Episode 6: Retribution, Part III

Ullii Apr 5 2004, 03:57 PM	Lieutenant Ullii Lauren - Brig It was the day after her trial. Ullii sat in the brig waiting for her Prison transport to arrive. When it comes, they won't use transporters. She was trying to figure out a way to escape. Prison escorts' hull are made of some kind of alloy that blocks all transporter signals. They'll have to escort me and bring me onto the ship. Once I'm aboard, there'll be no turning back. I'll have to escape before then. The doors of the brig opened, and K'rak, along with seven other security officers stepped through, and lowered the force field of her cell. "Come with us." She got up and walked out as the security team formed a circle around her. She could see no one in the halls. They must've cleared the way. Ok. It's now or never. There was little chance that her plan would work, but she had to try! She turned around and punched the security guard right behind her, and lept for his phaser. She saw a phaser blast hit another security guard before she felt a sudden jolt of pain in her back. The world got darker and darker, until everything was black.   She was walking in a forest with someone beside her. She recognized him. What was his name... Dearborn! He was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear anything coming out of his mouth. Then suddenly his words became loud and clear: "Ullii! Ullii, wake up!" "What?" She woke up suddenly from her dream with James above her. "Thank god! Are you alright? I wasn't sure what setting he was using!" "I'm alright." She slowly sat up on James' sofa. She hadn't been in his quarters before. She saw a large tank filled with water on one side of his suite. His shark was swimming about it in circles. "Did you--" "Kill your escort?" James looked Ullii in the eyes. "No. I only stunned them. Wouldn't want even more counts of murder added to your record, would you?" he asked rhetorically. "Oh, and don't worry; my quarters are masked against the internal sensors. No one'll find us." Ullii found it odd that he would bring her here. Surely they would eventually look here for her. "So you believe me? That I didn't try to kill Garrison?" "Yes," he spoke softly. "Because it was me."
Captain Archer Apr 5 2004, 05:59 PM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - Guest Quarters, U.S.S. Appalachia Michael sat on the couch in the guest quarters, reading an old book, when the call came in:   "Bridge to Ambassador Larkin." Michael placed a finger in the book and tapped his comm badge, "Larkin here."   "Ambassador, we've been hailed by Legate Ranur. He wishes to speak with you." "I'll be right there. Larkin out." He tapped his comm badge to close the channel and headed up to the Bridge. Turbolift On route he ran into Major Lietra at the turbolift. "Major, I don't believe we've been formally introduced. Michael Larkin. Pleasure to meet you." She clasped his hand and gave him a firm handshake. "Where ya heading Ambassador?" "The Bridge. Care to join me?" Lietra nodded and stepped inside the lift. Ambassador Michael Larkin - Appalachia, Bridge "What does he want, Captain?" "Unknown Ambassador. He's standing by on the comm." Michael took a stance in front of the viewscreen. "Very well, open the frequency." The screen flickered from a view of the escort vessels to the cold look of Legate Ranur. "What can we do for you Legate?"   A smirk spread across Ranur face that sent chills down Michael's spine, then as quickly as it appeared it was gone. "We're approaching the planet. We thought you would like to know, Ambassador." Michael put on his best fake smile. "Excellent, Legate. We'll follow you in. Any special instructions?"   "Negative, just follow us into orbit and we'll transmit transport co-ordinates to your vessel. Ranur out." The screen flickered back to the view of the escorts and in the distance a Red Giant star could be seen approaching quickly. "Well, he seemed awfully pleased about something." Major Lietra said dryly. Michael turned around, "Captain if you please, I'd like to request the use of your briefing lounge for a few moments." He nodded, "Major would you join me in the briefing room?" She followed him to the lift as he entered he tapped his comm badge "Larkin to Captain's Hardgrove and Major would you please meet Major Lietra and I in the breifing room?" They both acknowledged his signal and Larkin instructed the lift to head to Deck 4. Ambassador Michael Larkin - Briefing Room Michael placed four small devices on the table. "We will each be equipped with one of these when we transport down." Major Lietra looked at the small circular devices. "What are they?" Hardgrove turned his chair to her, "They're subcutaneous communicators; each one tailored to the users' own unique physiology - allowing them to receive transmissions without anyone else hearing them." "Exactly," Michael continued, "We're not expecting trouble... but should it arise, we will be able to communicate with each other. Just as long as you don't appear to be talking to yourself." Michael chuckled at his joke as did the others. "Try not to send a communication unless your out of earshot of others. But incoming transmissions will be inaudible to others." The Major picked one up and rolled it around in her hand. "Are they detectable?" Larkin looked to the others before answering. "This is a new prototype that is supposed to be impervious to sensors once inside the body. It is supposed to emit the same signature of your life-signs. But as I said, they are prototypes." Hardgrove groaned, "I hate prototypes. We will test them before we leave won't we?" Michael chuckled a bit, "Of course we will. We should arrive at the planet in less than half an hour, we should go to sickbay and have them implanted." They all stood and headed to Sickbay.
Hawku Apr 5 2004, 07:51 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Romulan [Coalition] Battleship Ketrine, Mkrdij's Quarters In a dream he was having, Sith was fighting with perfect stance. Attacker's surrounded him, and with every single hit each attacker was killed. The bodies piled up around him until literally hundreds had died by his hand; and a large shadowy figure crept up from behind the circle of bodies laying his evil eyes upon Sith. "AAHHH!!!" Sith woke up in a big scream. His entire body was tingling with a stinging pain. The same pain he felt all throughout his cells when he was trapped on the Tsengate. That dream was caused by this stinging pain. It began to momentarily fluctuate his body. "AAAhhhh!!!!!" He grabbed onto the sofa but after a cold sweat he had found the fluctuation come to a stop. *Click? Chirp?* Zeta had been awoken from the nearby alien lamp shed. He thought his external sensors had lost Sith's readings. Julia walked in from the bedroom, alerted and concerned. She quickly ran over to Sith who was sitting up on the couch. "Oh no! Are you okay??" Sith took a deep breath a calmed himself. "I don't know. I felt this weird tingling sensation and then my body..." He paused, "I don't know. I have to get a major check-up. I need a Sickbay." But he knew that was impossible. "Let me get you some water," she went back into the other room. That's right; it was impossible. Blowing his cover would be ridiculous. Besides, he was on a suicide mission anyway. So what would it matter? Sith went over to the comfy chair-couch and slouched in it. "So this is it Zeta..." Zeta chirped and jumped over to the arm of the chair, listening. "Our last mission." He stopped to think. "I'm going to miss you in the afterlife." Sith was getting sentimental now. "You were my best friend." He laughed, "An android, my best friend!" He shook his head, "I didn't even get a chance to explain this mission to my brother or Master Shikel. I wished I took the time to get to know the other's at 001." He looked out the window at the racing stars. "K'Rak... Captian Major... Commander Halliwell... Tanik... even T'Kila. Which reminds me, I still owed her another match." Sith placed his hand on Zeta. "I hope she'll understand. That's if anyone ever finds out about what I'm going to do." Julia came back with water and a face towel. She handed them over. Why Sith was thinking about these people instead of his family, he didn't know. But in a way it all made sense.
Jake Apr 9 2004, 11:37 AM	Lieutenant Commander Tanik - Hallway Tanik strolled happily down the empty hallway, until he came to a junction where several security officers were lying unconscious on the floor. Tanik stooped to look down at all of them. All junior officers, except for.... K'Rak, Tanik thought to himself. "Tanik to medical!"   "Medical here." "Medical emergency, deck 7, section 21-A!"   "Acknowledged." K'Rak began to stir. "Ah... who are you?" "Lieutenant Commander Tanik, sir. What happened?" "She... got away!" K'Rak responded angrily. Tanik's left eyebrow arched. "Who? Who got away?" "Lauren!" K'Rak said with a typical Klingon snarl. Tanik's right eyebrow arched this time. "What did she do?!" "The court martial concluded that she was guilty of the attempted assassination of Admiral Garrison." K'Rak said matter-of-factly. Both of Tanik's eyebrows fell. "I was not aware of her indictment," then it struck him. "K'Rak, what was the evidence against her?" K'Rak chuckled. "There was a great deal of it. Her passcodes were used to enter Garrison's office five hours before the bomb went off, and her DNA was found on the bomb's remains..." Tanik paused for a second before answering. "How very convenient... Oh, well - the medical team are on their way. I'll be doing some digging." Before K'Rak could respond, Tanik was out of sight. The door to James' Quarters After not finding Ullii at her quarters, Tanik decided to use his override codes to enter James' quarters...
Ullii Apr 9 2004, 11:55 PM	Lieutenant Ullii Lauren - James' Quarters Ullii looked around James' quarters and noticed that there were no windows. "You were assigned windowless quarters? That's a bummer." "I requested them." He walked over to the shark tank. "Really?? Why'd you do that?" "This is why..." He pressed his hand against the glass, and the entire shark tank, snuggles and all, changed into a black wall with a small door, which opened upon James' proximity. Ullii gasped. They both walked inside, but all Ullii saw was a circular room with black holo-panels that had no holo-buttons, a chair, and two cots lying on the ground. James noticed the confused look that had cemented itself on Ullii's face. "It's advanced holomorphic technology. From the outside, this room is a shark tank in every way. Snuggles is even technically real. From the inside, however, it's an advanced Section-31 Mobile HQ." He tapped his finger on part of the black panel. "There. If anyone comes in here now, all they'll see or scan is snuggles a-swim in the sharky tank." He smiled. "But there aren't any buttons. No interface. No equipment storage..." "Only I can see the panel interface. It's activation is hardwired to my biosigns, and connected directly to my optical nerves. Not anyone but I can see or use them... As for equiptment, you'll find that we have everything we need in here." He looked at a flat portion of the panel. "Type 31-S Phaser." A small and very sleek phaser, the likes of which Ullii had never seen before, appeard on the panel. James picked it up and put it into her hand. "Here. You'll need this. Setting one is stun, setting two is kill, and don't ever, ever, ever use setting three!!!" "Ok, sure. What does setting th--" "Don't ask. Just... don't use it... Ever!" "Wait a minute..." Something James had said earlier had just come to her attention. "Section 31?? You're from Section 31??" "Wait." He stopped and looked intently at a part of the panel. "Someone's entered." He pushed a few buttons. "It's Tanik." "But... I can't see--" "I told you, only I can see it." "Well, can't you just--" "No." "... Ok." "... He's gone. You'll have to stay in here. The cot on the right is yours. We'll both have to stay hidden now." He punched a few more invisible buttons on the panel, and a strange male voice filled the small room. "Emergency Holomorphic Operative activated." It was the computer. "What?? You have a hologra... holomorphic... you?" "The computer takes an exact syncording of my mind, and de-programs all sensitive information. He can be interrogated with drugs, and he won't tell a thing." "Does he know he's--" "A holomorph? Haha... I don't know. I've never met him." ".... James?" "Yes?" "Why are you doing this for me?" "Because we both have the same goal." Ullii stared at him confused. "To protect the Federation... Here, drink this." He gave her a cup of orange liquid. "It'll help you remember."
Captain Archer Apr 11 2004, 03:58 PM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - Transporter Room Michael stepped up onto the Transporter Pad and took up a position in the rear ss the others piled onto the pad: Major, Hardgrove, Lietra and two security officers. "We're receiving the beam-down co-ordinates, Ambassador." Just then the doors opened and Captain Peterson walked in. "I just wanted to wish you all luck." "Thank you Captain," Michael looked at the rest of the group, "Ready?" Major turned his head. "Ready as we'll ever be." Michael looked up to the Chief operating the Transporter "Energize." Michael felt a strange sensation pass through his body, he'd never felt it before when he transported. Captain Peterson - Appalachia Bridge   "Transporter Room to Bridge." Peterson tapped the console on his command chair. "Go ahead Chief."   "Sir, the group has been beamed down. But I've tried to contact them for conformation and nobody is responding." Peterson looked over to his science officer, "Mitchell, scan the surface for their life-signs." He turned to Communications, "Lieutenant, try contacting them on this frequency." He tapped the frequency for the prototype communicators into the console on his chair and sent it to the Comm station. "No life signs at the co-ordinates they beamed to... no human or Bajoran life-signs on the planet that I can detect." Peterson turned to communications. "Lieutenant?" "Nothing sir." Peterson rose from his chair, "Hail Legate Ranur." Ambassador Michael Larkin - Unknown Location Michael's eyes slowly opened. He had a splitting headache. His surroundings smelled dank and musty. He strained to see where he was but it was so dark it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the lower light. He saw Major and Hardgrove but not Lietra. Michael crawled over to Hardgrove and felt for a pulse.... at least he's not dead - "Captain...... Captain Hardgrove, wake up." He stirred a little then shot up like he had been kicked in the stomach. "Where the hell are we?" Michael looked over at Major. "I have no idea." Michael heard footsteps approaching. He quickly moved over to Major and shook him awake just as two Breen soldiers came around the corner... along with someone Michael could have gone without seeing for a long time. Gul Telle walked up to Michael looked down at him and smiled. "Welcome to the Peace Conference Ambassador." Michael started to stand but one of the Breen said something he couldn't understand and shoved him back to the ground. "What's the meaning of this?" Major shouted out. Telle walked over to Major and kicked him in the stomach. "I ask the questions here, human." Hardgrove jumped up to attack Telle, but was caught in mid-air by one of the Breen who had a shocking device. The bolt sent Hardgrove to the ground. "Telle, you're not going to gain anything from this. We have a ship in orbit." Telle laughed and walked back to Michael. He bent down and got right in his face... and as he spoke the following words Michael could smell his breath. "It's being dealt with as we speak."
Hawku Apr 12 2004, 10:11 AM	Derkelenoc Station Derkelenoc Station was just getting its physics-multiplying lucrovexitrin gas problem down with a neutralizing agent, when it was approached by five badly injured and very angry Tholian Attacker ships... Their only conclusion was that if Sith wasn't there, he escaped off the last departing ship. Lieutenant Rune Sith - Romulan [Coaltion] Battleship Ketrine Sith and Julia snuck across the upper corridors, coming to a wall just behind the Bridge. Sith slammed his back against the wall and arched his head slightly around the corner to see the Bridge. There, it was being operated by four or five Coalition member's. "Argh... Looks easy... Heh." Sith was trying to keep down the strange tingling feeling in his cells. Hopefully Julia wouldn't notice so that they could go through with their plans. Julia looked over at the Bridge. She held the disrupter she acquired earlier. "Prophet's, see us through this," she said a silent prayer. On the viewscreen and side window's of the Bridge, an enormous amount of starship's could be seen, parked. The Ketrine slowed to a stop as they approached a huge fleet of multi-alien starship's native to Alliance territory. They were all sitting in front of the Zora Transwarp Conduit Gate... Two or three ships entering and leaving it at a time. "It's a traffic jam!" Sith noticed. "Damn!!" The Takaran Captian from earlier had slammed his fist into his chair. He looked on screen at it. "How long are we going to have to wait!?" He was eager to get to the Alliance station they were headed to and get all the Coalition paper-work over with. As his lacky's were answering, out the side window a few Tholian Attacker vessel's could be seen trying to squeeze through other starships. If one vessel was in their way, the Tholian Attacker would blast it. "Sith!" Julia nudged him. She pointed to the Bridge's side window. "I think it's the Tholians!" Sith looked over and saw two Tholian ship's getting closer, weaving and knocking other starship's out of the way. "Holy crap!" He looked to the other window and noticed two more Tholian ships approaching. They were coming for the Ketrine and time was running out... Meanwhile, the Takaran Captian slouched in his chair bored. He struggled to keep his eyes open. A strange beeping noise woke him, "Huh? What was that?" "Sir, we're being hailed by Tholians," his lackey mentioned. "I don't want to talk to them," he wined, "They look so freakin' weird." "Captain, I'm losing our engine systems..." the Bolian lackey changed the subject. He scanned further, and found that the engine interface had come out of their control. "Engineering!" The Captain yelled over the comm. "What is going on!?!" Engineering There, Zeta was hidden on the ceiling near the Transwarp-core. He had interface cables linked into the computer systems and drive. "I don't know!" The Chief Engineer cried from below. He scattered from console to console trying to figure it out. But Zeta had secret passcodes given to him by Mkrdij earlier. Bridge   "Captian," a call came in from somewhere on the ship, "Some idiot re-arranged the scheduling for Security!" The Takaran sat up even more annoyed now, "What in the name of glorb are you talking about??" "There's no one on Security right now! They're all asleep in their Quarters!" the voice panicked. "Some idiot?? You're the idiot!!" The Takaran yelled in rising anger. Meanwhile, behind him, Sith was kicking and punching his crew out. They were knocked out one by one as the Takaran was too angry to notice any thud sounds. "What the!?" He turned around to find Julia raising her disrupter at him. Sith blocked the punch from the Bolian lackey, and then kicked him over a console. The Bolian hit the floor and was out. Sith then got to the Helm. "We're getting out of here." As the Tholian Attacker's parked above, below and to both sides of the Ketrine, Sith slammed the Ketrine into the one above them and knocked it out of the way. He sped the Ketrine over the starship ahead of them, and then around the starship ahead of that one. Just as the next two starship's were about to enter the Transwarp Conduit, Sith rammed right between them. The starship's were ricocheted away to the sides, spinning, while the Ketrine flew through the Transwarp Gate into the Conduit itself. The Tholian's weren't far behind as they web-blasted more approaching starships out of the way and entered through the Gate in chase. The Zora Corridor's To the left, as the large Conduit walls were partially-transparent, oncoming traffic could be seen in an adjacent Conduit. The now three Tholian Attackers blasted web-material at the Ketrine ahead of them. The Ketrine shook like crazy under fire, and struggled to maintain. "You moldy Human!!" The Takaran yelled in anger, but then suddenly noticed the fact that they got in the Conduit. "Well now.... Good work. Why can't my crew be more like this?" Since no one was at the weapon's station, the Ketrine remained un-offensive. The ship continued to take on more and more hit's. Bulkheads began to break off. Sith was losing the Transwarp Conduit. One mistake and he could tear it apart, taking out the one or two Starship's ahead of him in the distance. "We're nearing the end..." Sith watched the counting-down code's hovering above the Helm. The Tholian's pumped two Quantum Torpedoes into the Ketrine's back, blowing the ship into an uncontrollable spin. Hull began to tear in the wake of the Conduit, just as they came to the end. Alliance Territory The Ketrine flew out the other end of the Conduit, where the two other starship's had just left. Chunks of hull flung off in explosion as they were spinning out of control. The Tholian's couldn't handle the hull fragments from the Ketrine that hit them, and their already bad hulls began to break apart as they exited the Conduit in rough turbulence. The other two Starship's, who had been watching, suddenly opened fire at the Tholian Vessels. For whatever personal reasons, they held the Tholian's back, sympathizing for what the Ketrine was just put through. The Ketrine just spun through space in immense speeds and trailing debris, with one impulse engine to steer the uncontrollable rotation. In the distance there was the Kintoka Outpost, orbiting an Alliance Planet...
Kelly Apr 16 2004, 07:08 AM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Admiral Garrison's Office, Starbase 001 Halliwell sat in Garrison's office. Sure it was a day later than planned, but both of them had been busy. "So let me get this straight," she said trying to process what she had being told. "Lieutenant Lauren attempted to kill you sir?" "Yes," he said slowly. "And now she's being held in the brig?" "Yes." She could see that he was still a little shaken up. "Here's all the evidence," he said handing her a PADD. Halliwell took a few moments to read. Her passcodes were used to enter Garrison's office before the bomb went off. Her DNA was found on the bomb's remains. She had to admit, it did stand out. "What were her reasons for doing such a thing?" "I have no idea, Sam." Halliwell looked back down to the PADD, I go away for a few days - "Have you informed Captain Major of the incident?" "I thought it best not to interrupt him at the conference," Garrison answered. Halliwell nodded. She couldn't believe it. Ullii of all people. Sure she didn't know the woman well, but was she capable of this? It wasn't her place to decide. "Says here, she claims she was framed." "They all say that though," Garrison replied.   "K'Rak to Admiral Garrison." Halliwell remained quiet. "Go ahead."   "It's Lauren sir. She's escaped."
Captain Archer Apr 16 2004, 04:22 PM	Captain Peterson - U.S.S. Appalachia "Evasive maneuvers!" Peterson shouted as a console behind him exploded. "Aye." Peterson stood and ran over to the Tactical station, "Report." "Shields are at 48%. We have hull breaches on Decks 6, 8, and 9. Phaser power is down to 30% and we only have 8 torpedoes left." Peterson jumped back into his chair. "Helm lay in a course out of the system full impulse." As he shouted the last part of his order a violent quake knocked all of them out of their chairs! As they struggled to their posts, another hit - This time power on the bridge began to falter. "Bridge to Engineering, we need power up here."   "I'm working on it Captain, but that last hit took out the port nacelle. We're leaking plasma, and there is coolant leaking from almost every injector." Peterson looked at his bridge crew and made his decision. "Captain to all hands proceed to the escape pods and abandon ship. Repeat, all hands proceed to the escape pods and abandon ship." Alarms started blaring through the sounds of exploding power relay's and sparking consoles. Peterson got up and looked at his crew once more, "That means all of you as well. Let's go." A few more shots hit the ship. "Shields are gone." "Let's get moving people..." They all looked at him and started for the escape pods.   "Engineering to Peterson." "Go ahead."   "We've got a core breach in progress I'm unable to....." The comm cut out and Peterson heard a deafening explosion that threw everyone to the floor as the Appalachia exploded. Ambassador Michael Larkin - Unknown Location "That's enough. I can't take anymore of your self pity Ambassador. It's not your fault. We all knew that this might happen, but agreed that it was worth the risk." Michael looked down at the hard dirt floor as he took Major's words, but they left him little comfort. "Try again, Drayson," Michael said not moving his stare. Hardgrove reached up behind his ear and tapped the sub-dermal communicator, "Hardgrove to Lietra, if you can't speak, just know that we're all right." Michael heard no reaction from Hardgrove once again. He assumed the worse until he heard Hardgrove say, "Are you alright?!" Michael's head popped up and he stood. "Ask her were she is?" Michael said excited. Hardgrove threw his hand in the air and shook it at Michael indicating the he couldn't hear the both of them so he should shut up. Michael did, and went across the dark area they had been placed in and tapped his own communicator, "Larkin to Appalachia, come in. Appalachia are you receiving my transmission?" Major walked up behind him, "You know the range is probably very limited on these things. They may not even be receiving the message." Drayson joined the two in the dark corner, "She had to stop transmitting. She said someone was coming; but she is okay... a little roughed up she said." Just then the forcefield preventing them from escaping dropped and Lietra was brought in by two Breen soldiers who crackled something and stepped to the side as Gul Telle walked in "Well, that was a waste of time. But I expect the three of you should have more... interesting stories to tell. So which of you is next?" Commander Jen Hurst - U.S.S. Gambit "How long ago?" Garrison asked her. "The signal cut out about five minutes ago. We have the location of where it was when it cut out."   "But...." Garrison said. "But sir, the Alliance has shifted the bulk of their fleet to a position between Federation space and the area in which the Appalachia delivered our people."   Garrison put a hand on his forehead. "How many ships are we talking about?" "One moment." She turned to the console near the command chair and did some heavy calculations. "It looks as if we would have to take on at least ten Alliance vessels. That's assuming that we are able to take care of the first few vessels within a half hour. After that we'll be dealing with more like thirty ships. Admiral, I'd like to request that Commander Halliwell be allowed to bring the Pollux as well. We can take a Transwarp conduit as far as we can, but you know as well as I do that they'll knock us out of it the first chance they get."   Garrison spoke: "You'll have my decision in ten minutes Commander. Garrison out."
Ullii Apr 16 2004, 11:58 PM	Lieutenant Ullii Lauren - Mobile HQ (secret room), James' Quarters Ullii drank the orange liquid that James had given her. It was very warm, and kind of slimy. She gave the empty glass back to James, and suddenly felt sick. "What was that?" "You'll see." he paused, "After the good Admiral sent you your invitation to become CMO here on the station, my superiors, along with the imprisoned members of the Federation High Council, decided that you would be the perfect person to send us intelligence about the plans of the rebellion. They knew that you wanted to--" "They contacted me!" She suddenly remembered. "Yes. They knew your opinion about the rebellion. They knew you didn't like the idea of going to such extremes to protect the 'morals' of the federation. They thought they could recruit you." "I remember now... a man suddenly appeared in my room... told me the story....... he gave me a day to think about it..." "They didn't think you'd be able to resist. To be an agent of Section 31. To save the very existence of the federation. After all... your will to prove yourself has driven you this far." "I said no... I didn't want to work at my dream job as CMO, every day knowing that I was betraying the people around me--" "Exactly. And when they contacted me, shortly after you declined, I said yes. -- They had to erase your memory of the incident. They knew you would surely tell Garrison about your visit, and certain other people would know our plans." This was all very overwhelming. "What other people?" James paused for a moment, as though deciding whether or not to tell her. "For the first time in the history of the Federation, Section 31, the organization that has secretly saved humanity countless times, is divided. At first, when the rebellion started, HQ didn't know which side to take. We've dealt with breaches in the timeline countless times, but we've never committed one! There was an argument among top members about what to do. Some said that breaking the Temporal Prime Directive was out of the question. That we have no right to breach the timeline of the Universe to save one species. Others, however, stuck to the main objective of Section 31: To save humanity at all costs. Eventually, the decision was made to go back in time, and stop the rebellion from ever forming. They made the necessary arrangements, and I was to be brought aboard the station as a junior security officer. When the explosion--" "You FRAMED Me!!" Ullii screamed "They were going to send me to--" "I know! Just let me finish, will you? She calmed down. "When the explosion didn't kill Garrison, I knew something had gone wrong. Another operative was supposed to assist me. He was supposed to flood the office with a highly explosive gas just before the explosion. Something that I couldn't do, because I had to detonate the bomb, which, because of it's ability to fool sensors, has a very small range on the detonator." "Why didn't you flood the office with the gas before you left to trigger the bomb?" "Because even though the gas is invisible and has no scent, it is detectable by sensors. The station alarm would sounded immediately... And would have, had it been done." "But where do I come in in all this?" "When Garrison survived, I came here," he gestured to the room around them, "and altered the sensors, planted the dna using the transporter, and created a false data log showing that your authorization codes were used to enter the office. I still have no idea what happened to the other operative. My guess is that the members of Section 31 who have sided with Garrison, have discovered that some of us were working in secret against him, and are trying to stop us." "So... you're asking for my help." "... Yes." "But why do you need me?? Why can't you just shoot him?!" "It's extremely complicated, Ullii. Things have to happen a certain way, to make as few changes in the timeline as possible! I have very specific instructions about what can and can't be done." "And why should I believe you?!? Why would I choose to help you kill someone?!?" "This is why!" he became suddenly very angry. "They want to protect the Morals' of the Federation! What good are morals if the Federation doesn't even exist?!? We are trying to protect the very existence of the Federation!" Ullii quickly stood up and pointed her phaser at James. "Shooting me isn't going to do YOU any good! Think about it! Without me, this door won't open! You will have NO proof! You will still be sent to prison! Think hard, Ullii! I am your only chance of redemption! All you have to do is help me!" Ullii stumbled in her thoughts. She had no idea what to do. He was right. It wouldn't help anything to get sent to prison again. And she wouldn't be able to use any of the consoles in this room... She would have to help him...... But murdering Garrison... no.. There was nothing else she could do. After all... she would be saving the future of the Federation... She lowered her phaser. "All right." she said. "I'll help you." James smiled, but the smile quickly turned into a frown as red lights, which seemed to have no source, started flashing.   "Red Alert! Incomming sub-dimensional transport!" the room's computer announced. "Quick, we've got to get out of here! Come stand beside me! HURRY!" Ullii ran and stood right beside James. "Computer, initiate sub-dimensional transport! Pre-instated coordinates: Autumn-One!" Ullii saw the back of a man in a black uniform appear in the room, just as a white light surrounded her, and for a moment, she became the whole universe. She encompassed everything, and everything encompassed her. She was filled with overwhelming joy! Then she felt something tugging her away. Trying to pull her back! She tried to stop it, but couldn't resist it. She appeared in a Jefferies tube, and the memory of the experience slipped completely from her mind. James looked at her. "Come on. It won't be long before the whole station will be after us."
Jake Apr 17 2004, 09:04 PM	Lt. Commander Tanik - Admiral Garrison's Office Garrison stared out the window, facing away from Tanik. "Are you well, Admiral?" Tanik asked quietly. Garrison did not shift his gaze. "As well as can be expected, I suppose," he said dreamily. Tom sighed. There was a long, silent pause afterward. Shifting uncomfortably, Garrison finally turned to face Tanik. The Admiral was startled by the sight he saw. Tanik was now a scant few centimeters away from his face, with an expression of such disgust and disappointment it sent a shiver up Tom's spine. Tanik spoke in a low, husky whisper, "What the hell's gotten into you, sir?" Tom reeled back, as if slapped in the face. Tanik's voice grew a shade louder. "You lock yourself up in your office. You lower your crew's moral by being so macabre at the celebration. All of these can be forgiven, but you have crossed the line, sir." Tanik's voice grew slightly louder. "By convicting Dr. Lauren to that hellhole, Pluto. A young, innocent lady whose only passion and conviction is to save lives, has been accused by you of attempted murder, with no proposed motive. The notion is absurd and completely gross in it's inaccuracy, for anyone who has even dealt with her knows that she lives by and truly practices the motto, 'do no harm'." Tom was shocked by Tanik's tirade. He attempted to form a rebuttal. "The evidence against Ms. Lauren was overwhelming, Lieutenant Commander," he said firmly. Tanik was incredulous. "My God man, so was the evidence in Captain Kirk's court martial! Just because there is overwhelming evidence doesn't mean the person could not have been framed!" Garrison shook his head. "There is no reason to believe that." Tanik responded. "There is every reason to believe it - if you trusted her." Tom wrinkled his nose. "Why would I trust her?" Tanik continued. "Because she's part of your crew, and the rest of your crew trusts her. I trust her. Don't you trust me enough to extend that trust to her?" Tom was completely flabbergasted. "Well, I..." "That's just it..." Tanik said quietly. "You haven't taken the time to know the people around you. To become part of their family..." Tanik laughed. "You're like a father who never took the time to get to know his sons and daughters. They look up to you as a patriarch... you should treat them, and trust them, as such." Tom was quiet for a minute before responding. "Is that all, Lieutenant Commander?" "Not quite," Tanik said. "This whole thing smells of a setup. I think somebody tried to kill you, but when it failed, he tried to cover his ass by framing someone else for it. Very carefully, I might add. Manipulating computer records, placing DNA, it's all very sophisticated, but not impossible - especially to a professional, like... someone from intelligence, maybe. But, said person would have to have a very intimate knowledge of Dr. Lauren, so I would look for someone close to her..." Garrison nodded after a few seconds. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. Dismissed."
Mozg Apr 18 2004, 03:16 AM	Lattrel Ottel - the Deck Ottel was strolling along the edge of the plaza where Highley’s café was. His hand slid over the railing, barely touching it. He had just had another wonderful morning at the little coffeeshop and was walking away. There was a young couple sitting at one of the tables, mingling. Ottel stopped in his tracks and looked at them. Such calmness, he thought, in the midst of this new chaos they seem to have a moment all their own. Time seemed to slow down, everything else was a blur, and the only thing Ottel could hear was the laughter emanating from the couple. He felt incredibly easy and a big smile appeared on his face. Ottel took a deep breath and looked around. What to do, what to do, he wondered. In his hand were several PADDs, full of future plans and ideas, but mostly daily reviews of all Coalition activities, and the condition of the newly formed Coalition fleet. Ottel tried to recount events, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything: I received the reviews and the info last night, I handed the new orders to Dearborne this morning... I’m pretty much done for today. Considering the heavy load I was under last week, this week seems to be... My jacket! Ottel started walking towards the turbolift, still observing the surroundings. It was several weeks ago, he had a jacket measured at one of the tailor’s on the Deck, and completely forgot about it. They have probably thrown it away... I hope not. He walked into the turbolift. Right before the doors would close a group of people appeared around the corner heading towards him. “Sir! Could you hold the doors?” one of them almost shouted, as the whole group began to speed up. Ottel, already leaning against the opposite wall, thought about it for a second and then decided negatively. Sorry, he said in his mind, and the doors closed. “Level 2, Deck,” Ottel said, not waiting for the group. The turbolift stopped two decks down and the doors opened. I hope the shop was here, Ottel thought, walking out of the lift. After taking a few steps, he stopped to look around. Things do look familiar... “Excuse me,” he asked the next person passing by, “is ‘Oosta Hamo’s’ tailor shop on this level?” “Mmm... I wouldn’t know, sir,” the person looked at him strangely, walking away. “No, of course you wouldn’t,” Ottel muttered to himself. Looks like we have to find it ourselves. He began walking again, and just as he got around the first column he spotted the green neon sign. There it is! I do hope they still have it. Ottel stepped in, looking for the enthusiastic young tailor who kept calling him sir. “Can I help you, sir?” a young woman, walking from behind the counter approached him. She smiled. “Oh, yes! I had a jacket measured here a while ago... I was hoping you still had it.” “How long ago?” she asked. “Hmm, uh...” Ottel muttered, “I honestly don’t remember.” “In that case, sir, we probably don’t have it.” “Right.” Both of them stood there for a moment, not talking. Ottel, hands in his pockets, kept rocking back and forth, looking directly at her, while she moved the hair covering her eyes behind her ears, sharing in the eye contact. All of a sudden both of them burst into laughter. “My... my name is Ottel, by the way,” he barely said through the laughter. “Rachel...” she extended her hand, “that’s my name.” Ottel shook the extended hand. “Is there anything we can do?” Ottel asked, “About my jacket, you know?” “Well, the only thing we could do is get a new one measured.” “I don’t know about that,” he said hesitantly. “It could be my first sale of the day,” Rachel said, widening her blue eyes. “All right,” he agreed, “you are a good businesswoman. You have to promise me one thing, thought.” “Oh?” “You have to let me buy you a drink,” Ottel said. “Hmm, okay,” she continued, “I’ll get on of our catalogs so you can pick a jacket.” “Sure thing,” Ottel watched her disappear into the back room. He looked at his watch. He should’ve sent word by now, he was worried. Damn you, Hardgrove, it isn’t like you to be late. I told you I wanted to know how things were going.
Hawku Apr 18 2004, 09:31 AM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - The Ketrine The smoking ruins of the Ketrine sat in a very large pile of collapsed decks and shattered technology, just along the outskirts of a vast City. This city, known as Valecron City, was filled with tall buildings, floating structures, and was active with hover vehicles and transport pods. Zeta crawled his way to the Bridge where Sith and Julia lay. Sith suddenly woke up. "Julia!!" He then turned, found her a few meters away, and woke her. "Erhh..." She got up. They had miraculously survived. "I can't believe it..." Sith said in amazement. "We're... alive?" Julia looked in better condition than he was. She smiled. "Where is everyone?" Sith then checked a console. It appeared as if there was a massive beam out. Julia came over and placed her hand on Sith's shoulder. "They're in the hands of the Alliance now. I think we were spared because of our detection inhibiters," she referred to the blinking devices on their shoulders. Sith then dropped the whole issue and looked at her, "We're on the planet. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get you to where you wanted to go..." Julia looked at him, "Oh... Well, don't be. It's okay. I can take care of myself." She nudged him, trying to lift his spirits. "Don't forget the Prophets got us this far." Valecron City Stepping out the ship onto green grass, they entered the city. Around them were a few small household structures, aging and almost broken down. Human's began walking out, noticing them. "You're... Human?" Sith approached. One of them, an old man, walked over. "New comers I see." "What's going on here? Why are there Human's here??" The old man was joined by his less older son. "Welcome to Valecron City," he shook Sith's hand. "You're the first Human to arrive in a long time." Sith gave him a questionable look. "Well wipe that expression off your face! We live here," the old man said. "Human's live on this Planet, along with various Alliance races." Sith couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Together!?" "We're the few Human's who have been scattered throughout Alliance Territory. Prisoners, interrogee's, some of us taken from our very homes during Alliance border skirmishes," the old man explained. "They keep us here," the son continued, "under their thumb. Who are we to argue? We might as well live here. At least we have each other." Sith placed his hand on his forehead as if annoyed. "Has anyone ever tried destroying the Outpost in orbit?" The two men glanced at each other at this question. "We tried. That Outpost is one of the most significant Outpost's in all of the Alliance." "There's a multiphasic-trilithium warhead planted on it right now." "What??" Sith looked at them. The son took a deep breath, as this was difficult for him. "No one know's about it. But it was planted there by one of us. He was killed by guards three years ago when he tried to detonate it." "Can it be remotely detonated?" Sith asked. "Not anymore. It would have to be recalibrated. But we know it's still up there. It's just that no one's ever been able to successfully activate it," the son said. "We're not military people." "I am. I'm a Starfleet officer," Sith stated, "and I'm going up there." The son grabbed Sith dramatically closer, "You can't! You'll die if you do." Sith pushed him away, "I know. I'm ready for that." The son and father, and few people surrounding them all looked at each other. As if deciding if they'd allow this. If they gave the warhead recalibration codes to this stranger, they could lose their only chance. Would they risk it? "A Transport in the next Block launches to the Outpost every day. If you can get aboard it somehow, undetected, you can find the warhead hidden on the Outpost and detonate it," the son re-approached. "That Transport won't be leaving for another 32 Hours," the old man said. "Consider it done," Sith said. The son shook his hand, "Well then. Good luck. You can rest up here. Any one of us would be honored to have you in our homes." Sith glanced at Julia, and Zeta who was on his shoulder. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. *Click! Rest up.* Zeta mimicked. Sith and Julia were lead by a few people into their home, and given a comfortable place to lie down. Sith relaxed for a moment. There was no hospitality like Human hospitality.
Kelly Apr 22 2004, 03:08 PM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Admiral Garrison's Office She was getting used to the sight of his office as she stepped through the door, "You wanted to see me, sir?" "Sam," he said raising his head from the desk, he appeared to be quite tired, "Come in, have a seat." Halliwell sat down and looked to Garrison. Was he going to ask her how the search for Ullii was going? To be honest, she had no idea as no one had being able to get back to her. She remained silent and allowed him to continue. "Commander Hurst has requested the Pollux's presence." Halliwell's eyes widened slightly, "May I ask why?" "The Appalachia lost contact with Ambassador Larkin, Captain Hardgrove and Captain Major shortly after they were beamed down," he said. A sickening feeling came into the pit of her stomach. "From what I've being told, the Alliance has shifted the bulk of their fleet to a position between Federation space and the area in which the Appalachia delivered our people. Seems they need more firepower." "They're certainly going to get it," Halliwell said standing up. "Tell Commander Hurst we'll be ready within the hour." Halliwell's Quarters Quickly, Halliwell had got to her quarters. Leah stepped out, "Sam," she said. She had completely forgotten about them. "Where's Matthew?" "Sleeping," she replied, "Is something wrong?" "I'm taking the Pollux out somewhere," Halliwell said heading over to a console and sending a message to the people she wanted out there with her. She had to find a suitable Bridge crew while she was at it. "I don't know how long..." "You'll be. No worries, I'll stay here." Halliwell smiled, "Thanks." She got back up. "Tell Matthew for me." "I will. Safe journey." Halliwell didn't say anything as she headed out the door.
Hawku Apr 23 2004, 12:06 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Valecron City The early morning sun shone through the window into Sith's comfy room. His room was full of pillows, and a table sat at the end of it. After stretching and leaving the room, he found Zeta and Julia were gone. "Good morning," the owner of the house said. "If you're wondering, your friends went to the Market Place." Sith nodded and ran outside into the warm weather. He turned down the street corner of the almost sub-urban area of the city and saw a vast and colorful market place. It was being run by Humans, and visited by Humans. Julia was at a clothing stand with Zeta on her belt. She waved Sith over, "Hey!" Sith approached through the crowd, "Hey. Nice place they got here." Julia wrapped an accessory scarf around her shoulders, "What do you think?" "Err, looks good..." Sith said, unsure how to respond to such a question. Julia put it back and then picked up a lowcut t-shirt, "I like this one too." "Oh, um... yeah," he scratched the back of his head. Julia smiled and then took Sith's hand, pulling him through the Market Place to a Holo-grid stand. "Hey, they have games here!" Sith just looked at it and wondered. "I know what you're thinking, Sith," Julia started. "But I don't mind it on this planet." She then pulled Sith over to another stand where they were selling strange chubby creatures. These fat and cute creatures were small enough to pick up with one hand. "Hehehe!" Julia handed one over to Sith, and the creature started crawling around his arms and shoulders. "What the!?" Sith then started to laugh himself... "Heh, heh. Cute animal," he said as it sat on top of his head, and nested in his spikey hair. "Um... what is it doing?" Julia lifted the animal off as it was just starting to fall asleep, "It likes you." She put it back on the stand, just as Zeta popped out and ran back to the gaming section. "Hey! We're alone!" She hooked her arm around Sith's and begun to stroll down the Market Place. For once in his life Sith felt more relaxed and scared than ever before. Julia completely made him forget his mission, and his hate for the Alliance. She was the escape from everything there was to be concerned about; and the beginning of everything better there was to live for. There was a small hill of grass and flowers semi-over looking the Market Place that Julia led them to. They took a seat and Julia placed her head on Sith's shoulder. They sat there, staring out into the Market Place for a while. "Hey, why don't I know anything about you? You never talk about yourself," Sith said. "It's not important. What's important is that we're here now, together," she turned her head and looked at him. "Did something bad happen to you that you don't want to talk about?" "No," she replied simply. "Like I said; all that matters is now." Sith couldn't tell if she was lying or not, but then again, she was right. It really didn't matter. "But... you have to tell me something of your past... or your future? I mean, I would. Those thing are impor--" "No," she interrupted and placed her finger lightly on his lips, "the now." Sith thought for a second and finally understood the message she was trying to convey. They both laughed, and before he knew it, Sith was falling in love with her. Meanwhile, Zeta was on the grid attacking holo-lights. Kids stood around and watched in laughter. Back at the hilltop, Sith leaned in and kissed her.
Nightranger Apr 23 2004, 10:21 PM	William Dearborn - Double~Helix bar, Starbase 001 Dearborn sat at a empty table in the Helix staring at a holo-pad supply list. The bar hadn't had a customer in over an hour and with Ottel going about business, William and the bar staff were left to run it. Dearborn checked and double-checked the supply list. 4 bottles Alderan whiskey 6 bottles Aldorian ale 1 case  Antarean brandy 3 bottles  Maratltian seev-ale Will blinked at the last entry. There was a shadow cast over it. Looking up he met the familiar face of Rayla Silverwwolf. "Rayla? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working with Mansel?" The Fenrir smiled at him and began to speak. "I came here to see you silly. Mansel and I had a disagreement." "What type of disagreement?" he asked. "I saw me as working for him and he didn't and he fired me." Putting down the holo-padds, he took a sip of his drink and pushed out a chair for her to have a seat. "He fired you? Did he say why?" Rayla sat next to him and stretched her legs into his lap. "Well he did, but I really couldn't understand him." "Was your universal translator implant off? Was he speaking Evanion?" "No," she said leaning close to him. "I think it was because I broke his jaw." Dearborn almost choked on his drink and ended up spewing it all over the table in front of him. "You did what??" Rayla looked at him as a low growl came from her mouth, "He was hitting on me, so I punched him." William rolled his eyes, "Okay, so I guess your here now. I'll have to talk to Ottel to get you set up but I guess you can stay." "Yeah," she said throwing her arms around his neck, "just like old times."
Captain Archer Apr 25 2004, 03:49 PM	Commander Jen Hurst - U.S.S Gambit, Ready Room "Have you assembled your crew, Commander?"   Halliwell responded "We are nearly ready to go. I'll contact you when we're ready to ship out." Jen could see the worry on Halliwell's face. "Very well. I'm sure they are all right. Michael's been in situation's like this before, and you know as well as I do that Captain Hardgrove can take care of himself Commander."   Halliwell smiled. "You're right. I just hope we get to them in time." "Me too. Well, you've got our comm frequency. Just give us a hail when your ready. Hurst out." Jen shut the monitor off and went over to the replicator and ordered some tea. After it materialized she walked over to the viewport and looked out pondering. Get a hold of yourself... She was snapped out of her thinking by the computer.   "Incoming Subspace Transmission." Jen went over to the desk "Origin?"   "New Berlin Colony. Luna." She wasn't looking forward to this. In fact, she decided not to answer it. What do I tell her? I don't know anymore than she does. Jen didn't really know Michael's mother, which would make the conversation just that much more awkward. She walked out of the Ready Room and headed for the turbolift. Engineering, U.S.S. Gambit "We're ready to go here, Commander. Shields, Propulsion, Weapons, Life Support - all operating within norms. But you didn't come all the way down here to get a report that I could have delivered over the comm. What's up?" Jen looked at Karen, her best friend since the day met at the Academy. "I'm not quite sure. But when I find out, believe me you'll be the first to know." She put her hand on Karen's shoulder and headed out the door, heading for her quarters.
RMrulz Apr 26 2004, 05:23 PM	Admiral Tom Garrison - Quarters Tom sat at his desk in the darkened room. The only light came from reflected sunlight glittering off Earth out his window, casting a pale blue glow into the room. Klingon opera was blaring at full volume in the room; this had been Anika's favorite song. There was a half-finished glass of bourbon sitting on the desk in front of him. Each year, this day got harder and harder to live with. He thought the pain would fade over time, but each year on this day it came back stronger than the year before. Getting hopelessly drunk is the only way to deal with it, he thought to himself as he took another sip. It's the only thing that helps.   ...10 years earlier, aboard the U.S.S. Peregrine "Sir, we've achieved standard orbit," the young helmsman said as he turned to face his Captain. "Very good." Captain Tom Garrison stood up and turned to Anika Garrison - his beautiful wife and first officer. "Shall we?" Ani smiled and stood up as well. "Inform shuttlebay 1 we're on our way down, have them prepare the shuttles for departure," she said, addressing the operations officer. She and Tom then walked to the turbolift. "Deck 7, shuttlebay 1," she called out as the doors closed. "I still think this is a waste of time," Tom complained. "There are more important things we could be doing." Ani looked at her husband and smiled. Sometimes he can be so damn stubborn, she thought to herself. "Tom, you know that's not true. We have a chance to bring the Hidroxians into the Federation. They might not be the most powerful race in the quadrant, but they are in a rather strategic location. If we get this planet, we'll be literally knocking on the Alliance's front door." "I know, I know," he sighed. "I'm just annoyed they are so afraid of transporting. Taking two shuttlecraft down to the surface to pick up all their dignitaries and bringing them back up here - it's just such a damn waste of time. I still think we should send two ensigns to do it." He saw the look on her face and knew what she was about to say. "I know, I know - that would be insulting to them. You're too much of a diplomat." "And you're too much of a hard-nosed officer, but you don't hear me complaining about you. So shut up..." Tom looked at her with a bemused expression, "Sir," he said. "Huh?" "Shut up, sir. I am your Commanding Officer, you know." She just rolled her eyes and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. Before he could respond the doors opened and she walked out into the corridor. Rubbing his shoulder, he followed her. A few minutes later, both shuttles were entering the Hidroxian atmosphere. Just then Tom's shuttle rocked violently, throwing him to the floor. He struggled to his feet, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, as alarms blared around him. "What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself as he tried to make sense of the sensor readings. There was a lot of interference, but it looked like another ship was close by. Suddenly, it was gone. As Tom struggled to bring systems back online, he suddenly realized the Peregrine was hailing him.   "Peregrine to Captain Garrison, come in sir." It was the voice of Marcus Dawson, his tactical officer. "Marcus! What the hell just happened?!"   "An Alliance battlecruiser, sir." There were sounds of shouting and explosions in the background. "It was hiding behind one of the moons, damn thing came out of nowhere. It went straight for your's and Commander Garrison's shuttles. We managed to destroy it, sir, but we took heavy casualties. No weapons, engines, --" Anika! Tom thought to himself. Marcus continued talking, but Tom wasn't paying attention. He searched his sensor logs, desperately hoping to find something. There it is, he realized with a sigh of relief. But something didn't look right...   "Sir? Sir, are you still there?" "Sorry Marcus, I was looking for Anika's shuttle. What were you saying?"   "That's what I was just talking about. One of the hits from the Alliance blasted her back out of orbit. Captain, we show her as only being a minute away from a warp core breach. And sir, she's drifting back towards the atmosphere. In 50 seconds she'll enter the atmosphere. We can't raise her on hails. If that core breaches while she's in the atmosphere..." Marcus' voice trailed off. He didn't need to finish the thought, Tom knew what would happen. All life on Hidroxia would be wiped out.   "We have no engines and no tractor beam, sir. We're getting one biosign - it's faint, but there. However, her shields are still up. We can't beam her out. We have no weapons either, sir." Marcus ended his thought on that. Again, he didn't need to say anymore, Tom knew what he meant. "I have weapons. Garrison out." He entered a few quick commands and his shuttle leapt into motion, quickly closing the distance until he was only a few hundred meters from Anika's shuttle. He checked the sensors... 30 seconds until breach. Tom locked on his phasers and fired two short blasts. Nothing happened. He locked on again and fired three more blasts. Still nothing. He was about to try again when the sensor display changed - her shields were down! Tom checked the clock... 20 seconds. He swiveled his chair to another panel and accessed transporter controls. Suddenly he was engulfed in a shower of sparks and smoke. "No! Dammit!" The transporter was fried. He hit a holobutton, opening hailing frequencies. "Anika, come in. Tom to Anika, do you hear me?!" No answer. 10 seconds left. Tom powered up phasers. "Anika, damn it Ani, please answer me. Ani!" 5 seconds left. "Ani, don't make me do this!" Tom shouted, tears streaming down his face. 2 seconds left. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He pushed a button and watched in horror as the beam of energy lept out and struck his wife's shuttlecraft just before it entered the atmosphere. For a fraction of a second nothing happened, and then he was blinded by a massive explosion. It rocked his ship, again throwing him to the floor. He lay there, sobbing uncontrollably. Present Tom's mind came back to the present. The music had long ended, the room was now eerily silent. He reached up and wiped a few tears from his face. In a strange way, he felt a little better. It had been years since he had allowed himself to relive what happened, to cry for Ani. He sat there thinking, and suddenly decided to put all this down in a log. "Computer, begin recording. "Admiral's personal log. "Ten years ago today, I killed Ani. I don't think I ever really got over that. Yeah, it had to be done, it was for the good of the Federation. 'The good of the Federation' - the motto of my life. Everything I've ever done has been for the good of the Federation, and look what it's gotten me. "A dead wife. And then it got me this job - Command was so impressed by my selfless act that they promoted me and gave me my title of Fleet Commander. But really, what did that get me? For a few years, nothing. I was so ruined by what happened I didn't talk to anybody, I just did my job and came home and got drunk. But then, I finally started to make friends with the crew of 001. Some of them were pretty good friends. And then what? "I catch them stealing information from me and sending it to the Alliance. So, I report them to Starfleet Command. It was for the good of the Federation, but now that has cost me my wife and my friends. Then Starfleet assigns a new crew for 001..." he trailed off as he thought about the words Tanik had said to him the other day. He shook his head and continued. "People I never really made friends with. And then 'the good of the Federation' causes me to rebel against Command, lose Miasha, the best friend I ever had, my best man at my wedding. And then it leads me to commit the slaughter down at Medical. Then it leads to who knows how many deaths at the Battle of Betazed. And now it might have cost me David Major, Michael Larkin, and Drayson Hardgrove. Three men who I don't know nearly as well as I should. "The good of the Federation," Tom scoffed. "Some good it's done for me." Again, the words Tanik spoke to him came back in his mind. You lock yourself up in your office. You lower your crew's moral by being so macabre at the celebration. ... That's just it. You haven't taken the time to know the people around you. To become part of their family. You're like a father who never took the time to get to know his sons and daughters. They look up to you as a patriarch... you should treat them, and trust them, as such. He wanted to shake them off, to ignore them, to pretend he never heard them. But he couldn't, because Tanik was right. Suddenly all the resentment towards the Federation that had been building up during his log entry, that had actually been building for years, was gone. It wasn't anybody's fault that things had happened the way they had. It wasn't his fault, it wasn't Miasha's fault, and it wasn't the Federation's fault. Things just happened. He had to stop looking for other people to blame, and just accept that sometimes things happened that he couldn't control. He stood up, turned on the lights, and poured his glass out into the waste disposal. He splashed some water on his face, washing away the remnants of the earlier tears. He felt free - for the first time in years he didn't feel any guilt. He still missed Ani, Miasha, and his friends - and he still regretted some of the losses he'd been a part of over the years - but it wasn't his fault. It's not my fault! With a smile on his face and a spring in his step that hadn't been there in years, he left his quarters. He had a life to live, friends to make, and a job to do.
Hawku Apr 28 2004, 09:44 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Valecron City Three Romulan and two Gorn civilian men began walking through the Market Place. It was later that day and Sith had already missed his Transport. He'd taken a second wandering throughout the Market Place when he and Zeta came to see the five aliens. "Hey, nice jewelry. Mind if we take it!" The Romulan snatched a necklace out one of the selling stands. "Hahaha!" Their Gorn friends laughed. "You have to pay for that!" The Human behind the stand yelled. "Shut up!" The other Romulan threw down his stand. A crowd was forming as this was going on. Six Human Police authorities came over to break it up. "Please leave immediately. We don't want any trouble," one of the Officer's said. "Hahaha. You think the Alliance cares for your authority? Hahahaha!" The Romulan pushed the Officer. "Get out of our way!" "Hah hah hah!" The Gorn laughed. "Pitiful Humans! It's no wonder they're such pushovers!" The head Officer took out an electric pain stick and aimed it at the Gorn. But the Gorn immediately knocked it to the side. More Officer's arrived and began grabbing for the Romulans. A Romulan then quickly elbowed the near ones and spun kicked them into other Officer's. One Gorn grabbed an Officer and kicked him up into the air. All this was happening so fast, Sith couldn't believe it. "What the--!?" He almost ran towards the fight but was held back by the old man from before. "Don't bother," the old man said. "You don't stand a chance." "Wha-- How can they fight like that??" "They have had years and years of fighting training. Something called 25th Century Shaolin... I don't know." He turned and began walking home. "You don't understand. Us Humans are treated as the lowest class here on Valecron! What rights do we have?" He watched the old man walk through the back crowd. The crowd watched the fight. Sith inched his way closer and caught one of the Officer's who were knocked back by the Romulan. Sith handed him over to a civilian and kicked the Romulan back. "Hah!" The Romulan laughed again and punched for Sith, but Sith quickly grabbed the arm and pulled it out of its socket. Sith then jumped up, twisting his own lower body in mid-air, and flinging his own feet right over. The Romulan was kicked in the chest and knocked to the ground. When Sith landed, he eyed the other four who didn't have enough time to react. Sith ran over and body checked the Gorn into the second Romulan. The third Romulan was close enough to jab multiple times, but each jab was blocked until Sith forced an upper cut through his chin. The Romulan flew backwards off his feet, to while in mid-air Sith jump kicked the Romulan's upper torso and sent him into the crowd. Sith landed again and was faced with the last standing Gorn. "Huh!? Just who the hell are you?" The tall and muscular Gorn asked. He quickly spun a kick around to Sith's head. Sith grabbed the leg in mid-flight and held it. But the Gorn lept the other foot around and kicked across Sith's head from the other side. The Gorn fell down but then slammed his foot for Sith's shin. Sith scissored his feet and locked the incoming foot in place. He then bent over and force palmed his hand against the Gorn's knee. It cracked, prompting the Gorn to scream in pain and anger, "Aaauuhh!!!" Sith lept back, ignoring the piercing pain in his head. The other Romulan and Gorn came over, sending fists at him. Standing between them, Sith blocked each attacker's fist simultaneously. The punches and blocks continued... speeding up faster and faster. Their speed was an attempt to prove the others' superiority. Sith dropped the whole contest and flung his fists downward into their stomachs. "Argh!!" - "UuugH!!!" Both the Romulan and Gorn squirmed. They didn't have enough time to react as they were both met by a double arial kick by Sith. The two fighters slammed into the concrete. Sith landed and looked down upon his five opponents. It was almost like he wasn't even fighting Alliance aliens. "I've never seen Romulans or Gorn move like that before..." To his surprise the Human's on this planet were not just free to live, but were treated as lower class citizens. So low, that they received no respect to the point of being a joke. He watched the five slowly get up in pain. "Ugghh... Heh, heh," the lead Romulan managed to squeeze out a laugh, "You-- you, think you can fight? Heh! We'll be back tomorrow with someone who would like to meet you." "What's your name!?" The Gorn with the broken leg demanded. "Sith," Sith answered. "Tomorrow!!" The Gorn was helped up and the five limped away.
RMrulz Apr 30 2004, 05:02 PM	Admiral Tom Garrison - OCC Tom stood in the center of the Operations Control Center. With Captain Major off at the peace conference, and now missing, and Commander Halliwell along with most of the rest of the senior staff currently out looking for him, Tom was once again left in command of the starbase. He hated it, there was no denying that. There were so many other things he'd rather be doing, so many other things he needed to be doing. But he was trying to stay positive about it. You could be a lot worse off, he thought to himself as he remembered he had originally insisted on going with Hardgrove, Larkin, Major, and Lietra.   "Engineering to the OCC," came the voice of Lt. Clark, left in charge of Engineering since Tanik was on the Pollux. "Go ahead, Lieutenant," Tom responded.   "Sir, we've finally managed to track down the source of that power drain. A few of the plasma conduits have corroded, they need to be replaced. The situation should be corrected within the hour." Tom smiled to himself, this young Engineer was impressive. The Ops station had only reported the power drain 15 minutes ago, and Clark already found the problem. I'll have to meet this young man, he thought to himself. He seemed familiar to Tom, but he couldn't remember whether or not he had met him. Then again, considering the mood he'd been in over the last several weeks, he probably didn't remember a lot of what happened. "Excellent work, Lieutenant. Good job! Keep me informed, Garrison out."   In engineering, Clark just blinked. From the little contact he'd had so far with the Admiral, he was surprised to hear such praise from him. He sounded far more cheerful than usual. Shaking it off, he got to work on the plasma conduits.
Captain Archer Apr 30 2004, 06:31 PM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - Unknown Planet It had been hours since they had taken Major away. Michael was still nursing a black eye, and what he suspected were at least three broken ribs. Hardgrove had jumped one of the Breen soldiers as they leaned in to take Major, Michael followed suit but took the butt end of one of the Breen weapons to the face. Hardgrove had been stunned and had just recently regained consciousness. "You still alive over there Drayson?" Hardgrove turned onto his side to face Michael. "I think so....how's Lietra? Is David back yet?" Michael looked over towards the Bajoran Major, who was still unconscious. "She's still out, but she's been speaking... talking about her family. At least I think they're her family." Michael suddenly realized he knew nothing about this woman that he had condemned to the kind of psychological hell they had gone through only a few months ago. "I've never spoken to her about her family, but she's been talking about a man named Lupara." Drayson scooted himself up into a sitting position, "Her brother, he was killed in a mining accident several years ago on Derna. What about David?" Michael placed his hands on his knees and laid his head on them, looking at the dirt floor. "He hasn't been brought back yet, he hasn't responded to my hails, so they must still be questioning him." Drayson laughed "Questioning?! You mean they're in there torturing him, slicing away his humanity!" Michael looked over at him, "I was trying to..." "To what! Make light of the situation, pretend that we have a chance in hell of getting out of here?" Michael lost his control, "Making light of the situation? Don't you think I know what they're doing to him? Let me tell you something Captain, I've been in this situation before. I've sat in the chair that David is most likely in right now, felt my mind start to go as they pumped my body full of god knows what. But that was only after they had implanted EM conductors in several points in my body, so that if I started to even act like a human being they could zap me back to reality... the reality that they are in control of what happens next. Do I live or die? So don't you dare presume to judge my opinion of this situation, and never assume that I'm taking this lightly. The last time I checked, you had never had the pleasure of being a guest of the Cardassians so don't...." Michael was interrupted mid sentence, but he didn't mind it, "Would you two knock it the hell off? I've got a splitting headache." It was Lietra, she had regained consciousness. Commander Jen Hurst - U.S.S. Gambit Jen kept a close eye on the subspace analysis of the conduit that the two vessels were traveling in. "There it goes again, Commander." "I see it," she told the helmsman. "Hail the Pollux. Get me Halliwell." The comm officer hit a few controls and Samantha appeared on the viewscreen.   "Yes Commander?" Jen stood in front of the command chair. "Are you reading the flux in the Transwarp Conduit's threshold?"   Halliwell looked over at her interface on the chair and nodded slowly. "I see it. What do you make of it?" Jen looked over at the science officer who had just given her his official recommendation. "Our science officer believes that it's a result of extreme subspace damage in the area. He recommends that we proceed at normal warp speed. I wanted to get your opinion as well."   Halliwell didn't hesitate "Well, it won't do the party any good if we show up in a couple million shards of metal." She smiled, "We'll follow you out of the conduit, but I recommend that we take both ships to battle stations, just in case." Jen nodded "Very well Gambit out. Helm take us out of the Transwarp Corridor." Jen opened the comm throughout the ship, "Red Alert. All hands to battle stations." As the ship approached the normal warp barrier the proximity alarms started going crazy. "Report!" Jen yelled to the Tactical officer. He was staring at his monitor. She repeated her order, "Report Lieutenant." He brought the viewscreen up and before the two Starfleet ships sat fleet of Alliance ships. "How many?" "Twenty-Four sir. All with weapons powered." The comm officer broke in, "We're being hailed." Jen took a minute to compose herself. "On screen."   A very unpleasant Romulan took the place of the looming fleet. "I am Commander Jarek representing The Alliance of Interstellar Sovereignties. Explain your unauthorized charge into our territory." It was a long shot but Jen tried it anyway. "Commander Hurst, U.S.S. Gambit. My vessel and our companion ship were inside an unstable Transwarp Corridor that somehow deposited us inside your territory, we apologize for the the transgression." She crossed her fingers behind her back, something Michael had showed her, for luck.   Jarek looked to his science officer, "Stand-by Commander." He cut the comm line and Jen fell back into her chair. "Were being hailed." "Jarek?" "No, Commander. It's the Pollux." Jen straightened up in her seat, "On screen."   Halliwell's face came on, "We need to talk about this... in private please." Jen nodded and headed for the ready room. "Transfer signal to the ready room, Ensign."
Mozg Apr 30 2004, 07:44 PM	Lattrel Ottel - the Tyr "Have they detected us, Mr. Dearborne?" Ottel asked William. "No. But they surely got the Pollux and the Gambit," William answered, "our cloak is working efficiently." "Maybe we should help them," Rayla suggested. For a few seconds Ottel kept staring at the viewscreen. There they were: twenty four Alliance ships, armed to the teeth, and two Federation vessels, alone and secluded. Ottel thought about what he was doing. Only a short while ago he had found out about what had happened with Hardgrove and the rest. The fact that he was left in the dark, with noone bothering to tell him had made him extremely angry. I have to start being less childish, he thought. It had not taken him long to call Dearborne and tell him to get his ship ready. Ottel had only seen it once, from the outside, while it was being refitted by Starfleet engineers. Tyr, that was the name of the ship, and William Dearborne was its captain. He remembered the first thought that went through his mind that day: This thing could easily beat even Glott's Jalaly in one on one combat. Not only was the Tyr more maneuverable and packed more firepower, it was also equipped with a cloaking device, stolen right from a damaged Romulan Chaltok class warbird: just one of the perks of Hayrig smuggling close to Romulan space. Once the Tyr was ready, Ottel had joined Dearborne and Rayla on board, with the knowledge of the exact location of Hardgrove's last known whereabouts: another perk of being a smuggler was a comparably easy access to any information. It was the second time he had seen Rayla: first being five years before, when she had started a fight in one of the smuggling stations and had managed to neutralize 7 Nausicaans. Man, Mkrdij was pissed, Ottel remembered the day. A smile appeared on his face, that lasted only a nanosecond: a direct result of the situation they were in. The Tyr had followed the Pollux and the Gambit, without letting them know. If they're not telling me what's going on, then I'm not telling them, was his thought at the time. Now he was more serious: the situation required that. They came out of the transwarp conduit for the same reasons, and now this. Is anything going to go our way? Ottel knew very well that he could not help them. The only rational solution was clear to him. He turned to William. "Continue on our course, Mr. Dearborne!" William understood him. He followed the orders without objection. Let's hope we get to them in time. Cardassians can be quite cruel.
RMrulz May 1 2004, 01:02 AM	Captain David Major - Unknown Planet David slowly woke, groaning in pain as he sat up and felt a massive headache throbbing through his temples. The last thing he remembered was being pulled out of the detention room, while Hardgrove and Larkin attacked the guards. He examined his surroundings. He was in a large, circular room with metallic gray walls, ceiling, and floor... There was a desk against the wall off to the side - if there even is a side in a circular room. Above it there were four small round devices hanging from the ceiling. He heard a noise behind him and stood up and turned around. A portion of the wall dissolved away and became a door, through which a lone Cardassian male strode through. As soon as he did, the wall reappeared. Holographic projection? Biosign-Activated Door? The possibilites of what it was ran through his head, but he dismissed him to the back of his mind as the Cardassian reached him. The two men stood there staring at each other for a moment, and then the Cardassian began to speak. "David Major. Rank: Captain. Posting: Commanding Officer of Starbase 001 and the U.S.S. Pollux. Serial Number: 224-68-642. Welcome to 'The Circle.' " He said the last sentence with a smile on his face. "The Circle?" David replied. "Oh, how cute. Did you think that name up all by yourself?" The Cardassian responded by slugging him in the jaw. David tried to react, but found he couldn't move fast enough. He fell to the ground, tasting blood in his mouth. His jaw was already starting to ache. "We injected you with a tranquilizer. It is enough to keep you conscious and alert, but you'll find your reflexes quite dulled," the Cardassian said with a smug tone in his voice. "Now get to your feet!" he suddenly commanded. David replied by groaning and struggling - and failing - to sit up. The Cardassian just laughed. "I've been looking forward to this for years," he said, almost to himself.
Ullii May 1 2004, 02:55 AM	Lieutenant Ullii Lauren - Somewhere on Starbase 001 James began to run in a direction along the corridor, and Ullii followed suit. A few short seconds into their run, white phaser blasts shot past their faces. As they were running, Ullii read the words in red letters on the wall: "Engineering Maintenance Corridor C-A". There were large metal-alloy crates littered along the floor, that the two of them dodged as they ran. They reached a T-junction in the corridor. "Split up!" James shouted. James turned left, and Ullii turned right. -- Another white blast shot across her head. She crouched, turned back, and fired at her opponent. To her supprise, the same white blast issued from her phaser as well. He ducked just in time behind a crate, and Ullii turned back around and continued running. She ran as hard as she could, turning corners, dodging containers, turning back every once in a while to take a shot at her chaser. "You can't escape!" he shouted. "I am section 31! Do you understand?! There Is no escape from us..." He stopped short as he turned a corner to follow Ullii, but saw no one. He looked around, and immediately saw the hatch of the Jefferies tube resting open. He followed. She crawled through the Jefferies tube, taking as many turns as she could. She did not climb up or down for fear of loosing James. Surely he had subdued his opponent by now... She slammed open the next hatch, and to her great shock, pushed over Clark, who was working on some plasma conduits, and had unfortunately stopped to rest against the hatch. "OW! What the..." He looked up and recognized Ullii from the Wanted Pictures that had been displayed across the station. "You!", he tapped his combadge, "Clark to..." *PHZZZZZZT* Stun... I hope. She had set the phaser to it's lowest setting before firing, but now that she had fired, she wasn't sure if it even had a stun setting. She then heard noises coming from the Jefferies tube, and continued running. -- "Activate Neural Interface." James commanded into thin air. A display appeared, half-invisible, in front of his eyes. "Biosign Tracking: Persuing Biosigns." He looked back, and the figure that was chasing him was now silowetted by a blue overlay, which he could see even through walls. "Enable Gravity Relativity." He ran up onto the wall to his left, but continued running as though it was the floor. "Common, James!" Yelled his chaser, "What do you think you're accomplishing?! This isn't like you! You know you can't win!" "And you know I'll die trying!" "That's the idea!" *PHZZZZZT!* "Ye missed, Ye tempest of my bowels!" "Always the jester, eh James?" "Oh! thy harsh words doth from my senses take all feeling!" *PHZZZZZZT!* "Ah, you're mad at me now! Ha!" *PHZZZZZZZZZZZZT!* He continued turning corners, switching from wall to ceiling to floor to wall, all the while dodging phaser fire and shouting taunts in Shakespearian. -- Ullii stopped in her tracks as she saw James running past her along the ceiling, followed closely by an Agent running along the wall. *PHZZZZZT!* "I bite my thumb at thee! Foul Ruffian!" "Will you SHUT UP!" *PHZZZZZZZZT!* She decided to continue running, and think about it later. -- A few more minutes of running, dodging, and firing went by, until James ran around a corner, still on the ceiling, and bumped heads with Ullii, who had also just ran around a corner. The two of them gave each other quick glances, and then fired at each others opponents at the same time, as they appeared around their respective corners. Ullii's blast flew James' chaser to the ceiling, but a blue pulse shot from James' phaser this time, at Ullii's chaser. As it hit him, it was as though a small tornado was whirling around him, very slowly ripping apart his atoms and sending them twirling around his body and into nothingness. His terrible cries of pain soon faded as the last of his atoms were torn apart, and disappeared. ................ "Setting three?" "Yep." "What umm.... what happened to him?" "He's uhhhh...... happy." "..... I'm not gonna ask." "You don't want to." "Right..." She stared up at him, as he was still on the celing. "so what are we gonna do now?" "Go back to the Mobile HQ, and find a way to deal with Garrison, of course." He said as he walked down the wall, and back onto the floor. "Can we go back? I mean... won't more of them be after us?" "I'm counting on it... Initiate sub-dimensional transport: Pre-instated coordinates: Autumn-Zero." The bright light once again appeared, and she, along with James and the corpse of the second Agent, were transported back into the Mobile HQ. James stuffed the corpse into a closet-space underneath the control panels, then looked at Ullii and took a deep breath that was half-sigh of relief. "Coffee?"