Episode 4: When It Rains... Part II

Kelly Oct 6 2003, 07:11 AM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Holoarena Halliwell was walking around the city, checking out some of the places that Major said. She paused what she was doing as the ground was shook very violently. "Earthquake?" she whispered to herself and looked round at other people in the street who screamed and shouted. They seemed just as confused as her. She dove out the way as a street light came crashing down beside her— and that's when she looked around her: Buildings were collapsing. "What the hell?" she asked reaching for her communicator, "Halliwell to Major," she whispered into it, keeping it hidden with her hair. "What's going on?" She didn't get a chance to hear the reply as she got struck with more debris. She screamed down the communicator. Why the hell did that just hurt me? "Captain, do you read me?" she asked again.
Hawku Oct 6 2003, 07:43 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Holoarena Sith started walking down the street, sensing the city around him. The streets were empty and the air was thin. He didn't know what to think with the eerie atmosphere. CRUNCH! Sith turned back in time to see a large tank roll over his stolen corvette. Soldiers with machine gun rifles marched down the street with military-grade jeeps keeping pace along side them. Sith quickly hid behind a building corner as they headed in his direction. "Sith to T'Kila. Tell me why again the Eastern Coalition didn't just nuke the city and instead marched in like it was World War I?" T'Kila responded via comms. "In World War III, they were smarter back then. They wanted to keep buildings and available technologies in tact in case any of it would come in handy." Sith looked over his shoulder at the army closing in on him. "Lieutenant? Lieutenant, respond!" He snapped out of it. "Sith here." He tapped his commbadge again. "What happened to you? You cut out for a second." K'Rak's voice came over this time. Sith didn't even realize he switched talking over to him. But the preoccupied officer made his way down another street to avoid the rush. He turned on West 28th Street and headed northbound. It seemed the transit wasn't going to be running today. "Sith," K'Rak made conversation after a long pause. "Are you alright?"  "I'm fine, Commander," Sith replied quickly. K'Rak took a breath. "A Klingon knows when one is under pressure." "I said, I'm fine," Rune Sith reinstated. He stopped in his tracks as he could see, in the crossing 7th Avenue, leagues of speeding jeeps driving passed. The Coalition was infiltrating the city and he was surrounded.
Will Karelia Oct 6 2003, 08:48 PM	Lieutenant Will Karelia - Operations Center Will, once again, tried the procedure. It seemed impossible to contact the holoarena in any way. He had tried remotely toggling the exit to open and activating an access panel. The fresh Lieutenant even tried programming a cloud formation in the shape of words. Nothing was working. "Admiral, I have been trying everything I can imagine to contact them. I haven't had any success. I have been locked out of all holoarena functions. The only options I see are to manually cut the power relays to the hologrid or to go down there with a phaser and cut the door open. But either one could cause severe damage to the hologrid. Frankly, I'm at a loss."
Joshua Oct 6 2003, 11:34 PM	Counselor Rasin - Quarters Othoniel called out to the computer, but it did not answer him. Still puzzled as to what was happening, he tried to open the door, but it did not open. He then pried off the touch pad to the left of the door and tried to use the manual release. It worked! He crept out of his room and jogged down to the end of the corridor. He looked both ways, noticing a guard at the left, he decided to try and walk casually down the corridor to his right. The guard called after him. The counselor broke into a run, but was stopped by a phaser shot to his back. He dropped to the floor, only to wake up, shortly after, back in the habitat quarters with a man who looked Othoniel's age sitting at a nearby table.
Mozg Oct 7 2003, 02:47 AM	Lattrel Ottel - The Deck Ottel was strolling down the third floor balcony of The Deck. He had just come from the security office, where things had gone much smoother and faster, and he couldn't be happier. Right in front of him, near a large oval window, a crowd was gathering. Ottel had seen this quite a few times now and was getting used to it, but as he got closer to the window, something caught his eye. This was definitely a reason for interest and excitement. A ship was moving slowly away from the station. It looked magnificent, its sheer size accompanied by the equally mesmerizing design that, while similar to most Starfleet ships, stood out completely on its own. The sky blue glow of the nacelles began to intensify and the vessel entered warp, leaving the audience gasping. "Now that is a thing of beauty," Ottel said excitedly and turned to the nearest person. "What ship was that?" "It was the Enterprise," an officer, overhearing his question, answered. "I think they dropped off a new lieutenant." Enterprise. The image flew through Ottel's mind. To the best of his knowledge, there were only a few Heracles-class ships in Starfleet, and Enterprise was the top of the line. They were known to easily match any Alliance vessel. If only they had more of these babies. Ottel kept walking. He could now see the Double~Helix. The regular customers would be arriving soon and his shift would begin in just a few minutes.
markspot Oct 7 2003, 02:20 PM	Lieutenant Commander K'Rak - Holoarena K'Rak's phaser was out and his senses were on heightened alert. Having been raised to be a Klingon warrior, he was very familiar with the scene of battle. He tried to use his Klingon training to help him proceed, but realized that the Klingon tradition would have him attempt to kill the enemy. Unfortunately, that is not an option here, he thought disappointedly. What would Starfleet training say? he thought. When fighting is not an option, retreat to safety. As distasteful as this was, they could not allow their cover to be exposed. "Sir, I would recommend that we find a place to stay for the duration of the assault." "Agreed. Any suggestions?" Halliwell spoke up. "It looks like there's an underground bunker over there. It may be unoccupied." They walked over to the bunker, opened it up, and shined their flashlights inside.
Jake Oct 7 2003, 02:51 PM	Lt. Cmdr. Tanik - Starfleet Medical Tanik walked into the cavernous lobby and proceeded towards a desk where a female secretary sat behind. Seems to be a recurring trend... The human female looked up at him and smiled. "Good evening. How may I help you?" "Do you know if Admiral Miasha Jenco has been here recently?" The secretary raised her eyebrow. "Not to my knowledge. No. Why?" Tanik looked slightly uncomfortable. "A friend told me I might find him here. We have some important business to speak about." Tanik thought for a minute. He didn't want to just leave on her word. He had to check it out for himself. But, he would need some kind of excuse to get in... And idea struck him. "Is Ensign Othoniel Rasin here?" "Yes, but he is in isolation. I doubt they would accept visitors. But you can try and see, if you wish," the secretary handed him a hall pass. Tanik looked perplexed. "Thank you. But, I must ask, why is he in isolation?" "I believe he didn't pass his psych exam and I think he tried to escape earlier." "Thank you for your time," Tanik said pleasantly, hiding his concern and suspicion. 15 minutes later... As the secretary had suggested, there were to be no visitors for Rasin. Tanik then decided to swing back to the lobby the long way, just in case he might run into something. Cafeteria When Tanik entered the cafeteria, his stomach was already growling. He had forgot about food for quite awhile. He walked over to the line and got some baked chicken with mashed potatoes and sat down at a table in one corner in the room. As he ate, he scanned the room, trying to look as casual as possible. As it was just nearing 8:00 P.M. in San Francisco, the room was clearing out. It was mostly full with staff members and doctors, as most of the patients had left. As most of the Starfleet personnel at medical wore blue, a red shirt with two surrounding green shirts stood out. It was Admiral Jenco with two security officers. They were seated at a small table at the other side of the room, along with another person in civilian clothes. Jenco and one of the greenshirts were scanning the room, a lot less casually than Tanik. The other greenshirt had his full attention on the civilian, who's back was turned. I'll be a son of a Regulan Bloodworm, Tanik thought to himself. Tanik thought it best to turn his back to them, so to hide his face and green shirt. After a few more minutes, with his chicken and potatoes nearly gone, he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Admiral Jenco's party leave through a door. The civilian turned toward Tanik. She seemed to give him a look that cried out to him. It was Sabinus. Tanik threw all of his subtlety out the window and made a mad dash across the cafeteria to the door. All attention in the cafeteria was on him, but he didn't care. When he got to the door and went through, all there was was an empty hallway. Dammit! Seeing no use to get lost in the cavernous hallways looking for them, Tanik decided to get back to the lobby the quickest way he could and get help.
RMrulz Oct 8 2003, 01:36 AM	Admiral Tom Garrison - Outside the holoarena Tom stood outside the holoarena, surveying the scene before him. Several wall panels had been removed and circuity lay all over the floor. Engineers were swarming all around, trying to figure out how to get into the holodeck. They had already ruled out simply cutting through the doors because they had no idea where the officers inside the holodeck were. If they were too close to the door, they could be injured, or worse, even killed. Tom sighed, realizing he had only come down here to waste time. He was getting behind in paperwork and was using this as an excuse not to do it. As annoying as Oswald was, he was still a competent officer and didn't need Tom interfering every five seconds. So he turned around and headed for the nearest turbolift, taking it all the way up to the top of the station. Office He exited the turbolift and walked all the way down the hall. Reaching his office, he went inside and was greeted by darkness. Odd. I don't remember turning off the lights... "Computer, lights," he called out. The lights came on and Tom jumped at the sight of a figure in his chair. He was just about to call for security when he realized it was Drayson. "Dammit! Why the theatrics?!" he cried out. "My apologies if I startled you, Tom. But I'm not supposed to be here yet. You're not supposed to know what I'm about to tell you." Tom was intrigued. He just stood there, waiting for Drayson to continue. "At 0200 hours, this morning, Intelligence lost contact with one of our ships that was out near the Betazed system. About a half hour later, we received a report that a massive fleet had entered the Betazed system. As of 0600 hours, this morning, Betazed is completely under Alliance control." Tom was stunned. "What?! Why haven't I heard about this?" "Command immediately put a censor on all news of the event. They're down there, right now, arguing like a bunch of idiots about what to do next. And, in the meantime, they're not letting anybody know." "Not even the admiral in charge of their fleet," Tom muttered to himself. "Tom," Drayson said with an urgency in his voice that made Tom look up at him. "This is bad. Really bad. Nobody in Intelligence has any doubt that Vulcan will be next. It's so close to Betazed. And from there, it will only be a matter of time before they reach Earth." "My god..." "We need to launch a counterattack. Now. While we still can. Intelligence is unanimous on this. If we don't do it now, we will never be able to. And even now, it would be a long shot." Tom took all this in and just stood there for several minutes. He was unsure of what to do next and what he even could do with Command sitting down there on Earth arguing away, not even bothering to include him in all their discussions. Why do they seem so damned unconcerned by all this...? he thought to himself. He looked up at Drayson, his mind made up. "I'm going to Earth, I need to get Command's attention and I doubt I'll do that from up here. You coming with me?" "I can't. Not yet, at least. Remember I wasn't supposed to tell you this. You didn't find any of this out through me. But once things calm down a bit, I'll be along." Tom nodded. "I understand." He then turned and left his office, heading for the docking bays. He planned on being on the next transport down to Earth.
Kelly Oct 8 2003, 09:39 AM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Holoarena Halliwell got out a touch and went forward. A hand stopped her. She looked up to K'rak. "It would be best if I went first," he commented. Halliwell nodded slightly and allowed him to go first, another rumble and she stood uneasily. They all had a job standing up. "It's abandoned," he shouted back over the noise overhead. "What now?" "As long as we stay here," Halliwell shouted in return, "We should be safer than we would out there." She heard a crack above her. Her eyes widened as they all ran deeper into the tunnel. A few metres or so it became more stable. Halliwell knelt down for a second. "I guess I spoke too soon." She tapped her communicator. It fizzed and buzzed at her. "Well, that's screwed it," she commented to herself wiping away some dirt and looked round. "Ideas would be good around now?"
Captain Archer Oct 9 2003, 09:36 PM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - Commander Hurst's Apartment Michael rolled over and looked out the window at the night sky, then turned back to look at Jen. He quietly exited the room and to the kitchen to grab a drink of water and noticed a PADD had slipped out of Jen's case. Normally Michael wouldn't have looked at it but something compelled him to look. He accessed the controls and tried open some files. He found a few that weren't classified by a security code. The PADD raised more questions when he realized that it contained personnel files of all the senior staff of 001, himself and Admiral Garrison included. He turned off the PADD, laid it back where he found it and headed to the large window in the living area of the apartment. He looked up. Something caught the corner of his eye. He focused his gaze at a nearby tree. There, he saw a figure standing behind it. He slowly moved away from the window and moved to the door. He slipped outside to the tree. As he approached it, he saw a shimmering effect.  A transporter? When he arrived, there was nothing there except a small data PADD. He picked it up, keyed the controls and a message appeared on the screen:   WATCH YOURSELF AROUND THE COMMANDER, MICHAEL.
Tucker Oct 10 2003, 06:04 PM	Captain David Major - Holoarena David followed in behind Halliwell and, after a few steps downhill, found himself with the rest of the crew in a large, concrete circular room about 20 meters in diameter. "Very well. This is where we will spend the rest of the direct attack. Starfleet records indicate that the there was a battle here for three days, until the western coalition took the city again, for a short period, anyway. After that, we'll continue. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good. I want someone posted outside the door at all times, we'll switch every other hour. I know that it's extremely dangerous out there, but with the safeties turned off, we have to be able to have advanced warning of danger." K'Rak lifted his hand. "Sir, I would like to take the first shift." David thought for a second and then nodded. "Very well, I was planning on doing it myself, but if you feel so inclined, feel free. I will come replace you in 2 hours." Looking around the room once more, he finished his thoughts. "Mr. Jackson, I want you to keep working on getting the safeties back on. Samantha, you'll be in charge of setting up our limited food supplies and making sure basic needs are met for the next three days. I want no one, I repeat NO-ONE going outside with the exception of the sentry without my direct authorization. Understood?" Muffled replies came from the group. "Good. We'll get through this people....."
Mozg Oct 10 2003, 09:23 PM	Lattrel Ottel - Double~Helix "58 bottles of rum on the wall, 58 bottles of rum," the group of young Academy graduates kept on singing. One of them pulled Ottel in as he was passing by to get to the bar. "Come sing with us... You drink..." "Na-na, na-na, na-na, 57 bottles of rum on the wall..." Ottel sang happily trying to hide the fact that he didn't know the words. "I have to go. Some people work, you know," he said and laughed. I hate that stupid, moronic song! Ottel reached under the bar and took out another container of Romulan Pale he had prepared the prior night. That grabbed the attention of the graduates. "Heeeey!!!! There it is," they yelled out and crowded the bar. "Whoa there, kids. There's plenty for everyone," Ottel tried to calm them down. At least they stopped that stupid, moronic song! "A toast! A toast!" they requested. Ottel finished filling the glasses, then filled one for himself and held it up. Everyone fell silent. "To the next generation of Starfleet hotshots. The best damn graduating class I have ever seen," he chugged down the drink under the loud cheering. As he was bringing the glass down, something surprised Ottel. He tried to hide that surprise and finished what he was doing. A tall Nausicaan had just stepped into the bar. He slowly walked towards the farthest corner and took a seat. One of the waiters approached him and offered a menu. What the hell is he doing here? And he's two days early, Ottel wondered. This could get ugly. Dismissing the young crowd, Ottel walked up to the Nausicaan. "I'll take care of him, Hrag," he dismissed the waiter. Looking around, Ottel addressed the customer in clear Nausicaan, "Aren't we a little too early, Mkrdij?" "There were important things. Very important things." Mkrdij paused for a while. "Yes. Go on." Ottel was getting impatient. What was it that was this important. The exchange of information always had a set date. "Betazed is taken," the Nausican continued. Ottel froze for a second. That was important, but... "That was expected, Mkrdij. Sooner or later, it was going to happen, the way the Starfleet heads are acting. That is not important enough to take this risk, and you know it!" Ottel was getting angry. "There's something else, aga Latrell. Your uncle was at Betazed." He looked for words, and then seeing the impatient look on Ottel's face, completed, "He was killed during the attack." Ottel was stricken. He quietly sat down in the nearest chair he could find. There was a bland expression on his face, his eyes looking left and right pointlessly. "You know what this means, aga Lattrel," the Nausicaan seemed untouched by Ottel's reaction. "The Council must choose a new member, and your uncle had named you and your cousin as candidates for succession."
Hawku Oct 11 2003, 05:38 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Holoarena Sith made his way inside an abandoned office building. There, at the middle floor, out a window, he could see the Coalition moving through the streets. He was safe. He then sat on the floor against the wall. Thinking. Thinking. Remembering. Remembering the past. Until it hit him. Fear. Sith opened his eyes in shock. CRASH! The sound of a door being knocked in was heard outside and below. A section of the Coalition was making their way inside the building. "Captain David Maj—r to Sittth—!" a transmission flickered through. "Sith here." He tapped his commbadge. "Where the hell are you?" Sith looked around. "The Bank of America?" "You have to get back here. We've found a safe place to wait out the attack." The door to his floor was kicked through and soldier's with advanced helmets broke in, their attention on Sith. "Understood, Captain. I'm on my way." He tapped his commbadge off just as the four soldiers from across the room began firing their machine gun rifles. Sith dove behind a desk in a desperate attempt for survival. Wood pieces and computer monitors shattered in the air by the piercing of every loud bullet after loud bullet. At the next break in fire, the Lieutenant ran and leapt out the nearby window, falling through the air and hitting the lower roof of the next building. He rolled and got to his feet, quickly, having escaped with only a cut in his shoulder. "Urgh!" A bullet hit the patio next to his foot, cracking it. More bullets came, prompting Sith to run again. He leapt off that building, grabbing a clothesline which was connected to the next, until his weight snapped one end of it. Sith came swinging around, ricocheting off the wall of the alleyway and turning his direction out towards the street. The alive Starfleet officer swung out above the street, over the Coalition military faction who didn't even notice him. Sith let go the clothes line and next landed right on top an enemy tank. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire." Fallen hearts underwear smacked into the side of a soldier's face. He turned around and caught a glimpse of Sith on the tank. "A western!" he yelled. "Kill him!" The General called out. Sith rolled himself off the tank and into the crowd of soldiers. He backed into one soldier, grabbing his assault rifle and clicking the trigger. In the valley of death, Sith spun around in a circle, firing rapid bullets. Soldiers all around were knocked back and into other soldiers, unable to match Sith's quickness. Bullets flew everywhere. He then stepped off a falling man, flying over the crowd and firing the assault rifle with one arm to the distance. Those soldiers were taken out as Sith came down and smacked into the General. "Orgh!!" Sith got up and fired at the group of soliders, killing more and more, as he ran away from them. He turned from side to side, firing and firing until his rifle ran out of ammo. "Damn!" He threw it at an incoming enemy combatant. That soldier was knocked out as Sith jettisoned down the next alley way. He leapt off a pile of garbage cans and flipped over the blocking fence. He had finally escaped them. Walking away safely, he shook his head thankful for his survival. "Pfft. Holograms." Dead and injured Coalition soldiers were left behind, groaning and crying. The General stood up in great anger. "I want that man dead." He reached into his jeep and yanked out his comm-device. 33rd Street A few blocks down, the Coalition military faction was notified as they marched along. "What the??" Sith was grabbed to the side. A civilian had noticed him. "You have to help me! Get me out of here!" The business man cried. Sith flung the man's arms away and continued. "I'm sorry, but I can't." "Are you crazy? You're just going to leave me here?! What kind of person are you!?!" he yelled in astonishment. Sith opened his quantum-tricorder and then stopped in his tracks. "Wait a second. This is all just duo phasic photonic matter and forcefields. Maybe I can change some of it to my advantage." He ran over to a mailbox and placed his quantum-tricorder on it. The business man, Mark, watched as Sith tapped at the controls. A beam fanned out against the wall of a nearby building. Nothing changed. "Hmm. This may take some reconfiguring."
Nightranger Oct 12 2003, 08:49 PM	Fleet Captain Drayson Hardgrove - Undisclosed location The distinct hum from the transporter brought Hardgrove's mind back from wandering. Looking up, he saw the figure of Admiral Blaine phase into a solid form. "What's our status?" he asked, gravely. "We're dying, slowly. Something drastic must be done. Command ignores all our suggestions and continues to drive us to surrender." Hargrove looked sick. "Then we'll have to take command of Command. My fleet is ready. We simply need Garrison's approval to engage. Our allies are ready to back us on any move we make." "Yes, but we trust Garrison to back us as well?" Hardgrove nodded. "Of course. He's already proven himself." Blaine nodded too. "Very well. You have our approval then. Remember, Hardgrove, the fate of our existence is in your hands." Hargrove quietly muttered to himself, "Why did it have to get this far?" As Blaine turned his back to Hardgrove, he slowly raised his voice. "Our backer in the Smugglers Coalition has been killed at Betazed. Your friend Lattrel Ottel is among his named successors. I'll see what we can do to get him the position." Again, Hardgrove nodded in acknowledgement. Blaine turned to face him. "What are your plans for Larson?" Hardgrove smiled at his inquiry. "I'm going to recruit him. We'll need an Ambassador under our influence. I also think his drastic measures on Cardassia proves so." Blaine shook his head in approval. "Good. Now let's get things started." Blaine then tapped his wrist and was beamed away. Drayson sighed. The loss of Betazed was already too much and the loss they would soon suffer would be far worse. Yet, it had to be done. Patting the side of the barren bulkhead he knew the sacrifice was needed.
Kelly Oct 13 2003, 10:41 AM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Holoarena Halliwell nodded to Major as he stopped speaking. She sat down and opened her own small case with supplies in. She looked around to everyone in there. "Can you all hand me these?" she asked holding her own up. "If we're to survive we need to see what we've got put together and come up with a system of making it last." Major tossed her his own. She put it down next to her feet and accepted everyone else's. She opened them all and did a quick count up in her head, frowned a moment and pulled her hair out of her eyes, then looked back down. "Sam?" Halliwell looked up to Major. "Well, we have enough food for at least a week. But everyone has used up their water rations pretty quickly." She then sealed up the cases and walked over, putting them in a hole, out of the way. She stood up to face Major. "I mean, really used it up. Couldn't have been prevented, sir. I'm not naming anyone but I noticed both yours and my supply was looking low." She looked up and held out her hands. "We didn't expect this," she said voice low. "Isn't the idea of this exercise just that?" He nodded slowly. "What do you suggest?" "If I had a copy of the plans, perhaps find a main water pipe which would..." "No," Major said. "But..." "No. I said that no one was to go out there, that includes you Sam," he said sternly. She knew not to go on and sat back over to a corner.
Mozg Oct 17 2003, 12:27 AM	Lattrel Ottel - Double~Helix bar There will always be a time for tears, Ottel remembered his uncle’s words, told to him and his cousin Glott on the day of their grandfather's death. There will always be a time for tears. He stood up from the seat and addressed Mkrdij. "Walk with me." And, as they were walking out of the bar, Ottel turned to one of the waiters. "Hrag, cover for me, would you?" The two kept walking down the large corridor leading to the turbolift. The Nausicaan followed Ottel some three feet behind. Quarters “Hand me that case,” Ottel ordered and walked into his bedroom. The Nausicaan looked around with a question in his eyes. He caught a glimpse of a large case in the corner. Though the load was somewhat heavy, Mkrdij had no problem moving it towards the center of the room. He stood there, with strange obedience for someone as large as him. “Good,” Ottel said as he walked into the room. He kneeled right in front of the case and opened it with a strange looking key. With a curious glance, Mkrdij watched Ottel take out a staff of some kind. The Bolian staff! Mkrdij realized. He had heard of the ceremonial staff, passed down from generation to generation. Only few Bolian families had one of these and it was a sign of wealth and prestige. Ottel held the staff with both hands and twisted each end in opposite direction. A click was heard and Ottel easily separated the staff into two, straight down the middle. Inside, there was a small half-circle talisman. With the talisman in hand, he stood up and calmly headed to the desk. There lay his independent computer. At a click of a button, a small drive opened and Ottel put the talisman into the drive and closed it. “This contains information on the coalition rulebook. I will have to review it, to ensure a success at the election,” Ottel tried explaining his actions to the mesmerized Nausicaan. “So, you want to give it a run,” Mkrdij said excitedly. “Of course, my old friend. My uncle’s death has struck me, but there are more important things at stake now.” “What of Glott then?” the Nausican wondered. “Glott is a great man, but he is simply not fit to be a member of the Council. Especially now, that…” Ottel’s words were interrupted by a familiar sound. Swoosh! Someone materialized right into the room. His face was not noticeable, but Ottel recognized the built of the man. It was Hardgrove. Before Ottel could say anything, his Nausican guard jumped right at the Fleet Captain, trying to bring him down. “Stop,” Ottel yelled out, but it was too late. Late for the Nausican: With just a single step, Hardgrove stepped out of the way and threw Mkrdij headfirst into the bedroom. Mkrdij recovered immediately and wanted to pursue the fight, but Ottel stopped him with a mere hand gesture. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Ottel said, sarcastically. “We need to talk,” Hardgrove shot a wondering glance at the Nausicaan, “about important things.” “He can be trusted. Go on.”
Nightranger Oct 17 2003, 01:21 PM	Fleet Captain Drayson Hardgrove "I take it you've heard of Betazed's fall. We've suffered a loss and unless we take drastic measures, we won't survive. I can arrange your appointment to the Council, but it isn't without its price." Hardgrove handed him a PADD. "This has orders for one of our reserve ship yards to refit your ship with new weapons and shields. You'll need to get your ship there and fast if the next part of our plan is to be effective. Don't ask. Just do. I'll explain later." With that, he disappeared just as quickly as he came in.
Nightranger Oct 18 2003, 10:50 PM	Commander Jennifer Hurst - Apartment Jennifer Hurst woke, shaken from the lack of body heat she had been sharing with Michael. Grabbing a robe she quickly dressed and headed to find her bed partner. Reaching the kitchen she stood in its door way and watched as a PADD had appeared out of thin air in Larkin's hands. She had waited too long, or at least she thought. She had wanted to make her request to him but now it was too late. He was an Ambassador, not an officer— How could he go with her, even if she had pleaded? There had to be another way. Larkin had turned to look at her as she approached. He made his way to her. He smiled at her and laid his hand on her shoulder as he drew her close. "Everything ok?" she asked. Larkin smirked. He looked at the PADD for a split second noticing its message had since vanished. "Of course. Just going over some notes," he lied. "Let's go back to bed. It's late." As they left the kitchen and headed back to bed, the night's silence was interrupted by the sound of Hurst's commbadge. She sighed, smiling to Larkin. She then told him she'd be right back as she ran to the comm-panel and established a link. With a quick flash, Hardgrove's face appeared on the screen. His face was cold, as if he had just witnessed a massacre. "Commander, is Ambassador Larkin still with you?" he asked. Hurst nodded. "Good. Keep it that way. Mr. Larkin has become very important in these past few hours. I want you to escort him to my office on 001 first thing tomorrow." Again Jennifer Hurst nodded and ended the call with a "Will do." The transmission cut out. She sighed once again and returned to Michael.
Kelly Oct 19 2003, 05:57 AM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Holoarena Halliwell sat up and looked around the area. It still hadn't quieted down outside yet. Man, I think I'm getting a headache, she thought to herself and closed her eyes slightly. She opened her eyes again and pushed her hair back. Somehow, and for the life of her, she couldn't remember how her band had broke. It left her hair hanging around her waist. She threw back her head to get it out of her eyes. Can't go to sleep, she reasoned with herself. People are gonna start panicking soon. You have to be clear-minded. She looked for Major. She stood up and brushed off her clothes. "Captain?" She glanced round and saw K'Rak. She headed over to him, stopped herself and looked at the Klingon. It was Major's turn to stand watch. How much time had passed? She carried on over to K'Rak. She walked over to him and smiled. "Mind if I have a seat?" "Of course, Commander," he said loudly. "Please." Halliwell grabbed her small bag, put it next to him and sat down. She turned back to him. "When did the Captain relieve you?" "About 10 minutes ago. He insisted, although," K'Rak answered. "Relax." Opening her bag, searching through it, she cursed to herself. "Is there something wrong, ma'am?" She shook her head in response. She delved through her bag, cursed again and looked round. "Is Sith here?" "No, ma'am," K'Rak answered automatically. "He hasn't arrived yet. I am sure he will make it." Halliwell sat back and tilted her head up. "I hope so," she whispered, half to herself, half to K'Rak. "I hope so."
Captain Archer Oct 19 2003, 10:49 AM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - Jen's Apartment Jen walked back into the bedroom. "Michael, join me on the terrace?" Michael slipped out of bed and put his robe back on. "Sure." He followed her through the apartment to the terrace. "Michael, I need your help. I need you to come to 001 with me. Captain Hardgrove has a proposal to make to you." She seemed to be studying his face to gauge a reaction. "Regarding?" Michael asked. "I'm not at liberty to say... but it's important. He needs your assistance." Michael thought for a moment. "All right, I'll go and see what he has to say. I'm not making any promises until then. One question, does this have anything to do with the man that's been following me?" Jen looked perplexed. "Man?" "Yes. I ran into him on the transport down to Earth. Then I noticed him again at the tram station. Then just a few minutes ago. I could have sworn he was outside." Jen looked Michael in the eye. "I don't know who this man is, but he's not with us." Michael was sure that was the answer. "Well, we'd better get dressed and up to the station." Jen smiled. "Agreed."
Mozg Oct 19 2003, 05:37 PM	Mkrdij – aboard his vessel A small ship left the station, carrying within it, Mkrdij and a set of special instructions. It peered off towards the moon and entered warp. The course was laid in and Mkrdij once again recited the instructions in his mind as to not forget them. It was a smuggler tradition not to have any written documents; everything was to be memorized. The instructions were plain and simple: Mkrdij had to visit all Coallition bases in the outlaying sectors and prepare the ships for the refits. He still wasn’t completely convinced that everything would go smoothly. There were surely to be those who would want to know the reason for the refits, but aga Lattrel had assured him that things would be taken care of before he got there.
	Lattrel Ottel – aboard the Tilibos “We are approaching sector Nol base!” the deep computer voice warned Ottel. That freshened Ottel up. He hadn’t had enough rest in the past 24 hours. The Tilibos had left the station approximately two hours ago and he decided to take a nap during the trip. Ottel sat up and looked outside the window. All he could see was a large asteroid in orbit of a moon. It was two thirds of the size of Starbase 001. “Computer, relay a transmission,” Ottel continued. “This is Lattrel Ottel, drnake batz ners gam yes, anoush anoush kat tam kes.” “Baroves yekel, aga Lattrel,” a voice was heard through the speakers. “Prepare to dock.” A small segment of the asteroid surface started to faze and a round metallic entrance appeared. It rotated open and the Tilibos flew in.
Jake Oct 19 2003, 05:38 PM	Lt. Cmdr. Tanik - Tram Station, San Francisco Tanik waited for the next tram to get him to Alameda, across the bay. I hope Sonal can help me get Rasin and Sabinus out of there, Tanik thought. Sonal was the tactical officer and chief of security onboard the Chaltok and he specialized in infiltration. He wasn't sure how he would pull this off, but he knew he had to. And he hoped to be able to discuss the plan with Sonal when he got there. He could probably think up something. Just then, an unexpected visitor came off a nearby tram, Admiral Garrison. "Admiral!" Tanik said across the crowd. Garrison was slightly startled, but proceeded toward Tanik. "Commander? Is there something I can do for you?" "They're holding Rasin in Starfleet Medical. And my niece. I was about to contact an old friend to see... what we can do to remedy the situation." Garrison stood there, sucker punched. After a while, he spoke up. "Well, I'm afraid I have some more bad news..." Tanik closed his eyes. "Well, there's a change," he said sarcastically. "Yeah, you know what they say - When it rains, it pours," Garrison replied. Tanik nodded in agreement. "Betazed has been taken. Command has no clue what to do. I'm a very angry man," Garrison said. "Well, that makes two of us. That's just... lovely," Tanik replied. "Yes, Commander. I'm going to Command to see what I can do." "Don't bother. I've already tried to get through to them, and the highest I could get up to was a Lieutenant Commander named Oswald.... Obnoxious snot." Garrison snorted. "That describes him very well." Tanik raised a questioning eyebrow. "He's in charge of the station until the senior staff gets out of simulation. And they seem to be stuck in the Holodeck, so..." Garrison trailed off. Tanik had a hand up to his forehead. "Tell me you're kidding. I'm feeling a migraine come on all of a sudden." "I wish I was. So, Command's not home?" Tanik looked up. "No. That's another thing I wanted to talk about. When I saw my niece for just those few seconds, guess who I saw with her..." Garrison furrowed his eyebrows. "Admiral Jenco."
Hawku Oct 19 2003, 10:15 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith Sith started walking down the street, sensing the city around him. The streets were empty and the air was thin. He didn't know what to think as he experienced this eerie atmosphere. Rumble... Up, in the dark, cloudy distant sky above the city was the Alliance vessel, forking tri-phaser beams out at small swarming Starfleet fighters. They were holding up the battle well. Thavili used to be both a great and quaint city. Unfortunately, now, in the year 2749, it was on its way to slum. "Sith to Vitality, come in!" he tapped his commbadge. "We're a litt—llle bbbbusyy— attt—!!" and the transmission cut out. There wasn't anything he could do. The ship was too preoccupied to beam him up and his fighter was damaged in the crash. After today, he was sure the Federation and the Alliance would go to war. Shouldn't they? He could already feel the atmosphere. As he walked on, he checked the holo-computer console on his environmental suit's forearm. He had to wear the standard outfitting due to the radiation being caused in the atmosphere by the Alliance engines. The suit was comfortable and really flexible. Nothing like how they were designed centuries ago. The holo-panel showed data on different types of radiation in the vicinity. All of a sudden, phaser radiation levels rose. Sith looked across the horizon at the many houses and a phaser beam blasted right through a neighborhood. Debris and ground pieces shot up and crashed down. Catastrophe. But, before he could react, sounds of a whimper was heard nearby. "Shh!" an estranged Valakian mother cried out to her children. But Sith found them. They were huddled at the door of their collapsed household.  "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Sith approached the terrified, broken family. "The... the Alliance..." she cried in despair, holding on to her youngest daughter. "I'm with the Federation. We're trying to stop the Alliance. If you deactivate your transporter inhibiter, we'll be able to beam you up." "The sooner we deactivate the inhibiter the sooner the Alliance will beam us up!" she countered. Sith felt their situation. "No. The Federation has this under contr—" But before they could react, sounds of distant explosions turned their heads in the same direction. The war raged on in the sky.
Mozg Oct 20 2003, 05:57 PM	Lattrel Ottel – Smuggler's base Mhoob  This is home, Ottel thought. His earliest memories were associated with this place. Here is where he grew up. Where he received his education and training. Where he mastered the fine art of smuggling alongside his uncle and grandfather. And, above all else, this is where he met Shani: the wide eyed girl with cute little freckles on her cheeks. Ottel knew from early childhood that he was different. It did not take him long to understand that Omma was his uncle and not his father, although he was treated with the same love as the other children. When Ottel was only seven, Uncle Omma took him to his room and gave him a picture. It depicted a couple: a Bolian male and a Terran female. “These are your parents” Uncle said. “Never forget them and make sure grandpa doesn’t see this picture.” “Shall I have the family docking bay prepped, aga Lattrel?” the same welcoming voice was heard again. “No. Thank you. I shall dock at the main bay,” Ottel rejected. He flew over a large ship heading out of the base. It was a “tub,” a nickname given to all vessels that were bought from the pirates and modified to meet the necessities of a smuggler. Ottel recognized certain aspects of the ship’s design. It would have to be a Ferengi ship, he concluded. As he cleared the ship, a familiar scene opened up in front of him. If the Deck on Starbase 001 managed to mesmerize him every time because of its shear size and engineering accuracy, Mhoob’s inner structure filled his heart with warmth. It was completely haphazard. No symmetry whatsoever. Yet, Ottel knew every turn and every hole. The only thing that was different was the number of ships stacked at the base. As the Alliance kept tightening its grip around the Federation, there was less and less room left for smugglers. Because of this, many ships were rendered useless. Clank!! Ottel landed the Tilibos on a circular deck. He stood up from his seat and stretched his back. It had been a long trip. People gathered around as the small lift under the ship slowly lowered until it touched the ground. Ottel walked off the lift and it went back up. There was a murmur in the crowd. They knew who he was, and they had obviously heard of his uncle’s death. Ottel stepped into the main docking bay. There were more people inside. On his left, an old Klingon woman was trying to sell some goods to a customer that was clearly not interested. A child was crying somewhere in the distance, and curse words were heard over the crowd in a mixture of languages, some of which Ottel knew and some, which he barely understood. Right then, he noticed something with the corner of his eye and turned around. It couldn’t be her, he dismissed his first thought. But, after a short deliberation, he shouted out loud, “Shani!!” A woman, not too far ahead, suddenly turned. Her wandering eyes stopped on Ottel. She quickly walked up to him. There was a smile on her face. “Ottel? Lattrel Ottel?” she could not believe her eyes. “Shani,” he said in a nurturing tone and slowly moved forward. Right then, she suddenly leapt forward and punched Ottel right in the jaw.