Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Feb 18, 2009 17:01:36 GMT
Synopsis:
A Federation vessel, the USS McCauliffe, an Excelsior Class Star ship, had been assisting with a scientific research mission near the Balsara System, when they intercepted a distress call. They approached a small scout ship thought to belong to the Mysar, a war-like race that the Federation had yet to make ‘official’ first contact with. The only other contact, from over forty years ago, was the attempted hi-jack of an ore carrier.
After receiving permission, the McCauliffe took the scout ship into her cargo-bay; the Captain reported that they were following the scouts Ion trail heading for what was thought to be the Mysar home world. All contact was subsequently lost with the McCauliffe.
The USS St James, an Intrepid Class Star ship, had been ordered to investigate but had come under heavy attack and had barely managed to reach an unmanned observation platform to report and begin repairs.
The Raven will leave as soon as possible and rendezvous with the St James at the Henderson Platform and from there enter the Balsara system in search of the McCauliffe and her crew...
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Feb 18, 2009 17:12:47 GMT
The last thirty six hours had gone quickly.
Carl had been pleased that his Exec' had ensured that all upgrades and refurbishments were going to be completed in good time. In fact, he was sure they could leave in the time it would take to retrieve the ships' crew from their shore-leave activities. anything still needing to be done could be completed en-route.
He'd been back in his quarters for less than an hour, looking forward to watching one of the twentieth century movies he liked, when the Bridge contacted him ..
=^= Sir .. Communication from Base operations =^=
=^= Put it through here =^=
=^= Aye Sir =^= the duty Opp Officer replied ... Seconds later, Commander Prichard appeared.
=^= Captain .. Good to see you again .. How's the Raven looking ? =^=
=^= Ready to leave if the word is given Commander =^=
=^= I'm sending you your orders now .. You have been ordered to depart in twelve hours .. The St James has had no luck in finding the McCauliffe ... In fact, she only just made it to safety after coming under fire .. You will meet her and go in search of the McCauliffe =^=
=^= Understood =^= Carl said, noting the confirmation of his orders.
He checked the chronometer, noting the hour, and decided to let everyone ashore enjoy one more night. 'no point in dragging people back at this hour anyway' he thought as he tapped his Comms badge ..
=^= Torek to Bridge =^=
=^= Bridge .. Lieutenant Densan =^=
=^= Contact all Senior Staff .. Have them report for a briefing at zero nine hundred hours tomorrow morning .. All ships' crew to report aboard by ten hundred hours for departure from Star base =^=
=^= Aye Captain =^= Densan said closing the Comm.
Torek glanced at the bedroom door and decided he would get some sleep. it was possible they would need all the rest they could get ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Feb 23, 2009 1:03:05 GMT
"Lieutenant Densan to all senior staff, message to say the Captain has called a briefing for 0900 tomorrow."
Blakus sat perched forward on a stool in his quarters. A small glass tumbler was in his hand, it was filled to the top with ice water. He ignored the freeze of the liquid against his hands. How could he give it any mind? The liquid, near freezing point was not unlike how he felt; cold, dead, detached.. it was part of him, freezing him and being frozen, two thermodynamic systems in equilibrium. At one.
He didn't answer the message from Densan. He would attend the briefing of course, as best as he was able. The new mission would provide a welcome respite from the torment, the feeling of emptiness that was slowly engulfing the man; the man who was Executive officer of the Raven, but only in name. His tired mind wandered to the visions induced by the interdimensional cloud creature. Only now the horror of the vision found there way into Blakus's mind, made him at least see how they fit if not how they were to be comprehended. The empty, white plain, nothing; and just static bodies where there were vestiges of the living world imprinted on his consciousness.
Everytime he blinked the darkness enveloped him and would not go away, tumbling helplessly through the vacuum once he was propelled out through the breach in the hull. His eyes saw his quarters once more, the floor, the bed.. but all his mind saw was the blackness punctuated with the glaring bright points burnt through in their usual, seemingly incoherent pattern.
The next day he was up at 0730 hours, feeling less troubled than the day before he thought, but what did that even mean? He'd gone to bed at some point the night before. He couldn't remember when; he had a vague, disembodied memory of pulling back the cover and perhaps lying there for a while, before surrendering to a dreamless sleep.
He sat at his desk's terminal console, scrolling through some of the latest departmental reports; they were all making final preparations for departure from the Starbase, and still trying to get the last of their staff off their shore leave. The XO debated with himself on the merits of breakfast in the mess hall versus that customary morning meal in his quarters. He decided on the latter without too much need of serious thought. The replicator produced Andae's breakfast without any trouble, which for some reason surprised him. He ate it, trying not to think too much and keep his mind occupied on the day ahead.
The bridge door's parted, Blakus headed straight for the conference room door, down to the right from the turbolift. "Good morning," said Commander Harvey, who was just leaving from her night shift; she'd seen him enter and was trying to say hello. Blakus barely heard the greeting, so that did at least give him an excuse for unintentionally ignoring her. He walked into the room to see Captain Torek sitting at the head of the table, thoughtfully studying a PADD in his hand, perhaps preparing what he was to say.
Blakus made a show of looking around. No one else had arrived yet. "It seems I'm early.." he said, "Good morning, Captain." The XO moved to sit in the seat to his CO's right, nearest to windows down the room's side.
<Tag Torek & ALL>
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2009 5:05:52 GMT
Will had gotten everything he needed to do in order lat night before turning in. He had gotten 2 new security guards on board. Their physicals are scheduled with the CMO and he has several training exercises setup in one of the holodecks to see where they need improving on. He had actually considered it a pretty successful night. Now, as he walked into the conference room, he found himself eager and ready for another mission. Just as long as it didn't involve another damn wormhole type thingy. As soon as the doors parted, the only people he saw were the CO and XO.
"Morning, sirs." Will said as he walked straight over to the replicator and drew out several pitchers of water, cups of ice, coffee and empty cups and began placing them around the table. "Anything to drink other than water or coffee this morning, sirs?" he offered.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Feb 23, 2009 23:57:58 GMT
Even though the briefing was set for zero nine hundred hours, Carl had been in the Observation lounge for well over an hour ... There was no real reason for his earliness, he just woke early and had been roaming the ship, almost restlessly, for some time before sitting here watching the workings of the massive docks outside the windows. He was only half glancing at the PADD on the table before him, thinking about how an Excelsior Class ship had vanished, and an Intrepid Class get damaged and need to run for safety. There weren't many races that could do that, but apparently the 'Mysar' seemed to think they had the right to attack those ships. He'd tried to find information on the Mysar, but it was thin on the ground, so to speak, and all he had was the brief, sketchy, report of them attacking a freighter some forty years ago .. He didn't hear the doors opening, and almost didn't hear the voice .. "It seems I'm early ...... Good morning, Captain." Carl looked up. "Oh, Good morning Andae." he said, sneaking a glance at the chronometer above the door, "Sorry, I was in a world of my own there." he finished, pushing the PADD to his Exec' as he sat down. Blakus began to read as the doors again opened. This time allowing the Raven's Chief of Security to enter. After a greeting he moved to the replicator and began getting the refreshments for the briefing. "Tactical and Security are ready Will ?" Torek asked, much preferring to keep the conversation intentionally informal. "Yes Sir ..." Jamison replied, taking his seat, "My staff replacements arrived late last night, need Commander Traks to give them the once-over, but otherwise we're ready to go." "Good to hear." Carl said, getting out of his chair and moving to the windows .. Worker bee shuttles were seemingly 'buzzing' around the massive Galaxy Class Star Ship, ensuring she was ready for any, and hopefully all eventualities once out in what could sometimes be hostile, unfriendly, open space. Another glance at the chronometer told him it was zero eight fifty four, almost briefing time .......... < tag : ALL Senior Staff .... Please post your arrival at the briefing >
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Scott McLean
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Post by Scott McLean on Feb 24, 2009 6:45:19 GMT
McLean had spent a good portion of his leave time supervising the repairs and refits to the Raven. He had been told once that if he wanted to be a good Chief Engineer than he had to put the time in, and [word deleted] off a few Starbase technicians in the process. He certainly had [word deleted] off some technicians this time around.
Captain Torek had become a very good friend to Mclean in the last year, and when he could he would brief him a little early about the details of the mission. This mission wasn’t any different but the technical aspects had changed the situation slightly. Torek wanted to make sure that the Raven’s defenses and weapons took priority, given the hostile nature of this race of beings. Frankly, the last thing McLean wanted was a torpedo ripping through any part of his ship, so he agreed with Torek’s concern for a strong defense.
With the attitude light on the ship with most of the crew gone McLean decided to let Vanessa tear through Main Engineering with her friends, just so long as they stayed out of the way and didn’t touch anything. He found it fascinating how technically savvy the young girl was, did it have anything to do with watching him work, could it possibly be genetic? McLean didn’t know. He just knew that he beamed with pride when a technician asked a buddy for a tool to fix a EPS coupling and Vanessa was right there with the proper tool ready and waiting for him.
The computer quietly reminded McLean of the staff meeting, and within a couple of minutes of the alarm the Chief Engineer was off. He left Vanessa with his assistant of the day, but reminded him that is she got to any trouble that he should be called right away. Not that McLean thought Vanessa would get into any trouble; it was just what parents had to say when they left their kids in the care of others.
The doors to the conference roomed opened slightly slower than normal. McLean found his attention move from the people in the room watching him to the door. It was only a matter of seconds that passed but he had made a mental note to send somebody up to fix the slider.
“Good morning Captain.” McLean said as he took his seat.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2009 2:01:27 GMT
*Traks had been working for several hours trying to catch up on the crew physicals. The only ones left were the command crew. A chime sounded and a message displayed on the desk terminal. {Senior Staff meeting 09:00 main briefing room.}
"Time flies when your having fun" Traks got up and headed for the door, pausing at the nurses desk. "I'll be in the Main briefing room, hold down the fort."
Traks proceeded to the bridge and entered the briefing room taking his seat at the table.
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robertsharp
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Post by robertsharp on Feb 25, 2009 21:52:12 GMT
Sharp is in his quarters going over some personal reports when he hears a chime and the computer telling him its 0830 and 3o minutes til the briefing is to start. Sharp gets up and heads out of his quarters.
20 minutes later Sharp enters the briefing room ith just about everyone there As Shrp takes a seat "good morning Captain"
<tag all>
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Feb 25, 2009 23:06:15 GMT
Carl checked the chronometer again. It was zero nine zero six, the meeting was by default late starting, but no-one seemed to be in any hurry. Not that haste was a necessity at the moment, but Torek expected his staff to at least arrive on time when requested to do so.
Sighing inwardly, he moved to his seat, casually glancing at the empty chairs. They were still under-staffed in some areas, but not so much that it would impede their departure.
"Computer .. Location of Ensign Warren." he said.
"Ensign Warren is no longer aboard the Raven."
Carl looked at his Exec' Officer, not needing to say he wanted an explanation as to the whereabouts of the Navigation Officer. Blakus nodded, tapping his Comms badge and speaking quietly ..
< tag: Andae >
"OK everyone ..." Carl began, "Good morning, and sorry for the early start." A chorus of 'mornings' reverberated round the room, "Seems we will be leaving our little haven soon. I'm sure you have heard the scuttlebutt regarding the McCauliffe. Well here's the 'official' version .."
"She 'is' missing then ?" Jamison asked.
"Yes Commander. The USS McCauliffe is missing. The report details are on the PADDs in front of you, please read up on the current Intel. We are going to be heading for the Henderson Deep Range Observation Platform, where we will rendezvous with the USS St James. We will enter the Balsara system and begin a thorough search for the McCauliffe and her crew."
"These Mysar ..." Traks said.
"NOT the friendliest of races it seems !" Torek said, glancing round the room, hoping the tone wasn't lost on his Officers, "I want us out of here in six hours. Is that doable ?" he finished, looking round the room ..........
< tag: All >
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Feb 26, 2009 18:08:50 GMT
Blakus didn't realise at first that the Captain was looking his way. He coughed when he did notice, and himself turned to face the Captain. "Yes," he coughed again; he tapped his commbadge. "Computer, rout this message to the Starbase's personnel department." A few beeps.. Blakus moved to the side of the room and, unknown to the rest of the officers in the room, his words were inadvertantly quiet. "Starbase 47, this is the First officer of the USS Raven, do you have an Ensign Lewis Warren aboard starbase?"
"Yes sir, Ensign Warren has taken an unexplained leave of absence from Starfleet. We have no more information I'm afraid, sir."
"Ok... thank you," Blakus simply answered. He closed the channel and moved back to the table. "You heard that sir?" he asked Torek as he retook his seat. Torek nodded and continued with the briefing.
The XO felt himself swept away from the briefing as the Captain told them of the mission. He listened and understood but his mind was elsewhere.. it did not return 'til the briefing was concluded. "..Is that doable ?" Torek asked.
The six hour figure.. Blakus mused, it certainly was doable. He leant forward, put forth his own contribution to answering the Captain's question. "From my review of the maintenance and repair reports, I think we could be ready in four hours, Captain," he said, nodding and looking on-the-ball. "McLean, Jamison, Sharp, would you agree with that assessment, can the ship be ready to depart by then?"
<Tag McLean, Jamison, Sharp>
Captain Torek seemed satisfied that the final preparations for departure could be completed well within his laid-out time limit. The senior staff were dismissed. As he got up to leave, Blakus got a sudden, desperate urge to return to his quarters. He would spend a minute or two on the bridge first. The four hours ahead of them would require him little, except if any of the department heads personally requested his help. Otherwise, approving duty rosters would be all he was needed for, and that didn't require him to be on the bridge.
He walked sedately to the conference room door and left at the same time as Traks. "Commander," he said, "I thought I'd ask, when is a good time for my pre-mission medical exam? I have to stop by my quarters first, but it's not impossible for my medical to take place after that."
<Tag Traks>
Andae thanked the Doctor and stepped across the bridge, exhaling a deep breath; he turned to the face the portal that was the forward viewscreen, the now-open starfield displayed there for him to see. The pupils of his dark eyes shone with the starlight as they bored into the screen; he imagined himself projected into the universe, the eternal shade of night that was twisted with the light of stellar matter; the image of those fusing masses, something for his mind to become attached to at least, something other than the nothingness. He and the universe had become one and the same; his body returned to its place of origin, back to the place that personified absence from consciousness.
***
The doors to his quarters slid shut. Blakus sat on the couch and picked the duty roster PADDs off the coffee table. After peering at them for a while, he realised he was not able to face them. He dared not try and take in the words, lest he could not comprehend.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Feb 26, 2009 22:28:42 GMT
Carl had been going through some of the mission details while Blakus was talking to the Star base ..
=^= Yes Sir .. Ensign Warren has taken an unexplained leave of absence from Star fleet .. We have no more information I'm afraid =^=
=^= OK .. Thank you =^= Blakus simply answered. He closed the channel and moved back to the table.
"You heard that Sir ?"
"Yes ... Have him tracked down. I don't appreciate my Officers going off as and when they please." Carl said before continuing the briefing. Thirty minutes later, he was done.
Once the room was clear, Torek sat quietly watching the dock. He was more than pleased that Andae could have them ready for departure in under the six hours he'd suggested, very pleased ...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Sir. I have received confirmation of our departure orders from Operations." the duty Helm Officer said, "Shall i acknowledge ?"
"Yes." Torek said, "Mister Sharp. Release docking clamps and all umbilicals."
"Aye Sir." Robert answered, then seconds later, "We're floating free and ready to leave the dock Captain. All departments report ready."
"Maneuvering thrusters only .. Take us out." Blakus said.
The massive Galaxy Class ship began to move. First full astern, then slowly, gracefully, she rotated on her axis through one hundred degrees, to face the enormous docking bay doors. Using thrusters only, no heroics this time round, the Raven neared the slowly opening aperture, then she was through and in open space once more.
"Reverse angle on viewer." Carl said.
On the view-screen, they could see the Star base begin to fall behind them. Torek never failed to wonder at the sheer magnificence of their bases. Massive, elegant, regal. 'They are everything Star fleet was about' he thought for the thousandth time.
"Forward view." the screen changed again, "Set co-ordinates for the Henderson Observation Platform ... Warp six." the Exec' ordered.
"Course set Sir."
"Engage."
They were on their way ..........
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2009 4:30:43 GMT
Bridge – USS St. James
Terrence Usana Commander of the USS. St. James sat on the bridge of his ship, it was the standard bridge for an Intrepid class Starship. He let out a sigh as he watched his officers buzz around him doing minor repairs.
Standing up he took a look around the bridge before nodding to his Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Theo McGarry, Theo stood as Usana nodded at him and followed his Commanding officer into the briefing room.
As Terrence entered his ready room he moved straight behind his desk and sat down, looking up at the still standing Theo he said. “How are repairs coming along Theo?”
Theo shifted the weight off of his left foot and onto the right before taking a breath to answer Usana, Theo moved his hand through his no greying hair the stress wrinkles on his face clearly shown in the light of the Captains ready room.
“Very well Sir.. She will be good as new within the next seven hours.”
Terrence nodded before raising to his feet, Terrence was younger than Theo by about a decade and the stress of time had only begun to appear on his face, even though his executive officer was older they both knew that Terrence was the smarter one, he was an accomplished tactician and natural leader.
“Theo.. Starfleet is sending another ship.” Terrence looked down at his console and read through it until he found the name. “USS. Raven Galaxy class… a Captain Torek.”
Theo nodded as he stepped closer before he lowered his voice and asked. “Do you think they suspect anything Sir?”
Terrence walked over to the window his hands clasped behind his back he took a moment to gaze at the starscape before saying. “No and if we play our cards right they never will.”
Theo shifted uncomfortably in the spot he was standing before asking the question he thought was necessary. “And if they find out Sir?”
Usana turned and looked at Theo, “Then we cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war… and make sure they don’t tell anyone else.”
Theo nodded understanding what Usana was saying, before he left the ready room and let the Commander Usana think over all eventualities.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Feb 28, 2009 3:29:31 GMT
Carl had spent the last hour going through the records of the the people that had gone missing. Captain Gemma Barnes, Australian, thirty three years old, had served as a Commanding Officer for almost five years. She had taken command of the science vessel USS McCauliffe less than a year ago. Her crew comprised of scientific staff with only minimal Star Fleet crew. Terrence Usana was forty seven. American, New England born. He'd held the rank of Captain for fourteen years. Carl was very interested in the mans record. He'd had his fair share of, confrontations, for want of a better word, with Command during his time in the center seat, but even so, was still given Command of one of the newest ship's out of the yard. Torek recalled a twentieth century phrase 'My way, or the Highway' .. It summed-up Usana's attitude at times. Torek had no way of knowing whether the Mysar had simply destroyed the McCauliffe, or taken her after a fight. Either way, the St James had suffered serious damage when they went to help. Usana's initial report said they had come under attack from five ships, configuration unknown, but similar in size to the Intrepid Class. =^= Captain .. We're here =^= Blakus said via the Comm. =^= Drop us out of warp and bring us to ten thousand meters off the array =^= He entered the Bridge as the Henderson Array came into view. He could just make out the St James at this range, but as they approached he could see the scarring from multiple phaser hits. "We're receiving a Comm from the St James Sir." sharp said from Opps. "Open a channel." Blakus ordered. Seconds later the screen changed to show the Bridge of the St James, Usana grinning in the Command seat. =^= Welcome Raven =^= Usana said. =^= Captain .. Good to be here .. What's your status ? =^= =^= Three more hours for repairs then we'll be ready to leave Captain =^= Usana said, that annoying grin re-appearing. Carl checked the chronometer above the screen. =^= Why don't you beam over for a spot of dinner before we head out .. Say one hour ? =^= Usana seemed to be listening to someone out of view, then he turned back to the screen. =^= I'll take a rain-check on that if you don't mind Captain .. I'm eager to get my repairs completed and get after those 'pirates' that took the McCauliffe .. I'll contact you soon as we're ready to get underway Captain .. St James out =^= Carl was a little taken aback by Usana attitude. He could understand the man's eagerness to go after the McCauliffe, but to refuse an invitation, from essentially a Senior Officer, was a little un-nerving. Torek looked at Andae, who shrugged, he was obviously thinking the same as Carl. ~~~~~~~~~~Two and a half hours later they received a Comm from Usana .. =^= We're ready Captain .. I've sent co-ordinates to you for our best heading .. We'll be going deep into the Balsara system =^= Before Torek could reply, the duty Navigation Officer spoke. "Sir .. The St James is moving off." Carl and Andae watched the ship, a sixth the size of the Galaxy Class, seemingly skip over the array, then jump to warp. "She's gone to warp." the Helm Officer needlessly stated. Carl raised his arms in a 'whatever next' gesture, then shrugged, annoyed more than he realized at the mans actions. "Follow them ... Match course and speed. Bring us to one thousand meters off their port quarter." The Helm Officer hesitated, but for only a second before inputting the instructions. One thousand meters at warp seven would have the two vessels almost touching, it would take micro-seconds to collide at that speed and range. The Raven turned on her axis, then gracefully, effortlessly, jumped to warp .. Five seconds later, the St James appeared on-screen. "Good of you to wait." Carl said under his breath, noticing Blakus nod discretely, having heard his comment. They were on their way after the McCauliffe .......... < tag : ALL >
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2009 21:52:10 GMT
Will stood at his station just shaking his head. He could not believe the audacity of the other CO. Especially when their ship just took off. As the Raven came along the St James, Will checked over the readouts from the other vessel.
"Sir. I've scanned the St James and checked their repair roster. Their captain wasn't completely honest with us when he said they were ready. Scans show that their shields are not 100% and one of their torpedo launchers are still not operational. I hope he let's us take lead if something happens. Although, he doesn't seem like the following type."
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Mar 2, 2009 5:01:24 GMT
The Captain of the St. James was behaving oddly. That much was clear to Blakus. He knew what Usana was doing.. what he didn't know was why. Was this Captain always this slippery, unorthodox, quirky..? The Raven's XO hoped not. A joint search operation needed a steady rapport between ship commanders; straight out of Starfleet command-training texts. Not that Blakus wanted that quote-the-rulebook kind of perception...
The Raven followed at instant high-warp.. and before long had caught up with the St. James. Torek muttered under his breath at the image of the Intrepid class vessel on the viewscreen. Blakus nodded, he'd easily heard what the Captain had said. He agreed with him. This Usana was irritating; certainly not what Blakus wanted - or needed - at this time.
Two and a half hours earlier, Usana's image had appeared on the viewscreen. Feeling his growingly common sensation of detachment and disownership, Blakus had seen something not right in the man almost immediately. It was not even his strangely 'oppressive' smile. But then what? The XO had shrugged it off. They barely knew this man, perhaps this was his manner. The XO had left the bridge for a time, filling in the interlude while the Intrepid class vessel completed it's repairs. He'd gone to his quarters, read up on his PADDs that he had failed to read earlier and still struggled to read now. His diffused mind was unable to concentrate; as if a mental object had distracted his attention from the real to the imaginary.
His arm hurt. The skin ripped by the sharp edge of duranium all those months ago. It felt but yesterday, even a few minutes or moments ago now. Nothing had changed. The XO sat up in the chair, cleared the loose strands of hair from his forehead, wiped his face of the thin layer of cold sweat that had settled like a shivery morning dew. He blinked twice, then tried reading a few lines of the PADD in his hand. He scanned the letters and words, analysed them, understood them. It was like trying to comprehend a vivid dream... I could get used to this.. he decided. He would pretend this was real, try to adapt; and hope this left him to rest in peace.. or wait for something else to happen.
So, Usana had taken his ship off and away from the Henderson array, half an hour ahead of his own schedule. Blakus suspected that the St. James had not been properly repaired; a suspicion soon confirmed by Commander Jamison from his post behind the command arena.
"A tactically limited ship, not properly repaired, leading us in this search.." Blakus mused quietly in his chair, while sitting quite still. He did turn his head to his Captain though, "Do we advise Usana that we should lead the line?" Torek did not answer immediately. Instead he returned his gaze to the viewport and stared pensively. The bridge was mostly silent, going about their duty but mildly mystified.
The Raven slipped through the warped space, trailing the USS St. James that was encased in its own multi-dimensionally warped bubble. The Galaxy class was following the smaller ship deep into the Balsara system. Blakus couldn't help but feel, as he studied the rear of the Intrepid vessel and its variable-geometry nacelles, like he was being led personally to something..
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2009 6:00:29 GMT
Sitting in the Captains Chair of the USS St. James Terrence Usana kept a close eye on his staff as they did their jobs. They were leading the USS Raven in the search and what the Tactical officer said next brought a smile to his face.
“Captain.. The Raven is scanning us.”
Terrence nodded his head as he turned to look to behind and to the left of him at the tactical station. “Did they find what we wanted them to find?”
The tactical officer looked back down to his console before looking back up. “Yes Captain I have kept our shields at eighty nine percent as ordered and one of our torpedo tubes has been left offline.”
Usana smiled as he looked to his right at his first officer Theo. “So predictable… In five minutes Mr. Torek will hail us and suggest the Raven take the lead… I will not be on the bridge.. So I want you to do two things… Tell him you will need to consult me and then apologise for my abrasive personality.”
Theo McGarry nodded and Usana stood up and walked into his ready room.
Theo stood up and took a deep breath as he watched Usana walk away.
The young Ensign at the Conn panel then looked to Theo and asked.
“Sir… What Is the captain doing?”
Theo shook his head and said. “What he does best son… Throw his opponents off game.”
And then just as Usana had predicted the St. James was hailed, Theo nodded and Said.
“On Screen.”
The screen immediately showed the image of the Ravens bridge, Theo was first to speak and said.
“I am Commander McGarry First officer… How can we help you.” He said with a genuine smile
Carl Torek looked confused for a second and then asked.
“Where is Usana?”
Theo didn’t break eye contact with Torek as he answered.
“Captain Usana is indisposed at the moment sir.”
Torek seemed a little annoyed but pushed it aside as he said.
“It is probably a good idea if the Raven takes the lead in this search mission our sensors show that your repairs are still ongoing.”
Theo looked to the tactical station before looking back over to the screen.
“I will consult with Captain Usana before making decisions for him sir… and I feel I need to apologise for earlier, the Captain is annoyed that we couldn’t get the job done the first time and he doesn’t take well to losing control of situations, McGarry out.”
The screen flicked off, and Usana stepped out of the doorway to his ready room.
“Good work Theo.. Now the Raven will be too concerned with us to see the Mysars coming…”
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Mar 4, 2009 16:50:26 GMT
Carl watched the smaller vessel for a few moments while the scans were run. He listened to the results frowning, then decided.
"Open a Comm to the St James." he said.
"Channel open."
The view screen changed to show an Officer from the St James, but before Torek could begin, the man spoke ..... The conversation was brief to say the least, and Andae, as well as Carl himself seemed a little shocked at the response to the hail, as neither men expected to be informed Torek's 'suggestion' would be passed to the Commanding Officer.
"Re-establish the Comm." Carl said, a moment later, puzzled, rather than annoyed ... Seconds later the screen again showed McGarry, this time he seemed to have been grinning broadly.
=^= Commander McGarry .. I do not expect 'Junior' Officers to close a Comm in our given situation .. Is the Captain available now ? =^=
Blakus noticed McGarry glance for a millisecond to the side before returning Torek's gaze.
=^= Not at this time Captain .. Again I mus ...... =^=
=^= Forget your apologies Commander .. Under regulation one nine one .. Article fourteen i am assuming Command .. Have 'Captain' Usana contact me at his earliest convenience =^=
=^= With all due respect Captain .. We're not in a combat situation =^= McGarry began, but Torek cut him off.
=^= You have been fired on and damaged .. Seemingly beyond your ability to repair at the moment .. The USS McCauliffe is missing after being attacked and is possibly lost .. I'd call that a combat situation Commander .. Now .. Drop back to my starboard aft quarter and get all the information you have on the current situation sent to the Raven if you please .. Raven out ! =^=
The Comm closed and Carl breathed a deep sigh ...
"What the hell is going on over there ?" he said, bemused, "I can understand Usana's reluctance to cede as he feels he needs to settle this alone, but these actions are bordering on insubordination."
"Sir ..." Jamison said from Tactical, "The St James is dropping back and taking up the assigned position."
"That's something at least." Andae said quietly, "His pride has been dented, maybe that partially explains his actions."
"Hmmm." was all Torek said as he watched the Intrepid Class ship closely, wondering if it was just pride ..........
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Mar 6, 2009 1:48:30 GMT
The Galaxy Class ship arrowed through space, her companion ship, one sixth her tonnage, was in close formation. They were en-route to the Balsara System. Almost uncharted, the Balsara System was known to be rich in several key elements that would be very beneficial to the Federation. No-one had yet decided on any first contact with any of the several races known to inhabit the system, and the only contact with a race known as the Mysar, was some forty years ago when they attempted to hi-jack a freighter ... Until now that is ... Now they had taken a Star ship and attacked yet another ! "Want to bet ?" Blakus said suddenly. "What ?" Carl said, taking his eyes off the view-screen for the first time in what seemed like hours. "A bet ..." Andae said casually, "... On how long Usana will take to contact you ?" Carl grinned, he knew that his Exec' was just as worried about the current turn of events, and was making an effort to 'lighten' the issue while being fully aware of possible outcomes.. "Time to the Balsara System ?" Torek asked. "Present speed .. One hour fourteen minutes Captain." the duty Navigation Officer said. "Fourteen minutes, or the winner gets a three day pass on Risa ...." Carl said winking, getting out of his seat and heading for his ready room, ".... and because in fifteen, he'll be standing in front of my desk explaining his actions .. Oh, you have the Bridge Commander." he finished with a knowing grin. ~~~~~~~~~~Once seated in his ready room, Carl brought up the service record of Commander Usana. then on a hunch, did the same for Captain Gemma Barnes, CO of the McCauliffe .. Her record made for interesting reading. She had been in trouble, speaking out on several occasions on 'how' Star fleet handle 'situations' .. Saying we're TOO lenient most of the time, almost to the point of seeming 'submissive' in the face of an enemy. Carl was intrigued by this and continued to read further .. =^= Captain to the Bridge =^= Blakus said less than ten minutes into his reading. Carl jumped up and headed out of his office. "Commander ?" he said, moving to his seat. "Mister Jamison has picked up five ships on sensors. They are at our maximum sensor range at present, but are heading our way." Blakus said nodding to the Tactical Officer. "Heading two six zero mark zero ... They will intercept us in thirty minutes on their current heading. The ships are big Captain, or we wouldn't be seeing them yet." Will said. "Keep scanning them Commander ..." Carl ordered Jamison, "... Get me all you can as soon as you can." < tag: Will >"Conta ...." Carl began, but the Helm Officer interrupted him. "Captain ... The St James is breaking formation. She's turning away." "WHAT " Torek said, glaring at the image of Usana's ship moving away, "Hail them .. NOW !" .......... < tag: Usana / ALL >
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2009 4:29:18 GMT
"Aye, sir." Will answered immediately.
Several moments later, he had the information for the Captain.
"Sir. With the vessels getting closer, we are getting better readings. Klingon. Romulan. Andorian. Federation......"
"All those species of ships are out there, Commander?" questioned the Captain.
"No, sir. Each ship is registering as having components of all of those. They seem to be pieced together from different parts of different types of ships. They are roughly 3 times our size but their weapons are almost non existent and their shields wouldn't stand up to even one phaser shot from us. The bulk of the ships seem to be cargo space and I don't register anything that could produce anything over warp 4 by our standards."
"Conta ...." "Captain ... The St James is breaking formation. She's turning away."
"WHAT? Hail them .. NOW !"
"They aren't answering, sir." Will announced.
"Keep trying." responded the CO.
It took another several moments before they got a response from the St James.
<Tag: St James>
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Mar 9, 2009 2:02:32 GMT
Fifteen minutes after Will gave his report on the 'ships' seemingly cobbled together by scavengers, things took a turn for the worse.
"What the hell is he doing?" Blakus muttered, raising his voice only slightly while the Captain glared at the viewscreen. The viewport displayed a shot facing off the aft starboard quarter. The image of the USS St. James was banking away from them, Torek demanded they be hailed but for an infuriating minute there was no reply.
Blakus spoke up from his seat while the Captain kept himself poised towards the viewscreen, "Current trajectory and status of the St. James," he said, fully expecting his request to be recognised by the appropriate officer and responded to:
"She's turned ninety degrees, sir, decelerating now.. she's dropped out of warp sir."
"Damage?"
"I don't believe so. The power utilisation curve is consistent with a conventional drop out."
Blakus felt like asking what the hell Usana was doing again. Odd behaviour could only be taken so far, and the St. James's Captain had long since crossed that boundary. The Captain was right, this was insubordination bordering on outright disregard for a superior officer (well, the commander of a tactically superior ship in a combat situation, at least). Why would he not respond.. potentially hostile ships just ten minutes away now, not to mention the fact that he should have been reporting his reason for slowing to impulse.
The XO slapped his hands on his knees, nearly standing up but resisting the urge to do so. Despite his troubles, he was beginning to adapt to this world around him.. that had become so suddenly unreal. A dead man could not exist as a real entity, but he could try pretending.
That falsified ease of being was personified in Blakus now; he could feel his blood begin to simmer; his hands, just trembling, slightly red with his typically hot blood flowing freely through the vessels of his body. His mind felt wired, electrified by a spark.. sending the hypothalamus into meltdown and his neurons into a fury of frenzied activity. His pupils dilated, focussed, cleared away the myriad colours of burn-marks on his retina. All this but ultimately, he experienced the grand illusion, he felt alive...
He stayed sitting. "Those ships are accelerating, they will be here in two minutes." Commander Sharp reported from Ops.
"Commander Jamison," Blakus said, twisting in his seat, "You've scanned those 'ships' for information. In the interest of preparation, is there anything we could use to our advantage if it comes to a fight? If what you say is correct, we may not have too much of a problem, but I'd rather disable them with minimum effort if possible."
<Tag Jamison>
"Sharp, what do your sensors tell us about who is manning those ships? Are they from the Balsara system?"
<Tag Sharp>
"Usana's run out of time, Captain. It's been fourteen minutes.. Now he's only got two before the Raven's in amongst those ships out there."
<Tag Usana... ALL>
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robertsharp
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Post by robertsharp on Mar 9, 2009 4:06:48 GMT
Sharp is at his station listening on whats going on with the ST. James. the Captain of that ship being insubordinate to Captain Torek's orders. The ST. James XO saying that His Captain is busy. Now The ST. James has broken away from the Raven. Sharp thinking to himself This is not good I have a bad feeling about this.
"Sharp, what do your sensors tell us about who is manning those ships? Are they from the Balsara system?"
"Not sure on that sir information on this sector is still scarce and we still haven't finished analyzing the St. James records sir they seem to be encrypted and are still trying to decipher the encryption to Analise the data sir."
<tag Blakus>
Sharp turns around. Captain we need to find away to stop The St James and keep her from reaching those ships before its to late. We also need to find out if those ships are friendly or dangerous. Captain I also recommend that the Captain of the ST. James be relived of command so he does not jeopardize this mission on revenge.
<tag all>
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2009 13:51:58 GMT
Usana nodded at his helmsman indicating it was time to drop back behind the Raven, the St. James slowly pulled in behind the Raven, Usana smiled sure that Torek felt secure in his old rust bucket of a ship the ship was outdated in todays fleet. But Usana was sure Torek felt undeserved pride in his ship that would help Usana bring about its defeat.
Theo turned and gave an inquisitive look as he asked. “How did you get the message to the Mysar without Raven detecting it?”
Usana turned and looked at Theo for a second before replying, “The Raven’s sensors are scanning for ships not low frequency transmissions.”
He looked at the view screen which now showed the back of the Raven as they followed it at warp speed.
Ten minutes passed before the tactical officer Lieutenant Wendy Star spoke up after her sensors beeped, “Captain the Mysar ships are coming into sensor range, the Raven has picked them up too.”
Usana stood up out of his command chair and took a deep breath and said under his breath. “Now it starts.”
He looked to the helm and said.
“Increase speed to Maximum warp… head straight for the Mysar ships.”
Looking to the tactical station he said.
“Bring weapons online and raise shields to full when we are in range fire phasers only at the lead mysar ship.”
Theo stood up and asked almost silently.
“I hope you have a plan sir.”
Usana smiled before replying. “The Mysar have our Phaser frequency it won’t do any damage… and they will have their weapons do very minor damage to us.. we will just have to do a good job acting so the Raven thinks what I want them to think.”
Theo frowned but had faith Usana could pull it off. “The Raven is hailing sir they want to know what we are doing.”
Usana said in his commanding voice, “Open a channel.”
The Ravens bridge appeared on screen.
“Raven… I won’t let them get away again… Target your weapons at their starboard bow, it is the weakest point… St. James out.”
Seconds later the St. James dropped out of Warp and began firing at the Mysar ships.. they did a good job of making it look like a real battle.. the Raven picked up speed and arrived in the action.”
Usana turned and ran to the Tactical station and entered his secret weapon… The command override code for the Raven… Seconds later the ravens shields dropped but it would only be for a few seconds.”
He personally punched in the command to fire torpedoes… they streamed across the open space and slammed into the side of the raven… Seconds after their shields rose again, as the St. James continued to fire it’s weapons.
He opened a channel to the Raven and said.
“Uss. Raven this is Fleet Commander Terrence Usana of the Mysar Fleet… Drop you shields and prepare to be boarded… co-operate and your crew will be allowed to live the rest of their lives in a penal colony… continue to fight and I will see to it you are all publicly executed... Resistance as our Borg friends say is Futile”
Tag
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Mar 10, 2009 12:28:48 GMT
"Hail them .. NOW !" Torek ordered, loosing all patience with the St James Commanding Officer.
The screen changed to show a determined Usana.
=^= Raven .. I won’t let them get away again .. Target your weapons at their starboard bow .. It is the weakest point… St James out =^=
Torek almost jumped from his seat, glaring at the image on screen.
"Target the Port-side ship, fire phasers on their starboard quarter." he ordered.
"Why fire there. doesn't seem the place to hit if we intend disabling them ?" Blakus said frowning, but neither man had time to give the question thought as Jamison suddenly shouted ..
"CAPTAIN ... Our shields are dropping !"
"What !" Torek and Blakus said in unison.
"We're being fired on Sir ... By the St James." Jamison continued.
"Get those shields up .. Lock onto the St Ja ......"
"Weapons are off-line Captain. So is the Warp drive. Shields are coming back up."
=^= USS Raven .. This is Fleet Commander Terrence Usana of the Mysar Fleet .. Drop you shields and prepare to be boarded .. Co-operate and your crew will be allowed to live the rest of their lives in a penal colony .. Continue to fight and I will see to it you are all publicly executed .. Resistance .. As our Borg friends say is Futile =^=
Carl knew what had happened. He leapt from his seat and ran to his ready room, emerging a moment later.
"How the hell did he get our Command Codes." he said, dropping into his chair, "Rotate shield frequencies. He's not going to get us that way. How long can we hold out against their combined fire-power ?"
< tag : Will >
"So we need to move, and quickly." Torek replied tapping the Comm button on the arm of his seat.
=^= Bridge to Engineering =^=
=^= McLean =^=
=^= How long Scott ? =^=
=^= We have Maneuvering and Impulse back now .. I'll need five minutes for low warp .. Five for anything higher =^= the Chief Engineer stated.
=^= Do what you can quickly .. Bridge out =^=
On-Screen, the four ships had taken up attack positions. Carl wasn't too worried about the Mysar ships. they were cobbled together from numerous vessels and didn't have the best weaponry, but the St James was a different matter, she could do some damage.
"Captain." the duty Helm Officer said, "There's another ship entering our sector. It's the McCauliffe."
'Under our Command or Theirs ?' Carl thought.
"I'm not one for running Andae." Torek began.
"Discretion is the better part etcetera." Blakus said quietly.
"Phasers are back on-line Captain." Jamison said.
=^= Captain Torek .. You have nowhere to go =^=
"Lock phasers on the St James warp core. Helm, maximum warp you can manage once we fire, any heading AWAY from the St James. If we get lucky I don't want to be here when she goes."
=^= Usana ..... You're not going to get away with this .. Star fleet will hunt you down ! =^=
=^= Oh I don't thi ...... =^=
"FIRE !" Carl ordered as Usana spoke.
Over four thousand Terra-watts of energy traversed the distance between the Raven and the St James in a fraction of a second. It sliced through the Jamse's shields, loosing some energy as it did so, before lancing into the Engineering Section of the Intrepid Class Starship. But Usana was lucky, it didn't impact the core directly, but gouged a seventy meter rip into the section, exposing many people to open space.
As the beam ceased, the Raven pivoted on her axis, and choosing the largest gap, darted away from the enemy vessels. They wouldn't get too big a lead as they could only manage warp three at the moment, but it gave Carl time to regroup ..
He'd be ready for Usana in round two ! ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Mar 11, 2009 16:29:00 GMT
Andae had been watching the viewscreen as they engaged in the fight. The view swinging sickeningly from left to right as the Raven maneuvered into the battle. The enemy ships began darting over the screen.. firing their very limited weapons, and then the Intrepid class USS St. James had flashed into view.. and immediately expanding from that ship's underbelly was an array of bright, point-like orange projectiles. Blakus had watched almost idly as they passed out of his vision, disappearing beneath the rim of the viewscreen.
The whole mass of the Galaxy class ship lurched to port, the great volume of the duranium hull, the supporting bulkheads and struts suddenly strained under immense force and an abrupt release of pressure causing the vessel to shudder with the impact. A volley of photon torpedoes had ferociously hit home; they had been fired by the St. James.
Blakus did stand up now. The Captain started distributing orders, and Usana's voice came over an open comm channel, requesting the Raven's surrender. Torek immediately figured out why their shields had dropped, Usana had their command codes, he'd used them to access the Raven's mainframe and drop their shields momentarily; it was likely that he'd also acquired their current shield frequencies. Not so easily... Blakus looked around the bridge from the dead centre of the command arena, thinking about shield harmonic frequencies.. Captain Torek came up with a heat-of-the-moment plan:
The Raven took off at best available speed warp factor 3, raking the St. James with her still appreciable weapons power, the Galaxy class was a formidable ship in all departments. Blakus just glimpsed the St. James's engineering section rip itself open before the Raven entered warp. The debris and loose equipment that spilled from the gash in the smaller ship's hull was nothing, compared to the numbing, sombering sight of small bipedal figures flailing around helplessly in the vacuum... The Raven's XO averted his eyes, unable to watch and feeling more empathic with those doomed crew than he would've liked to.
The Raven was at low warp, but the St. James would surely be following if it could handle its damage. The Intrepid class was the fastest vessel in Starfleet when it had first come into service; even once Commander McLean had repaired the warp drive, the St. James would still catch them.
"Keep rotating our shield frequencies." Blakus ordered, "If Usana has constant access to our command codes then he will keep shifting weapons frequency to match us." The XO dropped back into his seat and checked his armpanel, it had limited sensory functions. The McCauliffe had jumped to warp, evidently having seen the Raven and turning to follow it. "Let's keep tabs on the USS McCauliffe as well," he said aloud to the bridge crew, his eyes darting over the panel's graphic display. "Tell me what she's doing."
<Tag Bridge Crew>
Torek looked to be recuperating from the first fight, gathering his thoughts and planning ahead. Command of a starship required quick thinking in the moment, as well as forward-planning; always needing to think ahead, what to do next, while worrying about the ship itself. "Captain," Blakus said, once he'd stepped to his side, "We've found the McCauliffe. If they've switched sides as well..." he trailed off, knowing that what he was about to ask answered itself. It was obvious, but he could not help but feel that the increased insight he'd been experiencing leant a hand.
<Tag ALL>
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2009 1:39:22 GMT
Will had informed the Captain that the 5 alien vessels weren't a problem but with the St James on their side, it would take a little more doing. Especially with the enemy having their command codes.
Will had signaled one of his men to join him at his station.
"You continue rotating all defensive frequencies while I handle the weapons."
He locked on to the warp core and fired on the COs command. As soon as the phaser hit the other ship, will knew it didn't go all the way to the core. As the Raven moved out, his only thought was now on the USS McCauliffe. Who was in charge of it?
The Raven was beginning to move away from the McCauliffe.
"Sir, We are being hailed by the McCauliffe." he said. "They are requesting video, sir."
"On screen." replied the captain.
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