Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 5, 2013 19:38:07 GMT
OOC: To echo the Admiral, sorry it's so long!
The Raven accelerated around the planet following the Hinoiri, necessarily widening its orbit as it applied thrust. On the bridge Blakus watched how the shoal of floating ships grew to encompass the entire visual field. Things went wrong very quickly.
"Sir, those ships that attacked us before are manoeuvring out of the fleet, heading towards us."
Andae stayed calm, taking the command chair. "Scan them. I want to know exactly who these people are." The Ops officer reported almost immediately that the vessels were impervious to scans. Andae shook his head; he knew of only a handful of races that could mask their signatures in such a manner. In fact he could count them on one hand. "Continue on our present course. If we come under fire, take evasive action but do not retaliate."
The slight craft continued to approach, powering their weapons relays. An encounter seemed increasingly inevitable. "Pull up, stay out of their line of fire as long as possible and establish contact with the surface." He waited; time seemed to tick slower and slower. Distances in space were so vast that what at first seemed like a close encounter could become a protracted affair, full of guesswork and tactics. The surface link was established.
"Commander Valenti, or anyone, this is the Raven. We're about to come under attack so I've got little time. We need you to spread the word locally about the main power plant, the one near the edge of the industrial sector south of the main plaza. We suspect there may be some sort of irregular power source there, possibly connected to El-Kamat. Once the populace finds out about a clandestine mechanism in their midst, they're sure to get furious. There's already unrest among them because of their government's ironhandedness. Have a look yourselves as well but obviously be cautious. Blakus out."
<Tag Valenti, Marionette, Tavik>
There was a lull in proceedings for the moment, the Raven and Hinoiri seeming to have dissuaded the ships from attacking. Wedlerson coughed, "Your message was cut off just before you finished, sir. It may have been jammed, but I'm not detecting any such signal from the surface."
Andae accepted the news with a shrug and simultaneously Admiral Tetsutaro came on to the bridge, followed closely by Commodore Torek. Carl seemed unusually quiet, humble even. It took a while for Andae to realise why this was, until Tetsutaro virtually pointed it out. Everyone on the bridge stood up, some of them stunned.
"So this is Starfleet's way of apologising, is it?" Andae smirked, before stepping forward and shaking his friend's hand, "Admiral Torek."
"What's the situation, Commander?" Tetsutaro butted in.
"We've made contact with Valenti's team, sir. We can only assume that they've received our message. We've got new problems..." he indicated the two approaching craft.
<Tag Carl>
* * *
The Cordovin destroyer slipped into formation with the visiting fleet, holding steady at its lowest point. The old man had the ship set adrift in the same frame as the other ships, appearing inconspicuous as possible. His green first officer entered the ward room, the door jerking open causing him to stumble in the entrance.
The old man looked up, showing remarkable patience. "Yes, any news?"
The first officer nodded courteously, "The jamming of the Federation ships is in full effect, and our request to make contact with El-Kamat has been granted. Apparently the Proximians have 'found' him."
The captain grunted, "Didn't take them long, didn't it?" He had little faith in the Proximians' word, especially after Subcoordinator Taseni's slip of the tongue, but he was also surprised he was being allowed an audience. Silently he requested his XO to have the comm routed through to his office, then sat in the dark, brooding, considering his choice of words to the distant spectre of the megalomaniac that was Kamat.
"Betran..." the voice rasped, the rebel's image becoming clear, "Excellent to see you again."
"Tahl...?" The old man frowned, the creases around his eyes becoming more pronounced as he tried to recognise the old El-Kamat in the twisted face on his monitor. "You've changed."
Kamat brushed over the question. "You've come looking for me. To return me to the homeworld? To kill me?"
"Either will do," Betran shrugged. He leant forward, peering into his old acquaintance's eyes. He'd known him only briefly during his time in the Extraordinary Artefacts branch of government, but it'd been enough to build a strong rapport, and a sort of friendship. "What are you doing here, Tahl? What is it you're building?"
"I'm... assembling a key, something that will unlock all the power we need to conquer the Federation, and more."
"What's become of you... This is beyond your power to control. The Gandai died for a reason, Tahl. A civilisation... as mighty as they, couldn't control the power that destroyed whole interstellar cultures."
Kamat retreated into the shadows. Betran could see shaded figures stood behind him, mere silhouettes against a distant light source. He tried to decode more of the surroundings, get an idea of the rebel's location, but it was impossible. Betran's mission had become one of execution. This wasn't just what was right (because of the sway Kamat held over the Cordovin government and his plans for domination of the quadrant); it was also revenge for Pammik and the intellectual sect on Zennai. "You realise... The USS Raven, of the Federation is here. And a second vessel has arrived, with an Admiral aboard her of greater seniority. They know you're here, and they'll try to kill you. As I must do as well."
Kamat seemed amused more than anything, the already dark features of his face twisting into something infinitely more malevolent; full of shadow. "I've been aware of both vessels' presence since their arrival, and I've already captured half their away team. Tell you what, old colleague, why don't you take care of Commodore Torek for me? He's still alive, you know. The Proximians have tabs everywhere. Surface, and orbit."
"I'll see what I can do. Then it's your turn for death."
"You can try. But you'll fail. And you'll die, of old age perhaps, by the time you catch me." Kamat's laughter echoed into the void as he closed the channel, leaving the man hunched over his console in his lonely ward room, feeling so weak he could collapse over his desk and sleep forever.
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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: 6,163
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 5, 2013 22:06:49 GMT
Tetsutaro entered the Bridge and walked around to stand with the view-screen at his back, Carl stood beside him, silent, as Sato announced the promotion ...
"So this is Star Fleet's way of apologizing, is it ?" Andae smirked, before stepping forward and shaking his friend's hand, "Admiral Torek."
"What is the situation, Commander ?" Tetsutaro butted in.
"We've made contact with Valenti's team, Sir. We can only assume that they've received our message. We've got new problems ..." he indicated the two approaching craft. Sato and Carl turned to face the screen, almost dwarfed by it's size. Admiral Tetsutaro looked at Carl as if waiting for him to act:
"Recommendations, Commander ?" Torek asked the pro tem Commanding Officer.
"Well ....." Andae said, taking the command seat, this time without hesitation, "They are going to open fire. I'm certain of that much."
"Open a channel to the Government Main House ...." Sato said, eyeing Torek and the insignia he reluctantly wore, "I believe the Proximian Government require that a quorum of officials always be in attendance ?" Carl got the idea and looked at his friend. Andae nodded, knowing anything was preferable to a fire-fight no-one would survive ! .. He turned to face the screen as the duty Operations Officer completed the request. Finally, she nodded.
"Open the channel." Carl said, taking a breath.
=^= USS Raven .. I have been informed you wish to speak to someone in authority .. I am Second Trimester Principle Councilwoman Braxxt .. What can I do for you ? =^=
=^= Madam Principle .. My name is Carl Torek .. I am the former Commanding Offi ...... =^=
=^= I am aware of who you are Commodore .. Though it seems congratulations are in order following your promotion to Admiral .. If my knowledge of your rank system is correct ? =^=
Carl was about to reply when a second person came into view. It was all he could do to remain openly calm. Freem looked at Carl with what could only be resignation. She had known all along that the man was aboard the Raven, but hadn't pushed her search as far as she was able. Why, she wasn't sure, but it made no difference now, he was here, and they needed to deal with it as Torek continued:
=^= Madam .. I must apologize for my abruptness .. But there are two vessels currently approaching the Raven and the Hiniori .. It is highly likely they intend to fire on us which will activate your orbital defense satellites .. This I am convinced, can only end in all four vessels being annihilated .. Therefore I request permission to incapacitate the on-coming ships without your defenses firing on us =^=
Everyone on the Bridge was stunned to silence as a third person came into view .... Obviously a high-ranking Cordovin Commander .... He grinned, before bending to whisper into Freem's ear.
=^= It seems our Cordovin visitors have requested exactly the same as yourself .. Admiral =^=
Admiral Tetsutaro stepped into view, and looked at Freem and Braxxt. He totally ignored the Cordovin Commander as he moved forward, seemingly dwarfed by the massive screen:
=^= Principle Braxxt .. I beg forgiveness for my intrusion into this conversation .. But I feel I could add weight to Admiral Torek's request .. Please feel free to check on my credentials I shall wait =^= Sato said, running his finger across his throat instructing the Ops Officer to 'mute' the conversation.
He stood impassively looking at the deck, as if trying to find something on the floor of a Cadet's billet. He was still waiting when the Raven's duty Tactical Officer suddenly shouted that the first of the vessels was firing ! ..... The ship vanished in a spectacular plume of matter/anti-matter before the orbital sentry rotated and locked onto the Raven herself.
"All stop ... Drop our shields and power down to minimal requirements ... Inform the Hiniori do do likewise ... Now !" Torek ordered instantly, nervous as both Federation Vessels hung in orbit, open to anyone who cared to fire on them as Braxxt re-appeared on-screen:
=^= Admiral Tetsutaro .. I must apologize on behalf of the Proximian Government .. I instructed the ship not to open fire .. They have suffered the consequences of their actions .. We are not war-like as you know .. But at the same time we will not allow individuals or indeed races to carry out unwarranted acts of violence in our space .. As such .. It is my ruling that all parties leave Proximian space in the next twenty four hours .. I am fully aware of out petition to join the Federation and I hope our actions in separating ourselves from this situation will not go against any decision .. 'TWENTY FOUR HOURS' Admiral .. Not a moment more .. You would be wise to heed our instruction .. Braxxt out =^=
Sato turned to face the Bridge:
"Poker I am good at .... Politics .... I should leave to the Politicians maybe." he said, shrugging.
"Ready room." Carl said, not waiting for a reply before he went into 'his' office followed by Admiral Tetsutaro and Commander Blakus. He waited for the door to close, "OK, first off, Andae, unfortunately, unless Admiral Tetsutaro takes overall Command, you are it on the Raven. Even he can't reinstate my Command status at this point in time without a full board of inquiry, which will involve a judicial review of my actions, intentional or unsupported. I imagine I'll face that should we get home, anything's better than the alternative in my humble opinion ... So we need a plan of action to achieve several goals quickly ... One ... Get the away team back aboard, all of them ! ... Two ... Destroy that bloody weapon at 'ALL' costs ... Three ... 'KILL' or capture El-Kamat, the former suits me down the the ground, just in case you were wondering, and ... Four ... Get the hell out of here with our lives, however short mine seems to be."
"I have the Hiniori to Command, but I must disagree with Carl ..." Tetsutaro said reluctantly, "With all due respect Commander, I feel the final decisions, given our situation, need to be made at a higher level ..... That said, Admiral Torek is indeed correct, I cannot reinstate him. But I would like to work together, with Carl as let us say, in an 'Advisory' position, to help us get through this. Is that acceptable to you ?" ..........
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Marionette
Commander
Dr. Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end.
Registered: Mar 2, 2012 3:26:33 GMT
Posts: 285
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Post by Marionette on Aug 6, 2013 21:19:46 GMT
Just then, the communicator chirped to life, attracting the attention of all who were in the hotel room.
=/\= "Commander Valenti, or anyone, this is the Raven. We're about to come under attack so I've got little time. We need you to spread the word locally about the main power plant, the one near the edge of the industrial sector south of the main plaza.
We suspect there......(static) El-Kamat. Once the populace (more static) in their midst, they're sure to get ....ious. There's already unrest among (more static) their governments (static, then cut out)" =/\=
Marionette looked at the other 2 ladies in the room and spoke "A most intriguing development."
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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 Aug 10, 2013 19:09:43 GMT
=^= ...... sure to get .... ious .. There's already unrest among ...... their governments lea ...... =^= The Comm closed, leaving the group almost non the wiser for the contact. But it did confirm one thing, and that was the fact that they had, albeit, sporadic, contact with the ship, and what was equally important, was the fact Admiral Tetsutaro wouldn't just stand by and allow the Raven destroyed. Calli had the feeling he was already pressuring the Proximian Government. "OK ... Ensign, I want you to hit the media hard. I want it all over the news that there is, a, hell, call it a 'Device' for the moment, with promises of further information to follow ..." Calli said, thinking how best, in her opinion, to force those in charge to react, "We need to search the Theater district thoroughly. Major Tavik, you'll accompany me on that. Oh, Marionette, plaster El-Kamat's image anywhere and everywhere. Let's see if anyone suddenly realizes they're living next to someone who could commit genocide on a Universal scale." "You're sure you want to go this route, Commander ?" Aeryn asked, standing to her full height to emphasize her question. "Listen ..." Calli said, as naturally as she could manage, "We have three Senior Staff missing, a maniac on the loose, some seemingly self-centered idiot preventing us from doing our job, and the distinct possibility that 'TWO' Federation Star Ships could be wiped out of existence ... So yes, Major ... I do feel we need to go this route. But feel free to log your disagreement if you so wish." she said, never breaking eye contact with the Marine. Aeryn returned the stare, then grinned: "GOOD ... Let's go get our people back, and Freem be damned !" "You are aware that Freem may react unfavorably to your actions ?" Marionette postulated, already working at the communication hub for the city. "I'm counting on it ..... Did you remove the 'surprise' Freem had left us in the phasers ?" Marionette pointed at the weapons, "Good, let's go ... Keep in touch." Calli said, almost marching out of the apartment .......... Aboard the Hiniori ..."Admiral on the Bridge !"
Everyone stood and faced the turbo-lift, Carl was hardly surprised. Sato Tetsutaro commended loyalty and dedication from his crew, and each of them knew they were treated exceptionally for their efforts ... The Admiral waved everyone back to their duties almost invisibly then sat in the Command seat:
"You remember Captain Hara." he said, "Admiral Torek."
"Congratulations on your promotion Admiral Torek. Very much deserved if I may say so. It is good to see you again."
"Thank you Ryuu, and you ... A little, unexpected, the promotion, but ..." Carl said, using Hara's familiar name, "Nice ship. I see the Admiral has been shopping."
"Yes yes, nice ship, big ship ... Dangerous ship !" Sato interupted. That spark of mischief appearing for the first time in what seemed an Eon, "So, First things first ... Captain, I want you to send a Sub-space data burst back to Earth. I do not care to know the contents, just that it has been sent." Ryuu turned to comply.
"Admiral ?" Carl asked, confused. But Tatsutaro held up a finger, silencing Torek instantly:
"Helm Officer ... Please contact the Raven and instruct her to duplicate our course correction. Then drop us into a low orbit. As low as we can adequately sustain without issue to the ship ... Communications ... Contact the Proximian government direct and inform them that there will be some transporter activity and they should be aware."
"Aye Sir."
"Now ..." Tetsutaro said, getting up and heading for the turbo-lift. Once the doors closed he continued, "I think it is time we let people know you are still among the living Carl ... Deck ten. Transporter room one."
~~~~~
"Are the coordinates confirmed ?"
"Yes Admiral." the Transporter Chief said.
"Then continue." Sato said, his best poker face intact ..........
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Marionette
Commander
Dr. Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end.
Registered: Mar 2, 2012 3:26:33 GMT
Posts: 285
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Post by Marionette on Aug 11, 2013 19:07:06 GMT
"You are aware that Freem may react unfavorably to your actions ?" Marionette postulated, already working at the communication hub for the city. "I'm counting on it ..... Did you remove the 'surprise' Freem had left us in the phasers ?" Marionette pointed at the weapons, "Good, let's go ... Keep in touch." Calli said, almost marching out of the apartment .... Marionette then went to work, again at speed, first contacting proximan separatist militia forces and giving them good reason to get trigger-happy, by insinuating that the device was far worse than any global-scale nuclear catastrophe. She then told them of its location ; the industrial sector south of the main Plaza in the capital city. Secondly, she splashed El-Kamat's face and list of crimes on quite literally ever 3rd screen, from every major city to even many outlying suburban provinces. The list of charges included nuclear warfare, continental scale genocide, several counts of sedition, several counts of grand theft starship, several hundred counts of grievous torture, assassination of government officials, (adozen more horribly nasty things), possession of illegal weapons, manufacture of narcotic and exotic drugs, and last but not least, bad fashion sense and jaywalking. - = - = * = - = - About 2 hours later, there was mobs of people milling about. No violence had ensued yet, but it was obvious that the police were struggling to muster a large enough response, and that the government was getting more nervous by the hour. The hordes of people fell into 2 groups so far; Proximan separatist militias, who were swarming around the industrial sector looking for this 'doomsday device', with loads of weapons, consisting of an even spread of phasers, disruptors, and primitive explosive firearms, most of which were rigged up, and all of which were illegal. .... and the other group, which consisted of more benign political protesters, who didn't do much besides clog up the roadways in and around the governmental Plaza district, wave signs and shout nice sounding feel-good slogans and chants, and get arrested by the hundreds in 'preventative' anti-riot police sweeps. - = - = - = - Not unexpectedly, Freem showed up, with a squad of police in their blue and black street armor. Freem was livid, almost to the point of foaming-at-the-mouth psychotic, shrieking loudly that the entire away team be arrested and charged with this and that, and whatever other official sounding charge Freem could think to spout. One of the police, a younger man eager to make a name for himself, drew his phaser and aimed at (?). Marionette whipped around so fast that she blurred, delicately snatched the phaser out of his hands, and shoved him into a plush seat, and then made a show of reducing the phaser into a perfectly round metal golf-ball with her bare hands. This caused the young officer to sit there, mouth wide open in shock, to which Marionette bent over and popped the phaser-ball into his mouth. Marionette then just simply stood there, elegant and serene-looking, arms crossed under her bosom, and towering over the tallest of the cops there, in stark contrast to Freem's flabbergasted desperation that Something be done.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 12, 2013 20:08:21 GMT
" ..... That said, Admiral Torek is indeed correct, I cannot reinstate him. But I would like to work together, with Carl as let us say, in an 'Advisory' position, to help us get through this. Is that acceptable to you ?"
Andae regarded the two Admirals almost with incredulity. His condition must've been obvious to them. The bags under the eyes, the unshaven face and unkempt hair, and the beads of sweat circling his eyes and brow like the calm, decomposing seas lying about a pair of islands.
His mind was beginning to wilt, the adrenaline of the last few hours fading and giving him an even more forcible reminder that he needed to sleep. How long was it now? Well over 60 hours?
"Well..." he began, "Agreed. I will continue with command of the Raven, under your flagship of course, Admiral Tetsutaro. Carl - Admiral," he turned to his usual CO, "I'll accept any recommendations or advice you're willing to give regarding strategy against El-Kamat. There's more at stake here than the level of involvement of a CO awaiting court martial." The two flag officers seemed pleased, departing the bridge and beaming to the Hinoiri, leaving the Commander in control of the Raven once more.
A while later...
He had a brief conference with Wedlerson, Lieutenant Jackson and Deputy SMO Baslone, the three most senior officers on the ship besides himself. One of those orbital ships had been destroyed; if they had been Cordovin, that may cause considerable tension between Kamat and the Proximian administration. The problem was Tetsutaro had informed Blakus the Hinoiri had chased another Cordovin ship to the Proxima system, a ship whose current whereabouts were unknown. The away team had done their job, the news being that the Proximian capital was in disarray. Basic scans revealed a huge concentration of biosignatures lining the streets, clamouring around main administrative structures and importantly the mysterious power plant.
"They're going to put this down with force," Baslone was shaking her head, "How are we going to counteract it? We can't charge in, can we?"
Blakus pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning sideways almost as if he was going to fall to the floor. "There are two ways of looking at it," he said finally. "This regime is going to do whatever it can to stay in power. Depending on the factors they see as relevant, they'll choose one of two options. They will either back Kamat, hide him away, spread anti-propaganda: an information war. Or they'll distance themselves from him, cast him out and thus hope to win back their population's support."
"Personally I'd like the second option. Makes him easier to get to," Baslone replied.
"I have a feeling the Admirals want to try and nip this in the bud," Wedlerson said quietly.
<Tag Carl/Sato; Surface team Calli, Marionette, Aeryn; Those captured Alex, T'Brel (so everyone Lol)>
Both Starfleet vessels made a slow descent to the uppermost reaches of Proxima Oralix's atmosphere. The Hinoiri grazed the top of its uncertain milky haze - a canopy over the jewel that was the Proximians' perfect, ordered society - and the Raven dropped in after her, on much newer thrusters. The temporary CO of the Raven stood from the centre seat on the bridge. "Steady as she goes," he murmured. Gradually he made his way to the upper level, his gait unsteady as he entered the turbolift. Chaos, writhing in his brain, ambiguously suggested that he should take a trip to deck 18.
Deck 18, an hour later... Blakus's head locked to the counselor's for the whole of the last hour...
Blakus looked on in astonishment. It wasn't just the sight of his engineering assistant walking towards him like a zombie, it was his entire surroundings. A vast chasm fell off to his left, a flimsy railing the only thing keeping the gantryway he was on safe. There was impenetrable darkness all around. Searchlights of a sickly yellow crawled over the surfaces, illuminating horrible details the meaning of which Blakus didn't want to contemplate. Where was he?
There was something far below, in the chasm. Milyanov was still walking towards him. Andae realised he was still in the dream. He was still locked in the mental bond with the counselor. "Heck..." he muttered. The Raven and Hinoiri were in low orbit of Proxima, presumably preparing an attack on the HQ or the power plant, or even a beam in. It was a massive risk, and if it was to take place he needed to be on the bridge.
"Milyanov?" His own voice seemed distant. "Milyanov, what the hell are you doing? Milyanov! Can you hear me? Can you see me?"
His assistant walked straight through him. Andae spun around and watched in horror as his assistant produced a long dagger and stabbed a black-suited soldier - who'd appeared out of nowhere - through the chest. The soldier choked, collapsing to the metal gantry. Milyanov mechanically withdrew the dagger from the man's thorax and rounded a corner, from which came more black-suited soldiery. Blakus realised they were Cordovin. He ducked to the side as a projectile shot flew by. Shrapnel screamed off the walls.
"Don't fire back, for scriptures's sake! You'll destabilise the mechanism!!" a hollow shriek rent the open space of the power plant, resounding down into the chasm and through Andae's mind. Everything had a dreamlike quality, a soft-edged unreachable distance. On a higher gantry, silhouetted by a sickly yellow spotlight was El-Kamat, appearing the same as he had in the observation room in the Gandai capital moments ago.
Andae looked back to the fight unfolding along the main gantry and saw zombie-Milyanov getting gunned down by fresh Cordovin soldiery. They trampled over his body, blowing his head apart with projectile shots at point-blank range before scrambling forwards, searching for a way to the higher gantry where Kamat was situated. The despot had fallen back, dark, fell looking figures filling his space and loping forwards down the upper gantry. Was this... was this the future, or was it even happening now?
<Tag All>
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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: 6,163
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 13, 2013 18:01:52 GMT
"Are the coordinates confirmed ?"
"Yes Admiral." the Transporter Chief said.
"Then continue." Sato said, his best poker face intact ...
~~~~~
To say he was a little apprehensive, was correct. He hadn't asked Sato 'where' they were beaming to, but it was obvious that the presence of the Sector's Chief of Security, certainly carried weight.
The room was enormous, even for Federation standards ... It was essentially a sphere, with the bottom third lined with rows of seats, equally proportioned into three distinct colors, the gold section had twelve larger, more ornate seats which Carl presumed were for the ruling Council members. The floor, almost thirty meters in diameter, had a raised dais in the center, presumably for the speaker. Council President Braxxt was waiting for them, and she wasn't alone. Six ornately dressed guards were stationed equidistant around the dais, weapons drawn ... Braxxt approached as they finished materializing:
"You were warned not to transport without authority !"
"I must apologize for breaking convention Madam President." Tetsutaro said, bowing slightly, "But needs must in our current situation."
"Our 'situation' as you describe it, Admiral, is of no concer ....."
"I beg to differ ... Madam." Sato interrupted, but this time making no apology for his action, "But there are issues here that greatly worry the Federation Council. The Proxima System has petitioned for membership of the United Federation of Planets. I must inform you Madam, that at this point in time, I can guarantee that the petition will be unsuccessful ... My vote, and indeed my 'opinion' carry much weight within the Council."
"But you cannot do su ....." Braxxt began, but Sato simply continued with his narration:
"Furthermore. Given the current situation, that being, you are holding, or allowing to be held, several Star Fleet Officers who have been tasked with the pursuance, and apprehending of one Tahl El-Kamat, a known fugitive .... I must also inform you that sanctions are being drawn up that will effectively quarantine the Proxima system to all Federation aligned members." Sato said casually.
Carl tried to keep his expression neutral as he watched the guards either side of Braxxt closely. Should she decide it simply wasn't worth the effort, they would both be dead in seconds.
"Am I to assume this is the Commodore Torek that is evading his due punishment on the Cordovin Home World ?"
"My apologies Madam President. This is indeed 'Admiral' Torek ... Information has come to light that the evidence used in the conviction was 'flawed' in nature. The Admiral has been cleared of all guilt in the explosion and subsequent murders of numerous high-level Cordovin Officials. Of course, they seem to see it differently, but that is for others to resolve ...... My immediate concern, is the safe return of the Raven's Commanding Officer and the missing crew. We can then concentrate on El-Kamat ... Can we not ?" Sato said.
Braxxt wasn't accustomed to being dictated to, especially from what she considered to be an off-world visitor, and any issue was dispelled quickly with the destruction of the vessel in question ... So, when the Star Fleet Admiral appeared to be giving her an ultimatum, she was naturally unprepared. But as warrants her position, she recovered quickly, seemingly enjoying the game suddenly ... She smiled:
"It seems to me that your 'Federation' has already rejected our application ..... Now, given we are a self-sustaining civilization, and as such, have no need of 'outside' assistance for our survival. Therefore, what is preventing me from simply how do you say, 'cutting my losses' and having you both, and your vessels destroyed out of hand ?"
"Nothing whatsoever." Sato replied, raising his arms in mock submission, his expression one of resignation, maybe. But it wasn't fooling Braxxt. She stepped forward, waving her hand as if winning the final bout of a long debate with one of the other Government parties:
"You are going on the assumption that the Proximian government is in league, or is aiding this El-Kama of whom you speak."
"We know you are Madam President." Carl said matter-of-factly, before stepping forward, "I find it impossible to believe that Coordinator Freem is acting outside her authority, and without your knowledge !. So, basically, you are either helping the maniac to complete a millennium old weapon burred deep inside your planet, which again, I find hard to believe you had no prior knowledge of ... Or, he is holding your planet to ransom by some means, and is forcing your compliance."
Carl had given Braxxt a 'face-saving' way out of the situation they found themselves in, but would see see it, and even if she did, would she take the offered olive-branch ? ..........
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T'Brel Peers
Commander
The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few.
Registered: Jul 22, 2005 5:39:54 GMT
Posts: 324
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Post by T'Brel Peers on Aug 13, 2013 19:12:36 GMT
T'Brel didn't like the taste of his own blood, but it couldn't be helped. The beating he had just suffered would have made any Klingon proud, but he wasn't about to give his captors the benefit of seeing him squirm. As he spit out the blood, he looked at the government official that had been overseeing his extended stay.
"The probability of me surviving this little endeavor may be small, but please know that I will make you beg for a quick death," T'Brel said with a smile. His statement seemed to unnerve the man, whose name, was still unknown to T'Brel.
"I told Freem that I did not want this responsibility," the man said exasperated as he walked around the room nervously. T'Brel sneered at Freem's name. While he could not prove that Freem and the government was working with Kamat, T'Brel could bet his life on it that they were in cahoots with each other.
"Deputy Coordinator Seychellex we have reports that two Federation vessel's have begun a descent into our atmosphere! It seems they are making their move," a clearly distressed soldier reported the moment he had been able to catch his breath.
"Two ships, that is just the beginning Seychellex, Carl Torek is an important man in the Federation, I'm sure they want him back safe and sound," T'Brel said," next thing you know, you'll have all of Section 47's Fleet at your door. I don't know about you, but I know what sovereign's and Prometheus class ships can do."
"Damn you, you alien mutt. My world will take its place among the greats," Seychellex said as he took his knife and wielded it in front of everyone.
"Does this mean you have grown a pair?" T'Brel said aware that the saying would be lost on the man.
"I don't know what you are referring to, but we no longer need you. I'm going to allow you to live long enough to see our plans come to fruition," Seychellex said as he broke T'Brel's restraints and gave the soldiers some orders. "Take him to the main plaza! Make sure everyone sees you and him. The people must know that we are not afraid of anyone, even the Federation! Make sure some of his cuts become open again."
"Well thanks for not killing me yet," T'Brel said as a couple of fist landed on his face and stomach once again. It didn't take long for darkness to overcome him once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Screeching tires awoke T'Brel from his unplanned slumber. His entire body was in pain, but he knew that the worse would be over at anytime. T'Brel expected to be killed, but he secretly wished the Seychellex kept his word.
"What are you waiting for, dumb his [word deleted] in the plaza!" a soldier screamed which was promptly followed by T'Brel's body being lifted and thrown about five meters. His body landed with a thud and the vehicle quickly made its exit. Once T'Brel was sure they were gone, he allowed himself a long groan of pain.
"Help! This man needs help!" someone nearby said before T'Brel once again passed out.
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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 Aug 13, 2013 19:20:44 GMT
It had taken Calli and Aeryn over an hour to loose the surveillance people Freem had assigned to them, so when they finally entered the plaza, both were stunned by the scene that faced them !
Hundreds, if not 'thousands' of people were milling around. Some chanting slogans in numerous languages, some pushing and shoving as if trying to incite trouble. It was obvious that the authorities were outnumbered in the region of fifty to one, but that wasn't going to remain the situation, and the two Raven Officer's knew it ...
"Hell, the Ensign certainly took her task to heart." the Marine said, jabbing a male in the ribs as he tried to drag her into the melee.
"Well for once I welcome her over-zealousness." Calli said, punching another man in the jaw for taking what she considered a 'liberty' in where he grabbed hold.
Pushing their way through the throng, they made their way to the Theater district, and not before time, as there was a massive surge from the assembled group before six low-flying shuttle-like craft swooped over the plaza ... Both of them stood against the wall of the nearest street leading off the plaza and watched the air show ... It took seconds to realize what the 'Police' were here for ...
As the shuttles past a third time, canisters dropped into the crowd. There were several loud bangs before a thick, acrid, pungent odor began to spread across the plaza.
"Seems everyone has riot police." Aeryn said, shaking her head in obvious disappointment that such a peaceful appearing society could resort to crowd-control in such a vulgar manner ... But as they soon realized, that wasn't the end of it. One shuttle dove toward the deck, skimming only meters above the assembled throng, then it fired !
"HELL'S BELL'S !" Aeryn shouted, standing on a raised step to get a better view as everything turned to complete chaos, "Did they just strife that crowd !"
Calli snatched the Marine by the arm and dragged her away from the plaza.
"We can't get caught up in this Major. We have a job to do and very little time to get it done ..." she said, hearing the screams from those close to getting caught in the firing as a second shuttle strafed the crowd, she was hoping beyond hope that they were simply knocking people out for securing or incarceration once they could get into the plaza on foot, "Aeryn !" she said.
"I'm with you. Not like it isn't anything I haven't seen before." the Marine said, turning away from the plaza and pointing towards one of the buildings Calli had searched previously, then she swore before digging into her pocket and bringing out the Comm badge, "Worth a try ?" she asked, shrugging ... Calli nodded, looking back to make sure they were not being followed, yet.
=^= Major Tavik to USS Raven =^= the Marine said, eyeing the crowd in the plaza whit trepidation.
=^= Raven .. Go ahead Major =^=
=^= I assume you are back on our side of the planet .. We need help =^=
=^= Major .. We have been joined by the USS Hiniori under Admiral Tetsutaro .. We are both scanning the surface as we speak .. Admiral Tetsutaro has taken Admiral Torek over to the Hiniori .. Commander Blakus is away from the Bridge at this point .. Do you wish to be patched through ? =^=
Calli approached the Marine so she could be heard:
=^= Commander Valenti here .. Negative on the patch .. For the moment I need you to scan the immediate area for 'HUMAN' life-signs .. We are in the Theater District and believe our Officers could be being held close-by .. Run the scan first then forward this conversation to Commander Blakus =^=
=^= Scanning .. Commander .. There seems to be a 'LOT' of Human signatures .. Along with sev =^=
=^= Forget the other people .. Or what is happening in the plaza behind us .. Scan for 'HUMAN' life-signs 'North' of our position only ! =^=
=^= Scanning now =^=
'Admiral Torek .. Nice one.' Calli mused as she waited ... It wasn't her nature to loose her temper with those trying their best to help. But this situation was beginning to get her on edge, and that could only mean she would at some point go off at a tangent to get what she needed.
=^= Raven to Commander Valenti .... We have four human life-signs within the parameters of your search instructions all within three meters of each other .. The Captain's emergency Bio implant is still active .. All four are on a heading of zero fifteen degrees from your present location at two hundred sixty one meters distance .. Zee minus seventy nine meters =^=
Aeryn and Calli looked at each other.
=^= They are 'below' ground Raven ? =^= Aeryn asked.
=^= Confirmed =^=
=^= WAIT ! .. Confirm scan .. Four life-signs ? =^=
=^= Confirmed Away Team .. Four life-signs .. I must inform you that the Captain's bio-signs show he is in some distress .. He should receive medical treatment as soon as viable =^=
=^= OK Raven .. Monitor this channel constantly .. Inform Commander Blakus as soon as he is available .. You might want to relay this to the Hiniori too .. Valenti out =^=
"OK ..... Two sixty meters, that way." Calli said, glancing behind her at the mayhem going on in the plaza, "Lets go !"
"Wonder who the other two are ?" Aeryn said as they headed toward their goal ..........
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Marionette
Commander
Dr. Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end.
Registered: Mar 2, 2012 3:26:33 GMT
Posts: 285
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Post by Marionette on Aug 13, 2013 23:23:02 GMT
Freem had made the mistake of leaving the hotel suite, thinking that adozen police could contain Marionette. They couldn't.
Five minutes after the gynoid had knocked them all out, she then set out to chase after Freem, but had lost her among the impressively large crowd forming downtown.
Deciding to skirt around the crowd, Marionette walked along the wall (across the plaza from where Calli and Aeryn are) but then stopped to witness a shuttle dive toward the ground, only to swoop up, level to the ground, and strafe the crowd with phasers. The crowd scattered wildly, almost to the point of trampling her, in order to escape the gas and the phaser fire. It was unlikely that the Proximan separatist militias would let chemical gasses and shuttles firing on crowds go unanswered, weather or not the victims were stunned or dead.
The acrid gas did not affect her, because she did not breathe to begin with, although the substance did adhere itself to her uniform, settling into a wet yellowish residue that bleached and warped the colors of the cloth into a blotchy mess of what was once crisp lines of black and red. Marionette would no doubt have to change into a new uniform once the present mission was over.
Continuing to walk in the direction she concluded Freem had most likely gone (north), she turned a corner, only to see someone else turn a corner across the intersection, leading her to conclude that it was Freem. Walking faster now, Marionette began to calculate scenarios of what to do with the proximan coordinator....
(Calli and Aeryn think that Freem's surveillance goons are tailing them again ?)
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 14, 2013 0:38:58 GMT
=^= Confirmed Away Team .. Four life-signs .. I must inform you that the Captain's bio-signs show he is in some distress .. He should receive medical treatment as soon as viable =^=
=^= OK Raven .. Monitor this channel constantly .. Inform Commander Blakus as soon as he is available .. You might want to relay this to the Hiniori too .. Valenti out =^=
"Jackson to Commander Blakus, we've had contact with Commander Valenti on the surface. She's in the main square..." Jackson continued working the tactical console, "It's absolute chaos down there, sir. Sir?" God, how many more senior officers are we going to lose? "I need to check on him. Commander Wedlerson, can I leave it to you to inform the Hinoiri?"
He didn't wait for the reply. Accompanied by a security officer, he rushed to the counselor's office, the doors sliding open almost gladly to accept them in. "What? Oh no..." Both the room's occupants were unconscious, sprawled on the floor in separate corners. Jackson hurried over to the CEO while the guard checked on Beck. "I don't understand... He's sleeping."
Beck was collapsed in the other corner of the room, twitching every so often like the hand of a broken clock. "Karen... Counselor, wake up?" the guard waved a hand in front of her face. He checked her pulse. It was weak; comatically weak.
"Get them to sickbay," Jackson said, rising off his haunches. "Counselors are meant to help your mental state, not put you in a coma." Jackson had the guard arrange for a site-to-site transport while he contacted the bridge, "Commander Wedlerson, sir, Commander Blakus is incapacitated. Accident with the counselor, probably telepathy related. You and Baslone are in charge."
On the bridge... "Sir, we've detected another lifesign. Definitely Commander Peers, and he doesn't look in too good shape. He's in the middle of the main crowd near the plaza."
"Contact Valenti. Tell her if she, Tavik or Marionette can get to Peers, they should make it top priority along with locating the other four lifesigns. Remember to watch your tails," Wedlerson ordered.
<Tag Calli, Marionette, T'Brel, Aeryn>
Lana Baslone had assumed the XO's chair. She knew where the Admiralty were now. Tetsutaro and Torek were at the Proximian HQ. She wasn't picking up any energy discharges (at least not inside the council complex...) so she assumed there wasn't some desperate firefight going on in there.
"If Blakus's theories are right, the Proximian Council may try to sever ties with El-Kamat, perhaps so utterly that they'll lower their shields and allow us access to his... power plant. With that eventuality in mind, I want the whole marine detachment prepped and ready to go in transporter rooms 1 through 3. First priority, recover the captain; second, recover our SMO; third, pacify Kamat and whatever forces he brings to bear. Make it so," she ordered, leaving Wedlerson raising an eyebrow in her direction.
* * * * *
Milyanov's head was full of cotton wool. There was a numbness, something almost but not quite exactly like something he'd experienced before. The airways were void of traffic, most civilian craft having dived for cover with the apparent uproar in the conurbation beneath him.
Fragments, flashbacks, shards of memories made suggestions of who he was, but they only informed him of events of the last few days. A malevolent presence in the rear of a cab; searing light, a Proximian star; raven's wings. The bird's eyes darted here and there, finally settling with significant finality on a spectre set against yellow light. El-Kamat. The despot. And the new master, the avenger of the fallen that the raven had meddled with so long. The raven: the name, the old animal, it had further meaning... evil connotations.
Everything seemed grey and distant. These thoughts were old. The land passed by; that's all it did. A complex structure lay ahead; cooling towers, arrayed in a hexagonal pattern, interconnected by a six-pronged star of covered walkways that ascended to a lofty pinnacle some 10 km high. At the other end it plunged underground. Sepulchral depths shot through with shafts of pale, dusty yellow light in that small orifice. The chugging craft he was aboard - along with three other persons, one an officer of high rank, in something...? - descended into that hole.
<Tag Alex?>
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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 Aug 17, 2013 1:28:23 GMT
"OK ..... Two sixty meters, that way." Calli said. "Wonder who the other two are ?" Aeryn mused as the pair began to move towards the edge of the melee. But the Marine stopped, grabbing Calli's arm and pointed to the Comm badge hidden under her jacket .. Calli tapped her's and listened intently ..... "HELL !" she shouted over the din, turning back to face the amassed throng in the plaza, "They dumped Commander Peers ... He's in there, somewhere. Unconscious and very likely getting trampled half to death for his troubles. We need to get back in there and help him." "With all due respect Commander." the Marine said, halting her progress back toward the plaza, "But is the Commander 'our' priority ?" What I'm saying is, we could have Marionette go after Commander Peers. She will have much more chance of getting through, and certainly a better chance at getting him out if he can't do that himself, which at this point seems to be the case ?" Calli, used to making 'snap' life of death decisions, instantly nodded in agreement, and the Marine tapped her Comm badge: =^= Major Tavik to Ensign Marionette =^= =^= Reading you clearly Major =^= =^= We have a situat ...... =^= =^= I am fully aware of the issue regarding Commander Peers .. I have been monitoring Comms =^= =^= We need you to leave the hotel and co ...... =^= =^= I am on the South edge of the plaza .. I will rendezvous with you momentarily .. I am confident my presence will give us a tacti ...... =^= =^= Ensign .. Commander Valenti .. Make your way to Commander Peers and assist .. If need be contact the Raven for emergency beam-out .. We can't afford to have one of the crew killed in a riot .. Raven said he was in trouble and I am under no illusion that we're being monitored despite the reassurances to the contrary .. If 'we' know he is still alive then the people who dumped him do too .. One last instruction Ensign .. I want no fatalities .. Use as much restraint or force as necessary to get the job done but no more .. Valenti out ! =^= < tag : Marionette / T'brel >"No-one can fault her eagerness." Aeryn said, grinning. "I've nothing against eagerness. But at this point I need composure and logical thinking, so to speak ... Lets face it, Freem and the bloody Proximian's can still cut their losses, kill, or incarcerate El-Kamat then get rid of the lot of us. Despite Admiral Tetsutaro's clout with Command. My priority is to get the Captain and crew back, get off this rock, and hopefully out of the system intact. I want Kamat in chains, and on the Federations equivalent of 'Rura bloody Penthe' ... !" A third and fourth shuttle passed over the plaza. Calli couldn't bare to watch the carnage any longer. She turned back to the Theater District and walked away ... Captain Watson was two hundred plus meters away, and a little below them. Two screaming Proximian's ran toward her and she reacted instantly ! Aeryn nodded in admiration at the Commanders' skills, idly mulling over which of them would come out on top in a 'one on one' as she followed the woman into the shadow-lined street ... ~~~~~Fifteen minutes found them at the building in question ..... Aeryn contacted the Raven and confirmed the Captain's position. He was indeed in this building, and going off the figures, he was ten, maybe eleven floors below ground ... Calli and Aeryn took out the now functional phasers and entered. Standing either side of the door, they waited for their vision to adapt to the low light, them moved forward. "Lift, or good ole fashioned stairs ?" the Marine said. "Stairs." Calli decided, stepping forward, but allowing the Marine to take point as they began to descend ... Each flight of stairs could have been the proverbial death trap, so both of them were cautious, not wanting to set off any hidden alarm or warning ... Aeryn pointed with her phaser at one of the doors off the stairs: 'Sub-Level Nine' she mouthed, and placed her foot on the first step to level Ten .... Calli all but snatched the woman back before her foot touched the concrete ... Both looked at the step, and there, resting on the tip of the step, but almost invisible in the dust-covered staircase, was a one centimeter diameter sphere ! 'Motion activated explosive' Calli mouthed, holding a finger to her lips in case it could detect sound too .......... < tag : ALL >
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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: 6,163
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 19, 2013 22:18:20 GMT
Braxxt watched the two Star Fleet Officers intently, but she realized that they were in one sense, totally right .... El-Kamat was on their planet, he was indeed attempting to activate some form of weapon, and yes, he was holding the planet and her people to ransom ! ... But she dare not tell the Federation of this or it would mean the end. Not of her, that didn't matter in her eye's, but Kamat had made several 'modifications' to the still unfinished weapon, and had made it plain that should he perish, the weapon would self-destruct. He had reassured her that the resulting blast would destroy not only the planet, but this and the neighboring systems ... Countless trillions of lives would be lost !
"...... Or, he is holding your planet to ransom by some means, and is forcing your compliance." Admiral Torek had asked.
"You must try to underst ....." Braxxt began, as one of her Aide's whispered something to her, "It seems your crew members have been very imaginative in their attempts to inform the general populace of your endeavors Admiral. Rioting and unrest has broken out in the city. There are also protests in the Second and Third cities too. We have not had unrest on our planet for over two hundred years ... The Head of our Security has instructed that force be used to clear the main plaza. It seems there have been some, fatalities."
Sato tapped his Comm badge:
=^= Tetsutaro to the Hiniori .. Report =^=
=^= Admiral .. It seems widespread unrest has erupted throughout the main cities .. It is expanding exponentially around the globe =^=
=^= Have the Raven crew members been located ? =^=
=^= We have tentative locations for four members Admiral .. But the Captain and one other are still missing .. We are picking up phaser fire in the main plaza from numerous airborne aspects =^=
=^= Very well .. Co-ordinate with the Raven in your endeavor .. Tatsutaro out =^=
"Madam President. It seems now may be the time to give thought to your position, and that of the Proximian System ....." Sato said, making sure not to intone any threat in his suggestion, "I would suggest you do something rather quickly ?"
Braxxt sat down in the ornate chair, cradling her head in her hands for a moment, before finally regaining her composure. She stood, almost defiant against what was happening, and determined to resolve the situation, at all costs:
"We have long known about the 'structure' buried deep within the planets' Asthenosphere. But chose to keep the knowledge from all but the most senior of officials. In truth, it had almost been forgotten until the Scientist El-Kamat came to our planet ... He had requested permits to undertake geological survey's of our lesser populated regions, in the hope of improving the chances of habitation. But in fact he was searching for the location of the buried structure ... Even when he approached me, I and my colleagues dismissed his claim that he be allowed to render the device fully operational or he would destroy the device, along with our entire System. In fact, he was all but laughed out of chambers."
"What has he got over you Madam President ?" Carl asked, sympathetic to the woman's plight. Braxxt moved off the raised dais and motioned for the Star Fleet Officers to do likewise:
"This ....." she said, tapping a code into the bracelet she was wearing. The whole floor of the dais opened like a diaphragm shutter, and both Carl and Sato stood dumbstruck at the device that rose through the opening. Because there, unbelievably, before their very eyes, was what could only be a massively modified matter/anti-matter containment chamber, "Eight years ago we commissioned extensive work done to remodel the Government building, and mainly this Council Chamber. In the spirit of our forthcoming application to join the Federation, we requested submissions from off-world designers. We gave the winning contractor free-reign once the final design was approved ... Apparently, El-Kamat had planned well ahead. He had this abomination installed without our knowledge, I assure you. This device is buried to a depth of five hundred meters, and we are under no illusion that should it receive the final activation codes, would destroy all life within a light-year or more quite easily ....... We are a peaceful race of people Admiral." Braxxt finished, dropping into a seat before throwing the bracelet to the floor in disgust.
"You have access to, this ?" Sato asked, picking up the ornate bangle.
"He made it a condition ... I was to wear the bracelet at all times, as a 'reminder' if you will, that we have no option in the matter. The bracelet allows me to raise and lower the device, but nothing else. The force-field is powered directly from our main plant, and should it be tampered with in any way, will result in activation ... Kamat has a vessel in low orbit. Our orbital defense satellites have been programmed to allow transport to and from, plus departure from the System, without hindrance."
Carl and Sato looked at each other in silence. It was a given that El-Kamat would have the means to activate the device ... As if reading their minds, Braxxt spoke:
"You can not kill him." she said, tears forming and rolling down her cheeks, "He is connected to this thing. Heart rate, reparation, even neural oscillation ... Should he drop below set parameters, the device activates, his ship transports him off the surface, and he vanishes !"
"He must know he couldn't outrun the detonation." Carl said.
"Would that matter to him, if he had failed ?" Sato said quietly ..........
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Marionette
Commander
Dr. Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end.
Registered: Mar 2, 2012 3:26:33 GMT
Posts: 285
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Post by Marionette on Aug 21, 2013 14:30:44 GMT
Giving up the chase, Marionette weaved her way back to the main plaza to look for Peers. Marionette had had to switch out her mono-dentures and ears for her befanged teeth and vulcan ears, further distinguishing her from the Proximans around her.
As expected, it was not long before the separatist militias had responded to the shuttle strafings, and Marionette was nearly run down by a 6-wheel dune buggy/ pickup truck, which was obviously armed with heavy weapons. The hex-buggy swerved this way and that, its gunner shooting at the security shuttles, whom were firing on whoever was either bold or stupid enough to still meander onto the streets (mostly just the separatist militia).
Leaping aside, she paid no mind to the "Get off the streets, ya suicidal [radio edit] !!" that the driver shouted as she hung a tight left and then gunned the engine with a throbbing whine-roar and was off to elsewhere, leaving the tall gynoid in a cloud of dust to search for Peers.
Wandering to and fro some more, she tried following the pockets of crowds, but to no avail. There was no other starfleet uniforms to be seen in the streets. It wasn't until a short wrinkled old man said "Hey, are you looking for a pointy eared guy ?....Yes you, same pajamas and ears." when Marionette looked around, to see him on a 3rd story balcony.
"Go around the corner to door number 7 on the fourth floor, and be smart-quick about it, before some trigger-happy fool guns your pointy-eared golden (rear end) down."
Going into a door which led to a hallway, into a cargo turbolift to the fourth floor, and to the door marked D-7, she knocked and was led into a townhouse apartment that had been conjoined with the 2 others next to it via knocking down most of the walls on one side or the other, and converted into a small hospital.
Led to a room with cots laid out in rows, Marionette spotted an unconscious T'brel, who was shirtless and apparently had been tortured, given the nearly continuous field of cuts and bruises from head to waist, many of which had been stitched up.
(T'brel wakes up and looks up to see her?)
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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 Aug 21, 2013 18:33:31 GMT
Major Tavik got on her knees and then belly to get a close look at the far from innocuous sphere. She took out her knife and slowly pushed the dust away from the base. A thin ring, a millimeter wide ran round the circumference. It was green in color, but as Aeryn got closer, it changed, first to amber, then red, then back to green as she removed her hand.
"Proximity trigger." she mouthed, Calli nodded her understanding.
Aeryn placed both hands on the first step, well away from the sphere, then pulled herself forward ... She checked the next four steps for similar devices before pushing herself backwards. Rolling on her back she held fingers up in turn, two, then three, then four, and gave the all clear ... Standing, she used hand gestures to ensure Calli remained away from the top step while she lowered herself to the third, bypassing the second completely. Happy it was safe, she gestured for Calli to follow. They would need to repeat this down the double flight of stairs .....
~~~~~
Twenty minutes, and five of the spheres later, they reached level Ten ... Moving away from the stairwell they found a side room and entered:
"OK, according to this ....." Aeryn whispered, referring to the basic scanner they had brought with them, "We are on the right level. The signals are faint, but less than seventy meters in that direction." she said, pointing off down the darkened corridor.
"Right, then I thi ......" Calli began, but Aeryn put her hand over the Commanders mouth and held a finger to her lips, urgently making a 'walking' motion with two fingers.
Someone was coming their way ! ..........
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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 Aug 22, 2013 10:19:07 GMT
OOC: This will be a really, really long one – it should cover everything that has happened to Alex in the time that he has been away and the end of the post should end neatly where the rest of you are at the moment.
I started out, and just kept writing and writing and writing and before I knew it I had nearly 5000 words.
I've tried to mesh up events as closely as I can, but please forgive or point out any anomalies. There is one big big plot development and a hint at another in the course of the post as well. Enjoy!
ALEX:
At the Café...
Alex couldn't shake his feeling that this was a trap. It made no difference, of course. It was their only course of action. He walked slowly behind the main group, ready to take up his own covering position at the other side of the terrace. Looking around, he tried to scope out the area as best he could, but his head was still ringing from stress and lack of sleep, and he found that he was making little headway in his tactical analysis. He'd never been much good at that stuff anyway – scientific analysis, on the other hand... The group split, Calli going off to sit at her table and the others taking their positions. He himself moved over to a table on the far side of the terrace, and sat down. He picked up the menu and threw a cursory glance over it, when really he was watching the commander at the other table across the plaza. A waiter came up to him. “May I take your order, sir?” he asked politely, holding a holo-pad in his right hand. “Coffee, strong, black, two sugars.” Alex answered automatically, not even pausing to think that he hadn't seen coffee on the menu. “I do apologise, sir, but we do not carry that particular Terran beverage. If you desire, we have our own invigorating tonic that should serve just as well. It can also be sweetened.” The waited looked a little suspicious, but Alex waved that away in his mind as the surprise and discomfort of having to explain to an idiot tourist that they didn't have drinks from half-way across the galaxy without making him FEEL like a total idiot. “Yes...yes, that would be fine, thank you. Sweetened, please,” Alex smiled, nodding his head. “I'm sorry, I didn't really read the menu...long night.” The waiter nodded understandingly, writing down his order and moving away to take it to the kitchens. Alex looked back at Calli. Still nothing. She was still sitting there just as she had been before. His unease mounted. The doctor should have been here by now. After a couple of minutes, the waiter returned with his drink. Alex took a swig, smiling at the taste. It was delicious, unlike anything he had tasted before. If he had to describe it, he would have said that it was fruity, with a hint of mango and pineapple, with a wickedly fizzy dance on the tongue and a powerful aftertaste. His eyes began to feel less droopy almost immediately and his mind began to sharpen. Whatever this stuff was, it was certainly powerful. He took another gulp, closing his eyes and sighing as he swallowed it. He barely felt the dart enter his shoulder, it was a small pinprick that could easily have been just a nick on a stray fabric on his clothes, or just a natural phantom nerve-pulse. Still, his hand went up to rub it, which was when his fingers felt the projectile lodged in his skin. It was tiny, barely bigger than pinhead and with streamlined fletching to ensure that it flew straight and true. As he looked at it, he tried to rise and call a warning, but his mouth and legs had ceased to function and his vision blurred. Before he lost consciousness he had just enough time to realise that this was gear beyond even a professional assassin. Whoever had shot him was Black Ops, or whatever the interstellar equivalent was. His head hit the table, and then, oblivion...
---
He was standing on the bridge of a command vessel, shouting orders to his subordinates as a mighty firefight took place outside the viewscreen in space. The enemy vessels were firing on his own, wiping them out almost effortlessly for little to no damage to themselves. He screamed at his helmsman to flee the encounter, to report what they had found to the rest of the empire, but before the ship could turn and engage it's warp drive, fire overtook it and burned him to a crisp, screaming in fear and anger and hatred all the time.
He was an elderly councillor, seated in a gigantic senate-hall, telling the story of how the enemy had come to their homeworld and had ravaged it, their own strength growing as they took over more and more. He begged and pleaded with the council to send aid to his world, but they simply shook their heads, saying that his planet was lost, and that he should be thankful that he survived. They needed to prepare for total war on an imperial level – all fleets, all ships, all hands needed to be mustered.
He was a technical officer on a crippled warship that had dropped out of warp. The drive had failed after two hours of warp travel, enough to get them away from the worst of the fighting. The communications array blinked, and he limped over to answer it. The voice on the other end welcomed him in the name of the Empire, and requested that he beam down to the surface of the planet below. They knew who he was from his bio-marker, and they said that they had need of every technical officer that they could find to construct their plans.
He was an admiral on the bridge of his flagship in deep free-space, hopefully beyond the sensor range of the enemies. He gazed out of the viewport at the weapon taking shape in front of him. Magnificent, he thought. We may win this yet. This is our last hope, but how can we fail with it on our side? We will crush them, and send them back into the depths of the foul space whence they came. He laughed a cruel laugh then, and rubbed his hands together....
The scenes faded, pain returned, pain...pain...PAIN!
Alex awoke screaming, his body jerking in reflex as it sought to orientate itself in its surroundings. He realised that he was bound, but the pain in his head left him literally blind for several seconds after he had regained consciousness. He sagged, limp and weak against the restraints holding him to the frame. He was tied spread-eagled to an upright square frame, his hands and feet at the corners. He was stripped to the waist, and he noticed that his upper body was slick with dirt and sweat and blood. Electrodes dotted his skin, and from the pain in his head and the trajectory of some of the wires, he could only assume that some of them had been driven through his skull and into his brain as well. He breathed heavily, trying to suck in as much air as possible before he went under again. “No, no, no! He heard a voice shout! Keep him under! We're getting so close!” “If I keep him under any longer, he'll die, sir. His brain is already on the point of massive cerebral haemorrhage, any more for the time being will kill him for sure!” Alex heard a scream of rage and the knocking over of what sounded like a tray of metal implements. He then felt a hand, a powerful hand, grasp his chin and draw his face upwards. “Having, fun, Mister Watson?” asked the glowering face of El-Kamat. “You've caused me an awful lot of grief and setbacks just recently, you know?” He growled, leaning in close to him. “So believe me when I say that I will tear your brain and body apart until I have what I need, and then, if you're lucky, I'll kill you, but only when you're literally begging for death.” El-Kamat shoved him away, and Alex slumped back down against the restraints, his eyes growing dark and heavy, before he passed out.
---
When he awoke again, it was to a horrific dull ache in his muscles. It was not the blinding, stabbing pain of before, but in its own way it was just as bad. He opened his eyes, his vision blurred slightly as he tried to focus on objects that were further away. He realised that he was in what looked like the most expertly fitted out torture chamber that he had ever seen or heard of, even on vids and in books and from space-pirates gossip in the dive-bars of the East End. He took several gulps of air, his lungs straining to work from the pressure exerted by his body-weight hanging freely. A door opened on the far side of the room and several men walked in. Alex couldn't make out their faces, but he doubted that it would have made any difference if he had been able to. The only one that he knew was El-Kamat. He closed his eyes, willing this to be a nightmare, willing that the next time he awoke it would be in his own bed, and that he and his crew would be going down to the café to meet the doctor. One of the figures walked up in front of him, standing about two metres away. When he spoke, the voice was markedly calmer than it had been the last time. “Mister Watson, I feel that we may have got off on the wrong foot, to use your Earth expression. You see, I must admit that I was rather angry the last time we spoke, and it got the better of me. My surgeons assured me that I myself was in danger of medical problems if I continued that way, so here I am, the picture of calm.” He laughed nastily. Alex opened his eyes and saw El-Kamat standing in front of him, he did indeed look very calm. “Wh....why?” Alex managed to gasp. “Why have I taken you, do you mean? Well, Mister Watson, it so happened that you possess something that I need in that magnificent brain of yours. You worked out that the Stones I sent you chasing on Cordovin were in fact a relic of a long lost civilisation, a sort of hard-drive if you will. I needed the information contained on those stones, but I hadn't counted on...well several things. I made an error or judgement, and it has cost me a lot of time.” El-Kamat sounded extremely bitter about that. “However, it is not a total loss. The information that was on those stones was transferred into the minds of the crewmembers who were affected by it. I know that you know this as well, or guessed as much. The reason that I have chosen you, Mister Watson, is that when under the influence of the stones, your body played host to the Vulcan essence of Carl Torek. Now, the rest of your crew will have, no doubt, been having incoherent visions, untimely attacks etcetera etcetera...but YOU, because of the Vulcan mindset that you absorbed, will have been able to make sense of the information, as the Gandai and Vulcans are related as species. One might even say that the Gandai were the spark, and the Vulcans the fire.” He laughed again, an exceptionally menacing sound. “I need the information that is in your brain, Mister Watson, so that I can rule the Galaxy. I know that it sounds a bit trite, but with the Gandai weapon I will be unstoppable.” Alex groaned softly. “It didn't...help them...what...makes you...think it will...help you?” “They lacked the final component, the “key” if you will. It was stolen from them by a radical sect of their population who preferred extinction over destruction. Without it, the weapon was still formidable, but it was nothing like as powerful as it could have been. Within the data on the stones was the design of that key. That it what I will find, and that it was you will then finish building it for me.” “You're...out of your mind...if you think I would help...you.” “Oh I don't think so, Mister Watson. You will find that I can be most....persuasive. But now, back to business. I think that we are close, and now that I have planted the idea of the key in your head, we will see how that affects the search.” Kamat smiled an evil smile. “Begin.” Lances of white hot agony shot into Alex's skull, and he screamed again, his body convulsing...then darkness...then nothing...
He was a scientist, designing and building the saviour of his people. It was almost complete. The superstructure and auxiliary power supplies were in place, and the weapon could be fired, but it was still incomplete. He bent over his desk where there lay a strangely shaped device. It was about half a metre long, the first forty centimetres an elaborate maze of grooves on a cylindrical surface. The last ten centimetres were a cube with elaborately wrought designs and circles of translucent glass-like substance on each side. The entire device seemed to glow with a blue energy, tracing itself over the patterns on the cube and down the grooves on the cylinder. “Yes....” whispered a voice in his ear. “Now, closer!” The world jolted, and he was torn from his body and thrown into the key itself, his mind absorbing every last detail of it's construction, it's power, its secrets. Then, just as suddenly, he was drawn back, back into his own body, back into the world of agony.
Alex hung weeping from the frame, his body and strength spent for the time being, blood leaking from his eyes and nose and ears. He could just hear El-Kamat laughing, though as if he was underwater. “YES!” he was screaming, “YES, YES, YES!” the world spun, and Alex blacked out again.
---
EL-KAMAT:
El-Kamat was giddy with joy. He had done it, he had finally done it! The workings of the key were his and he could complete the construction. He looked up to the ruined man on the frame and sighed. That would not do. The man was in no fit state to build anything. He needed another builder now that Ankh had seemingly abandoned him, another builder from the crew of the Raven. He tapped his communicator. “Eagle to Nest. We need a new builder. Someone from the starship's crew with the technical knowledge to build this...” he transmitted the data files that he had torn from Alex's brain. “Hmmm...roger that, Eagle, we'll see what we can do. The Chief Engineer is untouchable for the time being, but there's a tech-savvy lieutenant on the away team. Milyanov.” “He'll have to do. Bring him in and prepare the serum.” “Roger, Eagle.” El-Kamat turned away, moving over to the other side of the lab. He looked down at the half-constructed key on the bench in front of him. Ankh had done a good job with the documents and records they had uncovered in the vault, but this final information had been necessary. “The game isn't over yet, Raven...but I'm an eagle, and we kill and eat ravens...”
---
The work was progressing steadily, and he was pleased. Milyanov had proved very susceptible to the control serum, and was working diligently on the construction, following the plans that were laid in front of him. Kamat turned to look at Alex, the officer was still unconscious, and Kamat had no doubt that he would be dead soon. It seemed a waste, though. The man was a brilliant mind and scientist, and it might be that the Lieutenant engineer would not be able to complete the construction on his own. He was not so gifted, after all. Kamat turned to one of his men. “Give Mister Watson a shot of adrenaline to wake him up and keep him alive. Patch him up as best you can and dose him with the control serum. It's time to wake the sleeper.” The servant nodded and moved away. Kamat smiled – it was not something that he had done a lot during his life, but right now he seemed hardly able to stop. He moved away, there were preparations to be made, and this had to be done perfectly.
---
ALEX:
He came to in a rush, his body spasming against the restraints, his mind and heart racing and his eyes rolling wildly. He realised that they had shot adrenaline into his heart to wake him up, but for what he could not say. When he had stopped jerking, El-Kamat's men cut him down from the frame. Alex was too weak to resist them as they dragged him away to the sickbay. They laid and strapped him down on a biobed and began to work, closing his wounds and repairing the nerve damage that he had suffered. After a while, Alex began to drift into sleep again, his body was totally exhausted and needed rest to repair itself as much as medicine.
---
There was no one in the sickbay when he woke up and his restraints were gone. He felt stronger, more powerful. He drew air into his lungs gratefully, then coughed slightly at the effort. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he stood up, shaking. His legs were still weak, and despite the strength he felt, he was nowhere near at his full condition. He made to move towards the door. “Stop,” a voice said over the tanoy. Alex didn't want to, he didn't mean to, but his nerves seized up and he stopped moving, the effort to continue was excruciating. “Turn around,” the voice said. Alex tried to resist, tried to stop it, but he couldn't, and he turned obediently. “What have you done to me?” he asked weakly. “I'd say that we've improved you, Mister Watson. I have someone I'd like you to meet, but that can wait for a little while. We've encountered a problem with the construction. Walk out the door, turn right and continue down the hall to the end, then open the door into the lab.” Alex did not even try to resist this time, he knew it would be useless. His body meekly obeyed the commands that he had been given, and he soon found himself back in the lab where he had been tortured. El-Kamat stood in front of him. “Your friends have been causing me a lot of problems, Mister Watson. Ankh is dead and I have had to perform a rather messy cover-up operation. The whole city seems to stand on the brink of anarchy, and another of your precious Federation Ships has arrived in orbit, the USS Hinori, I believe.” Alex groaned, it had all been for nothing then. The Hinori was Admiral Tetsutaro's ship, which could mean only one thing, they had been caught, and he had failed. “Yes, yes...I have a rather more pressing problem than your pathetic little games, Mister Watson. Lieutenant Milyanov is unable to finish the key, his own technical knowledge is not enough to complete the circuitry. Yours is. Finish it.” He turned to go, and this time Alex fought, he fought with every fibre of his soul, but his body betrayed him, moving over to the bench and beginning to work on the intricate power-relays in the device. Try as he might, Alex could not stop himself, but then it came to him. He didn't HAVE to stop himself, he didn't HAVE to disobey, he just had to do a little more than he'd been asked. If he'd had the strength, Alex would have laughed.
---
When it was finished, El-Kamat took the device in reverent hands, his eyes dark and greedy with lust and ambition. His whole body trembled, as if he couldn't quite believe it himself. Alex looked on, disgusted. The man was the exact opposite of himself. Alex had always sought to use Science for the benefit of humanity and others, to complete the mission with the fewest possible casualties, to aid in the recovery of lives, but this man saw only power, and death, and destruction. “I must say you've done an excellent job, Mister Watson. It is beautiful...” El-Kamat seemed almost entranced. “Now, as I said, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Follow me.” Alex's body moved to obey, but not as strongly as before. He realised that the serum must be wearing off, but El-Kamat had forgotten to give him another dose. His only chance now rested in El-Kamat beleiving that he still had Alex under control, so he walked, jerkily, as if resisting, behind the Cordovin rebel through long, dark corridors that seemed to go down forever. “Do you know what this place is, Mister Watson?” El-Kamat asked, not waiting for an answer. “When the Gandai realised that their race was doomed, they set about building sleeper colonies, outposts of the empire that would survive the cataclysm that engulfed the rest of their species. The plan was that they would awaken after several hundred years, when the war had passed, and rebuild. Well, all of them failed. They were all discovered and destroyed. This was the last one, and they managed to seal the vault before they were overwhelmed. The enemy left them be, but not before cutting their power first. The sleeper pods died, one by one, their reserve power dwindling until only the most essential and senior personnel were left alive. Eventually, even they perished. The main power-stacks were not lost, however, they were found by the Proximians and reverse engineered to provide the seemingly infinite clean energy, powerful weapons and technology that the race prides themselves on. They built their planet on the backs of the dead Gandai.” El-Kamat chuckled, “But that is an irrelevance. They found the vault, but nothing that they did could open it, and so they eventually gave up. But when I got here, with the pieces of technology that I had scavenged from Gandai ruins, I was able to open it, and do you know what I found inside? Archives, computers, plans, such that would advance any species thousands of years into the future. I based my key on designs from their databanks, but I needed your memories to complete it. That was not, however, my greatest discovery. When we broke open the tomb, we found that the Pharaoh wasn't dead, to use your Earth terms. One sleeper-pod survived. His was designated the last to be shut off, which means that he was the highest ranking official at this station. Now, with your knowledge, we can wake him up!” El-Kamat seemed almost ecstatic. Alex had a feeling of cold dread seeping through him. If what El-Kamat said was true, then the game had changed beyond recognition.
At last they came to the vault chamber, with the sleeper-pod laid out in the middle. El-Kamat turned to Alex. “Open it.” Alex moved forwards, but his limbs were coming back to him even more. He knew what he had to do, he had seen it in one of his visions. There was nothing else for it. He tapped in the sequence and released the clamps holding the pod shut. It opened slowly, and Alex beheld a face that had been hidden for a hundred thousand years. He could see the Vulcan similarities. The greenish tint to the skin, the pointed ears, but there was something more aquiline than even Vulcans about the shape of his face. The nose and mouth seemed to almost form a beak, his ears swept back almost flush with his head. His skull seemed pointed at the rear and his teeth seemed almost fangs, slanted towards the middle of his mouth and sharp as razors. The body stirred. Alex tried to move away, but before he could, a hand shot out of the casket and grabbed his throat...the world turned black for a moment, as he experienced all of his visions again, vastly sped up and out of sequence, then his own life, images flashed in front of his eyes. His childhood in London, his first gang-fight, his recruitment into Starfleet, his graduation to Ensign, all his years at science college...it seemed to last forever, but when it stopped and Alex fell back, gasping, he realised that it had barely lasted for a second in real-time. The Gandai stood up slowly, he seemed weak and wasted from his time in cryo-sleep, but powerful all the same. Alex looked over at El-Kamat's face. It was rapturous, as though he were beholding the face of God. “How long?” the figure asked. Alex blinked. How could this alien, dead for all intents and purposes for over a hundred thousand years, speak his language? As if sensing his question, the Gandai turned to him. “I absorbed your knowledge, your language, your history, from you, so that I may communicate. How long?” “A hundred millenia,” Alex managed to say. “And the empire?” the creature asked, cocking it's head. Alex looked at the floor, mournfully shaking his own. “It is as I suspected, then,” the creature said. “I did not think that these pods would work, but they seemed to be our only option.” He strode towards El-Kamat. “You...you hold...impossible...” he looked at the Cordovin with wonder. “How did you acquire this? It was lost, stolen!” “We build another, from designs that we found here in this bunker. We want to use it, to restore the power to the machine, to restore the strength to the Gandai empire!” El-Kamat spoke feverishly, excitedly, manically. The creature inclined its head towards Alex. “This is not what you desire, is it? I felt it in you.” Alex shook his head. “No, that is not what I desire.” The creature looked between the two of them, then strode over to El-Kamat. “No,” he said, bluntly, hitting El-Kamat in the chest and sending him flying.
Then three things happened at once.
The key spun into the air, and Alex made a lunge for it, grabbing it but falling, twisting his leg as he hit the ground.
Armed men in black stormed into the room, firing at El-Kamat's squad.
The Gandai roared and began to glow, and a shield of blue energy descending around him, Alex and Milyanov.
Milyanov moved forwards, stabbing one of the black-dressed guards automatically and starting to move towards another. “Don't fire back!” El-Kamat screamed from the ground, “For scripture's sake, you'll destabilise the mechanism!” All around him, his men were dying, and Alex smiled. Finally, he thought, you get yours. A hiss and a crackle of static, and a familiar face appeared next to the downed scholar. It was the assassin that they had so narrowly avoided on the Raven. He took El-Kamat's hand and pressed a button on his harness. They slowly began to sparkle and fade. “NOOO!” screamed Alex. “STOP HIM!” But it was too late, the two men were gone. Alex crawled to the Gandai, “that man,” he pointed at Milyanov, “is one of mine. He is under the effect of a mind-altering drug. Please, save him.” The ancient looked down at him. “We have fought the same enemy, your species and mine, though we called them by different names. We called them the Great Devourers, but you have a shorter name for them, I think. You are brave, and we share our purpose...” He reached out, and Milyanov was sucked into the pocket of protective energy like a ragdoll. When he hit the floor, he was unconscious.
It was now or never.
Alex crawled over to Milyanov, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards the Gandai, who seemed completely unconcerned by the firefight raging around him. When all three of them were together, Alex stood shakily, holding a now woozy Milyanov up as the Gandai put his arms around them both. “Activate your device, human,” he said. “How do you...” “I saw into your mind. I know.” There was no time for argument. Summoning the last remaining reserves of his strength, Alex slammed his hand down onto the top of the key's cube, activating the hyper-charged distress beacon with his command signature that he had built into the device when El-Kamat had him complete it. “You'd better be watching, Carl...” Alex whispered, as he looked up at the Ceiling.
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Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 23, 2013 13:37:36 GMT
The vital signs increased rapidly, indicating fast approaching consciousness. The nurse rushed to Andae's bedside as he was blearily rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He felt surprisingly well rested, even though he knew the reasons why he'd been under for so long.
"Not so fast, Andae. We weren't expecting you to be awake so quickly," the nurse said, planting a hand on his chest and forcing him down as he tried to swing off the biobed.
"Where's the counselor?" he asked, suddenly obsessed with what was likely unfolding on the surface. Milyanov... he thought, aghast. It couldn't have been him surely. The engineer's exploding There was something missing, something he hadn't taken consideration of in his foreseeing. If it had even been a foreseeing.
"She's safe and well. She became comatic for a while but she woke some fifteen minutes ago."
"What happened?" the assistant doctor announced, walking over. "Her species' telepathic lock isn't supposed to endure that long, or end with that kind of violence."
"She entered one of my nightmares," Andae said as if it was nothing, turning to face the borderline-arrogant doctor, "While digging in my memories. She was killed in the vision by El Kamat. We must get to the surface immediately. I've seen the future. But I've missed something. The vision didn't account for a certain variable that very much changed the outcome." If only he could think of what it was.
He had a comlink made with the bridge in order to get an update. "The Admirals are still negotiating, sir," Wedlerson reported. "We've heard nothing yet but we're ready to go in. There are indications though, that the Proximian defence platforms are relaxing. Their primary weapons aren't primed. Perhaps they're going to let us beam down without annihilating our ships in the process."
Black uniformed special ops strode up and down the gangway, the metal grille under their feet clashing loudly as they organised themselves into squads in the adjacent transport rooms. This entire deck had been designed as the 'assault deck', from which boarding and landing parties were disembarked. In fact it was part of the frigate's primary function.
The old man and his first officer stood at one end of the gangway. "They're ready to go, sir."
"I'm sure they are. Still nothing from the surface?"
"Nothing, sir," the first officer confirmed. "Still, I think we can take the risk. Kamat seems increasingly preoccupied. He probably won't notice us beaming in."
"Probably won't," the old man repeated, turning his eye over the assembled assault team. "But the defence platforms will still blow us out of the heavens."
"Sir." It was the communications officer; the experienced one who would've made a far superior first officer. "A Cordovin Tetrac-class battlecruiser is approaching. Identifier," he checked his padd, "The Vorspa. It seems to be Kamat's new flagship."
"Doesn't know we're here right?" the old man regarded his XO sceptically, steepling his fingers before him. It took him a full precious minute to work the eventualities through his mind. "If the Proximians are going to let us through, but Kamat's aware of our actions and has been cut off from the Proximian administration, the Vorspa will destroy us. Alternatively, if the Proximians have their normal practices in place then - regardless of Kamat's awareness - still we will be destroyed. "Transport the assault squad. You lead them," he told the communications officer.
The communications officer wasn't too happy with that exchange, now that he reflected on it in the deep of the chasm. But he had his duty to perform, and the glory of Cordovin to uphold in the face of the madman Kamat. The corridor ahead seemed clear. He nodded to the soldiers behind him. In the main chamber, the lead of the special ops had led the spearhead against Kamat's vanguard. Who knew what was happening down there... communications had been cut off. The last message spoke brokenly of a tall being, something mysterious that also chimed a bell of familiarity with the comms officer.
He followed his men down the corridor, then suddenly they were before two of the Starfleeters! Two females, in tattered uniforms. "Drop your weapons!" he called out.
<Tag Calli> <Tag All>
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Carl Torek
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Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 23, 2013 21:27:54 GMT
"You can not kill him." Braxxt said, tears forming and rolling down her cheeks, "He is connected to this thing. Heart rate, reparation, even neural oscillation ... Should he drop below set parameters, the device activates, his ship transports him off the surface, and he vanishes !" "Kamat must know he couldn't outrun the detonation." Carl said. "Would that matter to him, if he had failed ?" Sato said quietly, turning suddenly Carl dropped to his knees holding his head. "Do you require medical assistance ?" Braxxt said, worried she may have the unfortunate death of a Star Fleet Officer on her hands, but Tetsutaro waved the woman away, watching Torek closely .... He stood, watching the construction. They had been building the device for almost thirty cycles, under the relentless blue giant that was the system's only light. Many perished during the construction, radiation from the blue star ate away at living cells with little regard. The star did not have long to live, she would expend her component elements within a millenia. But soon the device was completed, and those thousands of deaths would not be in vain. A child, little more than four cycles old, who had been born while her mother absorbed lethal radiation, and who was herself dying, was chosen to activate the device ...
There was no ceremony, no fanfare, no speeches, as the little girl pressed the small activation pad .... Hundreds of meters below the surface of the dead planet, unfathomable energies began to coalesce as the remaining engineers departed in their aged ships. ... In orbit, the ships made their way to the edge of the system as the device finally reached it's optimum power levels.
Carl stood on the Bridge, the translucent hull of the ship making them feel as if there was nothing between them and the lifeless space beyond ... The little girl squeezed his hand in anticipation as a second later a beam of almost pure energy, over five hundred meters in diameter, lanced from below the surface of the scorched earth and impaled the blue giant ... Carl turned to see El-Kamat, but not Kamat, savoring the devices' power, beyond anything the universe had beheld, and knew the man, if allowed, would use it to do more, much more ...
"Can we go home now Father of mine ?" the little girl asked, making Carl turn away from Kamat.
"There is no going home for us, Daughter of mine. We came to do this thing to benefit those that would come long after we are forgotten."
"LOOK !" the little girl said, pointing at the star ... There, before their eyes, the blue giant began to change. First, emitting solar flares that traversed the system and far beyond, then readings began to show it was cooling, and with that cooling, as the chemical construction of the star began to transform, the star began to shrink. Not quickly by any means, but it was happening, and if their calculations were correct, it would continue to reduce in both size temperature over the next thousand cycles. Then, and only then, when it had cooled, and turned to a yellow orange star, would the automated seeding barges begin to cast off their cherished payload ...
"I think it right that your Daughter be the one to name this system Jj'rehn."
"Yes. I believe it fitting." he said, kneeling at his Daughters' side asking what she would call the new star. Waiting as he watched a filament of solar material, over ten thousand kilometers wide grew larger and larger. They had but seconds. Yy'foeh thought for long moments before she smiled:
"We shall call it ...... Pp'roxim'Aa ...... New born."
It was the last words ever spoken by a race now extinct, but the life-giving star they created would allow countless races to expand throughout the known universe, and hopefully, one day in the far distant future, someone would use the technology once more ...... Carl fell to the floor, his motor-neurons firing at an unimaginable rate. Sato held the man he thought of as his Son, in his arms, Braxxt looking on in stunned silence. Moments later, he began to come out of the 'hell' his mind had been plunged into and his body relaxed noticably. "Help me lift him to his feet." Tetsutaro said, and both he and the President helped Carl off the floor. He slapped his Comm badge: =^= Tetsutaro to Hiniori .. Emergency transport .. Direct to Sick-bay =^= Seconds later the Star Fleet Officers vanished from the council chamber and re-appeared on the Excelsior Class Hiniori ... Medic's placed Torek on a bio-bed and began extensive scans to ascertain his physical and mental condition. He resisted sedation, trying to hold on to the memory of what had happened to him on the surface. Sato came to him and all but 'ordered' him to allow the physician's to work. "It ..... It is not a ......" Carl tried to explain, his mind in turmoil. "You must rest my Son." Sato said quietly, but Carl took his hand and pulled the aged Admiral closer to him. "They created the Star." he said, before finally dropping back onto the bio-bed almost exhausted. As the Comm sprang to life, he was in no condition to understand anything: =^= Bridge to Admiral .. We have just intercepted a distress beacon from the region the Raven believe's the device is buried ! =^= "Please ensure Admiral Torek is treated and can return to duty as soon as possible." Sato looked at the unconscious Torek then left Sick-Bay ..........
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T'Brel Peers
Commander
The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few.
Registered: Jul 22, 2005 5:39:54 GMT
Posts: 324
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Post by T'Brel Peers on Aug 24, 2013 22:14:31 GMT
"Mother, why are they doing this to us?" a little cries in the background as mortar rounds can be heard. The screams of a scared crowd reverberate around the old building. It seemed that the government or El-Kamat was no longer going to play nice
"Hush child! We must attend to this man, go and grab me some water and clean towels," a women aged by hunger and hard work instructs. "You over there, help me remove his outer garments!”
“Why should we help him? He’s obviously angered the wrong people. Just look at his blood mother, it doesn’t even run the same color as ours,” a young man said begrudgingly.
“I don’t give a damn about his blood, we both know he has done nothing to our people. He was just caught in this planet’s [word deleted] poor attempt at freedom,” the women, who T’Brel would come to know as Jexerta said.
T’Brel Peers could hear the conversation going on around him. He had awoken a few minutes ago and remained motionless on the stiff bed he now found himself. At first he believed he was in danger, but he soon realized that the poor women was trying to help him. Each time she tried to clean one of his wounds, his body would surge with pain. It took all of his will power to not scream out in pain. When the pain became to intense, T’Brel would pass in and out of consciousness.
Hours Later
“Mama, he’s cute. I didn’t know people had spots like that,” an older girl said as she lightly tended to one of T’Brel’s injuries.
“I actually prefer his ears,” Jexerta said,” but you can just ask the man as he has been awake for a good ten minutes now.”
The news startled the late teen youth as she shrieked when T’Brel opened his eyes. “How did you know?” T’Brel asked softly.
“I noticed your ears, the muscles in your ears moved when my son went to check up on the rioting outside,” Jexerta said.
“You are very perceptive,” T’Brel said as he tried to sit up on the bed. He encountered a callous hand telling him to stay down.
“You are lucky to be alive, and I’m sure you are in a lot of pain, so just relax. The fighting and craziness has died down a bit,” Jexerta said as a myriad of shots could be heard around them. “It seems you and your friends have started something that was overdue.”
“If only it was that easy,” T’Brel said thinking about El-Kamat, the weapon he was looking for, and the idiotic government officials that were allowing all the death around him to continue. T’Brel was able to drink a little bit of water before he once again passed out from the pain.
Another few Hours Later
T’Brel had the terrible feeling that he was being watched closely. The feeling quickly spread, but T’Brel knew that in his current condition a child could incapacitate him. So when he saw the face of his favorite Andriod, Marionette. It was at that moment that T’Brel realized that Marionette’s Vulcan ears looked good on her.
“Hello Ensign, please tell me we are back on the Raven?” T’Brel asked.
(Tag Marionette)
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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 Aug 26, 2013 22:03:06 GMT
"OK, according to this ....." Aeryn whispered, referring to the basic scanner they had brought with them, "We are on the right level. The signals are faint, but less than seventy meters in that direction." she said, pointing off down the darkened corridor.
"Right, then I thi ......" Calli began, but Aeryn put her hand over the Commanders mouth and held a finger to her lips, urgently making a 'walking' motion with two fingers. She took out her phaser and put her back against the wall, Calli followed suit instantly.
Both Officer's listened intently as a group of people approached their position. Calli's covert training, and Aeryn's Marine training kicked in, ensuring they were both ready to act, or remain concealed, as the situation dictated. Both the option wasn't in their hands ...
The group were outside the room they were in. Calli could hear them talking, and knew something wasn't right. She pointed toward the door, the Marine nodding. Aeryn lowered herself to the floor, moving toward the door silently. She turned on her back and held up eight fingers. She was about to move away when the door moved. Not far, maybe someone had leaned against it, but Calli doubted that as the door opened:
"Drop your weapons ...... There is no point in resisting, you are out-numbered."
For a second, Calli admired the mans' gall, walking into a room practically unarmed. But she also knew when to give in, and the fact that she 'knew' the corridor held at least another half dozen people, made her mind up. She threw her phaser toward the feet of the man, Aeryn reluctantly followed suit ... But the fact of being captured so close to her goal was forgotten as she stood up and came face to face with a black uniformed Officer !
"I assume El-Kamat is going to be pleased with you." the Marine said, eyeing the Officer with contempt, as two more of the black-clad soldiers entered the room as their leader spun on Aeryn, it was all the distraction Calli needed !
As the guards turned to face the Marine, she jumped forward and threw her left arm around the Officers' neck, grasping his windpipe. Ramming the rigid fingers of her right hand into the mans kidney area, winding him instantly, she pulled him backwards until her back hit the wall. Rearranging the grip of her left hand so her thumb was against his trachea, the four fingers locking her grip in place. Her action had taken less than five seconds, but in that time the room filled as two of the guards slammed the Marine against the far wall, weapons pushed into her midriff, eyes darting between their target and their leader.
Calli increased the pressure of her grip slightly, it was all that was needed to make her prisoner spasm.
"Release her ... NOW !" Calli demanded.
One of the men looked from Aeryn to Calli, then at his Superior. He seemed to be mulling something over in his head. He looked at the Marine again, then turned to Calli:
"Hmmm ... I think not." he said simply ... Calli instantly cut off her hostage's air supply, the man began to struggle, lifting his feet off the floor several times, but Calli coped and bent to allow for the additional weight until he began to loose consciousness, "You think I care if he lives or dies ?" the man asked, leaning against the door watching the scene with interest ...
The Marine reacted.
The hilt of the knife smashed into the guard's common carotid artery, he gasped in shock, but nothing would prevent the man passing out through loss of cranial blood flow, he would die in moments if not treated. Aeryn made a half-turn and struck the second man holding her against the wall, impacting his temple, before she expertly spun the weapon in her hand and planted it in the man's shoulder, severing the radial and median nerves, the man dropped in agony, but the Marines' attack came to an abrupt end as the butt of a weapon slammed into her temple, dropping her unconscious to the floor ! ..........
< tag : Andae / All >
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 28, 2013 7:14:00 GMT
"To cut to the chase. You shouldn't be here, Starfleet. This is an internal matter to be resolved by the Cordovin government," the officer was gasping for breath, somehow manaaging to vocalise under the extreme pressure applied at his throat by the Starfleet Commander.
He realised the Starfleeter's position. If she allowed her grip to loosen on him so she could assist her fallen marine officer, the special ops would instantly have the upper hand. The guards approached, forcing rifles into Valenti's midriff. "Release him now, or you'll find two holes straight through your abdomen."
The Cordovin officer's eyes widened. Obviously he would become collateral damage if they discharged those weapons now - unless, that was their intention. "I advise you release your grip, Commander..." Slowly, the Starfleeter's grip loosened. The communications officer smoothed his collar, not used, in all his 25 years of service of having been defied so violently.
"What about my marine officer? She's going to need medical aid." Calli demanded, withdrawing from the special ops guards' rifles.
"Brave one, aren't you. Your Captain, if he did assassinate that Cordovin councilwoman, showed some of the same bravery." The guard hid the mockery best he was as able. Two despondent guards tried to lift the marine Tavik, struggling between them.
"Contrary to what you may believe, my men are not aligned with Tahl El-Kamat. We've come to kill, or at least capture him. His own battlecruiser's approaching our orbital path; we've little time to waste. I suggest for the time being we join forces. You take point, Commander...? Valenti."
The Cordovin comms officer decided to leave the dead or dying behind. There was no time, literally, to save their lives. Aeryn Tavik was carted between them. The comms officer contemplated. The guards didn't seem to have any problem sacrificing him; he only hoped it'd been a bluff. There was also the objective of eliminating Commodore Torek, wherever he might be found. Easily done, he thought, licking his lips. He had a direct eye on Valenti, ahead at point. Just one shot in the back and that secondary objective could come into action.
"Where are we heading - " Calli began.
"One of the lowest decks, we think, overlooking the chasm where the main part of the mechanism is situated," a guard stated. Indeed they could hear the phaser and plasma fire from here. Mind-rending explosions resonated in the darkplaces of the underground cavern. Illuminated by strobe-like light, they could see silhouettes stealing before the whiteness, weapon-laden as they hurried to points of cover some distance across this gap of the cavern and descending down the opposite end.
"Communication jams are being lifted," the comm officer's lieutenant reported. "Attempting a connection - "
The shot come without warning, as was always the case. A red gouge remained where the NCO's upper torso had been, the rest of him clunking to the rock surface. "Return fire," the comms officer bellowed, ducking behind another outcrop. His men were being picked off fast. Three, four... A mere half of his number remained to him. He kept his back to the wall of the outcrop, not daring to peer out. It was Kamat's elites who were attacking them, he was sure of that. "Lieutenant, where the devil are you?" But he received no response from the head of special ops leading the speartip against Kamat.
They crossed the open cavern, metal girders crashing under their feet and a sizeable chasm yawning to the left. Heads were low, wary of further plasma fire although it seemed to have subdued.
"Detecting a distress signal of some kind, Federation in origin," the comm officer muttered, having grabbed the device from his dead assistant. "Up there," he pointed to the upper gantry. Something incredible was unfolding up there, at the door to the main chamber of Kamat's abode.. A luminescent whiteness, more intense than anything he'd seen before.
"You men." Two guards stepped forward as the officer had ordered. "Find out what's happening up there. Most of the firing has dissipated but watch yourselves. Extra insurance, take Valenti here as a shield. She can block any remaining crossfire if you're clever with it. Watch her carefully. Sniper," he addressed the man to his right, "Have your scope right on her the entire time. Any movement you deem untoward, fire, maximum pacification."
As they spoke, there was a sound of tumult below in the chasm, almost like retching, like biological matter clogging within ancient rusted cogs. The device they'd come so far for, the officer thought. Was Kamat's health tied in some way to the device? Some inextricable link? If the torment of the mechanism below meant Kamat was under attack, dead even, then now whose allegiances lay where? Were all Cordovin now considered the enemy of Proxima, the Federation and besides? (Although outside of his knowledge, Kamat lives still. And was presumably beamed to his ship?)
<Tag Calli, Alex> <another post from Blakus/Milyanov POV is coming soon)
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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 Aug 31, 2013 20:00:31 GMT
Calli realized quickly that she was in a 'no win' situation. If she decided to fight it was definite that both she and Aeryn would be dead. She watched as the Cordovin's lifted the Marine off the floor and held her between them while she recovered her senses ... The man's suggestion that they work together was an obvious ploy, there was no way, once push came to shove, that they would allow her to make any decisions, but if nothing else, it bought them time. Reluctantly, she agreed ...
As the group entered the lower halls, Calli couldn't help admiring the race that had designed and built the machine, whether for good or bad, it was a feat of engineering she had never seen surpassed if it indeed lived up to it's estimated size.
It started so suddenly that even she was caught off guard ... People began to die in quick succession. She dove to find some protection from the barrage of phaser-fire that was targeting them. She could see her so-called ally cowering in fear as he yelled into his comms. Finally the firing ceased ...
"You will go with these men." he ordered Calli, who now knew there was no alliance, "Sniper ... Have your scope right on her the entire time. Any movement you deem untoward, fire, maximum pacification ... Hold her companion ... Return her weapon. Should you choose to use it against any of my men you will die." he said, pointing at the sniper to reinforce his threat.
It was hard to imagine the formidable stresses that the sudden activation of millenia-old mechanism's could undergo. But the noise was almost deafening as it reverberated throughout the cavernous space. Calli felt the business end of a weapon in the small of her back, and started forward cautiously. 'No point in getting my head shot off' she thought sarcastically.
~~~~~
The metal steps and walkways were old. So old they had rusted to the point of complete collapse in some places ... She could see their destination, some three floors above them. Every few moments a phaser shot would traverse the cavern, searching out targets. Looking back at her 'companions' Calli hugged the wall and made her way up to the first level platform. The walkway was only a meter wide, with a meter high railing to prevent accidental falls. She took a step and felt the metal give under her weight:
"Keep your eyes open." she whispered before moving forward.
Metallurgy wasn't her strong point, but in the reduced illumination of the catwalks, she could tell the section ahead was ready to go ... Glancing behind her, making sure she had a gap between her and her followers, she took three wide steps, making sure to tread only where the supporting beams from the wall was holding up the metal walkway. The two men followed her, confident they were safe. As the combined weight of the two men over-stressed the rust-laden metal, it gave way beneath them. Both heard, and felt the metal lose what little resistance it had and the two fell through to their deaths below !
Calli remained motionless, hands raised and her back to the wall, hoping the Cordovin sniper would not decide she had caused his companions' deaths. Pointing upwards, she took a step, then a second. If she was to die, then it would be on this walkway, but no bolt of energy lanced towards her as she continued her progress. It still worried her that the Cordovin had Aeryn, but she wouldn't allow sentiment to cloud her judgement.
She seriously doubted that El-Kamat would be sat awaiting the Federation's arrival. But it was obvious things were not going well for the Scientist. If the Cordovin were to be believed, he was going to be hunted down and likely killed. Her concern now was how would the Proximian Governing Council react ... They had hidden so much from their people, and may never fully recover from this incident. Would they risk all to rid themselves of the weapon. Would they give up any chance of joining the Federation by bringing this situation to a conclusion whatever the final cost ?
Her Comm badge suddenly sprang to life:
=^= We are watching you Starfleeter .. If you make any attempt to escape .. I will remove the head of your Officer .. Continue up to the next level =^=
Looking down at the place she knew the Cordovin was hidden, she almost defied the order, then turned her full attention to the walkway once more ..........
< tag : Andae / ALL >
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 31, 2013 20:53:17 GMT
Why is it I find myself out cold during every mission? Andae asked himself. Sickbay's lights seemed almost hurtful, penetrating his retinae quite wholly even behind tightly-shut eyelids. A terrible headache had set itself up at the front of his skull, his mind having been violated - albeit originally with the best of intentions - by the ship's counselor. He was suffering the aftermath of that now, in more ways than one.
The visions had intensified threefold. During his sleeping moments all manner of darkness assailed him, and he would awake to find himself in a dimmed sickbay, alone but for the beeping of machines. An uncertain figure would reach out to grasp him from under a cloak of grey and he'd recoil in fear, only to wake dire instants later, this time for real, and the piercing anaemic lights would be back.
The doctor was doing his normal rounds. "Commander. How are we faring this hour?" He glanced between the CEO and his medical tricorder, hopefully weighing up whether it was worth releasing Blakus yet.
"Don't patronise me, Doc. The sooner I can -" he lost himself in fits of coughing. "What's wrong with me."
"It seems the counselor caught you at the onset of a fever, but far worse than the normal variety," the doctor said dryly. "She may have worsened it actually." Andae sat up on his elbows, imploring the doctor to elaborate. "It appears to be purely mental in source. Normally I'd say don't ask me to explain, but unfortunately I have a theory. El Kamat, if true that he communicated with you through a vision, has afflicted your mind with something."
Ha. Not he. Andae was left cold. The voice had come from nowhere, whispered silkily into his ear. He recognised the tone, the patronising subtlety to its timbre.
Q. It's been a while. He thought it back, how he didn't know. Time seemed to hover before him; the doctor, while moving normally, appeared to be waiting on him in a quite strange manner. You've done this to me, Q? Andae thought again. Was it... was it you all along. The visions of the Gandai Empire?
The omnipotent being's cackle was as harsh as if he were actually in the room. Don't tar me so completely, Commander. The crude device from Cordovin IV did most of it. I've merely been adding a little spice to the mixture, here and there along the road. It's quite exciting really.
Let me see you. Take me to one of your nether worlds and give me back use of my body. I wouldn't mind throttling you right about now. Blakus's fists gripped the material of the biobed, and he recalled that time in his academy training when he'd met this very same Q, in some strange world of symbolism, where Species 8472 hunted grey bracken-layered forests. The entity had spared his life then, allowing him to return to the real world, where the young and green Blakus had to slingshot the USS Hepta around a star. A different challenge presented itself now. He'd matured, at least a bit. And he knew his enemy.
Your friends are about to perish on the surface, Blakus. Unless you or your good Admiral can reach his first officer in time, El-Kamat will have domination. Nothing will stop him from completing his device, even though he's had to return to his ship. Time's running out, Commander. Andae rammed his palms against his temples, rubbing them trying to bring some peace. Well? You better get on with it!
Normality resumed. "Commander. You alright?" the doctor stepped up with his tricorder, scanning his head closely.
Andae batted his hand away. "Get that thing away from me." He swung off the biobed, nearly knocking the doctor over, and made a lunge for the exit. He caught the beginning of a riposte from the acting CMO, but the sickbay doors muffled his voice to naught.
The corridors of the ship seemed drenched in unabating heat. However the coughing seemed to have abated, and while he felt dizzy and lightheaded, it wasn't to the point of disorientation.
He arrived on the bridge to find the Raven on close approach of an oblong shaped vessel, its surfaces reflecting gunmetal grey as it caught the light of Proxima. "Commander Blakus." Wedlerson hid his surprise well and returned to Ops. "We're intercepting Kamat's flagship. Phasers and torpedoes on standby but not charged. We don't want to take chances while those defence platforms are still looking threatening."
"A good judgement, Commander. When did our favourite despot get back aboard her?"
"How did you know, sir?" Wedlerson paused, waiting for a reply, before rapidly continuing. "30 minutes ago. Since then the ship has disabled a smaller vessel, destroyer size, that appears also to be Cordovin. It was approached by Kamat's ship some 90 minutes ago." Andae didn't question how the smaller ship had suddenly appeared in their midst. Everything seemed to have been thrown up in the air, all sense abandoned; there was little point making enquiries in the absence of facts.
"Presumably Kamat is still allied to the government. They haven't forsaken him yet in the face of the rebellion, else they'd have destroyed his ship when he took out the Cordovin loyalist vessel."
"Unless, sir," Wedlerson said haltingly, "The Proximians can't destroy him. What if causing the destruction of his ship spells death for their own people. Has he tied their hands?"
"So we dare not attack. Can we please get through to the Hinoiri? We need to know exactly what happened with the Councilwoman." He took the centre seat, finding for once he savoured the touch. "And given the distress beacon, we need to find out what's happening down at that power plant, and if we can be allowed to transport in and not be annihilated by orbital defences."
<Tag Carl>
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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: 6,163
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 1, 2013 14:27:15 GMT
Carl sat on the bio-bed impatiently waiting for the Hiniori's Doctor to complete her examination. Regardless of how many times he told her the episode was due to the effects he'd suffered from the 'Stones of Quincunx' she doggedly continued. =^= Bridge to Sick-bay =^= =^= Go ahead Bridge =^= the Doctor said, never breaking her stride. =^= Admiral Torek is required on the bridge as soon as you are able to release him Doctor =^= The woman looked up as if being able to see those making the request, then she looked at Torek: =^= He's on his way =^= she said, walking away without further conversation. Carl didn't wait for the proverbial invitation. He dropped off the bed and tried not to run. ~~~~~"The Admiral is in his ready room Admiral Torek, he's expecting you." Captain Hara said. "Ahh, Carl ..." Tetsutaro said as he entered, "The Raven is on the Comm. I have been updating Commander Blakus on the device El-Kamat installed in the parliament chamber ... Maybe you could help with details ?" Carl sat down and looked at the large view-screen, making a mental note to have one fitted in his ready room when time permitted. Andae was looking a little worse for ware, but Carl knew his ship was in good hands. He informed his Second Officer of the force-field erected around the matter/anti-matter device, and his estimate of the destructive power given size ... Blakus admitted it didn't look good. =^= There's some sort of Bio-metric link established too .. I'm convinced it is linked to El-Kamat .. He dies .. Up goes the device =^= < tag : Andae >=^= We've been picking up a lot of firing from within the power plant .. Or rather .. From the myriad of tunnels and cavers 'beneath' the area .. The whole place seems to be in the region of four square kilometers =^= Carl said. =^= Can we lock onto our people ? =^= Andae asked, knowing the answer already. =^= Negative Commander .. But we are now allowed to transport down to assist our Officers .. I feel President Braxxt has realized the situation Proxima is in and is choosing discretion rather than brute force to resolve this situation .. I have requested assistance from the Federation but the nearest vessel is twenty hours away at maximum warp .. So we are on our own at this juncture =^= Sato answered. "Is she willing to fire on the Cordovin vessels ?" Carl pondered. "I feel she is unwilling due to the device ... Maybe if we could access the control matrix and disable the mechanism ? .... I will arrange for two of my engineering team to transport to the surface immediately." Sato said as Blakus looked on from the Raven's Center Seat. "I'd like Commander Blakus to send an Engineer from the Raven if he can spare someone ?" Carl said, looking at the screen. =^= Already on that .. Admiral =^= Andae said, seemingly expecting the suggestion. =^= Thank you Andae =^= =^= One thing I'm sure you have noticed .... =^= Blakus continued the information exchange, =^= Those Cordovin ships are hardly playing 'best friends' .. Do you think they could have people down there who would be willing to work with us .. Maybe they have made contact with our people already ? =^= =^= It's possible .. But until we can confirm that we should go on the assumption that anyone 'not' Federation is fair game .. So to speak =^= Carl said, watching the other two nod in agreement. While he had been talking to his Engineer, Sato had contacted the Government Chamber and spoken to Braxxt. He was hardly jumping for joy, but at least he seemed to have made progress regarding Federation participation: President Braxxt has spoken to the Senior Council. They are moving to their secondary chambers, situated outside the city. She has granted us carte blanche in our endeavors. Unfortunately, so as not to be seen to be showing favoritism, she is allowing the Cordovin to send a 'minimal' away team down to apprehend El-Kamat before he can activate the weapon." The door chime sounded. Captain Hara entered, moving straight to the view-screen interface: "Admiral's ... We have information on the orbital defense platforms." "Go ahead Captain ... Patch and forward the information over to the Raven too." Hara put up a tactical view of the surrounding space. It clearly showed the Hiniori and the Raven, highlighted in green, along with the Cordovin vessels in blue. But the thing they all spotted was the eight 'red' tracks ... Hara turned and explained: "We picked up these moving minutes ago." he pointed to the red tracks, "Four of the defense platforms have moved into geo-stationary position, above the power plant. They have powered up and are currently holding at one hundred and ten percent output capability. The other four are moving into positions where they can fire on all four of us." =^= So for 'ALL' her willingness to allow us to sort this out .. Braxxt is making sure that 'IF' we fail she will ensure the device and us are no longer a problem for the Proximian Government ! =^= Blakus said, watching the platforms on the Bridge view-screen. "We calculate that the combined output from the four over the power plant will remove an area three kilometers in diameter and almost one point five in depth before they go into meltdown." Captain Hara said, somewhat impressed. =^= Don't do things by halves .. Do they ! =^= Andae said form the Raven. =^= Indeed =^= Sato replied, realizing that Braxxt was going to cut her losses and destroy the whole complex if the Federation couldn't bring the situation to a conclusion ! .......... < 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 Sept 5, 2013 18:28:22 GMT
Aboard the Raven ...=^= Don't do things by halves .. Do they ! =^= Blakus said. "Sir ... I'm getting something, but not too sure what." Wedlerson interrupted. "What is it ?" Andae said, waiting while the Acting Operations Officer made some adjustments before turning to him. "I'm picking up a Comm signal. It's on our frequency, but not from any of our people. If I had to swear, I'd say it was between two of the Cordovin on the surface." "Let's hear it." =^= We are ...ching you Starfleeter .. If you ...ke any attempt to escape .. I will remove the head of your ... ficer .. Contin ... up to th ... next level =^= "Is it possible they are using one of our people for their own ends ?" the Commander asked. "I'm triangulating the signal origin and destination ....." Harry said, working feverishly at his panel, "OK ... Looks like the origin is well below the surface. While the receiving unit is some fifteen meters above location .... Sir, I think I might be able to transmit to the second of the two Comm badges without it bleeding over to the primary." < tag : Andae >On the surface ...Calli watched the Cordovin for a long moment, wondering if he would give the order to fire on her ... Satisfied he thought the fall of his Officer was an unavoidable accident, she moved forward, making sure to double-check her footing before every step. The Comm chirping to life startled her: =^= This is the ... ven .. Who am I in con ... ct with ? =^= Calli stopped dead, looking down at the Cordovin holding Aeryn. He was watching her with a puzzled look on his face. 'Who the hell' she thought, turning to face the wall and taking another tentative step along the walkway. =^= Thi ... is the Raven .. If you are unable to reply .. Tap your Comm badge once only =^= =^= This is Commander Valenti =^= she whispered, glancing down at the Cordovin, but there was no reaction from the man who seemed to have settled back to watch her progress. =^= Commander Valenti .. Wedlerson .. I have modified your Comm frequency minutely .. It shouldn't be picked up by the other Comm device but I can't guarantee it .. Commander Blakus is updating the Admiral .. You are patched through to the Hiniori .. What is your status ? =^= Calli updated the Raven and Hiniori of what was happening, including the fact that Major Tavik was being held. She informed Tetsutaro and Torek that it seemed the people holding her were intent on killing El-Kamat. She was being sent up to the level they assumed he was on. She could only assume they would follow if she confirmed their suspicions. They were still no closer to locating the Captain, Lieutenant Milyanov, or Commander Peers ... Torek confirmed that Peers had been found and Ensign Marionette was with him. They thought Watson and Milyanov were inside the complex she was climbing to ... She was about to continue when the wall only a meter from her head exploded in a shower of concrete ! =^= The next target will be the your head Starfleeter .. Do not test me further .. Move .. NOW ! =^= =^= Raven .. Raven .. Come in ..... =^= she whispered, but the link was dead. Hoping one of the ships would find a way of reestablishing contact, she looked down at the Cordovin before continuing towards the steps up to the next level ..........
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