Mission 19: Isle of the Sane

[Deleted]

When we last saw our security trio, they had just finished a gourmet meal of breads that they had acquired from the settlement along with some water and energy bars that they had been carrying in their mission packs.

"Thoughts, gentlemen?" Will had asked.

"Well." began Delik as he looked up at the sky. "If this day cycles here are anything like Bajor's, we may need to find some shelter for the night, sir."

"Agreed." replied Will. "But I don't want to be caught on this side of the mountain. Let's make our way back over to the other side and find something there."

"And we may want some sort of cavern since we don't know what the nights are like." suggested Delik.

The three men began climbing up and over the top of the rocky mountain once again. When they had gone down a couple of hundred feet, Will sent them separate ways to find some sort of cave entrance or such.

"Just don't go too far." he ordered. "I don't want to lose anyone else."

"Sirs! Over her!" they heard Ensign Murray call.

When they reached him, he had found a shallow cave that was perfect for their needs.

"Nice job, Ensign." Will said to the now beaming with pride young man.

They quickly moved inside and began to situate their new "living quarters."

"With our phasers inoperative, now we need to figure out a way to start a small fire just in case it gets cold." suggested Lt Delik.

As they all began to search through their packs, Will humorously said, "I bet one of them science fellas has something in their pack."

Will and Delik finished going through their packs and found nothing of use. As they sat there pondering their situation, they noticed that Murray was still digging stuff out of his pack.

"Ensign?" Will called. "What all do you have in that damn thing?" he asked.

"Mostly just the normal items for an away mission, sir." he answered. "But I do have a few that aren't standard as well."
They watched in amazement as he continued to pull things out of the bag. Just as he was about to pull out the next item, Will stopped him with a question.

"WAIT!! What's that?" he asked pointing at the object that was just discarded onto the ground.

"This?" Murray asked as he picked up the item in question and turned it over and over in his hand. "It's just an old optiscope. Just thought I would bring it just in case I had to get a closer look at something. You never know. I once had an Academy instructor tell me that it was "Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.", so I packed it. I'm not in trouble am I, sir?" he asked nervously.

"Not at all, son. In fact, at this very moment, you are my hero." Will said as he turned toward Delik.

"You know what to do with that, Reon?" he asked the Lt.

"Yes, sir. I surely do. Ensign. I'm gonna need one of your lenses out of that optiscope."

20 minutes later, using the lens as a magnifying glass and directing sunlight through it onto some dry grass looking stuff, Will and his men settled into their encampment with a nice cozy little fire.

"Good thing we got that fire started when we did." stated Delik. "It got night fast and cooled off quick."

"That it did." said Will. "Okay. Two hour shifts. That way we aren't out there too long. It is cool but not cold enough to hurt us. I'll go first. Then Delik. Then you Murray. Hopefully they have some what of a standard night. Get some sleep fellas." Will ordered as he headed out of the cave to stand guard.

[Carl Torek]

On the surface:


There was nothing to do for the moment but watch the three men enter the structure ..

Carl was fuming. He had thought that all the ground teams would know not, under any circumstances, enter somewhere they could be trapped. But then, he had to applaud the men for their gall at entering a building so close to the local population. He couldn't help wondering why not one of the 'locals' went anywhere near the structure ..

He was still giving it some thought when one of the Marines yelped out-loud.

"QUIET !" Torek hissed.

"Sorry Captain ..." the Lieutenant said apologetically, inching forward to get between Torek and LaGrange, Torek knew the man was in pain, " ... I've been hit." he said, pointing to the thin wooden shaft protruding from the front and back of his upper thigh.

"Who the hell ...." Carl began.

"You and you .. Back that way now !" LaGrange ordered two of his men, "Bring whoever fired this here .. and 'QUIETLY' understand."

Both men nodded, drawing knives as they edged away and toward the woods.

Carl heard wood snapping as the Marine broke off the back of the arrow ready to pull the rest through the wound and out the front.

Minutes later there was the sound of rustling and the two Marines returned, several Officers in tow.

"We found Commander Sharp Sir." the Marine said, throwing a makeshift bow and several arrows on the ground in front of everyone, "The Commander was lucky. He almost took Mitchell's eye out with one of those. Mitchell threw his knife as he was falling, but his aim was ... Out ..." the Marine finished, obviously more annoyed at one of his men missing their target, rather than the fact he had narrowly missed killing a Star-fleet Officer ......


~~~~~~~~~~


Aboard Raven:

"What do we have in the way of sensors ?" Erin asked.

"Not a lot ..... I can make a guess. We need a heading of zero seven two mark four five, that should have us heading back toward the center of the system." the duty Helm Officer said, her voice shaky.

Parkin finally sat down in the center seat. It felt, alien, to her. She wasn't a Command Officer and as such wouldn't need to be here, but then, here she was ..

"Take your time. Just get us on a heading back to the oth .. The away teams ... They may well need the Raven by the time we get back." Parkin re-assured the girl. 'If they havent died of old age by then' she thought as she watched the view-screen.

=^= Engineering to Bridge .. You have half impulse .. I'm doing all I can to get the core reactivated but it is going to take time .. McLean out =^=

Erin didn't reply, there was no need.

"Set a heading of zero seven two mark four five ... One quarter impulse ... Engage."

The massive Star ship made an almost leisurely turn then slipped easily into her journey back across the Draconian Gulf ..........

< tag : Away teams >

[Andae Blakus]

They were on their return diagonal path, as usual hoping that the white of the building, piercing through the shadow, would still be present once they'd neared the boundary of the forestry. For if they'd returned to find that it was missing then they'd automatically be lost in the forest - barring some navigational error.

Sure enough, it was still there, as it was everytime they returned from the depths of the woods. Indeed, the majority of the party began to think that there were or would be no landscape changes. The science officer being the only one to think that way, as she'd apparently seen it happen.

Blakus ran fingers through his hair and looked back to the forest. They were ten metres or so inside its boundary, and part of him really didn't want to delve back into it again. He knew, when trusting his science officer, that everytime they ventured in they were the running the risk of losing themselves. And being lost - with no point of reference in any case - was conflictory with his wishes.

And still there was no indication as to the origin of the scream. It had definitely sounded feminine to Blakus when he'd first heard it renting the air from afar. But he and the group had found no woman wandering the woods, nor sign of any humanoid presence at all. It was very strange, the fact that they'd only seen other members of the away team, in spite of all the indirect evidence there was that the planet was inhabited.

Eventually they resumed their gentle zig-zag journey along the line of forestry. Blakus traipsed forwards, ignoring the crackle of dried twigs underfoot that sounded very reminiscent of moments in his past. Again he tried to espy the owner of the distressed voice that had been so poignant, but there was nothing but the dark.

<Tag Semia>


A bit later...

The science officer ran for all her worth through the forest, desperate to escape from its presence just as she had - accidentally - the first officer and navigation officer. Night had fallen now, so the shadow invoked by the trees during the day now cast utter blackness on the invisible ground. And this planet had no moon, seemingly.

Images of terror jumped out at her as she ran, the trees inciting the presence of phantoms in the gaping holes of deeper shade. Perhaps I shouldn't let my imagination run so much, she thought. Eventually the phantoms dissipated, and, she realised, it wasn't because she's quelled her runaway thoughts; it was because she'd come out of the woods.

Open space was with her now as she found herself skipping down an open bank. While there was less certainty on position and landscape it did mean she wasn't running into the hard bark of trunks anymore. And, as if ignited by the spontaneous optimism that was now coursing through her, a bright flicker of what could only be a fire appeared at what she assumed was the bottom of the bank.

The fire seemed to illuminate the surroundings of a cave's entrance, and, silhouetted against the bright fury of combustion, was a humanoid figure. She was instantly afraid, especially as the figure seemed to move strangely against the background. After sheltering behind a rocky outcrop for several minutes, she built up enough bravery to approach the anonymous silhouette.

<Tag Will (+ Delik and Murray)>

[Deleted]

The planet they were stranded on had anything but a normal night cycle. Will based this observation on the obvious. This was his third stand at watch.

"How long are these nights?" he muttered to himself as he stared up at the starry sky above.

During his first shift, he had gone out and found a couple of nice flat rocks and a few long and sturdy sticks. He passed the time by scrapping the rocks down the tip of the stick and fashioning it into a crude but effective spear. He truly hated being without weapons and since the phasers no longer functioning, they needed something. The thought of needing weapons had crossed is mind several times. Especially when he heard noises that sounded as if they too close to their site. They didn't know anything about the animal life here and he wasn't taking any chances.

When his shift was finally up, he went in and woke Delik.

"Your turn." he said as he passed him the spear. "Stay safe."

Will walked over to the area where he had been sleeping and laid down. He was out within minutes.
*****************************************
Reon took the spear from Will and went outside to their guard post. Like the others, he couldn't help but wonder how long the night was. As he sat their with his eyes and hears opened and alert, he began to hear movement off to his right. He quickly shifted his position so that he could look that way more. After a few moments, a figure came into site. Reon squatted down farther behind the rock he was using as cover.

"H...Hello?" he heard.

The voice sounded female and very frightened.

"I've already seen you. Don't be afraid." she said.

As the figure drew nearer, Reon stood up and placed the tip of the spear at the intruders throat.

"Halt." was the only word he spoke before he realized that she was wearing a Starfleet uniform.

"Ensign!" he exclaimed in excitement to seeing someone else from their landing party. "Where are the others?" he asked as he began looking around.

"I don't know sir. I was with Commanders Blakus and Cavit, and we got separated. That was a couple of hours ago. I've been wondering around these woods ever since and just happened to come across the glow of your fire." she said as she stared inside the cave at the warm flames.

Finally jumping back into motion, Delik placed his arm around the young lady and began steering her toward the cave. "Oh right. The fire. Come on. Let's get you in there and warmed up."

He placed her by the fire and walked over to Jamison.

"Sir. Sir. It's Delik." he said while gently shaking the commander. "I think you need to wake up, sir."

"You're suppose to wake Murray, Reon. Don't make me shoot you when I find a working phaser." Will mumbled as he rolled over and settled back in.

"No, sir. I know. But we have a visitor and thought you might want to speak with her." Delik replied.

"What kind of visitor?" Will asked as he sat up and was instantly awake. His first thoughts going to some kind of animal or such approaching their camp.

Delik nodded toward the fire. Will followed his gaze and saw the young, female ensign sitting next to the fire rubbing her hands and shoulders in an attempt to get warm.

"Any others?" he whispered to Delik.

"No, sir. She just came walking out of the woods. She said she was with Commander Blakus and Cavit and they became separated a couple of hours ago."

"Okay. Thanks, Reon. Go ahead and finish your shift. Hopefully this damn darkness want last much longer."

As Delik returned to his post, Will stood up and took the blanket he had been using from his away kit and walked over to the fire. He gently placed it around the ensigns shoulders.

"How's that?" he asked her.

"Much better, sir. Thank you." he answered as she drew it closer around her.

"Lt. Delik tells me you got separated a couple of hours ago from the XO and Commander Cavit. do remember where you were when you last saw them?" he inquired.

"No, sir." she said. She than told Will about the scream they had heard. And how they had been looking for the origin of the scream when night fell and she accidentally got separated from her away team and found herself running through the woods in hopes of finding and exit. Than about how she had seen the glow of their fire and was scared at first about approaching but quickly decided that it had to be better than staying in the woods.

"Very well." Will replied while trying to hide his disappointment. He had hoped they had found the rest of the away team members and would once again be a whole unit. Now all he could think about was how he had failed at his job to protect his XO.

He reached over and retrieved some bread that was still left and a bottle of water.

"Take these." he said to her. "Get some food and water inside you and than get some sleep. We'll continue our search for the others when the sun rises."

A few minutes later, she was stretched out near the fire and sound asleep. Will walked out and joined Delik.

"Good news." Delik said with a smile as Will sat down. "Looks like you won't have to pull another shift." he added with a nod toward the horizon of the sun just beginning to peak up over a mountaintop."

"At least not on this night." Will said. "Let's hope we're out of here before the next one."

The two men sat and watched as the sun rose higher and higher into the cloudless sky.


TBC/ Tag anyone

[Carl Torek]

On the surface:


The night had been cold .. Not cold enough to cause discomfort, but still cold. He'd expected it to be warmer for some reason, 'the planet seemed ideal in every sense, so why not have pleasant nights' he thought, trying to keep his mind active as the sun rose.

At first light the 'locals' has everyone had decided to call them, began to go about their daily business, which for all intents and purposes, Carl couldn't figure out. They just seemed to be wandering aimlessly about the small town-like area.

He knew everyone would be getting hungry. They hadn't envisioned being stranded, and the local vegetation didn't seem to be edible .. So now, food, and water, was beginning to be more urgent.

"Do we take a chance on going in ?" LaGrange said, as if reading his mind.

"I wish we had contact with the team that entered last night." Torek said, watching the 'locals' pointedly ignoring the structure they were interested in, "Why the hell is everyone giving that particular building a wide berth ?"

"Couldn't say Captain, but we do need to go look inside and find out."

Carl nodded and sat back as LaGrange readied his men. They didn't need telling to keep out of sight, and LaGrange assured him it would be a quick 'in and out' operation ... Once ready, the Marines moved forward. Carl had decided that if the building was safe, and given the fact no-one was going in there, it would be safe to hold up and observe what was going on.

As the Marines moved, Carl noticed two of the locals, they were talking close the the building, when one lifted his arm and spoke. The two moved off and out of site.

It hit Torek like a brick ...... They had Communications ! ..........


On the Raven:

Scott had been working solidly for well over thirty hours. He was moving on auto-pilot, but couldn't leave Engineering at any cost. The Raven was dying, or at least at the intensive care stage, and he needed to get her well again.

"Commander ... Commander McLean !"

Scott turned, a little surprised to see Lieutenant Parkin stood behind him.

"Arn't you supposed to be on the Bridge ?" McLean said.

"Sir we have less than thirty six hours' power left in the batteries." someone shouted from the walk-way above them.

"We need to save power." Scott said to Erin, "I want to move everyone off non-essential decks. Move them to decks five through twelve ... I need to cut life support, gravity, inertial dampers from all other decks."

"I'll see to it Commander. Now I think you should go get some rest."

"I don't have 'TIME' to rest !" McLean shouted, frustration finally getting the better of his tiredness.

"Scott. I need you to rest. I can't run this ship, do you understand me, I can't do it. Go get some rest. I'm sure Vanessa would like to see you for a while .." Erin said, her voice getting quieter as she spoke, "Please Commander. Get some rest then come back and nurse our ship back to health .... OK ?"

"We'll keep working on the modifications Commander. I will contact you if we have any problems." one of McLean's Engineers said encouragingly.

McLean hesitated. looking from Parkin, to his Engineer, to the off-line warp core, then finally back at Lieutenant Parkin.

"Two hours."

"Four .. Not a minute less." Parkin retorted. watching the strain and sleep deprivation ooze from the Chief Engineer as they watched McLean leave engineering.

"I'll be on the Bridge." Erin said, following McLean out.

Once in the corridor, she slumped against the bulkhead shaking uncontrollably for long minutes, before finally having the strength to move again ..........

[Andae Blakus]

The shadows shortened bit by bit, welcoming in the day with their recession towards the building's white walls. They met smoothly with the ground, as if they couldn't possibly be placed anywhere else on the planet, that they were meant to be there, melded almost organically with the surface.

Once again, Blakus was accompanied by just one member of the away team. Back to how he'd started his trek out across the plains of this temperate land. He and Cavit had stayed by the interlinked complex. It was the sensible thing to do, in Blakus's opinion, as night had fallen they had risked losing sight of themselves in relation to the land.

That night had been dark, uncomfortable; resting, curling up warm at the base of trees with the buildings clearly in sight. It became so unbelievably dark that Blakus had, on two occasions, awoke thinking he'd been asleep in bed, back in his blacked-out quarters aboard the Raven.

Amidst his confusion during those restless awakenings, he'd seen Cavit, asleep against another trunk, oblivious to his own delirium and the cold of the night around them. The risk they had both taken, daring to take the opportunity to ease their exhaustion in such a place and at such a time... it seemed like such a small thing during the falling of night, to rest the head and fall asleep against the bark. The loss of the science officer in the depths of the forestry, however unexplainable and infuriating, had drained resolve and provided the necessary mind-altering influence to induce irrational action.

Never again. Blakus resolved. Since waking earlier in the morning, he'd found himself loathe to sit at any point. Instead, he spent his time walking around the near grounds, dedicating himself to a strident patrol of the hillside and surrounding area, while trying very hard to formulate a plan for their next move: Where would they start their search? And if they did start with the forest, what direction then? There was no guarantee, given the situation at the time, that the Ensign had travelled deeper into the forest. She may have doubled back unknowingly, into the lands above.

Blakus found himself stopping every now and then, his eyes focussing on some shrubbery or something else non-descript, and his mind thinking through the same point several times while he picked absently at the leaves on the shrubs. His progress on a plan was non-existent, the same points of worry and the logical loops repeated without end. A fresh perspective was needed, and something other than that which Semia would provide, for by now he knew both her and his own views quite well.

His eyes turned to the building again, the topmost domes and flat-roofs visible above the bushes lining the shallow bank he was walking on. Still absolutely nothing from it, he thought. The building hadn't been centrepiece to even a glimpse of activity, which meant Blakus wasn't afraid to conceal himself from it, and if it was worth hiding from then there was no reason to think so at this stage.
He'd been staring at the building for longer than usual, and suddenly the realisation came that he'd become mesmerized in gazing at the thing. The white of the building... It meant something to him.

* * *

"Funny," said Blakus, once in sight of the gathering of rocks that he and Semia had taken refuge behind this morning.

"Sir?" the CNO asked, seeing his approach.

"The building. I think..." He looked over the rocks at the building, deep in thought, and then eventually swung back around, reluctantly taking to the grass. "I get an image of flashing white, like a tailed line of cloth across my vision," he said.

Cavit looked at him strangely, clearly wondering what he could be talking about. Andae didn't blame her:

"I'm not sure. Last night; it could've been a dream. Something white and fast, silent, streamlined, are words that come to mind." He looked towards the tree where he'd slept the night. The visible roughness of the bark stirred bad memories of restlessness from within.

Without a word Blakus walked over to the trunk and, standing beside it, looked out into the forestry. He wasn't sure what he was expecting until it actually happened.

The darkness of the night and suddenly a fierce sense of impending danger. He'd been at great risk. Something had been about him, present where it had not been before. Perhaps during one of his waking times, for there was certainly more to it than a dream experienced during slumber.
The feeling of impending danger deepened, something white had appeared in front of him, approaching him quickly but silently, before sweeping off to the left and away into the forest. It had an almost noncorporeal feel, although was clearly quite solid.

The sense of terror overwhelmed Blakus, alone on a planet barring one person and confronted with something alien. A face passed him by, its expression and its very visage possessed of something like an ethereal insanity.
It provided an extreme contrast with the dark background, and now that Andae was standing in the same place during day, that terrible clash in hue seemed to make sense.

"There was a woman here, last night," he said. He looked on the trees in a new, fearful light. While before they had represented the alien unknown, but were ultimately just plantlife, now they seemed like spectres of madness, bearing warning. A need and a desire to get away from the building filled him, and while it wouldn't counter the sense of caution and danger that 9 Draconis II now spoke to him of, it would mean he'd no longer have to lay eyes on the terrible building.

Leading the way, Blakus stumbled out a path through the woods, following where he thought the woman had gone. Was this the woman they had heard screaming? That was what was asked of each other as they progressed on their instinctual road.

Expectedly, an end came to the forest. It was no surprise; this edge of it could clearly be discerned from back by the building, but actually being here did reveal something that had not been visible before.
In the middle distance was a large, craggy hill. A mountain really; it's peak rose above the surrounding hill-lands. The two officers looked at each other with disbelief.

"Something tells me," said Andae, gesturing forward to the high peak, "That we should head that way."


<Tag Semia> <Tag Will (and co.) - our groups should probably meet now >

[Deleted]

Will sent Murray out to do his watch while he, Delik and Ensign Brennan, the science officer now in his charge, gathered up their belongings and prepared to move out. They were about five minutes into the task when Will could hear Murry calling from his post.

"Sir. You may wanna come out here." Murray said in a high whisper.

Jamison stopped what he was doing and made his way to the other security officer.

"What is it?" he asked as he approached.

"I keep hearing movement over that way." Murray answered as he pointed in the direction. "It sounds like someone or something is moving this way. And it's getting closer."

As if to prove him right, just at that moment, Will himself heard the movement.

"Stay put. I'll be right back." Will told the ensign.

He turned and headed back toward camp and returned just seconds later with Lt Delik in tow. Both of them were now armed with a spear like the one Murray was carrying.

Jamison instructed Murray to stay where he was and he and Delik fanned out to the left and right and up behind some rocks. From the lay of the land, Will figured that who or what ever came out of those trees, it had to come right out into the spot that he and his men now had 3/4 of the way surrounded. The only opening would send it right back into the woods. As they sat there, Will thought he distinctively heard Federation English but not knowing about the people of this planet, that didn't mean much. Crouched behind the rocks as he was, Will did not have a clear view of the path so when it sounded as if their "company" had entered the center, he called for his men to take action.

"NOW!!!" he shouted. Like a well oiled machine, all three security officer jumped out and surrounded their guests with spears up and at the ready.

"Commander?" Will said in disbelief with his eye as wide as saucers. "Stand down." he immediately told his men. "Sir. Are you all right?" he asked his XO. "What happened? How did everyone get separated?" He had a thousand questions that he wanted answers to and couldn't stop himself from just blurting them out. He couldn't help it. As head of security, his main priority was the safety of his commanders and he had already lost his XO once. With a silent sigh of relief, he was thankful that Captain Torek hadn't beamed down as well.

<Tag Blakus>

[Andae Blakus]

The first officer and navigation officer started making their way down from the trees, knowing that they had an arduous journey to the mountain ahead of them; there was no use complaining or stopping however, so they just got on with.

Something didn't seem quite right to Blakus as he led the way into a small depression area, something in his subconscious perhaps that he couldn't quite lay a finger on. Mentally shrugging his shoulders he continued on into the, as it turned out, rather pleasant sunny glade amidst the surrounding wilderness of untamed land.

A spear came flashing from nowhere, then two more, metallic tips looking sharp but really quite crude. Blakus took half a step back, then realised that he and Semia were surrounded. Finally he looked beyond the leading speartip, to see.. Commander Jamison.

The Raven's CTSO wasn't hesitating to ask questions, which was all well and good, Blakus thought, because he had many of his own.

"We're fine, Commander," Blakus answered Jamison's initial question, at last relaxing. He calmed Will down from asking all of his questions and then told him of all that had happened since their initial beaming down to the surface: the further splitting up of the team, the science officer Brennan whom Jamison later told him he had found, and foremost the interlinked structure they had found.

"So how have you been, Commander?" Blakus asked jokingly once he'd finished. It was an attempt to make light of their situation which was somewhat lost on the others with him...

Jamison told of him the town of buildings (all similar to the one structure Blakus had found) his team had discovered, and of the several curiosities to do with them (<Tag>). "Ok," Blakus smiled, "Can you take us back there, if you remember where it was?"

They headed off, and Blakus realised they'd set off another leg off their travels on the planet. It made him think, what was the Raven doing in orbit? If he knew Captain Torek, the man would be doing everything to rescue his teams from the surface.. absolutely everything. Oh no.. Andae covered his face with his hands; if that were the case, then could it be that...?

"A query Mister Jamison," he said, just as they were stopping by the CTSO's camp to pick up equipment. "If the Raven is unable to communicate with us just as we are unable to communicate with them, and that they are unable to beam us up as an emergency, or maybe unable to even scan the planet... What would you say the chances are that Captain Torek arranged for himself to be beamed down?"

Andae knew the Captain had made it clear that he intended to beam down anyway, once the all clear was given by himself. But would he have donse so anyway?

***

They entered the proximity of the town, taking cover behind obstructions and just surveying for the time being. Blakus couldn't believe his eyes; to see one alien building had been something (and eventually disturbing) but to see a whole town - including seemingly normal if aimless people - was something else entirely.

"We wait here for now," he said in a low voice, making up his mind as he spoke to the group, "Then we head into the town. The building you entered, Will? I think we should head there."

While they waited, observing the movements of people to find an opportunity to move unseen, Blakus thought on the potential of the Captain being down on the planet somewhere, searching out away team members for himself. In between watching the locals, Blakus looked elsewhere around him, with the faint hope of seeing anyone else he knew. The Captain's presence on the planet was an alarming thing to consider; just like Jamison's concern for his XO, Andae was concerned for his Captain.

<Tag Will etc., Carl>

[Deleted]

After listening to the XO recap his journey, Will just looked at him strangely for a second

"Just a single structure, sir?" he asked. "Hmmm. Strange. But your description sounds alot like the town we found." he added.

He went about telling Commander Blakus about the basic looking, solid white buildings and the town people. He also mentioned the one building that everyone seemed to be avoiding and how they were able to get in and procure some food items.

"Which reminds me." Will suddenly said. "If either of you are hungry, we still have some bread back at the camp site."

"OK. Can you take us back there, if you remember where it was?" asked the XO, referring to the building.

"Yes, sir. If you'll follow me, we'll head back to camp and pack up." Jamison suggested. "Delik. Take the rear." he ordered as they set off.

They entered the site to find Ensign Brennan already packing up.

"Delik. Guard. Murray. Go help Brennan." Will said.

"Aye, sir." came the unison response.

As Will leaned down to disburse the still smoldering rocks from their fire, Commander Blakus hit him with the one question Will had been trying not to think about. The Captain.

"Well. The Star fleet officer in me says that he is a well trained officer himself who knows how important he and his safety is to our crew so he is still up there waiting for the all clear from us, sir" Will responded with a fake grin. But with his grin quickly fading, he added, "But my gut tells me he's on the surface." That was followed up a few seconds later with, " Damn. Now we gotta find him too."

With all their gear packed and Delik once again bringing up the rear, Will led them to the first set of outcropped rocks that he and his men had hidden behind when they first discovered the settlement.

"We wait here for now. Then we head into the town. The building you entered, Will? I think we should head there."

"Yes, sir. We can make our way to it from here and still be behind cover." Will explained as he pointed. "It's that third building on the right side of the roadway."

They silently made their way around the outskirt of the town without being seen. When they were directly behind the ignored building, Will finally spoke.

"Sir. With your permission, I suggest we go down in teams of two. I would like one of my men with each of you."

<Tag Blakus>

[Carl Torek]

As he watched the two men move away, Torek tapped the Comm badge on his chest, he got the tell-tale tone signifying no comm signal. Muttering under his breath, he moved forward to see the direction the two had taken.

The building was again unattended.

Moving back into the undergrowth, Carl mused the possibility his other Officer's had been captured. It didn't make sense though. No-one seemed in any hurry to look for other intruders. He thought about the chances they had beamed down so far away that contact was going to be impossible. For the moment he decided to work on that premise.

"Major. I think we'll move into that building. No-one seems to be taking much notice of it, and it could give us a better view of the township .. Thoughts ?" Torek said.

"Couldn't hurt to get a better view." LaGrange said, eying the surrounding tree line, "But Sir, I do think people seem to be more inclined to make sure they give the building a wide berth, rather than just not needing to go in there ...."

Carl gave the Marines' comment some thought. he could be right, he decided, but then again, that would give them less chance of being discovered.

"OK, Let's get across this open area." Carl ordered.

"From our previous re-con, We know there's only the one entrance. I'd suggest we move round to the rear of the building then move forward on the far side."

Torek nodded, and the Marine silently issued orders to his men.

It took twenty minutes to move from their position to one where they were directly behind the building. there was a good thirty five meters of open space between them and the rear wall. Carl was about to stand when LaGrange placed a restraining hand on his shoulder ..


"...... orn I heard something."

"We' are due at the meeting hall soon, could you have been mistaken ?"

"It is of course possible." the first voice said.

"Then we will report our concerns to the prefect later." the second voice said, fading as the two moved away.


"Geez ... That was close !" LaGrange said, "Think they know we're here ?"

Carl watched the undergrowth, the two 'locals' couldn't be seen, but Torek couldn't help wondering why they hadn't investigated more if they thought there could have been strangers nearby ..........

[Carl Torek]

On the Raven:

"I just can't understand this !" Fichner said, wondering if he should wake his boss, or let him get some well needed sleep ..

Every reading said that the Raven should have one hundred percent warp capability, but no matter what he did, the ship stubbornly refused to make it past the relative 'crawl' they were managing ..

To complicate things, the helm was now making course changes at random. Nothing dramatic, point two, or point three of a degree only, but the increments were getting bigger.

"You want me to get Commander McLean back here ?" one of the engineering staff asked.

"No ....." Fichner said, "It's not as if we're reversing course every few minutes. Let him sleep. he's going to have his hands fu ..." all lighting in engineering suddenly went out. For a fraction of a second the section was lit only by the panels around the room, but then the lights began to flicker back on. One at a time, until the room was as brightly lit as before.

"Batteries down to seventeen percent."

"What about the shuttles ?" someone said.

What abo ......!" Fichner was about to say, when realization dawned, they may still have power, "Get someone down to the shuttle-bay NOW !" ..........

On the Surface:


LaGrange made it across the gap between the tree-line and the building .. He peered around the side wall, then moved to the far corner to repeat his actions. Moving back to the center of the rear wall, he signaled the 'all clear' and the other's moved forward as swiftly, but stealthily as possible.

Moving around the building, Torek edged forward to look at the street. It was, as usual, deserted, apart from someone moving in the distance on occasion. Carl couldn't get the feeling that there was something 'wrong' about their situation, but as yet, couldn't put his finger on just what it was ..

He nodded to LaGrange.

The Marine moved forward, to the corner while each of his men took charge of one of the Star fleet Officers .. On LaGranges' signal, everyone edged along the wall and through the entrance. Once inside they moved out of any direct line-of-sight of the doorway and took stock ...

The ground floor looked similar to a reception area, with small rooms off on each side. Certainly too much open space for them to remain here, so it was up they needed to go.

LaGrange looked around the room. Found the stanchions were metal in origin and grinned. He spoke to one of his men.

"Stay here ... 'Two taps' ... Danger, get yourself upstairs."

The Marine nodded and found some cover. LaGrange moved toward the stairs, sending two of his men up ahead flanking the Captain.

"Two taps ?" Commander Sharp asked as he reached the stairs.

"The beam is metal Commander." the Marine explained, "The slightest 'tap' will travel the length of the beam. We'll know we have company before they know we know ... Kinda like tapping on the hull of a twentieth century submarine .....?"

Sharp nodded, then moved forward, catching up to the Captain and the two Marines.


The first floor was anything but empty ..........



< tag : All >

[Andae Blakus]

"Sir. With your permission, I suggest we go down in teams of two. I would like one of my men with each of you."

"If that's your judgement as chief of security, Will, then I accept it. Who am I to argue with someone charged with my safety?" Blakus offered a sideways, cheeky grin to the CTSO and was promptly joined by Lieutenant Delik.

"Ok, Will; have you and your accompaniment go first, me and Lieutenant Delik will bring up the rear. Murray can go with our Navigation officer."

They moved out from behind the cover and Blakus soon realised that Jamison was right. They were still in cover. And even if that weren't the case, something told Blakus that, from the way the locals were acting, they would have disregarded them anyway.

He watched Will and the science officer Brennan reach the edge of the ignored structure. The bad feeling that Blakus had got before, back by the isolated pale building, made an unwelcome return. However he soon noticed that the sensation wasn't as strong, as if the surrounding buildings - occupied as normal - were numbing the effect. Odd really, as this was a much more dangerous situation.

Delik was just ahead of Blakus, ready to lead him the rest of the way to the building. However, Blakus's attention was more focussed on the forest behind him. He pointed to the building, nodding at Delik to move on ahead and saying that he would follow him. While he creeped after the security lieutenant gradually, there was something that was catching his eye from the forest. "What is that?" he muttered to himself, taking a good look into the mists of the woodlands. Memories came back to him of glimpses of Species 8472, dashing out their paths as uncertain wisps of orange smoke through the faded grey forest, all of which had been brought to life by the imagination of the Q entity. That world had been surreal enough, the same feelings he'd had on it returned now. Mainly, suspicion, but curiosity too. The questions to be answered now regarded the nature of this new illusion.

A harsh whisper of 'Sir!' came from the opposite direction. Blakus turned to see Delik beckoning for him madly, with good reason, too. There were a duo of 'locals' approaching, if they came any closer they might be able to see the line of paired Starfleet officers engaged on their sojourn across the way.

With nervous glances, they hurried the rest of their way to the building, and stepping in, watched how the pair of locals walked by the entrance, giving it a fairly wide berth.

"Upstairs," Blakus pointed with his useless phaser. Hopefully he'd be able to fool any antagonists into thinking the weapon was working. With Delik once again ready to lead the way, Blakus swung one of the lower doors open while Jamison and co headed upstairs as ordered. They heard footsteps up above them, a couple of pairs of feet, or more? <Tag Will, Carl>

"Hello." Delik stumbled back into the XO just as they entered the room, he was in shock as much as anything else. "Don't be alarmed." The calm voice spoke again.

Andae enacted his weapon-fakery idea and pointed the phaser at the nearest voice. That's when he looked at them.

They were humanoid. Wearing fairly ordinary clothes. Ordinary as in they would be commonplace in the Federation, which was a fact that put them quite at odds with the 'locals' Andae had seen, whose garments held much a different flavour. These people were quite neat in their appearance too, much unlike what he'd expected. The one whom had spoken was standing at the forefront, and flanking him, a dozen others dressed similarly and standing in diagonal lines right towards the back. Behind the V-formation they'd formed was a table, and Blakus could see that it was completely covered with food and drink, all of which looked decidedly mouthwatering - particularly for someone who had not properly eaten in almost two days.

"You both look famished," the neatly groomed man observed, "Would you care for some food?"

Blakus stood his ground, eyeing them carefully before speaking. He dragged his attention away from the table, feeling an oddly strong compulsion towards the culinary items. "Not right now," he said slowly. "First, who are you. And second, can you explain this place?"

"This place?" the man asked, smiling patiently, as if he suspected it to be some joke or quip.

Blakus's tongue was stayed, not because he wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but because of the Prime Directive. Mentioning the failure of their own technologies - communications, tricorder scanners and PHASer weaponry - to these people would risk violating it. And there was nothing, except maybe the clothes, to suggest that this people possessed the knowledge of supralight speed and other cultures.

"What is this building?" Blakus eventually settled on. "Why does everyone avoid it so?"

The man looked to the similarly dressed individual on his right, the look he exchanged with him was completely unreadable. Blakus looked back to the table, feeling a strong urge to eat and drink. His throat was parched and his stomach was making the customary hungry noises. He was surprised it was so sudden.

"I think it's time for food." The man said, stepping back to reveal the table in full. "I will explain all about ourselves during your meal."

Blakus licked his lips and nodded. "That sounds reasonable. I suppose it cannot hurt, a quick bite I mean," he said, but not with the authority and confidence he would have expected of himself. What was wrong with him? Alarm bells started flashing but he was unable to disregard the bounty spread before him, feeling more intent on it rather than the seeking of answers from this mysterious man, just now taking his seat across from the one Blakus was sliding into.

TBC... And:

<Tag Will on the floor above, and Carl + Robert further up.> ;D

[Deleted]

As they headed up the stairs, Will took point with Cavit and Brennan following behind him and Murray taking up the rear. They had heard the footsteps above them and hoped they didn't run into anyone unfriendly. Jamison quickly called for everyone to halt when they reached the top because he thought he had seen movement off to one of the sides. He instinctively reached for his phaser before remembering that it was useless.

"Damn." he muttered as he turned and whispered over his shoulder. "Murray. Get up here. Brennan. stay here and guard the rear and the Commander." he ordered.

"But, sir." she protested. "I'm not in security."

"You are for now. Now do as I ordered." Will retorted.

As he turned his attention back to the security ensign, he informed him of the movement. And issued his orders to him.

"I want you to go around that way and we'll see if we can catch anyone in the middle." Jamison said.

"Aye, sir." replied Murray as he headed out.

Will began moving out in his direction while constantly looking back to watch the two officers that he had left in the stair way. He had to believe that if any trouble came their way, Brennan could handle it. After all, she was a trained Starfleet officer. With that in mind, he turned his attention back to the mission at hand. He started working his way around the side of the room once again in order to meet up with Murray.


Tag Capt. (feel free to meet us up @ anytime.)

[Carl Torek]

"Did you here that ...... ?"

"Sir ... Did you here that, I'm sure I heard voices." the Marine repeated.

LaGrange halted and moved back to the Marine covering their rear. He held up a closed fist to ensure everyone was aware of a possible danger.

"What did you hear ?" he whispered as Torek approached.

"I could have sworn I heard someone speaking. Almost a conversation if I had to guess." the young woman said, then turned her head toward the stairway as the voices continued. But this time LaGrange and Torek heard them too.

"Can you make out what's being said Major ?" Carl asked, straining to pick out individual words.

"No Sir, but I get the impression the tone is conversational, rather than confrontational ... I'm going down a few stairs to see if I can make out anything. Marine, keep everyone quiet."

Torek didn't argue. LaGrange and his team were there to look after him, so it was only right he go.

Between the first and second floors, LaGrange sat on a step, leaning forward to hear what was being said, and more importantly, by whom ...

"...... ilding, why does eve ...... avoid it so ?"

"I think it's time ...... food." the second voice said soothingly, "I will explain all ...... selves during your meal."

He was about to return to the others when he heard another set of voices, much closer this time, must likely on the floor below him. He listened intently.

"...... atch anyone in the middle."

"Aye Sir."

Those were Star fleet. That much he was sure of. He moved down a few steps and could see someone moving toward the stairway.

"Commander Jamison ?"

"Will spun his useless weapon toward the voice, relaxing as he noticed LaGrange concealed on the stairs.

"Major !" Will said, noticeably relaxing his posture, but keeping an eye on the stairway leading to the ground floor, "Who's with you .. The Captain ?"

"Yes, we were investigating the upper floor when we heard voices. You didn't happen to hear what was being said did you ?"

"Well I'm positive I could hear the Exec' ... He seemed very 'placid' given the circumstances. Oh, and they seemed about to sit down for something to eat with the 'locals' too." Will answered.

"Get your people up to the top floor as soon as you can, I'll inform the Captain. LaGrange headed back to the top floor to report his findings ..

"Jamison said it sounded like the Exec' was willingly complying ?" Carl asked, a puzzled look on his face as he listened to the report.

"Thats what he said Sir." LaGrange replied, almost shrugging.

Carl watched the stairway, waiting for his Officers to appear ..........

[Deleted]

As LaGrange started back up, Will turned to Murray.

"Stay here. I'll go get the others and be right back." Will said.

He went back to where Cavit and Brennan were waiting and beckoned them forward.

"Let's go. We're heading up further." he told them. They began following without question.

When they reached Murray, Will once again took point and led them further upstairs. He was some what more relaxed knowing who was up there but he still kept his guard up. As soon as they crest the top of the stairwell, Will saw his Captain and the major speaking.

"The three of you join the others over there." Will said as he pointed to the rest of the captains away team off to one side of the room. He than made his way over to join his CO.

"You do enjoy making my job difficult don't you, sir?" he said with a grin as he approached.
<Tag Capt>

He retold the captain the same information that he had shared with LaGrange.

"And I can't believe just how accommodating he seemed." Will added. "Of course, the offer of food probably helped. We haven't had a real meal in two days. But Commander Blakus knows all about first contact protocol. There's just something strange going on here." Finally, knowing it would do no good, Will spoke words that he knew would land on deaf ears. "Sir. I really wish you would return to the ship. I'm sure that despite whatever is happening here, the major and I can retrieve our people and return to the Raven."

<Tag Capt>

The three officers stood there discussing their next step.

[Andae Blakus]

"You may start," said the man, shrugging as if he was wondering why his guests had not begun eating yet.

Blakus nodded uneasily, looking down at the food and eventually putting his hands to them. Exotic looking fruits, meats and several varieties of what looked like cheese, as well as some drink refreshment that tasted mildly alcoholic. Blakus didn't know where at least the fruits had come from - he'd seen no plantlife that looked exotic enough to bear them. Imported from another continent, perhaps? Not that it was important...

The XO raised his oddly heavy head to the level, smiling face of the man opposite. Blakus cocked his head in inquiry as he ate his way through some cheese. "Well?" he said, the question to which he received the slightest frown. "You said you would tell us who you are."

"Yes," said the man after a pause. "We will in due time, I didn't specify a timescale. First replenish yourself. You as well." He smiled at Lieutenant Delik.

Blakus nodded awkwardly, accepting what the calmly voiced man said. There was something wrong with that, the ease with which he took the information. The man did specify a timescale... he'd said 'during the meal', had he not? Blakus didn't say anything. The food was good and he hadn't eaten properly in days. The consumption of it was oddly fulfilling, more so than the food he was accustomed to even if it was quenching hunger. He lifted the glass of syrupy, orange liquid that he'd been presented with, feeling its lightness, swirling the drink around, then watching how the viscous liquid stuck to its container's sides.

"So," Delik was saying slowly between eating, "What are your people called?"

None of their alien hosts responded, instead they briefly but carefully eyed each other. Blakus frowned; he was glad that the security officer had remembered first contact protocol; not that the XO had forgotten about it, but it just seemed somewhat of a side-issue at the moment. Of course, Delik had to be careful.. they still didn't know the level of advancement of these people, so to say they were from the Federation would be an error. One had to be diplomatic, work their way into a conversation and discover things about technological advancement.

Nothing was forthcoming from them. Blakus asked a question, still holding the glass of liquid. "Your world is.. remarkable."

"Our world? Your world too, surely?" one of them asked with tones of amusement. That's a clue, Blakus thought. But still it seemed a side-issue.

He looked again to the drink in his hand, then lifted it and took a few sips. Yes, it was definitely alcoholic. "What do you call this beverage?" he asked. "It's an alcohol."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. It is widespread; Hamaro, it's called."

Blakus nodded, smiling as if the name made sense. It had a curious flavour, and the alcohol hampered it in no way. "If you wished to rehydrate us, sometimes an alcoholic substance can have the opposite affect."

"You like it? Drink some more." One of them suggested.

"Ok," Blakus said, somewhat dazedly. He knew that it wasn't the proper response, and somewhere in his mind warning lights were flashing bright scarlet. He heeded them little. They were falling deeper into shadow, being hidden away in his head towards a place where he would eventually lose all sight of them.

He finished the glass and happily accepted more, an action which made his hosts smile, a few of them even laughed, joining in the merriment. The lead alien poured it himself. Blakus looked on, little did he know that the rational, refusing, righteous part of him had started screaming, wishing him to throw the drink in the person's face. But that part of him did not even reach the surface, instead he wore a dazed expression; the screams soon disappeared altogether, consigned to the back of his mind in defeat. As he lifted the new glass to his lips and the first droplets of the alcohol passed his mouth, Andae's eyes suddenly glazed over. With not one sound, he slumped forward over the table unconscious. The drink broke on the table's edge, its viscous contents spilling over the floor in a dashed pattern, like pebbles scattered on a beach by the hand of a child.

Delik fell unconscious too and then all of the neatly dressed aliens stood. They moved around the table, then set about dragging the prone forms of the two Starfleet officers away into a small ante-room. They set the sleeping forms alongside the unconscious, green-uniformed man already in there.

As they did so, they heard sounds of footsteps up above them, creaking the rafters. "They're next," the leading man said.

<Tag Carl, Will, Robert>

[Carl Torek]

"..... but Commander Blakus knows all about first contact protocol. There's just something strange going on here." Finally, knowing it would do no good, Will spoke words that he knew would land on deaf ears. "Sir. I really wish you would return to the ship. I'm sure that despite whatever is happening here, the major and I can retrieve our people and return to the Raven."

Carl looked around the room, checking where everyone was situated, then edged forward so no-one would overhear their conversation ..

"The Raven is no longer in orbit !" he said quietly, the statement greeted with both bemused and puzzled looks from his Officers, so Torek explained his reasoning, "We've had no contact with the ship since beaming down. Ergo, she has left orbit ... Is incapable of replying while still in orbit ... Or, is no longer there 'to' reply ... We're apparently on our own. So suggestion noted Mister Jamison, but unfortunately, I can't comply." he finished with a shrug.

Will was about to reply, when one of the Marines hissed a warning .. Someone was coming up the stairs !

The room held zero cover, save for a few pillars and several large chest-type cases along the walls. Everyone did their best to get out of line-of-sight of whoever was coming toward them, but it was never going to be adequate ..

"Hello ?" a womans voice said suddenly, "Please .... You have no need to conceal yourselves." she continued, her voice calm, almost soothing, "You are welcome on the floor below, where we have prepared foo ......"

She suddenly fell silent, slumping toward the floor, a Marine catching her mid-fall. He lifted her, moving toward the corner of the room. Torek and the others moving toward them.

"Check for the communicator we saw the other two using." he whispered to LaGrange as he watched the stairway.

"Must be sub-dermal." the Marine said, taking out a lethal-looking knife Torek couldn't remember having seen before. "I'll dig arou ....."

"Put that away Major !" Carl said quietly, but with no less authority for the volume used.

"Hey, erm, hey ... Can any of you hear that ?" one of LaGrange's men suddenly asked, digging a finger into one of his ears agitatedly.

"What ?" Torek asked, but he was already feeling dizzy, disorientated, almost on the verge of vomiting. the last thing he could remember before passing out, was two blared figures coming up from the floor below, before he fell into a deep, seemingly, dreamless sleep ..........



< tag : All > ;D

[Deleted]

Deep down, Will had known the captain wouldn't leave. Hell. He knew that if he were in the same position, he wouldn't have gone either. That just meant that he now had to watch out for the captain AND get the XO back. Though he would never admit it, he was kinda glad to have LaGrange and some of his guys for back up. Just as he was about to reply, they herd the warning of someone approaching. Will immediately placed himself beside Captain Torek as they took up what little hiding locations there were. A few seconds later, a lady topped the staircase.

"Hello ? Please .... You have no need to conceal yourselves. You are welcome on the floor below, where we have prepared foo ......"

Several of the crew rushed forward as she began to fall. Will watched as the captain and the Marine major spoke about a communicator. He was about to inquire when another of the marines began fidgeting with his ears and asked about a noise. Will stood there for a moment not hearing what the young corporal was talking about. As he turned back toward the CO, he noticed him reach for his ears as well. Will began stepping toward his commanding officer as he too fell toward the wooden floor. He was only a few steps away when the high pitch, piercing sound finally found it's way into his ears. Unable to maintain his footing and reach Torek, he grabbed at his own ears and tumbled to the floor. He saw what looked like a couple of figures moving in closer to their group. That was the last thing he saw as his vision faded to black.

[Carl Torek]

On the Raven:

The ship had been dead in space for six hours now, and Scott was beginning to get annoyed. He'd do as asked, going back to his quarters to get some rest, but had spent most of that time with Vanessa.

Checking the chronometer, he realized he had been away much longer than he expected ..

"Vanessa sweetheart. I need to get back to Engineering."

"I know." his Daughter said, trying to snuggle even closer to him.

"I want you to get ready for bed, it's late. Do you want me to get someone to stay here for tonight ?"

"No Daddy, I'll be OK." Vanessa said, sitting upright and making a very good effort at looking much older, and wiser, than her meagre eleven years, "Besides, there's the Comm if I need a glass of water during the night." she finished, grinning at her own joke. Which took Scott a few seconds to get.

"Right. I'll wait here until you've changed then." he said, playfully pushing her off the settee.

Minutes later she was back, dressed in her favorite pink pajamas ... Scott kissed her on the forehead and promised to check in with her later, then he headed out of their quarters ...

~~~~~~~~~~

"What do we have ?" he asked as he strode into Engineering.

It wasn't looking good. Almost fifty percent of the massive ship was now without power. Life-support had been cut on all non-essential decks, and junior Officers were having to double up in quarters. At this rate, the Raven would be dead within days ..

"Any luck with the shuttles ?" Scott asked.

"No chance." Fishner said, throwing a PADD onto the table in frustration, "The minute we made the connection the shuttles' engines were drained. At first our power spiked, but within minutes it was back to the current level, with nothing left in the shuttles themselves."

"It's obvious that something is draining the power. Whoever sent us way out here has done thi ......" one of the Engineers said, his voice rising to breaking point.

"Calm down Bellmen." Lieutenant Fishner said calmingly.

"Let's get to work on this power loss issue first." Scott said ..........

On the surface:


"Carl ...... Carl ......"

Torek opened his eyes.

"Wha ......"

"It's OK. You had a fall. You're fine though, just a slight knock on the head. Try sitting up."

Torek moved his feet to the floor, then shakily stood. The woman with him held onto his arm to steady him. It was then he noticed the change ..

His uniform was gone !

"Did I manage to fall out of my uniform too ?" he said, pulling away from the woman.

"Excuse me ?"

"My uniform ... Where is it ... And where are my people ?"

He moved to the large windows. He was in a building overlooking a square, people were seemingly going about their business. Moving to the door he half expected it to be locked, and was a little surprised to find it opened at his approach .. Rather than leave, he turned back to the woman.

"What's going on ... Who are you ?"

"I'm Gella, but you know that Carl, we have been partners for almost two cycles." she said, a worried smile forming, "Perhaps I should get the physician back to tend to you confusion ?"

Torek stopped moving. He looked around the room, taking in every little detail ... It was giving him time to process the situation ... He moved back to the door, again it opened silently. He turned back, closing the gap between them.

"I am Captain Carl Torek, of the Federation Star ship Raven ... I want you to tak ..."

"You're what .. Who ?" the woman said, confusedly, "I've no idea what a Federation is, let alone a what, Star ship. Carl I'm going to call for the physician." Gella said, raising her wrist.

Carl Took hold of her arm, a little too forcibly, and relaxed his grip as she yelped in pain. He looked at her wrist but could see nothing there.

"How were you going to call for a Doctor ?"

"Doctor ?" she asked.

"Physician ! ... Where's your communication device ?" It was then he noticed the slight raise under her skin.

Whatever the device was called, it was implanted. He slowly lowered her arm, finally releasing it entirely. He headed for the door, but this time walked right through without hesitation, Gella following. Once on the ground floor he headed for the ornate doors. These didn't open as he neared, and he had to grasp the large handle and pull. There was no resistance as the door swung open and he stepped into the square. Several people nodded as they passed, as if in recognition.

"Would you like to go home now. I've informed your office you will not be returning today ?" the woman, who he had apparently spent the last two years with asked ..........



< tag : All >

[Deleted]

Knocking? Yes. It was definitely knocking that Will heard. He lifted his head off the surface in which it was laying and immediately regretted it. Dizziness, blurry vision and a pounding in his headed was what greeted him.

"Come in." he answered.

As he realized that he was in some sort of office sitting at a huge wooden desk, a wooden door to the left of him opened and a young lady stuck her head in.

"Dr. Mrager? There's a, um, gentleman her to see you. He says he is an old friend of yours."

"Right. Send him in nurse." Will replied.

"Commander! I've been looking all over for you." exclaimed the young man as he entered. "I've seen a few of the others but they,....Sir. Are you okay?" he asked as he noticed the confused expression on Wills face.

"May I help you, young man?" Mrager asked.

"Sir. It's me. Lt Delik. Reon. Great. You've been brainwashed too. I thought for sure that if anyone else could fight it, it would be you, sir."

"Brainwash? What are you babbling about man. I'm not brainwashed. I know exactly who I am. I'm Dr Imar Mrager. I've been the attending physician here for 12 years. You on the other hand seem to have some issues. When was your last check up?" Imar asked.

"You're not a doctor. You're the head of security on a Federation starship and your name is Will Jamison." Delik went on telling him about the team beaming down and how they ended up where they were at this moment in time.

"Starship? Beaming? Listen to your self, man. If this truly happened, how come you aren't "brainwashed"". Imar said.

"I guess it's something in my Bajoran blood." Delik replied.

"Bajoran? And what is that? Some sort of disease?"

"Look at my nose ridge, Doctor." Delik said sarcastically. "Have you seen anyone else with a nose like this?"

"Well I can't say as I have. What happened to you? How did you get your deformity if I may ask?" Will answered.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought." muttered Delik.


TBC...

[Andae Blakus]

He awoke in a bright room, lit by natural light from a wide-open window, he was staring up at a ceiling. It was white, just like the room's walls. It didn't hurt his eyes though, the light reflected off the white surface in such a way that the ceiling actually seemed to absorb most of it, giving it a pleasant soft complexion, quite comfortable.

His feet padded across the soft but utilitarian carpet. The room was small. A bedroom with a few other facilities it seemed, it had a certain homely appeal, but exactly what that meant in relation to everything else right now wasn't clear.

It was only when he reached the window that the realisation set in, he wasn't alone in this room. Someone stood by the door, unseen but his/her presence was definitely noted. He placed his hands on the window-ledge and looked out at the square. It was extremely hot outside, that much could be discerned; shadows were cast long and imperious-like almost across the length of the square but despite the shade it only helped to enhance the photonic brightness and the sizzling heat. There were a few people in the square too, most keeping to the cool shade but some basking in the brightness, as if they rarely saw natural sunlight in their day-to-day lives.

He could sense the man coming up slowly behind, until he no longer needed peripheral intuition and the ordinary if clinically dressed man moved alongside him. "Feeling spritely today?" the new man eventually inquired, glancing down at the square in an act of social mimickery. "It's good to see you up and about."

He shot a quick look of acknowledgment to the new arrival then looked down at his hands, scraping against the rough worn wood of the window sill. The open window was hardly helping to aeriate the room, he realised, it was just blowing a slight breeze of hot air in.

"You usually don't venture far from your bed, so this is definitely a new reach.. without meaning to sound condescending."

He frowned at that comment, certainly not being able to remember concretely any previous occasion where he'd awoke in this room. Mouth opened and throat spasmed slightly, then slowly words formed. "I don't... understand," he managed to say."

The man looked away slightly, almost seeming to sigh, his shoulders slumping a little in dejection, disappointment? "No," he said, smiling sadly, "I guess not."

More words started forming, readying an attempt to better explain what the concerns were that he was having. But already too late, the man was leaving, picking up a board with sheets of paper attached on his way out. A simple hinged door swung shut with a creak of wood, and the desperate man wanting answers was left alone with his confused thoughts.

TBC

[Andae Blakus]

Where am I? The thought came unbidden to his head. Coming somewhere from the darkness that was outside the realm of his command, his brain. The thought confused him but it held a certain sensibility. His visitor from before had told him strange things, or rather, a thing. That thing had not sat well with him.

Soon he was shouting it at the walls. The simple question, which to him seemed a thousand times more concise and effective than the vague statement he uttered at the man from earlier, and that made it very easy for him to holler it at the nearest wall, and at least be deluded into thinking that it held some weight and made some sense.

There was expected to be some remembrance of what happened before, the mysterious short trips from his bed that the man had alluded to, but there were none that could be recalled with clarity. And if there was something vague and not rightly recallable then it was certainly either entirely false or, perhaps worse, back-constructed.

Minutes later the creaky door swung open again. It wasn't hard to attach a sense of dread to that moving door handle. He looked up to find out who it was coming into the room, from his sitting position against the side of the bed, legs lying straight out in front of him.

"Well, you've certainly broken the bounds of your introversion," the same man from before said, looking down at him in aloof surprise. The man moved across the room, placing his sheets of paper on one of the pleasant-looking side tables.

It was only now that he noticed something that looked like a nametag attached to the man's shirt near his collar. Tinva it read. "After the Prefect grew a little tired of the noise, she sent me to see what the problem was, and to provide an answer to your occasionally unintelligible question. I've told you before of course." Tinva gave him that sad smile again, punctuated with an edge of something like sorrowful understanding... As if that was applicable.

"You are very cynical, Tinva."

"You've also told me that before." Tinva replied instantly, this time grinning in a little bit of a playful fashion. "But, and I say it again, these are new reaches for you. You've finally lost the attachment to that bed. Although clearly you are indulging in something of a comfort zone now.." Tinva nodded towards the bed that he was still propped against, "..there are signs that you'll soon be out and about. I have no problem with telling you these things, I hope you notice, which also means you are on the mend. As much as you can be mended anyhow..."

Tinva had not meant for him to hear that last, whispered mutter he was sure, but he had, and it threw yet more confusion on him. But there was no time to ponder on that nor any to bring him up on his rudeness or whatever it was, because he was starting to speak about where they were.

"We're on an island." Tinva stated proudly, "A little off the coast of the central continent and well within the tropic regions. Hence why it's so humid outside, I'm sure you've started noticing that now with this new lease of mental freedom you've gained. If you're feeling up to it, I can get someone to show you the mainland if you want. It's clearly visible, not faraway at all really, reachable by boat although we don't have a lot of them - "

"And who are you? Your clothes, this place, which may seem nice and pleasant, comfortable and welcoming, but the looks are clearly deceiving where your treatment of me is concerned." He stared Tinva down, not letting up as he wanted a definite answer to his question.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Tinva said diplomatically. "Our treatment of you and our care is second to none. We strive to do our best although our efforts are often not fully appreciated.. of course, given the nature of those we work with. You are mostly aware though," he told him, looking him up and down, "So there must be other reasons for your discomfort, what's really wrong?"

"No! You don't understand, I do not know who you people are. Or maybe I do... but, it's just that, I can't really recall..."

"Yes?" Tinva pushed, regaining the easy, understanding smile he liked to use.

"I cannot remember waking here as you described; well, a few vague memories of something or other..." he trailed off.

"Your memories are fuzzy because those times were very traumatic for you. When we brought you in from the northern continent, you were different of course, but your condition deteriorated and then didn't get better once you'd awoken.. until now." Tinva halted abruptly. "I've said too much. I'll speak to you later, perhaps see you downstairs soon, or out in the garden under the canopy?"

From the side of his bed, that now seemed much more homely than it had a few hours ago, he nodded in response to Tinva. The words the attendant had used, while on the face of it unknown, did make sense, and held some... familiarity? to him. Whoever him was.

[Carl Torek]

"Would you like to go home now. I've informed your office you will not be returning today ?" the woman, who he had apparently spent the last two years with asked.

Carl frowned, there was something he was supposed to remember, no, not remember as if fake, or untrue, but a reality, something other than all ... This ...

"It's this way, not too far." Gella was saying, but Carl was puzzled, he'd stopped walking and was looking round as if in a daze, " ..... You wanted to be close to the school you said. Even though it meant further to travel to work."

"Wha ......" Carl began, but swayed erratically, almost toppling over, arms caught him, steadied him until he could hold himself upright. 'this is not right .. this is not right' he kept thinking.

"Come on, we'll sit in the park until the physician arrives, I've called him. You are in no state to move around yet." Gella said, guiding him by the arm to a park that he swore wasn't there moments ago, then she sat him on a bench, sitting beside him, "This is all because of the fall." she continued, the words seemingly in his head rather than having actually 'heard' them.

"I'm Carl Tor, Tor ...." he began, frowning as the name wouldn't leap into his consciousness.

"No .. You're name is Javin ... You are unwell. It will all come back to you soon." she smiled.

"No ..." Torek shook his head as if trying to clear the fog, "NO .. That's not righ ... Arghhh ! ....." he yelled. His headache was becoming unbearable now and he slammed the palms of his hands against his temples in an attempt to ward off the intense pain. He could feel his heart racing, faster and faster, threatening to explode from his chest. Somewhere in the turmoil of his mind, he knew he was having a heart attack !

Everything started to go black ..... Before his life ebbed away completely, he could hear voices.

"Told you it was too soon."

"We had to push this one, you were aware of that."

"Can you save him ?"

" ...... I am not sure ... Get him back to the sanatorium, I can better treat him there."

His last thought as he slipped from life was .......... 'Why ?' ..........

[Carl Torek]

On the Raven:

Almost two days had passed ..... The USS Raven-B was crawling her way across the system slower than a twentieth century Apollo craft. Over seventy percent of the ship was now without life-support, and almost ninety percent of that had no artificial gravity ...

Scott had gone back to his quarters. Not to rest, not to get away from Engineering, simply to spend an hour with the one thing in his life that he could loose.

"Daddy ....."

"Daddy ......" Vanessa said quietly, not really wanting to disturb her Father, but wanting comfort at the same time, so she tried one more time, "Daddy ?"

Scott stirred, then almost jumped upright at the realization that he had fallen asleep !

"Sweetheart ... I'm sorry. I must have nodded off there ..." he said, looking round the room, "What were we doing ?"

"Nothing Daddy. Lieutenant Fishner was trying to get hold of you. I told him you were sleeping .... You were really tired Daddy."

"OK Princess. What did Mister Fishner want, did he say ?"

"No, he just said he wanted to speak to you, but it could wait and not to wake you."

Scott was already on his feet tapping his Comm badge.

=^= McLean to Engineering =^=

=^= Fishner Sir .. It has occurred to me .. We can't get more power at the moment .. We're loosing it on an increasing scale now .. But we could use the Star system itself to our advantage .. In that we could sling-shot around the outer planets to give us momentum =^=

"We did that in astro-physics Daddy." Vanessa chirped in, "Voyager used that to get erm, lost ... But it came back, we did it in History." she finished, a puzzled look appearing on her face as if she was giving unreliable information.

McLean picked up his Daughter, hugging her tightly for a long, long, moment ..

=^= What do we have left Lieutenant ? =^=

=^= Four .. Maybe five hours .. Then we will need to consider jettisoning the Engineering Section and trying to make do on the Saucer Section .... Even then we're looking at hours rather than days ...... =^= he finished, not willing to state the obvious while an eleven year old was listening.

=^= Start looking at a plot for our re-entry into the system .. I'll be there shortly .. And Barry .... Well done =^=

=^= Thank your Daughter Commander .. She pointed out what was used centuries ago .. One bright bright girl you have there Sir .. Engineering out =^=

Scott looked at his Daughter. Was it possible that this eleven year old girl had somehow figured out how to save one of the biggest Star ships in the Federation ? ... Hell he didn't know at the moment, but he was certainly going to give her idea a try ! ..........

[Deleted]

"THIS ISN'T....." Delik began to say rather loudly. He paused and looked at the door to make sure no one heard and was entering the room before lowering his voice and continuing.

"Listen, Commander. Will. We have to get you out of here. I believe that they have to continue administering shots in order for to keep it's affects on you. If we can get away from these people, you may regain your memory like I did it. It may take longer but I think it will work."

"But my memory is just fine, sir." replied Dr. Mrager. "You seem to be the one feeling other wise."

Delik let out a long moan. "That's because you are brain washed." he responded slowly.

"Okay than, answer me this." the doctor said. "How do they do it? How do I have memories going back years?"

"I'm not a scientist, so I don't know everything about how it works, sir. But I do know that it's happening. When I first woke up yesterday, I thought the same thoughts as you. I had a wife and three children and memories of all of it. But as the day went on, I began remembering my real life. My life in Starfleet." Delik said.

"I see. And how do you know that this "Starfleet" fantasy isn't the brain washing life?" Mrager asked.

All Delik could do was sit back and think about what was just said.


TBC.....