~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Interludes and Examinations Stardate: 2406.11.07 - 15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List of Headers: (Runabout Carraway, Ensign Caleb Talda - 10.40) (Runabout Carraway, Ensign Caleb Talda - 12.12) (USS Boudicca - CSO's Office, Ensign Caleb Talda - 13.25) (Relva II - observation Deck - Ensign Stevens - 1800) (USS Boudicca, Captain’s Ready Room, Ensign Caleb Talda – 1339) (USS Boudicca, Captain's Ready Room, Ensign Caleb Talda - 1339) (USS Boudicca , Bridge, Ensign Caleb Talda – 1551) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 1835) (USS Boudicca - Ten-Forward - Capt Sevant & Major Drizzt & Senior-Chief Melody Haverstaad - 2240) (USS Boudicca, Ten-Forward, MCO, Major Straton, 2243) (USS Boudicca, Personal Quarters, Lt Cmdr Trevan West, 2244) (USS Boudicca, Ten FOrward, Lt Cmdr Trevan West, 2250) (USS Boudicca - Ten-Forward- Leaning on bar – CEO/2O John Fredericks – 22:50) (USS Boudicca - Ten-Forward - Capt Sevant, MXO 'Spider' Drizzt & Senior Chief Melody Haverstaad - 2256) (USS Boudicca - ACMO Quaters - Dr Farley - 2357) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - Capt Sevant - 0001) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - Dr Farley - 0002) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - Capt Sevant - 0002) (USS Boudicca - Officers Quarters, Outside Farley's Quarters - Capt Sevant - 0008) (USS Boudicca - Captains Quarters - Capt Sevant - 0140) (Dreamscape, USS Drestier - Marine Staging Center, Transporters - 3rd Lieutenant 'Spider' Drizzt - Long Ago, 0420) (USS Boudicca - 'Officers Country', Personal Quarters - Major Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0430) (USS Boudicca, Personal Quarters, Lt Cmdr Trevan West, 0700) (Starbase Geneva - Temporary Medical Quarters - Lt (sg) Aleksander Stolev - 1625) (Runabout Euphrates - TAC/ASC Lt (sg) Aleksander Stolev - 1755) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - TAC/ASC Stolev - 1800) (USS Boudicca - Personal Quarters - TAC/ASC Stolev - 1810) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/ASC Stolev - 0759) (USS Boudicca - Bridge, Ready Room - Capt Sevant - 0800) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Start of Compile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Interludes and Examinations Stardate: 2406.11.07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (Runabout Carraway, Ensign Caleb Talda - 10.40) ==================================== Butterflies danced wildly in his stomach as Caleb stood in line to board the runabout. After a few hours' layover at Starbase Geneva, his orders had come in - he was to join the science staff of the USS Boudicca. To say that he was excited would be like saying that Klingons were tempermental; four years' worth of hard work were about to pay off. He was grinning like the proverbial village idiot, and one small portion of his brain was acutely aware of how ridiculous he probably looked, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. Soon enough, the call to board came, and he moved aboard. Two duffels carried all the possesions he called his own; a few changes of civilian clothes, two uniforms, toiletries, and a very few sentimental items were the sum of them - life at the Academy had taught him to travel light. He boarded the small starcraft and looked for a place to sit. The rest of the passengers had the same ultimate goal as he - to be replacement crew for the Boudicca. However, this is where the similarities apparently ended - the vast majority of the other passengers were either marines or security personnel. The only teal he saw in the entire room was on a enlisted woman with all the nearby seats already taken. The seats near the back were full of marines, and no one had to tell Caleb that he was likely less than welcome among the enlisted warriors. Being from Risa, a popular vacation spot for both branches of the service, Caleb had the opportunity to meet quite a few military personnel while still a civilian himself. The marines had a saying regarding junior officers - "The only rank lower than private is 2nd lieutenant". Being as his own rank was the equivalent of a marine 2nd looey, he could only surmise that he would be regarded as that much lesser, being as he was Fleet as well as a green ensign. Frowning slightly, Caleb made his way to the front of the craft, then brightened as he spotted an open seat beside a friendly face from the Academy - Jak D'tar, an engineering cadet that Talda had enjoyed the opportunity to share more than one beverage with after many an exam. "Jak! This seat taken?" "Caleb! Not at all. Congratulations, man! You posted to the Boudicca, too?" the Bolian ensign asked. Ensign Talda nodded in affirmation. "Looks like. Congratulations to you, too. Have you had a chance to look at the roster yet?" D'tar shook his head. "No, but the word at Geneva was that the captain has a bit of a... reputation." Caleb arched an eyebrow. "Reputation? How so?" Jak shrugged slightly. "I'm not sure, really. They say he's seena fair bit of combat, and that Romulans killed his family. Of course, it could all be rumor." Caleb grinned. "Like it matters, anyway. We'll be lucky if the captain even hears our names - much less learns them - within six months. Graveyard shift, here we come!" Jak chuckled, and Caleb opened his PADD and looked over the Boudicca's roster. ~Interesting. Lots of 'acting' department heads. I wonder why? Ah, well.~ ==================================== (Runabout Carraway, Ensign Caleb Talda - 12.12) ==================================== Ensign Talda's first impression of the Boudicca was something less than rapt adoration. ~God, she's ugly!~ He thought to himself. ~Like an overgrown albino warbird.~ Indeed, a term from Terran zoology - 'albatross' - lept, unbidden, to mind. Still, she was certainly a beautiful site in other ways; the Boudicca would be his first posting as a Starfleet officer, and Caleb wouldn't be picky over exterior looks. This albatross would take him to places he couldn't even imagine. No, she would do just fine, and then some. Once they were docked, Caleb made his way onto the Boudicca herself and waited his turn with the quartermaster. By the time the ensign's turn came, the man's day had obviously gone downhill a bit; with a glance at the scematics, he hastily assigned Caleb a cabin on deck nine. ~Okay, time to drop off my stuff, then report to Doctor Munroe.~ Talda knew well enough that there was no need to report to anyone higher than his department head; the command staff surely had enough to do without being bothered by every warm body that boarded the ship. On his way to the turbolift, Caleb wondered idly what sort of assignment he would receive. ~Please don't let it be in some godforsaken botany lab.~ The thought of essentially tending vegetables for the next few years certainly lacked appeal. With any luck, he might occasionally have some interactions with the ships's senior staff. ~Yeah, and with any luck, you'll be first officer next week. Relax, boyo. One step at a time.~ Upon reaching his asigned cabin, Ensign Talda was not at all surprised to find that he would be sharing a room with another ensign. Naturally, such was to be expected; it wouldn't be that different from the Academy. ~Too bad I didn't pull Jak for a roomie.~ Ah, well. At least his currently absent roomate was apparently clean. His bags stowed, though still unpacked, Talda decided it was high time to report. "Computer, pleae give the location of Doctor Munroe." =/\=Doctor Munroe is currently located in the Chief Science Officer's office, deck six.=/\= The universally recognized electronic voice replied. As the corridor hatch hissed open, Caleb idly wondered if they had used a real person's voice as a basis for it, of if it had been synthesized from the beginning. ==================================== (CSO's Office, Ensign Caleb Talda - 13.25) ==================================== Hoping to make a good first impression, Caleb combed an errant brown lock back into place with his fingers and smoothed a wrinkle on his shirt. As protocol demanded, he hailed the office and waited until the feminine voice inside bid him to enter. As he stepped into the office, Talda found the doctor seated at her desk, apparently busy with something or other. Snapping to attention, Ensign Talda presented himslef. "Lieutenant... er... doctor Mnroe.... Ensign Caleb Talda, reporting for duty, sir." ~Great job, boyo. Butcher her title, why don't you?~ ==================================== (Relva II - observation Deck - Ensign Stevens  1800) ==================================== Ensign Stevens stood staring out the window of Relva II a picture of the base Admiral Chang hung on the wall next to the large picture window. Stevens stood watching the Cadets come and go from the facility watching them learn to pilot shuttle craft, watching them march in formations. Stevens found himself reliving his own cadet time here felt as though he should still be going through training and reporting in here instead of reporting to the fleet. Stevens looked up and down the great hall staring up at the ceiling at the large replicas of the great ships of the fleet. Mainly they were those of the Enterprise and its many evolutions. But there were others there as well the Defiant that was stationed out of Deep space 9, The Repulse, The Reliant, even the Stargazer hung as if they were shrunk and locked in time and space. Pictures from Captain after Captain of these great ships lined the halls names on places of those that died in service or in training here at the school. Stevens found it an interesting pick up place considered for a moment and thought it could be nothing more then a coincidence and not anything like his father would do too have him remember that he is still green despite his age, and interesting reminder even if that was not the case from his new Captain and ship. As he headed for the recreation deck for a drink Ensign Stevens noticed a familiar form and uniform approaching him, Stevens immediately came to a halt stood at ramrod attention and saluted the Major. Major Stevens of the Starfleet Marines only now he was no longer a Major he was a Colonel a Lt. Colonel. Sir its agreeable to see you again, the Colonel Saluted back and said the same. Get you a drink Ensign? Stevens paused for a moment and remembered his first morning reporting in a drunken stupor because his Father the Col. Did not drink Synthohol and left him at the door passed out of the Admiral of the academy. Still counting his blessings his father had called that one in and that they did not hammer him for that. Oh no Col. I think I will pass on the drink but I would be glad to sit and talk a few before my Ship arrives. Stevens replied not used to is new rank his or his fathers. The continued the walk when his father received a priority comm. from 1st div. HQ on a private channel. Guess that drink you will just owe me kidby the way mom sends her love. Ensign Stevens looked on as his father quickly walked to the nearest private office to take the call. In the mean time Stevens was notified that a shuttle craft from the USS Boudicca had just arrived and was ready to take him aboard. It seems that was always the case when ever there was something new and exciting he wanted to share with his father he either did not have time or had received something that over shadowed his own news. As he boarded the shuttle craft he looked around and noticed there was no one on board he looked around a sec and then hailed the ship. =/\= Shuttle Craft to Boudicca Ensign Stevens here. Requesting orders =/\= (Reply Any) Sitting aboard the shuttle craft Ensign Stevens looked ahead as the USS Boudicca loomed larger and larger as he vectored in on the hanger bay. Nerves were a flutter his stomach felt as if he was in a zero-G enviroment and could not get it to stop bouncing around. =/\= Shuttle Craft to the USS Boudicca, Ensign Stevens requesting permission to come aboard =/\= His hands shook from to much caffine but the flight from Relva offered very little in the way of comfort and space to spread out and get comfortable. ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Captain’s Ready Room, Ensign Caleb Talda – 1339) ==================================== ~Reporting to the captain… Jak wouldn’t believe me if I told him.~ Despite his best efforts, Caleb found the grin hard to lose. Once the captain bade him to enter, Talda snapped into an attention and saluted. “Ensign Caleb Talda reporting for duty, sir!” ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Captain's Ready Room, Ensign Caleb Talda - 1339) ==================================== "Ensign Caleb Talda reporting for duty, sir!" Sevant looked at the new Ensign and pointed to a seat. "Welcome aboard, Ensign." He said. "One moment." The Captain looked at the new Ensign for a few moments, then turned to his screen and began a quick search. Sure enough, there were orders present. ~Yet another one, interesting.~ He looked up again, "Your department head is Lieutenant Munroe, you will report to her immediately." (reply: Talda) NRPG: Sevant doesn't know, by this point, that you've reported to her already. I'm going to make the assumption that something along those lines is said. RPG: Sevant quirked an eyebrow, "You have, indeed." He said as he leaned back in the chair. "Very well Ensign, see about your duties. Dismissed." ==================================== (USS Boudicca , Bridge, Ensign Caleb Talda – 1551) ==================================== It was a moment that Caleb would remember for the rest of his life – the first time he ever set foot on a starship’s bridge. He tried not to gape, but found it to be impossible. The scene on the viewscreen gave him chills, and Caleb knew immediately that this was home. Unsure of how formal the Boudicca was in regards to bridge protocol, Caleb elected to be safe. “Ensign Talda reporting for duty,” he stated to any who cared. (reply any) Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over him. Where was the science station on this ship? After a few moments’ worth of panic, he located it, and began to make his way there. “Computer, give me a level four diagnostic on all sensor arrays.” Just to make sure that everything was working before the shift began… Of course, everything came back nominal. That out of the way, Talda began going over the various sensor reports, looking to see what there might be to see. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 1835) ==================================== =/\= Shuttle Craft to the USS Boudicca, Ensign Stevens requesting permission to come aboard =/\= Sevant folded his hands together, "Direct him to shuttle-bay one, and have him sent to my ready room to report." (reply: Ops, Conn) Sevant stood and began walking to his ready room, "Operations has the bridge." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ten-Forward - Capt Sevant & Major Drizzt & Senior-Chief Melody Haverstaad - 2240) ==================================== Sevant, leaning back in his chair off in a corner lounging area without tables, took another sip of his Vulcan drink and let the bitter brew run down his throat. After a few seconds he cupped the mug in both hands and looked around. Though it was not normally his choice of recreation, preferring solitude to groups of people, he had felt the desire to simply hear other voices tonight. Thus, he had come to the one area guaranteed to have people, even at this hour. Besides, this was the crew he didn't often see much of unless there was an emergency situation. A good portion of the people around him were gamma-shift personnel, come to eat breakfast or meet with friends on other shifts. The night wasn't subdued, but it wasn't a flowing party either. It was just thirty men and women, enjoying a meal or some conversation. Something Sevant could appreciate, even if he didn't wish to partake himself. He looked out the window, watching the stars crawl by in their continued patrol. They hadn't so much as found a hair out of place thus far, it seemed the reports of cloaked ships could be chalked off to imagination. They would maintain their position for thirty more days, crisscrossing the accepted border of their new space, until a new ship came to relieve them. Until then, it was a peaceful time with only a undercurrent of worry. The Boudicca was still a warship; they were out here on the fringe to do battle if necessary. Such knowledge never made for a perfectly happy ship. A shadow appeared over the window, and a slightly pitched voice said, "Lovely, aren't they?" Sevant turned his head and looked up, a blue-skinned Andorian with a Marine's uniform was looking out the window, standing in front of him. There was only one Andorian on the ship within the Marine Corps, Sevant nodded briefly and turned back to face the window. "They are indeed, Mr. Drizzt." "Oooh, and you even got my name right." The Andorian chuckled as he took a lounger across from the Captain. Sevant looked back with a quirked eyebrow, catching the Andorian in the act of taking a drink from his rather tall mug. Sevant had pronounced the name as his personnel file had said, 'Mr. Drist'. The Marine offered up the mug in salute before cradling it in his hands. "You wouldn't believe how many got it wrong, part of the reason I was blessed with the nickname I have... it's easy to pronounce." Sevant quirked his head again and thought back to the personnel records. Having never really had much of a talk with the Marine XO, that was about all he had to rely on. Drizzt interpreted his expression a few moments later, "Spider, Sir." "You don't much look like an Arachnid, Mr. Drizzt." The Marine chuckled, "Humans have many strange customs, and naming me Spider was one of em." The Vulcan inclined his head at that. Though he was half human, and had spent the last several years living among them... and several years living with one... he had been raised on Vulcan primarily by a Vulcan father. Many of the customs of his mother's people were odd to him. Vicki had managed to explain a great deal of them, but some things even she hadn't been able to explain. Sevant took another sip of his drink and let the silence last for a few moments. Finally, he took a breath, "I never got a chance to personally thank you, earlier." The Captain said, and continued at the Marine's odd glance. "You preformed most adequately with the DDZ." Spider grunted, "Would that it had never happened in the first place." He said after a few moments of his own. "It was my job, nothing more." The Captain nodded his head at that, he could appreciate the attitude, he had the same. "Even so," He said after a few moments. "It deserves a medal, and will get one once this is all over." He gestured around, "Until this action is over, I couldn't explain it adequately enough to justify it. There are more spies about, of that I'm sure. The more time that passes before certain parties realize their agent is gone, the better." The MXO lifted his glass in salute, and took another drink. The silence lasted a couple more minutes this time, before Sevant said, "So, what keeps you here this late?" Drizzt sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. "We just finished a departmental meeting." He smiled at Sevant's look over his shoulder, "Informal, I assure you." He continued. "With the hard-core training of the Company out of the way, I made a bet with certain squads that they couldn't name fifteen of the Security crew's mother's maiden names within a week... without looking at personnel files." The Andorian smiled to himself and took another deep drink of the concoction he had been sipping on. "So far, four have managed to succeed. I owed em a drink." Sevant quirked an eyebrow, "Mother's Maiden name?" he asked. "To... promote inter-departmental contact?" The Marine nodded. "We have to work together, us and Security. I've always believed that informal contact leads to far more comfort then the cold lights of a training holodeck... although that helps too. And asking someone their mothers maiden name isn't something you just come out and ask... most times." "Commendable." Sevant finally said. He had worked as a Security Chief with Marines. Having close contact with the other department usually helped when things got tight. It had served him well, in fact, on several occasions. "Just so," Drizzt said, seemingly following Sevant's own line of thought. "And so much the better. Id rather have our departments comfortable now then later, for who knows what the future will bring?" He finished off his drink and stood, "Anyway, Captain, it has been a pleasure." Sevant nodded, "Be well, Mr. Drizzt." He watched the Marine step in between a Marine and security guard at the bar to drop off his mug, and then he slapped the back of both and laughed at someone one of them said. Sevant, who could have listened in if he chose, turned his head back to the stars and let the Major have his fun for the night. He finished his own drink and put it aside, letting the bit of alcohol run through his system. He had just crossed his arms when yet another shadow fell across him and the window. This time, before he had a chance to turn his head, someone sat down on the seat next to him with a very feminine sigh. The Captain looked over, and had several strands of blonde hair fly into his face as his visitor shook her head. Sevant pulled away a bit, mostly to avoid the hair, and frowned. The woman, who took the time to pull her hair behind her back, looked over and chuckled. "Major Drizzt said you could use some company." The woman said. Sevant recognized her well enough, there was only one Security Senior Chief on board, she had put more years into Starfleet then he had. Still... "Indeed." He said, dryly. She chuckled again, and it was then he noticed she held two glasses rather the one. She noticed his gaze too, and offered one of them up. "Doctor's orders, from one old warhorse to another." The Captain quirked an eyebrow, but took the glass. She put her own glass up after a few moments, "To all those who weren't so lucky." She said. From the look on her face, she wasn't talking about anything as deep as death... so Sevant took it lightly and nodded his head, before taking a tentative sip of... whatever it was... that she had given him. The liquid went down easy enough; it wasn't until it was already in his gut that it burst like a balloon. He took a breath; the stuff certainly cleared the sinuses! Melody Haverstaad, who appeared to have the same drink, smiled as she swallowed and chuckled. "Ah, good stuff." She kicked back, not moving from her place though she had to realize that rubbing shoulders with a Vulcan was not usually a good thing. He kept his metal shields strong as she sat back and crossed her legs. She had 'informal' down to an art, that much was obvious. Sevant took another drink, and found himself surrounded by even more Security officers and crewman, and not a few Marines. He looked over at Melody, ruefully, but the woman just smiled back angelically. Right. ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Ten-Forward, MCO, Major Straton, 2243) ==================================== Eva walked into Ten-Forward and looked around the still crowded room. Her long red hair was flowing loosely down around her shoulders, and she was wearing a tight fighting tank top and shorts. She was off duty, and being Betazied, modesty had a whole different meaning to her. She strode confidently into the room, ignoring the looks she got from many in the room. She headed up to the bar and ordered a strong drink. "Adnorian Ale," She said, taking a moment to look around the room. She noticed Spider and many other marines off in one corner with some security personnel. All gathered around a table. Grabbing her drink, she headed over. The crowd seemed to split at her approach and she walked to the middle of the crowd. She looked at Spider, Chief Haverstaad, and Sevant. One corner of her mouth curled up ward slightly. She took a seat opposite Sevant and Haverstaad. "Captain," She said, "Good to see you here." She lifted her glass to Sevant, Spider, and Haverstaad before taking a gulp of her drink. She looked around at the gathered crowd. "Lose another bet, Leonal?" She asked looking toward Spider taking another drink from her glass. ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Personal Quarters, Lt Cmdr Trevan West, 2244) ==================================== Trevan had just finished some update reports for the new CEO and transmitted them, he stretched out in his easy chair, looked up at the stars outside the window. He took a big breath in and sighed, "Computer, locate Melody Haverstadd." The computer replied that she was in Ten Forward. "Hmm," he said to himself.... ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Ten FOrward, Lt Cmdr Trevan West, 2250) ==================================== The doors to Ten Forward opened up and revealed what appeared to be most of the senior staff enjoying a well deserved break. He noticed that several eyes followed him as he walked towards the bar area. ~Must be the new position~ he thought, "Bartender may I have an Ale with Bolian Tonic Water please?" The bartender gave him his order and Trevan leaned against the bar taking in the sight of his crew enjoying themselves. He noticed Melody having a conversation with several people and decided to join them. "Melody, care to join me for a drink?" he said and turned his head to the others, "Sorry, I'll just be a moment." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ten-Forward- Leaning on bar – CEO/2O John Fredericks – 22:50) ==================================== John had just about finished up the paperwork for the day as well as reorganizing the office to suit his taste. He had a few things to move in and a few more to have replicated but he could now find the stuff he needed. Checking the chrono on the wall he noticed that it was late, much later than he thought it was. ~I also need to check with West and find out what the other half of my new job will be entailing~ “Computer, send note to LT Commander West, I would like to schedule a meeting with you when it is convenient to cover the 2O part of my new post. Complements. Fredericks “. Send as normal priority. =/\= MESSAGE WILL BE DELIVERED TO LT COMMANDER WEST. NORMAL PRIORITY=/\= replied the voice of the computer. “Now”, John said out loud, “I think it’s time for a drink to wind down the day”. Then turning, he left his office and headed to the nearest turbo lift “Deck 10” he called out to the lift. As the lift began rising through the ship John briefly heard random thoughts from surrounding crewmen. ~This is getting annoying~ he thought to himself, wishing and not for the first time that he had an on/off switch for his new found abilities. ~I need to schedule some time with Domini and get a handle on it before it drives me nuts~. The lift stopped at Deck 10 and John stepped off and headed for Ten Forward. The doors hissed open and he headed over to the bar and ordered a Betazed BLAST. Taking a long pull from the tall slender glass he relished the taste of the cool drink and waited for the sudden fire that would follow, he wasn’t disappointed. He had tasted stronger drinks but not many that changed taste and temperatures the way the BLAST did. As the fire cooled down he turned and saw the Captain, MXO “Spider and Melody Haverstaad. Melody and the Captain he knew but “Spider” he only knew from the investigation involving the missing Phasers from the Marines armory. He nodded in their direction as he leaned back on the bar. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ten-Forward - Capt Sevant, MXO 'Spider' Drizzt & Senior Chief Melody Haverstaad - 2256) ==================================== The Captain looked at his half-finished drink and licked his lips. The taste was starting to grow on him, and that almost worried him, this was not something he planned on doing often. Already his quiet night in Ten-Forward, merely observing; was being turned into a circus. "Captain," the MCO said after she slid down into a chair across from him. He looked up in time to catch her smile. "Good to see you here." Sevant silently sighed and lifted his glass in salute as she did the same. Now all he needed was his senior security staff here, perhaps the new CEO, and it would be a Tactical Party... seeing as Sevant was once a Security Chief himself. "Lose another bet, Leonal?" The Andorian snorted, "Show of hands people, who bought me a drink tonight?" Quietly, with not a few sheepish faces, just under a dozen people raised their hands or glasses. "Alright," The Andorian said, "For how many people did I buy drinks?" Two VERY proud individuals cheered, very enthusiastically. Spider's expression would have matched that of a cat bathing in cream, "I rest my case." He said, just before taking a drink. (reply: MCO) Sevant shook his head and took another careful sip of the drink Haverstaad had brought him. He turned it slightly in his hand, considering it. "Chief, just what is this?" he asked, turning his head. "Berry Surprise." She purred. There was no other adjective for her tone, she seemed immensely satisfied for some reason. The Captain quirked an eyebrow, Melody just smiled in return. He looked back at the drink, "Interesting." He muttered. He was about to ask another question when someone else joined their little cadre. He looked up and noticed it was Commander West. "Melody, care to join me for a drink?" he said and turned his head to the others, "Sorry, I'll just be a moment." Sevant waved off, it was fine with him. Melody, however, had other ideas. "Yes, I do care, you join me!" she exclaimed as she grabbed his arm and pulled him down with a sharp tug. The end result, he ended up on the couch/seat, sitting sorta on his side, with his face pressed up against her shoulder. The Captain quirked an eyebrow, but resolved to say nothing as she gave him a pat on the shoulder and helped him straighten up a bit. She brought up her glass a moment later, "To the new First Officer!" The Vulcan winced ever so slightly as a dozen enthusiastic calls "HEY!" or "YEAH!" or "TO COMMANDER WEST!" filled the room. And it was quickly picked up by more then just the group around him, everyone from Ten Forward quickly joined in. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - ACMO Quaters - Dr Farley - 2357) ==================================== Ellen was siting at her table eating her dinner when there was a knock at the door, she went over to it and opend it, in rished a very ancious crewman Clarke the door closed and Ellen said "Nat, is there somthing wrong with the door bell?" Natalie replied "no, i just felt like hitting your door" Natalie proceded to hand over a padd to Ellen, ellen asked "what is it?" nat replied "its from you mother and allan" Commander smith?" said ellen "yes" answord nat, Ellen read the letter with a frown on her face, then a few seconds later she had a mahoosive cheesie grin on her face, Nat asked "What?what!" ellenn said, they've severd my daddy from the collectave, when i next can they want me to go and visit" Nat said "thats exelent, well im going to go now, im not even supposed to be here, byee byeee ellen" she turned and walked out "I might finaly stop having the dreams now" said ellen ~i need to arange this now~ =/\=Farley to Sevent, Could i talk to you in privit somtime please captain?=/\= ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Interludes and Examinations Stardate: 2406.11.08 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - Capt Sevant - 0001) ==================================== =/\=Farley to Sevant, Could I talk to you in private sometime please captain?=/\= Sevant looked at the group of people still around in Ten Forward. For some reason, it had turned into an impromptu party, people were still being called in, and things were starting to get a bit too noisy for Sevant's taste. He waited a few moments as he stood up and walked away from the mass of people. "If you wish, Doctor." The Captain said once he had cleared a bit of the noise. "When and where would suit you?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - Dr Farley - 0002) ==================================== He waited a few moments as he stood up and walked away from the mass of people. "If you wish, Doctor." The Captain said once he had cleared a bit of the noise. "When and where would suit you?" "If it’s not too much trouble sir, could it be now, in my quarters? its something very important to me" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - Capt Sevant - 0002) ==================================== =^=If it's not too much trouble sir, could it be now, in my quarters? its something very important to me=^= Sevant quirked an eyebrow at that, it wasn't exactly in his nature to go visit the quarters of junior officers. He took a moment, and then mentally shrugged. "Very well, I will be there in five minutes, Doctor." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Officers Quarters, Outside Farley's Quarters - Capt Sevant - 0008) ==================================== Sevant looked at the door for a moment, and then tapped the enunciator. "It's Captain Sevant, Doctor." He said for her benefit. ==================================== (Boudicca - Captains Quarters - Capt Sevant - 0140) ==================================== ~I have lost friends, lost my family, my friends, my wife, my children; to that greatest of mysteries and the irrevocable state called death. ~I have known grief intimately, for almost every day of my life. I have experienced enough for a lifetime, though I've not even lived half of my mortal years. It is a strange set of emotions, grief and loss, their focus ever shifting from place to place, from face to face. Do I grieve for Vicki, for my children, for other friends and family now long gone? Or do I grieve for myself, for the loss I must forever endure in silence? It is perhaps the most basic question of existence, and yet it is one for which there can never be an answer... unless the answer is one of faith, with no tangible backing, no proof that can be offered up to an alter of wisdom and understanding. ~I am sad still when I think of the sparing games against my Klingon mentor, when I remember the dolphins and my daughters smiling faces highlighted by a tropical sun; and when those memories of Victoria, most intense of all, flash through my mind like a vision of the last several years of my life. I remember clearly a day on the Boudicca, sitting and talking with a young Ensign in Ten-Forward and having a marvelous time without the effort of most of my prior relationships. That was the moment when Victoria and I truly became friends, the moment when we came to learn that, for all the other uncertainties of both our lives; we would have each other always. Love had sprung naturally from such an auspicious beginning, an eternal and mystic bond of affection that not even death has managed to break. ~I remember the dungeon beneath Medial IV, the Romulans and their harsh cruelty, and later the deathly embrace of the Nexus. And how, without my eternally resourceful wife at my side, I would have perished in either of those situations. I remember, too, sharing the victories of past encounters with my friends and shipmates so that the healing of mind and body could begin for us all, our bond of trust and friendship frightening-close, but never uncomfortable. Strange, for a Vulcan, but none-the-less true. ~I was not there when Vicki and the children fell to an assassin's blade, could not lend them the support and love they certainly would have lent me. I could not be their shield-wall, as they had so often been to me during the troubles which haunted me deeply. ~I could not say 'I love you all, goodbye!' ~That failure continues to weigh heavily upon my soul, though I don't see what could have been done differently. The bond of affection we hold was strained that day against all logic, against all my previous experience, nearly snapping my mind in the process. The niceties of society, the morals I had lived under my whole life, nearly vanished in one well thought-out act of cold-blooded terror. The joyous sounds that my heart resounded too nearly died as terrible a death at the hands of a murderer, as my family did. My recovery has been slow; even now I do not consider myself healed. The constant 'what-ifs' intrude in my daily life, the vision of what life could have been tug at my soul in a never-ending dance. ~When I die, will I be alone? If not for the foul circumstance of battle, or the ravages of disease, I will surely outlive most of my companions and crewmates. My Vulcan blood proves the stronger, no human, betazoid or Andorian could ever hope to achieve my expected life-span. At this time in my life, I do firmly believe that no matter who else is beside me, if not for the memory of those who have gone before and will yet be taken from me, I Would indeed die alone. ~These thoughts are not so dark. I have said farewell to Vicki a thousand times. I had said it every time I let her know how dear she was to me, every time my words or actions affirmed our love. I continue to do so to those still living, though it may not appear as such to those who don't know me or understand my meaning. 'Farewell' is said by the living, in life, every day. It is a said with love and friendship, with the affirmation that the memories are lasting even if the flesh is not. Against the ravages of the times, what force could possibly stand against such understanding? ~My Wife and children have found another place, another life. I have to believe that, else what is the point of existence? What reason would I have to remember them, if nothing but dust have they become? What meaning would my life have, if faded their souls have become? In another plane, another existence, as well as in my living memory... their lives shall continue on unblemished, along with the lives of all those that have gone before them, and those yet to follow. Many more shall join them in this terrible war we have engaged upon, there will be more loss before the end has come upon us. Yet, none shall be lost as long as memory keeps. My grief is for me, a loss I know I will feel to the end of my days, regardless of how many years have passed. But within that loss is a serenity, a quiet and divine calm, a small candle burning brightly against the darkness and desolation of despair. I believe it better to have known Vicki, and Jayne and T'Loren, My father and mother and all my friends; and share those very events that now fuel my grief, then never to have walked beside then, fought beside them, loved them. What would the point of life have been, if not to have laughed along with friends, if not to share all of life's joys and pains at the side of the woman I love; if not to look at the world through my children's innocent blue eyes. ~When I die... may there be friends who will grieve for me, who will carry our shared joys and pains, who will carry and share my memory from now until their own dying day. ~This is the immortality of the spirit, the ever-lingering legacy, and the very fuel of grief. While those who have gone live in my memory, so they shall live forever. ~And, so too, shall I live forever.~ Sevant, at peace for the first time in many months, closed his eyes with an unconscious smile touching at the edge of his mouth as he fell into sleep. ==================================== (Dreamscape, USS Drestier - Marine Staging Center, Transporters - 3rd Lieutenant 'Spider' Drizzt - Long Ago, 0420) ==================================== The Andorian nervously tugged as his knife, making sure it was secure in it's sheath, as one of the senior Sergeants beside him chuckled. Leonal looked over at the man, his serene face covering a bit of jumpiness. He was an Andorian, his was a warrior race, but this mission wasn't going to be the average bit of combat. The sergeant looked back genially. Rank was far less of an issue within a Combat Engineering squad, experience and skills were more highly sought. Though Spider could order this Sergeant around, if he so choose, as a Fresh Marine himself he might as well paint himself orange and go stalking into a combat zone naked. The Sergeant had at least ten years on him, he knew a lot more, therefore he was someone to watch and learn. That didn't mean he had to take gruff, however. "Something funny, Sergeant?" he asked, sweetly. "Course not Sir," Johan answered with a smile. "Just enjoying your case of nerves." Spider grunted, but his response was quickly silence as the CCE stepped up. "=/=Alright, Backbreakers.=\= he growled. =/=This is the beef.=\= He crossed his arms, =/=They can only uncloak for just long enough for us to beam aboard, then they have to bug out and avoid the heat. We'll have exactly fifteen minutes, after which, we get left behind and they bug out complete. We play this by the book, go in hot and heavy, this is what we train to do.=\= Spider gripped his scatter-gun, now split between adrenaline-fueled excitement and fear. What they trained to do, sure... get onto a captured Starfleet ship and blow the wench to pieces before the Xenolithe could take it and learn more weaknesses from it. All while in the middle of a heavy invasion, with no serious backup, and the assembled battle-fleet a good ten hours away at high warp (though they were getting closer). Yup, that was their job, they were CE's. =/=One change in plan,=\= the CCE continued. =/=Spider's got the fusion reactors.=\= The Andorian gave a wry grin, being singled out as the single most flexible person (in or out of BDU armor) had its advantages. Of course, he was going to spend half his time aboard in tight places without the chance to defend himself. It also had its disadvantages. =/=One minute for the Padre,=\= The CCE announced as he stepped onto the Pad. A couple men stepped to the front to talk with one of the religious counselors on board the ship. Drizzt didn't know what religion they were, but on board the Drestier, one size fit all. They were given a thirty second version of last-rites, and then took their places on the PAD again. =/=Twenty seconds.=\= Spider snapped up his weapon, its compressor whined for a second as it charged the pre-fire chambers, and then it was ready to deal death on a mass-scale. The team would be beamed in in three parts. Two of the teams to main engineering, one near the control panels to set manual detonation and serve as cover. One to the core, to place explosives just in case. And the third, hardly a team with just two members, would beam directly outside the primary fusion reactor. That was Drizzt at Sergeant Johann; the Sergeant he had replaced would take Spiders previous place on the cover team. He was just musing on the honor being done him when the ships lights suddenly brightened, and the beam gripped him. And then, he had no time to think at all. The beamed right in front of primary reactor control. On a Galaxy Class Vessel, which their target the USS Pinochet was, this was also the sight of the single largest always-active reactor. It would blow with a cool 7th of the total power a Warp Core breach would release. More then enough to utterly destroy the ship, if all other methods became unusable. Spider wasted no time; he slammed a control device onto the door and tapped in over-ride commands as the now-serious Sear gent Johann radioed in that both of them had made it safely. Once the command codes had been entered, the door locks disengaged, and Spider used the strength of the BDU to force the doors open with ease. He had just stepped inside when he stopped cold. There were a number of bodies here; each had been ripped into pieces, as the Xenolithe were like to do when they were in a rage. His gaze hardened and he let go of his scatter-gun. He stepped to the side quickly, avoiding the bodies where he could, and popped the hatch that lead to the control-rods of the main reactor. Sergeant Johan, in the mean time, would over-ride the emergency settings and set the reactor to over-load from the console, all the while providing cover for Drizzt. Once inside, it became obvious quickly why a smaller being with flexibility would be required for this particular job. The Reactor crawl spaces were small, not meant for armored individuals. Spider grabbed hold of a ladder run and jumped up, then swung himself inside without a second thought. Before he had even come to a complete stop, he was grabbing at his little-black-bag filled with explosive goodies and pulling out a string of DDZ and timed detonators. This wasn't an exorcize, the plan was to finish the ship quickly, they had a time limit. And, at this point in time, no one knew exactly what the Xenolithe were capable of doing (or defusing), DDZ had a minimum defuse rate of 8 minutes under master-demolition hands, Spider couldn't defuse DDZ's detonator in less then twelve at this point, practice would take care of that though. =/=Make it quick boyo, we've got movement all over the ship, and the Engineering room is under attack.=\= Spider could imagine, but he didn't take the time too, the thought of fighting the vicious Xenolithe wasn't high on his list of things to-do, they always made him shudder. Instead, he sprayed two full canisters of DDZ on the control rods and coolant lines for the reactor, then stuck the detonator in a very hard-to-see (and reach) place. Within five minutes he was ready and pulled himself back out again. "Set?" he asked =/=We're set to blow five ways from Sunday=\= The Sergeant said, =/=No alarms, 19 minutes.=\= Spider nodded as he grabbed his scatter-gun and held it up. "Main Engineering?" The Main Engineering department was a deck below them. Unfortunately, there was no direct way to get there from here, the designers of the ship had purposely made it round-about in order to confuse borders and make the complete takeover of the ship more difficult. Of course, that also meant that the CE's job was more difficult. They would have to traverse some of the main X-axis corridors of the ship, places sure to be crawling with the hunter/killers. The Sergeant, however, agreed with Spider's question/statement and brought up his own type-3 modified phaser. "We've taken casualties, quicker the better." Spider spoke softly into his mic once they were on the move, he had removed himself from main coms so he could concentrate, now that they were on the move and his primary job was done he didn't need to do that anymore. The full sounds of combat came over the line. The curses, the threats, the screams and pain. Spider grit his teeth as the Marines sprinted across the deck to one of the primary Jefferies tubes. Quickly the crawled inside, down a deck, and to the next level access. Spider took a breath and leveled his weapon as Johan tapped his access commands into the door and prepared to open it. =/=Ready?=\= "F*ck em all." Drizzt agreed. Johann flung open the panel, and Drizzt was through a moment later. He wasn't disappointed, two Xenolithe were standing close by. He opened up with his scatter gun, causing fifty mini-phaser beams to rip into the first, blowing it to pieces. The second managed to get off an ear-piercing screech before it too was blown into organic paste. Thankfully, the BDU's had been programmed this time around with Xenolithe in mind, high-pitches were filtered out so as not to cause pain to the Marines. Drizzt sincerely hoped there weren't any powerful telepathic Xenolithe around, they had all been given drugs to deaden their mental centers, but a powerful telepath out of the telepathic race could still get through if they tried hard enough. The Xenolithe were built for killing. Their screams were painful, and could stun even a veteran warrior. Their mind calls were death. They were fast, sure, with strong exo-skeletons and razor sharp claws. And they were strong to boot, they could slice into a BDU with enough effort, many a Marine had met their death thinking the deuterium of the Armor would protect them. Spider bellowed as he took a couple more wild shots at some Xenolithe warriors that moved into the Main Engineering area. He took cover behind the Master Situation Console as one of them opened up with an energy weapon. That was the other thing about them. They loved to kill by hand, but it wasn't beneath them to use other weapons. The hunter's instinct could be surprised by expediency when required. Drizzt hated that. He popped his head back up and took a couple more shots as the Xenolithe moved closer. The only downside to his Scattergun was its short-range. He could hit a target at a hundred yards, but only weakly. Anything beyond twenty was usually a wasted shot, especially against the bony exo-skeleton of such a killer as these Xenolithe. Up close though, ahhhhh... up close the Scattergun was a murderer. Spider shot a jumping Xeno-Warrior, making half its body disappear in a splash of goop, while Johan drilled a good-sized hole in another with his phaser rifle. "To easy," Spider muttered. He found out why a moment later, a dozen came from the opposite direction. Spider didn't like the implications of that, though he was to busy to work out why. The compressor of his gun whined constantly as he took shot after shot into the mass of Xenolithe that appeared. Wide-beam shots took out several that he missed as Johan fired a wide-dispersion shot. =/=Back, Back!=\= The Marine bellowed, taking a step into the Jefferies Tube and continuing to fire. Spider opened his mouth to say no, then he looked at his HUD. There were only two friendly signals left, the others were gone. The Andorian didn't think anything beyond that, he drove from the Situation Console head-first into the tube, Johan slapped the panel a moment later, shutting it. It began to glow red moments later, probably energy weapons from the Xenolithe. "They're all dead?" Spider asked, stunned. He had been to busy to watch the HUD, the Xenolithe in a couple short minutes had massed into an overwhelming force. The Sergeant said nothing at first, just pointed down a corridor. =/=We only have to keep em busy for a few minutes, until beamout. Our reactor'll take this wench down, specially with all that DDZ you put on it.=\= Drizzt fairly flew down the Jefferies tube, Johan close behind. He turned at a junction, opened one of the doors, and then hung back as Johan passed so he could close it. Once done, he followed the Sergeant as he threaded his way deep into the bowels of the ship. They only had to stay alive for a few minutes, the Xenolithe would have to follow them in order to get them, each of the Marines had powerful jammers in-place for beaming: only a specific frequency would be able to find and get them, and with luck the Xenolithe wouldn't have time to discover it. He was still crawling when the beam did capture him. It took him a few moments to realize that he was no longer aboard the Galaxy class ship. In fact, he only realized it when he crawled onto a pile of slashed BDU armor. The Andorian came face-to-face with his MCO, his body horribly mutilated and his face half destroyed by claws. The Drestier had beamed aboard the bodies, too, the BDU's had still been functioning enough to provide a signal. Spider was memorized by the sight, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the ruined eyeball of 1st Lieutenant Marx. It wasn't for several long moments, when Johann grabbed hold of Spider and picked him up, that he realized his was wheezing. =/=Snap out!=\= The Sergeant bellowed. =/=Come on!=\= He thumped his helmet against Drizzt's, =/=Its over=\= "It's never over," Drizzt had said, very quietly. The Sergeant had interpreted his wheezing as fear, perhaps hyperventilation. Drizzt knew better, it had been only the purest rage, the Andorian wanted to rip the creature that had done this limb from limb. He looked back down at the face, an image that would forever been etched in his memory... ==================================== (USS Boudicca - 'Officers Country', Personal Quarters - Major Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0430) ==================================== Drizzt's eyes opened with a start, though he didn't budge any more then that until he was perfectly aware of his surroundings. Once he was sure he was safe, he took a deep breath and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and rubbing his eyes while his antenna twitched. He was thankful he didn't get such dreams often, out of a career of combat not many could say that, but he had always been of the philosophy that Warriors who made war according to their honor and principles would have no reason to regret, and little reason to dream. However, the times he did get them... they were doozies. The Andorian shook his head and grabbed the glass of water he habitually left next to his bed, then kicked back and crawled under his covers again. He placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling for a long while, musing over the past and the decisions he had made. He wouldn't change a single one. ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Personal Quarters, Lt Cmdr Trevan West, 0700) ==================================== Trevan opened his eyes, and shook off the dust from his brain. The stars were above him looking into forever, the lights were sill on in his quarters. He couldn't remember why he felt so horrible and why would he forget to turn off the lights before bed. The covers lay around him with their warm silence calling him back to bed and his brain fighting to get back to reality. Trevan cleared his throat and put his uniform on in the mirror, he still couldn't get use to seeing himself in a red uniform. "West to Fredericks, we can have that meeting at 0900 in the observation lounge. I will bring the coffee." he said hoarsely, "and you can bring me an Engineering duty roster please. West out." and he closed the channel. The observation lounge was not to big but big enough for the senior staff to hold meetings in. The long wooden table reflected the stars from the above window, Trevan sat his coffee down and waited for Mr. Fredericks. The door swished open and Fredericks appeared and stood at attention. "At ease Mr. Fredericks, this isn't a board of inquiry." Trevan smiled. (reply Fredricks) "Well that seems pretty much in order Lt. Glad to hear that your new department is up to specs. I wanted to add that Ensign Haley Darsons, who heads up Gamma shift is an excellent resource to have in a pinch." "Well, besides your duties in Engineering, if in the event of an emergency one or all of the command staff," he paused, "meaning the Captain and or myself, you would be required to give the bridge your full attention and your ACEO would head up engineering. You are second in command of this ship and as such would be required to attend all staff meetings and conduct at least a few command drills on the holodeck if it's needed. I will keep and eye on your progress and if you have anything to discuss you take it to me first and if necessary, I will take it to the Captain." "Besides that, I would like to see you on the bridge during alert situations at the Engineering station. That way we can avoid any confusion if a change in command was required." Trevan stood up and extended his hand and shook it firmly with the CEO. "Good luck Mr. Fredericks, dismissed." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Interludes and Examinations Stardate: 2406.11.10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (Starbase Geneva - Temporary Medical Quarters - Lt (sg) Aleksander Stolev - 1625) ==================================== Sasha stared blankly out the viewport as the constellations slowly drifted past with the rotation of the starbase. The "Acknowledge Receipt" icon was still flashing below the message displayed on the console, but its insistent pulsing was inadequate to penetrate his mournful reverie. The news that he had been cleared for duty and reassigned to a starship was not itself surprising; he had been expecting it ever since his last checkup. It was the unexpected torrent of memories and emotions that accompanied it -- the pang of heartache and guilt that he had hoped would fade with time, the feelings that he had so long tried to insulate himself from -- that had caught him unprepared. His moistening eyes blurred the tranquillity of his celestial view into a hazy shifting blanket of pain and sorrow as a solitary tear trickled down his cheek. =^= Sasha? You still there? Helloooooo?? =^= Sasha blinked away the tears and rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand. "Sorry, Louis. I'm still here. Just got some... well, some news. I didn't expect it to affect me as much as it has." =^= You want me to stop by? I've got a couple of things to finish up here but I can be there in 15. Or I could get Hawkins to come down. =^= "No, I don't want to talk to Hawkins," replied Sasha wearily. "He'll just tell me that my feelings are totally natural and that I should embrace them and then he'll give me more antidepressants." He sighed heavily. "I just want to talk to someone who understands, who knows where I am coming from. I don't want the clinical perspective. I've had it with that." =^= Gotcha. I'll be there by quarter 'till. See you then. =^= "Thanks, Louis." At the chirp of the comm connection terminating, Sasha set his elbows on the desk and rested his forehead in his hands. ~Come on, pull it together.~ Willing himself to focus, he reread the message that had appeared on his screen a few minutes before. -------------------- From: Freedom Squadron Personnel Office To: Lt. (sg) Aleksander Stolev Subj: Return to duty TS: 2406.11.10.1601,237 Lt. Stolev, We are pleased to hear of your recovery and have received medical confirmation that you are fit to return to duty. You are hereby ordered to assume your next posting as Assistant Tactical/Security Chief aboard the USS Boudicca, NCC 49901. Captain Sevant will expect you to report for duty no later than 0800 on 2406.11.15. A runabout has been scheduled to ferry you to the Boudicca's current patrol location and will depart at 1000 on 2406.11.14. Transit time should be approximately eight hours. The Boudicca's CMO and Counsellor have both been informed of your medical history and will be ready and willing to assist you with the transition upon your arrival. Should you have any questions regarding your new assignment, please direct them to the Squadron Personnel Office as soon as possible. Cordially, Lt. Cmdr. Pak R'Denga, Senior Personnel Officer Freedom Squadron -------------------- Sasha reached towards the console and tapped the acknowledgement icon. ~Sevant...~ He stood up and walked across the room, gazing longingly at the bottle of vodka resting in its specially designed display cabinet. Gingerly he reached towards it, just getting close enough to feel the hairs on the back of his hand stand up as his fingers approached the force field he had placed around the bottle. Feeling the thousand tiny pinpricks on his fingertips usually was enough to assuage the burning need that had from time to time surged through him since he had first awoken to find himself injured and alone in the sterility of the hospital ward. Today, however, the desire was too great and he stretched his hand forward far enough to trigger the force field response. He reeled back from the jolt, just managing to catch himself on the arm of the desk chair. He dropped into the chair wearily, rubbing his hand over his head and feeling the hairs slide between his fingers. ~I need a haircut,~ he thought absently as he glanced at his reflection in the black glossy desk top. He took a moment to critically study his countenance. He made note of the day-old stubble on his chin, the scar across his left cheek that hadn't been there before, the lines of fatigue and the dark circles around his bloodshot eyes. They had told him his recovery would be long and difficult. Dr. Hawkins had told him that his emotional and psychological recovery would take even longer. Apparantly Squadron Personnel had not considered this, or the details of his situation, before giving him his most recent assignment. Otherwise they would never have assigned him to a ship under the command of Caladryll Sevant. The buzz of the door chime snapped Sasha's attention back to the present. "Come in," he called. Louis Fickett stepped through the doorway and gave his friend an appraising glance. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he remarked. Sasha chuckled mirthlessly. "I have," he remarked as he spun the monitor around so that Louis could read the assignment notification. Louis let out a low whistle. "Of all the beurocratic nonsense I've seen, this has to take the cake. Doesn't anyone in personnel read the medical reports?" Sasha shrugged. "They've been understaffed for a while, from what I've heard. Supposedly it's amazing that all the ships are fully crewed." Louis came around the desk and sat down on the window ledge next to Sasha's desk chair. "So you'll be serving with Sevant again. You know this is the real Sevant, right? Not the mirror universe one..." Sasha waved his hand dismissively. "Of course I know that. I'm not a fool, nor am I suffering from amnesia. I may wish I were, but I'm not." Sasha eyed his friend speculatively. "So did you just stick around here to hold my hand? Why didn't you get sent back to the Nimitz once you had recovered?" Louis shrugged. "Not necessarily... although to be sure I was concerned about you. Once I got sent back here for treatment, I realized how much I had missed being stationed on a starbase. I had my dose of interstellar excitement. That's why I requested the transfer, not because you were here." Sasha gave Louis a half smile. "Sure, go ahead and wreck my ego." The smile faded from his face but his gaze remained fixed on Louis's. "I don't know if I'll be able to handle it, Louis. I mean, in my mind I know he's not the same, but... when I see him..." Suddenly Sasha was seeing it all happen again. The panicked scream as the alternate Sevant lunged from his hospital bed to tackle Mara as she simply walked through the ward with two cups of tea in hand. Seeing her neck bend at an awkward angle as her head caught the edge of a table with a sickening crunch. Sprinting across the room at them, only to be caught across the face by the leg of the chair that Sevant had hurled at him. Lying helpless, blood streaming from his face, as the Betazed security and medical personnel hurried in. His last memory before lapsing into a deep unconsciousness of a Betazoid doctor pronouncing Mara's death... "Sasha?" Louis's voice brought Sasha back to the present and his eyes refocused on the bespectacled face of his concerned friend. "I should never have asked her to come," Sasha said simply. "She wanted to join me, and I figured it would be safe enough with all the people around in that clinic. Plus they were injured. I didn't know that Betazed security would be so lax. I should have, though. A physical security presence is just not something that's needed a lot on a world of telepaths." He sighed deeply, then buried his face in his hands, trying to fight back the sobs that were coming anyway. "It's all my fault." Louis put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "No, it's not. It's a terrible tragedy, but it's not anybody's fault. You can't blame yourself." Sasha abruptly stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "But I have to, Louis. I've been assigned to duty under Sevant. If I don't blame myself, who else can I blame? My new CO? Even though it wasn't actually him?" "Why do you have to blame anyone? Why does it have to be someone's fault?" Sasha turned back towards the window. "I don't know... but it just does." Louis sighed. "Well, I hope you can find a way to manage the blame then. Otherwise, you'll have a tough time on your new ship. I'll make sure that the medical profile they get is fully up to date so that someone there will be able to help you if you need it." Louis stood up and headed for the door. "Let me know if you need any help packing." Sasha nodded. "Thanks Louis. I'm sorry to unload on you like this." Louis smiled. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" he replied just before the doors to Sasha's quarters slid shut, leaving him alone once more with his thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Interludes and Examinations Stardate: 2406.11.14 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (Runabout Euphrates - TAC/ASC Lt (sg) Aleksander Stolev - 1755) ==================================== "There she is," announced the pilot as the runabout dropped out of warp. "The Boudicca." Sasha turned from his console and looked out the viewport. Despite all the technical manuals he had perused, he was still surprised at the ship's appearance -- particularly her nearly flat profile. "Wow, she doesn't present much of a target on her x-y plane, does she?" The pilot, a young ensigned fresh from the academy turned back to him. "Doesn't look like it, sir," he replied politely. "I'll hail her now." He tapped the comm panel. "Boudicca, this is the runabout Euphrates. We have your newly assigned assistant tactical chief aboard. Requesting permission to beam Lt. Stolev over to you." =^= Permission granted for Transporter Room 1. Energize when ready. =^= The pilot glanced up at Sasha. "Whenever you're ready sir." Sasha grabbed his duffel bag and stuffed his collection of PADDs in the side pouch. Taking a deep breath, he got up and walked over to the runabout's transporter nook. "Ready as I'll ever be," he replied. The pilot nodded, activated the transport sequence, and the interior of the runabout slowly faded from Sasha's view. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - TAC/ASC Stolev - 1800) ==================================== The transporter room of the Boudicca looked like most other transporter rooms Sasha had seen before. The operator nodded politely to Sasha as he stepped off the platform. "Welcome aboard, sir. Quartermaster should be here any minute." "Thanks, chief," replied Sasha. No sooner had he set his bag down then the doors opened and a rather harried-looking fellow hurried in, PADD in hand. "You Stolev?" he asked abruptly. "Yeah," he confirmed. Before he could say anything else, the man grabbed Sasha's bag. "Follow me, sir," he commanded as he turned around and made a beeline out the door. Sasha shrugged and followed the quartermaster down the hall. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Personal Quarters - TAC/ASC Stolev - 1810) ==================================== "Here ya go, quarters P3-R17. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant." The quartermaster set Sasha's bag down in the middle of the floor and hurried out, pausing to look at his PADD briefly before heading down the corridor. ~Must be a busy staffing day around here,~ thought Sasha as the doors to his new quarters slid shut. ~Maybe I won't be the only new face.~ He walked over to the replicators and programmed in his sizing information so that it could begin replicating him some uniforms. Meanwhile he opened his bag and pulled out his personal effects and leisure clothes. He gazed briefly at the bottle of Russian vodka before grabbing it and placing it on a shelf. "Computer, erect a level 3 force field at these coordinates. Radius 0.5 meters." A blue radiance briefly enveloped the bottle before disappearing into the invisible EM barrier that would help him control his urges. Once he had put away the rest of his clothes and effects and hung his uniforms in the closet, he sat down on the bed and took a moment to look around the room. It was very similar to his quarters on the Nimitz, although the orientation of the living room and bedroom with respect to each other was reversed. He was glad for this discrepancy, as it allowed him to easily remind himself that he was in a new place and getting a fresh start. That was supposed to be an important realization for his psychological welfare, according to Dr. Hawkins. A rumble in his stomach moved Sasha's contemplations from his psychological welfare to his growing hunger. He hadn't eaten since a quick lunch aboard the runabout, so he grabbed his PADD with the ship's layout on it, found the mess hall, and headed out the door. (USS Boudicca - Mess Hall - TAC/ASC Stolev - 2406.11.14.1900) The mess hall was fairly quiet, as it had been nearly three hours since the last shift change. Sasha headed over to the replicator banks and ordered a steaming bowl of beef stew, a corn muffin, and a tall glass of Altair water. He carried his tray over to an unoccupied table near the window and took a seat where he could observe the room. (reply anyone who wants to be in the Mess Hall at this time, iyw) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Interludes and Examinations Stardate: 2406.11.15 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/ASC Stolev - 0759) ==================================== Sasha mopped the cold sweat from his brow once more as the doors of the lift opened, depositing him on the bridge. The command chair was vacant, and Sasha felt some -- but not all -- of the tension depart his shoulders. He glanced around the room and then headed for the door to the CO's ready room. He took a deep breath, then pressed the door chime. The door slid open and Sasha strode in, trying to exude a confidence he didn't feel. He focused his mind on his training, his duty, and the appropriate protocols, trying to block out everything else. "Good morning, Captain," he said as he came to Sevant's desk and stood at attention. "Lieutenant Stolev reporting for duty, sir." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge, Ready Room - Capt Sevant - 0800) ==================================== "Good morning, Captain," Sevant put his PADD down and looked up as the officer said, "Lieutenant Stolev reporting for duty, sir." The Captain nodded, "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant, it has been a long time." He gestured to a seat, "At ease." (reply: Stolev) Sevant sat forward in his seat, "I take it, Lieutenant, that you feel you are ready to take on your full duties?" He said as he watched the Lieutenant. "We're on the front lines; I'll need you at your best."