Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jun 22, 2021 0:25:31 GMT
Karka had considered that it could've been Captain Cernan who'd been responsible for giving up Federation secrets - positions of fleets and so on - during the time he and the Juno CO were captives of VaS'inKir on the moon resort. He'd soon come to the same conclusion as everyone else, though - Cernan had defended his ship to the last, even while he hadn't been aboard her, and the Xes'dnu's destruction of the Constitution class had hurt him deeply. Shortly after, Cernan had met his own demise as he, Karka and Juno marines had attempted escape from their holding cell.
The turncoat officer, marine Captain Thamkon of the Juno, was a possibility however in giving the Xes'dnu and possible Independent Lyadrans information on Starfleet fleet dispositions, strategic data, et cetera, though his low level of access relative to Cernan might rule him out.
"Captain," he called his CO and friend aside on the bridge, "Could it be the Erinome?" he referred to the unknown, apparent Federation vessel, "Xes'dnu boarders would've doubtless removed the transponder."
The four Xes'dnu craft had continued to high-tail it out of the system in the direction of Sol. Would they stop? Karka wondered vaguely; surely this wasn't some ill-advised invasion attempt. The Triangulum were already engaged on enough fronts as it was, unless their assault on the Gliese 641C system was a 'front' of a different sort, a ruse concocted with their Lyadran allies.
"Sir, we're being hailed from the surface. President Bhiritt is on the line," Gold reported from aft.
Schirra ordered on screen and Bhiritt's council office appeared, the President sitting alone at the centre of the semi-circular array of desks; the lights were dimmed and darkness permeated the windows; apparently on his part of the globe it was still night. "Captain Schirra," he nodded, "Please, why have you moved closer to our homeworld? We need you to be combating the Xes'dnu presence?" Karka smiled; the man was polite as always.
"... We suspect the Xes'dnu are preparing another attack, closer to the homeworld." Instead of lauching a verbal assault regarding the apparently uninhabited planets, Schirra assumed Bhiritt's naivete, "Mr President... Is there anyone else listening in on this conversation?"
"No. Why would there be? My communications from this office - inbound and outbound - are for me alone, as and when I so choose." He clocked Schirra's caution, "You're worried about Minister Dhalavi. Don't worry yourself. He is currently off-world; as foreign minister, it's his duty to greet newcomers, make first contacts. We have such an opportunity at present. Two of our ships, one with the minister aboard, have been deployed."
"You know about the unknown vessel, then, the opposite side of Lyadra II to the Excalibur?" Karka asked.
"Yes. It looks somewhat similar to your own, but is crewed by a quite different set of personnel. From what they've told us via comm, they're a secretive subsect of the Xes'dnu Residuum (whose main members we continue to harbour), mainly Xes'dnu in species but comprising also a menagerie of different races."
"President Bhiritt..." Karka glanced at Daniel who nodded; the science officer continued, "We have reason to believe that vessel is indeed one of our own, and was hijacked by the Xes'dnu, your enemy, some months ago. Under no circumstances should your outgunned ships approach it, unless there's something you're not telling us about your relations with the Xes'dnu...?"
"I... I..." Bhiritt coughed and looked about him, suddenly irrationally afraid that someone may be present in the chamber, "I know Dhalavi's been having secret conferences with the Triangulum forces in the system..." his voice was barely a whisper, "But I can't say anything. My 'hands are tied' you see..."
"Mr President. Someone, possibly Dhalavi, possibly the Triangulum of the Xes'dnu, or both, has stolen information on Starfleet's strategic and defensive capabilities by means of a Federation citizen. Please don't ask us how we know this, not yet. But please do tell us why the Lyadran Confederation has concealed its ship building operations on Lyadra I and III!" Schirra finished.
"What...?" Bhiritt was trembling, his voice barely audible. Karka was amazed that a head of state could be so easily bypassed when it came to his own people's motivations, policies. "Ship building?"
"Three thousand of them, Bhiritt, and counting." The channel was cut from the Excal's end.
Karka and Daniel looked round for an explanation - not that they'd been getting anywhere much, - Jenni Gold apologising and informing them that comm traffic across Lyadra II lower orbit, between Lyadra II and IV, and indeed between Lyadra I and III had increased a hundredfold in the last ten minutes.
"Also, sir, the unknown Starfleet vessel is catching up to us in our orbit..." Wentworth reported, "And the four Xes'dnu vessels situated on the system's outskirts, on a direct heading for Sol, have come to a relative halt."
"They're trying to trap us."
"Being hailed by the Starfleet ship, sir," Gold pressed buttons rapidly. The bridge crew fell silent for a moment; it was almost like an encounter with a ghost. After hesitation, Schirra nodded to Karka who requested on screen. In the centre seat was an unidentified man who going by his rank insignia was a Starfleet Captain. Not Cernan, of course, not Thamkon... Who was this man, and why was he commanding a ship of mostly Xes'dnu (who Karka suspected, contrary to Bhiritt's claims, to be Triangulum members)?
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jun 26, 2021 22:29:01 GMT
USS Excalibur In orbit ... Lyadra Two :: Daniel sat impassively while his Executive Officer grilled the Lyadran President ..... Bhiritt's composure was crumbling by the second, Schirra wondered how long it would be before the man collapsed right in front of them. Had the situation been different he would of course been rushing to offer aid to the leader of the Lyadran People, but he had other things on his mind, and Bhiritt's health was the least of his concerns. Concerns that escalated exponentially when his Operations Chief, Sarah Wentworth, informed him that the four vessels heading for the Sol System had come to a stop, and a Starfleet vessel was coming up behind them, too bloody fast! =^= I highly recommend you organise Security and remain in your office Mister President .. .. =^= he shut off the comm. "We're being hailed by the closing vessel Captain," the comms Officer informed him. With a glance at Karka ..... The viewscreen changed to a view of the Bridge of their sister ship, the USS Juno ..... A man sat in the centre seat, eyeing them impassively, almost as if he were allowing them time to take in their situation. =^= .. .. .. Captain? =^= Daniel said. =^= Forgive the abrupt appearance Captain .. You don't recognise me .. Not to worry .. I 'gained' my promotion through alternate channels .. So to speak .. My name is Kanao Inouye .. Captain Cernan's former Security Chief =^= =^= That would be Lieutenant then? =^= Schirra replied dismissively, knowing full well it would annoy the man. As if by way of confirmation Inuya slammed a fist into the arm of the seat and spat 'CAPTAIN!' =^= Fine .. Captain .. It's good to see that the Juno wasn't destroyed as we first believed .. I see you have made some crew assignment changes =^= =^= Let's say that some of Cernan's crew were less than enthusiastic about the change in allegiance .. After disabling the weapons and shields allowing the ship to be boarded .. They were .. Surplus to requirements shall we say =^= =^= I assume you are not here to hand over the Juno? =^= =^= Maybe it would be better if we were to discuss options going forward in person? =^= Inouye replied. =^= Excellent idea, Lieu .. Captain .. Bring the Juno into transporter range and we'll have you beamed over to the Excalibur =^= =^= No .. That won't work =^= =^= You expect me to beam over to you? =^= Daniel said, fighting the urge to laugh in the man's face. =^= I think that in the circumst .. .. .. =^= =^= Never going to happen .. Lieutenant =^= Schirra nodded to Jenny Gold who immediately cut the comm. "Sir, the Juno is bringing weapons online," Koni informed Schirra, Dan could only shake his head. "Raise shields, bring all weapons online, lock onto the Juno..." It took a second more than it should have, but Koni T'Seng finally confirmed the order and locked all weapons on the Juno. It hadn't escaped anyone on the Bridge of the Excalibur that they were about to fire on a Federation Starship, one that may or may not still have Starfleet Officers aboard ..... The USS Juno continues to close on the Excalibur until it was five thousand meters astern, then for some reason, it slowed. "What's he up to?" Unwin asked. "Any luck contacting Command Lieutenant?" Karka asked the Comms Officer, who shook her head informing the Exec' that they were still being jammed from somewhere. "We could dispatch a pod," Reneus suggested, but Psonoir said the Juno would detect the launch and intercept easily. "Why is he waiting...?" Daniel asked rhetorically, frowning at the view of the battle-scarred Juno, "... Has he received any communications other than the one with us since his arrival?" he asked. "Nothing we've detected," Gold confirmed. Daniel climbed out of the centre seat and began pacing. "He was coming at us, so something or 'someone' changed his mind..." Daniel said, deep in thought before continuing, "... There's someone over there pulling the proverbial strings!" "VaS'inKir... TeZhiss maybe?" Koni speculated. "What about Thamkon?" Agosta suggested. "Maybe if we had someone over there ....." Wentworth commented. "No... Besides, I doubt anyone running the show would willingly show themselves, I have a feeling they are enjoying their anonymity..." Schirra said, eyes still on the Juno, "... And I'm not about to hand myself over on a plate," "Open a comm to our nervous President, lets see what he has to say now he's had time to recover," Schirra ordered. After a moment the Comms Officer confirmed they had the President, the screen changed to a view of Bhiritt's office: =^= Captain Schirra .. What can I do for you? =^= Dhalavi asked cordially ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jun 28, 2021 11:46:36 GMT
It didn't take the bridge crew long to discover that far from having gone to use the rest-room, or something of that sort, President Bhiritt had fallen victim to a conspiracy by Dhalavi and his cohorts within the administration and the armed forces. There'd been a fully-fledged coup. The Excal XO had asked after Bhiritt's personal welfare; he was still alive, though locked in the nearest detention cell building to the government HQ, reprehensibly being held on capital charges.
This obvious disaster for the Independent Lyadrans might've been mitigated by the arrival of another Federation starship - of all vessels, the believed-lost Juno - but that vessel was firmly in enemy hands. The Triangulum - through Minister Dhalavi on the one hand, and the mutineers led by Inouye on the other - were now consolidating their hold on this system.
"I won't be kept much longer, Captain," Dhalavi said tiredly; they'd exchanged questions, vitriol and quiet threats for some 15 minutes now. "What else do you require?"
"The immediate resignation of your position and the handing over of authority to a full civilian government as obtained an hour or so ago."
"This is all outside your jurisdiction, Starfleet," Dhalavi shook his head, "Neither we nor the Xes'dnu are Federation members - you've certainly seen to that in the case of the latter... Now that our two sides have made peace, you've no right to interfere in our affairs."
"No right to interfere..." Reneus muttered incredulously at the helm, just out of earshot of the apparent new Lyadran leader.
Karka narrowed his eyes - while some of Dhalavi's claims were undeniably legitimate, he had to be joking if he believed the Excalibur had no legitimate authority to pursue matters with the USS Juno...
Psonoir found himself thinking on the Excalibur's seeming failure (in their part of the assignment - the USS Sword was still fighting it out in the other two systems): protect the Independent Lyadrans from Triangulum aggression. For it was a failure, unless most Independent Lyadrans had already been in league with the Triangulum, and Bhiritt and a few others were - or had been - merely some small oppositionist group which, nevertheless, was able to take governmental positions on occasion, e.g. Bhiritt). As he lost himself in the thoughts of his partitioned mind - while keeping himself on automatic to respond to external events like any other human being - the ship was hailed by the Juno.
5 km off their stern, the vessel - in its appearance, in what'd befallen it, in its actions since - had thoroughly disconcerted them. Karka turned to the viewscreen and there appeared Inouye and two others. One of them was TaZhiss, now of high rank in the new Triangulum Ruling Council, Karka understood. It was the identity of the other individual that had the Excal officers in shock, however: on the viewscreen, smiling primly in a neat Xes'dnu civilian costume, was Lana Schirra!
Karka watched as Daniel Schirra stumbled back several paces, saved from crashing to the deck by the command chair. This can't be right, Karka thought. "Correct assessment," Lirwa's laughter echoed to him from across the centuries. Communicating in such a way was exhausting for Hybrudeans so Karka chose not to respond. He looked again at the silent woman on the screen, This isn't right, some sort of cloning operation, he thought, A few small remains of the woman had been identified in the wreck of the Excal's old saucer section.
"What's the meaning of this!" Schirra screamed. After what'd seemed nearly a minute of pressure-building silence, the CO had eventually erupted.
Inouye made the unnecessary introductions, and Karka, Daniel and others on the Excalibur bridge turned to TaZhiss. The Xes'dnu shrugged, "I take orders from the lady," and turned deferentially to Lana. It seemed he wasn't joking. "But please, no unseemly behaviour; should this not be a happy reunion?" he looked from Lana to Daniel on his screen.
Lana spoke, her own voice, "Indeed, TaZhiss. Please, return to your duties." TaZhiss nodded and was seen by the Excal crew exiting the Juno bridge into a turbolift. Lana stepped forward from the command dais and approached the viewscreen 'til she eclipsed most of the rest of the bridge. Her voice was soft as she smiled, a tear in her eye, "Daniel... It's so good to see you again."
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jun 29, 2021 21:06:29 GMT
=^= .. .. .. should this not be a happy reunion? =^= TaZhiss asked as he looked from Lana to Daniel on his screen. Her voice was soft as she smiled, a tear in her eye.
=^= Daniel .. .. It is so good to see you again =^= He could only look at the woman superimposed on the polarized window ... The Bridge was akin to a tomb, completely silent, as eyes moved from their Captain to the woman lost not so long ago. Memories flooded through his mind, the explosion, the loss, the memorial service for his wife and daughter, so how could this be. Before him, the woman seemed to be patiently waiting for him to react, that tiny lift of her smile he had fallen in love with the moment they had been introduced, the almost magical glint in her eyes as she watched him. Nothing registered, not the Bridge, Karka, stood to one side, their eyes locked on Schirra, Koni, almost an unofficial member of the Schirra family and big sister to their daughters, she remained expressionless but inwardly terrified with what was happening, and the effect it was having on her Daniel’s mind. He, almost transfixed, wasn’t even consciously aware that he had stopped breathing until his mind and dizziness almost overwhelmed him. Lana could not be stood before them, not 'HIS' Lana ..... Without warning Daniel turned away from the image and walked to the turbolift, stepping inside without a word, no one spoke as the doors closed behind him, Karka glanced at Koni and nodded almost imperceptibly, grateful, the Tactical Officer followed her friend. Once off the Bridge, she checked the computer to confirm Schirra’s whereabouts then headed that way. She found him in the darkened Officers Lounge … He was stood looking out onto the vast nothingness of the Galaxy, seemingly oblivious to her appearance as she slowly walked towards him. She reached out, intending to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but something within her stopped the movement a centimetre short. "It can’t be her... Can it?" he asked, fighting back the tears. "No Daniel, it can’t be her," Koni replied after a long moment of silence. "Then why?" he whispered. But as much as she wanted to, she could not answer his heartbroken question. Instead, she stood behind him, watching him shake as sobs wracked through every fibre of his body. She knew that there was only one way to get an explanation, and that was to talk to, whoever, whatever, was masquerading as his deceased wife ... Finally, the sobs subsided, and he raised a hand to wipe away the tears that had streamed down his face. He brushed his tunic, removing non-existent specs of fluff, then turned to face her, stepping forward to put his arms around her for emotional support, this was a private moment, one not to be shared outside this room. Moving aside she led him to a chair, coaxing him down then sat beside him, his hands still in hers. "I can’t speak to her Koni," he finally said. "I'm sure Karka can deal with things for the moment..." she replied, glancing at her hands as his grip grew ever tighter, "... There has to be a reason they have done this Captain. At some point you may need to ask why," she could see the comm blinking remorselessly on the bar, gently removing her hands, she stood and walked over, with a glance at Schirra she tapped the comm ..... She listened then replied, shutting off the comm before returning to her seat. This time he left his hands in his lap but still couldn’t bring himself to look up. In one sense she knew what he was thinking, worrying about how the crew saw him, vulnerable, weak, but deep within himself he knew he was wrong, they understood his actions, more than he could know, and would only feel more loyalty to the man ‘because of that vulnerability. "I erm, need to get back to the Bridge," Daniel said, beginning to rise as Koni placed a hand on his arm to urge him to sit once more. "No, it’s alright... Karka spoke to La... The other Lana... Apparently, she is aware of the shock she has caused and has closed the comm, she will contact us again in one hour," "If I get my hands on who has done this ....." Schirra said defiantly before sagging back into the chair exhausted. Koni went over to the bar and leaned over, she plucked the bottle of brandy Daniel had stored there and two glasses. She poured two drinks and replaced the bottle before taking the glasses of the amber liquid back to the table. She placed one in front of Dan and put the other down in front of herself. After a long, long moment, he tentatively reached forward to pick his glass, rolling the liquid around before allowing it to settle before beginning to replace it on the table. "Lana..." Koni said, holding her own glass a centimetre off the tabletop. Schirra raised his glass and waited for her to follow suit. "Lana..." he replied, downing the contents of his glass without hesitation. She sipped at the liquid, feeling it burn as it passed over her tongue as she watched her friend ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jul 5, 2021 21:56:57 GMT
"Well, one thing is for certain," Karka said, arms folded towards aft and starboard of the bridge, "That is not Lana Schirra. Her remains were identified along with VaS'inKir's aide's in the sickbay pre-refit, correct?"
"Aye, Commander." And the others', Wentworth thought, VaS'inKir's, Yukigori's and Kendal's bodies.
"Then how can this have happened? A clone? At one point we believed the Xes'dnu Residuum had duplicated Koni's body, but I think we decided they must've found a remarkable lookalike..." the woman who attacked me in San Francisco, he thought, "The Residuum don't possess that tech." He paced the bridge, thinking aloud, in this way demanding answers from the team.
"But perhaps the Triangulum do," Unwin said from port, "They're the ruling party, they may have access to such forms of technology."
"Possibly, Commander, but that's mere conjecture. We must speak to TaZhiss and... Lana." Yes, We, he thought, wondering if the Captain would be capable given the unique circumstances. He couldn't imagine what Daniel was thinking and experiencing right now; he'd been put through torment enough with having his family kidnapped, two of them then killed, and now having one mysteriously reappear - with an apparent seniority over TaZhiss. Immensely difficult, if not also a little bewildering. Perhaps this 'reunion' was a ploy to distract, perhaps even mentally incapacitate an enemy CO; if so, it may well be working...
"The Juno is hailing, sir," Jenni Gold said.
Karka took a deep breath, not certain whether he should proceed with the comm without the Captain present; would he be doing him a favour, or would the CO have demanded to be here and call Karka up on breaking protocol? With his exhalation he said, "Accept... And on screen."
As the bridge of the Juno appeared - Lana, Inouye, a second Excal mutineer and and two Xes'dnu soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder across the screen - the main turbolift to the bridge began to open; with quasi-superhuman speed, Karka turned to the lift and saw the Captain and Koni T'Seng standing there about to emerge. "Tactical, lock that door!" Karka burst out abruptly before Daniel and Koni could see who was on the viewscreen. Perhaps it wasn't needed but he didn't wish to cause Schirra any discomfort until he could confer with him personally over how to handle this - his wish to protect his friend and CO from mental harm outweighed any repercussions.
The door slammed in Schirra and T'Seng's stunned faces and Karka turned back to the screen.
Lana smiled and spoke in the same calm tone as before, "I assure you, Commander...? Psonoir, is it, I think I recall? that was quite unnecessary. My husband will adjust as he always has." She paused and turned her eyes away, "Of course it was always going to be a surprise for him to see me again and I should've bore that in mind..."
"A surprise? A surprise, you call it?" Karka's expression hardened as the main turbolift opened, Schirra having used his command override. "Captain," Karka turned, an apology on his lips. Schirra turned to look at him only briefly before slowly coming round to look at the viewscreen and take the command chair. He said nothing to those on the Juno. The silence extended until - amidst the beeping of consoles and clearing of throats - almost three minutes had gone by.
Karka looked at the man in the command chair, silent, eyes seemingly staring into nothingness. Empathic, Karka sighed and made a decision, turning to the screen, "Explain yourself," he demanded of Lana.
"Lana Schirra has accepted a position on the Triangulum Council. We apologise for any deception," TaZhiss volunteered, "At the last moment before the suicide run on your vessel..." he broke off and looked away, "I tread carefully, I know the sensitivity of this situation even though renewed treaty arrangements have been made..." Until you attacked the Lyadran UFP members, Karka thought, "... At the last moment, a Triangulum scout vessel deployed by my and Thamkon's ship attempted to transport the fugitive VaS'in'Kir off your vessel. The scout's targeting scanners were off, and everything was happening so quickly... Our transporter beam took your Lana, Captain Schirra," he'd turned to the Excal centre chair and went on, "instead of the traitor Vas'in'Kir. He was killed in the torpedo strike and ramming, as you know; only Lana was saved."
"We have her last physical remains. She has been laid to rest," Karka stated, mortified by his words as he saw Daniel shift uncomfortably.
TaZhiss ignored the XO, "We took her to our home system, what you call Gliese 641A; she saw again the wonder of the Xes'dnu homeworld - whose population admittedly had been recently rocked by the devastation caused at the resort on one of our two moons... - and was convinced of our honour and virtue as a people. She agreed to join us; in the months that've followed - the interval between your successful attempt to rescue her and your daughters and during the new treaty negotiations and now - she's risen through the ranks and now occupies the secondmost senior position on the Triangulum Council," TaZhiss finished, almost beaming.
"You want us to believe... you want us to believe this pack of lies, TaZhiss? You're a ridiculous figure."
"It's no lie, Captain. Also may I remind you we have control of this system, so any attempt to force the issue based on some petty notion of revenge would be doomed to failure," he paused, "Dhalavi has control of the Lyadran capital world. His fleets on the first and third planet are prepared. Despite its appearance, the Juno is again a formidable vessel, an equal match for yourselves. So all told we have a... modest preponderance of fighting vessels."
"Captain..." Karka said quietly, having been desperate to speak the last minute, "Perhaps 'Lana' would like to speak for herself on this matter..." Schirra sat still as stone. "Would you wish to address her, Captain?" he pressed in this extraordinary situation with the comm still open. Gold could've suspended the comm but like most others on the bridge her eyes were transfixed on the screen.
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jul 10, 2021 14:56:44 GMT
In the lounge, Koni had sat with Daniel until he finally stood, he replaced the glasses and headed out of the room .....~~~~~ As the turbolift reached the Bridge they stepped forward intending to exit the 'lift, but Karka, who had realised their sudden appearance, had ordered the turbolift door closed ... Daniel had used his command authorisation to unlock the doors and both strode onto the Bridge of the Excalibur, with a glare at his Executive Officer, As T'Seng took her position at Tactical, Schirra silently dropped into the centre seat slowly lacing a small wooden box on the armrest before seemingly looking off into the distance ignoring the activity on the screen... With the Captain remaining silent, Psonoir continued his questioning: "..... It is no lie, Captain. Also, may I remind you we have control of this system, so any attempt to force the issue based on some petty notion of revenge would be doomed to failure.....!" TaZhiss was saying, Daniel along with others could see the 'other' Lana glancing surreptitiously at the small ornately calved box. Getting nowhere, Karaka turned to the Captain. "Captain... Perhaps 'Lana' would like to speak for herself on this matter? ..... Would you wish to address her ..... Captain?" Daniel had been running a finger over the plaque set into the top of the box, now he picked the box up, regarding it almost lovingly, the almost black African Hardwood beset with the gold engraved onyx plaque held tenderly as he stood. He turned the box around, tilting it slightly to show the engraving: Everyone could see the other Lana's eyes widen as she read the inscription before Daniel opened the box to reveal two engraved hearts made from Rhodium, a very rare metal loved by Lana. "My wife and daughter..." Daniel said in almost a whisper as he slowly closed the lid, turning to Koni, who approached to take the small remembrance of Daniel's lost family members. Finally, clearly battling some inner demon, he turned to look at the polarised screen and spoke, "... I don't know how you are, I don't know 'WHAT' you are, you are certainly not Lana Schirra. Those two hearts contain Lana and Kendal's DNA, practically all that was recoverable after your cowardly attack on us," He could see the other Lana about to comment so he held up a hand before retaking the centre seat. "Captain, I assure ....." TaZhiss began, but Daniel shot out of his chair as if hit by a plasma discharge! "LIAR!..." he screamed, glaring at the Xes'dnu, "... You have thirty seconds to remove that 'THING' from my sight or I will destroy your ship then everything on the surface! ... Understand me TaZhiss, not even the Juno could prevent my contaminating the atmosphere of both Homeworlds ..... Fifteen seconds," "There is no need to hysterics Captain..." TaZhiss said soothingly, "... I would have thought you would be grateful that your wife survived, my only regret was that we could not save your daugh ....." "Commander, lock all weapons on that ship and prepare to fire," Schirra interrupted the man, who now clearly realised he was serious. He turned his back o the screen and spoke to Lana who glanced at her own viewscreen for several seconds before moving out of shot. TaZhiss turned back to reassure Schirra that she was no longer on their Bridge. It was clear that the Xes'dnu had miscalculated his superiority in the situation he now found himself in. It didn't need to be said that even with the vast distances involved, if they made any attempt to approach or prevent Excalibur from carrying out her threat, they would not succeed, and billions of lives could be lost as a result! "WAIT... What do you propose?" the Xes'dnu said finally. As he was speaking, Koni T'Seng had moved the polarised screen to one side of the Excalibur's panoramic 'window' to allow her to put a tactical view of their surroundings on the other side. It was clear that TaZhiss was biding his time as the indicator of a XeS'dnu vessel appeared to be approaching from astern. Finally losing the last vestige of his patience, Schirra turned to his Tactical Officer: "Destroy it," he said simply. Six torpedoes, two volley's of three, lanced from the Excalibur, covering the distance between the Federation ship and their target in a little over three seconds, the first three demolished the ship's defences, the second three vaporised the massive warship until only atomised dust remained. TaZhiss could only remain silent as he was informed of the attack, Daniel waited silently for his response ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jul 11, 2021 13:15:30 GMT
Karka found himself overtaken by the speed of events: TaZhiss's continued pitiful attempts to calm the situation and celebrate the 'reunion', Schirra's threats against the Juno and the Lyadran homeworld, and the destruction of the Triangulum warship that'd been closing on them astern (presumably having been attempting to trap the Excal between itself and the Juno).
"... You've made your intentions quite clear, Captain. No one will stand in your way, not even your own wife." It took Psonoir a moment to register that this was TaZhiss responding aboard the Juno. "Contrary to your claims, the Juno is an equal match for your vessel. To attack - even if preemptively - would be unwise, and would cause casualties to yourselves, further to the tragedies you suffered in our last encounter.
"Now, look around you in space, Captain... In this system, aside from deposed President Bhiritt's supporters on the surface, the Independent Lyadran Confederation is on our side. It's a tenuous alliance - the enemy of my enemy is my friend? - but it's one that works. There is a Triangulum flotilla orbiting Lyadra III. On the surfaces of Lyadra III and I, there is a fleet of 3,000 Lyadran starships ready for launch. Of course we also have the Juno. What do you have? One starship. You characterise your weaponry as virtual doomsday weapons and claim you may bring them against the Lyadran and Xes'dnu peoples; being your sister ship, the Juno possesses these also. Consider your tactical and strategic position, Captain."
Karka hoped that at the nucleus of Schirra's rage at seeing the duplicate of his wife - presented as a compliant Triangulum Xes'dnu member (meant to destabilise and incapacitate the CO, that was clear now, though it hadn't exactly worked out as TaZhiss had planned) - lay a bluff, an element of reason that wouldn't really see him annihilate the civilian population of Lyadra II who had nothing to do with these upper-echelon political machinations (President Dhalavi for Bhiritt), manoeuvering of warships and so on.
Even if the Excal could really engage in biological warfare with the Lyadran homeworld without their attack being circumvented by the Juno or a Triangulum vessel, it would almost certainly mean...
Karka asked for leave to speak; if his humanity had been real he would've felt fear at asking his Captain anything at all at this moment, but Schirra gave him leave.
Karka faced the Xes'dnu, "TaZhiss, the Federation will not stand for the forceful seizure of a populated star system, even if it involves two species that are not Federation members. Ordinarily we may stand aside, but your star cluster sits astride the border of Federation space and is within our sphere of influence, and... interest. Two systems inside, inhabited by Federation Lyadran members; two systems outside, inhabited by you and the Independent Lyadrans. You, TaZhiss, as representative of the Triangulum, Minister Dhalavi of the Lyadrans, and Lieutenant Inouye of the USS Juno are ordered to stand down; your flotilla will depart this system, Dhalavi will hand power to a civilian authority, and Lieutenant Inouye and his fellow officers will submit themselves for court martial proceedings. If you fail to comply, Starfleet will return here in numbers more than enough to eject you from Gliese 641C." Or so Karka hoped.
TaZhiss conferred with other Triangulum members on the bridge of the Juno, as well as Inouye. Eventually he spoke, "All our forces will hold their current positions. Make no hostile moves and we shall make none, neither the Juno nor our flotilla around the third planet. We will not relinquish what we have claimed by right, however, and President Dhalavi, representative of the Lyadran people agrees with us. Juno out."
Usurper Dhalavi, Karka thought and turned to the centre chair, "Captain, if I may have a word with you in your ready room?" Karka wanted a private meeting but the CO insisted that Koni be present; Karka had no choice but to acquiesce.
The doors slid shut and Schirra took his seat, Karka invited to sit opposite with Koni watching them from next to the door, leaning back with arms folded. "Daniel," Karka's voice was level. He thought of Dr Ito of Starfleet Medical, the Captain's psychiatrist. Would he be alarmed at what was going on right now? Surely he would consider this a 'worst nightmare scenario' for Daniel's state of mind. Karka said, "We must tread carefully. Yes, there have been new developments -"
"That woman is an impostor. That is some vat-grown abomination, Karka," Schirra said, pitching forward in his chair.
"Yes, sir, that's likely," Karka nodded, "They've provoked you, and now they're aware of their mistake. Now Dhalavi is a dangerous man, as is his presumed administration. He has 3,000 ships on Lyadra I and III... The Triangulum have effective control over this system, and the Lyadran armed forces seem united with the Triangulum, but... are you in some sense bluffing, sir?" Psonoir shook his head and rephrased, "To put it another way, are you aware you threatened TaZhiss that the atmosphere of the whole Lyadran homeworld would be contaminated, presumably with a fatal toxin?"
"Yes, and yes, that follows naturally, Commander," Schirra replied.
"You're basing your actions on the appearance of this woman...? Is this part of some bluff, sir?"
Daniel had threatened genocide; the JAG office conducting Schirra and Psonoir's preliminary hearings for court-martial over the stealing of the Excalibur and subsequent actions had been forgiving the first time, because Admiral Osami had stepped in. If Schirra persisted in this new threat, the court - once it found out - would surely renew proceedings and the prospective outcome wouldn't look a good one.
Perhaps Schirra was about to burst out laughing: of course he was bluffing! Or perhaps he was completely serious. Was Psonoir making a moral stand or simply being naive as regards brinkmanship? The XO looked directly at his Commanding Officer, "Regardless, sir..." his voice was close to a whisper as he made his plea, "could I remind you of Dr Ito's advice before we set out? And the risk that Osami has taken in having you face the Xes'dnu again?"
He glanced around at Koni and was suddenly aware of his position. He assumed T'Seng had only been invited to make sure Schirra was ok given the rattling experience he'd just had...
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jul 18, 2021 12:11:12 GMT
They had listened to TaZhiss, and it was clear he wasn't as au fait with the workings of a Federation Starship, or of spatial dynamics, as he wanted them to believe... Yes, the Juno was in every measure the Excalibur's equal being her sister ship, but the laws of physics stated that something travelling at maximum velocity couldn't be caught by something matching that speed if released from one thousand kilometres astern, if fired at precisely the same instant, so the Excalibur torpedoes would reach their target regardless of how fast Juno reacted .....Captains Ready Room USS Excalibur :: "..... To put it another way, are you aware you threatened TaZhiss that the atmosphere of the whole Lyadran homeworld would be contaminated, presumably with a fatal toxin?" "Yes, and yes, that follows naturally Commander," Schirra replied before falling silent. Karka glanced over at Koni, not sure if he was looking for support seeing her expression neutral, exasperated he continued. Regardless, Sir..." his voice was close to a whisper as he made his plea, "... Could I remind you of Dr Ito's advice before we set out, and the risk that Osami has taken in having you face the Xes'dnu again?" Both T'Seng and Karka himself knew he was risking saying something that could lead down a road no-one wanted to go, they watched the Captain as he rested his head in his hands for a moment before finally lifting it: "They intend to attack the Federation... What would you have me do Commander?" "Sir... The last thing we want is a firefight, we're not going to win despite your, threat..." Lysia began tentatively, seeing neither man move to silence her she continued, "... I think our first action should be to transmit our logs thus far back to Command, even load them into a probe and physically send them back, at least that way they could begin to prepare if the Xes'dnu 'do' decide to go ahead with their presumed plan to go after the Federation?" she had been careful to add 'presumed' to her comment as they had no real proof TaZhiss would go that far given he seemed to be saying all they wanted was full control of Xes'dnu/Lyadran space. "You don't think we could do a lot of damage then?" Daniel asked. "We could do a lot of damage Captain, that's the point... TaZhiss knows that and is posturing, the presence of La, that woman is proof of his insecurity, it was clearly a tactic to throw you off balance, to give 'them' time to continue their preparations, and with all due respect Captain, Commander Psonoir is right, both Doctor Ito and Admiral Osani took immense risks in allowing you to return here, and both could suffer the consequences of our reacting erroneously to the situation we're in. You brought me in here for a reason Captain, and I would like to think it was to offer insight one way or the other." Koni fell silent. "Koni, have Lieutenant Gold relay our complete logs to Starfleet Command, then load a class three probe and send that too. With luck the ships between here and there won't detect it... Oh, and thank you, your 'insight' is exactly what I needed," he smiled as he watched his Tactical Officer leave, then turned to his Exec' ..... "We're in a bit of a stalemate, at least for the moment... Any suggestions?" he asked. "Our main concern is Lyadra Four and Five, that already have Federation membership, and as such we are sworn to come to their aid if threatened. Our problem is that the threat is political, and as such deemed an internal issue" "..... And if we were to dive right in there it could be seen as interference, is that what you're saying?" "Yes, we have to be careful Captain, destroying the warship closing on us could be seen as a legitimate act of defence, but firing on the Homeworld ....." he didn't finish the comment. "Do you think the Trianguum would be willing to sit down with representatives of the Lyadran Council? Daniel asked, wondering if the situation could be resolved with no further bloodshed. "Well, TaZhiss didn't retaliate when we destroyed his warship, that at least makes me think he's willing to compromise," "I'm not having that 'THING' aboard the Excalibur!" Daniel said defiantly as T'Seng confirmed via Comms that the logs had been dispatched via encoded subspace and probe. "Understandable Sir, but ....." "BUT NOTHING... She isn't to be involved!" he stood, striding past his Exec' and back onto the Bridge ..........
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Aug 9, 2021 15:13:10 GMT
On the Bridge, Daniel dropped into his seat ..... He had instantly regretted his outburst and could only sit in silence as Karka and Koni returned .....
"Status Commander?" he asked his Tactical Officer.
"No change Captain, the Juno is holding station, as are the two Xes'dnu vessels on the edge of the Gliese Star System,"
"..... and the other two?"
"Holding position one hundred thousand kilometres astern of us," T'Seng confirmed.
"Sir, I've been picking up communications between the Juno and the Xes'dnu vessels," Jenny Gold informed Schirra.
"What are they saying?"
"No idea Captain, they are using some form of encryption we're unable to decipher, I'm working on it though Sir," the Comms Officer said, Daniel smiled before sighing:
"Any thoughts... Other than eradicating the population of the Xes'dnu Homeworld, of course?" Schirra asked.
As suggestions were offered, he mused inwardly, that he would never have gone through with his threat to irradicate the Xes'dnu Homeworld, but his Executive Officer, and Tactical Officer, both his closest friends, clearly believed he was serious, so hopefully, on the Juno's Bridge, identical in every aspect to that of the Excalibur save for the Dedication Plaque, TaZhiss, and the traitorous Juno Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Inouye, believed he would carry out his threat, and that was hopefully their 'ace up their sleave' so to speak. He listened as several options were voiced, and it didn't go unnoticed that thus far Psonoir had remained silent, allowing other Bridge Officers to have their say.
"How long before Command can send out reinforcements?" Sarah Wentworth asked.
"They would need to divert Starships from other duties... So, four, maybe five days at the earliest?" T'Seng answered.
"One on one we're far superior to the Trianguum warships, but with the Juno in their hands, we're outmatched almost five to one..." John Reneus said from the Helm, "... We could try to make a run for it, bri ....."
"Sir, the Juno is hailing us," Gold interrupted.
"Maybe they've decided to surrender, OK, put them up," Daniel said with a shrug.
=^= Mister Inouye =^= Schirra said, the disdain obvious.
=^= That would be 'COMMANDER' now .. Captain .. .. We have an offer for you which I believe is in your best interests =^=
=^= .. .. And that would be? =^= Schirra asked.
=^= TaZhiss .. Under my guidance .. Has seen fit to allow you to leave the Gliese Six Four One Star System and return to Federation Space =^=
=^= We can't do that .. There are two planets that by Federation Law I am obligated to protect =^=
=^= You have our word that Lyadra Four and Five will be left alone Captain =^= Inouye assured him, clearly taking instructions from someone off-screen. Koni muted the conversation and stepped between Schirra and the former Tactical Officer:
"If we took up his offer we could join up with the other ships Command will send out, we could be back here inside a week."
"There's more to this Koni," Daniel said, nodding to the viewscreen. Koni returned to Tactical and unmuted the comm.
=^= .. .. And the weapons you have stored .. Do I have your Masters' assurance that they will remain grounded? =^= Schirra asked.
=^= Unless we find cause to fire them .. Yes .. .. .. I do need to make you aware of a codicil to your being allowed to leave the system =^=
=^= Which would be? =^=
=^= You will eject your warp core before moving off =^= Inouye said, the hint of a grin forming.
=^= Not going to happen! =^= Daniel said with an exaggerated shrug.
=^= Come now Captain .. Maybe you should solicit your Officers opinions .. Maybe they are less inclined to lose anyone =^=
=^= Meaning? =^= Schirra asked, a cold shiver already running the length of his spine.
=^= Well .. You have lost so much .. Your wife .. your daugh .. .. .. =^= Schirra was already out of his chair, face red with anger as the comm closed. He spun, glaring at Jenni Gold, surprised to see Karka stood over her, hand on the panel. He held his gaze for a long moment before realising his friend had done the right thing, he gave the smallest of nods before turning back to the window.
"We're not done here!" Daniel said dangerously ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Aug 13, 2021 23:06:49 GMT
"We're not done here!" Daniel said dangerously.
"Yes, Captain. Their demands are... absurd frankly. Impulse power back to Federation space would leave us prey to their own ships - inferior though most of them are, at warp speed they would be deadly. And given our experience of them since arriving here - how the Xes'dnu have turned out to be in league with many of the Independent Lyadrans rather than fighting a war to annihilate them, how they presented a counterfeit copy of your... - " he cut himself off, "I'd say we couldn't trust them to keep to this agreement either."
"Keep us in orbit, keep distance to the Juno; closer to the two ships behind us. They will know they're more vulnerable," Schirra commanded. And while Karka - feeling trepidation concerning his CO's intentions - nor none of the others knew it, Schirra wouldn't destroy these vessels unprovoked. The Excal's positioning was merely a deterrent and warning.
Psonoir's thoughts turned to the devices they'd found on the surface, the grounds of which they'd explored shortly after arrival at the homeworld. As Karka understood it, Dhalavi still possessed (or had irrevocably installed) the crucial devices for controlling four of the five 250 metre-long doomsday weapons on the outskirts of the Lyadran capital (the man was currently inaccessible in an underground bunker lined with nano-tech enhanced duranium).
The fifth the crew had in their own possession, having returned to the ship after receiving news the Juno (unidentified at that time) was inbound. The component might still be of some use... Counteract any launch of the other four missile-ships by transporting down there to somehow insert their own crucial component into the remaining warhead, launch that missile on an intercept course during ascent to destroy its sister vessels.
"Am I to understand that any form of talks with the Xes'dnu are off for the time being, Captain?" T'Seng asked with care. "We're outgunned here - or at the very least outnumbered - and the Xes'dnu have made their initial, unreasonable demands. Perhaps we can look for... concessions on their behalf?"
Schirra said nothing before slowly shaking his head, letting it be known he wasn't ready, impostor-wife in attendance at the talks or not.
Karka cut in; he'd swung round to the science console and inserted into a scanner the key component to one of the five missile-ships. "It's for those weapons, all right," he'd murmured the confirmation, the poorly concealed article in Foreign Minister (now President) Dhalavi's desk betraying its function as the one thing that'd allow one of those weapons to fly.
He'd turned to the others now, the Xes'dnu technology (looking like part old Earth circuit-board, part physical luminescent key to some mysterious lock) held aloft between middle and index finger, "I recommend we transport back down to the surface of the Lyadran homeworld, sir. A minimal team with Unwin remaining here now that he has bridge command experience."
"Yes, and he was lucky to avoid a court martial, on separate charges from you and myself," Schirra was cantankerous; fortunately Ensign Hall was at the engineering station, Unwin in engineering overseeing the warp drive in the event they needed to break orbit rapidly. "Wait a minute, Karka, why on Earth would we want to beam down again? remind me."
"Well if this doesn't work out, we'll at least have our bargaining chip," he indicated the Xes'dnu critical component, "And it may prove a bigger stack than we realised: we transport to the restricted grounds at the capital city's outskirts and insert this key into one of the five 250 metre weapons' drives, computer cores, wherever it's meant to be placed. Then with the missile-ship active we can presumably, or perhaps hopefully, return here and control it remotely. In this way, any launch of the four remaining weapons will be considered impossible as the Triangulum would realise we'd be sure to intercept with our own missile.
Koni nodded, "Great, Karka, but -"
He smiled, but with a lack of assurance, "Yes, the only issue would be locating which of the five weapons matches this component. The Xes'dnu would've designed unique key components for each vessel... if what we've seen of their security measures while in their home system holds true here."
Wentworth spoke, "Yes, and the vessels are indistinguishable within indistinguishable buildings rotating on a circular platform. The platform is operated by a Xes'dnu official beyond our reach, so it'd be no good approaching the same building and vessel as before as it likely won't be there."
"If we can secure this insurance against the Xes'dnu, Captain, we could feel much safer conducting any talks..." Karka said, the trouble and almost concealed anguish in Schirra's expression coming again. The XO went on, "We could, if we're lucky secure an exit from the system at warp speed, particularly say if we were to threaten to aim the missile-ship at the Lyadran capital...?"
Karka, of course, would have no intention of carrying out such a threat, and he thought he perceived that Schirra wouldn't either; TaZhiss and his cronies however wouldn't know to what lengths Schirra would be willling to go.
"And they'd know their only option would be to aim the other four of the arsenal at ours, the fifth, and so the warheads would detonate over the capital district anyway," Schirra nodded. "So unless TaZhiss is willing to sacrifice Dhalavi and his allies, he'd have to let us leave. Let's hope we're not forced to fire then, eh? And that it can be remote-activated and we wouldn't need one or more of us in the cockpit!"
Karka nodded. And it wouldn't help the Xes'dnu to use just one of the missiles to intercept the Excal's own: in the mid-air collision and explosion the remaining three would go up in flames anyway. "Also, sir, if we're permitted to depart at warp velocity, we could head straight for Gliese 641E and Captain Volkov's USS Sword, message him to rendezvous with us, and wait for other ships in the sector to join."
The defence of Gliese 641E and its Lyadran Federation member worlds was proving successful, the Sword distinguishing itself, but a reapportioning amongst the former, the Excal and whatever starships might join them might be in order. Would they split forces? Go straight for the Xes'dnu system, back to the Lyadran homeworld, or head first to beleaguered Federation system 641E?
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Aug 15, 2021 17:51:10 GMT
Daniel listened to his Officers' opinions intently before dropping back into his seat to stare out of the depolarised window at the stars beyond ..... He was trying to weigh up the seeming myriad of options open to them and the possible success rate of each. If it were reasonable to destroy the multitude of weapons being constructed before they could be launched, he would not hesitate to do so, but he had other considerations, paramount among those was the welfare of the two Federation affiliated planets in the Galiese Star System, and what could happen by way of retaliation! "What are our chances of transporting down to the Lyadran Homeworld undetected?" Daniel asked finally. "We would need to reposition slightly to bring us within range, but it would look like we were just making sure the Juno couldn't destroy anything we launched," Koni T'Seng informed him. "What about our transport being picked up by the Juno?" Agosta asked. "I can't see TaZhiss having the know-how to spot it, as for Inouye, the Juno is his first assignment following time at Starfleet Security, given the circumstances of his sudden elevation, I think he'll be giving more attention to his new friends," Unwin offered. "Captain, I've just been checking our spatial positioning in regards to the Homeworld..." Reneus said from the Helm, "... If we time the transport right we'll be directly between the planet and the Juno," "That settles that then, of course, should some eagle-eyed Officer on the Juno spot our beaming to the surface we'll have company in short order. We'll have the Transporter Chief keep a tight lock on us just in case we need to leave without saying goodbye... " Schirra said, rising from the centre seat, "... Karka, Koni, Caryna, with me ..... Mark, the ship is yours," ..... Silo Group Lyadra Homeworld :: Materialising, the four quickly put their backs to the nearest wall, it was three hundred hours ship time, so pre-dawn shadow had covered their arrival and Daniel wanted to use them while they could. "Which way?" he whispered. Karka retrieved a tricorder from his pocket and quickly ran a scan then pointed: The Exec' pointed without replying. The four hugged the wall, phasers ready as they made their way along the length of the building, thankfully, there was no need to cross the wide grassed recreation area separating the silo's and they reached a means of ingress quickly. As Koni bypassed the door security lock, the others waited anxiously, eyes continually moving ready for any unwanted company ... She tapped Schirra and pointed to the half-open door. Before stepping inside she used her own tricorder to check for life signs before confirming the building was empty. With a nod from Schirra, she stepped into the dark of the silo, the other a pace behind. She closed the door and reset the security system ..... As their eyes became accustomed to the semi-darkness, they could see the missile-ships weapons looming above them, the others grinned as they heard Schirra muttering under his breath about bloody climbing. "Any particular order you want to go in?" he asked Karka, who glanced from the key component he was holding to the nearest ship: "That one..." he said, pointing along the row to the one furthest from their position, "... This way, if the one nearest us is the one we need, we'll at least be near the door," he said with a wry grin. "Great," Daniel said, striding off towards the far end of the massive silo building. Shaking her head, Koni followed, Psonoir and Agosta bringing up the rear, the Security Officer alternating her steps from walking forward to walking backwards, her phaser on the door. It took only five minutes to cross the floor, then his mumbling renewed, Daniel stepped onto the first step and began to climb. "Captain ....." Koni said, pointing to a small metal cage on a vertical rail. "It is a long way up," Agosta said innocently... Still muttering to himself, Daniel backtracked and stepped into the small lift, the others following him... Grinning, T'Seng tapped a small lit indicator and the carriage began to climb the outside of the missile-ship with an almost inaudable hum. Karka kept his phaser pointed upwards, while Agosta maintained a bead on the rapidly disappearing door they had entered by. Finally, the cage hummed to a stop and the door slid aside. They stepped onto the walkway, knowing this time around what they were looking for. Caryna found the hatch, motioning to Psonoir before stepping aside to allow him access ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Aug 20, 2021 21:01:27 GMT
Beaming down with the others and ascending in the cage lift, Karka checked his tricorder to ensure he'd identified the right set of systems. Shortly before transportation he'd cracked where exactly the key component should be fitted - all it had required was a comparison with the other four missiles in the silo:
Dhalavi had indeed already installed his own crucial devices into the other weapons and he or his grey eminence had those missiles at his command (an issue was whether they could be fired remotely or whether as per original design they required at least one pilot...) Karka had scanned for signs of the same componentry as the 5th key on the other four weapons and had found their respective locations, the only problem being sensors couldn't resolve which of the five weapons was the one without its final jigsaw piece.
He scanned the open panel and sighed, "Key already inserted. Dhalavi's."
"Here, let me try to pull it free; I think I -" Agosta began.
"No. If you touch or tamper with it in any way the systems it's locked into will blow you off the gangway."
Still absorbing the XO's advice - as they now moved on to the third missile ship and up in its access cage - she thought she saw below the flicker of a shadow near the just-visible door: someone moving in, had they detected them or was this a routine check?
"Here now, keep out of sight," Agosta suggested in a whisper and pointed below. Schirra's head darted to where she indicated.
Karka murmured to T'Seng, "Thanks," passing bulky PADDs from hand to hand as the tactical chief moved aside having opened the hatch for this third examination. The work wasn't too difficult, the luminescent key inserted despite a terrific mass of intermingled Xes'dnu machinery and Lyadran nanotech hardware in the way - it gave him slight grounds for suspicion, as if Dhalavi had attempted to create and install a new, much less elegant key to combine with the Xes'dnu tech. If he'd succeeded he'd have had all five...
"Ok... we should have control, or at least it should have entered a sort of stand-by mode..." Reading off his tricorder again, it appeared someone needed to access the missile ship itself, enter its central circular chamber or alternatively the cockpit to set up a remote access channel.
"Karka, Koni, you go," Schirra instructed, "If the newcomers are hostile I may need our specialist sniper here," he smiled at Agosta, "And hurry back," he called as they padded quickly into the obelisk form weapon/ship.
Having found the small circular room, "Remote access activated, I believe," Karka said, surprised and glad no self-satisfied artificial projection of VaS'in'Kir appeared this time to regale them on his conversion to the cause of the Residuum.
Distantly they heard the sound of phaser and other particle weapons' fire. Schirra and Agosta were under attack, or had taken the initiative. "Can the Excalibur beam us back from inside the weapon?" T'Seng asked.
"No, we'd have to get outside the silo complex, open air. We can't even communicate with the ship from in here." Confirming they had remote access to the weapon from the Excal, they made for a rapid egress.
* * *
USS Juno
The plaque bearing Captain Cernan's name still hung on the wall of the Juno's bridge. TaZhiss, out of a curiosity that surprised him, was studying it when she called him aside. She beckoned him to the turbolift and conference room where Inouye, a fellow mutineer and another senior Xes'dnu (TaZhiss's second-in-command, the late VaS'in'Kir's third) were waiting. He stopped in the entrance, regarded them all cautiously before taking a seat.
"... There's no way they'll agree to talks for leaving the system," the Lana copy was saying, "I know Schirra, better than he'd ever care to admit. I'm an exact clone, memories and all, remember?" TaZhiss cast her a dark look.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Inouye said, TaZhiss watching as his second-in-command nodded in agreement, "As I understand it, as a former Intelligence officer Captain Schirra has proven pliable in the past. Even though all his collaborations were in the end necessarily carried on in bad faith, he could be persuaded into thinking he'd be taking a short-term loss for a long-term gain."
"You'd have us and Lana beamed over there? He'd kill her," TaZhiss told the new Juno CO.
Lana was peaceful and reflective, looked at Inouye, "I can remain here, if you want to take the chance. They'll want to leave; the Federation Lyadrans need their assistance, so if they agree to discussions for departure, let's proceed. And take no security, hopefully that'll catch Daniel off guard."
"I assume you have another 'ace up your sleeve', whatever that means?" TaZhiss asked, virtually disinterested, though deep uncertainty regarding the dangers of Schirra and the Excalibur, and even the deposed government of the Lyadran homeworld remained on his mind.
"The fleets on the first and third planets are ready for launch," Lana said simply, nodding and rising, "Inouye, resume hailing the Excalibur for negotiations for its departure for Gliese 641E, Federation space. We're willing to make many concessions. Dismissed."
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Aug 26, 2021 16:35:13 GMT
Silo Group Lyadran Homeworld :: With Karka and Koni working on the ship, Daniel and Koni made their way as quickly and silently as possible to ground level ..... They positioned themselves behind two large consoles and waited. The voices were getting closer, Schirra held up two fingers, Agosta held up three, signifying she could hear three, rather than two people approaching them in something of a circuitous route. "I think they could be carrying out routine patrols given they are not heading right for us," the Security Chief whispered as she pointed to another console and made a 'scissors' movement with her fingers. Schirra nodded and Caryna silently crossed the gap and concealed herself. Daniel could see one of the guards now, he was pointing upwards, asking if anyone was supposed to be working at this late hour. The other two, still unaware of the Federation Officers moved forward. Unfortunately, in trying to get a better look upwards, he stepped directly in front of Schirra! For a second he looked down, eyes wide, almost shocked into rigidity, but the beam of almost pure energy that lanced from Agosta's phaser changed that and he dropped beside Daniel, instantly both stood, firing almost point-blank at the other two guards. With all three downed, they grabbed the legs of the unconscious guards and dragged them out of sight before Schirra went back for the third. He glanced up into the darkness hoping Karka and Koni had succeeded in their efforts and were heading down. Thankfully they were pretty certain that none of the guards had had time to raise the alarm, so they wouldn't be missed immediately, Daniel hoped as they bound and gagged the three. A moment later Caryna spun on one knee, her phaser aimed into the semi-darkness as they heard Psonoir's voice. "Having fun?" he asked. "Let's get the hell out of here before anyone else shows up..." Daniel said, turning to head towards the door they had entered by, but Koni held back, forcing Schirra to pause and turn, "... What?" he asked. "Captain, we can't allow these men to be discovered, the second they are we're in trouble," she commented. "What would you suggest?" Caryna asked, eyes locked on the Tactical Chief in the darkness. "We can't leave them here Captain," T'Seng insisted ..... For a long moment, Schirra looked at the three unconscious guards, then made up his mind. "We'll take them with us," he said, dropping to one knee to haul one of the guards over a shoulder before rising. Muttering something inaudible, Psonoir grabbed the second man, practically glaring at T'Seng and Agosta to take the third between them ..... At the door, the two women lowered their burden and Koni approached the door. Quickly she again bypassed the door security she tentatively pushed the door aside and checked left and right, sunrise was very quickly approaching and their cover was lessening by the moment, returning she nodded to Caryna grabbed the legs of her unconscious guard. The moment all were in the open Psonoir dropped his bundle unceremoniously and took his communicator from his sleeve pocket. Flicking it open he contacted the Excalibur. =^= Psonoir to Excalibur .. Seven to beam up .. Have Security ready =^= A second later he felt the caress of the transported as it took hold. "Lieutenant... Have these three taken to the Brig...!" Schirra ordered Agosta as they materialised, "... Have them searched thoroughly, I don't want them contacting their people until we're done with them," "Sir!" the Security Chief confirmed, instructing her Officers to grab the unconscious guards ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Aug 27, 2021 22:28:57 GMT
Physiologically human but with the mind of a Hybrudean, the weight of the Lyadran guard Karka had carted from the silo hadn't slowed him down too much as his brain's augmented centre (equivalent of the human thalamus) had his glands pump more adrenaline into the bloodstream. Still, disgruntled he'd thrown the man down on the grass verge outside the silo; shaking his head in spite of himself - he wouldn't have liked to eliminate any of the three - he took a moment to catch his breath before moving to rejoin the others.
As they dematerialised, a second golden glow fell over them as the first glint of the Lyadran star became visible over low-lying meadowlands in the middle distance.
"How long have they been hailing?" he asked as he entered the bridge and took his station, Schirra and T'Seng just behind him.
"For the last 5 hours, Commander. Captain Schirra, Captain Inou- ... Lieutenant Inouye seems to be getting impatient," Jenni Gold informed him.
"It doesn't seem entirely wise," Unwin said as he made way for Schirra in the centre seat. "If you're requesting negotiations in good faith, why start getting exasperated when you don't immediately receive a reply? I guess they must know by now we're somewhat... ambivalent about the possibility of talks."
Schirra nodded and looked slowly about him before centering his vision on the viewscreen and the USS Juno, its running lights punctuating the Lyadran homeworld's nightside that both ships now rotated about in a slow ballet. "That's an understatement," he grunted eventually.
"One thing that's been a constant, Captain... At no point have they indicated in their communiques that the impostor would be accompanying the delegation."
Reviewing Jenni Gold's Excal-Juno comm data relayed to his console, Karka was starting to think there wasn't complete unity of purpose aboard the Juno, whether that meant a split between the Xes'dnu personnel and the Starfleeters, some other divide perhaps based on ideology, or perhaps on a quibbling matter of mere strategy. All he knew was it all seemed to be happening under the aegis of this mysterious Other, this alternate Lana whom he strongly suspected had had her biosigns altered to appear human (his sensors indicated human DNA) when actually she was a Xes'dnu subjected to some temporary genetic therapy?
After another hour and another call, the CO spoke abruptly, "Ok, let's have them aboard. A... light security detail, Ms Agosta," Karka guessing at some greatly time-displaced telepathy between Daniel and the true Lana: it was what she would've done, he was preempting the copy's own stratagems. "Primary conference room, 1100 hours."
With the information being fed to the Juno, Karka heard Koni murmuring as if to reassure herself, "We have our bargaining chip..." Indeed, one of the five missile ships. Having remote access, with a flick of a switch the tactical officer could set the missile with its 800 gigatonne warhead into launch mode. The Lyadrans and TaZhiss had the other weapons at their command... Mutual destruction would be assured.
* * *
The Juno Acting CO smiled at Karka as he stepped from the airlock onto the deck of the Excalibur - a show of trust on their behalf, apparently; a shuttle being their preferred means of transport (which could've been neatly cut out of the vacuum with a mid-yield torpedo strike) as opposed to the transporter system... but surely they wouldn't take such a risk unless they had some edge over them. There were the starship arsenals on Lyadra I and III, but they'd be too far away to prevent the destruction of what was potentially their own leadership.
"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Inouye..." and he looked behind the man to check the faces of the rest of the delegation.
* * *
Schirra pitched forward and cleared his throat, "You're asking us to believe that you'll restore the legitimate government of President Bhiritt and reduce your military forces in the system by 75%. Now, I'm having a hard time comprehending why you'd be willing -"
TaZhiss's second-in-command interjected, "As we repeated throughout our communications, Captain, we're willing to make such concessions. A Federation starship under her own authority, and outside of her own territorial jurisdiction, poses a risk to the political stability of our star cluster, perhaps even the whole sector, your side of the border and ours. We don't wish to have your vessel in Lyadran territory; it's in all our best interests. As soon as you release the three Lyadrans you have in your custody then -"
"You seem to be forgetting, Mr...?" Karka said.
"Vhalki."
"... That you currently have three whole batallions of vessels in and around Gliese 641E, home to two Federation member worlds."
Vhalki conceded with his hands and TaZhiss took over, "Yes, and that's another of the 'olive branches'" - Karka peered at TaZhiss who'd taken to striding round the room rather than sitting like the rest of them; how he knew of the saying was perhaps obvious, but the emphasis... - " - we're prepared to offer you: a complete withdrawal of our forces from Federation territory beginning... next week."
Inouye and Vhalki glanced sharply at the man before their diplomatic masks returned in full vigour. Karka glanced at Schirra (Unwin and the minor Diplomatic Corps officer they'd been assigned for this mission also present). The Hybrudean wondered whether they could take advantage of the seeming dissent between their opponents, while also bearing in mind the peril faced by a Federation system under attack and defended only by the USS Sword.
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Aug 28, 2021 13:40:38 GMT
USS Excalibur :: As the group waited at the airlock, everyone could sense the contempt Schirra had for the group about to board his ship. To the point that he allowed his Executive Officer to take the lead, not wanting to associate in any way shape or form ..... The visitors were led to the Conference Room. Schirra had ensured that there was a security presence, more to annoy the others than for the Excalibur crews' safety ..... Koni T'Seng showed the Delegates to their chairs, the Federation Officers seating themselves opposite, Schirra had taken his usual seat and continued to remain silent as the talks commenced. To the crew, it almost looked as if their Captain had purposefully dissociated himself from proceedings until he suddenly leaned forward, eyes locked on the Xes'dnu TaZhiss: "You're asking us to believe that you'll restore the legitimate government of President Bhiritt and reduce your military forces in the system by seventy-five percent... Now, I'm having a hard time comprehending why you'd be willing ....." Another Xes'dnu, Vhalki, took the lead as TaZhiss remained in eye contact with Schirra. Karka felt the need to interject before things got out of hand, but the TaZhiss waved a hand to silence his Second in Command as he was clearly being manoeuvred into saying something he shouldn't. But it became clear that the former Aide to VaS'inKir hadn't discussed everything with his own people as the expressions on both Inouye and Vhalki' faces testified. "Why next week?" Schirra asked. "Pardon.....?" TaZhiss replied, unable to understand Schirra's confusion. "You are saying you would be willing to remove all your forces, but only in a weeks' time... So why not today?" "I... There are obvious logistical issues, we have ....." TaZhiss began, clearly floundering. "I assume all of your vessels are equipped with communications...?" Daniel asked, his anger clear to his Officers who were watching him as closely as his counterpart was being scrutinised, "... I'm sure my Communications Officer will be only too happy to establish a comm with your vessel. Unless of course, you have people on the surface of Lyadra Four or Five?" "We have no one on the surface of either planet, Captain..." Vhalki interrupted, "... Perhaps it would be prudent to take a short break?" Daniel didn't reply, just glared at TaZhiss for a moment then muttered something thankfully inaudible before leaning back into his seat. Koni tapped the comm set into the long table and gave instructions for refreshments to be brought in. Everyone stood, making their way over to the side of the room to help themselves. She along with others on the Federation side watched as TaZhiss was almost manhandled into a corner where his Second in Command whispered hurriedly! "Looks like they are not happy with their representative," Sarah Wentworth said quietly in Schirra's ear, surprised when the Captain didn't even acknowledge her comment. Clearly interrupting his thoughts she turned and walked away. Karka was speaking with Koni as he noticed Daniel looking at the two of them, Schirra moved his head almost imperceptible and they approached: "What could be the possible ramifications of us leaving?" Schirra asked. "Leaving... The meeting?" Koni asked. "The System," Daniel replied, making the two Officers look at each other for a moment. "Well, I can't see Command being too happy, and it's likely the Council would rip you a new one," Psonoir commented half-jokingly. "Where's the Juno?" "Still ten thousand kilometres off our Starboard," T'Seng confirmed. "OK..." Daniel said. It was T'Seng and Psonoir's turn to realise the conversation was over and they too moved away, leaving Schirra deep in thought as he watched the one-way conversation between TaZhiss, Vhalki, and Inouye ..... As the meeting recommenced, Daniel again allowed his Executive Officer to take the lead, much to the annoyance of the visiting party, but eventually, he spoke: "So... As to my earlier question... Why can you not remove all your vessels from Lyadra Four and five?" "As I explained earlier, Captain, we simply cannot leave ....." TaZhiss fell silent as Schirra got to his feet. "Then we will," he said, heading for the door. "Captain, you can't be serious!" Vhalki spluttered. "Ohhh, I'm very serious... What's more, the Federation will maintain a continual presence in regard to the two Federation-aligned Lyadran worlds. Furthermore, ALL non-aligned vessels will be subject to inspection if they leave Lyadran or Xes'dnu space. From this moment, ANY incursion or attack on Lyadra Four or five will be considered an act of war against the Federation..." the door opened at his approach and they could see the Security Chief stood waiting, a phaser secured to her hip, "... Lieutenant, please escort our 'guests' to the airlock and see to t they depart the Excalibur safely," with that he left the room, leaving a group of Excalibur Officers and Xes'dnu Delegates in stunned silence. Agosta stepped into the room, two other Security Personnel behind her, Acknowledging the Excal' Officers she turned to the visitors: "This way, gentlemen," she said pleasantly ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Aug 29, 2021 23:14:46 GMT
USS Juno
"Well, I can't say I'm too disappointed, on reflection," Vhalki said as he disembarked from the craft with the others, the Juno's aft hangar appearing gloriously amphitheatric round them, despite the damage sustained from Xes'dnu vessels while Cernan had still been in command.
"How do you mean?" TaZhiss asked unhappily, aware he'd taken the wrong line in the talks and perhaps hurried or even perpetrated the withdrawal of Xes'dnu ships from the Gliese 641E Federation system; he'd allowed resentment and what'd developed into deep mutual hatred to get in the way of his argument. Schirra had succeeded in that respect at least.
"While it's disappointing not to be able to maintain our presence in the entire cluster... inadvertently reinforcing the border that divides us from the Federation... we have driven the Excalibur from the Lyadran system," Vhalki shrugged.
"Schirra wouldn't have done it without good reason..." TaZhiss nodded to himself, nursing his rage, "Perhaps he realised there was no way forward."
"And none of the other concessions either," First Officer of the Juno to Inouye said as TaZhiss moved off, "Even if they weren't offered in good faith." At this point 'Lana' entered the bay, and hearing the news tears began running down her face. "With respect, Your Honour, you can perhaps give up that pretence now?"
USS Excalibur
"Approaching Federation border, Captain," Reneus said from the helm, looking satisfiedly at the viewscreen.
Karka heard faint transponder signals over the sensors - switched to an audial mode - as the ship darted over the boundary that cut across the middle of the cluster of 5 stars: Federation starships being repositioned to assume a line of defence and for border control. Extra customs control craft were being requisitioned from nearby Fed colonies for the purpose of Schirra's new strategy which had just been transmitted to Starfleet Command.
Karka asked himself whether it'd been the right move. It was true they'd been vastly outnumbered, and the Independent Lyadrans did seem lost to them at least under their current government. It was debatable whether the Prime Directive applied... As the Independent Lyadrans were non-aligned and a coup had taken place of seeming purely internal nature (no matter how corrupt the actors involved) did the Excalibur have the right to take action? There'd been Xes'dnu present, too, it was true, but they'd their own Triangulum-Residuum conflict that'd spilt into the Lyadran system. Researches into their direct involvement in the coup returned inconclusive results, though it was likely.
"Adjusting heading, Captain," he said, relaying Daniel's order to Reneus. The Excalibur was now on course for the two Federation Lyadran planets orbiting Gliese 641E, about 0.8 lightyears from the border. They arrived just under a day later.
"Attempting contact with the USS Sword," Gold said from aft as the bridge crew surveyed the tactical situation in-system. It seemed that true to their word - and faster than TaZhiss had initially proposed - the Xes'dnu vessels were departing. Most flew the Triangulum flag, Psonoir noted, though a few Residuum ships were amongst their number, perhaps standing by their fellow species' members out of a sense of blind patriotism.
=/\=Captain Schirra. Am I glad to see you,=/\= Volkov on the Sword responded to their hail. =/\=You're aware of course of the Xes'dnu vessel trailing you?=/\=
"What?" Karka murmured as he spun round to check the science scope... Yes, there it was, about 0.1 lightyears behind and unaccompanied. A memory of the negotiations struck at his partitioned mind - that moment when Schirra and TaZhiss had been staring each other down across the table.
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Sept 22, 2021 11:17:29 GMT
USS Juno :: "With respect, Your Honour, you can perhaps give up that pretence now?"
For a moment the 'clone' stood as if deep in thought, then raised a hand to wipe away the faux tears from her eyes, her expression hardening as she glared at TaZ'hiss .....
"You failed," she said, matter-of-factly, making TaZ'hiss and his Aide turn to face her.
"I don't see it as 'failure' more like a compromise we may have to learn to live with..." the man said, walking over to face down the clone of Schirra's former wife, "... and might I add, you and your presence here is subject to review. Should I so wish it you could easily be returned to that vat of slime you call home ..... Now, if you have something 'productive' to offer the conversation, I am more than willing to listen?"
Lana stood, eyes boring into the man only a meter away.
"I thought not!" TaZ'hiss said, turning to walk away. Everyone could see his eyes widen in shock as for a moment he swayed in place, before finally falling forward, slamming into the deck with a sickening thud! ..... The blade, protruding from his back had an ornately engraved handle, not that anyone noticed it's decoration, just the fact that it was sticking out of their former leaders' back!
"Are we still following the Earth vessel...?" the clone asked almost casually as she stepped around the corpse. It took a second, but Vhalki finally answered, "... Good, then I think it is time to pull back some of our warships from Lyadra four and five. Not too far of course, just enough to have our apparent compliance seen by the Federation Starships,"
"..... And if they insist further?"
"Oh, I don't think they will... I believe that once 'Captain Schirra' informs Starfleet Command of his actions, his orders will be countermanded, possibly assigning the Captain of the Sword overall Command of the situation, hmmm," the clone said as they left the shuttle bay and headed for the turbolift to take them to the Bridge. It hadn't gone unnoticed that the incident earlier had not been spoken about .....USS Excalibur Holding Station with USS Sword Lyadra System :: =^= Captain Schirra .. Am I glad to see you .. .. You're aware of course of the Xes'dnu vessel trailing you? .. .. =^= =^= Captain Volkov .. Good to see you .. I assume you have received the situation update from my Tactical Officer? =^= =^= We have Captain .. .. But I have to say I am a little confused as to where the withdrawal order originated .. The logistics alone would need substantial configuration not to mention ships and personnel .. I belie .. .. .. =^= Volkov began, the frown on his face clear. He paused as Schirra turned away for a moment: "Helm, close to transporter range with the Sword," he ordered, returning his attention to the polarised section of the window showing Volkov and the Swords Bridge: =^= Captain .. As overall Commander of this 'exercise' .. I have the authority to make decisions .. Please join me on the Excalibur so we can go over preliminary instructions to annex non-Federation-aligned worlds in the Gliese Star System =^= Daniel motioned for the comm to be severed before Volkov could reply. "You're serious... About leaving?" Koni asked quietly. "You want to stay? ..... Feel free to submit your transfer request to the Sword whenever you are ready ..... Any of you," Daniel said, looking around the Bridge before rising from the centre seat before walking to his ready room. Leaving everyone in stunned silence. Karka was first to react instructing everyone to tend to their stations. "Commander, we're in transporter range of the Sword, Captain Volkov is standing by," Sarah Wentworth informed Psonoir, who sighed: "Koni, you have Conn, I'll go meet the Captain. If he's going to chew anyone out it might as well be me," ..........
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Oct 17, 2021 22:29:27 GMT
USS Excalibur ... Holding Station with USS Sword :: Anton Volkov materialised on the transporter pad and immediately stepped off heading for the doors ..... "Welcome aboa ....." Karka began, but Volkov barely acknowledged him as he stomped past, Karka fought off a shrug as the Transporter Chief eyed him, then followed the Swords' Captain out of the room. They stepped into a turbolift, Karka stood one pace behind and to the left of the Captain and waited for the 'lift to reach its destination, which in his opinion, couldn't come soon enough! "You agree with this idiocy?" Volkov said, turning to face Karka, but the turbolift doors slid aside before the Exec' could answer. The Bridge, unsurprisingly, fell eerily silent as the two crossed. Captain's Ready Room :: "Captain, welcome aboard," Daniel said amiably. "Captain..." Volkov said, dropping into the seat opposite Schirra. Iorte moved to the drinks cabinet, "... I would like an explanation regarding your, shall we say, somewhat 'unusual' orders, and how you propose we accomplish this withdrawal?" "Hmm, well, I was under the impression, that I had made the Federations' intentions regarding the Gliese System very clear," Schirra said, frowning. "With all due respect, Captain, you do not have the authority to speak on behalf of the Federation, what's more ..... I believe it would be a 'CLEAR' dereliction of my standing orders, not to contact the Federation Council for clarification. Captain, you can't simply annex a Star System on a whim, you must be aware of that, surely, and with respect, I am fully aware, of the difficulties, you are facing, with regard th ....." "Difficulties?" Daniel repeated. "..... The, clone, of your deceased wife?" "That abomination has 'NOTHING' to do in influencing my decisions Captain. It is clear that neither the Lyadran nor the Xes'dnu has contributed anything meaningful to the Federation since joining, we are, in case you have forgotten, essentially interfering with what is an internal problem. In my opinion, we are expending assets that could be better served elsewhere .... We will withdraw and annex the Gliese 641 Star System until further notice ..... Of course, if you are unable, or unwilling, to follow the directives I have set out, I can temporarily relieve you of Command of the Sword and ask your Executive Officer, Commander Yelzim I believe, to assist me, with no subsequent blemish to your record," Throughout the conversation, Clancy, apart from handing a glass to each Captain, had remained silent. Daniel wondered just where the man stood given what he had just heard. Bt his musing was shortlived as Volkov spoke: "You seriously believe you have the authority to relieve me of my Command!" he said, clearly astonished. Schirra sat completely silent for seconds, then: "I do ... And I will ..... Forcibly if necessary," he replied darkly, as he downed his Brandy in one, then put the empty glass on his desk, eyes locked on his counterpart. Volkov looked up at Karka, who clearly didn't want to get in the middle, but both Captain's knew that Psonior as Schirra's Executive Officer, was entitled to his say. "..... Daniel, we've been friends a long time, since the Academy in fact. Can't you at least hold off, reconsider, see if there isn't another way to do this?" Anton said, trying to appeal to Daniel's sense of duty, but Schirra wan't going to be swayed. "What's it to be Anton?" he asked, ignoring the man's compassionate plea. "My conscience won't allow me to follow unjust, unconfirmed orders, Daniel. You need to let me consult with Starfleet Command, apprise them of the situation ....." Schirra ignored the man and turned to Psonoir: "Commander, please have Captain Volkov escorted to the Brig, you will then transp ....." "CAPTAIN... You should be aware that should I not return to the Sword, my absence will be seen as involuntary, and steps will be taken to ensure my return, regardless of consequences!" Volkov informed them both. "Commander Psonoir, I gave you an order ....." Schirra said, ignoring the warning from his opposite number ..........
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Oct 24, 2021 0:15:52 GMT
"Commander Psonoir, I gave you an order ....." Schirra said, ignoring the warning from his opposite number .......... "Sir, can't we talk thi ....." Karka began, realising the position Schirra had put him in. "..... You're dismissed, Commander," Daniel said, his eyes locked on Volkov's. "Captain, I think we need to sit down, discuss options before we jump off the deep end..." Anton said, trying again to stop Schirra from doing something he was clearly going to regret, something which would undoubtedly end his career in Starfleet, he took a moment after Karka had left the Ready Room, then sat down, "... You can't do this Daniel. You know it and I know it, and by now both our crews know it. You put your Exec' in an impossible position a moment ago, that alone should tell you you need to reassess this situation," Daniel looked towards the door, then back at Volkov: "You are not seeing the bigger picture here," "BIGGER ... PICTURE ...!" Volkov said, almost laughing out loud, "... What the 'HELL' are you talking about? ... I know as much about this situation as you do, and in 'MY' opinion, you are overreacting," "Is that so, well let's revie ....." Schirra began, but this time Volkov interrupted him, slamming his palms on the desk as he spoke: "..... NO ..... I'm sorry, but it's clear you are not looking at the situation as you should. Both the Lyadran 'AND' the Xes'dnu are currently submitting formal complaints against the Federations' handling of this situation. If I were you, I would rescind your previous orders, hand overall command over to me, and take the Excalibur back to Earth... While you still can," "You're working with them," Daniel said darkly. "That's ridiculous, and to be honest, if it had been anyone but you accusing me, I would have ....." "HAVE WHAT?!" Schirra almost screamed, rising to face the Sword's Captain. Volkov, knowing the line between warranted and unwarranted action was very thin, lowered himself into his seat and waited silently for Daniel to do likewise. "Dan... I'm sorry, I can't begin to imagine what you are going through, losing Lana and Kendal as you did, then having to come face to face with, well ....." "Her clone?" Schirra whispered. "Daniel, Command won't hold your actions against you, they will understand the mental anguish you have suffered, only to be faced with, that ..... Please, take a moment to reconsider," Anton almost pleaded, hoping if nothing else to save Daniel's career. "They intend to attack Federation Worlds," "Yes, and we will make every effort to ensure that whoever is behind these actions will be brought to justice, but you need to let us settle this, amicably..." Volkov said, rising to pour two glasses of Whiskey, returning to the desk to hand one to Daniel before seating himself again, "... Don't throw away an exceptional career, and take into account that if you go the route you want to, it will affect both you and your crew, especially Commander Psonoir," Daniel downed the amber liquid in one, Volkov following suit. For a moment the SWords' Captain wondered if he had got through to his counterpart. then Daniel reached forward and tapped the comlink: =^= Commander Psonoir .. Please come to my Ready Room =^= he closed the comm, and waited, knowing Volkov was watching him closely. Karka entered, the door sliding closed behind him. "Captain?" for a long moment Daniel remained silent, then he addressed his Exec' "Commander... Pursuant to Starfleet regulation six one nine - I hereby relinquish my command, based on the fact that I have been, emotionally compromised. Please note the time and date in the ship's log ... The ship is yours, Commander." Without waiting for confirmation of his order, Daniel left the Bridge and headed for his quarters. Unzipping his tunic, he walked to the modest bar and poured a large Whiskey. Glass in hand he dropped into one of the chairs giving him a view of space, then downed the drink in one ..........
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Nov 4, 2021 23:15:37 GMT
Starfleet Spacedock Geostationary Orbit Above San Francisco Earth :: It had taken almost two weeks for the Excalibur to return to the Sol System, and Home .....In that time, Daniel had barely stepped outside his quarters, he had refused to return to the Bridge, even refusing to allow his own Senior Staff to converse in any way, shape or form. On the ninth day of his 'self-imposed' isolation, Lieutenant Commander Wundt had gone to his quarters... As before, Daniel thanked the man for his concern then told him to go away. A second later Schirra's door slid aside! "I asked you to go away Doctor, you have no right in force ....." Daniel began, the hand holding his glass shaking so much the amber liquid was spilling onto the carpet. "As per regulation one two one section 'A' I have the right ...." Wundt began, but Daniel interrupted him: "The regulation doesn't apply here, Doctor. I stepped down from my Command voluntarily, not under duress, not after acting out of character, so why not go back to your Sickbay and treat people who want to be treated?" If Daniel had seen Karka and Caryna Agosta standing behind the Doctor, he didn't give any indication, instead, he went to the drinks cabinet and refilled his empty glass. "Captain... I would like you to come to Sickbay so I can run a coup ....." the Doctor began, taking a step into the quarters. The Security Officer with Agosta motioned towards the glass table in the centre of the living area. Atop were two items, one, a framed picture of Daniel and his family, the other, a phaser! "Thank you for the invite, Doctor, but I'd much prefer to spend time in my own company if that is alright?" "I'm afraid it isn't alright, Captain..." Caryna said, stepping past the Doctor before approaching the coffee table. She kept her eyes on Schirra as she reached down to retrieve the weapon, she stepped back, tossing the phaser to the Exec', now Acting Captain, "... Sir, everyone is worried about you, people are concerned for your health, your wellbeing, will you let the Doctor, let us, help?" the Security Chief asked warmly. "I'm fine... Resigning was a long time in coming... I should never have agreed to go back af ...." Schirra paused, glancing at the picture on the table, "... I should have stood my ground, but oh no, the Federation calls, and like so many lambs for slaughter, we blindly rise to that call, regardless of consequences, regardless of, the losses," "Daniel, you need help," Karka said, replacing the phaser in the drawer where Daniel normally kept his personal weapon. Daniel looked at his friend, a look of almost resignation to his fate, then shook his head and turned back to the drinks cabinet, he heard the 'hiss' of the hypospray as it injected the tranquiliser into his bloodstream, he felt himself falling ..... Then ..... Blackness! Starfleet Medical Starfleet Headquarters San Francisco :: "..... But he'll make a full recovery?" Koni T'Seng asked Doctor Junsuke Ito, who was overseeing Schirra's rehabilitation. "I'm confident he will, but then, no one can be one hundred percent sure in these cases... He suffered a traumatic loss. On top of that, some small part of him feels he was forced to go back to the scene of that trauma... He's seeing a Counsellor on a daily basis, and on occasion, he actually takes part in the sessions. That alone is a breakthrough..." the Doctor said, glancing through the window into the private room where Schirra slept, "... But no amount of counselling, no amount of corrective medications, can alleviate the pain and anguish he feels at the loss of his wife and daughter, he needs time to come to terms," "..... And if he can't?" Koni asked. "Commander, had it been anyone else, he would have been a Civilian before we even got him into bed. Starfleet Command is monitoring his progress, what there is of it, and will no doubt come to a decision based on his recovery," the Head of Starfleet Medical answered with a sigh, before walking away leaving Koni alone. For a moment she watched the sleeping Schirra, then turned to leave. Along the corridor, she saw someone running at her. Bracing herself she caught the little girl mid-leap: "Konnniiiii" Mackenzie said, hugging her with a strength beyond her fragile frame. She smiled at the elderly couple approaching, Lana's Mother and Father: "Hiya 'Kenzie," she nodded at the two. "Any news?" Agnes O'Connor, asked, looking at her sleeping Son-in-Law. "He's tired, he's sleeping a lot, the Doctor says it's his mind's way of coping, healing, understanding... It's all mumbo-jumbo to me," she said with a very grin as Mackenzie leaned over, almost toppling out of Koni's arms as she banged on the window. Daniel opened his eyes at the noise, trying to remember where he was for a moment then recognising the people looking into his private 'fish bowl' ..... "Well, he's awake now," Koni said, lowering Kenzie to the floor. She ran in, jumping on the bed to hug her father as only a child could .......... USS Excalibur Mission 15 : The Residuum
~ Concluded ~
The Excalibur will be in Spacedock undergoing refit Her next mission will commence soon
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