Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 5, 2013 0:59:31 GMT
This time he was furious. His brain descended into a pool of scarlet, enveloping and drowning him. His goal could not be clearer though. He saw everything with a painful clarity, as he marched the corridor; the cold light of day, piercing his eyes and showing him the dim mundanity of it all.
"Tinsley."
"Sir?"
"Redouble your efforts. I want warp drive up and running, minimum Warp 5 in eight hours time." Tinsley acknowledged and the channel closed. They had limited time. Barton was going to take control of the vessel and have it follow the Songacha - or be towed by that vessel - if Admiral Torek didn't comply with Starfleet's demands. Once the refugees were safely off the Raven, the Galaxy class ship was to be out of here, outbound trajectory galactic northwards towards the Sol stellar cluster and home.
Sickbay was his first destination, though, to fix his mind if nothing else, and locate his Russian assistant.
Three hours later...
The room had a dry, lifeless quality to it. Frozen air in grace layered dust on the pale grey walls, although the presence of any such particles was in fact impossible in the sterile environment. A cold hiss diffused throughout the room, footsteps on the carpetless floor. In silence more profound than that in the deep void itself, the morgue container was peeled back. Blakus came to stand over it. Kamat's eyes shot open, all red.
"Listen," the chief said, leaning over so he was sure the immobilised Kamat had his full attention. "You're not meant to be here. You're supposed to be dead." Kamat's bloodshot eyes darted back and forth, the furious movements betraying his emotions, unless it was simple shock at his sudden revival. "I'm going to release the immobilisation mechanism, bring you out of stasis. You're going to deflector control and you're going to get us out of this hell hole. You hear me!?"
With a cry of fury Blakus tore the mechanism loose and pulled Kamat's limp shoulders from the morgue chamber. Kamat slumped to the deck like a puppet with its strings cut, his knees too weak to allow him to stand. As he began slurring words Blakus slapped a commbadge on him. "Computer, authorisation Blakus alpha alpha four zero, site to site transport, designated commbadge in morgue to deflector control." He tapped his own commbadge, "Milyanov, expect a visitor. I want his knowledge but keep him as drugged as the situation allows."
Kamat's limp body dematerialised from the deck and Blakus stormed his way back to engineering.
Three hours later again...
=^= The transmission ? =^=
=^= No change and no way to decipher it's content =^=
=^= Thank you Commander =^= Torek said.
=^= It's definitely tracking us, sir. =^= Milyanov's familiar clipped voice came from deflector control. Blakus acknowledged and signalled to Tinsley, who nodded and input the code into the master console. The transmission, from who knew where outside of the galaxy, had begun a slow arc from the freighter towards the Raven. The subtended angle was of course incredibly small; even technology as advanced as that would have a hard time refining its beam exactly on to the Raven's position, or whatever other target it was intending.
Blakus pondered darkly, lost in a thick smog of consciousness, thumbing his lip as he leant over the console by the warp core. Could this be the Gandai, or someone like them? Somehow, from beyond the lip of the Milky Way itself, the Gandai were speaking to them. Or was it wishful thinking, and Alex Watson was really gone? In which case there was only one choice.
"Sir, helm has input the command for warp," Tinsley reported. Blakus's eyes darted up at the pulsating magnetic constrictors. The thrum of the warp core began picking up in intensity. "Warp 1.5... 1.6... If you want to try it, sir, I advise you try it now."
=^= Milyanov! Activate now. =^= There was no guarantee Andae could've given to Carl anyway, so he'd refrained from mentioning it. He began to regret it now.
The mass of duranium that was the Raven groaned in horror as it jerked and spun through space, as if it'd virtually tripped over something in the vacuum. The ship was flipping end over end, accelerating to improbable speed in a short period of time, courtesy of the work done by Milyanov and El-Kamat in deflector control. Inertial dampeners were going wild trying to keep the vessel in one piece, to keep the crew from becoming bloodied pulp in an iron cage...
"Warp 7.2, maxing out! I'd advise we don't go any further, sir!" Blakus gazed at the core, transfixed. Tinsley looked on in astonishment. "Sir, this is insane! We're going to fly apart! The acceleration device can only be deactivated from your console. Need I remind you, sir?!"
Tinsley barrelled into Andae, throwing him to the deck of the upper level. Blakus lay stunned, disorientated. "Where...?" Tinsley had slammed the button to deactivate the device providing modification to the deflector, and the Raven slowly dropped through the warp factors, reducing its spin simultaneously.
"Structural integrity was on the verge of failing..." Tinsley murmured, "Get a lock on the Songacha!" he demanded of a junior NCO, glaring down at the pallid CEO.
"They're about half a parsec behind us, sir. But catching up fast. Looks like they've realised that we want to go back with them."
"And the transmission..." Andae murmured inaudibly, unsure if he was asking a question or commenting on some distant truth from an alternate dimension, some whole other realm... As for his physical body, he felt only searing light behind his eyes.
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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 Nov 5, 2013 19:01:44 GMT
Calli was acutely aware that she was sat in Alex's seat as the Raven turned away from Proxima Oralix ... She knew only too well the will-power needed to leave someone behind. Carl wasn't doing this thing lightly, she knew he would remain on Oralix and search until he dropped, but he had a duty, and a responsibility to those who served under him ...
As the Raven jumped into warp and began to increase speed, Calli wondered how they were making more than the warp one point five Andae had said they could make. She didn't have time to ponder on the issue ... As the ship passed warp seven she began to feel a vibration through her feet, nothing too serious, inertial dampers out of line maybe, but as the seconds passed the vibrations grew and grew, until it was impossible to remain standing without using something for support !
Carl had to yell to get his orders heard, but nothing seemed to slow the headlong rush into open space ... Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the ship began to slow, the shaking subsiding incrementally, until the Raven dropping into normal space, her tumbling slowing and leveling out as the ship came to a complete stop ...
"Sir, Captain Thompson is hailing us." Harry said, wiping blood from his bleeding lips on his sleeve, "He's asking if we are OK."
"Send word for him to rendezvous with us and stand by." Carl said.
Harry motioned to Calli and she approached his station. He pointed to one of the read-out's without saying a word. Calli nodded, she told Carl she would go check on casualties and left the Bridge ...
~~~~~
"They're about half a parsec behind us, Sir, but catching up fast. Looks like they've realized that we want to go back with them."
"And the transmission..."
"Mind volunteering an explanation ?" she asked, stepping in front of Andae.
"I don't have time." he said, moving to one of the Engineering consoles and making rapid adjustments to settings.
"Make time !" Calli said slowly, making sure he understood her thoroughly.
< tag : Andae >
"But you disobeyed a direct order Andae, he could throw the book at you for this, you do understand that, don't you ... You're career in Star Fleet would be in tatters." Calli said, frustration in every word. She understood his motives, and the fact that Kamat had knowledge that could save the ship, she was just having a rough time getting her head around what her friend had done, "He needs to know." she finished, leaning against one of the inactive consoles. Andae looked at her without replying. One of his team approached and gave him a PADD. Blakus read the information then threw the device across Engineering. He gave a stream of instructions to the young woman, who rushed off to comply.
"Where is he ?"
"Deflector Control." Andae said.
"Great ... A drug-addled despot who wants to destroy all life in the universe helping us ... Carl will love that." she shrugged, a wry grin forming. "Unfortunately your site to site was picked up on Commander Wedlerson's station, thus my timely arrival down here." ..........
< tag : Andae / Alex / All >
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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 Nov 6, 2013 18:22:54 GMT
"Lieutenant, what is your status ?" Carl asked Marionette. "I am currently 47 percent functional." she said rather distractedly, trying to find some way to keep up the appearance of normalcy in front of the Admiral and other senior officers. Functionally, she was a sneeze away from all of her systems locking up.
"Then I suggest you make your way to Engineering." Torek said.
"Yes Admiral." the Android said, turning to leave. Slowly walking out and gently heel-toe-ing her way to Main Engineering, her thoughts turned to the not-event that happened at Zennai, and of the 'machine soul' sparks that - Some part in her had blasted out like a shotgun shell, showering sparks like a small fireworks, and Marionette gripped the wall, leaving a handprint embedded as her gyros gave out, and she hit the deck with a muffled boff-clank.
A dozen other officers had carried her the rest of the way to Main Engineering, where they set her down on 'the Slab'.
Marionette was waiting for him in engineering. She was largely nonfunctional, her neural net having been partially fried by the electric discharge that'd ripped through the shuttle Piper. She lay on a raised platform - a biobed for androids and other such beings.
"Can you hear me, Lieutenant." His hands spread over the console, analysing her positronic brain's functions. Most of the processes and subprocesses were working, but a few crucial links were missing.
Her voice (or rather, a close approximation, which was not the voice of the LCARS computer) came out of the diagnostic console attached to the bed-slab "I can hear you, but my visual processors do not seem to be working, nor any of my actuators. My Self-diagnostics are also inoperable."
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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: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 9, 2013 0:55:09 GMT
In galactic speed terms, the Raven crawled along at a leisurely warp one point five, the Songacha keeping pace to port and just behind them. Carl was almost embarrassed that the only Galaxy Class vessel in the Fleet was reduced to walking pace, but it kept them closer to the Proxima system for that much longer, which in his mind gave Alex more time to be found ...
They were in the void between Star systems now. The Songacha still shadowing her, but as Carl decided to leave the Bridge to the Delta Shift, the stars seemed to lurch forward for a split-second:
"Helm, problems ?" he asked, sitting forward.
"Checking Admiral." the Duty Helm Officer said, but before he could reply further, the ship jumped forward, increasing past warp two, then three, then four, and climbing rapidly ... Carl tapped the Comm link.
=^= Bridge .. Engineering .. Have you been holding back on me Commander ? =^=
=^= Bridge we're busy down here .. The warp core is undergoing a casca ...... =^=
The Comm fell silent as the Raven began to tumble end over end, Carl knew the ship would break-up under the stresses it was suffering, but he couldn't get up as increased gravity pushed him into his seat. Help reported he had lost all control, alarms were sounding from every station ... Inertial stabilizers were struggling to cope, artificial gravity was fluctuating, nailing some people to the deck and lifting others into the ceiling.
"Warp seven point nine Sir .... Structural integrity is failing on several decks. We have hull breaches on eight and nine, sealing bulkheads now !"
As quickly as the acceleration had begun, it began to subside ... The ship slowed and slowed, until it finally fell back into real-time space, dropping out of warp. The ship began it's automated task of restoring equilibrium, slowly leveling out the tumble until the Raven was once more in line with the plain of the universe. There was silence for all of six seconds, before damage reports and injuries began flooding into the Bridge, then as quickly, the Comms fell silent.
"What the hell was that about ?" he asked, wiping blood from a cut in his forehead.
"Working on it Admiral." Harry said as he pointed something out to Valenti, "Inter-ship communication is out, power sporadic at this point. I wouldn't recommend the turbo-lifts." Carl looked at Calli, she nodded telling him she would go check on casualties, leaving the Bridge via one of the Jeffries tubes ......
~~~~~
=^= What's your situation Admiral ? =^= Captain Thompson asked as the Songacha took up station on the Raven's port quarter.
=^= We're still checking on casualties .. The core is off-line again .. I've sent someone to Engineering and Sick-bay but without turbo-lifts it's a time-consuming effort .. I don't have power for transporters could you beam Medical Personnel into the sections worst hit ? =^=
=^= My CMO will begin sending teams immediately Admiral .. Is your life Support stable ? =^=
=^= Yes Captain .. We had one partial deck de-compression but no-one was caught in the section =^=
=^= I'll have Engineers sent over to assist with repairs =^=
=^= Thank you Captain .. Torek out =^= Carl closed the Comm and slumped into his seat ... 'Geez, if I was superstitious I would think we had been jinxed' he thought to himself as he began getting 'hand to hand' reports ... Suddenly the Comm system crackled into life and it seemed everyone on the ship needed to speak to the Bridge at once. Harry filtered out all but the urgent Comms, but spun to Carl as one caught his attention:
"Admiral, Ms Allen has been trying to contact you ......" Carl was out of his seat and heading for the Jeffries tube even as Wedlerson continued, grabbing Carl by the arm before he vanished from sight, "Sir, she says Vanessa is shaken up, but OK. Bethan is injured, not seriously. She was thrown across your quarters when the inertial dampers failed for a second."
"Contact Captain Thompson. Get their CMO in my quarters now .. NO excuses Commander !" Torek said, dropping into the 'tube.
~~~~~
"...... ething you will be able to tell all your friends about isn't it." a woman was saying as Carl burst into his quarters. He kissed a pale Vanessa on the forehead then turned to his youngest Daughter, and the woman kneeling beside her, "Doctor Sarah Millian Admiral, CMO, Songacha. Captain Thompson said you might need my services."
"How is she Doctor ?"
"A little shaken. I've given her mild sedation ... Hairline fracture of the occipital, nothing to fret about, broken radius, treated, dislocated finger, done ... I think a good nights' sleep should see her back on her feet Admiral ... Tough little girl there, she refused medication until i tapped her wrist, then she was happy for me to sedate her." she picked up a torn piece of nightdress, showing it to Carl, "She was lucky Ms Valenti managed to grab her, albeit for a second, it slowed her impact ... Saved her life. Now, with your permission I would like to check on my teams ?" Carl nodded, unable to take his eyes off his sleeping Daughter as Vanessa and Chloe sat on the floor beside him ..........
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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 Nov 10, 2013 21:43:17 GMT
"I'll come with you."
"No ..." Calli said, turning back to Andae, "You are needed here. besides, it will give 'him' more time to work if the Admiral isn't aware of the fact he's awake ... I have to say, If I feel El-Kamat is doing anything but helping, I'll shoot him, no hesitation."
"I don't doubt it." Andae said under his breath as she left Engineering.
~~~~~
Milyanov looked up as Calli entered Deflector Control, he nodded without speaking then returned his scrutiny to Kamat. He in turn didn't acknowledge her presence ...
"What are you doing ?" she asked.
"I am working one several aspects Commander. Firstly, I was requested to decipher the transmission that has seemingly locked onto this vessel of yours. I have also been asked to rectify numerous issues ascertaining to your warp drive. both of these are paramount should you wish to conclude your, shall we say, mission ?" Kamat raised his eyebrows, continuing to work.
"What do you think the transmission is ?"
"How does your 'Earth' saying go, 'Your guess, dear lady, is as good as mine' ... Though I suspect it is connected to the fact your Officer is missing, presumably he is with the Gandai, but that is pure speculation on my part of course ... Now, if you don't mind, I have a warp core to repair."
"NO !" ..... Calli said, raising the phaser for the first time, "I'm pretty sure Commander Blakus and his team can work on the warp drive ... You, can work on the transmission."
El-kamat stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. He held her gaze for a long moment before glancing at Milyanov as if weighing up his options. Somehow, he really seemed to be struggling with a decision, Calli thought, but it reinforced her conviction to shoot the man.
"If you no longer need my assistance, I am sure the Commander here will be more than willing to return me to my cryo-chamber." he said, almost casually.
"Get back to work." Calli said, turning away from the monster. She moved beside Milyanov and tapped her Comm badge:
=^= Valenti to the Bridge =^=
=^= Bridge =^=
=^= What's our status ? =^=
=^= The Admiral has gone to his quarters Commander .. We're dead in the water .. The Songacha has sent people over to assist with our injured =^=
=^= Very well =^= Calli closed the Comm, watching El-Kamat closely ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 11, 2013 20:55:16 GMT
"Make time !" Calli said slowly, making sure he understood her thoroughly.
"I don't know!" he cried, stumbling to his feet and returning to the warp core diagnostic console. "I knew we had to get away from the system. I don't..." Calli, Tinsley and the other engineers waited for him, "... I don't remember why I wanted the acceleration device activated or pushed to those limits."
"What is this acceleration device?" Calli asked impatiently.
"I had Milyanov make some modifications to the navigational deflector with El-Kamat's assistance. Kamat's learnt secrets that I can't comprehend. And I don't know how I became aware of them."
"But you disobeyed a direct order Andae, Carl could throw the book at you for this, you do understand that, don't you ... You're career in Star Fleet would be in tatters." Calli said, frustration in every word, "He needs to know," she finished, leaning against one of the inactive consoles. Andae looked at her without replying.
Once Valenti was gone, Blakus walked silently, still-faced to his office. He slumped against his desk. Tinsley followed him concernedly, seeing his Chief's pale face, sweat dripping down his temples and lining his cheek musculature. His hands were shaking as he arranged the PADDs on his desk. He eventually managed to slide around the desk to collapse in the seat.
"Sir. I recommend you check yourself into sickbay." Tinsley said.
Blakus stared blankly into space. "Don't I understand? I think the tightbeam, from outside the galaxy, made contact with our deflector and interacted with Milyanov's device in such a way to push us away from the system. Something in the system, something only it knows about, could've done us great harm. Nothing to do with Proxima Oralix the planet that's been renewed."
"What do you mean by 'it', sir?"
"The Gandai who originated the beam of course." Andae said. Some colour was returning to his face, his skin shading itself as if it was a canvas being completed by an artist. "They, or it, knew that the ship was in danger and propelled me to push us away from certain destruction." He rose, gripped as if by a fever. Tinsley watched him dubiously.
"I must inform the Admiral," Andae rounded the desk but paused, as if he'd been caught in freeze frame. "Of course," he said, suddenly pacing, scratching his chin stubble, "That doesn't necessarily explain why I can't remember being instructed, or why it's all a haze like static. The evidence is circumstantial. No, something else... The racks in the Piper shuttle, emergency supplies and spare spanners."
=^= Tinsley to the assistant CMO =^= the assistant tapped his commbadge, =^= Please report to engineering at your - =^=
"No!" Andae ran into Tinsley, sending both men crashing to the floor. He spun and grabbed a phaser from the weapons locker located just outside his office, pointing it at Tinsley who backed away on the floor with his arms in the air. The whole of engineering was alerted to the incident.
"Anyone else want to question my orders?" Andae glared, waving the phaser about as he exited his office. His hands were shaking, vision blurring. All his people seemed to him smeared oil paintings, wavering in an inexplicable heat haze.
As he staggered forwards towards the 'pool table' a tall, shapely object floated into his visual field, standing somewhat stationary before him. It was pale skinned and pearl eyed and rose its hand before him. With a sharp motion its hand or arm came down on his shoulder, and he knew nothing further 'til he awoke in sickbay.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Marionette." Tinsley turned to the master console, =^= Lieutenant Tinsley to bridge. Consistent warp velocity has been reestablished, sir. We're holding steady at warp 1.3. Commander Blakus has been rendered unconscious. Before he... went under, he claimed he thought the Gandai are ultimately behind the sudden boost in acceleration. But he's at a loss to explain his own actions, sir. He only mentioned the ambulance shuttle. =^=
<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: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 12, 2013 18:14:10 GMT
Carl could see that the Raven was underway once more. He lifted Bethan and carried her into the Children's bedroom, Chloe and Vanessa helped put her to bed, before Carl headed for the Bridge ...
~~~~~
"Sir ..." Harry said, getting up from the command seat, "Lieutenant Tinsley informed the Bridge that Commander Blakus is in Sick-bay, he seemed to have suffered a minor breakdown. He is unconscious but stable."
"Have the Lieutenant, Commander Valenti and Commander Peers come to the observation lounge, if Lieutenant marionette is cleared for duty, add her to the list, and you too." Torek said, waving him back into the seat.
~~~~~
Once everyone currently fit enough to attend was there, Carl stood up. The room was silent, waiting to hear what their Commanding Officer had to say ...
"OK ...... You are all aware of our situation ....." he began, looking at the faces watching him, "Firstly, I don't accept that Commander Watson is lost. He was taken by the Gandai, from the scant information we have managed to gather, Commander Blakus feel's the Gandai were, in part, responsible for moving us away from Proxima ... That said, the Commander took certain actions while not in full control of himself. He feels it may have been Gandai influence that 'guided' him on a sub-conscious level ....."
"How is the Commander ?" T'Brel asked.
"Recovering quickly ..... Now, our options are somewhat limited ..... We can't go back and continue the search, and we can't remain at our present speed, it will take approximately forty seven days to reach Earth. I am also aware that El-Kamat has been removed from his cryo-stasis and is currently being watched by Commander Milyanov ... So ... Lieutenant Tinsley, you will expend every effort to increase our speed, safely. Assign a second Engineer to work alongside Kamat and get Milyanov back into Engineering, between you I'm sure you can run the department until Commander Blakus can get back with you ..... Commander Peers, you, or two of your team will be at the maniac's side twenty four seven, no exceptions, if he takes a bathroom break, you do too, understand ... Every vessel still in orbit around Proxima Oralix has been instructed to scan all frequencies, any sign of Alex' reappearance will be relayed to us instantly ... I have no doubt he will be back on board once the Gandai have done with him, and you should all feel likewise."
"Are we in trouble when we get back, Admiral ?" Tinsley asked quietly.
"No ! ..... We're not in trouble." Carl said, again looking at the faces around the table, "There may be repercussions, but given we've spent some extensive time on this, it's understandable. But you have nothing to worry about Lieutenant, unless you don't get us moving that is." he said, grinning.
"Aye Sir." Tinsley said.
"OK everyone, let's redouble our efforts and get the Raven home. I'm sure non of you want to see the Songacha bringing us into the system under tow." Carl said, standing. Everyone followed suit and filed out of the room ... For the first time in a 'long' time, Carl could finally see an end to this ..........
< tag : All >
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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 Nov 13, 2013 8:37:49 GMT
Having all of her servo-actuators replaced, and some of her borg internal parts separately hard-rebooted and re-synced, Marionette was indeed Optimal again. None too soon it seemed, as Commander Blakus seemed to 'go abit off the deep end', as humans like to say.
"I had Milyanov make some modifications to the navigational deflector with El-Kamat's assistance. Kamat's learnt secrets that I can't comprehend. And I don't know how I became aware of them." he said.
Marionette waited around to be given a 'clean bill of health' from the chief engineer.
=^= Tinsley to the assistant CMO =^= the assistant tapped his commbadge, =^= Please report to engineering at your - =^=
"No!" Andae ran into Tinsley, sending both men crashing to the floor. Marionette heard the sound, but did not see the both of them hit the carpeted deck, as she was on the other side of the dividing wall, opposite the viewing window.
"Anyone else want to question my orders?" Andae glared, waving the phaser about as he exited his office. His hands were shaking, vision blurring. All his people seemed to him smeared oil paintings, wavering in an inexplicable heat haze.
She quirked her eyebrows at the sight of the phaser, her mind generating threat-anticipation actions at terra-bits per nano-second. His eyes were unevenly dilated, sweaty skin, unstable motor-control. All of these factors and more were noted by her, and run through the numbers.
Stepping forward, Marionette reached out and 'vulcan neck-pinched' Commander Blakus. He went down hard, hitting the deck with a definite thud.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Marionette." Tinsley said. "Your welcome, Lieutenant Tinsley." Marionette said, almost-smiling, before turning and effortlessly carried Blakus to sickbay.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 15, 2013 21:34:16 GMT
"Ah, there you are..." Tinsley greeted Milyanov outside of engineering as the latter approached down the corridor. Tinsley had been on the verge of hunting him down, so long had he been taking to return from deflector control. "How is our Cordovin rebel?" he asked, still hardly believing that El-Kamat was now in some fashion working for them.
"Sedated, heavily," Milyanov said. "Enough to prevent any violent impulses, but sufficiently gentle that he can still work and pass instructions. What's the situation?"
"We're at warp 1.45," Tinsley replied as they entered engineering. "We dare not try the acceleration device again, at least not in its current configuration..." Tinsley stared at his hands, where Blakus had struck him in his 'madness'. "The Chief had an idea that it was the tightbeam transmission from outside the galaxy, interacting with the deflector, that caused our sudden burst in speed."
"What about our current warp velocity. Does it show any signs of potential degradation; could it be increased safely without deflector involvement?"
Tinsley shook his head. There were no guarantees either way. A large element was being forced to be left to chance; they couldn't do much else except trust that the warp velocity would increase incrementally, or would not increase at all and at least remain constant. Both officers had agreed, they didn't want the USS Songacha finding itself in the haughty position of 'asking' the Raven if they could render assistance. The Raven would go under her own power and would keep up with the Songacha.
"Keep tabs on the deflector," Milyanov instructed, ascending to the upper level and spreading an arm out to encompass all of engineering. His domain, at least for now, and for more if he had his own way with things. Not that he would ever entertain the thought of forcing his Chief out. "If there are any further hints of interference from the outside-galaxy transmission, alert me immediately. It might be the only window we have to test, or at least make an attempt to test the Chief's theory."
Sickbay...
Andae awoke barely screaming, panting hoarsely, rasping under his breath on the verge of hyperventilation; it was as if the shades assailed him still. He cast about; everything seemed black, threatening. Smiling features turning to twisted faces of deception. Friends' visages turned to evil cast in complexions almost demonic. Slowly he drew himself back to the calm shore of consciousness, that apparent plateaux on which the mundane events of life played themselves out to some unhearkening audience. His ship drew ashore, anchoring itself within those calming mists in indifferent silence, and his miserable rebirth was complete.
"Commander," the nurse said sternly, something harsh and freezing compressing to his neck. "You need a sedative."
"Something..." Andae spluttered, "Something to calm me down. Don't put me under for cying out loud. Not this time."
The nurse turned to the Doctor and Lieutenant Marionette, both who stood in the background and the former of which nodded in agreement. The nurse prepared a different hypospray and Andae collapsed on the biobed sighing, just maintaining consciousness after the cold injection was impressed into his neck.
He gathered his thoughts. The noise, the rapping metallic sound from the rear compartment of the Piper... It signified something. Something may have grasped hold of his mind - as outlandish as that seemed - in those moments when they'd exited the Piper through the rear. Kamat had been locked in his casket; he could've had no direct role. Something may have already been present, or indeed, Kamat could've brought something aboard with him when they took him from the wreckage of his flagship.
Still, beyond this - assuming his fever or whatever it was subsided - there was a looming shadow, focussed to a point impinging on his mind: what lay in wait for the Raven's senior staff on their return to Earth? Who ran the risk of court martial and who would be absolved? Captain Barton - JAG officer; his presence on the Raven was hardly reassuring in this regard, especially as he'd been given instruction to take command if the orders to return to base weren't carried out. Fate seemed to clothe all that they did. Barton's direct involvement in the running of the ship was too strange to be coincidence, and Andae perceived that on return, the process of bringing the case to court martial would be swift.
<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 Nov 16, 2013 1:01:00 GMT
Calli walked into Sick-bay and looked around breezily. Acting surprised to fibd Andae still there, she approached the bio-bed:
"You getting to like laying here doing nothing then ?" she asked.
"What, no, I should be up and about once these people have done with their prodding and probing." Blakus replied groggily as a nurse approached and gave the Commander an injection before moving away.
"Be right back." Calli said to him before following the nurse. She asked how long the Doctor would be holding the Chief Engineer, "So he should be released to return to duty by morning ?"
"Providing we have no further 'episodes' yes." the nurse said, returning to her duties. Calli wondered if Andae actually knew that he had been in Sick-bay for three days now. Slipping in and out of consciousness, the random outburst as if he was talking to someone, and the insistence that he not be fully sedated. Thankfully, over the last forty eight hours, he had recovered well, well enough to be considered for release. She went back to Andae:
"You're not going to win any 'Patient of the Year' awards from what I hear." she said, grinning, "Been giving the nurses a hard time have you ?"
"Moi ?" he said, an almost saintly smile his face.
Calli was happy to see him getting back to his old self. They had worried when he was first brought in, but their worries were unfounded. He had just needed some rest, away from Engineering, and away from any duties. She had no doubts that he would be back in charge and getting his warp engines humming seamlessly through space in no time.
"Right ..." she said, unconvinced, "Anyway, some of us don't have the luxury of laying on their back all day ... I'll drop in tonight to see if they have managed to decide on a time to throw you out of here." she finished, heading out of Sick-bay .....
~~~~~
Throughout the day, Milyanov and Tinsley had managed to coax the engines to warp two point three five, a vast improvement given the Raven's situation. Calli had taken several duty shifts, all remarkably uneventful. The Songacha had remained in formation, and thankfully, Captain Thompson hadn't inquired 'too' often about their progress ... Captain Barton, the JAG Officer though, was another matter ... He had constantly badgered the Admiral, herself, and the Engineering teams regarding their crawl toward Earth. She was about to leave the Bridge when the man entered, making his way directly to her:
"Any news ?" he asked, impatience oozing from every word.
"It seems Lieutenant Caron's wife is expecting a baby." she replied innocently.
"I think it is about time you started taking me seriously, Commander !" Barton said, ice in every word suddenly, "I can have you removed easily. Oh, and while we're on the subject of being removed, Is there any chance the 'Admiral' might make an appearance anytime soon, because frankly, I am getting a little tired of the excuses people are giving me regarding his constant absence, I'm beginning to think he's avoiding his commitments to the ship and crew."
Calli watched the man for a moment before standing up:
"Commander Wedlerson, you have the Conn ... Captain, if you wouldn't mind ?" she said, heading for the ready room, fully expecting the man to be following, she didn't sit, but spun on the man as the door closed, "I am going to say this once 'CAPTAIN' so please make every effort to understand every word ... If you 'EVER' utter comments in front of the crew such as those you voiced a moment ago, I will see to it you are confined to your quarters until we have docked and disembarked, and please, try to call my bluff !"
"I think you shou ....." Barton began, but Calli held up a finger, silencing him mid-word.
"Don't let these fool you !" she said, pointing to the pips on her collar, "I think, you should confine yourself to whatever duties you feel 'appropriate' to a JAG Officer. But take heed Captain, If I receive one more comment regarding your attitude, or opinions, regarding our current situa ....."
"Just 'WHO' the hell do you think you are ... 'I DEMAND' to see the Admi ....."
Calli tapped her Comm badge, completely ignoring the mans outburst:
=^= Security to the Admirals' ready room .. On the double =^=
She closed the Comm and sat in silence, allowing Barton to continue his rant. The door opened and two Security Officers entered quickly.
"Escort the Captain to his quarters and confine him there. He is to have no access to Communications. He will not leave his quarters without my express permission, and he will be accompanied at all times should that privilege be allowed ... Thank you gentlemen."
The two men turned to face the suddenly speechless Captain, motioning toward the door, and making it plain they would love him to argue. With a burning glare at Valenti, he stormed out, barely keeping himself in check as the two Officers fell into step with him. After a moment Calli spoke:
"Computer. Suspend all Security Access for Captain Barton effective immediately. Also restrict communication access to inter-ship only ... Authorization: Valenti-Alpha-Zero-Two-Omega-Upsilon."
"Confirmed." the computer said.
Calli stood and walked back onto the Bridge. She sat in the Command seat and watched the stars. 'For some reason, the place seems much brighter' she thought, a satisfied grin forming ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 17, 2013 15:34:13 GMT
"Doctor. Doctor..." Blakus called. He felt as if he was shouting, but in truth it came out only as a murmur, a whisper. He croaked as he tried to sit up on the biobed. "I think I'm ready to be discharged."
"When I say. Not before," the Doctor replied as he strode up, evidently having heard Blakus's moans. He was on the verge of supplying another hypospray, the cool hiss starting to press on the Chief's neck when Andae batted his hand away. He shrugged off his protective blanket. "No more sedatives. I want to be awake to experience... whatever the hell's going on around me. In any case it's fading. The thing's grip on me loosening..." he murmured. "Doctor, make arrangements to discharge me within the hour."
"No," he said simply, virtually repeating what he'd said before and wandering off. He signalled cursorily to a couple nurses to come and restrain the wantaway CEO.
"Tinsley to Blakus. I understand you're awake, sir," a voice as if from nowhere, grainily entering his senses as if from concealed speakers in the mute grey walls. The nurses glared at Andae, glancing back to the Doctor. Andae acknowledged Tinsley in the affirmative. "Captain Barton has been confined to quarters, sir, just to let you know. There's little risk from him for the duration of our trip to Starbase."
"The move makes sense," Blakus said idly, "We followed our orders. Admiral Torek set a course for Earth and the location of the... ahem proceedings, whatever's to take place. Barton's orders to take command of the Raven if those actions were not carried out have become void."
"But sir," that was Milyanov's voice, sounding urgent. Blakus frowned; what business was it of his subordinates to have a say in these matters? "He's a JAG officer. Confining him to quarters might not send the best signal to Command, if there is a court martial pending."
Blakus lay back, the padded surface of the biobed raising dust into the air as he impacted - as if he were a cadaver slumping into its grave. He rubbed his eyes; bloodshot as they were, more so with his tampering.
He hadn't given consideration to this reasoning from Milyanov. Now things may prove more difficult on return to Starbase. But whoever had put Barton in there, restricted his movements, would've had very good reason to do so. Blakus had never trusted Barton from the start; he could imagine how the JAG man might've provoked such measures. He'd sent the man to the Ferengi ship after all - Rrava's vessel when they were in orbit of Oralix - although it'd never been a wholly perilous mission - to fulfill a task another member of the crew might've been equally capable of.
He slumbered on the biobed. Soon duty would call him. Soon judgement would be upon him, and/or others in the senior staff. And forever fate enveloped him.
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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: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 17, 2013 17:59:20 GMT
~ Four Days Later ~ The Raven had made steady, if slow progress on her way to the Sol System and home. It had taken two full day's for the doctor to allow Commander Blakus back to duty, and then, only if he report daily for observation. Needless to say, the Engineer was less than happy with his 'instructions' but promised to follow them religiously. Anything to get back to his Engines and out of the sterile mad-house that was Sick-bay ... With the return to duty of Andae, Marionette had finally been brought back to her optimal operating status, she had returned to duty, assisting the Chief Engineer where necessary .....
Carl had spent a lot of their free time with the Children, making up for the times he was away on duty, and for the time he was under threat of death from the Cordovin. Gradually, both Vanessa and Bethan had put their fears behind them, and had taken to goading their Father and Chloe into numerous holo-suite excursions. They had dropped out of warp on two occasions to allow Andae, with the dubious assistance of El-Kamat, to make modifications to the core systems. This had allowed Engineers, Medical Staff, and others of both the Raven and the Songacha to move between ships, a luxury impossible during normal ship activities. Kamat, in appreciation of his tentative 'freedom' was working hard on deciphering the signal they had intercepted. Carl was confident it was something to do with the Gandai's continued acquaintance with his Exec' ... He still held out hope that Alex would somehow be returned to them safe and unharmed .....
He had refused to speak to the constantly ranting JAG Officer, backing Calli's decision to have the man confined after he read the reports of the man's almost mutinous comments. But finally, on the morning of the fourth day he had received some good news. Commander Blakus and his team had been able to increase the ships' speed to warp four point eight, and at that speed they would be in the Sol System in less than twenty four hours ..... "You realize that when I report your actions in allowing that 'tyrant' to confine me you will be looking at serious charges, including dereliction of duty !" Carl sat in silence. listening to the JAG Officer as he vented three day's of anger and frustration against himself, Calli, and even the replicator, "I 'assume' that now you have graced me with your presence, Admiral, that you will be countermanding Commander Valenti's confinement orders." he said, snatching his jacket off the back of the chair. "Can I take it that you will comply with any minor, restrictions, we feel appropriate ?" "You can count on the fact that as soon as I have access to communications, I will be informing Command of your actions, and those of your, whatever she is !" Barton spat. "Hmm ..... Then I'm afraid you will be remaining here until we dock." Torek said, making his way to the door as Barton sputtered in disbelief, "Don't panic Captain, we're less than two days from Earth, then you can rant to your'e hearts' content. I have no doubt there will be plenty people willing to listen." On their last drop out of warp, Carl had instructed that all personnel return to their assigned vessel. He and the Senior Staff from both ships had enjoyed a meal together on the Raven, before saying their goodbyes. He didn't want to stop outside the System to allow people back and forth. He was determined that the USS Raven-B would going to enter the Sol System under her own power, with all the elegance and grace of the Federation's only Galaxy Class Star Ship ! ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 25, 2013 1:23:40 GMT
OOC: Sorry it's taken me this long to post. Time just seems to slip away!
The senior staff from the Raven and the Songacha had a meal before their crews departed back to their rightful ships. Captain Thomson proposed a toast to the efforts of both crews in repairing the Raven, and also to the Raven maintenance team's assistance in mending damage to the Songacha sustained during Oralix's renewal. The toast was accepted graciously, despite some hidden misgivings among the Raven crew about Thomson and his conduct prior to the beginning of the escort.
Andae held his glass aloft, his eyes locking warily with opposite number and old friend Lieutenant Bligh. The two had worked together extremely well in repairing both vessels, knowing each other's minds so well that one of them could assume the other was working on one issue so they might turn their attention elsewhere.
In one quieter moment they'd taken an half hour holodeck break - on the Songacha as it happened - and reminisced on old times. Talk had included, inevitably, the unknown fate of their friend Ben Zielinski, lost in a nebula some time ago before the whole business with Cordovin IV had begun.
Andae swirled the liquid in his glass about, eyes falling away from Bligh and the others around him into the glass, its whirling, pooling depths. He expected a late night. There was the luxury of the completed repairs, but looming dark before them was the prospect of court martial. Whatever fate awaited them about the confines of Earth's terrestrial space, he had resolved - by the art of some dark flaw within him - to ignore it as long as possible.
As the Raven neared the edge of the solar system, penetrating the outer nebulous Oort Cloud, it peeled away from the Songacha. It remained within acceptable distance dictated by the terms of their escort, but the Admiral was determined to re-enter the birthplace of the Federation with the Raven's pride intact. Blakus had returned to engineering, ensuring it operated at steady efficiency - even if that was below optimal - as the ship entered the system. He was surprised he hadn't been called before the Admiral for disciplinary action, considering his momentary madness that'd nearly caused several deaths on the Raven. He still couldn't explain his actions, only that the silent Piper in Shuttlebay 1 had something to do with it.
All his staff had been returned to him with the exception of one. Lieutenant Taylor still lay in a coma in sickbay, still stricken from the Cordovin assassin's blow in engineering, long ago now it seemed, while the Raven had been en route to Zennai Epsa.
He desired news of his family on Earth. How were his brothers and sister, and his cousin Dacian? The latter was still serving, to his knowledge, in the Earth Civil Defence Corps. It'd been long since he'd spoken to that rebellious relative; Andae knew he was dissatisfied with his place within the Corps, but as yet he'd given no indication about potentially leaving.
As the night passed, inevitable hours ticking by on the chronometer above the bar in Ten Forward, he drank with the assistance of Milyanov and Marionette most of two bottles of wine. Apart from two others, they were the only officers present in the mess hall. The Sun was a four inch sphere of whitehot fury outside Ten Forward's viewing ports. Beyond it Andae fancied he could espy the Earth, a tiny blue dot lying in inner orbit. The fainter reddish speck of Mars was beyond it, the two planets' orbits happening to sort of align.
<Tag Marionette / 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: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 25, 2013 19:14:55 GMT
... 00:47:00 ... Carl sat watching the stars, Chloe was beside him. The Children were in bed, finally, and they were alone ... In the last week, both of them had come to realize their feelings for each other, not without a little manipulation from his Daughters, and both had laughed at the fact Bethan and Vanessa seemed pleased their 'plan' had worked. The Bridge had informed him less that an hour ago that they were entering the outer rim of the Sol system. He had thanked the Lieutenant, then got them both fresh drinks from the replicator before sitting back beside her ... "Well, a few hours and we'll be in orbit." Carl said, looking through the gold amber of the cognac in his glass, "I imagine there's going to be a lot of questions, recriminations, and no doubt some serious wrist-slapping." "I think it's ridiculous that they could even 'think' about punishing any of you !" Chloe said, annoyed for a second, before Carl's arm around her soothed her. "I've already send my report to the Council. I have made it clear that should they consider taking action against any of the crew my resignation will be on their collective desk within the hour." "Like they will accept it." Chloe said defiantly, before seeing their companion ship moving, "The Songacha is moving away." she said, getting up and going to the plexi-glass window. "She'll stay in formation, but with enough distance to allow the Raven to approach Earth unaccompanied." he said, silently thankful to Captain Thompson for his consideration, he suddenly felt tired, "Maybe we should get some sleep, before entering orbit. I have the distinct feeling we are 'ALL' going to be very busy in the coming days." he said, draining his glass and getting up. Chloe finished her drink and walked toward him before standing on her tip-toes to kiss him fondly. There seemed to be that moment when uncertainty reared it's head as Carl remained glued to the spot. Chloe took his hand, smiling, then slowly led him to her room ........ ~~~~~~~~~~Carl watched the girls as they shared a private joke, both glancing at him then giggling to each other. Chloe grinned at his obvious discomfort as she put his breakfast in front of him. She pulled a pig-tail on each of the girls and frowned playfully, putting her finger to her lips. "Is that Earth daddy ?" Bethan said, in her usual, change the subject at warp speed way. "Yes, it is sweetheart." Carl replied, thankful for the distraction from the knowing giggles, "We'll be in orbit in an hour or so, then, once we're secure we can go down to the surface. Now, I'm going to the Bridge for a short time, be good for Chloe." he said, kissing both girls then turning to Chloe. "Whooooooo." Bethan and Vanessa crooned, hardly able to control their laughter, "Kiss her 'bye bye' then !" they said in unison. Doing as ordered, he left the quarters, making a mental note to ask the Doctor for something for his sudden rush of blood to the head. Observation Lounge: Carl sat in silence ... He had gone to the Bridge and asked the Duty Bridge Officer to request all Senior Staff to a meeting. He honestly didn't know 'why' he needed to see everyone, but it just felt right that he say a few words before they dock. 'I may not get the chance afterwards' he thought ... His Officer's filed in one by one and took their seats. He sat for long moments, looking at each of those present in turn, then at the empty seat next to him, before he finally got to his feet: "For the first time, no, the second time, in the last twenty four hours, I find myself at a loss for words ......" he began, catching Calli looking at him in that 'all knowing' way of hers, and he realized she knew about Chloe, "We are approaching home, for the first time in almost three years. Alas, we have lost people, though I refuse to believe that Commander Watson is gone. I still feel he is with the Gandai, who for reasons unknown is keeping the Commander with him ... Reports from Proxima show the planet has stabilized, and has acquired two new large water masses. They see no long-term problems once relocation and establishment of local governments have been worked out under a central council. I think we can all take pride in what we have achieved ...... My reason for getting you together was, I just wanted to, thank you all, for your loyalty, perseverance, dedication ..... Funny, I had it all in my head what I wanted to say, but for the life of me ......" "I think we 'ALL' know what you are trying to say, Admiral." Calli said quietly, each of those present nodding in confirmation, as sometime the un-said was all that was needed, she could see Carl was lost for words. In turn, each Officer returned to their department to ready the ship for arrival .... ooo000ooo
............... Earth ...............
ooo000ooo "Standard orbital approach Lieutenant Marionette." Andae said. Carl sat quietly watching the blue green gem that was his home growing ever larger on the view-screen. He had no clue as to their reception, or how the crew would be treated once they departed the ship. After all, they had almost started a war that would have seen the end of the Federation, and the end of all diplomatic relationships with other races ... But on the flip side, they had saved the Universe, yes, a little grandiose, but nonetheless, true ! "Sir, the Dock-master is asking us to go direct to Space-dock Four." "Very well, plot cou ......" Blakus began. "No ..." Carl interrupted, "Establish a Geo-synchronous orbit above San Francisco. If the Dock-master has any issues he can address them to me once we're cleared." The Raven was returning home, and the last thing he was going to allow was her being 'caged' in some dry-dock. He wanted the ship, and the crew, to feel they had returned home riding high on their success, not under a cloud. "Sir, the Dock-master is refusing our orbital slot." Marionette said. "Geo-synchronous orbit. Please, Lieutenant." Carl said, a wry grin forming .......... < tag : All ... Feel free to post the last few hours as we approach Earth, but no leaving the ship lol >
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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 Nov 26, 2013 21:23:59 GMT
The week had seemingly flown by for Calli ...
She had stood her duty shifts on the Bridge, often offering to take the late, as she preferred the quiet, almost lazy air to the Bridge at that time. Several times she had gone down to Engineering, not for anything in particular, but simply to catch up with Commander Blakus and his team. They had worked nothing short of a miracle getting the warp drive up to almost one hundred percent.
The meal, shared with the Senior Staff from the Songacha, was both a light affair, and a somewhat sad evening. The Raven would be home within a day, the Songacha off on her next assignment. Everyone had enjoyed the exchange of crew while they could, but now ... Now it was, home ...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Computer. Release lock on this door." she said, stepping into the room unannounced, or apparently, invited.
"You know. I really didn't think you would follow this through." Barton said neutrally.
"Get over it Captain ... You asked for it, if you'd only admit it." Calli said.
"You here with my pardon then, or have you come to give me one last 'dig' before you loose the chance ?"
"The door's there, feel free to walk out of it at anytime. Oh, just so you are aware, you are still on restricted access, so don't go trying to get anywhere you shouldn't." she said, turning to leave.
"You realize that you, and several others, are finished in Star Fleet." Barton spat, unable to goad her into an argument.
"Well, I for one have always thought I would like to try baking." Calli said, turning to face the man, hand on her chin as if deep in contemplation, "There are a few places in San Francisco where I could open a small shop, what do you think, fancy giving me a reference ?" she turned and left before he could see her laughing.
~~~~~
She had sat in 'Ten Forward' watching Jupiter as the ship glided into the Sol System. She had the distinct feeling that Carl had instructed the Helm to enter the system by a roundabout trajectory, allowing the Galaxy Class Star Ship to pass by Saturn then the gas giant, before closing on Mars, and eventually ... Earth ... She could see the Utopia Planitia Shipyards, the orbital construction facility where the Raven was born. Sighing, she finished her drink and headed out ...
~~~~~
" ..... If the Dock-master has any issues he can address them to me once we're cleared."
"Sir, the Dock-master is refusing our orbital slot." Marionette said.
"Geo-synchronous orbit. Please, Lieutenant." Carl said as Calli stepped down to the Command area. She grinned at Andae, before seeing the Admiral wink, mischievousness all over his face.
"You getting too old to park Admiral ?" she asked innocently, waving Blakus back into the Exec's seat.
"Rank still has it's privileges Calli." he replied, getting up and heading for his ready room, "We can relax duty rota's somewhat, but don't authorize any shore leave for the time being. Begin winding down systems, but keep the core on-line. You never know, we may need to make a quick getaway." he finished, vanishing from sight.
"Sir's .. The Dock-master is insisting we move to our dock assignment immediately. He is asking to speak to the Admiral." Marionette said, turning to face the two Officers.
Calli and Andae looked at each other, both speaking at the same time:
"Hey, I'm an Engineer."
"Hey, I'm an Advisor." she said, then when she realized from the smug look on his face that he wasn't going to budge, she nodded to Marionette, "Open a channel."
=^= USS Raven-B .. Please traverse to your assigned dock =^=
=^= Dock-master .. USS Raven-B .. We are having difficulties with our maneuvering thrusters .. Tractor beam is off-line .. The Admiral feels we could do damage to the dock structure should we attempt to take up our assigned spot =^=
=^= I will have towing come out and dock you .. Please be ready to relinquish control =^=
=^= Be aware Dock-master .. Several systems are causing concern .. Including weapons .. Targeting control is sporadic and we have been unable to isolate firing sequences .. It is possible your tugs may be fired upon on approach =^=
=^= Stand by Raven .. Hold your current position .. Dock-master out =^=
"See ...... Easy." Calli said, grinning as she watched the blue green jewel below them ..........
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Nov 28, 2013 3:36:05 GMT
Andae left the bridge mumbling about various duties, repeating in his head in several variations the phrase starting, 'I'm an engineer, not a...'
Suddenly the elevator was descending - faster for some reason than he'd expected - and in a strange quirk of apparent time contraction he was on deck 11. The grey corridors passed in a blur. Red! The dormant lights that horizontally bisected the passageway's walls seemed to glue in his mind. Their mute neutrality, dim and undisturbed and not wishing to be disturbed. It was alarming somehow. He drew closer to the holodeck.
Climbing the tree - his fingers gripping uncertainly each handhold - chips of wood were falling to the forest floor - he came to see the expansive plateaux of Iridion VI in its wide majesty. The sun had already rose on the horizon. It had been a long time since he'd climbed a tree.
Wandering in the passages of his youth he would find his way to the secluded glade where many people would gather, folk from his oddly pure Roman bloodline and others from about the provinces of Tuscany. He and other children - he barely remembered it - would climb trees and look south over the region of Lazio.
The imploding Iridion star stirred within him that memory. Somehow... Something apocalyptic forced upon him vivid images of his early childhood. He turned from the sight, shielding his eyes as the glare became overwhelming. Five minutes, just five minutes ago the star had expired. This was ancient history. Three thousand years ago, when on Earth the early Roman Republic had just begun expansion into the dying realms of the Etruscan Empire, the Iridion star had collapsed under its own gravity. Soon, right here inside him, it would grow cold. He let it happen as he always did.
The computer safeties bore him gently, lowering him in soft featherlike motion to the already darkened forest floor. Dry bracken and sticks cast by the petrified trees crackled beneath his feet, already impregnated with the knowledge of their impending death. Reality grew into the void, becoming wholesome. Andae's memories were annihilated by a sudden fury of lurid images. The apocalypse came as before and caused all to depart from spacetime's fabric, and yet as was of late often the case, a hollow feeling remained with him.
"Sir?" Milyanov offered him his PADD. "You paying attention? Don't need another checkup do you?" he cracked causing scattered laughter about engineering.
Andae blinked and shook off the thoughts. "Sorry, Lieutenant, must've drifted off there." He read the PADD, frowns of several configurations crossing his face. "Hmm. This presents new difficulties."
"The warp core's at 100%, for the most part," Milyanov went along in explanation of what was already given on the PADD, "But periodically there are spikes in the stability of the matter-antimatter intermix. It's causing efficiency of power transfer to drop sometimes as much as 5%. What are we going to do about it?" Milyanov leant in, overeagerness painting him.
"Withdraw the crystals. Recycle them if need be. If that doesn't go some way to fixing the issue, analyse the matter flow transfer at the constrictor-chamber interface. I'd rather not delve into antimatter containment at this point." Andae ignored Milyanov's mood. Additionally he felt too deserving of a break to be messing around with antimatter flows and all their inherent unpredictabilities. At least the drops were regular; that very probably meant there was just one issue. He simply needed to nail down its location.
If only he could draw on Commander Watson's scientific expertise. An analytical mind might prove sufficient, but sometimes it took the effervescent imaginative mind of a scientist to see through the mathematical geometries that constituted the mind of an engineer.
* * * * *
The warp core 'issues' were little bother anyway considering the Raven's geostationary position above Starfleet HQ. The engines weren't needed; as long as thrusters and impulse remained in order, their position would be maintained. True it was however that the geosynchronous position lay in a far wider orbit than that held by Spacedock. Earth, from his quarters' portal, appeared much smaller than he wanted it to be. He collapsed on the bed; arms coiling round him.
"Emily. Not now..." he groaned, sitting up slightly and observing the decor of the room. She'd emptied it of visible items again. Not that she was a clean person in general, but there lay, as within all humans, a compulsion to give order to things, to compartmentalise the affairs of one's life. It was a trap, one of humanity's own making. It built up interior tension, caused a maddening crippling sensation that gave birth to a desperate craving, and that was the craving for the exhibition of chaos.
She moaned softly and rolled over, drifting back into an unknown sleep. Andae sat up and hunched over his side of the bed, hand rubbing his chin almost obsessively. His eyes darted back and forth, the luminescence of the silver marble hovering out the window catching the edges of his pupils and casting dark twice-reflected starshine.
* * * * *
One recommendation Andae made to the Admiral, through Calli, was that Kamat be transported to Spacedock at the earliest opportunity. From there he imagined Kamat would be taken into custody and placed in the highest security brig ESD had to offer. There he would presumably await extradition back to the Cordovin homeworld - if the Federation were willing to trust their erstwhile neighbours again and/or if they had business with Kamat himself. But, after all the 'diplomatic' incidents and confrontations, this was one time when it might be best for the brass to acquiesce to the demands that would surely come from Cordovin IV.
<All>
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Sato Tetsutaro
Starfleet Intelligence
[Deceased]
Registered: Nov 30, 2013 2:01:59 GMT
Posts: 538
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Post by Sato Tetsutaro on Nov 30, 2013 3:48:32 GMT
Star Fleet Command Headquarters San Francisco Earth
ooo000ooo
Investigation into the actions of the Officers and Crew of the USS Raven-B
Primary charge
*** MUTINY ***
ooo000ooo The room was large, in fact, it was the second largest briefing room in the complex. The circular table, if it could be described as such, was almost ten meters in diameter, yet only one point five meters wide. Essentially a large circular table that allowed as many as thirty Officers of Captain and above. Sato entered, slightly surprised that the room was almost empty ... Taking his assigned seat, to the right of the Federation President's chair, he activated the numerous PADD's he had brought in, and began to scan through the information.
~~~~~
One hour later, the nine second string players in this 'Pantomime' as Sato was constantly referring to the inquiry, had arrived and were in deep conversation regarding the USS Raven-B, her Command Staff, and most importantly, their conduct and involvement in what was now being seen as the mutiny of a Federation Star Ship !
He had sat quietly, listening intently to the political arguments, to the options available, and to the accusations aimed at the Raven crew.
"It is obvious that those responsible need to be brought to justice. If the Federation is seen to be looking after their own, it could ... No ... 'WILL' set a president we may never recover from." Commodore Paxman, seemingly 'Council for the Prosecution' insisted, slamming her PADD on the table for effect, "We should remove all personnel involved from positions of authority immediately."
"You realize that Admiral Torek was vindicated of all false charges that were brought against him on behalf of the Cordovin Ruling Council. His promotion, somewhat unexpectedly, serves to show our faith in the evidence so far presented. Indeed, the Cordovin's are even now passing judgement on numerous factions involved ... In fact, I am led to believe they have executed no less than thirty five people and have an unknown number intered." another offered.
"I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here Ladies and Gentlemen." the JAG representative interrupted easily, "This hearing is to establish what, if indeed, any, charges are to be brought, and against whom. Your penchant for finding these people guilty 'BEFORE' being allowed to, attempt, to prove their innocence, is frankly, unbecoming of such esteemed Officers. If found guilty, they will of course be dealt with in appropriate fashion."
"Well said Captain." Sato said, all the time knowing the JAG Officer was subconsciously sowing the seeds of doubt, while seeming to stand up for the crew, "Though .... It begs the question, given what reports we have received from the Raven and numerous other vessels, including my own ship thus far, and the fact they have, by their actions, prevented what could only be described as Armageddon on a Universal scale ... yet here we are, working out how to hang these people and go home for afternoon tea with a clear conscience ... As stated, this is indeed a preliminary 'Q and A' to ascertain if indeed we should convene an 'Official' Court Martial, resulting, if I understand the atmosphere of this meeting, how to punish the Raven crew for their, shall we say, less than orthodox actions, which again, I should point out 'SAVED' countless billions of lives, while suffering losses themselves, most notably at this juncture, the Raven's Executive Officer, one Commander Alex Watson ?"
"I feel ...." the Vulcan representative said, "Given your association with at least two of the Officers involved, that it may be appropriate for you to excuse yourself from proceedings. Is that not so ... Admiral ?"
Sato remained silent for long moments, seemingly composing a reply to the query, but eventually he replied:
"Madam ... 'IF' you are of the opinion that I would put my relationship with Admiral Torek, and Commander Valenti, Whom I have long looked upon as the Son and Daughter I was not blessed with in my younger days, then ...... You are sadly mistaken ..... You are of course entitled to request my withdrawl from these proceedings." he finished, sitting back waiting for the Vulcan to make a decision.
"At what point will we call witnesses ?" someone asked, more to break the deadlock between Tetsutaro and the Vulcan, than as a genuine question.
"The Raven crew are under orders to remain aboard the ship." Sato informed the questioner, "Junior Staff, and of course Civilians, will be allowed 'Shore Leave' at some point, but the Command Staff should consider themselves under 'House Arrest' for the duration of these inquiries." Paxman said quickly.
Tetsutaro sat back, listening intently to the conversation, to the pros 'n' cons of hanging the Raven out to dry. Finally, he stood, mid-argument, and begged forgiveness as other, more stressing matters needed his attention ..........
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Sato Tetsutaro
Starfleet Intelligence
[Deceased]
Registered: Nov 30, 2013 2:01:59 GMT
Posts: 538
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Post by Sato Tetsutaro on Nov 30, 2013 11:57:07 GMT
Star Fleet Command Headquarters San Francisco Earth
ooo000ooo
Investigation into the actions of the Officers and Crew of the USS Raven-B
Primary charge
*** MUTINY ***
ooo000ooo
*** FINDINGS ***
The Inquiry reconvened. It had been agreed that none of the Raven crew would be called to give evidence, but it was felt that a decision could not be be handed down in their absence, therefore, Admiral Torek, Commander Andae Blakus, Commander Calli Valenti, and Captain Mark Barton were requested to attend. Commander Alex Watson was absent, still presumed to be on Proxima Oralix with one of the Gandai ...
Findings:
Admiral Carl Torek :: All charges against the Admiral are summarily dismissed. The Admiral's promotion is upheld as both well deserved and long overdue. Admiral torek has been reinstated as Commanding Officer of the aforementioned USS Raven-B, and can return to duty ...
Commander Alex Watson :: All charges, save disobeying a direct order, that being the instruction from Captain Watson to return to their designated assignment to deliver Admiral Torek to Cordovin, are quashed. A file note will be attached to the Commander's record, but in the light of evidence and the outcome of paralell investigations, there will be no further action taken against the Commander. The tribunal wish him God Speed and a safe return to the fold, where he will return to duty as the Raven's Executive Officer ...
Commander Andae Blakus :: The above stands for Commander Blakus. As the Raven's Second Officer he was duty bound to follow orders given by his immediate superior. He failed to make any appreciable efforts to prevent Acting Captain Watson's actions. A file note will be attached to the Commanders record, but no further action is deemed necessary. Commander Blakus is free to return to duty ...
Commander Callista Valenti :: Certain aspects of the Commanders' record are sealed and deemed confidential. She was assigned to the Raven in an advisory position only. It is understood that the Commander's rank is cosmetic, again, we are unable to expand on this due to her 'official' role within Star Fleet Intelligence. It has been confirmed that she has Command authority should she need to exercise this at any time. No action will be taken against this Officer, and she is free to return to duty. If Admiral Tetsutaro has nothing further to add ? ... Sato confirmed that the Commander will remain on the Raven in her capacity as 'Mission Advisor' for the present ...
Lieutenant Marionette :: Though a Senior Staff Officer, the board feel that the Lieutenant was, in her 'unique' way, endeavoring to follow orders from her immediate superiors. Her contribution to the favorable outcome of the Raven mission is noted. Lieutenant Marionette is free to return to duty ...
Captain Mark Barton :: Captain Barton failed to exert his authority as a representative of the Judge Advocate General's Office, or in his capacity as the ranking Officer aboard the USS Raven-B during the time-frame of this incident. It is understood, from evidence given to this tribunal, that the Captain sympathized with the situation and may not have used his authority to the full. In light of the outcome of the Raven's mission, it is the findings of this tribunal that no action be taken against the Captain, whose report, in a large part, led to the previous decisions of this tribunal. Captain Barton can return to duty ...
A full transcript of evidence given and the final finding of this tribunal will be made available to Flag Rank Officers in due course. All Officers are free to go ...
... This tribunal is concluded ... OOC :
These 'Investigation posts were to look into what, if any, repercussions will be felt by the Raven crew after their 'Mutiny' .... Please continue to post your reactions/thoughts while on the Raven ....
Steve.
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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: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Dec 1, 2013 0:00:02 GMT
The five Officers left the inquiry ... No-one seemed in a particular mood to speak, so Carl 'ordered' they go to a local tavern, not to celebrate their 'escape' from the noose, as he put it, but to say a fond farewell to those lost over the duration of their mission. Captain Barton tried to cry off, saying he was due elsewhere, but Carl used his rank to force the man to join them ...
~~~~~
The bar was quiet, so five Star Fleet Officers walking in in dress uniform, caught the patrons attention:
"Good afternoon. What may I get you ?" he asked, eyeing Calli.
"He's over there !" Barton said to the barman, pointing at Torek for effect.
"You have cognac, the real stuff, not synthesized ?" Carl asked. The barman feigned shock, as if the thought never occurred to him. He took a dusty bottle from one of the shelves and held it out for inspection, "Good, we will have four, then a further four, but if I find this is fake, you won't have time to rue your lie, OK." he finished.
"Please supply me with a chilled ice water." Marionette said, before turning to Carl, "I have no need to imbibe alcohol Admiral, but in the 'spirit' I will partake of a minimal amount of liquid."
"Water for the Lieutenant." Calli said, grinning at her explanation.
"Well. Well ... Drinking on duty ... I do believe that to be a serious offence." the group turned to see a grinning Admiral Tetsutaro in the doorway, "Barkeep, please pour me one of those, and ensure our glasses are charged frequently, or else !" he said, as he approached the bar.
Calli put her arms around the man she thought of as her Father, thanking him for his faith in her. Sato then hugged Carl, happy to see the man he deemed a Son was now fully vindicated. He picked up his glass and spoke:
"If I may be allowed the first toast ?" he asked, gratefully accepting the nods of those present, "Firstly, I would like to say how, relieved, I am that you have all been exonerated fully, it was the only logical outcome in my humble opinion. I think we all hope for Commander Watson's safe return. I would also like to thank the good Captain here, as his testimony played a large part in the outcome of the proceedings, so ... To Captain Barton." he said, raising his glass, the others following suit.
"Captain Barton." they said in unison.
Several other toasts were raised as the group finished the bottle of brandy, then Sato took his leave. Carl watched the man go, hoping he had not disappointed him in any way. Then, as their glasses were emptied, he thanked Barton, shaking his hand in appreciation of what he had done for the crew.
"OK ......" he said finally, "Time to go."
They left the bar and stood in the sunlight of a San Francisco winter. Carl tapped his Comm badge:
=^= Admiral Torek to Raven =^=
=^= Raven Sir .. Commander Wedlerson =^=
=^= Four to beam up =^= ..........
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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 Dec 1, 2013 20:40:18 GMT
The barman took a dusty bottle from one of the shelves and held it out for inspection, "Good, we will have four, then a further four, but if I find this is fake, you won't have time to rue your lie, OK." he finished. "Please supply me with a chilled ice water." Marionette said in her synthesized voice, before turning to Carl, "I have no need to imbibe alcohol Admiral, but in the 'spirit', I will partake of a minimal amount of liquid.""Water for the Lieutenant." Calli said, grinning at her explanation. Marionette soon received a cognac glass with water and a trio of ice cubes in it. "Well. Well ... Drinking on duty ... I do believe that to be a serious offence." the group turned to see a grinning Admiral Tetsutaro in the doorway, "Barkeep, please pour me one of those, and ensure our glasses are charged frequently, or else !" he said, as he approached the bar. Afterwards, there was much toasting and warm greetings as the rest of the bottle was finished over several glasses. Marionette had finished only one glass in comparison, but it was enough to 'wet her whistle' as the turn of phrase went, without causing internal problems. At last, the time to leave had arrived. Everyone finished off their drinks, and then stepped outside, where Admiral Torek tapped his comm-badge. =^= Admiral Torek to Raven =^= =^= Raven Sir .. Commander Wedlerson =^= =^= Four to beam up =^= = - = O = - = Now back on the Raven, more specifically, transporter room 2, the mood of the room changed from null, to relaxed as the senior officers broke away to their own quarters to relax and wait out the intoxication of the cognac - With the exception of Marionette, of course. The gynoid proceeded to her quarters to change into her duty uniform, and then to the bridge to start her shift at Helm.
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Andae Blakus
Moderator ..
Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,452
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Post by Andae Blakus on Dec 2, 2013 23:21:24 GMT
There was a strange atmosphere around the table in the corner of the tavern. Six officers sipping on cognac, or in one officer's case water, conversation subdued and muted but relaxed. Officers at ease with one another after what'd been a harrowing affair. They'd grown closer during the last few months, whether they liked it or not, as they'd been entangled in the pursuit of El-Kamat across the quadrant.
Andae finished his drink quickly and was one of the first ready to depart. He fiddled impatiently with his glass while the others laughed and joked and finished their own, the spherical transparent thing eventually becoming entirely misted and blurred with his fingerprints.
Upon return to the ship, he checked that the Raven was holding steady in its geostationary position. The power transfer efficiency from the core was persistently variable. The ship was indeed holding its position, relative to the centre of Starfleet HQ in San Francisco. Of course, Marionette would compensate for any drift in their orbital position, but he wanted the ship in best condition before it finally committed itself to dock.
At least the nightmares had finally abated. With the destruction of the weapon under Proxima Oralix's surface and the capturing of El-Kamat, the apocalyptic visions had faded back into whatever fell netherspace they'd emerged from. The last tendrils of the Torek doubt essence had retracted from his mind, the memories and events of those times withdrawing to nothingness, and the information from the Cordovin drive device - imparted on him and the other essences in the moment Kamat had laid hands on it - along with it.
"Well, sir... How did it go?" Milyanov asked tentatively, his Chief's back retreating towards his office. Andae wasn't wholly happy with the verdict. He'd been reprimanded, but what for? He'd followed the orders of the Acting Captain. And how their actions amounted to mutiny he didn't understand. Watson had been entrusted with command of the Raven, its nominal commander having been removed pending extradition. If the Acting CO himself had led the Raven off course, how did that constitute mutiny?
"It doesn't matter though does it?" he said, speaking to himself as he took his office's desk.
Milyanov stood before him, watching with arms folded and two PADDs tucked under his armpit. "How did it go?" he repeated.
"They reprimanded me and Watson; the rest got off scot free." The charge was mutiny, yes, Andae thought, but he had the feeling the tribunal had been looking for any appropriate charge to bring against them. Unfortunately for the tribunal their choice of charge had been very poor.
"And it really doesn't matter. I've been reprimanded before. Funny that in both cases the result was the saving of millions of lives, though." He spun idly in his desk chair. "Are those for me?" he took the PADDs from Milyanov, scanning through them, commenting irreverently and dropping them on his desk.
Tinsley and Darwin stepped through the door of his office, shuffling uncomfortably towards their Chief bearing their own PADDs. A fraction of a second Andae saw the PADDs then regarded them all, "Who's for poker?"
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Alex Watson
Commander 1C
All that glitters has a high refractive index.
Registered: Apr 10, 2011 14:30:46 GMT
Posts: 102
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Post by Alex Watson on Dec 3, 2013 16:39:00 GMT
Somewhere far away…
Blackness. That was all there was. No light, no time, no space, no life, no movement. An infinite darkness which stretched forever on every side and swallowed everything around it.
Then a voice. Somehow, somewhere, something broke the shroud for just an instant. It seemed to say “Alexander…” for the tiniest of microseconds before it faded.
Seconds – days – maybe even years…time had no meaning…it came again, just peeking through the oblivion. “Alexander…”
The third time, the darkness broke, was shattered, by the this time insistent voice. “Alexander!”
Alex became aware again. He became aware of his legs, his arms…his body…slowly. He became aware of his eyes, and in that moment opened the lids. For a moment, everything was a blur, a nightmare of colour, then slowly shapes began to resolve themselves around him. The cacophony that had greeted his newly discovered ears became sounds that he recognised, sounds that made him feel safe: the crash of the waves on a beach, the smell of the sand and the sea.
He tried to move, and realised that he could. He sensed that he was sitting on something, and as he touched it and looked down he saw that it was a sun lounger, of the twentieth century white plastic style he had seen in old vids. Upon it was a towel with the emblem of Starfleet and the motto of the USS Raven embroidered in gold thread on a blue background. He was stripped to the waist, and only wore a pair of swimming shorts, again in the style of the twentieth century – they were baggy and florally patterned. An umbrella was embedded in the sand next to him, shielding him from the fierce sun. As he looked at the ground next to the lounger, he saw the sword that the Gandai had given him in their last moments together, and everything came rushing back…
He started up, looking around anxiously, but there was no one there. No one whatsoever – it looked, in fact, like there was no one or nothing for miles and miles: only the repetitive break and crash of the waves on the shore. Taking hold of the sword he drew it from its sheath. It warmed to him the same way it had done in the planet core, and Alex decided that it was definitely real, that wherever he was, it was definitely a real place. That meant that he wasn’t dead…but how…and why?
…
After what seemed like hours, but once again it could have been minutes or even seconds – there was a brief “pop” and a figure appeared out of thin air next to him. Alex recoiled in horror, it was without a doubt the most unnatural looking creature he had ever seen. About his height, it had the head of a grey horse with a black mane; a long, thin body of brown fur; a red snake’s tail with a white tuft of hair at the end. It stood upright on one green lizard’s leg with white claws and one brown goat’s leg with a cloven hoof. Its eyes were bright yellow with fiercely red irises. It had thick, bushy white eyebrows and a long white soul-patch beard grew from its chin. One of its arms was the front leg of a lion, and the other ended in the claw of an eagle. On its back were two wings: one feathered blue and one the dark, leathery wing of a bat. On its head were one deer antler and one curled horn of a ram. To complete the bizarre and terrifying image, it was wearing a pair of red-rimmed novelty sunglasses, a sombrero, a lifejacket and a pair of swimming shorts identical to Alex’s.
Alex tripped as he backed away from the creature as it turned to look at him, and his voice failed him when the creature spoke. He just lay there, gasping…
“Why, hello there Alexander…I rather thought I might have lost you back there for a while.”
The voice…THAT voice…
“Oh… please excuse me! I’ve been having a little bit of fun in a parallel universe and I must have forgotten to change!”
The creature clicked the fingers on the lion’s paw hand, and in an instant there stood the owner of that voice. He was attired in the same way as the creature had been – sunglasses, sombrero and all, but this, at least, was a form Alex recognised.
“What do you want, Q?”
…
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Sato Tetsutaro
Starfleet Intelligence
[Deceased]
Registered: Nov 30, 2013 2:01:59 GMT
Posts: 538
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Post by Sato Tetsutaro on Dec 4, 2013 21:57:49 GMT
The Admiral Lord Nelson - Flag Officers Club Star Fleet Command Headquarters:
Sat in one of the deep leather wing-back chairs, Sato caressed his snifter, rolling the golden liquid, warming it with the heat from his hand. He looked out over San Francisco bay, the stars bright reflections dancing on the waters of the bay ...
"You still disagree Sato ?"
"I fear it is no longer an issue, so there is little to be gained in reflecting on what has occurred." Sato answered.
"You would have preferred we turned them over to the Cordovin ?" the man asked, taking a long drink before continuing, "It can be done you know. One piece of misinformation in the right ear."
"The Cordovin will be excluded from the Federation .... Not right now of course, but you can rest assured the sacrifices that have been made have not gone for naught. Personally, I think we should have stood our ground from the start, refused to accept their word Torek demolished a building killing over one hundred civilians. But if nothing else it has given us El-Kamat. His knowledge will be invaluable to us." the third person at the table said, silently motioning a steward to refresh their glasses.
"You intend to allow him to 'work' on behalf of the Federation ?" Sato asked, skeptically.
"Work ... Yes ... But he will be under our umbrella." the first man replied.
Sato remained silent, watching the moonlight on the bay. He had never wanted the Raven involved. Not because of Carl and Calli, well, yes, in part because those two were on the ship, but he had never thought this idea had merit, but alas, he had been overruled ... That said, he put his usual efforts into ensuring as much as he could, that things went as planned. His only regret was the deaths on the Cordovin Home-world. Their agent had been told to plant the seed of unrest, but all the while he was making plans to incriminate the Raven, and more-so Torek.
"Sato. I think you are taking this too much to heart ....." the second man said, leaning forward and placing a friendly hand the aged Admirals' arm, "It ended well. Carl has his well deserved promotion, Callista is safe, the Raven crew have been cleared, and will no doubt receive commendations for their efforts .... It is regrettable that we have lost Commander, Watson was it, yes. But I am sure Admiral Torek will make a wise decision on his replacement. I have one or two people who would make excelle ...."
"No." Tetsutaro said quickly, "Admiral Torek is convinced his Executive Officer is still alive, and safe. I have read his report. There was no actual 'need' to take him, unless he needed a 'physical' presence for some reason known only to the Gandai himself. The Raven will be staying in orbit while minor repairs and upgrades are completed, he will th ...."
"Once he allows the ship to be moved to a space-dock that is." the second man interrupted, grinning.
"Indeed ........" Sato paused for effect, "I am sure he feels his 'point' is made. They have new crew joining the ship, and I believe their new Chief Medical Officer is awaiting their arrival at Star Base Forty Seven."
"You intend to tell your 'Son' how this came about." the woman stated.
"No, I do not think it would serve any useful purpose now. I made my feelings plain before we began this venture. I just hope all our, all our, sacrifices, and those of the Cordovin, will prove worth the effort we expended. By it's very nature, my role sometimes requires the sacrificing of others, but I have never gained any pleasure from it ... I trust our endeavors will be fruitful one day ... Now, if you would both excuse me, some of us no longer have the stamina to imbibe all night." Sato said, draining his glass before standing. He bowed to his colleagues and left the club ... His bed beckoned.
~~~~~
"You are having doubts ?" the first man said after Tetsutaro had left the club.
"No ......" his sole companion replied, "If there is one thing constant, one thing that can be counted on wholly, it is Sato Tetsutaro's integrity, his loyalty to the federation, and his devotion to those two people he looks on as his adopted children. No, we have nothing to worry about. In fact, I think he can handle this sort of thing better than we do. Sato would save one life even if it meant the loss of a world, but in the same heartbeat, he would sacrifice that life if it meant the loss. It would all depend on 'how' he perceived the information at hand, and what long-term repercussions could result ... Don't doubt Sato. If our involvement in the Cordovin affair ever came out, you will need him more than anyone you ever knew !"
"Nightcap ?"
"Yes. Thank you Mister President." Drew replied ..........
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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: 6,164
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Post by Carl Torek on Dec 5, 2013 20:41:11 GMT
Zero eight hundred hours:Carl sat in Ten Forward alone. He had spent the night with Chloe and the Children, enjoying their company, and relishing in the fact they were getting his one hundred percent attention ... Chloe had asked if they were going to be allowed down to the surface, and he had said 'yes' ... Bethan had instantly drawn up a list of 'places to visit' that would see her well into her teens, while Vanessa, understandably, wanted to visit the hospital to see her biological Father. Since the recovery of Commander Scott McLean, Carl had known the time would come where he would have to relinquish his parentage of Vanessa, but that could wait for now he knew ... The door opened and Calli walked in: "Oh, sorry Admiral, I thought there would be no-one here, I'll lea ......" No, it's OK Calli, come in." Carl said, watching the planet below, "I was just brooding on things best left alone for the time being. Are we ready to move into the Space Station ?" Calli nodded, so he tapped his Comm badge: =^= Torek to Helm =^= =^= Lieutenant Marionette Admiral =^= =^= Lieutenant .. Contact the Station dock-master and request an approach and docking assignment .. Ask Commander Wedlerson to see to the details and get us docked .. Lieutenant ask the Commander to take his time .. I think we deserve a few moments looking at home .. Don't you =^= =^= Yes .. Sir =^= the Android said, an approximation of a puzzled look on her face as she processed his comment before closing the Comm ... A moment later the ship began to move relative to the surface as she left her Geo-stationary position above San Francisco ... The pair watched the massive Space station loom into view ahead. Carl tapped his Comm badge once more: =^= Torek to Blakus =^= =^= Commander Blakus Sir =^= =^= Andae .. If you are not too busy could you join me in Ten Forward please ? =^= =^= On my way Admiral =^= ~~~~~Andae walked into the room, a little puzzled as to why he had been asked in. He sat down next to Calli and watched the ship's graceful movement above the Earth. A Steward approached and Andae requested a coffee ... "I had to fight for this ship you know ........" Carl said, sipping his coffee as Australia passed below them, "Command wanted to replace the Raven with a Prometheus or Sovereign Class, but I had always had a soft spot for the Galaxy Class, and pushed hard for her. Though I do think Admiral Tetsutaro had a hand in the final decision ....." "Sir ?" Calli said, a worried look on her face as she glanced at Andae. "Oh, don't worry. We're not loosing our lady." Carl said, watching Europe come into view, "This incarnation of the Raven was Commissioned on ... Star Date: 2393.1204 ... So she was the grand old age of six, yesterday." he said, raising his coffee cup as a toast, the others following suit. "It never occurred to me." Calli said. "Well, things have been a little hectic over the last couple of years." Carl said, smiling as he remembered the commissioning ceremony, "These new upgrades will bring up right up to spec' so we'll be a match for even the fastest, nimblest ships around for a good long while yet ..... My immediate issue ......" he said, watching the planet below, thankful Harry took his order to take his time literally. "Carl ?" Andae said, now beginning to worry a little too. "There is a seat empty ....." Carl finally said, "Command is pressuring me to take one of their 'suggestions' to replace Alex." he held up his hand as both of his friends began to speak at the same time, "I know, I told them he would be back as the Gandai were using him for whatever reasons. I told them it was my ship, my choice ... Simple ... So ... Andae, as Second Officer, you're it I'm afraid. But I already know you would rather 'Mother' your warp engines than sit in that seat. Calli, as a Command Rank Officer, let's not hide the fact as it was broadcast in the inquiry, I could give the job to you. But I would prefer it if you two chatted among yourselves and took the tedious decision out of my hands." he said, grinning, before waving to a steward to replenish their drinks. Andae and Calli looked at each other ... Both unwilling to decide. "How long do we have to decide ?" Calli asked. "Until we dock." Carl said, getting up. "Funny, no matter how many worlds we orbit, nothing seems to compare with our own. " he finished, placing a hand on the shoulder of each of his closest friends for a moment, before leaving them alone ..........
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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 Dec 6, 2013 19:46:26 GMT
=^= Torek to Helm =^=
=^= Lieutenant Marionette, Admiral =^=
=^= Lieutenant .. Contact the Station dock-master and request an approach and docking assignment .. Ask Commander Wedlerson to see to the details and get us docked .. Lieutenant ask the Commander to take his time .. I think we deserve a few moments looking at home .... Don't you =^=
=^= Yes .... Sir =^= Marionette said, an approximation of a puzzled look on her face as she processed his comment before closing the Comm. Marionette could not begin to understand why looking at earth from orbit for extended periods of time was important, so she ignored the lingering view of the earth on the main screen for now.
Commander Wendlerson, having overheard the conversation, did so in a roundabout, lackadaisical, but not lazy or sloppy way. After the Earth had slowly spun from a cloud-misted view of north america and the gulf of Mexico (cloudy to partly cloudy skies for everything but the east coast), to just past the east european mountain-lines and the beginning of Russia, did Wendlerson finally give the orders =^= All hands, Blue alert, prepare for station-keeping procedures. =^=
=^= USS Raven-B to Station Dock-master, Requesting permission to dock. =^= Marionette said. Behind her, and all throughout the ship, status lights shifted to a vibrant blue color.
=^= Station Dock-master here; finally fixed all of those broken systems, Raven-B ? =^= an older man said, annoyance and sarcasm coloring his voice. One could imagine that he was constantly thinking up more snark to verbally hurl at people who waste his time. =^= Raven-B proceed to course 53 mark 4, on standard trajectory 9, at bay door 7 =^=
Marionette went to work on the console, precisely maneuvering the elegant Galaxy class ship into an S-formation first away from, and then back towards the spacedock. After 2 minutes of that, they finally were in position to approach bay door 7 head on.
=^= This is Spacedock, Ready to synchronize and relinquish navigations control. =^= the man said. =^= Confirmed Spacedock, Synchronizing Helm Control. =^= Wendlerson said, while Marionette was matching up the various details to a remote-computer aboard the station. She finished with a nod to Wendlerson, who was now manning the Big Chair for now. He returned her nod. =^= This is Raven-B, you now have control, Spacedock =^= Wendlerson said.
=^= Spacedock here, enjoy the ride, and were putting you in area 16 =^=
As they effortlessly glided through the immense doors, the inside of the station was revealed to them; a large pylon in the center, the core of the station itself, and 4 upswept wings that arched back into the roof, with starships parked, and smaller shuttles and workbee modules flitting to and fro.
The Raven slid alongside a pylon of one of the 4 wings, and then shifted from forward motion, to a downward motion, nestling into the lower portions of the upper saucer of the station. "Mooring beams engaged, umbilical tubes connected." Marionette said as soft but still audible thumps resounded throughout the ship.
The Raven was affixed into its station berth.
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