Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Jul 24, 2016 16:08:38 GMT
"I've heard from the Captain he already said to you that he knew of safer places to be," the Mongol gestured near-imperceptibly around at the Tengri, indicating this was just such the place, "His and our agreement with you is, or rather was, temporary. Now we will deliver you into the hands of the authorities in the Delkhii capital. I'm sure the J'urat quri will delight in having your company once again, if only in his prisons."
"We have other people still in the temple !" he called to the receding back of their new captors.
"We need to contact Wedlerson and Milyanov, quickly." Carl said, eyeing the corridor their captors had walked down. He took out his concealed Comm badge and moved to the corner of the cell:
=^= Torek to Wedlerson =^=
=^= Torek to Wedlerson .. .. .. .. =^= he repeated, about to return the badge to his pocket when he got a reply.
=^= Wedlerson Admiral .. We're in hiding .. We were attempting to hold off anyone coming up there after you but we're overwhelmed .. We had no option but to hide or be captured .. .. Admiral .. Are you still atop the structure ? =^=
=^= No .. We're aboard the Tengri .. They landed and took everyone off .. Commander Blakus Commander Valente are here with me .. Along with Froras .. They intend handing us over to the J'aut quri =^= The comm went silent for a moment then Milyanov continued the conversation:
=^= Admiral .. You say you are on the Tengri .. They are still here .. We're concealed near the entrance .. The ship is holding station at approximately one hundred meters height over the central plaza =^=
=^= don't contact us unless absolutely necessary .. Keep an eye on us .. If they begin to climb out of the shield tap twice only .. understood =^=
=^= Sir .. We'll find a way to get to you =^=
=^= I doubt that will be possible .. Your main priority now is to put every effort into shutting down that facility or at the very least crippling it .. We need to find a way to aggravate the Cardassians .. If we can drive a wedge between them and the Delkhii they may start to put demands on their suppliers which could help us in the long run .. It might even force them to land .. Do what you can short of shooting us down obviously .. If we leave you are to contact the Raven and get yourselves out any way you can understood .. .. Torek out =^= he replaced the comm badge in his pocket then returned to the others, bringing them up to speed regarding Milyanov and Wedlerson.
"Sooo, we need to find a way out of here then ?" Calli commented, querying the blindingly obvious with a grin, "It's a given that if we end up in the hands of Ogljai it's unlikely we'll see the sun again for some time. He will want Altan, and might even risk firing on the Raven to get her once he has us as a bargaining chip ... He's not about to release us, or worry if the Vulcan's let the rest of the crew go."
"What I can't understand is if the mongols want our help to rid themselves of the Federation, why incarc ....." Carl began, but Calli interrupted him:
"It might not have been the best idea to tell them we have others with us."
"Yes, you might be right, but I think they too is as a gesture of defiance rather than a fact." Carl said, "Why are we still here ?" he mused ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jul 28, 2016 7:29:16 GMT
Blakus had been hoping by calling out Milyanov and Wedlerson's names to the guard, to increase the two officers' chances of escaping from the ziggurat. If the Mongols under Froras - who'd already told Andae, Carl and Calli to refer to them as traitors if they were captured - returned to the ziggurat perhaps they could've done something to hinder the 'loyal' forces of the Mongol Empire.
As it was though, having told the guard of the Asst. CEO and Acting COO he'd - somewhat paradoxically - placed them in even greater danger.
He leant as far as the forcefield would allow him out into the gangway again - how wonderful this place had seemed when they'd been en route for the moon - and looked at the just visible viewscreen and its view of the ziggurat and the shield generator, impressive from this distance. They were indeed suspended above the centre of the feasting plain; he could see the campfires, small burning lights just visible through the haze of smoke and the uniquely tangible indigo-purple atmosphere.
As they debated the reason why the Tengri hadn't moved past the plaza out of the moon's atmosphere, Torek's commbadge buzzed twice. Bemused, Blakus glanced out into the corridor again; they were still very much above the plaza, and surely Milyanov and Wedlerson wouldn't go against orders to give them any such information? They could hear something like an inhalation of breath the other side. "No, don't -" Blakus began instinctively though of course there was no way for him to stop it.
The voice was hushed, =/\=Admiral, this is the Raven. We know something of your situation, sir, and may be able to offer an explanation. We've been able to intercept communications between the Delkhii capital and the vicinity of the temple. Ogljai's people have been in conference with the Tengri. It seems he'd already worked out that we and Froras were working together, presumably we think because it was soon after leaving the Raven that the Tengri was dispatched from Froras's ship to the moon. We also believe -=/\=
The communication broke off suddenly, seeming very much as if they'd been jammed, or the Raven had passed out of line of sight to communicate or equivalent. What had the officer been about to say? Blakus surmised that it entailed Ogljai also knowing of the Raven officers' presence aboard the Tengri.
"Why are we still here? We're no closer to an answer for that," he said. The Tengri indeed remained hovering above the centre of the plain; perhaps Ogljai, if he knew of their presence, had something else in mind for the Raven officers, or indeed for Froras's allies if Froras as he'd claimed was really willing to forsake the current regime.
A guard came by, asking to speak to Torek alone. When they returned, Torek was pale-faced, "The Cardassians have captured Milyanov and Wedlerson. They are on a separate transport heading to the Delkhii capital as we speak." Blakus stood impassively, a fury of emotions boiling under the surface at the thought of his subordinate's capture. "They had reached a processing centre for the deuterium, and managed to take down over half the network of refineries. Repair will take over three months."
That's good at least, Blakus thought. "They're to be executed presumably," he said, "Perhaps that's why we're still here." He glared at the guard as he returned, "Ogljai's keeping us clear from the capital, isn't he? He doesn't like the idea of our two forces joining up."
The Mongol was impassive at first, then after well over a minute he sat down on a bench outside the cell and nodded, "My name is Tolqos, Captain Froras's first officer. The Captain is now well, no thanks to you. Now, a Federation spy on our ship communicated to another spy close to the J'aut quri what transpired between my Captain and you on the USS Raven, after the J'aut quri had left: how you planned together to come to the moon. Now the J'aut quri is forcing us - by threatening our disintegration from orbit - to remain here, to see to the repair of diplomatic relations with our Cardassian clients. We're to amend what your two consigned officers have done, and if we cannot, the Tengri and all aboard her will perish."
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Carl Torek
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Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
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Post by Carl Torek on Jul 28, 2016 20:12:21 GMT
Carl sat impassively watching the man while Andae took the lead in questioning the man ... Finally he had to ask a question:
"Just out of curiosity here, you understand, Tolqus, is it ...." Carl said, standing and approaching the force-field, ".... How do we know we can trust you ? ... After all, you could have been sent here by the very people holding us ready to hand over to the J'aut quri. Let's face it, your sudden willingness to be open could seem, coincidence, could it not ?" he finished, eyebrows raised.
"I am merely informing you of the situation as it stands. Should you wish to disregard my comments, you are of course free to do so." Tolqus said, standing to leave, but Calli asked him to remain, glancing sidelong at Torek to continue talking.
"So, Ogljai is forcing the Tengri to hold position here, I'm still confused as to why, but we'll circle back to that one ... I'm assuming you have solid evidence that there is a spy on the Raven, and his or her identity, otherwise it might look as if you concocted the 'information' for your own purposes, don't you think ?"
"I have no information regarding the spy's identity, nor the person he, or indeed, she, has been conversing with, no."
Carl walked around the cell deep in thought: At present, there were approximately two hundred of the one thousand Men, Women, and Children normally aboard the ship. Of which, only a dozen would be privy to Command decisions at some level. So this 'spy' if they existed, had to be among those, was it possible that Ogljai had managed to secretly ensconced someone without their knowledge ? ...... He wasn't convinced if truth be told, but Tolqus, and therefore Froras, was getting information from somewhere. something suddenly occurred to him and he turned to the Tengri's First Officer:
"You say that you are being held here under threat of destruction, presumably from one of Ogljai's orbiting vessels. You also say you are on our side." he said, eyeing the door frame and the shimmering force-field, "So you can release us from confinement, assuming you are sincere regarding your being on our side of course." Carl knew that the man had only two options, he released them, or got up and walked off. Thankfully, it was the former ... He stood and approached the 'field, deactivating it before stepping aside to allow them to exit, then snapped it back into place to ensure the now sole occupant would remain incarcerated.
"I am taking a huge risk in releasing you before Froras condones the action, do not be surprised if he is less than happy at seeing you roaming free, so to speak." he said, motioning for them to follow him.
Tengri Bridge ::
Stepping off the turbo-lift, they entered the Tengri Bridge. It was small but functional. They walked around to the Center Seat, currently unoccupied, and Tolqus dropped into it, leaving the three Star Fleet Officers standing, and waiting ... finally, the First Officer spoke:
"Your actions within the underground facilities have been very effective, hardly terminal, but damaging nevertheless. The Cardassians are less than pleased, obviously, but all their threats will come to nought, given the Delkhii are their only source of Deuterium. It's rather surprising that they haven't openly demanded you be handed over to them, thought the capture of your colleagues negates any need for them to have you personally I suppose.W he seemed to lapse into thought for a few seconds until Calli tapped him on the shoulder, regaining his full attention, "Yes, the Cardassians holding your Officers could be problematic, for all concerned. Once they begin to question, and I use the term very loosely, they will know everything they need to. It wouldn't surprise me if they weren't attempting to gain access to you vessel as we speak."
The ramifications of what Tolqus was saying sent a cold shiver down Carl's spine !
As he was thinking on this the turbo-lift doors opened and Froras stepped out .... He wasn't alone ....
"Commander ... I see my First Officer has used his initiative in releasing you from confinement." Froras said as Tolqus got up and moved aside, allowing his Commanding Officer to take his seat, the other man stood to his left, behind him, "You know Dorj of course. One of my best, if I do say so myself ... Double Agent, Triple Agent, it's hard to keep track."
"What the 'HELL' is going on Froras !?" Carl demanded, almost lifting the man out of his seat.
"All in good time, Commander. All in good time .... You see, we now have need of your services. It seems that Ogljai is somewhat 'eager' to attain the throne from the young Empress. You holding her aboard your vessel is only aiding his schemes to usurp the Khan. He has many people behind him, most willing to sacrifice themselves to see their Master on the Golden Throne. Once there, he intends to create an armada, the likes of which have never before been seen, with the aid of the Cardassians of course, and once assembled, he will take this Armada into the very heart of the Federation."
"You can't be serious !" Calli said, thinking exactly what Carl and Andae were, but voicing her utter disbelief first, "This one planet, Delkhii, intends to take on the whole Federation of Worlds ... To what end ?"
"To annihilate it, of course." Froras said, as if he were ordering a meal.
"He is attaining the means to accomplish his task, even as we speak lady." Dorj said.
"That's why Delkhii are supplying the Cardassians and withholding the deuterium from the Federation !" she said, realisation dawning. Dorj simply smiled at her statement.
"We need to get our people back, and now." Torek said defiantly ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 3, 2016 11:17:08 GMT
Blakus looked at the small viewscreen showing the view of the plain with its many campfires. "Can we move at all?" he asked Froras, who only shook his head, Dorj continuing:
"Ogljai has three warships in orbit with weapons focussed on our vessel. If we try to ascend to a higher altitude those ships will open fire. We will not escape from the arc of their weaponry, at least not with our engines alone."
They had then it seemed, only one choice, which was to head back down to the moon below and make it seem as if they were beginning reparations with the Cardassians and restoring the network of deuterium refineries. However, what Ogljai was forcing them to do couldn't be essential to his war effort, against the Federation of Worlds - he must already be sure of the tightness of his relationship with the Cardassians and of his access to the necessary deuterium. Surely he wouldn't bank his entire invasion effort on the acquiescence or otherwise of a rogue ship, which may very well wish to blow itself up rather than help Ogljai start annihilation of the Federation.
Blakus realised Dorj was watching him, "Commander. You're the chief engineer of the USS Raven?" the man asked. Blakus nodded and Dorj averted his eyes to the deck, seeming to think quickly, furiously, "I'm afraid I've been misled. Your engineers, or rather one engineer... Oh no."
"What engineer?" Blakus thought of Dorj in the light of how he'd first known him, "You mean the one who led my team escaping from the island with you? Lieutenant Zavial?"
"Yes... I am concerned, Commander, that Lieutenant Zavial is not what he seems. Not anymore..." Dorj trailed off. Zavial was the spy, Blakus realised. When the Raven had been allowed to transport three of their crew back from the Federation fleet as part of a short-term agreement, at least one of them, Lieutenant Zavial - and perhaps the others - had already been replaced. They were the spies that Tolqus had been referring to, those who had informed Ogljai about the Raven's arrangement with Froras.
The Tengri sent a message to the Raven on an encrypted channel which the Mongols, and by extension the three Mongol spies aboard the Raven, wouldn't be able to decipher, Froras informing them that the three vessels in orbit, while noticing their transmission, wouldn't take action against them. Thus it was a minor surprise when the Tengri was rocked by a particle beam blast shooting down out of the clouds.
"Froras!"
They set down in the shadow of the shield generator complex some kilometres from the ziggurat and the plain that lay between the two structures. As Ogljai had promised Froras, they were not molested by the Delkhii garrisons or Cardassians; if they stayed put and did not interfere all would be well with them, apparently.
Prior to setting down Blakus had set up a transporter ghost marker, meaning that any scan would reveal that before moving the Tengri had beamed a dozen personnel into the ziggurat's operations room (where the refineries were managed from) - any outside observer would thus believe they were doing as Ogljai had instructed. However the transportation from the Tengri had actually sent seven personnel to an unmanned tug in low orbit of the moon which had been passing over the plain at that time...
Tugboat DXC 323-Rho
Disguising their biosigns and further confusing any scans from Mongol ships, Blakus prepared for their imminent transit to the Delkhii homeworld, now looming large in the tug's viewport.
"We're programmed to break orbit in thirty seconds," Dorj said from the co-pilot's chair, bashing elbows with Tolqus who manned the helm, "It will take approximately ten minutes to reach Delkhii orbit." The three Raven officers sat behind in the cramped confines of the 5 metre long tugboat, with two of Froras's personal guard standing - though forced to crouch slightly - behind them, ostensibly to act in their defence though obviously also to keep watch.
"Can't we use the autopilot? That would minimise risk of detection," Blakus murmured.
"No. If the autopilot is on it is locked on for the entire journey," Dorj said loudly, "If we encounter difficulty we will not be able to take evasive action; the computer's evasive manoeuvres would lead us into destruction, as it will receive an external command from our interlocutors that we are the enemy of the Delkhii fleet."
"Very well..." Blakus prodded at the tertiary console, "Wedlerson and Milyanov's vessel is making Delkhii orbit now. No transportation registered. Let's hope it stays that way for the next ten minutes."
"What are our chances of success if we wanted to divert to the Federation fleet..." Torek began.
There was surely no way they would escape suspicion, however Blakus soon seized upon an idea, "We could program a simulated burn out of the starboard impulse engine. That would drive the tug - seemingly - into a right-turning arc towards the Federation fleet... Once within range we can hail them on the encrypted subspace channel, tell them how to decrypt it, and be taken into their shield grid. We can work out how to get the crew back from there..." he added with a murmur. And that was assuming they were able to get any leverage with Hemak and Vl'rok. Was it worth the risk when staying on their course would give them a chance - however slim - to rescue Wedlerson and Milyanov.
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Carl Torek
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"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 3, 2016 19:48:45 GMT
"What are our chances of success if we wanted to divert to the Federation fleet ..." Carl asked, realising it was going to be impossible to rescue Wedlerson and Milyanov as Blakus spoke, if they were to flee. He had little option then, "OK, I'm assuming these tugs go back and forth on a regular basis ?"
"Twenty minute intervals." Dorj informed him.
"Then we go after our people on Delkhii. If we can get back aboard one of these undetected, there's more leeway to go for the simulated fault and make a run for the T'Ehleyr." he said, as the tug made a slow turn to Starboard and engaged thrusters, "Is there any way we can scan for Wedlerson and Milyanov 'before' we land ?" Dorj said it may be possible using the tug's own automated guidance sensors, but it wouldn't be too accurate, "All we need to know is where they are keeping them, We'll have to do the fine-tuning and look for them ourselves ... Are there any weapons aboard this thing ?"
"It is a Tug, Commander, not a ship of War." Froras said, the sarcasm obvious. Carl fell silent as the tug entered the outer atmosphere of Delkhii. Dorj and Froras, with Andae looking over their shoulders, were trying to ascertain the craft Wedlerson and Milyanov were on, and where it was going to set down. If it was going to one of the Capital's two main Spaceports, all well and good, they would be able to hopefully intercept them before they reached the Palace, but if Ogljai was as keen to get hold of then as Carl thought, it was highly likely they would land 'inside' the substantial walls surrounding the Palatial grounds.
~~~~~~~~~~
"It is landing at the Couratte Spaceport." Dorj informed them.
"..... and us ?" Calli asked.
"Guijuan ... Some one hundred and ten of your kilometers distant, though both the same distance from the Palace Citadel." Froras informed them, as if they had suddenly struck lucky.
"You need to divert this thing to Couratte then, don't you." Calli said.
"That would be most unwise. This tug is allocated a landing permit for the other Spaceport, changing that at such a late stage will cause, concern ....." Dorj informed them as he attempted to keep an eye on the craft ahead as it began to make it's final course changes, Unless of course you wish to play you cards now, and simulate the thruster malfunction ?"
"But if we do that, it wouldn't be believed when we tried it a second time, now would it ?" Carl said, eyeing Froras with suspicion again, but all the man did was shrug.
"What about travel. Are you going to be able to acquire transportation for us, and get us across the outer city ? ... Because, it is pretty obvious to us, that if you can't guarantee our reaching wherever my Officers are, you are surplus to requirements, I'm sure you fully understand me." Froras seemed deep in thought as he realised that these people might just be rid of him rather than risk his betraying them. He access the basic communication and contacted the Spaceport, giving his security clearance, he ordered the flight controller to re-allocate the tug to land at Couratte. Once there it would power down and await his return.
=^= But .. Captain .. This is highly unconve .. .. =^=
=^= You have my clearance .. YOU WILL DO AS ORDERED .. NOW ! .. You will also remove all records of this conversation and the re-allocation instructions to Tugboat registry: DXC 323-Rho .. You will do it now or you and your FAMILY ! .. Will face the consequences of your disloyalty the moment my feet touch our soil ! .. .. .. =^=
There were a tense few seconds of silence then the Tug began a turn. Dorj confirmed that their new heading was direct to the Couratte Spaceport !
"You 'do' realise that, should he decide to query your orders ......" Dorj said, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Ten minutes later the ages tugboat dropped into a preassigned landing quad and shut down. Unless someone with higher authority than Froras came around, it would remain dormant until his return ... Before leaving the suspect safety of the Tug, Froras requested transport. It was to be brought to the tugs' hatch and left there for him to pilot personally.
"Are we being monitored ?" Carl asked as they readied to leave.
"The spaceports are by necessity under constant surveillance, the Service area's where we are at present are under observation, but less stringent, it would be wise to hide your appearance as best you can as we transfer from this, thing, to the transport. I am quite sure that you will stand out like the proverbial white buffalo in a herd of black."
"You have buffalo ?" Calli said, surprised for some reason. But all she got for her query was a withering look of contempt from Froras as he activated the airlock cycle .... Heads covered as best they could, they stepped into the sunshine, walking the twenty meters to the humming transport. climbing aboard they took seats as Froras and Dorj went for'ard to the Pilot area. entering his authorisation code into the computer, all systems came on-line, moments later they were airborne and en-route to the Palace Citadel, and hopefully, their two missing Officers ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 6, 2016 17:45:12 GMT
Blakus watched the display of the forward projecting radar over the shoulders of Froras and Dorj. Minutes earlier, shortly after leaving the landing pad, they'd picked up traces of what looked like the molecular traces of commbadge constituents, running rougly perpendicular to their transport's direction of travel.
There was a chance they could cut off the source of the metals registered by the radar - presumably or rather hopefully Milyanov and Wedlerson aboard another craft much like their own - at an intersection just inside the central district of the city, only seven blocks away from the complex of the Palace Citadel.
Looking into the haze of the near horizon, through the dust kicked up by other transports and the forest of industrial buildings churning with activity both mechanical and human, Froras pointed, "There." Blakus saw the other transport, now racing from right to left across their vision and disappearing behind a tower, "They'll be at the square in under a minute - near there is a processing centre for prisoners of war, civilian dissidents and so forth, I expect we can intercept them at the drop point."
"Won't it be guarded?" Andae asked. Dorj manoeuvred away from the controls in front of him, Andae turned to him as Froras kept his eyes forward, directing the craft towards the square from another road, "Aren't your people supposed to be... That is I mean the people of Delkhii and not the Federation you pretended to work for -"
"Wait a moment," Froras said, eyes still forward, "Dorj. Perhaps you should now entertain that plan we discussed earlier." Dorj seemed mystified. "Aboard the Tengri?" Froras prompted.
"Oh... I don't know if that's a good idea." Blakus asked him to elaborate as they began approaching the square, watching the gaps between the buildings on their right for signs of the other transport. "Well," Dorj continued, "There is a chance I could use my connections with the Federation to have your crew freed. Though it would involve... some creative lying."
"Regarding," Froras put in, "Informing the Federation fleet that they are about to come under attack by the Mongol vessels in the vicinity, all of them prepped for war of course already, and suggesting to the Federation it would be best to return your officers to the Raven. For, you see, certain forces within the Empire - Dorj would tell them - are going to attempt recapture of the Raven crew, with the aim of using them as a bargaining chip in negotiating for the return of their Empress, an offer your skeleton crew aboard the Raven could hardly refuse I suspect, if these certain forces threatened to put the rest of the Raven officers - procured from the Federation - to death."
"These certain forces, Froras, exist only in your imagination," Blakus said pointedly, before adding quietly as they now approached the edge of the square, "Do you think Dorj could pull it off?"
Froras frowned, "Pull... it off?"
"Can he convince the Federation!" Blakus barked, feeling his body convulse.
They were willing to give it a go. Dorj insisted that it jeopardised his position in both the Federation and the Mongol Empire, with both sides potentially believing him to be a traitor - in the Mongols' case, regardless of what the message he sent to the Federation ships contained.
So the man who'd rescued the Raven crew from the 'Cayman Islands' now began to attempt the same again, this time retrieving them from the bastion of the Federation fleet and returning them to the Raven. He opened a channel, secured with a presumed Federation agent's code and began relaying the plan. The sound of breathing and ambient noises of a starship filtered over the comm, letting them know that someone within the Federation fleet was listening.
They didn't get a chance to find out if the Vulcans approved of the plan however, [OOC: should the crew be rescued here?] as the comm console burst into flames -
- an instant later Blakus and the others were blown off their feet as a barrage of particle beam fire struck the transport's right flank. Flung against the opposite bulkhead, Blakus rolled over to see through the forward screen another land transport emerge into the square, flashing brightly as its chrome surfaces reflected the sunlight.
"Personal guard of Ogljai. I can't see the J'aut quri himself. Makes sense that he's not here, I don't see why he'd risk it," Froras was saying, choking on fumes; he was positioned over a viewfinder on the intact section of the helm, "Wait, I see your officers. Some thirty degrees to the right of the J'aut quri's assault craft at a separate entrance to the square, next to a prison transport... They're being led away down that street away from the square, blindfolded it would seem. Eight guards with them..." The Mongol captain collapsed to the floor, wheezing with the fumes inhaled and falling unconscious.
Blakus rose to his feet, dread realisation enveloping him as he worked the helm, trying to get the craft to move, "Engines are out. Can we return fire?!" he shouted to Dorj who'd been propelled into the aft section, his figure barely visible through the smoke that'd filled the interior.
<Tag Torek>
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Carl Torek
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Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 7, 2016 20:12:29 GMT
So the man who'd rescued the Raven crew from the 'Cayman Islands' now began to attempt the same again, this time retrieving them from the bastion of the Federation fleet and returning them to the Raven. He opened a channel, secured with a presumed Federation agent's code and began relaying the plan. The sound of breathing and ambient noises of a star ship filtered over the comm, letting them know that someone within the Federation fleet was listening.
~~~~~
The DXC-323 Rho dropped out of the sky like so much junk, but thankfully, what power that remained was snatched by the computer to fire the landing thrusters. Alas, it was a second too late and they hit the ground hard !...
As acrid, poisonous smoke filled the cabin, the occupants struggled to regain their footing, Dorj suddenly shouted that he had located Milyanov and Wedlerson, who were being led away. Carl watched as Andae attempted to fire the tugs' only phaser, hardly enough to pass through the most basic of shields, it was normally used to rid an area of something in the way, but again no luck. Carl went to the viewfinder and knew they had to act now, or his Officers would be lost ... He looked at the back of the tug, hands running around the bulkhead until he found what he was looking for:
"Cover your eyes !" he said, counting to three then pressing the button ..... The rear hatch was explosively expelled from tug, crossing most of the square before finally sliding to a halt. Carl noticed that several people were now on the floor, crying in pain, obviously they had been in the path of the heavy metallic hatch, unfortunately he didn't have time to tend to their injuries. As the cloying smoke began to dissipate, he could see the group of guards surrounding the two Federation Officers, they had obviously witnessed the explosion and six of they were running towards the tug, the other two watching from their position next to Wedlerson and Milyanov.
"We'er about to have company." Carl said, stepping back into the tug, eyes darting around to find anything he could use as a weapon. Thankfully, Dorj had recovered enough to realise he was in as much danger as the Federation Officers ... He handed Torek a length of metal, heavy and cumbersome, it would have to suffice. The guards almost fell over each other as they entered, obviously not expecting to find anyone still alive, or at least incapacitated enough to be easily subdued, so coming face to face with two Star Fleet Officers, two Delkhii, and a group of personal guards, came as a shock. They were restrained within seconds and Carl dragged one of the more vocal to the gaping hole that was once the hatch:
"Shout your friends over. Say nothing else or my irate friend here will kill you instantly, understand ?" the man nodded and Carl removed the grip on his throat. He shouted for help with the injured Official, and dragging their prisoners along they approached the tug. They were meters away when the guard shouted a warning !
Four of the personal guard ran out, beating the two to the ground and dragging them beneath the stub wing of the tug, and for the moment out of sight, given the square was now almost empty save for several injured. Dorj and Froras came to the back of the tug, informing Carl that they mush depart quickly, if the Palace guard realise what has happened, they would inform Ogljai immediately ... Leaving the tug, they ran North, the direction affording them the closest cover, and not a second too soon, as two fighters appeared above the square, scanning the area and dropping to a landing before umpteen guards filed out and surrounded the downed tug. Carl wanted to wait to see if the J'aut Quri was among them, but Froras said it would be suicidal to stay and they should find a way to contact one of his vessels in orbit quickly.
"What makes you think you crew will not inform the Palace that you have been found ?" Carl said as the group, now including Wedlerson and Milyanov, ran down side streets to a small almost inconspicuous tavern. Entering, Froras greeted the owner warmly and they were ushered into a back room. There, concealed beneath a hidden recess carved into the stone floor, was a basic communications console and several weapons. Silently he handed out the armament then asked his friend to seal the door:
"I asked you a question Froras !" Carl said.
"You have no need to be concerned, Admiral ...." Froras said, activating the device, We cannot be discovered in here, beyond the wall is a force-field, effectively hiding this room from prying eyes, it cannot be seen by the most intensive of scrutiny. As for the loyalty of my Officers, I am somewhat insulted by your accusation they could betray us. They would die to a man and woman before they would ......" he stopped talking as the Comm unit came to life ...
=^= Tolqus .. You got back I see =^=
=^= Yes my Captain .. All is in readiness when you wish to come aboard =^=
Froras looked at Dorj, who's expression was neutral, then he stood and asked them to ready themselves for transport. A few seconds later they felt the caress of the transported beam embrace them .......
IC Empress Kallae ~ Delkhii Flagship ::
As the transport was completed, Carl realised that several of those in the room were no longer with them. Froras noticed his confusion and informed him that the guard would remain behind, they would leave the safety of the room and run. There must be no possibility that anyone suspect there is a shielded room within the City walls, or Ogjiai would stop at nothing, even to the point of demolishing the outer city in his search, so the guards were 'sacrificial lambs' as the Humans liked to call those left behind for such a reason.
"My Captain ..." Tolqus said, getting the attention of Froras, "We intercepted a communication. It seems the Federation of Worlds has returned the crew of the visiting vessel to their ship. We could not understand the reasoning behind this act, as the communication was severed when the Delkhii attacked the craft you were on. The Delkhii have moved no less than three vessels into place, effectively surrounding the Raven and are demanding the return of their Empress ... Captain, they vow to destroy the newcomer vessel should they decline."
"We need to get back to the Raven." Carl said instantly.
"I believe you are correct." Froras said, his expression relaying anything but confidence, "Alas, while I have 'some' dubious ability, through my many, associates, to transport you openly to your vessel at this time would be tantamount to betrayal of the Ruling council of Delkhii. At this point in time, you are missing, the J'aut quri would not search this vessel for you, but he will want to know where you are, and he will be less than eager to have the Khan returned to her throne, it would, hamper his plans ... So, I think he will do the minimum, demand her return, then when whoever is in charge over there says, no ....." he shrugged, not needing to finish the sentence.
"Zavial is still aboard the Raven !" Andae said suddenly ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 8, 2016 20:51:05 GMT
Blakus and the others were under no illusions as to the danger represented in having Zavial and the other two spies of the Mongols - all three 'recovered' from the Federation fleet - aboard the Raven. If they were the Mongols who'd informed Ogljai of the agreement between the Raven senior staff and Froras, then whatever other mission they had aboard the Raven would be in the interests of the J'aut quri - such as perhaps, killing the new Khan before she could be either offered up by the returned Raven crew or refused to the Mongols who were presumably pretending to want her back.
"How can we send a message to our ship and not attract hostile interest from the rest of your fleet?" he asked Tolqus, who directed him towards a comm console, "For that matter," Blakus asked as he started working, "How many more are with you? Or are there none with sympathies for your royalist position, as it were."
"We are not royalist," Tolqus rebutted as the engineer prepared the warning message to send the Raven, "We oppose the attempted coup of the J'aut quri against the ruling Khanate, knowing that his intentions will drive the Empire to destruction one way or another, however long that takes."
"Mm hmm," Blakus finished the message and sent it on the recommended subspace channel - encrypted using a command sequence that only department heads, his level, and higher in the hierarchy would be able to read - such was the only way he could think to keep the message from the eyes of Zavial and the other two spies... more disconcerting, there was no guarantee Zavial and buddies wouldn't in some way end up reading it, and thus they'd know they were in jeopardy.
What if the officer of the watch, Commander Barr or otherwise, asked for the message to be heard over the bridge speakers or read on the screen, and Zavial was present on the bridge? He should be, Blakus thought, I left him in charge of the engineering station when we boarded the Tengri... Hopefully Barr would be quick thinking enough to know that one of the impostors was standing a few feet behind him.
"It was a risk, sir," he finished with the console and acknowledged Torek, Calli and Milyanov approaching ashen faced - Wedlerson was on the far side of the bridge getting into an argument with one of Froras's guards.
"Communications still going back and forth from the J'aut quri's warships to the visiting vessel, Captain," the Mongol officer beside Blakus spoke suddenly. The console beeped in a sequence of impressive lights that spread across its surface, the officer nodding in businesslike fashion, fingers a blur across the display, "I have intercepted another of the communications." Blakus waited with baited breath, leaning over his section of the station. "... The Raven officer in charge has rejected the IC Bartan's demand that the Empress be returned. The Bartan commander is responding..." the Mongol frowned, "It would appear the channel has been cut. From the Raven's end, Captain."
"What you feared perhaps, Commander?" Froras said, eyes on the forward viewscreen showing the Galaxy class against the background of Delkhii, surrounded by three tapering points - the prows of the Mongol warships of Ogljai.
"What I hoped, I hope," Blakus answered, gallows humour.
"Registering small arms fire aboard the USS Raven, in the vicinity of her bridge," Tolqus reported. Andae instinctively looked at the viewscreen as if he might see the phaser fire darting back and forth within the white lights of the bridge - that was of course ridiculous. He couldn't believe it, it seemed that Zavial had been discovered and was to be apprehended, yet the officers remaining aboard were making a messy job of it.
Five agonising minutes later they had an answer, or at least another intercepted communication. The Raven was again stating its refusal to give up Altan Temujin to the Mongol authorities, having, so they claimed, just foiled an assassination attempt against the Empress herself!
"That was the spies' plan after all," Milyanov said, the five Raven officers now coalescing in a huddle on the aft starboard quarter, "Can we safely say impostor Zavial and the others have been stopped?"
Blakus tilted his head, not sure what to think, "Admiral... I just spoke to Tolqus, suggesting to him that we could make use of some of his escape pods, if Froras would agree to one of his allied ships close to here opening fire on the Kallae at weapons' lowest setting, citing it later to Ogljai's forces as a misalignment in particle beam weapon coils. The resultant damage would be enought that we could get away with a simulated fire along a dorsal section of the ship, which if it were real would necessitate - as the only means of escape - some of the crew in that section boarding escape pods. It's the only way I can think of to return to the Raven. Considering the circumstances," he gestured to the viewscreen showing the Raven and the three Mongol warships, "They would detect any transport instantly, that was if the Raven's shields could even be dropped."
Now they found that the Raven was suggesting to Ogljai's warships that the Empress could be handed over to the Federation fleet, and that Ogljai might be best served by negotiating with Commander Vl'rok for her return and by leaving the Raven out of their squabbles. What were they thinking? Andae thought dryly. Interestingly, over three quarters of the Federation ships in the system had left for Federation heartland in the last half hour, almost as if they expected something...
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 11, 2016 20:58:02 GMT
"...... It's the only way I can think of to return to the Raven. Considering the circumstances," he gestured to the view-screen showing the Raven and the three Mongol warships, "They would detect any transport instantly, that was if the Raven's shields could even be dropped." "Why not simply simulate a problem with the Empress Kallae ?" Froras suggested, "It would alleviate any suspicion, or elevate the already fragile climate." "That's all very well, but to do that you would need to put the ship in a potentially dangerous situation, one which you may not escape from, you understand that I assume ?" Calli warned. Froras smiled, then turned to one of his Officers and spoke quickly. The man left the Bridge almost at a run and Froras told everyone to prepare for an explosive decompression, "What are you planning Captain ?" she demanded, but he asked them to be patient for a few moments. The Officer returned and nodded, Froras pointed at the view-screen .. A second later the ship was rocked by the aforementioned decompression ! On the view-screen, they could see large sections of hull plating as the Kallae began an almost lazy roll to Port, moving closer to the Raven and it's three nervous companions. The Engineer had purposely delayed the emergency force-fields from activating to allow the total volume of air in the corridors blown out to expire, thrusting the Kallae into a faster and faster roll. Several vessels were trying to contact the stricken vessel offering assistance, but Froras instructed his Bridge Officers to ignore them as if the Comm systems were damaged. A second explosion, this one less damaging to the ship but in a position that would simulate a total power failure throughout the massive vessel. "You know you've likely lost the Kallae." Carl said, unbelievably. Froras opened a ship-wide Comm: =^= This is the Captain .. Evacuation protocol .. This is not a drill .. All crew .. Evacuation protocol =^= "Sir ! ..... Two of the vessels guarding the Raven are approaching, they wish to assist." "You need to get aboard an escape pod, NOW ! ..... Tolqus, show them to the one we have modified .... Goodbye, Admiral. I very much doubt we shall see each other again." Froras said, resignation in his voice. "Come with us." Calli said, but the man refused. He knew he needed to remain with the Empress Kallae, and even though it wasn't actually in any serious danger, his sabotage would be discovered in due course and he would be put to death. His only wish was that they ensure Altan Khan be returned to her throne and the tyrant Ogljai be prevented from doing any further harm to the Delkhii or the Federation. "If they go to war, a war which they will surely loose, despite the supposed support of the Cardassians, it will not bode well for the Mongol race. Rumours are abound that the Cardassians are in fact using the Delkhii to attain the deuterium, and once that source was no longer available, they 'will' depart, leaving the Delkhii to return to their solitary existence. It is essentially, all we wish, to be left to ourselves, but the Federation had stumbled upon our Moon, and the facility within, they immediately began to discuss terms, terms which only a few on Delkhii were willing to cede to. Thus the scheming and plotting began in earnest ! ..... I believe that you do not belong here, and need to return to your own reality." Froras said, dropping into the Command seat, seemingly completely exhausted. "Why are you telling us all this now ?" Calli asked, suspicion growing. "Altan .... Altan was betrothed by her Father to my Son when they were both fourteen years of age. It would have been a good marriage, one that would cement the bonds between our Families, mine, rulers of almost all the southern continents, and the Khan, who while Ruler, in reality had only fractional power over the lands my Family possessed. Ogljai had designs on the Khanate. Wheels within wheels, plots within plots within plots .... I, as the Head of the Khan's Space Fleet, could not be on the surface to watch over my Family, and when the Khan passed awa, when the Khan was assassinated, my Family suffered a catastrophic failure at one of our agricultural facilities within hours. My Parents, my Son, and my three year old Daughter perished, effectively leaving me the only obstacle to the lands to the South, and complete dominance over a world that should never have seen such hardship. you 'MUST' convince Altan of what I have told you. She will be willing to listen if you mention Deuan, she will know that you could have only got his given name from me, and only with my blessings." "Come to the Raven. We can fight Ogljai together. With your knowledge we can defeat him and put Altan back on the throne." Calli pleaded, realising the man was sacrificing himself for a Family that no longer lived. "You must come now or it will be too late to get you to your vessel." Tolqus insisted, but Carl turned to Froras with one last plea: "Come with us, you are givi .... You knew !" he said, realisation dawning, "You knew the damage you inflicted was fatal to the ship, that second explosion .... You didn't do this just to get us back to the Raven, so what else ?" Froras pointed to the view-screen, and the moon, just visible beyond the rim of the planet. "We have enough control to adjust our heading, but only once you have departed." the Mongol Captain said quietly then handed Torek a data chip, before waving them away. "Shield frequencies for the deuterium Facility." the Engineer Froras had spoken to earlier said, placing an arm around the shoulder of the seated man, "My Father wishes you to leave now." Minutes later they blasted away from the massive Empress Kallae, heading fortuitously directly towards the Raven, who's shields dropped long enough to establish a tractor hold on the escape pod. Countless others were being retrieved by orbiting vessels as some headed for the surface unhindered ..... Aboard the USS Raven-B ::"ADMIRAL !" Commander Barr said, almost jumping out of the Center seat in shock. "Harry, find the Kallae !" Wedlerson dropped into the Ops Station and put the Empress Kallae on screen .... The massive vessel was rolling almost uncontrollably now, falling towards the Moon but still hoping to avoid the inevitable to those observing. When it was realised that it was going to impact, several ships began to lock weapons in a vain effort to destroy the ship before it hit, but the Kallae had raised her shields, putting every iota of power into them to protect themselves from the possible onslaught, but it never came. As the ship contacted the outer shield it began to break apart, but the sheer size and mass carried it into the inner shields before it exploded in spectacular fashion ! ... The Bridge fell completely silent as the astronomical pyrotechnic display raged, finally subsiding to show an area almost five square kilometers in size, burnt beyond recognition. Carl looked at the data chip for a long moment, then handed it to Harry before heading for the turbo-lift. "We need to speak with Altan." ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 14, 2016 0:30:23 GMT
"What did Ogljai do with Zavial? And the other two? He nearly succeeded didn't he?" Blakus asked rhetorically, "Ogljai... He doesn't want the Khan back, we both know that. It would upset his plans."
"He has already succeeded, stranger, from a strange ship," 'Zavial' looked round at his cell and the rest of the brig, "He has wrested control from the hereditary rulers with their foul conception of how the Mongol state should be administered." The look on Blakus's face let the spy know the Raven officers knew a fair bit more than that already - 'Zavial's' face fell, realisation seeping in, "The Federation will be destroyed! And the J'aut quri is the perfect person to do it, too long has the Empire sat by in peace under the Khan's leadership while our rivals have grown in might."
"Yes, yes... Important for both of us: neither you, nor your two accomplices nor Altan Temujin are being returned to our mutual friend the J'aut quri. Further, I will get my officer back, whatever it takes."
"Not possible," the spy said as the door to the brig opened and the Admiral accompanied by others of the senior staff entered, stepping up to the forcefield of the Khan's cell with Torek nodding to the brig officer. The forcefield deactivated and the two security officers accompanying the team stepped forward either side of the Khan, keeping a respectable distance, hands on phasers that remained holstered. Blakus approached the others, nodding in acknowledgement.
Torek and Wedlerson led the talk, relating what Froras had told them (being those that'd primarily been involved in the exchange with the then doomed captain of the Kallae). Blakus at the back of the group saw the Khan fall deeper into a silence that she'd maintained since near the start of the exchange, a sullen expression coming on her features, shoulders hunched up and eventually feet on the bench and knees raised to her face.
Astonishingly for this young courageous, authoritative new ruler she allowed herself a moment of weakness, dropping her head against her knees. Suddenly she seemed so much like a child, lost confused, uncomprehending of the cruelties of the impersonal universe about her, the viciousness of people who wished to destroy both her family and the family of the boy to whom she'd been betrothed. And this was the person who'd poisoned her own father, Blakus thought, slightly disbelieving.
"Do you believe you still have the people on your side, or would be able to convince them to follow you rather than Ogljai?" he asked. Perhaps, he thought, there was a possibility of a popular uprising against the J'aut quri's insurrectionary government, if the people had royalist sympathies.
"That shouldn't be too much of a problem actually, Andae," Wedlerson said, "There is now a comms blackout around the Delkhii capital and surrounding districts, but before it came into effect we picked up a few broadcasts. Ogljai's nascent government is presenting a front that the Khan is still in power, thinking perhaps that he would lose popular support if they saw him giving the orders and not... Her Highness," he nodded Altan's way, also just now realising he'd spoken over her.
Blakus nodded, "That's wise. There'd surely have been riots if he declared he'd overthrown or was planning to overthrow the Khan. I suppose we can say his government is in a state of insurrection until it dissolves the Imperial power structure and... probably executes the Imperial family, unless he wants to take the throne himself and start a new dynasty."
=/\=Bridge to Torek. Sir, we are receiving a communication from the surface of Delkhii. It is Ogljai, sir.=/\= The Admiral acknowledged and looked around at them, then at Altan, who nodded in understanding.
Blakus walked onto the bridge with the others, Altan walking at the centre. Ogljai's image was on the screen along with, stunningly, Dorj - he'd made it back there, somehow escaped the wreck of the Kallae... apparently his cover was still in place. Ogljai's face hardened, "Admiral. At last, and..." He gripped the arms of his chair, "I see you have brought a guest to our conference. It is wise of you to accede to our demand that we at least see our great leader. Now you will return her to us."
While Ogljai spoke, Blakus began accessing the communications network at the J'aut quri's end, hoping to gain access to the main system where he could look at leading the Mongol population into believing the restriction on their communications had been lifted by the authorities. Perhaps the Khan would then be able to send something over the planetary network, to expose their rebellious military leader Ogljai.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 14, 2016 13:27:37 GMT
=^= Bridge to Admiral Torek .. Sir .. We are receiving a communication from the surface of Delkhii .. It is Ogljai =^=
=^= Acknowledged Bridge .. On my way =^= Carl said, turning to Altan, "If you would accompany us Please, Empress."
Bridge ::
Carl could see the face of Ogijai change markedly as he realised that Altan Alaqa-Beki Temugin Khan, was with the Admiral:
=^= Admiral .. At last .. .. .. I see you have brought a guest to our conference .. It is wise of you to accede to our demand that we at least see our great leader .. Now you will return her to us =^=
Carl motioned to the center seat, allowing the Supreme Ruler of the Mongol Empire to seat herself before he returned his attention to the J'aut quri:
=^= As you can see Ogljai .. The Khan is under no duress .. She is free to depart the Raven at her convenience .. We are of course concerned about the rumours we have heard regarding the Khan's status having been away from the throne whilst visiting our vessel .. We were also troubled by the fact that three infiltrators had been secreted aboard my ship with the express instruction to ensure the Khan 'NOT' return to her palace .. I don't suppose you would you be aware of any such actions and be able to shed light on whom may be responsible .. Would you ? =^=
Ogljai was obviously ruffled by the blatant accusation being thrown in his face, but if he reacted he knew his time would be very limited indeed. Carl could see Andae working feverishly at one of the upper stations at the rear of the Bridge and out of sight of the J'aut quri. Whatever he was doing it was currently frustrating him. If Andae was trying to break into the communications systems on the surface, he would need the conversation with Ogljai to conclude quickly, that way, any tampering would go unnoticed until he was ready. Carl decided to play a hunch. Turning away from the view-screen he ran a finger across his throat, signifying he wanted the comm broken. he spoke briefly to Harry Wedlerson, who left the Bridge the moment the conversation finished, then he turned to Altan, he quickly explained that he wanted to bring Ogljai aboard and needed her blessing to do so. Despite the obvious danger, she gave her consent, Carl looked up at Kieron who was covering the communication with Ogljai, allowing Blakus to continue his work, and instructed him to reestablish the communication:
=^= .. .. .. owin to circumstances .. We fe .. .. =^=
=^= I am sorry Admiral .. but we lost our communication link for a moment and I could not hear what you were saying =^=
=^= It wasn't important .. My apologies .. Now .. I feel that given the circumstances you transport to the Raven with a small guard to escort the Khan back to her Palace .. Is that acceptable ? =^=
He could see the J'uit quri listening to someone out of view and he waited patiently, his face expressionless. dorj leaned in to add his opinion as Ogljai glanced at the screen intermittently. finally he made up his mind:
=^= This is an unusual request Admiral .. Is there any reason you feel my presence is required ? =^=
=^= Because I demand it ! .. .. Is that not reason enough ? =^= Altan said, eyes now locked on those of her supposed trusted Adviser, inwardly daring the man to defy her. Ogljai bowed deeply ...
=^= Your wish is my Command my Empress .. I will transport aboard with your dresser and my personal guard to esco .. .. .. =^=
=^= No .. You will bring only yourself .. When I am ready to depart the company of my gracious host .. Saqur my Chief Protector and Master of my Personal Guard will be sent for =^=
=^= My Lady .. Is that wise ? .. .. You are at the mercy of the Federation vessels as we speak .. Would it not be prudent to return to your Palace immediately .. If indeed the Admiral is sincere regarding your liberty ? =^=
=^= Do as instructed Ogljai .. Or do I need to look for a new J'aut quri on my return ? =^=
=^= I will transport immediately my Empress =^= the Comm closed at their end and Carl quickly opened a second:
=^= Did you get all that ? =^=
=^= Yes Sir =^=
=^= Bring him to the Bridge .. Torek out =^= He closed the Comm and asked how Blakus was doing. he was making progress but it required a delicate touch not to risk being discovered. Carl nodded as the turbo-lift doors opened .... Wedlerson stepped aside to allow the other person to enter the Bridge first:
"Captain Hemak. Commanding Officer of the Federation of Worlds flagship T'Ehleyr ... May I present ... Altan Alqua-Beki Temugin Khan ... Empress and supreme Ruler of the Mongol Khanate on Delkhii." ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 16, 2016 20:46:46 GMT
As Torek introduced the Vulcan captain to the Empress, Blakus continued working the tactical panel alongside Barr, tapping into the communications networks of the Palace Citadel and the Delkhii globe as a whole; he'd nearly succeeded, only a few firewalls from localised centres in the capital preventing him from having total access.
Barr leaned over seeming interested, or perhaps it was because Blakus was encroaching on almost half the tactical rail. He explained, "I believe I can use the comm network of Delkhii as if I was providing input from their end; my plan is to block comm signals that would ordinarily detected by the Mongols from the Federation fleet. If they don't know Hemak and co are aboard, they'll think less that they're walking into a trap. Also considering Ogljai is already on his way here..."
Indeed he saw from the viewscreen - that'd been zoomed to show a satellite orbital image of the Delkhii capital - that the transport was en route, its grey indistinct shape growing larger on the screen as it made its way towards the Raven.
"... through a programming back-door I can work my way out of the comm network and into sensor grids, and... maybe I should just get down to it."
From scans, it could be seen Ogljai's people had been communicating with outlying precincts where defence installations and capital ship landing sites were, which was cause for alarm perhaps; there'd also been a furious back and forth of messages within the Palace, and now that the last of the firewalls were broken down Blakus would be able to see what the communications had contained:
J'aut quri to embark on transport for visiting vessel designated USS Raven. Three shrouded warriors and the J'aut quri's concealed weapon to be placed on transport. Acknowledge and inform when completed. - Palace Citadel
Acknowledged. - Moehk landing port
The J'aut quri is now aboard. He has informed the signals officer he intends to pilot the transport. The shrouded warriors will be concealed within aft compartment. - Moehk landing port
"Admiral, if I may have a moment," he called Torek over, showing him the decoded messages. "They couldn't have found out about the trap, sir. Escort craft as opposed to transportation makes sense; it would be the way to avoid transporters picking up the weapons and decativating them in transit. From 'shroud' I'd suggest they may mean some form of personal cloaking device. Soldiers adept at stealth is also a possibility," he offered. Torek nodded and returned to Altan and Hemak, on the way tapping Barr on the shoulder to have him accompany, and prepare security for the unwelcome guests and weapons Ogljai had apparently deigned to bring along.
Tapping into the localised sensor network he located the J'aut quri's craft and entered its sensor matrix, blotting out the Federation of Worlds biosigns aboard the Raven as well as - from the comm system - effectively jamming the craft from seeing comms to and from the Federation vessels, those that still remained, for most had taken off in the last hour and returned to Federation space, perhaps fearing, having found it one way or another - perhaps from Dorj - that the Mongols and Cardassians planned a united assault on the Federation core systems, Vulcan, Andoria, Tellar, whoever else.
Ogljai's transport docked, Blakus at the panel by the airlock but behind the security team assembled by Barr - also present - who stood before the door. They'd achieved hard dock, Blakus saw. Now... if he could hinder them in the airlock with some excuse about quarantine, thus giving him time to discern the nature of the 'shrouds' and how to reveal them, they could disarm the quartet before they had a chance to wreak havoc.
"Decontamination," he called out to Ogljai over security's heads as he saw the J'aut quri in the airlock wondering what the delay was, "Standard procedure. Nothing to worry about." Ogljai was beating on the inner door in anger now, his shouts muffled and breath misting up the small window. With the 'decontamination' nearly complete, Blakus, Barr and the security scuttled into the corridor either side of the airdock space, taking up defensive positions.
Blakus stood behind the guards, who were prepared to fire if Ogljai didn't immediately surrender - regardless of whether the man was alone, he was still walking into a veritable trap! The door came open. OOC: Shrouds possibly revealed, I'll leave that open.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 18, 2016 21:02:09 GMT
Observation lounge ::Asking for assess to communications to her Palace, and more importantly, to her trusted bodyguard Saqur she spoke for some time, then, and only then did Altan sit across from the Federation of Worlds sole representative. They were both fully aware of the importance of this first meeting, and the consequences to both should their diplomacy fail to bring a fortuitous result ... At the far side of the room, at Torek's request, sat two Officers, these were here solely to provide for the Raven's guests. Altan was first to speak:
"It seems we have reached a new, respect, for each other Captain ?" she hesitated, never having actually heard the man addressed by his rank.
"Captain will suffice, Empress." Hemak replied nodding, ".... and yes, this is somewhat of an historic event, slightly understated if I may say so, but nonetheless important." he stood to pour refreshment for them both.
"Firstly, I must emphasise that while we are conversing, this issue regarding our facility on the Moon ....." Altan began, wondering if admitting her ignorance was wise, as it brought into doubt her Fathers intentions while he lived, but she chose honesty rather than the alternative, "Our 'former' agreement with the Cardassians, is, or will shortly, become null and void. It was I feel, an situation my Father was drawn into and could not turn away from. I am different, in that any commodity we possess, will be used for the betterment and advancement of my World primarily. So, I feel that if we are to open a fledgling relationship between us, then we should do so honestly, do you not agree ?"
Hemak smiled:
"I do Empress." ..... Deck Twenty Five - Dorsal Docking Port ::"Decontamination," Blakus called out to Ogljai over security's heads as he saw the J'aut quri in the airlock wondering what the delay was, "Standard procedure. Nothing to worry about." "Can we get through their shroud tech' yet ?" Carl asked quickly. "No, but we know they are there, we have two options, we slam the door closed as Ogljai steps onto our deck, or we allow his guard to come aboard and then open fire." Barr said, frustration growing in conjunction with the J'aut quri's own, then they were informed that they were free to enter and the door opened. Ogljai stood for a long moment before stepping out of the shuttle and onto the Raven. Carl moved forward as the J'aut quri eyed the Security Officers, he was about to protest when Carl spoke: "Welcome to the Raven ..... You will remove 'ALL' weapons now Ogljai. The Empress is most insistent on this before you are taken to her." "You dare !" "There are two options here. you do as instructed, or my Officers will take the weapons from you by force ... I would much prefer this occasion remain cordial, but I must, insist." Carl said, eyes locked on the mans. slowly, very slowly, Ogljai began to relinquish his weapons, at least the ones he thought visible, but Torek insisted on taking them all, including the concealed ones. Rage building within him, Ogljai removed numerous blades then held out his arms as if awaiting a search. Seemingly satisfied, Carl waved Security forward, then motioned for the J'aut quri to accompany him and they walked away from the Docking Port. As they moved along the corridor, Commander Barr stood off to one side allowing them to pass, then he suddenly tapped his Comm badge: =^= Now ! =^= As Torek and Ogljai passed the bulkhead a force-field snapped into place ... A second later, as if out of nowhere, several impacts from phaser weapons slammed into the 'field. The J'aut quri spun, screaming in defiance as he realised his shrouded guard had been discovered and effectively neutralised. He was on his own ! ... Quickly he began to protest ignorance, saying it was the doing of the Cardassians, the Federation, anyone he could blame, but Carl was having none of it and stood patiently while the man ranted. "Instruct your men to disable the shroud technology or I will open the corridor to space." Torek said, making it clear he wasn't bluffing. "I have no knowled ....." "Decompress the corridor." Carl said, turning away and nodding to two of the Security Officers to force Ogljai along with him, "It seems that your Empress is less than satisfied with how you have been, manipulating events on Delkhii. I'm sure you will be able to give her adequate explanations though, being her most trusted Adviser. It will be interesting to hear how you forged the alliance with the Cardassians rather than the Federation of Worlds. But I suspect you have your reasons." Carl chatted conversationally as they approached the Observation Lounge. "You know nothing Torek ... My vessels will recover me 'ALONG WITH' our Empress, then, you will feel the wrath of the Mongol Empire ! Ogljai spat. "Possibly. Though I wouldn't be too sure." Carl said as they reached the double doors. He turned to Wedlerson, who contacted the Bridge to see if it was clear for them to enter. Once they had the Khan's approval he motioned to Ogljai to take the lead. He saw Altan first, already going into his subservient posture, but then he realised that one of the very people he was sworn to defeat was sat only meters away from her ! ...Had Security not held him firmly, Carl was certain he would have dove on the man he hated beyond all others, but alas, his eagerness to get at the man was to be unsatisfied. he looked at Altan, unable to comprehend why they would be sat at the same table after all his years of effort. Altan in turn looked on her J'aut quri with pity. "Would you prefer us to depart Empress ?" Carl asked respectfully, but Altan bade him and his Senior Officers remain: "Be seated Ogljai." the Empress ordered the man, waiting while the Security Officers 'assisted' him into a seat at the far end of the curved table, he glared at Hemak with shear loathing as Altan continued, "Now, I have several tasks you need to carry out. You will do so immediately and without discussion, I need not remind you of the consequences should you hesitate, or attempt to stray from my instructions. Your continued servitude and loyalty are being tested here Ogljai." she said, seeing the man realise what the Khan was saying. "My Empress." he said, defiantly. "Good .... Now, as a show of good faith in our developing relationship with the Federation of Worlds ...." she stopped speaking as Ogljai spat a series of obscenities at Hemak, who sat impassively silent during the tirade, "As I was saying before your interruption, A show of good faith, you are going to order 'ALL' those under your control to surrender to my guard immediately. We know who they are Ogljai, so if you prefer we eliminate them and their families, we can do it so. Next, you will inform the Cardassians that the previous agreement is no longer in effect, and they should depart our space will all due haste. We have their locations and codes, so failure to comply will be somewhat, unfortunate for them. Lastly, for the purposes of this meeting, you will deactivate the shields around the mining facility on our Moon." "I will not." the J'aut quri said, matter of factly. Altan sat in silence for long moments, then looked at her former Adviser, offering him a second chance to obey, but Ogljai refused. She reopened the Comm and gave her instructions .... "The Federation will crush us ... CHILD !" Ogljai spat, trying to get up from his seat but being restrained by two Security Officers, Carl and his Officers still sat quietly watching proceedings, this wasn't their fight, even if they had found themselves in the middle of it. If Altan, or indeed their version of the Federation, wanted the Raven's help they could ask, otherwise they would remain neutral and look for a way home, "I should have cut your throat while you were sleeping in your crib Altan, you were never going to be worthy to rule, and your Brothers will see to it that you never sit on the throne again. Enjoy your fleeting moment in history, Empress !" "I am truly saddened Ogljai. To think I placed my life in your hands." Altan looked at Hemak, who stood and moved away to contact his Fleet, recalling them to Delkhii but this time to establish orbit alongside Altan's Fleet. together, they would repel the Cardassian threat without a shot fired ... She shook her head then once again opened the Comm to her Palace, but before speaking she again turned to Ogljai: "We are not barbarians. I wish to form an alliance and become part of the Federation of Worlds, it will benefit both us, and other worlds. I wish you could have understood we must progress." she tapped the Comm and spoke. =^= Is the Palace secure ? =^= =^= Yes My Empress .. .. We have them imprisoned as you demanded =^= Saqur confirmed. =^= You will prepare to come aboard the Raven .. .. i will speak with you when I am ready to return home =^= she closed the Comm and looked at Torek ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 27, 2016 14:27:45 GMT
Blakus returned to engineering, seeing to the state of the warp drive and how it might be utilised - with the many different types of dilithium crystals they had recovered or been given by the Mongols and the Vulcans - to enable the Raven to return to the Earth and the timeline it was familiar with.
He'd also procured one suit of the stealth armour with the agreement of Altan and Hemak on behalf of their respective factions, now dissecting it in a lab adjoined to main engineering (which he'd received as a gift from the science officer). The suit worked via thorium plates that each displayed a holographic image shaping itself to the wearer's surroundings, adjusting with the 'shroud's' movement and broadcasting itself out of phase so as to avoid detection by ordinary sensors.
He'd stopped by the brig again this time with Wedlerson and two security officers. Barr and his people were still watching over Ogljai in his subdued consultations with the Federation officers from the T'Ehleyr, the disgraced J'aut quri for once obedient in his service to his Empress and surprisingly to the Raven staff - Blakus wished the man's subordinate could be the same:
Zavial and the other remaining spy/assassin were to be returned to the Mongol capital as part of the agreement of Ogljai's acquiescence, where it had been revealed the spies had been ordered to attempt assassination of Altan; Ogljai hadn't been implicated but it would prove exceedingly difficult for anyone to absolve him completely, thus it'd turned out the spies had to be transported back to be placed in prison rather than being pardoned. A dozen subordinates of Saqur had arrived an hour ago to escort the duo back.
Whether Blakus would get his engineer back, or the other two officers for that matter, wasn't known... the Raven certainly had no information about the true Zavial's whereabouts.
Now he was fussing over the 'shroud' of one of the Mongol warriors, prodding it with instruments which were sequentially passed over his shoulder by Tinsley. The light was dimmed and a strobe flickered from the corner contrasting the room between midnight and noon, the door to main engineering shut and the view through the small portal showing the side of a decommissioned antimatter pod.
He'd removed seven of the pentagonal plates from the armour suit, two of which were cracked from the phaser impact which had stunned the wearer - fortunately for the Mongol the suit had been designed such that when a plate failed, it was sent along into a sort of null space predicted by the equations relating to a particular Riemannian metric (stationary frame of reference with bubble universe acceleration), thus the damaged plate was concealed from view of conventional eyes; neither active plates nor failed plates were seen, both existed in different states of phase.
It had taken an hour with much moping about the office, in the shielded chamber next to the laboratory and around the pool table before the solution, or what he thought it could be, occurred to him. It was an interesting idea at least, remoulding the thorium into sheets and covering a receptive type of the new dilithium crystals with them. It could allow access to whatever portal it was had brought the Raven to this place, when they had passed the Jorgonn Expanse - such reflective patches applied to the crystals' surface would generate an extra waveform of plasma that when fed into the nacelles would interact with the coils to flatten the warp bubble. Travelling fast enough the bubble would approach a thickness near the Planck length, thus allowing quantum interactions to take place.
Piecing together some theory with Milyanov and a junior Ops officer, it was seen that all spacetime-violating phenomena would be revealed to the ship in such a warp bubble, the horizon of all possible shortcuts through the continuum spread out before them.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 27, 2016 21:23:49 GMT
Altan and Hemak had spent the last three days negotiating, then, with a tentative agreement between the Mongol People of Delkhii and the Federation of worlds in place, the two shook hands ..... Of course, it would take much much more to resolve all the issues between the two than a handshake, but it was a start, a start neither thought possible until the arrival of the USS Raven-B .....
Ten Forward ~ USS Raven-B ::
"I feel we should combine our efforts to rid ourselves of the Cardassian threat quickly." Hemak was saying, "They have made less than veiled threats regarding their previous agreement with you, and it would be erroneous to think they are just going to depart unsatisfied."
"I agree." Altan said, looking at Carl and his Senior Staff, "Maybe our new friends will offer their assistance in this matter, though I would be understanding if they wished only to return to their own realm ?"
"We have much to thank both of you for ..." Carl began, "But yes, while we wish you every success in your newfound association, my Officers and crew have Families they would like to see again, and the Raven is needed at home."
"Then we shall do everything in our power to see you accomplish your return home Admiral." Altan said, "Firstly we need to ascertain the whereabouts of your missing Officers, I believe interrogation of my 'former' adviser will produce results. it is my hope that they are safe and well,but I would not put in beyond Ogljai to feel he would need to dispose of them for fear of being discovered. His death will be long and painful if this should be the case."
"I have ordered two of my best Engineers to transport to your vessel to assist in refining the crystals you need to use in your warp drive, we are confident you will have all the power you need when the time to return comes, but until then I hope you will both do me the honour of dining with my Officers and myself aboard the T'Ehleyr ?" Hemak said, bowing to Altan.
"I must return to my Palace first. I have been away from my People far too long. Besides, I have the arduous task of looking for my new Adviser, a task I do not look forward to." Altan said.
"I have the feeling that Ogljai's successor is closer than you think." Calli said, glancing at the man stood opposite. A wry grin formed as Altan motioned for her trusted guard Saqur. He approached, eyes locked on the floor before his Empress. She issued orders for Ogljai to be taken to the Palace.
"Your wish is my Command. Khagan." Sequr said, backing away a respectful distance, then turning to carry out her orders. Carl frowned and Altan noticed his confusion, she asked what could be puzzling him:
"Sequr ... He addressed you as 'Khagan' ? ....."
"Yes ..." Altan said, seemingly embarrassed for a second before she continued, "Khagan is a title only ever bestowed on one other in our history ... A loose translation would be ... King of Kings."
"Then the title is more than warranted in my humble opinion." Carl said as he accompanied the Ruler of Delkhii to the transporter room. Moments later the Raven Staff were alone, the crew and Families reunited for the first time since being taken from the ship. He wondered what the next few hours would bring ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 31, 2016 14:55:31 GMT
On the screen Dorj's assistant stepped back, revealing the glowing Mongol Empire symbol on the wall soon eclipsed by Dorj himself. Blakus still found it hard to believe the man had survived the crash of the Empress Kallae into the shield complex on the deuterium moon, nevertheless here he was without a scratch on him.
"Commander," Dorj greeted, "Two of your three crew who were replaced by Ogljai's infiltrators have been found and are now on their way to you. I regret, however, that the officer Lieutenant Zavial will not be returned. Checking the records of the processing centre where it is believed Zavial was replaced, it appears your officer was scheduled for execution along with 17 others suspected of being spies for the Federation." He paused, clearing his throat, "I am sorry to tell you the 17 were executed yesterday morning, Commander."
Blakus squinted his eyes; there was something unusual in the deliberate way Dorj had told him, for he had always been blunt and unapologetic in his sayings before. "Are you sure?" he asked lamely. Dorj looked at him as if he'd made a joke. "I'm sorry, I..." Perhaps it was an unwillingness to accept it, and he was directing the denial as to form a plausible reason for doubt, for thinking that it could not possibly be.
Dorj nodded in understanding, "On the Chief Protector's orders I am sending you the information pertaining to integration of the dilithium crystals lent to you, from both the Empire and the Federation of Worlds - data that I possess and that Master Saqur now knows about - into your warp drive successfully." Blakus nodded, wondering how the knowledge that Dorj had been working for both the Federation and Froras's faction of the Mongols had gone down with the at-the-time Ogljai-aligned Palace Citadel. "You may wish to know how I escaped from the Empress Kallae," Dorj said.
Given Blakus's affirmative, the man went on, "I was summoned by Ogljai who did not know I was on the Kallae. Of course, if he had, I would've been killed immediately upon my coming into his presence. Froras bid me depart in an escape pod, five minutes before entry of the moon's atmosphere, such that I may continue to influence the J'aut quri and avert his coup d'etat of the legitimate government."
With the knowledge that Zavial was deceased, Andae went back to engineering, curtly informing the officers and then setting about work at the pool table; Milyanov and Tinsley operated the console at the other side, while he accessed the diagnostics panel for the dilithium matrix.
Entering Dorj's coding he found the new crystals - now augmented with the reflective thorium plates - aligning perfectly to the incident matter and antimatter flow, gaps between the molecular bonds becoming parallel to the deuterium flux like blinds opening in a window. He looked at Tinsley who nodded, knowing what the CEO meant.
He tapped his commbadge, =/\=Bridge, this is Blakus. We have pinpointed the rift in the Jorgsonn Expanse, or at least where it should be as predicted by the equations relating to the new geometry warp bubble we hope to create. The rift should be two way, sir, however it is unknown whether the quantum displacement is of the same value and with a reverse sign, which we need it to be; if it isn't then the timeline we intersect on the return journey could be totally different from both the Earth we know and the Delkhii universe. Unfortunately there's no way to know whether we're truly returning until we enter the rift.=/\=
Aware they may not be finished in Delkhii orbit quite yet, Blakus finished =/\=Engineering is ready and standing by, Admiral=/\= and went to his office to look at a map of Mongol Europe.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 3, 2016 1:59:00 GMT
~~~ Four Days Later ~~~
~~~ Delkhii Space ~~~ The Raven, accompanied in close formation by the Federation Flagship, FSS T'Ehleyr, and the Delkhi Flagship IC Empress Kallae, approached the region known to be the focal point of their return home. In the Raven's Observation lounge, Khagan Altan Temugin Khan, Fleet Commander Admiral Hemak, Carl Torek, and their Senior Staff enjoyed a well earned, and well deserved drink. They had seen a change, one that would ensure the preservation and continuing expansion of the Federation of Worlds far beyond any expectations, and it was hoped that the Raven, and others from their realm would one day return. Whether that would be possible was impossible to predict, in fact, it was still unkniwn if the Raven herself could successfully return to the realm they belonged in. The three vessels, now allies and hopefully lifelong friends, finally bade their farewell's to one another with Hemak and Altan returning to their ships. Raven moved forward, practically inching toward the point of their transition .... ooo000ooo On the Bridge Carl waited for final confirmation from Andae that they were ready ... The Comm chirped to life: =^= Bridge .. Blakus .. We have pinpointed the rift in the Jorgsonn Expanse .. Or at least where it should be as predicted by the equations relating to the new geometry warp bubble we hope to create .. The rift should be two way Sir .. However it is unknown whether the quantum displacement is of the same value and with a reverse sign which we need it to be .. If it isn't then the timeline we intersect on the return journey could be totally different from both the Earth we know and the Delkhii universe .. Unfortunately there's no way to know whether we're truly returning until we enter the rift =^= =^= Stand by Engineering =^= He asked the Comms Officer to open a channel to both the T'Ehleyr and the Kallae simultaneously: =^= Empress .. Admiral .. We are about to attempt to enter the rift .. I wish you good will and long life .. Torek .. Out =^= =^= God speed Raven =^= the two said in unison. nodding as the two people he had come to know well vanished off screen. After a moments' reflection, he asked to be connected to Engineering: =^= Andae .. Engineering has full control .. We will sit back and watch the show .. Commence at your convenience =^= =^= Aye Sir .. .. .. Commencing run =^= ooo000ooo "Admiral, I'm picking up Comm traffic .... USS Grant .... Our chronometers are registering errors. I'm resetting now." Harry said, grinning. "We managed it ?" Calli asked, looking at the stars on the view-screen. "Yes Ma'am. Long-range beacons show we're back in our realm. Engineering should be able to confirm, but I'd sat we are home." ....... < tag : Andae >OOC : I'll close this off once you've posted our transition Andae ... Carl.
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Sept 3, 2016 19:15:00 GMT
"Acknowledged, Admiral," Blakus touched the comm closed button on his desk and leaned towards the exit, shouting to Tinsley and Milyanov, "Proceed!" They looked around in surprise and nodded, moving about the table and entering long strings of commands; looking back at the desk, Blakus changed his mind and re-opened the channel to the bridge.
He continued glaring at the map of Mongol Europe for a few moments, particular attention paid to the Italian peninsula - his birth place in the 'actual' timeline - which had been unusually distended in its proportions.
Like a city in Japan where space was hard to come by, in the margins where the Latin and Tuscan coasts had once been, running almost like the vertical part of a boot, the land ballooned into the former ocean, numerous flat and rectangular shapes jutting out from these blown up curves thrown into the depths - it didn't seem to have been done for any reason of lack of land however. Indeed it seemed the Mongols had built several hundreds-square kilometres industrial installations and spaceports on the new expanded peninsular land mass.
Milyanov had started the ship moving into the rift under the organisational direction of Tinsley - the roles reversed from how one might expect, considering Milyanov had taken command briefly during a jaunt on a previous shore leave. Blakus moved back to engineering just in time to see, on the small viewscreen on a wall panel, the edge of the invisible rift - marked by on-screen graphics - disappear at the screen's edges. They were inside.
Light was seen on the other side, if only in the x-ray band. "That's a good sign," Milyanov said.
Blakus nodded as he took in the readings, "The same x-ray source in the same configuration as the one we observed passing the Jorgsonn Expanse the first time. I remember when we lost the read-out; it makes sense now that it suddenly disappeared."
"That means we're back." He heard similar conversation on the bridge as star-fixings and other signs that they'd returned to the original dimension were detected by the Raven. "What about a name for the anomaly?" he asked.
"In the Jorgsonn Expanse?" Milyanov said. The Assistant Chief thought of the most notable feature from the alternate timeline, or most notable historical figure, Genghis Khan, and in line with what they'd seen, his daughter. Yet he thought, it would be appropriate to name them as they truly were, in reality that you could touch and not just read. "How about the Temujin Rift?"
Delkhii
He watched the pearl rising on the horizon, materialising out of the orange-grey glow in the early morning; it rose faster than the other stars, and much faster than the Delkhii sun itself; this wasn't a surprise to the man. He shielded his eyes as the burning hydrogen mass rose behind the pearl, the shadow falling across the mottled blue aquamarine skin of his face and the view further eased on his eyes by a dust cloud rolling across the plain suddenly.
It faded out after a brief swirling across the arable farmland of this part of his home, grit passing over him in diffuse layers like a mist. He turned away from the sight of the pearl just as it seemed to shoot forward across the sky, arcing across the celestial sphere in less than a second and beginning to fade towards the west.
The atmosphere seemed to light up around him, glowing with a new uncertain energy as he made his way back to the household. The dawning of a new moon had been heralded in a unique way. It could he supposed be said that his friends had departed, but that now he had a new master.
He decided good work had been done by the authorities in doctoring the records pertaining to his death, by execution. It hadn't been too hard to evade them after that, for while they'd done what he requested - he'd paid them enough - their decision had been overturned by the Palace. The star had burned reflecting the inside and outside of Zavial as he'd fled, he'd felt like pure hydrogen, pure suns. Then he'd run into Gjopis.
A creaking rocking chair in a grey room, the form of the hydrogen man outlined against the glow from the makeshift fire along the short wall. Gjopis rested in the chair opposite him and asked him questions all morning about the black-winged bird from another galaxy.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 4, 2016 18:20:40 GMT
~~~ Mission conclusion ~~~
ooo000ooo After saying their final farewell's Altan and Hemak departed the Raven .... Their vessels dropped back to allow the Raven free space to return to their own realm .... Once through the spacial rift he watched it fall behind them. They were almost one million kilometers away when Carl spoke: "Helm, all stop ... Bring us about and hold position." He got out of the Command Seat and approached the massive view-screen. They could still see the rift despite the vast distance between them, but slowly it began to fade from the visible spectrum. He had ordered warning buoy's be place around the phenomenon to ensure no other vessels would fall through, though he was assured that if it was to happen again they would be met with open arms rather than suspicion as the Raven initially was. Calli came to stand beside him: "Penny for them." she said, Carl smiled then returned to his seat. "We came up with a name for the Jorgsonn Expanse rift." Andae said to Carl. "Oh ?" not realising they were looking for one. "Yeh, actually Milyanov came up with it, but I think we should keep it ... The Temüjin Rift." "I like it." Calli said, "Fitting." "OK. Enter it into our records and have Stellar Cartography submit the designation ... Helm, bring us about, set course for Star Base forty Seven ... Warp six ... Engage." ..... ~~~ Home ~~~
ooo000ooo They approached the enormous Star Base at one quarter impulse, even though they had not been home for almost a month, they were in no great hurry to dock ... The Raven was well overdue for a complete overall and updates to various systems, including a new warp core. He intended to spend some time with his Family before they set out again and had made it clear to all of the crew, from his Senior Staff, to crewmen, and civilians, that they should make use of the opportunity while they could. With the 'Base dock-master's tractor beams caressing the Raven, they were drawn through the space-doors and tenderly nudged against one of the main Docks. Immediately umbilicus reached out and connected, providing the Galaxy Class vessel with external power, walkway's extended to allow ingress and egress from both the Saucer Section and the Engineering Section. Andae shut down the core from the Engineering Station on the Bridge, having instructed his Deputy to liaise with the 'Base technicians in readiness for the removal and refit of the core. Within minutes the Bridge was seemingly overwhelmed by everyone from technicians, carpenters, even removal experts. Shrugging he stood and told everyone but the Duty Staff to vacate. "I'll meet you all in O'Tooles in, two hours, twenty hundred hours, drinks are on me." he said .......... ~~~ Mission concluded ~~~
Many thanks to all the crew, notably Commander First Class Andae Blakus For his outstanding contributions once again
ooo000ooo
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