COMPILE_TERMINAL_VIEW
USS Boudicca
Through the Looking Glass 2025-04-17
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Mission: Through the Looking Glass
Day 1
Stardate: 2408 11.01
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(USS Boudicca - Corridor of the ship - Sec.O Parrr'Z - Day 1
- 2302)
Gamma shift was the Caitian officer's favorite time to work,
though he had seriously been considering requesting to be
transferred to Alpha so he could see more of Lady Shadow
during their off duty hours. He found the darkened, quiet ship
enlivened his instinctive hunting senses; vision, olfactory and
hearing were all sharply defined and even the food in QV tasted
so much better, if that were at all possible.
The thought of food made him salivate and his stomach growl.
He would get something to eat when it was his break time
around 0100 hours. It seemed a long time to wait but he could
always snack on some jerky that he always carried around with
him, and even that tasted ten times better since Arania had
been making it.
His furry lips curled back in a semblance of a smile, pleased with
himself for thinking of asking the Bar Manager to make some,
because the replicated stuff was okay but nowhere nearly as
good as on his home planet. Arania had been very receptive to
any ideas for edibles that her customers had suggested, providing
they were willing to allow her to use mostly Iradonian ingredients,
and he had happily agreed. The final product was superior even
to the jerky on his home world and he had sent a carton of it back
to his clan for their enjoyment. Since then he had been swamped
with pleas to send more for which they'd be happy to pay, so he
had the start of a small business by buying wholesale from Arania
and selling retail to his clan members, which was nicely
augmenting his salary in order that he could treat his lovely Lady
Shadow to fine dining as often as she wished. It was a satis-
factory transaction all round.
He had paused outside Shadow's quarters as he always did during
his patrols, and sniffed around the doorway, purring softly with
pleasure as he caught her scent, happy to briefly capture a part of
her before continuing on his tour, and had prowled forth a few
more steps when his commbadge activated.
=/\=Commander 'cha Nooras to Security, there is an intruder in
my bedroom.=/\=
The fur on his body raised and his yellow eyes flashed, pupils
dilating as he unholstered his phaser which had already been set
to stun.
"I will be therrrre SsTAT, Commanderrr." He hissed and then
tapped his badge twice, severing the link with the 2O and
opening one to the transporter operator on duty.
"This is Ssecurity to Transporter Room 1. Therre isss an
emerrgenccy. Beam me dirrrectly to Commanderrr 'cha
Noorrrass' bedrrroom!"
Immediately he was swept up by the transporter and
materialized in Dorga's bedroom, his phaser raised and ready
to fire if it was necessary, though he was certain that the 2O
was more than capable of subduing any intruder.
(Reply Any)
(posted by Sal)
****
(USS Boudicca - 2O's Quarters - 2O/CCOUNS/Lt. Dorga 'cha
Nooras - 2303)
Dorga's long dead husband felt so real in her arms, she really
wanted to believe that some how he had returned to her.
"How have you come back to me?" She asked softly, snuggling
against him as she used to.
She fully expected he would wrap his arms around her as he
used to, but he just sat in the bed with a surprised look on his
face as she snuggled and hugged him.
"I have come to find out about your mating, bonding and pro-
creating rituals." He told her, causing her to look at him with an
equally surprised look on her own face, her left eyebrow rising
automatically.
"Will you instruct me of these matters?" He asked, his face
emotionless.
Dorga leapt off the bed and grabbing her uniform tunic fumbled
for the commbadge.
"You're not Parami, who or what are you? How did you know
about my husband?" She demanded, never taking her eyes
off the impostor.
Her fingers found the commbadge.
On his lips there formed a trace of a smile that tore at her
heart. It was Parami's soft smile. Those eyes that looked
at her with curiosity were Parami's eyes. His voice was as
she remembered it to be.
"I know your thoughts and dreams." The phantom stated.
Dorga pressed the commbadge.
"Commander 'cha Nooras to Security, there is an intruder in
my bedroom."
With those words spoken, the impostor instantly vanished and
Dorga found that she was crying once again, and feeling the
anguish she had felt all those years ago when she'd first found
Parami lying dead in their quarters, but this time she did not
howl the cry to Stovokor.
Through tear blurred eyes she found her housecoat and
wrapped it around her, wiped the tears from her face and with
sheer willpower forced herself to look her usual self, just as
Security arrived.
(reply Security, Any)
(posted by Sal)
****
(USS Boudicca - 2O's Quarters - 2O/CCOUNS/Lt. Dorga 'cha
Nooras & Sec.O Parrr'Z - 2304)
When he was whole again, fur still sticking up in alarm, Parrr'Z
looked around the bedroom. The only person there was the 2O
dressed in a housecoat and he sensed on an empathic level,
that she was uncharacteristically upset yet her outer demeanor
showed no sign of it.
~ No, wait. Her eyes look slightly reddened and puffy as if she
has been weeping. ~ He observed.
It was obvious that if there had been an intruder then whoever it
was had disappeared.
"What happened, Commanderrr?" He asked, his fur beginning to
flatten so he didn't look twice his size.
Dorga shook her head.
"It's ridiculous really and I knew it was, but a part of me wanted
to badly to think it was true." She told him.
~ What does she mean? ~ The Sec.O wondered, somewhat
puzzled, but he waited, certain she would tell him all that he
needed to know.
With a heavy sigh Dorga continued. "It was...No! It wasn't
him!" She paused trying to get her thoughts to be less
jumbled, mentally beating herself to smarten up and rid herself
of the lingering disappointment, and now she just wanted to
get out of the bedroom.
She started towards the door. "Come into the living area." She
ordered and walked out of the bedroom.
Parrr'Z followed on her heels, keeping his phaser ready in case
the intruder was still around, perhaps elsewhere in her quarters.
"I think I sshould firssst check the ressst of yourrr quarrterss,
Commanderrr!" He stated, receiving a nod of confirmation from
his superior officer.
~ Why didn't I think of that? ~ Dorga asked herself as the Caitian
Officer moved silently down the short hallway to check the other
rooms. ~ A little caught up in your own misery that's why. Snap
out of it! ~
A few minutes later, Parrr'Z returned, his phaser now holstered
and seeing Dorga was sitting on the couch, he sat on the chair
opposite and took out his PADD to text down the details.
Dorga gave her usual curt one nod and proceeded to tell Parrr'Z
exactly what had happened and what whoever that had been,
had said while Parrr'Z remained silent, writing it down word for
word.
When she was done, Parrr'Z slid the PADD into a pocket.
"That isss mosst ssstrrrange, it almosst sssoundss like it wasss
trrreating you like a ssspecimen that had to be ssstudied. I
doubt that any hologram would do sssuch a thing." The Caitian
observed as he rose from the seat.
"I will placce an officerrr at yourrr quarterr'sss doorrr, Sssirr, you
need only call out ssshould anything elsse happen. Pleasse trry
to get sssome sssleep!"
Dorga thanked him and once he had left the conventional way;
through her door into the hallway beyond, she returned to her
bedroom to try to sleep, feeling a little easier for the thought that
someone would be close at hand should she need them.
(reply Any)
(posted by Sal)
=========================================
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Mission: Through the Looking Glass
Day 2
Stardate: 2408.11.02
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(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - 2O's Quarters - 2O/CCOUNS/Lt. Dorga
'cha Nooras - 0800)
It had been a long, restless night.
After Parrr'Z had gone, Dorga had returned to her bed but she
just couldn't settle. Thoughts of her dead husband Parami and the
good times they'd had together, as well as the possibility that what-
ever had been pretending to be him could materialize in bed beside
her again, had kept her tossing and turning until finally she had got
out of bed to spend the rest of the night working on her idea for a
holoprogram of Parami for the children.
At 0700 she'd woken the twins and helped them get ready for
school and now they were gone, she was debating whether or not
to go to work or spend her off-duty day doing something else. She
thought about the holoprogram she had been working on for most
of the night and walked over to her desk to pick up a small chip that
lay there.
She weighed the chip in the palm of her hand thoughtfully and closed
her fingers around it, naturally it weighed nothing at all but it helped
her to think. Everything she had known and felt about Parami was
lying in the palm of her hand, quite literally it was all that was left of
him besides the two youngsters he had sired and her memories, and
it was now tangible and something she wanted badly for her twins to
have.
Besides Dorga, the only people who had really known Parami were
his elderly parents. His only sibling an elder brother, had been killed
two decades ago and Dorga felt that if anything was to happen to her
it would be as if Parami had never existed.
Tightening her grip on the chip, she gave a curt one nod, her mind
made up; Dorga was now determined to get the program refined so
she could show her children who their father really was, and she
knew just the person to help her do that.
She no sooner made her decision than she was walking out of her
quarters and down the corridor to the McLaren's quarters. It wasn't
to early to go calling on them, she knew Arania was an early riser
even when she worked late into the evenings.
USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters - 2O/CCOUNS/Lt.
Dorga 'cha Nooras - 0803)
The door slid open after she pressed the annunciator and there
stood petite Arania looking more than a little curious as she was
wondering who could be calling on them early in the morning,
but her face brightened into a welcoming smile when she saw
Dorga standing there.
"Greetings, come in!" Arania said, stepping aside so Dorga could
do so. "Look Matthew, here is company for us." She announced
to her husband who was in the kitchen area.
(reply Matthew)
Arania insisted that Dorga sit down and let her get her an iced
cappuccino, as she knew it was the 2O's favorite.
"I hope you don't mind Matthew, but I've come to ask a big favor
of you, but please don't feel obligated in any way if you don't have
the time or inclination to do it."
Dorga hoped that he would, but if he wouldn't then she could do
it herself, only it wouldn't be half as good as anything Matthew
could create, and she really wanted it to be as close to perfect as
she could have it.
(reply McLaren)
(posted by Sal)
****
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- ATT- Lt. Cmdr.
Matthew McLaren - Day 2- 0805)
Matthew was just finishing breakfast when he heard the
enunciator sound. He quickly finished stacking the raspberry
pancakes on the serving plate as he heard Arania call out to
him.
"Look Matthew, here is company for us."
He glanced up at the chronometer. ~It's early for guests.
Wonder who it is?~ he thought.
He picked up the platter and the syrup carafe and headed into
the common room/dining room.
"Good Morning Counselor. Care to join us for some breakfast?
We're having Raspberry Pancakes this morning." he said as he
placed the platter of steaming cakes on the table. "There's more
than enough for all of us."
(reply Dorga)
Arania brought her an iced Cappuccino and they all say down at
the table together.
"I hope you don't mind Matthew, but I've come to ask a big
favor of you, but please don't feel obligated in any way if you
don't have the time or inclination to do it."
"Nonsense, counselor. I'd be glad to help out if I can. What
can I do for you?"
(reply Dorga, Arania)
Daniel Greene
****
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- 2O/CCOUNS/
Lt.Cdr. Dorga 'cha Nooras & Bar Tender Arania - 0806)
Arania had called out to her husband that they had a guest as
Dorga walked in to their quarters. She saw Matthew in the
kitchen area and acknowledged his presence with a one curt
nod and a friendly smile.
He picked something up from the kitchen counter and headed
into the dining area. Whatever it was he was carrying smelled
scrumptious and as he got closer she could see it was a platter
of pancakes and a jug of syrup.
"Good Morning Counselor. Care to join us for some breakfast?
We're having Raspberry Pancakes this morning." he said as he
placed the platter of steaming cakes on the table. "There's
more than enough for all of us."
"They smell wonderful and I have not broken my fast this
morning, so I don't mind if I do join you." She stated with a
grin and added, "providing I can have an iced cappuccino to
go with that."
Arania nicely obliged her and replicated one and they all sat
down at the table together.
"I hope you don't mind Matthew, but I've come to ask a big
favor of you, but please don't feel obligated in any way if you
don't have the time or inclination to do it."
~ But I really, really hope you will! ~
"Nonsense, counselor. I'd be glad to help out if I can. What
can I do for you?" Matthew replied.
Dorga stuck her fork into the large stack of steaming
pancakes, spearing three of them to put on her plate and
then slid the holoprogram chip across the table to Matthew.
She related, between bites of the delicious pancakes and
syrup, exactly what had happened to her the previous night;
how it had brought back all the feelings of loss she had felt
when Parami had died, the longing for him that she had felt
ever since, and how it made her realize just how much her
twins did not know about their father.
"....I could not sleep last night so I made that." Dorga lifted
her chin towards the chip sitting on the table before Matthew's
plate. "You see, we are all that Parami has to remember him
and my children never knew their father, so how can they
remember him? I don't want him to be forgotten when I am
gone, Matthew."
Dorga felt her eyes begin to sting with tears threatening to
form and closed them, willing it to stop but it was to late, two
fat tears spilled from her dark brown eyes as she opened them
and trickled slowly down her cheeks. She swiped them away
more than a little embarrassed at her show of emotion before
this happy couple.
Arania had listened in stunned silence.
Dorga's story had filled Arania's heart with melancholyas she
empathized with the warrior woman, for she could fully under-
stand how Dorga felt about her dead husband for she had
almost lost her own, and she was quite taken aback by the
Vulcan/Klingon's unexpected tears as she had always thought
of the 2O as being stoic and strong, for she came from two
races famous for their strength of character. The woman
seated at their table was certainly not the imperturbable
character that Arania had thought her to be and the young
Iradonian woman could almost feel Dorga's pain. Reaching
under the table, Arania took Matthew's hand and gave it a
squeeze of encouragement, hoping he could help Dorga.
(reply Matthew)
As if knowing that Dorga was feeling sad, Silky, Arania's
miniature goat gently nudged her free hand and rubbed
her head against her thigh. Absentmindedly, Dorga stroked
the little beast's head and scratched around her horns,
finding the animal's presence comforting.
"I thought that I could capture the essence of who Parami
was. His strange sense of humor, his kindness, his gentle
nature so his children could really know him. I had even
considered the possibility of having his hologram interact
with the twins in our quarters." Dorga smiled sadly, "but
I am afraid I may come to the point where I would never
want to turn it off, become dependent on it for my emotional
well-being, so I must think that through carefully first, after
all who is here to counsel the counselor?"
(reply Matthew)
(posted by Sal)
****
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- ATT- Lt.
Cmdr. Matthew McLaren - Day 2- 0807)
It was disconcerting to see the 2O cry. He knew that it must
be an embarrassing thing for her to do in front of others, so
Matthew focused on his Pancakes until she had composed
herself.
Arania squeezed his hand under the table and he glanced up
at his wife. There was a look of hope in her eyes.
"I'd be glad to help counselor. I'll need any images that you
may have of him as well as any personal movie files. I can get
a solid start with that. Once I've got his quirks and habits
down, we can work on the rest of the personality program-
ming."
He looked at her, "It isn't something that will happen over
night. This is a big project, and it could take me a few days of
programming and fine tuning. And since I never met him, I can
only try to get close, I may not be able to mimic him exactly.
It's important that you realize that, Counselor. Because I want
to make certain you realize that he won't be exactly the way
you remember him, although hopefully he'll be close."
(reply Dorga)
Daniel Greene
(USS Boudicca - CEO's Office - CEO Lorimar - 0806)
Bob had the glimmer of a theory, or at least believed he had,
but he needed more data to be sure. He could only proceed
just so far on a theoretical/hypothetical line of thought without
stopping to do a bit of fact checking. He looked up at the gang
in his office, and addressed them each in turn, by order of
physical proximity to where he was sitting.
"Mister Ramirez... ah'm going tae ask Mister Deston tae check
on yer blocked access. Ah am quite sure that nae such order
tae block ye crossed my desk, during the refit or otherwise. Ah
can see nae reason for it... as far as ah'm concerned yer
presence and access aboard this ship hae already been vetted
by the CO, unless security has issues with any of your
privileges. Dae ye, Mister Trei?"
(Reply Trei, Any)
"What ah originally called ye up for, Mister Ramirez, was for an
analysis. Ye are uniquely positioned; being a sentient, or
perhaps resident/mobile AI in the holosystems. Ye should and
would be able tae gie us insight that our regular diagnostics
might miss. What ah'm asking is simple. Are there any...
irregularities *inside* the system that we might not notice from
here?"
(Reply Ramirez, Any)
He looked at Lt. Lebranski next. "Lieutenant, ye're a bridge
officer and from what ah unnerstand occassional watchstander.
Is there anything going on external tae the ship, or at the
command level that could be contributing to these malfunctions?
Would ye be kind enough to check with operations, just tae
make sure that there is nothing going on that would effect our
investigation, please? Also, what dae yer 'organizational senses'
tell ye? Any commonality tae these incidents?"
(Reply Lebranski, Any)
He nodded at her reply, giving a slight smile as his theory
continued to form. "Mister Trei, engineering will gie ye whatever
assistance ye might need for your part of the investigation. Ah'll
copy all of ye with the results of the diagnostic on the holo-
systems as soon as it comes available."
He turned last to Deston, who was standing furthest away.
"Ah'd appreciate it if ye could check intae the 'artifact' as ye
suggested Mister Deston, thank ye. Does the science department
hae any theories so far?"
(Reply Deston, Any)
He scanned the faces of each expectantly. "Does anyone have
any ideas or questions thus far?"
~Just who in Blazes is 'Jack Tripper' anyway?~
(Reply Any, All)
(Posted by Russ)
******
(USS Boudicca - CEO's Office - Lebranski, Rameriz - 0807)
Rameriz brightened up as access was restored to him, and to
the amusement of everyone (except probably the CEO!) he
bounded over to plant a big kiss on the chief's mouth before
declaring "I lubs you man!" and disappearing in a very showy
sparkle. Denise almost blew coffee out her nose at the
expression of the crowd and settled instead to coughing.
Chief Bob, seemed to be doing his best to ignore the whole
kafuffle. Denise wiped tears from the corner of her eyes as
her turn came around. "I haven't heard anything, and nothing
so far in the morning reports. I haven't had a chance to go
over the reports from engineering or security yet. I'm ass-u-
me'ing that most will have been reported..?" She looked
between the two department heads.
(Replies if you so wish)
He scanned the faces of each expectantly. "Does anyone have
any ideas or questions thus far?"
"Well, I am curious how it feels to be kissed by a drunken bum
of a Spanish holo-marine, but not so curious as to try it my-
self.." Denise teased.
****
(USS Boudicca - Bob's Office - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron
Trei - 0810)
After listening to Bob offer his theory and ask if Ramirez should
have less privileges than he has now, Detron responded,
"Well as far as Ramirez is concerned, I have no problem with
him retaining his status on the ship. As far as your theory is
concerned Bob, I thank you for your input and will take note of
it in the analysis. After I leave here, I will be in the holodeck
conducting analysis. Your help is greatly appreciated."
Detron made several notes in his PADD and waited for any
questions to come forth. As there were none, he left Bob's
office for the holodeck.
****
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- 2O/CCOUNS/
Lt.Cdr. Dorga 'cha Nooras - Day 2 - 0808)
Matthew stated he would be glad to help Dorga with her holo-
program and she had already anticipated that he would need
images of him but she only had one treasured picture that she
kept in her bedroom, but she had copied it and placed it in the
chip along with copies of a few letters he had written her that
showed his zany sense of humor and exuberance for life,
together with his weight, height, hair and eye colors.
Dorga wished she did have some personal movie files, but
unfortunately their time together had been far to short and
fraught with dangers for them to even think about making
personal movies, then again if she had some she probably
wouldn't even be thinking about making a special hologram of
her dead love. However she had managed to get copies of a
handful of security vids from the Starbase they had lived and
worked on together after he had died, that had Parami on,
where he was going about his duties or just strolling down a
corridor and even a couple of them together in the Mess Hall
and the Gym. It was as if she knew then that she would need
them some time.
"....And since I never met him, I can only try to get close, I
may not be able to mimic him exactly. It's important that you
realize that, Counselor. Because I want to make certain you
realize that he won't be exactly the way you remember him,
although hopefully he'll be close." Matthew concluded.
Dorga gave Matthew her customary one nod and smiled, all the
while continuing to stroke and scratch at Silky's ears. When
he had finished talking she replied.
"I am grateful for your help and of course I realize that it will
take some time, but I am certain that together we can come up
with something so close to how he was, that anybody who
knew him would think it was really Parami."
She went on to tell Matthew what was in the chip she'd given
him and that she had some short security vids in her quarters,
from which he would see how Parami moved and hear his voice
with the soft, Dutch accent that she'd found so sexy.
"I am looking forward to working with you on this project,
Matthew, but naturally it is not a priority. For both of us our
work comes first."
(reply Matthew iyw)
There wasn't much left of her pancakes, just a few more bites,
so she finished them off and her iced cappuccino, complimented
them on the delicious breakfast and politely excused herself.
"I will drop those vids off to you later Matthew, if that is alright,
I know you have work to do and I thank you again for your
willingness to help me. Good bye for now."
Giving Silky one final pat, Dorga walked out and returned to her
own quarters, to search through some storage totes for the vids
that they would need for their project.
(reply Matthew iyw)
(posted by Sal)
******
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- ATT- Lt. Cmdr.
Matthew McLaren - Day 2- 0809)
"I am looking forward to working with you on this project,
Matthew, but naturally it is not a priority. For both of us our
work comes first."
"Of course, I understand completely. This is a personal project."
~I'll start with the dynamic learning algorithms from the EMH
program....Then I'll see who I can make contact with from Parami's
graduating class and service time, see if they have any video files
or images, also rough stories and the like. Then I'll see what we
have to work with from there~ Matthew thought already formulating
his plan of attack.
"I will drop those vids off to you later Matthew, if that is alright, I
know you have work to do and I thank you again for your willing-
ness to help me. Good bye for now."
Matthew stood when Dorga rose from the table. It felt good to be
able to stand on his own two feet again.
"My Pleasure counselor. If there's anything else that you can think
of or that you need, just let me know. I'm always glad to lend a
hand."
Dorga nodded, then turned and exited the room.
Matthew turned to his wife.
"An unusual request, but I trust that she understands the psycho-
logical dangers of what she's asking better than I do. I just hope I
do a good job for her." Matthew commented to Arania.
"What do you say, we work on your Iradon holo sometime later?"
he asked her.
(reply Arania iyw)
Daniel Greene
****
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- 2O/CCOUNS/
Lt. Cdr. Dorga 'cha Nooras & Bar Manager - Arania - 0810)
Giving her husband's hand another squeeze as he agreed to help
Dorga, Arania smiled at the 2O who appeared to be both relieved
and pleased that Matthew would help. She could see that
Matthew was already working out in his mind, what he could do to
work on the project.
Dorga stated she would bring some vids around later and thanked
Matthew once more as she stood up.
Matthew stood when Dorga rose from the table and once again it
surprised and thrilled Arania to see him stand up as she still hadn't
got used to him being able to walk again after spending so long in
his custom made chair. She found her face flushing as she thought
of other pleasant things he was capable of doing once more, and
she realized that she had convinced herself after his accident and
consequential disablement, that they didn't really need the more
intimate times together as long as they truly loved each other. Now
of course she knew just how much she had missed that side to their
marriage, perhaps now they could start thinking about starting a
family. Not necessarily right away but certainly it was something
they should consider in a year or two, Goddess willing.
Arania glanced over at the small shrine in a corner of the living area,
and silently thanked the Goddess for her benevolence with a gesture
of her hand as she began to clear up the breakfast dishes.
"My pleasure counselor. If there's anything else that you can think
of or that you need, just let me know. I'm always glad to lend a
hand."
Dorga nodded, then turned and exited the room.
Matthew turned to Arania.
"An unusual request, but I trust that she understands the psycho-
logical dangers of what she's asking better than I do. I just hope I
do a good job for her." Matthew commented. "What do you say, we
work on your Iradon holo sometime later?" he asked her.
Placing the stack of dishes back on the table, Arania slithered up
against him and wrapped her arms about his neck, drawing his head
down for a tender kiss.
"I love you, you are my most wonderful husband and I thank Her
every day for your love." She gave him a warm smile that lit her
green eyes up with adoration. "I'd like that! A few things I have
thought of that will more real make it be, but this moment I am
thinking of something we can do together that is of greater
pleasure."
She pressed her lips and body against his and as she felt his strong
arms enfold her, she was filled with such joy that happy tears slid
down her cheeks. After a blissful moment in his embrace she drew
out of his arms and taking his hand, led him back to their bedroom.
(reply Matthew iyw)
(posted by Sal)
******
(USS /Boudicca - /CEO's Office - ACSO Ensign Carlyle Deston
- 0810.5)
Lt. Lorimar began his official inquiry, apparently working through
the occupants of his office in order of proximity. Soon enough,
through the process of question-and-answer, he arrived at Carl.
"Ah'd appreciate it if ye could check intae the 'artifact' as ye
suggested Mister Deston, thank ye. Does the science department
hae any theories so far?"
Carl made a move and said, "As always, Chief, many theories, but
the data's far too insufficient as yet to really. At one end of the
range, it seems likely that we're experiencing an unforseen
complex interaction in the overall computing/AI network, that is
manifesting itself via the holomatrix. At the other extreme, it is
not impossible that I am shortly going to awaken from a very
interesting dream." He grinned at the expressions on some of the
faces. "I only said it wasn't impossible."
Lorimar waited a moment, then asked, "Does anyone have any
ideas or questions thus far?"
(reply any)
Carl said, "Well, I'm off to the lab; I should have some more data
for you in a few minutes. I'll be back." And with that, he was, as
promised, off.
(Reply any)
(Posted by John)
******
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - 2O's Quarters- 2O/CCOUNS/Lt. Cdr.
Dorga 'cha Nooras - 0812)
As soon as Dorga entered her quarters, she went to her room
where she had items stored in totes that she kept inside her
wardrobes.
Methodically she began searching through them one by one and
while doing so, she began sorting out the stuff that was in the
totes, tossing things she no longer used or wanted into a pile on
the bed. It was time for a clear out.
~ How in the heavens do we accumulate so much stuff? ~ She
asked herself, ~ and why do we keep it when it is obviously no
longer wanted? ~
By the time she found the vids with glimpses of Parami on them,
it was over an hour later, but she set them aside on her night
stand and continued sorting through the totes.
When she had finished sorting through the last tote, she asked
the computer what the time was.
[The time is 1122] It intoned.
~ Great, I'll put this unwanted stuff into the empty totes and
carry it to the recycler, by the time I'm done feeding that machine
it will be a good time to drop the vids to Matthew and then get
some lunch. ~
Sitting on the bed, she suddenly wondered if she was doing the
right thing, would she become dependent on having that holo-
graphic copy of her dead husband around? Was she doing this
for the Twins or was it really for herself?
As she began to fill the empty totes she thought more about
whether or not she was filling a need in herself, after all the
children were happy enough just to hear tales of their father and
look at his picture now and then, or at least that is how it appeared
to Dorga. By the time she'd filled the totes and begun carrying
them out to the other room for recycling, she had decided that she
would see what would happen. If she found herself beginning to
be obsessed with the presence of the holographic Parami, then she
felt that she could make herself stop, after all wasn't she half
Vulcan? Surely she had the strength of mind to overcome any
obstacles?
(reply Matthew iyw)
(posted by Sal)
******
(USS Boudicca - Deck 3 - McLaren's Quarters- ATT- Lt. Cmdr.
Matthew McLaren - Day 2- 0815)
"What do you say, we work on your Iradon holo sometime
later?" he asked her.
Placing the stack of dishes back on the table, Arania slithered
up against him and wrapped her arms about his neck, drawing
his head down for a tender kiss.
Matthew was not resistant to the ministrations of his wife in the
slightest.
"I love you, you are my most wonderful husband and I thank
Her every day for your love." She gave him a warm smile that
lit her green eyes up with adoration. "I'd like that! A few things
I have thought of that will more real make it be, but this moment
I am thinking of something we can do together that is of greater
pleasure."
She pressed her lips and body against his and as she did so
Matthew wrapped his arms around her. He held her close to him,
relishing the ability to hold her with both arms again. It was such
a simple thing, but it brought him so much joy, that it was difficult
to describe. After a blissful moment in his embrace she drew out
of his arms and taking his hand, led him back to their bedroom.
(posted by Daniel Greene)
******
(USS Boudicca - Inside the Computer - Holo-Marine Jose Rameriz
- 0820)
"Please state the nature of the holo-stupidity," requested the EMH
appearing in the section of computer Rameriz had made as a holo-
graphic common room. Any holo-personality with self-awareness
could pop in, sit down, watch the stored programs or chat.
Unfortunately, so far the only self-aware programs were him and
the EMH and the EMH didn't like him much.
Actually, thinking about it, Rameriz didn't think the EMH liked
*anyone* that much. "Heys man, have you's noticed anything
odds from the holo-matrix overs the last couples nights?"
"The couples had a night? Was it in Ten Forward? Really, Mister
Rameriz, your grammar is attrocious and I know its on purpose..
you have full access to the language matrix." The EMH was
frowning down at where he lay sprawled on the couch munching
on trail mix.
"Yeahs, I knows. But the *reals* me talks like this.. Though, I
thinks it was purely to drives his teachers, an' then Sarges, nuts."
He sat up, swing his combat booted feet to the ground. "You
also didn'ts answer the question."
The EMH's frown lightened a little as he sat in one of the arm
chairs, "I spent the night in Sickbay with Nurse Abrahams as the
doctor on duty since Doctor Oslo was off with a colicy baby. I
noticed no abnormalities with the units in Sickbay although I did
register several complaints from staff at shift change about 'ghosts
in the system.' I had assumed *you* were up to something. Other
than that, I played several rounds of cribbage in which Nurse
Abrahams cheated her way through."
"Nahs, not me, man. I know how easily I cans be turned off.
*You's* they need, me? Nots so much. I'ms the only marine around,
and even ifs the toy that Chief Bob mades for me lets me go walk-
about, its not like I cans defend the ship in an emergency, first
things to be shut down would be the holo-emitters." He blinked,
"How'd you knows Nurse Abrahams was cheatin'? She seems pretty
straight edged to me's!"
"Really, Mister Rameriz. She kept defeating me, she *had* to be
cheating." The EMH acted like the logic was flawless.
Rameriz hid a sigh and decided to change the subject, "See, here's
the thing," he pulled up a schematic in the air. It wasn't like he
needed it, he could just tell the EMH and the data would transfer.
Hell, really it was the computer talking to the computer at the best
of times, but it was the way his awareness had been programmed,
to preserve sense of self and he thought better when he could make
pretty pictures.
A map of the energy usage map came up, the holo-system in neon
forest green. "Okays, so this is a time lapse usage over the last two
days. Your usage is outline in blue, mine is outlined in da dark
green." They watched in silence. "K, now, this is with all the
incidents that Princess has entered into the database." "You's see
the problem?"
"There is no increased energy usage." The EMH observed the
obviously. "Surely our living and breathing counterparts have
noticed this themselves however."
"Yeahs, probablies. Wouldn't be's too hard to figures out after all
that. BUT, what I DIDS fine when I was running through da
diagnotics of da systems.. Look, when we get diagnosticed, top
level, you'n'I go offline for three milliseconds each right?"
"Correct." The EMH agreed. The number was inexact, of course,
but what could you expect from a program based on a marine
who hadn't finished tenth year? Best to humour the insanity. It
wasn't as if he had anything better to do yet anyway.
"We's went offline for seven milliseconds 1917 lasts night." He
showed the relevant log which the EMH was already accessing.
"The whole database was paused." The EMH said, eyes focused
inwards. "Do you know what that means?"
"Not a clues!" Rameriz said happily. "What does it means?"
The EMH sighed, "I would suspect we either were scanned and
that scanned cause computer disruption *or* our databanks
were downloaded. Either would be a matter for our operators
to figure out. We are just here to serve."
"Yeahs yeahs, I is no waiter." Rameriz replied absently before
transferring himself back to engineering, it hasn't taken much
time at all to talk with the ghostly doctor.
"Good Ridence." muttered the EMH. Really, if he had to share
the computer core with another program, why couldn't it at
least have been with a program with taste and manners?
****
(USS Boudicca - CEO's Office - Holo-Rameriz - 0820)
"Heys Chief Bob!" Rameriz said, appearing at the end of the
desk, wondering if he should be watching the security scans
from while he was gone. He could swear Princess Denise was
making flirty faces with Chief Bob. "I gots somethings for you
and your friends to be lookin' at!" He pulled up the relevant
records on Bob's terminal without waiting for instruction.
"Thoughts you might find *that* of interest," he said proudly.
(Reply Chief Bob, any in the office still :)
(Posted by Lorna)
****
(USS Boudicca - Holodeck 1 -TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron
Trei - 0820)
Detron loaded all the information he had on his PADD to the
Holodeck computer. He instructed the computer to compile an
analysis program on all the theories to determine any connections
between them. He asked the computer how long it will take to
set up the program and the computer said 1 hour. Detron went
to QV(Ten Forward) until the program was ready.
(Reply Lorimar)
(Posted by Edward)
****
(USS /Boudicca - /Main Science Lab - ACSO Deston - 0820)
Carl powered down the containment field, downloaded the data to
his PADD, and picked up the 'bicycle pump'. Actually, bicycle
pump, sans quotes: it was, to all tests, either an authentic item,
or a functional reproduction. It was not a pseudo-persistent holo-
artifact, which had been proven out by it's survival in an isolated
containment field. It was also not an antique: while of a quaint
design, it was composed of modern materials. Most likely, even
disregarding the circumstances of it's appearance, it had been
created by normal replicator tech, as were most manufactured
items on board the ship (or anywhere throughout the Federation,
for that matter).
As he made his way back to the CEO's office, Deston browsed the
list he'd made on his PADD, reorganizing and notating it. The test
results were, perhaps, discouraging; they certainly didn't prove
very much. But they did /disprove/ a number of things, and that
was just as important, especially when considered against the
background of Starfleet experience. Strangeness was far too
common to discount without proof.
No chronal signatures: not transported via known temporal
displacement methods.
No quantum displacement or subspace signatures: not
transported via any known forms of transporter technology.
No other abnormal radiation: not exposed to abnormal radiations.
Yeah.
No atomic lattice breakdown: not old - on the order of over a
hundred years, at least.
No distinguishing physical marks: bearing only the minute, natural
wear and organic deposits (body oils, skin cells) left by the physical
handling of the object by Lebranski, Lorimar and Deston; therefore,
in conjunction with the previous notation, brand-new, recently
created.
Persistent in complete isolation from any and all forms of holo-
matrix reproduction: not holomatter.
As he walked, Deston reviewed his whole list. There was the
meager data from his own two experiences:
Last night:
an apparent holographic entertainment scene briefly played out in
his quarters;
the failure of the computer to log his complaint;
the failure of the computer to actually shut down the holoemitters
despite his command;
the disappearance of the entertainment shortly after the afore-
mentioned command.
And this morning:
the unusual number of 'crewmen' in the corridors;
the 'flash crowd' at the turbolift;
the jam-packed turbolift;
the turbolifts' failure to behave as a crowded turbolift should;
the sudden disappearance of the 'flash crowd'.
Also of note: the complete lack of interaction in both situations -
except for the one female 'crewman' who had given the most
minimal acknowledgment of his existence. And in the latter case,
Deston was pretty sure he'd been subconsciously aware of a lack
of normal organic sounds - breathing and the like - that a crowd
of actual living beings would have made. A third-tier datum at
best, as it could not be substantiated. However, Yeoman
Shadow's olfactory data with /her/ encounter lent substance to
his suspicion.
More: each and every encounter reported so far had been based,
or could easily have been based, on files in the ship's library.
Most had been short set-scenes, but several had been interactive
variants, which meant a small but significant increase in processing
power should have been utilized to allow for the interaction.
However, his cursory check had revealed no increased computer
cycles during the times reported. /That/ bit of data had set some
alarms off in Deston's head.
Things were shaping up to be rather more interesting than he'd
thought.
(CEO's Office - 0825 or so)
Deston walked in. "Here's your bicycle pump back, lieutenant," he
said, handing it to Lebranski. "What I have so far is a bunch of
negative information, which you can all see for yourself in your
copies of of the data I've just passed to your PADDs. Chief, you
asked me for my theories. I no longer put any credence to the
dream theory. Nor do I think it's merely a software glitch. The
direction I'm leaning in now has more to do with conscious direction,
than some kind of accident."
(Reply any)
(Posted by John O'Neill)
******
(USS Boudicca - CEO's Office - Lebranski, Rameriz - 0826)
Denise was sitting on Bob's desk reading PADDs when the scientist
came back. She could work from pretty much anywhere and was
having much too much fun tormenting the chief engineer to move
elsewhere. "Becoming a good commander,and organizer.. you'll
put me out of work," she'd said in various incantations.
"Here's your bicycle pump back, lieutenant," the scientist said,
handing it over to her.
She looked at it and wondered what she was supposed to do with
it and handed it to the engineer who seemed to have the slightest
idea of what it was supposed to be used for.
Deston continued, "What I have so far is a bunch of negative
information, which you can all see for yourself in your copies of the
data I've just passed to your PADDs. Chief, you asked me for my
theories. I no longer put any credence to the dream theory. Nor do
I think it's merely a software glitch. The direction I'm leaning in now
has more to do with conscious direction, than some kind of
accident."
"I will confess, I was thinking practical joke when the pirate
wenches re-appeared. Their first appearance all those months ago
did seem more practical joke than holo-glitch," She swung a booted
foot back and forth thoughtfully, "But.. This seems awfully
coordinated and well hidden for a practical joker. Am I wrong? I don't
know the higher programming arts.. But.." She chewed on her lip,
"If someone blocked Rameriz's access.. is it possible they did it to
hide their activities and not just because he's an obnoxious little
bastard?"
(Replies those still around :)
(Posted by Lorna)
******
(USS Boudicca - Holodeck 1 - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei
- 0925)
Detron stepped in front of the computer panel and asked if the
program was ready. The computer responded, "program ready."
Detron pressed the button to open the doors and entered. He
found an elaborate layout of all the reported incidents with some
connections made between them. The connections were not
conclusive enough to give establish a solid theory of what is going
on. So Detron tapped his Comm Badge.
^= Trei to Crew come to holodeck 1 with your theories on the
incidents now if possible. Trei out.^=
(Reply any)
(Posted by Edward)
*******
(USS Boudicca - Bridge - FO Commander Aleksander Stolev -
Day 2 - 0926)
=^= Trei to Crew come to holodeck 1 with your theories on the
incidents now if possible. Trei out. =^=
Stolev stood up from the command chair. "On my way,
Lieutenant," he replied. As he made his way up to the turbolit
he glanced at the ready room doors, which had been closed ever
since the Captain had entered the bridge and headed straight for
them this morning. So far this morning had been relatively quiet,
except for Louis calling excitedly to inform him that someone
named Ted Williams had been in his quarters when he woke up
this morning.
(USS Boudicca - Holodeck 1 - FO Stolev - Day 2 - 0928)
Stolev walked into the holodeck and looked around at the visual
map of clues and evidence gathered thus far. So far, it seemed
that every experience reported by the crew involved a character
or group of characters from a holodeck program -- some literary,
some from popular culture, and some historical. However, a
diagnostic had shown no problems with the holoemitters, and in
fact it showed no evidence of any usage of the system that would
account for the various characters showing up throughout the ship.
As he watched others arrive in the holodeck, Stolev considered
the possibilities. His thoughts were on his conversation with
Macbeth in his quarters late last night, and he was wondering if
there might be some alien life form on the ship, interacting with
them somehow via holodeck characters. If that were the case,
perhaps the internal sensors would contain some clues.
"Lieutenant, have you looked beyond the holoemitter system?
Are there any anomolies reported by any of the ship's internal
sensors, or perhaps a crewman who performed an active scan of
one of these... visitors, either with a tricorder or with the ship's
sensors?"
(reply Trei, any present)
(posted by Aaron)
******
(USS Boudicca - Holodeck 1 - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei
- 0930)
Detron saw Stolev walk in the Holodeck looking around at the visual
clues. He asked Detron if anybody ran a tricorder scan on the
characters seen. Detron walked over to Stolev.
"No sir. I have no reports of tricorder scans of the anomalies. If
you wish to do that, that will be appreciated. Do you have a theory
on what is happening Alex?"
(Reply Stolev)
(Posted by Edward)
*******
(USS Boudicca - Holodeck 1 - FO Commander Aleksander Stolev
- Day 2 - 0931)
"Lieutenant, have you looked beyond the holoemitter system?"
asked Stolev. "Are there any anomalies reported by any of the
ship's internal sensors, or perhaps a crewman who performed
an active scan of one of these... visitors, either with a tricorder
or with the ship's sensors?"
"No sir. I have no reports of tricorder scans of the anomalies,"
replied Trei. "If you wish to do that, that will be appreciated. Do
you have a theory on what is happening Alex?"
Stolev raised an eyebrow at Trei's informal manner of address-
ing him, but before he could respond, the characters dispersed
through the room stirred from their stasis and began moving
around the holodeck. The hologram of Macbeth approached
Stolev and bowed formally. "Commander Stolev, I believe? I
sincerely regret any inconvenience we may have caused you."
Stolev regarded the hologram -- if that was indeed what it was
-- warily. "Who are you, and what are you doing on this ship?"
he asked.
Macbeth smiled. "I... and all of us... are of a different order of
being. We exist in a dimensional plane beyond your under-
standing. However, your primitive corporeal lives intrigue us...
especially how you utilize this technology to create lifelike
beings from energy." He placed a finger to his chin thoughtfully.
"I believe that description would be the closest to our truth that
your limited ability to understand would allow."
"So why have you chosen us for your... experiment?"
Macbeth shrugged. "I admit it was an issue of convenience. A
portal -- undetectable to your science of course -- exists nearby
between your dimension and our own. Occasionally when we
detect a ship of your kind passing by, we take the opportunity
to study and learn. Your ship presented just such an opportunity."
Stolev frowned. "And how much longer do you plan to study us?"
Macbeth laughed heartily. "My dear boy, we have been studying
you for some time now, and have only just recently begun our final
phase of study: the interactive phase. We used your holodeck
database to assume appropriate forms with which to interact with
you. That phase is now complete, so we will leave you to your
travels."
"But..." was all Stolev managed before Macbeth, and in fact all of
the holographic characters in the room, disappeared, leaving Stolev
and Trei standing alone in an empty holodeck.
Stolev looked at Trei for a moment before tapping his comm badge.
"Bridge, this is Stolev. Cancel level one diagnostic of the holo-
emitters, and resume our previous course."
(reply Orion/Yalix, Trei, any)
(posted by Aaron)
*******
(USS Boudicca - Bridge - Con/Ops Ensign(sg) Micheal Orion
- Day 2 - 0935)
For Orion it was another day, and another shift. Oh he heard about
the strange anomalies running a muck around the ship. Just none
of them made themselves known to the young ensign. Which he was
more than thankful for. SO he did what he needed to do. while the
science department had their collective hands full. Orion kept the
ship in position and watched the stars on the view screen.
He was humming a small tune, when he heard the now familiar beep
of his comm badge =/\= Bridge, this is Stolev. Cancel level one
diagnostic of the holoemitters, and resume our previous course.
=/\=
Orion hands moved deftly over the controls, as he hit his comm
badge. "Aye sir." was the simple enough reply. In a matter of
moments the ship was in motion along the last set course. Once the
course was established Orion inputted the commands into that would
take to ship its cursing warp speed. The Boudicca responded smooth
and gracefully has it entered warp leaving streaming stars in their
wake. Orion had only been on the Boudicca for a short while and he
already had witnessed and heard so many far fetched tales that he
had to wonder what would they run into next.
(posted by Matthew Locke)
(reply none needed)
*******
(USS Boudicca, cargo bay three, AOPS, Lt. Tollian Yalix- Day 2
- 0945)
Tollian had been very busy this morning. It had been more hectic
than usual, with the completion of the refit, and the Assistant
Operations Chief was more than glad to finally stretch his legs after
a couple of hours sitting at his desk in the operations department.
That didn't mean that he didn't have work to do, yet. Far from it, In
fact, he made his way through the ship to cargo bay three, which
was currently listed as empty on the manifest. This was slightly
confusing to him, as he had just ordered some materials stored
there the day prior.
The inventory sheet had been checked and signed off on, indicating
that yesterday everything was where it should be, but this morning,
when he ran the reports a second time, he noticed the discrepancy.
Unable to get a reasonable answer from his staff, he had decided to
take a look himself.
The doors to the cargo bay opened and Tollian strode into the empty
compartment with a frown on his face. There were only few areas
aboard ship where you could store a bulk of materials such as had
been in the cargo bay yesterday.
Without realizing it, he had walked a few meters into the compart-
ment as if doing so would allow him to somehow change his
perception of the situation. This was not the case, but before Tollian
could turn around, the lights went out in the cargo bay for a moment.
When they came back up, it was a very different place.
The setting was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was as if time
had been rewound back to the seventeenth or early 18th century on
earth.
The entire compartment seemed to have taken on the same level of
detail as a full fledged Holodeck. There was a large church-like
structure, complete with a crumbling cemetery and a hillock which
was currently being used by what appeared to be a goat herder and
his flock. The ceiling of the compartment was shrouded with an image
that vaguely resembled a sky at early morning, although it was
translucent and not as detailed.
In the distance a cock crowed signaling that it was very early and not
very late.
Tollian tapped his commbadge, but there was no acknowledging chirp.
He turned to head for the door. It was thinly veiled behind a trans-
lucent wall of the church like building. It did not open when he
approached it.
"Computer, open the inner door to cargo bay three." he ordered aloud.
There was no response at first, but then a soft building dramatic music
began to play and a rich vibrant voice spoke in narration, "The hour
having come, they went with their four lackeys to a spot behind the
Luxembourg given up to the feeding of goats."
Tollian turned as a group of men suddenly appeared. Unlike the rest of
the scene, they seemed much more real and Opaque.
One of the men approached the goat keeper that Tollian had noticed
earlier, on the hillock, and threw him what appeared to be a shining
gold coin. Quickly the man, directed his flock elsewhere, and disap-
peared as he left the scene. Of the men, some seemed to be told to
stay behind, as only four of the party moved forward.
Tollian couldn't help himself. It was apparent that whatever was
happening here was beyond his control to prevent, and so he moved
towards the small enclosure once occupied by the goat keeper to see
where this story was going, in the hopes of figuring out exactly what
was happening.
He didn't have long to wait. A second group of men arrived, some on
horses and a pair in a carriage. They dismounted or disembarked in
silence and joined the first four men in the enclosure.
Tollian regarded them. Of the first to arrive, they were dressed in a
very loose flowing, poetic clothing, similar to those that the away team
had worn when they had visited Iradon. These men were toughened,
somehow. Perhaps warriors of a sort, because they looked as if they
had seen rough days in their lives.
The second group of men, however, were of a different cut of cloth.
They wore finer looking clothing, although of a similar style. They
looked and seemed aristocratic.
The one thing that all these men had in common was that they were
armed.
The narrator spoke again, " A silent party soon drew near to the same
enclosure, entered, and joined the Musketeers. Then, according to
foreign custom, the presentations took place. The Englishmen were
all men of rank; consequently the odd names of their adversaries were
for them not only a matter of surprise, but of annoyance."
One of the 'Englishmen' stepped forward and spoke. He seemed the
most noble of them all.
"But after all, we do not know who you are. We cannot fight with such
names; they are names of shepherds."
"Therefore your lordship may suppose they are only assumed names,"
Replied one of the men, whom had arrived first.
"Which only gives us a greater desire to know the real ones," replied
the Englishman.
"You played very willingly with us without knowing our names," said the
same man, "by the same token that you won our horses."
"That is true, but we then only risked our pistoles; this time we risk our
blood. One plays with anybody; but one fights only with equals."
"And that is but just," replied the rougher cut man again.
The Narrator's voice sounded again, "and he took aside the one of the
four Englishmen with whom he was to fight, and communicated his
name in a low voice.
Two of the other three roughly dressed men did the same.
"Does that satisfy you?" he said to his adversary. "Do you find me of
sufficient rank to do me the honor of crossing swords with me?"
"Yes, monsieur," said the Englishman, bowing.
"Well! now shall I tell you something?" he added coolly.
"What?" replied the Englishman.
"Why, that is that you would have acted much more wisely if you had
not required me to make myself known." he asked.
"Why so?"
"Because I am believed to be dead, and have reasons for wishing
nobody to know I am living; so that I shall be obliged to kill you to
prevent my secret from roaming over the fields."
The Englishman looked at the man who had spoken. It seemed to
Tollian that he believed that his opponent jested, although Tollian did
not get the impression that the man was joking.
"Gentlemen," said the rough-dressed man, addressing at the same
time his companions and their adversaries, "are we ready?"
"Yes!" answered the Englishmen and the Frenchmen, as with one
voice.
"On guard, then!" he cried as they all drew their swords.
Immediately eight swords glittered in the rays of the setting sun, and
the combat began with an animosity very natural between men twice
enemies.
The vocal man fenced with as much calmness and method as if he
had been practicing in a fencing school.
One of his companions, played with skill and prudence, while another
behaved like a man in haste.
The vocal man killed his adversary first. He hit him but once, but as
he had foretold, that hit was a mortal one; the sword pierced his heart.
Second, the prudent man stretched his opponent upon the grass with
a wound through his thigh, As the Englishman, without making any
further resistance, then surrendered his sword, he took him up in his
arms and bore him to his carriage.
The Hasty man pushed his opponent so vigorously that after going
back fifty paces, the man ended by fairly taking to his heels, and
disappeared amid the hooting of the lackeys standing by the carriage.
As to the fourth roughly -dressed man, he fought purely and simply
on the defensive; and when he saw his adversary pretty well fatigued,
with a vigorous side thrust sent his sword flying. The English baron,
finding himself disarmed, took two or three steps back, but in this
movement his foot slipped and he fell backward.
The Frenchman was over him at a bound, and said to him, pointing
his sword to his throat, "I could kill you, my Lord, you are completely
in my hands; but I spare your life for the sake of your sister."
The Frenchman seemed to be at the height of joy; he had realized the
plan he had imagined beforehand, whose picturing had produced the
smiles we noted upon his face.
The Englishman, delighted at having to do with a gentleman of such a
kind disposition, pressed his opponent in his arms, and paid a
thousand compliments to his three companions, and as the Prudent
man's adversary was already installed in the carriage, and as the
Hasty man's opponent had taken to his heels, they had nothing to
think about but the dead.
As two of the victors were undressing the dead man, in the hope of
finding his wound not mortal, a large purse dropped from his clothes.
The forgiving Frenchman picked it up and offered it to his opponent,
the baron.
"What the devil would you have me do with that?" asked the
Englishman.
"You can restore it to his family," said the man as he held the purse
out to him.
"His family will care much about such a trifle as that! His family will
inherit fifteen thousand Louis a year from him. Keep the purse for
your lackeys."
The Frenchman put the purse into his pocket.
"And now, my young friend, for you will permit me, I hope, to give
you that name," said the Englishman, "on this very evening, if
agreeable to you, I will present you to my sister, Milady Clarik, for I
am desirous that she should take you into her good graces; and as
she is not in bad odor at court, she may perhaps on some future day
speak a word that will not prove useless to you."
The Frenchman blushed with pleasure, and bowed a sign of assent.
At this time the more vocal of the Frenchmen came up to his
companion.
"What do you mean to do with that purse?" whispered he.
"Why, I meant to pass it over to you, my dear Athos."
"Me! why to me?"
"Why, you killed him! They are the spoils of victory."
"I, the heir of an enemy!" said Athos; "for whom, then, do you take
me?"
"It is the custom in war," replied his companion, "why should it not
be the custom in a duel?"
"Even on the field of battle, I have never done that."
"Then, let us give the money to the lackeys, as Lord de Winter
desired us to do."
"Yes," said Athos; "let us give the money to the lackeys--not to
our lackeys, but to the lackeys of the Englishmen."
Athos took the purse, and threw it into the hand of the coachman.
"For you and your comrades."
Tollian had taken in the entirety of the scene, just as confused as
he had been at it's outset. It was apparent that this image was a
piece of fictional work. How else could men who just a few
moments earlier had been killing each other suddenly become
friends and allies?
As the scene faded and the empty compartment returned to normal,
Tollian couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of message
in the scene that he had just witnessed intended somehow for him,
personally.
With a shake of his head, he tapped his commbadge, forgetting that
a moment ago it had not been working.
"Yalix to Chief Lorimar," he said once the device had acknowledged
him.
(reply Lorimar)
Daniel Greene with serious editing of the original work, THE THREE
MUSKETEERS, by Alexandre Dumas
******
(USS Boudicca - Holodeck 1 - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei
- 1000)
Detron was talking to Stolev then saw all the visual clues spin
around the room. The clues then vanished leaving a blank room
with no running program. Detron shot Stolev a surprised
expression then commenced to wrap up his investigation. He
made some notes on his PADD then dismissed the crew to their
normal duty operations.
"The investigation is over. You are dismissed."
~That should cover any confusion problems.~
(Reply none)
(Posted by Edward)
******
(USS Boudicca - QV - Scrooge - 1000)
Scrooge finished his tea and scones at a leisurely pace. With
his kind leaving the ship to the portal, Scrooge got up from
his seat at the bar. Scrooge waved at Ariana as he vanished
from sight. He thoroughly enjoyed the company he
encountered on the ship in the short time he had in observation.
As in the immortal words of Charles Dickens Scrooge said.
"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." Scrooge
added, "And a good time was had by all."
(Reply none)
(Posted by Edward)
******
(USS Boudicca - Auxiliary Engineering Lab- ATT- Lt. Cmdr.
Matthew McLaren -
Day 2- 1125)
Mathew sat at his desk singing softly as he worked on a
redesign of a Plasma Relay switch for the Boudicca's tertiary
impulse reactor. The unit seemed to require overhaul much
more frequently than it should and, that was regardless of
the frequency at which the component had been cycled with
new parts.
"I was blue, just as blue as I could be,"
"Every day was a cloudy day for me,"
"Then good luck came a-knocking at my door"
"Skies were gray but they're not gray anymore"
"Blue skies..."
"Smiling at me..."
"Nothing but blue skies..."
"Do I see..."
"Bluebirds..."
"Singing a song..."
"Nothing but bluebirds..."
"All day long..."
"Never saw the sun shining so bright,"
"Never saw things going so right,"
"Noticing the days hurrying by,"
"When you're in love, my how they fly,"
"Blue days..."
"All of them gone..."
"Nothing but blue skies..."
"From now on..."
The song transformed itself into a hum as Matthew began to
concentrate on the heat invertors and the submicronmagnetic
retention bands, in the component.
"Well isn't that just a kick in the head." he said as he pulled a
badly burned constrictor coil from the assembly. "Looks like we
may have a bigger problem than I thought."
NRPG: Blue Skies by Irving Berlin 1923 originally written for
the Jazz Singer.
(reply any or none)
Daniel Greene
==========================================
==========================================
Mission: Where Fools Fear to Tread
Day 1
Stardate: 2408.11.21
==========================================
==========================================
(USS Boudicca, ACSO's Office - Ensign Ayslin Rel - 0859)
Ayslin sipped her coffee without paying it much mind, he focus glued
to the reports she was going over. Her breakfast sat forgotten and
half eaten on the far corner of her desk, and her hair hung loose over
her shoulders and covering the spots that ran down her neck, yet to
be put up into a pony tail or braid for the work day.
On top of all of the paperwork that came with the job, she was still
trying to finalize her work on quantum interactions of a warp field on
the surrounding dark matter at high warp. Theoretically, she thought,
it would be possible for a ship to ride along in the current caused by
passing warp fields, that pushed and disturbed the local dark matter
with via it's warp field. She was hoping to get someone from the Dyson
institute to put some buoys along the major trade routes between
Vulcan and Earth, and monitor the flow of Dark Matter. It might not be
possible to actually achieve warp, but if you could establish a static warp
shell around an object and allow it's mass to reach near zero, it might be
possible to approach near the speed of light.
=/\=Stolev to senior staff. There will be a mission briefing in the
Observation Lounge at 1000 hours. Please plan to attend.=/\=
Ayslin nearly jumped out of her skin and only just managed to stifle a
surprised yelp. Taking a deep breath she confirmed receipt of the order
and went back to work after setting an alarm to remind her at 0945.
(Posted by Patrick D.)
******
(USS Boudicca - Bridge - FO Commander Aleksander Stolev - Day 1
- 0900)
Stolev emerged from the captain's ready room with PADD in hand and
a spring in his step. Not only had they received new orders, but
Captain Rivers had asked Stolev to handle the briefing of the senior
staff himself, as she was stuck in some sort of subspace CO conference.
Not only was he looking forward to the opportunity to brief the staff,
but the mission itself was sure to be interesting and exciting -- first
contact with a newly discovered space-faring race.
"Mr. Orion, change course to 218 mark 35, warp six."
(reply Orion)
Stolev then sat down in the command chair and tapped his comm
badge. "Stolev to senior staff. There will be a mission briefing in
the Observation Lounge at 1000 hours. Please plan to attend."
(Posted by Patrick D.)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Bridge - Con/ Ops Ensign (sg) Micheal Orion
- Day1 - 0903)
Orion watched as the FO walked from the captain's office with a
spring in his step, he smiled at the FO's happiness.
"Mr. Orion, change course to 218 mark 35, warp six." The FO
turned to toward the young ensign.
" Aye sir. " Of course was Orion's response, in fact it seemed to
be all he said aloud any more after the mission where they had
met Loqi. Orion was from a different classification of thought and
he knew it. Not one of science and the physical. But rather he
believed in his feelings, the metaphysical; of spirits, magic, and
forces unseen.
Again his hands moved across the console in front of him, hearing
the familuar beeps, and chimes of the new course being set into
the navigation computer. All the while the boudicca came to life
under his commands has the ship corrected to her new corse and
made the jump to warp six.
(reply ALL)
(posted by Aaron)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CEO Lorimar - 0945)
Bob Lorimar had arrived a bit earlier -- quite a bit earlier in fact
-- than his usual time for a mission briefing. Much to his great
surprise, he was the first to arrive.
~Unless ah'm in the wrong bloody room... that would nae be
the first time for that now would it?~
He smiled to himself and walked over to the replicator. Reward-
ing himself for no particular reason, he ordered and received a
large container of 'Iced Cappuccino'. He'd first tried it during his
counseling sessions with Lt. Cmdr. 'cha Nooras, and he had
taken quite a liking to it. Almost as much as his regular beverage
of choice, hot coffee. Nothing could beat a good single malt of
course... but that would be a highly inappropriate choice for a
staff meeting...
He took his beverage and PADD toward the windows and watched
in awe as the star field slid by.
~Warp six or so... fae the look o' it.~ He felt the subtle movement
and vibrancy of the ship beneath his feet. No wind, no water... but
an engineer could feel it. So could, he supposed, anyone attuned
and paying close attention. Bob *felt* every change and nuance
and maneuver. She was a part of him, he a part of her, and they
had been so for quite a long time now. He didn't consciously
consider any of this of course... he might think himself crazy. But
deep down, he *knew*. And he was very, very pleased about it.
He took another pull of his drink as he thumbed through some
notes on his PADD. He never quite took his eyes from the stars
though.
~Ah wonder if ah might get away wie puttin' some view ports in
engineering?~
His own ghostly reflected image stared back at him happily as he
waited for the others to arrive.
(Reply Any)
(Posted by Russ)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - Con/ Ops Ensign (sg)
Micheal Orion - Day1 - 0945.5)
Orion entered the Observation Lounge with little to no one present.
He liked to be early to such things. Better pick of the chairs he
would tell anyone who would ask him. Orion moved to one side of
the observation lounge and looked out over the stars they were on
the fringe of federation space. An in area all to real to him, looking
out over the vastness of space he couldn't keep himself from
wondering at how close the Boudicca was to the rumored
coordinates to where Orion lost all he loved. The truth be told Orion
liked being early to such meetings because it gave him a chance to
let his mind wonder, and not have to worry about the mass array of
other voices belonging to the minds of the rest of the crew. Some-
times being a telepath had it draw backs. So he waited and stared
to the stars until others began to arrive. Then it would be the time
for greetings and small talk.
(posted by Matthew Locke)
(reply none need)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - Con/Ops Ensign (sg) Micheal
Orion- 0946)
Bob half turned as the doors swished open, and he saw the young
CONN officer enter. Bob gave a friendly nod and smile. "Guid mornin'
tae ye Mister Orion."
" As well as the fates may allow sir, and you how do the fates find you
this day?" Orion relied, he knew it was probably not the kind of reply
the Lieutenant was expecting and Orion waited for a moment to see
how he was going to react before he went to looking out over the stars
again.
He watched in the reflection of the window has Lt.Cdr. Dorga 'cha
Nooras entered the room. He turned briefly "Good morn, and may the
fates find you well." Orion spoke in greeting and kind tones. And right
on the commanders heels entered Ensign Ayslin Rel. Orion turned to
her nodded in greeting "Greetings and Salutations."
(reply Lt.Cdr. Dorga 'cha Nooras and Ensign Ayslin Rel)
He moved to his chosen seat near the middle of the table on the right
hand side. He liked being in this area it allowed him to see everyone
and more importantly hear everyone clearly. After a few moments a
few more people entered and soon after that the FO entered and
Orion waited for the meeting to start.
(posted by Matthew Locke)
(reply mentioned)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - 2O/CCOUNS/Lt.Cdr. Dorga
'cha Nooras - 0947)
The meeting wasn't due to start until 1000 hours but as usual
Dorga had chosen to arrive far earlier than necessary, as she
utilized the waiting time to catch up on some PADD work and
people watch. Sitting at the table observing while the other
officers arrived was a good way to determine their states of mind.
As she strode in, she was mildly surprised to see that Bob Lorimar
was already there as was Ensign Orion, as frequently she was the
first to arrive. She gave them a pleasant smile and greeted them
verbally as she helped herself to some iced cappuccino at the
replicator, before she sat down to the left of the head of the table,
sucked up a mouthful of the delicious beverage through the straw
and then activated a PADD she had brought along that had a half
finished report she was making on a crew member who had recently
begun therapy sessions with her.
As each new arrival came in she would look up and nod her normal
once, smile and then return her attention back to the PADD with
occasional pauses to chat briefly.
At 0955 she looked up to see the FO enter without the CO, and as
Cdr. Stolev took the head seat at her right, she correctly determined
that something had come up to keep Susan from attending. She
gave him a nod and a smile, noting that he appeared to be in high
spirits and put her PADD away, replacing it with a blank one to take
notes of any pertinent information.
(reply Any)
(posted by Sal)
*****
(USS Boudicca, Observation lounge - ASCO Ensign Ayslin Rel
- 0948)
Ayslin walked into the observation lounge at a relaxed pace and
looked around. She wasn't the first there and it looked as if she had
arrived just after the Second Officer. Setting her coffee down at an
empty seat by the table she headed for the windows and over to the
Chief Engineer.
"Good Morning Lieutenant," Ayslin said with a friendly smile as she
quickly and deftly pulled her long red hair back into a loose pony
tail and out of her face.
(Reply Lorimar, any)
(Posted by Patrick D.)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CEO Lorimar - 0948.5)
Bob was not easily distracted, but his mind was not really focused
on any one thing in particular... he was processing information
along several threads at once. None of which ruined his enjoyment
of the moving star field outside the view ports however.
He half turned as the doors swished open, and he saw the young
CONN officer enter. Bob gave a friendly nod and smile. "Guid
mornin' tae ye Mister Orion."
(Reply Orion iyw)
Next to file in was the ships' Second officer, and his 'therapist'.
Thanks to Dorga 'cha Nooras, he was much of his old self again. It
had taken some time and a great deal of effort on both their parts;
but as a result he was healing... and was well on the way to being
his old self once again. He nodded politely and smiled at her as she
entered, giving his container of cappuccino a tap with his index
finger as if to say 'thanks for showing me this'.
(Reply 2O iyw)
He had mostly returned his attention to the view and the notes on
his PADD when he felt another presence approach. He could hardly
fail to notice her friendly smile and greeting; the pleasantly distract-
ing visual of red hair was icing on the cake, so to speak.
He returned her smile and gave her his full attention, remembering
their prior conversation regarding formality based upon circumstance.
~Let me see if ah can get this one right withoot stepping on mah
words...~
"Guid Mornin' tae ye Ensign Rel... how are ye fairing?"
(Reply Rel iyw, Any, Room for more)
(Posted by Russ)
*****
(USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge - ACSO Ensign Ayslin Rel
- 0949)
"Good Morning Lieutenant," Ayslin said with a friendly smile as she
quickly and deftly pulled her long red hair back into a loose pony
tail and out of her face.
"Guid Mornin' tae ye Ensign Rel... how are ye fairing?" He said,
returning her smile with one of his own.
"Besides the paper work that apparently comes with the job, fairly
well. I think I'm pretty much settled in after the last few weeks.
Walls are still a little bare, need to find some paintings to put up,
or some prints maybe," Ayslin said with a shrug and a smile. "Good
problems to have I guess. I trust engineering has been treating you
well? I know it's been a bit since we've sat down and talked."
(Reply Lorimar)
(Posted by Patrick D.)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - 2O/CCOUNS/Lt.Cdr. Dorga
'cha Nooras - 0949.5)
The 2O had stated that indeed she was very well, thank you, to
Ensign Orion's question and had given a nod and smile to the CEO
to acknowledge his signed appreciation, for the delicious beverage
she had introduced him to during their initial counseling session.
She silently raised her own iced cappuccino in salute and drank
some, her smile growing when she saw Ensign Ayslin Rel enter and
approach Lorimar to engage him in conversation. Dorga couldn't
help but wonder if it was possible that there might be a blossoming
romance because she got a feeling that the young woman might be
interested in the CEO.
Shortly after, Ensign Deston joined the couple and they talked quietly
together while Dorga read the information on her PADD and more
officers arrived. She gave Detron Trei a nod as he waved at her and
couldn't help but note that Tollian Yalix appeared to be anxious when
he arrived after Stolev as he fumbled around with his PADD.
"My Apologies, Commander. I seem to have been delayed longer than
expected." Yalix stated.
Dorga gave him a smile of reassurance, after all the Efrosian AOPS
wasn't late for the meeting, there was still a couple of minutes to go.
She glanced up at the chronometer.
~ Make that 1 minute 35 seconds. ~
She couldn't help but wonder if there would be late comers, and for
what reason the meeting had been called. Hopefully they were going to
be sent on another exploration mission.
(reply none necessary)
(posted by Sal)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ACSO Ensign Carlyle Deston
- Day 1 - 0955)
Deston entered the OL ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to
start, and was a bit disappointed to see he hadn't arrived early enough
to get his favorite seat near the Lloobee touch-sculpture. Not a deal-
breaker, though; there was an open seat next to both the Chief Engineer
and his heaven-sent counterpart in Sciences, Ensign Rel (diverter of
paperwork and preventer of proto-headaches; managing the department
had stopped it's nigh-inexorable creep towards being a nightmare and
had actually become pleasant, thanks to her invaluable efforts). He
acknowledged such greetings as were made as he sidled around the table
and claimed his perch.
"Good morning, Chief Lorimar; you're looking well. Good morning,
Ensign Rel; how are you today?"
(reply Lorimar, Rel)
A few minutes of small talk were abruptly ended as Commander Stolev
- who had called the meeting - entered the room, and sat down. His
demeanor indicated that, though he'd arrived almost five minutes early,
the meeting itself had not yet been officially convened. Still, prudence
dictated that watchful caution would be in order, and Deston quieted
down, keeping an eye on the Commander while he made some notations
in his PADD.
(reply any)
(posted by John O'Neill)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - FO Commander Stolev - Day 1
- 0955)
Since he would be running the briefing, Stolev figured that he ought not
stroll in as the clock chimed for the start of the meeting, so he made a
point of arriving a few minutes early. He nodded in greeting to those
who were already there and took the Captain's usual seat at the head of
the table and waited for the rest of the staff to arrive.
(reply ALL)
(posted by Aaron)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron
Trei - 0955.5)
Detron walked into the Observation Lounge and placed his PADD near
the front of the table. He went to the replicator and ordered Earl Gray
Hot with lemon plus a strawberry scone . He took his tea and scone to
his seat and sat down looking over the room in the process. He waved
to Dorga and Stolev. He waited for the meeting to begin.
(Reply Dorga, Stolev iyw)
(Posted by Edward)
*****
(USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - AOPS Lieutenant Tollian Yalix
- Day 1 -
0958)
Tollian was late. Well not late, but he was later than he liked to be. He
had left his office in plenty of time to make it to the briefing on time,
yet somehow, he had been stopped by several Operations department
personnel that all required immediate answers to problems that could
have waited.
Yalix realized that the relative importance of a given thing was a relative
matter. The person to whom it mattered most would find it very
important, while those to whom it did not matter, would not. It just so
happened that in this particular series of encounters that Tollian did not
find the questions nearly as pressing or urgent as those that had asked
them.
Still he could not simply dismiss them out of hand. He had answered each
one, which is how he had come to be not quite, but almost late getting to
the briefing.
As the doors slid open, he couldn't help but notice that the majority, if
not the entirety, of the senior command staff was present already. This
observation simply compounded his anxiety with being nearly late and
caused him to quickly take a chair.
He fumbled around with his PADD, setting it on the table in front of him.
He then addressed the commander. "My Apologies, Commander. I seem
to have been delayed longer than expected."
(reply Stolev, Any)
Daniel Greene
******
(Shonora Ellian, Command Deck - Marshal, Torias Wersh - 1000)
Torias sat in the center of the command deck, reading over the
re-supply summary reports. He leaned forward in his chair, his deep
brown wings twitching randomly. Torias was a tall man, but not large
in the way others of his caste ended up after years of physical work,
he was slender down to the tip of his fingers which greatly helped
when messing about with circuit boards and the internals of a computer
system. Not that he had much chance to put those skills to the test
lately. When he'd simply been the Chief engineer with Shonora Morrin,
and even sometime a few years back when he'd been Ellian's Vice
Marshal, he'd been able to muck about with his computers as much as
he wanted. Now that he was the Marshal, he spent his days reading
reports and giving orders, the closest he got to actually programming
a computer or working on it's guts was with his own personal set up in
his quarters.
Torias's dark hair matched his wings except where is was beginning to
gray. He had large light emerald green eyes contrasted with his dark
skin. His uniform was a light brown shot through with threads of
copper, gold and silver in intricate patterns.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by the call from his communications
officer, alerting him to a incoming call from the Exploration and
Defence Command headquarters. Torias stood up and quickly settled
his winged down his back, pulling his uniform shirt down to smooth out
the wrinkles. "Go ahead and put him through," he told the Comm
officer.
The face that appeared on the screen was old and lined, what was left
of his hair was white and thin. He wore a blue uniform and coat
suitable for working in a lab, although Torias doubted the man had set
foot in a lab in the last dozen years other than to chew out an
intern. Fleet Marshal Elrin Yentarin, sorry, Fleet Marshal, Doctor
Elrin Tentarin, was in charge of all Medical and Scientific mission
asigned to SEAD. The man took his job seriously, to the point of
there being rumors that he had once made the Marshal in charge of a
Medical crew have a nervous breakdown because the poor man mis-
placed a comma in a report. Most Mithgiln took pride in doing as good
a job as possible, but some Scholars took it a hair too far in Torias's
opinion.
"Good Morning, Fleet Marshal, how can we be of service?" Torias
asked, his back straight, his hand clasped behind him.
"Good Morning Marshal Wersh, I have new orders for you. You have
been assigned as lead ship in a Medical aid mission to Dentanis 3.
Reports indicate that there is a plague brewing and they're going to
need significant medical assistance. We're currently organizing
medical ships to be dispatched as soon as possible, but until we can
get them organized, you're going on ahead to begin the process. We're
expediting medical supplies and a few more medical personnel
to you now to cover the major population areas until the rest of the
aid mission arrives. My office is forwarding on all pertinent reports
and files as we speak. My reports say you're Senior Guardian will be
returning by this evening. Once she's aboard and final flight checks
are complete, proceed to Dentanis 3. While this isn't an emergency
yet, try not to dawdle. Any questions, Marshal Wersh?"
"No, sir, I'll have my Medical officer contact your office after he
reviews the reports if he has any questions."
"Good, SEAD Out." The elder Scholar said, before cutting the link
from his end.
Torias sat back down in his chair, and gathered his thoughts before
giving out new orders. "Operations alert the cargo crew to prepare
for new fragile cargo, and assign quarters to the temporary officers
once they arrive. Communications, transfer all medical and science
related files to their respective departments and alert me as soon as
we have a solid arrival time for Guardian Tenshi, and ask the other
guardians to get Ellian's opinion on all of this," Torias said,
standing up when he finished. "I'll be in my office if I'm needed
before then, then turned and walked away towards his office.
(Reply None)
(Posted by Patrick D.)
******
(Shonora Ellian, Outer Decks - Senior Guardian Rennia Tenshi - 1730)
Rennia strolled down the hall, her fingers trailing along the wall to
she went. She moved without a hurry, her eyes taking in all the
sights and sounds. She always did this tour whenever she'd been away
from Ellian for a decent length of time. It wasn't that she didn't
trust the other guardians, it was just part of her coming home. The
rest of the crew gave her space as they passed around her, focused on
their own tasks, and leaving the Guardian to hers.
Rennia was barely five feet tall, her green, tailored robes showed off
her slender frame and matched her dark green wings well. She was one
of the smaller members of the crew, but her duties didn't require
size. Her dark, garnet colored eyes stood in contrast to her almost
white blond hair and pale skin.
As much as she loved visiting her family it was always a relief coming
home to Ellian. Everything seemed more familiar, more safe. The feel
of the deck, the ambient noise, the smells, everything made Ellian
feel like home. And then there was her dear friend Ellian himself.
As with nearly every Shonora and Guardian, Rennia and Ellian became
fast friends. She spent hours talking to him, and she'd been in such
close contact with him for so long that even without the aid of the
podium on the bridge that amplified her telepathic abilities, she
could still feel Ellian somewhere in the distance. It was like
knowing your spouse was home but in another room of the house, you
can't here them but you still know they're there.
(Shonora Ellian, Command Deck - Senior Guardian Rennia Tenshi and
Ellian - 1800)
And so she walked eyes half closed as she made her way to the command
deck. When she got there she received a few smiles welcoming her
back, while others barely even noticed she'd arrived, their attention
never wavering from their tasks. She took the two steps up to the
raised podium, that was her official place on the Command Deck. It
didn't look like much of anything, a simple raised platform no more
than three feet in diameter, and surrounded on three sides by railings
to keep her from falling off if and when the ship made any sudden
movements. As she stepped onto the podium she closed her eyes and
opened her mind.
::I'm back, Ellian:: She sent out to her friend.
::I know. Are you aware of just how slow you walk? I honestly don't
understand how you people deal with being so small and slow.:: Came
back the voice of her friend, who was playing at being grumpy, even if
it was obvious to Rennia that it was just for show.
::Size and speed are what you're for. Besides, a nice walk is worth
it sometimes.::
::Whatever you say.:: He said, then changed the subject. ::Were you
briefed on the mission?::
::I got some of it, I assume you listened in on the call the Marshal
got from Command?::
::Yea, just an aid mission to Dentanis 3, I talked to Arris, she said
we got the lead job because we were home when they finally made the
decision to go help:: Ellian said. ::I honestly think she's getting
bored being assigned to the Home fleet, She'll be much happier when
she's rotated back into the exploration section.::
::How long until we're ready to go?:: Rennia asked.
::Shouldn't be that long now that you're back, just some final checks
and we're off. I don't think the two of us are going to have a lot to
do.:: Ellian said with a mental shrug. He'd been working with SEAD
for nearly his entire 200 years, he knew how to take a boring mission
in stride.
(Reply None Needed)
(Posted by Patrick D.)
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