Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2009 15:18:05 GMT
S'reena had returned to the bridge, after learning Fire had disappeared. She didn't need to be told to start scanning for anomalies, but did so on her own accord. She hadn't known the young man very well, even though he'd been the pilot when she'd accompanied Jackson back to Earth, to be with her son. Yet there was nothing worth noting on scanners, that could even remotely cause a spatial rift or a temporal rift. She shook her head in dismay, then changed her scanners to comply with Savot's orders.
"Scanning," she announced, unnecessarily. "Nothing on sensors so far, but they're on contininuous mode so it'll beep when it got something."
The blind Romulan listened as someone approached, and she identified the footsteps as belonging to K'ratak. His footfall was heavy, and sounding a little shuffled as if he wasn't quite picking up his heavy boots. At least, that's how it sounded to her, and how she identified him.
" Commander sorry to interrupt but I was just checking to see if you had any more adive or tools to help us with this mission. I know we have the phaser rifles but I would like to have a back up in case they don't work or some type of warning. If not I'll deal with it the best I can but you know me I always like an ace up my sleeve when ever possible"
S'reena smiled thinly. "Gadgets, colonel?" She shook her head. "Surely you remember I'm not much of a gadgets woman? I rely on common sense...and these days, on Auric." She paused. "Is there some way we can use sonics to subdue Armus, in case something goes wrong? Or perhaps some sort of viral agent? A lesser variant what was used against the Founders maybe? Without, of course, putting the visiting Founders in danger. They'd have to be immunised somehow..." Again, she shook her head. "It's dangerous, and not very ethical to begin with...but for their safety, as well as ours..."
She tilted her head up, towards Savot and (she hoped) Jackson. "What do you think?" she queried him (and Jackson, if she were present).
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Post by Savot on Sept 14, 2009 2:12:31 GMT
Savot nodded acknowledgement of S'reena's report as to the sensor readiness, then merely listened to the exchange between her and Colonel K'ratak. "What do you think?", Hope queried Savot regarding the various Anti-Armus-Arsenal suggestions that had been mentioned.
Savot arched an eyebrow in consideration and laid his intertwined hands upon his lap in the center seat before replying, "At present we know too little about Armus to know what effect a sonic disruption would have on him. As he can shift his body matter it's probable he can ignore or at least filter any aural component so the most likely scenario is the complete breakdown of his molecular structure given a sonic blast of sufficient strength. Likewise we have no current way of knowing how quickly, if at all, a viral agent would affect it, though it's worth examining. I agree with your moral reservations; however, and as such would prefer to utilize such a solution as a last resort."
"Given Armus' amorphous state perhaps something akin to liquid nitrogen could potentially be effective in restraining him should the need arise", Savot continued until the aforementioned beeping of the sensors took place indicating that the Enterprise D's original beam-down site had been located. "Dr. Hope will be in charge of sickbay following separation assuming the mission gets that far. You and he are free to research any of the aforementioned defensive mechanisms should you so desire, though clearance to use them must be obtained by either myself or Commander Jackson in my absence."
<Hope response if any>
Savot rose from his chair and moved to the upper tier of the bridge towards the turbolift, turning slightly to face his officers with his hands clasped behind him, "I will transport down alone to initiate contact."
He immediately continued to pre-empt the usual arguments, "Though I still believe it an unlikely scenario it is mathematically possible Armus will decline the offer and instead decide to vent his anger upon whoever is present. Reports indicate he has sufficient power to eliminate an entire team at once should he choose and as such a security detail would provide me no additional defense; likewise it is more sensible to risk the loss of 1 than of many and as Captain during what is largely a diplomatic mission the responsibility of initiating contact is mine."
The vulcan bowed his head slightly to those on the bridge, internally wondering whether or not the Admiral would 'pull rank' and insist on beaming down as well. Unlike the members of his crew, Savot had no basis in regulation to refuse Admiral Mc7_of_9 if he insisted on coming.
"I will open and maintain a communications link immediately after transport so you will know the moment I do whether our invitation is received or not. If contact is lost and vulcan biosigns cease to register at the given location, your orders are to leave the sector and update Starfleet Command to request instructions as to whether to simply maintain the planetary quarantine or return in an attempt to destroy Armus from orbit. The bridge is yours Commander", Savot nodded firmly to Jackson and exitted the bridge via turbolift towards Transporter Room 1.
<Jackson response if any>
***************************************
As a phaser would not only be somewhat impolite but also entirely futile as a defensive measure, Savot equipped himself solely with a tricorder clipped to his belt as he stood on the transporter pad and instructed the chief to beam him down. The vulcan captain's form disintegrated from view to coalesce on a barren, sandy surface near a crater that was likely the result of the Enterprise D's torpedo fired to destroy the remains of their crashed shuttle. Any scoring marks from the blast had long since weathered away so the crater bowl was the same dull brown as its surroundings.
Savot, as per his word, tapped his commbadge immediately upon transport completion so the bridge could hear whatever went on planetside. =^=Savot reporting successful transport to Enterprise record coordinates. No visual signs of Armus in the vicinity, initiating tricorder scan and activating uplink to ship's sensors=^=, as per standard Away Team protocol he pulled his tricorder as initiated a scan for the last recorded Armus-esque readings...
(Gonna stop here for this post, mainly to let the Admiral decide where he intends to be during this portion, though anyone's input is certainly allowed and welcome as always. Aside from the Admiral; however, no one else would've been permitted to beam down.)
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kratak
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Post by kratak on Sept 14, 2009 12:50:27 GMT
He listened to what captain savot was saying and agreed with him for the most part. To many unkowns but on thing did catch his attention the freezing part. After he left the bridge he turned his attention to Commander Hope " You know he might be on to something there about freezing Armus what do you think. I mean its just a call back plan in case things get out of control but if he was imoblie then that would give us time to restrain him again. I just don't know enought about the math to know how much is to much. Thats more your department but if it would work it would be a safe back up."
Pausing for a moment " I'll go with what ever you think Commander Hope I trust your judgement, I also ask that what ever we come up with you be the one to address Commander Jackson about it. We are as the humans say are like fire and ice we don't get a long really well for the moment" <Tag Hope>
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Post by SA. Stacey Jackson [Ret] on Sept 15, 2009 12:44:51 GMT
She sighed heavily after the counsellor left the room, and took a few moments for one last look around before she herself left the room.
She walked back to the bridge with a rather quick pace, she felt overly stressed and thoughts of resigning and retirement flickered through her mind.. the thought she wasn’t cut out for it or maybe that she was too far into her career for it danced around her mind.
Stepping onto the bridge she caught the tail end of another last resort plan coming from Commander Hope. Savot was present and she let him give his thoughts which were rather similar to hers just more eloquently put. Looking to the view screen the planet Armus was trapped on filled the screen.
She was remained calm outwardly but annoyed inwardly when Savot insisted he be the one to beam down. She knew better than to fight him on it this time, but she made mental note to lay down the regulations next time he insisted.. being the first she decided to let him have this one for free.
He handed her the bridge and gave a nod, she nodded back and said. “Good luck sir.”
She watched him enter the turbolift (With or without Mc7), she sighed as she sat in the captains chair and said. “Make sure the engineering troubles we have been having don’t interfere with our sensor lock.”
She turned her head and looked at Hope and K’ratak and said. “Hope, K’ratak get to work on your idea.. but remember that if it has to be used we want to make it a way to stop him not torture.. get the opinion of our Changeling guests they will have much more insight into it than us.”
She looked back to the view screen and let her mind go rather blank and calm, her presence more for show and in the case of emergency rather than to micro manage the goings on of the bridge.
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Mc7_of_9
Admiral
[Retired]
Vice Admiral Mc7_of_9
Registered: Oct 22, 2003 23:19:55 GMT
Posts: 546
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Post by Mc7_of_9 on Sept 16, 2009 13:33:43 GMT
Mc7 sat at the briefing table, and absent mindfully glanced over at the empty seat, which would normally be occupied by Lt Fire. His sudden and tragic death weighed heavily on the Command Crew, that much was obvious to the Admiral. He was impressed by how the recent loss didn't appear to be affecting any of their professional lives. Mc7 had been in their position before, and knew just how hard it was to compartmentalise grief, allowing them to carry out their duties as normal. Savot continued to speak, talking about making the initial contact with Armus,
"Though I still believe it an unlikely scenario it is mathematically possible Armus will decline the offer and instead decide to vent his anger upon whoever is present. Reports indicate he has sufficient power to eliminate an entire team at once should he choose and as such a security detail would provide me no additional defence; likewise it is more sensible to risk the loss of 1 than of many and as Captain during what is largely a diplomatic mission the responsibility of initiating contact is mine."
Mc7 noted his insistence to make the initial contact alone. He knew, given his rank, he could easily override the Commodore and insist that he was part of the initial landing party, but that was not his intention.
"Captain, I would like to accompany you to the surface, but given this is your mission, and I am merely an advisor, I will leave the final decision on that with you."
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Post by Savot on Sept 20, 2009 2:59:33 GMT
[Backpost to Admiral Mc]
Savot was slightly surprised by the Admiral's response to the matter of beaming down to the planet surface, "Captain, I would like to accompany you to the surface, but given this is your mission, and I am merely an advisor, I will leave the final decision on that with you."
The vulcan politely bowed his head a bit, "Thank you, sir. I do believe your position warrants your presence once a dialogue has been established with Armus, but until I have done so I would prefer you remain aboard for your safety. If Armus agrees to hear us out, then we'll transport yourself and the Changeling envoy down."
Then as he left the bridge, Jackson wished him luck to which he gave a polite thank you before entering the turbolift.
*************************************************** [Present: Surface of Vagra II]
Unsurprisingly to Savot, the better part of an hour came and went with nothing but intermittent readings on his tricorder. After all, with Armus being the only living being on the planet it was to be expected that he would meander from place to place if for no other reason than to try and alleviate its eternal boredom. However, readings did eventually appear; something was approaching his position and doing so much more rapidly than Armus' previously recorded land speed.
Like an oil-soaked snake, a viscous form Savot believed to be Armus slithered across the barren earth of Vagra II towards the uninvited guest. The obsidian pool came to rest approximately 10 feet from the vulcan officer and as it began to assume a relatively humanoid configuration Savot merely continued taking readings with his tricorder that would be instantly fed back to the El Salvador.
A deep voice sounding somewhat akin to a metallicaly-enclosed echo seemed to bellow from thin air, "YOU! Why have you come here?!"
Savot quirked an eyebrow. The voice had started out sounding furious but was quickly reigned in to a tone more resembling extreme annoyance. Though clearly angered by a presence it recognized as belonging to the same organization that its previous guests had been, Armus seemed reluctant to risk scaring that presence away by showing unrestrained anger.
"I am Commodore Savot of the United Federation of Planets, captain of the Starfleet vessel El Salvador. I've come to present an offer to the being known as Armus; am I addressing him?", Savot replied starting with a slight bow of his head.
The humanoid portion wobbled slightly back and forth as the fluidic base beneath it quivered, "Federation... Starfleet..." A rumbling filled the air as a fair-sized chunk of rock was hurled near Savot though not striking him. It impacted on a boulder the vulcan was standing near and Savot gave no other reaction than to lean his head to the left to avoid the shattered projectile's debris. Again; however, the rage seemed to be reigned in almost as quickly as it had exploded... further evidence that although angry, Armus still did not wish to drive away another's presence right away, "I am Armus... what offer could you possibly make that I would want?"
Savot replied in typical vulcan straightforwardness, "I understand you have reason to dislike Starfleet, just as we have cause to dislike you. We can either accept these states as inevitable, or attempt to change them for the better. After all, should you refuse us we would simply go on with our lives whereas you would continue to be trapped here alone."
The vulcan was unable to present the actual offer before he was interrupted by Armus, "You would not simply go on with your life if I chose to kill you; an act of which I am quite capable I assure you."
"I am aware of your capabilities in that regard, but taking my life would not long delay my fellow officers in continuing on their paths and you already know a simple killing will not even gain you a moment's amusement. You tried with Lieutenant Natasha Yar of the Enterprise and that act did nothing to assuage your dissatisfaction."
Though Armus' form held no facial expression, the shifting of its form seemed to be the equivalent of looking someone up and down to try and understand them, and the vulcan officer before him was the subject of his curiosity, "Your Federation must not care very much for its people if it's willing to make an offer to her murderer. It seems you are prepared to cast her memory aside just as my people cast me aside to rot on this planet!"
A dangerous parallel for him to draw, Savot thought to himself. "On the contrary, she is highly regarded both by those who knew her in life and those for whom her dedication served as motivation when faced with their own moments of adversity and suffering. And though we do not condone your actions in killing her, it is the Federation's philosophy that no single act should forever tarnish any being's life and as such I am authorized to offer you a second chance of sorts. A race with which the Federation has had contact became aware of your situation and asked us to consider allowing them to offer you amnesty within their society."
The palpable tension in the air lessened slightly from Armus' earlier anger but was still quite present as it responded, "I kill one of yours and get offered a new home? Your kind has a nauseating tendency towards pity, and I will not accept that from you."
The vulcan replied without hesitation, "On the contrary this offer is not a gift but something that must be earned. However, in this case earning it is a simple matter; all you must do is conduct yourself in a civilized manner. If you are prepared to discuss the matter I will have the representatives beamed down to speak with you face to face. However, I do warn you that if you attempt to harm or hold us against our will my personnel will under no circumstances negotiate with you for your amusement and are authorized to bring their full arsenal to bear against you."
There was a long pause, nearly a full minute as Armus seemed to be conducting an internal debate, then the oil-slick form tipped forward slightly in a bow of consent. Arching an eyebrow before giving a nod of his own in response, Savot then stepped aside and addressed the bridge directly though they'd heard the entire conversation thus far since his comm frequency was open, =^=Savot to Bridge. Armus has consented to hear the delegation out, please have them transport down with the Admiral as well. Initiate final transfer of personnel from the primary module and separate it from the rest of the ship so we'll be able to proceed should Armus be swayed by the Changeling's offer. Will maintain open frequency, Savot out.=^=
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2009 19:51:15 GMT
S'reena shrugged, indicating she had heard. She was most concerned for the commodore and the admiral, even though she couldn't claim ever having met the latter. These were the times where she missed being first officer, and having the responsibility to look out for her commanding officer. She sighed audibly as she swiveled her seat back to her station, her hands moving over her console in rapid succession.
She did agree that if they needed to stop Armus, it had to do just that, stop him, but not harm him. But at the same time, keep anyone that were too close, safe as well. "Colonel K'ratak, I require your assistance on the holodeck," she told the Klingon. "I have a few theories that I wish to test."
The Romulan turned to Jackson. "Commander, in order to test what we have, we may need the assistance of the Founders. It may offend them, but as they too are of...amorph substance, perhaps what may stop them, may also stop Armus. If one of them would be willing to play ah...guinea pig, that would be most appreciated. I promise I'll try not to harm them, and if they experience any discomfort, we'll abort immediately. They are allies now, I do not wish to see them unnecessarily harmed."
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kratak
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Post by kratak on Sept 23, 2009 13:19:07 GMT
Looking over at his friend when she asked him to join her in the holodeck, and listening to her reasoning for explained to Commander Jackson he smiled. He was happy somebody else was a little concerned about security risk and was trying to do something about. He still wasn't happy about there Captain as he liked to be called down on the surface alone. Then again it was already a well known fact there was little security could do to protect him when it came to armus.
" I shall be more then happy to assit you in any way Commander Hope. I to would like a better understanding of what we are dealing with. Not to mention what ever we do has to be safe for everybody involved..... even Armus."
They waited for Commander Jackson to respond already thoughts were running through his head. This presented a chance to better understand the limits of the founders as well, while they were at peace with each other he still didn't trust them no one inch. He knew it was wrong because there were many people who didn't trust him because he was klingon. He was hoping that this mission would give him a chance to change his prospective about the founders. He'd lost many friends during the war and it was hard not to think of them every time the name founder was brought up. T
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Post by Savot on Sept 30, 2009 1:37:48 GMT
Within 27 minutes, the primary hull of the El Salvador had split from the others, Jackson and the other senior staff would now be manning stations on the Auxiliary bridge and only the necessary skeleton crew (which on a vessel capable of complete remote control during Multi-Vector Mode was technically 0), Mr. Fire's recommended engineering staff and emergency medical personnel headed up by the ever-intrepid EMH were presently aboard.
K'ratak and his team would beam over to the primary hull after completing any experimental trials and mission-prep they managed to complete with Commander Hope before departure. Two of the Changelings had agreed to partake in their holodeck tests while the remaining 3 accompanied Admiral Mc7_of_9 to the surface via transporter beam.
Savot introduced the Admiral and the Founder trio respectively to the Armus entity then stood back to let them extend their invitation. Observing silently, Savot monitored his tricorder as the dialogue commenced, comparing the energy waxing and waning with readings the Enterprise had documented and associated with particular emotional states to try and hypothesize as to how well Armus was receiving the offer.
The Changelings explained the Great Link as well as possible verbally, an individual whose senses and experiences were their own merged with an inestimable whole who then shared that individual's experiences and in turn he/she/it shared theirs. They assured him that nothing could ever be stolen from an individual because the whole had no way of sectioning itself off; anything shared was always shared equally and couldn't be otherwise. Armus' readings shifted on the tricorder before he dropped his humanoid form to revert to his oil-puddle appearance. Savot took the readings to be indicative of defensive behavior akin to someone crossing their arms.
Armus' puddle continued to speak, "I don't remember my own people well but I know you are not their descendants. You cannot offer family to that which is outside yourselves."
Savot tilted his head slightly towards the Founders to request permission to speak, "Families need not be biological. Most species' families begin with the pairing of mates who are in no way akin to one another. Offspring share biological matter from each of its parents but the parents are most often unrelated. Likewise, parents biologically incapable of conceiving offspring often elect to adopt a child since they still wish to create a family unit. In that scenario none of the family are connected biologically but the emotional resonance between them can still be just as if not more potent than that between a biological family. A Klingon and Bolian can choose to hold hands, and a bond is formed that simply. The extent of that bond depends on the level to which each participant is willing and interested in taking it."
Just as it occurred to the vulcan that Armus may well have no notion of what either a Klingon or a Bolian were, he was spared having to explain as Armus' energy readings seemed to indicate a relaxing of his posture at least partially understanding Savot's explanation. The Commodore then internally complimented the being on its logical progression as Armus then asked whether or not this Linking of theirs was even possible with him. The Founders explained their scientific data from research simulations using their readings and records from Armus that indicated a sufficient probability of success to warrant the attempt, then explained they intended to perform a live experiment here and now.
Because the potency of Armus' loathing and rage was too much to try distilling over even all 5 of the Changelings present, one simply 'isolated' a glob of itself approximately the size of a tennis ball and laid it on the ground about 2 feet from this side's border of Armus' bodily pool. Within it, they explained was a portion of Changeling consciousness that contained a firmer explanation of the Great Link and also a kind of preview of what such interconnectedness would feel like. They assured him he could eschew the material at any time, or if he so desired he could keep it during the journey to further explore the sensations and knowledge to prepare him for inclusion in their Link.
Savot's tricorder readings, still being fed directly to the sensors on both the primary hull and the rest of the ship now that they were split, fluctuated wildly as he had expected. He believed Armus was experiencing multiple emotional states each vying for dominance. Armus was clearly interested in what the Changelings had to offer, but also deeply hesitant about opening himself and risking further disappointment, and likely also a portion of anger directed at his original abandoners for putting him in this situation to begin with. All present waited silently knowing that this decision had to be Armus' in its entirety without either encouragement or pressure... and after 7 minutes and 33 seconds the obsidian entity extended itself slowly towards the globule, hesitated once more about 1 inch away, then finally chose to embrace it shrinking back in upon himself in an understandable defensive move while it digested the experience.
Savot had tagged both Armus and the Changeling matter ball within differing sensor ID tags so he could monitor how well, if at all, the two were able to merge. For a moment he could still fully read both signals, likely Armus having contained the globule separate from himself before fully committing to the attempt; then gradually the signals began to intertwine. Armus' readings were akin to a gasp of wonder at having such a wealth of information accessible to him, and the nearly-merged readings of the globule showed no negative effects to its own energy signature or efficacy. The Changeling donor also closed its eyes a moment before opening them towards Savot with a soft smile and the slightest of nods.
"I... will go with you to this place. If I don't wish to stay, I can come out again?", Armus inquired.
The Changeling trio nodded slightly in unison, "You will indeed, though it is our firm belief you will have neither the need nor desire to do so. However, that will of course be your choice to make when the time comes."
Silence followed, and Savot concluded all that needed to be said here had already been so. He spoke into his commbadge again, =^=Savot to Jackson. The offer has been accepted; our party will transport directly to the primary hull after which we will transport Armus directly to the shuttlebay then erect the protective fields. Upon successful transport and the boarding of Colonel K'ratak's security team we will then break orbit and get underway. Will signal again from the primary bridge, Savot out.=^=
******************************************
While the Admiral and the Changelings beamed up, Savot stayed on the surface to assure Armus they weren't just leaving him there, and they both appeared in the cleared shuttlebay aboard the primary hull. As expected, Armus quickly ascertained the borders of the forcefields and Savot explained without embarrassment, "As our previous encounter with you ended in a negative manner we needed to take precautions to limit the probability of a repeat performance. However, as an additional benefit it allows us to maintain a sterile environment for you to help avoid any contamination enroute. You've been on the surface of Vagra II for a highly extended period and as such it's uncertain what effect uncontained exposure to other environmental stimuli might have on your health."
Savot then explained the general procedure they'd follow during the journey, that someone would be with him at all times unless solitude was requested, and then the EMH appeared within the shuttlebay to assume his tour of duty as the first of Armus' "company".
Returning to the bridge, Savot then gave the order for both chunks of vessel to begin their travels, sending a subspace communique to DS9 to inform them of their estimated arrival in approximately 3 days barring complications.
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kratak
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Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
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Post by kratak on Oct 1, 2009 13:29:32 GMT
He was very intersted in what Commander Hope might be working on, he was a little shocked that the founders were willing to let her experiment on them. His mind was already racing with thoughts maybe they too were gathering info on what weapons we could employ against them. It was hard to keep that thought out of his head but nothing less it was there.
He followed Commander Hope to the holodeck he had to admit he was very intersted in what she came up with. He was also happy somebody else was thinking of the risk they were taking as well. Alhought he was not happy about the flag officers beaming down to the planet with out security then again what could his team really do. The phaser rifles were untested while he believed they would work there was still a chance they would.
" Commander Hope we must be quick about this they are already waiting transport. I would feel a little more comfortable if you were allowed to join us so you can monitor the energy cell your sell. I will see if I can persuade Captain Savot of the logic in that" <Tag Hope>
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2009 14:23:06 GMT
"Good luck on that," S'reena replied as one of the Founders approached them. The Romulan gave the male shapeshifter the once over, rather, appeared to do so as she 'saw' him approach through Auric. "Sir," she greeted him politely.
Auric chirped. "Forgive me." She turned back to K'ratak. "I will join you as soon as I can. You try to persuade Savot, and I will add my own complaints to it when I can. I don't feel comfortable in sending Forbes, even though he can see what goes on where I cannot." She shrugged. "I do have experience on him, no offense to him."
S'reena turned back to the Founder. "My sincere apologies Founder, I could not turn away from my collegue when he did ask me a question."
The Founder, noticing the woman before him didn't look at him, nodded anyway. "It is of no consequence," he answered, "may I ask, are you without sight?"
"I am," S'reena replied gravely, "I was injured during a battle, when a console exploded in my face. The doctors did all they could but they failed to return my vision to me. I do not wish a VISOR, and my body rejected implants." She stroked Auric's back, who warbled happily in response. "Instead, I have a companion, who is learning to see in my stead. Auric is telepathic, but only to me. If necessary, she can convey images to others, if I tell her to, but she cannot read their minds. Only mine. Auric is very intelligent, as are all the gold ones from her species."
Again, the Founder nodded. "I heard you needed assistance in testing something..." he prompted her.
S'reena nodded. "We need to be able to restrain Armus. While he agreed to come aboard, there's no guarantee he will abide by his own promises not to harm the crew. Ideally, we want to restrain him but not hurt him, so our designed measures need testing. Again, ideally the would be tested on a shapeshifter. However we would not do so without your authorisation, and we prefer someone volunteered." The Romulan paused. "I cannot guarantee the measures will not hurt, while in the first testing phase, but through testing we would optimize the effect, without bringing harm to the subject."
The Founder smiled. "Ah, a guinea pig."
"Yes sir," S'reena replied, smiling thinly, "a guinea pig." Her smile widened a little; the Founder had a pleasant voice and she liked listening to him, it made her trust him somewhat. "How rude of me, I forewent introductions. My earlier companion was Lieutenant Colonel K'ratak. I am Commander S'reena Hope."
The Founder dipped his head in acknowledgement. "You may address me as Daen," he informed her. "My companion may be addressed as Lynn, which is the name she chose for herself."
Lynn dipped her head also in acknowledgement and introduction, not keeping her eyes off the small golden flyer. She was clearly intrigued, but also clearly wanted no part in being experimented on. “I shall go find Mr K'ratak and see if he needs assistance,” she announced, “you..” She looked upon Daen in disdain. “You may do as you please, just remember we have a treaty in place.”
Daen bowed in submission and watched her leave. He turned to S'reena, offering her his arm. “Shall I guide thee?” he offered formally, taking her hand and putting it on his arm.
S'reena nodded, though as far as she was aware, they were already in the holodeck. “The equipment shouldn't be far,” she informed him, nodding to where she knew she had last touched it. “It really shouldn't take long. If you would take place inside the field, then we can test what may hurt you and what definitely should not. Promise me you will tell me the second you experience discomfort.”
“You have my word,” the Founder promised, as he let go of the Romulan and stepped inside the field. He had to admit that he was intrigued by this Romulan female, who so carelessly worked with the Humans and other Federation species, and even wore a Starfleet uniform and bore a Starfleet rank. “So how does a Romulan end up in Starfleet?” he asked casually, as he took his place.
“I was born on Earth,” the Romulan replied, while working the controls. “Please touch the forcefield, carefully, and try to get out. The computer will tell me to what extend you succeed.”
Daen touched the forcefield and tried his liquid form to slither past. He failed and returned to his solid form. “Interesting,” he replied, to both answer to his question and the result of the test. “I am not harmed, but it was not comfortable at all. It felt, fairly strange.”
S'reena nodded and changed the settings. “Try again,” she ordered, “I have lowered the intensity of the forcefield but structural integrity is the same.”
Daen tried again, smiling a little. “That wasn't too bad. So how come you're born on Earth. Are you a half-breed?”
The Romulan bristled, as she changed the settings once more. “Hardly,” she replied, clearly stung. “Both my parents are Romulan, but they were forced out of the Empire. Too sympathetic to Federation ideals. Later, of course, they were forgiven and asked to return, but they would not, having made a life on Earth. Try again.”
The Founder found himself subjected to various intensities and structural integrities over the course of several minutes, having little chance to ask questions. After about an hour, a setting was found that would both keep him inside the field, but comfortably so. “This works,” he reported dutifully, looking slightly haggard. “I will need to return to my liquid form soon, this was very...stressful for me.”
S'reena dipped her head, looking slightly remorseful. “I should have planned for a break,” she said apologetically, “I'm sorry.
Daen stepped forward and took her hands. “You do owe me now,” he told her pleasantly.
“Do I? You did volunteer,” she smiled back.
“You do. And you intrigue me, I would like to learn more about you.” Daen still held both her hands, though his liquefied a little. “A blind Romulan, on a Starfleet vessel. How do you cope?”
“I cope fine,” S'reena replied, more than a little uncomfortable. “Daen...I'm married, and if Michael finds out...” She paused. “Michael is Human, with very Human emotions, such as jealousy.”
“I want to merge with you, try at least,” Daen offered, “you have my vow you will not be harmed, and your private thoughts will remain yours. I only want to learn.” He picked up her tricorder from the control panel and put it in her hand. “Scan,” he told her, “and learn.” There wasn't much S'reena could reply but a very strange sensation came over her, and she was forced to hold her breath. Auric took wing, screeching in protest as S'reena was enveloped by a liquid, sparkling Founder. For herself, S'reena felt as though she was enveloped by something soft, and she reached up to touch it. It almost felt like a jelly fish, but without the sting that usually accompanied it. In her mind, she felt a presence, but not invasive.
Since she took no alarm, Auric settled on the console and peered at the pair standing in the middle of the holodeck. There seemed no end to the merging, as neither seemed uncomfortable.
(anyone feel free to butt in anywhichway you please)
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kratak
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Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
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Post by kratak on Oct 7, 2009 13:19:21 GMT
He had to restrain his anger when the founders entered the room he had lost many friends in the war. Still it pained him to know that there would be no real justice for what happened on both sides of the war. He kept his anger in check and was polite " Very well Commander I shall talk to the comodore and see what I can arrange. Leaving he headed for his office to try and get Hope on the mission. Taking a seat he opened a comm line " Comodore Savot I was hoping you might allow Commander Hope to join us on this mission. Even now she's working on the forcefield cell for our guest. With her knowledge and being responsable for coming up with the design I beleive logical that she should be present to watch over the system and make adjustments that might be needed. Her skills would be a great assest and she has the experience to back it up" <Tag Savot>
Walking out of his office he was heading back to Commander Hope when he ran into the founder female. " My name is Lynn I believe you are K'ratak, you don't seem to happy about having us aboard " "I'm obeying orders if you are suppose to be aboard then so be it my personal feelings are none of your concern"
" This may be true but there is peace between us both sides still have much to get over. Peace is a long process Col. I was hoping we could work on it together" turning to face the female
" With all due respect Lynn is it, I will work on it my self and nobody will focer me to get over things any quicker then I want to. I have orders to work with you and protect you my personal feelings will not play into my duties now if you will excuse me"
He walked back into the work station where he left Commander Hope and the other founder and went rage. He was for all sense of the work cover my the founders natural state liquid. He was slowly reaching for his weapon when he noticed Hope pet not reacting. He knew they shared a bond and if she was in trouble it would be going crazy. Still he kept his hand near his phaser " I don't know whats going on her but I would suggest somebody say something before my klingon side kicks in"
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Post by Savot on Oct 11, 2009 20:21:27 GMT
[Primary Hull]
The Doctor was taking the first round with Armus, monitoring him following the transport to ensure neither the beaming nor the space travel were having an adverse effect on his physiology. So far things were going smoothly, there was enough newness to get used to that Armus was not yet at the stage where he might start getting anxious about his decision and freaking out the farther they got away from what had been Armus' eternal prison... but a familiar prison.
Savot was in the Ready Room reviewing their intended course towards DS9 and the Bajoran Wormhole when a comm came through from K'ratak, =^=Commodore Savot I was hoping you might allow Commander Hope to join us on this mission. Even now she's working on the forcefield cell for our guest. With her knowledge and being responsible for coming up with the design I believe logical that she should be present to watch over the system and make adjustments that might be needed. Her skills would be a great assest and she has the experience to back it up.=^=
The vulcan set his padd down before tapping his badge, =^=As I stated in the briefing Colonel I believe the wisest placement of Commander Hope's talents is aboard the sections of the El Salvador that Armus is not aboard. Even with her experience there is a high probability of something taking place that we cannot plan for or prevent. In which case this section of the ship will likely be damaged and those aboard will be at risk. In such an event, we would need our most capable scientist in the most stable work environment at her disposal in order to derive a solution, and Commander Hope could not accomplish that here if she were wounded or the computer systems damaged by whatever went wrong. She will be able to remotely monitor and adjust the forcefield system from her station on the Auxiliary bridge just as easily as she could if she were here on the primary hull. Join us here upon completion of your tests with the Founders; Savot out.=^=
For the next several hours they would remain well within the borders of Federation space and as such Savot was relatively unconcerned about external interference through that point. The risk would grow as they neared the borders approaching Deep Space 9, but after crossing into the Gamma Quadrant the remainder of the journey should return to a state of relatively low danger. In 15 hours he'd have the El Salvador move from Yellow to Red Alert status for their final approach to Deep Space 9, where they would initiate contact and request clearance and vector for approach to the wormhole. For now, all there was to do was look after their guest.
*************************************************** [Secondary Hull: Holodeck]
Following the Klingon's brusk dismissal Lynn had slowly followed him back to where Daen and Commander Hope had been working and saw the Colonel's anxious reaction to the quasi-link taking place between the two. Inwardly she commended K'ratak on his restraint in reaching for his weapon as he took the time to register the lack of concern coming from Hope's familiar.
She intertwined her fingers as her hands hung in front of her at the waist and walked near the melded forms of Daen and Hope, "Rest assured there is no cause for alarm Colonel. Daen is merely engaging in a form of cultural exchange that he would not have initiated without your Commander's approval, and as you noted her companion is calm ergo Commander Hope is in no danger."
She sounded as though she disagreed with Daen's decision to partake of this experience, and casually raised her right hand towards Daen's amorphous form enshrouding Commander Hope's. Her own appendage took on a viscous appearance and she just barely brushed the surface of Daen's form to pass on the suggestion that it might be wise for Daen to break off contact in order to alleviate the growing tension within Hope's crewmate.
(Note: We've all made posts since the start of October so please don't forget to report in on the new roll call thread for said month.)
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Post by SA. Stacey Jackson [Ret] on Oct 16, 2009 3:18:40 GMT
She took a few breaths as she stared at the blank screen of the computer console, the Captains ready room of the secondary bridge was little more the size of a closet but it served it’s purpose. While the crew were not doing anything of significant importance on the secondary bridge Jackson didn’t feel it necessary to micro-manage the goings on.
She moved her head to the left side and squinted as she felt and heard a crack from her neck, she then took one final breath before pushing the padd on the personal computer.
A pre-recorded message addressed to her awaited her attention, while pre-recorded messages were not all that common given that the El-Salvadors location while transporting Armus and Several Shapeshifters was need to know only, it was not at all unusual.
Pressing the padd again she began the message, She wasn’t surprised it was her son Dean that appeared on the screen and even less surprised the see the glint in his eye when he wanted something, A few seconds later the pre- recorded message of Dean spoke.
“Hey Mom… I was thinking the other day and now that you are no longer Earth based.. And no doubt doing a smashing job up there by the way.. It occurred to me that your Apartment in Brazil is sitting unused. A shame to be sure… So I was hoping Me and Sarah could move in.. With the baby coming soon we could sure use a bigger place.. and Well my lowly rank doesn’t afford me such splendour yourself… Well let me know Love ya!”
the message ended and Stacey stared at the screen with blank look, she squirmed in her chair as she sighed. “Love that place.” She whined to herself. It was after all the place she had lived for the better part of Twenty years on Earth and she knew it was perhaps Greedy it wasn’t used but she was reluctant to part with it in more than a small way.
However she knew the name Gandmother came with more than just the sacrifice of feeling young She tapped the computer again to record a response.
Looking a little annoyed but at the same time pleased Dean was actually putting thought into family life she said unequivocally. “Take it… No Pets though and keep the noise the down the Retired captain above has excellent hearing and nothing to do all day but complain.. I will see you soon dear bye.”
The message ended and was filed to be sent when within range of a Communication buoy.
She stood and ran her hands down her tunic flattening the creases that had formed while sat down and took another deep breath.. feeling and looking like a chilled who had just had a piece of candy snatched from them.
She tapped her comm. Badge and said. “Commander Hope, Colonel K’ratak.. I want a report on your progress regarding that device you two had in mind. Thank you Jackson out.”
<Tag K’ratak, Hope>
In truth she wasn’t paying full attention when the two brought the idea to Savot nor paid attention when they explained what it was.. She couldn’t remember now but something else had gained her attention.
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kratak
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Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
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Post by kratak on Oct 16, 2009 12:50:57 GMT
He heard Commander Jackson on his combadge and realized he hadn't down anything yet about the founder wrapped around his friend. " Okay I don't know whats going on and frankly I'm getting mad for the lack of answers. I'm going to count to 3 if I dont get an answser somebody is not going to be happy I might be because I get to shoot somebody"
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2009 19:27:00 GMT
Daen sensed the touch from Lynn, as did S'reena. Slowly, the Founder coalesced into his solid form, removing himself from the Romulan woman. The woman reeled and staggered, and he caught her just in time, steadying her.
S'reena smiled, putting a hand to her temple. "That was...interesting," she murmured, "I would care to repeat that experience for comparison in the future, if you don't mind."
The male Founder rolled his eyes at his female companion. "Interesting, she says," he informed Lynn. He glanced past the woman in his arms to the Klingon that seemed ready to shoot him. "The commander is unharmed," he reported, "merely...dizzy I believe?"
S'reena nodded slowly. "I never thought that could happen, while being blind," she answered lightly, holding out her hand to K'ratak. "At ease," she told him, "I'm fine. It was just an experiment, conducted with mutual consent. I'm fine, really."
Just then, Jackson's order to report came through. "Allow me to guide you," Daen offered gently, still marveling at the woman's trust and courage.
The Romulan accepted the assistance without her usual complaints, feeling she needed to kept steady lest she topple over. Surprisingly, Auric still gave no voice to the issue and just simply hovered above her bondmate's head, eyeing the Founders intently.
The small group headed to the bridge. "We have tested the containment field that should hold Armus," the Romulan reported, "Daen here was willing to go through a series of tests and I believe we have found a setting for the forcefields that will contain Armus, without harming him."
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Post by Savot on Oct 20, 2009 3:34:19 GMT
[Secondary Hull Holodeck]
Lynn frowned at the Klingon's growing impatience, mentally retracting her admiration of his earlier restraint, and was about to nudge Daen more insistently to end his cultural diffusion when the merger ceased and Daen removed himself from enshrouding Commander Hope. The science officer seemed no worse for the experience, for which Lynn was grateful since she was utterly disinterested in learning what a phaser or disruptor blast from the Klingon colonel would feel like.
Commander Hope centered herself with some minor support from Daen, describing the encounter as interesting. The male Founder rolled his eyes at his female companion. "Interesting, she says," he informed Lynn.
Lynn rolled her eyes right back at her companion, "She is a scientist; which makes you a specimen like any other. How else would you have her describe the experience?"
As though unwilling to risk letting Daen actually answer her inquiry, Lynn continued on, "I had intended to transport to the section carrying Armus in order to assist the vulcan captain, but perhaps we would better serve the mission by remaining here where you can continue your collaboration with Commander Hope. Colonel K'ratak will be transporting over soon as I understand, and with all due respect I feel safer remaining where he will not be in case something else makes him anxious."
Jackson's call came through then and Lynn silently joined the procession to the bridge where Hope reported their progress thus far.
*************************************************** [Primary Hull: 6 hours later, by now assume K'ratak has beamed over to assume command of Armus' security detachment]
Savot had swapped out companion duty with the EMH who reported he had done nothing more than take medical readings of Armus the entire shift. Apparently the entity had little he was interested in asking or saying to the doctor. Savot arched a brow; Armus was unlikely to find him any more exciting than the holographic physician, but there was little that could be done about that.
To pass the time productively the vulcan had had a piece of exercise equipment moved into the shuttlebay. It was essentially a pull-up stand, but the bar one typically gripped in their hands to perform the pull-ups was like a rolling pin instead. If the user didn't use their muscles to balance their weight precisely across the bar's curve it would turn in place and the user would fall back onto the floor. Savot liked to use such a device for both exercise and meditation since it necessitated the focus of body and mind simultaneously.
In its goopy form several meters away, it was impossible to tell if Armus was 'watching' or not as the vulcan gripped the bar with his hands, squeezing at particular points to prevent it from spinning while he got into position. He pulled himself up to where his chest was parallel with the bar, and then threw his head and chest backwards so he could pull his legs up between himself and the bar and then rest his calves atop the bar. Once in place, he released the pressure points with his hands and slowly lowered his upper torso until he hung upside down from the rolling bar with his calves now parallel to the floor.
Remaining still required extending one's arms at a certain angle so the body's center of gravity would keep it perfectly in place atop the rolling bar. Settling into place Savot then began mentally reciting a series of mathematical equations so mind and matter were equally exercised. He rarely did this particular exercise in front of anyone since his human friend Chester Delbridge had said it seemed as though the exercise was designed to 'show off', and Savot had little love for that sort of behavior.
"What are you doing?", Armus' voice echoed through the bay carrying his inquiry. There was a mixture of both genuine curiosity and the sense that he thought the vulcan was just nuts. Savot explained the exercise mechanics and its purpose, and almost instantly afterward felt an invisible force push upwards forcefully on his ankles. With no way to counter-balance that amount of impact Savot had no choice but to accept the fall but managed a flip that landed him back onto his feet on the deck.
Armus laughed to himself, "Shall I behave so you can continue?"
Savot clasped his hands behind him and looked towards the oily entity, "Logic dictates you performed that act to amuse yourself, and since allowing me to exercise unimpeded obviously held too little amusement for you in this case it follows that the same will occur should I repeat the exercise."
"However, if you're willing to curb your amusement somewhat in order for us both to gain some of what we want I would be most interested in continuing", Savot arched a brow as he considered his plan and Armus was silent as he likely tried to understand the vulcan's intention. Savot explained, "Under my own influence, I am always mentally aware of any shift I make in the placement of my center of gravity. However, if you begin with the least amount of force you can use and randomly decide when next to push me it will require greater focus on my part to remain in place and therefore be a more effective workout."
Armus was still hesitant to cooperate in any real way since leaving his longtime home, and after a few minutes Savot decided to see if the silence served as Armus' assent. He pulled himself up again and placed his legs atop the bar as he had before. After another few minutes he felt the slightest of nudges at his ankles and quickly but precisely moved to re-angle his arms and torso in order to recover his center of gravity, and for awhile afterward the pair had something to keep them occupied.
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kratak
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Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
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Post by kratak on Oct 20, 2009 17:53:54 GMT
After seeing Commander Hope was unharmed he let the tention leave his body and removed his hand from his phaser holster. He would accept Commander Hope word but thought she took to many risk but kept that to him self. He accepted Commander Hope's hand
" I'm glad to see your alright. I apologize if I gave anybody offense but under the circumstances and lack of information I must respond in a manner that ensures the safety of the crew."
Looking over at the female founder Lynn " With all due respect your abilities and knowledge are best served by going with me. While you may believe I would harm you or allow you to be harmed you are false in that assumption. My orders are very clear and while you are assigned to this mission your saftey is my concern no matter what personal feeling may be. You have my word of honor Lynn as long as I draw a breath I will ensure you are safe"
a few moments later he was in the transporter room waiting to see if Lynn would take him at his word and trust his honor to do what he said he would do.
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Post by Savot on Oct 21, 2009 3:44:38 GMT
[Secondary Hull]
Lynn narrowed her eyes at the Klingon's assurances. Right our safety is your concern until you witness something you don't understand and get trigger happy, she thought to herself. However, it was her duty to assist the successful completion of this mission and since she had agreed to participate she would give her full effort. She stepped atop the transporter pad and beamed to the primary hull along with Colonel K'ratak.
*********************************************** [Primary Hull]
Savot enjoyed an even more useful exercise than normal for about 2 hours until Armus finally got too bored to continue controlling his nudges and kept knocking the vulcan off of the bar. After that he called up a 3d Chess board and pieces via the holo-emitters in the bay and played some games against the computer. Armus observed silently for a few rounds before trying to amuse himself by hurling the holographic pieces across the room, but was irked to find that they disappeared the instant they reached the edge of the gaming table and coalesced back where they had started upon the chess board.
The next few minutes passed uneventfully until the pieces once again began moving, but only within the immediate vicinity of the board. Savot arched a brow and would have smiled at the ingenuity of their passenger. While Armus amused himself Savot tied his padd into the coding for the holographic chess game and reprogrammed the pieces to only become solid and mobile when they sensed the proximity of the body heat in his fingers when he reached for a piece. When Armus attempted to move them telekinetically they would be formless holographic images but when Savot reached for them they would become substantial long enough for him to complete his move.
Savot nearly got through the end of the game before he once again had to give Armus credit. They knew he was capable of generating energy since that was how he'd killed Tasha Yar, and by observing Savot he must have noticed that the same pieces Savot could pick up and move became intangible again as soon as his fingers moved from the piece. It took him awhile to get the precision down and use the right amount of energy but eventually Armus could simulate the approximate body heat of a set of fingers near a chess piece enough to fool the computer into making the piece tangible so it could be affected by Armus' nudging.
Following this turn of events, Savot offered to instruct Armus in the rules of the game so they could play each other, but halfway through the rules he became impatient and decided it would be even more boring than doing nothing. The vulcan captain then sat in cross-legged meditation on the floor after securing the exercise equipment along the shuttlebay wall so they wouldn't fly about if the ship encountered turbulence or was attacked.
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Post by SA. Stacey Jackson [Ret] on Oct 24, 2009 9:21:03 GMT
Nodding at S’reena’s report on the forcefield Stacey paced like a caged animal. “Ok send the specifications to the primary hull.. make sure k’ratak has them followed exactly.”
Feeling tense she rubbed the back of her neck before slumping into the centre seat of the rather small bridge. “Time until we reach Deep Space Nine?”
The helmsman flew his hands across the console before replying curtly. “Approximately four hours Ma’am.”
Nodding Stacey craned her neck to look back at S’reena and Daen and said. “Commander there is not much left for you to do.. perhaps our guest would enjoy a tour or something.”
She didn’t much want the changeling on her bridge though was trained well enough as a Counsellor to hide her feelings in her face and voice tone. She didn’t trust what would come out of her mouth should Daen decide to ask questions of her.
Just at that moment the lights on the bridge flickered and the ship slowed down, this much she could tell from the feel of the deck plates as the structural integrity field increased as the ship slowed down faster than normal.
Standing up with a noticeable frown on her face she asked. “Report.”
Hands raced across consoles and people talked amongst themselves to figure out how to answer her question. The first to respond a crewman from the engineering console.
“Commander.. I can’t explain it but it seems our power is being sapped somehow.. maybe we have problem with the conduits somewhere.. or an outside influence of somekind?”
rolling her eyes as she shook her head. “Find out.. increase speed keep us in position with the Primary hull.. cut power from minor systems to compensate.” Turning to S’reena she said. “Take a rain check on that tour Commander.. I need us to keep pace with Primary hull lend Engineering a hand start with getting us more power then find the cause.”
She tapped the side of her chair where her own control panel was and opened a chanel to the main hull. “Jackson to Captain Savot.. Sir we have power trouble over here.. Engineering can’t tell whether it is internal or external.. Can your sensors see anything ours can’t?”
<Tag hope, Savot>
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kratak
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Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
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Post by kratak on Oct 26, 2009 18:26:05 GMT
Beaming over to the ship he thought it was a little wierd to leave the El-sal to beam aboard another part of the El-sal. He was a little impressed with Lynn for having the courage to beam over with him. He had meant every word that he would do everything he could to keep her safe. He was exiting the transporter room with his guest in tow.
tapping his Combadge " Captain savot I'm aboard with the founder name lynn. I have the the shields specs ready and will down load them to the computer. I would suggest informing our guest his temporary home will be ready for him shortly. Also all security access is now restricted to his new home. Any changes must come from you the admiral or commander Jackson" <Tag Savot>
Turning to face Lynn " We must prepare you might want to join me to make sure I'm following the paramitters correctly. I do not want anything to go wrong because I missed something. Not to mention it would give you a chance to see our guest in person and learn something of it. I use this word because I really do not know what gender to apply while it sounds male it would be wrong of me to assume"
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Post by SA. Stacey Jackson [Ret] on Oct 27, 2009 4:07:52 GMT
<Any response to hope or savot will go here>
With nothing conclusive being offered as an explanation for the power drain, Stacey found herself with little to do other than make an annoyance of herself. Deciding to let the crew get to work without her breathing down their necks she retreated to the ready room.
She pulled off her tunic leaving only the red vest underneath, throwing the tunic over the back of one of the chairs facing the desk she let out a sigh.
She sat behind the desk and brought her hands to her face as she took several deep breaths. Without her even noticing she began to drift off to sleep. And within ten minutes of entering the ready room she was asleep.
**Dream**
The sound of heavy thuds resounded around the cave, the cave itself rather ordinary as caves went. But this cave despite it’s normality was burned into her mind. Looking down her teal uniform was dirty and slightly ripped. Officers and enlisted men of Starfleet filled the largest room in the cave. The looks on their faces said it all these men had lost hope.
Stacey despite her training and skill as a Counsellor could do nothing to raise their spirits for she too was devoid of hope. The battle for this planet had gone badly in the four months she had been with these men. The Federation had been pushed out of the system for the most part and ground troops could not be evacuated or re-inforced. That problem didn’t affect the Cardassian troops as much. They occasionally managed to get a ship through and drop of more troops or supplies.
Like these men Stacey was prepared for the end. The force fields keeping the enemy out was running out of power and they were outnumbered at least three to one. The commander had guessed that the final push by the Cardassians was coming soon, something the increased fire from heavy weapons supported.
She looked around like an outside observer, something inside told her she had been here and done this before. It was like a memory that was clouded and sketchy or a word just on the tip of the tongue but somehow out of reach.
Her head turned to the left with a snap as a man ran into the room. “They Broke through they are coming.”
His voice urgent and at the same time terrified. She looked to the commander as he stood up holding a rather banged up phaser rifle. “Ok settle down.. I won’t lie this doesn’t look good. We may not come out of this.. but if it is the day for a Cardassian victory we will make them pay dearly for it.. we fight to last so surrender no retreat.”
As if by magic the hopelessness turned into hope not for victory but for an end worthy of them.. not huddling in damp caves no defeat. The men and woman raised their phasers as they let out a rather loud if not primitive battle cry. Within seconds the first Cardassians pured through cave firing in every direction. With the better defensible position at first the Cardassians fell with minimal federation loss, but after a few minutes the sheer number of them puring through the cave overwhelmed them. Phasers no longer of use in the small space fighting went from fire fight to hand to hand. Stacey while always having found killing distasteful had no choice but to fight herself, she used a phaser rifle like a club swinging with no hesitation or mercy.
After five minutes of this the Cardassians lay dead at the feet of the now thinned Starfleet personell. The Commander who had managed to survive looked around and yelled. “first wave people prepare yourselves they won’t give up now.”
Preparing for what would have to be the last stand people readied themselves. However something unexpected happened, or at least it should have been unexpected but somehow Stacey wasn’t surprised like she knew it would happen.
The Commanders comm. Badge activated. “All Ground forces this is the U.S.S Thames.. we are five minutes out prepare for immediate Evac I repeat prepare for immediate evac.”
The looks on the faces of the troops was as if they had seen an angel in the flesh, the Commander among them. He wasted no time. “Fall back.. FALL BACK.”
With that they ran deeper into the tunnels their only hope now was to avoid the Cardassians long enough for the Thames to arrive. Stacey ran a few paces in front of the Commander who took up the rear. She heard a shot and a muffled groan, she spinned around and fired.
Hitting the Cardassian who shot the Commander she knelt down beside his body, hands shaking she found a pulse but before she could do anything she felt a rather hard pull on her arm.
A young lieutenant screamed at her. “Move Counsellor.. NOW.”
She looked to him and back to the commander. “But he is alive.. I can save him the Thames..” He yanked harder. “No time.. we need to leave.” He saw she was about to argue more and he pulled her to her feet and shoved her forward. Just then everything froze. She looked around to see a Cardassian weapons beam hitting the lieutenant, but the beam was stuck in place nothing would move.
“You remember this don’t you.”
She turned reality snapping back. Everything came back to her in a flood. Turning to see herself standing there, a younger self. Stacey looked back down to see that her uniform was now clean but different. It was red and grey. Looking back up she shook her head.
“I do remember.. but I don’t want to.” The younger Stacey still a lieutenant herself shook her head angrily. “You don’t want to remember.. you’re a hypocrite, this man died because of you.”
Older Stacey shook her head and said shakily. “No, No he died because of the war.”
Lieutenant Jackson screamed. “LIAR.. if you had only listened and moved.. he would be alive.. You killed him… you sit in judgement of the Cardassians and the Founders.. what right do you have.. at least they never killed their own.”
Comamnder Jackson now breathing heavily protested weakly. “The war was started by them.. not me I didn’t cause this death.”
“Why lie to yourself.. you should be dead not him.”
the scene blacked out.
The ext thing she knew she was laying down, unable to move and with a realisation that struck her like a punch she figured out she was in a torpedo casing. Looking up out of the open panel.
The face of her younger self came into view smiling somewhat sadistically. “Twice you have been confronted with the war since your self indulgent tour in space.. ever think the universe is sending you a message.. Pay for your crimes.”
Unable to speak older Stacey could only look up with fear and remorse as younger Stacey closed the panel very slowly. Letting out a laugh the younger Stacey said. “This should have been our end.. and you know it.. the shadows of the past always catch up Stacey.. you will pay.”
The lid closed and nothing but darkness embraced her.
With a violent jerk of the body and a deep grasp for air Stacey awoke sitting behind the desk her heart raced and her vest now covered in sweat. A dream had never felt so real for her before and in truth it left her more than a little shaken.
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Post by Savot on Oct 28, 2009 17:53:22 GMT
The time for games had passed. Savot deactivated the chess program when he heard his First Officer's voice over the comms, =^=Jackson to Captain Savot.. Sir we have power trouble over here.. Engineering can’t tell whether it is internal or external.. Can your sensors see anything ours can’t?=^=
The vulcan bid farewell to Armus for the moment and exitted the bay to tap his badge, =^=Report acknowledged Commander; en route to the bridge to check our sensors. Are the movements of the 2 Founders that remained behind aboard your sections accounted for since beaming aboard?=^= Savot held no distrust for their guests in particular but a scientist always began with the simplest explanations and the Changelings and Armus represented the most unknown variables at the present time.
<Can throw in a response if desired, but assuming the gist of the answer for ease of post momentum>
Lynn and Daen, as they called themselves, had been in the presence of either their security escorts or more recently with Colonel K'ratak and Commander Hope since they first beamed aboard so it seemed they were in the clear so to speak. Savot reached the bridge of the primary module and since any and all non-essential personnel had been evacuated to the other modules while they were carrying Armus he was able to assume his old familiar Ops station and begin a sensor sweep. =^=Beginning scans now, Commander, though it will likely take some time to eliminate a sufficient number of possibilities to form a working hypothesis. I'll contact you then; Savot out=^=, The captain closed the channel and had set the sensors to scan the other sections of the El Salvador for any anomalies that might explain the power instabilities.
=^=Captain Savot I'm aboard with the founder name Lynn. I have the shield specs ready and will download them to the computer. I would suggest informing our guest his temporary home will be ready for him shortly. Also all security access is now restricted to his new home. Any changes must come from you the admiral or Commander Jackson=^=, the distinctive voice of Colonel K'ratak came through announcing his arrival aboard the primary hull with the 4th Founder in tow. That left only 1 aboard the other sections presumably having remained there to continue assisting Commander Hope with her experiments.
Savot nodded to no one before replying, =^=Understood Colonel. Armus is contained within the shuttlebay; you may activate the fields as soon as you are prepared. Commander Jackson reports minor power drops on the other sections and I am presently conducting scans to attempt to discern the cause. There is no sign thus far of tampering but I recommend you and your team remain alert. We are approximately 4 hours from Deep Space 9 so if we were to be attacked this would be the logical timeframe in which to do so. Inform me when the shield system has been activated, and my compliments to yourself, Commander Hope, and the assisting Founders as well for all your efforts. Savot out.=^=
************************************************* [Transporter Room: Primary Hull]
K'ratak addressed Lynn as they coalesced onto the pad, "We must prepare you might want to join me to make sure I'm following the parameters correctly. I do not want anything to go wrong because I missed something. Not to mention it would give you a chance to see our guest in person and learn something of it. I use this word because I really do not know what gender to apply while it sounds male it would be wrong of me to assume."
Lynn arched her smooth brow at the Klingon's words, "How scientifically conscientious of you, Colonel. Normally 'it' is considered derogatory but in this case you are quite correct; perhaps the Federation's attempt at an understanding nature is not as exaggerated as many of my people feared. I will be pleased to observe your preparations though you do not seem the kind to make errors due to lack of attention."
(More to come soon, but people can please feel free to post whatever inspiration strikes them with in the meantime. Just wanted to do a post to start setting the stage for the next act.)
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Deleted
Registered: Mar 29, 2024 5:13:50 GMT
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2009 11:12:24 GMT
ON:
S'reena wasn't too pleased that the promised tour of the ship would have to wait, and turned to Daen to apologise. She felt his liquefied hand on hers, the sensation quite pleasant and reminding her of the earlier conducted experiment. It made her feel comfortable and it provided her with a form of extra-sensory perception, especially combined with the bond Auric provided. “Understood ma'am,” she answered quietly.
The Romulan allowed herself to be guided to her workstation, where Daen stood to the side, observing with interest. The woman's hands were flying over her station and the Founder was impressed with her ability to cope since she couldn't see what she was doing. What he didn't know, was that she was tied in to her station through an auditory interface, meaning that everything was read out to her while she worked, without disturbing anyone else. About an hour later, she rose from her station and made for the readyroom. Intrigued, the Founder followed.
“Commander Jackson, I believe I've increased energy output, but it'll go at the cost of several key systems, including shields and weapons. If we need them, we will need to cut back on our speed, meaning we'll fall behind on Primary.”
Her grey hair now clung to her forehead with sweat, and odd thing for Jackson since her hair for the most part was always perfectly in place. She looked up as Hope entered and spoke, her eyes dark and oddly heavier than normal she nodded. "Thank you Commander.. I hope shields and weapons will not be needed anytime soon anyway.' her voice was almost empty of energy and feeling like a vulcans just if possible more cold and unfeeling.
Daen remained close to the blind Romulan, but stared openly at the other woman. He reached out, touching S'reena's hand, conveying a sense of concern. In turn, S'reena tilted her head and Auric swept forward, landing on Jackson's left shoulder. The little gold crooned softly, wrapping her tail lightly around Jackson's throat. “Commander, are you all right?” S'reena asked softly, while Daen's face depicted the concern she felt. It was an odd sight, a complete stranger attuned to the normally quite distant and tough to get through to Romulan science officer.
With the landing of auric on her shoulder Stacey looked up for the first time, and also for the first time noticed the changeling Daen had followed behind S’reena, with a weary sigh Jackson replied. “Betazoids are known to have dreams that are out of the comprehension of Humans or indeed most other non telepathic race, so when we have nightmares as Humans would say it affects us greatly...fortunately due to my Human side I don’t suffer them often.. but this one was unpleasant to say the least.. memories make the worst nightmares it seems.. but now is not the best time to speak of such things.. I am sure Daen wouldn’t be interested in the goings on of my mind.” With a weak smile she looked to Daen.
Daen offered a sympathetic smile. “I am not a counselor,” he replied, “though I have to admit that I am intrigued, and curious.” He nodded towards S'reena, who stood waiting patiently, listening intently. “Hers is a most interesting mind, I have learned a great deal in the past few minutes, until we were interrupted.” He appeared to take a deep breath, but said nothing further.
S'reena smiled too. “We had a little experiment,” she confessed, “we engaged in a...what was it called again?”
“Joining,” Daen supplied, “it was not only the most efficient way to exchange information, it was also a cultural learning, and an experiment of trust.” Daen studied the first officer intently. “Many species do not trust us, your marine officer being one of them. I believe he would've shot me earlier, if Lynn hadn't stopped him. I admit, what we did was highly dangerous, but Miss Hope trusted me not to allow anything to go wrong. And it didn't.”
Not entirely liking the idea of her officers engaging in such dangerous things outside of medical attention she frowned slightly. “Well I am relieved nothing did go wrong.. while I am an advocate of sharing knowledge Daen many things in my mind I fear would be of offence to you.. I lost much during the war.. including the father of my son.. and a large piece of myself along with him.. and I also fear until my generation has passed into history there will always be distrust between our races.” She took a breath. Not wanting to show her own dislike and distrust of changelings show outwardly. “For my generation lost the most and our wounds cut deepest.. I apologise if you feel the brunt of it in your dealings with us.”
S'reena gasped in horror, but Daen didn't move. Fleeting anger crossed his face but it was gone just as quickly. “I understand,” he replied smoothly, “the deepest wounds need the longest to heal. There are those among my race who won't deal with the Federation. However, I am considered to be young, and openminded. I am eager to learn, and earn the trust of your people. Miss Hope and I entered a cultural exchange, and I commend her trust. She was afraid but trusted me enough to presume I wouldn't harm her. Equally, I trust her not to allow harm to come over me. At present, we share a form of rapport, that allows me to convey certain things to her, through the briefest of touches. If this is not desired, I will cease.”
The Romulan nodded in agreement. “I just hope Michael won't take this too badly,” she chuckled darkly. “He's prone to jealousy, and since I as blinded, far too protective of me.”
Stacey hadn’t expressed all of her reasons for holding a grudge, the Dominoin occupation of Betazed chief among them she was content to let the matter drop. But if asked she was going to be honest there was no point to lying that served nobody.
She walked out from around the desk and stood in front of him looking into his eyes, with reluctance she put forward her hand. “I trained enough to keep what I wish to myself, but perhaps letting you feel for yourself what I speak of will help you understand and perhaps you and your people can learn from it.. and I am open to a change of opinion also for I am not too big to admit I am wrong from time to time.”
She awaited his response, feeling her words were not sufficient to explain her motives and mindset, she didn’t believe she had the years left to fully explain in words what she felt and remembered.
While S'reena quietly flipped open her tricorder to take readings, Daen carefully reached out and took Jackson's hand. His solid form rippled and shimmered, as it liquefied and molded itself around the woman's outstretched hand. He bowed his head, pain rippling across his smooth features. He gasped and let her hand go immediately. “I'm sorry,” he whispered, reaching out again. “You suffered so much. There are those of us who feel deeply about how we wronged so many. I can understand your distrust and your anger, but please know that I bear you no harm. I am here to learn, and to observe, and to take Armus home.”
As it happened Jackson stared into his eyes, her won black eyes fixed on them not moving, her own limited telepathic ability helped the exchange. He pulled back and Jackson regretted that he had taken it all in at once.
She looked down and replied.softly “I know.” She knew he was sorry for her loss and pain and that he did mean no harm. She walked back behind her desk, “Perhaps a visit to sickbay, you have taken in a lot of information all at once twice today I don’t wish to see you harmed.” Her words surprising to even her not five minutes ago he could have been on his deathbed and Jackson wouldn’t have blinked an eye but now she would care deeply.
She looked to Hope and said. “Commander see to it he goes, if he took any part of you with him no doubt it would have been your love for sickbay’s and stubborn attitude when it comes to going.” With a quick flash of a smile she sat down.
S'reena grimaced at the mention of sickbay, however Daen didn't move so much as a muscle in that aspect. “Yes ma'am.” the Romulan replied evenly, snapping her tricorder shut. “Daen, if you please?”
Daen nodded sympathetically, offering her his arm once more. The women were fascinating, to say the least, and both very courageous. He couldn't help but feel a form of respect and admiration for them. “I will return later, Commander Jackson,” he promised gently, “and we will talk again when your captain has returned, if time permits. We have much to discuss, and much to learn from eachother. For now, I will keep your science chief company, and out of harm's way. You have my word.”
With a grin Jackson replied. "It is not so much a case of keeping her out of harms way it is a case of keeping harm out of her way.. I look forward to our discussion Daen." looking down at the small computer console Jackson evaluated the work doen by Hope with regard to the power problems.
The Founder smiled, took S'reena by her arm and steered her out of the readyroom. “So, your husband is prone to jealousy?” he queried with interest, though his voice also hinted at something more. It was bordering on love, and admiration. Something he hadn't quite experienced before, but was quite willing to explore.
The Romulan woman nodded absently, feeling the Founder's arm slip across her shoulders. Briefly, she wondered what he was planning, but not wanting to break the sense of trust she had, she allowed him to proceed. She listened as they exited the readyroom, then suddenly was jerked to a halt when she seemed to have literally run in to someone.
“I do apologise admiral,” Daen spoke softly, steading the woman in his arms. “I failed to pay attention to where we were going. Believe me, it was not my intention to let her run straight into you.”
Admiral? S'reena wondered briefly what had transpired, while breathing deeply to catch her breath. Whatever she had run into, it had been quite solid. Had she run into MC7of9 then? When had he returned from the other module? “Admiral, I too apologise. Obviously, I had not seen you. When did you return to this module?”
tag: MC7of9
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Post by Savot on Nov 3, 2009 1:18:29 GMT
[Primary Hull: Shuttlebay]
Armus was currently in his semi-humanoid state, having given in to the EMH's 79th request for him to do so and allow medical scans to be taken to see what, if any, of Armus' physiology differed between one state and the other. Armus was certainly stubborn and in no way cooperative but in this case the EMH had the advantage of being able to deactivate his own impatience subroutines and set himself to repeat his request incessantly in the most nasally annoying tone possible until his patient acquiesced. As the photonic physician circled Armus with the medical tricorder's removable diagnostic component, the entity abruptly turned to face the bay doors.
"Pain... and rage... getting closer", Armus' voice rumbled throughout the bay though he spoke almost softly... and perhaps a bit afraid.
The Doctor's brow furrowed and he regretted there was no 'brain' so to speak to focus scans on, "Are you sensing something? You didn't mention possessing telepathic abilities."
As though shaking his head, Armus' oily form lowered an inch or two, "I cannot read minds... even ones so mundane as those whose form you take. But hurt and loathing are so much a part of me I cannot fail to recognize it... and it comes."
*********************************************** [Primary Hull: Bridge]
Savot worked the Operations console through a painstakingly detailed scan of the surrounding space as they moved. Try as he might he could find nothing out of place for this region of space, nor signs of other ships in the area. When the Doctor's voice came through over speakers the vulcan froze the scan so as not to overlook something during the vocal exchange, =^=Doctor to Captain; our guest seems to be troubled. He says he can 'feel' a source of pain and anger coming closer toward us. However, since I'm unable to explain it via empathic or similar awareness it may well be a case of space sickness treatable with a dose of emotional dramamine.=^=
Savot arched an inwardly amused brow at the doctor's audible skepticism and continued the scan from where he'd left off as he opened his mouth to reply. However, as he looked at the screens his mouth closed and his brow furrowed in concern. A 3-square meter area of space shown on both his current running scan as well as the freeze point he'd stopped the scan at before; the problem was that the point in question read exactly the same on both readouts.
The El Salvador was in motion and as such its distance from the point in question was ever-growing; therefore the readout should change to reflect that. The same point looked at from different angles and/or distances would register differently; that was unavoidable unless said point's characteristics were being generated artificially. A cloaking field designed to send a specific reading type to any sensors scanning its position... It wouldn't seem out of place under even the most scrutinous scan if one scan wasn't compared to another and the only reason Savot had seen such a comparison was because he had halted the original scan to hear the Doctor out then keyed up the current readout on the screen beside his frozen scan.
Something was out there, likely multiple somethings if these cloaked devices were part of some dampening field that had caused the initial power fluctuations aboard the other modules. And someone would've had to know precisely what route the El Salvador was to take on her mission in order to calibrate the cloaks to simulate the specific regions of space that concealed them. Savot's fingers opened a channel to Jackson before the hypothesis had even fully formed in his own mind, =^=Savot to Jackson; alter course. Repeat, alter course the region's been min---=^=
Before he could finish a purple-green burst effect blanketed the space around the Primary hull from 3 points and as it passed through the blanket the hull's power was dampened almost completely. The running lights would be seen flickering by any watching ships before they gave out entirely and the Primary hull began to drift, powerless and now out of warp. Within, the red emergency lights would come to life and be all that separate the skeleton crew from total darkness.
Before the power went out fully Savot calmly but hurriedly opened an internal comm channel by rerouting bridge life support to internal communications, =^=Savot to K'ratak; we are under attack by unknown forces. Secure the shuttlebay and prepare to repel boarders. I'm locking out command and control from the bridge. While normally this would still allow control from Engineering, since we are in Multi-Vector-Assault-Mode no one will be able to regain control of this module without computer authorization from the rest of the El Salvador.=^=
The vulcan captain finished locking out the controls and stood to head for one of the Jeffries tube exits from the bridge before the remaining life support depleted, =^=Colonel, the Shuttlebay's force fields are designed to function on emergency backup to avoid depressurization in the case of power failure, so I recommend you attempt to reroute Armus' security fields through that system since it will still have power. I'm sealing the bridge and making my way to you; focus on holding the shuttlebay if we spread ourselves too thin trying to retake the entire hull we will have insufficient numbers to withstand a concerted attempt to abduct Armus. Good luck Colonel, Savot out.=^=
*************************************************
External observers would see 17 ships of varying configurations decloak with some moving to attach themselves to the Primary hull and others clearly intended to run interference and keep the rest of the Prometheus class vessel from coming to its aid. Only 3 of the vessels could really be called starships: 1 Romulan scout ship, 1 Bird of Prey, and 1 Ferengi cruiser. The others ranged from starfighters to transports whose weapon compliments had been noticably augmented... this was most definitely a group of pirates.
But pirates alone couldn't account for knowing when and where to strike or knowing there was something worth taking in the first place.
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