USS ANUBIS - Mission 12
Shadow Virus
POST INDEX
Post # Character Title
001 Morningstar One Report After Another
Details of an urgent mission are given
002 Paquette A Friendly Confrontation
Sonja confronts Ya'Han about what is going on
003 Ya'Han Nursing Her Wounds
Satella visits Ya'Han to talk about their mission
004 Bruxa Elusive Simplicity
Satella can't sleep and runs into Tanith
005 Shar'El Tracking
While in the IGC Shar'El tracks people and events
006 Ya'Han Broken Routine
Ya'Han gets accostumed to her new role
007 Stark Uncertain Future
Shar'El appraoches Jayson with an idea
008 Bruxa Late Morning
Satella wakes and rushed to Sickbay
009 Lopez Being Someone Else
Adriana is called to help Jayson and Shar'El
010 Morningstar Darker Horizons
The ANUBIS leaves NA
011 Maya Never As Easy As It Seems
Shar'El and Maya report to Erik
012 Shar'El Tactical Assessment
Shar'El explains her plan to Erik
013 Bruxa Unforgiving Time
Satella is concerned about Maya
014 Lopez A Matter of Perspective
Adriana and Jayson work in the holodeck
015 Maya Time For A Breakthrough
Maya looks into using time against the shadow virus
016 Ya'Han A Friendly Chat
Shar'El speaks to Ya'Han
017 Paquette Timely Assistance
Sonja deals with Ani and Maya while working
018 Bruxa An Hour
With things getting worse, Satella devise a plan
019 Shar'El The Simplicity of it All
Shar'El and Erik discuss what needs to happen
020 Stark Thinking About Thinking
Jayson and Adriana voice their concerns
021 Ya'Han Trying Not To Think
The away team is introduced to the med staff
022 Morningstar An Unseasy Push
Erik comes up with a plan to speed things up
023 Bruxa Shadowy Suspicions
Satella explains the situation to the other Doctors
024 Shar'El Grand Scale Magic
The IGC coordinates the plan and puts it into action
025 Stark Pushing The Limits
The field between the ships begins to fail
026 Maya A Rocky Journey
The away team figure out what Erik did
027 Ya'Han Battle In The Shadows
Things become more complicated on the IVANOSKI
028 Bruxa Murder Investigation
Satella is having troubles with the situation
Post # Character Title
029 Shar'El Gathering Clues
Shar'El helps Ya'Han in searchin for clues
030 Lopez Flash News Bulletin
Adriana makes her first Galemaen news broadcast
031 Stark Old Fashion Tech
Jayson and Adriana talk after the broadcast
032 Morningstar Just Another Unexpected...
Someone tries to kill the undercover away team
033 Bruxa Rough Landing
The away team recuperates after the rough beaming
034 Lopez Spin Doctors
Jayson helps Adriana deal with the broadcasts
035 Shar'El Smooth Operators
IGC monitors the situation, Mordana is not happy
036 Ya'Han Jumping At Shadows
The away team runs into a little girl
037 Bruxa Darkness Abounds
The away team discovers just how bad things are
038 Shar'El Through The Shadows
The IGC starts a search for a shadow satellite
039 Bruxa Inescapable Death
Satella is suspecious of Brossyx
040 Lopez Better Understanding
Jayson and Adriana discuss the situation
041 Morningstar Waiting Is Always The...
Erik gets an update report from Shar'El
042 Paquette Rushed Ideas
Sonja talks to Ani about what they are facing
043 Shar'El In Plain Sight
Shar'El discovers something troubling
044 Maya Death Is Only The Beginning
Maya may have found the solution to the virus
045 Bruxa Fighing Back
Satella confronts Brossyx
046 Ya'Han Dawn of Hope
Ya'Han speaks with Luranax, a little Galemaen girl
047 Shar'El Not Over Yet
Shar'El calls on Sonja to solve a problem
048 Bruxa Wake Up!
Problems arise during the test to cure the virus
049 Morningstar Game of Shadows
Erik comes up with an alternate plan
050 Shar'El Time For Action
Shar'El, Jayson and Sonja beam to the IVANOSKI
051 Stark Different Perspective
Jayson tackles a shadow agent
052 Ya'Han Another Different Perspective
Ya'Han gets tackled by a shadow agent
053 Shar'El Deeper Darkness
Shar'El deals with Varjo's memories
054 Morningstar Life Continues
The ANUBIS hunts down Mordana
M12-P001: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33118.2100 ("One Report After Another")
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"One Report After Another"
Previous posts (ANU) "Unexpected Damage" / (BAS) "New Purpose"
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“Declare the past, diagnose the present, foretell the future.” 
― Hippocrates

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33118.2100

The Native American sat at his desk, reports on the state of the repairs to the ANUBIS coming in faster than he could read them. It seemed that Admiral Koniki had called upon every able body to get the ship back to full operative status so that Erik could not use that as an excuse for them to not go on their next mission. Whatever the Captain's thoughts were on this, the evidence made it clear that this was not a simple dealing or a simple virus.

According to another set of reports, these ones from Doctor Bruxa and Commander Maya, that idea was confirmed to the highest and scariest level. The virus they were to help investigate was something the likes of which had never been seen before. Added to two simple words from the initial report transmitted to Admiral Koniki, there was no denying that the situation was urgent, to say the least.  A cold shiver swept through the body of the Native American as he recalled those two words which when used together were exceptionally scary -- shadow properties.

Those words were enough to make Erik want to delay going on this latest mission, and at the same time, they were the driving force to see everyone do everything they could to get the ANUBIS where it needed to be. Time was of the essence and as much as the repairs were being performed at a neck-break pace, the Native American could not help but wonder if it all would be fast enough. When dealing with the Lokustaar, uncertainty was the one thing that could be counted upon no matter the situation.

The door to the Captain's Ready Room suddenly opened without warning to allow the Chief Engineer to explode into the room. "I can't handle this," Sonja exclaimed before starting to pace from side to side in front of the sitting man. "There are hundreds of engineers working on every section of the ship. I don't think there is a single panel left in place. Everything has been move, fixed or replaced, and I don't mean on just the outside of the ship either."

"I thought you would feel good about this," Erik pointed out. "You did mention in some of your earlier reports the need to refresh the ANUBIS."

"Of course, but that was as long as *I* did it," Sonja clarified. "Right now I have absolutely no control over what is being done where. Things are being changed without even my knowing about it. I walk down a corridor one moment to see all of the panels have been removed, then when I go back less than an hour later the whole corridor appears brand new.  It has come to the point where I can't even tell that this is the ANUBIS."

"According to the reports on the repairs, at least those that I have the chance to read through, all of the work is design to leave the ANUBIS looking and functioning as it was. The Admiral simply wishes to have us be at our best possible operating level," the Native American explained to the visibly upset woman who did not seem to care what the Captain had to say.

"The look of the ship will be the same, that's not the issue here. They are ripping apart *my* ship and making her feel like something entirely different. Replacing a panel here and there allows for the feel of the ship to remain relatively intact as the new parts take on the feel of the others. Right now, there is not enough of the original parts left for the ANUBIS to make it feel like her. I might as well be on another ship that just looks like her. Nothing about anything I touch feels right."

"Sonja," Erik said as he stood from his chair and made his way around the desk in order to speak more directly with his agitated Chief Engineer. "I know how this feels, but you have to understand that there is no choice. This had to be done to allow us to get back into action as quickly as possible. The Lokustaar did inflict a great deal of damage. All I can do is to suggest that you focus more on the heart of the ship instead of its body. The outer hull, as well as several inner sections, may have been completely replaced, but there are still a great many areas that have not been touched."

The look in Sonja's eyes hinted that she wanted to scream, to argue, to claim that the man knew nothing of what he was talking about, but the redhead engineer could still recall through her anger that Erik had been in her shoes at some point in his career. Just as she was about to say something, the Chief Medical Officer appeared in the opened doorway prompting both officers to look at her in a somewhat uncomfortable manner.

"Sorry," Doctor Bruxa said. "The door was open and I have an urgent report to give to the Captain."

"Is it about the virus and the outpost?" Erik asked while silently thinking that this was the last thing he needed; yet another report.

"Yes and no," the Doctor replied handing over the PADD.

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Observation Lounge
Stardate: 33118.2130

The senior staff had gathered for an emergency briefing as per the Captain's request. Clearly, something had happened.

"The profile of our next mission has changed," the Native American said, not bothering with any pleasantries.

"As the virus progressed through the outpost?" Maya asked, indicating that the Chief Science Officer was unaware as to the reason for this emergency meeting. "I thought a full quarantine was established to make sure that it could not spread beyond the initial infected members."

"The medical frigate that was dispatched to RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385, and which we were supposed to join, reported that the entire outpost had fallen. There are no survivors," Satella sadly reported, knowing that the Doctor who had sent the initial report was part of the casualties.  "Somehow, the virus breached quarantine and within a few hours infected the entire outpost. Sensor logs from the medical frigate showed no life signs or remains. Everyone just vanished."

"That sounds freakishly familiar," the Chief of Operations said, his voice possessing a tone of inner sadness that had never been there before. "Could it be the same thing that happened on the orbital station and research facility of TAU OMEGA?"

"No way to tell," Doctor Bruxa reported. "All we have so far is the initial report from the medical frigate which is under direct orders not to have anyone set foot on the outpost."

"Makes sense," Ensign Jones noted, the FCO appearing a little troubled by the changes in the situation.

"What are our new orders?" Shar'El inquired, knowing full well that the ANUBIS would not be allowed to just sit still after this.

"According to the travel records of RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385," the Native American reported, "a runabout left an hour or so before the virus was discovered. Although no official flight plan was filed, we suspect that it went to GALEMAE."

"GALEMAE?" Counselor Lopez asked. "Why GALEMAE, no one there cares about the social or political views of the rest of the Galaxy?"

"We have received confirmation that five infections of this 'shadow virus' have occurred there. As soon as they have finished with their preliminary examination of the relay outpost, the medical frigate will be heading to GALEMAE in the hopes of using whatever data they were able to collect to contain and possibly counter a possible outbreak, and this before it is too late," the Chief Medical Officer stated.

"The mission will consist of two parts; Doctor Bruxa will lead a small team and join the staff of the medical frigate. This way we will be able to keep tabs on what is going on and possibly offer additional help as we already possess some data and experience with both the virus and the Lokustaar. The rest of the crew, using the resources of the ANUBIS, will search for whoever used the runabout. Our goal will be to see if this was an accident or if the person or people are responsible for the outbreak on RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385 and the death of its personnel."

"Who will be accompanying Satella?" Shar'El asked, half hoping that both Jayson and Ya'Han would be selected in order to force them to resolve the shared matter that the Ullian had picked up from each.

"Given the situation, I believe it best if Commander Maya and Lieutenant Ya'Han be the ones to go with her," Erik stated. "They both can take on the identity of emergency relief nurses, this will grant Maya access to all areas and data while affording her the freedom to do some independent research. Ya'Han, I want you there to make sure nothing happens to the team should someone decide that the additional medical staff is getting in the way."

"When are we leaving?" Jayson asked, the Chief of Operations seeming to be in a rush to get underway.

"Although there are more people working on the ANUBIS then I ever thought possible, the ship won't be ready to leave until sometime tomorrow," Sonja reported. "I will do my best to stay on top of all the teams and see if we can't move things along a little fast. I am sure there are a few panels we can afford *not* replacing."

"Very well," the Native American said as he rose from his chair, "dismissed. Counselor, may I have a word with you please?"

As the rest of the senior staff exited the Observation Lounge, Adriana Lopez remained behind, worried that she had done something wrong. "Yes, Captain?"

"Just wanted to touch base with you about you helping the crew of the BASTET deal with the loss of Captain Iverson," Erik explained.

"I have spoken with the majority of the senior staff of the BASTET, and as expected each is dealing with the loss of their Captain in their own way. I believe that Commander Valentine will be able to rally them in time, the woman being a skilled officer who deeply cares for the crew even though she is not prepared to show it."

"Good," the Captain acknowledged. "I will need you to keep a closer watch on the crew of the ANUBIS. After what we dealt with on TAU OMEGA and now with the death of everyone on the RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385, I fear that emotions may start to get in the way."

"I will keep an eye open Captain," Adriana confirmed. "I will hand in a report before we leave to the general state of the crew based on my most recent dealings and observations."

"Thank you, Counsellor," Erik said, thinking that this was just what he didn't need; another report for him to read.

=====
Setting: GALEMAE, Shuttle hangar
Stardate: 33118.2130

The woman known as Mordana stood in the middle of the large open space, a large black pool of black liquid stretching before her.  "Yes, the outpost was cleared. No clues as to what happened were left behind, although I suspect that it will not take the Federation a great deal of time to figure out that we moved to this planet. Their curiosity and insistence are proving to be troublesome. Maybe here, on a world that does not care about the events taking place amongst the stars, we will be able to complete our objective."

A sequence of high-pitch squeals responded to the woman's words, indicating that although she was the only one who could be seen, there were others present in the hangar.

"No worries, they won't be able to trace the runabout, at least not anymore," Mordana said, an evil grin dancing on her lips as she looked down at the pool of black liquid which was gradually flowing onto itself until it completely vanished as if never having been there in the first place. "You can go back; I will take care of this world. There are still several experiments that need to be performed before we can implement this on an even larger scale," the dark woman said opening her hand to observe a strange black ooze quickly shifting form in her palm. "Come, my little virus, we still have a great deal of work to do."

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
M12-P002: USS ANUBIS: Paquette: 33118.2145 ("A Friendly Confrontation")
"A Friendly Confrontation"
previous posts were (ANU) "One Report After Another" / (BAS) "New Purpose"

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Turbolift
Stardate: 33118.2145

Sonja might have been preoccupied with the hasty repairs being made to her ship, but that did not stop her from noticing that something was wrong with her friend. Maybe it was the fact that her hair had not been quite as red as usual, or maybe because of the way she kept glancing in Jayson's direction, but there was no denying it, something was not right with Ya'Han.  That is why the redhead Engineer grabbed the Chief of Security by the arm the moment they exited the observation lounge and directed the woman to the turbolift, making sure that they would be alone for the journey.

"Where are we going?" Sonja asked of the only other occupant in the pod.

"Deck 2, Senior Officer's quarters," Ya'Han replied while doing her best not to make eye contact with her friend.

"Alright, computer, Deck 2 then hold and keep the door closed until further notice," Sonja ordered before taking hold of her friend's shoulders to make sure she would have the woman's complete and undivided attention. "Now, tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing," the woman said, trying her best to avoid her friend's inquisitive gaze.

"Listen, lass," the Chief Engineer began in a thick Scottish accent, hinting that this was both a friendly one-on-one and that she would not accept anything short of the absolute truth. "I've seen my fair share of trouble and I know when there is something wrong, and right now that something is you. I want to know what's going on and don't try telling me that it's because you are going to be playing nurse with Maya and Satella. I know you well enough to know that you are going to enjoy that, so the problem has to be elsewhere and my guess is Jayson. So spill it!"

"I don't really want to talk about it," Ya'Han sternly said, meeting her friend's gaze straight on.

"Alright, I get it, whatever he did was bad enough that you don't want me to know because I am going to rip that empty head of his clean off his shoulders," Sonja said before smiling and cracking her knuckles.

"He did nothing wrong!" The Nylaan nearly screamed as her hair shifted to reflect her mood, the sudden appearance of the bright red colour was more than enough to have the Terran take a step back, just in case.  "I'm the one who messed up, not him, so leave him alone, in fact, leave me alone. I am not in the mood for company right now, no matter how well intended it might be."

Nothing more was said letting the all-consuming silence filling the small pod. With a forceful slam of the control pad, the Chief of Security opened the doors. Seeing this, Sonja thought it best not to get in the way of her angered friend and allowed her to exit the turbolift unchallenged, watching from inside the pod as Ya'Han rushed down the corridor to vanish into her quarters.

"Well, someone has her knickers in a tight knot," Sonja whispered to herself, never having expected her friend to act the way she had or to hear her defend Jayson as strongly as she just did.

Unable to do anything to help her friend, the redhead Chief Engineer allowed the doors of the turbolift to close and resumed her journey to Main Engineering. Taking some time from her busy schedule to help Ya'Han was all nice and dandy but with their new mission to GALEMAE, she needed to make sure that the ANUBIS would be ready on time. Hopefully, between now and then the Nylaan Chief of Security would have time to calm down and maybe even allow a friend in to help.

=====
Lorraine Paquette

Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501
M12-P003: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33118.2215 ("Nursing Her Wounds")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Nursing Her Wounds"
[previous post were (ANU) "A Friendly Confrontation" / (BAS) "New Purpose"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Ya'Han's Quarters
Stardate: 33118.2215

She was angry. The look on her face, her clenched fists, and the bright red hair made that obvious. The rage was not directed at Sonja, not in the least as her friend had done nothing other than being there wanting to help. Ya'Han was not angry at Jayson either, the poor man had done nothing wrong, actually, it was quite the opposite. She was angry at herself for letting her past get in the way of what might be. It was unsettling to see how, despite the fact that so many years had passed, the shadow of her then Ferengi troll fiancé Daimon Ardax still haunted her. All she wanted now was to speak to Jayson, to apologize for her reaction to his gift, and to feel his arms around her.

When the door chime rang, the Sec/Tac leaped to the door, opening it with eager anticipation. "Jayson, I wanted..." Ya'Han's word quickly drifted into silence as she saw Doctor Bruxa standing there instead of the man she hoped would have been there.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Satella asked, taken aback by the energetic welcome meant for someone else.

"No," Ya'Han answered taking herself down a few notches. "I thought it was Lt. Stark, but that's not important. What can I do for you, Doctor?" With a forced smile on her lips, the Sec/Tac stepped back and invited the CMO into her quarters.

"You and Lt. Paquette left so quickly from the briefing that I never got the chance to speak with you," Satella explained, the woman appearing rather excited. "I wanted to make sure that both you and Commander Maya have the most up-to-date data on this shadow virus. I know that as a scientist Maya will be able to effortlessly pass as a nurse, but I wanted to make sure that this role would not be a problem for you. My guess is that captain Morningstar wishes for us not to draw any attention to ourselves to facilitate our search for answers."

"You have nothing to be concerned about Doctor," Ya'Han said, her hair turning white as she spoke. "I may be a little rusty with some of the medical terminology and practices but I can assure you that I am no stranger to the demands and routines of your department."

"Of course," Doctor Bruxa gasped. "I was so thrilled to have my first lead away mission assignment that I completely forgot about your credentials. Please, forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive Doctor," Ya'Han reassured. "At least not from me," the Nylaan added in a soft whispered voice that went completely unheard by the excited Chief Medical Officer. If there was one person who needed to forgive someone, it was Jayson towards her for what she had said and done.

"Here is the latest data on the shadow virus," Satella said handing over a PADD to the white-haired woman, oblivious to the woman's troubled thoughts and emotions. "I am looking forward to closely working with you and Commander Maya. Just knowing that you two will be there makes me feel a great deal safer and optimistic as to the outcome of our mission. If you have any questions about this virus or how we will be proceeding once we are on board the medical frigate, please don't hesitate to ask. I am sure that I will have some questions for you in regards to how I should go about certain things to make sure we all remain safe. As a Doctor, I know that sometimes my mind is too focused on the needs of a patient to see what else may be happening around me."

"Again, you have nothing to worry about Doctor. Everything will be just fine," Ya'Han said. "Between you, Commander Maya and myself, I doubt that there will be a situation we will not be able to quickly handle."

Appearing a little less worried than when he had first walked into the quarters of the Nylaan, the silver-haired Mikulak woman smiled and made her way back to the door. Ya'Han followed Satella out, not because she feared the woman would somehow get lost in the few steps she needed to take but rather to be able to glance down the corridor to see if maybe someone would be there wishing to speak to her.

A sigh of sadness escaped from Ya'Han as she failed to see anyone else in the corridor, Jayson had decided to continue treating her to a chilling silence born from his disappointment, a reaction that the Sec/Tac could hardly begrudge him for having. Alone once more, the Nylaan retreated to her quarters suspecting that the night would be a long and quiet one, her thoughts and memories being the only companion she would have.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P004: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33118.2230 ("Elusive Simplicity")
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"Elusive Simplicity"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Nursing Her Wounds" / (BAS) "New Purpose"]
=-=

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor
Stardate: 33118.2230

Satella's mind was going a hundred times faster than her feet. This mission was not her first, the mysteries of EPSILON 358 had taken that honor. It was also not the first away mission she took part in, her most recent journey to the underground facility attesting to that. What was different this time around was that it would be her first undercover mission. It was true that she would not be portraying anything unique or extravagant. Of the three members of the team, she would be the one as close to her original self as could be. That still did not temper her excitement. Now, all they needed to do was to figure out a way to contain or better still eradicate this shadow virus. At the same time, they needed to identify any shadow agents while remaining incognito. Beyond all that, they were to be part of the medical team, rendering assistance wherever possible.

With all that in front of them, Doctor Bruxa figured that she was in desperate need a good night's rest. Events would likely be happening quickly and this even before they boarded the medical frigate. From that point on, it was unlikely that any of them would get a moment's rest. Dealing with the shadow virus and its victims would be time-consuming enough. Added to this the requirements of their undercover mission, and things were sure to get hectic fast.

=-=
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bruxa's Quarters
Stardate: 33118.2245

Satella wasted no time in making herself ready for bed. After a quick shower, she slid into the dark bedroom and slid into her bed ready to let herself fall asleep. That is when she heard the banging, scratching, drilling and general bustling on the other side of the outer hull. The repairs to the ship were far from over, and with that so were her hopes of a restful night's sleep.

Wrapped in her bed cover, Doctor Bruxa made her way out of the bedroom and straight into the corridor. If the noise was so much that she could not sleep, it was likely that others were in the same predicament.

=-=
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor
Stardate: 33118.2300

"Are you alright Doctor?" Ensign Jones asked. Seeing the CMO out and about was not the issue. Seeing her wrapped in a thick bed cover did come across as strange.

"I'm fine," Doctor Bruxa replied. "Heading to see if Adriana is in her quarters. With all of the noise outside due to the repairs, I can't sleep."

"You could use some sort of sedative," Tanith said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You are the resident physician after all."

The CMO looked at the FCO, stunned that this simple solution had not come to her. "Thank you," Satella smiled. "All of this work on he ANUBIS and our mission dealing with the shadow virus is messing with my head. I never even came close to thinking about that solution. Thank you. Maybe Captain Morningstar should add you to my team of nurses."

"Someone needs to stay on board the ANUBIS to make sure we keep up with the medical freighter. I am sure that you three will do just fine." The FCO stood still, waiting to see if the CMO would return from where she came.

"Of course, you are right. Too many people on the medical frigate would raise suspicions. Guess I should head back to my quarters and try to get some rest."

"It would seem appropriate," Ensign Jones said. Due to fatigue, stress or just being overwhelmed by their upcoming mission, Doctor Bruxa appeared a little discombobulated. "Do you require an escort or are you able to make it back on your own?"

"No, thank you. I will be fine by myself. Like I said earlier, a little bit of rest will benefit me greatly. Thank you again for suggesting the sedatives though. That will make it a lot easier for me to get the sleep I need."

Tanith watched as Doctor Bruxa turned around and backtracked her steps. She seemed physically fine, despite her being wrapped in her bedcovers. Mentally though, the woman was clearly needing rest if not heavier medication than some sedatives. The FCO knew that the CMO and CNS were good friends, so she decided to let the matter go. Reporting this to a higher-ranking officer would serve no purpose. With all of the work being done on the outer hull and their new mission, it made sense for some to be a little rattled. Seeing Bruxa vanish back into her quarters, Jones felt almost pity for Maya and Ya'Han. If this was the way the woman was before the mission, there was no telling how she would be during. Hopefully, a good night's rest was the only thing she truly needed.

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P005: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.0700 ("Tracking")
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"Tracking"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Elusive Simplicity" by Rachel / (BAS) "In The Blink of an Eye" by moi]
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Setting:  USS ANUBIS, Deck A-4, IGC
Stardate: 33119.0700

From the IGC the ExO / ILO kept a close watch on everything through the night. There was no need to worry while being inside the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex, but Shar'El wanted to make sure that everything and everyone was doing alright, especially after the ordeal of their last mission to TAU OMEGA. The loss of the facility's and station's personnel had been a difficult development for many to deal with, and the near destruction of the ANUBIS had just made the whole thing worse.  Whatever level of experience each officer possessed, however skilled they were at managing their stress, the last few days had been very demanding.

Once more Shar'El scanned her console, each monitor displaying the status of a section of the ship and of the people therein. By the looks of things, the repairs were progressing well and were well on track to be completed before midday today. This should have been enough to make their Chief Engineer happy but according to the internal sensors, Sonja had not stopped running through the night. At one point one of the IGC techs even made a comment that the woman seemed to be training for the inter-world Federation Grand Marathon. As funny as the statement had been intended to be, the ExO / ILO had to say that Lt. Paquette had shown more than enough stamina to qualify for the elite event mentioned.

On the other end of the spectrum was Doctor Bruxa who, from wandering the corridors wrapped in her bed covers had finally found rest in her quarters. This was likely due to the sedatives the woman had requested from the replicator, ensuring that her rest would not be disturbed by her own thoughts or the noise of the repairs happening right there above her head.

Another officer who needed rest was Adriana Lopez. Her stay on the BASTET had been an emotionally demanding one as she helped her former crew deal with the loss of Captain Iverson. The life of a Counselor was not an easy one to start with, carrying with them the weight of everyone else's emotions as well as their own. To the woman's credit though, Shar'El had to admit that she seemed to be handling things rather well although every now and then the sister tended to fall back on memories of her lost twin that made no sense. For the time being, the ExO / ILO dismissed this as just being a way that the woman used to deal with her own internal issues.

As for everyone else, there was no telling how restful of a night they each had, but the ExO / ILO was pleased to see them all in their quarters trying to rest, with two exceptions. That Lt. Ya'Han and Lt. Stark were in their respective quarters alone was cause for concern, indicating that the issue that stood between them had yet to be resolved. Few had noticed the distance that had been between them during the mission briefing, but for Shar'El there was no way for her to miss it being a skilled observer of humanoid behavior.

Today would be another day during which the ExO / ILO hoped that they would be able to talk things over before being even further apart thanks to Ya'Han and Maya following Doctor Bruxa as a nurse. Speaking of the Shillian, she had been the first to rise on this day, the CSciO seemingly in a rush to get to the Microbiology lab on Deck 14 to perform more research on the shadow virus. In some ways, Shar'El had been surprised that Maya had spent any time in her quarters instead of spending the night in one of the labs, the shapeshifter being well known for preferring being there over anywhere else on the ANUBIS.

"Commander," one of the IGC techs called out. "The HATHOR is powering up."

Shar'El shifted her gaze to the monitor that was displaying the small vessel. The ExO / ILO was aware of the mission that required the crew of the BASTET to change ship, and it was something she believed would benefit them all. On board the HATHOR, the crew would have no other choice but to become closer allowing them to talk about the emptiness left by the loss of their Captain.

"Good luck," the ExO / ILO whispered, watching the ship make its way through the massive protective doors of the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex. Their mission beyond Gorn space was just as uncertain as that of the ANUBIS to GALEMAE. Neither crew knew what to expect but in the end, that was what they were here for, to face the unknown in all of its shapes, sizes and terrifying darkness.

With her thoughts on such unknown darkness, Shar'El turned her attention onto the latest medical reports from GALEMAE. From the initial five reported cases of shadow virus infections stated by Captain Morningstar during the mission briefing, the number had doubled to 10 over the last 9 hours or so. Even if the ExO / ILO took a conservative estimate as to the spread of this infection, doubling every 12 hours, the crew could easily face hundreds of individual cases by the time the medical frigate and ANUBIS reached the planet.

The time for rest was over, that they liked it or not. Now the crew needed to get moving before the infection rate reached epidemic proportions that would leave GALEMAE a cold world covered by the shadow of death.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P006: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33119.0730 ("Broken Routine")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Broken Routine"
[previous post were (ANU) "Tracking" / (BAS) "Looking For Something"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Ya'Han's Quarters
Stardate: 33119.0730

On a normal day, the Sec/Tac would have been up and about by now, breakfast and morning exercises already behind her, but there was nothing normal about today. The ANUBIS was docked at its base of operations, relatively safe from the chaos of the universe, but that was not the only thing different. The most notable difference this morning was that several hours ago she woke up, alone, spending the time between then and now trying to wake from a nightmare that was in fact as real as could be.

Ya'Han wanted to talk to Jayson, she needed to explain herself to him and try to mend the rift that grew with each passing second. Her reaction had been uncalled for, especially when taking into account all that he had gone through to get her what he had. That was one of the reasons why she felt so bad, and why she understood his anger and disappointment towards her.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, the Nylaan strained to gather her mental strength while trying to understand why she felt as she did. During the escape from her homeworld, the daughter of the High Sovereign had endured many hardships and abuses, but never had she felt so beaten. Even during the early years of her Academy training, she had never considered the possibility of giving up. For some reason, that inner strength had all but vanished making her feel defeated and beaten unlike never before.

Unconsciously, Ya'Han ran her fingers through her hair and quickly noticed that not a single strand of red could be found. Many times Sonja and other members of the crew had pointed out how easy it was to pick up on the Nylaan's mood, the color of the woman's hair always being a dead giveaway. Standing up, the Sec/Tac gave her reflection a thorough review as memories of her past flooded her mind, a past in which she had fought through each and every obstacle that she had come up against.

Yes, the situation was different and although her emotions for Jayson opened endless possibilities, those same emotions made her vulnerable, something that she, as the Sec/Tac of the ANUBIS, could not permit herself to be. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Ya'Han focused on the role she would be playing during this mission. As far as everyone on the medical frigate would be concerned, she would be nothing more than a nurse following a Doctor in the search for a cure to the shadow virus. Beneath the facade, she would be as she was; a skilled warrior ready to defend her fellow shipmate no matter what the danger may be.

"Computer," Ya'Han said as she turned to the replicator. "I need a standard Starfleet Medical nurse's uniform."

The requested item materialized seconds later to be taken by the Nylaan and placed on the bed behind her. Once there, Ya'Han observed the garment with a wide mixture of emotions. As extensive as her training had been to earn her white hair, it had never required her to dress the part. Ya'Han slipped into the nurse's uniform and gave the fabric a few last minute adjustments before looking at her reflection once again. There, she saw her black hair give way to the color more suited to the image she needed to project.

"Not bad if I do say so myself," Ya'Han noted. "If I ever need to consider another field of work, this might be a good option to keep in mind although I will admit that I am not overly fond of the lack of a sidearm. I'm going to have to find some alternate means to use as a weapon, just in case."

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 33119.0800

As the ANUBIS' Sec/Tac, Ya'Han trained long and hard every day to keep her skills as sharp as possible. That attitude would not change despite the Nylaan's role being different for their upcoming mission, which is why she went to Sickbay. Training was as much a state of mind as it was a physical one, and the white-haired woman needed to stick to her routine, even if only a little.

"Excuse me, Nurse," Counselor Lopez said as she walked into the main treatment area and saw only one person standing there. "Have you seen Doctor Bruxa?"

"I am sorry," the white-haired woman replied as she turned to face the Counselor. "I have not seen Doctor Bruxa this morning."

The Counselor gasped. "Lt. Yahan? Is that really you? I did not recognize you with the white hair and nurse's uniform. I will say this, you more than look the part," Adriana said, looking genuinely impressed.

"Thank you, Counselor," the Sec/Tac said with a smile. "Hopefully, I can recall enough of my original medical training as well as what little basic was covered at the Academy for me to do more than just look the part."

"I am sure you will," the CNS said. "You seem to have taken to the role quite naturally, that will help in keeping Satella's cover intact while on the medical frigate."

"I know that you were looking for Doctor Bruxa, but if you have a minute, I would like to speak to you about a personal matter."

Adriana nodded as she took a few steps towards the Nylaan nurse in order not to have to speak too loudly in order to be heard. "Jayson?"

"Is it that obvious?" Ya'Han asked sounding a little depressed by how easily Adriana had identified the cause of her personal issues.

"I would not say obvious, but there were signs that something was not entirely right during the mission briefing yesterday," Counselor Lopez explained. "Plus, I have seen you in action and I can tell that there is not a great deal that affects you,"

"I have noted that he's my one true weakness," Ya'Han said trying to laugh as she did so.

"That is both the advantage and disadvantage of love I'm afraid," Adriana said before inviting Ya'Han to follow her into her office where they would be able to continue this little discussion in a more private setting.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P007: USS ANUBIS: Stark: 33119.0745 ("Uncertain Future")
"Uncertain Future"
[previous (ANU) "Broken Routine" / (BAS) "Looking for Something"]

[/\]
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Gymnasium
Stardate: 33119.0745

He had been in the gym for just about 30 minutes and he had yet to feel the mat against his back. Jayson had expected Ya'Han to show up as she always did in the early hours of the morning. It was his hope that they would be able to work things out during the sparring exercises they often shared. Instead, he found himself alone in the gym, pushing himself more than he ever had before, trying to justify how he felt then and to punish himself for how he felt now.

Had she overreacted? Absolutely, as far as he was concerned there was no debating that. On the other hand, he did accept that he could have handled the situation better than he had. His pain at her unexpected reaction clouded his judgment making him turn away and shut her out. That pain continued to affect him during the mission briefing and through the night that followed. Now he worried that it might be too late to fix things.

"Is everything alright Lieutenant?" Commander Shar'El asked, surprising the OPS Officer who had not heard or noticed anyone come in. Jayson had been so lost in his own thought that he likely would not have noticed a battalion of raging Klingons pass through the gym.

"Everything is fine," he replied wiping the sweat from his brow. "Just wanted to let out some steam." He knew that she wanted more information, just as he knew that she suspected that there was a problem between Ya'Han and him. Whatever the First Officer thought she knew though, he would not confirm or deny anything, not now and likely not ever.

"I wanted to have your opinion on the GALEMAE situation," Shar'El said dismissing the man's personal issues. "We will be heading to a world that has done everything it can to remain isolated from the political conflicts that reign beyond their planet. They are very much aware of the numerous other species that populate the galaxy, but they want nothing to do with any of them, including us. Due to this, the medical team heading to that planet will be there as guests, and although their presence will be tolerated for the time being it is feared that the Galemaen may start opposing them should they try to offer any medical assistance."

"Why is a medical frigate being dispatched if we fear the planet's inhabitants will refuse our help?" Jayson asked, clearly missing part of the situation.

"Starfleet Medical was able to convince the GALEMAEN ruling Senate that the cases of shadow virus they currently have is of great scientific interest to them. I believe that the fact there are only a handful of cases actually plays in our favor as they do not see our being there looking at a few of their citizens to be an issue. The moment the infection spreads though, we may be faced with an entirely different situation."

"They are not going to let the medical team start examining hundreds of infected patients and may even try to find a way to blame us for what is happening to their people," the OPS Officer said rolling his eyes. "It is unlikely that they will see us as being there to help as we will certainly claim."

"Glad to see that you and I are on the same page on this. That is part of the reason why Ya'Han will be going with Doctor Bruxa, just in case the GALEMAEN decide to take issue with the medical team being on the surface. The other reason for making sure that the members of the medical team are well protected is the likelihood that the Lokustaar have one or more agents in place. What happened to the staff of RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385 is too similar to what we saw take place on the station and research facility of TAU OMEGA. We have to do everything we can to help these people even if they do not welcome our assistance if not the whole planet's population could perish."

"The ANUBIS is going to have to be ready to intervene at a moment's notice," Jayson said. "That means while the IGC monitors the planet's communications, there will be a need to have someone on constant standby to jump into action. What did you have in mind? The VIPERS? The SPHINX?"

"Jumping into action may not be the right answer with the GALEMAEN," Shar'El said. "I was thinking more of a counter-intelligence operation that would involve Counselor Lopez. With your help, she could portray a member of the local planetary news system, reporting on events in a way that would ease everyone's fears while allowing the medical team to continue with their research and efforts to help unchallenged."

"So, you want us to broadcast 'fake news'?" Jayson laughed. "Well, it was enough to get a complete moron elected to the position of President way back when; so I don't see why it would not work here. Repeat the same thing over often enough and people will start to believe it, even if it makes little sense, that has been proven time and time again in EARTH's history. Using the current broadcast format seen on GALEMAE I will get started on getting a Press / Media studio set up in one of the holodecks. From there we can start sending out our signal to the general populace and who knows, if we do things right, Adriana might become the next big star of their world. Might even be able to have her run for a seat on the Senate by the time the mission is over."

"Let's keep our goals to be more helpful and less political," Shar'El grinned. "We are heading to GALEMAE to help them, not to destabilize their government. As long as the Lokustaar threaten this dimension, the future we face will be uncertain enough without us making things easier for them."

"It shall be done as you wish Commander," Jayson said, glad to have something to sink his teeth into instead of spending his time trying to figure out the mess that his personal life had become.

[/\]
Jayson Sousa

Lieutenant JG Jayson Stark [Access Character BIO for Jayson Stark]
Chief of Operations
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P008: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.0800 ("Late Morning")
=-=
"Late Morning"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Uncertain Future" / (BAS) "Looking For Something"]
=-=

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bruxa's Quarters
Stardate: 33119.0800

It is a generally accepted fact that Doctors make the worst patients. Treating others is simple, treating one's self can and usually is problematic. The reason for this is the lack of professional objectivity in diagnosing the case. As a patient suffering from fatigue and anxiety, Satella needed something to help her get to sleep. As the ship's physician, Doctor Bruxa prescribed what she believed to be enough sedatives to make sure the woman would sleep. And sleep she did.

After more than eight hours, the patient was finally starting to emerge from her deep slumber. Satella had slept through the repairs taking place on the other side of the hull right over her head. Her mind had remained undisturbed by thoughts or dreams, allowing her to truly rest. At least that was until the physician finally opened her eyes and saw the time. Whatever rest she had managed to obtain evaporated faster than the CMO could move, and she was moving fast.

=-=
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 33119.0810

Satella rushed into Sickbay, still adjusting her uniform. As far as the woman was concerned, she was late, very late. A great many things needed to be done before their departure. With so much to do, every minute counted, and now she had lost hours to her sleeping. As soon as Satella got her bearings, she noted that there were only two people present. One was her friend Adriana; the other clearly appeared to be a member of the medical department thanks to her uniform. What concerned the Doctor was that both were walking towards to door leading to the Counseling department.

"Nurse! Where are you going? I need you here. We have to get everything ready for our upcoming mission. I have to get all of the medical kits ready for us to bring on board the medical frigate. I have to compile and update Ya'Han and Maya on whatever new data we have on this shadow virus. We also need to review the medical procedures of the GALEMAEN to make sure we do not end up doing something taboo. We will be there to help, not cause a social catastrophe. And that's just for starters, I am sorry Adriana, but I can't afford you to take a member of my staff away at this time."

Both the CNS and nurse began to laugh while keeping their backs to the Doctor.

"I told you that you looked the part," Adriana whispered to Ya'Han

"More than I expected it seems," the nurse said. After a moment, Ya'Han slowly turned to face the confused physician. "Glad that you consider me part of your staff Doctor."

"Ya'Han? I truly did not recognize you with the white hair. Now that I am thinking about it though, it should have been a dead giveaway. I do not have anyone on my staff with white hair." Satella smiled and approached the two women. "You may not be officially a member of the medical staff, but you will be for our next mission. This means that everything I just said applies. If you are to pass as one of my nurses, you need to know the trade. Since you are here and dressed for the part, I do not see any reason why we should not get started right away. We do not that much time."

"Satella, you do know that we are still docked at NEW ALEXANDRIA, right?" Adriana asked. "There is still several hours' worth of repairs to be accomplished before we can leave. I am sure that Lt. Paquette is doing her best to speed thing along, but there is just so much she can do. I doubt that we will be leaving in the next few minutes."

"Even more of a reason for us to get started," the Doctor said taking hold of Ya'Han's arm. "I am sure that Captain Morningstar will want his Chief of Security on the bridge when it is time to go. In the meantime, it would be a good idea to make sure that my closest aid is familiar with what she is expected to know. Commander SharEl did say that you would be following me. Maya can sneak around on her own and avoid performing any actual medicine. You, on the other hand, will have to assist me. You might even be called upon to take care of a patient on your own. If we are to maintain the integrity of our cover, you need to know what to do.

There was no arguing with Satella, and Adriana knew it. "We'll talk later," the CNS said to the nurse as she was being pulled away. "I suspect that there may be more for us to talk about once your medical 'training' is completed."

"You make it sound like this is going to be an impossible task," Satella shot back.

"I am not saying that this will be an impossible task. I'm just well aware of how you get to be when you get like this. Part of his mission is landing squarely into your laps, and you want to make sure everything goes without a hitch. The main difference this time is that I am not the one being dragged into your preparations. Have fun two, I have work of my own to attend to."

"Don't mind her," Satella said to the woman she was dragging by the arm. "She is just jealous that we will be spending time together. Now, I need you to show me how much you know and how much I need to teach you."

Ya'Han had never expected Satella to be this driven. Keeping sight of the details of their upcoming mission, everything made sense though. The crew of the ANUBIS had already witnessed the devastating effects of this shadow virus. Members of the crew understood the importance and urgency of their new mission. Doctor Bruxa also knew the imposing challenge the crew and more specifically her department faced. It appeared that their mission to GALEMAE was not going to be an easy one. Then again, was there such a thing as an easy mission?

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P009: USS ANUBIS: Lopez: 33119.0830 ("Being Someone Else")
-=-=-
"Being Someone Else"
[Previous post: (ANU) "Late Morning" & (BAS) "Looking For Something"]
-=-=-

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Counselor's Office
Stardate: 33119.0830

"Those two lovebirds are going to live a long and happy life together, or they will end up killing one another," Amanda, the illusion of the twin sister said as the Counselor returned to her office. "My guess is that the odds are a perfect 50/50, either possibility having equal chances of happening over the other."

"They come from very different backgrounds," Adriana said, not even trying to dismiss the hallucination, "and each has a great deal of emotional baggage to work through. Jayson lost his fiancé and unborn child causing him to be hesitant to commit to a relationship. Ya'Han was for a lack of a better term a princess who exiled herself from everything she knew. Both are working at rebuilding and rediscovering whom they actually are, and sometimes that quest sees them walking side by side while other times it puts them on a collision course."

"With you right tab in the middle," the twin sister said before laughing as she hopped into a sitting position onto the Counselor's desk. "They should not try to pretend to be someone they are not. Life made them who they are, decisions they took solidified that personality, but now that they are together they want to ignore who they became to try and be a better fit to the person the other is trying to be."

"Makes no sense but that is the way a great many humanoid races manage relationships," Adriana said as she walked around the desk.

=/\= Commander Shar'El to Counselor Lopez. =/\=

The call came just as the woman was about to sit. "My guess is that she did in on purpose," Amanda chuckled. "I tell you, in her capacity as the ship's ILO, she's keeping tabs on everyone. One day, she will call us *both* to her office or the nearest airlock. I'm putting those odds at 50/50 as well."

"Go ahead, Commander," the Counselor replied, suddenly worried that her earlier conversation with the sister, who was not actually there, had been observed. That recording could prove more than enough to make Adriana appear to have completely lost her mind, having a full-blown conversation with no one.

=/\= If you are not busy, could you come to Holodeck 5. Lt. Stark and I require your assistance with a project that we are working on for our mission to GALEMAE. =/\=

"That will give you the chance to speak to Jayson even before Ya'Han gets to complain about him," the hallucination of the twin sister said with a smile.

"I have nothing scheduled at this time," the Counselor said while dismissing the illusion with a wave of her hand. "I can be there in a few minutes."

=/\= Perfect, we will be waiting for you. Shar'El out. =/\=

-=-=-
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.0840

Adriana took only a few steps inside the holodeck before coming to a complete stop. Of all the possible holographic recreations she had imagined to find, what she did see did not remotely fit anything.

"Welcome Counselor," Jayson said inviting the woman into the simulation. "Welcome to news central."

"News central?" Adriana repeated, more confused now than she was when she had first walked in.

"Let me explain," Shar'El said. "No, there is too much. Let me summarize. We expect the medical teams will sooner rather than later encounter resistance from the Galemaen. To avoid or at the very least lessen this, we want to send out information broadcasts in the form of a media announcement. We need you to be the person who is going to make those announcements."

"Why not have the computer generate a holographic news announcer?" The Counselor wondered, not at all sold on the idea that she would be the one to do this.

"We are able to listen in on the current broadcasts," Shar'El explained.

"That is where we came up with the physical layout you see here," Jayson said interrupting the Commander.

"That is why the set was easy enough to reproduce," the First Officer resumed. "The problem is the manner with which the information is delivered. It would take too long for the computer to process what we have in order to make a realistic recreation able to rapidly adapt to the situation. The holodeck can superimpose the likeness of a Galemaen to make you appear as one of them, but I am hoping that you can analyze and mimic their ways to make the presentation that much more convincing."

Adriana looked at the grinning Chief of Operations thinking back to what her sister had said about people trying to present themselves as someone else. This was not the same thing, but the similarities were too numerous for the Counselor to ignore. Here she was, being asked by Commander Shar'El to become someone else in order to broadcast what some would refer to as 'fake news'.

"That is not going to be easy," the CNS said.

"We know," Jayson confirmed, still appearing excited about the plan that had just been presented. "The advantage is that when things get heated, we will be able to affect the situation in a manner that could make things a great deal easier for Doctor Bruxa and the rest of the medical team.

"You truly believe that this will work?" Adriana asked of Shar'El.

"There is no way for us to know for certain. The best we can do is to try and see what happens," Commander Shar'El said as she shrugged her shoulders. "What I do know for sure is that the odds of such a simulation actually working are greatly improved by having a real person doing the broadcast instead of a computer-generated recreation. The addition of inflections in the words used, facial expressions and even emotional reactions will only serve to make the broadcast more realistic and therefore make the audience more willing to believe the information we will provide."

"Alright, let me see what you have. I will do my best to be a convincing Galemaen news anchor," Adriana said, accepting the task while thinking that this was not at all what the Counselor had expected when she had set foot into the holodeck.

-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi

Lieutenant JG Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Ship's Counselor
USS ANUBIS
M12-P010: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33119.1130 ("Darker Horizons")
##########
"Darker Horizons"
Previous posts (ANU) "Being Someone Else" / (BAS) "Looking For Something"
##########

“Everyone has talent. What's rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places where it leads.” 
― Erica Jong

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33119.1130

The Native American stood in the middle of the bridge, looking at the main view screen. Everything was finally ready and the ANUBIS could depart on a new mission, this one taking them to GALEMAE. All that was left to do was to go through the final checklist to make sure nothing had been overlooked.

"Lieutenant Paquette, are we clear to go?"

"The ANUBIS has been fully repaired, at least that's what all of the reports I read say. I can only confirm the actual state of the repairs of those sections and components I personally inspected," the redhead engineer replied from her station at the back of the bridge. When she saw the Captain looking over his shoulder at her, Sonja decided to amend her reply to something that the man would be more inclined to accept. "All systems are at full operative status."

"Lieutenant Stark?"

"We are clear to depart. NEW ALEXANDRIA Operations is giving us a green light to the space doors," the Chief of Operations reported. "All umbilical connections and mooring clamps have been retracted. We are free of the docking port."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Helm, take us out. Reverse thrusters only," the Captain ordered, easing himself into his chair.

"Reverse thrusters, aye!" Ensign Jones confirmed and seconds later the massive SCARAB-CLASS Intel Cruiser began to move away from its docking station inside the hidden secret complex.  All eyes were on the large display screen as the image showed more and more of the levels of the complex as the ANUBIS pulled away from it. "Engaging aft port-side and forward starboard thrusters."

"Sensors showing all clear," the Chief of Security reported as the ship proceeded with a precise rotation on its Y-Axis. As large as the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex was, moving a ship the size of the ANUBIS within it was not a simple task.

"Rotation at 45 degrees from original starting vector," Tanith reported in a calm and controlled manner, the FCO proving that she knew what she was doing.

"Captain, Admiral Koniki on an open channel for you," Jayson reported, sounding a little annoyed by the timing of the call.

"Put it on the main viewscreen," Erik ordered as he remained seated to send a passive-aggressive message that this was not the ideal time for a courtesy call. "Yes, Admiral?"

[/\] Just wanted to wish you and your crew good luck on your mission. Doctor Bruxa and her assistants will be joining the staff of the medical frigate IVANOSKI. The ANUBIS and the rest of your crew are to remain unknown to that ship. The Galemaen have agreed to have a single Federation vessel in orbit of their planet. As far as the Federation Council is concerned, this is a medical research mission, nothing more, as they wish to respect the desire of the Galemaen Senate to not have their planet 'invaded' by outsiders.  You and your ship are there to make sure nothing bad happens should the situation get out of hand. [/\]

"You have nothing to worry Admiral, we'll make sure the medical team is safe," the Native American reassured.  

[/\] Don't be a fool, Erik. You know what I mean, you are there to make sure the virus does not leave GALEMAE should the infection spreads to the general population. Should that happens; you are under direct orders to destroy any vessel trying to escape.  [/\]

"I hope that it does not get to that," the Captain said, clearly uncomfortable with the order he had just received.

[/\] I agree but we cannot take any chances. If the Lokustaar are behind this latest occurrence of shadow virus infection, as we suspect them to be, there is no telling what their end-game is. Taking out the research facility of TAU OMEGA could have been nothing more than a test. The way it spread through RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385 might have been them tweaking the delivery system as the virus breached containment. Now we are dealing with a whole planet and time is against us. If we lose containment here, the whole of the galaxy might be at risk. Do I make myself clear? [/\]

"Perfectly clear, Sir. We will do what needs to be done."

[/\] I truly hope that you do. This is not one of those missions where you can let your emotions get in the way. We are fighting the Shadows here, and they will not hesitate to take advantage of whatever weakness we show. Good luck, Koniki out. [/\] As the communication was terminated, the face of the Admiral was replaced by the large space doors which stood nearly perfectly in front of them.

"This mission is sounding better and better with each passing moment," Sonja sighed. "Maybe I should have asked for a transfer while I could."

"Rotation at 175 degrees from original starting vector," the FCO reported, thinking it best for everyone to focus on their immediate tasks instead of being concerned with the darker possibilities of their mission.

"Helm, halt rotation and take us to the doors," the Captain ordered, apparently agreeing with Ensign Tanith's take on their current situation. When the ANUBIS was close enough to the doors, they began to open allowing the bridge officers to see the stars beyond the asteroid field in which the secret base hid within.

"I am sure that it won't come to that," Counselor Lopez whispered to the Captain. It was her task to have the Commanding Officer of the ship hold onto whatever hope they could.

Erik just nodded in thanks for the reassuring words. The truth was that none of them knew how this mission would turn out, so all they could do was to do their best and adapt to the ever-changing situation, as they always did.

Silence filled the bridge as the ANUBIS made its way through the asteroids to finally reach open space. "Helm, set course for the rendezvous point with the IVANOSKI, warp 8."

"Warp 8, aye, aye, Captain," Tanith acknowledged sending the ship into faster-than-light travel only a few seconds later.

"Bridge to Commander Shar'El and Commander Maya, I would like to see the two of you in my Ready Room as soon as possible." After saying this, the Native American rose from his chair and made his way to his office giving command of the bridge to his Chief of Operations with a quick nod of his head.

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
M12-P011: USS ANUBIS: Maya: 33119.1200 ("Never As Easy As It Seems")
---
"Never As Easy As It Seems"
(Previous Posts: (ANU) "Darker Horizons" / (BAS) "Path of Nothingness")
---

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33119.1200

It had not taken long for Commander Shar'El and Commander Maya to show up in the office of the Captain following his call. Both of the officers had expected this, the only question was whether or not they would be called separately or together. With the answer in hand, they could move forward and offer their reports to Captain Morningstar.

The Commanding Officer of the USS ANUBIS greeted the two women while leaning against the front edge of his desk. It would seem that this meeting would be a standing one, which also meant that it would not last long. The words that followed confirmed this.

"Now that the ANUBIS is heading to rendezvous with the IVANOSKI, we need to work out the details of this mission, more specifically this virus that Doctor Bruxa is going to be dealing with hands-on. My guess is that we will not have too much time to get everything ready, so please keep things simple and to the point. Commander Maya, what can you tell us about this shadow virus and have we learned more since the last report from Doctor Bruxa?"

Maya had expected the Captain to want Commander Shar'El to give the tactical aspect of their mission first, but the Chief Science Officer had not been unready to present her report. "Based on the data we collected from our encounter of the personnel of the TAU OMEGA research facility, the black goo we found in the lowest level of that facility, and what we observed on the station in orbit of that same world, we can easily deduce that this virus is something to be feared. The fact that it somehow managed to breach containment on RELAY OUTPOST SIGMA 385 indicates that we do not possess the adequate medical resources to avoid it spreading more than it already has. The only reason why the sample provided by Admiral Koniki has not spread is that it is encased in a solid polymer that is itself contained in the highest possible medical containment field."

"All right," the Captain said rubbing the back of his neck. "You and Doctor Bruxa need to come up with something that will protect you three and the rest of the medical team on board the IVANOSKI. The last I want is that ship and its crew to be the first ones to fall under our orders to make sure the virus does not leave GALEMAE."

"I am not sure that we will have enough time to do this Captain," the Shillian Scientist said. "Although the virus itself does appear to have a great many similarities to what we know of the Lokustaar, which in all honesty is not that much, we have no way to fully test whatever method we might come up with. Computer simulations may be safe, but they are far from being perfect. Thanks to the limited knowledge we have as to the pathogenesis of this virus, we are guessing more than anything else as to the best way for us to proceed."

"The ANUBIS will rendezvous with the IVANOSKI in just over 6 hours," Commander Shar'El stated. "The crew of the medical frigate is expecting a small team of experts on this virus to join them before they reach GALEMAE which will be another 4 or 5 hours away at their maximum speed. This gives you no more than 10 to 11 hours to find a way to immunize you and the rest of the medical team."

"I am not sure that we can," Maya explained. "Even if we had access to the full medical resources of NEW ALEXANDRIA, I suspect that it would take us weeks, maybe months before we even begin to understand how this virus works. It is being called a 'shadow virus' for a reason."

"Captain," Shar'El continued, this time directing her words solely to the discouraged looking Commanding Officer. "We cannot allow Doctor Bruxa, Lieutenant Ya'Han, and Lieutenant Commander Maya to go on this mission without any assurances that they will be safe. Right now, it sounds to me like we are not dealing with small chances or odds, but rather with a complete absence of them. Sending our people over to the IVANOSKI without the means to protect themselves would be nothing more than a suicide mission."

"Commander," the Shillian began as she stepped forward to stand directly in front of the woman arguing on her own behalf. "As much as I appreciate your desire to protect Doctor Bruxa, Lieutenant Ya'Han and myself, you have to keep the larger picture in sight. Failure to find a way to contain this virus will inevitably lead to the population of the entire planet to become infected at which time the ANUBIS will have no other choice but to eradicate all life on the surface." The Shillian paused and turned to face Captain Morningstar before continuing. "If you intend to do as Commander Shar'El suggests, then we should skip the rendezvous with the IVANOSKI, beat the medical frigate to GALEMAE and have it arrive at a dead world. At least that way, their report will show that the virus will have hopefully been destroyed. I say hopefully because right now, we do not possess enough information to know how effective our weapons will be in destroying the virus."

"You have made your point Commander, quite well I might add," the Captain said feeling a little taken aback by the bluntness of his Chief Science Officer. "You and Doctor Bruxa have 6 hours to find out as much as you can on this shadow virus. I would ask that you focus your efforts on finding some sort of protection against it. That said, that you discover something or not in that regards, the team will board the IVANOSKI. Maybe with their help, you can come up with something better in the remaining 4 to 5 hours of your journey to GALEMAE."

"Thank you, Captain, Commander," Maya said, understanding by this that she had been dismissed so as to not waste any more time in researching the virus they would be facing far too quickly for the liking of all the officers present in the room.

---
Jessica Solarik

Lieutenant Commander Maya [Access Character BIO for Maya]
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS

&

Captain Selene Fiona Iverson [Access Character BIO for Selene Iverson]
Missing In Action (MIA)
Former Commanding Officer
USS BASTET

"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)
M12-P012: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.1215 ("Tactical Assessment")
=-=
"Tactical Assessment"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Never As Easy As It Seems" by Jessica / (BAS) "Path of Nothingness" by Karen]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33119.1215

"Was it me or did Maya actually go straight to the point?" Shar'El asked of the Captain once the woman in question had left the room. The soft giggle that followed indicated that the ExO / ILO was not at all upset but rather pleasantly surprised by what she had just witnessed.

"She did alright," Erik replied, agreeing to both the statement and feelings that accompanied it. "I suspect that the idea of an entire planet's population perishing may have hit a little too close to home," the Captain elaborated. "She saw her own race die and I can imagine that allowing the same thing to happen to another race is something that she is not willing to just sit by and watch."

"That would explain the mental images I picked up from her," the Ullian said. "When it comes to strong emotional events, it is very hard for me to ignore the memories that are broadcasted. The problem is that those images are all too often scrambled or distorted as if the person was subconsciously trying to protect themselves from that particular memory."

"I can't even begin to imagine what she went through, and I cannot hold it against her that she wants to make sure it does not happen to anyone else," the Captain added as he tried in a small way to understand how the woman felt.

"If it serves no other purpose, this heightened emotional state should drive her to look that much harder for a way to go against this nightmare virus. That said though, I will admit that I can't imagine her working any harder than she already is. That woman already spends the greater majority of her time in one of the science labs researching whatever she can get her hands on. Her quarters could be used by someone else without Maya ever even noticing."

"Speaking of covert cohabitation, what is our plan of action with the Galemaen?" Erik asked, moving forward with the meeting he had called for. "Although our orders are to remain inactive but vigilant while Doctor Bruxa and her team are on the planet's surface, I suspect that you have something in mind."

"I always do," the ExO / ILO grinned. "With the help of Lt. Stark, holodeck 5 has been turned into a Galemaen news broadcast studio. The goal is for us to transmit information that will alter in some way, shape or form the opinions of the general population in favor of the medical team, or whatever else is required. At the very least, we hope to be able to offer a different point of view should something surface that could lead to the medical team facing any type of danger."

"That's an interesting idea. Is Jayson going to be the anchor or will you have the computer generate a holographic newscaster?"

"Neither actually," the ExO / ILO answered. "As great as the computer's calculation capacity is, it would need to create a simulation based on a race that we know little about. This means that any holographic newscaster would likely not be able to accurately portray the emotions that would be required at a moment's notice. As for Jayson, it is a generally accepted rule through the galaxy that females come across as being more trustworthy. That is why Counselor Lopez will be the one in front of the camera. She is reviewing the way Galemaen speak and move to better mimic them when the time comes."

"All of these news broadcasts will have the potential of having a much greater reach than anything else any of us could do, but do you believe that it will be enough?"

"Of course not," Shar'El said knowing that the Captain was teasing. "The IGC will be monitoring all communications taking place on GALEMAE, making sure that anything that might present a problem to the medical team is intercepted. We should have no problem breaking into the planetary data and communications grid in order to monitor the general flow of information. This will permit us to control and alter the information to suit our immediate and even possibly long-term needs. The news broadcasts are only meant to offer another communication medium for the population to accept the information that will be sent out."

"Commander, I will say this," Erik began as he pushed himself away from his desk. "I am very glad that you and your IGC team are on our side. I would truly hate to see just how much you would be able to achieve if that was your ultimate goal."

"We do have our limits, but if you tell me which planet you want to rule, I am sure that we could have the crowd waving banners and cheering your name in supporting of whatever ideas you want in just a few weeks," the ExO / ILO said all too seriously.

"I doubt that it would be that easy," the Captain challenged.

"With all due respect, you know as much as I do that the majority of sentient life forms in this galaxy are nothing but mindless sheeps," Shar'El stated. "How many worlds blindly follow an imposed government, an oppressive leader or a mad dictator? With a fraction of the technology that we have available here on the ANUBIS, a person can rally enough support to destabilize an entire world even when the ideas presented by this individual go against the people's best interests. It's all about how you spin the information. The history of your own world is filled with perfect examples of this; Caesar, Hitler, Stalin, Trump, and most recently Edgerton, they all rallied the support of countless despite their ideas going, for the most part, against common interests and logic."

"I guess it would be difficult for me to argue with you on that point," Morningstar said, clearly conceding the argument.

"With the right propaganda," the ExO / ILO continued, "anyone can convince the masses of things that are completely false. Once that is accomplished and actual truth is injured beyond healing, it is only a matter of time before the gathered support elevates them to greater power. Once there, the momentum is in their favor and if they play their cards right, there is no stopping them even if they are on a course to destroy everything and everyone around them."  Shar'El paused for a moment, thinking that she needed to real things in a little.  "Listen, give those misguided supporters a colorful trinket that displays whatever slogan is pertinent to the current situation, and the masses will blindly follow until their own death. With the right control of the media, you can have the majority of a population support the most dangerous figure in the galaxy, willingly disregarding truth that stands against the lies of the leader they now idolize. You know as well as I do that, unfortunately, it does not take a great deal to get something like that started. I would not need the IGC or even the ANUBIS's impressive resources to plant the seed of descent into a world's population. It would also not take a lot of effort to see that seed grow and spread before it becomes something that would forever change the political landscape of a planet."

"Like a just said, I am glad that you and your team are on our side," Erik gulped.

"That is why NEW ALEXANDRIA was built. That is why the ANUBIS is out there between the stars. Knowing how some delusional people can take control allows us to beat them at their own game. The key is for us to get there before too much damage is done. Right now though, our attention needs to be on this shadow virus and our finding a way to make sure it does not turn into a full blow planetary epidemic," the ExO / ILO concluded thinking that like Maya, she had made her point all too well.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P013: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.1400 ("Unforgiving Time")
=-=
"Unforgiving Time"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Tactical Assessment" / (BAS) "Path of Nothingness"]
=-=

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 33119.1400

Satella could not help it. Despite all of the work that needed to be done, or maybe because of it, she kept looking at the clock. The minutes seemed to be melting away like ice on the sun, and this was not good. Why was it that when people needed more time, it always seemed to go by faster?  The ANUBIS was scheduled to reach the IVANOSKI in just over 4 hours. This made everyone rush as much as he or she could, but the work was delicate and time-consuming. Simply put, there was just not enough time to get everything that was needed to be done.

In a moment of discouragement, the CMO glanced over to the CSciO.  Maya was a woman on a mission, moving from one station to another and then another. The scientist was multi-tasking in a way that bewildered the physician to the point of making her feel dizzy. Everyone in Sickbay had realized that it was safer to give the woman as much room as possible. Despite her tireless efforts though, the answers they all sought remained well out of reach.

Accepting the reality of this situation was difficult but necessary. They could work themselves into the grave but it would not produce the answers they required. Unconsciously, Satella had already made this realization. Each time she looked at the clock, that reality settled a little deeper into her mind. There was not enough time for them to obtain the understanding they needed of the shadow virus. Now, Doctor Bruxa needed to get the scientist on that same page.

"Maya, you need to take it easy. If you continue at this pace, you will be dead tired by the time we board the IVANOSKI." The Doctor's words were ignored, the scientist not giving any signs of slowing down. "I need you to be ready to coordinate with the other medical team. They are counting on us to provide them with whatever data we have. They are not expecting answers; all they want is just a little more information than they already have."

"The answers are in there, somewhere," Maya said as she continued to work. "It has to be, we just need to find it before it is too late." Bruxa noted a sadness in the Shillian's voice. The intensity of her work and efforts came from somewhere. That the CMO was unaware of cause or reason, but she needed to address it. With Adriana busy with her own affairs, the Doctor needed to play Counselor, at least for the time being.

"Is everything alright?" Satella asked. Seeing Maya actually stop in her tracks, the CMO took a chance as to what the cause for this anguish could be. "I know we need to solve this mystery, but I'm afraid we can't. At least not right now and not in the amount of time we have. It may require us to actually be on GALEMAE before we can get the data we need to figure all this out. We are working on a static model without any live data to collaborate with our theories. Once we are on site, we will be able to follow the virus' progression. That's when we will be able to see how we need to proceed."

"It will be too late by then," Maya said, turning to look at Satella allowing the physician to see her tears. "All of the reports we have received show that the virus spreads quickly. The bigger problem is that we do not know how to contain it. The way it breached containment in that relay outpost proved that much. This means that we have no way to protect anyone, including ourselves. To make matters worse, the fatality rate of this virus is perfect. Anyone infected is instantly handed a death sentence. That is why we need to find something, anything that will help protect everyone from this virus."

"We will," Satella said trying to reassure the distraught Maya. "We just have to accept that it will take time for us to do this. Like the infections of old, we have to accept that time is part of the solution. No cure was ever found immediately after the discovery of a new pathogen. With the help of the medical staff of IVANOSKI, I am sure we will, in time find a way. It is not a question of if, but rather of when. Everyone involved in this is doing everything they can to make that happen as quickly as possible."

Maya suddenly appeared lost in her thoughts. Something that Satella said had caused the scientist's thoughts to jump their current tracks. The Doctor was hesitant to interrupt. Was this the result of the woman's anguish or had the CSciO been made to think of something that might actually help? Bruxa waited for a few more moments to see if she would come around on her own. When she did not, a gentle touch of her arm failed to bring the Shillian back.

"Maya?" The CMO was concerned. To see the woman moving so fast a few moments ago to being nearly catatonic was worrisome. "Is everything alright?" That is when a small smile began to form on the scientist's lips. Slowly, it grew to fill the woman's face easing the concerns of the Doctor standing in front of her.

"Yes," she absentmindedly replied. "I'm alright," she added, her gaze lost beyond the confines of the room. "Why didn't I think of this earlier? It was right there in front of me the whole time. I need to get back to my labs. There is an answer but it will not be found here. Why did I not think of this earlier?" Suddenly, Maya came back to herself and looked straight at Satella. "Thank you, Doctor; I will keep you up-to-date as to my findings and progress."  A few seconds later Maya was gone. The woman could move there was no denying that. The way she exited Sickbay though made it evident that the CSciO had come up with something. The question was what?

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P014: USS ANUBIS: Lopez: 33119.1430 ("A Matter of Perspective")
-=-=-
"A Matter of Perspective"
[Previous post: (ANU) "Unforgiving Time" & (BAS) "Path of Nothingness"]
-=-=-

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.1430

The plan was simple; learn how to act and speak like a Galemaen news anchor. Like so many other things though, this was easier said than done. GALEMAE was an isolated world with a government led by a Senate that displayed many xenophobe tendencies. The information given to the general public was heavily censored to avoid what those in charge referred to as 'outside contamination'. The goal, it seemed, was to make sure that the population would not be subjected to any foreign ideas or concepts.

It was only thanks to gathered intel that this much was known about the world and its people. The authoritarian government controlled every aspect of life on the planet, using the new media to help keep the general population docile and compliant. Understanding this made the role Adriana was currently learning that much more important.

"Jayson," Adriana said looking over the news desk she was sitting at. "Can we do something about this desk and chair? They give an entirely new meaning to the term 'uncomfortable'. I thinking even a Klingon would not be caught dead using these."

"Sorry Counselor. We have to make this look as believable and realistic as possible," the Chief of Operations explained. "The holodeck's system will be busy keeping up the illusion of you being a Galemaen, so to avoid any problems it is best to keep everything else static, this includes the camera and its angle to the desk. We had to make a few modifications to keep the relative perspective the same, as the average height of a Galemaen is only 1.25 meters. That alone should make Lt. Paquette happy as she would not have to break her neck while talking to any of them."

"Jayson, there is no need for you to take shots like that at her," the Counselor rebuked.

"I am behind by a few hundred shots fired," the Chief of Operations, said to justify his action. "Now, if you are ready, I would like to try the holographic matrix. If the image is not perfect, these little news broadcasts could end up having the opposite effect to what they are intended to achieve."

"I'm ready when you are," Adriana said, coming across as far more willing than she initially wanted to.

"Don't flirt with him," the illusionary sister chuckled, as she appeared sitting on the desk next to the other twin. "I am sure that the last thing you want is to have the Chief of Security go full red on you." Adrianna shot a quick glare at her sister, this not being the time or place for a mental projection of her sibling. The problem, had her sister been right, had she unintentionally flirted with him? As the ship's Counselor, she knew that something had happened between them, both Jayson and Ya'Han displaying signs of this, but that certainly did not give her the right to act as she had just been accused of by the illusionary sister.

"You are looking great," Jayson said taking the CNS by surprise causing her to snap her head and eyes back forward at the man and the inactive camera by his side.

"What?"

"The holographic image," he clarified moving behind the camera to get a better perspective. "It looks great and seems to be keeping up with your moving about quite well. I would not suggest that you start to dance as it might not be able to keep up as well then, but it should be enough to maintain the illusion of you being a Galemaen. The rest will be entirely up to you. Care to give it a go, just you and me, alone?"

"You and me? Alone?" Adriana gasped, relieved that her blushing cheeks were hidden behind the holographic image currently being projected over her own features.

"Figures it would be easier this way," Jayson grinned. "Less stress if you don't have to be concerned with the thousands of people who will be looking at you, hanging on your every word. This will get you used to the camera. As much as we all get to do a great many different things in our line of work, being in front of a camera like this is not something that is part of our Academy training. Therefore, I figured that this is a good opportunity for you to get used to it.

"That was close," Amanda said with a smile, jumping off the desk to make her way to the camera set a few meters in front of the news desk. "Although I fear that it is not the thousands of people watching you that will be your greatest distraction. All it will take is one man to make you screw this up if you are not careful."

"I should not have any problems," the Counselor said, dismissing her sister's latest words. "I think it will be the delivery and the specific choice of words that are going to be the real challenge. We cannot simply say what we want them to hear; the authorities would be immediately alerted to there being something wrong. We have to be subtle about the information we will broadcast, tipping the public's opinion ever so slightly in favor of the medical team and their efforts to help. The wrong word, or the right words spoken too soon, could have disastrous results."

"I have the utmost confidence in your ability to say the right thing at the right time," Jayson reassured.

"No worries Sis, I will be right here to help you focus on what you need to, not what you want to."  Amanda's word left her twin sister silent. Was this true? Was Adriana looking at Jayson in any other way than a fellow shipmate? Had her knowledge of the troubles between him and Ya'Han made her feel as if she had the right to do this? If so, how could she ever continue to consider Ya'Han as a friend?

-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi

Lieutenant JG Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Ship's Counselor
USS ANUBIS
M12-P015: USS ANUBIS: Maya: 33119.1430 ("Time For a Breakthrough")
---
"Time For a Breakthrough"
(Previous Posts: (ANU) "A Matter of Perspective" / (BAS) "Path of Nothingness")
---

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 12, Quantum Physics Laboratory
Stardate: 33119.1430

Science is a multi-faceted field covering, in one way or another, the entirety of the universe in its infinite dimensions and possibilities. When Maya was brought in to help with the virus believed to have been the creation of the Lokustaar, the Shillian scientist had approached the matter as a member of the medical staff, as expected by her would-be cover identity. This had the result to have the Chief Science Officer look at the virus from a purely medical perspective. From that specific point of view though, things looked rather grim, as the virus appeared to be an unstoppable plague that would spread unchallenged casting a deathly shadow over the galaxy.

It was during the earlier conversation with Doctor Bruxa, the Chief Medical Officer of the USS ANUBIS, that Maya had an unexpected epiphany. Captain Morningstar had selected her to be part of the away team, not because of her medical expertise, which was extremely limited, but rather because of her knowledge of science in general. The moment she allowed herself to look at the pathogen from that perspective, several new possibilities opened up, but one stood above all others.  Satella kept saying that time was part of the solution, despite the Shillian strongly believing to the contrary, but now that she was looking at things from a different angle, time itself had indeed become the possible solution they were all looking for.

It was a generally accepted idea that the concept and time was in itself a dimension that affected all others. Through its many journeys to other spatial dimensions, the USS BASTET had discovered that the passage of time was not a constant but actually varied from one dimension to another. Since the Lokustaar originated from another dimension, it was a possibility that the mechanics of time did not affect them in the same manner as it did when they were physically here in this dimension. From that hypothesis, the idea could very well be expanded to include any biotechnology or even simple bio-matter that had come to be in this other and foreign dimension.

All that Maya needed to do was to figure out a way to apply this theory in a way that would give the medical team, as well as everyone else, the means to contain and maybe even fight the deadly virus. Isolating someone infected by the shadow disease in some sort of temporal field could, in theory, stop the progression of the pathogen, unfortunately, it would also make it impossible for anyone to interact with the patient as the temporal field would be rendered ineffective when breached. This meant that the Chief Science Officer needed to find a more precise way to target the virus using some temporal means to slow or maybe even reverse its progress.

The Shillian repeatedly wished that the Japanese Chief Science Officer of the USS BASTET had been available to lend her expertise. Thanks to her position on board the temporal and dimensional vessel, Misaki Mitshiba would have been the perfect person to confer with on this particular case. Alas, that was not a possibility due to the woman and her fellow shipmates being on a mission that took them well beyond the ability of anyone to reach them. On the other hand, thanks to them belonging to the same Intel organization, the data, and mechanics of the temporal drive were readily available to the Shillian. With such access, Maya now only needed to figure things out on her own, hence why she had come to the Quantum Physics Laboratory where she believed the instruments would be better suited to help. Her first objective was to figure out a way to directly affect the virus in a way that no medical means could ever hope to.

"Computer," Maya began as she prepared numerous screens to display the information she was about to request. "Perform an atomic scan of the virus and compare the quantum vibration of the sample to established norms for our universe. Once this is done, display on screen number 1 the results as a wavelength function. Using the same format, display the standard vibration for the base matter in this dimension on screen number 3. On screen number 2, overlap both visual representations of these vibrations highlighting any difference in amplitude and wavelength, no matter how small they may be. Once that is done, run a probability test as to the possible effects of exposure to targeted micro-graviton waves onto both the results of the scan of the virus sample and that of our base matter. Display a comparative result analysis on the primary screen noting any changes to both sets of waves. From there, we can start to figure out how we can affect the virus at an atomic level without disrupting the surrounding host tissue. If this works, we might have found a way to stop this virus dead in its tracks."

A few seconds passed as the computer worked to complete the long list of demands issued by the Chief Science Officer. =/\= Unable to comply, =/\= came the disappointing announcement. =/\= Sensors are unable to perform the atom scan on the stated sample. =/\=

"Of course," Maya sighed in despair. "That is part of why this is such a nightmare, our instruments can barely register that the virus is there, so it makes sense that the scanners cannot go in deeper to get the atomic information required for this analysis. I know that this is the way to go, I just need to figure out how to get in there." The Chief Science Officer turned her attention to another screen, calling up various other researches and high-end studies dealing with time.

"Computer," the Shillian scientist began after having found something of interest. "Could we use quantum displacement to obtain some of the atomic data required?" Maya asked, the idea being that when subjected to a specifically calibrated energy wave, the energy signature exiting the test area would be diminished by an exact proportion to the matter within the target area. If the shadow matter could not be itself scanned, it was hoped that the quantum energy it would deflect would be enough to get the information she needed.

=/\= The current sample cannot be used in this matter, =/\= the computer announced. =/\= A live sample would be required for such a process to be effective. =/\=

"Not the answer I was hoping for, but it is a step in the right direction," Maya said to herself, not ready to admit defeat. "We will need to wait until we reach GALEMAE for this part of the tests, but in the meantime, I can continue to run tests to see how we can use temporal energy waves to protect the members of the medical team. We might even be able to create a quarantine zone that the virus would be unable to breach, thus saving countless lives. The problem is that I am going to need some engineering help for this."  The Shillian paused for a moment before reaching for her communicator. "Lieutenant Commander Maya to Lieutenant Paquette."

=/\= This has to be serious, you just used both of our ranks. What can a gall like me do to help a shapeshifting ultra-science nerd like you? =/\=

"I need your help in building some micro-graviton field emitters able to be adapted to the slightest quantum variations in atomic vibrations. We will need them on GALEMAE," Maya said without explaining in more details the why or how this would actually work.

=/\= No super lengthy and overly detailed explanations? =/\= Sonja laughed. =/\= Now I know this is important and I will admit that my interest is truly piqued. Where are you? =/\=

"Deck 12, in the Quantum Physics Laboratory."

=/\= Of course you are. Stay put, I will be right there. Sonja out. =/\=

If this worked, even if only partially, it would be a monumental breakthrough in the fight against the shadow virus and the Lokustaar in general.

---
Jessica Solarik

Lieutenant Commander Maya [Access Character BIO for Maya]
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS

&

Captain Selene Fiona Iverson [Access Character BIO for Selene Iverson]
Missing In Action (MIA)
Former Commanding Officer
USS BASTET

"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)

M12-P016: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33119.1500 ("A Friendly Chat")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"A Friendly Chat"
[previous post were (ANU) "Time For A Breakthrough" / (BAS) "Just Another Desert Planet"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33119.1500

The ANUBIS was 3 hours from its rendezvous with the IVANOSKI and everyone was busy. There was a great deal to be done and little time to do it, but everyone was doing their part, well almost everyone.

Doctor Bruxa, Lt. Cmdr. Maya and Lt. Paquette were working on finding a way to better understand the shadow virus and through their work hoped to find a way to protect people. Lt. Stark and Cns. Lopez were putting the final touches on their stage preparations to broadcast a calming and Federation friendly news stream to the Galemaen general population. Ens. Jones was plotting the best course for the ship to follow the medical frigate and enter the planet's orbit without being detected.  Cpt. Morningstar was working in his Ready Room, catching up on the latest Intel from GALEMAE and the shadow virus.

"You seem deep in thoughts, Lieutenant," Cmdr. Shar'El said as the First Officer's tour of the bridge brought her to the station of the Sec/Tac officer. "Are you expecting us running into trouble?"

"I am always expecting us to run into trouble," Ya'Han grinned as she ran her fingers through her black and red hair. "That said, I doubt that anything will happen between now and us meeting the IVANOSKI. No one knows that we are here and if someone wants to make any of this into some sort of issue, they would wait for the medical frigate to reach GALEMAE. The presence of a Federation ship, even a mere medical frigate, could be used to play on political nerves and misgivings."

"Do you remember my telling you that you would have made a great Intel Operative?" Shar'El asked in a friendly manner.

"I do," the Nylaan nodded. "Thank you. I am just trying to anticipate what kind of situation the ANUBIS might have to deal with during my absence."

"You are a great Sec/Tac officer, but the ANUBIS and its crew are quite capable of taking care of themselves," the First Officer pointed out. "I also appreciate your effort to misdirect me, but I am afraid that it will not work. I hate to say it this way Ya'Han, but as great as an Intel Operative as you might have been, I would still be better with a great deal more experience. You know that the ship won't be in any trouble and that if we are, you won't be far and that we can easily enough bring you back if required. This means that you are actually thinking about something else, my guess is that the issue that is bothering you is your role as a nurse to Doctor Bruxa while on board the IVANOSKI, a role that will take you away from both the ship and Lt. Stark."

Ya'Han took a quick breath and pointed a single finger out before stopping herself. As much as the Nylaan might have wanted to argue with the Ullian, Shar'El knew she was right and this without having to use her memory scanning abilities. As much as she hated to admit it, the Sec/Tac had a bad habit of letting her emotions and feelings be right there for anyone to see if they cared to look.

"Allow me to be a friend for a moment," Shar'El said in a soft and soothing whispered voice. "Whatever it is that happened between you and Jayson is just a small bump in the road. You two have very strong feelings for each other, everyone knows this, and spending a little time apart may help you both realize how much you mean to the other. My suggestion is for you to not concern yourself with whatever this is at the moment and instead focus on the mission, not as an officer but as a person. Satella is going to need both a nurse and a bodyguard, two roles that you are uniquely qualified to perform in ways that no one else could. Take this opportunity to explore who you are, what makes you the person you are. You might even get to understand a little more about how it is that you went beyond the teachings of your own people in regards to defining who you were meant to be," Shar'El said running her fingers through the Nylaan's hair.

Ya'Han seemed confused for a moment until a lock of black and red hair was brought into view, a mix of color that had never been part of Nylaan culture and had never been seen on anyone from that world, until now. "I might come back with a new hair color," the Sec/Tac said in jest.

"I hope not," Shar'El laughed. "I'm not sure any of us would be ready to deal with figuring out what this new color means when you come rushing down a corridor with it on your head."  The two women shared a smile before the First Officer went on with her tour of the bridge, satisfied that the Sec/Tac was back in the state of mind that they all needed her to be in.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P017: USS ANUBIS: Paquette: 33119.1530 ("Timely Assistance")
"Timely Assistance"
previous posts were (ANU) "A Friendly Chat" / (BAS) "Just Another Desert Planet"

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 12, Quantum Physics Laboratory
Stardate: 33119.1530

The redhead engineer, accompanied by the ship's Avatar, had started to work on the new project the moment Maya had explained what exactly she had hoped to achieve. As always, the greatest scientific ideas came to rest on the shoulders of engineers in order to make them become reality, but Sonja was not one to complain, never having been one to turn away from a challenge.

"The emitters will need to be specifically calibrated so that we can modulate the micro-graviton field as needed," Maya said. "Might also be an idea to include a quantum scanner to each of the portable devices, in addition to the graviton sensors, in order to help us detect possible variants in the virus' quantum signature. This should help us confirm that the field is operating as intended and confirm that we are not affecting any of the surrounding tissues. Do you think we could add a remote medical scanner to the devices? I am sure that Doctor Bruxa would appreciate being able to get actual medical data from anyone targeted by this field."

"While we are at it, why don't I add a couple of small speakers to either side of the emitters? That way we could broadcast soothing music to help calm the people inside this targeted temporal field we are trying to create," Sonja sighed. Everything that was being asked was possible, given both time and space, but neither were in excess abundance at the moment. The emitters were meant to be easily portable in order to be brought to the surface of GALEMAE and moved about to where they would be needed, and they had less than two and a half hours to do it. Being able to bring this unorthodox technology onboard the IVANOSKI would avoid people asking a great many 'impossible to answer' questions which were why they needed to get this done

"According to my research," Maya said without losing a beat, "soundwaves will have no effect on the shadow virus or those infected by it, this regardless of the amplitude or frequency, especially if these waves are within the audible range for humanoids. Doctor Bruxa or maybe even Counselor Lopez might argue that some soothing music might help the nerves of those infected, but I can assure you that no matter what music is played, the virus will not be affected."

"Never mind," the redhead growled, rolling her eyes while continuing with the task at hand. Sometimes it was just best to let things go instead of fighting against impossible odds. Plus, anything she might say could trigger another lengthy counter verbal assault from the long-winded Shillian scientist.

The Avatar looked at Sonja, then at Maya and back at Sonja before leaning in closer to the redhead.  "The attempt to hilarity was a good one," ANI said in a whispered voice meant only for the Chief Engineer to hear.

"You know there is a problem when you get the joke and 'shapeshifting ultra-science nerd' over there doesn't," Sonja said shaking her head in complete disbelief.

"I never said that the joke was funny," the Avatar clarified. "I simply stated that the attempt was a good one. My perception may be biased based on my limited understanding of humour, but nevertheless, I believe the effort was genuinely worthy of mention."

Sonja just glared at ANI, locking eyes for what seemed like an eternity before the Engineer sent the android away with an abrupt commanding motion of her hand. "Make yourself useful and get me a dozen pattern enhancers from the nearest transporter room storage locker. We can use the casings and emitters as the base for these graviton field devices."

"Micro-graviton," Maya corrected. "The goal is for us to detect the quantum shift in the atomic structure of the shadow virus so that a temporal field can be applied to the virus at that level in order to slow and maybe stop the effects of the infection. Using the data on temporal mechanics from the BASTET, we might even be able to reverse the effects of the virus on those infected. In order to do this though, we cannot use actual graviton particles as they would be too large to interact with the atomic structure of the virus, that is why we have to calibrate the emitters for micro-graviton emission."

"I know that!" The Chief Engineer snapped in exasperation. "Why is everyone against me today?" Sonja demanded dramatically casting her arms into the air, "Maybe I should just leave and let you two figure it out without my help." Maya and ANI quickly looked at each other, uncertain as to what to do or say in response. After a few moments, the redhead smiled and added. "See, now that was a joke. Now, let us stop wasting time. ANI, get me those pattern enhancers and start taking them apart. Maya, you get those micro-graviton emitters calibrated the way you need them to. We need to get those emitters as well as the scanners to fit into the frames before we can run tests as to their effectiveness and range. These devices are not going to be overly useful if they have to be shoved up someone's rear-end in order for us to scan this shadow virus and target it with whatever temporal soup we come up with."

The Chief Science Officer stared at the Chief Engineer, Maya trying to gauge if Sonja's last statement was factual or another attempt to humour but the redhead remained silent leaving the possibility of what she had said be a motivational drive for them to get the devices working as best as they could.

=====
Lorraine Paquette

Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501
M12-P018: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.1700 ("An Hour")
=-=
"An Hour"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Timely Assistance" / (BAS) "Just Another Desert Planet"]
=-=

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
Stardate: 33119.1700

Since Maya's departure, Sickbay had been eerily quiet. Not just in the absence of noise, but in the stillness of the room. For a single person, the CSciO could take quite a bit of space, but that was expected from someone like her. The way she multitasked put to shame most others who could never hope to match her style and energy.

Finding herself alone in Sickbay, Satella felt bad that she could not help more. The research into the inner workings of the shadow virus had been taken over by Maya. The angle of this research had changed to be much more scientific than medical leaving the CMO out. As unpleasant as the feeling was tough, Doctor Bruxa tried to enjoy the tranquility as much as she could. In about an hour's time, she would lead a team on board the IVANOSKI. From that moment on things would move quickly with the lives of countless hanging in the balance. The 5 to 6 hours that would follow would be without the hope of any rest. Everyone would be planning the various course of actions required by the situation they would come to face.

"Computer," Satella said needing to do something more than waiting for the results of Maya's work. "Access most current information about the shadow virus outbreak on GALEMAE."  The least the CMO could do was to get a head start on those preparations and planning. It took no time at all for the requested information t appear on a nearby screen. The moment Doctor Bruxa read the first few lines, a sense of dread washed over her. The official number of infected people had increased much faster than anyone had expected. The virus was spreading, and it was spreading fast.

It was easy to imagine that at this rate, a sense of concern would already be taking hold of the population. Whatever measures had been put into place to contain the spread had failed. Would this lead the IVANOSKI and its team of medical specialists to be welcomed once they arrived? Satella doubted this very much as this was not the way of the Galemaen culture. It was more likely that they would be flat out denied access to the planet's surface. The problem was that such a decision would seal the fate of all inhabitants of GALEMAE. Something needed to be done to avoid this.

=-=
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.1720

Satella knew what Adriana and Jayson were doing. Creating a news broadcast studio to help influence the population's perception was a brilliant idea. Knowing this though had not prepared the CMO for what she found when walking into the holodeck. As alien as the decor was, the layout was still very familiar for this type of affair. What truly shocked Doctor Bruxa though was seeing Counselor Lopez looking the way she was.

"Came to see how a star will be born?" Stark asked as he tinkered with one of the cameras set around the stage.

"Satella!" Adriana exclaimed moving off her chair leaving a lifeless holographic image behind. "Don't mind him, he's under the impression that I'll become some sort of big star. If anyone becomes a star, it will be her," the CNS said pointing back to the motionless holographic image. "The people of GALEMAE will see her, not me. Anyway, what brings you here? I figured you would be head deep in trying to figure out that virus."

"I was but Maya took over the research. I'm not sad that she did as the medical angle was not going anywhere. She instead decided to look at the virus from a purely scientific perspective."

"So you decided to come and pay us a visit?" Adriana said with a smile.

"Wish it was just that," Satella said. The tone of the CMO's voice quickly erased her friend's smile. "I read the latest report on the infection rate, it has increased faster than expected."

"That's not good," Jayson said. "This could make things a lot more difficult for us."

"Agreed," Adriana nodded. "The Galemaen were willing to let the Federation in to research the virus. If this is now an official outbreak, they might not let us set foot on the planet. That decision, although understandable from their social perspective, would be disastrous for them."

"That is why I came here. I wanted to see how you were doing with this news broadcast idea of yours." Doctor Bruxa gave the stage a quick glance before turning her eyes to the Chief of Operations.

"You want us to start broadcasting as soon as possible. Maybe with some sort of breaking news that maybe the Federation discovered a cure." Jayson clearly understood what Stella had come up with. "Whatever story we come up with needs to be enough to have the people want us there. That could be dangerous. The initial idea for this was to gently influence the public's opinion. Now you want us to fully shape these opinions. I am not saying that we can't do that. Actually, I am sure that we could do that and a lot more. I'm just worried that we may be pushing this too far too fast."

"I will be on the IVANOSKI in less than 30 minutes. The journey to GALEMAE will take about 5 to 6 hours at maximum speed. By the time we get there, it might be too late. Whatever perceived damage your broadcast may cause will be trivial. The death left behind will be what will be remembered, and that's if anyone is left alive on the planet." The CMO stopped herself before becoming too emotional. "I just wanted to know if you could do it? If you say yes, I will speak to the Captain myself and propose this plan. If you tell me that we cannot broadcast until we reach orbit than I will prepare accordingly."

"What are you planning on doing?" Adriana asked out of concern.

"Nothing drastic," the CMO reassured. "At the current rate of infection, we could be looking at tens of thousands infected by the time the IVANOSKI reaches GALEMAE. The ANUBIS will need to be ready to deal with a dying population."

"Us being able to broadcast anything to them will not change this," Jayson pointed out.

"No, it will not," Doctor Bruxa agreed. "What it will change is the way the IVANOSKI and the medical team will be received. We can either be opportunistic invaders or possible off-world saviors."

Adriana and Jayson looked at one another for a few moments. When a decision was reached, they both turned back to look at the CMO. "We will be ready to start broadcasting by the time you board the IVANOSKI. You just need to convince the Captain that this is what we need to do."

"Thank you."

=-=
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33119.1740

"What can I do for you, Doctor? I thought you would be getting the last things ready before we rendezvous with the IVANOSKI."

"I needed to talk to you about the situation on GALEMAE." Satella paused. She knew that the Captain knew. If not because of the expression on her face, someone else had already informed him. In either case, she still needed to say it. "Things have gotten worse, much worse."

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P019: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.1800 ("The Simplicity of it All")
=-=
"The Simplicity of it All"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "An Hour" by Rachel / (BAS) "Just Another Desert" by Moi]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33119.1800

As far as the ExO / ILO was concerned, this mission was one of the oddest they had been on, and this came from a single inescapable fact. Never before had Shar'El spent so much time on the bridge, but the situation they faced had required them to handle things in a way that differed from the norm. That was if anything the ANUBIS and its crew dealt with could be considered in any way as being *normal*.

The number of people infected by the shadow virus had, as of the last update received, drastically increased. This meant that the IVANOSKI would arrive at GALEMAE with a full-blown epidemic on their hands making the job for Doctor Bruxa and her team that much more difficult. Shar'El suspected that this was the reason why the Chief Medical Officer had gone in to see the Captain.

"Commander," Ensign Jones called from the Flight Control Station drawing the ExO / ILO's attention away from the door leading into the Captain's Ready Room. "We have the IVANOSKI on primary sensors. We will be in optimal transporter range in less than two minutes."

"Thank you, Ensign," the ExO / ILO acknowledged reaching for her communicator. "Commander Shar'El to Captain Morningstar, your presence is requested on the bridge." After closing the communication channel, the raven-haired woman made her way to the front of the bridge and stood right next to the sitting FCO. "Slow us down and keep the ANUBIS on the edge of their sensors. I want them to know we are here without them being able to get a good look at us. If things end up getting nasty down the line, I would rather them not be able to give a good description of this ship. As far as they know, we are nothing more than a nameless transport vessel that made a quick detour to deliver a team of medical specialists, and I would like to keep it that way. There is no need for us to advertise our presence, not that there ever is."

"Of course," Tanith said showing an understanding that reached far beyond what would have been expected for an officer of her rank and station. Her expert fingers danced with grace over the controls bringing the ANUBIS to be exactly where the ExO / ILO had requested. Thanks to the state-of-the-art equipment on board the Intel Cruiser, the IVANOSKI would be easy to follow and monitor while the medical frigate would have but a passing idea of what this ship was.

"Good luck Doctor," the Captain said as he and the CMO exited his office. "Do what you can. I am sure that the IVANOSKI's team will be happy to have your expertise, especially now that the situation has deteriorated. We will do everything we can to help make things easier for you and your team."

"Thank you, Captain," Satella said as she made her way to the turbolift motioning Ya'Han to join her. "Doctor Bruxa to Commander Maya, please report to the transporter room for away mission. Don't forget to bring your MedKit."

As soon as the doors to the turbolift were closed, Shar'El turned to Erik. "Are you going to authorize Stark and Lopez to start broadcasting fake news from this far?"

"No keeping any secrets from you is there?" The Captain said, a weak smile forcing its way onto his lips afterward.

"I would be a lousy ExO / ILO if anyone could," Shar'El said, repeating the same statement that she had said many times before. "There would be advantages to doing this, namely making the arrival of the IVANOSKI and its medical staff more acceptable, but from this distance, it will be difficult to hide the fact that the broadcast is originating from somewhere else than the planet. It won't take the authorities too long to figure out that someone is tampering with their news broadcasts. That, in the end, could make matters worse than they already are."

"I Agree, but that is only part of the problem we face," the Captain said as he sat in his chair in the middle of the bridge. "If it was not for the IVANOSKI, we could get Doctor Bruxa to GALEMAE in an hour, maybe even less depending on what magic Sonja comes up with. The issue here is that there cannot be any record of the ANUBIS being anywhere near that world, and the longer it takes to reach it, the more likely we will have to do the one thing I do not want to do. This ship was meant to be a powerful Intel gathering tool, not a last resort house-cleaning machine of death."

"There are always other options," the ExO / ILO said. "We have proven that this is possible time and time again, and even made it seem simple a couple of times. We just have to figure this situation out just as we did others."

"Of course, nothing to it," Erik said sarcastically. "All we need to do is get the IVANOSKI to GALEMAE faster than their engines can do so. Have the ANUBIS broadcast fake news to that world without anyone realizing that the signal is actually coming from somewhere else. All of this while the away team figures out a way to deal with the shadow virus before it infects the planet's entire population."

Shar'El smiled. "Like I just said; simple." With that the ExO / ILO left the Captain to his thoughts, the raven-haired woman thinking that she was well overdue to return to the IGC. At least from there, she would be able to keep closer track of the IVANOSKI and maybe at the same time find a way to get the fake news broadcast to reach GALEMAE without attracting any unwanted attention onto them.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P020: USS ANUBIS: Stark: 33119.1815 ("Thinking About Thinking")
"Thinking About Thinking"
[previous (ANU) "The Simplicity of it All" / (BAS) "Just Another Desert Planet"]

[/\]
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.1815

Doctor Bruxa had made a very valid point during her visit. The way things had evolved with the shadow virus infection, it was likely that the IVANOSKI and the away team would never reach GALEMAE. Had the world been a Federation member, the local government would have begged for help, but this was not the case.

Everything pointed to the Galemaen being a borderline isolationist civilization. They knew of the other races in the galaxy but chose to remain unaligned to any of them, doing everything they could to remain independent in every way possible. Just the fact that they had been convinced to allow a Federation medical team to visit and investigate the virus had been a total break from their usual ways. With the number of infected quickly increasing, Jayson could hardly imagine anyone on the planet welcoming stranger in this time of crisis.

Commander Shar'El had tasked them to broadcast news snippets to help sway the population's view as to the presence and purpose of the Federation medical team. The goal was to make their being on GALEMAE more acceptable. That objective had been reshaped by Doctor Bruxa, not in its intent but rather in its scope. From making the medical team of the IVANOSKI appear less threatening to their ways and ideas, she wanted to have them be welcomed as possible saviors. If Adriana and he were able to do this, it could forever change the way the people of that world interacted with others. Would Captain Morningstar actually allow them to do this though?

Jayson gave a quick look at the time. By now the away team was on board the IVANOSKI and the proverbial ball was squarely in their court. Doctor Bruxa had made her point and it was up to the ANUBIS and those who remained behind to do what they could to help.

"Do you think we would be able to do as Satella asked? I mean to actually have the population of GALEMAE want outside help to deal with the shadow virus epidemic?"

The OPS Officer shrugged before editing his silent reply with a cautious nod of his head. "Media can be a powerful tool. The history of EARTH and several other worlds have proven this many times. Control the news, control the information that people have access to, and you control that population. With the right spin, you can make the greatest imbecile appear to be the smartest man on the planet who is able to do no wrong. Likewise, with the right way of presenting actual facts you can turn a saint into the devil himself in the eyes of the general population."

"I understand that you are worried about this," Adriana said. "The ideas we will generate from this room could be more powerful than any weapons the ANUBIS has, but can we live with ourselves if we chose to do nothing. Satella is right, if the medical team is refused access to the planet, the entire world's population will be doomed. Even if the team is allowed on the planet, there are no garantees that they will be able to stop the virus from spreading. We have to at least try and not condem these people to certain death."

Jayson thought of those words. If the away team was to land on the planet and find themselves unable to stop the virus, they would share in the planet's population's fate. Sadness quickly turned into anger as his thoughts lingered on one particular member of the ANUBIS' medical team.

"The Prime Directive forbids us from interfering in the evolution of any world," Jayson said allowing his anger to lace his words.

"You know as well as I do that the Prime Directive is not as absolute as they want everyone to believe it to be," the Counselor said in return. "If someone asks for our help, we are bound by our own rules to offer assistance, even if this aid may alter in some way the social or cultural fabric of that world down the road."

"If they asked of their own volition maybe, but here we are setting up to alter their own views of the situation so that the general population will force their government to ask for this help. We cannot force them with one hand while using the other to claim that this request absolves us of the legacy we will be leaving behind."

"You are right," Adriana said, taking Jayson's hand into hers. "Under normal circumstances, we would not be doing this, or even thinking about any of this. The difference is that we are at war and the virus is being used by the Lokustaar is a weapon, one that is targeting millions of innocent people. It could be claimed that all of this is already our fault and that the natural evolution of the worlds in this region of space as already been irreversibly altered."

Jayson gazed into Adriana's eyes for a moment. The woman was as skilled a counselor as any of the others he had dealt with over the many years. They always knew what to say to make him reconsider his point of view, no matter what line of thought he was on. In some ways, he hated them for that, but at the same time, he had to admire the way they could do this.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Captain Morningstar decides," he said. "In the meantime, we should get back to putting the final touches to the stage. Whatever the decision ends up being, we are going to be broadcasting soon enough in an effort to make the away team's task a little easier."

=/\= Captain Morningstar to Lt. Stark. =/\=

"Looks like the decision may come quicker than we expected," he said before tapping on his comm badge. "Stark here, what can I do for you, Captain?"

=/\= Please report to the Observation Lounge with Counselor Lopez. I would like to discuss our course of action with you both before we proceed. =/\=

"Aye, aye, Captain. We will be there shortly," Jayson said before tapping his comm badge once again to close the channel. "I have the feeling I already know what he's going to say."

"Maybe, but he's being a proper Commanding Officer by getting the opinions of those around him. The final decision may be his, but at least he is allowing you and everyone else to state their opinion and misgivings," Adriana said continuing to be the Ship's Counselor.

"Let's go," the OPS Officer said, motioning the woman towards the holodeck doors.

[/\]
Jayson Sousa

Lieutenant JG Jayson Stark [Access Character BIO for Jayson Stark]
Chief of Operations
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P021: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33119.1820 ("Trying Not To Think")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Trying Not To Think"
[previous post were (ANU) "Thinking About Thinking" / (BAS) "Just Another Desert Planet"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Transporter Room
Stardate: 33119.1820

Ya'Han had to constantly remind herself of who she was currently meant to be. Her thoughts and actions needed to reflect her outer appearance which included the white color of her hair. The Nylaan had earned the right to display that color but the field to which it belonged was something that she had not touched or thought of in a very long time. The best the undercover Sec/Tac could do was to focus on everything Doctor Bruxa had recently taught her.

While Doctor Bruxa took care of the pleasantries, Maya and Ya'Han remained on the transporter platform, their MedKits firmly in hand while the case with their containment equipment sat in front of them. They were nurses, and as such needed to remain in the background, drawing as little attention as possible to them. This would allow the Shillian to perform a few covert research missions while this anonymity would give the Nylaan the opportunity to survey their surroundings and identify possible shadow agents.

As much as she doubted that such an agent would be on board the IVANOSKI, the Sec/Tac observed with great interests the movements and reactions of everyone in the room. The Doctor who had greeted them upon their arrival seemed genuinely happy to see three additions to his medical team. The Transport Chief, on the other hand, gave no indication that he cared one way or another that someone new had come aboard.

"I would be happy to show you to your quarters," the IVANOSKI's CMO said, this being the first part of the conversation that Ya'Han had actually heard.

"I am sure that we would all rather go to work right away," Satella said in return. "We have a very limited amount of time to get everything ready and I would like to make sure the equipment we brought along is working as it was designed to."

"Of course, I will have it transported directly to our 'field research and preparation room', that is where you and your team will join the rest of the medical staff scheduled to go to GALEMAE."

Satella smiled, looked over her shoulder and gave an approving nod of her head to the other two indicating that everything was as it should and that it was safe for them to step off the transporter platform. Maya went first closely followed by Ya'Han who gave the Transporter Chief another quick look. Once everyone had stepped off, the transporter was once again engaged, this time taking the equipment crate to its final destination until they reached GALEMAE.

With the two Doctors in the lead, the nurses followed into the corridor of the ship. The white and sterile walls that greeted them confirmed beyond the shadow of a doubt that this was a medical vessel. For a brief moment, if decor made the Sec/Tac miss the darker and more spacious passageways of the ANUBIS. That thought led to another, and another until the image that remained in her mind was that of Jayson. Ya'Han wished that she could have spoken to him before leaving to try and explain why she had reacted the way she did to his gift, but now it was too late. The mission they were on would not allow them to speak until after its conclusion, and that was if they managed to stop the virus from killing everyone, including them.

The white-haired Nylaan forced those thoughts out of her mind. Thinking that way would only make things more difficult, not only in dealing with Jayson and his disappointment towards her but mostly because of the focus this mission would require out of all of them.  Ya'Han needed to be the nurse everyone expected her to be so that she could, at the same time, keep an eye on everyone around them to ensure the safety of Doctor Bruxa and Commander Maya.

Managing her thoughts as she was, Ya'Han mindlessly followed the Doctors until they reached the field research and preparation room.

"Welcome to the IVANOSKI," another Doctor said welcoming the three new arrivals.

"Thank you," Satella said. "Please allow me to introduce Nurse Maya and Nurse Ya'Han. We are all very happy to be here and hope that we can help."

"From what you have already told me, I am sure that you will be more than able to help us understand what it is we are dealing with. Half of the data on this shadow virus makes absolutely no sense to us," the ship's CMO said.

The white-haired woman quickly noticed the attention one of the medical staff was directing at her. The intensity of the gaze was almost overwhelming and showed a level of interest that should not have been present in this room at this time. This became even more uncomfortable and worrisome as the person rapidly approached.

"Excuse me, are you Nylaan?"

The question took everyone by surprise, including Ya'Han who thought it best to agree instead of trying to lie her way out of the situation making it that much more difficult to deal with everyone over the course of their mission.  "How did you know?"

"Not a lot of races have people with such perfectly white hair," the man said with a smile. "I just heard a few rumors about the significance of that color for that race and thought I would venture a guess."

Ya'Han smiled. "There are not a lot of Nylaans in Federation space," she explained, knowing that the best way to keep a lie was to surround it with the truth. It was true that there were not a lot of her people in the area of space controlled by the Federation; in fact, she was the only one she could claim to be entirely certain about.

"Glad to have you here with us," he added before turning his attention to Doctor Bruxa. As interesting as it was to have a Nylaan in the room with them, the information brought by the Satella was of far greater interest to all those in the room.

"I will go check on the emitters," Maya said before breaking away from the group. Ya'Han took this opportunity to also separate herself from the gathering of medical personnel so that she could review each officer and see if any of them might be more than they appeared to be. Doing so would allow her not to dwell on what had just happened or the sequence of event that had led her to be here displaying her wite hair.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P022: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33119.1845 ("An Uneasy Push")
##########
"An Uneasy Push"
Previous posts (ANU) "Trying Not To Think" / (BAS) "Language Barrier"
##########

“Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?”
- Sun Tzu

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Conference Lounge
Stardate: 33119.1845

As requested by their Captain, the Chief of Operations Lt. Stark and the Ship's Counselor Lieutenant Lopez reported to the Conference Lounge. What neither one of them had expected was to find the ship's Avatar and Chief Engineer, Ani, and Lieutenant Paquette, also there waiting for Captain Morningstar.  Evidently, all had been summoned for this unexpected meeting.

"Any idea what the Captain called us here for?" Jayson inquired, the Chief of Operations now thinking that the broadcasting of their fake news to GALEMAE might not have been what this was all about.

"I don't' know about either of you," Sonja replied from the other side of the conference table, "but for me, my guess is that I'm getting my long overdue promotion." The redhead met the expression of surprise from everyone else with an assured smile.

"All right," the Native American said as he walked into the room. "We have a couple of problems that I need your help with. First, and most urgent, is to get the IVANOSKI to GALEMAE ahead of schedule, this without them knowing that we helped."

"There goes my promotion," Sonja quietly sighed under her breath. "How exactly do you intend to make that happen? It's not like we can jump ahead of them, latch on a tractor beam and drag them all the way to GALEMAE?"

"I was thinking more in the line of a push," the Captain clarified. "With the ablative amour on, we should be able to get close enough to the medical frigate without being detected. Once close enough, we extend our warp field to merge with theirs. From there, we use a repulsor beam to create a buffer zone between the two ships as be create a sub-space bias that will allow the warp bubble and everything inside of it to travel faster than what the IVANOSKI would have been able to achieve on its own."

"With all due respect, Captain," the Chief Engineer said as she leaned over the table towards the man. "Are you completely insane?"

"I doubt that he is," Counselor Lopez said. It was easy to see that the woman had reservations for the plan as stated, but she also knew the background of the man presenting it to them. "Let me guess, you did something similar on the PROPHECY?"

"Good call Counsellor," Erik smiled. "Actually it was on the PARADOX, so I know it is possible. The problem here is to make it work without the IVANOSKI knowing what's happening to them."

"That and crushing them like a rotting grape," Sonja pointed out. There is a huge difference between the mass of the IVANOSKI and that of the ANUBIS. The repulsor beam may act as a buffer between the two ships, but the slightest miscalculation will have us pushing it into the combined warp field. By the time we realize something went wrong, their hull will have been turned into a shattered eggshell."

"That is why I need you two to work on this."

"Too bad Maya is not here," Adriana stated. "She would have been a great asset in the setup of such a system."

"Yes, she would have been a tremendous asset," the Native American agreed. "We'll just have to do without her. I will do my best to take her place on that task using my own experience to make sure nothing happens to the IVANOSKI. After all, I would hate to lose the three fine officers we just sent there."

"I still think that we are making a huge mistake in even trying something this crazy," Sonja said not trying in the least to hide her reluctance. "Now, that said, the ANUBIS is more than capable of generating a field strong enough to engulf the IVANOSKI. So I only see one real problem."

"Which would be?" Jayson asked.

"You," the Chief Engineer snapped back without a second's delay. "We actually have to work together to make this plan work. Any mistake or the slightest miscalculation could result in the IVANOSKI being destroyed and us losing Maya, Satella, and Ya'Han. So, as much as I hate to admit it, I will have to be nice to you, at least that is as long as you do what I tell you without arguing.

Jayson was about to retaliate but Adriana stopped him, holding on to his arm reminding him that this was not the time for a verbal confrontation with the Chief Engineer. "Captain, we are ready to proceed as you have indicated."

"Good," the Native American acknowledged with joy. "Lt. Paquette, get started on the modifications to the warp field. Lt. Stark, we need that repulsor beam ready to make sure the buffer between the two ships is flexible enough to not crush them but strong enough to actually allow us to push the ship forward. I will have Commander Shar'El work on a sensor distortion field that we can add to the warp bubble, hopefully, this will make the crew of the IVANOSKI believe they suddenly became trapped in a sub-space anomaly that pushed them forward. In the meantime, Counsellor Lopez, I would suggest you work on the final preparations for your news broadcast. If all of this works, you may be going on-air a lot sooner than expected.  If there are no questions, let's get started. Every minute we take means that there are that many more Galemaen who become infected with this Shadow Virus."

With their orders set, the officers quickly exited the Conference Lounge and headed for their respective stations. Their goal, to see the IVANOSKI reach GALEMAE ahead of the 5 to 6 hour they were scheduled to take without damaging the ship or injuring its crew who had no idea of what was about to take place.

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
M12-P023: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.1845 ("Shadowy Suspicions")
=-=
"Shadowy Suspicions"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "An Uneasy Push" / (BAS) "Language Barrier"]
=-=

Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Field Research and Preparation Room
Stardate: 33119.1845

As dire as the situation was, Satella could not help herself from enjoying the moment. Here, several fellow medical specialists, all of them driven towards a single goal, surrounded her. Their combined expertise was dizzying, to say the least. Even more surprising was their acceptance in that Bruxa was the one with all of the answers. As insignificant as her knowledge of the Shadow Virus was, it surpassed anything they had. That alone made her the expert in their quest for a solution to the GALEMAE epidemic.

A tidal wave of questions washed over the physician. Doctor Bruxa could barely answer one question before another would be asked. Through this, Satella tried to keep tabs on the location of her fellow ANUBIS shipmates. Although both were more than able to take care of themselves, she felt responsible for them. At the moment, Maya was busy with verifying the emitters they had brought along. Ya'Han, with her white hair, watched the gathering of physicians with suspicion. 

"Doctor Bruxa," the IVANOSKI's CMO said, quieting everyone else around them. "I realize that in our excitement I have not introduced myself or the other members of my team. I am Doctor Zane Onwatu, lead medical officer of the IVANOSKI."

Satella greeted the man with a nod of her head and a handshake. "Thank you for having us on board." From that point, each of the other dozen or so Doctors were introduced one by one. Doctor Bruxa did her best to note each name and their respective specialties. The one that stuck was Doctor Drake Varjo, the man who had been speaking to Ya'Han earlier. There was something odd about the man, an out of place joyfulness in this time of darkness.  For the time being though, the guest physician could do little about what she had observed.

"If you wouldn't mind," Doctor Onwatu said once the introductions were completed. "We would like your opinion on what is happening on GALEMAE. It would be nice for us to have an idea of the pathology of this virus. It would also help us to know what to expect once we are on site. The reports from the planet have been vague, to say the least. All we know is that it spreads quickly."

"Of course," Satella readily agreed before fetching the nearest PADD. "The first thing you need to understand is that this virus is *unique*. Medical sensors are incapable of getting a solid lock on it making pathology nearly impossible to develop. This is why it was given the name 'Shadow Virus' by the physician who discovered it."

"What happened to him?" Doctor Varjo asked.

"I'm afraid that he fell prey to the virus," Doctor Bruxa sadly replied. "Current quarantine protocols are ineffective and the mortality rate is 100%. It was discovered that the virus is capable of breaching the strictest of containment system. The only sample we have is encased in a solid block. This means that we have no way of seeing a virus at work."

"If there is no way to isolate the virus, how are we to keep ourselves safe from it?" The lead physician asked, a hint of panic echoing in his voice.

"That is why we brought some equipment of our own," Satella replied. "Since we are unable to deal with the virus on a cellular level, we are going smaller. The idea is for us to contain the virus at the atomic level. The problem is that as it stands, we do not have the data required to make sure this will work. The moment we arrive at GALEMAE, our first priority will be to run some tests on those infected. It is our hopes that we will be able to calibrate the instruments in order to contain the virus. At the current rate of infection, it is imperative that we find a way to halt its spread. Once that is done, we can start looking at possible ways to stop the rampant growth and maybe even reverse it."

"You want to target a virus that cannot be completely detected by our sensors at the atomic level?" The question asked by Doctor Varja sounded almost as a challenge.

"It does seem to be our only option at this time," Satella said. 

"I am very glad that you are here," Doctor Onwatu added trying to manage his fears. "If it was not for you, we would have gone down there. It would not have taken long before we ourselves became infected despite our efforts. Who knows, we might have even brought the virus back to the IVANOSKI. The spread could have expanded well beyond the planet after that."

Everyone seemed somewhat relieved that his or her knowledge of the virus had so greatly increased in so short a time. Everyone with one exception, Doctor Varjo did his best to camouflage his frustration. There was no proof to indicate that the man was more than he claimed to be. His reaction though had been enough to ensure that Satella and the others would keep a close watch on him from now on.

Captain Morningstar and Commander Shar'El had warned them from the start. The odds were very good that one or more agents of the Shadows would be present. Honestly, Satella had not expected to suspect one of the Doctors. To her, it would have made more sense had it been a member of the crew instead of the medical staff. Faced with Drake's reaction though, Doctor Bruxa had no choice but to revisit that idea. Had it been the Lokustaar's plan to have the IVANOSKI become infected so as to spread the virus to other Federation locations? Was the crew of the medical frigate meant to be nothing more than another victim of this deadly virus?

Satella glanced over to Ya'Han with gratitude. Fighting against the virus was one thing. Fighting against those who wanted to see her fail was an entirely different matter. As long as the Chief of Security was nearby, regardless of her hair color, the physician felt safer.

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P024: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.1900 ("Grand Scale Magic")
=-=
"Grand Scale Magic"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Shadowy Suspicions" by Rachel / (BAS) "Language Barrier" byKaren]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 33119.1900

Three things needed to be done to make the Captain's plan work and none of them could be considered small or simple. Operations needed to come up with a reverse tractor beam that would be used to push the IVANOSKI forward while the ANUBIS traveled at warp speed allowing the medical frigate to travel faster than it was designed to. The field needed to be powerful enough to keep the slower vessel at a fair distance while being flexible enough to not crush the rear of the ship should speed fluctuations occur.

Engineering was tasked with extending the ANUBIS' warp field to envelop and merge with that of the IVANOSKI thus forcing the two vessels to share the same warp bubble. Any miscalculations in this could result in the lead ship to be forcefully pushed and crushed against the forward section of the newly created field. This meant that the warp field geometry needed to be exact and perfectly linked to the repulsor beam as the two ships needed to remain at the same distance apart.

In comparison, the objective demanded from the IGC was nothing to be concerned about as no parts of their work could threaten the IVANOSKI or its crew. Creating a sensor distortion field that would make the medical frigate believe they had encountered an unexpected spatial anomaly was simple. This false sensor image would explain why the ship had suddenly experienced a massive jump in speed allowing them to reach GALEMAE ahead of schedule. This illusion could be compared to a magical sleight of hand meant as a misdirection for the real trick. The real challenges to this oversized magic show rested on the shoulders of Lt. Paquette and Lt. Stark who were each responsible for the mechanical aspects of what was to take place.

The only other thing Shar'El and the rest of the IGC staff needed to do was to coordinate all of the work to ensure that everything happened, as it should. In that regards, the ExO / ILO kept track of the work of each officer, easily following their progress.

=/\= Lt. Stark to Cmdr. Shar'El. The repulsor beam is ready but in order for it to work as intended; we will need to keep the ANUBIS between 800 to 1000 meters from the IVANOSKI.  Closer than 800 meters and we risk damaging the frigate, further than 100 meters and the field risk collapsing which will cause the frigate to suddenly slow down leaving us with nowhere else to go but right into it. =/\=

"Well done Jayson, I will make sure that Ensign Jones is aware of this," the ExO / ILO said having complete confidence in their FCO's ability to keep the ANUBIS within the stated range. "We will also make sure that the distortion field on the ablative armor is properly calibrated to operate at maximum efficiency for that distance to the IVANOSKI. IGC to Lt. Paquette," Shar'El continued after opening a channel. "How are you doing with the warp field extension?"

=/\= You know very well how I am doing, Spy Girl, =/\= Sonja grumbled. =/\= From the IGC there is nothing you can see, so you know that I'm only minutes away from being ready and that I have transferred all auxiliary power to the field generators to make sure it remains stable. As long as we do not actually encounter a spatial anomaly, everything should work just fine. =/\=

"Well done Sonja, it looks like we are ready to proceed. IGC to the bridge," the ExO / ILO continued opening another channel.

=/\= Go ahead Commander, =/\= Captain Morningstar acknowledged.

"Both Lt. Paquette and Lt. Stark have reported being ready with their respective tasks. We just need to make sure that the ANUBIS remains within 800 to 1000 meters of the IVANOSKI during the duration of this little magic trick."

=/\= Magic trick? I would not have thought of this in that manner but now that you have mentioned it, I can see the similarities. Guess the only thing missing will be the flash of lights and strange clouds of smoke. Now, let's just hope that we don't end up making the IVANOSKI vanish into nothingness. Ensign Jones, take us within the stated range using their warp trail to mask our presence. Cmdr. Shar'El, you may engage the rest of this *trick* when ready. =/\=

The ExO / ILO diligently watched as the cloaked ship made its move, falling perfectly behind the IVANOSKI. With the help of the warp trail and the camouflage properties of the ablative armor, the ANUBIS could move closer to the medical frigate undetected. With the sensors dampening field targeting the ship, it made it even more unlikely that the other vessel would notice the SCARAB-Class cruiser sneaking up on them, this despite the huge size difference between the two ships.

As soon as the ANUBIS came within the required range, Shar'El gave the order to have the warp field extended to envelop the IVANOSKI. It took only a little tinkering to match the frequencies of the two field allowing them to merge as one without anyone noticing. Once this was accomplished, all that was left to do was to engage the repulsor beam.

"All stations," the ExO / ILO began. "Stand by. As soon as the repulsor beam makes contact with the IVANOSKI we will trigger the full sensor distortion making them believe they have encountered some sort of spatial anomaly. We will then increase speed and push the frigate forward forcing them to match our higher speed. Engineering, you will need to keep your eyes on the warp field geometry and resonance frequency, it must remain stable. Operations, you need to keep your eyes on the beam's strength to make sure it does not collapse or crush the frigate. Helm, your job is to make sure we stay in the frigate's wake, the slightest shift could cause the ship to go off course and crash into the merged warp field."

"All stations have reported ready, Commander," one of the IGC techs reported.

"Alright, let's make some magic… engaging in... three... two... one... NOW!"

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P025: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.1900 ("Grand Scale Magic")
"Pushing The Limits"
[previous (ANU) "Grand Scale Magic" / (BAS) "Language Barrier"]

[/\]

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33119.1915

Jayson's eyes were glued to the main view screen. The ANUBIS was close enough to the IVANOSKI to see all of the imperfections on its outer hull and yet the medical frigate had no idea that another ship was that close to them. Everything about what was happening at this very second was unbelievable but his thoughts focused mostly on a single person instead of the energy field between the two ships. Instinctively, the OPS Officer wanted to make sure that everyone on board both vessels were safe, but one particular individual stood above everyone else, this despite how she had made him feel back in NEW ALEXANDRIA.

A sudden jolt snapped Jayson out of his thoughts making him quickly look down at his instruments. It only took a few seconds for the OPS Officer to figure out what had happened and it filled him with alarming concerns.

"The distance between us and the IVANOSKI is at 785 meters and dropping," the FCO calmly reported. Tanith was the quiet type, never saying anything more than required. Ya'Han had often mentioned the FCO in private conversations, curious as to what her story was. The way the Ensign made her announcement would only add to the desire to know more about her, but right now was definitively not the time.

"The field is weakening and will collapse in less than a minutes if I can't get it back to full strength," the OPS Officer explained. His one task had been to keep an eye on that energy field and thanks to his distraction he had failed, this forced him to work quickly in order to avoid a catastrophe that could very well spell the end of the IVANOSKI and all of those on board.

"We are now at 755 meters away from the IVANOSKI," Ens. Jones said, her voice still as calm as could be in a display that was the complete opposite of what Jayson was showing.

"I know, I know, I'm working on it."

"Should we reduce our speed?" The Captain asked thinking of the best and quickest way to avoid the collision that was drawing ever closer.

"No," the OPS Officer quickly replied. "That will throw off all of the calculations and may actually cause more harm than good. Give me a few more seconds; I will have the field back to where it needs to be." The excuse given by Jayson was accurate if not entirely complete. Altering the ship's speed would cause some of the formulas and calculations to be reviewed but it was admitting that he had failed in the eyes of their Chief Engineer that truly motivated his not wanting to see his happen. He would be able to fix it, all he needed was a little bit of time.

"Our distance to the IVANOSKI is now 725 meters," the FCO announced causing the OPS Officer to clench his fists. He understood why Tanith was doing this but the constant reports of the rapidly decreasing distance were not helping.

"Almost there," Jayson said. "I just need to bring the field strength back up slowly so as to not cause the IVANOSKI to suddenly be pushed forward. I am sure that they felt that first jolt so there is no need to make them go through another. "This should do it," the OPS Officer added after a few seconds, quickly looking up to their FCO for confirmation that the adjustments had indeed worked and that the distance between the two ships had stopped decreasing.

"The distance between the ANUBIS and IVANOSKI is now at 735 meters and gradually increasing," Tanith reported to Jayson's, and everyone else's, great relief.

Everyone waited anxiously as the meters slowly grew between the ships. The FCO's reports continued but this time the announcements were happily received by the OPS Officer.  After a few minutes, the final report indicated that the ANUBIS was staying 835 meters from the IVANOSKI, placing well within the range they needed to remain in.

"My apologies Captain. I did not take into account just how weak the field could become once we started applying some real pressure on it. This will not happen again." Jayson knew that he had screwed up and he expected to get a reprimand for his failure, this no matter what excuses he could come up with to explain what had happened.

"All is good," the Captain said apparently dismissing the most recent events. "The jolt felt by the IVANOSKI should serve to reinforce the idea that the ship and crew encountered some sort of unstable spatial anomaly. As long as they have not detected us, this little hiccup will not affect the end result and will be just as easily dismissed as the rest of this little exercise."

"The sensor dampening field was not affected by what happened, so the IVANOSKI still saw what we wanted them to. The ablative armor is still operating at full power and the fact that we remained in the ship's warp trail means that the still have no idea that we are this close to them. We can thank Ensign Tanith's expert flying skills for that."

"That is what being part of a great team is all about," the Captain said. "Now, let's try not to have any more surprises like the last one, shall we."

After what the Captain had said, Jayson's thoughts returned to the away team, more specifically Ya'Han. She was part of the team that had been mentioned, and the event that had just transpired had made him realize just how important of a part the Nylaan was to him.

[/\]
Jayson Sousa

Lieutenant JG Jayson Stark [Access Character BIO for Jayson Stark]
Chief of Operations
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P026: USS ANUBIS: Maya: 33119.1920 ("A Rocky Journey")
---
"A Rocky Journey"
(Previous Posts: (ANU) "Pushing The Limits" / (BAS) "Cool Tracking")
---

Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Field Research and Preparation Room
Stardate: 33119.1920

It all started when the red flashing alert status, plunging the room in an eerie crimson hue, replaced the regular lighting. Something had happened, there was no denying that, but no one in the Field Research and Preparation Room knew what it was. When the ship was violently jolted a few moments later, most of the Doctors found themselves thrown to the floor along with several medical supply crates. By the time the Shillian Scientist had crawled her way to the Mikulak Doctor and Nylaan Chief of Security, a general sense of panic had taken hold of the people in the room.

"Are we under attack?" Doctor Bruxa asked certain that this was the one and only possible explanation for what they were experiencing.

"Very unlikely," Ya'Han said in a whispered voice looking around the room to make sure no one else could hear their conversation. "I doubt that anything would be able to reach the IVANOSKI," she suggested thinking about the USS ANUBIS being so close and ready for any type of trouble. At best, the ship would take care of any threat before it could act, and at worst, it would put itself in the line of fire to protect the medical frigate and its crew. "We also have to take into account that if we were hit by the type of energy weapon we know the Shadows have, we would not be here talking about it," the undercover nurse added, their recent dealings with the weapon system of a Lokustaar vessel still very fresh in the mind of the Chief of Security.

"I agree with Ya'Han," Maya offered. "It is unlikely that we are under attack as the jolt we experienced seemed to have originated from a more general location rather than a specific one, namely the aft region of this ship. We also experienced a minor shift in the inertial dampening field in a fore-to-aft vector indicated that the IVANOSKI unexpectedly gained speed. Using what Doctor Zane Onwatu said earlier, that the ship would be traveling at maximum speed in order to reach GALEMAE as quickly as possible; this sudden increase in velocity had to originate from somewhere else. Using all of these clues and given the seriousness of the situation, it is possible that Captain Morningstar figured out a way to increase this ship's speed thus allowing us to reach our destination ahead of schedule."

"What would he have done? Made the ship physically push this one so that it could go faster?" Doctor Bruxa asked with disbelief, her medical background making it difficult for her to imagine how what Maya had explained could have actually come to be.

"At warp velocity, no vessel would not have been able to make physical contact with another without incurring serious if not catastrophic damage, but with the right energy field set between two ships along with a more gentle coordinated approach, it is theoretically possible for one to increase the speed of the other. It would require that the warp fields of the two ships be merged into one, but with the equipment available on the ANUBIS, this could have been done with relative ease," the Shillian explained, her mind quickly drifting into the calculations that would have been required to perform what she had just explained. As much as Maya was meant to portray a nurse while on board the IVANOSKI, no amount of preparation could stop her from being what she was, a dedicated scientist with an insatiable love for mysteries.

"I think we just lost her," Ya'Han giggled as she looked at the Chief Science Officer who now appeared to be completely lost in her own thoughts.

"What she said is a theory," Satella argued, "and a crazy one at that. We could be in real danger here. We were warned that those responsible for the virus might act to make sure we are unable to help or even research the infection. So what better way to do this than to destroy the IVANOSKI and everyone on board?"

The Chief of Security scanned the room, suspecting that if they were in danger, as the Doctor suggested, the attack would come from closer than Satella had suggested. When she noticed someone approaching, Ya'Han quickly tapped the arms of both the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science Officer so that they did not say or do something that might place their cover identities in jeopardy.

"Are you ladies alright?" Doctor Onwatu asked appearing genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of his guests.

"A few bumps and bruises but nothing major," Maya replied, the Shillian Scientist having pulled herself out of her analysis and calculations. "Do we know what happened?" The undercover nurse asked with the hopes of proving that her proposed theory was more than that.

"Reports from the bridge are vague, but it seems that the IVANOSKI encountered some sort of spatial anomaly."

"A spatial anomaly?" Maya repeated her curiosity as a scientist piqued to its highest point.

"That is what I was told. Sensors did not pick up anything until we hit it. The truly interesting part seems that whatever it was we ran into actually increased our speed. If this effect holds, we could reach GALEMAE in less than an hour."

The Shillian did her best to hold back the smile that was threatening to take over her face following the explanation given by Doctor Onwatu. There were a great many different types of spatial anomalies out there in the vastness of space, and although some could actually move a ship great distances in a matter of seconds through some sort of wormhole, none had been discovered that possessed the ability to increase the velocity of a ship traveling at warp speed.

"If it means that we will reach GALEMAE faster, I do not care what it is we ran into," Doctor Bruxa said quickly glaring at the Shillian before returning her attention to the lead Medical Officer of the IVANOSKI. "The quicker we get there, the more lives we will be able to hopefully save. So, let us make the best of this situation instead of asking too many questions."

Everyone seemed to agree with the statement made, at least this was the accepted impression until a more careful study of those present in the room revealed someone appearing less than thrilled by this unexpected jump in speed. The reason for this odd reaction was unclear but it served to justify the suspicions the undercover Chief of Security had towards one particular individual. Simply based on his recognizing the race Ya'Han belong to and his reaction to recent events Doctor Drake Varjo was clearly a man who was more than he claimed to be.

---
Jessica Solarik

Lieutenant Commander Maya [Access Character BIO for Maya]
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS

&

Captain Selene Fiona Iverson [Access Character BIO for Selene Iverson]
Missing In Action (MIA)
Former Commanding Officer
USS BASTET

"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)
M12-P027: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33119.1940 ("Battle In The Shadows")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Battle In The Shadows"
[previous post were (ANU) "A Rocky Journey" / (BAS) "Cool Tracking"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Field Research and Preparation Room
Stardate: 33119.1940

Things were slowly getting back to normal despite the flashing red alert lights still flooding the room. Doctor Bruxa had started the ball rolling with her comment and everyone else was happy to get back to work instead of waiting around to see what was actually happening. The story of the IVANOSKI encountering a spatial anomaly had been accepted, and the increase in speed had been labeled as a fortunate influx of good luck. With so many lives hanging in the balance, the medical staff was more than happy to see the universe lend a hand.

Along the same idea, the Sec/Tac was happy that they would reach GALEMAE faster than planned, but the flashing red lights made it that a lot more difficult for her to keep her white hair. The situation, even if she knew its cause, warranted the presence of a member of the security forces, not of one belonging in the medical department. Ya'Han inwardly smiled as she imagined their ship's Counselor enjoying pointing out that it was the Nylaan's own conditioning that made her react this way. That smile quickly vanished as the self-exiled daughter of the High Sovereign thought a little more about the background history that led her to select security once she reached Starfleet Academy.

"Ya'Han," Maya called from behind a set of crates. "Could you help me with something?"

As an undercover Sec/Tac, Ya'Han was supposed to stay near Doctor Bruxa to ensure her safety. The woman herself had pointed out the dangers they faced and the white-haired nurse was not convinced that some members of the IVANOSKI's staff were not hiding something. The debate was brought to an end when Doctor Bruxa, having heard the other nurse's call, dismissed her bodyguard with a nod of her head.

Keeping an eye on the ANUBIS' CMO, the Sec/Tac quickly made her way to the puzzled looking CSciO. As Ya'Han came to stand next to Maya, the Nylaan quickly noted that the Shillian's attention was on a particular section of the floor located in a corner created by two sets of crates. It took no time at all for the white-haired woman to identify the reason why she had been called over.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ya'Han asked.

"The inability of my medical tricorder to get any actual readings from this black ooze would lead me to say that it is what we both believe it to be," Maya replied looking at the instrument in her hand to confirm that the readings had not changed. "It's the same black matter that we encountered in the underground research facility and on the ANUBIS. I am not sure why it is here, but it would confirm that we have a Lokustaar agent on board."

Ya'Han quickly scanned the room, searching for anyone who might be responsible for this, the Sec/Tac focussing her search on one specific individual. It was only when she turned her head after Maya had tapped her on the shoulder that the Nylaan realized something else had changed. Her hair had reverted back to a color that better reflected her current state of mind which the situation now demanded of them both. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the white-haired nurse returned for everyone to see.

"We need to be more careful," Maya warned. "My guess is that the Lokustaar agent is here to hinder our progress and maybe even report on what we have been able to discover in our efforts to fight against the viral infection. Even if this is not their objective, they could be simply here to see who was sent to deal with the problem on GALEMAE and how they are progressing. We must be vigilant as we do not know who this or these individuals are."

"I have my idea as to who it might be," the Sec/Tac said as she noticed Doctor Varjo exiting the room in what she believed to be a very suspicious and hurried manner. "Keep an eye on Satella, I'm going after our prime suspect."  Before Maya could offer any sort of opinion or argument, the Nylaan had already left the Shillian's side and was halfway to the door.

With little effort, Ya'Han caught up to the man she believed to be responsible for what Maya had discovered. The Sec/Tac had no idea what it meant but she knew that it could not be good and she needed to make sure that the man would not be able to carry out his plan to hinder their work.  As she turned into another corridor, the white-haired nurse realized that she had lost the man who had apparently vanished into thin air. It was more likely that he had docked into one of the nearby rooms but being nothing more than a nurse on a ship that was not her own, she could hardly go investigating.

As she was ready to return to the Field Research and Preparation Room, Ya'Han heard the muffled sounds of a struggled followed by what seemed to be the last forced exhale of a dying man. Quickly identifying which door the sounds had originated behind of, the Sec/Tac pressed the control panel. To her surprise, the door system had not been locked and it immediately opened. Now having access inside, the Sec/Tac stepped into the barely lit chamber, her bright red hair reflecting what she needed to be at this place and time.

Narrowing her search to where the sound of labored breathing was coming from, Ya'Han found Doctor Drake Varjo on the floor in one of the side rooms, several large open gashes visible in his chest. A quick study of the man's wound made it clear that there was nothing that could be done to save his life. The attack had been brutal and yet exceptionally precise. Whoever or whatever had done this had made sure that no amount of medical attention, no matter how quickly it would come, could save the man's life.

"What happened?" Ya'Han asked. "Who did this to you?"

The man could barely breathe, let alone speak, but summoning his last bit of strength he managed to give whatever information he could, "Living shadows... here on the ship... needed to stop me. I am Idanian... working for Cardassian Obsidian Order. They know you are Nylaan... now in Starfleet. Everyone in danger."

Ya'Han peered into the man's lifeless eyes for a few seconds, coming to terms with the situation. He was gone and there was nothing she could have done. The Cardassian operative had used the last of his strength to try and help. Admiral Koniki knew that the Obsidian Order had been involved on some levels in the fight against the Shadows, but it seemed that the success of the Cardassian Intel Organization was as limited as their own. Now there were no doubts about there being an agent of the Lokustaar on board the IVANOSKI, and there were equally no doubts about the Sec/Tac having been completely wrong as to the identity of this agent.

She needed to get back to the others quickly and inform them of what had just happened to make sure that Varjo's life had not been lost in vain. On a more personal level, Ya'Han also needed to figure out how the Shadows knew who she was and how this information was of any importance to them and this mission.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P028: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.2030 ("Murder Investigation")
=-=
"Murder Investigation"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Battle In The Shadows" / (BAS) "Cool Tracking"]
=-=

Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Field Research and Preparation Room
Stardate: 33119.2030

The IVANOSKI was less than 30 minutes away from GALEMAE. That should have been enough to make Satella happy. They would arrival well ahead of the 5 to 6 hours they were scheduled for and this was good. They would be able to test the containment equipment before things got out of hand. If everything worked well, hundreds if not thousands of lives could be saved.

Instead of being happy, Doctor Bruxa was in even more of a state than before. She was doing her best to be positive, to be the light in this time of darkness. She knew that people would be looking up to her for guidance and inspiration. The problem was that this mission was the darkest thing she had ever faced. The Shadow Virus had the potential of destroying an entire civilization, and that was just the start. What she had seen in the research facility and orbital station of TAU OMEGA was just a small sample of what could be.

Beyond all of that, she now had to deal with the murder of one of the IVANOSKI's medical staff. The description provided by Ya'Han was graphic and left little to the imagination. This also meant that both the undercover team knew exactly what they were dealing with. There was a cruel and sadistic murderer amongst them and there was no way to know who it was.

"You and Commander Maya need to lock yourselves in your quarters," Ya'Han said. It was easy to see that the Chief of Security was on edge. The scene she described was gruesome and hinted as to the danger they faced. "I will stand guard to make sure nothing happens to either one of you."

"As much as I appreciate what it is you are trying to do, it won't work," Satella sternly said. "We are not the only potential targets for this assassin to strike at. That is if it is their goal which I suspect it is not. If they wanted to kill us, why not just blow the ship up? My guess is that there is another reason why they killed Doctor Varjo."

"He was not a Doctor," Ya'Han corrected. "He was an Idinian working for the Cardassians."

"That could have been reason enough to have anyone want him dead," Doctor Bruxa proposed. "We only have his dying words that there is a Shadow agent on board and that we are all in danger. For all we know it could have been his mission to undermine our efforts. I can imagine that the Cardassians would love to see the Federation fail."

"Other than the fact that GALEMAE is not a Federation world, there are several gaps in your logic," Maya said. "Why did he reveal Ya'Han's origin to her? Why was he attacked and killed the way he was? We also need to take into account the black ooze we discovered earlier. Why was it where it was?"

"I don't know! I'm a Doctor, not a crime investigator. All I know is that someone is dead and we have less than 30 minutes to figure out who did it before we reach GALEMAE."

"Maybe it would be prudent to let the ANUBIS know what has happened," Maya said. "Cmdr. Shar'El might be able to use the vast resources of the IGC to help us narrow down the list of suspects. At the very least it would make it easier to keep us safe we knew can have to worry about a handful of people.

"The ANUBIS already knows," Ya'Han said pointing to a spot behind her ear. "Sub-dermal communicator. It was deemed safer to have a direct link to the ship in case something happened."

"Why was I not told about this?" Satella demanded, her voice going a little louder than it should have.

"Cmdr. Shar'El did not want you to be distracted knowing that your every word would be heard. She also suspected that if there was an agent here, you would be the only targetted by them. You possessing a clandestine communication device might have put your life in danger."

Maya nodded at Ya'Han's explanation. "Makes perfect sense. I would not have been given one so as to avoid it conflicting with my shapeshifting abilities. It was a much safe option to have Lt. Ya'Han be the only one to have one."

"Is everything alright?" Doctor Onwatu asked. The earlier outburst of Doctor Bruxa having drawn his attention.

"Doctor Bruxa is simply stating her discontent at the fact that we have less than 30 minutes to get all of the equipment ready. We were all expecting to have a lot more time to properly calibrate the field emitters," Ya'Han explained. As the white-haired nurse and closest assistant, it made sense for her to offer an answer. This also served to give Satella a few more seconds to calm down.

"This is a good thing," Zane said. "I will let you ladies return to your preparations. I need to find Doctor Varjo, there is something I need to talk to him about." The man paused for a moment, met the eyes of the three women and then left.

Maya, Ya'Han, and Satella watched in silence as the lead physician walked away. "We have to tell him," the CMO proposed after a few seconds. "He needs to know that there is a murder on board."

"We cannot take that risk," Ya'Han said placing herself in the direct line of sight. "Right now we have to proceed under the idea that there is no one we can trust."

"He just said he was looking for Doctor Varjo!" Satella pointed out in frustration.

"He could have been testing us to see if we knew about what happened to him," Ya'Han explained. "Do you truly believe that we can trust him?"

"Yes... No... I'm not sure. I'm a Doctor, not a bloomy mind-reader? All of this is not what I was trained for. I have enough trouble dealing with this shadow virus without having to deal with a murder investigation on top of it."

"That is exactly what you need to focus on," the white-haired nurse said. "You and Maya worry about GALEMAE and the virus. With the help of the ANUBIS and Cmdr. Shar'El, I will try to solve the murder mystery. At the very least, we will try to narrow the list of suspects. In the meantime, you two need to be careful."

Satella sighed. If the shadow virus was not the thing that would kill her, she now ran the risk of dying at the hands of an unknown assassin. Both options proved to be less than pleasant ones. The description made by Ya'Han on how Doctor Varjo had been killed sent chills down Satella's back. The reports on how those infected suffered and died presented her with a troubling image. However bad the situation had been before, the murder of a member of the medical staff had made things worse. Much worse.

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P029: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.2045 ("Gathering Clues")
=-=
"Gathering Clues"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Murder Investigation" by Rachel / (BAS) "Cool Tracking" by Rachel]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 33119.2045

The ExO / ILO studied the layout of the IVANOSKI with great interest, the ship now the scene of an active off-site murder investigation. Shar'El felt no sorrows at the Idanian's death, the agent of the Obsidian Order having fooled everyone including those in the IGC. The man had done an amazing job in establishing a deep-cover identity allowing him to gather a great deal of information on the Federation and the Lokustaar, and maybe that was the reason why he had been terminated.

It was a dark reality of the Intel world that the more information one gathered, the more likely they were to find their career come to a sudden and unexpected end. Survival of the fittest, or in this case the most cunning, was an inescapable truth of this world. As far as the raven-haired ILO was concerned, she knew that every new mission could be her last, but her advantage was in being on board this moving fortress. With all of its weapons, defensive systems, and advanced Intel gathering tools, it would be difficult for anyone to get to her. 

What Shar'El needed to do now was to use these sophisticated tools to identify the murderer on board the IVANOSKI. This was not to bring him or her to justice or even to seek revenge for what had happened but to ensure the safety of their undercover away team. As long as the perpetrator of this crime remained unidentified, Doctor Bruxa, lt. Cmdr. Maya and Lt. Ya'Han were in serious danger.

"IGC to Ya'Han. How is Doctor Bruxa doing?" The sensors of the Intel Gathering Center were powerful enough to show the ANUBIS' CMO standing next to the CSciO, going as far as to monitor her vitals, but they could not show the woman's emotional state.

=/\= Shaken, but all right. =/\= The undercover Chief of Security replied, keeping her answer short so as to not draw unwanted attention.

"I am going to need your help," the ExO / ILO said.  "We need to run close-range scans of the medical personnel to confirm their identities. As powerful as the sensors I have access to are, this will be too specific of a scan for them to perform. I am hoping to be able to identify the murderer this way."

=/\= Understood. =/\=

Shar'El smiled. Ya'Han would have made a wonderful Intel Operative, as she was never afraid to jump into the middle of the action. The only thing that could be a problem was her occasional inability to control the color of her hair, which reflected her current emotional state of mind and gave away her race and possible lineage.

=/\= Doctor Garell. =/\= Ya'Han said a few moments later, identifying the person she was scanning with her tricorder. Shar'El quickly called up the man's file as per the ship's roster and the dossier contained in the NEW ALEXANDRIA's databank. This would allow the ExO / ILO to confirm beyond any doubts the man's identity.

"An Efrosian physician specializing in Exo-Virology," the ExO / ILO read aloud. "Suffered a broken leg during a medical research trip to the ETARI System." Reading this Shar'El quickly reviewed the data collected by Ya'Han scan and confirmed that the man she was looking showed the signs of having suffered a broken leg at some point in the past. "The scans matches the information we have on him, you can move on to the next person."

While waiting for the next set of scans, the ExO / ILO returned to her study of the IVANOSKI's layout. The room in which the murder had been committed possessed a single way in or out, this meant that when Ya'Han had walked in, the murderer had likely still been there. Luckily, nothing happened to the Nylaan but this raised another question. Why had they not dealt with her in the same manner? Surely discovering Doctor Varjo with his chest ripped open would make things more difficult for those trying to stop the medical staff from reaching GALEMAE.

That was when Shar'El noted something even stranger. The IGC sensors no longer picked up the body of the murder victim in the room. As far as the ExO / ILO recalled, no one other than Ya'Han had been in the room, the away team still trying to figure out how to proceed on that aspect of their investigation.

=/\= Doctor Zerruli Egrin, =/\= Ya'Han said informing the ExO / ILO that a new set of scans were about to be initiated.

Shar'El called up the woman's file and quickly noted something of interest. "She's not actually a Doctor, never having completed her medical studies. She is listed as a pain management specialist, likely due to the weak telepathic abilities of her species. I would suggest that you all keep your distances from her as she could pick up some of your thoughts and blow your cover. As for her being who she claims to be, all of your scans show her to be Argelian. I do not believe that she is the one who could have done the type of damage that was inflicted on the victim."

=/\= Moving to the next, =/\= Ya'Han announced.

"Wait," Shar'El quickly said. "We lost track of Varjo's body. According to our sensors, no one entered or exited the room since you left. I need you to go back and check it out. Someone or something got rid of our primary evidence and their effort 

Maybe this will give us a clue as to who killed him."

=/\= Might take some time. =/\=

Shar'El understood. No one expected to have any member of the medical staff just leave the room and wander through the ship, especially with them now being so close to GALEMAE. Ya'Han exiting the Field Research and Preparation Room once again could risk someone asking questions as to why, and it would be impossible for her to provide a valid answer that would safeguard her identity and actual purpose.

"Do your best," the ExO / ILO offered. Had a full investigation team been able to board the IVANOSKI, the search for clues and answers could have been a lot faster, but time was against them and with only one person able to actively investigate the murder, there was no way they could do everything in time.

As much as she hated to admit it, the search for clues as to the identity of the murderer would extend into the team beaming down to the surface of GALEMAE, making it that much more difficult for them to get any sort of valid lead. All that the ExO / ILO could hope for was that they would remain safe from both the virus and those trying to stop them.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P030: USS ANUBIS: Lopez: 33119.2100 ("Flash News Bulletin")
-=-=-
"Flash News Bulletin"
[Previous post: (ANU) "Gathering Clues" & (BAS) "Cool Tracking"]
-=-=-

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.2100

Adriana had reviewed everything she could pertaining to the way news was delivered to the general population of GALEMAE. The pronunciation was clear and constant, there was no open display of emotions, everything was done as seriously as possible, but above all else, the news broadcast was carefully controlled. It was unclear if the government itself or some other branch manipulated the information, but the words selected and used made it evident that someone off camera was pulling the strings.  The idea of a 'free press' was not something acceptable on that particular world.

It was not uncommon to see two or more news broadcasts relay information on a specific event using the exact same text. The faces of the anchors might be different as was the background of their relative stages, but the information delivered to the general public was the same down to the punctuation of the sentences. This meant that the job of the ANUBIS and of those responsible for the 'fake news' broadcast would be that much more difficult to pull off as it would be easy enough to see that they were not following the pre-set and accepted text provided to the news anchors.

The CNS took a long deep breath as she gazed into the large inactive camera. This little charade of theirs would require all of her concentration, especially given that at some point she would no longer be reading the text appearing on the teleprompter but adlibbing according to the needs of the situation. Jayson and she needed to be ready to help those on the surface at a moment's notice, which meant they would have no advance preparation or time to consider the impact of their words. Adriana needed to think as a Galemaen news anchor while at the same time do everything she could to spin the news in a way that would be favorable to the away team. Any blatant defiance of how things were normally done could easily have the opposite effect and place the lives of the away team in danger.

"You have nothing to worry about, Sis," Amanda said, the hallucination of the twin sister sitting on the desk right next to the holographic Galemaen news anchor. "I have the utmost confidence that you will screw this up long before your first broadcast is over. Let's face it, you chose a career as a Counselor because it meant you would not have to deal with a large number of people at the same time. Public speaking was never your strong point."

Counselor Lopez was just about to snap back at the woman she only could see and hear when the doors to the holodeck opened to let the Chief of Operations, Lt. Stark walk in. "Hope you are ready," Jayson said taking a direct line towards the main camera. "Ens. Jones is taking us into a high orbit of the planet where we will have a direct line of sight with the medical center the away team is scheduled to go to. It will also allow us to keep an eye on the IVANOSKI, just in case things get out of hand there as well. Commander Shar'El is getting her people in the IGC to tap into the planet's communication network, so that way no one will be able to identify the source of our broadcast."

Adriana said nothing, only looking at the mental projection of her sister sitting right next to her, an image that was clearly mocking the real twin. The CNS had hoped to have more time to adequately prepare for this task. It made sense to have a flesh and blood anchor as the computer might not be able to accurately portray the gestures and intonations of a Galemaen, but now Lopez feared that she too would not be able to do this well enough to avoid problems. There were so many little things to remember, so many words that could or should not be used due to their ambiguity.

"There is no need to be nervous," Jayson added, sticking his head out from behind the large camera. "You are going to do just fine. All you have to do this time around is stick to the script. This is just the first live broadcast, which does nothing more than to announce the arrival of the IVANOSKI and the away team. The text is what every other broadcaster will be saying, Shar'El made sure of that. Granted we did make a few minor adjustments to help sway the public opinion in their favor of the away team and their efforts to help, but those changes will likely not be noticed. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about, everything will be fine."

"Thank you, Jayson," Adriana said as he shot a quick glare to one side, targeting the sister that seemed bent on making this as difficult as possible for her. "I am very grateful for your efforts to ease my worries."

"We are all in this together," the Chief of Operations said. "That is what being part of this crew is all about. No matter what any one of us does, no matter where we may be, we are always part of the team and there for each other."

=/\= Bridge to Holodeck 5, the IVANOSKI is now entering a geosynchronous orbit. The away team should be beaming down shortly. =/\=

=/\= IGC to Holodeck 5, the uplink to the planet's communication network has been set. You can start broadcasting as soon as you are ready. Some of the other broadcasters have already started transmitting. =/\=

"I guess this is it," Adriana gulped.

"You will do just fine," Jayson repeated. "Are you ready?"

The holographic Galemaen woman nodded yes prompting the man to start a silent countdown using his fingers. When the last of the digits vanished, the indicator on top of the camera turned on showing that the device was now operational and that they were 'on air'.

"We bring you a flash news bulletin. Today is a momentous day for us all as the USS IVANOSKI, an unarmed medical vessel from the United Federation of Planets, is now in orbit over our world. Its people have been authorized to set foot on our world in order to research the viral plague that has been spreading throughout some of our cities. The Senate would like to reassure that all precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of the population, no matter their social status. The medical envoys on board the IVANOSKI are here for no other reason than to observe and help with the current viral infection, therefore no one needs to be concerned. All is under control and is proceeding according to the wishes of the Senate. More news will be made available as the situation progresses; in the meantime, you are all to continue with your normal tasks and duties. This is the end of the flash news bulletin broadcast. One World. One People. One Senate. One Rule."

-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi

Lieutenant JG Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Ship's Counselor
USS ANUBIS
M12-P031: USS ANUBIS: Stark: 33119.2110 ("Old Fashion Tech")
"Old Fashion Tech"
[previous (ANU) "Flash News Bulletin" / (BAS) "Hazy Destination"]

[/\]

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.2110

"Well done!" Jayson said as soon as the news broadcast was over and the camera was turned off. "You did great. I am sure that no one will be able to tell the difference. It was perfect"

"If you say so," Adriana offered back, not sounding entirely convinced. "I will say that the size of the camera is rather intimidating. Practicing in front of it did help, but knowing that this latest effort was an actual live broadcast did make me a lot more nervous."

"We had to use the same type of technology that the people of GALEMAE use. That way, the signal would be much harder for them to identify as being of a rogue source as it would be indistinguishable from their own broadcast signals. As great as our technology may be, it is easier for us to create a lower-end signal than try to have a higher-end one modified to appear as if it was from a lower tech," the OPS Officer explained. "Any attempt to alter the signal could be discovered, this way the signal is just as primitive as their own, so even if they suspect it being fake, their initial search will not include anyone possessing technology superior to their own."

"I just hope that this was good enough for us to get a 'foot in the door' as the expression goes," the CNS said as the Galemaen holographic image vanished allowing Adriana to move more freely. In order to avoid there being any issues with the holographic disguise, she had gotten in the habit of moving very little, which also matched the way the regular news anchors behaved while on air.

"I am sure it did. Shar'El linked us into the planet's communication network and forced the signal over that of the local news broadcast," he said moving to one of the control panels created by the holodeck's program. "According to these numbers, you were seen by nearly 22,000 Galemaen and not a single one of them has contacted the authorities or, again according to our sensors, ran out of their homes screaming as if the end of the world as they knew it was upon them."

"I know that you are just saying that because you are trying to make me feel better," the CNS said trying to hide a smile.

"The question is; did it work?" Jayson asked, trying his best to have Adriana actually smile. Following the apparent success of their initial broadcast, the OPS Officer believed that a celebration was in order.

"Telling me that nearly 22,000 people saw me is not helping at all," the CNS admitted still trying to hide her smile. "The rest of what you said though did make me smile, so yes, it worked." Adriana paused for a moment as she approached the OPS Officer. "Thank you, I am not sure I would be able to do this without you."

"Don't sell yourself short, Counselor. I am just the person in charge of the technical aspects of these broadcasts. You are the star in front of the camera, the face that the people of GALEMAE will be adoringly looking for to get the truth as to what is happening around them."

"Jayson!" Adriana said in an unhappy manner, the smile that was barely visible on her lips vanishing to be replaced by a stern scowl. "Now you are doing it on purpose."

"Alright, they will be seeking the truth according to our point of view, and not that of their own government."

"That is not what I was referring to," Adriana said, trying to sound angry while her smile threatened to return even if only partially.

"Sorry Counselor," he offered with a smile. "I will be honest and say that it is rare that I can joke this way with Ya'Han. She is a wonderful woman but when I try to have a little bit of fun like this, it usually ends up with her hair going full red, and nothing good comes from her turning into the Dragon Lady. So far, I have been fortunate enough to avoid the full extent of her fiery wrath."

"Ya'Han does come across as a very intense person, that is just the way she is due to her own history, but that is not all that bad. I am sure that she is able to express love with the same ferocity as she does her willingness to protect those around her," Adriana said, the woman quickly shedding the veil of a news anchor to return to the more familiar feel of a ship's Counselor. "Sometimes that level of intensity can get in the way of simpler things, like her accepting the gift you gave her."

Jayson sighed realizing that as much as he could make Adriana appear as anything else using the holodeck, the woman was, and would always be, a Ship's Counselor trying her best to help those around her deal with whatever emotional difficulties they faced. This no matter if those targeted by her desire to help wanted it or not. Now, he had a fair amount of experience with Counselors thanks to his own personal history, and in some ways, he understood her wanting to help no matter what her patient might say or how uncomfortable it might make them feel. He knew that sometimes, facing the unpleasant truth was the only way to get over whatever it was that had created the situation in the first place.

He was about to comment on what the Counselor had just said when the red alert lights came on accompanied by the loud warning sounds of the klaxons. For a yet to be determined reason, the ANUBIS had gone to battle condition.

"What's going on?" Adriana asked.

"No idea, but I might have spoken too soon about the effects of our first news broadcast. We better head to the bridge and find out what's going on."

[/\]
Jayson Sousa

Lieutenant JG Jayson Stark [Access Character BIO for Jayson Stark]
Chief of Operations
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P032: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33119.2115
("Just Another Unexpected Surprise")
##########
"Just Another Unexpected Surprise"
Previous posts (ANU) "Old Fashion Tech" / (BAS) "Hazy Destination"
##########

“To me, everything's a surprise! You're a surprise. This place is a surprise. You see this? Paper cut. Hurts like hell! Anybody else would be upset, but to me, it's just one more wonderful surprise! I mean, I even surprise myself sometimes! So I guess there's nothing wrong with me surprising you. Right??”
- Commander Susan Ivanova - Babylon 5

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33119.2115

"Report!" The Native American demanded from the central chair. In the span of a few seconds the sensors tracking the movements of those on board the IVANOSKI had picked up an energy spike from the ship's engine room. The size and location of this sudden energy increase made the First Officer, who was still in the IGC, call for Red Alert suspecting that the medical frigate was under some sort of attack. Even if it was not, the ANUBIS needed to be ready in case the warp core of the other ship suddenly went critical and exploded.

=/\= Tactical sensors have not picked up any other ships in the proximity of GALEMAE, =/\= Commander Shar'El reported. =/\= Continuing scans in case we are dealing with a cloaked Lokustaar vessel. =/\=

"I doubt we are dealing with a Lokustarr ship," the Chief Engineer offered. "Causing a power surge in the IVANOSKI's warp core is not their style. I am still trying to figure out if maybe it was us who caused this with our pushing the ship to go faster than it was designed to, but again it doesn't make sense since their engines did not work any harder than it would have before. The ANUBIS was the one pushing the frigate and it was our warp field that was protecting it. If there was to be any sort of energy spike caused by what we did, it would have happened here, not there."

The doors to the turbolift opened drawing the Captain's gaze upon the new arrivals which were Lieutenant Stark and Counsellor Lopez.  "Good, I need you to help Lieutenant Paquette in figuring out why the warp core of the IVANOSKI suddenly showed a massive energy spike."

"Is that why we are now under red alert?" The Chief of Operations inquired, not thinking that the situation as described would have been sufficient to bring the ANUBIS to battle readiness.

"Shar'El thought that the medical frigate was under attack," Sonja huffed. "I think Spy-Girl is getting a little trigger happy and is seeing shadows everywhere. Then again, I can't really blame her after what we all have gone through recently."

"Captain," Jayson began having noticed something the moment he took over the Operations' station. "Doctor Bruxa, Commander Maya and Lieutenant Ya'Han are in the IVANOSKI's transporter room."

"They were preparing to beam down when the energy surge was detected," the Native American clarified. "My guess is that they will now wait for whatever happened to be dealt with before beaming down."

"I doubt it," Stark said with wide opened eyes. "All three of them are stepping onto the platform and according to these readings; the warm-up transporter sequence had been initiated."

"Who's the dim-witted, ass-hat of a twatwaffle that would authorize anyone using a ship's transporter while the warp core is dealing with an unexplained energy surge?" the Chief Engineer gasped in exasperation. "The enegy spike could create a cascade effect that would knock out systems including the transporters. This would result in any active transport sequence to prematurely end thus killing everyone currently in the beam." Sonja paused for a brief moment as the situation became perfectly clear to her. "Oh, it would make sense if that's the saboteur's actual plan. It would explain why I can't figure out what caused the energy spike; because it was caused from within and not because of some sort of system error or malfunction. That sorry excuse for a backstabbing lowlife is trying to make the death of our people appear as an accident."

"Someone is trying to kill the away team!" Adriana exclaimed in terror.

"Lt. Stark, get our own transporter beams in there and get our people out of danger," Erik ordered as he sat on the edge of his seat. "Lt. Paquette, I don't care what you have to do but make sure that the IVANOSKI's transporter system doesn't get in the way of retrieving our away team."

"If you don't care how it's done, I have the perfect way to do it," Sonja said as an evil grin took over her face. "ANI, get the starboard lateral energy transfer port ready to send out a high-power polarized magneton wave. It will need to be set at the exact inversed frequency of the IVANOSKI's energy output. This will result in the ship momentarily losing all power, and without power, whoever tried to kill our people will not be able to get in our way. From there, all we need to do is to make sure we can grab our people from the transporter platform making them appear as if they were caught in the transport sequence when the power went out."

"We would be working in a window of less than a few seconds," the Native American gasped.

"1.25 seconds to be exact," Ani specified.

"And we don't have the time to talk about whether or not to do this, so here goes," Sonja explained before initiating the process that had just been described.

"Initiating transporter override," Jayson announced. The next few seconds that followed did so in complete silence as everyone waited for the result of their actions. "Got them!" The Chief of Operations added with great relief shortly after. "Should I bring them back to the ANUBIS?"

=/\= Negative, =/\= Shar'El interjected from the IGC. =/\= Whoever is trying to stop the IVANOSKI from completing its mission still has no idea that we are here. It would be better to have the away team be on the surface and proceed with their objective while we remain incognito. We can continue to monitors the frigate in the hopes of discovering who is trying to sabotage the mission while keeping a watchful eye on Doctor Bruxa and her team at the same time. =/\=

"You heard the Commander," the Native American said as he looked over to the Chief of Operations. "Beam our people down to where they were targeted to be."

"Transport sequence completed," Jayson announced with releif after a few seconds. "Sensors are showing them on the planet's surface with strong vital signs. The transport will have been a rough one, but that will be the only things they will be able to complain about."

"Bridge to IGC, Commander Shar'El, please let Lt. Ya'Han know what just happened. It would seem that for the time being, they are on their own in dealing with the Shadow Virus. We will continue to monitor the IVANOSKI as well as their progress, but we will only make our presence known if absolutely necessary."

=/\= Understood. =/\=

"Lt. Stark, you and Counsellor Lopez should return to the Holodeck, with our people now on the planet there is no telling what urgent news update we may need to send out. After what just happened, I think it would be best for us to be ready for any other surprises."

"Agreed Captain," Adriana offered. "This mission does seem to have an over abundance of surprises for us to deal with."

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
M12-P033: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.2120 ("Rough Landing")
=-=
"Rough Landing"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Just Another Unexpected Surprise" / (BAS) "Tests"]
=-=

Setting: GALEMAE, Beam down site
Stardate: 33119.2120

"What the hell happened?" Doctor Bruxa demanded, her head feeling several sizes too small for her brain. When a sudden wave of dizziness hit, the physician was sent down to one knee. For a split second, Satella actually thought that she would be sick. There was no doubt that something strange had taken place. The way she felt though, the physician could not think clearly enough to even try to figure it out. Right now, it was best for her to focus on not making a mess where she kneeled.

"Based on the symptoms we all appear to be experiencing, I would guess that there was some sort of transporter malfunction." Satella could see that Maya and Ya'Han were equally affected. The Shillian could barely manage to stay upright, but that did not stop her from being the scientist that she was. No matter the situation, the CSciO tried to understand the universe around her. The Chief of Security, on the other hand, appeared ready to ward off an attack. Of the three officers who had just beamed down, the white-haired Nylaan appeared to be the one least affected.

"It was more than a malfunction," Ya'Han said receiving details from the IGC. Being the only one with a subdermal communicator, the Chief of Security was always in contact with the ANUBIS. "There was an energy spike in the IVANOSKI's core which threatened to knock out the transporter system. The crew was forced to act in order to save us from what would have been a most unpleasant fate."

"The Transporter Chief said that were given the go-ahead to beam down!" Satella was not happy and hated having to constantly watch over her shoulder. Someone on the IVANOSKI had clearly set their sights on sabotaging the mission. The worst part was that they did not care who died to make that happen. "Who could have done this to us?"

"There are many possibilities but only two valid options," Maya said. "Either the Transporter Chief is the one who is trying to sabotage the mission or someone else gave him false instructions. As far as he would have been concerned, it was safe to initiate the transport sequence."

"We need to get back up there and figure this out," Satella said. The physician was using the anger she felt in order to focus her energy and thoughts. Tapping into this fury, Doctor Bruxa quickly regained her wits and forced herself back to her feet.

"Commander Shar'El and the IGC are investigating the IVANOSKI at a distance," Ya'Han reported. "Our orders are to proceed with the mission as planned. The fact that we are here, on the planet, unharmed, may force those responsible to show their hand. This could easily lead the ANUBIS in identifying who is responsible. Beyond that, it was our objective to be here as quickly as possible in order to save as many lives as we can."

Doctor Bruxa glanced over to the Shillian nurse before they both looked down at the medical equipment crate. Whoever had planned their demise had hoped to get rid of the emitters at the same time. Instead, both the personnel and equipment best suited to deal with the Shadow Virus were here on GALEMAE.

"You are right," Satella reluctantly admitted. "I am letting my anger get the best of me. You would have made a wonderful Doctor, you know that, right?" The physician said, smiling at the blushing Chief of Security.

"It would seem that my career options were more diverse than I initially believed them to be," Ya'Han said. Using what Shar'El and Satella had said to her, the Nylaan realized that she had other options. Should she truly wish to change her field of work, there were two department heads ready to welcome her into their respective domain.

"Alright, let us get back on track," Satella said feeling much less dizzy or angry. "Shouldn't there be a delegation or something to welcome us? According to the mission briefing, the Galemaen are the not type to just let us wander about by ourselves. I'm surprised that there are no armed guards ready to pounce on us."

"We did beam down unexpectedly," Maya explained. "In fact, if the ANUBIS had not intervened, we would not even be here. It is very likely that the IVANOSKI failed to advise the authorities of anyone beaming down. This means that we are here, on foreign soil, unannounced and maybe even unwelcomed."

"As far as their public records show," the Shillian began. "The Galemaen have not allowed outsiders on their planet, ever. That they allowed a small delegation of Federation Doctors to come was by itself an unprecedented act. The official stand is that they were convinced to let outsiders observe and research the Shadow Virus. The people of this world have never seen anything like it. Still, many suspect that there was another reason for them allowing off-worlders to set foot on their world. Without having contacted the authorities first, there is no way for us to know what kind of reception we will receive." Maya actually looked concerned as she said this. "Politically speaking, we are on very uncertain ground."

"Whoever is pulling the strings is good, too good," Satella observed. "They tried to have us reach the planet too late to do anything about the epidemic. When that failed, they tried to create distrust amongst the medical staff by committing a single murder. When that too failed, they tried to kill us in a transporter accident. They even went as far as to plan a backup plan should that too fail. Whoever they are, they seem to be several steps ahead of us."

"They might think they are ahead of us," Ya'Han said. "What they have yet to realize is that we have stacked the game in our favor. We may be here on the planet unannounced, but I know someone who can remedy this situation quickly enough." The white-haired nurse paused for a moment before continuing. "Ya'Han to Shar'El, we are in need of some of your magic. Think Adriana can announce our presence to the masses without triggering a riot? We just need some sort of cover story that will explain why we are suddenly here. Think you can help?"

Doctor Bruxa looked at Ya'Han and smiled when the white-haired woman did. Whatever reply she received from their First Officer seemed to be a positive one. All they needed to do was to wait and see what would happen next.

Satella might have had some reservations as to the woman's abilities during this mission. Ya'Han had herself stated that her medical knowledge was limited at best. After all that had happened though, the physician was more than happy to have someone like her here with them. However bad things might become, the CMO felt confident that they would make it through safely. 

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P034: USS ANUBIS: Lopez: 33119.2140 ("Spin Doctors")
-=-=-
"Spin Doctors"
[Previous post: (ANU) "Rough Landing" & (BAS) "Tests"]
-=-=-

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.2140

This would be the second broadcast in less than an hour, and this one would not be a simple gentle spin on what the other news anchors were reporting. With the members of their away team now on the planet's surface, unannounced, they needed to spin this story quickly to avoid someone making a huge issue about this meaningless event.

Just as the authorities of GALEMAE were likely planning on how to spin the unexpected beam down, Jayson and Adriana had to do the same, but in a completely different way. One side would try to use this as a reason to cast distrust on anyone and anything dealing with the Federation while the other side, the one the CNS belonged to, needed to spin this as being something good for everyone.

"Are you ready?" Jayson asked, the Chief of Operations already standing behind the imposing camera.

"I think we should look at the explanation we are about to give more closely. I'm not sure that this will be believable enough to turn the population's general feelings to our side of the story," Adriana replied.

"Face it, Sis, you couldn't convince a Klingon to get into a fight or a Ferengi to make a profit on a sale. How do you think you are going to manage to convince the Galemaen that your people are there to help and not invade or try to hinder the planetary Senate? Give up now and save yourself the embarrassment." The words of the twin sister were as cold and disparaging as expected from a sibling, and the fact that the sister was nothing more than a hallucination changed nothing. The change in Adriana's posture was proof of just how on target the attack had been.

"We do not have the time to review the broadcast again. We have to get this news out first, if not we will come across as the ones trying to twist what will have already been said and established. Being the first ones out with a story sets the tone for that story and anything else that comes out after about that same subject. We have to be the firsts ones out with this if we want to have any hope of spinning this in favor of the away team." Jayson stopped when he saw just how troubled Adriana had become. "Listen, I know that this can be overwhelming, but you are the best person for this job. Trust me, I have been with my fair share of Counselors, and you are the one I would pick for this job without any hesitations."

"Don't listen to him," Amanda said as she appeared right next to him. "He's just trying to butter you up because he doesn't want to be the one in front of the camera. Actually, judging by the way he's grinning, I would go as far as to suspect that he wants to see you fail."

Adriana took in a shaky breath and looked directly at Jayson. What she saw did not match what her sister claimed to see, in fact, the Counselor saw someone who was genuinely trying to help.  "I will do my best," Lopez said, ignoring the hallucination of her twin sister to instead focus on the text she would soon be reading.

"I know that you will do better than that," Jayson said activating the holographic projection to have the news anchor appear as a Galemaen woman. "Here we go. In five, four..." the rest of the countdown was silent, done only with the man's vanishing digits. In the same manner, as things happened during the first broadcast, the moment the last of his fingers vanished, the light on top of the camera turned on indicating that they were once again broadcasting live.

"We bring you a news update. As you know, today we are celebrating a momentous event, as the unarmed vessel from the United Federation of Planets, with the full support of the Senate, is currently in orbit over our world ready to send a delegation. We have just learned that the delegation of Doctors and medical specialists has already arrived. According to local sources, the small team of three apparently were extremely anxious to start working on their research of the virus, which is already infecting many of our own people. It is the hope of the medical personnel as well as that of the Senate, that a way of containing the spread of this virus will be discovered and implemented in order to safeguard the population regardless of their social status. There is no need for anyone to overreact to the presence of these visitors to our world. The Senate again reassures everyone that all precautions have been taken and that you are to continue with your normal tasks and duties. This is the end of the news update broadcast. One World. One People. One Senate. One Rule."

The moment the indicator turned off, Adriana let out a long sigh, while the mixture of emotions she felt visible on her face.

"See," Jayson smiled as he appeared from behind the camera. "Told you that you could do it. That was perfect."

"I doubt that it was 'perfect'," the Counselor said as the superimposed holographic image vanished allowing Adriana to appear as herself. "I could hear the nervousness in my voice."

"That is part of the reason why we did not use a holographic news anchor," the Chief of Operations said. "Any news anchor in the position that you are in would have felt this nervousness, although for a completely different reason. You showing those emotions during the broadcast should help make the news more believable since those watching it will be able to more closely relate to you. If they are nervous as well but you are telling them to not worry, why should they?"

"The power of mass news broadcast," the Counselor said with a knowing grin. "It is not that the message is true or false that matters, it is the way that it is presented t the public. As long as you play on their fears, they are much more liable to believe anything said."

"Exactly," Jayson agreed. "That is why we have to spin this to offset their fears instead of building them up to the point they become uncontrollable. As long as we can convince that the away team is of no danger to them, Doctor Bruxa and the others will be able to do what they need to do in order to save lives and return in one piece."

"With Ya'Han down there with them, I would say that their odds of returning in one piece were already better than average," Adriana added, wanting to make sure that Jayson did not forget about the woman he was involved with. After everything Amanda had said, the Counselor feared that something might grow from them working the way they were, especially after the way he had been emotionally injured just before the mission started.

-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi

Lieutenant JG Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Ship's Counselor
USS ANUBIS
M12-P035: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.2145 ("Smooth Operators")
=-=
"Smooth Operators"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Spin Doctors" by Marissa / (BAS) "Tests" by Karen]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 33119.2145

Shar'El sat at the IGC's control station, impressed by the latest news broadcast created by Counselor Lopez and Lieutenant Stark. Had her department not been directly involved in the creation of these 'fake news' transmissions, namely in forcing them into the planet's communication network, the ExO / ILO would have been hard-pressed to recognize the broadcasts as not being genuine.

With a greater understanding of the communication network of GALEMAE, this latest broadcast had reached nearly 28,000 inhabitants, the majority of which resided or worked in the general vicinity of where the away team had beamed down. This specific targeting made more sense as those were the people who would be more likely to have a negative reaction to the presence of a Federation Medical team on their world.

The IGC sensors aimed towards GALEMAE were locked on the three members of the away team, giving the ExO / ILO the opportunity to verify their vital signs once again to make sure they were all right, this despite having spoken to Ya'Han not that long ago. The rough beam down had brought everyone on edge as they rushed to avoid losing their Chief Medical Officer, Chief Science Officer and Chief of Security. Thanks to the expertise and quick thinking of their Chief of Operations and Chief Engineer, the impossible had been made real, and the away team found themselves safe and sound on the planet's surface.  

After that, Shar'El and the technicians of the IGC were faced with a new task, that of uncovering who was responsible for the energy spike in the IVANOSKI's warp core that would have spelled the end of those in transit as they beamed down. The initial list of suspects, in regard to the murder of the Cardassian operative, included only members of the medical team, but taking into account what had happened afterward, the ExO / ILO had no choice but to expand the list to include every member of the ship's crew. Even if they did not have direct access to the frigate's warp core or any of its other power systems, the IGC's lead officer was not ready to cross anyone off the list.

"Commander," one of the IGC techs called out. "The away team is about to enter the quarantine zone, but they will still have just over a couple hundred meters to travel before reaching the area where those infected are being held."

"They are not taking any risks with this virus," the ExO / ILO said forgoing her previous train of thoughts. "A 200-meter buffer zone is somewhat excessive, then again this is no ordinary virus and the fact that they did this might have helped keep the infection rate down. Which, when you actually think about it, is rather scary." Shar'El reached for her communication controls. "IGC to away team. Ya'Han, please make sure that Doctor Bruxa is aware that you are entering a security buffer zone that extends just over 200 meters from the building where those infected are being kept out of reach of the general population. We are continuing to monitor the situation. On that note, an update to the news broadcast was sent spinning your quick arrival as a good thing with the support of the Senate. You should not be encountering any resistance, at least not for the time being."

"We are picking up some chatter about the origin of the latest news broadcast," another tech reported. "Someone from the local authorities is trying to confirm that the Senate is, in fact, supporting these actions. Countermeasures have been initiated and the signal is being blocked."

"We were expecting that," Shar'El said, the communication channel with the away team still open. "Ya'Han, there should not be any problems but keep your eyes open. We'll take care of the rest from up here. IGC out." As soon as the channel was closed, the ExO / ILO looked up to the technician who had made the last report. "Modify the transmission to be a normal query to the Senate, once they send a reply, we'll have the base foundation of their communication protocols. That should allow us to create replies that will be better accepted by those receiving them."

Shar'El watch as her staff went to work. Monitoring a planet's communication was not an easy task, but that is what they were all trained for, every technician was an expert in their own domain. That is why the ExO / ILO wanted them here. It would not take long for the IGC to become the primary hub through which all planetary communications went through, allowing them to control the flow of information, and that not only about the presence of the IVANOSKI and the away team.  If luck was on their side, they might even be able to gather intel on how the Shadow Virus had reached this world or who, if anyone, was behind the repeated attempts to hinder the medical team from reaching the planet and deal with the spread of the infection.

=-=
Setting: GALEMAE, Government building
Stardate: 33119.2200

Standing next to the shorter, red-skinned Galemaen man, the tall dark woman appeared even more mysterious and menacing than normal. The expression on the face of the woman known only as Mordana hinted to her being in a less than pleasant mood.

"I have received confirmation that the Federation medical frigate reached orbit and that a team of three were able to beam down, the Galemaen nervously reported. "It seems that one of our news stations already broadcasted this information and claims that the Senate supported this action. We have not been able to identify the station that made this claim though, which is odd."

"Who beamed down?"

"According to the report from the Federation frigate, the leader of the team is a woman by the name of Doctor Satella Bruxa."

Mordana quietly sighed, closing her eyes in an effort to control her reaction. "They should have destroyed that ship when they had the chance. If she is here, it likely means that they are in orbit, hidden from the IVANOSKI's sensors as well as those of your people. We will have to change our plans. Go to the confinement zone and keep an eye on those three."

"If I go there I risk becoming infected by the virus you brought and that I spread."

The dark woman glared at the shorter man in a way that only an agent of the shadows could, instantly filling him with fear and chilling his blood. No other words were required, the Galemaen quickly understanding that failure to comply with her directives would end in him suffering a fate much worse than what the virus might inflict on him.

As soon as the man left, Mordana turned to look at one of the corners of the room where an odd shadow could be seen. "The ANUBIS is in orbit of GALEMAE. It needs to be dealt with, and this time permanently."

A set of high pitch squeals and screeches were heard before the shadow vanished leaving the agent to contemplate what her next move would be.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P036: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33119.2145 ("Jumping At Shadows")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Jumping At Shadows"
[previous post were (ANU) "Smooth Operators" / (BAS) "Tests"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: GALEMAE, city side streets
Stardate: 33119.2145

Shar'El had told them that there should not be any problems, but that reassurance had not managed to get the Sec/Tac or the others to not worry as they proceeded with extreme caution down the eerily empty and shadow-filled streets. The only way they could tell that they had stepped inside the 200-meter buffer zone was a sign that Doctor Bruxa recognized as indicating the presence of a highly dangerous biohazard beyond that point. If that was not enough to instill concern, the boarded windows and sealed doors they walked by were sure to achieve that result.

"The way the windows and doors are covered and sealed, they make the streets look like something that reminds me of a historical report I studied back on the ANUBIS before we transferred to the IVANOSKI," Maya said in a way that sounded to be an odd mixture of scientific interest and medical concern. "It was about a dark period in EARTH's history, around the mid-1300s according to the old date tracking calendar. Although the illness was widespread, reaching nearly every region of Eurasia it was most concentrated in Europe and is claimed to be responsible for the death of nearly 200 million men, women, and children."

"Really?" Satella exclaimed. "You want to bring up the 'Black Plague' at this moment and time? Let me remind you that we are not sure that the emitters will be able to protect us from this Shadow Virus. We may have made it to the surface in one piece, but we are far from seeing our troubles over."

The Sec/Tac could feel her discomfort growing following the exchange between Maya and Satella. Ya'Han only little about this 'Black Plague' that had been mentioned, but she knew enough to know that it was not something good. This forced the undercover nurse to remind herself that she needed to keep her thoughts on a medical line in order to not show herself to be more than what she was portraying to be. Surrounded by danger, her instinct was to fall back on extensive her combat training with her bright red hair showing this for all to see.

Only 200 meters separated them from their destination, but it might as well have been 200 light-years. While carefully studying their surroundings, each member of the small team took short cautious steps. Every whispered noise, every flickering shadow was enough to cause the team to come to a complete stop. Maybe it would have been easier had the Sec/Tac been able been in the lead as herself but as a white-haired nurse, she needed to follow the CMO while still making sure to be ready to act should anything come to threaten the safety of the team.

The group was startled when a loud bang shattered the eerie tranquility of the street they were using. It clearly sounded like something or someone had knocked down a large metallic object down. Ya'Han instinctively jumped ahead of Satella and Maya to protect them, ready to fight whatever unknown would come to stand in their way. When a weak and very sad looking young child came into view, the Sec/Tac quickly deescalated her combat readiness and lowered herself to one knee to offer a less confrontational stance.

"Are you alright little girl?" Doctor Bruxa asked from behind the kneeling white-haired nurse. The young Galemaen child looked up at Satella, then back down at Ya'Han before suddenly running away as fast as she could towards the building the medical team was initially heading for and which now was about 100 meters away.

"Do you believe she is one of the infected?" Maya asked.

"Hard to say, but we are inside the quarantine zone, so it is very likely," Doctor Bruxa replied. "Either that or someone she knows is infected. The separation could have led her to want to be with them, which means that although she might not have been infected by the Shadow Virus, by the time we see her again, she will most likely be.
 
"Wouldn't it, therefore, be safer for us to activate the emitters?" The white-haired Sec/Tac asked having lost sight of the little girl bringing even more focus to their destination.

"Normally I would say yes," the CMO replied. "The problem is that we have no way for us to know the virus' specific workings. The emitters need to scan for a live sample in order to be able to adapt, and I am worried that us holding them in our hands may alter the results of the scans."

"The scanners that were added to the emitters may be highly sensitive, but I doubt that any amount of motion will alter the actual results," Maya said. "I would suspect that the only drawback would be a delay in the scanners being able to come up with a final report for the emitters to use."

"Can we truly afford to take a chance?" the Sec/Tac voiced. Defending the team from dangers that she could see and fight was one thing, but protecting everyone from a deadly virus was well beyond her abilities, so the best she could do was to offer recommendations.

"If Maya says that it will not hinder the scanners, then, by all means, let's turn them on now before we get any closer or more people suddenly land in front of us."

The sight of three Starfleet medical officers cautiously walking while holding two portable emitters, one in each hand, might have seemed strange to anyone looking. The reality of this was that at least the devices gave the team a mildly increased sense of protection as they slowly approached the structure. The Sec/Tac knew that inside the building they would come face-to-face with the dark legacy created by the Lokustaar's Shadow Virus.

Ya'Han could only hope that they would arrive in time to help the little girl and whoever had caused her to run into the building.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P037: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.2200 ("Darkness Abounds")
=-=
"Darkness Abounds"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Jumping At Shadows" / (BAS) "Tests"]
=-=

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33119.2200

It was part of the medical curriculum to face death in all of its gruesome forms. As much as all Doctors wanted to save everyone, it was an impossible reality. The quicker they came to accept this, the easier it would be for them to move on. Death was an inescapable part of life, and it was something that everyone had to face at some point or another. For Satella, this would not the first time she would have to deal with such darkness. The recent loss of Captain Iverson was a reminder of this cycle of life. That said, the CMO had not been ready to face the extent of what the away team encountered when they walked into the building.

All three officers stopped in their tracks as soon as they crossed the doorway and set foot inside. The shock of what they saw was just too much to process right away. Hundreds of people were laying on blankets neatly placed on the floor. The layout was meticulously efficient and went from wall to wall in every direction. The urgency of the situation became even more evident when the team noticed one particular and disturbing detail. Nearly half of those laying on the floor were shrouded in those same blankets indicating that for them it was already too late.

"Excuse me," Satella gently asked of a nearby patient. "Is this all of the people infected?"

The woman was weak, so much so that she did not react at the sight of an outsider to their world. Instead, she only shook her head and pointed to a set of stairs set against one of the far walls.

"I noted four floors when we walked in," Ya'Han gasped.

"We do not have enough emitters to cover all of those floors," Maya said.

"I know," Satella reluctantly accepted. "We need to start working small. Once we have confirmed that the field works, we can expand it and start moving patients around. We have to accept that there is nothing we can do for some of them. We have to focus on helping those who have a chance."

"Excuse me," Ya'Han ask of the same women. "Can you tell us where we can find the physician in charge?"

The expression of confusion too the white-haired woman by surprise. Was the woman so weak that he could not understand the question? Was there something wrong with the universal translator?

"We are looking for the Doctor, the medical person in charge of this place," Satella said. Maybe it was as simple as the Galemaen using a different term or title for whoever would be in charge here.

"This building was declared off limits to anyone not displaying signs of the infection. Everyone else was ordered to report here. This is where we wait and hope that we have died before they cleanse the building." The woman spoke with an acceptance of their situation that Satella found disturbing.

"I have the feeling I am going to regret asking," Ya'Han muttered to herself. "How and when is this cleansing supposed to happen?"

"The building and all those inside will be touched by the blue flames of judgment. It is the only way to make sure that no one else suffers as we did. As for when only the Senate knows when the judgment will be cast."

"The Galemaen Senate did not send these people here to be cured; they sent them here to die." Although not a member of the medical staff, Maya's outrage was just as real. Life was just as precious to her as it was to the other two members of the team.

"If these people are not here to receive medical aid, why then are *we* here?" Ya'Han asked. The more things happened, the more it seemed that some darker force was at play. There was no question as to the identity of this darkness. The problem was just how deeply embedded in the Galemaen government it seemed to be.

"My guess is that we were never expected to make it this far," Doctor Bruxa said, disgusted by the whole affair. "These people are here to die, nothing more. I suspect that whoever is behind all this figured that if we did make it this far, we would just suffer the same fate. We would be *judged* just like everyone else."

"We have to get out of here before it is too late," Ya'Han said. Her official role in this mission was to ensure the safety of the away team. Given the information they had just been made aware of, there was only one way to accomplish this.

"We cannot leave," Satella firmly declared. "Aside from the fact that we are most likely infected, we are these people's only chance. If a cure to this Shadow Virus is not found, there is no telling how many more will die. We saw how devastating it could be on TAU OMEGA. We cannot let it spread more than it already has. If you are worried about this cleansing, let Shar'El worry about making sure it does not happen. The only thing I need you to worry about is finding a way to stop that virus and save those we can."

"She will do what she can," Ya'Han relayed.

"Just as we will," Satella nodded. "Now, let us find a section with the most living patients. The more people the scanners can scan, the better our odds will be. As soon as we have the emitters in place, I will head up to the other levels to get a better idea of what we are dealing with. Ya'Han. if you are not comfortable with accompanying me, you can stay with Maya."

The white-haired woman shook her head. There was no escaping the darkness they were in the middle of. Maya could take care of the emitters. Ya'Han's job was to make sure that Satella was safe for as long as she could do so.

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P038: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.2230 ("Through The Shadows")
=-=
"Through The Shadows"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Endless Twists and Turns" by Jayson / (BAS) "Tests" by Karen]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 33119.2230

Thanks to the subdermal communicator Ya'Han was carrying, the ExO / ILO could listen in on everything said by or to the Nylaan woman who was staying close to the other members of the away team. Up until a few minutes ago, Shar'El had been working on figuring out who amongst the crew of the IVANOSKI was a Shadow agent. Her attention quickly shifted to the planet surface when she heard the debate between the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Science Officer and Chief of Security.

The building the team had walked in was not what the medical staff had expected. Yes, the victims of the Shadow Virus had been gathered there, but not to receive medical assistance has had been claimed. The Galemaen Senate had apparently brought all those infected living in this region to this specific location to be exterminated along with the virus they carried.  The news came as a shock for everyone and prompted a quick re-evaluation of priorities.

The building had already been scanned to ensure the safety of the away team, sensors focussing on the presence of electronic devices and possible weapons. The fact that a large number of barely mobile bodies had been identified as being there had not been flagged as an oddity or security risk. None of the people inside the building showed as possessing anything that could be considered as a threat. Added to the 200-meter buffer zone around the building, the area was considered to be more than safe.

With the new information in hand, a quick thermal scan of the building confirmed the away team's greatest fear. All four floors were filled with infected people and more than a third of them were already dead. Nearly half of the remaining Galemaen in the building there showing exceptionally weak and fading vital signs indicating that many were losing this fight against time. If the away team was to save those still alive, they needed to find a solution quickly.

"Commander," one of the IGC tech called out. "A thorough scan of the building shows no explosive device of any sort in or in the vicinity of the structure. Whatever these 'blue flames of judgment' are meant to be, they are not going to originate on site."

"That leaves us two options," the ExO / ILO announced. "I want a complete scan of every satellite in orbit. Maybe we missed the weapons capability of one of them because it was aiming towards the planet instead of away from it. Now, if this is how they plan to destroy the building, we might be able to jam its system and stop it from activating. The other option is that there is some sort of planetary-based weapon capable of doing the job. Therefore, look for any structure with a high power signature that would have a line-of-sight with the building. I need you all to work quickly as we have no idea as to when this 'cleansing' is scheduled to happen."

The ExO / ILO called up a diagram showing the orbit of every satellite in orbit of GALEMAE. All of them were part of the planetary communications network, this meant that their orbit was geostationary, locking them in place over a specific region. To be able to strike at any specific location on the planet, a satellite would need to be in a free-flowing and adaptable orbit, and so far, none of those they had identified fit that description.

The more she studied the satellites, the more Shar'El found it hard to imagine the Galemaen having the kind of technology required to destroy a single building from orbit. Aside from the power required to accomplish such a feat, they would have to possess a targeting system that was well beyond the limits of their current technology. All anyone had to do in order to prove this was to look at the kind of lower tech equipment present in Holodeck 5 to understand how much of a technological leap this would be for this race.

Looking at the diagram, the ExO / ILO carefully studied the orbits of each of the satellites. Like a perfect grid, they hung above the planet, concerned with nothing else than to provide the Senate with the means to relay its dark wishes to the population of the planet. It was as Shar'El gazed in the emptiness between the satellites that she suddenly had a terrifying idea. What if this powerful and precise satellite had not been created by the people of GALEMAE but by a more advanced and powerful civilization, one that dwelled in the eternal shadows of the universe?

"Commander, based on the topography and layout of the city's buildings, there are no structures be them artificial or natural, tall enough to be able to target that specific building. The only thing high enough to get a line-of-sight on the target is a communications tower set on a nearby hill. According to our scans, there is no way that the power source for that tower could generate the kind of energy beam needed to burn down anything even half the size of the mentioned target."

"I expected that," Shar'El said nodding her head. "Alright people, change of plan! We are now looking for a shadow satellite, one that is hiding from our sensors in the same manner that their ships are able to avoid being seen or detected by us unless they want us to. My guess is that the Lokustaar have already established a presence on this world and are using the Galemaen to get something larger started. We have to find that satellite before it is too late, so I want everyone on this *now*! Look for any sign of an ionization disturbance in the lower orbit or anything that might indicate that there is something hiding in a higher orbit. We cannot leave anything unchecked."

The entire staff of the IGC jumped into action. Finding the agent on board the IVANOSKI would wait, as it was unlikely they would be going anywhere. On the other hand, not finding this shadow satellite might very well spell the end of Doctor Bruxa, Commander Maya, Lieutenant Ya'Han and all of the others inside the building who had not already succumbed to the deadly virus.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P039: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.2300 ("Inescapable Death")
=-=
"Inescapable Death"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Through The Shadows" / (BAS) "Winning Conditions"]
=-=

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33119.2300

The emitters were set creating a parameter around the 12 Galemaen that were selected by the physician. It was hoped that this first test would also be the last. The Shadow Virus was a nasty piece of bioengineering, designed by monsters of darkness. Due to how quickly it was thought to spread, containment was their first objective. If those infected could not be saved, at least they would limit the number of casualties.  Satella held onto that thought, justifying her presence and would-be sacrifice.

"Maya, how are the scanners performing?" Doctor Bruxa sighed as she looked at the readouts of her medical tricorder. Even with the modifications, the hand-held device could not see the deadly virus. This left the CMO to worry that the field emitters would be as unsuccessful.

"They are still going through the frequency range," the CSciO replied. "It may take several more minutes before they have completed a full cycle. With the complexity of the virus and the type of scan we are doing, the process may call for several cycles to be done."

"I'm not sure that we have that kind of time," the white-haired Chief of Security said. "I am not sure why but the infection appears to be progressing faster than before."

"I noticed." Doctor Bruxa had hoped that this was a figment of her imagination. Maybe being so close to those affected had made her see their pain in a disproportionate manner. That is why the Satella was pressuring Maya for results. It was also why she didn't want to hear what Ya'Han had to report. If they could not help these people, their own fate would be sealed. Losing her own life was no the issue. As a CMO she understood the risks of their current situation. What bothered her was that the Chief of Security and Chief Science Officer had not expected this to be their last mission.

"Excuse me," a man standing beyond the emitter field said with nervous politeness. "Are you Doctor Satella Bruxa?"

"I am. How can I help you?"

"My name is Brossyx. I was sent to help you."

"You are here to help us?" Satella was on the verge of laughing aloud. The man appeared terrified in just being here. The way he stood made it evident that he wanted to avoid touching anything or anyone. It did not take a telepath to know that he did not want to be here. Doctor Bruxa quickly scanned her surroundings, trying to find something for the trembling Galemaen to do. Just being inside the building would make sure that he was now one of the infected, and maybe that could be his greatest contribution. "Come here."

"You want me inside this field?" He said as the fear he showed suddenly increasing to make him take a step back. Was he worried that the emitters would somehow harm him? Had the population of GALEMAE conditioned to fear technology from other worlds? For a second, Satella wished that Adriana had been here. These kind of questions were much more in line with her professional skills and expertise.

"Yes," the physician confirmed. "I need you here, by my side. It will allow me to run comparative scans as I have no healthy base of reference to use with those already here."

The Galemaen was nervous, scared, so much so that he was visibly trembling. More interesting was that he was more afraid of whoever sent him here. The conflict raged in him to the point where Satella believed that he might actually be ill. After a short while though, he finally accepted which of the two sides he was considering was the scarier.

When Brossyx finally made his decision, he nervously started to walk forward. With his gaze fixated on the physician, he failed to see that his foot was catching one of the legs of the nearest emitter. Satella gasped at the possibility of the emitter being damaged by what had happened. Yes, they would be able to get a replacement from the ANUBIS. Maya would also be able to make the needed modifications, but all of this would take time, time that they did not have.

The Doctor watched in horror as both the man and emitters fell. As a medical officer, her concerns should have been to the man, but instead, her thoughts and fears were directed to the device. Satella's heart raced as the scene unfolded in slow motion, the CMO powerless to do anything. Just as she resigned herself to what was about to happen, a blurry figure appeared in the corner of her eye. The white hair of her nurse and protector showed streaks of red. The woman was moving fast, impressively so, and she managed to reach the emitter before it crashed on the floor.

"You might want to be more careful!" Ya'Han's voice laced with anger solely directed at the man. He could have derailed their efforts to stop the virus in that one careless move.

"Are you alright?" Instead of directed at the man, Satella's question was aimed at the woman with the returning white hair.

"I'm fine," Ya'Han reassured. "The emitter never made contact with the floor, so there should not be any damage." The Chief of Security cautiously handed the device over to the Chief Science Officer. Maya accepting the transfer as if the object was the most delicate treasure in the universe.

"I might have to recalibrate the scanners, but that should not take more than a few minutes. Well done Ya'Han," Maya said as she returned the emitter to its rightful place. "You might just have saved us all."

"Your reflexes are truly amazing. I am glad that you are here. No matter what official role it may be under." Satella helped Ya'Han back to her feet and leaned in closer to whisper the rest. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on him. It is one thing to be scared, but he seems more terrified of whoever sent him here."  The white-haired nurse smiled and nodded her head. With that taken care of, Satella quickly joined Maya. "I need you to do me a favor," the physician whispered. "As soon as the scanner is back online, make sure it gets a thorough readout of our new helper. There is something about him that just does not sit right with me. He's just too scared for my liking."

"There is quite a lot to be scared about. Just look around us. Death is everywhere and claiming more lives with each passing second. If that was not enough, we have to also think about these 'blue flames of judgment' that could wash over us at any time."

"That's part of my point," Satella said to Maya. "We encountered no government officials since our arrival. Everyone seems to be staying as far away as possible. So why is he here? He is scared, but he is more scared about who forced him to be here with us. That concerns me and I want to make sure he is here to help *us*. Right now, I am far from convinced."

Maya glanced at the man as Ya'Han helped him back to his feet. "As soon as the scanner is back online, I will do as you asked."

"Thank you. With the virus all around us, the threat of those blue flames over our heads, the last thing we need is someone trying to sabotage our work."

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P040: USS ANUBIS: Lopez: 33119.2300 ("Better Understanding")
-=-=-
"Better Understanding"
[Previous post: (ANU) "Inescapable Death" & (BAS) "Wandering Through Space and Time"]
-=-=-

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 5
Stardate: 33119.2300

Like so many times before things had changed and moved well beyond the parameters of the initial mission. Under the pretense of helping the investigation into an outbreak of Shadow Virus, Lieutenant Stark and Counselor Lopez were tasked with broadcasting fake news to help sway the opinion of the general population in favor of the presence of the IVANOSKI and its away team on GALEMAE.  Things quickly went downhill following the murder of an operative of the Obsidian Order and the attempted murder of their own team who were undercover on board the medical frigate.

After discovering that the Senate had not authorized as much as it was originally believed, the fake news broadcasts were gradually modified to be more along the lines of a renegade truth channel. Although the goal to have the general population not oppose or fear the presence of a very small Federation delegation in their midst, the main objective had morphed into exposing the influence the Lokustaar on the Governing Senate.

When the indicator on top of the large camera turned off, Adriana let out a long sigh of relief.  "Mildly editing the news broadcasts of others was one thing. Spinning the reasons and permissions surrounding the away team made me nervous. Now that we are doing a completely free-form broadcast, I can't stop shaking."

"Stop worrying," Jayson said. "You did great. I am sure that by now there are quite a few people questioning the validity of their own government."

"That is what I am afraid of," Counselor Lopez admitted. "We could be starting a civil movement that will set the population against their own government. Using what we know of the Galemaen government, there is no way that any sort of uprising will end well. How many will suffer because of what we are doing?"

"Still stuck in the middle I see," the Chief of Operations sighed.

"Here it comes," Amanda smiled, the hallucination of the twin now sitting on the news desk right next to her sister who was still hidden beneath the holographic image of a Galemaen news anchor. "He's going to tell you that you have no choice, that they would have suffered just as much if not more, and that it is your duty as Starfleet officers to do what you can to save as many as you can."

"I agree," Jayson continued. "We are in the middle of a Kobayashi Maru scenario, with one exception, this is not a simulation. On one side, we have the Prime Directive that orders us to not interfere with the Galemaen, no matter the circumstances. On the other, we are on a secret mission to oppose the Lokustaar from invading this dimension by any means necessary. This currently means that we have to stop this Shadow Virus from spreading and killing not only everyone on this planet but everyone on any other world that the virus would find a way to reach."

"See, I was right," Amanda smirked. "Everyone is so predictable."

"I'm sorry," Adriana said, ignoring her sister. "I just let my nerves get the better of me. I know that what we are doing is for the greater good. I also understand that the Prime Directive applies to those who operate within the normal boundaries of Starfleet and the Federation, which we do not. Let's be honest, if the Federation as a whole knew of the Lokustaar threat, those walking shadows would not have to do a lot to see world government collapse. Panic would become the norm and billions would perish in only a few days." Counselor Lopez paused for a moment, leaning back in her chair as the holographic image of a Galemaen news anchor vanished. "The worst of it is that we only have to look at the planet below to see that this is what would happen. Our simple mention that the GALEMAE Senate may be under the influence of a dark influence could bring them to the brink of war. Imagine if we told them everything."

"To be totally honest, that is something I don't even want to imagine for myself," Jayson lightheartedly said. "Here we are trying to stop the Lokustaar from using one weapon without knowing the full scale of their armament. How many more weapons of mass destruction do they possess? How many more ways could they use against us if they have not already done so?  We try to convince ourselves that winning this fight could make a difference, but there is no way for us to know for sure. Maybe we are simply wasting our time here while they put their real plan into action."

"Wow," Amanda said looking rather stunned. "He's worse than you are. Glad he's not in charge, he'd have you and this ship turn around and leave, which might not be such a bad idea. You could go to RISA and spend some nice relaxing time before the Shadows spread to every corner of this dimension."

"Jayson." Adriana began, moving from behind the news desk to get closer to the Chief of Operations. "You can't think that way. The moment we give up, the moment we throw in the towel, the fight is lost. We know that the Lokustaar use our fears to gain whatever advantages they can, and if it was not for people like you, I would have given into my fears long ago."

"What a pair we make," Jayson said shaking his head. "Alright, so no more talk about the Prime Directive. Let's just focus on getting our people back safe and sound, hopefully along with a way for us to deal with this Shadow Virus once and for all."

-=-=-
Marissa Montonera-Lombardi

Lieutenant JG Adriana Lopez [Access Character BIO for Adriana Lopez]
Ship's Counselor
USS ANUBIS
M12-P041: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33119.2310
("Waiting Is Always The Hardest Part")
##########
"Waiting Is Always The Hardest Part"
Previous posts (ANU) "Better Understanding" / (BAS) "Wandering Thorugh Space and Time"
##########

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”
- Leo Tolstoy

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Observation Lounge
Stardate: 33119.2310

The Native American stood by the windows of the conference lounge, his gaze trained on GALEMAE and anything that might be in orbit of the planet. The sensors of his ship were much better than his eye could ever be at detecting what they believed was out there. No proof of a heavily armed cloaked Lokustaar satellite had been found, but the simple possibility was enough to put the ship on red alert and have the crew as a whole to stand at the ready. However they would manage to find it, they needed to do so before it could 'cleanse' the building on the surface, killing everyone inside, which included three highly valued members of his crew.

Doctor Bruxa, Lt. Commander Maya and Lt. Ya'Han had enough to think about without having to worry that some unseen orbital platform would come to destroy everything and everyone around them. That they were the best chance at finding a cure for the Shadow Virus made their work even more important. It also meant that the stakes were that much higher on both sides of the conflict placing the three officers dead in the center of whatever would come to pass.

"Morningstar to Shar'El, found anything?" Erik was in a hurry, at least that's how he sounded although he knew that all of this would happen at its own pace regardless of his desires or wishes.

=/\= The investigation into the IVANOSKI is progressing slowly as we are unable to do any hands-on research. I have several of my team scanning the ship and personnel files. If there is something to be found, they will find it. As far as the away team, they have been met by a man called Brossyx. According to the information we were able to get from the Senate's own personnel dossiers, he's nothing more than a low ranking local official. Doctor Bruxa does already not trust him, and this was before we discovered that this Galemaen seems to have gained some high-level support and friends in the recent few weeks. =/\=

"You suspect that he may be a Shadow agent!" The Captain asked, certain that he already knew the answer he was about to receive.

=/\= No, =/\= Shar'El replied surprising the Native American. =/\= Brossyx appears to be nothing more than a low-level bureaucrat with limited aspirations. I would be more willing to label him as a collaborator, someone willing to align himself with dark forces clearly set against his own people in order to gain some higher status and power. The problem, as I see it, is that this could make him even more dangerous than a Shadow Agent. =/\=

"The Lokustaar would not hesitate to sacrifice him if it helped their endgame in any way. That said, we might get able to use his inexperience in the field of Intel to our advantage. See if anyone on the away team can get some information out of him. We are so far behind what is actually happening that at this point I am willing to entertain the possibility that any new piece of information could prove helpful."

=/\= I will relay the instructions to Ya'Han, =/\= Shar'El said. =/\= As for the cloaked Lokustaar satellite, we have yet to find any hints that it even exists. Since there is nothing planet-side that could destroy the building as described by one of the patients, another option we should considering at this time is that these 'blue flames of judgment' would actually originate from a Lokustaar vessel. =/\=

"I do not like that option," Erik unhappily noted, shifting his gaze to the stars beyond the planet. "I do not like that option one bit. If we are to stop this judgment from happening, we need to lock down where the attack will be coming from so that we can devise a way to intervene should it be necessary."

=/\= I agree Captain, that is why I have contacted Sonja to she can work on something that may help us. After our last encounter with a Lokustaar capital vessel, we got to see the extent of the power of their primary armament. I am hoping that our CEO, along with ANI, will be able to come up with something that could give us a little more time should we find ourselves face-to-face with another one of those flying nightmares. =/\=

"In the meantime, we wait," the Captain sighed letting it known that he was not at all pleased. In the best of situations, it was always better to be ahead of the game, to know what your adversary was planning and be ready for them. While in orbit of GALEMAE, waiting for the Lokustaar to reveal their plan, the ANUBIS and its crew were faced with a completely different scenario. They could only guess as to what their adversary would do or even how they would do it, placing the Native American and his staff at a clear disadvantage. "Do what you can, get everyone you need working on this. We need to get back on top of this situation before we are left with nothing more than cleaning up the mess. Keep me informed of your progress, no matter how small."

=/\= Understood Captain, as soon as I have something, I will let you know. Shar'El out. =/\=

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
M12-P042: USS ANUBIS: Paquette: 33119.2320 ("Rushed Ideas")
"Rushed Ideas"
previous posts were (ANU) "Waiting Is Always The Hardest Part" / (BAS) "Inner Reflection"

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Main Enginering
Stardate: 33119.2320

Sonja had to admit that things were never boring in this line of work. If it was not one thing threatening to end life in the galaxy as they knew it, it was several of billion other possibilities that surfaced like one of those old carnivals games. It was just too bad that all these troubles could not be solved by simply whacking them on the head with an oversized rubber mallet.

GALEMAE was a nice little planet, filled with nice little people, with a nice little overbearing and controlling Senate in charge. The race was borderline xenophobic, avoiding contact with any other space-faring races. Up until very recently, not a single off-worlder had set foot on that planet, and now it seemed that the permission for the medical research team to beam down had not been endorsed by the ruling Senate. This could only mean one thing, which was best described by a famed Admiral who once said 'It's a trap!'

With the investigation on the murder and attempted murders on board the medical frigate IVANOSKI, it appeared that the search for a cure to the Shadow Virus had been nothing more than a ploy to draw the Federation vessel in orbit. There was no way to know what their intention had been, but there was no denying the fact that things had not gone according to plan once Doctor Bruxa and the others reached the surface.

Shar'El suspected that the idea was to have the Federation framed for the death of everyone on GALEMAE. The twists on the story could have been that the IVANOSKI brought the virus with them or that in their effort to understand it, caused it to spread to the entire planet. Adriana and Jayson were now busy twisting the story in their own way to protect the away team and shift the focus back onto the Senate. As great as that idea was, it created a whole new set of problems that the CEO now had to deal with.

Was there a cloaked Shadow satellite in orbit of the planet waiting to be in a position to destroy the quarantine building and everyone inside? Was there a Lokustaar vessel somewhere out there getting ready to fire it high-powered energy beam at the planet and destroy that same building? Another option was that these 'blue flames of judgment' could originate from somewhere entirely different, making this even more problematic.

"We have received the last report from the IGC," ANI announced. "Sensors have not picked up any signs of a cloaked Lokustaar satellite in orbit or of a vessel in the vicinity of the planet."

"No surprise there," the redhead exclaimed. "Those damned Lokustaar possess technology that we still can't figure out. Their ships, as huge as they are, can't be detected unless they are traveling beyond the maximum warp speed set by their design, and even then you have to know exactly what it is you are looking for in order to spot them. On the other scale, they have been able to create a virus that our most sensitive instruments are unable to detect. No matter what scale we are on it is impossible for us to even come close to fighting them. I don't want to sound like a defeatist, but we have to admit at some point that we are barely managing to tread water against these blasted Shadows."

"Are you suggesting that we should give up?" The Avatar appeared confused, at least as much as the artificial woman could manage to display.

"Of course not," Sonja huffed. "Thought you knew me better than that. All I'm saying is that it would be nice for us to get a break. Would help if we knew what exactly we are going to be dealing with. There is a huge difference in finding and destroying a satellite to going for round 2 against a Shadow cruiser."

"By the time the IGC discovers what we are dealing with, it might already be too late," ANI pointed out.

"Trust me, I know that, hence why we have to come up with several ideas that we can quickly implement," the CEO said. "As far as locating a cloaked satellite in orbit, I need you to see if our sensors could be somehow modified. I would normally tell you to go work with our resident shapeshifter, but since Maya is planet side, you are on your own. On my end, I will be coming up with a way to have our Ablative Armour Emitters create a remote shield that we could place between the Lokustaar and whatever their target they choose. It may only last a few seconds, but those could be the seconds we require to give us the advantage we so desperately need."

"What if these 'blue flames of judgement' are not from a Lokustaar source?" ANI proposed.

"Then I will have you go on the outer hull and throw whatever you can at whatever is out there," Sonja replied in all seriousness. "Now, get working on those sensor modifications. I need you to do as much as possible before I call you in as a releif pitcher."

=====
Lorraine Paquette

Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501
M12-P043: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33119.2330 ("In Plain Sight")
=-=
"In Plain Sight"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Rushed Ideas" by Lorraine / (BAS) "Days Gone By" by Me]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 33119.2330

Whatever dark forces the crew of the USS ANUBIS went up against, time was their worst enemy.  On GALEMAE, Doctor Bruxa, Lt. Cmdr. Maya and Lt. Ya'Han were rushing to find some way to stop the spread of the Shadow Virus before it was too late. On the medical frigate IVANOSKI, the IGC's search for a murderous Shadow agent needed to be completed before they struck again. On the ANUBIS, finding either a cloaked satellite or a Lokustaar capital vessel before they could unleash their fury on the planet below was of the utmost priority.

As the ship's ExO / ILO it was her responsibility to monitor everyone's progress in times such as these, relaying any crucial data that might affect the work of specific groups or individuals. With so many unknown variables out there, Shar'El feared that everything would collapse before them before anything could be done to stop it. If the cloaked satellite proved to be real, it could strike and destroy their one and only hope at finding the means to deal with the Shadow Virus. Likewise, if a Lokustaar ship suddenly appeared and fired on the planet, destroying the quarantine building, their mission to see the spread of this deadly infection stop would come to an abrupt and dreadful end.

As much as Shar'El wanted to do more than simply supervise, she knew that her presence would be nothing more than a hindrance. Sonja was a magician in her field and it was always best to leave her to do things as she thought best. Satella and Maya were skilled experts in their respective domains and again the ExO / ILO knew better than to get in their way. There was also no denying that her handpicked team of IGC techs knew what they were doing even in the most demanding of situations, so this left the raven-haired woman with only one last thing to do beyond her current official duties.

Since no other person, other than the three members of the undercover team, had left the IVANOSKI, it was a logical conclusion that the one who murdered Doctor Drake Varjo was still on board the medical frigate. Following their failed efforts to see the first team to beam down share the same fate, Shar'El could only wonder as to what the killer was up to now. Were they planning some other flagrant attempt at sabotage or had their earlier failure forced them to withdraw back into the shadows from which they came?

Every scan of the IVANOSKI had revealed nothing that could hint as to the identity of the murderer. In fact, by the looks of things, the medical frigate was still in a complete state of shock as they tried to figure out what had happened to cause the transporter malfunction. What the ExO / ILO saw as being a little strange was that, according to the internal ship's communications, no one had yet noticed the absence of Doctor Varjo.

It was theoretically possible that following the sudden energy spike and subsequent transporter malfunction that nearly cost the lives of three of their medical guests, that the crew had been too busy to notice the man's absence. That he actually was an undercover agent of the Obsidian Order seemed to play no importance in this story, but Shar'El decided to look into this situation a little closer.

According to Federation records, Varjo had been assigned to Doctor's Onwatu's team just before their departure for GALEMAE. The new addition to the team had been listed as a required expert for the mission, so the assignment was never questioned. His presence there made some sense, the ExO / ILO understanding the need for the Cardassian to obtain Intel on the progression of this Shadow Virus. Understanding that did not mean that Shar'El could figure out what the operative had revealed as much as he had just before passing. Was it truly the effort of a dying man to help a shared cause or was there another reason for his confession? That he told Ya'Han that the Lokustaar knew of her royal lineage made no sense. The only result of giving her that information would be to make her question her own safety.

As far as the ExO / ILO was concerned, something was just not adding up. "Computer, run another full bio-scan of the IVANOSKI and match each person with their file. I'm missing something and I think I'm focussing too much on the specifics, I need to get a more complete picture of the situation on that ship." As the scan progressed, the name of each member of the crew appeared on the main screen in front of Shar'El one by one, their picture and quick dossier review appearing right next to them. The ExO / ILO suddenly paused the scrolling list when she noticed something unexpected. "Computer, confirm sensor data for bio-scan entry number 38."

=/\= Confirmed, =/\= the computer replied as soon as the data had been verified. =/\= Bio-scan data matched the listed subject with 98.9 percent. =/\=

As strange as her next question might sound, given the current situation the raven-haired woman had no choice but to ask. "Computer, confirm that subject matching scan data number 38 is in fact alive."

=/\= Confirmed. Detected vital signs show the subject to be alive. =/\=

"Something is not right," Shar'El whispered to herself. "He's dead, or at the very least he *was* dead. Ya'Han reported on what she saw, that the wound was massive and fatal. The sensors confirmed that until the body vanished. Either Drake Varjo is the best operative of the Cardassian Obsidian Order I have ever seen, able to return from the dead or we are dealing with something a lot darker and stranger." Studying the latest data obtained by the scan of the IVANOSKI's personnel, the ExO / ILO had a terrifying thought.  "Station 3, run a complete power distribution on the frigate."

"Power distribution?" The IGC tech asked wanting to make sure he heard correctly.

"We have been so focused on the IVANOSKI's personnel that we completely missed the possibility that it is that ship which could fire upon the building. Why concern yourself with hiding a satellite or getting a ship here when you already have one hiding in plain sight? So yes, I need a complete power distribution scan on that ship."

"Aye aye, Commander."

While waiting for the results of the scan, Shar'El feared the worse. Had the sudden energy spike been more than a simple attempt to disable the transport system? Had the Lokustaar weapon they had been searching for all this time been there right in front of them?

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P044: USS ANUBIS: Maya: 33119.2330 ("Death Is Only The Beginning")
---
"Death Is Only The Beginning"
(Previous Posts: (ANU) "In Plain Sight" / (BAS) "Days Gone By")
---

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33119.2330

It had been about 30 minutes since the arrival of Brossyx, but luckily Doctor Bruxa and Lieutenant Ya'Han had been the ones dealing with the Galemaen and his increasingly clumsy efforts to help. No one trusted him, and he seemed more than happy to justify this opinion every chance he got.

While the other two members of the away team tried to obtain some information from him while at the same time keeping him away from anything that might delay their work, the Shillian scientist had been labouring on better understanding the virus. In spite of her hard work and efforts, very little had been found on the inner workings of the Shadow Virus. At their highest sensitivity level, the scanners could not even pick up the presence of the cause of the infection which made it that much more difficult to study it at the atomic level. Every time Maya thought she had been able to lock in on the cause of the infection, the instruments would lose sight of their target forcing the Chief Science Officer to recalibrate the device and try again further delaying their work.

The Galemaen woman Maya had selected as her primary subject for the scanners to focus on had not offered any resistance. Actually, the Shillian could only guess that the woman was happy to help based on the short and weakened smiles she would give when their eyes met. The dark markings on the legs, arms, and face of the woman indicated the rapid spread of the infection. These dark veiny markings were the only clues the scientist had been able to discover as irrefutable proof of the infection, a discovery that further troubled her when those same markings came to appear on her own arms.  It was hoped that the scanners and emitters would be able to work quickly enough to protect the away team, obviously, that plan had failed and now the three women were like everyone else in this building -- infected.

The urgency of their mission had not truly changed, but the end result had become far more personal for all of them as their lives depended on a solution to be found. Maya did her best to keep her thoughts focused on her work despite the rapidly multiplying shivers that swept through her body. Based on her observations of the surrounding patients, this symptom was a clear sign that the infection was progressing which meant that time was running out. The Shillian needed to find something that she could use but so far the virus was as elusive as the name it had been given by those who first encountered its deadly effects.

"Thank you for trying," the woman said in a very weakened voice as she reached out to take hold of the alien woman who had been relentlessly working by her side. "It is too late for me, but I hope that you will be able to help others."

Maya turned to look at the woman, trying to think of some reassuring words to offer but it was already too late. The scientist knew that the virus was deadly, but she had never expected it to act so quickly in the final stages of its progression. Gently, the Chief Science Officer returned the hand that had been extended before using her fingers to close her eyes. The virus had claimed another life and it seemed that there was nothing anyone could do to stop it from claiming countless others.

Feeling a wave of desperation take over her mind, the Shillian took a moment to gather her thoughts. If she gave up now everyone would suffer the same fate, that was reason enough for her to keep working. Looking at the scanner once again to try a new set of modifications, Maya noticed something different. The instrument had locked on the atomic structure of the virus.

"Doctor Bruxa!" Maya nearly screamed. "I think I have it."

Rushing over to the side of the Chief Science Officer, the Chief Medical Officer appeared shocked to the point of disbelief. "Are you sure? You kept saying that the instruments could not maintain a lock on the atomic structure."

"They could not, at least not until her passing," Maya explained, looking at the woman who had just died. "There must be some chemical or biological change that occurs when the host body ceases to be able to sustain the virus. Normally, a virus could remain active for hours if not days after the death of the host, but this is definitively not a normal virus. It would appear that it must have a living host in order for it to replicate, which may explain why it spreads so rapidly. It is that only way it has to ensure its own survival."

"Can we use that new information to help us find a way to stop the infection to spread?" Satella asked sounding desperate to hear some good news.

"I believe so," the Shillian replied. "The initial plan was to use a temporal shift to slow or even stop the virus, but instead of targeting the virus itself, maybe we could use a targeted temporal field to make a host appear to be dead as far as the virus is concerned. If it works, the infection should stop, but the problem is that we cannot have a patient be in such a situation for very long or they risk severe cellular damage leading to death.  I need to come up with a way to protect the target patient once the shadow virus releases its hold on its host. Once I have managed this, it should be easy enough to recreate the process on a wider-range which should have for a result to end the spread of the infection and save everyone who has not yet been claimed by the virus."

"Well, what are you waiting for," Doctor Bruxa said with a beaming smile. "Get started."

Satella returned to help Ya'Han deal with their Galemaen helper, the good news giving the Doctor a faint bounce in her step. Maya also felt somewhat relieved although there was still a great deal of work to be done. As the scientist reached for the emitter, she paused for a moment and looked at the latest victim.  "Thank you. I'm sorry that I could not have helped you, but I am most grateful for the help and hope you have provided for us all."

---
Jessica Solarik

Lieutenant Commander Maya [Access Character BIO for Maya]
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS

&

Captain Selene Fiona Iverson [Access Character BIO for Selene Iverson]
Missing In Action (MIA)
Former Commanding Officer
USS BASTET

"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)
M12-P045: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33119.2345 ("Fighting Back")
=-=
"Fighting Back"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Through The Shadows" / (BAS) "Winning Conditions"]
=-=

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33119.2345

The news of Maya's discovery could not have come at a better time. Hopes were running low and Satella had started to believe that they would never be able to find a solution. The once best-case scenario of them finding a cure had been abandoned. The CMO aiming instead for nothing more than finding a way to stop the spread of the virus to others. The dark lines that had appeared on her arms made her even doubt that they would be able to get that far.

"You are smiling." Brossyx sounded surprised and concerned. As much as he had come offering help the members of the away team knew that it was not the case. According to the information relayed by Shar'El, the Galemaen was a low-level bureaucrat. That alone placed his abilities to help the medical team in question. The repeated clumsiness of his efforts only made it clear that his intentions were not in line with his claims.

"We may have found a way to deal with the virus." Satella's reply made Ya'Han's head quickly spin towards the physician.

"You mean that there might be some small chance that we are looking in the right direction." The Chief of Security tried to twist the statement to avoid problems. If the Lokustaar should discover that they had a way to fight against the virus, it could trigger a rapid retaliation.

"Are you sure?" Brossyx was by no means an Intel operative. The way in which he dealt with the situation made that perfectly clear. Still, the Galemaen knew to make sure before reporting to his handler.

"No, she is not." Ya'Han quickly replied. The Doctor might have simply been too tired to contemplate the impact of her words. There was no need to make an already difficult situation worse by revealing too much information.

"I know what you are trying to do Ya'Han, but the situation calls for drastic measures." The physician looked back at the white-haired woman, noticing that a few strands were turning red. "Without the means to fight the virus, you and I will soon be dead." Satella reached for Ya'Han's arm as she said this, showing that both of them displayed signs of the infection. "We are all in facing the end of our lives." Brossyx tried to fight back as the Doctor grabbed hold of his wrist to pull his arm out. The moment the skin was exposed, they all saw what she wanted them to see. The dark markings were on his arm as well meaning that he had become infected just like everyone else.

"It may take a few hours, maybe a day, but your fate will be the same as everyone else here." Ya'Han figured out what Satella was up to and joined in. Brossyx might have been sent to hinder their efforts, but now his own life was at stake. If he continued following the instruction had was given, he would die. On the other hand, if he helped the medical team, there was some hope that he would live.

"We know that you were sent here as a spy and maybe even as a saboteur. Right now I don't care why you accepted or who sent you." Satella faced the Galemaen straight on. She needed to make a point and would only have one chance at explaining what was at stake. Her voice was forceful but controlled. She needed to express her feelings in a passionate yet disciplined manner. "Our goal is to find a way to fight this virus and save those that we can. If we fail, then everyone here dies and the virus continues to spread. You have not been here long but you must see just how devastating this virus can be. People are dying and no one in your Senate is doing anything to stop this. If we do not stop the outbreak here, the entire planet will sooner or later become infected and die. This is what those who are manipulating you and your government want. They are not here to help you. They are not here to make GALEMAE the center of the galaxy or isolate it from everyone else. They are here to use your planet and its inhabitants for their own dark and sinister purposes. Therefore, you need to make a choice. Either you follow whoever send you here and watch your entire race die or you help us."

Brossyx was speechless. The woman's argument was difficult to ignore, especially after what he had seen with his own eyes. Mordana had made a great many claims, but she had not hesitated to send him here. Her words and promises said one thing; her actions had shown something completely different. This made the Galemaen's decision that much more complicated.

Seeing the hesitation in the man's eyes, Satella decided to try one last thing. Still holding onto his wrist, the physician pulled the arm up making it impossible for Brossyx to ignore the markings. "You are infected, like everyone else here, including the three of us. You cannot leave this place, so you have only one of two options. Either help us or go find a corner somewhere and watch your people die."

The hesitation gradually melted away until Brossyx finally agreed. "I will help you."

A grimace appeared on Ya'Han's face. "Doesn't sound overly enthusiastic."

"Maybe, but it's better than having to constantly fight against him. Instead, we are now in a position to fight against the virus and the Lokustaar. I just hope that it's not too late for the rest of us."

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P046: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33120.0010 ("Dawn of Hope")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Dawn of Hope"
[previous post were (ANU) "Fighting Back" / (BAS) "Spirited Away"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33120.0010

The momentum of the situation had completely shifted since Brossyx's change of heart. Instead of hindering their every effort, the Galemaen was genuinely helping Doctor Bruxa and Lt. Cmdr. Maya, which left the Sec/Tac with a great deal less to worry about. Yes, the away team still needed to be concerned about the 'blue flames of judgment' and the rapid progression of their own infection, but not having to watch the man's every move had made things a lot easier.

Taking advantage of this lull, Ya'Han decided to step out and escape, even if only for a short moment, the shadow of death that filled the building. Once outside, the white-haired Sec/Tac realized just how quiet this region of the city was, the empty space between the surrounding buildings echoing the eerie silence that reigned inside the structure behind her.

Ya'Han lowered herself into a sitting position on the steps, her gaze up into the sky where she knew the ANUBIS was. Her thoughts went onto Jayson and the sequence of events that saw them grow apart; a situation that she understood had been entirely her fault. He had gone above and beyond to surprise her, to give her something truly meaningful, and the Nylaan thanked him with anger and ungratefulness.  Her eyes dropped onto her right arm, the black veins indicating that the Sec/Tac was well into the stages of the Shadow Virus infection. This meant that unless the others found some sort of cure, she would never be able to apologize to Jayson for what she had done.

"Are you alright?" A soft voice sheepishly asked causing Ya'Han to quickly wipe the tears from her eyes. The away team had encountered the same little girl on their way in several hours ago. The fear that had been present in the eyes of the young Galemaen was gone now and that made the Nylaan smile, even if only a little.

"Just a little tired," Ya'Han replied forcing her smile to be as large as possible.  "What are you doing here?"

"I have been was watching you work with the others," she explained. "You are nice and I love your white hair. I have never seen anyone like you before. I hope that one day I will be able to meet more people like you." 

"Maybe," the sitting woman smiled. "The future is unknown and entirely in our hands," the Nylaan said remembering her own life and adventures as she took the young girls hand into her own.  The smile quickly vanishing when the Sec/Tac noticed the dark marks on the little girl's arms meaning that she was like everyone else in the building. There was no way to know if this had been the case when they encountered her the first time or if the infection had happened afterward.

All that Ya'Han knew was that she had silently hoped that the little girl would somehow avoid all of this. It might have been unrealistic for the Nylaan to believe that the young girl would somehow avoid the Shadow Virus, but none of that mattered any more.

"What's your name?" The Galemaen asked with a youthful hope present in her voice and eyes. Having been inside the building, she knew what those dark marks represented, and yet she held onto her dreams, hopes, and curiosity.

"My name is Ya'Han," the Nylaan replied admiring the little girl for her strength.

"That's a strange name," she giggled. "Mine is Luranax."

"I am very glad to meet you Luranax. Where are your parents?" The expression on the little girl's face instantly changed making the Sec/Tac regret asking the question. She should have known better than to ask following everything that the Sec/Tac had witnessed since their arrival. "I'm sorry," Ya'Han added before taking the little girl into her arms and locking her into a tight hug.

The two shared a long and tight embrace, each trying to find comfort in the other. As strong as they may have tried to appear to everyone else, it was clear to see that each had done their best to hide their feelings from everyone else.

"Ya'Han?" Doctor Bruxa had joined the two women outside. "We are ready to run a test."

"You need me as a volunteer?" The Sec/Tac asked, ready to get back to her feet.

"No," Satella replied. "Believe it or not, Brossyx volunteered, but we need to run a test using three different subjects. A Galemaen male, a Galemaen female..."

"And a Galemaen child," Ya'Han said completing the sentence. The Sec/Tac understood the need for this but she found it impossible to release her hold on the girl. Somehow, in the span of a few seconds, her maternal instincts had overpowered her logic and desire to see this mission come to a successful conclusion.

"Will this hurt?" Luranax asked, tightening her hold on Ya'Han.

"Not at all," Satella reassured. "All you will feel is you falling asleep, and if the test is successful, you will wake up without those nasty black lines on your arms."

"Will my doing this help you?" The question was simple and valid, but the fact that it was aimed directly at Ya'Han brought the Nylaan to tears that she fought to hold back. Unable to voice a reply, the Sec/Tac simply smiled and nodded her head.  Luranax smiled back before she released her hold on the white-haired woman and took the Doctor's hand into her own.

"You are one brave little girl," Satella said. "I can see why you two get along so well. Don't worry Ya'Han, I'll make sure your little friend here is safe.

Ya'Han just watched as Doctor Bruxa escorted the little Galemaen girl back into the building, the Nylaan feeling a great many things, none of them being anywhere near what could be described as being brave.

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P047: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33120.0030 ("Not Over Yet")
=-=
"Not Over Yet"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Dawn of Hope" by Hanali / (BAS) "Spirited Away" by Susan]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, IGC
Stardate: 33120.0030

Everyone in the IGC including the ExO / ILO had been working hard to confirm whether or not the attack against the quarantine building would come from the IVANOSKI. As a medical frigate, the vessel possessed only limited armament meant only to be used in extreme cases and that in the single purpose to defend themselves. This made the ship a highly unlikely threat to anyone and at the same time the perfect Trojan horse to avoid suspicion and further damage the Federation's reputation.

Had it not been for several inconsistencies in the ship's own power distribution and current active personnel, none more curious than that of Doctor Drake Varjo who had been reported murdered, the IVANOSKI might never have been considered. The more the IGC looked into the way the ship's power grid was laid out and modified, the more things appeared suspicious.

The ANUBIS' sensors had not discovered any signs of weapons, but the way the power seemed to be channeled to specific areas of the ship raised several questions that the ExO / ILO was desperately trying to answer.  Through all of that work though, Shar'El had managed to keep track of the progress of the away team's progress, or lack thereof until recently. That came to an unexpected end when Ya'Han decided to take a break, making it impossible for the IGC to continue listening in on the conversations between the members of the away team and their new ally.

The raven-haired Commander took a moment to listen in on what Ya'Han and Luranax were saying to one another. Following what was said, the Ullian could only feel a deep sadness for the undercover Chief of Security.  The ExO / ILO could easily imagine the emotional demands placed on all the members of the away team but after the emotional exchange with Luranax, Shar'El understood all too well the conflict that raged within the Nylaan. Although Ya'Han had no recollections of it, the woman had been an expecting mother for a short while before seeing her unborn child taken from her. The memories of that event were now buried deep inside the mind of the Chief of Security, but that could not stop certain emotions and instinctual reactions to surface when certain conditions were met. Evidently, dealing with the orphan Galemaen had met one or more of these conditions and triggered the reaction that surely left the white-haired woman on the planet's surface somewhat puzzled.

Counselor Lopez would need to be made aware of this so as to ready herself, but this all depended on whether or not Doctor Bruxa's tests would prove successful in their efforts to end the Shadow Virus plague. In the meantime, the IGC needed to continue their work in order to understand how the IVANOSKI could perform the expected attack on the inhabitants of GALEMAE.

There was another ace up the ExO / ILO's proverbial sleeve, one that she hesitated using for several reasons, but given the increasing time restraints, Shar'El saw no other choice. "IGC to Lieutenant Paquette."

=/\= With all due respect, Commander, WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW? =/\=

"I need you to look at something for me," the ExO / ILO quickly explained. "We suspect that it is the IVANOSKI that will be unleashing an attack against the quarantine building, but so far my team has not been able to figure out how they will do this."

=/\= Did we give up on trying to find a cloaked shadow satellite or a Lokustaar ship? On a completely different note, how do you expect a medical frigate to *unleash* anything on anyone? Do you think they are going to start throwing medical kits at the planet throw the nearest airlocks?  =/\=

Sonja sounded upset, and Shar'El understood why. "No, but finding Doctor Drake Varjo alive on the IVANOSKI added a new possibility to the mix that includes the IVANOSKI."

=/\= Of course it did, =/\= Sonja sighed. =/\= Why should any of us be surprised by that? I'm actually impressed that there were not more unexpected possibilities added to this nightmare of a mess. So, you have something for me to review and I am sure that neither one of us has the time to waste bitching about it. What are you waiting for, send it to me so I can tell you that you are seeing shadows where there are now. =/\=

With a few presses on her console, the data was transferred to the CEO who promptly gave it her professional once over. "What do you think?" Shar'El asked after a few seconds.

=/\= What! Do I look like a blasted computer? No offense ANI. I need a little more time to figure out exactly what it is that I am supposed to be looking at to tell you that you are losing your marbles. =/\=

"The power grid of the IVANOSKI seems to be channeling energy directly to the hull. This only happened after the power spike which we believed at the time was meant to cause a transporter malfunction. =/\=

=/\= Geez Spy Girl, do I look like a First Year Cadet? I can see that. I am this ship's Chief Engineer after all, which means that I know my way around power grids. That said, you and your elves might have found something. The IVANOSKI has no offensive weapons, the sensors have confirmed that, but the hull of the ship appears to have been recently modified. If you look closely, you can see that Vanadium has been added to the outer hull. The metal is able to store energy, that is why it is used to give certain science and medical vessels an extra defensive layer, but the way the metal was incorporated into the hull of the frigate would allow it to redirect that energy into a single focal point on the forward axis. The transfer would require some time, but the final result might come close to matching one of our pulse cannons. =/\=

"Sonja, I love you!"

=/\= Whoa there Spy Girl, I may be a lot of things, but I don't swing that way. =/\= Sonja teased. No matter how stressful the situation was, the redhead could always find a way to lighten the mood.

"That's not what I meant. Thank you for confirming our suspicions. Now we know that the IVANOSKI will be the source of the attack and I can have my entire team work on a way to stop it before it fires on the planet."

=/\= Glad I could help; now go get those big bad nasties so that Satella, Maya, and Ya'Han can get back to the ANUBIS safe and sound. =/\= 

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P048: USS ANUBIS: Bruxa: 33120.0045 ("Wake Up!")
=-=
"Wake Up!"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Not Over Yet" / (BAS) "Spirited Away"]
=-=

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33120.0045

Satella held her breath in anxious anticipation. Seeing the lifeless forms of the three Galemaen was difficult enough. Looking at Luranax's innocent lifeless form almost made them cry. There was no denying that the little girl had proven herself courageous. All the physician could do now was wait and hope.

"All three are flat-lined. Reading no signs of life." Maya's report was expected, but it still hit everyone like a runaway train. Medically speaking, the three test subjects were dead. Now they needed to see if this would be enough for them to gather the data they required. Seconds ticked away in absolute silence. Maya studied the data displayed on the handheld device while everyone else looked at her. Satella might have been the Chief Medical Officer, but it was the Chief Science Officer who was in charge at this time. "Scanners have locked on the virus. We are getting a complete view and makeup of it. It's working."

The announcement should have made everyone smile. This was the best news they could have received. From this point on they would be able to work on developing the means to stop the Shadow Virus from claiming more lives. But those millions of saved lives were set in the future. Right now, in the present, the only thing that mattered was to save three lives.

"Can we revive them?" It might have sounded as if Ya'Han was concerned for all three Galemaen. The truth was that she wanted to see Luranax open her eyes. The little girl had effortlessly stolen their hearts, so much so that she was the only person they thought about.

"Once the body dies, the virus goes through some sort of transformation. I need to get as much data as possible if we are to find a way to fight and destroy it. If we revive them too soon, the virus could return, infecting them once again, and we would be no further ahead. I need to understand this process. I need to figure out how and why the virus goes through a metamorphosis. That is the only way that we can find a cure. That is of course if a cure can be synthesis at all."

"Hang in there," Ya'Han whispered to the Galemaen girl. "Everything will be alright."

"Maya, they can't stay like this forever." Satella was concerned. A human could be medically dead for up to three minutes before the brain would start suffering from oxygen deprivation. From what the physician had learned that window was a lot smaller for Galemaen. 

"The virus appears to be shifting into a state of dimensional flux. It might be why we were unable to get an actual lock before. The only time the virus is fully present in this dimension is when the infected passes. I have no idea as to why this is so, but it might give us a clue as to its chemical composition."  It was easy to see that Maya's focus was on the virus and not the Galemaen. As a dedicated scientist and given their current situation, this made sense. The woman was driven by the need to find a way to fight against the infection. As a physician, Doctor Bruxa understood this all too well, but she also considered the three people dying in front of them.

"Maya, her temperature is dropping fast." Ya'Han was visibly troubled. "She's as cold as ice. We need to bring her back. We need to bring them all back. NOW!"

"I do not have all of the data I need to formulate a complete working model for the Shadow Virus. It may take a few more minutes, maybe less. The virus appears to be shifting quickly."

"Not fast enough," Satella declared. "You will have to do your best with what you have." With that said, Bruxa motioned to Ya'Han. The two women quickly injected the three volunteers with a stimulant followed by a cardiac shock. Within seconds, Brossyx and the female Galemaen woke up, but Luranax remained motionless, lifeless.

"Come on, wake up!" Ya'Han was in tears as she begged the little girl to return to life. The Galemaen's hand felt like ice in the desperate grasp of the Nylaan. The dark markings on Luranax's arm had vanished but so had the color from her face. The bright red of her skin had turned to pale pink, almost matching Satella's light skin tone. "Please, wake up."

Satella watched helplessly as Ya'Han took the little girl in her arms, holding her tight. Not enough was known about the Galemaen physiology for the physician to do something. All Doctor Bruxa could do was to watch and feel the sadness swell within her. There had been so much death that one more should not have mattered, but it did. "I hope that the information you obtained was worth another life." The CMO said holding back her anger as best she could. Maya had done what she needed to do, but that did not change what had happened.

"I hope so."

Ya'Han looked up at Maya, her white hair now a bright fiery red. "You better make sure that it does." The kneeling Nylaan wanted to say more. She wanted to lash out to the fullest extent of her skills and strength. Instead, he decided to just hold on to the little girl trying to find comfort in that she had not died in vain.

Trying to make it easier for Ya'Han, Satella went to take the little girl from the Nylaan's arms. As the physician tried, the little girl's lifeless arms unexpectedly wrapped around the woman holding her.  "She's alive."

"I know," Ya'Han said, tears freely flowing at the sensation of Luranax's arms around her. The two of them shared an embrace that was not going to end anytime soon.

=-=
Rachel Jackie Johnson

Lieutenant JG Satella Bruxa [Access Character BIO for Satella Bruxa]
Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS

[Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. - Mark Twain]
M12-P049: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33120.0100 ("Game of Shadows")
##########
"Game of Shadows"
Previous posts (ANU) "Wake Up" / (BAS) "Spirited Away"
##########

“Our gun arrays are now fixed on your ship; they will fire the istant you come into range. You will find their power quite impressive/// for a few seconds.”
- Commander Susan Ivanova

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33120.0100

The Native American sat in the center chair, gazing with loathing at the image of the IVANOSKI currently being displayed on the main view screen. The ANUBIS and its crew had uncovered a plot that would lay the blame for the death of an entire civilization on the Federation. Of course, Captain Morningstar could not allow this to happen, no matter the cost.

"Pulse cannons powered and ready to fire," the Chief Engineer reported from the tactical station. In the absence of their Chief of Security, Sonja was ordered to man the station as soon as the arrived on the bridge as per the Captain's orders." "If I may speak candidly," the redhead added, "this is overkill. The IVANOSKI had limited defensive capabilities which I am sure we could overpower with our phasers alone."

"Under normal circumstances, I would wholeheartedly agree," Erik said, "but there is nothing normal about what we are dealing with. By your own report, the ship as a whole has been turned into a weapon of unknown capabilities. If it comes down to us firing before they do, I want to make sure that they don't get another chance."

"The moment they learn that Doctor Bruxa has found a cure for the Shadow Virus, it is very likely that they fill fire in the hopes of destroying all traces of the discovery as well as everyone on participated in his creation," Shar'El explained as she walked out of the turbolift and onto the bridge. "Jayson and Adriana are doing a remarkable job at keeping the Senate in check but shifting the public's opinion against them. I doubt that this will last for long, but it should give us enough time to stop the Galemaen from becoming extinct. That said, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes I did Commander," the Native American confirmed. "I am faced with a difficult decision. I could order to fire on the IVANOSKI, destroy it and hope that we were right."

"I agree with Sonja's assessment of our situation," Shar'El voiced as she moved to stand in front of their Commanding Officer. "The presence of Vanadium on the ship's outer hull and the way it is so specifically angled towards the front of the ship leaves little doubt that this modification was meant to turn the medical frigate into a weapon. From a tactical standpoint, the move is perfect if the Lokustaar want to have everyone blame the Federation for the death of all Galemaen. The plan is flawless as there would not be any strange energy residue that differs from Federation technology or any sensor or visual sighting of an alien structure in orbit. "I agree that the odds may not be 100%, but they are close enough to warrant acting as you are planning."

Shar'El looked at their unconvinced Captain, his gaze locked on the image of the medical frigate. "Logic dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," Erik said quoting the Vulcan motto. "My problem is that I am not willing to sacrifice everyone on board the IVANOSKI without being absolutely certain that this is our only course of action."

"We could disable the ship instead of destroying it," Shar'El suggested, clearly not liking the option she had just proposed.

"That would reveal our presence and send the ball back their way," the Captain argued back against his own thoughts. "We have the advantage right now and it would be foolish to act in any way that would see us lose it. For all we know there is a Lokustaar vessel out there monitoring the progress of the IVANOSKI, ready to jump into action should something go wrong."

"I thought I was the one who always looked upon a situation with pessimism?" Shar'El said with a faint grin. "I can see that you have another plan."

"I need you to take Jayson and Sonja over to the IVANOSKI. Find out everything you can about Doctor Varjo and disable the ship from within without endangering the lives of anyone on board."

Upon hearing this Sonja was ready to literally jump down the Captain's throat but Shar'El quickly stopped the redhead Chief Engineer with a glare and an open hand directed towards the rapidly moving woman.

"If we succeed, the crew of the IVANOSKI will be saved as well as those in the quarantine zone," the First Officer noted understanding the Captain's plan. "If we are discovered, the presence of the ANUBIS will remain unknown and should this lead to our failure in disabling the ship, you would still be able to carry out the initial plan."

"What? By killing us as well as everyone else on the IVANOSKI!" Sonja gasped. "How the hell is this a better plan?"

"I am not Vulcan," the Native American blasted back at his Chief Engineer. "I will not throw away the lives of those on board that vessel if I have even the slightest chance to save them. If you are unwilling to obey my order, you can return to your quarters. Depending on whether or not we survive this mission, I will add a formal reprimand to your dossier."

"Sonja," Shar'El began looking at the enraged woman. "You may not like this, but you and I both know that we have a much greater chance of succeeding if you are on the team."

The redhead engineer glared at her Captain before returning her gaze at the First Officer. "Fine, let's go before I regain any semblance of common sense."

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
M12-P050: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33120.0120 ("Time for Action")
=-=
"Time for Action"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Game of Shadows" by Francois / (BAS) "Spirited Away" by Susan]
=-=

Setting:  USS ANUBIS, Transporter Room
Stardate: 33120.0120

"Alright," the ExO / ILO said as she rushed into the room and onto the transporter platform. "We have just received word from the IGC that the IVANOSKI received a secret transmission from GALEMAE. They know that Doctor Bruxa and her team have discovered a cure for the Shadow Virus. This means that we have only minutes to get over there and disable the ship before it fires on the quarantine building."

"We are going to be cutting it close," Jayson said, trying but severely failing at hiding his concerns about the odds of success of their mission.

"That is why we will have to move quickly once we beam onboard," Shar'El clarified. "Sonja, are the D.R.O.N.E.s ready?"

"They will be deployed as soon as the transport sequence is completed. Ani knows exactly what their objective is, so we don't have to worry about that aspect of our mission." The redhead Engineer replied tapping on the carrying case she had with her on the transporter platform.

"Good," the ExO / ILO said as she looked at the Transporter Chief and gave the go-ahead signal.

=-=
Setting:  USS IVANOSKI, Cargo hold, Engineering Level
Stardate: 33120.0121

As soon as transport was completed, Jayson reached for his tricorder. "They are not wasting any time; I am picking up a steady increase in the energy being channeled through the power grid. The IVANOSKI should be ready to fire in less than a minute."

"Sonja!" Shar'El began, looking at the Chief Engineer who had already opened the case.

"Relax Spy Girl, the D.R.O.N.E.s are already on their way," the CEO said as she watched the 4 small spherical robots quickly make their way to the nearest air circulation vent to remove it using miniature tractor beams in order to gain access to the inner sections of the ship.

"Our turn to get moving," the ExO / ILO said pointing to the cargo hold door. "Jayson, do we have access to the internal sensors and door controls?"

"Yes we do," the Chief of Operations confirmed. "Your IGC team did all of the hard work. It's not like a ship like the IVANOSKI would need to change the access codes every 30 seconds. I can open every door on the ship and tell you if anyone is heading our way, heck, I can even tell you who they are. Even better is that I can keep us from being picked up by the internal sensors. As far as everyone else on board the frigate is concerned, we are not here."

"Let's do our best to keep it that way," Shar'El said approaching the door and waiting for the all clear from Jayson who quickly scanned the tricorder in his hand before nodding his head.  As the team stepped into the corridor, the light began to flicker before going all out. A few seconds later the emergency lights came on.  "Great job Sonja. Now let's get moving. We have to find the Lokustaar agent and make sure they don't get another chance to fire this weapon they turned the IVANOSKI into."

"Well, we better hurry. The D.R.O.N.E.s won't be able to maintain this energy interference field for very long. Their power cell is normally good for about 12 hours depending on what is asked of them, generating a field powerful enough to knock out a whole ship was never part of what I expected them to be used for."

"How much time do you estimate we have?" Shar'El asked, never having had the opportunity to inquire about this until now.

"Since they were never meant to do this, nor have never been tested in this sort of activity, I can only guess that they will stop generating the field when their power supply goes critically low," Sonja explained.  "If we are lucky, we have 10 minutes, maybe a little less."

"That's not a lot of time for us to find Doctor Varjo and any other shadow agents who might be on board the IVANOSKI," Jayson pointed out. Of the three officers beamed over for this mission, he was the most driven to see them succeed for the simple reason that it would mean that both Ya'Han and he would live to see another day.  "Speaking of Varjo, internal sensors are showing him heading to Main Engineering, and he appears to be in quite a rush."

"I will take care of Varjo," Shar'El said. "You two head to the Field Research and Preparation Room and see if you can identify anyone else who might be in league with our friend and undying Doctor."

With a shared nod of their heads, the team split leaving the ExO / ILO alone. It had been a while since she had taken on the role of a field operative, but like so many other things, it was just a question of getting back into the swing of it before all of the skills and experience came rushing back.  Shadow agent or not, whoever Drake Varjo was, he would now have to deal with the Ullian Intel Operative who was already preparing herself to rip the man's memories from his mind in as unpleasant a way as she could manage. No one threatened her friend to live and boast about it.

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P051: USS ANUBIS: Stark: 33120.0130 ("Different Perspective")
"Different Perspective"
[previous (ANU) "Time For Action" / (BAS) "Spirited Away"]

[/\]
Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Corridor
Stardate: 331120.0130

With Cmdr Shar'El gone to confront Doctor Drake Varjo in the ship's engineering section, the CEO and OPS Officer made their way as directed to the Field Research and Preparation Room where they hoped to find clues as to the identity of any other Lokustaar agents on board the IVANOSKI.

"How do you propose we proceed with finding out if any of the other medical personnel are actual Lokustaar agents?" Jayson asked, his whispered voice barely audible by the woman walking ahead of him.

"Internal sensors won't help, that we already know since Varjo appeared on our latest scans as he is meant to be, this despite having been dead not that long ago. Guess we'll just have to use the old fashion approach."

"Old fashion?" He asked sounding a little nervous.

"We observe and then we smash a few heads. It may not be the best way to do this but we don't really have the time to be subtle. The moment Shar'El takes Varjo out of commissions, and we both know that she will do so easily; someone is going to try to pick up where the undead Doctor failed.  The real question is not if someone will do this but rather who? We just have to be ready to jump into action when we figure out who it is."

"I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that all of this was a set-up to drag the Federation into a political mess," Jayson said as Sonja instructed with a motion of her hand for them to duck into the room they needed to be.

"As powerful as the Lokustaar are, they understand that the best way to win a battle or even a war is to have someone else do the fight for you," Sonja said as the duo hid behind a set of medical supply crates. "Now keep your eyes open. Someone in here is going to be acting out of character."

Jayson scanned the group of medical officers, searching for any indication that might point to them not being what everyone else believed them to be. As he studied them though, the thoughts of the OPS Officer drifted onto someone else. As much as he knew Ya'Han to be more than capable of taking care of herself, her being on GALEMAE proved to be more than enough to have him fear for her safety. If the Lokustaar had a single agent working on this mission, the moment Shar'El did her thing the bulk of the mission would be done and over which. On the other hand, if multiple agents were dispatched and present on both the ship and planet, dealing with Varjo would only be the start of things. Taking the IVANOSKI out of the equation would not mean that the away team would be out of danger.

"Is it me or is there something about that medical technician that appear a little odd?" Sonja whispered.

"He's just looking around, holding a PADD," Jayson replied. "He might just be taking inventory of the medical supplies. I don't see anything odd about that."

"Of course not," Sonja sighed. "I know Satella always has a display of the ANUBIS' power grid on hand when she does any survey or inventory of her medical supplies."

"What?" He gasped looking again and this time noticing what he had failed to see the first time around. "Alright, you win. That is beyond odd. There is no reason for anyone here to have a display of the IVANSOKI's power grid, let alone a medical technician. He has to be working with Varjo and is probably wondering why the grid has not yet been restored."

"Looks like he's not going to wait around for an answer," the CEO said as the two hidden officers watched the medical technician head for the far exit to the room.

"What do we do?" Jayson asked, not wanting to act before making sure that another plan had not already been set.

"As much as I trust Shar'El to be able to take care of that guy as easily as she would have our first Shadow agent if she's busy ripping his memories inside-out, she is going to be vulnerable. We need to intercept that technician before he makes it to engineering."

"We better get moving then; he did seem to be in a hurry."

[/\]
Setting: USS IVANOSKI, Engineering, a secondary area
Stardate: 331120.0135

Moving through the ship as fast as they could without being seen by other members of the crew, Sonja and Jayson arrived in the Engineering section just as the medical technician discovered Shar'El staring down at a kneeling Varjo, the man appearing to be in excruciating pain. Anyone not knowing about the woman's abilities to look into the memories of others might have found the scene to be puzzling, but to any senior officer of the ANUBIS, what they saw made perfect sense.

There was no time to warn Shar'El so Jayson took it upon himself to rush in and tackle the man before he could stop what was happening. The collision was brutal and by the time both men had stopped rolling around, the OPS Officer sat on top of his target, the medical technician face down with one arm pulled and twisted on his back.

Jayson could not help but smile as he thought of the countless times Ya'Han had put him in that exact position during their sparring matches. "Wonder what she would say if she saw me right now?"

[/\]
Jayson Sousa

Lieutenant JG Jayson Stark [Access Character BIO for Jayson Stark]
Chief of Operations
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P052: USS ANUBIS: Ya'Han: 33120.0130 ("Another Different Perspective")
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
"Another Different Perspective"
[previous post were (ANU) "Different Perspective" / (BAS) "Spirited Away"]
[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]

Setting: GALEMAE, Virus containment building
Stardate: 33120.0130

With the success of their latest test and the dark markings-free arms and legs of the three volunteers, the away team quickly busied themselves with saving as many Galemaen as they could. While Doctor Bruxa proceeded to implement the cure to others, Maya was making sure that the newly calibrated field emitter kept the virus away from those cured. This left the Sec/Tac with the unenvious task of moving the bodies of those whom they could no longer help.

As unpleasant as it was, making a clear separation between those who had fallen due to the virus and those who could still be saved was essential in order to save as many as they could. The quarantine zone had been established to keep everyone in a single location, either to be killed by the virus or to perish by some unknown force from above. Since death was no longer the only possibility, the Sec/Tac needed to work within the constraints of the building to give as many as possible a renewed chance at life without attracting the attention of the Senate.

Coming down from the upper floor, Ya'Han met Luranax's grateful gaze. The fear that once resided in the young girl's eyes had completely vanished, replaced with a hope that seemed almost out of place. From their cover story of being here to investigate the progression of the Shadow Virus, the team had found a way to stop it and even reclaim lost ground.

"How are you doing?" Ya'Han asked of the Galemaen girl.

She simply smiled and proudly showed the inside of her arms. "No dark veins. Is that mean that I am going to live?"

"I sure hope so," the white-haired nurse replied as she hugged the girl and shared a grin with the Doctor.

"We need to let the Senate know that you have discovered a cure," Brossyx said stepping between the two Starfleet medical officers. "They need to know about this and help spread it to any others who are infected."

"Although I agree with you, I am afraid that it may not be that simple," Ya'Han said. Thanks to the subdermal communicator she had, the Sec/Tac was aware of various aspects of the situation which included the current obstacles faced by the Senate. "There are still elements amongst your people who want to see us fail. Letting them know that we have a cure at such an early stage could force them into more drastic measures."

"Ya'Han is right," Satella agreed. "As much as I would love to make our discovery public, I fear that the Shadow agents on your world would quickly move to make sure this cure never gets out of this building."

Brossyx seemed to think about what he had just been told, not putting it past Mordana to send in others to complete the task that he had been sent to do. He also feared that anyone sent would have for added objective to make him pay for his betrayal to the dark woman.  "We may need to place some sort of security at the entrance, just in case."

"I will take care of that, as soon as I have managed to clear this floor to make room for all of those we have a chance to cure," Ya'Han said.

"I will need you inside the protective zone, which means that as soon as you are done with the relocations, I need you to undergo the procedure. I cannot afford to have you fall to the infection."

"Alright Doctor," the Sec/Tac confirmed.  Busy with completing her task, Ya'Han failed to notice the arrival of someone new inside the building. The man resembled Brossyx's in the manner in which he was dressed, likely identifying him as some sort of government agent, but when he locked his gaze on the white-haired nurse, it was evident that he shared more than a simple affiliation to the Senate.

"LOOK OUT!" Luranax screamed to warn the white-haired woman the young girl had developed a strong liking to.

Weakened by the infection she carried, and thanks to her lifting one of the virus' victimes, the Sec/Tac was unable to react fast enough to block the attack. By the time she could analyze the situation, Ya'Han was flat on her back, her head having hit the ground with enough strength to cause her vision to blur while desperately trying to hold back the man's hands which held a sharp blade directed at her throat.

From the corner of her eye, the Sec/Tac could see the little girl wanting to rush out of the protective zone to help. "Keep her away from this!" the Nylaan screamed not wanting to have to be concerned for Luranax's safety as well as her own. Refocusing her thoughts on the battle she was involved in, Ya'Han felt a dark strength emanating from the man, a strength powerful enough to ensure that she would never be able to regain the upper hand.

Fighting as hard as she could to keep the blade from cutting and likely killing her, Ya'Han thought about her not ever being able to apologize to Jayson for what she had done. The man's weight against her shifted letting the Sec/Tac believe that he was trying to find a better angle to finish her, but when he shifted again she noticed something. Some of the patients who had not yet been treated by Doctor Bruxa had joined in the fight. Although weak, their sheer numbers made it impossible for the attacking Galemaen to be able to fight them all off. The distraction proved enough to allow the Nylaan to land a solid jab against the man's jaw knocking him unconscious.

With the full weight of the unconscious man resting on the weakened Sec/Tac, all she could do was to smile as she looked up to the ceiling thinking to the countless times she had placed Jayson in a similar position during their sparring matches. "Wonder what he would say if he saw me right now?"

[/\] [/\] [/\] [/\] [/\]
Hanali Han

Lieutenant JG Ya'Han [Access Character BIO for Ya'Han]
Chief of Security / Chief Tactical Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
M12-P053: USS ANUBIS: Shar'El: 33120.0140 ("Deeper Darkness")
=-=
"Deeper Darkness"
[the previous posts were (ANU) "Another Different Perspective" by Hanali/ (BAS) "The Return" by Karen]
=-=

Setting:  USS IVANOSKI, Engineering, a secondary area
Stardate: 33120.0140

The memory of his own death had been permanently engraved into the man's mind, Shar'El was not entirely certain why, but she knew that the anguish this created had changed Drake Varjo in ways that she could only fear. The man that was initially in this body was long gone, replaced by, forgive the pun, a tormented shadow bent on spreading chaos and destruction through the universe.

The Ullian had touched such darkness before, each time when dealing with the Lokustaar. The trans-dimensional species was as nasty as could be, a nightmarish race that dwelled in the darkest and most horrific regions of a person's mind. It was from there that they drew their power, or at least that is how it felt to those who had the misfortune of dealing with the race. On the physical plane, the multi-legged arachnid-like creatures were more than a formidable opponent to go up against. With their speed, strength, ability to use other's fears against them and being able to become invisible, they are the ultimate predators no matter where they are. On the mental plane, these creatures of pure evil were even worse, able to rip the light and hope out of most in a matter of seconds. Enhancing and turning fears back against people was their weapon of choice, a weapon that had proven to be more than effective countless times before.

Shar'El had hoped to uncover the details of the plan that saw GALEMAE dragged in the middle of this war as nothing more than a sacrificial pawn. The ExO / ILO knew enough about the Lokustaar to know that nothing was as it seemed and that their plans were always based on long-term objectives. Pinning the death of the Galemaen civilization on the Federation would only be the first step in something much greater, and much darker.

Instead, the Ullian had fought her way through layers upon layers of darkness, each intertwined with the most horrific of the Obsidian Order's agent's own memories. This created a level of terror the likes of which could not be fully grasped, which likely explained why Varjo had been so completely unable to fight his new masters' control despite his extensive training and experiences. Actually, it was those experiences that had proven to be his downfall as the Lokustaar used the content of his own mind against him, shattering his will.

The women with the raven hair stopped for a moment, contemplating her own life while surrounded by the distorted shadows of Varjo's past and memories. As different as the two of them were, there was no escaping the many similarities the two operatives shared which concerned Shar'El. Not because this made them be more alike then she would have liked but rather because she saw those similarities as a weakness that the Lokustaar might sooner or later learn to use against her and those around her.  The more she thought about this, the more she felt her thoughts drawn towards the dark abyss that stretched before her. The Ullian had to summon all of her mental strength to stop herself from slipping deeper into it and it was when she saw those eight red-glowing eyes looking back at her that she found the resolve to pull out.  Not just out of the bottomless abyss but out of Varjo's tortured and twisted mind.

"Commander, are you alright?" Jayson asked while still keeping the medical technician from moving. The sudden movements from the ExO / ILO had drawn his attention and concerns to her.

"I will be," Shar'El replied as she worked to regain her wits, "give me a moment." Diving into the memories of someone else could be a demanding affair but do to so in the mind of someone under Lokustaar influence as much as the operative known as Drake Varjo was had proven to be a deeply traumatic experience. "I do not believe that I will be able to get any useful Intel out of this man. He was killed by the Lokustaar in a most unpleasant and painful way and brought back to life soon after if we can even call it that."

"Is there nothing those walking nightmares can't do?" Jayson asked. "Every time we find ourselves against them, they seem to have a new trick up their sleeves. We can barely get a hold of a way to go up against them that we have to start all over on a completely different idea. They were able to turn the personnel of the TAU OMEGA research facility and orbital station into black mush, they have vessels with weapons that we can barely defend ourselves against and now we discover that they are able to bring the dead back to life. Our calling these creatures 'walking nightmares' is turning out to be a grave understatement."

"That is why we have to continue the fight," Shar'El said, looking at Jayson. "The moment we give up, the moment we stop opposing the darkness, the Lokustaar win and every world in this galaxy will be plunged into a darkness the likes of which I fear there would be no escaping from."

Taking advantage of the ExO / ILO's distraction, Drake Varjo jumped back to his feet and knocked Shar'El down and out of his way. He cared nothing other than to restore power to the power grid and fulfill the task that he had been entrusted with. The Ullian tried to use whatever memories she could access to hold him back, but the torture the agent was already under proved to be more than she could ever hope to create.

Weakened to the point of being barely able to move, Shar'El could do nothing other than to watch as Varjo reached the control panel and reached for the controls. Just as his fingers graced the smooth surface of the panel, his body suddenly began to uncontrollably shake causing him to collapse onto the floor, still violently quivering.

"You're welcome," Sonja grinned while holding what appeared to be some sort of controller with a couple of barely visible wires attached to it. Now that the small metallic strings were visible, the ExO / ILO could follow them from the CEO's hand to the twitching body of the downed operative. "Thought it was safer to use a high power Taser instead of a phaser in this room. We came here to avoid the ship being destroyed by the ANUBIS, so I figured I should not act in a way that might risk the same result."

"Have I said how much I love you?"

"Yes," Sonja grinned, "and as I told you before, I don't swing that way. Now, I'm not sure what else you want to do her, but I think it's time for us to get back to the ANUBIS before someone finds us here."

"Agreed," the ExO / ILO said nodding her head ever so slightly. "Make sure that our two guests are properly secured."

"Paquette to Ani, three plus two to beam back. Make sure that the extra pair is beamed directly into the highest security cage we have, and then add every security measures you can come up with afterward. I don't even want their thoughts of a possible escape to make it near the door of their cell."

=/\= Understood, =/\= the avatar replied through the subdermal communicator. =/\= Stand by for transport. =/\=

=-=
Tiffany Reeve

Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS

Chief Medical Officer
USS BASTET
M12-P054: USS ANUBIS: Morningstar: 33120.1300 ("Life Continues")
##########
"Life Continues"
Previous posts (ANU) "Deeper Darkness" / (BAS) "To Boldly Go... Home"
##########

“Life is about how much you can take and keep fighting, how much you can suffer and keep moving forward.”
- Anderson Silva

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Observation Lounge
Stardate: 33120.1300

The Native American stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze shifting between the USS IVANOSKI and the planet it was in orbit of. Thanks to Commander Shar'El and the team, the treat on board the medical frigate had been taken care of ensuring that things on the surface could proceed more smoothly.  The mission was far from over but a lot of progress had been made on all fronts thanks to the dedication and expertise of each and every member of his crew.

"Captain, here is the latest report from Doctor Bruxa and her team," Ensign Jones said offering the PADD in her hands to the ship's CO. He had requested to be kept informed of any changes hence why Tanith opted not to delay for the man's return to the bridge to relay the information.

"Thank you, Ensign," Erik acknowledged accepting the PADD and giving the FCO a gracious nod of the head which made Tanith return to her duties.

A quick peruse of the displayed information made the Native American smile. The cure discovered by Doctor Bruxa and her team for the Shadow Virus was performing well, reversing the spread of the epidemic. The Captain was certain that someone somewhere would be very unhappy about this, but it would not be anyone on board the ANUBIS. The key now was to ensure that the advantage remained on their side of the game board.

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33120.1330

Erik returned to his office to find his First Officer sitting across his desk, waiting to submit her report on her team's work while on board the USS IVANOSKI.

"Welcome back Commander, I was not expecting you here. Had I known, I would have not taken so long to return."

"No worries Captain," Shar'El said. "I will admit that I found being alone with my thoughts for those few minutes actually soothing."

"Is everything all right?" Erik asked as he made his way around the desk in order to face the woman.

"Everything is fine," Shar'El confirmed. "I just welcomed the opportunity to relax. Doctor Drake Varjo, or whatever he is now, is here on the ANUBIS under the heaviest possible security measures along with one of the medical technicians who clearly was an accomplice. Jayson and Sonja are also back although we did leave the D.R.O.N.E.s behind to keep a closer watch on the frigate's power grid, just in case we missed something."

"How did you deal with the absence from the IVANOSKI of the two individuals we now have here?"

"It was easy for Sonja and Jayson to gain access to the ship's computer and create a false transporter record that shows Doctor Varjo and an assistant beaming down to the planet's surface. As far as everyone else is concerned, they left the IVANOSKI for an unspecified reason and vanished into the Galemaen population.  At least that way, if anyone goes looking for them, they will not be looking our way," the First Officer explained.

"Well done Commander, now all we need to do is to find a way to get the rest of the medical team on board the IVANSOKI to reach the planet's surface without causing a full social uproar," the Native American noted.

"That was one of the reasons why we implanted the transporter record for Varjo, this should push Doctor Zane Onwatu to see his people go down to help. This may actually be easier than we might have initially believed thanks to Counselor Lopez's work as a news broadcaster. Her pirate broadcasts have steadily pulled more and more spectators, so much so that according to some of the message intercepted by the IGC, she is considered to be the 'voice of truth and courage' by going against the standard Senate approved cover stories."

"It was never our intent to create discord on GALEMAE," Erik pointed out with sadness. "That goes directly against the Prime Directive. Our one and only objective was to make sure the Shadow Virus did not spread beyond this world."

"This was not an easy situation, far from it," Shar'El voiced. "If you and I followed those instructions to the letter, we would have left the entire population of that planet die, likely to wait and see it happen all over again. At least this way, the Senate will still have a people to control, maybe not quite as severely as they once did, but the culture of this world will continue.  In the end, I would say that this is a win-win scenario."

"I guess you are correct," the Native American reluctantly admitted. "I am just not used to facing such positive results, especially not since we have started fighting against the Lokustaar."

"Another reason for us to accept what we have here," the First Officer offered. "We lost the battle at TAU OMEGA in more ways than I can count, so it is nice for us to be able to claim victory here at GALEMAE."

"Sounds like a plan. What's next?"

"Adriana will continue her broadcasts in an effort to keep the Galemaen Senate from undoing what Doctor Bruxa and her team have been able to accomplish. Hopefully, this will mean that Doctor Onwatu will be able to join the medial efforts soon and make sure that the virus is completely vanquished. As for the rest of the ANUBIS' team, I want us to focus on whatever other Shadow agents may be present. I want to make sure we stop them before they find a way to undo what we have done or worst to leave the planet and start everything over elsewhere."

"Go for it, keep me informed of your progress."

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33125.1300

The Native American glanced at the mountain of PADDs on his desk. It had been five days since the discovery and use of the cure for the Shadow Virus. Since then, and thanks to the medical team from the IVANOSKI joining in on the fight against the epidemic, the number of Galemaen infected had steadily decreased.

Most of the PADDs on Erik's desk were reports from various locations on how the virus had been stopped. A few gave details as to how the infection seemed to reappear for no reason but was quickly dealt with before it could go any further.  A handful of the PADDs were about the Galemaen Senate efforts to help in the fight due to popular pressure brought on by the pirate new broadcast that the government officials were still trying to identify the origins of.  This left a single PADD holding all of the information the crew of the ANUBIS possessed on a single individual known as Mordana.

Commander Shar'El and the IGC team had worked long and hard to identify the person responsible for the chaos that had spread over GALEMAE, the person responsible for the thousands of deaths and the one individual whom they suspected was at the heart of every resurgence of the virus.

=/\= Bridge to Captain Morningstar, =/\= Lt. Ya'Han's voice sounded excited.

"Go ahead."

=/\= We may have a lead on this Mordana. Cmdr. Shar'El is on her way down to GALEMAE with a security detail. She said that if all goes well, she will be back within the hour. =/\=

"Wish her good luck for me."

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 33137.1300

The Native American sat on the edge of his seat. It had been nearly two weeks since the manhunt for Mordana had almost pinned the Shadow agent, but every time they were close to apprehending her, she found a way to escape.

"Sensors are still unable to get a lock on her," Lt. Stark reported with frustration. "Shar'El and Ya'Han are close but I can't help them from here. It's like trying to catch an actual shadow with your bare hands."

"We did manage to stop her from leaving GALEMAE," Sonja added, focussing on the one piece of good news they had in regards to the Shadow agent. "It's just a matter of time before we get those bare hands around her neck and squeeze the life out of that bit..."

=/\= Away team to ANUBIS! Emergency beam out. It's a trap! =/\=

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33165.1300

It had been about a month since the ANUBIS had left GALEMAE to pursue the Shadow agent Mordana. The woman had proven to be very slippery, always evading capture whenever the ship drew close. The spirit of the crew was starting to show the scars of their repeated failed attempts, but at least the agent had been too busy running to spread chaos and destruction on a large scale.

"Captain, I thought you would like to see this," Counselor Lopez said handing a PADD over to her Commanding Officer.

"What is this?" Erik inquired, curious as to why this particular message had been brought to him by the Ship's Counselor.

"It's a message from Luranax, the little girl Satella, Ya'Han and Maya saved back on GALEMAE."

The Native American quickly perused the content of the message causing a bright smile to form on his face. "Looks like she is no longer an orphan. Brossyx finally got the official adoption documents. That's one happy ending through all of the darkness that we have been dealing with."

"You said it yourself Captain," Adriana smiled. "No matter what darkness is out there, life continues and will continue as long as we do not give in into this spreading shadow."

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 14, Bio-Chemistry Lab
Stardate: 33232.1100

"You wanted to see me, Doctor?" The Native American rhetorically asked as he walked into the laboratory to find the CMO and CSciO working together.

"Since our departure from GALEMAE, Maya and I have been working on better understanding the Shadow Virus," Satella explained. "The goal was not only to make sure we have a cure on hand for other similar viruses that might be unleashed by the Lokustaar but to also try to get into the heads of those walking shadows by figuring out how they created that nasty little bug."

"It took a while but we made some rather interesting discoveries," Maya continued. "The molecular composition of the Shadow Virus is like nothing we have ever dealt with, and the more we figure it out, the more we realize that we have come across a seemingly endless pool of possibilities, all of them good."

"The problem is that we are rather limited in our ability to research our findings more in-depth. The ANUBIS may be very advanced in regards to Intel gathering, but as far as medical research is concerned, we don't have the equipment needed to unlock all of the potentials we have discovered," Doctor Bruxa detailed. "We need to bring these findings to a better equipped Federation medical facility."

"We can't," Erik quickly threw back. "We are too close to capturing Mordana."

"With all due respect Captain, you and Commander Shar'El have been saying that for months now, and still we are no closer to putting our hands on her. As a Shadow agent, she is as slippery as they get."

"Continue with your work, I will see what I can do."

=====
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33365.1600

"Captain's Log. Our efforts to capture Mordana are still ongoing. We have chased her through more than three dozen systems and we are no closer to apprehending her then we were back on GALEMAE. Several members of the senior staff have started referring to the woman as Moby Dick, an odd irony given that the mythological creature was a white whale, but the link has not been missed on Shar'El who is the one most obsessed with taking that agent down once and for all. I suspect that my ILO has taken the woman's repeated escape personally."

The Native American paused for an instant, gazing out the nearest window at the streaking stars. "Given the dark chaos that continued to reign throughout the Federation and neighbouring governments, I agree that Mordana is a high priority, but Doctor Bruxa and Lt. Commander Maya have made their case more than once. It seems that we will have no other choice but to break off our pursuit and bring the discoveries made to a better-equipped facility. End recording."

Erik sighed. Back on EARTH, the celebration of a New Year was almost upon them, but here in the void between stars, the crew of the ANUBIS had nothing to celebrate. The War of Shadows was far from over and as long as operatives such as Mordana were still out there, it was unlikely that the conflict would end soon.  The best each and every one of them could do was to hold on to whatever good they had managed to create in order to off-set the spreading shadow and celebrate their own good fortunes. As difficult at the year that had passed might have been, they were still here, fighting against the darkness and ready to tackle the challenges of a new year.

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn [Access Character BIO for Elan Fairborn]
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA

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