NRPG: *Ahem* Using Deep Announcer VOICE It was the dawn of another age of mankind. The Great Federation Civil War was coming to an end. This compile is a dream given form. Its goal to prevent another war from taking place. Where humans and aliens had a difficult time working things out together and with themselves. It was a time where diplomats, hustlers, entrepeneurs, and wanderers all struggled to be survivors. Humans and aliens wrapped in millions of tons of metal all alone in the night. It was a dangerous time, but our last best hope for peace. This is the story of the Boudicca and Kittyhawk. The year is 2407. The name of the place.... Compile Alpha Two..... *Thunderous music plays over a montage of faces and pretty ships* Oh yeah, one day change and one slight time change, two posts came in with the same time one after the other. So the second one moved a minute. And on to Today's Compile Index: Day 10 (USS Boudicca, Ready Room, Commander Archibald Stakes 1718) Day 14 (USS Boudicca - Security Holodeck 1 - TAC/ASC Ensign(jg) Lorak Laroon - 13:47) Day 19 (Iradon, Shuttlecraft Rameses- Fugitive Arania -2303) (USS Kitty Hawk, Deck 6 - A Room - Fugitive Arania - 2306) (USS Kitty Hawk - Sickbay - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day 19 - 2307) (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 2308) (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - SciO Ensign Percival Bellephoron the Third - 2310) (USS Kitty Hawk, Sickbay - Arania -2311) (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk- Sickbay- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-2315) (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - Ensign Percival Bellephoron the Third - 2325) Day 20 (USS Kitty Hawk - Sickbay - Capt Sevant - 0220) (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk- Sickbay- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-0225) Day 21 (USS Kitty Hawk, Sickbay, Isolation Ward, MCO Lt Colonel Eva Straton, 0900) (USS Kitty Hawk - Sickbay, Isolation Ward - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day 21 - 0901) Day 22 (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 1805) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - Capt Sevant - 1840) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Captain Sevant & Commander Archibald Stakes - 1842) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Captain Sevant & Commander Archibald Stakes - 1844) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - FO - Commander Archibald Stakes - 1902) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Capt Sevant & Commander Rivers - 1905) RPG: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 10 Stardate: 2407.03.03 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Boudicca, Ready Room, Commander Archibald Stakes 1718) After the lengthy expose from the Lieutenant Commander, Archibald was close at starting to tear his hairs out. He had no idea why the Gerratlian was so obtrusive and giving him lectures where none were needed but it was starting to annoy him. Did he consider Archibald so thick that he wouldn't understand the basic functions on a ship? Archibald decided to give the Engineer one final chance but only because the Gerratlian had not shown any disrespect and it could be that Zzt had actually been sincere. But perhaps the concepts were too abstract for the Gerratlian? Archibald sighed once. "Thank you, Commander," he said as he plucked a non-existing speck of dust of his desk. "However, you are now on board a fighting vessel. And fighting vessels fight, hence the term fighting vessel. And when fighting vessels fight, they get damaged. And systems fail because of the damage. Life support can fail as well, and indeed it has done so in the past. Also when systems get damaged, they are known to emit sparks at times. Now can you imagine what woud happen when, WITH failing life support, you crawl into a Jeffrey's tube so repair something which sparks, and whilst repairing the system you 'let one go' I think the least impolite term is. Now consider a small space, oxygen, methane and sparks all mixed together. End result, a wounded or dead Gerratlian and a considerable amount of additional damage. Again, Commander, take it into consideration." Archibald hoped that this would prove to be sufficient for the Gerratlian to follow his 'request'. (Reply Zzt, any) (posted by Adrie Geuken) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 14 Stardate: 2407.03.07 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Boudicca - Security Holodeck 1 - TAC/ASC Ensign(jg) Lorak Laroon - 13:47) "Mmm, so you HAVE had some kind of training in tactical holographic systems." "If you would, describe the system to me? I'd like to have an idea of what theory you do and don't know." Lorak had been looking at the Chief sence he had taken his seat and noded when she was done asking her question. "The system was set up in the new command room's of the LCS Cruisers (Lyran Capital Ships) They were dark rooms were a tactical display was given in 3 holographic boxies to look much like the human game of chess. In one box showed ships locations, statistics of both ours and our enemys were displayed , it also had weapons control so that you could ingage your enemy(s) while having a 360 look around you." Lorak looked back at his tactical screen and then to the Chief. "As far as the others go im not to sure what was on them. We were only abile to interact with our own stations" (reply: Chief) (posted by Lorak) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 19 Stardate: 2407.03.12 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (Iradon, Shuttlecraft Rameses- Fugitive Arania -2303) There had been just too many things happening around Arania, so she hadn't even tried to keep track of everyone and what they were saying or doing. Instead she'd just curled up on the seat she was in, hugged her knees and sang to herself to keep herself calm. She did stop singing when two more of Matthew's comrades were dragged in to the shuttle while it hovered over the heads of some of High Priestess Cereus' warriors, who wisely put some space between themselves and the shuttle. Arania couldn't help but think that these strangers were lucky that Cereus wasn't with her scout party, or the occupants of the shuttle would surely have been fried alive by some fireballs. She'd shuddered at the thought and thanked the Goddess for Her mercy, as the shuttle hatch closed and the Commander took the flying machine higher in to the sky and then she went back to singing softly again. When they had reached the right altitude, John had told them who would go first, second and so on, and Arania had been grateful to hear that she would be going with Matthew, because the thought of disappearing into thin air and being transported to another place struck her heart with fear, so if she *was* going to never appear again, at least she'd be with Matthew in the life beyond life. All too soon it was Matthew's and Arania's turn and she tried to smile bravely when Matthew stood and took her hand. He told her to stand on the pad and try to be still, that it wouldn't hurt her, and she tried not to tremble to much, and kept telling herself that nothing had happened to the others when they'd appeared out of nowhere from somewhere else, but she did not know where they'd gone too now and had no idea if they had even arrived anywhere. When she felt a strange tingling sensation and the shuttle's interior began to fade from her view, she opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out, and then... (USS Kitty Hawk, Deck 6 - A Room - Fugitive Arania - 2306) Suddenly Arania was somewhere else. A strange, foreign place that smelled funny and looked even more foreign to her than the shuttle had, at least she'd semi-gotten used to the shuttle after spending so many hours in it. Panic filled her when she looked around and found she was alone. Where was Matthew? He had been right beside her on the transporter pad, did something terrible happen to him? Or had something terrible happened to her? She saw what looked like a door and headed towards it. Magically it hissed open and with a little squawk of startled surprise, Arania jumped, hesitated a second or two, then realizing it wasn't going to hurt her, slowly wandered out of the room into a long corridor. ~Well at least this is something I am used to even if it is a little strange.~ She thought, her courage returning as she remembered the long dark corridors in the Temple...and there was Matthew. He smiled and hugged her tightly, lifting here off her feet and planted a kiss on her lips. "I'm so glad to see you." he whispered into her ear. Arania giggled and hugged his neck, nuzzling her nose into his ear. "And I, you." She whispered back before he lowered her to her feet. "McLaren to Kitty Hawk. I'm aboard on deck…." he said. " Deck 6, forward section. I am reporting to sickbay." ~He talks to nobody!~ Arania looked around, puzzled. ~There's nobody here.~ (reply Bridge) ~Voices that talk from bodiless people! Another wonder of wonders.~ Arania was amazed again, surely there couldn't be many more wonders for her to see. This was a far more magical place than Iradon. "Come dearest. We need to head to sickbay." Matthew said as he took Arania's hand, " and see if everyone else made it aboard. With a gentle nod and much trepidation, the Iradonian allowed him to lead her away. She was remembering the Commander's demanding question when she'd appeared on the shuttle and hoped that Matthew and John wouldn't get into trouble for bringing her along. (reply Bridge, Any) (posted by Sal) (USS Kitty Hawk - Sickbay - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day 19 - 2307) Sasha felt himself materializing and opened his eyes in confusion. ~Why were my eyes closed?~ And then, upon seeing his surroundings, thinking, ~this looks like sickbay aboad the Kitty Hawk. But how did I get here?~ He watched as medical personnel hurried towards him. Eva was taken to a nearby biobed, while he was led to a triage area. He impatiently answered all of the questions which he knew were standard -- aside from a few bumps and bruises, he was fine, physically. As he was being triaged, he tried to listen in to what was being said by the doctors treating Eva. He only caught bits and pieces, so when he saw a nurse who had been participating in her evaluation walk by, Sasha flagged her down. "What's her status?" he asked. "She's not in any immediate danger," the nurse said, trying to reassure him. "As far as we can tell, there's very little wrong with her physically, other than an unusual balance in her brain chemistry. We're consulting her medical records now to determine if this is normal for her, but the suspicion is that it's not. We'll update you as soon as we know more." Sasha nodded, wondering if a brain chemistry imbalance was to blame for her behavior on the planet's surface. "I'll wait here then," he said. The nurse smiled at him and then headed back into main sickbay to help with the other members of the away team. Meanwhile, Sasha sat down at Eva's bedside, waiting for an update on her condition, at once anxious for her to wake up and yet dreading what might happen when she did. (reply any) (posted by Aaron) (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 2308) "Rivers to Bridge. All of us from the shuttle are in Sickbay except for Linskens. Did he make it back aboard yet?" Sevant said, "Bridge to Transporter Room, do you have Linskens?) (reply: Linskens, any) The ship suddenly rocked, Sevant turned around and looked at the screen. With the drop of the World Ship, the planet was... changing. A quick glance at the operations panel confirmed that there were massive energy spikes, and that the matter of the planet was doing things he couldn't even begin to describe. "Back us away, quickly... quickly!" he said as the ship rocked once more from an energy wave. He grabbed the back of the chair and held on as the CONN officer madly tried to get the Kitty Hawk away from the changing planet. "Best speed, I want to be at least a million kilometers from that planet in a hurry." Sevant said as a third surge hit the ship and cause the deck to drop an inch under his feet. He watched quietly as a cloud of grey, tinged with multiple colors, covered the planet like a thick fog. By the time the Kitty Hawk was the requested distance away, the planet no longer looked like anything so much as a soot-covered marble. One more glance over the Operations officer's shoulder showed that sensors could no longer penetrate to the planet. He looked up and watched as great bolts of power, something like purple lightning, shot across the planet's sky in a show of energy unprecedented in Sevant's experience on a planetary body. And then... in a flash that forced the screen to temporarily darken, the planet disappeared. Sevant's brow knit, he barked "What happened?" (reply: any who want to try) (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - SciO Ensign Percival Bellephoron the Third - 2310) When Sevant said, "Bridge to Transporter Room, do you have Linskens?" Percival looked up from his console, suddenly more interested in what was said rather than his most interesting log reports. =/\= No, Sir. Linskens did not return. Nor can our internal sensors pick him up on board. He must still be out there, Sir. =/\= Percival frowned as he instructed the forward sensor array to sweep the surrounding area for any organic signature. Seconds later, he received the log report. "Negative!" he spoke up. "There are no organic signatures in space, at least none that the sensors can pick up. Master Linskens must still be on the pla..." As Percival said the last words, he looked at the viewscreen and suddenly fell silent as the planet was undergoing a massive change. "Back us away, quickly... quickly!" Sevant barked as the ship rocked once more. Percival looked down at his console and started reviewing the sensor logs, trying to understand what was going on. The results that he received were so strange that he could do nothing but shake his head. "This is interesting!" he shouted out. "The planet is undergoing a massive depolarisation. The quantum states are all over the place. Those purple streaks are somehow involved. Where they appear, the polarisation change is increased dramatically. in fact, one could say that those streaks react like quant-potential carriers. And that is quite unheard of as potential is defined as a difference in potential level that will promote or decrease charge movement. But here potential seems to carry the charge. Quite unheard of. And definitely not something that could happen in our universe." He looked up. "And yet it does," he remarked, before turning his attention back to his console. "Ahh, dematerialisation! The matter is losing its cohesion. How quaint!" Feeling like a little child that suddenly became aware that he was all alone in the candy shop, Percival allowed himself to engage in a grin. He continued to watch and make insertions in the sensor logs when something noteworthy happened for prosperity sake even to the point that suddenly the sensors stopped showing anything from inside the 'cloud' of dematerialised matter and quant-potential carriers. But instead of stopping the investigation there, Percival redirected the sensor beams to just outside the 'cloud' to at least record the effect it would have on normal space. That way they should still be able to deduce some of what happened inside it. Having done so, he frowned for a fraction of a second, then made another insertion into the logs. "Sir! I believe the transformation that the planet is undergoing is fusing space matter. One could call that extreme cold fusion, one would suppose. Yet the reaction products are quite interesting, Sir. They are actinides. The same actinides that have created so many problems with our sensors when we arrive here. In fact, although it is quite early to deduce anything, I would reckon it quite possible and indeed even likely that the actinides that we encountered before are a direct result from previous dematerialisations, Sir." And then suddenly it was all gone. Or going, as Percival could see from the sensors. He assumed for the moment that the dematerialisation process had come to a hold, simply because it had run out of matter to dematerialise. Or transform. And without shape, the planet could easily suck into the portal of kinds that he knew must exist there. Perhaps a portal was not the best term but until he had worked though all the data, it would have to do. "What happened?" Percival looked at the CO. "We were already aware, Sir, the planet had a different quantum level to our universe. As did the alien ship, only to a lesser degree. Unfortunately the problem with quantum levels is that you can have only one. they don't mix to create a new level. The quantum level indicates that the origin of the planet was different. And although it is difficult to be certain yet, it would seem that the planet originated from a different universe. I will class that universe as off-universe and our universe and own-universe. When the off-universe came into contact with our own-universe, a certain equilibrium between the two universes was reached, resulting in a seemingly stable planet which exhibited phenomenon of both universes. But in fact the universal forces were at a neutral equilibrium where small changes would not change the equilibrium. However when the aliens entered the equation, the influx of off-universal forces greatly enhanced the off-universal potential to the point that they were able to push the own-universal forces out and the planet reverted to it's natural, off-universal state, slipping back through the portal to it's own side. Quite simple really. It was all a question of balance. But now that the off-universal forces are leaving, this system should revert back to the own-universal state." Percival suddenly sighed. "It would not explain Master Linskens, though. By becoming completely off-universal, the planet should have rejected his own-universal body. I wonder if he was caught by some kind of attraction force. A bit like when being in water, the natural tendency for the body is to float to the surface. But if one carries a heavy jacket, or even a water-logged jacket, then the jacket will suffice to keep the body under and away from the surface. I wish I understood what could have such an attraction force on him." Percival fell silent and looked down at his console. "The portal is closing," he remarked. "Once it is closed then there will be no way back for him, if he still exists, that is. Perhaps the transformation process affected his body as well, seeing that it was in its influence sphere. There is so much that we do not know yet. Mind you, with the data that we have recorded in the last few minutes, I am assured that we will be able to determine what really happened. But I fear that that will be too late for Master Linskens. It's nearly closed now." Percival watched his sensor logs silent, his lips inadvertently counting the seconds silently, until he finally sighed. "The portal has closed." he said, making a final insertion into the logs, before looking up. "I believe Master Linskens would now be classed as missing in action, Sir?" he asked Sevant. (Reply by Sevant, any) (Posted by Adrie Geuken) (USS Kitty Hawk, Sickbay - Arania -2311) When the doors opened and revealed the busy Sickbay and all the different looking people that were in there, Arania's eyes grew as big as saucers and she pressed herself into Matthew's side, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly as she gazed around her in wonder. There was a green skinned person and a couple of blue skinned people, one blue skinned person had white hair and strange looking things that projected from their heads that were actually moving! Another blue skinned person had a crease in the middle of his face and head and was completely bald. There was another with dark brown skin and tight crinkly hair, and yet another who had fierce-looking eyes and brow ridges that were quite different to Arania's. Some appeared to be what Matthew had explained earlier (when he'd shown her the picture of how he really looked) as Hue-men even though they were female, and although she couldn't understand how females could be men or why they were hued, (unless it was because of different skin coloring), she accepted it as just another strangeness. She spotted another species, this one had the cutest pointed ears and eyebrows, but his face appeared to be quite inscrutable. ~Ooh, but I'd love to have ears like that!~ She thought, a hand raising to feel one of her own. However, Arania did understand that there could be many different traditions and culture to her own, and most likely a different culture for each of the varied species she saw around her, and was beginning to realize just how different her life would be from what it had been. She almost felt like she'd fallen asleep and was in a long never-ending dream as she had seen so many strange and fascinating things and still continued to do so. One of the strangers came up to her and gently pried her arms loose from Matthew to lead her to a raised bed-like platform while Matthew was taken to another close by, as long as he was within sight she wasn't scared, and there were other people lying down on them too so she didn't fuss when she was asked to get on it; she just watched the pretty lights that blinked and flashed on the wall behind her head. (reply Matthew, any in sickbay) (posted by Sal) (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk- Sickbay- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-2315) Arania had held to Matthew tightly as they made their way into sickbay. He had warned her as much accessible about the things she was likely to see, but there was nothing he could have done to prepare her for the actual event of seeing a being that was not of her own species. She stood for a moment staring at the various people in the room, as he had expected her to, clinging to him as they stood just inside the door. Matthew stood still, one arm around her protectively, to lend her some comfort and give her the opportunity to accept what she was seeing as being real. He had not idea what she was actually thinking but he could guess. It wouldn't necessarily be unpleasant thoughts, but millions of questions must have flooded her mind. Eventually one of the medical staff, a Bolian, pried her loose from him and led her to one of the biobeds. He nodded at her and smiled, in an effort to make her realize that everything was okay. He was then led to a biobed just a few places away from her. Matthew took a few moments to look around and take a quick head count. He could account for everybody except for John. He scanned the room a second time, then turned to the nurse. "Is Ensign Linskens here?" he asked her. "No sir," she replied, "he hasn't been beamed aboard yet." Matthew's blood ran cold. John had mentioned a lack of memory space, that would only affect a number of people that happened to be less than the number of members of the away team by 1. that meant that maybe He hadn't made it off the shuttle. Matthew hung his head. Arania's presence could very well have caused Linskens to have been lost. If that was the case then that was entirely his fault. ~not true, the same would have happened if Skeel had survived~ he reminded himself. ~Except Skeel didn't survive, you killed him!~ His own conscience was eating away at him. He had killed Skeel in self defense, yet he still felt as if he could have done more. The problem was that he couldn't see what he could have changed. ~And John…?~ What could he have done any differently about John? He didn't think he could have run the transporters in the manner the conditions that they were in. John had rewired and by passed so many of the safeties and systems just to make it work, that Matthew was pretty certain, that operating them at that point was more intuition than skill. He glanced over at Arania. She was watching the lights on the biobed flash and move as the bed did it's job. It was a simple pleasure for him to watch her as she studied the miniature strobes. He smiled. He just hoped that she would be happy and that he had made the right decision. He heard Susan speaking. It was hard to hear her well, but he was pretty certain that she was asking about John. He sincerely hoped that she would get a better answer than he felt she might. Suddenly the ship shook, knocking a few small devices from their resting places. The majority of the crew were experienced in such things, and they all seemed to keep their footing, or seating as was appropriate. Arania was steadied by the Bolian doctor as the scans continued. Matthew wanted to jump up and head for Main Engineering. He could see the desires of many of the other away team members to be anywhere but sickbay. He noted with an odd sensation that none of them budged. They knew where they needed to be, and despite whatever else may be happening, they knew their duty was to stay put. (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - Ensign Percival Bellephoron the Third - 2325) As Percival waited for the response from the CO, he shut down most of his sensor logs until he noticed a small discrepency in the readings of the portal just a second before it finally closed. It appeared that just before finally closing, the portal has actually expanded then retracted again to finally close. Percival raised an eyebrow then looked at the logs again. The portal had expanded, that was clear. But why? It looked like the portal had blown a bubble, but if that were the case, why didn't any sensor pick up the bubble? Could it be that ..... Suddenly gripped with a frenzied eagerness, Percival surveyed the logs then turned round. "SIR! WE must go to the position of the portal! NOW! I believe Master Linskens to be there, enveloped in a off-universal bubble of some kind. That's why we can't see it. Our sensors can't pick it up! But it will be there, I am sure! But hurry! Unless the bubble is working like an environmental suit, which is highly questionable, he will not be able to survive much longer!" (Reply by Sevant, any on the Bridge) (Posted by Adrie Geuken) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 20 Stardate: 2407.03.13 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Kitty Hawk - Sickbay - Capt Sevant - 0220) Sevant stepped through the door to sickbay quietly. There were several people inside, most of the Away Team in fact. Some had been healed already, others were going to be stuck here all night until the worst cases were dealt with and they could be seen too. The Cardassian Doctor was dictating some notes off to the side, looking over Commander Rivers. She didn't look particularly pleased to be in Sickbay yet, but their Doctor could be a force to be reckoned with on his bailiwick. Sevant knew, he'd been under his care not that long ago... and probably should be yet, though the wounds on his face were all but healed. "Commander," he said quietly. He brought up a hand, to make sure she didn't jump up to attention or anything else foolish. Sevant had known Rivers for a long time, she was a go-getter. "I just stopped in to see you; your de-briefing will be tomorrow when you all have rested." The Vulcan took a seat and sat down, "I thought you should know, the planet has phased out...this system is short one planet. I've left a few probes, the Kitty Hawk is on her way out-system. We'll be able to go to warp in two hours." He looked up at the doctor for a moment, who was fussing with the biobed, then back down again. "How are you?" (reply: any) (posted by Trout) (Iradon, USS Kitty Hawk- Sickbay- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-0225) Matthew regarded his restored face in the mirror in the Sickbay head. It was smooth, the stubble had been removed during the procedure and his face felt funny, without the extra ridges and rhinoplasty to alter the appearance of his cheek bones and chin. He sighed and turned back into main portion of sickbay. He was hoping that they'd be allowed to leave soon. He was tired and just couldn't bring himself to sleep in sickbay. When he came out of the room, he took note of the captain speaking with Susan. He wasn't certain about what they were saying. And Matthew wondered if Susan had mentioned Arania to Sevant yet. It didn't matter. It would happen when it happened. There was no use in trying to speed it along. Matthew made his way over to Arania, who was sitting on the edge of one of the biobeds. She had been scanned, blood taken and genetic mapping performed so that the medical staff could treat her in the event of a medical emergency. He sat down on the edge of the biobed next to her. "It's a lot to take in all at once." he said. "How are you holding up?" (reply Arania, any) (posted by Daniel Greene) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 21 Stardate: 2407.03.14 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Kitty Hawk, Sickbay, Isolation Ward, MCO Lt Colonel Eva Straton, 0900) Eva opened her eyes to a world out of focus. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, as her brain registered a persistent beeping noise. ~What is that noise? Where am I?~ She thought noticing someone coming up to the side of her bed. She had to blink a few times before her eyes would focus on the person's face. "Sasha," She said, smiling. Lifting her head and looked around at the room she was in and a look of confusion crossed her face. ~A star ship sickbay, isolation ward I'd guess, but definitely not the Boudicca.~ "Where are we?" She asked looking back at Sasha. "Where is the Boudicca? What happened? How did we get here?" She stopped as a wave of dizziness washed over her and she laid her head back down. The sound of the door opening drew her attention and she turned her head to see who was entering the room. (Reply Sasha, Whoever is coming in the door, any) (Posted by Wes) (USS Kitty Hawk - Sickbay, Isolation Ward - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day 21 - 0901) Sasha rubbed his eyes as he glanced over the last of the security logs from the time when he was away from the ship. After a great deal of convincing and cajoling, he had managed to convince the medical staff that there was no harm that could come from him waiting in the isolation ward with Eva, and that in fact it would probably be beneficial for him to be close at hand when she finally woke up. However, he had relented at least long enough for the plastic surgeon to undo the Iconian alterations to his face, and he had also managed to take a shower and change out of the medieval garb that he had been wearing for what seemed like days on end. A beep from the monitoring console caught his attention, and Sasha looked over at Eva. Her eyes had opened and she was blinking rapidly; the console's readout indicated her return to consciousness. He stood up quickly and walked over to the side of her bed and smiled down at her. "Sasha," She said, smiling. Lifting her head and looked around at the room she was in and a look of confusion crossed her face. "Where are we?" She asked looking back at Sasha. "Where is the Boudicca? What happened? How did we get here?" She stopped then and laid her head back down, clearly still feeling the aftereffects of having been unconscious for a day and a half. Sasha kept on smiling. "It's a very long story. I'll be happy to tell you about it later," he lied. He was actually dreading having to tell her about it -- the knowledge of how severely she had violated both the telepathic laws and the Prime Directive would be devestating to her, and she would no doubt refuse to use her injury and altered mental state as an excuse. The sound of the door opening gratefully distracted her attention and they both turned to see who was entering the room. (reply whoever -- a doctor? Sevant?) (posted by Aaron) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Anointed, Day 22 Stardate: 2407.03.15 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Kitty Hawk - Bridge - Capt Sevant - 1805) "Sir, we're getting a ship on sensors at the far edge of our maximum range" tactical said. Sevant leaned forward in his chair, "Can you identity her?" "Not yet... hold on." A minute passed, tensely, before he made a small sound that could have meant any dozen things. "She's the Boudicca, Sir!" The Captain leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face, which was finally healed after the burns and injuries he'd taken. "The Boudicca..." He said. He hadn't assumed that he would see her again until they brought the Kitty Hawk back to dock- the ship needed some work. He stood and walked over to the Operations console, where his wife was sitting. "Open a channel and send a short-burst encrypted message. USS Kitty Hawk's compliments, pull along-side at best speed. Prepare engineering teams to supplement Kitty Hawk Engineering Section for emergency." He tapped the back of her chair once so she would know he was done. Sevant turned and crossed his arms behind him. "It appears we'll sleep in our own beds tonight. Pass the word, XO, off-duty personnel are to pack and be ready for immediate transfer back to the ship." (reply: Rivers) (posted by Trout) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room 1 - Capt Sevant - 1840) "Welcome back, Captain." Sevant didn't answer, just gave a short nod to the officer of the deck. He also ignored the bosun's pipes, which were standard when the Captain came aboard. What he did do, however, was step immediately out and into a turbolift. He wasn't in a rush, per-say, but he DID want to get emergency repairs on the Kitty Hawk. "Bridge." he said once he'd stepped into the turbolift. He crossed his arms behind him and closed his eyes. He was also anxious to get the caretaker commander off his ship, whoever it was. He didn't like anyone else commanding his ship while he was still listed as commander. Still, if Admiral Jopek had sent the Boudicca out looking for him, something important must be afoot. The door opened. He opened his eyes and stepped onto the bridge. (USS Boudicca - Bridge - Captain Sevant & Commander Archibald Stakes - 1842) Archibald looked up and saw a Vulcanoid enter the Bridge. It was even a Vulcanoid with captain markings. ~That would be Sevant then,~ Archibald mused. He nodded to the newcomer and saw that he was followed by a Bajoran woman with Commander markings. ~Hmm, and that must be Rivers.~ he concluded. Archibald nodded short to the two newcomers. "Captain, Commander," he greeted them, staying rooted in his chair. Until he actually transferred command, that chair as his. He looked at the viewscreen that showed the Miranda class vessel, they had just met. "Yeoman, a refreshment for our guests." he said casually. "Belay that," Sevant said as he started down the ramp to the command chair. He stopped at the foot of the chair, his arms still behind him, and looked at the Commander for a few moments. "I am ready for the transfer of command codes, Commander." he said after a moment. Archibald licked his lips. "Aye, Sir," he said, "Computer! Reinstate and acknowledge Captain Caladryll Sevant as Commanding Officer of the USS Boudicca, authorization code Benjamin Delta Bravo Three" [Captain Caladryll Sevant is confirmed as Commanding Officer of the USS Boudicca.] He then got up from the chair. "Commander Stakes standing down, Sir." "Very well, Commander Stakes. You are so relieved." Sevant turned and looked at his bridge. "Commander Rivers, you may begin the process of bringing our crew back from aboard the Kitty Hawk." (reply: Rivers) He stopped watching the bridge and looked at Commander Stakes. "Commander Stakes, do you have orders to take command of the Kitty Hawk?" Archibald shrugged. "I would assume so, Captain. I doubt I will be needed here." He looked at Rivers then back to Sevant. "But I will go where I am sent, regardless." Sevant's brow creased at that. "You don't know your future orders, Commander?" he asked. "What ARE your orders?" "Unknown, Sir." Archibald decided to kick the ball into the empty goal. "Apparently I am not to be trusted with too much information, Sir. Seeing my background." Sevant crossed his arms in front of him. He could take a few guesses at what the man meant by 'background', but his manner was starting to get irritating. "Commander Rivers, you have the bridge." he said, not taking his eyes away from Stakes. "Mr. Stakes, you will come with me." He turned on his heel, not bothering to see if his orders were followed. (reply: Rivers, any) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Captain Sevant & Commander Archibald Stakes - 1844) A few short steps brought him into the Ready Room. Nothing in here had really been changed, at least. He hadn't had much in here to begin with, nothing to really get in the way of repair crews... assuming any had needed to be here. Sevant stepped up to the Replicator and ordered a cup of Vulcan tea. "If you wish a refreshment, feel free." the Vulcan said as he turned back with a cup in his hand. "Now, we're going to start again. Since you don't know your orders, what do you know? I could assume I'm sending you back on the Kitty Hawk, but that wouldn't necessarily fit in with Admiral LoDona's plans. The last I heard, we were operating under strict radio operating procedures... fleet placement reports haven't been sent in months and movement orders are severely restricted. So, I can't just call up and ask where the Kitty Hawk is supposed to go or who is to command her. That leads me to believe that you know something, or you have in your possession something which will enlighten the situation." He took a seat, "So, enlighten me." Having come to attention as soon as Archibald had stepped into the Ready Room, Archibald disregarded the offer for a refreshment and remained standing, his eyes affixed to a spot on the back wall. "In the top drawer at your right hand side, Sir, you will find the PADD that Admiral Jopek instructed to hand to you. It is locked and will probably require your command codes to release, Sir. I'm just the courier service, Sir." Sevant placed his mug on the desk and opened the mentioned drawer. Indeed, there was a PADD. He brought it up and tapped a couple command codes that were immediately prompted for, and then settled back. There were several subject headers on this PADD, there were a lot of different issues being addressed, and they were all listed in order of importance. "Have a seat, Mr. Stakes." he said as he leaned back and began to read. Archibald gave that a few moments of thought. He was now in the same position as the TAC/ASc when he reported in. Was it an order? Or just a formality? But then again, the CO was a Vulcan. And they didn't do formalities. So it was an order. Archibald chose a position that would make sure that nobody could even consider him being able to read what was on the PADD and sat down. Several minutes later, Sevant placed the PADD back on the desk and folded his hands together. "It seems, Mr. Stakes, that we are going to be together for a while." he said after a few moments of reflection. "You will not be returning to Admiral Jopek as a Courier." He paused, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "You are hereby assigned as my new First Officer, by order of Admiral Jopek." Archibald had to use all of his resolve not to jump up. "Me, Sir," he said in forlorn hope. "Your executive? Surely ........ " Archibald fell silent. It made sense. The final humiliation. Not even an own ship, just to serve as someone's a**e-wiper. He suddenly realized that that may have been one of the reasons why he hadn't been told before. He cleared his throat. "Yes, Sir." Sevant picked the PADD back up and flipped it over to Stake's jacket, which was one of the things he'd flipped through while reading. He found Stakes's recent history and quickly skimmed it again, to make sure he had the particulars correct. "Until recently, a Captain and Commanding Officer of the Sovereign class- Rose of Samarkand ", Sevant said. He placed the PADD back on the desk and put one hand on his as yet unused mug. "I have yet to fully read our orders; this PADD will take me an hour to digest. But the synopsis is, we're to continue reaving and harassing the enemy as we make our way to rejoin the Fleet. This will take us at least two months." Sevant paused for a moment, "I have not yet seen an Officer demoted or his ship stripped for no reason- which leads me to one of three conclusions. Either Admiral LoDona has another use in mind for you, and we're the most convenient way to get you to him safely... you know something or someone which would be greatly useful to me in this area of space on our current mission, or there is reason to watch you- perhaps that your loyalty is in question." The Captain took a sip of his tea, considering the man before him. "Knowing the Admiral as I do, the odds of you being on my ship if your loyalty were in question are nil. Meaning, you either know something of use and the Fleet Commanding Admirals believe you should be here, or you are filling a billet until I can deliver you to the bulk of the fleet." Sevant folded his hands together again and tapped his thumbs together, "Any light you can shed on this situation would be appreciated- you may speak freely." Archibald shrugged. "Did it mention that two months ago, the Rose was a Doenitz ship? But we crossed the line and offered our service to your side. I've since spent several weeks in the comforting presence of all kinds of interrogators, my rank taken from me in gratitude, my crew has been dispersed and I am now stuck on a Keltoi. No offence, Sir, but I am positively delighted that my loyalty is not under question." ~How Wonderful.~ Sevant thought. He considered the situation, "None taken." He finally said. "So it seems you are as much in the dark as I am, for now. Very well." He leaned forward, "We will continue this conversation after I have reviewed our orders in full. Take charge of the crew transfer from the Kitty Hawk to the Boudicca Mr. Stakes- and send Commander Rivers in behind you." Archibald stood up abruptly. "Yes, Sir," he said without intonation and walked out of the Ready Room. (USS Boudicca - Bridge - FO - Commander Archibald Stakes - 1902) It took Archibald a few seconds to collect himself as he had entered the Bridge. "Commander Rivers?" he said to the Bajoran. "Captain Sevant wishes a word with you. I will take charge of the crew transfer." He nodded to her and stepped away from the door to allow her entrance. (Reply Susan) (Posted by Adrie Geuken & J Trout) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Capt Sevant & Commander Rivers - 1905) Susan sounded the doorchime, wondering why Sevant wanted to see her. She hoped he wasn't planning to have her transferred now that she was pregnant, and wondered what she could say to change his mind if that were the case. She entered on receiving the summons to do so, and approached his desk. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" she asked Sevant gestured to a chair without looking up from his monitor. He tapped a couple options, then closed it out and said; "Computer, transfer orders to PADD 105D-5." [Orders Transferred] The Captain leaned back in his chair again and considered the woman before him. By all accounts, she should be the one sitting behind this desk. It had been hers originally; she was the Plank Owner commanding officer, bad when he'd still been an assistant security chief. Diverging command paths, diverging lives. And it would only get worse. Finally, he broke the silence. "I've just gotten orders for you, direct from the Fleet Admiral. You, and several officers, are being detached from the Boudicca." He picked up the PADD he'd specified and offered it to her. "You are getting the Champlain." Wordlessly Susan took the PADD and read the first part. Her heart sank, and she read it again to make sure she'd been correct. Then she looked up at Sevant, frowning. "The Champlain?" she said. "An explorer? Away from the front line?" Her eyes narrowed. "Did you have anything to do with this?" she demanded. "Get LoDona to sideline me?" Sevant folded his hands together, "I would not have chosen now to break up my officer corps, as you should well know by now." he said coldly. "No, I didn't have anything to do with this. As for your placement... all I know is what is on the PADD, that you're to go collect her post-haste. I would imagine your permanent orders will be awaiting you there, at Geneva." He stopped and took a moment to collect his thoughts. "You are to leave by 2200 hours, which leaves you plenty of time to pack. However, there are two items that require attention before you do." he tapped his badge again, "All Senior Officers will report to the Observation Lounge at 2100 hours." (reply: any, if desired) "You will have to be there," he said as he stood. He walked over to the replicator, "And finally, pursuant to orders..." he plucked a small item off the replicator shelf, something he'd programmed before she had arrived. "Your commission as Captain of the Champlain comes with a couple old, remembered, benefits." he turned and held up a small gold pip. "The Rank and Authority of Captain, to go with the responsibility. You might recall it?" he said, with something as close to a smile as he was going to get. She took the pip and looked at it in silence for a moment, thinking as she poked it with her finger and turned it over a couple of times. Then she looked up. "I suppose I don't have a choice?" she said "There is always a choice, Captain." he said. "But that kind of choice, now, could be looked on as Treason. I wouldn't recommend it." Her eyebrows rose. "Treason?" she said. "It's now treason to refuse a commission?" "It's not, but it's unwise to raise suspicion. And seeing as we're short on officers, and you're a good Captain- It could be seen as suspicious. The Articles of War don't like suspicion." Sevant shook his head, "We're living in paranoid times, I can't say I like it. In either case, I'd love to keep you. But the fact is, we need more fighting Captains... we're loosing to many, to fast, to keep anyone from the Captain's seat who knows how to fill one." "Fighting?" Susan said, suddenly realizing she'd only looked at the first part of the orders. She'd stopped as soon as she'd come across the word 'explorer'. "You mean they're not shunting me off to the backwaters after all?" "The orders don't say it, but can you imagine any ships being sent to the furthest reach when we're so close to Earth?" Sevant asked as he took a seat again. "Especially you, who have commanded two battleships in your time? Logically, I'd say you're going to be back on the Line in none-to-long." She smiled then, for the first time since she'd entered the room. "In that case, Captain, I have a couple of requests." She indicated the PADD. "It says here that there are no marines assigned to the Champlain. I'll need a demi company at least, and an experienced officer to command them. So, do the officers transferring with me include one?" Sevant tapped his fingers together. "Originally, it was to be Colonel Straton." Sevant said. "However, her orders for transfer to Strategic Operations were confirmed earlier this morning. Therefore... you get Major Drizzt." Only years of practice kept Susan's face neutral, but inside she was very happy. "Thank you, Captain," she said. "I take it the rest of the officers accompanying me will be announced at the meeting?" "I have a feeling we may meet in worse times before better," she said quietly. "But it has been both a pleasure and an honour to serve with you, Sir." She smiled then as she stood up. "Live long and prosper, Sevant." Sevant stepped to his feet. But instead of offering a salute, offered his hand. "Be well Captain." They would see eachother again before she left, but this was the last time for a long time they would ever be alone. It was, in a way, almost depressing. ... but, such was life. Susan took his hand, and shook it. "Thank you," she said simply. It wasn't enough, but then again, it said everything too. She felt sad; leaving this ship, these people, this captain, was going to be harder than she had ever thought it would be when she came back. She turned towards the door, and then turned back. "You make a damn fine Captain, Sevant. I'm proud to think you started out under me." Sevant nodded, mostly to himself, as she left his ready room. He sat back in his seat again and crossed his arms, deep in thought. It was just another leave-taking, after all, wasn't it? (reply: any) (posted by Trout & Liz Geuken) NRPG: Whew. That was a long one. Can you imagine how hard the composer had to work to come up with all that dramatic music inbetween those dramatic moments. The romantic music. He worked hard. *knock, knock* Excuse me. Someone's at the door.. *creaky door* "What's this! What do you mean copyright infringement?!? That was a clearly covered in the fair use and parody clause....come on.... hey wait a ..... is that a ?" *thunk* -USS Boudicca, NCC 49901 Star Trek: Freedom - http://www.startrekfreedom.com