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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Mission: Andromeda's Chain</p><p class=MsoNormal>Day: 1</p><p class=MsoNormal>Stardate: 2446.01.03</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(USS Exeter – Astrometrics – aFO, Lt. Cmdr. Keira Merek – 0427)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Firstly, as per Commander Bracken's orders, this information does not leave this room. No-one else is to know until she gives the okay. Not even Ravok. You can't tell anyone, understood?" Erin pre-ambled.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Of course.” Keira said with a smile.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Okay, I spoke to the Commander a little while ago. I told her something that she asked me to confirm 100%. " Erin paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "I know where we are."</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Really?” Keira said in disbelief. “You had my curiosity, now you have my attention.”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"We're in the Andromeda Galaxy. " Erin announced.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Not that I don’t trust your numbers…” Keira began, “ hell, I trust your guesses better than some people’s facts, you’re sure?”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"I've run every possible scan. Even compared the results with the Kelvan report from Kirk's time. There's no mistake. Look,...." Erin said, pointing to the console infront of her, "... on the left is the original report. On the right is what we gathered from scans and the probes that were sent out. The Radiation and subsequent gamma ray bursts, glows of the LISM plasma and the solar wind pickup ions, any flux distributions… allowing for hundreds of years of stellar drift and environmental changes…. The readings pan out.”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“This is big news.” Keira said. “Thinking what Janeway’s Voyager had to face in the Delta Quadrant, here we are in another Galaxy..”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"This is why no-one can know yet. If people knew… they would panic… " Erin warned.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I think the crew of the Exeter can handle more than you think.” Keira assured her friend.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Complete confidentiality.” Erin reminded Keira of the Captain’s orders, “There are only five of us that know and the other three, you notwithstanding, will not say. Can I have your assurance?"</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Yes. I won’t steal you or the Captain’s thunder.” Keira reassured her. “ The Captain will eventually have to break the news, but I’ll let her do it on her own time.”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Did you have to recalibrate the sensors to get your readings?” Keira said tapping a few commands into a nearby terminal.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“You know, it feels like forever since we’ve caught up, with all we’ve been through.” ~Like the trials and Canada, I’m wanting to know what she went through, now’s not the time.~ She continued to speak. “Though in actual galactic time it’s been less than a hand full of days.” Keira said.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I’m sure Ravok is game, and I wouldn’t be able to keep Rayna away from you with a force field. Pencil it in for tonight, unless something pressing comes up?” Keira offered.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Sounds great.” Keira said with a smile.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I won’t be going straight up to the bridge.” Keira admitted, and closed out the terminal. “Probably take a detour through my old stomping grounds before I head back up.”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Rely Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Good talking to you…” Keira said and she walked out the door. As both feet came into the corridor at the far end of it, Keira saw two mustard uniformed crewmen carrying phaser rifles at port arms walking her way. Every cell in her being screamed out in warning. ~RUN.~ “Nope.” She whispered under her breath and backed up into stellar cartography. It seems they saw her too. As the doors closed back shut Keira’s sharp Romulan ears could hear, “Oh <span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif'>♪</span> Com-<span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif'>♫</span>a<span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif'>♪</span>-nder<span style='font-family:"Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif'>♫</span>”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We will not be alone very shortly.” Keira said and closed and locked the entrance. She then removed the back panel removing the guts of the door, and disconnected the panel on the outside from power. She rerouted the power from the far door panel to the locking mechanism. Any attempt to open it with the panel would create a negative feedback loop making it harder to open. They’d have to use heavy equipment to pry the door open or cut their way in.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“If you could lock out the internal sensors, I’ll start checking the major systems.” Keira said.</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin)</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Engineering….” Keira said out loud as she checked systems, “bridge…” the space between sections got smaller as each was called off, “tactical….main computer….external sensors.”</p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(Reply Erin, any)</p><p class=MsoNormal>(posted by Todd)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“<span style='color:black'>The only way to defeat fear is to tell it 'No'." No - we will not take shortcuts on the path to righteousness. No - we will not break the rules that protect us from our basest instincts. No - we will not allow desperation to destroy moral authority.” - Michael Burnham, Star Trek: Discovery</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“No, I’m from Iowa, I only work in outer space.” – Adm. James T. Kirk, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Todd Holladay<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>SGT, IA ARNG (Retired)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br />
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