Sal Taybrim

((Student Dorms, Starfleet Academy Campus - Starbase 118.)) It was early morning. Very early morning and Mareta really didn't want to get up. She had no classes today, and in theory her schedule was devoid of absolutely any activities – both social and study – save one. One that she couldn't have dreamed of in her studies last year. She lay there for a few moments, and then her alarm went off. A long sigh escaped as she hit the snooze button. It was on old 20th Century-style alarm clock that had been a gift from her cousin Arturo. A bit of an in-joke between the two of them when she had been getting ready to start her first year of study. Mareta was easily the least morning-orientated person in the galaxy and she sighed again as she rolled over and away from the alarm clock. Liva was still asleep, and Mareta snuggled in behind her as she tried to make the most of the ten minutes snooze time she'd given herself. Liva was her dorm-mate, best friend and “secret” partner. The two girls found the student are-they-aren't-they gossip quite amusing, and they ignored it as the free drinks and attention from some of the boys on campus was rather flattering. They had almost everything in common, even down to having relatives on the station. For Mareta, it was Arturo, and for Liva, it was Beatrice, her human half-sister. What felt like barely a heartbeat later, that infernal alarm clock was making its teeth-grinding Bzzt Bzzt Bzzt noise again and Mareta reluctantly rolled over to switch it off. This time, Liva woke up as well, and she sat up. Shuffling backwards, Liva leaned against the headboard and rubbed at her eyes. Liva: What time is it, Bee? Liva's voice carried a strong accent of her home in Kendra Province on Bajor, and Mareta's own voice gave statement to her own birthplace in Italy. It made for a strange yet gentle contrast of tones when they spoke together, although it didn't help whenever the two girls tried to practice the others native language. As a result, there had been many laughter and wine-filled nights in their room as the pair each butchered the pronunciations of a new language. Mareta: Seven thirty. A massive, cheerful smile spread across Mareta's face as she clambered out of bed and disappeared into the small refresher. Liva picked up her PADD from her bedside table and began to scroll aimlessly through the student news pages as she heard the shower start up. You never knew when you'd stumble across an unadvertised – but very useful – seminar by one of the Academy Professors, or even one of the stations senior officers. When she heard the shower cut out, and the sound of damp feet moving about, she put down the PADD and flopped forwards on the bed, chin resting on her hands, feet up and crossed. Liva: So what's got you so smiley this morning? Clad in a wrapped towel, Mareta reappeared, scrubbing away at her teeth and Liva waggled her feet slightly. Mareta: Nrp evry d'capn! Liva: What? Mareta: Mrtern d'capn tdy! Liva began to laugh, and waved Mareta back towards the refresher. A few minutes later she reappeared and sat down beside Liva, who sat up and crossed her legs. Mareta bumped her playfully with her shoulder, her broad smile appearing once more along with an excited sparkle to her eyes. Mareta: It's not every day you get to meet the Captain! Liva: Really!? Your placement was granted? ::She shuffled a touch closer and put her arms around Mareta.:: That's wonderful! Mareta: It's only one full duty shift every other week. Liva: But still, it's a full shift with the captain! Think about all the things you'll get to learn directly from an officer who's really done it all! Mareta smiled, giving Liva a hug in return before standing and heading for the far wall. She replicated a fresh uniform and pulled it on before moving to her bedside table and picking up the four elongated pips that marked her out as a final year Cadet. Liva hopped up and took her hand, before putting the pips on for her. A long hug later, and Mareta was off out of the door and on her way up to deck seven of the command tower, and specifically the office of Fleet Captain Sal Taybrim. As the door closed, Liva sat down on the bed again. What was she going to do with herself today? Her PADD pinged at an incoming message and she reached over for it. Thumbing it to life she raised a curious eyebrow at the screen. Message Received. Text Only. Sender; USS Narendra. Lt-Commander Gogigobo Fairhug. ~*~ Cadet 1st Class Mareta Bianchi. & Cadet 1st Class Liva Jardel. Starfleet Command School. Starbase 118 Academy Campus. Simmed by; Lt-Commander Arturo Maxwell. Chief Tactical Officer. Starbase 118 Operations. O239311AM0.

Best. Confession. Ever.

StarBase 118 Ops' theme this year is Crytozoology! Come see the critters we caught! Sal found the Dobhar-chu - have I got a fish tale for you!!

Come on, coffee is *always* fun!

((OCC: This is the start of a mystery. The first 8 posts will set it up. After that, anyone who wants to join in can do so. This is Part 1 of 8 Flashback Scenes)) Alone ((Epsilon Argyros, Scylanthia, Alastriona’s Office – 239606.10 – Four Months Ago)) ::And she finally stopped playing their song when she realized that she was dancing alone. – Anonymous:: ::Like a dying firestorm, the red star Epsilon Argyros began to set below the horizon, bathing the room with fading passion. Alastriona looked up at her long bare legs, which were perched up on top of the glass table of her office, high above her homeworld, Scylanthia. It was summer outside, and she had chosen a pair of jean shorts, a red t-shirt and sandals to wear. Her pale skin warmed up nicely, even though the large glass windows were tinted.:: ::The building hovered over two thousand feet in the air above the city Cleeia. Outside, hundreds of multicolored balloon-like people – Scylanthian’s – drifted about. She could see the beaches far below, near her house. The ocean, tinted with a rainbow of colors cast down from the exotic atmosphere of the planet, turned cherry red as the sun fell into the sea. A scattering of stars came out: Theta Tauri, Gamma Tauri and Delta Tauri were first, followed by Epsilon Tauri and Aldebaran.:: ::Alatriona leaned back in her chair, stretched out her arms, and yawned.:: ::The computer was undeterred by her behavior.:: Computer: The mass segregation of the star cluster is consistent with the observed distribution of stellar types – DeTroyes: Ordinateur, arrêt. :: Another yawn filled her face. ::I’ve studied long enough today, ::she grumbled.:: ::The computer’s refusal was simple.:: Computer: Negative. ::The machine continued to drone on.:: Stellar evaporation occurs in the cluster halo as matter. . . ::Irritated, she dropped into English.:: DeTroyes: Computer, halt! ::In a condescending tone, the computer argued,:: Computer: The study schedule, programmed by YOU, continues for another two hours. DeTroyes: What’s with the attitude? Ten hours is enough for today! ::she complained:: If I can’t pass the science exams when I get to earth, maybe I’ll quit Starfleet altogether! :: She was grumbling, but knew the computer was right, or rather, she was right to have programmed the computer to try to force her to continue on. She was a hundred and twenty years out of date. It had been nearly a year since she’d asked for a leave of absence from Starfleet, so that she could study the current scientific theories. It was so embarrassing to ask people such simple things as how to use a modern tricorder.:: Computer: Starfleet re-certification exams begin in 56 Earth days. Since you’re scheduled to leave on the transport La Fayette in thirty six hours, and it takes 53 days at warp 8 to reach Sol, it is advisable to . . . DeTroyes: I know! ::Exasperated, she reached over to shut the thing off, but she hit the wrong button and it triggered a very old message buried inside the computer. Whispers came out of time, bringing back old memories. It was the voice of her sister, Genevieve.:: Genevieve: Alastriona, I don’t know if you’ll ever hear this message – Starfleet tells us that you’re science station at the edge of the milky way was destroyed, but I had a dream about you. . . . and I know that you’re still alive. . . . ::There was a pause where Alastriona thought she heard her sister crying. Then Genevieve continued,:: Genevieve: I have some terrible news to tell you. Everyone in our family is dead. Both of our parents, our cousins – everyone – are gone. They say that a curse killed them. I’m leaving Scylanthia and moving to a planet called Bijou Bleu, which is in the Gliese 777A star system. Hopefully, I’ll be okay there. I wanted you to know so that you’ll be careful if . . . I mean, *when* you get back. I hope this message really does reach you. I love you. ::Her sister’s words hit her like a thunderbolt. Alastriona felt a cold tingling sensation dribbling over her body. Her parents, Telfour and Chantel were both dead. All the rest of her family were gone too. She knew that they were dead of course, since they lived a hundred years ago, but to hear the news that they had died prematurely, that they had never had a full life, was too terrible to bear. The shock of it filled her with silence.:: ::Occasionally, she had entertained the thought of trying to contact the descendants of her family, but never did so, feeling uncomfortable at the idea of getting to know her great-great-great-grandchildren. But they had never been born. Or had they?:: DeTroyes: Computer, locate the DeTroyes family on Scylanthia. Computer: There is no one with that surname on Scylanthia. ::Alastriona put her feet on the floor and whirled to face the computer monitor, as if it was another person, listening to her shock and grief. She shook her head. :: DeTroyes: Let’s make it simple. Computer, take my Starfleet file and extrapolate all data for my relations and descendants. Locate any of my living relatives in the Federation. Computer: Working. . . :: Alastriona leaned back in her chair, and looked down on the coastline near the city of Cleeia. She had walked those beaches with her sister, so long ago. . . :: Computer: There are no matches to be found anywhere within the worlds of the Federation. :: It felt like someone had punched her hard in the stomach. Alastriona felt dizziness whirling around and around. Getting up, she grabbed the computer and threw it at the window. :: DeTroyes: NO! ::The monitor bounced off the glass, which had been reinforced against the storms of Scylanthia, to keep out the sometimes poisonous gasses that drifted down from the more dangerous bio-zones above.:: DeTroyes: What happened to them? :: But the computer was silent. It lay in ruin on the floor of her office. :: ::Genevieve’s message had been like a death knell. Was it some kind of disease or was it really some kind of curse, laid onto their family by some angry mystic? Alastriona walked over to a white couch and dropped onto it.:: DeTroyes: Superstition and nonsense. ::If it was some kind of familial plague, was she infected? Could she become infected? How long did she have? Shaking her head, Alastriona didn’t really care if she died. She began to cry. All that her family was, all that her family could have been today, all that they might have been, were gone.:: ::Truly, Alastriona was alone.:: ~*~ Ensign Alastriona De Troyes Science Officer Starbase 118 Ops O239609AD0 ((Disclaimer: All wicked, evil, dastardly comments by Alastriona are purely IC.))

I really enjoy the banter between these two!!

((Secondary Sickbay – USS Narendra)) Malko: First thing's first, we need to find out how much Fairhug knows - and what the situation is on the bridge. For all we know they could be locked in combat with them now. Termine: Malko, Are you thinking what I'm thinking? ((Deck 2, Jefferies tube – USS Narendra)) Termine: Oh quit your whining, neither of us are equipped for a battle and we seem to have good luck in small tubes. Malko: I hope you know where you're going, the last time I followed you into a Jeffries I landed in hazardous material disposal. Prophets - I sound like B character in a fantasy movie. Also, do we need to crawl? Termine: That's true, it does make me feel a bit like a hamster… But it's our best shot at seeing if Fairhug is on the bridge and keeping safe — Ah! Here it is, the ladder to deck one. come on, keep it up doc, Malko: Why don't you let me peek first, you're still wearing a diplomat uniform - they'd take you hostage on sight. Termine: That's not a bad idea - But hold up one second I think we're nearing the bridge! They were thankfully only a few feet from the bottom of the ladder when the explosion pitched the ship sideways and the two slid off the slick aluminum alloy and into the catwalk below. Geysers of steam puffed intermittently as pressurized energy sources were damaged and diverted. Termine: Holy hell!! they're shooting at us. We need to get out of here! Malko: Stay down - and look for an access panel. Almost galloping on all fours, the counsellor scrambled behind Dante as he combed the well of the tube for some blades of light peeking in from the exterior. Dante swivelled and plunged his boots into the screws of a panel - it's bent form gave way and the officer slid out the hatch. Termine: *cough cough* Err…. Lietuenant JG Dante Termine reporting for duty. sir. Malko could hear Dante speaking to someone, but couldn't make out who it was. Fairhug: ? Termine: Well, just trying to play catch up sir - it looks as if you've got everything sorted out here. Sliding face first out of the hatch onto the bridge carpet, Malko did his best to hold his medical gown shut with one hand and salute with the other. If he only had a third to keep a grasp on his composure... Malko: Ha ha! Yes, sir - we came to make sure you're OK. And now that we see all is fine... Termine: Ah! Sorry, Malko is here too. Not exactly the entrance I wanted to make but, I guess the team's all back together again huh? Fairhug: ? Malko: Yes, it had dawned us we had been infiltrated, too. We had some theories about isolating the breach and getting to the bottom of how this all happened. Termine/Fairhug: ? Malko: With some cross-referencing of ship registry timelines pre and post intervention on the cult attack of Gorn, as we as some more detailed information about the status of the Narendra's Sickbay and its patients at the time of the... incident... we believe we can move to a better understanding of todays' events. Termine/Fairhug: ? Malko nodded at Dante, maybe their shore leave wasn't going to be a break from work after all... Malko: Understandable, we are eager to help anytime. Termine/Fairhug: ? Malko: Thank you, sir. We will leave you be... Termine, we can use my office - I need a change of clothes, anyway. Malko half bowed and gestured to the turbolift, backing out of the controlled chaos that was the bridge. Even in the midst of a crisis, the bridge crew volleyed tasks like a professional sports team - beginning to rebuild Malko's sense of safety he hadn't felt since the crash. ((OOC: wrapping up for shore leave, but we can continue this subject later!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LTJG Malko Counsellor Starbase 118 Ops A239508M10

Malko: Nope, nice try. I've never seen any of your ugly mugs before... Dante? hey now, we just confirmed he had a pretty face... 😂

Congratulations and welcome Ensigns!

Congratulations, Ensigns! You did a fantastic job! Welcome to the fleet!

What not to hear in a shuttlecraft: Poq is having so much fun!

Congratulations Ensigns! Welcome to the fleet!

Sal drinks Rigellian orange cider with long pepper. Wyn drinks raktajino, black like his soul.

(( Sol's quarters - U.S.S. Narendra )) :: Sol closed the message, spinning around in her chair. It looked like she needed to replicate something nice enough for the upcoming party. What she wouldnt give for Georgio to be aboard the Narendra. The hologram was a bit eccentric, but had great fashion sense. She chuckled to herself and stood, walking over to the replicator. She scrolled through the menus, just browsing the list of semi-formal attire she could replicate, finally settling on a nice off the shoulder dress with a corsetted bodice and a pair of heels. She picked up the garment and the shoes and set them on the bed, undoing the jacket of her uniform. :: McLaren: Computer... what is the time in Belfast, Ireland? :: The computer beeped. :: Computer: 17:34 hours. :: Sol grinned, walking over to her terminal tapping in a few commands. The screen changed to a standard subspace communications splash screen as her call was put through. She set her combadge on the desk, and started pulling her pips off, setting them next to it. The screen soon changed to show a quaint Irish cottage, though no one was currently on the screen. Sol's brow furrowed in confusion. :: McLaren: Hello? :: The was a slight crash off screen. :: Vivian McLaren: In ainm Dé! Rose... hang on! :: The face of a woman soon slid into view, a bit dusty, presumably from cleaning the house. Sol laughed. :: McLaren: Hey, Mum. How are you? Vivian: Im fine! Rose... when did you get back? Last we heard you were going away for a while... then nothing. McLaren: I just got to my new posting yesterday. Im back on Starbase 118. Vivian: Is everything ok? :: Sol nodded smiling. :: McLaren: Yea, everything is fine, Mum. I just wanted to call and let you know I was still alive... :: She chuckled. :: By the time I got aboard yesterday it was too late to call. Vivian: Oh you could ahve called... we would have been thrilled. :: Sol nodded. :: McLaren: Yea, perfectly thrilled until the next morning rolled around. :: Vivian laughed. :: Vivian: Maybe so, love... maybe so. What has Starfleet got you doing now? McLaren: Same thing as always Mum. Lots of paperwork... some exploration. oO And going undercover for months at a time... but I cant tell you about that... Oo What about you? Hows the shop? Vivian: A bit slow recently... but it'll pick up. Always does. McLaren: And what about Dad? Wheres he right now? Vivian: Oh he's at the pub, getting ready to open. You just missed him. :: Sol frowned. :: McLaren: Let him know I called? Vivian: :: nodding :: Of course, I'll-- :: There was a bark and the face of a Siberian Husky popped into the frame bringing a wide smile to Sol's face. :: McLaren: Hi Luna! Have you been a good dog? :: Luna licked the screen, barking. Vivian laughed. :: McLaren: Im sure you have Luna... I miss you. :: Sol placed her hand on the screen and Luna licked it again. :: Vvivan: We all miss you too, Rose... :: Sol glacned at the chronometer, sighing. :: McLaren: I have to go Mum, gotta finish getting ready... theres a ceremony soon. Everyone has to be there. :: Vivian nodded. Luna whined, getting a pet from Vivian. :: Vivian: Alright Rose, have a good time. Be safe. McLaren: I will. Is breá liom tú. Vivian: I love you too. :: Sol smiled, waving. Luna barked again, before dropping out of the frame as her mother ended the transmission. Sol sat back and sighed, happy to have gotten a chance to finally call home. She couldnt sit idle for too long , soon getting up to finish getting ready for the award ceremony. :: (( OOC: Just a little bit of Sol with her mother. And her dog. Because I felt like writing. )) ~~~ Lieutenant Solaris McLaren Intelligence Officer Starbase 118 Ops C239210SM0 --

Making good first impressions, that Daniel Cain is! 😂

Awesome work everyone! I'm so glad we can recognize the nominators! ❤️

Wonderful bit of interaction between Cain and Jager here Great writing Mr. Cain!

What an amazing group of winners we have this year!! @Jarred Thoran - CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for all your amazing work on the Columbia! @Kayla Drex - You are a wonderful junior staffer on the eagle and an eager energetic writer! I'm so happy to see you get recognized with this award! Congratulations! @Blaidd Vescori - so many congratulations! I am so glad you could be recognized. You are a fantastic writer, a wonderful roleplayer and a great person to talk to. You are one of the reasons why I didn't retire my secondary character when times got rough and I switched jobs. Thank you for making the Eagle a more fun and exciting place to play! And of course... CONGRATULATIONS @Gogigobo Fairhug!! I would never wish for anyone to have to move off such a wonderful ship like the Apollo, but out of that came something great - and that was getting to know an amazing group of players who were all spearheaded by an incredible writer and staffperson - Gogi. You are such a wonderful person to talk to, to work with and to write with. I am so excited to keep working with Gogi in different roles and seeing our characters relationship grow. Thank you so much for all your hard work and effort in making our story about Star Trek a memorable one! Congratulations to all the winners!!

Congratulations everyone!! @Jarred Thoran- CONGRATULATIONS! I can think of no better rising star this year. This is the award that truly encompasses all you do and I am so happy to see you recognized for this!! Thank you for everything you do for you ship, and as a fleetwide staff person! I can't wait to see how you shine in the future! @Geoffrey Teller - I am so excited to see you recognized as this year's Luminary!! You have such a stellar knowledge of Star trek and I can't wait to talk with you more on Discord and see what you do in the fleet in the upcoming year! And CONGRATULATIONS to everyone else recognized! Thank you for all you do!

@Jarred Thoran - Congratulations and thank you for all the work you do on the publicity team and for all the various facets of our game that you improve! You have done an amazing job this year! @Jalana - Congratulations on the Pike Pendant! You have worked so hard for so many years as CO of the Conny and done a great job! I'm so happy to see you recognized! @Mei'konda - Congratulations! Launching a ship is no easy task and you approached the hurdles and growing pains with commitment and energy. Thank you so much for working so hard for your crew! I'm glad to see you honored this year! @Alex Blair - Its rare that we get to recognize someone who works behind the scenes like you do, but I'm so glad we had the opportunity to recognize you for all the hard work you've done on the fleetwide newsletter and on the academy stats. Congratulations and thank you so much! @Theo Whittaker - I am so proud of you Theo. You have learned so much this year, and grown as a commanding officer, shaping one of the best ships in the fleet. You deserve this and I'm so happy to recognize all your hard work. Congratulations!! And finally - I know it might seem odd to present Fleet Admiral Wolf with an award like Staff Member of the Year, but I didn't realize he had never won it until I did some research! And this was absolutely the year to recognize Wolf. I know players don't see what all happens behind the scenes - but this year Fleet Admiral Wolf supported some of our biggest OOC taskforces, helping with the Publicity team, the chat team and leading the News team! He also stepped in and helped almost every ship on our roster navigate through difficult times, from helping CO's get back on their feet after IRL emergencies, helping ships work through hard times, facilitating a ship merger and two ship launches, working through a sudden rush to place an awesome group of players from Reddit and more. ALSO it's the 25th anniversary! He's administrated this game for 25 years! That's amazing! I want to say Thank you to @FltAdml. Wolf for proving a longterm stable game for players to continue to write amazing Star Trek stories year after year. Thank you so much and congratulations!

Congratulations shipwide winners! @Arturo Maxwell - so proud of you for all the hard work you've put in over the years! You are a first class writer and you did a great job! Congrats on the TOSMA!! @Jalana - Seriously it took us this long to TOSMA you?! CONGRATS to my favorite ginger Trill!! You're still Wyn's favorite Captain! ❤️ @Wallace Williams - CONGRATS, WALLY! You have done SUCH a good job writing on both the Apollo and Ops. You deserve this and you make me so proud! @Groznin Smith- Congrats on the Genesis award! You've really grown over this past year and have become a well known and respected officer in the fleet. Good job! @Prudence "Rue" Blackwell - Congrats on the Sheathed Sword! I love reading your character's drama and you're one of the people who make it worthwhile to keep writing for my secondary character! ❤️ @Dar Toral - Thank you so much for bringing your encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek to Ops. You are such a wonderful writer and I'm so happy to be writing with you! @Saveron - Thank you for keeping in touch IC and OOC. You make this game a happier place! Congrats on the Silver Palm! @Gogigobo Fairhug - You are a consummate mentor, and a fantastic writer. Thank you so much for all your help on Ops and I am so looking forward to the months and years ahead! @Reema Poq . @Eerie. @Daniel Cain and Malko - You guys are a joy to write with and I am so proud of all you my awesome Ops winners! Congratulations! YOu guys are a fantastic crew and I'm excited to keep writing with you all! Congrats to all the winners! Great work!

::giggle::

((Ishnag Education Center – Main Hall)) Maxwell: =/\= Maxwell tae Malko. We've got incoming. You are tae hold your position around the shuttle and remain undetected for now. Tell MacMahon that's an order! =/\= :: The hail from Lieutenant Commander Maxwell was not news to Malko. Only seconds before a Starfleet officer was being carried into the triage area and the whole camp around the shuttle had gone into high alert. The medical team led by Nurse Gau was lining up tables and electron scanners in a fury of medical feng shui. Malko was about to reply when he noticed the injured officer had dropped his tricorder coming through the path behind the landing zone... :: Poq: ? Jesseth: We have 14,678 gornlings on this planet in two areas – this one is the larger with 8000, and then eighteen quadrosecs away there is another building with the remaining younglings. We have put in emergency measures and all our younglings and staff are in shelters, with the majority being in this building. Maxwell: What defensive systems do you have? ::Turning.:: Is there anything you need, Dr? Poq: ? Jesseth: Yes, there is a medical facility on the second level. We also have meteor shields if all evacuated staff and younglings are below ground level. Maxwell: Then I would respectfully suggest you do so, Administrator. Poq: ? Jesseth: Yes I will - ::He cut off as the shield that protected the building sizzled:: A hit on our reflective shields. They have come. Maxwell: Are there any weapons on site? Anything at all? Poq/Jesseth: ? Maxwell: I appreciate that, Administrator, but you must have something? Poq/Jesseth: ? Maxwell: Bows, aye? Poq/Jesseth: ? :: Behind Malko, the Marines were creating a perimeter around the shuttle, weapons raised, ready to protect the injured at any cost. Following Maxwell's orders, they were keeping the landed unit as clandestine as possible. Malko stepped over the thick roots in the swampy brush. If the Klingons heard this pinging Starfleet tricorder that was dropped out here, they would be on their trail. :: Malko: =/\= Malko to Maxwell, MacMahon is behaving. I will keep you updated on our situation. Have you and the Doctor found a... :: Just then Malko realized why the tricorder was pinging... - Lifeform detected - Malko drew his phaser just as a well-worn disruptor poked its way through the foliage. A female Klingon in pastel coloured vestments tilted her head to the side. Both were surprised to see each other. The Klingon stared at Malko down the ironsights of the disruptor as he held the phaser at his hip and stood slowly. He gritted his teeth and hoped she could not see the tremble of his hand. :: Maxwell: ? Poq/Jesseth: ? :: He did not think it would be smart to respond. The Klingon overheard the radio chatter, and knew where they were keeping the Ambassador. Malko was painfully aware he could not let this Klingon leave his sights and share that with the rest of the cult. He was also aware he could not call for the marines and give away the position of the shuttle hidden behind him with all their injured were being treated. A stalemate had been reached. They had a Terran stand-off on their hands. If either of them were going to shoot, they would have done it by now. That meant this Klingon was at least somewhat interested in self-preservation. Good - he could work with that. Malko remembered he had never actually touched his commbadge to close the channel... :: =/\= Malko: ::slowly:: ... My name is Malko... I belong to Starfleet... I am a medical and diplomatic officer, not a soldier. As, I'm sure, you can tell. You are with Molor? What is your name? Klingon: *low grumble* ::looking around:: Malko: I won't call for backup if you don't. It's just me and you. What is your name? Klingon: *lower grumble*... Askade. Malko: Askade. =/\= Maxwell: ? Poq/Jesseth: ? =/\= Malko: Askade, why do you fight for Molor? Askade: Ha. For the pride of our people. For a glorious life. ::she smiled and bared her serrated teeth :: Why do you fight for the Gorn? Malko: Starfleet believes all races are their people. Our houses are not defined by bloodline but by creed. When my people are threatened, I fight to protect my people. Just as I would fight to protect you, Askade, if a threat came to your home and darkened your doorstep. Askade: ...LIES. :: stepping forward into the clearing to close the distance, flexing her vascular musculature. :: Malko: ::sternly:: You are not my enemy, Askade. If we were here to wage war, we would have opened fire without care for either race's casualties. We... No - I am here to protect. I have sworn this as my life's duty, and as a Klingon I'm damn sure you can respect that. ::his eyes watered:: =/\= Maxwell: ? Poq/Jesseth: ?

I love the description of 'medical feng shui'!!