Posting list in chronological order: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Inalienable Rights, Day Nine Stardate: 2405.08.27 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Starbase Geneva - Counsellor's office - ACOUNS Ensign Roft - 12:30) (Starbase Geneva - Counsellor's office - ACOUNS Ensign (jg) Tap Roft - 14:06) (Starbase Geneva - Deck 36 - Holodeck 5 - Kyle McNish - 14:30) (Starbase Geneva - Recreation Lounge - SPC Kia Tresin - 14.30) (Starbase Geneva - Tresors du Tresin, SPC Kia Tresin - 14.50) (Starbase Geneva - Conference Room, FO Lise Arianna - 14.53) (Starbase Geneva - Deck 36 - Holodeck 5 - Kyle McNish - 15:03) (Starbase Geneva - Conference Room - ACOUNS Ensign Roft - 15:05) (Starbase Geneva - Conference Lounge - CO - Captain Aragorn - 15:15) (Starbase Geneva - Conference Lounge - SFI Commander Actun - 15:20) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Inalienable Rights, Day Nine Stardate: 2405.08.27 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Starbase Geneva, Counsellor's office, ACOUNS Ensign Roft, 12:30) Tap was sitting at his desk, in his office. He would have been bored if he was not busy with such an 'interesting' inner dialogue. ~Doop de doop doo doo. I'm just sitting at my desk. Dum dee dum. Just twiddling my thumbs. Just twiddling like a pro twiddler. I'm twiddling, yes I'm twiddling. I twiddle, I twiddle, I twiddle. Twiddle, twiddle, twiddle twiddle twiddle twidd...~ Luckily - for Tap's mental well being - at that moment, the door chime alerted Tap that someone wanted to enter. "Yes... come in." he said. A bit to Tap's bewilderment, the man immediately started to sketch his situation: " Mr Roft, I hope I'm not disturbing but I need your advice " ~Disturbing? What exactly was I doing? Oh, thumb twiddling. It'll have to wait.~ Tap: "No problem. How may I be of assistance?" "Sorry, Mr Roft, I'm so impolite, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Vladek Rofellian, one of the TAC/ASC, newly arrived too, I'm only here since three days, first assignment in a starbase ?" he asked. "It's my first assignment anywhere. I'm fresh - or stale, whichever applies - out of the Academy." Tap said, immediately feeling stupid for making such a dumb comment. "How about you?" "No, my first assignment was on the USS Boudicca," Vladek started explaining the nature of the situation: "but if you don't mind like the Ferengi say, let's talk about business, you've just arrived so you probably don't know all that had happened since this morning. I make you a brief summary if you want ? ..and I don't know if you've already seen our Dr. but he has quite a strange behaviour. ...I'm not an empath but I've sixth sense for certain things and I'm feeling something strange. For me, our Dr. seems to be a little paranoid, but I'm not a expert so that's why I've come to you. It isn't a formal inquiry yet but I don't want a second officer in sickbay as patient. If you can discreetly make a psychological profile of him, it could help us." Tap wasn't sure if he knew how to find out what's behind the behaviour, but he optimistically tried to put his fellow crewmember at ease: "Off course. I'll see what clues I can get. From what you've described, something with far reaching consequences is going on here." " Good," Vladek replied, "take that PADD, it's a summary of all I've noticed, keep me informed of your progress, for my part, I've another track but I've some verification to make before, I'll contact you if I find something else, thank you for your help, Mr Roft. Sorry but I've a meeting at 13:00 and I don't want to be late" Vladek left the office. Having forgotten completely about his ludicrous thumb twiddling, Tap felt a strange - exaggerated - feeling of importance. He now had a mission. ~Well, well. The... uh, what's that word? Ah yes! The GAME is afoot.~ (reply none) (posted by Gordon Amp) **** (Starbase Geneva, Counsellor's office, ACOUNS Ensign (jg) Tap Roft, 14:06) Tap was reviewing the data about Dr. du Pounte's mental condition which was provided to him by Vladek Rofellian. He then realized that he had an unread message which he forgot about: ----I've maybe found something that could help us, I've made some verification and it's possible that our Dr. is addicted to a certain substance called analgine. I'll show my discoveries at my superior at the staff meeting, I'll see you there."---- The message was from Vladek. Tap thought about the contents of the message for a while and then made the decision that - seeing as though he did not know what analgine was - he needed to find out more. ~I'll just try to ask the Doc a few straight questions when the time is right.~ **** (Starbase Geneva, Deck 36, Holodeck 5, Kyle McNish, 14:30) ~ YIKES! A *girl*! I *really* must change the program! ~ "Arch!" Kyle looked around and the Princess did the same. "Archers, where?" she asked with a frown. Kyle ignored her, getting irritated that he couldn't spot the exit among the trees. "Computer, end program." Kyle gave up; he needed to adjust the parameters. N O G I R L S ! ! Rule number one! "Come Piuter? Is that your pet?" The girl looked around and Kyle slapped his face feeling very tired. What was wrong? Somehow the program was stuck in a loop. Well, sooner or later someone would shut it down from outside, at least nothing could happen here that... Kyle shivered suddenly. If something was wrong with the program, maybe... "Would you please talk to me and make some sense?" The princess said with her arms crossed and anger in her eyes. "Or do you want me to call the guards? You know, I don't think you're supposed to be here at all!" Kyle ignored her, he need to find out but how? Then he remembered the roses. "May I borrow this for a second?" Kyle snatched the rose from her hand. "Hey! That is it, guards! GUARDS!!" "Oh, please...!" Kyle said, rolling his eyes. He found a thorn, turned it forward and drew a deep breath. Then he pressed it against his left arm and winced at the pain. A dark drop of red blood emerged and he sucked it up. "Here!" Kyle returned the now ruffled flower. Obviously he could get hurt here, maybe even killed. He knew the basics of security override, that only a Bridge Officer or under special circumstances Medical or Security Officers could make it. He had never even heard of a case where the program made an override due to an error! "I'm sorry, please don't call the guards." Kyle didn't want to sit in the castle dungeons until the program was turned off. "You're right, I'm lost here. My uncle is in the... trade delegation though." She eyed him thoughtfully; a strange boy, like most boys, but also the only diversion on this dull castle. She couldn't even go inside the town without an armed bodyguard! "I'm Princess Fiona, who are you?" She said suddenly. "Kyle McNish." Kyle said truthfully. "Kyle... never heard that name before but I like it." "Thank you..." Kyle eyed her carefully. If she got too friendly with him, he was going to run back for the gate and hide in the city. "Feeling adventurous?" she asked with a sly grin. That took Kyle off guard. "Yeah...?" he said, still suspicious. "Come on then, let's listen to the... heh, trade delegation of yours." She sounded amused and started to walk toward a door leading them inside the palace. Kyle didn't answer, looking all around partly in awe and partly looking for guards. The walls were draped in bright colors and on the floor thick rugs covered the floor. Paintings and knight armors completed the picture of an old castle in its prime. Fiona led Kyle past the main stairs into a small corridor leading them deeper inside. "The castle is divided." she explained. "One part is for us to us and the other for the servants so they can move around in the castle without being seen." Kyle could tell the difference. Here the stone walls were undecorated and poorly lit. No windows let the daylight inside and lanterns were lighting the corners. Fiona dodged the servants easily and Kyle understood that she had done this many times before. Finally they ended up in a small chamber high up in the castle and Fiona beckoned at Kyle to be quiet. Slowly the approached an inner wall of boards with large gaps between them, allowing them to look through and listen. They were near the ceiling of a huge chamber. In the middle was a large table and around it a dozen men sat talking. Fiona leaned closer to Kyle and whispered in his ear. "At the head end is my father, King Asthean. The rest were some advisors; the Captain of the King's Guards, a few rich and important citizens... and someone I have never seen before. You see the handsome man on the other end of the table?" Kyle rolled his eyes again. He could see the fellow who looked strong and tough to him. Wearing clothes that were practical rather than elegant he stood out from the rest. Kyle held up a hand to get Fiona to be quiet, something was happening down there. "What do you have to say about this, Garad? This is not really what your Guards have found is it?" The King said with an angry voice. "Sire, my men is reliable and not prone to listen to rumors." The Captain said, obviously meaning in the contrary to a certain person in the room. "There's no evidence of this, only stupid farmers who got scared of their own shadows. We have searched the southern forests and found nothing!" The King nodded and gazed at the man at the other side of the table. "Well Logan, have you seen shadows as well?" Logan didn't answer, just returned the King's gaze with eyes of hard rock. Then he bent down and lifted up a sack that he placed on the table. "This is your shadows, my King." He then emptied it on the table and a hideous head rolled to the center. It's head had only few strands of long hair, the ears were pointed with tufts, the eyes narrow and deep under huge eyebrows, the nose were wrinkled with large nostrils and the half opened mouth showed pointed teeth almost like on a predator. The sound of shock and disgust spread in the room and the King shouted. "LOGAN! Are you from your senses?" It covered the sound of Kyle and Fiona as they drew their breaths high above the table. "This is an Ogre, a creature of fairy tales according to your dear Captain. I went through a great deal of trouble bringing it here, they don't die easily." "Where...?" Garad's voice was faint with shock and the face was pale. "In the hills, of course. I take it your men never left the roads very far when they searched the forests." Logan said with ill hidden contempt. Garad flashed him an angry look. "The reports were from the habituated areas, I sent a patrol to investigate, not to hunt." "Gentlemen!" The King interrupted. "There's no doubt that this is what the farmers reported killing their animals. No matter how hideous this freak of nature was, he is now dead and..." "Ogre." The King, The Captain of the Guards and Logan all turned towards an old man to the King's right. "Ogre, not freak of nature. Nature have nothing to do with the creation of this beast." The King sighed and rubbed himself between the eyes like he was developing a headache. "I thought you were asleep Cecil, do you recognize this?" "As this boy said, it's an Ogre! No small feat to kill one and decapitate him at that. You must have a sharp sword young man!" Logan blinked at being called a boy, he was well over thirty, but kept his composure. He wasn't sure if this was the Cecil who had advised the King's father when Logan had been a boy but he had a certain reputation among some men. "Yes sir, very sharp." Cecil chuckled and turned towards the King. "Yes, yes... what you must ask yourself now is why they are emerging now and what you should do about it. Are we receiving any iron any longer?" All attention suddenly fell upon a bald, nearsighted fellow with a lot of paper in front of him. "Hm? What? *ahem* Well, iron... let's see... iron... Ah, here it is! No." He looked around at the confused faces. "No!" He repeated. "We have plenty in stock in the city but no deliveries for, let's see... five weeks." Logan's voice carried over the general murmur that resulted after the report. "We've lost the mountains already!" Suddenly the air in the room changed. The discussion had turned into a war council without anyone realizing they were in war in the first place. Garad was the first to recover and he stepped aside towards a huge map on the wall showing the entire country. "Kirilla is both the city and the country but unlike many other countries the city is not in the center." Garad indicated the city at the northern shore. "Most of the villages are along the shore line here." He followed the shore, west from the city and along the shoreline until it turned south for many leagues. "To the east we have those mountains. They stretch from the shore far beyond the marshes and almost straight south, turning slightly east here. "Between the mountains and the shore we have mainly forests. Only here in the south we have the second city of Krell. It's both an administrative center of the region, a military garrison and a trading center for the goods coming and going south. As you all know the desert is no mans land until you get to Badan." Looking at the map, everyone saw the area where the reports of Ogres had come from. Where the mountains turned Southeast they created a vast land of forests and rolling hills with few settlements. It was more or less uncharted territory with only occasional hunters travelling through. Small dots at the western foot of the mountains marked mining communities, mainly small shacks built by the miners themselves. Then there was the east of the mountains... The peaks were sharp and high, covered with snow all year. No one had traveled past them and the northern shore line east of the mountain range were full of cliffs and sharp reefs, threatening to cut your boat in half. "The pass... it's open again." Cecil said with a sad voice. Logan stared at him in horror. Why this hard man were shocked, they never found out. "There's no pass!" The King snorted. "Don't be ridiculous Cecil. The mountains are too high." "I was young then, the last time it was open. It was quite some task to close it again." Cecil didn't look at the King, only at the map. Then he got up and halted with a great support of his cane up to it. He extended a gnarled finger and pointed in the middle of mountains. "Here... beyond, the highlands and the lake. The magic lake and the caves, the caves of the dragons." They all looked at the map indicating the highest peeks, the steepest mountains and an unforgiving terrain leading up the point Cecil had indicated. Suddenly a fat man in bright silk clothes and elaborated rings in gold and silver on his fat fingers couldn't keep his voice. "Now when you have told us the bedtime story, why don't you get your afternoon nap old man?" A sudden laughter roared in the hall, as much as in relief of the tension as at the crude joke. Four men around the table didn't laugh at all, just exchanged worried glances as if they didn't know what to do next. Upstairs the two kids sat close together, suddenly feeling cold as if there was a chill in the room. They didn't say anything either, just stared at the monstrous head on the table. "They will do nothing!" Fiona whispered. "Come!" Kyle scurried after the princess until they were in the lower kitchen regions again. "We must do something... I need some new clothes. Are you coming?" "Hey! I have no desire to watch you change your clothes, I'll wait here OK?" Fiona stared at him with a blank face. "Are you born stupid or did your mom drop you when you were a baby? If you watched me without my clothes I would have the guards flog you in public! I said *new* clothes! The Badan silk is the best cloth and the prettiest dresses in the Kingdom is found in Krell. I have my own servants that will take care of the details. I must get down there and look into this myself. Again, are you coming or not?" Kyle's head spun. They were going down where those monsters were that killed farmer's animals and even people? Cool! Kyle took another look at Fiona. She was actually rather OK. For a girl that was! **** (Starbase Geneva, Rec Lounge, SPC Kia Tresin, 14.30) "You wouldn't be Kia Tresin, would you? Of Tresors du Tresin?" The woman asked. "Certainly I am!" Kia exclaimed, "Why, who wants to know?" She asked hushed, she wasn't one of those shady type of business persons, she operated a straight forwards clean cut business, unlike those Ferengi across the hall, especially the one that sold paintbrushes from a cardboard stand. "Because I was hoping to visit yours shop. We're just moving into new quarters and I wanted to find something special, an ornament or something? And I heard your shop is *the* place to find the unusual!" Kia laughed slightly, "Well I wouldn't go so far as to say *the* place, but it is certainly the place where some more original things originate from. There are all sorts of tools and things that I sold originally, but then, people would take them home, and develop their own style, now I also have their artefacts that some of them have made in my store. So there is quite a lot of variety!" She said with a smile. <> (Starbase Geneva, Tresors du Tresin, SPC Kia Tresin, 14.50) Kia watched as Louise was enamoured with a particular wooden object that was in front of her. "How much?" She asked. Kia had almost not heard her, as her own mind was off and she was thinking... of Aragorn. She wondered what he looked like, probably as handsome as ever, and she just... wanted to meet him. However, the woman's voice broke her train of thoughts ~customers~ she thought sarcastically. "Well, that particular piece was set here by commission by Ensign Letch, She said she would like four extra holodeck hours for it. The items in this store are not for sale per say, we trade, the items that I sell are for a cultural piece of work for a museum on Aldea, however, the pieces that people put here on commission are for whatever they would like to trade." "I'm sorry, I was light-years away! What did you say?" The woman responded. "Well.." Kia started with a sigh, "I just was explaining that this store does not deal with currency in a form, it's more of a place to trade things. I never was a fan of monetary value. Ensign Letch, who created this piece of work would like to have four extra holodeck hours from it." Kia stated finally again. She watched for the woman's reaction. But in the back of her mind, she was wondering, thinking, puzzling, over the enigmatic personality that was now the station CO, Aragorn. (Reply Louise, any) (Posted by Katherine Mazurok) **** (Starbase Geneva, Conference Room, FO Lise Arianna, 14.53) As Lise sat and stared dreamily at Aragorn, she noticed that he winked at her. Instantly her heart rate quickened as the prospect of his true understanding excited her. She noticed Tianna coming in, she jumped up to enquire about the ring that was in her possession to find the owner. Gradually the officers began to file in, everyone taking their seats or standing according to the usual way of things. Lise had always been an officer who liked to sit at the back of meetings, that way she could reflect on things that were more important. That had been back when she was an engineer and there was almost always some serious problem that required her constant attention. But this time, in this meeting, she was glad to have the seat that she did, because it gave her a perfect view of... Aragorn. ~Lise Arianna, what about your professionalism? What about Yori?~ Some tiny voice in the back of her mind countered. But.. somehow, that voice wasn't really important, was it? No, the ONLY thing of importance was.... Aragorn. Lise was distracted only from the object of her affections as she saw Lt. Pitt enter. His uniform was... well, interesting to say the least, it seemed to be very full of holes of different shapes and sizes. "Mr. Pitt!" Aragorn had stated. Instantly Lise felt a tingle of jealousy run through her being. Lt. Pitt obviously knew the Captain from elsewhere, and he was receiving a great amount of his attention. Lise frowned. Her frown was intensified as she realised that this was the second set of non-regulation uniform that he'd shown up in. The one that he'd worn for the Clancy meeting earlier that day had been all soiled and dusty, Lise hadn't wanted to make a huge scene in front of the delegation so she'd said nothing. ~Why is he having such uniform issues, he never did before~ She wondered, thinking how this whole state of affairs was not necessarily presenting itself to their new CO in the greatest light. Their new CO... Aragorn. She sighed. Then Aragorn's smile faded. Lise instantly began to worry, something was wrong? "In fact, Mr. Pitt, I would like to put it to you that you have been so busy with your work that you didn't have time to dress properly before arriving here. That IS the most workable solution for you at the moment. The other being that you don't mind walking around like a tramp, especially when saying hello to your new boss." "Because, MISTER PITT, THAT would really upset me. And you should know that I REALLY don't like to get upset, do you MISTER PITT?" Lise watched the situation unfurl. She would never upset Aragorn, at least not on purpose, she thought he was the kindest, gentlest man she'd ever met. She glared at Dirk, upset that a man who'd had the sheer privilege of knowing Aragorn from before would be so daft as to upset him here and now. "IN FACT, MISTER PITT," The Captain Sighed, "In fact Mr. Pitt, I would put it to you that your BEST option would be to go out again, get yourself a decent uniform and then return. And NEVER to return in such a shabby outfit again, BECAUSE IF YOU DO, I WILL HAVE YOU POSTED TO A DILITHIUM MINE SO FAST THAT YOUR FEET WON'T TOUCH THE GROUND!" Lise watched completely enamoured by Aragorn. He was so powerful, he really could, post Pitt to a dilithium mine. What power he showed! It was the power of.... Aragorn. Lise watched as he sat down in the chair next to her. She had never been so attracted to anyone in her life, wild images of what she wanted to do ran through her mind. ~LISE!~ Her inner voice completely shocked at what it saw. ~There are other telepaths around!!~ It cried. Reluctantly she sort of acknowledged it because it did have a point, she couldn't have others knowing of Aragorns greatness... perhaps it would incite them to compete with her. Not that there wasn't already competition. Lise frowned as she remembered Louise, his wife, who had written that note in that golden scrawl that had been on his table. 'Louise' the name sent a shiver up her spine as she thought about it distastefully. That woman technically laid claim over Aragorn. Lise shook her head that would not do. Everyone had arrived, and Aragorn began to speak, his voice melodic and sounding like the sweetest symphony to Lise's ears. However what he said, was somewhat shocking, it wasn't at all what she would have expected a CO to say. But that enthralled her even more. He was an individual, with an obvious passion and commitment to life, and well Starfleet in a different sort of abstract way. "And I FULLY endorse the intent, if not always the wording. But let's face it, ladies and gentlemen, if Starfleet requires you to die for a good cause, and ultimately that IS why we are here, it is better be that that cause is one that you actually WANT to lay your life down for." Lise was enraptured, his words were so strong, so true, and... she was in awe of them. "By now you must have realised that I am not a run-of-the-mill Captain...." ~Oh, absolutely! Not run of the Mill!~ Lise's eyes glowed with admiration. Aragorn was anything but run of the mill, as far as she was concerned. And then, Lise's eyes were drawn to Aragorn's as he blinked away a small tear. Had she been at the back of the room, she would likely have missed it, but here, she could see the utmost compassion that this powerful man held for the men and women of his command. Lise would lay her life down for him, in any way shape or form if he asked, simply because she believed in him. Aragorn continued a bit, then fell silent momentarily. The entire room silenced as no one wanted to be the one to break the silence, until, Aragorn, in a commanding fashion did so again. "And although 280 deaths doesn't sound much if you look at the extent of their actions, it's still 280 lives too many. And I will be DA**ED if I let even ONE more life slip through my fingers. So that WILL be the new regime on this Starbase. From this day forward I will not allow ANYONE dying. We WILL do our job well and we will succeed, but if the only option to succeed is to lay down even one life, I ABSOLUTELY REFUTE that option. And we WILL find another way to do what we have to do." "Don't be mistaken, ladies and gentlemen. Death IS a constant, a law of nature, rather than a choice. And death lurks in many places. But I charge you all to take heed of my words. By this time in your life, you WILL have witnessed the death of somebody close. We all have. And I can only hope that death has showed you how empty one's life becomes if part of it is missing. And that is an emptiness that should be avoided at all costs." Lise nodded, taking in the CO's words. Not only was Aragorn compassionate, kind, caring and powerful, as he vowed to not let anyone die, what strength what power, what charisma. But, also, what wisdom. Lise thought as she remembered her parents and how their departure from this world had left her feeling alone and empty. Not belonging to one world or another. Yes, he was wise. "And that's where we all come into play. You and me together. When the going gets tough, it won't be Starfleet that is going to save our hides. They are TOO far away to be counted upon. No, ladies and gentlemen, the only ones that you CAN count on are the ones near you, the people on this base. Only we are close enough to help. If we can't work together, then, frankly we don't stand a hope in h**l. And like I said, that is an option that I will not accept. So you will work together, and you will like it, because by doing so, you will substantially decrease the chance of biting the bullet, if you pardon the expression." Lise's smile increased to epic proportions as he said 'You and me together'. He was obviously a fan of teamwork and he would be working together closely with his crew. That was a prospect that she liked immensely. "Now I know that you simply just can't command things to happen. We have to work at it to MAKE them happen. And that is the order of the day. I know that a lot of things have been upsetting people here but somehow, somewhere, we will HAVE to turn these things around. If there is ANYTHING that you would like to discuss, then be assured that my door will never be closed. And that is a VEGAN promise. AND of course we have our own Counselor whose job it is to assist eliminating personal problems. You are not alone. We ARE there to help, if you only give us a chance to prove it." There was a pause. See, it was there, right in front of the entire crew. Aragorn had professed his compassion and his power, and... his door was always open. Lise began to concoct a variety of reasons to find a way to see if his door would in fact be open. ~LISE!~ The voice in her mind completely horrified with her behaviour, but somehow, she didn't care. "And I think we will get a chance to prove our mettle sooner rather than later. In fact, very soon. What I am about to say, is probably a violation of several Starfleet Regulations, but frankly, that won't stop me one second. Because I know that you do have a right to know." Lise's ears perked up, her mind cleared momentarily, this, after all was important. Well not as important as Aragorn, she reasoned, but.. it was something he thought important so she knew she should think so as well. "Also, be aware, that what I am about to say, is not for general consumption. In fact, I want you all to keep this STRICTLY to yourselves. For the information, if passed on to the wrong people, might very well start a war. If we are not at war already?" ~War?~ Lise wondered, she'd been so focused with the mining delegation and the health of the crew and other such things, not to mention her settling into the station. She sighed, obviously there was more at stake than she realized. "From the information I have gathered, it is my strong belief that five months ago, a vessel from the Romulan Star Empire has attacked the USS Nimitz and severely damaged it. The reasons for the attack are unknown to me. It could have been a deliberate act by the Romulans or it could be that there was a 'rogue' Romulan Captain who felt he could hit a Federation vessel, destroy it and leave the scene without problems. The fact that at the time the Nimitz was outside Federation territory, does not excuse the attack." Lise nodded, mentally soaking in everything that was being said, and committing to memory every feature of its speaker. "Of course this attack would be enough reason to declare war on the Romulan Empire, but only IF there was proof. And I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that proof is now on its way to Starbase Geneva!" Lise's eyes opened wide. There would be more excitement this week? She sighed she wasn't sure how much more that Geneva could take this week, but they would, they would surely pull their socks up and do what needed to be done. They would be ready. And what guidance they had. She once again, gazed longingly at Aragorn. Her feelings beginning to spill over. "Yes, I believe that the attack failed and that the Nimitz somehow survived. And the Nimitz is now on its way back to Geneva. Although there is a Fleet Admiral out there who is desperately trying to keep a lock on all communications regarding Nimitz and the Romulans, I have been able to gather enough material to substantiate my claim." There was more details about the attack, Lise couldn't help but notice how resourceful Aragorn had been. He was resourceful too! Did his list of talents ever end? She sighed wistfully. "And if I am not badly mistaken, she will arrive within a day or so! Now if she does, I want this Starbase to be ready to assist her with medical treatment, repairs or anything else they might need. BUT there is more!" Lise shook her head, why was it that things were not always as they seemed? Just like Aragorn was not as he seemed, at first he merely seemed to be compassionate, but, now... there was so much more that Lise saw. "As I stated before there is proof of the attack and the perpetrator onboard the Nimitz, no doubt in her computer core. And as long as that information is there, we will have a case. But the case will fall if anything happens to the information onboard the ship. This is the reason why there is no communication about the ship. If the Romulans want to stop this war from happening, and I believe they do intend to do so, they will do their utmost to destroy the evidence. And until the Nimitz has arrived here safely, the best way to do it, is to destroy the ship. No ship, no data, no case." Lise nodded, how logical, how completely understandable. Plain and simple, how brilliant. HE had figured it all out, in spite of the fact that there was little concrete information to go on. It was sheer strategical brilliance. Lise was astounded by it all, and the man who had such brilliance and his list of other talents. Lise simply couldn't fathom it all, he simply was the most perfect man in the galaxy. "If they fail to find the Nimitz, and she makes it to here, then we have a whole new different ballgame. The Romulans could of course attack the Starbase when the Nimitz is here and destroy both, but that will surely have severe repercussions for the RSE. The Klingons, albeit reluctant, will have no option than to declare war upon the RSE as well as the Romulans will not be able to withstand a double assault." "They, of course, know that and that is why I am not that concerned about a direct attack on the base and the Nimitz. But it would be more in line with their nature to have an 'accident' happen to the Nimitz, destroying her computer core and thus destroying all evidence. Now to make sure that such an accident would be sufficient, it would have to be pretty horrendous. And a big scale accident on the Nimitz could have serious consequences for the base." Lise nodded, things were getting more complex by the minute. Much like her feelings for ... Aragorn. She reasoned, she couldn't figure why she felt that way, he was just.. so amazing. She was completely enraptured and enthralled with him. Her eyes and mind hanging on every word that he spoke. "So, ladies and gentlemen, the task ahead of us is clear. We have to cater to the needs of the Nimitz crew, get the ship repaired as quickly as possible, ensure that nobody gets near to the ship who shouldn't be there and keep our eyes peeled for Romulan activity." Lise nodded, she would do her best, she would always do her best... for... Aragorn. There was a slight pause then the SFI agent introduced himself. Lise didn't really pay attention to him, her eyes were wandering to.... Aragorn. Then his eyes darted to the side, and Lise followed his gaze to see... the ADMIRAL?!?! What was she doing there? Lise's mind began to spin as her usually green eyes, seemed a little greener. She flashed a glare at the Admiral. ~So she thinks that she can have him? Ha, he even said that kiss was nothing~ She thought wanting to have the woman removed from the table, but knew that simply because she had more pips than Lise that it wasn't going to happen. There was no way that Lise could compete with her, she was so much more worldly, so much more aged........... "Are you mine, Commander?" Lise heard Aragorn's voice through her voice. She couldn't believe that he was asking such a thing in a public place?! ~Yes, yes, absolutely yes! I am for you!~ She thought as she gave the Admiral a triumphant glare as if to say 'so there, I have won out' But, when Lise looked up, ready to answer the question and profess her undying love for Aragorn, she realised... that he'd been talking to Actun. Instantly Lise's face fell. She couldn't believe it, losing out to the Admiral, that would have been one thing, even though it couldn't be allowed to happen. But ACTUN?!?! Lise couldn't believe her eyes. She had no idea that Aragorn had such tendencies. His poor wife. Not that she was anything great, Lise was sure of. She simply did not deserve a man as great as.... Aragorn. She crossed her arms in a huff, this wasn't possible. Having just the females as competition was one thing, but having to compete with the whole station. That was going to cause problems. There were too many, there was no way that Lise could effectively eliminate them all. She sighed crossly, her mind wandering back to the sound of Aragorn's voice. "You should have been told. AS INDEED SHOULD HAVE I!" ~Darn right, I should have been told~ she thought contemptuously. "I guess that makes us brothers in arms then,.." Lise stopped listening. That was all she needed to hear, she immediately understood, it wasn't that Aragorn was after Actun, it was where he fell in Geneva's organization that he was talking about. Lise sighed. There was still hope.... for.... Aragorn. She glanced at the Admiral her eyes green and envious as if to say 'don't encroach on my territory.' "I tend to get a bet testy when things happen and I've got no control over them. I don't like that feeling, and it upsets me. And take it from me Commander-" Lise focused in straight away, hanging on every word. "Nobody in his right mind would want to upset me. So please keep me informed, and I'll make sure you will get all the support that you need. Oh and by the way Commander. Nobody told me about my predecessor yet, either! But thanks for clearing that one up. Mind you, I wish you hadn't found that out. It's not really a comforting thought." All of a sudden a pain of guilt struck Lise, she'd not been paying attention and some information about Yori had been released. She'd find out later, she reasoned, perhaps, she could even ask... Aragorn. Some more of the staff introduced themselves. Lise watched... Aragorn, instead of the speakers. Already she knew everyone's voices and she knew who was talking, when etcetera, but.. well.... none of them could compare to.... Aragorn. "But anyway, be advised Ensign, that there will be people on board who cannot distinguish between a Starfleet officer with a Romulan features and a Romulan spy. Things might become a bit difficult for you. But please be rest assured that I'll regard you as a most trusted officer until you show me otherwise. As for your vessel, I really would like to have a look at it. I was unaware of this and this surprise might just tip the balance slightly in our favour. However, I would like to see more people becoming familiar with your ship. Can you prepare a guided tour for me, Commander Arianna, Ensign...Wilson, was it? And your boss, of course." Lise heard Aragorn mention her name. She shook her head as her eyes glazed over and became more dreamy looking. "Yes, Sir." Lise managed to answer, barely able to contain the excitement in her voice at simply being near.... Aragorn. "From what has been said, Captain and Commander." Lise heard Walker's voice beginning to speak. She sort of listened to what he was saying, but.. it was Aragorn that held her interest. Already she'd memorized the contours of his face, and his physique. She only wished she was closer. She saw Aragorn's smile and was lost completely in it. "If I can work it out, with only partial information, I think it is quite likely that the Romulans will have worked it out as well. I'm not one to regard the enemy as being stupid, just because they are the enemy. I'm convinced, Lt, that they know. And if they don't *know*, then they will have a pretty good guess. However, KNOWING that they know, is not the same as THEM knowing that we know that they know. They SHOULD know that we know that they know, but I don't know whether they really know it. But then again, we can then safely state that WE know that THEY know that we know that they know what we know, you know? Lise blinked a few times, she wasn't sure if she knew what he knew he was saying. But she was sure that in any event that even if she didn't know what he knew what he was saying about the things that he knew but didn't know, but also that they knew but shouldn't know, that no matter what knowing was occurring, there was one thing certain, the person in command, in control, knew.... and was.... Aragorn. She sighed. "But regardless of that, there are a lot of people on this base who don't know. And who, if they would know, would be pretty upset. If it would be only for them, I agree that we should keep this under wraps. Which was why I stated right at the start, that I do not want this information to leave this room. We will have our work cut out for us, regardless, without having to worry about a panic. Also like I said, I think it is unlikely that there will be a direct attack on the base or the Nimitz. So if we take a covert operation as the most likely mode, the occupants of this base wouldn't have any knowledge of it. And that's the way we should keep it." (Reply Walker) Lise watched as Aragorn surveyed the room. "Any more questions before I want to discuss what we are actually going to DO against this threat?" Lise had a million questions, and had a million threats within the confines of that room, she eyed the Admiral with a competitive glare. Then Ensign Lantsa whose eyes seemed also to be transfixed upon the Captain. Lise certainly had her threats cut out for her. But then a thought occurred to her. If she wasn't able to focus on her task at hand, Aragorn would dispose of her, she simply had to be competent or else she would find herself replaced and then, some other woman would secure Aragorn. Perhaps even that wife of his. Lise thought while shaking her head. She had never met the woman, but... already, she did not like her. She did not like anyone, the Admiral, Ensign Lantsa, whoever was vying after... Aragorn. ~Alright, look intelligent child, we've got to win him over with our charm~ She thought. However no questions came to mind. She understood the threat that he had described. She decided the better course of action would be to sit and listen to the next session, what was going to happen against the threat, and then, she would look intelligent and try to wow him. There was more than one Race going on, the Race for the Romulans and the Nimitz, and... The race for.... Aragorn. (Reply any) (Posted by Katherine Mazurok) **** (Starbase Geneva, Deck 36, Holodeck 5, Kyle McNish, 15:03) The narrow hallway disappeared and the Holo grid were all around him. "Finally! Are you OK?" Brenda McNish hugged his son, obviously needing it more than her son! "MOM!!" Kyle cried out in frustration. "What have you done! It was finally picking up!" Brenda looked at her son sternly. "It took a qualified Holoprogram Engineer twenty minutes to disengage your program, what have you done?" Kyle sighed, first you get a hug, then a scowl. "I did nothing! I tested it before entering, it worked just fine!" Brenda turned toward the Engineer who shrugged. "All I can say that there were subroutines in there to allow events that defied the laws of nature. It created a bubble, a reality inside the reality where anything was possible and you had no control. I have filed a security report that this kind of programming should be disallowed. You could have get yourself killed in there." Kyle looked confused. "But I only allowed for magic to work and no magic happened... yet!" "Magic!" The engineer looked surprised. "Well, it obviously circumvented all the security protocols. You better stay out of the Holodecks young man until we have fixed this." The engineer hesitated. "Ms McNish, you have a talented son. It was a great program really, all you really need to do is to set up rules for the magic. Don't just allow 'anything' to happen, create your spells and define what they can do. That way you will stay in control even if it's a lot of work." Kyle looked at him and back at his mom. "Mom...? Can I?" Brenda hesitated. "This will not happen again?" she asked. The Engineer smiled and shook his head. "No, the security protocols will be updated later today so he *must* change his program or the computer won't run it at all." "All right then, but you tell me next time you run your program, you hear?" she pretended to be harsh against her son but Kyle knew her too well and hugged her. "Thanks mom! I will." "Well, let's go home. Your father will come home tonight so I will fix something special for dinner." "Dad?" Kyle smiled broadly. "I wonder what he has for me this time?" Brenda laughed and ruffled her son's hair as the walked away from the Holodeck. "I'm sure he will be happy to see you too." (Reply None) (Posted by Chris Silver) **** (Starbase Geneva, Conference Room , ACOUNS Ensign Roft, 15:05) The conference was underway. The new Captain of the station had introduced himself to the crew and started discussing more complex matters. When the Captain's speech was over, the crew began to - one by one - introduce themselves to the Captain and to say something of significance about the future of the station. Somewhere between these exchanges, Tap also made himself heard: "Hi, Captain. I'm Ensign Roft. The BRAND NEW counselor of this station. I take it you were a counselor as well, somewhere in your career. You invited crew to ask help from you and me. I don't want you to exclude yourself from that invitation. My door is open to you too. Don't take offense in what I say. I'm merely implying that everyone needs someone to talk to from time to time and I would be glad to help in any way." Having said what he thought would suffice, Tap sat down. He had an expected feeling of embarrassment after being - what felt to him - too forward with the Captain. ~Relax Tap. Aren't you the guy who believes in having everything out there in the open?~ Tap felt like answering his own thoughts with a ~How the heck should I know?~ but instead he just listened to everything else the people had to say. (reply none/any) (posted by Gordon Amp) **** (Starbase Geneva - Conference Lounge - CO - Captain Aragorn - 15:15) "Second, I will start to go through any information the SFI have about Romulan activity in this area. Third, most of you know by know now that the former CO's... condition, is due to an deliberate attack. It may be connected. I'll search for information about the Romulan Intelligence Technology to see if they are able to create a mind control device." Aragorn eyed the Commander warily. Seeing an SFI operative at his staff meeting had at first proved to be a slight wonder. But he had dismissed any peculiarities in his mind by linking the officer with the Admiral. Aragorn inwardly sighed, remembering the shock he felt noticing the Admiral there. ~She must have done it on purpose~ he thought to himself. ~Wearing those non-descriptive clothes. If I'd known that she would be there, I would have been a little more... diplomatic?~ But unfortunately Aragorn hadn't noticed her and only realised who she was half-way through his speech. "Are you mine, Commander?" he asked the Vulcan. But a quick look towards the Admiral showed her shaking her head. "I see," Aragorn sighed. "But at least I take it you realise that we are all in the same predicament? So I have no worry about you playing ball with us and us playing ball with you. You were right, Commander. You should have been told. AS INDEED SHOULD HAVE I!" Aragorn sent a quick glance towards the Admiral, just to make sure she wasn't pointing a phaser rifle at him. He broke into a grin. "I guess that makes us brothers in arms then, Commander. Both of us quite unaware of what our high-and-mighty bosses have come up with in the past five months. It almost makes you wonder. Anyway, I am in a sense relieved to have you on board. With your experience and your contacts we stand a much better chance against any Romulan incursion than before. However, I would suggest you keeping me informed about anything that you find out. You see?" Aragorn's grin grew wider, although he made sure it didn't reach the Pitt proportions yet. "I tend to get a bit testy when things happen and I've got no control over them. I don't like that feeling, and it upsets me. And take it from me, Commander -" Aragorn broke into a jovial grin. "Nobody in his right mind would want to upset me. So please keep me informed, and I'll make sure you will get all the support that you need. Oh, and by the way, Commander. Nobody told me about my predecessor yet, either! But thanks for clearing that one up. Mind you, I wish you hadn't found that out. It's not really a comforting thought." (reply Actun) "Captain, I'm Ensign Rofellian, TAC/ASC. Due to my origin, I can't hide, I'm really concerned about this affair, so I'm standing as volunteer to help the Cmdr in his research, we could use my Scout ship's database." He paused, then added: "Oh, I forgot to mention that fact, the ship was belonging to my dead father, he was a Tal Shiar agent, I've uploaded the database recently with the computer of the RMI agents we had discovered on the Boudicca. I think that ship could be useful too, she is fully operational and she has also a cloaking device who might be helpful. With your permission, of course Sir " he declared, looking at the new CO. “If I may be so bold Captain, Ensign Wilson Conn.” "Oh, be bold, Ensign. Be very bold if you feel that you need to be," Aragorn said with a grin. “Well, Captain, if they need a good Helmsman then you have me if I am needed? Sir.” the Ensign said. "I will definitely keep that in mind, Ensign. But my thoughts on what kind of actions I think we should take, I would like to discuss with you all after we have made sure that we all know what we're dealing with. As for you, Ensign," Aragorn said, turning to the TAC/ASC, "I get the distinct impression that you are Romulan." He smiled. "You remind me of another Romulan I once met. Enarrain Kalpek Doth. She was high-strung, utterly arrogant, but in the end did what was necessary. I remember her fondly. You're not related to her, are you?" (reply Vladek) "But anyway, be advised, Ensign, that there will be people on board who cannot distinguish between a Starfleet officer with Romulan features and a Romulan spy. Things might become a bit difficult for you. But please rest assured that I'll regard you as a most trusted officer until you show me otherwise. As for your vessel, I really would like to have a look at it. I was unaware of this and this surprise might just tip the balance slightly in our favour. However, I would like to see more people becoming familiar with your ship. Can you prepare a guided tour for me, Commander Arianna, Ensign.... Wilson, was it? And your boss, of course." (reply Vladek, Wilson, Arianna) "From what has been said, Captain and Commander." Aragorn looked over to the new speaker and saw it was the Security chief, who continued: "We are going to need to keep this a secret. The Romulans might know that the Nimitz is coming, but we don't need to help them along by making this general information. It will become public soon enough." He sat down again as soon as he had finished. Aragorn grinned. "If I can work it out, with only partial information, I think it is quite likely that the Romulans will have worked it out as well. I'm not one to regard the enemy as being stupid, just because they are the enemy. I'm convinced, Lt, that they know. And if they don't *know*, then they will have a pretty good guess. However, KNOWING that they know, is not the same as THEM knowing that we know that they know. They SHOULD know that we know that they know, but I don't know whether they really know it. But then again, we can then safely state that WE know that THEY know that we know that they know what we know, you know?" "But regardless of that, there are a lot of people on this base who don't know. And who, if they would know, would be pretty upset. If it would be only for them, I agree that we should keep this under wraps. Which was why I stated right at the start, that I do not want this information to leave this room. We will have our work cut out for us, regardlessly, without having to worry about a panic. Also like I said, I think it is unlikely that there will be a direct attack on the base or the Nimitz. So if we take a covert operation as the most likely mode, the occupants of this base wouldn't have any knowledge of it. And that's the way we should keep it." (Reply Walker) Aragorn looked around the room. "Any more questions before I want to discuss what we are actually going to DO against this threat?" he asked. (reply by Anybody mentioned, and Anybody else) (posted by Adrie Geuken) **** (Starbase Geneva - Conference Lounge - SFI Commander Actun - 15:20) Actun informed the new CO about what he intended to do next but the reply surprised him. "Are you mine, Commander?" Actun looked down with a raised eyebrow. ~ Mine to do what? ~ But you didn't answer a Captain with a question. Before he could answer something happened between the CO and the Admiral. Something... "I see," Aragorn sighed. "But at least I take it you realise that we are all in the same predicament? So I have no worry about you playing ball with us and us playing ball with you. You were right, Commander. You should have been told. AS INDEED SHOULD HAVE I!" Actun held his tongue, there was the emotional reaction again that he couldn't read and ANOTHER contact with the Admiral! What was going on here? Harsh words with a smile. "I guess that makes us brothers in arms then, Commander. Both of us quite unaware of what our high-and-mighty bosses have come up with in the past five months. It almost makes you wonder. Anyway, I am in a sense relieved to have you on board. With your experience and your contacts we stand a much better chance against any Romulan incursion than before. However, I would suggest you keeping me informed about anything that you find out. You see?" "I tend to get a bit testy when things happen and I've got no control over them. I don't like that feeling, and it upsets me. And take it from me, Commander -" The smile widened. "Nobody in his right mind would want to upset me. So please keep me informed, and I'll make sure you will get all the support that you need. Oh, and by the way, Commander. Nobody told me about my predecessor yet, either! But thanks for clearing that one up. Mind you, I wish you hadn't found that out. It's not really a comforting thought." A broad grin now. As SFI, Actun's loyalties were to Starfleet and his boss Admiral Greeley. But he lived on Geneva and he knew most of the crew personally. It was a matter of trust... but in the end it was his experiences with SFI Lt. Commander Joshua White that made Actun reach a decision there and now. Logic gave him no option, there was only one way to go. ~ Are you mine? ~ "Yes Captain." Actun said simply and sat. They would talk later, this was not the time and place. Three and a half-hour after finding the sphere and the CO didn't know? How was THAT possible? (Reply Any, None) (Posted by Chris Silver around Adrie Geuken's post) **** To be able to learn from mistakes, One first has to make them. And boy, can I learn! Captain Aragorn, CO Geneva Station AKA Adrie Geuken (adrie@geuken.freeserve.co.uk)