Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 9, 2019 0:40:45 GMT
Blakus one by one released from the crate containing the computer core the hands of the core recovery team, while Valente tethered them to the Raven. Minutes later as part of a collective effort the core was brought back within the Raven for the first time since the Shon'ni's forcible removal of it two days ago.
"Well," he smiled as he unlocked his EVA suit's helmet along with the others, while Torek, still gripping his bow, and Wedlerson with the fibre cable looked on, "I must say congratulations, Commander T'Seng, that was a brilliantly conducted recovery operation," he looked at the crate now positioned just inside the inner airlock. Soon technicians arrived to place it on another mag gurney and propel it through the ship to the primary core's cradle (currently occupied by the Shon'ni's substitute device, disabled).
"It was a collective enterprise," T'Seng shrugged but was appreciative and also thanked the CO for his marksmanship.
They returned to the bridge, where Andae resumed attempting contact with the possible de Gama strandees in the next system; he'd had little luck previously, while the recovery op had been in progress and Calli had had the centre seat while Torek had occupied the ready room - it'd been difficult to direct the ship's sensor and comm equipment along a fine enough path, enough so he'd been unsure he'd been detecting a weak but discernible signal from the de Gama mutineers or if it'd merely been particularly amplified EM background noise and radiation. However, he soon made a breakthrough.
With the information in the computer banks well on the way to full restoration with the return of the core, they'd virtually confirmed that those who'd attempted contact were indeed mutineers: the XO Kosenko and apparently a son of his by a Shon'ni mother. This confirmation was redoubled now, "Come in... -ome in... This is... -olai Kosenk- ... I repeat, Nikol- ... -enk-..."
"I have them," Blakus murmured and his hands flew across the console while the main comms officer watched over his shoulder with arms folded somewhat testily. "Refining bandwidth, direction of antenna, subspace frequency set..." Whirring sounds emanated and eventually a clearer comm came through,
"... and we've made contact with your officer Lieutenant Commander Milyanov. He didn't want you to know he'd nearly arrived here, but I felt it my duty as a potential Starfleet officer... Are you reading me? This is Nikolai, son of Viktor Kosenko of the Vasco de Gama?"
"Yes, we read you now, Mr Kosenko," Blakus replied, as Torek and Valente approached the comms console to observe his work. Blakus paused, wiping his brow and shaking his head slightly: he was still disbelieving, why had Milyanov felt it necessary to go to these lengths to help the Kosenkos and their fellow mutineers? They'd have soon all been out there, if they could escape the clutches and potential noose of the Shon'ni...
Hasqyr looked round from the nearby subsidiary comms console, "Admiral Torek," he called and gestured for the CO's benefit towards the viewscreen. Navigation Officer Fields and Wedlerson were turned to one another in conversation and had missed the sight there, "The Shon'ni vessel before us is moving closer," Hasqyr observed, "This is a well known tactic of the Jirta... Ramming when other options have been ruled out or rendered impossible. They must've a Jirta agent acting as commander or in a subordinate role on that vessel."
Escape will not be so easy, Andae considered.
"How soon can we have warp speed?" Torek asked.
=/\=Lieutenant Tinsley,=/\= Blakus tapped his commbadge to contact the man in engineering, =/\=Time 'til full reintegration of the primary computer core?=/\=
Tinsley sounded flustered to say the least, =/\=My specialist teams are up there now to assist the techs, Commander, and nearly finished... Milyanov fully disabled the Shon'ni core device before leaving, making our task easier. Three minutes until reintegration, meaning approximately five minutes before we can set a warp heading.=/\=
To say it aloud was needless, it wouldn't take the Shon'ni Jirta vessel five minutes to complete its ramming manoeuvre of the Raven. "Evasive!" Torek barked. Fields banked the Sovereign class hard to starboard, in the direction in which they hoped to jump to warp.
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
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Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 9, 2019 12:17:31 GMT
Fleet Commander Daqur Shon'ni Damaged Flagship ::
"They have the core aboard ?"
"Yes my Lord." Lqiru. Daqur's Executive Officer confirmed.
"Good."
"My Lord, if I may be so bold ....." the Exec' said quietly, knowing what he had to say could well mean the end of both his and his families' lives, he waited nervously until his Commander had nodded before continuing, "Do you think it wise to use the Raven to pursue the de Gama and her crew ?"
"You doubt my resolve Lqiru ?"
"No never my Lord, but there has been talk, within the Council, that your 'preoccupation' since the arrival of the Federation vessel, is taking precedence over our conflict in the H'Vexxa Sector, we lost five Star cruisers alone in the last fifteen days. It is thought that you are neglecting your duties and are allowing this vendet ....." he stop speaking as Daqur slammed his fist into the armrest of the Command Seat ! ... no-one on the Bridge dared look up for fear of attracting their Commanders' wrath as the Exec' dropped to one knee head bowed, hoping it would still be attached at the conclusion of this conversation.
"I know you have friends within the Council Lqiru, and that you have proved most useful in the past." Daqur whispered, "Your rewards to you and your, family, are many, as you well know. But you forget your position." the Commander said darkly.
"Forgive my insolence my Lord." the Exec' replied, failing to hide the tremor in his voice.
"Clear the Bridge !" Daqur ordered, then continued once the two were alone, "You believe what the Council are saying in their darkened corridors ?"
"No my Lord, but it is not me who ......"
"Do not worry yourself then." the Fleet Commander reassured, "But know this. I will not tolerate open questioning of my actions a second time Lqiru, while you have the privilege of speaking openly in private, to do so at any other time will see you dead before your sentence has escaped your lungs. Do i make myself clear ?"
"Yes my Lord."
"Very well, we shall speak no more of this ...." he returned to his seat then again turned to look directly at his Fleet Executive Officer, ".... Send the seventh and fourth groups to assist in the H'Vexxa Sector, that should appease Noiql and his Council Members, and if not then they are free to get off their fat, LAZY, behinds, and board vessels of their own .... Now, the Raven ...."
"My Lord, may I return the Bridge to operational condition ?"
"Yes, do so ...." he waited as the Bridge crew returned to their duties then continued in an apparent lighter mood, ".... Now, the tracing device, you are confident it cannot be discovered ?"
"The 'program' is shielded from their internal sensors, it will establish itself within the vessel's primary warp field generators the instant the core is activated. Each hour it will release a few neutrons of Triprotium into the plasma injector assembly of each of their nacelles. The tracer program will have inserted instructions for the ships computers to ignore the particle emissions as acceptable fluctuations within the matter antimatter matrix, and as such will not report the anomalous readings but remove any record of them prior to recording and notification ... We have adapted both this and a second vessel of your choosing with the means to track the emissions over a distance of twenty light years."
"Good .... Good ...." Daqur said, seemingly satisfied as he watched the tactical readout of the Raven and the Jirta vessel, "We shall soon have the de Gama, and those responsible for the death of my beloved Daughter."
"My Lord, I worry that the Humans will begin to suspect." Lqiru began, continuing as his Lord raised his eyebrows but didn't comment, "I am concerned that they are so unsuspecting as to think they have bested us on numerous occasions ... Taking back their Officers, forcing one of our vessels to crash, although they had no way of knowing it was an unmanned orbital drone vessel and not one of the Fleet, and now their audacious retaking of their precious computer core ?"
"My Lord." one of the Officers interrupted, "The Jirta Vessel, it has begun to approach the Federation ship !" Daqur smiled.
"Why should we be concerned Lqiru, we have the rebels doing our jobs for us do we not. They would have us believe the Raven is their saviour one moment, their enemy the next. No, I believe the good Raven will make haste to separate themselves from the oncoming vessel, and in doing so will be less likely to discover our, tampering. Under normal circumstances, I believe the Admiral would have his Engineers examining their core to ensure it's condition, but hey ho, they now have another issue in the approaching Shon'ni vessel, what to do ?"
"But ...." Lqiru began before falling silent.
"The Jirta are incompetent. They have done little to upset the Council. They are an irritant at best, but one we will stamp out when their usefulness has expired." Daqur said, waving Lqiru away, the conversation over.
Lqiru backed away then took his own seat, eyes focused on the tactical readout, while inside, his hatred for Daqur, and the mans idiotic misunderstanding and obvious underestimation of the Jirta Rebel Faction grew ever deeper .......... "This is a well known tactic of the Jirta ..." Hasqyr said nervously, "... Ramming when other options have been ruled out or rendered impossible. They must have a Jirta Agent acting as Commander or in a subordinate role on that vessel." "How soon before we have warp online ?" Carl asked patiently, listening to the conversation between his Exec' and Chief Engineer, "OK .... Evasive !" The sovereign Class Raven yawed to Starboard, the Planet sliding out of view on the left of the large viewscreen. The Shon'ni vessel was also changing direction, no doubt trying to broadside the Raven before she could escape orbit completely. "What the hell are they playing at !" Calli asked rhetorically, "How many people are they willing to loose to prevent our escape ?" "Why not simply open fire ?" Harry asked from the Operations console. It was a question that had been roaming around Torek's head for some time. In his opinion it was all too easy. Held for summery execution, the Raven taken as what, spoils of war ? ... Yet within twenty four hours they had regained their crew, restored the stolen computer core, and 'still' the Shon'ni had not fired on them ! "Are weapons online ?" Carl asked suddenly. "They are now Admiral." Lysia said from Tactical. "Lock onto the Shon'ni vessels' engines, lets see if we can't slow them down." "Locked on." T'Seng confirmed. "Fire." .... Beams of almost pure energy lanced from the primary phaser ribbon beneath the saucer section of the Raven, slamming into the Aft section of the Shon'ni vessel less than a second later. The approaching vessel bucked as it's drive systems went off-line and gravity began to exert it's influence on the enormous ship. No doubt they were frantically trying to restore drive while using every thruster available to prevent them from falling into their home planets' atmosphere. 'Yet still they didn't open fire' Carl was thinking as if reading his mind the Shon'ni vessel did fire. The Raven's shields took the impact but shook the ship to it's foundations in doing so. It was clear they couldn't withstand much more before suffering the same fate as their attacker. "Lock onto their weapons systems and fire." Torek ordered. Again twin arrows of light lanced across the void and smashed into the now weakened shields of the approaching vessel, one hit home while the second passed through a section of the ship exiting on the far side. This time the Shon'ni didn't return fire, but the attack had caused damage to the Raven too. As it moved away from the planet damage and injury reports began coming up to the Bridge. They had lost lives, as no doubt had the Shon'ni vessel. "Do we have a heading for the communication you received Andae ?" "Yes." Blakus replied. "Full impulse ... Go to warp the moment the core is online." Carl ordered getting up and walking across the Bridge toward his Ready Room, "You have the Bridge Commander." he said to Andae as he left ..........
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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 Nov 10, 2019 14:20:06 GMT
Carl had only been in his ready room for a few moments when he was called back to the Bridge ..... "Problem Mister Wedlerson ?" he asked as Andae pointed at the viewscreen. "There's another vessel approaching, they are requesting permission to dock." Harry informed him. "Is it from the other vessel ?" Torek asked, walking closer to the screen. "No Sir, it has come up from the surface, it's armed but nothing that could worry us ..." Harry informed him, "... The man says he's from the Supreme Council of Shon'ni Worlds, whatever that is." "He won't speak via comms other than to arrange a hard dock." Andae said with a shrug. "OK, let's have our cautious friend dock. Use the Port Saucer Section air-lock, Lysia, get some Security down there. Andae, Calli, you're with me, Harry, the Bridge is yours." *****"Have you checked for weapons ?" Torek asked as they reached the air-lock. "They're clean Admiral." the Security Officer confirmed. Carl nodded and the inner door slid silently aside. Beyond, three men stood, all elaborately robed. The one on front stepped forward, hand outstretched, Carl took the hand then invited the three to enter the ship. The apparent leader of the three insisted they speak quickly ... Nodding, Carl took the group to Conference Room ... "If I may, I would like to introduce myself ...." the leader said as they all took seats around the table, "I am Noiql, of the Supreme Ruling council of Shoni'ni Worlds. These are my fellow Council members, YuiQn and HeQek ..." "I thought the Council was just ruling your home world." Calli asked. "Yes, you are essentially correct. Each world has their own Council of Leaders, their Ruling Council. The Supreme Council oversees all our Worlds. I am privileged to hold the position of Chancellor on the Supreme Council." Noiql explained, "But I fear we have little time to discuss the minutiae of how our government functions. Needless to say we are aware of your situation and would, albeit, reluctantly, like to aid your escape." "Oh, and why would that be ?" Andae asked, eyebrows raised. "It may help if I were to give you some insight into how our governing body works: A seat on the Supreme Council hereditary, as in part is a seat on the individual planetary Councils .... To retain a seat you must have an heir to replace you on your death, or the seat becomes open, at this time the Supreme council take nominations for the empt ...." "This is all well and good." Carl interrupted, "But we have issues that need our attention, so if you would ....." "I fully understand your predicament Admiral, more in fact than you yourself do. OK, as I was saying, the seat is passed down through generations of each Family, my own family has held a seat on the supreme Council for eight generations, and given I have Children and Grandchildren, they will do so for several more. Each seat has complete autonomy over the running of their departments, so for example, I, indirectly, oversee all power throughout the systems, I could if I so chose, cut power to a single facility, a city, or a whole planet id I desired, ans no-one could overrule my decision as long as I held my seat. Likewise, any other on the supreme Council could do likewise without retribution .... Now, some twenty one years ago another of your vessels entered our System, we welcomed them with open arms, even allowing them a small amount of an element produced in quantity on several of our planets, but we were betrayed ..." The Vasco de Gama ?" Calli commented, receiving a nod of confirmation from Noiql, who continued to explain: "Indeed yes, the de Gama .... What you cannot know, is that while enjoying our, hospitality. Captain Smetlev became romantically involved with one of our citizens and fathered a child." Noiql got up and began walking around the room, he looked almost embarrassed at what he was divulging, but continued nonetheless, "When Captain Smetlev stole the Triprotium from our storage facility, he attacked and killed several of those working there. There was a long drawn-out firefight, in which lives on both sides were lost. Having informed Security, Fleet Commander Daqur acted quickly to deal with the situation. He dispatched several of our vessels, including his own, to intercept the Vasco de Gama, the ship fought back with much more intensity than we had expected. Not wanting to accidentally detonate the Triprotium, Daqur was about to turn his ships back when he was informed that his Daughter and Child were aboard the de Gama. It was clear that Smetlev was taunting the man, and in his rage he opened fire on the Earth vessel instructing the Gunnery Officer to disable their drive systems only ...." Daqur took a sip of water then continued. "The de Gama's shields were fluctuating, the missile hit the Saucer, blasting a section almost one hundred meters in diameter away. The loss of life was large, and much to Daqur's horror, included his Daughter ...." It suddenly dawned on everyone in the room that this was all about revenge ... Revenge for his lost child ! "So, am I to assume that given you are here, you are going to instruct Daqur to cease his pursuit of our ship and allow us to leave ?" Carl asked. "As I have already explained Admiral, we cannot interfere, he, as with all the sitting Supreme Council members, has full autonomy over how he conducts his, business." "So Daqur is one of the Supreme Council !" Calli commented, almost shocked. "He is indeed, and as I have stated previously, his tenure on that Council is dependent on his having an heir to replace him at his time of departure. Alas, he no longer has that heir." "So he wi ...." "He will loose everything. Oh, not his home, or his wealth, but having no connection to the Council, he will not last very long. He, like most of us, has acquired his fare share of friends, but also, enemies ... As one of the Ruling council no-one dared make any move for fear of their whole Family, including Women and, Children, being tortured to death in the Primary Square. But once ties all ties with the Council have been severed, you unfortunately become vulnerable. Most choose to leave the planet, the System, quickly, in fact most of those knowing they will be leaving the Supreme Council tend to flee before the day comes, and go out alone, others unfortunately, don't get the chance ... It is barbarism at it's worst, but it is how we survive." he sat down almost exhausted. "So if what you are saying is correct, you cannot do anything to stop his actions, so why come up here ?" Carl asked. Noiql looked at his colleagues for several long moments before replying: "Daqur is grief stricken, and in our, opinion, is not competent to hold his position on the Supreme Council. given his, situation, we feel we can demand he step down." "He will refuse ..." YuiQn stressed to the Federation Officers, "Should his Officers, however loyal, hear of his fall, they too will see this as an opportunity to garner favour with the next Head of Shon'ni Security." "So what do you plan to do ?" Blakus asked, not liking the cut-throat mentality of the Shon'ni one little bit. It was dawning on Carl that Noiql had no knowledge of his Grandson, or did he simply not deem the information relevant, but it seemed Noiql had already realised the Federation Officers were aware of the child. "Daqur has no living descendants ...." he said, looking pointedly at Torek for a moment before continuing, ".... and as such, his place on the Supreme Council is forfeit. He can step down by joining us on our vessel, we will then take him to whatever location he desires to perpetuate his continued survival, or, he can remain aboard his own vessel and take his extremely slender chances with his own Officers. My ... Our, only stipulation to our assistance, is that if and when you find the child, you take him out of our System never to return." "You want us to hide the heir to Daqur's throne ?" Calli said, with an expression of disgust on her face. "Precisely." Noiql said, smiling for the first time since coming aboard the Raven ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 21, 2019 22:55:41 GMT
As Noiql's explanation came to an end, Blakus sat in silence, stunned by the revelations of the last few minutes on several counts, one by the barbarism of the Shon'ni in their methods of selection of new Council members, or continuation of the old members via their respective bloodlines, two by Daqur's seeming unshakeable sense of vengeance, and three by the honesty of the three Council members before them who'd taken a substantial risk, despite their earnestness though he had to wonder whether they might be hiding something.
There was also the matter of Smetlev's child by a Shon'ni woman... So Kosenko the supposed former first officer wasn't the only one of the de Gama crew to take a new mate from amongst the Shon'ni... Andae was reminded of the crew of the HMS Bounty, how the mutineers had become stranded on one or two islands of old Earth and had taken primitive tribespeople as their new wives; in that case, however, the Captain had had right on his side, in this case, the Captain was Hektor Smetlev...
"We can't possibly -"
"Then the agreement is off," YuiQn said shortly and began to stand with the others, Noiql appearing apologetic but his features somehow having hardened. Tentatively, finally, they agreed to search for the child and take it from Shon'ni space. Where to start? If it still lived, it would perhaps be on the de Gama, unless it'd somehow joined the mutineers... who must've embarked upon their mutinous proceedings between here and the next system where at least XO Kosenko's family was now located.
"Is it possible Daqur's daughter gave the child into the keeping of a sympathetic de Gama officer before she died?" Blakus asked those around the table, "Could we find the child with those who mutinied?" He hoped so, as the thought of it being on the Vasco de Gama, wherever the ship was, was too awful to contemplate.
<Tag Torek, other staff>
As they left the conference room, an altercation took place, Blakus was unsure what was happening but then saw Hasqyr in the midst of the scuffle, who'd apparently been passing innocuously along the bridge consoles back to the subsidiary comms station.
"Traitor! Traitor, I say...!" One of the Supreme Council members' arms swung wildly and he had to be restrained, it was HeQek; security pulled his arms behind his back but he leant forward, kicking at the floor, his face red with fury and mouth frothing, "Traitor!" he growled extraordinarily. HeQek was taken below deck to be calmed.
"I'm sorry, Admiral," Noiql said after a moment, "I'm afraid Councillor HeQek has never reconciled himself with the fact of rebel elements existing inside the Jirta. You see, under his purview are the administration of the Jirta Intelligence Wing as well as all agricultural production. He is a man of eclectic interests and abilities, a genius in fact but with a fierce temper, as you clearly see."
He turned to the rogue Shon'ni Hasqyr with a swish of his robes, "My apologies, Overseer Hasqyr." Little did he or any of them know that HeQek had been fomenting rebellion and bringing about an uprising of the agriculturalists by depriving them of necessary foodstuffs, as a way of encouraging the rebel cause; HeQek was furious with Hasqyr as he saw that his brazen actions weakened the movement. At this very moment, the Shon'ni world in the system of theirs farthest from here was experiencing a global farmers' revolt.
"Commander Wedlerson," the comms officer spoke, "We're receiving another transmission from the planet in the next system. It's Nikolai Kosenko again."
"Let's hear it," Harry said and nodded to Torek who had the Operations officer vacate the centre chair. Blakus took the XO's seat.
=/\=USS Raven, this is Nikolai, son of Commander Viktor Kosenko. Your officer Milyanov has arrived in a USS Raven shuttle. He is badly injured, USS Raven...=/\=
Andae shot a glance at Torek while Valente responded, =/\=Send us your exact coordinates on the planet you are on, Mr Kosenko, and we will be with you in...=/\= she checked with the helm who fed her the information: still at impulse in the Shon'ni capital system until the three Supreme Council members departed, it would take them a while to reach the next system, Calli estimated, =/\=... In 3.5 hours time, we will be in orbit.=/\= Nikolai acknowledged, they could sense the young man's relief.
=/\=This is Commander Blakus. Have you given medical assistance to Commander Milyanov? Is his condition stable? How did this happen?=/\=
=/\=His shuttle came into land near our location but was already heavily damaged. Milyanov was able to bring the shuttle in but it was a heavy landing, he may have injured himself further. We're still unsure how the damage was done. We've done our best to help him, his condition is stable but only just. I'm sorry, we -=/\=
=/\=How many mutineers do you have with you?=/\= Andae asked, trying not to let his impatience or upset be heard.
=/\=At least half the original crew and half as many again of their children by Shon'ni spouses, about seven hundred in all scattered over this planet maintaining themselves in various levels of obscurity, apart from a select few who have taken positions in the Shon'ni administration with one person ruling over the Council of a mid-sized town near the equator. We also have over two thousand Shon'ni sympathisers, family and friends and associates of the Shon'ni who have married mutineers. They would help in any attempt to escape the planet and assist us in finding our way back to the Federation.=/\=
The Federation is a long way from here, Blakus thought, knowing Nikolai would barely remember it if at all. The Supreme Council members made arrangements to leave; however, YuiQn remained in place to observe the Raven crew's efforts and ensure they kept to their end of the bargain. With Noiql and HeQek gone, the Raven jumped to warp and Daqur - at a distance - would surely follow.
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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 Nov 26, 2019 17:09:44 GMT
"We can't possibly ....." "Then the agreement is off," "OK ..." Carl finally conceded as the Shon'ni began to file from the conference room. "You will find the child, you will remove him, or her, from our space, and ensure it never return to claim it's rights ?" YuiQn prompted. "We will do what we can," Torek answered, hating being effectively held to ransom. YuiQl had begun to speak but NoiQl held up a hand to silence the man. As they crossed the Bridge a minor altercation erupted but it was quickly quashed as accusations flew from both sides. The comm chirped to life, it was Nikolai Kosenko with news about their crew members. As the conversation drew to a close Kosenko revealed information Torek had rather he hadn't: =^= .. .. .. At least half the original crew and half as many again of their children by Shon'ni spouses .. About seven hundred in all scattered over this planet maintaining themselves in various levels of obscurity .. Apart from a select few who have taken positions in the Shon'ni Administration with one person ruling over the Council of a mid-sized town near the equator .. .. We also have over two thousand Shon'ni sympathisers .. Family and friends and associates of the Shon'ni who have married mutineers .. They would help in any attempt to escape the planet and assist us in finding our way back to the Federation =^= Carl couldn't help glance at Andae then at the Shon'ni, each seemingly working hard to keep their expressions neutral. They must surely be aware that the Sovereign Class Raven couldn't hope to evacuate everyone, and would only be looking to repatriate the de Gama crew, their spouses, and Children... It hadn't gone unnoticed by others on the Bridge that they had, albeit inadvertently, given away the location of thousands of dissident Shon'ni to the very people who would likely be taking action against them once the Human's had left. Finally, NoiQl, Head of the Supreme Ruling Council was escorted to the transporter room, his colleague YuiQn would remain to oversee proceedings, and undoubtedly report to NoiQl. HasQyr was held back until his brethren had left the Raven, then he too was taken to the transporter. Carl again sat in the center seat, eyes on the massive Shon'ni Warship ... He couldn't help but worry about their circumstances, was NoiQl and his colleagues telling the truth?. Were they in some internal power[play using the Raven as a pawn in their game, there was no way to tell either way, but one thing was paramount - Without the help of NoiQl, they had little or no chance of succeeding leaving the Shon'ni Primary Homeworld. "Sir, I'm picking up a vessel rising from the surface." Commander T'Seng informed Carl. "Heading our way ?" "No, Sir." the Tactical Officer confirmed. "Then ignore it ...." Torek said, still eying the Shon'ni Warship, ".... Helm, set course for the co-ordinates supplied by Mister Kosenko. Go to warp four once we have cleared the planets' gravitation influence." he knew it was risky, but he wanted to see how determined DaQur was in pursuing them for his own ends. "Time to location ?" Blakus asked once they were clear of the Primary System. "Twenty seven hours twenty nine minutes at our present speed." the Gynoid replied. "Any signs of pursuit ?" Calli asked. "The Shon'ni Warship is still in orbit but appears to be powering up their main drive systems," Lysia confirmed from Tactical. "Increase to Trans-warp three," Carl ordered. Time to Location of Stranded de Gama Crew Six Hours Eleven Minutes :: "Why haven't they come after us ?" Calli asked as she, Andae, and Carl ate. "Maybe NoiQl managed to relieve him of his command without the expected fuss." Carl speculated. "I doubt it," Andae said eyeing the salad on his plate. "Well, at least they can't overtake us," Calli replied. After dining the three returned to the Bridge .... It was past twenty-one hundred hours and would be night-time when they arrived in the System. Carl asked Andae to contact Kosenko and update him on their progress, alas, the news they received was less than encouraging: Two Shon'ni Warships thought to be on long-range reconnaissance for the last month had been redirected. It appeared that DaQur hadn't sat idle while the Raven sped through the empty vastness between them and their goal. Nikolai also informed them that he had received information that the Council Member had indeed left orbit of the Primary Homeword and was now en route to them. Lysia T'Seng was able to confirm that all three Shon'ni vessels would enter the System mere hours after Raven's arrival. "Brilliant," Carl muttered annoyingly. "Admiral, how will we proceed once reaching orbit ?" Calli asked, "Nikolai 'must' be aware we can't take everyone." "We have to assume that the majority of the Shon'ni who are willing to help don't in fact have intentions on leaving the planet, so we can count them out. It's going to be down to how many want to join the de Gama crew members." "We have facilities to evacuate twelve hundred men, women and children. We could push that a little." Harry Wedlerson confirmed. "Kosenko indicated there would be approximately seven hundred, so we shouldn't need to cram them in," Carl replied, "my main concern is that he said most were spread throughout the planet, some trying hard not to be located, so if we have to start searching we could be in a lot of trouble before we get one of them off the surface .... Do you think it's possible Kosenko could contact the groups and have them prepare in advance of our arrival ?" "Possible, yes." Wedlerson answered, "But there might be some resistance, some may well be happy stay put." "Then that's their call. I'm not going to start negotiating with them, they come or stay, their choice." Carl said defiantly ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 29, 2019 16:18:29 GMT
Time to system adjacent to Shon'ni capital system: 46 minutes
Blakus sat in the XO's seat with his elbow on the armrest and a hand propped under his chin. He was pensive - yes, it was good the Raven had more than enough space to accommodate the de Gama mutineers, and that despite the difficulty in locating the various crewmembers and their families - where applicable - they'd be able to find them with Kosenko's hoped-for assistance, but there was the issue of their Chief Engineer. How badly injured was the Russian, would he be near Kosenko's coordinates, could he be in any other danger such as from Shon'ni authorities?
As he pondered these things, an alert came from comms - an unauthorised communique in progress from guest quarters, those set aside for Councillor YuiQn. They'd expected this, but still the Admiral nodded Andae's way who stood and signalled to T'Seng and a security guard at the back of the bridge.
They didn't bother with the chime and instead used an access code to gain entry to the Shon'ni's quarters (the same, Andae noted, as had been being used by Daqur during the period of the Raven's capture; the XO's jaw and temple still hurt where the passable boxer in Daqur had struck him near-unconscious).
YuiQn was sat at his small desk with a terminal before him, "Ah ha," he stood and dusted off his hands. "I thought you might come. You might have knocked, however."
"Updating Noiql, no doubt," Andae said with a mixture of amiability and sarcasm.
"Indeed," YuiQn nodded. There was a pregnant pause, "A drink, Commander Blakus, and Lieutenant Commander T'Seng, is it? And how about the silent fellow?" Security NCO Burton stood impassive near the door." Blakus and T'Seng refused. "Now look, Commander, I must reassure that the Shon'ni civilian government, our Ruling Councils, bear no ill will towards the mutineers from the Vasco de Gama or their collaborators and sympathisers among our own citizens. We each have a common enemy: Daqur. He and the military High Command, though he remains on the civilian Supreme Council, have been attempting to wrest control from the Councils for nearly 20 years. Why should we wish to harm those of the de Gama's crew who mutinied against the murderous Smetlev 20 years ago? He devastated three of our worlds with the triprotux, perhaps more."
Lysia spluttered, "You intended to have our entire crew executed! It was only thanks to some of our officers and Hasqyr that -"
"Daqur had tied our hands," YuiQn retorted, "The High Command had seized control of the judiciary. Guess what position Daqur holds on the Supreme Ruling Council? Yes, Chief Justice! Now, if you'll excuse me..."
* * *
Time to system adjacent to Shon'ni capital system: 22 minutes
Andae arrived back on the bridge slightly disbelieving though it was true YuiQn had said or done little wrong; he took his seat, shaking his head and rolling his eyes and then regarding Torek and Valente who smiled sympathetically. "Anything untoward down there?" Carl asked, as the star of the approaching system grew larger on the viewscreen.
"No, he seems to be fulfilling his brief, though it would've been... courteous of him if he'd informed us when he was going to send Noiql one of his reports..."
At that moment, Nikolai Kosenko called again from the planet, this time his transmission coming through clearly; what's more they now had visual: appearing on the screen was what seemed to be the interior of a rundown shack; masses of old-fashioned and jury-rigged equipment was stacked up each of the visible walls, a small door-frame set off to the right in which a tall, somewhat foreboding figure kept an unnerving vigil.
"Admiral Torek, I'm Nikolai Kosenko." The man before them was young, perhaps early twenties if that. "This channel is secured with high-grade Shon'ni military encryption technology. Your officer Milyanov has begun to recuperate, I have him here in this complex, two floors above me. Use your scanners when you're within range, you'll find Milyanov's..." he seemed to listen to the figure stood in the doorway, "His commbadge's signal."
"That's good news," Blakus piped up first.
"I've taken the liberty of preparing a list of mutineers, and their spouses and children where that applies. I think it's complete..." he thumbed through a thin sheaf of yellowing paper, "Sorry, we have no means of storing and transmitting electronic data; the Shon'ni confiscated all remaining tech after the triprotux17 deployment carried out here by Smetlev 20 years ago - the authorities intend to turn this into an agrarian world.
"I believe I and my associates - mutineers and others around me - can recover almost all of the 700. Unless you'd be willing to take any of our associates...?" he asked, vaguely hopefully. At this point the foreboding figure entered the room, he stepped into the light near the comm device; Blakus saw how the man bore a remarkable resemblance to Nikolai, and it came to him that this must be the young man's father, Viktor Kosenko, first officer of the de Gama.
"It's good to see you, USS Raven," the grizzled Kosenko, Sr. spoke, "But you'd 'better' take more of us - my wife has her extended family, and they have their own children, some less than a year old."
"Father," Nikolai made an injunction and batted him away, "Admiral, I said we can recover almost all the 700 from over our globe, except for, well, except primarily for these four who can't or don't want to leave," and he held up to the screen - entirely eclipsing the Raven bridge crew's view of the rest of the room - one of the sheets of yellow paper upon which was scrawled in bad handwriting the names of four former Starfleet officers, with a brief description alongside each:
Bodleian Erchach - Councillor of township Aqityim, cosmetically altered, integrated into Shon'ni society Melissa Proca - in deep hiding, of excellent character, fears capture if breaks cover, misses Feds; our matter transporters cannot access Samuel Sarkar - imprisoned in planet's main conurbation, deep underground bunker, being tortured Unara Azanel - has turned to criminal pursuits; matter transportation jamming seems to be in effect; cousin of UFP President
"They're all inaccessible to us, Admir- " At that moment the comm broke off; Andae, Carl and the Raven bridge crew hoped the reason was the standard of equipment the other end.
"Will we find any more sympathetic Shon'ni to help them, or should we attempt our own rescues?" Blakus asked, knowing Burwell and T'Seng would be ready to go.
"Lieutenant Svensson, research the database for those names and their respective species," Torek said, "Wedlerson, scan the planet for biosignatures matching theirs." They began to enter high orbit of the mutineers' world; the first two Shon'ni warships were just 50 minutes away.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Dec 8, 2019 14:21:40 GMT
"Will we find any more sympathetic Shon'ni to help them, or should we attempt our own rescues?" Blakus asked, knowing Burwell and T'Seng would be ready to go. "I'm not committing to rescuing anyone who doesn't want to come, simple as that ...." Carl said after issuing orders to Svensson and Wedlerson, ".... So, thoughts?" Carl asked. "Kosenko Senior is clearly under the impression we're here to do his bidding," Lysia commented. In Orbit :: Carl was in his ready room looking over the plans to accommodate an extra seven hundred plus personnel when the Bridge informed him that Mister Kosenko wished to come aboard prior to the evacuation commencing. Given they had a window of approximately forty minutes he wasn't too pleased with this, but could hardly refuse. After instructing Helen roach, Miral Grel, and the Senior Marine Officer to begin overseeing transport of the refugees, he requested Andae and Lysia join him, the persons transporting aboard surprised all of them: "Admiral. May I introduce myself in person ... Nikolai Kosenko." the young man held out his hand which Carl took as Medical Staff took the injured Milyanov. "We are short of time Mister Kosen ...." "Please, call me Nikolai, my Father is 'Mister' Kosenko." "OK, Nikolai. Thank you for returning my Officer, but may I ask, why you have requested this meeting?" Torek asked as they exited the transporter room. "I am here to inform you that my Wife, my Daughter, and Myself, will not be joining you when you depart our System." to say his declaration stunned everyone was an understatement! "I don't understand." Carl replied, glancing at his Exec' who seemed to be as confused as himself. "You see Admiral. Despite the efforts of my Father and his former Commanding Officer, I discovered my heritage, I know who I am, and the role I should take up as one of the last living descendants of DaQur." "I'm sorry Mis' Nikolai, but the terms are clear. Those on the surface who wish to leave will be brought aboard the Raven. At that time we will, hopefully, avoid a confrontation with vessels who intend to stop us doing just that. Your compliance is a requirement of those terms. The Ruling council intend to remove Daqur, both from his position on the Council, and his position as military Head of the Shon'ni." "Well, the council are going to fail," Nikolai said defiantly. "Why would you even 'want' to return to the Prime Homeword?" Lysia asked. "It is my birthright." the young man replied with a shrug. "I'm sorry Nikolai, but it can't be done ..." Carl said as they entered the Conference Room, "... NoQil made the terms very clear. We have to remove all those wishing to leave, but it was made clear that you, and any family members, wouldn't be afforded the same option. DaQur is less than thirty minutes behind us, those on the list you cannot contact will have to fend for themselves. Those wanting to leave are already being transported aboard as we speak." Carl finished, eyeing the young man, who seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before replying: "Your 'Federation' law prevents you from taking anyone against their will if I am correct?" "In certain circumsta ...." Blakus began, but the younger man interrupted him. "The circumstances are irrelevant Commander. You wish to take me from my home, I do not wish to comply. So, unless you have charges to lay against me, I believe the choice is mine and mine alone." Torek couldn't argue with the man, nor could Andae or Lysia. he did indeed have the option to remain. Carl tried another tack. "You do realise that there is no way the Ruling Council will allow you to return, so what do you intend, to remain here, in exile in perpetuity?" "I will return, and take my place, as will my family." Nikolai insisted. "HOW? ..." Lysia asked, her frustration obvious, "... You have no vessels, no means to leave, the Council will remove DaQur and install a replacement. From what we gather, that will leave you all fugitives." "You will take us back." the young man said matter of factly. The three federation Officers looked at him incredulously. "Never going to happen," Blakus said. "Then, I will await the arrival of my wife's father, we will return on the very Flagship I will Command in due course." As Nikolai was speaking one of the Bridge Officers entered and spoke to Torek quietly. Shaking his head he whispered something to the Officer who then left. Carl looked at Andae then Lysia, then finally to Kosenko junior ..........
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Dec 8, 2019 14:48:05 GMT
.......... "It appears you won't have long to wait ...." Carl said resignedly, ".... It appears that DaQur is entering orbit. He has instructed us to cease all transport from the surface. his second vessel is manoeuvring itself between us and the surface. So we seem to be at something of an impasse."
"Allow me to speak with him, Admiral. I am sure a compromise could be established." Nikolai asked.
"Oh, you don't fully appreciate the situation. DaQur has arrived with several vessels, but ships sent out from the Primary homeworld are also approaching, they will be in a position to act in fifteen minutes." Carl informed all present.
"I must return to my family!" Kosenko stated quickly.
"On the Raven, or on the surface, it isn't going to make any difference," Lysia said before asking permission to return to the Bridge. Carl nodded then looked at the young man, approached the door which slid aside silently.
"Lieutenant, please escort our guest to the transporter room," he instructed the Security Officer.
"Thank you, Admiral. I will await your decision." Nikolai said, leaving before Carl could comment further .... Both Officers entered the Bridge where a tactical view was on the viewscreen. They could see the four vessels commanded by DaQur, clearly positioned to prevent the Raven from moving away. The second group of vessels were approaching, six in all, presumably commanded by NoiQl!
"How many of the refugees do we have?" Torek asked.
"Four hundred seventeen Admiral," Calli confirmed. Carl slammed a fist into the armrest in frustration as he watched the tactical plot. The comm chirped to life suddenly, Carl instructed it be put up on the viewscreen.
=^= Admiral Torek .. .. Despite my warnings .. You seem to have positioned yourself in the middle of an internal Shon'ni situation =^=
=^= This doesn't need to be complicated DaQur =^= Carl replied.
=^= Indeed not .. .. Please begin transporting those Shon'ni you have aboard back to the surface .. On completion I will allow your vessel to depart orbit and our system =^=
=^= These people mean nothing to you DaQur .. They are exiled from their homeworld and only wish to seek a better life elsewhere =^=
=^= They are Shon'ni citizens who are harbouring .. Fugitives .. Once we have those in custody my concern with the rest will end .. .. Now .. Please commence returning our citizens to the surface .. I will contact you in due course =^=
"Sir the Shon'ni vessels are taking up positions close to the erm, other Shon'ni vessels," Lysia confirmed, "I'm picking up comms. The two are in communication with each other."
"Is there any way we can get anyone else off the surface while they are distracted?" Blakus asked.
"No Sir. The Shon'ni vessel is preventing us from locking onto anyone." T'Seng reluctantly confirmed.
"Comms ... Contact NoiQl's Flagship, I want to speak to him now." Torek ordered, seconds later the image of the Shin'ni Chancellor, the Head of the Ruling Council, appeared:
=^= Admiral Torek .. We do seem to be meeting too often .. What can I do for you? =^=
=^= Chancellor .. I was assured that I would be allowed to remove all those wishing to leave the planet .. Yet it appears we are being prevented from doing so =^=
=^= Yes .. A somewhat awkward state of affairs is it not .. Alas .. Negotiations with Fleet Commander DaQur are not proceeding well and I fear a show of determination will be required =^= the man said, clearly amused.
=^= There are still some three hundred people .. Men Women and Children on the surface who want to leave .. .. Including Niko .. .. =^=
=^= Nikolai Kosenko and his Wife and Child =^= NoiQl interrupted =^= Yes .. DaQur has made it clear that he intends to return to the Prime Homeworld and begin preparations for his Granddaughter to take up her rightful position on the Council .. This of course cannot happen until she comes of age .. At which time DaQur himself intends to step down in her favour =^= NoiQl shrugged as if the inevitable was about to happen despite his efforts.
=^= I'm assuming you are not about to let that happen? =^= Carl asked, receiving a shrug as the only reply.
=^= You see our predicament =^= NoiQl said finally.
=^= .. .. And us? =^= Torek asked quietly.
=^= DaQur has no real fight with you .. His demands on returning Shon'ni to the surface are insignificant at best .. He desires only his family =^=
"Sir, both sides are bringing weapons systems online," Lysia said from Tactical. Carl looked at the viewscreen where the Chancellor of the Ruling council still watched.
=^= In reality Admiral .. You have limited options .. .. I have been able to secure your departure unharmed .. You can take those from the surface that you have aboard but cannot take any further .. You have five minutes to depart Admiral .. I suggest you do so with my blessings otherwise I cannot guarantee the safety of you or your impressive vessel =^= the comm snapped off to be replaced once again with the tactical view.
"It's a given he isn't going to let Nikolai or his family off that planet," Lysia commented.
"Could we go in with a shuttle?" Calli asked.
"No, it wouldn't get to the atmosphere, and if it did it wouldn't be coming back up. Either DaQur or NoiQl would see to that," Carl speculated. He got up and walked to the viewscreen before turning, "I can't see we have many options unless anyone has anything?" no-one had anything to say given they had heard everything that had been said, "OK ... Helm, prepare to leave orbit." he said, making up his mind. He walked back to his seat and sat, eyes back on the tactical view. NoiQl's ships were moving into attack positions, DaQul's doing likewise while maintaining the blockade preventing the Raven from extracting any more of the populace.
"SIR!" Lysia said from Tactical. The viewscreen changed, now showing what was happening beyond Raven's hull. NoiQl had ordered the first volley, but not at the opposing vessels, "Sir, he's bombarding the surface where Nikolai transpo ...." the Tactical Officer couldn't complete the statement as they watched the whole area vaporise. beams of almost pure energy lanced from DaQur's ships, slamming into their opposite numbers in orbit.
"Get us out of here, NOW!" Torek ordered. The Gynoid at Helm acting almost instantaneously at the Admiral's command, turning the sovereign Class Starship hard while yawing to starboard. The planet disappeared from view as they moved away under full impulse power. Levelling the ship's flight she awaited further instructions as Lysia continued to report on the firefight.
"Rear view on screen," Andae ordered. The Bridge watched in silence as the fight continued, all the while, the surface of the planet being bombarded from space. It was clear NoiQl and the Ruling Council had no intentions of allowing DaQur or any of his offspring from returning to the Prime Homeworld. One by one, ships exploded under the intense barrage of phaser-fire and missiles. The planet itself was beginning to suffer the effects of the relentless assault. It was clear that nothing or no-one could have survived the onslaught.
"For'ard view," Carl ordered in almost a whisper ... Stars replaced the scene of utter carnage and immense loss of lives.
"Course, Admiral?" Marionette asked after long moments of silence.
"Starbase Forty-Seven..... Warp five," Carl ordered before slowly rising from the centre seat, "Andae, the Bridge is yours. I'll be in my quarters." he felt a great need to be with his own family at this moment ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Dec 18, 2019 17:10:14 GMT
Andae sat in amazement as he witnessed the destruction being wrought around the would-be agrarian Shon'ni world. The awe it inspired, the suddenness of the calamity brought about on the surface and the intense fighting that erupted between the Shon'ni warships... something about the silence of this drama lent it its weight.
Waves of sorrow came upon him as he realised in stages the deaths of Nikolai, his wife, daughter, father and the rest of their family, and of course many native Shon'ni. And what would become of the three hundred or so de Gama officers and family members left stranded there, those who hadn't been killed in the bombardment? Must they go back to rescue them? Surely we have to, Andae thought, but then rapidly realised the impossibility of such a course of action.
Being given the bridge, he passed orders quietly to those that required them. He sat for some five minutes before T'Seng spoke quietly from behind and to the right of him, "Commander... We have two hundred Shon'ni aboard, sixty of them children."
The spouses, sons and daughters of those we've rescued, Andae thought, glad that DaQur - according to NoiQl at least - had decided or agreed not to pursue their capture, "I know, Commander, and you know as well as I do that we had no chance to recover any more. NoiQl, as much as DaQur, made sure of it..."
"Though he did give us safe passage," Wedlerson tried to be encouraging. Well, Andae thought, dissatisfied, NoiQl would at least do his best to preserve the remaining stranded mutineers, but all the Raven's crew knew that DaQur would stand a fair chance of destroying a good many of them. He'd been intent on hunting down all Vasco de Gama crewmembers in any case, and now he had the extra personal incentive of his attack being a reprisal for the death of his family at the hands of NoiQl. The Raven could've agreed to return the Shon'ni, perhaps in return for the remaining de Gama mutineers, but likely it wouldn't have worked: a no-win situation, a trade in blood, one side of which would inevitably have been spilt.
"You still have me," someone said from the port-side. Andae glanced across and saw the Jirta rebel Hasqyr; he'd almost forgotten about him, but this was the Shon'ni who'd helped the CO, Tinsley, T'Seng and Valente escape from the surface. His tone was sombre, "Now that NoiQl and the Supreme Council, and DaQur and the High Command are coming to some sort of agreement..."
Andae regarded him with bemusement - how could he characterise and treat so wryly a catastrophe like that? Hasqyr corrected himself,
"... Or will come to an agreement once it's all over, our cause - the rebel cause - is lost. The expansionist policy will continue, perhaps pursued with less intensity with the civilians having their say... but a compact between the Ruling Council and the High Command will be to the detriment of us all, not just of those Shon'ni - such as myself, Yiqur and Daqur's former second in command - who wished for a less militant Empire."
Blakus nodded, "You are free to come with us, Hasqyr, to Starbase 47."
"Starbase 47..." Hasqyr mused, "No, give me one of your shuttles. Once we are clear of Shon'ni space... I'll find my own way to one of our outlying worlds. I'll then set it on autopilot and instruct it to seek out your base." The planet he was considering was that on which the agricultural uprising was in progress, instigated - to Hasqyr's ignorance - by Councillor HeQek, the Shon'ni who'd attempted to kill him on the Raven bridge not so long ago.
Three hours passed during which Councillor YuiQn departed from the ship, he who'd been left to supervise their mission to take with them the last of Daqur's family, Nikolai and daughter as it'd turned out. "Commander, we have crossed the border out of Shon'ni space," Marionette informed. Blakus acknowledged and stood, turning and nodding to Hasqyr and offering to give their ship's benefactor a meal in the mess hall. Hasqyr agreed and on the way they met Torek, emerging from his quarters.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Dec 21, 2019 12:56:26 GMT
Carl's Quarters Deck Two USS Raven-C :: Carl had eaten and had spent time looking over homework his daughters had been assigned. Sat with Elise he watched the girls reading, he smiled inwardly as he watched the two, both growing into exceptional children. Of course, he was biased, but what father wouldn't be. he couldn't get the images of the bombardment out of his thoughts, the thousands killed, men, women, and children, all for what! "You can't fix everything Carl." Elise whispered. He didn't reply, he couldn't, for no matter what he said it wouldn't diminish his inner guilt. "Look, why don't you go check on the Bridge for half an hour. I'll get the girls to bed and we'll have a quiet nightcap. We'll be back at the Starbase in a few days time, and you'll be rushed off your feet again." "No, I'm fine," Carl said, unconvincingly. "OK, then take a walk, try to clear your mind a little," she said, hugging him before kissing him warmly, "I'll pick a nice wine and we can relax for a little while." she gently urged him up and put her arms around him. They stood for a long moment before Elise finally broke away, steering him towards the door. Sighing he gave in, knowing this was one of those occasions he wasn't going to win. He walked to the girls' bedroom and said goodnight, then headed for the door ... As it opened he turned back to see the woman he loved watching him. "I think we should get married," he said, leaving their quarters before Elise could react ..... He had been thinking about asking her for such a long time and had never seemed to find the right moment or situation. granted, bringing up the subject while walking out the door wasn't something he'd planned, but then, if he'd continued to search for this 'right moment' then it was likely he'd keep missing it. Satisfied he'd finally voiced the idea, he smiled, a young Lieutenant looking at him as she passed. "Probably thinks I've finally lost my mind," he said to himself as the turbo-lift opened: "Admiral ... I was giving Overseer HasQyr a tour of the ship, then a meal before he departs. He has asked for the use of one of our shuttlecraft to take him to one of the Shon'ni outlying Systems. It will be programmed to return to the Starbase on completion of his journey." Blakus was saying, wondering why Torek seemed distracted. "Please Admiral. Commander ... Just HasQyr now. I have the feeling I will no longer be welcomed in my former position." the Shon'ni said with the briefest of chuckles, "Would you join us, Admiral. I would appreciate it." "No, but thank you for the invite. I'm sure Commander Blakus will make good company, I erm, have somewhere to be. Pleasant journey mister HasQyr, I doubt our paths will cross again." he held out a hand which the Shon'ni took. Then he left the two and continued his walk. He 'had' intended to go up to the Bridge, but had decided against it. Calli would be in Command up there and given they were on their way home he felt it best to allow his Officers to work without his presence now and then. He'd decided that a circumnavigation of the Saucer Section would satisfy Elise that he had done as instructed, so on he walked ... Finally arriving back at his quarters he entered ... The room was quiet, subdued lighting gave for a romantic atmosphere. Elise came from their bedroom as he noticed the girls' room was in darkness. "They decided, very 'subtly' that a sleepover was necessary, go change," she said with a grin as she put the tray containing the ornate carafe and the brandy glasses on the small table. On his return to the living room, Elise had poured two glasses of his extremely rare brandy, soft jazz was playing in the background. Hardly his favourite, but she liked it. dropping onto the sofa beside her she handed him a glass and kissed him on the cheek. He took a sip from the glass, enjoying the warmth of the liquid. "Soooo .... What was that about getting married again?" she asked, her eyes almost luminescent in the semi-darkness ........ Three Days Later SD : 2405.03.1221 .. 16:40 hrs Approaching Starbase Forty Seven :: "When are you going to announce it to the crew?" Calli whispered as the massive Starbase glinted silver-blue on the viewscreen. "When I'm ready.""There are plans to be made you know. Are you going to ask Gheskori to officiate, I'm assuming Andae will be best man, right?" she said, clearly unwilling to cease her interrogation. "There's plenty of time Calli. I know Elise asked you to be Chief Bridesmaid.""Yes, we're all very excited. A Christmas wedding." Calli replied with a grin. "All ..... Christmas.....?" Carl replied, "..... Just how many people know about this exactly?" he asked, trying and failing miserably to look annoyed. "Just us, obviously Bethan and Vanessa are both looking forward to it, we're already picking out dresses. You going the 'tux' route, or sticking with the traditional dress uniform drab?" she persisted, unable to contain her enjoyment at having her Stepbrother looking like the proverbial nervous wreck. Carl stood suddenly ... "Helm contact the Starbase, request docking procedures," he ordered. He couldn't help hearing his Executive Officers' snigger as he and Calli exchanged glances .... The massive Sovereign Class Raven passed through the enormous space doors into the interior of the Dome. Marionette guided the Starship to it's assigned berth and brought her to a complete stop. The Dock-master confirmed they were secured and umbilicus were connected. Two walkways extended from the dock to connect to the Raven as power was transferred. Milyanov, now fully recovered, confirmed the ship was on external power and asked to shut down the warp core. Blakus gave the order as Carl finally, reluctantly, sat back down, trying hard to ignore his Stepsister and the grinning Andae Blakus, risking a tentative glance around the Bridge, everyone seemed engrossed in their duties, but he couldn't help wonder how many knew he'd proposed, knowing ships scuttlebutt, he imagined even the ships' cat already knew. "Andae, inform the Dock-Master I want to be ready to go out as soon as viable. I know there's a lot to be done, we've lost a substantial amount of hull plating that needs to be replaced, Base Engineers can ee to that, the core needs replacing too, have Commander Milyanov deal with that ... Organise shore leaves as appropriate. Take some time yourself too, everyone needs a break, especially after what we've witnessed. I'll be in my quarters if needed." Acknowledging his Senior Officers, he left the Bridge .......... ~~~ Mission 33 ♦ y3: Paying Dues ~~~
ooo000ooo
Our mission has now concluded The USS Raven-C will now undergo upgrades and refit at Starbase Forty-Seven Once complete, the ship will once again venture into the unknown, continuing their search for a means to return home
ooo000ooo
I would like gratefully thank Commander First Class Andae Blakus for his usual exceptional writing during this outing
Regards and Merry Christmas
Fleet Admiral Carl Torek
🎄🎄🎄
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