~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Scions, Day 3 Stardate: 2407.01.17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List of Headers: (Velorum IV – By Lake-CEO/2O John Fredericks – 16:00) (Velorum IV – By Lake-CEO/2O John Fredericks – 16:40) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1740) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - Capt Sevant - 1741) (Planet Velorum IV, ,Runabout Drago, MCO, Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, 1741) (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Runabout Drago - Senior Chief Melody Haverstaad - 1745) (Planet Velorum IV - Near crash site - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1745) (Planet Velorum IV, Base Camp, Commander Trevan West, 1745) (Planet Velorum IV - Near crash site - Capt Sevant - 1747) (Planet Velorum IV - Near crash site - Major Drizzt - Day 3 - 1748) (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - Commander Trevan West - Day 3 - 1749) (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - 'Spider' Drizzt - 1749) (Planet Velorum IV- Base Camp - Capt Sevant- 1749) (Planet Velorum IV- Base Camp -Dr. Madison Munroe- 1750) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1751) (Planet Velorum IV - - Outside the runabout - TAC/ASC Lt(jg) Walker Isengard - 1753) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1753) (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Runabout - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1756) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1812) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - TAC/SC Lt Cmdr Stolev - Day 3 - 1813) (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Village - Capt Sevant - 1813) (Planet Velorum IV - Crash Site - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1813) (Planet Velorum IV – Outside the Runabout Drago - Ensign Quirill Reyal - 1814) (Planet Velorum IV - Crash Site - Major 'Spider' Drizzt - 1815) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1816) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - Research Scientist - Lieutenant Doctor Engtamn-Jensi - 1819) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely – 1821) (Planet Velorum IV - Crash Site - Commander Trevan West - Day 3 - 1825) (Planet Velorum IV, Runabout Drago, COUNS, Lt. {JG} Brian Rogers, 1830) (Runabout Drago - Personal Quarters - 3O/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1832) (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1835) (Planet Velorum IV, Runabout Drago, ATAC/ASC Ensign SG Samantha Chandler - 1835) (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Village - Capt Sevant - 1835) (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - Commander Trevan West- Day 3 - 1836) (Planet Velorum IV-Runabout Drago-CMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-18:38) (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1838) (Planet Velorum IV, Runabout Drago, ATAC/ASC Lieutenant Dorrin Klars - 1840) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Start of Compile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Scions, Day 3 Stardate: 2407.01.17 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (Velorum IV – By Lake-CEO/2O John Fredericks – 16:00) ==================================== While he waited for the target to be replicated and sent down John busied himself with the odd case. Unrolling the blanket he placed the case down in the center and opened it. Inside was an exact replica of his favorite compound bow. He took it out and made a few adjustments with the tools inside the case, balancing out the pull from one limb of the bow to the other. As he finished there was the sound of a transporter beam followed by the chirping of his comm. Badge. =/\= Johnson to Fredericks, your package should be at the site.=/\= =/\= Fredericks here, got it, thanks=/\= =/\=Acknowledged, happy hunting. Johnson out=/\=. Chuckling to himself John moved the heavy target to the backside of his intended target range and began setting up the holographic markers. After getting the four projectors lined up and activated he checked the yellow barrier to be sure it would cover the entire area of the range. ~Perfect~ he thought to himself and walked back to the blanket and bow case. Next he extracted the aluminum graphite arrows noting that he had both serrated hunting heads and target points. ~Hmmm, That target doesn’t look too dangerous Guess I’ll use the target points~ he thought with a quiet laugh to himself. It was but the work of a few minutes to screw the target points to the arrows and then slide the twenty arrows into the quiver, then attaching the arm guards to his left arm he strode to the firing position and drew the first arrow. Drawing a bead on the target he let fly, the arrow hit two rings from center. “Damn,” He said aloud “I’m glad no one was here to see that” Adjusting the sites on the side of the bow he drew another shaft, aimed and released. Target center. ~Much better~ he thought to himself with pride . It had been a long time since he had been able to practice. The bow wasn’t something you could practice at the academy and there generally wasn’t time on the ship. He reached for the next shaft. ==================================== (Velorum IV – By Lake-CEO/2O John Fredericks – 16:40) ==================================== Fredericks had been enjoying himself for some time when his badge beeped again. =/\=Trevan to Fredericks and Munroe. Sorry to interrupt shore leave but do either of you have teams in the outer forest near these co-ordinates I am sending you?=/\= =/\= “No sir”, He replied.” I was sent down for R&R and am out by the lake. I am available if needed though.=/\= (Reply West) =/\= Aye, I should be back to base camp in about five minutes.=/\= ~Ah well, it was good while it lasted.~ He shut off the barrier projectors, gathered the case and blanket and with them under one hand and the bow in the other he started back to camp. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1740) ==================================== The Captain quirked an eyebrow, "Explain that, Commander." "Sir, my orders are somewhere on the ship. We're bringing fresh crew from Starbase Geneva, I've been the FO there since your rescue. We've been transferred to you, I'm apparently to be third officer as well as your Strategic Operations Officer. I also have with me Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie, to be your CMO, Lieutenant Rogers to be your Chief Counsellor, as well as a whole host of other replacements and additions. My orders come through Captain Lee, who received them from Command. We were on our way to rendezvous with you and had just exited the River, when we were shot down," stated Casely. He wondered what the Captain and his people were doing on this planet, and what help they might need. (Reply Sevant) "Sir, I'm ready to resume my duties now. I'm not so good with medicine, but I'm sure I can help you in other capacities. We have a full storage locker of phaser rifles on the Runabout," Casely noted grimly. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - Capt Sevant - 1741) ==================================== The Captain quirked an eyebrow, "Explain that, Commander." "Sir, my orders are somewhere on the ship. We're bringing fresh crew from Starbase Geneva, I've been the FO there since your rescue. We've been transferred to you, I'm apparently to be third officer as well as your Strategic Operations Officer. I also have with me Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie, to be your CMO, Lieutenant Rogers to be your Chief Counselor, as well as a whole host of other replacements and additions. My orders come through Captain Lee, who received them from Command. We were on our way to rendezvous with you and had just exited the River, when we were shot down," Sevant grunted and looked at the PADD again. "Sir, I'm ready to resume my duties now. I'm not so good with medicine, but I'm sure I can help you in other capacities. We have a full storage locker of phaser rifles on the Runabout," "Not until I'm sure of who you are and what you're doing." Sevant said a moment later. "Stand fast. If you're telling the truth, odds are you'll be needed soon enough." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV, ,Runabout Drago, MCO, Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, 1741) ==================================== Eva stood back, staying out of the way of the medical personnel while remaining as close to the Captain as she could. She listened as Sevant talked with a member of the runabout crew who had just woken up. "Paul Casely, Lieutenant Commander, Service Record Number 249528. Ranking officer of the crew aboard this vessel. As with the terms of War Conventions, I remain responsible for the fifteen lives on board that shuttle craft. Leave me and help them," the officer said. Eva's brow rose, immediately recognizing the name and then the face. ~Never expected to see his face again.~ She thought, shifting her phaser rifle slightly. ~What is he doing here?~ Eva listened, content to let the Captain handle the questioning. Her primary concern right now was his safety. As a call came in from the CSO, Eva watched Sevant waiting to see if he had any orders. "Prepare a security team," he said, before turning his attention back to the CSO. Eva nodded and opened a marine comm-channel. "Sergeant Stone, Corporal Teul, PFC Tieger, and PFC Grnackt report to me for guard detail," Eva said, moving toward the exit and climbed out of the runabout joined shortly by Sevant and Stolev. Eva followed along beside the two as Sevant conferred with Stolev. Sevant turned his head to Straton, "Go ahead Colonel, I'll be there momentarily." Eva paused momentarily, looking to Stolev then Sevant, before nodding and moving a short distance away. She knew that Sevant wanted to talk to Stolev privately, or at least to make it appear so. She was still bolstering Sevant's own mental shields which put her in constant contact with his mind. After a few seconds, Sevant moved to catch up with her, not that she had moved off very far. She waited till he reached her. "Did you get any hint that Casely was trying to deceive us earlier?" he asked as they made their way back into the camp. Eva shook her head. "Confusion, concern, and relief is about it," She said, moving quickly as Sevant's side. "He wasn't my primary concern. The pilot is the one who sent that telepathic call. When he awakes you will need to have a chat with him." (Reply Sevant IYW) As they approached the CSO, Eva saw the marines she had ordered moving in the same direction. Eva looked down at the natives, her phaser rifle resting on one shoulder, as Sevant talked to the CSO. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Runabout Drago - Senior Chief Melody Haverstaad - 1745) ==================================== Melody braced her phaser-rifle on her hip as she looked over the people laying on the ground in front of the melted runabout with an impassive gaze, one long used to seeing causalities. There were many dead bodies, already covered after having been extracted from the crashed runabout. It looked like a few more might join them in not to long. Of course, there were a couple also up and about, already on their feet and being treated by medics, doctors and nurses. She turned her head as a couple more security crewman showed up to extend the camps perimeter around the crash, she pointed them to the far north-west side. They both acknowledged with a quick nod and jogged around the destroyed trees and burned grass to take their posts. ~We're going to be stretching thing here soon.~ she thought analytically as she turned her back on the dead, dying and healing to oversee some other defenses. ~Ever since those bugger-all villagers showed up and this thrice-d*mned runabout was blasted out of the sky by god-knows-what... which also seems to be attacking the Boudicca.~ She was a bloody senior chief, senior in years to almost everyone in the blasted department, and she knew next to nothing about the situation they were in. This meant that almost nobody had even an inkling of what was going on. If they did, then so would she. That was how the crew telegraph worked, after all. "You, Marine!" she bellowed when one popped his head out and peered around a tree. The Marine turned slightly, causing Melody to growl. "Yes you, you bucket wearing nimwit. Armored or not, keep your bloody arse behind cover!" Her eyebrows flared slightly as the Marine hesitated, but he thought better of arguing with a Senior Chief... even a Security Senior Chief... and ducked back around the tree. "Better." She almost hissed. The whole camp was up in arms. She'd heard rumors that the CSO had been attacked by the two villagers which had been escorted into the ruins. Everyone in camp had heard the distress call of the Drago, which also announced that the Boudicca was under attack. ~And this is supposed to be our bloody R&R~ she growled to herself. ~Ah well, at least I... got to know the First Officer a lot better in the nude earlier~ she thought by way of compensation as she took her own spot on the line next to some other woman in security yellow. She took a look at the woman and paused, "Who the bloody hell are you?" she growled. Whoever it was, she wasn't in the security department, Melody knew all the faces of her fellow yellowshirts. She stiffened suddenly when the woman turned and her Ensign's rank pips came into view. "Sorry Sir," Melody said quickly. ~Damn all engineers.~ The woman was all frowns, not a good sign, but she shrugged a moment later and went back to looking down the barrel of her phaser rifle. "Ensign Victoria Sevant, Operations, newly arrived on the Boudicca." Melody blinked. She knew that name; it was the subject of a lot of lower-decks talk. Legend had it that the Captain had once had a wife named Victoria, who had been murdered on the Nimitz before the Captain had taken command. Melody actually knew that for a fact, as a Senior Chief she had a lot more access then the average security crewman to people's files. And now that she was thinking about it, this woman looked a hella lot like the Captain's dead wife... The ensign looked back over and must have seen the question on Melody's face, because her face hardened. "Stow it Senior Chief." The woman said harshly, "And get back to your job." "Sir, YESSIR!" she said as she took her place several feet away behind a lot and aimed out. ~Bloody touchy officers.~ she thought. Still, it was interesting food for thought. This woman was supposed to be dead, what was she doing sitting on a security line waiting for an enemy they neither knew nor could see? Food for thought. Later. For now, there was too much to do. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Near crash site - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1745) ==================================== Stolev took the PADD from Sevant and studied it for a few moments as they walked away from the crash site. "It looks a lot like an energy field that I remember seeing in some old reports that I reviewed at the Academy. There was a race called the Tholians, and they claimed a very unstable region of subspace as their own. I don't believe Starfleet has had any encounters or relations with them since then, though. That region of space has been flagged as hazardous and it's so far out towards the edge of the galaxy that there's really no reason for anyone to go there. Anyway, they used something similar to this to imprison ships that wandered into their territory. Although if I remember correctly, the Tholian web's visual energy signature was more in the red EM band, and this one looks closer to the blue. In other respects, though, it seems very similar." "Very similar, but with distinctive differences. There were no dart-ships involved, and this was created instantaneously." Sevant said, almost frowning. "And I don't remember anything about the Tholian web producing an energy effect anything like what slammed this runabout." He stopped and turned around, looking at the craft once more. It was amazing anyone had survived. He turned his head to Straton, "Go ahead Colonel, I'll be there momentarily." (reply Straton) He looked at Stolev for a few moments, "Stay here Commander, figure out who these people are." He paused, "I recognize Casely's name from the records I read prior to my rescue, Casely was on the Nimitz. Figure out what he's doing here." "Aye, sir," replied Stolev. "I take it we weren't expecting any company?" (reply Sevant iyw) Sevant nodded and turned on his heel to catch up with the Colonel. Meanwhile, Stolev headed back towards the runabout. Some personnel were already pulling bodies from the wreckage -- the ones that clearly hadn't survived the crash. He could hear shouts from within as the doctors and combat medics fought to save those who were still alive. "Stolev to Harriman," he said as he slapped his badge. He had established a good working relationship with Ensign Harriman from the personnel department in his time aboard, as he liked to review crew records periodically to check for any anomalies that could represent a threat to on-board security. =^= Harriman here. =^= "Ensign, what's your current location?" =^= I'm part of a perimter on the west side of camp. What's going on, sir? =^= "I need your help identifying some personnel that were on the shuttle that crashed. Meet me at the crash site ASAP." =^= Be right there, sir. Harriman out. =^= While he waited for Harriman to arrive, Stolev took out his tricorder and scanned the runabout. It appeared that they had managed to remove all the personnel who had not survived, and the rest were receiving treatment. He noticed some dangerous-looking fluctuations in the antimatter containment field but he also saw that an engineering crew was already working to stabilize it. If they weren't successful, there wasn't enough active antimatter reamining to cause a catastrophic explosion, although it would certain kill whoever was still alive in the runabout, not to mention anyone who happened to be standing too close. He put his tricorder away and motioned to Drizzt. "Major, move the perimiter back to 100 meters," he shouted. "I don't want anyone closer than that who doesn't need to be. Bring in additional people if you have to." He turned his head the other way and motioned to the rest of the party. "Let's move it, people! This is a hazardous situation!" To his satisfaction, he saw the detail double its pace as they retreated the perimiter and reformed it farther away. (reply Drizzt) "Commander?" Stolev turned around and saw that Harriman had arrived and was somewhat out of breath. "Do you have the shore leave roster with you?" asked Stolev. The roster would have an extract of the personnel database, and if they were lucky, would have a link to the rest of the database as well. "Right here, sir," replied Harriman, pulling a PADD from his belt and handing it to Stolev. Stolev looked at the PADD for a minute. "Does this have a link back to the main database still?" he asked. Harriman took the PADD back and tapped a few commands on it. "Huh, that's weird. The link to the Boudicca's been severed. I can't re-establish a connection." Stolev nodded -- this was not unexpected, but he wasn't going to tell Harriman that since he didn't need to know at this point. "Do you have a snapshot downloaded from before you lost the link?" "Hmmm." Harriman frowned and tapped in a few more instructions. "Not as such, but I can probably construct one, especially if there's anything left of the runabout's computer to connect to. Give me a few minutes." "Do what you can, Ensign," replied Stolev. "I have a feeling we'll need those records to identify the occupants of the shuttle." A shout from the back end of the shuttle caught Stolev's attention. He left Harriman working with the PADD and hurried over to see what the commotion was. "Whoa! Get back!" "No, I've got it... wait... there it is..." "It's still unstable!" "Hand me the isolinear spanner!" "Get out of there, you'll cause an overload!" "I said I've got it!" Stolev approached as an officer from engineering was holding a tricorder and monitoring the antimatter containment field while two other officers had their entire torsos wedged into the bowels of the shuttle. Those two were the ones doing the shouting, while the one with the tricorder was chuckling to himself. He straighted up and the smile disappeared (mostly) from his face when he noticed Stolev. "What's going on here, Ensign?" asked Stolev. "Oh, just a little disagreement between Rollins and Chavez, sir," replied the ensign, gesturing towards the two pairs of legs sticking out of the back of the runabout. "As you can see, Chavez is being a little overexcited. There's no pending overload, the antimatter is secure." He showed Stolev the tricorder readout which indicated that the containment field was indeed becoming more and more stable, although there were some fluctuations in the power grid nearby. A loud pop from the back of the shuttle caused Stolev to spin around, just in time to see one of the officers violently flung back out of the shuttle about three meters, landing squarely on his back with a thud. The other officer emerged from the shuttle and hurried over. "Rollins, you dumbass! You could have gotten yourself killed!" "Oh, come off it, Juan," replied Rollins as he propped himself up gingerly on one elbow. "I stabilized the containment field and the power grid, didn't I?" He clearly wasn't hurt that badly, as he flashed a mischievous grin at his fellow engineer. "Besides, it was worth it to see the look on your face!" "Why you little sh..." Chavez stopped suddenly and came to attention as he noticed Stolev standing nearby. "Uhh... everything's under control here, Commander. I was just helping Rollins here get back on his feet." Stolev could feel a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Of course, I can see that, Mr. Chavez. Carry on." "Commander!" Stolev turned and saw Harriman hurrying over to him. "I was able to reconstruct that database, sir!" "Great. Come with me then." The two of them left the engineering crew and headed for the main hatch. "We probably don't need to go inside, as we'd just be in the way of the medics. We can get the biosignatures from out here." Stolev tapped in a few commands on his tricorder and the PADD and established a link between the two. "Now, let's do some correlation." The readous on the tricorder and the PADD flashed rapidly as the shuttle was scanned, the data compiled, and the reference points cross-verified in the database. After a few moments, a personnel roster appeared on the PADD. Stolev studied this for a moment, frowning. "These people all appear to be transfers from Geneva. I hadn't heard anything about this, though." He turned and looked thoughtfully at the shuttle for a moment, then turned back to Harriman. "Mind if I borrow this?" "Not at all, sir" he replied. "Thanks." Stolev put his tricorder and the PADD in his belt and climbed up into the shuttle. The interior was still a mess, although at least there was now room for the medics to work on the victims. Stolev headed for the fore compartment and found Commander Casely still being worked on by a medical team. He looked inquiringly at one of the medics, who nodded, indicating that Casely was stable enough to talk. "Hello Commander," began Stolev. "It's good to see you again. Can you tell me what you are doing here? I was unaware of any shuttles being scheduled to meet us here." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV, Base Camp, Commander Trevan West, 1745) ==================================== The base camp was a total mess when Trevan arrived there. People were scattered around the area doing whatever they were doing before he arrived. He could see in the distance Lt Fredericks huddled around some engineers. "Lt, we need to get in contact with the Boudicca, use some of those sub-space transceivers in the emergency kits to see if we can contact them and get a status update." Trevan turned around to some of the remaining security officers, "You five, set up a defense perimeter around the base camp. If something moves out there, however small or insignificant it may be, I want to know about it. Set your phasers to heavy stun, but do not fire until fired upon. Dismissed." Trevan took a look back to see his orders were being followed and everyone was now busy trying to get a hold of the Boudicca. "John, if you need an extra set of hands, let me know. It doesn't hurt to have an ex CEO on the case." Trevan forced a smile from his face, he was really busy thinking what the hell was going on up on the ship and worrying about the Captain and his party. Commander West took a seat on a nearby log and opened up his tricorder and started scanning for anything that would explain why they couldn't get any signal to the bouddica. For all he knew, it was just some em interference, but it could be something more drastic then that. He shivered at the thought of that and then decided to put all his energies to something more productive that would help. "You two," he indicated to two crewmen not doing anything urgent. "I want you to get in contact with medical and start setting up a triage center here. We may have wounded and I want to be ready." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Near crash site - Capt Sevant - 1747) ==================================== "Stay here Commander, figure out who these people are." He paused, "I recognize Casely's name from the records I read prior to my rescue, Casely was on the Nimitz. Figure out what he's doing here." "Aye, sir," replied Stolev. "I take it we weren't expecting any company?" "No, we were not." he said grimly. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything." he gestured to the PADD, "Those logs show the runabout boarded the Boudicca with full clearance." his face hardened, "But be sure." (reply: if desired) Sevant quickly caught up with the major, who hadn't strayed far anyway. "Did you get any hint that Casely was trying to deceive us earlier?" he asked as they made their way back into the camp. (reply: Straton) After a couple minutes they managed to get to the Doctor, the two villagers and the obligatory security guard. Off to the side was another detail of guards, most likely the result of Straton's earlier order. "Are we ready doctor?" The villagers both put their faces in the dirt again at his arrival, Sevant paid them no mind. If he was supposed to be some god-come-to-earth, that's what he'd be. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Near crash site - Major Drizzt - Day 3 - 1748) ==================================== "Major, move the perimeter back to 100 meters," he shouted. "I don't want anyone closer than that who doesn't need to be. Bring in additional people if you have to." "Aye Sir!" Drizzt said. "All right, move it! Get those people away from the frellin' runabout, move move move!" He slung the phaser-rifle around his neck and grabbed the legs of a body that was being drug off without ceremony, away from the runabout. "I've got this one, get another!" he growled as he flung the body over his shoulder and jogged to the new perimeter. He turned back around and noticed several being stabilized to move, and Stolev talking to one of the yellowshirt engineers. He grumbled as went back. "Come on people, pick it up!" he growled loudly. (reply: any, if desired.) It was then that he noticed Stolev going into the runabout. The Andorian frowned and was about ready to move in when one of the medics said "This one's awake." Sudden movement caught his attention and he dropped to a knee as he spun, all the while pulling his sidearm. The man, also in security yellow, had just rolled off and made a grab for the sidearm that had been at his side from the look of the empty holster. Either it had fallen out during the crash, or someone had removed it. Either way... The man suddenly stopped and put his hands in his lap. "I am Lieutenant Walker Isengard, USS Spectre and pilot-Commander of the runabout Drago. If you are not the crew of the USS Boudicca, I will say no more." Drizzt growled and reholstered his phaser. "You're the idgit that openly broadcast that the Boudicca was being attacked and then proceeded to rip into our perimeter. Bah." HE crossed his arms and moved to stand over the so-called TAC/ASC. "I'm Major Drizzt, MXO of the Boudicca. What is your business here?" The man appeared to consider for a few moments. "My business is with Captain Sevant or Commander West alone." The MXO considered that for a few moments. He wasn't about to bring the Captain around or release his location if this were a spy or assassin. Not that the old man would be able to get around him. Still... better safe then sorry. He spoke into his helmet mic, "Major Drizzt to Commander West, I have the pilot of the crashed runabout demanding to speak to you or the Captain. Sir, with respects, I don't know who is listening and I don't want to bring the Captain in directly in these tactical circumstances. Are you free?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - Commander Trevan West - Day 3 - 1749) ==================================== "Major Drizzt to Commander West, I have the pilot of the crashed runabout demanding to speak to you or the Captain. Sir, with respects, I don't know who is listening and I don't want to bring the Captain in directly in these tactical circumstances. Are you free?" Trevan put his tricorder away and tapped his badge, "Actually I am free, however due to security reasons I don't want this guy at base camp. Bring him into the new holding area and I will meet with him there. If you can contact the Captain on a secure frequency do so, however, I would feel better if he were informed personally. Do not bring him there. Send a runner out to him. I will be with you shortly, West out." Trevan sighed, the last thing they need at this time is more trouble to deal with. He dusted off his uniform pants and rose to leave and continue on working on a way to contact the Boudicca. A few moments later he was interrupted again when his attention was drawn towards Lt Stolev approaching him. "Commander," called out Stolev. "Can I borrow some of your engineers? We need to get at the sensor records on the runabout and see if they are still intact." Trevan replied " I don't see a problem with it, you may however want to clear it with Lt Fredericks just to make sure. I believe there are still a few engineers not currently assigned to a task however." and with that he gestured towards the east end of the clearing where several people were milling about apparently trying to get the replicator to produce some parts that it wasn't designed to replicate on command. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - 'Spider' Drizzt - 1749) ==================================== =^=Actually I am free, however due to security reasons I don't want this guy at base camp. Bring him into the new holding area and I will meet with him there. If you can contact the Captain on a secure frequency do so, however, I would feel better if he were informed personally. Do not bring him there. Send a runner out to him. I will be with you shortly, West out.=^= Spider pointed to one of the Marines and initiated a direct-line communication. "Catch up to the Captain, inform him what's going on and that I'm taking the suspect to Commander West." =/=Aye Sir!=\= the woman said before sprinting. He crossed his arms and looked at the Chief again, who was now looking back. "So?" Walker said. "So get on your feet, we're moving." Drizzt replied, pulling his phaser. He waited until Walker was on his feet, and then gestured along the path. "Move." A couple minutes passed, Mr. Isengard did nothing to provoke the Marine... so much the better. Eventually they found the First Officer. "Sir, reporting as ordered with..." Drizzt paused and looked over, "Lieutenant Walker Isengard, supposedly the pilot of the runabout and detached from the Spectre." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV- Base Camp - Capt Sevant- 1749) ==================================== "Did you get any hint that Casely was trying to deceive us earlier?" The Colonel shook her head "Confusion, concern, and relief is about it," She said, moving quickly as Sevant's side. "He wasn't my primary concern. The pilot is the one who sent that telepathic call. When he awakes you will need to have a chat with him." Sevant nodded, "I'll put it on my list of priorities. (reply: if desired.) "Are we ready doctor?" Sevant asked, once they had arrived. "As ready as we're going to be, Captain," she replied. Then she turned to the villagers. "Kahl, Yanno, can you take us to your Archon now." Sevant watched them jump up with a quirked eyebrow, and made a gesture to follow. He didn't have to tell anyone to be on their guard, it was obvious what their duty was. Once in route, his acting CSO started speaking. "Apparently, theirs is a hierarchy built on ... believe it or not, magic. Apparently there have been two faction who have been warring on each other for god only knows how long... centuries. Thee Scions of the New Order, who seem to be the bad guys, and the Brotherhood of Mages, who these two seem to be a part of in some way. The Scions seem to be a conquer by force and brutality. Of course, this is solely from the point of view of our two friends. However, they have certain amount of believability about them. This Archon, appears to be a Shaman type leader. Hopefully we can get more pertinent information from them." The Captain looked over at Maddie for a moment and tapped his chest, right about when the devices were hanging from the villagers neck. "A society based on magic, indeed." He said before putting his hand back down. "This wouldn't be the first time we've run into a society that got its hands on something advanced... but advanced enough to take on the Boudicca?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV- Base Camp -Dr. Madison Munroe- 1750) ==================================== While they waited for the captain Maddie tried to get as much information about their society as she could. Unfortunately, her two sources of information went from silent, to rambling in 0.8 seconds, and to make sense of the ramblings you had to be a reader of 20th century romance novels- which Maddie was. Slowly an... entourage... of security began to show up, followed soon by the captain and Major Stratton. She smiled at them both as they arrived. "Are we ready doctor?" Sevant asked. "As ready as we're going to be, Captain," she replied. Then she turned to the villagers. "Kahl, Yanno, can you take us to your Archon now." The two jumped to their feet, careful not to look at any of them in the face, and took of at a fast pace towards the village. They all had to move fast to catch up to them, and keep up with the pace they set. Maddie was breathing a little hard and sweat began to trickle down her back. She was not used to such activity. After all, she was scientist, not a triathlete. As they walked Maddie tried to explain what she had learned. "Apparently, theirs is a hierarchy built on ... believe it or not, magic. Apparently there have been two faction who have been warring on each other for god only knows how long... centuries. Thee Scions of the New Order, who seem to be the bad guys, and the Brotherhood of Mages, who these two seem to be a part of in some way. The Scions seem to be a conquor by force and brutality. Of course, this is solely from the point of view of our two friends. However, they have certain amount of believability about them. This Archon, appears to be a Shaman type leader. Hopefully we can get more pertinent information from them." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1751) ==================================== Paul was looking around as his crew members were being carried out of the vessel. Most seemed okay, but in various states of unconsciousness. There were at least two figures that came out unmoving and covered that concerned him though. Paul knew that at this point there was very little he could do. He never felt confident with the small amount of medical training he had and was constantly afraid he'd move bodies the wrong way. Besides, a group of crewmen who seemed to know what they were doing had streamed onto the site and were taking orders from the Vulcan doctor who was on the scene. Paul's concentration on the events swirling around him was broken by the voice of a man in a yellow support uniform sporting the same rank as him. "Hello Commander. It's good to see you again. Can you tell me what you are doing here? I was unaware of any shuttles being scheduled to meet us here." Paul looked at the man, trying to remember his name. "I'm sorry Commander, your name escapes me. Mine is Casely, Paul Casely. Call me Paul. We were reassigned from Starbase Geneva. I was First Officer there, hence the red uniform. I'm supposed to be your new Strategical Officer and third officer. I'll also help with tactical and security where I can. My crew, well, most of my senior staff and a few others from Geneva, were reassigned with me. Your new Chief Medical Officer and Chief Counselor are on there. Good people, all of them." (Reply Stolev) "We traveled in the River. We were supposed to meet you. The PADD with our orders and transfer documentation is on there somewhere," stated Paul pointing at the Runabout, "We had almost reached your ship when someone shot us down. So, what the heck is going on here?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - - Outside the runabout - TAC/ASC Lt(jg) Walker Isengard - 1753) ==================================== Walker, after many decades of practice, didn't so much as twitch a muscle when he woke. His head hurt, his neck hurt, and by the rock in his back it was obvious he wasn't sleeping in his bunk. It took a few moments, but the crash suddenly reared in his mind. ~Did I make a mistake and miscalculate?~ he thought quietly as he listened to everything going on around him. He didn't open his eyes and he didn't move a muscle, he was taking in the situation first. It was immediately obvious that he was no longer in the runabout, not unless it had suddenly grown dirt and rock and smelled like a tropical wasteland. He also wasn't dead, or he wouldn't be hurting so much. He slowly opened his mind, the shields he carried had been slammed shut after sending his mass-broadcast to everyone on the planet. The panic, anger, sadness and determination on the shuttle would have been enough to give him a splitting headache otherwise. He hated being around emotional beings during crisis situations. There were many people around him, only a few of which he recognized as those he was ferrying from Geneva. On the other hand, that didn't mean the rest were enemies. HE had been coming to the planet to find the Boudicca's captain, after all... "This one's awake." ~DAMN~ Walker no longer had the option of remaining idle. He rolled away quickly and came to a sitting position while reaching for his phaser in a smooth, practiced movement. ~Of course.~ he thought furiously as he noticed the phaser wasn't there. What was more, a fully armored Marine was now pointing a phaser at him without the slightest hesitation in his stance. Walker sighed and put his hands in his lap. "I am Lieutenant Walker Isengard, USS Spectre and pilot-Commander of the runabout Drago. If you are not the crew of the USS Boudicca, I will say no more." The Marine growled verbally and stood up from his kneeling position, and after a moment, holstered the phaser. "You're the idgit that openly broadcast that the Boudicca was being attacked and then proceeded to rip into our perimeter. Bah." The Marine, the one with the altered helmet (which Walker found interesting) crossed his arms. "I'm Major Drizzt, MXO of the Boudicca. What is your business here?" Walker stared at the Marine for several moments, wondering just what he could say about the orders he had to present directly to the command staff. He finally settled with, "My business is with Captain Sevant or Commander West alone." Major Drizzt, if that's who he was, went silent. That didn't mean much, he could be holding a conversation with half his crew behind that helmet and Walker wouldn't know it. Someone in medical blue slid next to him at a five-foot distance and slowly brought up a tricorder, "I'm just going to scan you, 'k? You just took a hell of a ride..." Walker opened up his empathic senses again, followed quickly by his telepathic senses. ~Conventions be damned.~ He received a flush of emotion from everywhere, but managed after a moment to narrow it in on the medic. HE sensed no hostility, not direct hostility anyway. There was a lot of worry, some trepidation about being so close to Walker... probably over his antics. And more then a bit of concern about the situation they were in. Walker relaxed ever so slightly when the medic put the tricorder down. "You have whiplash, some severe bruising to your back and neck, and a couple pulled muscles." The medic pulled out a hypospray, "This is just a painkiller, k? That neck has got to be killing you. If you insist on living with it though..." Walker gave the man another quick read and again confirmed the man wasn't hostile, just very wary of getting close should Walker decide to get violent. Isengard frowned and slammed his shields closed again, and then gave a small nod... one he immediately regretted now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Pain shot from his neck to his temples, and all the way down to his fingertips. He barely felt the hypospray, but the pain immediately dulled into something bearable. "Thank you." He managed as he blinked away a couple tears which had formed in his eyes at the pain. He focused again on the MXO, "So?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1753) ==================================== "Hello Commander," said Stolev to Commander Casely. "It's good to see you again. Can you tell me what you are doing here? I was unaware of any shuttles being scheduled to meet us here." Casely looked at him for a moment. "I'm sorry Commander, your name escapes me. Mine is Casely, Paul Casely. Call me Paul. We were reassigned from Starbase Geneva. I was First Officer there, hence the red uniform. I'm supposed to be your new Strategical Officer and third officer. I'll also help with tactical and security where I can. My crew, well, most of my senior staff and a few others from Geneva, were reassigned with me. Your new Chief Medical Officer and Chief Counsellor are on there. Good people, all of them." Stolev nodded as the two of them climbed out of the runabout to give the medical teams more room to work. "Yes, I remember you from the Nimitz, when we were on that joint mission a few months back. I'm Aleksander Stolev, chief of tactical/security. You can call me Sasha. So how did you get here so quickly, all the way from Geneva? And how did you know where to find us?" "We traveled in the River. We were supposed to meet you. The PADD with our orders and transfer documentation is on there somewhere," stated Paul pointing at the Runabout. "We had almost reached your ship when someone shot us down. So, what the heck is going on here?" "Well, that's a very good question," replied Sasha. "The shuttle crash is the source of most of the excitement of late, and we haven't been able to contact the Boudicca for the past hour or so. The information you brought sheds some light on what may be going on up there. Meanwhile, we have encountered some natives here on the planet who mysteriously don't show up on any of our tricorders. I'd be interested to know if any of the telepaths can sense them." Stolev turned and looked at the remains of the runabout. "Captain Sevant showed me the PADD containing an extract of your sensor logs," he remarked to Casely. "Were you able to get any information on what caused your crash? What kind of weapon, energy field, anything?" (reply Casely) Stolev turned and saw a collection of engineers working on what looked like a subspace transponder, under the direction of Commander West. "Commander," called out Stolev. "Can I borrow some of your engineers? We need to get at the sensor records on the runabout and see if they are still intact." (reply West) Stolev looked in another direction and saw a blue-shirted crewman holding a phaser. He had apparently been drafted to form part of the perimeter and he looked distinctly uncomfortable in his present role. "You, Ensign. Are you in the science department?" "Yes, sir," replied the ensign. "Get over here, we'll need your help extracting the sensor logs. Work with these engineers here." The ensign looked relieved as he put away his phaser and pulled out his tricorder. The group went to work at the front end of the shuttle -- evidently the nose had been so badly damaged during the crash that access to whatever remained of the sensors and their logs was more easily obtained from outside the shuttle. This did not do much to give Stolev any optimism about what they might find. Stolev turned back to Casely. "I'm sure you're concerned about your crew from Geneva, commander. Please feel free to get whatever updates you can on their conditions, but don't wander too far... we may need you soon." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Runabout - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1756) ==================================== "Commander," called out Stolev to West. "Can I borrow some of your engineers? We need to get at the sensor records on the runabout and see if they are still intact." "I don't see a problem with it, you may however want to clear it with Lt Fredericks just to make sure," replied West. "I believe there are still a few engineers not currently assigned to a task however," and with that he gestured towards the east end of the clearing where several people were milling about apparently trying to get the replicator to produce some parts that it wasn't designed to replicate on command. Stolev looked in that direction, then turned back to West. "They look like they'll work, thanks," he replied, then he tapped his badge. "Stolev to Fredericks. Can you please send a group of available engineers to me at the runabout? It looks like there may be a few nearby already. We need to get access to the sensor logs to find out what happened to it, and hopefully what happened to the Boudicca as well. If you're available to help out, so much the better." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1812) ==================================== Paul looked at the Stolev. Once again he felt affected by the Boudicca sense of paranoia. While he was more than sure they had their reasons, he couldn't help but think back to when he'd been shot by one of their marines. He shook his head slowly but said nothing. Stolev turned and looked at the remains of the runabout. "Captain Sevant showed me the PADD containing an extract of your sensor logs," he remarked to Casely. "Were you able to get any information on what caused your crash? What kind of weapon, energy field, anything?" Finally, a chance to do something. Paul knew he would soon go insane with inactivity at this rate. He couldn't do anything to help his people medically, and they wanted him to sit on a clod of dirt and wait for nothing. "No idea. It was the strangest thing. It wasn't an energy blast, at least not from any sort of discernable weapon, no traceable energy signal. We figured it was a new weapon that Doenitz was using. The only thing I'm sure of is that it came from somewhere on the planet's surface," replied Paul slowly. He couldn't help but start to feel 'infected' by the same paranoia now. Paul couldn't help but think back to the neural parasites he had just battled on Geneva, maybe there was more here than met the eye afterall and his key instinct to behave like a prisoner of war wasn't as far off as he'd originally thought. What if something had changed? What if Sevant had been turned by Doenitz after he'd been taken? It was possible that Lee didn't know, it was also possible that he was being pumped for information. (Reply Stolev) Paul watched as Stolev turned and started sorting things out with other people. This, for some reason, made Paul nervous. Something strange was definitely going on. Stolev turned back to Paul. "I'm sure you're concerned about your crew from Geneva, commander. Please feel free to get whatever updates you can on their conditions, but don't wander too far... we may need you soon." Paul looked at his feet at the mention of his crew and at the confirmation that he was some sort of a prisoner at this point, "Of course." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - TAC/SC Lt Cmdr Stolev - Day 3 - 1813) ==================================== Stolev turned and looked at the remains of the runabout. "Captain Sevant showed me the PADD containing an extract of your sensor logs," he remarked to Casely. "Were you able to get any information on what caused your crash? What kind of weapon, energy field, anything?" "No idea. It was the strangest thing. It wasn't an energy blast, at least not from any sort of discernable weapon, no traceable energy signal. We figured it was a new weapon that Doenitz was using. The only thing I'm sure of is that it came from somewhere on the planet's surface," replied Paul slowly. "Really?" This changed a lot of things, eliminating several of unsavory possibilities while presenting a number of others. "That's good to know, Commander. Perhaps this planet isn't as harmless as we initially thought. We'll try to get at your shuttle sensor logs and see if we can get any more details on what exactly happened." Stolev turned to arrange for an engineering and science squad to get to work on the sensors. Once that was organized, he turned back to Casely. "I'm sure you're concerned about your crew from Geneva, commander. Please feel free to get whatever updates you can on their conditions, but don't wander too far... we may need you soon." Paul looked at his feet. "Of course," he replied. Stolev walked a few meters away from Casely, to a spot from which he could still keep an eye on things, and pulled out his PADD. He quickly typed up a brief report for Captain Sevant, mentioning what he had discovered about the occupants of the shuttle coming from Geneva, as well as what Casely had said about the planet being the source of whatever caused the shuttle to crash. Once he had finished, he tapped his comm badge. "Stolev to Sevant." (reply Sevant) "Sir, I have a report on what I've discovered," he said. "I'm beaming it to your PADD now." He tapped a few commands on his PADD and transmitted the report to the captain. (reply Sevant) "Sir!" shouted one of the nearby medics. "This one is waking up!" Stolev and Casely both hurried over to where one of the officers from the shuttle was slowly trying to sit up. NRPG: I assumed that Casely would come as well... if not please change upon reply. RPG: "Whoa there, take it slow," the medic was saying to the unidenfitied Ensign. She was wearing science blue, and was clearly of mixed heritage, based solely on her physical features. The medic was running a tricorder over her and administered a hypospray to the side of her neck. "This will help with the pain and stiffness," he told her. Stolev leaned down towards her. "Ensign? What is your name and position?" (reply Reyal) Stolev looked at Casely. "She's one of your transfers?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Village - Capt Sevant - 1813) ==================================== =^=Stolev to Sevant.=^= Sevant, sweating from the hike in such high temperatures and heavy humidity after growing up on a dry desert planet and spending his recent life in controlled temps on starships, replied "Go ahead Chief." =^=Sir, I have a report on what I've discovered," he said. "I'm beaming it to your PADD now=^= Sevant pulled the PADD out of his inner uniform pocket and tapped it on. He stopped in his tracks and quirked as head as he read. "Hold up." He said to the group as he scrolled through the PADD. ~Interesting.~ He looked back up again, "Very well commander, prepare for visitors. If someone wants to take on the Boudicca, odds are they'll come for us." He started walking again; they still had miles to go before they reached the village according to the MCO. He tossed the PADD to Col Straton so she could have a look at the recovered data. It didn't look promising. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Crash Site - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1813) ==================================== "Sir, I have a report on what I've discovered," reported Stolev. "I'm beaming it to your PADD now." There was silence on the comm link as Sevant presumably assimilated the report. =^= Very well commander, prepare for visitors. If someone wants to take on the Boudicca, odds are they'll come for us. =^= "Aye sir," replied Stolev. "We'll be ready. Stolev out." He then tapped his badge. "Stolev to all personnel in the base camp. Security and marine forces, disband the perimeter around the crashed shuttle and reform around the entire camp. Nothing comes in to or out of the camp without my knowledge and approval. Remember not to rely solely on tricorders as we have encountered some natives who do not register on our scanning equipment. Other personnel, please consolidate operations as much as possible to minimize the physical area requiring protection. We are now on yellow alert. Stolev out." (reply all in camp) NRPG: If anyone (e.g. West, Fredericks) wants to question Stolev's authority to issue these orders, as he is not technically a command officer, I fully encourage you to have your characters confront him about it. ;) RPG: Stolev then tapped his badge once more. "Stolev to Drizzt. Sensor logs downloaded from the shuttle indicate that the attach that disabled it came from the planet's surface, hence the reason for the reformed perimiter. I am transmitting what information we have to your HUD. Please share with your marines as needed." (reply Drizzt) NRPG: I assume the marines have some sort of heads-up display in their BDU. RPG: "Sir!" shouted one of the nearby medics. "This one is waking up!" Stolev and Casely both hurried over to where one of the officers from the shuttle was slowly trying to sit up. Stolev leaned down towards her. "Ensign? What is your name and position?" (reply Reyal) Stolev looked at Casely. "She's one of your transfers?" Paul looked at Stolev and shook his head slowly. "She's just left the Academy. We were transferring you to her on the Runabout, but she hasn't served anywhere before. The Boudicca is to be her first posting. I don't really know her. My group was trying to get through Keltoi Class technical manuals and get ready for their new positions and she was doing the same thing. As a result, there wasn't much interaction I'm afraid." Stolev turned back to the injured ensign, then pulled out his PADD and brought back up the roster of shuttle occupants that Harriman had compiled for him earlier. He scanned down the list until he found the entry matching this officer's biosignature. "Yep, Ensign Quirill Reyal, ACSO," he muttered. He was about to show the PADD to Casely when his comm badge chirped. =^= Mor'rel to Stolev, I have another one conscious. =^= Stolev looked at Casely. "Probably one of yours," he said. "I'll stay here if you want to go check it out." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV – Outside the Runabout Drago - Ensign Quirill Reyal - 1814) ==================================== RPG: Quirill slowly came back to consciousness. She cautiously opened her eyes. She had a horrible headache. She didn't remember much right away. She slowly sat up and glanced around. She felt warm blood on her forehead and she felt slightly dizzy. She looked for any officers around her... ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Crash Site - Major 'Spider' Drizzt - 1815) ==================================== Drizzt, already in the process of reforming their lines after Stolev's order to reform, cursed loudly in Andorian, English and the Tellarites nasty tongue at Marines and Security teams that weren't moving fast enough to suit him. "I swear to PL'oov I will rearrange your organs if you don't get your fifpah heels MOVING!" He turned his gaze inward for a moment to look at the tactical placement of the security forces. Every Marine and Security officer's location was marked through his battle-AI, a pre-arranged sensor condition that had been programmed on the ship since so many crew members were going to be on the planet. It was times like this he thanked the Marine Bible and its paranoid view of security during wartime. =^=Stolev to Drizzt. Sensor logs downloaded from the shuttle indicate that the attack that disabled it came from the planet's surface, hence the reason for the reformed perimeter. I am transmitting what information we have to your HUD. Please share with your marines as needed.=^= "Very well Sir." The Marine answered in a much moderated tone. Into his mic he said, "Scroll received information from Lt Commander Stolev." He frowned as the sensor logs came up. It was nothing he recognized, but it was enough to cut off all communications with the Boudicca and knock a runabout flaming through the sky almost as an after-thought. That didn't make him very bugger-all happy. "Drizzt to all squad commanders," he said. "Be aware that we are facing unknown technology. I want all squads to remain patched in, and speak loud at the first sign of anything unusual. If you hear a tree fart, I wanna know about it. Dig?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1816) ==================================== Paul was examining the general area he was in, waiting for some news, or something to do when suddenly there was a call from a medic one of Runabout's occupants was waking up. Paul watched as Stolev hurried over to the crash site and he ran to join him. Paul wondered which member of the crew it was. Upon arriving he saw a young woman lying there who he barely recognized. He knew that the Runabout had taken on a cadet and that she had worked and studied during most of the journey there. As a result, the Geneva crew had only caught a few fleeting glimpses of her. Stolev leaned down towards her. "Ensign? What is your name and position?" (reply Reyal) Stolev looked at Casely. "She's one of your transfers?" Paul looked at Stolev and shook his head slowly. "She's just left the Academy. We were transferring you to her on the Runabout, but she hasn't served anywhere before. The Boudicca is to be her first posting. I don't really know her. My group was trying to get through Keltoi Class technical manuals and get ready for their new positions and she was doing the same thing. As a result, there wasn't much interaction I'm afraid." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - Research Scientist - Lieutenant Doctor Engtamn-Jensi - 1819) ==================================== Noise, heat, stench... those were the things the marked Engtamn's senses the moment before the crash. He had no time to react, no time to do anything using his scientific knowledge. As the ship rocked with the attack, Engtamn had felt the darkness envelop him. Now, Engtamn felt his deep brown eyes flutter open as he watched a vulcan in medical blues hover over him. Entamn did not recognize the man, he had no idea who he was dealing with. "Ummm... thank you..." stated Engtamn quietly looking up at the doctor. Mor'rel looked down on the Grazerite and nodded. He then hit his communicator pin. "Mor'rel to Stolev, I have another one conscious." (Reply Stolev) "Whe...where am I? Where is the rest of the Geneva crew?" Engtamn voiced softly. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely – 1821) ==================================== Paul watched as increasingly more of 'his people' were carried off of the Drago. His levels of concern for their welfare was starting to abate as one by one they were carried off and laid down, apparently alive. Doctor Engtamn-Jensi was one of the first awake, his hard Grazerite head had protected him in the crash. He was disoriented, but none the worse for wear. Paul breathed a sigh of relief. Medical teams started working on them... then suddenly a wave of shock, horror and nausea filled him. To figures were being carried off covered with plain white sheets. Paul strode quickly, almost breaking into a run to where these two people were. He pulled back the sheet from the first item and a choke of pain caught in his throat. The person who, more often than not, had been his eyes and ears in Station Operations lay with an anguished face. Lieutenant Yalrath had been a casualty of the crash. It was clear that she had not had a peaceful death by the lacerations. Paul replaced the sheet and nodded to the crew members to continue. A member of the family had been lost. Paul then pulled back the sheet on the second figure. Beneath it lay a man wearing the uniform of a Chief Petty Officer in Engineering. Rourke hadn't survived the crash. This was especially hard. Paul knew that Rourke left behind a wife and two children. He also knew he would have to write a letter to his family, as would his direct superior, Lieutenant McLaren. This would doubtless be the first time McLaren had to deal with this sort of a duty, and it wouldn't be easy. Paul shook his head sadly as the covered body was carried away. Pushing back his own sorrow, Paul knew that he had to ensure the rest of his crew was safe. His own ability to portray strength would be something they would all need. Paul knew he was most likely the one who was closest to Yalrath, having worked so closely with her. McLaren knew Rourke better however, although Paul wasn't sure what kind of terms they were on. Paul silently entered their names on a PADD along with their service numbers. Service reports could wait until the living were provided for. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Crash Site - Commander Trevan West - Day 3 - 1825) ==================================== The announcement came over Trevan's badge. "Stolev to all personnel in the base camp. Security and marine forces, disband the perimeter around the crashed shuttle and reform around the entire camp. Nothing comes in to or out of the camp without my knowledge and approval. Remember not to rely solely on tricorders as we have encountered some natives who do not register on our scanning equipment. Other personnel, please consolidate operations as much as possible to minimize the physical area requiring protection. We are now on yellow alert. Stolev out." Trevan whipped his is head around frantically searching out for Stolev the second the comm badge clicked off, he couldn't see him from his vantage point and with all the equipment and people running around from that announcement, it was going to be hard to find him at all. Trevan decided the best way to locate him would be to walk the perimeter of the camp and see if he could find the remaining security forces because that was his most likely location. After about ten minutes of walking around and talking to the odd person, Trevan saw Stolev out in the distance talking with a few security officers. Trevan unclenched his jaw and tried to put his 'command face' on as he approached him. "Lieutenant, you and I need to have a word in private," Trevan gestured to a small enclosed area of trees about a hundred yards from where they were standing, "In my office if you would." The two stood face to face for a moment, Trevan trying to control his temper and trying not to explode at his Tactical officer. "Lt, you were not authorized to give those orders, and you definatly were not authorized to put the camp on a yellow alert." (reply Stolev) "Yes, your security forces are your department and you can do what you see fit with them, however, you need to clear it by me or the Captain first. Always has been that way and always will. I don;t know about your last posting, but here, we follow the chain of command. If you have a recommendation, inform me and I will inform Captain Sevant. He will make the final decision on everything. In his absence, I will make the call. Not you do you follow?." Trevan paused, took a breath and continued to explain his displeasure and his outrage at this incident. "If you had bothered to check with me first, you would have been told that we were already going to a yellow alert status before your call, and the officers you just relocated from that area over there," he pointed north, "were busy trying to get a triage centre set up and our engineers were trying to contact the ship. Now they have to stop and move everything and start again. It is a waste of time. they are well protected there, that is why we put them there. Now, if you can't follow the orders laid out for you the Captain and I may have to re-evaluate the status of the security section and possibly get ourselves a new TAC officer. Proceed with a security level two check on all areas and then report back to me in thirty minutes. Any problems. Good." It wasn't a question, just a statement of what he needed done in the time allotted to them. "Oh an Lt.? If all goes smoothly from here on in, I will forget this conversation. Dismissed." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV, Runabout Drago, COUNS, Lt. {JG} Brian Rogers, 1830) ==================================== Brian's eyes slowly opened has he released there had been some sort of accident. Suddenly, has lights and sounds entered his eyes and ears his head filled up with pain. He clamped his eyes shut once again. He reached out his arms, and felt he was being carried on something. "Who... what... what is going on? Where are we? Commander Casely?" Brian shouted out in a panic. ==================================== (Runabout Drago - Personal Quarters - 3O/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1832) ==================================== Paul was still smarting from the loss of Yalrath and Rourke when he heard a startled cry. "Commander Casely?" came the unmistakable voice of Brian Rogers. Paul ran over to where Brian was laying on a stretcher. "Lieutenant Rogers... Brian... I'm here. We were attacked by... something or someone. There are Boudicca crewmembers down here. They're helping us. Just calm down, everything will be okay," said Paul softly looking at the man who was his Acting Third Officer for a time. (Reply Rogers) "I don't have a lot of information for you right now. I do know we've taken," Paul paused for a second to contain himself, "at least two casualties. Yalrath and Rourke. Everyone else seems to be okay. Engtamn-Jensi is awake, but the others are still in various states of unconsciousness." (Reply Rogers) "They're going to treat you now for any injuries and try to get you up and around. Let them. I need a working counselor, and we really will need one as soon as everyone else comes around. Don't push yourself, we need you ready. You're probably going to be getting a lot of business when you're back on your feet," said Paul with a grim smile. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 3 - 1835) ==================================== Stolev had been walking the perimeter of the camp for a few minutes, checking on the status of the security. "Remember not to rely solely on your tricorder," he was reminding one of his ensigns. He looked up and saw Commander West approaching him. "Lieutenant Commander, you and I need to have a word in private." West gestured to a small enclosed area of trees about a hundred yards from where they were standing. "In my office if you would." Stolev shrugged and followed West towards the the grove. Once they got there, they stood face to face for a moment. Stolev was beginning to wonder what this was all about when West finally started to speak. "Lt. Cmdr., you were not authorized to give those orders, and you definatly were not authorized to put the camp on a yellow alert." Stolev's eyebrows shot up. He had been expecting perhaps some joint strategizing on how best to protect the camp, or how best to reestablish communication with the Boudicca, but not a rebuke for doing his job. "Actually, sir, I spoke to the captain just prior to giving those orders. I shared the data with him that we had retrieved from the shuttle." He handed West the PADD containing the information he had sent to Sevant. "He reviewed it from his remote location, then instructed me to 'prepare for visitors.' I took the actions that, in my judgement, seemed the best suited to do that. I deployed the security forces to form a more secure perimiter around the entire camp, which I'm sure you will agree is completely within my authority. In order to convey the sense of urgency necessary to achieve the appropriate level of security, I believed it necessary to put the camp on yellow alert." "Yes, your security forces are your department and you can do what you see fit with them," replied West, "however, you need to clear it by me or the Captain first. Always has been that way and always will. I don't know about your last posting, but here, we follow the chain of command. If you have a recommendation, inform me and I will inform Captain Sevant. He will make the final decision on everything. In his absence, I will make the call. Not you do you follow?" Stolev opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it and instead simply said, "yes, sir." West paused, took a breath, and then continued his lecture. "If you had bothered to check with me first, you would have been told that we were already going to a yellow alert status before your call, and the officers you just relocated from that area over there," he pointed north, "were busy trying to get a triage centre set up and our engineers were trying to contact the ship. Now they have to stop and move everything and start again. It is a waste of time. They are well protected there, that is why we put them there. Now, if you can't follow the orders laid out for you the Captain and I may have to re-evaluate the status of the security section and possibly get ourselves a new TAC officer. Proceed with a security level two check on all areas and then report back to me in thirty minutes. Any problems? Good." Stolev could feel the blood rising in his cheeks and the tingling of anger in the back of his head, but he took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "Of course, sir. No problems." "Oh and Lt. Cmdr.? If all goes smoothly from here on in, I will forget this conversation. Dismissed." Stolev's jaw clenched as he turned and began to walk out of the small grove. He knew that he and West had not worked much together since he had come aboard, but he still felt it was humiliating and uncalled for to be treated like some junior officer. At the edge of the clearing, he stopped and turned abruptly, and took a few steps back towards West. "Actually, sir, in my own defense, I would like to point out that I did not specifically instruct anyone outside of the security personnel to do anything. I requested that people consolidate operations where possible. If those engineers and medics moved, they did so of their own volition and not because of any direct order from me. Now, I realize I should have cleared it with you about going to yellow alert first, and I will certainly do that in the future. But I did what I thought best to preserve the security and safety of the crew. Sir." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV, Runabout Drago, ATAC/ASC Ensign SG Samantha Chandler - 1835) ==================================== Sam slowly returned to consciousness. She tried to move, only to have pain shoot through her body. She opened her eyes. Her head exploded in pain at the light. She felt someone pick her up to carry her. Even though she knew it would cause pain, in a blind panic she tried to fight back. Her body let her know that it didn't like it. Pain went through every part of her body. "What..... happened? Where... am...I?" she called out, through layers of pain. "Commander Casely? Where...is...he?" She fought to keep awake through all the pain. It was becoming more difficult as the moments went by. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Outside the Village - Capt Sevant - 1835) ==================================== Sevant wiped his brow under the oppressive heat and humidity. The longer he trekked through this tropical forest, the more he silently (and quite illogically) wished for his dry desert home of Vulcan. No planet was meant to be this hot and wet; he could almost swim through the air. What surprised him was the villagers, the hunter and his son, seemed to be doing no better. ~How had they trekked twenty miles, snuck up on my officers and then come to pay homage without baking in their skins?~ he wondered quietly. They were only a few miles from base-camp; they still had over 15 miles to walk before they reached their target. Trekking through this forest wasn't easy when all they had were game-trails to use. It was going to be hours before they reached this village and the Archon... whatever that was. The adult suddenly stopped, prompting several of the security and marine detail to raise their weapons. "Great one," he began. "Our transport, the mighty thunder-giver, is just around this tree. Before we see it can I ask a... personal favor?" he fidgeted for a moment. "Can you bless it, I beg you?" Sevant blinked and quickly racked his mind for an answer with a quick glance to his CSO. Finally he said with great gravity, "Hmmmm. Show me this... Thunder-Giver first. Let me see if it's worthy." The villager bent over double and gestured to the side, "This way, great one!" Sevant pulled out his tricorder and scanned the area, but nothing popped onto the screen. HE quirked an eyebrow and shrugged. A couple security guards preceded him to make sure it was safe, but he followed along quickly behind, alert for traps. What he saw, however, was not was what he was expecting. It was a vehicle, that was for sure. It looked like a giant box with a yoke on it, the back end was covered in multiple layers of giant leaves and three cleaned carcasses of what looked to be a deer-like creature were neatly stacked to one side. The whole thing could easily hold Sevant's team with room to spare. He took a scan of it and came up blank; it simply didn't register on tricorders, much like the villagers themselves. ~That clinches it, they're using technology to block our scans.~ NRPG: Imagine a giant golf cart without wheels, the cargo-kind. RPG: The villager looked at him anxiously, causing Sevant to wince inwardly. He brought up his hand and spoke a few mantras in Vulcan after shutting off his universal translator and raised his arm palm-first. Though he felt foolish doing so, it seemed to mean the world to the adult. And even the child looked excited. With his translator still off he said, "Turn off your translators for a moment... what do you make of this?" ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Base Camp - Commander Trevan West- Day 3 - 1836) ==================================== He saw Stolev walk out of the small grove "Actually, sir, in my own defense, I would like to point out that I did not specifically instruct anyone outside of the security personnel to do anything. I requested that people consolidate operations where possible. If those engineers and medics moved, they`did so of their own volition and not because of any direct order from me. Now, I realize I should have cleared it with you about going to yellow alert first, and I will certainly do that in the future. But I did what I thought best to preserve the security and safety of the crew. Sir." Trevan knew he was right of course, he did have proper orders and he did do what was best for the crew, however he was not notified of any changes to the previous orders and according to regulations, he must obey his current orders until new ones are issued. He wasn't going to back down now, that would show Stolev and the rest of the crew that he was unsure and that is something he did not want to portray at all. "Lieutenant Commander, you are under the impression I was looking for your side of the story. I am not. I know you didn't order anyone specifically to do these things, your message however did give the appearance that you wanted these things done and these people moved. That is the problem right there. You didn't consider how others may interpret your message. You need to be crystal clear in your messages, which is why, as I have already stated, you need to pass them to me first. Then we eliminate this problem. If there is a problem with it, then I take the heat, not you. I can't have my tactical officer worrying about such things when the safety of the ship is at stake. That is my job to worry about. Now, carry out your orders and I will see you in thirty minutes. And I suggest you drop the subject." and with that Trevan turned on his heels and walked back into camp. ==================================== (Planet Velorom IV-Runabout Drago-CMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-18:38) ==================================== "Over here! We've got more wounded over here! Get the medics down here fast!" It seemed like there was a multitude of people screaming in her ear all at once. She could hear all of the voices, but she still couldn't see anything. As she finally started to come to consciousness, her eyes finally drifted open to see a medic in a Starfleet uniform assessing her injuries. "What ....happ.." she couldn't finish her question as she started to cough hard from the beating her and her crewmembers took in the runabout. "Don't worry, you'll be alright," one of the triage medics said to her. Suddenly she sat up fast, her world swaying around her as she did so. "The crew?! Where is everyone else?!" Kaitlyn shouted. As her world finally stopped spinning, it was now just hazy, still trying to let her eyes focus. As she looked around herself she thought the names through. ~Casely......McLaren......Chandler......Rogers....~ She suddenly stopped, realizing what the outcome could've been. And though she saw those particular crewmembers, it didn't mean that everyone survived. Then she looked down at herself. Her burnt and torn uniform seemed to match the lumps and bruises she had taken on the crash down. Finally trying to stand up, she did so, but failed the first time. Her first thoughts were of fractured vertebra or pinched nerves....~Have to try again.~ Trying once more, she was able to stand this time, only she had to wait until her mind cleared. As she spotted Casely, she noticed he seemed to be the center of attention for answers. She didn't know how many of those answers he held, but she decided she could be of use herself. Walking up to one of the medics, she said, "Let me help....I can be of some use." <> Listening as Mor'rel protested her request, she finally gave up and joined with the rest of the group consisting of Casely, Rogers and Chandler. She hated to play twenty questions, but she assumed they did have answers. ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV - Runabout Drago - 3O/TAC/StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 1838) ==================================== Paul heard his ATAC/ASC and moved towards her. He saw Mor'rel working to treat her and administer what he guessed were pain-killers. "Ensign Chandler, I'm here. I'm fine," replied Paul quietly. He was concerned for the young woman. She had only joined the crew a short time ago but had shown herself as a skilled security officer. Paul watched as Mor'rel moved over to Kaitlyn. (Reply Chandler) "Most of the crew are okay. We only suffered two losses," started Paul but before he could finish he became aware of Kaitlyn asking to help and couldn't help but overhear Mor'rel's characteristic response. "I do not believe, Commander, that it is in your best interest at the moment until we complete your examination. Surely you would not allow a patient, no matter who he or she was, to do what you are proposing," Mor'rel stated with an arched eyebrow. ~Logic. Great. Spare me the logical Vulcans,~thought Paul as he turned to the imbroglio. "Doctor Mackenzie, I must concur with Doctor Mor'rel. Lets get you checked out first and then we'll see about your ability to help with the wounded," stated Paul simply, "Is there a way we can at least get my senior staff sheltered and grouped somewhat together?" "I'll see what I can do, Sir," stated Mor'rel in reply as he tapped his comm badge. "Lieutenant Stolev, this is Doctor Mor'rel. Several of the Drago crew are awake. Commander Casely is requesting that his people be given some sort of shelter. It also seems he wishes to keep his senior staff together at the moment. Is there some way we can accommodate him? It might also be wise that they meet Commander West." ==================================== (Planet Velorum IV, Runabout Drago, ATAC/ASC Lieutenant Dorrin Klars - 1840) ==================================== Dorrin awoke and opened his eyes through a haze of pain. He dimly remembered that he prepared himself for the crash, but it seemed that it was not enough. He attempted to sit up, and a new wave of pain traveled up his back. He half stumbled half crawled around looking for someone, "Is there anyone out there?" he called desperately before his legs collapsed under him. At this moment he would almost be happy to see Thrall, almost. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of Compile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~