Veil of the Sky, Compile 20 ========== Mission: Veil of the Sky Day 5 Stardate: 2414.04.26 ========== (Beta Aquillia IV, Undisclosed Location, Ambassador Toraz- Day 5, 1400) (Beta Aquillia IV –Undisclosed Location –Ambassador Toraz -Day 5- 1410) (Skysplitter- Bridge –Ambassador Dralar -Day 5- 1412) (Skysplitter- Deployment Bay -Assault Wing Leader Kirk -Day 5- 1417) (Skysplitter - Deployment Bay - MO - Kitty Fisher - Day 5 - 1420) (Beta Aquillia IV- Target assault zone –Assault Wing Leader Kirk -Day 5- 1435) (USS Rosenante - Bridge, CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid- Day 5 - 1455) (Outside Atlantis Station – Lt Alaya - Day 5 – 1458) (Atlantis Station - Roof Garden - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1500) (USS Rosenante - Bridge – CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid -Day 5 1501) (USS Rosenante - Ten Forward - Sien - 1502) (USS Rosenante, Sickbay - Lt Viskhard - 1503) (Beta Aquillia IV - Central Supply Depot - JAG Lt. Nayeli - 1505) (Atlantis Station - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay - Cmdr Jennifer Caskie - Day 5 - 1510) (USS Rosenante - Tradewinds - YEO Lt. Mike Rosenbauer - Day 5- 1511) (USS Rosenante - Bridge, CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid- Day 5 - 1512) (Beta Aquillia IV - Refugee Camp - 2O/CSec Lt. Sanok, Day 5, 1513) (USS Rosenante - Bridge, CEO LCDR Steven Matrix - Day 5 - 1514) (Atlantis Station - Roof Garden - President in Exile Kolath - Day 5 - 1515) (Atlantis Station - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay – Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1516) (USS Rosenante – Bridge- QM/Strat Ops- LT Chance Raschen - 1517) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Personal Suite - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1518) (Beta Aquillia IV - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay – Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 5 - 1519) (USS Rosenante - Cargo Bay 3 , CEO LCDR Steven Matrix - Day 5 - 1520) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 5 - 1521) (Beta Aquillia IV - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay – aCMO Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1522) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Cent Comm - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1523) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station – Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1524) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Centcomm - 2O/CSec Lt. Sanok - Day 5 - 1525) (USS Rosenante - Bridge – CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid -Day 5 1526) (USS Rosenante - Tradewind - Sien - 1527) (Beta Aquillia IV– Outside the refugee Camp – Lieutenant Alaya -Day 5 - 1528) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1530) (USS Rosenante - Transporter Room - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1532) (USS Rosenante - Bridge - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1534) (USS Rosenante, Bridge, 2O/CSec Lt. Sanok, Day 5, 1537) (USS Rosenante – Sickbay – Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1540) (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Ambassador Joanne Turner, Day 5, 1543) (USS Rosenante, Temporary Quarters, Ambassador Joanne Turner, Day 5, 1555) (USS Rosenante, Trade Winds, Ambassador Joanne Turner, Day 5, 1728) (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1833) (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1836) (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1838) (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1840) (USS Rosenante COPS Quarters LT Tom & Dahlia Jackson Day 5 1900) (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Hotel Owner - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1922) ========== (Beta Aquillia IV, Undisclosed Location, Ambassador Toraz- Day 5, 1400) For two days, Toraz had been neglected. He had hardly eaten anything at all, except for a local rodent or two that had foolishly entered the room. It was apparent that his captors had not real desire to see him in good health. Of course, they had stated as much when they had first met. He had faded into restless sleep brought on by physical fatigue. he had been unable to effect the release of his arms or wings, but he had managed to scrape the silicon gel from the talons on his feet, so he was at least capable of causing some sort of harm to his opponents when they returned. It had rained earlier this morning and a steady flow of water had poured in through the broken window high up in the wall. He had taken the opportunity to drink and wash, although the water was less than pristine, it was better than nothing. He was still sore, his arms burned with every breath as did his wings. Neither appendage was meant to be immobilized in the manner that they were. At this point if imminent death wasn't looming, Toraz would be worried about them being seriously injured or paralyzed. He looked around the basement room, uncertain what he could do to affect his escape. The only real entry to the compartment seemed to be the elevator like structure, but he had thought that he could not possibly fit inside of it, yet, somehow his captors had managed to get him into the room. "Perhaps they used a transporter." he muttered to himself. The sound of the elevator snapped the ambassador back into reality. The cable that connected the car to the block was moving, bringing the elevator and it's contents down to his level. Toraz's mind sped up. His eyes taking in every detail that he could. There was really no where to hide, and he was certain that this time his captors were coming to kill him. He was not about to surrender without a fight. He moved over tot he elevator, just as the lower legs and feet of the two captors were coming into view. In a moment of desperate decision, he struck. Skorr beaks are razor-sharp. They have developed over millions of years of evolution into powerful meat cutting tools. They can apply enough force to snap the spines of small animals, but more importantly, the tips and edges of the beak are capable of cutting meat with quick, deadly precision, rending entire chunks free of the host. As soon as the meaty thighs of the pair appeared, Toraz thrust his beak forward, sinking the unreturned sharp point into the meaty muscle of the upper leg. The leather clothing that they wore offered no protection, as the tip ripped through the material and cut it's way easily through the scaled flesh of his captor. There was a scream of abject terror and agony, wish startled the second man even better than Toraz could have hoped. With the first captor stunned and going into shock at the sudden brutality that his body had just experienced, the Skorr Ambassador shifted his attention to the uninjured man remaining. Again the fearsome beak lashed out, but this time towards the soft exposed abdomen. Like before, the leather thatching made no difference as Toraz's beak ripped through the flesh like a pair of double bladed scissors. A quick jerk, and the man's intestines spilled out onto the floor in a sudden rush of offal and blood. As he was collapsing, Toraz rose to his full height and using one of his free feet leaned forward, pinning the man with the injured leg to the back of the now still elevator. The talons cut through his clothing and pierced his abdomen. The man screamed again, as much due to the pain as to the fear of the encounter. Toraz flexed his toes, driving the talons even deeper. "Please.." the man begged as his strength began to wane, the loss of so much blood taking it's terrible toll. "But you assume that I am wishing to stop." Toraz replied and then ripped the man's throat out with his beak. Several minutes later, Toraz had managed to free his hands after a search of the bodies yielded a blade. It had not been easy to retrieve it, since his wings were in the way, but after dragging the bodies out into the room, he had finally managed to acquire it and wield it well enough to cut himself loose. The smell of blood was nearly mind-numbing. For a Skorr that normally eats every six hours, the two day imposed fast made him ravenously hungry. Culturally the Skorr frowned on the concept of consuming the flesh of sentient creatures, but they did actively hunt and consume living creatures of the lower orders. His surveil instinct was strong and he had to admit that he was tempted to just tear out a few chunks of flesh and restore his strength. He doubted that anyone would blame him, but he managed to restrain that darker aspect of his personality. It took him several minutes longer to free his wings from the harness, mostly because it was very difficult to reach them. He stretched them in a near ecstatic moment of feel-good pain. his wing feathers had not been well treated, but they were still functional. but Toraz was still trapped in the basement, now with two dead captors. He returned to the dead Aquillian bodies. He began to inventory the things that could prove useful to him. It was during his removal of a heavy leather belt from around the waist of the disemboweled captor that his eye caught something unexpected. He had taken the time to study the anatomy of several species through the years. He had even attended medical courses on his homeward. It was a sort of hobby of his, understanding the way that the different bodies of the various species worked. That hobby was now paying him in spades. There in the tangled mess of intestines and viscera was an organ, most specifically a glad that was unique to only one species in the galaxy to date; the Cardassians. Of course there was the possibility that what he was looking at was the damaged remains of some other organ. His eyes travelled over to the other man, whose abdominal regain was fairly well intact. There was only one way to be certain. A flick of a talon opened the abdomen easily. A moment later the poison glad was in his hand and he was no longer questioning the species of his captors. He threw the glossy black organ to splatter against the wall and continued his inventory. Finally he found what he was looking for, a communications device, although it was an Aquillian version, like the clothes and the other equipment. Using his talons as a lever, he pried open the casing and began to insect the workings. He'd have to make some modifications if he was going to not tip off the Cardassians monitoring the channel. There was work to be done and a war to prevent. (reply none) Daniel Greene ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV –Undisclosed Location –Ambassador Toraz -Day 5- 1410) Toraz never imagined how complicated working with integrated circuitry could be without tools, but in the end it was not something that was an impossibility. He had pulled a couple of minor relays that were obviously not necessary for the functionality of the communications device. Then with those circuits gone, Toraz decided to disable the voice communications function,. He suspected that the Cardassians could very well use some sort of voice recognition technology to identify his communications, and as he wasn't entirely clear on the number or disposition of the Cardassians disguised as Aquillians lurking cowardly nearby, he'd have to be cautious. He was so used to using his universal translator, that he almost forgot that he had it. Unlike the Federation UT, those used by the Skorr were not integrated into a communicator, but the circuitry was compatible with just about anything. MOre importantly, Toraz knew how to reprogram the thing without tools so that it could act as a master unit override to control the newly slaved Aquillian communications device. It took him little time to establish the remote control of between the units, and just slightly longer to program the repeating message sent in encoded data tones. When he activated the device to transmit, a code signaling his location would be transmitted. To ensure the veracity of the signal he had encrypted it into the diplomatic code used by all Skorr Ambassadors. When someone found it, if they were clever enough, they would at least recognize the code, even if they could not decipher it. If his own people had been dispatched to this world, they would immediately know that it was an authentic code and could easily decipher it. That meant that help would be dispatched provided that there was help to be had. He snapped the cover closed on the Aquillian device with an audible click that seemed somewhat satisfying. The smell of blood was still enticing, although the color began transform into something that looked rancid. When his people arrived, any Aquillians on the site would quickly find themselves on the wrong side of Skorr beaks and claws. In some primal way, that suited Toraz just fine. He activated the communications device and waited to see who would show up. (reply none) Daniel Greene ---------- (Skysplitter- Bridge –Ambassador Dralar -Day 5- 1412) Dralar was looking over the latest series of scans performed on the planet below. He couldn't believe how difficult it was to locate a single Skorr biosign on a planet full of other species. You'd think that with all the modern technology that it would be possible to identify Skorr DNA. Yet for hour-after-hour there was nothing that even hinted that his brother was even on the planet. Of course to complicate things, there was a chance that his brother was either dead, or not on the planet at all, in which case his current method wouldn't be much of a help. Suddenly there was a stir of activity at the communications station on the bridge. "Ambassador!" one of the communications techs was calling, "I am receiving a weak signal, repeating on the diplomatic channel." Dralar turned to face the young officer and asked, "is it one of ours?" "Yes, there is no doubt of it. It is a homing beacon, the decryption is identifying the source as Ambassador Toraz." Dralar took an excited step forward and using his wings cleared the short distance from the command center podium to the communications station. "Show me." he commanded. The tech leaned to one side and pointed at the screen. It took Dralar only a moment to confirm the Technician's assessment of the message's origins. "Trace it!" he ordered. "I have the coordinates now." the tech replied, it's source is underground, in Veil controlled territory." Dralar clucked an understanding. "Have the rescue team assembled immediately. Notify Doctor Fisher from the Rosenante and have her beamed over. I want a reckon overflight in that area immediately. Have them stay on station to provide air support for the rescue team. Bring me back a survivor if that is an option." "Yes Ambassador." the tech replied and he immediately contacted Doctor Fisher. "Doctor Fisher, this is the Skysplitter. Ambassador Dralar has ordered a rescue mission. we have located the Ambassador. please beam over to our ship right away. we will be departing as soon as possible. Coordinates to follow." (reply Fisher) Daniel Greene ---------- (Skysplitter- Deployment Bay -Assault Wing Leader Kirk -Day 5- 1417) Kirk screamed commands at his assault team as the squadron of elite war-fighters fell into formation in anticipation of receiving the go-ahead to get underway. The assault commander of the third wing of the Skyscreamer battalion strode across the deck, allowing his poly-composite claw blades to click with agitation on the cold metal deck of the bay. Joining them was a human female, who, according to his superiors would be accompanying the assault team due to her medical training and familiarity with Skorr culture and physiognomy. She had been provided with a wrist display so that she could participate in the briefing. "Listen up hatchlings!" he bellowed, the light catching the jagged scar that ran along the length of his battle worn beak. "We are about to embark on a rescue mission. The operational details are very slim. Look at your data links!" In unison the Skorr warriors lifted their left arm to reveal the micro-holographic displays that hovered there. The photon-created image of Ambassador Toraz slowly rotated around it's vertical axis. "Our subject is none other than a member of the royal family, Ambassador Toraz. His medical condition is unknown and it is currently unclear how many hostiles may be keeping him hostage. The Ambassador has managed to send us a signal which has been traced to these coordinates." As he spoke the image shifted to a flat display that expanded into the area immediately surrounding the source of the communication that had been intercepted." The target zone is roughly 0.5 kilometers square. It consists of a section of the capital city that was once an industrial zone. The majority of civilians in that area have already evacuated. Those that remain and present any threat will be deemed hostiles." "This human woman," said next gesturing to Fisher, "has been asked by Ambassador Dralar to accompany us on our operation. She is a doctor, who has studied medicine on Skorria. She is familiar with our ways and understands us. Because we do not have combat medics on assault teams, she will be filling that role for us. Her name is Kitty Fisher and she is a warrior who has seen much combat. She will not slow us down, because she is tough and capable. " he said, half as a warning to the human to keep up and half to his men so that they would respect and trust her in such a dangerous situation. "Her job is to make certain that the Ambassador survives the mission. Hadla and Zeras you will be responsible for protecting her while she is doing her job. I have given my word to the Ambassador that she will return safely, I would expect you not to make liars of me!" Hadla and Zeras barked in acknowledgment and Kirk continued. "There will be an overflight of three swiftwings, who will be providing intelligence and fire support. We will be transported by assault ship into this open area, just west of the target site." A red pulse flowed through the holograms. "Advanced teams will secure the perimeter and the primary assault team will conduct the operation. All resistance is to be dealt with brutally and quickly. I want these people to fear that we may come for them in the dark of night!" The entire squadron barked a reply in agreement. "We have been asked to bring back a survivor. Joval, that is your task." Joval acknowledged his orders. "Once we locate the Ambassador, no one is to hinder warrior Fisher. She is to be allowed to perform her duty. Once we have him stable and Fisher tells us it is safe to move him, we will withdraw to the original landing site, falling back in a standard deconstruction pattern. I want hawk-eyes placed for cover fire during the entire operation. " He tapped the heavy end of his war staff on the deck, the entirety of his squadron repeated his action. He began the back and forth cadence that was traditional for all Skorr warriors before they went into battle "We fight for our people!" he shouted. "We fight for our King!" his men replied. "We fight for our honor!" "We fight to survive!" "We fight for victory!" "We fight for glory!" "We fight for Skorria!" And then the entire squadron chanted in one voice that echoed from the walls of the bay, "Long may Skorria live gorged on our blood and sacrifice!" There was a moment of utter and complete silence. "Report to the assault ships!" Kirk screamed. His men turned as a unit and began to march towards the assault vessels that would convey the thirty-man assault team to the planet below. The sounds of their claw blades snapped in perfect unison counterpointed by the heavy ends of their war staves as they marched. The army of the Skorr was on the move. He turned to the Federation officer that had been sent to him, she was flanked by her protectors even now. "My apologies for not introducing myself to you before the briefing," he said as he joined her on the way to the assault ships. "I had little time. I am Wing Leader Kirk. I welcome you to our assault. I hope you find the glory you desire, however much that may be." (reply Kitty) "I am named from the Famous admiral James Tiberius Kirk from the Federation. He was the one that brought the Federation and the Skorr together as allies. My Brood mother thought it a suitable name for such an ambitious hatchling." he replied. (reply Kitty) The stepped into the massive assault transport and reached up to grasp the support bar. "There will be time to discuss more latter, Fisher. "He replied, "now we must prepare to kill our enemies." (reply Kitty) Daniel Greene ---------- (Skysplitter - Deployment Bay - MO - Kitty Fisher - Day 5 - 1420) The leader of the Skorrian assault team began screaming out his orders. Kitty, having spent a year on Skorria had come prepared. She had already put plugs in her ears knowing full well how loud Skorrians intent on their mission could be. Her universal translator meanwhile kept up a running commentary for her and she knew just enough Skorrian to almost understand what the leader was saying. Lifting up her data link when everyone else did she regarded the image of Ambassador Toraz and memorised it. "This human woman," he said next gesturing to Fisher, "has been asked by Ambassador Dralar to accompany us on our operation. She is a doctor, who has studied medicine on Skorria. She is familiar with our ways and understands us. Because we do not have combat medics on assault teams, she will be filling that role for us. Her name is Kitty Fisher and she is a warrior who has seen much combat. She will not slow us down, because she is tough and capable. " he said, half as a warning to the human to keep up and half to his men so that they would respect and trust her in such a dangerous situation. "Her job is to make certain that the Ambassador survives the mission. Hadla and Zeras you will be responsible for protecting her while she is doing her job. I have given my word to the Ambassador that she will return safely, I would expect you not to make liars of me!" Kitty turned to her two protectors and bowed to each of them. Turning back to face forwards she continued to listen to the briefing. "Once we locate the Ambassador, no one is to hinder warrior Fisher. She is to be allowed to perform her duty. Once we have him stable and Fisher tells us it is safe to move him, we will withdraw to the original landing site, falling back in a standard deconstruction pattern. I want hawk-eyes placed for cover fire during the entire operation. " He tapped the heavy end of his war staff on the deck, the entirety of his squadron repeated his action. Kitty, not having a war staff but knowing how important this was to the Skorr stamped her foot on the deck of the ship and joined in the chant that she had learned on Skorria. "We fight for our people!" he shouted. "We fight for our King!" his men replied. "We fight for our honor!" "We fight to survive!" "We fight for victory!" "We fight for glory!" "We fight for Skorria!" "Long may Skorria live gorged on our blood and sacrifice!" "My apologies for not introducing myself to you before the briefing," he said as he joined her on the way to the assault ships. "I had little time. I am Wing Leader Kirk. I welcome you to our assault. I hope you find the glory you desire, however much that may be." Kitty smiled at him. "To be honest I'm not big on glory. But if I can get the Ambassador back here alive and in one piece I will be happy." "That is an unusual name for a Skorrian Wing Leader and a famous one amongst us humans." "I am named from the Famous Admiral James Tiberius Kirk from the Federation. He was the one that brought the Federation and the Skorr together as allies. My Brood mother thought it a suitable name for such an ambitious hatchling." he replied. Kitty nodded. "Your brood mother was very wise then Wing Leader. Admiral Kirk is a hero and a great leader amongst our people. He would be proud to know that someone such as yourself was named after him." "There will be time to discuss more later, Fisher. "He replied, "now we must prepare to kill our enemies." Strapping herself in Kitty nodded. "Indeed there will be Wing Leader and I look forward to doing so. (reply Kirk) (posted by Marilyn) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV- Target assault zone –Assault Wing Leader Kirk -Day 5- 1435) The tactical deployment to the target area was almost immediately fraught with problems. It was not unlikely that Aquillian spotters were out in force, watching for any signs of fleet movement coming from the Skorr warship. The sonic booms as the ship's dove into the atmosphere by themselves would have warned the world that they were on their way. The three escort ships were already taking sporadic fire from irregular Aquillian soldiers by the time that the assault ships entered the contested air space. The Assault ship rocked as enemy ground fire slammed into the hardy ship's shields. The assault vessels could take a beating unlike any other ship that the Skorr possessed. They very rarely were shot down as a result of small arms fire. The ship skewed, into it's hovering configuration and it was immediately apparent the moment that the defense shields were lowered. The dull thump of weapons blasts striking the shields became more sharply accentuated as the same blasts now struck the energy ablative armor skin of the craft. The Pilot, shifted the hatch away from the highest concentration of fire and the actuated it. Before the hatch was even halfway open, the lead elements of the assault squad were pouring out into the sky beyond. The Hawk-eyes and perimeter guard were on the move and as they were the most reliable and elite of the troops under his command, he knew that there would soon be a significant decrease in the volume of fire headed their way. When the hatch was open enough, Kirk saw that the Assault ship was twenty feet above the ground. It was a normal height, one that would not phase a Skorr warrior, but one which the human would find problematic. Before he could say anything to the pilot however, Fisher's escorts grabbed her and half-leapt, half-drug the human doctor into the open space separating the ship from the ground. Kirk let out a chuckle and followed, using his wings to break his fall, just as the Starfleet officer's two escorts had done, just moments prior. He was the last off the command ship, and the Assault ship, accelerated into the sky to transition from a troop transport role to a close support weapons platform. The assault vessels, now disgorged of their soldiers, rained weapons fire into the positions of the enemy troops doing their best to kill his men. He turned towards Fisher and then spotted the Aquillian irregular charging his position. In a moment, he had jumped, assisted by a hard down stroke of his wings. His landing was perfectly executed. The talons of his right foot, drove themselves through the scaly skin of the Aquillian, knocking him to the ground. Kirk stepped quickly with his other foot and pinned the enemy soldier's free arm to the ground by sheer weight. The Skorr Assault leader's war staff, came downward, leveling the tip clearly at the creature's face. "Where is the Skorr Ambassador?" he shrieked. The sound was overlaid by the voice of the Universal translator sewn into his uniform. "Ahhh!" the soldier screamed as Kirk twisted his foot and flexed his talons. "Where?" he shrieked again. "I don't…" the soldier began, but Kirk did not wait to let him finish. He pressed the firing stud on the war staff. A blistering ray of angry green gravimetric energy lanced out of the tip and pulverized the creature's skull in an instant. He yanked his talon's clear of the carcass and strode forward. =^=Wing Commander!=^= his communicator chirped, =^= We have found the ambassador. He is injured and weak from near starvation.=^= Kirk slapped his badge with his open hand, "Do not move him. Send a tracking pulse, Fisher will come to you." =^= Understood.=^= came the reply. A moment later the tracking pulse sounded, Before Kirk could say anything, Fisher and her escorts were on their way. Ten minutes later, Fisher had pronounced the Ambassador fit to move, although she insisted, against his protests that he have assistance. His injuries were slight, although there were some green stress fractures in his wings caused by his detention. Kirk called for the assault ship to pick them up and a few minutes later the ship was hovering just outside the hole that his team had blow into the wall to gain access to the subterranean cell where the Ambassador had been held. Fisher, the ambassador and her escorts were the first into the ship. Once they were aboard, Kirk joined them and called for the withdrawal of his forces. Immediately the fire support assault vehicles, reverted back into their troop transport role, opening their landing hatches and moving into a low hover. A flock of Skorr warriors conducted a fighting retreat to the ships, several of them carrying wounded or dead comrades. Once every Skorr was accounted for, the hatches were closed and the assault ships departed. Behind them the Skorr overwatch dropped three incendiary devices to cover their withdrawal. Their mission was complete. He looked over at Fisher, the human woman had performed admirably. She was as good as any Skorr Soldier and she had not become squeamish at the brutality of war. She had earned his respect. Kirk then turned his eye to the injured prisoner taken from the interior of the building where the Ambassador had been held. It was obvious that he was afraid and that made Kirk pleased. he watched as the Aquillian wriggled under his gaze, imagining the terrible acts that were about to happen to him. "Relax Aquillian, you are not to die just yet, I have need of you. We Skorr prefer to hunt our prey." His men all shrieked in laughter at the comment and the Aquillian seemed to withdraw into his own fearfulness even further. In a very few minutes, they would be landing on their ship. (reply none) Daniel Greene ---------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge, CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid- Day 5 - 1455) "Captain, incoming communication from the Skorr vessel, sir." Operations reported. "On Screen." Immediately the image of the planet was replaced by Ambassador Dralar. =^= Captain, my apologies for disturbing you. =^= "Not necessary, what can I do for you, Ambassador?" Ahmed asked. =^= We have recovered Ambassador Toraz, and so our mission here is over. We have already begun recalling all our troops. we have been ordered to avoid any further military action. Our people will be back aboard with the next ten minutes, and then we will be reaching orbit. =^= Now that Ahmed had heard what Dralar had to say, he understood why the Ambassador had chosen to begin his conversation with an apology. With the Skorr leaving, The crew of the Rosenante would be hard pressed to retain operational security. "I understand mister Ambassador." Ahmed replied, although somewhere deep inside him there was an anger that wanted to be unleashed, a deep-seated frustration that had been building since the mission had begun. "You have your orders. I wish you well." =^= Thank you captain. I wish you luck. I still hope to be allowed to return from my leave of absence soon. Allah travel beside you. =^= The fact that Dralar had used an Islamic blessing told him that the Ambassador thought the cause lost. But at least the Skorr Warrior on the view screen did not hide his feelings from him. "We'll pull through, Ambassador, we always do." Ahmed replied. =^= Yes, this is true. =^= Dralar replied and then closed the channel. Daniel Greene ---------- (Outside Atlantis Station – Lt Alaya - Day 5 – 1458) Standing away from the main force that she had assembled, Alaya lowered the viewer. Watching the refugee camp and the force approaching there, a smile broke out over her face. This had been a long time in coming. The Federation were about to be forced from their planet as she had planned for and wanted for a very long time. Thinking over the last few hours gave her a boost. After she had knocked Habrii out, her men had quickly taken him to a secure cell located within the basement of the building and secured him to a chair in the very same manor that he had done to her. She’d left him there and begun to plan the assault. Knowing that this would have to be short and brutal, she had brought in those that she knew were loyal to her and sent them on their way. Turning back to her small army, she spoke, “Today, gentlemen, we get our wish and our greatest desire. Today, those interlopers and apes are leaving!” A cheer rose through the crowd as she turned her back on them and activated the small communicator she had brought with her, “Treyk, begin the assault of the refugee centre.” The signal was acknowledged and simultaneously, ships began bombarding the Atlantis station. A grin broke out across her face as she watched the missiles hit home. Each one felt like a personal blow to the woman who had become the bane of her life. Suddenly, a barrage came from the skies. Growling with frustration, Alaya turned and yelled, “Reinforce the force at the refugee camp. NOW! Team one, stay with me. I want that woman’s building raised to the ground.” Activating the communicator again, Alaya spoke with a barely disguised fury and said, “This is President speaking to the ship in orbit. Stop this bombardment now or i swear i will eliminate every last one of your people down here, starting with the medical staff.” (Reply Salid) A laugh escaped her as she replied, “Oh Captain, please. What do you take me for? You know exactly who this is. Now, listen to me. I will kill anyone left in that camp when we break through and you know that this is no idle threat or are you stupid enough to test me?” (Reply Salid) (Posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (Atlantis Station - Roof Garden - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1500) Niambh had arranged with David to meet her here. It was sadly, the only safe place they could talk privately in the entire station without being overhead, unless someone had managed to bug the flowers. That thought made her smile for a second or so until she heard the doors to the lift open. It could only be David, he was the only other person who could access her private lift. Opening the very rare bottle of champagne she had removed from her own private cellar she poured two glasses and, as David came to join her, handed him one. " Shipwrecked 1907 Heidsieck. My great, great, whatever grandfather paid $275,000 for this way back in 1997 and it has been passed down through the family since then. Now seemed the most appropriate time to open it since I rather doubt I will be allowed to take it with us when we leave." David merely took the glass and didn't say anything noticing that Niambh had chosen to face the sea rather than the land. He simply waited until she began speaking again. "We did well here. It was my first venture on my own and I'm proud of it. Did you bring what I needed?" Nodding David handed over the small device and watched Niambh as she smiled. "Thank you. I don't want the Veil gaining control here. Do you have a secondary just in case?" Nodding again he watched her smile. She glanced up at him and rested her hand on his shoulder before she asked her next question. "Has everyone been evacuated?" David nodded. "I made sure that the two engineers checking the filtration system left to report to Commander Caskie. All the Aquillians have left already and all that is left is you, me and Simon and he knows to report to Caskie at the first sign of trouble. The only other people still here are Starfleet and President Kolath." Nodding her head Niambh was about to reply when a noise caught her attention. It wasn't quite a whine and it wasn't quite a whistle. It was almost a combination of both and Niambh couldn't quite work out where it was coming from at first. Holding her hand up to silence David she listened intently and realised that it was coming from behind her. Turning round slowly she head a dull crump and then a loud explosion and felt the whole station shake to it's very foundations. Not entirely sure what had happened, it wasn't until David knocked her to the ground and lay across her shielding her that she figured out what was going on. A second explosion rocked Atlantis and as David rolled off her she realised that they were being shelled again and with a lot better effect that the first time it had happened. Picking herself up she ducked as she heard the sound for a third time and turning to David she began to issue orders. "Get down to our security office and make sure that Simon has left then find Cmdr Soma or Lt Sanok and make sure that they know that I am on my way and that I need to speak to at least one of them. They will probably be in their Cent Comm. After that don't leave the area. I will be there as soon as I can I just need to speak to President Kolath first." As he turned to implement her orders she stopped him one final time and wrapping her arms around him, kissed him. "Remember and take the stairs and not the lift. Good luck sweetie." As David disappeared down the stairs Niambh followed him but stopped off at the floor where President Kolath was ensconced. Running into his room Niambh realised that his security officers had deserted him and stopping dead in the middle of the room she simply started talking. "Time to go now Mr President. I've made sure that there will be still one communication channel open for you to use. Don't tarry however. If you are not sure how to get out of here afterwards, simply go one flight down from our security office. There is a small submersible stationed there that we use for tourist trips that should allow you to leave. Good luck and goodbye." With that small gesture Niambh began running down the stairs. (Reply all) (Posted by Marilyn) ---------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge – CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid -Day 5 1501) Ahmed watched with a sort of detached satisfaction as his phaser blasts felled a sizable portion of the assaulting militia vectored towards the refugee camp. The problem was that the ship couldn't fire much closer to their own position without significantly risking hitting their own people. It was going to be a serious fight very soon. "Captain incoming communication from the planet." "On speakers." Ahmed replied. =^=This is President speaking to the ship in orbit. Stop this bombardment now or I swear I will eliminate every last one of your people down here, starting with the medical staff.=^= "To whom exactly am I?" Ahmed asked, although he knew the answer already. The longer he kept the woman talking though, the longer she would be unable to deliver orders to his people and that gave Ahmed a tactical and temporal advantage, since his own officers would be coordinating the withdrawal and did not require his direct intervention. It was more likely that Alaya's people would think twice before taking any initiative on their own, due to the strict hierarchy that organizations like the Veil tended to use. She laughed as she replied, =^=Oh Captain, please. What do you take me for? You know exactly who this is. Now, listen to me. I will kill anyone left in that camp when we break through and you know that this is no idle threat or are you stupid enough to test me?=^= Her attitude was irritating, but it told him a great deal about her. "Alaya, let me give you a free word of advise. Never threaten to do something that you're already going to do anyway as a means to try to manipulate your opponent. You and I both know that you already intend to kill anyone your troops catch there. So let me make myself clear to you, Miss Tyrant…" He paused for a few moments before lending his voice a steely tone, "Every one of my people will fight to the death to protect those civilians. Ask yourself if your people are willing to die to kill them." He turned and gave the signal to cut the channel. "Disregard all further communications from that channel." he ordered. "Tactical maintain your firing orders." (Reply None) Daniel Greene ---------- (USS Rosenante - Ten Forward - Sien - 1502) Sien had watched everything happening almost like it was an out-of-body experience. After he'd given the Starfleet crew the information they needed, he'd gone to do his part. Uncle Trasin had been willing to help, finally having the support he needed to right the wrongful death of his brother. Sien had spent some time with his Uncle before the Starfleet crew had needed their exit, and had learned how sorry his uncle had been for not raising his nephew. Sien understood the fear the Veil had subversively poisoned the planet with and forgave his uncle whole-heartedly. He sat at a table now, staring at the planet he knew he needed to leave if he was to save it. He wanted to go, so he could one day come back better. Uncle Trasin had given his blessing on the condition that he send back updates. Sipping his drink, Sien tried to figure out what he would say to Captain Salid. (reply any, none) (posted by Lori) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Sickbay - Lt Viskhard - 1503) Visk sat there, exhausted. Blake had been recovering slowly and he'd stayed by her side through it all. He'd come up to the ship as soon as he could - realizing he was so distracted that he was really of no use to the investigations. He stayed in sickbay as much as he could, so he could be there when Blake woke up - no matter the time. At one point he had taken a walk to her quarters and picked up the Lord of the Rings books she loved so much, and spent that night reading to her. Now, he sat, contemplating how to bring up the most recent development in the relationship to the Captain. (reply any, none) (posted by Lori) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Central Supply Depot - JAG Lt. Nayeli - 1505) Nayeli walked quietly. She'd volunteered to help with burials to free up the medical specialists for other more critical tasks and it had already taken a toll on her heart. The most heart-rending ones were the children. Nayeli wanted to get away from all the fanaticism and the devastaing results - she'd seen far too much as a JAG and had made up her mind to talk to Captain Salid about changing departments. She sat alone now, saying her own prayers to whatever gods might be listening. (reply any, none) (posted by Lori) ---------- (Atlantis Station - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay - Cmdr Jennifer Caskie - Day 5 - 1510) Josh was out simply stretching her legs when the first shell hit Atlantis Station. Immediately turning back into the sickbay she met a wave of people at the door. Clapping her hands to gain their attention she began issuing orders. "Ok boys and girls, let's get ourselves organized. Lt Fraiser, make sure that all our patients currently here are evacuated to the Rose asap. I don't care if they are Aquillian or not, we can send them home later. Lets just get them out of here first." (Reply Fraiser) "Kitty do what you can to evacuate the Refugee Camp. Tell everyone to leave as best you can without causing panic and then, if you can, head to Atlantis. Everyone else salvage what you equipment you can carry and head for Atlantis. I know that it seems that we are running into trouble but we will be evacuating from there, by shuttle if needed. I will make sure that the Rose beams up the Federation refugees before I leave here. Does everybody understand?" Getting nods from all areas Josh smiled. "OK then let's go." Crossing to the area that passed for her office Josh contacted the Rose. "Caskie to Rosenante. Atlantis Station is under attack and I am organising a general evacuation of the Refugee Camp at this time. I need an immediate beam out of 35 Federation citizens at these co-ordinates. Lt Fraiser will also be contacting you with another beam out request shortly for the patients that we have at present. Some of them are Aquillian so security will be needed for the transporter room. Caskie out." (Reply whoever is still on the Rose) Tapping her badge once again she attempted to contact Commander Soma. "Caskie to Soma. I am evacuating everyone from the Emergency Sickbay and telling all of my personnel to fall back to Atlantis for pick up. Caskie out." (Reply Soma, Sanok, or anyone still stationed at Atlantis.) (Posted by Marilyn) Cmdr Jennifer (Josh) Caskie ---------- (USS Rosenante - Tradewinds - YEO Lt. Mike Rosenbauer - Day 5- 1511) After returning to the ship with Sien, Mike had taken the time to indulge himself with a hot shower and a clean uniform. Although the same amenities had been available on Beta Aquillia IV, he hadn't really possessed the time to take advantage of them and so he had reveled in the feeling of being truly clean once again. following that, he discovered that he was off-duty for a long while and so, he had decided to look in on Sien, who was probably feeling overwhelmed by everything that had taken place over the last few days. He found the young Aquillian sitting in Tradewinds, or as some of the old timers still called it, ten forward. He seemed to be lost in thought as he sipped his drink. Mike smiled and headed to the young man's table. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, not wishing to be presumptuous. (reply Sien) Daniel Greene ---------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge, CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid- Day 5 - 1512) "Captain," one of the officers at the secondary security station report, "We have a problem sir." ~Another one?~ Ahmed turned to regard the ensign , "What sort of problem?" he inquired, slightly irritated at the incomplete report. "I'm not certain sir, but it looks like a major military offensive. I'm showing explosions at the Station, and massive vehicular and personnel movement. As if to add to the veracity of the statement, Jennifer's concerned voice sounded from his commbadge, =^= Caskie to Rosenante. Atlantis Station is under attack and I am organizing a general evacuation of the Refugee Camp at this time. I need an immediate beam out of 35 Federation citizens at these co-ordinates. Lt Fraiser will also be contacting you with another beam out request shortly for the patients that we have at present. Some of them are Aquillian so security will be needed for the transporter room. Caskie out. =^= "Understood, we are standing by." Ahmed replied with a quick tap of his badge as he crossed towards the center chair. If the Romulans were going to attack, now would be the best time for such an action. "Red Alert! Shields up, weapons hot!" Ahmed called as he settled into his chair. NRPG: Going to make an assumption and say that Sanok and Signos are still planet side although the Ambassador is probably at the emergency sickbay by now. "Mister Raschen, find me a safe distance from our defensive perimeter around the refugee camp positioned between the aggressive forces and our people. Set the Ship's phasers for heavy stun and lay down control support fire for our withdrawing fire. watch our people's positions and give them as much breathing room as possible." (reply Raschen) "Salid to Sanok and Signos" he said opening another channel, "the Rosenante will be providing heavy stun fire using ship's phasers to give you as much space as possible, you are ordered to constrict your lines and fall back for evacuation with all personnel and refugees possible to Atlantis Station. There is a full military assault headed your way." (reply Signos, Sanok) "Salid to transporter rooms, you are authorized to begin beam up of refugees and federation personnel at Commander Caskie or Lieutenant Fraiser's authorization. Beam them into cargo Bay three, which is currently empty." =^= understood captain =^= Dawson replied, =^= we're on it.=^= "Jackson, Matrix- put together a security team, lock down the Cargo bay and search everyone. There's a good chance that in all this confusion that the Veil may try to get another bomber mixed in with the refugees. I don't want an explosion on this ship! Looks like it's time for our withdrawal." NRPG: Here's your opening Bill, make it epic! (reply Jackson, Matrix) Ahmed turned back to the front view screen. "Show me the planet" he ordered, "300 times magnification." The refugee camp was awash in activity, people scattering everywhere. approaching the perimeter, a massive group of Veil paramilitary personnel were converging on the camp. Already Raschen was firing small, controlled phaser bursts, creating a limited screen for the evacuating personnel. The situation was going to degrade rapidly. Then he spotted the small naval vessels cordoning Atlantis station. He couldn't really destroy them outright, but he also couldn't allow them to continue to shell the station with his people heading there to evacuate. Inspiration struck him then. He grabbed a PADD and quickly did some math, then sent the details over to Raschen's console. "Launch a spread of photon torpedoes at 12% yield to these coordinates. Have them detonate at a depth of 300 meters." he ordered. Moments later a spread of torpedoes slammed into the surface of the ocean, just meters off the bow of the assaulting vessels. When the warheads exploded, they vaporized tons of water creating a pressure wave. The ships, suddenly unsupported by the ocean beneath their hulls, dipped into the newly created space and were then battered as water rushed back in to fill the newly opened gap. Within moments the shelling was over as the ship's crews struggled to keep their ships afloat. (Reply Raschen, Jackson, Matrix, Sanok, Signos, All) Daniel Greene (Beta Aquillia IV - Refugee Camp - 2O/CSec Lt. Sanok, Day 5, 1513) Sanok had sent Signos to lead security on Atlantis Station, while he remained at the refugee camp. Both the Federation and Skorr ambassador had been rescued, and since their orders were to not directly interfere with the Veil taking leadership of BA4, they would be leaving soon. Sanok's Vulcan hearing detected on odd whooshing sound, followed by an explosion. They were under attack. It was getting to be time to leave. =^=Salid to Sanok and Signos. The Rosenante will be providing heavy stun fire using ship's phasers to give you as much space as possible. You are ordered to constrict your lines and fall back for evacuation, with all personnel and refugees possible, to Atlantis Station. There is a full military assault headed your way.=^= Sanok acknowledged the order, though it was illogical to him, as both the refugee camp and Atlantis Station were under attack. The captain, being on the ship, did have a much better view of things, so it was clear he knew something Sanok didn't. Rushing to organize his people, he began the evacuation. (reply none) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge, CEO LCDR Steven Matrix - Day 5 - 1514) "Jackson, Matrix- put together a security team, lock down the Cargo bay and search everyone. There's a good chance that in all this confusion that the Veil may try to get another bomber mixed in with the refugees. I don't want an explosion on this ship! Looks like it's time for our withdrawal." Matrix looked at Jackson, nodded, "Aye Captain!" replied Matrix. Matrix moved to the turbo lift and tapped his comm badge. =^= Matrix to engineering. I need a scanning teams in cargo bay three on the double. We're looking for explosives so select the appropriate equipment. Matrix out. =^= (posted by Steve) ---------- (Atlantis Station - Roof Garden - President in Exile Kolath - Day 5 - 1515) "Finally done." Kolath said aloud as he leaned back into the depths of his overstuffed chair. He knew that the time was coming when the final act of defiance that was left to him could no longer be delayed. As if to confirm that final thought, there was a strange and mysterious growing whine that made itself known to the subconscious recesses of his mind. It was unexpected, but somehow he remembered something about that sound that made him drop onto all fours and slide under his desk for a moment. There were two explosions then, one followed immediately after the other, and Kolath realized that this was a heavier version of the shelling that had taken place earlier during his internment at Atlantis Station. He rose to his feet, and had just recovered his dignity when the door to his suite burst open and McNulty rushed into the room. A quick glance was all that was needed to confirm that his security had finally abandoned him in the face of everything to come. "Time to go now Mr President." McNulty was saying, "I've made sure that there will be still one communication channel open for you to use. Don't tarry however. If you are not sure how to get out of here afterwards, simply go one flight down from our security office. There is a small submersible stationed there that we use for tourist trips that should allow you to leave. Good luck and goodbye." "Thank you Naimbh." Kolath said as she turned to leave, "I owe you a great debt and hope that I can repay you for your help one-day." The woman acknowledged him silently, then just as quickly as she had entered into his suite, she was gone. He was now all alone. Kolath quickly managed to retrieve the communications device that McNulty had provided him earlier and added to his pocket a small concealable hand phaser. He squeezed his eyes closed and listed to the shells falling on the compound. It would make a perfect backdrop to his speech. He raised the device to his lips and opened the channel. "My fellow Aquillians." he began simply enough, "You have been wronged. Even now a malignant force threatens to devour your freedoms like a terminal cancer that threatens to devour your flesh. Like a cancerous growth, the Veil of the Sky starts innocuously enough, disguising itself from the common defenses that the body possesses until it is too late to stop it. " "The Veil's cancerous disguise is the belief that working as part of a larger interstellar community is somehow harmful to our society and our way of life. Habrii and his cronies are not basing their right to rule upon any fact, but upon a bigoted and misinformed myth. Since joining the interstellar community, hundreds of millions of jobs have been created, the average income amongst our people has increased by 80%. We have conducted successful trade, gathering items of luxury and necessity, unparalleled within our history." "Our medical Sciences, our education, our very culture has been enriched through the trade that we have willfully joined. But now, a few minority among you have seized control of your government. They have assumed the reins of power in an unlawful manner. They have been struggling with gaining power through the democratic means that have worked so well for us for so long. They have not been able to convince you, the people of their legitimacy to rule, so they resorted a the barbaric act of treachery, by seizing members of your government, your elected government and supplanting them to their own will." "I am still free of their influence, though I do not know for how long. I have been chosen by you, my people, my fellows to rule this planet on your behalf, and while some do not agree with my decisions, you have always had the ability to replace me through our democratic process should you see the need." "I ask you now, do you think that an illegitimate government will look out for your welfare, or their own. When a thief steals, it is their first thought to safeguard that which they have stolen. Habrii and his people are thieves. First they have stolen your government, next they will steal your freedoms, and soon they will steal your right to express your ideas, especially if those ideas are in direct opposition to their own." "Until the presidency is restored, I show vow to engage in a relentless campaign against the usurpers that threaten our way of life. I ask now that you all watch, learn and when you see that I am right. When your parents, sons and daughters disappear in the dark of night, or that when you are no longer able to provide for your family, or are unable to seek justice through the courts for the wrongs that have been done to you." "Then I encourage you to stand up against tyranny! Join me! Fight the Veil until democracy and freedom are restored!" "Lift the yoke of oppression from the backs of your children, regain the freedoms that have been stripped from you and return peace and prosperity once again to your lives." "Before I go, I give one final warning. If you think that those things could never/will never happen to you, ask yourself if the refugees displaced by violence and killed by a fanatics bomb ever believed that they would be in such a sorrowful state." "I refuse to be silenced! Listen for my communications in the coming weeks months or years, and know that I will never rest. And if I should go silent, know that I do so from necessity, and that I fight for an idea and an idea can never be defeated." As Kolath closed the channel, he knew he realized that his hands were trembling. The sound of the bombs exploding around him and the conviction of his own voice filled with resolve seemed almost surreal. Another explosion sounded very close and Kolath hurried to the submersible that awaited him. It was time to organize a revolution. (reply none needed) Daniel Greene ---------- (Atlantis Station - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay – Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1516) Walking around the temporary Sickbay, even without her empathic side, Tayla could tell that there was tension in the air. Everyone was unusually quiet and subdued. Suddenly the quiet was broken by a large boom. Looking out of the window, she saw the shell hit Atlantis Station. ~Aw, here we go.~ She thought to herself. Everyone began moving to secure various things and people when she heard clapping. Turning, she saw Josh speaking, "Ok boys and girls, let's get ourselves organized. Lt Fraiser, make sure that all our patients currently here are evacuated to the Rose asap. I don't care if they are Aquillian or not, we can send them home later. Lets just get them out of here first." “Understood.” she replied and looked to the nurses next to her. They already knew to get the more seriously injured out first. That was always priority. As Josh gave her final orders and walked back to her office, Tayla turned to the nurses and said, “You heard the boss. Go.” Watching as they all scattered to the wind to begin the evacuation, Tayla turned and walked towards the smallest patient they had, a young girl whose parents were part of the Federation staff that had been assigned to the planet. The parents were sat by her side and looked at her expectantly as she spoke, “Well, Lucy, it’s time for us to make a move. You think you’re up for it?” The little girl looked up at her and said, “Where?” Smiling, Tayla replied, “You get to go see my ship. Would you like that?” Nodding, she said, “Yeah.” Laughing a little, Tayla said, “Good.” Standing, she turned to Lucy’s parents and said, “We’re gonna get you guys up with the first wave. Just wait here and we’ll come get you.” After a few moments, the biobeds began to gather in the middle of the main area and Tayla tapped her combadge and said, “Fraiser to Rosenante.” (Reply Any on ship) “Requesting permission to beam the first wave of patients on board?” (Reply Any) “Sir, I’m sending a lot of the nurses up as well as many of these people still require a lot of care.” (Reply Any) Watching as the majority of the patients they still had disappear, a wave of calm flew through her. Silence fell, apart from the shells reigning down outside, it was quiet in sickbay for the first time since it had been re-established. Walking to the outside of Josh’s office, she knocked on the door and said, “Commander?” (Reply Caskie) “The first wave has gone up to the rose. We have approximately ten other patients, mainly the walking wounded, left along with the equipment. I’m sending them up next.” (Reply Caskie) Nodding, she said, “You go ahead to the station, they need you there. I’ll stay and make sure everyone gets out.” (Reply Caskie) Turning back, she walked to the group of nurses, patients and equipment that was slowly piling up and said, “Listen, we don’t have any more time. You guys need to go. I’m just going to do a final scout round and then join you on board once the station has been evacuated. You all know you’re jobs.” The nurses nodded and Tayla turned and began her final scout round to make sure nothing was left. (Reply Caskie, Any on Rose, any) (posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (USS Rosenante – Bridge- QM/Strat Ops- LT Chance Raschen - 1517) Just then a message was coming in =^=Fraiser to Rosenante=^= Pressing the appropriate button on the Tactical Console, “This is Rosenante, send it.” Chance said. =^= Requesting permission to beam the first wave of patients on board? =^= “That’s a good copy Fraiser, I’ll inform Sickbay of incoming wounded. Standby. ” (Reply Frasier iyw) Raschen then mentally shifted gears “Transporter Room, I am sending you coordinates for wounded to be beamed directly to Sickbay. Engage when ready.” (Reply Frasier iyw) (Posted by Charlie) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Personal Suite - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1518) After leaving Kolath Niambh had allowed herself five minutes to gather what she regarded as her most precious possessions from her suite. Grabbing a hold all she crossed to her computer. Accessing it she downloaded all the information regarding the station onto chips. The deeds of her ownership of the station, since she never knew when that might come in useful and all the security codes. All the information regarding her clients and the information she had gleaned about useful Aquillians since she wasn't about to take any chances that this could be found by anyone else. Having done that she accessed her personal safe and swept everything in there, banker's chips, latinum, jewelry, everything, into the hold all. Finally crossing to her desk she keyed in the code that opened her secret drawer. There wasn't much in their at all except a non standard phaser but grabbing it and attaching it to her belt she quickly swept the pictures on her desk into the hold all and looked around the room for the last time. Happy that she had everything that she really wanted to save she accessed her computer one last time and keying in her password she called up her main file directory and started to delete every operating system that the station had except for the ones that Cent Comm were currently using. Accessing another file she activated the time delayed program that would not only destroy the files that had to be left open but would set up a virus that would replicate itself into any system that tried to reactive them without her password just in case her final backup didn't work. Satisfied that she could do no more she grabbed her hold all and head down the stairs. (posted by Marilyn) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay – Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 5 - 1519) Josh had just organised the beam up of the Federation members when there was a knock at her door and Tayla entered. “The first wave has gone up to the Rose. We have approximately ten other patients, mainly the walking wounded, left along with the equipment. I’m sending them up next.” Josh nodded. "Fine. We need to make sure that the three stasis chambers for our Federation dead are beamed up too. We can't leave then behind. We also need one of us to get to Atlantis pronto. They might have casualties and they don't have a designated Sickbay team there at present." Tayla nodded, “You go ahead to the station, they need you there. I’ll stay and make sure everyone gets out.” Josh simply regarded Tayla. "Are you sure? I should be the one to stay." and then quickly nodded. "OK, clear as much as you can out, but remember, it's only equipment. I want everyone else including you out of here within the next five minutes ok and at Atlantis a few minutes after that. No heroics now. We can always replace equipment." (Reply Tayla) Grabbing her medical kit Josh headed off to Atlantis Station. (posted by Marilyn) ---------- (USS Rosenante - Cargo Bay 3 , CEO LCDR Steven Matrix - Day 5 - 1520) Matrix arrived moments before the engineering teams. Two teams of four engineers arrived and entered the cargo bay. Matrix motioned them over to the far corner of the bay. "Good…thanks for getting here so quickly. The Captain is concerned that the Veil might try to plan a bomb among the transported refugees. Our job is to detect and disarm anything should the need arise. Also, we need to be as discreet as possible, I don't' want to alarm anyone." said Matrix. "But Sir, wouldn't the transporters detect any type of explosives during transport?" asked the senior tech. "Good point, it should, but these folks got a bomb in the camp without us detecting it. Access engineering routine Veil 3 on your PADDs. This will provide you with the latest information we have on their explosives. Your scanners will automatically feed this information back to the main computer for analysis. If the algorithm determines a possible explosive it will alert everyone through your scanners and your comm badges. You comm badge will emit a short three step tone if it detects a threat on any of the scanners. Hopefully this will appear to be routine to the refugees. Keep your scanners out of sight as much as possible. If someone questions you or is concerned simply state its routine and that you're conducting medical scans and assure them everything is fine. If you find a threat, a bomb you can alert everyone through your PADD or your scanner directly. An evacuation routing is built into the program. You can lock onto the treat and we can beam it into space within moments." continued Matrix. "Any questions?" asked Matrix. "Good…lets get to work." (Replies not needed) (Posted by Steve) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 5 - 1521) It seemed to take forever but it wasn't that long before Josh made her way to CentComm in Atlantis Station and reported to Lt Sanok. "Lt. How can I help? The rest of the Emergency Sickbay personnel are less than five minutes behind me and all the Federation refugees and the patients in Emergency Sickbay should have already been beamed up to the Rose by now." (Reply Sanok, Signos, any) (Posted by Marilyn) -------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Refugee Camp - Emergency Sickbay – aCMO Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1522) “...No heroics now. We can always replace equipment." Nodding, Tayla replied, “Don’t worry. I want to get out of here as much as you do.” (posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Cent Comm - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1523) The first person she saw when she arrived there was David. Grabbing him she found out who was in charge. Having found out that Lt Sanok and Ensign Signos were in charge at present she crossed to both of them and began speaking. "All of my personnel have already been evacuated from Atlantis except for David and myself. I've shut every system down except the ones that need to be kept online for you to keep Cent Comm up and running. However, those will self destruct in just under two hours since I have no intention of letting the Veil, or anyone else for that matter take over my station. David and I are ready to help defend it until you get all your personnel here for evacuation. Just tell us what you want us to do." (Reply Sanok, Signos, any) (Posted by Marilyn) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station – Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1524) Running into the main area of the Atlantis station, Tayla spotted the group of people straight away and went to join them just in time to join the beamout. (posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Centcomm - 2O/CSec Lt. Sanok - Day 5 - 1525) Caskie said, "Lieutenant, how can I help? The rest of the emergency sickbay personnel are less than five minutes behind me, and all the Federation refugees, and the patients in emergency sickbay, should have already been beamed up to the Rose by now." This was good news, meaning that almost everyone was safely back on board the ship. All that remained, were himself, Caskie, O'Neill, Signos, and the medical people that would arrive shortly. Since they were under a full assault, and since their work on BA4 was basically finished, all that was left, was for them to beam back to the Rose as well. Before Sanok could respond, Niambh McNulty and her chief of security arrived. "All of my personnel have already been evacuated from Atlantis, except for David and myself. I've shut every system down, except the ones that need to be kept online for you to keep centcomm up and running. However, those will self-destruct in just under two hours, since I have no intention of letting the Veil, or anyone else for that matter, take over my station. David and I are ready to help defend it, until you get all your personnel here for evacuation. Just tell us what you want us to do." Sanok had not considered that McNulty would destroy her resort once they were ready to leave, but it did make sense. She had invested resources, time, and a large part of herself, into making Atlantis Station what it was. Why not prevent the Veil from having it? He nodded to her, respecting her decision. "Once the last of the emergency medical personnel arrive here, there will be nothing left for us to do but return to the Rosenante," said Sanok. As if on cue, he heard people approaching. "Is this everyone?" said Sanok, looking at Caskie. (reply Caskie iyw) Once everyone had been accounted for, Sanok tapped his comm badge. "Sanok to Rosenante. The last of us are in centcomm, ready to return to the ship. Twenty to beam up." (reply any at centcomm iyw) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge – CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid -Day 5 1526) As the situation grew more desperate, Ahmed was relieved to hear another voice emanating from his commbadge, =^=Sanok to Rosenante. The last of us are in CENTCOMM, ready to return to the ship. Twenty to beam up.=^= Ahmed smiled, his crew were moving with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, even under extreme duress. he tapped his commbadge, "Away team, stand by for transport." he tapped his commbadge again, "Salid to transporter room, beam up the away team in CENTCOMM, there are twenty personnel to transport." Dawson replied from the transporter room, =^= Energizing now, captain.=^= There was a short pause and then, =^= transport complete, all personnel are safely aboard sir.=^= "Thank you mister Dawson, Salid out." Some members of the away team must have virtually sprinted to the bridge, among them was Sanok, Naimbh McNulty and her chief of Security mister Rostov, both of which had been very helpful to their mission. McNulty made her presence known almost immediately. "Captain Salid, something is going to happen in the next few minutes that you need to know about and I wanted to make sure that you were aware of it since it is deliberate and set up by me rather than the Veil." Ahmed didn't like cryptic statement like that and was about to say something pointed when he noticed McNulty directing his attention to the main view screen. he looked where indicated and watched as Atlantis Station disintegrated into a cloud of mist and dust as a series of demolition charges ripped through the structure. When the dust and mist cleared there was a rapidly sinking pile of rubble remaining, the structure had been reduced completely. Niambh didn't smile but she did nod her head. "Good, it worked. I would rather see Atlantis as a pile of rubble than allow it to fall into the Veil's hands." Turning to Salid she thanked him. "I needed to see that. I needed to make sure. Thank you." Ahmed started to respond, but realized that any real argument would be pointless at this point, as would pointing out that he played no part in allowing her to witness the destruction of her Hotel. So instead of arguing anything at all on the point, he said simply, " You're welcome." (reply None Needed) Daniel Greene ---------- (USS Rosenante - Tradewind - Sien - 1527) "Mind if I join you?" Mike's worlds pulled Sien out of his thoughts. He waved a hand at the table, "Please, I was hoping to talk to you." (reply Mike) Sien looked down at his cup, forming his first thoughts. "I want to thank you and apologize for... how we met." (Reply Mike) Sien shook his head, "I was taught in a style called the Blademaster's Path. I should never have used my blade against you, it goes against my teaching. You gave me back my blade, when you should have kept it. The Veil would have kept it and held my life as their ransom." (Reply Mike) Sien looked at Mike, he'd cleaned up and gotten into the uniform that was standard for the majority of the people he'd encountered. He suddenly knew what he needed. He needed one of those uniforms. "Mike, by my honour, you have control of my life. You gave me back my blade, but you are still my master. I ask you, allow me to follow your way. Let me wear your uniform." (Reply Mike) (Posted by Lori) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV– Outside the refugee Camp – Lieutenant Alaya -Day 5 - 1528) Growling at being cut off, Alaya turned to the rest of her troops and said, “No matter. We need to go to the hotel and take that building.” Turning, she heard the sound. Almost like a pop. Then she saw the puff of smoke. Setting off at a run, she howled in frustration as she watched the building begin to collapse. Falling to her knees at the edge of the water, she hit the soft ground several times and screamed as she watched the last of the building fall. Not knowing what to do for a second, she picked up the nearest rock and gripped it tightly. Feeling the blood begin to drip through her fingers, she looked up to the sky and said, “On my sister’s grave, i swear to you. McNulty, come back here or interfere with my plans again and i will make you wish that you had never been born. I will find everyone that is important to you and lay waste to your family infront of your very eyes.” Standing, she turned back to the small group of soldiers that had followed her and said, “Now, we begin again. For the Veil!” (Reply no-one) (Posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1530) On hearing her out Sanok nodded to her. "Once the last of the emergency medical personnel arrive here, there will be nothing left for us to do but return to the Rosenante," said Sanok. As if on cue, he heard people approaching. He asked Cmdr Caskie if that was all her personnel and getting an affirmative reply from her he tapped his Comm Badge and contacted the Rose. "Sanok to Rosenante. The last of us are in Cent Comm, ready to return to the ship. Twenty to beam up." Niambh allowed a small smile to cross her face and just before she was beamed up she pressed the button on the remote that David had given her earlier. (posted by Marilun) ---------- (USS Rosenante - Transporter Room - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1532) As soon as they materialised in the Transporter Room Niambh turned to Lt Sanok. "Lieutenant I need to speak to your Captain immediately. I assure you that it is urgent. Something is about to happen on the planet and I don't want him to take it the wrong way." (Reply Sanok) (posted by Marilyn ---------- USS Rosenante - Bridge - Niambh McNulty - Day 5 - 1534) Sanok thankfully had taken her seriously and had escorted both David and her to the Bridge. Stepping down to the where Captain Salid sat she began to talk to him. "Captain Salid, something is going to happen in the next few minutes that you need to know about and I wanted to make sure that you were aware of it since it is deliberate and set up by me rather than the Veil. Glad to see that they still had Atlantis on their main screen she directed his eyes towards it. It took only a few seconds before there was a small puff of smoke near the base of the station and then another one slightly further up and then another one and then another one. It took longer for the sound to reach them and by that time the whole station had started to collapse from the base up. Finally it started to fold in on itself like a pack of cards and when the smoke had cleared all that was left was a fairly large pile of rubble. Niambh didn't smile but she did nod her head. "Good, it worked. I would rather see Atlantis as a pile of rubble than allow it to fall into the Veil's hands." Turning to Salid she thanked him. "I needed to see that. I needed to make sure. Thank you." (No reply needed except for Jackie having a total hissy fit as Alaya lol) (Posted by Marilyn) ---------- USS Rosenante, Bridge, 2O/CSec Lt. Sanok, Day 5, 1537) Once Sanok and the last group had beamed away from Cent Comm and made it back to the Rosenante, McNulty asked Sanok to take her to see Captain Salid. She had emphasized the urgency of it, though she didn't need to do so. He knew what she wanted, and he could understand why she wanted to see him. When they arrived, McNulty began speaking before Sanok could make a proper introduction. All eyes were glued to the forward view screen, as Atlantis Station was destroyed. It was a shame it had to happen, but it seemed McNulty and Alaya had a history, and there was logic behind not allowing the Veil to take the resort. In a very real sense, it was a victory for McNulty. Whatever was going to happen next, the mission to Beta Aquillia IV, at least according to the Federation, was a success. To Sanok, it reminded him of a saying the Humans used that he had never understood until now. It left a bad taste in his mouth. (reply none) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante – Sickbay – Lt Jg Tayla Fraiser - Day 5 - 1540) After checking on all the staff and patients in the cargo bay, Tayla strode into sickbay. A sigh escaped her as she saw the familiar surroundings of her workplace and she instantly felt calmer. Sitting on one of the biobeds, she spotted Ambassador Turner. A pang of uncertainty flew through her as she realised that the woman sitting on that bed had no idea her niece was in one of the private rooms off the main sickbay. Walking towards her, Tayla smiled and said, “Ambassador?” (Reply Turner) Holding out her hand, she smiled widely and said, “I’m Lieutenant Tayla Fraiser. Mind if i just give you a quick checkover?” (Reply Turner) Nodding, she opened her tricorder and quickly ran a preliminary scan which showed, other than a few bumps, the woman was healthy. Looking into her eyes, Tayla smiled and said, “You’ll be fine. Nothing a good hot shower and a good nights sleep won’t fix.” (Reply Turner) “Now, if you’ll excuse me, i need to go check on one of my other patients.” (Reply Turner) Turning, Tayla walked to the nearest nurse and said, “Sally, what room is Ensign Turner in?” (Reply Turner, any) (Posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Ambassador Joanne Turner, Day 5, 1543) After being rescued by the Starfleet team, Jo had refused to beam up to the Rosenante for a medical exam. She had sent the rest of the embassy staff, but she and the marines had stayed to help in the main refugee camp. Beta Aquillia IV had been her home for years, and she loved the Aquillian people and culture. As she had walked through the main refugee camp, all she could do was stare blankly at what she saw. Tzir describing the devastation had been bad, but to actually see it firsthand... she couldn't speak. Tears streamed down her face, and she hadn't cared who saw her. Now, finally on board the Rosenante, and sitting on the edge of a biobed in sickbay, her last memory of her beloved BA4, was beaming to safety when the camp fell under a Veil assault. All the years she had been there, and all the good she had accomplished, and she ended up running for her life when a paranoid rebel group decided to violently take charge of the planet. It showed how far they still had to go. "Ambassador?" "Hmm?" Jo had been concentrating so hard on her memories of BA4, that she hadn't seen the medical person approach her. She was tall for a woman, though quite attractive, with long, brown hair, and blue eyes that reminded Jo of the Aquillian sky during a bright, summer day. It made her heart ache even more. "I’m Lieutenant Tayla Fraiser," she said, offering her hand. "Mind if i just give you a quick checkover?" Jo did a quick handshake, smiling weakly. She motioned for her to do the scan. "You’ll be fine," said Fraiser after a quick exam. "Nothing a good, hot shower, and a good night's sleep won’t fix." "Thank you, Lieutenant," said Jo. Fraiser excused herself, leaving Jo to her thoughts again. A hot shower and a good night of sleep sounded very good to her. Her cell on BA4, had a simple shower, but it certainly wasn't hot. Her sleep had been restless because of the situation. She was also sure she had lost some weight. She chuckled at the irony of that, as she had wanted to lose a few pounds for a while, but had never gone out and done it. Perhaps this was as good a tie as any. Jo was probably done in sickbay, but she wasn't sure what to do next. Turning to her security escort, she shrugged her shoulders in a 'what next' motion. "You've been assigned a room, ma'am. I'll take you there now." "Thank you," said Jo. "That would be very nice." The security man motioned for her to go first, and they headed out of sickbay. (reply none) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Temporary Quarters, Ambassador Joanne Turner, Day 5, 1555) In her quarters, the first thing Jo did was strip down and head for the shower. She had worn that ugly, orange jumpsuit for a week, and she couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Most showers on a starship were sonic, but because of her status as an ambassador, Jo had been assigned to a VIP suite, so a water shower was available to her as well. As the hot water streamed down her, Jo closed her eyes and enjoyed the wonderful sensation, letting out an audible sigh of satisfaction. Several minutes passed before she began to shampoo her hair. Hot water. Shampoo. Soap. Clean clothes. It was amazing how much one could be so grateful for simple pleasures. It reminded her again that she shouldn't take things for granted. Though she didn't know what the future had for her now that she couldn't serve on BA4, she realized how blessed she was to live in the time she did. (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Trade Winds, Ambassador Joanne Turner, Day 5, 1728) Jo stepped into the Trade Winds lounge and looked around the room for a place to sit. After her shower, she had dipped into her personal replicator account to dress nicely for a meal. She could have dined alone in her quarters, but she was a people person, so she wanted to mingle with the crew. Besides, there was little point in moping over her situation. She had always been one to pick herself up after any adversity. Jo was wearing a puffy-sleeved, white blouse, made from Bolian silk. It had a jabot down the front, and a single button on a high collar. She had on black slacks that were boot-cut, with a high waistline, and black, low-heel shoes. Around her neck was a chain, with a heart pendant, and on her right wrist, a silver Byzantine bracelet, with a charm that represented the planet of Beta Aquillia IV. Her long hair hung loosely behind her back. As she made her way to an empty seat, Jo could sense people looking at her, and some of the conversations hushed and paused for a moment. Most probably didn't know who she was, which was probably why all this happened, but it made her feel good inside to look and feel like a lady. After Jo was settled, had ordered her meal, and the waitress had brought it to her, she observed the other people in the lounge. She smiled at some, nodded to others, said hello or made small talk with some at nearby tables. Even after being almost exclusively with Aquillians for so long, Jo still had the knack for people warming up to her. It was one reason she had become a successful diplomat. Eating a meal other than dried meat and stale bread, had made Jo feel good. She wanted to order some ice cream, but the fact that she had lost some weight, was telling her not to do so. Beginning to lose the mental battle, she froze when she caught a snippet from a nearby conversation. Three women in medical blue, probably nurses, were talking about how busy they were in sickbay with so many injured people on board. They had mentioned the bombing at the refugee camp, and how they had almost lost Ensign Blake Turner. Jo had a relative by that name, her father's brother's granddaughter, but it had been at least ten or twelve years since they had last seen each other. Could it be the same Blake Turner? What a coincidence that would be. If it was her relative, the fact this Blake was seriously injured, would explain why Blake, who would have had to know Jo was on BA4, hadn't made the effort to see her. Jo had to find out for sure. "Excuse me," said Jo after leaving her table and approaching the nurses. "Did you say, Blake Turner?" The nurses looked at each other for a few moments before one answered. "Yes, we did." "Is she about thirtyish, with red hair and green eyes?" The nurses looked at each other again. "I don't know about her eyes, but she's about that age, and her hair is red. Why do you ask?" "Thank you." Jo quickly moved away from the table and headed for the exit, rushing past her waitress. "Bill me for the meal!" With that, she was out the door. (reply none) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1833) After learning that there was a Blake Turner serving on the Rosenante, Jo had left Trade Winds and gone back to her quarters. Using her ambassadorial security codes and passwords, she accessed Starfleet records. It turned out that there were six Blake Turners currently serving in Starfleet, four of them men, but the one on the Rosenante was her relative. Jo had leaned back in her chair, staring at the file picture of her father's brother's granddaughter, thinking back to when they had last seen each other. Jo had originally thought it had been only ten or twelve years, but it had actually been twenty. It shocked her that tie had passed so quickly. Jo was now in sickbay, sitting in the chair next to Blake as she slept. The medical personnel grew quiet when she had come back, asking about Blake. Apparently, everyone else knew the two were related, except Jo. Even in her injured state, Blake was a beautiful woman. She was tall, and her long, red hair framed her lovely face. On Earth, the Turners were a prominent family in the religious commune in which they lived. Most of the young people there accepted their life, though there was always a point in each of their lives where they questioned it. Jo and Blake were no different. Though Jo was twenty years older, she could see in the young Blake that she was destined for something else. At twenty-one, Jo began attending college, but because of the status of her family, she had not been officially or completely ostracized. She still spent time there, visiting family, or attending functions, gatherings, and religious services. Because Jo was eventually going to leave for good, and because she knew Blake would one day do the same, they had become close. The last day the two had been together, was the day Jo had left Earth for her first, off-world, diplomatic assignment. She was thirty-two and Blake was twelve, and it had been a tearful good-bye. After a long and emotional hug, the last words she heard Blake say was, "Bye, Auntie Jo." They were actually first cousins, once removed, but Blake had always called her aunt. She had always supposed it was easier for a young child to understand the concept of aunt, rather than the cousin thing. Heck, even she had to look it up one time to see exactly how they were related. While Jo was away, she and Blake had kept in touch, but as always happens when people were apart, the letters and the subspace transmissions were less and less frequent, until they stopped entirely. Now, looking at the successful woman lying in the bed next to her, Jo deeply regretted that she hadn't stayed in touch. Her little Blake was now a Starfleet officer! If she died from her injuries, Jo would never forgive herself for the lost years. (reply Blake) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1836) Sighing heavily, Blake flittered her eyes open. Viskhard had left a few hours earlier at her insistance. He had looked exhausted and, despite the fact she knew he didn’t need that much sleep, she had sent him back to his own quarters to rest. After managing to sleep for a little over an hour, she now felt the presence of someone else in the room. Turning her head on the pillow, she saw someone she hadn’t expected to see. Not believing her own eyes, she blinked and said, “Auntie Jo?” (reply ambassador Turner) “Are you really here?” she asked, almost childlike. She hadn’t seen this woman in nearly twenty years and having her here and now, it was almost beyond belief. ~She’s dead. She has to be~ (Reply Ambassador Turner) Reaching out her hand, she almost drew it back in disbelief. “You .... you’re really here?” (reply Ambassador Turner, Any) (Posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1838) Jo was so worried about Blake, that she buried her face in her hands. She felt like crying, but she held it in to be strong for Blake. It had been so long since she had been to visit the commune where she grew up, that it surprised her how far she had drifted from the religious teachings and training that was the foundation of her life. She wanted to say a prayer for Blake, but she found that she had forgotten how. "Auntie Jo?" Jo heard a familiar voice, though it wasn't the young voice she had heard so long ago, but the voice of a grown woman. She moved just enough so that her eyes were no longer covered, though the rest of her face was. Blake was awake! "Are you really here?" Jo sat up straight, her hands dropping from covering her face. "Yes, Blake. It's me. I'm here." Her huge smile seemed to fill the room. Blake reached out slowly. "You... you’re really here?” Jo took Blake's outstretched hand between both of hers, holding it next to her heart. Unable to hold back the tears, she blubbered. "I'm sorry it's been so long." (reply Blake) (posted by Bob B.) ---------- (USS Rosenante, Sickbay, Blake Turner's Room, Day 5, 1840) "I'm sorry it's been so long." Smiling, Blake said, softly, “That’s ten years of birthday presents you owe me then.” Coughing slightly, Blake smiled again. (Reply Ambassador Turner) Sighing, Blake replied, “I don’t know. I remember the blast and...” Her eyes closed as the vision flashed before her eyes again. (Reply Ambassador Turner) Gripping her hand, Blake said, “It’s fine. Honestly.” Taking a breath, she continued, “They told me you were captured.” (Reply Ambassador Turner) “Can you stay? I mean here, with me?” (Reply Ambassador Turner) (Posted by Jackie Smith) ---------- (USS Rosenante COPS Quarters LT Tom & Dahlia Jackson Day 5 1900) Tom and Dahlia were relaxing after a light dinner. The Twins Hope and Jacob were playing on the floor before them. Tom was deep in thought. The last mission was replying in his mind. Dahlia recognized this mood in her husband. " Thomas what's on your mind my dear ?" she said, stroking Tom's head Jackson left his world of thought and looked I to her dark black eyes. Sighing he began. " Remember my assignment was in the refugee camp? Well 1 of the refugees was a small girl about 3 or 4 years of age. She was scared and needed a friend. She looked like a combination of Hope and you." Tom caught himself choking up. His wife put her arm around him and hugged het husband. Jackson when on. "I made friends with her. As you know I'm a softy for kids. We chatted for a bit. I told her about Hope, Jacob and you. I was able to get her to laugh a bit. Thank you he called and I moved away. This is about the time the suicide bombers detonated their bombs. By the time I had gotten back to where the tell was, she discovered by roble some bleeding badly. I'm quickly ran into medical scannetmr over her and saw her fate wad sealed. She would die aline and afraid". Tim's eyes started testing and the normally tough guy was crying. Dahlia kissed him softly waiting for him to complete the details. Tom Jackson regained his composure and continued. " I cleared the rubble from her small dying body. Picking her up I held her as I would hold our children. Her last words were 'Why?'. Before I could answer, she twitched in agony and died. I rocked her for I don't know how long. The cold emotionless starfleet officer in me tiok over as if a switch had been flipped, I went back to duty" Tom looked at their twins and then his wife. They sat watching the children play. (Reply: None) (Posted by: Bill W ) ---------- (Beta Aquillia IV - Atlantis Station - Hotel Owner - Niambh McNulty - Day 4 - 1922) Niambh was enjoying what would probably be her last sunset here when the comm badge that the Federation had given her chirped. =/\= Soma to McNulty. =/\= Annoyed to be interrupted but realising that it would probably be important she finally lifted her hand and tapped the badge. "Niambh here, how can I help you Ben?" =/\= I would like for you to arrange a meeting for me with President Kolath. I have a few things that I need to speak with him about. =/\= Sighing Niambh finally got to her feet and with one last look at the sunset she tapped the badge again. "Certainly Commander how soon would you wish to speak with him?" =/\= The sooner the better. =/\= Niambh shook her head before she answered. "Very well I will speak to him and try to set up a meeting within the next half hour. However I will not push him to meet with you should he refuse since he is still technically my guest. I suggest you meet me in CentComm in fifteen minutes. Niambh out." Shutting down the channel Niambh made her way back to the President's Suite and pressed the chime. Going through the same procedure with his security as she had done less than half an hour ago she once again found herself facing Kolath. "My apologies Mr President but I have just been contacted by the First Officer of the Rosenante asking that I arrange a meeting between the two of you. Should you agree he will make himself available on Atlantis within the next half hour. I am meeting him in the Federation CentComm in fifteen minutes. Should you agree to this meeting I will escort him here to your suite since I think you would prefer to meet him on technically 'your own ground' so to speak. However should you decide not to, that is your choice." (Reply Kolath) (Posted by Marilyn) ========== Compiled by Bob B.