| Post # | Character | Title |
| 001 | Fairborn | New Life |
| 002 | Fairborn | Facing The Darkness |
| 003 | Morningstar | Motives |
| 004 | Dalziel | Lost Souls |
| 005 | Fairborn | Once More |
| 006 | Thomas | Readjusting |
| 007 | Dalziel | Universal Constant |
| 008 | Morningstar | Minor Intrigue |
| 009 | Thomas | Coming to Terms |
| 010 | Dalziel | Mysterious Times |
| 011 | Mitshiba | Personal Therapy |
| 012 | Dalziel | Wounded Warriors |
| 013 | Morningstar | Multiple Possibilities |
| 014 | Mitshiba | Passive Analysis |
| 015 | Thomas | A Less Restless Mind |
| 016 | Fanggot | Headaches Are Minor |
| 017 | Fairborn | Musical Break |
| 018 | Mitshiba | Little Helper, Big Help |
| 019 | Thomas | A Mixed Mind |
| 020 | Dalziel | Holding On, Letting Go |
| 021 | Morningstar | Whispered Voices |
| 022 | Fanggot | Glorious Freedom |
| 023 | Mitshiba | Not So Purrfect After All |
| 024 | Thomas | Joining The Team |
| 025 | Dalziel | Blessing In Disguise |
| 026 | Thomas | Starting The Day |
| 027 | Mitshiba | Starting Over |
| 028 | Fanggot | Kzinti Prime Simulation |
| 029 | Rikar | Dreams |
| 030 | Morningstar | Shadow Walking |
| 031 | Dalziel | With Open Eyes |
| 032 | Rikar | Nightmares |
| 033 | Mitshiba | Getting There |
| 034 | Thomas | Confused Mind |
| 035 | Rikar | Stranger |
| 036 | Rikar | Reality |
| 037 | Fanggot | Clothes Trauma |
| 038 | Rikar | Admirer |
| 039 | Rikar | Breakfast |
| 040 | Mitshiba | Altenate Identity |
| 041 | Thomas | Nothing Unusual |
| 042 | Morningstar | Small Mystery |
| 043 | Maya | To Become Something… |
| 044 | Rikar | Gravity |
| 045 | Dalziel | Favors of Adversity |
| 046 | Rikar | Observations |
| 047 | Morningstar | The Game's Afoot |
| 048 | Rikar | Questions |
| 049 | Mitshiba | Personal History |
| 050 | Fairborn | Worrying About Someone |
| 051 | Rikar | Complications |
| 052 | Fanggot | Finding the Intruder |
| 053 | Fanggot | Loving Reminder |
| 054 | Morningstar | Amongst The Shadows |
| 055 | Thomas | The Investigation Starts |
| 056 | Morningstar | How Big *IS* This Place |
| 057 | Mitshiba | Needle in a Haystack |
| 058 | Dalziel | Fighting Windmills |
| 059 | Rikar | Anger |
| 060 | Maya | Sneaking Around in Little… |
| 061 | Dalziel | Blame it on a Woman |
| 062 | Morningstar | Red Tape |
| 063 | Rikar | Troubled |
| 064 | Maya | Keeping Little Eyes… |
| 065 | Rikar | Changes |
| 066 | Dalziel | Dancing With Shadows |
| 067 | Morningstar | Shadow Dealings |
| 068 | Mitshiba | What Lurks in the Shadows |
| 069 | Maya | The Best Surprises Come… |
| 070 | Rikar | Alone |
| 071 | Morningstar | Tip of the Iceberg |
| 072 | Rikar | Peace |
| 073 | Mitshiba | From Bad to Worse |
| 074 | Maya | Perceptions of Innocence… |
| 075 | Dalziel | More Than One |
| 076 | Thomas | The Fun Begins |
| 077 | Morningstar | A Clear Message |
| 078 | Rikar | Storm |
| 079 | Maya | The Universe is an Entity… |
| 080 | Mitshiba | Searching for Answers |
| 081 | Morningstar | Taking Care of Details |
| 082 | Dalziel | Cornered |
| 083 | Morningstar | New Mission |
| 084 | Mitshiba | Something Old… |
| 085 | Rikar | Healing |
| 086 | Morningstar | Crossing The Line |
| 087 | Rikar | Stars |
| 088 | Maya | Innocence is One of the … |
| 089 | Rikar | Patience |
| 090 | Mitshiba | Looking for Support |
| 091 | Dalziel | Mea Culpa |
| 092 | Rikar | Complications |
| 093 | Mitshiba | Forced Evolution |
| 094 | Rikar | Morning |
| 095 | Dalziel | City of Lights |
###################
"New Life"
[No official Previous Post]
###################
-==[/\]==--
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step"
-Old Chinese Proverb
--==[\/]==--
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section D-2, Level 8, Observation deck
Stardate: 63075.0500
The Oltharian stared motionlessly at the docked form of the SCARAB-Class cruiser, the simple fact that not a single system or even light had been active onboard had proven to be far more depressing than the Chief Engineering Officer could have even dreamt it to be.
Life and the universe had a habit of throwing the unexpected at people, especially the crew of the ANUBIS, and the last several years had not been an exception to this. Actually it had been more of the rule given that although only a few days had passed in this reality, the crew of the USS ANUBIS had been forced to deal with a crumbling universe over the span of several years in an alternate timeline, one that had taken its toll not only on the ship but also on its crew.
The task to refit the ship would be a long and difficult one, but truth be known, Elan feared that the task of getting the crew back on its proverbial feet would be an impossible one. The scars suffered over those years that had actually passed in the blink of an eye to those stationed on NEW ALEXANDRIA would not heal easily. Some, in fact, would never heal as the crew returned to this reality as a shattered shadow of how they had left.
For Elan, the best he could do was to focus on the physical repairs to the ship and hope that through his work he would be able to heal his own wounds, and his own soul.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
And
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
###################
"Facing The Darkness"
[Previous Post: "New Life"]
###################
--==[\/]==--
"This is the journey you've always been destined to take."
-Kai Opaka
--==[\/]==--
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section D-2, Level 5, Primary Docking Port
Stardate: 63075.0530
There was a coldness that came from within the ANUBIS, one that the towering giant knew he would be one of the very few to feel because of his unique connection with the ship. Although many would have claimed the SCARAB-Class cruiser to be nothing more than an inanimate object, the Oltharian knew better and acknowledged that the ship itself had been hurting just as much as its crew following the hardships they had faced over the last years.
That the trials and tribulations they had endured had originated from another dimension, another universe following a different timeline had not mattered. The pain that they had all felt had been real and made only more powerful when those who had returned had discovered that only a few days had passed in this reality while years had painfully made their mark on the crew in the other universe.
As Elan slowly made his way through the transparent umbilical connection linking the base to the docked ship, his eyes gradually wondered onto the bio-regenerative hull that still displayed the scars that the ANUBIS had suffered during the latter part of those years. Without access to a decent repair facility the Chief Engineering Officer had not been able to restore that particular system, amongst so many others, and now the wounds that still marked the hull of the ship only served as a reminder of the hell everyone had endured.
With less than a few steps left for the Oltharian to make in order to gain access to the ANUBIS' interior, the giant Engineer paused as his soul felt an overwhelming icy wave. So many memories, both pleasant and horrifying had found their birthplace within that ship and for a brief moment Elan wondered if it had been wise for him to have volunteered to take charge of the repair efforts. To fix the body would be a daunting task but the Chief Engineer knew that the soul of the ship could never be healed, just as his own.
Elan closed his eyes for a moment and sought answers to countless questions. To give in to the pain and sorrow would have been easiest knowing that there had been no way for the CEO to detach himself from those feelings. Life though had never been meant to be easy and the Oltharian quickly recalled the words of his uncle about the need to face the darkness that all too often comes to cross one's path in order to find the light beyond it.
As the Engineering Officer slowly reopened his eyes, he drew in a long deep breath as he clenched the tool kit that had been in his hand. With a newly found resolve Elan took the steps that stood between him and the ANUBIS and entered the darkness knowing that this had been the journey he had been destined to take.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
And
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
###################
"Motives"
[Previous Post: "Facing The Darkness"]
###################
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Center
Stardate: 63075.0555
Operating from a secret Intel base hidden inside an asteroid lost in an ocean of rocks floating in space meant a great many things to those within. For the Native American one of those aspects had been that there was no such thing as *too early* or *too late* when responding to a call from the one in charge. Everyone under the banner of the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex had been required to be available 24/7 because, as Admiral Charles N. Koniki had grown fond of reminding people; "the universe, and the evil therein sleeps for no one."
"Good morning Captain Morningstar," Allyson offered in her usual, overly cheerful manner. Regardless of the time of the day or the level of stress that the entire complex could be found under, the blonde haired receptionist always radiated an aura of abundant happiness. To some this display could be perceived as insincere or maybe even annoying, but that had never stopped the woman from acting in this way regardless of who stepped into the Administrative Center.
Luckily, Erik Morningstar had not been one of those easily irritated; in fact he found Allyson's unwavering cheerfulness and readiness to assist anyone and everyone as a reminder that despite the cruelty found in the universe, a smile could brighten anyone's day. Granted the woman did seem a little strange, but she had not been a concern of the Native American who had been summed to report to the base's CO.
"Admiral Koniki will be with you shortly," Allyson quickly added as she invited Morningstar to take a seat in the waiting area. "Would you like something to drink, or maybe a quick breakfast to take in with you?"
Erik grinned as he lowered himself into the seat that had been offered to him. Strangely enough he had been surprised that Allyson had not already replicated both a drink and food for him, knowing how efficient she was. That said though, the Native American also knew her to be amazingly insightful and figured that she had already surmised that he would have refused the offer.
Before the sitting man could offer any kind of reply, a faint chime drew Allyson's attention onto her console. "The Admiral is ready to see you now," the receptionist explained as she invited Erik to step through the office door that had just opened.
The Native American rose from his chair, smiled at Allyson and proceeded into the Admiral office, already having an idea as to what this early morning meeting had been about. The rumours and speculations had flown from one side of the secret base to the other since the ANUBIS' return, and the state in which her crew had been found in.
"Good morning Erik," the Admiral offered, the use of the Captain's first name right at the start indicated that the meeting would be casual, a fact that actually troubled the Native American who had become accustomed to Koniki's over seriousness. "No need to sit, I just wanted to make this official and I wanted you to hear it from me personally."
"You want me to lead the repairs and refit of the ANUBIS," Erik half chuckled.
The Admiral paused for a moment and gazed at the standing man before he spoke once again. "Maybe I called you here to make you her new Captain?"
Erik grinned. "True that the PARADOX is currently being repaired but there is no reason for you to pull me off that ship since she is still very much space worthy. The ANUBIS on the other hand is going to take a long while to bring back into active service, so it makes no sense for you to transfer me, unless I have somehow caused you to hate me," the Native American theorized as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, because of my knowing in Engineering and because you know that I just hate sitting around doing nothing, it is far more logical that you want me to help get the ANUBIS back on her feet as fast as possible. Plus, if you had actually wanted to assigned me to the ANUBIS' as her new CO, you would not have made this into a *casual* meeting."
"Either I'm slipping or you are getting too used me my way of working," Koniki grumbled as he turned his attention to the large window behind his desk and the dark form of the ship in question that could be seen beyond it. "Either way I will have to do something about it, but you are correct. See what you can do to get that ship back out there. In here she's useless and there are a great deal of issues that requires our attention and action."
Feeling somewhat proud of himself having figured this out as he had, Erik stepped forward and joined the Admiral in his observing of the ANUBIS. "What about Elan?" Morningstar inquired, the tone of his voice echoed a high level of respect for the Oltharian and his own skills and knowledge as an Engineer.
"Fixing the ANUBIS is going to require a great deal of work and time," the Admiral explained. "I just want to make sure that the task is not too much for him."
Morningstar glared at the Admiral for a brief moment, certain that there had been more to the reason for having brought the PARADOX's CO into this affair. Elan Fairborn had been more than a competent engineer, someone that not a single soul within NEW ALEXANDRIA would have questioned the capability of getting the job done, so it was logical to assume that Koniki had another reason.
Erik silently debated whether or not to press the issue and inquire as to the actual reason or reasons why the Admiral had decided not to trust Elan as fully as he should have been. In the end though, the Native American decided to let the matter pass, guessing that he would sooner or later become aware of Koniki's motives.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
And
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
"Lost Souls"
[Previous Post: "Motives"]
"As in nature, as in art, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster."
-Thomas Guthrie
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Dalziel's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075.0745
"Coffee, double strong, double everything," Ensign Eve Dalziel said as she watched the rich mixture appear.
The tall woman turned her attention to a small altar in the corner of the living area. She lit a candle, then uttered an oath in accented broken Bajoran. It was something her mother had taught her, something to do with honoring the soul or 'pagh'. A miniature bell was laying next to the candle, and Eve rang it, a high pitched ching temporarily filling the room.
The ship's Counsellor took a quick breath, almost a sigh, and sank into the sofa, cradling the warm mug in her hands. Although at the moment, technically speaking, she was without a ship. The ANUBIS was undergoing extensive repair and refit after what it had been through.
It was the first full week since they had returned that there hadn't been a mission debriefing or psychological evaluation scheduled. Eve couldn't help but wonder how the others had fared, or how many of them would be able to once again serve aboard the ANUBIS. She'd taken the option to request another tour of duty, but still wondered if her choice had been the right one. In her mind, it was all about the people, and the thought of being among strangers again was not comforting. Teamwork was not instant chemistry; it was time, thought, and effort.
The Cardassian born Ensign had sailed through the required meetings, her renounced heritage ironically giving her a certain analytical coldness and precision when it was required. Her detailed mission logs had also helped piece together much of what they had witnessed.
Eve took a sip of coffee, knowing that she needed to rest; she had earned that right. They all had. But her mind was already curious with what the next mission might hold or who might be brought to this distant horizon. There had been a veritable parade of Ambassadors, Commodores, Admirals, and various other higher-ups trying to learn what they could learn and see what they could see. They'd had more traffic within a few weeks than they usually had in years... after all the base was supposed to be a secret. Most of the gawkers had left but there were still a few interested parties remaining. Admiral Koniki, who had a reputation of keeping to himself, had managed to make himself even more scarce by being in his office, keeping the visitors at bay.
Eve made it known that she wanted to help with the ANUBIS in any way she could, but Engineering was not one of her specialties. Still, she made sure she wore her comm badge at all times in case she was needed. Regardless of the doubts others seemed to have regarding the mental fitness of those who had returned with the ship, Eve truly felt the worst was behind them.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
###################
"Once More"
[Previous Post: "Lost Souls"]
###################
<< Life is nothing more than circles inter-linking with and into one another. Within the all-encompassing Circle of the Universe, we find and endless number of smaller Circles, each as important as the next. Within the Circle of Life, we can discover the Circle of our society, and within that one we find two other Circles, that of Science and Religion. Within those we find smaller Circles that include friends and associates, and within those we find the smallest yet most significant Circles of them all - that of our own individual existence. It is therefore normal for one to find himself traveling the same road again, completing the circle. The second time around having gathered some of the knowledge and wisdom found where other paths crossed and Circles linked. >>
- Oltharian Belief
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63075.0810
Like some sort of underground archeological site the Engineering section of the USS ANUBIS was a cold, dark and littered with the remnants of a time that some wished had forever been lost in time. The scattered lights that had been placed throughout the section only added to the eeriness that blanketed the room, an echo of the feeling that permeated each and every deck and areas of the docked ship.
Restoring primary power had been the Chief Engineer's first priority, but the truth had been that right now dealing with the endless waves of memories that came to the Oltharian had made it impossible to do so. Saddened eyes slowly drifted onto the cold and quiet warp core, the source of power for the ship and a piece of equipment that most engineers looked upon as being the heart of any ship.
For a brief moment Elan could recall the way the core pulsated, filling the room with a rhythm that the Oltharian had always found most soothing. He also recalled Amber having one day observed that the heart of a ship's CEO and the warp core of the ship they served on were linked in a way that transcended description.
The Oltharian's white eyes gazed deeply into the darkened warp core as one specific memory took hold of him, a memory that had shaped the person that he would later become.
--==(/\)==--
Location: OLTHAR PRIME
Stardate: 58360.0945 (4 years ago)
Scene: Gardens around the Planetary Council building
"You wanted to see me?" The towering Oltharian asked as he walked up to his uncle who was sitting in one of the benches that lined the central path of the garden. The delicate aroma of the flowers in full bloom was heavenly to say the least, and this reminded for a moment why the once Chief Engineer had left Starfleet to return home.
"Have a seat Elan," the head of the Council of Elders replied inviting the imposing man to sit beside him. Following his nephew's compliance, the once High Priest of the Religious Circle cast his gaze upwards towards the star filled sky. "I know that you haven't been happy," Bardef stated without undue ceremony, taking Elan by complete surprise.
Knowing that any attempt to counter what the head of the Council of Elders had said would be futile, the Oltharian simply lowered his head in shame. "Does it show that much?" Elan sighed, trying to think back to the days when he had truly been happy.
"Let's just say that you can cast a shadow that rivals that of our two moons," Bardef returned while caringly patting the Engineer's back. "You can fool some people but I know you too well," the Elder added as he returned his gaze to the stars. “You and I have shared too many dreams and too many disappointments together.”
"What should I do?" The Oltharian asked, once again seeking his uncle's guidance and wisdom as he had done so many times before in the days prior to his leaving for EARTH so many years ago.
"Life is a circle," the Elder began, "it is only when we travel the same road again that we truly learn from our mistakes. You miss this Fleet of the Stars that you had joined and I am sure that somewhere in it there are people who miss you just as much."
"It's Starfleet," the imposing Oltharian said correcting with all due respect the Elder, "and I can't go back. I resigned my commission as an officer," Elan added sounding truly sorry that he had done such a thing. At the time it had seemed like the right thing to do as his presence here had been needed, but now months later the decision that had been so clear then had proven to be a source of sadness the likes of which he had never felt before.
"Elan," Bardef began in a sterner voice, "have you learned nothing? There is no shame in starting over. There is no shame in admitting that you were wrong. You were the first of our people to truly venture beyond the stars and that is where you belong. As long as you remain here you will never be happy."
"Starfleet Academy will never accept me back," the Oltharian pointed out certain of his inability to return to the place where he had learned so much.
"You'd be surprise how much influence the Head of the Oltharian Council of Elders has," Bardef said, a teasing smile dancing on his lips. "A ship will be here to take you back to EARTH in four days, I hope that this will give you enough time to pack your bags."
The Oltharian stared at his uncle with absolute disbelief before shooting to his feet. "I don't know what to say?"
"Less talk, more walk." Bardef grinned edging the hulking giant towards his home. Knowing the Engineer, four days would barely be enough for Elan to get all of his things in order and his bags ready.
--==(/\)==--
Location: USS AMRSTRONG
Stardate: 58364.1145 (4 years ago, but 4 days later)
Scene: Guest Quarters
The Oltharian proverb echoed in the giant's mind as he looked through one of the windows at the streaking stars indicating that the vessel was travelling at warp speed. The USS ARMSTRONG had been the ship that had brought him to EARTH the first time, and here he was aboard the same ship heading for the same world.
Turning to face inward, Elan headed through the barely lit room in search for one of the items he had brought with him. Having reached his duffle bag he opened it and searched within producing the item in question in seconds. As if holding one of the universe's most precious of gifts the gentle giant removed the silk scarf from around the engraved wooden box that he placed on the table before him. An emotional moment was shared between him and those who were no longer with the Oltharian as he gently ran his massive digits over the wooden case before opening it.
A small silver flute was found inside, securely resting in a perfectly shaped indent in the blue velvet fabric that lined the inside of the box. With the precision and care of a surgeon performing a lifesaving operation, the Oltharian retrieved the instrument from its resting place and carried it to the window where he had been looking at the stars moment ago.
As the colourful streaks of light filled his soul with a renewed hope for the future, Elan ever so delicately brought the instrument to his lips and began to play it, his large fingers caressing the silver tube with a grace that was only surpassed by the enchanting music that soon filled the room.
The circle was now complete and soon he would be back where he truly belonged, Starfleet.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63075.0815
Elan drew in a deep breath as the memory faded and the words of wisdom from his uncle echoed within his mind one last time. Life had indeed been a circle and the Oltharian had found himself back where he had been, not once but twice before. Apparently he had failed to learn all that he had needed the first couple of times around leaving the towering Engineering Officer to hope that this time the lessons would be learned properly.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
And
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
**********************************
"Readjusting"
[Previous Post: "Once More"]
**********************************
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section D, Level 8, Observation Deck
Stardate: 63075.0800
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot looked out the window in the Observation Deck to see the USS ANUBIS just sitting there looking worse for wear. ::18 months have passed for us and its like we have never been away to these people... Nobody has *missed* or even *looked* for us:: The COO was still agitated in himself as he paced back and forth in the room. ::I need to speak to Admiral Koniki, I cant just stand around and do nothing. My kids are adjusting but I need to keep myself occupied, *I need to work*::
" Ensign Thomas to Administration Centre "
=^= Yes, Ensign Thomas this is Allyson is there something I can help you with, =^= was the quick response over the comm channel.
" I'd like to speak to Admiral Koniki. "
=^= Is it urgent Ensign. =^=
" To be honest, I'm just so fed up sitting around doing nothing and I'd like to help engineering with the repair of the USS ANUBIS, I believe that I can be of assistance. "
=^= I will contact the Admiral after his next meeting, I will then contact you with his instructions. =^=
" Thank you Allyson, Ensign out. "
Elliot continued to look out the observation deck window for a while longer, then decided to go for some food.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section B, Level 7, Cafeteria.
Stardate: 63075.1000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The COO looked at the clock on the wall as he walked to the replicator on the far wall, then realised how long he had been staring out the window at the USS ANUBIS.
::2 hours I'd been up there, and still no word from Allyson.::
"I'd like an iced lemon water and an Hirat, please." ET stated to the replicator. Just as his words had finished his required items materialised in the small hollow in the wall. Ensign Thomas took his refreshments and walked to a table and sat down, and just as he had done so there was a call over his comm badge.
=^= Administration Centre to Ensign Thomas. =^=
Elliot quickly tapped his badge and replied, "Ensign Thomas here."
=^= Admiral Koniki said that you can assist with the repairs to the USS ANUBIS and you are to report to the ship's CEO who is presently onboard in Main Engineering. =^=
"Thank you, I'll do so immediately" responded ET.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"Universal Constant"
[Previous Post: "Readjusting"]
"If there's nothing wrong with me... maybe there's something wrong with the universe!"
-Dr. Beverly Crusher, TNG, "Remember Me"
"The only constant is change."
-Unknown
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Center
Stardate: 63075.0955
Admiral Charles Koniki sat in his office, his elbows up on the desk and hands steepled as he thought. Like the past several weeks, his routine today had been made up of meetings and more meetings. It was one of the hazards of command and it was becoming tedious.
However, moments of crisis, turmoil and uncertainty brought out the best in his people, and even himself. His confidence in the outcome of this latest event was unshakeable. It was simply a question of how long it would take to get to the other side.
Allyson entered Koniki's office with her usual sunny disposition. "Admiral."
Koniki looked up and into the bright eyes of his administrative assistant. "Yes, Allyson."
"Ensign Thomas contacted me while you were in a meeting. He is asking to be assigned to duty assisting with the refit of the ANUBIS."
Koniki mentally shrugged. Now that Erik was involved to coordinate efforts, the risk at proceeding with the repairs with more manpower was minimal. And the crew of the ANUBIS all had expressed interest in performing work either on the ship itself or in some other capacity while the ship was being worked on. He would have expected no less of them. "He can report to Fairborn immediately to assist." The Oltharian had spent every waking moment since his return near or on the ship, watching over the vessel like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Perhaps this gesture would prove to the Engineer he was not the only one who cared.
"Thank you Admiral, I will inform him at once." The pert blonde turned with a spring in her step and exited the office.
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section I, Level 1, Restricted Area
Stardate: 63075.1130
Koniki entered the private room, which was by nature dimly lit and mysterious. Five others were already there, two men and three women, their identities only known and only important to the others in audience.
"Charles," one of the women acknowledged, and Koniki nodded his head in response.
"Thank you all for attending on such short notice," he said, looking to the others with grim gratitude as he took a seat at the head of the table. "Report."
The man to Koniki's right began to speak. "The damage to the vessel is completely consistent with the mission reports given by each of the crew. We have no reason to suspect that anything took place other than what was documented. There were gaps in the information, but they were extremely small and can easily be explained by the incredible amount of physical and emotional stress they experienced."
"Psychological evals?" Koniki asked.
A woman with a commanding voice answered. "Some of them are suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other associated maladies, however they should all be cleared for duty in that regard in the next four to six weeks. All in all a resilient bunch."
That was to be expected from the elite officers. "And how did they check out physically?" the Admiral asked.
A female medical officer spoke next. "Physical injuries were minor and treated immediately. By Starfleet standards, the crew is ready for duty. However, something unusual was uncovered." She leaned forward in the shadows and activated some controls. A three dimensional image formed in the middle of the large oval table. There were two distinct patterns in front of them.
"And what exactly are we looking at?" One of the men said, his voice tinged with a southern accent and the gruff bark of a marine.
"They're energy signatures," Another man offered with authority.
"Correct," The medical officer replied. "These energy signatures are from the same subject, one of the crew of the USS ANUBIS. The one on the right is a scan taken prior to their most recent mission, while the scan on the left was taken as part of the standard battery of tests upon their return. Generally speaking, any changes to a person's energy signature would not be typical."
"Was everyone on the ship affected in the same manner?" Admiral Koniki asked.
"Yes. There is approximately a two point seven percent deviation from the original signatures of the crew of the USS ANUBIS. That goes for the entire crew."
Koniki thought out loud. "But time stood relatively still for us while the ANUBIS' crew experienced the passage of time. This indicates some sort of temporal or universal rift. That could explain the changes."
"True... but there are other possibilities that should be considered," the man who had identified the energy signatures replied.
Koniki's shoulders almost imperceptibly hunched. He knew the ramifications of what was being said. The crew could have some sort of unidentified illness. They could be brainwashed or programmed by some unknown enemy, ready to be activated at a moment's notice. They could even be from another dimension, evil dopplegangers and not the actual crew at all. They could be a race like the Locustat, a multi-dimensional enemy who had infiltrated their universe years ago and nearly torn everything they had worked so hard for asunder.
The strong voiced woman spoke. "What is our course of action, Charles?"
Koniki rubbed at his brow. "Place Security on high alert."
The older male responded in the same gruff tone he had before. "Yes Admiral."
"Make sure the activities of the crew of the ANUBIS are being monitored at all times. And I want a weekly report on their physical and emotional states until further notice and any unusual behavior or actions reported immediately. If one of them so much as gets a paper cut I want to hear about it."
"Yes Admiral," The medical offer replied.
"Remember tact and secrecy are of utmost importance," Koniki said. "They have given me no reason to believe they are anything but highly functioning officers trying to move on from devastating conditions."
"But even you know we cannot be complacent, Charles." The senior woman in the group said what they had all been thinking.
"I know, I know, hence the orders. All I am saying is that doubt needs to be a private counsellor."
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Minor Intrigue"
[Previous Post: "Universal Constant"]
####################
<<You've got to play the cards life deals you. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But at least you're in the game. >>
- Vic Fountaine
Setting: Cargo Vessel XANTUL, Command Deck
Stardate: 63075.0215
"So," the scruffy looking Andorian Captain began as he pried his attention away from the small screen that had been displaying a lengthy sequence of Risian dancers, "how long before we get there?"
"10 hours," the Ferengi pilot sighed, obviously that same question having been asked several times before.
"Fez!" The Captain called out in a rather annoyed tone after he had opened a channel to the ship's engineering section. "Can you get us a little more speed? At this rate we'll be late for our own funerals."
=/\= Listen, =/\= a clearly male Klingon voice replied in a less than happy manner. =/\= You want us to go faster? You can go out the nearest airlock and push. I already have this bucket of bolts rigged beyond what it can handle. If I push this junk of an engine any more it will likely blow up in our faces. =/\=
"Rule of acquisition number 62; the riskier the road, the greater the profit," Glast, the Ferengi pilot muttered sarcastically knowing all too well that their current cargo had been neither risky nor profitable.
"I just want to get this run done and over with," the Andorian growled to no one in particular. "36 cases of expired Cardassian Yamok sauce, 12 barrels of Klingon blood wine that has already turned into vinegar, 17 outdated computer cores, 22 liters of unusable biomimetic gel and one beaten sealed box slated for personal delivery," Captain Malk listed with distinct loathing. "This has to be the worst run we have ever had."
"Go down and see Fezar," a Flaxian woman jumped in with as she turned away from her instruments. "I'm sure he will be more than happy to make this trip more interesting by making you one with the nearest bulkhead."
"I just want to get into a nice sonic shower and forget that this entire trip ever happened," the Andorian offered as she shot a playful glance in the direction of the Flaxian woman.
"In your dreams," Alaa quickly countered knowing what Malk had been thinking about. "I'll blow up this ship long before I let you get anywhere close to me."
--==(/\)==--
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 1, Communications and Operations Control
Stardate: 63075.1235
One of the responsibilities of the Officer in charge of the NEW ALEXANDRIA's operations had been to keep track of various details that related to the day-to-day transfer of information as well as special goods to a from the secret base. Lt. Commander Argus O'Dell had long ago accepted the fact that problems could arise regardless of how insignificant any specific transfer could be. That had been one of the downsides of working in the shadows of the Intel world.
"Commander," one of the junior officers called out as a signal appeared on his console. "We have just intercepted a report claiming that the XANTUL exploded as it was docking at the VALLA ROYAL orbital station. No survivors."
"Great," the Irish descendant sighed. "Admiral Koniki is not going to be pleased with this."
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering, Upper level
Stardate: 63075.1245
The Native American leaned over the guard rail and gazed at the inactive core and the officers below working to rectify the situation. It was actually interesting to observe the Chief of Operations and Chief Engineering Officer working together, the two men having very distinct styles and methods but obviously working towards the same goal.
Just as Erik had been ready to join the two men in their work, the voice of the NEW ALEXANDRIA's Commanding Officer came over his comm badge. =/\= Koniki to Morningstar, report to my office immediately and bring Ensign Dalziel with you. =/\=
:: Things are never boring around here, :: Erik noted to himself as he wondered why the sudden urgency in the Admiral's voice and the fact that he had wanted to see both Dalziel and Morningstar.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
**********************************
"Coming to terms"
[Previous Post: "Minor Intrigue"]
**********************************
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering, Upper level
Stardate: 63075.1245
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The COO was now hard at work tapping on the lit up console as instructed from the CEO when he had fixed each individual circuit, and was ready for power to be distributed through it. At times the Chief of Operations thought that a circuit was going to be a lost cause, but then the Lieutenant would do something that would baffle ET, which resulted in the Chief of Engineering shouting over to him.
"Ensign Thomas can you try distributing the power through this circuit and into the Master systems display?" asked the CEO as he pointed to the large tabletop display in the centre of Main Engineering. Elliot pressed a sequence of buttons and to his surprise he was able to distribute power through the circuits with out a hitch.
"Lieutenant Fairborn that was pure genius, I have no idea how you done that but we now have power going to the two Duty engineer's consoles and the Master systems display table. If it is OK with you Lieutenant I would like to work on running diagnostics on the workstations to make sure we can still reconfigure them to emulate Conn, Ops, Tactical, and other command operations if needed when were in a pickle again?" commented Elliot.
The CEO looked at ET and smiled and asked in an almost humorous tone "In a pickle again! I think the last time was enough Ensign".
Ensign Thomas realised what he had said and broke out in a fit of laughter which the Lieutenant smiled at first, but when Elliot did not stop he became a little worried.
"Are you OK Ensign?" asked the concerned Oltharian.
Elliot could not stop his laughter, and could feel himself loosing control of himself completely. The laughter continued but then changed after several minutes to tears, he could not control his emotions and he knew it.
"Ensign Thomas, I think you should report to the ships councillor so that you can discuss any issues you maybe having at these times" suggested the CEO kindly.
ET looked at the Chief engineering officer sadly and agreed that this would be a good idea and tapped his badge as he turned to exit the Main Engineering "Ensign Thomas to Ensign Eve Dalziel" he stated.
=^= Ensign Thomas what is it I can do for you? =^= Eve calmly replied.
Elliot looked at the ground as he was walking the empty corridor of the USS ANUBIS, "I think I may need your assistance with some emotional issues I'm having" admitted the sad Ensign then continued "would you have time today for a chat, or sometime soon".
=^= I can speak to you in an hour if your available =^= the councillor responded quickly.
"Yes that would be great, 1 hour it is then where would you like me to meet you councillor?" requested ET.
=^= I have been given temporary offices in Section C, Level 2, of the Counselling Department, I will meet you there =^= explained Eve.
"OK I'll be there then, Ensign Thomas out".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 2, Counselling Department
Stardate: 63075.1410
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot arrived dead on time for his appointment, he looked at the name on the door, Councillor Eve Dalziel. No matter how long he looked at the door the name was not going to change, but he was also unsure of whether to enter the room, but as he was hesitating at the door, it opened.
"Hello Ensign, I thought you would be there. It is funny how so many people come for their appointment on time, then end up late or not coming by standing hesitantly at the door" she told ET as he stood still looking her.
"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to... " Elliot started but did not finish the sentence and just asked "should I come in?".
"Yes, by all means. Please come in and take a seat" stated the councillor.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"Mysterious Times"
[Previous Post: "Coming to Terms"]
"Both the man of science and the man of action live always at the edge of mystery, surrounded by it."
-J. Robert Oppenheimer
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 2, Counselling Department
Stardate: 63075.1410
Ensign Thomas walked into the room, which was well appointed but lacking in personal items. There were a couple of seating groupings available, and he chose the closest one next to the door, which consisted of two chairs and a low slung acrylic table between them. Dalziel mirrored his actions and took the chair across from him. "Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Water? Lemonade?"
"No, that's okay." The COO looked at the Counsellor. Eve looked entirely in her element, despite working out of an unfamiliar office.
"Did something happen to cause you to seek an appointment?" she asked. "Or, should I just ask 'what' happened?"
Elliot cleared his throat, studying the subtle checked pattern in the carpeting. "You're being very direct."
The corners of Eve's mouth turned gently upward in amusement. "It's my nature. You should know that," she offered.
"Yeah I suppose..." ET said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Eve's gray eyes widened in concern. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. We can even do this another time-"
"No, Counsellor. I need to take care of this now... before it gets out of hand." After a moment of awkward silence, Elliot began to explain. "I was assisting the Chief on the repairs to the ANUBIS. Everything was going well, as well as could be expected given the state the ship is in right now. While rewiring some of the circuitry, something Fairborn said just struck me as funny and I couldn't stop laughing for several minutes. He suggested I discuss it with you."
"Because you were laughing?" Eve tried to suppress her puzzlement.
"Lack of self control is not the behavior of a Starfleet Officer," Ensign Thomas said with an apologetic tone.
The ebony haired woman looked at the Operations Officer compassionately, her lips drawing into a thin line. "That may be true, but you are not only an officer... you are also a human being. A father. Tell me, when was the last time you laughed before today?" Eve asked somberly.
Elliott thought for a moment. "Not for a very long time."
"For nearly a year and a half, there hasn't been a lot for any of us to smile about. I consider your reaction very healthy, if a bit overboard. Many races need to allow themselves to experience and express emotions as a part of the healing process. But not everyone feels the same," Ensign Dalziel added, subconsciously referring to the stoic Oltharian. The truth was, she worried about Elan more than the man sitting across from her now. But she also knew as easy as it was to speak to Elliot, she might never have the chance to delve into the gentle giant's mind. It simply wasn't his way.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Personal Therapy"
(Cont. from "Mysterious Times")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 4, Holodeck
Stardate: 63073.1100
Aki’s eyes were closed as she took a moment to rest. Since the ANUBIS’ return to its home base, the aCSciO had religiously gone to the holodeck to deal with the emotional issues that plagued her. The 3,000 feet high rock formation found at Yosemite National Park known as El Capitan had become a second home to Aki who had scaled its vertical face every morning since their return.
As fit as Akira was, her rock climbing expertise had been insufficient to allow her to conquer the legendary granite monolith in less than 5 hours. So starting her day at 0500 meant that she should be done well before lunch, given that all went well. Today had not been one of the easier days as the Ensign found herself more than an hour away from the top, 6 hours into the climb.
::At this rate it would be easier to talk to Eve,:: Aki thought, her heart racing, her eyes still closed. There had been just so much that personal therapy could accomplish and the aCSciO had come face to face with the harsh reality. Dealing with what had happened to the crew and ship alone had no longer been a viable option.
Neither willing nor ready to give up, Aki opened her eyes and continued the climb. Even if it took her the rest of the day she would reach the top before contacting Ensign Dalziel. Eve would very likely state that this had been a perfect example of misplaced pride and the aCSciO had to resentfully agree. To give up had not been in her character and Ensign Mitshiba would see this entire ordeal to the bitter end.
Aki’s fingers dug into the rocks in search of a firm grip, the pain in her joints being another reminder that there had been better ways to deal with this matter. For a moment the aCSciO wondered how the rest of the crew had dealt with their inner demons and the memories of what had happened.
With each additional foot separating Aki from the top conquered, Ensign Mitshiba hoped that the crew would be sent on another mission. To jump right back onto the proverbial mount after having been unhorsed had made sense, and the ACsciO had been ready to spend her time and energy on something more constructive than rock climbing.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
"Wounded Warriors"
[Previous Post: "Personal Therapy"]
“Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.”
-David Richo
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Dalziel's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1250
Morningstar had wasted no time in making his way to the Counsellor's quarters. His hand was just about to activate the door chime when the door slid open and Ensign Dalziel appeared.
"Captain," she acknowledged, straightening her ponytail. She was already dressed for duty in the familiar teal trimmed jumpsuit.
Erik stood there a moment. If he didn't know better, he was beginning to think all Counsellors were part Betazed. "Your sense of timing is perfect."
Eve shook her head. "I wish. Allyson informed me Koniki wanted to see us. Do you know what it's about?"
"No idea," the PARADOX's Commanding Officer said honestly. Frankly he was concerned, having already seen Admiral Koniki earlier in the day.
Eve absorbed what little Morningstar had said as she took long, purposeful strides towards their destination. The American Indian man was forthcoming, and she saw no reason whatsoever to distrust him. If anything, she was the unknown quantity in this situation, she mused. She hoped that she could continue to prove her worth until the ship was fixed, and then after.
Despite Eve's concerns, Erik did not seem to doubt the tall, exotic humanoid woman next to him. Her eagerness was refreshing, when she had every right to be worn down. She seemed to carry herself with an inner strength.
"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Dalziel said with apprehension. Erik realized too late that she had been studying his body language just as he had been studying her demeanor.
"I don't know for certain... but I don't like this," Morningstar replied.
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Center
Stardate: 63075.1255
Admiral Koniki stared at the two officers. He noticed the slightly puzzled look on the CO's face, but realized the sooner he started talking the sooner Morningstar would understand. Besides, there was no time to waste.
"About twenty minutes ago we received communications that a cargo ship, the XANTUL, exploded while it was attempting to dock at the VALLA ROYAL orbital station. Normally this wouldn't elicit much attention, but the ship was carrying a box vital to Starfleet affairs."
"Classified contents?" Erik asked, already knowing the answer. His relief was replaced by a need to take action.
Koniki nodded in the affirmative. "It is in our best interest to try and find and retrieve this box, if it wasn't destroyed in the explosion, or at the very least to confirm its destruction. The ramifications if it fell into the wrong hands are disastrous."
"So are we headed to VALLA ROYAL?" Dalziel asked. If so, it would not be her first time aboard the space casino. The stomping grounds had a reputation for harboring nearly every crime syndicate in the quadrant. If the box had made it off the cargo vessel unscathed, it might well go to the highest bidder. Or, if the contents were made known, a full scale riot might break out.
"Not yet," Koniki said cautiously, thinking of the warnings he received during the private meeting regarding the ANUBIS' crew. "The eventual destination is the station, but I don't want anyone going in there half-cocked. O'Dell needs an opportunity to evaluate the data we've received, and gathering information and even some Intel will be easier if we try to do it before gathering an away team."
"Understood, Admiral," the Counsellor said.
"I need you to consider whether your persona was compromised from the last mission, Ensign Dalziel," Koniki reminded the Cardassian born officer. "Can Portree's cover still work on the VALLA ROYAL?" He was speaking of the freespacer pilot Natalie Portree, for all intents and purposes the Counsellor's alter ego; one of several, to be honest.
The pale woman thought, shades of discomfort falling across her visage. It was the first time Erik had seen the young woman troubled by anything so far today. It was as if she was troubled that her abilities as an operative were being questioned. "Considering the space-time issues we experienced, I don't think anyone from our reality would have been knowledgeable or affected by the use of Portree. Of course I will develop a backup identity in case things get too... complicated."
Charles Koniki seemed to accept that answer, and handed each of them a data PADD. "These contain the crew manifest of the XANTUL, along with the communications picked up by the NEW ALEXANDRIA. Anything else you need, just ask."
"Perhaps Aki can assist," Eve thought out loud. The raw data regarding the explosion and the mission would be easier to sort through with multiple sets of eyes.
"Ensign Mitshiba is welcome to be involved to any extent she feels comfortable to do so." Amiral Koniki did not hesistate in his opinion, and Morningstar seemed to silently agree. His posture had relaxed considerably since their arrival.
Eve nodded. All she could do was ask; it was up to the assistant CSciO whether or not she was interested. Perhaps it would give the Counsellor the perfect reason to open up a conversation that wasn't all about their shared experience.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Multiple Possibilities"
[Previous Post: "Wounded Warriors"]
####################
<<The best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing.>>
- Theodore Roosevelt
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 2, Senior Officer Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1315
Erik carefully perused the data contained on the PADD that Admiral Koniki had handed over which contained all available Intel on the crew of the XANTUL. The list of problems and issues that surrounded the ship and crew seemed to go on forever which left the Native American relieved for being where he was.
A perfect example of this had been the ship itself; the XANTUL, a GOKALK-Class Bolian freighter, last known construction date of Stardate 44112, an impressive 19 years ago. Even by the standards used on unaligned worlds, this meant that the ship had been severely out of date, even for a freighter. According to the last inspection conducted on the vessel over a year ago by a maintenance crew, the XANTUL had been patched up in so many different ways that the technicians had been unable to make heads or tails of many of the systems' configurations. This actually made Erik crack a faint smile as he imagined that the ANUBIS, even in the state that it had currently been in, would be more than a match for the freighter.
As the Native American diligently reviewed the data on the ship and its systems, Erik created a mental list of the mechanical problems that could have caused the ship to meet its unexpected demise without any external influences. That said though, the PARADOX's CO had long ago accepted the reality that there was no such thing as a coincidence and that the presence of the *Intel package* onboard had made it highly unlikely that this had been an accident. All that remained to do was to identify who had the opportunity or the most to gain by the destruction of the XANTUL?
This line of thinking brought the Native American to review the crew manifest of the freighter individually to see if someone would stick out. Although the initial report had claimed that there had been no survivors, it would not have been all that difficult for anyone to create an *accident* and insure that they were listed as missing afterwards thus avoiding any suspicions to fall upon them.
First stop had been the XANTUL's CO, an Andorian male named Malk who had an extensive criminal history that included a great deal of shady dealings with several organizations based on unaligned worlds. Any one of them could have arranged for this accident to take place in retaliation to a deal gone bad, but Erik believed that none of those groups would have had the resources to know that the package had been onboard. Beyond this, the Native American had seriously doubted that any of them would have been able to orchestrate such a perfectly executed strike.
Next on the list had been the Ferengi pilot who went by the name of Gilbs, a strange individual who had been forced out of doing business with any other member of his race by the Ferengi Commerce Authority. This had unfortunately led the would-be entrepreneur into trouble with some of the lower echelon of the Orion Syndicate. Although Gilbs had managed to get out of that situation alive, the Ferengi's lobs had not been as fortunate, the Syndicate having made sure that anyone who saw him would know of his business short-comings.
Maybe the Ferengi had been recruited by the Syndicate to take the box and destroy any evidence of this theft but the Erik suspected that if the Orion Syndicate had indeed been involved in this, the situation would have been far more critical than Koniki had made it to be. As disorganized as the criminal organization could be at times, their gaining access to any solid Intel data of the type usually handled by anyone within NEW ALEXANDRIA would have been disastrous.
Fezar, son of Toblar, exiled from the Klingon Empire and destitute of all honour had been the XANTUL's lea and only engineer. The list of petty crimes and skirmishes that the Klingon had taken part in over the last few months alone had made the Native American very appreciative of the type of Officer and man the ANUBNIS' own CEO had been. Still, having been an engineer himself, Erik had not been ready to accept that it had been an error on Fezar's part that had caused of the ship's demise.
Last on the XANTUL's command crew had been Alaa, a Flaxian female renown for her skills in pickpocketing and gaining access into secured systems. Very manipulative, the woman had accumulated a lengthy history of using her feminine charms to gain certain advantages with men only to turn on them the moment she obtained her goal. Maybe she had finally decided to get even with Malk, their troubled and stormy relationship having been far from secret. Either she had decided to end their *partnership* and start a new life under a new alias, or Alaa had made a mistake and suffered the same fate she had intended for the Andorian.
The rest of the crew of the XANTUL had been comprised of four thugs and low-end criminals all of whom had far more muscles than brains leaving them out of the initial list of suspects. This left Erik with a small possibility of candidates for the time being. As detailed as the information that had been provided had been, it helped the Native American in no way to even begin to guess as to what had actually taken place onboard the XANTUL. The fact that it had exploded mere seconds away from the VALLA ROYAL orbital station remained a complete mystery for the time being.
With a sigh, Erik hoped that Ensigns Dalziel and Mitshiba would have better luck in their own fields of research into this matter. Maybe some new piece to the puzzle could come from a more in-depth psychological evaluation of the crew or a careful analysis of the sensor data collected by the VALLA ROYAL prior to and following the XANTUL’s explosion.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
~~~~~~~~~~
"Passive Analysis"
(Cont. from "Multiple Possibilities")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 5, Arboretum
Stardate: 63073.1315
Aki and Eve walked into the Arboretum, their hands filled with a dozen or so PADDs that contained all of the available information on the case surrounding the explosion of the XANTUL. The ANUBIS’ CNS had easily convinced the aCSciO to lend a hand in making sense of the data, Akira having been more than ready to leave the holodeck to apply her skills to something more productive.
"El Capitan," the Cardassian born woman grinned playfully as the pair headed for one of the benches that they would claim as their new workplace. "Really?" The selection of the Arboretum by the ANUBIS' CNS had been an attempt to provide a more peaceful work environment, one that would not immediately remind the two Ensigns of where they were and the universe of problems that they dealt with on a constant basis.
"What is the use of doing something if you are not going to challenge yourself?" Aki replied far more seriously than the CNS had expected. Officially Ensign Dalziel had approached Ensign Mitshiba to seek her assistance with the analysis of the XANTUL data. Unofficially, the Counselor had thought that this would offer a perfect opportunity to observe and see how the aCSciO had faired following their return to this universe.
"You can start with the data from the external sensor," Eve said as she sat. "I'll take a look at the crew and known associates to see if something unexpected comes up."
"Sounds like a plan," Aki nodded while she sorted the PADDs in her hands into the appropriate piles. After having realized that he task distribution had been less than equal, the aCSciO glared to the woman sitting next to her. "That's not fair, I have more than twice the number of PADDs than you have."
Eve chuckled softly. "What is the use of doing something if you are not going to challenge yourself," the CNS said having used the exact same words used my the Asian woman less than a minute before.
"Leave it to a Counselor to use your own words against you," Aki said through her laughter. If the aCSciO had suffered some sort of deep emotional or psychological scar from their last mission, Eve could not see any signs of it, at least not at the moment.
Without any further delay, Aki dove into the task that had been given to her by Eve knowing that the CNS had been correct. This would be a far stretch from rock climbing but the aCSciO had been more than happy to face this new challenge.
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 5, Arboretum
Stardate: 63073.1430
Aki rubbed her eyes as she took a break from reviewing the sensor logs from the VALLA ROYAL. There had been something to be said about the tracking system of that orbital station, their sensors being almost a match for those found on the ANUBIS, and Intel ship.
The data that had been handed over to the aCSciO had been very detailed which meant that there had been a great deal for her to sift through and attempt to make some sense of. The answer as to the cause of the XANTUL's destruction had been in there somewhere and Aki had been determined to find it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
**********************************
"A Less Restless Mind"
[Previous Post: "Passive Analysis"]
**********************************
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 2, Counselling Department
Stardate: 63075.1430
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot smiled at the councillor and asked quietly "Does this mean I can go now?".
"Well we'll have another appointment next week, same day but 9am this I think will be a better time, if that's OK with you" grinned the councillor.
Ensign Dalziel could see concern in ET's eyes then assured him quickly "Don't worry, this is only routine as I will need to speak to most of; if not all of the USS ANUBIS crew, because of what we have all been through".
With an expression of relief crossing the COO's face, he got up from his seat and informed Eve he would see here next week and then exited the room. He walked the corridor with the councillors words still going through his head. Maybe his hysterical outburst was his way of dealing with it, dealing with the stress, the anxiety, the horror. As he stepped into the turbolift, he touched his comm badge, "Ensign Thomas to Lieutenant Fairborn".
=^= Yes Ensign Thomas, what can I do for you? =^=
Elliot pressed a button in the turbolift then commented "I'm finished with the councillor, and I'm on my way back to meet you, sir".
=^= It is not necessary Ensign, we have the impulse power working and the next shift is taking over from us, I suggest you get a good sleep and meet me at the USS ANUBIS Main Engineering at 7am, the circuits look worse than they actually are, which is good for us. I'll speak to you tomorrow, Fairborn out. =^=
ET just stood in the turbolift. ::So what now, the girls don't get back until 5pm. Maybe I should call on Aki, or maybe she needs her time and space too. I think I'll just head to the Holodeck for some golf to relax. ::
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 4, Holodeck
Stardate: 63075.1450
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ensign Thomas stood on the first tee, and could see a red flag in the distance, approximately 450 yards in the distance. He looked at his clubs and without hesitation he took out the driver, walked to his ball and adjusted his stance and approached ready to hit. Halfway through his swing there was the unmistakable chime from his comm badge and a voice. =^= Akira Mitshiba to Elliot Thomas =^= the voice came over the comm resulted in the ball being hit dramatically off course in a direction of its own.
"Eh... Yes, Aki" he replied.
=^= I need to have a little break from work, would you meet me in the Cafeteria in 10 minutes for refreshments? =^= asked Aki.
"Yes, I can be there then, but I'll need to make sure I'm back at my quarters for the girls coming back at 5pm" stated Elliot with a smile on his face.
=^= OK, I'll see you there ET =^= came the response.
ET looked at the flag in the distance again, and then at his clubs. ::I'm just going to continue this another day, perhaps when I don't get interruptions:: " he smiled as he commanded the computer to end program ET342.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section B, Level 7, Cafeteria.
Stardate: 63075.1600
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot was sitting in the far corner of the Cafeteria with his usual Iced lemon water, and he had already ordered a Sake for Akira, as he knew that this was her favourite drink.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Headaches Are Minor"
[Previous Post: "A Less Restless Mind"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Fanggot's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075. 1215
=====^*^=====
The room was very dimly lit as the officers outside peeked in supposedly undetected. It would have been much easier had they used a simple scan, but the two men were curious as to the Kzinti's mental awareness and aversion of them thus far to try and do a more low-tech approach. It appeared as though the bed was full and the furred humanoid was asleep, as unusual as it was, they noted it down and continued on their way.
Commands were absolute, many of their comrades including themselves had been assigned to watching out for the returned members of the USS ANUBIS. As odd as the orders seemed, they had no right to refuse or question them. Besides, they found that watching the young woman was entertaining to say the least... hazardous to say the most.
Hex watched silently from the darkest corner of the room, her cat-like eyes having a natural ability to penetrate the darkness as though it was daylight. Waiting for the moment to be ripe, her tail wrapped around her crouched form, the young woman watched.
Once both men had gone, the Ensign let out a soft sigh and relaxed the tension in her stance, calmly standing and returning to her bed, removing the large pillows from under her blankets and placing them in proper order.
"They seriously think I can't see them watching me?" Hex voice out loud, her tone vicious and hurt.
Holding one pillow still, the Kzinti warrior shot it away in anger, growling as it thudded almost soundlessly to the wall and then the floor.
"Great... no wonder I'm being watched, I'm even talking to myself..." the officer noted, speaking to the empty room as though it were a friend.
The room itself was small and uncomfortable, not the likes of which the cat-like humanoid preferred. It held little to none of her personal items as most of them had been destroyed or were otherwise missing. Either way the room felt empty and lonesome without any sign of her old things, the only comfort it provided was that it was close to where the other quarters of her former crewmates were held.
As the young woman pondered other ways of giving her watchers the slip, a sound rang through her mind. Pain racked the Kzinti's entire body as the headache she had recently been experiencing returned, pushing the warrior to her knees. Gasping for breath, but not allowing a single scream of agony to escape her lips, Hex waited in pain as the long metallic sounds grated against her every nerve. The sound and pain passed after a few long gruelling moments, leaving the fuzzy humanoid's fur still on edge and her teeth chattering.
It was because of the headaches that the young woman had begun her self-imposed isolation in the first place. Having seen the way people in Starfleet treated wounds, the Kzinti knew that this would have to be looked at, but her stubborn demeanour had refused to allow her to seek help.
Food and water were easy to receive, but it was otherwise impossible for the officer to take a trip to even the Holodeck, a place she dearly wished to visit. As unsure as she was about her headaches, Hex feared that the higher ups would take them the wrong way. Those fears only tripled when she realized that she was being watched.
Growling in frustration, the woman moved over to her bed slowly and laid down heavily "Stupid... h-headache..."
A darkness clouded the Sec/Tac officer's mind as sleep finally came to clam her restless mind. The young Kzinti had been staying awake constantly and very rarely sleeping ever since she returned from the last mission with the crew of the USS ANUBIS.
In her last few moments of consciousness, Hex pulled the blankets of her to protect from the cold and allowed her thoughts to momentarily wander to what had become of the other members she had somehow befriended in such a short period of time. Having isolated herself for so long the Kzinti officer had heard little to nothing from her crewmates in all this time and had found herself often worrying as to their well-being.
Things needed to change... they just had to...
=====^*^=====
Ashley Shane
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Assistant Sec/Tac officer
USS ANUBIS
####################
"Musical Break"
[Previous Post: "Headaches Are Minor"]
####################
<<Music is more logical than the human mind can comprehend: yet we can recognize it and surrender to it. We cannot comprehend music but music can comprehend us.>>
- Peter Hiett
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63075.1440
The massive Oltharian gazed silently at the inactive warp core of the ANUBIS, the heart of the ship and an extension of the Chief Engineer's own life essence. To any other officer, the main power source of the SCARAB-Class vessel had been nothing more than an elaborate piece of equipment, but to Elan is held a significance and importance that could not easily be translated into words. This ship had become his home in so many different ways and held memories which spanned the full range of emotions from pure ecstasy to soul shattering horrors; and the warp core represented the embodiment of those feelings.
Somehow, each and every Chief Engineering Officer in Starfleet formed a special link with their ship, a connection that transcendent the physical boundaries between man and machine. It had often been claimed that a CEO could *feel* the pain of their ship, and the Oltharian had always wondered if this symbiotic relationship had not also worked the other way around. Maybe part of the issues with the ANUBIS current condition had been that it responded to Elan's own pain and emptiness.
With the impulse drive back online and auxiliary power available to key systems, the Chief Engineering Officer had felt no need to force Ensign Thomas through another shift; even more surprising had been that the Oltharian himself had felt the need to take a break. Being used to 34 hour days, Elan had a well-earned reputation for being a workaholic who never hesitated to put in double and even triple shifts to get a specific task done. This time though, and following the hardships that the ship and crew had endured, the CEO thought it best to take things easy, at least for the time being.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor outside Fairborn's Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1455
The entire ship felt as if it had been plucked from someone's nightmare, the dark and cold corridors stretching out into eerie emptiness. Every so often Elan would reach for one of the inactive consoles on the wall to feel their icy slumber at the tip of his imposing digits. Ensign Eve Dalziel, the ship's Counselor, might have offered that the Oltharian had done so to help ease the *pain* the engineer had been under, but again the CEO wondered if the opposite had not been more accurate. Maybe the gesture had been more meant to ease the pain the ship had *felt*, the Chief Engineering Officer offering a caring, loving touch to silently show his presence and support to the ANUBIS.
With auxiliary power available only to key systems, the door leading to the Oltharian's quarters had not opened by itself as the giant came to stand before it. Given Elan's physical stature there had not been a real issue with the closed door which promptly relinquished passage with very little effort.
Once inside, Elan closed the door behind him and stood in the near complete darkness of his quarters. It took a few minutes for the Oltharian's white eyes to adjust but still the CEO's vision of his personal domain had been clouded by memories of days long passed.
As he slowly made his way through the darkness to the couch and the now shattered table that stood before it, Elan felt his foot push something small. Without even looking down, the Oltharian knew exactly what he had stumbled upon; the small wooden box having been part of his life since a very young age.
With a gentleness that seemed out of place for someone his size, the Chief Engineering Officer kneeled down and fetched the small box as if it had been the most precious item in the universe. A sigh of relief escaped from the Oltharian as he noted through his touch that the container had been undamaged.
With an almost graceful gesture, Elan swept the couch clear of the debris that had found its way onto it before he placed the box on one of the now cleared cushions. With the care of a religious man displaying the utmost reverence to a sacred relic, the Oltharian opened the box and retrieved the content with the care and skill of a seasoned surgeon.
The small silver flute that had been therein seemed to vanish in the hands of the imposing Engineer. The faint amount of light had had pierced the darkness of the quarters through the windows had somehow managed to find the musical instrument in the gentle giant's grasp as if the universe itself had beckoned the man to play.
Elan smiled for a brief moment as he clenched the flute in his hands and gazed back at where the box sat, seeing there the memory of the woman he had played the small musical instrument for the first time so many years ago. Amber Satori now lay in a comma within the Medical Center of the NEW ALEXANDRIA base, but her presence and spirit had always been here, in this room, never leaving the giant's side.
Carefully, delicately, the Oltharian placed his fingers on the instrument and brought it to his lips and within seconds the entire room was filled with the enchanting melody that only one other living soul had ever heard. In a mesmerizing ballet of music each note skillfully played by Elan merged with memories to create an atmosphere that anyone would have described as heavenly, had they been permitted to experience this event.
Through closed eyes Elan could see Amber sitting on the couch behind him, her fullest attention directed onto him and the marvelous music that he had been playing. The Oltharian shifted ever so slightly his posture so that he would have turned away from where Amber would have been, thus insuring that she would not have seen the single tear of sorrow that had come to caress his left cheek.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
~~~~~~~~~~
"Little Helper, Big Help"
(Cont. from "Musical Break")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 5, Arboretum
Stardate: 63073.1530
Ensign Dalziel had left Aki alone in the Arboretum in order to take care of some ship related business. The aCSciO had not minded being alone in tis peaceful setting as she tried to make sense of the sensor data gathered by the VALLA ROYAL.
After over two hours, the Asian woman had shifted to have her back against the grassy ground with her legs resting on the bench that she had been sitting on earlier. The PADDS that Aki had used during that time could now be found scattered all around the aCSciO, a visual clue as to the level of frustration she had experienced in her efforts to discover what had happened to the XANTUL.
"A fluctuation in the magnetic containment field could have led to an uncontrolled antimatter reaction within the care," Aki sighed as she reviewed this possibility once again. The VALLA ROYAL sensors had shown a sudden drop in the magnetic field but there were other issues that kept the aCSciO looking elsewhere. "So why do the readings after the explosion not show the residual energy caused by an uncontrolled matter/antimatter reaction?"
Having come across this same problem a few times before, Aki's frustration finally boiled over and the PADD that she had been holding went for an unscheduled flight through the air. When it landed, the strange sound of a small animal having been scared drew the aCSciO's immediate attention.
Aki was surprised to see a small monkey-like creature apparently having been busy reviewing some of the data being displayed on the PADDs that had been left on the ground not to far off. There had been something strange yet familiar about the small woodland creature but the Ensign had been to in shock with her new discovery to make the connection with something that Lt. Cmdr. Maya had once said.
Just as Aki had been ready to try and move closer to the small monkey without scaring it away, the creature known as a Trusa pressed on one of the PADDs and pushed it closer to the aCSciO who took the device out of sheer curiosity. Not having expected to find anything that she had not seen several times before, Ensign Mitshiba was stunned to discover that the miniature primate had called up something new on the visual display.
Forgetting all about the Trusa, Aki began to diligently review the new data, the files that had been brought together in such a way as to compare their content having indicated something that the Ensign had entirely missed over the last couple of hours.
"Of course!" Aki exclaimed as she bounced to her feet, clinching the PADD that had been in her hands with all available strength. "The fluctuation in magnetic containment field was not the cause of the explosion but a result of a transfer of power away from the antimatter containment pods and towards an implosion device that was set there to make the XANTUL's explosion appear as an accident. Why didn't I see this before?"
Without looking back Aki rushed out of the Arboretum to find someone, anyone to report what she had discovered, leaving behind the small, grinning monkey who happily returned to a nearby tree to continue dealing with its own issues.
Life had indeed been easier for the Shillian in this form even though she had been only able to remain in this way for an hour or so at a time, but still it had given her the ability to experience a tranquility that would have otherwise been impossible to achieve. That Maya had been present in the Arboretum had been a mere coincidence but that she had been able to help her own assistant had made the CSciO consider, even if only for a brief moment, the possibility of returning to active duty.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
************************************************************************
"A Mixed Mind"
[Previous Post: "Little Helper, Big Help"]
************************************************************************
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section B, Level 7, Cafeteria
Stardate: 63075.1650
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50 minutes and 3 empty tumblers later, Elliot was still sitting at the table.
Elliot starred at his watch :: I wonder what happened to Aki, I guess she has not cooled down after all. Perhaps this is some kind of payback... what for I'm not sure, there are so many possibilites. Was it the time I was helping the Duty officer Jill Bramley... or maybe when I came back late to my quarters and forgot about the date she had set up in the Holodeck? ::
He looked up from his watch and decided that he could wait no longer as he had to meet the kids at the temporary quarters that they had been given.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Thomas's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1700
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ET rounded the corner and saw both Alice and Samantha walking towards the quarters from the opposite direction.
"Did you get a chance to talk to Aki, Father?" asked Alice as she ran down the rest of the corridor to meet him.
"Well, not exactly, but perhaps I'll get a chance tomorrow" Elliot responded to her question.
Samantha looked at her father then sarcastically stated "That's what you say every day".
Ensign Thomas walked into his quarters with his two daughters. "So do any of you two have work to complete for tomorrow?" questioned the concerned father.
"No Father!" announced the two girls in stereo, then Alice continued "remember that we have next couple of weeks off from our studies. Don't you listen to anything we tell you at night father?"
Elliot paused in silence for a short period of time, then it was if the penny had dropped, "Oh yes I remember that, you told me over breakfast a few days ago." emphazised ET as he walked to the replicator to replicate an iced lemon water.
"Father am I OK to go out for a little while." Samantha pleaded as she knew her father was far more protective these days, and hardly ever let them go anywhere on their own early evening.
ET wondered if it would be OK to let Samantha out then something crossed his mind and he had to voice his thoughts. "Where do you want to go? Hold on a minute who do you want to go with?" demanded the COO.
Samantha looked at her father in disscust, "Father what do you mean, I only want to go and meet Erika from my study class." insisted the teenage girl.
Ensign Thomas put his hand in the air to stop all conversation, "I'm sorry Samantha, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to speak to Erika, its too late now to be walking the corridors of the Starbase." commanded ET as he sat in the soft chair in the main lounge of the quarters.
"Father!" shouted Samantha then continued in a harsh tone "Its only 17:20hrs, dont you think it is a bit early to be keeping us in our quarters, I only want to meet up with Erika for a milkshake".
"I'm sorry Samantha but I've told you and that is the end of the subject, you can meet up with her tomorrow" insisted Ensign Thomas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"Holding On, Letting Go"
[Previous Post: "A Mixed Mind"]
“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it...”
-Nicholas Sparks, At First Sight
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 2, Counselling Department
Stardate: 63075.1545
After her meeting with Ensign Thomas, Eve had not moved from the temporary office space, studying the information about the explosion of the XANTUL as well as the crew manifest. She'd never met any of the suspicious looking crew before, either as an Intel operative or as an officer, which was a positive endorsement for the use of Natalie Portree as her alter ego during the mission. However, the station itself was teeming with others who might spoil things.
A few minutes passed and the Counsellor put the PADD down, rubbing the smooth milky skin of her forehead. It wasn't like her not to be able to make a decision. However, these were new and interesting times. They were times changed by circumstance. And despite the fact that Eve wouldn't have changed any of the decisions she made during the last mission, the smallest quantity of doubt in her choices remained.
She hadn't even seen the entire crew since they had returned to NEW ALEXANDRIA. Normally she would have hunted them down like a Vegan Fire Jaguar, relentlessly pursuing the opportunity to talk to them. Something was different now. She felt better taking each of them as they approached her, letting their own internal clocks decide when the time was right.
Normally, she would have considered much sooner that some of them would never admit their time was now. Without further hesitation, Eve left the office.
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63075.1600
Fairborn had been working quietly, taking in each repair that was needed and logging them, forming an action plan for the next day's labor. It would be his last official duty of the day, which was completely unlike his reputation for being a workaholic. The naturally longer days of OLTHAR PRIME only served to enhance that perception. The Engineer thought that perhaps Elliot thought he had gotten off lightly with today's tasks, but tomorrow was going to be a challenge. As usual he was so focused on his work he did not see the visitor approaching.
"Lieutenant," Eve said, trying not to startle the tall hulking man responsible for keeping the ANUBIS running at top efficiency.
"Counsellor," he replied smoothly, "What brings you here?" It was no secret that although the woman's skills spanned several areas, warp theory was not one of them.
"I was curious... I wanted to see how the repairs were going."
"Not bad," the Oltharian said with guarded optimism.
Eve nodded. "As you know, it's much easier to wound something than it is to heal it," the dark haired woman said, motioning to the broken circuitry and still lifeless warp core.
"With time and hard work anything is possible." Elan said with resolution.
Eve placed her hands behind her back at a relaxed attention. "Also, I wanted to inform you Ensign Thomas is fit and able for duty. It's not unusual for humans to express joy in an exaggerated way when they have been away from positive stimulus for an extended period of time."
"Thank you," Elan said with gratitude. "I have a full schedule tomorrow and will require his assistance."
"Yes," she agreed, but could not compel herself to stop there. "Chief.. Elan, I want you to know if you should ever need my services, my door is always open."
"I am not the one laughing like a Rigellian Hyena," The Chief Engineer said, perhaps a bit too quickly, inspecting a damaged coupling.
"Everyone is different," Dalziel offered, her gray eyes clouding with frustration. "Pain and expression of said pain are not mutually exclusive. I don't have to see it to know you are hurting."
A nearly inaudible sigh escaped the Oltharian's lips. "I am fine."
Eve squared her shoulders. It felt as though each time she tried to chip away at the impenetrable fortress of the man, they ended up in a debate. "I don't seem to have handled this the right way," Eve admitted, and the words hung in the air like spiderwebs; delicate, fragile, and clinging.
"You have tried to help," Elan offered.
"But I have not succeeded," Ensign Dalziel replied. In many ways her work had only begun, or what progress that had been made, ended up damaged by their shared experience. But above all else, the trust that had built up among them had fractured in places. If she were to help Fairborn, he had to trust her. She sincerely thought he did. However, it might be that the Chief did not trust himself to relieve his burden to anyone, not even the earnest woman in front of him.
"Perhaps you measure success by a warped ruler, Counsellor." The Oltharian's choice of words was strong, but he delivered them with a genuine gentleness.
"Maybe," she admitted, "but I am equally convinced discussing our feelings does not make us forget them. It only makes them easier to understand, easier to put in their proper place."
"History is to be revered. It is the story of our great journey."
Eve thought of her adopted parents at that moment, who had taken in a Cardassian child without fear or loathing. She had spent much more time concerned about her heritage than they ever had. They treated her as a person, a unique being, and allowed her to think of herself that way, with no restrictions. That, among other things, was what allowed her to be standing in the dark Engineering hold of the USS ANUBIS, wearing a Starfleet uniform. But that was only the beginning, as far as she was concerned. "History is truly an honored thing. All of us have traveled a long way to make it here. But while history is our journey, the future is our destination. And we all deserve to travel a little lighter than we are right now. We are all a witness to history, but eventually a witness must testify."
"I.. will take that under advisement." It was all Fairborn could bring himself to say.
"Only know that I say these things to you because I care. I don't feel obligated for any other reason, other than that my own feelings and thoughts are bent towards helping others." With that, Ensign Dalziel left the Oltharian alone, defeated but hopeful her motives were clear.
"As I am obligated to my memories," Elan Talak Fairborn whispered, as he watched the resolute figure of the ship's Counsellor walking away.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Whispered Voices"
[Previous Post: "Holding On, Letting Go"]
####################
<<Understanding is a three-edged sword.>>
- Ambassador Kosh
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Guest Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1600
The sound of the chime made the man dressed in a high-end suit who had been sitting on a lonesome chair in the middle of the room stand and approach the door.
"Enter," the man offered as he stood almost at attention in front of the door, his voice almost overly pleasant, as if it hid some dark insincerity.
"Mister Mortan?" An official of the VALLA ROYAL orbital station inquired, obviously having been sent to this location on a specific task.
"Yes," the man replied with the same overly pleasantness in his voice. "How may I help you?"
"Here is the information you requested," the official explained as he handed Mr. Mortan a small PADD. "Will you be needing anything else, Sir?"
Mortan accepted the PADD with a smile along with a gentle bow of his head as a show of gratitude. "No, thank you, that will be all."
As soon as the door closed, Mortan returned to the seat from which he had stood and quickly perused the content of the data PADD. When he lowered the device, having read all of the information it contained, a strange and odd whispering filled the room, as if dozens of invisible beings had been murmuring all at the same time.
"Yes it is intact," Mortan replied to a question that only he had understood.
As if acknowledging the answer given, the sound of barely audible whispered voice filled the room once again.
"No, I believe that taking it now would be a mistake," Mortan explained, obviously able to understand these whispers as if they had been any other normal language. "It is the perfect bate to draw them here."
Again the room filled with more whispered voices which caused the sitting man to grin softly.
"It has already been taken care of, we will not have to wait long."
--==(/\)==--
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Center
Stardate: 63075.1630
Erik stepped into the office of Admiral Koniki, having been ushered in by Allyson the moment that he had arrived. If the tone of urgency in the Admiral's voice had not been enough to raise a few flags for the Native American, the lack of casual friendliness from the Administration Center's receptionist had made it clear that something had changed.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," the Admiral offered, as if the PARADOX's CO had truly been in a position not to act as he had done. "As of right now, you are in temporary command of the USS HATHOR, the ANUBIS not being ready for active duty and the PARADOX not being what is needed at this time, at least not yet. You and your team, comprised of whichever member of the ANUBIS' crew you deem ready for active duty, will be leaving at 0500 for the VALLA ROYAL orbital station."
"I'm guessing there has been some unexpected development in the situation?" Morningstar sighed, not overly thrilled with the idea of this mission having suddenly been shifted into high gear. The fact that he had been placed in command of a vessel possessing a cloaking device made it clear that time had been against them and that a normal Intel approach had been out of the question.
"The 'package' was picked up amongst the debris salvaged from the explosion of the XANTUL," the Admiral explained with a distinct tone of frustration in his voice. "Everything is being held in a secured location pending the end of their investigation. We have to act quickly before someone recognizes it for what it is."
"You are suspecting that the Tal'Shiar is already aware of this," Erik offered having read Ensign's Mitshiba's report on her findings, the implosion devise suspected of being the cause of the destruction of the Bolian freighter having been a favorite of the Romulan Intel agency.
"Let's just say that the situation has become far more troublesome than it should have been," Koniki growled as he turned his attention back on the docked SCARAB-Class vessel. "Get your team ready and briefed, you are leaving at 0500."
Erik nodded having understood by the Admiral's tone that he had been dismissed and ordered to get this mission underway without delay.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Glorious Freedom"
[Previous Post: "Whispered Voices"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<<Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from what you can do.>>
~ John Wooden
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Fanggot's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1850
=====^*^=====
Having awoken from her momentary slumber, that being the only type the Kzinti warrior had recently been having, Hex felt dizzy and over-whelmed with an odd urge to venture out from behind the walls that held her in and visit the Holodeck. Sadly, as peaceful and painless as the Ensign's rest had been, the never ending fear of soul shattering agony being just around every corner still made even the slightest thought of going outside the safety of her small, inadequately lit room seem unthinkable and impossible.
Moving slowly, the officer managed to raise herself up from the uncomfortable position she had been lying in to look straight ahead at the door that marked her only passage to freedom. Outside the door, the furred humanoid could pick up just the fainest of noises as the Starbase and it's crew were settling down to embrace the final evening hours before night fell.
Though most would see such a thing as normal, Hex saw her chance. Knowing that the reciprocation of suddenly introducing oneself to large crowds after having spent over a year in isolation was not a good one... the cat-like female decided that it would be best if she were to explore during the night or late evening. That time had come at last, though why it had to be today the officer did not know.
"If I tell myself just one more day again I'll just end up stuck in here for another year or more..." the young woman grumbled to herself as she slowly pushed her slender body into an upright position.
Determination was all that had kept the young woman fit and healthy during her time of 'hiding'. The Kzinti was absolutely against allowing such trivial thing alter the figure and muscle prowess she had worked for years to gain in back-breaking labor and training. Hex had spent whatever time she found available to tone and work on her muscles and overall physique with exercise and meditation.
The decade's work had done well for the feline's body, having made it even more durable and flexible than it had previously been. An added bonus was the fact that her mother and brother had halted their intrusions of the officer's mind ever since the headaches began. It was a wonder, but at the same time a small relief in what had begun as a hellish nightmare.
Taking a deep breath, the Sec/Tac officer placed one foot in front of the other and then repeated the process until her small nose was practically against the door. A short ringing sounded in her ears, but it held little pain in it, so the Kzinti continued forward after having pressed the small button to open the door. The threshold of her isolation laid bare before her, an empty corridor beyond it beckoned. With her heart pounding, Hex moved very cautiously forward, hissing slightly as the ringing in her head started to chime in the background of her hurried thoughts.
Time seemed to stop for a few agonizing moments as pain shred through the young woman's body. It was as if her own mind was refusing her release from this room that had quickly become a prison. Gritting her fanged teeth, the furry humanoid stepped fully over the threshold and into a world of pain. As usual, the agony quickly swept over the Kzinti's body, as though slicing her head to toe with sharp, precise blades. Each ring fed a new hungry wave of her discomfort, but almost as soon as it had began... it stopped.
Breathless on her knees in the hallway, the young officer carefully pushed herself back onto her feet and shook her head once to test the feeling. Hex found that she was nauseous and somewhat disorientated, but otherwise could at least SEE straight. This was as good a sign as the Ensign had hoped for. After having tested her balance as well the officer quickly moved away from her door and sighed.
"Better late than never..." Hex chuckled meekly.
Out for the first time in a long time, and hopefully not her last, the Kzinti was free and the Holodeck awaited her. Not wanting to waste even a second of time, the young female rushed to the nearest tube she could. Something told her to keep to the shadows, therefore she did, paranoia possibly, but it didn't matter right now. The Ensgin felt rejuvenated at last and the rush just got better the farther away from her temporary quarters she traveled.
As unhealthy as the officer knew this was for her mind-state, she continued to her destination, blood pumping as though a fight had ensued. The cat-like woman kept low to the ground in a crouching position as she moved, not keeping a real good eye on where she was going in her rush.
Release from the tension called, and who was Hex to refuse such a siren's beckoning.
=====^*^=====
Ashley Shane
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Assistant Sec/Tac officer
USS ANUBIS
~~~~~~~~~~
"Not So Purrfect After All"
(Cont. from "Glorious Freedom")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 4, Corridor leading to the Holodeck
Stardate: 63073.1910
Aki grinned, pleased with herself and the discovery she had made back in the arboretum. Captain Morningstar had seemed rather pleased as well that the aCSciO had found what she had, thus indicating a likely cause for the explosion and the possible involvement of the Tal'Shiar in this affair.
It was true that the idea of the Romulan Intel agency having had a hand in this accident had not been all that pleasant but at least it had given them a starting point in their investigation. Now all that remained was to go to the VALLA ROYAL, find and retrieve the box and return it to NEW ALEXANDRIA without anyone knowing that this had been done. Nothing to it!
The Captain had suggested to the aCSciO to get some rest before their 0500 departure onboard the HATHOR, but Aki had wanted to get one last climb in before turning in for the night. The Asian woman had wanted to rest and in order to properly do so she thought it best to have her body be as tired as her mind had been.
With her thoughts already well inside the holodeck she had been heading to, Ensign Mitshiba had not noticed another Ensign rapidly heading in the opposite direction towards the same destination. Obviously equally distracted, Hex had not noticed Aki until the two officers collided right in front of the heavy holodeck doors.
"Hex?!?" the aCSciO gasped as she tried to get back to her feet, not only surprised at the sight of the Kzinti whom she had not seen in a while, but also at her stance which had been far more feral than would have been expected from a Starfleet officer. "Did I do something wrong?"
"What?" the Kzinti Sec/Tac officer asked, only realizing after the fact that she appeared ready to leap at the Asian woman as if wanting to tear her to shreds. "Sorry, I was just…" Hex began and left the rest of the answer unspoken as she took a more upright posture. "Were you heading to the holodeck?"
The question had been so abrupt and direct that Aki figured Hex had wanted to change the subject. Given the current situation and what they all had endured during their last mission, the aCSciO had been more than happy to oblige. "I was planning on doing one last rock climbing run before heading to bed," the Asian woman said.
"Rock climbing?" the furred Sec/Tac officer mumbled, obviously this not having been her first choice for a holodeck activity.
Aki chuckled, there had been no reason to expect the Kzinti to enjoy the same pastime as the aCSciO did. "We could always try orbital sky diving," the Asian woman suggested, half hoping that the Sec/Tac officer would decline or flat out refuse.
"Let's go inside first," Hex offered instead. "There we can find something that we can *both* agree on."
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
************************************************************************
"Joining The Team"
[Previous Post: "Not So Purrfect After All"]
************************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Thomas's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1900
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot was sitting in the main area of the temporary quarters listening to some relaxing music, with lots of things going through his head.
The unexpected sound of the door chime sounded snapped the COO back to reality.
"Enter," called ET as he sat forward in his chair to see who was about to come through the door.
The door opened with its usual hissing sound and revealed the familiar figure of the Native American CO.
"Hello Ensign Thomas," Captain Morningstar said as he walked into the temporary quarters.
Elliot stood up automatically to attention and responded, "Sir, is there something I can help you with?"
Erik looked at Elliot as he walked further in and sat in the nearest chair, "Elliot, isn't it?" The Ensign nodded and the CO continued, "I'm taking the USS HATHOR at 05:00 tomorrow and heading for VALLA ROYAL and I'd like you to join the group I'm putting together?"
ET stared at the Captain briefly, then his gaze was distracted to the door on the far wall, as a disgruntled shout from his teenage daughter came muffled through from the other room "Does that mean we have to get up early?".
Ensign Thomas looked back to Captain Morningstar smiling, "Yes sir, I'll be there, anything to take my mind of things," he laughed as he walked to shake the CO's hand to say thank you.
As Elliot shook the Captains hand he then remembered he hadn't asked him if he would like any refreshments. "While your here sir would you like a drink?" asked the COO as he walked back to the chair opposite the Captain.
"I'm afraid I don't have time Ensign, but perhaps next time," the CO answered as he got up from his chair and headed to the door, before he exited the quarters he turned back to ET and reminded him, "0500 tomorrow remember, at the USS HATHOR, I'll be expecting you on the ops station... On time".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"Blessings In Disguise"
[Previous Post: "Joining The Team"]
"There is no disguise which can hide love for long where it exists, or simulate it where it does not."
-Francois de La Rochefoucauld
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Dalziel's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1920
"Hmm..." Eve studied her presence in the mirror with a critical eye. After further deliberation, the ship's Counsellor had decided the rogue pilot-for-hire Natalie Portree was a little too high profile for their reconnaissance mission to VALLA ROYALE. However, to stay prepared, Dalziel had stowed away the complete outfit and eye patch in a hidden compartment in her travel bag in case the outspoken freespacer needed to make an appearance.
The orbital station was well known for its casino as well as its criminal underworld dealings. Being in the thick of the action on the floor would allow a good vantage point for the Intel trained Ensign. And what better way to do just that, than by being a Dabo girl.
She'd chosen a sparkly green dress with long sleeves and a plain round neckline. What made it provocative was the glovelike fit and the seductive slit on the right side, showing off some leg.
Not wanting to change the hairstyle she had since she was a young girl, the Counsellor had picked a chestnut colored wig with blond and bronze streaks, styled in choppy wavy layers ending just at her shoulder. Amber brown contact lenses made her eyes the color of warm cognac.
It was all coming together. But something wasn't right. The red lipstick she had selected was too bright. Eve wiped it off and tried a plum shade instead. "I think this is it," she said to the mirror, overall pleased with the result.
The door chime interrupted her preparations. "Enter," Ensign Dalziel said.
Erik Morningstar, the CO of the PARADOX, entered the Counsellor's living room. But after a glance at the woman standing there, he questioned whether or not he had the right quarters.
"Captain," she acknowledged, trying to soften the awkward moment. "I can explain-"
"There's no need. Preparing for the mission tomorrow?" Erik was really beginning to wonder if intuition could be a learned skill when it came to the eager Ensign.
"Actually, I thought I was being premature..." Eve's voice trailed off, the look in Captain Morningstar's eyes confirming their plans to visit VALLA ROYAL had been escalated.
"Did Koniki already brief you?"
Her face flickered with surprise, still trying to process that the mission had been moved up. "Honestly, no, the last time I saw him was in our meeting earlier."
The American Indian man looked more serious than usual. "The situation has degraded somewhat on the station. Koniki has reserved the HATHOR and we will be departing at 0500 for VALLA ROYAL."
"Who will be going?"
"Mitshiba, Thomas, and Fanggot, in addition you the two of us," The Captain said. "Although, if anyone else wants to tag along they would be welcome to do so."
Eve silently wondered about the others and whether or not they would all be together again, while still grateful for those that would be travelling with her. "I appreciate the visit. I know you didn't have to do that."
"It was no trouble," Eric said. "Something like this seemed to warrant the responsibility of personal contact. I'll leave you to your preparations. See you in the morning."
"In the morning," she repeated with confirmation.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
************************************************************************
"Starting The Day"
[Previous Post: "Blessings In Disguise"]
************************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C, Level 3, Thomas's Temporary Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0400
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
::One more hour and I'll be off on another mission, well at least this time the children are going to be here at the NEW ALEXANDRIA and they are going to be safe, well at least until the USS ANUBIS is up and running again.::
Samantha came into the main area of the quarters, "So dad where are we going to this time?" she asked abruptly.
"Well this time your going no where, Sam. You and your sister are going to be staying here on the base until the USS ANUBIS is back in full working order. Admiral Koniki has assigned a guardian for you girls, who will be arriving at 04:30hrs and will be here until I get back from this mission," insisted Elliot to his oldest daughter.
Alice came running out the room, "What do you mean we're not going with you dad?" she cried as she hugged her father.
"Listen I can't debate this, I know I've never left you girls before, but this time is different. We've all been through a lot in the last year, but this mission has to be done and it can't be done in the USS ANUBIS, so there is no other option." explained Ensign Thomas to the two girls, he bent onto one knee next to the youngest and continued, "You will be able to make me some kind of video diary when I'm gone, I'm not sure if we will be able to contact each other cause I'm not sure if it will break protocol, but I will be back as soon as the mission is complete".
Elliot was all ready when the door chimed at exactly 04:30hrs. "Enter, please." shouted ET.
The door opened with the usual hiss and a tall attractive black haired lady stood in the doorway. "I'm guessing you'll be Ensign Thomas" the lady softly acknowledged with a smile.
Elliot stared at the woman, then realised that he had not said anything and had just been staring. "eh... yes that's me, you must be Jill the girls guardian" the COO insisted.
"Yes, that's me. I was told that you would have a PADD with all essential information for me to know," the young lady instructed. Ensign Thomas winked at her and produced a PADD from behind his back. "I just finished putting on the last updates now," expressed ET as he handed it to Jill.
Elliot turned to his girls and gave them both a big hug then turned to the guardian and grinned, "As I've just met you we'll maybe skip on the hug."
Jill smiled, "aaawww well that's just fine, a girl knows when she is wanted." They both laughed as Ensign Thomas walked to the door.
"I'll see you all soon. Bye girls," Called the COO.
There was an echo of Goodbye as the door shut behind him. ::She was really nice, I don't think I have ever saw her going around before. Well I guess I'll know more about her when I get back.::
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge, Ops station
Stardate: 63076.0500
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ensign Thomas stood at his Ops console, getting accustomed to the settings for all communications, sensors and environmental systems going through each stage checking for faults and making sure procedures were running at optimum performance.
Elliot looked at the light flashing prompted by a repeated bleep from his instruments, it was a sensor triggered for an algorithm error on one of the Duty engineer consoles. Elliot pressed a couple of buttons and wrote a couple of lines of code and the *Bleep* and flashing light stopped. "That should fix the problem, just a minor issue," ET mumbled to himself.
"Very good work Ensign, I was told about that issue but didn't expect it too be fixed as quick as that," the Captain informed him as he passed by heading for his chair. As he turned to face his chair he look back to ET. "Keep up the good work, Ensign."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Starting Over"
(Cont. from "Starting The Day")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS HATHOR, Access Corridor
Stardate: 63076.0500
Aki paused for a brief instant as she watched Ensign Thomas step through the doorway leading onto the command deck. Things had gotten complicated during their last mission in so many different ways and the aCSciO had not been certain as to how to proceed from there.
It had been impossible to claim that nothing had happened during the year they had spent in another dimension. So much had happened that Aki could not fully recall everything; only impressions of feelings and snippets of memories could be recalled. Part of the aCSciO wanted to run after the COO and simply hug him, thankful that they had survived the ordeal. Another part of Ensign Mitshiba though had wanted to run away and hide to never be seen again.
It made little sense, but emotions rarely did, just ask any Vulcan.
"You okay?" Eve quietly asked, having walked up to Aki without the Asian woman noticing the arrival of the Cardassian born officer. It had not required a Betazoid to see that something had been on the aCSciO's mind, and as the ship's CNS Ensign Dalziel already suspected what it was.
"I'm fine," Aki promptly reassured, a forced smile now on her lips. "Just reviewing some of the details of the XANTUL's explosion before I walk in and see the Captain," the Asian woman added as she meet her friend's gaze for the first time.
"I am sure everything will be fine," Eve offered with a gentle grin. "This mission should be a piece of cake and may even give us a chance to enjoy ourselves a little."
Aki thought for a moment before she mirrored the CNS' grin. The VALLA ROYAL orbital station had been well known for a great many things, not the least of which being that it held a reputation as the most elaborate entertainment hub in the sector of space. Even in the middle of an undercover Intel operation, one would have to do it on purpose not to find something to enjoy, even if only momentarily.
"Guess the key will be for us not to have *too* much fun and forget about the mission," the Asian woman chuckled dryly.
"I doubt there are any real risks of that," Eve said as she placed a caring hand on Aki's shoulder. "I suspect that Captain Morningstar is going to keep us well in line and focused on the task at hand."
"Being focused on something specific will help," the Asian woman admitted, her gaze piercing the bulkhead to see in her mind's eye the COO as he sat at his station. As long as the crew would be busy with the mission, they would have better things to do than discuss the emotional and psychological impact of their last mission.
"Let's go," Dalziel prompted. "I am sure that Captain Morningstar is waiting for us."
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kzinti Prime Simulation"
[Cont. from: "Starting Over"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section C-2, Level 4, Holodeck
Stardate: 63073.1920
Fur still raised from the initial surprise of the impact, Hex was less than surprised about her sneaking getting found out. The Holodeck for one thing, is almost always in use, the officer should have known that she was bound to run into someone. Happiness, yet shyness, were the Kzinti's main emotions at 'who' is was that caught her. Not only did she consider this Ensign a friend, but they were also linked by the phenomenon they had both experienced.
And yet... both were still confused as to what each other preferred. Where Aki was more interested in climbing, the Kzinti warrior had been thinking instead of stargazing, one of her favorite and most calming simulations. This difference ended up with both parties gazing at each other somewhat awkwardly.
As this was one of her first encounters in quite some time, Hex worried that she possibly forgot how to interact with those of other species. While in thought about what to say to the humanoid officer beside her, the woman cleared her throat with a small chuckle.
"Well... this isn't really getting anywhere." the aCSciO commented with humor in her tone.
"I guess it HAS been awhile..."
The Kzinti nodded in agreement, but still was pondering what to do. When an idea came to mind the Ensign outwardly groaned slightly, which seemed to further confuse the Asian woman with her. Hex knew of a simulation she would normally keep to herself, but it may possibly be a treat for someone as active as Aki.
"I... I have an idea, it would suit your needs and mine easily but..." the Sec/Tac officer trailed off somewhat in thought before gathering herself with a small sigh. "Would you like to see... Kzinti Prime? It has mountains galore for climbing, though they aren't that stable..." Hex added slowly, rubbing her forearm from a memory.
Looking intrigued the Asian woman nodded slowly, she also seemed to be somewhat cautious about her words and body language, "A good climb was what I was thinking of and I don't recall ever seeing the mountains of Kzinti Prime up close before..."
Hex nodded, she had expected as much considering the fact that her home was less than likely to accept just any traveler.
Gathering up her wits and trying to seem calm, Hex called out, "Computer... run Fanggot 327-438."
Clicking and whirling noises were all the Ensigns received as a confirmation of the request as the walls of the Holodeck shimmered around them. Aki gave the Kzinti an encouraging smile as the area around them soon became VERY familiar to the more cat-like of the humanoids present.
The scenery soon turned into a dessert area, mountains rose up on either side of them as night shadowed the desolate land. The jagged mountains and starry sky held an instant effect on the Kzinti. Just seeing such a familiar sight made the officer's heart leap and her spirits soar. The scene didn't seem to have the same effect on the aCSciO next to her, but Aki seemed pleased at the height and sheer drops of the mountains that shimmered darkly in the moonlight.
Excitement clouded her thoughts momentarily and Hex forgot who it was she was pulling as the Ensign gently grabbed the hand of the Asian woman, "Come on! I know the best parts to climb!"
They climbed and climbed, enjoying the activity as much as each other's company until they finally reached a small cavern. Memories blurred the fuzzy humanoid's mind momentarily, but she shook them off as they walked to the edge of the cave and sat down to watch the stars above.
A village sat nestled in the distance as they watched the stars move over the darkened skies. Both sat in silence, breathing heavily from the climb. A wash of sweet tasting air rushed up to them from the ground below making hair and fur alike blow in it's gentle breeze.
Aki seemed serene, as though a bit of a weight was lifted off her, though Hex didn't know why, "Thanks Hex... I needed a good climb," she smiled at the Kzinti genuinely and for a brief moment the Ensgin could have sworn she looked just like and old friend from Kzinti Prime...
As the Holodeck shut down slowly, the Kzinti rejoiced inwardly. The headaches had no place in her happiness, she had proved as much by realizing that they had not come even once during the entire simulation. A stab of pain erupted in her mind as she realized this, but she did her best to subdue it. Had the pain been the usual agonizing ringing, the Ensign would have fallen to her knees screaming, but it was minor this time.
"Aki... uh Ensign Mitshiba, thank you for coming with me..." wish a small smile at her crew-mate, Hex was about to move away when a voice came over the trinket on her uniform.
=^= Ensign Fanggot, please reply. =^=
Cheeks flushed with embarrassment from being surprised by the voice on her chest, the Kzinti officer touched the badge and replied with as much as a professional voice as she could, "Yes Captain Morningstar, I am listening."
=^= A mission requires your attention at 0500, will you be ready and willing to accept it? =^= the voice crackled on.
"Y-yes Captain... I think it's just what I needed..." the furred humanoid replied quickly.
=^= I'll see you there then, come prepared, =^= the male confirmed before communication was disconnected.
Hex was dumbfounded a moment, but laughed slightly. The Sec/Tac officer smiled at her companion a moment before moving away more quickly "S-sorry, I have to... um... yeah..."
Leaving the Asian woman near the Holodeck somewhat confused, but smiling, the Kzinti moved with more ease as she headed over to the nearest tube and back to her room. A mission meant work, and anything that kept her mind busy seemed to keep the pain away.
A mission is just what she needed.
=====^*^=====
Ashley Shane
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Assistant Sec/Tac officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Dreams "
(Previous Post was Ashley's "Kzinti Prime Simulation")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0200
The young woman had not been able to find neither rest nor peace despite having come to this place under the shelter of a new identity. The shapely Samantha, a Dabo girl who seemed to enjoy the joys and pleasures of the moment never thinking of tomorrow, hid a great many secrets from everyone around her… even herself.
The bed sheets and pillows that had been tossed to the floor of her quarters were but a mild indication of the troubled sleep the redheaded woman had endured since her return to this reality. The search for who she was had made her leave everything behind… everything but her troubled memories.
==========
Dreamscape
==========
The young woman painfully awoke from her unconsciousness, her fingers slowly running over the bump that her impact against the wall had created. Without any lights or power, Sabrina could only feel her way around the room, unable to fully realize the predicament she was in. As far as the Chief Science officer had been concerned, something had happened to the ship and emergency systems would soon kick in. It was only after several seconds that one major aspect of her current situation became clear to her... she was weightless... floating around the room as if being in space.
When she felt the growing coldness of the room, terror washed over her. The only way that a starship could become this cold and lose gravitational support would be to have all life support systems off-line... for several hours. Her heart racing at warp speed, Rikar managed to orient herself using her hands in order to find a particular console and panel. Behind it she pulled a tricorder and immediately initiated a scan with the hopes that her fears would not be confirmed.
What Sabrina found proved to be worse. Instead of confirming that the ship's systems had been somehow knocked off-line, the small device in her hand revealed that beyond the walls of the room she was in there was *no* ship... only empty space.
"This can't be!" The young woman tearfully pleaded as the tricorder data was verified and revivified. Life support systems did not work simply because there had not been any attached to the section of ship that had apparently been sheered off the PROPHECY during her dimensional jump.
Panic took hold of Rikar as silence met her attempts to contact someone... anyone on the ship using her comm badge. If the PROPHECY was not nearby, or worst had been destroyed, she would not manage to survive for more than an hour at best before succumbing to the absolute coldness of space that had already begun to reach within the walls of the room.
As a former Counsellor, Sabrina knew that fear would prove to be her worst enemy in such a situation, and as hard as it proved for her, she managed to regain a semblance of control as she erased her tears from her cheeks. Using the tricorder that she held with an iron grip, the young woman proceeded to getting a more accurate picture of her situation.
Nearly a fifth of what used to be called Deck 1 had apparently been violently ripped away from the ship and other than Stellar Cartography itself, only two other rooms had managed to survive this catastrophe intact. This did not help in anyway unfortunately as no auxiliary power generators had been present in the now floating wreckage... and even if there had been... her knowledge of engineering would not have permitted her to do anything about it. As it was, the only thing standing between her and immediate death was the emergency bulkhead that had fallen into place when the accident occurred.
Suddenly, the young woman's thoughts went to those whom she would have relied upon to help solve this problem... had she not been alone. Sabrina might have managed to control her panic earlier but her growing sadness in view of her imminent fate was an entirely different story.
"Get a grip!" Sabrina snapped to herself, taking hold of whatever hope she had left.
Again using the tricorder in her hand, Rikar made her way with difficulty to another panel and pulled out a phaser and emergency medical kit. If there was even the slightest chance for her to be rescued, she needed to be alive for it. This became her new and only focus. Trying to understand what had happened to her and the ship did not matter, all she needed to do was survive.
Lack of oxygen and the growing coldness would soon make things impossible for her, so she needed to address these points with urgency. Drawing on all of her medical and scientific knowledge, Sabrina came up with a plan. Using the items contained within the med-kit, she would be able to slow her metabolism and allow her to make the best use of the oxygen that had been trapped with her in the room. The phaser she had retrieved would address the problem of the increasing coldness... all she needed to do was find something that she could use the phaser on.
Using the tricorder, Sabrina located a metallic beam that had been floating around the room as she had. Taking her time to be certain not to miss her target, the young woman fired the weapon at the beam, infusing it with the phaser's energy. Within seconds, the low power setting caused the floating beam to glow of a dim red light. Even though it would not help in shedding light in the room, it would serve the purpose it had been intended for... that of radiating heat... as little as it was.
"Bet my wilderness survival instructor never thought of a scenario like this one." the young woman nervously chuckled as she secured the phaser to her side before opening the med-kit in order to address the next problem she faced.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Once known as...
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Shadow Walking"
[Previous Post: "Dreams"]
####################
<<Starfleet captains don't choose their missions, the missions choose them.>>
- Commander Chakotay
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.0510
"Helm," the Native American commanded, his words coming across as both strong and yet gentle as if trying to ease the pain of those around him. "Release umbilical connection and docking clamps. Take us out with thrusters only."
Erik made himself comfortable in the central chair, a position that he had held many times before and one that he still found difficult getting used to. The fact that this had not been *his* ship had only made things a more complicated, and the emotional state of the crew that had joined him on this mission would most certainly make things interesting to say the least.
"Nice and easy," Ensign Thomas reported from the FCO station. Although Elliot officially held the position of Chief of Operations, the cramped layout of the DEFIANT-Class ship had made it so that the COO actually piloted the ship. From the looks of things though, the father of two seemed rather pleased with this change of pace.
"We are receiving the all-clear from NEW ALEXANDRIA," Ensign Mitshiba announced from the science console, having taking the time to monitor the communications channel.
"Mr. Thomas," the HATHOR's CO offered with a grin, "Turn us around and ease us out."
"Starboard thrusters burst," Elliot announced as he pressed the corresponding control that sent the ship into a gentle spin counter-clockwise. As the main view screen displayed the docked form of the USS ANUBIS, a hush filled the entire ship as if each and every officer onboard the HATHOR had somehow been made to leave something behind; good or bad.
The small ship carefully made its way through the massive opening doors leading into open space and within a few minutes the USS HTHOR had emerged from the secret base into the asteroid field that could be found near the GEZA nebula.
"Bridge to Engineering," Erik called out as he took in a deep breath, their new mission now officially underway.
=/\= Fairborn here, =/\= the Oltharian replied, a distinct tone of gladness in his voice. =/\= Warp speed and cloaking device ready at your discretion Captain. =/\=
The Native American chuckled silently to himself, never getting tired of the efficiency of the Oltharian who had truly been an Engineer at heart, a sentiment that Erik shared in many ways often having found himself wishing that he could return to the simpler life of a CEO.
"Helm," Erik began, "engage cloaking device and set us on course for the VALLA ROYAL orbital station, warp 9."
"Cloaking device engaged," Elliot announced just as the lights throughout the HATHOR changed to reflect to a red hue to indicate the change in the ship's status. "Setting course for VALLA ROYAL, warp 9."
With the ship now well on its way to it destination the Native American turned to Ensign Dalziel who had been standing next to the CO the entire time. Without any words being exchanged, the CNS offered a PADD to the sitting man and waited for his reaction.
"Where did this come from?" Erik inquired in a whispered voice, somewhat puzzled by the information that he had been given.
"Apparently Admiral Koniki had thought it best to keep this information from the rest of the crew until now," the Counselor explained in an equally quiet tone. "My guess is that he was worried that her presence at the VALLA ROYAL might either cause people to want to go on this mission before they were ready or find excuses *not* to go," Eve added, her whispered voice barely reaching the sitting man right next to her.
"Why would anyone *not* want to go because she is there?" The Native American gasped quietly. As a CO he had a hard time imagining any officer having served under him not willing and ready to jump into action to help.
"You have to remember that the crew of the ANUBIS went through a very hard time in that other universe," Eve carefully explained. "The Admiral was concerned that some members of the crew might hold her responsible for what happened, just as she is holding herself responsible."
Erik sighed as he leaned back into his chair. The mission to the VALLA ROYAL had been, at least at first glance, a simple one but such missions had always been prone to unexpected surprises. The Native American feared that the presence of the ANUBIS' CO on the orbital space station had likely been the first of many such surprises that would come to pass as this mission progressed.
"Shadow walking," Captain Morningstar announced, this time loud enough for the rest of the bridge's crew to hear.
"Captain?" Akira queried, not at all sure as to what had been meant or even if she had heard correctly.
"An ancient Native American story that told the tale of a warrior searching for answers in a dark forest filled with living shadows. Although he had set forth with his bow and arrows, they would prove useless against the trials he would have to confront; his memories and fears," Erik explained. The CO of the USS PARADOX had figured that the story he had once heard long ago seemed to oddly fit their current situation. Little did he knew just how accurate he had been, but not for the reasons that he had imagined.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
"With Open Eyes"
(Previous Post: "Shadow Walking")
"All men dream - but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity... But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."
-T.E. Lawrence
==========
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section D-2, Level 8, Observation deck
Stardate: 63076.0255
Eve Dalziel stared at the ANUBIS, wondering what the others saw as they examined the damaged vessel. Some saw the remnants of a warrior, whose spirit was searching for redemption. Others saw it as a wounded child, returning to the fold for rest and comfort. Still others saw it as a merely cluster of metal and circuitry. A select few saw it as an entity, somehow alive and more than just a physical spacecraft. Thanks to the last mission, for many it was a symbol of both hell and salvation. Much like the infinite expansion of the universe, a glimpse at the ship brought thoughts and memories much larger than the sum of its parts.
But for Eve, it had become home. As nice as the station was, it was not where she wanted to be. And as surprised as she had been that their mission was being pushed ahead, she was grateful for the diversion. It was what had driven her out of bed so early.
"Ensign Dalziel," a familiar voice said, trying to sound congenial.
"Admiral," Eve replied, stunned by the appearance of Koniki at such an out of the way time and place. She straightened her posture out of habit.
"At ease, Ensign. While this meeting is purely business it is anything but orthodox."
"I guess I'm not the only early riser," she said, still wondering how the Admiral was able to find her so quickly. Although, she was not naive. There was a heightened interest in the crew since their return.
"I have a delivery of classified information, to be read by you upon the departure of the HATHOR and then given immediately to Captain Morningstar." Admiral Charles Koniki didn't waste time with any further niceties, offering an encrypted PADD to the Counsellor.
Eve stared at the backlit device in her hand. "Shouldn't I bring this to-" she began, then faltered, realizing that she currently didn't have a superior Intel officer to present the data to. She was somewhat on her own.
The Admiral saw the flicker of doubt in the Counsellor's eyes. She had never given him a reason to be concerned about her abilities. "Remember you have people counting on you, even if they don't realize it themselves."
Not fully understanding the weight of the Admiral's words, Eve nodded in acceptance. "Of course, Admiral."
==========
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.0510
Eve shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the HATHOR sped towards the VALLA ROYAL. She couldn't speak for the others, but she desperately wanted to assist the CO of the ANUBIS in any way possible. The hunt and retrieval of the mysterious box immediately took a backseat to the retrieval of one of their own.
But was it possible to rescue someone who didn't know they needed to be rescued?
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Nightmares "
(Previous Post was Susan's "With Open Eyes")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0300
The young woman had tossed and turned herself almost clear off her bed. It was easy to see that there would be no rest for the redhead tonight… but then again she had not been able to rest, her nights having been filled with memories of lives long thought forgotten.
When Sabrina had left NEW ALEXANDRIA she had done so with the hopes of distancing herself from the emotional torture that she had endured for so many years. So much pain, so much death, and yet she had endured and moved ahead… but at what price?
Many cultures believe that time is a vengeful entity that cannot be escaped… a living force that seeks balance and retribution… and right now the redheaded woman had truly begun to believe that they had been correct.
==========
Dreamscape
==========
The young woman sat in a small compact ball, shivering to the point of barely being able to hold on to the phaser she had repeatedly used to infuse the floating iron beam with energy in order to create some short lived light and heat.
It had been a while since the accident that had isolated her from everything and left the Lt. Cmdr. alone inside a sealed piece of wreckage. The only reason why she was still alive had been because of the emergency bulkheads that had fallen into place before all hell broke loose. Unfortunately, the same items that had been responsible for her surviving the structural failure that had befallen the PROPHECY had sealed her into the agony she now had to endure.
As time passed, the room she had started to look upon as a blessing of good fortune had rapidly turned into a curse... a dark, cold and lonely curse. The makeshift escape pod, with its drastic lack of heat and continuously reducing oxygen supply, now felt more like a space floating coffin rather than an instrument of salvation.
With a hand as steady as an earthquake, the blue-lip woman painfully raised her weapon and did her best to aim it at the now very faintly glowing beam that had brought her heat and light, as little as it was, for the last hour or so.
::I... I wou... would... ha... have... a... better... better... cha.. chan... chance... at... hitting... an... an... ant... with... a... qua... quantum... torpedo...:: Rikar mentally stuttered to herself as her trembling hand tried as best as she could to accurately position the weapon in line with the intended target.
Numbed by the intense cold, the young woman could barely feel the form of the phaser in her hand, and when her finger finally pressed the trigger, her mind went totally blank for a single, eternal second. As far as she had known, her aim had been as off as it could be, and if the phaser's energy bolt came in contact with an already weakened section of the hull, these could easily be her last seconds in this realm of existence... a fate that she almost welcomed.
To her surprise nothing happened... no explosion... no sudden depressurization... actually there had not even been a shot fired. Seconds passed and eventually the phaser she clenched in her trembling hand was slowly made to rise to her eyes so that she could try to figure out what had happened. When the answer became apparent to her, the young woman's frigid grip ever-so-slowly loosened releasing the icy-cold item to the surrounding weightlessness.
The reason for the phaser not having fired had been a simple one... the power supply had been exhausted... now what she had expected to be her greatest enemy... her rapidly depleting oxygen supply took a back seat to the newer, more immediate threat... that of her freezing to death long before she would no longer be able to draw breath.
Hypothermia wasted no time to become better acquainted with the lonely Starfleet officer who had almost accepted what she knew was to come. Alone... floating in the cold emptiness of space... for maybe longer than she could even imagine... maybe she would finally be able to answer the question that plagued most sentient life forms... was there something on the other side?
The young woman's eyes gave in to the bitter cold that had enveloped her like an eternal blanket... this would be the dream she would never wake from...
==========
"Samantha?" A strange, yet welcoming voice asked.
"Who?" The young woman heard herself answer.
"You."
"That's not my name."
"Then what is your name?"
"I... my name is... Ana... no... Maya... no... why can't I remember?"
"Who is Ana?"
"Ana... Anaqueen... she was my... my friend..."
"Who is Maya?"
"She was also a friend... but not Human... she was... spots on her neck... why can't I remember?"
"What other names do you remember?"
"Elliot... Eve... Hex... Elan... Akira... Erik... Talia..."
"Talia! Talia is a nice name... who is she?"
"A sweet little girl. She was my... daughter... sort of... I think... Enaii was her real mother... I was just... a friend... no... I was more than a friend."
"Who is Enaii?"
"Enaii was... strange... funny... weird..."
"But who was she?"
"I... I can't remember?"
"Can you remember who you are now?"
"Yes... I'm... my name is Sab... Sa... I can't remember... why can't I remember?"
"Samantha maybe?"
"Yes... that's it... I remember... I think... I always wanted... I always wanted to be called Samantha... but why can't I remember being called that?"
"What's in a name?"
"But it's *my* name... isn't it?"
"If you want it to be... you have all the time in the universe to remember."
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as...
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Getting There"
(Cont. from "Nightmares")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63076.0600
With the ship on its way to the VALLA ROYAL unseen and undetected thanks to their cloaking device, Aki had been able to address a most urgent need; breakfast. Getting up early in the morning had never been an issue for the Asian woman, but the normal routine had been vast aside due to the urgency of getting their mission underway.
The aCSciO stood in front of the replicator, debating as to what she would have while keeping in mind that these devices were not as capable as those found on NEW ALEXANDRIA or even on the USS ANUBIS. Seconds turned into minutes as Aki found it impossible to make up her mind, not something that she was used to.
"Maybe you should speak to him," Eve said as she walked up to stand next to the aCSciO.
"Speak to whom?" Aki asked, startled by the unexpected arrival of the ship's Counselor.
"Elliot!" Hex replied a she walked into the Mess Hall and directly made her way to the replicator as if ignoring the people to whom she had just spoken to. "Glass of milk, 45 degrees centigrade," the Kzinti demanded of the machine, her voice rough as her mannerisms.
"How did she?" Aki gasped as she watched the Sec/Tac officer pick up her warm glass of milk before she headed for a table near the far corner of the room.
"Sorry to say this Akira, but even a blind man would see that there is something unresolved between he two of you," Eve explained while she made a mental note to set up some one-on-one time with the Kzinti woman.
"I just don't know what to say to him," the aCSciO admitted, her shoulders having drastically fallen in a show of defeat. "I can't even figure out where to start about how *I* feel, so I can I be expected to talk to him about it?"
"Could always toss him into the nearest air-lock," Hex mumbled as she took a sip of her drink.
Eve spun on her heels ready to chastise the Kzinti for what she had said but after thinking the whole matter through, the ship's Counselor turned back to face the aCSciO. "Well, you have to admit that Hex's solution does have a certain simplicity to it."
"What?" Aki questioned, unable to bring herself to accept that Eve had actually supported the notion of spacing a member of the crew.
"Think about it," Ensign Dalziel began in a very serious tone. "It would solve your immediate problems as to what to say to him and in time it would make you feel better in that you would not have to think about this matter anymore."
"Because *killing* someone is such a better way of dealing with this," Akira stated, clearly upset by the idea that had not only been mentioned but supported and explored.
"Your only other option is to talk to him," Eve said, the smile on her lips hinting that this had been her intent all along. Now there had been no way for the aCSciO to deny the fact that she had needed to speak to Elliot.
Aki and Eve looked at each other for awhile, not saying anything yet sharing a great deal between them. Their moment of mutual understanding was interrupted by the Sec/Tac officer who returned her empty glass to the replicator before she offered a few departing words. "Here's your chance."
Aki's eyes opened to their fullest as she watched Hex step out of the Mess Hall just as the COO stepped in.
"Just let the words come out," Eve whispered to the Asian woman as she squeezed her hand in a show of support. As the Counselor left, a faint grin formed on her lips as she found comfort that no air-locks had been near this location. "Ensign Thomas," the Counselor added as she walked by Elliot, leaving the man and woman alone in the room to say what had needed to be said since their return.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
************************************************************************
"Confused Mind"
[Previous Post: "Getting There"]
************************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge, Ops station
Stardate: 63076.0500
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot was a bit lost, this being the first mission he'd been on in years without the girls being with him, he had been happy to be back at the ops station even if it was in another ship, familiar buttons made him feel more relaxed.
Ensign Thomas looked up at the Captain when he announced "Shadow Walking", then noticed that the whole bridge was centred on the CO. After Akira had responded to him he then explained about "An ancient Native American story", and after this he dropped the bomb shell that the USS ANUBIS CO was still alive and on the VALLA ROYAL.
::Dang she's alive. That's the best news I've heard for so long, I don't know who wouldn't give their life for that woman. All I know is if it comes down to the mission or rescuing her, the rescue must come first::
ET looked over at the aCSciO, he wanted to speak to her, but now was not the time. He decided the right time to talk would be when they went for their first break around 05:50hrs. Elliot could not help himself from looking over at Akira any time he was able, but to his disappointment he had never once caught her eye and even wondered what he would have done if he had caught it.
The COO had been so busy working and reading the sensor displays while on route that he had not noticed Ensign Mitshiba leave and head off to the mess hall. Elliot looked at the time display on the console 05:55hrs. ::I think it's time I asked Aki if she wants to go for a quick talk at break.:: As he looked up from the console, she had gone. The COO's cover arrived for him to go for his break, so he headed to the mess hall; alone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63076.0600
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot walked into the Mess Hall, just as the Counsellor was walking to exit. She acknowledged him while passing and then called back with a chuckle, "Stay away from air-locks Ensign." The COO looked back with a puzzled expression as she walked out. ::Air-locks? what was that all about, I'll need to ask her next time I see her,:: He looked back around and noticed Ensign Mitshiba sitting at a table.
The COO walked over to the table, "Hi there Aki, I'm just going to get a drink, is there anything I can get you while I'm up?" asked Elliot shyly.
"I'm OK thanks ET," she replied with a smile on her face.
Ensign Thomas walked to the replicator ::She smiled, is that good? Its got to be good isn't it? Maybe she's just being polite?:: "Iced lemon water, in a tall glass," he commanded the machine. The glass with a piece of lemon in it appeared, Elliot grabbed the glass and approached the table and sat opposite Ensign Mitshiba.
"Hi Aki, so what's up?" enquired ET.
"Not much Elliot, what about you?" she quickly replied.
"I'm fine thanks, just keeping busy, you know," stated Ensign Thomas dryly.
"Yeah, I think we've all been busy." responded Aki expressionless.
There was an uncomfortable silence as Elliot stared at Aki, then he just let it all out, "OK I'm sorry I just have to say, I miss you and I know that things have been really strange between us over the last year, all the up's and down's but we have an unmistakable chemistry. I don't know how you feel right now, but I needed you to know that I miss and still need you," he reached over and touched Ensign Mitshiba's check softly making her eyes shut and memories flow through her, then leaned over and kissed her head gently, "I have to get back to my station, please think about what I've said honey," he whispered in her ear, then headed back to the bridge leaving Aki sitting at the table. After Ensign Thomas had left the Mess Hall, the aCSciO was displaying a smile on her face.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Stranger "
(Previous Post was Craig's "Confused Minds")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0400
The young woman had travelled in her troubled sleep from one end of her bed to the other, tossing to the floor anything that had been in her way… how she had managed not to find herself on the floor alongside her pillows and sheets would likely remain one of this universe's great mysteries.
==========
Dreamscape
==========
The young woman gazed with mixed interest at what appeared to be an endless black void… no stars… no shapes… nothing stood from the smooth blackness to help her figure out where she was… but the strangest part of it all was that as curious as she might have been, she knew, deep inside of her, that it really didn't matter.
~Who… are… you?~ An eerie, gentle and ancient voice, coming from no particular location, asked.
"Am I dead?" Rikar questioned in return, her voice carrying no hints of fear or concern to her own surprise.
~What is the last thing you remember?~ The voice countered, sounding like it held the wisdom of the universe in each of the syllable spoken.
The young woman thought for a moment… she clearly remembered the stinging coldness biting at every extremity of her body, yet now she felt nothing… no numbing cold… no pain… not even the loneliness that had saddened her very soul. Actually, the more she tried to remember where the cold had originated from, the more the memory seemed to slip between her fingers as if she had been trying to hold on to water with her bare hands.
"I… I can't remember… I was cold… very cold… and alone… I think… but I can't remember why."
~Then maybe you are dead.~
"But I am here… wherever here is," Rikar said with more mental clarity than she had felt in a long while.
~Clever girl,~ The voice joyfully said as a single light, as faint as a distant star, emerged from the absolute darkness that surrounded her.
Instinctively, Rikar headed for the light, and as unreachable as it had first appeared to be she knew that with each step she grew closer to something… something that she had no reason to fear.
"Where am I?" She asked, as the light grew larger… closer… even if her feet didn't move at all. The simple idea of 'wanting' to be closer to the light seemed enough to bring her to it… or it to her… without any other point of reference she couldn't tell.
~*Where* is a good question… but I think *who* is a better one.~
"Who?"
"Yes… Who are you?" For the first time, the young woman could see the form to which the voice belonged. An elderly humanoid man who appeared well in the later days of his time yet radiated an energy that hinted to him being much… much older.
Puzzlement swept over Rikar as she once again tried to answer this simplistic question to no avail. Like the memory of the cold that had enveloped her, her own identity seemed to slip right through her fingers in spite of her efforts to remember.
"Why can't I remember?" The young woman asked, more out of sadness than frustration.
"You are trying to remember the wrong thing… I am asking you *who* you are." The aged man lovingly said, sounding as if he had been talking to one of his children.
"That's what I am trying to remember… isn't it?"
"You are trying to remember a name… not the person who *had* that name." The man explained echoing the wisdom of the universe in his every word.
The young woman thought for a moment at what had been said, trying as best she could to understand the meaning of it all. Her name *was* her… wasn't it? Didn't it represent all that she was?
"What do you remember?" He asked, his gentle voice embracing the young woman like a warm blanket.
"Friends… people… smiles and tears… it's all so vague now…"
"That's alright… those are the important things."
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Reality "
(Previous Post was my "Stranger")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0500
The young woman laid in the middle of her bed… motionless… at peace, or so it seemed. For one reason or another, the body of the redhead had stopped responding to the turmoil that raged within her mind… maybe this had been an indication that the nightmare would soon end.
==========
Dreamscape
==========
The young woman sat across the elderly humanoid man, a traditional camp fire dancing between them and a single smooth bolder beneath her. It had maybe been only minutes... or hours... or maybe even days since she had made her way here... wherever here was... but now she didn't care.
The dark, empty world that surrounded her meant nothing more than what it represented... nothing. Her entire universe now rested in her immediate surroundings, even closer than within arm's reach. Thanks to the old man who had welcomed her into what she could only imagine was his domain, the young woman's troubles had all but vanished into the darkness around her.
For the first time in her life, she could honestly say that she didn't care... about anything. Actually, to be more accurate, Rikar didn't care about the outside world anymore, but she did care about one thing... cared about them very much in fact... her memories.
"I wasn't looking where I was going and suddenly... *bang*! I ran into him... or was it that *he* ran into *me*? I don't remember exactly... but I remember his face when we looked at each other afterwards." The young woman said sounding as carefree as could be.
"You seem to have many memories of this person... was he someone special to you?"
"Yes he was... they all were... I can remember so many faces now... so many friends... so many people who filled my life in one way or another... and now... I think... I think I miss them." Rikar thoughtfully said, trying desperately to hand on to specific memories when all she could conjure forth were vague, general ones.
"So now do you believe you can answer my question?" The ancient asked, his voice sounding as gentle as wise as ever.
"Your question? What question?" Rikar innocently asked, truly not recalling *the* specific question he had made reference to.
"Can you tell me who… you… are?
A gentle smile came to grace the young woman's pink lips as for the first time since that question had been ask, she truly believed to have the answer.
Like a dream taking on physical form, a small ragged, used doll appeared in her hands... and when it did, the young woman clenched it within a loving two-handed grip.
"Who is she?" The wise elder asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer.
"Her name is Samantha... she was the first thing my father gave me... she was my first and fondest memory." As Rikar recalled that first memory, tears began to caress her cheeks, the emotions summoned being too much for the young woman to contain.
"So... who are you?"
"I am..." she began with confidence and certainty but before the answer crossed her lips, she felt a deathly cold sweep over her, reaching all the way to her very soul. The shock of the sensation had been so intense that the doll she had in her hands was dropped and fell to the ground at her feet.
As if suddenly deprived of oxygen, Rikar found it almost impossible to breath, her body now trembling from the unimaginable cold that had engulfed her.
Suddenly, the campfire that had stood between the elder and herself vanished as if it had never truly existed... then soon after, so did he... leaving the young woman alone in the freezing void deprived of all light.
Finding it increasingly difficult to draw even the slightest breath, Rikar collapsed to the ground, unable to understand what was happening to her. Was this it? Was this the end?
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
The young woman drew in a long, deep breath as she felt the hardness of the floor next to her bed beneath her. Her heart racing, the redhead tried her best to make sense of what had happened, of what she remembered of it and to figure out where she was.
"That dream again," Rikar sighed as she forced her eyes closed to hold back the tears. This had not been the first time she had lived through that dream… a dream that seemed to haunt her whenever she felt lost and unsure of herself.
Slowly, she forced herself to sit and lean back against the bed from which she had fallen from to gather her thoughts. After a few minutes the young woman stood and searched the room for something small… something important. A weak smile formed on her pink lips as she found the item of her quest… a small, ragged doll. Carefully Rikar placed the childhood memorabilia on the bed where she had been only minutes ago before she made her way to the sonic shower. To stay still and embrace her memories would only insure that she would feel pain and regret… so she made a conscious decision to focus on the immediate without caring about what would come to pass or what had already left scars that would likely never heal.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as...
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Clothes Trauma"
[Previous post: "Reality"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A man must be big enough to admit his mistake, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them."
~ John C. Maxwell
Setting: USS HATHOR, Hex's Quarters
Stardate: 63073.0625
=====^*^=====
Clothes were scatter all over the room, as well as other small things that had gotten in the way of the miniature rampage. The Kzinti again could not find a single article of clothing to wear to her mission! Growling in her own harsh tongue and yet again attempting to look through the disaster that had become her wardrobe, Hex was becoming increasingly tired and aggravated. This mission, as well as the milk she had drank earlier, was supposed to have helped calm the officer. Looking around the room, even a dimwit could tell stress flooded it's every corner.
Remembering her previous missions in which she had to go under cover, the woman wondered as to what would better suit this mission. The hunting attire was a very popular choice of hers, but it didn't really feel... right. The Sec/Tac officer knew she needed something more glamorous or at least non-threatening or a mission to a casino planet. Though fun was never really on the menu, Hex knew she had to blend in with the commoners the frequented the planet.
An idea stuck, but the furred humanoid hissed it into submission almost as fast as it had come, bringing on yet another migraine. The pain wasn't as agonizing or as frequent as before seeing as her mind was almost always per-occupied, but with nothing but stress as a filter at the moment, the Kzinti was thrown into a world of agony, forced to the ground by it. Hissing again in pain, the cat-like woman curled her body in on itself to wait out the pain, tears soaking the fur on her cheeks as the officer tried her hardest to remain completely still.
After the feeling had passed, the Sec/Tac officer picked herself off the ground and growled, wondering about her previous idea. The last time the Kzinti had to make a choice for which to wear, the woman had obviously chosen the most practical one for that time being her hunting attire. This time was different. Feeling nostalgic, the cat-like humanoid bent down on one knee to the only clothing chest untouched in the entire room. Opening it carefully as though it were a bomb, the Kzinti peeked inside at the last remnants of her past.
A sleek dress greeted her with the slightest of shimmers. The dress was that of a bride, worn only to one's wedding and fitted perfectly to Hex's figure as all were made to do so. When worn the dress would not only amplify her qualities, but undercut what her people considered as useless amities for a woman... that being the officer's toned muscles. In something like this she really would look just like a young woman who frequented casinos. The dress was the color of the dusty sand that coated most of her home, much like her hunting attire, but it just had the feeling that it was something... more. the Kzinti carefully took it out to look it over. No work required, it already fit perfectly and always would.
Just as the woman was about to pull off her uniform to try on her disguise, a sound crackled from her badge. Hex managed to just barely stop herself from jumping and clinging to the ceiling in surprise as she realized it was a voice that was making the sound.
=^= Hex? I don't know when it would be a good time, but I would like to have a word or two with you. =^= the voice crackled, only in passing did the frightened Kzinti realize that it was the ship's counselor on the line.
With a small sigh, the officer replaced the dress and pressed her badge to speak "Any time is fine with me Eve, just preparing for the mission..."
Obviously her attempt to keep the strain from her voice had failed as the next words came over the badge =^= I think sooner rather than later then... when could you meet me? =^=
"I can meet you now if you'd like, but I doubt the mess hall is open at the moment seeing as two others currently occupy it..." the Kzinti stated blandly
A chuckle came over her com badge and the other woman's sounded more soothing =^= I think I know somewhere more private we can talk. =^=
"Fine with me..." Hex replied, letting the conversation die there.
Worry made her head hurt, but the Kzinti let it come this time. Having the pain now meant not having to explain it later to Ensign Dalziel.
=====^*^=====
Ashley Shane
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Assistant Sec/Tac officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Admirer "
(Previous Post was Ashley's "Clothes Trauma")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0600
The young woman stepped into the living room, fresh from having taken a long and soothing sonic shower… the starlight from the nearby window seemed to make her fully exposed form radiate with a gentle glow only adding to the charms that the redhead already possessed.
"I think the VALLA ROYAL has rules against anyone looking *that* hot," a feminine voice playfully expressed from the shadows of the young woman's bedroom.
Rikar chuckled as she made her way to her closet and scanned through the various dresses that hung there, each one more delicate and alluring then the next. "Not according to some of the patrons," the sultry redhead stated, a devious smile having formed on her pink lips. "That Andorian Ambassador was rather stunned when he saw me in *this*," the young woman added as she gently caressed the red fabric of one of the dresses. "And that young Lieutenant took less than 15 minutes to ask me to marry him when he saw me in *that* dress," she continued as he fingers traveled to a delicate black garment.
=/\= Samantha? Are we still on for breakfast? I have a table reserved for us at the Celestial Temple restaurant, =/\= a cheerful male voice suddenly filled the room.
"Yummy," the voice from the shadows sarcastically countered. "Bajoran mush for breakfast."
"I will be right there," the young woman replied as a huge grin came to grace her features. "Just give me a moment to put something on."
=/\= You don't have to do that on my account, =/\= the man on the other side of the communication's channel promptly announced, amuzement in his words.
"He has absolutely *no* class," the hidden woman countered, the disgust in her voice all too apparent.
"I will meet you there in 15 minutes, Samantha out," the young woman stated in an amorous tone before she closed the channel and turned to speak to the voice from the shadows. "He's a nice man; you should not be so quick to judge him."
"He's a Pythron pup who is still wet behind the ears," the unseen woman growled. "He's likely trying to find out how to get you off the station and into the cage of an Orion slave dealer."
"You are just jealous," Rikar countered as she selected an outfit for her to wear, one that would tantalize her companion while not bringing everyone within the entire orbital station to a grinding halt.
"You are being careless, and that will lead to trouble," the voice warned sternly.
"I can take care of myself… computer... *lights*," Rikar said to end the conversation and give herself the light she required to finish getting ready. Once dressed, the young woman freshened up, applied some makeup and exited her empty quarters without looking back.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Breakfast "
(Previous Post was my "Admirer")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Celestial Temple Restaurant
Stardate: 63076.0630
The young woman casually strolled into the open dining area, an air of pure femininity encompassed her every move. She paused for an instant as her gaze drifted upward to the impressive see-through dome which covered the dinning area and granted the patrons an unhindered view of the stars beyond. The name of the restaurant had been very fitting; the distant twinkling lights that appeared as if they could be touched had created a feeling of awe in the new arrival.
A gentle smile caressed the woman's pink lips as her memories travelled to people she once knew… people with religious backgrounds and ideas that would have been more than thrilled to be here… in admiration of the star filled sky above them and the mysteries that they represented.
Rikar's attention was brought back to the "here and now" by the frantic waving of a young Pythron male several tables away. Not at all minding the attention that she had suddenly become the focus of from the majority of those already present, the young woman made her way to the Pythron youth.
"Glad you saw me," Trodat offered as he invited his companion to join him at the table he had reserved for them. "If I had waved any harder I think my arm would have fallen off," he added letting his inexperience with members of the opposite gender be unmistakable.
"That's alright," the young woman playfully grinned as she lowered herself into the only vacant chair, "I would have fixed it." The words hung in the hair between them and slowly repeated within the redhead's thoughts and memories. Slowly, the grin that had danced on the redhead's lips grew to a full size, radiant smile that seemed to fill the entire restaurant. In another time, in another life, Rikar had been a Medical Officer… a Doctor… a *healer* capable of fixing dislocated arms and so much more. The truth was that this woman had been far more than she now pretended to be… not only to others but to herself as well.
"I am sure that you would be able to fix anything and everything that is wrong with me," the Pythron youth grinned playfully as he motioned the nearest waiter to come closer.
The young woman chuckled quietly as she imagined herself *fixing* Trobat in all the ways he currently required it, and at that time his need for a Counselor seemed far more urgent than any of the others he might have had.
As Rikar continued to imagine herself *fixing* Trobat, the youth proceeded to order breakfast for the two of them, the young woman aware of his need to be *in control*. This requirement had likely originated from the high ranking position his father held in the Pythron military.
Once the waiter had been given the order and sent on his way, Trobat reached for a large, flat, rectangular box that had been at his feet and placed it on the table in front of Rikar. "I did some research into your people's culture and stumbled across something rather interesting," the Pythron youth explained. "I have to admit that some of your rituals and customs are rather strange, but they do have their unique appeal."
Curious as to what this had all been about, the young woman opened the box already having expected to find some sort of garment therein… despite this logical expectations the redheaded woman could not have anticipated what she discovered inside.
Very pleased by the expression of surprise and shock on the young woman's face, Trodat beamed with delight as Samantha pulled out the cheerleader's uniform. "I found the idea of this game called *football* to be most puzzling but after further research I discovered that the game was actually nothing more than an excuse. The game itself was a pretense to organize the events that surrounded the action on the field. This "half time" show, the parties before, during and after the game, and of course the displaying of your most beautiful women for the entire world to see was truly visionary. Maybe we should implement something similar on my planet… I suspect that it would go a long way to motivate our men."
"Motivate them into doing what?" Rikar inquired as she scrutinized the outfit that she had been given, a certain twinkle having appeared in her eyes.
"Not, sure," Trobat grinned maniacally. "Maybe we can explore this after breakfast."
"We'll see," the young woman replied as she delicately returned the garment to its box while she enjoyed the expression of utter desire that had engraved itself on the face of the Pythron youth.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Alternate Identity"
(Cont. from "Breakfast")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.0630
Aki had returned to her post and tried her best to keep her mind on the task at hand. This had not been as easy as it had seemed given how many times the aCSciO had found herself looking at the COO instead of her instruments. The words that he had said to her back in the Mess Hall kept resurfacing in spite of her efforts to leave things in the past.
ET had made it clear; he still had feelings for her. Aki on her end had to agree that she too felt something for the father of two, something that she could not ignore even though part of her wanted to. Being involved with someone meant leaving yourself open to being hurt, either directly by actions and words from them or by the events that no one had any control over.
At any moment something could happen, an accident, an error at a crucial juncture in a mission, an unforeseen event that would change life forever. Aki understood the dangers of being a Starfleet officer, of risking one's life each and every time they were called onto a mission, but the Asian woman could not ignore the loneliness that always seemed to tag along.
Would it not be more logical for everyone to remain single, separated, isolated from making the lost of a fellow shipmate more traumatizing than it needed to be? Maybe this was the way things were on a Vulcan ship, but the crew of the USS ANUBIS had been as far away from being unemotional as could be. That was why things had been so difficult for all of them, because they all cared so much for one another. As difficult as it might have been though, they would make it through because they were all part of the family that had found a home on that ship.
The weakness of the human heart is that it is capable of caring far beyond its reach.
The strength of the human hart is that it is capable of caring far beyond its reach.
With a sigh Aki made her decision, one that seemed to go against her training and better judgment, a decision based solely on emotions. As she approached ET's station, the aCSciO felt her heart racing. Would she pass out before making it to the COO?
"Elliot?" the Ensign called out in a trembling voice.
"Yes Aki?" the COO replied, having turned to meet the Asian woman's gaze.
"I was thinking," the aCSciO said leaving the rest of her sentence to drift into silence.
"About what?" ET asked, not entirely certain if this had anything to do with their earlier conversation.
"We will need new identities while on the VALLA ROYAL orbital station," Aki said, her throat gradually growing tighter to the point of almost making it impossible for her to breathe. "Maybe we could arrange to be a couple?"
"It would mean that we would be able to cover less ground," the COO noted a little too quickly for the Asian woman's visible liking. "It would also mean that we could keep a eye on each other and maybe provide the others with a centralized point to relay any information that could not be transferred over normal channels."
The two Ensigns gazed into each others eyes for a few moments, having forgotten that they had been on the Bridge of the HATHOR and in full view of their CO.
"You two can plan the honeymoon *after* we get there," Captain Morningstar said, accepting their undercover identities for the mission while at the same time reminding them of their more immediate duties onboard the ship.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
************************************************************************
"Nothing Unusual"
[Previous Post: "Alternate Identity"]
************************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge, Ops station
Stardate: 63076.1200
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ensign Thomas had been keeping an eye on the sensors, making sure that everything was running exactly as expected. He also had to watch and monitor all the ships systems to make sure that the ship was running at optimal performance. There were the usual running issues, with every ship, but with a quick transfers of data or power and systems were restored to normal. Nothing was unusual with today's shift, except for Elliot having thoughts running through his head about what Aki had said to him. The thought of them being a couple was fantastic, even if it was make believe.
The COO did not let his excitement of being on this mission along with the aCSciO as a couple distract him from his duties on the Ops console. It was if the tension had been lifted between them, because Ensign Mitshiba was also on the top of her game. Ensign Thomas was monitoring the systems when he was distracted by one of the readings, but as quick as he was distracted he had realised what the system light was for and quickly remedied the issue, there really was nothing unusual about today's travelling.
The CO turned around in his chair to speak to the Chief Of Operations "Ensign Thomas, do you have an ETA for VALLA ROYAL?" he enquired.
Elliot pressed a couple of buttons then run the distance/time algorithm and was produced with a result. "Yes, Sir. We should arrive there around 23:50hrs. However I could speak with the CEO and see if we could perhaps push the engines so we can arrive there earlier," answered the COO confidently.
The Captain looked around the bridge as if he was in thought, then turned back to the Elliot, "Right, do that Ensign and get back to me with the revised ETA".
Ensign Thomas, looked down at the ops console, each part of the display flashing different patterns depending on the process that was running at the time. After pressing a number of buttons, Elliot heard a voice come over his comm panel.
=^= What can I do for you Ensign Thomas, =^= asked the Lieutenant when he had pressed the receive audio button on his engineering station.
"Is it possible to get more power, the Captain would like to be at VALLA ROYAL as soon as possible. At present our ETA is 23:50hrs, do you think you can do something Chief?" ET asked hopefully".
There was a short silence, then the voice came back, "Can a duck float on water?" the CEO stated then continued in a light tone, "if you look at your readings on your ops station now Ensign I believe you can give the Captain a new arrival time".
Elliot looked at the new readings, even just looking at the figures before the conversion algorithm was run ET knew there would be a significant change in time. "That's incredible, I don't know how you do it Chief but this is going to make the Captain happy, thank you very much Lieutenant," ET stated happily.
Ensign Thomas called over to the Captain enthusiastically, "I have a new ETA now Captain Morningstar, we should arrive there now at 21:35hrs".
The CO looked extremely happy with the news, "Thank Engineering for me, and I want you to make sure them sensors are monitored extremely carefully, I don't want any surprises on this mission," insisted Erik.
ET's cover arrived to allow him to go for what would probably be his last break before they would encounter VALLA ROYAL.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Turbolift
Stardate: 63076.15:45
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ensign Thomas had noticed that the aCSciO had already gone for a break, as Elliot walked into the turbolift he touched his badge. "Computer can you tell me where Ensign Mitshiba is?" asked the COO.
=^= Ensign Mitshiba is located in the Mess Hall, =^= stated the female computerised voice.
The COO then turned to the turbolift control panel. "Deck 2," stated the Ensign.
ET got out the turbolift then walked through the corridors to the Mess Hall, passing and acknowledging crew members as he did so.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63076.15:55
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Elliot walked into the Mess Hall he felt extremely happy, because things on this mission were actually going according to plan, and that didn't often happen to this crew. He saw Ensign Mitshiba sitting at a table; back towards the door, having a drink of which he believed was her favourite drink sake. Ensign Thomas walked up behind her quietly and bent down and gently kissed her on the neck, before she felt fright she felt excitement, "Oh, ET it's you. You startled me there, but it was a nice startled," she commented cheekily with a big grin on her face.
Elliot smiled at Aki, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to give you a fright," he responded, then smiled naughtily and continue,"maybe we should pick this up later".
You could see the chemistry between them both, fortunately for them the Mess Hall was quiet. Ensign Mitshiba turned to Elliot and informed him she would have to go but before his mood could drop, she softly whispered,"You better believe we'll pick this up later, then winked at him as she brushed her body gently past his to get out from her seat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Small Mystery"
[Previous Post: "Nothing Unusual"]
####################
<<Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.>>
- Dalai Lama
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.1315
"Captain's Log, Stardate 63076.1315," the Native American began as he casually leaned over the small control panel located on the arm of his chair. "We are just over eight hours from the VALLA ROYAL and everything is quiet. What bothers me the most is that know that the universe is going to get me sooner rather then later for me saying this officially in my log. The cloaking device is work perfectly; Lieutenant Fairborn has worked his magic once again and shaved over two hours from our ETA; and it looks like Ensigns Mitshiba and Thomas have worked out their personal differences. Oh yeah, the balance is too far on the *nice and quiet*, something is going to happen to shift the scale back where the universe seems to enjoy having it for us."
The HATHOR's CO ended his log entry when he noticed the Kzinti Chief of Security standing next to him, an air of discontent about her.
"Let me guess, you are going to tell me that you found something not quite right," Erik mused with a sigh.
Hex's ears perked up to their fullest as the Kzinti maiden's stance instantly became more rigid, the warrior in her having instinctively reacted to the fact that the Native American had literally read her mind.
"Relax Ensign," Morninstar instructed with a smile. "When you have been a CO and dealt with the universe for as long as I have, you begin to understand how it thinks. Since our departure things have been too quiet, so we were due for *something* to happen."
Not at all appearing reassured by he Captain's explanation, Ensign Fanggot handed over the PADD that she had in her hands. "I have noted a discrepancy in the ship's air utilization as well as energy used by the replicators."
"Shouldn't this have been overseen by Ensign Thomas?" The CO inquired; somewhat surprised that such a report had come from the Sec/Tac Officer.
"I was bored," Hex countered with, in an almost Vulcan tone.
"There might be a problem with the air filtration and recycling system *and* an unexplained power drain from the repilcators," Erik noted out loud, his experience as a Chief Engineering Officer never being too far behind. "Then again maybe we have an uninvited guest onboard, thus explaining the requirements for extra oxygen and food.
Before the Native American could explain that his last comment had been more of a joke than anything else, the Kzinti Chief of Security had pounced off the bridge, likely to search for this would-be intruder.
"You should not say things like that to her," Eve pointed out to the sitting CO unable to contain her amusement.
Erik grinned as he stood from the central chair. "I'll go see Elan while Hex turns the ship inside-out for our *unknown* guest. Maybe he can help explain the energy usage discrepancy. In the meantime, you're in charge."
Ensign Dalziel suddenly became motionless, as if frozen in time. "Captain? Protocol states that in the absence of the CO and ExO on the command deck, it is the COO who is next in the chain of command. It is only if all three officers are not available that command can be given to the next highest ranking Officer present."
"True," the Native American chuckled, "but Ensign Thomas is not bored. Consider it field training," and with that Erik stepped off the bridge leaving behind a very confused Ship Counselor.
"He was kidding right?" Eve demanded of the grinning COO.
"Didn't sound like a joke to me," Elliot replied trying his best not to laugh out loud.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS HATHOR, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63076.1330
"Captain, how may I be of service?" the imposing Oltharian stated the instant that he noted the arrival of the HATHOR's CO.
"Just came for a visit," Erik replied, his gaze having already drifted onto the warp core and the many Engineering consoles that surrounded it. There had been times when the Native American had missed being where Lieutenant Fairborn current was. "Plus, thought it might be nice to give you a heads up, Ensign Fanggot is currently hunting for an intruder."
"Onboard the HATHOR?" Elan gasped, more puzzled than anything else. "But we are cloaked, and travelling at warp 9.25, it would be impossible for anyone to get an accurate enough transporter lock to successfully bring someone onboard."
"She reported to me a discrepancy with our usage of air and energy consumption of the replicators," the Captain explained. "I made the mistake of mentioning that one possible explanation would be that we had an intruder onboard."
Elan pivoted on his heels and quickly called up the energy expenditure of the systems mentioned by the Native American. After a few moment, the Oltharian turned back to look at the HATHOR's CO. "The amount of oxygen that was used above the standards for a crew of this size is negligible," the CEO specified. "If we do have an intruder, I would have to say that based on these numbers it is not humanoid, maybe some sort of small animal. Could someone have brought in a pet without your knowledge?"
"A pet?" Erik repeated in shock, the simplicity of the answer having been almost insulting.
"One of the crew might have brought their pet along for companionship," the Oltharian theorized, "or maybe something from the base snuck onboard before we left." Elan paused for a moment as he waited for some indications as to how the CO wanted to proceed. "Would you like for me to recalibrate the internal sensors to look for it?" the CEO offered after a few seconds.
Erik thought about this for a moment and eventually replied as a bright smile appeared on his face. "Not right now, this will give Ensign Fanggot something to occupy her time and maybe sharpen her hunting skills before we reach VALLA ROYAL. Unless we are dealing with a Cardassian Vole, I doubt that we will have any real issues with this *intruder*."
"Based on the extra energy used for the replicators," the Oltharian added, "we might be dealing with a Tribble."
"When did you become a pessimist?" Erik laughed as he gazed up at the towering Engineer.
"Not pessimism," the gentle giant corrected. "Experience."
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
---
"To Become Something Is To Understand That Thing"
(Previous Post: "Small Mystery")
---
Setting: USS HATHOR, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63076.1345
Shape-shifters such as the Founders have believed for as long as they can remember that understanding is attained not only through the acquisition of knowledge from external sources but also from a deeper symbiosis with the universe, one that can only be obtained from within. Their natural ability to take on any form had opened a door that no other living creature could use, including the metamorphic Shillian, who was alas the last of her kind.
On the other end of this quest, Zen Buddhists, amongst many other belief systems, alleged that this understanding of the universe could be achieved through deep meditation, allowing for the mind to expand beyond the confines of the physical form that held it captive. Once free of these corporeal limitations, the mind could begin to explore the vastness of the cosmos in the hopes of discovering this all too elusive understanding.
Not being a Founder, the shape-shifting skills of the Shillian had been limited to living creatures only, and even those had been restricted to a handful, her training never having been completed before her entire world came to an end. So her search for universal understanding had been forced onto a different route, one that sought to merge the two extremes of these concepts. So, for the greater part of the year spent in the alternate universe the Chief Science Officer of the USS ANUBIS had taken on the hunt to understand the world around her, but most important to understand herself above and beyond anything else.
As a Trusa, a small primate native to SHILLIA PRIME, the shape-shifting Starfleet Officer had been able to travel to every deck and section of the HATHOR without having been detected. At this particular moment, the tiny creature had found a comfortable spot on one of the power conduits high above the floor of the Main Engineering section of the HATHOR which had granted her a perfect location to observe the action below.
There, below the Shillian, the Oltharian Chief Engineering Officer and Native American Captain debated as to what had been the cause of the minute discrepancies in the power usage of the ship unbeknownst to them that the reason had been listening in on their conversation. In her search to understand herself, the Chief Science Officer of the USS ANUBIS had discovered that she could learn a great deal about the universe in general by simply observing and listening to others, a pastime that she had grown increasingly skilled at, and one that she found to be more enjoyable with each passing day.
As the Commanding Officer left the giant Oltharian to return to his work, the transformed Shillian decided to seek out the Zkinti hunter whom she had just learned had been searching for the unknown intruder that the Trusa had become onboard the USS HATHOR. Maya held no doubts that she would have to be extremely cautious and not under estimate the tracking skills of Hex, the natural abilities inherited through the ancestry of the Kzinti and the training endured by someone in her position would insure that the Chief Security Officer would be a formidable opponent to remain hidden from.
---
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63076.1410
It had taken some time but the Shillian had managed to track the Kzinti into the Mess Hall of the USS HATHOR, the small air circulation vent having been the perfect means to reach this location undetected. The Trusa gaze up at the hunter through the grill that stood between the vent and the room, the small primate having become perfectly motionless as to reduce the odds of being detected by the acute senses of the Chief of Security.
There had been something awe inspiring as the sight of the Kzinti woman and the way she quietly, effortlessly moved about in search for anything that would give her a clue as to the whereabouts of this intruder. Maybe it had been the thrill of the hunt or simply the idea that she had been able to focus her skills and attention on something specific, but there had been something rather intense in the way Ensign Fanggot went about this task.
Not knowing why the Kzinti had been so enthralled in her hunt had not hindered the curiosity of the Shillian, in fact it had proven to have the opposite effect drawing an unmatched determination from the shape-shifted woman to continue with her observation of the Chief of Security. Surely Hex had already thought of using the internal sensors to locate the intruder she had been so intent on finding, so why had she decided to forgo the simplicity and ease that technology had placed at the tip of her clawed fingers to instead rely on instincts and natural skills?
The Shillian did not complain in the least and welcomed this game of cat and mouse with great delight knowing that through this experience she would gain some understanding, maybe not of the universe as a whole, but at the very least of the Kzinti huntress.
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Gravity "
(Previous Post was Jessica's "To Become Something…")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.1600
The young woman made her way through the crowd with relaxed confidence, her attention drifting from store to store as she sampled only with her eyes items that she would likely add to her rapidly growing collection of dresses and outfits. Every now and then the redhead would attract looks and even praises from some of the VALLA ROYAL's patrons which made her feel… alive.
The day had thus far been nothing but delightful… almost perfect… at least that was until she heard her name called out.
"SAMANTHA!!!" The commanding voice of the Pythron Ambassador pierced the crowd of the Promenade like a runaway battleship, having pretty much the same effect on the people present who parted to give the daunting figure as much room as he desired.
"Ambassador Gerran," the young woman offered with the utmost politeness and reverence as she respectfully bowed to the Pythron diplomat.
"WHERE IS MY SON?" The Ambassador demanded as he stared down the much smaller woman standing before him. All witnesses to this sight could gather that the Pythron official had no love for the meek Dabo girl whom he obviously looked down upon… in more ways than one.
"I have not see Trodat since this morning," Rikar replied, her voice having remained perfectly calm and respectful.
"I know that the two of you had breakfast at the Cellestial Temple restaurant and that after this he took you into the diplomatic section of this station," the Ambassador said in an accusatory tone, not at all happy that the VALLA ROYAL's own internal sensors could not have followed them further. All Ambassadors had been most grateful, at one time or another, that the recreational orbital station had a strict polity of absolute privacy for all diplomatic and honored guests.
"He did not take me to the Pythron Ambassadorial quarters," the redheaded woman calmly offered in an effort to ease the Ambassador's troubled mind as to the possibility of her having gained access to confidential or damaging information.
"I want to know WHERE he is!" Gerran continued, his anger and frustration showing no indication that they would be contained in anyway before Trodat was found… hopefully alive and in one piece.
"The last time I saw him, he was in the Ambassadorial observation dome," the young woman softly stated as she tried to explain the situation without further enraging the Ambassador. "He fell asleep looking up at the stars," the redhead added keeping to herself the over two hours of physical exertion that had led the Pythron youth to fall asleep… a rather pleased grin on his lips.
The Pythron Ambassador glared at the redheaded woman for several long seconds as if silently debating what his next course of action would be. Eventually the imposing figure growled and leaned in closer to the young woman so that she would be the only one to hear his next words. "You would do well to stay away from my son from now on… I doubt that anyone would look too closely into the disappearance of a Dabo girl with obvious questionable lineage."
The young woman watched in silence as the Pythron Ambassador forced his way through the crowd that had gathered once again behind him, the high-ranking member of the warrior race having no reservations as to pushing those in his way out. Memories of another giant came into Rikar's thoughts and a smile graced her pink lips as she compared the gentleness and compassion of the man in her memory compared to the brutish and arrogance of the one who had just walked away.
"Are you alright Miss?" A passerby inquired of the redheaded woman, drawing her out of her thoughts. Rikar turned to see the caring, smiling face of another young man who had apparently felt to need to come to the maiden's rescue, not that she had needed any. Although her clothes and general demeanor pointed to her being nothing more than a Dabo girl, the woman held skills and knowledge that far surpassed the impression she gave of herself to others.
"I'm alright, thank you," Rikar offered, the gentleness of the smile on her pink lips left no doubt that she had been through worse and that this minor altercation had been nothing for anyone to be concerned about. As the young woman bowed her head in thanks to her would-be rescuer, her eyes ventured through the crowd to see the Pythron Ambassador speaking to a man… a man that she had never met but hard heard about through discussions being held around the Dabo table.
Although Rikar had never spoken to the man directly, or even been within physical reach the young woman instinctively knew to stay away from him… as far away as the universe would permit it.
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.1615
"Ambassador Gerran," the man dressed in a subtle, understate suit offered pleasantly to the much taller and bigger Pythron official. "My associates have sent me to make sure that all is well with your government."
An expression of nervousness swept over the Ambassador as if something not entirely legal had suddenly been brought up to light. "Everything was… perfect," the Pythron official hesitantly replied, not wanting to say more than he could get away with while being in such a public area.
"I am most happy to hear that, Ambassador," Mortan announced, his voice laced with double meanings and covert tones. "I just wanted to make sure that all was well and to say that my associates may be asking for a favor in return soon."
The Pythron Ambassador's eyes narrowed as he glared at the man, not liking the idea that he owed him or his associates a *favor* but knowing that he had little choice in the matter… his own appointment to the position he know held and the saving of his son's life having insured his continued and complete cooperation.
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.1620
The young woman observed from afar with morbid fascination as the two men talked to one another, the idea of individuals sharing similar interests and views being drawn together seemed to oddly fit at that precise moment. Like the gravity well of a black hole, the man known as Mortan seemed able to draw the light and joy out of an area, attracting the darkest, most questionable elements present… not only on this space station but from this entire section of space.
As a former Counselor she would have been interested in learning more about the man… to understand how he thought and his motives for doing what he did.
As a former Science Officer she would have been fascinated to study the man… to see if the feelings she and many others experienced had been pure instinct or a reaction to something else.
As a former starship Captain she would have been quick to place the man under observation… to insure that security forces would be ready to react at a moment's notice.
As a Dabo girl all she could do was to be an observer… to listen to the fantastic and all too often creepy stories that surrounded the man and his business *associates*.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as...
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"Favors of Adversity"
(Previous Post: "Gravity")
"In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends."
-John Churton Collins
==========
Setting: USS HATHOR, Deck 4, Holodeck 1
Stardate: 63076.0645
The diminutive Security and Tactical Officer practically prowled her way towards the destination provided by the Ship's Counsellor. Not that the holodeck was unwelcome territory; it was just an unusual suggestion for Eve. If the Cardassian born woman ever spent any time on a holodeck, the whereabouts of her adventures were secrets well kept.
Hex took a breath to steady herself at the door. The pain had not completely subsided, but there was no way she could keep Eve waiting. Counselling sessions were nearly as mandatory as medical exams as far as Starfleet was concerned.
With a gentle move forward, the door opened to reveal Holodeck 1... which looked surprisingly like Eve's office on the ANUBIS. Ensign Dalziel was seated behind a facsimile of her desk, preparing for her visitor. "Hex," the Counsellor said warmly.
Ensign Fanggot's felinoid eyes widened slightly. This was definitely not what she was expecting.
"Are you surprised?" Eve asked, seemingly pleased with her impromptu arrangement.
"Yes, a little," Hex said with hesitation. She would have preferred the harsh desert climate of KZINTI PRIME, or even a snowy mountaintop to the setting before her. It meant that Eve truly wanted to talk.
The pale, dark haired woman gestured to an empty seat, and Hex took it. "I wanted to check in with you. With the mission developing as suddenly as it did, I didn't have a chance to talk with you."
Hex groaned inwardly. The Counsellor was nothing if not honest. "Where do you want to start?" The Kzinti woman didn't want to tip her hand in any particular direction, although there was the risk that Eve would pick something especially emotional.
The older of the two women gazed at her subject thoughtfully. "I haven't seen you around the station much since our return."
Hex's mind flashed to the feelings of persecution, the knowledge that she had been watched, and the crippling bouts of pain. "I've been busy... there was a point where the meetings and examinations were a blur."
Eve nodded in agreement. "Of course. After that was over, what were you doing?"
"Aki and I spent some time on the holodeck... unwinding." It was true, although Hex made it sound like it was a lot more frequent than it actually was. Hopefully Eve wouldn't press Mitshiba for details later.
"Good, good," Eve said. She could tell the Kzinti officer was carrying something with her, although obviously at the moment the feline woman saw her more as an adversary rather than a confidant. Her eyes had a slightly wild and feral look about them, as if she would do just about anything to end their session immediately.
Even though they were worlds apart, the two women had some similarities between them. They were both capable of exacting deadly violence when necessary for the sake of either themselves or their call to duty. They both also seemed capable for great compassion when the need arose. But perhaps for the time being, the Counsellor would demonstrate that compassion more fully.
"Some of the things we've had to do were... difficult." Eve struggled to find a more appropriate word, but that was all she could manage. "But regardless, my trust in the crew remains. I hope that you can say the same for me."
Hex dropped her gaze, unable to meet Eve's gray eyes which had not wavered since they began their conversation. It was not the Counsellor that Hex did not trust. It was nearly everything else around her that she questioned. And then there were the headaches, threatening to take away her ability to function as an officer. This was her life now and she wasn't about to give it up easily. But, even so, it was not the time for full disclosure, regardless of the pure intent Hex could feel from Ensign Dalziel.
Fanggot sat more upright in her seat, trying to give an honest response without further worrying the intuitive Counsellor. "I'm sorry if I gave you an impression of that. I am grateful to be back to a regular routine again, while the ship is being repaired."
"I understand. I appreciate the diversion as well."
Hex seized the chance to turn the tables on her 'interrogator'. "So what do you do in your spare time? I don't think I have ever seen you in the holodeck."
Eve shrugged, smiling. Hex had a point. "Okay, I get your drift. Does that mean I am invited the next time you and Aki go off on another grand adventure?"
"That depends-" Hex shot back, "How do you feel about mountain climbing?"
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Observations "
(Previous Post was Susan's "Favor of Adversity")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Casino
Stardate: 63076.1800
The young woman cheered along with the rest of the gathered players and onlookers as the Dabo wheel stopped on a winning combination. The role of the alluringly dressed redheaded had been to make people welcomed, comfortable, joyous in their winnings and most important daring in heir playing… and by the satisfied grin on the pit boss' lips; Samantha had been doing well.
The growing stack of chips that she had received as tips for her bringing luck to the players or just for being pleasant to the senses had also vouched for her skills in the role that she had been hired for. Yet, as natural as this has seemed to come to the young woman, other… more deeply engraved skills were at play behind the scenes.
The Andorian at the poker table a few meters away had obviously been trying to hide from someone, his nervousness subtle yet inescapable… that he kept looking at the casino's entrance had also helped the redhead to figure that something had been unsettling the man.
On the upper level, one of the other Dabo girls currently on her break had been doing her best to politely discourage the persistent advances of a drunken Klingon. Because of the policy of the VALLA ROYAL in catering to their guests' every wish, it was not uncommon for the girls to be left to fend for themselves in such situations. The young woman had been forced to deal with such conditions on a few instances… luckily without any lasting incident due to Rikar's knowledge of alien physiology combined with a vicious hold of some specific sensitive extremities.
Near the bar, a Cardassian and Nausicaan were in the midst of a secretive transaction that had involved the exchange of an isoleniar rod and a small dark colored pouch. Either the Casino's security had failed to see this or had elected to turn a blind eye to it for whatever reasons had been theirs at the time.
So the young woman continued to play the role that she had been given as best as she could… a role that she had actually wanted in the hopes that it would allow her to forget her past. Unfortunately, like so many other things that people try to ignore of run away from, something always brought it back into full view… in this case her skills as an Intel Operative.
A new round of cheers erupted from around the Dabo table as yet another winning sequence was achieved… leading to more chips being given to the redhead along with a few suggestive proposals that she replied to with nothing more than a playful smile.
The young woman's attention suddenly focused on a new arrival to the casino… a person that she had heard enough about to know that she did not like his presence on the orbital space station… let alone the same room. There had been something strange… almost evil about this *Mister Mortan*, and it was because of this that the redhead followed the man with great diligence.
It had been easy to see that the feeling Rikar experienced when this gentleman had been near was not a figment of her imagination… several patrons suddenly moving from where they had been standing to avoid having to deal with the suited man. After a few moments of following Mister Mortan with her eyes, he unexpectedly stopped and met the redhead's stare. His gaze reached to the young woman's soul and chilled it as if death itself had stood in front of her.
Unexpectedly, the gentleman smiled and turned around apparently to leave the casino without any undo ceremony. Unsure why, Rikar felt the need to look up and find the Dabo girl she had early seen with the Klingon… the young woman's heart stopped in mid-beat when her search revealed no sign of the coworker.
With a reflex that belonged to someone with much more skill and training than the redheaded Casino employee should have had, Rikar grabbed hold of one of the waiters. "Where's Kamlia?" the Dabo girl inquired uninterested in hiding the concern she felt through her entire body.
"I don't know… get back to your work," the Ferengi male forcefully replied as he pulled his arm out of the young woman's grasp obviously not at all caring for the whereabouts of one of their girls who could be called upon to leave at a moment's notice by any of the patrons.
Responding to a training and way of life that had not originated from this milieu, the redheaded woman quickly made her way to the nearest stairway and climbed up to the second level, her eyes darting to every corner of the casino in search for the missing Dabo girl.
"Samantha?" The casino owner called out as the redheaded woman nearly ran him over, "what are you doing up here? Your shift at the Dabo table is not over and the costumers are not here to see you running around but for you to keep them company and encourage them to bet as much as their personal line of credit permits."
The young woman had been ready to challenge her employer regardless of what it might man for her new career, the feeling of dread having taken full control of her reason, but before she could say something another patron intervened.
"She's here for me," a young Pythron male announced, a playful smile on his lips and a few extra credits in his hands which he was more than happy to give to the owner to compensate him for any trouble that might have been caused.
"My most profound apologies Mr. Trodat, I had not realized that you were here…" the owner quickly offered as he bowed in respect taking several large steps backwards to give the Pythron Ambassador's son as much room as he desired.
"What's wrong?" The Pythron youth inquired of the redhead, impossible to ignore that something had been troubling her fair features.
"I'm looking for a friend," Rikar replied as she scrutinized their surroundings to no avail.
"Well," Trodat smiled happily, "you found me! I can be a lot more fun than whatever friend you are looking for."
"I'm serious!" the young woman countered, a tone of urgency bordering on despair in her voice.
"I'm sorry," the young Pythron man offered, "Maybe I can help."
The young woman quickly thought of telling him everything she knew, everything she felt, but when Rikar recalled her last conversation with Trodat's father and the fact that she had seen the Ambassador speaking with Mister Mortan, the man she suspected in having had something to do with all this, the redheaded woman decided against it.
"It's alright," Rikar reluctantly said with a deep sigh. "I am sure that she's just out with someone."
"If, she's anything like you," Trodat joked, "I would not expect to see her before late tomorrow morning."
As much as the young woman wanted to find something charming or flattering in the Pythron youth's words, her concerns for Kamlia had simply been impossible to push aside. All that Rikar could do was to remain calm and continue to observe and listen; hopefully she would gather some Intel on the other Dabo girl's whereabouts.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"The Game's Afoot"
[Previous Post: "Observations"]
####################
<< There's plenty of time to solve this thing, but you got to stop using your mouth and start using your brain!>>
- Major John Sheppard, Stargate Atlantis
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.1930
The USS HATHOR was an amazing shipin many ways, but the Native American grew to appreciate more and more theluxuries of a full size vessel as compared to the DEFIANT-Class cruiser. The crew quarters were small even forOfficers, the Mess Hall was overly "cozy" to say the least, the corridorswere tight and most important had been the fact that there had been *no* ReadyRoom.
"Ensign Thomas, what is ourETA for the VALLA ROYAL?" the CO began, having no other choice but to runhis Mission Briefing while everyone worked at their respective stations.
"Just over two hours,Sir," the COO replied after having confirmed the information on hisconsole.
"Good," Erik acknowledged as he glanced around the Bridge to insure once again that everyonehad reported to the Bridge as ordered. "I thought it wise for us to go over a few details of the missionbefore we actually arrived and to bring you all up to speed with a fewadditional events that have taken place on the VALLA ROYAL."
"Why do I have the feelingthat this is no longer as simple a mission as it was when we left?" Evequietly sighed to herself although her words had been spoken loud enough to beheard by the rest of the Senior Staff.
"Because the universe didn'twant Hex to get bored again," Aki chuckled as she recalled how thoroughlythe Sec/Tac Officer had searched the HATHOR for the *intruder* that had beentheorized to having been onboard.
The Kzinti's ears feel againsther head, her eyes narrowed to tiny slits, and her gaze pierced across theempty space of the room to reach the Asian scientist who quickly decided tokeep any further comment about Ensign Fanggot to herself.
"The mission parameters havesomewhat *expanded*," Erik confirmed while at the same time redirectingeveryone attention on the task at hand. "Our primary objective is still to locate and secure the box thatwas onboard the XANTUL, and gather as much data as to the cause of itsdestruction," Erik paused for an instant as he met the eyes of each andevery Officer present. "Oursecondary objective will be to see if the murder of a Dabo girl on he VALLAROYAL was in any way linked to the fate of the XANTUL.
"Murder?" The toweringOltharian repeated, unable to contain the shock the news had created inhim. As wild as the reputation of theorbital station had been at times, there had not been a report of such a crimein over a decade. The truth had been assimple as this: murder was not good for business.
"What happened?" EnsignDalziel inquired, as grim as the news had been getting as much information aspossible would help their own investigation into establishing if there had beena link or not between the murder and destruction of the cargo vessel.
"The VALLA ROYAL is doingits utmost to keep this story buried so as to not create panic amongst theguests," the Captain explained. "All that we know was that the body of a Dabo girl was found on oneof the lower decks, mutilated beyond recognition. Only a comparative DNA test was able toestablish her identity."
Although not officially part ofthis meeting, or even the crew for that fact, another set of ears, these onesmuch smaller than those of the Kzinti, dropped at the report given by theNative American. Hidden in one of theair vents, unseen by anyone else, the small shape-shifted primate closed hereyes for a brief moment to offer a silent thought to another life that wasprematurely ended.
"What was her name?"Aki quietly asked, not that the information had any direct impact on thesituation, but the aCSciO had wanted to have a more than a brutally maimed bodyon her mind, the victim deserved at the very least that much.
"The intercepted report fromthe VALLA ROYAL claimed that the victim was named Kamlia, nothing more abouther was released other than the state of the body," Erik replied, acertain tone of sadness laced his words. Death was a natural part of life, but still it did not make it easier todeal with it.
"Aki, Elliot and I will takecare of looking into the murder of Kamlia," the Cardassian born Counseloroffered. "Maybe the station'sadministrators will be more willing to speak to a grieving couple and it willgive us the chance to reach out to Captain Rikar."
"Will take some doing andresearch," Elliot chuckled, not at all convinced that they would be ableto manage the angel presented by Ensign Dalziel.
"We'll find a way," Akicountered with. "We could claimthat we met her earlier and that we became friends and wish to help in whateverway we can, this could give us a line on Captain Rikar's whereabouts andsituation."
"Sounds like a plan,"Eve confirmed. "We'll need to getas much information of her as possible," the CNS continued as she lookedat the COO who nodded his head to endorse his role in this part of the mission.
"Elan," Erik continued as he turned to face the imposing CEO. "You and I will work our magic to see if we can figure out what happened to the XANTUL and locate the box. Once this is done we will relay the information to Hex who will be in charge of retrieving it back to the HATHOR," the Native American CO explained as he turned to face the Kzinti woman. "I want this to go done nice and easy. Get in, find the box and get out. That is why I am putting you in charge of that part of the mission, I can't think of anyone better qualified to make this happen without anyone figuring what happened."
Hex remained stone-faced despitethe fact that the compliment had been appreciated.
The six Senior Officers had beensplit into two groups of three, each one with their specific task. If all went well, the HATHOR and its crew shouldbe on its way back to NEW ALEXANDRIA within only a few hours of their arrivalto the VALLA ROYAL with both mission objectives accomplished and all withoutthe slightest incident.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
" Questions "
(Previous Post was Francois' "The Game's Afoot")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Infirmary
Stardate: 63076.2000
The young woman stood silently by the deformed shape of what had once been an attractive and joyous girl… a person who had made the best of what life had thrown at her and still found it within her to smile. No one deserved to die the way that she had… to have every shred of dignity stripped from her and to be left broken and unrecognizable.
With gloved hands the once Federation CMO reached into the mass of organic matter and carefully retrieved a small bracelet… a gift that Kamlia had received from an admirer whom the Dabo girl had never stopped talking about despite him having broken her heart. That small piece of jewelry held the meaning of the universe for the now dead woman who could see the good in anything she laid her eyes upon. Gentleness and forgiveness had been only two of the countless other qualities that this woman had… qualities that had left her open to being used… abused… and murdered.
"Why?" Rikar ever so softly whispered, the simple question unanswered question help the entire weight of the universe in its silence. The young woman knew the universe to be cruel and unforgiving, but there had always been reasons for it all, or at least that is what she made herself believe.
The VALLA ROYAL's administration had done well to keeping this unfortunate story from reaching the general public. Most of the patrons had been happy to carry on with their daily business and pleasures, and the few that had noticed the Dabo girl's sudden disappearance had been reassured that all had been well. The troubled redhead had not believed them for an instant and now she vowed to get to the bottom of this… one way or another.
"Excuse me, Miss," one of the station's medical staff said as they walked into the examination room to find someone standing over the mutilated corpse, "Can I help you?"
"I'm Doctor Alexandria," the young woman offered without hesitation, the alias having been established long ago to facilitate investigations such as this one. "I was asked by the Pythron Ambassador to insure that there were no contagions harmful to his people. He was less than satisfied with the reassurances that he received when news of this *event* reached him," the redheaded woman calmly, yet forcefully explained falling into the role of a concerned Federation CMO with the greatest of ease.
"There has been no official announcement made in regards to this case," the man cautiously countered with, not daring to go head-to-head with someone displaying the colors and apparent knowledge of a genuine Starfleet Doctor.
"Do you truly believe that Ambassador Gerran would not become aware of something like *this*?" Rikar challenged, faking insult for both her and the Ambassador as she pointed an accusatory finger at what remained of Kamlia. "The moment he was alerted to a potential threat, he feared for the wellbeing of his son whom he knew to have been *involved* with a Dabo girl earlier that same day. I was asked, as a personal favor, to investigate and report directly back to him," the redhead paused before she continued, this time in a far friendlier and accommodating voice. "Now I could make this a public statement and have a copy of my findings and report sent to the station's Administration as well as the local media so as to reassure the public… *OR* you can let me finish here and report to the Ambassador without this becoming general knowledge."
It was clear to see that the majority of the VALLA ROYAL's medical staff had never been trained to deal with such sensitive situations, and given the option presented to the simple medical worker; the choice had been an all too simple one. Without saying another word the man left with all due haste hoping that none of this would be mentioned in any way, shape or form.
The young woman sighed and turned back to gaze upon the broken form of the Dabo girl, the small bracelet that belonged to Kamlia firmly in the grieving Doctor's grasp. "I won't let them forget about this… forget about you," Rikar softly whispered, anger and sadness mixed in her trembling voice. "I will find out who did this and force them to explain to me *why* they did it… only then will I allow them to share the fate they so brutally handed to you."
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Personal History"
(Cont. from "Questions")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.2000
Aki and ET had taken on the task to do a full personal history on the murdered Dabo girl that Captain Morningstar had mentioned during their briefing. If their plan had any chance to work, both the COO and aCsciO would need to be fully aware of the slightest detail concerning the victim and her life.
"Kamlia," Ensign Mitshiba read aloud. "Nuvian female, age 23, arrived at the VALLA ROYAL on an Orion transport on stardate 63044.1700. Prior to this date, she worked on the Cardassian station Sorok Nor as a waitress for the local bar. Suspected to have possible affiliation with low ranking members of the Orion Syndicate," Aki said, ending with a sigh. Although the history had been far from complete, what had been uncovered had pointed to a difficult, troubled life.
"32 days," Hex softly growled. "More then enough time for her to get involved with the wrong people."
"The list continues with a long string of odd jobs on remote space stations and outposts, all of which operating within the reach of various low to mid-range criminal organizations," Ensign Mitshiba said feeling somewhat discouraged by the harshness of the woman's life.
"You have to be impressed about one thing," Ensign Thomas said as he leaned over the shoulder of the sitting Asian woman.
"Impressed about what?" Aki asked, not at all sure as to what the COO had been referring to given the rather gloomy report she had just given on the woman.
"The amount of information we have access to on any given individual," ET grinned. "With just a name and location, we were able to track this lady back to her home world. In another hour or so we should be able to pin down her full family tree."
"It is a little scary when you think about it," the aCSciO said in an agreeing voice. "It is the nature of the beast. Intel deals with information and we would not be able to do anything if we did not have access to as much as possible."
"Very true," the COO grinned. "Now, I just need to figure out what I can do with knowing what you had for breakfast."
"What?!" Aki said as she almost chocked. "There is a record of that?"
"Of course," ET replied with a nearly perfect poker face. "You never know when knowing what someone had for breakfast could prove vital in the completion of a mission."
The expression of absolute disbelief that had appeared on Aki's face remained for several seconds until the COO finally broke down in laughter.
"You are just being mean," the aCSciO said as she joined in on the laughter, happy that ET had found a way to break the grim mood she had fallen into after having read Kamlia's file.
"I'm sorry," ET said, his voice deep and filled with regret. "I hope this will make up for it, at least a little," the COO added as he pressed hi lips on the Asian woman's cheek before returning to his station.
Aki smiled. As sad as she had felt before, that last gesture from ET had reminded the aCSciO that happiness could be found in the simplest of acts and the most unlikely of situations.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
####################
"Worrying About Someone"
[Previous Post: "Personal History"]
####################
<< When you keep your back to the light, all you see is a darkness of your own creation.>>
- Amber Satori
Setting: USS HATHOR, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63076.2100
Eve walked into the gentle giant's domain not at all surprised in having found him hard at work, this time his attention having been solely dedicated to a tricorder that had been resting on one of the work stations.
"It's really not fair," the Counselor said in a joking manner. "You are so big and that poor thing is so small."
Elan continued to work as if he had not heard the comment made by the Ensign, yet his next words clearly indicated that he had been aware of her presence. "Need to modify this tricorder so that Ensign Fanggot can find the box we have been sent to retrieve. It was placed in a container that radiates a low level interference field thus making it impossible to be directly locked on by any transporter. The box itself is made of an alloy that barely registers using a standard sensor sweep, so specific calibrations need to be made, and these will only work for short-range scans."
The Counselor stood still for a while as she allowed for the Oltharian's words to register. Eve had always known Elan to be a workaholic, an Engineer dedicated to both his work and perfection, but there had been something different about him. Other officers onboard the HATHOR had likely noted this as well but it fell under her jurisdiction to investigate this further, both as the Ship's Counselor and the CEO's friend.
"How is Amber doing?" Ensign Dalziel nonchalantly asked, as if the question itself had been nothing more than a simple query. Eve carefully observed the Oltharian as she waited for his reply knowing that the question she had presented him with would pierce through whatever emotional defenses he would have tried to put into place.
--==(/\)==--
[FLASHBACK]
Elan sat quietly by the biobed upon which Amber Satori had been on since her arrival to the NEW ALEXANDRIA's medical facility. Despite the resources and knowledge that this state-of-the-art Intel base had access to, no cure had been found to draw the woman out of the coma she had been cast into. Whenever he could, the Oltharian offered a tranquil vigil over the peaceful woman whom had captured not only the giant's heart but his soul as well.
Memories of their first meeting at Starfleet Academy, their first mission on MARS and their subsequent adventures into the world on Intel had made the two Officers become very close. This had paved the way for Elan to open himself to a different world, one that he had never imagined or even dreamt possible, a universe that became filled with her light and presence.
Without even trying the Oltharian could recall the sound of her voice as she spoke his name, the softness of her touch has her hand touched his, the smile of pure admiration when she would listen to his playing the flute. The small instrument had always meant a great deal to Elan, but to have Amber be the only other person to have heard him play had given the silver musical cylinder and entirely different significance.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS HATHOR, Main Engineering
Stardate: 63076.2110
"She is well," Elan answered having realized that only silence had met the Counselor's question for an undetermined amount of time.
"I'm worried about you," Eve said, the statement holding in it far more than the simple concern of a Counselor for a fellow shipmate.
"Thank you," the Oltharian offered adding a weak smile as well as a subtle nod of his head. "I will be by her side again soon, in the meantime though we have more important matters to attend to, matters that require our complete and unhindered focus. As my uncle would have been more than happy to remind me, there is no point in trying to stop the sun and moons from moving across the heavens."
"Yes," the Counselor grinned. "Wasting time trying to change what cannot be changed," Eve confirmed before she leaned in closer to the towering giant and continued, this time in a whispered voice. "Still, it's nice to allow one's mind to imagine what could be, even if it takes us into the realm of the impossible."
The two Officers looked at each other for a moment, only the sound of the warp core in the background stood between them, then the Oltharian smiled once again and quietly returned to his work leaving Ensign Dalziel to return to her duties and concerns about a certain Oltharian and the rest of Senior Officers of the USS ANUBIS.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
" Complications "
(Previous Post was Francois' "Worrying About Someone")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.2100
The young woman made her way through the crowd with purpose… each step she took more determined then the previous. It was easy to see that the redheaded Dabo girl had been on a mission, but the advantage of being a Dabo girl on a space station like the VALLA ROYAL was that people did not pay attention to her unless she wanted to.
"There you are," Trodat exclaimed as he waved his hand to get the woman's attention. "I've been looking all over for you," the Pythron youth added when he finally arrived next to he elusive redhead. "Your boss is less than happy about you missing your shift," the son of the Ambassador added… a playful grin danced on the man's lips as he spoke.
"I'm sorry," the redheaded woman apologized. "I've been busy with… something," Rikar clarified while keeping her true reason as vague as possible; there had been no reason to involve Trodat in this investigation.
"It's alright," the Pythron replied, his grin having grown even larger. "I offered to compensate him for whatever trouble your absence might have caused. I think he believes that I was responsible for you not working at the Dabo table."
"An assumption that you were more than happy not to challenge," the young woman pointed out knowing all too well that the Pythron youth would have welcomed the reputation and even possible prestige of having been the center of this little situation.
"Let's just say that I didn't say anything that might have led him to believe otherwise," Trodat admitted before he leaned in, pushed her crimson hair back and placed a sensual kiss on the young woman's neck. "You own me," he added in an almost evil tone.
The redheaded Dabo girl chuckled and shot a sideways playful glare at the Pythron youth. "Rescued slave… nurse… or cheerleader?"
Trodat burst out laughing which drew the attention of some of the closer passers-by. "We can talk about that later, right now I want to know if I can help you in anyway. Whatever it is that has you running like this seems to be very important to you… so it is important to me."
"Thank you," the young woman offered as she gently, sensually caressed Trodat's cheek with her hand. "I appreciate the offer but it would be best if I did this alone."
"You really need to stop being concerned for me," the Pythron youth sighed. "My father may be the Ambassador, but I have friends of my own… friends who could easily become yours if you allowed me to help."
The young woman paused for a moment, silently wondering if these friends Trodat had mentioned were the same as the *associates* referred to so often by Mister Mortan. From what she had gathered from overheard conversations and playful boasts, these *associates* seemed more than happy to offer their help to resolve any number of situations… all for the promise of future favors owed.
If indeed these *friends* of Trodat were one and the same with Mortan's *associates*, Rikar feared that things had become far more complicated than she had expected… not to mention dangerous for everyone on the VALLA ROYAL orbital station, including herself. The reason for this conclusion had been rather simple… the Pythron Ambassador and his son had actually been working together despite their public image of always being against one another, *or* the Pythron youth had enlisted the help of unsavory characters to challenge his father's control. Either way this would trickle down to a great deal of problems for everyone, which would leave the murder of a single Dabo girl to be quickly lost in the chaos that would ensue.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the Darkness and the Light"
-Sati Delenn, Babylon 5
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Finding the Intruder"
[Previous post: "Complications"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Love is an irresistible desire to be desired irresistibly."
- Robert Frost
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63076.1410
=====^*^=====
Intruder. All other thoughts had been placed on momentary stand-by as the Kzinti huntress searched through the Mess Hall for possible signs of unrecorded movement. Ears ready to hear even the slightest of sounds, the Sec/Tac officer searched. Hex felt somewhat jaded knowing that her concentration on this task was not only because of the fact that there was possible danger on the ship, but it was also influenced by her reoccurring need to focus on something... anything.
After having spoken with the ship's beloved counseller, though not much had been discussed, the young woman DID feel somewhat more at ease. The pain had not reared it's ugly head for at least the last few hours now, giving Hex the time to have chosen out her outfit and persona for the upcoming mission. Not knowing yet what her position would be, the Kztini choose an outfit that would suit any occasion.
=====^*^=====
Setting:USS HATHOR, Hex's Quarters
Stardate: 63076.0800
=====^*^=====
Finally, the long dreaded visit to the ship's shirk was over. Though Hex had to admit that she didn't mind in the least having seen and old friend again, the fact that bothered the Kzinti was that the meeting had been one of business, not leisure. This had somewhat clouded her mind to the possibility of good communication, something she knew she had to make up for later on. Until then, there was work to be done.
Looking over her previously chosen dress yet again, the huntress shuddered. The outfit she held before her was indeed perfect for the mission, but it held an importance and memory that she didn't want to remember. Not only that, but it was very ostentatious and you didn't have to be physic to know that something more rugged and battle-worn would suit the Kzinti officer far better than a dress. Though she would never admit such a thing, Hex did enjoy wearing pretty things when times called for it, but now?
"No choice... I have nothing else but my work attire and..." the woman trailed off, looking around what most would consider a disaster of a room "all this... no, it has to be this one. I can't be afraid forever..."
The Kzinti's ears flattened as she realized that she had yet again been talking to herself. Allowing a short growl to pass her lips, the furred humanoid put on the dress and modeled her disguise in the closest mirror. Examining her features, the officer had to admit that the dress was beyond beautiful. It fit her new persona perfectly, almost frighteningly so.
Hex Fanggot would now be known as Elizabeth, a young and gutsy Kzinti bride-on-the-run. As much as she loved her new disguise, it was something that had to be fixed just slightly to prevent people from recognizing the huntress from her missions prior. Leaning down to a small table nearest her dresser, the Ensign grabbed a pair of contacts and inserted them quickly changing her natural eye color to a deep ruby red. The Kzinti's hair was the last thing to deal with. With a deep sigh she pulled out a brush and a few bottles of chemicals and moved over into the small bathroom. About an hour later, the officer came out with a new look. It was one she herself couldn't believe in it's simple beauty.
Putting the contacts and dress aside for later, the woman rushed to go back to her station. Excitement building every second the mission crept closer.
=====^*^=====
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63076.1415
A sigh released from the strained lips of the female as her search ended unsuccessfully. A thought had accrued to her awhile earlier, but the Kzinti considered it fruitless to use the technology available to her when she had her finely toned senses. Obviously that line of thinking had been a mistake. With a new goal in mind, the officer set out to go and use the internal sensors to hopefully make her search more fruitful.
::Why am I thinking of fruits?:: the Kzinti wondered as she was about to exit the Mess Hall and return to her station to call up the information.
Deep inside the nearest vent, a small creature vainly tried to hold off a sneeze. All the dust from the Kzinti's movement had been sucked into the nearest vents, which she sadly occupied. Movement would mean detection, but a sneeze right now would be even worse. The Shillian wondered for a brief moment which would be a better risk to take and finally settled on waiting out the Kzinti seeing as she was about to leave anyway.
The mistake was that the Chief Security Officer had not accounted for a gust of wind to carry more overwhelming dust into the vent before that. A small sneeze was all it took to have the Kzinti officer's eyes glued to the vent, her ears perked up and muscles tensed, ready for an attack that wouldn't come. Raising herself from a defensive position to an offensive one, Hex prowled slowly over to the vent and hissed slightly "Out of there. Unless you want me to send something in after you then I suggest you come out." the officer's voice was demanding, but oddly gentle as she realized the outline of the shadow inside the vent was a small Trusa.
Before she was able to offer another word though, the small creature ran from view, deeper into the vent and out of the Kzinti's line of site. With a deep sigh the officer realized that she had maybe... possibly... over-reacted to thoughts of a full scale intruder. A Trusa wasn't much of an annoyance as it was interesting. The Kzinti made a mental note to search for the little creature later on, but until then she had her shift to report to.
With a small wave to the now empty ventilation shaft, Hex moved away and exited. Heading to her next shift with thoughts of non-painful Trusa traps.
=====^*^=====
Ashley Shane
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Chief Sec/Tac officer
USS ANUBIS
AS
Elizabeth
Kzinti Honeymooner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Loving Reminders"
[Continued from: "Finding the Intruder"]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- True love stories never have endings (Richard Bach)
- Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation (Khalil Gibran)
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.1955
=====^*^=====
Hex sighed as the mission briefing ended, watching as her fellow crew mates slowly drifted off to their own areas of expertise. As they dispersed, the Kzinti approached her CO and waited a moment to speak until he was done with what it was he was working on. Her ear twitched when his voice cut into her thoughts.
"I can tell that there's something you'd like to say to me" the man commented, chuckling as he noticed that his intuition had again startled the cat-like humanoid "I'm not going to bite, just let me know what's on your mind."
Taking a breath to calm her nerves, the officer stood straighter and tried for a slight smile "I... I was wondering how exactly you were thinking of approaching our objective."
The captain stopped for a moment and looked over at the waiting woman, a look of mischief in his eyes "Well, you'll have to wait and see now won't you?"
Annoyance perked the Kzinti slightly, but she had to admit that the CO's ways were a comfort. The human's comments and jokes were what reminded Hex so much about her very first Commanding Officer, Sabrina Rikar. Upon having heard that she was well and in VALLA ROYAL, the huntress wondered if their paths would cross during the time of the mission. Now though, it seemed much more likely for the other group to do so in her place.
As Hex moved back to her station, she noticed Aki and Elliot gazing at each other from their posts, seeming to be lost in their own worlds. Seeing them like that, engulfed in a world only they belonged to, reminded her of something. As the Kzinti tried to remember, the pain came and pulsed behind her cat-like eyes. With determination, the officer pushed back the pain to reveal to herself a memory, one meant for her eyes only...
*FLASHBACK*
"When is the wedding?" the young grey Kzinti chuckled, rightfully deserving himself a face full of sand as Hex glared at him from where she sat on the ground.
"There won't be one and you know it, I'm not marrying someone I don't love." the female commented scornfully, preparing another handful of sand to be tossed if her statement was challenged.
The older Kzinti laughed and raised his arms over his head in defense "Okay, okay I get it, no more sand. I have to get clean one of these days you know!"
"As if that will ever happen..." Hex mocked, getting herself some sand in the face as well.
Laughter erupted from both youths as they tossed the sands back and forth at each other. Soon enough they both grew tired, having covered each other in dust and grim before sitting again with heaving breaths. The male Kzinti watched his friend as she gently pulled sand from her hair and sighed.
"So you really are leaving then?" he questioned, a note of pain obvious in his tone.
The ear of the other Kzinti twitched as she turned to face him sadly "It won't be forever, once I graduate and make a bit of a name for myself I'll come back and find you... I swear I will..." after saying it, the female realized she had not even managed to fool herself.
"If you come back, they'll make you marry and you know it." the boy noted, kicking up the sand nearest him in frustration.
"I know that... I wish it was different, that I could choose."
"Oh yeah? Who would you choose then huh?"
The silence was almost deafening as a deep blush spread out over the younger Kzinti's face. Stuttering for something to say, the male just sighed and moved closer. A single movement was all it took to take the blushing female's face in his hand and turn her to him as he gently placed a kiss onto her cheek.
"Don't answer now, you'll regret it if you do..."
Both were silent as Hex merely wrapped her arms around her friend and sighed in comfort, taking advantage of his warmth. If there was anyone to miss on the planet the furred humanoid was soon to flee from, it was her friends. Though she had only ever made two, they had impacted her life more then either of them could ever realize or be repaid for.
"Thank you... for everything..." it seemed like an empty comment, something as simple as words would never be able to betray the Kzinti's true feelings for the boy sitting next to her, and after tomorrow, it would be too late...
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Hex sighed at the memory. It had been mere days till take-off when she finally realized her feelings for one of her oldest friends. Sadly, seeing as he wasn't a High Priestess's son, her family... and possibly the entire planet would disapprove.
With a sigh the huntress brushed gently by and chuckled "Instruments won't run themselves you two, keep the lovey-dovey stuff for VALLA ROYAL, as I've heard you're going to need it.
Let me know when you have some Intel on the murder victim though."
Ensign Mitshiba blushed a moment and nodded, grinning at ET before looking away and back to her console "I'm almost done, there's not much, but I'll let you both know in just a minute."
Ensign Fanggot nodded and returned to her station to wait. Even if it wasn't her part of the mission, Hex wanted to gather as much Intel about what they needed as possible in case their team had to use something to their advantage. Aki happened to call her back over just as her mind was wondering back to that day from her previous thoughts on infiltration and recovery. Thankful, the furred humanoid moved to her side to hear what needed to be said.
=====^*^=====
Ashley Shane
Ensign Hex Fanggot
Chief Sec/Tac officer
USS ANUBIS
AS
Elizabeth
Kzinti Honeymooner
####################
"Amongst The Shadows"
[Previous Post: "Loving Reminders"]
####################
<< The avalanche has started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote. >>
- Kosh
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63076.2130
"We will be at the VALLA ROYAL in 5 minutes," Ensign Thomas announced from the Ops station, having reviewed his console and confirmed that all had been ready for their final approach to the orbital station.
"Drop us out of warp," the Native American ordered. "Get us in close enough so that we can beam in without drawing any attention but not close enough to risk another ship running into us."
"That may no be so easy," the Kzinti Sec/Tac Officer offered as she brought up an image on the main view screen. "Looks like things have picked up over there."
"What the heck is a Pythron battle Cruiser doing there?" Eve gasped, the sight of the massive warship having been more than enough to unsettle everyone.
"Tactical report!" the Captain quickly followed suit with, curious as to the current state of affairs around the VALLA ROYAL.
"Shields and weapons are inactive," Hex replied with a soft growl. "For now."
"The presence of a battle cruiser here in neutral space could create problems on the station," Aki pointed out, not at all ungrateful of the fact that the HATHOR had been cloaked and therefore a simple observer to this.
"Maybe we can take advantage of this," Erik proposed as he stood from the central chair reserved for the ship's CO. "That battle cruiser must have everyone on the VALLA ROYAL on edge, so they will be less likely to be closely monitoring the arrivals and departures of their guests. Elan and I will beam into one of the lifts leading to the command deck. Hex, Elliot, Akira and Eve, you four will beam onto the public quarters area and make your way to the main promenade deck. Once there Hex will wait for us to give her the location of the XANTUL's debris while the second team starts their investigation."
"You make it sound so easy," the Ship's Counselor said in a half amused, half troubled voice.
"It is," Erik laughed without any hesitation. "It only gets complicated when something unexpected happens, and as of right now I am expecting everything to go as bad as it possibly could."
"Should I be planning for our funerals then?" the furred Kzinti woman sighed, her tone all too serious for the Native American's liking.
"Okay, maybe not *that* bad," the CO corrected as he motioned for the Senior Officers to head to the transporter room.
"You will need this," the Oltharian said as he handed the modified tricorder to the Kzinti Sec/Tac Officer. "May it serve you well."
Hex glanced up at the towering giant for a brief moment, confident that the small hand-held device would indeed serve her well, not doubting the CEO's skills in this domain.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Turbolift pod
Stardate: 63076.2140
Dressed in less *official* garments, Erik Morningstar and his bodyguard prepared to step onto the commoner deck of the VALLA ROYAL, ready to present their claim to some of the cargo that had been onboard the doom transport vessel. The goal had not been to have the station's administration actually grant them access to the wreckage but rather to simple inform them of its location so that the information could be relayed to Ensign Fanggot.
"I never liked wearing this kind of monkey suit," the Native American man huffed as he straightened out his jacket for the nth time. "It just doesn't feel right."
"Maybe you would prefer if I wore the suit and you played the role of bodyguard," Elan all so seriously offered which caused Morningstar to pause and glare at the towering man, the simple idea of the Oltharian being *guarded* by anyone having been laughable to say the least.
"Your sense of humor has improved quite a bit Elan," Erik offered not entirely certain that the CEO had in fact been kidding.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Empty Guest Quarters
Stardate: 63076.2145
"Well that was easy," Elliot grinned as he looked around the darkened room once the transport sequence had been completed.
"We haven't done anything yet," Aki playfully refuted as she added a light smack against the COO's shoulder.
Hex remained silent, her ears scanning the ambient sounds certain that there had been someone else present in the room with them. "Keep your eyes open," the Sec/Tac stated as she made her way to the door. "Something is not right."
Before anyone could say anything, the Kzinti had already left the group to head for the Promenade and wait for the Captain's instructions, leaving the second team to their own responsibilities.
"I think she needs a vacation," the COO sighed as he reached for the duffle bag he had brought with tem to help support the illusion of Aki and him being a couple on vacation. "That's strange," Elliot added as he looked down at the bag, "I was sure that I had closed it before we left."
"Why am I suddenly having a very bad feeling about this mission," Eve jokingly said. "You thinking that you had closed your bag when you had not must be one of those galactic signs of doom."
"That or that his mind was focused on something else," Aki joined in with, trying her best not to laugh out loud.
"Something?" The Counselor repeated. "I think you mean someone!"
"Alright you two," Elliot interjected, "let's stop picking on me and start focusing on our mission."
With that the three undercover Starfleet Officers made their way out of the room unaware that they had brought along with them another member of the ANUBIS' crew, one that had remained hidden for the most part since their departure from the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex.
-==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
************************************************************************
"The Investigation Starts"
[Previous Post: "Amongst The Shadows"]
************************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Gaolbreak street
Stardate: 63076.2145
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elliot followed the other two starfleet officers out of the room as he could still hear them chuckling. As they walked out of the room, it wasn't what Ensign Thomas was expecting at all, it was actually a nice looking streets, and if ET was correct the stone all looked like a marble stone, shiny and clean ::Well I thought from the stories of this place that it was going to have dusty streets and rather dodgy characters walking around, but it's none of that. The streets look great and the people look so nice:: the more the COO looked around the place the more he had a bad feeling and became uncomfortable ::It's too nice::.
As Elliot walked beside the other two in the street, he softly whispered when there was no one in close proximity to them "Aki, Eve is it me or are any of you two having a bad feeling about this too". The two ladies looked at him with the same concerned look that he had expressed upon his face, "Yes, there is definitely a weird feeling around here, one I believe to be of submissiveness, like they are obeying because they have to and are too afraid to do anything about it or don't want to do anything about it" the councillor softly agreed to Ensign Thomas.
Ensign Mitshiba had remembered from the images they had studied that the promenade was just down the next street, and let the other two know that they were to head down the next street on the right by nudging Eve slightly and glancing to the following turning on the right. The COO had watched this interaction and quickly headed to this junction. As they walked down the street ET could not believe how nice the place looked, although there was a kind of unnerving feeling within the place the quality of buildings and streets, kind of made it worth being here, or at least helped him understand why people would stay in this place.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.2205
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The aCSciO memory was as perfect as the work she does at all times, they arrived at the promenade and Ensign Dalziel noticed a small bench at the far side, where they could sit and work out their next step.
They all sat on the bench, which was nicely placed so they could see the whole promenade and very little chance of anyone coming from behind them unnoticed.
"Right Eve I think think this will be the best place for you to stay put, until you hear from Hex. I think ET and I will have a look around, see what we can find out. There must be someone here that saw something, besides I've been studying the images of maps and places that were given to us and I think we may be able to get some information from some of the bars in the area where the Dabo girl was last seen with the drunken Klingon" whispered the aCSciO to the other two officers.
Ensign Thomas and Mitshiba got up from the bench, Aki cuddled Elliot playfully, then looked at the only officer left on the bench "OK Auntie June, we'll meet you back here later after me and my new wonderful hubby have experienced some of the wonderful hospitality in the taverns around her". Eve smiled and chuckled "If you don't behave in them taverns your still not too old to go over my knee young lady" they all laughed and the all to realistic couple walked off.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Zeiliin Street
Stardate: 63076.2230
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ensign Mitshiba was snuggling into the COO as they walked the streets, Aki knowing and guiding them as they walked, she had the map in her mind to where the Dabo girl was last seen. Elliot smiled at the aCSciO and admitted "You know you were quite brilliant back there, to think of trying the bars or taverns in the area from where the Dabo girl went missing was amazing, only after you had said it I realised that you were banking on the Klingon drinking in the area of where she had gone missing, that was just brilliant".
Aki looked at ET "Well there is that and the fact that maybe one of these taverns may have a spare room for an hour" she winked teasingly. Elliot started to turn red a little and could not help but become aware that he was in fact getting slightly aroused by this warm woman snuggling into him.
ET adjusted his position with the young Ensign and instructed softly "We're here on a mission not a honeymoon yet!"
The beautiful starfleet officer looked the COO up and down, "mmm well that's not what your body says, but I'll settle for the not on a honeymoon *yet* " she laughed then continued in a more serious tone "OK, lets get down to work, we're just about 500 yards from where the young Dabo girl went missing from, so I think we should try the tavern that is just around the next corner, I think it is called Aswerbolw".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"How Big *IS*This Place?"
[Previous Post: "The Investigation Starts"]
####################
<< There are only two rules to tactics: never be without a plan, and never rely on it. >>
- Okri Swessin, Marshal of the Selay Lancers
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, TurboliftPod
Stardate: 63076.2145
The repetitive "musak" of what could only be guessed as having been of Orion origins that played in the turbolift as it raced upwards to the command level had pushed the Native American to find peace in his own thoughts. Maybe it had been because of the mission and how he suspected that something would sooner or later go wrong. Maybe it had been the unexpected presence of the ANUBIS' own CO on the station, or maybe it had been the presence of the PYTHRON battlecruiser out there that had brought the HATHOR's CO on the verge of a mental collapse. Whatever the cause had been, Erik had closed his eyes and forced himself to review the data on the VALLA ROYAL to save himself from going mad.
::The VALLA ROYAL is a massive space station in orbit ORSANNA IV, an H-Class desolate mining planet in a neutral part of the Beta Quadrant. The planet's varied and plentiful mineral deposits have attracted prospectors from all across the galaxy despite the harsh and unforgiving climate that rages on the planet. The VALLA ROYAL was initially constructed as a refueling and support station but over time it became a place for the miners to spend their hard earned fortunes. Soon, the VALLA ROYAL became more popular than the planet it orbits, drawing every type of people to it, from high ranking diplomats to the lowest class of crooks imaginable.::
"Were you aware that the station's main corridors have been given *street names* instead of simpler location designations?" The Oltharian asked, obviously wanting to break the silence that had formed between him and the HATHOR's CO.
"When the station was first created, I am sure that the decks were metallic and labeled all too simplistically," the Native American suggested as he reopened his eyes. "I'm guessing that in time though, and in an effort to make the miners and even the visitors more comfortable, it was decided to change this. A great deal of riches came through this station in one form or another, so it does not surprise me that some of it found its way *into* the station itself. The more flamboyant the VALLA ROYAL is made to be, the more people are willing to spend their fortunes here. Because of that, it makes sense that the station went from a simple refueling outpost to being an orbital continent with its own government. The fact that they gave corridors actual names was a small change to make the VALLA ROYAL seem more like home to those who came here."
"Maybe I should have downloaded a more detailed map of the station," Elan sighed.
"We are not here on a sightseeing tour," the Native American countered rather abruptly. "Let's find someone who can give us the information we need, get what we came here for and get out before something really *nasty* happens."
Before the Oltharian could even formulate a reply the turbolift came to a stop and the doors hissed opened,revealing a room containing hundreds of people, each one busy with their own affairs at their respective stations. To maintain a space station the size of the VALLA ROYAL had of course required a great deal of manpower, but based on the expression on the HATHOR's CO, Morningstar had not expected there to be so many people actively working at this level.
"Bureaucracy at itsworse?" Erik mumbled to himself as he felt the headache he had beenwarding off earlier coming back with a vengeance.
"Any suggestions as to wherewe should start Sir?" The Olthairan all too respectfully inquired, hisrole as the bodyguard suddenly having appeared far less bothersome than it hadonly a few minutes before.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
~~~~~~~~~~
"Needle in a Haystack"
(Cont. from "How Big *IS* This Place?")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Tavern
Stardate: 63076.2245
To say that the VALLA ROYAL was huge would have been an understatement. The information that the undercover team had been given had not given the credit this space station had deserved. This place was a huge city with a maze of streets and alleyways that would have scared most. Added to this the searching for a single person, one who likely did not want to be found had brought their part of the mission on the border line of the impossible.
Aki tried her best to keep a lighthearted approach to their assignment, teasing and flirting with ET as much as she could to maintain their cover and not allow darker thoughts to find root in her mind. Deep inside thought, the Asian aCSciO knew that the odds were well against them.
"This place in *nice*," the undercover COO sarcastically said, his hold on Aki having subtlety increased. The tavern that they had chosen to walk into as part of their investigation seemed to have been taken from another world, one where bandits could go about their business in view of everyone.
"There is a Dabo table over there," Aki reluctantly said as she pointed to the gaming area located in a far corner, several tables with far too many shady characters sat at them playing cards and drinking odd looking beverages.
"You stay here, I'll go and check" Elliot said, his fist instinct having been to protect Aki from whatever dangers this place held.
The undercover aCSciO watched with growing anxiety as the COO carefully made his way through the tavern's patrons trying his best not to upset anyone by bumping into them.
"You're a mighty fine looking little lady," a husky voice said which made Aki pivot to her right to see a scruffy looking miner, his face and hands still covered in dirt and dust. "Bet you and I could have a few nights of fun together."
Aki stumbled backwards as she tried to keep some distance between them. The aCSciO needed to find a peaceful way to resolve the situation and calling out to ET for help would have likely only escalated the situation. The option of just speaking to the miner had been the easiest but the Asian undercover officer suspected that there had been little should would have been able to say to counter the lust in his eyes.
The situation risked getting out of hand unless Aki found something to get herself out of this predicament. That is when she backed into someone, her heart stopped when the Asian woman felt a pair of arms wrap around her.
"Thank you for having found my wife," ET said as he gently held onto Aki, both to protect her and to insure that he would not suddenly run away from him. "That's what I get for looking away for a moment; there are just so many amazing things to look at here."
The scruffy looking miner grumbled to himself and walked back into the tavern, his attention having found a new target in one of the waitresses who had just walked by him.
"It's official," Aki sighed as she turned to face ET. "I hate this place," the aCSciO added as she hugged the COO letting her silent embrace be thanks enough for her rescuer.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
"Fighting Windmills"
(Previous Post: "Needle in a Haystack")
“When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.”
-Thornton Wilder
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.2220
Eve sat on the bench along the edge of the promenade, carefully observing the passers-by. The orbital station was teeming with people, all with their own agendas. On the surface, most of them appeared to be here to enjoy all the station had to offer. But the VALLA ROYAL had a reputation far beyond the floating resort it portrayed itself to be.
Despite her analytical nature, Ensign Dalziel was hoping to see any one of three people come her way. The first would be Hex, which would signal her safe arrival to the station; the second, Captain Rikar, whose exact whereabouts were unknown; and the third, the mysterious Klingon who had been the last to see Kamlia alive.
Luckily, even though not all three of her wishes were granted, Eve saw Hex approaching from the opposite direction that Aki and ET had gone off in looking for leads on the Klingon. "Elizabeth," Eve said, motioning to her.
Hex approached the Counsellor, her shimmering sand colored gown gracefully swirling behind her. "June, is everything well?"
Eve nodded. "The lovebirds are looking for their 'friend'."
"Lovely," the Kzinti woman replied in a tone that was anything but. Her red eyes narrowed. "What are your plans for the evening, June, my dear?"
"I have a date."
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Casino, Gordy's Office
Stardate: 63076.2245
Gordy nervously fumbled with some latinum-clad chips as he checked each camera; they constantly surveyed the entire floor. The casino didn't look as packed as usual. With one Dabo girl entertaining a diplomat or whatever it was she thought warranted taking a shift off, and another ending up dead, it just wasn't good for business. And business was all he really cared about.
Suddenly a commotion out in the hallway had the man even more on edge than he already was. His lackeys sounded like they were putting up some sort of ruse, but an unsuccessful one. Gordy instinctively turned the cameras off and made sure his weapon was right where it should be, on a hidden shelf behind the right side of his desk. It was no sooner than he did that then the door burst open, with Rocky and an attractive young woman almost tumbling through the doorway at the same time.
"What's all the racket?" The disagreeable man said to his associate.
Rocky tried to explain with a sheepish 'aw shucks' demeanor. "Ah, dah, boss, dis lady wanted ta see yah, was tryin' to explain yous busy and all but she's really wantin' to see yah-"
Gordy waved him off, taking a moment to look at the tall woman. If he waited for Rocky to spell it all out it might take half the night. "Listen, miss, do I know you?"
"No, you don't," Eve answered suggestively. "But I want to change all that."
Rocky seemed to take that as his cue to leave. Eve almost thought she heard the man chuckling as he closed the door.
Gordy sighed and shook his head. Rocky wouldn't know the difference between business and pleasure if it hit him in the head with a baseball bat. Gordy still kept his guard up, even though it looked improbable the woman was carrying any sort of weapon given how tight and form-fitting her dress was. "This isn't my first trip to the rodeo, little lady- what brings you to the casino?"
Eve approached Gordy's desk and took a seat, making sure to take advantage of the fitted green dress and its seductive slit up the one side. She leaned in over her beautifully crossed legs and said, "I understand you need a Dabo girl. Consider this my interview."
"W-where did you hear that?" Gordy replied, his voice betraying him in a nervous stammer.
The woman tossed her head, her heavily streaked chestnut mane brushing against her shoulders. She stared at him with thoughtful, whiskey colored eyes. "Every woman wanting to be a Dabo girl better have some powerful friends on her side. It's too bad Kamlia wasn't able to have one when she needed it. It might have made all the difference."
Gordy, despite his desire for profit, winced when Kamlia's name was mentioned. He took a closer look at the mystery woman. She didn't have quite the same appeal as the Nuvian woman who had been killed, but she possessed a brazen confidence that the other girl had lacked. And her legs went on for miles. "I don't see anyone else lining up for this kind of abuse. So you'll do. But about wages-"
"I'll do you one better, I'll work for tips only for one week... you can call it a trial period of sorts. If you aren't impressed, there's no commitment."
Gordy crossed his arms with a skeptical look on his squinched up face. "Some of our customers can get pretty rough- are you up for that?"
"I know how to protect myself," Eve replied sharply, her fist clenched involuntarily. "Just ask your boys outside."
He didn't need to hear any more. "You're hired. My name's Gordy." He stood and offered his hand and she grasped it firmly.
"I'm June."
The grumpy man frowned. "That's not very exotic."
The woman smiled coyly. "That's only what my family calls me. My friends call me Dulcinea."
Gordy shrugged as they walked together towards the pit downstairs. "Well, my sweet Dulcinea, this looks like it could be the start of a beautiful friendship."
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Anger "
(Previous Post was Susan's "Fighting Windmills")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Storage Compartment D-1142
Stardate: 63076.2215
The young woman took in a long, deep breath as she straightened out her dress. Some activities lent themselves with greater ease to a Dabo girl, but this latest one had proven to far more demanding and had required a great deal of strength and skill… at least when compared to what the redhead had been accustomed to doing at the casino.
The trail of clues about Kamlia's demise had brought the inquisitive young woman to this place under the pretense of meeting someone who had known someone who might have overheard something. As vague as it had all been, Rikar had not hesitated to jump at the chance of getting more than what she had thus far managed to gather… a great deal of nothing. Whoever had been responsible for this heinous act held a great deal of power on the station, enough to scare those who knew something into a deep and unwavering silence.
The shady alien had been most pleased to see the seductively dressed woman approach him, each step that she had taken to reduce the distance between them seemed to make the Andorian's heart race increasingly faster. The way his eyes had fallen onto the curves of her form and lingered on specific locations had left no doubts as to the nature of the payment he would require for the information Rikar had come here to get.
Her gentle, expert fingers traced the contour of the alien's face with such delicate precision that he almost fell to his knees in delight. Grinning from ear-to-ear, the Andorian refused to divulge the information that he had claimed to have before the young woman showed him what she had been truly capable of.
A devilishly playful grin formed on the young woman's pink lips as the tips of her fingers slowly traveled to the alien's neck. The shivers caused by her sensual touch had been impossible to escape and it was clear that the Andorian had expected to be taken to a world that he had only been able to dream about.
Slowly his eyes closed in response to the continued delicate caresses of the expert young woman's touch. Now, more vulnerable then he could have ever been, Rikar decided to take this little encounter to the next level… not desiring to spend any more time than required in this situation.
With skills and strength born of Starfleet training and field experience, the young woman sent the Andorian flat onto his back. Although surprised by the unexpected forcefulness of the act, the alien seemed pleased until he noted something in the redhead's eyes… anger.
When he tried to break free and return to his feet, the Andorian was met with a renewed force and a single queston… "Who killed Kamlia?"
The answer came in the form of a struggle, one that lasted several minutes and eventually left the Andorian unconscious behind a set of cargo crates.
With her dress now back in its pristine appearance, the young woman could leave the storage compartment secured in the knowledge that no word of what had transpired here would ever come out. Pride, even if misplaced, did have its usefulness and in this case Rikar knew that the Andorian would never dare to admit to anyone that he had been knocked off his feet by a mere Dabo girl… even one on a mission of anger.
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.2235
As if nothing had happened, the young woman made her way through the crowd of the Promenade… taking in the gaze of many around her who had apparently become interested in her.
"Hey hot stuff," the PYTHRON youth called out in a rather crude and suggestive manner, his posture hinted to some level of dissatisfaction. "I've heard that you have been busy."
Rikar froze in midstride and turned to look at Trodat, not ready to confirm or deny anything since he had not made any specific claims as to her use of what had in the end been her own time despite his claim to Gordy to the contrary. "Depends on what you mean," the redheaded woman offered in a teasing manner, certain that her charms would give her at the very least an edge that she would be able to use one more time.
"I'm just repeating what I have been told by some of my friends," the PYTHRON youth stated in such a way that shivers crawled up the young woman's spine. "You have been asking questions about that other Dabo girl."
"I just think it's not fair that the station's security and administration is going to let it go," the young woman explained as she played the wounded, innocent victim to near perfection. "I'm scared… of what happened to her and what could happen to me if this criminal is not stopped."
"My sweet Samantha," Trodat consoled, his right hand gently cradling the side of the young woman's face in an almost loving, caring manner. "I would never allow anyone to hurt you… that you have my solemn promise. As long as I am by your side, no one will ever dare to lay a finger on you… ever… not even my father."
The hint of anger in the PYTHRON's voice had been an unspoken indication as to the resources of his undisclosed friends… something that had not at all placed the young woman at ease. In fact the idea that Trodat would challenge his own father, even if not openly, had been a drastic change in he young man, a change of attitude and a gain of confidence that Rikar could not help but to be troubled by.
"Go back to the casino," the PYTHRON youth stated, almost as a command although his voice had carried in it a distinct tone of caring and concern. "I have a few things to look into first but I will join you for a drink… at that time we can talk about what outfit you will be wearing for me tonight."
The young woman knew that going up against Trodat at this time would not have been wise and that it would likely raise a great deal of questions about her motives and personal resources. For the time being, Rikar had conceded that her investigation would have to be put on hold and that enjoying the moment had been in her best interest.
With a thankful smile, the Dabo girl nodded her acknowledgement of the instructons she had received, placed a delicate kiss on the PYTHRON youth's cheek and headed for the Casino's back door used by the employees. After all there hd been no reason to attract any unneeded attention or even be seen by the Casino's owner who would likely have a few questions of his own for her.
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Casino
Stardate: 63076.2250
The young woman sat at one of the tables of the upper level, one that over looked the gambling tables below. From this vantage point Rikar could see the greater majority of the casino as well as the people who came and went. Although her hands had been firmly around her drink, the redhead's attention had been far beyond the reach of her immediate surroundings.
When the door to Gordy's office opened, the attention of the redhead was instantly drawn to the sultry green dressed woman who had stepped out of the owner's office; the tight and form-fitting garment hugged the unknown woman's form in such a way that the sitting Dabo girl had found herself drawn into a world of endless possibilities. The momentary escape from the chaos and trouble that this place seemed to constantly provide had been a most welcomed contrast to what she suspected would be in store for the evening's entertainment.
Such ideas had not been foreign to Rikar and for a moment the young woman allowed herself to imagine and explore some of the adventures the two women could share… that was until the redheaded woman realized *who* this new girl was. Gordy had wasted no time in replacing Kamlia, and that alone had insured that new Dabo girl would stand on the wrong side of the battle that would sooner or later unfold.
The question was… would Rikar allow her anger to take control of this situation and bring Trodat and is friends into this matter or would she calm herself before then?
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
---
"Sneaking Around in Little Feet Can Be Hazardous to Your Health"
(Previous Post: "Anger")
---
Setting: USS HATHOR, Transporter Room
Stardate: 63076.2200
With the Senior Staff on the VALLA ROYAL, the small Shillian primate had been able to travel through the ship with much greater ease and speed, the rest of the personnel onboard having been busy with maintaining the cloaking device and keeping the ship out of the way of the PYTHRON battle cruiser that had taken an unsavoury liking to the orbital station. The ability to move about more freely had alas not helped the transformed Chief Science Officer in her latest task, that of reprogramming the computer to insure that no trace of what she had planned on doing would be recorded. What would have been the point of her having been so diligent in her staying hidden for all this time if a simple transporter record could point not only to her presence b also to her identity?
Without a direct link to the orbital station, the only way for the Shillian to take part in this little adventure had been to beam over, a simple task for a two-legged humanoid but not such an easy one for a miniature primate who had done her absolute best to remain undetected. For a while the Chief Science Officer had considered staying on-board the HATHOR as she contemplated the many possible problems involved in her return to the ship. Whatever difficulties the polymorphed scientist had faced thus far to get to the VALLA ROYAL would be multiplied by several folds in her efforts to undertake a similar return trip. Still the thrill of the adventure that lay ahead and the possibility of her fellow shipmates needing a little assistance had been enough to make the shape-shifted Shillian decide to go on with this plan and to face the challenges of her return when that time would come.
---
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63076.2245
Beaming into a section of the VALLA ROYAL that had been less frequented so as to avoid detection had proven to be a far more difficult task than the Chief Science Officer had originally expected. Without access to the full array of sensors available on the HATHOR, he Shillian primate had been forced to rely on passive surface scans which had greatly limited her selection of possible transport destination, still the shape-shifted scientist had managed to find a small alley that seemed to be seldom travelled.
Once on the station, the small Shillian Primate was force to quickly scamper off out of sight as a drunken miner was tossed out of the establishment he had been in, likely in response to some unacceptable behaviour. Although this unexpected event had proven to be a little unsettling for the Shillian, it had also granted her with a golden opportunity to enter the building thus leaving behind the alley and whatever dangers might be lurking in the shadows. Federation starbases and orbital outposts were renowned for their cleanness to the point of almost being sterile, two descriptions that had been far from labelling the area in which the Shillian had found herself in only a few seconds ago.
As the door closed behind the small primate, the Shillian began to wonder if coming onboard the VALLA ROYAL had not bee a grave mistake, one that had been compounded by her having rushed into the establishment unaware of the chaos that reigned therein. For a humanoid, the nature of this chaos had been nothing special; just the normal hustling and bustling of people going about their business in a bar and casino, but to a small Shillian primate the large, heavy dirty boots of the miners and the sharp stiletto heels of the Dabo girls had been nothing short of deadly.
With urgent haste the transformed Shillian found a support column that she could climb and quickly vanished up its height to what she hoped would be a quieter and safer level from which she might be able to locate a friendly face.
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
==========
"Blame it on a Woman"
(Previous Post: "Sneaking Around in Little Feet Can Be Hazardous to Your Health")
"We are known to our friends by a look in our eyes that we never see in a mirror."
-Robert Brault
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Casino
Stardate: 63076.2300
The casino floor was a cacophany of sound, light, and movement. Eve was trying to absorb it all and not look like a wide eyed schoolgirl among wolves. Like everything else on VALLA ROYAL, the size of the place was impressive and the sheer amount of people there was staggering. The Counsellor had no idea how the others were doing in their pursuits, but finding anything or anyone in all this was going to be a challenge.
Meanwhile, Samantha had moved down to the floor, following the woman with her eyes. The woman was at least two or three inches taller than her, and seemed to move purposefully through the crowd. An air of hostility rose within the former officer, even though the exact reason was uncertain. A rush of adrenaline was making it hard for her to stay in control. But all the same, something compelled her to come closer.
Eve knew that her saucy look demanded attention, especially from the male customers, and she played it for all it was worth. After all, she would be working for tips only tonight. But as she walked through the den of gamblers and sinners, her trained eye caught the unflinching gaze of a familiar face, if not with a familiar expression.
It was Captain Sabrina Rikar.
Eve stifled a gasp. She tried not to stare and succeeded... almost. There was pure bile in her Commanding Officer's look as if she wanted to throw down right there and fight. Eve couldn't imagine what she or Dulcinea had done to anger her so... unless she felt somehow threatened. Eve's first concern would have normally been not blowing her cover. But even with their mutual training, Eve believed wholeheartedly that 'Samantha' was not currently aware of their shared history.
Gordy was nearly done showing Dulcinea around. "And finally, this is Samantha. When she isn't gallavanting around the station she's one of the best girls we've got."
"I am the best," Samantha asserted, still scrutinizing every detail about the new arrival. Gordy didn't seem as angry about her absence as she had expected. Perhaps the new girl had distracted him.
"A pleasure," Eve said congenially, hand outstretched.
The redhead wasn't about to play nice with the intruder. "Kamlia's table isn't even cold yet," Samantha spat, her eyes icy daggers.
Gordy could sense the discord between them, but as long as it didn't affect business, whatever petty differences they had were trivial as far as he was concerned. He decided it was time to go back upstairs and count his money and check on his henchmen.
Eve could feel a lump in her throat. Captain Rikar didn't know who she was. "I'm sorry for the loss of your friend."
"She wasn't a friend. She was someone who didn't deserve to die."
"I agree with you," Eve responded, trying to grasp onto something familiar with the current Dabo girl. what the hell had happened to her?
Samantha had readied a retort, but fell silent. Of all the answers she was expecting from the impromptu nemesis, her agreement wasn't one of them. "Just stay out of my way."
"Sure," Eve offered weakly as the redhead stalked off. It was too bad she was already thinking about how many ways she would be breaking that promise.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Red Tape"
[Previous Post: "Blame It On A Woman"]
####################
<< The bureaucratic mentality is the only constant in the universe. >>
- Leonard McCoy, M.D.
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Administrative Level
Stardate: 63076.2315
"These people would get along with the Chandrans famously," the Native American commented to no one in particular while he and his *bodyguard* waited to speak to the next of a long line of station officials they had been sent to see in regards to their query about the remains of the XANTUL.
"With all due respect," the Oltharian added as he matched the whispered tone of his Commanding Officer, "I believe that the Chandrans might actually grow tired of these people," Elan remarked knowing all too well that the race he had spoken of had been known as one of the more serene and calm of the galaxy, their simple "greeting" taking nearly 75 EARTH hours.
Erik and Elan both instinctively stood more at attention when an official approached them, his attention locked on one of the several PADDs that had crossed the Native Amrecian's hands. "Mr. Starr," the VALLA ROYAL administrator began, never taking his gaze from the device in his hands. "I see that you re making a claim for the remains of a ship that exploded within our perimeter just as it was about to dock."
"Actually we are only interested in seeing if some of the cargo that had been onboard had survived," Erik corrected yet again. Apparently details were something that these people were resistant to; either that or they were in a habit of making things as difficult as possible for anyone coming to their administrative level. "As you can see by all of the documentation we have provided your underlings, our claim to the merchandise is legitimate. At this point, our investors are simply curious as to whether or not this shipment was a complete loss."
"Your investors actually put money into 17 Mark II single alignment Computer Cores?" The VALLA ROYAL official sarcastically demanded, those components having been out of date and out of circulation for more than 40 years.
"The flimsier the product, the higher the price," Elan offered, rather proud of himself for having recalled one of the Rules of Acquisition which Commander Quint, the NEW ALEXANDRIA's Gamma Shift Chief of Operations, had been more than happy to teach anyone who cared to learn them.
Appearing rather unimpressed the VALLA ROYAL official simple rolled his eyes and turned to a nearby console and the man operating it. "Check this cargo hold and report on the status of these parts," the Administrator instructed having made sure to keep any information that might be used by the duo to locate their cargo before they had been cleared to do so.
The man at the console quickly went to work and reported his findings as soon as they had become available. "I can only confirm the presence of 7 Computer cores in the stated cargo hold, but there is no way to know as to their working conditions. We would need to make a direct inspection for that."
The answer that had been given had clearly not been one that the Administrator had been happy with as he sighed in dismay. "Looks like some of your merchandise indeed survived. I will have to dispatch a crew to investigate the status of the items in question before we can release them to your custody; in the meantime you are welcomed to make use of the many recreational activities that are offered on the station. Give your name and where you can be reached at, we will get back to you as soon as we have completed our investigation," and with that the Administrator left not at all trying to hide his discontent.
"Guess we did something to upset him," Erik half chuckled, not having expected this kind of reaction.
"We have to write up the report on your request, provide copies of your claim to both legal and archives, confirm all proofs of ownership, locate, equip and dispatch a team, process and validate their report, have you contacted so that you can come here to sign the report thus accepting that the merchandise is in fact in the condition that it was found in and that the damage was not in any way the responsibility of the VALLA ROYAL or its staff, arrange for proper security to be set for the transfer, contact you again to set up a mutually convenient time for your taking possession of said merchandise, sign receipt of said merchandise," the console operator explained apparently sharing in his superior's displeasure.
"We'll be waiting for your call," Erik quickly offered as he gave the man their contact information.
Not having wanted to remain on the Administrative deck of the VALLA ROYAL for a second longer than they needed to, Erik and Elan headed fort he nearest lift and boarded it as soon as it became available.
"Did we get it?" The Native American whispered in a hopeful tone.
The Oltharian grinned as he pulled out a device from his pocket which appeared rather small when compared to the size of the Engineer's hand. "Cargo hold G-0031, located on the secondary docking level. I doubt Ensign Fanggot will have any problems getting in and out of there without being detected."
"Perfect," the Native American sighed happily. "Finally, something's going our way. Relay the data to Hex and tell her proceed with caution."
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
" Troubled "
(Previous Post was Francois' "Red Tape")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Ambassadorial Quarters
Stardate: 63077.0230
The young woman lay on the bed wide awake… her gaze locked on the PYTHRON decoration that hung overhead… the light from the distant stars that had managed to find its way into these quarters had almost made the sculpture seem alive. The redhead slowly turned her head to see the Pythron youth asleep by her side, apparently exhausted from the events of the last several hours. The lack of decorum in his current pose had only reflected the man's general attitude towards his own position within his world's hierarchy.
Trodat did not appreciate the unique status that his role as the Ambassador's son had granted him, nor the responsibilities that this same position had demanded of him. As far as the PYTHRON youth had been concerned the universe owed him respect and praise for simply being who he was. Unfortunately the son of Gerran had apparently made some powerful friends what had only strengthened this twisted and delusional vision of his importance in the universe.
Rikar sighed and returned her attention to the shifting shadows that surrounded the overhead decoration, her thoughts lost on people and feelings that did not belong to this time and place. Dulcinea, the new Dabo girl had been prominent on the young woman's mind mainly because the redhead could not understand how she could feel how she did towards her. The anger for her having come in to replace Kamlia had been natural, almost logical, but had she felt this sense of familiarity with this woman?
Unable to get any rest… be it of mind or body, the young woman pushed her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up. The redhead paused for an instant as her eyes caught a glimpse of the PYTHRON battle cruise against the darkness of space beyond the station… a ship captained by a dear and close friend of the youth peacefully sleeping nearby.
"What are you up to Trodat?" Rikar quietly inquired of the slumbering youth as she gazed back over her shoulder at him. "The presence of that battle cruiser here and your increased arrogance, even with me is just the tip of the iceberg… you're up to something and I am afraid of what that might mean… for all of us."
The sound of strange, out-worldly whispers drew the young woman's attention to the shadows on the other side of the room that would have been large enough to house an entire platoon of Starfleet Marines. Slowly, carefully, the redheaded woman moved closer to where she had thought he sound had originated from, not at all bothered by her own vulnerable nakedness.
Years of training and experience, none of which the woman responding to the name of Samantha knew she had, countered the young woman's natural instinct to flee and hide. There had been some sort of mystery at play and the redhead had every intentions of getting to the bottom of it.
The whispering had grown louder for a brief moment before it had completely stopped… the absolute silence urging the young woman on even more than the strange sound had. From the corner of her eyes Rikar saw what she had initially believed to be six small specks of lights… like tiny stars that held in them a coldness that originated from another world… another dimension.
==========
Setting: Dreamscape
The shadows that the young woman had been walking through had been replaced by complete darkness, a void that not only reached into the realm of light but also touched dimensions and time. Wherever *here* was… the only way to accurately describe it had been with a single world… nothing.
"I have a headache."
"You should… you got hit pretty hard."
Samantha had heard herself speak even though her pink lips had not uttered the words. Likewise the young woman had heard the man's reply despite no sound having breached the complete *nothingness* that had surrounded her.
"What was that sound?" The redhead inquired, barely able to recall the strange noise that had somehow led her to be here… wherever here had been.
"Whispered thoughts from another world? An imagination gone mad or a madness exploring its imagination? Maybe it was the sound of your own thoughts trying to get back into your head."
Samantha wanted to argue with this unknown yet all too familiar voice, but she could not form the words or the thoughts that would have been needed to form the words before hand. That voice had been with her before… when she ha ben alone… it had always been there… helping… guiding. Having accepted the situation for what it had been, all that the young woman could do was to continue exploring the thoughts that this strange place brought into focus.
"What were those lights? Six of them… so small… so cold… as if I had been looking into the abyss itself."
"Some claim that the shadows are alive… if they are, should they not need eyes to see into the souls of their prey? Maybe what you saw was them looking into your soul or you looking into the darkness to see just how cold and empty nothing is."
A sudden surge of pain forced the young woman down to her knees, only now making her realize that she had been standing.
"This headache is KILLING ME!" Samantha said as she clutched her hands to her head as if trying to prevent it from suddenly exploding.
"Relax," a woman's voice said, this one having come not from within but from somewhere beyond the nothingness. "There is still a lot for you to understand, right now though you have more immediate matters to be concerned with."
The young woman forced her eyes open despite her expectation to see nothing. Instead Rikar was surprised to see someone looking back at her… someone who appeared very much like herself but also at the same time very different.
"Sa… Sabrina?"
"Not yet… you are not ready… just relax and know this… your friends are here."
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as...
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
---
"Keeping Little Eyes on a Very Big Problem"
(Previous Post: "Troubled")
---
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Ambassadorial Quarters
Stardate: 63077.0245
Once the shape-shifted Shillian had managed to find a quiet spot to oversee the action in the Casino without either being discovered or trampled, the small primate had been able to locate several members of the crew of the ANUBIS. Most notably had been the crimson-haired Captain herself, a woman who had vanished from NEW ALEXANDRIA to search for something that could only be found deep within her own psyche, a sentiment that the Chief Science Officer had been all too familiar with.
The small Trusa had managed to keep track of the redheaded Commanding Officer of the USS ANUBIS turned Dabo girl as she made her way through the station arm-in-arm with a young-looking diplomat. There had been something about the way that man moved and kept Sabrina close to him that the Shillian did not care for, as if he had been controlling her in some way. What truly bothered the polymorphed Starfleet Officer had been that Captain Rikar seemed to be following the lead and commands of this man of her own free will.
Had Sabrina Rikar lost herself so completely in her search for the meaning of her life that she had forsaken what had made her the person that she had been? Had the Captain somehow forgotten, either by choice or accident, the strong and confident woman that she had been, a person who had survived countless ordeals and repeatedly faced death to emerge as the Commanding Officer of one of the most powerful vessels in Starfleet?
Ironically the Shillian thought for a moment that Captain Rikar might have spoken similar words on behalf of the Chief Science Officer had the seductively dressed woman been aware of the presence of the Trusa and the reasons and chain of events that had brought it here. Had the shape-shifted primate, in its more diminutive form been in search of something that could only be found within her or had she been trying to run away from the pain the world around her seemed to have ample supply of?
The answers to those questions would have to wait for both of them; in the meantime the Shillian Scientist turned miniature extinct primate had decided that she would make sure that no harm came to Captain while this process unfolded. So the shape-shifted woman followed the submissive Dabo girl to the Ambassadorial quarters where the pair quickly engaged in activities that required privacy that the Shillian had been most then happy to accomodate.
In time though the Shillian ventured an inquisitive glance after a peaceful silence had settled into the room. This had allowed for the shape-shifted Scientist to see the Captain walk through the shadow filled darkness only to suddenly fall to the ground as if something unseen had hit her. Although the first reaction had been to jump down to the rescue, the Chief Science Officer remained still and continued her observation of the situation suspecting that there had been more than the eyes could see.
Blood turned to ice as the Chief Science Officer saw two unmistakable forms phase out of the shadows and into view, the black exoskeleton and nightmarish figure only added to the foreboding aura that had suddenly filled the room. Without any care for the lack of clothing of the unconscious woman, the trans-dimensional beings lifted the limp form and carried her to another location.
With all available haste the Shillian proceeded to follow the Locustat invaders as they moved through the corridors with inhuman speed and agility, not appearing in anyways concerned for the wellbeing or comfort of their captive. The Trusa had to use every ounce of skill and speed at its disposal to keep pace with the alien creatures so as to insure that the whereabouts of Captain Rikar would be known to someone.
---
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Quarters
Stardate: 63077.0310
Ensign Eve Dalziel, currently known to those on the VALLA ROYAL orbital space station as the Dabo girl Dulcinea, stepped into her quarters, tired and aching. The night had been a long one, not because of the work that the undercover Officer had been forced to do as part of her new identity, but because of the dirty and all too often smelly company she had been required to endure.
The plan had been a simple one, the Counselor of the USS ANUBIS would return to the quarters that had been secured for her, take a much needed shower and get some rest before she resumed her efforts to reach the subdued persona of Captain Rikar. This plan had been perfect save one detail; a PADD that had not been there before had for a yet undetermined reason been left on the floor for the tired woman to find.
Only a few words had been made to appear on the small device, [/\] Rikar captured H-0101 extreme danger, [/\] but what truly caught the attention of the fatigued Officer had been the security codes that had followed the cryptic message identifying it as being genuine from someone with direct links to the Senior Staff of the USS ANUBIS.
Upon rereading the content of the device Eve decided that her need for a shower and rest were no longer important, something far more urgent had surfaced and required her immediate attention and action.
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
==========
" Changes "
(Previous Post was Jessica's "Keeping Little Eyes on a Very Big Problem")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, H-0101
Stardate: 63077.0330
The young woman slowly opened her eyes, the grogginess of her thoughts having finally dissipated enough for her to regain some level of control and awareness of her surroundings. A cold chill swept across her skin to make her realize that she had been completely naked… and her inability to immediately cover herself in any way had been the only indication the redheaded woman had required to know that she had been bound.
"Trodat!" Rikar began as she forced the last of the fogginess from her thoughts, "this isn't funny. If you wanted to tie me down to play, we could have come up with an easier way to do this," the captive Dabo girl continued, her efforts to free herself from the tight bounds keeping her on the lonely chair amidst the empty room having been pointless.
Although the vulnerable young woman had hoped that this had indeed been some sort of game initiated by the PYTHRON youth, the securely bound redhead had feared that this situation had been about something far more serious. The single spotlight that shun down on her and the obvious echo of her earlier words had made it clear that she had been taken to another location… where she had been set to be alone in the middle of a large vacant room.
"This is no game," a deep male voice calmly uttered from beyond the darkness… a voice that held within it a level of anger and loathing that could have only belonged to a single individual onboard the VALLA ROYAL.
"Ambassador… this is all a grave misunderstanding," the young woman pleaded, her voice as soft and delicate as silk… echoing a despair born out of innocence… yet her hands continued to search for a weakness in the rope that held her body firmly against the chair.
"Spare me your platitudes," Gerran hissed… the venom in his words having been almost tangible. "You are nothing but a tramp and once you have served your purpose here you will be disposed as the trash that you are," he added as the back of his imposing hand reached from beyond the darkness to strike the bound woman so hard that the chair was knocked off balance o the ground.
"I am no threat to you," Samantha tearfully gasped in a desperate attempt to regain some level of control over the situation… the taste of iron had already begun to fill the young woman's mouth, her pink lips clearly displayed the stain of the crimson liquid that had been set free by the brutality of the strike against her face. Whatever angel the Ambassador held against the redheaded Dabo girl had not been held back in the slightest and would likely only grow as this continued.
Unseen hands promptly brought the chair back to its original position at the center of the beam of light, as if insuring that the young woman's humiliation would be complete and absolute. Before the redheaded woman could offer anything in her defense, the same backhand reached once again from beyond the darkness, this time striking from the opposing side. Although the chair remained in place, a shower of ruby droplets was made to paint the darkness for a few eternal seconds.
"Why?" the young woman forced out through the pain of the latest assault that she had been the target of… not that she had been given a choice to the contrary. Tied as she had been, the Ambassador had complete freedom to do with the Dabo girl as he desired and with as much force as he cared to use.
"Because my *associates* are more than happy to help me in whatever ways I desire… because they want to see me happy," the Ambassador admitted with glee, "and because causing you pain makes *me* happy." Without any further warning the Ambassador's hand emerged from the darkness once more and caused another spray of red droplets to erupt from between the young woman's lips.
Dizzy from the repeated strikes made against her, the young woman had to fight against the growing desire to allow her consciousness from slipping away. Once unconscious it had been very likely that the Ambassador would lose his perverse interest in the Dabo girl and that she would be made to forfeit her life at that point. As strange as it seemed, Rikar figured that in order to stay alive she needed to endure this treatment for as long as possible, testing her will against that of the Ambassador.
What the captive redheaded heard next made her soul freeze as thoughts of her last moments alive filled her mind… the sounds of bones being crushed into nothingness filled the entire room followed shortly afterwards by a last breath. When the young woman realized that this last breath had not been hers, she forced her eyes opened to see the broken form of the Pythronian Ambassador at her feet. The expression of complete terror that had engraved onto his features had insured that this moment would forever remain in the nightmares of the prisoner.
Confusion filled Rikar's mind as she desperately tried to understand what had just happened… so many questions and so few answers… all of this made no sense and yet here she was… bound to a chair with a dead Ambassador at her feet. Who or what had been behind all this and more important why? Out of the darkness that had embraced the Ambassador before his brutal death a form began to appear and thorugh it some of the questions that had haunted the young woman were answered without words having been spoken.
The alien shape of the Locustat stood against the darkness that had engulfed the room almost as if the two had been one and the same. The unexpected yet not entirely surprising presence of these inter-dimensional beings had explained a great many things, but still something had been missing… that was until another puzzle came to be added to the solving of this mystery.
"Nasty," an all too familiar voice playfully offered, "very nasty… I love it." As the form of the Ambassador's son emerged from the shadows next to that of the Locustat, the Dabo girl became even more puzzled. The expression on the young woman's face actually amused Trodat who leaned in to admire his father's handy work on Samantha's face. "Bet you are wondering what just happened. Tell you what… since you and I had so much fun together, I'll explain it all to you," the man said almost laughing. "I doubt you will actually understand… after all you are but a Dabo girl and your type is only good for one thing… pleasure."
The faint hope that she had reach the end of this ordeal instantly vanished as the redheaded woman began to piece together some of the events that had taken place. The PYTHRON youth had not been her savior but likely the reason for this entire drama.
"You see," the PYTHRON youth began as he knelled down over the shattered body of his father, "a couple of years ago daddy dearest made a deal with some very powerful friends… actually they like to be referred to as *associates* as Mister Mortan refers to them. They promised my father wealth and power by making him an Ambassador and in return all he had to do was to get some key people in positions of control back on our homeworld. As an Ambassador he was able to act to save me from a rather unpleasant situation. Once back home I quickly realized that these Associates could do a lot more for our family… and mostly for me, so I started dealing with them directly. I would help them take care of certain things and position *my* people where they were needed the most… in return my new found friends would give me everything that I wanted." Trodat paused for a moment as he gazed down at the body of his father, obviously not at all troubled by the fact that he had just been killed in a most gruesome way. "Gerran was a fool," the PYTHRON youth continued. "To be satisfied with the minor glory of being a simple Ambassador… my plans were much bigger and *my* associates were very happy to help me in whatever way they could."
"Trodat," Samantha began with the hopes of getting the youth to talk more thus increasing the odds of her being ale to find a way to get out of this situation. "You are a good person at heart, I know this. You always said that you despised your father for what he did… for the type of person he was."
"I did," the youth grinned. "He was a small man with a small vision of his role in the fate of the galaxy. I am nothing like him… by the end of today the *Ambassador* will have been found guilty on two counts of murder; those of some poor innocent Dabo girls on the VALLAY ROYAL, and I will be acclaimed as the hero that brought down our corrupted government of which my own father was a member of. By the time the dust settles and all remnants of the old government are disposed of, I will be sitting at the head of the grand council table as the new Supreme Chancellor."
"You… you killed Kamlia?" Samantha gasped in disbelief having held on to the fact that Trodat had said his father would be held accountable for the death of *two* Dabo girls. How could she have been so blind? How could the one responsible be so close to her without her knowing? Guilt quickly filled the young woman's soul as she considered herself responsible for the Dabo girl's death… a death that Rikar believed she could have stopped had she been more than what she had been.
"*Killed* is such an unattractive word," the PYTHRON youth countered, his voice as cold and smooth as ice. "Let's just say that her last moment were *eventful*… and I assure you that yours will be equally as much."
A purely evil smile came to grace Trodat's features as he leaned in to gaze into the redhead's fear filled eyes before his hand took hold of her delicate throat. Unable to fight his hold of her, all that the young woman could do was to feel her lungs cry out for the air that they had been deprived of and to see her vision become increasingly blurred as her consciousness faded into nothingness.
==========
Setting: Dreamscape
"How could I have been such a fool?" The woman dressed as a seductive Dabo girl asked of her twin dressed in a Starfleet uniform.
"Because you never thought of the consequences," Sabrina replied without emotions.
"Don't tell me that your way was so much better," Samantha spat. "How many people died because of you? How many people suffered because of actions you took or even those you failed to do?"
"Too many," the Starfleet Officer agreed. "But as much as you want to believe that you and I are completely different, think about this… you failed to see Trodat for who he was and because of that Kamlia died."
Samantha had been ready to offer a rebuttal but in the end the seductively dressed redhead remained silent.
"Maybe she still would have died had you been more like me… but I know that we would not have fallen into this trap and face our own death like this… naked… alone.
"We are not alone," the Dabo girl said suddenly as a sparkle of hope appeared in her eyes. "You said it yourself. Our friends are here."
"Yes," Sabrina calmly agreed as a smile came to dance on her pink lips. "Now all we have to do is hope that Eve and the others will actually want to save us. You were less than friendly with her the last time you saw each other."
"She will come for me," the Dabo girl said allowing her hope to lace her every word.
"I know she would have come to save *me*," Sabrina corrected. "The question is will she come and risk the others to save *you*?"
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"Dancing With Shadows"
(Previous Post: "Changes")
“A friend is someone who dances with you in the sunlight, And walks with you in the shadows.”
-Unknown
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Promenade
Stardate: 63077.0320
Despite the fact that it was late in the evening, or maybe early in the morning, the space station showed no signs of a Terran circadian rhythm. There was still the same level of noise, light, and movement as there had been hours before, nearly dizzying the disguised officer with its relentless assault.
The Dabo girl known as Dulcinea pushed through the crowds with a singular purpose; get to area H-0101 with utmost speed. Thoughts of sleep had been brushed aside quickly, the adrenaline pumping through the Cardassian born woman's veins with a vengeance.
The Captain was in danger, a far more sinister danger beyond the lack of recognition of who she was. That by itself had been dire enough, as far as the Counsellor was concerned. Eve had wanted nothing more than to speak with her, and try to unlock the secrets of her tortured mind. But fate had something else in store for them first.
Eve knew as much as she wanted to go to Rikar's aide with guns blazing and fists flying, it would be reckless to go alone. Not only could she be outnumbered, but there was a large chance the redhead wouldn't trust her. Samantha saw Dulcinea as an intruder at the very least. Therefore, assistance was needed. The two officers closest to her in proximity were down one of the side streets following up leads on the Klingon purported to have murdered Kamlia.
With a sharp turn to the left, Eve trailed after her crewmates, hoping that it was not too late.
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Zeiliin Street, outside Shooting Star Bar
Stardate: 63077.0324
Aki stifled a groan. She'd now seen the inside of more seedy establishments than an Orion slave girl... or perhaps a Ferengi barkeep. Her feet hurt and her head was pounding. She should have never sipped on that synthetic champagne in the third place they went to. But, it was a complimentary honeymoon toast according to the owner; there was no way to gracefully refuse.
"And how's my honey bear?" ET asked with forced cheerfulness. It had been frustrating that they hadn't turned up a single lead on the Klingon seen with Kamlia on the night she was killed. It was as if the murderer was a figment of their imagination. But the tortured body of the Nuvian woman had been real.
Aki elbowed him in the ribs gently. "If we don't find something soon, all this honey's going to be dried up and all you'll be left with is the bear."
Elliot snorted a little as the both the verbal and physical jabs found their mark. He turned her to face him, held in a soft embrace. "Is this how you're like in the morning?"
Ensign Mitshiba thought for a minute, a wry smile forming on her face. "I hope not. Although I'm kind of grouchy without my caffeine."
ET gently stroked his hand along her chin. "I think I'd like to see it in person to find out if there is any truth in that statement."
Despite the annoyance and irritation of the wild goose chase they were on, Akira found herself enjoying the time she was spending with Elliot. There were no conditions on their time together here. There were sometimes conditions during their time spent on the ANUBIS; the unbearable weight of their duty and their history, something they both chose willingly. Only time would tell if they would choose each other as well.
"Maybe we should move to the other side of the str-" Aki offered as ET leaned in for a quick kiss. She could feel some of her inhibitions slide away as they publicly displayed their mutual affection. After a long pause, Mitshiba realized again where they were and what they were trying to do. "ET," she said breathlessly.
"What?" Elliot asked playfully.
"We should check out the other side of the street," Aki replied, her cheeks flushed. ET was about to honor his 'betrothed's' request when they were met by a very agitated ship's Counsellor.
Eve spoke with a forceful quietness. "Not now. You're both coming with me."
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, H-0101, outside corridor
Stardate: 63077.0332
Once they reached the silent recesses of the station, Eve tried to explain why she had diverted them from their pursuits.
"So you're saying the message was from one of the senior staff?" ET asked.
"Yes," Ensign Dalziel replied. "I can only pray that I saw it in time."
The three of them approached a large blue door; it was the only one, near the end of the corridor.
"This has to be it," Eve said, examining the control panel to the right. Of course it was locked and encrypted.
"Let me work on that," Aki said as she pulled the panel off and started fiddling with the circuitry.
From the long sleeve of her dress Eve produced a pocket knife which she handed to Ensign Mitshiba. "Once we get in, I want the two of you to stay back." Thankfully Eve's training served to direct her frenetic thoughts towards practical matters.
"There may be a whole gang in there," Ensign Thomas said.
Eve reached down and took a slender weapon off of its hiding place, a strap holster near her left thigh. "That's exactly why we need an element of surprise." She handed the weapon to Elliot. "It's a specially modified phaser... just smaller than usual. I would suggest the heavy stun setting." ET looked a little disappointed.
Eve empathized with him. "I'm with you, but we can't afford to make any enemies here other than what Captain Rikar has on her hands already." If any of the legal or illegal factions were offended by their meddling in any way, or if one of their ranks ended up dead, that would be too much to answer to. There was also the safety of Morningstar, Fairborn, and Fanggot to consider.
The sound of snapping wire and a faint beeping told Eve that Aki had been successful. "This is it, stand out of sight," Eve said as she glanced at her two companions, took a deep breath, paused, and barrelled through the door.
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, H-0101, interior
Stardate: 63077.0333
The room was nearly bare, a large spotlight the only illumination. Eve's jaw slackened as she gazed upon three figures. One was an older Pythron man, mortally injured on the floor. One was a young Pythron, who looked at her arrival with surprise and contempt, and the last was the bound and naked body of Samantha Rikar. The chair she was tied to seemed to be the only thing holding her upright. The hands of the Pythron had been wrapped tightly around Samantha's slender neck, but by the grace of Eve's arrival he had stopped choking her... for now.
Even though there were a few seconds of awkward silence between them, a flurry of whispers filled the dead space outside of the ring of light. Who or what was watching them?
"You.. stop!" Eve found her voice and focused all her energy towards the man who was torturing the Commanding Officer.
Trodat looked stunned. He examined Eve up and down, but he saw nothing but a Dabo girl. "Why should I?"
Eve wished she could be honest with him. But there was no time and no chance he would believe her. "Because she is my property!"
Trodat laughed maddeningly. "You should take better care of your things then," he said, gesturing to the bloodied and bruised woman.
"That is what I am here to do." Eve carefully watched Rikar to see if there were any signs she was still breathing. At the very least she was unconscious. Ensign Dalziel took a step back from the Pythron Ambassador's son, feigning fear.
Trodat saw this as his chance to make a move. "Never mind with your excuses. I can handle three Dabo girls as easily as two."
Eve took advantage of his arrogance and landed a solid kick with her right leg to the approximate location of his ribcage. Trodat stumbled back, wincing.
The Intel trained officer stomped on his foot hard with her thick heeled shoe, then when he bent over, elbowed him across the chin roughly. There was a dull cracking noise, possibly Trodat's jaw. This time it was his blood to taste.
"Is that the only way you can dominate a woman.. by tying her up!?" Eve screamed.
Trodat smacked Eve across the face backhand which sent her reeling. Finding no immediate resistance, he went in for another hit. Eve grasped his arm, forcing it behind his back in a very unnatural position. She used the leverage and pain to push him to the floor, straddling him. She grasped the back of his head, beating his face into the hard cold floor, punctuating her words with each hit. "I told you... she... is... mine."
"Eve!" Aki said, trying to stop her from killing the man. She and ET had been watching, not wanting to interfere.
Not believing at first that Trodat was truly incapacitated, Eve let go of him. He was writhing a little, but was not trying to fight back or flee.
"S-Samantha," Eve stammered, rising to her feet, trying to stay in character for the injured woman's benefit, wanting some kind of response. The redhead was as limp as a rag doll and impossibly pale. Eve reached down with shaking hands and unfastened the bottom portion of her skirt, using it to cover the Captain's unclothed form. Aki still had the knife and she was making quick work freeing the Captain from her bindings. Eve tried to feel a pulse in the woman's wrist; it was a little thready but present.
"What about him?" ET asked, looking at the Pythron youth lying on the floor.
Eve tossed a piece of the ropes they had just removed from Rikar to Ensign Thomas. "Make sure he's restrained... anything more and we won't be able to explain it to Starfleet Command." Eve wanted nothing more than to crush the man's skull, but that would complicate things considerably.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Shadow Dealings"
[Previous Post: "Dancing With Shadows"]
####################
<< And so it begins.>>
- Ambassador Kosh
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Corridor
Stardate: 63077.0310
As guests of the VALLA ROYAL, the business man and his bodyguard had been supplied with basic quarters while they waited for the outcome of the investigation into the state of the computer cores that the duo had officially come here to claim. In order to maintain their cover though, the Native American and Oltharian had been forced to remain in these quarters instead of joining the others in search of information and the ANUBIS' missing CO.
On the bright side of things this had allowed the HATHOR's CO to establish a sort of command post from which they would be able to coordinate their efforts. At least that had been the idea, an idea that had not been as of yet implemented.
"So?" Erik inquired of the Chief Engineer; the fact that their combined knowledge and expertise had not found a solution to their problem had been frustrating to say the least.
"There is no way to get any sort of communication to or from the HATHOR," the Oltharian replied with a sigh. "In fact we can't even contact the rest of the team."
"Is the VALLA ROYAL jamming our communications, and if so why?" The Native American inquired to no one in particular hoping that thinking out loud might enable him to think of something that he had not considered before. "Did we do something to blow our cover and is the rest of the team in danger?" Erik's frustration had only mounted over the last hour, the same unanswered questions having repeated in his head non-stop.
"I think I may have something," the Oltharian announced as the small view screen on the desk came to life. "Since I was unable to get any information from the communication's array of the VALLA ROYAL, I thought I would try something different and tap into the orbital sensors, those that insure that the station does no crash into the planet."
"Those sensors would only be directed to the planet and will be of little use to us," Captain Morningstar pointed out, somewhat puzzled by the line of thinking of the Oltharian.
"We have been working on the idea that it was the VALLA ROYAL which was blocking communications, but they have no reason to do this, so what if we have been working on a wrong assumption?" Elan offered with a smile as he turned the monitor to face the visibly confused CO. On the screen, a representation of the VALLA ROYAL orbital station in relation to the planet had been displayed, as well as an energy field surrounding the station.
"Where is that field coming from? The planet?" Erik asked, having already gathered that this had been the cause of their inability to communicate with anyone else.
Instead of voicing his reply, the Oltharian simply modified the display to include the surrounding space and ships contained therein. A single beam of energy could now be seen emanating from the battle cruiser to the station.
"Is there a way to intercept that ship's communications?" The Native American demanded, his frustration having turned to anger. "I have the bad feeling that whatever these guys are up to it won't be pleasant for any of us."
"Already working on it," the Oltharian stated, his imposing finger already having begun their expert dance on the controls. "I'm picking up a lot of chatter, some internal, some between other vessels, none of which is encoded. It seems that whatever they have to say they are not worried about anyone else listening in on it."
"Nothing scarier than someone who believes their position to be so strong that they have nothing to hide," Erik sighed, not at all reassured by this latest discovery.
"Here is something of interest," Elan pointed as he isolated one specific communication from the long list that they had been able to eavesdrop on. "Communication from their home world addressed to a Trodat stating that they have control of the Grand Council. That message is being relayed to a specific location on the station, likely to avoid being disrupted by the interference field they have generated."
"A planetary coup? What do we have on this Trodat?" Morningstar demanded, his fears having slowly begun to turn into reality.
"VALLA ROYAL has one Trodat listed on their political guest list," Elan reported after having done a quick search of the station's databank that he had earlier broken into. "He's the son of the PYTHRON Ambassador."
"Get me the target location of that transmission," the Native American ordered, all too sure that the time for action had been now. "Best case scenario we'll be just in time to save the Ambassador, worst case we'll get there in time to pick up the pieces and hope that we can stop this from affecting others on the station."
"The communication beam was directed to a cargo hold," the ANUBIS' CEO reported. "According to the station's own map, the Ambassador's son is in H-0101 now."
"Let's go," Erik stated as he headed for the door letting the imposing Oltharian with the task of catching up. "Hope we'll be lucky enough to run into others along the way.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
~~~~~~~~~~
"What Lurks in the Shadows"
(Cont. from "Shadow Dealings")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, H-0101
Stardate: 63077.0335
Aki watched, blade in hand, as the rage in Ensign Dalziel slowly, very slowly drained from her to be replaced by concern for the ANUBIS' unconscious CO. The woman had been beaten, the reason for this had yet to be determined, but one thing had been clear; they had arrived just in time.
ET used the length of rope that had been sent his way to secure the man responsible for the state in which Rikar had been in. The moans of discomfort had indicated that the COO had been less then gentle with his methods. As she looked at the Pythron man, Aki could not find it in her to feel any pity or sympathy for the man, actually what she felt had been quite the opposite.
As the aCSciO's grip tightened around the blade that she had been given her attention was diverted to the darkness that filled the majority of the room. Only faint whispers had been heard but they had been enough to point to the group of rescuers that they had not been alone.
Glances were quickly exchanged and a plan was formulated without a single word spoken. They would retreat to the safety of the corridor where they would at the very least be able to see what they were dealing with.
Aki moved in to assist Eve in carrying their unconscious Captain to safety while ET was left to drag the bound Pythron man. Safety had been but a few meters away, a distance that seemed to be well within their reach until the door closed sealing the group inside.
Without any light there had been no way for Aki to locate the access panel and it had been a forgone conclusion that the door's proximity sensors would not trigger its opening. ET dropped without hesitation the cargo that he had been tasked with to return to Aki's side, his phaser well in hand. Hopefully his display in being willing to fight for everyone's safety would discourage those hiding in the shadows from launching an attack. At least that had been the thoughts the aCSciO used in order to ease her concerns and growing apprehension for this less than welcoming situation.
"You do realize that we cannot allow you leave," an arrogant yet poised voice came from the darkness. The tone had been so calm, to the point of being relaxed, that it made everyone even more nervous. The confidence of the one man hiding in the shadows against three others, two of them armed could only mean one thing; that he had not been alone, or at the very least believed that he held the advantage. Unfortunately for the trio of undercover officers that perception had very likely been perfectly accurate.
ET raised his weapon, ready to fire into the shadows with the hopes that luck would grant him a successful hit, but before the COO could press the trigger some unseen force knocked the man back and the weapon clear out of his grasp.
"I only have a few questions for you first," the voice said, the pause that followed hinting that the swiftness of their reply would translate into how quickly or painfully they would share their final fate. "You mentioned Starfleet Command, what are you to them?"
Eve's eyes narrowed as she glared into the darkness, her own feelings and anger had made her say something that had not taken long to be used back against them.
When no answers came, another unseen force knocked Aki to the floor and the blade clean out of her hand. ET rushed to the Asian woman's side and was relieved to find her unharmed, at least for the time being.
"No weapons left to take care of," the voice said with a sickly arrogance. "What is your relationship with Starfleet?"
Eve, ET and Aki shared a quick glance between he three of them, silently wondering what would happen next and which of them would be the first to find out.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
---
"The Best Surprises Come in Small Packages"
(Previous Post: "What Lurks in the Shadows")
---
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, H-0101
Stardate: 63077.0335
The door to the cargo hold had been left open long enough for the small Shillian primate to easily make its way inside without having been noticed. The small size and swiftness of the Trusa had always been attributes hat allowed it to move about without being detected, but the chaos that had reigned within the room had even further facilitated matters. Once inside the shape-shifted Chief Science Officer settled down and watched as Captain Rikar was rescued and the team responsible for this daring act fell victim to whatever hidden menace had been in the room with them.
A small ball of fur, unseen by others, cowered against the wall next to the door that had closed making any rapid escape impossible. The scent of blood in the air had been impossible to miss, especially to a creature that in the wild relied on its sense of smell to detect possible predators. Unfortunately for the shape-shifted Shillian, that had not been the only smell that hung in the air; death had been another distinct odor that had been impossible to ignore.
The Shillian watched with increased anxiety as the shadows themselves swallowed the weapons that had been in the hands of the rescue team. From there, the miniature eyes of the primate moved from one scene to the next, glancing over the broken body of the Ambassador, the bloodied face of the Pythron youth, the badly mistreated form of their Commanding Officer and frightened trio that had come to the rescue. Beyond this had been nothing but darkness, a void that gave the illusion of being made of living shadows and unseen evil that belonged in the nightmares of the most deranged individuals.
"No weapons left to take care of," a sickly arrogant voice came from beyond the darkness, passing through it with the cutting edge that only great evil could create. "What is your relationship with Starfleet?"
The question had been simple, but any answer given would most likely trigger a reaction that had the potential of making their year in another dimension and time appear as if it had been a visit to RISA. Admitting that they were indeed a covert team sent by a branch of Starfleet officially did not exists had not been a valid option. Likewise, claiming ignorance would only enlist the anger of the inquisitor and of the unseen forces at his command.
The Shillian began to think back to a time that seemed to have taken place several lifetimes ago, an era when things were simpler and life consisted of nothing more than personal discoveries while attending classes at Starfleet Academy. A specific examination during the last year specifically came to mind, a test not of knowledge but of character, a trial that many referred to as a lose-lose scenario meant to see how one would react to a situation where the only possible outcome had been death. The Kobayashi Maru had become legendary in both its intended meaning and in that those who had managed to beat it had done so my bending or even breaking the rules, adding elements that had not been part of the test to provide a new solution.
Eve, Aki and Elliot seemed to move in slow motion as they prepared to face what would come net leaving the miniature Shillian primate to question why she had not decided to join them and face their fate as the fellow crew member that she had been? The eyes of the shape-shifted Chief Science Officer feel onto the tortured face of their Commanding Officer who even in her current state gave the distinct impression of being there for those who had come to her rescue.
Captain Sabrina Rikar had escaped her world to seek meaning in an alternate identity, a situation that all too closely mirrored that of the Shillian Scientist who had hid not in another location but rather in another form. The question now remained; had the Captain found what she had been looking for, what she had so desperately needed to find? Had the Shillian found what *she* had been looking for? Unless something came to change the current situation the answers to these questions would vanish in the shadows that walked this room and that Maya could not permit to happen.
With a single jump, the small Shillian Trusa reached the shoulder of the undercover Assistant Chief Science Officer and remained there only long enough for the Ensign to recognize the small creature for what it truly was. By the time Akira had mentioned the name of the transformed woman she had already jumped off into the shadows, her small primate form having begun to change into something else.
Four paws landed onto the smooth floor of the cargo hold with a heaviness that had been meant to surprise and force anyone planning to attack to re-evaluate their decision. The roar that followed insured that the message had been perfectly understood by anyone and anything lurking in the surrounding darkness, and if any doubts had remained the form of the towering Grizzly as it stood on its hind legs drove home the point even more.
Surprise swept through the entire cargo hold as this very impressive and equally angered bear seemed to appear out of nowhere, even Captain Morningstar, Lieutenant Fairborn and Ensign Fanggot could not hide their shock at the sight as the door opened.
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Alone "
(Previous Post was Jessica's "The Best Surprises Come in Small Packages")
==========
Setting: VALLA ROYAL, H-0101
Stardate: 63077.0340
The young woman laid unconscious on the floor… a thing fabric hid her battered, vulnerable form… and her mind had sought refuge in the only place it could.
==========
Setting: Dreamscape
The young woman stood in a perfect, endless darkness that stretched out into infinity in every direction… if there had been a floor beneath the redhead's feet there had been no way for her to know.
"Am I dead?" the Dado girl inquired.
"Why is it that you always have to start that way?" a female voice from the young woman's past replied, a voice that she had not heard in a very long time… a voice that she had never expected to ever hear again.
"Maybe because somewhere deep inside of me I want to join you… to be with you."
"One day… just not today," the reply came, no form having claimed ownership of the voice.
"So I am still alive?" Samantha asked… a faint hint of hope present in her soft spoken words.
"For the time being," another voice replied, this one being of a man who belonged not to the young woman's past but rather to her present. The voice had been that of the man responsible in many ways for everything that had happened and likely would happen… as the Commanding Officer of the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex Admiral Koniki had in many ways been at the source of all their problems.
"I left," the redheaded woman stated rather coldly.
"Your body may have… your mind never did.
"I lost everything because of you… I have nothing to go back to."
"Care to be proven wrong?" the voice stated condescendingly. "What about Erik, you and he are good friends," as the name of Captain Morningstar had been mentioned his face appeared through the darkness as if a veil had been pushed aside.
"Two Captains talking about their missions and the people they lost on them does not make friends."
"What about Eve, Hex, Akira or Elliot… surely they are more than simple subordinates to you?" Their faces appeared to join that of the Native American CO, each taking position around the young woman.
"I failed them," Rikar admitted tearfully. "They would be better off without me."
"You know, that self-pity thing doesn't suit you in the least. You never would have been as good a mentor to Maya if you had been like this," the Shillian's face appeared and joined the others; all of them slowly orbiting the redheaded woman could not not help but meet their inquisitive gazes.
"She's a unique case… alone in a world of strangers."
"Guess you can say the same thing about Elan… he too is alone… granted not in the same manner as Maya, but his case is just as unique," the Oltharian's face joined that of the others.
"These are just faces… illusions… memories of people I knew… of people I failed."
"We are much more," Erik said as the image of his face flowed into a full humanoid form, one that reflected the man's proud heritage.
"We are friends," Eve added, the Counselor appearing in the dress that she had worn on the VALLA ROYAL before it began to change into the standard Starfleet uniform.
"We are shipmates," Hex contributed, the proud in her voice hinting that there had been something special about all of them being on the same ship.
"We are comrades," Elliot chimed in, indicating that the link they all shared went beyond times of peace and tranquility.
"We are a family," Akira continued, the soft gentleness of her voice pointing to all of them being there for one another no mater what.
"Although we may feel alone from time to time," Maya said with a tender smile.
"There is always someone that is there for us… when we need them most," Elan concluded with a universal peace in his voice that only he could have managed.
"So I am not alone?" Samantha asked, this time unable to hold back the tears.
"You never were," Sabrina replied as she appeared from behind the images of the crew that had come to surround the troubled young woman.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Tip of the Iceberg"
[Previous Post:"Alone"]
####################
<< Reality is an illusion that we embrace out of fear of what is truly out there watching us. >>
- Asari Proverb
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.0645
Erik sat in the center chair; hisfinger hovered for several minutes over the control to start his official logand account of their last mission. Solittle had actually happened, and yet the Native American could not put intowords all that had come to pass. Themore the CO thought back though, the more he had to admit that there had been agreat that had transpired, most of which had been outside of the initialmission's parameters.
"Captain's Log, Stardate 63077.07," Morningstar began with a sigh. "The mission is over and we are heading back to the barn, that said though the repercussions of what happened on the VALLA ROYAL while we were there will, I'm afraid, echo through the entire quadrant if not the galaxy." Erik paused for a moment as the significance his own words washed over him. "Primary mission objective was successfully accomplished; the package that had been on the XANTUL was retrieved without any immediate incident thanks to the skills and efforts of the crew, namely Ensign Fanggot. Secondary mission objective, the retrieval of Captain Sabrina Rikar was also successfully accomplished although this one with some complications due to events outside of our control. The political coup on PYTHRON led by Trodat; son of the now deceased Ambassador Gerran, was from what we observed during our mission somehow influenced if not orchestrated by the Locustat. We have no idea what the reason behind their involvement is in this matter, only that the Locustat were present on the VALLA ROYAL, at least this based on the reports made by my crew and my own personal experience with the race. Additional note for the records; Lt.Commander Maya clandestinely accompanied us on the mission and was, in the end,instrumental in its success, not to mention that she was responsible for saving several members of the team."
The Native American ended his log when he noted the ship's Counselor; Ensign Dalziel's arrival onto the Bridge with a somewhat concerned expression on her face. "She is still unconscious but her vitals are stable," Eve reported having already figured that Erik's first question would be about the woman now resting in their Sickbay.
"She's going to need a Counselor *and* a friend after what happened," Erik pointed out, thus saying without actually using those words that the Ensign had found a new*mission*, one that would likely extend for an indefinite period of time.
"I had figured that much," Eve sighed before she paused for a moment to carefully chose her words for what she had wanted to say next. "I wanted to say something about Maya, but I'm not sure how."
"You can speak freely,"Erik offered while he silently wished that they had been on the ANUBIS or PARADOX so that they would have access to a more private setting.
"There is something different about her," the Counselor said in a tone that almost seemed as if she had spoken in an ill manner of the Chief Science Officer. "Her entire demeanor has changed. It is like a part of her is missing."
"Her innocence," the Native American noted with a nod of his head, obviously pointing to the fact hat he too had noticed this change that the Counselor had spoken of. "I think the last mission of the ANUBIS left some very deep psychological scars, and these have left her to be a new person, one who has discovered a great deal about herself and the universe around her."
"Great," Eve half growled. "Guess I know what I will be doing for the next few *months*," the Counselor said trying her best to sound annoyed but the Native American could tell that the Ensign had been more than ready to help those she considered friends above being fellow shipmates.
"Captain," Ensign Thomas reported from the Flight Control and Operations station, "we are receiving an encoded transmission from NEW ALEXANDRIA."
"This can't be good,"Akira mumbled under her breath. To receive such a transmission while the ship and crew were under what had been a secret undercover mission could only man that something big had happened.
"Decode and display,"Erik ordered of the COO as he shot a quick glance in the direction of Ensign Mitshiba, not to comment on what she had said, but rather to show in passing his agreement to the statement made.
=/\= Erik, =/\= Koniki's voice sounded troubled. =/\= We have several situations developing that requires our immediate attention. The HORUS has been dispatched to PYTHRON to investigate how a political coup happened without us even knowing anything about it before hand. The SEKHMET is looking into a similar event, this one on ARTEM PRIME, an Antaran colony that is said to hold the main governmental power for the entire race. This leaves the ANUBIS to take care of the other matter that came to our attention. =/\=
"I thought the ANUBIS was out of commission?" Elliot quickly noted before the Admiral continued.
=/\= We received some disturbing reports about the work of an underground, ultra secret genetics lab on RAADEJIII in the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER. The ANUBIS has been dispatched to the coordinates included on a sub-channel with this message. You are to rendezvous with the ANUBIS at your earliest possible convenience and proceed to investigate this lab and its work. More details on the mission have been provided to Annie, the ship's Avatar. All you kneed to know now is that this is atop priority matter of the utmost urgency. =/\=
"The RIN-AJAD CLUSTER in on the far side of Romulan space," Akira noted with great shock.
=/\= I know that you will argue that the HATHOR is likely better suited for this mission, but there are aspects that I just can't get into at this time. The ANUBIS's speed and resources will be imperative to the success of this mission. Good luck. Koniki out. =/\=
"Bridge to Engineering," the Native American CO started almost before the message from Admiral Koniki had ended. "Elan, we are going to need more speed, looks like we are being called into an urgent situation."
=/\= More speed, Aye, aye Sir,=/\= the Oltharian replied as if this had as normal and easily accomplished request as walking and breathing.
"Helm," Erik continued as he turned his attention back to the COO. "Set course for the rendezvous coordinates, maximum speed."
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
" Peace"
(Previous Post was Francois' "Tip of the Iceberg")
==========
Setting: USS HATHOR, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.0715
The young woman's chest rose and dropped in accordance to her slow, deep breathing as she laid on the biobed. The sounds of medical readouts, likely her own, had been oddly soothing leaving the redhead to accept her current position without any questions. At the very least the feel of the bed against her back and the rhythmic audio signals that hung in the air had been there to prove that she had been alive.
Rikar heard the door hiss open and close followed by light, gentle footsteps which indicated that a single person had walked in and that this individual had likely been of the female gender. The young woman fought against the survival instinct to open her eyes and see who had come in… self preservation demanded that she identified who had been there, but the redheaded woman somehow knew beyond any doubts that she had been perfectly safe.
While motionless on the biobed, Rikar listened attentively to every little sound that made their way to her in an effort to gather more information as to the identity of the person who had walked in… as well as the actual location that she had found herself in. The last memory had been of Trodat's hand tightening around her throat as an evil, almost demonic smile filled his face. His powerful grip had slowly but effectively chocked her into a semi-conscious state which had left her powerless to defend herself. From that point on the young woman could only recall partial feelings and sensations.
A soft cloth had been deposited against her exposed form.
Gentle and caring fingers had brushed against her bruised face.
A pair of strong and massive arms lifted her with such ease that Rikar thought she had been dreaming.
Many whispered voices that the young woman recognized and yet could not identify had offered soothing and reassuring words.
The young woman's thoughts stopped when she felt the softness of a feminine hand embrace her own… the sensation triggered a storm of emotions that Rikar immediately enjoyed beyond description and utterly hated with all of her soul, this all at the same time. Flashes of distant memories filled the redhead's mind and soon she found herself wanting to run away from them… and mentally she did.
Images and their corresponding feelings were pushed aside and even shattered as the young woman ran away from or through the images that had formed in her mind.
"Everything will be alright," was all that Rikar heard. Simple words that by themselves would have meant nothing but given the situation had, to some degree, eased the young woman's troubled mind enough to bring her to a stop. The overwhelming sensations of fear and dread began to fade and peace gradually returned to the redhead's thoughts.
Slowly… carefully… hesitantly, Rikar opened her eyes to see a face and surrounding that were not at all those that part of her mind had anticipated and yet had been exactly what another part of her consciousness had expected.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"From Bad to Worse"
(Cont. from "Peace")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.0730
Aki had wasted no time to pull all of the available information on RAADEJ III. That the planet was in the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER on the other side of Romulan space had been bad enough, but to discover that the world had been a frozen wasteland had just stolen the show.
"So we're going to be traveling *through* Romulan space to arrive at a ball of ice?" ET huffed after having been told about what the aCSciO had discovered.
"A *ball of ice* doesn't do that world justice," Aki said as her body shivered. "The Breen would consider this planet to be too cold for them," the aCSciO added while she stood next to the COO.
"Guess I'd better replicate a set of long-johns before we get there," ET joked. "Who the heck would build a genetics lab on a world like that?"
"Someone who wants to avoid unwanted attention and visitors," the CO said, having up to that point remained silent.
"There is another reason," an unexpected voice added from the back of the Bridge. "The near absolute freezing conditions found on the planet surface would insure that nothing could escape should the lab suffer a containment failure of some sort."
What Maya had said had made perfect sense, but it was what she had not mentioned that concerned the aCSciO. To establish a genetics lab on such an inhospitable world could only mean one thing; the level of their work had been beyond dangerous. This meant that even if the weakest of their development projects should see life outside of RAADEJ III, life on a planetary scale would be made to suffer or even vanish completely.
"If the fact that the ANUBIS was rushed out to meet with the HATHOR was not enough to scare us," ET said as he rolled his eyes, "This little bit of additional information will most certainly keep me awake during the nights to come." Et took a moment to send a playful glance in the direction of the Asian woman, hinting to his words having carried an ulterior meaning and invitation.
Aki shook her head at ET and smacked his shoulder thus showing that she hd gotten his message. After that the aCSciO took a moment to process all that had been said about RAADEJ III and the genetics lab located there before she offered a soft thankful smile to Maya. Whatever had happened before now the aCSciO had been very happy to have the Shillian back on active duty, the woman's knowledge and expertise in all things scientific would most certainly come in handy in the mission to come.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
---
"Perceptions of Innocence or Insights of Madness"
(Previous Post: "From Bad to Worse")
---
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63077.0845
The Shillian had no other choice but to admit it, even if only to herself; she missed the ANUBIS. Right now the Chief Science Officer would have been locked away inside the Stellar Cartography Lab busy with an in-depth research of RAADEJ III, its climate, its geology, as well as anything else that might have yielded an edge that the crew could have used in the mission they were heading into.
Instead of the three-deck high curved holographic display system of the Stellar Cartography Lab onboard the ANUBIS, the Shillian Scientist had been obliged to work off a handful of PADDs. Instead of the comfortable chair upon which the Chief Science Officer had spent countless hours on doing various planetary researches, the Shillian had been sitting on a rigid chair in the far corner of the Mess Hall onboard the HATHOR.
The Chief Science Officer glanced at the PADDs scattered on the table before her and closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to ward of the mounting frustration that the inability to perform the research in the way she had wanted had created. Visions of tall tress and freedom filled the mind of the Shillian which quickly returned the Scientist to a peaceful state of mind.
The first thing the Shillian noted when she reopened her eyes was the underside of the table where she had been sitting, a Starfleet uniform crumpled all around the chair upon which the small primate had come to replace the frustrated Scientist. There had been something truly liberating in taking on another form, something that the Shillian had only very recently discovered and mastered. A year ago Maya would have never been able to maintain any such form for more than a few minutes and suffer great exhaustion afterwards, but now the Chief Science Officer of the USS ANUBIS had been able to maintain her shape-shifting for several hours at a time and only feel some minor fatigue when she returned to her original humanoid form.
With the transformation completed, the Shillian figured that she would make the best of the moment and use this time to stretch out her miniature primate legs. Without any efforts, the Trusa jumped onto the table the Shillian had been working on previously and began to bounce from one table to the next, sometimes using the nearby walls to achieve a better angle in order to reach the next intended target.
The Scientist quickly returned to her chair and uniform when the doors to the Mess Hall opened to allow the Chief Engineering Officer to enter. The Shillian waited for the back of the Oltharian to be turned to her before she shape-shifted back into her humanoid form, thus granting the Chief Science Officer some time to fix her uniform before being seen.
"Commander Maya?" Elan said in surprise as he saw the Shillian woman sitting where he had been sure no one had been only a few seconds ago.
"Lieutenant Fairborn," the Shillian nodded. "Apple juice?" The Shillian asked, already knowing that the drink in the hands of the Oltharian had been just that, the Chief Engineer not having been known for enjoying any other beverage.
"Yes," the tender colossus replied with a smile. "Found anything of interest on RAADEJ III?" The Oltharian questioned back, his knowledge of the Shillian matching that of the Science Officer in regards to the prominent habits each had.
"I will be able to give the Senior Staff a complete report once we are back on the ANUBIS and I have had some time to do a thorough analysis of the available information," the Shillian replied as she came to realize that the prospect of doing such a detailed research had not appealed as much to her as it would have a year or so ago.
"It will be nice to be back on the ANUBIS," the Oltharian said in an agreeing tone. "As nice as the HATHOR may be, the ANUBIS is *our* ship, our *home*."
As the Oltharian enjoyed the drink that he had replicated, the Chief Science Officer carefully considered the last words spoken by the Engineer, words that somehow failed to have the impact that the Shillian would have expected them to have. The ANUBIS was beyond any doubts her home, the place in the universe where she felt the most at ease, so why had the Scientist felt as if there had been something wrong with the idea of her returning to the ship as head of the Science Department?
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
"More Than One"
(Previous Post: "Perceptions of Innocence or Insights of Madness")
Living by day, dying at night
Living alone, living a lie
Living apart, playing by heart
All the time
Waiting for words, hoping for dreams
Waiting too long, or so it seems
Waiting apart, wish life would start
Here tonight
Your love's an uphill battle
I see the summit; I can't stop climbing
Can't fight the urge to look back
All I see is the tide is rising
Can't guarantee a happy ending
All I know is it's been real fun
Always carrying a part of you with me
Feel like I'm more than one
--Yours truly, unfinished song lyrics
==========
Setting: USS HATHOR, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.0715
Eve hadn't wasted much time deciding to check on the injured Commanding Officer in Sickbay. The woman's steps into the room were light but her heart and mind were weighed down with the burden of the aftermath of their experiences. With many of the crew in an emotionally wounded state, her next steps were mapped out for her. But it did not change the restlessness in her heart and the intense desire to do better.
The situation on the VALLA ROYAL had been an utter debacle. If Maya hadn't shown up when she did, they would probably all be dead. Despite the overall outcome, Eve considered it a personal failure. No matter how many bad guys one came across, there was always someone or something bigger and badder waiting in the wings.
"Everything will be alright," Eve said, grasping the woman's hand reassuringly. Ensign Dalziel fully believed her words; it was how she was going to make it happen that gave her problems.
Shortly thereafter, slowly, carefully, and hesitantly, the CO of the ANUBIS started coming to. Rikar studied the strangely familiar face. The pale woman had long, almost black hair, left loose to fall down her back in a heavy curtain. Her gray eyes looked intent. Somehow Rikar remembered them as being some sort of brown, and the hair being different, but she was not exactly surprised at the woman in front of her. Concern and apprehension were apparent in the woman's visage, as well as compassion. Rikar opened her mouth to greet the woman, but there was some uncertainly as to what exactly was the right name; June? Dulcinea? Eve?
"Where am I?" the redhead asked instead, her pale blue eyes still focusing on what surrounded her.
Eve allowed herself to smile with relief. "Someplace safe." Baby steps.
The injured woman could feel the unmistakable hum of a warp core, the nearly imperceptible movement of a vessel. All of these things were second nature. Even as her mind escaped, her mind remembered. "What is the name of this ship?"
"The USS HATHOR," Dalziel answered plainly.
"Where's Trodat?" Traces of fear laced Rikar's voice.
"Incapacitated," the Ensign said with unexpected residual anger. "He won't be laying a hand on you, ever again."
"You came for me?"
Eve looked down, embarrassed by the violent feelings the Pythron man's name stirred within her. "Yes... among many others."
"Thank you," the injured woman said. "You saved my life."
Dalziel tugged at her uniform. "I don't deserve your gratitude... I deserve a reprimand."
"All I can offer right now is my thanks," she answered. "Any pending disciplinary action will have to wait." The words rolled off her tongue even though handing out discipline to anyone seemed like a faraway idea.
"Not to worry- I'm sure Koniki will take care of it in due time," Eve said quietly. Maybe by the time they finished the upcoming mission some of the sting would be gone.
"Are you... Intel?" It was as if the word itself brought her intense physical pain.
"Not exactly... Counsellor. Some say it's more dangerous," Eve added, trying to keep the mood light.
"I used to be one of those," the other woman replied, parts of her past washing over her in a melange of random memories.
"I know... I've been doing my homework."
"Am I going to be okay?"
"Your physical wounds have already come a long way," Eve said truthfully. Despite the bruises and lacerations she looked so much better than she had in the presence of Trodat's death grasp. The image of her so gravely injured was not something the Cardassian born woman would ever forget. "I'm sure the nurses will have you up and walking around soon."
"No... I mean am I going to be *okay*?" she said, gesturing to her forehead. "Inside."
"You already are," The taller woman answered without hesitation.
"I'm confused."
"It's okay. You have a right to be. Let me see if I can explain. When bad things happen, it's natural to compartmentalize things, to lessen the feelings you are having. Self preservation sometimes requires this. We distance ourselves from our emotions. Unfortunately, that distance can grow very large, swallowing an entire existence within its boundaries. A whole new persona is created that has very scant connections to the original being."
"Is that what has happened to me?" the woman asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes. There's Sabrina, a Starship Captain, and Samantha, a Dabo Girl. Both headstrong. Both intelligent. Both passionate. Both decisive. Both dwell within you."
"Which one should I be?"
Eve shook her head, a bemused look creeping into the corners of her mouth. "That's not my decision to make. Besides, I'm a little biased. Samantha might be fun, but I miss my Captain. We've suffered enough losses. But ideally blending the two identities into one person, that would be the ultimate goal. Each of them has important things to offer you."
"Coexistence." The redhead took a labored breath. It was nearing time to sleep again. "Right now it feels like I am ready for retirement, from both professions."
"You will get stronger...that should make whatever transition you need to make easier. There is no question you have gone above and beyond the call of duty countless times- you wouldn't be in the big chair if you hadn't. It would be your right to retire. But regardless, if you need to leave you must do it as a whole person, not two personalities jockeying for position."
Rikar squeezed Eve's hand and let go. Even as her mind swam with the possibilities, exhaustion began to overtake her. "Sounds like a big job- are you sure you're up for it?"
"Every step you make I will match it. I promise."
"I'm counting on it..." Rikar's voice drifted and so did her thoughts as she succumbed to a well deserved sleep.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Ensign Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
************************************************************************
"The Fun Begins"
[Previous Post: "More Than One"]
************************************************************************
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.0845
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ET sat at his console working on the usual activities that arose ::Would Captain Morningstar allow me to go to see Captain Rikar, I really would like to know how she is doing. I should ask him, it's what everybody else is probably thinking, when can we visit Captain Rikar.::
Elliot looked around the room and he could feel a slight change in atmosphere, people didn't know how to go about requesting time to speak to the USS ANUBIS captain.
Ensign Thomas took a deep breath and quickly babbled "Captainwhencanweseethecaptain". Erik turned in his seat to look at the COO with a puzzled expression, ET could see the Captains confusion and went over what he had said in his head and as he done so he noticed that everyone else was looking at him also.
Elliot realised why people were staring at him, he had been so nervous and anxious at asking for some time to speak to the redheaded lady in sickbay that he had almost asked the question to the captain as one hurried word ::No wonder the captain didn't understand me:: The COO composed himself and then continued calmly "I'd like to request a little time to go visit Captain Rikar".
The CO sat quietly for a few seconds then responded "Not quite yet Ensign, I think we should let the councillor deal with Captain Rikar, and when she gives me the OK I guarantee you all can see her then".
Ensign Thomas was not immediately happy with the CO's decision, but he did understand why he made it.
ET looked over to Aki and gave her a nod, she knew this to be the - meet me in the mess hall nod. Elliot called for his shift cover then left for a 15 minute break in the mess hall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Setting: USS HATHOR, Mess Hall
Stardate: 63077.0900
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The COO walked in the Mess Hall and saw Commander Maya and the Chief Engineer sitting at the far table. Elliot gave them an acknowledging wave, and walked over to the replicator to get a drink then went to sit at the table nearest the door as you entered so he could speak to Aki privately, when she came in.
About 2 minutes after ET came in Ensign Mitshiba walked through the Mess Hall doorway. Hi ET, one second I'm going to get a drink.
Elliot watched her nice round bum as she walked to the replicator, the way her bum wiggled as she moved was starting to arouse the Ensign and how her uniform would cling to every part of her body made him just want to catch her from behind at the enter her there at the replicator and make her scream with pleasure, but he suppressed his emotions by thinking of the consequences, the brig for one, and the long lecture he would receive from the councillor for his actions, the latter making him giggle to himself.
The aCSciO arrived back at the table "so what are you giggling about?" she smiled.
Elliot gazed into her eyes "Oh nothing babe." he answered with a smirk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Mitchell
Ensign Elliot Thomas
Chief Operations Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"A Clear Message"
[Previous Post: "The FunBegins"]
####################
<<If a task is easy, either you are doing it wrong or you are not doing it as well as you should.>>
- Commander Grull-Daw, Professorof Advanced Engineering, Daystrom Institute
Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.1030
The Native American's eyes studied with disbelief the information on the PADD that had been in his hands for several minutes now, as if he expected the report to change at any moment. The data stream had been on an unsecured PYTHRON frequency, as if someone had intended it to be intercepted so that the entire universe could become aware of what had come to pass.
"Something the matter Captain?" the Kzinti Sec/Tac officer solemnly asked, Hex's ears having become glued to the side of her head. The expression on Morningstar's face had only grown more concerned astime passed and it had been clear that not all had been well.
"Trodat, the son of the late Pythron Ambassador Gerran; the man responsible for the death of his father as well as nearly ending Captain Rikar's life; the person at the heart of the planetary coup and the same individual we arrested back on the VALLA ROYAL and turned over to local authorities escaped custody less than 30 minutes ago," Erik stated, the venom in his words impossible to miss.
"How?" Ensign Fanggotqueried out of shock. The Sec/Tac officer had initially wanted to see Trodat held on the HATHOR and dragged back to NEW ALEXANDRIA for what he had done but Captain Morningstar had been quick to point out the potential political repercussions that such an act would provoke. The fact that there had been a PYTHRON Battle Cruiser well within striking range of the VALLA ROYAL endangering the thousands of innocents onboard had made it impossible for the Ambassador's son to be dealt with behind the official scene.
"According to this report,the guards posted by Trodat's cell were found *gutted* as if some sort of sadistic outwordly beast had ripped them apart. The door to the cell was blown clear out of the wall and the best partis that no one saw or even heard anything," Erik reported, the disbelief in his voice still very clear.
"This was not an escape," the Shillian CSciO pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone. "This was a message, a warning. That is why the guards were killed in such a horrid manner and their broken bodies left to be discovered as they were. The door to the cell was not simply opened but *removed* to further indicate that nothing would stand in their way. Someone wanted to make it clear that Trodatis is someone to be feared, not only by his people but anyone else who might havehad intentions of interfering in this story."
"In other words; *us*," Elliot half chuckled, life within the world of Intel and Black Ops was, to say the least, never boring.
"Captain, do you believe that the Locustat were responsible for Trodat's escape?" Ensign Mitshiba inquired, very aware that the Native American had a unique understanding of the race and its methods.
"The Locustat usually work behind the scenes," Morningstar explained. "They deal from the shadows and usually keep their influences to lower ranking officials. This is much bigger and far more public than anything they have ever done, yet I can't dismiss the possibility that they are somehow behind this. Our problem is that we have no idea why."
"Captain," The COO cut in. "We are receiving a signal fromthe ANUBIS. She has arrived at theestablished location and is waiting for us. At our current speed we will be at the rendezvous point in 45 minutes."
"That gives you 45 minutesto try and figure out why the Locustat are doing this," Eve offered in a clearly discouraged tone.
"Sounds like you are goingto be using that time for something just as dreadful," Erik countered with.
"I have to break the news to Captain Rikar that the man who nearly killed her is no longer in custody and may in fact be aligned with some exceptionally unsavory people," the CNS explained as she pivoted on her heels and began to make her way off the HATHOR's Bridge.
"The Locustat are not *people*," the Native American pointed out with disdain not at all envying Ensign's Dalziel's task.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
" Storm "
(Previous Post was Francois' "A Clear Message")
==========
Setting: USS HATHOR, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.1100
The young woman sat on the biobed, her back prompted against the single pillow upon which her head had been resting on while the redhead slept. Rest had been something that Rikar had greatly needed, but something in the back of her mind had drawn her back into the realm of reality… and she quickly discovered why.
The PADD that had been thrown against the far wall still displayed the report on Trodat's escape and the state in which the guards that were charged with keeping an eye on the PYTHRON man were found in. Despite the broken display screen, the information could still be seen as if the universe itself had wanted to taunt the young woman with the fact that her assailant… the man who had nearly killed her had escaped.
Rikar could not figure out if she had wanted to jump to her feet and scream out in anger or roll to her side, curl up in a fetal position and cry. All that the young woman knew was that this part of her life, this effort to run away from another sorrow filled existence would come back to haunt her, likely sooner rather then later.
As a Starfleet Captain, Sabrina did not fear the PYTHRON pup whose own perception of importance in the universe stretched far beyond the limits of reality. Troodat had wanted to believe that it had been some divine destiny that had ordained his ascension to power and that the rest of the universe would be made to follow wherever he chose to lead. The man had been a danger to everyone around him, be them friend or foe, and Trodat would have to be dealt with sooner or later before more were made to pay the price that had been demanded of Kamlia had almost of the young woman herself.
As a shapely and energetic Dabo girl, Samantha had possessed skills and knowledge that would have allowed her to keep the eccentric PYTHRON youth entertained if not happy. As long as she remained on his good side, there would have been more then enough time for the redhead to find a weakness that she could have slowly… carefully exploited so as to remain safe.
The problem had been this… Rikar currently fell into neither description; not possessing the status and authority of a Starfleet Captain nor the sensual private access that would have given the young woman the ability to deal with this situation in one form or another. Instead the confused and injured redhead had been sitting on a medical bed inside of a starship heading into the unknown with a mind filled with thoughts that at times felt as if they had not been her own.
Rikar had been here… in medical recovery because of the actions of friends who had come to her rescue, but had this truly been for the best? Had these people... these friends given the redhead another chance at life or had they simply delayed what the universe had already decided the young woman's fate would be? Had Sabrina been given the chance to settle the score or had they made Samantha an unwilling lamb to be hunted while she agonized as to when and how the end would come?
Icy blue eyes searched for a brief moment the floor in search of the electronic device that had flown through the air a short while back. For some reason the redhead had decided that the PADD, this inanimate object that served only the purpose of relaying information had been responsible for her immediate troubles. This had provided a focus… for thoughts… for fear… for anger… a target that proved uncaring and most accepting of the storm of emotions the redhead felt brewing deep within her.
The young woman's attention suddenly shifted to the door as it hissed open and Rikar's eyes narrowed as she identified the person in the now open doorway as Ensign Dalziel… the ANUBIS' Counselor. Eve's eye met those of the emotional redhead and when she noted anger within them, the Cardassian born woman's gaze dropped to revealing the reason for the injured Captain's attitude and the focus of her anger… the PADD.
Rikar knew.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Samantha Rikar
Dabo Girl
VALLA ROYAL
Once known as…
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
---
"The Universe is an Entity Constantly Changing"
(Previous Post: "Storm")
---
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor
Stardate: 63077.1145
Walking through the corridors of the USS ANUBIS, the Shillian felt as if she had finally come home. While back on NEW ALEXANDRIA, the Chief Science Officer had done everything in her power to avoid being onboard the SCARAB-Class Cruiser, along with having stayed out of immediate sight of the rest of the Senior Officers. Maya had needed time to figure things out, to rediscover who she was and what her purpose had been after the events that had taken place in the span of the year spent in another time, another place.
Everything seemed the same yet nothing felt as it once did, even the ANUBIS itself had gone through changes, some esthetics, some hidden within the bulkheads and computer systems that filled the ship.
The Shillian Scientist had wanted to inspect her department and see if anything had been changed or even maybe improved but as great as her curiosity had been the Chief Science Officer decided to start somewhere completely different.
---
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Maya's Quarters
Stardate: 63077.1155
The room appeared as if it had been plucked out of time, everything being where she remembered them being before *everything* changed. A feeling of peace washed over the Shillian as she stepped further into the living area taking in the sights of the memorabilia that were scattered for display. Everything had been exactly the same with one exception; a PADD that had been left on the corner of one of the tables.
To anyone else this would not have seemed in the least bit strange, but to the meticulous Chief Science Officer who never left anything just "there", the presence of the electronic device demanded an immediate investigation.
The moment the Shillian picked up the PADD the screen came alive and displayed the work of an active DNA scan. Obviously the device had been left behind with a message meant for a specific person, and when the screen changed to display the logo of Starfleet Intelligence, the Chief Science Officer figured that the message had been for her.
As she read the content of the message, the Shillian Scientist found herself wondering about her own future. Everything that had been said in the letter had been accurate and made perfect sense, yet it had been a reality that the Shillian had not yet been ready to accept, at least not entirely.
---
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor
Stardate: 63077.1205
With the PADD in her hand, the Chief Science Officer made her way to the nearest turbolift. The message contained in the device had provided the Shillian with an opportunity to see if she would allow things remain as they had been or if she would embrace the ever changing future that lay ahead of her.
Once inside the turbolift the Starfleet Officer turned to face the closing doors and informed the computer as to her destination, a place where future of the Shillian would soon be decided.
"Deck A-4, IGC."
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
~~~~~~~~~~
"Searching for Answers"
(Cont. from "The Universe is an Entity Constantly Changing")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Stellar Cartography
Stardate: 63077.1145
Aki had rushed to Stellar Cartography the moment she and the rest of the ANUBIS' Senior Officer had transferred onboard from the HATHOR. The aCSciO knew that time had been of the utmost importance and Captain Morningstar had made it perfectly clear that every department would be called upon to offer their input on how to complete their latest mission with the least amount of problems.
This meant that both Aki and Maya would be doing a thorough investigation into the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER and more specifically the planet RAADEJ III, the icy, frozen world upon which the genetics research lab had been located. Given just how deep into Romulan territory the planet had been, this little venture would likely prove to be a unique challenge and would force the two ladies to find unique ways to gather the information they needed.
The aCSciO was oddly surprised when she found that the Shillian head of department had not beaten her to the Stellar Cartography Lab. This surprise grew into confusion and even concern as time passed and Maya had still been nowhere to be found. After 20 minutes Aki had truly begun to worry having expected to at the very least hear from the CSciO in one form or another.
"Here's the latest tactical reports," Hex said as she walked into the lab and handed over a PADD to the puzzled Asian woman who had expected to see a Shillian walk into the room, not a Kzinti.
"Have you seen Maya anywhere?" Aki asked, not daring to inquire of the computer as to the location of the missing woman.
"No," Hex replied coldly. "My job is to monitor and report on Romulan activities along the border, not to keep track of this ship's senior officers."
"I'm just worried," Aki admitted. "I was sure that she would be here working on researching RAADEJ III."
"Ask the computer," the Kzinti Sec/Tac officer said with annoyance.
"She's my superior officer and my head of department," the Ensign said. "I don't feel I have the right to question her whereabouts."
Hex sighed. "Computer, located Lt. Commander Maya."
Aki's face froze with horror, but it had been too late to say or do anything about it now.
=/\= Lt. Commander Maya is in the IGC, =/\= was the reply which seemed to stun the Asian aCSciO.
"Looks like Maya is doing another type of *research*," Hex huffed as she left the lab, not truly interested in the whereabouts of the Shillian or her reasons for having been in the ANUBIS' Intel Gathering Center instead of with her assistant in Stellar Cartography.
"The IGC. Why?" Aki asked of no one in particular once she had found herself alone in the lab again. Initially the Asian woman had not wanted to seem pushy by asking the computer for the Shillian's location, but now that she knew, the aCSciO could not stop questioning as to the reason or reasons why Maya had gone there without informing anyone in her department.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Ensign Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
####################
"Taking Care of Details"
[Previous Post: "Searching For Answers"]
####################
<<Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.>>
- Keri Russell
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.1200
Erik let out a deep breath as he scanned his surrounding. As nice as the HATHOR was, the ANUBIS was a ship in an entirely different class; a ship he found himself more than happy to be in charge of even though it had not been *his* by definition. According to the official records, the USS ANUBIS still was under the command of Captain Rikar, a woman currently in Sickbay and having problems her of her.
"I hope you have found everything to be to your satisfaction," Annie said as she moved into view of the sitting Native American. The ANUBIS' Avatar had already greeted the entire Senior Staff when they had transported onboard and officially relinquished command to Captain Morningstar as per Admiral Koniki's instructions.
"Captain Rikar is very lucky to have such a fine ship and crew," the Native American said trying his best not to let the stress of their new mission get to him, at least not while they were still over a week away from their destination.
"The USS PARADOX is the type of ship that many can only dream of being in command of," Annie countered with, sounding far more *human* than Erik had expected. "Still I will agree with you that the ANUBIS and its crew are unique in many ways."
"Keep it up like that and I will forget that you are an Avatar," the CO chuckled. "You sound like you actually have pride in being part of this ship."
"Pride?" Annie echoed. "Let's just say that I am biased in my perception of the ship and those whom I serve."
Erik only grinned at the comment made before he stood from the central chair. "On another note, I think I am going to check up on your Captain. Just want to make sure that she has made the transition back smoothly."
"Ensign Dalziel is currently in Sickbay with Captain Rikar," Annie offered, her systems having been in constant communication with those of the ship to insure the most speedy relay of information.
"Ensign Thomas," Erik began as he glanced to the Chief of Operations. "You have the bridge."
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.1220
The Native American stepped into the room to find every single biobed empty, something that he had not expected having figured that Captain Rikar would have been on one of them.
"Excuse me, where can I find Captain Rikar and Ensign Dalziel?" Morningstar inquired of a nearby nurse who only replied by pointing to the office of the CMO. Somewhat puzzled the Native American made his way to the indicated room thinking that maybe the two Officers had needed to check something on the crimson haired woman's medical dossier.
"Captain Morningstar?" Eve gasped, obviously not having expected to see the Native American simply walk in as he had.
"Is everything alright?" Erik asked having quickly noted that Rikar had been sitting *behind* the CMO's desk as if it had been hers while the CNS stood on the opposite side along with the new arrival.
"Erik," Rikar began in a far more informal manner than anyone could have expected. "I will not stay in bed while Trodat is out there creating chaos wherever he may be while at the same time looking for a way to get even with me. He was ready to kill me before you all came to my rescue, now he will stop at nothing to see me dead."
"Captain Rikar is not willing to accept that she is safe onboard the ANUBIS," Eve added obviously having had a lengthy conversation with the ship's official CO.
"I did my homework," the redhead continued. "I'm the one who is in command of this ship, not you. Now I am not being unreasonable and I know that I am in no condition to take on that responsibility, in fact I may never again be, but right now as I see it you have one of two choices. Either you face the risk of having your Senior Officers rebel against you while I try to take over the position that is rightfully mine, *or* you let me become an active member of the crew and allow me to fill the position of Chief Medical Officer."
"What?!" The Native American said as he almost chocked. "Are you blackmailing me into taking over as the ANUBIS' CMO?"
"Blackmail is such an ugly word," Rikar playfully grinned, showing a side that best suited a Bado girl and not a Starfleet Officer. "I am merely pointing out the facts. You are currently short a CMO and are heading into a very dangerous mission deep into Romulan space."
Ensing Dalziel simply shrugged and offered a sheepish grin. "No one disabled her security access."
"I am stuck onboard this ship one way or another since there is no way that you can go back to NEW ALEXANDRIA to drop me off or can afford to leave me on some distant Federation outpost along the Romulan Neutral zone," Rikar explained. "The only way to keep me safe is to have me as close as possible, which means I have to stay on the ANUBIS, and what better way to keep tabs on my whereabouts than to make me part of your crew?"
"It's not really my call," Erik offered, not entirely ready to take on the responsibility of making such a huge decision.
"Actually," the crimson haired woman added with a devilish smile s she handed over a PADD to the standing Native American, "it is. Koniki has signed off on this matter. Apparently before I left NEW ALEXANDRIA we had a lengthy discussion in which he agreed to give me whatever position I might want on any ship under his control if and when I came back. All hat is left is for you to make it official in the ship's log and welcome me as your new *Doctor*."
Eve only grinned. Having Rikar on the crew would make their next mission easier and having her as the ANUBIS' CMO would make it simple for the CNS to keep an eye on her. The Native American seemed to recognize this fact and eventually sighed as he motioned his head in an agreeing manner.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.1245
The Native American returned to the Bridge almost looking forward to him being able to hide for a few moments in the Captain's Ready Room, thus giving him time to absorb what had taken place in the ANUBIS' CMO's office.
"Lieutenant Commander Maya is waiting for you in your office," Annie announced just as Erik had been ready to step up to the door to the Ready Room.
"Maya is waiting to see me?" The Native American confirmed, not at all liking the fact that she had actually entered the office without his presence or permission. The real issue had not been that she had done this, but rather that this had been an unusual way for the Chief Science Officer to act, at least as far as he knew the Shillian from her file and what little time he had spent with her.
"Guess she's not there waiting to surprise me with good news," Erik offered with a smile to the ship's Avatar who remained motionless and displayed no outward expressions of any kind. "I didn't think so," the Captain sighed as he continued on the path that he had been on.
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 63077.1247
"Captain Morningstar," Maya said as soon as the man entered, presenting him with a PADD upon which the logo of Starfleet Intelligence could clearly be seen. "I believe you will want to read this before our Senior Staff briefing at 1300."
Erik took the PADD and began to read its content. By the end of the short yet very detailed document the Native American deposited the hand-held device onto the desk and brought his hand to his forehead in an effort to rub away the stress that had suddenly come to hit him like a runaway starship.
"I'm guessing this is effective immediately?" The CO inquired of the standing Shillan.
"Yes," Maya calmly replied. "I'm sorry if this is causing you any problems.
"No problems at all," Erik half chuckled. "In fact this is pretty much par for the course. I will inform the rest of the Senior Officers at our briefing."
--==(/\)==--
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Observation Lounge
Stardate: 63077.1300
The Native American walked into the room to find all of the Senior Officers already gathered and sitting around the table including the new CMO and ship's Avatar who would be providing the bulk of their mission profile. This meeting had been meant to explain their mission and prepare them for what was to come, but before they could address this matter, the ANUBIS' CO had other duties to take care of first.
"Alright," Erik began not entirely sure how to even begin with what he had to say. "Before we get started with the mission briefing, there are a few bookkeeping matters that need to be taken care of so that we understand where we are all coming from. First, Captain Rikar has been reinstated into active duty and will be taking on the role of CMO for the duration of this mission. Although she will continue to hold the rank of Captain, it would be best for everyone to refer to her as Doctor, this just to make *my* life a little easier."
Cheers and looks of surprise greeted the crimson haired woman as the other officers displayed their reactions to the news.
"Next, and also effective immediately, Lt. Commander Maya has been assigned as the ANUBIS' new Intel Operative and will new be in charge of the IGC and of its personnel. This means that Lieutenant Mitshiba will now be heading the Science department of the USS ANUBIS. Congratulations Lieutenant," the Native American continued only to realize that he had made a mistake after having noticed the expression of utter confusion on the face of the new CSciO.
"Lieutenant?" Akira asked, not sure if she had heard correctly.
"Sorry," Erik apologized. "That was a slip. I had wanted to wait until the end of the meeting, but I guess I will have to proceed from there now. Effective immediately, Akira Mitshiba, Elliot Thomas, Hex Fanggot and Eve Dalziel have all been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade with all of the responsibilities and privileges associated with this rank. I am sorry that these promotions cannot be more properly acknowledged and celebrated but for the time being it will have to wait."
Erik paused to allow the gathered officers to congratulate one another on their new ranks and positions. Strangely enough the Native American believed that the rest of the meeting would likely come across as child's play compared to what had just transpired.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
"Cornered"
Previous Post: ("Taking Care of Details")
Our memories
Well, they can be inviting
But some are altogether
Mighty frightening
As we die, both you and I
With my head in my hands
I sit and cry
Don't speak
I know just what you're saying
So please stop explaining
Don't tell me cause it hurts (No, no, no)
Don't speak
I know what you're thinking
I don't need your reasons
Don't tell me cause it hurts
-No Doubt, "Don't Speak"
==========
Setting: USS HATHOR, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.1100
Neither woman had any difficulty realizing the other's motives. That didn't help the conversation begin any more easily. Eve walked over and sat on the biobed next to the injured woman, who in turn watched her movements with a bizarre curiosity.
Finally, the redhead broke the silence. "You promised..." Rikar's voice was etched with anger and sorrow.
The Counsellor's gray eyes searched the ceiling for answers but found none. Eventually her pained gaze turned back towards her CO. "I know I did... I'm sorry. If I had killed him he wouldn't have been alive to escape now."
There was still a part of the Dabo girl that enjoyed her time with Trodat before he went rogue. But she was beginning to understand the desire Eve seemed to have regarding the Pythron man's death. Somehow focusing on the dark haired woman's hatred made the relentless heaving of her twisted emotions a little more bearable. "If you had killed him perhaps the Locustat would have retaliated. And you'd be in the Brig."
Eve rested her hands in her lap. "I'm thinking living in the Brig would be a small price to pay for everyone to be safe."
"One person can't save the world." Even in her muddled state, Sabrina/Samantha could see that the standards that the Cardassian born woman was holding herself up to were impossibly high. But then again, there were very few Starfleet officers who didn't feel the same way.
"But we all try, don't we?" Eve said pointedly to the woman across from her.
Rikar wrapped her arms around her shoulders, rubbing her arms with a comforting touch. Despite their differences, there were times that she felt they were cut from the same cloth. "I suppose."
Ensign Dalziel offered the latest theory on Trodat's prison break. "Morningstar believes the Locustat helped him escape."
"Judging by the report, I would have to agree." Rikar shuddered almost imperceptibly as she looked down at the broken data device. "Maybe it's time I got out of here."
"Excuse me?" Eve's voice raised involuntarily.
"Relax... I meant to the nearest station. To plan my next move. It's only a matter of time before Trodat and his 'friends' decide to come for me."
"You will soon be a very honored guest on a classified vessel- is that not enough protection for you?"
"Trodat escaped! If that is an example of your super stealth security, it's not impressive."
Eve relented. "As much as I'd like to, I don't think there is anything I can say or do to convince you to stay."
"You got that right." her pink lips curved in a sense of satisfaction.
"All I can ask for you to do is trust me."
Sabrina/Samantha looked at the earnest Counsellor warily. First it was Starfleet giving her orders. Then it was the pit boss telling her how to run the tables. Then it was Trodat, showering her with gifts and expecting unending reciprocation. Now it was Eve Dalziel making demands, albeit with a compassionate angle. "Why should I?"
"Because I can help you."
Rikar glared at the Counsellor. "You're certainly persistent."
Eve tried to reason with her. "We are rendezvousing with the ANUBIS in a little while, and our next stop is RAADEJ III in the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER. I assumed you would want to stick around until you are well. And I can't help you do that long distance."
"You assume wrong." Rikar carefully rose to her feet, determined to pack her things and find some way off this ship... but she realized she didn't have any things, much less enough strength to really walk off completely under her own power. Eve caught her just as a wave of weakness washed over her.
"Easy," Eve said as if she were scolding a child, gently bringing her back to the bed.
"This isn't going to stop me," Rikar protested.
"I know," Eve said acknowledging the redhead's stubbornness. "Let's get you back home in one piece before we discuss this leaving business."
"Home?"
"The ANUBIS."
Rikar sighed and resigned herself to a bit more bedrest, doubting that the arrival to familiar surroundings would give her the peace she was so desperately seeking. Like everything else, it would likely bring her more turmoil.
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Lieutenant JG Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"New Mission"
[Previous Post: "Cornered"]
####################
<<Imagine what we could learn if we tapped into the memories of the universe.>>
- Liana, Head Researcher on the Asari Genetic Memory Transfer project
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Observation Lounge
Stardate: 63077.1315
With the crew promotions and shifts announced and made official, the Native American had been able to proceed with the main reason for this briefing. As he sat into the chair at the end of the elongated table, Erik called up a holographic image of the Romulan Neutral Zone.
"Onto the mission at hand," the ANUBIS' CO began. "As you already know, we will be heading to the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER, a group of planetary systems on the far side of Romulan space. Our objective if a genetic research lad located on RAADEJ III. Annie," the Native American said passing the remainder of the briefing to the ANUBIS' Avatar who had all of the specific information pertaining to their mission.
"One of our operatives on ROMULUS came across a report from the research lab on RAADEJ III. The existence of this lab had been known to Starfleet Intelligence, but the actual nature of their work had never been discovered, that is until now. As you may know, there are very few races in the galaxy that possess the ability to transfer memories from parents to their offspring, and despite efforts from many other races, the process has never been able to be artificially duplicated."
"I remember reading something about this back at the Academy," the new Chief Science Officer chimed in. "All efforts to transfer memories from one person to another resulted in the recipient's brain being turned into runny oatmeal."
"Well there goes my appetite," the COO sighed as the image of someone's brain turning into much formed into his mind.
"The technology to have a person see and even investigate someone else's memories is currently available," Annie explained. "But this method requires time and effort as an individual must actively search through someone's memories to find what they may be looking for. In the case of highly trained individuals, such as Intel Operatives, such a search can prove to be useless as the memories and hidden and even guarded by complex mental blocks."
"The problem is this," the former CSciO, now ILO added. "Being able to just transfer someone's memories into another person would not only transfer the knowledge but also the keys to instantly access this knowledge. Even if the memories were somehow *encoded* for protection against let's say a telepathic scan, the transferred information would likely contain the decryption key or at the very least where to find it. Interrogations would become useless as the memories of anyone captured could simply be transferred into the mind of one of their captors."
"Talk about changing the face of Intel," Eve said suddenly concerned as to what impact having someone *download* her memories would have, not only on her life but that of those around her.
"Admiral Koniki would like the ANUBIS to locate, enter and ascertain this lab's progress in this field," the ship's Avatar continued. "Whatever our findings may be though, we are under direct orders to stop this lab from continuing their research and destroy it at all costs as well as any research notes that may be present on and off-world."
"Off-world?" The Native American gasped. "Some of these notes may have already made it back to ROMULUS."
"Discovering where any research notes have been sent to will be part of our mission profile," Annie pointed out perfectly without emotions, only as an android could.
"Guess blasted the planet into space dust is no longer an option," Hex growled, not that the ANUBIS had the kind of fire power required to accomplish said task, but at the very least the SCARAB-Class cruiser could have located and eradicated the lab from orbit, even if it had been hidden deep underground.
"This mission is going to have several major obstacles for us to conquer," Maya explained as the new ILO. "Making it through Romulan space undetected will be difficult enough, finding the lab on a planet such as RAADEJ III is going to present us with unique complications, and gaining access to this secret base is going to be nearly impossible."
"Lieutenant Fanggot," the CO said as he turned his attention to the Chief of Security. "What can you tell us about Romulan activities along the Neutral Zone?"
"The outposts along the Neutral Zone have reported only the usual patrols of War Birds," Hex stated. "It's the cloaked ships that could cause us a few problems if we run into them."
"Once we are deeper into Romulan space there should not be as much a potential to run into a cloaked ship," the Oltharian pointed out. "Why would the Romulans have cloaked ships inside their border?"
"The same reason why we have ships such as the ANUBIS moving around without anyone else knowing," the redheaded CMO said as she shook her head. "The Tal'Shiar will likely have some of their ships watching for internal issues, just to make sure that every little Romulan behaves according to the Senate's wishes."
"The Cloaking Armor may shield us from sensors and even from most passing glances," the Kzinti Sec/Tac Officer continued. "But it won't hide us from a ship if we run into it."
"That is why we will have to go in at highest Warp 6 and stay away from known travelled routes," the Native American confirmed with clear disappointment.
"At Warp 6 it will take us over 2 weeks to get to the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER," Elliot stated, not at all thrilled with the idea of spending that much time behind the Romulan border.
"Actually," Annie stepped in with, "the journey will take 17 days, maybe longer if we have to make detours to avoid unexpected obstacles along the way."
Well," Erik chimed in, trying his best to come across as optimist. "That will give us time to do some research of our own. In 17 days we should be able to figure out a way to easily locate the lab and discover a way to gain access to it not to mention gaining some extra Intel on the Romulans in general. Lieutenant Fanggot, you and Lieutenant Thomas will keep watch on the Romulans to make sure we stay as far away from any patrols and ships. Lieutenant Fairborn, we will need the ship to run as smoothly as possible, we cannot afford to have the slightest variation giving away our position to the Romulans. Lieutenant Mitshiba, your task will be to research RAADEJ III and see if we can narrow our search parameter down as to the location of this underground base. Doctor Rikar and Lieutenant Dalziel will work on getting a better understanding of what this lab has and has not discovered so that we can have a better idea of what we are actually going to be dealing with."
"I guess this leaves me with the task of finding a way for us to gain access to the lab once we find it," Maya nodded.
"The ANUBIS is already on course for the Romulan Neutral Zone which we will cross in about 2 hours. If you can, get some rest before then because once we are in, I doubt that any of us will be able to get any decent sleep for a long while," Erik announced before he dismissed the Senior Officers back to their stations and duties.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
~~~~~~~~~~
"Something Old, Something New"
(Cont. from "New Mission")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Office of the CSciO
Stardate: 63077.1430
It felt weird. To be in this office without Maya had already been something that she had never done before, but to know that this had not become *her* office had left the Asian woman somewhat baffled.
Aki grinned as she ran her finger over the new pip that had been placed on her collar. Lieutenant Junior Grade Mitshiba, Chief Science Officer of the USS ANUBIS, there was a nice ring to it.
The sound of the door chime made Aki spun around to face the door before she granted access to whoever had been on the other side. When the door opened, the new CSciO was happy to see the ship's COO standing there.
"What brings you here?" Aki asked, not at all displeased by ET's presence.
"Just wanted to congratulate you on your promotions," the COO said as he stepped into the office to let the door close behind him.
"You got a promotion as well, unless I dreamt that part of the meeting," the Lieutenant said with a smile as she ran her finger over the pip that had been placed on the COO's collar.
"Good, so we can both congratulate each other," ET said as he reached for Aki's hand and pulled her closer to him so that he could wrap his arms around her and embrace the Asian woman as the two of them shared a passionate kiss.
When the kiss finally ended, Aki found her legs had become rather weak and she was forced to lean back against her desk. "If we go through 17 days of this, I might be able to give the Captain a new theory as to how memories are genetically transferred from one person to another," the CSciO said jokingly.
"Speaking of which," ET said as he joined Aki on the edge of the desk. "Guess I'm missing something here, mind explaining to me what this *genetic memory transfer* is all about?"
Aki grinned. "Very few races have the ability to transfer their memories to their offspring during gestation. This means that the child is born with the memories, knowledge and experiences of both their parents. Think about it a little like a Trill symbiont, as they go from host to host they gather their memories from the time they were merged. Genetic memory transfer goes beyond that, allowing the child to access the memories of not only their parents, but also their grandparents and great grandparents, and so on. On a purely social aspect, this allows the next generation to have full knowledge of what the previous generations experienced without having to learn it."
"Sounds overwhelming to me," ET said. "I could not imagine having the memories of my parents and grandparents in here," the COO continued as he tapped the side of his head. "I wouldn't know who I am."
"This concept is strange for us, but to a race that has seen this for countless generations, it would be second nature to them," Akira pointed out. "Their society would work on a completely different level as there are few secrets since a child would know all that their parents and their parents' parents knew."
"Yeah," ET began, his voice having shifted to being far more serious. "So imagine what a race like the Romulans would be able to accomplish if they could access the memories of anyone they wanted, especially members of races that are already able to do this."
"That would be why this mission is so important and why we cannot afford to fail," Aki said as she matched ET's serious tone of voice.
"Well then, I will let you get back to your work and I will get back to mine," the COO said as he rose to his feet. "Think you will be available for dinner, tonight say around 2000. By that time we will be well inside Romulan space and should be able to relax for an hour or so."
"I would be honored," Aki replied, adding the customary Asian bow of respect.
"See you then," Et concluded before he left the office and the new CSciO alone to her work and thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Healing "
(Previous Post was Dawn's "Something Old, Something New")
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.1430
The young woman walked into Sickbay to find the giant Engineer already inside apparently waiting for her.
"Healer," Elan offered with a deep bow of reverence. "I am most pleased to see that you have returned to us," the Oltharian added, his eyes glued to the floor in front of the redheaded woman.
"Had I remembered this, I might have come back sooner," Rikar mumbled taken a little aback by the way Elan had greeted her… yet something in the back of the young woman's mind had made it so that this had not been a total surprise, and the more Rikar saw the devotion in the giant's demeanor the more Sabrina realized that she had subconsciously expected it.
"How can I help you Elan?" The ANUBIS' new CMO inquired, a bright smile having found its way on the woman's pink lips.
"I simply wished to offer my services should you require anything," the Engineer stated in such a way that Rikar knew that there had been *nothing* Elan would not have done if she asked him. Memories of Trodat and the way he often *demanded* from Samantha flashed in the young woman's mind and came to be compared to this specific moment in time where someone had been willing to give their all to her without asking for the slightest thing in return.
"How is Amber?" Sabrina found herself asking without truly having understood why. Somehow the CMO knew that the names Amber and Elan were tightly connected, but at that moment the redheaded woman could not remember why regardless of how hard she tried.
"Her condition remains unchanged," Elan replied with a sadness in his words that could have crushed the ANUBIS had it been placed on top of it.
"I'm… so very sorry," the young woman offered regretfully, now chastising herself for having asked the question in the first place. The imposing man's sadness had triggered a vivid memory of the woman in question, of her being in an inescapable coma that had lasted for years now.
Unable to think of something else to say, the redheaded CMO began to realize that there were people on board the ANUBIS who needed healing just as much as she had and that it would be part of her responsibilities to help in whatever way she could.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Doctor (Captain) Sabrina Rikar
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
####################
"Crossing The Line"
[Previous Post:"Healing"]
####################
<<Believe what you want, but our enemies are out there threatening our citizens and way of life. To even believe that our borders are safe from intrusion is pure folly. Does the Senate truly believe that we are the only ones possessing cloaking technology?>>
- Pro-Counsul Trepak addressing the Romulan Senate
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.1525
There was an eerie hush that had spread to every deck, every corner of the ANUBIS as it drew ever closer to the border of Romulan space. Even the Officers had begun to whisper amongst themselves as if their own voice might contribute in the ship and its crew being discovered.
"You have to be impressed by the Romulans," the Shillian ILO said from her station located directly behind the sitting CO.
"How so?" the Native American queried, not certain as to why Maya would be impressed by anything the Romulans did.
"Their simple reputation is enough to rattle this crew, even if only a little," the newly appointed Intel Operative pointed out. "If for nothing else, we should be impressed by this and even more cautious because such reputation is rarely the creation of someone's imagination."
"Don't know about you Captain," the COO chimed in with, "but that's not making me feel any better." Lt. Thomas half grinned as he glanced back to the ILO, certain that Maya would not be nominated for a *morale officer's* award any time soon.
"Steady as she goes,"Erik offered in a calm voice, trying his best to ease the tension without dismissing it. Arrogance could too easily lead to mistakes, so it had been in some ways a good thing that the crew had been on their proverbial toes for this part of their journey.
"We will be entering Romulan space in 60 seconds," the Kzinti Sec/Tac Officer reported. "Long-range sensors are not showing any activity along the boarder."
"Helm, be sure to stay clea rof the tachyon detection grid," the Native American reminded the FCO. "That system will be just as effective in locating the ANUBIS as any other ship using a conventional cloaking device."
"This is where being on the HATHOR would have been an advantage," the Asian CSciO pointed out with agulp. "Smaller ship means fewer chances of us getting caught by that detection grid."
"The ANUBIS may be larger,but I would not worry too much," Annie, the ship's Avatar announced with a hint of pride. "What we lack in maneuverability we more than make up for in capability," the artificial being added as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. When Annie opened her eyes again, bright red lines appeared on the main view screen, each line representing one of the mobile tachyon stream that made up the detection grid.
"When were you planning on letting us know about this little trick of yours?" The Native American CO questioned, not at all trying to hide his annoyance.
Annie remained silent. The truth had been that both her previous Captain and ILO would have known, and like any true-to-form computerized system the Avatar had not been one to forward information without first having been asked.
"Twenty seconds to border," Hex announced, in a way rescuing the Avatar from a less than enviable situation.
"Helm, adjust course and speed to keep us as far away from those tachyon lines and take us to warp 6 as soon as we have crossed over and are a safe distance from the detection grid."
"Ten seconds," the Kzinti Officer announced, her whole demeanor having become *smaller*. An almost absolute silence spread through the ship as people collectively held their breath. From an outside point of view the entire thing would have seemed comical, but to the crew of the ANUBIS this had been a rather stressful experience, one that marked a very long 17 days to their target deep inside Romulan controlled space.
--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette
Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS
AND
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
Also
Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX
==========
" Stars "
(Previous Post was Francois' "Crossing The Line")
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Stellar Cartography
Stardate: 63077.1525
The young woman sat in the chair, her eyes lost in the sea of stars that moved all around her. Normally the room was use to investigate distance spatial formations or to get a unique perspective on a sector of space long before the ANUBIS would enter the sector. In this case though, the former Science Officer, turned CO, turned CMO had linked the ship's sensors to the display which gave her a *live* look at the stars as the ship traveled into Romulan space.
"Nice," Eve stated in admiration, this having been only one small step behind looking at the stars while standing beneath a fully transparent dome.
"I just had this *need* to see the stars," the redheaded Doctor admitted, her eyes never for a second having left the moving star-scape. "Still not sure why, but I do seem to enjoy it now that I am here."
"Who wouldn't?" the Counselor chuckled. "This is as if we were standing on the ship's outer hull, which come to think of it is a little freaky."
"We'll have to try that some day," Rikar acknowledge with distinct joyful anticipation.
"I don't think the Captain is going to be overly thrilled with the idea of having his CMO and CNS wandering about on the hull of his ship," Eve stated, having known well in advance that the specific selection of words would trigger a reaction in the sitting redhead.
The young woman pivoted in her chair and glared at the standing Cardassian born woman. Lt. Dalziel could see that several emotions had surfaced and come to be displayed on the Doctor's features. At first surprise in what had likely been a reminder that Rikar had no longer held the position and authority of the ANUBIS' CO, this by her own choice. As if a page had been turned, the surprise that had been there vanished and was replaced by anger which Eve could only guess had been either because the Counselor had been correct in that Morningstar would refuse or that the redheaded CMO would have no other choice but to comply.
Lastly, an expression of disappointment engraved itself onto he features of the young woman before she returned her attention to he stars that had surrounded them. Within seconds, the gentle moving stars were suddenly replaced with the flash of the ship going into warp followed by the streaking stars normally associated with faster-than-light travel.
Eve had wanted to say something; maybe to even hint that maybe, just maybe, Rikar should reconsider her decision to be the ANUBIS' CMO instead of its CO. Silence thought was all that stood between the two women as the Counselor finally decided that now had not been the time for such a statement. The redheaded woman had still been in the midst of an internal conflict pitting the personas of Sabrina and Samantha one against the other and until this situation was resolved, everything else would have to wait.
The Lieutenant actually allowed a faint smile to eventually grace her lips as she considered the more positive aspects of the current situation; mainly that the redheaded woman had been onboard the ANUBIS and that they would have at the very least 17 days to work on this matter before they reached RAADEJ III.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Doctor (Captain) Sabrina Rikar
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
---
"Innocence is One of the Casualties of Knowledge"
(Previous Post: "Stars")
---
Setting: USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 63077.1700
As a Scientist the Shillian held a true admiration for the universe and all of its mysteries, there had been something mystical about the ageless secrets that the Chief Science Officer had hoped to one day come across and discover. As an Intel Operative though, the universe had lost much of its luster, stars that had once inspired the imagination had become nothing more than landmarks and indicators of strategic usefulness. Although the physical size of the universe had in no way changed, the whole had seemed much smaller now then it had been only a few days ago.
The new Intelligence Liaison Officer made the rounds of the stations that comprised the Intelligence Gathering Center of the USS ANUBIS. The amount of information that scrolled on a single screen at any given time had been mindboggling and yet there had still been so much that they were missing in regards to useful data for the current mission.
The location of RAADEJ III within the RIN-AJAD CLUSTER had only been an approximate set of coordinates due to the fact that even the Romulan Star Empire considered that world to be *out of the way*. Still, locating an entire planet for a ship as well equipped as the ANUBIS would not be an issue, but the rest of their mission objectives would certainly prove to be far more challenging.
The location of the genetics lab that was at the heart of their mission into Romulan space had been kept secret to even some of the higher echelons within the Romulan Senate. This could only indicate that whatever work had been undertaken within the limits of this lab had been of the greatest importance to the Romulans and anyone who stood against them. Added to this the fact that information had actually leaked out in regards to the Genetic Memory Transfer project could only be looked upon to indicate that the work had either been near or already completed. This meant that the next 17 days could possibly prove to be crucial to the success of the mission and the stability of the political landscape of the galaxy.
Information would prove to be primordial in the timely completion of this mission, not only because it would allow the crew of the ANUBIS to shave some precious time off their timeframe but also to give them the means to actually gain access to the lab and its work. It had been a foregone conclusion that the security measures for this secret genetics lab would be of the highest degree and that finding the planet and lab, as important as they may be, would only be a simple first step in what would likely be a very difficult and demanding mission.
"Still no reply from our contact on ROMULUS," one of the agents said, having anticipated the question from the Intel Operative who had come o stand behind him.
As impressed as she had always been with the efficiency of the staff within the science department of the ANUBIS, the Shillian had to admit that the personnel of the Intelligence Gathering Center performed on an entirely different level. Had she had known better, the former Chief Science Officer would have proposed the possibility that Annie had no been the only artificial life form onboard this SCARAB-Class Cruiser.
"We have intercepted an encoded transmission to a Romulan patrol ship," another officer said which immediately drew the attention of the Shillian. "They have been ordered to investigate a disturbance in a sector that will place them within 200,000 kilometers of our planned travel route."
"Notify the Bridge and suggest that we alter course accordingly," the Shillian reacted with as she called up a star map and overlapped the flight path of the ANUBIS over it. "Recommend course be set for 032 mark 312 and returned to our original course heading after an hour, this will almost double the distance between us and that Romulan patrol while costing us only 26 minutes in additional travel time. We will need to look into finding ways to make up that time without increasing speed and without adding to our risks of being detected."
"Yes Sir," was the uniform reply from every single officer which left the Shillian Intel Operative to once again wonder if there had not been something *extra* about those working within this department.
---
Jessica Solarik
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Patience "
(Previous Post was Jessica's "Innocence is One of the Casualties of Knowledge")
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, CMO's Office
Stardate: 63077.1800
The young woman casually reviewed the data on Genetic Memory Transfer that had been made available following the failed efforts from the Federation science and medical teams over the years. There had been a fair number of passages that referred to attempt from other races… attempt that had been far more graphic in their failures as compared to those of the Federation. In the end though the results had always been the same, the source subject had died and the information that had been contained in their mind had vanished with them.
The redheaded woman could easily see the benefits that such a discovery would bring, the simple idea that a new generation could benefit from he knowledge and experiences of the previous was immeasurable. Unfortunately, like so many other discoveries, the military applications of such a discovery could drastically shift the balance of power.
A lengthy sigh escaped form the young woman's pink lips as she place the PADD on her desk and leaned back into her chair to allow her mind to absorb all that she had read… and to find it within herself to deal with the possible repercussions should their mission fail.
==========
Setting: RAADEJ III, Planet Surface
Stardate: 63077.1800
The beam down location had been purposely set over 100 meters from the actual entrance so as to add another element of security to the facilities. Knowing where to beam down without having first made sure of the orientation and distance to travel would result in anyone coming to RAADEJ III to become lost in the endless snowstorm that rages across the entire planet surface.
As he checked his heading after each and ever step he took, the Romulan Centurion who had been tasked with a simple delivery wondered which high ranking official he had wronged to be given this less than enviable mission. The small device in his hands suddenly chimed to indicate that he had reached the intended location… a fact that he would never have known had it not been for the specially calibrated scanner that his superior had provided him with.
Lost in the middle of the snow storm, the Centurion simply waited for something to happen, his instructions having stated nothing beyond this point. Suddenly the ground began to move and the Romulan envoy found himself being lowered into a subterranean compound, the smooth nature of the four walls around him having left no other choice but for him to wait and see where he would end up. When one of the four walls finally gave way into a large open room, the first thing the messenger noticed was the logo of the Tal'Shiar that filled far walls… a thankful sigh escaped as he thought to himself that he had arrived at his destination.
=/\= State your name and purpose for you being here, =/\= a less than friendly computerized voice demanded as the Romulan stepped off the snowy platform and into the middle of the room.
"I am Centurion Brukaz with an important message for Chief Researcher Liana," the Romulan announced with as much self confidence as he could manage. A set of scanning beams worked their way across the entire room… leaving nothing untouched. When the beams vanished the platform that the Centurion had stood on during his journey down began its return journey as the logo of the Tal'Shiar split open to reveal the entrance to the underground research facility.
=========
Setting: RAADEJ III, Underground Research Facility, Research Lab 1
Stardate: 63077.1810
=/\= Lianna, =/\= the voice of a clearly male Romulan military officer echoed through the room where the Head Researcher had been working in. =/\= You have a message from the Romulan Senate… they are asking for an update on your latest work. =/\=
"Maybe I should be working on transferring patience as well as memories," the blue skinned Asari woman said without any hint of frustration although most would have expected to hear some in her words. "The work is delicate… so you can inform your superiors that they will be notified as soon as the final tests have been made… which should be by the end of the week."
=/\= Patience is not a known quality of the Senate, =/\= the Romulan military officer pointed out without any humor present in his tone.
"If you want faster results, speak to Dreshan up on Level 7," Lianna countered with, her attention still focused on her work. "The pathogen that he has been working on should solve all of your problems if it gets out earlier than expected. It may not kill us all but the metamorphic properties would sure to make things interesting in here."
=/\= I will be back to check on your progress, =/\= the Romulan officer snarled, the frustration in his voice impossible to be missed.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Doctor (Captain) Sabrina Rikar
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Looking for Support"
(Cont. from "Patience")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor
Stardate: 63077.1825
Aki's mind was filled with questions and doubts. Normally she would have been able to draw on the extensive knowledge of her superior; Lt. Commander Maya, but now that the Asian woman had been named head of the Science department Lt. JG Mitshiba had no one to turn to with her questions.
The option to seek out the Shillian had always been there but Aki knew that this might leave doubts in the mind of the ANUBIS' CO as to her appointment to the position of CSciO. Waiting until dinner with ET had also been another Option but Akira had not wanted to spoil their time together with work related problems.
Sooner or later Aki would have to seek out Eve and work out these doubts but for the time being the CSciO had thought it best to address her questions as best she could.
Barely able to contain her nervousness, Aki stood just out of range of the door sensor. The only ting that stood in her way had been a simple door that would open the moment she would take a step forward, yet it felt as if the impenetrable forcefield had been in front of her.
Aki drew in a long, deep breath into her lungs and forced herself forward which triggered the door to open.
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 63077.1830
The room had been completely empty and for a moment Aki had wanted to use this as an excuse to just turn around and walk back out. Unfortunately, the CSciO noticed the former CO sitting behind the CMO's desk, the woman's attention fixated apparently on the ceiling above her head.
Again Aki thought that this would be a perfect excuse not to disturb Sabrina, but in the end the weight of her doubts had been more than the CSciO could handle by herself.
"Excuse me, Doctor Rikar?" Aki meekly said as she peaked her head into the CMO's office. "Am I interrupting something important?"
"Not unless you consider my going crazy something important and not work interrupting," the CMO replied with a bright smile that instantly made Aki feel more comfortable. That had always been something the Asian woman had admired about the former CO, her ability to be both friendly and in charge of whatever situation came their way. "Have a seat," the redhead said as she pointed to one of the empty chairs on the other side of her desk. "What can I do for you?"
"Been researching this Genetic Memory Transfer, of GMT, and I just can't make heads or tails of it all," the CSciO admitted with sadness.
"Oh," the CMO said, for a moment feeling her previous misgivings for their current mission return in full force. "There is a reason why so many people have been trying to figure it out and why they have failed for so many years," Rikar said in an effort to reassure Aki. "This has to be one of the more complex problems that the scientific community has faced over the last several decades."
"There are just too many variables to consider," the CSciO said as she presented the CMO with a PADD only to notice then that a similar PADD containing information on GMT had already been there. It became obvious that Rikar had been doing her own research and that Aki had only added her frustration to that of the redheaded woman by having showed up.
"From a scientific point of view, the idea of Genetic Memory transfer is a very appealing one," Rikar said as she leaned over her desk to be closer to Aki. "From a medial point of view, you have to also take into account that the physiology of each race is very different and that memories are all too often stored in the brain in a different way. This means that any GMT would either have to be highly adaptive or limited to a single race and anyone who very closely shared a common biology with."
"Something like the Romulans and Vulcans," Aki nodded in agreement.
"Yes," Rikar said with a smile. "The problem is that the Romulans would not be able to use this process against Humans or Klingons which would make the entire prospect next to useless. In order to justify the amount of time and work that is being pumped into this, the Romulan will want something that they can use on anyone they chose."
"So in this case the complexity of the project is in our favor?" Aki wondered out loud.
"Maybe not," the CMO said, busting the CSciO's happy bubble. "The Romulans had been working on this for a long while and the fact that we have been sent on this mission means that they have likely made the breakthrough that everyone else had been searching for.
"How are we supposed to figure it out in only 17 days?" The Asian woman said as her discouragement took full hold of her.
"We're not," Rikar said with a huge smile. "We need to figure out what we can so that when we do come across the information we will be able to recognize it for what it is. In the meantime we are supposed to keep our wits and make the best of the time we have. This means that you should be heading back to your quarters and prepare for your dinner date with Lt. Thomas."
"How???" Aki asked, stunned by the revelation that the CMO had known about her date with Elliot.
"What did you expect?" Rikar chuckled, "This is an Intel ship with a highly trained Intel crew. Did you really believe that anything that is said onboard can remain a secret for very long?"
"Thank you Captain," Aki said as she rose from her chair only to realize too late that she had used the wrong title. "I meant Doctor."
"Go an enjoy yourself," the CMO said as she waved the Asian woman out of her office. "Life is too short; make the best of the time you are given."
Aki smiled and made her way out of the CMO's office and Sickbay feeling still as comfused as before about the GMT but not as weighted down by it as she had before.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
"Mea Culpa"
(Previous Post: "Looking for Support")
"A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
-John Henry Newman
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 13, Gymnasium
Stardate: 63077.1900
Eve landed a solid kick to the right side of the punching bag, then hit it with her fists. She took a couple of steps back and repeated the process with her other leg, once again following through with her fists in an even rhythm. The punching bag responded with a satisfying smacking sound.
The Counsellor was no stranger to this place; a good workout was almost always the cure for what ailed, especially in the frustration department.
Finding a middle ground, a center to the chaos that surrounded her was important. The speculation about their upcoming mission had taken a fevered pitch, with each of them trying to steel themselves against a secret lab harbored on a frozen wasteland. The ramifications of Genetic Memory Transfer were boggling.
Then there were the underlying concerns about the crew, who were still adjusting to their experience in the alternate universe and more recently the VALLA ROYAL. Doctor Rikar was improving steadily, and seemed to be enjoying her new position. But Eve knew that patience, vigilance, and compassion was still needed for the entire senior staff as they navigated through this uncertain future.
The last bit of business was of a more personal nature for the Cardassian born woman. As many times as she hit the defenseless bag, as much as she tried to move past her mistakes, she saw the smarmy, sneering face of Trodat in her mind's eye, taunting her. She heard the whispers of the Locustat, demanding answers. She saw Maya assuming her role as ILO with capability and intellect. It was a position that Eve coveted for herself one day. But until she could prove herself more deserving and successful than she currently felt, it was a desire and a dream far away from the present.
"Lieutenant Dalziel," the Shillian said formally. Truth was Maya had tried to get the woman's attention before this, but Eve had been wrapped up fully in both the inner and outer battles she was facing.
"Commander Maya," Eve said breathlessly with the tone of someone caught in a misdeed.
"You wanted to see me?" Maya asked. The Counsellor had flagged her mission report with the request to see the Intel chief, although obviously she wasn't expecting the visit at this particular time.
"Yes... I gather you received my report." Eve brushed a few stray hairs off of her forehead.
"It was very thorough." The junior officer's attention to detail was striking. "I saw nothing missing or lacking."
"Thank you," the dark haired woman replied while dabbing her neck with a towel, seemingly grateful that her submission had passed muster.
"That does not explain your need to speak with me," Maya continued.
Eve nodded. "Regardless of the results of our last mission, my actions inadvertently put the crew at risk both physically, and from an Intel standpoint.
Therefore I will accept any disciplinary action you see fit to recommend."
Maya tilted her head slightly, a thoughtful puzzlement in her expression. "You seem to be doing an exemplary job of punishing yourself. I doubt any further reprimand is required."
Eve began pummelling the bag again, her words punctuated by staccato hits. "I wasn't the perfect operative. I wasn't the perfect officer."
"Let me include you in on one of the many secrets of the universe... nobody ever is."
Eve stopped and glanced at her, her gray eyes filled with regret. "You were. You saved us all."
The ILO clasped her hands behind her back. "I experienced a mere moment of perfection. It occurs far less often than anyone would want it to, including myself. I could calculate the probability if you still question that." The countless hours she spent in animal form, in hiding, in uncertainty, could not be ignored. Although her current strength was unmistakable.
"I put the crew in harm's way."
"Our mission placed us there. And if you recall, it was the encrypted message that sent you to Doctor Rikar's location. Obviously, someone trusted you," the Shillian said pointedly.
"It was you," Dalziel said, the realization dawning on her.
"Yes it was. My trust in you was not and is not in question."
Eve knew Maya was being completely honest with her; it was the only way the Shillian knew how to be. "Making the right decisions is important to me. An officer isn't worth their salt if they can't make the right decisions when it counts."
"You intervened on Captain Rikar's behalf. You used all the resources at your disposal, some of those resources being your crewmates. We all made it safely back. You have always shared the joys of achievement among the rest of the senior staff. Why do you insist on carrying this perception of failure alone?"
"If you hadn't been there we would have all been dead. Because I led the others there."
Maya was resolute. "If you hadn't taken action when you did, Sabrina Rikar would have been dead. Is that what you wanted?"
Eve crossed her arms. Of course she didn't want that. "Neither is acceptable."
"Neither of those things happened. As long as we keep working together as a team, neither is going to happen."
==========
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Lieutenant JG Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
" Complications "
(Previous Post was Susan's "Mea Culpa")
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 63077.1900
The young woman stood at the back of the Bridge… her gaze taking in the features of an area that she knew all too well. Rikar had left Sickbay with the intent of going to her quarters to change into something more suitable for relaxing activities on the holodeck. Strangely enough though, the redheaded woman had instead found herself on the command deck of the USS ANUBIS.
The moment the doors had opened and she had realized this, the young woman had been instantly ready to redirect the turbolift to the appropriate deck but something caught her eye instead… the vacant chair at the center of the room.
Lured by an unseen force, the ANUBIS' CMO had stepped onto the deck and allowed the doors to the turbolift to close behind her, sealing the former CO in without any rapid means to escape.
"Can I help you Doctor?" The Kzinti Sec/Tac officer inquired, surprised to see the redheaded woman on the Bridge but still having remembered to refer to her with the title of her new position.
"I just…" Rikar began before she realized that admitting that she had gotten *lost* would not have sounded overly favorable. "I just came to see if everything was alright."
"Ablative cloak is fully operational, long-range sensors are currently detecting no Romulan activity in the sector and the IGC is monitoring all communications in case we come across something," Hex reported almost as if giving a status report to the ship's CO which made the redheaded woman smile for a brief moment. This had been her ship… her crew… and in many ways it still was despite the official appointment of Erick Morningstar as Commanding Officer.
"Thank you," the young woman acknowledge before she quickly pivoted on her heels and made her way back into the turbolift having suddenly realized that her presence on the Bridge might end up causing some complications should the official CO returned.
=========
Setting: RAADEJ III, Underground Research Facility, Level 9, Control Center
Stardate: 63077.1900
The secret Romulan base that hid deep beneath the frozen surface of RAADEJ III had been an impressive complex made out of 10 large rings connected through three large shafts spread evenly along the outer rim as well as a central larger shaft in the center. The layout had been created this way to allow for any section to be isolated and cut off from the rest of the complex in case of an emergency.
Level 10, the one closest to the surface had been the security level were new arrivals were processed and supplies where kept, inspected and quarantined until deemed safe to be moved to the lower levels.
Level 9 contained the Control Center and all of the system that maintained the complex including power and air filtration.
Level 8 was for all intents and purposes the living area for all non-research personnel, thus further insuring that each level and section remained as isolated as possible from one another. Travel from one section to another was strictly restricted and monitored.
Level 7 was where the research work began, namely on lower contagions that were meant for small scale infections such as disabling for a few hours a small ship's crew without causing any casualties.
As the numbers of the levels became smaller, the infection scale of the contagions being researched and worked on increased almost exponentially which meant that by the time someone reached Level 3 the impact of anything being researched there would be measured on a planetary scale.
Levels 2 and 1 were reserved for bio-genetic research sometimes meant to complement the work done on the previous levels to allow, for example for a pathogen to be specifically targeted to a race. The rest of the research had been independent of the rest of the complex, such as the Asari's Genetic Memory Transfer project which had been transferred to this location for security reasons.
Each level contained basic living quarters for the research teams so that there would be little to no need for any of them to travel from one section or level to another.
Commander Treparri had been the Romulan in charge of the RAADEJ III complex for the last 5 years. The man, a true officer of the mighty Romulan Star Empire ran the complex with military efficiency which did not always make things easy for the research teams scattered throughout the lower levels. Still the results that the research had produced had been noted by the Senate and insured that Treparri would remain in command for a long time to come.
"Commander," one of the techs monitoring the lower sections called out. "I am reading a containment breach on Level 6, Lab 34."
"Again!" Treparri growled as he moved to stand behind the tech that had made the report. "Seal off that section and inform the researchers in Lab 33 that they will be cut off *again* thanks to the incompetency of their neighbor, Professor Xirrus. Hopefully we can solve the problem before they run out of air or freeze to death."
Although Xirrus had been nothing more than a repeated annoyance to the Romulan Commander, there had always been the potential for the researcher's inability to keep control over his work to create complications that would affect everyone.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Doctor (Captain) Sabrina Rikar
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
~~~~~~~~~~
"Forced Evolution"
(Cont. from "Complications")
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting: RAADEJ III, Underground Research Facility, Level 6, Lab 34
Stardate: 63077.1915
Evolution is an ever constant presence in the universe as plants and animals adapt to their changing environment through the long and painstaking process of natural selection. Even the micro-organisms such as a bacteria or virus cannot escape this method of growth into what would be considered their next stage of evolution.
Unfortunately as technology allowed some to see into the unseen, and touch the untouchable, the natural process of evolution became far too slow and random. At first the research had been aimed to improve life by eliminating diseases and defects, but the purity of this work did not remain sacred for long.
Instead of saving those few afflicted by a crippling illness, some researchers decided that looking into improving the infection and mortality rates had been a better use of their time and resources. The proverbial Pandora's Box had been opened, and from that point the universe would never be the same.
On RAADEJ III, in a laboratory buried deep down into the frozen ground, a similar research had been undertaken for reasons beyond understanding. A simple and otherwise harmless disease had been isolated and modified in a way that nature would have never dared to contemplate.
Like so many other researchers before them, the final results of the work had proven to be beyond their wildest expectations as well as their ability to control and contain the fruits of their work. A simple alarm rang through the lab and echoed in a control room several levels higher, but the claxon and flashing red lights did little to inform those who had witnessed this event as to the sheer madness of their achievement.
The research team watched without concern as the small glob of green bio-matter rested on the top of the counter, free from its container that Professor Xirrus had inadvertently left unsealed before it slipped from his hands. No one thought anything of this as the same thing had happened many time before, but that changed when one of the researchers reached to scoop the sickly looking mass to see it move away from him.
A second researcher joined in from the opposite side and used a larger container to block the mass' escape. When the first researcher reached down to scoop the mass once again, this time the green glob was forced to seek a different escape. Since the horizontal venues had been for the most part covered there had been but a single route left to explore.
A muffled scream came from the first researcher as the glob latched onto his face and bonded with the man's skin leaving him with no hope of avoiding what was to come. Even as the rest of the research team, including Professor Xirrus, desperately tried their best to rescue their comrade it was clear that the man's fate had been sealed.
The question was: what matter of fate had actually been forced upon him?
~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn Bohr
Lieutenant JG Akira 'Aki' Mitshiba
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
==========
" Morning "
(Previous Post was Dawn's "Force Evolution")
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Rikar's Quarters
Stardate: 63078.0630
The young woman stepped out of the shower and wrapped a simple towel around her damp figure as a bright smile came to grace her pink lips… there had truly been something special about being able to take a *real* shower.
The joyfulness of the redheaded woman was short lived though as she stepped into the living area and noted that no stars could be seen through the windows of her quarters. As long as the Ablative Armor was active the sight of stars, be them local or foreign, would be denied to them. Normally this would not have been a problem, but when taking into account that the crew would be encased in the protective shell for 17 days without any possibilities to just glance at the stars beyond, the reality of psychological issues became evident.
"Rikar to Lt. Dalziel," the young woman said after having reached for her comm badge which had been resting on the table in the middle of the living room.
=/\= What can I do for you Doctor? =/\= the correctly Counselor replied using Rikar's current title, something that actually took the redhead by surprise. =/\= Everything alright? =/\= Eve added after having noted an unusual lengthy delay.
"Everything is fine," Rikar giggled. "I just managed to lose my train of thoughts between my calling you and you answering. I wanted to know if you would like to get together for breakfast, I wanted to discuss the increased potential for he crew to fall prey to *cabin fever* thanks to not being able to see the stars."
=/\= I was thinking about the *sardine syndrom* as well, =/\= the Cardassian-born woman admitted with a certain playfulness in her voice. =/\= Did you have somewhere in particular you wanted to meet? =/\=
The young woman thought for a moment before she replied. "How about holodeck 6? I know a little French bistro that would be the perfect setting for a business breakfast."
=/\= Sounds dreamy, see you there in 30? =/\= Eve replied sounding genuinely excited.
"30 minutes… see you then. Rikar out," The young woman offered before she closed the comm channel and instinctively went to place the badge in her hand on her person. "Hmm, guess I should get dressed first or the crew suffering from *sardine syndrome* is going to be the least of our problems." As the redheaded woman allowed the towel to drop from her form a devilish grin formed on Rikar's pink lips. "That said though, I am sure that it would give Erik something to smile about and Eve to be concerned for."
For a moment Rikar envisioned herself dressed in a rather provocative outfit, one that would have most certainly better suited the Dabo girl Samantha over the Starfleet Officer Sabrina. A silent debate ensued within the woman's mind as the personality came crashing head-on… playfulness versus duty… enjoyment of life against responsibilities.
After several minutes, the young woman took a long deep breath and reached into her closet for one of the uniforms she had replicated the night before, her new position as the ANUBIS' Chief Medical Officer having required her to sport the teal color of her new department. As she slipped into the uniform, the redheaded woman found herself glancing at several dresses that could be found in her closet and even though she knew that they had been hers the CMO could not recall having replicated along with her uniforms.
"I'd better get a grip or Eve is going to have more than the crew going a little stir crazy to deal with," the young woman noted to herself as she looked into the mirror to insure that her uniform had been as it should be. Rikar forced her eyes closed for a moment before reopening them as she willed the vision of her in one of the dresses she had seen as the reflection.
Doing her best to ignore what had just happened, the young woman headed out of her quarters with a single goal in mind… to make it to Holodeck 6.
==========
Sabrina Jones
Doctor (Captain) Sabrina Rikar
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
==========
"City of Lights"
(Previous Post: "Morning")
“Morning without you is a dwindled dawn.”
- Emily Dickinson
==========
Setting: Holodeck 6, French Bistro "L'Angelle"
Stardate: 63078.0715
The morning sky outside was alive with shades of blue ranging from azure to cerulean. The Eiffel Tower was also visible along the horizon, with the bright ball of the daylight sun dousing everything in light. The quaint bistro that the ship's CMO had suggested had an open air patio off of the main dining room which seemed to make the café au lait and croissants taste that much richer.
"This is lovely," Eve admitted, basking in the luxurious atmosphere. The location was a welcome respite from their lurk through Romulan space. Being able to spend time with Doctor Rikar was a luxury too, in its own way. As the Commanding Officer, Eve hadn't had the opportunity to interact with Sabrina much, other than the normal administrative duties and evaluations that came with the responsibility of running a starship.
The junior officer felt lucky that she was surrounded by such strong role models, in both Rikar and Maya. Perhaps between their influence, and the other talented people surrounding her, she would continue to realize her dreams of constant improvement as an officer.
"You seem lost in thought," Doctor Rikar said, a smile forming on her pink lips.
Dalziel demurred a little in her response. "How could one not get lost in the beauty of this?"
Sabrina set her coffee down with an air of satisfaction. "That was my idea exactly."
Eve smiled in return. "It's a pretty good solution to cabin fever." The well being of the crew was a primary concern and one they could both agree upon, from both a physical and psychological standpoint.
Sabrina presented her colleague with a small PADD. "I have instructed the computer to select holodeck programs which contain sunlight or nature settings. If each crew member spends 90 minutes per day in one of these simulations, that should be adequate to prevent any negative outcomes during our time under cloak."
"Does the time have to be consecutive?" Eve asked, scrolling through literally thousands of scenarios.
"No, it can be broken down into two or three sessions depending on the crew work schedule. Or it can be taken all at one time."
The Counsellor echoed the Medical Officer's excitement. "The times could be easily scheduled and tracked, alerting us to anyone who did not fulfill the requirement."
"Exactly," Sabrina said, almost smug in her plan's design.
Eve put down the data and raised her cup. "I'd say this calls for a toast."
The ladies brought their china cups together in a delicate clink. Feeling the matter was settled, The dark-haired woman stood to leave. "Thank you for such an excellent idea."
"What's your hurry? You still have one hour 15 minutes left," Sabrina said, winking. "I've already checked your schedule and you don't have any appointments."
Eve paused before reseating herself in front of the panoramic view of the city streets. "No time like the present, I suppose."
==========
In loving memory of Kim Toussaint.
Susan M Ledbetter
=/\=
Lieutenant JG Eve Dalziel
Counsellor
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
"I savored those stories; I read them slowly, one each day. And when I was done, I wished I hadn't read them at all. So I could read them again... like it was the first time."
-Melanie to Old Jake, DS9, "The Visitor"