<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><span id="ydp93a474f8docs-internal-guid-fe5ee031-7fff-8800-47ff-ca1d5b987550"><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mission: The Flames of Purity</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day: 16 </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stardate: 2445.09.16</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(USS Exeter - Personal Quarters - Ensign Rylee Page - 0948)</span></p><br><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Rylee sat quietly in her uniform running through the computer core specifications and trying to hone up her knowledge before her next shift, the voice of the captain came through the Comm,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Master Chief Brown, Ensign Page, and Ensign Alexander, please report to main shuttlebay."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">~Oh crap. Shuttle again…~ Rylee thought to herself as she tapped her combadge,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“On my way, Sir.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(USS Exeter –Main Shuttle Bay - Ensign Jg Rylee Page - 0955)</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking into the shuttle bay, Rylee saw the shuttle ahead of her and stopped. ~Okay, things can’t go wrong again. I mean, what are the chances that …~ </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of voices in the command compartment. Walking a little closer, she recognised the voice of Ensign Alexander and Lieutenant Williams. Biting her lip slightly, Rylee felt her palms beginning to sweat and her spots began to itch. </span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For her, that was a sign that she was nervous. Some Trill reacted to food. For her, when she was nervous, Rylee’s spots started to itch. Fighting the urge to scratch, she took a moment to take a few deep breaths, calm her mind and, standing tall, walked onto the shuttle,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good morning, Gentlemen.”</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Reply Ire, Alexander)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why are we here?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Reply Ire, Alexander)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A look of surprise fell over her face and then a small smile,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I may have an idea that could work.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Reply Ire, Alexander)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Posted by Jackie)</span></p><div><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Georgia; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br></span></div></span></div><br></div></div></body></html>