~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: To Live and Die in Starlight, Day -7 - 1 Stardate: 2407.01.25 - 2407.02.01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List of Headers: (USS Steel Talons - Flag Country, Admiral's Quarters - Adm Robert LoDona & Commander Grailik - 0420) (Vulcan Science Academy - Research Lab - Professor Tardek - 1130) (USS Boudicca - Corridor - COUNS - Lt. (JG) Brian Rogers - 0801) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - LT(jg) Walker Isengard - 0820) (USS Boudicca - Security Center - Lt(jg) Walker Isengard - 0830) (USS Boudicca - Security Center - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day -6 - 0830) (USS Boudicca - Security Center - Lt(jg) Walker Isengard -0830) (USS Boudicca - Security Center - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0834) (USS Boudicca, Security Center, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0836) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0837) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - Lt Isengard - 0838) (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO, Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6, 0838) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Stolev - 0840) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0840) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0840) (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0841) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0842) (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0843) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0844) (Runabout Solent - Passenger Cabin- Ensign (Jg) Stephanie Hagan - 0845) (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0845) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0846) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0846) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign(jg) Stephanie Hagan - 0905) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Capt Sevant - 0906) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0906) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Capt Sevant - 0906) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0907) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Captain Sevant - 0908) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0908) (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0925) (USS Boudicca - Tactical Holodeck, 'Bridge' of the Boudicca - Senior Chief Petty Officer Melody Haverstaad - 1310) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/SC Stolev - Day -6 - 1315) (USS Boudicca - Tactical Holodeck - Senior Chief Melody Haverstaad - 1316) (USS Boudicca - Tactical Holodeck - TAC/SC Stolev - Day -6 - 1320) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 0714) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 1 - 0714) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 0719) (USS Boudicca - StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 0720) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0721) (USS Boudicca - MCO's office - MXO Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0724) (USS Boudicca - Marine Staging Center - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0725) (USS Boudicca - Marine Center - MXO Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0726) (USS Boudicca, Marine Center, MCO, Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, 0726) (USS Boudicca - Marine Center - Lt(jg) Walker Isengard - 0726) (USS Boudicca - Captain's Quarters - Capt Sevant - 0750) (USS Boudicca - Captain's Readyroom- StratOps/3O - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 0825) (USS Boudicca - Bridge- CSO- Dr. Madison Munroe- 0805) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Captain Sevant - 0805) (USS Boudicca - Bridge- CSO- Dr. Madison Munroe- 0808) (USS Boudicca - Captain's Ready room - Capt Sevant - 0825) (USS Boudicca - Captain's Readyroom- StratOps/3O - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 0825) (USS Boudicca - Captain's Readyroom- Capt Sevant - 0825) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - MXO Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0920) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 1 - 0925) (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - CSO- Dr. Madison Munroe- 0926) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Start of Compile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: To Live and Die in Starlight, Day -7 Stardate: 2407.01.25 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (USS Steel Talons - Flag Country, Admiral's Quarters - Adm Robert LoDona & Commander Grailik - 0420) ==================================== "LoDona, blue omega seven two." The computer beeped, [Voice Print Confirmed] Robert growled to himself as the doors to his quarters slid open. The security procedures on the Talons, though needed, were a royal pain-in-the-butt. He only visited his quarters once every couple of days, if he was lucky. Most days he ended up sleeping in his chair so he could be close to the master situation board and all fleet communications. The last year had been absolute hell, and it wasn't going to get any better, not now that they were preparing to strike deep into their homeland. "Lights" he called when he finally got into the quarters, already stripping off his top in preparation for a long shower. His quarters were large, as they were like to be for such a high ranking individual. Even so, they were Spartan and had almost no personal effects. He had left almost everything personal behind on Geneva. This was his fleet flagship, and they were at war. So it came as a real surprise to see a glow-crystal on his table that he had never seen before. He looked at it for a moment and recognized its design as being from Betazed. But what shocked him more was the presence of a figure on his couch. He had his phaser out of the holster by instinct a moment later and was nearly ready to press the button when the face caught his attention and stopped him in mid-action. A couple seconds passed before LoDona shoved the phaser back into the holster. "Damn it, Grailik." he growled, trying to control the adrenaline rush. "One of these days..." "You don't like it?" Grailik asked innocently, taking a sip of his coffee casually, nodding toward the crystal. "I think it's quite beautiful myself. Almost relaxing." Grailik moved from his laid back position to fully sitting. "You might want to sit down Robert." His tone had gone from innocently casual to deadly serious. LoDona put up one finger and walked to his bar and poured himself a very small glass of brandy. The surge was over, almost before it had begun, leaving him even more tired. He shook his head and took a seat in a chair he almost never used. "I take it you've had... good hunting?" he asked before taking a sip of his drink. "Depends how you define 'good'," Grailik said, "You know where the crystal is from, so I won't bore you with where I've been, just what I've uncovered." With that Grailik pulled a small PADD like device from one of his pockets and handed it to LoDona. LoDona looked at the batazoid crystal as he took the padd. "How is it there?" he asked dully as he entered his security code into the PADD. It was heavily encrypted, with several levels of security on it. Robert would have expected no less. "Bad, it's bad almost everywhere these days," Grailik said, "The Betazed government surrendered 12 hours after the orbital bombardment started. There is a small resistance operating on the planet. For the most part, it's a prison camp. Vulcan surrendered before the bombardment could begin. It was the logical thing to do. Their resistance will be a non-violent one. I've made contact with certain members of the resistance there; they have agreed to supply us with what ever Intel they can. Also, the 12th and 15th fleets have openly defected from Doenitz's forces. "Unfortunately, their area of operations is almost directly opposite our current position. If you could find a way to establish contact, could go a long way to bolstering our own forces. All the details are contained on the PADD. But that isn't what brought me here, I've flagged that data specifically " Robert nodded grimly as he finally got into the PADD, stories like that were popping up everywhere. If they had surrendered early, odds are most of them were alive though. Tellar, Andoria and Alpha Centari had been pounded for far longer. And still were, in some cases. He leaned back in his chair and supported his hand with his fist from the arm of the chair as he began reading. The more he read, the darker his mood became. It was like reading a horror story. And then, he blinked and reread a couple paragraphs. He looked up quickly, "You're sure of this; everything was just wrapped up and left alone on THIS date?" "Have you ever known me to be wrong about something like this?" Grailik asked. "I've verified the data including the date to the best of my ability." LoDona muttered to himself, "The b*stard had the right of it." he looked up again, "This is two days after Falthgood composed and sent a message to Doenitz, warning him off of some of the frilling projects he had been brewing." LoDona frowned; Grailik was out of the loop on this. "Falthgood brought back three of the doomsday devices he had hidden. He was adamant that only the threat of using them would prompt Doenitz to behave. It looks like the b*stard was right." Robert sat back in his chair and tossed the PADD onto the coffee table in thought. "But these facilities weren't destroyed." He turned his head and looked at the wall absently, like he was looking far into the distance. "We're going to pound into the Federation shortly, Grailik. This worries me." He mused for a few more moments. "How long until everything could be operational and he could start the project?" "Days," Grailik said with certainty, "He was ready to begin mass production when he shut it down. The first off the line are still being kept there, part of the extremely tight security." LoDona considered cursing, but suddenly found himself to tired. Rather, he continued staring off into the distance. "There are two battle groups close enough to strike; you can get to either in a matter of days. We have resupply convoys departing for both that you can tag along with..." he said vaguely as he grabbed a PADD out of his pocket and entered his code. He started searching the rosters of both ships for flagged personnel, and then stopped. He quirked his head as if contemplating and then suddenly grinned. He marked the page and tossed it to Grailik without a word, it would be self explanatory. Grailik caught the PADD with his free and hand read it over quickly. He nodded. "Just the person I was gonna recommend for the problem. Having two makes it all the better." Grailik took a sip of his coffee, deep in thought. "And what about the ever curious and paranoid commanding officer. He will have questions. How many answers do you want him to receive?" "Whatever is necessary." LoDona said. "He has a special hatred for these people, and he'll recognize the import of this mission if he's told the facts." Robert mused for a few moments and considered what he had read. "It might become necessary to explain the situation anyway; odds are this will take a ground-based tactical team. I will leave that up to your best judgment, but clue the Captain in." "And if his questions are not mission related? But say to my involvement and past history? I did serve under him for a time, and he has no knowledge of certain orders given me by you. Or of my history in general, other than being a counselor and doctor." Grailik sipped casually at his coffee. LoDona took a deep breath and then finished his brandy, "I will also leave that to your best judgment." he finally said. "Circumstances may require some insight. But if you can keep it quiet... do so." Grailik nodded, downing the last of his coffee. "Well, I better start packing," Grailik said standing, "I have a convoy to catch. Enjoy the crystal Robert. I'll report back when I can." With that Grailik reached into one of his pockets, and touched a small device hidden there. He disappeared in a shimmer of transporter light. LoDona looked back down at the PADD on the table and picked it up. He tapped it on his hand a few times, lost in thought, then finally tossed it back down unread. He had enough things to keep him awake this night, he didn't need more. It would keep, Grailik was on his way. He stood up with a groan and stripped off his shirt, once again intent on that shower. ==================================== (Vulcan Science Academy - Research Lab - Professor Tardek - 1130) ==================================== "Professor?" Tardek looked up from his workbench to see Sovak, his research assistant, standing in the doorway. "What is it?" "I've just received word that the planet has surrendered to Starfleet forces loyal to Admiral Doenitz," replied Sovak. Tardek quirked an eyebrow. "This is not entirely unexpected, Sovak," he replied. He grabbed a nearby PADD and rapidly tapped in a few commands. "Computer, download all research information for project Tardek-319. Authorization alpha omega nine seven nine iota." [Transfer complete.] "Delete all stored information regarding project Tardek-319." The console beeped. [Information deleted.] Tardek then walked over to the research vault and keyed in his access code. The vault opened with a loud hiss as its hermetically sealed doors parted, allowing the air pressure to equalize. He entered the vault and input another access code into one of the secured cabinets. Opening this, he carefully pulled out a small disc-shaped object, about 10 cm in diameter and 2 cm thick, and carried it delicately out into the main lab. He reached under the workbench and pulled out a secure storage container, nestled the disc gently within the padded interior, placed the PADD containing the research information in the container with it, closed the container, and tapped in a number of commands to secure it. "What is project 319, professor?" asked Sovak as he watched Tardek. "I don't believe I've heard mention of it before." "There is a reason for that, Sovak," replied Tardek evenly as he tapped in a few more commands at the console. "Computer, bring up locally cached copy of the Freedom Squadron duty roster." He saw Sovak's eyebrows shoot up. "There are certain benefits to being a former Starfleet Captain, Sovak. Access to specific types of information is one of them." "I see," replied Sovak as he tried without success to mask the uncertainty in his voice as he watched Tardek scroll through the roster information. "Is Freedom Squadron the part of Starfleet that is resisting Admiral Doenitz?" "It is," replied Tardek evenly. He tapped the pause button as a familiar name scrolled past. It had been so long since Tardek had been aboard a Freedom station that he hardly knew any of the officers anymore. One name, however, had caught his eye. He tapped the screen and brought up the service record of Aleksander Stolev. "Who is that?" asked Sovak. "Mr. Stolev was a tactical officer under my command for a short time. He is now apparantly the chief tactical officer aboard a friendly starship. I am also familiar, to a lesser degree, with his commanding officer." Tardek scanned through the rest of Stolev's record. "Yes, this will do nicely." He looked back up at Sovak. "I have a critical task for you, Sovak. It is not without risk, but it will aid greatly in the resistance." Tardek picked up the secure storage container, tapped in a few more commands, and then handed it to Sovak. "See to it that this container reaches Lieutenant Commander Stolev aboard the USS Boudicca. It is imperative that this container and its contents not fall into the posession of forces loyal to Doenitz. Contact Sokar, the assistant export minister at Vulcan Space Central, for assistance. He is sympathetic to our cause and can arrange your transport." "Absolutely, professor," replied Sovak as he took the container. "I am honored by your faith in me." Tardek nodded in response and watched the young man hurry from the room. ~I unfortunately have few alternatives,~ he thought as he also walked out of the lab and down the hall to his wife's lab. He found her studying specimens under her lepton microscope. "It has begun," he announced. T'len looked up in surprise and took in the grim countenance of her husband. "So it has. Your project?" "All references deleted, and on its way to friendly forces." Tardek regarded her evenly. "The coming times will be difficult." T'len nodded solemnly. "As would be expected," she replied. She walked over to him and stared into his troubled eyes. "We shall endure them together," she said softly as she raised her hand, index and middle fingers extended together. "Indeed, we shall," he replied as his two fingers touched hers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: To Live and Die in Starlight, Day -6 Stardate: 2407.01.26 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Corridor - COUNS - Lt. (JG) Brian Rogers - 0801) ==================================== Brian emerged from from the gymnasium on Deck 19 after a brisk morning workout and started for the turbolift. He was slowly adjusting to live on a ship after the various luxuries of a starbase. Everything seemed be a constant reminder that he was in a new place, from sharing quarters with Lt. McLaren to the counselor's office being smaller. Brian kept up a slow pace down the hall as he tapped his comm badge, which was attached to the Starfleet Exercise uniform he was wearing. "Rogers to Engtamn-Jensi," Brian said, waiting a response. (reply Engtamn-Jensi) "How are you doing this morning, Doctor?" Brian asking, making small talk. Casely's words from before the training exercise still rang in his head, ~"Keep an eye on Entamn and on Doctor Munroe. They went through a lot down there. Don't come on too strong"~ (reply Engtamn-Jensi) "Doctor, I've got sort of a semi-interest in science. Would you like to get together for lunch and discuss wormhole physics with me today?" Brian asked, hoping that the meeting would give him a perfect time to probe Engtamn-Jensi on his current mental health. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - LT(jg) Walker Isengard - 0820) ==================================== "Lieutenant Isengard, reporting as ordered." The Captain didn't answer for a few moments as he continued reading his screen, but eventually he tapped a button and turned. "Mr. Isengard, I've just received a new batch of orders. Including yours." The Captain picked up a PADD and handed it over, "The Spectre has passed beyond your runabouts cruising range on a mission, and you have been attached to the Boudicca until such time as transport can be arranged." Walker's eyebrow quirked slightly as he took the PADD and read the orders. Sure enough, Fleet Personnel had ordered him to stay put. ~None of this should have been.~ he thought glumly. He was rather fond of the Spectre; it didn't have half so many telepaths, including one really annoying Wench of an MCO. "Very well Sir, shall I report to your Security Department?" "You shall, I'll have a word with the quartermaster about getting you permanent quarters indefinitely." the Captain said as he reclined in his chair slightly. Walker couldn't quite put a finger on it, but Sevant almost seemed more relaxed in the last few days. Odd, considering that the battle-group had almost formed and each ship was taking on supplies from an endless series of supply vessels for an extended battle cruise. Walker had been pegged to help load torpedoes, the Boudicca was now over-stocked by at least 60 of each type, and the Quartermaster had been pulling his tentacles out to figure out where to store 50 more. Walker snapped to attention. "Captain." Sevant nodded and turned back to his screen, "Dismissed." Walker stepped out onto the bridge and looked around. ~War.~ he mused as he looked around. Everyone was armed; sidearms were regulation in war on most ships. The mood was more dire then it would be under normal operations, and it showed. Everyone was operating with grim efficiency. He quietly made his way to the turbolift and almost whispered, "Security." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Security Center - Lt(jg) Walker Isengard - 0830) ==================================== Walker clasped his hands behind his back as he stepped into the security center. Men where everywhere, the Staging Center held fully armed guards in riot gear on the off-chance there would be an invasion. He stepped to the side and tapped his badge, "Lieutenant Isengard to Chief Stolev, I've been ordered to report to Security for duty. Whom would you like me to report to?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Security Center - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day -6 - 0830) ==================================== With a heavy sigh, Stolev set the PADD down atop the stack of others on his desk and rubbed his eyes. He inhaled the aroma deeply as he took another long sip from his coffee mug. He hadn't slept well in days, ever since the rendezvous with the supply ships. It had all seemed rather abstract when it was just theoretical discussions in the conference room and in senior staff meetings. Now, seeing torpedo after torpedo transferred aboard and stashed wherever anyone could find room, it was hitting them. They really were at war, fighting against those who only a few months ago had been their comrades in arms. A whistle from the comm caught Stolev's attention. =^= Lieutenant Isengard to Chief Stolev, I've been ordered to report to Security for duty. Whom would you like me to report to? =^= Stolev's heart felt like it skipped a beat, and he felt his face beginning to flush; a betazoid security officer had been assigned to him. He took a deep breath, then tapped his badge as he began shuffling through his desk to find the PADD with Isengard's bio. "You may report to me, Lieutenant. Where are you now?" =^= In the security center, =^= replied Isengard. "Excellent. I'll be right out." He closed the channel as he finally located the PADD he had been looking for. Stolev skimmed the info on the PADD as he walked out of his office into the main security center. It was the busiest it had been since he came aboard. The staging area was swarming with officers, some in riot gear, and everyone carrying a sidearm. The tension in the air was palpable. He glanced around and spotted Isengard standing off to the side. He walked over and found himself looking up at the rather tall officer. "Lieutenant." (reply Isengard) "At ease, Lieutenant. Let's talk in my office," suggested Stolev. "It's a bit less hectic there." (reply Isengard) Stolev led the way back into his office and sat behind his desk. He indicated one of the chairs opposite for Isengard. He took another moment to glance over the PADD, then set it down. He grabbed his nearly empty coffee cup and drained it, then walked to the replicator and tapped in the order for another cup. "Want anything to drink, Lieutenant?" (reply Isengard) Stolev set his cup down on his desk as he took his seat again. "So, Lieutenant," he began, trying to keep his voice even and act as normally as possible. "I see here you have served in security on a variety of different stations in various capacities. I prefer to assign my officers to roles that best suit their skills and preferences where possible. What aspects of ship security do you feel are your strengths?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Security Center - Lt(jg) Walker Isengard -0830) ==================================== =^=You may report to me, Lieutenant. Where are you now?=^= "In the security center," he replied, tonelessly. "Excellent. I'll be right out.=^= "Very well, Sir." He said as the comm closed. He stood next to the situation desk at loose attention, watching men and women walk by. Finally, the Chief walked up to him. "Lieutenant." "Commander, Lieutenant Isengard reporting for Duty." He replied, coming to formal attention. "At ease, Lieutenant. Let's talk in my office," suggested Stolev. "It's a bit less hectic there." "As you wish." He followed the Commander back through the Security Center, wondering all the while why he hadn't just gone to join the Chief in his office. He mentally shrugged after a moment, such would be as it would be. Once they had finally gotten to the office, he took a seat as gestured by the Chief and watched him move about. At one point he asked, "Want anything to drink, Lieutenant?" "No Sir." He said, simply. Stolev set his cup down on his desk as he took his seat again. "So, Lieutenant, I see here you have served in security on a variety of different stations in various capacities. I prefer to assign my officers to roles that best suit their skills and preferences where possible. What aspects of ship security do you feel are your strengths?" "Armed Combat, telepathic Combat, guard duty, bridge duty. Anything that requires a warm body to stand between something and danger or the manipulation of our greater weaponry. I am fully certified in the tech, I can repair what I need to, but I don't have a natural knack for it. My age makes being a foot-soldier problematic, I would naturally have troubles keeping up with the bucks if we were to be tossed onto a planet, but I will do that as well if that is where I am required." Walker, his back ram-rod straight, quirked an eyebrow. "I am certified for most anything within Security or Tactical. We're at war, I will conform to your needs." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Security Center - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0834) ==================================== "What aspects of ship security do you feel are your strengths?" asked Stolev. "Armed Combat, telepathic Combat, guard duty, bridge duty. Anything that requires a warm body to stand between something and danger or the manipulation of our greater weaponry. I am fully certified in the tech, I can repair what I need to, but I don't have a natural knack for it. My age makes being a foot-soldier problematic, I would naturally have troubles keeping up with the bucks if we were to be tossed onto a planet, but I will do that as well if that is where I am required." Isengard, his back ram-rod straight, quirked an eyebrow. "I am certified for most anything within Security or Tactical. We're at war, I will conform to your needs." Stolev nodded. "That's good. I have a couple of duties in mind for you. First, I will need a rotation of three seasoned officers for bridge duty, particuarly in times such as these. I will want someone with combat experience on the bridge at all times once we get underway. I'd like you to be the third piece of that rotation, in addition to myself and Ensign Chandler. Second, I need someone to coordinate some training sessions for repelling an armed invasion of the ship. I'd like for you to take that on as well." ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Security Center, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0836) ==================================== Eva walked into the Security Center PADD in one hand. She looked around at all the security personnel feeling their heightened emotional state. It was the same thing with many of the marines. Pre-battle jitters many called them. Eva was confident that when the time came that both departments would do what was required of them. They had been training together rigorously for a long time now and had truly come together as a cohesive fighting force on more than one occasion. Eva simply nodded to those in the room and moved toward where she felt Stolev. She had become quite familiar with the TAC\SC's mental presence and could detect him with little effort. A small half-smile crossed her face when she saw who he was talking to. "Good morning Gentlemen," She said, coming up to them. (Reply Stolev, Isengard) "Lt. Isengard," Eva said evenly, "I've heard that you will be staying with us a while longer. Welcome to the team." (Reply Isengard IYW) Eva then turned to Stolev. "Commander, here is the latest simulation results from the last joint training exercise between the marines and security. Perhaps, when you are finished here, you and I can go over them? I have a few ideas for increasing our efficiency rating. Major Drizzt is already at work thinking up new scenarios for the next training session." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0837) ==================================== Stolev looked up as the door opened and Colonel Straton entered, a small half-smile on her face. "Good morning Gentlemen," she said, coming into the room. "Good morning, Colonel," replied Stolev as he stood up and returned her smile. "I believe you've met Lieutenant Isengard." "Lt. Isengard," Straton said evenly, "I've heard that you will be staying with us a while longer. Welcome to the team." (Reply Isengard IYW) Straton then turned to Stolev. "Commander, here is the latest simulation results from the last joint training exercise between the marines and security. Perhaps, when you are finished here, you and I can go over them? I have a few ideas for increasing our efficiency rating. Major Drizzt is already at work thinking up new scenarios for the next training session." "Of course," said Stolev. "We're just about done here anyway. Did you have any questions, Lieutenant?" (reply Isengard) "Very well. Dismissed." Sasha waited until Isengard had departed, then came around his desk, coffee in hand. "Want something to drink?" he asked Eva. (reply Straton) NRPG: If she says yes, feel free to add Sasha getting her drink to your reply. RPG: Sasha took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk and gestured Eva towards the other chair. "So, let's have a look at those results. How did we do?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - Lt Isengard - 0838) ==================================== "I believe you've met Lieutenant Isengard." Walker stood and came to loose attention as Colonel Straton walked into the room. "Lt. Isengard," Straton said evenly, "I've heard that you will be staying with us a while longer. Welcome to the team." Walker nodded his head slightly, "Sir." She turned her attention to the Chief, "Commander, here is the latest simulation results from the last joint training exercise between the marines and security. Perhaps, when you are finished here, you and I can go over them? I have a few ideas for increasing our efficiency rating. Major Drizzt is already at work thinking up new scenarios for the next training session." "Of course," said Stolev. "We're just about done here anyway. Did you have any questions, Lieutenant?" "When do you want me on the duty Roster, Sir?" (reply) "Very well. Dismissed." Isengard nodded, "Sirs.", and stepped out of the room. ==================================== (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO, Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6, 0838) ==================================== Sasha waited until Isengard had departed, then came around his desk, coffee in hand. "Want something to drink?" he asked Eva. "A glass of green tea please," Eva said. She watched as Sasha moved over to the replicator and got both of their drinks and carried them both back. Sasha took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk and gestured Eva towards the other chair. "So, let's have a look at those results. How did we do?" Eva took the offered seat and handed Sasha the PADD while taking a sip of her tea. "They scored a 95.3%. An improvement, but I want to see that score pushed up to no less than a 98.5%. Also, I think we need to run some more simulations dealing with repelling enemy boarders. With the Boudicca being the flag ship of the battle group we are going to be a primary target for any enemy fleets we might engage. At the same time, the Wolf Pack will have to be ready to board and capture any enemy vessels as ordered by the Captain. Therefore, I was considering assigning the 1st and 3rd platoons to strictly defensive duty and leave the 2nd and 4th platoon for offensive deployment. Problem is that we only have a very limited number of Combat Engineers. We could split the squad with half staying to help defend and the other half working to help capture or destroy enemy ships as needed. Though I would rather not do that if we can avoid it. CE's squads are most effective when working together. What do you think?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Stolev - 0840) ==================================== "Did you have any questions, Lieutenant?" "When do you want me on the duty Roster, Sir?" asked Isengard. "Right away, Lieutenant," replied Stolev. "You'll need to become familiar with the bridge consoles as soon as possible. Report to the Ensign Chandler on the bridge to get an overview and some basic training on some of the peculiarities of the Boudicca. I realize you outrank her, but she is my senior assistant, so, for departmental purposes, you are to defer to her on all tactical and security related matters. Anything else?" (reply Isengard) "Very well. Dismissed." Isengard nodded, "Sirs.", and stepped out of the room. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0840) ==================================== "Did you have any questions, Lieutenant?" "When do you want me on the duty Roster, Sir?" asked Isengard. "Right away, Lieutenant, You'll need to become familiar with the bridge consoles as soon as possible. Report to the Ensign Chandler on the bridge to get an overview and some basic training on some of the peculiarities of the Boudicca. I realize you outrank her, but she is my senior assistant, so, for departmental purposes, you are to defer to her on all tactical and security related matters. Anything else?" "No Sir, Understood Sir." "Very well. Dismissed." Isengard nodded, "Sirs.", and stepped out of the room. He looked around for a few moments. With a sigh he shook his head and made way back the direction he had come. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0840) ==================================== Sasha took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk and gestured Eva towards the other chair. "So, let's have a look at those results. How did we do?" Eva took the offered seat and handed Sasha the PADD while taking a sip of her tea. "They scored a 95.3%. An improvement, but I want to see that score pushed up to no less than a 98.5%. Also, I think we need to run some more simulations dealing with repelling enemy boarders. With the Boudicca being the flag ship of the battle group we are going to be a primary target for any enemy fleets we might engage. At the same time, the Wolf Pack will have to be ready to board and capture any enemy vessels as ordered by the Captain. Therefore, I was considering assigning the 1st and 3rd platoons to strictly defensive duty and leave the 2nd and 4th platoon for offensive deployment. Problem is that we only have a very limited number of Combat Engineers. We could split the squad with half staying to help defend and the other half working to help capture or destroy enemy ships as needed. Though I would rather not do that if we can avoid it. CE's squads are most effective when working together. What do you think?" Sasha considered the results and Eva's suggestions as he studied the PADD. "I agree completely that we need to concentrate on boarding defense. In fact, just before you got here, I gave Lieutenant Isengard primary responsibility for coordinating shipboard defense. He and Drizzt ought to be able to come up with some good simulations." He put down his coffee cup and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I have also been thinking about how best to incorporate the Marines into our defense operations. I think your idea of dividing your platoons and having each one focus on one area is a good one. As for the CEs... I completely understand your concerns. How about we plan to keep them together as one unit as much as possible? While I know anything is possible these days, the odds are we won't be trying to repel boarders while trying to take over another ship at the same time. Therefore we keep the CEs nimble and ready to respond to whichever situation arises. Unfortunately for them, that's means they'll need to pull double-duty with the training, as they'll need to be involved in scenarios for both situations. We'll have to be careful not to burn them out." ==================================== (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0841) ==================================== Eva continued to sip her tea while listening to Sasha. She noted how he was leaning toward her, elbows supported by his legs, his eyes on the PADD before him as he talked. Eva smiled a small mischievous smile before taking another small sip of her tea. "...We'll have to be careful not to burn them out," Sasha finished still leaning forward. "Not to worry," Eva said, leaning forward herself. Brining her face within inches of Sasha's and looking him square in the eye. "CE's are use to rigorous and grueling training just to become a CE. So, it's something they are use to." She reached up with her free hand and put it lightly over Sasha's hand still holding the PADD. Without moving her eyes from his, she pressed a couple of commands on the PADD and then slowly withdrew her hand letting her fingers caress the back of his hand gently as she leaned back in her chair once more. "Something else for you to consider," She said cryptically, as she took another sip of her tea. Now displayed on the PADD an invitation to dinner. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0842) ==================================== "...We'll have to be careful not to burn them out," Sasha finished, still leaning forward. "Not to worry," Eva said, leaning forward herself. Brining her face within inches of Sasha's and looking him square in the eye, she said, "CE's are used to rigorous and grueling training just to become a CE. So, it's something they are used to." Sasha felt the blood rush to his face as she reached up with her free hand and put it lightly over his hand still holding the PADD. Without moving her eyes from his, she pressed a couple of commands on the PADD and then slowly withdrew her hand, letting her fingers caress the back of his hand gently as she leaned back in her chair once more. Sasha could feel the tingling of the goose bumps on the back of his hand as he continued to hold her gaze. "Something else for you to consider," she said cryptically, as she took another sip of her tea. Sasha looked down at the PADD. It now displayed an invitation to dinner. He took a deep breath as he suddenly realized that he hadn't taken one since he had finished talking. He felt a swirling current of emotions warring within him. While Eva's touch had stirred some long-dormant feelings within him, they also infused him with a sense of anxiety and trepidation. Their first dinner together had begun as a chance to get to know each other on a friendly basis, outside the confines of duty and protocol, and had ended up as a cathartic therapy session. Ever since then, Sasha had harbored warm feelings for Eva Straton. They had as their foundation a strong friendship, built solidly on the foundation of that first conversation on the holodeck, the most intimate and personal conversation that Sasha had had with anyone in quite a long time. There had always been the slight undercurrent of other emotions, other feelings, other sensations. Eva was certainly quite attractive; Sasha had noticed that from the moment he first met her. However, it was the glimpses of who she was as a person, her own thoughts and feelings, hidden beneath that tough exterior of a marine, that had been exposed to him bit by bit over the course of the past few weeks that had begun to engender something more. His feelings for her had begun to move beyond friendship, and this invitation was perhaps an indication that hers had for him, as well. Whether he was fully prepared to follow his feelings and move beyond that, however, was a different question; one, it seemed, he would discover the answer to sooner rather than later. Sasha looked up from the PADD to see Eva's gaze still fixed on him, a mischevious glint in her eye. "I think that's an excellent suggestion," he replied as the corners of his lips quirked upwards in a slight smile. "What did you have in mind?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0843) ==================================== "I think that's an excellent suggestion," Sasha replied as the corners of his lips quirked upwards in a slight smile. "What did you have in mind?" "Moscow," Eva said, taking a sip of her tea. "circa 1875. I've heard that one Piotr Tchaikovsky is in concert and I just happen to have a pair of tickets. What would you say to dinner at a fine Russian restaurant followed by a concert?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0844) ==================================== "What did you have in mind?" asked Sasha. "Moscow," Eva said, taking a sip of her tea. "circa 1875. I've heard that one Piotr Tchaikovsky is in concert and I just happen to have a pair of tickets. What would you say to dinner at a fine Russian restaurant followed by a concert?" Sasha smiled broadly at the thoughtful invitation. Accurate holoreplicas of old Earth concert events were rare, so whatever Eva had managed to get ahold of must be special indeed. Considering the timeframe, he figured the concert was likely to feature the Third Symphony, one of his favorite pieces. He couldn't recall if Tchaikovsky himself had begun conducting by that time, but even if he hadn't, it was sure to be a magnificent event. "That sounds wonderful. Where and when shall we meet?" ==================================== (Runabout Solent - Passenger Cabin- Ensign (Jg) Stephanie Hagan - 0845) ==================================== Ensign Stephanie Hagan shifted uncomfortably in her seat aboard the runabout, focusing religiously on making the collar of the unfamiliar uniform she now wore more comfortable. It represented a marginally more tolerable way to occupy her mind than dwelling on the events of the next few hours, and she'd already encountered both amusing and cruel examples of how the souls of both of the universes she'd known appeared to enjoy irony and chance. The reception she knew awaited her aboard her posting, this USS Boudicca, demonstrated this all too well. ~ It could be another Sevant. It could be.... but I bet it isn't ~ "Ensign?... Ma'am?" She jumped at the intrusion, and managed to smile ruefully at the rating who'd addressed her from across the passenger cabin: "Yes? I'm sorry, I was light years away..." The young man smiled, and then began to go an interesting shade of red, seemingly struggling with the decision to ask his question. Stephanie had already guessed that it was the same question that had already been asked, after a fashion by several people aboard the supply ship they'd just left: "Beg pardon, but scuttlebutt round here says you're not from this universe. I just wanted to know if that was true, and if so, what's it like where you're from? I mean..." Stephanie smiled at him despite herself: "You mean Ex Astris Scientia, huh? To boldly go... I've done some reading on the Star Fleet traditions" The rating nodded eagerly, pleased to have met with what must have seemed like a favourable response to his question. When Stephanie spoke again, she was already regretting what she was about to say, her smile gone: "Take my advice, kid. You look like you're about 12, and you're about to board a ship provisioning for war. You've other things to worry about than 'From The Stars, Knowledge', or 'To Boldly Go...' and all that noble nonsense. Try surviving your own universe first, before worrying about what it was like in mine. In any case I can guarantee you wouldn't like what you'd find." She stood as the shuttle made its docking approach, feeling like an ogre who'd wilfully smashed a child's toy. "I'm sorry, but that's how I feel", she muttered awkwardly, turning her back on the startled rating as she gathered her effects. ==================================== (USS Boudicca, TAC/SC's office, MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, Day -6 - 0845) ==================================== "That sounds wonderful. Where and when shall we meet?" Sasha asked. "Holodeck 2. 2000 hours," Eva said, "This might be the last chance we get, for quite sometime, to spend any time together. Best that we not waist the opportunity." (Reply Stolev IYW) Eva rose then, downing the last of her tea as she did so. "I will let you look over the remainder of the results," She said, "I have to meet with Major Drizzt and go over a few things. If you have any questions you know where to find me. I will see you tonight. Have to try to find something appropriate to wear." She reached down and grabbed Sasha's free hand and gave it a firm squeeze and she set down her glass and turned to leave. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0846) ==================================== Walker stepped onto the bridge once more, not as a guest, but as part of the bridge crew. It wasn't hard to find the Tactical section, there were three consoles with a holographic ring to the side. ~Oh lord, now I have to learn that thing... ~ he mused with some distaste. He was an old school Officer; the panel had served him well for his entire career. He walked up and came to light attention, "Lieutenant Isengard, reporting for duty." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's office - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day -6 - 0846) ==================================== "Holodeck 2. 2000 hours," Eva said. "This might be the last chance we get, for quite sometime, to spend any time together. Best that we not waste the opportunity." Sasha recognized the clear implication in those words. "Yes, best that we not," he replied lamely, as his stomach did what felt like a back flip, which stirred up the nest of butterflies already taking residence there. Eva rose then, downing the last of her tea as she did so. "I will let you look over the remainder of the results," she said. "I have to meet with Major Drizzt and go over a few things. If you have any questions you know where to find me. I will see you tonight. Have to try to find something appropriate to wear." She reached down and grabbed Sasha's free hand and gave it a firm squeeze and she set down her glass and turned to leave. Sasha watched her go and realized only after she had left and the door had shut that his mouth was hanging slightly open and that he was staring at a blank wall. With a sigh, he picked up the training results PADD, walked back around his desk, and looked at it. He tapped in a few commands and the dinner invitation disappeared, replaced by the simulation results. ~This will be a long day,~ he thought as he tried to focus on the contents of the PADD and keep his mind from wandering to consider the possibilities that the evening contained and his feelings regarding them. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign(jg) Stephanie Hagan - 0905) ==================================== Every step seemed like lead as she walked toward the Ready Room, the dread that had been steadily building ever since she'd received her orders from LoDona now a churning ball of acid tension in her stomach. She tried hard to calm herself as she realised her body language was being broadcast to increasingly curious eyes as she walked. ~ If it IS him, it still won't BE him. Why are you being like this? Different Universe, different person. ~ The Ready Room door stood in front of her now, and she fought to stop shaking as she pressed the annunciator, and the doors opened. Forcing herself to attain some semblance of proper posture she looked into the face of a man who, in another existence, had made her last few years a living Hell. And it WAS him; the scars were in different places; the Sevant she knew was corpulent compared to this man's lean, fit frame. Still, the face only required a sadistic, grim smile to be complete - it WAS him. Stephanie opened her mouth to report, and found to her dismay that only an inarticulate, strangled little noise came out. (Reply Sevant, if desired) She finally found words, rasping and strained as they were: "I beg your pardon Sir - Admiral LoDona has instructed me to report to you for duty in Engineering here aboard the Boudicca." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Capt Sevant - 0906) ==================================== Sevant quirked an eyebrow as the woman in front of him made a strange sound. She looked so much like the Hagan he remembered... but she wasn't. The Boudicca was rapidly becoming a haven for the temporally dispossessed, and the debriefing he had read of this lady... "I beg your pardon Sir - Admiral LoDona has instructed me to report to you for duty in Engineering here aboard the Boudicca." She finally said. Sevant folded his hands and nodded to a seat, "Take a chair ensign." He said quietly. (reply: Hagan) "I've read your file and debriefing, and I'm quite aware of the circumstances surrounding your past." He began levelly. "I will put this bluntly, neither of us have the time to muck about, we're at war. I am not the Sevant you would remember, and my patience for foolishness has hit an all-time low... so do I have to worry about a knife in the back somewhere down the line, or can I trust you to do your duty and respond to orders?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0906) ====================================   Sevant folded his hands and nodded to a seat, "Take a chair ensign." He said quietly.   She did. It took Stephanie quite a few seconds to take in the fact that she'd been ordered to sit and that the mirror Sevant's Pavlovian methods of ensuring her obedience had in fact not been utilised when she'd hesitated. Her rational mind embraced the fact that this Sevant did not have the means or the desire to use such methods, but years of brutal conditioning had found her mentally and physically bracing herself. Her hand involuntarily reached to her throat and the hidden, finely-worked necklace that still contained a particularly compact and well-designed form of agoniser.   "I've read your file and debriefing, and I'm quite aware of the circumstances surrounding your past." He began levelly. "I will put this bluntly, neither of us have the time to muck about, we're at war. I am not the Sevant you would remember, and my patience for foolishness has hit an all-time low... so do I have to worry about a knife in the back somewhere down the line, or can I trust you to do your duty and respond to orders?"   She barely remembered how she'd ended up on her feet, it happened so fast, her eyes flashing with anger, her jawline tightening. Before she was foolish enough to spit out a venomous response to Sevant's implication, she was wondering why.   ~ What would you expect? He anticipates treachery for the same reason any Imperial Captain would. Perhaps if Captain Kennedy hadn't been so willing to trust this man's counterpart, he wouldn't have ended up swinging from a rope over the promenade on Terek Nor... ~   She forced herself to take a deep breath before she answered, feeling her lip curl nonetheless:   "I want a life here. MY life, not life as a possession or a plaything, currency traded by scum. I don't really give a d**n about your cause Captain; but the men you're facing are much too like those I've left behind, and I'm not going back to that. So if for no other reason, I'm in."   She sat back down, awkward now, her sudden anger seeming irrational even to her:   "So, no. You don't need to worry about me."   ~ At least, not if you are the man you seem to be... ~ ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Capt Sevant - 0906) ==================================== Sevant's grip tightened on the PADD as the woman jumped up, but he didn't twich more then that. She was a human, he could break her in half, and she couldn't yank a weapon at him before he could shove the desk her way. With all this in mind, he watched her with his eyeballs. His eyebrow quirked slightly as her face took on an expression of... something approaching disdain. "I want a life here. MY life, not life as a possession or a plaything, currency traded by scum. I don't really give a d**n about your cause Captain; but the men you're facing are much too like those I've left behind, and I'm not going back to that. So if for no other reason, I'm in." His eyebrow went up another small portion as she sat back down again. "So, no. You don't need to worry about me." Sevant sat back in his chair, "That's good." He said emotionlessly. "I spent quite enough time in a cell, dealing with those agonizers and the cruelty of a universe much like yours, to deal with it no my ship here and now." He folded his hands together. "Because of that I can appreciate, in small part, your attitude. I was offered and accepted your commission on Boudicca for two reasons. One, because you're trained and this is a shot at a second chance. Two.. because LoDona knows I will not hesitate to deal with you in any manner suited if you loose grip and forget yourself." He watched a myriad of emotions pass on her face. "I will not threaten you," he continued. "This is a fact. This is not your universe, our ways are different. But we ARE at war and I will not allow you to detract from our mission. If you can accept that, and accept that we are not who you grew to hate, then we will get along just fine." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0907) ====================================   "I will not threaten you," he continued. "This is a fact. This is not your universe, our ways are different. But we ARE at war and I will not allow you to detract from our mission. If you can accept that, and accept that we are not who you grew to hate, then we will get along just fine."   Stephanie took a deep breath, and stood up and formally to attention. She was conscious that she had yet to see any personnel address or react to senior officers so formally anywhere she'd been in the fleet so far, but for her this had been the way things had been done in the Terran Fleet when she'd been serving, prior to the return of the Emperor; therefore, that was how she would proceed.   "Very good sir. I stand ready to receive and obey your orders." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Captain Sevant - 0908) ==================================== "Very good sir. I stand ready to receive and obey your orders." Sevant watched her for a few seconds. "Very well then." He said quietly. "Report to Lieutenant Fredericks for duty." He stood up. "And welcome aboard." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0908) ==================================== Sevant watched her for a few seconds. "Very well then." He said quietly. "Report to Lieutenant Fredericks for duty." He stood up. "And welcome aboard." Stephanie stood formally, smoothly masking her uncertainty with an excess of military decorum, saluted, and marched to the door. ~ Did things just get better... or worse? ~ ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering - Ensign (Jg.) Hagan - 0925) ==================================== Stephanie placed her hand on a conduit, as she made her way through USS Boudicca's impressively modern engineering deck, smiling despite herself. It didn't matter which universe an engineer was in, the sound and subtle vibrations of a working starship were in the blood. She was about to (almost unconsciously) place her cheek against the warm metal when a voice from behind her made her jump: "Excuse me, Ensign - can I help you?" Stephanie cleared her throat, feeling foolish, her face beginning to colour as she turned to face the crewman, who was looking at her rather oddly: "I'm looking for Lieutenant Fredericks. The Captain has ordered me to report to him for duty." "Yes Ma'am - he's somewhere down... that way" - the crewman motioned in the general direction of the operations area around the warp core. Stephanie nodded, managing to pick out a uniform with the requisite number of pips as she approached: "Lieutenant Fredericks? I am Ensign Stephanie Hagan - Captain Sevant has instructed me to report to you for duty." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Tactical Holodeck, 'Bridge' of the Boudicca - Senior Chief Petty Officer Melody Haverstaad - 1310) ==================================== "Come about 150 mark 10, target the Trigoti and strafe every ship as we pass. Full impulse and fire at will!" Melody blinked back a stinging in her eyes as the Boudicca swung around, making the holographic weave around her turn. They had been in simulated combat with a simulated battle-group against another simulated battle-group for the last forty-five minutes, and the strain was starting to show. The holographic ring around her had held steady, its separate power-source had maintained the holographic connection even when main power had blinked during a rough bombardment twenty minutes ago or so. Melody spun in her chair and looked around her from her vantage point as the Boudicca. There was a bird-of-prey on their starboard side and a Nebula class on the port, someone in Stratops was actually doing their job it appeared. But she had no time to waste on that thought, she spun 'forward' again and looked at the ships they were approaching. The Trigoti was a Sovereign class ship; there were four others in a flying-V approaching them at breakneck speed while two friend bird-of-preys strafed the hell out of them. She grunted and brought her hands up, then gently touched several spots in rapid secession with her right pointer finger. Phaser-blasts lanced out everywhere she touched, followed by a couple quantum torpedoes as she picked at the ship with her left pointer. The Trigoti stalled and immediately made a quick Z-axis move followed by a spin to point her stronger rear-shields at the enemy. Melody bit back a curse as all four turned their attention from the BoP's onto the three oncoming vessels, the Boudicca rocked and she distinctly heard an exploding panel across the bridge. Someone screamed as well, and she further heard the Captain ordering the injured off the bridge. ~You'll pay for that one.~ she thought savagely, loosing herself in her own testing program. This was the real strength of the Tactical Holographic Interface; she could target just as fast as she could identify targets and touch them. She reached out with both hands and began touching places no all four ships, alternately hitting them with phasers and both styles of torpedoes. The Boudicca was a juggernaught of force, the already-besieged enemy vessels began falling back under the vicious onslaught, especially when her flanking ships began strafing as well. The Boudicca flew 'over' the enemy ships, causing Melody to look down and then spin in her chair backwards to continue the strafing attack. Something caught her eye, and she turned her head just in time to see two more ships coming in on their port. "Captain! Two ships coming in on the port!" Sevant started barking orders, but it wasn't in time, a volley for torpedoes slammed into the port-aft, knocking out the impulse engines. The ship began a tail-first flat spin as the small shield graphic to Melodies left blinked red and then went black over the port-aft. "Shields down aft!" she bellowed as she lashed out with all weapons that would bear as the ship continued its flat spin. She heard the Captain calling for thrusters, engineers giving damage reports, but it didn't matter. She winced as several more quantum torpedoes were launched in their direction, but she kept fighting to the last. The holodeck suddenly went white before it reset itself. Melody found herself sitting in front of the secondary tactical console, the holographic interface next to her sitting unused, the bridge-crew all frozen in wait for the inevitable battle she had designed. [Ship Destroyed, Advanced-Test of the Tactical Holographic Interface Reset for next User.] Melody wiped some sweat from her brow and stood up from her chair, That had been 45 minutes of pure combat hell, and it was likely to become their reality in the next few months. One of her assistants was sitting off to the side with a PADD in hand. "There are only a couple glitches to fix Chief, nothing important. I'd say this particular test is ready." "Good, I'll drop it off to the Chief and get all Bridge-crew in on it immediately." She pulled on her uniform and looked around, "Computer, save and close ATTHI 3." The holodeck reverted to its yellow-on-black grid as the program closed and she tapped her badge, "Senior Chief Haverstaad to Chief Stolev. I've completed the Advanced Interface training program, permission to have it evaluated for general use among the bridge-crew?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/SC Stolev - Day -6 - 1315) ==================================== Stolev set up another full tactical sensor sweep of the area, then looked up and glanced around the bridge. Security preparations were going well, so he had taken a break from the work there to have a turn at the tactical console. He found that having a little variety in his duties of the day kept him fresher and more alert, and he needed to be as fresh and alert as possible with war looming on the horizon. He could feel the heightened sense of urgency as he watched the rest of the crew go about their duties. A beep from his comm badge brought his attention back to his station. =^= Senior Chief Haverstaad to Chief Stolev. I've completed the Advanced Interface training program, permission to have it evaluated for general use among the bridge-crew? =^= "Very good, chief," replied Stolev. "Start working on a training schedule for the bridge crew, as well as all tactical officers. Ensign Chandler and I will be to the holodeck shortly to conduct our evaluation." (reply Haverstaad) Stolev turned in the direction of the secondary console, manned at present by Ensign MacRannon. "Murtagh, take over. I'll be in the tactical holodeck." "Aye," replied MacRannon. Stolev then tapped his badge as he walked to the turbolift. "Stolev to Chandler. Meet me in the tactical holodeck. We'll be evaluating the tactical AI training program." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Tactical Holodeck - Senior Chief Melody Haverstaad - 1316) ==================================== =^=Very good, chief, Start working on a training schedule for the bridge crew, as well as all tactical officers. Ensign Chandler and I will be to the holodeck shortly to conduct our evaluation.=^= "Very well Sir, Haverstaad out." She looked around the holodeck, "Aight Degress, load the program tweaks and work up a prelim schedule. I'll tweak it once these first two are done." "Aye Senior Chief." Melody watched the crewman depart and looked around her fake bridge again. "Computer, load up the evaluators ring." A secondary ring loaded up on a quiet place in the bridge. It would be a perfect holographic representation of whomever was being tested in the primary tactical holographic ring, so Melody could watch exactly how the candidate reacted to the stimuli provided, without actually breaking into the holographic wall itself and distracting the tactical officer. In this case, however, the holographic 'starscape' was at 50% transparency, so she -could- see the officer. She nodded in satisfaction, "Arch." The arch formed with no ado to one side of the bridge, and Melody stepped over to make sure the program tweaks had been installed properly. It wasn't long before Stolev walked in the door. "Good afternoon, Chief, Once Ensign Chandler arrives, we'll begin the evaluation." "Very good sir. You'll be first." She tapped out of her program and stepped away. "And Ensign Chandler will be on the primary console in case of holographic failure. And vice versa for her test." She wiped away the last of the sweat from her own test five minutes ago. Forty five minutes worth of pure adrenaline, even simulations could be taxing. "This test has three basic scenarios, so the two tests will be different enough to be original." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Tactical Holodeck - TAC/SC Stolev - Day -6 - 1320) ==================================== Stolev walked into the holodeck to find Chief Haverstaad tapping commands at the console. "Good afternoon, Chief," he said in greeting. "Once Ensign Chandler arrives, we'll begin the evaluation." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: To Live and Die in Starlight, Day 1 Stardate: 2407.02.01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 0714) ==================================== The face on his screen looked back at him gravely; the man's face was ragged and prematurely lined. "You understand what this means, Commodore?" Sevant folded his hands and nodded only once. Rear-Admiral Lee folded his hands together on the screen and smiled grimly. "In that case, Commodore, you have your orders. Pay attention to him... Good luck and god speed." "And luck to you, Admiral." The Captain said before shutting down the connection. He leaned back in his chair a moment later and folded his hands together over his lap. He looked over at the other man in his ready room, a freighter captain and head of the resupply task-force that was currently resupplying the fleet in preparation for departure. Surprisingly enough, the man was a civilian, and had requested permission to come aboard and talk to the Commodore. The conversation had been. interesting. He looked at the man for a while longer and finally nodded. "We'll continue this later." He finally said, "There will be much to discuss." The man nodded and gestured with his cup of coffee, as was his style. He tapped his badge, "Mr. Casely, kindly inform the battle group that we will be leaving within ten minutes, I'm transmitting coordinates to you now." He tapped a few buttons on his screen and brought up the mission plan he had been delivered and then sent the coordinates to Casely's station in the Tactical Information Center. The rest of the mission plan would have to wait for the moment; he had to look it over fully first. But time was of the essence, he already knew where they were going. (reply: Casely) With that done, he shut down his station and stood. There was so much to do, and so little time. "I will see that you get some quarters, but in the mean time, if you will come with me." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 1 - 0714) ==================================== Stolev emerged from the turbolift with a cup of coffee in one hand, a PADD in the other, and a cranberry multi-grain bagel in his mouth. He had just ordered his breakfast when Isengard had called to inform him that the civilian head of the supply task force had come aboard and requested an urgent meeting with the captain. Figuring that something big might be going on, he had grabbed his food from the replicator and hurried for the bridge. As he made it to his station with a nod to Isengard, the doors to the ready room opened and Sevant emerged with, presumably, the head of the supply task force. Stolev set down his coffee and PADD and took the bagel out of his mouth, hoping the captain hadn't noticed. He probably hadn't, thought Stolev, as Sevant walked to the front of the bridge with a deeply pensive look on his face. "On the 1MC..." he called aloud, and then waited until the replicated bosons whistle had pierced through the silence of the bridge and the ship, catching the entire crew's attention. "Attention all hands." He paused for a moment so people could drop what they were doing, and then continued with, "Most of you are unaware of what exactly has been going on in the Federation over the last year; I've kept it that way on purpose. But now is the time, it should be obvious that we're heading back into Federation territory under arms." Sevant paused in front of the holographic Main Screen and turned to face the people on the bridge while his voice was piped to everyone on the ship. "Admiral Doenitz has declared himself President Doenitz and he has instituted invasions and forced takeovers of several core worlds. He has declared war against our own. We can no longer stand by on the fringes, the fight is over our homeworlds, the people dying are our own friends and family, those we swore to protect. We can not allow this to happen any longer. Our duty prevents it. Our conscience prevents it. "LoDona has ordered us, our Task Force, and all available personnel to engage Doenitz's forces with all due prejudice. Not to avenge those already lost, but to save those destined to die if this regime is left unchecked. Doenitz will find it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain occupation forces for the core worlds with the Rebel fleets and the Klingons invading after more then a year of defensive actions on the fringe. And make no mistake; there is more then one fleet. The 52nd is no longer alone in this endeavor; other Fleet Admirals have rebelled and are going to war to free their homeworlds and people. The Klingon people have also declared war and have joined our side. We are not alone, and thus neither are our friends and family in the Federation." He looked at the chronometer, "As of 0723 hours today, USS Boudicca is going to war. One way or another, We. Are. Going. Home." Sevant looked around briefly, then nodded to himself. "That is all." The Captain made a slashing gesture and had ship-wide communications cut. "Conn, set course 145 mark 90 and Engage at warp eight. Operations, engage the cloak." Stolev heard the familiar hum of the warp drive engaging, and felt the slight sense of disorientation that he always experienced when the Boudicca's cloak activated and the ship moved out of phase with the rest of the galaxy. Sevant put his arms behind his back and continued looking at the bridge crew, "All department heads, I want a battle readiness report in one hour, and there will be a staff meeting in two with no exceptions." He looked at his TAC/SC, "Sidearms will be continually issued to all hands, we're now at full combat readiness. Roving patrol schedules will be worked out and standing tactical forces in essential areas." He looked back, "All other department heads will prepare for battle conditions and receive any special orders at the meeting." He paused a moment and nodded half to himself, "This is our first offensive push, be ready for it." Stolev tapped in a few commands at his console to bring up the security duty roster. He had worked out several permutations, some involving Marines, and he flipped through these as Sevant and the freighter captain conferred briefly before leaving the bridge together. As he was looking at one particular roster combination, he tapped his comm badge. "Stolev to Straton. We've been ordered to institute roving patrols and standing guard on critical sections." He eyed Isengard as he said, "coordinate with Lt. Isengard on the details. I would like these to take effect by noon if possible. Also, there's a senior staff meeting at 0925; I'd like if it you or someone representing the Marines would attend." (reply Straton) As the comm channel closed, Stolev turned to fully face Isengard. "I don't know who you'll be working with, but keep in mind that you are in charge. Shipboard security is our responsibility and the marines are simply assisting us. I'm sure you've dealt with marines before so you know how their first instinct is to take charge in any sort of potential combat situation. Colonel Straton and I have worked out the details of this eventuality, so if you have any problems, you can take them to her or me." (reply Isengard) As Isengard left the bridge, Stolev tapped his badge again. "Stolev to Chandler. See to it that every member of the crew is issued a sidearm. No exceptions. Also make sure that all non-security personnel receive the basic refresher questionnaire regarding shipboard security and combat readiness. Report any problems to me. Stolev out." (reply Chandler) Sidearms had already been issued for all personnel serving on the bridge and in certain other high-risk areas such as engineering, but now they would be distributed shipwide. Stolev knew from experience that this had its own associated risks, as not everyone on the ship was fully accustomed to operating a phaser. He recalled one such mission where a young ensign in the science department had been trying to change the setting on his phaser and had accidentally set it to overload instead. After several seconds of futilely trying to disengage the overload, he had finally had to simply throw the phaser down the corridor and dive for cover. The resulting explosion had ripped through a bulkhead, narrowly missing a major power distribution relay. He took another bite of his bagel as he keyed in the series of commands needed to bring the tactical console to full combat readiness. He walked over to the holographic interface console and activated the projector. It was the first time he had used it in real-world conditions; he hoped the hours of holodeck training he had put in would pay off here. He touched a few points on the projected viewscreen and glanced around the sphere. All the ships of the task force were labelled and shown in tight formation with them, while the collection of dots representing the supply convoy was rapidly receeding into the distance. He touched a couple of other spots and a holographic cup-holder appeared; he put his coffee cup into the holder as he popped the last bite of the bagel into his mouth. "No enemy or unknown vessels within five light-years, " he reported to West, who had taken over the Captain's chair. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 0719) ==================================== Sevant stepped out of his ready room and began walking to the front of the bridge, determination warring with nonchalance on his face. "On the 1MC..." he called aloud, and then waited until the replicated bosons whistle had pierced through the silence of the bridge and the ship, catching the entire crew's attention. "Attention all hands." He paused for a moment so people could drop what they were doing, and then continued with, "Most of you are unaware of what exactly has been going on in the Federation over the last year; I've kept it that way on purpose. But now is the time, it should be obvious that we're heading back into Federation territory under arms." Sevant paused in front of the holographic Main Screen and turned to face the people on the bridge while his voice was piped to everyone on the ship. "Admiral Doenitz has declared himself President Doenitz and he has instituted invasions and forced takeovers of several core worlds. He has declared war against our own. We can no longer stand by on the fringes, the fight is over our homeworlds, the people dying are our own friends and family, those we swore to protect. We can not allow this to happen any longer. Our duty prevents it. Our conscience prevents it. "LoDona has ordered us, our Task Force, and all available personnel to engage Doenitz's forces with all due prejudice. Not to avenge those already lost, but to save those destined to die if this regime is left unchecked. Doenitz will find it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain occupation forces for the core worlds with the Rebel fleets and the Klingons invading after more then a year of defensive actions on the fringe. And make no mistake; there is more then one fleet. The 52nd is no longer alone in this endeavor; other Fleet Admirals have rebelled and are going to war to free their homeworlds and people. The Klingon people have also declared war and have joined our side. We are not alone, and thus neither are our friends and family in the Federation." He looked at the chronometer, "As of 0723 hours today, USS Boudicca is going to war. One way or another, We. Are. Going. Home." Sevant looked around to see that his message had been received, and nodded to himself. "That is all." The Captain made a slashing gesture and had ship-wide communications cut. "Conn, set course 145 mark 90 and Engage at warp eight. Operations, engage the cloak." (reply: Conn, Ops) Sevant put his arms behind his back and continued looking at the bridge crew, "All department heads, I want a battle readiness report in one hour, and there will be a staff meeting in two with no exceptions." He looked at his TAC/SC, "Sidearms will be continually issued to all hands, we're now at full combat readiness. Roving patrol schedules will be worked out and standing tactical forces in essential areas." He looked back, "All other department heads will prepare for battle conditions and receive any special orders at the meeting." He paused a moment and nodded half to himself, "This is our first offensive push, be ready for it." (reply: any) He walked over to the freighter captain. "Come with me, we'll get you some quarters.' He said quietly. "For the next couple hours I don't want your face to be seen." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - StratOps - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 0720) ==================================== Paul had been working most of the day in Strategical Operations to get things set up the way he was comfortable with them. He had an idea that the section might have been relatively domant for a length of time. He took time to meet his operational staff. There weren't many of them, but they knew their jobs and seemed to be more than happy to be useful. Paul took a long sip on his coffee as he took another look at the display of ships hovering around the Boudicca. The fleet was definitely larger now, soon he was going to have to try and direct them. Paul swallowed hard at the prospect. His first unsimulated time would have so much riding on it, one error and all could be lost. Then, Paul's comm badge chirped.   =^=Mr. Casely, kindly inform the battle group that we will be leaving within ten minutes, I'm transmitting coordinates to you now.=^= came the voice of his Captain.   "Aye Sir, consider it done," replied Paul closing the channel.   Opening the communications with the other ships, Paul stood and spoke out loud, "Casely to all vessel Commanding Officers. Please stand by to receive mission coordinates. Please check in with your current status. Casely out."   With that, Paul sat back and waited to hear from the captains of the ships in the assembled fleet. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0721) ==================================== "I don't know who you'll be working with, but keep in mind that you are in charge. Shipboard security is our responsibility and the marines are simply assisting us. I'm sure you've dealt with marines before so you know how their first instinct is to take charge in any sort of potential combat situation. Colonel Straton and I have worked out the details of this eventuality, so if you have any problems, you can take them to her or me." "Aye Sir." He said quietly. He came to loose attention and then turn on his foot. He rapidly stepped into a turbolift and crossed his hands behind him, mindful of the phaser at his side. "Location of Colonel Straton." [Colonel Straton is in the MCO's office.] "Very well, the Staging Center."   ==================================== (USS Boudicca - MCO's office - MXO Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0724) ==================================== ".. and the gear has been repaired. The training schedule has been slackened just slightly over the next week while we rotate and rest the men, and." Drizzt's antenna twitched as a screaming fife blew through the speakers calling for attention. No matter how many times he heard it, he winced at that sound. It was like the proverbial nails on a chalkboard humans would talk about. He remained silent as the Captain explained the situation. His face tightened and his eyes closed as Sevant spoke, for what was a Vulcan, a very inspired speech. Even for a race other then a Vulcan, it was moving enough. Not particularly informative, but the crew would be used to that. It was enough to fire up their indignation and rage, at least. =^=That is all.=^= Drizzt looked over at Straton for a moment, "You know, Colonel, there is a poem I picked up in the Academy that has been ringing through my head for the last several months. I've always found it strangely appropriate." He paused and looked at the ceiling for a moment, as if to gather his thoughts. "Now the sun's gone to hell, and the moon's riding high. Let me bid you farewell, every man has to die. But it's written in the starlight and every line on your palm. We're fools to make war, on our brothers in arms." He broke off and stood up, "We've spent a year preparing, and we've even engaged a few of our own. But once the anger simmers down, the sentiment those lines of poetry contain is going to haunt us. We're fools, and so is every hoodwinked officer on Doenitz's side. All this death, all this destruction, for nothing more then a couple thousand fanatics in key positions and one nutjob in the commander's seat." Spider's face was grave as he put his hands behind his back. "And we can do nothing but play the part. If we don't, millions more innocents die under a madman's heel." He snorted softly to himself, "To live and die in starlight." He shook his head and came to attention to shake the gravity of his mood. "Permission to assemble the men prior to the meeting, we'll have to have some words." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Marine Staging Center - Lt(jg) Isengard - 0725) ==================================== Walker stepped up to the door just as the MXO was walking out and calling out for all Marines to gather. He quirked his eyebrow slightly and stepped into the office, "Colonel Straton." He said firmly. "Who will I be liaising with?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Marine Center - MXO Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0726) ==================================== Drizzt stepped out of the MCO's office like the devil was following, and quickly tapped his badge. "Drizzt to all Marines, drop what you're doing and roll out to the Center. You have five minutes. Drizzt out." He walked over to the Armory while men literally dropped what they were doing and went nuts all around him in a scene of controlled chaos, all ended up in their place in the staging center seconds after arriving. He pulled a sidearm from a rack and attached it to a hard-point on his uniform, a level-one SDU, the first part of a modular BDU system. From now on, no Marine was going to go unarmed. He stepped out again and looked at the chronometer. One minute to go. With a deceptively lazy step he walked to the Staging Center where men were still coming in from all around the ship. Many of them were in full BDU or EVO/C, others were in duty uniforms. While still others were in nothing more then jockey shorts... or other appropriate undergarments. A good third of the command was on their sleep-watch, he'd spun them out of bed. The last man fell into position exactly 2 seconds after the chronometer read five-minutes. The man was dripping wet and his pants were on backwards, so Spider decided to ignore it. He looked to the side and saw the Colonel step over. It was time, he looked back at the assembled Marines. "Men and Women of Wolf-Pack, our time has come." He said in his battlefield voice. "We've trained for a year to take back our homes, to strike at the fools who would dare bloody our soil... and that time has come. You all heard the Captain; we're striking back into Federation territory. From now on, we live and breathe as though we're going to battle. You will stay with your squad, you will sleep with your weapons, you will pray to the mighty gods of battle that we will be strong enough to accomplish our mission... because if we aren't strong enough, if we fail in our task, then even more worlds will bleed for our failure." He looked around. "Though not all of you were aware of it, I can give some details now. Many of our home planets have been forcibly invaded. Several, including Tellar and Andoria, have been leveled by orbital bombardment and tactical takeovers." He brought up a hand as the Marines began to growl. Most had spent time on Tellar, at least, since most Marine-Cadets from Paris Island rotated there for a semester of hands-on training. "Full details will be provided later. Suffice to say that Doenitz and his crew have fully proven that our course is correct; that our hearts must be strong for no deed is below them. Be strong, Marines, for we'll be needed soon. And always remember that I'll be right beside you... and if you screw up, the sensation you feel in the back of my pants will be my booted foot!" Drizzt looked around, "But I don't think such motivation will be necessary anymore. We're in this together, and we're all trained well. This is the most important fight of our lives, we can NOT loose." He turned to the Colonel and quirked an eyebrow, to see if she wanted to say any words. (reply: Straton, any) ==================================== (USS Boudicca, Marine Center, MCO, Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, 0726) ==================================== Spider had no sooner walked out of her office when she felt more than heard Isengard enter. He was shielding himself tightly, as he always did around her. She looked at him with a raised brow. "Colonel Straton." He said firmly. "Who will I be liaising with?" "Good morning to you too Lieutenant," She said just as firmly. She tossed the PADD she had been reading down on her desk and leaned back in her chair and regarded Isengard with hooded eyes. ::I assume you are referring to onboard defenses. As Commander Stolev and I discussed, 1st and 3rd platoon are being tasked with assisting with eternal ship defense. You will liaison with 1st Lt. Okuda, who is the senior platoon CO. You will keep myself and Commander Stolev appraised of your progress or any concerns you might have.:: ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Marine Center - Lt(jg) Walker Isengard - 0726) ==================================== "Good morning to you too Lieutenant," The MCO tossed down a padd and leaned back in her chair. Walker didn't so much as twitch a muscle. ::I assume you are referring to onboard defenses. As Commander Stolev and I discussed, 1st and 3rd platoon are being tasked with assisting with eternal ship defense. You will liaison with 1st Lt. Okuda, who is the senior platoon CO. You will keep myself and Commander Stolev appraised of your progress or any concerns you might have.:: ::Just as long as Lt Okuda is aware that we are liaisons, and she is not in charge, we will get on just fine.:: He quirked an eyebrow slightly but kept his sending locked down, purely 'voice'. ::You both will be kept informed, Colonel.:: "Where might I find this Lieutenant, Colonel?" he said, continuing by voice. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Captain's Quarters - Capt Sevant - 0750) ==================================== The Captain stepped into his quarters on the quick-step. There was so much to do and so little time. He walked over to his secure safe and quickly tapped his combination into it. With a small breath of air, the door opened and revealed its contents. Sevant reached in and pulled out two items, a small black harness and his personal phaser. He put the phaser on top of the safe and slipped the harness on. It was small, and it had a phaser holster that sat on his left side just even with his left breast. He'd learned on the Nimitz that being able to quickly grab a phaser, and being able to crawl around without something sitting on your hip, were desirable. The harness was Marine-make, given to tunnel-rats and other occupations that required quick access to their weapon in possibly tight situations. Once the shoulder-holster was in place he picked up the phaser and checked its charge, then stuffed it into the holster when he was satisfied. He then looked into the safe again, at a stand sitting next to the safe door, and quirked his head. The item there had sat, almost entirely untouched for a very long time. The last time he had worn it with permission was when he was nothing more then a Security Chief, during the invasion of the Nimitz by forces loyal to the Romulan Empire. In all the time since, he'd never been stepping into imminent battle. He'd never had a chance to grab this tool in all the time since for the heat of battle. He grabbed the weapon in his hands and lightly ran a finger down its curved blade, only pausing at one of the wickedly sharp points. It was a Klingon heirloom, bequeathed to him by a friend of his fathers, a tutor in self-control. It had a long and fabled history, and Sevant had done his best to continue that honorable line. He grasped both handles in a standard grip and hefted the blade, illogically pleased that it still felt so natural. The practice blades he had occasionally used on the holodeck never did the real thing justice. He placed the blade in the crook of his arm and grabbed the over-shoulder holster from the stand and gently placed the blade into it. From now on, this weapon would go with him, just as much a part of him as the phaser hanging from the shoulder-holster on his side. He didn't need to ask permission anymore, he WAS the authority. That thought almost gave him a chuckle as he slipped the catch on the holster and replaced it in the crook of his arm for easy transport. He'd have to find a place to put it on the bridge, he was no longer standing at his post as he had during his early years on the Boudicca or the Nimitz... it was near impossible to sit in a chair with a bat'leth slung over your back, but it would be with him from now on regardless. He'd probably find a place to put it in his ready room until battle was imminent. He stepped out of his quarters and made his way for the bridge again. If anyone thought it odd that their captain was carrying a 6 foot Klingon Bat'leth, they didn't say a word. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Captain's Readyroom- StratOps/3O - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 0825) ==================================== Paul walked quickly to the Captain's readyroom, PADD in hand. He had completed most of the fleet updates since they launched. Paul pressed the chime and waited. Eventually, the door slid open.   Paul walked in and stood in front of his Commanding Officer. He hadn't had much opportunity to get to know the man, but right now duty was more important than anything else. "Sir, I have the fleet reports. The battle group progresses well overall. They all received the coordinates without problems as well as tactical data and analysis. They're imputting manouevers so we can employ some common group strategy. You'll find specific information in the PADD, unless you require a verbal report."   (Reply Sevant)   "Also Sir, Captain Ulatha on the USS Fire Hammer is having problems with his matter/anti-matter intermix. Its not terminal, but we might want to send an engineering team over just to help things along, so we can get them back up to speed as quickly as possible. That ship is getting a bit long in the tooth, and their engineering crew doesn't seem overly experienced," stated Paul cautiously. Paul was understating things. Ulatha was in near panic over the situation. She had just picked up a new engineering crew on a swingby Geneva, young and inexperienced to say the least. It had been almost 2 years since the Fire Hammer had docked for upgrades and repairs. The ship spaceframe was now 46 years old and starting to show wear.   (Reply Sevant)   "Sir, there is one other thing... a concern. Your new crewmates from the Geneva, they seem to be having some difficulty settling in. I think part of it was not having contact with you. I'm sure we'd both like them to perform optimally, they're too used to following me and that isn't a possibility with my new post in StratOps. McLaren seems to be the only one easily settling into engineering. Mackenzie is doing okay with Mor'rel, I think she realised he knew the ship's sickbays at least. Your new counsellor, before we left the station he was being trained in command. He also has advanced medical training. Mr. Chandler is very much used to working on her own. I'm not sure how much she's met with Mr. Stolev, or how comfortable she is. Doctor Engtamn-Jensi has forged a rather close bond with your CSO, so I'm not overly worried about him. However, you might want to meet with the members of the former Geneva crew... tell them what your expectations are and give them their orders. Things were rather... chaotic... after the planet mission, and I realise that, but it might allow things to run a bit more smoothly," stated Paul. He hoped that the captain didn't mind his advice. Sevant didn't seem to be one too interested in advice, or even contact, with the crew... however, it seemed a necessity and he did want to ensure this mission succeeded.   ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge- CSO- Dr. Madison Munroe- 0805) ====================================   Maddie sat at the science station going through the reports from the various science teams.  She had spent the last two weeks recovering from her experiences at the hands of the Scions.  In fact, she had been ordered off duty by the CMO, until she'd undergone several sessions with the counselor.  Maddie smiled at the memory of the "sessions" with Domini.  She wasn't sure how well they helped her get over her experience, but they sure made the time pass.   She had also taken the time to get to know her new compatriot, Engtamn-Jensi, better.  He still hadn't revealed toher what his "secret" experiment was, but she enjoyed the challenge of trying to figure out just what it was.  Fortunately for E-J, she wasn't much of a technician.  Between her time in counseling and meeting with E-J, she had gotten to know some of the new crew.  It was different having such a full ship.   Maddie had spent a little time in sickbay, as the new CMO continually badgered her about healing her body.  It made Maddie giggle the first time Kaitlyn Mackenzie said it.  But she had started to get used to Kaitlyn, and her bedside manner was much better than Mor'rel's.  And she was much cuter than Mor'rel.  Although there was something to be said about the Vulcan's detachment.   Today was the first day she'd been allowed on the bridge.  Secretly, she'd been having her staff send reports to her quarters, so she could keep up on their progress, so there was little that was knew waiting for her.  However, the feel of eing back on the bridge was good, and being around the hub of the action on the ship.   When the turbo lift doors opened and Captain Sevant stepped onto the bridge she had supress a smile.  ~Was that a bat'leth strapped to his back?~  She couldn't help herself.   "Umm... intersting choice of side arms, captain," she said playfully.  She herself, had avoided carrying a phaser.  She was afraid of who she might shoot.  Both she and Domini had both vowed, at one point or another, to learn to use the weapon, but neither of them had acted on it.  After her recent experiences however, Maddie thought it might be a good idea to learn to defend herself.  "I cerainly hope we won't need a practical demonstration."   (reply Sevant)   "It is an interesting weapon," she said looking at it carefully.  "Perhaps, if you have time, you could teach me to use it?"   ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Captain Sevant - 0805) ==================================== "Umm... intersting choice of side arms, captain," Sevant quirked an eyebrow at his CSO as he slid one of the two straps off his shoulder and grabbed hold of the bat'leth. He hadn't fully strapped it to his back, but it was easier to carry over his shoulder then by hand, through the ship. "I certainly hope we won't need a practical demonstration." The Captain quirked his head slightly, "You shouldn't be on the bridge Doctor." He finally said. "However, I'll overlook it." Odds are she was going stir-crazy, something he could understand fully. Being on the bridge wasn't nearly as much a strain as training tactically, for example. He stepped aside to let a crewman past, and looked at the weapon in his grasp. "As always, Doctor, hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I always prepare." He hefted the bat'leth slightly, as if to emphasize his point. "It is an interesting weapon," she said looking at it carefully. "Perhaps, if you have time, you could teach me to use it?" He considered that for a moment, and was on the verge of saying no before stopping himself. He, as well as any, knew that every hand had to be able as soon as possible. The starting katras for the bat'leth were smooth and flowing, and not particularly demanding. And Sevant needed to practice as well, he hadn't had nearly as much time to keep in shape as he would have liked. "Very well, Doctor." He said finally. "Baring emergency, I will see you in holodeck one at 1800 hours." (reply: Monroe, any) Sevant gave a nod and looked around, "First Officer keeps the bridge." He announced before stepping into his ready room. He placed the bat'leth on his desk and did a couple quick adjustments on the strap to his arm holster. He sighed lightly as he took his seat and pulled up the mission plan. There was so much to do, and they had to hurry... the hole the Paladin had punched wouldn't last forever. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Bridge- CSO- Dr. Madison Munroe- 0808) ==================================== She had hoped that the captain had been joking with his admonishment of her being on the bridge.  She could have thought of worse places to go.  But she just couldn't do nothing any more.    She had half figured that Sevant would turn her down on her request to learn to use the bat'leth.  It was most definitely a surprise when he told her to meet him at the holodeck at 1800.  ~Before dinner?  Guess I'll get to work up an appetite.~   "Yes, sir," she said with a smile.  "Thank you Captain."   Sevant nodded and then headed to his ready room, leaving West in charge of the bridge.  ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Captain's Ready room - Capt Sevant - 0825) ==================================== "Sir, I have the fleet reports. The battle group progresses well overall. They all received the coordinates without problems as well as tactical data and analysis. They're imputing manouevers so we can employ some common group strategy. You'll find specific information in the PADD, unless you require a verbal report." Sevant sat back in his chair and pointed to one across the desk. "I can read about them later." "Also Sir, Captain Ulatha on the USS Fire Hammer is having problems with his matter/anti-matter intermix. It's not terminal, but we might want to send an engineering team over just to help things along, so we can get them back up to speed as quickly as possible. That ship is getting a bit long in the tooth, and their engineering crew doesn't seem overly experienced," Sevant closed his eyes for a moment and considered that. "Very well, poll the fleet and see if there is a matrix specialist somewhere. If not, get Fredricks to send over a team." (reply) "Sir, there is one other thing... a concern. Your new crewmates from the Geneva, they seem to be having some difficulty settling in. I think part of it was not having contact with you. I'm sure we'd both like them to perform optimally, they're too used to following me and that isn't a possibility with my new post in StratOps. McLaren seems to be the only one easily settling into engineering. Mackenzie is doing okay with Mor'rel, I think she realized he knew the ship's sickbays at least. Your new counsellor, before we left the station he was being trained in command. He also has advanced medical training. Mr. Chandler is very much used to working on her own. I'm not sure how much she's met with Mr. Stolev, or how comfortable she is. Doctor Engtamn-Jensi has forged a rather close bond with your CSO, so I'm not overly worried about him. However, you might want to meet with the members of the former Geneva crew... tell them what your expectations are and give them their orders. Things were rather... chaotic... after the planet mission, and I realize that, but it might allow things to run a bit more smoothly," Sevant tapped his finger-tips together as he thought about that. "I will take it into consideration Mr Casely." Sevant said finally. "I meet with everyone in an hour, that will be a start." He leaned forward in his chair, retreating deeper into thought as he did so. Finally, he said, "What is your opinion about the combat readiness of the battle group?" ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Captain's Readyroom- StratOps/3O - Lieutenant Commander Paul Casely - 0825) ==================================== Paul added mentally the task of polling the fleet and trying to work out the Fire Hammer's engineering problems. He wanted to ensure that ship was ready for battle, no screw ups.   Now Sevant was asking the million dollar question, "What is your opinion about the combat readiness of the battle group?" Paul thought about it for an instant and suppressed a wince. This was the question he was most concerned with. "Honestly Sir, between you and me, I don't know. We're working around the clock and I know the ships we have are the ships we have, but some of the captains have told me that their crews are... concerned... you don't see many Oberth class vessels in battle. Miranda, Oberth and Constellation Classes are very out of date and the Galaxy and Excelsior classes are getting there as well," Paul raised his brow, "I keep telling them that its the force of the many that's going to win this and not any one ship. Not everyone is convinced. I mean, most have been updated as well as their class allows and I keep reminding them of that, but this isn't going to be easy. The thing that is going to sink us is a few captains or crews that doubt their own abilities. I'm well aware, and so are they, that we just don't have the time to build everyone new ships with new spaceframes. In the end, it really all boils down to the same problem."   (Reply Sevant)   "Not everyone has an experienced crew... not everyone has an experienced Captain in the Starfleet battle group. The ships that are 'good' are very good. We'll have no problems from Krieger, or from most of the the others. However, we all know that a war can be lost by just the inactivity of a few. The Klingons are... well... the Klingons. They bluster a lot, but I know they're not going to turn and run, in fact the opposite problem could occur if we have to order a fallback. If you think it would help, I could arrange for a meeting of captains with you. Face to face might be more productive than across vid screens. In fact, in essence every department chief on the Boudicca is technically the department chief of every vessel with us being the flagship. Maybe if we can work out some form of rotating meetings/inspections with some of the most 'problem' ships in the fleet it could help. Having some of your experienced crew impart wisdom on some of the newer officers might help fleet wide," said Paul closing his eyes for an instant. He knew that this wasn't what Sevant wanted to hear, but at the same time, it was what he had to hear. This wouldn't be repeated to anyone else. There was no way Paul would risk the morale of the fleet or any of the Boudicca crew.   (Reply Sevant)   "One last thing Sir, what is our estimated time to engagement?" asked Paul, knowing that he wouldn't like the answer.   (Reply Sevant)   "I would really like some time to run some tactical simulations with the group... some 'war games' if you will. I recognize the fact that we don't have much time, but even an afternoon could help to allay some of the hesitation of some of our less confident captains and crew," said Paul before finally adding, "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, Sir." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Captain's Readyroom- Capt Sevant - 0825) ==================================== "... I'm well aware, and so are they, that we just don't have the time to build everyone new ships with new spaceframes. In the end, it really all boils down to the same problem." Sevant tapped his fingers together, "The cost of war, what are your thoughts on their abilities." He listened to Casely with half a mind, mulling over the problems as he heard of more. When Casely was done he said, "I'll think on it, but it will be difficult with our current timeline." "One last thing Sir, what is our estimated time to engagement?" The Captain took a breath, "Three to six days, depending on tactical conditions." He smiled grimly, "The war has already begun, the Paladin battle group has already engaged the first line of defense and ripped us a hole in their lines." "I would really like some time to run some tactical simulations with the group... some 'war games' if you will. I recognize the fact that we don't have much time, but even an afternoon could help to allay some of the hesitation of some of our less confident captains and crew," said Paul before finally adding, "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, Sir." "On the contrary, Mr Casely, I wanted to know our real status." He sat forward again. "We will speak of training once the full mission plan has been released, I will be discussing it with you in depth after the meeting." He looked at his chronometer. "Immediately after, in fact." ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - MXO Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 0920) ==================================== Drizzt stepped into the room and looked around. He was quite a bit early, but already a couple people had gathered. He took a seat quietly, folded his hands and closed his eyes... and waited. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - TAC/SC Lt. Cmdr. Stolev - Day 1 - 0925) ==================================== Stolev hurried into the conference room, noting that although several of the senior staff were already there, at least the Captain had not arrived yet. His earlier readiness report to the captain had been brief, stating simply that crew weapon distribution and combat readiness refreshers were underway, and that roving patrols would be set up and initiated within a few hours. He found an empty seat between Chandler and Straton and sat down, placing his cup of coffee on the table in front of him. "Good morning, Sam," he said cordially to his TAC/ASC. (reply Chandler) Sasha then turned slightly towards Eva and concentrated on what she had begun to teach him the other day, keeping in mind that it was easier with more basic thoughts. ~Good morning, Eva,~ he thought simply, focusing his mental pathways as tightly as he could on that one phrase. He suddenly realized that his eyes were tightly shut; he opened them to find Eva regarding him with an amused expression on her face. "I guess I need more practice, huh?" he asked sheepishly. ==================================== (USS Boudicca - Conference Room - CSO- Dr. Madison Munroe- 0926) ==================================== Maddie entered the conference room.  She noted that only the marines and security had arrived.  The scientist had always felt uncomfortable with these guys.  Perhaps it was because they intimidated her.  She knew they could kill her three ways to hell and back before she even said hello, and there was nothing she could do about it.  Well, damn it, that was going to have to change.   She cleared her throat a little, went to the replicator to get a glass of water then sat down at the table.  "Morning gentlemen, Ms. Chandler."