Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 25, 2011 15:08:32 GMT
~ Mission 22: Coalescence ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mission devised by Commander 1st Class Will Jamison
Synopsis: Cordovin IV, in the Cordovin System, is a recently signed member of the United Federation of Planets. Once the agreement was signed, the Cordovanβs asked if the Federation would send out an Archeological team to assist in the mapping and exploration of the ruins of one of their ancient civilizations. Several weeks later, Commodore Torek and the USS Raven-B were sent to check on the progress being made ...
Since it was not a hazardous mission, the Commodore had decided to spend some time down on the planet, allowing anyone interested in archeology to do likewise. While leisurely walking around the excavation site, he discovered a small red light emanating from one of the walls. When he reached over to dust the dirt away, he inadvertently touched what turned out to be a red stone. This caused his inner essence to begin splitting into separate parts. A massive storm begins to develop and Torek, feeling suddenly ill, decides he must beam back to the ship. But on arrival he collapses and is rushed to Sick-bay. Even though his body is alive, the Doctor informs the Senior Staff that his mind, his consciousness, his whole 'being' the essence of life itself, has been totally erased !
ooo000ooo
On the planet below, Five separate essences now stand in a group, as the natives attempt to convince them of the desperate need to find the blue stone, and the consequences should they fail β¦.. One of the natives explained urgently what had occurred. He informed the gathered crew members that the event could only be a result of finding one of two stones, known as 'The Stones of Quincunx' (meaning the device of five), and not heard of in millennia. There was said to be one red stone that separated the essence, and one blue stoned that would reintegrate the person to a whole. If the red stone was here, then the blue had to be on the other continent, as legend had it that the stones were kept away from each other, each fixed in place, so that no one person could have their combined power ... Now, the separate essences of Torek must set out in search of the blue stone ..........
Intelligent Torek - This essence does all the thinking and is quite smart. It makes decisions based on information and knowledge.
Reckless Torek - This essence is courageous to the point of suicidal. It would rather just charge into a situation with phaser blasting not caring whom or what was hurt.
Anxious Torek - This essence is scared and easily intimidated. It would rather take it's time in dealing with a situation in the hope that it would just go away and not actually have to be dealt with.
Denial Torek β This essence totally denies there has been a split, despite all evidence to the contrary, and knowing Torekβs βShellβ is laying in Sick-bay aboard the Raven-B.
The fifth Eccence - This will remain in Commodore Torek's body, sustaining his 'life' untill the separated essences can be safely reintigrated.
As the mission begins, four of the crew will be assigned an βessenceβ and will play that character throughout the mission. Hope you enjoy hehe !!! [/color] Please begin to wind down any threads you may have runnung on Shore Leave We should be starting the mission within the coming week Regards Cmdr 1C Will Jamison Cdre Carl Torek
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 30, 2011 17:21:15 GMT
It had taken a week for Command to find something for the now re-fitted Raven a task. Nothing special, but it got the ship and crew back into space ... They were to transport a Professor of Archeology to Cordovin IV, and remain on station for approximately one week, due to the USS Howard Carter being called away. As the ship entered orbit they came up behind the Nebula Class vessel. After a meeting with the Captain, Carl, Will and Calli returned to the Raven, and shortly after the Scientific vessel broke orbit. Carl took a team to the surface ... ooo000ooo Several of the crew had expressed interest in the excavations, so Torek had asked Will to allow anyone not on duty to be allowed to transport to the surface ... The Dig site was extensive, the size of a medium sized city in total. He had enjoyed being shown around, and was in amazed at the amount being found, some item's had not been seen in thousands of years. It was certainly something Star Fleet would want to look at in much more detail when the Howard Carter returned. On the third morning Carl was being taken to a religious site, buried deep inside one of the excavations. Bethan and Vanessa were going back to the ship the previous evening to continue their schooling the next day. But because of the zero four hundred departure time to the site, he had remained on Cordovin IV overnight. In truth, though it was insanely early, he was looking forward to seeing the ruins ... In respect to the Cordovin's, they had traveled using their own mono-rail transport system, so the trip took almost two hours, then a thirty minute vehicle ride. Carl pondered the fact that the trip would have taken some fifteen seconds if they had used the Raven's transporters, but the Carters' Captain had requested the Raven crew settle for 'local' customs, and that apparently, included transport. After lunch, Carl asked if it would be allowed for him to roam the site unaccompanied for a while. This was granted, and he was given a small pouch containing a trowel-like implement, a small brush, and a miniature hammer and chisel. There was also a flask of water to drink. He was told there were two conditions to him being allowed to go un-accompanied, he must report his status every hour, and he must guarentee that under 'NO' circumstances he stray outside the marked areas, as these had yet to be surveyed, Carl agreed to these stipulations readily ... So picking up his tricorder and with the excavation kit in hand, he went off down a narrow passage that seemed to be free of people ... ~~~~~~~~~~The tricorder beeped quietly, informing Carl it was the third hour in the tunnels and he must report in. He tapped his Comm badge and logged his position with the Dig supervisor before continuing on. Scanning the tricorder left and right he frowned. There seemed to be a tunnel off to the right that had not been logged. A closer look showed a recent rock fall that had opened the passage. Setting the tricorder to map the passage, and send the data in real-time back to the Dig co-ordination center, he moved forward ... Approximately one hundred meters into the tunnel the tricorder picked up a faint, yet anomalous reading, so he edged closer to the wall. Taking out the small trowel, he began to very slowly scrape soil from around the point of the signal. A moment later he could see a stone, luminescent, and pulsating slowly. He scanned the artifact thoroughly and got almost nothing from the readings. Frowning, he scraped away at the surrounding earth tentatively, not wishing to damage a prospective find, until the orb-like stone, un-naturally spherical in shape, fell to the floor. It was almost glowing now that it was free of the confining dirt, the red glow oscillating almost in time with his heart beat ... He looked down at his right hand, a frown forming, then concern as he found he couldn't stop his hand reaching for the glowing sphere. He pushed up on his thigh muscles, trying to regain a standing position, but this too was impossible. He tried swung at the orb with the tricorder, panic now rising within him. His fingers were mere centimeters from the orb now, and as the distance diminished the glow intensified. Three centimeters .....Carl was effectively paralyzed to the spot, the only part of his body moving was his right arm, terror mounting, his mind refusing to allow contact with the glowing sphere, but he could do nothing about it ! Two centimeters .....Every fiber of his body began fighting the paralysis now, as the glow became painful to his sight and pure fear began taking control, but somewhere in his mind, his inner self was fighting, hard. One centimeter .....With every ounce of his remaining will-power, Carl began to move the index finger of his left hand, still holding the tricorder, across the screen. It rested on the 'ALERT' button, but he was fighting hard to keep it there as the distance to the orb closed. Knowing there was nothing he could do to prevent contact, he put the last ounce of his being and willpower into putting his finger on the small red square on the tricorder. Unknown to him, he made contact with the alarm at the same instant his right hand touched the sphere ... There was a a blinding light and Carl Torek fell to the floor dead .......... ooo000ooo The alert activated every tricorder on the dip site, highlighting the signals location. It took time to get to the point where the signal had originated, but when the Cordovin Scientists, and Raven's crew arrived, the sight greeting them had them all speechless ! One the floor of the narrow tunnel was Carl Torek, a small red glowing orb close to his body. One of the crew scanned him quickly, then got to her feet in shock, before announcing that the Commodore was dead ... But that wasn't all ... As their eyes became accustomed to the light they could make out five figures, stood in complete silence further down the tunnel. One of the Cordovin scientists shouted for some light, and everyone took a breath as the five were revealed to be five of the Raven's crew. How they had got into the cave system was unknown. They were each glowing with the same luminescence the orb was emitting but eventually this diminished and the five looked at the others in the cave .......... OK Everyone ..... Mission 22 begins You should have read which you essence inhabits you from here Your own personality has been suppressed (not deleted) You are each convinced that YOU are the real Carl Torek from here on in OK
Brief descriptions of each essence can be seen in the synopsis Or on the OCC thread
We hope you enjoy this very unusual mission devised by our Executive Officer
Regards
Will Jamison Carl Torek [R.I.P] ?
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Sept 30, 2011 20:24:54 GMT
Calli had spent most of the day on the surface of Cordovin IV, She wasn't exactly a archeology expert, more of a curious on-looker really. But she did enjoy looking round the ruins etcetera.
As most of the crew, including several of the Command Staff, had stated they would like to see the surface, Calli had decided to earn her keep and offered to take the next two night shifts. She didn't mind the night shift actually, the peace and quiet was somewhat relaxing, and her covering would allow the Officers an early start to their day ...
She had returned to the ship with Bethan and Vanessa, and once she had handed them off to Chloe she headed to her quarters for a bite to eat, a shower and a change of uniform before heading to the Bridge.
Changing into a fresh uniform and checking her hair in the mirror, she left her quarters. Moving down the corridor she suddenly felt warm, 'Too warm' she thought as she brushed against an Ensign.
"Sorry Ensign."
"You OK Commander ?" the woman said, concern on her face as the Commander began to sway as if about to fall flat on her face, "I'll call for a medic Commander." she said, but Calli stopped her as the dizziness was now subsiding.
"I'm OK thank you. Just rushed out of my quarters a little too quickly." she said, turning away from the woman. But then everything went a vivid red and Calli lost consciousness ...
The Ensign accepted her reply and began to move, but something made her look back, just to check the woman was actually as OK as she made out. She turned just in time to see a bright red glow emanating from the Commander, but before she could react, the woman she had been concerned about vanished from sight ! She could hear voices, confused, questioning ... She opened her eyes slowly, dizziness for a second, then she was OK ... She looked at the group of people standing before her, each of them was looking both shocked, and seemingly confused. Even in the dim lighting she could make out both Raven and Cordovin personnel. She looked around, then addressed the nearby Star Fleet Officer who had just pronounced Commodore Torek deceased. "What is going on Ensign ?" she demanded ..........
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 28, 2024 12:18:38 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 21:09:01 GMT
It has been a while since he last stood in the sickbay of a federation starship. He spent the last few years at Starfleet Medical on Earth, as it was the logical thing to do after being asked by the head of Starfleet medical to come to Earth to teach new medical staff. Passing ones knowledge onto the younger generation was always the logical thing to do. As keeping ones knowledge to one self lacked logic. What if something happened to the person who held that knowledge? All of it would be lost. But now he was once again aboard a starship and at this time that decision made perfect sense for nothing increases ones knowledge as practical experience and there is no better place to accumulate it than a starship exploring the known and unknown universe.
Doctor Salek was in sickbay and was going over the inventory. He had only recently arrived and one of the things he always did first, after reporting to the Captain, was to assess his available resources. He found the Raven's sickbay adequately supplied and staffed.
After finishing his inventory he sat down to review the medical charts for the Raven's crew starting with the Captains....
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Oct 7, 2011 23:22:36 GMT
Andae had, like some of the senior staff, stayed behind on the Raven while the ship was in orbit of Cordovin IV. As much as he was keen to see some very old ruins, he felt he could not leave his engine room even while he was off duty. Engineering was its own useful zone of solace. He felt flashes of imagery, past memories prodding at his mind.
He remembered standing amidst a great ruined structure in a vast desert, in part of Asia on Earth. He'd stood alone while his accomplices exited and departed. It was a comfortable memory, one he could nestle in neural arms and associate with the great, monolithic archaeology of ancient worlds; unchanging and ever-present.
But, he knew, he didn't need to evoke such thoughts, and he didn't need to head down to the newly-realised Fed member world below. The throb of the warp core swam gently in his underlying consciousness, easing him into the present environment of the engine room.
Calmly, he regarded the console in front of his eyes. The injector nozzles were operating slightly below peak efficiency: the matter injector was at approximately 96% while the antimatter one was just above 93%. The engineer cracked his fingers and started working the master board.
His mind started drifting again. He thought back over the few short days leading up to the Raven's arrival at the Cordovin System. Before the departure from SB47, Andae and Lieutenant Bligh had done a lot of moping about; cursing themselves and despairing at what'd taken place in the nebula. There was - as it had turned out - no easy way to track their friend Ben Zielinski. For the forseeable future, he was lost to them, and perhaps everyone else.
Neither officer had had much time to debate openly why Ben had decided to disappear. Was it for personal reasons, as assumed? Or could it have been forced by duty? It was not entirely out of the question that Ben could've engaged on some classified operation: he was a top-level diplomat after all, and had often been obligated to remain silent around colleagues. But this was just too odd. Quantum entanglement transportation, running the risk of damaging Starfleet property and foremost risking the lives of his friends! Nothing about it made sense; nothing about it was Benjamin Zielinski.
And yet they were forced to move on. The Raven had soon been due to depart, and on the heaving promenade of Starbase 47, Andae and his old friend from the Victory, William Bligh, shook hands and parted ways. With just a cursory nod back to his friend, Andae crossed the threshold on to the umbilical corridor connecting with the Raven. The hatch hissed and sealed shut behind him, and he had been the last man to board the ship for its next assignment.
The injector percentages ticked over in the right direction, increasing by tenths as Andae gradually reconfigured the computer tasks being executed within the tips of the injectors. By the time the Raven's duties in the star system were complete, Andae planned to have the injectors running seamlessly - as close to 100% efficiency as possible. He stopped to wipe his brow, realising that he would need to spend a lot of his time in engineering.
On the way to Cordovin, he'd spent almost all of his non-duty hours in his quarters, silently musing over his missing friend. He was barely speaking - informally - to anyone in engineering at the moment, and he stubbornly felt that he should keep it that way in order to avoid denting some phantasmgorical, annoying pride. Of course, and William Bligh would've been the first to point out, he was feeling very sorry for himself.
The percentages of efficiency continued to tick over, however painstakingly slowly. The engineer was fully aware that the closer he drove the numbers to 100%, the slower they would go. Perfection was a difficult art.
He stopped, regarding his hand. Oddly, they had both started shaking, as if he had a blood sugar issue. Curiosity piqued, he raised his other hand to his face and studied it. Sweat was gleaming off parts of it, and only now did the amount of sweat strike him as unusual. Perhaps, he thought, unnatural.
Illogical loops of thought circulated in his head, as he debated - somewhat idly - why this was happening. He suspected he might have a reasonable theory, until his mouth quivered, and opened in a most horrible, contorted fashin. Red haze diffused from his mouth and from all the pores of his being. His eyes went into the back of his head as he sprawled forwards over his console and collapsed to the deck.
A shriek rent the silent air of engineering; all the staff turned around to see where the inhuman sound had emanated from. Oddly, they couldn't find the source. Assistant Chief Milyanov frowned. From his point of view, it was as if it had originated from the master injector console - but it stood unoccupied.
In a dark cavernous space hidden from any source of natural light, the shrieking man awoke. He found himself leaning against a wall of rough, dark stone. Dark figures loomed large in his vision - empty silhouettes stood against some primitive wall-light fixing.
He heard the voice of Commander Valenti, from slightly down this tight, badly lit tunnel. He found himself relieved at this and terribly agitated at the same time. Looking down the passage, he saw another group just beyond Valenti. They stood in a circle, looking down at something on the ground between them.
"What is this?" he called over, hearing his own voice rasp out. He coughed to clear his throat from all the dust in the air, and felt the other silhouettes moving in behind him.
<Tag All>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Oct 12, 2011 22:20:49 GMT
"What's going on Ensign ?" Calli said, looking at the people gathered around Torek's body.
"What is this ?" someone said, then Calli recognized the voice of the Chief Engineer ... She looked at the group behind her, confused at how they had apparently 'appeared' in the cave system. She had the sudden urge to grab one of the Cordovin by the throat and throttle the information out of him, but 'Blakus' stepped forward ..
"We need information." he said, almost casually getting in Valenti's way."
Glaring at the back of his neck, she pondered snapping it to get to the Cordovin, but instead she turned to look at the others ... Major Tavik, and the new Science Officer, Watson, she thought, but neither were moving, rather just standing as if in a daze. She figured that was what had happened to them all for some reason, and was determined to find out just what the hell was going on ! ... Suddenly loosing patience, she pushed past Blakus and stood toe to toe with the project leader, someone called, Jeevan.
"Answers ... NOW ... Or I may need to 'assist' you in your recollection." she said, reaching for the phaser she was no longer carrying.
"I .... I will explain .... I assure you ...." Jeevan said, eyes darting from her, to the glowing stone, to the body of Torek in quick succession, "But first, you must get your Captain's body back to your Medical Facility aboard the Raven. I cannot stress how much depends on him being away from here."
Tavik and Watson began to groan, signs of their awakening as the Cordovin continued urgently ...
"Given the ... Situation ..." Jeevan said, apologetically, "I feel we should allow you to use your ships' transporter device before the storm makes the option, unachievable."
Calli grabbed the man by his tunic !
"What the HELL ... HE'S GONE ... So there's hardly a rush is there, but yes, we need his body on the ship ... You are a damn 'warp-capable' society, what's the issue with transporters and these electric powered death-traps you insist on running round in !" Calli shouted, smacking her Comm badge and getting static. Jeevan opened his Communicator and spoke briefly, then stepped back. Torek's lifeless body vanished in a transporter haze.
"Commander ....." Jeevan began.
"COMMODORE !" Calli almost spat back, "You will address me at my proper rank Director."
"Commodore ....." Jeevan said quietly, looking at both Officers in turn, "May I suggest both you, and ... Commodore Torek, wake your two Officers. Once you are all fully accustomed, I will explain what has happened here. But please, I must implore you all, not to leave the tunnel system until I have explained your, unique, situation. Your very life depends on it !"
Jeevan turned away to speak to his colleagues and several ran from the tunnels. He reassured them that it was nothing untoward, but necessary for their collective survival.
Andae and Calli turned to assist Tavik and Watson, both fully convinced that 'they' were the real Torek, despite watching his lifeless body being beamed from the tunnel ..........
< tag : Aeryn & Alex >
< tag : Andae >
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Alex Watson
Commander 1C
All that glitters has a high refractive index.
Registered: Apr 10, 2011 14:30:46 GMT
Posts: 102
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Post by Alex Watson on Oct 13, 2011 19:22:03 GMT
Alex sat massaging his forehead with the palms of his hands. He had run every single test that he knew of in order to try and determine the range the strange signature he thought was a QET device, but so far had only been able to narrow it down to a range with a margin for error of about a hundred thousand light years. It was utterly maddening for him, as he had always prided himself on being able to find the answers to anything. Looking up at the diagnostic he was currently running and seeing that it was only 2% complete (he had been running it for two weeks) he swore, shut it down and gave it up as a bad job. He may have time to spare en route to this new architectural dig, but at that rate the program would take two years to complete and even then might provide no usable data. Worse than useless. He hit his comm-badge, contacting Engineering.
"Watson to Engineering, come in Commander Blakus."
"Blakus here. Any news on the signal, Lieutenant?"
"Well sir, I hate to sound vague, but I think he might be somewhere in this galaxy."
"Is that the best you can do?" Andae's voice came over the intercom with a hint of unbelieving amusement.
"I'm afraid so, sir. Nothing more I can do."
"Very well, Lieutenant. Thank you for taking the time to look into the matter."
"Not a problem, sir. Fascinating research, if infuriatingly imprecise." Watson killed the link. They would be arriving at the dig site in just over three hours, and he hadn't slept properly in three weeks. Deciding that he'd marvel at the long lost remains of ancient civilisation after a good rest, he strode to his bed and lay down, killing the lights. He hit the intercom to the science lab.
"Watson signing off duty. Miss Gerson, don't wake me for anything less than a black hole."
"Acknowledged, Sir," came Jenny's voice from the other end of the intercom. "We've got a couple of anomalies detected, but it's nothing we can't handle."
"Glad to hear it Jenny. Good night."
"Good night, Alex." The intercom went dead, and Alex rolled over onto his side into blissful oblivion.
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It was the pain that woke him. He sat up in bed and screamed, every single nerve in his body felt like it was on fire. His vision was hazed red, and his ears seemed to be distorting the sounds around him. He tried to crawl out of bed, but fell to the floor, his body convulsing. He felt his mind begind to ebb, as if his thoughts were coming from a badly tuned radio. He fought it, fought it....fought....it....
He was Waston...
No...He was Torek...
He was Vulcan....
No...he was human...
He was Alex....
He was Carl....He was Carl....
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He came to, opening his eyes and groaning softly. He appeared to be standing up. And his brain began to quickly take details in from his environment. He was Shorter, stockier than he had ever been. He had hair. He was wearing a Science Department Uniform. All these thoughts mashed around in his brain, contradicting everything his mind knew about himself. There was Calli, and Andae, and they both looked and felt different. Finally, he managed to speak.
"How incredibly peculiar."
He was....COCKNEY?
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Aeryn Tavik
Command Staff ..
Members Representative
Lieutenant Colonel
Registered: Sept 9, 2010 12:14:15 GMT
Posts: 95
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Post by Aeryn Tavik on Oct 16, 2011 21:14:56 GMT
Pickβ¦β¦.Pickβ¦β¦..PICK! Aeryn had decided to take a respite from the "wonderful educational opportunities" down on the planet. She had decided to let off a little mental steam on the holodeck. The only problem was, it wasn't going well. βDAMN!!β Aeryn drew her sidearm and blasted a hole in the dart board she was so conveniently missing. As if without even a single thought, the apparatus dropped from the wall and hit the floor, a smoking mess of burnt plastic and wood. Of course, she had no problem with the side phaser, but these darts were murder. She could throw just about anything, but darts werenβt happening. Suddenly, from behind the bar, she heard the cock of a shotgun. She turned, facing the barkeep, who was holding a twelve gauge shot gun pointed directly at her.
βI told you, no guns, not even your βsafeβ little ray gun.β He gestured toward the door with the barrel of the gun. βGet the hell out.β He spoke calmly, though she could tell he was agitated.
Aeryn took the hint, gave a dirty look and said, "Computer, end program." The usual gridline of the appeared again, leaving Aeryn in silence. But just as suddenly as the area around her changed, it changed again. Everything started to go white.
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Feeling the rush go over him, Torek felt a cool dampness in the space around him. As he opened his eyes, he realized it was dark. "Bloody hell..." he said, wincing at the thought of being trapped in the dark. He heard voices coming from the distance. As he focused in on them, he didn't recognize them. He saw bright white lights coming from their direction. His heart started to beat faster. As the voices and lights got closer, he started to sweat, wiping a bit off his brow. Torek didn't know what was going on. In the blink of an eye, everything had changed. He was scared!
One of the voices became clear enough too make out sound. Torek, heart racing faster than a stampede of buffalo, bolted into the corridor, running for dear life. He didn't care where he went, as long as it was far away from where he was. He heard people start to come after him.
Torek rounded several corners, not knowing where he was going. He suddenly came in to a room. As he looked around, he saw no exit. "Oh dear God!" He was trapped! Torek started to turn back but it was blocked off by the white lights. As they came closer, he backed into the corner of the room and let out a horrified scream!
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Oct 16, 2011 22:41:17 GMT
Posting as:Tahl el-Kamat. Director of Archeology. Excavation Director. Cordovin IV ....Tahl had been summoned to the tunnels when the alarm was raised. Even before his eyes could accustom to the semi-darkness, he noticed the pulsating red glow on the floor. The orb gently illuminating the feet and legs of four people.
Someone had ordered lights to be brought, and now he could see three of the four Star fleet Officers were awake, but still understandably confused. Before he could begin to explain, the forth, a woman, woke and looked around. Fear was evident on her face as her eyes widened and a scream erupted from her lungs.
Calli turned and grabbed the Marine as she slammed back into the corner, eyes darting from person to person without recognition.
"I must explain what has happened here." Tahl began, hoping the four people would be able to remain open-minded for what was to come, "Calm your colleague please. We must get your Captains' body back to you vessel with all due haste, for that he must be brought to the surface. Please allow my people to carry him forth." he said, signaling to several of the Cordovan's who placed Torek's lifeless body on a stretcher and headed for the entrance to the tunnels.
"Please ... I know you are confused, but you must follow me so I may enlighten you to your predicament." el-Kamat said, urging the Officers forward. Then once on the surface he used his communicator to contact the Raven ... Seconds later Torek's body vanished.
"What the hell is going on here Kamat !" Calli demanded, stepping to within centimeters of the Director before several Cordovin stepped between them.
Tahl stood back for a moment until the group had fallen quiet, then he explained the stone and what had happened ...
Thousands of years ago, two stones ere discovered. These became known as the 'Stones of Quincunx' .. They held a very unique gift, the first, the red orb, when touched separated the very quintessence that made up a person's personality, being, life force, however you wish to describe it, into five essences. Four of those essences were placed into beings, who would exhibit the aspect of that essence, the fifth remained with the body to sustain life ..... There is a second orb, a blue stone, this will coalesce the person into a whole once again. It was never established why or what use the stones served and this is the first time they have been seen in many hundreds of years. We do know from writings that both stones must never be held by one person, thus them being placed on opposite continents and falling into obscurity. You must travel to the second continent and search for the blue stone. Finding the stone is the only way you will get your Captain back I fear."
"Then we'll beam over to the second continent and the Raven can scan for the damn stone of yours, we'll be back in no time !" Calli said, reaching for her Comm badge.
"I am afraid you will not be allowed to use your vessel for transportation, nor will they be allowed to help you in your search ... The Stones of Quincunx are sacred and their 'gift' or 'curse' dependent on who is interpreting the scrolls, has been bestowed on very few people in our past, but the writings state clearly that the quest must be undertaken on foot. Any deviation from the ancient writings will result in a serious insult to our historical manuscripts. I am sure the Cordovin Senate will be most 'displeased' should you not follow those stipulations !"
El-Kamat's tone had become very insistent, almost threatening as he finished his recital. It was clear that they would not allow the Raven Officers to use anything but 'native' methods in their quest for the blue stone ...
Blakus tapped his Comm badge, then repeated the process to no avail.
"Your devices have been neutralized I am sorry, but we cannot allow you to defile the aged scriptures ... Transport will be provided for you on your journey, as well as food and water. You may request help from anyone on Cordovin, but should you attempt to use anything not of Cordovin origin, you will be prevented from reaching your goal, and your Captain will be no more. I have sent word to our Senate and they will inform the Raven of your quest to find the stone. They too will be warned against assisting you. I wish you well on your journey, and hope with all my heart you are successful. We will take charge of the red stone, as to have both in ones possession is beyond all sanity, for all those involved. I will see to the preparations and return shortly."
El-Kamat left them dumbstruck, looking at each other in turn, each essence deep in thought, each knowing they were Carl Torek ..........
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 28, 2024 12:18:38 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2011 5:37:34 GMT
Will sat on the bridge of the Raven and looked around. He had been more than happy to stay aboard while the Commodore took a little time for himself and joined the away team on the surface. Will stood and walked over to the replicator and ordered a drink.
"Coffee. Black with two sugars." he said.
After the drink materialized, he began taking a turn around the bridge. All was quite as he checked on every station. Satisfied that nothing could go wrong, he made his way back to the center seat. He was almost back in a complete sitting position when calls began coming in.
"Ensign Callahan to Bridge."
"Go ahead, Ensign." replied Will.
"Sir. I was just in the corridor...." she began before being interrupted.
"Engineering to Bridge. Sir. This is Chief Milyanov....."
"Standby Chief." Will said. "Continue, Ensign."
Callahan came back on and began speaking once again.
"Sir. I was in the corridor and I bumped into Commander Valenti . When I turned around to make sure she was okay, she disappeared, sir."
"What do you mean, disappeared, Ensign?" Will asked as he sat forward to the edge of his seat.
"Sir. Milyanov again. I believe it happened to Commander Blakus as well. One moment, he was here working and the next, he was gone."
Will quickly handed off his coffee.
"Computer. Ship wide roster check. Is anyone who was not listed as part of the away team no longer aboard?" he demanded.
A few seconds later, he got his answer.......
"Commander Calli Valenti is no longer aboard. Commander 1st Class Andae Blakus is no longer aboard. Lt Alexander Watson is no longer aboard. Marine Major Aeryn Tavik is no longer aboard."
"Yellow alert. Get me the head of the excavation." he commanded.
"Sir. They're calling us. It's Councilwoman Rahna from their capital."
"On screen." Will ordered.
Sickbay to Bridge. Commander Jamison, Commodore Torek has just been beamed into sickbay. He appears to be in some sort of coma, sir."
The image of the planet was replaced by the humanoid.
"Commander Jamison....." she began. "There has been an incident at the excavation site. I have been in contact with the mission lead and he has explained the situation. With your permission, I would like to come aboard and speak with you directly." requested the Councilwoman.
"Oh. You bet, Councilwoman. I have a lot of questions for you. Sent coordinates and we will get you beam over."
A moment later, the Comm officer verified the coordinates.
"You have the bridge, Mr. Warner." Will said as he stepped into the lift. "Transporter Room 2." he said.
The Councilwoman was materializing just as Will was entering.
"Commander. We have much to discuss." she said as she exited the platform.
"Yes we do, Councilwoman. Please, follow me." Will suggested.
They left the Transporter Room and entered another turbo lift.
"Sickbay." Will said.
A moment later, they entered the new destination and saw the CMO standing over the body of Commodore Carl Torek.
"Report, Dr." said Will
<Tag Dr>
TBC.......
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Oct 18, 2011 9:42:19 GMT
A green blur flew past him, stopping at the intersection ahead to reveal itself as Major Tavik. She threw a panicked look back at the scene, before taking off down the passage. Carl winced as he heard her scream. Was that really Aeryn? Before he had a chance to discover what'd 'got into' the marine officer, Calli - raving herself - made an attempt at calming her, before rounding on Kamat again.
Kamat continued with his explanation, and Carl - his senses already thrown off from the recent, sudden jolt of dislocation - found himself to be quite unbelieving.
Had he gone insane? Was this some mad dream? Kamat was quite calmly - if with a measure of stern insistence - relating to them some story, some fabrication from his mind entailing desperate circumstances, split consciousnesses and quests.
"This isn't a joke, Director!" he shouted over Calli's shoulder to reinforce his officer's aggressive questioning. He then made an attempt at contacting the ship, which proved fruitless.
"Your devices have been neutralized I am sorry, but we cannot allow you to defile the aged scriptures ... Transport will be provided for you on your journey, as well as food and water..."
Carl was furious. He'd spent the last two days in and out of Kamat's presence, and during that time, the Cordovin man had never struck him as the type to speak such blatant rubbish and such unforgivable lies. This was, in his view, looking increasingly like a kidnapping.
"Kamat! I'm here. Right here!" he called after the Director's retreating back.
For some reason Kamat continued to ignore Torek, slowing only slightly and shaking his head with seeming sorrow, before hurrying away out of the darkness. Giving up, Carl turned back to the group, and that's when he felt the first difficulty.
Something seemed a little off. The way he was moving, the way he was perceiving things... His body wasn't responding in the right fashion to his natural gait. But then, he supposed, these weren't ordinary circumstances; he was bound to be feeling off his game. The officers around him shuffled, deep in thought seemingly. He used the moment to take them in. All of them seemed to be acting unusually, not displaying the kind of body language that he'd grown accustomed to.
"Ok. Let's get out of here," he said. "We need to find a working communicator."
Turning to go, Carl stopped in his tracks as one of his officers spoke up loudly. "Hold on a minute there, Mr. Blakus! Who do you think is the superior officer here?"
Carl grunted. This had been a joke before; now it was just a bad joke. "Not you, too..."
He surveyed the immediate junction of passageways around them, seeing the Cordovin that seemed to be waiting on them, and the hushed words they passed between each other. He considered this as he turned back to the group. "Right, shall we presume for now that this is a cultural misunderstanding? Before we assume the worst that they've kidnapped us. This is a new Federation member after all. I think we need some real answers."
Marching off to the nearest Cordovin, Carl considered the faces of Aeryn, Alex and Calli as he'd spoken to them. They seemed to understand what he was saying, although they also seemed to have a problem with it (which was an issue in and of itself).
However, the flickering of their eyes and something indefinable in their facial expressions spoke of something else, something that he wasn't considering, and - if he knew what it was - couldn't possibly comprehend.
<Tag Alex, Aeryn, Calli>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Oct 19, 2011 20:44:34 GMT
"Right ... Shall we presume for now that this is a cultural misunderstanding. Before we assume the worst that they've kidnapped us. This is a new Federation member after all. I think we need some real answers." Blakus said moving out toward the mouth of the tunnels, but not before catching a strange, almost confused, annoyed look on the faces of the other Officers.
As he reached the open air, one of the Cordovin stood in front of him, blocking his way. Calli, Aeryn and Alex almost collided with him.
"Excuse me 'Commander' !" Calli began, but Blakus was already speaking ...
"I want to see El-Kamat .... NOW !"
"He has asked that you remain here while he appropriates several Zaffak for your journey." the man said, suddenly looking more like a guard than one of the students helping at the excavation.
"What the hell are those ?" Aeryn said suddenly stepping back into the mouth of the tunnel in fear, "We're not going to be expected to get on those things are we !"
Everyone looked in the direction of the Marines frightened gaze. El-Kamat was approaching with three others. Each was holding some sort of rein and leading the weirdest looking animal most of them had seen ... Standing on average just above the three meter mark, they had thick fur, and six legs. As they came to a stop no-one could fail to see the teeth between barely parted lips, 'too many teeth' Calli thought, as she too took a step forward, almost fascinated by the sheer prehistoric looking killing menace before them. As the beasts stopped, they raised up, standing on the rear four legs and casually waved either razor-sharp claws on the foremost pair of legs/arms, as if testing the air. But the most frightening thing was the head ... Massive, solid, and terrifying, as the forward facing eyes, obviously used for hunting, locked on the Star fleet Officers. Each in turn opened their mouth slowly. Wider and wider until it would fit a full grown man in easily. Two enormous canine teeth extended from the upper jaw, and protruded through slits in the lower jaw. The diameter of a mans chest at the root, they tapered to a point one point five meters later.
Katam handed them each a leather pouch, and the reins to their, transport !
"These animals are somewhat, domesticated, and will allow you to mount to ride. Mortai will demonstrate ...
They watched as the man pulled on the rein and the head came down, the front legs landing with a thud as the neck bent so the head itself was almost laying on the animals chin. Or it would have if the massive canines hadn't embedded themselves into the hard soil for half a meter. Calli figured the skull alone most weigh close to a half ton. Mortai grabbed a handful of fur and placed one foot in the animals neck. As it felt the added weight it lifted it's head effortlessly and the man swung himself to a sitting position ... Pushing above one eye the 'Zaffak' it knelt on the front legs and lowered its head, allowing Mortai to dismount ...
"You have 'GOT' to be kidding me El-Kamat !" Calli said walking toward the closest animal, who regarded her like a portion of it's last meal it suddenly realized it had missed. She reached forward, placing a hand on one of the fangs, feeling the roughness of the enamel, as the zaffak regarded her silently. She yelped in excitement, causing the animal to jump back a few millimeters, before it's head shot forward, much too quick for anyone to react should it decide on a snack, but it stopped short, the eye's locked on their prey.
Calli lifted a hand slowly, touching the snout of the zaffak, then moved to the side, the baseball sized eye following her. She grabbed a handful of fur and pulled ... The zaffak rose instantly, and the athletic Valenti swung eagerly behind the beasts ears ...
"Now 'THIS' is what I call transport !" she said, an almost childish chuckle escaping. Then after a second she pulled the fur to the right, the animal obeyed the order and turned.
"Push forward slowly with both hands behind the ears, the zaffak will walk. Yes yes, thats it, excelent, pull back to slow, yes." Mortai said, nodding as she guided the zaffak around in a wide circle before returning. Pushing gently behind the eye, the beast dropped to the floor allowing her to get down.
"Good good ..." El-Kamat said, pleased with progress, but knowing time was of the essence, "We will review maps of your journey tonight, then you will leave at first light ... A warning to you all though ... The zaffak is a carnivorous animal, and while 'domesticated' for our use, they must be allowed to roam when you are camped. They will return to you at dawn, but must eat during the night hours, so under no circumstances must any be tethered. Regard this warning well, as you do not want to become their next feed ... Now, please, bring your packs and we shall review the maps supplied.
In the tent El-Kamat took out a roll of what looked like animal skin from Calli's pack and opened it out on the table.
It was only then that Torek realized they would be alone on this journey, with no technology to help them. A map made of skin, no doubt scribed in animal blood and pigments ... She found herself relishing the unfolding adventure ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Oct 21, 2011 23:04:19 GMT
The man who thought - in fact the man who knew - he was Carl Torek retreated into the background to take stock. Calli took the lead, testing out the new - frankly ridiculous, the 'engineer' thought - mode of transport. Apparently, then, they were to be kept here against their will, following the preposterous pretence of reuniting the segregated quarters of his personality.
At least, he thought, let us get to the other continent in a manner that isn't utterly demeaning. Scriptures be damned. Surely they didn't really believe in that superstitious junk?! But, he had to remind himself, all of this was a lie, they were misleading them and had somehow affected the minds of the other officers.
"Bring up my beast, then." He stepped forwards, looking from side to side before seeing another attendant bringing up another - marginally larger - Zaffak. Two more of similar bulk came behind it, heads waving menacingly.
"Be cautious," the attendant warned, handing Torek the reins and stepping back.
"As always." The man who thought he was Torek slipped forward, knowing that if he could get this right... "Here... thingy, pass me that glove you're using."
"I'm Telaman, sir," the attendant replied, pulling the thick leather glove from his hand and throwing it over.
Torek slotted it on, thinking that he'd rather be safe than sorry, although now realising that if the animal decided to bite him, the glove would not be of any great help. He swallowed, and pulled down on the rein. To his relief, the animal bowed its head obediently, and then, wanting to get it over with quick, he pulled on its furry neck and felt himself slung high into the air.
A sensation of weightlessness lasted half a second before he slammed down on the Zaffak's back upside down. In blind panic, he desperately clung on to its fur, trying to stop himself from sliding off the beast's back and dropping the two, three metres to the hard ground. The Zaffak roared with displeasure and the stricken officer atop it looked pathetic. Hanging by just a handful of fur and scrabbling with his legs to get somewhat upright, he eventually managed to reach a sitting position.
Piercing laughter cut through Torek's preoccupied senses. "I would say you are a natural, Commander! But I would be lying."
The laughter continued. Torek twisted the facial features of Commander Blakus into an expression of contained rage. It was El-Kamat, purposefully aggravating him. He'd got the first two parts right, he had lowered the Zaffak's head and pulled on its fur, but he'd forgot to plant his foot on its neck. Thus he had lost all semblance of control as soon as the creature had reared, and had been flung about four metres into the air.
Determined to make amends to his pride, Torek tried pulling at the creature's fur behind the neck. It did nothing except shake itself irritably and bark out another unearthly roar of annoyance at the amateur riding its hide.
He tried pushing and slapping it. More roaring. Eventually he just yelled at it, and kicked his legs at its sides as if he were engaging in some equestrian pursuit. And then surprisingly, it started to edge forwards.
The attendant, Telaman, looked on and was thoroughly intrigued. "What a curious technique, sir. I've never seen the like of it."
"I was never much for horse-riding," the rider admitted, "Perhaps this is the mount my body thought it was riding." Of course, it wasn't his body at all.
Over the night, the body of Commander Blakus lay in a sleeping compartment adjoining the excavation dig's main tent. The mind within rested there, pondering on how he should execute his plan for the next dawn. Things hadn't worked out earlier that day: the beast hadn't been cooperative with him and it'd scuppered his objective.
He heard Commander Valenti's voice, fervent and eager, from the main compartment just a few metres away, and he rolled over, trying to mute the sound in the pillow. She had been discussing the 'quest' with Kamat for the last four hours. Every detail, every permutation. He felt it driving him, forcibly pushing him to the uncertain edges of insanity. If Calli hadn't been influenced by whatever brainwashing the Cordovin were employing, he'd have the mind to reprimand her. Of course, the fact she thought she was also Torek would somewhat dampen its impact.
Morning edged its way to the horizon, splaying its luminescence for all to see across the land of the archaeological dig. First light meant time for their departure, and 'Andae' - having not slept - stumbled exhaustedly into the main compartment of the tent. No one was present, the central table unoccupied except for the skin-map. The sun burnt a punishing mark on to his retinae as he gazed out the open front section of the tent.
The day was coming up fast, and he realised he had to uncover the reasons, the goals of this Cordovin treachery soon, or he too might be lost to their brainwash.
<Tag All>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Oct 23, 2011 0:00:20 GMT
"So .... What you are trying to convince me of is the fact that I am 'NOT' Commodore Carl Torek, Commanding Officer of the USS Raven-B .... Is that right ?"
El-Kamat sighed. He had been going through the Star fleet Officers' predicament for hours, but he felt it was like trying to convince a stone that it wasn't actually a stone, but a quzan fruit !
Even after showing her images of Torek she still refused to believe what he was saying. He took time to point out that Torek didn't have 'breasts' and was, as far as Star fleet records showed, was most defiantly 'MALE' in gender, and asked if 'he' could explain that, inconsistency .. But naturally the woman simply ignored his 'observation' and told him to continue with the briefing ... Two hours later, she, he, had a good idea of the scale of their problem.
"TWO THOUSAND KILOMETERS ! .... On those things .... Are you bloody serious. OK, they're a novelty to prance around the camp site with, maybe something to tell the folks back home about the weird dinosaurs, yadda yadda, but TWO god'am 'K' ... Not going to happen !" Torek yelled in total disbelief.
"Commander ... Commodore." El-Kamat quickly corrected himself, "You must understand. While you have a two thousand kilometer journey, you will in fact only travel some six hundred. You will be allowed to traverse the Oolantx sea on one of our ferries, cutting out your need to circumnavigate."
This is redicul ......" Calli said, frustrated beyond words now.
"Is it almost dawn and alas this subject will not be debated I am afraid. We are bending so many rules of the scriptures already, in understanding that it was 'off-worlders' that discovered the hidden stone. But our generosity can only stretch so far, even allowing for our new status within your, or rather our, Federation ... Please, I think we shall await the return of the zaffak in the open. Then, I expect you will want to brief your companions before you begin the journey, no, leave the maps, they will be safe here." El-Kamat said, taking her arm and leading her out of the tent.
~~~~~~~~~~
The four zaffak came out of the wooded area at a leisurely pace. Blood could be seen on their extended canines and it was obvious they have found food while on the hunt. One of the animals slowed as they passed and seemed to bow it's head a fraction looking directly at Calli.
"You must return the gesture, it is a form of bonding ... This animal will remain with you until you set if free, or it perishes. It will of course return here should you meet an unexpected demise during the journey."
Calli bowed her head very slightly, keeping eye contact with the beast. Seemingly satisfied, the zaffak joined it's brethren and awkwardly settled itself on the dusty ground. A moment later they all seemed to be in a deep sleep ......
"We shall speak again before your departure." El-Kamat said, bowing, "But I have things to see to, and I suggest you speak to your friends before leaving the site, as once outside the parameter, you will be totally alone ... Please beware, there are factions among us who do not believe in the stones. Should you attempt to solicit help from one of these groups, there could be .... Dire consequences .... You should inform everyone of this."
After deciding not to snatch the Cordovan by the throat and teast the information she wanted out of him,Calli walked back to the tent, and was a little surprised to see Commander Blakus looking at the maps ....
"Commander ... Something wrong ?" she asked, almost itching for a fight suddenly, "Because I'm all for getting the hell out of here, but if you have a problem I'd like to hear it ... If not ... Good. Please wake the others, You all need to be briefed, and we need to eat before setting off ... OK ... Unless you feel 'you' should be doing the honours !" she said, not waiting for a reply before taking the map and rolling it tightly, returning it to it's leather case, then seating herself in what she considered a seat with a view of the compound, and the zaffak's. Almost daring Blakus to question her decision ..........
< tag : Feel free Andae, hehe >
< tag : ALL ... c'mon >
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Alex Watson
Commander 1C
All that glitters has a high refractive index.
Registered: Apr 10, 2011 14:30:46 GMT
Posts: 102
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Post by Alex Watson on Oct 23, 2011 19:19:47 GMT
Carl shook Alex's head slightly in amusement as he watched the others trying with mixed degrees of success to mount the zafak beasts. Soon enough though, it was his turn. Stepping close to the creature he had a most peculiar sensation. The zafak looked up, looked him straight in the eye, and he felt his pulse increase, a shot of adrenaline pulsing through his body. He knew, somehow...he knew that the animal wasn't angry or fearsome...it was scared. It was scared of the newcomers, the strange smells...
Carl reached out Alex's hand to stroke it's muzzle affectionately, and the sensation increased dramatically the moment his hand made contact with the beast's skin.
"Shhhh...I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly, and from the way that the animal looked at him, he realised that it had understood him. Not just from the tone of his voice or his body language, but actually understood the words he had said. Deciding that he would ponder this later, he mounted effortlessly as the animal helped him onto its back. He cast a wry look over at Andae's body, which was still dangling upside down from the harness. He supressed a laugh with great difficulty.
-------
"I don't understand this exactly," he said to El-Kamat, who was seated in front of him in his tent. "What sort of essences of personality are we talking about? When I touched the zafak, I felt an almost empathic connection. I've never felt anything like that before, even before this incident. How can this be possible if I am only part of myself...no part of myself has ever been able to do that."
El-Kamat considered this deeply, looking into the fire burning in the centre of the tent, before he asked "What is the square root of twenty five thousand four hundred and eighty nine?"
"A hundred and fifty nine point six five three, rounding up," Carl said instantly, without even really needing to think about it. "Wait...how...how did I do that?" he asked, his jaw dropping.
"It would appear that you are the essence of Carl Torek's intelligence," El-Kamat said, the barest hint of comprehension forming on his face. "Am I correct in thinking that Commodore Torek is part Vulcan?"
"Yes, I am," Replied Carl.
"Indeed. Vulcans possess empathic abilities, do they not?"
"Well, yes. But mine...I never really used them..."
"Indeed. It would appear that the part of Carl Torek's psyche that is linked with his intelligence is also deeply connected to his Vulcan heritage, dormant or not. It is not surprising that now, free from the supression of the other elements of his personality, your single essence is able to use these Vulcan abilities in ways that the whole cannot. I suggest you take advantage of every tool you have, Commodore, you're going to need them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe that the body of Commander Valenti wanted to look over the maps of your journey."
"Of course. I'll see you in the morning," Carl replied, nodding to El-Kamat as he left the tent.
Carl sat back, lost in thought. As he drifted off to sleep, one thought kept chasing around his mind, and he found himself unable to shut it out.
"Most illogical.....most illogical....."
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 28, 2024 12:18:38 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2011 21:35:57 GMT
Salek was finishing up his review of the personnel medical records when an urgent call came from the planet regarding Commodore Torek being deceased and his body urgently transported to sickbay. Salek hurried over to the biobed that was designated as the beam in location for the Commodore, and surely enough a few seconds later the transport was complete. Salek picked up a medical tricoder and began to run scans over the commodore. Life signs seemed undetectable on his tricoder so he closed the biobed and initiated a more in-depth scan to be sure.
After the biobed data started showing up on the screen it was clear that the commodore was not dead, however his vital signs were dropping rapidly and neural activity was barely detectable, in fact the only detectable signs of neuronal activity were in the pons and medulla oblongata.
"Nurse, 10ml of adrenaline", Salek said
As the nurse handed him the hyposprey he injected the Commodore with the drug. After a few moments his blood pressure began to rise but the perfusion of the brain was still unsatisfactory and the manβs kidneys looked to be moments from critical failure due to insufficient blood flow. Salek weighed his options and decided the best approach was to attack the problem at its core. This was always the most logical approach.
"Nurse bring me the neural stimulators.", Salek said
After the nurse handed him the devices he attached them to the key points around Carl Torek's head.
"Initiate 10 mill volts", he said
When the devices began to activate and send the current through the man's brain the neuronal synapse activity levels began to rise, however only within the autonomic nervous system. The neurons affecting higher brain functions and voluntary muscle control did not respond to the stimulation. For now this was not the main concern for him. The stimulation did what he had anticipated it would do. It caused the blood pressure to normalize and increase perfusion of all the vital organs.
After his patient was stabilized Salek instructed the staff to begin an in depth brain scan including a scan on the cellular level to ascertain what caused this unusual decrease in brain activity without any obvious signs of brain damage, or cellular necrosis. While he was still deep in thought over the matter Commander Torek arrived accompanied by an unknown woman.
"Commander", Salek said
"The Commodore was transported to sickbay with barely detectable life signs, which caused the people on the planet to conclude he was deceased. There conclusion proved to be inaccurate. The commodore is alive however his neuronal activity is minimal and had i not used the neuronal stimulators to increase his autonomic system activity, he would not have lived much longer. Due to an unknown cause most of his brain functions have been shut down, as if someone flipped a switch. As illogical that may be. I have began a detailed scan of his brain to attempt to identify the cause of the problem.", Salek said
<Tag Jamison>
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 1, 2011 23:12:08 GMT
The man who appeared as the Raven's CEO wasn't as surprised by Calli's outburst as he would've been under normal circumstances. It was already clear to him that the crew were not behaving normally; something had made them think they were him, and thus it wasn't too large a leap to think that whatever had affected Calli, Alex, Aeryn had also had other effects on their brain chemistries.
Calli, for instance, was a lot more on edge than usual and - as was clear to Carl right now - she constantly appeared to be on the verge of starting a fight.
"... Please wake the others, You all need to be briefed, and we need to eat before setting off ... OK ... Unless you feel 'you' should be doing the honours !"
"No, no, I'm quite happy for you to do the honours, Commander Valenti." He raised his hands and backed away from the Raven's Mission Advisor. He cringed slightly, instinctively bracing himself for more exasperation or perhaps even physical violence...
Calli turned away, and Carl felt the natural urge to reprimand her. Just for the moment, though, he decided that the officer was best left alone - if only to cool off and take it easy. "I'll wake the others," Blakus's mouth spoke, the words leaving his mouth with a strange, dreadful finality.
Grumbling slightly, he ducked into Alex Watson's sleeping area and called the science officer's name. Very little movement occurred at first. "Come on, wake up, Lieutenant," Torek muttered, and turned to leave. He repeated the trick with Tavik, and before long all four of them were gathered at the entrance to the main tent.
"Ok, Commander Valent- Commodore," Kamat was saying, "Why don't you start off the briefing. You perhaps know the most of the journey ahead, considering all we talked about last night."
The Blakus essence sauntered into the small circle, sitting on the ground next to the others. He settled himself on the hard surface and then cast Calli a surly glance, "Yes, Commander, why don't you take it upon yourself to start the briefing?"
He let Calli speak whatever part she wished to speak, and after both she and Kamat had outlined some of what lay ahead, the Blakus essence himself rose to his feet. Their eyes turned his way.
"I don't know... I don't know if any one of you will listen, or can even hear my words truly.." He found himself murmuring, watching the rising sun as it cast the archaeological site in a glorious hazy light - as if they were seeing a real-life piece of landscape art. "This isn't right," he said, turning back to the others, "Why are we doing this? We shouldn't listen to what this Cordovin says..." He waved his arms, "There has been no split of personalities! I am Carl Torek. You... you are my officers, but you have changed somehow. Please, let's not embark on this foolish, superstitious course. Let's leave this world and return to the ship, and give it to the Federation to decide what to do with this world's membership." He turned slowly to the Cordovin Director. "Damn you, Kamat... Why are doing this to us?"
<Tag All>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Nov 3, 2011 10:30:55 GMT
Calli had eyed Commander Blakus with a sudden urge to shout the man down, but she held her tongue 'Not good for a Commanding Officer to be chastising a subordinate in public' he thought, and besides, it wasn't his style .. So looking around the tent, she started into the briefing ...
Forty minutes later the room was in stunned silence ...
That silence was broken by Commander Blakus himself.
"I don't know ... I don't know if any one of you will listen, or can even hear my words truly.." He found himself murmuring, watching the rising sun as it cast the archaeological site in a glorious hazy light - as if they were seeing a real-life piece of landscape art, "This isn't right, why are we doing this. We shouldn't listen to what this Cordovin says ..." He waved his arms, "There has been no split of personalities! I am Carl Torek. You ... You are my officers, but you have changed somehow. Please, let's not embark on this foolish, superstitious course. Let's leave this world and return to the ship, and give it to the Federation to decide what to do with this world's membership." He turned slowly to the Cordovin Director, "Damn you, El-Kamat ... Why are doing this to us ?"
El-Kamat stood silently shaking his head, and the realization suddenly dawned on Calli, that they 'ALL' thought they were Carl Torek ! ... Each one of them had readied himself for the meeting this morning, each Officer had looked into a mirror, and had seen Commodore Carl Torek looking back at them. Each one had donned the clothing provided by El-Kamat and his people, each had watched 'Torek' dress !
"Andae ......" Calli said quietly as she picked up a metal plate and walked toward the Commander, everyone watching the scene in confusion, "Look at your reflection, who do you see ?"
"This is ludicrous." he said, almost knocking the reflective surface from Calli's hands, "I see ME .. Who else !"
"And who do you see in this tent ?" Calli asked calmly, though inwardly fighting to hold her impulsive temper.
"You, Lieutenant Watson, Major Tavik, four Security Officers and a number of Cordovin." Blakus said.
"No, he is wrong." the Major said, a tremor in his voice, "I know that I am Carl Torek."
"Yes, that is the quandary ... We are ALL Carl Torek, and we need to work together to ensure we succeed in our mission to gain the other stone. Frankly, I could care less what you people think, as long as you follow orders then we'll have no cause for issue." Calli said, a hard, dangerous look spreading across his face, "Of course, should anyone disagree, then I am more than willing to 'discuss' the issue ...... Outside !" His meaning couldn't have been clearer if she had pushed the tip of a sharp blade against the chest of each of the Raven crew in turn.
"Everything is ready Professor." a Cordovin said, entering the tent. Thankfully El-Kamat gestured toward the exit, grateful Valenti hadn't reduced the number of Torek essences then and there ... Once outside they could see fourteen of the massive Zaffak, four were laden with supplies strapped to some kind of harnesses.
"Eight are for you to use, four for food and water, the two others will be used by two of my students who will accompany you on your journey. Now, please mount, the sun is rising." El-Kamat said.
Each of the Star-fleet Officers mounted their Zaffak in their own awkward way. Only Watson seemed to find the task easy, as his animal knelt at his approach, and then smoothly raised it's head as the Lieutenant settled himself.
"I wish you all luck in your quest." El-Kamat said, "Be aware, there are, factions ahead that will not be open to your journey, nor will they be helpful ... Take most care with these people."
With that the animals, as if by some unspoken order, turned and began to walk ... Within ten minutes, the dig site had fallen out of sight and they were looking at a seemingly endless expanse of sand, sand, and more sand ..........
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 28, 2024 12:18:38 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2011 23:07:02 GMT
"I have began a detailed scan of his brain to attempt to identify the cause of the problem."
"Thank you, Doctor." Will said before introducing the person to his left. "This is Councilwoman Rahna from the surface. I believe she can enlighten us as to what is going on."
The Doctor led everyone into his office where they all sat as the Councilwoman told them the legends of the stones that were now effecting several of the Ravens crew. Will was the first to speak when she was finished.
"So what you're telling me is that parts of the Commodore are now inside the others?" he asked.
"Not so much parts, Commander. It's more like his soul has split and taken over the others. As I said, once the other stone is located, all will return to normal."
"And the Commodores body?" Will asked looking back and forth between the other two.
<Tag Doctor........Please fell free to use the Councilwoman any way you need to.>
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 28, 2024 12:18:38 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2011 22:24:01 GMT
Salek was silent for several moments after Commander Jamison and the Councilwoman explained the events leading up to the condition the Commodore was in. Obviously the concept of soul in its mystical sense had nothing to do with the state the man was in. It did not make any logical sense. However Salek thought, it would not be wise to dismiss the beliefs of these people, that was in direct contradiction with Starfleet and the federation.
"Councilwoman, Commander", Salek said, "Let us put aside the general concept of transferring the soul of the Commodore into the bodies of the crewmembers, and look at this from another perspective"
"Dismiss the concept?", the councilwoman replied with a mildly annoyed tone
"The concept, not the fact that it had happened.", he said
The woman did not look pleased with this response from the Vulcan doctor but decided to let him finish before attacking him from not believing their legends.
"Let us assume this stone, has the ability to telepathically suppress the personality, memories and higher brain functions of the man who first touches it and transfers different sides of his personality into the people who the man thinking of at the moment he realized something was wrong, which if we think logically would be the crew of the Raven, when we take into consideration who the affected person is, is logical. Going in the direction this line of thinking takes us, the other stone the Councilwoman mentions would need to have an opposite effect on the people affected and neutralize the telepathic field of the first one.", Salek finished
The two people looked at him with slightly stunned looks.
"Of course this is all only a logical assumption based on the information provided by the councilwoman, and without examining the stone and a more detailed examination of the commodore I cannot tell you if this is what has happened or not...", Salek said
"and as for the commodoreβs condition. At the moment he is stable, however how long he will remain to be stable... I cannot tell you. It is possible that he will remain stable for days but there is not enough facts to know how long he will remain stable", Salek finished
<Tag Jamison>
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Alex Watson
Commander 1C
All that glitters has a high refractive index.
Registered: Apr 10, 2011 14:30:46 GMT
Posts: 102
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Post by Alex Watson on Nov 7, 2011 18:21:41 GMT
Seemingly alone of all the essences of Torek, the one occupying Alex's body did not resent the landscape around them. The hard sand dunes and baking heat reminded him of Vulcan, through a kind of ancestral memory he had never realised he possessed. He alone, perhaps, felt almost at home: the animal underneath him responded to his every whim and command, most of which he had to do no more than think for them to become a reality. It really was the most peculiar experience. But it was logical.
Everything was logical. It was logical that none of the other essences would have inherited the Vulcan traits, and therefore not share the race-memory of Home, or the strange empathic connection with the world around him. The other essences appeared to be those of Anger, Fright, and Scepticism. Anger and Fright were not part of the Vulcan psyche, and as such would not have associated with it, and while Vulcans may appear to some to be sceptical their scepticism was in fact reason. When presented with what he regarded as proof of something, a Vulcan would not sceptically doubt its legitimacy.
No, all in all what was bothering the essence inhabiting Alex Watson was that he had no logical explanation for the phenomenon. His logic told him that it must have occured, and yet his reason was struggling to grasp the concept. He simply was not scientifically minded enough to understand what had happened. Suddenly, an idea came to him. It would be foolish, unlikely to succeed and perhaps dangerous, but it was the logical solution to his mental conundrum.
---
Their first day's ride had been largely uneventful.
<Tag Any who want to describe some events of the first day>
As they sat down at the fire the first evening, there was still much bickering going on between the four essences. Each one seemed to be utterly convinced that they were the most qualified to be the "leading" essence, and each resented taking orders from the others, whom they seemed to regard as inferior. The essence inhabiting Watson sat silently as the bodies of Valenti and Blakus shouted and screamed at each other. The body of Captain Tavik had long since curled into a ball and withdrawn from the confrontation after meekly suggesting that the other two should calm down. Eventually, the essence inhabiting Alex stood up.
"Enough!" He did not shout, he barely raised is voice, but for some reason the other essences stopped their squabbling. Was it possible that this was more evidence of a kind of telepathic ability? Resolving that he would investigate this later, the essence inhabiting Watson spoke.
"This bickering is highly illogical, and it serves no purpose whatsoever. What has happened has happened, and it is a waste of time to argue about it. May I remind you that an event of this nature is not entirely without precedent. On Stardate 1672.1 by the old reckoning, then Captain James Kirk of the USS Enterprise suffered a split in his personality due to a transporter malfunction. The split resulted in two completely solid and "real" Captain James Kirks, one of whom contained the Captain's positive energy and feelings, and the other who contained all his anger and negative emotions. Alone and separated, the two essences began to discover that neither one of them, on their own, was capable of effective command of the Enterprise.
Granted, in this case the essences of Kirk's personality did not inhabit other sentient beings, but it is conclusive proof that a split of "essence" such as the one which has been described to us is, without a doubt, possible. Since we all believe ourselves to be the "real" Carl Torek, I suggest that the same weakness of command will be true of us, only twice as great. There were only two James Kirks. There are four Carl Toreks. It is only by co-operating with each other, helping each other in the areas where we lack, that we have a chance of seeing this situation to a happy conclusion. If one of us were to be injured or killed, it is likely that reunification would be impossible or, indeed, it may simply extinguish us all."
He snapped to attention, giving the Vulcan salute in turn to each of the other essences.
"May we all Live Long, and Prosper," he said, turning away from the camp-fire and walking to his tent. It was time to test the idea that he had come up with on the ride here.
-----
Working hard, Carl lowered himself into a deep meditative trance. He realised that this was almost certain not to work, but if any part of Lieutenant Watson was still locked inside this brain, he had to try and contact it. Slowly, slowly, he began to fully relax, lifting his hands up and gently placing the empathic recievers of his fingers onto his own temple.
The world shook, his vision blurred. He tried to pull his fingers away from his head but found that he was unable to do so. Slowly, slowly, the world became black.
Then White.
White, all around him. He concieved that he must reasonably be standing on some sort of floor, since he was standing, but he could neither see it nor feel it beneath his boots. He felt himself, his body. It was the body he remembered, with one difference. His skin exhibited the greenish hue of a pure-vulcan, rather than the more muted tones of his mixed race ancestry.
"Most illogical..." he murmued under his breath.
"You're telling me, Commodore." Came a voice from behind him. Carl spun around in nanoseconds, his body tensing and preparing for the rigours of combat. In another second, he had relaxed.
In front of him, standing and yet standing on nothing, exactly like himself, stood the figure of Lieutenant Alexander Watson...
<Tag All: I'll need another post to finish this "vision" off, but it shouldn't take too long to get up. If any of you want to post seeing Alex's body in the physical world, it's sitting cross legged in the tent, silent, with its fingers on its temples. >
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Nov 9, 2011 21:30:23 GMT
Day Eleven ...
They had broken camp at dawn and were approaching an area of hills that had sprung up over millennium. The Zaffak were ideally designed for travel in the desert, and they had been assured they found hard, stony ground no trouble.
Calli was beginning to wonder why the Cordovin had been so strict, to the point of demanding, that the Federation not use any form of technology, not even allowing contact with the Raven at any time. they would have been done a week ago if it were not for some religous dribble. She would have simply told the Cordovin what was going to happen, 'But who am I to pick at other races philosophical beliefs' she thought as the smooth, almost hypnotic movements of the massive animal below her threatened again to cause her to fall asleep.
Her eyes closed as the group moved forward in relative silence, broken only by small-talk ... She heard the sound a second before the thud and looked around. The Security Officer on the last of the Zaffak was slumped forward as if dozing. But it wasn't the fact he was seemingly sleeping that shocked her, but the presence of a two meter shaft protruding from his chest !
"Everybody down ... We're under ATTACK !" she yelled, reaching for her non-exsistant phaser before halting her animal and grabbing the dead Officer trying to pull him to the ground. But the shaft had penetrated the thick leather saddle, effectively pinning the man in his seat. Everyone had jumped from their Zaffak now, and were trying to keep the animal between them and the rocks ahead.
Suddenly there were two 'thuds' in quick succession, and the Zaffak carrying the Security Officer knelt forward, two metallic shafts embedded in the fight side of it's massive head, then fell on it's side ... Dead ... Six more of the javelin looking weapons slammed into the ground around them, making it impossible to see who or where they were coming from.
"The Dexxeni !" one of the guides said, terror making his voice tremble.
"Who the hell are th ......" Calli began to ask, but the man, let go of the Zaffak and ran, but he didn't get far as one of the Dexxeni spears slammed into his back, severing the spine on it's way to the ground as it pinned the dead man upright, like some grotesque warning to others. After a moment, a man casually approached the body, grasping the spear and twisting it out of the solid ground before pulling it from the guides lifeless body. He took his time wiping the blood away with the Cordovin's tunic, then, seemingly satisfied with the result, he turned to the group.
"Move away from your animals ... Step into the open ... NOW !" ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 16, 2011 10:56:02 GMT
The Blakus essence watched the sun rise out of the hazy mirage of the horizon and cast a sweltering, bubbling pall of heat over the desert. He stood on the slanting edge of a rock-face, surveying the land they'd crossed that morning, while the rest of the expedition went about the supplies - strapped to the 'packhorse' Zaffaks - just over the crest of the rock face behind him.
The other officers were out of sight but he could hear their murmurs, and it caused him to shiver heavily despite the heat of the morning. Wearily he started back up the rock face, not tired because of the exertion of the morning's ride, but because of the others' recent taking to the quest at hand. He'd had to remind himself continuously that the other officers were being influenced mentally. He had to remain aware that this was all some Cordovin manipulation. "Let them enjoy their little adventure," he grumbled to himself. His ragged figure kicked away some rocks - skitting brokenly down the slope - and he returned to the group and the animals.
The Blakus essence couldn't help but feel like an outsider. Faces turned his way, unfamiliar expressions adorning them. His apparently 'cynical' ravings were virtually ignored now, the group seeming set on its course. It was immensely frustrating, to have his words fall on deaf ears and the faces of alienation casting his own with confusion and despair.
Perhaps it was wise for them to hold silence. The Blakus essence was silent, too; he decided he would try a different tack, one not of words but of actions.
Two days later, across the sea of Oolantx...
It seemed as if nothing had happened. Had they really boarded a ferry, along with their monstrous animals, traversed a grey and featureless ocean, and landed on another continent? Desert stretched unendingly before them, the high mounts driving them slowly forward across the plains.
Eventually, as the eleventh morning wore on and the kilometres ticked over, things started to change. The Blakus essence sat on his Zaffak about in the middle of the group. "Slightly more hilly than usual," he commented.
"Indeed." One of the two student guides spoke next to him, "This is the edge of the Ir-Harapai, a southern region of this continent. It's well-known for its difficult land relief. I've never been here before."
Blakus glanced at the guide, aware that the student was probably quite far from home. "Is there much archaeology?"
The Kamat-appointed guide smiled wistfully. "Not that I know of," he admitted, "Most of its areas of interest have been plundered over the centuries."
"Well, that's interesting." Carl looked down at his saddle, grabbing the beast's neck-fur tighter and looking about him. He made the quick decision, and decided that this was a place he'd rather not get lost in. His grip loosened on the fur.
Five minutes on, "Move away from your animals ... Step into the open ... NOW !"
The essence of denial stood frozen behind its Zaffak, peeking out as the raggedly dressed man twiddled his spear in one hand and brought it up aimed aggressively at one of the group's faces. "I won't ask again." He paused. "Who else wants to be run through?"
Slowly, they stepped away from the beasts, hands raised. The attacker stood in front of the crumpled form of the student Blakus had just been talking with, blood oozing into the ground. "Good," he said, and waved one hand above his head. At this, from almost all around the Raven officers, a dozen others stepped out or rose from behind rocks.
"As you may have just heard, we are the Dexxeni. You, are travellers, and are not from this world."
"Why are you using spears?" Valenti asked. The Blakus essence thought he detected humour in her voice. That was dangerous, he thought, reckless even. This was a perilous situation.
"Because, traveller, we object to the false tools used by others of our race. Technology bleeds us dry... Leaves us only with circuits, and emotionlessness." The Cordovin had a cultured voice, and he gave a strong impression of intelligence. Torek knew enough about first contacts to know that when one spoke on the high level of extraplanetary affairs - in spite of in this case a clear preference for primitive ways - it indicated wisdom. He might have been wrong though. "Now, come with us." The Dexxeni turned away, "And we may refrain from harming you."
"Why would you? Why have you?" the Blakus essence asked. Alex Watson's words ran through his head. If one of us were to be injured or killed, it is likely that reunification would be impossible or, indeed, it may simply extinguish us all. The words did seem to fit strangely well - a ghost pseudo-threat to float in the back of his mind.
"To disenfranchise your Federation from this world. Like many others besides us want to do." The Dexxeni looked back, "We would just point you in the right direction." He let the ambiguity float in the air as the attackers disarmed them and started leading them off between two large facings of rock.
<Tag All> OOC: Sorry if it is long.
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 28, 2024 12:18:38 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2011 6:04:26 GMT
Will awoke with a start and was momentarily disoriented before remembering that he had been sleeping in the COs Ready Room so that he was close to the bridge. It had been 10 days now and there was no change in the Commodores condition. There had also been no communication with the away team and that bothered him just as much. He stood up and made his way over to the replicator.
"New uniform and hot coffee. Black." he said.
He took his new uniform and coffee and went into the head. He grabbed a quick shower and than headed to the bridge.
"Report." he said as the Lt sitting in the command chair vacated the seat and stood off to the side of it.
"No new reports from sickbay, sir. And we've been keeping tabs on the away team whenever the storm allows us to get through. Other than that, sir, nothing has changed." said the young woman.
"Very well. I relieve you." Will said. "Go get some re...."
Will never finished his sentence because he was interrupted by the officer at the Ops Station.
"Sir. We just had a break in the storm and we detected several other life forms along with those of the away team. And...." the man started before becoming quiet.
"And what, Ensign?" demanded Will.
"And it was only for a brief second, sir, but it appeared as if they began moving in the opposite direction from which they were headed."
"Get me Councilwoman Rahna." Will ordered.
A few seconds later, the Cordovin womans face appeared.
"Commander? How can I help you?" she asked.
"Councilwoman. There was a small break in the storm and we were able to find our crew." he began. "However. Our scanners picked up another group approaching them and now they are heading back away from their original destination. Any ideas?"
"Well. We did have reports of some Dexxeni in that area but we were never able to confirm it. Let me contact some one from that region and I will get back to you." she said.
"Thank you, Ma'am." Will replied.
The screen went blank once again and Will turned and headed for the lift.
"You have the Conn again, Lt. I'll be in sickbay."
He arrived a moment later.
"Hi, Doc. " he said as he entered. "Just here for my daily visit."
(Tag Doc)
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