Dizmim ChNilmani

Nugra just has to many PADDs to deal with some days.

((USS Victory - Kaji Quarters)) Nugra: =/\= Nugra to Victory crew. As per Starfleet order 239203.04 hash 102, the crew of said ship is ordered to stand down from their duties and to be placed on temporary leave. What this translate is you all get free two weeks to do what you will. Please grab belongings that you will need from your quarters as when the refit begins, all possession's in said rooms will be tagged with your name and ID number, then stored in a transporter matrix buffer until refit is complete. I will be on Deck 65 of the Utopia Planitia main tower in office 2439 if you need me for anything. That is all. =/\= ::Kaji couldn't believe her luck. Two weeks of leave at the Federation's premier shipyards and then Iria's offer to take Ben to visit Mars. It was as if Fate had dropped a diamond in her lap. She waved Iria and Ben off, almost forgetting to kiss the little boy goodbye in her excitement. The door closed behind them, and she hurried to get the packing done as fast as she could. She tossed clothes into bags from each of their rooms, hardly bothering to check what they were. Moving to the bathroom, she scooped the toilitries off the sink counter, into another bag. A few toys, books, and games filled the last bag, and then she was done.:: ::Taking the bags with her, she headed for a transporter. The technician found her allotted quarters in the database and within minutes, she was whisked away to her temporary home. The rooms were familiar, the same standard billeting design frequent across Starfleet. Two twin beds with trundle cots underneath, a dresser, desk, a small sitting area, a replicator station and a bathroom. Neutral colors everywhere, and abstract art graced the walls.:: ::Kaji didn't bother to unpack, but left the bags in the middle of the room and headed out to inspect the base. Her PADD connected to the station's mainframe and downloaded a map of the place so she wouldn't get lost. She scrolled through it until she found what she wanted. A green line marked a route, and she watched it carefully as she meandered through the busy base.:: ::Down at the end of a corridor, the green line ended at a door. Looking up at the real thing, she saw 6022.3 painted above the doorframe, and below that were the words "Record Room A". Kaji backed into a doorway, and waited until the hall was clear. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and shudders ran through her body. Another deep breath. Then she opened her eyes and stepped out into the corridor again. It took a moment for her to orient herself, the ceiling seemed much closer and the floor much further than normal. But she walked confidently up to the Records Room door.:: ::A retinal scanner was located beside the door. She had to bend down a little to get centered on it, then the blue scanning light washed over her eyes. The computer chirped a greeting, and the door swished open.:: ::The room was filled with busy technicians. A few looked up at her entrance and visibly blanched. Several scooted out the door behind her. She approached a terminal and glared at the nervous lieutenant who manned it. He coughed and backed up, guesturing for her to take over. Another glare encouraged him to seek occupation elsewhere and he hurried off. Sitting down, she had to adjust her center of gravity so the small chair didn't tip over. She scrolled through meaningless information until the other techs got bored and went back to their work. Typing was surprisingly difficult, and she had to stretch her fingers a few times to get them limber enough to reach all the keys. Soon she was running well, though. Schematics and blueprints flashed across the screen. Detailed engine designs and ship diagrams. She fished a small information drive from her pocket but dropped it, her fingers thick and clumsy. She looked around, then quickly retrieved it from the floor. She sat it on the desk in front of the screen. It recorded everything on the screen without downloading directly from the mainframe. The information was well guarded, and a download like that would have set off alerts all over the station.:: ::Soon the recording was finished. She spent a few minutes deleting her history and setting up a false one showing a series of files on old starcraft. She stood and calmly left the room, nodding to the technician she'd booted as she went.:: ::She went straight back to her quarters, walking quickly and confidently to discourage anyone from stopping her to talk. Once back in her room, she went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Breathing heavily, she let herself melt into the tub, exhausted from her little adventure. She would get up in a bit and put the drive somewhere safe, but right now it was time for a little nap.:: tbc-----------------------------------------------------------------------Lt Talia Kaji Chief CounselorUSS Victory-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mister Nimoy passed away. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/arts/television/leonard-nimoy-spock-of-star-trek-dies-at-83.html?smid=tw-share

...so if you find any mistakes, send all complaints towards my email. LOL Glad to help, Fleet Captain!

I found this link and enjoyed it immensely.

Betrayal of Love The rain pattered down gently on the Iraxan trees that spread their long, wide green leaves over the ground below. Nugra leaned up against the soft blond bark watching as his young girl danced and swayed through the rain swinging her stick at imaginary foes. Unlike most children her age, she had skill and grace that was unmatched by many; her body honed and eyes fierce with controlled fury. The tired Gorn allowed his eyes to roam around the dirt road that stretched from one side of the forest to the other, with only the small field carved out of the endless trees. In the north of this open plain a large monastery stood in stony splendor. it's ancient carvings still standing out even from years of weathering. "Father, are we going to head back to the village?" Iria’s voice called to his conscience. Nugra shook the tiredness from his mind and straightened up. "No, dear. There are Tova berry bushes all around. Help yourself." The young girl did not even question how her father knew what was edible on Peska Alora, but with implicit trust, she dove into the thicket to gorge herself on the berries. How could he have taken all that exuberance and turned her into a killer? *** The shuttle closed slowly under the guise of floating wreckage. Much of the orbit around the green-blue planet below was filled with dead ships of the Gorn Confederation and the rebel faction. For one hundred and ninety-six years that had tried to kill each other with a few short years in the middle filled with an uneasy peace. Nugra and eight other Gorns were crammed into a shuttle and they stared at the hatch in a mixture of anticipation and exhaustion. What he did not see was fear or regret. Too long the factions had been at each others throats to allow the hatred fade. Nestled up against him, wearing a loincloth and a piece of fabric around her chest made of old military uniforms, his daughter Iria waited. Her bright sixteen year old eyes watching and waiting. He could feel the tension in her body, but it was not of fear, but of excitement. "Standard exit pattern," Nugra said in a low voice. The shuttle was barely running on any power so it could hide among the ambient radiation of the vessel graveyard. "We hit them hard and go for the throat. Team 1 and 2 have auxiliary control and the engine room. We have the bridge." The other Gorns growled acknowledging and one took a peek out the nearby window. "What do you see Krutak?" Nugra asked. The scarred Gorn quickly got down. "The Dragon's Claw is right where we thought she would be, sir. I see they have shuttles out scavenging for parts. Senior Commander Mrr'Sak did hurt them terrible in the last engagement." Nugra nodded silently. Mrr'Sak had sacrificed his frigate to cripple the GSN Dragon's Claw. The Dragon's Claw had become the command vessel of the insurrectionist fleet and though it made him sick to think of the lost lives and ship, it had hurt the only plasma torpedo armed vessel still in service to the point of hiding. Hundreds of years of fighting had pretty much decimated their energy reserves and weapons. Now, most of their plasma beam weapons were given one charge for one shot like ancient human gunpowder weapons called muskets. Everything was now hand to hand. "Breaking through the wreckage." his helmsman called. "Go to dead power now!" The last of the computers shut down and went in to a fast reboot mode. The shuttle immediately darkened and went silent. Only the light of the stars coming through the window and the singular red button blinking of the shuttle dashboard gave them an light to see by. The shuttle began to tumble and drift looking just like the other debris around. Nugra waited for Krutak’s command. He was still watching out the window. "Now, Senior Master!" Nugra immediately tapped his commbadge three times and the helmsman slammed his scaly fist on the reboot button. The shuttle came alive and the burst of acceleration caught them all. It was now a race to connect the grapple and cutters before the insurrectionists realized they were under attack. The attack team held their collective breath until they felt the ship connect to the hull and the cutters fire. *** The giggles and laughter woke Nugra up from his idle nightmare and he quickly located Iria. She was running around with a couple village children wielding sticks. He relaxed and watched them play happily. The taking of the Dragon’s Claw had been hell, the teams had been originally pinned down, but it only succeeded because of the young girl running about and playing. Iria had developed a method of hamstringing attacking Gorn troops by racing and bobbing around them while strike at their heels with her knives. She had gotten to good. The sound of her laughter as she cut them made him shiver. Though she was seventeen in age, her mental age was much younger. All she had known was war and blood. ‘What have I done?’ Coming back had put in to light how much of a monster he had become. How could he have done so much to such an innocent girl whose world was caught in the crossfire? Iria had become an excellent killing machine. A little murderess that delighted in destroying the enemy. The doors of the monastery creaked open and immediately the kids took off running. Iria instead turned, brandishing her stick ready for a fight. “Iria, come.” Nugra said softly. Immediately, the girl was by his side ready to strike. Four women wearing elaborate dresses of scarlet with violet trimming, their faces were obscured from the veils across their faces. They approached with a graceful, but a walk full of purpose. The exquisite decoration spoke of their years of tradition and dedication to their creed. The people of Peska Alora were used to them, but to strangers unfamiliar with the outer rim of the galaxy, they would have found them strange and obsolete. “Father. They are trained,” Iria said not removing her eyes. “How do we proceed?” “We don’t. Stand down, daughter.” His words caught her by surprise and she broke her gaze to look at him for some sign of his meaning. She obeyed though without hesitation. “The celestial mother sends you her greetings, Nugra son of Moong.” Nugra bowed his head to the leader and placed his left hand on his heart. “and I accept them with open heart, sister.” The Gorn could not see the expression from under her veil, but even if he could see her face, their thoughts and decisions were enigmatic. “The celestial mother has reviewed your request and has accepted. She has also accepted your offer in trade. We shall take her now.” Out of the corner of his eyes, Nugra watched Iria’s expression and to her credit, she understood what they meant. Her curiosity changed to hatred and she dashed forward with a battle shriek. From under her tunic, she drew a short sword and it flashed out towards the throat of the lead sister in a blur of silver. It was met by a small, decorative blade and easily deflected. Two of the other sisters stepped forward and intercepted Iria’s erratic and ferocious blade. Together they cornered her, batted her weapon from her hand and subdued her. Iria found herself caught in an interlocking hold that pinned her arms behind her back and placed pressure on her spin. “Father! Help me!” Iria shrieked. A darkness descended on Nugra’s heart as he did something he knew would [...] him for the rest of his life. He turned and began to walk away. “Father? FATHER!” he heard the agonizes screams of his daughter as the Sisters of Conscience and Fidelity began to drag her to the monastery doors. “DADDY!” the sobs called. “Daddy! Please save me!” Tears welled up in Nugra’s eyes as his continued to walk down the path away from the estate. The doors thundered shut and silence descended on his walk. He had just betrayed the one he loved to those who could help her become a proper member of society. His love for her had burned any chance of being loved back ever again. The betrayal was complete. He had become a monster. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Captain Nugra Commanding Officer USS Victory, NCC-362447 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(( USS Victory )) ::Lara was content, or as content as an extension of the ship's main computer could be. Ever since the ship docked at Starbase Echo, the turbolift felt gratification for every member of the crew it moved from one deck to another. Even better was the possibility of much needed maintenance. Though her subprocessers would never report it to the main computer, Lara sometimes felt the neglect of being one of the systems that worked all the time, but was often overlooked.:: Lara: Humm... ::Moving from deck to deck, the somewhat newer system made background noise so as to bring comfort to those who had stepped inside of her confines. Her sensors were more than adequate as to sense the state of her passengers and she adjusted accordingly. If they were tense, the hum she produced would be soothing. Should they be tired, her hum would be more high pitched as she tried to portray a sense of urgency.:: Lara: Humph... ::Of course, most of the time, the crew had no idea why there was humming in the elevator. It certainly wasn't part of the design specs. There were plenty of fixes to try to remedy the sound, but Lara always retained a backup in a separate cluster removed from the system as to retain the information. Although computational speed was limited, she felt that this personal touch was the core of her subprocessing matrix. She figured that the crew considered her system was the only one that needed to be "fixed." Rarely did they complain when the warp core propelled the ship faster due to self-automated optimization. What made things worse was the fact that Lara knew that the warp core was a selfish....:: ::ERROR 3A8D6: VOCABULARY NOT FOUND:: ::... which is why she made little attempt to communicate with the other subsystems. Of course, every so many cycles she would report in to the main computer, but there was little outside communication beyond that.:: Lara: Humm? ::Being as she was just an extension of the ship's main core, the lower entity rarely took note of the crew outside of her confined area. However, there was a human male that stood outside of deck 8 that appeared ready to be escorted, but remained rather motionless.:: Lara: Hmm! ::For a few cycles, Lara attempted to escort the crewmember by opening the door, but in doing so only managed to tense up the cadet. About to give up in one more cycle, her sensors picked up another crewmember who apparently managed to finally get her cargo to finally enter her domain.:: Lara: Hmm... ::Reading that the male had become more nervous, she attempted a very soothing hum as she transported the two to the bridge. A rather popular destination, should her memory banks serve correctly.:: Lara: Hmm.... ::But her systems were not that complicated, and her experiences were soon to be overwritten with new ones. In a few minutes, she would only have the logs indicating that an "ENSIGN ASHLEY ROY" and "ENSIGN NICK STAHL" were transported from deck 8 to the bridge. She did not mind, or rather she couldn't. Lara loved herself as a subsystem, and would always retain that joy until she was programmed otherwise.:: Lara: Hmm.... ::She was content.:: QUERY(SYSTEM COMPLETION?)SYSTEM.PRINT.OUT(END?)EXECUTE(HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE)......SYSTEM.PRINT.OUT(UNKNOWN) LaraTurbolift As Simmed By... Ensign Ashley RoyMedical OfficerUSS Victory

((Bishop's Quarters - USS VICTORY - Deck 2)) ::To say that Leland “woke up” was to make light of a great struggle – like saying The Trail of Tears was “a long hike.” It was a slow and painful process which began with the gently piping chimes of his alarm. Unused to the sound, Leland waved his arms about ineffectively trying to knock the offending timepiece across the room. Only after prying one eye to half mast did he realize that the alarm was tied to his rooms comm system. Knowing the only way to silence it was to hit his comm badge he blearily scanned his bedroom. There it was, still attached to his dress whites which now lay crumpled in a chair near the door. The only way to stop the merry little tune was to somehow make it over to them...His head felt like someone had removed half his brain and filled up the cavity with a spicy gumbo and his mouth tasted of shame. Slowly he levered himself up on this elbows... Only to meet the unflinching gaze of his roommate, the taciturn Admiral Nibbles.:: Bishop: Nibbles, be a good boy and get my badge, would you? ::The massive Oscar did not reply, as he was a fish. But the sidelong glance of his long-time companion seemed filled with reproach.:: Bishop: Why didn't I get a dog...? ::Nibbles had been with him for years. On a whim, Leland had decided he'd like a pet the day before he left for The Academy. Even with so much to do to prepare for his new life, Leland made a trip to the pet store to select a creature that would fit the bill. He had spent more than an hour scanning the kennels and enclosures: looking with mild disdain at the puppies happily shaking their tails, the analytical cats, and the hideous noise-machines that were the birds. Even the fish didn't really do anything for him, they seemed to be dullards and devoid of spark...Then, as he was about to leave, he spied a little piebald fish swimming in the corner of his tank, away from his fellows. The fish was a bit smaller than the rest but seemed to posses a keen intellect. As if it knew it was destined for greater things. As Leland himself knew he was. He had leaned down to the fish, his nose near the glass and bade it come over. And sure enough, I had! It swam defiantly right up to Leland's nose and met his gaze with a look that brooked no argument: “You must choose me Leland,” It would have said if it had been capable of speech. “I understand you, and I alone.” Giddy as a schoolgirl, Leland had the pet store owner personally net the impudent young fish. The rest was history. Admiral Nibbles had been with Leland ever since and had made the journey into space with him to live near his bed on the Victory and give him disapproving looks when he drank too much. Casually Leland flicked some flake into the tank and gave Nibbles his customary rub as the fish rolled over to expose his flank. Leland then staggered wearily to his heap of clothes and reached for his comm. No sooner had his fingers touched the brushed metal of the badge than the thing squawked it's own, special annoying noise at him. Followed by..:: Nugra: =/\= Nugra to Victory Staff. There will be a mission briefing at 0900 in the Main Conference Room on the Deck 1. =/\= ::At once Lelands mind cleared. It looked like things might start to pick up after all! He dressed quickly and presented himself to Admiral Nibbles.:: Bishop: How do I look? ::The fish, as was its custom, said nothing.:: ::Leland made a gesture to the fish that was unbecoming of a Starfleet Officer and rushed to the meeting.:: Ensign Leland Bishop Diplomatic Attache USS Victory

Congratulations and welcome! You're now in the best fleet on the internet...and I've been around!

((USS Victory - Guest Quarters, Deck 5)) ::Ben squirmed in his borrowed uniform. It had been brought to him by an overly helpful nurse, as his own clothes were a bit...bloodied. Not to mention dirty. He'd been on duty for about a month since the last of his medical staff died, with barely a moment to sleep. Laundry had not been a high priority.:: ::The shower had felt heavenly. His...mother...had taken him to a small set of guest quarters to clean up. Then she'd left, promising to meet him at the meeting. Ben had showered and shaved, then walked out of the bathroom in his towel. The shy nurse was there switching the clothes. She had taken one look and ran terrified from the room, taking his own uniform with her. He wondered vaguely if she had been frightened by his nudity or the massive scars crossing his chest.:: ::So now he wore an old-style uniform, mere cloth and thread that would protect him from nothing stronger than a sharp breeze. And possibly timid girls with too little life experience. He missed his armored jacket. At least the medical teal was familiar.:: ::Ben looked at the clock and picked up his bag. It was habit to carry his kit with him eveywhere, and he disliked the idea of leaving it behind. He headed for the conference room, comfortable in his knowledge of the ship. He ran into a problem, though, when he tried to enter the Jeffries tube system. The computer wouldn't allow him clearance.:: B. Kaji: Computer, how do you suggest I get to deck two? Fly? Computer: There is a turbolift on Deck Five, Section A. B. Kaji: ::embarrassed:: Oh. Right. Turbolift. ::Chagrined, he turned around to find the turbolift. Those had been offline for years in his universe to save power for more necessary purposes. Like shields. And life support.:: ::He was one of the last to arrive in the conference room. It was very different from the one Captain Faranstar used for her briefings. He saw Talia Kaji in a corner, waving him over. Shedet was near the front, guesturing to him as well. He felt torn, then decided Shedet would understand better. He caught her eye, pointed to his mother and waited for a nod. Then he joined Talia in her corner. They found a couple of comfortable chairs there. Ben leand back and reveled in the unfamiliar sense of calm that surrounded them.:: ::His mother smiled at him, but a familiar voice started to speak before they had a chance to talk. Ben spun around to see his old beloved crocodile. Seeing the Gorn hurt almost as much as first seeing his mother. Nugra had taken him in when Talia died, had raised and mentored him until he left to join his first ship. Ben had been half a universe away when he had heard of Nugra's death, and it had felt like a second orphaning. The young man had grieved his "Zilla" as much as his own biological father, long long gone by then.:: ::Ben refocused on the present as Shiarrael began speaking.:: Shiarrael: ::tapping panel:: Let me start out by letting you know all how bad this is. The future we came from, everybody that we know of is dead. The galaxy is filled with barren worlds sucked dry of any biological molecules to feed a monster we know as the hunger. :: The screen lit up to show a grotesque vessel of ill-proportions floating in space. Thousands of littler ones of different shapes zoomed around it. :: Shiarrael: The Hunger are an extragalactic, hyper-advanced race that descended upon our galaxy like a swarm of locust killing everything in sight. The most advanced starships that the Federation had did not even slow them down. Only the sacrifice of Vice-Admiral Jaxx at the battle of Anubis gave us some breathing room. It did not last and by 2414, everything we knew was gone. We have come back into the past to try to stop this from happening again. ::Ben's face hardened as he focused on the mission. They had come here for a reason, a purpose bigger than seeing loved ones long dead.:: Faranster: The hardest part of our journey was coming back here, our ship was badly damaged, and I appreciate your hospitality. However, having gotten this far, I feel certain we can nix the word try. :: She looked at her First Officer. :: These pests aren't going to get a foothold here, and they won't do the same thing they did in our future. :: Pausing, she looked back at the rest of the table. :: As my XO has stated, they aren't from here, they come from another galaxy, through a gateway. We need to locate and destroy the gateway before they take over the area. Faranster: The gate, is a Yeltan gate. Finding the gate proved impossible for us once the Hunger arrived, and before they arrived we didn't know we needed to look for it. There is a Yeltan listening post that should have coordinates to all their technology, including the gate. However the Hunger destroyed it before we could find it, and once we got there, there wasn't much left. ::Ben remembered that raid. Several of his friends had died there, including his half-sister Iria. That battle was also the source of the scars on his face and head. There hadn't been much there, but their enemies had fought hard to keep it. A console explosion had taken half his face and skull.:: Faranster: What we are going to do, is get to that post, get the coordinates and destroy the gate. ::Nugra took back over the briefing.:: Nugra: For those of you where we're not here for the original briefing, the USS Victory has been tasked with the top secret mission to find information on the Hunger. This is the most we have had since we started. Nugra: Some of you might remember our clash with the Yeltan defense system in an ancient temple on Til’ahn. I am quite sure that we will be facing the magnothropods, small machines about a foot in length able to integrate with others to create much larger machines. T. Kaji: ::singing softly:: Trans-form-ers! B. Kaji: Robots in Dis-guise! ::Ben was shocked at himself. He'd responded without thinking, singing the second line of the old theme song. He'd forgotten those long ago days, watching Old Earth cartoons with his parents. :: :: Nugra straightened and nodded to have the lights brightened. He resisted the urge to blink away the spots that appeared. :: Nugra: Lieutenant Commander Rossh will be leading the away team to the surface along with Mr. Vess, Captain Faranster, Mr. Santucci, and Mr. Zh’Eriss. Are their any questions? Rossh: Do we have any information on exactly what we are looking for? Records from the future vessel's computer? Faranster: Like I said, the station had been destroyed before we could find it, I couldn't even tell you what it looked like. ::The discussion continued, but Ben didn't hear any of it. The calm, the comfortable chair, and most of all, a child's trust that his parents would handle everything, overcame The young man, and he drifted off into a much needed sleep.:: MSNPC Lt Benjiro Kaji Chief Medical Officer The Victory As simmed by Lt.JG Talia Kaji Chief Medical Officer USS Victory

((OOC: for the new ensign, Talia Kaji is my main character, and Ben Kaji is her little boy, but the adult Ben came from the future with the other mission npcs. Sorry, I know it gets confusing.)) ((USS Victory - Sickbay)) ::Benjiro Kaji watched his mother walk away, and it nearly broke his heart. He was relieved to see Captain Faranster approaching him.:: Faranster: I'm ready. :: She looked at the man, hoping he was ready to look her over. :: If you have a moment, Lieutenant. B. Kaji: Oh, now you want medical assistance? Faranster: I know what you think of my little declaration, hopefully our crew didn't shy away from you tending to their wounds. B. Kaji: ::rolling his eyes.:: The only reason any of them has survived this long is pure stubbornness. ::The flip side was that stubbornness got you killed. Especially when you ignored little things like broken ribs. Ben let her remove the jacket. It was designed to put pressure on the torso, so that wounds would bleed less. It was a uniform designed for a war zone. His captain winced as the pain flooded the area. :: Faranster: Get it over with before people start asking about my scars. :: She said to the man, quietly. :: I am sure the straps and that blasted armor, played a part. ::Ben used a tricorder to confirm his suspicions.:: B. Kaji: Yes, it looks like they cracked a rib in the crash. Faranster: :: She gave him a hard look. :: How many concussions and broken arms and legs, or worse, have you seen from people not using them? B. Kaji: ::nodding agreement.:: Many more. ::Ben picked up an instrument from the equipment cart. He hadn't seen an osteogenerator in half a decade. He examined it in wonder, then set to using the miracle device. In his own time, he would have set the bone and wrapped it securely. Then he would have had had to let it heal for weeks, watching closely for internal bleeding and infection. This process took about fifteen minutes, and she didn't even have to remove her shirt.:: ::He finished up and handed her back her jacket. There was still about forty minutes before the briefing, so he went looking for his mother. A terribly odd thought to an orphaned boy. He found her in her office, and leaned in the doorway, watching her for a minute. He had seen her at this desk hundreds of times as a child. She would sit hunched over, staring at the computer and mouthing words as she read. He wondered that she was so similar to the mother he remembered, then realized with a start, that she never had a chance to change. The vibrant woman would perish early in the war, falling with her home world.:: ::Talia Kaji looked up when she noticed a gaze on her. She was suddenly swept into his memory.:: ((Flashback)) ::Breathing hard. Running through fields. Stalks whip Ben's face, and he stumbles. Mom grabs him around the waist, pulling him up. She takes his hand and keeps running.:: ::Lights flash. A shuttle lands. They join a group of crying families, and Ben wants to cry too.:: Ben: Mom, come with me! Please! I don't want to be alone! ::The children are being herded onto the shuttle. Mom kneels and hugs him tight. He feels her tears on his cheek.:: Mom: I love you baby, I love you so much. I don't want to leave you -- ::A scream cuts her off. More screams. People at the edges of the crowd are pushing toward the shuttle. Mom starts shoving children into the hatch, and she grabs Ben. He fights her.:: Mom: ::sternly:: No, Ben. Go. GO! ::She tosses him a small, screaming child. People are falling, and Ben sees a glimpse of a monster from nightmares. Mom pushes him and the little girl through and slams the hatch. She bangs on the outside, and he hears her yelling at the pilot.:: Mom: Take off NOW, [...] you! You save those babies! You save my son! ::The engines whine and Ben runs to a window. He sees his mother pull out her phaser and start pushing buttons. The shuttle races away and he pounds on the window, screaming. A light blooms below him, swallowing everything. Then he only sees black.:: ((End Flashback)) ::Talia flew across the room. She clutched the man to her, crying for the boy he'd been. He had his own tears and he wrapped his arms around her. After a long while, they released each other. Talia laughed wearily and wiped his face with her cuff.:: T. Kaji: You're a mess! Let's find you a place to clean up. TBC MSNPC Lt Ben Kaji Chief Medical Officer The Victory As simmed by LtJG Talia Kaji Chief Medical Officer USS Victory

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

((Holodeck 3)) ::The light brown kimono and tabi that she wore, in addition to the sword hanging across her back, had attracted attention as she had padded quietly through the corridors leading from her quarters to the holodeck, but, being in her own mental world, the jet-black-haired young woman hadn't even noticed. The fact that it was a mans kimono didn't seem to occur to anyone, thankfully; Chloe found that she could move better in it than in a traditional woman's version with its unattached sleeves. Now she stood outside the holodeck.:: Mannin: Computer, display a Japanese dojo, Hokkaido style, in winter. ::The computer responded with its ubiquitous beep and the room around her became a wintery terrain, with deep snow drifts. Chloe stood on the edge of a courtyard, about 30 feet on a side, with a light snow falling through the calm air. :: ((The image to have here is the courtyard in Kill Bill where O-Ren and the Bride fight it out. -- Chloe)) ::I have always loved snow, ever since I was a little girl. The sharp crisp air in my lungs, the light kisses of the flakes on my face, the crunch of new crystals beneath my feet. All of it makes me feel well alive.:: ::Taking the sword from the sheath, Chloe placed the latter on the edge of the steps, laying it precisely parallel to the long boards that made them up. Six steps backwards into the courtyard, crunching lightly in the snow, gave the young woman enough room to move. She began with Gathering Energy, rolling the sword forward, then up in an arc, reaching center and focusing her mind, clearing it for the rest of the forms.:: ::Mediation is a basic aspect of my life. I am able to cope because I am able to quietly reflect and consider, as if from an outside perspective, the events of the day and the actions that I have taken in response to them.:: ::The Fair Lady Weaving came next, with the sword tip weaving back and forth, as though it was pushing numerous opponents on both sides back. This was followed by the Crane Exercises Wings; with the sword itself moving from hand to hand, then from low to high stance position. The Crane moved into Drive Tiger Away, a quick series of forward steps, Grasp the Bird's Tail, her hand sliding down to the end of the pommel in a risky grip that gives an unexpectedly long reach to startle the enemies, rolling into Repulse Monkey, a forceful step-and-push combination.:: ::Dance is the active manifestation of meditation. The motions are predetermined, a routine and because of that the mind can be clear as the body moves of its own volition.:: ::The space poses complete, the defensive stances came next. Repulse Monkey became Wave Hands like Clouds, where a spinning sword moves back and forth between the hands, creating two slightly overlapping circles that look something like clouds. Consoling the North Wind pushed the woman forward and to one knee, as if a high slash was going over her head and back. Within the Cyclone stood her up and put the sword into a spin around her body. The Wild Horse Resists involved jumping over a low slash, while the Eights Strands of the Brocade put her through vertical blocks to each of the compass points in turn. The stances were finished by the Tail of the Pea[...], an upward sweep behind the back designed to block thrusts coming from behind. ::Swordplay, for me, is more dance than martial. My blade is a partner, one to respect and move with, rather than a tool, something to command and dominate. Try to force the blade to do something it cannot and you will only end up hurting yourself... or worse. It is a relationship, like with a dance partner, of respect.:: ::The Offensive forms finished the set: the Cobra Unwinds, a forward thrust that turned 180 degrees right back over the wielder's head as she leaned backward, was followed by Flexing the Single Whip, snapping the sword in a wrist-driven slash down and across. Encompass East and West incorporated a vertical cut down to the right that turned into an upward one to the left. The Five Elements attacked from multiple directions: upward (Earth), downward (Air), across diagonally (Fire), across horizontally (Water), and was finished by a thrust directly forward, aimed at the opponents heart (Spirit). Archer Releases His Arrow repeated the final thrust of the Five Elements, but turned it into a throw as the woman's hand slid off the handle and only caught the sword by the long tassel. Finishing with the Scissors Cut the Silk, a quick-combination down-then-up slash, Chloe closed the exercise with Gathering Energy once again, re-centering herself and calming her ragged breath.:: ::I think of swordplay as meditation, as well. It clears and centers the mind. It exercises the body, if done right, loosening every muscle. It focuses the thoughts, draining away the stress of the day. The respect that dancing with a blade demands is very one-sided, though. A true partner respects you, sees that cooperation is best for both people. The blade cares nothing for you. A moment of distraction... even an instant... it will cut you.:: ::She began again, moving faster through the forms the second time. As the slender woman reached the middle of the defensive stances, the jingle of a comm badge echoed through the room. Her concentration broken ever so slightly, the spinning defensive stance of Within the Cyclone slipped slightly out of place and, in the blink of an eye, she lost control and had to dodge her own sword.:: ::Whoever this is... is going to regret it, she thought as she caught her ragged breath.:: TBC Lt. Commander Chloe Mannin Strategic Ops Officer USS Victory

(( Imperia Solorum - Lokesh City )) :: Even with as much of a gentleman that Harrington considered himself, when it came to looking the part, he had left that to his resident Orion. Velitha had a knack for picking out the right clothes for the right job and they always gave him the edge that he wanted. At the moment, he wore a plain tuxedo with the black bow tie and a simple white flower, the color being only in the gold cufflinks around his wrists. He stood in the luxurious lobby of the magnificent building studying his reflection in the gray marble floors. :: :: Looking up from his musings is when he saw her, dressed in a simple black dress with only a touch of makeup. Her blue eyes seem to sparkle framed in the long chestnut brown hair that was pulled up. She took his breath away. :: James: My dear, you are absolutely ravishing. Turner: ::smiling:: Why thank you, Captain James. oO Famished is more like it. Oo You clean up well yourself. :: He took her hand and gave it a simple kiss and then motioned to the elevator where two burly men stood. They nodded and tapped the button opening it for them. As the elevator began it’s ride up to the top floor of Til’ahn’s most exquisite restaurant, Harrington took a glance at her and made sure to check out how she filled out the dress. She was a beauty. :: Velitha: =/\= Eyes up, Harry. =/\= :: The tiny device attached under his ear vibrated the words into his skull towards his inner ear. He gave the security camera in the elevator a quick, nasty glare and then smiled at his dinner partner as the door opened. What stood out first, was the amazing view from the skylight windows that surrounded the whole entire circular room. The warm glow from the lights and the quite discussions of their occupants were at a level that was easy to listen too. :: ((OOC: http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/kabc/cms_exf_2007/news/state/110129_restaurants_winstons.jpg)) :: The Maitre'd approached, a young antosian woman whose green hair shimmered in the light. :: James: Good evening, Okeva. My usual please. Okeva: ::smiling:: of course, Mr. James. The brothers keep it open just for your visits. :: Glak and Boruk. The two ferengi brothers that owned the place and catered to the rich tourists to the Duronis sector. They had a seen the opportunity as trade began to rise from the sector and got in before anyone else did. James had supplied a good amount of money to their venture and considered himself a silent partner, taking more the enjoyment of the meals and special treatment than any monetary gain. Not having to part with money made the two happy, and so they did not hesitate to make James feel at home when he arrived. :: Okeva: Your usual Cabernet Sauvignon? James: No, I think we’ll have champagne, tonight. :: One of Harrington’s favorite parts to the place was the use of physical menus and not PADDs or some sort of computer. The brothers also boasted fresh non-replicated ingredients for their meals. While waiting for their drinks, James folded his hands and gave the sector commander a big smile. :: James: I know I have said it already, but you are absolutely gorgeous….though I admit, I’m surprised you agreed to my invitation so quickly. I thought I might have had to start sending you chocolate and flowers. Turner: Well then, maybe I shouldn't have been agreeable so fast if that's the case. I don't know any woman who doesn't like the flavor of chocolate nor the fragrance and beauty of flowers, but I must tell you, that I'll have to skip the taste of champagne due to the needs of my newly born daughter. Chilled lemon-water will be fine for me. James: ::seductively:: I can still spoil you, Antonia, if you’ll only let me. :: She was magnificent! Schooled expression and she did not even blink at the mention of her full name. It had taken a lot for him to track it down and a pretty penny too. She simply took the menu and began flipping through it. :: James: oO What an exquisite woman. Oo Turner: ::glancing over the menu items:: Tell me, if you have just arrived on Til'ahn a short time ago, how is it you have already have an established seat in a place like this? oO In other words, what are you holding over the owner's head? Oo James: Oh, though I am new to the sector, I’m not new to the brothers. They wanted funding for this venture and in trade, I get a few benefits. Turner: Oh? I'm impressed. Quite a feat for someone new to the planet. James: It’s really all about who you know. I mean, everything has a benefit if you look for it. Take for instance this dinner we are having. I not only get your wonderful company, but it gives my rivals pause about how well connected I really am with the Federation sector commander. Turner: ::frowning:: Oh, so I'm just a token to boost your prestige? oO I figured as much, but I never figured you to be honest about it.Oo Who are you trying to impress? James: Not at all! I did not ask you out for prestige, I asked you out because I think you're the most gorgeous woman on the planet and I could not live without a moment or two of your time. Velitha: =/\= You’re making me sick, Harry. =/\= Turner: ::hiding an eye roll:: oO Oh, brother. Who does he think he is kidding? Oo :: James did not change his expression from the voice reverberating in his head. He had second thoughts about having his security on standby. Velitha was being inordinately nosey. Jealousy perhaps? :: Turner: Oh, do tell me more. It's been a long time since anyone noticed that I'm anything more than a Fleet Captain. :: The Maitre’d returned with the champagne and lemon water and placed them down on the table. She also gave them a half loaf of freshly cook italian bread and creamy churned butter. :: Okeva: Compliments of the owners. :: James looked across to the see the two brothers, in their fancy clothes looking at them greedily. Harrington gave them a solid look and they quickly went on their way. After all, they were merchants and he was a pirate. Not that he would admit that to anyone. Okeva: Are you ready to order? James: I’ll have the fettuccine alfredo with aldebaran chicken. :: Okeva quickly scribbled it down and turned to Toni. :: Turner: ::closing the menu and giving it to Okeva:: I think I'll have the same. ::Okeva left to put in their order, and Toni leaned toward James:: You seem to have discerning taste for good food, so I figured you'd order the best dishes on the menu. ::It was pure flattery that made her say that to him. If he could shoot the bull with her, she'd show him that he had met his match.:: James: Why thank you. I try. Turner: So tell me about your business concern ::as though she believed it was on the up and up::. Surely a man in your position does more than deliver supplies to the Resort. James: My position? You flatter me, Antonia. I’m a simple merchant. I get jobs where I can. I have a nice bit of money put to the side and a few perks. I still have to make a living. It’s having company like you that makes these trips worth while. Turner: oO This man has got to be in love with the sound of his voice. He says a lot, but it all comes back to one thing. Maybe I’m looking at this wrong. Could he be trying to seduce me? If so, I wonder why, after all I did send the Orion Syndicate after him. Perhaps a trophy? No doubt he has been around a few blocks, and has quite a few. Oo Have you ever been married? :: James about choked on his champagne at the direct question. Toni Turner was good at playing the game. Very few people could catch him off guard. :: James: ::wiping mouth:: excuse me, married? Turner: Yes, married. Seems of man who travels as much as you, should have ran into at least one woman who would have captured your heart enough to marry. James: Well...to tell the truth, I was married once...a long time ago. Long story, sad ending, but I want to talk about you. How does one so beautiful become a Fleet Captain? Turner: ::Answering with one of his answers, she smiled.:: It’s really all about who you know. I mean, everything has a benefit if you look for it. :: Their food arrived and they began to eat. The conversation was sporadic, but the verbal fencing continued subtly and pointedly. As their meal came to a close, James stood. :: James: I have had a wonderful time, Antonia. You are a magnificent conversationalist. Shall I get your bodyguards for you? You do realize your marines stand out like sore thumbs here. Turner: ::Rising as he took her hand:: Of course they do. They are exceptional in their work. Surely you expected a Fleet Captain to be protected, especially after the recent assassination attempts. ::And there it was out in the open. If he had anything to do with them, it would surely show in his face, but instead she saw only a glimmer of shock.:: James: I did not realize there was a second assassin. I’m glad you are okay. I hope you had a great time. Turner: Actually, I had a wonderful time too. Would you care to escort me to my vehicle? :: Surprised at the offer, Harrington stood and offered his arm to Toni. Walking her towards the elevator (and making sure to give a grin to her bodyguards), they rode down in silence. As he opened the door and allowed her to enter, he leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips. :: James: I shall miss you, Antonia. Until we meet again. Turner: Possibly... Good night, Captain James. ::Dade started the vehicle, and drove away. She looked at Dade through the rear view mirror, and felt a pang of guilt. She didn't know why she should feel guilty exactly. Maybe it was because she had enjoyed it. Maybe it was the element of danger James represented, or was it his charm. He reminded her of someone, and no matter what had made her hunger for the warmth of a kiss, she knew it wasn't his kiss that she desired.:: Turner: ::very quietly:: I wish he was, but there will never be another Heath. JP by... PNPC Captain Harrington James SS Lady Adventure As Simmed by... Commander Nugra Chief Intelligence Officer USS Thunder-A Embassy, Duronis II & Fleet Captain Toni Turner Commanding Officer Embassy Duronis II - USS Thunder NCC - 70605-A

Welcome back!

((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

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

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(( Parkers’ Quarters, Marine Barracks )) :: After the night of dealing with Doctor Adan, they were fortunate to get back just before the twin suns rose that morning. It was too early to go to bed..they still had some work to do, and their quarters was the best place to do it at the moment. Others were enjoying their shore leave, but they were knee deep in finding out more about this secret organization the doomed doctor referred to. After a leisurely breakfast, which did more to make them both feel more tired, they decided to call it a day...or was it night...and get a little sleep...they had had precious little of it since the bluegill invasion and Tallis Rhuls’ funeral, and sleep quickly came to them...:: (( Later that afternoon, Marine CO’s office )) :: Now refreshed from their nap, Hannibal and Kamela went down to the Marine CO’s office to try to find a little more information. Once he opened the door to his office, Kamela was the first to comment on what was missing...:: Allison: Ty....where is your furniture? :: Which was a good question. The last time he was in his office, it was fully furnished, with a new desk and chairs...now...they were all missing...:: Parker: They were here when I left...I wonder what the hell happened to them? Allison: Was anybody supposed to be in here? Parker: No... : This was truly a predicament he was not expecting, and a mystery he would soon see the bottom of. Tapping his commbadge, he contacted the Quartermaster...:: Parker: =/\= Major Parker to Quartermaster.=/\= Franks: =/\= Lieutenant Franks here, Major. What can I do for you?=/\= Parker: =/\= My new chairs and desk are missing..=/\= Franks:=/\= Let me check on that Major...=/\= :: Over the open line, Hannibal could hear the Quartermaster entering a query on the computer, and he quickly came back with an answer...:: Franks:=/\= Major...did you finish filling out the requisition form for your furniture? =/\= :: Hannibal had to think for a minute...Starfleet was like any military, in that the paperwork had to be in proper form and submitted, something Hannibal had been a little bit busy to keep up with it all, and the departed Lt. Martinez may have overlooked it. Such things were usually not a problem, but now, it seemed to be a huge one...:: Parker: =/\= Lieutenant...my desk and chairs are missing from my office..and I’m sure the proper trail can be dealt with...but right now...I’M STANDING IN MY OFFICE WITH NO FURNITURE!!!!!=/\= Franks: =/\= Major, without the proper paperwork, the desk and chairs were appropriated by someone who had filled out the proper forms....=/\= :: Hannibal had had enough of this...:: Parker: =/\= Where is my furniture?=/\= Franks: =/\= Major...=/\= Parker: =/\= WHERE?????!!!!!!=/\= :: Even with Kamela trying in vain to calm him down Hannibal was not happy...and the Quartermaster was getting an earful...:: Franks: =/\= Your furniture was appropriated by.....Commander Nugra..=/\= :: Hannibal was on the verge of going to the Quartermasters’ office and tearing him to shreds, but it was that walking briefcase he was really mad at...but the hapless Lieutenant was currently in his sights...:: Parker:=/\= Lieutenant...you have exactly TEN minutes to get me a new desk and chairs, the same ones which were here. If they are not here by then, your life will become...very uncomfortable. NOW MOVE!!!!=/\= Franks: =/\= Aye, Sir, we’ll get it right over. Don’t worry about the paperwork. Franks out.=/\= :: After the channel closed, Hannibal began to curse in Klingon, but before he got really inventive, Kamela tried to calm his nerves....:: Allison: It’s just a minor issue, Ty... Parker: Oh no it’s not. Godzilla is testing me.... Allison: God...you mean Commander Nugra? Parker: Oh yes...that dishonorable, cold blooded... Allison: Allright Hannibal...let’s just go back to our quarters and wait...we are on shore leave, you know..and it will give you a chance to calm down... :: Hannibal followed Kamela back out, where they walked to their quarters. Upon entering, he sat at the terminal, having already though about the revenge he would extract on the Gorn. Accessing the life support controls, he ordered the temperature in Nugras’ quarters lowered to 10 degrees Celsius, then encrypted a code which could not be altered in any way, and erased it the computer. For the next week at the Embassy, the Gorn was going to be quite sluggish in the morning.Kamela saw what he was doing, but she didn’t stop him...what was going on between Hannibal and the Gorn was personal, and she knew it was going to get worse...: Allison: Are you sure you want to do this? Parker:: with a wicked smile:: Revenge is a dish served cold...and his quarters will be very, very cold.... Major Hannibal Tiberious Parker2nd Officer/Marine Commander/Chief Of Strategic OperationsUSS Thunder-A/ Duronis II Embassy

(( Marine CO’s Office, Duronis Embassy )) :: Hannah was nervous. After leaving the Somers sisters on board the Thunder, she wondered exactly how she was going to tell Hannibal she had been recruited by Lt. Commander Nugra to join his new strike team. It was a wonderful opportunity, but it was fraught with problems. Hannibal had been nothing but good to her since she joined him, saving her career. Would he view this as betrayal after all he did for her? Was she being used as a pawn by the Gorn commander to needle Hannibal in their simmering feud? The Gorn, after all, had been trying to nail Hannibal for some misdeed or another, and now...well, she just didn’t know. The Gorn could force her hand one way or another, but the final decision was hers. Once she left for the Academy, she would have time to sort it out. Hannibal even made sure she would follow the Marine accelerated program at Twenty Nine Palms. Nervously, she knocked on his door..:: :: Hannibal had not spent much time in his planetside office, so it still smelled mostly new, and the big chair squeaked a little. The walls were still mostly bare, as decorating them had not been a priority..but he would change that soon. Firing up his LCARS terminal, he began to wade through the tons of messages, requisitions, and Fleet information...until...he saw it. A transfer request, generated by no other than Lt. Commander Nugra....the anger began to boil against the hated Gorn...it wasn’t difficult. Accusing Hannibal of a crime when no crime existed, then sending a Security detail to HIS Marine deck not only was against protocol, but also dishonorable. Putting four of his then minions in Sick Bay was quite enjoyable. He and the Gorn had been too busy fighting bluegill to worry about fighting each other, but that day was coming when he was going to tame Godzilla and educate him on the finer points of Starfleet decorum. His thoughts of deconstructing a Gorn were broken by a knock on the door...::: Parker: COME! :: Hannah walked into the office to see the massive Marine sitting behind his deck. He was not smiling, which either meant that something had really [...]ed him off, or the paperwork was frustrating him. Either way, she learned the best way to deal with Hannibal was straight on. He ushered her in with a sweep of his arm, and motioned for her to have a seat..:: Martinez: Oo Oh God, please let me the first to tell him...Oo :: Having just saw what he did, Hannibal was not happy, and he was hoping that Hannah was here to tell him about the pending transfer...he would speak to the Gorn about it later in rather forceful tones..:: Parker: You all ready to leave the nest for awhile? Martinez: I am..I’ll get a chance to go to Arizona and see my brothers again, if they are in the system...but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.... :: Leaning back in his chair, Hannibal waited for her to start...:: Parker: Go ahead...you know you can speak your mind with me... ::Hannah gulped hard..and for a fleeting moment, she wondered what it would be like to “christen” the Majors’ desk..the thought made her inwardly smile, but those days were over...and the blond [...] most likely would before too long anyway....:: Martinez: Hannibal....before the invasion, Commander Nugra came to me..and wants me to be part of a rapid reaction force made up of Marines and Security personnel, similar to your classified unit, except we would be perform assignments such as rescues, interdictions, and the like. We don’t have one, and it would be a real asset to the Thunder and the Embassy to have that capability. :: Hannah did have a point. Hannibals’ unit was more of a clandestine outfit, operating in the shadows and usually under “plausible deniability”, which meant if they were caught, they were on their own. A unit such as the one the Gorn was putting together could absolutely be useful on sanctioned operations. Looking in Hannahs’ eyes, he knew she was struggling with telling him about this, and his anger towards the Gorn was still present, but he was determined not to let it show..:: Parker: It would be a good tool to have in the toolbox for those occasions where we might have a touchy situation out here... Martinez: I know, Hannibal...but...I haven’t accepted the job..... Parker: Why not? Martinez: Because....I didn’t want to hurt you. This extra duty would be great for my career, but I didn’t want to do anything behind your back. I can still serve as your First Officer, as this would not be a full-time thing.::smiling: You can’t get rid of me that easily, Sir... :: Hannibal was happy to hear that. Loyalty was something that Hannibal valued, and even though the transfer request was on his screen, he knew the extra training would be helpful to him as well..:: Parker: Hannah....you are my First Officer as long as you want to be, but I want you to understand that you will have to make the final decision. You are a capable officer, and even though I cannot stand that cold blooded, sharp toothed, grating voiced walking suitcase, his idea has merit.... :: Hannah was relieved, and she blew out a sign of relief. Once again, Hannibal surprised her, but this time, nothing was blown up or disemboweled...yet......:: Martinez: Hannibal...I don’t know what to say... Parker: Say nothing until you are ready. You are going to be one hell of an officer, Hannah.... Martinez: It’s all because you believed in me.... :: Standing up behind the desk, Hannibal walked around it to face a now- standing Hannah. He embraced her, the hug conveying what the two of them could not say. Hannah felt protected, armored...and it was all she could do to keep from crying as he released her. Holding her out at arms’ length, Hannibal smiled..the first time he had smiled all day..:: Parker: When you get to Twenty Nine Palms, watch out for Major Charlie Houston..she runs the escape and evasion class there. She is sneaky, but good... Martinez: I will, Sir. Parker: If you have any problems there or at the Academy, let me know. Martinez: I’ll be fine, Sir. Just tell Hella I want my flight lessons when I get back. Parker: Done. :: Hannah took a step back, looking at the Major, thinking again about the desk, then looking back at him..:: Martinez: Permission to leave the Embassy to make my transport? Parker:: nodding and shaking her hand:: Permission granted...and good luck. I’ll see you back here soon..Semper Fi, Lieutenant.. Martinez: Hoorah, Major.... :: Smartly, Hannah turned on her heel and left Hannibals’ office. She didn’t dare look back, and she knew she was opening a new chapter in her life, and the one man who could have destroyed it all gave her more than what she had ever wanted...hope...and a chance. She would not fail him at the Academy, nor with the Marines, and she would be the best she could possibly be, even better than she ever thought possible, and she had Hannibal to thank for it..:: :: Hannibal watched her go, and she knew this was a big step for her. She would come back to him a better officer, a better warrior...a razor with an even finer edge. He sat back down at his desk, and although knowing he could not prevent Hannah from joining Nugras’ team, he decided to write the lizard a little note... LCARS INTERNAL MESSAGING TO: LTCMDER NUGRA FROM: MAJ HT PARKER RE: MARTINEZ EXTRA DUTY RESPONSE TEAM I CANNOT FLAG SUCH A REQUEST, BUT STARFLEET REGULATIONS ALLOW ME TO RESPOND TO SUCH A REQUEST FROM THE ORIGINATING OFFICER. MY RESPONSE....:: :: Hannibal wrote the rest of it in Klingon, questioning the Gorns’ parentage and lizardhood and wondered why he didn’t have the balls...or was it eggs...to tell him about it face to face and that such deceitfullnes was worthy of a Romulan. Smiling again, he hit send. He would love to see the Gorns’ face when he read the message...:: TBC Lt. j.g Hannah MartinezWeapons Specialist/Marine First OfficerUSS Thunder-A/Duronis II Embassy and Major Hannibal Tiberious Parker2nd Officer/Marine Commander/Chief Of Strategic OperationsUSS Thunder-A/ Duronis II Embassy

(( Counselor’s Office - USS Thunder-A )) :: Counselors. It was a word that not only made him irritated, but resigned to the fact that they were an integral part of Star Fleet. The human capacity to care for their people both mentally, physically, and emotionally was impressive; Nugra felt that it was sometimes too much. :: :: Now he stood in front of the counselor’s door for the dreaded annual appointment which he had to attend. The one back on Starbase 118 while applying to join Star Fleet a third time was as painful as a poisoned Vss’Kot blade. :: :: Ringing the bell on the side of the door, he awaited for entry. :: :: Inside the office, Ashley had prepped for his sessions of the day already, and was relaxing over his second cup of tea for the morning. Camomile, caffeine free. Except his cup was a coffee mug... a bit larger and heavier than a tea cup, and easier to handle. Far less unsteadiness as he set it atop his desk, sliding his hands behind his back in that formal way he tended to, a casual smile lightening the severity of the posture. :: Yael: It’s open. :: Stepping inside, Nugra nodded. :: Nugra: Lieutenant Commander Nugra here for the 0930 appointment. :: He handed the PADD to him. :: Nugra: If you could sign the clearance, I can get back to my duties. :: Taking the PADD offered to him... making certain to have several inches space between his hand and the one holding the PADD... he held it in hand for a moment, smiling with the slightest amusement at the very direct attempt to circumvent the session Nugra was here for, and set the PADD unsigned atop the desk. :: :: Nugra watched as the PADD got set down and his eyes narrowed. It continued to prove that counselors all counselors were annoying. :: :: Purple eyes lifted and settled on the silver-eyed Gorn, who stood a good deal taller than himself. In fact, Lieutenant Commander Nugra outweighed him drastically as well, and cut what normally would have been an intimidating figure. But being small of stature did not mean being a pushover, and Ashley kept his casual smile in place. :: Yael: Lieutenant Ashley Yael. ::pause:: Please, Commander. Make yourself comfortable. Nugra: oO Comfortable? I’m in a mind bender’s office Oo :: He sat down without a vocal word. :: Yael: ::sitting, remaining straight up, opening Nugra’s file on his computer:: I’ve been going over your records. Overall, you appear to be a straight-laced, dependable officer. :: He kept eyes on Nugra, watching for any response the Gorn might have. Species such as his were far harder to read directly, but it was not impossible when one knew what to look for. :: :: He listened carefully to the man’s words. Overall, was the operative one here. Was Yael suggesting something else? He hated these mind games. :: Nugra: I pride myself on that. Yael: You’re a fan of the martial arts, isn’t that right? Nugra: I do enjoy a bout or two. I am fluent in quite a few different forms from over the galaxy. :: That was a point of pride for him. Able to defend the ship from weapons to bare claws. :: Yael: And what do you do when you are *not* on duty, or otherwise training? :: What was the man up too? Nugra shifted ever so slightly in his chair. :: Nugra: I focus on logic training through chess, use my holodeck program to improve my reaction time, and sleep. :: Ashley was aware that the answers weren’t exactly deep introspection, but the Gorn appeared to be rather stern, or at the least unwilling to expand on the conversation. This in itself told the counselor a few things. But that wouldn’t cut it if Nugra wanted his signature on that data padd. So he dove into something a touch closer to home. :: Yael: And your family? How are you getting on with them? Or should I say, how are you doing aboard... especially as you are the only member of your species aboard. Nugra: They’re dead. Yael: ::eyebrows pushing upward:: Oh...? I’m sorry. ::beat:: If you don’t mind my asking? :: The question was clear. :: Nugra: My brother was killed in Star Fleet, my family has disowned me and so by Gorn law and tradition they are dead. ::It was difficult to keep the bitterness out of his voice. :: Yael: That is quite... unfortunate. There were problems, I take it, within the family? :: The Denobulan certainly wasn’t giving up at the sudden turn toward the mans tragedy. He could hear the bitterness behind the words... it was still raw territory. The fact that it had come out so easily and so early in their session meant it was at the least on the Gorn’s mind, and something simmering that hot had a tendency to impact behavior. :: Nugra: Difference in opinion with the Gorn Civil War. :: He was not going to volunteer anymore as it was his personal business. :: Yael: I take it your family was involved in the War. ::sensing an icy reaction to his further probing:: But there’s no need to worry, Commander. I don’t need you to tell me your life story. We’ll just start with your childhood and go from there. :: A slight smile, though he doubted he’d get one from the Gorn. :: Nugra: My culture considers our private lives just that. Private. May I ask what this has to do with the Annual? I had one in Star Fleet medical when I re-joined. They found me fit for duty though with a tendency to be to official. Yael: ::failing to be impressed, but still smiling casually:: Yes, the annual exams do tend to come around now and then. Just about once a year. ::pausing:: I do not require you to tell me anything you do not *want* to tell me, Nugra. But aside the formality, I’m just trying to get to know you a little better. It makes my job infinitely more pleasant, and may well lessen your burden in the matter as well. :: Lifting the mug of tea, Ashley took a slight drink, holding the mug in both hands carefully. He was having a good day, technically speaking... but it still shook ever so slightly. Almost imperceptibly, before he set it down again. :: Yael: Though, from the little information I have, it seems you’ve become quite isolated. From your family and your culture. How are you handling that? :: Nugra listened quietly as he spoke. Out of all the counselors that he had met, Yael was good at dancing around, making him sound like he had a choice, and then bringing the question right back around. Nugra: Fine. :: It was unhelpful and it came out before he thought about it. :: Nugra: oO Krr’Mkk. He’s getting to me. Oo :: The smile spread slightly as he took in the one word response. If Nugra was anything, he was direct. Perhaps not giving in his answers, but there was no indication of deception, from what Ashley could tell of the Gorns expressions. What few he had. This would be an interesting challenge, figuring out what made this man function. But there was time for that... this was a simple introduction. :: Yael: That’s good to hear. ::taking a moment:: Then I suppose it’s going to be chess. :: He nodded affirmatively, as if he’d made a decision just then. :: Nugra: Excuse me? Yael: I need a partner. Terribly difficult to find anyone of late who plays. Nugra: Then you’re decent at it? Yael: ::leaning forward slightly:: Oh... I’m decent. Three tiered or flat plain? Nugra: Either. I prefer flat plain as it’s easier to carry around. Three tiered is a newer variant of the ancient game. Yael: A very steady officer, focused, highly trained. I imagine you’d make a marvelous opponent. In a game of chess or in the field. And you have seen action, most recently the Klingon invasion. Why don’t you tell me about your experience then? Nugra: Why? Yael: Why not? Nugra: I don’t see how my actions in the Klingon Invasion have bearing on this line of questioning. Yael: I didn’t ask about your actions, Nugra. I asked about your experience. I assume you joined the fight? :: Nugra’s mind went back to his first arrival to Duronis II with the Klingon invasion in full swing and the dead ships in orbit. :: Nugra: Yes, I was part of a team that participated in liberating the embassy from the Klingons and Orions. :: Nugra thought about to that action and decided he might as well give the Counselor something. :: Nugra: I do sometimes get concerned on the... :: he didn’t know how to phrase it without sounding like a monster. :: ...ease and efficiency killing came to me. Yael: ::nodding:: Anyone involved in such a violent action is bound to wonder, concerning their actions, their behavior. Why they did what they did, how they did it. Would you say your actions there were perhaps... more extreme, than you might have normally taken? The situation was quite dire, I realize. Nugra: It wasn’t method, but the ease that concerns me. ::Sinking without hesitation into his next question. :: Yael: And how many did you kill? Nugra: Six. Yael: Yet, every one of them was done out of necessity. :: He kept keen purple eyes on the Gorn, watching for hints of distress or other reactions as he continued. :: Yael: And because of your actions, you saved the lives of others. Didn’t you? Nugra: Of course. Yael: So for all the downfalls of your battles, you could say they were... if still violent... but they were honorable pursuits, am I right? :: Something strange, coming from the mouth of a pacifist. :: Nugra: Killing isn’t honorable as more duty. The people needed protecting and that is what I have sworn to do. My concern is how it is becoming easy for me to kill. My report does mention the War of the Singularity. Yael: I’m not familiar with that conflict. :: This was said in a tone that was hopeful Nugra would explain more to him. That was about the first thing the Gorn had offered up without a verbal battle, so it was clearly important. … as if the impact of *any* war wasn’t important... :: Nugra: It was a battle in a temporal anomaly around the planet Dekthos on the edge of Gorn space in the unexplored regions. My fleet was trapped for 200 years with an enemy fleet. We fought to the last man with no quarter and no mercy. Yael: That... sounds absolutely dreadful. oO Even for a skilled fighter, who survives that sort of situation... intact? Oo Nugra: My estimate in how many I killed for Star Fleet’s report was...conservative...It wasn’t a dozen as I mentioned. :: The number was something he hated. He wished he could lose count. :: Nugra: I killed four hundred and fifty eight in single combat, many more in ship to ship combat. :: Four hundred, fifty eight, and then some. Plus six more. So the Klingon invasion was just a dash in the mix. :: Yael: It appears you are a Gorn with many secrets. ::pausing:: That’s okay, we’ve all got ours... but... these things are massive. You’ve been in several extremely serious, life threatening events. You don’t have to harbor them alone. :: Nugra wanted to let out a sardonic chuckle. Life threatening events. Yes, he had been through quite a few. Traveling to the mirror universe, being attacked by an alien probe when he first joined the Gorn Fleet, facing war of 200 years. They were becoming almost expected now. :: Nugra: It is my issue, my actions. I do not see the need to involve anyone else in it. Yael: I understand the instinct. To keep it to yourself, to not involve others. It’s cleaner that way. At least, for a while. But then you realize, maybe not all at once, that it’s impacting you still. A dream here. A flash of memory there. One thing leads to another, and suddenly you’re living each day with those events on the edge of your mind. Becoming a perpetual threat to your mind, now that it’s no longer a threat to your life. Nugra: I see...and what do you suggest is the remedy for so many nightmares? oO I bet it’s something pansy and human like. Oo :: It wasn’t exactly a full admission, but Nugra’s interest and reference to nightmares... whereas he had said dreams, the Gorn had advanced it to nightmares... led him to believe he was on the right track, so he dove into it. Though, he kept a keen eye on the Gorns responses, just in case he was pushing too far. :: Yael: To begin with, I would suggest a full round of memory-engram treatment, via sickbay. It is a series of hypos over a few weeks duration that can help aid with disconnecting the fear from the events in your memory. It’s hormonally based, I believe... it is not remedy in and of itself, but it can aid the process of breaking down the roots that have grown. It can help to curb the nightmares. Nugra: Interesting choice, though most engram therapy I am familiar with is designed for mammals. The Federation does not have that many reptilian species in their membership. Yael: The process works well for mammalian species. I don’t know that it’s been adapted for Gorn, but there’s no reason we can’t ask Doctor Derrida to try and adapt it to your physiology. Nugra: And after that? Yael: After the series... assuming you agree to them of course... we begin other methods, as you see fit. ::pausing:: The one thing we do *not* do, Nugra... is ignore it. Let it fester. Believe me, the sound of treatment may seem annoying and intrusive, but no more so than the breaking down of your ability to function in the future. Which, if you *are* suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you may well be heading toward. Beyond that, there are several means we can try via psychotherapy, which would be my specialty. Nugra: You have some interesting suggestions. Yael: I suggest nothing more than taking it by the horns and wrestling it to the ground, as you would any other enemy. You would not ignore a man with a weapon standing behind you, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Do not ignore this. Nugra: I am listening to you, Counselor. Your plans are a good idea though we might have to skip the memory engram part of it. Yael: Oh? And why is that? :: There was no hostility to the question, just curiosity. :: Nugra: Well, one of my many “exciting” life moments was when I was a Senior Ensign in the Gorn Space Navy, I was attacked by an alien probe. It was trying to remove all my memories. Yael: ::an eyebrow rising:: And no doubt you are now more protective of such things. Nugra: Our doctor designed a substance based on a narcotic that would lock my memories in place. It worked and saved my mind from being drained, but it rendered all engram memory modifications impossible. I remember everything now. So, we’ll probably have to handle this the old fashion way. Yael: I see. More protective than I thought. ::smiling lightly:: Then the engram treatment will have to go to the wayside. But I’m glad to see you’re willing to explore the process. The old fashioned way takes more time, but can be just as effective, so long as you take it seriously. Nugra: No promises, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Yael: All that in mind, I’d have to call this a productive annual evaluation. ::his smile returned to him:: It will be my pleasure to help you however I can, Commander. If you do find yourself having trouble, I am “on call,” so to speak. Denobulans don’t need a lot of sleep, so consider it 26-7. Nugra: I will remember that, I usually only need four hours myself. :: Ashley set dual fingertips to the data PADD sitting before him on his desk, giving his approval and applying it to Nugra’s formal file. :: Yael: I’ve given you the go-ahead. Consider yourself approved for duty. :: The gorn nodded taking the PADD and he made his way to the door. :: :: Ashley stood as Nugra stood, and he set his hands behind his back, standing straight. There was one last thing to cover before they parted ways... something Nugra might not expect, but needed to be said. :: Yael: Before you go, one last thing, Commander... Nugra: Yes? Yael: When I take an officer off duty, I do so for very specific... and vital... reasons. I have that authority, as ships counselor. ::pausing just slightly:: When I do this, it is not done lightly or without serious consideration for all parties involved, and that includes the senior staffs need for all posts to remain filled and active during our endeavors. :: Nugra waited silently as the man continued. :: Yael: When you put Mc Ghee on light duty, you negated my authorization in the matter... and to my knowledge, without a full understanding of the situation concerning his removal from duty. ::pausing again, letting it sink in:: Though I understand you found his involvement necessary, if you negate my authority in such a manner a second time, I will find it necessary to file a formal complaint with the chain of command. :: The entirety of this last comment was said without an ounce of hostility or ire. It was simply what he would have to do. It was only that he hoped Nugra would take his comment on the matter to heart, and not repeat the maneuver a second time, saving them any formal strife. It was his way of asserting his authority in the matter without being aggressive. :: Nugra: Lieutenant, I understand your words, but you should realize that one, you were not stationed here when i relieved him of duty hence your authority was never challenged. Two, there are quite a number of capable people who have and did perform in his shoes while he was absent, and three, I’d rather have the ship without an engineer than commanded by a man who chose to abandon his post and his crewmates. :: Nugra turned to the door and then stopped. :: Nugra: oh, and my actions were approved by the captain when I presented the evidence and last I remembered, your authority stops when the captain makes her decision. Yael: Commander, the Captain left the ship before I could report to her concerning Mc Ghee’s status. Her being out of reach does not negate my authority. And if you’ll recall, I am one of the few people on this ship that has the authority to take even the *Captain* off duty. ::pausing:: But I’m not interested in debating the issue. I am simply informing you of the slight, and my actions should it occur again. My authority in the chain of command is not a matter of discussion, and I expect you to abide by that chain of command, as I expect of the entire senior staff. :: There was still an absolute lacking of any hostility. They clearly disagreed on the boundaries of their stations, but Ashley wouldn’t let that professional disagreement become a personal one. But the fact that Nugra had no idea the danger he’d put them... and the Romulans... in by ignoring the counselors authority couldn’t be an argument he used aloud. Not if he wanted to maintain Jaxon’s medical privacy. :: Yael: Aside that, feel free to disagree as you please. :: No doubt the crews time without a counselor had led them to believe his post was not necessary... or that it was necessary to respect it. That would be a flock of birds he recaged from free-flight, crewman by crewman if need be. :: :: War with every crewman wasn’t necessary and the Gorn decided to bow out of this fight until he knew more about the counselor's position. :: Nugra: I will heed you for now, Lieutenant. :: With that, he left. :: Lt Cmdr NugraDeck OfficerUSS Thunder-AEmbassy, Duronis II & Lt. Ashley Deneve YaelCounselorUSS Thunder-AEmbassy, Duronis II

(( Holodeck, Duronis II Embassy )) :: Hannibal stood with his wedding party, standing in the mouth of a cave, which was lit with torches going deep into its interior The six humans, and one massive Klingon prepared to make a quasi- perilous journey together, one undertaken by countless Klingons and a few humans. The journey would test them all, as it was designed to do, and test their endurance. Ha'Rouque stood before them, with a knowing glance between Hannibal and him. The journey was about to begin... :: :: After receiving the invitation to this very Klingon ritual and considering what had occurred during the invasion, Jaxon had been reserved about taking Joel along with him. Even so, as Hannibal had said, Joel was more a man than lad and so the Welshman had sought his son's opinion on joining them. He wasn't really surprised that Joel had been eager, almost proud that his uncle chose him worthy to join the other adults for this ceremony. Jaxon did however notice that upon entering the holodeck, some of this eagerness seemed to evaporate as Joel saw the large Klingon warrior standing with Hannibal. He wasn't sure if other noticed, all the same Jaxon casually maneuvered himself next to his son and gave his shoulder a fatherly squeeze. Two pairs of blue eyes caught for a moment, conveying more than words could have in twice the time. :: Ha'Rouque: Today is a new beginning. We travel a road in celebration of the union of a member of our house. It will be difficult, and will test your courage in ways you have not imagined. We share its difficulties together, and we celebrate in song. Each of you will find something unique on your journey, but once finished, it is an experience which you will keep with you the rest of your lives. Prepare yourselves for the journey...:: :: Hannibal looked at the ones he had chosen to make the journey with him, and they all looked back at him...:: Parker: Thank you all for coming. I know this will not be easy, which means much to me. I am in your debt... ::Rhul shook his head; whether or not this was easy or difficult, it was for Hannibal and he was prepared to go to whatever lengths were necessary to see them through to the end of the ceremony.:: Tallis: Not at all, Hannibal. No debt necessary. ::Diego wasn't entirely sure he shared the Bajoran ambassador's gung-ho approach, but he was certainly prepared to endure the road to kal' Hyah for a friend. Not only that, but his competitive side was telling him that failing to make the cut just wasn't an option.:: Herrera: ::Looking at Tallis:: Hey, you can write it off if you want, Ambassador, but I intend to collect a bottle or two of blood wine once this is all said and done. :: Jaxon looked to his son and still seeing the faint signs of tension only a parent could read, chose to answer for both of them. :: Mc Ghee: I think I can speak for us both :: indicating to Joel :: by saying it is an honor to walk this path with you. :: Joel looked to his adoptive uncle and nodded in silent consent. :: Vess: Of course Ah'd be here. :: The cave was hot, humid as they began their descent deeper into the cave. HaRouque and Hannibal began to sing as they travelled to their first challenge...:: :: Ha'Rouque and Hannibal sang the song twice, and as they started for the third time, everyone was getting into the act. Following the two giant men into the cave, Jaxon and Joel quickly picked up the words and joined in. Having Welsh roots meant both had an appreciation for songs for the occasion; many Welshmen could still sang the ancient national anthem from 1856. :: :: They came to their second challenge..their first, deprivation, they were currently undergoing. Most of them had had no food or water in at least a day...with the second challenge facing them, they stopped in what appeared to be an open area, essentially a room with bare rock walls. Ha' Rouque gathered them all in a circle, and spoke to them...:: Ha'Rouque: This is a trial of blood. We shed blood to defeat our enemies, and we shed blood to bind ourselves together in brotherhood. Who shall be first to shed their blood to bind themselves to the other? :: Hannibal was first to step forward:: Parker:: In a loud, proud voice:: I shall be first to bind ourselves together.... :: Drawing his dak' tar, Ha'Rouque took Hannibals' outstretched hand, and made a cut, just deep enough for the blood to flow over the knife..:: Ha'Rouque: Our blood flows together to become one, united against our enemies. :: Looking at the rest of the contingent:: Who shall be next to join us? :: Rhul was next. He stepped forward proudly and offered his hand to Ha'Rouque.:: Tallis: I shall be second! ::He wasn't entirely sure if that was the appropriate response or wasn't. Jaxon stepped up right alongside him, ready to be next in line. He didn't flinch when the knife cut him; he had endured pain worse than that.:: ::Jaxon watched the ambassador let his palm be ritually cut before also offering his own hand to the large Klingon Warrior. The stabbing bite of the blades passing through his flesh brought memories of past knife-fights, but strangely enough not of the night on Duronis; S'Caan had always been the better fighter of the two Mc Ghee's.:: ::Joel felt the uneasiness in him rise the very moment he saw Hannibal willingly hold out his hand for the Klingon to cut into. Then another man did the same and so did his dad and none showed signs of hesitance. When the huge Klingon man came to Joel, the teenager looked up at the warrior and he knew ritual, friendship and family presence still couldn't wipe away his anger and slight fear at standing unarmed opposite an armed Klingon.:: Jaxon watched his son and his hesitance, resisting the urge to place a hand on his shoulder, certain the display of support wouldn't be appreciated. Joel held out a hand, its slight trembling vanishing as the Klingon grasped it tightly. Jaxon noted that Ha'Rouque performed the ritual more swiftly than with him or the others and suspected the Klingon was responding to Joel's reluctance. :: ::Each of them took their turns in the bloodletting, with Joel being initially resistant... his near- death experience with the Klingons not too long ago was clearly bothering him... one of the reasons Hannibal wanted him to come was to lose his fear..and to accept that not all Klingons were intent on killing him... Hannnibals' hand stung from where the knife cut him, but that was part of the trial...:: ::Alucard's hand stung slightly, and he glanced down at the slight cut across his palm. There was almost no blood. Already it was starting to close up, as the advanced platelets afforded to him by his genetically engineered heritage rapidly fought the intrusion into his body.:: Vess: ::Glancing around.:: oO What will these crazy Klingons come up with next?Oo ::Diego had ended up being last in the queue, more by virtue of physical position than by specific choice. The Klingons' propensity for swapping blood through used knives didn't strike him as particularly hygienic, but he was confident his immune system would be able to handle it. He held out his palm to take part in the ritual, feeling the bite of the knife and the sensation of his blood running down the edge of his palm.:: :: As each trial was undertaken, Hannibal was more than resolved to finish it. Having been through it once before was still not enough preparation for a second trial...it was the same, yet different. Each trial he and his shipmates undertook let him know above all else, he had friends who were more than able to stand the rigors, and even Joel bore up well to the multitude of discomforts being thrown at team. He was proud of them all..they were sweaty, dirty, and exhausted..but their eyes spoke their true spirit...they would not be broken. and they were persevere. Once they reached the end of their journey, Ha'Rouque saluted them all...:: Ha'Rouque: Congratulations! We have arrived at kal'Hyah! You have all done well. Now...we prepare to eat, drink, and enjoy the evenings' entertainment:: Looking at Hannibal:: I hope you have the strength left to enjoy the delights I have brought to you.... :: Without missing a beat, Hannibal spoke up.....:: Parker: A little bloodwine and I will be just fine! Bring on the evenings' entertainment... I might even be better able to enjoy... and sustain... :: Hannibals' Starfleet shipmates gave him a dubious look:: Herrera: Maybe some water, first? We're all pretty dehydrated and even if you do tick the box of colossus on your medical forms, blood wine in your current state is quite likely to knock you out, rather than spur you on. ::Diego didn't want to be a killjoy; the idea of Hannibal passing out part way through his bachelor party was something he was sure wouldn't be particularly palatable to the big man.:: Tallis: I have to say that I'm with Captain Herrera on this one. It's my job to make sure you stay in one piece for the wedding, right? ::Rhul still wasn't entirely sure what he made of Diego Herrera. He seemed awfully laid back and casual to be worthy of wearing four pips, but in this case he couldn't deny that he had a point.:: Vess: Ah'll make that a third. Drink some water. Parker: It will be fun....and also, another test.... Jaxon: Another test? Joel: I hope it will not be as hard as these were.... :: As they all left the holosuite, they knew it would soon be converted into the banquet hall for the “other†bachelor party..:: Parker: We be back here in an hour, gentlemen...prepare to enjoy yourselves! ::Rhul nodded. An hour would be enough time for him to prepare for the evening and check in with Toni. Diego, meanwhile, figured that an hour would be just enough time to rehydrate and check up on the work he had been doing before he started out on the path to kal' Hyah. He wished he could give Hannibal's wedding celebrations his full attention but had been glad he could take part so far.:: Parker: Don't drink too much water! We will have much more to consume!!!! JP by: Fleet Captain Diego HerreraUSS VigilantAmbassador Tallis Rhul Duronis II Embassy Ensign Jaxon Mc GheeEngineer, USS Thunder-A/ Duronis II Embassy Joel Mc GheeTeenager Commander Alcuard VessFirst Officer, USS Thunder-A/ Duronis II EmbassyMajor Hannibal Tiberious Parker 2nd Officer/ Marine Commander/ Chief Of Strategic Operations USS Thunder-A/Duronis II Embassy Ha'Rouque Adjutant to Chancellor Martok Imperial Klingon Empire

OOC: The disagreement in this post is purely between the characters. The writers have full respect for each other. ~~~ (( Interrogation Room - USS Thunder-A )):: It was only a few hours ago since he had received the final pieces of his puzzle and it was time now to question the large, burly, human had been brought in by security and set down in the little white room with only the table and two chairs. Nugra was standing in a corner with his arms around his back running over everything in his head. There was evidence even though it was circumstantial and his conclusion took a lot of liberties with some of the missing data. Questioning Parker was not going to be easy, but if this man was violating Federation law, he would burn like the rest of the criminals. :: :: Hannibal was enraged. Knowing he had done nothing to warrant being summoned to the Security office and by not being asked nicely, it was only Kamela who saved the rest of the Security staff from being injured...even now they were at a discrete distance, knowing that if they tried to restrain him, they would join their brothers in Sick Bay. The Marines were buzzing, angry as bees at seeing their commander being escorted out. The harmony he was trying to create between the two forces had evaporated in a microsecond by their actions...:: Nugra: Good Afternoon, Major. Parker: ::seething:: What the hell makes you think it's a good goram afternoon, Commander? Nugra: You were officially summoned to give a deposition in to a case file. There was no need to resist Security as you were not under arrest. Parker: Really? So why did you send eight armed Security officers to the Marine barracks to bring me here, of which four of them are now in Sick Bay? Nugra: For the obvious reason that you just demonstrated. You have a right to a JAG lawyer. Do you wish one or are you going to waive that right for this meeting? :: Hannibal knew that he had done nothing wrong, but he also knew that having a JAG officer would help him defend himself in whatever circumstance he was now confronted with...currently, he was too mad to consider the ramifications of not having one...:: Parker: I have no need of one...now...what the hell do you want? You are making one hell of a mistake, Commander.... :: Hannibal was going to split Nugra in two when this was over...this dishonor would not go unchallenged...:: :: Nugra sat down and activated his PADD and fixed his cold reptilian eyes directly on to the brown ones filled with fury. It was amazing how much self control the marine lacked. It was amazing he didn't leap across the table and give the Gorn an excuse to put him down. :: Nugra: Please state your name, rank, and position for the record. Parker: Major Hannibal Tiberious Parker, Marine Commander, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. :: The Gorn glanced down to his data and began his questioning. :: Nugra: On stardate 238703.11, you were stationed aboard the USS Challenger-A under the command of Commander Tal Tel-Ar. Is this correct? Parker: That is correct. Nugra: Are you familiar with a Crewman Hannah Martinez who presently serves aboard the USS Thunder-A? Who is now a Lieutenant JG? Parker: Lieutenant Hannah Martinez is the Weapons Specialist aboard the USS Thunder-A. What the frak is this all about, Commander? Nugra: It seems, I cannot find any data on how she got aboard the USS Challenger. Her files are sealed, but furthermore, I cannot find out how her transfer to the Thunder was so easily pushed through. It seems she has had a lot of help to get some nice assignments. Almost as if somebody helped bend a few rules to get her aboard. :: Hannibal did not like where this was headed, not one bit. Hannah had served with honor since she had come aboard. He had given her the chance she needed to rebuild her service record..and this lizard was not going to undo what he had done to help her...:: Parker: I don't like your tone, Commander. Lieutenant Martinez has served with distinction in every duty post she has held since she joined me on the Challenger-A, and every post she has had since then. recently she received a commendation for her actions during the Klingon invasion for her actions on board the USS Rodimus Prime.:: With a low and very angry voice::What the frak are you getting at, Commander? Nugra: I am not challenging her record, Major. Are you familiar with the Fraternization rule between officer and enlisted? It carries an admonishment from your commander if it is proven. In the Gorn Navy, you'd be thrown out as a criminal. Parker: This is not a Gorn ship...this is a Federation starship, and from what I have seen of the Gorm fleet over the years, they could do with some...shall we say...updated rules..now, cut to the chase so I can get back to work....and you can get your people out of Sick Bay.... Nugra: Okay, I'll be blunt. Did you or are you having a sexual relationship with Chief Martinez? :: So...that was it...a one time sexual dalliance between two consenting adults. He wondered if Hannah had told him, but he knew that if she had, she would have given him a heads up. He was not going to open up her history to this Gorn, or anyone else. It was going to stay sealed, and classified.....:: Parker: That is none of your business. Is that why you called me down here? To ask who has been in my bed? :: Slowly standing:: I would love for you to try to make me answer that question, or any other.... :: Nugra was hoping there would be a rile. He had been in a bad mood for so long. He stood and enunciated his words. :: Nugra: SIT. DOWN. Major! This is an official investigation in to the possibility of actions prejudice to good order, you are on record, and you are required by law to answer my questions. Parker: Well, in that case, perhaps when I kick your [...] you can make a real case out of this, instead of this wannabe kangaroo court you are trying to run.... :: There was nothing Hannibal wanted to do more right now than to turn Nugra into a pair of boots with matching belt...he knew he was not making things easier for himself, but he knew he had done nothing wrong...and he was not going to be led to slaughter by this man....Nugra: If you plan to strike me, you better be ready to be cashiered out of Star Fleet with a bad conduct discharge as I'm completely within my rights as Chief of Security. The law is on my side. Not yours. Parker: The law MAY be on your side, but it does not mean you are right.... :: Hannibal, still standing, had no plans to yield, his gaze matching the Gorns...neither one would blink as they continued to stare at each other. Hannibal knew the Gorn meant business, but so did he. He knew he would have his chance at the Gorn...one way or another, and he slowly began to lower himself back into his chair...:: :: Nugra waited for him to be sitting again. The Gorn lowered himself back in to his chair. :: Nugra: Now. Are you refusing to answer the question? Parker: Under the Starfleet Code Of Military Justice, I hereby request formal council to assist me with providing this officer with a positive defense. :: Hannibal knew Nugra knew he was stalling for time, and he still had a few tricks up is sleeve..the [...] was not going to get away with this... :: :: Nugra hid his grin. Hannibal wasn't as much of a dumb tank as he seemed to be. It seemed he had realized that this wasn't Nugra: You can have your lawyer. It just makes me think you're guilty anyhow. You are hereby instructed under Security section 32a that you are not to discuss this investigation with anyone except your lawyer and my security staff. We will reconvene this briefing once you have your lawyer present. Parker: You won't have to wait long, Commander. This witch hunt is going to end, and then you and I are going to have a serious discussion....about honor...Nugra: Yes and while we are at it we'll discuss the law. Things like striking security officers unprovoked who are doing their job, I think it'll be a VERY interesting discussion. :: Hannibal did not appreciate the rather aggressive stance the Security Department took on since Nugra had been given command...and their laying of hands on him would clear him of assault charges once the security feed was reviewed...but for now, he knew he needed help, and whatever quest Nugra was on, nipping it in the bud was now high on his list of things to do..:: Parker: Oh, that it will be...perhaps I will be the one filing charges against you and your men...or perhaps, you can take your departments' punishment for them.. :: Hannbal stood up, and never took his eyes off the Gorn.He had just made himself a very dangerous enemy, not only from a combat standpoint, but shipboard as well..:: Parker: oO How dare he insult me, attempt to dishonor me, in front of my men, in front of my command? This is far from over....you have just declared war...Oo :: Nugra did not say a word as the infuriated officer left the room. He quickly made a note in his notes. ::Nugra: oO Major shows immediately defense of Chief Martinez. Though the fraternization is unimportant in the grand scheme of things, there might be a case of abuse of power and using of rank to show preferential treatment. Look into Major Parker's career and anyone associated with him. Oo Lt Cmdr NugraDeck OfficerUSS Thunder-A &Major Hannibal Tiberious Parker 2nd Officer/Marine Commander/ Chief Of Strategic Operations USS Thunder-A/ Duronis II Embassy