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 Jun 22, 2012 23:46:55 GMT
It was zero three thirty hours ... Call had volunteered to do what was termed the 'graveyard' shift. Not for any other reason but she wasn't sleeping, and at times like these she found the stars comforting ... 'Not tonight though' she thought to herself as she looked at the view screen. The stars were stationary, or it would seem so anyway as the Raven was immobile, dormant, almost dead in the vastness of space itself. The ship had rolled through almost sixty five degrees since the inertial stabilizers had been taken off-line as part of the Captains' orders to conserve every mili-watt of power for life support. Frustration was growing by the second ... She was fully aware of this fact and had long ago learned to control, and use, that frustration. The only consolation was that only the senior staff knew about any plans to 'abduct' the Commodore. The other eleven hundred plus personnel on board simply thought they were in trouble, nothing unusual for a Star ship. Running through the reports on the devices found, it was plain that they were recording, but there seemed no sign that they were transmitting any data, so she had to wonder ...... Were they planted to keep a record of proceedings, or to notify someone if the Raven deviated from her mission, she didn't know. But one thing was certain, with the ship barely two days into her journey, they were too close to the base to vanish. Although, given they had been dead in the water, figuratively speaking, for almost eight hours now, and already way overdue on their agreed scheduled progress report to the base and the Cordovin's, it was only a matter of time before they were missed ! On Star base Forty Seven:Sato was woken by his adjutant, Captain Helena Richmond. He looked at the ornate clock on his bedside table and was fully awake and alert inside ten seconds ... 'Not damn bad for an octogenarian' he thought.
"Helena ?"
Sorry to disturb you Sir, but we've had a request from Councilwoman Gastain ......"
"Regarding ?" Tetsutaro asked, already up and dressing.
"She is asking if there has been a change of orders regarding the transport of their, prisoner, to Cordovin Four Admiral." she knew the man wouldn't ask questions, preferring her to give all the information she had gathered, so she continued as he splashed water on his face, "Apparently, they had been tracking the progress, surprise surprise, of the Raven, and noticed it hadn't reached it's designated contact point on time. The Cordovin are reluctant to contact the ship themselves, given our guarantee's etcetera ......"
"Have we contacted Captain Watson ?" Sato asked, pointing toward the door.
"We have been trying for the last thirty minutes Admiral. On all sub-space and emergency channels ...... No response."
The two left the Admiral's private quarters and moved down the private corridor to the Operations Center of Star base Forty Seven. As they entered everyone on duty snapped to attention but Helena waved them back to duty as the pair headed for Sato's office.
"Could someone get me some coffee ?" Sato asked no-one in particular.
Inside the office he sat behind his desk and took the PADD's his Adjutant offered. His eidetic memory allowing him to skim through the various reports and digest the information fully.
"Last contact was at ten hundred, and nothing since ....." Sato said without referring to the report in his hand, "No vessels have reported the Raven on their sensors, but that's not unusual. They are hardly on a main trade route. The Cordovin's have not, so they say, sent out a ship to intercept the Raven but you can bet there's one en-route, so let's give Watson until, fifteen hundred hours today, to declare an emergency before we declare them missing ... Have any ship's in the sector be on passive alert for the Raven. If spotted I want to know ... Now, where's my coffee, I may as well do some work while I'm here."
As Helena went off to get the Admiral's freshly ground coffee, Sato pondered the possibilities in this scenario ...
Option one: Had the Raven suffered some genuine major malfunction due to the rapid completion of the upgrades the ship had undergone ?
Option two: Had the Captain and crew decided to abscond with their Commanding Officer to save him from a certain death sentence ?
And option three: The one he simply didn't want to contemplate !
Either way, he would say a silent prayer ..........
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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 Jul 2, 2012 20:18:27 GMT
Andae awoke on the floor in his quarters in a cold sweat. His eyes darted about, automatically acquiring his position, the rest of him too groggy to even think. He found himself glaring at some indistinguishable object, lying broken near the door; his eyes squinted with the pain of sudden light. Dragging himself to his feet, he frowned at the bundles of clothes skewed about his room and stumbled towards the bedroom section.
He kicked some clothes into one corner and went towards the door, picking up the scattered PADDs that lay there. Then gazing at the green wireframes displayed on the screens, he ranked them in order of importance, placing the one with the microdot schematic image on top, before making his way over to the clothes cycler. Oh yes, what had he been working on? Something seemed terribly important about the PADDs but he found it impossible to recall.
He supposed the most concerning thing at this point was that he couldn't remember falling asleep. A jolting pain ran up his back. "Argh!" The cry escaped his lips as the pain ran into his head, torn muscles transmitting the truth of their anguish along the nerves in the back of his skull.
His uniform's commbadge chirped amongst crumpled garments on the floor. "Commander Blakus, this is Tinsley... Commander?" a muffled voice came through.
"Yes?" He winced with pain as he straightened out again.
"Commander, with the utmost respect where the hell are you?" Blakus stared blankly at the commbadge in his hand. "Sir? You've been absent for five and a half hours. I thought we were fixing the impulse engines and deflector shield. You wanted to supervise it yourself?"
"Yes, I remember. I'll be there in ten minutes." Blakus steeled his jaw, "Progress?"
"Impulse is out of whack but deflector is looking promising. It should be online soon if we keep at it. If we can transfer the method of how we repaired it to the propulsion systems, then we should have everything ready for power restoration in the next ten to twenty hours or so."
"A model of precision, Tinsley. Very well, Blakus out." His voice caught in a whisper as he gently squeezed his hand around the commbadge, severing the link.
The phlegm that kept gathering in the back of his throat came back so he swallowed it down again. Even more of it welled in his mouth - a great deal more. He frowned, tentatively touching fingers to his lips.
In the dim light of his quarters, he surveyed his fingertips before the miror. Some dark substance coated them, glistening in the hidden illumination that came from the ceiling. Suddenly he felt the urge to bend over the sink; and roughly a litre of blood came gushing up out of his mouth, swirling down the sink in a sickening tide of scarlet, flowing like quicksilver in the darkness.
Images scythed at him from the depths of nothingness. A world devastated; a construction site; a portrait on the side of a building; a bulbuous construct of deadly power; the wild face of a Cordovin rebel. His mind was torn with possibilities. The Raven dead in space, yet heading inexorably towards a place of torment.
He surveyed his face in the mirror, his pale, now almost vampiric features framing eyes that gazed back in surprise. He wiped his mouth clear, blinking quickly, "I'm sure it'll be fine."
Still he took a trip to see Dr Salek. "I believe I was attacked," he told the Doctor, who mended his ripped tendons. "Couldn't have been a fall; not even I am that clumsy." He looked thoughtfully towards the wall while Salek knitted his musculature in silence.
Later in engineering he ran a scan of his quarters, also viewing the sensor logs in that area. Unsurprisingy the information was corrupted and was in fact incomplete. The EPS ruptures and subsequent system failures plaguing the ship had seen to that. Still, happy coincidences like this tended not to happen. There was only an extremely corrupted view of the door to his quarters opening, and his shadow appearing at the door. That was when the information became too warped to be made any sense of. The final time index before he data was lost to corruption was 1142.23 hours. He made a note.
According to Salek there was no evidence of blunt trauma, or anything else immediately indicative of an assault. Perhaps he had just fallen - knocked himself unconscious and let the PADDs go scattering across the floor.
"Commander. We're making progress with the impulse drive but it's at least three hours away from any possible use. The spacetime drive coils won't spin up, it's as if someones physically unplugged them."
Of course, they were unplugged, Blakus thought, but he knew what the man meant. The EPS ruptures had only been part of a wider array of system failures, primarily in he three areas critical for propulsion, but also in smaller systems such as replicators, holodecks and the waste disposal network. All systems had been taken offline anyway - except for the bare essentials - so that no more damage could be done by whatever ghost was thrashing about in the system.
"But we have thruster power?" he asked the staff member. He and his senior lieutenants were standing around engineering's master console.
"Aye, sir. Well, almost. Final dry-firing tests are being run with reserve batteries. When main power is restored, we will have thruster capability. The engineers are sure they will not be disabled again."
"So we can crawl a few million kilometres. That's something at least..." Andae trailed off. This was reliant on them finding some way to restore full power without the warp drive crippling the ship as it pumped its plasma intravenously to every circuit on board. He sighed, looking around at his staff, "We better hope we have a good place to go once we get back to full power. Whoever did this, they may have helped us out, unintentionally or not."
Blakus composed a status report on the propulsion repairs and sent it to the bridge. An exhalation shuddered out of him. Federation, Cordovin, or otherwise, if the saboteur had done his or her work after boarding the ship, then they were still at large.
OOC: This will do for now - I have some more written that I'll tag on to it later, once it's finished and been edited a bit.
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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 Jul 5, 2012 23:31:05 GMT
"Computer .. What is the current location of Captain Barton ?"
"Captain Barton is currently in Ten-Forward."
Carl removed his hand from the panel, effectively closing the interface, then headed for the Raven's recreation lounge.
~~~~~~~~~~
As he entered, several people gave him a nod which he acknowledged with a smile ... He trusted this crew, and knew that most, if not all, respected him as both a Commanding Officer, and a family man. Carl spotted who he was looking for and headed over to the table. It hadn't gone un-noticed that the JAG Officer was sitting at the window with no-one on the nearby tables, that worried him a little as he didn't want the crew blaming this man for his situation.
"Mind if I join you Captain ?"
"Please do, and it's Robert." Barton said. A wry grin forming as ten forwards' steward put a glass of amber liquid in front of his guest, pointing out that Carl looked like he needed it, and as he wasn't 'on duty' wasn't breaking any rules.
"Thanks Michael." Torek said, taking a sip of the fluid before seeing Barton watching him, "Cognac .... Michael here smuggles a few bottles on board for me. Get the Captain on of these Michael."
"No ... Thank you, unlike you Commodore, I'm still on duty."
"Carl ... No uniform, remember." Torek said. Relaxing somewhat, the two spoke for a short time before Barton pointed out the obvious.
"So ...... You want to know where we stand ......" Carl simply nodded, "OK ...... Well, in the last six hours I've exhausted every avenue I can come up with. Bottom line, the Cordovin are going to make an example of you ... Alas, I think their plan will work. Rather than turn the Federation against them, I have the feeling it will support their justice system and 'regrettably' rue the loss of one of their Senior Commanding Officers, in favor of a long-term amiable relationship."
He could see that Robert was embarrassed at what he'd said, and felt for the man. But he needed answers, and possible options ... He didn't want to die, he didn't want to leave two children fatherless for a second time in their short lives. Michael replaced the empty glass in from of Carl and then gave Barton a refill before discretely leaving the two alone.
"Is this your doing ?" Carl asked suddenly, motioning to the distinct lack of movement outside the massive windows, Barton looked at the stars, then back at Torek.
"In any other circumstances I'd be offended at that comment. But somehow, it seems, well ... Plausible ... But alas no, I have had nothing to do with our situation. You've seen the covert devices yourself ..." he finished with a shrug.
"You know that once we're twelve hours overdue Command will send out search and rescue." Carl said needlessly.
"Then by my shaky reckoning, that gives us slightly less than four hours to get you en-route to the gallows, then, either the good Ole Federation will send a ship out, or the ever eager Cordovin will turn back and come get their scapegoat." Barton said, watching Torek closely before finally deciding to broach a subject that could get him in the same hot water his client was in, "Out of curiosity .... What if ...."
"What if we vanished ... What if we went after El-Kamat ?" Carl uninterrupted, receiving a non-committal stare from the man opposite, but Carl could see he was reacting, albeit microscopically, to the comment, "My crew will do their duty, that I can be sure of."
"But they are 'not' your crew at this point in time, are they !" Barton said simply, "Like it or not, they care, and with all due respect to you, the no uniform, no orders rule applies, so I doubt you'd be listened to even if there was an escape plan in progress." Barton said, putting on his best summing up face for the jury of one.
Carl took the statement in, wondering if the crew would actually risk everything, their careers, or even freedom, to save him ... He'd chosen well he thought, when appointing Alex Watson as his Executive Officer. He simply couldn't see the man risking all he'd worked for, but then .....
"Thank you for the company Capt ... Robert." Carl said, looking at the chronometer and seeing it was already zero three forty one hours. "I think I'll go make sure the children are OK."
"Pleasure was mine Carl." Barton said.
As Torek left ten-forward, he knew that if the ship was still stationary at zero seven hundred hours, he'd need to pack a bag, and say goodbye to Bethan and Vanessa ..........
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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 Jul 6, 2012 16:35:50 GMT
Marionette was 'asleep', and in the middle of her recharging cycle, when the doors to her quarters opened, and then closed.
The atmosphere of the room went from empty and dry, to buzzing and seething with the electricity of hate and fury. He was here....
Ghostly words emanating from seemingly nowhere, sounded off. "You were lucky enough to find my spying devices, but i may yet have plans for you, my Pretty. Little. Machine." the voice said, biting off words in furious vengeance, as a thumping sound was heard, bouncing the android some.
As the door Whhhsssk'ed closed once more, Marionette booted up to finding herself sprawled out on the floor, and incompletely recharged, with the computer stating the obvious ; Recharge cycle incomplete
Unlike the attack on Blakus, which was thusfar mysterious and subtle, this attack was obviously a revenge session.
Unsure of what to do, as her processors seemed to be unable to spin up to adequate speeds, Marionette contacted the chief engineer.
=/\= Commander Blakus ..... I think someone has just damaged me .... =/\= she said flatly, belying her relative confusion, as to why she would be on the floor and vandalized.
Her diagnostic systems were on the fritz, but from what she could tell, she was missing 173 seconds of time, her upper arm and shoulder blade frames were dislocated, and her gyro systems were damaged.
Stumble-crawling to the mirror, she could see that her Plasticine skin was punctured and bruised, with exposed circuitry, black 'blood' dripping some, and blinkies. Her uniform was also torn in places, aside from being wrinkled and rumpled, as it usually was from her sleeping in it.
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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 Jul 6, 2012 22:29:33 GMT
Calli had been on the Bridge for almost three hours, and was getting a little bored with nothing happening. The Comm chirped suddenly, almost making her jump.
=^= Blakus to Bridge =^=
=^= Valenti =^= Calli answered.
=^= Is the Captain still resting Calli ? =^=
=^= Yes .. Anything I can help with ? =^=
=^= Just received a curious call from Ensign Marionette .. She's in her quarters under the impression that someone 'damaged' her ..... =^=
=^= I'll go take a look if you are busy .. Any further along with our little problem ? =^= she asked, looking around the motionless Bridge.
=^= We can move .. Hardly at all but move nonetheless .. I'm still working on it .. I'll get up to her quarters as soon as i've finished here .. Shout if it's serious though .. Blakus out =^=
The Comm closed as Calli stood, mentally checking herself from actually stretching her tired muscles for fear the Bridge crew had thought her asleep.
"Lieutenant Vall, you have the Conn."
~~~~~~~~~~
As she approached the Android's quarters deep in thought, she knew full well that every minute the Raven remained stationary, they were going to be easier to find ... They needed to get moving, and now ! ... They knew that El-Kamat had mentioned the Zennai Epsa System during their conversations, and she figured that that was as good a place as any to head for rather than sitting here dead in the proverbial water waiting to be caught or rescued, 'depending on your point of view' she thought wryly .... She contacted the Acting Captain with her thoughts and received approval for her idea. Thanking Alex, she broke the link and contacted the Bridge.
=^= Commander Valenti to Bridge =^=
=^= Bridge .. Lieutenant Vall Sir =^=
=^= Plot a course for the Zennai Epsa System .. Get us underway =^=
=^= Sir ? ...... At the fastest we can make at the moment it will take us a tad over six and a half years to reach the system =^=
=^= Then you'd better set off now Lieutenant .. Valenti out =^=
She grinned as she closed the Comm, picturing the young Lieutenant pondering a six year journey. But then she remembered where she was and pressed the chime on Marionette's door ..........
< tag : Andae / Marionette / All >
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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 Jul 7, 2012 2:45:01 GMT
Marionette ambled over and answered the door, clinging to the doorframe and still very much a blood-and-blinkies mess, although she had managed to fix her arm. Chunks of her skin was gone from her face and neck, exposing either blinkies or servo-fibers, which probably trickled out inky-looking servo-fluid 'blood'.
The way she appeared, it was very much a BOO moment.
"Greetings, i may require your assistance. " Marionette said, again in that flat-but-almost-musical tone of voice that she seemed to have. Normally, she would ghost-smile at the visit of a friend, but this time, there was only a blank mask of a face, on her face.... Not that she emoted much to begin with.
Tools in hand she welcomed Vallenti in, and indicated to the chair that normally went to the cluster of analog synthesizers.
Weeble-wobbling back to the mirror in the sonic shower, Marionette went back to working on her gyro systems, occasionally wiping away any black fluid-blood that obscured what she was working on.
Up on the wall was a picture frame with a pair of vulcan ears mounted on roundels, apparently so that Marionette could change out her ears if she concluded such, and several signatures and joke messages indicating the ears as some sort of joke-gift. The irony was thusfar lost on Marionette, but Vallenti might have gotten the joke and giggled at it.
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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 Jul 7, 2012 16:49:13 GMT
Location: CSV Na’Kari, Cordovin Ambassadorial Flagship, Secret Chamber.
Date: Two weeks previously.
Gayan knelt naked in the centre of the circle. He had been daubed in the blood of those brethren assembled, strange patterns recalling the ancient scripts of the homeworld. His eyes were closed, but he heard the voice of the ambassador speak out in the ritual he had been preparing himself for over the last few days.
“Gayan Al-Tak, you are called to the highest order of service. Your brothers and sisters have chosen to honour you with this task. Are you worthy of the responsibility?”
“I am worthy, mistress,” he replied.
“Indeed. You have been the greatest of our martial students for many years. That is why we are entrusting you with a mission of such supreme importance to our cause. Do you accept this honour?”
“I accept, mistress.”
“Very well.” He heard the circle of people closing around him, laying their hands on his flesh in the ritualistic locations representing the centres of the soul. He heard the whimpering of the poor young girl that the Brotherhood had captured for the initiation ceremony. He pictured her: bound, naked, helpless. Where in the past he would have felt the stirrings of arousal, he felt nothing. This was good. Sexual desire had no place in the life he was about to dedicate himself to. At last, he heard the ambassador speak again.
“The ritual is almost complete. We have strengthened the spirit in your body, now you must complete it yourself.” The circle dispersed back along the walls of the chamber and Gayan opened his eyes and rose. A brother stepped forward, holding a beautifully crafted sword on a red velvet cushion. Its blade was almost a metre in length, slightly curved and single-edged. The guard was a simple circle of gold embellished with more of the spidery writing that adorned his body. The grip, ivory bound with leather straps. The pommel was fashioned in the shape of a woman’s face screaming in agony. Gayan reached out and gripped the blade, feeling its weight. It was perfect in every way: the balance, the finesse, the edge sharpened so keen Gayan thought it could have cut a single raindrop in half.
The brother stepped back, and Gayan raised his head to look at the girl. She was probably no more than sixteen, taken from one of the farming villages on the outskirts of the city. He felt no pity, no remorse, for what he was about to do. Stepping forwards, he watched as the girl, gagged, attempted to plead for her life. She was bound with her arms above her head and her knees and ankles tied, and she was completely naked. Once again Gayan noted with pleasure the lack of sexual feeling. He smiled a grim smile, and the girl’s eyes widened as she realised what he was about to do, and realised her doom. In that moment, Gayan stepped forward and opened her throat with his blade. The blood spurted across the room and he knelt in front of the girl as she thrashed in her last moments, letting her lifeblood run over his body, soaking it. While she was still alive, in the last second before her death, he looked up into her eyes…and drank.
A huge round of applause sounded through the chamber as he drank and drank, gorging himself on the red gore that leaked from her severed throat. When her eyes became dark, and her body stopped twitching, the ambassador stepped forward.
“You are Gayan Al-Tak no longer. You are Ka’Rath, Divine Wind. Your mission is this: stow aboard the USS Raven, plant listening devices and, if it should appear that they intend to deviate from their course, disable the ship. Once it is disabled, incapacitate the senior staff. Kill Commander Watson and Commodore Torek, they are too problematic to be allowed to remain alive. If all else fails, destroy the ship. El-Kamat wants Torek dead, but he wants him dead in such a way that it looks like an accident, and it can’t be traced back to us. Do you understand?”
“I understand…mistress…” the warrior now called Ka’Rath answered.
>>>>>>>
Location: The USS Raven, Present Day.
Ka’Rath smiled in pleasure as he left the android’s quarters. Two senior staff down, four to go, as well as Watson and Torek. He took a moment to collect himself, his personal cloaking device protecting him perfectly so long as he wasn’t walked into. He thought about his next course of action. They had discovered the sensors he had planted, and uncovered the sabotage, even managed to regain some mobility. That wasn’t good. It meant that he had to act quickly. He took a deep breath, and decided that his next target was going to be the Acting Captain. Without him, the crew would be effectively leaderless and more panicky, which would make his job easier. Staying stealthy, he crept along the corridor and into the turbolift to another deck.
The door to Watson’s quarters opened almost silently. Ka’Rath was pleased to note that the Acting Captain was asleep, or at least in some sort of meditation, on his bed. Shaking his head, disappointed that this was going to be so easy, he stood next to him, lifted his sword, and stabbed it down.
>>>>>>>
Alex hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the strain of the last few hours coupled with his lack of rest over an extended period had got him to the point that Doctor Salek had insisted that he take some hours to rest. He’d slept for perhaps three hours when the comm chirped, he rolled over and answered it.
“Watson.”
“Valenti here, sir. We’ve got back some of our manoeuvrability, but not our warp drive. With your permission, I’d like to plot a course to the Zennai Epsa system. I remember hearing El-Kamat talk about it. It might be where he’s headed.”
“Granted, Commander. Update me on our progress in another two hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alex rolled back onto his back and closed his eyes, shutting his mind to anything else. He didn’t hear the door of his quarters open, or the footsteps leading to the side of his bed. But, in the last half-second before the sword stabbed down he heard an intake of breath from directly above him, and reacted reflexively, rolling to his side and trying to rise. It saved his life.
The sword was already on its way down when Alex rolled, but in that split second he moved enough so that instead of piercing his heart, it lanced through his shoulder. The blade passed right through and into the bed, pinning him to the surface. He howled in pain, his hand flying to his commbadge.
“RED ALERT, INTRU – ” was all he managed to say before the assassin wrenched the blade clear and sent a pinpoint stab to the commbadge, destroying it. Alex kicked out wildly, and felt his foot connect with something, even though he couldn’t see his attacker. In that moment, he saw a shimmer at the point of impact, and an effect like ripples in the air over the shape of a man. Understanding flashed through his brain. The god-damned intruder was cloaked! That was why they hadn’t sensed him, seen him or any trace of him. He heard the whistle of the sword again and ducked, avoiding a slash that would have decapitated him but getting caught across the forehead, leaving a deep cut across his face from his eyebrow to the opposite side of his chin. He rolled off the bed and pitched to the floor, knowing with absolute certainty that he was about to die: he had no weapon, no armour, and he couldn’t even see his opponent.
>>>>>>>
Ka’Rath laid a kick into the downed man’s belly, doubling him up. It was unnecessary, but he was angry that it hadn’t been a simple kill. Now the ship had been warned, and he was going to have to vanish, quickly. His sword came up for the killing stroke, but at that moment the doors opened and five security personnel entered. Ka’Rath swore under his breath. Unarmed, he could kill all of them, but they had phasers and if he attacked they would start firing. Cloak or no, in such a confined space they would probably hit him, and then he would be captured. That was not an option.
Edging around from the fallen body of the Acting Captain, he darted silently out of the door before it closed behind the security personnel. There would be another time, another place. Count on it, Watson, he thought as he made his way up the corridor.
>>>>>>>
“Get the captain to the Med-Lab, NOW!” screamed the senior member of the security team. A stretcher was replicated, and they loaded the groaning form of Acting Captain Watson onto it as they started to head towards Dr Salek’s lab. The commbadge on the front of the security officer’s uniform chirped, and he answered.
“Drew.”
“Commander Valenti here, crewman. What’s your status?”
“En route to medical lab now, ma’am, the Captain has been critically injured.”
“Repeat?”
“I repeat, the Captain is critically injured!”
<Tag Salek, Valenti, 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 Jul 11, 2012 21:02:16 GMT
Calli had been assisting Marionette for thirty minutes when her Comm badge chirped.
=^= Valenti =^= she said, holding the mirror to allow the android to repair a section of her damaged back with the skin-colored paste she used.
=^= Commander .. Bridge .. We've just received a partial message from the Captain .. He was in distress .. It reads .. 'RED ALERT, INTRU' and the Comm was broken there .. We have tried to contact the Captain but without any luck .. He had requested Security a moment before the incomplete Comm =^=
=^= Patch me direct to the Security detail =^=
She waited a few seconds then the Security Officer spoke ..
=^= Drew =^=
=^= Commander Valenti here crewman .. What’s your status ? =^=
=^= En route to medical lab now Ma'am .. The Captain has been critically injured =^=
=^= Repeat ! =^=
=^= I repeat .... The Captain is critically injured =^=
"You must go Commander. I will finish here." Marionette said.
=^= I'll meet you in Sick-bay crewman .. Valenti out =^=
Calli closed the Comm and ran from the android's quarters. Within minutes she was entering Sick-bay ... She could see Doctor Salek and three nurses huggled around the main bio-bed. Knowing she would only be in the way, she stood to one side until noticed.
"We got him here as soon as we could Commander." the Security crewman said quietly, "The quarters were empty. We conducted a thorough search while the Medic's were working on the Captain ..... Sorry Ma'am."
"Cut the Ma'am OK ... And don't beat yourself up. Whoever did this must have some sort of cloak ...... Well, that, or he can walk through damn walls .. Where is your CO ?"
The crewman pointed to another bio-bed where someone was covered with a pale blue sheet. Then explained he had been found at the same time as the Captain, another stab would, but more serious in his case. He was dead at the scene, the man explained, shock showing in the tremor of his voice.
"It's understandable to be shocked Mister Drew." Valenti said, and touching the young man on the shoulder for comfort ... So, now one dead, one critical, and the person still on the run. They needed to do something, and FAST !
"Doctor ?" Calli said questioningly as Salek suddenly began to work with even more haste.
"I am busy Commander. I will contact you when I have something of use regarding the Captains' status." was the only reply.
Calli was getting more and more frustrated by the second, but she had been in much more intense, difficult situations and knew she would react as required ... She tapped her comm badge ...
=^= Valenti to Bridge =^=
=^= Bridge =^=
=^= I'm ordering a ship wide lock down .. Effective immediately ALL non-essential or Duty personnel will confine themselves to quarters .. Anyone found wandering will be detained pending investigation .. I want force-fields erected in all bulkheads around vital departments and systems .. Level eight access or above only unless authorized by Commander Blakus or myself .. Post security at every access to main departments and the computer core .. Make the announcements now Bridge .. Valenti out =^=
While she listened to the orders she had given, she watched the Doctor work. But after a moment she turned and left ... She could see Security at almost every corridor intersection, and a distinct lack of personnel and civilians ... It was surprising how 'empty' a ship of over a thousand souls could be at times like these, but she needed to know that they were on the right track in hunting this saboteur and killer down ... The ship was in grave danger and she knew it ..........
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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 Jul 12, 2012 23:55:42 GMT
Carl had checked on the children and then headed back to the living area of his suite. Requesting a cognac from the replicator, he suddenly realized how tired he was. Forgetting the drink that had materialized, he went to his room and lay on the bed.
What felt like three seconds since he had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, someone began to shake him awake ! ..... Carl opened his eye's to see the JAG Officer stood over him.
"What's happened ?" he asked, training allowing him to wake quickly.
"Captain Watson." Barton said quietly, not wishing to wake the sleeping girls in the adjoining room.
"Go on !" Carl said, slapping his Comm link and arranging for Chloe to come to his quarters in the morning to see to the children.
"He's been attacked, stabbed ... He's in Sick-bay, they are working on him now." he said as the two left the quarters, "There's something else. The Senior Security Officer has been murdered, same M.O. ... We're underway but given our current speed we may as well be walking." as they entered the turbo-lift.
"Deck twelve." Barton ordered.
~~~~~~~~~~
As the 'lift dropped, Valenti's standing order came over the general Comm, and as the doors opened the two were confronted by a surprised Security Officer. The man almost jumped out of their way as they headed for Sick-bay.
"What's his condition Doctor ?" Torek asked as they entered.
< tag : Salek >
"Get him on his feet Doctor !" Carl said without preamble, "He has a ship to run. Captain Barton, I may need your help here ... Get me on the Bridge."
Over a dozen bulkhead force-fields and numerous security checks later, they finally stepped onto the Bridge of the Raven.
"I would like a word in the ready room if you have the time Commander Valenti." Torek asked, heading for the private office without waiting for a reply, once inside he turned to speak, "What's our status Calli ?" Carl asked, deliberately using her name rather than rank.
"We're underway at full impulse." Valenti began instantly, "Commander Blakus has been fully informed of the Captain's condition and is aware that he is in Command pending Captain Watson's recovery. He is currently in Engineering attempting to get the warp core on-line so we can get the merry 'HELL' out of here .. Sir .... We have confirmed the saboteur, killer, is still on board thus my lock-down orders. With the approval of Captain Watson of course." she added quickly.
"OK .... " Carl said, knowing the woman had done everything she could in the circumstances.
"Sir, I have ordered the residential apartments above and below yours evacuated, the quarters on either side are un-occupied at this time and have been secured. We are setting up force-fields to prevent entry from those area's ... I have trebled security on deck eight, so no-one is getting close ... I respectfully request that you return to your quarters and remain there until we have captured or killed the assailant."
"She is right Commodore. This is what she is 'good' at afterall." Barton said, "You are the priority here, and we need to ensure your continued safety."
"No ...... The Raven is, and will always be, the first priority." Torek said, getting up and moving toward the door, which opened at his approach, "Keep her safe Commander, and please ... I would like to be kept informed of our situation if time permits. Oh, one thing ...." he said, and making sure it was not taken as a request !
"I'll make sure you are Commo ... Carl. I'll make sure the changes are made while you are on your way back." Calli said, knowing their close friendship allowed her the leeway to call him by his given name.
~~~~~~~~~~
As Captain Barton, and no less than four Security Officers accompanied him back to his 'cage' as he found himself thinking of his apartment, he realized how, useless he suddenly felt. Having all these people risking their lives for him. he dismissed them at the door and entered ... Chloe, the children's teacher, was sat on the sofa when he entered.
"They are still fast asleep Commodore." she said, getting to her feet and grabbing her books.
"Chloe ....." Torek said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I have made arrangements for you to be moved into the apartment adjoining this one. If you agree of course, but I would like you to be close to the children, should anything go wrong they will need you here. You have full security clearance to this apartment and are free to come and go as you please ... Is that OK ?" he said, wondering if he was putting too much on the woman.
"I'll replicate what I need for the rest of tonight." she said without hesitation, "I'm sure I can get to my quarters later for anything else."
"Thank you Chloe .... I really don't know wha ...." Carl began, but the young woman kissed him on the cheek and turned to leave. A few seconds later he was alone.
Not knowing what else to do, Carl went to the girls room and looked at them sleeping. Tears began to form in his eyes, his children had gone through so much in their short lives, and he knew he couldn't bare the thought that they may be alone if he looses his life ..........
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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 Jul 14, 2012 19:29:17 GMT
Blakus was viewing the sensor logs, trying to track the movements of the unseen assailant that'd now attacked four of the senior staff. Computer enquiries returned no trace of the attacker, no lifesigns and no signature of any live equipment, although as intraship scanners were still malfunctioning that wasn't a surprise.
Something caught his attention... The slightest trace of anyons present in one of the junctions close to the site of the first EPS rupture. It could be a coincidence, but a high concentration of anyons was usually indicative of a recent transporter beam.
"Tinsley to Blakus. Navigational deflector has been repaired, Commander." The voice of the CEO's assistant came through in a satisfied whisper. Blakus acknowledged and the channel cut out in a crackle of static.
This made no sense. Surely the assailant had been a stowaway? All evidence pointed to he or she having been aboard from the start, slowly weakening several key systems until the time came to strike. Blakus's mind raced: With the ship disabled, the attacker had set about the senior staff...
Yet he or she had failed to terminate three out of four of them. Only the security chief lay dead, as far as Blakus was aware. The Chief himself had survived, yet he had no memory of what'd occurred, neither did Marionette, and Captain Watson was still incapacitated.
"You're in command," an engineer had said to Blakus as he flitted from console to console in engineering. He'd looked at the officer briefly, simply nodding and remaining silent. His temporary command would've been amusing if circumstances were different, but it came because of the extradition of his CO and the attempted murder of the Acting CO.
So the trace of a transporter raised the possibility that there were two assailants, or at least that there was assistance for the assailant in the vicinity. Now engineering was under lock down, along with the rest of the ship.
"Dilithium crystal charge at 62%, still rising, but impurity count is rising faster."
"Cancel it. We can't go to warp like this," Milyanov complained, pointing at the dilithium chamber, "Try to go faster than warp 1 and we'll blow a hole in the ship the size of the Kremlin."
"Or worse." Blakus's words were a contemplative darkness. Something tugged at the edges of his mind, the periphery of his consciousness. A memory, he recognised. Something recent.
He'd been scanning through the PADDs en route to deflector control, when he'd had a 'eureka' moment. The realisation of it had been like a slap in the face. The microdot surveillance system had shown a recent destabilisation in the tachyon flux through its cross-section. A cloaking device. The engineer had stopped at a junction, and set about replicating an original handheld tachyon detection tool. It took well over two hours, but with it he had unexpectantly located a lifesign. Somehow this biosignal had known it was detected... The blip of its lifeforce on Blakus's scanner had come diving towards him, through the ship towards his location, near to his quarters.
The engineer had had no time to react - the biosign was a mere twenty seconds away - so reluctantly he'd lain in wait. There had been a struggle, in the dark of his quarters. The mysterious fervour in the attacker's eyes was what'd struck him the most, as they'd regarded each other - locked in desperate grappling - against a background of stationary stars. Blakus would've shrugged if he'd been able; some belief that was far beyond his ability to comprehend. Those shining lights were his last memory of the encounter.
His hands - whitened by blood-loss - worked the engineering console faster, suddenly gripped with the unrelenting force of the latent memory. In thirty minutes he was done. A vessel-wide intraship tachyon detection grid, rigged in the same way as his handheld scanner that was now lost. He hit his commbadge between furious taps of the console.
"Valenti, the intruder is using a modified cloak that emits altered tachyons. I've rigged a custom detection grid that should locate the assailant, but only if he moves suddenly. The problem is he'll know he has been detected, and of course he'll still be invisible once we find him."
Valenti's voice was tinged with surprise and annoyance, "That's great, Commander. Be aware that lock down is still in effect. No heroics from you, or the security posted at engineering... And it could be a she, you know."
Blakus found himself irked, but still felt embarrassed. "It's a he. I tangled with him earlier; he knocked me out cold."
"And when were you going to tell us this?"
"I've just remembered. By the way, the navigational deflector is now operational. Warp drive should be online in approximately two hours."
<Tag Calli, Alex - ALL>
Huasala, capital Cordovin IV...
"All these people milling around, thinking their lives are unfettered by us shadowy folk. See how they run, like little insects?" the man's dry laugh seemed to warble through the air. "Fools, mostly, but it's hardly for me to judge these idiots, as you well know, Officer."
Pammik stood motionless, her face a mask of neutrality. From the stone balcony they had a superb view across Hallowed Square and its adjoining avenues. It was a grey day, much like the one they'd spent a few days before amongst the council building's ruins. Repulsor-lift vehicles whined down streets, swinging into side alleys scattering pedestrians and carrion birds that picked at corpses, or driving on down the main avenue towards government HQ.
Political upheaval was returning to Huasala. Hundreds of thousands of citizens - many of whom were protestors - were converging on the planetary capital as crisis talks on government corruption commenced. A summit to be attended by the continental administrators was taking place at HQ; soon the masses would be clamouring at its walls, just half a mile away to Pammik and the resistance leader's left.
"I fail to see what any of this has to do with our deal." Pammik looked absently below, flicking a particle of grit from the railing with a slender finger.
"What deal? You're one of us now, Officer, this isn't some bartering arrangement that you can pull out of at your whim." The man's laugh became a sort of retching grunt.
Eyeing him critically, Pammik made her move. "Tell me about the USS Raven. My department says they're delayed but they give me no reason. They just keep going on about the Na'Kari."
"Yes," he said, glancing at her for a mere instant. "Jorvin's plan probably, or one of the others, Catralo perhaps."
"What about Gastain?"
The man shrugged. "Either way they've been halted, possibly crippled, which is what Kamat wants and it will give him more time to do... whatever the hell it is he wants to do." He leered slightly, his playful persona returning, "I suppose you'd like something to be done to stop him, right?"
<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 Jul 22, 2012 9:11:27 GMT
=^= It's a 'he' .. I tangled with him earlier .. He knocked me out cold =^=
=^= And when were you going to tell us this ? =^=
=^= I've just remembered .. By the way the navigational deflector is now operational .. Warp drive should be on-line in approximately two hours =^=
=^= I'll go speak with the Commodore he's going to wonder whats going on .. Thank you Andae =^= Calli closed the Comm and entered the turbo-lift ......
Ninety minutes later:
The conversation with Carl had not gone well. He had expressly forbade 'ANY' deviation from the agreed course taking him to Cordovin IV, knowing the repercussions to the Raven, the crew, and to the Federations relationship with the Cordovin could be in jeopardy. She left the Commodore reassuring him she would speak to the Acting Captain, but apparently forgetting to say when ... Stepping back onto the Bridge, she noticed Commander Blakus was already there, speaking quietly to Captain Barton. She moved to join the two men and listened while Barton finished speaking ...
" ...... going to come after us if we head there directly, you know that, so we need to get out of the area as soon as the warp drive is available, and 'then' double back maybe ?.
"I've completed final checks, we can go to warp anytime." Blakus said, turning to bring Calli up to speed re their situation, "I think the Captain has a point about how we go about getting out of here. What did Carl say ?" he asked, and Calli gave him a look that clearly said ... Don't ask ...
"Helm, lay in a course for the Zennai Epsa System ......" Calli ordered.
"Plotted Commander." the Helm Officer said.
"OK ... Find a system that is thirty plus degrees off that heading and lock in."
The Navigator checked her readouts and finding a suitable candidate, plotted the new course. She turned to face the three Officers and Calli looked at Blakus.
"Take us to warp four Helm ..." he ordered, knowing there was no turning back now. The ship turned slowly then jumped seamlessly to warp. Blakus went to the Engineering station and began to check readings prior to increasing speed. Calli came to stand beside him ..
"We should disable the transponder code too .... Just to be on the safe side."
Andae nodded and made the required inputs on his panel, then said "done"
Calli went to sit in the Exec's seat in the Command area ... They were committed now. It was simple, find El-Kamat and this so-called 'weapon' so they could prove Torek innocent of the charges against him, or go back to the Federation as what, criminals ..........
< 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 Jul 24, 2012 23:19:01 GMT
"Calli, Aeryn... Cordovin IV, when we were inhabited by the essences, what do you remember of it?" Blakus felt tentative in his words as he spoke them from the engineering console at the rear of the bridge, even if he sounded nonchalant. He knew that he was putting himself at risk of sounding mad, "I've been getting flashbacks, visions to do with the quest. They feel like memories but they don't seem to fit in with what we were told about it afterwards."
<Tag Calli, Aeryn>
Andae entered sickbay, having been given special permission - by himself, but with the reluctant approval of the SMO - to walk the corridors of the ship while it was still under lockdown. Two security officers accompanied him and all three kept their wits about them; although they knew forcefields and other measures (such as their cloak detector) were in place, they couldn't be sure that the assassin wouldn't counteract.
"Commander. What can I do for you?" Salek greeted him with the typical vulcan mix of amiability and stoicism.
Blakus acknowledged the Doctor with a nod before speaking, "Can the Acting Captain be returned to consciouness for a short time?" he signalled over the CMO's shoulder at the man lying on the primary biobed.
Salek was emphatic in his refusal, although Blakus got the feeling he would've accepted if it had been more urgent. As it was it was just an update. "How long?" he asked. Salek shook his head, offering 'approximately' 2.3 hours. Blakus took a last glance at the injured Captain Watson then sidled out of sickbay.
He was left frowning in the corridor, once more pondering over the memories of Cordovin IV. Just talking about the odd visions had stirred up his curiosity about them. Just things... Apocalyptic things, and snarling faces. "Sir, we shouldn't loiter -" the security guard began.
"Commander Blakus, this is the bridge."
He tapped his commbadge and spoke to the empty corridor. "Yes?"
"Andae, long range scanners are picking up a small flotilla of vessels in the direction of Zennai Epsa, some two parsecs away, moving roughly perpendicular to us," Valenti's voice took over, "The engine signatures are of a Cordovin configuration, sir."
"Go to yel -" the engineer paused. He wracked his brains, not used to having command-grade responsibility - it was a long time now since he'd held the position of first officer. "Make us ready," he corrected, "Give no sign we've detected them, stay on course and start warming the weapon power relays. I've got an idea for masking our engine signature, too, when I get back up there." The turbolift closed and took them on its smooth ascent.
"It can't be Kamat," he murmured over the open channel. "He'll be far ahead of us by now, surely."
The other issue - once they got to within ten trillion kilometres or so of Zennai Epsa - would be where to go next. Blakus had no idea how much information from the Cordovin hard drive Torek had divulged to his first officer, Calli or any of the others. Andae had spent most of that time in engineering, fitting the new injector assembly.
As these thoughts circled his head like prowling sharks the turbolift unexpectedly ground to a halt. "What.." one of the guards was muttering, and then the lights went out.
<Tag All>
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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 Jul 25, 2012 1:55:49 GMT
Marionette had managed to repair the rest of herself, replicating new synth-skin panels, and changing out any non-reparable parts with new ones. Passing from checkpoint to checkpoint on her way to the bridge, She had unknowingly passed the cloaked assassin, who was almost literally bowled over by her like-new appearance. It was as if the attack had never even happened. God-forsaken robot b!t** he inwardly cursed at her. He would have to do something more .... subtle next time, but right now he had to move fast for his next strike. Marionette manned her station at the helm and navigation console on the bridge, with her smart-looking leather and plastisteel gauntlets. - = - = - = - "Helm, lay in a course for the Zennai Epsa System ......" Calli ordered. "Plotted, Commander." Marionette said, keying in the right codes and computer commands. "OK ... Find a system that is thirty plus degrees off that heading and lock in." Marionette checked her readouts and found a suitable candidate, a solar system with 3 equal-distant stars, rotating around a common center point. She plotted the new course. "Take us to warp four Helm ..." Blakus ordered, knowing there was no turning back now. The ship turned slowly then jumped seamlessly to warp.
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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 Jul 26, 2012 22:36:16 GMT
After his discussion with Commander Valenti, he looked in on the children. Both were sleeping the innocent sleep only a child can achieve ... Moving to the living area he replicated a drink and sat down to update his personal log. He was certain that while Calli would report his orders to the acting Captain, or at least to Andae, he was as convinced the orders would be ignored. One part of him was grateful of their loyalty in trying to save him, but the other feared for the circumstances of the crews' actions from here on in ... He 'felt' the ship move into low warp and looked at the stars passing the windows. Suddenly he felt tired, so tired his eye's began to close despite his fighting to keep them open. The glass fell to the floor ....... The sand was hot beneath his feet, the minuscule grains flowing like a semi-viscous liquid. The white cotton-like material of the robe, his only item of clothing, somehow keeping his body cool in the unrelenting heat from the twin suns overhead. He was unsure how long he had watched those suns traverse the arc of sky, or how many planets, moon's, asteroids, have made the same journey, but one had remained high above him. Motionless in the ever changing sky ... He frowned, wondering wh .......
He was cold, freezing, the cotton robe of no use. The ground was hard, black, wet. The light from the twin suns barely strong enough to cast a shadow from the jagged outcrops of rock stretching to the horizon.
Doors .... Massive, easily large enough to accommodate a star ship. Swinging silently open in the airless void. He couldn't understand what he was doing here, why this place, why !
The light was so bright he had no time to react as his mind tried to shut out the burning. The beam was wide, one hundred meters across at least, and hot. Hotter than anything he could imagine, yet here he stood. Reaching out a hand he slowly approached the light and heat. His hand entered, feeling the unimaginable ferocity of the energy flowing through his fingers.
Children playing ... Mothers, Fathers, the innocent ... But there was someone else, looking at him and not those around them, he was smiling, Carl couldn't understand ...
The world was blue green, almost like a jewel, suspended in the blackness that was space. Birds sang in the bright summer sunlight ... His mind somehow let him see all this while simultaineously standing billions upon billions of kilometers away on the dead, icy, moon, and on the twin-sunned planet. He tried, he tried so hard to turn away from the images, but it was of no use. He stood in the sunshine of the blue green jewel, the grass was cool beneath his bare feet, the robe moving in the warm air as he looked into the sky, a sky somehow ... Familiar ...
He wanted to shout, warn the children playing, people talking, walking hand in hand. Enjoying life, a life that was about to ... It smashed through the atmosphere, burning away every molecule of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, neon, and every other element that made up the life-giving air of the planet in seconds, before flash-scorching everything on the surface. Nothing had 'time' to perish, no-one had time to die, all simply ceased to exist in a single tick of a clock ... He screamed, screamed until his lungs threatened to burst within his chest ... No ... No ... NOOOOOO ......... "Daddy, Daddy, DADDY ... PLEASE DADDY." He shot bolt upright on the settee, his mind trying to process what was happening. There were people around him, a little girl, two, they were being held away from him. He tried to reach out, but someone was holding onto his arm. He felt the cold of the hypo-spray as it shot something into his bloodstream ... Dizziness, everything was going dark for a second, then the world around him seemed to settle, the restraining arms eased their grip and he was eased onto his back. His Daughters were allowed to go to him and he held the two sobbing girls tightly for long long moments, until Chloe eased them back to allow the Doctor to check him more thoroughly. Within minutes he was satisfied and stood. "Commodore ..." Salek said, handing his tricorer and hypo to an orderly, "Readings indicate you have suffered from a minor seizure, but they are inconclusive ... I believe you have had what Humans call a vivid nightmare, but one so vivid and realistic that your mind attempted to shut down to avoid the experience. You have suffered a sprain to your left arm and a cut to your forehead, both of which my staff have dealt with ... I suggest you go to bed and attempt to sleep off the fatigue, the sedative I have administered will, hopefully, ensure there is no recurrence of the dreams." Carl sat up as the room cleared, the girls came to him. "Daddy, I was so frightened, are you OK now ?" Bethan said sobbing silently. "You were thrashing ...." Vanessa said, tears rolling down her cheeks, "I didn't know wha .. I went for Chloe and she got the Doctor." I'm OK now, I promise. I'm sorry if I scared you both, it was one heck of a bad dream that's all." he said, hoping his smile was convincing the two, but not Chloe as she watched him, concern on her face. But she reassured the girls he was fine, and after they kissed their Father again, she led them into their room ... Several minutes later she came back. Carl had managed to stand, but he was unsteady on his feet and Chloe had to help him to his room. He thanked the girls' teacher as she helped him get his tired legs onto the bed, she said something about staying with the girls, but Carl was trying hard to remember the already fading images from his so-called 'dream' before they vanished completely. It suddenly occurred to him that he needed to tell someone, but he couldn't raise his head off the pillow, couldn't summon the energy to call Chloe back .. A second later he fell into an almost comatose sleep ..........
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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 Jul 28, 2012 1:04:55 GMT
OOC: Having spoken to Commodore Torek, I will be joining the Raven mid mission. Opposed to me just showing up I'll be doing a back post and arrive on the Raven before she loses power and before we disappear. Again I'm so happy to be a member of such a tradition rich vessel and crew.
On:
T'Brel Peers did not know Carl Torek personally, but according to his good friend Matthew Reynolds, Carl Torek was a man of honor and integrity. T'Brel trusted very few people and if Carl Torek had gained Matthew's trust, then he would gladly follow the Raven's commanding officer into the gates of hell.
"T'Brel, I have messaged the Raven. We'll rendezvous with them in three hours," T'Mirr the T'Plek's captain said joining T'Brel in the small dining area.
"Thank you T'Mirr, I know I have inconvenienced you and your crew with this, but I know it is important," T'Brel said making sure to keep with proper Vulcan protocol. While the ship was technically belonged to his family, T'Brel never thought of himself as anything special. His family came from wealth and prestige, but it didn't define him as a person or Starfleet officer.
"There is no need for thanks T'Brel, you are son of T'Reed of Vulcan, we will do what is required of us to help you on your mission," T'Mirr said quietly. T'Brel knew that the silence could go on for hours, so he respectfully excused himself.
"I must prepare for my new assignment, I will be in my quarters preparing," T'Brel said as he stood and bowed to the older captain. Not wanting to stay any longer and possibly be asked to meditate or something, T'Brel left and waited for the T'Plek to reach the Raven.
A few hours later
“Thank you for your hospitality Captain, I wish you a safe voyage back to Vulcan,” T’Brel said as he gave the normal Vulcan salute. It would only take a few more moments for T’Brel to be transported to the Raven. He expected to see Commodore Torek or Commander Watson, but was surprised to see Commander Valenti.
“Commander Valenti, I’m Commander T’Brel Peers the Raven’s new Chief Tactical and Security Officer, I’m sorry that I missed the departure, but the USS Idaho ran into a rather powerful ion storm,” T’Brel said as he saluted the Commander, “ I know things are out of the ordinary at the moment, but I will gladly help anyway I can prove Commodore Torek’s innocence.”
(Valenti)
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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 Jul 28, 2012 22:24:34 GMT
OOC: Continuation of T'Brel Peers back-post to bring him up to the present ....
IC:
Earlier ...
Calli had just left Commander Blakus when the Bridge informed her that the Vulcan star ship T'Plek was on an intercept course. They had replacement crew on board. Knowing the Captain was busy she ordered the Bridge to request the T'Plek match course and speed to allow transport. She headed to transporter room two to meet the newcomer ...
"Energize Lieutenant." Calli said after both ship were running in formation. The sequence completed and she looked at a Vulcan Officer. The man stepped down and introduced himself.
"Commander Valenti, I’m Commander T’Brel Peers, the Raven’s new Chief Tactical and Security Officer. I’m sorry that I missed the departure, but the USS Idaho ran into a rather powerful ion storm." T’Brel said as he saluted the Commander, who returned the traditional Vulcan salute flawlessly, "I know things are out of the ordinary at the moment, but I will gladly help anyway I can prove Commodore Torek’s innocence."
Calli looked the man up and down, she was going to hold off on her opinion until better informed.
"Hmm ... Welcome aboard Commander. The Acting Captain and our Chief Engineer are otherwise engaged at the moment, so you have me ... You have you transfer orders ?"
Peers handed over the isolinear chip containing his record and the requested orders. Smiling she headed for the doors asking the Lieutenant to see to T'Brel's bags.
"Let's go ... You've served on a Galaxy Class before ?" Calli asked as they entered the turbo-lift.
"No, but I am fully conversant with the specifications." the man replied.
"Deck two." Calli requested, "We'll get you settled into quarters first, then we can make our way to the Bridge." she said as the doors opened. The two walked a short distance then entered what was to be the mans home for the foreseeable future ... As he threw his holdall on the settee Calli went to the Comm terminal. She put the chip into the reader port and quickly scanned the contents ... Peers said nothing about her actions, knowing, albeit by reputation only, that the woman had enough clearance to look at whatever she liked 'despite' the outward rank insignia ... Satisfied, Calli spoke ...
Computer .. Transfer orders confirmed for Commander T'Brel Peers, As of this date .. Commander Peers is assigned Chief Tactical and Security Officer .. Level eight security access .. Acting Captain Watson will confirm these orders when convenient .. Authorization : Valenti-Alpha-Zero-Two-Omega-Upsilon."
=^= Commander T'Brel Peers .. Chief Tactical and Security Officer .. Transfer orders confirmed .. Security Access established =^=
"Okeys." Calli said, retrieving the chip, "That's you on the system, let's go show you the Bridge .... I will say you dropped on us at a worrying time, so your initiation may well be short and sweet ... 'In at the deep end' comes to mind."
"Excuse me ?" T'Brel said, somewhat confused.
"Read the logs, you'll see." Valenti said ..... [/i]
Present:
Calli was sat in the Exec's seat. Commander Blakus was at the Engineering station closely monitoring his engines, she looked over at the new Tactical Security Officer who was every inch the professional. He'd settled right in with an almost easy-going attitude, but at all times one hundred percent professional.
"Helm, lay in a course for the Zennai Epsa System ......" Calli ordered.
"Plotted, Commander." Marionette said, keying in the right codes and computer commands.
"OK ... Find a system that is thirty plus degrees off that heading and lock in." Valenti ordered, Watching as Marionette checked her readouts and found a suitable candidate, a solar system with 3 equal-distant stars, rotating around a common center point and put it on the screen.
"Commander Blakus ?" Calli said, watching the Engineer. After all, it was his call, she was here to help.
"Take us to warp four Helm." Andae said.
She had to marvel at the expertise that had enabled them to move away. If Andae and his team hadn't managed to get the warp core on-line, then they would be sat in space awaiting a tow, and a ship that would take their Commanding Officer to his .... Well, she didn't want to dwell on that scenario, because they had someone to hunt down ...
Three hours later:
Blakus had been to speak to the Doctor regarding Captain Watson's condition, and after being ushered out of sick-bay was on his way back to Engineering when his Comm badge chirped:
=^= Bridge to Commander Blakus =^=
=^= Blakus =^=
=^= Sir .. Long range scanners are picking up a small flotilla of vessels in the direction of Zennai Epsa some two parsecs away .. moving roughly perpendicular to us ..... =^=
=^= ..... The engine signatures are of a Cordovin configuration Andae ..... =^= Calli added.
=^= Go to Yellow aler ... No .. Belay that .. Make us ready but do not activate weapons or shields .. Give them no sign that they have been detected ..... I've got an idea for masking our engine signature when I get back up there .. Blakus out =^=
The last thing they needed now was to be detected by some random patrol, or cargo transport, and being seen by a group of Cordovin vessels was a definite NO NO ! ... Calli waited for the man currently in Command of the USS Raven-B to arrive ..........
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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 1, 2012 23:33:38 GMT
Cruva Residential District, Huasala, Cordovin IV
"If the Raven has been halted by Kamat, as you so claim, then what are we waiting for? He must be stopped before he reaches his target."
Officer Pammik, rebel, formerly of Cordovin government special forces, stared at this new tall man not out of disagreement but surprise, "Exactly. That's what I've been trying to tell your jovial colleague here." Well, sort of, she thought.
"But I don't see why," the leader said, aghast. They had relocated to a safer locale, a reinforced bunker in the midst of a residential zone. The Cordovin rebellion leader leant against the wall, seeming to make light of the situation again. "You may have your petty concerns about Tahl El-Kamat and his supposed doomsday weapon, Officer, but we will consider what is most important for the Cordovin people. It may well be the case that Kamat's activities are inextricably linked to the corruption in our government, but his apprehension must ultimately be treated as a secondary concern. Can't you see that?"
"Look," she began, "Whatever's going on here, whoever destroyed the council -"
The ground wobbled. Shelves started jumping around, books sliding off to the floor. A mad percussive boom had shaken their bunker, particles of grit dislodging themselves from the ceiling and sprinkling the floor in a cascade of tiny pebbles. That felt quite distant, Pammik thought.
The tall man peered out the slatted bunker window, and saw a plume of smoke rising above hab-blocks some fifty metres away. A second missile corkscrewed lazily out of the air, striking ground less than twenty metres away this time.
"An attack," he murmured. The three of them exchanged knowing glances and made for the stairwell to the deeper level. They would try to ride it out, but knew they had to be prepared for a fight should their hidden bunker be blasted open, revealing them to the suburbs that sprawled for a kilometre all around.
"I think your young friends in special forces have found us, Officer," the leader said as they strutted lightly down the steps.
"Yes, I think that's probable," she piped back amidst the not-so-distant roaring of Gauss weaponry and plasma missiles.
USS Raven, 3.2 parsecs from Zennai Epsa
The turbolift door slid open, depositing Blakus and the security crewman at the USS Raven's nerve centre. They'd lost one of their number. While in transit, the lift had abruptly lost all power. It turned out that there'd been a fluctuation in the recently repaired EPS grid. The second security guard had got out and manually powered the lift from within the shaft... presumably he was returning to the bridge on the next lift.
The Commander stood at the back of the bridge, behind the tactical rail with his arms folded. Calli remained in the XO's seat in front of him. The CEO had no intention of taking the command chair, not just because it didn't feel right, but because he was needed at the engineering console.
"They are less than a parsec away now, Commanders," Wedlerson said from Ops. "They're coming from ahead and below us, some sixty degrees off our plane."
"Tactical, ready defensive weaponry, start running scenarios in preparation for an encounter. Hopefully we can bypass them," his gaze flickered from Mr T'Brel Peers - settling in with his console - who he'd just given orders, to Wedlerson and finally Valenti. Andae turned back to his own console. "I'm going to try and mask our engine signature, make us seem like a low-density dust cloud or something. You have the bridge, Calli... this isn't my scene."
He worked in silence while the Raven swooped gracefully through the midnight sky. The ship closed to within a few billion kilometres of the Cordovin flotilla, ghosting through the void in the slightly desperate hope of avoiding the sharks. He cracked his fingers nervously. Of course, they might simply have changed course, or come to a halt so as not to pass so absurdly close to this flotilla, but that seemed more likely to attract attention. By maintaining trajectory and running silent, they stood a better chance of tiptoeing by unnoticed.
<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 Aug 4, 2012 21:09:30 GMT
"I'm going to try and mask our engine signature, make us seem like a low-density dust cloud or something. You have the bridge, Calli ... This isn't my scene."
Calli looked at the Commander as he turned to the Engineering station and began to work. She put his almost dismissive comment down to nerves, but she knew he was right. She turned to the view-screen.
"Mister Wedlerson, put a tactical plot on-screen, let's see where this flotilla is OK."
"Aye Sir." the acting Ops Officer said.
She watched the group of ships as they neared the Raven's position. They were traveling some one hundred thousand kilometers below the plain. That was unusual in itself, but she didn't have the luxury of pondering their travel preferences.
"We should look like a minor magnetic anomaly to a casual scan." Andae said, "But I'm trying to improve our odds as we speak."
Calli watched the plot on screen as the Cordovin vessels passed to the Raven's port side and well below them.
"We are down to minim on all systems excluding weapons and shields. We're venting Ion plasma, that should help confuse any scan into thinking were harmless." Wedlerson said.
"We are beginning to loose orientation Commander." Marionette pointed out as the ship began a lazy clockwise roll, "Gyromagnetic stabilizers can't keep us level on reduced power."
"Don't worry about our orientation Ensign, we can fix that when we power back up." Blakus said without turning from his calculations. Valenti was already feeling the first signs of nausea, like the feling someone would get stepping off a tall building, as in combliation with the rotation, the artificial gravity began to drop below ship normal.
"The Cordovin should be out of range in sixty seconds." Wedlerson updated the Bridge.
Everyone was silent as the dual plots of the Raven and the much larger flotilla grew apart ... Calli was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she noticed a small red dot detach itself from the larger group.
"Commander Blakus ......." she said, watching the screen intently.
Andae looked around and saw what was happening. The flotilla had climbed to the galactic plain, the level all vessels would normally traverse space, and one had obviously noticed something a little 'too' out of the ordinary, and had come about to take a look ... He needed to convince the Cordovin that whatever they picked up on their screens wasn't worth going out of their way for 'before' they got close enough to see it wasn't an Ion laden gas cloud.
"Working on it Calli." was all he had time to comment as he turned back to his station and began working feverishly.
"Given our current power levels, how long to come to get back up to one hundred percent ?" she asked.
"Twenty seconds." Blakus replied instantly, continuing to work.
The Cordovin vessel wasn't in any hurry. sensors had informed them of a minor anomaly and they had turned to take a look with long-range sensors. 'IF' they deemed it a waste of time, they would simply return to formation in the flotilla, but if they got close enough to warrant further investigation, it wouldn't take them long to see through the Chief Engineer's ruse ..........
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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 15, 2012 17:59:18 GMT
Alex ducked down behind a burning vehicle, the heat scorching his skin. He reached up and blind-fired a few pulses from his assault rifle, forcing the enemy to take cover as his a few of his comrades ran to join him. He looked around. Everywhere the buildings were burning, the heat was intense and his skin was already starting to blister.
“General, can we hold them?” one of the young soldiers asked him. Alex shook his head with sadness.
“Negative, sergeant. This mission is now an evacuation. We need to clear the planet of as many civilians as we can before they overrun the whole damn thing. Our section will assist with the evacuation of this city. Get going, soldiers! Save those civilians before we have to deploy the weapon!”
The junior soldiers scurried away to find and assist any civilians they could, while Alex remained crouched behind the smouldering husk of the tank. He shook his head painfully, raising it an inch above the top of the cover and ducking down as slugs peppered around him. He’s seen enough, though. He surged upright, his rifle pulsing a steady beam of energy around the combat area and all but obliterating his adversaries.
“Be at peace, brothers,” he whispered as groaning noises came from around. Taking a few short steps he left his position and ran from behind the tank, retreating back into a crumbling doorway and tapping the communicator on his wrist.
“This is General Sre’Tar! I need evac, lock in on my loca–” the world went white. As he came too, he didn’t know how long later, Alex realised that he’d been caught in a grenade blast. He coughed, blood pouring from his mouth. Looking up into the sky, he saw the evactuation transports flying up out of the atmosphere. They had done it…
He felt a kick turn him onto his back, and he found himself looking up into the face of his enemy. They still revolted him, a disgusting travesty of his race’s form. The shining red eye of one focused on his forehead…a laser targeter.
“This one is too badly damaged to be of any use. Terminate.” The enemy’s gun came up, but before he could fire, a flash and a white hot wind immolated everything. Alex’s last thought was that at least they hadn’t got to kill him themselves, at least they had deployed the weapon…they had destroyed this world forever…but at least THEY would never have it…
>>>>
Alex groggily awoke in the sickbay, a hand moving to touch his face. He could still feel the scar, which was not good. Normally cuts could be healed with barely a trace of scarring…it had obviously been more severe than he had first thought. Doctor Salek swept round to him the moment he heard Alex groan.
“Welcome back, Captain. You gave us all quite a fright.”
Alex focused in on Salek’s face as well as he could, quipping, “can you even get a fright, Doctor?”
“It is merely an expression, Captain.”
Alex pushed himself to a sitting position with great difficulty, his shoulder still agonisingly painful. “What’s going on?” he asked the Doctor.
“We are, I believe, en route to the Zennai Epsa system. At present, Commander Blakus is attempting to make us appear invisible on scanners to what appears to be a rather substantial Cordovin fleet.”
“He…what?” Alex asked, gasping at the news.
“A most irregular series of events indeed.”
Alex swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up.
“Captain, I cannot recommend that you go anywhere in your present condition.”
“Doctor, I was stabbed in the shoulder and face, correct?”
“Correct.”
“What part of that affects my ability to walk?”
He strode over, ignoring the Vulcan’s impassive look and hitting the communicator button on the wall. He noticed his reflection in the mirror. An angry red scar ran diagonally across his face. Alex shook his head, he could worry about that later.
“Watson to Bridge. Status report!”
<Tag Blakus, Valenti, All>
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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 15, 2012 18:09:55 GMT
On the bridge, the tension in the room was so heavy and thick, that seconds seemed to stretch into hours.....
“Watson to Bridge. Status report!”
Just as the curious cordovin vessel was about to get within more focused sensor range, it was apparently ordered back to the group, as evidenced by its very swift about-face and rapid pace to catch up to the rest of the convoy.
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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 16, 2012 2:46:54 GMT
As a tactical officer T'Brel understood the necessaity for the clock and dagger way of thinking. The Raven was more than capable of taking care of itself but it would do them no good since Cordovin were adamant that Carl Torek was a murderuer. These thoughts and the fact that he was ready to fire the moment the Cordovin ship came into range, kept T'Brel from becoming nauseated.
"Commander, if they will be able to see through our ruse within a minute, if they get within thirty seconds of our location I recommend we begin to power up the rest of the Raven's systems," T'Brel recommened keeping in mind that the chief engineer had already stated it would take twenty seconds for the systems to come back to full power.
"Understood, Commander," Valenti stated as she once again turned her attention to the ship closing in.
Not being human, T'Brel rarely understood human expressions, but at this particular moment all of them were going through his head. The quite of the moment didn't help relieve the tension on the bridge.
“Watson to Bridge. Status report!”
While T'Brel had not yet met the first officer, T'Brel was pleased to hear the man's voice. Hopefully he would be able to speak to the man under better circumstances. Before anyone was able to report anything to the Commander, the Raven's sensors were reporting great news. The ship had begun to rejoin the flotilla, which allowed T'Brel to feel a little bit of relief.
"I recommend we continue with the ruse until we are certain we will not be discovered," T'Brel offered as he awaited his orders.
(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 Aug 16, 2012 15:32:06 GMT
" ...... If they get within thirty seconds of our location I recommend we begin to power up the rest of the Raven's systems." Commander Peers said from Tactical.
Calli knew the man knew his job well, so didn't even think about questioning his judgment. He was stating a simple fact.
The Cordovin vessel began to make a slow turn to starboard, the angle of turn increased quickly until the ship was heading directly away from the Raven. It increased speed rapidly and would be out of sensor range withing minutes. She was about to finally breathe a sigh of relief when the Comm sprang to life:
=^= Watson to Bridge .. Status report =^=
=^= Velenti Captain .. We were being approached by a lone Cordovin vessel .. Commander Blakus managed to disguise our signature .. It looks like it worked as the Cordovin has just come about and is heading away at approximately warp four point six .. Close to maximum for their freighters I think obviously playing catch-up ...... =^=
Calli was still talking as the Captain stepped out of the turbo-lift. He came round to the Command area and looked at where Valenti was sat. He looked closely at the center seat, as if expecting to find a baneriam hawk nesting there ... Grinning at his silent observation, he sat down, albeit gingerly, partly due to his injuries and the slight nausea he was suddenly feeling.
"Welcome back Captain ... I'm surprised the Doctor released you back to duty." she said, a wry grin forming.
"He wasn't about to, so I left anyway." Alex said, So how far are we on catching our resident killer. Do we have any leads ?"
Calli gave him a brief run-down of the situation, adding lastly that in her opinion, the killer didn't have access to ships' sensors or any communications equipment, or he'd have done everything possible to alert the Cordovin ship of our whereabouts.
"Well done on hiding us Commander." Alex said to Blakus.
"It was touch and go there for a moment." Andae said, relief in his voice, I can update our power status now too, we have one hundred percent on the warp drive Captain. I'm feeding power to the internal systems slowly and bringing the gyromagnetic stabilizers up to optimum, so no more nausea." Alex nodded and turned to Marionette:
"Helm ... Time to Zennai Epsa ?"
"At our present speed ... Seven point six two hours Sir. the Cordovin vessel is now out or sensor range." Marionette answered instantly.
"Increase to warp six." Watson said getting up, "Commander, I'm going to my ready room, please inform me when we are thirty minutes out from the system. Have long-range scanners try to find a suitable candidate for us to look at."
"Aye Sir."
~~~~~~~~~~
Thirty two minutes from Zennai Epsa System ...
Calli got up and headed for the ready room. At the door she activated the chime ...... There was no answer, so thinking the worst case scenario she opened the door herself and went in cautiously, running to Watson as she saw him face down on his deck. She needn't have worried, the Captain was simply asleep, exhaustion and the fact he left sick-bay early had caught up with him. She shook his shoulder gently and Watson opened his eyes ...
"Sir, We are thirty minutes out from the Zennai Epsa system ... Four of the six planets are 'G' Type, so we have options." Valenti reported as the two entered the Bridge.
"Yellow Alert ... All stop." the Captain ordered ..........
< tag : Captain / All >
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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 17, 2012 1:59:33 GMT
"Yellow Alert ... All stop." the Captain ordered
"Full stop, Sir" Marionette said as she typed in the various commands.
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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, 2012 13:10:52 GMT
Carl opened his eyes. The room was in darkness, so dark he wasn't one hundred percent sure his eyes 'had' opened for a few seconds.
"Computer .... Lighting twenty percent."
The room acquired a soft glow, almost an after-light from watching a sunset. He rolled to one side and tentatively placed his feet on the carpeted floor. Dizziness threatened to overwhelm him for a moment, but soon settled. He stood, making sure to keep the bed close, just in case ... Finally confident he could move without going horizontal, he headed for the living area. Chloe was sat on the settee reading. She jumped up when she saw the Commodore and helped him to a seat.
"How long was I asleep ?" he asked, glancing at the chronometer and feeling surprised that it was apparently only zero four twenty hours, as the teacher went to the replicator.
"Eighteen hours." Chloe answered, handing him a glass of water.
"The children ?" he asked, suddenly enjoying the feel of the chilled liquid as it made it's way to his stomach ... Chloe said the girls were understandably in bed. They had been up once but finally got to bed in the early hours. Carl got up and began to go to his room, but the teacher stopped him with a question of her own:
"...... and where are you going ?"
He pointed to the stars outside the plexi-glass windows.
"We're at a dead stop. I need to go to the Bridge and find out whats going on."
"No ! .... Chloe said, a little too forcibly and blushed, "Sorry Commodore, but you need to eat something, and shower. The Raven as you have pointed out is going nowhere, so you won't be missing anything .... Will you." she finished. Carl looked at the stars once again then at the teacher.
"I'll go shower." he said, surrendering, "Then eat something .... Ma'am."
~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later he stepped out of his quarters and into the face of two Marine Officers. Both tried hard not to jump as the Commodore stepped between them.
"What are you doing here Lieutenant ?"
"Major Tavik assigned us this duty Sir ... We are to ensure no-one gets in, Or em. Out. Without the correct authorization from Commander Valenti of the Captain, I mean acting Captain Sir.." Torek looked at the Marines. It was a given that they would carry out their assigned orders, no doubt to the point of physically lifting him off his feet and 'assisting' him into his suite ... Carl tapped his Comm badge.
=^= Torek to Commander Valenti =^=
=^= Commodore .. Valenti .. What can I do for you Sir ? =^=
=^= We've stopped .. There's a large system off to starboard .. Anything I should know ? =^=
=^= I'm about to inform the Captain we've arrived at the Zennai Epsa System .. Marine contingent .. Commodore Torek has full authorization to move freely about the ship .. Please contact your Commander to assign two Officers to the Commodores' quarters .. You will remain with him at all times .. Is that understood ? =^=
=^= Yes Ma'am ! =^= both snapped in unison before one contacted her CO ... Moments later two Marines doubled around the corner and took up positions.
=^= The Captain is back on duty ? =^= Carl asked, surprised.
=^= After a fashion Sir .. Yes .. If you want to come up to the Bridge I'm sure he'll be glad to see you are up and OK .. =^=
=^= On my way .. Torek out =^= he said tapping his badge to close the Comm.
"After you Commodore." one Marine said, motioning toward the turbo-lift, then they took up position front and rear as he began to walk ... As the 'lift doors opened, the lead marine stepped out, scanning the Bridge with an expert eye before allowing Torek to step out. Neither followed him to the ready room door. He pressed the chime and the door opened. he entered to see Calli and Alex looking at details on several PADD's. The two men shook hands.
"I know I'm inactive at the moment Captain, but if there's anything I can help with I'll be only too pleased ..... After all, this 'IS' all my doing I think." Torek said almost apologetically. Alex turned the screen so he could see the image of the system ahead.
"We were discussing how to proceed from here." the Captain said, making it a statement, and a query, as Carl scanned the details.
"If I remember rightly ...." Torek began, looking more closely at the system information, "Zennai Three and Four are heavily populated ...There is, or was, a duranium refining complex, massive place, on Zennai Two, a small city sprang up to accommodate the workforce, and all that goes with it." he shrugged ..........
< tag : Captain / 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 20, 2012 1:39:01 GMT
"I think I'll head back to engineering... If you'll excuse me," Blakus said, nodding to each senior officer in turn. He made his way to the turbolift with a fellow engineer - Taylor - in tow. They were made to wait a few moments while a trio of security guards arrived to act as escort, and then all five were on their way down in the turbolift.
Andae considered what Commodore Torek had just said, as the lift doors had been closing. Carl was putting himself at the disposal of the crew. That represented a significant shift in his stance towards this whole 'hijacking'... Or, was it that the officers had misjudged the underfire Commodore's position? They'd assumed Torek had been against any attempt to steal the Raven away from its assigned task, in an effort just to save him. Perhaps they'd underestimated his base and very human desire to survive this extradition.
There was the slightest feeling of rejection in Blakus's psyche. That Carl was now offering to help felt almost like a belittlement of what they were trying to do. The engineer dismissed this with a shrug. He'd been championing the cause that Carl should have a free hand about the ship all along. It made no sense to suddenly turn against the man.
* * *
The Raven had pulled clear from the Cordovin vessels, yes indeed. Captain Barton however, had a suspicion the last hadn't been seen of them. Being this far out, the Cordovin could only be following El Kamat's course; past Zennai Epsa and into the unknown darkness. If the Cordovin - or otherwise - assassin was communicating with those ships, then it was only a matter of time before they detected the Raven. No amount of trickery, creative warping of the ship's signature or system shutdowns could prevent detection by the naked eye.
"Captain Barton? What brings you here?" Blakus took on an expression of puzzlement as he strode into engineering. Barton looked up sharply from the panel. Frowning deeply, the CEO pushed past the security guards and surveyed the console beside the JAG official. "Deflector control? Didn't think you'd find that interesting."
"Just a matter of curiosity, Commander," Barton smiled, finding it hard to meet Commander Blakus's gaze for more than a couple of seconds. "Don't worry... Your assistant here has been watching me like a hawk."
Blakus straightened his jacket, dusting off some dirt particles irritatedly. He shrugged - nodding at Milyanov - and spoke gruffly, dismissing the matter, "As long as you don't pull a phaser and start shooting people, proclaiming the greatness of the Cordovin..."
Barton grimaced, "That's hardly proper, Commander... I would ask that you show some decorum." He twisted to the assistant, blotting out the sight of the CEO, "Lieutenant, show me to the upper level."
"I beg your pardon, Captain." In a clear show of false supplication, Blakus clasped his hands together. "You don't have any authority here. My team are trying to work and I'd prefer it if they didn't have someone of Captain rank breathing down their necks, studying their every move."
It was Barton's turn to frown. "I didn't realise CEOs were so touchy about their engine rooms," he stepped off the lift that he'd been preparing to take to the upper level and strode towards the exit, "Or is it just you?"
Andae watched him go, unwilling to retort to such a pithy remark. He needn't worry; a communication was coming in from the bridge anyway. "Commander Blakus, this is Lieutenant Fernandez. Those Cordovin ships are trailing us, on the edge of sensor range, sir. It seems we've been detected. The CO wants to know if you have any more bright ideas." Blakus's response didn't so much consist of words. Rather it was an inarticulate outburst of general displeasure, akin to the snapping, roaring sound of a lion tearing into a gazelle. "Sorry, Commander, but the veil was lifted as soon as we powered up," Fernandez confessed, "And they've definitely seen us, maybe clearly enough to know that they ought to hang back."
Blakus nodded, regaining a measure of his composure. The Raven could do significant damage to those ships if they were to attack. Perhaps the Cordovin had gained some wisdom. "I'll come up with something..." His finger hovered over the button to cut the comlink, but a well-built arm blocked his way.
"Perhaps we can lose them in a different manner." It was Captain Barton. He pushed Blakus's hand away from the console and addressed the bridge. "This is Barton. Folks, is it possible we can hide from the Cordovin within this system? Perhaps if we mask our signature behind a planet, while taking to the surface and mingling our biosigns with those of the populace, we can fool the flotilla's sensors."
Blakus carefully watched the Captain, vaguely aware of the assistant engineers in his periphery doing the same.
Barton shrugged off the scrutiny, "We wouldn't need to send everyone down, Captain Watson. Just a few to lessen the chances of detection. I'm sure someone can work out the statistically best option."
<Tag All>
The rest of the conversation probably continued in the same vein. Blakus was appreciative of Barton's idea, really he was, but whatever the JAG officer said next would remain a mystery. Andae slipped into another realm, jarred sideways into semi-consciousness - a sort of violently-induced fugue - that put him at the mercy of a civilisation seared of all purpose, burning itself clean of souls. He viewed the 'sight' from the pedestal of netherworld, his id pressurised into oblivion, glimpsing the apocalypse through a putrid scarlet haze. Tears welled in his eyes, his mouth forming soundless syllables as he crumpled to the ground, yet he wasn't there. Hell raged about him. When he regained true awareness of his surroundings - which to him, was in the next instant after engineering - he was sitting in the Captain's ready room.
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