Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Jun 18, 2021 2:04:00 GMT
Mission 11 - Imperfect Rupture?
Shocking news from the Federation Core has reached Starbase 47 near the Klingon border. One of the five founding members of the United Federation of Planets has tried to secede from the interstellar civilisation they helped found: the originally all-human Alpha Centauri colony. Under charismatic Regent Gaston Malthus - administering the planet and its system on behalf of the incapacitated true ruler - the colony has cut off all ties with the Federation and what's more has swayed an entire Starfleet force of 102 ships (Fleet 77) to its cause!
Malthus and his Andorian diplomatic colleague Sairal had recently visited Starbase 47 in company with Vice President Drake's entourage. Could the two's covert scans of the USS Enzio during their tour of the Prometheus class have something to do with the affair? Initially held for questioning on the Starbase, diplomatic immunity was invoked and Sairal was returned to the Andorian embassy on Starbase 47 and Malthus to Alpha Centauri.
The USS Enzio has been tasked to investigate and is being sent to the Alpha Centauri system, to discover the reasons for the member world's wish to secede, to look into the strange goings-on - there have been reports of localised quantum disturbances in and around the system, and to potentially - if Malthus should succeed in taking the Centaurans out of the Federation along with Fleet 77 - avert civil war!
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Jul 3, 2021 22:53:12 GMT
+++ Main Sickbay, Deck 5, USS Enzio +++"And what's wrong with you?" Nurse Walker asked, looking him up and down as he walked into sickbay.
Simon felt sheepish under her matriachal gaze. "I'm not sure..."
"Huh. Then how can I help you, Mister Clark?"
"I've been having... er... strange, vivid, dreams."
"Dreams are a normal part of sleeping, Commander." She added testily. And then, her demenour shifted slightly, as if remembering who she was, and what she was meant to be doing, she softened. "However, you wouldn't be here if they weren't causing you some issue or other. I'm no expert on dreams, though. What seems to be the problem?"
"They are causing me to oversleep. And they are strange; I mean, normally dreams are, you know, random, disconnected strings of vauge images and feelings. These dreams, well, it's more like being on a holodeck. I am myself, I'm thinking like myself, I can hear all my own thoughts, and everything that is said to me by those around me. They are odd. I see all the details, clear as day, and..." Simon paused, despite coming here, he felt a little embarrassed about it.
"Go on, Commander, I'm listening."
"Well, this morning, I woke up on the floor of my quarters. I remember coming in from my shift, putting a PADD down on my desk, and then, I don't quite remember what happened, I was in the dream, and then I woke up on the floor just half an hour ago."
"How long have you been having these dreams?"
"Three nights in the last ten days, I think. The first one I put down to just being tired. The second one, well I thought it was odd, and I slept through my alarm call, and so I was going to come down yesterday, and then Almir and I were working late recalibrating the warp coil alignment, so I went straight to bed, and then this morning... I'm here now."
"Hmm," She took a medical tricorder from a trolley and aimed it at his head, and read it for a few seconds, he expression blank. "Any other symptoms?"
"No. None. I feel normal."
"Huh. There is some slightly elevated activity in your extrastriate visual area, and your parietal cortex. I'd like to do a more detailed- ... What's wrong?"
Simon staggered, losing all concept of balance. He felt adrenaline rise through his system. Darkness encroached his vision. His hearing muffled. He heard the nurse activate the Emergency Medical Hologram. Doctor Sam Reynolds materialised before... no, above him... and then, he was somewhere else... +++
+++
Simon blinked. He was in Sickbay. He was laying on a biobed. The EMH was standing over him. He tried to move his head, but couldn't.
"Oh, hello, Commander." Doctor Reynolds said cheerfully, "Did you have a good sleep?"
"Sleep?" Simon asked.
"So it would seem. Unfortunately, during your duty shift. No, No. Don't get up, I'm still monitoring your hippocampus."
Simon relaxed back into the biobed. The EMH tapped a few buttons on the control panel.
"So...?"
"You are undoubtedly curious as to the readings I'm looking at. You're an engineer, I get that. Engineers. Readings. How much do you know about the parts of the human brain that control long term memory recall?"
"Um. Not a great deal." Simon lifted his hand, and held it in before him, to check it was still there. Apart from his head being restrained, and a dry sensation in his mouth, he felt quite normal. He tried to look at the doctor, who was just out of his visual range. "Are you saying this dream is a memory?"
"You will have noticed, of course, that that was something I distinctly did not say. Ah, the trials of being an emergency doctor. Alright, Cheif-of-Engineering, I'll give you a summary, and you can ask questions. But. No suppositions about that which you don't know 'a great deal' about. Agree?"
"Can I sit up?"
"I suppose, so. The hippocampus activity is normal again." The EMH retracted the monitoring unit, and handed him a glass of water as he sat up.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. The medical department is here for your every need. Including glasses of water. Do you, perhaps, get distracted by your work and forget about important things like your hydration being below par?"
"Er." He knew he did.
The EMH patted him companionably on the shoulder. "Try not to, Commander. Water is extremely good for you. 8 glasses a day. Now. A summary. The dream you are experiencing, is not a dream, it appears to be, as you correctly supposed, a memory."
"I don't remember it."
"No, that's because there's about 18 months of your life you don't remember. As you will of course not remember, on stardate 2935.0112, just after you graduated from Starfleet academy - the first time - you were on an away mission while on board the USS Hanson and contracted the mutagenic virus Drafaria. The virus inhibits the function of neurotransmitters in the nerve cells of the brain, causing retrograde amnesia and loss of body function. You were held in a medically induced status to limit the progression of the disease, when the nerve degradation started affecting primary organ function, and spent six and a half years in a box while starfleet medical kindly researched and developed a cure for you."
"I remember six months of extremely draining rehabilitation before they let me go back to the academy."
"I have no doubt that you do. You are, as far as the starfleet medical records go, the only human to have ever contracted the disease. In other species, there are often lingering cognitive effects, reduced mental capacity, and also physical effects, such as reduced hand-eye coordination. You, however, overcame these during your rehabilitation, and were cleared for active duty, pending a proscribed exercise regime, and regular counselling for acute temporal dysphoria that the record shows that you did not adhere to."
"Sorry."
"It appears not to have mattered. You have, I mean, had, fully recovered."
"Had? And this memory?"
"It appears to be one of yours. Starfleet medical had expected that you would never recover any of the memories that were associated with the neural degedation, as that's what happens to everyone else. However. The memory. Describe it to me. As much detail as you can.
Simon did so, recounting his interactions with Commander Manto, Commander Elal, and the feeling of being significantly out of his depth while recalibrating an intrepid-class starship sensor array. "There was a planet on the viewscreen - it was called New Haven - surrounded by clouds of dust, and broken transport ships. It was a murky brown."
The EMH nodded. "The events you are describing are consistent with the events logged in the archive. Commander Elal was the Vulcan chief science officer on board the USS Hanson on your first assignment. The events of New Haven, you can read up on it if you want, an environmental disaster caused by a subspace rift in close proximity to the planet that caused the loss of almost five million lives. Interesting that you should recall it."
"I would rather not have long forgotten memories interrupting my day. I've got work I want to get done."
The EMH patted him again on the shoulder. "I like engineers. They're good at getting things done. I wouldn't have the full run of the ship without you. However, they are also notorious for ignoring basic medical advice like 'get some proper rest and don't overdo it'."
Simon glared at him. He was right. And that was annoying. "So, what can you do?"
The EMH picked up a device from the trolley, and held it up. "A working solution. Your colleague, Mister Heath, did a little work for me while you were here experiencing the past. Ask him about it, if you have time, he's a clever man. We have modified this neurocortical monitor to record, and in the event of specific dynamic activity in the area of the neocortex I think is associated with the memories that you are recalling, to trigger a temporary neuro-inhibitor field."
Simon reached for it. "Great! I'll-"
"You will wear it - continously. You will attend sickbay twice a day at the beginning and end of your shift for adjustments, and so the team here can advise you of any intricacies of the data it is recording."
"Understood."
The EMH looked him clear in the eye, and did not move to hand him the unit. "Brains being what they are, there will probably be side effects. Long term memory is something you use constantly through your day, our expectation and hope is that it will allow you to experience and process the lost memories that are resurfacing without them unduly impacting your day. However, other dynamic long term memory recalls from the neocortex may well come as foggy, and I cannot guarantee that it won't affect the right posterior hippocampus."
"Which does what?"
"It processes long term spacial navigation, amongst other aspects, and may affect your ability to process long term memories relating to where things normally are."
"For example?"
"If you can't find your quarters, or a turbolift shaft, give me a buzz, I will temporarily disable the inhibitor field."
"That sounds inconvenient, Doctor."
The EMH flashed him an enthusastic grin. "Call me Sam, please, that's my name, and I've heard you can't wear them out through use. It's either inconvenience, or I relieve you of duty, citing a risk that you will take spontaneous naps on the deck."
Simon considered his options. He really did have a lot of work to do. "I'll take the inhibitor."
"I thought you might." The EMH fitted it to the parietal bone behind his left ear. "Nurse Walker will, of course, be submitting a summary report advising the admiral of this condition."
"Aye, understood."
"Off you go, then."
Between Nurse Walker's overbearing matronliness, and the EMH's gentle fatherliness, Simon felt distinctly like a child being ushered out of the way.
"Thanks, Sam." He exited sickbay and started to walk down the corridor towards the turbolift. After a moment, he realised he couldn't quite recall whether the turbolift was in fact, this way. He found it around the next corner. Damn, he thought, this is inconvenient.
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Jul 7, 2021 1:34:39 GMT
Ghes stood in front of the transporter platform feeling a mixture of sadness and relief, pleasure and despair at seeing his wife dematerialise onto the shuttle Tilden having been allowed to return at last - if only for a brief time - to Denobula.
The 24 year old - she'd been only 19 when he'd married her - had only been gone from the homeworld and her father's protective custody for just nine months before the Betreka disaster hit: a large portion of her life had been spent on the Enzio, on the Starbase or 25,000 lightyears away from home.
He wondered how she'd readjust; he imagined the reunion with her father would be joyous, but not untinged with pain - her mother had passed away during Starbase 47's long absence and the patriarch had been left most lonely, this woman having been the last of his three wives. The old Denobulan could've remarried, but apparently he'd felt a curious, almost human sense of loyalty to the memory of his deceased mate.
Now, to the business at hand, and serious business it was. If the messages flooding in from the core worlds were correct - many conflicting reports being given - Alpha Centauri had already declared its secession from the Federation. Centauran Regent Malthus had declared a state of emergency. the de jure ruler (a child) hadn't been seen for several days, and the 77th Fleet had changed course from its reinforcement of the Romulan border to near Malthus's secessionists, somewhere in the middle of the AB binary that formed the system. It was clear to all Command strategists that Fleet 77 intended to join the separatists.
He remembered his brief interview with Sairal in the Andorian Civil Authority's embassy on Starbase; the meeting had been short, hot words had been exchanged, Ghes vaguely remembered slamming the desk of the startled ambassador before reining himself in and allowing Kletchley to continue the business. Sairal was strongly suspected to be a separatist collaborator of Malthus's.
Now the admiral was back on the Enzio, finishing the Complete Works of Ben Jonson while he waited for the return of his SMO from shore leave. The ship had orders from SF Command to depart with all speed for Alpha Centauri (hopefully to allay, prevent the secession if it hadn't already taken place).
[see Tavik's post below for this part's direct continuation
<Tag All>
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Jul 7, 2021 6:46:29 GMT
+++ Main Engineering, Deck 8, USS Enzio +++"How's it looking chief?" Ensign Rory Heath called up from the lower level. "Alignment is well within parameters for all four warp coils, and the variance between them is almost perfect," Simon told him. "Almost, sir? I've never seen it closer." "Yes... agreed." Simon replied. He watched the readings on the display. The port upper nacelle was a few fractions of a degree different from the other three. The difference was something his mind was considering unfinished, even though it was technically acceptable. It wasn't much, in fact it was getting quite close this the magnitude of the normal oscillation frequency of the nacelle pylon structure, but if they aligned perfectly, the warp field would be that tiny bit cleaner, and that tiny bit more efficient. "...but?" Rory asked. "I'm a big fan of maximising efficiency, Ensign." Ensign, he thought. Rory is well past Ensign now. He had been meaning for months to put in that promotion request. He'd do it this week "Aye, I know" said Rory, his voice ringing with resignation, "I guess you want one more calibration on that coil. We are really close to shipping out, though. And there are plenty of other works on the list." Ah, the list. Simon brought it up on the display and scanned through it. He liked an organised list; structured by priority with resourcing requirements, and assigned owners. noone outside engineering would ever see it, but inside engineering, it told everyone what they were doing, and in what order they should do it. "Fine, fine. We will do it later. Yes, those power couplings on deck 12 are due for inspection. Carry on, Ensign, I'm going up to the bridge." He kept unspoken the additional if-I-can-remember-where-it-is. Simon was now carrying a PADD with a starship layout on it, among his normal assortment. He felt like a cadet on a new posting, having to keep looking up which deck, section and corridor his desired destination was on, and he was conscious of how it would appear if he had to ask the computer to direct him. a wave of nostalgia cut across his thoughts +++ "You all right, Clark?" Simon snapped back into the moment. Had that been another memory? "Aye. I mean, Yes, I think so. I was just thinking about something." "Huh." the man said, and it dawned on Simon that though he knew the man, a lieutenant, and had done for years, he couldn't recall the name. His mind prompted 'Admiral Drew', but that wasn't right. He'd met Drew, once, when he first came aboard Starbase 47, but this wasn't him. "You are doing it again," he said. "What?" "Staring into space." "Sorry, I was just trying to remember something... thank you lieutenant. I'm going up to the Bridge." "Huh," said the man, turning away. Kempton, that was his name. Max Kempton. Well, at least he'd not fallen asleep. On the other hand, he was hardly very with it, and it wouldn't do for his attention to shift in some critical moment. Damn, this is inconvenient. And he felt like having a pasty.
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Aeryn Tavik
Command Staff ..
Members Representative
Lieutenant Colonel
Registered: Sept 9, 2010 12:14:15 GMT
Posts: 95
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Post by Aeryn Tavik on Jul 11, 2021 21:26:57 GMT
Continued from above, a JP between SA Gheskori and LtCol Tavik
The Enzio was almost at full readiness, merely seven hours from departure; he suspected the chime at his door at any moment and it came. "Enter," he said, smiling as he read Jonson's subversive lines.
"Ah, Colonel Tavik. Good to have you back aboard. Can I offer you anything? Tea, coffee, perhaps something stronger?" He got up and rounded his desk to make for the state-of-the-art replicator (now incorporating beverages discovered 25,000 lightyears away). "We're seven hours from scheduled departure, is your marine contingent all set?"
Aeryn entered through the parted doors, greeting her commanding officer. “I’d take a Romulan Ale, given the past several days I’ve had, but I’ll settle for a nice hot coffee. See if the computer still likes me and has my files in its memory core. Should be file six-two-alpha: my own special blend,” she said, raising both eyebrows for a moment. She stood behind the chair, the final respectful courtesy she was allowing any senior officer this month. “The team is getting their final checks together. We should be ready to go within the hour.”
Eyeing the Admiral, Aeryn said, “normally I’d ask how your shore leave was, but you admiral types don’t get much of that, do you?”
“No, we don’t…” Ghes said pensively, still thinking of the mostly classified mission to assist the El Alamein and Intel team at the Zova Dox station. He'd lost two crewmen, an engineer and a deputy tactical officer; the debrief had been long and tiresome but he’d remained attentive to it with his inborn good humour. "And my wife has departed back to Denobula for a time, so I haven't even had the benefit of her company, and neither has the crew."
And so, with the latest news... He caught himself, "Oh, please, take a seat, Colonel. We needn't stand on ceremony here.” He’d risen out of respect and now both settled into their seats, “Now, I'll reserve information on our assignment til the staff briefing but the rumours can't have escaped the notice of the crew." Centauri... they both voiced internally to themselves.
“It’s good to have you back, Colonel. Your recall to the Marine Corps headquarters could’ve had its personal difficulties?” Ghes asked.
Aeryn let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, tilting her head upwards as a sign of exhaustion. “The grilling was medium rare. With us having been gone so long, they wanted to hear every detail out of the horse’s mouth. Naturally, they didn’t take too kindly when I said ‘read the report.’” Aeryn rolled her eyes. She was known to be a ball buster, even to her superiors of the marine brass, but this was a time they didn’t take her attitude.
“That said though, I think it’s finally over and done with, especially since we have more important things to worry about.” She couldn’t believe what she’d been hearing through the grapevine. A secession? That was just unheard of. “I’m just completely perplexed.”
“The secession, from a founding member, too," Gheskori nodded. The Centaurus colony is the closest inhabited world to Sol, of course, so the danger - perhaps depending on Regent Malthus's intentions - could be extreme. He shook his head slowly, "I don't know what could've caused this, what underlying reasons made the Centaurans decide to leave our Federation, unless Malthus really is the tyrant some reports indicate. The seven year old hereditary ruler of the colony (a ceremonial position, but commanding great respect) has gone missing, not seen in or outside the palace grounds in over a week."
Aeryn’s face turned serious. “That sounds incredibly suspect, given the condition of things. I’d wager he’s been grabbed, and that speaks volumes about the Regent’s character and intentions.” It was true and most likely, but Aeryn knew full well that they may very well be unrelated incidents and the regent was just taking advantage of the situation. “We’ll certainly need to find the child.”
"The 77th Fleet is with them, too, it seems. Taken up position halfway between the two stars of the binary system. Forces from Earth, Andoria and Barnard's Star are being assembled but we've been asked to assess the situation 'on the ground' before Command commits our fleets against the 77th. If it should come to a ship-to-ship stand-off..." He stood and turned to the ready room's body-height portal, peeped at pinpricks of stars. Bloodshed, bloodshed... he'd seen far too much of it in the last four years...
He turned, "Colonel, will you dine with us? 'Truth be told', to use another quirk of your human language, I could do with the extra company. Commanders V'Maz and Yarwood haven't been getting on of late nor have they been the most enjoyable companions, shall we say. Mr Clark, Ms Rivers and Mr Miak should make excellent additions, also. And while I - ... I mean, we eat... I'm sure V'Maz and Yarwood will be happy to rotate bridge duties in the lead-up to departure.”
“It would be my pleasure, Admiral,” Aeryn responded. She never turned down a meal. “It will be good to see familiar faces that don’t wear the same insignia I do.” She’d missed the Enzio, through and through, even though her recall was temporary. It didn’t matter, the Enzio was home and her crew were family.
“Then I’ll see you at 2000 hours, my quarters; sharp. If only… if only I had Mwv’mci to help prepare with the cooking. I usually take the lead in meal preparation, you should know, but I leave this and that there, on the counter, at the chopping board, bits and pieces all over the place, you know how it is.” He lowered his voice, as if somebody could hear, “Some of the food may have to be replicated.” He stood, “Ah, right then. You inform Lieutenant Commander Clark; it’ll be good for you to meet some of the staff in person again. I’ll speak to Rivers and Miak.”
Aeryn nodded. “Very good, sir. 2000 hours it is.” She stood again out of respect before taking her leave. She still needed to get final reports from the marine staff, but she’d look in on Clark first.
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Jul 12, 2021 15:15:40 GMT
+++ Main Sickbay, Deck 5, USS Enzio +++ "Your parietal cortex is quite active, despite the neural inhibitor. The timing of the patterns are consistent with those memory engrams from this area of the neocortex through the medial temporal lobe, here."
The EMH pointed at a multi spectral wiggling line on the display. Simon stared at it, without any real comprehension.
"I must say, this is quite facinating. The progress of the reassertion of these memories after such a time will be of great interest to the researchers at starfleet medical."
"I'm not a science experiment, doctor." Simon swung his legs off of the biobed. "These memories are distracting, and the neuroinhibitor is making it quite difficult to navigate the ship, and the identities of those I know I know quite well. It's been two days. I feel like I'm going to lose myself in some distant when. How long is this going to go on for?"
"Patience, Simon. Brains are a difficult thing to rush. What did you mean by distracting?"
"I mean, I'm working, and then I think about something, and one of these memories cuts across my thoughts, and I stop focusing on what it is that I'm doing. I'm worried, doctor-"
"Call me Sam, please."
Simon clenched his fists into the grey foam of the bed. "-Sam, then. I'm worried that I might lose my focus in some critical moment. Make a mistake that will cost lives. Mine, or someone elses."
"Hmm. Like a daydream. We could increase the intensity of the inhibitor?"
"I don't want any more side effects. This is difficult enough as it is."
"Alright, or you could try some meditation."
"Really? Meditation? I've never been very good at that sort of thing."
"If you want to be able to control these bouts of memory when they come up, we either need to inhibit them with the technology that we have, or you will have to control them internally. The brainwave patterns in your mind are similar to those of REM sleep when one of these memories surfaces. There is some excellent literature on the use of mental triggers to self-recognise your own internal mental state as a dream, from where you can control stepping back out of it."
Simon drew his hands down over his face, letting the comforting darkness conceal the bright lights of sickbay. When he spoke, the sound came muffled through his hands. "I really wouldn't know where to start."
"There are some audio tutorials you can listen to, or there are a number of Vulcan officers on the starbase who might be willing to assist you."
"You never answered my question. How long will this take?"
"That's not a question I can answer at this time. I want more data before I-"
"How long, Sam?"
The doctor did not immediately answer. "I don't know."
Simon swallowed. It had been less hard losing his memories. Coming back into a universe that was eight years ahead of when he thought it was, where everyone had aged by eight years, and he only by two. At least he couldn't remember what it was he had lost. He opened his mouth to speak. He shut it. He opened it again.
"This is... maybe soul destroying? Without my knowledge of who people are, and where things are, I feel, well, not like me. I feel disconnected from the world. From people. From where I am. I feel... lost. Like I'm losing myself, in some different when. Some alternate reality. I don't know what to do."
"That you are able to clearly, and logically, articulate such a position, strongly indicates that you are here in the now. It might not feel like it, Simon, but you will get through this. Give it a few more days. I'll do some more analysis, you can try the meditation techniques. See how it goes. I'd like to suggest you take a few days leave-"
"No. Not now."
"I'm not going to make you. But. Think about it. You said it yourself; you were worried about losing focus at a critical moment."
"I have to see this mission. It's important."
"Alright, alright. How about a buddy? Get one of your junior officers to shadow you while you work. Pick someone who you think could use experience at a command level, and call it a training excercise. Explain about the occasional loss of focus, you don't have to go into detail if you don't want to, and have them tap you on the arm to keep you in the now."
Rory Heath is that man, Simon thought. "But who will take their shift?"
"Come now, Commander, I think you know the answer to that question. It's your department."
"Aye. Fine. Pick someone promising, who could use the experience. Fine."
"I still think you should take a few days off."
Simon glared at him.
"No, well, do you want me to up the dosage on the inhibitor?"
"Not really. Send me those meditation tutorials, though."
+++
As Simon left sickbay, a woman wearing a smart marine corps uniform fell in step beside him in the corridor. Simon recognised her as someone he knew quite well. She held the role of first officer while she was on board. She had a sharp tectical mind for taking decisive action, and was very willing to be in the thick of that action if required. He could name exactly which coffee blend she preferred. He knew not to bother her too many technical details - a summary would suffice. She didn't stand to be disrespected, pushed around, or blustered by anyone. With some anxiety, he could not say how he knew these things, he had never seen her before, and could not remember her name. But he had. He must have done. This was basic memory recall! There must be something - something! - he could do to offset this blasted device and it's blasted side effects!
"Hello, Colonel." He glanced at her insignia, gave her a warm smile, and hoped she wouldn't notice that he had not greeted her with her name - whatever it was.
<Tag Tavik>
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Jul 15, 2021 19:35:03 GMT
The five of them were part way through the staff meal, always trying to steer the conversation away from the impending mission - meant to be reserved for the staff briefing where all senior officers will be present. Ghes regretted slightly the jovial manner in which he'd decided on the invites - while it was true V'Maz and Yarwood could hardly inhabit the same room at present without some sort of atmosphere, he could've turned this into the official staff briefing. Well, that would follow, and new revelations regarding Malthus - known only to Ghes - were best revealed there.
Ghes glanced at Simon - engaged in lively conversation with Aeryn and Allison. Further to what Nurse Walker had told him about the mutagenic virus and its latent effects on the Chief, it'd been good to learn his performance hadn't been hampered too severely, nor by the neurocortical device. Hopefully the Enzio wasn't going to be put in to too many difficult, life or death situations. Of course the engineer's condition was strictly confidential between Clark, Gheskori and the medical team working on it.
"Aeryn," Ghes said searchingly, interrupting the three's conversation somewhat, "Has Mr Clark gone into his customary detail regarding engineering matters. Constrictor alignments and the like?" Work on that irony, Gheskori, he heard the voice of his dead first wife.
The marine was shaking her head, "He's merely given me a summary... For once." The company laughed and Rivers - the other side of Clark to Tavik - shared the engineer's laughter longer than the others. It seemed to Ghes she was almost forcing Clark to look at her, perhaps to... recognise her?
<Tag for rest of meal if people want to keep it going, can back-post, moving things onto the staff briefing>
Just before the gathering broke up, Ghes called Lieutenant Miak aside into his living room, "Gavril..." he said to his tactical officer, "I received your father's letter. I was touched by his comments, of course," he laughed, "But, am I to understand that you wish to make a transfer request?"
Miak was taken aback, "... Yes, sir, that's correct." The lieutenant could hardly conceal his upset, even anger: he'd demanded his father Captain Miak wouldn't go over his head to the SA in this matter, that he would tell the Denobulan himself.
Ghes nodded and took from the plate he held almost as much as he could handle; he swallowed with vintage Askarix, famed wine of the Denobulan south continent, "We'll discuss it on another occasion. Good night, Lieutenant."
Conference room
"You've all heard the news by now," Gheskori lowered his head at the table, "Alpha Centauri has seceded from the Federation." There was only some uncomfortable shifting in seats; indeed, all had heard. "The Federation Council has declared the colony's action illegal - it's still considered part of the Federation."
"A founding member, Gheskori," Yarwood said, "This shakes us to our core. Yes, the colony was relatively unimportant, strategically, in terms of interstellar politics, even economically, but those with more than a casual interest in the Federation's development over the centuries - potential enemies of ours at the forefront - will be laughing at us right now."
The man's fellow Second Officer seemed to be in a different world from the rest of them. While all faced Gheskori more or less, he stared straight ahead, head tilted back. "Commander Clark?" Ghes asked, concerned; he was glad when Colonel Tavik slapped him on the arm, which apparently, thankfully brought him back to the here and now.
"Asleep already, Simon?" she chuckled, unaware of his issue. Ghes smiled ,"Now..." he stood, still marginally worried. "Er, Commander V'Maz, will you do the honours?"
"Yes, sir." V'Maz rose and stood next to the large panel behind Ghes's chair, "The Enzio is 1.5 hours from departure. We are to proceed directly to Alpha Centauri at warp 9.5. We are avoiding the B component star of the system as well as, we trust, the attentions of the 77th Fleet. Avoiding these unexplained quantum phenomena," he gestured to the panel with its view of the UFP founder world, "We enter orbit and order Regent Malthus to reverse the secession of the planet under his regency; it must be made clear he isn't free from Federation authority, though initially we mustn't press the matter too vigorously. However, we will demand that Malthus immediately produce the child ruler."
"Habeas corpus..." someone muttered.
Ghes retook his seat and steepled his fingers, "In addition - I alluded to this last night - Malthus has contacted the moon colony at Wolf 359, issuing the same propaganda he's been broadcasting periodically every 24 Centauran hours... that's about every 45 minutes by Earth standard. He's attempting to have them secede as well."
"That's the headquarters for the 12th Fleet!" Rivers whispered.
"Aye," Yarwood said, sitting back and eyeing V'Maz with displeasure.
<Tag All>
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Jul 18, 2021 21:04:54 GMT
Gheskori's Quarters, Deck 3, USS EnzioAlthough Simon had been a little nervous about attending a social engagement, from the point of view of perhaps not remembering who his colleagues actually were, he found that he was actually enjoying himself. He'd made a point of looking up everyone's names beforehand, and the formal marine officer he'd met in Aeryn Tavik outside sickbay turned out to be refreshingly informal outside of a professional setting, and the operations officer had an insightful humour in her conversational tone that was somehow compelling. He had considered turning off the inhibitor so he could recall without the fog what he knew about them, but, Nurse Walker would scold him, he was sure, and actually, surprisingly, he was enjoying meeting them all afresh. "Aeryn," Ghes said, "Has Mr Clark gone into his customary detail regarding engineering matters. Constrictor alignments and the like?"
Aeryn shook her head, "He's merely given me a summary... For once." The company laughed. Allison, he thought, laughed longer than the others. Simon glanced at her, and she glanced back, eyebrows raised slightly, made her look a little worried. What was she worried about? "Anyone done anything interesting off-shift recently?" He asked. "I took a flight from Pedra Bonita on the holodeck." "In a plane?" Gavril asked. "Hang-glider?" Gheskori added.
Allison nodded.
"I recall a time not so long ago where you surprised us all with your knowledge of that particular sport." Allison merely grinned at him. "Pedra Bonita, that's Rio de Janeiro, isn't it?" Simon asked. "It is. It's my favourite flight. The view over the beach, and the majestic mountains. I find it peaceful." "I'm not sure I'd be comfortable in a craft at the mercy of a gust of wind-" "-and you'd prefer a shuttlecraft, any day?" she finished for him. "How did you know that's what I'd say?" "It's what you said last time I asked you to join me for a flight. I'm sure you'd relax into it once you got the hang of it." "Ha!" Gavril laughed, "Hang!" Allison smiled mildly. "Not a pun I intended." As the evening drew to a close, Gheskori kept Gavril behind for a brief word, and Aeryn took her leave from them in the corridor. All in all, it had been an enjoyable evening. "You seem a little distracted today, Simon." Her glance at the neurocortical monitor on his neck was less than subtle, "What's up?" "I'm experiencing some overbearing memories. The inhibitor is there to supress them, but it's making it difficult for me to recall... er... other things." "You mean, like our names, what we talked about last week, and which way you are meant to be going?" "Is it that obvious?" She stopped walking, and turned to face him. "Simon, we've just had the same conversation about hang-gliding we had a week ago, and we've walked past both your quarters, and mine. You'd normally have stopped." "Well, that's embarassing," he replied. "Come on," she turned, and walked ahead of him back up the corridor. He followed, feeling sheepish. "Whatever this is, and I'm not going to ask you about it, it is going to impact your effectiveness in the role that you are in, and I would guess that that is something that you are quite concerned about." "Have we met before?" Simon asked, with mock incredularity. "Not funny. I know you, Simon. You like to be in control of things. I've seen how you run your department. If you are going to need sheparding back to your quarters at the end of every shift... well... can I assume you've been avoiding asking the computer to help you because of how it might look like you're a cadet on your first posting?" The look on Simon's face told her everything she needed to about the answer to that question. "Use the tools and the people you have, Simon. You're going to have to find patches for the gaps in your normal systems until they're repaired." "That's a technical way of phrasing it. The doctor kept talking about balances in the parietal lobe, and showing me memory engram charts." "You're a technical person. I expect you'll find a good solution, once you start thinking about it the right way." "The right way?" Now he felt quite dumbfounded. She grinned at him, and pressed the button on the door to his right. "Here are your quarters, Simon. Thank you for an interesting evening. I wish you a good night." And she went. Leaving him with his thoughts in yet another muddle. +++
Engineering Briefing Room, Deck 8, USS Enzio
"I think it's a great idea!" Rory said. "Aye, but that's because you still think sitting on the bridge is all fun and games." Max replied. Almir smiled, "Rather you than me, Heath." Bridge work had never been for him "And Anya will cover my shift?" Rory asked. "Correct." Simon told him, "What do you think, Ensign McCarthy? You think you could give Ensign Heath a run for his job?" Anya didn't smile, "I am happy to support our team while he is shadowing you on the bridge, Sir." "Excellent. Well, that about covers it. Any questions?" Afterwards, Max pulled him to one side, "Why him? Why not me?" Max Kempton, unlike Almir Marin, did seem to enjoy bridge work. "Because, You have bridge experience, when you acted as CEO for the Oxford. Rory is still kind of green on this front, and, well, I've not told you all my reasons, but the main one is, it's more for my benefit than his. I need someone to gopher for me, and I'm not sure that's a role you'd like very much." "Hmm. You're probably right, on that." "Besides, Anya could use your experience, I think. She's technically brilliant, when it comes to communication equipment, but I'm concerned how she'll work managing personalisities like Miller's - or Pixton's - under pressure." "Aye, You're probably right on that one, too." Simon checked his notes. "Did you think about applying for a full CEO role?" Max seemed surprised at the question. "I did. And I didn't. I want to stay on the Enzio, I suspect the Admiral gets more of the interesting assignments, and I'd like to be where those are." "All right. That's works for me. I hope it works for you, I'd like to see you as a CEO. For now, I'll have to lean on you and Almir a bit more in the next few weeks." "You know I am more than up to that challenge, Clark." "Indeed. Thanks, Max, I want to catch Rory before he goes back to bed." Simon caught up with Ensign Heath as he made for the turbolift, and brought him back to his own office. He explained, in some detail, omitting the parts about the invasive memories, what his medical condition was, and exactly why this role was being arranged. "Hmm. Well, that makes me, what, a bit of a bridge engineering gopher?" "I wouldn't put it quite like that." "I get all the experience without any of the responsibility?" "Er, no, it's a serious position, Rory. It's the bridge." "I'm fooling, chief. I get it. I learn all the bridge processes, while making sure you don't zone out. Hey, I've noticed you've been referring a lot to that PADD just recently. What is it?" Simon shifted against this uncomfortable discussion point, "Notes." He showed him. "Names and faces. Deck layouts. Things I need to remember to not forget." "That seems inefficient. Would you mind sending me a sample of the sorts of things you keep on it? I've got the edge of an idea. What if you could have the computer prompt you contextual information?" "Uh, sure. How would that work?" He sent Rory the top level tabs and the template he'd arranged for himself. He glanced at it on his PADD, and looked thoughtful. "I'll mock something up and see if it works." "Okay, thanks Rory." Simon felt some relief that Rory hadn't seen his condition with pity. He'd just seen it as a situation that he was in, and wanted to be helpful. Simon felt that little bit self-concious that he required the help of those around him, and he was nonetheless grateful for it. "Anything else?" Rory asked. "No. Dismissed." +++
Conference Room, Deck 1, USS Enzio
Something slapped him on the arm, and he flipped his head forward, and looked into the face of a rather stern Vulcan. "Asleep already, Simon?" Aeryn chuckled.Simon had a momentary conflation in his mind between Commander V'Maz, who stood before him, and the Commander Elal who he couldn't remember having forgotten. He felt like a cadet under V'Maz's gaze. "Sorry, Sir. I was thinking about something else, sir." Simon said, feeling somewhat out of character while his focus shifted back to the briefing. Ghes smiled a thin smile that did not conceal his concern. "Now... Er, Commander V'Maz, will you do the honours?"
"Yes, sir." V'Maz gestured to the panel as he laid out the plan to approach Alpha Centauri. Simon considered it critically. "So... we approach the planet, avoiding a whole fleet, enter orbit and order someone to do something they quite possibly don't want to do?" Simon asked. "We are the representatives of the federation in this matter, they know what stands behind us." V'Maz said. Paul grunted. "Aye, but we go in, one ship before many, and make demands. How is this tactically sound?" "It would be illogical for the 77th fleet to fire upon a federation ship, present in the name of diplomacy." V'Maz told him. "They've not recently shown high regard for the federation's rules, though." Simon said. "When Regent Malthus was on board, I didn't get the impression he was a stickler for convention. I feel like we'd have better security with more resources to call on." "This is an irrelevant point. Our mission is diplomatic. These are our orders. They are consistent with diplomatic policy. " V'Maz said. "We should have an escort." Paul said, looking pointedly at V'Maz. "For our own safety." Gheskori settled his palms on the table. "This is not a battle we will win through strength of arms, as you humans say. The politics of this scenario are quite delicate: One ship provides a diplomatic entry point, where multiple ships would be appear confrontational. The admiralty cannot be seen to consider this situation one that requires confrontation." Paul subsided, though he continued to glare at the Vulcan. "What does the 77th fleet look like? I think it would be good to understand what we are up against." Simon asked. <Tag Aeryn, Gheskori>
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Jul 25, 2021 16:10:55 GMT
Conference room
Gheskori half-turned in his seat and nodded at V'Maz who changed the image displayed on the screen. Replacing the interplanetary overview of Alpha Centauri AB was a list, the composition of the 77th Fleet (Ghes shook his head, the text was tiny, difficult to resolve):
"The information's being transmitted to your PADDs now," Ghes said quietly, tapping fingers pensively against the reflective sable surface of the conference table.
Yarwood's PADD dropped resoundingly to the table, "Nearly a hundred to one, Admiral?" He caught himself, his tone had been abrasive, "Pardon me, sir, but surely a small number of accompaning vessels would be appropriate? Even essential?"
Ghes spoke, "We can bypass the 77th Fleet - of that I've been given Commander V'Maz and Ensign Hurel's assurance - without being seen. While some of their ships outstrip ours offensively and defensively, significantly so in some cases - their entire complement hasn't seen refit in nearly two and a half years. We have the edge on them in that respect."
Yarwood stopped up his mouth; he'd been about to suggest that it would give them the edge over one of the Prometheus class ships, possibly two.
"All is ready for departure, sir. We need only the dockmaster's word," V'Maz reminded him; Ghes nodded distractedly, an uncomfortable expression drawn into his features. Yarwood had irked him; yet he had a surprise for the joint Second Officer.
He thanked V'Maz and told him he could return to the bridge to prepare for launch and conduct the Enzio out of SB47's giant Dock. With the Vulcan departed and the meeting already breaking up, Ghes recalled the officers to their seats, pulling down on his uniform jacket in the well-recognised manoeuvre, "My officers, I know this mission carries certain risks..." The group glanced at one another, "Yet the secession of a founding member calls for intervention from a higher authority - I think it could be argued - to someone to which we might naturally have recourse. A Section Admiral, albeit one whose new domain lies at the frontier of the Federation, should I hope bring not only Regent Malthus back into the fold but Admiral Martyn's potential renegade fleet also. Any further questions? Dismissed." He nodded to himself and changed tack as the the officers stood and made for the bridge, taking stations with the Enzio already on the move for the Dock doors.
He called back Simon and Paul, "Commanders... You have your escort," he grinned widely, clearly befuddling the joint Second Officers.
"Sir? Beg your pardon, isn't this contrary -"
"Three Denobulan intrastellar craft - my home system's civil defence - will be joining us shortly. They have adequate defensive capability to meet say a Federation vessel of mid-tonnage should we encounter problems, I trust allaying some of your fears. At the same time it's well known Denobulan ships sent outside their system are almost always deployed on diplomatic missions where Starfleet intervention isn't considered necessary."
"Does V'Maz know of this... escort?" Yarwood asked. "Yes, he was the next to be informed," Ghes smiled and showed them out the door.
* * *
Ready room
Gheskori sipped his tea - watching mesmerised the surface of the amber liquid and the reflection of the illusion of stars shooting by the Enzio's warp-field - and regarded V'Maz unhappily. "Quite simply, Commander, you must rectify this issue with Commander Yarwood."
V'Maz gave what was almost a frown. He'd taken the news about the Denobulan escort in his stride as if it'd been nothing, his problem lay instead with his immediate subordinate, "I don't believe I've done anything to cause the Commander's antipathy, Admiral. Indeed, I'm quite at a loss how to explain it. His behaviour of late has been most irrational."
Ghes usually gave his crew a free rein, but in this case, "I don't care about the details of your disagreement with Yarwood, Commander! You will reconcile with the man as soon as Vulcanly possible, is he in the right more than yourself, or vice versa? it's of no consequence unless perhaps the issue persists."
The XO's frame became even more rigid, if that was possible; he spoke, "I'll speak to the Commander, sir. During the irregular break he's accustomed to take part-way through his command shift." Ghes nodded; the Vulcan turned in the doorway, "Admiral, if my perceived lack of professionalism towards Commander Yarwood - a perception that can only derive from my own actions - has caused a rift between us..."
A burst of almost apoplectic laughter (though for a Denobulan quite, quite normal) erupted in the ready room - just about heard on the bridge, in fact. "Away with you, V'Maz, away... Rest up, would you, before your meeting with Paul?"
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Jul 25, 2021 23:30:02 GMT
Main Bridge, Deck 1, USS EnzioAfter Gheskori ushered Simon and Paul out of the Conference room, they made use of one of the larger displays at the back of the bridge to review the makeup of the 77th Fleet, and the technical capability of the three Denobulan Civil Defence craft. "I don't like it, Clark." Paul said, considering the display. There were a lot of ships on it. "Indeed. I understand the Admiral's point, though. Turning up to a negotiation with a small fleet doesn't say 'trust' very well. One ship, escorted by three from a race known for finding diplomatic solutions... maybe... I feel very exposed on this one." Simon replied. "Is the fleet all together like this?" "I am not sure. I can't imagine they don't have some ships in orbit of the planet, though." Simon replied. On the other hand, he added to himself. If there were not ships from the 77th fleet in orbit, that in itself would be suspicious. "I'm still trying to get a handle on interstellar politics." "Tavik might know where the fleet is." Paul said. "I could have Lieutenant Miak run some numbers." "Sounds like a good idea. Do you know much about Admiral Martyn?" Simon replied. Paul lingered at the console for a moment, assessing the scale of the Excalibur-class dreadnaughts against the other vessels. They were very big. Twice as long as a sovereign class, and carrying four times the mass. They were beasts in the federation arsenal, developed specifically to combat the borg. And there were three of them.
"Not much. Although I did hear he was on Earth a few weeks back. There was some do at starfleet HQ. I saw a news feed. Nothing about this though. I didn't know he commanded the 77th."
"How was your trip to Earth?" Simon asked, "I thought you were going to stay." "Too many memories. Four months was enough time. I spent some time with Lisa's family, and some with mine, and... well... there's only so much surfing a man can do before he wants to be back doing something meaningful, y'know? The surfing wasn't the same without her, so, Gheskori offered me my old job back." Paul sighed at the screen. "You don't seem to be entirely at ease with it." Simon said. "What do you mean, Clark?" The tone in his voice was suddenly formal, and carried the warning of a conversation soon to be stopped. Now Simon was in unfamiliar social territory. "I mean... V'Maz... you seem, well, a bit cold, towards him." "He's a Vulcan. He's always cold." "That's not what I meant." Simon said. "I don't want talk about it. Haven't you got a warp drive to warm up, Commander?" And that was the end of that conversation. "Aye, Sir." Simon said. Paul moved with heated purpose in the direction of the XO's ready room. With Paul simmering like that, Simon was glad he didn't have to be a part of that particular discussion. <Tag Tavik>Simon tapped his badge. "Clark to Ensign Heath" =/\= Heath here =/\= "Join me on the Bridge, please, Ensign, we've got a starship to fly." =/\= Aye sir, be there in five. =/\=
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Jul 30, 2021 1:12:12 GMT
Main Bridge, Deck 1, USS Enzio"Ensign Rac'anne, set course for Alpha Centauri. Engage at warp 9.95." Ensign Rac'anne turned her head so fast that her braided black ponytail neatly struck the side of her cheek. She appeared not to notice. "Yes Co'omandeer, een twulve seeconds." As the warp engines spooled up, Simon and Rory kept a very close eye on the readouts from the engine system. "Plasma injector flow is stable." Rory told him. "There is no discernable variance in the warp field amplitude between the nacelles." Simon watched the readouts closely, and saw no evidence of the differences they'd seen earlier in the testing process. "You've fixed it?" "Me? No... Lieutenant Marin's credit, sir." Rory said, mocking the question only a little. "I didn't speak to Almir." Simon told him. He watched the warp field grow, and stabilise on the display. Perfectly aligned. Each nacelle resonating in perfect harmony with each other, and the fabric of space time. The Enzio leaped into warp speed as falcon takes to the air. It was a thing of beauty. "Credit where credit's due, Rory. Nick work. Just look at that field efficiency!" It was as high as he'd ever seen it, and that was immensely satisfying. "Estimate our arrival time, Ensign." "Alpha centurai is about a hundred light years from our current position, Sir." Ensign Hurel responded, "That's just under 36 days at warp 8." Simon did some quick calculations on the screen. "Our nacelles are fresh, and running very efficiently. I think we could push to cruise at warp 8.8, with a couple of sprints at 9.95, and get there in 23 days." There were a chorus of apprieciative nods around the bridge. That was an impressive time for a hundred lightyears: some two thirds of the way across the plane of federation space. Simon heard someone say "Alright, we've got a lot to do...", and then... +++OOC: From the personal records of Science Cadet Simon Clark+++
Something gently thumped him in the ribs. It felt like an elbow. Simon felt momentarily disorientated. He was on the bridge. Rory and Paulo Hurel were looking at him expectantly. "Hey, man," Rory said, gesturing to the display, "like this?" Simon looked at the display, it showed a blue outline of a string-like formation. Resonant plasma? "Sorry, what was the question?" "I asked," Ensign Paulo Hurel, with an air of frustration that suggested that Simon had slipped into a memory for barely seconds, "If you had ever seen anything like this?" "My first thought is no, but..." Simon looked at the readings more closely, "... there's something oddly familiar about it. I can't quite put my finger on it. When are the readings from?" "They are the last reading that was taken within the Alpha Centurai system before starfleet stopped recieving sensor telemetary from the local subspace relay network. It's about three weeks old, we've just recieved the data." "Odd. I look at it, and I have this feeling like I've seen something like it before. I don't know where," he shrugged, "I think, at the moment, I'm probably not the best person to ask about things I might remember. What do you think?" "Commander, I'm a Xenobiologist, this is a little outside of my normal sphere. The plasma is resonant on some quantum level, and it's an interesting visual effect.." Paulo said. "What about M'Rell? She's good at rare phenomenon like this?" Simon suggested. "Oh, she and Martha will love it when they come on shift. I just thought I'd ask, since you're here."
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Jul 31, 2021 0:12:29 GMT
Kentaurus, the capital, Alpha Centauri colony
The cube object hovered in front of the palace, the shadow it cast along the steps leading up to the main entrance like a serrated blade making those Centaurans shiver as they passed in and out of its shade. Marianne understood it was suspended in some sort of magnetic field, the object; 'for our own safety', Malthus had told them, and the tremor in his voice had betrayed to her that it wasn't a total lie, there was something about this object that he and his conspirators (or thugs, some of the colonists might call them) didn't understand themselves.
"How does one comprehend objects of infinite density maintaining themselves as they are? Why don't they collapse into one massive singularity?!" Malthus had had some scientific training.
"Something about the cubic structure they're encased in," an advisor had shook his head as the distant Marianne had watched - a shadow - from the foot of the wide marble steps, "It protects them from known laws of physics. The physics of our universe, Regent."
"Gaston?" She'd awoken the next morning to find him already gone, the sheets pulled back untidily as he'd rushed to a meeting of his ministers. She looked again at the monitor her side of the bed, the blue glow of the plasma oscillating within the quantum well, several of those pockets coursing about in orbit of the colony - this much at least they'd figured out, there was a link between the quantum phenomena and the object.
USS Enzio, twelve days out from Alpha Centauri binary system
"You mean to tell me you and V'Maz still haven't resolved your differences, Commander?"
Yarwood clenched and unclenched his fists, "He's... insensitive. Insensitive about Lisa. When I went back there, despite all our years of service together, he couldn't have given a damn whether he'd ever see me again, and you well know it, Admir- !"
"It's all very well returning to Earth for a break, Paul. At least you may think so. But you can't hide your ambition... Everyone knows it... You've wanted First Officer ever since Colonel Tavik returned to the marine barracks, and both V'Maz and Simon have stood in your way. Would you want a situation where the opposite would obtain? Let me rephrase that, do you want to be demoted to Third Officer? No, I thought not. So speak to Commander V'Maz, on friendly terms, try - I know it's difficult - to share a joke with him... most Vulcans do have a sense of humour, it's just, well hidden."
Yarwood stood to attention, "Yes, sir," he belted out respectfully. Ghes nodded gently to dismiss the man and returned to his reading, commentaries on Berlioz and Meyerbeer. He laughed a little to himself, Ambition. Ridiculous. But sometimes those out of line needed to hear absurd accusations, to spur them into correcting misperceptions.
=/\=Admiral, this is the bridge. We're receiving a hail from the lead Denobulan craft, sir. They want to speak with you, alone.=/\=
Ghes nodded, =/\=Patch them through, Lieutenant.=/\= He rotated to his personal console, the screen activated and showed him the familiar face of Bleexa, his second cousin's third wife, commanding the Denobulan squadron of three. "Good to see you," he beamed.
"Likewise, Gheskori." Her expression quickly changed from the momentary pleasure of seeing her relative again after five days, "Gheskori, I don't know whether you've registered this, but the 77th Fleet has split. Our long-range sensors are now reading 17 ships firmly within the A component of the system, very possibly in or close to orbit of the colony. Given the warp signatures, we've guessed that one of the dreadnoughts is with them. I fear a coup attempt by Martyn, and -"
"Ah, those sensors of yours, my old friend," Ghes said, the lady frowning at 'old', "And I suppose you've heard the news from Wolf 359? The 12th Fleet has abandoned its posting near Tholian space and is making for Sector 002."
"Barnard's Star's forces have been mobilised?"
Ghes nodded, "Everything they've got, Bleexa. Andoria is taking a little longer to organise - logistical problems, we understand. The 1st Fleet is holding station 1.5 lightyears from Sol, reinforcements coming in all the time, I understand," he finished almost happily. The 77th and the 12th - if it came to it, they'd have to be dealt with; Starfleet just had to trust no one else would join them.
That was all for now. He had to loosen this choking agony from his throat, his soul, if one willed. "Allison, are sensors reading any change in the 77th Fleet's disposition?" he asked as he entered the bridge, V'Maz rising from the command chair, "And those plasma resonances...? Paulo, Simon?"
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Aug 15, 2021 16:41:15 GMT
USS Enzio, over a day out from Alpha Centauri binary system
"Barnard's Star's fleet components are holding station outside their Oort Cloud equivalent," Miak reported as Ghes took his seat once again, "The 12th Fleet under - we believe - Commodore Rrin'tuka is opposite them, some 0.15 parsecs distant."
"If the 12th Fleet decides to commit to an attack against Barnard's Star's forces, they'd quickly find themselves surrounded by fleet elements lying 0.3 to 0.5 parsecs away," Ghes said. Those elements were roughly 120 degrees in anti-clockwise direction from Barnard's Star - with relative 0 degrees position centered on a line running orthogonal to the two forces' front lines.
He shook his head; he didn't know what Rrin'tuka, Martyn or indeed Malthus hoped to gain from this secession, or by going about it in this way. If they took military action they'd soon be overwhelmed. A legal secession by a founding member would be an incredibly delicate matter for the Federation to deal with and would probably take years if not over a decade to finalise. If Malthus wanted Centauri to follow this path he'd first have to give up his authority on the colony and let the process begin through the proper channels; the ceremonial child ruler would be restored, a new regent would be appointed and Centauri's administration would start negotiations with the rest of the Federation.
"Admiral, we're close enough now for long range scanners to discern ships in the system and can display a graphic." Ghes nodded.
The blue dots appearing on the viewscreen indicated the positions of the 77th Fleet's vessels. Most coagulated round the midpoint between component stars A and B, but some were stretching towards A with a further patch of greater density round A's colony - the member planet. There was a group whose position they couldn't very well account for: three or four dots spread out in a sinuous path from the midpoint towards the B component, velocity markers suggesting they were heading in that general direction, though missing the B system by some distance.
Also rendered visible were the odd quantum effects in the near vicinity of the colonial world. The Enzio had established there was a connection between these phenomena and the quantum level plasma that'd been the last thing detected from the star system.
He asked Clark to zero in on the A component to try to resolve the ships that seemed to be orbiting the colony. There was no way they'd get a true EM visual, only a plot of computer-estimated positions. Ghes leaned forward as the image appeared: amongst others, there was an Excalibur class; from the warp signature, he recognised Edmond Martyn's dreadnought.
"What's he doing there?"
"Supporting the secession, or looking to conduct a second coup d'etat?" Ghes wasn't so sure about the second suggestion; it seemed to him, given Gaston Malthus's collusion with Sairal aboard SB47, this had been a conspiracy in planning for some time and involving at least two Federation fleets. This seemed to be on Malthus' initiative, not a separate ploy for a military takeover.
"Simon, Allison, go over Admiral Martyn and Commodore Rrin'tuka's service records. Note anything of significance pertinent to what we have here, disciplinaries, overstepping of boundaries, etc. Simon, of course also keep working with Ensign Heath on engineering matters as; check that Marin's configuration of the nacelles remains stable." He stood, "Paul, that leaves you with the conn for the next two hours." At which point V'Maz would come on duty.
<Tag Clark, Rivers, Yarwood>
=/\=Colonel Tavik, this is Gheskori. Aeryn, begin running combat scenarios with the marines should diplomacy fail and we have to beam down to the colony. Make preparations for anything: a concerted defence, a need for us to infiltrate the palace and find the child, or anything else...=/\=
<Tag Tavik>
As he departed the bridge for off-duty calls to Starfleet Command he thought again of those plasma oscillations, silent flickers on his ready room console's screen.
* * *
Kentaurus, the capital, Alpha Centauri colony
The inaccessible construct hovered before the administrative complex and palace as before. Marianne observed from a distant vantage point, binocs in hand. She'd very much like to blow it up, but it appeared to be protected by a shield of unknown origin and configuration. Apart from that the cubic structure was made of such dense material - though not of infinite density like that inside - that any weapon she may bring to bear would likely do no damage, and may result in a response.
Malthus pored over his PADDs, searching for some clause in the constitutional addenda that allowed him legally to legitimise his regency over the colony.
"Will you put those away," she said, "I don't think you're going to find what you're looking for, Gaston."
"He's dead. Dead! don't you understand? And don't you understand I had nothing to do with it? I appreciate holding the position of Regent; yes, I've wanted it for some time, and yes I accepted it freely when offered by the ministry, but I only envisage holding it for a year before passing it to Musset! Besides... this thing's appearance could delay the secession, Marianne."
"Then perhaps you shouldn't have engaged with M theory," she said meditatively, chin resting between interlinked fingers on the tabletop.
She peered through the binocs at the slowly rotating cubic structure; there had to be a way in, but how to survive it?
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Aug 28, 2021 22:49:56 GMT
Main Bridge, Deck 1, USS Enzio
Gheskori entered the Bridge. V'Maz stood, and formally announced him. Gheskori took the centre seat, and V'Maz sat down. Sometimes, Simon thought, V'Maz stuck a little too closely to correct procedure. "Allison, are sensors reading any change in the 77th Fleet's disposition?" "Yes Sir, a sixth of the fleet has moved away from the main bulk, and appears to be en-route to the planet." "And those plasma resonances...? Paulo, Simon?" "The last readings were from a relay station within the system itself. M'Rell and Hernandez have provided a technical report on the data we were provided with, I suggest you review it at your leisure, sir. The summary is that it's some form of subspace quantum anomaly. M'Rell has suggested several changes to the sensor configuration to focus on their specific subspace and quantum spectra." "The engineering team are already working on the suggested changes, sir, and estimate completion prior to our arrival in system." Simon told him. Gheskori brought the sensor readout of the 77th up onto the main screen, and looked at the data closely on his arm console. "That's Martyn's dreadnaught." "Yes, Sir. The registry shows it as the USS Pucklechurch." "What's he doing there?" Gheskori asked, to noone in particular. "Supporting the secession, or looking to conduct a second coup d'etat?" Commander Yarwood replied. "This isn't right, they are a founding member of the federation. The federation is built on the values they themselves helped to define." This was an unusually passionate comment from Paul, Simon thought. Gheskori considered for a moment, and Simon got the impression he was concealing some equally passionate views on the matter. "My feeling is that this is part of something bigger. Those two fleets being here is too highly coincidental. Allison, go over Admiral Martyn and Commodore Rrin'tuka's service records. Note anything of significance pertinent to what we have here, disciplinaries, overstepping of boundaries, etc." +++ Engineering Briefing Room, Deck 8, USS Enzio
"They look like spectacles," Simon said, taking the glass frames from Rory's hand, "modern medical technology has rendered such as this obsolete, you know? Besides, I'm not blind." Rory grinned at him. "True, but these aren't to help you see. Each lens is, in fact, a small holographic projector. It's a personal heads up display, not dissimilar to those used in the engineering EVA suits. Once they were called augmented reality, but I'm calling this an 'augmented memory'. You can turn it on and off as you need, and it will present you with anything you want to configure it to present you with. I've taken the liberty of adding a few modes you might like." "Such as?" Simon asked, not entirely convinced this wouldn't draw even more attention to himself. He put the spectacles on, and didn't notice any difference. Rory tapped on a PADD. "First, Names, it will overlay the name and rank of everyone you meet onto a badge on their uniform shirt, so you don't have to do that blank stare you keep doing when someone on the opposite shift asks you a question in the mess. Routes; press here on the frame, and announce the location you want to go to, and it'll overlay the directions onto the corridor lights so that only you are able to see them." Simon touched the frame where Rory had indicated, and announced his quarters. The familiar yellow bars in the middle of the wall indicated movement towards the briefing room door. Simon dropped the spectacles from his face, and put them back on again. "Ah, I actually like that. I've not been wanting to use that feature." "Yes, Chief, I know. It's really obvious when you walk past the turbolift each time." "It is? I'd been trying to keep it quiet." "Yes, you told me yesterday. You'd have drawn less attention to this fact if you'd just ask the computer to direct you. However, you can now do this in private, and not have to embarrass me by walking past the turbolift." "Rory, that's ace! And I can see your name on your shirt." Simon was genuinely impressed, and mortified that the way Rory was describing him was like how he himself had once thought of a doddering great grandfather who he had met in his youth. Rory grinned again, this time a glowing pride. "I hoped you'd like it. Third, the engineering To-do list. You can call up any of the normal views you've configured for your console station, and position them on any surface, and interact with them as you would any display. In addition, I've added a private subsection for you to keep your own thoughts, notes, actions, however you want to use it, and position them within your HUD. I've thrown in a couple of different views for that, you can cycle through them by touching here on the left frame." Rory tapped it for him, and the familiar engineering console appeared to appear on the desk. He appeared to know it was there. "If you want to move any of your personal, just pick it up like so" he made a grabbing motion in the air, "and position it where you want it to be. The display will adjust to the lighting in the room using contrasting colours where possible, taking into account the relative angles between the objects, the lens, and the eye - the alignment might not be perfect, you'll have to play with it a bit - and you can adjust the HUD intensity to your preference." "Wow. Rory, I'm really impressed... it's such a thoughtful- " Simon felt emotion well up inside him. He could appear as normal. He could maintain his ability to function. The relief that came with this had a depth that surprised him, and there were tears in his eyes before he could hold them back. "-gift." He knew there was more to be said, and he knew a debt of kindness to be repaid if he ever had seen one, but he couldn't say it now, he couldn't repay it now. Simon realised that Rory seemed to recognise this, "If it's all right, Chief, I have some other things to do in the next hour or two. Could I come back a little later if you have any questions about it?" Simon nodded, not trusting himself to words. After Rory had gone, Simon took some time to play with the various settings. Rory had added a note entitled 'RTM' on Simon's personal list. Read The Manual. He pushed it aside, cancelled his next meeting with Marin and Anna, with apologies, he had something important to do, and could we reschedule for tomorrow, and he sat down and drafted a long-overdue letter of recommendation for promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade for Ensign Rory Heath. He signed it, addressed it to Admiral Gheskori, and sent it to his console. <Tag Gheskori>
+++ Main Bridge, Deck 1, USS Enzio
"Admiral, I have reviewed the service records of Admiral Martyn and Commodore Rrin'tuka." Allison announced. "Send the report to my office console, and give me a summary now." "Yes, sir. Admiral Martyn was a rising star in the federation. He moved from Captain, to Commodore to Admiral in the space of six years, following a series of successful assignments along the Romulan and Cardassian neutral zones, uncovering plots, saving lives, several successful campaigns against the Marquis. His record up to that time is impressive. He has commendations for valor, for command, for committed service to the federation. He has a commendation from former federation vice president drake for extending Diplomatic relations with the Romulan empire. His record shows that he regularly overstepped the boundaries of the federations precepts, in all cases with an outcome to the good, and nothing beyond that that any captain of prestige might have done in similar circumstances. And then, two years ago he was transferred to Sirius III, and given the 77th Fleet. Since then, his record is empty. There's no more commendations. And that seems suspicious. There is one record of misconduct for violent disagreement with one Klingon Ambassador Ch'Lor: which he formally apologised for, claiming it to have been traditional Klingon diplomacy. The 77th fleet has since had some tedious assignments, mostly in the vicinity of the badlands, and a few patrols along the Klingon and Romulan borders, but for the most part, it has remained stationed in the vicinity of Sirius III. The record shows the maintenance and refit schedule of the fleet is overdue. "What did he mean by Klingon Diplomacy?" Lieutenant Miak asked. "He, er, hit the ambassador in the face with a heavy goblet of blood wine, sir." There was some sniggering on the bridge. Gheskori wasn't one of them. "I can't imagine Ch'Lor took that very well." "No, sir. He broke Martyn's nose, sir. And formally complained about the blood wine stain on his formal attire. It is recorded as a minor infraction, sir." "Presumably the resupply to the 77th were provided on schedule?" Paul asked. "Yes, though it appears the resources were never deployed onto the vessels." "Could they have been redirected to some other end?" Gheskori asked. "The record does not show anything." "Interesting. Please, continue." "Commodore Rrin'tuka's service record is equally spiced. He was a captain aboard the sabre class USS Tanaami at the battle of wolf 359. Before the ship was heavily damaged by the cube, it drew heavy fire away from other damaged vessels and facilitated the evacuation of hundreds of Starfleet personnel that might otherwise have perished. He has commendations for the rebuilding and restaffing of the 12th fleet, which saw some in the dominion war, Rrin'tuka has several commendations for Tactical Analysis, which appears to have become his specialty. When Admiral Kuro retired, also two years ago, Rrin'tuka was proposed by - ah, vice president Drake - and elected to command the 12th. Interestingly, the 12th has also seen some tedious patrol assignments in the last few years, and Rrin'tuka's record is also notably absent of any additional commendation, reprimand, or other formal record. "Drake again? There are too many suspicious connections here." Paul said. "I agree." Gheskori said. "What about the maintenance schedule of the 12th fleet?" "It has been reported as running exactly to time, sir." Allison told him "Really," Simon asked, "maintenance running to time?" "Is that unusual?" Allison asked. "How many of my maintenance schedules have run exactly to time?" "I can't say I'd been keeping track." "I'm fairly sure I have been." Simon turned to his console, "Computer, calculate the standard variance of the actual duration of engineering activities compared with the schedule." "Standard variance is 38.2 hours." "How many scheduled activities have run exactly to time?" Simon asked. "Three percent of activities have a reported completion time that is exactly the same as the scheduled time." The computer confirmed. "Just three?" Allison asked. "And even three percent is suspicious." Simon said. "I mean, tasks completed exactly on time?" He added a note to his console to check anything recent. "Keep working with Ensign Heath on engineering matters as; check that Marin's configuration of the nacelles remains stable." He stood, "Paul, that leaves you with the conn for the next two hours." +++ Main Bridge, Deck 1, USS Enzio
"Admeeral, we heeve areeved aeet Alpha Ceenturai," announced ensign Rac'anne as the Enzio dropped out of warp. The three Denobulan ships flew alongside. "There's no welcoming party." Paulo said. "The 77th fleet has nine ships patrolling the system, and seventeen ships in synchronous orbit of the Alpha Centauri colony. I suggest this route to the planet, avoiding the patrols." Lieutenant Miak indicated a gently curving line that used various objects within the system to minimise the line of sight between the patrols and the Enzio and it's support. "We can detect them, we must assume that they are able to detect us." Paulo replied. "Not necessarily. We've got one of the best sensor grids in the fleet. Lets hope they are still Starfleet, and will follow the rules about not using high warp inside populated star systems. Proceed on the proposed course." The Enzio had been at impulse for around twenty minutes before they were hailed by the 77th fleet flagship. Gheskori took the call on the viewscreen. <Tag Gheskori>
Without incident from any ship, or any unknown quantity, the Enzio approached the planet after a few hours of in-system flight. As the ship settled into the agreed orbit, a quantum disturbance passed close to the ship. "Report!" "Quantum subspace disturbance, three hundred metres aft." Paulo told him, "Paulo to M'Rell, report to the bridge, I need your experience up here. Paulo to Hernandez, report to astrometrics. The phenomena is dissipating. I'm putting it on screen." Oscillating blue hues, silent flickers; a string of interconnected violet, green, teal blue and ultramarine danced between line and cloud on the display. Simon glanced up, and felt what could possibly have been the strongest sensation of deja-vu he'd ever experienced. "Wait." He said, "I've seen this befo-...I... Wha-" +++ OOC: section47.proboards.com/post/34083/thread +++Simon blinked. He was on the bridge of the USS Enzio. The bridge officers were staring at him. "Yes, commander?" The Admiral asked. There was a hint of concern in his tone. Simon ignored it. "Paulo, scan for Chroniton particles." "Chronitons?" Ensign Hurel asked. "A hunch. A strong one. Ensign Heath, I want you to reinforce as many of the ODN relays on board the ship as you can, with as many different methods as you can, in as short a time as you can. Can you coordinate with Lieutenant Marin to wake up Gamma shift and get them on it?" "What do you know, Clark?" "I have seen something like this before." And added in his own mind, At least, I think I have. He pulled up the sensor records that had been recovered from the USS Hanson and found what he was looking for. He brought it up on the main viewscreen alongside the sensor readouts on the display. "What is it?" "A quantum subspace anomaly, in orbit of the planet of New Haven. The planet had been ripped apart." "It's near identical in formation. Can you provide more data?" "I don't remember." "Say again?" Paulo asked "I mean, no, there isn't much. The data was corrupted by whatever the anomaly did to... something, the ODN relays, I think, I'm not completely sure. But there's very limited data of the New Haven incident. Much was damaged by... I can't remember... a computer overload?" He turned to Rory, "I want a level 10 forcefield around the main computer core, now." Rory tapped a few buttons on the console. "Forcefield is in place, chief, though I don't understand what we are protecting it from." "A hunch... I'm not sure." He turned to the display. The anomaly on the display faded, and vanished. Nothing happened. There was no subspace rift. There was no gravitation field pulling them in. There was... just the ordinary space that existed in low orbit of an M-class planet. "Paulo?" Simon asked. "The anomaly has dissipated. It's gone. But it looked almost exactly the same as the one you presented. And there were no detectable Chroniton particles." "Almost? But I was sure..." <Tag All>
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Sept 12, 2021 21:11:04 GMT
+++ Counselling Office, Deck 5, USS Enzio +++ "Then I was back on the bridge, and everything I was seeing was so similar to what I saw in the memory... I was convinced that the same thing was going to happen to the Enzio has happened to the Hanson. I gave orders: what to scan for, what to protect, and then the anomaly vanished. It wasn't like the memory."
The EMH sat back in the chair, as if in thought. In the absence of a ships counsellor, they were using the counsellor's office, which was furnished with a pair of long couches, an armchair, a rug, tall leafy plants, and several well stocked bookshelves with what looked like vintage books. The lights were set low, both in height and intensity. Simon felt that the medical team had gone to some lengths to create a quintessential old fashioned living space that was so different from the modern technological one he had grown up in. He felt quite uncomfortable in it, and had declined to lay back on the couch and watch the empty ceiling when Sam suggested it a half hour ago when they had started.
"How did this make you feel?" The EMH asked.
"Is that really a relevant question?" Simon asked. He was irritated by the way he had snapped, and wished he could take it back.
"This is a therapy session, Commander. Questions about how you feel are both an important - and relevant - part of the process of understanding your internal cognitive environment. Both for me, and for you. I assume you did feel something, in that situation?"
"Yes... but... I find these things hard to vocalize, you know? Ask me the speed of light, or the process to calibrate an EPS relay, or the gigaquad throughput rate of an isolinear circuit... I know the answers to these questions. I know I can get them right... at least... I think I used to be able to."
"There are no wrong answers, Simon. It's just you and me in the room, and I don't technically exist. So, it's almost like you are vocalizing them to yourself."
"I might think they are wrong!" Simon told him. Saying this made him feel like a child.
"Ah, then you might learn something about yourself. Don't you think that would that be interesting?"
Simon thought about it. He was reluctant to discuss how he felt. "I don't like how I feel." When the doctor remained silent, Simon felt like the doctor was waiting for him to expand on this. "I don't like having to think about that time when I felt how I did. I don't want to repeat those feelings, in that situation. I want it to go away."
"How do you want to feel?"
That, at least, was an easy question to answer. "In control. Myself. Capable. Competent." He was starting to think that he might never feel these things again. It was depressing. How long had it been? Three weeks? Four? It was draining. Debilitating. He picked up the thin frames of Rory's holographic augmented reality spectacles - which he had been referring to as 'The Specs', or 'My HUD' - from the low table set between the couch and the arm chair. He turned them around in his fingers, considering the time and effort that Rory had spent creating the functionality, the data links, the graphical interfaces. It did help. It was helping. Having the computer feed him relevant contextual information as he worked made him feel more in control. But it was hard work. He'd been able to appear as a functional member of the staff. Maybe. It felt like just an appearance. He'd not asked any of his team how he came across, and to some extent, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. It was bad enough just having to consider his own viewpoint. "Am I still me? Or am I becoming a human adjutant of the main computer?"
"What do you think?"
"I feel like it's becoming difficult to tell."
"And what do you think?"
Simon considered this. "You are asking me for my objective observation on a self subjective sensation? You ask how I feel, and you ask what I think about it, and then you ask how I feel about this thought. I don't understand this process, doctor, I don't understand how it helps me."
"Do you want to understand it?"
"It might help?"
Sam Reynolds put down his PADD onto the table. "Humans have been studying this process for over seven hundred years. It is an intervention which considers the life of the individual in a broad manner, encompassing the cognitive and emotional aspects, as well as individual, familial, social and cultural factors of their personal experiences, in order to improve the individual's quality of life. The purpose is to find a purpose, through collaborative dialogue, and achieve some beneficial outcome, as defined by what you think, or feel, you want that goal to be."
"I prefer processes that can be nailed down."
"I could draw you the one of the many thousands of process variants that I'm considering forming this discussion around. If you like, I could get some nails and we could fit it to the bulkhead. The human mind isn't a straightforward organ, chief; there was conflicting literature even before humans constructed a stable warp engine, and now there is the field of Xenopsychotherapy. The interplay between how different individuals interact and think while they are working together in a closed environment for a long period of time, while being subjected to various forms of both known and unknown hazards in the depths of space, is the reason every large starship would normally have a trained counsellor. I'm asking the questions I'm asking to try and see your universe in the way that you are perceiving it, and for that to happen, I want to first help you to understand those perceptions, and then to communicate them."
"And then?"
"What happens after that is up to you. I am the guide, if you want to be guided."
"I want to come through this." Simon said, hearing that comment as a subtle reprimand for his obstructive approach to the last half an hour. He buried his forehead in his palm. "I'm sorry, I'm just not sure how to be here, what I'm meant to be doing."
"I accept your apology. No hard feelings."
Simon looked up and into the doctor's impassive face. "Ha. Very droll. All the hard feelings are mine, right?"
"Touché," The doctor grinned, and theatrically bowed his head.
Simon took a deep breath, and let it out, long and slow. He decided, that was going to have a counselling session. He put the Specs back on the table, and lay back on the couch. The ceiling was grey, and featureless. Like his first and second pasts, his present, and his immediate future. He resigned himself to trying to do something with it. "Can we start again?"
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Sept 25, 2021 1:18:09 GMT
Gheskori read over the report and recommendation from Clark and felt himself smiling wanly. It'd been something he and the Section had been intending since arriving back in Fed space: start promoting crewmembers who'd obviously deserved it from their time in Circinus. Before they'd oriented themselves in their new sector, though, they'd had Klingons and particularly Romulans (what later proved to be an infiltration and an SF Intel mission gone awry) drawing their attention away. If one added to that former VP Drake's visit...
He'd meant to pass the issue to Personnel but after they'd proven too busy reassigning crew to meet demand rather than award promotions, he'd turned to Lemond and Kletchley - who now had problems of their own with piratical activities. And so to the Section's shame the commendations, promotions, recommendations for new postings had fallen by the wayside. He made a firm mental note to have Ensign Heath promoted to Lieutenant Jr. Grade on arrival back at either Earth or Starbase 47; in the meantime the engineer would hold the new rank in an acting capacity.
<Tag Clark>
Now these two flag officers, highly decorated, now apparently for the last 2.5 years lying low, shadows, engaged in very little important service except for the occasional border patrol galactic north and eastwards...
He tapped a button on his ready room console and still-images of the two appeared: a recent shot of Admiral Martyn, imaged in the wake of his disagreement with the Klingon, and a grainy picture from the Dominion War of Rrin'tuka, commanding his starship during one of his many victories - he'd been much younger then, of course: about 30 years of age, being one of the youngest COs in Starfleet history. Now he was a Commodore of over 60 years - taken from his desk job at SF HQ by Drake for possible election as 12th Fleet CO and the man had got it. SB47 had been absent during that time, still 18 months away from its wormhole return.
Entering Alpha Centauri A system
Ghes acknowledged the navigation officer, doing his best to sit back and assume a relaxed posture - despite his position of authority, he was outnumbered by over 20 to 1 if one included the Denobulan diplomatic mission and 'escort'. That said, there were only 26 potential hostiles in component A of the binary out of all of 77th Fleet's strength, although that could change quickly with a few short warp jumps across the system.
The comm was opened; Miak nodded to Ghes as the Pucklechurch's bridge appeared on viewer, "Admiral Martyn, I'll make this quick, why are you in the Alpha Centauri system and not at Sirius III as per orders issued stardate 2406.0322?"
"Section Admiral, we did not expect you," a genuinely surprised Martyn sat in his command chair; the lack of movement was noted - generally one rose for one's superiors even if they were on separate vessels. "Nevertheless, you are welcome... sir. Please, by all means proceed to orbit of the colony if that's your intention."
"The colonists have certainly made their intentions clear, haven't they, Edmond?" The use of his first name disarmed, discomfited the 77th Fleet CO for a moment, though he didn't show it. "I'm still unsure about yours."
Martyn's expression was almost unchanged, "We were ordered here by the Chief of Starfleet Operations to address the concerns of the Centaurans. When amelioration showed itself to be impossible, we reported such and were ordered to remain."
"Who issued that order?" As Ghes asked the comm channel was disrupted by one of the sporadic quantum subspace rifts endemic through most of the system (particularly near the the member world itself). "Who... -?"
"It's no good, Admiral, we've lost his signal. Quantum-level inteference," Paulo Hurel reported. "What did he say, 'nevertheless', we were welcome?"
"You're all aware of course there's been a new Chief of Starfleet Operations since Drake departed?" Yarwood asked, "It was the former Chief who gave the order to the 77th; I'd hazard a guess he's connected to Drake, or Malthus or -"
"Sir! The USS Tennessee, Akira class, is no longer being read by sensors... It seems she encountered one of those ephemeral rifts," Miak reported, hands flying across his console, "Was in low colonial orbit..." Ghes asked if there were any signs of destruction of the ageing vessel; Miak shook his head - she was simply gone. Acting Lieutenant Heath at the engineering station seemed vindicated; Ghes started to chide him but realised to do so would miss the point.
Having found their way to orbit by the same cautious, sinuous path as originally planned and after the encounter with the anomaly, Ghes ordered all such phenomena scanned. The Enzio widened its orbit and flipped to align more with the polar axis along which the rifts appeared to be of lesser density. If Clark was right (say for instance if the variation between the Hanson's anomaly and the current phenomena was something superficial, nothing altering the nature of the rift), he wanted to steer clear of them, but why were they occurring in the first place?
It was something that would have to wait. Ghes stood and sighed, dusting his hands off, "Well, I'm sure the Regent will know we're here by now. Make contact with the palace complex."
Bleexa, through the open comm from the lead Denobulan vessel reminded him, =/\=Diplomatic, Gheskori...=/\=
=/\=Yes, yes,=/\= he said, pacing and wringing his hands as he waited for an answer to their hail, part of him wishing he'd brought Kletchley or a dedicated DCS member along.
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Oct 27, 2021 21:37:49 GMT
Bridge, USS Pucklechurch, Alpha Centauri colony orbit
Admiral Martyn paced the area in front of the command chair on the bridge of his dreadnought, glancing every so often at the viewscreen and the infuriatingly opaque - literally and metaphorically - surface of the Centauran world.
What was taking Malthus so long to respond? Yes, they'd both (the 77th Fleet and the governmental authorities on the colony) detected the cubic object hovering in front of the palace, jamming their comms, and had both for that matter recognised that it'd come from a different universe where different laws of physics applied, but the Regent had assured Martyn his own communication tech planetside would be able to break through the interference and thus real-time comms would be resumed.
He felt as if his thoughts should be on the captain of the Tennessee. He'd known the man, had been his commanding officer at one time, but now the Akira class CO, along with his ship, was lost in the quantum phenomenon with no hope of recovery, even assuming the ship had survived the crossing. He found himself gravitating in thought rather towards Malthus: if the Centauran resigned the Regency as was his stated intent, it would expose at least one of the two rebel fleets of starships as being the true perpetrator of this incident, namely the 77th, a supposed revelation Martyn didn't feel entirely represented the truth. This was as much Rrin'tuka and Malthus's doing as it was his own.
"Sir, receiving incoming hail. On a secure subspace channel."
"Patch it through to my ready room," he nodded brusquely and made for the doors. The Federation seal was replaced on his console by the face of an Andorian, "Ah, Ambassador Sairal... Was your trip to the reincarnated Starbase 47 productive? We have one of their vessels in our midst, you know, carrying the Section's commander himself. Can you think of a reason for his presence?"
"It was indeed productive, and yes, I boarded Admiral Gheskori's vessel along with the Regent. The former Vice President and a Deltan representative were present also."
"And I assume nothing presented itself that may prove an hindrance to your plans?"
"On the contrary," Sairal replied, "Myself and - for a brief time - Regent Malthus were held for questioning on the Starbase. One of the Enzio's officers noticed the tricorder I was using." Recording the ship's warp bubble resonance frequencies, Martyn thought, nodding. "Naturally, I misplaced the tricorder between my arraignment and questioning. They'd no choice but to release me."
Outside palace complex, Kentaurus, Alpha Centauri colonial capital
On a grey morning outside the palace, the team of five ascended the makeshift steps which had been placed next to the levitating cube. The steps were designed so their highest point was level with the lower edge of the rhombus-shaped crease the team believed demarcated an entrance.
Encased in her 'armour', Marianne took the first tentative steps, along with the others, into the cubic structure. The first thing she noticed was that gravity was behaving as normal, the second was the darkness. Activating her helmet's illuminators, she made her way cautiously through the irregular passages - if this structure was designed to accommodate anybody, those people certainly weren't humanoids. Protrusions of differing geometry jutted from the walls which were of a dull, unreflective obsidian.
This should be impossible, she thought. Every surface, every object she and the others saw about them was of infinite density - that was, infinite mass encased within items of obviously finite volume. Her full body-encasing armour protected her from the extreme physical conditions, her body suspended in an augmented Penfold field that could extend its protection beyond the event horizon of a quantum singularity (which was what all of this should be, all this around the five of them).
"Well... would you look at this," a Centauran up ahead called, manoeuvering himself over irregular blocks situated along the passageway's floor and into a room beyond. She and the others caught up and marvelled at the place as they entered: ornate decorations, a hall of mirrors, fine furniture - couches, tables with fluted glasses, curtains to a window looking out on... nothingness (and apart from the latter, or perhaps that, too, all of infinite density).
"There's nothing like this in the universe," she stated to the others, "Gaston doesn't know what he's got himself into." Particularly so considering that one starship had already been lost to the quantum phenomena in planetary orbit that the cube was generating. There was something deeply unnerving about this place; all this finery, the hall of mirrors - their own visages reflected back at them theoretically infinitely - and all sitting here, pristine, untouched and untouchable.
"You're right. This is a weapon bought at too high a price," Leunclavius said and turned to her, "We should destroy it,". Marianne tried not to laugh, knowing it'd be gallows humour. "Have Starfleet - Edmond Martyn's lot - blast it from orbit. Never mind the palace."
She replied, "We'd lose the palace and keep the cube... No, don't!" she cried out as Fouquier reached out to touch the window onto blackness, but it was too late; despite the warning and the man's augmented Penfold field, he shrank into nothingness and was absorbed by the infinitely dense object (the window). Right... Let's get out of here," Marianne suggested.
Leunclavius was already on the move, "You don't need to convince me." They clambered out of the opulent hall and into the passageway's endless sepulchre.
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Nov 17, 2021 20:43:01 GMT
Ghes sat in his ready room brooding, still absorbing the news from the surface about the death of the child ruler. Malthus had been as forthcoming as possible, or so it'd appeared. Ghes was still having trouble trusting him: he'd been Regent of Alpha Centauri for four years and only now - once he'd had the colony illegally secede - was he considering giving up his power? And who had been responsible for the killing? The action made Regent Malthus not only de facto but de jure head of state as well, until a new - albeit ceremonial - ruler could be found from the traditional ruling family, and then he or she was unlikely to remain safe for long.
The door to the room chimed, "Come on in," he called, and the SMO entered. "Ah ha, I've been expecting you, Colonel. Please ready a marine and security team to take to the surface of the colony."
Tavik blinked, "Yes, sir. But what's brought this on? Isn't this a little -"
"Yes, it may seem rash but we must force their hand, seek out the reason for their secession. Gaston Malthus may well be being pressured by Admiral Martyn's fleet... He's being as honest as he thinks he possibly can, as much as he can get away with, with Martyn's vessel in orbit.
"Lead your marines and the security detail. CTSO Lieutenant Miak can remain aboard; I'll appoint his deputy to be your joint second-in-command, along with your marine captain. I'll be joining the team, too; we'll transport down outside the palace complex, out of sight, as far as possible from any detectable biosignatures. We'll talk with Malthus, seize him if need be... It may mean an infiltration of the complex. Are you prepared for it?" The civilian HQ of a founding member of the Federation, Ghes thought.
"Aye, sir. Lead the way." Ghes nodded appreciatively as they made for the exit.
=/\=Admiral Gheskori, this is the bridge. We've detected some sort of object on the planet's surface, near the palace. I don't understand it, sir... It's completely impervious to scans...=/\= Yarwood reported, =/\=Ah wait, this should be impossible, but it appears the object is of infinite density...=/\=
=/\=If that's true, Commander, the planet and everything in its proximity wouldn't be here. We would be dealing with a gravitational singularity, a black hole.=/\= Yarwood replied he was well aware; it appeared that despite the object's presence it was safe to beam down - several lifesigns had been detected in the object's vicinity.
"Ready?" he asked Aeryn Tavik, "We'll keep out of sight, find a way into the palace."
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Dec 19, 2021 17:18:29 GMT
The throne room had been decked out with the ceremonial regalia of the Centauran court, these old traditions still being maintained even in the most strenuous of circumstances at Gilles Musset's insistence. He was the man who hoped to succeed Malthus as regent some day, though if recent events were anything to go by, Marianne thought, he would likely never succeed. One couldn't take up the administration of something non-existent. For now, though, the de jure head of state position would be filled according to custom.
She stood by a banner that moved back and forth slightly with the disturbed air. A couple of organisers were moving about the main platform, arranging seating, while in the foreground - about in the middle of the space - stood Regent Gaston Malthus, now instructing them, now looking towards Marianne with wariness.
After a while he approached her, "Ok, what did you find in the structure?" She knew this was the underlying reason for his suspicion, though entering into his doubts might be the thought that she would try to reason with the newly arrived starship and its escort, she would attempt to go behind his back.
"As expected, the internal environment is like the external," she replied, "Infinite density of all mass. Infinite refractive index of some surfaces. There were some curious manifestations... An ornately decorated room of old style, from some time before the warp breakthrough. We don't know how it came to be, who constructed it, where it came from." Except of course, as they all knew, it came most lately from an interdimensional rift.
"And Fouquier? He was lost in the structure?"
"Yes, he made contact with something of infinite density and his Penrose field was unable to protect him. What crushed him couldn't actually be seen, it was a blackness beyond an apparent window..." She trailed off as Gaston became agitated to get away, and she realised that the ceremony was about to begin. Gaston strode to the platform as a brief flurry of trumpet notes sounded, heralding the newly arrived company.
Entering with measured steps was the new monarch's retinue, banners and ceremonial weapons held aloft. In the midst of the group she could see the child, second cousin to the preceding child ruler who had been put out of the way. The pretence of this was ridiculous of course, but outer appearances had to be maintained, even if Malthus might've convinced himself that he was acting in good faith and intended to follow the rules.
As Regent, Malthus led the ceremony from the platform until the proclamation was ready to be made. He smiled at the child before him and awarded the regal mantle, before turning and holding the child's hand aloft to the gathered courtiers and administrators, "All hail..."
He ceased speaking as a disturbance broke out towards the back of the throne room. A quiver went through a part of the crowd to sounds of confusion and upset. Malthus listened, he could hear distant weapons fire... The sound of phasers drawing closer. The crowd began to disperse, then surged back and forth unable to tell which exit to take.
* * *
Gheskori surveyed the situation before him, a grey corridor with a yellow rectangle at its end, leading into a three-way intersection off which lay other grey corridors. Tavik's marines and some security fired from round him, advancing slowly on the few defenders that'd so far been scrambled to the defence of the palace.
"Hold steady," he called. Unfortunately they'd been unable to get all the way to the centre before these ill-equipped troops had appeared, bearing strange weapons that seemed more fit for a ceremony.
They'd beamed to the foot of the steps of the palace under the Centauran sky. With no welcoming party on hand and the streets deserted, it'd seemed the Centaurans had rejected the validity of the Federation presence, and that the colonial administration had shut itself away from the people. Ghes had been greatly concerned that the administration had been oppressing the Centaurans during this episode, and also by the strange cube behind his team. The latter would have to be dealt with in due course; it'd been necessary to move on the palace. Transporters would've relocated them to the centre, but it was found that a jamming field was in effect, covering the inner chambers as well as important rooms of governmental buildings the other side of the palace. Espying side-entrances, they'd breached the perimeter and found their way into these outer corridors...
Ghes launched himself into the intersection, firing his phaser for the first time; nothing happened except for electrical arcing at the end of the the barrel. He looked at the weapon unhappily, realising that a feedback loop was being generated within, gathering in intensity. He threw the overloading phaser towards defending Centaurans but unfortunately had to watch it explode in mid-air.
He drew back, ordering marines forward towards the middle opening beyond which lay the corridor towards the building's centre.
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Jan 20, 2022 20:43:30 GMT
Somehow she'd managed to escape, down narrow corridors, running away, always away from the sounds of phaser rifle discharges and wild shouting of terrified courtiers and administrators. She broke away from guards at an intersection who, despite recognising her, called on her to stop so they could take biometric readings, and burst into the room where she knew the others would be waiting.
"Ms Declos?" someone called, a quiet voice from an alcove up ahead. Still hurried and distracted, she barely turned at the sound, but arrested her agitation and responded in the affirmative, fidgeting on the spot as the man stepped out.
"Ah, it's you, Vinario."
"Yes," the researcher smiled, and looked towards the other wall in which was set a hidden door. It drew back with a subdued hiss and out from it came Leunclavius, he who'd accompanied her in the small team that'd entered the cubic structure. Their goal now would be to go back, she knew, to try to encourage or manipulate the structure's hidden, mysterious mechanisms into averting disaster for them, by ridding them of the Enzio and perhaps the vessels of the 77th Fleet, too.
"Are you ready, Marianne?" Leunclavius said, adjusting his EVA undersleeve and turning to where he had the three suits stowed. He paused briefly, listening to distant sounds of the firefight which for once seemed not to be drawing any closer. He picked up his EVA suit's helmet.
Within the structure, the three of them wound their way down another irregular passage - outjutting geometry from the walls, floor and ceiling impeding their progress significantly. A panel was found but was discovered to be inaccessible; strangely, it was configured like a Centauran console, and Leunclavius suggested it could be a recent creation of the structure itself.
"Wait, there's a room ahead. Like the one you found first time," Vinario radioed up ahead. Marianne took alarm as the man stopped near the room's entrance and held a hand over an outjutting from the wall; she warned him not to touch the object. "I wasn't," he protested, half-turning before entering the room. This one was more modern in appearance than the Old Earth simulacrum of before. Somewhere a claxon was blaring.
"What's that?" Marianne murmured, half to herself. The structure had become aware of their presence and was enacting self-defence measures...
USS Enzio
"Commander V'Maz, we're receiving a hail from the 77th Fleet. It's the Pucklechurch," Miak confirmed after a pause. The first officer nodded and turned, requesting on screen. Admiral Martyn appeared,
"Enzio, what is your team doing on the surface? We've detected weapons fire within the palatial complex." About to respond, V'Maz was alerted by Yarwood to fresh quantum phenomena, appearing 3km off the port bow and amongst the 77th Fleet. Martyn too seemed distracted from the conversation; moments later - as Yarwood confirmed that a tragedy had taken place - the admiral looked back at the screen, having gone pale with incomprehension, "These quantum entities have swallowed two more of my ships."
"We commiserate, Admiral. Be aware that our vessel is in danger, too," and V'Maz ordered the helmsman shift the Enzio to starboard away from the disturbance, "We recommend you move the fleet away from planetary orbit, Admiral. This is no longer about a rebellion for us to deal with or for you to perpetrate. You must save your personnel."
"You just wait," Martyn said, resuming the centre chair of the Pucklechurch's bridge; he had his first officer give the commands to move his ship and the rest of his fleet into a much higher orbit, "If Gheskori doesn't leave the surface of Alpha Centauri shortly I'll be forced to take action against him. I'm readying a landing party, Commander, don't say I didn't warn you." Martyn cut the channel and immediately V'maz spoke,
Comm the surface, try to reach Gheskori's team." Jamming was in effect; there was no way of getting through. "Let's send another team down before Admiral Martyn does. Commander Yarwood, please lead it."
* * *
Surface of Alpha Centauri
Operations officer Yarwood and a dozen-strong team of security and marines, including the quartermaster (as well as the EMH and engineer Kempton), transported to the surface as close to the palace as possible, which meant in a large deserted square halfway towards the main governmental buildings. Yarwood stared at the palace; they were on the opposite side to where Gheskori had transported with his delegation.
"There, do you see that?" Kempton asked Quartermaster Vren beside him and pointed to several coalescing forms just losing the wash of the transporter effect: Admiral Martyn's landing party, and many more were arriving. 77th's many groups of six were transporting to the edge of the square to the Enzio team's right, as well as in buildings behind that edge.
"It seems they're making straight for the palace," Corporal Chang spoke, using his binocs. "At least they're not coming for us. We're completely in the open here."
Yarwood drew his phaser and kept a wary eye on Martyn's team. "We'll reach our people," he assured the EMH who seemed discomfited by all this.
"I'm sure we will," he replied as they started moving towards the palatial complex, looking for cover as well as for any maglift vehicles they might commandeer, "But what is that?" He pointed out a great cerulean mass levitating over a nearby block of commercial buildings; its left-hand side ended in a narrow filament, some 100 metres in length, which disappeared behind the palace.
"Something to do with the dark cubic construction the other side of the palace perhaps," Kempton said, "That strand may be connected to it." Yarwood ordered them to hurry, climbing into a vehicle along with a third of the team - the other 10 looked for another such mode of transportation. As the hatch was whirring shut and the vehicle started forward at a few centimetres per second, phaser fire streaked towards them from the 77th rebels, scoring the vehicle's smooth hull.
"No need to program it, Lieutenant," Yarwood told Kempton who was tinkering with the onboard computer, "Just press for forward thrust!" The vehicle shot away through the square as phasers continued to strike home, scattering the team still on foot, who remained intact.
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Mar 10, 2022 23:34:26 GMT
Ghes's team had been nearing the centre of the main palatial building, or so he'd believed, passing through concentric circles that appeared to pass deeper within the complex. As he rounded a corner in the midst of his people, they came under fire unexpectedly, having been sure this stretch of corridor had been cleared with stun grenades a short enough time ago so that new forces shouldn't have been able to pour into the passage. But to their surprise, they saw their opponents were Starfleet officers!
"The 77th Fleet. Martyn's sent his people," Ghes warned the officer closest to him, not knowing that V'Maz too had sent a dozen personnel down from the Enzio to assist him, but they were still stranded outside the building.
Forced to retreat, Ghes's team made for outer corridors once more and in a storage room with two doors encountered a small group of Centaurans in civilian fatigues. After a brief exchange of fire the Enzio team heard a woman's voice who was calling that both groups should drop their phasers to the ground. Ghes agreed, seeing that the group was evidently non-military and that his officers would soon defeat them in any case.
With weapons lowered, Ghes stepped between Enzio marines, "I'm Admiral Gheskori of the starship Enzio. And you are?" he responded, reaching roughly the middle of the room.
"Dr Marianne Declos, quantum gravity researcher. These are my colleagues, Leunclavius, Vinario, Temsha and Capdeville."
Declos... he'd heard of her; she was the preeminent scientist in her field. Rumour had it that she was Regent Gaston Malthus's lover, and possibly she knew a great deal about the plans for secession that'd been hatched by the Regent. "Explain yourself. Explain the actions of the Centaurans," Ghes demanded.
"Gaston would tell you, too, and just as truthfully. We were tired of being neglected by the Federation; being a founding member, we expected better treatment and to be held in the same esteem as Earth, Vulcan, Andoria and Tellar. Instead, we were valued even less than some or most secondary Fed members. We decided we'd derive just as much benefit from going it alone, or along with whoever else wished to join us. The Wolf 359 colony and the rebel elements on the Barnard's Star world - they joined us."
"You must cease," Ghes said.
"We know that now," the man called Leunclavius replied, evidently resentful but not a little conflicted.
"And what's with this cubic structure outside the palace? Where did you get it from? Surely you didn't construct it?" the SMO Tavik asked.
The Centauran scientists looked at one another; finally, Marianne said slowly, "We've been inside it three times now, I and my colleagues here. Malthus thought it could help us in our struggle with the Federation; we had tapped into the multiverse, using a modified version of the old superstring theory as our scientific basis, and took the structure from another universe. We had no idea of its properties at first; only we knew that it had much potential if deployed as a weapon of war. We regret how our researches have been used, but please believe me Gaston didn't fully know what he was getting himself into, or how it would affect those he knew and worked with."
Ghes was appalled by all this - being a scientist himself by training, it didn't sit well with his personal ethics, nor indeed with those of the Federation. The Centaurans had been trying to leave the Federation, but that was hardly an excuse for bad behaviour. He asked them where Malthus was now.
"We don't know. Last we saw he was with the child ruler and the rest of the ceremonial court. He may be dead," the one called Vinario replied, Declos nodding grimly.
"Well let's not worry about him for now," Ghes said, "Apologies, Dr Declos. It seems he was manipulated by your ally Admiral Martyn, as much as he tried to manipulate Martyn himself. Martyn is now our common enemy, you must realise that." Declos nodded her agreement readily. "On the cubic structure: can you find a way to send it back to its own universe?"
"I'll try. I'll set to work immediately," Marianne replied, Ghes nodding in satisfaction.
* * *
Admiral Martyn himself had joined the 77th Fleet's landing party; they were gathered round the eastern face of the palatial complex, about to gain entry through the sealed secondary doors. Another group from the 77th had already made it through the main western entrance. His SMO, who was also the fleet's most senior marine, General Halness, alerted him to a new situation, "New Enzio personnel are closing on our position. What are your orders, sir?"
Martyn looked at the man aghast, "What, you're not afraid of them are you? Thirteen officers, against our one hundred?! Oh, you'd better stay here, General, and guard our position, I don't know what might happen if they break into the palace." Deciding it was best to remain silent and follow instructions, Halness arrayed thirty marines around the eastern entrance to fend off Commander Yarwood's team from the Enzio, while Martyn and other passed deep into the complex, finding the way open to the central chamber of the court.
"Admiral, we're glad to host our noble ally." He ignored the courtier while some of his people searched and ransacked the administrative archives, a lieutenant eventually finding the requisite data; he held aloft a PADD and called over to Martyn who was busy speaking with his tactical chief, "Information on the cubic structure, Admiral. It appears Malthus intended to use it as a weapon."
"What?" Martyn walked over and took the PADD from him, suddenly enraged that the structure whose capabilities had been deployed by his fellow collaborator had - probably inadverently - swallowed by means of interdimensional rifts four of his fleet's starships - nearly two thousand Starfleet personnel, lost in seconds.
=/\=Under fire from the Enzio officers! Trying to hold them, Admiral,=/\= came Halness's clipped report, over a background of phaser discharges and stun grenade detonations.
Ignoring the urgent comm, Martyn gripped the PADD as if he might crush it, "Did we find Regent Malthus?"
"Negative, sir," his tactical officer spoke, "It appears he's escaped. Likely he's gone into hiding." Martyn vowed revenge on his former ally Malthus; the secession movement might well fall apart now, but at least the shades of his former colleagues would be able to rest easy in their vacuum graves.
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Mar 11, 2022 19:59:16 GMT
+++ Outside palace complex, Kentaurus, Alpha Centurai colonial capital +++
Max Kempton bypassed the security lockout on the maglift with an override from his tricorder, giving himself access to control the vehicle.
'No need to program it, Lieutenant,' Yarwood told him, 'Just press for forward thrust!'
Max bit back the retort that threatened to pass his tongue, and intentionally pushed the accelerator pedal harder than he needed to, surging the maglift into motion. They crossed the large paved city square, and into one of the streets, the structure of the maglift absorbing several phaser shots from the 77th fleet away teams.
‘There’s not many people about,’ The EMH said.
‘There’s an event inside the palace, Doctor.’ Yarwood replied, ‘We’re going around to the back, there’s an ancillary entrance there, not far from that cube. Chang’s team have transport, and will take point on the entry. V’ren’s team will cover our position from behind.’
A Starfleet officer came out of a side street as they approached, and jumped back out of the way as Max veered around him. Max found he was actually enjoying himself.
‘Where’d you learn to drive like this?’ Ensign Peck, the deputy security chief, asked him, not looking entirely comfortable with the ride, with a phaser rifle barrel over the frame of the front passenger window.
‘Misspent youth, Ryan,’ Max told him, ‘I’ll tell you about it later.’ There was a lot about that particular part of his life he would not tell, of course.
‘Left here,’ Yarwood said, holding his tricorder up. ‘There’s more traffic on the main road’
Max drifted the vehicle around tightly from the narrow street, probably a bit too fast, out into a wide main road, dodging around slower moving vehicles. Ahead of them, in a much larger square outside the palace, the dark blue cube appeared in their view, dotted with points of pulsating cerulean.
‘Ancillary entrance is to the right.’
Max veered across into the square, bringing them closer to the levitating alien structure. Someone shouted. Then in the square, there were screams. Max glanced across, and saw dark rifts appear in the air around the cube. Some at ground level, some at height. One appeared a couple of metres from the ground to their left, and an armoured suit was ejected from it.
‘Ahead!’ Yarwood shouted.
A rift appeared ahead of them. ‘Hell!’ Max shouted. He was going too fast to steer around it. He swerved right, anyway. The front left of the maglift clipped one edge. There was no impact. The rift vanished, completely removing a chunk from the front corner of the vehicle. The maglift lost all power, and dropped to the stones of the square with a bang. It rapidly decelerated, throwing them all forward in their seats. The noise ceased as they came to a stop.
‘What… the hell!?’ Max hit the control board with his fist. It didn’t come back online.
‘No injuries, Commander,’ the EMH said, ‘it appears the emergency inertial dampening field was effective,’
‘Get down!’ Ryan shouted.
Max didn’t quite follow the instruction, and watched the armoured body stand awkwardly, and fire a phaser over and well above their heads. Ryan aimed, and shot, once, precise, and the figure crumpled to the ground.
‘Low stun.’ Ryan said, ‘He’ll be fine,’
‘He’s wounded,’ The EMH said, holding out a tricorder.
‘Okay, let’s move,’ Yarwood said.
They exited the ruined maglift, and started cautiously towards the palace.
The armoured figure on the ground, had opened the faceplate, ‘Hé, who are you?’ the man asked, with the trace of an accent.
‘I could ask the same,’ Max replied, kicking the man’s phaser away.
‘Manners, Lieutenant. My name is Sam, I’m a doctor.’ The medical tricorder was passed over the fallen, ‘and you… have an oblique closed displacement on your left clavicle.’
‘We are USS Enzio,’ Yarwood told him.
‘77th fleet?’ the man asked.
‘No, we’re attached to Starbase 47, we’re here on a diplomatic mission,’ Yarwood told him.
In the middle distance, the sound of phaser fire, and a second maglift vehicle appeared onto the square from a side street. A pulsed phase round from the transport stunned a Starfleet officer to the ground. Around them, dark rifts hung in the air. Max took a few seconds to look more closely at the one this man had fallen from. Grey shapes that looked like furniture were visible in a darkened room within it’s writhing edges.
‘Some diplomacy,’ the man said.
‘Look, what’s going on here? How did you get in…’ Max gestured to the rift above, ‘wherever you were?’
‘We went in through the door. I’m not sure how I came out there… look, these rifts, they shouldn’t be here, something must have activated them, they’re spreading, they’ll get bigger. We need to get away from-’ he cried out in pain as he tried to get up.
‘Hold still please,’ The EMH told him, ‘your collarbone is broken… Mister…?’
‘Fouquier. Cedric Fouquier. I’m one of the scientists studying these anomalies! We need to get away, you’re not wearing a Penrose field generator - you’ll be sucked in!’
Corporal Chang’s team were heading for the palace complex door, moving the maglift cautiously around the spacial rifts in the square. V’ren’s team came into the square. Yarwood waved them down.
‘A Penrose field?’ Max asked, ‘You mean, these are artificial singularities?’
‘Yes. The artefact is generating them. And they’re getting more extreme!’ The man was clearly agitated. Now that he considered it, Max could feel a gentle pull from the rift above them.
‘Kempton. Peck. We don’t have time for this. Get that man aboard the vehicle, get him somewhere secure and find out what he can tell you. V’ren, your team after Chang’s. Doctor Reynolds, with me also.’
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Simon Clark
Lt. Commander
Registered: Dec 1, 2016 22:21:10 GMT
Posts: 153
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Post by Simon Clark on Mar 11, 2022 22:21:49 GMT
+++ Main Bridge, Deck One, USS Enzio +++
‘Commander, I’m reading increased quantum activity above the capital city - both in the atmosphere, and in orbit. Spacial rifts are appearing, and the density is increasing.’ Ensign Paulo Hurel said, ‘The rifts are growing in size, we are at risk, here Sir.’ ‘Agreed. Yellow alert. Ensign Hurel, find us a safe position. Ensign Rivers; communicate it to the denobulan ships. Ensign Rac’anne, back us off, all speed.’ The bridge chorused their acknowledgements of the orders, as the lights gave a visual indication that the crew should move to action stations. The shields came online, the emitters fully charged, enveloping the ship in its protective regenerative metaphasic graviton field. Simon reviewed the scan data, in his memory, he felt as if there should be chroniton particles surrounding the rifts. Instead, there were a high density of transient gravitons along the event horizon of the rift. He found himself muttering, ‘Gravitons. Gravitons. Something about neutrinos?…’ ‘Chief?’ Ensign - no - acting Lieutenant Junior Grade - Heath queried. Simon waved the concern away with one hand. ‘Sir, a large rift has just opened within two thousand metres of the lead Denobulan ship!’ Paulo said. ‘Open a channel,’ V’Maz instructed. ‘The gravity from the rift is pulling them toward the rift. They are reacting with thrust. It’s not enough,’ Lieutenant Miak said. ‘They are not responding to hail,’ Ensign Rivers said. ‘Engage tractor beam,’ Miak instructed the command console. Seconds floated by. Simon watched Ensign - no - acting Lieutenant Junior Grade - Heath allocate additional power to charge the forward tractor emitters. It engaged. The descent of the other ship into the rift slowed, but did not halt. ‘They are responding to hail. Audio only.’ ‘EEEEEEEEEeeeeeennnnnnzzzzziiiiiioooooo, wwwwwwwweeeeeeeee aaaaaaaarrrrreeeee bbbbbeeeeeeiiiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggg pppppppuuuuuuulllllleeeeeeedddddd iiiiiiiinnnnnntttttooooooo tttttttthhhhhheeeee….’ ‘What is that?’ V’Maz asked. ‘I… don’t know…’ Allison said. ‘It’s a very drawn-out and somewhat garbled comm call,’ Simon told them, ‘ODN… ODN relays. The rifts affect ODN relays. Can you speed up?’ Simon could see the how-do-you-know-that expression on Rory’s face. ‘Enzio, we are being pulled into the rift, our engines are insufficient to mo…’ the message repeated and was cut off. ‘Gravitational effects from the rifts are increasing. They are exerting gravitational effects on the planet’s crust, and on the Enzio,’ Paulo said. ‘The other two denobulan ships are leaving orbit at full impulse.’ Miak added, ‘Sir, we are in a dangerous position here, we are being pulled towards a rift on our ventral side, as well as the one forward that has captured the denobulan vessel.’ ‘Helm, manoeuvre at your discretion. Keep that ship within the tractor emitter arc.’ ‘Aye, Coomandeer,’ Ensign Rac’anne replied. The ship began a slow dance amongst the quantum anomalies. Simon looked back at the sensor readouts. There was something achingly familiar about it what he was seeing… +++
+++ Stardate 2394.0108 +++ … "I can assure you that sensors are working optimally, Cadet Huebner. Mr. Clark here ensured a good calibration." She smiled at him.
He really was going to have to tell the commander about that, and was about to, when something Calvin said caught his attention...
"A rift in space? We're somewhere else?"
"That's right, Cadet." Manto told him, coming over, "We need to triangulate our coordinates, given known systems. These rifts can get tricky." she said to Cadet Clark. "Most of the time, these rifts send you a few light years."
"Yes, Sir."
Simon took the rear panel at the science station, and confirming long range sensors were online, instructed the computer to scan for familiar stars, with comparisons to the database. With the main computer struggling with it's gel packs, progress was slower than usual, but fortunately a great deal of the database was in the current databank of the science station, and it had its own isolinear processor to reduce the loading on the main computer's data bus.
Simon liked computers, he got along well with them, and found the LCARS interface extremely intuitive, and navigated it naturally. He found it calming, and it took his mind off his headache, which didn't seem to have improved. After five minutes, the console had exhausted the local data, which was predominantly alpha quadrant stars, and announced no matches. That meant none of the stars were familiar. Worry rising from his diaphragm, he instructed a full database search, calling a data spread from the main computer's databanks.
The query took several long seconds to traverse the neural circuitry between the console, and the distant computer, but it was soon feeding back star systems, albeit slowly, and the console called up it's first match.
"I've found a matching star system." he announced proudly to his local world in general, without looking up from the display.
The star on the screen was identified as that of the Taresian homeworld, not much more than a spec on the sensors, but the same planet encountered by the USS Voyager in 2374.
"But... it's in the Delta quadrant..." he said to himself. … OOC: this piece taken from: section47.proboards.com/post/34105/thread +++
‘The Delta Quadrant!’ he said aloud. ‘Mister Clark?’ V’Maz quizzed. ‘Sir, I want to launch a probe into the anomaly. I have a hunch that there is another side to this spacial rift that the sensors cannot discern at this range,’ V’Maz wasn’t good with hunches or gut feelings, Simon was fully aware. Exposing this as his data source wouldn’t do much for his credibility in the commander’s eyes. To his surprise, V’Maz answered positively. ‘Proceed. Science, can you confirm this supposition?’ ‘Not, sssssir. It isssssss not beyond posssssibility; there not now evidensssse for thisss,’ Petty Officer M’Rell replied. ‘Probe ready. Rac’anne?’ Paulo asked. Ensign Rac’anne brought the forward launch tube in line with the rift. The probe was away. In two seconds it crossed the distance. It intersected the event horizon, and vanished. ‘Probe lost. The last transmission shows Chief Clark may be right. We have a visual on the USS Tennessee, heavily damaged, two other federation ships, and multiple others. And that’s a fragment of the standard federation distress transmission.’
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on Mar 17, 2022 12:35:46 GMT
"Suggestions," V'Maz requested, taking the centre chair while running over a number of possibilities in his head. Despite those starships being units in the 77th Fleet, a rescue should be attempted. But how? To travel through the rifts seemed madness, and would likely only get the Enzio trapped and/or nearly destroyed like the others.
"Is it possible we could widen the rift?" Miak asked, "Create enough space for the Tennessee and other ships to pass through, or for us or ships of the 77th Fleet to pull them across the horizon with tractor beams?"
Hurel sat at the science station mulling it over, "... Perhaps we could use a polaric energy beam - directed through the navigational deflector - to open up the rift. Coupled with a communication to the stranded vessels informing them on what we're planning, they'll be enabled to travel back through, assuming they at least have thruster power. Bear in mind the rift won't be increased in strength; if anything its larger size will weaken it. I'm concerned though that in travelling back through the rift the vessels will suffer just as much damage as when they were pulled through."
"Unless it was their impact with the sides of the rifts that did the damage," Miak replied.
V'Maz demanded less speculation and more fact. Feeling under pressure, Paulo took Miak's suggestions on board and after a time decided he was probably correct. The Vulcan eventually settled on Hurel's idea and asked him and Clark to come up with a procedure to generate a polaric beam.
Clark, Heath and M'Rell meanwhile had been looking for a solution to the predicament of the Denobulan vessel. "How about thisss? Bleexa jumpsss her vessssel to warp."
"No, I don't think so, Petty Officer," Clark responded to the Caitian.
"But there is an idea there..." Heath began, "Or at least one connected to the warp drive. The vessel could eject warp plasma into the rift, actually anything of significant mass. Think, it may well be the case - as we observed when those 77th Fleet ships were swallowed - that when coming into contact with any substantial mass, a rift is collapsed. Releasing warp plasma - or something of the sort, as long as it's not in a high enough concentration or large enough to endanger the stranded vessels - could collapse the rift behind the Denobulans."
Satisfied, the trio reported to V'Maz who acknowledged in the affirmative and asked Miak to try to open a channel to the beleaguered vessel being barely held above the event horizon by the Enzio's distended tractor beam. "I don't know whether they'll be able to hear you, sir, but comm is open."
"Ms Bleexa, this is the Enzio. We advise you eject some mass into the rift. We believe this may collapse it, at least until it appears in another location."
Minutes passed and eventually they saw indistinct objects of uncertain geometry spiralling very slowly from the Denobulan craft towards the nearby gravitational well. Light was catching the objects at odd angles. Antimatter pods? V'Maz thought.
With the time dilation effect, it seemed the Denobulans must've acted on his advice almost immediately, the gap between his comm and the resultant mass ejection probably equivalent to the time it took for Bleexa or whoever was in charge to give the order in their own frame of reference.
"It's working, to some extent," Hurel reported, "The Denobulans' rift hasn't closed, but the mass incident on it is continually weakening its gravitational effect," he looked at the viewscreen, "They're still near the anomaly but are no longer being pulled in."
But the rifts were still appearing, in orbit and in the atmosphere above the capital, affecting the cohesion of the planet's crust in the near vicinity...
* * *
Being heavily outnumbered, Chang and V'ren had departed the entrance being guarded by the 77th Fleet's own marines and had made for a side-entrance to the palatial complex, where it was thought Gheskori had entered earlier along with the marine team leaders' SMO Tavik and the rest of the small team that had earlier hoped to meet the Centaurans before firing upon them.
They abandoned the maglift vehicle; it had come in handy for providing cover, but the confines at the side of the building were far too tight. Fortunately, the entrance in question wasn't guarded.
Yarwood was immediately behind them with the EMH, trusting to find the CO at some point.
Their incentive to get into the palace was even greater - the scientist Fouquier spoke urgently to Kempton and Peck about the Penrose field generators, inside the complex together with the EVA suits that'd been used to enter the cubic structure, which the Centauran scientists were working upon feverishly to return to its own universe...
Nearby Centaurans, taking fright at the new interdimensional rifts, pressed towards the downed maglift, thinking to seize it from the three...
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Gheskori
Command Staff ..
Commanding Officer Personnel Officer Trivia Officer
Section Admiral
USS Enzio
Registered: May 2, 2008 23:32:36 GMT
Posts: 1,538
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Post by Gheskori on May 11, 2022 21:43:19 GMT
Civilians had surrounded the repulsor lift vehicle, trying to prise open the malfunctioning and askew hatch that Kempton had done his best to pull back into its socket. "Ok, let's move," Peck suggested and Kempton fired up the vehicle once again, the deputy tactical officer taking a backseat along with the Centauran Fouquier.
"Corrupt Starfleeter Martyn!" "They're with him!" Peck heard the snatches of cries from without. The maglift gradually moved through the crowd that pressed upon it, the panicking Centaurans perhaps seeing it was something that would allow them to escape from the rift anomalies, or was their target the people within?
"Tell us about the artefact," Peck said to Fouquier once they were up to speed and pushing through alleys of the outskirts.
"We entered it for the first time on stardate 2407.0429..."
Marianne Declos along with Vinario and Leunclavius were perusing their data on the cubic structure, how they might reverse the virtually accidental process by which they'd brought it here from the alternate universe predicted by their theory... Try as they might, they couldn't so much as approach a solution. Marianne felt her civilian commbadge buzz at her equipment belt. She frowned and stepped away from the others, raising the badge and applying pressure.
=/\=Marianne? It's me, Malthus.=/\=
She looked around at her colleagues - none of them seemed to have taken notice - before replying, =/\=Where are you?=/\=
=/\=With the child.=/\= The new ceremonial leader, Marianne thought. =/\=Listen to me, Marianne. I've made a mistake. I had the child read a message for the populace and I broadcast it worldwide, telling the citizens that Admiral Martyn has conducted a coup against our people. Now they are enraged, not only with Martyn but with me!=/\=
Declos absorbed the news - then the secessionist movement had collapsed irretrievably, there was nothing the Centaurans could do without Martyn's support. She sighed, =/\=Don't you think our own coup has given them just cause, Gaston?=/\=
* * *
On the bridge of the Enzio, V'Maz regarded the viewscreen which displayed a wide-angle view of the once-stricken Denobulan ship, the other rift through which the Tennessee and two other surviving starships had been found, as well as the bulk of the 77th Fleet which still hovered some 10,000 kilometres off the Enzio's bow.
"Bleexa is reporting her ship is out of danger, Commander," Miak stated from tactical, "Time dilation nearly returned to level of stationary frame of reference." V'Maz acknowledged. "Sir, she asks if she may attempt to speak with Admiral Martyn. We believe he's now on the surface, possibly in the palace."
"Considering we're still unable to contact our away teams... she has our leave," the XO nodded.
* * *
Approaching the central chambers and hoping the throne room wasn't too heavily guarded, Ghes thought on how he was going to achieve this break-in and not lose any more people. He turned to Tavik who he was sure had worked out some optimal tactic when the matter was forced to the back of his mind, crowded out as from behind there erupted a sudden furore. The rising note of a ragged cry, now at one, now incoherent... a virtual stampede of Centaurans. He jumped out of the way into a niche in the great wall of the passageway and watched in astonishment as hundreds of Centauran civilians streamed by into the central chambers.
"Admiral!" he heard a familiar voice - Yarwood's - in the midst of the crowd. Trying to espy the Ops officer, he was caught off guard as Lieutenant Vren and other marines nearly bowled him and Tavik over as they separated themselves from the rioting Centaurans who poured onwards and past them, their Babel language doppler-shifting as they vanished to a point at the far end of the vaulted passage.
Ghes took stock, finding himself facing half a dozen more Enzio Starfleeters and marines. Yarwood appeared amongst them and spoke, "V'Maz sent us, sir. Admiral, whatever's going on between the 77th Fleet and the Centauran Regent, we have to get off the planet. Your team may not have seen it, but outside many more of the interdimensional rifts we saw in orbit have been opening up, all throughout the capital city."
The Denobulan nodded slowly, "I suggest we make our back the way you came. The Centaurans have probably cleared the passage?"
"Correct, Admiral," Corporal Chang said, hoisting his phaser rifle.
As they made their way through the enormous palatial complex, Bleexa was unbeknownst to them speaking with Martyn who'd been in the throne room trying to assume control of Alpha Centauri colony. She virtually convinced him to abandon his plans, to not go through with the next steps in the insurrection which if culminated could shake the Federation to its core, despite the rebels' infighting; he'd agreed to begin standing his forces down, when the rioting Centaurans - Federation loyalists at heart and indignant at their usurpers - streamed into the room and swept Martyn, his 77th Fleet landing party and native Centauran courtiers away...
News soon spread and in the main square in front of the palace Ghes and the Enzio officers watched on a large screen a broadcast from the palace. The self-proclaimed provisional government were announcing that Martyn had been deposed. Lieutenant Vren called out, his voice echoing through the square and adjoining streets. The place was deserted, no rifts, the masses of people presumably having fled or forming part of the uprising in the palace. It didn't escape Ghes's notice that the cubic structure had vanished, too; had Dr Declos been successful, or was something else at work?
The Denobulan's commbadge chirped, =/\=Enzio to either away team, do you read?=/\= It was V'Maz. Ghes smiled and replied affirmative. =/\=Admiral, it is agreeable to hear your voice. Please be aware that Bleexa has convinced Martyn to end his rebellion.=/\=
=/\=No, Commander,=/\= Ghes's smile disappeared, =/\=I'm afraid Admiral Martyn is gone. Bleexa's intervention must have come too late. There has been an uprising... It's over.=/\=
=/\=... Preparing to transport, sir.=/\=
Only a score of Enzio crewmembers - including Kempton and Peck returned from the suburbs - were dematerialised, Ghes's away team having lost five security and marines...
* * *
He returned to learn that the 77th Fleet - under a new CO - had stood down and the fleet now awaited escort to seven separate locations with courts martial pending. Thankfully their vessels lost in the rifts had been recovered - albeit with heavy damage. Ghes wanted to give thanks to Marianne Declos but neither she, her fellow researchers nor former Regent Malthus could be found.
"... The provisional government of Alpha Centauri swears renewed allegiance to the Federation, Admiral," the Centauran councillor Gilles Musset spoke on Ghes's ready room console screen.
"Very well," the Enzio CO nodded, "There'll be a relief force of three starships here in just under 24 hours, with officials aboard who will help you arrange a lasting settlement. Be wary, councillor. And next time you involve yourself in quadrant politics... try not to be so dramatic!"
Councillor Musset chuckled a little and closed the channel his end, Ghes returning to the bridge and regarding his officers one at a time before requesting Ensign Rac'anne set a course for Starbase 47...
OOC: Brought most of the story to a conclusion. Leaving the thread open for now for any final posts, looking at what we've done, finishing sub-plots etc
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