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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2007 3:00:11 GMT
"Do we know if there is a split between the Kasan and the thar? If you understand that question, sir. I'm not sure I understand it. But I seem to have caught an after-image/thought that there is the Kasan. And there's a Kasan-thar. Like two species connected into one."
Ramsey turned slightly toward her. "Unfortunately, Counselor, I don't know much about this race myself. Not enough to give a decent answer to that question anyway. You may wish to ask the Admiral, though. He might be able to offer some insight.
<Tag Lucy>
A few hours later, David looked around a bit, feeling as though he had forgotten to do something. Then it occurred to him. One member of the Away Team wasn't aware of her assignment yet.
He tapped a key on his chair. "Bridge to Sickbay."
"T'Pren here, sir," was the Doctor's reply.
"Doctor, Counselor Grey has made contact with one of the Kasan-thar. She is to meet them on the moon's surface at sunrise tomorrow. The Admiral has requested you go along. Report at 0600 hours tomorrow morning."
<Tag T'Pren>
"Lieutenant Stephens," he said next, turning to the Science Officer.
"Yes, sir?"
"I want to keep your eyes and your tricorder open while you're down there. I want all the information we can get on this species."
<Tag Stephens>
And there was one more matter to check on. "Ramsey to Commander Trek. How's that probe coming?"
=/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\=
Dan ran yet another diagnostic on the probe's systems. The reduced propulsion system was working fine, the tactical package had a few bugs in it, but they were working on that, and the protocols were coming along nicely. All they needed now was that shield generator.
He was tired. He was having trouble focusing on both the task at hand and his hand. Controlling the holographic arm on the job took more than he had expected.
"Commander?" Jax said, looking up from his hunched position over the probe. The fur on his brow hid his eyes slightly at that angle.
"Yes, Jax?"
"There's a variance in the sensor grid I can't seem to get rid of. Mind taking a look?"
"Sure," Dan said, walking over and stood next to Jax. "Hyperspanner?" he asked, and the tool was placed in his left hand. He activated the tool, and attempted to move its tip to the sensor array, but it remained still, and twitched slightly. He looked down at his hand and grunted in frustration.
Almost slamming the tool down on the work table, he rolled up his left sleeve and deactivated the arm. He sighed "That's better," he said and picked up the hyperspanner with his right hand and continued.
"Something wrong with your prostethic, sir?" Jax asked, unable to take his eyes off the emitter.
"No, there's something wrong with my mind," he explained as he adjusted the emitter. "It takes a lot of concentration to manipulate that arm, especially on top of accomplishing something. I have the mental capability to do so, but I am also aging. My mind isn't always what it once was."
"How does it work anyway?"
"Theres a neural interface inside my skull, connected to both my sensory and motor cortexes. It allows me to both control the arm, and receive sensory feedback. Quite extraordinary, when you think about it. There, that should about do it," he said, deactivating the hyperspanner.
Jax ran a diagnostic. "The variance is gone. Thank you, Commander. Looks like you've still got a few good years left in you."
"Thanks Jax," he said, and looked over his shoulder. "Ridden, how's that shield generator coming?"
"Almost ready," he said, over the hum of the industrial replicator which, almost as if on cue, stopped. "There we go," he said, and very gently lifted it and brought it over, with Yvez close at hand, hands out just in case Ridden lost his balance.
Ridden began to install the shield generator into place. "It's a limited version of a multi-adaptive shield. Not as thorough as the one Drs. Hansen designed to evade the Borg, but we're not evading the Borg now are we?"
Just then the comm cut in. "Ramsey to Commander Trek. How's that probe coming?"
Dan tapped his comm badge. "Going well, Captain. We should be ready to launch in 30 minutes or so."
"Very good. Keep me posted. Ramsey out."
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connorstephens
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Post by connorstephens on Aug 19, 2007 17:22:58 GMT
"Lieutenant Stephens," he said next, turning to the Science Officer.
"Yes, sir?"
"I want to keep your eyes and your tricorder open while you're down there. I want all the information we can get on this species."
"I agree, sir. And if it's possible, I'd like to have some of the probe information uploaded to my tricorder as well. It would help me to make more accurate inferences regarding the Kasan-thar."
Stephens was aware that T'Pren was going on the mission, and if the past was any guide, he'd need to be really careful around this new species. A sudden stumble or other physical miscalcuation might very well be misinterpreted as an act of aggression, or worse, an act of weakness. And while he was quite competent as a scientist, his social skills remained an everlasting puzzlement to him, and he worried that this could be a detriment during the mission.
He also noted that Grey was going, in fact was the locus of the mission. He hadn't had much of an opportunity yet to spend time with her, but found her naivete refreshing and her manner charming. It would be a delight to him to see how she responded, and how she interpreted the events as they were sure to unfold.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2007 12:30:18 GMT
Ramsey turned slightly toward her. "Unfortunately, Counselor, I don't know much about this race myself. Not enough to give a decent answer to that question anyway. You may wish to ask the Admiral, though. He might be able to offer some insight.
"Yes, sir. But first I'm going to my office and prepare. If I heard correctly, we don't have much time."
Lucy gave a smile toward Lt. Stephens. A linguist would be valuable on this mission, she thought. It was all falling into place. Her very first real away mission and she was to get a feeling for the alien. She would be making First Contact. This is, if the being was Kasan-thar. If it (she/he?) was in a position to speak for the Kasan-thar.
Stepping into the turbo-lift, Lucy turned to see the viewscreen and the stars beyond. She needed to hurry. What should she take?
tbc:
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 22, 2007 4:03:55 GMT
"There we go," Ridden said, "we're ready to bring the multi-adaptive shielding online."
"Uhmm, before we do that," Max said slowly, "we may want to install a transponder in this thing. So we can actually find it once it's launched."
It struck Dan like a bolt of lightning. "Of course! With the multi-adaptive shielding working properly, we won't be able to see it either! But...as a test...let's bring it online and see what happens. We can deactivate it later."
"Bringing shielding online," Ridden said, leaning over the probe with a tool in his hand.
Dan went to a console, and brought up the internal sensors for the room. He keep one eye on Ridden and one eye on the sensor readings. He watched as Ridden brought the shielding online...and the probe disappeared from sensors.
"Well that certainly worked," said Florkem from another console. Looking around, Dan noted that Ridden was the only one NOT looking at a console.
"Good," Dan said. "Take it offline and we'll add the transponder, finish everything up and we're ready for launch."
>> 30 minutes later
"Looks like we're good to go, Commander," Florkem said. "The probe is loaded and ready for launch."
Dan tapped his comm badge. "Engineering to Bridge."
"Go ahead, Commander," Ramsey replied.
"The probe is ready, Captain," Dan reported.
"Are all the modifications ready?"
"Yes, sir, they most certainly are. I doubt the Kasan-thar will find it. Were it not for a transponder we added, our own sensors wouldn't even know it's here!"
"Excellent. Good work, Commander."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2007 3:37:33 GMT
After checking the evaluation schedule, consulting with her assistant, setting up the next few days worth of crew appointments, and discussing what was to happen if Lt. Grey didn't come back, the counselor was ready.
It took almost an hour and Lucy was thinking about her conversation and dialog that was to come. She tapped her comm badge.
=/\= "Lt. Stephens, will you meet me outside of the transporter room? I'd like to ask you a couple of questions." =/\=
Lucy waited for his response, her stomach clinched up. What if he said he couldn't? What if he really wasn't any good at linguistics? His file said he was but.....
=/\= Stephens =/\=
=/\= "I'd like to go over what I should listen for when we meet the Kasan-thar. I hope you can give me insights on body language, too." =/\=
=/\= Stephens =/\=
=/\= "Thank you. I'll see you there." =/\=
Lucy sighed with relief. First Contact. She'd read all about the Vulcan First Contact. She'd studied the files on Dr. Zefram Cochrane in minute detail. Not so she could conduct a First Contact, but because she liked personal history. Reading about George Washington when he led the Civil War on Earth, about the Vulcans gaining knowledge though their technology and eventually reaching a point where their violent nature threatened species extinction.
She liked reading the history of James T. Kirk and wondering why he was named Tiberious, a man known thoughout history as a sadist. A man who killed his own children and friends.
But now, Lucy stored two padds, two sample containers and chose the multi-functional tricorder that would serve as both medical and science scanners.
Taking time to dress her best in black slacks, Starfleet issued boots, her medical tunic... Aqua so the Kasan-thar would know she was not a command officer.... there were advantages to being of a lower rank than commander....
Now rushing along the corridor, Lucy saw Lt. Stephens and Lt. T'Pren waiting for her. She didn't expect or want T'Pren to be there... She only wanted to see Connor.
"Hi! Hope you haven't been waiting long," Lucy said a bit breathlessly, trying to hide her irritation.
<Stephens>
<T'Pren>
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tpren
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Post by tpren on Aug 25, 2007 19:59:01 GMT
OOC: Sorry I've been so absent lately again. My computer died! I've got a new one now, and I'll try to stay current! If at any time someone needs to move T'Pren or have her say something, feel free to keep her moving! IC:
T'Pren looked at Lucy and tried to hide her resentment. It was painfully obvious to someone who had been studying human behaviour for so long that Lt. Grey had some sort of non-duty related interest in Connor. Shaking herself lightly, she returned her mind to the duty at hand. She turned to find Josh Reo entering and handing her a phaser. Always a pacifist, T'Pren was never terribly fond of carrying a phaser, but she accepted it as part of her duty. Looking sideways at Connor, she fell into step with him, staying close so as to discourage Lucy Grey from coming too close. <tag the rest of you>
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connorstephens
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Post by connorstephens on Aug 26, 2007 15:41:55 GMT
=/\= "Lt. Stephens, will you meet me outside of the transporter room? I'd like to ask you a couple of questions." =/\=
=/\= Of course, Lt Grey. I'd be delighted. =/\=
=/\= "I'd like to go over what I should listen for when we meet the Kasan-thar. I hope you can give me insights on body language, too." =/\=
=/\= It's a good thing you asked. That happens to be my specialty. =/\=
=/\= "Thank you. I'll see you there. =/\=
Stephens closed the link between himself and Lt Grey. It was exciting to him to be able to apply his knowlede in the area of his specialty, linguistics and cultural anthropology. As far as he knew, this was a First Contact, albeit with a species regarded as quite aggressive and dangerous. Still, he knew, language was, in all sentient species, organized and relfective of a desire to communicate, to lay bare certain things so that understanding could occur. It was also true, however, that in a first contact situation, there were certain hindrances to understanding, namely a basis for comparison in the same species of ordinary useful language between native speakers of it and those not accustomed to the nuances of it.
As he walked down the corridor, musing on this, he happened to nearly run into T'Pren, who was coming from another dirction and apparently headed for the same rendezvous point. Immediately Stephens smiled and almost fell on his face. T'Pren was beautiful as always, and as he gazed at her for the millionth time, he saw nothing else and came very close to slamming into a bulkhead. It was only by her intervention, a guiding hand on his arm, that that particular catastrophe was avoided.
"Hi," he managed to get out.
"Hello, Connor," she answered sweetly.
The greeting seemed to mystify him and he became silent, quite thrilled to simply be with her. He could tell tht she was regarding him, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She also was silent as they finished their walk just as Lt Grey came up in the same place.
"Hi! Hope you haven't been waiting long," Lucy said a bit breathlessly, trying to hide her irritation.
"Uhh, no, we just got here. I ran into T'Pren and we came together."
Stephens was, of course, totally and completely unaware of any tension between the women. He did not see T'Pren's glance at Lucy, nor did he see any look on Lucy's face that would have betrayed any irritation. It was indeed true that he was developing feelings for T'Pren, had been since the weeks on Risa. It was also true that in spite of this, the realtionship had not progressed far, as T'Pren had left the Nevada for a time, leaving Stephens wondering if she would even return. That she had done so was delightful for him, of course, but still they had not had as much time together as either would have liked.
And Stephens liked Lt Grey. There was something about her that was overwhelmingly charming for him, and he found himself thinking of her frequently. No particular feelings had rgistered, however, at this point, but even if they had, Stephens, in his unique and ungainly way, would perhaps not have recognized them anyway.
He looked at Lt Grey and smiled. "Now, Lt., about those speech patterns. See it's like this. All species have a need...."
And once warmed to the subject, it took a monumental effort on the part of both women to stop his flow of words, and indeed, even as they rematerializd on the moons' surface, Stephens was still talking.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2007 2:13:30 GMT
(OOC: Sorry that I didn't post for 5 days. I didn't have power Thursday-Saturday. Oh and note to the Away Team, you seem to have forgotten to write in that Admiral Lin is with you ) After a shower and a good night's rest, Ramsey returned to the Bridge bright and early at 0600 to begin what may well prove to be a very interesting day. He arrived on the Bridge. He noted that Commander Trek was already there and had parked himself in front of the Engineering station. He noted that Trek had brought the console into full enable mode, giving him direct access to all engineering controls from the Bridge. "Rather surprised to see you up here, Commander," David said to Trek as he passed on his way to the center chair. He sat down. "Thought I would be more useful to you up here for the time being, sir. I'll return to Engineering if things heat up. Plus, it gives an old man respite from the hive of activity he's created," Trek said, smiling and winking. "Whatever you deem fit for your department, Commander. What's the status on our away team and that probe of yours?" "The away team is assembling outside the transporter room. They're just waiting for the Admiral to arrive before they beam down. The probe is ready for whenever you want to," Trek reported, consulting his consoles a bit as he spoke. "Good, launch the probe," David ordered. Trek hit a few keys, and after the distant sound of the probe launching, he announced, "Probe's away." David looked for it on the viewscreen. "I don't see it." "Uhmm, Captain, we designed it that way. We want it to be invisible. We're reading it's transponder though, and it's right on course. We're receiving telemetry." "Excellent." The comm went off. "Lin to Bridge. Just wanted to let you know we're beaming down to the moon's surface." David hit the comm circuit. "Acknowledged, Admiral. Good luck." A few moments later: "Transport complete," the Ops Officer announced. "We getting anything useful, Commander?" David asked Trek. "Not yet, sir. It'll take a while for a thorough sweep." "So then we wait," David said, settling back in his chair.
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tpren
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Post by tpren on Aug 28, 2007 1:39:35 GMT
T'Pren listened absently to Connor's diatribe, always keeping one eye on Lt.Grey. She knew she shouldn't be feeling so annoyed with her, but her human side drove her to an unreasoning jealousy. Remembering her duty, she switched on her tricorder and began to take readings of her surroundings.
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Magellan Lin
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Post by Magellan Lin on Aug 28, 2007 13:24:10 GMT
" A little order please" Magellan grunted "This isnt a picnic." If only these officers realsised what a Kasan-thar could do, what it had doene to those Tholians, very nearly done to him. "Mr Reo. Standard security perimeter please and then short range reconnaissance"
"Miss Grey the Kasar or whatever he is expects you alone and so as not to alarm him we will abide with that. You will proceed from here and make the rendezvous. We will shadow you some 5 minutes behind. Commander Dantrek will keep an open comm link and transporter lock at all times."
Lucille nodded, despereatly trying to assimilate all the orders.
"We will be close by if you need us. Try and get the Kasar to meet with us but dont push the trust. If you are in real danger don't wait for us get Dan to beam you out. Understand"
TAG Lucille
Magellan broke out of his stern instruction a moment too rest a hand gently on her shoulder, "Don't worry you ll be fine" he said reassuringly before the mask went back up and he withdrew his phaser.
"Mr Stephens, T Pren take down whatever information you can, this will be especially important if we can get close enough for detailed scans. Okay Lieutenant, proceed. We will follow once Reo returns."
TAG ALL
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2007 21:18:37 GMT
"Miss Grey the Kasar or whatever he is expects you alone and so as not to alarm him we will abide with that. You will proceed from here and make the rendezvous. We will shadow you some 5 minutes behind. Commander Dantrek will keep an open comm link and transporter lock at all times."
As Dan heard the Admiral's instructions in reference to him, both went into place. There was the slightest interference in the transporter lock, but a little tweak of the targeting scanners cleaned that right up.
A thought came to him. "Nevada to Away team. I'd like each of you that has one in use to uplink your tricorder with the ship. That way I can use the ship's computer to combine the readings and do analyze them for anything that might happen that we need to be aware of that an individual tricorder won't pick up."
A few moments later, two tricorder streams appeared on the Engineering II console, alongside the probe's telemetry. All this was better suited on the science consoles, but those were across the room, and Dan couldn't keep an eye on everything at once that way.
"I'm setting the necessary analysis subroutines," Dan commented. "And the probe is approaching the Kasan-thar ship."
"Anything useful?" Ramsey asked.
"EM readings suggests a significant energy output, less than our own though. Monitoring the EM emissions should give us some hint of the power usage. Weapons, shields, propulsion, etc, though we won't be able to be sure which. We'll know that they're going to do something, we just won't have much warning of what," Dan reported, trying to keep pessimism out of his voice.
"Then I suggest you work on a way to give us warning, Commander," Ramsey responded.
"Aye, sir."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2007 1:46:51 GMT
Lucy's eyes were aimed directly ahead of her so that she would be able to see the moon as she materialized there. Her first impressions would be what she would use to clear her mind of the ship, the crew and especially of that Vulcan doctor who looked so softly at Connor.
The scene that greeted her first senses were scrub brush, small, delicate flowers wavering in a light warm breeze. The air was thin here. Lt. Grey could hear Connor in the background of her thoughts, still expostulating on listening, watching gestures from the alien... enemy? friend? ally? Lucy didn't know and wouldn't know any of that until she came face to face with him/it.
"A little order please" Magellan grunted "This isn't a picnic." If only these officers realised what a Kasan-thar could do, what it had doene to those Tholians, very nearly done to him. "Mr Reo. Standard security perimeter please and then short range reconnaissance"
"Miss Grey the Kasar or whatever he is expects you alone and so as not to alarm him we will abide with that. You will proceed from here and make the rendezvous. We will shadow you some 5 minutes behind. Commander Dantrek will keep an open comm link and transporter lock at all times."
Lucille nodded, desperately trying to assimilate all the orders.
"We will be close by if you need us. Try and get the Kasar to meet with us but don't push the trust. If you are in real danger don't wait for us get Dan to beam you out. Understand?"
"Understood, sir."
Magellan broke out of his stern instruction a moment too rest a hand gently on her shoulder, "Don't worry you ll be fine" he said reassuringly before the mask went back up and he withdrew his phaser.
Admiral Lin then took control of the team and issued orders that sounded a lot like suggestions - suggestions that he expected to be obeyed without having to issue orders. Lucy relaxed. She would do her very best for him.
Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked around, seeing a few things she'd missed the first time. The cave was there, about 4.5 meters directly ahead of them. Her mind settled around the presence of the away team, feeling a comfort in that. The CMO was there in case things got out of hand... In case, she said to herself, I mess up and get myself shot or worse.... captured. I really don't know who I'm meeting at all, do I? Lucy looked around at Admiral Lin. His stoic expression didn't show any emotion but his eyes were encouraging.
"Miss Grey the Kasar or whatever he is expects you alone and so as not to alarm him we will abide with that. You will proceed from here and make the rendezvous. We will shadow you some 5 minutes behind. Commander Dantrek will keep an open comm link and transporter lock at all times."
"Nevada to Away team. I'd like each of you that has one in use to uplink your tricorder with the ship. That way I can use the ship's computer to combine the readings and do analyze them for anything that might happen that we need to be aware of that an individual tricorder won't pick up."
Lt. Grey immediately reached for her tricorder the better to scan you with and set the uplink. Should something untoward happen, she was certain that Cmdr. Dantrek would be able to see it.
(OOC: The away team is Grey, T'Pren, Stephens, Reo and Lin, right? That means that Ramsey and Dantrek is on the ship. If that's incorrect, let me know... in fact, change this part of my post when you <whoever you are> reply, please.)
Lucy shook her hair out of her eyes and started walking toward the cave. She stumbled once or twice on the loose stones that littered the ground. Her breath soon became short and she slowed her pace. Not certain but pretty sure that the Kasan-thar was watching, she hoped that they would see her now-careful steps as an insecurity. It would give them a feeling of superiority and allow her to observe them without their attempting to cover themselves.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2007 2:13:12 GMT
The cave blended with the rocks that formed the mountain around it. Only a shadow showed the opening and if she hadn't known it was there, would have missed seeing it completely.
The sun over her head was bright. A small bead of sweat trickled down the middle of her back making her backbone itch. She always did have a sensitivity to water and especially her own salted sweat. She wanted to reach around and scratch but instead breathed faster than she had been.
Lt(jg) Lucille Grey stood at the edge of the cave, seeing a faint light within. Tapping her side pouch which contained her tricorder and scanner, she lifted her foot to take that first step. Once done, there would be no turning back. Whatever was in there she would meet and converse with.
First Contact
They were bright and wonderful words back at the academy. Back on the ship, too. Anxiety gripped her internal nerves. They twisted, bent, screamed for her to turn and run. She felt her face going white, the blood racing away and down into the core of her being so as to hide from the unknown.
Fear of the Unknown.
She'd been captured by the Red Team and placed in a small confining box. They had laughed and turned away from her. But they hadn't gone far. She could hear their voices drifting back to her on the breeze. No one would know, one of them said. She won't be believed. And with us to swear she's lying....
Lucy had watched the sun fade into the trees. She heard noises. Footsteps that turned out to be small scurrying nocturnal animals. She didn't sleep. She couldn't stretch out, the box was barely 4 feet square. Sometime early in the morning when she was so exhausted she was ready to fall into a slumber, she heard the voices come again.
She's too tired to fight us now. It'll be easy. Then we'll do the interrogation bit.
None of that had happened. Nothing happened. When the sun was full in the sky, a marine colonel had come to the cage and opened it. He'd helped her up and looked at her frightened face. Her eyes darted back and forth with the urge and very real scheme to run.
And when he'd finished explaining to all the academy cadets the strategy behind the exercise they'd just been a part of, Lucy felt a rage she had never experienced before. Rage. Anger. The urge to kill. Kill with a viciousness that was so very unlike her. She'd spent two nights after that plotting revenge. Then she'd gone to see the counselor. It was a great relief to know that her fellow cadets during the exercise had also been at the counselor's office.
Lucy smiled lightly and took that first step into the cave.
<Kasan-thar>
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Magellan Lin
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Post by Magellan Lin on Sept 1, 2007 15:06:05 GMT
Salan watched as Lucille cautiously entered the cave. he also noticed the presence of the other Starfleet Officers, each seemed to be of a different species that either indicated an empire or multi-co-operative society. Perhaps these carbon baseds were more significant than first appearance.
He stalked foward passing undetected with a few feet of the small away team. He smiled to himself, stealth had always been one of his best abilities, completly disrobed his skin had a chameleon like quality allowing him to blend with any background. The Kasan-thar had been trying to breed that trait into their genome for generations.
He stepped into the cave his skin changing colour as he did so. He followed the one called Grey for a short while as she made her way through its dark interior. She made her way with a light projector on her wrist, Salan didnt need such technology, his infra-red vision was more than sufficient.
Grey paused and swept the cavern with her torch. So as not to unduly alarm her Salan slipped past her and round a bend. Then retunring his skin tone to normal he stepped out.
"Greetings Grey"
The woman jumped slightly,
TAG
"Sorry I did not wish to alarm you. I am gratified you came. You are the first Carbon baseds that intrigued me."
"Carbon based?"
"Yes. A life form we have generally considered informal. We are silicon based. Very few life forms are crystalline in nature. Those that we have met recently such as the Tholians are little more than animals."
"I see. I m supposed to ask you to meet with others of our team"
Salan looked pensive for a moment. "You were to come on your own. And in a way I guess you did, very well. Call them in"
Cautiously the rest of the Away Team entered the cave. "We come in peace from the United Federation of Planets" Magellan stated as he approached. He was reassured that this individual was unlike the Kasan-thar he had been forced to kill on Aenvolis. It was thinner less imposing but he wasnt about to write off the danger just yet. Magellan tipped Stephens the wink to start scanning and to move in closer, tentatively he did so.
"You are an intriguing people" the Kasan-thar said in a raspy voice, "I knew it would be of greater profit to speak to you rather then hide or even...destroy you. But I am glad I was able to hold back our Kasan-thar and open this dialogue."
***
Valk sat hunched on his chair in the Assault centre watching the numerous screens before him. He could almost feel the cold of space and shuddered at the thought.
"They are not alone." Tanek stated from sensors
"The Grey has others they approach Salan now."
Valk slammed his fist into the arm rest, "May the Perfect damn the Kasars foolishness. I knew Carbons were not to be trusted they are nothing but degenerate pack animals."
"What should we do Highest?"
"Do? DO!!!" Valk roared, "What can we do but correct the error, all of our kind would be shamed if we allowed a Kasar to be captured by a Carbon. Relocate them."
"They will attempt to stop us."
"Then do not give them time. Set reclocation to wide aperture. And give me weapons control. Flight...take us in"
***
As the crew of the Nevada watched the Kasan-thar ship suddenly leapt forward with impossible speed. It swooped down below them towards the moon.
"I take it you didnt manage an early warning then" Ramsey quipped to Dantrek as he leaned forward "Get our people out of there and raise shields."
As Dantrek ran towards the console the ship shook violently from Green pulses of canon fire from the ship.
***
Salan suddenly looked up as the spotted man spoke. He knew something had gone wrong. He godd feel the molecular pull of the relocator take hold. All his work was to be lost unless he acted now. He lurched forward and grabbed Grey by the arm. Stephens shouted a warning and grabbed at Greys other arm.
Magellan raised his weapon but as he felt himself fading into the transporter beam he saw the Salan, Lucille and Stephens disappear in a grey mist. The world around him dissolved and he T'pren and Reo were back on the Nevada.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2007 3:06:23 GMT
Just as Dan reached the tactical console, the ship was rocked by a green energy beam. His ribs slammed into the corner of the console, and the fought to stay standing.
"Red Alert," Ramsey ordered, and the klaxons started going off.
Dan raised the shields, then initiated transport, but not before Grey and Stephens disappeared in another transporter beam. "Transport complete. But I only got the Admiral, Commander Reo, and Dr. T'Pren. Lieutenants Stephens and Grey...appear to have been beamed to the Kasan-thar vessel, along with the one they were meeting." He refocused, and shifted his attention, as another shot rocked the ship. "Those energy beams are draining our shields, sir."
"Can you compensate?" Ramsey yelled as he gripped his chair as another shot hit.
"I can try," Dan said, moving back to the Engineering station, out of the way of the arriving Tactical officer. "Remodulating...there," he said, and the rocking stopped.
"Good," Ramsey said. "Can we get our people back?"
"Not a chance," Dan said defeatedly. "Well, at least Grey' and Stepehn's tricorder feeds are still active. We can use that too...never mind, they just got cut off."
"Use it to what? Just curious," Ramsey inquired.
"Would have used it to gain whatever information we could. We do know where they are though, from the previous transponder signal. I'm moving the probe closer," Dan said, inputting commands.
"How much more can it tell us?" Ramsey asked, sounding doubtful.
"Not a whole lot. Its....uh oh..." Dan trailed off.
"What?"
"The probe's systems are overloading. It's about to-"
A ball of fire appeared on the viewscreen. "...explode," Dan finished. "Bad news is, it was right next to the Kasan-thar vessel."
"What's the good news?" Ramsey asked.
Dan paused, then turned his head to look at Ramsey. "I don't recall saying there was any."
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connorstephens
Guest
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
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Post by connorstephens on Sept 2, 2007 17:30:55 GMT
"...so, you want to watch, as soon as you kind of have a baseline of normal communication, for accompanying gestures or changes in pitch. These could be a warning," Stephens finished saying as they materialized on the moon surface.
" A little order please" Magellan grunted "This isnt a picnic. Mr Reo. Standard security perimeter please and then short range reconnaissance"
"Miss Grey the Kasar or whatever he is expects you alone and so as not to alarm him we will abide with that. You will proceed from here and make the rendezvous. We will shadow you some 5 minutes behind. Commander Dantrek will keep an open comm link and transporter lock at all times."
Lucille nodded, despereatly trying to assimilate all the orders.
"We will be close by if you need us. Try and get the Kasar to meet with us but dont push the trust. If you are in real danger don't wait for us get Dan to beam you out. Understand"
Lt Grey nodded.
Magellan broke out of his stern instruction a moment too rest a hand gently on her shoulder, "Don't worry you ll be fine" he said reassuringly before the mask went back up and he withdrew his phaser.
"Mr Stephens, T Pren take down whatever information you can, this will be especially important if we can get close enough for detailed scans. Okay Lieutenant, proceed. We will follow once Reo returns."
"Aye, sir," Stephens replied.
The moon was a bit unusual in that it had a slightly breathable atmosphere, thin but enough to support them. they had materialized near a cave entrance, which Lt Grey was reconnoitering even now. She walked slowly there, stumbling a bit on the uneven surface strewn with small growths of some kind of plant. It was here that Stephens wished that the famed botanist Holliday was with them, to help them with identification, but it was very likely that he and his wife were still honeymooning.
An order was given to uplink their tricorders with the Nevada, and Stephens did so, noting that T'Pren did as well. Stephens looked up at her and saw that she was looking at him gently, perhaps even lovingly, and Stephens felt a surge of pleasure at that thought. As they began scanning, first the terrain and then the area around the cave which Grey had found, they found no life-forms that registered on their tricorders. Moving closer to the cave, they began to pick up resonances from several places at once, as though someone were moving very quickly around them, or before them.
Grey entered the cave, and there a being appeared, the same as the scans had indicated, and they began talking. Stephens was too far away to hear directly the text of the speaking, but it was at least a two-way communication, which indicated that they had found a common language. Stephens pictured Lt Grey, young and beautiful, trembling under the weight of this first very important first contact, aware of the ramifications of it, fearful of the risks. And as a linguistic interest, he found that he was hmself drawn there, nodding at T'Pren that he wished to move closer. She merely closed her eyes in assent, although Stephens thought he detected another, subtler expression, of caution, perhaps, certainly of concern.
The talking became louder and more distinct as he moved closer to the cave and began to enter it. At that moment, the creature, the Kasan-thar, became somewhat agitated. Stephens' tricorder readings showed a silicon-based lifeform, intelligent, and with a formidable armory of silicate plates, as in shingling, which not only isolated it from extremes but also would protect it against attack. In this regard it was much superior to the Tholians, who were fearsome enough. He wondered if maybe also there was a superior attitude accompanying the superior armature.
Keeping an eye on Lt Grey and another on the creature, Stephens felt and then heard the sound of a transporter beam. He was taken completely by surprise as there had been no warning or even hint of danger at that point, and there would have been no reason to abort that he would have been aware of. But immediately, he sensed that there was something wrong.
He, Lt Grey and the Kasan-thar creature had rematerialized inside a wildly nightmarish place he had never seen before, and his companions--Admiral Lin, Reo and T'Pren--were nowhere to be seen. Anxiously, he consulted his tricorder, which immediately shut down. He looked to Lt Grey who, wide-eyed with fear, registered the same information on her face. Her tricorder was also useless.
Probably instinctively, they moved closer to each other, hands touching. Stephens had no way of knowing what to expect, but he did know that he would not allow Lt Grey to be harmed if he could prevent it.
"Let' just see what is happening, Lt. Stay with me. We'll try to get as many answers as we can." And with that statement, he hoped that she was, at least minimally, comforted.
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2007 1:49:17 GMT
"Let' just see what is happening, Lt. Stay with me. We'll try to get as many answers as we can."
Lucy heard Connor's voice, understood the words and the sentiment behind them. She was in part comforted by him and his closeness. Part of her recognized his words as those that would be spoken to a condemned person.
Scared, Lucy pulled herself together, clutched at Lt. Stephen's hand and let go just as quickly. Whatever was going to happen would happen. They had to roll with it. And roll they did.
The ship shook violently. Lucy fell into Connor's arms, grabbing at him in a vain attempt to maintain her feet. He fell, unable to stay upright against the weight of her body, pulling her down with him. Tumbling over, they ended up against the bulkhead. It was soft. Lt. Grey reached out to touch it.
"Lt. Stephens, the wall... it's sof..., no... it feels like velvet."
Stephens turned over onto his stomach then made his way to his knees kneeling beside Lucy. His hands moved over the wall mimicking Lucy's own.
"Velvet," he said, "but it can't be."
Lucy flopped around, pressing her back to the velvety softness. "Whatever it is, this ain't the Nevada."
<Stephens>
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Magellan Lin
Fleet Admiral
Registered: Apr 28, 2003 16:06:54 GMT
Posts: 2,338
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Post by Magellan Lin on Sept 3, 2007 16:11:23 GMT
Salan was furious, absolutely incandescent with rage. He stormed directly from the relocator room up to the assault centre.
"What are you doing Valk?"
"I m a little busy right now" the Highest responded "Target there warp field with a dispersant to destabilise it and then take us to warp."
A light blue globe flashed out from the under side of the ship and struck the Nevada. The stars blurred and then winked out as they entered Hypo-Space.
"Okay then Administrator. What exactly is your problem? I thought you would be grateful for the rescue."
"Grateful? I didn t require rescue"
Valk shook his large head and stood toe to toe with Salan, "They broke their word she was not alone."
"but they were not a threat, we were only just beginning to open a dialogue."
Valk looked non-plussed and stared down at the smaller Kasar, "I am Kasan-Thar. Highest on this vessel. My job is to protect all of our peoples, spiritually and militarily and I felt you were in danger. Carbons cannot be trusted they are inferior."
"Be that as it may they may have invaluable information on our such for perfection."
"Bah. What would they know of perfection? Even we the supreme followers of the Divine Perfect barely know its appearance or location so long did it leave our space."
"That is not the point. This federation is something interesting I think they may have the resources to help in our search."
"Fine then talk to the samples we brought aboard."
Salan looked up in surprise, "Samples."
"Yes we took two from the party. One Male, One Female. A breeding pair for the Imperial Zoo. We Kasan-thar will study them learn about their simple lives and use it develop new weapons in case their Carbon kind spreads. Talk to them. We will reach homeworld at the end of the day. You have until then."
Salan scwled but said nothing more. He stalked from the room, unsure what to do next.
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Magellan Lin
Fleet Admiral
Registered: Apr 28, 2003 16:06:54 GMT
Posts: 2,338
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Post by Magellan Lin on Sept 3, 2007 16:18:56 GMT
Magellan appeared on the transporter pad and quickly looked around him. Grey and Stephens were absent.
"Hells teeth" he swore to himself. "Reo with me." he growled. The pair raced to the bridge as the ship shook again and again.
"Status" he commanded
"Glad we got you sir" Ramsey noted, braced in his chair.
"Not all of us."
"Kasan-thar vessel is attacking us. Their weapons are draining our shields."
Magellan scanned the schematics,
"Rotate our shield power, lower those away from the ship and feed them to the facing ones. Target their engines if you can"
"Incomming" the Comm Officer warned,
A light blue bolt of energy lurched towards them it passed straight through the shields and struck the hull. They all braced for an impact but none came. A wild electrical field coruscated across the hull culminating on the nacelles.
"Warp field destabilising" Dantrek reported with incredularity "And they are going to...warp or whatever that was"
Magellan fumed and he slammed his fist on to the console
"Dantrek try and track them then get those engines back up. We have to get after them"
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2007 2:03:06 GMT
"Dantrek try and track them then get those engines back up. We have to get after them"
"Aye, Admiral," Dan said, turning to the engineering II console, reconfiguring it for science functions. "Well, nothing of a standard warp trail; no tachyons, or anti-protons, and no notable subspace wake. I don't....hold on, I think I have something."
"What is it, Commander?" Ramsey asked, slightly impatiently.
"Chronitons. Theres a faint trail of them leading away from the warship. Sending information to the helm," Dan commented as he confirmed the readings.
"Warship, Commander?" Lin asked. "Why do you assume its a warship?"
"Easier than saying Kasan-thar ship, Admiral. And it's a pretty safe analysis, given what they did to us," Dan noted.
"How much damage have we taken?" Ramsey asked.
Dan tapped the comm circuit. "Bridge to Engineering. Florkem, how much damage is there?"
"Quite a bit," came the aCEO's reply. "A couple subsystems are pretty fried, and most of it is out of alignment."
"Anything you can't handle?" Dan asked.
"The warp coils are pretty far out of alignment. You'll probably the one that can pull it off in reasonable time."
"I'll get right on it," he said, sliding over to Engineering I to access the nacelles. "How much out of alignment are they?"
"About as much as that haphazard stack of PADDs on the desk in your office, Commander," came her somewhat amused reply.
Dan stopped a moment. "I left that stack perfectly straight was I left. Florkem, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Whenever things die down and you aren't so busy-"
"-Which won't be till sometime next week the way things are currently going. Anyway, you were saying?" she asked, sounding a little tired.
"Could you check the internal sensor logs to see who's been in my office today, besides you obviously?"
"What makes you think I was in your office?" she asked, taken aback.
"How else would you know the state of my desk?" he pointed out.
"...Good point," she said. "I'll look into it."
"Thanks. Trek out."
"How long, Dantrek?" Lin asked.
"An hour or so. We're already working on it," Dan said. "Oh, and something I should point out about these chronitons. Two theories as to why there's a chroniton trail. One, their ship is slightly out of phase, which would help explain why their cloak is so effective. In which case putting up any sort of a fight against them might become difficult."
"What's the other theory?" Ramsey asked.
"That ship may be capable of time-travel. But I certainly hope I'm wrong on that one."
"We all do, Commander," Ramsey commented, looking back at the viewscreen.
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connorstephens
Guest
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
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Post by connorstephens on Sept 4, 2007 18:53:01 GMT
The ship shook violently. Lucy fell into Connor's arms, grabbing at him in a vain attempt to maintain her feet. He fell, unable to stay upright against the weight of her body, pulling her down with him. Tumbling over, they ended up against the bulkhead. It was soft. Lt. Grey reached out to touch it.
"Lt. Stephens, the wall... it's sof..., no... it feels like velvet."
Stephens turned over onto his stomach then made his way to his knees kneeling beside Lucy. His hands moved over the wall mimicking Lucy's own.
"Velvet," he said, "but it can't be."
Lucy flopped around, pressing her back to the velvety softness. "Whatever it is, this ain't the Nevada."
Stephens continued to feel along the wall. Unfortunately for the both of them, it was too dark to make out any detail, and they didn't have handlamps to help them. So it was just a painstaking matter of learning what their environmsnt was by feeling it out, centimeter by centimeter if necessary.
"Back there, in the cave,' Stephens said. "The Kasan-thar started to get agitated. I wasn't close enough to hear distinctly, and then we were beamed here. Do you remember what you were discussing with him at that point? Why would he have gotten agitated like that?"
<Grey>
"Doesn't make sense." Stephens was continuing to run his hand along the bulkhead or wall or whatever it was. It wasn't velvet, it was more like.....well, like....fur, or something. To Stephens' great surprise, it was also now throbbing slightly, regularly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that this wall or whatever it is, is alive!"
<Grey>
"What? Ohh. Like it's purring or something. Maybe it's just mechanical, though. Can't tell. We need some light. Why do you think we were beamed here, anyway?"
<Grey>
"Got any really good ideas, then?"
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2007 23:54:56 GMT
"Back there, in the cave,' Stephens said. "The Kasan-thar started to get agitated. I wasn't close enough to hear distinctly, and then we were beamed here. Do you remember what you were discussing with him at that point? Why would he have gotten agitated like that?"
Lucy bent her head, remembering the conversation that was happening just before they -her and Connor- were beamed away.
"He never mentioned a name," she finally said, "not HIS name, anyway. I got the impression that there was a conversation going on that wasn't out loud. But I was watching his expression like you said and he was definately agitated."
"Doesn't make sense." Stephens was continuing to run his hand along the bulkhead or wall or whatever it was. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that this wall or whatever it is, is alive!"
"What?" Lt. Grey asked in surprise. "I thought we might be in one of those 'padded' rooms I learned about in med school." Lucy laid her hand lightly on the wall, closing her eyes and simply feeling it. "it doesn't feel alive to me. Just soft."
"Can you hear something?" she asked.
"What? Ohh. Like it's purring or something. Maybe it's just mechanical, though. Can't tell. We need some light. Why do you think we were beamed here, anyway?"
"Beats me. Why would an alien species kidnap another alien species? Why put us in a dark room?" Lucy's voice was strained. "I'd say it was to keep us scared. To make us frightened enough to tell them whatever they want to know."
Her eyes adjusted to the darkness; she thought she could see Connor's outline. Hunching her shoulders, she swallowed the terror that threatened to erupt.
"Got any really good ideas, then?" His voice didn't sound any more confident than hers did.
"I got a better question, Lt. Stephens. What happened to the rest of the team? We weren't the only ones on that moon, you know." Her voice was stronger as her mind became focused on something and someone other then herself. "Shall we scream and yell? Maybe they're here and will yell back."
<Stephens>
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2007 2:34:07 GMT
Ramsey was growing impatient. They had already been sitting here for an hour. "Commander, hasn't your team repaired the warp systems yet?"
"Almost done, Captain. The only thing left is for me to finish calibrating the warp coils," Dan reported.
"What's taking so long?"
"Well sir, there are a lot of them you know, and they have to calibrated individually, then the nacelles as a whole have to calibrated to each other. It's a long and delicate process, which is why I'm the one working on it. But fortunately I'm just about....there! That should do it. Initializing warp field."
"It's working," Uric reported from the helm. "Setting course to follow the chroniton trail."
"Engage when ready, Lieutenant. Warp 8," Ramsey ordered.
"Aye, sir."
"Captain, this may be just wishful thinking, but another likely reason for these chronitons is because they are simply a by-product of their cloak," Dan suggested. "The one the Romulans loaned us for the USS Defiant certainly did, though the Romulans have improved it and eliminated that emission in the intervening years."
"Let's hope you're right, Commander," Ramsey said.
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connorstephens
Guest
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
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Post by connorstephens on Sept 8, 2007 22:12:45 GMT
"Got any really good ideas, then?" His voice didn't sound any more confident than hers did.
"I got a better question, Lt. Stephens. What happened to the rest of the team? We weren't the only ones on that moon, you know." Her voice was stronger as her mind became focused on something and someone other then herself. "Shall we scream and yell? Maybe they're here and will yell back."
Stephens had indeed been wondering what had happened to the rest of the team. It was true enough that he and Grey had been close to each other physically when the transporter beam took them; he had perhaps violated his orders slightly when he had crept up to the cave so that he could understand the conversation better between Grey and the Kasan-thar, not keeping a respectful distance as he had been told to do. But that didn't really satisfy the explanation as to why they were here together, and that none of the others were about.
"I am not sure, Lt Grey, that screaming and yelling would accomplish its purpose. The place we are in isn't familiar to either of us. We are obviously not on the Nevada, nor are we likely still on the moon. That only leaves the Kasan-thar ship, though I don't know why they would want us here."
Stephens continued to explore as best he could the room in which they found themselves. It was much too dark, however, to make any conclusions or guesses as to where they were exactly. Aside from the velvety throbbing wall, the room was nearly featureless, as far as he could discern.
<Grey>
"When I was in the Academy, we had an intruder aboard. I happened to be in sickbay when the lights went out, and it was very much like this. Only then, someone ran into me, slamming me into a bulkhead. Got a nice little concussion from that. That wasn't the worst, though. After I was examined from that, a medical cadet decided that she had to find, just had to find, her lost tribble. She saturated the room with pheromone, and in an instant I was transformed into a drooling Neanderthal, bent on the conquest of a female. T'Pren was near, and I grabbed her, quite against her will, and proceeded to....well, you can imagine. The whole thing stopped when I was hypoed with some antidote, leaving me paralyzed." Stephens smiled. "That was quite the adventurous situation. Afterward, I apologized to T'Pren for violating her sensibilities."
<Grey>
"Well, I asked her to have dinner with me as a token of my respect for her, and she accepted. But we never had it because the ship was attacked. Later, we were on Risa together, but she was late arriving there, and there was some crazy business with a renegade cat. And then she went back to Vulcan, to undo some bonding ritual, I think. We finally had our dinner, and that's where it is now. I really like her, and I think she's forgiven me."
<Grey>
"I don't know, really. I just haven't thought that far ahead. Speaking of which, we ought to see if we can find a way out of here."
<Grey>
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2007 13:53:46 GMT
Lucy had remained sitting on the floor. Her arms were locked around her knees, her chin on top of them. Now she shifted her head to lay her cheek against the patella.
"Have you ever been in a situation like this before?" Her voice was soft and there was a hint of fear in it.
"When I was in the Academy, we had an intruder aboard. I happened to be in sickbay when the lights went out, and it was very much like this. Only then, someone ran into me, slamming me into a bulkhead. Got a nice little concussion from that. That wasn't the worst, though. After I was examined from that, a medical cadet decided that she had to find, just had to find, her lost tribble. She saturated the room with pheromone, and in an instant I was transformed into a drooling Neanderthal, bent on the conquest of a female. T'Pren was near, and I grabbed her, quite against her will, and proceeded to....well, you can imagine. The whole thing stopped when I was hypoed with some antidote, leaving me paralyzed." Stephens smiled. "That was quite the adventurous situation. Afterward, I apologized to T'Pren for violating her sensibilities."
Lucy's head came up and she looked sharply in the direction of his voice. "You and T'Pren. I thought there was something there. Between the two of you, I mean."
"Well, I asked her to have dinner with me as a token of my respect for her, and she accepted. But we never had it because the ship was attacked. Later, we were on Risa together, but she was late arriving there, and there was some crazy business with a renegade cat. And then she went back to Vulcan, to undo some bonding ritual, I think. We finally had our dinner, and that's where it is now. I really like her, and I think she's forgiven me."
"From the look she gave me, I would say she has." Standing, Lucy stretched her arms out, touching the softness of the wall behind her. "Are you in love with her? Enough to ask her to marry you?"
It was a dumb question, she knew, but it just came out of her mouth as if someone else was controlling her. She was relieved when he answered.
"I don't know, really. I just haven't thought that far ahead. Speaking of which, we ought to see if we can find a way out of here."
Nodding, which he couldn't see, she was weighing the possibilities of asking him out to dinner. Instead, she managed to hold her tongue long enough to let her mind leap to their current predicament.
"It would be reasonable to assume that if we start in the same place and move in opposite directions around the wall that we would meet directly opposite of where we started. And if there's a door, then we would find it. Soooo, whoever finds the door first gives out a hollar. Whatcha think, lieutenant?"
<Stephens>
Lucy brushed imaginary dust off of her sweaty hands against her Starfleet-issued black slacks and reached out to the wall again.
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