NRPG: Woo hoo!!! You did it! You actually did it! You like me, you really like me! Then this calls for something special. One Ship! One Day! The Universe is a dangerous place But in our future, my crew and I fight to make it safe I am Archibald Stakes, Captain of the USS Boudicca These are our adventures *start theme music with crew shots* Today's Compile Index is brought to you by Gene Roddenberry: Day 1 (USS Boudicca - Johnson's Quarters - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 0400) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 0500) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson and Bar Manager Mei Ling Hikaru - 0501) (USS Boudicca - ACEO Lorimar's quarters - ACEO Lorimar - 0955) (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-- 0958) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay - Captain Falthgood - 1005) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Stolev and Captain Falthgood - 1006) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's Office - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Stolev and Captain Falthgood - 1010) (USS Boudicca - Operations Support Center - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 1015) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign(jg) Lorimar - 1145) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-- 1155) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - FO Commander Archibald Stakes - 1156) (USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge, StratOps\MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, 1158) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - Temporary FO Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day 1 - 1215) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 12.16) RPG: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Fires of Heaven, Day 1 Stardate: 2407.06.28 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Boudicca - Johnson's Quarters - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 0400) It had been over three months onboard the Boudicca and life had settled into a pattern of sorts. He found the war a terrible thing, as surely did most of his comrades. This was actually the first time he had served onboard a ship during war time. And it was an entirely new experience. The farewell party had been truly the last of extravagance. Ms. Hikaru had felt it a worthy cause to use up some of her personal stores, but now the needs of the ship demanded a more restrained course. Donald had been happy to contribute what he could in the way of donating fresh supplies from his own small farm. Right now he was tending to them, collecting their bounty as well as feeding them before heading to Ten Foward to drop off the extra. He kept some for himself, to make into more cheese, but donated the majority of it. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He let Ms. Hikaru decide how best to use them. While he was responsible for the power needs of the ship, the power needs of the crew fell more within her purview. Donald stepped into the sonic shower to clean himself off before heading out. Slipping on a clean uniform, Donald gathered his PADD and his basket, filled with eggs and milk, and headed out. (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 0500) "Morning Ms. Hikaru" said Donald placing the basket on the counter. "How are things?" (Reply Hikaru) He had decided early on to take as many meals as possible in Ten Forward so that he could get to know as many people as possible. Of all the duty stations onboard, operations may have seemed to some as the least glamorous. Afterall, they weren't the ones hunting down criminals or manning the tactical console while the ship was in battle. They weren't the ones who healed the sick and wounded or the scientific mind that discovered some mind shattering new principle. Nor did they have the important post of maintaining the engines and the numerous systems associated with that. But regardless of such a lack of glory, operations had its place as the very heart of the ship. Through them did all the departments work in tandem, allowing the ship to function as a whole, allowing its abilities to bear fruit. Donald liked helping others and ops was just the place for such a thing to happen. Part of his job, aside from making sure that all the unseen systems that operations oversaw were working flawlessly, was to make sure that his department members were vigilant and working efficiently. It was easy to forget how important their work was, all it took was someone's environmental systems to fail in their quarters or something as small as not receiving incoming transmissions though to bring their importance to the fore. But Donald was determined that such reminders would be unnecessary. "You know I am not sure what I would like to eat this morning," confessed Donald. "Surprise me." (Reply Hikaru) (USS Boudicca - Ten Forward - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson and Bar Manager Mei Ling Hikaru - 0501) "Good morning, Donald," Mei Ling said with a smile for one of her favourite customers. And not just because he was generous in donating eggs, goats milk and cheese either. "You know I am not sure what I would like to eat this morning," confessed Donald. "Surprise me." Mei Ling's eyes twinkled. "Well I do happen to have some fresh bagels, baked this morning. Bootal found some flour and yeast in a storage container he'd overlooked." She peeked into the basket. "I could make you some scrambled eggs too, with a little paprika? On one condition though." She eyed him with a serious expression. "I have a complaint, Donald." Donald looked up from his basket, his left eye brow raised. "Yes," he asked out curiosity, politeness, but most of all hunger. Mei Ling nodded, still keeping her serious expression, though a grin threatened to spoil it if she wasn't careful to keep it hidden. "Yes, I'm afraid so. We've known one another for three months now, right?" ~What's she up to?~ Donald wondered as his eyes looked upward mentally calculating his time aboard the ship. "I believe you are quite correct ma'am," replied Donald, hoping that his hunger would not overtake him soon. "How may I be of service?" "Well for that entire three months, I have called you Donald. You may have noticed that in here I call Commander Stakes - Archibald, Colonel Straton - Eva, Lt Commander Stolev - Sasha and even Captain Sevant Caladryll on the rare occasions he visits. I call everyone by their first name, and they all call me Mei Ling. Yet you still call me Ms Hikaru. I'm afraid if you want breakfast this morning or any other you're going to have to start calling me Mei Ling just as they do," Mei Ling finished. "Call it a rule, if it makes you feel better," she added with a small smile. Donald was a little taken aback by this request. He smiled broadly and explained, "All these officers are my comrades in arms. They volunteered for service and place their lives on the line for a cause higher than most. But in my mind there is a cause higher than that. And you, represent that cause most forcefully. You are here to support this fine crew with no thought to the danger that it poses to yourself. You could easily apply your fine art on some safe planet, but instead you have placed yourself in the line of fire, something that you are not bound to by oath. Not only that, you practice that craft which has threatened to vanish from the Federation itself and I fight for that day when replicators are used simply to supplement that exquisite trade that you ply. For it is our ability to make choices and wield them freely that makes your art so beautiful and such a thing would not be allowed by Doenitz's Federation. For this, I salute you and do honor to you by calling you, Miss Hikaru." Hands clasped before him on the counter, he looked back with eyes that said, please feed me. For a moment, Mei Ling was speechless, then she said, "Donald, I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. And whatever you want to call me is fine by me, as long as we're friends. At least, I think of you as a friend." She blinked hard. "Now, bagels and scrambled eggs coming right up." She brought a china cup and saucer out from under the counter and fetched a jug of freshly-brewed coffee from the percolator behind her. The aroma was already filling Ten Forward and as she poured it into the cup, she said, "This is a special blend, which I bought on Geneva some time ago. It's been kept carefully in a stasis-storage container, and is as fresh as if I'd bought it at source. It comes from a small island in the Pacific and is grown on the sides of a volcano. Some people regard it as the best in the galaxy. Tell me what you think," she added, sliding the cup towards him. "While you're tasting, I'll get your breakfast on the go," Mei Ling grinned. "You must be starving by now," and she headed into the kitchen with the basket. Donald accepted the cup gratefully and closed his eyes taking in the aroma. ~Nice body~ he thought, as he put the cup to his lips to take a sip. He let the lava like liquid crawl up his tongue taking in the interesting sensation. ~A fine brew~ Donald opened his eyes and raised his cup in salute to Mei Ling and smiled. "Excellent. Truly Excellent. I long for the day when we do not have to ration such things." he admitted. "I cannot imagine what wizardry you could work then." "Thank you," Mei Ling said as she came out of the kitchen five minutes later, genuinely pleased by the compliment. She placed the plate heaped high with freshly-scrambled egg, lightly dusted with paprika, and a second with an assortment of bagels, in front of Donald. A butter dish was also placed on the counter. "Itta daki masu" Donald said, with an anticipatory grin, as he picked up his utensils. "Bon appetit," Mei Ling answered. "More coffee?" Donald nodded, rather than open his preoccupied mouth. Mei Ling smiled, refilled his cup, and went to see to another of her customers. As always, Ten Forward was beginning to fill up with the alpha shift customers, seeking sustenance before starting work. Before too long, there'd also be an influx of gamma shift regulars, needing a meal before heading back to their quarters. (Reply Any) (Posted by Kaweo Kanoho and Liz Geuken) (USS Boudicca - ACEO Lorimar's quarters - ACEO Lorimar - 0955) Bob grimaced in pain as he grunted and grasped his twisted right knee with both hands. He could feel the warm sticky stream of blood flowing from a deep cut on his forehead. He rolled as quickly as he could to his side, getting his uninjured leg under him as he wiped the blood from his eyes with the back of his hand. He managed to get his good leg under him, moving into an awkward half-crouch. He squinted downslope into the setting sun trying to pick out the silhouettes of his pursuers. He held his breath an anxious beat... then another, as he strained to separate his foes from the scree strewn slope. He faced a difficult choice: Stay put, hoping to evade detection in the dimming light, or keep moving, slowly, hoping to lose them entirely. He temporized, searching his immediate vicinity for something from which to fashion a makeshift splint for his damaged leg. As his hands groped about the ground, he kept searching into the fading sun for his pursuers. He stopped, hearing a sound just barely at the edge of his consciousness. ~A chirp? A bird? Is that a voice?~ He whirled his head thinking his pursuers might have flanked him. The sound finally pierced through to his conscious mind and he was instantly and fully awake. Bathed in perspiration. =^= All Senior Officers, report to the Observation Lounge for a briefing at 1200 hours. =^= Bob fumbled on top of his nightstand and grasped his commbadge. "Lorimar, acknowledged sir." Tapping it again to ensure the channel closed, he set it back on the nightstand. He lay staring into the darkness for a moment, running his fingers through his close cropped hair feeling it matted with perspiration. He wiped his palms on his sheets, then reached for his pocket watch in the top drawer of his night stand. ~ An anachronistic timepiece from a living anachronism,~ he thought as he palmed the heirloom given him by his grandfather before his death several years before. ~Ah wonder what that auld lad would think of me bein' a Starfleet engineer?~ He smiled to himself, then pushed the maelstrom of thoughts aside for the moment. "Computer, lights please." Obediently the stateroom lights glowed bright. Bob opened his watch and stared at it for a moment, only then realizing it was upside down in his hand. Reversing it, he noted the time. 0956. He rolled out of bed and planted his feet firmly on the deck, the tactile sensation helping to put aside the nightmare. He padded over to the bathroom and activated the sonic shower. He slid the temperature control over to the maximum heat setting and stepped inside. He let the sonic energy assail him, fully opening his pores and helping yet again to push back the nightmare from his mind. He stood nearly still for a full minute, then slowly slid the temperature down and well into the cold range. He stepped out two minutes later feeling almost refreshed, and certainly clean and cool. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, wondering how he might look after less than two hours sleep from his last shift. ~Nae bad laddie... nae bad at all. Now if I could only stop that bloody nightmare...~ He shook his head to clear it, then returned to the bed and dressed. He made his bed unhurriedly, then gathered up his PADD and commbadge and headed for the mess hall to get some breakfast. (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-- 0958) =^= All Senior Officers, report to the Observation Lounge for a briefing at 1200 hours. =^= "Great" Matthew muttered as he slid out from under the display console with the burned out waveguide. He tapped his commbadge. "McLaren acknowledged" he said simply. Once the channel closed he turned to Mosot. "Here's your problem, Mister Mosot." Matthew proclaimed as he tossed the offending piece of tech to the ACEO, we get that replaced and the intermix primary display will come back on line. That's just a symptom though, obviously there's a power spike that's running through this circuit to cause that waveguide to burn out like that." "Yes sir, I don't know why I didn't think of that. Or why the diagnostic didn't register it either." Matthew paused for a second as he mentally traced the power conduits from this console back into the main distribution network. "Why don't you Liaise with Ops and see if they are sending any significant power flow through the display network relay?" he asked Rhetorically. I'll have Jael take a look also and see if she has any other ideas where the power bleed may be. Thing is though, there shouldn't be any power that can get past the plasma filters and the quantum fuse buses to reach this consol short of a serious power spike. So either the power flow is on this side of the safeties, or there's and unrecorded and unregulated power flow through those lines, or the filters and fuse busses have failed." "A very valid point sir. I'll look into this at once." Mosot replied. Matthew watched as the Bolian went to carry out his orders. "McLaren to Al-Sharif" he said. "Can you join me in my office Please?" (reply Jael) (posted by Daniel Greene) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay - Captain Falthgood - 1005) Zach paused just inside the doors of sickbay and looked around. It wasn't particularly packed, but there were a few people laying on the beds for one reason or another. On a ship with a few hundred people, that was to be expected. He spotted the form he was looking for after a couple of moments and quirked his head. Stolev looked better then he last remembered, the man must have laid off the drink a bit. Which was probably a good thing, it being so easy to drink in times such as these. Zach pulled the shades off his face and tucked them quietly into a pocket as he stepped up. "Commander Stolev, it's been a while." He said. "We need to talk." (reply: Stolev) (posted by Trout) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Stolev and Captain Falthgood - 1006) Stolev looked up -- way up -- as the imposing figure of Zachary Falthgood approached him, taking his trademark sunglasses off and slipping them into a pocket. The last time he had seen Falthgood was many years ago on the Nimitz, but he had heard plenty since then, including that he was involved in some questionable research activities under Doenitz at one point. "Commander Stolev, it's been a while," said Falthgood. "We need to talk." Stolev noticed the Captains' pips on Falthgood's uniform and raised an eyebrow briefly. He glanced around the sickbay and nodded. "Perhaps somewhere a little more private? We can talk in my office." Falthgood stepped to the side and gestured, "You know the way." (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC's Office - TAC/SC/2O Lt. Cmdr. Stolev and Captain Falthgood - 1010) Stolev indicated a chair as he moved to the replicator and ordered a coffee. "Can I get you anything, sir?" he asked, the "sir" sounding strange to his ears when used in reference to this man who had once upon a time been a subordinate of sorts. Falthgood sat down and waved his hand, "No." Stolev made his way around behind the desk and sat down, tapping at the console and bringing up any information he could find on Falthgood as he regarded the other man evenly. "So, Captain. I must say I am surprised to see you again, especially under these circumstances. Now, what is it that we need to discuss?" Zach's mouth quirked in what could be considered a grin, though it was distinctly without humor. Instead of speaking, he pulled a small sphere out of his left pocket and flipped a trigger on it. The sphere started glowing blue in several etched lines. Falthgood had used these for years, although he hadn't had a reason to really use them at all until his time on the Nimitz. "I trust you remember these?" he asked semi-lightly, as he tossed the sphere to Stolev. Stolev raised his eyebrow as he recognized the sensor-disrupting device, the use of which he had objected to one upon a time aboard the Nimitz, but which he now recognized was likely quite necessary. "Yes, I do. I could assure you that this office is perfectly secure, but I also understand your desire to take extra precautions." Falthgood leaned back in his chair and pulled the shades off his face. "I brought a device aboard, it's in Cargo Bay 1. It also comes with its own attached security team. Per admiral LoDona, they have a license to kill if anyone so much as breathes upon the device. I would like a security team in that bay, to keep anyone away from it and thus prevent any issues from occurring. The last thing I need is a lot of curious on-lookers." Stolev nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds reasonable. Now might I inquire as to what this device is? I'd certainly be remiss in my duty as chief of security not to ask." Falthgood's face, if anything, became harder. "It is," he agreed after a moment of thought. "But if you enjoy your sleep, you'd best start praying you never have to find out what 'it'is, or what 'it' does. It's 'need to know' only right now, Commander. Not to be glib, but nobody on this ship knows but me. And per orders, I'm afraid, that is how it will stay." Stolev sighed as he ran his hand over his close-cropped head. "Very well... then perhaps you can answer some more indirect questions about it? Like, perhaps, is it a threat to shipboard security? Is it particularly fragile? We're likely to be in combat, so if I need to try to keep Cargo Bay 1 out of the line of fire more than I would ordinarily, it would be good to know." Falthgood did smile at this, though it was more evil then anything. "The only risk it poses to the ship, in its current state, is being very unhealthy to the individual that challenges my security team." His smile grew larger, much more amused, as he considered the next question. "You don't have to worry about it being fragile, or protecting it. Odds are it would survive the ship being blown to pieces with nary a scratch." Then he started chuckling, "There are no bio hazards, no radiation hazards. Basically, just keep people away from it, and your job will be complete." Stolev nodded. He was by no means satisfied, but he had his orders. "Very well, the security detail will be arranged. Is there anything else, sir?" he asked politely. Falthgood stood, "No, but I've got a heads-up for you. Be prepared to create a couple of bodyguard details, I have a feeling you'll be called upon for them... shortly." He nodded his head and slipped his shades back on. "Good day, Commander." "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon enough, Captain," replied Stolev. He watched the man leave his office and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought, as he pondered the significance of what he'd just been told. (reply: none, yet) (posted by Trout & Aaron Scifres) (USS Boudicca - Operations Support Center - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 1015) Donald was staring at the waste reclamation systems with a concerned eye. There had been reports of slight malfunctions, but now it was looking like it could be a bigger problem. He was discussing it with a work crew, when he got notified that there would be a meeting in a couple hours. ~I wonder what's happening~ he thought, as he tapped a note into his padd before resuming his discussion. "Okay, so where does that leave us?" he asked the team for suggestions,. (reply Any OPS, if you want) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign(jg) Lorimar - 1145) Having had a relaxing and light breakfast, Lorimar felt *almost* well rested. His lack of sleep tugged faintly at the edge of his mind, but his disciplined brain was able to push it back and out of the way. He had reviewed the most up to date engineering status reports while he ate, and felt as ready as he could be for the officer's meeting. He drew out his watch and rechecked the time. He took a moment to stare out the windows at the starfield. He whirled at the sound the door opening, smiling a greeting at the officer who entered. (Reply Any, IYW) He took his seat shortly before 1200 and waited anxiously for the Captain's briefing to begin.... Bob listened intently to the Captain... no, now the Brevet Admiral's speech. One could hardly fail to be impressed. The scenario captured Bob's imagination, pictures of blood and thunder and biblical warfare... only for a moment, when the toll that the campaign was sure to exact became apparent. He sat stiffly in his seat, cupping his chin in his hands as he thought of what must come. (Reply Any, IYW) (Posted by Russ) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge- CEO- Lt. Matthew McLaren-- 1155) Matthew stepped into the observation Lounge as he had so many times before. Only this time, something was different. There was a palpable taste of activity in the air. Not the normal buzzing activity of day-to-day functioning, not this was something different. It was a vibrating tenor of tension- the sort of tension that you gained just before the metal met the meat. With a quick nod to the other officers, Matthew assumed his normal; place at the table. And waited for the meeting to begin. (reply Any) (posted by Daniel Greene) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - FO Commander Archibald Stakes - 1156) Having arrived five minutes early as per usual, Archibald took his seat and lay the replica PADD in front of him. Having read it and what the actual task at hand was, it was clear to him that for it to happen, everything needed to go like clockwork. Any delay in their progress would result in the opposition being able to draw together their ships to block them. Only if they were able to maintain the initiative and direct the proceedings like that would they stand a chance. He made sure that his face was impassive as always, and directed Esme only with a nod to her required position behind his chair. He could feel her emotions even understood her feelings. Being part of a broken family was one thing, finding both parents on the opposite site of a battle was another. And unless there had been a major change in setup of Earth's defense forces, which would be ridiculous to assume, seeing the pressure being brought to bear upon the last bastion of madness. And since Lydia was probably the last bastion of sense in the sea of madness that engulfed Earth, she would be deemed just 'good' enough to serve at the outer rim of defenses. Not at the centre, near Doenitz, which would be occupied with all the ships, crews and officers that had as much to lose as Doenitz, but further out, where she would be usable without being a danger at his side. So if there was anywhere Lydia and her Squadron of twelve ships would serve, it would be in the front line of the Mars Defense Perimeter. It was 'unfortunate' that that was where the Boudicca was heading as well. Archibald broke off his thoughts as he 'felt' rather than observed his ball and chain entering. He did not have to look to determine the Admiral sitting down. He also felt how the new Captain with his sunglasses moved to his place. It had taken him a while to link this figure with one of Doenitz's first lieutenants. "My mother told me a parable once," Sevant started and knowing what was to come already, Archibald just observed the crew and their reactions, rather then ponder on the wise words the Admiral would be spouting. Not that Archibald objected to using metaphors but for him they were so unnecessary. And for true officers, for that matter. Only duty mattered. He just nodded matter of factly when he heard his name being used by Sevant. He shot Jael a look, seeing if that would kink her defenses, hearing that he was now her new boss. Not having found any credible evidence that he could use to throw her off the ship, he had been forced to keep her on, and for that matter, she did seem surprisingly good at her job. mind you, he savored the task he was about to perform. If anything, that would throw her, no doubt. "We will be the first to break a hole in the unbreakable lines of the Mars Defense Perimeter, thereby giving the rest of the combined fleets and Task Forces a chance to destroy what loyal fleets are left over Earth." he heard Sevant continue and wondered how many would actually think that this would be a mission that they would return from. Hope? He had participated in plenty war-simulations to know that there was none for them. "The Mars defense perimeter is a series of interlocked Battle platforms, phaser emplacements, and torpedo satellites. They're mostly static, but heavily shielded and very dangerous in and of themselves. All are unmanned, but they'll be expensive to destroy. There are also five major fighter-bases." Sevant continued as Archibald nearly grinned. The platforms, especially the ones in the inner circle were even more dangerous, having been upgraded quite recently. With the assistance of several sensor stations near the outer rim of the solar system and with upgraded phaser banks, their range was twice that of the ships that were going to attack them. The defending fleets were not there to overpower attacking fleets, they were there to hold the attackers, delay their advance, whilst all the time the platforms would be pounding the attackers. By the time that a ship actually made it through the fleets and fighters, there would be too few left to make even a dent in the defenses of the Starbase that would be waiting behind the lines. BUT the 19th would have an ace up their sleeves, four Neg'Vars, designed to take down strong shielded bases quickly. And with superior range to Federation ships. They could start opening holes in the rings of platforms from a range that the outer platforms could not match. But at least the group of four with their defenders would draw away fire and ships away from the nineteenth. Perhaps just enough to break through the lines of the platforms and go for the main price. Valhalla. Archibald looked up when Sevant fell silent, to continue after a long drawn silence. "This is what we had hoped would never have to happen, but this is the position we find ourselves in. If any of you wish to back out, or speak up, this is the one and only time you will be allowed too. If you have questions, I'll answer them. I want no misunderstandings on what we're about to undertake." As Archibald had already had he opportunity to talk to the Admiral previously, he just sat back and waited for the crew to voice their opinions. Only when they all had spoken did Archibald clear his throat loud enough to draw the attention onto himself. "Let it be clear to everyone," he said looking around, but not to anyone in particular, "that the 19th will have to do what is required and so that the nineteenth can do what it is required to do, the Boudicca will have to do what she is required to do. At all costs. Keep that in mind, we will not fail. To ensure that we will not fail, there will be some changes to the crew positioning. Mister McLaren, you will work with me to introduce a few ... specialties. I have first line knowledge of the ships and situations that we will encounter and that will allow us to prepare some specific defenses. For that reason you will be detached from normal engineering duties. Mister al-Sharif, you will command Boudicca Engineering until Mister McLaren is available again, but you will assist him with any of the work that is required by him. Mister Zzt, I will expect you to assist both engineering groups with their work. Oh, and Mister al-Sharif, so that any confusion may be prevented, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant junior grade. Mister Lorimar? you are hereby promoted to the rank of Ensign senior grade, to follow suit and to denote your exemplary service so far. " Archibald nodded to the officers before he turned to face the others. "Mister Stolev will become my First Officer. As such, he will be unavailable to assist the Security Department. Mister Lorak, you will be his replacement and lead the security and tactical department. It will be your job to ensure that any boarders will be dealt with expediently. You will not be able to count on any Marines left on board, as they will have other tasks. The ship's survival is not our first priority, the success of the mission is. However, as I appreciate that your task has increased significantly, you are hereby promoted to Ensign senior grade as well." Archibald let his words rest for a second. "Mister Stolev, on board the Star, it took the complete crew two minutes and thirty four seconds to go from a state of yellow alert to full combat readiness. From our last battles, I have measured the Boudicca crew to take 4 minutes and twenty seven seconds to do the same. I suggest your first priority will be to reduce that time considerably. You may hold training alerts as long as they do not interfere with out current mission of keeping up the pressure until the fleets have assembled completely." Archibald regarded his hands for a second. "Mister McLaren, Mr. Stolev and myself will form a triumvirate who will overlook the necessary changes to the ship and it's crew. You will all perform your normal duties but will assist us with everything that we require of you so that when the times comes, the first beams that will hit Starbase Valhalla will be fired by us. We will kill. We will die. But Valhalla will fall." Archibald stood up and signaled Esme that it was time. She nodded, then clapped her hands and at the sound the doors opened as all screen turned dark at the same time and a group of yeoman entered, each carrying a tray with carafe and glasses. They filled the glasses from the carafe as they walked around the room, placing the glasses filled with clear liquid in front of every officer. As soon as every officer had a glass in front of them, they silently filed away again and the door was closed once again. The screens turned back on, to show a picture of serenity and peace, a small mountain stream against the background of a forested set of mountains. "The water in the glasses in front of you has been bottled by me the last time I left Earth, the stream can be found just outside Auckland where I was born." Archibald continued. "You may look and will see no trace of contamination in it. It is pure, undisturbed, untouched by human hands. Clear mountain water has always been a symbol of purity. And as such it signifies our duty. To remove the contamination. To restore purity to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, rise, please and join me." Archibald picked up the crystal glass and held it in front of him. "To the restoration of purity in our lives." (reply ALL) (Posted by Adrie Geuken) (USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge, StratOps\MCO Lt. Colonel Eva Straton, 1158) Eva walked into the room PADD in hand. Although only five months pregnant she looked nearly full term for a singleton pregnancy, such was the case when one was carrying twins. She had to relearn how to walk in the past few weeks as her center of gravity had changed due her growing belly, but still she managed to get around alright. She hobbled over to the replicator and got herself a glass of tea. She moved over to an empty seat and sat down. Leaning back in her chair, she turned to the side and stretched her legs out in front of her, while sipping her tea and reading her PADD with the current strategic information on the battle group. ~This should be an interesting meeting given that Sevant has just met with Admiral LoDona. Wonder what seemingly impossible mission we've been given now.~ She thought waiting for the everyone else to arrive and for the meeting to begin. When Sevant did enter he was closely followed by another man wearing Captain pips and...~sunglasses?~ She thought with a bit of amusement. ~Falthgood? I remember him from the Nimitz. See he's moved up quite a bit since then.~ She then turned her attention back to Sevant noticing the new rank insignia on his collar and her brow rose slightly in surprise. ~Admiral now huh? At a time like this that doesn't bode well for us.~ She thought keeping her face carefully neutral as Sevant called the meeting to order. She listened as Sevant laid out exactly what they were up against and what forces they had at their immediate disposal. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed as she began to study the screen of the Terran system already thinking of possible tactics that could be used to pierce the Mars Defense Perimeter, rising slightly from her chair to get a better look at the screen. "...The Boudicca will spearhead the attack; we'll be the first in. It is our job to make a dash for Starbase Valhalla and cut the nerve-center out of the Mars Defense Perimeter." Sevant was saying. ~Damn straight.~ She thought still studying the screen. ~First in. Last out. What any good leader would want it.~ Finally, he said: "This is what we had hoped would never have to happen, but this is the position we find ourselves in. If any of you wish to back out, or speak up, this is the one and only time you will be allowed too. If you have questions, I'll answer them. I want no misunderstandings on what we're about to undertake." "Sir, from a tactical perspective, I have one primary concern. If we are successful, we will be rendering defenseless that which we will be fighting so hard to liberate. How much can we leverage the knowledge and expertise that we have regarding these defenses, so that we can disable, disrupt, or evade them as much as possible, rather than destroying them?" Sasha said speaking up first. (reply Sevant) Eva finally took her eyes off the tactical display on the screen and looked Sevant dead in the eye. "We are going to get bloody as hell," She said deadly serious. "Nothing is unbreakable or invincible however." She stood then and moved over to the screen and the tactical display, looking at it again briefly before looking back at Sevant. "I have a few ideas, but I will want to look at the exact makeup of the Task Force before hand to see if they are plausible or even possible. This is going to be an extremely tough nut to crack, and it could be the death of all of us. I'll have my ideas ready for your consideration by this time tomorrow, if that is agreeable with you..Admiral." (reply Sevant) She turned and moved back over to her seat and sat back down. "Wolf Pack is ready for anything we might need then for as well," She finished, looking around at the other officers with a grim expression. ~How many of us will die in this endeavor? All of us? Very possible.~ (Reply Sevant, Any) (posted by Wes) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - Temporary FO Lt. Cmdr. Aleksander Stolev - Day 1 - 1215) Stolev had watched with a perverse fascination as Sevant laid out the mission before him, only moving occasionally to wipe his nose with his handkerchief. They were being asked to breach the most impenetrable defensive system ever devised by Starfleet. Not only that, but at the inevitable cost of leaving the heart of the Federation rather defenseless, should their plan succeed. It was this thought he had in mind when Sevant finally finished: "This is what we had hoped would never have to happen, but this is the position we find ourselves in. If any of you wish to back out, or speak up, this is the one and only time you will be allowed too. If you have questions, I'll answer them. I want no misunderstandings on what we're about to undertake." Stolev coughed to clear his throat. "Sir, from a tactical perspective, I have one primary concern. If we are successful, we will be rendering defenseless that which we will be fighting so hard to liberate. How much can we leverage the knowledge and expertise that we have regarding these defenses, so that we can disable, disrupt, or evade them as much as possible, rather than destroying them?" (reply Sevant, any) (posted by Aaron) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - OPS Lt (jg) Donald Johnson - 12.16) Donald sat there listening intently, while his stomach tried to see how it could best distract him. He was perhaps chagrined at the new Admiral's parable. Was it a pyrrhic victory that they were actually seeking? Or was he simply preparing the crew for the worst. It was hard to say, as he hadn't known the captain for long. Violent images of desolation shoved his empty stomach for dominance and Donald's brow furrowed while the briefing continued. Donald nodded when Sevant came to the promotions for the upcoming mission. "Have you decided, sir, on a war room?" asked Donald, his mind already sifting through the available facilities that might best serve the purpose. (Reply Sevant) Donald nodded and tapped some notes into his padd, while the briefing the continued. A sense of dread built up as more details or perhaps more succinctly the lack of details became apparent. He was not sure how much operational information the crew was going to be allowed in such a delicate matter, but the broad strokes that were being laid out before the senior staff were disturbing. Perhaps it was his own lack of experience during the war, but he was not sure what to make of it all. He understood why he was participating, he had volunteered to serve. But the price seemed terribly high. With such a short time before the offensive was to commence, he wondered if they would be ready in time. He was thankful to hear some of his own concerns echoed by the new First Officer. (reply Hikaru, OPS Any, Sevant, Any) (posted by Kaweo Kanoho) NPRG: The simple things eh? So did you bring them with you? Yeah, yeah, those. Let me see that. Hmm... not quite what I was expecting, we need photo's of his face. This won't help us any. Why were you taking pictures of that anyway? Who really? Wait is that...? Quick get going, we'll meet back here same time, same place. Go. Go. -USS Boudicca, NCC 49901 Star Trek: Freedom - http://www.startrekfreedom.com