Search the Community

((Personal Quarters, Deck 6 - USS Darwin-A)) Attendant: =/\= This may sound heartless, Mister Traenor, but we should reconsider the value of your conversations with your father. =/\= ::The matronly woman on the personal viewer had a kindly expression, but her words were firm. It was the second time in as many hours that he had been subjected to a painful truth in such a manner. This time was much worse, though, and he was left thoroughly heartbroken.:: Traenor: =/\= But... but I can't just cut off contact! =/\= ::In the background of the scene on his viewer, there was a hearty commotion. Three orderlies were holding down a frail old man, who just happened to scrap like a tiger and swear like a sailor. They had finally subdued him enough to apply a hypospray, and the captive elder finally slumped in submission.:: Attendant: =/\= The symptoms of his Irumodic Syndrome worsen by the day, Mister Traenor. He deals well enough with visits in person by your sister, but these comm interactions are too disorienting and overwhelming for him. ::softly:: You can see for yourself how he reacts, Mister Traenor. Each time you call, it is worse. =/\= ::It was true, though it didn't make the truth any harder to swallow. His sister Kirsten already liked laying subtle and not-so-subtle guilt trips on him for choosing to accept a deep-space mission, and this type of experience with his father just added insult to injury. He didn't regret taking a commission and traveling the stars as an officer on a ship, but in times like this he wished that circumstances could be kinder to him.:: Traenor: =/\= ::morosely:: I do understand, but you're asking me to give up ties with my father. That's just not fair. =/\= Attendant: =/\= There are other options. We can follow him around with a portable terminal, and you can watch him go about his normal routines without the stresses on him of interaction. =/\= Traenor: oO Oh yeah. Great option. I can be a fly on the wall instead of talking to the man I love. I might as well create a holographic representation of him, for all the value of that. Oo Attendant: =/\= We can also track his highlights, and submit a daily log for you to keep abreast of your father's status. =/\= Traenor: =/\= Gods, that's so impersonal! I'm his son, dammit, not his clinician! =/\= ::The poor woman was taken aback by the outburst, and Maxwell felt immediately shamed by his actions. The attendant was only trying to help, and had his father's best interests at heart. To her credit, she kept her professional demeanor. If Maxwell's father was any indication, she had learned long ago to not take emotional outbursts seriously.:: Attendant: =/\= At the end of the day, Mister Traenor, your father's health and well being is all that matters. It will be easier for all of us if you agree to these terms, but be assured that your father's comm privileges will be suspended regardless of your wishes. =/\= Traenor: =/\= ::defeated:: Very well. I understand. Let's try the daily log option, and we'll evaluate it as time goes on. =/\= Attendant: =/\= ::kindly smile:: Thank you. I'm so sorry it has come to this, but we only hope to provide a safe and supporting environment for your father. Have a good day, Mister Traenor. =/\= ::The vidlink terminated, reverting back to the list of messages that Traenor still had waiting for him. He stared unblinking and unseeing at it for a long minute, trying to regain his composure. Though he had grown to dread the invariably incoherent and often disruptive conversations with his father, the loss of them was even worse. He wished he could share his hurt and pain with Kirsten right now, even though her support would be double-edged, but with her and his niece on Jupiter Station with Kirsten's husband, she was out of touch at the moment. He would have to shoulder this burden alone for the time being.:: Traenor: ::speaking to the empty room:: How could a day that started so promising turn so wretched? ::Maxwell let the sorrow and self-pity stew for a little while, before recalling the conversation he had held earlier with Kael Thomas. Though their discussion had touched on his professional demeanor, the wise words imparted on him could also apply to his personal outlook on life as well. At the end of the day, Traenor chided himself, if this setback provided a stable and safe situation for his father, then it was a small sacrifice. Feeling slightly mollified, he turned back to his messages.:: Traenor: oO Oh, what's this? A message from John? Oo ::Opening the file, it contained a link detailing a call for participants in a shuttle race being organized on Deep Space 6. Valdivia, his scientific colleague, had some experience in an engineering technology that could favorably be used in the design of a racing shuttle, and wanted to know if Traenor was interested in collaborating. With a faint smile, Traenor sent back a quick note indicating his interest, and that they should meet soon and discuss it.:: Traenor: oO As long as he isn't counting on me for any flying expertise. I couldn't pilot my way out of a wet paper bag. Oo ::With that injection of self-deprecating humor in his outlook, Traenor was feeling a fair bit better again. He arose and tidied his quarters, placing the tchotchkes he had just purchased in various places around the room. The place still looked barren without his baby grand, but he would rectify that soon enough. After this, he freshened up with a cold splash of water and a futile attempt to tame his mop of salt-and-pepper hair. Traenor was just toweling off when his commbadge beeped.:: Renos: =/\= Captain Renos to LtCmdrs Jorey and Thomas, LtJG Traenor and Ensign Manius. Meet me in the briefing room in one hour. =/\= Traenor: ::tapping his badge in acknowledgement:: =/\= Aye, sir.=/\= ::Maxwell was curious about the summons, as he wouldn't normally expect such a request during shore leave, but was still happy to comply. The time constraint still left him enough time to work through the messages he had temporarily abandoned, so he returned to that task with diligent fervor.:: Traenor: ::allowing one last indulgent thought:: oO I love you, Dad. Just because we can't talk anymore, I hope you don't forget that. Oo TBC ======================================LtJG Maxwell Traenor - Chief Science OfficerUSS Darwin NCC-99312-AGraphic Contest Taskforce Member Contact: Email/Hangouts - otterhooligan@gmail.com======================================

((Valdivia's quarters, USS Darwin-A)) :: Valdivia had been resting in his bed for some time. Odd as it might be, ono of the worst parts of his experience being phased had been being unable to rest leaning on a wall or bed or chair or anything. Lying on the floor at most, and yet it was just thanks to the artificial gravity, the floor didn't hold him per se. So being able to rest on something was something he needed. First the chairs at Natural Selections, and then his bed. But as his body rested, his mind could not, so he started thinking. :: :: Soon enough, though, he realized the problems he was thinking about were supposed to be left to rest during shore leave. Furthermore, most of them would become problems for someone else once they were assigned a new mission. :: Valdivia: oO Because we will be assigned a new mission, right? I knew the Darwin was just called as a response to the Prometheus incident, but... I like it here, we will keep working as an active ship, right? Oo :: As his mind approached there, it grew even more restless. He finally decided he had to do something else. But what? :: Valdivia: oO I wonder... if my programs will still work... I have not loaded them on a holodeck since the academy, holodeck protocols ought to have changed a bit. Oo ((Holodeck, USS Darwin-A)) Valdivia: Computer, load random generated scenario. Class M planet, tropical latitude, rainforest. :: He waited a bit as the computer ran the automated protocols to create a random rainforest. The trees started appearing around him. It was raining. :: Valdivia: Computer, I hate you. ::apologetic beep.:: No rain. Change weather to sunny. :: That was better. Shortly, the forest was created as far as he could see. That part was the computer's creation. Now began his part. :: Valdivia: Computer, start programmer mode. Don't freeze the scene. :: A digital panel appeared next to him, with orders he could choose to change the forest around him. Selecting and object and changing it's size, position, color... modifying the terrain, adding actors... :: Valdivia: Computer, load tool set Valdivia003, motion control. :: A gaunlet of his own design appeared around his right hand. That allowed to run the same commands the panel could run, but with gestures. Grabbing the air in an object's direction selected it, and he could manually change it's position, enlarge it, modify a specific part...:: :: Just for practice, he started modifying things. Pulling his hand up created a small mound, and moving two fingers in front of him moved a tree around until he found a nice place for it. He grabbed the air and pulled, creating a new long branch on a tree, and opening the palm widened the branch to a small platform. :: Valdivia: It has been some time since I last did this... Computer, set gravity to 0.6G. :: He jumped a couple of times to let his body get used to the lowered gravity, took a deep breat, and started running. He ran towards the tree, and using it to push himself up he jumped a couple of meters up. A gesture with his fingers made a new branch appear for him to grab, and using it to pull himself even further he landed on the wooden platform he had created shortly before. :: Valdivia: oO This is the taller tree around here. Let's climb it. Oo :: A quick gesture up with his hand moved the platform, launching himself up flying. His smile broadened as he felt the air on his face, and as he felt himself starting to slow down, another gesture created a set of stairs in front of him, so he ran up on the stairs that appeared as he climbed them. As he arrived to the end of the stairs, he prepared of one of his favorite tricks, that required some precision. As he ran towards the end, his fingers drew a tornado, he finally jumped from the platform and the air under him started to blow up, pulling him up towards the top of the tree. :: Valdivia: oO Just a little push... Oo :: Either he had miscalculated or the gravity was a bit too high, but he didn't reach the top, his hand missed by an inch and he started falling. With a broad smile, he turned around to look at the rapidly approaching ground. :: Valdivia: Hello, ground! :: He knew even if he fell, the safety protocols would prevent any harm. But ending his adventure crashing on the ground was not that funny. Looking around, he found the computer had created a lake when generating the forest. Crossing his fingers, he deleted the tree, and with a sweep of the hand he moved the lake to right under him. With a final gesture, he made the lake deeper and deeper, to make sure he would not abruptly find the ground underneath. He finished all this barely a few meters above the surface and prepared for a refreshing dive. He dove several meters under the water. It was cold, but not too much. Cool enough for a refreshing experience. :: Valdivia: I don't understand how people can use the holodeck without using programmer mode. They don't know what they are missing. :: He used to do this, as a kid in Luna, and at the beginning of his academy years, but he hadn't come to a holodeck in some time. Not alone, at least. With his fingers, he moved the sun towards the horizon, creating a beautiful setting sun scene. He relaxed on the water for a bit. :: Valdivia: To think how frequently I did this as a child... I wonder how Camelot is doing. :: He even had a program on which he was a powerful mage, Merlin, and his programmer privileges were his powers. Typical teenager fantasy, he believed, although on second thought it might not be so typical. :: Valdivia: I will visit it. But another day. One more dive, and I should head to sickbay. Doctor Manius should have already visited everyone else who has phased. :: His fingers started to slowly draw a whirlpool around him, and as he started moving with the flow of water, he started pushing up, the whirlpool climbing up and pushing him towards the sky. Once he was high enough, he looked down, and when he closed his fist, the ascending whirlpool disappeared, leaving him to start flying down to a final dive. :: Valdivia: As far as I know... there is no program that let's you fly. It would be quite hard to control. But maybe... :: He had to force himself to remember the time. :: Valdivia: Another time, perhaps. Computer, close program. Delete all memory caché. :: Once the familiar black and yellow grid appeared, he walked towards sickbay. :: Ensign John ValdiviaScience OfficerUSS Darwin-A

((Jellico’s personal quarters – USS Darwin-A)) ::Michael had seen that he had an priority message marked urgent as soon as he had got back from the Dunbar but he hadn’t opened the mail. He’d known the message was going to be an update on Brooks and he’d been too afraid to open it encase it was bad news. He’d ignored it as long as he could with the justification that there would be nothing he could do until the Darwin reached Deep Space Six. But now the Darwin had reached Deep Space Six and he was forced to confront his fears, of course he wasn’t forced to do it sober. He opened a bottle of real scotch whiskey that he’d been saving for an emergency, poured himself a large shot and downed it quickly. He drank two more shots before he was strong enough to open the message. It wasn’t the way that whiskey was supposed to be enjoyed, but he wasn’t interesting in savoring the flavors, he wanted to be numb when he heard the news that Brooks was gone from his life.:: ::Michael glanced over the two line message which informed him to contact the family liaison office on earth and hit the provided link. A familiar spinning logo appeared and Michael found himself pouring another glass and pictured brooks in his mind as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end. He’d meet Staff Sergeant Brooks Gwinnett aboard the Victory, inadvertently walking in one of her private workout sessions on the Holodeck. He should have left straight away but instead he stood there gawking at her tight outfit as she stretched for a warm down. She'd caught him, pointing out that he was steering and an apology had somehow turned into a drink, then a dinner date and dancing. It was odd, he’d always hated Marines and was of the opinion that they had no place on Starfleet ships and yet.... somehow he'd fallen in love with one.:: ((Flashback - Gwinnett's Personal Quarters - USS Victory)) ::Michael had surprised Brooks with a bouquet of flowers as a thank you gift for visiting him in sickbay. But the visit was only part of the reason, Michael’s roommate had visited him as well but, unfortunately for him, PO Sankar hadn't received flowers. Michael had been attracted to her since he'd first laid eye on her and although he was afraid to admit it his feelings towards her were growing, flowers seemed like the perfect gift. Although he never would have imagined that he would give flowers to a Marine. He'd had bar fights with Marines many times, but never given one flowers.:: Jellico: Would you be interested in a meal to go with your flowers? I can’t really cook at the moment, ::He gestured again at the arm:: but I’m sure we could find somewhere on the surface.... if you are interested? Gwinnett: Sure, I would love to. I can cook almost anything. But the taste, well.. no one ever criticized me for very long. If you know what I mean. ::Michael did know what she meant. Brooks was officially a combat medic, but the joke was that she could cause more damage than she could heal. Michael was still digesting the joke when the lips of Brooks were suddenly pressed against his cheek.:: ::Michael froze, savoring the moment.:: Jellico: I don't think a kiss on the cheek has ever... ::Brooks interrupted him softly.:: Gwinnett: Quiet. ::Then Michael saw her move forward and instinctively he leaned forward too for a gentle kiss on the lips.:: Gwinnett: Let me put these in some water, and get dressed. You will have leave for a few minutes, as much as I would like to give you a ‘show’ there are some things that are “worth” waiting for. Jellico: I'm sure. ::Michael said with a small laugh.:: I'll wait outside and try not to let my imagination get the best of me. ((End flashback)) ::Michael smiled faintly as he remembered their exchange, but the voice of the Commander on the monitor in front of him snapped his attention back to the present. Soul: Son, it's about Staff Sergeant Gwinnett. As you know, you are listed as her secondary next of k.... Jellico: Is she dead? ::Michael said the words coldly and realized that his entire body was tense as if trying to brace himself for a bullet. The Commander's face creased, he clearly didn't like being interrupted but he sat on his urge to respond angrily.:: Soul: No, in fact her condition has improved. ::Michael felt his heart jump in his chest.:: Jellico: She's okay. Soul: She's far from okay, but her condition has improved. She's breathing by herself again and shes awake. ::Michael nodded unable to process the good news, he’d been certain that she had died while he was on the Dunbar. He had been told that she’d crash-lined after being transferred from the Tiger to the Victory and that her spinal surgery hadn’t been without complications and yet now he was being told that she was recovering.:: Jellico: Where? ::The single word came out raspy.:: Soul: She’s receiving treatment here on earth. I’ll send you the full details in a download. ::Michael nodded.:: Jellico: Thank you sir. ::The Commander nodded uncomfortably.:: Soul: She’s a fighter by the sounds of it. ::He paused.:: I’ll contact if I have any more updated but I strongly encourage you to make you own contact with the sergeant. ::Michael actually smiled at that comment.:: Jellico: Will do. Thank you again sir. Soul: Take care Mr. Jellico ::The Commanders face was replaced with the Starfleet emblem and Michael reached for the bottle again with a shaking hand as the tears came again.:: =/\= Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Jellico Security and Tactical USS Darwin-A

((USS Tomcat 1 January 2391 - Alternate Reality)) ::Just over a year has passed since the Federation forces began a fighting retreat, and the Special Operations Units of the Federation did one extraction after another now those remaining forces gathered and restocked what they could out at Wolf 359. Word came in that Earth was under attack and unlike the Breen attack in the First Dominion war, the Dominion went past the ethical line and launched two Anti-matter warheads on Starfleet instillations one in Paris the other on SFA. That was last year in December and the anti-matter bombs had the explosive yield of 50 times of any Terran nuclear warhead used in their third world war and the mushroom clouds could still be seen from orbit. All this was watched via long range probes. Those human crewmembers shocked by the barbarity wept, even the aliens thought it distasteful and the Klingon’s dishonourable. Now Somers Soldiers were gathered in the Tomcats flight bay as Alex addressed them, standing beside her in a strange prototype EVA Combat suit was Donovan.:: A. Somers: Over the past months we have all trained on archaic weapons, the type my ancestors used. This was not because we were running low on Phasers, not this is because we will be reinforcing the troops defending SFA. Also the Dominion flooded the earth’s atmosphere with an altered radiogenic isotope which nullifies all but Dominion and Breen energy weapons ::she said then looked at the Klingon’s:: I know in such instances Klingon’s like to use their blades, but this ::she said holding up the weapon.:: is the Semi-automatic rifle designated the M45. Marine: What ammunition does it use? ::one of the Marines that once served on Duronis II asked.:: A. Somers: Armour piercing 7.62mm by old school human measurements, you have all trained on these and know they kick back, also as your side-arm the L52 has .70mm armour piercing rounds. The M45 has a sixty round manual load magazine, while the L52 a 20 round manual load. These will be your weapons and for those of you who are snipers you will also carry the standard issue TR-116 rifle, they have been modified for our type of use. ::she responded and murmurs rose.:: Yes for those aliens among us, you are about to see the gritty side of us human’s and by now you have had a taste of the type of violent past we came from, we are returning to such an event.:: ::She paused and Donovan took over as she removed her helmet, her hair was up in a tight bun.:: Donovan: Late last year when we returned back to the Tomcat after lifting off from Duronis II Captain Somers was called to the bridge. Here she was told about this prototype EVA suit, all of you will get one. Also it is packed with Marine gadgets along with this suite I am modelling we will be delivered down to the Academy in drop pods, make sure we take our battle standard with us. This is it people earth is where we make our last stand ::Donovan said doing a status check on her suit.:: A. Somers: Okay the fleet will be jumping off in twenty, be fully kitted out in ten and bring as many grenades as you can carry, we will not be coming back and this time is kill or be killed, DISMISSED ::Alex said and the troops moved off to get ready.:: Donovan: ::Donovan walked up to Alex as she began to get into her suit.:: Alex you look kind of pale A. Somers: I have never liked drop pods. Donovan: Never knew you had an issue with tight spaces? ::she asked.:: A. Somers: I did’nt until the Dominion alliance attacked and we spent six months in that [...] tight room ::Alex said referring to the mission they were on against rogue Section 31/Tal’shiar agents on planet Haven, they had just completed the mission when the Dominion attacked just two days later.:: Donovan: Take your frustrations out on the enemy A. Somers: I intend to ::Alex said and sealed her suit up:: Okay lets stock up on ammo ::she said and both walked to the armoury.:: ((Earth Orbit/San Francisco 15 Jan 2391 Starfleet Academy)) ::Fourteen days later after much planning what remained of the Federation/Klingon Fleets now merged into one dropped into Sol system with Phasers firing, taking the Dominion forces initially by surprise. The enemy troop transports exploded first and flying in a V formation two Klingon Bird of Preys on her port and two Defiant classes on her starboard flank dived in at a particular point, they had a task, get the Tomcat within drop pod range. On the Tomcat the Somers Renegades waited for the word.:: J. Somers: =/\= Combat troops saddle up, drop zone in five, bridge out =/\= ::the ships Commander said.:: A. Somers: ::Whirling her hand in the air as she whistled:: YOU HEARD THEW ORDERS, LETS GO ::she shouted above the noise.:: ::All troops put their helmets on and sealed them up and then entered their pods, if Alex was edgy about the things, Donovan wondered what the Klingon’s were feeling.:: ((Academy grounds – Earth)) ::The defenders looked up as sonic booms were heard, this was followed by what looked like meteors, but they could not have been as their descent was controlled. Shortly a loud thud was heard as the Pods hit. The defenders looked behind them at the smoke rising and there was lights in it and like green and grey wraiths forty-eight suited figures emerged, weapons firing, the defenders who were not looking returned to firing on the charging enemy as an enemy energy plasma cannon fired at their direction.:: A. Somers: ::activating two way links so others could hear her and she them:: Okay MACOs set up a defensive perimeter and show the colours ::Alex said.:: ::The leader of the beleaguered defenders saw the SAS emblem on the suits and the name and rank, then looked up at the Units banner flapping in the breeze. Unlike the new arrivals the Academy defenders did not have EVA suits.:: Jansen: Commodore Jansen, you are? ::the leader asked.:: A. Somers: ::she turned her whole body to face him as the enemy in an uncharacteristically move retreated for now.:: Marine Captain Alexandria Somers, 2nd SAS MACO, pleased to meet you and we are your reinforcements ::she said.:: Jansen: Only four dozen of you!!! ::he exclaimed.:: Donovan: First Lieutenant Donovan ::S’arila said introducing herself as she spoke:: we have been fighting retreat battles a long time there was a lot more of us, but attrition, those of us that remain are worthy of any regiment and we have nothing to lose ::she said.:: Jansen: Your lives, you want to die? ::he asked surprised.:: Donovan: Death comes to us all Commodore ::pause:: and if ones stares to long into the abyss, the abyss stares back ::she said using an edited quote of Friedrich Nietzsche .:: A. Somers: Ahem… ::clearing her throat:: Please our arrival startled the enemy, it is probably our reputation, but they will be back and in greater numbers ::Alex said and as if on cue Jem’ hadar and Breen began a renewed attack.:: Jansen: FIRE!! ::he ordered and all the defenders opened fire.:: ::By this time the enemy had gotten used to the combustible weapons Starfleet used, but the MACOs used different weapons. Where the defenders all used TR-116 rifles, these used more powerful weapons.:: A. Somers: One shot kills people, conserve ammo ::Alex ordered this meant headshots.:: ((Space – USS Tomcat)) ::Jasmine’s ship acquitted itself well, after its initial task it joined the rest of the fleet along with its wingmen, all four had went the way of the warrior, now the Tomcat was alone and badly damaged, when a call came in.:: Donovan: =/\= Second SAS to any ships need artillery taking out =/\= J. Somers: =/\= confirmed, send cords =/\= ::Jasmine said as the helm officer broke off from the assault and headed planetward.:: ::The Tomcat was in bad shape, most of her bridge crew were dead, all that remained was the helm, Tactical and Comms Officers with Jasmine in the center.:: Comms: Coordinates received Captain J. Somers: ::Looking at the Tactical Officer:: target that location ::she said.:: Tactical: ::The officer looked back apologetically:: Weapons are gone, no torpedoes remain ::he said.:: J. Somers: ::Leaning forward:: Fleet status? Comms: All destroyed Sir. J. Somers: [...] ::pause:: Okay all power to shields and impulse engines, take from all systems life support and weapons and give me ramming speed ::she ordered making a grabbing gesture as she pulled a closed fist back towards her.:: Helm: Aye Captain. J. Somers: Comms open a Starfleet wide hail and give me full voice ::she ordered as the ship began to enter earths atmosphere, Jasmine began to recite a poem called Invictus by William Ernest Henley.:: =/\=Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. =/\= ((Starfleet Academy – Same time)) ::The defenders during a lull looked up to see a streaking comet, they knew who it was as the flames vanished to show a battle scarred Akira hull and all heard the poem and knew which ship it came from as the Akira Class rammed the Dominion assault battery, taking out a good portion of the enemy force too, the Communications cut out followed by static th3e same time the explosion happened.:: A. Somers: Rest in peace Cousin, you fulfilled your duty ::Alex said then quoted a prayer in her native tongue, the Commodore spoke.:: Jansen: An enemy Command post has been located near here, its has Communications and sensors ::he said handing the padd to Alex who looked at it and passed it onto Donovan.:: A. Somers: Take six men and take it out S’arila ::she said.:: ::Donovan nodded and took six troops two of which consisted of Klingon’s and two from Duronis II Embassy, the rest remained to defend.:: A. Somers: Ammo status? ::she asked.:: ::All replied anything from six mags to four, so they were low on ammo. She watched as Donovan’s team moved off.:: A. Somers: Okay people remove EVA suits, we will die where we stand ::she said as a battle torn Unit banner still flapped in the wind.:: ::Somers Renegades removed their EVA suits and resituated their bladed weapons, she looked over at Jensen with a look of fatal certainty, as the Jem’ Hadar troops charged again.:: A. Somers: You want to live forever Commodore ::she said and stood, then shouted:: FOR THE FEDERATION FIRE!! ::hearing someone with confidence the troops too heart and fired with renewed vigour.:: ((Enemy Comms Centre)) ::Donovan’s team approached the building taking out the Jem’Hadar and Breen guards before entering, this was a simple sweep no prisoners and doing so they swept through each level planting spatial charges. On the top floor was a Vorta looking in the direction Donovan sent half her squad as a distraction, as agile and as quietly as she could the blade hidden in her EVA suit silently extended, she put her gloved hand over the surprised Vortas mouth and gave him a Sicilian necktie, he was dead before he hit the ground.:: Donovan: ::Signalling her team to advance forward, they met up with the distraction team.:: Okay every room get the doors open and lob in your grenades, lets make this a clean sweep. ::With that the Marines moved across the top floors taking out all hostiles and planting explosives, while this was going on Donovan looked out the window and saw Alex and her troops ditch their EVA suits and fight off another wave of hostiles, she took two troops and went down to the basement and found a door that was well and truly sealed, scanned it, then pulled out their most explosive charge and connected it up to the ODN cables in the nearest wall and set the timer.:: Donovan: Everyone out ::she ordered and the team left.:: ::They got a safe distance and felt the ground shake then heard the explosion which moved up and out. The building bulged like a bloated balloon before flaming chunks of composite material was thrown in a wide radius and the troops ducked and covered their eyes as the explosion was bright, all hit the deck as the blast wave followed by the sonic boom, which shook their bones.:: Soldier: Dammit El tee what was in that basement bomb? ::a Marine asked.:: Donovan: It was something Captain Somers made as a side hobby ::she said and the Marines looked incredulously at her:: The woman likes things that go boom, c’mon lets get back I will bring up the rear. ((SFA Grounds – Defence site – 0200 - 0550 hours)) ::All combatants on both sides paused as they felt heard and saw the explosion, now the Jem’Hadar in fury gave up all pretences as there were a lot of Founders in that building and their gods just died.:: A. Somers: I am out of main ammo, switching to Pistols ::Alex said, unlike her troops she used two Desert Eagle Pistols with extended mags and she was a crack shot with them.:: ::All too soon the other troops had switched to their Side arms, the troops that returned from their mission joined in. Too soon Alex had expended all her Pistol ammo as did the others and all switched to blades.:: A. Somers: ::Looking at the Klingon Commander:: Now we melee and die like warriors of old ::she said.:: It has been an honour Commander, today is a good day to die ::she said.:: Klingon Commander: ::giving her a smile that said “at last”:: It was an honour to fight by your side these many days Captain, I shall look for you in Sto’vor’kor, Kapla ::he said and charged in.:: ::Alex shook her head in wry amusement and pulled out her shortened Katana blades and staying under her Units banner she fought charging Dominion troops the Commodore had fallen before they had run out of ammo, she did not have time to wonder about Donovan as she was in the zone.:: ::A lull in the fighting and she found herself looking down at the Klingon Commander a satisfied smile on his face. Panting like an old Nag she looked around and found that she alone survived and the Jem’Hadar troops out of respect paused a moment, she egged them on and on they came. Finding energy from somewhere she sliced into the enemy with wanton abandon and she held her own, by the time she stopped she was the only one left standing, she did not see a large Jem’Hadar standing behind her.:: A. Somers: I am getting too old for this… urgh! ::she said and looked down to see a Jem’Hadar blade sticking through her chest, with life ebbing she twists to look at the First and shoves one of her blades into his neck, both fall.:: ::Laying on her back with the blade showing clearly though her chest.:: A. Somers: Today was a good day to die ::she said as the life left her eyes as they closed.:: ::As the smoke cleared around 0600 hours a Vorta and escorts arrives to see the sunlight, while not as bright due to the radioactive particles in the atmosphere, was still bright enough to silhouette the 2nd SAS MACO banner and below it the beam of light slowly crawled over the body of Alexandria Somers.:: ((Back at the enemy base site 0600 hours)) ::As she sent her men back to the defence line, Donovan did a combat roll to avoid a projectile, what she did not see was a spatial anomaly, how it got there no one would know or care. She rolled into it and vanished, the anomaly closed.:: Simmed by Lt. Cmdr Paul Sharpe Chief Tactical Officer USS Thunder-A/Duronis II Embassy

((Unknown)) ::Sunlight splashed into the [...]pit of the fighter, blinding her. Raising a suited hand, she blocked the light, squinting her eyes open just enough to make out her surroundings. That was when she realized that her hand wasn’t suited, and the light wasn’t pouring into her [...]pit.:: ::Pulling herself up she looked around. Everything seemed unfamiliar and dark, except for the area where she sat. The five or so feet around her was like a piece of home; the feeling of tarmac under her made her look in the direction where her plane should have been. But it wasn’t there. Only the stars were there. Only the stars that she didn’t recognize.:: Nicholotti: Hello? ((Flashback, Moments Prior)) ::Pushing the fighter, she saw it start to come apart. She’d reached the point where the shearing was too much for the integrity fields and the shields. Soon the fighter would cease to be and the anomaly would remain. Now had to be good enough.:: ::Lighting the candle that was the equivalent of an ancient plane’s afterburners, she hit the commands that would set things in motion. The pulling at her mind seemed to grow stronger and get worse as the speed increased. She watched the computer go through the countdown that would take care of things once and for all. Thoughts of her return fled and left her knowing that this was a one way trip, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered now was success.:: ((End Flashback)) ::In her mind, words coalesced and formed, echoing in on themselves.:: Voice: Greetings Kal-E-an-ya. ::It was disembodied, yet she could almost pinpoint it in her mind. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could really ‘see’ at all. Was this all in her head and nothing more? As if reading her mind, an answer was quickly forthcoming.:: Voice: Yooo have been successssful. It is done. Now you are done as well. There isss no return. ::The words hit her hard, but were not entirely unexpected. She’d known that this was the risk, though she didn’t realize that success would be told to her by some disembodied voice in her head on the other end. The fighter must not have been destroyed.:: Nicholotti: What happens now? ::Again, the tones of the voice coalesced around her. Increasingly she felt as if the surroundings weren’t really there and that all of this was just a fragment of her imagination. Still, she listened, unafraid, and unmoving.:: Voice: We know what we need to know, connect to your mind. All are safe now, ourssss and yoourssss. ::That was a kind of relief, one that gave her the respite to lay back and let the tugging notion of sleep at the edge of her mind to take over. A smile on her face, and fond memories in her mind, she allowed herself to slip under.:: Nicholotti: Good. ::The voice said something incomprehensible then, and the environment around her faded. Soon, so did the sounds and smells. Drifting on, she found herself unable to hear or focus on anything but her own breathing, and soon enough, that too faded into the nothingness of the end.:: ((Flashback, Moments Prior)) ::The fighter held together for the time she needed to reach the pre-determined location in space. Once there, it settled into a spiraling circle as she finished punching in the commands that would end it all. In an instant, it was done. Energy shot outwards and the last thing Kali remembered was a blinding light, the feeling of standing perfectly still, and the strange recollection of memories that were not hers. The story of another civilization that existed in another realm, another dimension, flooded her mind. Some of it made sense, while some of it didn’t, but it all led her to the idea that this had been the right thing to do.:: ::It also led her to the conclusion that this was the final step in a path that allowed no return.:: ::As the lights faded and Kali found herself and her fighter pulled into a new realm with new sights and sounds, she allowed her consciousness to fall victim to the ever growing pull of the tendrils wrapped around her mind.:: ((End Flashback)) ::A new quiet filled the region of space where the anomaly had once been, but the fighter that had flown into the area was missing. Neither the fighter, nor the pilot, was ever to be found, but if these creatures ever did run into the races of this dimension again, they’d have the tools needed to speak to them. That, and the swirling gasses of the scar running across that region of space were the legacies left behind.:: ::The gift of communication and a scar left on space itself was all that was left of Fleet Captain Kalianna Arashi Nicholotti.:: TBC -- Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti Commanding Officer USS Excalibur, NCC - 41903 - A

((Science Lab - Duronis II Embassy)) ::S'Kahh looked at the cube suspended in the air over the tech labs console. He knew there was a containment field around it, but its presence was only notable though the nearly imperceptible whine it gave off as air passed though the field. He felt it more than heard it, whiskers twitching as the sound travelled though them.:: Rossh: Computer, begin a level three scan of the object. ::Lights flickered across the console for a moment before the computer replied, listing off the materials the device was constructed of. Some of the materials were quite exotic, but nothing truely alien in terms of basic materials.:: Rossh: Not getting me any further. ::He paused, glancing over at his tricorder for a moment as an idea tickled at the back of his thoughts. There was definitely something bubbling away back there, but...:: Rossh: Computer, link up to my tricorder and download the specifications on the receptacle the device was retrieved from. Computer: Working. Download complete. Rossh: Good, now. Computer, try and to a breakdown of the console the device was plugged into - best estimate as to the purpose of the various components. Computer: Task will require an hour to complete. Rossh: Go ahead. ::He yawned, leaning back in his seat as the computer chugged away - trying to reverse engineer the console it had been plugged into. He sat up after a few moments and tapped on his control panel, switching from the default layout to a thread monitor - providing a direct readout of every process the computer was handling for the task he had set it.:: ::Numbers and words flashed past too fast to read, but he found the flickering flow of information interesting as he waited for the machine to complete his task.:: ::At the same time he found himself falling back into introspection, remembering his time at the hospital. He hadn't realised his ribs had been broken till the Laudean doctor who was treating him had pointed it out. He'd been shocked to hear it, and shocked again when he discovered the Laudean's treatment would normally involve minor surgery to re-set the bones properly.:: ::Thankfully in his case Caitian bones had a lot more natural flexibility than most species - giving them less strength perhaps, but making them a lot less prone to fractures. And when they did fracture they tended to reset quite naturally given enough rest.:: ::So the doctor had opted to splint his chest to hold it in place - informing him to keep the bandage in place for a few days to let the healing process get started before doing anything too energetic.:: Computer: Task complete. ::He blinked, disturbed from his reverie and looked down at the readings before him. The computer seemed to have managed to get a fairly detailed breakdown of the likely way the console was designed to interact with the cube.:: Rossh: Simulate interactions between cube and console. ::The screen changed to an annotated diagram, highlighting the various electrical contact points and wireless signals exchanged between the two pieces of Yeltan technology. He frowned as he watched, then looked up at the cube again.:: Rossh: Now we just need one of those consoles... ::He frowned, then glanced over to the door.:: Rossh: Computer, drop containment feild around the cube. Authorisation Rossh Delta six, beta two one one. ::The field shimmered for a moment as it dropped, and he reached in to grasp the cube. He hefted it in his hand, resisting the sudden perverse urge to attempt to rotate its various sections like some ancient child's puzzle, and examined it closely as he spoke again.:: Rossh: Computer, are there any available holosuites? Computer: Holosuites two, five and seven are currently unoccupied. ::He nodded to that, then stepped towards the door, taking the cube with him.:: ((Timeskip, late at night.)) ((Holosuite two, Duronis II Embassy)) ::Shanri paused at the door to the holosuite, wondering just what exactly S'Kahh thought he was doing. She'd hoped to welcome him back from the mission, and indeed had come all the way out to the embassy to see him - but he'd been buried away in his work. And for the last few hours he'd been buried instead in a holosuite.:: ::She wasn't the suspicious type, well, she didn't think of herself that way at least. But it was odd that he was so busy - it felt like he was ignoring her. She gathered herself, and opened the door, stepping inside.:: ::The room was dark, the yellow grids invisible on the walls not due to being obscured by a simulation, but just from a lack of light. In the middle of the room a strange, yet oddly familiar, console sat - glowing faintly blue. A cube of similar appearance was plugged smoothly into the top of it. Sat on the floor between her and the console was S'Kahh, cross legged and leaning his head down onto his hands as he stared intently at it.:: Rossh: Yes? ::His voice startled her, and she took a second to compose her thoughts after the odd - yet familiar - sight of the console.:: Shanri: I, I just wanted to check up on you. ::The caitian turned to look towards her, his expression blank for a moment. He looked tired above anything else, and it took a second or two for his face to spread into a smile.:: Rossh: Ah, I'm afraid I've been letting my stubbornness get in the way of things. ::He pointed to the device, waving his hand rather than pointing in truth.:: Rossh: I've replicated every possible thing I can, every reading is the same and every link up is correct. ::He paused to scowl at it.:: But will it do a thing? Nope. Shanri: What exactly is it? ::He looked back to her, then sighed, stood up and walked to meet her. She noted the bandage to his side beneath his uniform tunic - still dusty and dirty from the adventures beneath her planets surface.:: Rossh: Its supposed to be important. Its supposed to be a memory archive, I think. Its also, supposed, to work. Shanri: But it doesn't? Rossh: Not for me, no. I don't think it likes me. And I tried sweet talking it, threatening it and even offering it a vacation to Risa. Still nothing. ::She found herself smirking at his tone, then shook her head.:: Shanri: Have you tried turning it off then on again? ::There was a pause, and the caitian then turned to give her one of the most old fashioned looks she had ever encountered.:: Rossh: I won't dignify that with a response. But yes, actually I have. ::She met his gaze and chuckled to herself, the tired Caitian joining in after a moment before she walked up close and rested a hand on his shoulder.:: Shanri: Come to bed, your tired. You'll think more clearly in the morning. Rossh: I can't walk away till I've at least figured out why it won't work. Shanri: Well, when did it last work? ::He glanced over his shoulder to her, then nodded to himself. It was a fair line of reasoning to explore - he had tried it earlier, but worth a second shot. He walked over to the console, leading Shanri with him.:: Rossh: Madame Day... ..er... ..oh [...] my memory. The Prime Minister's wife, she was the one who interacted with it. ::He gestured with his hands and Shanri frowned.:: Shanri: What was she doing on a mission? Rossh: She is a patron of Laudean historical studies. I think. Regardless, she was the only one who could interact with the thing. ::Something twigged in the back of his mind, but he was unable to lay his finger down on it thanks to the tiredness of his mind.:: Shanri: Well, maybe its coded to only work for women? ::He genuinely hadn't considered that, a society in which something might had been set up for only one gender to use being a completely alien concept to him. Oh, as a sociologist he was aware of such societies on an intellectual level, but not an emotional one.:: Rossh: I hadn't thought of that. ::Shanri moved closer, holding out her hands.:: Shanri: Well, show me what to do. ::He smiled, and moved to stand behind her, sliding his hands down her arms to direct them towards the cube. To both of their shock, it glowed more brightly, and the holographic recreation of the console flared into life.:: Computer: Holodeck Program: Rossh Alien Console One is attempting to write a non standard file into computer memory. Allow this operation? ::He blinked, then got his brain in gear.:: Rossh: Sandbox the file and store it separately from any sensitive materials. Isolate it in the science department computers. Computer: Working. ::There was a moment of silence as the console and cube continued to glow and shimmer.:: Shanri: I guess it just needed a woman's touch. Rossh: Or a Laudeans... ::She frowned and looked back to him.:: Shanri: It's coded to only work for my people? ::He shrugged to that, and the computer replied before he could.:: Computer: Download complete. Rossh: Computer, analyse the datafile. Attempt to decern its nature. Computer: Full analysis will take twe... Rossh: Analyse the file structure data, top and tail it. Computer: Working. Shanri: Top and tail? ::He chuckled.:: Rossh: It just means look at the beginning and end - those parts contain the file structure information in most species formats. Unless they write from the inside out - which some species do. Or their Ferengi - in which case the copyright information goes at the beginning and end... Computer: File is a data archive with compression based on a... Rossh: Can you decompress it? Computer: Require suitable decoder. ::He paused, thinking for a moment.:: Rossh: Computer, attempt to use Laudean DNA as the basis of the decoding. Shanri: Huh? Rossh: Well if its designed to be used by Laudeans, it makes sense for them to lock it so only they could open it. Or at least, somebody with access to the basic DNA structure of your people. Computer: Working. ::The process took some considerable amount of time, during which the couple chatted - catching up with one another. When the computer finished they paused their conversation to see what it had come up with.:: Computer: Decompressed files are of twenty five unknown formats. Rossh: Analyse formats and look for any signs of simple text, encoded images, or data streams that could be video. Computer: Working. Shanri: Your computers are very advanced. ::He shook his head to that.:: Rossh: There's only so many ways you can encode data, a person would actually be better at recognising the information in the various file types than the computer. But the computer can do a bad job of it a hell of lot faster - and handle hundreds of attempts at the same time. Shanri: So its dumb, but covers a lot of ground. Rossh: Yep, think... ..what are those archaic weapons that fire lots of little projectiles rather than a single big one? Shanri: Canister guns? Rossh: Hum, humans have a shorter phrase for them. Shanri: And your people? Rossh: We just call them Nif-tusak. Birdhunters. ::He translated.:: Computer: Filetypes have been found for video, audio, images and formatted text. Additional file formats detected include three dimensional models and an olfactory index pallete. Shanri: A what? Rossh: Thing we use to digitise smells, and tastes oddly enough. Shanri: Sounds horrible. Rossh: Well it is what our replicators use to do flavours and smells, so... ..can be at times. ::He grinned toothily, and she replied with a nudge with her elbow in the ribs - unfortunately on the wrong side. After several moments of groaning in pain and profuse apologies the two settled down again.:: Rossh: Ok. Computer, display a video file. ::The pair of them watched as something began to play in the air behind the console. The colours were heavily shifted towards the purple end of the spectrum, and the aspect ratio was a strange tall but narrow one that marked it out as something unusual.:: ::On it was displayed a diagram of a Laudean, with labels coming off of it to text S'Kahh couldn't even guess as to the meaning of.:: Shanri: Its a medical text. Rossh: Oh? You can read that? Shanri: Er, you can't? Rossh: No, not a word. Shanri: Well, ok. How come I can? Rossh: Genetic memory? Seems unlikely, but that's the only explanation I can think of. ::Together they worked their way though the first video - which proved to be a very detailed medical analysis of Laudean physiology. S'Kahh was no expert, but he suspected that the detail was actually slightly ahead of the Federation's own records on the Laudean species.:: ::But the real revelation came moments later.:: Shanri: Oh... ..oh my word. Rossh: What? ::He paused the video, showing a detailed diagram of the Laudean's coloured band.:: Shanri: This.. ...this is a record of how our fielding works. Rossh: I beg your pardon? ::She pointed to the screen:: Shanri: They figured out how.. ...no, I think they. I think they may have manipulated us, made our ability stronger. They talk here about it being a vestigial ability from our ancestors that lived in water. ::S'Kahh blinked, then his eyes widened.:: Rossh: How dose it work? ::The woman shrugged, not a natural scientist herself, she was mostly repeating what she could read off rather than trying to understand it all.:: Shanri: I don't really know. It's talking about things I just don't understand. Rossh: Then lets sit down and work though it, you read it out, and I'll write it down. Then I'll sit down and try and make sense of it all. Shanri: Ok. ::The two continued, writing down everything they could from the video and compiling it together into a single document. The language was alien, not that it was written in an alien language, but that its structure and terminology were alien to either of them. Gradually S'Kahh started making lists of words the would need to find the real meaning of from other recordings, and starting building up an index for translation by running though the other materials in the download:: ::By the time the sun was well up into the morning sky, the two of them had complied the first ever detailed report on how fielding actually worked. It was rough around the edges, and neither of them fully grasped some of the subtleties, but the basic methodology of its operation was right there on the PADD.:: Rossh: So, light goes in though the light permeable layer of skin here. ::He gently stroked a fingertip over Shanri's coloured forehead.:: Rossh: And impacts the coloured cells that underlay it. Those cells are filled with.. ...something, probably the pigment itself, which responds by becoming a radical with charged electrons in a paired state. Now, the pairing between the electrons is affected by the presence of a magnetic field. Shanri: So they are either parallel, or anti-parallel. Right? Rossh: I think so. And the heavy neuron weave beneath the pigmented cells can detect the tiny difference in the length of time the two electrons remain paired between those two states. Shanri: And that explains part of our ability - it lets us see the actual fields, or rather their shape, but not their charge? Rossh: I think so, though not sure how it shows you the whole field from such a small area of information.. ...maybe that second set of organs in the brain itself plays more of a role in expanding that? ::He shrugged.:: Rossh: Regardless, the light that isn't absorbed bounces right back off of the pigmented cells and is reflected out of the transparent skin cells - giving you your coloured headband. ::He chuckled.:: Rossh: So Laudean's have transparent heads, huh, there's a whole realm of new jokes opening up. Shanri: And a whole absence of my bedroom at the same time. Rossh: Moving on. ::She chuckled at that reaction and poked the Caitian's nose.:: Rossh: The fluid filled ampules in the brain tissue appear to sense the strength of the field - they do work like ampullae of Lorenzini as people have previously thought. But it turns out they work in co-operation with the cells in the band. Shanri: So the Ampules detect the strength of the reaction between the fluid inside of themselves, and the magnetic field. Thus showing how much energy is in there? Rossh: Yes, and if I'm right about this translation, then it isn't just magnetic fields this works with. It looks like there's a blend of different pigments that react to different factors. Magnetic fields are the big ones, but it looks like subspace fields can be detected as well. Shanri: I think we already knew that. Rossh: Yes, but now we know how. Shanri: We think we do - you'll need to get this checked out right? ::he nodded, then yawned as he spoke.:: Rossh: I'll need to talk with a doctor or two yes. Shanri: Bed first. Rossh: Mmm, ok, fine. you win. ::He surrendered, allowing himself to be lead out of the holosuite - after retrieving and securing the cube - and back to his quarters for sleep.:: Lt Commander S'Kahh Rossh Chief Science Officer & Historical and Anthropological Officer Duronis II Embassy - USS Thunder NCC-70605-A

Submitter Note: In Part 1, Major Parker was relieved by Colonel Waltas for the position of Chief of Marines. This did not go down well and after a few insults, this occurred. ((CIC Office, Embassy)) :: Hannibal unleashed a wild haymaker, designed to take off Waltas’ head, but barely missed, with Waltas’ guiding Hannibals’ momentum over the desk and smashing the mast holding the Marine Corps flag, scattering PADDS and other debris all over the floor. While Hannibal was getting up, Waltas began to taunt him..::: WALTAS: So far the only thing you're good at is breaking furniture, Marine. Maybe we could use you as a doorstop……. :: Hannibals’ response was a thunderous roar, and he closed on Waltas, unhinging another wild haymaker, this time with his left hand...Hannibal could feel the Colonels’ long hair fly past his fist as the Colonel once again redirected Hannibals’ attack, this time flipping him end over end in the small office. Hannibal was up quickly with the two exchanging blocks, their hands a blur, neither man gaining purchase.Hannibal figured the Colonel had several years of martial arts training,as he was able to keep the massive Marine at bay…:: :: Hannibal got his opening when Waltas, attempting a strike at Hannibals’ nose, missed. With Hannibal grabbing his hand with his right, he slammed a left hand into Waltas’ solar plexus, then uncorked a right hand which blasted Waltas back..and through...the doors of CIC, smashing the doors and destroying the glass within. With Waltas lying on top of the broken doors, the fight was now out in the open, and several Marines stood, transfixed by the sight of the Colonel lying on what was once the CIC doors…::: ::Toni had followed them, trying desperately to get them to stop. They reminded her of two rutting rams beating their heads together mindlessly, and the last place anyone with half a mind would want to be was between them, trying to break them up.:: :: Despite the protests coming from behind him from Captain Turner, Hannibal now was stalking the Colonel who was getting up from the floor, broken glass crunching under his feet. Waltas was up, with the voices of several Marines yelling in the background. He was up now, in a fighting stance, swiveling his hips in anticipating for Hannibals’ next move..not waiting for the massive Marine to attack again, Waltas leaned back and tried to kick Hannibal in the face..but Hannibal sidestepped the move and caught the foot in mid- air, twisted it, and spun the colonel to the ground...with him landing hard with a solid thump…::: ::Tyr had focused his attacks on not being hit, but when he finally was struck it felt like he'd run head-first into a bulkhead. Crashing through the doors he winced as a sharp pain in his ribcage raced through him. Spotting Parker coming after him he waited for him to close within striking distance, knipped up and landed a hard spinning back-fist to the Major's jaw, sending even the hardened Marine reeling. By this time the commotion had roused most of the off-duty Marines and they were watching, open-mouthed, as their former and current CO's went at each other like rabid wolverines. Dropping to a crouch he swept Parker's feet out from under him and sent him crashing to the floor, then drove his heel hard into the Major's chest before rolling backward and neatly to his feet. He figured he had a few moments to recover but found Parker howling in rage, already on his feet and charging him. Only partially able to get out of the way his right knee took a hard shot as the major's momentum carried him to the reception desk which was promptly destroyed. Tyr found purchase on a remnant of a chair and launched himself at the recovering Parker in a vicious kick, but to his amazement his extended foot was grabbed and he was thrown bodily through the main doors of the CIC office and landed unceremoniously in the mud. By this time the Marines were cheering on the major as he emerged, a black, blurry shadow against the lights of the office, and closed on him. Tyr, bloodied and hurting, got to his feet and snapped into a Tiger position, his right palm extended towards his prey. Parker, bearing plenty of wounds himself, was noticeably keeping his right arm back, while Tyr protected his injured right leg. With a swing that he could barely block, Parker's left arm was caught in the Tiger's jaws, and he was spun around to reveal the injured right arm. Slamming a knee into the Major's ribcage the Ba'ku gripped the right arm and brought it down over his shoulder, and even the Major couldn't help but grunt in pain. Parker's left arm, free, proceeded to slam into Tyr's jaw, knocking him to the muddy ground and sending stars across his field of vision. The Ba'ku struggled to his feet and turned to face his opponent through the darkness, hiding the fact that his infravision had Parker painted in the darkness. A faint to his right failed to trick Tyr and, foregoing all skill the Colonel simply hauled off and decked Parker, a right hand slamming into his jaw.:: :: Hannibal took the hit, a solid right to the jaw, but it was Hannibals’ time to return the favor. Pain was something he had learned to block out, thanks to the mental training by his former Vulcan ops partner T’Sol. That didn’t mean he could use his right arm as effectively as he wanted, and the cut on his cheek and over his left eye was bleeding freely. He followed up with a left hook to the colonels’ solar plexus, which doubled him over, then a double-fisted hammer shot right between the shoulder blades. The colonel dropped to one knee, but Hannibal picked him upright with his still very well functioning left hand, then blocking out the screaming pain in his right shoulder, picked up the colonel over his head, then with a mighty roar, slammed him down into the mud with a sickening thud, the Marines screaming “BOOM” as the colonel landed…::: :: Wiping some of the blood away from his eye, Hannibal kneeled down to the prone colonel, his breath coming in wheezes..and Hannibal wasn’t breathing much better. It was over…:: Parker: Go home, Colonel Penguin. Get back to your rocking chair. It's over, Ba'ku..go home.... WALTAS::Between gasps:: Frak…...that…! :: With that, Waltas reached up and grabbed Hannibals’ injured right arm, pulled him down while crossing his leg, then locking his hands behind Hannibals’ head..with Waltas’ leg on the front of his throat, the other on his back, and Waltas using all his available strength to try to choke out the much bigger Parker. Tears streamed from his eyes as he recognized the move Waltas had made..the classic triangle choke hold, designed to deprive an opponent of air, and the will to fight, quickly. Hannibal knew there was only one way to break the triangle choke, and he had about fifteen seconds before breaking it would become a mute issue...he would be unconscious. Relaxing against the pressure, allowing Waltas to momentarily to tighten his already python-like grip, Hannibal gathered his legs under him. Pulling his upper body back while raising Waltas out of the mud, Hannibal began to stand up..with Waltas now expending even more effort to hold his grip, which was beginning to slip. Hannibal then dropped forward, slamming Waltas’ head back into the ground…::: :: Gasping for air, Hannibal rolled away from Waltas, raising himself on his knees, trying to gain some needed air. There were surrounded by cheering Marines, but the fight was not yet over. The two men bear crawled towards each other, neither man able to stand. The two bloodied, battered warriors stared at each other...neither one should be conscious, much less still fighting...but Hannibal would not yield, and to prove that point, his left hand uncoiled a punch into Waltas’ jaw...Waltas returned the punch, neither man had enough energy to put up a defense. Hannibal rocked under Waltas’ blow, then Hannibal returned the punch with his injured right arm, which still rolled Waltas’ eyes back in his head. The two traded punches until one last hit from each of them..two devastating punches which laid both men over in the mud...Hannibal at Waltas’ feet, and Waltas at Hannibals’. Both men were face down,until Hannibal rolled over and was looking up, until he heard the voice of Martinez cutting through all the voices…::: Martinez: MARINES! AS YOU WERE! BACK OFF! Then another voice cut through the air…::: Turner: DAMMIT! I SAID STOP! :: Hannibal had never heard the captain that mad before, but all he heard was the echo of her voice…::: Parker: Oo Mom’s [...]ed...Oo :: Hannibal was now up on one knee, and so was Waltas. With the beating the Colonel took, it should have killed him. This former starship captain had a lot of guts, and he was still showing it as the both of them stood, both of them waving off assistance. If the two men were starships, they would be limping away on thrusters, with empty torpedo tubes and burnt out phaser coils. Glaring at each other, the two men backed away from each other, then at a respectable distance, Hannibal turned his back on his opponent, a final insult, daring Waltas to attack him from behind...but no attack was forthcoming. Someone had given him a olive green kerchief to staunch the flow of blood from above his eye, and he spit blood into the dark mud. He was deliberately still defiant, walking directly away from Medical until he heard the voice of Captain Turner…::: Turner: ::calming her voice, hoping it would also calm them.:: I'm not having any more of this! :: There was no longer an option….at least, he could say he wasn’t the first to seek Medical treatment…..Tyr was still ready to fight, even though he couldn’t even pull together the strength for another punch. Holding his ribcage and limping noticeably, he too turned in the direction of the medical unit. He paused, waiting for Parker to catch up to him, insisting that he not be the first to enter the tent. It turned out that both stopped, glaring sidelong at each other, each stubbornly refusing to be the first to appear weak, and Hannibal growled in defiance... Then Captain Turner settled it for them.:: Turner: I SAID, I'M NOT HAVING ANY MORE OF THIS! ::Her voice was followed closely by the sound of heavy stun from her phaser, effectively stopping them cold.:: Turner: ::standing over the two unconscious men:: Martinez, have these men taken to the brig, then call your medic to check them over, and report back to me. No one else is to talk to them or see them until I say so. Understood? Martinez:: Nodding:: Completely understood, Captain…Is there anything else? Turner: Yes, no one is to be allowed to clean up their mess either. They made it, and they’ll fix it… ~end~ Fleet Captain Toni Turner Commanding Officer Duronis II Embassy / USS Thunder -and- Major Hannibal Parker Second Officer Duronis II Embassy / USS Thunder -and- Colonel Tyr Waltas Marine CO Duronis II Embassy / USS Thunder

((Sickbay - USS Atlantis)) ::Lynn assured Sovak his confidentiality would be maintained, and the Vulcan explained that, unlike other Vulcans, he had failed to achieve control over his emotions. If this were a Vulcan ship, that would be considered exactly the kind of danger to the crew that would require Lynn to break his confidence. Fortunately, this was not a Vulcan ship. Which was great, because as the lowest ranking ops officer, Sovak would have hated cleaning up after all those meditation candles.:: ::Sovak attempted to explain himself further, but he was distracted, not only by the uncomfortable emotions running through him in greater strength and number than he was accustomed to for some reason, but because of everything happening around him in Sickbay. From where he sat on a biobed, he could see Maiman Terpes talking with Dr. DyAmone, and he was worried about her. He also saw Lt. Ravenscroft enter, his face more bruised than ever, though even with the injury he remained inexplicably good-looking. Sovak wanted once again to melt through the deckplates and disappear.:: ::It was with excellent timing that Dr. DyAmone interrupted the conversation to assign further tasks to Ensign Lynn. Sovak was saved from continuing with his embarrassing admissions before he got to the part about physical attraction and warm squishy feelings.:: DYAMONE: Hope you’re feeling better, Mr. Sovak. I’m sorry, but I have to take your physician from you. ::Sovak nodded. The pair instantly launched in on discussing the ship's current demands on the medical department. Sovak understood that his needs were inconsequential compared to the safety of the ship, and nodded his gratitude to Lynn as the deceptively aged ensign moved on with his duties. Maybe they would speak more at a later time.:: ::Sovak laid back on the biobed to get some rest. He tried desperately not to watch Dr. DyAmone's examination of Ravenscroft, but they were directly in his line of vision, so his beady little Vulcan eyes couldn't help but stare. Sovak was safely tucked in the back where no one would disturb him. Other distressed telepaths were passed out on beds around him. If he squinted, he could see that Ravenscroft was built almost like Ren. A certain agricultural bearing. Though the captain's partner had a more colorful reputation. Sovak thought of the time he'd traveled to Trill with Ren on break from the Academy. His roommate had refused to leave him behind to "haunt the hills of San Francisco" alone. Sovak had been terrified of the outgoing, gregarious Rennyn clan. But the country they lived on was beautiful to him, so unlike anything on Vulcan, all full of greens in shades each more vibrant than the last.:: ::A roar of laughter drew his attention back to the present. He looked to the source - Ravenscroft, of course - who, at that horrible moment, pointed directly at Sovak. The Vulcan's heart dropped out of him and he nearly stopped breathing as he pretended not to notice the doctor and the linguist looking him over and talking about him. He was sure his face had blushed deep green, but he laid back, staring intently at the ceiling, as though nothing was amiss. His heart was pounding away, desperate to escape the cage of ribs holding it in place.:: ::When he'd visited Trill, Sovak had felt this same way most of the time. A constant parade of Ren's relatives and neighbors had fought for their moment with the Vulcan, the strange visitor from a distant, obtuse culture. All he'd wanted was escape. One day, he made his way unnoticed to the back fields of Tro'Arn Farm, where no one found him for hours. Sitting quite still on the crumbling remains of an abandoned border, he smelled the rich earth and felt the warm sun on his face, and heard nothing but the breeze rustling round him and the distant crack of the forest line, punctuated by bird's calls or the unselfconscious fall of a leaf or old fruit. He hadn't been able to resist a small, contented smile. That was the moment he understood who Ren really was. A few years in on trying to make sense of him at the Academy, the mystery finally came clear, how the Trill appeared calm every minute of the day, no matter what stress the universe threw at him. While Sovak bundled up his nerves, always trying to get his feelings under control, Ren was revisiting this perfect place, in just such a perfect moment as this. He was running that moment on repeat in the back of his mind. He was traveling the galaxy on the warm breeze of home.:: ::On the biobed, Sovak breathed deeply, his head awkwardly positioned on the little pillow. Every day of his young life, the kohlinar master had ordered him to meditate, to picture a time and place of safety. He'd always supposed he failed so many times because that place didn't exist for him. But he'd found some bit of it when he went home with Ren to Trill. He should have spent more time in that field. Panicking under Ravenscroft's glances, he tried desperately to recapture the feeling of that breeze. Flat on his back, he covered his face with his hands in frustration. He would have done well to pass out for the day with some of these other telepaths, but his powers were minimal compared to theirs, and he hadn't stood a chance of much more than a few minutes blackout and a mild headache after.:: ::The Vulcan breathed deeply some more, and tried to shut out everything around him. He would have control one of these days, even if it was the last thing he did.:: Ens Sovak OPS USS Atlantis simmed by Ensign Ren Rennyn Helm Officer USS Atlantis NCC-74682

((Corridor near Astrometrics, USS Atlantis)) ::It was the middle of the night, ship's time. The ill-fated reception had ended hours ago, though Sovak had not been required to attend. He had been busy realigning Astrometrics sensors and programming data collation. Grunt work, but an efficient use of his programming skills. That work was interrupted when the Grenushi ambassador's clouds broke loose.:: ::Sovak had suffered the same effects as other telepaths aboard. He still wasn't sure something weird hadn't happened that he didn't remember - he certainly hadn't been in control of himself - but at some point in the episode, he'd had the sense to follow the shipwide announcement from Commander Mitchell and report to Sickbay. A nurse had assigned him a neural inhibitor set, and he'd been released to quarters.:: ::Now, hours later, he was back on duty, determined to complete the task he'd been assigned. If he couldn't finish a sensor realignment in a timely manner, he was never going to be considered for more important duties, let alone a bridge shift. It wasn't like with Ren, who got to be on the bridge all the time. Sovak was in the business of computer systems maintenance and analysis, and to anyone but a computer systems analyst, he seemed to belong out of sight.:: ::It was the middle of the night, ship's time. On Vulcan, on the part of Vulcan Sovak had lived the longest, it was late afternoon just now, when the shadows from the mountains lapped across the desert like the rising tide. He'd been happy there for a time, in his childhood, before his uncle sent him away to the kohlinar school. He'd been told it was illogical to attach emotional importance to a place, to pin his well-being to a room, or a house, or a particular street or town. So long as he had logic and control, he would thrive in any setting. But he always missed his home, and when the kohlinar master was hardest on him, he missed it all the more.:: ::After years of training that was more intense and thorough than most Vulcan youths received, Sovak had failed to master the control of emotion required of him. It wasn't as though he hadn't tried. He'd gone to great lengths to meet the expectations placed on him by his uncle, his family, his peers on Vulcan. He'd tried everything to be the man they expected him to be. But something in him always made him fall short. The more he tried to control his emotions, the more he found himself exploring them, and feeling them, and reaching the logical conclusion that they were a part of him and shouldn't be denied. He failed to find control, he got angry about it, he fell on his face, and he had to start over. Over and over again.:: ::The whole thing made him so angry, so frustrated, that he could feel that distant proto-Vulcan inside him fighting its way to the surface. He wanted to hit something, to take that anger and throw it forward through his arm to the end of his fist. He wanted to damage something, though he didn't know what. Usually when he felt this way, he found time in the Holodeck to play Parrises Squares. He'd long ago decided that the most logical use of his aggressive tendencies was to channel them into athletic competition. It always made him feel better, and put his mind back in order, too.:: ::But there was no way to get to a Holodeck now, or even to the gym while so much was happening on the ship and he had a task to carry out. He thought for a moment he might punch the wall, feeling that frustration going through him, but he knew he would be the one called to repair the damaged LCARS screens. Someone would probably see him do it, too, and he'd feel foolish and ashamed, which would make him feel bad about feeling such emotions, and the whole cycle would start again. It made him so angry! The feeling welled up inside him, and he couldn't control the physical expression any longer. He'd punch anything, even the air in front of him. It built up, and he couldn't control it. Expecting his fist to meet to resistance but that of the ship's thin atmosphere, Sovak threw the punch.:: ::He shouldn't have done so near a corner in the corridor, because, as it turned out, someone was coming around it at an unsafe speed. Sovak's fist connected with a handsome green-eyed Terran face that reeled backwards from the blow. The attached body staggered and fell, red hair flashing away in a blur. RAVENSCROFT: Oww. SOVAK: Lieutenant! Are you injured? ::It was an illogical question to ask a Terran who had just been punched in the face by a Vulcan with superior strength. However, the man had not entirely lost consciousness.:: RAVENSCROFT: I’ve.. ::hacking:: been worse.. ::Sovak was immediately embarrassed, horrified by the result of his action. He tried to exercise his usual façade of Vulcan stoicism, but it seemed pointless now. That wall had obviously come down.:: SOVAK: I will assist you to Sickbay. RAVENSCROFT: Sickbay? Nah.. ::coughing:: They have their hands full.. ouch.. already.. SOVAK: Then I will locate a medkit and assess the damage. RAVENSCROFT: Okay. ::Sovak had helped the man to his feet, and retrieved the PADD that had clattered to the deck. He held it out, offering it back to the man. Sovak's anger was gone for the moment, but it was replaced by a long list of other emotions, and at the top was embarrassment that showed in the green blush of his face. It was the middle of the night, ship's time, and Sovak had a feeling tomorrow wasn't going to be any better.:: Ensign Sovak OPS USS Atlantis NCC-74682 simmed by Ens Ren Rennyn

((Celes II, Ruin of Abandoned Machinery Storage Warehouse)) ::The final bout of The Clashing was about to start; the bout in which, unlike in previous fights, all four finalists were placed in together to fight it out:: ::The fight was to take place in a large chamber, around fifty metres to a side. Unlike the rest of the warehouse, this area had not been cleared of machinery. Instead, equipment and junk from other areas had been moved in to further clutter it up. There were therefore various terrains created; piles of wreckage, clear aisles between large machines, random obstacle courses of assorted pieces and parts. There were enough large items around that the fighters couldn't generally see each other until they were close, and each competitor was let in through a different door, one on each wall.:: ::When Katy's door opened she stepped through immediately and was faced with a wall made from a large overturned conveyor of some sort. She did not stop to take stock but immediately turned to her left and continued moving.:: ::She was on the lookout for a good, defensible position. Despite being somehow completely ready for this--indeed, she was more fully embodying the principles of Shiji more than she could recall having ever done--there were still ways that she knew she could be overcome. One of those, the most likely, was being taken by surprise by a fight with two of the others at once. The best way to avoid that was to pick appropriate terrain.:: ::It is worth noting that she wasn't really *thinking* these things, or leastways not in the way one might normally conceptualise thought. She was conscious of them, and acting appropriately. This is not to say that she had no thoughts of the normal sort going on; she was cognising the occasional note or narrative. It simply wasn't where her attention was. But nonetheless the thoughts occurred.:: oO Concept is not truth. It can only model it. Therefore, focus on truth, not concept. Oo ::She rounded a corner into a more open area. Less than a second later, Sakath came into view, moving extremely fast. He spotted her and made for her, leaping over obstacles as needed.:: ::Without any reaction time between, Katy was moving into the most appropriate position to respond, a small platform that allowed her the greatest advantage when meeting the attack along the path he was clearly intending to launch it from.:: ::He stopped in his course having crossed just over half the distance. Despite the inhuman speed at which he'd been moving, he showed no signs of exertion. He tilted his head in curious inquiry, then shifted his weight to change to a different line of attack.:: ::She shifted in response at the same time.:: ::Sakath raised an eyebrow, nodded, and with a graceful pivot he dashed off on a different path.:: oO What we call separation is merely a form of distinction. Distinction does not divide reality, it only divides concept. Oo ::She took in the area around her, determined it was favourable enough to use. A large metal bar caught her attention; the arm of some sort of digging machinery. She squatted down next to it, got a grip, and lifted. Then she heaved it into a new position, lying flat just next to a pile of twisted metal plates. The noise, like a clamorous giant bell, rang through the chamber, reverberating from the walls and ceiling, and putting a ringing into her ears. She stepped back to wait.:: ::Just moments later, a man came into view, his bright green eyes locking onto her position quickly. Like his eyes, his long, braided hair was bright green. His ears were pointed, but he wasn't any sort of vulcanoid she recognised. He wasn't showing any particular speed, but he was distinguished by an extremely controlled grace. He made his way towards her cautiously.:: ::When he reached the pile of twisted metal he leaped over it--only to come down with his foot partially on the bar she'd tossed. It was only a moment's worth of catching himself from falling, but she'd already started moving when he was in the air, and she was there to aid his fall and direct it onto her upraised knee.:: oO It is important to understand what is context and what is content. Now is not a part of the context of time. Time is a part of the context of now. Oo ::She heard and felt ribs cracking on her knee, and let him roll off of her leg and onto the metal floor, struggling to draw breath; whatever species he was had a celiac plexus. He also had a carotid artery, which she reached down and put pressure on. After a few seconds, there was a noise and he was enveloped by the shimmer of a transporter field, taken away to an intensive care biobed in another part of the building.:: ::Two left.:: ::Katy had dispatched one opponent by arranging to make him ungrounded and vulnerable, then taking advantage of that situation. But two opponents were left to fight, one of whom she'd not taken the measure of.:: ::She stepped back again towards the row of what looked like long-outdated computer banks, moved to settle in against an unidentified piece of equipment--maybe a storage cabinet at one time, it was hard to tell--where she could view most of the potential field of attack, but was concealed from a large part of it. She took position and waited.:: ::Nearly ten minutes passed with no movement. Probably one or both of the others were also laying in wait somewhere. It didn't matter.:: oO Emotion, be it joy, fear, anger, love, frustration, impatience, or any other, is an activity, an attempt at self-manipulation, nothing more. See it for what it is and cease the activity, and the emotion is gone. Oo ::Soon after, she began to hear the occasional noise. The noises were indistinct, hushed, and probably relatively close, though it was difficult to be sure in the acoustics of this place. The likelihood that they were coming from her quarter of the room was high, however.:: ::Yet no one emerged. The noises, which had never become distinct enough to be identifiable, ceased, and nothing occurred.:: ::Another fifteen minutes passed. She heard more noises. This time, someone entered her vision.:: ::He was Terran, or one of the races that was outwardly difficult to distinguish from Terran. Short, full of nervous energy, and with a day or so worth of beard growth, wearing a hard hat and a stained workman's jacket with bulging pockets. They had all been sent in wearing identical outfits, so he'd probably picked those up somewhere on the battlefield.:: ::He gave the area a quick once-over, but she was blocked from his view by the probably-a-cabinet. As she watched through the small gap between cabinet and wall, he stopped, frowned, and looked the place over again. The actions of someone who expected their prey to be there. He had either narrowed the possibilities down to here, which seemed unlikely--he would have been found by Sakkath at some point during his search, and this man showed no signs of recent battle--or he'd been directed here to find her. In either case, hiding would not help her.:: ::She stepped out of concealment, and was noticed very quickly. So quickly that the average observer would have called the snapping of his gaze towards her, and the resultant reaching into the bulky pockets of the jacket and hurling a series of several small objects at her head, instantaneous.:: ::She was already moving, stepping out of the way of all of the projectiles. It didn't look like dodging, because there was no reaction involved; it looked more like she was doing an intricate dance that just happened to take her out of the flight paths, moving closer to him.:: oO If one is at the effect of other, one is not truly experiencing other. If one is experiencing other, one is not at the effect of it, and one is therefore free to act appropriately. Oo ::He was closing the distance as well, and when they were within eight metres, the projectiles he was throwing now came from another pocket. Now he thew handfulls of 2cm ball bearings, and she was unable to continue moving forward. In order to dodge all of the metal spheres, which the man was throwing with a force that could do terrible damage, she had to change her direction, ducking and rolling away, back towards the wall of tall computer consoles. It was not quite possible to dodge them all, and she was hit in a few places, gaining some tissue damage and at least one broken finger in the process.:: ::Nearing the wall, she dove and rolled behind the same cabinet she'd been concealed behind before. It would not offer that protection any longer, but it was still a useful resource. One of the doors was hanging off, only attached by part of one rusty hinge. She tore it off of the cabinet, cutting her right hand up badly in the process, then emerged with the door held in front of her. Another barrage of ball bearings hit, but she deflected them all effectively, gaining only dents to her makeshift shield and one crushed finger in the process.:: oO Pain does not exist. Sensation exists. Pain is a label, an attitude, an action. Accept the sensation and it cannot be pain. Oo ::The barrage no longer serving its purpose, it was ended. Instead, he leapt for her, deflecting the swung cabinet door with an upraised arm. At the same time, she got a strong sense that being in this spot was inappropriate, but moving away and avoiding her opponent's attacks at the same time was not possible in the immediate moment. She took the optimal available path, allowing his knee strike to connect and swinging him around behind her...:: ::So when the massive console came down, she was only caught up to her hips. The man she'd been fighting didn't fare quite so well; he was completely underneath the bulk, and not moving.:: ::Katy attempted to wiggle out. One of her legs was tangled up with her opponent's shoulder and arm. She couldn't feel it very well, which probably meant some nerve damage at the very least. And she was unable to extricate it.:: ::The antiquated computer console was, by her reckoning, too heavy for Sakkath to have pushed over. However, if he used a lever and fulcrum, it would be possible.:: ::The Vulcan in question stepped into view, his shadow falling over her. In his hands he held a thick metal bar perhaps a metre and a half in length. The lever.:: ::The metal bar whipped down towards her head.:: ::The speed it moved at was tremendous--and irrelevant. Timing and awareness were more important than speed, by far.:: oO Presence is that which naturally occurs when we stop doing the activities we do to cover it up. Oo ::The Vulcan's stance showed that he did not intend to crush her skull, only concuss her. That made all the difference as to the strike, and the response.:: ::At the last moment, she turned her head; not moving it out of the way, simply turning her profile towards the strike rather than facing it squarely. This made the difference of several inches, and the pulled strike barely clipped her, an inch or so above her temple. At the same time, she was moving her arm, relaxed, as fast as she was capable. She wasn't as fast as Sakkath, but at the right point, when his pulled strike was missing its target, he wasn't as fast either.:: ::She got ahold of the bar, and pulled in the most effective direction--but her hand was slick with blood, and her thumb was too damaged to apply the grip she needed. It was enough to pull the bar closer, but not enough to take it from the Vulcan's grasp. She used the opportunity to strike with her other hand at his gripping fingers, but at the last moment he twisted, and her fist struck iron instead. Sakkath used that moment to pull, trying to take the weapon from her weakened grasp.:: ::It would have worked, if not for two fortuitous (for Katy, anyway) circumstances. First, Sakkath's back foot came down on a ball bearing, causing him a moment of stumbling, which spoiled his pull more than a little. Second, the other fighter's brainwaves chose that moment to dip into full unconsciousness, and he was transported out, giving Katy the briefest moment of freedom. She used that moment to leap forward and twist, and successfully pulled the bar away from her opponent's grip. This further unbalanced him, and he fell.:: ::Sakkath was not the only falling object, though, and Katy was not able to get clear of the console in that brief time allotted; it came down on her lower legs and feet. She distinctly felt her right ankle snap; it had not been in the most favourable position. As a result, she was not able to follow up on her successful disarming with a strike before her opponent sprang back to his feet and up out of her reach.:: ::The two fighters made eye contact for several seconds. Katy saw his gaze flick briefly towards an area of the floor upon which lay several ball bearings.:: oO There is no such thing as a 'fight,' and there never was. Oo ::Katy dropped the bar onto the ground with a loud clang. Still holding the Vulcan's gaze, she flattened her less-injured hand, palm down, and tapped the floor twice.:: ::Moments later, she was transported away to an intensive-care biobed. Seconds afterwards, she passed out from the pain.:: Lieutenant Commander Katy Orman Chief of Security This is what she does with her free time

Prof. Cowens & Lt (JG) Alexander Richards - Initial observations ((Corridor, USS Mercury)) COWENS: Young man, are you falling behind? I'd have expected a fresh graduate would still be in shape. ::Ensign Cardosa quickly tried to catch up to the older professor, who walked briskly through the corridors of the Oracle class vessel. It seemed his cane was more for show than anything else. Or at the very least, a tool for him to smack the floor with emphasis when he wanted to.:: CARDOSA: Sorry, sir. ::He adjusted his grip on the professor's luggage before everything was about to fall apart.:: It's, uh... certainly a lot of equipment you've got here. COWENS: ::chuckles:: And this is only what the institute would let me take. Be thankful they denied my request to move my entire lab aboard. ::The ensign gave a nervous smile as they continued along. Finally, once they had arrived at the professor's new office, Cowens excused himself to let the ensign finish setting things up.:: ::He made his way over to his new neighbor's office, that of the Mercury's chief science officer, and rang the chime.:: ((Chief science officer's office, USS Mercury)) :: The day had been a washout. Alexander had intended to meet with both the Captain and Doctor Velana however, the captain was away from the ship and he had neglected to contact the good doctor. He hadn't wasted his time however. He used the time that had dropped on his lap to finally sign off on Crewman T'Lex's report on the previous mission and deliver it via subspace to the Starfleet Science Institution. He hoped that the admiralty and their team might be able to make more sense of it. His thought process was interrupted by a chime on his door. :: COWENS: Lieutenant Richards? RICHARDS: Yes that's me. Please enter. Forgive me for not standing up to greet you but as you can see, my current predicament makes that a bit of a problem. Please take a seat Mr? COWENS: Professor J. Cowens, of the Orion Institute of Cosmology, and your newest neighbor. RICHARDS: Ah Professor. Please forgive my assumption that you were a mister. I'm not used to seeing civilian professors this far out. What can I do for you today? COWENS: I just wanted to make your acquaintance. I'll also be working along with the five other department heads within the civilian research contingent, and I figured I should meet you first when I don't have to relay any requests or complaints yet! :: Richards was a little taken aback by the laugh. This gentleman already seemed a lot less aloof than Captain Harku Kvitova. :: RICHARDS: ::smiling:: Well, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance Professor. I've heard a lot about the O.I.C. You are the tops of your field. ::The old man chuckled and waved off the compliment with his right hand.:: RICHARDS: With the field of cosmology being so vast this is going to be a bit of a long shot but, have you ever read any papers by Harriet Richards of the Lunar Scientific Institute? COWENS: Richards? Who hasn't? ...wait, are you saying there's some relation? RICHARDS: Yes, she is my mother. My father and her are the lead researchers at the institute. I know most of the researchers under them as if they were brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts. It came with being raised in and around the lab. I might have joined them but for an accident during my later teenage years. ::The professor let out a wide grin.:: COWENS: Well then I find myself sitting with academic royalty! How fortunate! And I see you did follow the family trade then. RICHARDS: I do have a tendency to waffle on from time to time. Anything you need once you are settled in professor just give my office a call. If I'm not there to facilitate the request, my assistant should be. You will also be pleased to know that the ship has a highly competent stellar cartographer who I'm sure will be able to assist you. Crewman T'lex is a graduate of the Vulcan Science Academy and well verse in stellar phenomenon. COWENS: I'm sure the crewman's talents will be invaluable for our work. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm, Lieutenant. Sometimes there are... how shall we say? ...unnecessary friction among Starfleet and civilian collaborative projects, which is quite sad really. We're all in this together after all! ::He tapped the deck with his cane twice for emphasis. The lieutenant seemed pleased.:: RICHARDS: Well, I won't keep you from settling in any longer Professor. No doubt you would like to meet the other department heads and familiarize yourself with the ship, and the science module in particular. Unfortunately, I have a previous arrangement I must keep however, I'm sure we will be able to arrange a proper tour for you at some point in the future. Again, welcome aboard Professor. COWENS: Oh, of course, lieutenant! I shan't keep you from your business, no doubt quite a handful running such a mammoth department. I look forward to the work ahead, and again, thank you. ::Once the professor got up and left the lieutenant's office, he made his way back to his new office and lab to see that Ensign Cardosa was still setting things up, now with the help of one of the professor's own research assistants, a young and eager mind named Renia Lenai. Cowens called out to the Haliian.:: COWENS: Miss Lenai? If you could join me please? I'm sure, the ensign can handle himself for a moment. ::The ensign wiped some sweat off his brow before nodding to Renia.:: CARDOSA: Of course, professor... ::The woman followed the professor to his office.:: LENAI: So how did the meeting go? COWENS: Excellent. ::He sat down in his chair, one of the few things to have been already installed in his office and took out a PADD.:: COWENS: Lieutenant Richards has promised his department's full cooperation, and he seems like a genuinely nice man. ::He tapped a few buttons on the PADD, retrieving a few files after performing a search.:: LENAI: That's good. So everything should be smooth sailing then. COWENS: My dear, I see you still have much to learn about the scientific process... ::He handed her the PADD.:: COWENS: Your reading material for tonight. Find out a little more about our new host, including his esteemed parents at the Lunar Scientific Institute. The man himself though seems to have quite an interesting record. ::The young woman returned a puzzled glance.:: LENAI: Am I looking for possible collaborative research interests? ::The professor grinned at her naivety.:: COWENS: Insurance. TBC... Professor J. Cowens Astrophysicist Orion Institute of Cosmology as played by Lieutenant Commander Rahman Chief Engineer USS Mercury with Lieutenant (JG) Alexander Richards Chief of science USS Mercury

Note: This was written before this officer was promoted. ((Tiger-A Deck 4-Junoir officer crew quarters ) ) :: The ensign looked at the PADD in her hand, it held the schematics of the new Prometheus vessel she was to serve on. According to the data it was the most advanced vessel Starfleet had, and certainly the most advanced she had ever seen. First order of business was to find her quarters, stow what items she had before checking in to the commanding officers. :: oO There it is. Oo :: Touching the door panel she walked into a single occupancy room, that to her seemed large for one person. Her own quarters on Shield were this size and they housed her husband, child and herself. illumination activated once a living being entered the room. No need to fumble for the controls when tired. Convenient. Logical. A glance around showed a bed, deck consol, dresser and a closet for clothing, the refresher was in another room. A glance in there to familiarize herself, T’Mynn noticed another even smaller room in the ‘fresher, curious she put her head in to suddenly jerk back in gasping in surprise. Reached a hand to her head finding it and her body was all wet. oO Water out of the walls? Oo :: Starfleet Academy did mention these things, but experiencing them was another course in and of itself. Looking down, contemplating changing, she saw the droplets being quickly absorbed by her skin. Vulcan epidermis was made to be a bit more osmotic than a human’s. If needed, a V’tosh could ‘drink’ in mists that occasionally rose off the small oceans of Ti’Valk’ian absorbing water that way. The last time the woman had seen that world seemed to be many lifetimes ago. She decided to let the water absorb and put her toiletries in the fresher in the meantime. Medium sized blown glass bottles made by her uncle holding scented oils made from plants grown in her mother’s gardens were placed on the sink. She replicated a bowl of very fine sand, that too found it’s place. :: :: A quick uniform change while the computer updated her data, then chirped to indicaite an open subspace com channel was active. :: oO Punctual as usual Oo :: T’Mynn though with a smile as the faces of her parents appeared on screen. :: Farin: Hello, little one. T’Mynn: Hello Father. How are you and Mother and brothers doing? Farin: We are all doing well. ::A head poked itself into frame, T’Mynn’s brother Sorin, eyebrow went up.:: Sorin: Why are you wet? Did someone throw you into another body of water again? You should try to avoid that. T’Mynn:: head up a finger in an effort to explain when another head poked into frame, this time Sarek.:: Sarek: Maybe it’s a Starfleet thing. Ensign tossing. Although Lil’sister is small, so maybe it’s dwarf tossing. :: He grins. :: T’Mynn: Nope, No dwarf tossing. Just an encounter with the shower. They have water coming out of the walls on this ship. :: All three men’s eyes widen a little at that. :: Sarek: Water from the walls? :: Incredulously.:: Try the sonic shower next time, less messy. :grins: Did you find a nice mate yet. You can't play doubles Mahdhzong with only seven. Hurry up. :grins: T’Mynn: I..uh.. well..:: raising an eyebrow:: I wasn’t looking, I needed to study not go looking for males. ::Looking mildly uncomfortable even though the man was gently teasing hoping for a smile.:: ::Sorin shoves him out of frame. Only to be shoved out of frame by Farin. The brothers conversation though quiet wasn’t missed by keen V’Tosh hearing. In the background she caught Sorin saying “What’s the matter with you, that’s a touchy subject. :: Sounds of a hand gently swatting someone.:: "Give her time.” :: Farin: Hiist out,both of you. Go work on the Disciplines, you both can chat with her later. :Shaking head.:: Boys. :: T’Mynn tried to keep the grin of her face. She could hear the duo shouting back comments and joking with each other. The two brothers could be at times incurable but she loved them nonetheless. They added a lot of life to the family. Many days of laughter especially during the long trip through the vast wastes of space. They truly cared for her, they wanted her to be whole again by finding someone to complete her.:: oO It’s not that easy my dear brothers. A soul mate isn’t found on trees. Oo Farin ::Looking apologetic:: Sorin tends to speak before thinking. T’Mynn: I understand his sentiment, and I greatly appreciate his concern..What’s new? Farin: Ah. There will be a new addition to the family. ::T’Mynn raised a questioning eyebrow:: T’Ami, is with child. ::Farin was calm but his eyes showed how joyful he was. :: T’Mynn: That’s wonderful? When? Farin: Anytime now, she’s anxious for them to see the world. T’Mynn: Them? Twins? Again? :: Twinning was rare among their species, but occasionally some families tended to have more of them than others. Pregnancy was hard on a V’tosh because of their anatomy the baby was carried low which proved to be a bit uncomfortable. Twins made it a bit more uncomfortable. T’Mynn knew that if T’Ami was with twins, she would’ve been bedridden for three quarters of the term.:: :: Farin nodded, the scenery seemed to be moving around as if he were carrying the computer through the house. She saw familiar things, mother’s plants all over the home. . :: Farin: ::Whispering. :: She is sleeping, but I figured you wanted to see her. :;He had angled the screen to capture her, t’Ogien’s primary was shining through the large open windows, a breeze ruffling the woman’s hair. Her father quietly sat down on the edge of the bed next to T’Ami, gently stroking her forehead with his fingers. T’Ami smiled in her sleep at his touch, shifted to a better position her belly swollen the lives she carried. :: T‘Mynn: I can see why she’s wants her tenets out. I would too.. Please give her, the babies and those troublesome brothers my love. Farin: :: Speaking quietly still.::I will. T’Mynn: I’d like to talk all night but I have to meet my commanding officers. Starfleet has more protocal, than I can imagine, sometimes how much is even logical. :: She missed them all, she missed her mate and her child. Her bond with them no longer existing because both passed beyond the veil that separates this life from the next. :: Farin: ::nodding:: it’s necessary unfortunately, politicians need jobs. Things haven’t changed much. T’Mynn: Terrans have a saying.”The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Farin: There is wisdom there. Get going Little one, we love you and stay safe. T’Mynn: :: Putting a hand on the screen.: So do I. :: The connection closed, but not before a file packet showed up from her family. She put it in the desk drawer to view later after all the meet and greeting was finished. A tap or two on the environmental controls set the ambient temperature to forty degrees Celsius, gravity to 1.4 standard Gs and air density to fit that of her birth world. She finished unpacking her back pack that held a PADD, holo-cam, a small case that held paint brushes, ink well, a roll of fabric like paper, and an isolinear chip. These were carefully arranged on the desktop. A quick communicae’ to the transporter chief, the contents of the chip arrived, the rest of her items. Pots of plant-life shimmered into existence. Ti’Valk’ain plant-life that she and T’Ami had grown, and later she’d taken care of them during her tenure at the Academy. Holos of family sat at the desk, plants on the desk, floor, and shelving. A lyre stood next to the desk as well. The bed would have to stay until she could move it. It was going to feel odd sleeping on it; she was used to a floor pallet and generally preferred it. :: :: Standing in the middle of the room, it would be home for a while. A Terran saying drifting through her memory "Home is where you hang your hat." and "Home is where your heart is." :: oO My heart will always be with Ti'Valk'Ain until I find someone to share it with, this place is where I'll 'hang my hat." Oo :: A small form wound itself around her ankles.:: T’Mynn: Sneaky creature following me, how did you escape notice? Hmm :: Scratching an ear on the purring feline. She secured food and water for the feline and headed out the door to start her duties on Tiger. :: Ensign T’Mihn Ah’mygahn Science Officer USS-Tiger 52199-A

There are two voting questions this round -- we have a run-off from last round (11) when we had a 3-way tie, and then Round 12's sims. Please choose one in each category. Voting closes Sunday, July 22th, 2012 at 23:59 PM. This round of voting only qualifies one sim to move on to the next round of judging. REMEMBER: This is NOT a popularity contest. Vote based on MERIT, not the fact that someone is your crewmate. Any crews found “stuffing the ballots” or ratings, will be disqualified PERMANENTLY. Yes, that means the whole crew!

((Duronis II)) ::Isaac set the shuttle down in the Lokesh City Spaceport, and after securing the ship he stepped out. He blinked his eyes at the brightness from the twin suns and raised his hand to shade them. He missed the sunglasses mandated by Fleet Captain Turner, and in an effort to be inconspicuous he decided not to try and find a pair from a local shop. He wasn't dressed in a Starfleet uniform, but found he was able to blend in fairly well with the exception of the lack of the colored band along his hairline. He walked away from the spaceport, turning west toward the Federation Embassy as soon as he could. Following a pathway toward the beach, Isaac decided to use one of the rear entrances to keep from creating too much of a commotion. He quietly passed through the security checkpoint, receiving a day pass as his own security clearance had expired upon leaving the Embassy. Standing on one of the many paths, he paused for a moment, taking in the scent of the flora before he continued. Ignoring the occasional crewmember or Embassy staff out and about in the gardens, Isaac slipped along unseen until he reached the Engineering and Maintenance Facility. The trip through the facility to his destination was short and he arrived and paused at the door before calling. The blurt of the computer while in the lift had told him what he already surmised... his codes had been changed as soon as he had been reassigned. Taking on an old fashioned approach, Isaac balled up a fist and knocked on the door... hoping to arouse the attention of a specific officer. He waited for what felt like an hour before the door slipped open. He answered the questioning look on his friend's face with as much of a smile as he could muster. :: ((Utilities Complex, Level 4, Mc Ghee Personal Quarters)) :: Jaxon had spent the last few hours rereading the information they had collected on the security incident. So far the he had managed to piece the movements of Mike, Joel and the two technicians together and found nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that Valentino was a Marine and entered the EUC in the middle of the night. To remain fair and unbiased, he had given the evaluation of Joel’s movements to another officer and had also sent him on his way to meet with the Captain as requested. He was expecting the results soon. All the more so was he surprised when his heard a hammering on the front door of his quarters. The short, heavy set man set down his Padd, conscientiously secured the computer screen displaying his own results and got up to answer it. The person at the door was not the person the Chief was expecting and the he needed a moment to process all the details. :: Green: Hi, Jaxon. Mc Ghee: :: puzzled :: Isaac? :: looks up and down :: What the hell happened to you? Green: It's a long story, Mate. ::Trying to maintain the smile, even though the pain was starting to show through:: Mind if I come in? Mc Ghee: Of course, come in, come in. :: The engineer stood back to allow his friend to enter his quarters. While the taller and heavier built man passed the small kitchen area, Jaxon watched his gait and took in the little details. He had already seen that Isaac was uncharacteristically out of uniform and his current clothing wasn’t in the best condition; Jaxon was unsure how long his friend had been in them. Almost absently he reached to the door keypad and tapped in a private code that didn’t even appear on the station computer, sealing the door. He crossed the room to the large and open living room where two armchairs stood before the holographic fireplace. Jaxon didn’t have a couch in his living room as it would encourage groups of visitors. :: :: Isaac let out a long breath, finding it increasingly difficult to hold back the grimace struggling to become apparent. The act of breathing alone caused pain akin to a white hot poker stabbing into his left side. He leaned against the back of one of the armchairs to steady himself. :: Mc Ghee: Feel free to take a seat, Isaac… :: watching him sit down :: this isn’t a call for old times’ sake is it? Green: ::Gently laughing, which caused him to flinch against the searing pain in his side:: What makes you say that? Mc Ghee: Well, your clothes have seen better days and you turning up without an announcement are good indicators, but the way you’re clutching your side and how carefully you took a seat tell me a lot more. Bruised ribs? Green: Broken, I think. :: Jaxon whistled quietly at his friend’s answer and fought the urge to ask why he hadn’t had himself treated yet back; Isaac would have done so if he had had the time. Instead he had sought him out here at the Embassy which wasn't exactly close to the Mercury and that all had to have a reason. There had also been talk the last time Isaac had disappeared and while Jaxon had curtailed his curiosity in interest of their friendship, he knew Isaac had the qualifications for certain work. So far everything discretely pointed out that that calling a medic wasn’t a current option, through all the same Jaxon felt that Isaac should have something for the pain. :: Mc Ghee: Which remedy do y’prefer; standard issue field medkit, or an 18 year old bottle? Green: How 'bout we start with the bottle, then we can go from there. Mc Ghee: :: nodding gravely :: A good choice. Green: I think this is the first time I've seen your flat. Nice place you've got here. ::Isaac was obviously trying to make small talk while his friend made his way across the room.:: :: The Chief crossed the room to the bar table on the far side and two glasses, the ice bucket and water jug. He brought everything to the side table set up between the two armchairs, quietly placing the medkit to one side; it might be needed after the internal anesthetic had begun to work. :: :: Isaac watched the Welshman drop cubes of ice into two highball glasses and he felt himself begin to salivate. He realized it had been a long time since he had eaten anything other than the slop like gruel served to him during his stay with his captors and his stomach growled quietly while he waited.:: Green: Synth? Mc Ghee: :: pouring :: No, no. The real McCoy. None of that replicated rubbish. Green: Fit for a king, mate. Mc Ghee: :: taking a seat :: So. What the hell happened to you? :: Isaac took the glass and drew a sip of the amber colored liquid. He felt the burn of the scotch on the back of his throat; it tasted so good he took another drink before he set the glass down on the side table. He immediately felt the sedative effects of the alcohol and a slight calmness came over him. He knew then he was safe. :: Green: Nothing I guess I didn't bring on myself... in a round about way. ::Isaac paused and took another sip of his drink:: You've been around Marines enough to know how lugheaded we can be. Well, the Marine Major on the Merc has a brother who controls a faction of not-so-nice people who are hell bent on taking control of the Major's family's birthright on this planet. ::Isaac took another drink, draining the glass. He set the glass on the table next to him before he continued.:: Green: So, anyway, I went with the Major on an expedition to find out what this brother was so interested in on a planet near the family's home world and the brother attacked the planet and the ship we were on. During the attack, I was sucked into space through a breach in the hull. I figured I was a goner, but seconds later I was beamed aboard the brother's ship. ::Isaac paused for a second, thinking about the past three weeks.:: I think I would have rather stayed in space. Mc Ghee: Uh-huh. :: taking a sip :: :: Jaxon knew he was no coucellor, but he had rough idea of how humans ticked and listened quietly to Isaac account on what had happened to him. A few questions occurred to the engineer, but he didn’t bother to interrupt not wanting to halt his friend, instead he swirled his glass and continued listening to Isaac’s account. :: Green: It might have saved my life, but their motivation wasn't kindness. In fact, I'm not sure what their motivation was. For the last three weeks I was locked in a room not even large enough for me to lay down in and subjected to regular beatings. The most interesting part was they didn't even ask me a question... ever. Mc Ghee: And how’d d’you get away? Green: Luck, really. I think they got complacent and it gave me a chance to make a break. I made my way to the shuttle bay and stole the crate that brought me here. The shuttle next to the one I stole made a great bomb, and it did exactly what I wanted it to do. Anyway, they weren't able to follow me and I had no idea where I was or where the Mercury was, so once I got my bearings I came to the only place I could think of... here. Mc Ghee: Who’d have thought; Til’ahn as a port of call. ::Isaac looked longingly at the bottle of Scotch on the bar, then thought about the rumbling in his stomach. A wave of nausea swept over him, brought on by the pain in his ribcage.:: Green: Maybe we should try that medkit out. Mc Ghee: Of course, :: sets down his glass. :: just a sec. :: Jaxon stood up, took the med kit from the side table and dropped to one knee beside Isaac’s chair. Opening the case he begun to extract the various devices, the essential depth scanner, the regeneration probes and the emergency hypos; they were all set up to have quick access. He knew Isaac trusted him, but the man was also a Marine so sometimes the best remedy was being faster than the patient. Of course routine helped and it didn’t take long for Isaac to notice. :: Green: Where'd you learn how to do that? You throw that thing around like you should be wearing a blue shirt. Mc Ghee: :: quietly, reserved :: I wasn’t always an Engineer, Isaac. :: Jaxon paused, remembering the quirk of fate that almost had him wearing a blue uniform in lieu of a golden one. The events that subsequently unfolded finally led to a engineer’s uniform, but there were things you didn’t forget and amongst them was emergency triage to your own child. It wasn’t anything he spoke about often, but Isaac was different, had saved his life on more than one occasion and also knew the value of discretion. From day one the Marine had refused to accept Jaxon’s self-imposed social detachment and for some reason the Welshman had accepted that. It was strange how two stubborn and possibly negative characters traits could lead to friendship. :: Mc Ghee: :: taking the scanner :: I don’t whether it was luck or otherwise, but the reason for not becoming a doctor faded away and so I became an Engineer. :: Isaac had always had great respect for Jaxon. From the day he met the Welshman on their final academy cruise, the abilities of the man always amazed him. :: :: Jaxon passed the device over Isaac’s side and read the information. It had been years since he had needed the med kit, but, thanks to his eidetic memory, it all came back to him swiftly and seeing the results, the short man took up a hypo and loaded the cartridge, placed it one side and selected the dermal regenerator and the deep tissue regenerator. :: Green: Well, I think you missed your calling, Mate. Mc Ghee: :: absently while working :: I doubt it Issac; I don’t usually have the patience. A plasma conduit doesn’t argue back. Green: Well, you could'a fooled me... ouch! :: Jaxon knowledge of medicine wasn’t nearly as vast a self-respecting doctor, but after the scare all those years ago he had spent hours reading anything on emergency medicine and first aid. Today he knew it was an escape mechanism of a young and inexperienced father, a way of forgetting what was currently on his mind, but the upside was that he now knew a lot about a variety of injuries, including the background information that many forgot. Isaac’s discomfort was due to the fact that he was breathing and disturbing the broken bones that were trying to heal. Jaxon had a high pain tolerance, but he also knew that broken ribs were no small matter; the smallest movement could cause pain so intense that paralyzes most immediately. :: Green: You, uh..::Gently moving to a position where he could remove his shirt.:: ...need me to take this off? Mc Ghee: No, you can keep it on; this is a combat med kit. Clothing doesn’t bother the tricorder or regenerator. Green: ::Letting out a short sigh:: Good, I'm not sure I could get it off if I had to. ::Isaac closed his eyes and let his friend administer his ministrations. The regenerator delivered heat to the local area, and the feeling was slightly relieving.:: Jaxon: :: quietly, working :: This’ll tingle a bit. :: Jaxon worked on the large hematoma surrounding the actually broken ribs. He knew this wasn’t the correct approach, but also was aware that it was more patient friendly as the sensitive upper layers also caused discomfort which caused more pain during treatment. During his scanning he found something not immediately apparent and nodded to himself. It was respectable that Isaac had made it this far without passing out. It also meant more complications as one of his friends ribs had been shattered on the curve pinnacle and natures design proved detrimental. In this case it meant that Isaac’s chest was pulling on the broken bone designed to create a cavity to allow breathing and preventing it from returning to its original position. :: ::As the machine did it's duty, Isaac felt the described tingle under the skin. It almost tickled, bringing a pained smile to the large man's face.:: Mc Ghee: Okay Issac, you have four broken ribs and the last one has … jutted itself under the break lineage; it’s probably causing the majority of the pain. Green: Whatever it is, it sucks. In the grand scheme of things, what does all that mean? Mc Ghee: :: thinking :: It means the rib broke twice in almost one place and as gravity naturally places an amount of pressure on your chest, it is stopping your rib from drawing back to its original position. I need to pull it back and set it with the regenerator. Green: And just how do you plan on doing that? :: Isaac was no doctor, but he knew the procedure the engineer had described wouldn't be comfortable, to say the least.:: Mc Ghee: Shall I apply a local anesthetic? Green: I have enough dope in my system already. Just do what you have to do. I promise to try and not slug ya. :: Jaxon knew the Marines were proud men and women; friendship either way and even here in the privacy of his quarters, Isaac was no exception. It was just like no one in his department using Jaxon’s private tool kit, some kind of unwritten code of conduct which boundaries overarched practically everything. :: Mc Ghee: :: grins at his friends response :: … Okay Issac, you have to exhale. Green: I tell ya what, pass me that bottle. I think I need another hit off that before you start your torture. ::Trying to smile:: :: Jaxon grinned and passed the bottle to his friend and watched him pour another measure. While he downed the amber fluid, Jaxon waited until he was ready. Once so, Jaxon probed for the single rib as gently as possible and spoke up again. :: :: Isaac took a long pull from the bottle, hoping to himself that the liquid courage would take hold before Jaxon started twisting and pulling on his fractured body.:: Mc Ghee: Okay on the count of one. Green: Alright... Mc Ghee: Ready? Three … :: pulls:: Green: SON OF A...! Mc Ghee: Sorry, buddy … :: scanning :: but its free and I can set it now. Green: ::Fighting the wave of nausea:: There's more? Mc Ghee: Just a few more moments… :: Jaxon spoke absently while reading the scanners data, trying to move the injured bone and work the regenerator at the same time. True to his word the bone was soon in the right position, but the Chief was certain that the 3 or seconds had felt likes ages to Isaac. :: ::Isaac waited for more crunching and grinding, but the regenerator began to knit the bones and he started to feel the relief. It was slow, but the little bit of relief after so many days of fighting the excruciating agony was like bliss. Soon he was able to take a deep breath, which was something he hadn't been able to do since Dante's boot was laid against his side. That felt like forever ago now.:: Green: Jaxon, you're a life saver, mate. Mc Ghee: :: mumbling :: Hardly… but thanks all the same. :: Jaxon spent a few more minutes setting the last of his ribs, by which time the ex-Marine was breathing a little easier. Then he took up the hypo and reset the dosage to a much lower setting and gave him a shot. Mc Ghee was pretty certain that Isaac wanted to remain clear so the meds were just enough to provide a bit more relief while he gently strapped the regenerator over the damaged area; it would finish what he had begun. :: Mc Ghee: That’ll do for now. ::With the release from the pain, Isaac's mind began to gain clarity, and even through the alcohol he remembered that he was still missing in action.:: Green: I guess we should see the Skipper, as soon as you're done there. I imagine I have a bit of explaining to do, and a ship to get back to. Mc Ghee: :: getting up :: Do you want to use the Embassy network? Green: All my codes are changed. The only reason I was able to get into the Embassy grounds is because the Marine guard recognized me. I tried to gain access and the computer denied me. Mc Ghee: Ah, yes. The code rotation. :: putting away the medikit items :: Green: I'll have to send a priority message to Commander Kells to let him know I'm here. :: The regenerator was doing a fine job of repairing the damage done by the Fanelian's. For a moment, Isaac allowed his mind to wander toward a bit of revenge; which he knew would come in good time. :: Mc Ghee: You can use my desk :: pointing :: I’ll set up a link for you. While you contact Kells, I’ll bring Captain Turner up to speed. :: Break :: Computer; priority message to XO of the USS Mercury. :: To Isaac :: Isaac I’ll be outside talking to the Captain. :: Jaxon left the man alone and stepped out into the corridor so Isaac had some privacy while he spoke to his commanding officer. :: TBC! JP By Lt. Commander Isaac Green Chief of Security USS Mercury NCC 99812 -- We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. ~ George Orwell And Lt Cmdr. Jaxon Mc Ghee Chief Engineering Officer USS Thunder NCC 70605 Embassy Duronis II

((Aqua Shuttle / Main Shuttle Bay; USS Mercury)) ::Rick worried at his bottom lip as the shuttle came in towards the mother ship. He knew, he sensed, Gypsy was in peril.:: Matthews: ::Tapping the comm system.:: =/\=Matthews to Mercury, requesting for final approach.=/\= Wulfantine:=/\= Greetings Alex, welcome home. Permission granted.=/\= Matthews: =/\=Understood, final approach for the main shuttle bay. See you on the bridge my friend. I will bring Rashnan directly to the Captain.=/\= Wulfantine: =/\=See you in a jiffy my friend.=/\= Rawden: Sir, may I report to Eyas when we arrive? Matthews: ::Looking over to Rick.:: Of course, you go right ahead when we land I can take care of the shuttle. Rawden: Aye Sir. ::Rick guided the shuttle in to the bay without a problem, landing the ship with gentle bump on the deck. Matthews looked back to the rest of the team Lara and Marcus.:: Matthews: ::Standing up and walking to the rear of the shuttle.:: Rick, thank you. I know that you are anxious to see what Eyas wants. Get going. Rawden: Thank you Sir. ::Rick nodded and scooted down the corridor to the nearest turbolift.:: Wulfantine: =/\= Rick, it’s Eyas. Details have been sent to your pad. =/\= ::Rick looked down. The message icon was flashing. He grasped the device and quickly read the content. He gulped.:: Rawden: =/\= Thank you… Sir.=/\= Lift – Sickbay. ::The turbolift sped towards the sickbay deck bridge. Rick emerged and rushed into the sickbay.:: ((Sickbay; USS Mercury)) ::He saw people bustling about, a medic attending to minor issues, but no sign of his beloved.:: Rawden: Gypsy?! Hawker: ::hoarsely:: Rick? ::Rick spun around, hearing her voice. His mouth dropped open. Lying on a biobed, was his sweetheart, her long hair matted and her skin….. was blue!:: Rawden: GYPSY!!!! ::He ran over to her, his face full of fear and confusion.:: Rawden: What? What’s happened? Eyas merely told me you’d had a minor injury. Hawker: Rick, I’m not injured. I’m.. changing. Rawden: Babe.. I can… how did it? What? Hawker: Transporter malfunction… we beamed back with an alien. They’re aquatic. We got… ::She raised a blue webbed hand up and brushed back her long hair, to reveal a set of gills on her neck. They flexed as they breathed the air. Rick was silent for a moment.:: Rawden: But..? ::Rick held her hand.:: Hawker: Rick? Rawden: Can anything be done? Where’s the Doc? ::Gypsy’s heart was hurting. She felt she could detect Rick’s changing image of her.:: Hawker: Doc’s in lab. But there’s more… Rawden: Oh Gypsy? You’re gonna be alright aren’t you? ::Gypsy smiled softly.:: Hawker: I hope ‘we’ are. ::Rick’s mind was confused and he assumed the ‘we’ referred to him and Gypsy. He was relieved that Gypsy was not hurt, but she was changing. Things were crazy. Just then, he heard a noise coming from the lab.:: Velana: She's a beautiful ship and everyone I've met has been more than welcoming. I look forward to meeting more of the crew, though. Del Vedova: Well, I guess, I mean, it's only a matter of time-- Rawden: Doc! Doc! Gypsy… what’s happening to her? Del Vedova: There was a sort of (beat) transporter accident. Her vitals are fine and we're looking for a cause right now. To Be Continued… LtJG. Rick Rawden & Crewman Gypsy Hawker (PNPCs) Engineer & Medic: USS Mercury Simmed by: Lt.Cmdr Eyas Wulfantine Chief Tactical Officer: USS Mercury

((SB118, Sickbay)) Walker: No! You don't understand! ::MacLaren managed to grab him before he fell to the floor. She managed to push him toward the biobed. Wrapping one of his arms around her neck, she struggled to deal with the nearly dead weight of a strong man, she kept repeating the same words:: MacLaren: Commander, can ye hear me? Commander, you are not alone. You are not alone with it. Don't look at it; rest your mind. ::She administered the same sedative that had worked well on Dubeau.:: MacLaren: Sleep now, Commander. :: He understood the order. There seemed to be something he remembered about not wanting to do it, but couldn't attach any significance. His voice came out clear but untainted by emotion. :: Walker: As you wish doctor. :: He moved to the biobed and immediately fell asleep. :: ((Holodeck)) :: As the scene ended, the yellow and black of the holodeck appeared around him, and the man lying on the floor disappeared. For a moment, the dark haired human stared at the yellow and black, counting the squares formed. Sometime later, he stopped as abruptly as he'd started. And with the same lack of connection as he'd had to the man in the holo. Turning, he walked out of the holodeck. It had been awhile since he stepped on the Ronin. The thrum of the engine, the sense of home. His hands, sputtered briefly. As if a flame that was trying to burn back from the embers, but quickly faded. Without a further glance at his surroundings, he continued walking. :: ((Quarters)) ::Moments or hours later, he realized he was in his quarters. He was moving, and therefore had to pack. Picking up a photo, he looked down to see the crew of the Ronin. His face shifted to a smile as flames like St. Elmo's fire began running up and down his arms. He remembered the Counselor on the Ronin whose empathic abilities had likened his emotions to flames. There was something... something he had to.... the flames flickered and died, and woodenly he placed the picture into a box. Methodically he began packing the items he found into boxes. Initially he paused, the flame flickering around him with nearly every item. And each time his face shifted to that of a man desperately fighting against the odds. But...as each item was placed, the flames flickered less frequently, his face remained a stoic mask. Each box was slowly filled, taped and moved to a corner of the room. The pace was economical, neither too urgent nor too relaxed. Finally, each item was stored, the rome was emptied. He moved one last large box near the rest before stepping into it. He filled the box with packing, before closing the flaps and sealing it from the inside. He closed his eyes and exhaled softly before speaking :: Walker: I'm done. ((SB118 Sickbay)) :: The First officer lay on the bio bed, his body almost immobile. His words came out in a whisper...:: Walker: I'm done. :: The alarm split the air, as the bio bed noted the sudden drop in vitals as the man quietly passed :: Lt. Cmdr Ben Walker FO SB118/USS Victory

((Somewhere...)) ::In the darkness of where ever he was, Eliaan felt at least relieved to be alive. The pain, the overwhelming pain, that he had felt in the corridor was gone but the memory of it stayed with him as if he had been granted a temporary reprieve instead of a full pardon. As the darkness cleared a little, it was clear that he was no longer on the Starbase. It was familiar though, very familiar indeed.:: ::The large room in which he found himself was empty of furniture but filled with memories; he was in the drawing room of his grandparent's home on Betazed. The pleasure and wonder of being in this place quickly melted into a deep sadness as the real reason that he was now seeing this house, empty as it had been after the death of his grandparents, struck him. This wasn't how he had imagined the afterlife but it wasn't something he had allowed himself to think about much.:: ::Death, he knew, walked one pace behind everyone else but walked side by side with a surgeon. On any given day he knew that he could witness, or even be responsible, for the death of a patient. If he were to really think about how close death always was, he knew it would have stopped him being a good surgeon and so he tried his best to ignore it.:: ::And so, he felt utterly unprepared to be standing here with the knowledge that he was either dead or very close to it. What had happened to him? He remembered the pain and being knocked down but he couldn't remember an assailant or why he had been there. He fought hard with his memories, trying to work out what had led him here and then suddenly it clicked.:: ::Ensign Freo.:: ::As he remembered the young Bajoran woman and the darkness that seemed to surround her, the image of a small Bajoran girl appeared in front of him. It wasn't Freo Liandra. It was another Bajoran, one who he had know what felt like a long time ago.:: ::Ollera Kon looked up at him. In a flash, he was shown a quick successions of vignettes of the events that had lead to her death: he was transported back to Starbase 173 where he was convincing her parent's to agree to the procedure; to the arguments with Kaedyn over the correct course of action; to the OR where she died on his table; to his disciplinary hearing on Starfleet Medical. Overwhelmed by the images, he called out for them to stop and he was immediately back in his parent's house looking down at her.:: ::She was dressed in the little surgical gown that she had worn when he had killed her but her eyes carried a wisdom which far exceeded her young age. He carried her with him at all times. She was the embodiment of his regret and sadness, her broken little body on the operating table was the image that stuck in his mind before he fell asleep.:: Ollera: Hello, Eliaan. Deron: ::kneeling down in front of her:: What are you doing here? ::A wide grin spread across her face but she made no response to his question. Instead, she reached up and grabbed his ear with her thumb and forefinger. He was surprised that she was solid rather than just a mental image.:: Ollera: Your pagh is strong, Eliaan. But I don't think it is strong enough... Deron: Kon. Ollera: I'm not her; she's dead. Deron: Am I dead? Ollera: What do you think? Deorn: I think that you didn't answer the question ::She peered up at him, and as she did she was suddenly the three-year old girl who had died in front of him again. With a giggle, she responded in a sing-song voice that sounded like the refrain from a nursery rhyme.:: Ollera: Neither I did Deron: Why do you look like her if you aren't her? ::There was a presence beside him and as he turned to face it, the girl vanished. At his left hand side, his old friend Guy Hunt walked towards him with the wide-beam grin that was his trademark.:: Hunt: Would you rather I looked like this, Doc? ::As he spoke, they were no longer on Betazed. Instead, they stood in a darkened sickbay on the USS Braveheart watching the real Hunt struggle to take his last breaths and die. Often frustrating cavalier about his own safety, Guy had sacrificed himself to save the life of Andrus Jaxx after the Bajoran attacks on the station. They had been through a lot together, not to mention the crush that Eliaan knew Guy had on him, and his death had affected the Betazoid more than he could have imagined.:: Deron: Guy... Hunt: You just don't get it, do you? He's dead. Deron: Then who are you? Why do you take the forms of people who have died? Why these people? Hunt: I am you failure, Eliaan Deron. I speak for the people you were incapable of saving, the reason that your miserable life is worthless. I am your failure. Deron: What are you talking about? ::Hunt continued to smile warmly, despite the vitriolic response that came from him. Under normal circumstances, Eliaan would be able to dismiss this since the thing speaking to him was so different from his friend but he found it hard not to see it as Guy.:: Hunt: You let me die. You acted like my friend and you let me die. You are pathetic. Deron: I couldn't save you, Guy. I would have done anything I could to help you but you were so badly injured. Jilenna: And what about me? You barely tried to help me ::As quickly as he had appeared, Guy was gone. A voice called from behind him and he spun around to see Marine Captain Jilenna Zehn. As his eyes met hers, he was thrown back to the runabout Thames. They were laughing in the [...]pit, the console exploded, he removed the symbiont from her dying body, he placed the symbiont in Kaedyn's abdomen. The images stopped and the blonde woman stood in front of him.:: Deron: The runabout had been damaged, we didn't have the power or the facilities to perform the surgery you needed. We were able to save your symbiont. Jilenna: So you could give it to your boyfriend Deron: It wasn't like that.... Jillenn: You wanted my symbiont so you let me die and now you want my son as well. Deron: I tried to help you. Jilenna: You only wanted to help yourself Deron: That's not true. Aren: You should admit the truth, Eliaan. ::Jilenna melted into the ether and beside him, at his right hand, the image of a tall, handsome Napean man appeared. Dr Dyami Aren, his first love. In his dark eyes, their relationship played out from start to tragic finish. He saw himself, a young medical student arriving on Vilar 2 and meeting the handsome doctor, he saw them working side-by side and the day Dyami awkwardly asked him to dinner, their hike in the hills, the day Dyami developed hemorrhagic fever and Dr Murdoch informing him of his death.:: Deron: ::sobbing:: Please. Not him. Aren: I was your Imzadi but you forgot me as soon as you met your Trill Deron: I didn't. I have never stopped thinking of you, I have never stopped missing you Aren: Stop lying, Eliaan. Deron: I'm not! ::Suddenly, the four of them were standing around him. The room felt dark, their presence threatening.:: Aren: You said you would always love me Hunt: You said you were my friend Jilenna: You said not to worry Kon: You said I'd live ::Tears streamed down the Betazoid's face. They jeered at him, these people he had let down the most, these people he felt the most guilty about, these faces that haunted him.:: Deron: I tried to help you all. I really did. You have to believe me that I tried to help you. I would have done anything to have been able to help any of you ::Ignoring him, they shouted at him in turn.:: Jilenna: You let me die Hunt: You let me die Aren: You let me die Kon: You let me die ::More faces, more voices, appeared and each yelled the same at him. They grew to a large rabble and began to shout over each other at him. The noise grew to a crescendo until it threatened to overwhelm him, he slammed his hands over his ears and screamed over the din.:: ::And as soon as they had appeared, they all disappeared. Where there had been such noise, it was instantly quiet. He found himself again in the dark silence of the drawing room of his grandparent's house looking down at the small frame of Ollera Kon.:: Kon: And now, Eliaan, it is time that you die too... TBC Lieutenant Eliaan Deron, MD Medical Officer SB118 / USS Victory

((USS Avandar – Ready Room)) T’Lea: Captain, a moment please? :: At Della's somewhat wry nod, T’Lea waited for everyone to exit, and for the door to close before breaking her stiff Vulcan stance. The entire meeting she’d been teasing the Trill telepathically, so it came as no surprise to her lucky victim when she sauntered over a mere foot away.:: T’Lea: Hmm… :: She eyed the gap between them as a problem, and quickly rectified it by hooking an arm around the Trill and pulling her flush in a very un-officerly snuggle, cheerfully ignoring the somewhat indignant squawk that provoked.:: T’Lea: That’s better. How’s your shoulder? :: With a little sound of frustration, Della managed to put a tiny bit of distance between them, and was privately impressed with *that* much, given how much stronger the Romu-vulc was.:: :: There was also no reason to comment on the fact that she had taken a bit of time to summon up the will to make the move.:: Vetri: It's fine. Though some other parts of someone might get damaged in the near future... ::smiling softly:: What's brought this on? T’Lea: Well, since we manage to frak up our relationship so often with these frelling work related boundaries, I thought we’d try mixing business with pleasure. See if that works better. :: Neuropressure point initiated to help smooth over the idea.:: Vetri: Hmmm.... I might appreciate some more of that... ::a little firmer:: Later. T’Lea: I can do later. Now then, I spoke with Lt. sh’Shar. She’ll be undergoing a sobriety program- :: Close and cuddly shifted into a curious lean-back when Della’s hand discovered something hard under T’Lea’s jacket. The Romu-vulc simply smiled.:: Vetri: What the frell is that? Are you hiding a bomb in there or something? T’Lea: Unzip me and find out. :: Playfully spoken, T’Lea’s hands came to a rest on the Trill’s low back, refusing to let the Trill go, but she also gave the other woman enough room to unfasten the jacket and reach inside her breast pocket.:: :: Inside was the confiscated flask from sh’Shar’s quarters, which earned the Romu-vulc a medium-withering glare as Della held it up by the neck.:: Vetri: Keeping this one for later, are we? :: Embrace broken, exactly as T’Lea thought might happen. Getting the Trill a little riled up was perfect, so said her smile.:: T’Lea: No, actually, it’s for you. I took a couple of security guards to Mikali’s quarters and we removed all of her jolly juice. :: Scooping the Trill back into her arms she got cozy again, nuzzling at her neck.:: T’Lea: That one I couldn’t toss. Romulan Ale. Put it with the rest of my stuff, and maybe one day when I’ve been an *exceptionally* good girl you’ll share it with me? Vetri: Maybe. But I wouldnnnmmmmm.... ::banging the flask down on the desk:: *Stop* that! So sh'Shar's dry now, huh? Good, but I doubt you stopped there. T’Lea: She’s pulling extra duty shifts, and *surprise*, I found out she has a daughter, which turns out may be a related issue to the drinking. Vetri: She's...? Hang on, I think I remember that from her file... ::frowning:: Didn't see anything about the little one's current status, though. T’Lea: She’s somewhere. Not sure where exactly, but the dumb Andorian has it in her head that the child is better off without her mother. :: A thoughtful expression on her face, Della gave up trying to get free of T'Lea's hold and settled instead for tapping her fingers on one arm as she considered what she'd just been told.:: Vetri: Sometimes true, but mostly a cop-out. And I'm more than a little sure you agree. So what did you threaten her with? :: Quite deliberately phrased, that one. She *did* know her mate, after all.:: T’Lea: I left the ball in her fort. ::knit brow:: Court? Whatever. If she wants to bring her aboard, I offered to help make it happen. ::getting a little serious:: I don’t understand how she can just walk away from her own flesh and blood. I’d destroy all creation to keep T’Sara with me. ::frowning at herself:: That’s not really logical, is it? If I destroy the universe, then we’d have nowhere to live. ::shaking her head:: You get what I mean. Vetri: ::chuckling:: Just about. And I'm right there with you. :: After her apparent surrender to T'Lea's hold, she gave another quick try to get free - which got about as far as every other one. The weak struggling just made T’Lea enjoy the closeness that much more.:: Vetri: ::muttering:: Dammit... ::louder:: You got more to pile on her, or are you lulling her into a sense of paranoid anticipation? T’Lea: No, that’s pretty much it. For now. Oh, and York took the last shuttle out. Extended leave. What do you think? Vetri: ::shrugging:: About time. She needs it. T’Lea: ::nuzzle, nuzzle:: Not that, what do you think of my brilliant idea about mixing business with pleasure? :: This time, Della managed to summon up a reaction in less than ten seconds, planting a finger right in the middle of T'Lea's chest and pushing hard.:: Vetri: Your timing sucks. Put me down and go make someone else's life difficult for a while. :: Her stern tone was totally at odds with the smile on her lips. The *timing* could have been better, but the sentiment was definitely appreciated.:: :: Backing off, but leaving her hands on the Trill’s hips, T’Lea struck an officer’s stance.:: T’Lea: Yes, Ma’am. But first you need to zip me back up. ::off her look:: You’re the one who *un*-zipped me. So zip me. Unless you want me to exit onto the bridge looking like you had your way with me. Which… I think we might have time for-- Vetri: Stop right there. If at *all* possible, now would be a good time to find a different track for your mind to run along, you lecherous loon. :: T'Lea's sum total response was to nod down at her open uniform jacket.:: T’Lea: Zip. Zip. :: Rolling her eyes, Della did as she was told, if only to get back on track as fast as possible. The process of refastening the jacket was done with little regard at all for any sort of delicacy, but the way her hands smoothed the fabric down when she finished was an very different story – a story that T’Lea wouldn’t mind being told over and over again….:: Vetri: There. Now go away. :: Lifting an eyebrow she dipped her head slightly, ready to tempt the Trill some more.:: T'Lea: Are you certain you’re done with the pleasure part of our business, because I can- Vetri: Lilyali, if I can still see you in three seconds, I will cheerfully toss you out. Your uniform, however, will be staying here. T'Lea: I think you got that backwards. Vetri: ::laughing:: You wish. :: Picking up the flask from the desk and examining it, she turned thoughtful again. All this talk of family and mothers and such had sparked an idea, and it seemed... appropriate, especially given the heritage shared by half of her girls.:: Vetri: I think I'll do some viinerine tonight. :: T’Lea stopped at the door before she triggered it open, and turned with a feeling of warmth… more innocent than previously felt.:: T’Lea: ::heartfelt:: I’d like that very much. :: Heading for the door with a sly grin.:: T’Lea: Especially if you don’t burn it. Vetri: ::laughing as she pointed to the door:: Go. Away. TBC -------------------- Captain Della Vetri Commanding Officer USS Avandar http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Vetri,_Della "Understanding is a three edged sword - your side, their side, and the truth." & Lt. Cmdr. T’Lea First Officer USS Avandar

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