on the Starbase and go have a night of fun.  ::The sad thing was, Wyn was very serious about that too.  Cade Foster had been a wonderful father to him, but he also had his own very strange and not always socially acceptable quirks.::

Blackwell: ::She was so fuzzy brained that at the moment, she couldn’t even react to Foster’s mentioned. She managed to look at Ish:: I’ll… follow up with you later.

Th’Zarin: ::blinking, distracted, to Rue:: Oh yeah, sure. ::to Wyn:: Your… dad...

Foster: All I ask is if you do it, don't tell me about it in the morning. I don't need to know that about my dad.

::Rue waited patiently at the door, arms folded quietly.::

::Ish just sat there on the biobed, blinking, feeling like he was either too drunk or not drunk enough for what Wyn had just said to him.::

Foster: ::looking towards Blackwell:: Alright, this is your show, you telling me where the road goes.

::Rue nodded silently and lead the way out.::

::Ish sat there a moment longer, his mind gone blank.::

Th’Zarin: Computer… who is Wyn Foster’s father?

END

 

[Graduating Class of 239409.25]

Welcome to the fleet!

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

Saveron said:

Saveron: You disappoint me, Ensign Frag. ::He said, and paused deliberately to let the tension ratchet up.:: I believe that it is customary to offer insult within your species, yet you appear to have only insulted yourself.

 

::Frag gave a lazy grunt, yawning theatrically as if she were bored.::

 

Frag: A Vulcan walking into a room is insult enough. I’d rather read LCARS alphabetically than carry on a conversation about logical stick-in-butt-ery.

 

Saveron: I did not anticipate that you had mastered the skill of reading; your species progresses. I will defer to your expertise in the area of butts. ::He added, with a meaningful glance at the elastic in her hair.::

 

Frag: ::trying to suppress a smile:: Now on that subject, I’m a frakkin’ expert, Mr. Comedian.

 

Saveron: No doubt your expertise encompasses all nether regions, bodily functions and the apparent humour inherent within. ::He replied mildly.:: Others have progressed to more refined forms of humour. I am curious however as to your real name.

 

Frag: ::ears twitching, pretending disinterest:: What about it? It’s Frag.

 

Saveron: One assumed it was recorded in error; your parents’ first word on viewing their new offspring. ::He replied in deceptively mild tones.::

 

Frag: Perhaps it comes from the state of your mother’s nether regions when I gave her Temple of Gol a good dusting. “Fragged.” A more logical conclusion, I’d say.

 

::And they were back to butts and body functions. That didn’t take long. The important thing with Tellarites was to remember that outlandish insults were appreciated, and never expected to be based on fact or experience. Forget that and lose control of one’s temper, and one lost the match. Of course, Vulcans had an unfair advantage.::

 

Saveron: I assure you that my mother’s ‘Temple of Gol’ does not have the opportunity to get dusty. ::He replied blandly.:: However, you may wish to borrow the industrial cleaning equipment for yourself, since I would not anticipate that such a decrepit temple as yours would attract many worshippers.

 

Frag: ::aghast:: VULCANS AREN’T ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT DECREPIT TEMPLES?! Where’d you learn your manners, Mr. Comedian?! You got some Tellarite in your blood?!

 

::As Frag lost her cool, Saveron knew he’d won this round.::

 

Saveron: On the contrary. All I had to do was walk onto this ship. ::He favoured Frag with a head tilt and slightly raised brows; a Vulcan mic-drop.::

I feel like this whole brilliant exchange deserves a mention here. Also I'm sorry MJ, I don't know how to quote it as two people

[Diving through Bureaucracy]

I'd "accidentally" make sure the affected planet's government got hold of the emergency hailing frequency for the space station administrator. Oops, what's that? Getting pleading messages from a plague torn planet at all hours of the day and night? Better give me those supplies then, dirtwad.

[Graduating Class of 239409.05]

#vulcantakeover #watchoutoffworlders #thisisplomeekcountrynow

[Mutiny in the holodeck]

Given how often Holodecks seem to malfunction in dangerous ways, as soon as I assumed command I'd just buy my crew a bunch of board games and turn the damned thing off before the problem arose

[Simming family]

I play a father and daughter on the Constitution, a PNPC and PC respectively; for those characters, the relationship and the surrounding events are integral to their personality, so obviously, family matters get quite a bit of screen time. I think, with different characters, I might focus on different aspects of their lives. So for me, it's an "it depends".

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

Maxwell Traenor said:

 

::Because she was ill. Socially toxic and unable to control her obsessive tendencies. She needed counseling. If only there was a Vulcan counselor willing to message her several times, with increasing urgency, to get her to attend her mandatory counseling sessions.::

Bahahahahahaha

[Unique Quotes in Sims - USS Constitution-B]

[sb118-constitution] Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu - Time to Bring Out the Big Puns

YASSSS

[Simming death]

As Skyfire said, it depends on the character.

During T'Reshik's pon farr arc, I was half-tempted to kill her off and make Taurek my new primary, and although I ultimately decided against it, I had a plan to make it some awesome, hallucinatory descent into delirium type thing which would nevertheless hopefully provide some closure. I think some characters might suit a quiet offscreen death, while some might suit an epic sacrifice or something, but it should always be a careful negotiation between what the player wants and what suits the character's narrative. Given the permanence of character death (usually), it's not a decision that should be taken lightly.

[Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu and Ensign Colleen Bancroft - Flashback: A Brief Hacking Diversion]

((Alcatraz Net Café, Marina District, San Francisco - 239105.31 19:01 Hours))

 

::Micced earpiece. Check. Five hour pre-paid public terminal. Check. Cola. Check.::

 

Choi: Turing, transmit “Best of Neo Alba Ra” kit to Alcatraz Net Café console 09 and initiate.

 

Turing: Uploading. ::pause:: Good hacking, Aphelion.

 

::Ji-hu blushed, glancing around, but the Café was mostly empty. He took a deep breath, the fewer steps the better, the less there was to trace back to him or Cadet Bancroft.::

 

::He started on social media.::

 

::At parties, people loved posting pictures of themselves, which geolocated to real-time places. This made his job relatively simple. This was a big party and he quickly found a group of cadets posting pictures at the wedding reception, Moreau Manor, geolocated to the Buena Vista Heights, right where they had thought it would be. He pulled up the relative location on a civilian map application and quickly matched the house in the image with those seen from above in frighteningly high-quality imaging. A beautiful, ancient Terran manor left over from the 20th century, although clearly well maintained. The Moreau’s came from past generations of tech moguls, and while the acquisition of materials mattered to few Terrans in the modern era, the family’s past successes clearly meant they kept a not-so-modest household.::

 

Choi: /Aphelion to Shadow Leopard. D-do you read me?/

 

Bancroft: /Shadow Leopard. Go ahead, Aphelion./

 

Choi: /He’s there, and I have an address. 709 Buena Vista West, overlooking the west side of the park. I’ll start doing some research, check in when you’re nearby./

 

::Ji-hu pulled up some of the imaging and began to scrutinize the pictures, ignoring the human faces and looking at layout and security. A few cameras, private company, subtle, but not enough to escape notice. The wedding reception was perfect cover. The house’s security systems would be turned off, and what was one more stranger wandering around looking for the bathroom? Ji-hu ran a search for private residential security in the Bay Area and began to pour over the equipment and services they offered before thought he had a match. Palladium Home Security Systems.::

 

::Now the real fun began.::

 

(( Buena Vista Heights - Geolocated Circle ))

 

::Colleen was at a nearby bodega when Choi came on the comms with their target.::

 

::Everything had started off so simple - a regular old assignment on a holodeck for one of her classes. The Cadet she’d been assigned to work with - a snooty Engineering Sophomore who seemed to hate her for reasons she couldn’t possibly fathom (besides turning down his incessant requests to go on a date with him) - had been a royal pain since they’d begun the assignment, and had only continued to be a problem once they were on the holodeck. As with all assignments, they were recording the run, each of them. The assignment went off smoothly enough, despite a single minor fumble on Colleen’s part, and they’d collected their recordings once it was over. However, when Colleen had went back in later to try and review the recording, she’d found out that the device she’d been using was completely blank. Her recording was gone. A few hours later, she’d found a message from her “lab partner” saying that he had the recording that showed how she’d screwed up the entire assignment - and the little [...] had been so arrogant as to even take a picture of the chip with the recording on it..::

 

::Oh, that had gotten her blood boiling. Fraking little Sophomore, getting in the way of her work. So, she’d decided that revenge was in order. Time to get that recording back and wreak a little havoc on the [...] in the process. So, her first call had been to Choi Ji-hu, Engineering extraordinaire. Once he had agreed to help her - they’d become friends, so he hadn’t taken very long to agree - she’d laid out the situation to Grace. Grace, in the middle of her Intelligence major, had grinned when Colleen had explained the plan, and agreed on the spot.::

 

::A little leg work later, and they’d determined that the Cadet’s sister was preparing to get married, and the wedding reception would be at their manor. Colleen had no worries that when it came time, Ji-hu would be able to find the exact location. Based on where the message had come from, they’d had a rough idea of where to go, so she and Grace had been on opposite sides of the geo-shot when Choi had found the manor itself.::

 

Bancroft: /Copy that. German, you got that?/

 

Freeman: /Got it. Moving in. Aphelion, let us know when you’ve got more intel please./

 

::Colleen left the bodega at a light jog, enough that she wouldn’t break too much of a sweat, heading for the manor that Ji-hu had indicated.::

 

(( Alcatraz Net Café ))

 

Choi: /Hello Mr. Ians, this is Carl from Palladium IT. I’m r-really sorry to bother you so late on a Friday night, but unfortunately there’s been a security breach and your account’s b-b-been targeted./

 

Ians: /[...]… again? I thought you guys fixed this with the new encryption scheme last year./

 

Choi: /Yeah… I know, sir... b-b-between you and me, the company really didn’t go with the best software. And they haven’t been shelling out for upgrades./

 

Ians: /::scoffing, grumbling:: ... bigwigs... /

 

Choi: /If it’s any consolation, your account w-w-wasn’t the only one affected. We’re going to be putting in a long night here.../

 

Ians: /They better have a case of beer waiting for you boys on the other end. What do you need, kid?/

 

Choi: /I just need to confirm your identity and g-g-get some information from you to access your account and reset your password. We’ll s-start with your d-d-date of birth.../

 

::”Exploit” sounded like such a dirty word. Ji-hu couldn’t feel too bad about it… a security company that was so easily duped by a teenager in a net café. He justified it to himself, as he had so often done, that he was simply breaking into the system to use it, rather than hurt anyone. In fact, he hoped to help Colleen. A sort of ends-justifying-the-means deal. With luck, Allan Ians of Palladium’s surveillance systems security, who was far too easy to find and get in touch with through the net, would figure out what had happened when his login didn’t work on Monday morning. If he had any brains at all he’d reset his password, not say a word and hopefully learn a lesson to not blindly trust “Carl from IT.”::

 

::Front door, back door, two backyard, greenhouse, two perimeter and one indoor camera, in some sort of study or office. That’s what Ji-hu had access to inside Palladium’s surveillance, and he could see now that the party was in full swing. Perhaps a hundred people or more crammed into the backyard, milling about the outdoor bar, dancing before a DJ booth, spilling out from inside the house, the lower levels mostly, from what he could see in the security feeds.::

 

::Now if he could only find a layout of the house... Ji-hu could get Colleen inside, but he’d be blind once she was in there. Sure, he could make some educated guesses from what he could see, but it wasn’t enough. If only he’d had more time to prepare…::

 

(( Buena Vista Heights - Moreau Manor ))

 

Bancroft: /Shadow Leopard to Aphelion./

 

Choi: /Aphelion here./

 

Bancroft: /Alright, we’re almost on site./

 

Choi: /Good. Guests are entering through the house, b-but it looks like the caterers are using a narrow alley to the right of the m-m-main entrance./

 

Bancroft: /Perfect. German, you ready?/

 

Freeman: /Pfft. Born ready. Give me a shout when you’re ready./

 

::Colleen clicked her mic twice at her girlfriend and jogged past the manor and towards the back alley. Once there, she spent a moment watching the caterers. There were only a couple outside.::

 

Bancroft: /Aphelion, can you take down the back camera for about…. Twenty seconds?/

 

Choi: /Affirmative. Looping s-s-security feed, let me know when you’re by./

 

::One of the vans was open to her mouth of the alley, and inside she found a set of uniforms. Grabbing one that would easily fit her, she threw it on over her clothes, then dropped back out of the van and headed for the doors. Nodding at a couple of the staff, none of which gave her a second glance, she entered the door. Grace’s training - “Look like you belong. Nobody will question you.” She found herself inside a decent sized room, where catering staff entered and exited through a door across the room.::

 

Bancroft: /Aphelion, German, I’m in. German, distraction on my mark please.../

 

::Grace sent a double click back across the channel. Colleen grabbed a tray from the prepped group, and swept through the double doors, and then through to the outside, looking the part of another boring staff member - except, you know, the earpiece in her ear and the mic sitting against her throat. Fortunately, the second was hidden by the catering uniform, and the first was small enough to be easily missed. For several minutes, Colleen milled about with the tray, until it was empty. She passed it off to another member of the staff once she was back into the house, begging off to find the restroom. She was directed to a restroom for guest staff - and beside it, a door that led to a stairwell going up. Looking all the part like she’d just opened the wrong door, she slipped into the bathroom.::

 

Bancroft: /Okay, so… there’s a staircase back here. Aphelion, any luck finding blueprints for this place?/

 

(( Alcatraz Net Café ))

 

::Ji-hu had no luck whatsoever. As he kept an eye on Colleen making her way through the party, standing out no more than any of the other servers, he’d been searching through the net fruitlessly. Comm links to the Moreaus all went through their companies, they had no public listings as far as he could see.::

 

Choi: /Um… Shadow Leopard, I’ve got a plan, but I n-need a contact to Mr. Marcus Moreau, or his partner. A b-b-business card, a scribbled n-note, anything!/

 

Bancroft: /Moment.../

 

Choi: /Once I h-have that I promise I can get you in and out of the s-s-second floor fast./

 

::Ji-hu flicked through the security feeds. Marcus Jr., the Moreau’s son, was headed from the greenhouse into the house.::

 

Choi: /Damnit! T-target is inside./

 

(( Buena Vista Heights - Moreau Manor ))

 

::Colleen left the bathroom and returned to the service area. It took a couple minutes, but she finally found a small board that had contact information scribbled on it, hanging on a wall near a desk with a massive amount of paperwork on it. She took a quick picture of it with her PADD and sent it to Ji-hu before somebody got suspicious.::

 

::Crap. With the target inside, Colleen had a much, much higher chance of getting spotted by somebody she knew. She made herself scarce just in time for the [...] to barge into the prep area and start yelling at the wait staff.::

 

Bancroft: /Try the address I just sent you. Hopefully it’ll work, but no guarantees. German, continue standby for the distraction. I’ll need it to get upstairs, especially with the local security./

 

::Grace double clicked her mic once more.::

 

(( Alcatraz Net Café, Marina District, San Francisco - 239105.31 19:35 Hours ))

 

::Ji-hu flicked through the feeds nervously, glancing about. An administrator had popped onto the surveillance network, but there were multiple accounts logged on. He hoped one more didn’t look suspicious.::

 

::Finally Colleen responded.::

 

Choi: /Standby./

 

::Ji-hu had a comm link program on the computer standing by, routing his call through an anonymous number, as before. He waited anxiously as the line rang once, twice, three times, four.::

 

Moreau Sr.: /Moreau./

 

Choi: /Hello Mr. Moreau, this is… Carl... from the c-contractors./

 

Moreau Sr.: /Contractors? This really isn’t the best time./

 

Choi: /My apologies, Mr. Moreau, we’re just f-f-finallizing the plans for the upstairs bathroom r-renovations next week, but we n-n-need detailed blueprints to confirm everything with the… the plumbing specialist./

 

::Moreau Sr. swore.::

 

Moreau Sr.: /Did Phillip order this?! I swear he has that bathroom done every other year./

 

::Ji-hu stuttered a moment, thrown off by the man’s anger while simultaneously watching the Moreau patriarch on the security feed.::

 

Choi: /I… I… I understand, s-sir! My… g-g-girlfriend… Colleen, she’s had the kitchen redone three times in the past year?/

 

::Ji-hu physically slapped his forehead, but the man seemed distracted enough by the party around him to not noticed the fallacious statement.::

 

Moreau Sr.: /Again, I really must be going.../

 

Choi: /We’ll just need the blueprints b-b-before we leave tonight, or w-we’ll have to postpone.../

 

Moreau Sr.: /Fine. Where?/

 

Choi: /Oh! … Uh… Turing Renos Inc. ... /

 

::He created the fake company’s fake message address as quickly as his fingers could fly across the keyboard, spelling out the address as he came up with it. The message came through seconds after the receiver had been authenticated. Ji-hu thanked Moreau Sr. and collapsed backwards in his seat as he deleted the account he had created for the sole purpose of scamming the blueprints off the man..::

 

Choi: /Alright… I’ve g-g-got it.../

 

(( Buena Vista Heights - Moreau Manor ))

 

::Colleen had to work very hard not to snap at Ji-hu across the comm for accidentally leaving his end open as he called the address she had provided. But, since she was just waiting for the moment, she listened to his end of the conversation. When he invoked her name -- over the kitchen?! -- she had to spend several moments doing breathing exercises. The middle of an op was not the time to be losing her head. Once the call was over, it seemed Ji-hu was talking to them. She chose not to make it clear that she’d heard his end of the conversation, and instead simply thanked him for the blueprints. A few moments for review, and she found that the staircase back here wasn’t actually listed on the blueprints. Well, that was annoying.::

 

::She shrugged her shoulders and slipped into the stairwell anyway. Shedding her catering uniform and then her jeans and t-shirt, she checked her black clothes once over then headed upstairs. At the top, she found herself in a narrow passageway that twisted off into dim light. Shrugging, she walked slowly along one of the passages.::

 

Bancroft: /Shadow Leopard to Aphelion. Has the target gone back outside yet?/

 

Choi: /Affirmative. Target is in the b-backyard./

 

Bancroft: /Copy./

 

::Colleen continued to creep along the passageway until she reached a door. She listened at it for a few moments. Hearing nothing, she very slowly pressed the door open. She found herself in a bedroom. The door closed silently behind her, and when she glanced back at it, she found that it was covered by a painting, completely hidden.::

 

Bancroft: oO Huh. Secret passageways. Oo

 

::She quickly consulted her PADD. If she was right, she was in…. a bedroom. But it definitely looked like a guest bedroom. She sighed silently - there was no way she would have gotten the correct one the first time - and padded to the door. She opened it, slowly and just a hair, and listened. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of the party, but nothing closer. She opened the door a little further and looked out. The hallway was dark, and her movement didn’t trigger any lights. Thank goodness for manual switches.::

 

Bancroft: /Okay, if I’m lucky, I won’t need the distraction until I’m exfilling. Aphelion, party status?/

 

Choi: /They’re making toasts… so just d-don’t make any noise or t-turn on any lights./

 

::Colleen crept down the hallway to the left first. The only two rooms down there also turned out to be guest rooms, so she went the other way. The first room that way was a huge - almost cavernous master bedroom. None of the clutter that had been in the original pic the [...] had sent showed, so she moved on.::

 

::Three more rooms, and nothing. Finally, she found the room. It was cluttered to no end, and it looked like the floor didn’t even exist with the crap on it. Glancing around, she made her way to the bedside table first. A check of the drawers revealed nothing, and nothing was on top of it either. The pair of shelving units in the room revealed nothing either, so Colleen finally made her way to the desk. The top of the desk was covered in PADDs and other junk -- until there it was. The data chip with the assignment on it, plugged into a PADD just as it had been two days before when the picture was sent.::

 

Bancroft: oO Right. See if we can avoid this being linked back to us... Oo

 

::Colleen grabbed the PADD, disconnected the data chip, grabbed a few other PADDs at random, and then scattered the rest of the PADDs over the desk, randomly, but as quietly as possible. Once that was done, she headed back for the bedroom door - when everything went sideways.::

 

::The second Colleen stepped over the threshold to the doorway, an alarm started to blare. Colleen swore across the comm link.::

 

Bancroft: /German, distraction now please, a big one, now! Aphelion! What the hell just happened??/

 

Freeman: /Ten seconds./

 

Choi: /I… I don’t know! Standby!/

 

::Colleen ran down the hallway to the bedroom she’d come out of earlier, as the hallway lights snapped on above her and feet pounded on stairs. She closed the door, locked it, and then ran to the painting. It didn’t budge. She wasted a few moments searching for a switch, until she found it -- right in the nose of the subject of the painting.::

 

Bancroft: oO Why?!? Oo

 

::But the painting swung open, admitting her, just as somebody ran into the door, hard, causing it to shake in its frame. Colleen dived into the tunnel behind the painting, and it closed itself silently behind her. Less than two seconds after it closed, she heard the door on the other side break down. Not wanting to count on her pursuers not knowing about the tunnels, so she moved as fast as she quietly could back to the staircase, then went down it. At the bottom, she pulled on her outer clothes, then the uniform, as rapidly as she could. No sounds of pursuit, so she waited at the bottom of the steps.::

 

::Suddenly, there were shouts of alarm as a loud THUMP sounded from outside. After a quick three count, Colleen dove out the door of the stairwell, and ran for the back door. Her timing had been almost impeccable, as the other catering staff were running out that door as well.::

 

Bancroft: /Aphelion, status!/

 

(( Alcatraz Net Café ))

 

::The administrator, it had to be the administrator. Maybe Palladium’s systems were better than he had assumed. Ji-hu scrambled, trying to find something he could do, but he’d screwed up royally, letting the alarm get tripped like that.::

 

Choi: /I’ve g-g-g-got nothing! Standby!/

 

::He flipped through the security feeds, looking for something, anything. Then he saw it. He  double checked the name and contact information, configured the brute force attack, enacted the attack and then hit the comm line.::

 

Choi: /Both of you, comms off! Cover your ears!/

 

(( Buena Vista Heights - Moreau Manor ))

 

::In essence, all Ji-hu did was make a comm call to the DJ, but he simultaneously had a comm scrambler target the line and blast it with every audio file on the DJs connected console, which was in turn connected to the sound system in the backyard. The result, he had to imagine, was something like a Klingon opera meeting an Alba Ra concert meet a 20th century punk rock show at the absolute loudest volume the system could manage. Not deafening, but some people standing next to the speakers might lose a couple of decibels.::

 

::Colleen yanked her earpiece from ear and shoved it into a pocket in her day clothes. She made it into the alley right as there was terror from the front of the house. With a very slight grin, she covered her ears like everybody else - it was loud, even in the alley - and ran like hell for the exit.::

 

::A couple blocks away, Colleen lost the catering uniform, shoving it in a dumpster, and carefully reinserted her earpiece into her ear. It didn’t seem to be squealing, so she hoped she’d be okay.::

 

Bancroft: /Report./

 

Freeman: /Made it out just in time. I don’t think they saw my face when I dropped the fireworks, so hopefully we’re good there. Aphelion?/

 

Choi: /Taking care of things on my end./

 

Bancroft: /Alright, pack it in gang. Meet at the exfil point./

 

::Colleen slowed to a walk after a few more blocks, once she was significantly far enough away that the sirens were a good distance. The walk was a nice, summer one, and she relaxed, allowing the adrenaline to bleed off. After a couple minutes, Grace appeared beside her.::

 

Freeman: Hey you.

 

Bancroft: Hey you.

 

::Colleen and Grace intertwined their fingers as they walked, looking for all the world like a couple out for a Saturday stroll.::

 

((Alcatraz Net Café ))

 

Choi: Turing, play Alba Ra album, “Thrash.”

 

::A loud, whining almost-music began to emanate through the mostly empty café as Ji-hu whipped a hypospanner and ducked underneath the desk. He flipped the console’s tower around and had it open and dug inside for the old hard drive and other pieces he needed to replace. He had them out and replaced with pieces he’d replicated at a computer parts store earlier--he’d fry the old ones later. He finished and jumped back into his seat, booting up the console just as the owner of the café came around the corner.::

 

Owner: Hey! You can’t play music in here!

 

Choi: ::flushing:: S-s-s-sorry, my PADD got stuck on… I’m so b-b-bad with computers…

 

::He turned the music off and stood, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.::

 

Choi: I think there’s something wr-wrong with that terminal, I tried to r-restart it, but it’s acting really weird.

 

::The woman sighed and sat down, finding the wiped blank terminal in perfect working order, except none of the programs that were supposed to be on there were.::

 

Owner: You can grab another one while I figure this out.

 

::But when she looked up, Ji-hu had already disappeared out the storefront, into the darkening San Francisco night.::

 

(( Tram Station, downtown San Francisco ))

 

::Colleen sat on a bench, relaxing, Grace beside her, apparently engrossed in the latest gossip column on her PADD.::

 

::Ji-hu walked up to their rendezvous location, hood pulled up despite the warmth of the night, backpack slung over one shoulder, slouching, feeling suddenly conspicuous off the console. He gave a shy smile as he approached the couple.::

 

Choi: Hey Colleen… nice to m-meet you in person, Cadet Freeman.

 

Freeman: ::Not looking up from her PADD:: Choi. Take your hood off, you look like you’re doing something wrong.

 

Bancroft: Hey Ji-hu. Don’t mind her, she’s just annoyed that you called me your girlfriend.

 

::Ji-hu sat on the bench next to them, covering his face in his hands in horror, flushing a deep crimson.::

 

Bancroft: Don’t worry about it, just… use somebody else’s name next time we do this, yeah? You know, if we have to do it again.

 

Freeman: You covered your tracks?

 

Choi: Yeah, I’m g-g-gonna fry the contaminated components when I get b-back on campus.

 

::And then crush them into a million pieces and blow them off the Golden Gate into the Bay. He’d sworn he wouldn’t do this sort of thing once he was part of Starfleet... but he’d gotten so caught up in the moment, and he couldn’t have just let some awful Engineering cadet screw Colleen over. He’d grown fond of his unarmed combat tutor.::

 

Freeman: Good. Shall we get out of here then? It’s been a long day and I’d rather get back to campus before anybody realizes that a trio of smoke grenades are missing… again.

 

::Colleen grinned and stood up, gently pulling Grace to her feet, and then the three of them headed for the train together.::

 

Bancroft: That definitely could have gone worse.

 

 

A Joint Post By:

 

Lieutenant (JG) Choi Ji-hu

Engineering Officer

USS Constitution-B

C239402CJ0

 

AND

 

(PNPC) Ensign Grace Freeman

Intelligence and Weapons Specialist

451st Squadron, Starfleet Rangers

 

(Simmed by)

AND

 

Ensign Colleen Bancroft

Security and Tactical Officer

USS Gorkon

G239404CB0

[2017 Red Carpet]

21 hours ago, Saveron said:

Pics or it didn't happen T'Reshik.

I love that Jalana's dress shows off her spots.

Artist's reconstruction ahead:

(Fig. 1)

 

(Fig. 2)

(Fig. 3)

[2017 Red Carpet]

T'Reshik is going to punch "formal dress" into the replicator, add her size parameters, and put on whatever comes out without bothering to look at it. After the ceremony she's going to shove it back in the replicator and resolve never to wear such an irrational garment again.

[New Academy Graduate]

He's joining the Conny? Awesome! Fresh blood! And I mean that literally. T'Reshik needs some fresh non-synthesized blood for her experiments. If you would just like to take a seat... wait. Why are you running?!

[New VR Bridge Command Game!]

I love the easy interfaces, and I'm very amused by the fact that your character's mouth moves with the mic input! We may or may not have spent the first half hour having our avatars make rude gestures at each other using the grip controls

If anyone wants to team up with my partner and myself for a game of this, please add caaaaaaaaaats (10 As!) on Uplay! Be warned, though, I'm still very bad at it!

[Simming pets]

I get a little bit eye-rolly with RP characters who somehow manage to keep a long list of the player's wish-fulfilment pets regardless of living situation or practicality; luckily I haven't seen any of that in this fleet

Neither of my characters have pets and, as much as I love cats, I can't see either of them really being "cat people". At best, I can see T'Reshik keeping a bacterial colony in a petri dish somewhere on her desk, or some kind of toxic microscopic organism. Or a sealed tank full of phosphorescent-dyed bacteria spreading over the inside of the glass. Hmm, that's actually a pretty cool idea...

[Would you become an android?]

Can the Android body walk more than two flights of stairs without getting tired? If so, HECK YEAH. I'll worry about the ethics later; both myself AND my character would go for the option that gives us full mobility again!