Mission 96.0715: Ehlu u'Tae: Lost and Found

[Deleted]

Taev felt an unusual sense of reflectiveness on his trip to the Science office. The crew seemed to be gaining some sort of rapport, albeit a very thin one. The crew of the S'Harien was indeed divided, not particularly behind any one individual, but by styles of work. Some enjoyed sticking to facts and honoring an unspoken code, whereas others found solace in the pure misery of others, entirely disregarding any sort of structure known in existence. It was simply amusing. Taev found himself an observer, not one to directly interact (unless expressly ordered). He delighted in watching others carefully calculate every move they made, trying to figure out what the response or reaction would be. In his mind, decisions were simple.

Taev arrived at the office and as soon as he walked in, he felt a laser pierce his soul.

"What do you want Taev? I don't have time to explain the big, confusing numbers for you. I'm not your mum."

Taev responded without thinking. "Good thing. We wouldn't want the frigid [word deleted] to have a tarnish on her family tree. I have new orders for you."

"What information do you want? Speak quickly, I have not all day."

"Then this shouldn't take you very long. Our leaders want to know anything that might cause us problems. Is this is a task you can handle, or do I need to get someone else to do it?"

(Kreiala)

[Deleted]

A Joint post between Kreiala and Teav

Kreiala stood up and glared at him with thinly veiled anger. “You try to insult my intelligence little man but what you don’t factor in is that I am smarter than you on your best days.. and I’m willing to bet you don’t have many best days.”

She sat back down and pointed to the chair in front of her desk. “Sit.. and before you start thinking you can still boss me around I draw your attention to my rank.. you lost the only card you had over me.”

Taev raised an eyebrow. "The typical female," he said with a half grin on his face, as he sat down and crossed one leg over the other. "Can't win with her mind so she tries using her rank. Don't worry, I won't challenge your intellect. It would be rude to force you to over think a simple phrase."

She raised her eyebrow and replied. “Was that your best attempt at an insult? It is almost as pathetic as you.” She leaned back as her gloved fingers tapped at the desk. “The main problem is to do with the subspace radiation.. perhaps you could tell someone as stupid as me how that would be a problem for the ship and the crew?” She asked.

He chuckled at her "pathetic" comment. Cute... "Ok I'll keep it simple. We'd die. If I say anything else, you might have to think and try to make me feel inferior." The last of it was rather unnecessary, but it was simply amusing to continue the back and forth of it. "Have you any intelligent ideas on how to resolve this?"

She shook her head and leaned forward. “We’d die!.. well bravo you certainly proved your intelligence there.” She sneered. “The ships sensors would have trouble filtering out the radiation, and the crew would suffer headaches and muscle pain.. depending on the level of radiation death may occur but isn’t likely at the levels we are told to expect.”

She leaned back and let out a sigh, “Simply remodulating the shields to a frequency of six point seven terahertz will suffice to protect the crew from the worst of the symptoms.. as for the sensors.. simply remodulate them to ignore trying to scan for the radiation of which there would be to much for the computer to make sense of.”

Taking a few moments to take it in, Taev made a slight jerk of the head, as if waking up from a deep daydream. "Oh, were you finished? I was sure there would be more." He took the data module containing the information she had just told him and prepared to take it back to the executive officer. "I feel as though we really connected in this meeting Sub-Lieutenant," he said in a mockingly official voice.

She sneered again as she replied. “If by connected you mean proved your stupidity and lack of self esteem sure we connected.” She waved her hand to the door and added. “Now leave before my patience with you completely runs out and I remove that which makes you a man.”

Standing in the doorway, Taev turned and said, eyebrow raised again, "Now now, you know intimate relations on the first date is looked down upon by most galactic species." He gave her a grin and left the office before she could retort, door closing behind him. Mission accomplished.

She snorted and muttered. “I doubt you have ever had that sort of date first or otherwise little man.” She quietly went back to work.

[Deleted]

It was sufficient to say the two lowly crewmen had enlightened the five senior officers of Intel to the plight of those who'd been aboard freighter Ortaim. And yes, it meant the intel officers knew what could've happened to them, but they'd no evidence to support it.

It was clear to all the Commander was not to be bothered by his enemies when all they had for him was conjecture. Just words, no facts to advance proceedings and it therefore was as good as idle chatter; something Tevio suspected Echal wasn't a fan of.

So now, the next stage of affairs was to give some weight to the Ortaim investigations... He'd left Tedak's quarters feeling decidedly put out by the Ambassador's insistence on sharing his own private research. Didn't the man know the limits of information exchange? There were unwritten social rules regarding such matters. Tevio sneered at the wall as he saw his reflection; he supposed Tedak would say he 'transcended' such rules, being the idealist fool he was.

It was an hour later that when entering the intel office, Tevio picked up the datapad lying in wait and promptly threw it at the wall. It smashed apart, components scattered across the floor. "Keep researching the Ortaim's Tal Diann undercover agent," he told the surprised dozen intel staff - four-fifths of the full staff; the others would be elsewhere on the ship fulfilling doctrinal and disciplinary duties.

"I think he might've moved too close in his study," he said to Mor'vhek, throwing down his own datapads on the desk.

His assistant stood before him, surveying his superior as the Legate hurriedly cleared the workspace with an uncommon fervour before taking the chair. "What do you mean, sir?" Mor'vhek asked.

"The undercover officer might've moved too close in his looking at the Tal Shiar," Tevio said, "He knew they'd been trying to introduce this Korpaxian drug, hence why he was selected for work aboard the freighter transporting it. When the resources for the drug research were cut off, he suspected the Tal Shiar might try to introduce it covertly into the Navy, manipulating us with its usage here and there, pulling the Navy in directions they desired... all of it hidden from the Senate through bureaucracy."

Mor'vhek raised an angled eyebrow in surprise, he'd not thought the Legate to have such an expansive and removed view on such things... For that matter, he hadn't thought him to have the opposite view either. "So what are you suggesting, sir?"

Sitting back, Tevio chose to look at Mor'vhek directly. Slowly, he steepled his fingers. "Perhaps he was uncovered - as the data would suggest given his last reported telemetry. And there was a scuffle aboard the freighter resulting in its destruction, or its disappearance in any case. Maybe then the Tal Shiar were alerted to this and have been doing... things, with the ships that've entered the region since." He jabbed a finger at the table and set his gaze determinedly, "The Koimae and the Tagor disappeared into a fog of shrouded space. Consider if you will, Sub-Lieutenant, the possibility that the shroud was lowered by the machinations of the Tal Shiar. It would be just like them."

There was a pause before Mor'vhek spoke. "Yes, sir." He was let back to his work and Tevio made to continue his own.

After a few minutes more research a momentary madness gripped him, and he chose to make contact with his 'research partner'. "Ambassador Tedak, this is Legate Ch'varak. I need to know what you've researched in the time since I gave you that information."

<Tag Tedak>

"If you aren't overly occupied with your efforts, perhaps you'd join me in the holodeck facility. I have a simulation I'd like to test."

<Tag Tedak - OOC: I'm guessing there isn't a recreational holodeck on the ship but perhaps a small one for research, battle simulations etc.?>

[Deleted]

"That is just as difficult to predict. I would like for you to make it an order for all ill health, no matter how trivial, be reported to me as a matter of course and ensure our new science officer is capable of spotting any celestial oddness. If that’s all, Sir, I suspect I am going to be quite busy with scrapped knees and dodgy stomachs…” Doctor Sural concluded.

“That is all,” Govan replied, adding, “I will make it an order to report any medical issues to you, regardless of severity. And as for the science officer, you may consult with her if you wish to confirm her abilities, but I’d recommend saving yourself the trouble and irritation.”

<Tag Sural – if you want>

As soon as Sural had left, Govan sat back, glancing between the datapadds on his desk as if he could somehow piece together what was happening from the little they had already. Subspace readings, which he didn’t understand at all, increased use of pain medications, and three missing ships... Unfortunately, those three facts didn’t exactly come together in his mind as an obvious problem with an obvious solution. Of course, if it’d been obvious, Command probably would have sent someone else, someone they didn’t want to fail and humiliate. But they weren’t going to get their way. First off, he wasn’t the type to give up, secondly, the crew wasn’t entirely incompetent, and they listened to and respected Dor’vel, and third, as obnoxious as Kreiala was, he had to admit feeling strangely confident in her scientific ability. After all, she only had to be half as good as she seemed to think she was to do well. The mission may have been a tall order, but he felt they at least had a chance.

~

The trip to their destination had been uneventful to say the least. To Govan, it felt like it had taken weeks, when in reality, it’d only been a couple of days. With no new information to process, all the crew had to keep occupied was fly in a straight line, constantly review the same data they already had, and grow more and more restless. Perhaps the science department had more to do, as they had the most information to go on, but Echal didn’t really interact much with them, by choice, especially their new Chief, so this was merely speculation on his part. It would somehow be morbidly fitting that while the S’Harien crew was on edge, halfway between bored and anxious, ‘her highness’ would be perfectly happy in her lab, oblivious to everyone else’s misery. Somehow, aside from the implied royalty, he found this imagery rather fitting with his impression of the aggravating Science Chief.

Amazingly enough, the latest addition to their crew did have one advantage: she made the rest of the annoyances less noticeable. Tevio and Tedak had not seemed nearly as obnoxious as they usually were, and in fact, appeared to be working well together judging by their reports. Sural and Taev were both keeping busy, and since his conversation with the doctor at the beginning of their journey, he hadn’t heard a peep from either, save their reports. Dor’vel had mentioned he’d sent Lhoell to speak with Kreiala briefly, and that he gathered from Taev’s mood upon return that it hadn’t gone particularly well, which also didn’t surprise the Commander. It was almost a bit of a relief to hear that the woman was as horrid to everyone as she was to him, although her behavior was never a good thing, and if it continued, he was, unfortunately, going to have to be the one to deal with her…

Stepping onto the bridge, after being informed by Dor’vel that they were arriving, Govan headed for his chair, eyes fixed on the viewscreen as if the boring, typical starscape may just reveal something. “Plot the designated course,” Echal ordered the helm, a carefully orchestrated route that would give the science department a chance to get a full, detailed scan of the whole region. Turning to science, he questioned, “Estimated time to completion?”

Of course, Kreiala wasn’t there, but one of her lackeys instead. It was nice to not have to deal with her, but there was also the nagging feeling that she wasn’t on the bridge because she felt herself too good for them, which was irritating enough to offset the benefits of her non-presence. After consulting the console, the science officer replied, “Three days, seven hours, Sir,” which confirmed Echal’s own, generalized estimation, and worst, bored fears.

“Well, let’s get started then,” Govan announced gruffly. “Transmit all your results to the science labs for analysis and keep me informed of any discoveries,” he ordered, hoping that at least the bridge science officer would tell him if they found something, since their boss most likely wouldn’t. “Lieutenant, keep an eye out for anything suspicious as well,” Commander Echal ordered Lhoell at tactical. “And keep the shields up, and weapons on standby. I don’t want to be caught completely off guard by anything unexpected out there.”

<Tag Kreiala and Taev>

Turning to Dor’vel, he added, “Make sure the Ambassador and Legate send a final report regarding the ship’s rosters. There probably isn’t much else to add to what they’ve already found, but I want to know everything possible just in case we do run into them out here.”

<Tag Tevio/Tedak – after you finish your current research of course >

Although tempted to retreat back to his ready room to broodingly continue the most likely useless contemplation of the pieces they had so far, Govan instead decided to remain on the bridge for a while, improve ship’s morale, increase crew confidence...blah, blah, blah... He had no idea what the Commander sitting his chair on the bridge doing nothing had to do with any of that, but apparently, it did, at least according to what he’d read, so he just had to suck it up occasionally and do it. And technically, he supposed, the mental circles he had been turning in his ready room could be completed just as well here than there...

~

Glad to have a moment to herself, Tamir had retreated to one of the supply rooms to do a boring task that she actually tended to enjoy: organize the inventory. The medical bay had been unusually busy the past few days, probably because the entire crew was under orders to report any problem, no matter how small. As a result, there had been a steady influx of patients, the vast majority of which had exceedingly minor ailments, and although they were quickly treated and documented, it still made for an unusually busy schedule. Although the nurse loved working with people, even she was finding the constant stream of officers to be somewhat much, and as such, she’d retreated to her “sanctuary.”

Unfortunately, her moment of peace was rather short lived, as the pace of new patients’ arrival once again picked up, and Tamir found herself even busier than before. Although they were still displaying a plethora of minor injuries, aches, pains, and complaints, there were more of them, and only increasing in number. As far as she could tell, there seemed to be a disproportionate number of inexplicable headaches, muscle aches, and nausea, but it was difficult to tell if that meant anything or not, as there were also a large number of minor to moderate injuries caused by what appeared to be simple carelessness. All in all, she didn’t know the cause, just that it made for one crazy, hectic shift after another…

<Tag All>

[Deleted]

He was far too busy working at the science console to pay much attention to what anyone else was doing on the bridge, not only did he have to relay information to Commander Echal he had to keep up Vyaln’s calculations as they streamed in.
He frowned at the speed at which they came and he began to think it hardly possible for one person to be sending all that information and doing the calculations, he shrugged as he took a deep breath and continued to work.

He was so busy playing catch up that he didn’t see her walk onto the bridge nor see her when she stood right behind him and looked over his shoulder at the station. After a few moments as he looked to the left of hi console he saw her reflection, cold eyes somehow staring right at him.

He tilted his head as he asked. “Problem Ma’am?”

She took a deep breath as her eyes scanned the readouts, “Interesting.” She muttered under her breath as she took in the information, he looked back down at the console and said. “What is?”

She scoffed as she waved her hand and replied. “I don’t have the time nor inclination to teach you everything you should already know.. Go away.”

He stood and watched her lean over the console as she typed in commands, he slightly shook his head as he left the bridge.

Vyaln was so focused on the readouts she hadn’t bothered to take note of who else was on the bridge not that it mattered to her anyway none of them would be of any help.

Half an hour passed before she stood up and now for the first time bothering to look around the bridge she walked over to Govan and said. “One of the ships we are looking for makes use of a severly outdated impulse drive.. I have been scanning for signs of it’s use as it has been known to leave a detectable trail.”

She thought for a moment about explaining more in depth of how it did that and while the thought of confusing Govan amused her slightly she decided against the waste of time. “I have found a trail on the extreme limits of our sensor range.. however it just stops.. there is no sign of wreckage nor signs they entered warp… We are not close enough for the readings to give me the detail needed to form a hypothesis.”

<Govan/ Bridge Staff>

[Deleted]

== several hours after the report tag ==

Now that his research was done, and his report delivered, Tedak was glad to have some time to himself. It had been a while since he could just rummage around in his quarters and do as he pleased. For the moment, he just sat curled up on his couch, watching his young daughter toddle around with her doll. "Kasia.." he warned as the little girl started sprinting around, teetering dangerously close towards various breakable collectibles that were displayed around his home.

Kassandra stopped running, her eyes turning murderous. "Kassandra," she corrected him mercilessly. She just wasn't having it that he used her pet name, he was a stranger, she didn't know him.

Sighing, Tedak nodded, not understanding at all why she responded this way to him. "Kassandra," he repeated slowly, "you don't run around here. You could hurt yourself. Just sit on the carpet and play there, now that's a good girl."

The girl did as she was told, but she kept casting him angry looks. At wit's end, Tedak slid off the couch to join her on the floor, being more at eye-level with her there. "Why can't I call you Kasia?" he asked softly, taking her hand within both of his.

"Mommy called me that. You're not mommy." Obviously.

"No, I'm not mommy, but I am daddy." The expression on his face was pleasant, but the poor ambassador was reaching the end of his patience here. He hadn't known about the girl's existance or he would've long since acknowledged her and have been around for her. However as he hadn't there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it, though Kassandra obviously saw things a little differently. "Will you call me daddy?"

Resolutely, the girl crossed her arms over his chest and shook her head, glaring at him.

"Father?" It sounded almost hopeful. Again, the shake of the head. Sighing, Tedak lowered his gaze, shaking his head sadly. "My name?" He peered up, stealing a glance at her, only to see her shake her head yet again. "What then?" Silence.

"Perhaps you should just give her some time to get adjusted to you." The voice appeared out of nowhere and clearly startled the ambassador as he tumbled back in surprise. Surprisingly, that brought a smile to the girl's face. Out of the shadows stepped his assistant, Rhiana Mhiessan, a bright smile on her face, her topaz eyes sparkling brightly in amusement.

"You are tresspassing, these are private quarters." Almost protectively, he snatched up the girl and held her to him, while glaring at the young woman. "You might be my aide, but you are not welcome in my private home. Leave."

"My orders are to see to all your needs, and it looks like you do need my help here." Rhiana answered smartly, "and you're holding her too tightly." Yet it was clear she wasn't one for children, she had already proven that when she'd dumped the girl on Kreiala.

Pleased that the girl clung to him, trying to get away from the woman, Tedak straightened. "Your orders are, what I order you to do. You are here to learn and I told you how I desire to be addressed. You will leave."

Rhiana uttered a purring laugh as she approached, then daringly ruffled his hair before kneeling before him, faces almost touching. "I can't leave, you need me. I'm a healthy female of good stock, surely that beats that weak Betazoid of yours?" She knew she'd gone too far the moment she said it, but she wouldn't back down.

Flushing bright green in rage, Tedak audibly slapped her across her cheek. "Insolent wretch," he cursed as he surged to his feet. "You will leave, right now, and you will not bother me until I summon you."

Tears springing to her eyes, Rhiana clutched her hand to her cheek, both of which flushed in shame and anger. "Make me," she challenged, eyes burning with more than simple anger. No, she desired him, and she'd have him. Eventually. "And you're scaring the girl."

Kassandra clutched to her father, burying her face against his shoulder, quite sensitive to the man's surging anger. Yet, she knew he was protecting her, she could sense it. "Daddy.." she whimpered, "make her leave."

Maintaining an outer façade of calm, Tedak gently set his daughter down on the couch, picked up her doll and gave it to her, then turned to Rhiana. Brusquely, he grabbed her by her arm and careened her across the room, waiting impatiently for the doors to his quarters to open. He gave her a firm shove, landing her on the deck outside his quarters. "Tresspass again, and I'll kill you," he threatened, before ordering the door closed and locked. Jaw set, he returned to the couch and cradled the girl in his arms again. "Thank you," he murmured as he cuddled her.

"For what?"

"For calling me daddy." He lifted her up again then carried her to his bedroom. Until arrangements could be made, he had a make-shift bed for her set up in his own bedroom. It just wasn't to be helped that they had to share, he would have to redo the guest bedroom he had, it wasn't safe for a child yet.

After he had put her to bed, the Romulan diplomat felt utterly exhausted. Stiffling a yawn, he entered the bathroom, closed the door between it and the bedroom and lazily undressed. Fortunately, one of the pro's of being a dignitary of some degree, his quarters were equipped with water showers, which was something he did prefer over sonics. Hot water was relaxing and it eased the tension in his strained muscles. He gave a sigh of relief as the hot water cascaded down on him and he closed his eyes to enjoy the moment.


<Taev...all yours now. have fun!>

[Deleted]

Falling asleep in the Commander's chair was something Taev had gotten used to. With the traveling to the designated coordinates taking much longer due to the quantum slipstream drive needing to be taken offline, the trip now had lasted eight days, eight days too long for a ship that was just "broken." But even annoyances couldn't deter the sheer boredom that hung in the air for anyone that was not an engineer, and even the engineers seemed to be on the verge of mutiny, just to make time pass faster. The one bit that brightened Taev's day was the daily meetings with the Science officer. Kreiala was a stereotypical Romulan, hateful, merciless, and intimidating to most that came into her midst. It pleased Taev to no end to pick at and get under the skin of the Science Officer. Every time they made any kind of contact, she would come with a hellsfire onto his psyche, showering him with insults and blocking any attempt to have even a professional relationship. All in good time... He had concocted a plan.

He checked the time. His plan would soon go into effect. A small grin slowly appeared on his face as he remembered the events.

//Two days previously//

A series of precisely timed events would be all that was required for this to work. Taev thought, sitting in his small office, the exact measures it would take to pull off the plan, and exactly who would be required to make it perfect. His target was Tedak, the frivolous federation ambassador, who held himself on a high pedestal when in the company of others. Taev had followed the ambassador for days now, watching his every move. The ambassador was a hard man to predict, seemingly following no strict daily pattern. Perhaps this was the life of an ambassador, a new twist around every corner. Taev had almost been caught on one occasion of the reconnaissance. He had left himself out in the open during a small gathering in the mess hall, but he kept his head down, figuratively and literally. The ambassador continued on. Taev's plan would soon come to fruition.

//A Day Later//

In all of the transporter areas, Taev had programmed specific instructions into the computers to make a specific transport at a specific time. He made sure it would not be traced back to him and set the plan into motion. The crew on duty simply acknowledged his presence and left him to work. Fools. They will have no chance at their own commands.... Taev completed his "work" and would move on to the next phase. Once his job was finished it would be a waiting game. The plan was to transport Tedak to the bridge at a very inopportune moment. A perfect gag. The waiting began.

//Back to the Present//

Sitting at the head of the ship, Taev looked at the opening door, revealing the Science officer Kreiala. Apparently her shift was starting now. Oops. Taev chuckled at his own sarcasm as the precise moment drew near. The minutes counted down and soon changed to seconds. He almost began to sweat as the moment came. And finally....!!!

The sound of the transporter came and went as fast as it came. Taev turned back towards the sound, to the Science officer's station, and saw a sight, even he had not planned.

Standing before him was Ambassador Tedak, straddling Kreiala....naked!!!

Tedak must have been in the shower, because he was sopping wet!! It took every ounce of energy for Taev to turn around and stifle the laughter. The bridge crew began to snicker and laugh as the ambassador said "Apologies. Carry on." He left the bridge with as diplomatic an exit as he could muster.

(Tag Kreiala)

(ooc: Tedak was written with permission from his writer.)


Another several days had passed and with the drive fixed, they were again nearing the targetted destination. "Time to destination?"

"Twelve minutes."

"About damn time." Finally they would be able to do something. He informed the leadership of the ETA, and was told to proceed by typical standards. As they approached, he started to give the order for scanning reports when the warning siren went off and he was jolted off his feet. "Report!"

"I do not understand. Our warp and impulse drives are not responding, they have been taken offline."

"Then why are we moving?"

"Something else has taken control of the ship."

Always on my watch... "Senior officers to the bridge."

(tag All)

(ooc: I thought I'd sneak us along a bit. Please feel free to BP any responses to the...ummm..."fun". Hope this helps everyone)

[Deleted]

She studied her station closely not bothering to look around the bridge, though perhaps in that case it would have been advantageous to do so.. because if she has she would have noticed the child like snickering of the Tactical Officer, who’s general unimportance had made it for that moment hard to remember his name.

within minutes of her sitting down an odd sequence of events began to take shape.. First the whine of the transporter filled her ears and her console seemed to illuminate with the blue light of the transporter beam. Seconds after that she felt a weight fall on her knocking her out of the seat, her eyes instinctively closed when she fell and it wasn’t until she had come to a stop on the ground pinned down by what she could feel was a wet person she opened her eyes. Only to be greeted by the naked Ambassador. Kreiala for her part didn’t freak out nor show any outward signs of stress. “Morning Ambassador.” She said as if absolutely nothing was amiss, she would be wouldn’t give the perpetrators of the joke the satisfaction of gaining any more of a spectacle then they had already received.

It took him a few moments to get his bearing before he lifted himself off of her and she was able to pick herself up off the ground. She watched Tedak walk out of the bridge with as much calm and grace as she had handled herself only moments before.

The thought never crossed her mind that the joke was aimed at her, her showing up on the bridge was something that couldn't be predicted. She often sent a junior officer in her place while she stayed in her lab. She cocked her head slightly as she said. "I must change."

*** Ouside the Ship ***
The S'Harien moved through space with the grace only a warbird could achieve her green hull illuminated by the lights of the ship. Had the science officer manning the science console not been stopped from watching her station she may have seen what the naked eye would have had trouble seeing.

As the S'Harien moved a dark spacial anomaly appeared directly under her, the ship stopped dead as if stuck in mud, for several seconds she hung in space unmoving before slowly she seemed to 'fall' into the anomaly.. Slowly at first the anomaly swallowed the bottom decks of the ship and as it did so gaining speed.. It didn't take long before the ship was engulfed.. Moments later the anomaly closed as fast as it had appeared and the Romulan vessel that had moments before been flying so gracefully through space was gone.

** Bridge **

Kreiala hadn't made it off the bridge when the ship lurched forward violently, had it not been for her proximity to a wall and ability to support herself on it she would surely have been thrown hard against the ground.

The ship came to a halt but before she could move, the ship began to shake again with less force than the last time. It took only few more seconds of shaking before the ship stabalised and it was again possible to walk. she managed to turn only to see the consoles on the bridge begging to flicker, some of them sparked violently before shutting down completely.

She rushed to her station only to find it unresponsive to commands, she had only seconds before the display shut off to gain as much information as she could. "Engines are down!.. Sensors Offline.. Main power is failing.. auxiliary power is fluctuating.. Weapons.. Shields offline.. Life support failing."

She shook her head as her console died.. and the main lights shut off.. only emergency lighting allowed her to see anything on the bridge. "Auxiliary power has failed." She stated flatly as she took in a deep breath.

She looked down beside her to notice a young crewman lying unmoving on the ground. "Somebody get a medical team up here."

She turned now facing the Tactical Officer. "First priority is Life support.. then I need Auxiliary power and Sensors back online.. and I need it done fast, I don't think we are out of the woods yet.. from what I could see before power went out we were in a state of being between space and sub-space.. it is entirely possible we have fallen through a sub - space fissure or undeveloped worm hole.. we are not where we were moments ago."

<Tag All>

[Deleted]

Tedak had just shut off the cascade of water that had been coming down on him, and was reaching for a towel when he suddenly had the strangest sensation of being transported. He steeled himself for whatever might come and wherever he might end up, only slightly irked that he was quite...exposed.

To his utter surprise he had a most soft landing, though since he was still wet whoever he landed on was getting wet too. He blinked as Kreiala bid him good morning in a very calm fashion. Following her example, he smiled pleasantly as he rose to his feet, ignoring the very fact that he was completely naked. "Good morning ma'am, and I do apologize. There must be a malfunction on the ship somewhere, I'm sure engineering is on it as we speak."

He glanced around the bridge, daring anyone to comment on his lack of attire, meeting every single gaze with a challenging one of his own. He seemed immune to the sniggers and laughs, and he especially ignored Govan's hard stare. "If you will excuse me commander, I shall return shortly."

Giving the commander a quiet nod, Tedak strode over to the turbolift and called up a car just after Kreiala had departed the bridge to get changed. There was not a hit of shame about him and he bore his exposure with dignity and pride. He didn't feel he had anything to hide or be ashamed of; he was in excellent physical shape, and it showed. The only blemish was the injury sustained in his fight with Govan, a scar he had opted to keep as a reminder not to engage Govan again in such a fashion.

---

When the ship shook violently, the ambassador too was slammed into a bulkhead, but fortunately he wasn't injured. Around him, several crewmembers had fared the same fate, some of which because they hadn't been watching where they had been going. Instead, apparently the sight of an unclothed diplomat striding in a dignified manner down the corridor had been much more interesting.

The still wet diplomat scrambled back to his feet, seemingly uninjured and the only thing bruised just being his pride. He straightened and continued on his way, ignoring the stares he was getting, until he heard the call for a medic. Immediately, he turned back and found Kreiala kneeling beside an unconscious crewman. Kneeling too, Tedak briefly examined him. "Ma'am, hand me your communicator, then head back to the bridge. I'll make sure he ends up in sickbay."

Without saying a word, Kreiala handed him the communicator and walked away, without looking back.

"Rhiana, meet me on deck four and bring me a robe," he first ordered his new aide, wondering how long she'd take to comply to the order. There was no verbal response to the order, though he was certain she'd heard it. While he waited, he examined the unconscious crewman, and decided that he was best off being transported to sickbay.

"Doctor Sural, lock transporters on my co-ordinates. I have an unconscious crewman here in need of medical attention." Just as he finished speaking, the young aide appeared and froze dead in her tracks as she just stared at him.

The girl's eyes sparkled curiously as her eyes raked over the diplomat's naked body, before hardening as she thrust the robes at him. "Get dressed, we've had more than enough trauma without having to look upon your naked body." She reeled as his hand appeared out of nowhere and soundly slapped her on her cheek.

"Insolent child," he cursed her as he dressed himself. "You will learn manners, or you will be treated like this every time you disrespect me. I am your elder, and your superior. You will address me as I desire to be addressed, do you understand?" The usually pacifist ambassador raised his hand, ready to slap her again if the answer was dissatisfactory.

"Yes sir," the girl replied, though the fire in her eyes remained.

"See that you do. Now, you are to head to sickbay and enquire after the crewman's status and report to Sub-Lieutenant Vyaln on his condition. I am going to see Legate Ch'Varak."

"Sir," the girl responded before dashing off to sickbay.

The diplomat shook his head and asked the computer to locate Legate Ch'Varak.

(Tag Tevio)

[Deleted]

As the ship lurched again, Mirok was thrown to the floor. As he picked himself up off the floor, the reports of all the things that were going wrong were being yelled across the room at him by those that had managed to keep themselves from joining him there.

“Uhlan, our engines are offline!” “Uhlan, our shields are down!” Along with those were the cloak, sensors, and weapons, main power and life support was failing, and there were problems with auxiliary power. And then both sets of power, the room went dark, and then a moment replaced by being bathed in the green of the emergency lighting.

With that, the Engine Room got very quiet and noisy all at the same time. Gone was the vibration on the engines and the thousands of components that buzzed, whirred or hummed in the background, sounds that no one ever really paid any attention to normally. The quantum singularity in the Core was still going along producing its gravity well as always, but it did so noiselessly as usual. Replacing were the moans and groans of those that had not instinctively braced themselves for the rude encounter with the floor, the panicked breathing and outbursts of those who fought to get some of their precious equipment working again, and harried questions hurled at him of what to do.

All of this was just one more way to make this backwater assignment into a hellhole. Admiral Wislok had likely arranged for the S’Harien to be sent on this assignment just to spite him further.

“Silence!” he yelled out as engineers pressed in close to him, repeating their questions of what they should do. “Life Support is failing and auxiliary power is down. Those are our priorities. Without power, no you won’t be able to fix them by simply huddling over consoles seeing how fast you can push buttons. You’ll have to pull open panels and get your hands nicked up a bit. Go to the components and fix them manually; reroute circuits by hand.”

“Now, you, you, you, you and you, come with me. We’re going to the Life Support mechanisms to make sure we have air to breathe. And you,” he pointed to his second-in-command, “get auxiliary power back online, and deploy some portable generators so that we can something working again.”

As Mirok left with his team, he also added, “And get that witch of a Science Officer to give us some clue as to what just happened!”

[Deleted]

The computer core answered the request made of it and fired the appropriate electrical impulses. Algorithms worked to produce the synthesised male voice, simultaneously locating Ambassador Tedak.

And the calm computer voice spoke, "Lieutenant Tevio is not aboard the S'Harien."

It was enough to stop anyone dead in their tracks.

<Tedak>

---

For about fifteen minutes Tevio had known only three, possibly four things: a dark and empty pressure; an incidental yet pleasant relief of light, cast in green and white; cold; and an unusual sensation he could only describe as tearing.. twisting.

Silence clothed him in a blitz of trembling flotsam and freezing winds shut his eyes firm from the bizarre sight. He couldn't have described it, nor did he think he ever would understand it. His mind had been more preoccupied with the realisation he'd been ejected into space.

As the ship had tilted under improbable deceleration, dampeners and power compensators strained to keep it alive. Plasmic and electrical surges fried key systems; conduits ruptured with the unpredictable energy flow.

One such conduit had blown itself apart near the intel department's operations centre. Stress forces proved too much even for the bulkheads, and as the energy had to be released somewhere, the wall that was part of the hull cracked apart in Tevio's office and he was blown unceremoniously out into space.

There were a number of other hull breaches around the surface of the ship, and these were rapidly closed off with forcefields (where power existed to make such a thing possible). The intel department on the other hand had its systems working on a different circuit, so forcefields couldn't ordinarily be raised there from the bridge.

Several officers rushed to the transporter room, haphazardly traversing the corridors as the ship lurched from one axial extreme to another. The lead officer handed his datapad to the transporter operator, whose face was bruised and cut badly. The dazed operator checked the pad and without a word hurried to work the transporter; he entered the coordinates given to him by the officer and his small ragtag group of beaten intel staff.

The lead officer was Uhlan Mavak, long-time intel officer under Legate Ch'varak. He'd just witnessed first-hand the flushing of a half-dozen of his colleagues into... vacuum? And now he was watching a column of green light swirling in enrapturing miasma on the transporter pad. The luminous column began to solidify, beginning to take on the familiar shape of Tevio Ch'varak; but then it simply fizzled and died.

"Explain," he demanded of the transporter operator.

Shaking his head, the operator stepped back, raising his hands in innocence before a Tal Diann Uhlan forced him back to the console. Frustrated and feeling a discomforting yet familiar panic (a failure of his seen by naval duty enforcers) he tried to reestablish the transporter lock.

Try as he might he just couldn't find the Legate again. Mavak stared at the man, feeling the impulse to reach for his knife. It would be all the fool deserved.

"Communication, coming through here," the operator said then - his voice somewhat shaky, "From out there..."

"This is the Legate," Tevio's voice came crackling through on the console, quite to Mavak's shock, "I'm safe out here, somehow... - why haven't you beamed me aboard?"

Mavak told the operator to try again but was told the transporters had now gone offline. The overhead lights had also failed and it'd become noticeably colder. "Legate, we're trying but the transporter's offline. Where are you?"

In darkness against a background of... multicolour, or absence, impossible geometrics boxing the ship into a space of unclear dimensionality, Tevio answered, "I don't know." He dusted off his uniform and looked ahead at the dipped tip of the Valdore-type vessel, "Put me through to the bridge."

"Whoever's on the bridge, this is Ch'varak, I'm outside the ship. Please beam me aboard at your earliest convenience. Incidentally... where are we?"

<Tag Taev and Kreiala> <All>

[Deleted]

Taking a look around the bridge from the floor, Taev stood up, brushing off some dust and singed clothing. The ship had been through something completely unrecognizable. Whatever it was left the S'Harien seemingly mangled in space. Consoles all around the bridge we left in tatters. Taev looked around again and paid special attention to the crew themselves. The science officer seemed unharmed. Too bad.... Taev thought amusingly. He looked further, towards the center of the bridge and saw a sight even he did not want to see at the present time! Laying sprawled on the floor were Commander Govan Echal and Centurion Dor'Vel. Taev rushed over to the two Romulans and checked for immediate vitals. He determined they were alive, but unconscious.

"Inform the medical teams to get to the bridge and take Commander Echal and Dor'Vel to the medical bay."

(Sural)

As they quickly responded, and the two superior officers were taken from the bridge, Taev stood in the center, and opened a communications channel to the ship. At least this still works... "Attention all crew. This is Lieutenant Lhoell. Bring me all injury reports and damage reports immediately. Begin repairs now."

A call came in over the comm. "Whoever's on the bridge...this is Ch'varak. I'm outside the ship. Please beam me aboard at your earliest convenience. Incidently....where are we?"

Taev pointed at Kreiala. "Don't even think about it," he ordered before he responded. "This is Lhoell. We will get you aboard as time allows. What is your location?"

(Tevio)

With that out of the way, Taev had begun to get damage reports. "What a quality experience. Nearly the entire ship is damaged." He looked at the science officer. "Get the sensors online immediately and gather what data you can."

(Kreiala)

Tapping into the comm system, Taev said, "Ambassador Tedak, If you are not too busy showing your body off to the crew, would pay special attention to getting something to report, perhaps working with the Intelligence department on anything we might know about wherever we are? Lhoell out," he said, not waiting for the Ambassador to respond.

(Tedak)

"Bridge to engine room. Status report."

(Mirok)

"Acknowledged. Get back to work. Lhoell out."

This was worse than he expected. Only time would show what would happen next.

[Deleted]

Moving as quickly as caution would allow in the dim glow of the emergency lighting, Mirok and his team made their way toward the Life Support systems. As the ship listed to one side once more under the unknown forces of wherever they were, Mirok was thrown against the bulkhead as the ship’s gravitational field redefined what direction down was.

Finally reaching Life Support, they had to stop to force the door open before they were able to enter. “Alright, get a generator hooked up, and let’s see if we can keep ourselves breathing,” Mirok said, yanking off a panel and dropping it to the ground, exposing the biofilters, air circulators and temperature regulators that quietly kept everyone happy, or at least as happy as Romulans got. But then the panel bounced back up again as the artificial gravity in that section failed.

As the groans of complaint arose, Mirok grabbed a hold of the side of the exposed area as called out, “Keep working, everyone. We’ve all been trained in zero-gravity maintenance.”

=/\= Attention all crew. This is Lieutenant Lhoell. Bring me all injury reports and damage reports immediately. Begin repairs now. =/\=

“Thank you for your permission,” Mirok yelled sarcastically at the ceiling, though he could have just as easily directed it at the comm speaker if he chose. “Attention everyone, we are now allowed to begin our repairs.” Shaking his head, Mirok reached inside the equipment in front of him.

=/\= Bridge to engine room. Status report. =/\=

Yanking his communicator out of his pocket, Mirok opened it and left it floating next to his head as he continued working. =/\= Everything’s offline, that’s the status I have to report. We’re currently trying to keep Life Support from failing entirely, I have teams working on restoring power, deploying portable generators in the meantime, and damage control teams have been dispatched. Oh, and did I forget to mention that artificial gravity…=/\=

Just at the moment he was about to report artificial gravity being out, it of course came back online, along with proper lighting, as a technician restored to the area. Mirok collapsed to the ground, glared at the offending technician and fished his communicator out of the mechanisms it had clattered down into.

=/\= As I was saying, artificial gravity is also cutting out in various sections. But that will be remedied with generators. =/\=

=/\= Acknowledged. Get back to work. Lhoell out. =/\=

“Funny, I was just about to demand to be allowed to do the same,” Mirok said as he put away his communicator.

< Bridge >

Having finally lugged a portable generator the necessary distance through service tunnels thanks to the turbolifts being offline, an Engineering technician emerged onto the Bridge and hooked up the generator. Activating it, the dim green of the emergency lighting was replaced with the proper standard lighting.

[Deleted]

"He is where?" Tedak glanced around the bridge, readjusting his robes now he was properly dressed again. He blinked in surprise as he saw the bodies of Govan and Dor'vel be wheeled by, knowing instantly that there would be one very sad nurse down in sickbay who would do her very best to keep them alive. He made a mental note to go see her later and offer moral support.

"Outside the ship, you dimwit, he said so, don't you have ears?" Rhiana appeared onto the bridge, "and that officer you had me drag to sickbay he'll be fine. Doctor Sural, in his own humoristic way, told me he'll be fine so don't worry. So...what happened, were we attacked?"

The diplomat calmly turned around, his eyes smouldering in rage as he advanced on her. He continued to do so until she stood with her back against the wall and could go no further, and he still inched forward, closing the distance between them. "Mind. Your. Words," he spat at her, then soundly struck her across her cheek for the second time that day. "Commander Echal and Sub-Commander Dor'Vel were injured, and apparently Legate Ch'Varak has somehow been transported into space."

He turned his back on his youthful aide and strode towards the tactical station, glancing up only once to meet Taev's eyes. "I am right here Lieutenant Lhoell," he added dangerously calm, "if you had used your eyes, you could've spared yourself that call and your attempt to embarass me. I assure you, I do not flaunt myself even though I am well aware that I am not..undesirable." He flicked his eyes towards Rhiana who still stood with her back against the wall, a hand pressed against the cheek he'd slapped. He was quite aware of the fact that she would continue to insult him as well as try to seduce him.

"Also...as you are well aware, I am a diplomat, with a background in tactical not intelligence. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and return the legate to the ship." His hands were flying over the flickering console; he was no engineer but when it came to tactical systems, he clearly knew what he was doing. "Uhlan i-Dartha, this is Ambassador Tedak on the bridge. I need you to make available to me as much power as possible towards the transporters, without endangering life-support any further. I'm going to drop our shields for a fraction of a second and initiate transport. I'm transporting Legate Ch'Varak and seven of his staff here to the bridge in three, two, one..now!"

On his mark, the forms of the intelligence chief and his staff materialised on the bridge, seven of which collapsing upon coalescing into true form. The diplomat strode forward, examining the bodies before glancing up at Ch'Varak. "Were you taking a stroll sir?" he asked quietly as he rose back to his feet.

"Oh yes, he voluntarily took a spacewalk out of a blown out bulkhead," Rhiana chided scornfully, "does he look like he was enjoying the walk?" She sidled up to the diplomat, gracefully wrapping her arms around his waist as if it were the most normal action in the universe.

The diplomat stiffened visibly, prying her arms away forcefully. "You, be quiet!" He turned to the legate. "Your staff are dead sir, I'm sorry I couldn't save them."

[Deleted]

=/\= "Uhlan i-Dartha, this is Ambassador Tedak… =/\=

Sighing, Mirok pulled out his communicator again, preparing for what was likely to be another inane request; first the Tactical Officer, now the Diplomat. At least the Tactical Officer served some usefulness, however. But as Mirok continued to listen, he stared incredulously, first at the communicator, then at his engineers around him, wondering which of the Ambassador’s mistakes he should interrupt to point out first.

As the Ambassador evidently attempted transport, Mirok called out to his engineering team, “Anyone to place a wager as to how immediately I’m demanded to have the transporter working again?”

Mirok stood staring off into space, waiting for inevitable reply. Surprisingly, it wasn’t coming. Mirok even started to check his communicator to make sure it hadn’t malfunctioned.

After thirty seconds that seemed like an hour, Mirok finally said, =/\= I take your silence to mean that your transport of the Legate was successful. I feel I should point out though that lower the shields was completely unnecessary, as they are presently offline along with everything else. As I thought were the transporters as well. When I find out whoever it was that wasted time and resources using a portable generator getting a transporter online, I assure you they will promptly reassigned to waste extraction repair! =/\=

Unseen by Mirok, his engineering team eyed each other warily about the temperament of their new Chief.

=/\= Oh and you can pass along that life support will be fully operational again shortly. i-Dartha out. =/\=

[Deleted]

Taev could have sat in the center chair and done nothing, but he saw that as counter productive. With the past hours gone out the proverbial airlock, the S'Harien had regained only minimal systems. Thankfully, life support was among them. Sensors had also been brought back online in some minimal capacity, so he had the Science Chief on the task of figuring out what had happened.

(Kreiala, we'll get to that later, but keep it in mind)

Taev himself had been working with engineering on getting weapons and shields back online so they weren't left unprotected. That was the last thing they would need in whatever region of space they currently lay dead in space in.

Now back on the bridge, another thought came to the forefront of his mind. With the recent events, the mission they were sent to this region of space had gone rather to the bottom of everyone's priority list. It was time to focus once again.

Tapping into the communication system he ordered, =/\= All senior officers report to the Ward Room immediately. =/\=

Taev immediately moved to the Ward room and sat down in the head chair. He waited patiently for the crew to report.

(All)

With the crew finally appearing, Taev began. "As you are all aware Commander Echal and Centurion Dor'Vel are out of commission and I am now in command. We have had several hours to work. Have you gotten any more systems to full?" he asked looking at the Chief Engineer.

(Mirok)

"Get the S'Harien's systems to full." Taev turned back to address the full senior staff. "After review of the sensor records, we have determined that we have fallen into a pocket of space that is pressurized. We know that obviously the Legate," indicating Ch'varak, "is unfortunately still among the living. We have bigger issues however. Since we didn't find enough wreckage to compile an entire ship, it is safe to assume that the Koimae is most likely traversing this expanse. As soon as we get engines back online, finding the Koimae will be our first priority. Any questions?"

(All)

[Deleted]

=/\= All senior officers report to the Ward Room immediately. =/\=

Mirok, up to his elbows in the shield generator, let out a groan. “Immediately?! Not even five minutes? Did they want these shields back online or not!?”

Resecuring various circuits, and undoing some of the work he had just done in order to prevent the shield matrix from damaging itself irrevocably during his absence, Mirok stepped back from the still-offline system. “I will return…hopefully shortly,” he told an underling. Packing up his toolkit in anticipation of needing it somewhere along the way, Mirok made his way over to the Ward Room.

As he was about to take his place at the table, he noticed the lights above flickering. Noting that not everyone had yet arrived, he opened his toolkit onto the table, picked up the necessary tool, and stepped up on top of the table and opened a panel next to the light fixture.

Needing a few moments to repair the fixture, as he finished he looked around him to find the remainder of the senior officer now present. With each and every one of them now staring up at him, the expressions ranged from amusement to curiosity to annoyance, the last particularly from Taev. But any of those were preferable to the desire to cause him bodily harm that would have resulted had he let the problem persist throughout the meeting.

Stepping down off the table using his chair, he replaced the tool, brushed off his seat and seated himself. Noting a fresh scuff mark on the table from his boots where he had stood, he polished them out with his uniform sleeve.

Then, finally positioning himself to indicate his readiness for the meeting, he neither excused himself nor gave any apology for his actions.

"As you are all aware Commander Echal and Centurion Dor'Vel are out of commission and I am now in command. We have had several hours to work. Have you gotten any more systems to full?" he asked looking at the Chief Engineer.

“In addition to Life Support, main power has also been restored, as you’ve probably noticed. I am in the process of getting our shields back online, but I will need more time to complete those repairs."

"Get the S'Harien's systems to full."

And yet more awe-inspiring orders. Thank you so much, I have no idea! Mirok thought to himself but didn’t say. Talking back to the Commander, even the Acting Commander, was rarely a good idea. One of the things they had been taught very clearly at the Academy was that Command officers’ orders would be unnecessary at best when serious repairs were needed.

As he sat and listened, he had a very brief flash of psionic insight. Someone at the table was in pain. Who it was coming from was uncertain; with the exception of vision, it was usually all but impossible to identify the source. It may well have been Sub Lieutenant Lhoell, but Mirok didn’t dare make mention of it. He didn’t want anyone on the S’Harien knowing of his ‘gift’, least of all the Legate. The last time he had let it slip about his gift, he had expelled from the Academy, incarcerated for five years, and subsequently disowned from his family to prevent them the disgrace of having a lowly prisoner in the family.

“….Any questions?" Taev finally asked.

Mirok simply shook his head in response.

[Deleted]

With the legate now safely back on board, Tedak knew that the man probably was in his debt now. However, since the diplomat rarely called for debts to be paid, Tedak had merely shrugged at the very idea. Once the doctor had made sure Ch'varak would be all right, the ambassador had left the bridge and returned to his quarters. He had, after all, been pulled away rather roughly from some private time with his little girl. A little girl that he was attempting to get warmed up to him, as obviously her mother hadn't been too nice in regards to referring to him. At least, he mused as he walked back, the little girl had finally called him daddy. That was, in his book, at least something.

He was pleasantly surprised when Kasia stood in the middle of their livingroom, her little arms stretched up to him as he walked in. With a grin, he obliged and picked her up. "Miss me?" he asked, spying around for his nuisant aide. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found, meaning that she had abandoned the girl despite his strict orders. Even if he wanted her nowhere near his daughter, it was part of her duties and he expected her to follow them. Unfortunately, with Govan and Dor'vel both indisposed, he reasoned it was unfair to call upon Tamir to care for the girl, while soon he would have duties to attend to.

Another option, one he loathed, was to take her with him. What alternative did he have? It wasn't like he had planned on having her with him, was it? Before now he never knew he even had a child. He smiled as the child wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. "Well hello there," he whispered, "are you hungry? Or just sleepy?"

In response, Kasia yawned widely and rested her head against his shoulder. "Sleepy it is, daddy'll put you to bed then, and find the nasty babysitter to look after you." With a smile, he put the little girl to bed in his own bedroom, then quietly closed the door behind him. As soon as he turned, he found himsef facing Rhiana, her dark eyes sparkling dangerously. "What is it?" he asked, hand still on the door behind him, brows creasing in a frown.

Rhiana stepped closer to him, casting her eyes up, meeting his. "I never pegged you for a cading daddy," she said, reaching up to caress his cheek. She frowned as he caught her hand and moved it away. "Yet here you are. And you're going to let that half-breed woman of yours care for her, aren't you? Why take her, when you've someone strong and pure as me?" She leaned up, her lips brushing against his, fingers curling around the hand that desperately tried to keep hers away.

Rhiana felt him step back and jolt as his back touched the door; she smiled victoriously, she had him. "I can make you happy, I can make her happy," she whispered seductively, while engaging a second attempt to kiss him.

Tedak held his mouth firmly closed, his lips pressed into a very thin line as anger welled up in him. With his free hand, he gave her a firm push, then soundly slapped her across her cheek. "Your tasks," he breathed, "are making sure that I receive information in time, and that I receive information as I request it. Your additional duty is to take care of my daughter. I don't care for you, I don't have feelings for you and I never will. Touch me again in that manner and you'll regret it." From somewhere in the room, one of the two firelizards hissed in agreement.

"Fool!" she spat, her fingernails raking across his cheek as she slapped him soundly, twice. "You'll be sorry. Fine I'll take care of your bad boy child for you."

"See that you do. And you better not harm her, she had better be still safely asleep when I return." The threat was obvious. He released her hand and stepped aside to pass her. "Remain here, Sev will remain here to make sure my daughter remains safe. He will alert Nut, should anything happen so you'd be wise not to try anything Miss Mhiessan."

A few minutes later, and competely uninvited, the diplomat regally strode into the briefingroom and claimed one of the vacant seats, brown Nut hovering over him and then finding a perch across hiss houlders, lazily dangling his tail down Tedak's chest. His expression was harsh, his gaze murderous as he sat down and listened patiently to the staff briefing. "It is also possible that the Koimae has been destroyed," he offered quietly, not even bothering to meet Taev's gaze, "did anyone think to investigate the wreckage found?"

[Deleted]

Mirok sighed internally. Was doing the unnecessary/pointless part of the diplomat’s job description? What was the point of even having an Ambassador aboard a warship anyway? Mirok wished now more than usual that he had been permitted to continue his originally destined career in Security, rather than being condemned to Engineering. A disruptor would have come very much in handy…

“Investigating wreckage, Ambassador?” Mirok said, finally vocalize his stewing thoughts, with such overwhelming any sense of respect due the man’s rank and position, though Mirok failed to see the necessity. “And you propose we do that…how? Perhaps you hadn’t been listening, but I’m barely holding this ship together. Our sensors are barely functioning, our engines are completely offline, and we should be thanking the Elements the ship hasn’t imploded in on itself yet. Investigating anything outside the ship will be quite impossible for the time being.”

[Deleted]

Sural had been in the middle of inncoulating his latest batch of cel cultures when the S'Harien hit... well hit whatever it had. He was thrown from his seat and swore foully as realised the cultures were now contaminated and a weeks work had been wasted. He stumbled to his feet and left his lab to find out what was going on.

The lights flickered and every now and then his stomach felt about it was about to enter his mouth.

"Anti-grav drill" he barked as he emerged,

Nurses intantly activated restaints on each bed to stop patients floating off and attached magentising soles to their feet,

"Secure that cabinet" he pointed to an open implement cupboard that was now lazily emptying its contents of sharp objects into the room. Most doctors used laser scalpels and Sural did to but sometimes an operation required the delicacy of cold hard steel.

"Patients secure" Tamir reported as she floated over beside him and then dropped to the floor as gravity reasserted itself, "We are getting casualty reports from all decks."

Sural nodded and reached for his medical bag,
"Despatch EMTs and call in all staff." A flashing icon on the status board caught his eye. THe bridge. There were casulaties on the bridge, knowing Govan as he did he knew he would have to attend himself and quickly. As he reached the door an officer appeared,
"How is the man the Ambassador sent?"
Sural didnt have a clue what the man was talking about 25 people had already arrived and he could see more walking wounded in the corridor, it could be any one of them,
"Fine" he said, "Nothing a few days rest won't cure. Now if you ll excuse me"
He brushed past the man and headed for the lift before remembering his disaster protocol and heading to the ladders.

Five minutes latter and quite out of breath he arrived at the bridge. Taev seemed in control but Govan and Dorvel were both lying prone. He bent beside the commander first. Contusions and internal bleeding. Head trauma indicated no brain damage but he induced a coma just the same. The bodies own powers of recovery were amazing as long as they were given the chance and if he kept Govan conscious that would not happen. Dorvel was in pretty similar shape less the head wound. 5 broken ribs and a punctured lung meant that the first officer would be out of action for at least a week.

"I need to get them to sick bay"Sural reported to Taev. Taev nodded, "One moment Doctor, I think Mirok has transporters back online, we are just retrieving Tevio."

Sural ignored the fact that he couldnt understand where Tevio could possibly be and concentrated on his patients as shortly the annular confinement beam scooped up his atoms and rematerialised him in Sickaby. Tamir was instantly at his side, unsurprising given her connection to the two men. "Put the commander in a HDU bed and maintain his coma until swelling subsides. Dorvel place in recovery and have Dr Sortok mend his ribs." Tamir nodded and stepped into action.

Slowly the number of medical emergencies began to ebb and pretty soon they were dealing with only bumps and grazes although the death tally was in the mid teens.

=/\= All senior officers report to the Ward Room immediately. =/\=

Sural had been expecting just such a call and chance the lifts he returned to the upper decks and the conference room. The others were already present and he quietly took his seat. He listened as Tedak and Mirok bickered briefly and then raised his hand.

"Yes Doctor" Taev asked

"I m only a simple doctor but I agree with Mirok. Were this ship a patient triage is what is called for. Stabilise the patient by protecting essential systems, circulation, breathing etc, then the senses. Once stable you can start to look for what caused the injury."

Tag all

[Deleted]

Kreiala walked into the briefing late as usual although this time it wasn’t out of principal rather the fact she had been buried in work. She caught the end of a sentence regarding a desire to search for their original mission objective. She let out a sigh.

“That would be a mistake.. We have limited sensors working and from what I can tell we are in some sort of sub space void.” She took a seat at the far end of the table and slid a Padd across the table for anybody interested. “The aperture that brought us here is gone I would surmise that it is only an exit and only opens when the entrance is stumbled upon.”

She took a deep breath. “Frankly the more important objective for us right now is finding a way to get back to our space.. I suggest we double our efforts in ship repairs and look for anybody else trapped in here with us.. whether it be our original objective or not.. they may have a better idea of what’s going on than we do.”

She looked to the intelligence officer whos name she had still not bothered to remember, “I suggest you check your files.. perhaps another ship outside of the Romulan fleet has encountered this before.. Federation ships would be a good place to start,, They are equipped with better sensors than our ships generally.”

Now looking to Teav at the head of the table she said. “And I would recommend going to battle readiness.. if there are other ships out here they may be now running low on supplies and a crippled ship brimming with food and technology is a tasty prize.”

She now stood up too busy to remain in the briefing doing nothing. “I would also suggest wrapping this up.. the Engineers time is better served fixing things than sitting down in here.”

With she made for the door. “I have work to continue.” And then she was gone.

[Deleted]

"I m only a simple doctor but I agree with Mirok. Were this ship a patient triage is what is called for. Stabilise the patient by protecting essential systems, circulation, breathing etc, then the senses. Once stable you can start to look for what caused the injury."

Mirok appreciated the Doctor’s comments, but more than for just his agreement. Being referred to by his given name, rather than ‘Uhlan i-Dartha’ spared him the reminder that he had once been stripped of the name of the noble house he had been born into. While he had stubbornly refused his father’s offer to welcome him back to the family years later, it did not prevent him from feeling the continual sting of being addressed only by the common name derived from one’s birthplace.

The Science Officer added after arriving late, “I would also suggest wrapping this up.. the Engineers time is better served fixing things than sitting down in here.”

Finally someone gets it Mirok thought, as it wouldn’t do any of them any good to sit around discussing the situation if it meant the hull next to them imploding because the meeting had delayed him getting the shields repaired. But he was then amazed by her departure that lacked even a request to be excused. He would have gladly followed suit, but he lacked the brashness to do it himself.

“So are we done then?” Mirok asked flatly instead.

[Deleted]

Kreiala returned after around ten minutes to the briefing room she had grown to despise time was being wasted and for her their was no greater sin than wasting time. She clapped her hands together sharply and said loudly. “Listen up!”
“Your wasting time in here.. Tedak your highest ranking in here stop being a coward and hiding behind him.” She pointed to Teav and then turned her attention to the Engineer.

“You!... Sensors, Engines and Shields back online within the hour.. Get moving!” now looking to the intelligence officer she scowled. “I want all information you can get your hands on.. twenty minutes ago.. I’ve no wish to spend the rest of my life floating in dead space with you idiots.”

She now turned to the Doctor. “You.. the crew are going to need something to keep them awake.. triple shifts will need to be worked in necessary.. and don’t give me crap about Medical Ethics I’ve seen you break that rule plenty of times already.”

“If! You aren’t all out of this room and working in the next few minutes.. I’ll lock the doors and vent the oxygen.. replace you all with something of more usefulness.. stuffed animals for instance."

She looked to Teav last and scoffed. “Idiot.”

With that she again left her threat totally meant the seconds were ticking down in her mind.

<Tag All.. more to come when Enignes are fixed ect ect>

[Deleted]

Typical Mirok thought as Kreiala left again. Engineers were tolerated for their usefulness, but they were rarely afforded any respect. He got up and left moments after she did, certain that no one present was about to exercise whatever authority they might have had to stop him.

Exiting the Ward Room, he paused long enough to let the door close behind him before he spoke to her. “Not that your threat would have meant anything. My authorization codes would have been sufficient to override anything you could have done to us in there,” he said to her, though he hadn’t seen any need to disclose that to the others still in the room. He then continued on, having no need for a response.

Engines would be a simple matter; the warp nacelles were simply misaligned. Realigning them would be a lengthy, tedious task, but a simple one nonetheless, especially compared to that of reestablishing full sensor capability. Shields likely would have already been back online by now if not for that utterly pointless exchange of wasted breaths. Those who enjoyed meetings shouldn’t be placed in charge of anything. As he headed back to the shield generator, he pulled out his communicator and issued out orders to get the rest of it taken care of.

Finally arriving back at the shield generator he shouldn’t have needed to leave in the first place, he spent minutes redoing what he’d been forced to undo, just to be able to pick up where he had left off. No more than ten minutes after that, he had repaired the generator to his satisfaction, proving his original opinion of the potentially earlier completion of the task.

“Reactivate the shields and then inform the Bridge they’re back online,” he said to a technician as he left, heading off to sort out the sensors.

[Deleted]

**Joint Post**

Taev decided that is was time to actually sit in the center seat. It wasn't really that he was avoiding it, there was just too much to do. There was always too much to do. Now would be a good time to see if they could move yet, since it had been a few short days of motionlessness. The seat felt cold as he sat in it, since it had not had an occupant for a few days. He looked at the side console bringing up the status reports from the main departments. He began to sift through them, finding that the S'Harien was nearly battle ready. The shields and weapons were back online, mostly thanks to the Chief Engineer, but the ship still had one major problem: the engines still were not running.

Getting into the communication system he said, "Could anyone that is actually doing their job in Engineering please tell me why the engines are still offline?"

"We're still recalibrating one or two things," came Mirok's voice through the comm. "Something about the properties of...whatever this thing is that we're stuck in seem to be affecting the engines. Every time we attempt to restart them, another issue becomes evident. But I think we're running out of things that could go wrong, so we should they should be back online shortly."

"About time..." Taev said most annoyed. He cut the communication, not allowing the Engineer to speak anymore. Taev's attention then shifted to the "thing" the engineer mentioned. Quite obviously, this pocket of subspace was indeed dangerous, and Taev was determined to get to the bottom of it. His attention turned to the Chief Science Officer, who was easily the most annoying of his colleagues. "You've had three days, woman. Give me answers. What is this pocket of space and why are we stuck here?" he ordered in an interrogative tone.

"Your stupidity is astounding little man." Krieala replied as she turned her head. "I already know where we are and how we got here." She sighed as she shook her head. "However as you are as I already established a cretin!.. I shall put it simply.. our power output drew the opening to us as we passed through the region of space we inhabited.. this sub-space pocket is a dead zone.. between normal space and sub-space.. Kind of like the space between your ears for example."

"However we will not succeed in trying to get out by ourselves we will need help.. as I said earlier we need to find other trapped ships and hope they can still be of help.. I would suggest cutting out your pathetic Govan impression and letting Ambassador Tedak ask them nicely.. Diplomacy will will get us out of here depleting our resources in battle will only doom us to eternity in this wretched place."

Taev slowly stood, fed up with the Sub-Lieutenants remarks about his supposed stupidity. He walked over to her. In a harsh tone, he ordered, "You will keep a civil tongue in your mouth, or I will cut it out."

The diplomat's eyes narrowed at the two bickering officers. "Instead of arguing, perhaps your time is better spent searching," he answered calmly, "if there are vessels out there, surely our sensors will find them?"

"Give it a try fool, smarter and tougher men have died trying... and even if you did outrank me that pathetic display of machismo wouldn't make me think of you as anything more that a quivering child in a big boys uniform." She stared at him never feeling or showing any fear before sneering and turning to the Ambassador. "Thank you Mister Ambassador.. all this time I was simply hoping to spot them out the window.. and I could have been using sensors.. You should have mentioned earlier."

She sighed. "But since the engines are offline we can't move.. and since we can't move I can only scan the same area of space which has nothing but debris... so why don't you do something more helpful then state the insipidly obvious and help the Engineer or light a fire under him." She waved her hand at Taev. "Or distract this idiot with shadow puppets or something so the real Officers can do their work"

"Take a spacewalk and a mobile scanner," Tedak suggested, his voice bordering on sarcasm, "surely such a smart woman as yourself has ideas of her own as to how to achieve this?" All the while, however, his pleasant smile never wavered, only his eyes betrayed his annoyance.

"Mister Ambassador do you have several doctorates in multiple fields of scientific study.. No? then shut up." She turned to look at her console and took a deep breath as she fell silent. a few moments later she turned and said. "I'm going to bed...Send for me when we actually start to move." Her gloved hand sent the information from her terminal to her private quarters before she walked off.

"Several, no," he answered to her departing form, "one or two, actually yes, I do." He turned back to Sural, still expecting an answer to his original query.

She scoffed as she exited the door. "One or two Ha, if I need a Kindergarten Science Teacher I'll give you a call... till then leave the suggestions to the professionals." She shook her head as she turned the corner out of the bridge.

It took everything Taev had to not grab her by the throat and break her neck right there. After all, at this point, she was just as disposable as anyone else. Seeing the Ambassador was going back to the Doctor, Taev looked over what the arrogant and self-serving science officer had done, if anything, as he waited for the others to finish their conversation. "The engines better get back online now...." he muttered to himself.

Almost as if the ship and/or Engine Room heard Taev's mutterings, just then a distinct, though distant, humming sounded through the Bridge. "Engine Room to Bridge. The Engines are back online, for the present time at least..." Mirok's voice was devoid of enthusiasm.