Quinn Reynolds

DATES: The class began on June 26, 2017 and ended July 4, 2017. LIST: sb118-academy1 COMMANDING OFFICER: Commander Brayden Jorey FIRST OFFICER: Lt. Commander Frank Hawkins GRADUATES: Thomas Reacher Welcome to the fleet! We're so glad you're here. Please drop me a line if ever you need anything.

Looking fabulous, daaaaaahling.

Welcome to the fleet! Delighted to have you here.

Welcome to the fleet, Sera!

Welcome to the fleet, Lukas! Lovely to have you here.

Welcome to the fleet! Super pleased to have you here.

DATES: The class began on February 27, 2017 and ended March 6, 2017.LIST: sb118-academy3 COMMANDING OFFICER: Lt. Commander Rustyy HaelFIRST OFFICER: Lt. Commander Rune Jolara GRADUATES: Lara Grayson Welcome to the fleet, we're so glad you're here! If you ever need anything, please do get in touch.

DATES: The class began on January 16, 2017 and ended January 23, 2017.LIST: sb118-academy4 COMMANDING OFFICER: Lt. Commander Rustyy HaelFIRST OFFICER: Lt. Commander Alexander Bishop GRADUATES: Liani Alex O'Conner Niastrave Stone Welcome to the fleet -- we're so glad you're here!

We also have our leading lady, Sonequa Martin-Green: http://ew.com/article/2016/12/15/star-trek-discovery-walking-dead-sonequa-martin-green/

(( Government Offices, Yarista, Palanon, Tyrellian System )) :: The monitor flashed in the darkened office, illuminating the immaculate and bare desk space around it. The silhouetted figure stood beside the window turned imperceptibly, enough to see the message, read the contents with disaffection, and turn back to the casement. Between dark eyes and glacial white hair a deep frown carved into her features. :: Worry had long since disappeared from her body, leaving behind an anger that was almost tangible. Her fist clenched on the arm that crossed her chest, her teeth removing slivers of the thumbnail on her opposite hand. The tall white buildings she could see stood out from the grass, the hazy blue of lakes, the transit ring that surrounded it all - her beautiful home. Her days of wandering out in the central garden alone were gone. :: Her mind felt like a razor blade dragged over taut piano wire; increasingly intensifying with each passing moment that she could still breathe. :: The decision to stay or to leave weighed heavily on her spirit. They wanted her to; she knew they did. They hoped she would take a shuttle, get off the planet, remove herself so that she was no longer their problem. They bandied around statements about her personal safety as if she didn’t know her card had been marked, as if she wasn’t acutely aware of her current predicament and how precarious prosecuting their internal invaders would be. :: As if she wasn’t cruelly conscious that she had no assurances of sanctuary from her own law enforcement - ambassadors that she used to trust, ministers she could no longer depend on, senators who held positions of distinction, who were no longer honourable. :: She would be damned if they were going to dictate her future. She was prepared for war and she would bear the inferno if she had to. There would be no running and hiding. She would not bow to their whim, sacrifice her principles for her life, be the embodiment of the corruption now rife within her own offices. She looked around at the stark white office encompassing her with darkness. Once it had filled her with pride; now she struggled to hold onto any of it. :: The monitor flashed again. :: She barely turned, far too used to the consistent news reports and transmissions, until she caught sight of the revolving symbol adorning the message heading. Unmistakable. Distinct. Her stomach dropped as a thousand possibilities gracefully grappled with her judgement. :: The tone of the communication was crystal clear. Starfleet were coming... :: ...whether she liked it or not.:: TBC -- MSNPC Jhaeina Raisaris Chief Prosecutor Yarista, Capital City of Palanon Tyrellian System Simmed by LtJG Jocelyn Marshall G239304JM0

The most amazing piece of equipment to me is the medical tricorder! The diagnostic capability of that one small device simply blows me away -- what we need blood tests, CT/MRI/PET scans, ECGs, EEGs, and so much more for -- it can all be done with a mere wave of a little box.

Well, now I have to save up for a VR set and a rig that can support it. So cool!

And this is why Quinn and Lily are best friends.

(( Junction 06, Jefferies Tubes, USS Tharsis )) :: With the water flow slowed at the moment thanks to Cmdr. Eerie acting as a plug, they had a little more time to come up with a plan.:: Drax: We have to risk the other way. Although, it doesn't have to be all of us. Captain, it is between Lt. Sevo, Ensign Orrey or myself. :: He paused for a brief second.:: With that being said I volunteer to go. Eerie: I don't swim. I sink. Anyways, a bit preoccupied right now. But, I could make good speed. :: Very reluctantly, Ayiana summoned up some courage to get past her fears and spoke up. :: Sevo: No. Y-you’re too big and slow to go swimming th-through the tubes for that switch. oO Yea, insult the Klingon. Smart move, Ayiana. Oo :: Ayiana paused. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this :: Sevo: I’ll do it. Reynolds: Can you swim? Eerie: We need to do something. Even I can't hold forever. Sevo: I-I grew up in a coastal city. I’ve probably swam m-more than all of you combined. :: Her panic was steadily rising, but through some miracle of Starfleet training and indoctrination, her sense of duty to protect the her teammates and her Captain helped to overcome her anxiety. For now. :: Reynolds: All right. ::She took a shuddering breath.:: Be *quick*. :: Ayiana started removing her uniform, tossing them into the rising water. The heavy cloth of her tunic and undershirt would quickly soak up water and weigh her down. She also took off her boots and socks; it would be much easier to paddle and swim without them. Still decked in her uniform pants and grey tank top, Ayiana was ready as she’d ever be. She kept her tricorder and phaser attached to her pants, though; just in case. Starfleet engineering was remarkably resilient; most of their handheld equipment was waterproof. :: Sevo: Did I forget to mention? Water polo in high school, and I was Top Ten in the 400 and 800 meters in my last couple of years at the Academy. oO Of course, that was a couple of years ago. And I’ve hardly had a chance to get in a pool since graduation! Oo :: With a last nod to the captain, Ayiana submerged beneath the rising water in the tube junction and entered the crawl tube below the water’s surface, meaning it was completely filled by now. They had just crawled through this section, so Ayiana had a pretty good idea how long it was. From the team’s junction to the previous one was about 20 meters, and Ayiana could hold her breath underwater for 2-3 minutes (of course, that was back when she kept in physical condition for competitive swimming). :: :: As she started swimming through the tube, utilizing a “dolphin kick” technique, Ayiana began to feel calmer. She had forgotten how much fun it was to swim. The city of Najana on Trill was a coastal city, so Ayiana frequented the beach and ocean throughout her childhood. Naturally as she entered the Trill equivalent of high school, she joined the swim team, continuing her academic aquatics during her attendance at Trill’s Starfleet Academy campus, eventually becoming rather proficient in diving and short-distance swimming. Sadly, after Ayiana graduated and was assigned to the Victory, her first Starfleet posting, she never had much time to keep up with the physical training required. :: :: However, memories of her childhood in the water came rushing back as she swam on. None of her previous hosts swam as much as Ayiana did pre-Join, so this was one of her few skills she really felt was all her “own;” and not gifted by the Joining. In fact, post-Joining, her reflexes had increased, necessitating her to be reassigned to the Joined Women’s Division at the Academy; (an experienced swimmer with heightened reflexes gifted by a Joining could quite literally swim circles around an Unjoined, causing an unfair advantage in a straight-up competition). The negative side of the Joining, however, caused her lung capacity to decrease due to more oxygen and blood being needed for the Symbiont (essentially a second brain). More training could have restored Ayiana’s endurance, but she had graduated shortly after Joining and never had the chance to keep practicing. :: oO Man, I forgot how much I liked swimming! If I make it out of this alive, maybe I should start swimming again. Oo :: Ayiana reached the previous junction and praised the ancient Gods that there was still a pocket of air in it. The junction was a three-way with one tube heading straight on and another going vertically down. :: Ayiana pulled out her tricorder and called up a schematic of the area. She wasn’t an engineer and didn’t really know where to look for a shutoff valve. Taking a look at the schematics only made it worse. :: oO Oh great. These tubes weren’t designed to channel water, so of course there wouldn’t be a shutoff switch! Now what? The Captain is counting on me! Oo :: She spent the next couple of minutes treading water, analyzing the schematics, looking for something - anything. The bottom screen of her tricorder showed the archived Oberth schematics, while on the top screen, Ayiana simultaneously did a scan of the area and compared the two. Here, her pattern recognition helped again. She was good at picking out obscure details - such as the line indicating a seal underwater below her on the live scan that wasn’t there on the schematics! :: oO Someone sealed the tube! If I can break that seal, the water will drain down the shaft! Oo :: Of course, she had no idea where all that water would ultimately end up, but for the moment, her team’s lives took priority. Ayiana replaced her tricorder on her hip, took one big breath, and dove back underwater. Swimming increasingly deeper was harder than swimming close to the surface. As the amount of water increased above a person, the pressure on their body increased as well, ultimately reducing lung capacity and altering blood flow. Ayiana only had a minute and a half - tops - before she would pass out and probably drown. :: oO There’s the hatch. oO :: The “seal” was simply a tube hatch that had been closed; normally only closed in emergencies such as decompression. By the look of it, it wasn’t welded shut. If she could simply find the manual actuator, she could open the hatch and let the water drain. Of course, all that water rushing past her would sweep Ayiana down along with it, unless she could hold on to something. As Ayiana floated underwater, looking around for the actuator, her long, red hair floated freely in the water behind her like a forest of red kelp. She began to notice her vision starting to get blurry, and was having an increasingly harder time holding her breath. She had to act NOW! :: oO Found the actuator. Oo :: Grabbing onto the ladder that ran the length of the vertical tube. :: oO And this looks sturdy enough. Here goes… Oo :: Ayiana held on to the ladder with her left hand and reached for the mechanical, manual release actuator with her right. She tried to pump the actuator, but it hardly budged. It was hard enough to move the damn things without a ton of water pressure on top! She ended up having to use both arms. Finally after a few pumps, the seal began to break and Ayiana watched as her hair started twisting and turning around her, following the flow of water through the slightly-open hatch. She could also feel the water flowing past her. :: oO A couple more pumps should do it! Oo :: Indeed, two pumps later, the hatch doors violently retracted, and the full force of the water above Ayiana came rushing down. She nearly was swept away with the current as she managed to grab onto the ladder bars. Her legs had been pushed through the hatch, and Ayiana held with all her strength, trying not to be swept away with it. :: oO Th-there goes the water! I hope that drained away from the rest of the guys! Oo :: With her breath strained to the limit, Ayiana could feel her grip starting to slip. As the last of the water drained past her, Ayiana’s breath broke and she took in a lungful of water as she let go of the ladder. Barely conscious, and acting more out of a survival instinct than conscious thought, she managed to grab on again to some rungs a little further down the shaft. With a leg, she kicked open a hatch opening in the wall, climbed and crawled out onto the open deck. :: *Cough*…*cough*...*glub*! :: Coughing out a lungful of water, Ayiana lay down on her back on the deck, taking in a very comforting breath of air, her legs still dangling in the tube. For the next several seconds, she was involuntarily coughing up water. Her clothes were soaked, she was freezing, and her hair was matted to her face and splayed over the deck, but she was alive. :: *BEEP-BEEP-BEEP* :: Ayiana leaned up suddenly. :: oO What was that?! Oo *BEEP-BEEP-BEEP* :: Suddenly remembering. :: oO My field detector! Someone is really close! Oo :: Ayiana grudgingly stood up, and pulled out her tricorder. Opening up the detector application again, she saw she was fully encompassed by the red circle indicating the 5-meter radius of the dispersion “red zone.” Meaning that whatever was generating it was very close by. She turned off the beeping, but kept the blinking indicator light and vibration warnings on. :: :: She grabbed her phaser with her right hand, hoped that it still worked after being underwater so long, and slowly - very slowly - made her way down the deck to the corner. Fortunately, the corridor was dark, except for emergency lighting. Ayiana pressed herself against the wall and slowly crept one eye around the corner. :: Turner: -- floor hatch, sir. I-- I forget to seal it. Brunsig: We can use this to our advantage. How? Turner: It's… ah… the path of least resistance? That'll be where they're most likely to escape. Brunsig: Good lad. Brunsig: Then let's get over there. :: Ayiana estimated about half a dozen people down there. They were in ragged and partially removed Starfleet uniforms; no doubt some of the Tharsis’ crew. They were setting an ambush for the Captain and her team! With the dispersion fields still in place, there was no way for Ayiana to contact Captain Reynolds and warn them! She had to do something or they would be captured, or possibly killed - right after avoiding a nasty drowning. :: :: She crouched low and followed the pack, keeping well behind them but barely within eyesight. At least their own tricorders wouldn’t detect Ayiana. Now if only she had more combat training. ::

Patrick Stewart did an AMA (yesterday, I think?) and I discovered that we drink the same tea: Yorkshire Gold.

Congratulations on your graduation, and welcome to the fleet!

Quinn?

I picked Chakotay. It was fairly clear, at least in the early seasons, that it's possible -- even likely -- that the Starfleet and Maquis crews may never have integrated without him. I think that took some immense leadership skills.

Out I'd go into the Black, I'd tell 'em I ain't coming back, They can burn the land and boil the sea, They can't take Firefly from me.

I think those three together are hilarious. xD

Worst. Day. Ever.

((Mercury: Holodeck Three)) ::The room was constructed of wood logs, each stacked uncut, with just the top end with branches removed. The moss was still on the tree, faintly breathing in the dark and breathing out a soft glow, filling the room with a shifting blue light. In the center was a small fire, casting red shades against the blue. Charles was wearing a robe, long and deep green. He had dyed it himself, dipping it in a paste that came from plants that had come from the replicators. It had streaked as it dried, dirt stains and grease that had spilled onto it when the last ceremony had been so strangely interrupted. It was heavy, and he rested on his cane as he walked. He carried a small bag in the other hand, made of the same cloth, though undyed.:: ::Mag walked beside him. Her robes were just as long and a lighter shade of green. It trailed behind her on the ground as she walked; she held his hand in one of hers, looking up at him.:: ::It wasn't personal this time. But it was bigger, much bigger; bigger in ways that took it beyond their ability to process, to understand.:: ::They were not alone, this time. The holodeck had a few people sitting, kneeling, reclining on the floor already, wearing replicated robes. Sitting up against one of the walls was the chief tactician, a small cat sitting in his lap, being idly petted by his hands. Crewman 'Sparky' was picking at bits from the floor, his tail twitching occasionally. Others he knew; others he did not know, not well.:: ::He took a loaf of bread from the bag, pulled a piece from it, and handed it to Sparky, gesturing for him to do the same. The bread was slowly passed around, and he released Mag's hand and took his own seat.:: ::Mag looked at him, fear crossing her ears for just a moment. He nodded back to her, and she cleared her throat. She paused a long time after each sentence, speaking slowly as the room filled quietly with the sweet scent of the small fire:: MAG: We gather today to mourn the rosh of Eighty-Three Leonis II. We mourn the destruction brought by the volcano. We mourn those we were unable to save, the lands covered in fire and ash. MAG: We mourn with those we could save, for the world that they have lost, for the friends left behind. We join them in crying for justice against the people who have wronged them: through experimentation on them and through igniting the volcano. Our tears flow with theirs. What happened was not right, and we will carry the wound from it on our hearts as a scar. It will not be forgiven. It will not be forgotten. It will be forever on our hearts, and we shall not walk this road again. They are rosh, like us; we are rosh, like them. ::She came back then, sitting by Charles. A moment of silence passed before she whispered quietly:: MAG: How was that? HAWKEYE: Well stated, Mag. ::Her ear tilted forward just a touch with a silent smile, and she settled down, taking a bite of her bread.:: ::In the center of the room, above the fire, before them all, hung a holographic image of the ash-ridden world of 83 Leonis II.:: -- Hawkeye