Blueheart

Congratulations and welcome!

((Senior Officer's Quarters, USS Columbia)) ::After spending a few hours with her nephew, Hsina took a quick trip over to the USS Columbia. There were a few workers from the star base on board, but for the most part it was just a minimal security contingent keeping the public off while the powers that be decided what to do with the relic. Hsina had not yet visited the ancient ship since the initial away mission prior to her trip to Kjenta II, and as an archaeologist and historian she simply couldn¹t resist taking another look around. Her first stop were the senior officers¹ quarters. Dr. Treng¹s quarters had already been scoured before the descent to Kjenta II when Hsina was looking for clues regarding the mysterious antenna, but Hsina had not taken the time to try and figure out who exactly Lan-Ngoc Treng was as a person. The more Hsina looked, the more she admired the person who became the madwoman on Kjenta II. That Treng was a brilliant scientist was without question, but Hsina found in her diaries and logs that she also had a passion for helping the poor, which was still a problem on mid 22nd century earth. While the transporter was Treng¹s most famous invention, the one the scientist was personally the most proud of was a compact, low cost water purification system that used sunlight common aluminum as a catalyst and could purify over one thousand gallons per gram of aluminum, with no toxic waste. It was a simple and elegant system that Hsina found out was still in use throughout the federation today. Treng wasn¹t the only overachiever on Columbia¹s crew. Commodore Moretti, in addition to being a famous explorer and career officer, was also a fairly famous painter in his day. A simple check of his published paintings revealed that one of his works remained on display in the entrance to Starfleet Academy, a painting of the signing of the Federation charter, which Moretti was a personal witness to. The list went on and on. Every room she visited, Hsina got a sense of the people who had once lived, served, and in most cases died here. Lieutenant Klein¹s room filled with pictures of her daughter, Ensign Marquez¹ room filled with beer-making equipment, and Commander Lennon¹s room with a collection of medieval manuscripts that would make a small museum proud. Each one a story. Hsina¹s entire life had been spent uncovering the stories of people long dead, but somehow this was different. Except for Moretti she hadn¹t met any of the dead, but she had met some of their shipmates and had conflicted feelings about them and their plight. The marine, Pavlova, was someone that Hsina could actually relate to. Tough and pragmatic, Hsina admired the way the marine handled herself on Kjenta II after being betrayed by her shipmates. Again it made Hsina think back to her first mission on Discovery when she had moved against Captain Waltas to try and prevent him from firing on a Romulan colony. It was amazing how far she had come in such a short time, to the point where she would fight and if necessary die to protect that same Captain and his crew today. In the marine¹s room Hsina found a small mahogany box, and inside the box an ancient firearm in well-maintained condition, along iwht a faded black-and-white photograph of a World War Two Russian officer shaking hands with a Nazi Officer as the latter handed the former the same box. An ancestor¹s spoil of war, and one that Hsina would make sure was returned to the marine before she left DS 285. Her exploration complete, for now, Hsina returned to the large hall for the ceremony that was due to start about 30 minutes later. She would give the marine her momento, and then link back up with her shipmates. Shipmates? When had she started to think of those people with such closeness? By all of the standards that she had lived by, many of them were people she simply should not care about, and yet somehow, she did. They were caring, emotional and sensitive, all qualities that Hsina had long despised, thought of as weak and feeble. Yet somehow, she had come to care for each of them. She thought of Commodore Moretti and his painting, then of her sister Samira, how had killed herself after their mother¹s death. Samira had also been a painter, but by the time Samira died at age 19 Hsina, then 13, was already hardened and cold. Hsina hadn¹t cried since she was six-years-old, so when a tear slid down her cheek as she walked out of the marine¹s room, for a moment she didn¹t even know what it was. It was followed by another, and another, causing Hsina to stop, turn around and go back into the room she had just left. She just stood there for a few minutes until the water stopped flowing, wiped her face dry and then took a look into the mirror.:: AMMAN: And who will cry for you, when the time comes? ::She just stood there for a while and looked at her reflection. Without another thought she then suddenly turned away, put her demons back in their closet and walked out of the room.:: Lieutenant Hsina Amman Chief of Security, USS Discovery-C

((Backsim)) ((USS Discovery-C, Security Office)) ::The young security officer sat in front of the console. With a soft movement of her hand, she banned a rebellious curl of her obsidian-coloured hair behind her left ear. Now that the Discovery was about to dock, she had managed to set up a plan to ensure security. Even in the case of shoreleave, a minimum contingent of security officers was required to remain on duty, while most of the crew could enjoy the pleasures of some time off duty. Now as the temporary executive of the new Chief of Security, she had thought she would organize that in advance – probably one of the last acts as her exec, as the return to the Starbase not meant repairs for the ship, but also replacement of the crew and there would almost certainly be a more experienced security officer who would take over that position. After all, she was still fresh out of the Academy and had just finished her first mission as an Ensign. A last glance over the duty schedule and then she sent the plan to Lieutenant Amman.:: ::Vanessa leaned back and nodded contentedly. There was a bit of time left, before the ship would actually be docked and the crew could head on over to the Starbase, so she checked the latest news that had come in. The conversation with Saxena, her Trill roommate had stirred up a sad and unsettling thought that the Discovery and all her crew must have been declared missing. And that would mean that all the families had most likely been informed , which was almost the same as declaring them dead.:: ::Since then, pictures of the scene ran constantly through her mind – her mum, dad and her brother back on the colony world Toral IV receiving the information. Not knowing that she was actually alive and well, the idea of them mourning for her was almost unbearable. Especially the thought of her beloved brother almost broke her heart.:: DRISCOLL: ::whispering to herself:: So it’s true… they planned a memorial service. ::She quickly skimmed the short report from the Starbase about the service in commemoration of the Discovery. As she read that not only Starfleet personnel, but also many relatives of the allegedly dead crew had arrived at the station, her heart started racing.:: DRISCOLL: oO My family… what if they are here on the Starbase! Oo ::She was absolutely sure that her mum and dad and especially her brother would have travelled to the Starbase for that, if they had been informed about it. Toral IV was not too far away and with a shuttle they could have arrived here within a short period of time.:: ::Excited about the prospect of seeing her brother again, she checked the lists of all the persons who had arrived at the Starbase as well as the lists of people who were already staying on the Starbase for some time. She double and triple checked the lists, but none showed the name of her family or at least one family member. It took a while, but when she was absolutely sure that she hadn’t just skipped the name, she fell back into the chair and stared at the ceiling.:: DRISCOLL: oO What if they didn’t get the information about the memorial. Oo ::So she checked again whether the families had been informed and found a little report that the families had been informed. There would have been enough time for her family to come to the memorial.:: ::Her head braced on her hand, she starred at the console. Vanessa couldn’t understand it. What could be the reason for her family not being here on the station. The young woman couldn’t just think of any reason why they couldn’t have come, unless they had been forgotten to be informed by some sort of mistake.:: ::As she tried to make up an explanation in her mind, she suddenly noticed a little blinking number at the padd, showing her that she had received an unread message. Knitting her brow she opened the message and stared at the sender with wide eyes. The message was from her brother. As soon as the Discovery had established contact with the station, the messages which had been sent to them at the time when their comm was down, were delivered. Checking on the date she saw that it had been sent only a few hours ago – at a time, when nobody here had known that the Discovery-C was on its way back and the crew was alive.:: ::With a shaking hand she opened the message and read a message her brother had sent to his sister, believing that she was lost somewhere out the in the black vastness of space.:: MICHEAL DRISCOLL (message): :: As she opened the message, she realized that it was an audio recording and heard her brother’s voice:: Hello my dear Vany! I’d never thought that I would have to send a message like that. A message that I send out, not knowing where you are, what happened and whether you are… you will ever be able to read it. Some weeks ago, we received the message – and I could not believe it. I was out helping Dad on the fields when Mum came out to the farmyard. She was just standing there, her whole body shaking… and I knew. I instantly knew… It sounds sort of strange, but when I saw her standing there, the tears rolling down her cheeks, I knew that you … ::pause:: I ran back to the house to our mum and she just locked her arms around me, whispering in my ear that you were dead. Dad also came back to the farmyard, he only remained standing a few metres away. It is really hard to bring back the images of that day. It is hard for me to think back to that moment and still be strong enough to write those lines … to you. Dad just thinks that this is nonsense. Sometimes I really would like to… ::pausing, Michael took a deep breath:: but this is not about my anger today. This is… my way of saying farewell to you. It sounds strange, but do you remember us sitting out there just outside the farm on clear summer nights when we were younger? We were both looking up at the sky with its endless number of sparkling stars. You sometimes said that you would like to travel to one of the stars pointing your fingers at one of those many sparkling dots. I always loved those nights, when you told me your stories of what you would be finding there…. After the message arrived, I went out and looked at the stars and I somehow knew, that even if you… even if you are no longer there as the person I knew, you are still up there… somewhere. And I decided to send you this message. Today we received the information that Starfleet plans a memorial service at the Starbase, but… Dad wouldn’t agree to go there. It would just be a journey of a couple of hours… ::a deep sigh interrupting the audio transmission:: Over the last years, he turned into a cold-hearted, emotionless man – even more after you had left us to go back to earth. ::Her brother’s voice sounding both hard and sad at the same time:: Mother and I tried to convince him first, I shouted at him and told him, he could go to hell and I would go on my own, but he just wouldn’t change his mind. :: A loud bang could be heard as if something hard hit the table:: I really didn’t know what to do. Of course, I could just have travelled there on my own, but… Mum got desperate, but he wouldn’t let her go and I just couldn’t leave her alone at home with him in her condition. So…. This is my way to say farewell to you, my little Vany! And it’s even harder than I could ever have imagined. I will always keep you in my heart. I love you … wherever you may be now. And whenever I look at our sky at night, I… ::his voice getting thinner and breathy:: I will think of you. ::As Vanessa heard her brother’s voice, her tears started to flow. She was just sitting in the chair of the security office, not being able to say or do anything, but a soft and husky:: DRISCOLL: I love you, too. ::She logged out of the console. Without looking left nor right, she ran out of the office. She was happy that most of the crew were already preparing to leave the ship, so she didn’t really meet many crewmembers on her way back to her room.:: ========= Ensign Vanessa Driscoll Security Officer USS Discovery-C

Congratulations to the winners!

((USS Discovery-C - Quarters - Once All Settled on the Bridge)) ::Tracey sat in her dimly lit quarters gently rocking the Romulan infant child in her arms as the stars streaked by outside her window. Tracey looked down at the child and he up at her with his dark eyes which was in sharp contrast to her own. When thier eyes met, Tracey smiled and pulled the child a little closer to her chest. The child did not push away, but neither did smile, but continued to stare almost in curiosity at the new expression on Tracey's face. He then gently reached up and lightly touched Tracey's lips with his hand.:: TOWNSON: ::whispering:: Its a smile, Hvaid. I...I wish you could... ::Tracey's smile disappeared at the last of her trailing off spoken thoughts but the child's tiny hand still rested on her lips and their eyes remained locked for a moment longer before the child's head turned to look back out the window at the streaking stars. And as Tracey looked at the top of her sleepy infant's head, and the tiny hand slowly slid down from Tracey's lips until it fell limp next to the child and onto his adoptive mother's lap, Tracey's feelings of concern were welling up inside of her. ::It was not just the concern that one day, perhaps, this child whom Tracey had grown strangely attached to, would one day encounter his true parents and be taken away from her. But also the fact that she had grown attached to this very unique Romulan child whose emotional centers of his brain were disconnected, and therefore showed no emotion whatsoever. Without the assistance of the Vulcans nor the Romulans Tracey wondered if she was up for such a challenge of raising this child.:: ((Three years ago - Starfleet Medical - Psychiatric Division - Office of Doctor Samuel Huff)) ::Time and time again, Tracey's fate was almost sealed by the Dominion forces in which she fought against everyday. Either through physical or psychological confrontation of learning of another friend, colleague or family member killed by the hands either directly or indirectly, by the enemy. Death was a fact of life for her through her adult life and now was no different. With her eyes still closed and her head leaning back, Tracey, through a new round of tears, knew she would eventually learn her fate. If that was the case, it would be better to get it done now rather than later.:: TOWNSON: How did I do? HUFF: You passed. ::A frown formed on Tracey's face as she brought her head forward.:: TOWNSON: I don't understand...how? HUFF: ::smiling slightly:: The test is designed to see how one copes in a no win situation. You appear to have performed adequately. Congratulations. TOWNSON: ::turning her head slightly to look out the window towards the San Francisco, early morning, sunshine filled skyline, before turning back to face her Doctor.:: A no win scenario? ::The Doctor nodded.:: TOWNSON: ::shaking her head:: That's not a no win scenario, Doctor. I could have turned my ship around and left those on the Kobyashi Maru to die. To me that was more of a setup. A no win scenario is one where you have no choice. Where death is imminent no matter what decision you make. HUFF: I see. And if I would have told you you didn't pass. Would you have considered that a no win scenario? ::Tracey stared at her Doctor for a long time before she reached for her long, black hair and began twirling it in her fingers.:: TOWNSON: What do you mean, Doctor? HUFF: It is no secret your desire to reenter Starfleet. Have you considered any alternative? TOWNSON: No! HUFF: Why not? You are aware there are no guarantees. TOWNSON: It is who I am. It is what I was trained for all my life. I am not capable of living any other lifestyle. HUFF: But you are vibrant, young, bright and a quick learner. If you cannot get back to your universe of origin, I am certain you would easily find yourself, in time, able to adjust, settle down, and perhaps even start a family. Have you ever concidered children? ::Tracey shook her head. She then stood in her medical gown and slippers and walked towards the window.:: TOWNSON: I'd like to change the subject, Doctor. ((Present - USS Discovery-C - Quarters)) ::Even in her universe of origin, children were not on Tracey's radar. To bear a child while the galaxy was at war was not a prospect she wished for any potential offspring to have to deal with. Therefore she made certain that pregnancy would be an option she would never have to deal with. Since coming to this universe, these thoughts remained the same but for a very different reason. By laying down too many roots in this universe, it would be that much more difficult for her to return to her own should the opportunity arise. This was the reason she stayed at arms length from her comrades, trying not to develop deep rooted relationships at any level. And save for two occasions when she knew she would never see them again, refrained from any type of intimate relationships. But besides Jack, the medical student bartender at the Twilight's Edge on DS 17 and Doctor Charles Sampi, Tracey would push those away who would come too close.:: ((One Year Ago - Outside Tracey Townson's quarters, the night before Dr. Charles Sampi's departure from the USS Tiger-A)) ::Charlie took a breath and rang the door chime. After what seemed like the longest pause, he heard an answer.:: TOWNSON: Come. SAMPI: Hello, commander, it's Char... Dr. Sampi. I just wanted to see you for a moment if that's all right? ::Tracey turned her head towards the shadowy figure standing in the doorway and smiled as she leaned back in her chair and looked up towards the ceiling.:: TOWNSON: Making a housecall Doctor? SAMPI: Not exactly. I just wanted to see you before I left. TOWNSON: ::turning slowly and looking back towards the door.:: Of course, Doctor. Please, come in. Sit down. ::gesturing towards her bed directly across from the chair Tracey was in:: SAMPI: oO The bed... huh... Oo ::One of the first things Charlie learned in medical school was never to sit on a patient's bed. But then, this really wasn't a biobed, and besides, Tracey wasn't lying on it. For now, at least.:: ::Charlie cautiously sat down.:: SAMPI: Are you feeling better? TOWNSON: ::looking for a moment at her shaky left hand before returning her smile towards the Doctor.:: A little. I'm a big girl, Charles. I'll heal. But thats not what you came here for. ::It was a statement. Not a question.:: SAMPI: ::chuckles:: I must be so transparent... you're right. I guess I needed to see you because of what happened... in the corridor after the ceremony... TOWNSON: ::looking away before returning her gaze on the Doctor.:: You saved my life, Doctor. I wanted...I wanted to give something back in return. SAMPI: oO Something, eh? Oo Well, I... ::Charlie let out another small laugh and looked down.:: SAMPI: This is so silly, but now that I'm going, I guess it doesn't matter anymore... ::He looked up.:: I like you Tracey. Or rather, I've had a bit of a crush on you... TOWNSON: ::smiling:: I see. SAMPI: I regret not being courageous enough to get to know you better... I told myself since you were part of the crew, and I was the chief medical officer, then technically you would always be my patient in some way, so it would be inappropriate... but I think that was more an excuse I could tell myself. ::Charlie looked down again, in shame.:: SAMPI: To not worry about getting hurt possibly if you didn't feel the same way. TOWNSON: ::looking towards the window before returning her gaze towards the former Chief Medical Officer.:: Sometimes life gets so hectic that we sometimes miss those signals that are right in front of our noses. SAMPI: ::looking up suddenly:: Do you? TOWNSON: Do I what, Charles? SAMPI: Feel the same way, that is? I know you didn't really get a chance to know me more either... TOWNSON: ::smiling slightly:: I trust you Doctor, and with that trust I feel comfort around you. How far that would go is anyone's guess. ::She looked down for a moment:: TOWNSON: I am a soldier, Charles, and you are a healer. We are exact opposites from one another. But you have shown a true interest and care for my well-being that has gone unnoticed. But that has changed. When I learned of your departure, a part of me wanted to jump up and say "no!". It was at that moment when I realized that my feelings for you were perhaps more than just Doctor, patient variety. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable in the corridor after the conference. ::looking down.:: Hearing what you have just told me now brings a bittersweet feeling to me. I wish we had more time. But at the same time, I don't want to hold you back. ::Charlie just sat for a moment, taking in everything the woman had just told him.:: SAMPI: I... I don't know what to say... ::He then smiled.:: SAMPI: Well, actually, I do know one thing. You don't have to apologize about what happened in the corridor. It was a very pleasant surprise. ::Tracey stood up as she pushed on her cane with all her strength. She stood in front of Doctor Sampi and spoke in almost a whisper.:: TOWNSON: Catch me. ::Charlie gave a puzzled glance before she let her cane drop to the floor and fell into the Doctor's arms.:: SAMPI: ::looking down at her:: Tracey! TOWNSON: ::looking up into the eyes of the Doctor and smiling:: Before your departure, I have one last request of you, Doctor. ::As Charlie looked down at her, he knew she could ask him for anything at that moment--a case of 2309 bloodwine, the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, anything--and he'd strive to get it for her.:: SAMPI: Yes? TOWNSON: Stay with me until I fall asleep. ::She listened to his heartbeat through his chest. He gave a soft chuckle and leaned back against the headboard of the bed as Tracey continued to rest against him.:: SAMPI: Of course. ::Tracey smiled as she rested her head on the man's chest. She could smell his skin and could feel his chest slowly rising and falling. Tracey felt a comfort in the man's arms she had not felt for years. But she knew it would be short lived. The Doctor would be gone by the morning, she knew. And she wanted so much to ask him to stay, but she was a child of StarFleet, and she knew the sacrifices that had to be made. She only hoped that the Doctor did as well, as she looked up into his eyes and smiled.:: TOWNSON: I... I hope none of this changes your plans, Doctor. SAMPI: ::sighs:: Well, Captain Riley just signed the final transfer request... TOWNSON: ::smiling and sighing:: Good, otherwise I would have ordered you to go. SAMPI: ::laughs:: I believe I have the same number of pips as you, *commander*... ::He looked down and grinned broadly.:: TOWNSON: ::still smiling:: I know...::as she pressed her left finger against each one of the Doctor's three pips before moving it to his cheek.:: But a girl can always try. ::Her head then slowly lowered back onto the Doctor's chest. Charlie took the blanket from the bed and placed it over her gently. He kept his arm wrapped around her as she closed her eyes.:: SAMPI: You know, there is a scheduled leave after the first six months of the fellowship program. Perhaps the Tiger won't be so far away then... ::The doctor looked down to see though that Tracey had fallen asleep. He smiled. Was this really happening? What were his plans now? How could it ever work? Did it even matter?:: ::He kept a watchful eye on her, but it wasn't long before he too closed his eyes.:: ::As the Tiger continued on its journey, one in which Charlie would not be able to follow, the two drifted off into a place where they could remain together, if only for a moment.:: ((Present - USS Discovery-C - Quarters )) ::Tracey never saw the Doctor again past that memorable evening, as he had slipped out and left the Tiger before she awoke. Once again, Tracey felt unhindered should she find a way to return to her universe of origin. But now she had a child. One that was almost inexplicably dropped in her lap when she found the infant in an abandoned cave on Bilire IV. A child she became almost instantly attached to the moment she picked him up in her arms, to the point where she dove a batleth into the forehead of a Klingon to protect the child from harm. ((Six Months Ago - Hill Tops - Bilire IV)) ::Tracey held the child in her arms as tightly as she could without smothering him, as she ran with the others. Keeping up was not easy, but she fought the pains that were beginning to develop as well as old injuries whose pains of some were reemerging.:: ZERXES: We can approach from a hilltop and provide cover; give them an escape route. RILEY: Which hill? ::Everything was moving very quickly....:: TOWNSON: ::lifting her head from her footfalls and scanning the area visually.:: 11 o'clock, Captain! ::shouting through the pounding raindrops.:: RILEY: How much farther? TOWNSON: We should be getting closer! RILEY: Townson, are you doing okay? TOWNSON: I'm fine, Captain. ::she put on a false smile, but she was struggling. She was too proud and in essence, stubborn to ask for help. Besides, she knew she'd be hard pressed to leave the child out of her care.:: ::The team stopped and Tracey looked up and at the scene in front of her. She then looked at the Captain as she too appeared to try to figure the next best course of action. Suddenly the new security officer spoke up, and Tracey's attention was drawn to him.:: ZERXES: Two providing cover fire, two going down there to cut a path. ::Sidney's eyes widened at the fact the Ensign was now giving her orders to provide him with cover fire. It shocked her so much, there was a second before she spoke.:: RILEY: Ensign, you don't want to give your position away.... TOWNSON: Wait! I've gotta.. ::But the man had already rolled onto his back and pulled his rifle into position. Sidney shook her head, if she yelled at the eager man she'd give away both her and Townson's location. She sighed and pulled out her phaser setting it to the highest stun setting.:: RILEY: Keep the child safe. TOWNSON: Yes Captain. ::Tracey moved back and rested the child onto the ground in an area she assumed would be able to shelter the child from errant fire and potential debris. She then crouched down and pulled out her phaser and pointed in the general direction of where Zerxes went running from her naturally carved out trench area.:: RILEY: I'm going after hot shot so he doesn't get himself or us killed. TOWNSON: I'll cover you, Captain. ::Tracey then watched as the Captain headed away as she trained her phaser on nothing, but should something attack the Captain, Tracey would have a good shot at it from her location. With her senses at their peak, Tracey picked up a minor unnatural sound from to her left rear of her head, close to where the infant was. For a fraction of a second, she thought it was the infant himself who moved or made a noise, but turning her head slightly, the unnatural shadow of a large individual could be seen. Her eyes darted up just in time to see the Bat'leth blade come slicing down towards the two of them.:: ::In a heartbeat, Tracey threw up her right hand and the Bat'leth made contact with it accompanied by the telltale screeching sound of steel meeting steel as the weapon slashed through the false flesh of her prosthetic hand. The power of the impact shook the phaser from Tracey's left hand and the weapon rolled down the hill. Tracey gripped the blade and looked at her enemy in the eyes as she squeezed the edge of the blade and would not let go. I minor tug of war ensued and once Tracey felt the weapon was useless in her grip, she let it go. The Klingon slipped back momentarily and Tracey took the opportunity to stand and with lightning speed, reached for the Klingon's neck with her right hand, as the loose false flesh dangled from it in the wind.:: ::The Klingon tried in vain to pry open Tracey's grip, to no avail as Tracey looked up and an evil smile spread across her face. He then tried to push her arm away with his as the Klingon's ability to breathe was becoming more and more labored.:: TOWNSON: Don't even try, Klingon. You'll rip your own esophagus out. ::With the clouds moving at the pace of the ever increasing wind gusts, and the large raindrops pouring down over her face and matted hair, Tracey's grip remained secure on the Klingon's air pipe, just under his chin, as she pointed towards the child lying inches away, still covered in a StarFleet tunic. Both of the Klingon's hands were gripping Tracey's right wrist as he fought for each breath he took.:: TOWNSON: On your knees, Klingon. ::pointing towards the Romulan infant.:: Pray to the child, and I may let you die an honorable death. ::The Klingon shook his head weakly and tried in vain to spit at the recognizable Romulan child whose pointed ears were clearly in view. Not liking the response from the Klingon in her grips, Tracey increased the pressure just a little more. as she watched the color begin to drain from the face of the Klingon. Moments later, the Klingon dropped down to his knees as his oxygen levels began to deplete.:: TOWNSON: Good, Klingon. ::One of the hands of the Klingon went limp, and reached for a dagger from within his torso, and with one last ditch effort, slashed up at Tracey's right arm, cutting across her right forearm.:: TOWNSON: NO!!! ::With her left hand she gripped her right forearm as the red liquid seeped through her fingers, but she didn't let go of the Klingon's neck. As the Klingon tried one last slash Tracey caught the weakened Klingon's arm, wielding the dagger and drove it into the Klingon's torso.:: ::Suddenly the Romulan infant let out a wail. A shriek, and Tracey turned. With her focus on the child, the Klingon withdrew his dagger from his own torso as a look of intense pain developed on his face, and once cleared, with Tracey's attention drawn to the child, slashed at Tracey's torso, and created a deep gash in her belly. Tracey turned back to the Klingon, now keeling over in intense pain and once again, increased her pressure as she swore in Romulan.:: ::This time Tracey grabbed the hand of the Klingon holding bloddy dagger and brought it up and drove it into his forehead. With blood covering both of her arms and torso, and bent over in pain as she tried to stop the bleeding at her belly with her left arm. She watched as the Klingons eyes rolled back into its head, and when she could no longer feel a pulse around her grip of the Klingons neck, she let go, and the Klingon collapsed backwards with his hand still in the dagger as if he had driven it there himself.:: ::Tracey looked at the dead Klingon for a moment before gathering up the child and heading down the hill to join the others as the storm didn't let up.:: ::Tracey was in no condition for another fight, but from what she noticed, things appeared to be calm for the most part.:: TOWNSON: Captain. ((Present - USS Discovery-C - Quarters )) ::Tracey looked down at the now sleeping infant and gathered him up in her arms, stood up, closed her eyes and held him close as to protect him. She then headed to the infant's crib and gently tucked him in. Tracey stood and watched the child sleep for awhile, before crouching down close to the infant Romulan. She then gently brushed his cheek with her real left hand and whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.:: TOWNSON: I love you, Hvaid. And I will make certain that no harm shall ever come to you. And should a portal open back to my home, I...I just don't know anymore what I would do. ::And with that, Tracey sat cross-legged at the side of the crib and cried for those she had lost in a universe that now only existed in her memories.:: -TBC- Lt. Commander Tracey Townson Chief of Operations USS Discovery-C

Congratulations and welcome!

Well done and congratulations! ;)

(( Kjenta II, Command Center )) :: Struggling against the elemental forces of the planet, the Away Team boldly struck a path. From the wreck of the USS Cook to the antenna, they had been attacked and harassed at every turn. Rogg had collected some specimens before hurrying to rejoin the rest. "Hurrying" was a relative term here. The second planet of the Kjenta system had gravity almost three times that of Earth. :: :: The Away Team made it to the control center. The answers, the secrets behind the mysterious ions flooding the atmosphere, a way to return to Discovery -- everything should have fallen into place once they reached the controls of the antenna. Instead of answers the crazy Treng was waiting. And after she hurled Doctor Aven aside, everything went to pieces. :: ROGG: Aven. :: There were only a couple seconds. Treng was focused on Doctor Aven in a way people lacking telekinesis could not appreciate. What Rogg did understand was that she should not have singled out the small, benign Raskorian. The Dachlyd crossed the room furtively, although wary eyes in the Away Team could not have missed Rogg's relocation. :: :: With an imperious tone the former Starfleet Science officer continued to address her adversaries. :: TRENG: All you had to do was lay your down your weapons. We would have had a nice chat, perhaps a cup of tea, and then called home to your Federation. Once certain assurances were in place, we all could have beamed up to your waiting ship and gone home. Ticker tape parades, after-school specials, and a protection from your Federation using us so that old, fat, rich people could live to be older, fatter and richer. But no, you had to do things the hard way. oO I have no idea to what Treng refers. But, yes. There is that look in Tyr's eyes once more. Oo :: A lack of mammalian dermal responses saved Rogg any chills from disquiet. But the Dachlyd's breath caught short, and not just from the increased gravity. Tyr was usually easy-going and paternal. But the Dachlyd officer knew Tyr's unflinching gaze, recognized grim determination there. :: WALTAS: ::Snorting:: You mean NOT your way. There is a difference, Treng. I’m not offering a sit-down. Surrender or die. Those are your choices. And that’s more than you gave Moretti. TRENG: Moretti's death was never part of the plan. Jenkins had orders not to fire. You heard me give those orders yourself. Nobody was supposed to get hurt. WALTAS: So all of the puppets dance for you, and their strings don’t get cut? Maybe I’m just getting on in years, but I stopped taking orders a long time ago from megalomaniacs. Starfleet is founded on exploration and peaceful coexistence with other races, not dictatorial madmen who rule through fear and threats of death. :: The discussion was one of desperation. Frustration had given way to anger, and from a mutual rage Tyr Waltas and Treng were attempting to come to terms. It was not going well. Treng held on to the last tatters of a dream which likely died hundreds of years in the past. Waltas was already sizing up an opponent, formulating an attack. Treng probably did not even realize it. :: :: The Captain's words struck something within the Counselor. "Fear" and "threats". Already two lay on the floor from Treng. Rogg could not understand how Treng had diverged from being a Science officer to this, amoral thing. The Dachlyd understood the madness had to stop. :: TRENG: That may be, but I learned my lesson about how far Starfleet can be trusted. We played by all of the rules the first time, and six of my crew were killed for our trouble, and after that we were just abandoned. Two and a quarter centuries is a long time to wait Captain Waltas. PAVLOVA: It's true then? WALTAS: ::Casting an apologetic look at the Marine:: I’m sorry, Irina. It is. And we’re trying to get you home. TRENG: So again I give you the choice. Drop your weapons, sit down and we can talk things out like grown-ups, or you will never leave this high-gravity paradise of a planet. WALTAS::Shaking his head:: And again I tell you that a choice between death and your way is no choice at all. I’m sorry Treng but you leave me no- :: Rogg had just begun creeping closer to Treng, then there was noise. The report of ancient weapons pierced the room. One of the Security guards went down immediately in a spray of blood, and Pavlova seemed to be the other target. Tyr barked out orders.:: WALTAS: Everyone down! :: Lacking the combat instincts Starfleet had tried to impart via drilling, Rogg flattened against a wall. The green reptiloid would have made a comical target. But there were distractions on the other side of the room. :: :: Most of the Discovery crew followed Tyr's example. Doctor Aven was still in a daze across the control room. Rogg couldn't see where Raj had gone. Treng was so close by. The Dachlyd could smell her - breath, flakes of skin, oil, sweat, all mixing with the residue of chemical propellant spreading in the air. :: oO Too much. Where are all of these bullets coming from? Oo :: The intrepid Dachlyd did not notice much of what everyone else did. :: :: The room grew dark, but it did not matter. Rogg had the scent of Treng. There was more gunfire and the sound of people running. Someone screamed. Rogg's shields filled with the sound of Treng's breathing, her concerted movements as she searched around. She was alert for someone, someone charging her. There was a faint tang of oil and carbon steel. At the last moment Rogg almost hesitated, but that was merely a thought. The thought died. :: WALTAS: Rogg! Morningsong! NOW! :: The Dachlyd was already upon the despot of Kjenta. Seeking to drive her to the floor, claws clutched at exposed shoulders only guarded by thin skin. Treng fell, and twisted sharply, wrenched herself free from Rogg's unpracticed hold. Gouts of blood spattered to the floor. She was crouched and staring straight at her Dachlyd attacker. :: oO Her gaze. Her gaze. No. Oo :: Somehow Rogg believed Treng's mental powers shot from her eyes, but whatever Rogg's spurious logic the immediate effect was that Rogg went for them. Glittering, wet eyes beheld for an instant dagger claws. :: :: Rogg's breathing did not quicken, though Treng gasped and struggled. She squirmed and thrashed, Rogg held her closer, tried holding her head still to cease whatever unknown power she sought to unleash. :: oO No one else can die. Protect. Rings. Oo ROGG: Grakiss- hssalt. Ernt. ::A kick landed directly under the Dachlyd's ribs.:: Gahss. :: One of Rogg's hands instinctively flinched towards the injury. The Dachlyd remembered the power of Treng's eyes, resumed driving thumbs into them as Rogg's hands held her fiercely struggling head. Blood welled from gouged sockets and claws disappeared into the dark pools. :: :: The kick unbalanced Rogg, but with high gravity and a tail stable position was soon regained. A prehensile foot maneuvered out and up, tried to pin the kicking legs. Treng's foot struck Rogg in the crotch. Rogg shifted weight to the extended leg, counterbalanced by tail, and dug with the other foot. Curved claws capable of supporting one hundred kilograms dug into flesh unguarded by scales. Treng screamed in death agony, prompting Rogg to screech back in the unnerving, Dachlydish manner. The long toes raked flesh again and again until the blows to Rogg's groin ceased. Rogg's grasping foot sliced down unresisting thigh until claws snagged in the bundle of tendon and ligament joining the patella. :: :: The Dachlyd was out of breath, light-headed, breathed in fully, a bit more cognizant. Thumbs twisted slightly in Treng's still skull, advanced no further. The stricken woman screamed without cease. Rogg could feel the scrape of bone, warmth, fluttering pulse in a heart's panic. Dimly some xenobiology fact surfaced in the reptilian mind, that brain trauma was not guaranteed to be fatal. :: oO Tiger. Lion. Cheetah. Yawn. Oo :: A woman’s scream was cut off suddenly, violently, and then the room grew silent. :: oO Oh rocks, flaming rocks. Oo :: Treng's smell was everywhere. Cloying in its meat-stench, rank in Rogg's nostrils was a different, death smell. An awful taste, at once unknown and yet conspicuously Treng oozed over Rogg's tongue, refused to depart as the powerful, wedge-shaped head retreated, jaws parted with a smack. :: :: With all haste the Dachlyd rose. Fingers slipped out easily. Head looked up to a room of chaos, a room which felt surreal, a place with some familiar fixtures, faces -- and also strange and alien. Rogg moved a few centimeters and stumbled. Claws were tangled in tendons and powerful muscle tissue. :: :: Turning carefully, only the leg and its bloodied cloth cover was visible. Rogg crouched, freed the stuck claws. :: :: The reptiloid officer, ostensible Counselor of the USS Discovery, moved away and became resolutely interested in nothing. :: :: Power was restored to some degree. Two gunmen lay dead in the hallway. Discovery’s personnel had not escaped without harm: Duquzieny was dead, along with Tom Westerbridge. Pavlova lay bleeding out, and Raj had disappeared. Doctor Aven appeared to be ambulatory. Rogg looked away before the Raskorian could see. Rogg turned to note Captain Tyr Waltas. The warrior cleaned the edge of his blade with a cloth reserved for that sole purpose. :: WALTAS: ::Sheathing the katana:: Doctor, see to Pavlova. Rogg, come with me. Stavins, Amman, Eskyys, see what you can do with this equipment. I recognize this room from Treng’s transmission, so we can assume it’s still capable of transmitting. Try to raise the Discovery. The rest of you form a rear guard. No one comes into this room unless they are unarmed and wearing a Discovery uniform. Understood? :: Rogg made to speak, suddenly found himself gagging. :: ROGG: ::spitting repeatedly:: Aye-aye, sssir. oO This is not going away. What do I do? Follow Tyr. Oo MORNING-SONG: Is there anyone else who needs Medical attention ? :: Rogg almost chimed in, and thought better of it. The Dachlyd instead limped after Waltas. :: TBC... Lieutenant Commander Inarr "Steve" Rogg d'Squamos murderer USS Discovery-C, Away Team

(Bridge - USS Solstice) ::Despite using all the ship's various sensors, the search felt like it was going no where. The only data they had to go on was the planet, and the readings that one of the science team thought was similar to the Bajoran wormhole. The most promising news was that they hadn't found any of the usual debris left by the destruction of a starship the size of the Discovery C. Even a warp core breach left surviving pieces of debris, bits of the various alloys used to construct a starship's hull and warp core.. Complete destruction was a remote possibility. oO Which means there's a better than average chance something else happened to her and she really is missing again. Or so I have to keep believing. Oo ::He was currently using the ship's tactical sensors for searching since he had the most familiarity with them. His background was in the tactical department, having served at the tactical console on all four of the Discovery's. His career had started as a fighter pilot, then gone to security, then the helm, then to tactical, and then it started looping like a Gordian knot. Between the Discovery's A, B, and C, he had served as chief tactical officer, fighter squadron commander, First Officer/XO, and even Pre-Commissioning Officer, before always returning to the tactical department. During his off duty hours, he had dabbled in ship design, submitting various design ideas and concepts to the office of Shipbuilding. Most of his submissions had gone no where, but it had lead to the stint working for a BuShips as the Pre-Commissioning Officer for what had become the Sovereign class USS Discovery C. That experience combined with a series of personal issues had lead to him leave the Discovery and take the job at Utopia Plantia.:: oO As much as I love what I've been doing on the new ships and "Delta," I actually miss life aboard the Lady. The scream and bass thumping of the Red Alert klaxon, the high pitched whine of the phasers unleashing their fury as raw power, the "chump-whump" of the torpedo launchers spitting their eggs containing deadly yokes of antimatter. Oo ::Combat had become a way of life aboard the Discovery it seemed. The Lady and her predecessors seemed to be either dragged into or just somehow ended up in more combat in their careers, then a dozen other starships might have combined for. Only the Enterprise and her predecessors could give her a real run for her money in regards to who had been in more shooting matches.:: oO Its almost like a drug. Once its in your system, you almost look forward to it, want it, even need it. Oo ::So now plodding along at impulse, searching for a needle in a haystack was like torture to him, since he had lived on that high for so long. Plus, search work had just never been his favorite to do. But his scheduled shift was almost complete, yet he probably would work at least half of another shift. Unless Captain Avedon made him stick to the schedule. In the ten days Mitchell had been aboard, Avedon had seemed like a stickler for such. As if one thing upset the schedule, it would then cause everything to go wrong. :: oO Just a different type that's all. Guess he reminds me too much of the drag their feet types back at UP, who won't put forth any concept or idea without checking nine or ten times, via various means. Oo ::He was trying to focus his attention back to the sensors when a voice called for his attention instead.:: AVEDON: Commander, a moment of your time please. MITCHELL: ::looking up and turning to face the center chair.:: Yes sir? AVEDON: Any results during the last round of sweeps? oO You would ask that. But you know the answer. One of us would have called out if we had found anything. Oo MITCHELL: Negative sir. We have not found anything out of what could be considered ordinary for this system. Other than the unknown emissions we found before. AVEDON: I find it hard to believe there is nothing out there. MITCHELL: I agree sir. We should have found at least something by now. Its almost like the system has been "cleaned." AVEDON: How would one clean a star system Commander? MITCHELL: I don't know sir. But you know as well as I do, if the Discovery had been destroyed, we would have found at least some wreckage, some sort of debris. AVEDON: Correct. MITCHELL: So I think it's unnatural that we can't find anything. We should have found at least some random neutrinos and naturally occurring emissions the science team tells me. But we haven't. So I'm thinking someone or something cleaned up the system to erase any trace of the Discovery's disappearance. AVEDON: Very well. Continue the search. ::He paused and noted something on the PADD in his lap before continuing. :: You may also take another shift Commander, as long as you remain efficient. MITCHELL: Yes sir. Thank you. oO Like I'm going to leave unless you make me take a break. Its my friends lost out there, not yours. Oo tbc Commander Rode Mitchell Mission Specialist Aboard the USS Solstice

Congratulations to you both!

Welcome =)

((Brig, USS Discovery)) ::His eyes had never left them once they were forced from the bridge. His boys had been infants when they left the ship, now they were teenagers. Tye looked like a darker-haired copy of his father, with blue eyes and a strong, athletic build. Sanuye was more slim, slight, almost scholarly in appearance. His green eyes reminded him of Eden, and his quiet demeanor spoke volumes of his personality.:: o O Twins, yet not alike in many ways.. So many questions. O o ::When the guards had searched and re-searched them, stripping them of their comm badges and weapons, they finally left them in silence with three standing near the forcefield and another four stationed outside. Tyr turned his questioning glance to Daisha, his eyes speaking the question before his mouth could.:: DAISHA::Sadly looking at her brothers:: I knew something was wrong a few weeks after you left. They would cry at night, and when I went to see to them I swore they had grown. Then it was all too evident. I...I took them to the Medical station and they said that it was their physiology reacting with the radiation on Ba'ku. There's never been a Ba'ku/Vulcan/Human hybrid before. The doctor said that something in their genetic makeup made the radiation on the homeworld work in reverse. They were aging in years, Dad. And their human phyisology was somehow...absorbed by the radiation. They are, genetically, Vulcan/Ba'ku hybrids. Their humanity is...gone. ::Shaking her head:: I don't pretend to understand all of it but.. ::He was lost in thought and sadness. He had missed Daisha's childhood because he had not known of her until her stepfather had been killed. Now he had missed the childhood of his sons as well. There would be no playing with toys, no holiday mornings filled with presents. No first steps, first words or first skinned knees. He mourned once again the loss of his life experiences to his duty. And Daisha, shouldering a burden that wasn't hers but his. But the story was incomplete.:: WALTAS: What happened? DAISHA::Swallowing hard, she knew the reaction to come:: They...they wanted to keep them on the homeworld. To study them. WALTAS::Voice rising in anger:: They wanted WHAT? DAISHA::Nodding:: They said with their physiology they could "afford" to study their aging. Said it would contribute to.. WALTAS::Flatly:: I want that Doctor's name. DAISHA::Holding her hands up:: I already took care of it. His ribs will take awhile to heal. WALTAS::A flicker of a smile crossed his face:: So you took them away. Escaped. ::He was proud...so proud at that moment. Daisha had always been tentative but her instinct had served her well. She had acted as he would, to protect her brothers first, consequences second.:: DAISHA: I tried to reason with them Dad but..they left me no choice. ::Her voice broke:: They would have died..or at the very least lost half their lives.. I'm sorry I didn't know what was going on I should have.. WALTAS::Gently, he moved toward her, cradling her in his arms:: Hey. Look at me. ::He gently raised her eyes to his:: You did the right thing. Don't EVER think you didn't. You acted to save your family and I am VERY proud of you, Daisha. ::Lowering his eyes:: If anything, it's my fault for leaving you there. SANUYE::Interrupting:: Why DID you leave us there, father? ::He turned to his son, the fierce green eyes burning into him. It was a valid question-one that he wasn't ready to answer-never would be. The Ba'ku sat back down, taking in his sons with his gaze. When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion, regret...Sadness.:: WALTAS: Sometimes we make choices that we regret, Sanuye. I was..selfish. I thought that you would have a better life among your kin, but in doing so I abandoned my duties as a father. I placed you in that situation. I'm sorry. SANUYE::Furrowing his brow:: So you abandoned us.. TYE::Bursting out:: No! He wouldn't abandon us! You heard him, Sanuye! He made a mistake! He didn't mean to do this and he didn't know it would happen! SANUYE::Cold, emotionless:: Yet, he still did. TYE::Angrily:: How many mistakes did you make, brother?! How many times did I have to save you when you got in over your head?! When those boys were beating the snot out of you because you didn't know when to SHUT UP?! SANUYE::Cowed:: I didn't mean...I mean...I.. TYE::Turning to his father, tears filling his eyes:: Can...can I...? ::Tyr frowned, not understanding until he saw his son's open arms.:: WALTAS::Tears threatening his own eyes:: Tye you NEVER have to ask.. ::He embraced his son, who buried his face in his father's shoulder and wept. He smoothed his son's long hair and patted him soothingly, speaking with a confidence that he didn't necessarily have.:: WALTAS: We'll get through this, Tye, and once it's over I'll try to make up for all the lost time. I promise. ::Tye pulled back and looked to his brother, who remained in the corner, making no move to join the embrace. Tyr, slightly hurt, returned to his sitting position, cradling his broken hand.:: WALTAS: So how did you escape from Ba'ku? The last I heard they had stationed a starship.. DAISHA::Nodding, a mischevious look crossing her face:: Oh yes. Galaxy class. ::A note of pride crept into her voice:: No match for a Waltas at the controls of a runabout in the briar patch. WALTAS::Grinning:: So that's why you ran to me. I suspect Starfleet won't be too pleased. DAISHA::Snorting:: Let's see them try to justify using two boys as lab rats. Besides... ::Shyly toeing the ground:: there wasn't a LOT of damage.. WALTAS::Aghast:: You DAMAGED the ship? DAISHA::Innocently:: No! Of course not. ::Quietly:: The Briar Patch did. WALTAS::Rubbing his forehead and sighing:: We'll deal with that later. Right now we have to figure a way out of here. DAISHA: Who ARE these people? What happened? How'd they get control of the ship? ::Tyr explained their encounter with the monks, the telepathic powers, and the confrontation on the bridge. He finished with brother Ishtahr.:: WALTAS: I'm surprised you didn't feel compelled to move with Tye and Sanuye. He seems to have the ability to plant suggestions in peoples' heads. He gained control of Ghyurn. DAISHA::Frowning:: Tye and Sanuye seemed affected but I didn't feel any different. Why? WALTAS::Mimicking his daughter's frown:: I don't know. You're part Talarian, maybe something about Talarians resist suggestion. Or it could be the more obvious.. DAISHA::Looking up:: which is? WALTAS: You're female. DAISHA::Shrugging:: He did seem to want to get rid of me awfully quickly. I wonder if that's it. How did you avoid getting ensnared? WALTAS: You can thank my sensei for that. His first rule was calming the mind. I can't block telepathy but after a few years.. TYE::Grinning:: A few HUNDRED years.. DAISHA::Chuckling:: Yeah, he IS old.. WALTAS::Shooting daggers:: Yes, after a few HUNDRED years I've learned to block some things. But I doubt if I were subjected to the full chant I'd last long. ::Looking to his daughter:: We need to get out of here. Raj and the rest of the bridge crew are marooned on the surface looking for the monks' toys. And I don't know of anyone we can rely on here. ::It was then that the very people Tyr spoke of made their presence known.:: OOC: Cue the rescuers! ============================== Captain Tyr Waltas Commanding Officer USS Discovery -and- Lieutenant JG Daisha Waltas Security Officer USS Discovery -and- Tye Waltas Captain's Son -and- Sanuye Waltas Captain's Son

((Dense Forest, Ba'ku Homeworld)) ::The footsteps were drawing closer. There was no hiding, now. Their only chance was a quick dash to the nearby runabout and an escape to the briar patch, which held its own obstacles. Wiping the sweat from her brow and brushing a few strands of raven-black hair from her eyes, she took several deep breaths in an attempt to slow her heart rate. Looking to her companions, she could see they were equally if not more exhausted, sweat pouring from their faces and hair plastered to the foreheads and pointed ears. Each looked back at her intently, eyes pleading for instructions, for guidance, on what to do.:: ::The news had spread fast-in a small village, how could it not? The natives, with the children being of their own blood (at least half of it), took it well, as they had tolerated the Starfleet researchers, scientists and Security detachments that had been a fact of life since the Enterprise had intervened ten years ago. One of their own had gone off to join Starfleet, attaining the rank of Captain, and had gone a long way to spread both the story and the appeal of the Ba'ku to the rest of the known universe. They were proud of him, and always welcomed him and his crew, no matter how alien they were, when they came home.:; ::Starfleet, however, had not been so welcoming when they learned of the...aberration. A seeming antithesis of the normal radiation effect. Those two..aberrations, they had called them, looked to her for guidance. Escape. Help. And she would be [...]ed if the scientists got their hands on them. She was risking courts martial, that much was certain. Breaking the nose of the commander of the Security team had been especially satisfying, just after the word "half-breed" had escaped his lips. Her career was likely to be over, if she survived the escape. The Ba'ku had bought her time, forming a human wall so that the trio could escape to the nearby forest. Now, they were on their own and very, very alone.:: ::A touch of doubt clouded her judgment. The lead scientst had only wanted to study them, he'd said. To evaluate the safety for the rest of the Federation of these "aberrations". Given their rapid aging, he estimated he only had enough time to perform a weeks' worth of experiments before the "candidates" were withered from rapid aging. She had sat there, mouth agape, as he calmly explained they would wither and turn to dust before her eyes. In one week. The solution to the problem, to her, seemed simple-get them off the planet. That was when the Security detachment arrived.:: ((Flashback, one Hour Ago, Medical Center, Ba'ku Homeworld)) DOCTOR AMES: I'm sorry Lieutenant but I can't allow that. We are blessed to have a unique opportunity to study the aging process to a granual level and it cannot be passed up. We will still have them off-planet before they pass away and they can continue their lives. DAISHA::Fiercely:: What is LEFT of their lives! How can you allow this?! Your first duty is to do no harm! ::Softly:: I trusted you! ::She HAD trusted him-with too much. When the signs became apparent that something was very, very wrong, she had visited Doctor Ames, an aging field medic that had been put out to pasture to see to the medical needs of those on Ba'ku. The balding, swine-eyed doctor had insisted on seeing them, and when he did, had pronounced Starfleet's demand that they be studied, immediately, while the effects were still ongoing.:: DOCTOR AMES::Smiling, his pig-like eyes twinkling:: And I will always treasure your trust, my dear. You have provided me with quite possibly the greatest trove of medical knowledge in the last 100 years. If I allow them to go off-world, all of that will be lost. DAISHA::Voice quivering:: If they stay they will DIE! DOCTOR AMES: My dear, I would never let them die. They will simply be...aged a bit. With their physiology they will endure. And besides, just as the people here were never meant to be immortal, these two were never meant to be eternal 18-year olds..I'd just be restoring the natural.. DAISHA::Rage coursing through her:: THE HELL YOU WILL! ::One kick sent the Doctor sprawling backward over the top of his chair and crashing face-first on the floor. The Security Commander moved next, growling to his men to "grab the [...] half-breeds". One vicious palm-strike to his face sent him howling to the floor clutching his broken nose. The remainder of the detachment, her comrades until today, backed off as an unfuriated Daisha Waltas drew a vicious-looking wakazashi from her back with her right hand a phaser from her belt with her left. She was a sight to behold, standing protectively in front of them, dark hair flared about her shoulders, eyes aflame, daring any one to make a move. One did-the youngest-and paid for it with a phaser blast to his chest. The other two charged forward and tackled her bodily, knocking the phaser from her grip. One received a deep gash to his leg with the wakazashi as it struck with her free hand, the other was headbutted into unconsciousness. Knipping up to a fighting stance, she headed for the door, motioning for them to follow, and laying a kick into the Commander's ribs for good measure. Sheathing the wakazashi, she holstered her phaser and, with them closely in tow, raced for the forest, the Ba'ku forming a wall to delay the Security personnel. Her eyes briefly met her grandmother's in silent thanks before she disappeared into the woods with them following closely behind her.:: ((Present-Time)) ::She was her father's daughter, in every way. Defiant. Fiercely loyal. Rules-be-[...]ed attitude when they clashed with what she believed. Now, scanning the forest with her infravision (also a gift from her father), she picked up the heat traces. The Security personnel were drawing closer, and they had no doubt picked her up on their tricorders.:: DAISHA::Voice as calm as she could manage:: Are you ready? ::Both nodded, their language and thought processes had developed almost as quickly as they had. She stood, pointed to the runabout, and they nodded again. Then, she broke off at a furious run, as fast as her legs could carry her. They followed, equally as fast, the energy in their growing bodies fueling their muscles. Emerging from the cover of the forest the bright sunshine greeted them as they tore through the tall grass toward the launchpad. The footsteps behind them increased their pace as well, and shouts of "halt!" and "surrender" carried to her sensitive ears. She ignored them all and reached the runabout, slamming into its hull to halt her advance. She tapped in her code and the door lowered, and she motioned them inside. A phaser blast struck the runabout not more than an inch from her hair. Crouching down behind the nose, she returned fire, blanketing the area with random, wide-beam blasts to pin her pursuers down long enough for her to climb on board. Taking a deep breath, she halted her attack and dove into the runabout's [...]pit, sealing the doors behind her. Leaping into the pilot's seat, she powered up the systems and lifted off, spinning the runabout around and diving with such alarming speed the pursuing officers were forced to dive for cover. The last sight before she turned the bow skyward was her commanding officer glaring up at her with blood still pouring from his shattered nose.:: DAISHA::Under her breath:: Not bad for a half-breed, eh commander? ((Runabout, Briar Patch)) ::She'd navigated the Briar Patch before, but this time was different. Aside from dodging the pockets of metrion gas, explosive decompressions of the dust and radiation warnings lighting up her [...]pit, there was the slight problem of a Galaxy-class USS Centris hot on their tail. While the massive starship dwarfed even her father's Sovereign-class ship in terms of sheer size and number of decks, her bulk was a major disadvantage when chasing a tiny runabout through metrion clouds and hazardous space. Smoke poured from her nacelles and impulse manifolds as the ship struggled to keep up. Her comm system rang in, forcing the Captain's voice into the [...]pit.:: CENTRIS:: =/\= Lieutenant Waltas this is Captain Strenner of the USS Centris. You are ordered to power down your ship and surrender or you will be fired upon. Respond! =/\= ::Daisha smiled. Through the indignance of the Captain's voice she could hear consoles exploding in the background and fire-suppression systems going off. The Centris may have looked intimidating, but in her rush to stop the runabout she was damaging herself. Spotting the end of the Briar Patch and open space ahead, she only had a few more thousand kilometers to go. Her father's training, a former pilot himself, came in handy here as she jinked and dove around the clouds while the Centris plowed through them, to her detriment. She had reached the end of the Briar Patch, and brought the weapons online. Targeting the final two drifting clouds, she fired the phasers, detonating the gas within. The Centris was buffeted from both port and starboard from the explosions and the impulse engines grew dark from the sudden inertial jolt. It ground to a stop just inside the Briar Patch, its shields still up.:: ::Daisha, worried, ran a quick scan of the ship, and nodded from the result. The shields were holding, impulse and warp engines were offline. No casualties, no hull damage. Satisfied that she hadn't killed anyone in their attempt to kill her and her passengers, she set a course for the Avalon sector and, she hoped, safety. The runabout leaped into high warp. Sighing and sitting back in the chair, she smoothed her sweat-soaked hair back and then turned to look at her two fellow fugitives.:: ::They were as she remembered them, at least in expression. The boys, genetically, were twins, but the differences between them had begun to show themselves the moment she set foot on Ba'ku. They grew at an alarming pace, which had sent Daisha to the medical facility for help in the first place. From infants they had within days become toddlers, then rough-and tumble boys by the end of their first week. By the following week they were teenagers, and, sitting before her now, they were the equivalent of 16 years old. They had aged over 17 years in a matter of two weeks, and every fibre of Daisha's being had told her that, if she didn't act, they would continue their alarming aging, to certain death. She had acted as a sister first, as she thought her father would if he knew they were in danger.:: o O Ba'ku was supposed to be their haven, away from danger and Starfleet. So they could grow up and choose their own path. Now...this.. O o DAISHA::Tapping the console:: Computer, scan the two passengers. Evaluate relative decay of cells and identify any anomalies. COMPUTER::Obedient chirp:: Scanning. No abnormal cellular decay detected. Approximate age is 18 years. ::Sighing in relief, she was glad the Doctor had been correct about getting them off the planet. Their aging had been stopped. She also realized, with a pang, that...:: SANUYE::Darkly:: We cannot go home. ::Daisha looked to her half-brother. Sanuye was always the quiet one. More slight-framed and reserved than his rambunctious brother, his deep green eyes seemed to stare into your soul when he looked at you. He kept his hair short, close-cropped to his head, in more of a nod to his Vulcan ancestry than the Ba'ku. Thankfully, due to Daisha's teaching and their voracious appetites for knowledge, they could speak, but were still lacking in formal education.:: TYE::Looking to his brother:: I don't understand. Why were they chasing us? Why, Daish? ::Tye was the happy, blue-eyed, long-haired, near-duplicate of his father. Footloose and care-free, he lived for adventure and had managed to get into no end of trouble in his short stay on Ba'ku. His hair, a deep auburn, hung loosely and wildly around his shoulders and was always in some state of disarray. His eyes, a beautiful sky-blue, stared pleadingly at his sister's, begging to know the answer. Tye wore his heart on his sleeves in all things, while Sanuye was much more withdrawn and, one could say, even secretive.:: DAISHA::Sadly:: They wanted to take you away and study why you....grew up so fast. It takes a very long time to become an adult. It was something with the radiation from Ba'ku that changed you. I had to get you off the planet before.. SANUYE: Before we died. TYE::Shocked:: Died? I don't want to die! ::Tears threatening the sky-blue eyes:: Daisha, am I going to die? DAISHA::Gently, she stood and sat down and held the now tear-streaked face between her hands:: Hey. Listen to me. No one's going to die. We're safe now, and we're going to see Dad. SANUYE::Perking up slightly, green eyes studying her:: Our father? DAISHA::Nodding:: We need his help. Starfleet will not quit looking for us. And I think it's time you met him. ::This placed the both twins deep in thought. Neither remembered their father or their mother. From what Daisha had told them (when asked if she was their mother after seeing the other children with their parents), she was their half-sister, and their father had placed them on Ba'ku for their safety. Their mother was...gone. No one had seen or heard from her. Tye drew his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them, staring out at the stars. They fascinated him, and while Daisha saw to Sanuye he stood and sat in the passenger seat, staring out of the [...]pit in wonder.:: o O Are they all full of worlds like mine? How many are there? How fast are we going? I wonder if I could learn to fly like Daisha did... O o ::Sanuye shooed away his sister's ministrations and retreated to the back of the cabin, huddling in a corner and furrowing his brow in thought. His father. He would meet his father. What would he say? And how would he explain why he left them there with their sister on Ba'ku instead of caring for them himself? The questions did nothing to improve his mood and he lapsed into a deep, morose depression. He resolved to remember the questions and ask them to his father when he met him, and he wanted answers. He DESERVED answers.:: ::For Tye's part, he was simply happy to be away from danger. This was a new adventure, and the most exciting so far. Stealing the neighbor's pig and riding it through town while singing had been fun, but this topped that by miles. Here, he was streaking through the stars at an unimaginable speed, going to see his father for the first time, whom he resolved to hug as tightly as he could as soon as he saw him. He wanted to tell his father he loved him. He KNEW he loved him.:: ::Daisha sat back, taking in all that had happened, and praying she had made the right decision.:: ================================ Lieutenant JG Daisha Waltas Security Officer Ba'ku Homeworld -and- Tye Ghyurn Waltas Ba'ku/Vulcan -and- Sanuye Maxwell Waltas Ba'ku/Vulcan

((After the Awards – USS Thunder-A – Sharpe/Somers quarters)) ::Paul returned to the bridge and Alex saying she was still feeling under the weather retired to their quarters, she stripped down to her regulation undergarments and laid on the bed and was asleep immediately.:: ((Dreamscape)) ((Somers family Estate – One Month after the Betazed incident 2421)) ::Once again Alex found herself as an observer watching a funeral, she suddenly realized it was hers, most of her family was there as was Paul and her children, she watched as the funeral being an old fashioned affair, saw the coffin descending into a freshly dug grave and felt sorrow. What surprised her the most was that Paul was doing something he never used to do, he had tears running down his face; she thought it sweet and loved him for it. Now all those who were there on Betazed now stood vigil as the honour guard Marines from her old-selfs regiment fired a twelve rifle salute, for those not human they paid respects their way. The Romulan Proconsul gently dropped in an old Romulan blade and moved off.:: Klingon Chancellor Torok: ::the Klingon Chancellor gently placed a bottle of Bloodwine and a ceremonial Dag’TagH in the grave, and spoke.:: Have something to drink in Sto’vor’kor Colonel Somers. ::Other officials and family placed other items not so grand, then came her children’s turn, her son Paul Sharpe Junior placed in an old toy she had gotten for him and her Daughter Samantha Lynne Somers placed a rose in. Paul Senior put in his Katana blade and holding his children walked away.:: ((Betazed Foothills – 16 September 2422 – One year to the day)) ::Now Alex was back on Betazed a little disorientated and she was once again watching a ceremony.:: Somers: oO Oh man this is confusing, what year is it now?Oo ::she asked herself.:: ::The same officials that were at her funeral, were now joined by a Grivaan ambassador, she was really confused now, but listened in.:: Federation President: I thank you all for coming; we are here at the foothills on Betazed one year to the day of the deciding battle of the Federation Alliance/Grivaan Imperium conflict. ::beat:: It was in December that the Grivaan High Command contacted us and asked for a ceasefire and an offer of peace. What we know now, but did not then was the last Stand made by Federation forces on this spot sealed the prospect of a lasting peace-treaty between us and the Grivaan Imperium. ::beat:: Now on this day to honour those who fell here, both Grivaan and Federation, a day of remembrance will commence, a short Human style Ceremony will start this, followed by the Grivaan one, Fleet Admiral Jennings ::he said stepping away and allowing the CinC Starfleet to take the podium.:: Jennings: As requested by the late Colonel Alexandria Somers the following passage has been placed upon this monument, this passage is as follows. “If we do not live another Day, Then say this over our Pyre: They died like Riflemen Their Faces to the Fire” We have honoured her request and agreed that it is fitting for who she was and who her men were. ::As the Admiral droned on Alex looked at one large memorial, elegant in its shape; It was similar in style to the Iwo Jima Monument on Earth. It showed a graven image of Alex and some of her men on the left with the 95th Rifle 1st Battalion Regimental Battle Honours Battle banner fluttering in the breeze, held up by one of the other figures, while the statue of Alex held in her right hand a TR-118 Marine Rifle, this was like a TR-116, but altered for Marine use. On her back in a sheath was a Mek’leth blade, her left arm and hand was outstretched and supporting a UFP flag as its center, while on the right of it was the statue of the Grivaan War Leader whose side of the memorial mirrored the left, but his right hand was also holding the Federation banner but his had was below hers and he held a Grivaan rifle in his other hand and his troops supported the Grivaan Imperium battle standard.:: Jennings: Both Statues hold the Federation Flag between them, this symbolizes two things, the reason why they fought and died for and what finally brought our two species together, Ambassador Sharpe. Somers: Bloody Hell The guy is still a [...] wind bag, he puts Politicians to shame sheesh ::she said, aware that she could not be heard, suddenly Paul being called to the podium was a surprise.:: this should be interesting ::she quietly said to herself.:: Sharpe: Thank you Admiral Jennings ::he said and turned to face the assemble delegates:: Most of you knew Alex after she had left the Duronis II Embassy, by this time she had mellowed somewhat, but before Duronis II she was a wild-fire, she always got into trouble with her Senior Officers, she had a tendency to get things done her own way, while some of the time they worked, but when she was on a Starship things were different, having been there for most of her interesting encounters always brings a smile to my face ::he reflected a moment.:: But that was the past, this is the present, I would like to quote an old Human Prime Minister who spoke these very words in the Aftermath of the early 20th Centuries World War Two conflict the Battle of Britain, as in what happened here a year ago reflected what happened back then, I hope the symbolism is not lost on anyone?. ::pause, then he began:: “Never in the Field of Human conflict, was so much, owed by so many to so few”. ::Alex felt a lump coming to her throat.:: Sharpe: One final honour passage before I hand the stage over to the Grivaan Ambassador ::beat:: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn them and at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them ::He said and indicated to a bugler who played the Last Post.:: ::After a few minutes bowed silence he looked up.:: Sharpe: Thank You All, Ambassador Gr’taal ::he said using a Grivaan greeting motion with his hands.:: ((End Dreamscape)) ((USS Thunder-A – Sharpe/Somers Quarters – Present day)) ::Alex awoke screaming.:: Somers: ARRRRGH! ::coughing and automatically regulating her breathing patters as she had been trained to do:: In the name of all that is good in the world, I thought this had finished back home, dammit ::she said getting out of bed on shaky legs and spotting the case of Klingon Bloodwine, walking over she picked up the crate and sat at the bottom of the bed and opened the first bottle and took a healthy swig.:: ::She looked around the darkened room with dark thoughts as she began to cry once again.:: TAG, TBC Marine Captain Alexandria ‘Red Vixen’ Somers (PNPC)Recon/Demolitions Duronis II Embassy/USS Thunder-A & (Dreamscape Characters) Unnamed Politician (NPC)United Federation of Planets President Sol Sector – Earth & Chancellor Torok (NPC)Klingon High ChancellorKlingon EmpireQo’noS & Ambassador Paul Sharpe Ambassador to Qo’noS & Fleet Admiral JenningsCommand in Chief Starfleet Command Sol Sector - Earth Simmed by Lieutenant Paul SharpeAssistant Chief Tactical Officer USS Thunder-A/Duronis II Embassy

((OOC: This is Very long, so please read through it as I will want feedback on this one as it is the first time I have done somehting like this. also this is from Somers viewpoint and the Dreamscape is just that. to my knowledge only one other Starfleet Captain knew how or when he was going to die, it is in this context that the Dreamscape death is placed.)) :IC: ((USS Thunder-A – Somers Homestead – Earth)) ::After their little adventure in the Sol system the Thunder had returned to earth, the ship was docked at Earth Station McKinley undergoing repairs, so the crew had time off. While Paul went to visit his Mother and Fathers Family and reacquaint himself with them, Alex spent sometime with her parents.:: Samuel Somers: ::giving his daughter a big hug and holding her at arms length as he looked at her:: Well back so soon, not that I am complaining of course, nasty business out at Hegemone, but that is business, how long are you home for and where is my new Son-in-law? ::Sam asked.:: A. Somers: I am back here till I am recalled as is Paul, but he has gone to visit his side of the family, this will be the first time in a long time that he would have been home for any length of time. So how is mom and where is she? S. Somers: Your mother is out visiting old colleagues, she will be back later ::Sam responded putting his arm around his daughters shoulder as her Sister Karyn and her partner entered, Alex looked puzzled, she knew her Sisters sexual orientation, but her partner was new.:: A. Somers: ::Giving her Sister a big hug:: So Sis you going to tell me who your new partner is? K. Somers: ::Hugging back then stepping back:: This is Danielle, we were just going out hiking, you want to join us? ::Karyn asked.:: A. Somers: No thanks Sis, you go enjoy yourself, pleased to meet you Danielle ::Alex said and the woman only smiled as both left the house, she looked back at her father:: That is what her fourth partner since leaving the Embassy? S. Somers: Its her sixth, but whose counting, she is a big enough girl and lets not go there. A. Somers: Agreed ::pause:: so what have you been doing with yourself since I left so soon after the wedding? S. Somers: Oh Starfleet Diplomatic Corps had Starfleet High Command reactivate my commission, I am still a Colonel but now I am officially the envoy to Kronos, it seems that the Klingon High Council wish now to only deal with a warrior and I am told you had a hand in my new appointment ::Sam said.:: ::Alex broke away and holding out both hands.:: A. Somers: Whoa dad! I did not speak to any Klingon envoy or even to the Chancellor, so how in Hades could I have assisted in your new appointment!? :she asked clearly puzzled.:: S. Somers: Easy there lass, I am not blaming you, but it seems on your Klingon held After Wedding party you got into a drinking contest with a group of Klingon’s and apparently drunk all but one under the table and you and the last Klingon apparently collapsed at the same time. ::pause:: That Klingon was their Envoy to Earth and he was impressed at your cast iron constitution and ability in imbibe strong drink and remain coherent. ::beat:: So he put in a request to have the flame haired Terran Warriors Father as the Federation’s Official Envoy to Kronos, so now I have a posh office at Starfleet Headquarters and two Advisors and an Aide plus a Secretary and I am missing the days where I was ducking Phaser fire and it is all thanks to you ::he said with a smile, to show he was not mad.:: A. Somers: Wow dad, I never knew getting blasted would get you assigned such a position, but if they had seen me when I returned to the Thunder-A, I do not think they would be too impressed. S. Somers: How so? A. Somers: First Off there was the Upchuck, then just as I thought I had finished I upchucked some more and by the time I had finished the ships Doctor had to replenish my vitals, Paul of course stood there like a pillar of stone totally emotionless, where I was concerned, but he did speak to the Doctor, I was too ill to pay any notice ::she responded.:: ::As the day wore on and her Mother came home and warmly greeted her Daughter and they talked, by 2300 hours the past few days had caught up with her, she yawned and excused herself saying she was retiring for the night so up to her room she went and got into her night-dress and went to sleep and in her sleep, she had the most weird dream, one that she would remember for the rest of her days.:: ((Alex Somers Bedroom – Somers Estate – 2300 hours)) ((Dreamscape)) ::This was one of her more… Craziest dreams, but it would bring her to a revelation, one which she would share in knowledge like an old Historical Starfleet Officer.:: ((USS Yorktown – Personal Quarters – September 1 2421)) ::Alex was walking from one room into another, even though she knew it was a dream, it was surreal, she noticed she was wearing some kind of Marine Uniform, it was not recognisable but she looked in the mirror and gasped, she still had her Red hair, but now it was in a bob and liberally streaked with white, her features were that of and old woman. Then she noticed her rank which showed Colonel rank, she looked at her file and saw that she had recently turned 60.:: Somers: So I finally make it to Colonel but I am an old woman when I do, interesting, still I managed to keep my figure ::she said to herself suddenly she found herself sitting on the bridge which was unfamiliar to her as it was not set out like any ship she had served on before and it mostly had Marines on the bridge.:: ::The ship had just gone to Red Alert and was responding to a distress call from Betazed, with her, she knew, how she did not know, but she knew she had two other Ships on her left and right flanks respectively, she called up her ships name class and registry number and that of her companion ships.:: Somers: ::speaking to herself:: interesting USS Yorktown NCC 1941-C Achilles Class Refit, that is this ship, now what of my wingmen? ::she asked herself:: interesting, things must be bad for Starfleet if they have Marines commanding Starships ::suddenly she knew the Federation was once again at war with a powerful enemy and barely holding their own.:: So my wingmen are the USS Nimitz NCC 96318-A and the USS New Horizon NCC 89071-A, both are also Achilles class refit. ::pause:: [...] I have my own battle group ::she said in surprise, as even on a basic Achilles class; the ship had eight dorsal Micro Quantum torpedo launchers in addition to four forward firing and two rear firing standard size torpedo launchers add in a mix of Pulse Phaser Cannons and High graded Phaser arrays an Achilles Class ship was nothing to be sneered at, even alone it could hold its own in a battle with a much larger ship.:: ((Betazed Foothills – September 15 2421)) ::Now she was standing in a valley in the Betazed foothills, she looked behind and saw some fleeing refugees. She remembered that having lost her Wingmen in a space battle, and the Yorktown shortly after that she had escaped to the Planet with 299 Marines and a Fleet Medical Officer. She had assured the refugees that her 300 troops would hold the enemy at bay while they escaped, now she saw some portable automated Pulse Phaser and Torpedo turrets placed on the hills on the left and right sides of her dug in platoon, she tightened her combat webbing. It was now she realized she carried three types of bladed weapons, her Mek’Leth and Bat’Leth and on her right hip was her D’Tagh Knife and on her left was her collapsible quarterstaff. She also had her Phaser versions of her trusty Desert Eagle Pistols and a standard Mk 40 Pulse Phaser Auto-fire Rifle it resembled in size and style the rifles used in Picards time on the Enterprise-E, but it had more options and was somewhat more powerful. She looked to her left and right and noticed that all her troops carried an assortment of bladed weapons. Somers: So our enemy finds honour in bladed combat, ::it was then she noticed her units patch:: First Platoon 95th Rifle Regiment Starfleet Marine Corps ::pause:: dammit the Federation must be in an all out war if old units had been reformed ::she said to herself.:: ::There was one refugee who she held back so he could carry her last recording to her superiors on Earth, she sealed and coded the device and looked at the refugee.:: Somers: Give this to the First Starfleet Ship Captain or Klingon ship Captain you meet and tell them this ::beat:: This is the last report from Colonel Alexandria Lynne Somers Colonel in the 95th Rifle Regiment and we shall hold out for as long as we can, while we can, do you understand? ::she asked and the guy nodded.:: Good now get to your transport ::she said and watched him flee as sonic booms were heard as enemy drop ships made their decent.:: Raise the Regimental colours ::She said, knowing that one of her own crew would have picked up their battle Colours along with the Federation flag.:: ((USS Yorktown – Betazed Orbit – One day earlier)) ::The Trio of ships commanded by Alex arrived in the Betazed system and was immediately in combat, after years of fighting together these three crews reacted as one and their enemy found out just what the Achilles class was capable of, but despite early victories, they had numbers against them. The enemy had plenty, they were only three Elite ships, but they cut a good sized chunk into the enemy armada. They used their torpedoes sparingly after the first volleys, now the element of surprise had gone and the enemy ships began to cause damage to them, Alex was clinging to her chair as reports from her Comms Officer came in.:: 1st Lieutenant Lane: Captain, the New Horizon has just been lost a number of escape pods are heading for the Betazoid foothills and the Nimitz has gone out in traditional Klingon fashion and we have began to show some damage, we will not last much longer all torpedoes are spent we are only on Phasers now ::she reported.:: Somers: Okay we will take as many with us as we can, order all excess crew to abandon ship use every available shuttle and escape pods and head to the location of the Nimitz escape pods, I will remain with my XO and two Officers, I assume there is enough power to send a distress call and Emergency transporters? ::she asked.:: Officer: Yes Captain, also I have brought these for you, it would be a shame to leave them behind ::the Officer said handing Alex her prized weapons, the Twin Katanas she carried in the past were nowhere to be seen.:: Somers: ::Smiling:: Thank you now send off that distress call and get to an escape pod ::she said and watched as most of her crew left.:: Its bigger than a shuttle, but I think I can fly her ::she said sitting at the Helm, Triome take shields Keral weapons lets show them what riflemen can do shall we? ::she said as she swung her ship around and out to a safe distance and stopped.:: Lt. Col. Triome: Why are they not shooting? ::the Bolian first Officer asked.:: Somers: Well you have one badly beaten up Achilles class ship facing off over a thousand enemy ships, they enemy commander is probably thinking I am either insane, I am going to run or I am going to Kamikaze, if what intel files say about these Grivaan are correct the enemy Commander is either curious or shocked, but expect a communication from him soon, Keral how are those weapons looking? ::she asked her Klingon Second Officer.:: Major Keral: All weapons are functional, but I estimate we will last no more than ten minutes, fifteen if extremely lucky. Somers: ::Looking at the Klingon:: I would like to say today is a good day to die, but we will not be dying this day my friend ::she said and as predicted the enemy commander contacted her.:: Triome: Captain, we have the enemy Commander hailing Somers: Onscreen ::she said and the image of a Grivaan War Leader appeared.:: Who do I have the distinct honour of addressing? ::Alex asked, becoming formal:: oO Now to see if Starfleet Intelligence got something right Oo War Leader K’Faali: ::he puffed up with self-pride at the sudden formality given by this Soldier, he was of the old school, where; when one Officer addressed another, they obeyed a strict protocol; this Soldier bore authority about her and displayed some formality.:: you have the honour of addressing War Leader K’Faali Commander of this Fleet, and who am I speaking to? ::he asked just as formally.:: Somers: ::Stepping around the helm station and coming to Parade rest where she showed her unit patches and rank:: You Sir have the honour of addressing Colonel Alexandria Somers Commander of the USS Yorktown and a Senior Officer in the 95th Rifle Regiment Starfleet Marine Corps, we are one of the many Elite Spec Ops units in the Federation ::she responded.:: K’Faali: I am pleased to meet the commander of the trio of ships that has caused my fleet much damage, now as one warrior to another, I offer you a chance to surrender with honour, you will be shown every respect of a proven warrior. ::beat:: Before you reject my onetime offer think, your ship has no heavy weapons left only beam weapons, your ship is badly damaged and will not survive a short exchange with one of my frigates. So surrender with honour and I shall allow your troops on the planet and those still on your ship to go free, on this you will have my solemn oath ::he said.:: ::Alex looked at her First Officer and made a motion to cut audio as she turned and made her way back around to the helm station. With her back to the viewscreen and no audio going out she spoke.:: Somers: Well bless my cotton socks, Starfleet Intelligence got something right for once, I have set this ship on auto-pilot and it will hold out long enough for us to beam to the planet, get some weapons from your quarters quickly and beam down to the planet, I will join you directly, we have one final duty to perform on the planet, while I have one final duty up here, now go ::she said, both nodded and left the bridge.:: ::Turning back to the viewscreen as she sat, she saw the War Leaders curious look as to why this human had dismissed her visibly remaining crew, now pressing a button on her console she reopened audio.:: Somers: Apologies War Leader, final instructions to my Officers. K’Faali: You are going to surrender with honour? ::he asked hope edging his speech.:: Somers: No, your offer is most generous and I am truly honoured, but you have no idea on my Unit they were not called Somers Renegades for nothing. No Sir, we shall meet again in personal combat on the planet below, there the final result will be decided. Good day to you War Leader K’Faali I will see you on the fields below Qua’pla ::she said and closed the link.:: ::She programmed in an excellent and creative attack pattern and checked to see if her two remaining crew had gone, confirming they had, she set the ship on auto, stepped into the middle of the bridge and put her combat harness on with all her bladed weapons and her Phasers, she stood and looked around.:: Somers: We had some good time huh old friend, but we shall meet again ::she said to her ship:: Computer begin attack run and energize ::she said as she vanished from the bridge and the Yorktown attacked.:: ((Earth – Starfleet Headquarters September 20 2421)) ::Now Alex found herself observing a group of people, it was the CinC of Starfleet, the Intelligence Commander and some Admirals from the Security and external operations Departments. Standing in the middle was her husband Paul Sharpe, his hair was white and he was in Civilian clothes, but had the Kronos Ambassadorial sash on, next to him was the Klingon Chancellor and on his right were their two children, Marine Captain Samantha Lynne Somers and Lieutenant Paul Sharpe Junior plus to her surprise was the Romulan Proconsul. Her daughter was the image of a younger Alex. Now her consciousness watched these people watch her last report recording from her.:: Commander Thompson: Sirs ::an Aide came rushing in, with Paul Sharpe and his two children in tow, both had been told of events with the Yorktown.:: A refugee gave this to me with a direct message from Colonel Somers. Fleet Admiral Jennings: Out with it Commander Thompson: ::clearing his throat:: It reads “This is the last report from Colonel Alexandria Lynne Somers Colonel in the 95th Rifle Regiment and we shall hold out for as long as we can, while we can.” ::pause:: That is the message, also the refugee mentioned that the Starfleet surviving troops had erected their Battle Standard and the Federation flag as enemy drop ships were landing ::he said handing the recording to the Fleet Admiral.:: ::He took it and dismissed the Aide and placed the recording and the first images to greet them was the 95th Rifle Regiment 1st Battalion Flag.:: Somers: Stardate 242115.09 my trio of ships has fallen in orbit of Betazed, The USS Nimitz went with all hands, some survivors from the USS New Horizon landed safely on the planet, plus most of my crew from the USS Yorktown. Send a large Fleet you will need it; I have including myself only 299 Riflemen and one Fleet doctor, we have set up a defensive position at the foothills of Betazed, by the time you get this we will all be dead. My ships faced a large Grivaan Fleet and we accounted for half of that number, unfortunately all their fighter Carriers survived. As this is my last report, I have a few requests ::her recording said.:: Sharpe: 300 troops against thousands of enemy troops, It is a modern Battle of Thermopylae ::Paul said.:: Chancellor Torok: ::Looking at Sharpe:: What is this battle you are on about? Sharpe: ::Looks at the Chancellor:: I would ask Sir that you look up ancient Earth history, Greek Armies, search parameters Spartan Warrior or simply put in Battle of Thermopylae. This will tell you what I am on about, 300 Spartan troops against the Persian Empire, the troops held out for seven days three of which were battles. But considering today’s weapons and tactics, Alex’s assessment is correct they could hold out for three days max. ::pause:: But knowing Alex she will hold out for six, either way we will be too late getting there. ::As she was dreaming this, Alex wondered what the hell was going on, it was like she was connected to all areas where her mortal self was or recording were, plus watching things unfold as Paul comforted their Daughter and Son.:: Somers: ::Looking directly at the Chancellor, as if she knew he would be there sent a chill up all their spines.:: first request is to you Chancellor, I ask only that you hand my Bat’Leth, Mek’Leth and Dag’TagH to my Daughter, also she is to be put through Klingon bladed Combat training. Passing my weapons to her as they are hers by right of succession and it must be honoured ::she said and the Chancellor absently nodded.:: ::She looked directly at the Fleet Admiral of Starfleet.:: Somers: Any to you Fleet Admiral Sir I ask that our bodies are recovered and given full military honours funerals and that when a memorial is erected; you put on the following passage for the memorial, perhaps it will give our forces courage to overcome our foe, the inscription should read:- “If we do not live another Day,Then say this over our Pyre:They died like RiflemenTheir Faces to the Fire” ::The Fleet Admiral would grant this as it would sit well with the Klingon’s who were essential in keeping the enemy at bay and the Colonel was correct, it would motivate Federation Alliance Forces.:: Proconsul P’tretil: A touching verse, it would motivate me to be better than those who died ::he said, in typical Romulan fashion.:: Sharpe: Exactly sir, that is what my wife intended ::Paul said and the Proconsul looked contrite.:: Somers: ::Now she looks directly at Paul Sharpe Senior:: and you Paul my love, I will see you again where no Shadows fall. ::she looks at her two children:: My logical little Paul, so inventive and who follows his father, my lovely daughter Samantha; remember that nothing is forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten, ::she looked back at her husband:: Paul on my grave I want the following text placed “Alexandria Somers, she lived for as she died, in combat” ::beat:: that the personal stuff out of the way, my report is as stands, until reinforcements arrive, Betazed is in enemy hands. This is Colonel Alexandria Somers signing off, Fly safe and true ::with that the recording ended.:: Jennings: Time to organise that taskforce, you coming Chancellor? Chancellor: Of course, Proconsul, can your people send a cloaked scout ship out and supply transports to carry their valiant dead back? ::the Klingon chancellor said.:: ::The Romulan only nodded and was about to leave as a member of Species 8472 walked into the room in its natural form draped in a cloak and using an injection changed shape to human and spoke.:: Species 8472: Could my troops join you on this, your Warrior was well known to us and treated us with fairness and honour, we wish to repay this. Jennings: By all means Ambassador, we would be honoured ::he replied and all left the room to get things done.:: ((Foothills – Betazed – Early morning September 16 2421)) ::Suddenly she was back in her older body and looked to her rear and there was the two flags fluttering in the breeze as over a thousand Grivaan Elite troops led by War Leader K’Faali, who advanced forward under a flag of truce as he looked admiringly at the elderly humans bladed weapon assortments.:: K’Faali: I offer you this final chance to surrender. Somers: ::Stepping out in front and looking up at the taller being but directly into his eyes:: We shall both die in the days to come War Leader and I must say that it has been my honour to fight a worthy opponent, if only we had met when I was younger, then I would be the only one standing out of both of us. K’Faali: Hmm… Pride, bluster but both backed up by pure courage, I am also similarly honoured to have faced you in honourable combat ::he said and both Grivaan and Human returned to their lines.:: Somers: Truly an honourable warrior race, but I know the effect my death will have on my daughter and I pity any Grivaan that crosses her when she has come of age ::Alex said:: Okay Rifles lock and Load, aim and fire when you have a solid lock ::she said and suited action to words.:: ::Not exactly as predicted, It took five days before the Riflemen’s ammunition was exhausted, by now there were craters all around her surviving troops, her flanking Phaser and torpedo turrets had expended their compliment of torpedoes and the Phaser Turrets had been destroyed, but only after taking a heavy toll on the Grivaan shock troops, now under a tattered Battle flag of her Battalion and the UFP flag the remaining Riflemen took out their Phaser Pistols, Alex her Desert Eagle Phaser Pistols and fired at the charging Grivaan. More enemy were cut down and they pulled back, but it was dawn on the sixth day as the surviving riflemen pulled out their bladed weapons, the Fleet Doctor had no such bladed weapon, so Alex loaned her Mek’Leth.:: Somers: Do you know how to use one of these? ::she asked.:: Fleet Doctor: Yes, but only at novice level. Somers: These are Grivaan to’ba; not Klingon Warriors ::Alex said as she looked down at the lifeless body of her Bolian First Officer.:: Commander Simmerson: Understood Colonel ::she replied taking the Mek’Leth.:: ::Alex like her troop stood atop their barrier various blades drawn and glinting in the sunrise, as the Grivaan charge with their bladed weapons drawn, she speaks loudly:: Somers: Okay people, fight and die well, for today is a good day to die ::she said and saw out of the corner of her eye her Klingon Major puff up with pride, ready to die in battle.:: ::Next thing she knew she was watching her older self embed her blade deep into the War Leaders chest, while his blade went right through her heart and was sticking out of her back, with red blood dripping from it. As both warriors collapsed together, all their troops around them dead; both leaders look at each other and gave each other a grudging smile of mutual respect, as the life left the both of them. Somehow Alex who was watching this happen knew that a Federation Alliance Fleet had arrived and that no more enemy troops would be landing.:: Somers: ::Suddenly she knew what she had witnessed, it was her death:: so this is how I am to meet my end ::she said, her father had once told her that her ancestors always knew when they would die, when a certain path they walked had reached a fork and they all ended going down the same road, all her past family they all had a very vivid and profound dream, now Alex had just gotten hers.:: ::She found herself now standing alongside her husband and children on the hill over-looking the battlefield along with Torok, Jennings, P’tretil and Thompson; Jennings Aide. All looked down at the mix of Starfleet and Grivaan bodies and two of those were easily identifiable as both had blades sticking out of their chests and all were under a battle tattered Banner of the 1st Battalion of the 95th Rifle Regiment, the Federation flag had fallen majestically between the two dead leaders of the opposing troops as to signify what both armies had been fighting over. As the group got closer Alex found she floated along with them and all could see a small smile on their faces.:: Sharpe: I never understood it when she had that smile ::he said.:: ((End Dreamscape)) ((Alex Somers Bedroom – Somers Estate – 0800 hours)) ::Alex awoke in a cold sweat and screaming.:: A. Somers: ARRGH!! ::As her parents and sister all rushed in worried, she looked at them:: I hate those type of dreams ::she said realizing her hands were shaking.:: S. Somers: ::her father sat on the side of her bed and hugged her:: what is it sweetie? ::he asked.:: A. Somers: ::She looked at her father:: Dad remember you told me once about that dream few of my ancestors always had at a certain point in their lives? ::she said.:: S. Somers: Yes ::he said hesitantly knowing where this was going, as he too went through it around his daughters age.:: A. Somers: Well I had that dream, daddy, I know when and where I am going to die ::she said as she broke down in tears, not hearing the gasps of her Mother and sister as both had been told of such an event and like Alex all believed in such an occurrence.:: TBC Marine Captain Alexandria ‘Red Vixen’ Somers (PNPC)Recon/Demolitions Duronis II Embassy/USS Thunder-A & Colonel (Ret) Samuel Somers Ambassador to Kronos/Father & Warrant Officer Karyn Somers(formerly PNPC) 1st Battalion 21st MACO Regiment Dreamscape Characters Commander Paul Sharpe Senior Ambassador to Kronos & Fleet Admiral Jennings(NPC)CinC Starfleet United Federation of Planets & Chancellor Torok(NPC)Klingon High Chancellor Klingon Empire & Proconsul P'tretil(NPC) Romulan Empire & Lt. Colonel Triome(NPC)First Officer95th Rifles 1st bn SFMCUSS Yorktown NCC 1941-C & Major Keral(NPC)Second Officer/Klingon Exchange Officer95th Rifles 1st bn SFMCUSS Yorktown NCC 1941-C & Commander Simmerson(NPC)Chief Medical Officer USS Yorktown NCC 1941-C & Commander Thompson(NPC) Aide to CinC Starfleet & Unnamed Ambassador(NPC) Species 8472 Envoy & War Leader K'Faali(NPC)Grivaan Fleet Commander 1st Grivaan Expeditionary Fleet Simmed by Lieutenant Paul SharpeACTO USS Thunder-A/Duronis II Embassy

Congratulations and welcome!

(( Port Escape Pods, Lower Decks )) HOSHINO: Everyone, get to the pods... :: Ryoma didn't move forward to safety, but instead moved back to Devon. Squatting beside he, his hands on her shoulders, he knew that she would fight him. :: HOSHINO: Devon, you get on this one, I'll try and get in a pod on the forward section... ROMJIN: What? Ryoma, no! There isn't time... ::pulling at his arms:: ...you have to come with us. HOSHINO: There are too many people, Devon. They are injured, the counsellor has kids, and you, :: he swallowed hard :: I want you to be safe. ROMJIN: I can't just leave you! ::Her heart was racing. She shook her head and refused to let go of him.:: You have to come! Please, Ryoma. I'm pregnant! ::That's not how she wanted to tell him but she was scared to let him go.:: :: Ryoma blinked, the admission barely even registered in his mind. After a moment he smiled and put the palm of his hand against her cheek. :: HOSHINO: I'll be fine, Devon, don't worry. I'll see you on the other side... :: He kissed her on the forehead. :: Now, go, before they go without you. :: Tears now streaked her smoke smudged face. Hands grabbed her by the shoulders and helped her to her feet. :: ROMJIN: Ryoma... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * :: Ryoma had left Devon at the escape pod, and pushed his way back out into the corridor. Her face was on his mind as he collapsed to the floor, choking from the smoke billowing through the corridor. His hand slapped the floor in front of him, a spike of pain rising through his forearm. His eyes were stinging, his sweat-drenched hair was sticking to his face, and he was running out of time. :: COMPUTER: Two minutes until self-destruct. :: In the darkness of the smokey corridor, Ryoma heard groaning. He crawled ahead to find the source of the moans, finding a young deckhand with a gash across his face and a arm blacked from the near-instant frostbite of the Breen's cryogenic weapons. :: HOSHINO: :: Taking the young enlistee's pulse. :: It's okay, crewman, you're going to be alright. :: The kid's pulse was weak, but his groaning was a sign that he could pull through. :: :: Ryoma lifted the young man to his feet and carried on through the corridor, stepping over the bodies of Starfleet personnel and Breen alike. Then he heard what sounded like a chorus of screaming furies crying out for blood followed by a searing heat as the bulk head melted away in front of him. :: HOSHINO: No! :: The corridor lost pressure as the forward section of the saucer violently blew away taking Ryoma with it, his arms still wrapped around the crewman. His ears popped and he felt a sizzling sensation across his tongue before he succumbed to the darkness. :: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (( Intelligence Office, Lower Decks )) :: The jolt threw Ryoma into consciousness. As a kid, Ryoma had always heard that the falling sensation in our dreams was our heart skipping a beat, that if you hit the ground, you'll never wake up. Well, once again he had cheated death... the problem was, what is the point in cheating death if you wake up at the end of the night shift? Ryoma groaned as he checked the chronometer, wiping his eyes as though the display might just be a result of the sandman's trickery. :: oO How long was I asleep? Thank heavens I was alone... Oo :: With a yawn, he picked up the PADD from his lap and stood up to shake off the snooze. Immediately he noticed the note he had started before dropping off. Drinking his now stone cold coffee, he put the finishing touches to the message. :: ___________________________________________________ | | | Dear Devon, | | | | I just wanted to leave you a note to thank you | | for the time we spent together on Earth. When I | | close my eyes, all I think about is you in the | | morning sun. I really hope we can see each other | | again soon. | | | | If you're free after your shift, let me know - | | I have a bottle of shochu from our trip that I | | can't wait to unscrew, but I felt you deserved | | a chance to enjoy. How about it? | | | | Yours, | | | | Ryoma | | | ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ :: Hoshino put the PADD on Romjin's console and turned it face down. He felt good, like a new dawn had risen over his soul... or maybe that was the caffeine talking. :: ===================================================== Ensign Ryoma Hoshino Intelligence Officer USS Discovery-C

Congratulations and welcome to the fleet, ensign

Welcome guys!

"Yesterday is but today's memory, tomorrow is today's dream." ~ Kahlil Gibran ((Present)) ((Blueheart's Quarters, USS Discovery-C)) ::In 2576, when Amman will tear out the door to Blueheart's quarters amidst the wreckage that was at one time the resplendent flagship of the Avalon sector, the grieving Emerson Ravenscroft will enter that space in the hopes of sensing some residual emotion, some remnant memory, tattooed into the bulkheads and deckplates by fires and explosives. Alas, he would find no such solace. But Love, the one and only true timeless cosmological constant, knowing no shame or rue, will always find a way to breach the barriers of Time. And that was exactly what she did that fateful day.. After Raj had left, Emerson had headed to the replicator to have himself a smoked turkey sandwich. He had then experienced a strange sensation of foreboding. So strong was this feeling that it almost felt that a physical presence had manifested itself in the room. It had spurned him to spin around, instinctively, only to reveal nothing to his eyes. He had shrugged it off as stemming from either hunger or fatigue and had carried on with his quest for a sandwich. The dark foreboding returned. His heart, abruptly stopped, sank to the depths of his being. Blood drained from his head and beads of sweat erupted on his brow. The hairs on his arms and on the back of his neck stood on end. A shiver coursed through his veins like an ice-serpent. Bile rose to the back of his throat. His initial thought was that he was about to die. But almost as swift as this thought had entered his now-bloodless mind, another thought burst through. It was not HIM who was about to die! He crashed to the floor onto his knees. A searing pain bored its way through the right side of his skull, ultimately wracking his whole brain. It felt like talons and claws and nails and thorns thrashing about hysterically inside the vault of his skull. He whacked the right side of his head with his fist repeatedly. Again and again and again. He felt the skin and bone rent asunder from the top of his right eye all the way to the back of his right ear, the blood and fat and marrow spilling out like the entrails of a slaughtered pig. The pain vanished. Abruptly. His entire body went rigid. So sudden was the switch from painful to painless that he vomited. His mind began to shut down. Just before his head hit the pool of warm and lumpy bilious ejecta, random images burned themselves on his retinas. A morgue. A shot to the head. An alien landscape. A dreamless frozen sleep. Raj. Emerson would convulse once before losing his consciousness to darkness. Yes, Love almighty and eternal will always find a way to breach the barriers of Time, and that was exactly what she did that fateful day. Re-igniting a link between two sworn hearts unbroken by Time. No one ever said there wouldn't be a price to pay.:: TBC ============================ Lt Emerson Ravenscroft Xenolinguist USS DISCOVERY-C as simmed by LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS DISCOVERY-C

(( Lyshan VI - Stardate: 2390.10.23 )) :: Dressed in all black, she stood quietly off to the side, little more than a shadow in the midst of the other mourners. She drew in a deep breath of the cool forest air, the fresh scent of pine seemed somehow soothing. She looked down with tears threatening to cloud her vision as the tiny bundle, cradled in a sling against her chest, squirmed and made the tiniest sound. The round little face scrunched up but quickly relaxed, never even opening his eyes as she gently stroked his cheek with the back of her finger. The peacefulness of her son's expression brought a hint of a smile to her pale lips. In her mind, he was a gift from the gods, born premature but healthy in every way. :: :: She looked up once again at the little old man standing at the head of the crowd. She had yet to meet him but she knew everything there was to know about Ryoma's father. As he spoke, Devon Romjin stood a little taller, holding her head high. :: TADANOBU HOSHINO: Today we gather to remember the life... and death... of Ryoma Hoshino: son to my family, and to Lyshan VI as a whole. --------------- (( Intel Office, USS Discovery-C - Current Day )) :: Devon sat leaning back in her chair with her feet propped up on the edge of the desk. In one hand was a PADD containing all the information she could dig up on Valdor III, in the other hand was a cup of already cold chamomile tea. It wasn't her usual drink but her stomach had been a little upset most of the evening so Travers had suggested it. :: :: With a sigh, she tossed the PADD onto the desktop and sat up, letting her feet hit the floor with a thud. She looked at the dark liquid in the cup, her stomach turned and she sat the cup down, pushing it half way across the desk. :: ROMJIN: Travers... ::even though she was alone:: You're home remedies suck. --------------- (( Lyshan VI - Stardate: 2390.10.23 )) TADANOBU HOSHINO: Earlier this year, Ryoma, serving aboard the USS Discovery, was... :: voice wavering, the corner of his eyes glistening :: ... lost to the cold of space. While helping his crewmates to escape the stricken vessel, a Breen energy weapon cut through the hull of the Sovereign-class starship and Ryoma... :: A tear traced a moist track down his face :: ... my son, was dragged out into space. :: Devon bite her lip, her throat tightening as memories of that day came flooding back like a tidal wave. If she had been where she was suppose to have been, maybe... She blinked, sending a single tear rolling down her face. :: --------------- (( Crew Quarters, USS Discovery-C, Current Day )) :: Devon usually went to the Eagle's Roost for dinner following her shift. Not today. Just the thought made her even more nauseous. Travers had actually told her she was looking a little green and urged her to go to sickbay. But that wasn't going to happen if she could avoid it at all. :: She took a quick shower and then climbed into bed, pulling the blanket up over her head. She just needed sleep. For a moment she thought about Ryoma. She missed him. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She'd track him down later... if she felt better. :: --------------- (( Lyshan VI - Stardate: 2390.10.23 )) TADANOBU HOSHINO: Ryoma gave his life so that other may live. As parents, we could not be prouder of his actions, but we wish he were... :: He choked on his words. :: ... home. ROMJIN: oO Me too. Oo :: The thought brought a fresh tear falling from her dark eyes and she hugged her child a little tighter, leaning her cheek against his head. :: TADANOBU: In memory of his actions, his service to Lyshan VI and the Federation, we open the Ryoma Hoshino Natural Site, protecting our world as my son protected us. --------------- (( Crew Quarters, USS Discovery-C - Current Day )) :: Devon rolled over onto her back, throwing her arms out to the sides and swallowed hard. Her legs were tangled in the sheets but she couldn't bother kicking out of them. She lay completely still for several minutes, until the door chime sounded. She drew in a sharp breath and swallowed hard again. :: ROMJIN: Go away. I'm trying to die in peace. :: She already knew who it was so she wasn't surprised when the door opened and Travers sauntered in. :: TRAVERS: :: hands on hips :: Tsk tsk tsk. You're late for your shift but lucky for you I'm such a terrific friend. ::reaching into his pocket and pulling out a hypospray:: I also have a sure fire upset tummy fixer upper. ROMJIN: ::raising her head just enough to look at Peter Pan:: Oh yay. ::letting her head drop:: Just shoot me. ::Travers rolled his eyes, followed by shaking his head and chuckling as he crossed the room to stand right beside her. :: TRAVERS: You know under different circumstances... ROMJIN: I'll kick your [...] if you even think about it. TRAVERS: ::laughing:: You'd have beat me to death a million times already. ::Leaning down just enough, he pressed the hypospray against her neck.:: There. Give it a few seconds and you'll feel alive again. THEN we have to get moving before boss mad notices you're late. :: Without a word, she grabbed her pillow and threw it at him. :: TRAVERS: ::catching it easily enough:: So does Daddy know about it yet? ROMJIN: ::her head jerked up:: What!? ::seeing him laughing, she dropped her head again:: Oh my gods, Trav, don't be stupid. --tbc-- (PNPC) Ensign Devon Romjin Intel USS Discovery-C -- as played by Lt. jg Collim Kieran

((Stardate 257608.31)) ((Mess Hall, USS Discovery-F)) ::Emerson spooned tasteless grub into his mouth. Not because he was hungry. Not because he sought nourishment. Only because it was a ritual. A habit. A routine to hold on to whatever remnant of sanity still lurking inside that dented and cracked skull. Like a gaudy Picasso he stood out in his drab oversized civilian clothes in the equally drab hall, his skin an asymmetrical patchwork of scars, sutures and scabs. Without looking up, he knew the others were watching. Watching an ugly animal feed. Watching a grotesque fossil from the past. Watching an alien displaced in time and place. A shadow fell upon his bowl of grey goo. Hunched over the bowl, he didn't look up.:: RAVENSCROFT: Get lost. CAMERON: ::tremulous voice:: Lieutenant.. Ravenscroft? RAVENSCROFT: Am I? ::Another swallow, another suppressed gag reflex.:: I don't even know who or what I am anymore. CAMERON: I have someth---- ::A swipe of an arm was all it took to send the bowl sailing through the air and into the far corner of the hall. The loud clang of the metal container against the tables and bulkhead was followed by deafening silence. When the retired major-sergeant turned back to look at the former linguist, he became frozen in place by a pair of feral green eyes, bloodshot, bruised and vacuous. They locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity, the innocent of the present and the demon from the past, a hundred lifetimes standing between them.:: RAVENSCROFT: Frak off. ::Trembling, but defiant, MSgt Cameron gently placed a sleeker, futuristic version of the PADD on the cold metal table then slid it very slowly towards him. He waited a couple of seconds before speaking.:: CAMERON: I'm part of a salvage crew subcontracted by Starfleet in the extrication of the Discovery C. We managed to pull up some of the more intact ship logs. ::He paused, not certain just how delicately he should proceed from that point onwards.:: One of the first few logs I extracted were personal logs of the crew.. including those of.. the First Officer.. commander Blueheart.. RAVENSCROFT: Frak you! ::Growling, he jumped up and back, kicking the chair and sending it smashing against the bulkhead behind him. He gave the sergeant a parting savage look, nostrils flared, broken teeth bared. Digging his tightly clenched fists into his pockets, he turned away to leave, limping, his head throbbing, the wounds and scars on fire. Now was not the time to remember. No! Now was not the time to remember! He drew out his right fist and smacked it against his skull, thrice, scratching at the incision scar at the same time.:: CAMERON: ::raising his voice, unperturbed:: Lieutenant! ::He stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, seething with rage. A morbid desire to wrap his callused fingers around the [...]y man's scrawny neck rose within him like the bile induced by the garbage he just forced himself to ingest. He wished to see his fingernails dig deeper and deeper into the supple flesh, collapsing the carotids millimeter by millimeter till the man turned fatally dusky, till his eyeballs and tongue leaked out of their orifices like slugs emerging from their lairs. It would be like killing all those Breen two hundred years ago, yesterday.:: CAMERON: The mission logs are classified and off limits. I went to extraordinary lengths to get you a copy of his personal logs. I thought you'd like to have them. Reading some of them.. well,.. ::His voice dropped a timbre.:: .. .. I know he'd have wanted you to have them. ::The sergeant grabbed the PADD off the table and threw it at him. All those years in cryostasis hadn't diminished reflexes borne and honed in the military. His right arm shot out with lightning speed to catch the device in midair before he even felt the stretch and subsequent snap of quiescent ligaments in his limb. He stared at the PADD, more out of surprise that he had reached out to catch it rather than actually successfully catching it. Cameron walked past him on his way out of the mess hall, breaking off eye contact with the feral beast, halting only briefly beside him for a parting word or two.:: CAMERON: Some of your friends are down on the planet, at the wreckage site. ::[...]ing his head to the side ever so slightly:: Good day, lieutenant. ((Time warp – One hour later)) ((Temporary Crew Quarters, USS Discovery-F)) ::He believed the itching would be gone once he surrendered himself to reading the logs. The itching of curiosity. The itching of missing someone so frakking badly. It only got worse. Subconsciously, he scratched that sinister scar that ran from the top of his right eye all the way back to his right ear with soiled, unkempt fingernails as he accessed the logs, sitting cross-legged in a dull grey room devoid of furniture, one entry at a time.:: Personal Log of Lieutenant Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer of the USS Discovery, NCC-31929-C Stardate 239002.19 I toured Astrometrics today with Essk. He almost launched a probe! One should see the look on Valdivia's and Vedra's face when the launch sequence was initiated. I had to pinch myself hard to keep me from laughing out loud. I don't remember ever wanting to laugh this much, ever. Oh wait. Except maybe for that time when Em wrestled a giant neurotic bird in Sickbay. (Not Dr Morning-Song). End of personal log. Stardate 239003.18 Em and I took the kids to the Arboretum for a picnic. We told them about Lady Julia and how she's now part of the universe, all around us. I think this is the kids' first exposure to spirituality, and the gods know I have no idea whether what I did was appropriate. Every so often I kept telling myself I should've consulted Steve before explaining life and death to our kids, but then I saw Vayu look up and out of the viewing window at a passing bright star and waved goodbye to Julie. And then I knew I did okay. We did okay. Me, Em and Steve. .. Though I'll leave explaining the birds and the bees and the lizards to those two. End of personal log. Stardate 239008.22 A year ago we were on shore leave on Earth, having the time of our lives. Now we are fighting for our lives. The conflict with the Breen had escalated with the assassination of their key ambassador. No party had come forth to claim responsibility for the crime. Independent commissions investigating the matter had not turned up anything conclusive. I had not been surprised. There are too many factions, splinter groups, even within Starfleet, I personally believe, that have gone rogue and have taken the execution of justice into their own hands. Now with a full scale war between the Federation and the Breen, the future looks dismal. Everyday I find my optimism and hope for a peaceful resolution to this strife evaporating. The crew of the Discovery has stuck through thick and thin many times before, always emerging triumphant and cohesive in the end. But with so much death and loss and shattered lives all around us, I'm not certain we will be as lucky this time. I dread thinking about the kind of future the kids will inherit.. End of personal log. Stardate 2390010.01 We laid Lieutenant Raine Vedra to rest today. He shot himself in the head with his phaser. His depression had relapsed. We are beginning to witness the collateral effects of the war. Displaced families, genocide, xenophobia, famine, depression, disease outbreaks, human trafficking, anarchy.. The impending complete collapse of Humanity. There are moments when I look at my own phaser and.. But I still have Em! I am blessed that way. I don't know how I'd even find the strength to wake up every day without him. He is my sanctuary. He is my war bunker, my panic room. Time stops when I'm with him. Nothing else matters when I'm with him. Yet I'm plagued by doubts of a future where we're still together. It's a sick, sick feeling I can't completely dismiss. And it makes me sad, most days, thinking about this prospect. Funny how joy and security can morph into paralyzing sadness in the lapse of a heartbeat. If ever there comes a terrible fate where only one of us is allowed to survive this war, I pray Ares will keep Em alive. He is the sun that gives life to all, not just me. He is the love of my life. Always shall be. Even in death.. My immortal beloved. End of personal log. ::He was holding his knees close to his chest by the time he read the last of the logs, rocking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. A metronome to accompany a tragic symphony. He was remembering the past. The past was crawling out of its cave, fangs bared. Like a hounded quarry he howled a horrifying guttural sound, clawing his way into a corner of the dark room, cowering and shaking, curling into a tight ball of flesh and bone and pain. There was no escape. The past had ensnared its prey.:: END ========================== Lt Emerson Ravenscroft Former Xenolinguist USS DISCOVERY-C as simmed by LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS DISCOVERY-C

(( Lyshan VI - Stardate: 2390.10.23 )) :: There was a slight bite to the evening air. Devon suppressed a shiver as she double checked the address she had written down. Biting her lip, she stood staring at the numbers. Doubt or maybe it was fear, once again rose inside her. She had no idea how the couple would react to meeting her or more importantly the small baby bundled warmly in the baby sling draped in front of her. But this was the right thing to do. She had to at least give them a chance to know their only grandchild. :: :: Taking a deep breath, she climbed the last two steps and pressed the door bell. Then she rocked gently back and forth as little legs began to squirm against her stomach. :: :: She was reaching for the bell again when the door slowly opened, just a crack. :: ROMJIN: Mr. Hoshino? :: The eyes peering out through the crack narrowed momentarily as the older man tried to register the woman's face. That moment was soon gone once the eyes fell onto the baby. :: TADANOBU HOSHINO: Oh, come in, child - it is freezing out there. :: The door open wide allowing Romjin access to the home's entrance. A single pair of men's boots lay neatly facing the door. On the wall, an elaborate inked piece of calligraphy added character to a rather utilitarian room :: :: Tadanobu stood slightly above Devon on a step delineating the inside of the house from the unadorned entrance floor. A fireplace crackled out of view, shadows dancing in the background from where it cast its light. :: :: The older man's white hair bore a stark contrast to the dark patches around his eyes, his body hunched up slightly from an unseen burden. It wasn't hard for Devon to guess what that burden maybe. :: HOSHINO: Now, miss, if you don't mind me asking, who are you? :: His voice was low and measured, he was sizing her up, just as his own son had barely a year prior. :: :: Looking into the old man's eyes, her heart ached even more. Did he realize his son had that very same way of looking at someone? Or was it just the way the had looked at her? :: ROMJIN: Devon Romjin, ::pause:: I... ::the baby made the slightest whimper and Devon uncovered his head:: I'm sorry to bother you but... ::smiling sadly as her mind and heart raced:: I knew your son. :: There was a moment's silence, not awkward, but one charged with meaning. :: HOSHINO: You came to the ceremony today, didn't you? You stood at the back of the crowd. I saw you. :: He inhaled deeply, exhaling with a drawn out sigh. What was he to do? :: Come in, come in. Step up into the house... and please, leave your shoes there. :: He smiled, it seemed warm, but his eyes were dead. In truth, the old man was wondering what he was about to hear... :: ROMJIN: Thank you. :: As she passed by him, he caught a glimpse of the baby's face. That it seemed ethnically different to Romjin was immediately obvious: the wispy black hair, the sharper dark eyes, the skintone... He knew what was about to come next. :: :: Stepping inside, she was glad to get out of the cold. She tried not to show her nervousness as she unfastened her jacket while still holding the baby close with one arm. Then she managed to unzipped the sides of her boots and kicked them off, leaving them neatly where the older man had indicated. :: ROMJIN: Yes, I was there. ::her voice cracked ever so slightly:: I... ::She really wasn't good at this sort of thing.:: It was a beautiful service. HOSHINO: :: Motioning to her to sit beside the fire. The furniture was wooden, hand-made by Tadanobu himself. :: Ryoma never mentioned he had gotten married... then again, we didn't speak much before he... :: His voice trailed away. :: :: The house was spartan, although it hadn't always been that way. Although tidy, it is was utilitarian and cold. It wasn't like that when Ryoma was there. It wasn't like that until his mother left. :: :: Sitting beside the fire, she loosened the sling and pushed it further open to give the little one more freedom to move his little legs. She looked up at the old man and blinked. :: ROMJIN: Married... :: She glanced down at the baby and then back up at the man. :: Oh... No. ::shaking her head:: We nev... ::This was very awkward to her. As if sensing her emotions, the baby let out a squeal as he clutched his mother's finger. She couldn't help but smile down at him. She took a breath and shifted him to a more comfortable position.:: ROMJIN: I'm sorry. :she gave him a very nervous smile:: This isn't exactly how... ::shaking her head as if to clear it, she looked back down:: This is Ryo... your grandson. :: The old man looked at Romjin with piercing eyes. Was she for real? Coming to his house with a baby... what did she want? He forced himself to look down at the baby's eyes, the hard face lingered for only a moment before cracking into a sobbing wreck. They weren't the soft sobs of heartbreak, they were the heartwrenching sorrowful tears of a man who had lost everything only to be shown the light. :: :: Tadanobu buried his face into his hands as he sobbed out loud. A year of pain, loss, and burden came crashing down upon him. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his face still covered by his hands as he attempted to catch his breath, to suppress the tears for just a moment that he might gaze on the legacy of his only son. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and left his armchair, falling to his knees. He didn't stop, crawling over to the baby in Romjin's lap, and reaching out with a hand. As his fingertip reached the baby's cheek, Ryo flinched, leaning back and grasping with his free-hand to wrap his meaty paws his grandfather's weathered index finger. It was too much for the old man to take. He dared not take back his hand, so he sobbed openly, right at Devon's lap. His head eventually falling onto the lap of the baby. :: HOSHINO: I miss him so much... :: He barely managed to form these words between breathless groans of sorrow. :: Thank you... :: His voice was now a whisper. :: Thank you. --tbc-- (PNPC) Ensign Devon Romjin Intel USS Discovery-C -- as played by Lt. jg Collim Kieran & (PNPC) Tadanobu Hoshino Civilian -- as played by Ens. Ryoma Hoshino

Welcome to the Fleet, ensigns!

Welcome back James :-)