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id="docs-internal-guid-b2ea7fff-7fff-e6f3-3e9a-03fd9bdd0096"><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Mission: A Cure Delayed</span></p><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Day: 4</span></p><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Stardate: 2445.10.28</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">(USS Illuminar - Deck 5 - Holodeck 1 - COps/3rdO Lieutenant Dieter Gregory - 1905)</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Straightening his uniform, he entered the holodeck. The space transformed to Captain’s ready room. Sitting on the couch across from the desk was a short man with dark hair wearing in a velvet gray tunic with silver shoulder buttons and white edging. The trousers were also gray with white piping. Gregory had not seen such a uniform before.</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The man stood up, all 5 foot or so of him tall and looked at Gregory with his grey eyes. “I am Admiral Naismith, of the Dendarii Mercenaries,” he said by way of introduction. “I am here to brief you on this exercise, so pay attention.”</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The man started to pace, “Oh, for gosh sake, sit down.”</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Gregory took a seat. “No, not there, on the other side of the desk. Are you dense man? That side, “ he pointed to the far side of the desk, “is where the Captain sits, and for the purposes of this exercise, that is you.” he accentuated his words by poking Gregory in the chest, pushing the Lieutenant to the proper chair.</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">With Gregory sitting, Naismith started pacing on the other side of the desk. His frenetic energy as he began to speak. “You are assigned to this ship, a New Orleans class frigate, the USS Jefferson. You are on patrol in this sector where several cargo transports have disappeared without a trace. Your crew is experienced, an average of 5 years in StarFleet, two years on this ship.” </span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“This sector has three stars with M class planets, and the most advanced is equivalent to Earth, circa 1800. However, it is on an ideal trade route that has been used for over a century. The cargo transports have all been carrying various minerals that were mined from this asteroid belt,” he said, pointing to a star chart. “The disappearances have occurred in this region of space,” he highlighted a region of space. “There is a transport that will be traversing this space shortly. It is the Tellarite freighter Phindhra. The captain of the ship is Crorc Xallaos.” </span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Do you have questions, Lieutenant?” </span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Gregory looked at the Admiral “Sir, the mission is to attempt to identify why cargo transports have been disappearing in a sector that is low technology. We have a stalking horse in the shape of a Tellarite freighter. I am to assume we are also to do what we can to prevent the freighter from disappearing?”</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Very good Lieutenant. You do think. Maybe there is hope for you yet, now go and take command.”</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Gregory stood, “Aye, Sir.”</span></p><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">Walking onto the bridge, he looked around. The bridge was quiet other than the sounds of instruments. He moved to the Captain’s chair and sat down. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">
</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Status,” he said. </span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">The man to his right spoke, “All systems are nominal sir. We are tracking the Phindhra at the moment on long range scanners. “</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Any other disturbances?” </span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Scanners are clear Sir,” called the science officer. “We have charted all subspace anomalies and those are fed into navigation.”</span></p><br><p
dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;">“How long to get a pair of class I probes on station in and around the target space?"
</span></p>
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"Ten minutes from launch at max speed," replied the Science officer.
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"Alright, make it so. There is no such thing as space ghosts, and technology always leaves a trace. Have the probes focus around propulsion particles. Also follow the tachyon eddies."
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"Aye sir. Probes are ready."
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"Launch probes. Now we wait."
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Gregory watched the crew do their jobs. This was the hardest part of the command chair. He quietly reviewed what they knew with the first officer when the science officer spoke up. "Sir, we are reading an unusual particle field 500,000 km from the Phindhra. There is some odd scattering field impacting the sensors."
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"Tactical, arm weapons. Helm, take us to that region. About 50,000 km above the Phindhra. Yellow alert."
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(Reply None)<br>
<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"
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