desertpride
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Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
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Post by desertpride on Jul 21, 2009 13:11:26 GMT
Looking back at Commander Garrett as she entered the bridge, He wished he had something to report. They were all standing by waiting for a course of action with a Romulan war ship sitting by looking down there throats. He knew it was a peaceful mission but the Romulans some made it look like a threat of war.
" All I can tell you Commander is the Romulans are playing nice for the moment. Also I dont know what those ship designers are doing but all intense purpose a ship that we should out gun two to one is evenly matched for us from the readings I'm getting. I wanted to do a deeper scan but that would involve up setting the Romulans and thought best to hold off for the moment. If I can get a course heading I might beable to get us moving and focus my energy on following the trail. But with all the ship traffic I'm having a hard time knowing which trail to follow" <Tag Garrett>
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2009 13:23:41 GMT
He was busy studying the ion trail and figuring out which one to follow when he found what he was looking for. It was quite clever on how they hid there trail something he would have to note in his log if they ever needed to do the same thing.
Opening a channel to the bridge to report his findings and hopefully to give his Commander a leg up on the federation as well. " Commander Echal I do believe I have course and bearing there is a small chance for error but I believe I have it bearing 937852, Mark 18. It might help to know if the federation has the same information I do. It would eliminate the chance for error sir."
" I would also suggest that if we follow the ion trail we engage our cloak, let the federation run into what ever is out there first. This way if the need arise we could resecue the federation and cause them some embarcement while bring glory to the Romulan empire. Beside we don't know whats out there and sometimes its wise to peak first before opening the door" <Tag Echal>
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2009 21:44:20 GMT
OOC: I was given specific permission to sim for Nathan during the duration of his LOA. Until his return, tags will be responded to by me."Children? This galaxy is no place for children, not yet anyway. So, perhaps if the polite banter is over, we can get to work," the Romulan doctor replied somewhat curtly. Bristling slightly at how Sural had replied to Nathan’s innocent question, Marina tensed a bit, mentally feeling the weight of her phaser at her hip and wondering if this was merely the first sign of their guest dropping an assumed pleasant persona.In spite of how he may have been feeling at Sural’s rather brusque reply, Nathan didn’t retaliate, merely nodding and moving on. "You mentioned a Bajoran plant?""Yes," Sural continued, seemingly unperturbed by his abruptness and handing the doctor a padd. “The basic genomic trace indicates a Bajoran plant. However, I’m hoping your database can help isolate the exact genus. I doubt the toxin is a natural product of the plant. It is possible it was engineered to produce the bio-toxin or some part of its genome was implanted in a suitable bacterium for harvesting. Either way, isolating the plant may help develop an anti-toxin. Perhaps after all I could have a little time to myself? Rest and allow you to prepare. Shall we reconvene in say an hour?" “Of course,” Nathan replied politely. He wasn’t exactly in a position to deny their guest, no matter how disappointed he may have been at the delay or how personally offended by those comments regarding children, especially considering his infant daughter was currently sleeping in his office. Sural had made a good point though. This pause would give him a chance to catch up, review his colleagues’ research and maybe conduct the autopsies if there was time before the Romulan returned. He certainly wasn’t worrying about a lack of work as he headed back to his office."So Ensign, lead me to my quarters," Sural requested amicably turning to Marina. “This way,” Marina replied, matching his level of courtesy as she gestured to the door. Her ‘flirting’ clearly hadn’t worked with the Romulan, so the security officer had shifted into a just business mode instead. If all Romulan men were as seemingly uninterested in beautiful women like her as Sural, she was very glad to be Human instead of Romulan. Her social life would potentially be seriously damaged if she were to live on Romulus based on his example. It didn’t take long before they had arrived at his assigned guest quarters after a silent but not particularly awkward trip."Thank you, Ensign. I assume you’ll be waiting outside in case anyone tries to steal my front door," Sural stated dryly, offering a wry smile to try and offset the tension. Offering her own wry smile in return, Marina replied, “Well we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Quickly adding, “Should you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” <Tag Sural> After stepping outside, Marina found a security officer on either side of the door. She had actually expected them to be waiting there when they arrived, but apparently, they had erred on the side of caution, waiting until their guest was inside before they took their positions. “I’ve got the door,” Ensign Garrett informed them, moving to stand to the left of the door while they moved further down the corridor. She knew they would be just out of sight but within earshot, should she or Sural need them.
Settling into textbook ‘guard position:’ legs straight, slightly apart, knees not locked, arms folded behind her back, looking ready for anything, Marina may have been paying attention but her mind was also racing. It hadn’t really occurred to her until this moment that her father would be absolutely furious to know a Romulan was aboard a ship his daughters were on also. He had never forgotten that they were responsible for his mother’s death, and blamed them along with Starfleet for her loss. Ensign Garrett couldn’t count the number of times she had heard his speech on the evil of the Romulan Empire and the incompetence of Starfleet. It was ironic now that both his daughters were Starfleet officers and were currently dealing with the Romulans, and although she had never bought into his hatred of Starfleet, the security officer was well aware that the Romulans had killed her grandmother.
So now while she stood guard, a multitude of thoughts running through her mind, Marina took a moment to miss the grandmother she had never met and make a vow to never forget Captain Rachel Garrett, never drop her guard around Romulans or trust them unless that trust was earned, but also to never allow the bitterness that had controlled her father’s life to control hers. It was one thing to have a healthy mistrust for an organization like the Romulan Empire that had proved themselves untrustworthy on numerous occasions and to not like dealing with them, but it was another entirely to allow the past to dictate your perceptions and judgment in the present. Her father had made his own mistakes, and she would not repeat them.~ =/\=Let me see what I can do. I am sure that I should be able to handle this, at least within some fair boundaries. Anyways, merrow, such an operation is never fool proof. Instead, there is a great degree of error. I believe that you should be aware of that.=/\=Megan understood very well that she was asking a lot of him without much time to recover in between tasks. Sifting through hours of detailed and complicated sensor record data, which had probably been tampered with, was painstaking work, just as painstaking as sifting through the multitude of ion trails the attackers left to throw them off. With Pride working on the trails on the bridge and T’Ress working on the records from engineering, Commander Garrett was hoping to have a heading soon. =/\=Murr, I am attempting to pinpoint the conditions now. Yes, yes, I believe I have some of the coordinates of the attacker’s heading, bearing 937852, mark 18. Is that correct according to your approximations? Is there anything further that I should be able to do? Should I perhaps send a star chart to your position?=/\= J’Varr queried. “I’ll pass the heading on to helm,” Megan replied, glad to get things moving but not looking forward to contacting the S’Harien again. “Continue to monitor all systems and observe the warbird for any signs of invasive scans or aggressive moves. We need to be as prepared as possible to handle whatever they might throw our way, so I’ll need you and your department ready for anything, Commander; Garret out.” <Tag J’Varr> OOC: Terrh tags were for Terrh. Lol. You're lucky enough to have a counterpart on the Romulan ship, so it can get a bit confusing. It certainly felt good to be getting underway again, although speaking with Govan again wouldn’t be pleasant, but the sooner they started the next step, the sooner the mission would be over. Stepping out onto the bridge, Megan decided to get a standard report from Commander Pride first before facing Commander Echal again. "All I can tell you, Commander, is the Romulans are playing nice for the moment. Also, I don’t know what those ship designers are doing, but for all intents and purposes, a ship that we should outgun two to one is evenly matched to us from the readings I'm getting. I wanted to do a deeper scan, but that would involve upsetting the Romulans and I thought it best to hold off for the moment. If I can get a course heading, I might be able to get us moving and focus my energy on following the trail. But with all the ship traffic, I'm having a hard time knowing which trail to follow," the pilot reported. “Understood, continue to keep a close eye on them, and forward anything suspicious to Commander T’Ress for further analysis. Set a heading for 937852, mark 18, but wait to engage,” Megan ordered evenly before taking a deep breath to prepare for contacting Govan again. After taking a few moments, Commander Garrett finally addressed Ops. “Open a channel to the S’Harien,” she ordered, steadying herself. <Tag Pride/Govan/All>
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2009 23:03:04 GMT
=/\=Commander Echal, I do believe I have a course and bearing. There is a small chance for error, but I believe I have it, bearing 937852, mark 18. It might help to know if the Federation has the same information I do. It would eliminate the chance for error, Sir. I would also suggest that if we follow the ion trail, we engage our cloak, let the Federation run into whatever is out there first. This way, if the need arises, we could rescue the Federation and cause them some embarrassment while bringing glory to the Romulan Empire. Beside, we don't know what’s out there, and sometimes, it’s wise to peak first, before opening the door,=/\= the Chief Engineer suggested.
“Noted, Echal out,” Govan replied quickly severing the channel. The cloak was a good idea, and it was nice feeling ahead of Starfleet with the heading. It paid off to have competent, and sometimes better than competent, officers under your command. Terrh continued to be highly useful and skilled in his profession. As obnoxious as he could be, and as much as Echal hated to have to rely on others for anything, it was good to know that his crew was so capable and at least moderately trustworthy.
Now the debate came...to contact the Jefferson to ‘casually wonder’ why they had results sooner or to wait and rub it in later. Govan had so many thoughts running through his mind: keep the crew’s confidence up, stay one step ahead of Garrett, be diplomatic. These were the types of things he never had to consider as a Tal Shiar interrogator but had priority as a Commander, along with many other things. Balance wasn’t exactly his strong point, but it was required in spades now. Echal was learning fast, and continuing to learn with each passing moment in command, but it always seemed like the requirements of his position were just out of reach, a single skill or adjustment away, but by the time he’d acquired the skill or made the adjustment, the requirements had been amended to one more step... Although it was frustrating, it was also somewhat rewarding to be gaining new abilities. Even though he was learning and growing, Govan didn’t like to think that command was changing him. He was still the same, just adapting his behavior to suit his position.
So now as he faced down the blank viewscreen, debating whether to contact the Jefferson or wait, Govan felt somewhat calmer, more prepared. He still hoped that Captain Reynolds would appear on the screen instead of Garrett, but he was fully prepared to see her face once again. And at least now, he had plenty of warning. Echal wondered what Tevio was up to…surely he was monitoring their systems for signs of infiltration as ordered, but the Commander knew that the Legate was fully aware he had a prior history with Garrett, and was probably in the process of pulling any number of strings to try and access the records. He was unconcerned that the Lieutenant would be successful. After all, the Tal Shiar was the absolute best at keeping their records concealed, but the last thing he wanted was for Tevio or any of his crew to know about what happened. It had been humiliating enough...
As if on cue, the Ops stationed began to signal an incoming transmission, and the Commander had to try and put aside the past to focus on the present, which was the less than pleasant task of dealing with the Jefferson. “On screen,” he ordered.
<Tag Megan/All>
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Matthew Reynolds
Rear Admiral
"It's good to have an end to a journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end."
Registered: Apr 28, 2005 20:58:32 GMT
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Post by Matthew Reynolds on Jul 24, 2009 18:29:02 GMT
Even though he was not surprised that Megan was able to handle the entire situation on her own, Matt was pleased and proud of her. Seasoned commanding officers still had problems dealing with the Romulans and Megan was doing a seemingly perfect job at it. Matt was also pleased to know that the Romulans had agreed to send over thier cheif medical officer to work with Nathan. While Nathan's loyalty could not be questioned, Matt was not about to send one of his most important crewmembers into a lion's den. Normally these thoughts would have troubled him, but today they were clearing his mind. He knew that his son was in good hands and now he could get down to buisness. As he entered the bridge he noticed all was quiet and he immediately knew why, Commander Govan Echal's face appeared on the viewscreen.
"Commander Echal, I am sorry for my absence earlier, but I'm sure my first officer was more than an adequate substitute," Matt said trying to seem as friendly as possible," I'm happy to know that you allowed your Chief Medical Officer to transport over to the Jefferson. Your gesture of good will and faith will not be forgottened."
(Echal)
"I'm sure that the time for pleasantries are over as well Commander, we are scheduled to report back to Starfleet in a matter of hours. I would like to tell them we have made significant progress," Matt said as he finally took his seat. Matt had learned a very long time ago from Admiral Loskene that to beat a Romulan, you must play thier game ten times better.
(Echal)
"Commander Garrett, I assume you had something to say to the Commander?" Matt said secretly hoping that his counterpart would become angry with his gamemanship.
(Megan)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2009 1:13:51 GMT
OOC: JP between myself and Commander Echal
“Commander Echal,” Megan greeted politely, if not a little coldly. At least now she was over the shock of seeing him again, but it was still far from pleasant. “Doctor Sural is safely aboard and already hard at work with Doctor van Breughel. I have also arranged quarters for him, and we are transmitting a direct hailing frequency to both sickbay and his guest quarters should you wish to speak with him at any time.”
Not particularly happy at the sight of Megan, as he had hoped Captain Reynolds would be on the bridge instead of his nemesis, Govan glanced in the direction of Ops, and a quick nod from the Lieutenant stationed there confirmed that they had received the frequencies. “How...thoughtful of you,” Govan quipped trying his best to tone down the sarcasm. “I am certain he knows how to handle himself without my direct supervision,” he added, dismissing any concern both to emphasize his trust in the caliber of his officers as well as to minimize any threat that she posed.
Biting back any quip of her own and forcing a tight, diplomatic smile, Megan replied, “That is good to know.” Just the sight of him had her on edge, and so to expedite the conversation, Commander Garrett moved on quickly. “Our engineer, Commander T’Ress, has reviewed the sensor records from the colony and determined a course for us to follow. Our new heading is...” she began, interrupted by the sound of the turbolift doors opening, which signaled the arrival of Captain Reynolds on the bridge.
"Commander Echal, I am sorry for my absence earlier, but I'm sure my First Officer was more than an adequate substitute. I am happy to know that you allowed your Chief Medical Officer to transport over to the Jefferson. Your gesture of good will and faith will not be forgotten," Matt addressed the Romulan Commander as Megan rose to vacate the command chair and he moved across the bridge to the center.
“Commander Garrett has offered a perfect representation of the Federation,” Echal replied with a slight sneer. “However, I do believe we should move past all of this typical, diplomatic small talk, and redirect our focus back on the mission at hand.”
"I'm sure that the time for pleasantries is over as well, Commander. We’re scheduled to report back to Starfleet in a matter of hours. I would like to tell them we have made significant progress," Captain Reynolds continued while also taking his seat. “I would similarly like to report back good news to the Star Command, but alas, I have been subjected to waiting for a heading from Commander Garrett since our arrival, but I do believe that your First Officer may have news on that topic for us.”
Subsequently turning in her direction at this, Matt then addressed her. “Commander Garrett, I assume you had something to say to the Commander?” the Captain queried.
Barely able to stand the smug look on Govan’s face, Megan forced a straight face and nodded solemnly. “Yes, I was about to provide Commander Echal with a new heading. Commander T’Ress has determined the attacking vessel’s ion trail is at bearing 937852, mark 18 heading back toward the Neutral Zone and Romulan border.”
The smug look not even wavering, Govan jumped right in. “My engineer has been examining the ion trails and a few moments ago determined that was the most likely choice as the correct trail, so based on this confirmation, I believe he was correct.” Feeling more confident by the minute, Echal continued. “I believe the best course of action would be for the Jefferson to proceed with the S’harien following behind under cloak. I am of the opinion that it benefits both of us to deceive the attackers as to our collaboration. They may be more likely to directly challenge you or make a mistake if they are made unaware of our presence,” the Commander suggested.
Not liking this suggestion one bit due to its advantages for the S’Harien, but also recognizing the benefits of such an arrangement to the mission, Megan felt the need to chime in. “The Jefferson would need to receive real-time position identification at all times to avoid an accidental collision or mistakenly firing on your location. We wouldn’t want to unwittingly inflict any damage on your vessel without realizing it.”
<Tag Matt>
Struggling to keep his expression blank, Govan fought not to show any reaction. “Agreed,” he replied evenly. “Once you get underway, we will follow close behind. Forward any change in course to our helm before making a maneuver, Echal out.”
~
Forcing her shoulders to relax, Megan attempted to calm down before speaking. “Captain, may I speak to you in private?” she requested, knowing there was no way around speaking to her Commanding Officer about the existence of a past with Govan.
<Tag Matt>
Once they were both in the ready room, Commander Garrett forced herself to wait until Matt was seated and had asked if she wanted anything from the replicator. “No, thank you,” she replied, both in answer to the replicator and his gesture for her to sit. “I feel I need to inform you of a prior history between myself and Commander Echal,” Megan began, having rehearsed what she had needed to say many times.
“I am not at liberty to go into details regarding the circumstances or the mission in particular, but we interacted shortly before I transferred to the Jefferson. Needless to say, our contact did not end on good terms and there is a great deal of bad blood between us. In truth, Sir, I…well…played him, and I most likely caused him some embarrassment as a result. I have done my best to keep the past out of our current situation, though there is some palpable tension, but I felt you needed to know. Also, I don’t know his current assignment, but when I knew him, he was a Tal Shiar agent.”
<Tag Matt>
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2009 19:55:47 GMT
Now that Sural had apparently retired to his quarters, and he had no idea when the Romulan would be back to resume their tasks, Nathan stood gazing at the now shut door for several minutes, trying to make up his mind. Since he foresaw that the next few days would be very stressful for him, he decided to take the opportunity to take some time for himself.
"Hannah?"
The head nurse poked her head out from the lab, arching an eyebrow. "I thought you had visitors?"
"So did I, but Mr Sural decided it was time to retire to his quarters, and not come back promptly. He indicated we had work to do, then he suddenly vanishes on me. I don't get it, I thought our mission was important. At any rate, since he's not here, I'm going to take some time for myself. If Sural returns, just have him page me. I'll be in the pool, alone."
Hannah nodded gravely. "Be careful Nathan, I'd rather you didn't go alone. Not with that Romulan walkabout on the station, and an entire ship off our bow that's full of them."
"I'm not worried about the Romulans," Nathan replied coldly, "I'm more worried for those evil people who spread a toxin around that's costing billions of lives. At any rate, I need to work off some of this stress. We don't want me to fall ill again do we."
"Shoo," Hannah smirked, making the appropriate hand motion. "I'll send the Romulan doctor your way, when he comes back."
"Hannah, where would I be without you?"
"Probably nowhere, now shoo. Don't want to see you here for at least an hour. If Jayden's looking for you, I'll send him your way too, and I'll look after Angel until you get back, don't worry. She's safe with me."
"I know. I'm not worried, remember?" Nathan turned on his heels and left sickbay. Five minutes later, he was making laps in the pool, using long and strong strokes to propel himself forward in the water.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2009 12:37:55 GMT
Sural browsed the database for as long as he dared ensuring that some of the searches were in fact relevant to the case in hand. He was delighted by the detail of the medical logs regarding cardassians encountered by various ships. Of course personal details were restricted but Sural wasnt after anyone individual. Memorising what he could he shut down the console and had the replicator produce for him a cool glass of water.
Relaxed he now returned his attentions to the bio-toxin. Aside the potential for his own research there was very little good to be said about it. A thoroughly nasty weapon. Bio weapons research was a lucrative and popular research topic for many Romulan medical staff. It was however something he prefered not to dabble in... well for awhile anyways. At the heart though his goal was in essence the aim laid down by Yanik K'Hallis "Heal all regardless of caste station province. Romulan was Romulan". He had lived by that edict for all his life and found it didnt conflict at all with his research.
Stepping out of his room he was unsurprised to find a pair of security guards waiting for me. "Looking for me" he said dryly "I m afraid I don't know my way around yet. Could you direct me to Sickbay" The ranking officer offered Sural a stoic glance but showed Sural the way with a polite efficient manner.
Sickbay this time was considerably quieter than his last visit. He looked around for the Doctor but could not see him.
"Where is DR Van Breughal" he asked of a passing medical technician, "The doctor has gone to the pool?"
"Yes sir. He went down when he learned you were going to rest." The head nurse said approaching from one of the offices, "He asked me to page him once you returned"
Sural rolled his eyes, this was why you didnt have civilians on a military vessel , they were ineffieicnt. It would never happen on a Romulan Ship.
"I had hoped DR Van Breughal might have taken the time to finish the autopsies so that we could begin the analysis in earnest. I guess I will have to assist now to speed things up."
The nurse gave Sural an odd look and paged Nathan.
"Whilst we wait for him, perhaps you could get me surgical gowns and show me where I can scrub up. Also I need to speak to whoever is in charge. Your database conclusively confirms that this toxins genome was adpted from a plant indigionous to Bajor, one that is now extinct and has been for 25 years."
TAG All
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2009 17:01:01 GMT
Endless reams of in-depth files, monolithically stored data and handwritten notes downloaded into datapad form, all of which were incredibly difficult to find in the first place, and ultimately, equally difficult to analyse. That was what Tevio had had to contend with when looking for the information on whatever history there was between Govan and Garrett - the history that had seemingly invoked such tension in the exchange Tevio had seen.
However, the search itself was not the most frustrating thing. The dubious honour of that went to the fact that he couldn't find one clue. It couldn't be that hard, that was what he'd first told himself when he'd started looking. The Legate doubted that their past run-ins were classified on 'both' sides. And he had considerable access to the 'other' side... Perhaps not enough of it?
"Nothing," said Tevio, once the ready room door had slid shut behind him. He placed a datapad on Echal's sable desk, it showed on its screen a short list of file titles, all that he'd found that may but more likely may not indicate evidence of a history between S'Harien CO and Jefferson XO; the datapad was otherwise empty. Govan watched Tevio step back from the desk.. and the Legate tried to imagine what the Commander was thinking.
Tevio wasn't going to tell Govan how long he had been searching, nor the details of his search, and certainly not the less obvious reasons behind his propulsion to investigate. What he did say was with regard to why there was such a lack of information to find, and he was sure the Commander would soon figure out the subject of his search, if he did not know already.
"Evidence is often hard to come by, yet the lack of it here almost makes me think that what I witnessed on the bridge was a trick of perception," he said. "You know what I mean, of course. Garrett. I saw through your offhand comment regarding her last we spoke." Tevio knew he was playing into Govan's hands with that one, the Commander would've known that his Intelligence officer had realised that.
<Tag Govan>
"There is nothing to find. Why is that? Surely I was not mistaken in my - or rather everyone's - view that there is more than simple Romulan-Human rivalry in this? The efficient running of this ship in adherence with naval demands is what interests me here. If there is a chance that this vessel's Commander could allow himself to be compromised by this Starfleet officer, then it is imperative that I know of the reasons why that would happen.. And how it can be rectified."
Tevio finished pointedly. Govan's personal feelings, his passion that he'd so involved on this point were an affront to what Tevio believed was appropriate. Those thoughts ran deeper than he wished, more so than even he knew himself. They went to dark places, unexplored for a long time, and in a place far from here...
"We have identified the ion trail?" he asked in a change of tack, examining a feature of Govan's office as he spoke.
<Tag Govan>
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2009 19:55:32 GMT
Putting on her brightest smile, Hannah handed the Romulan doctor the items he had requested. "Nathan should be here any minute," she promised, "he's always prompt to respond to a summons." For a summons, it had been. "As for the autopsy, I think he wanted to finish that together with you. He had finished one of the bodies but could find nothing wrong. That is, nothing beyond the toxin, it has him baffled and he could use a second set of expert eyes to give him a fresh look on things."
She crew herself up before the alien doctor. "Remember you're a guest here doctor, I won't have you mistreat our chief medical officer, or disrespect him simply because he holds no Starfleet rank. He does have family in starfleet, and family on a Romulan colony."
"That is enough from you Hannah!" Nathan snapped curtly as he walked in, his hair still damp and tousled. "I decide who knows what, in regards to my private life. I trust you to look after Angel while Doctor Sural and I are in conference. Jayden will come to pick her up after his shift."
Hannah sighed, knowing she had overstepped the line. "Yes doctor," she replied contritely.
Nathan smiled wanly, before gesturing Sural to another room. "We walk through the sterile field, no scrubbing up is necessary. Besides, it's a corpse, not a live patient. However with this toxin, caution is necessary, and I propose we work under quarantine conditions. Agreed?"
He led the other doctor to the morgue, where the body was lying on a metal slab, a tray of tools on the side of it. "What can you tell me about the Bajoran plant you mentioned, other than it being extinct for 25 years? I fear that herbology is somewhat out of my league."
tag: sural
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2009 4:03:26 GMT
After setting the course to follow the Jefferson, Govan retreated to his ready room. He hated that Garrett was able to get to him so easily, but there didn’t appear to be anything he could do about it. She was practically under his skin and inside his mind. So far in this encounter, things seemed to be fairly even, win some lose some on both sides, and as far as Commander Echal was concerned, he’d be perfectly happy with that as long as she didn’t get the best of him again at the end of all this. His thoughts were interrupted by the door chime, and erasing the worry from his face and putting his customary scowl in its place, he granted the ‘intruder’ admittance.
"Nothing," the Legate stated without preamble before placing a datapadd on the desk. Raising his eyebrow at the rather abrupt entrance, Govan said nothing, and merely allowed him to continue. "Evidence is often hard to come by, yet the lack of it here almost makes me think that what I witnessed on the bridge was a trick of perception. You know what I mean, of course. Garrett. I saw through your offhand comment regarding her last we spoke,” he commented, finally revealing the subject. "There is nothing to find. Why is that? Surely I was not mistaken in my - or rather everyone's - view that there is more than simple Romulan-Human rivalry in this? The efficient running of this ship in adherence with naval demands is what interests me here. If there is a chance that this vessel's Commander could allow himself to be compromised by this Starfleet officer…then it is imperative that I know of the reasons why that would happen… And how it can be rectified," Tevio concluded.
Fighting back his temper, as most likely another outburst was what the Intelligence Officer wanted, Echal bit back an angry retort and instead smiled triumphantly. “You found nothing because there is nothing for you to find. My dealings with Garrett, if indeed such an encounter occurred, would be highly classified by the Tal Shiar, and therefore, out of your reach. As for your concern regarding her potential for corrupting Captain Reynolds, such an idea is preposterous at best and most likely stems from your unwarranted mistrust of the Tal Shiar. Conflicts and competitions aside, we all work for the best interests of the Empire, just as they all work for the best interests of the Federation, just at different levels and in different ways. These are internal matters, and hardly affect those on the outside. The most we can do is be prepared for anything and for you to do as I requested and monitor our systems to prevent compromise, so I suggest you do as ordered, focus on the mission at hand, and keep your incessant inquisitiveness from interfering with your duties, Lieutenant.”
Instead of replying directly, the Legate changed the subject, back to the mission where it rightfully belonged. "We have identified the ion trail?" he questioned calmly.
Allowing the switch, Govan replied, “Yes, Sub-Commander Virh located the correct trail just before the Jefferson informed us of the correct trajectory from the sensor records, which matched our findings. They set a course, and we are following under cloak so as to confuse our shared adversary and also to serve as an advantage to us. We are of course required to continually send them our position, but we can easily either falsify our position or cease transmission if that becomes necessary. Now, I suggest you follow your previous orders and stop wasting time. Dismissed.”
<Tag Tevio>
Leaning back in his chair, Govan was starting to feel weary, though he had done nothing deserving of such fatigue. He was confident Ch’varak would find nothing if he continued to search for records of Garrett, as they had been buried to protect not only his own career but those of several other, higher-ranking officers, but the mere thought of that blunder being revealed was…concerning. It was bad enough to be reliving it over and over in his memory as he had since the all-too-familiar face had appeared on the screen. At least this time he had a better idea of who wore such a deceivingly young, innocent face, as beneath was anything but innocent...
~Three and a Half Years Earlier~
Striding through the dimly lit corridors of one of the Tal Shiar’s secretive bases, then Centurion Echal had been summoned by the Base XO. Govan had a theory as to the reason for this call and sincerely hoped he was correct. He had been involved in an interrogation, one which had just recently come to an end, but even with all his attention on his task, Echal hadn’t missed the whispered rumors that a Human girl had been caught on the base itself, an almost unheard of event. If he was right, interrogation of the prisoner was about to be assigned to him, something which was quite appealing. To be captured red-handed, so to speak, on a Romulan base, not to mention a Tal Shiar one, was a massive misstep. Any interrogator would have almost unlimited power in such a situation, and success would bring great reward.
After signaling for admittance and being granted entrance, the Centurion entered the room and moved to stand at attention across from the large desk of steel and stone. “You wished to speak with me, Sub-Colonel,” Govan addressed his superior.
“I did,” the base XO replied. “No doubt you have heard of the human caught on the second level,” Sub-Colonel Kalad stated allowing a single nod from Govan before continuing. “Both Colonel Parem and I have spoken with her and although we are in agreement as to a necessary course of action and the likelihood of a Federation conspiracy, we are both…unsettled. Before beginning a full interrogation, we would like you to speak with her to determine if you’ll reach a similar supposition.”
This was highly unusual, and for a moment, Echal wondered if this was some sort of trap, if one of his enemies had set him up. Kalad’s cold eyes betrayed nothing, but clearly, Govan had no choice. “I will speak with her, and whatever...supposition I reach, I will then conduct the interrogation, which as you said, will be necessary.”
A hint of a smirk crossed the Sub-Colonel’s lips, only to vanish as if it had never existed. “I had a feeling that you might volunteer. Speak with her immediately and then report directly to me. I am…most interested to discover if you will agree us.”
Realizing he had stepped into a trap, whether it had been intentionally set or not, Govan nodded stoically. “Yes, Sub-Colonel,” Echal stated, bowing slightly before turning on his heel to leave. Although he would reach his own conclusions based on what he saw and heard, the thought of disagreeing with the command team and the potential consequences of such a disagreement were difficult to dismiss.
~
Shaking the ghosts from his mind, Govan forced himself to rise from his chair and head back to the bridge in the hopes that being around the others might keep his thoughts from returning there. As he strode toward his chair, he requested a report.
“We are at Warp 9 a safe distance behind the Jefferson. Our cloak is operational, and we are transmitting a continual position update to the Jefferson’s helm as you requested. My tactical teams are running nearly continual drills to ensure readiness, and so far, the Jefferson has not made any aggressive moves or invasive scans.”
Nodding in acknowledgement of the report, Govan opened a channel to the Engine Room. “Echal to Virh, I want you to begin work on ways to modify our positional transmission in a way that would be undetectable to the Jefferson. We need a way to falsify our position without them knowing should the need arise. Run whatever tests or simulations to ensure the Jefferson would remain unaware,” he ordered.
<Tag Terrh>
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2009 7:14:41 GMT
“I’ll pass the heading on to helm,” Megan replied, glad to get things moving but not looking forward to contacting the S’Harien again. “Continue to monitor all systems and observe the warbird for any signs of invasive scans or aggressive moves. We need to be as prepared as possible to handle whatever they might throw our way, so I’ll need you and your department ready for anything, Commander; Garret out.” The feline looked up from his post as he often did, finally having taken up the records on his screen into memory. He believed that when dealing with the Romulans, it would be most apropos. He was certain that they would be memorizing every detail regarding the Jefferson as possible. Of course, they technically were not engaged, of course. However, he had grown most distrustful of meetings like this. Old enemies had often returned to study, regardless of the current political situation. It was important to stay on top of things for any situation. T’Ress nodded carefully, though he knew of course that Megan could not see him perform this action. He then started to reply to her, “I am doing so, murr. I am also trying to commit as much of the data to memory. Merrow, I am sure that they would not try anything at the moment. Nevertheless, murr, it is always important to be prepared. Is there anything else that I may continue my examination on?” He would not have admitted it, however, the rapid absorption of technical data was something that he had enjoyed to no end. This was a life and death game to him, but it was a game all the same. He was akin to a child in a candy store, though to say so would damage his dignity. The feline kept silent. OOC: Eh, hehe. I am so sorry for misreading that. I…hope I don’t look like an idiot now
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2009 2:10:08 GMT
Her break now over, Marina contacted the guards outside of the Romulan doctor’s quarters only to discover that her charge had returned to sickbay. “Figures...” she muttered to herself as she halted the turbolift to change its course. She had only taken half an hour or so to run and get something to eat, and that was the moment Sural had chosen to leave, of course. It always seemed to work that way, and now the security officer had to hurry to sickbay knowing full well that finding two unknown guards outside his door rather than her had probably not improved their situation.
Not quite running, but certainly hurrying to sickbay, Marina skidded slightly on her way in, only to find the medical center eerily quiet, with a few medical staff working on…well whatever it was that they did without patients. Frowning in confusion, the Ensign noticed a pair of security guards on either side of the door to the morgue as a supplement to the two outside sickbay. “The doctors are conducting autopsies,” one informed her without request. “They have been inside for nearly ten minutes.”
Relaxing somewhat, as at least now she knew where Sural was and what he was doing, Marina nodded. “Thanks. You two can return to your previous positions. I’ll take the door and will resume escort duties,” she added, having also located two other, discretely placed officers inside of sickbay. With two in sickbay, and the two outside, these two could return to their assignment, to discretely follow the doctor, whenever he left sickbay, and then guard from a distance at his next destination as well. There was most likely another pair of guards on either side of the door on the other side of the morgue, and two more positioned near the guest quarters to ensure he was properly guarded at all times and to cover all their security bases.
There was no way she was going inside the morgue to watch an autopsy. It may have been fascinating, but since her duty was to guard their guest, it would only serve as a distraction, a potentially disgusting one considering she had just eaten. So instead, Marina would remain guarding the door between the morgue and main sickbay, on the sickbay side of the door. Not particularly exciting, but at least safe.
From her position, she could see into Nathan’s office just a little and could see the head nurse, Hannah, holding Angel, who looked absolutely adorable and content. A few feet away, one of Nathan’s cats was stretched out against the wall casually giving itself a bath, so at least she wasn’t completely bored. And now, she turned her attention to the challenge of trying to get the cat to come over without anyone noticing she was calling him. She loved cats, and at least it was something to do.
~
=/\=I am doing so, murr. I am also trying to commit as much of the data to memory. Merrow, I am sure that they would not try anything at the moment. Nevertheless, murr, it is always important to be prepared. Is there anything else that I may continue my examination on?/\= the feline requested, and Megan appreciated his willingness.
“Actually yes, Commander, there is. I know we’ve lost sensors on the warbird now that they’re cloaked, but I would like you to review all the sensor records we have on them. Based on the information we have, we should outgun them, but what we were seeing did not confirm that. I want you to try and determine what is causing the inconsistency and what sort of modifications have been made,” she requested.
<Tag J’Varr>
Anything they could learn about the S’Harien that could provide them with any sort of advantage would be useful, and Megan couldn’t think of a better person for the job than their Chief Engineer. Her...feelings regarding Commander Echal aside, it was important to take every opportunity possible and do whatever it took to get an edge, in spite of and because of Govan Echal. Rising from the command chair, the First Officer decided to implement her second idea. “Commander Pride, Lieutenant Tavik,” she addressed the helmsman and the Operations Chief, “I have something I would like the two of you to collaborate on, something I believe would benefit from both of your expertise,” she began, taking a few steps forward to stand between the two forward consoles, helm and ops, to speak more directly to the two of them.
“Right now, we are receiving a real-time stream of the position of the S’Harien. It would be easy enough for them to find a way to manipulate the data or to simply cease transmitting, but I believe they wouldn’t yet have had time to discover a way to do so without our knowledge. Therefore, I want the two of you to closely monitor the coordinates provided at all times and determine if there’s a way to detect their vessel’s presence without receiving telemetry. Historically, there’s always been some indication of a cloaked ship, engine emissions or spatial distortions, and with each modification, the indication usually changes. As this is a more recent design with newer systems and different modifications, we don’t know what that indicator is, but knowing their position while cloaked gives us a perfect opportunity to discover what the flaw in this new cloak is. We should have ample time during this mission, and with the two of you monitoring the sensors, I fully believe that you will find it.”
<Tag Pride and Valad>
Returning to the center chair, Megan was trying to force herself to relax but failing miserably. Ever since seeing his face on the viewscreen, she hadn’t been able to get the events of over three years ago out of her mind. Commander Garrett never had been the type to dwell on the past, rather preferring to deal with the situation at hand as it occurred, take a short period of time, whether hours or days, to then reflect on the situation and deal with the emotions involved, and finally, to push the events from her mind and thoughts and move on without intentionally thinking about them again. It may not have been the healthiest way to handle traumatic events from a psychological standpoint, but it was easiest and served her well over the years. The only unfortunate side effect of this method was a moment like this, when the past returned and no amount of control could keep the memories from her thoughts.
~
There had been no other way. In spite of everything, the only way to complete her mission was to end up a prisoner of the Tal Shiar. The reasons were complicated, and considering everything she’d already accomplished, the conclusion incredibly frustrating, but there had been no way around it. Fortunately, Megan had carefully chosen how she was captured to fit in with her story, and when caught, had given in immediately and burst into tears before allowing herself to be led to a cell by the stoic, yet somewhat confused guards. It was all part of the plan, and the records they would find would support the story she would tell. It wouldn’t entirely prevent an interrogation of course, but it might delay it, and if she managed to get to the interrogator, the slightest bit of sympathy would help her hold out that much longer.
Already, two high-ranking officers had been in to speak with her, which she took as a good sign. If she’d immediately presented as a serious threat, a top interrogator would have arrived and begun by now. Based on the ranks, she had spoken with the command team, which meant they were trying to figure out what to do with her. Her instinct was that she had gotten to them at least a little bit, the seed of doubt forming in their minds that perhaps she was telling the truth and wasn’t a threat to them. Just that little reservation could mean the difference between life and death. It was true that most Romulans, especially Tal Shiar, were cold and suspicious, but even they could be fooled if the evidence was overwhelming and if their instincts were deceived into believing the story being told might be true. That was her goal.
So now, as she sat on the bench of what appeared to be a regular level detention cell, arms wrapped around her legs, tear streaked face resting against her knees, Megan mentally prepared herself for the next step. The command staff may have been hardened, but a seasoned interrogator was a whole other challenge, one that if she had to guess was coming next. Her story was good, her acting just as good, and the evidence set. Even if she were to play everything perfectly, this still wasn’t going to be easy or fun, but maybe, just maybe, she’d get out of it alive and complete the mission. She’d accepted this assignment knowing full well that it could easily be a suicide mission, but either way, Lieutenant Garrett was determined to finish it.
~
Jumping slightly as her console indicated an incoming alert, Megan quickly took a moment to gather her thoughts before pulling up the new message. She’d written a program to monitor their Romulan guest’s computer usage, and the complete list was now ready. Scrolling through the list of files accessed and searches conducted, Commander Garrett was pleased to see that everything was medical or biological in keeping with what he should have been looking at, but the topic was surprising. The toxin being Bajoran in origin had been determined, but the focus of his queries being focused mainly on Cardassian physiology was...interesting to say the least.
Checking the internal sensors and seeing that Sural was currently in the morgue with Nathan, so contacting the doctor to inform him of this development wasn’t an option. Instead, Megan wrote a quick message with the full list of files and records accessed by the Romulan, and sent it, encrypted of course, to his office console. With everything else going on, the First Officer hadn’t had the time to keep up with the scientific research into the toxin, so she didn’t know whether Cardassian biology was significant or not, but either way, she would make sure Nathan was informed.
<Tag Nathan>
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2009 9:53:42 GMT
Raltorr sat alone a moment in the cabin musing their current position. Galactically they were hurtling along the Romulan/Federation border ducking into to either side to avoid patrols of either parties. Disconcertingly a pair of sensor readings were on the extreme range of sensors one Romulan, one Federation was it possible the two were working together. A by product no doubt of hitting both Federation and Romulan targets.
The starfleet captain was asleep in the back leaving Raltorr to his machinations. If they were being pursued their rendezvous with their employer would provide a hefty risk of capture however the opportunity to test the toxin on a third humanoid species was tempting especially as it would open up the market to a more lucrative pay off. Raltorr was unconcerned about betraying his employer he was unconcerned about betraying anyone.
Without consulting his partner Raltorr dropped their ship out of warp and at full impulse entered a star system. A system of 8 planets most of which were uninhabitable was home to a single M-class planet in the goldilocks zone. Not fully colonised the planet was a small outpost of scientists, engineers and biotechnologists that his employer Karmek had been hiding out in for years.
Guiding the ship down to the planets landing pad Raltorr intentionally over shot and hid the ship in a secluded glade. Tapping the comm he called Karmek.
"What are you doing?" hissed the Cardassian "We are not supposed to meet for three days"
Raltorr shrugged, "Things change. We need to meet."
"Out of the question" Karmek paused "Do you have it?"
Raltor smiled, "Of course and it works perfectly. You will be able to avenge your Order quite adequatly"
Karmek nodded, "Very well. I ll meet you in the central plaza"
Raltorr strapped on a disruptor and went to wake his partner. They would take the toxin and if he didnt comply with an increased payment then the toxin would be unleashed on him and a new buyer would be sought.
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2009 9:51:35 GMT
Sural eyed the Doctor a moment.
"If you don't mind I will scrub up. You Federation like my own government rely too much on technology. What if the sterile field were to fail. This isnt some school boy outing this toxin is deadly"
TAG Nathan
"Well lets get to work"Sural replied ignoring Nathan.
The nurse brought in the first casualty. Sural and Nathan switched in to proffessional mode and began a thorough autopsy,
"See here the internal organs have only just begun liquefaction. In the Romulan bodies by this time the pleural cavity was filled with an organ soup" Sural noted
"So there is a range of effects dependant upon species"
"It also suggests that the Tal Shair had not adapted it to be fully effective to Humans. In fact I can detect no further tinkering since its original synthesis."
Nathan looked up, "Then the toxin is 25 years old"
Sural nodded, "It looks so. Odd that we have no evidence of its use in that intervening time"
Following a brief break during which Sural was able to reflect on Nathans work in which he decided that the clinician was professional enough they moved on to a second body.
Sural made a primary cavity incision along the sterum with a laser scalpel and gasped in interest, "No liquefaction at all"
"Remarkable" Nathan noted running a scanner over the body, "The toxin is present in the lung tissue and yet the alveoli are intact."
"The toxin didn't kill him" Sural stated "Look here" he pointed out the lung tissue "This man died of asphyxiation from the Toxin in aersol form not from the toxicity of it."
"Then we have perhaps a base for an antidote" Nathan noted, "If this is a resistant person we could..."
Sural held up a hand, "Not so fast" he stated calmly "Note the species of this patient"
Nathan looked at the body, the body of a Bajoran. "Ah I see what your thinking. The toxin wasnt ineffective, it was engineered specifically to not be toxic to Bajorans."
"Exactly. You have no idea how exciting this is" Sural said with glee, perhaps finally he had found something of notable use in his personal quest.
Nathan frowned at the note of excitement, "I think perhaps we need to report this to the Captain."
"Of course I will inform my Commander and you your Captain"
TAG Nathan + Govan
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2009 21:44:04 GMT
ooc: Mr Sural, please don't presume what nathan will say. I prefer to write my own character's lines.
on: "Of course I will inform my Commander and you your Captain"
"Certainly," Nathan replied, "I'll be in my office doctor, if you've need of me." The Human left the Romulan to his own devices, while he walked into his own office. Angel, fortunately, was still asleep, though the doctor knew he needed to feed her.
Quietly, he replicated a bottle with baby formula and lifted her from the crib, while accessing a message that flashed across his screen. His mouth tightened into a thin line as he read the message from the first officer. He hadn't been informed about a possible Cardassian link, and wondered if he should confront Sural about this new information. For now, however, he decided not to act on it but replied a suggestion about the Romulan's search patterns being monitored and passed on to him. Also, he put in a request for a phaser, for safety's sake. He still wasn't adept at using one, but on a stun setting, and if given ample time, he was a decent shot now. If he took his time aiming.
After feeding Angel, he contacted Jayden to come pick her up, then walked back into sickbay. "Please use my office, if you need to send your message," he offered, knowing the message too would be monitored. At least authorisation was required, for searches on his own computer, so he knew Sural wouldn't be able to access his terminal information, without his authorisation.
"When you're done, meet me on the bridge. We'll go over our findings with my captain, before we take it all to yours." He was quite eager to see a Romulan infirmary, and would go at length to go see one. At that moment, Jayden walked in. The young marine beelined for his mate, giving a quick hug and kiss, before entering the office to retrieve the baby. "I'll be home soon," Nathan promised. Jayden smiled knowingly, knowing his mate wouldn't be home anytime soon. He looked far too excited to give up so soon. "We'll see," he replied with a smile, before walking out.
Nathan smiled too, ignoring any response from Sural on the clear display of affection. He walked out of sickbay as well and headed for the bridge. Once there, he reported their findings to both Matt Reynolds and Megan Garrett. He took a few deep breaths, gathering his courage, before making his next request. "I want to go over to the S'harien," he informed them, "I need to see Sural's infirmary and see his own specimens for myself. I am aware of the danger involved, but the risk to the Federation is too high not to take it. I believe that Sural might be hiding things from me, and the only way to learn, may be to see for myself. I'm not making this request lightly."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2009 23:49:47 GMT
Following the ion trail so far had been actually boring. With J’Varr and Valad hard at work on their assignments, Nathan and Marina in sickbay with their guest, and Matt sitting in his command chair next to hers, things were very quiet but far from relaxing. Megan knew the S’Harien was following close behind and even had their position displayed on her console as transmitted to them, but knowing how easily the Romulans could manipulate the data or just stop sending them this information was disconcerting. So while handling all her usual duties, Commander Garrett was also closely monitoring Sural’s every move on internal sensors and the computer, as well as keeping a close eye on the sensors and working to help identify how to detect the warbird’s presence. It may have already been assigned, but she didn’t want to sit around doing nothing when something so important needed to be done.
While multi-tasking her various responsibilities, the turbolift doors opened to allow Doctor van Breughel to exit, and without preamble, he headed straight for them. "I want to go over to the S'Harien. I need to see Sural's infirmary and see his own specimens for myself. I am aware of the danger involved, but the risk to the Federation is too high not to take it. I believe that Sural might be hiding things from me, and the only way to learn may be to see for myself. I'm not making this request lightly."
“Absolutely not,” Megan responded without even considering the fact that Captain Reynolds should have been first to respond. “It’s far too dangerous to allow anyone to board that ship, especially without the proper resources and training, let alone a civilian doctor with very little tactical ability.” Finally realizing that she had spoken out of turn, Commander Garrett added, “I would strongly recommend against it.”
<Tag Nathan/Matt>
~
Having observed from a quiet distance, Marina watched as Nathan left sickbay and Sural entered the office. So far, the Romulan doctor hadn’t created much trouble, and for that, the Ensign was grateful. However, the tension that seemed to follow their guest was unmistakable. This was her first encounter with Romulans or with any non-Federation/ally, and she was quickly learning how different it was. There wasn’t this much stress or mistrust with any of the criminals she had encountered.
Once Sural left the office, it would be her responsibility to escort him to the bridge, as she’d overheard Nathan request before he left. From there, Marina didn’t know what to expect or what would happen next. This whole situation was so unfamiliar and nerve-racking the security officer felt a bit on edge. It was also frustrating not knowing what was going on with the big picture, and it made her think that Megan had it so much easier being so high up in the command structure. Then again, to know what was going on meant you had to make the decisions, and Ensign Garrett didn’t feel quite like that kind of intense pressure was worth having the knowledge. So, she simply waited for Sural to emerge, supposing she would know more soon enough and would deal with what was next as it came up rather than worry about it.
<Tag Sural>
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Valad Tavik
Lt. Commander
Registered: Sept 11, 2008 4:29:47 GMT
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Post by Valad Tavik on Aug 11, 2009 1:42:31 GMT
Valad sat at the Ops console, simply staring at the screen watching the coordinates that the S'Harien was hopefully transmitting. It was blank, as if nothing was there. He tried everything the Starfleet "Book of Knowldge" had taught him at the academy. Nothing worked, but could he really expect it to? The Romulans were experts at keeping themselves hidden from Starfleet. This wasn't going to be easy.
His official duty shift came to its end. The relief officer arrived to take over. Valad got out of the chair and said, "If anything pops up out of the ordianry, let me know immediately. I'm going to watch from the office. He turned and walked up to Commander Garrett and Captain Rwynolds. "Captain, Commander, I'm going to keep watch from the Ops office and see if can get the opinions of some engineers and tactical officers to find some new ideas. I've exausted Starfleet's supply."
(Tag Matt/Megan)
"I'll let you know if I come up with anything."
Valad left the bridge on his way to the ops office. "Computer, transfer all telemetry and data we have rescieved from the S'Harien and all data we have got on sensors to the ops office." The computer bleeped in response. He felt the turbolift move downward from the bridge. The ride was extra smooth, almost relaxing. It came to a stop, much to Valad's dismay, and the doors opened. He walked down the corridor to the ops office. He walked to the main console to look back over the data that had come in. There's just nothing here at all. Not a thing.
Valad called up all the information on all ships of the S'Harien's make. It wasn't much since it is one of the newer models. Valad looked through it and looked through it. Finding nothing at first glance, he took the data padd that he had downloaded the information on and took it with him to the mess hall, where he ordered some food. His favorite meal was fried eggs with a nice, juicy ribeye next to it. His mouth watered, but he settled on the special of the kitchen, which seemed to be the new mystery meat of the day. I'm gonna regret this.... he said to himself as he took a bite. He was almost shocked to find that it tasted rather good. Valad chuckled to himself as he contnued eating and took another look at the data padd.
"Mind if I join you?" inquired a pleasant voice. Valad looked up to see D'Etora.
He smiled and said, "Glad to see you up and about. How you feeling?" Valad stood up to give her a hug. As he sat back down, he gave her an up and down look. She looked great.
"Better. I'm ready to get back to work. I'm bored out of my mind." She sounded completely annoyed, but who could blame her? Valad handed his data padd over to her.
"I'm trying to find a way to penetrate their cloak. You know basic stuff. Take a look." He watched her as she looked over the data. His eyes travelled all over her body that was visible. Her dark flowing hair, her slim but toned arms, her brilliantly tanned skin...........
"Er hem." She coughed at him. "You alright?" she asked sarcastically.
Busted! "Oh yeah I'm fine." Valad smiled as innocently as he could, while D'Etora shook her head, looked back down, and muttered something under her breath that Valad vaguely recognized as the word 'men.' "It's Valdore class isn't it? Ultimately not all that powerful compared to the Jefferson but it does have the cloak." She perused the padd more and Valad finished his meal. "I think I might think of some stuff if I was at a computer. You might want to take this to Commander T'Ress. He might be able to provide some insight for you." Seeing he was done, she said, "I'm heading back to my quarters . . ."
Valad interrupted, "Mind if I walk you back?"
D'Etora replied, "Sure. I'd like that."
A few minutes later Valad and D'Etora found themselves at her door. She grabbed his hand gently and squeezed it. "Thanks," she said.
Valad was a slight bit confused. "For what?"
"For everything." She leaned over to him and kissed him on the cheek. She smiled at him as she walked into her room and the door shut behind her. Valad eyebrows raised. Wow!
Valad afterwards walked into engineering and found Commander T'Ress working as usual. "You look like you have been ordered around by Commander Garrett! What did she task our expert engineer to do this time?"
(Tag J'Varr)
"Alright then. Well I've come with a question. I'm trying to penetrate a cloak. Any thoughts on how I can do that?"
(Tag J'Varr)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2009 20:19:18 GMT
“Absolutely not,” Megan responded without even considering the fact that Captain Reynolds should have been first to respond. “It’s far too dangerous to allow anyone to board that ship, especially without the proper resources and training, let alone a civilian doctor with very little tactical ability.” Finally realizing that she had spoken out of turn, Commander Garrett added, “I would strongly recommend against it.”
"But..." Nathan started, though a single look from Megan instantly silenced him. He shook his head, his disappointment quite evident. "Understood ma'am," he answered properly, then left the bridge. There was no way he was staying on Jefferson for his own safety, when the lives of millions were at stake. He returned to sickbay, forgetting that he'd requested Sural meet him on the bridge. "Hannah, I need a favour," he called as he entered.
Hannah came from the office. "Yes?" she queried, eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Look after Angel until Jayden comes for her. I'm going to be out of touch for a few hours."
The senior nurse frowned. "You're not going to do anything stupid or reckless, are you?"
Nathan shook his head, while prepping his medkit and shoving two hyposprays in the pocket of his Starfleet blue labcoat. "Not by my reckoning, no. I'm not telling you, so you can honestly claim you didn't know what I was doing. I'll see you in a few hours. You're priceless Hannah, and irreplaceable." He nodded to her once, kissed Angel goodbye, then headed for the transporter room. "I need to go to the S'harien," he stated formally, gripping the hypo in his pocket tightly with his left hand, while his right held on to the medkit, which was strapped across his shoulder.
"Clearance?" the duty officer demanded, upon which Nathan stepped up to him and pressed the hypo against his throat. The poor officer never knew what happened to him. Nathan peered at the controls and studied them for a few seconds. He knew how a transporter worked, and he knew that the S'harien was close. Beaming to a cloaked vessel was extremely dangerous, but he felt it was worth the risk. His only wish was that Sural was here with him, but he couldn't chance the Romulan doctor raising the alarm here on Jefferson. He was certain the Romulan would follow him back.
Seconds later, and highly disoriented, Nathan materialised on a Romulan transporter pad. "I am Doctor Nathan van Breughel," he stated clearly, "I wish to see Commander Govan, after which I request to be escorted to the medical bay, to review your samples from the alien virus."
Meanwhile on the Jefferson: Jayden strolled into sickbay, Freddy following him on his heels, talking endlessly and without pause. On occasion, the marine nodded, or shook his head but said little. "Hannah, I was supposed to be meeting Nathan here....where is he?"
Hannah shrugged. "I don't know Jayden. He only said he'd be gone for a few hours...and that I was to hand Angel to you." She gave him an apologetic look. "I think he's gone and done something stupid Jayden...like going over to the Romulan ship. I heard him talk about wanting that."
Jayden flushed in anger. "Of all the..." he raged, then slapped his combadge. "Mitchell to bridge. Please locate my husband....is he still aboard?"
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Valad Tavik
Lt. Commander
Registered: Sept 11, 2008 4:29:47 GMT
Posts: 180
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Post by Valad Tavik on Aug 12, 2009 21:33:45 GMT
(OOC: I thought I'd put my two cents in on this topic)
ON: An unnamed officer at ops:
The operations officer continued to watch the coordianted Lt. Tavik had informed him of. It was like nothing was there. She was beginning to fall asleep at the station.
"Mitchell to bridge. Please locate my husband....is he still aboard?"
Figuring she would take a step ahead, the ops officer tracked the doctor's signal. Indeed he was not on the ship.
"Commander, Dr. van Breughel is not onboard. Scanning for him now." The officer scanned for the doctor's comm signal. "His signal is transmitting from his quarters, but I don't see his biosignature." Sje tapped a few more buttons. "There was an unauthorized transport to the coordiantes of the S'Harien."
(tag Megan)
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Valad Tavik
Lt. Commander
Registered: Sept 11, 2008 4:29:47 GMT
Posts: 180
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Post by Valad Tavik on Aug 13, 2009 20:11:47 GMT
The doctor of the USS Jefferson materialized in front of the Romulan officer. Immediately, the doctor gave his demands. "Let me remind you, Federation Doctor, that you are aboard a Romulan vessel. You will only speak if spoken to. I will not tolerate this arrogance and neither will Commander Govan." The Romulan turned to exit the transporter room. "Follow me."
Brows arched in surprise, Nathan stepped off the transporter pad. 'I'm well aware of that," he replied acidly, offering a sour smile. "You're not the first Romulan I've worked with..."
The officer ignored the statement. He lead the doctor down the hallway on their way to the bridge. In an interrogative, but almost monotonous tone, the officer asked, "What is the extent of your mission on this ship?"
Nathan rolled his eyes, were Romulan officers really this naive? "I'm here because Sural is in my sickbay. We're working together on finding acure against the toxin that terrorists have been using against both Romulan and Federation colonies." He smiled pleasantly. "And I'm very interested in seeing Sural's workplace, since he's had a good look around mine. He's busy but he should be joining me later..."
The Romulan stopped. "The bridge is busy at the moment. We will go to the doctor's area first." He led the doctor down a series of hallways. During this walk, he asked the doctor several more questions. "I am trained as a secondary doctor's assistant so I am well aware of the antivirus. How far are you from finding the cure?"
There is no antivirus as yet," Nathan explained patiently, happy to be discussing his work. "So far, we have discovered that the toxin is of Bajoran origin, but that's all we've got. I was hoping that my looking at Sural's work, might give us some fresh insights."
The Romulan nodded. "Indeed it might. Our doctor is very skilled." They continued along. Upon reaching the sickbay, the Romulan stopped short. He turned to the doctor. "Your time in here is very limited, doctor. Inside is a starfleet data padd that you can download the information you feel is adequate. You have fifteen minutes." The Romula opened the sickbay doors and allowed the doctor in.
Fifreen minutes, Nathan mused, as he frowned, that wasn't nearly enough! "It'll have to do," he scowled as he walked in. The room looked strange, yet familiar all the same. Since he was pretty much a guest, he didn't want to touch Sural's precious equipment, but instead beelined to what he assumed would be the morgue. Most of the bodies here were Romulan, and Nathan took all the scans he could, in the brief time he was given. By the time his time was up, he wasn't even halfway in analysing his data. He was lost in his scans, and lost all track of time.
The Romulan watched the doctor as he began to take scans of the deceased bodies. ~Interesting~ he thought to himself. The Romulan walked over to a comm panel and sent a message to Commander Govan, informing him of the Doctor's unauthorized arrival and that he was in custody. A short time later, the Romulan stopped the doctor amidst his scanning. "Its time for us to advance to the bridge." The Romulan exited the sickbay and waited for the doctor to follow.
Nathan turned, studying the young officer before him. "What is your name?" he asked suddenly, "and your rank?"
"My name is irrelevant to you. You many refer to me by my rank of Sub-Lieutenant."
Nathan shrugged indifferently. "Suit yourself," he replied. "We were going to the bridge?" he prompted, shouldering his medkit, while snapping his tricorder shut and putting it back into the right pocket of his labcoat.
"Yes." The Romulan Sub-Lieutenant escorted the doctor silently the rest of the way to the bridge. Upon their entrance, the Romulan politely approached the Commander and said, "Sir, our guest has arrived."
Nathan waited patiently, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Doctor Nathan van Breughel," he replied, in Rihannsu, "your sub-lieutenant was so kind to give me a brief time in your doctor's medical bay. He then took me here. Unfortunately, I'm going to need time to study all my new information, but you have my word I'll share my findings with Sural. More lives are at state, with each minute we delay." He was passionate about saving lives, and his showed in his very demeanour.
(tag Govan)
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2009 5:31:55 GMT
Brooding in his chair on the bridge, Govan’s mind was still a million miles and three years away. The S’Harien was cloaked and simply following the Jefferson without anything else to demand his attention. With Terrh in the Engine Room keeping them going and the helmsman imputing their course and monitoring their speed, there really wasn’t much for the Commander to do. And so he sat, his memories spinning through his mind, only interrupted by...that incessantly beeping alarm...?
“What is it?!” he demanded, spinning to face the Centurion tactical officer manning the station which happened to be the sources of the alert. Dor’vel did not respond right away, checking and rechecking his readings, much to Echal’s irritation. “Well?”
“We appear to have an intruder,” Dor’vel reported, a hint of surprise clearly evident.
Leaping to his feet, visions of Megan Garrett sneaking through his ship dancing in his mind, Govan spun to face tactical furiously. “What? Who is it? Where are they? How did they…cease transmitting our position then come to all stop,” he ordered.
As helm and ops scrambled to follow the orders, Dor’vel replied, “A human male appeared in the transporter room several moments ago. We detected his presence immediately, and the operator sounded the alarm. A security officer was there on rounds,” the Centurion replied, shifting his weight nervously. “I could be there in...”
“No,” Echal interrupted, beginning to calm somewhat now that it was clear Megan was most likely not on his ship. “First we need to figure out what’s going on. Patch us through to the transport console, so we can hear what’s going on down there.”
There were a brief moments of silence before a voice was clearly heard. =/\=I am Doctor Nathan van Breughel. I wish to see Commander Govan, after which I request to be escorted to the medical bay to review your samples from the alien virus.=/\=
‘van Breughel…’ Echal’s face went pale as he recognized the name. This mission was turning out to be a personal nightmare... It was like all the Federation ghosts from his past were turning up all at once, and it was far from a pleasant scenario.
As the security officer replied in the background, Govan tried to decide what to do while Dor’vel suggested, “I’ll have him escorted here, under heavy guard of course.”
“No,” Govan repeated. “We need to know what’s going on and what we’re going to do before we bring him up here. Have your officer stall, take him to sickbay for a few minutes and keep him under observation. Hold off on the heavy guard for now. If he’s going to do something stupid, it’ll be now. And if he is who he says he is and is here for what he says he’s here for, then he’ll do just what he just said.”
Whether he agreed or not, Dor’vel merely nodded and then relayed a message to the officer surreptitiously. Settling back in his chair, dismissing any thoughts about this doctor’s relation to the diplomat he’d encountered two years ago, a tight smile slid across his face. They had the advantage, and it was up to the Jefferson now...
They were the wronged party here, and they had every right to cease transmission of their position. The Jefferson would have to explain their actions, so they could afford to sit back and wait. The proverbial ball was definitely in Garrett’s court now.
<Tag Garrett>
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2009 5:38:00 GMT
“Captain, Commander, I'm going to keep watch from the Ops office and see if can get the opinions of some engineers and tactical officers to find some new ideas. I've exhausted Starfleet's supply," Lieutenant Tavik reported after being relieved.
“Commander T’Ress would be a good resource,” Megan agreed, glancing sideways at a very quiet and very, very tired looking Captain. “Keep working on it, Lieutenant.”
"I'll let you know if I come up with anything,” Valad replied as he then left the bridge.
Nodding, Commander Garrett glanced in concern at Matt and quietly leaned over to ask him if perhaps he needed to go check on his son and get some rest, but he declined, insisting that he was fine. Megan wasn’t so sure, but she had to accept it.
~
“But..." the doctor started to argue, but he fell silent as Megan sent him a look that allowed no argument. Shaking his head, Nathan mumbled, "Understood, Ma'am," before heading off the bridge, clearly disappointed but not having argued enough.
Worried that he was going to try something stupid, Commander Garrett turned to Matt, who hadn’t said a word, only to find him sound asleep. Whether Nathan had noticed or not, she didn’t know, but clearly he was so focused on what he wanted to miss it or to not comment, which would have worried her further about what he would do next if her worry hadn’t suddenly shifted to her commanding officer now.
It took several moments before Megan managed to wake him, and that was enough for her to know he needed to be relieved. It took some convincing, but she wasn’t taking no for an answer, so eventually Matt agreed and went off duty, leaving her in charge of the bridge. Unfortunately, that time was all that Nathan had needed...
=/\=Mitchell to bridge, please locate my husband. Is he still aboard?=/\= Jayden asked.
Leaping to her feet, Megan snapped, “Find him,” in the generally direction of Ops, but it appeared that the officer who had relived Valad was already working on it.
"Commander, Dr. van Breughel is not onboard, scanning for him now." After a few moments, she continued. “His signal is transmitting from his quarters, but I don't see his biosignature. There was an unauthorized transport to the coordinates of the S'Harien." Having already guessed what he’d done, her eyes narrowed in fury as it was confirmed, and her anger only increased when the Operations officer added, “and Commander, we’ve just lost the coordinate transmission from the S’Harien.”
Mind racing over all the diplomatic implications of this mess, Megan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no way around it...she had to talk to Echal.
“Hail them,” she finally ordered, settling herself in her chair and preparing herself for another confrontation with her Romulan nemesis. Nathan would pay for this...
<Tag Govan>
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2009 21:38:53 GMT
OOC: Joint Post Between myself and Commander Garrett
Govan didn’t have to wait long before the Ops console began to signal an incoming transmission. His smile widening into a sneer, Echal leaned back, waiting several long moments before nodding to the officer manning the station to open a channel. As the less than pleased, but attempting to be composed, face of the Jefferson’s First Officer appeared on the screen, the Romulan Commander’s sneer only got wider. “Commander Garrett,” he greeted her gloatingly. “I do believe that we had an understanding as far as what was and was not acceptable in this collaboration, and I’m fairly certain that uninvited guests were not part of our little arrangement.”
Smiling tightly, Megan knew she was walking on a tightrope with the Romulan on the other side with a pair of scissors. “You are correct, and I do apologize for the misunderstanding, Commander, but I can assure you, that’s exactly what this was, a misunderstanding.” At Echal’s raised eyebrow, Commander Garrett continued. “As you may recall, our CMO is a civilian, and therefore, quite unaware of diplomatic protocols. He made a request to visit your vessel with your doctor’s return, and he apparently took my consideration of this as permission, not seeming to understand that had I granted permission, he would have had to wait for your doctor as well.”
Trying to keep from laughing at the ridiculously implausible explanation, he coolly replied. “I see. It must be difficult working with such…incompetence,” he panned.
Gritting her teeth, Megan quickly shot back. “I assure you, what he lacks in military protocol, he more than makes up for in medical ability. And I suppose if you would not feel comfortable with him as a guest onboard your ship as we welcomed your doctor then it would be simple enough to consider this a temporary officer exchange.”
The smirk finally fading from his face, Echal felt his little advantage slipping away. She did have Sural, and to rectify that situation, he would have to allow their little unauthorized transport to slip by, therefore erasing the bargaining chip. Very clever indeed... “That will not be necessary, Commander. We would be…happy to have your doctor aboard as our guest, in spite of the unorthodox way he arrived. Sural may return at his own convenience so they may continue their work onboard the S’Harien. That is, if this arrangement is agreeable to you. We wouldn’t want you to feel anxious regarding the safety of your civilian colleague after all,” Echal goaded.
Refusing to rise to the bait, Megan kept her tight smile plastered across her face. “Not at all, Commander, I’m certain you will treat our doctor with the same courtesy and respect with which we treated yours. I believe Doctor Sural is on his way to the bridge, and I will speak with him when he arrives to determine when he wishes to return to the S’Harien. We will contact you to make the arrangement at that time.”
“See that you do,” Govan replied somewhat icily. “We wouldn’t want to have another unexpected transport, as something could very easily go wrong,” he admonished.
“Yes, it could,” Commander Garrett replied evenly. “Without your coordinates, we could easily cause an accident, and neither of us would want that,” she countered, before adding, “And again, I do apologize for the misunderstanding, Commander.”
“No harm done,” Commander Echal replied offhandedly, subtly hinting that harm could be done at a later time. “Contact me when Sural is ready to return, Echal out.”
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Deleted
Registered: Apr 24, 2024 0:49:46 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2009 0:10:12 GMT
Glaring at the now blank viewscreen, Govan’s mind was racing through what had just happened. Clearly, her explanation made little sense, and it wasn’t supposed to actually fool him, so what had really happened? As much as he hated Garrett, she was far from stupid, so how did she allow something so intolerable to occur? The only thing that made any sense was that this civilian doctor had gone against her, something which delighted the Romulan to no end. The thought of someone just beaming over to his warbird, his cloaked warbird, while both vessels were at warp was ridiculous, not to mention dangerous, and for him to do it under her very nose was incredibly amusing. This doctor may not have been the brightest human, but he certainly had flair and guts, not that those would do him any good with Echal...
The sound of the turbolift doors opening behind him ended his speculation, though he remained seated to give the appearance of apathy. "Sir, our guest has arrived."
This civilian doctor would most likely be easy to intimidate, so the Commander just waved his hand to summon their approach without getting up, watching as first the Romulan security officer then the human moved into his field of vision. The relation between the doctor and diplomat from his previous mission was unmistakable, but fortunately, Echal had been prepared for it, and so he gave no sign of recognition.
With hands in his pockets, only adding to the unprofessionalism which his earlier actions had indicated, the human began to speak in surprisingly good Rihannsu. "Doctor Nathan van Breughel," he began in introduction. "Your Sub-Lieutenant was so kind as to give me a brief time in your doctor's medical bay. He then took me here. Unfortunately, I'm going to need time to study all my new information, but you have my word I'll share my findings with Sural. More lives are at state, with each minute we delay,” the civilian babbled on, making his dedication to his work perfectly clear.
Taking several long, nerve-wracking moments to look the man over, Govan delayed his response intentionally, so as to show that in spite of lives being at stake and so on, he was most definitely in control here. “Doctor van Breughel…it’s a pleasure. I do wish we had known you were coming or we would have had something prepared to welcome you,” Echal quipped coldly. “I suggest next time you make a visit to a Romulan warbird, you acquire permission beforehand or you might find yourself in a very uncomfortable position. You are very lucky that you were not immediately shot on sight as an intruder,” the Commander added, staring him down menacingly.
“I don’t know how you’re used to doing things on the Jefferson, Doctor, but here, we have protocols that are strictly enforced and consequences for those who do not follow them. See that you ask before you act during the duration of your...stay,” Echal added dryly before continuing. “You will be escorted back to sickbay where you may study your information. You are to check in with the staff there before you touch anything, and they will assign you space to do your work. You are to be under escort at all times and are not to go anywhere without a security officer. If you need to rest, you will be escorted to quarters. These instructions are not to be deviated from in any way. Do you understand?” Govan demanded firmly, still glaring at him.
<Tag Nathan>
“Good,” Echal replied, not giving him any time to whine or complain or whatever else he may have wanted to say. “Begin your work immediately. The sooner you finish, the sooner you may return to your vessel and leave mine. Now leave my bridge.”
<Tag Nathan/Valad>
Feeling confident that he’d shown this errant Federation civilian who was boss, so he would hopefully not cause any trouble, Govan waited until they were gone before opening a channel. “Echal to Ch’varak, report to the bridge, immediately.”
<Tag Tevio>
He was pretty sure the Legate would already be aware of the doctor’s presence, but with a Federation civilian onboard, there was no way around involving Intelligence. At least this would hopefully distract him from looking into his history with Garrett, without attracting his attention elsewhere. This mission was one huge nightmare...
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