Mission 25: Masque of Reality

[Carl Torek]

~ Mission 25 : Masque of Reality ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Synopsis:


Three months ago, the USS Sagan vanished without trace. Now, the USS Emeritus has been missing for over a month. Several vessels began a search, but to no avail. New information has come to light that the Intrepid Class Emeritus has been seen, adrift, and lifeless. The ship, in a degrading orbit around an M-Class body, known only by its official designation:

GR 1908²¹

A moon within a system considered unremarkable in every sense. The USS Raven-B has been assigned to investigate the ship and the loss of the entire crew before reporting back to Star Fleet Command ...

On arrival, the Raven scans the ship thoroughly before approaching to within one thousand meters. Admiral Torek orders the tractor beam be used to halt the ships’ rotation. Once satisfied, he orders an away team to beam aboard to investigate. Meanwhile, the duty Tactical Officer has been scanning the nearby moon and locates two shuttle-craft. But the close proximity of the parent body, a massive gas giant, interferes with transporter function. With no other option open, Torek asks his Chief Engineer to get the Emeritus ready for flight, Blakus sends his Assistant Chief to the ship and joins the away team to the barren, desolate moon aboard the medical shuttle Piper. The quartz-like surface revealed no clues as to the disappearance of the ship, but that would change as the crew open the rear air-lock door !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping out of the Piper, the away team suddenly find themselves in Star Fleet Command Headquarters in San Francisco … Music, dancing, and flamboyant costumes seemed to be the order of the day. From Roman centurion, to American Indian, to Viking hordes, to sixteenth century May Queens, a troglodyte dragging his mate across the floor, Tibetan monks, and countless other manifestations from history. But two things stood out above all the theatre; the first was the lifelessness of those participating, the second, they would realize soon enough, and that was the fact that all those participating in the ball, were members of the missing vessels’ crews ! …

Can the Raven solve the mystery, before they, or yet another ship vanishes without trace ?

Hope you enjoy

Regards

Adm. Carl Torek

[Calli Valente]

Inching toward the end, she pressed her toes against the rubberized matting and looked down. Calli wasn't by any means afraid of heights, but a ten meter drop into gently rippling water had her nerves on edge, especially as her most ardent critics were sat, apparently scrutinizing her every move:

"Well, here goes." she whispered, and raised her arms over her head. Then, with a silent wish to be elsewhere, she fell forward .....

The surface rushed up to meet her, but for some reason she began to over-rotate, and realizing she wasn't going to hit the surface cleanly, she tried, in vain, to save her fall ... Landing [word deleted]-first, arms and legs flailing as if electrocuted, the air was slammed out of her. She sank to the bottom and took a second to regain her orientation before pushing upwards. Breaking the surface she gasped for air and steadied herself. Then she noticed the girls. The expressions on their faces wasn't exactly what she had expected, in fact, she had the distinct feeling they were trying hard 'not' to laugh out loud.

"Told you tweaking the gravitational field as she fell would be funny." Vanessa said, an angelic grin forming as Bethan giggled. She was about to give them a piece of her albeit frazzled mind, when Chloe informed her she had been told to report in thirty minutes.

"I'll get you two ... Don't you worry." she said, trying hard to look serious, and failing miserably as she slipped while climbing out of the pool .......

Observation Lounge:

"How was the swimming ?" Carl asked casually as she entered.

"Very bloody funny ... SIR !" she replied, taking her seat, "I'm guessing you showed your Daughter how to mess with the holo-suite protocols ?"

"Moi ?" he replied, the personification of innocence.

"We have orders ?" Calli asked, getting serious."

"Yes ... I was hoping to get a day or two on 'Forty Seven, but that's out the proverbial window. Take a look." he said, pushing a PADD across the table, "I'll brief everyone once they're here." he said, watching the stars ..........




< tag : ALL >

OK, we're off on our next outing. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year all.

[Marionette]

In her quarters, Marionette was using her free-time to multi-task; on one screen, she was attempting to track down (in hopes of eventually acquiring) a Borg corpse, and on 3 other screens, she was refining and improving projected upgrades (spine, nose, and touch-processing reconfiguring) for herself based on what she was calling 'retro-enhancement', or the concept of using old technology in new ways. She was, of course, doing all of this at-speed.

Anyone else would have been mind-boggled by just one screen, but Four of them at rapid pace ? Only an android could do that. Receiving a comm-badge summons to go to the observation lounge, she brought her work to a screeching halt of a stopping point, and shut it off for now. Her shift at helm would start soon enough.

Observation Lounge::

Entering the observation lounge, Marionette saw that only the two of them (now three, including herself) had arrived for the briefing so far. Concluding that it would not be long before the rest of them arrived, she took her usual seat down near the foot of the table, and passed the inevitably brief time admiring the new lounge table and over-stuffed leather seats, giving them a quick spin. "Impressive workmanship." she said matter of factually.

She then took a PADD and began looking over the information.

[Carl Torek]

While he waited for the other Senior Staff to arrive at the meeting, Carl reviewed their new mission outline ...

Two missing ships was a cause for concern, and the fact that the other vessels sent out to search had found nothing was worrying. The USS Sagan had been missing for almost three months, and now, information received showed that the USS Emeritus, the ship sent out to contact the Sagan, had been seen adrift and apparently derelict. The ship sighting her, a freighter, had been told to evacuate the area without approaching. Now, the freshly overhauled Raven was going to go take a look ...

Lieutenant Marionette entered the Observation Lounge and took her seat, nodding to the Admiral who seemed to be engrossed in the report.

"Impressive workmanship." the Android commented as the Comm chimed.

=^= Admiral .. The USS Halley is requesting approach =^= Wedlerson informed him.

=^= Bring the ship to 'All Stop' ... Tell Captain Whitson she has permission .. See to the transfers as quickly as possible Commander and have Commander Jamison join us in the Observation Lounge when he comes aboard =^=

=^= Yes Sir =^= the Comm closed and Carl looked at the long table before replying to Marionette.

"Yes." Carl said, taking up a second PADD, this one holding the information on the crew that would be joining the ship, Carl looked forward to catching up with his old friend once time permitted. Others began to attend the meeting and the seats were beginning to fill, though notably, the one used by the ships' Executive Officer remained empty. He still held out hope that Alex was safe and well, and that the Gandai would return him to the fold once he was content to do so, but in the meantime, Commander Blakus was, albeit reluctantly, taking on the Exec's duties as well as his own.

They watched as the USS Halley made a slow turn around the Raven, eventually taking up a position five hundred meters off the port quarter. The Miranda Class Halley was much smaller than the Raven, but was one hell of a ship design in Carl's opinion. He knew Captain Whitson by reputation, she was a good Commanding Officer, he would normally invite the Captain aboard the Raven, but unfortunately, he didn't have time to be sociable on this occasion ...

The briefing would need to start shortly ..........

[Andae Blakus]

Andae was in deflector control studying the latest upgrades installed by Earth Spacedock. There had been a couple of anomalies and he knew ESD's staff didn't always get things right, or at least he was determined to prove that. Only half his mind was on the job however, the rest of it preoccupied with the finer points of the transition from turn to river. He murmured silent words at the deflector interface, expecting no response from the machinery but for a moment, he was at the poker table, aces and hearts drifting before his vision.

Milyanov manoeuvred his stylus with exacting precision on the padd screen, crouching on the floor with Blakus some three metres above him. "Next time, we should have the blinds doubled from the outset," he tapped the stylus against his lip, "There's always more - "

"You keep saying that but you know the rest won't approve. They're not big time players like us."

"Like us?" Milyanov guffawed. "I've won three of the last four. When was your last victory, Chief?"

Blakus turned to berate his assistant, situating himself precariously between the ladder and the overhang of a horizontal gantry. "It's interesting that you ask..." he trailed off as his commbadge chirped. It was a summoning to the briefing room. "Be right there, sir."

He was in fact five minutes late. He noticed the ship seemed to be in a state of hurry. Their rendezvous with the Halley looked like it was going to be a brief one, new crew being transferred over and the Raven soon to be on her way again. Was this an emergency? If the mission indeed proved to be about what Andae had heard rumoured - that they were investigating the disappearance of two Sector starships - then it made sense the Raven was eager to get on with it.

As they'd spent the last year, two years engaged in Cordovin, El-Kamat and Proxima Oralix affairs, they had missed a great deal of Sector 47 politics, events, ship activity. In just the last three months two starships had inexplicably disappered; their last reported positions were somewhat close to one another, as the ship recently vanished had been sent in search of the previous. What had transpired since then? Had they been found?

He took his seat at the conference table, one of the last seats to fill, and gazed around temporarily vacuously. There was a small stack of padds a couple of chairs from him, at the XO's position. He reached over the officer next to him and took the top couple padds, scanning through them hastily. He hadn't been keeping abreast of XO business as much as he should've been. They could only hold on to hope that Alex would 'reappear' soon, although it seemed increasingly make-believe, some idealist vision that abased itself before death.

<Tag Carl / ALL>

[Deleted]

Will found himself feeling excited about being back aboard the Raven. He had missed some of his old crew mates. After giving up command of his own ship, Will wasn't sure when or if he would ever get the chance to get back out into space. When Captain Torek, "Admiral Torek". Will reminded himself, contacted him about rejoining the Raven, Will jumped at the chance. Now he was making his way to the transporter room as the USS Halley pulled up along side the Raven. A few moments later, he found himself in familiar surroundings.

"Welcome back, Commander." said the transporter chief.

"Thanks, Chief." replied Will as he reached for his comm badge.

=^=Commander Jamison to Admiral Torek. Request permission to come aboard, sir.=^=

[Aeryn Tavik]

There temperature was comfortably warm as Aeryn looked out onto the ocean. She was laying on the beach of Risa, the sun beating down on the ocean and all the people sunbathing and playing in the ocean. Aeryn herself was lying on a towel, in a two-piece red bikini, with a pair of sunglasses partially blocking out the light of the sun. To be fair, she had her eyes closed anyway, just listening to the ocean spray up on the beach several meters from her. It was the perfect way to spend her vacation. With the mission dealing with the Cordovin finally over, she, as well as all the crew, had earned a fair bit of R&R. Aeryn, quite surprisingly to many of the crew, even herself, had chosen to spend it on Risa, or at least the closest thing to Risa she could get to.

Aeryn heard the call for senior staff to report to the briefing room. She sighed, knowing it was all too good to be true. She got up from the soft sand and walked to the beach house to change back into her uniform.

Observation Lounge:

Aeryn walked briskly into the observation lounge. She was not the first to arrive, but also not the last. She took her usual seat, noticing the several were already looking at PADDS, but she did not have any in front of her. Normally she would have just stepped up and grabbed a couple, but this time, she just waited and bided her time.

[Carl Torek]

As everyone took their seats, Carl walked over to his Senior Marine and placed a PADD before her:

"These are the Security issues I'm concerned about. I think we need to ensure the safety of any crew beaming out, so take a look and let me know your thoughts as usual Aeryn." the Comm chirped to life suddenly.

=^= Commander Jamison to Admiral Torek .. Request permission to come aboard Sir =^=

=^= Granted Will .. We're in the observation lounge =^=

"Commander Peers, if you could reinstate Commander Jamison's Command Codes please, before he gets trapped in the turbo-lift." several people chuckled at the thought of the new Doctor stuck in a 'lift as Carl moved to the head of the table. He quickly refreshed his memory on the mission then continued, "OK, we'll get started, Commander Jamison can play catch-up ..... Here's what we have so far ..... Three months ago, the USS Sagan vanished without trace. The USS Emeritus, sent to look for them has been missing for over a month. Several vessels had began a search, but to no avail. New information has now come to light that the Intrepid Class Emeritus has been seen, adrift, and lifeless. The ship is in a degrading orbit around an M-Class body in the Laylatul Sector, known only by its official designation: GR 1908²¹ ...

GR 1908²¹ is a moon within a system considered unremarkable in every sense and largely unexplored. The USS Raven-B has been assigned to investigate the ship and the loss of the entire crew before reporting back to Star Fl ......" the Comm chirped again:

=^= Sir, we've received reports that a Star Ship has been attacked .. The USS Norfolk is adrift =^=

=^= Plot a course .. Inform the Halley to accompany us .. Warp seven and engage ! =^=

"OK, stations please." he said, breaking up the briefing ......

~~~~~~~~~~

As the two ships entered the region they scanned the derelict vessel.

"Sir, I'm picking up a warp signature leaving the area."

"Identification ?"

"Sir .... Harry said, hesitating to double-check, "Sir, it's a Marauder warp signature !"

The Bridge fell silent as the origin of the attackers came to light. The Marauders were Pirates, Killers, Opportunists. They raided freight transports taking everything usable, or they could sell, before destroying the vessel they had attacked ensuring no witnesses to follow them back to wherever they came from. It was almost unheard of for the Marauders to attack a Star Ship. Carl hypothesized that the Norfolk had stopped them then been attacked unexpectedly. He just couldn't understand how the Norfolk had fallen prey to these bandits !

"The warp signature is fading, I'd say six to eight hours old. Sir, the trail is heading straight into the Laylatul System."

"Inform Captain Whitson to remain with the Norfolk, we're going after the Marauders."

"Isn't that the System we're heading for ?" Calli asked .....

Six hours later:

"Sir we're approaching the Laylatul System." Marionette informed him, "I'm picking up numerous vessels in loose orbit around 1908²¹." Wedlerson added.

"All stop." Torek said quickly, "Let's not go running in there blind. get me all the information you can on the System and use long-range scanners to check those ships. I have a feeling that two of them are going to be the Sagan and Emeritus ... I'll be in my ready room." he said, leaving the Bridge ..........

[Deleted]

"Sounds like I should get to the lounge." Will said to the chief. "Can you make sure my gear gets to my quarters, please?"

Without waiting for a response, Will was out the door and headed for a lift. A few moments later, he was entering the Observation Lounge.

"Sir." he said with a nod as he acknowledged his CO.

He took a seat at the table and grabbed a PADD to begin reading. A moment later, they were interrupted.

=^= Sir, we've received reports that a Star Ship has been attacked .. The USS Norfolk is adrift =^=

=^= Plot a course .. Inform the Halley to accompany us .. Warp seven and engage ! =^=

"OK, stations please."

"Straight into action." Will said. "That's what I missed and love about the Raven." he added with a smile as he headed out the door for Sickbay.

[Andae Blakus]

When all stations was called Andae chose to remain on the bridge. It would allow him to better split his duties between his position as Chief Engineer and his temporary role as the Raven's XO. "Transfer engineering to bridge," he ordered, watching the engineering console light up.

He kept near-silent vigil as the Raven ascertained the course of the attacking Marauder ship's warp trail and warped out in pursuit towards the Laylatul System. When they were thirty minutes out from Laylatul Blakus spoke up, having come to the end of a point of internal debate. "Commander Peers, what class is the USS Norfolk? Oberth?" That would perhaps explain how the Marauders had overcome the starship so easily, he thought.

"No, sir. That Norfolk was the first vessel to bear the name. This Norfolk is Excelsior class."

Ah... Andae frowned and slid into the his station's seat. Still an old design, but more than enough to handle the Marauders' most advanced known ship. However, they couldn't exclude the possibility that the Marauders may have developed a superior vessel since their last contact.

On arrival at the system, Andae wondered how much significance the presence of Marauders, warping into the very system that was the Raven's objective, had to their mission here. It surely couldn't be coincidence this was the Marauders' next port of call, or the system to which they'd decided to flee, after assaulting the Norfolk.

He turned from the engineering station and parked himself on the port side of the tactical rail, leaning besides T'Brel. "Commander Valenti, a word if I may." He, Valenti and Admiral Torek coming from the ready room withdrew to the side.

"Sir, I'd like to draw your attention to the cartographical concerns. The last known positions of the Emeritus and Sagan are far behind us, to the left, relative to our current orientation, and almost on the other side of Starbase 47. If the Emeritus is here as reported, then it's travelled a long way since we last had contact. What could've happened in the intervening time? Transponder contact was lost; the ship was assumed either lost, or somewhat amusingly they might've turned off their transponder. Why didn't the crew attempt to make contact if they were still active? And if they weren't active, how have they now been found parsecs away around this M-class moon? No ship can drift that far in that short a time."

<Tag Torek / Valenti>

The Raven kept itself withdrawn. Wedlerson at Ops, Commander Peers and Andae himself when he wasn't dealing with recurring engine gremlins and de jure command shift duties, took to scanning the orbiting vessels. Most of the attendant crafts' orbits barely qualified as orbits at all: wide elliptical trajectories; slingshot manoeuvres; retrograde motions; and objects that Andae weren't sure even qualified as starships in tight, low, near circular paths. Readings of the latter were anomalous to say the least; they would require closer study.

He touched a button on his engineering console. =/\=Commander, I should say Doctor Jamison. It's Commander Blakus. Good to have you back aboard, Will. Is there a convenient time I can book a physical? =/\=

<Tag Jamison>

[Calli Valente]

Calli had filed out of the Observation Lounge along with everyone else, but Blakus held back, getting her attention:

"Commander Valenti, a word if I may ?" Andae said. Calli stepped up to where the Admiral was apparently waiting for her to join them, "Sir, I'd like to draw your attention to the cartographical concerns. The last known positions of the Emeritus and Sagan are far behind us ....." She listened intently to the Exec's concerns, realizing it hadn't occurred to her to think about the initial positions of the relevant ships 'before' they turned up here. It opened numerous lines of inquiry, that was for sure:

"OK, so you think the ships we're flown here under their own power before being what, abandoned ?"

"We have no way of knowing if either ship is abandoned." Carl said, adding his comment, "And at this point I'm not over keen on jumping right into the thick of things without some fore-knowledge. So, what we know so far is ... Every ship, be it in an eratic, or standard orbit, is for want of a better word 'dead' ... ?" he asked the two.

"We could send a probe in ?" Calli offered.

"If the ships are powered-down, a probe could give us some vital information." Andae said, thinking hard, "But we'd be better using the Raven's sensors."

"It's a given that we're not going to even consider sending in a shuttle then." Calli said, looking at the view-screen, "We should look at reinforcing the shields, see if the doctor can help with anything preventative to help us. But I don't think we're going to be left with many options, and the one viable one is we take the ship into the system and establish orbit as close to one of our ships as possible. We need people over there to get answers." she finished.

Carl had always condoned the 'Chinese Parliament' way of holding discussions, where rank wasn't an issue and everyone involved was entitled, no, encouraged, to voice their individual opinions or suggestions. He found things got done much quicker this way. Of course, it was dependent on on how close those working together were. It wasn't for everyone, and some Commanding Officers openly condoned his way of working, but that was their issue ... He had worked alongside these people for a long time, and valued, indeed, relied on their forthright openness during meetings ...

"Right, lets set a time. I want narrow-beam scans of all vessels. Two hours maximum and then we'll consider options for entering the system. After all, we'll need to go in there sooner or later." Carl finished, resisting the urge to openly shrug.

"We should concentrate the scans on the ships with established orbital trajectories, they're most likely to have been 'parked' under power, rather than drifting into elliptical orbits, is that workable ?" Calli asked Andae.

"I'll get someone on it right away."

"OK, we'll meet in ninety minutes for an update. I'm going to access the last recorded logs from both ships. I doubt there will be anything useful, neither Captain had time to send ships' records back to Command, but it's worth a look ..." Carl said turning to the turbo-lift, "Commander Blakus, you, have the Bridge." Carl said, a wry grin forming at Andae's expression. Calli put on her best blank expression as the Chief Engineer suddenly looked at her.

"Don't blame me." she grinned, "You could always fob the Exec' duties off on our unsuspecting doctor. He'd not see that one coming." she laughed, before heading to the vacant Science Station to begin analyzing any data ..........

[Marionette]

"Sir, we are approaching the Laylatul System." Marionette informed him. "All stop." Torek said quickly, prompting the android to input commands into her console.

"Don't blame me." commander Valenti grinned, "You could always fob the Exec' duties off on our unsuspecting doctor. He'd not see that one coming." she laughed, before getting up from her seat and moving to the science station console to the left of the bridge, slightly above and behind Marionette's station.

Marionette briefly looked up, curious as to what the joke was, but after an aside glance at Torek, who made a dismissive hand motion, she decided to ignore the inevitably missed joke. Humor was indeed a very strange thing.

Alot of things about organic beings were strange to the positronic gynoid, especially humans; spirituality, politics, idioms, emotions, sarcasm, dishonesty, but there were also things that she understood and admired about them; Loyalty, creativity, spirituality, the ability to eat and taste and smell, the capacity for pleasure, Friendship.

Indeed, if being human is not simply a matter of being born flesh and blood, if it is instead a way of thinking, acting and (hopefully? eventually?) feeling, then Marionette aspired to one day discover her own humanity.

[T'Brel Peers]

Through no fault of the crew, the Raven found itself in a delicate situation. No one could ever be allowed to attack a Federation colony, outpost, planet, or ship and except to get away with it. The moment the report came in about the Norfolk, the senior staff quickly began to prepare. Being in space, the Raven would be ready to face any known enemy and rescue their comrades. Yet things are never that simple for the crew of the USS Raven. Finding themselves in the Laylatul system, T'Brel felt like they were walking into some sort of trap. His feelings were obviously a product of his biology and life times. His Vulcan side was analyzing everything that had happened in the course of the last ten hours. A Federation ship was attacked and those that perpetrated those attacks led them to the exact system they were planning on going to. On arrival to the system a plethora of ships are lifeless and only the Raven is able to do anything. His joined Trill side, told him that it would be easier to assume the worse and have his hand near the trigger.

The fact that all of the ships in the vicinity were powered down with all their systems dead; should have placated the tactical officer, but it did not. T'Brel had the eerie feeling that they were being watched by one of the ships in the system and would only make their presence known when they felt like it. Knowing that it was pointless to think on these types of matters, T'Brel did what he liked to do in these situations, unannounced security drills. Since every department was busy with the task assigned to them by the Admiral, T'Brel decided that he would only deal with his department.

"Peers to all security personal, due to the unpredictability of our current situation, please report for a short briefing in an hour in the security office. Until further notice everyone is on duty," Peers said as finished inputting some commands into his console. T'Brel could bet latinum that some of his personal wear not pleased with his orders. He had promised them some light duty for a few days and that was now officially not happening. T'Brel felt that it was best to rotate heavy assignments within the ship itself. No burnouts meant no mistakes due to fatigue or overwork. It worked well and until someone showed him a better system, he would use what he liked.

"Commander, would you like to pick the time for my little drill?" T'Brel asked with a smile.

(Tag ALL)

[Deleted]

=/\=Commander, I should say Doctor Jamison. It's Commander Blakus. Good to have you back aboard, Will. Is there a convenient time I can book a physical? =/\=

Will was going over the medical personnel files when he got the page.

=/\=Commander. Good to speak with you again. I can get you in anytime at your convenience, sir.=/\=

(TAG Andae)

Will set a reminder in his desk terminal and went back to the files

[Carl Torek]

Carl had spent almost forty minutes running over what scant information they had on 1908²¹ without optimism. He was tired, clammy, and in desperate need of a shower. Checking the chronometer, he decided to go back to his quarters and change .....

~~~~~~~~~~

He checked on the children then left his quarters ... Making his way back to the Bridge he waited for the turbo-lift. As the doors opened he decided to change his plans. He would go to Sick-bay and welcome Will back to the ship. 'I can spare ten minutes to chat with an old friend' he thought, requesting Deck Twelve ... Entering, Will had his back to the door, the duty nurse began to approach but Cal put a finger to his lips, halting her in her tracks grinning.

"Doc, you have anything for housemaids knee ?"

"House maids kn ....." Will began, turning to face the Officer, then smiling as he realized 'who' was asking, "Captain ..." The two men approached each other, enjoying a warm handshake.

"How are you Will, it's good to have you back." Carl said.

"Sorry ... 'Admiral' ..." Will said, reaching up to jokingly polish his rank insignia, "Congratulations are in order. I did hear you had made the big leagues. Sorry to hear about, Alex, has there been any word ?"

"No." Carl said, checking the time, "Andae Blakus is covering the Exec' role, albeit very reluctantly."

< tag : Will >

The two chatted for maybe fifteen minutes before Carl said he needed to return to the Bridge ....

~~~~~

"Status ?" he asked, taking his seat without preamble, before listening to what information each of his Senior Staff had gleamed from their efforts. It was frustrating that they couldn't penetrate whatever was lurking within the system. The Raven's advanced scanners should not only be able to see the Federation vessels clearly, they should be able to pin-point individual crew within the ships themselves. He watched the screen, the innocent looking planetary system ahead looking as welcoming as a warm blanket in winter. He made a decision:

"Mister Wedlerson, let's have all non-essential personnel confined to quarters for the time being ... Lieutenant Marionette, take us into the system, Impulse power only. Raise shields and set for continuous frequency modulation, That may give us some breathing space ... Take us in."

It took the Raven another two hours to enter the system and begin her approach to the moon. They had scanned both ships in greater and greater detail as the distance between them diminished,and the information wasn't looking good. Both Federation vessels were lifeless, though that wasn't the right word, the ships were, abandoned !

"Sir, we're approaching perigee on the Sagan."

"Close to five hundred meters and establish synchronous orbit. Scan the Emeritus for life-signs, we'll investigate her after we clear the Sagan. How far behind us is the Emeritus ?"

"Sixty six point four kilometers Admiral." Wedlerson confirmed. Carl looked round:

"Commander." he said, addressing Blakus, "We need to send a team over there."

< tag : Andae >

"Sir, if the crew are not on their respective vessels, then, where are they ?" Harry asked, "The radiation belt surrounding the moon prevents transporter operation, and from what I can see, both ships still hold their full compliment of shuttles."

"So we can't beam to the surface ?" Calli asked, "That leaves us with limited options. That radiation may not affect drive systems, but I wouldn't hold out on it not getting through to whoever was inside. The modified shielding on the Piper might help, if we're planning on going down there." she finished, looking from Carl to Andae.

"Let's check the Sagan out first, we'll decide on the surface when the time comes." Carl said, watching his crew go to work ..........

[Deleted]

"Andae Blakus is covering the Exec' role, albeit very reluctantly."

"Well. If there's any way I can help, just let me know." Will replied.

The two chatted for maybe fifteen minutes before Carl said he needed to return to the Bridge.

With a smile on his face, Will went back to the inventory list he had been checking when the CO had come in.
It was great to be back and to get to do some quick catching up. He knew there would be more time after the mission.

When he finished the inventory, he began putting together plans for the current mission. He had read up on the situation
but not being on the bridge, he didn't know what was happening. He tried to prep for anything they may encounter.
He looked over his department roster and began to put together different "teams" to cover any scenario.

[Carl Torek]

Observation Lounge -

Six hours after an extensive search of the USS Sagan and USS Emeritus ...



The room was full, and the mood decidedly somber ... Carl took his seat, placing several PADDS on the table before him. He waited while everyone settled, then stood:

"OK, you all have detailed reports regarding the search of both Sagan and Emeritus. The basics, Both ships are deserted and are powered-down. Commander Blakus instructed his Engineers to bring both cores on-line, then move the ships into more stable orbits. They will remain there until such time as we can spare crew to move them out of the system, or we can arrange recovery by Command ... Now ... Given our current situation, I need an Exec' in place. Commander Blakus, reluctantly volunteered." he said, waiting for the amused chatter to calm down, "I think we need our Engineer's full attention on his own substantial duties at this point in time, which include being Ship Second Officer. So, after speaking to our Doctor, I've come to a decision. Commander Jamison is appointed Acting Executive Officer until further notice. Congrats Will. Commander Peers please modify Will's Command codes accordingly ... I'm sure Calli and Andae will do all they can to help should the doctor's services be required, elsewhere." both Calli and Andae nodded in unison, a look of relief on the Engineers face.

There was a chorus of congratulatory comments.

"Right. Given what we know, there seems only one viable option as to 'where' the crews went, and that is down to the surface of 1908²¹. We thought it uninhabitable due to the volcanic nature of the moon, but the Geology Department has found a pocket, for want of a better word, of breathable atmosphere on the western continent, which is apparently free of anything, volcanic."

"So one half is holding on to a poisonous atmosphere, while the other looks like some idyllic garden paradise ?" Aeryn said unconvinced.

"Hardly idyllic, but livable as long as you don't get too close to the shore." T'Brel confirmed.

"There is some sort of Ion layer in the lower atmosphere that will play havoc with a transporter signal, there is a hard radiation belt in the troposphere which will ensure we all bleed to death before we touch the surface, so it looks like we're going down in the Piper. Her increased shielding and atmosphere scrubbers will make sure we get to the ground. Once there it seems we will be able to breathe, after a fashion. The oxygen content is lower that Earth-normal, but we'll cope."

"Are we taking a full team down Sir ?" the Major asked, taking up her PADD.

"Yes, Commander Wedlerson will remain on board and in Command of the Raven in our absence. I've drawn up a list." Carl said, reading the names off:

Myself.
Commander Blakus.
Commander Jamison.
Commander Peers.
Commander Valenti.
Lieutenant Marionette.
Major Tavik.

"We will take two security personnel plus two of the Major's team. The Piper can easily accommodate the eleven of us plus equipment ... Be ready in thirty minutes." Carl sat in silence as his Officers filed out, trepidation filling his thoughts. There were over fifteen hundred men and women on those two ships, where the 'HELL' had they all gone ! ..........




< tag : All >

OOC: I've picked four NPC names for the Security / Marine additions so we're all on the same page:

Security Lt John Young
Security Lt Yvonne Epps
Marine Lt David Scott
Marine Lt Lu Yang

[Deleted]

Will accepted all the congratulatory comments with a nod to Andae. Than the briefing continued.

After the CO read the names, Will chimed in.

"Sir. I'd like to add a second medic in case we end up splitting up. Then both teams are covered." he requested.

[Aeryn Tavik]

Aeryn could tell by the look on the Admiral's face that they were in for another long day. Having been ordered to select two marines to join the away team, Aeryn had called for her own executive officer to join her in the Marine command center. The command center was comfortable, at least for a marine. Everything she needed was at her fingertips and easily within reach. It was her own little bunker, at least until she had to share it.

Marine Captain Brandon Weathersby entered through the door, his newly shaven head gleaming in the light of the room. Aeryn looked at the top of his head and snorted in derision. "Didn't I tell you to not shave your head? I can see my reflection."

"Perhaps, but if I don't then there is no chance you won't turn to stone upon the sight of yourself." The marine raised an eyebrow.

Aeryn looked at him and gestured at her sidearm. "Do you not see me armed?"

Weathersby cocked his head to the side and patted his own. "Anytime, anywhere."

"Pssh, right. That'll be the day." Aeryn looked back down at her console, going through personnel files. "Who is next on the list for away mission?"

"Me," Weathersby said immediately.

"Oh, hell no!" Aeryn blurted out. "I'm not going anywhere with that shiny light fixture you call a head. Next."

Weathersby chuckled. "Lieutenant Johansen hasn't been on an away mission for a while."

"She's seven months pregnant, moron. Keep going."

"Lieutenant Scott and Lieutenant Yang would probably be next. But they are inseparable these days after dating those girls on the station. Something about luck and probability."

Aeryn sighed. "Fine. Get them in here."

About seven minutes later, the requested marines entered the command center and stood at attention. Aeryn looked them both over and said, "You will be providing security for the upcoming away mission in conjunction with the ship security staff. Get geared up. Dismissed."

The marines filed out and went about their preparations. Aeryn looked back at her console and made some entries, noting the two marines that were coming on the outing. "I'm leaving you in charge. Don't make me regret it," she said to Weathersby.

"You already do," he replied smiling.

Aeryn looked at him and rolled her eyes. She walked out of the command center and to the marine armory. This was going to be a long day.

[Marionette]

"Sir, we are approaching perigee on the Sagan." Marionete said, notifying the more senior-ranked staff of the progress at hand."Close to five hundred meters and establish synchronous orbit. Scan the Emeritus for life-signs, we'll investigate her after we clear the Sagan. How far behind us is the Emeritus ?"

"Sixty six point four kilometers, Admiral." Wedlerson confirmed. After Marionette established a 500 meter orbital position above and behind the USS Sagan, the Raven beamed over a decently large search party/parties of starfleet marines and other scout personnel. This was of course, repeated with the USS Emeritus, bridge to bilge deck, bow to stern. Marionette remained onboard the Raven, watchful for Marauder vessels that may or may not 'resurrect' from their positions and undoubtedly try to start trouble. Fortunately, none did so, remaining on their already established paths.

In the observation lounge, Marionette had already intellectually consumed nearly every aspect of the briefing her PADD would give her, but she listened to the admiral's briefing anyway, just in case. It wouldn't be the first time a person giving the briefing would iterate something that wasn't in the initial reports on the PADD.

After the away team list was rattled off, Marionette was the 3rd out the door, and she efficiently went to work, being ready for the away mission in 18 minutes and 36 seconds. Walking into the shuttle bay which held the Piper, the gynoid found herself beaten to arrival only by the likes of the 3 Marines; Major Aeryn Tavik, Marine Lt David Scott, and Marine Lt Lu Yang. "Curious...." Marionette mused to herself, thinking about ahundred and one different things, one of which was how marines were more punctual than her.

When afew other officers entered the shuttlebay, Marionette was in the Piper's pilot seat, methodically working through the pre-launch checklist, as only a positronic robot can.

[Alex Watson]

Far away…


“What do I want?” asked Q. “More like what do YOU want? You’re the one who is always asking me questions, Alexander. I don’t WANT anything from you.”

“Fine…” said Alex, trying to stay calm. “Why am I here? Why am I still alive? Where is the Gandai? For that matter, WHERE is here? It doesn’t look like any inhabited planet I’ve ever read about, it looks like a planet during its Precambrian phase…or its equivalent.”

Q smiled. “I always liked you, Alexander. You were always so sharp, not like some of the other dullards in Starfleet.” He made an elaborate swoon. “You have no IDEA the type of thing I have to put up with from others, talking to you and the Raven crew made me feel quite chipper really.”

Alex made no reply. He didn’t think he trusted himself. Q frowned.

“Oh, very well then. You’re here because I brought you here. You’re alive because you succeeded in carrying out my plan so very nicely and after your heroic sacrifice I thought that, as a reward, I’d let you live. Your Gandai friend was atomised in the explosion in the planet-core. As the last of his race, I thought it only worthy to honour his own heroic sacrifice by letting him join his people. As for where you are…take a look up there.”

Alex turned, looking up into the now inky black sky above his head to where Q was pointing. What he saw made his mouth drop open. Completely devoid of all light pollution, and probably enhanced by Q’s powers, Alex could see deeper than ever before into the endless dark of space. He gasped like a goldfish as his mind tried to take it all in.

“But…but that…that’s the…the…”

“The Milky Way, yes. As seen from two and a half million light years away. You’re standing on a planet remarkably similar, as you said, to Earth’s Precambrian. And you’re in the Andromeda Galaxy. Enjoy it, Alexander. You’re living the dream.”

Alex suddenly felt dizzy. He sunk to his knees, struggling to remain upright. Various parts of him wanted to jump for joy, weep and vomit at the same time. In the end, one part triumphed and he crawled over to the water’s edge and emptied his stomach, coughing violently as he heaved into the waves.

“And now you’ve seeded this planet with life.” Q laughed. “The bacteria from your stomach as the catalyst for life on a new world in a new galaxy. How does that feel?”

Alex laughed weakly, still on his knees in the waves. It was all he could do. After a long pause he seemed to find his voice again.

“Why did you do it? What was your grand design behind it all?” he asked Q.

“Fifty thousand years ago we watched as a galaxy burned. The Gandai Empire and most other higher forms of life engulfed in an inferno that raged for centuries. We wanted to avoid that fate for your galaxy. At least, for now.”

“But…what…?” Alex stuttered.
“We showed you the beginnings in the parallel universe. The device you knew as Sanctuary was the first prototype, an exceptionally similar design to the first prototype in your universe. We showed it to you so that you would understand, that you would see its power and its potential, and also to save your own universe, if you remember.

“Next, we showed you the Gandai data recorder on Cordovin. We had hoped that it would imprint just one of you with all the details but, as usual, things got a little bit more interesting. We could have intervened, but we thought that it would be entertaining, at least for a while, to let events run their course. We wanted you to find the clues and find the answers on your own, but it became clear that you needed some prodding and guidance along the way.

“You did exceptionally well, I have to say. Better than even we imagined, you and your little crew.”

Alex’s mind reeled from the information. It has all been connected, right from the beginning, right from the moment that he had joined the Raven. “But…why all the deaths? Why all the pain and sorrow and uncertainty? Why couldn’t you have just TOLD us that was what you wanted us to do!?” Alex shouted, surprised at his own voice. Q only smiled.

“You should know, Alexander. That is not how we work. You had to find the answers for yourselves – a test, as it were. A sort of exam for humanity to take with you and the Raven as its representatives. Anyway. I can tell there’s another question that you’re just DYING to ask me. Go on, I’ll tell you.”

“What killed off the Gandai if they were so strong?”

“It happened slowly. First contact, then exploratory missions, then experiments. Slow realisation that this was something beyond their control. By the time they tried to back away it was too late, they had discovered and unleashed something upon themselves that could not be stopped. It consumed them from the inside out. Eventually, total extermination was the only logical outcome.”

“But what WAS it? What did they discover?”

“Your galaxy has discovered it as well. Something ancient, elemental, all devouring. The Gandai word for them translates literally as “the great hunger”. You know them as The Borg.”

“The….the BORG?” Q just nodded.

“They built the cryo-planet as a final attempt to wait it out until the machines went away, but their military had other ideas. As such, their last hope failed, and their light went out of the universe. Now, pick up that rather lovely sword, Alexander. It’s time to go home.”

Alex looked around, sighing.

“You don’t want to?”

“I just…I don’t suppose I could look around for a bit?”

Q laughed. Unlike his malicious laugh that Alex had heard before, this one actually seemed to have some genuine warmth to it.

“Okay then, Alexander. For just a little bit.”

<Alex’s return in next post>

[Calli Valente]

Calli could tell that the Admiral was concerned about their missing Exec' thinking he was doing a good job of it, but everyone who knew him, knew. Carl ran through the briefing quickly, obviously eager to get on with their mission. But nevertheless, he never let foolhardiness get in the way of precise planning, and he knew his crew could be relied upon to be concise and professional.

Leaving the meeting, she went back to the Bridge. She wasn't one for long drawn-out preparations, she had a pack ready at all times, part of her being ready to get the hell out at a moments' notice. She quickly ran through the findings on the Sagan and Emeritus. There were eight other vessels, of varying size and seemingly randomized orbital trajectories, so why had the two Federation ship's been so precisely inserted into orbit ?

She made a mental note to bring the question up when time allowed before heading to her quarters ...

~~~~~

Entering the shuttle-bay, she could see the two Marine Lieutenants, who were running through final weapons' checks. The Security team were off to one side talking quietly. Major Tavik entered with T'Brel and Andae, all three entered the rear of the Piper and began to stow their packs. Marionette entered, nodding briefly at her colleagues, before entering the cock-pit area and preparing the Medical shuttle for departure, Commander Blakus, in the co-pilot seat acknowledging she had the Helm ... Carl entered the shuttle-bay and made his way to the Piper, then, after a moments' hesitation, he stepped aboard.

"How we doing ?" he asked no-one in particular.

"Well, we were about to go, but thought it only polite to wait for you." Calli said, to a round of laughter. Only Marionette didn't laugh, she was processing the comments trying to work out the nuances of the comment, "There's a sudden power build-up in one of the derelict ships, the Bridge has asked us to hold launch for a few moments."

"Fine." Carl replied, taking his seat as the shuttle suddenly shifted. He tapped his Comm badge:

=^= Bridge .. What was that ? =^=

=^= The warp core on one of the smaller vessel's began to overload Sir .. I was moving the Raven away when it went .. Sorry about the jarring =^= Wedlerson said.

=^= Don't go damaging my ship Mister Wedlerson .. I want all the information you can get on that core explosion .. Are you registering any further activity in any of the other ships ? =^=

=^= Non Sir .. It could simply have been containment degradation from being abandoned but I will keep a continuous scan on all other orbiting ships Admiral =^=

=^= When can we depart ? =^=

=^= We're passing through the residual radiation from the matter anti-matter fallout now .. Three minutes to move us back into position then you are clear Piper =^=

=^= Don't go damaging my ship Harry .. Piper awaiting departure orders .. Torek out =^=

"Wow, you do fuss a lot !" Calli said, grinning ..........

[Andae Blakus]

Back Post (probably inconsistent now):

Andae had made brief but intense observations of the Sagan and Emeritus's engineering sections, initially expecting that something tragic had occurred. But besides some reduced efficiencies in the engine complexes' power transfer systems - and other minor problems that weren't uncommon - both vessels were theoretically operational (only theoretically because they seemed to be in an inexplicably forced-power down state). The obvious thing missing: no crews. He left behind teams of engineers on both vessels to monitor the engines - to prevent degradation of warp core stability and maintain the M/AM balance in the dilithium chambers - and returned to the Raven, just in time for the staff meeting.

He acknowledged Will's nod, simultaneously releasing his grasp on the XO duties PADD before him. It was a casting away of yearned-for responsibility as much as it was casting off of tension.

Carl had been honourable and conscientious in deciding not to lay the XO's responsibilities on him. He understood the Admiral's position, but in fact - although he hated himself for it - Andae begrudged Jamison the slot of acting XO. Had he lied to himself? Had he been too casual in his conduct as Acting XO, accepting without entertaining the seriousness of the role he'd so flippantly taken on (or made mock refusals of)? He'd never posed to himself the question: did he truly not want the position he'd involuntarily surrendered those years ago?

No matter... They were boarding the shuttle. A dozen officers and marines. Andae was surprised the Admiral was content to take the majority of the senior staff. Still, they needed the most experienced officers to explore the moon. If the crews of the Emeritus and Sagan were not on their vessels - not to mention the numerous other unidentied vessels in various decaying orbits, some mere hulks drifting around 1908, hollow and spindly like deserted cathedrals - then the moon was the obvious next place to look.

"When you're ready, Lieutenant," he nodded at Marionette manning the helm. Andae surveyed the co-pilot console. The Raven had just given them go-ahead for launch, having cleared the radiation cloud of the exploding hulk. The Piper descended through atmospheric layers, experiencing the expected turbulence as it hit the troposphere.

"Shields holding," Blakus reported. He cast a glance back at the slightly nervy but disconcertingly jubilant senior staff and marines. "Radiation incidence within levels of tolerance. Engines performing as expected despite the rarefied atmosphere..."

They barrelled through the lowest cloud formations; grey and abstract topography came up to meet them before Marionette levelled flight. Andae looked over the lip of the forward viewer. "So it is a barren waste land. Reading any lifesigns?" he called back to T'Brel, manning the third station.

T'Brel shook his head, "Nothing immediately indicative, sir."

"Let's skim as much of the south-west continent as we can," Torek ordered. "Orbital scans were inconclusive. The crews might be here, stranded on the surface somewhere."

"Not much more than simple-celled organisms imbedded in rock formations, sir. Quartz, pure diamond deposits and... lots of CO2 ice. Temperate though; reading a mean surface temperature of 22 degrees celsius. I can't imagine what the volcanic side's like."

The Piper sailed over the sparsely inhabited moonscape. Andae had time to review updates from his teams on the deserted ships. Milyanov - entrusted with recovery of the Emeritus - reported that he still hadn't been able to restart the core. There were some mutterings about a dampening field spanning several light seconds, likely originating from the moon. Andae made an effort to pinpoint it but came up with nothing. There was some effect there though. That hard radiation layer in the troposphere had left a lingering effect on the engines and shields - they were slowly being drained of power. Auxiliary should be sufficient to upkeep key systems, but it was obviously worthy of report.

Taylor meanwhile on the Sagan (who wouldn't be dissuaded from taking the responsibility despite her still fragile state and whose task was to ascertain root causes rather than salvage the ship, for now) reported strange behaviours in the trajectories of some of the lower orbiting craft. They hardly qualified as ships at all - seemingly more and more like strands of wreckage, or possibly something stranger.

<Tag All>

[Andae Blakus]

Lt. Milyanov

The silence was palpable to an uncomfortable degree, needled into his brain with an unpleasant absenceness. Usually on a starship, one was accompanied by the warp engine's pervasive thrum - providing its plasmic warmth through means of the veins (PTCs) strewn throughout the vessel's chassis. However in the absence of power, as well as staff, Milyanov felt like he was residing within a vacuous spectre, stalking space.

They'd managed to activate the emergency lights, using power reserve batteries installed in isolated systems. But it only served to bathe the darkness in a scarlet glow, reminding the Russian engineer of the antiquated ideas of certain Orthodox practices that once existed in his native country.

He surveyed the work of two engineers as they opened a panel that provided access to a PTC junction. They'd theorised if this junction could be made functional, then through a curious and rather complex system of reciprocal energy feedback the core would gain a modicum of power, and through further complexities of warp field mechanics, the drive's energy supply could be 'snowballed' from there.

Milyanov folded his arms. "Careful. The ship may be powerless but we should be prepared for -"

Gasps from the engineers cut him off when they succeeded in peeling the panel back. They glanced at each another, faces progressively ashen before turning in unison to the Raven's Asst. CEO. "Prepared indeed, sir." They moved to the side revealing the exposed PTC junction. Milyanov tried not to overreatct. He withdrew his tricorder and scanned, from a safe distance, "What the devil...?"

The... growth completely coated the junction, tendrils of its seeming sticky matter overhanging and in some cases slopping on the floor. Some secretion seeped and oozed off the growths, soaking the carpet and causing a foul odour - that only seemed to activate on contact with non-metal - to diffuse through the air.

Darwin - one of the two engineers - in an effort to scan held his tricorder as close as he dared. "The metal of the junction is being degraded, sir. It seems this thing is breaking down the PTC junction's metallic bonds at the molecular level."

"Might this provide explanation for the similar metallic disintegration we've seen on the other vessels?"

Darwin shrugged. "Possible. I'd postulate though that's not the case we've all the ships we've scanned, sir."

"Take a sample of this, secured in a containment field, and request Raven beams over a science team to analyse. The Emeritus's lab should suffice, on emergency power albeit. Do not under any circumstances take it to the Raven."

[Carl Torek]

OOC: Moved this post to follow those by Cmdr Blakus for continuation. Steve



"Privilege of rank." Carl said, resisting the urge smirk at Calli's remark.

"Sir, Bridge say's we are clear clear to depart." Marionette informed him.

"Then let's go."

~~~~~

The Medical Shuttle moved away from her parent ship, gliding in a smooth arc to pass below the port nacelle. Once their orientation was established, Marionette dropped the nose and began their trip to the surface.

<tag : Marionette >

They had been informed of the Ion layer close to the surface, so Carl wasn't surprised, but rather congratulatory of the Pilot's skills, as she flew them into the lower atmosphere before scanning for a suitable landing area ... The city, for want of a better description, was a ruin. It looked like something from the middle ages on Earth, Wooden buildings, dirt roads, farmland. As quickly as the buffeting had begun, it ceased as the shuttle dropped below the Ion layer and they could see clear blue sky around them. He moved forward, placing a hand on each of the Pilot seats, he watched the ground rush by below them as the shuttle made a lazy circumnavigation of the city, spiraling down until they were at three hundred meters. He scanned the buildings, the open area's, what seemed like communal area's until he found what he was looking for:

"There ... Near the large three-story building. We can land in the car-park."

"Car ... Park ?" Marionette repeated, puzzled for a moment until she accessed the term.

As the Piper descended, everyone began to get their packs together in readiness, the descent was going to plan as they passed through what seemed like a fog bank, but suddenly the shuttle was slammed sideways with enough violence that it threw everyone apart from Marionette and Blakus off their feet. The Android reacted faster than the Pipers' controls could react, but the shuttle finally complied with her inputs and came to a hover less than twenty meters off the ground.

"Did we hit something !" Calli asked, climbing to her feet.

"Well done you two." Carl said, looking at the buildings below them, "What happened Lieutenant ?"

"I have no explanation Admiral." Marionette admitted.

"OK ..." Torek said, looking at the area outside the plexi-glass cockpit, "Take us in Lieutenant." he said, stepping back to allow them to work as they brought the Piper down smoothly. He ordered everyone to carry phasers, then nodded to Lieutenant Epps to lower the door ... Thick cloying mist swirled in elaborate vertices, almost making the away team gag momentarily, but it settled to the floor of the shuttle as if right out of a twentieth century Hammer horror movie.

Calli scanned the area around the shuttle with her tricorder and confirmed they were in no danger from the mist, in fact, it seemed to be 'producing' oxygen rather than sapping it.

"The building we're heading for is twenty two meters that way." she said, pointing off to the left of the doorway.

"Right." Carl said, allowing the Marine Officer's to take take the lead as the group left the shuttle .....

ooo000ooo

Music, dancing, flamboyant costumes seemed to be the order of the day. From Roman Centurion, to American Indian, to Viking hordes, to sixteenth century May Queens, a troglodyte dragging his mate across the floor, Tibetan monks, and countless other manifestations from history. A Druid throwing bones to the floor then predicting future events, A Woman giving birth. A twenty second century Police Officer using his electro-baton to subdue a miscreant. A blind, deaf and dumb Helen Keller reaching out for guidance and support, and many many more ....

Carl could not comprehend what was happening, and it took him and the other's long moments to realize their situation. They were no longer on the moon designated 1908²¹, but in the main reception area of Star Fleet Command Headquarters ...

On Earth ! ..........