Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on May 22, 2013 19:34:51 GMT
He sat at his console, three methods of recording equipment to the right side of the desk. He didn't know why he felt such a compulsion to document every moment of his life, or rather the potential of his life. Perhaps he was fearful everything would pass him by; that he had no choice but to preserve it by all means necessary, so when he felt low those finer moments were available for instant recall.
"Sir. We're thrusting out of the system," a timid voice came over the comm. "Did you want to see the report on the system search?"
"Yes, come in," the man pushed the console to one side and straightened his posture. He glanced around: this office was in an unhappy state; panels loose in places exposing bundled circuitry; one of the light fixings sparking and pulsing like a variable star. He'd only just moved in, having transferred from the doomed frigate two hours before its atomic destruction in the atmosphere of Zennai II.
"Well, what do we have?" he asked impatiently, making the official uneasy. He'd had to promote the man into a temporary executive role, in order to organise the remaining crew.
"Sorry, sir," the rushed official said meekly. Perhaps reasonably, the official had had no expectation of finding himself second-in-command of the ship at the start of yesterday. His original role was diplomacy, indeed he'd only been on secondment from the homeworld. The old man dreaded to think what should happen if the official was forced to take command should he perish. No, he'd have to find someone else. The official could be left to do what he did best.
"This system is surprisingly uninteresting, despite everything that's happened here. Perhaps the worst thing is that we've lost the long-range transporter trace. We can track it up to about 3 AU before it fades into the interstellar medium. There remains no trace of El Kamat's 'key' within the remnant of the refinery either." The official sighed, sifting through the digital parchment in his hands. "The outer system is fairly dull. But in system, it is a different story. Zennai I merits further study should we return."
"It was the pointer world," the old man managed - he was entirely disappointed that they'd lost the transporter trace. Where would he start now? "The world that lay on a straight line which led the Raven to this system, on which the ship and El Kamat may still be progressing."
"In theory, sir. Should we set a course along that line?"
"Once we reach interstellar space, yes. Remain on it only until further notice. I have a feeling the Raven has passed well off its worn path."
"Ah!" the official blurted. The old man cocked his head, his distaste for the executive all too apparent. "You remind me, sir. I thought you should know that there is no evidence for any human biosigns in the wreckage on Zennai II. It seems that whoever the USS Raven had down there escaped with their lives."
"What about the Commodore?" the old man rubbed his hands together, conflicting emotions running through him at this news.
"An atmospheric study is under way. If Commodore Torek perished on that frigate, some trace of his molecules may remain in circulation in the upper atmosphere. It is possible he was wholly atomised in the blast though, sir."
"Possible but not likely, I would posit, my good man. You're dismissed." He added that he wanted the digital parchment left on his desk, then watched the man leave as he returned his attention to his console and the pictures he'd captured on his trek to the southern continent some thirty years ago. On one of the sheets of digital parchment that he'd cast aside was an image of an A-type star, graphics and lines of scrolling data accompanying the deep-field image. In tiny lettering was the star's designation: Proxima Oralix.
A veritable tidal wave of steam rolled out of the shower room into the Raven away team's hotel suite. Milyanov remained in the shower, a wispy figure concealed beyond opaque perspex. The drone bot rolled in on motorised casters, sliding from one wall to the next wiping them clear of condensed water.
"Uh..." the engineer said, pressing his forehead against the perspex, "What are you doing?" Unperturbed the thing continued cleaning the suite. He doubted it could comprehend him let alone issue a response. "I'm only going to mist it up again." Garnering no response, the engineer fell into muttered curses. He stumbled out of the shower, scrambling to grab his towel from the slippery floor. He didn't trust the silent bots. Probably equipped with all manner of listening devices, surveillance their primary purpose. The state's robotic spies, masquerading under the guise of conscientious maintenance automatons. Of course the only thing this bot would've recorded was Milyanov's singing, in which case there was an intelligence agent somewhere that would soon be having a good laugh.
"I suggest we scout the vicinity of the hotel before we leave," Milyanov looked at Calli, wrapping the towel around his waist as he exited the shower room. "Two of us can go. I would suggest myself and T'Brel, but we may need some more physical strength, so perhaps Marionette would be a better choice. We'll scout the surrounding area and make sure nothing's amiss before we all head for the central square."
<Tag All Away Team>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on May 23, 2013 21:29:13 GMT
"....... but we may need some more physical strength, so perhaps Marionette would be a better choice. We'll scout the surrounding area and make sure nothings amiss before we all head for the central square."
"I didn't realize we'd moved to Risa, Lieutenant." Calli said, eying the muscular Engineer.
"Sir ?" Milyanov said, thoroughly confused at the comment.
"Never mind." Calli continued, "It's a sound idea, but I'd stay with your original thought. You and T'Brel can go out early and check the area out. Find us a vantage point or two ... I think the Captain should make the initial approach to Von Anhk, we'll stay in the backgr ......"
"No, that's not going to work." Alex said, pointing at the messages on the large screen, "The system attaches an image of the sender by default. Anhk would obviously know this, thus there being no image of him in the replies. But as you see Calli's face is there as the originator of the message, "So it's settled ... Commander Valenti will have to make the initial contact. We'll take up a perimeter."
Aeryn pulled up a plan of the Plas Convorce and the surrounding buildings where they would be meeting. The plaza de nayya, as it was called, measured almost five hundred by four hundred meters. The restaurant where the meeting was to be held was at the South end with tables outside for the general public. To the West, was the Museum District, famed for it's diversity of display items. Opposite was North, and the Theater area, where many live performances were enacted nightly. To the East was the Galleries and Conference areas ... One thing that stood out was the buildings themselves. The smallest of those surrounding the plaza had at least seventy levels, so ruling out roof-top observations !
"OK, I think I should accompany the recon team." Aeryn said realizing the shear 'size' of the area needing to be covered, "Lieutenant Milyanov and Commander Peers can get down there from the North, I'll go into the plaza from the East. The table is towards the front of the restaurant, so that's a bonus. But I don't see the need to be positioned to the North end. I'd say, East and West, with someone in the room ?"
"I'll take one of the outside tables." Alex said, "I'll be able to coordinate better from there, as long as no-one spots me talking to myself and hauls me off to the funny farm ! ... OK, thoughts ?"
"Let's go take a look at the plaza while we have chance." T'brel said.
"I'm going to stay here." Calli informed them, "I need to fabricate documentation that will at least pass a casual first inspection. Hell, I wish I had access to the Raven's computer to fall back on, but there ya go." she said, shrugging.
Ten minutes later Calli was alone and working on making fake documentation for something she had never seen, nor had any likely chance of seeing, but all it had to do was get her a 'sit down' ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on May 28, 2013 19:05:07 GMT
Lt. Milyanov
Milyanov and Peers reached the plaza by foot, not trusting the civilian transports. Milyanov personally felt they were being spied upon, and had been since they'd checked in to the hotel. Freem's immigration vessel had hardly seemed trusting of them, even after the inspection. It would make sense if the Coordinator and her organisation were still keeping tabs on the Starfleet crew.
"This place is huge," Milyanov said, sounding depressed. The CTSO and Assistant CEO were stood at the northern border, two high-rise structures either side of them, with entrances to probably gigantic theatres on the ground floors. The plaza before them was pathed with red brick, with greenery interspersed and sectioned off by cream-coloured walls.
"Check out the eastern quarter," Peers ordered, "I'll take the western flank. Report back in twenty."
"Aye." Milyanov regarded the sky-piercing buildings with some trepidation. The task he'd been set, to scout out the north-eastern area leading on to the plaza, was a huge one and almost unmanageable. He would have to look for the most general signs, the most glaring indicators something was amiss.
This was wrong. He was being forced towards a theatre entrance. The flow of people, the press of civilians as they went whither they were going, seemed to be guiding him, quite consciously, towards the nearby theatre doors.
The building loomed ominously, dwarfing the Russian Lieutenant. The Oralix star was eclipsed and Milyanov cast into shadow. A marquee with chasing lights displayed Proximian language characters. The lights flowed by, reflected in the surging customers' eyes and slipping across their bodies. There seemed to be no choice, Milyanov would have to enter the theatre.
Entering the establishment, he felt the 'ping' as he passed through an electric gate. Credit had been deducted from the payment card he'd been issued at the customs office. "Hope this is good," he murmured.
The main theatre was, as expected, of gigantic proportion. It was almost as large as the lobby at the Alberja. The stage was barely visible from his designated seat; he could hardly pick it out, let alone resolve any details of what might take place there. That's when he noticed the hanging telescreen, nearly bisecting the room, and the towering speaker stacks situated at regular intervals on the hall's perimeter.
He regarded his chair gravely; it was roughly in the middle of a row that was already half-full with theatre-goers. Nothing felt right. It hadn't been a mere crush of people that'd inadvertantly caused him to have to enter and pay for a ticket. There had been something conscious, something malicious about the way he'd been pushed in. A trap, an ambush, eyes on him.
He waited for a clump of people to walk by and slipped amongst their number. He walked with them til signs for a public convenience became visible. Finding his way to the lavatory, he stripped off his Starfleet gear and donned the change of clothes he'd brought from the Alberja. Regarding himself in the mirror, wary of surveillance but knowing he had to change something, here and now, in plain sight, he ruffled up his hair, trying his best to change his appearance.
As he attempted to leave the theatre, an announcement rang through the cavernous hall. The exits were now on lockdown. No one around him seemed concerned; in fact they seemed overcome with excitement, anticipation at the coming performance. These people took their theatre seriously.
Outwardly impassive but inwardly screaming, Milyanov walked as ordinately as possible to the front of the theatre. It took nearly five minutes. He took a free seat in clear view of the stage. If it was something from the stage, something from the epicentre of the show that wanted to prey on him, then he wanted to see it coming. He certainly wasn't going to sit in the place that had been designated for him; for all he knew, the Sword of Damocles dangled over that chair.
"Peers to Milyanov, report. It's been twenty minutes, LT."
Milyanov squeezed the commbadge in his hand. "Sir, I'm in the theatre," he replied, feeling ridiculous.
"What?" Milyanov repeated what he'd said. Peers was understandably exasperated. "Scouting I presume. Lieutenant, you're supposed to be scouting the area for anything unusual..."
"Found something unusual. Sir, I was coerced into entering," he whispered, "There's a play about to start called The Third Dark Bird. Is it my imagination or does that sound like a ship we know?"
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on May 28, 2013 19:07:15 GMT
The Raven was on the dark side of Proxima Oralix, orbiting some 15,000 miles above the still land mass. The planet was tilted way off its axis, almost at 45 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic, and the southern hemisphere had its face to the Raven's underbelly. One thing that had struck Blakus was how the settlement lights were much less numerous than those of the north.
He made his way along deck 9, forcibly keeping his mind off the situation in engineering. Lieutenant Tinsley had brought the matter/anti-matter imbalance in line, or at least within an acceptable percentage error. But the intermix was still very unstable; they were treading a fine line, the slightest perturbation could cause a chain of events potentially leading to core meltdown. Andae had ordered that the ship be ready for immediate saucer separation if necessary. The saucer-drive interlock mechanisms were prepped to be released at a single command from he or Commander Wedlerson.
The reason for the imbalance was complex and difficult to define, according to Tinsley. Blakus himself had had little time to look into it. He would continue to avoid the issue, at least for now, whilst he checked up on the Commodore.
"Oh, hello Chloe. Is the Commodore in?" He stood before the CO's quarters, still assigned as they were to Torek. Andae was let into the quarters, Torek shooing his girls into the other room. "Sir," Andae greeted primly.
"Why have we moved from geostationary orbit, Andae?" Carl asked without ceremony.
"There's something wrong with the engines. Wedlerson theorised that it might have had something to do with our geostationary position above the Proximian capital. It seems to have subsided since we've moved, but we haven't been in non-synchronous orbit long enough to be sure."
"What's wrong with the engines?" Carl asked as airily as possible, rising to his feet and fetching a drink from the replicator.
"There's an imbalance in the matter/anti-matter reaction. The AMI is pushing far too much anti-deuterium into the intermix. As long as it lasts, we can't risk taking up position over the Proximian capital again. The away team are on their own, although we should be able to perform a beam out as long as we have line of sight to the capital. I've tried contacting Freem about the issue," Andae continued, preempting Carl's possible question, "But we've got no response yet."
"Either they have no idea what we're talking about," Carl said, swirling the liquid around in his glass, "Or they're trying to hide something from us."
"It's possible they might just be busy," Andae shrugged. It would be a fairly dour explanation, and one of little use.
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on May 29, 2013 16:21:59 GMT
"It's possible they might just be busy," Andae shrugged. It would be a fairly dour explanation, and one of little use.
Carl got up and poured his friend a measure of cognac. Handing him the glass he motioned Andae to take a seat. The children had been in bed for a while, and Chloe was about to turn in, so unless there was another issue, his Second Officer could relax a little ...
"I'm guessing there's still no way we can get onto the surface without being spotted ?"
"Not a chance ...." Andae said, feeling the warmth of the drink taking effect, "They're monitoring from the surface, 'AND' those bloody orbital platforms. If we try to beam as much as a grain of sand down there it will be non-existent well before it can materialize, and I imagine we'd be following it into oblivion in short order."
"Hell ... I feel less than useless having to hide in plain sight." Carl said, getting up to replenish his drink once more, "Can I get you a top-up Andae ?"
"No, Thank you Commo ... Carl." Andae said, dispensing with his close friends' rank. "I need to check on the engines again, then get some sleep before we move back around."
Carl watched his friend leave then sat in deep contemplation ... He just hoped everyone on the surface was alright ..........
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on May 29, 2013 20:56:06 GMT
OOC: Sorry for the large post, I needed to get everything in on this one. Please be patient & read rather than skim, It'll help ...
Calli. Forging documentation for the Carolingi Chess Set wasn't as simple as just entering false data into numerous computer information systems ... The Carolingi was over one thousand years old, designed, built, fashioned if you will, by a Venetian Grand Master ... No-one ever discovered how Carolingi made the chess set, nor where he acquired the materials to do so. The man was a mathematician, theologian, and some would say necromancer. It was said that he put part of his living 'soul' into each lovingly created piece. 'Nonsense of course' Calli thought as she replicated the parchment on which the provenance would be inscribed. It didn't need to be the real document, just something close enough to get Anhk to take hold of ... That was all it would take for the infused drug to saturate his skin and induce a mild coma ! Three hours later, the team had returned and they were ready ...... ~~~~~~~~~~Five hundred meters from the square the group stopped: "We'll need to be cautious once in place." Alex said, looking around the team, "Commander Valenti will give me a signal when Anhk has taken the document. I'll signal the team to move in and take Anhk ... We'll leave as arranged, through the back of the restaurant. This is on visual communication only ... We cannot have Freem picking up any Comm traffic. If anything goes wrong we get back here safe, regardless of outcome understood." Everyone nodded and moved out .... T'brel and Milyanov moved into position near the Museum. Aeryn headed for the Galleries and Marionette positioned herself in front of the Conference Center. Calli took the long way round, ensuring time for the others to get into position, and the Captain to settle into his role as admiring tourist. He was sat under the large canopy shielding the closest tables from the hot sun when she passed him. As she entered, Calli could see the pre-arranged table ... It was empty ! She made her way over and sat down, placing the satchel on the floor beside her seat. A steward came over and she ordered a drink. She was about so look around when someone sat opposite: "I'm sorry, but this table is taken." she said, apologetically, but realized the newcomer wasn't about to vacate the seat, "I said, I am wai ......" "You are waiting for myself." the man said, holding out one hand casually, "The documentation you were asked to provide ... Please." "You're not the man I made the arrangements with." Calli said, getting up and turning to leave. "Madam ...... If you would join me ?" a second man said from a nearby table, "Please excuse my vulgar attempt at security. But one cannot be too careful when dealing in such, antiquities .. Can one." he said, holding out the chair like some old Earth eighteenth century gentleman and raising his eyebrows .... She walked over, calculating the angles of view from outside the windows. She could still see the Captain, chatting amiably with one of the staff, who seemed to be pointing out area's of interest. Placing her satchel on the table, she allowed the man they had identified as Eric Von Anhk to push the chair under her legs before seating himself. Allowing him to order drinks, she waited patiently: "Is that what you have brought to show me my dear ?" he asked after the steward departed. Calli opened the satchel and began to lift the parchment out, but Anhk held up a hand before turning the pouch to face him ... He lifted the top so he could see the document held inside, but didn't reach in to withdraw it. Calli couldn't prompt him, he would know instantly that is was some form of trap, so she sat in silence, sipping the cool drink he had provided. "So ..... Let me ask you a few questions before we look at your impressive documentation if you don't mind." Anhk said, that sickly smile reappearing, "You say you have access to the Carolingi Set. I am dubious, I must admit. I have been offered the set on numero ......" Calli was beginning to feel warm ... 'TOO' warm ... She was finding it hard to concentrate on what Anhk was saying, frowning as she realized she had missed something he'd said once again. She looked at the glass in her hand, then back at Anhk, who was still smiling and talking. She realized that she had been drugged, but was hoping the antidote to the soporific would help keep her conscious, but evidently not ! "...... ousand years old, and impossible to duplicate ....." Anhk was saying. Calli tried to stand, but could only manage to turn her head toward the windows. It was then she realized that the Captain had his back to her, that wasn't right. She turned back, to see Anhk picking the satchel off the table and standing. He nodded to his companion, who took his place. "We must do this again one day my dear ... My colleague here will keep you company ... It has been ... Interesting." Anhk said, bowing flamboyantly before leaving the restaurant. Calli watched the man sat opposite her until her head began to drop toward the table cloth. She somehow admired the finery of the material as she hit it ... Unconscious ! ~~~~~~~~~~" ...... had rather embarrassingly, imbibed a large amount of alcohol ... Something we tend to frown upon in our society ..." Calli opened her eyes to see Freem looking down on her. The others, looking both concerned and rather sheepish, were listening to the Coordinator chastise them for allowing one of their group to get into such an, unfortunate, state in public, "It is not the kind of behavior I expected from Star Fleet Officers, but you do indeed, live and learn ... I suggest you do not allow a recurrence, or your welcome may be terminated." As Freem and her two medic's left, the others helped Calli to a sitting position ... She looked round, reassuring everyone that she was alright, but then noticed that Alex wasn't with them. "Where's the Captain ?" "We don't know ..... He didn't return from the Cafe !" T'brel informed a shocked Calli .......... OOC:
This turn of events may come as a shock (hopefully) ... But Captain Watson has asked for a short LOA, and feels vanishing would explain his lack of activity. So please feel free to be agast etc, and all the usual stuff when a Star Fleet Officer is missing. Just don't erm, find him, until he posts he's safe OK guys ...
(Just another twist in the tail .... Snigger Snigger)
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Marionette
Commander
Dr. Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end.
Registered: Mar 2, 2012 3:26:33 GMT
Posts: 285
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Post by Marionette on May 31, 2013 1:52:43 GMT
Marionette had seen it all - right up until she had been distracted by some street arbiter rolling up on a powercycle and asked what her model and designation was. "My Name is Marionette" she said in her semi-musical auto-tuned voice. (cop uniform from The 5th Element) "Model.... Marionette, Custom Build.....And where is your owner, Marionette ?" the cop smarmily said, hoping to nab another 'loose robot' for his quota for this week. Waiving the flexi-padd over her arm with the sensor in it, which the flexi-padd beeped to, the cop continued scribbling. Marionette briefly calculated a slew of scenarios charting out how fast it would take to beat the cop into a lasting unconsciousness, before answering "My 'owners' are in the restaurant over there, conducting important business." she said, abit of an aggressive grind to her voice. Pausing in his writing out a ticket, the cop looked up to stare down Marionette "Don't get funny with me robot, i could have you impounded like THAT" and snapped his gauntlet-ed fingers. Marionette recalculated how long it would take to beat the cop before brain damage occurred. The cop tore off a paper slip from a dispenser inside the machine "You are to give this to your owners, and they will sign it at the bottom, and file it with the nearest Arbiter Post within 7 days. Failure to do so will result in a doubling of the fine every 30 days after that. A relapse will result in impoundment." and handed her the ticket for 'unattended class-3 volatile technologies robot'. By the time the arbiter walked away back to his powercycle and rode off, Calli had passed out and the rest of the team was surrounding her, with Von Anhk and company nowhere to be seen. Returning to the others, ticket in hand, Marionette sat and watched the situation with Calli unfold. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It is not the kind of behavior I expected from Star Fleet Officers, but you do indeed, live and learn ... I suggest you do not allow a recurrence, or your welcome may be terminated." As Freem and her two medic's left, the others helped Calli to a sitting position ... She looked round, reassuring everyone that she was alright, but then noticed that Alex wasn't with them. "Where's the Captain ?" "We don't know ..... He didn't return from the Cafe !" T'brel informed a shocked Calli. Marionette piped up, reading off the title of the ticket. "Furthermore, i have been ticketed for being an 'unattended class-3 volatile technologies robot'." and repeated what the cop said, too.
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Jun 1, 2013 0:04:05 GMT
"Where's the Captain ?" "We don't know ..... He didn't return from the Cafe !" T'brel informed a shocked Calli. She was trying hard to get her head around the fact that their seemingly simple 'snatch' operation had gone so absurdly wrong, but they had managed to loose the bloody Captain in the process ! "Furthermore ... I have been ticketed for being an 'unattended class-3 volatile technologies robot' !" Marionette suddenly said, continuing on to repeat the Officers summation. Everyone in the room turned to look at the android, struck silent by the revelation. "The Captain is missing, and you chirp in with news of a parking ticket !" Aeryn said, frustrated that the woman seemed unable to grasp the significance of their perilous situation. "OK ... Lets calm down everyone." Calli said, managing to get to her feet, despite several advising against it, "Marionette ... As ranking Officer, at the moment, I'm sure I can sign that ticket, so you can get it into the Arbiter. In the mean time we need to face a few facts ! 1] El-Kamat obviously knows we're here. So, by default, he 'IS' here too. 2] Freem is in league with El-Kamat and is protecting him and Von Anhk. 3] They have known all along 'who' we are and what we're here for. 4] It's a given that Kamat, or Freem, or both, have the Captain somewhere. 5] At this point we can count Raven out, ergo, we're on our own. 6] We need to get to El-Kamat, or Von Anhk quickly. 7] We MUST get the Captain back ... ALIVE !" No-one disagreed with Calli's assessment of their situation, so she continued: "Look ... I know this wasn't our original mandate, but from what i remember, El-Kamat has no clue 'where' this weapon is located. It has been undiscovered for millennia, so ..... Without Kamat, it may well remain undiscovered for the next millennium right ?" Calli waited for the others to nod in agreement then continued with the part she was likely to have trouble with, "Our options here are limited to say the least, given Freem could have us incarcerated easily. She could remove the Raven from orbit with little trouble, despite the fight Commander Blakus would undoubtedly put up. It's a simple fact the ship would loose ... Sooo in my opinion, we find El-Kamat, and ...... Kill him ! ... That way, Freem has no need to be loyal to the maniac, and might realize that it would only be a matter of time before Star Fleet's investigations into the Raven's disappearance lead them here, and I doubt she wants that ! ... So I think she would let us leave." Calli finished her summation and sat back down, suddenly exhausted. She needed to sleep off the remainder of whatever drug Von Anhk doped her with .......... < tag : ALL .. Away Team & Raven >
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 2, 2013 22:04:47 GMT
Lt. Milyanov
"Before you sleep, Commander, I'd like to make a few comments. Kamat - whom as you said knows we're here - may have already left. Or in fact he may have never been on the surface; he might've observed our arrival from space. If he's not actually on the surface there's still a good chance, I'll admit that he's somewhere in the system, maybe even in orbit."
"The visiting ships," T'Brel intoned in response to Milyanov.
"Indeed, if not on the surface he could be on any one of those ships. Biding his time." Milyanov glanced at Peers who nodded sagely, and Marionette voiced that it seemed reasonable.
Calli seemed ready to pass out, but forced herself to stay upright and rubbed at her temples. "Why must you overcomplicate these things, Lieutenant?"
"It's only natural that what actually takes place is more complicated than we want it to be. Hopefully the Raven will realise this. While they won't be able to help us, we at the moment, won't be able to help them. They might find Kamat in orbit, or we might find Kamat on the planet."
"Excellent deduction, Lieutenant," Aeryn stepped forward, "But how does this actually help us find him, and more importantly find the Captain? You've only managed to include everywhere he might possibly be..."
"There are several leads we could follow. There's a customs checkpoint at the plaza's western end. All people who entered the square from that end during the day would've been logged at their checkpoint gate. Perhaps von Ahnk or somebody passed through. There's also a datalogger that Tavik managed to track down with surveillance footage of the interior of the cafe."
Milyanov and Peers hadn't noticed anything was amiss during the meeting, until Calli had simply failed to comm the team informing them Anhk was incapacitated. When he tried making contact and received no response, Peers had had Tavik rush to the scene, only for the Major to find Commander Valenti being stretchered into the back of a medical craft.
There had been no unusual movement around the cafe nor any sign of trouble. But the significant detail was that von Anhk would've known, upon sight, that Valenti and Watson were USS Raven crewmembers, wanted by his friend El-Kamat. The Cordovin rebel had set an ambush, just as the Raven away team had, and he had won. He would've had his own men watching the cafe, and he would've known that Watson had the Raven officers doing the same...
"We shouldn't linger for long," Milyanov said, suddenly worried.
The five officers emerged on to the street, the evening starlight piercing their vision. The whole street was bathed in Proxima Oralix's luminous yellow glow. They left the medical unit behind, heading back in the direction of the large towers of the northeastern quadrant where the Alberja was located.
* * *
He ran up the steps, screaming theatre-goers all about him in hysterics. They were all confined to their seats, bound by some dark magic to their chairs, but also seemed to throng about him, uncertain shapes coagulating out of the darkness like nightmaric phantasms. Images seemed to jump out of the depths of the theatre, and a screeching ancient bird was on his heels.
He broke the free air outside the theatre, to be met with a tide of disappointed clientele, themselves having been turned out from the main hall, or not permitted entry in the first place. He looked around, his eyes saturated by the change in light level, gasping as if struggling for breath. Proxima Oralix broke over the battlements of the spires of the building, no longer eclipsed by its ancient mass, and the shadow it cast was released across the plaza de nayya to its southern reaches. He fell to his knees, overcome with the sudden illumination, as dark shapes rushed around him.
* * *
Back at the Alberja, Milyanov was alone in his section of the suite. He'd come into possession of the surveillance footage from the cafe. Surprisingly there was full video, untampered with, of the time period when Calli had apparently got too drunk. Although of course she had been drugged. He made a note to quiz her on what she remembered leading up to her passing out, so he could compare it with the surveillance.
A man whom looked somewhat like C14 from the information tablet was sitting opposite Calli, at a table roughly in the middle of the cafe. The video soon reached the point when Calli showed him the documentation, but Milyanov was watching the back of the room, behind the counter. Here were three dark-suited figures, one aiming something that may have been a weapon out into the room, towards the main entrance. He held it there for a moment, then with nothing seeming to have happened he lowered it to his side. He and his associates seemed satisfied, and stepped out from behind the counter, disappearing from sight out the front of the cafe. Calli seemed woozy, and seconds later, as the man rose from his seat, her head crashed to the table. There was no audio, but it was clear that had attracted the attention of the customers, several of whom rose from their seats.
Milyanov sat dead still, almost blank as the surveillance continued. This was all rather chilling. Calli was dragged from her chair by the cafe staff and propped up against the wall, where they attempted to 'revive' her. Nothing much happened for the next five minutes; the event seemed to have passed, when one of the dark-suited figures walked back through the establishment. Not drawing any attention from the customers, he disappeared through the rear door. Calli was taken by the medics some fifteen minutes later, and that was it.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 10, 2013 2:59:10 GMT
Milyanov virtually marched into the main section of the suite - the place passing for a living room - and cast an almost furious glance about the assembled officers. One or two were missing; perhaps they were levels down, at the sub-reception not far from here, or even in the cavernous lobby and commercial centre of the Alberja.
"Look what we have here," be began without ceremony, pushing the information in front of Calli's face. "Do you remember this?"
Calli snatched the padd from him, holding her temple and still clearly feeling woozy from the drug-induced inconsciousness she'd fallen foul of. A singe eyebrow raised in surprise. She looked him at questioningly, hard-featured, likely wondering how he'd procured such an unlikely item.
"Major Tavik combed the cafe after the medics had left with you and the staff returned to normal," Milyanov said, "As far as I can surmise, she ripped the surveillance unit clean from the wall." Milyanov looked around askance, his eyes barely disguising the disapproval at how callously Calli had been sent under.
The surveillance clearly showed Valenti having been dragged away by the staff, rather innocuously, and just as the present Calli seemed to have seen all she wanted, Milyanov held up a hand and signified the dark-grey garbed man moving back through the cafe.
"That man, I would... guess," the Assistant coughed, "Is our lead. The fact he didn't follow his other accomplices out the front, who, again I would guess, took Captain Watson, suggests to me that he has higher authority, or at least a different objective to them. Which could give us an insight as to exactly what's going on here. Our primary objective is to get closer to Kamat. I would advise - even though we don't exactly where is - that tracing the footsteps of that lone escapee through the backdoors is the way to go."
The Russian looked around. Of course his opinion meant little compared to the big guns arrayed around him. He was curious to see what they had in mind.
<Tag Away Team - how the devil do we go about looking for Cmdr. Watson ;D>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Jun 10, 2013 17:31:42 GMT
"..... Our options here are limited to say the least, given Freem could have us incarcerated easily." Calli said, getting to her feet and moving over to where Milyanov was checking the only surveillance footage of the inside of the restaurant.
"..... Our primary objective is to get closer to Kamat. I would advise, even though we don't exactly where he is, that tracing the footsteps of that lone escapee, through the back doors, is the way to go." Milyanov was saying.
Calli watched the man on screen as he passed close to her and the people holding her up. There was something about the mans gait, but she couldn't put her finger on it ... She frowned and sat next to the Assistant Engineer. Milyanov ran the footage again hoping to spot something he'd missed earlier, but nothing sprang out ... Calli leaned forward and peered at the screen:
"Can you play that section again Lieutenant ?"
Milyanov backed the footage to the point where the unidentified stranger entered the scene. He ran it forward at normal speed, then replayed it at one tenth rate. Calli was scrutinizing the image closely now:
"Move it forward until the man is on the right center screen." she requested ... Milyanov did as asked and sat back allowing her full view, she asked for it to be advanced several frames until she had what she wanted.
"You've found something ?" the Engineer asked, puzzled. Calli pointed to one of the pillars that were situated around the room but he still couldn't see what she was looking at.
"Enhance grid 'Fourteen Delta' and increase magnification by a factor of ten please." she asked and watched the screen fill with the head and shoulders of the stranger, and to his left was one of the mirrored pillars, "Can you enhance that reflection at all ?"
Milyanov made a few changes to the image until he got the desired effect. Calli stared at the face in shock for a long moment then sat back.
"Can you patch that onto the main view-screen Lieutenant ?"
"No problem." Milyanov replied, entering several commands, "Done."
Calli stood and looked at the enlarged image. It wasn't crystal clear, and almost looked as if it was slightly out of focus, but there was no doubt in her mind, or that of the others present.
They were looking at El-Kamat ! ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 11, 2013 2:28:32 GMT
"Sir, I mean Commodore... Or.. ah, Carl Torek.." Andae greeted Carl in his quarters - the place he was finding the temporarily former CO more and more often these months. Of course, that was down to Carl's removal from command of the Raven and supposed court martial (which as far as Blakus was concerned was never going to happen).
"It's bad news, sir. I thought I'd better tell you first..." Andae seemed to be about to swallow his next words, even pausing to clear his throat. "We're going to have to leave orbit momentarily." He paused; Carl seemed impassive. "We were right about our geostationary position over the Proximian capital upsetting the warp intermix balance. But moving to the other side of the world, while lessening the imbalance, is still not safe enough. We need to enter a stellar orbit.
"For the near future, this makes long-range beam out impossible. The away team truly are alone."
Carl almost smiled. "No need to say it with such a sense of doom, Andae," he chided, and offered his former XO a brandy as he had on his last visit.
Blakus did smile. "Well, ok, just one." He took the contents, giving it the customary swirl. Truthfully, he needed something to ease his thoughts. His mind had been pent up, multiple frustrations threatening to burst from his core.
Carl was sipping at his brandy, but his eyes widened halfway through. He placed the cup on the desk and headed to his personal terminal. "What was Lieutenant Jackson saying about a long-range transport attempt out of the Zennai system, before we headed out for Proxima?"
"Well, he was saying the beam just kept going out of system, until we lost the trace of the matter-energy stream amongst the background of cosmic microwaves and dust particles. They could've gone on for much longer but we lacked the scanner sensitivity to detect it. Perhaps you think we could use the same technique with the away team? How would we procure such technology? Find a Cordovin ship?"
<Tag Torek> <Tag ALL>
Lt. Milyanov
"El-Kamat?! Are you sure, Commander?"
Calli wheeled on the junior engineer, looking like a mathematician having being stunned at the dismissal of one of her formulations by an amateur, "You really want to doubt someone who's met him face-to-face, Lieutenant?"
"Not my intention, sir," the Russian shook his head brusquely. "Just requesting clarification. His face is a little clouded, though."
"It's him," Aeryn stated, muscles twitching, lips quivering, almost as if she was experiencing fear. Ah.. Milyanov remembered now that Major Tavik had inherited the fearful of essence of Torek (if he was to believe that whole episode; to be honest he was unsure of that version of events himself).
"Search parties. Now." Milyanov offered and donned his utility strap. It was more by instinct than what was called for by procedure, because of course the tricorder and phaser holster had been removed. "We should start from the cafe outwards." He turned to the suite's large window, and immediately had to shield his eyes. Low Proximian sun burnt through the windows, permeating the place with a white glow. An almost divine aura encompassed the living suite. Craft scudded across the sky, whistling through the air at these lofty levels, and even higher into the depths of the deep mauve sky.
"Hold on there," Peers said. He stood near the door, using his security officer bulk to bar entry, should any of those pesky drone spies come knocking. "I'd advise against going straight back to the plaza. El-Kamat should know we'll be coming after him. Wherever we follow, he will have traps in place."
Milyanov sighed raspily, throwing himself into the comfy seat by the coffee table. "True," he picked up the fruit juice on the table and took a small sip. He spat the drink out again, filtering it back into the glass. "Kamat went out of his way to capture the Raven's Captain, or who he believed was the Captain. Maybe he needs Watson to get information on Torek, if he think he's still alive. It was a large explosion over Zennai; perhaps Kamat and allies think Torek perished?"
"But then why spare Calli?" someone else asked. The question hung in silence for several moments, until an earsplitting alarm - as if a screeching eagle had entered the room - sounded throughout the hotel. "What the..."
<Tag All>
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Jun 11, 2013 19:14:43 GMT
Carl enjoyed talking with his longest friend on a more 'relaxed' level. True, they were in a situation that needed all their attention, but it paid to have those few moments when rank or title didn't come into the conversation ... "No need to say it with such a sense of doom, Andae," he almost chided, and offered his former Exec' a brandy, as he had on his last visit. "Well, OK, just the one." Andae replied and took the offered snifter. They discussed aspects of the mission while taking the much needed time, at least in Andae's case, to get some modicum of down-time. But the mission was always paramount, "..... How would we procure such technology. Find a Cordovin ship ?" Carl grinned, knowing they both knew the chances were minimal at best that a Cordovin vessel would suddenly present itself. But still, Carl was not about to dismiss the idea out of hand. If they got the chance, then they would need to grasp it in both hands. Andae said he had instructed the Duty Helm Officer to extend their current orbit and move them around the planet, but Carl just waved his glass at the planet moving slowly below them and getting smaller as the Raven increased her relative 'height' above the surface. They we're still chatting when the Comm chirped to life: =^= Bridge to Commander Blakus =^= Andae frowned and tapped his Comm badge: =^= Blakus .. Go ahead Bridge =^= =^= Sir .. We have started to receive Bio-function telemetry from one of the implants =^= =^= Try to get an identification ping .. We're on our way =^= Andae smacked his Comm badge and stood up. Heading for the door quickly he turned to the Commodore: "Coming ?" he said with a grin ... Torek didn't need asking twice ! ~~~~~Stepping onto the Bridge, both Officers went to the Science Station. The Duty Bridge Officer and one of the Duty Medical Staff showed them the telemetry ... "Sub-dermal bio-metric transducer." the Doctor informed them, "This one has a frequency showing it is Captain Watson's implant." "How come this got through the bio-metric filters when they beamed to the surface ?" Andae asked. "The implant is over ninety percent biological in nature. Twelve millimeters long, five mill' in diameter. The casing is almost pure polyglacic gel. Once implanted in the thigh muscle it would look like maybe a thicker capillary section, or even an old scar. You would need a level five scan to even be sure it was a foreign body ..... He would have needed to compress the casing, maybe by pushing his thumb into the thigh muscle. The implant sends on a single dedicated frequency for each device, and as you see on screen, this one is in the Captain." "So we can track it ... Lock on to it ?" Carl asked before Andae could get the same question in. "Let's take this into the Captains Ready Room before we continue." Andae said then turned to the Security Officer, "Patch this through in there and join us please Lieutenant." ~~~~~"Tracking ?" Carl asked as the door closed. "No, well not from here ...." the Doctor said, "We can get a general area, of maybe a kilometer diameter, but at this distance, even the Raven couldn't narrow it down from there." "Plus ...." the Duty Security Officer added, "Our scans will be picked up by those things out there, and we know what happens to those 'unfortunates' who break the rules up here." "Good point Lieutenant .... Hell .... So, we know the Captain is in danger, or at least was. Could it activate if someone was ... Killed ?" Carl asked. "No ..." the Doctor confirmed quickly, to allay any fears they may have lost the Acting Captain, "The implant runs on muscle unit plasticity, or the electrical current created by a flexing muscle. Something in the region of one hundred to two hundred Hertz ... If the muscle is inactive, then the light, so to speak, goes out. Basically, even an unconscious person still produces enough Hertz, by virtue of blood flow rate alone, to keep the device active. So the Captain is very much alive, though I obviously can't attest to his physical condition, other than he has a pulse" the Doctor said, almost matter-of-factly. "So ... What we're saying is this ... The Captain is missing, or we can presume so at this stage given he wouldn't activate the implant if he was with the others. Likewise, no-one else has pinged theirs so we can assume they are safe ... We can't scan for the signal from this distance, and we're only getting further away, nor can we go low to scan for fear Freem will start asking 'awkward' questions, not to mention the likelihood of the Proximian orbital sentinels removing us from the equation ... We have no means of contacting the Away team, nor they us ... Am I missing anything ?" Carl asked with zero sarcasm in his voice .......... OOC:
Don't forget everyone. We can't find the Captain until Alex notifies us that he has concluded his current LOA, but we can get imaginative in our efforts nonetheless ...
Have fun
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Marionette
Commander
Dr. Soong's penchant for whimsical names seems to have no end.
Registered: Mar 2, 2012 3:26:33 GMT
Posts: 285
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Post by Marionette on Jun 13, 2013 16:31:10 GMT
The question hung in silence for several moments, until an earsplitting alarm - as if a screeching eagle had entered the room - sounded throughout the hotel. Poking her head out of the door, Marionette saw that the fire alarm lights were flashing in the hallways, and people were relatively calmly filing out and proceeding to the lower floors. Going back inside, she spoke over the noise of the alarm "Apparently, someone has yanked a fire alarm switch on our level."images.wikia.com/starwars/images/6/66/Fire_ship.jpgWithin 5 minutes, a squadron of emergency fire-speeders had arrived and was hovering about, looking for any signs of an actual fire. Marionette anticipated that Freem would show up, and berate them all for causing trouble, and if they were unlucky, would be punished in some way. "I calculate that Freem will make an appearance."People stopped in mid-stride......
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Jun 13, 2013 18:09:41 GMT
"..... Maybe he needs Watson to get information on Torek, 'If' he thinks he is still alive. Though it was a large explosion over Zennai, perhaps Kamat and allies think Torek perished ?"
"But then why spare Calli?" someone else asked. The question hung in silence for several moments, until an earsplitting alarm sounded, "What the ..."
"I calculate that Freem will make an appearance." Marionette said, as everyone began to move toward the door.
"We're not going anywhere." Calli said, sitting herself at the screen still holing the frozen image of El-Kamat, "If the Ensign here is correct, I'm guessing this was some lame endeavor to have us leave our rooms for some reason, it's likely to be her that shows up. So let's get comfy and watch the show outside."
Everyone took seats, watching the automated speeders scanning for signs of the fire ... It took all of six minutes for the door to open. Freem and three of her staff entered. The Proximian woman stopped short as she realized the rooms were still occupied:
"Did you not hear the evacuation sirens ?" she asked, regaining her composure almost instantly as the alarm fell silent, you were required by hotel regulations to take the grav-lifts to the lobby and exit the building ... Yet here you sit !"
"We figured it could be a false alarm." Aeryn said, shrugging, "After all, a place like this isn't likely to burn down, is it. So if the alarm was genuine we would have been informed further, no ?"
Freem seemed not to be listening to the Marine as she looked around at each of them in turn.
"Where is Captain Watson ?"
"The Captain is currently mi ....." Marionette began, but Calli interrupted her quickly:
"The Captain went out earlier. He was going to visit the museum district I think. To be honest, he hadn't been feeling too well, and decided a good long walk would clear his head."
"Indeed ...... Then I hope he recovers quickly, and enjoys his, sight-seeing." The Proximian representative said slowly, "Well, luckily, the alarm was a false activation, and everyone is being allowed back into the hotel. I will say good day and return to my duties." she said, waving her staff out of the door.
"Does the Regional Coordinator usually alarm activation's personally ?" Calli asked casually as she reached the door.
Freem turned to face the group:
"Please tell your Captain that I was asking about him, and pass on my hope that he is well soon." she said, almost glaring at Calli and the others, before turning on her heal and leaving !
"Well ... There's no doubting that she knows we know." Aeryn said, slumping into one of the chairs ..........
< tag : All >
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 14, 2013 3:52:26 GMT
The Raven had set itself up in a perfectly circular orbit of the Proxima Oralix star. Because the planet's orbit was very slightly elliptical, the Raven would swing in and out of sync with it by a few degrees every half cycle. This way, Blakus had reasoned, they could keep their distance from the world and also stay out of exact geostationary orbit.
He'd been formulating an idea since Torek had made his analysis of the situation with Watson. It was obviously a grave concern if he had gone missing from the main team. The Raven's CEO had taken it as a challenge to develop a method whereby the Raven might get closer to the planet, to take a good look for the temporary CO. He'd returned to engineering, where he put his best officers around him.
"Thinking, sir?" Darwin said, holding his CEO's gaze. "I see... Any ideas yet?"
"What if we create a holographic ship?" Andae proposed. He rocked back in his chair in front of the master console. "I've been thinking, we create a holoship while we're furthest from the planet and on the opposite side to the visiting fleet. We keep the Raven on the same orbital trajectory, but we'll program the holographic ship to fly close over the Proximian capital."
Darwin blinked. Blakus couldn't tell if it was because the Ensign hadn't considered anything like that, or if he thought the idea was completely unworkable. "We could rig the hologram to collect data," Andae went on. "It can be done; the information can be channeled to the Raven."
Ensign Darwin stepped up to the master console too, and worked on some calculations. "I don't know if we have emitters powerful enough, or with sufficient range, to project a ship to fly over the capital, sir."
"It wouldn't need to be large. Maybe runabout size. The orbital defence cannons won't be able to do anything to it, and we can give it a unique design so as to make it unidentifiable. If the Proximians feel paranoid enough to raise concerns with us, we can disavow all knowledge of the vessel."
"Prepare immediately?" Darwin inquired.
Andae nodded slowly, finding himself staring at the magnetic constrictors. The pulsating bands of neon blue seemed to meld together - a constant stream of matter propellant. The danger still remained: if they took a geostationary orbit, the intermix imbalance would return. "I suppose I better run it by the Commodore first."
In another lifetime - or that's what it felt like - Milyanov had been catapulted into a realm of shadow, pearlescent lights pulsing as he travelled this sudden tunnel of being. If he knew better, he would've taken this as a dream.
But he had experienced this before.
The Russian found himself draped over a sundial; it was on a high pedestal, built with sandstone or at least an imitation of it. He struggled to find the hour hand's position on the 2m diameter dial, found that there wasn't one, and then found himself scrabbling, heaving to keep himself upon the immovable dial. But he collapsed, tumbling some ten metres down the flight of steps leading down from the pedestal. Pain lanced through his back where it'd grazed against the harsh-edged steps.
He turned onto his front and gasped as he opened the bloodbath of his eyes. The Proxima star led an onslaught on his senses, pearls of fire like the shining spears of an heathen order burning into his retinae, and there was a release of something sulphuric crossing this small intersection. Theatres lay to Milyanov's front and left. The pedestrian accessway was mayhem; natives jostling the Russian, with little apology, crashing him back to his knees. He stood again and eventually, feeling dull aches all over his torso and legs, scrambled back to the Alberja to report on his and Peers 'eventful' scouting operation.
Present
Milyanov was laid up in bed. It had earned him a couple of frowns from the others, but just for now he didn't care. It wasn't like he was doing nothing though. Usually in this situation he'd have his personalised padd and stylus before him, but as that had been confiscated, he'd settled on a piece of Proximian parchment and an ink pen.
He chewed at the end of the writing implement, theories enveloping his skull as he scratched the back of his cranium, "If von Ahnk's main purpose in obtaining the chess set was to draw the Captain out..." One of the team turned to listen, the others engaged in deciding on their next steps, or otherwise drinking fruit juice and eating. "... Then could we surmise that Freem's purpose in drawing us out of the hotel was to capture another one of us? She couldn't very well do it inside the building. The Alberja is a private establishment so it would cause her more trouble than it's worth."
This worked for Milyanov. He needed rest now, needed the sepulchral visions that accompanied blissful unconsciousness, and absence of ego. They need not go anywhere now for this was their haven. Their false haven, the playground of the escapist.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 18, 2013 23:47:47 GMT
They had located Kamat's trail. Somehow it'd been done. An ion trail, slithering out of the Zennai system, bee-lined in the direction of the Galactic Core for some 15 parsecs. It was so faint now that the ship's instruments were having to be pushed to the theoretical maximum limit of their sensitivity. They were searching for a particle concentration of incredibly low density, barely standing out from the cold gas and invisible dust that made up the interstellar medium.
The first system the old man's ship came across was centred on a non-descript K-type dwarf star. El-Kamat's ion trail corkscrewed from below the system's galactic x-axis plane, passing near the dwarf star, and then falling back out into interstellar space, headed for a small star cluster.
The old man had his inexperienced helmsman take the ship into the centre of the system. It emerged that Kamat's vessel - or vessels - had circled a hot gaseous world in close orbit of the star. This gas giant was tidally locked, meaning it always presented the same face to the star. This resulted in an extremely hot dayside and a slightly colder nightside (although still with temperatures in excess of 800 Kelvin).
They found wreckage in low orbit. The remnants of what appeared to have been a shuttle, or other small craft. Biological matter was also found, drifting in roughly the same reference frame as the shuttle's wreckage. They identified the remains as Cordovin.
Something was wrong about the planet's orbit. It should've been nearly perfectly circular, but instead it orbited in wide elliptical motion. Something disastrous had happened to the planet's circumnavigation of the star.
The old Cordovin man and his advisors reasoned that the only thing capable of shifting the gas giant's orbit to such a degree, was something of a mass at least half that of the K-type parent star. There was no evidence that anyone or anything had been in the system recently, besides Kamat's ion trail.
What had the former archaeologist brought through the system with him?
OOC: Just adding some depth.
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Jun 20, 2013 20:31:59 GMT
"Well ... There's no doubting that she knows we know." Aeryn said, slumping into one of the chairs .....
Calli watched the woman leave then stood up to follow her. Several of those present asked where she was going, but Calli just held up a hand and left the room. Freem was at the lifts and turned at Calli's approach. It didn't go un-noticed, that two of Freem's 'people' managed to get between the Coordinator and herself, but she didn't care:
"OK, we need to get something straight Coordinator !" she said, ignoring the two guards, "We have been patient, we've been searched, monitored, placed under obvious surveillance form the moment we arrived on this, planet ... I have no idea what your motives are for all this, and frankly, I could care less at this point. But I have been drugged, attacked, and if it hadn't been in public, I could have done one of those vanishing acts people around here seem to do."
"You're point ...... Commander ?" Freem asked, that holier-than-thou look back on her face.
"I would like ... No, I am asking your permission, to allow the Raven crew to carry out an independent investigation into what happened at the restaurant."
"And what is your Captain's view of this request may I ask ?" Freem said, a wry grin that Calli really needed to slap, appearing as she continued before Calli could reply, "Hmmm, your Captain is not enjoying the sights ... Is he .... No need to answer Commander. I am fully aware that he is missing, and have set proceedings in motion to ascertain his whereabouts. As for you running around 'investigating' I am afraid I must refuse your request." she finished, stepping into the waiting lift.
"You are aware of the Galaxy Class vessel in orbit, and her, considerable capabilities ...... ?"
"That wouldn't be some veiled attempt at a threat, would it ?" Freem asked, her glare turning to steel.
"No ... Not at all Coordinator. I was just pointing out that should anything 'happen' to any of the away team, without adequate explanation, It is possible they may react, and should the Raven open fire on the surface, they would still decimate this city in it's entirety, before your orbital centennials could react." Calli said, almost apologetically.
"Your bio-metric life-sign monitors ..." Freem said, suddenly annoyed with herself, "Our scanners detected them, but would not remove them as they were incorporated into your biological make-up ...... You have my permission to investigate the incident at the restaurant." she said, turning away.
"Thank you." Calli said, heading back to the room.
"Just out of, what do you Humans call it ... 'Curiosity' ... What makes you think I wouldn't call your bluff, and simply destroy the Raven ?"
Calli eyed the distance between herself and the Coordinator. Three, maybe three point four meters:
"What makes you think I couldn't reach you before your 'colleagues' here could do anything about it ?"
" Touchรฉ Commander ... Touchรฉ ... Oh, I forgot to mention. You will have thirty six hours to conduct your 'investigation' at which time you will be required to report to the Administration Center for return to your ship .... Good hunting." Freem said as the doors closed.
Calli stood looking at the doors for a few moments, part of her worrying she had gone too far in pushing Freem, but she knew from experience, that sometimes, sitting on your proverbial [word deleted], got you nowhere fast ... Pulling the wire containing the microphone from the intercom that T'Brel had jury-rigged from under her blouse, she went back to the room:
"You heard it ?" she asked.
"Every word." the Security Officer said, taking the wire and beginning to repair the intercom ..........
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T'Brel Peers
Commander
The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few.
Registered: Jul 22, 2005 5:39:54 GMT
Posts: 324
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Post by T'Brel Peers on Jun 21, 2013 10:26:16 GMT
"I doubt it, but I believe it to be prudent to ask for some type of scanning equipment," T'Brel said as he prepared a few things to take with him. With only a window of thirty six hours, T'Brel would need all the help he could get to conduct this investigation. T'Brel had determined that Regional Coordinator Freem would be a formidable challenge to overcome while they were here.
"It is improbable Commander and if they say yes, they will most likely bug the equipment," Commander Valenti opined.
"If we are lucky enough, they will say yes," T'Brel said with a smile," I would expect them to bug our equipment. Proximian technology is complex, but I'm sure in my abilities to neutralize any type of surveillance equipment.
Sharing the same realization that they did not have a lot of time to conduct this investigation, the Commander acquiesced to T'Brel's suggestion.
"Commander I will join you at the restaurant as soon as possible, I will need to chat with Freem, so that we can get some of the materials we are going to need," T'Brel said as he left their room and headed towards the nearest lift. Being trained to not attract attention, T'Brel quickly left the hotel and headed towards the Administration Center. T'Brel was surprised at the blatant tailing of Freem's people. Not wanting to waste any time, T'Brel pretended to not notice them and walked towards his destination.
Within minutes, T'Brel had reached the center where he was greeted by the two guards that had arrived with Freem. They sneered at T'Brel but allowed him to pass without a word.
"Commander, my people told me you had arrived, have you decided to leave the planet and go back to your ship already?" Freem asked with a shrill smile.
"No, Commander Valenti has informed us that you have graciously allowed us to investigate our captain's disappearance," T'Brel said hoping to appease the clearly egocentric bureaucrat.
"Yes, even though I believe it to be unnecessary, my people will find your captain in no time, โFreem said," now what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you permit me access to some scanning equipment, Proximian of course, to carry out my investigation." T'Brel said. As expected, Freem immediately said yes and asked T'Brel to wait a few minutes so that the equipment could be brought to them.
~So far, everything is going well for us. I wonder when that is going to change~ T'Brel thought as he waited.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 26, 2013 1:54:52 GMT
Milyanov was reading a compad that displayed the latest news from across Proxima Oralix. He was still lying in the bed, his legs propped up so that the compad was in front of him. With a slight start he noticed the gynoid form of Marionette standing at the bottom end of the bed. She seemed still as a statue, regarding him with pearl-like eyes reflected by the grey of the Proximian sky beyond the windows.
She tilted her head slightly as she regarded him. Milyanov sighed, dropping his legs and casting the compad to one side. "What?" he asked.
"Humans... Lie in bed, yet do not sleep."
"It happens," Milyanov replied. He reached for his side desk - a modest affair, beige and rectangular, with two drawers in which he'd stowed what little hadn't been taken from him by the transport gate at the customs centre. "When do you think the Commanders will return from the plaza?" he asked her.
"They also have a propensity for making queries that cannot be answered," the android replied, almost tartly.
"Well, they're certainly taking their time." He looked out the window behind him, almost as if he'd ignored her response. "To be entirely honest, I think we're going about this the wrong way. It's von Ahnk that should be pursued, not Freem. Pressuring the authorities is only going to get us into deeper trouble than we're already in, because it's overt." He suddenly threw the bed duvet back, not caring that the android would see him in only his underwear (and he doubted the action would be viewed differently from her point of view).
Leaping from the bed, he crossed the room to the database access point. Marionette walked slowly after him, inquired what he was doing.
"I want to see what our friend 'C14' is currently up to..." Milyanov murmured.
"Perhaps we should just terminate him."
Milyanov turned slowly to look at her, having noticed just before that C14's online alias was active (flashing green, showing him to be in an active chess gameroom). "You really don't have a conscience don't you?"
<Tag Marionette>
* * * * *
"Holoship prepared, sir." The tactical officer reported, his hands spidery filaments spread across his console. "Ready to launch on your command."
Blakus stood from the command chair. He winced as he rose from its royal frame. He'd never really got used to sitting in that chair, as first officer or as second officer. "Launch her now," he ordered. Of course, the holographic ship wouldn't be launched, from a shuttlebay or any other port. What the tactical officer in fact meant was that the false ship would be projected by powerful emitters located in the Galaxy class's Stardrive section.
"Thirty seconds 'til it passes over the world's capital..." the tactical officer breathed. "Twenty... Fifteen. Receiving telemetry. Four human biosigns and one Trill are in the vicinity of the central area. Also reading a positronic signal, although there are several of those. Only one has the required concentration to constitute an android though."
"So they're all in the area, including Watson..." Blakus mused. That was reassuring, while also perplexing. If Watson was still alive but separate and out of contact with the team, that meant for sure that he had been kidnapped. A fuzz descended over Andae's skull; memories of some distant time, some imprisonment of his own returning to him. Icy entrapment, a cold liquid mass confined by dark spirals that dissolved above into the far distance. And an edifice; of greater proportion, and vaster evil, than he'd ever imagined conceivable by the human mind.
"We're receiving a hail from the Proximian customs centre," Wedlerson almost sighed from Ops.
Andae looked at the viewscreen "... We should know to expect this by now."
"It's Coordinator Freem. She says she has one of the away team with her."
Andae gradually lowered himself into the centre chair. "On screen."
<Tag Surface team>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Jun 26, 2013 23:10:12 GMT
As they approached the restaurant they were met by a man:
"I am Quuh, I have been assigned to assist in your investigation."
"Really ?" Major Tavik replied, hoping the sarcasm was evident.
"Coordinator Freem has every confidence in my ability." the man said.
Calli didn't bother to reply, but walked into the restaurant, followed by Aeryn and T'Brel ... Quuh followed in silence and stood off to one side as the Raven crew began to scan the room. It soon became evident that the place had been cleaned up, to the point of being sanitized throughout. She could feel Freem's spy watching their every move ... She stood toward the back of the room looking toward the plaza outside, and a thought struck her:
"T'Brel, Aeryn ....." she said, approaching her colleagues, "Make a nuisance of yourselves if need be, but get whatever information you can. El-Kamat must have left something as he walked through the room, likewise, Anhk ... I'm going to take a look outside, see if I can't get a better perspective on all this. Find what you can, however little, and I will meet you back at the hotel." she finished, glancing at Quuh, who was watching them intently.
"It occurred to me that we were being observed from leaving the hotel rooms, so would have been under continuous surveillance during our meeting." Aeryn said, It will be impossible to say 'who' was in collusion with Freem and her people."
< tag : T'Brel >
Calli nodded then moved toward the door.
"May I inquire where you are going Commander ?" Quuh asked, stepping in her path, eyes flicking from her to the two others and back, "I was under orders to allow you access to the restau ......"
"I have no idea what 'orders' you received, but we were granted permission to investigate the disappearance of our Captain, and to do that I will be moving outside the building !" Calli replied, making it clear she was going, despite whatever objections the man brought forward, "I'm assuming you need us all in one place, where you can keep an eye on activities, but alas, not going to happen !" she said, taking a step toward the man.
Quuh held his ground for five seconds before stepping aside. He was already reporting her deviation to Freem before she walked out of the door !
~~~~~
In the square, with the Plas' Converse Restaurant, and the irate Quuh at her back, she looked at the buildings, looking for what she called 'points of interest' ... Recalling locations, she knew T'Brel and Milyanov were to the left, close to the Museum. Marionette was to the right, in front of the Conference Center, with Aeryn, further along the plaza in front of the Galleries ... So ... That left North, and the Theater District. Even at almost two thousand meters away, it would be a simple task to coordinate events from a place of relative concealment. So that was her goal .....
Meandering her way across the marble tiling of the plaza, she wondered how quickly Freem would get someone on her. She wasn't in a hurry, let them follow her, it suited her just fine. They would know she was doing what she needed to do in searching for her Commanding Officer, but it also gave T'Brel and Aeryn some 'breathing room' to work on less 'conventional' means of information gathering.
Calli was an expert in her 'unofficial' field, and could spot someone following her easily, so she was surprised to find that no-one had 'attached' themselves to her, despite her lazy stroll. Shrugging, she approached the Main Theater and admired the architecture of the building. Making a casual three sixty, to check if Freem had got anyone in place to monitor her actions she knew exactly where she needed to be ...
~~~~~
The window was on the seventh floor of the main reception area of the theater. She picked up one of the chairs and moved it to where she could sit back from the glass thus out of sight from the street below ... Taking out the compad Milyanov had supplied them all with, she checked the positioning of the away team for the meeting. She relayed the data to the telescopic and held it up to one eye. It would give her a 'real-time' image, with an overlay of where everyone was positioned on the night ..... She could clearly see the table the Captain had used, and the one she had been instructed to seat herself at. She could see T'Brel and Aeryn moving around, and grinned at the lackey as he tried in vain to stop them going into the kitchen area that El-Kamat had exited through ... She reached up to tap her Comm badge, before realizing they had been taken when the team arrived. Cursing, she put the telescopic down and began to check the room. It was only a matter of time before one of them found something, despite the Coordinators attempts to hinder them. The trick would be in keeping that discovery from Freem herself ! ..........
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Jun 27, 2013 23:06:37 GMT
Carl had been sat in his quarters reading ... Occasionally, he would look out at the planet below, hoping the away team were safe and well. The door opened, Bethan and Vanessa came in followed by Chloe, who had yet again been saddled with the girls' bags.
"Whoa ....." Carl said, putting his book on the table, "How many times have we said that you carry your own school bags girls ?" Vanessa walked to their teacher and took the bags, apologizing to Chloe.
"To be fair Daddy, Chloe 'did' offer to carry the bags so I could chase Vanessa." the nine year old explained. Carl was about to reply when the door chime sounded. Chloe opened the door to a Lieutenant:
"I think it's for you Commodore." Chloe said grinning at Carl's frustration at being out-witted by his Daughter yet again, before heading towards the childrens' rooms.
"Lieutenant ?" Carl said.
"Commander Blakus's compliments Sir. He would like you to come to the Bridge." Carl asked the man to wait a moment while he let Chloe know he was going to be out for a while, then rejoined the Lieutenant.
~~~~~
"Commander ... Problem ?"
"Far from it Commodore." Andae said, "We're just about to launch the holo-ship and I thought you might want to be present."
"Thank you." Carl said, taking the Exec's seat .. He watched closely as the ship ras 'launched' then dropped into low orbit, before heading toward the capital ... He could see the computer generated read-outs showing orbital trajectory, height above the surface, sensor configurations, plus much more ... Carl couldn't help admire his former Exec's talent. He seriously doubted anyone else would have come up with the idea:
"Am I right in thinking the holo-ship can't be detected by the orbital or planetary-bases sensor array's Andae ?" he asked.
< tag : Andae >
"Right, i see." Carl replied, impressed, "So the holo-ship is effectively invisible."
"Thirty seconds 'til it passes over the world's capital..." the Tactical Officer 'piloting' the holo-ship reported, "Twenty... Fifteen. Receiving telemetry. Four human bio-signs and one Trill are in the vicinity of the central area. Also reading a positronic signal, although there are several of those. Only one has the required concentration to constitute an android though."
"So they're all in the area, including Captain Watson ..." Blakus mused.
"I don't suppose the holo-ship can relay Comm traffic down without being detected ?" Carl asked.
"At this point, no Sir." the Tactical Officer said, "It would still be detected, there would just be a gap in the stream where it went through the holographic relays."
"Sir ... We're receiving a hail from the Proximian Customs Centre," Wedlerson almost sighed from Ops.
Andae looked at the view-screen, still showing the tracking information from the holo-ship:
"... We should know to expect this by now."
"It's Coordinator Freem. She says she has one of the away team with her."
"I had better make myself scarce Andae, besides, it's about time for my booster injection." Carl said, getting up and heading toward the turbo-lift, "Thank you for the show. I'm sure we're making good progress now. Good luck with her." he joked, nodding toward the screen. Commander Blakus nodded, almost grimacing, then waited for his friend to step off the Bridge before turning to the view-screen once more:
"On screen." he said ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jun 29, 2013 1:51:57 GMT
Andae was intending to call the Commodore back on to the bridge before he started the comm with Freem. He could do with the deposed CO's help in dealing with the feisty Coordinator. But, he realised just in time, that one sight of Commodore Torek from Freem's perspective would end everything right here and now.
His eyes widened with realisation at what'd nearly just happened. He'd nearly blown the entire mission, perhaps would've decided the fate of millions or billions of lives, and in one instant of stupidity. Yes, best for the Commodore to remain belowdecks during crucial ship matters. But Andae still had his designs... In a very short while, he planned to ask his friend and long-term CO to take back command of the Raven. Carl's reaction when that time would come... Andae didn't know what it would be. He imagined it wouldn't go well, but was willing to face the consequences - for pushing the matter through - when the time arrived.
"On screen," he said at last, now fully settled in the CO's seat and displaying none of these recent concerns, ruminations.
"Commander Andae Blakus, if I remember rightly?" Freem cut to the chase, "I have your fellow Commander, T'Brel Peers, here with me. We've given your team permission to investigate the disapperance of your Captain. Commander Peers wants to report a few things..." The testy Coordinator stepped back, letting the security officer step to the fore.
"Commander," Andae nodded, "The state of the search?" He let Peers give his report, before adding, "I trust my assistant is performing satisfactorily."
<Tag Peers>
After the lengthy comm message, for Peers' report on affairs on the planet, Blakus was feeling a measure of relief. Things weren't going as bad down there as he'd thought they were, despite the that Captain Watson had been temporarily misplaced. He received a report that the holoship had returned to its virtual position beneath the stardrive at which point it'd dematerialised back into the ship. It'd been a resounding success; things were looking up.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Jul 1, 2013 15:33:46 GMT
Lt. Milyanov
After his brief existentialist discussion with Marionette, Milyanov had sidled along to the plaza. He'd disguised himself from prying eyes - despite the new freedom afforded to the team by Freem - in a monochrome, padded suit. His idea had been to appear as a typical Proximian businessman. This fortunately made some sense, as the team had finally encountered a few male members of the species, although most seemed to hold low-level roles, menial or mid-level administrative jobs, while it was the females that seemed the dominant gender in the working environment.
He sauntered up to the table where Watson had been sitting casually, before he'd been apparently snatched. He looked towards the western exit of the plaza: the likely route the captors would've gone to take the CO from the square. He noticed a slight breeze had picked up; northerly, flowing snake-like through the spires of the colossal theatres at the northern edge.
Fallen leaves and dust particles were kicked up along the plaza. His eyes turned skywards; he wheeled as he stood there, the Proximian sun crossing into his vision. The light saturated his retinae, harsh illumination, and he cast his eyes down to the abandoned table.
"Hold on..." Unsure what he was seeing, he placed a finger in a slight groove in the table's surface; tested it for shape, and then for possible calibre... He immediately looked behind him, towards the northern border of the square, at one of the theatre's low levels. If a shot had come from there, and if it'd been recent...
Briefly, and with an odd sense that he was about to come within physical danger, he scraped a few samples from the edges of the bullet hole and stowed them in a jacket pocket. Inconspicuously as possible he made his way from the plaza, heading for the museums at the western edge. He hoped he could eventually pass beyond the western customs gate.
He didn't get very far. In a brief instant, he was seized by officials in blue overalls, who'd seemed to come from nowhere. They bundled him into the back of a repulsor van, not a word spoken. He was gagged and bonded to the interior. Faceless masks were arrayed opposite him, and he felt the van take a sharp right turn, heading presumably towards the theatre district. One of the masked officers withdrew his/her helmet, and he/she was strangely recognisable. There was considerable vibration throughout the repulsor van's chassis, propagating straight through the seats in fact. The craft must've been giving out quite some external volume as they headed to the northern quarter.
Milyanov sat casually, acting almost as if he'd been expecting this kidnapping. He wiped some sweat from his brow.
<Tag Calli, All>
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Calli Valente
Starfleet Intelligence
"Don't get in my way."
Registered: Aug 4, 2010 21:19:10 GMT
Posts: 534
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Post by Calli Valente on Jul 1, 2013 18:29:58 GMT
Standing in the middle of the seventh floor room, Calli made a slow three sixty rotation, moving her eye-line from the floor to ceiling, taking in every little thing ... Once facing the window once more, she repeated the process in an anti-clockwise direction, then closed her eyes ...
Her eidetic memory allowed her to 'picture' the room and it's contents with exceptional accuracy ...... Satisfied she had everything set, she began a slow walk around the room. The first inconsistency were the marks on the sill, two circular spots where the accumulated dust had been displaced by an object, or objects. Next was the flooring, some form of rubberized plastic configuration, and here too were marks, this time four.
Looking at the stacks of chairs, she walked over and knelt to look into the gaps between the seats then slowly lifted the top one down. Unlike the one it was resting on, this was free of any dust on the seat and back rest ... She carried the chair to the window and slowly placed it down, the legs fitted into the marks exactly !
Seating herself, she took out her telescopic and looked at the Plas' Converse.
"Phser rifle ..... No ?" she mused, looking at the marks on the sill once more, "Feet !" It was what used to be described as a bipod, two fold-down legs that allowed the user to rest the weapon on three points, the two feet and the shoulder, making for excellent stability in the right hands. Then a thought struck her ...
"It's the twenty fourth century." Calli said, thinking out loud, "Why the hell would anyone need to use a projectile weapon ?"
She took the telescopic again and looked at where the Captain and herself were sat. A phaser shot, even from this distance, would have been seen easily in the mid evening light, and that would have attracted unwanted attention. But a tranquilizer dart !
"Holly Hell !" she said, realizing that whoever was doing this to them had really thought the process through in exacting detail, leaving little or nothing to chance ... Quickly returning the room to it's former state, she 'pictured' her image and was satisfied nothing was out of place. She picked up her bag from near the door and made a scan record of the room. Unfortunately, Freem had decided not to provide diagnostic equipment, so she would have to make do. Dozens, if not hundreds, of worlds could supply a projectile weapon capable of covering the distance with supreme accuracy in the right hands, so, not point in looking in that direction just yet ... Leaving the room she headed back to the hotel !
~~~~~~~~~~
"I may have found something." she said, throwing her bag on the nearest chair and heading toward one of the terminals. It was then she realized that not everyone was there.
"Where's Lieutenant Milyanov ?"
"He 'acquired' some Proximian clothing and went out for a walk." Marionette volunteered.
"Clothing ?" Aeryn said, puzzled, "What was wrong with what he had on already ?"
"He wished to 'blend in' he said." the android replied as explanation.
"Right, well we'll have to review on his return. Drugging me allowed for a focus point, something for the other customers to look at as I fell face-first into my proverbial soup, if you will. But I think I know how the Captain was taken with little or no fuss ...." Calli said, then, putting up the schematic of the theater storage room, she began to explain her train of thought re the means of subduing Alex ..........
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