Compiled by Calvin Capps ================================================================ Mission: Dead or Alive Day: 1 Stardate: 2414.05.15 ================================================================ (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 0930) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - aCOPs- Lieutenant Deynyk Rinn - 0934) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 0935) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – ACMO Mia Saryn – 0940) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - CEO Lt. (jg) Henry Jacobs - 0941) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - Asst. CEO En. jg. Stephen Getman - 0945) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 0947) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 0947) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 0949) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – aCMO Lt Jg Mia Saryn – 0951) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - Asst. CEO En.jg. Stephen Getman - 1000) (USS Boudicca – Dr Caspian's quarters' – Lt jg Mia Saryn – 1005) (USS Boudicca – Dr Caspian's quarters' – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 1007) (USS Boudicca - Engineering - CEO Office - CEO Lt. (jg) Henry Jacobs - 1100) (USS Boudicca - Engineering - CEO Office - Asst. CEO En. jg. Stephen Getman - 1100) (USS Al Batani- Guest Quarters - ATAC- Lieutenant Ryko Skylynx - 1345) (USS Boudicca - Outside Captain's Ready Room - ATAC- Lieutenant Ryko Skylynx - 1400) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1402) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room -ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx- 1402) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1404) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1412) (USS Boudicca - QV - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1800) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward (QV) - Asst. CEO En.jg. Stephen Getman - 1930) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward (QV) – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 1933) (USS Boudicca - QV – ACMO Lt jg Mia Saryn – 1958) ================================================================ Mission: Dead or Alive Day: 2 Stardate: 2414.05.16 ================================================================ (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1143) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx - 1143) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Asst. CEO En.jg. Stephen Getman - 1143) (USS Boudicca - Bridge – ACMO Lieutenant JG Mia Saryn – 1144) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1145) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1150) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 1152) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CEO Lt. Henry Jacobs and Science Officer Ensign Nickolas Romanoff - 1153) (USS Boudicca – Sickbay – Lieutenant Jg Mia Saryn – 1153) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx - 1215) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1216) (Color II - Transport site - Town center - CEO Jt. Henry Jacobs - 1224) (Color II - Transport Site - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1225) (Color II - Transport Site - aCMO Lt Jg Mia Saryn - 1227) (Color II - Transport Site - ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx - 1227) (Color II - City Center - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1230) (USS Boudicca - Astrometrics Lab - Science Officer Nickolas Romanoff - 1400) (Color II - Power Warehouse - Tela and Clain - 1411) ================================================================ ================================================================ Mission: Dead or Alive Day: 1 Stardate: 2414.05.15 ================================================================ (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 0930) After the Boudicca's last mission Starfleet Command found it in their hearts to give Captain Capps and his crew exactly one week of R&R. After the much needed rest the Boudicca received its next mission. It seemed Command felt since the crew of the Keltoi class starship had suffered above and beyond the call of regular duty, it would receive a mission that would be considered on the lower end of the priority list and less dangerous. For the past month and a half the USS Boudicca had visited 3 worlds that were under the charter of the United Federation of Plantes. The crews' job was to, for lack of a better word, inspect the world to ensure that all laws under the charter were being followed. After the first world was visited, the new crew came back to the debriefing with better ways of doing their job. They had designed a process that worked for them to go on in the future. At the second world, the process they developed increased both speed and effiency in the inspection. By the time the Boudicca reached the thrid world, it was like an old hat. The crew were becoming experts in the art of world inspections. It basically broke down to splitting the work among the individual departments. The medical department would meet with the worlds medical chief and staff to discuss any major changes in the field of medacine. The group would also visit at least one medical facility, but they attempted to visit more if possible. The senior security staff would also visit with the worlds' top men and women in the world safety department. Under the laws and rules of that worlds' charter, new protocols and any major changes would be discussed in length. Visits to their holding facilites also followed these meetings. Engineering were tasked with inspecting the infrastructure of the world. They were also presented with any probelms from the world's engineering department. Science would ensure that the environment, in general, were not dangerous to the inhabitants of the world. The Operations department would mill over the every day running of the world's government. It was a daunting task to say the least. For Captain Capps it was just as daunting. Not only did he have to be concious of all the departments and their progress, but his diplomatic skills were being stretched. He had not been a Captain long and his diplomatic missions were at a minimal when he served at a First Officer on past starships. During the first visit he was probably the most nervous on the initial away team. He felt lucky that the diplomats at the first world were wonderful at what they did and made the stay for the Boudicca's crew easy and comfortable. Today's meeting was just another briefing for their next inspection. They would be arriving at Color II the next day. A previous meeting had already set up most of their individual tasks for this world. This meeting would just ensure that everyone was ready. Color II was an old world but its inhabitants had evolved quickly and has adapted to many new world ways. Their infrastructure and personal behavior closely resembeled Earth. The world itself, was made up of mostly forrest and little water. It could be described accuratly as the opposite of Earth. The inspection was being assumed as it would go well since the crew would be comfortable and surrounded with familiar ways. Captain Capps was sitting at the head of the conference room table wearing his regular duty uniform. Surrounding him was his senior staff all sitting waiting for the meeting to get started. Once the last person sat down Calvin began. "Okay, we are 1 day out from Color II. I need final reports please." (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - aCOPs- Lieutenant Deynyk Rinn - 0934) "Okay we are one day out from Color II. I need final reports please." The captain began the briefing. Deynyk understood that it was time for the departments to report their findings prior to the actual inspections to take place in the coming days. Since other departments had been leading off lately, Deynyk decided that he'd start the days briefing with a report of his very own. "If I may begin captain?" Deynyk asked as he rose from his chair. (reply Capps) "We've done the customary general governmental studies. The Government that is currently in place is a tricameral parliamentary oligarchy, designed around the local clans of significant influence. For those of you unfamiliar with the terminology, the government basically consists of three legislative bodies, the Judicus, the Legitum and the Executii. Each of these bodies come together to form the entirety of the governing of the planet Color Two. The Judicus is the body responsible for the formation, enforcement and repeal of laws. The Legitum is responsible for the diplomatic and regional development of treaties, agreements, arbitration and are fundamentally similar to our own Federation Diplomatic Corps. Their authority is paramount within the confines and regulation of all embassies and diplomatic venues. They oversee commerce and contracts. The Executii is responsible for the welfare of their population. They are responsible for all public works, police, emergency and general care services and military operations. Each of the branches of government consists of thirty-three members, one of which presides over their respective bodies." "What defines them as an Ogligarchy is the relatively low cross-section of serving members within the confines of the ruling offices of the planet. There are 21 individual major socio-ethnic groups within the population of the planet, with another 15 that are considered minor socio-ethnic groups. Of all of these groups, only 9 of the major houses hold official positions within the three branches of government. Those nine major houses are the ones having the highest population demographic among the total population, with the leading house, the Hagriba, being the most dominate." "The government consists of thirty three distinct minor agencies, roughly 11 for each branch, responsible for the enforcement of the day-to-day operations of their respective areas of influence. They vary and there is a detailed organizational chart available to all personnel requiring help. Why in a quick glance it may seem that the average Coloran may not have much say in their government, closer inspection reveals that the lessor major houses and the minor houses are very entrenched at the lower levels of government, which grants them a high degree of interaction with their direct role in government." "I have made available a detailed 300-page digital document covering the various offices, departments and functions of the planetary government. I will be glad to answer any questions that anyone has." (posted by Daniel Greene) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 0935) He entered the Conference Room as usual and took his seat near the front. He took a drink from his Earl Gray and listened to the CPT relay the next mission. He said they were a day out from Color II. He never heard of this place but from the briefing it was similar to Earth(Tera). He was asked to give his department report. There was nothing really to say except that it was ready for any reasonable conflict. There was no time to run simulated forest combat but he intended to bring the necessary equipment for that purpose. "Security is ready for any reasonable conflict. I shall bring the necessary forest equipment to be prepared for the mission sir" (posted by Edward Engel) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – ACMO Mia Saryn – 0940) Mia listened to the reports from Rinn and Henry. Shame and guilt still burned within her when she saw Henry. She wanted to tell him first, herself, what had been going on between her and Lizzy. She didn't want him to think that this was as a result of him not wanting to be with her, that this was something different. She knew that Lizzy, sitting next to her, could sense her unease and she gripped her hand softly under the table as if to say that she was alright. The last month and a half with her had been amazing, emotional and down right fantastic. Never had she felt such all encompassing love from someone and it warmed her entire being just being near her. Taking a breath, she turned to Capps and said, “Sir, I've been talking with the Chief Medical Officer on Color II, Doctor Juarez. We have already begun to make arrangements for myself and a number of medical staff to take a tour of one of the hospitals there. Their medical staff, from the reports i've been getting, seem very competant. Working with what they have, they've managed to stave off a number of medical outbreaks and are currently opperating with no current major health issues. I'd like Doctor Caspian to accompany us on our tour, to use her unique talents...” .:That's one word for it :. Saryn whispered “... to see if there is anything they aren't telling us and, no, i'm not talking about spying or encroaching into their minds. I'm talking just about having someone there who can tell me if Doctor Juarez is lying, hiding something etc.” Stopping for a second, she glanced at Lizzy and said, “That's it, really.” (posted by Jackie Smith) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - CEO Lt. (jg) Henry Jacobs - 0941) Jacobs sat at the conference table having a last minute conversation with his new ACEO. His new assistant was very much on top of his game and the past few days the two got to know each other while being locked down in the bowels of the ship. Since the two met in engineering they had been very busy reviewing the ships plans deck by deck and updating key systems according to the latest releases from Starfleet. The current mission placed in front of them seemed to be a pleasant change from the previous upbeat missions. With two planets down the third planet, Color II, hopefully would be just as uneventful and provided much more needed down time so that the crew could return to normalcy. The information that had been gathered and transmitted to the Boudicca had been a great help. According to what was received the inhabitants of Color II had developed a method of syphoning raw power from the core of the planet. Color II was a relatively large planet and because of this transporter technology was rendered inoperable due to the atmospheric and core interference. It took the Colorians years to tunnel down into the core and begin the terraforming. "Preliminary reports show that Color II is quite the industrial planet. They rely solely on the power they harnest from the planet's core," Henry said as he stood to address the room. "It would seem they are following all Starfleet protocols involving terraforming. Once we get there Ensign Getman and I will travel down to the main terraforming station for a tour of the facilities. if all goes well there may be some information that we can take back to Starfleet for further research." Looking around the room to see if there were any questions he motioned his head in the direction of his new ACEO he asked, "Anything else to add Ensign?" (posted by Darryl McDaniel) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - Asst. CEO En. jg. Stephen Getman - 0945) Still impressed by Rinn's comprehensive but still interesting social analysis, Getman tried to listen to Lieutenant's Jacobs description of the geothermal energy processing advances on Color II carefully. One of the important things the ensign learned throughout the past month is that the ship's Chief Engineer rarely repeats himself and values those who nevertheless predict his orders and are ready for them in advance. Yet, Lieutenant's summary carried no new information other than an accurate picture of the local power industry drawn from the dry documentation they received a week earlier. "Anything else to add Ensign?" Finally, Getman himself was asked for input. Stephen gathered his thoughts quickly. "Throughout the past few days I've been analysing Colorans' overall industry development. It's striking how private research and public academic institutions almost immediately switched their focus to the new ideas that came with the Federation. Only a quarter of the year after the exchange planned for in the charter, the average budget of all universities now allocate over 85% of resources to science research. This is a spike unseen on any of the planets we previously surveyed. Now, since they are based on our own technology and financed surprisingly well, advancements compatible with our own systems may be expected relatively soon, even though the Colorans aim for solutions geared towards their own, unusual geologic situation. Among the most promising examples is the Warp engines power supply. Deuterium being a rare commodity given relatively scarce water supply, the local engineers had decided fuelling matter-antimatter reaction with the refined state of this isotope an unrealistic path very early. With the first Warp engine designs they have perfected a method of using protium, the much more common variety of hydrogen, to sustain the plasma generating reaction. Today, they are trying to merge their unique fuelling method into medium-yield Warp designs of hours, with Warp factor 2 being the target for now. Success in this field may give us significant reduction in capital ships' deuterium storage space requirements, and even eliminate those completely on low-Warp cargo vessels, scooping the hydrogen particles on the way being enough." Getman took a longer breath for the idea to sink in. "Of course, we will have little time but we will try to gather as much data as possible for later analysis, perhaps with assistance from the Science department, so ultimately we could petition the Diplomatic Corps to arrange for an on-site permanent research facility of ours." (posted by Bartek) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 0947) Elizabeth listened to the briefing, as each department head spoke up briefing the Captain on the plans each group was going to try to accomplish once they were planet side. Elizabeth then spoke; "Has Lt. Rinn has so detailed outlined in his report about the cities government and planetary economy; from what it sounds like security, engineering, and medical each has there plenty to see them though. I have been making plans research the Color ll's cultural and how the planet has been developing artistically." She took a breath and glanced at Mia, then smiled. "Of course, I also plan on assisting Mia and her medical team. Since I am still a surgeon on this ship and new medical techniques that we can gain or can give will be useful, to the over all building or peaceful relations we are trying to build. I would also like to make my telepathic talents available to any other department that feels they could benefit from them. " She wrapped up her brief choosing to rather to keep everything short and to the point rather than dragging out the meeting any longer than necessary. Elizabeth knew that Mia was nervous being in the same room with Jacob ever since there new found relationship had developed. Elizabeth never wanted to let Mia go. She knew she had a duty to the crew of the Boudicca and eventually Jacob would find out about Elizabeth and Mia. Elizabeth only hoped enough time had passed since the horrors he suffered nearly a month and a half ago. (posted by Matthew Locke) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 0947) Elizabeth look of concern was evident keeping their relationship a secret this long was starting to wear on her. But she loved Mia and Sayrn and would do anything for her. Mia took her hand under the table, and squeezed it softly and said, “I'm fine. I'll be right back.” "I know you will, I'll see back at my place." She gave a worried smile, and she went to gather her PADD and things from the table before she left. Her hair by this point had grown quite long, she flipped a troublesome lock out of her eyes. She glanced across the table, smiling Has the newcomer to engineering, Getman, spoke to her. "Good day, Doctor. Hope to see you having quality time at Ten Forward this evening." He nodded, returning the smile. "More than likely I will, It's good for me to around the crew." She answered has she made her way out of the Conference room and on to the rest of to accomplish the rest today's duties, but first stopping by her own room. (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 0949) Quickly after the Captain asked for department reports one by one each senior crew member gave their report to the entire team. Each officer had done a magnificent job with their research in to Color II. It was by far the most interesting world they had visited during their mission. Their government was a unique government known as a tricameral parliamentary oligarchy. Calvin was certain he had never heard of a term exactly like that before. Security was ready to go. Medical had been in contact already and had sat up destination meetings with the world's medical staff. The Engineering team had plenty to say about Color II. The new officer, Ensign Getman had a very insightful report on the world. And Dr. Caspian had researched and would further research any culture development during their visit. "Excellent everyone. We will be arriving tomorrow around 1100 hours. If there is any personal business you need to attend to please do so tonight. We all will be busy for the next week as we take a tour of Color II. Unless there is anything else?" Calvin looked around the room. (reply anyone, room for more if needed) "Very well, you are dismissed." (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room – aCMO Lt Jg Mia Saryn – 0951) Mia watched as the crew began to disperse. Sighing, she knew what she had to do, what she owed the one man in the room that she hadn't talked to properly in over a month. But, now it came down to it, she found herself nervous. (Reply Caspian) Taking her hand under the table, Mia squeezed it softly and said, “I'm fine. I'll be right back.” Standing, she made her way over to Henry and said, “Excuse me, sorry to interupt but could I have a word in private, Mr Jacobs?” (Reply Jacobs) Mia walked out of the conference room and waited in the corridor. As he walked towards her, her nerves grew and she began to bite her bottom lip, a trait that she had gained from one of Saryn's previous hosts. (Reply Jacobs) Trying to smile, she replied, “Yes, i'm fine but I need to talk to you. I need to explain something. Would you meet me tonight, QV, say eight o'clock?” (Reply Jacobs) Nodding, she replied, “It's nothing. Honestly, I just need to talk to you, you'll meet me?” (Reply Jacobs) Sighing with relief, she said, “Thankyou Henry.” She leant forward and kissed him briefly on the cheek and said, “See you then.” (posted by Jackie Smith) (USS Boudicca - Deck 2, Conference Room - Asst. CEO En.jg. Stephen Getman - 1000) "Very well, you are dismissed." Captain concluded the meeting. Getman still had some bitter after-taste after letting himself elaborate on Color II warp reactors in front of everyone before consulting Lt. Jacobs first. ~Bah!~ He waved off the event mentally. After all, the CEO didn't seem to mind. Nevertheless, Getman would need to curb his wild enthusiasm. All other officers were already on the way out with the notable exception of Counsellor Caspian. Getman noticed she seemed concerned, looking after Dr. Saryn who was leaving the room in a hurry. For the first time Stephen noticed that the two were close together. In fact, as he could recall the last several weeks, if not for visits to sickbay he always saw them together. On the other hand he was definitely deficient when socialising with the crew was concerned thus far, so it wasn't the prime time to judge. Dr. Caspian smiled, noticing Stephen's interest and raising from the table herself. "Good day, Doctor. Hope to see you having quality time at Ten Forward this evening." He nodded, returning the smile. Stephen picked the PADD with his notes and left the room just to witness an end to a peculiar conversation between Chief Jacobs and Dr. Saryn. The ensign couldn't make out any details of the conversation, nor he was inclined to, but even though the doctor was notably uneasy they seemed pretty close to each other. It was now evident to Stephen that the area of personal relations among the crew, he knew nothing about thus far, might prove more important in his stay on Boudicca than he had anticipated. Once Doctor left, Lt. Jacobs turned back to Stephen. "I am glad you are still here, I am gonna need your help later this evening." As they were walking towards a turbolift, the ensign remained silent. ~Won't push it, unless he wants to talk about it.~ He thought. (posted by Bartek) (USS Boudicca – Dr Caspian's quarters' – Lt jg Mia Saryn – 1005) Walking through the door, she spotted Lizzy and almost ran to her. Enfolding her arms around her, she held on tight as she said, “It's done. He'll know by tonight. Lizzy i'm scared.” (posted by Jackie Smith) (USS Boudicca – Dr Caspian's quarters' – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 1007) Lizzy waited for Mia she knew she would be along shortly, but didn't stop her from pacing back and forth. she had just turned her back to the door when she heard the door open. There was no need for Mia to announce herself to Lizzy. Elizabeth always knew was at her doorstep an added benefit of being telepathic. She turned to Mia has they came into each others arms. “It's done. He'll know by tonight. Lizzy I'm scared.” Mia spoke it was obvious she was nervous. Which caused Lizzy to hold her all the tighter. "It will be better, once he knows and were all able to put this behind us. He needs to hear it from you and not me. I hope he'll understand, and then we can be more open about our relationship others. All these are good things. I know you would rather not do this and I can't say that I would feel any different. Just know I love you Mia, and I'll be close by if needed. I'm not gonna let you do this alone." Elizabeth whispered in her and kissed her lightly on the lips before letting her go. Elizabeth smiled brightly. "Now don't you need to be getting back to medical, and I got to get back to my research on Color ll. But I'll see you for lunch right." (posted by Matthew Locke) (USS Boudicca - Engineering - CEO Office - CEO Lt. (jg) Henry Jacobs - 1100) "Ensign relax" Jacobs plopped his legs up on his desk as he raised his arm towards Stephen motioning him to grab a seat on the other side of the desk. At this point Henry was well aware of how competent the eager ensign was but he needed to get him to relax to better understand the man in the uniform. He watched as ensign Getman made his way over to the chair and take a seat. "So we have been making great progress on the mission so far don't you think?" (reply Getman) Henry nodded his head as the ensign responded. "It's great to have you on the team. I expect nothing but the best from my engineering team. As you can see all the engineers in that room have earned their place on this ship, and you are well on your way to proving you deserve the same right." Jacobs had come to realize that the more you address a person's contributions the more they produce. This had been the case since he joined the Boudicca. All of the engineers had given him nothing but the utmost respect and their very best every single day they have been aboard the ship. "So tomorrow I want to meet at 1200 hours to make our way down to the teraforming station on Color II. Since we can't beam down to the platform I will be piloting the Dowagiac shuttlecraft down to the core. I will be in Shuttle Bay 2 an hour earlier preparing the flight plans." It appeared that Starbase Geneva had spare shuttles and the acquisition request for the Boudicca had been granted. This was a fact that may change in the near future if the Boudicca continued to loose its shuttles during each mission it was assigned. The past two missions resulted in the loss of the ship's compliment of shuttle and Henry would not actively contribute to increasing that count. "Until then get some rest and enjoy yourself for the rest of the day. I have to finish up here and then I have a shift on the bridge. Later on tonight I will be in the QV so if you need me feel free to call me for anything." (reply Getman) There was still many hours in the day and much work to be done. With an informal gesture Henry stood up and composed himself, then walked out into Main Engineering to view the progress of the other engineers. (posted by Darryl McDaniel) (USS Boudicca - Engineering - CEO Office - Asst. CEO En. jg. Stephen Getman - 1100) Getman entered the upper engineer reading a PADD he was holding in one hand and sipping a vulcan espresso from the other. Mindful not to fall into anyone, he proceeded towards the CEO's office overlooking the ship's warp core. There was some commotion, apparently everyone wanted to wrap their outstanding project up before arrival at Color II. On the way Getman glimpsed at the warp core, the fiery fountain of colourful reflexes visible through reactor's shielding never stopped to impress him. "Ensign relax" Stephen heard the moment he entered the office, an unmistakeable voice of his immediate superior. The complementing image of CEO stretching legs over the desk got the ensign paused for a second. Was he really overworking himself? He could agree that the ship had already been in excellent condition when Getman boarded the ship for the first time and latest missions were particularly uneventful, nor there were any outstanding major technology upgrades. On the other hand, Getman still felt being treated as green around the ship, which he hated. He was using every single off-duty hour reading up on tech updates, operation manuals, and getting familiar with the tiniest of ship's subsystems. ~ Perhaps he's right. ~ Getman decided. It was senseless to loose sleep over details to the point of distorting one's perspective, the morning's mission briefing enthusiasm outburst in particular. It finally caught up with him that, being straight out of Academy, he already had all the knowledge he was supposed to have and the only thing missing was experience. And that was something that would come on its own, in time he could have no influence on. Unsurprisingly, that single thought made him feel better. He finished the coffee, putting the empty cup into the replicator and sitting down. "So we have been making great progress on the mission so far don't you think?" Lt. Jacobs continued. "Yes, Sir. There's been plenty of reading on this one, but the more documentation..." Getman recalled Jacob's latest advice, cutting on the smart tone. "Well, of course there's still Lieutenant Rinn's encyclopaedia on local politics but I think I'll pass it apart from the summary." He smiled, attempting at little humour. "The overnight benchmarks on the new bio-gel packs firmware." Stephen passed the PADD onto the senior officer. "I think we're a go for replicating the updates to all other units." "It's great to have you on the team." The CEO nodded examining the PADD and putting it back onto the table. "I expect nothing but the best from my engineering team. As you can see all the engineers in that room have earned their place on this ship, and you are well on your way to proving you deserve the same right." The Chief of Engineering was definitely a difficult person to see through. Easygoing and chatty on the outside, but precise and demanding where mission was considered - Getman wondered while Lieutenant was explaining his plans for the following day. "...Until then get some rest and enjoy yourself for the rest of the day..." The officer mentioned. "Thank you Sir, I'm sure will take my time today. I won't hesitate to drop by Ten Forward in the evening either." Getman smiled, deciding to follow through with Jacob's original offer. Now that he finally accepted he did need to have some more rest, he was almost looking forward to it. "The plan for tomorrow is understood." He wrapped the conversation up. Both officers nodded to each other, stood up and left the office, each on his own business. (posted by Bartek) (USS Al Batani- Guest Quarters - ATAC- Lieutenant Ryko Skylynx - 1345) ~Man, I feel like I've read this a thousand times,~ Ryko thought to himself with a heavy sigh. ~Protocol Blah, Prime Directive Blah, Mission Statement Blah...~ He had been reading over the Mission packet Admiral Dar Mace had sent with him to the Nova-Class USS Al Batani throughout the entire voyage to rendez-vous with the Boudicca. It was mostly boring standard stuff, and he had let his mind wander. Over and over the same thought repeated in his mind; ~Ten years. TEN YEARS!~ Louder, louder, louder. Ryko had eventually went back to the reading to distract himself, making a mental note to arrange an appointment with the ship's counselor to work out his issues. Ryko had taken the liberty of familiarising himself with the entire crew's biofiles. ~Might as well, good ATAC and all that.~ He had however been puzzled with one strange situation. His senior officer - the TAC/SC, Detron Trei, was technically his junior. ~Am I still supposed to call him "sir"?~ He thought idly, letting th thought be added to his mental pile of things to take away from the wierdness of going back to the Ship that had started his entire wierd 10 year journey. A comm signal broke his train of thought. =/\= Bridge to Lieutenant Skylynx, =/\= Ryko hit his commbadge. "Skylynx here." =/\=We have arrived at the Rendezvous coordinates, Lieutenant. Please go to Transporter Room 2 and prepare fo immediate transfer to the Boudicca. Captain Capps is expecting you to report as soon as you arrive.=/\= ~Short, sweet, and to-the-point... must be a green-around-the-ears Ensign.~ Ryko let out a corner smile at the thought and replied, "Acknowledged. Skylynx out." With that, he headed for the Transporter Room and the Boudicca. (posted by Adam) (USS Boudicca - Outside Captain's Ready Room - ATAC- Lieutenant Ryko Skylynx - 1400) Ryko couldn't deny that he'd been tempted to take longer than was necessary to reach the Bridge. Everything looked the same, but subtly different from how he'd remembered the Boudicca on his original posting; except for a pang of some dark, oppressive emotion dulled by time as he cast an eye over the OPS station. Her face had flickered over his mind and he had silenced the image as soon as it appeared. Instead, he now waited, duty padd in hand, outside what was now Captain Capps' ready room. He pressed the door chime, and waited, casting an eye around the room and surveying the little bits and pieces that were the same, and throwing friendly smiles at the crew that were present. (posted by Adam) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1402) The Captain was sitting in his ready room when the Boudicca has reached a rendezvous point with the USS Al Batani. The officer's on the bridge would take care of the transfers that were to take part. Calvin had been in contact with the Captain of the Al Batani an hour ago and didn't feel the need to do so again. The major reason the two ships were meeting up with each other was the Boudicca was receiving a new ATAC officer. The new officer was instructed to immediately report to the ready room so that they may get the mission details out of the way. In less than 24 hours the Boudicca would reach their next destination and his wanted his new officer to jump in. Just as expected it didn't take Ryko long to show up. Mr. Skylynx walked into the ready room and stood at attention and announced himself to the Captain. (reply Skylynx) The Captain stood out of respect and then motioned the ATAC officer to take a seat. "Welcome aboard the USS Boudicca Lieutenant." Calvin knew that Ryko had served aboard before, but for the most part the man's records were sealed. Calvin was suspicious of this fact, but Lieutenant Skylynx did come highly recommended. The Captain sat back down. "Lieutenant Skylynx, I must say your Starfleet record is very interesting and impecable. Something I always ask new officer's coming aboard my ship is why did you choose to serve with Starfleet?" (reply Skylynx) "A reason that most of us can relate too." Captain Capps thought about the ATAC record and wanted to ask so many questions but couldn't so he did what he thought was the next best things. "I would never ask you to divulge information that you are not able to, but is there anything you feel I need to know about your past and special assignment?" (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room -ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx- 1402) "Lieutenant Ryko Skylynx, reporting for duty as ATAC, Captain," Ryko said, his voice firm and level, the voice of a veteran. The Captain stood, returning the motion of respect Ryko made in a salute with his own mere motion of standing. A small smile of mutual respect crawled onto Ryko's lips at the gesture. It was good to feel appreciated. "Welcome aboard the USS Boudicca Lieutenant." Capps said immediately. ~Again,~ Ryko added mentally, stifling an inward chuckle. "Lieutenant Skylynx, I must say your Starfleet record is very interesting and impecable. Something I always ask new officer's coming aboard my ship is why did you choose to serve with Starfleet?" "Long story short sir, this is where I belong. I'd sooner continue to make the most of my life even though it's been turned inside out," he replied with a small corner smile. "No sense sitting around nursing grey hairs and a big gut." "A reason that most of us can relate too." Captain Capps responded. For a moment, Ryko caught a fleeting sense of curiosity emanating from the man, indeed something crossed his face briefly. ~He wants to ask,~ he guessed to himself. ~Good ol' Starfleet curiosity... No one stays out of a locked room if you say "Keep Out".~ "I would never ask you to divulge information that you are not able to," Capps said, as if on cue. "But is there anything you feel I need to know about your past and special assignment?" "Only that both of them are history, Captain," Ryko said, his face falling slightly more serious at the thought of telling the whole story from scratch again. "Were we not under Starfleet Protocol, I might tell you more, but I've been forbidden from unveiling anything unless it's a need-to-know basis." He tried not to wink. It would have been just like him to wink, once upon a time. ~Old habits die hard.~ (posted by Adam) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1404) "Only that both of them are history, Captain," Ryko said, his face falling slightly more serious at the thought of telling the whole story from scratch again. "Were we not under Starfleet Protocol, I might tell you more, but I've been forbidden from unveiling anything unless it's a need-to-know basis." "Completely understand Lieutenant," Calvin said smiling. He was happy to see that his new officer had the right type of character. He saw no reason to per long the topic any longer. "Lieutenant Skylynx, you have come to us on the eve of our next stop in our mission. I have had a report sent to your personal file so you can catch up. I plan on you taking part tomorrow when we arrive to Color II." (reply Skylynx) "Put simply, we will be inspecting Color II to ensure that the government is following all United Federation of Planets laws set by the charter the two governments agreed to." (reply Skylynx) "Excellent, unless there is anything else, you are dismissed," the Captain said. (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1412) "Actually sir, there is one thing," Ryko said, his eyebrow raised in a muted expression of his discomfort with the issue. "Yes lieutenant?" the Captain simply responded. "I've not had the chance to speak to Lt Trei about it, but I'm unclear as to who exactly is supposed to take seniority at Tactical on the bridge. Not that I've had difficulty finding the Lieutenant, but he seems rather... reclusive." "Your rank and position puts you in place of that seniority at the tactical station, but he is my best man in security. I would take his input at the highest regard. He is an excellent officer and has helped save the Boudicca and its crew." The Captain paused for a moment and thought if there was anything else he needed to add. "I would find Lieutenant Trei and speak with him." "Of course sir. And thank you." Ryko threw a salute, and left the Ready Room. Calvin smiled, as he received more crew members, they were starting to become more dynamic and the Captain liked that. He sat back down and returned his attention to Color II. (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - QV - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1800) He entered QV and took a seat at the bar. Ariana came over and placed a small bowl of those beetles in front of him and a glass of Earl Gray to start. She munched the beetles along with him. He ordered whatever was suggested for the night's special and waited for anything interesting to happen. (posted by Edward Engel) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward (QV) - Asst. CEO En.jg. Stephen Getman - 1930) After a few hours-worth of a nap and a long but relaxing session at the holodeck's finest selection of Earth's Olympic-class swimming pools, Stephen decided to wrap the day up with something strong to drink before taking a slow walk through the parts of the ship he rarely had a chance to visit otherwise. He was particularly eager to visit the warp nacelle installations, even if he would have to crawl part of the way. The additional time off-duty came out quite welcome indeed. Getman entered Ten Forward. While it was spacious, for the ship of Boudicca's size, there was enough of people in to trigger a feeling of a crowd. While he didn't like that very feeling, the fact that he would finally have a chance to get closer to other crew members was particularly appealing. He wasn't concerned about personal relations, it was knowing people so to predict their reactions later on that was on his mind. While the past weeks on the ship had been uneventful, Getman felt that other senior staff being a blank card to him would get back at him at a time of crisis. Lack of understanding would certainly make a heavily negative factor when efficient team work was called upon. "Hi" The ensign nodded to the bartender after filling an empty spot at the bar. "Andorian coffee, the strongest blend you know. Make it double, extra sweet, please." The familiar Bolian face smiled and hoovered off towards the replicator, the music With the soft music dripping in the background through discrete, dedicated sound system travelling through genres, now playing a slow Earth-jazz piece, Getman looked around. The news of a bigger event must had spread throughout the crew, Getman could count staff of all departments. Some people he knew briefly evidently allowed a change to their usual schedules to be there at the time. Dr. Saryn was sitting in the corner, Trei and the new officer... ~Skylynx?~ ... were also occupying one of the tables, albeit they didn't look overly enjoyed with each others company. Jacobs was to arrive shortly as well. Finally he looked over people's heads over to the viewports. ~Inspiring.~ The perceivably stretched space, adorned with streaks of stars in the distance and space dust burning off to deflector's beam close by, was beautiful to him no matter how many times he had seen in before. Steaming coffee brought Getman's thoughts back. He thanked the bartender, grabbed the cup and, observing people talking and having fun around him, walked slowly towards the familiar security officers. "Evening, gentlemen. Mind if I join?" He asked politely. (posted by Bartek) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward (QV) – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 1933) Lizzy entered the QV and made her way to a far table. She saw Mia and knew what she was about to do, she could feel how nervous she was, and she felt sorry for her. But Lizzy also knew that Mia was doing the right thing and for that Lizzy felt happy. Its was a big step in the right direction, and they both knew it. After being seated she a waitress came and asked if there was anything she would like. Elizabeth ordered an oolong tea, sweetened and nothing else. she was here to support the person she was quickly coming to care about more than any other. She would support Mia what ever her decision. Lizzy did not have to wait long before her tea arrived which she was grateful. With a near by view port and tea in hand she watched the stars and sipped her tea. Has she waited for Jacobs, so he and Mia could have there much needed talk. (posted by Matthew Locke) (USS Boudicca - QV – ACMO Lt jg Mia Saryn – 1958) Mia sat at a table, tapping her fingers nervously. She knew, and Saryn had told her, that this was probably going to be the hardest conversation she would have. Sighing, she took a sip of her drink and resumed the tapping. After a moment, a slight shadow fell over her. Looking up into Henry's face made the nerves jump. She stood, a little too quickly and said, "Hi." (Reply Jacobs) Smiling, she replied, "Take a seat." As they both sat, she continued, "Can i get you something to drink?" (Reply Jacobs) Placing her hands on the table, she nodded and replied, "Okay. I asked you to join me tonight because there's something we need to talk about." (Reply Jacobs) Closing her eyes a second, She said, "This isn't going to be easy for you to hear or me to say but i need to say it." (posted by Jackie Smith) ================================================================ Mission: Dead or Alive Day: 2 Stardate: 2414.05.16 ================================================================ (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1143) The Captain and the rest of the senior staff were now on the bridge. Each of them doing as much as they could do to solve the unforeseen mystery. Their first suspicions started hours ago when the Boudicca attempted to contact Color II to make their soon arrival known. When no response was received after several tries, Captain Capps began to prepare for any emergency action. The Boudicca, now in standard orbit of Color II, has still not been able to establish any communication. It was now up to the crew and ultimately the Captain to determine how to proceed. Before he could make any final decisions he needed some important information. "Are we reading life signs," the Captain asked to no one in particular. The science officer in the back of the bridge was the first one to respond. "Yes sir, but it would seem there is a 23 percent decrease in population from our records." "Are there any signs of destruction or battle?" The Captain was now thinking maybe a rebellion took place. But 23 percent seemed high if that was the case. "There has been reports that would support multiple battle areas have taken place throughout Color II." Captain Capps turned to his CMO. "You said you have been in contact with the medical staff on Color II. Did they mention anything about a possible rebellion?" (reply Saryn) "Mmm," Calvin said to himself. "Scan our original beam in point. Have there been any fighting there?" (reply any) "Would it be safe for us to beam there?" the Captain asked now forming a plan. (reply any) "Excellent, we will beam to our destination with personal defense weapons only. We don't want to appear hostile when we arrive. Lets meet at transporter room 1 at 1215. Is there anything else?" (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx - 1143) "Are there any signs of destruction or battle?" Capps seemed to be reading Ryko's mind as he spoke. Even as the CSO gave the report of multiple battle hotspots, the experienced Tactical officer was already reviewing short range scans of the planet's surface. An ugly instinct stirred in the pit of Ryko's stomach. 23 Percent casualties of an entire planet? ~This was no simple accident or Civil War,~ Ryko thought to himself, recalling a short conversation he'd had with the captain the previous day. Next to him, Detron was seemingly buried in the scans too, his hands flying over his side of the double-width tactical station. Ryko turned his attention back to the holographic display in front of him, his hands immersed in their tactile-sensitive light sheathes. With a flick of his wrist, he zoomed in on the craters dotting the planets surface. An ugly black-grey distorted the exposed bedrock. "Mmm," Calvin said to himself. "Scan our original beam in point. Have there been any fighting there?" "None that left behind any discernable damage, captain," Ryko reported. "The closest signs of conflict are three kilometers from the beam-in coordinates." "Would it be safe for us to beam there?" the Captain asked now forming a plan. "Relatively," Ryko said. "Atmospheric conditions appear to be normal, no trace of ionisation or radiation beyond normal background levels. We should be fine with a standard security escort, although I would recommend keeping an open comm-link with the ship at all times, just to be safe." "Excellent, we will beam to our destination with personal defense weapons only. We don't want to appear hostile when we arrive. Lets meet at transporter room 1 at 1215. Is there anything else?" Ryko looked up from the console and withdrew his hands from the holographic interface, nodding over at the nameless ensign hiding in the wings to come and take over tactical, even as a second crewmember came to relieve Detron of his post at Security. The officer left with PADD in hand to make arrangements, presumably for the escort detail. All thoughts of who, exactly, was to be left in command with so many of the senior officers making planetfall were scrubbed from Ryko's mind as he headed for the transporter room, stopping only to pick up a standard phaser and tricorder loadout en-route. (posted by Adam) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Asst. CEO En.jg. Stephen Getman - 1143) The atmosphere was getting thicker every minute, the more the closer Boudicca was coming to Color II. With a civilisation on a technology level not distant to that of Federation, it was more than disturbing for long range communication to simply go silent. Even if something really bad but relatively contained had happened on the surface the artificial satelites orbiting the planet would certainly ping back with the basic protocols. Complete silence could only mean a technological fault of improbable proportions, or... ~A planet-wide disaster.~ Getman looked around, concerned faces all around the bridge knew the same he did. His computer console only proving this further, for the queue of long-range scans kept piling up by the minute. Since most senior staff had mission-related contacts directly within Color II society structures, virtually all departements started flooding the sensors the moment the planet failed to respond to first hails. Stephen could do nothing more but push auxiliary power to the fore sensor arrays and manually reroute the more basic requests through the remaining, unused bandwidth of the deflector. Had the ship's data networks not been running on biogel-packs, allowing for data crunching fast enough to extrapolate previous scans and answer some of the new calls with previous results, some of the requests wouldn't be served even until the ship had reached the destination. The moment they reached the planet the image was not a bit less grim, however it did offer at least some answers. CEO Jacobs immediately spotted problems with power distribution planetside. Major chunks of technology infrastructure down there were either dead or operating on a barely detectable level. Most of the spaceborne comm relays were inactive, the remaining few completely overloaded with traffic likely caused by the disaster down below. It was clear why nobody noticed their calls, even assuming there was still someone expecting them and still alive. The EM chaos in the radiowaves blanketed the whole planet proving any detailed scans on the situation difficult. Getman only begun making out and tapping into some of the messages, all filled with surprise and panic, but heavy loss of life planetside confirmed by other departments prompted the Captain to order an emergency away party. "We need to stop in engineering first to pick up some power generators and pattern enhancers." Lt. Jacobs ordered already on the way to the turbolift. Getman looked at his console, he definitely wanted to know more about the situation before rushing into his first real action so fast but there was little time to come up with any meaningful information. He locked his terminal and quickly followed other officers to the lifts. After all, a phaser all were supposed to carry would make him comfortable enough. (posted by Bartek) (USS Boudicca - Bridge – ACMO Lieutenant JG Mia Saryn – 1144) Mia sat next to the Captain, monitoring the events unfolding before her on the small console on the arm of her chair. As she heard reports that there had been a 23% decrease in population, her heart sank. Immediately, she tried to establish communication with the Chief Medical Officer that she had been conversing with and could not raise him. "You said you have been in contact with the medical staff on Color II. Did they mention anything about a possible rebellion?" Mia lifted her head and said, “No, Sir. Nothing was ever mentioned although the Chief Doctor did seem a little on edge when I last spoke with him.” She barely heard the rest of the conversation as she began to scan the surface and try to pick up any information on what had happened. Saryn's previous host being an intelligence officer gave her a head start on how to do this but nothing he knew was working. She watched as the rest of the crew went about their business. Turning back to Capps, she said, “This doesn't seem right.” (Reply Capps) “It's hard to put my finger on. How is it there has been a rebellion without any of us knowing?” (Reply Capps) “I'm sorry, i'm just thinking out loud. Trying not to think of what we're going to find down there. Sir, if I can be excused, i'll head back to sickbay and make sure we have enough medical equipment to take with us.” (posted by Jackie Smith) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1145) “This doesn't seem right," the doctor said confused. "What exactly doesn't seem right?" the Captain inquired. “It's hard to put my finger on. How is it there has been a rebellion without any of us knowing?” she continued. "My gut is telling me it wasn't or isn't a rebellion. There is something stranger happening, and we need to find out what it is," Captain Capps said thinking out loud. The doctor then excused herself from the bridge to get ready for the away mission. Calvin turned to see that everyone was doing the same. He followed behind a few others and entered the turbo lift to get his away items and meet in transporter room 1. (posted by Calvin Capps) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1150) Captain Capps asked for reports as they scanned Color II. Science reported that the population was reduced to 23 percent as previously reported. Speculation that a battle caused this result was unknown at this time. Away teams were then ordered to meet at 12.15 in Transporter Room 1. He made some notes in his PADD and prepared for the away mission. from what he could see from the tactical scans, there were no signs of a recent battle. He turned to Captain Capps and registered his readiness. "Understood Sir. Security is ready." (posted by Edward Engel) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay – Ensign(jg) Elizabeth Caspian, Dr – 1152) Pain, Suffering, Death has soon as the Boudicca exit warp and took up orbit around Color II it was all Elizabeth could feel from the planet. The dark emotions were so strong so many that they battered her defenses and it was all Elizabeth could do not to break down into a crying mess. Has it was she ran to medical tears streaming down her face. The captain might of placed her in the position of ships councilor but she was also a surgeon and if what she sensed was true. Those skills would be needed and soon. She entered Sickbay and found Mia has she closed the comm line with who Elizabeth figured was the Captain. "Somethings happened on the surface, I can feel the..." Elizabeth paused momentarily looking for the right words. " the loss." (reply Mia) Elizabeth smiled, "It's good to see you to. I'm still a surgeon and I figure your gonna need ever person with medical experience on this one." Lizzy answered has she went over and started collecting medical kits and supplies. Has Mia started to issue orders to the rest of the medical team. Elizabeth gathered her gear and waited by the door for Mia, it had taken her a bit longer to get medical settled. Lizzy smiled has Mia walked up to her. "You ready to go. " (reply Mia.) Elizabeth nodded stepping close to Mia. "You know how much I love seeing you in charge." She whispered in her eyes than darted off toward the teleporter room, Mia close behind here. (posted by Matthew Locke) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CEO Lt. Henry Jacobs and Science Officer Ensign Nickolas Romanoff - 1153) Romanoff had just answered the string of question the captain had asked him about the population of Color II. With a decrease in population of 23 percent this event definitely warranted further investigation and Nickolas was not going to take the back seat on this mission. The captain called for the senior staff to meet in the transporter room and prepare for an away mission, a science officer was absolutely going to be needed on the mission and this was a fact Nickolas could not ignore. He stood up from his chair and motioned for another crewman in blue to replace him at the console. Henry was hovering over a console that ensign Getman was sitting at. They were monitoring the sudden drop in power production form Color II's core teraforming station. There was no sign whatsoever of power being supplied from the core plant up to the planet surface. While formulating a thought in his head he heard the captain's call for everyone's presence in the transporter room. "We need to stop in engineering first to pick up some power generators and pattern enhancers." The statement was directed towards the ensign sitting near him and he did not question whether he had heard him or not. Henry had grown to realize that Stephan did not need to be told twice to do something. Jacobs tapped Getman on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow him to the turbolift. The doors to the turbo lift opened and Henry watched as Detron and Nickolas entered the turbolift. He followed right behind them as well as Ensign Getman. (posted by Darryl McDaniel) (USS Boudicca – Sickbay – Lieutenant Jg Mia Saryn – 1153) Mia sat in the office having closed the Comm trying one last time to raise the CMO on Color III with no success. Suddenly, the most welcome voice in the universe fell onto her ears, "Somethings happened on the surface, I can feel the... the loss." Standing, she said, “It's true. What you can sense. We're heading down there now. Elizabeth smiled, "It's good to see you to. I'm still a surgeon and I figure your gonna need ever person with medical experience on this one." Elizabeth gathered her gear and waited by the door for Mia and smiled has Mia walked up to her. "You ready to go. " Mia hefted the medical supplies on her shoulder and said, “Ready as ever.” Elizabeth nodded stepping close to Mia. "You know how much I love seeing you in charge." She whispered. Mia grinned and said, “Oh you are so gonna get it when we get back.” (posted by Jackie Smith) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx - 1215) Ryko arrived in the Transporter Room in short order and immediately went to the primary transporter console. The crew chief on duty moved aside a little to allow Ryko access to perform standard re-scans of the beam-in coordinates. As he waited for the rest of the away team, Ryko busied himself with the required tests, then handed off back to the Chief and took his place on the transporter pad as the others began to arrive. (posted by Adam) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1216) He entered the transporter room and found Skyler modifying the transport beam in coordinates. He let Sky do his job while he set up equipment to beam down to the surface of Color II. He advides anyone that was beaming on the first team to equip with a charged phaser set to mid stun and clip it to their belt. He of course would also carry a Battlaff strapped to his back as a personal weapon. He brought tree climbing equipment as well needed in the planet environment. He brought a tactical tricorder and that was the extent of the devices equipped on his belt. He stepped over to the console and spoke to Sky. "I have no true desire to lead the team on the planet. I am still on probation and feel that when I reach my rightful rank then I will assume the chief position until then we can work within reason." He waited for the rest of the away team to arrive. (posted by Edward Engel) (Color II - Transport site - Town center - CEO Jt. Henry Jacobs - 1224) Henry exhaled as his molecules rematerialized on the surface of Color II. The away team had beamed in right in the center of the capital and seen first hand some of damage that had suddenly taken place there. It appeared that almost every other building was on fire and there were no people out in immediate area. It was just past high noon and the town seemed to be barren contrary to the obvious signs that something devastating had occurred not to long before their arrival. Henry dropped the two portable power generators he was carrying and unholstered his engineering tricorder. While everyone on the away team moved right into a search and rescue demeanor, Jacobs was the first to speak. "I am not reading any power signatures. It's a total black out," Henry stated out loud. The closest building in front of him happened to be one of the few buildings that was not on fire and had not seen much structural damage. Henry approached the door and with the power being out was unable to enter until he grabbed a magnetic grip from the away team equipment to pry the door open. Henry heaved and pushed with all his strength in one direction on the door panel and it gave in and cracked with a hiss. Henry pried the doors apart fully and entered the building. While the exterior of the building had not seen much damage the same could not be said for the interior. The room was dark from the lack of power and the absence of windows, and the only way to see was from the momentary flash of light provided from sparks flying from destroyed consoles and panels. The room was filled with computer consoles and wall panels as if it was some engineering or regulating facility. Something must be said about the intuition of an engineer because Jacobs had instinctively walked right into the surface facility that regulated the power flow from the core platforms. For a momentary absence of thought caused by his amazement of the rooms interior Jacobs called for his ACEO. "Finn, get in here!" He turned his head to see clear back out into the center of the city as he waited for his colleague to respond. When he didn't he made his way back out of the building to see where ensign Getman had gone off to. Jacobs stood in the doorway of the building with both arms outstretched propping him firmly within the door seal still making another attempt to find his assistant. This time before he could get the words out he heard a shuffle directly behind him in the room he had just walked out of and without being about to turn around and see his attacker he was struck in the back of the head with a very blunt object and then dragged inside. Henry was slipping out of conscious but could make out the voice of two children as he was being dragged. One frightened at the consequences of her actions and the other hell bent on protecting the other. Henry heard the two exchange words right before everything went black. (posted by Darryl McDaniel) (Color II - Transport Site - CO Captain Calvin Capps - 1225) Calvin was part of the second team that beamed to the transport site. Lieutenant Trei had talked the Captain to allow a first transport to enter the site seconds first for a just in case measure. Either way to Calvin his body was broken up into millions of molecules and perfectly placed back in order at the beam in point on Color II. Their beam in point was in the center of the Capital, more specifically in front of the Capital building at a landing site Color II used it as a greeting station for visitors. It was placed outside because it gave a good view of the Capital building and other structures the Colorians were proud of. The area was also well landscaped with plenty of exotic flowers, trees, bushes, and much more. Today however, it all look so different. Sure the land was still well manicured but trash and debris and other odd items filled the open spaces. Calvin made a full 360 degree turn slowly to see the devastation. It looked like the planet had been hit by multiple weather phenomenas. Maybe tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, or a combination of them was the answer to the mystery, but it seemed unlikely. "I am not reading any power signatures. It's a total black out," Henry stated out loud. If the state of the environment wasn't enough for concern, Calvin observed that a single person wasn't to be found in their immediate area. "Lets travel 100 yards in each cardinal direction in pairs, report anything at once. Security, split among each pair. Getman, Jacobs go east. Saryn and Skylynx with me, we will go north. Caspian, Trei go west. Long and Trevor go south." The pairs split apart and Calvin and his team went northward. The initial 20 yards covered an open landscaped yard. Calvin took his own tricorder out now and began to take readings that he felt were necessary. So far, nothing unusual, data wise, had surfaced. After the first 20 yards the team came to a building. It was a single story structure with what looked like to be many windows on the front, but these windows were now boarded with some type of hard solid that the tricorder recognized as a local tree or wood. Calvin guessed it was some type of store, maybe a gift shop for visiting the Capital. The boarding of the windows were obviously done quickly and sloppy. It seemed one of the boarded windows didn't handle against whatever it was the occupants were trying to keep out. The furthest left window was completely smashed and gave a big opening into the store. "Lets take a look," the Captain looked at Skylynx to take the lead. (reply Skylynx) Calvin watched his newest member enter his weapon into the open window and slowly ascend into the store. Calvin ushered the doctor to enter next, and the Captain took the rear. He entered through the broken window being careful not to cut himself. He had to jump a few feet down from the window for his feet to hit the floor. He nearly bumped into doctor Saryn and Lieutenant Skylynx for they had paused. Calvin looked at them and saw shocked and bewilderment stares. The Captain quickly looked into the shop and his heart sank and his mouth dropped. Blood covered the floor, counters, walls and ceiling. It was every where. 2 bodies layed directly in front of them. The small team walked closer to take a better look, but there wasn't much of the bodies left. Limbs on both bodies had been removed, forcefully. As if they were tore off or sawed with a very dull object. Skin was hardly left on their bodies and their insides now opened and emptied. It was hard for Calvin to stand the site any longer. Something was wrong, very wrong. "Doctor?" The Captain said a single word as a question clearly hoping for some type of medical expertise explanation. (posted by Calvin Capps) (Color II - Transport Site - aCMO Lt Jg Mia Saryn - 1227) "Lets travel 100 yards in each cardinal direction in pairs, report anything at once. Security, split among each pair. Getman, Jacobs go east. Saryn and Skylynx with me, we will go north. Caspian, Trei go west. Long and Trevor go south." Mia nodded, and with a glance at Lizzy and a smile, she turned and followed the Captain. The devestation was total. This was something neither her nor Saryn had seen before. Shops and homes boarded up but some had been left open, like the occupants had no time to weather the oncoming. A shiver ran down her back as they continued to walk and an old earth saying popped into her mind. They were walking over peoples graves. They continued on until they came to a partially boarded up shop. One window had been totally smashed in and provided an opening into the store. "Lets take a look," the Captain looked at Skylynx to take the lead. (reply Skylynx) Captain Capps nodded to her and Mia jumped up onto the window and into the shop. Stopping instantly. Blood. The first thing she saw was blood everywhere. The metallic tang filled the air and the sight of it shook her where she stood. Rooted to the spot, she finally saw the bodies. What was left of them had been treated with no dignity. Limbs removed and organs gone. A tear ran down her face as the thought of what these poor people had been through hit her. Suddenly, she was aware of a voice asking, "Doctor?" Mia turned a little and replied, "Sir, I...." Steeling herself, she moved forward and knelt beside one of the bodies. The smell was beginning and she held her forearm to her nose and then pulled out her tricorder. Scanning the remains, she said, "They haven't been dead that long. Rigor hasn't set in yet. " (Reply Capps) "I can't tell an exact time but i would estimate four to six hours at the most." She paused a moment and then continued, "Sir, the...... the mutilation." (Reply Capps) Closing her eyes, she stood and turned to face him. "The limbs were taken before death. These people were still alive when this began to happen." (Reply Capps) "I... I need a minute." She walked to the window and pulled herself out. Standing in the air helped but she could feel Saryn inside her, quivering. Shaking she sat on a bench nearby and placed her head in her hands trying to stop herself from crying. After a moment, a shadow fell across her view and she looked up to see Capps had joined her outside. (Reply Capps) She nodded and smiled softly, "I'm fine, sir. Just not seen anything like that before. I served in the war and saw some terrible things but that...." She stopped. (Reply Capps) "Yes, sir. I'll be okay." She stood and wiped her eyes and continued, "What now?" (posted by Jackie Smith) (Color II - Transport Site - ATAC Lt Ryko Skylynx - 1227) Ryko had decided at the last second to bring his hand-forged Wakizashi. The long-bladed relative of the traditional Katana was a perfect close-quarters weapon that also doubled as a badge of accomplishment, marking Ryko as the master of his chosen swordcraft. The blade rested in a shoulder-tied harness that allowed him easy reach and wield, in fact his personal record had been less than 0.21 seconds from sheath to stab. But that was another story for another time. Ryko had stayed behind to provide backup for the Captain as Trei had beamed down to the surface with most of the away team. ~Feels wrong to leave the Boud with no senior officers in command,~ he thought to himself as he finally took scope of how many were going to make planetfall. But he dismissed the thought as his vision turned blue for an instant and the familiar twang effect of transport jolted him from one place to another. "Lets travel 100 yards in each cardinal direction in pairs, report anything at once," Capps' voice drew Ryko out of his reverie of scanning the environment with his eyes narrowed and his phaser drawn. "Security, split among each pair. Getman, Jacobs go east. Saryn and Skylynx with me, we will go north. Caspian, Trei go west. Long and Trevor go south." Ryko followed the captain's lead and took out his own tactical tricorder, eyes flickering forward, around, and toward the readout as the trio moved northward towards a dilapidated building. "No lifesigns," Ryko commented. "Although there is an unusual concentration of iron oxides in the air," he said with a small twinge of confusion. "I'm picking up heavy sulphurous compounds and biomass." His tricorder beeped. "It's coming from inside the building." The trio stopped outside. "Lets take a look," the Captain looksuggested. Ryko nodded. He unhooked a standard wristlight from his belt and strapped it to his right arm, phaser in hand and drew his sword with his left. Slowly and cautiously, he picked his way through the destroyed window to the provisioner store and cut a path through the gloom for the Doctor and the Captain to follow. There was a disgusting stink of sulphur and human waste in the air. Ryko almost gagged as the blast of nauseating vapors hit him in the face like a blow. He raised his light to discover the source and dispite his strong constitution, had to physically force himself not to vomit. "Oh, my...God..." He breathed, following the light of his wristlight to the remains all over the place. He was aware of a voice. "Doctor?" Mia's voice was leaden. "Sir, I...." Ryko couldnt tear his eyes away from the carnage as the doctor and the captain conversed, He was aware of a tingling sensation at the back of his mind. With a grunt of effort, he tried to dismiss the odd feeling, thinking it was just latent empathic feedback from the doctor's discomfort. But then it grew stronger. And stronger. Like a messenger trapped outside a locked door with a murderous assassin close on his heels, the feeling pounded into Ryko's skull, demanding acknowledgement. Ryko gazed at one of the mutilated corpses, and against all his better judgement, allowed the messenger in. "Fear," he growled as the emotion washed over him so strongly that he almost thought it was his own. Flashes of images raged in a tidal wave across his mind. He saw people, scared, mortified, heard their screams, heard something.... monstrous give off a low growl that ran beneath those screams as though accompanying them with some twisted music. The imagery grew ever more grotesque as Ryko realised he was paying witness to an echo of these poor individuals' final moments. he struggled to fight off the emotions, having had his fill of their "message". The madness would not let him go. "ARGHH!" Ryko yelled, trying now by force to banish the raw emotion from his mind. He broke free at last, collapsing to one knee with the aftermath of the onslaught. He heard footsteps. The captain and Saryn must have heard him. (reply Capps, Saryn) "These people...." Ryko said, his breath coming in short gouts to accompany the sweat of exertion on his brow. "...they weren't just murdered. They were... eaten alive!" (reply Capps) Ryko looked up to the captain as he tried to regain his composure, his eyes still a little wild from the vision. "I don't know... but I saw a familiar face in the madness." (Reply Capps / Saryn) "Jacobs, sir. Henry Jacobs." (posted by Adam) (Color II - City Center - TAC/S LT(JG) Detron Trei - 1230) He heard Jacobs voice his thoughts of the scene before them. He had a similar eerie feeling about what could have caused this kind of carnage. CPT Capps split the party in teams with Him and Caspian going west. He readied himself to move out. "Understood sir. Lets move" He took the lead and advanced 20 yards. They entered a wooded area. He instructed Caspian to use the forest equipment he brought for the mission. He slowed down a bit so he could talk with her as they walked. "What are your thoughts on the scene we have observed? (posted by Edward Engel) (USS Boudicca - Astrometrics Lab - Science Officer Nickolas Romanoff - 1400) It had made no difference to Nickolas that he did not join the away team down to the surface of Color II because there was still much work that could be done with the assistance of the ship's computer and sensors. Romanoff was not as outgoing as a normal ensign would be and he preferred the safety of the ship than the adventure of an away mission. The yellow grid of the room around him disappeared as it was replaced with a lifelike image of the Color system. He reached out and touched the grayish blue planet over head with was Color II and the image magnified. Information began to scroll to the right of the revolving holographic planet representation. Rereading the information being displayed Romanoff decided to query the computer for more information. "Computer, please playback all known natural phenomena prevalent to Color II" The computer responded with a series of clicks and beeps that indicated it was working on the request. The sounds continued as it seemed the computer was having a difficult time executing the command. Without warning the holodeck display ended and the yellow grids returned to view. "Computer what just happened?" Romanoff asked. In a slurred and altered voice the computer responded. [Unknooooon errrrrrrorrrrrrrrrrrrr. Sourrrrrrrrrrrrrrssssssssssssssse uuuunnnnanananananana] The end of the looping response abruptly ended and was followed by a power failure. ~ah crap~ (posted by Darryl McDaniel) (Color II - Power Warehouse - Tela and Clain - 1411) Tela continued to nurse her wound as infection began to set in. There were visable bite marks up the length of her arm and an open gash right where her bicep met her elbow. The pain was continuing to break her down and a tear escaped from her eye and ran down her dirty cheek. The only thing that could take her mind of the pain was the busy work she saw her older brother Clain doing. He was not a meter away tying up the strange man they had seen at the entrance of the Power Warehouse. For fear of him being another one of the monsters that terroized the town hours before his arrival Clain did his best to tie the man up without allowing any give. "Father taught me how to make these knots not three weeks ago. He is going to be proud of me when he gets back with the others." Clain exclaimed. Hearing that sentence opened up the flood gates as streams of tears escaped Telas eyes and ran down her face burning her wound as she instictively wiped her face with her arm. She knew her father would not return to see the knots her brother had tied. (posted by Darryl McDaniel) ================================================================ Hope you enjoyed!