USS Mystique

Mission: The Rhyne Odyssey
Day: 1
Stardate: 2446.03.02
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 15 - Somewhere - ACEO Ensign Scott Matrix - 0532)
(USS Rhyne - Deck 4 - Sickbay - Doctor Ambrose Harris - 1903)
(USS Rhyne - Deck 4- Sickbay - Medical Officer- Dr. Belisarria and Dr. Harris - 1904)
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Mission: The Rhyne Odyssey
Day: 31
Stardate: 2446.04.02
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Ready Room - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory - 0900)
(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Briefing Room - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory - 1045)
(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Bridge - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory - 1455)
(Gamma Hromi II - Outside Caves - aXO Michael Weston, Lt Cal Dogan, PO3 Hercules Devers,
Lt. Suison, Dr. Ambrose Harris - 1500)
(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Bridge - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory, Lt. Arthur ‘Snoopy’
Corday, Lt.(jg) Tonya Cavenaugh, Ensign Andy Taylor, Ops crewman Outrider 1, ship mascot
Leeza Pel - 1530)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 15 - Somewhere - ACEO Ensign Scott Matrix - 0532)

Scott had been asleep for sometime. He was still exhausted and groggy. Rubbing his eyes, he
propped himself up on the bulkhead and tried to focus. The dimly lit corridor was filled with
smoke and he could see the red flicker of light down the hallway.

Strangely, the smoke didn't fill his lungs so he wasn't having any difficulty breathing. His eyes
were a different story. Whatever was in the air, felt like sand had been poured into both eyes.

He stood, then bent over hoping that gravity would help eradicate whatever the substance was.
Scott rubbed his eyes again, fighting the pain and the overwhelming sensation to scratch his
peepers. A few more moments passed and so did the pain and grit. Clearly seeing now, he
could make out the alert lights down the hallway. He moved quickly and made his way up to the
panel. There were no markings on the door and the area was unfamiliar. The panel’s
nomenclature didn’t make any sense.

The internal scanners showed some sort of catastrophic event behind the doorway. He lightly
pressed the door with his right hand. The pain was immediate and severe. His palm and three
fingers instantly blistered. He yelled in pain as he pulled back and looked at his hand. He could
see the bones on three of his fingers. Scott stumbled backwards and nearly fell to the floor.

He looked back at the door. The alert lights were no longer visible and the smoke had
disappeared. Scott looked down at his hand. The damage to his hand had disappeared. He
made a fist and flexed his hand several times. ~Geez~ he thought. ~What the hell just
happened?~

He walked back to the area he had been sleeping in and picked up his tricorder. He scanned the
area, then himself. Everything was back to normal. ~What the…~

Quickly he moved back into the area that MacGyver was working.

~Where did he run off to?~

(Reply none)
(Posted by Steve)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 4 - Sickbay - Doctor Ambrose Harris - 1903)

The woman he had known as his wife had stalked him through the hallways, haunting him
through the wreckage of what had once been the USS Rhyne. She was dead, he knew. But
her voice and the fierce anger that radiated from the visage…it wasn’t without its effect on him.
He had wandered, his wounds affecting him. He remembered making it the corner of a hallway
or two…then something exploded…or something. His world had gone black.

Now he was waking up from whatever calamity had nearly claimed him. The room around him
slowly began to solidify until he realized with some relief he was back in the Rhyne’s sickbay. In
the short time he had been aboard the ship it had been a welcome place of healing. Now he
wasn’t sure what it was. Something felt…off. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but the room
felt…different. He slowly blinked his eyes as his vision cleared and he felt his senses returning.
Sore, but returning. He moved his head a bit and found he was in the intensive care section.
He closed his eyes. Jordan was dead. He could not hope to grieve her now. Whatever had
happened on the Rhyne wasn’t done, he was sure of it. They would need good doctors. They
would need help. And if there was one thing Ambrose Harris was good at it, it was helping.

(reply rhyne sickbay)
(posted by Aaron D)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 4- Sickbay - Medical Officer- Dr. Belisarria and Dr. Harris - 1904)

The alerts began to sound on the biobed and Klinger called out, “Doctor, this one is waking up.”
~This one?~. Belisarria was half amused by the reference, but understood that these ones from
the Illuminar were not familiar with her crew. She was going to have to stop those thoughts. This
crew, that crew. They were in this together and would have to come together as a single crew.

She moved into the isolation room and looked down on the face of Harris, smiling. Her mind
touched his to sense his confusion and loss. He hadn’t been on the Rhyne long before they
slipped into this alternate universe, but quickly became friends as much as colleagues.

“Welcome back, sleepy head,” her musical voice lilted in pleasure.

Harris grunted, “I’m not sure it’s a welcome return, B’.” He blinked a few more times, “How bad
was I?” He didn’t bother to look at the readings. He was not a good patient when he knew his
condition. He’d learned to sit back and accept the help of those around him.

“Do you remember that time we were in Argoleus cluster?” she said. “That was a walk in the
park.”

Ambrose felt his body drop a few temperatures as he stared at Belisarria. The Argoleus cluster
had been a cluster, and it had been a challenge for the medical teams. They’d gone in to find a
missing transport and discovered pirates were using the area to stage raids. They had both
been deployed as battlefield medics as an immediate rescue was ordered when the transporters
failed to get a lock. Between the two of them they’d managed to save and evacuate half of the
transport crew before the pirates set the ship to self destruct. They’d transported at the moment
of explosion. Then the Rhyne had come under attack. Harris remembered, “The frying pan to
the fire and back again. We gave those pirate bastards hell, though didn’t we?” He coughed
and felt his body ache in response. “I don’t suppose we’re getting out of this one with seconds
to spare, eh?”

“Perhaps we might,” her voice sang a little as it usually reflected her mood and mental status.
“Well, those of us that are left. There’s only twenty of us.”

Harris chuckled before he realized she was staring at him, no smile included. “You’re serious.”

“Very much so,” her voice suddenly less musical.

“Damn. Walk in the park indeed. Jordan would be having a field day with the science of the
alternate universe.”

Her mood lightened slightly at the mention of Ambrose’s wife, “Let’s be honest, Am, Jordan
would have had a field day with a petri dish of Argellian bacterium.”

Ambrose smiled quietly at the joke. Jordan Reid Harris was many things, but she had never
stopped moving. She’d found the simple joy in the basics of science experiments with children
all the way to studying his neuroscience essays when he submitted to journals. She had been
born for science and it was something she had never tired of studying. Part of being on the
Rhyne had been her idea, and he’d done what he’d always done - followed along. It wasn’t that
he didn’t have passions or drive of his own - he was content to make friends along the way
wherever they ended up. He felt like he should be doing something.

Suddenly she could feel his loss again, and his desire to get up and move. “Hold on there
cowboy. Let’s give your body a chance to catch up to your brain.”
Harris let out a small sigh. “How long will that take?” He glanced around sickbay, “...you said
twenty?” He wondered what twenty had survived the nightmare. “What’s this…new crew?”

“They’re from the USS Illuminar,” Belisarria said. “And they are from the future.”

Ambrose gave her a look, “From…when!?”

“I believe the stardate they gave was 2446,” she said. “We’ve been missing from our home
universe for 70 years. They’ve assumed command of the ship. I guess we are under their
command now.”

She looked at the latest readings from her medical scanner then back at Ambrose, “You want to
see? You’d give the same response. I’d like to give you three more hours here, then send you
back to your quarters. You can come in tomorrow and meet our new CMO, Dr. Kyllee, and
maybe go for some light duty.”

Harris accepted the scanner and nodded as he quickly checked each section, “Your diagnosis
as always is spot on, B. TIme would be helpful. I don’t think I’ll have much time to mourn
Jordan before we have to get back into whatever fight is ahead of us.”

Belisanna put a hand on her friends shoulder and lightly touched his mind, filling him with her
feelings of caring and love. “There is always time for mourning Am. I will miss her too.” A small
tear fell from her yellow cat eye. “If you need me, I am here for you.”

He gave a quiet nod, “Loss sucks. I’ll manage. Thank you, B. For all of it.”

She leaned in and gave him a hug. When she stepped back she straightened herself up, dried
her eyes with her sleeve and smile. Once again the lilting voice came out.

“Sleep now. We will have our time later.” She turned and left the room, leaving Ambrose to his
thoughts.

He closed his eyes and began to remember Jordan for who she was…and who she would
always be to him.


(reply none)
(posted by Al Muir and Aaron D)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Ready Room - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory - 0900)

Gregory looked out the window at the stars. He sipped his tea before speaking. “Computer,
begin recording. Acting Captain’s log. Stardate 2446.04.02. It had been a long month getting
the Rhyne back to shape and training the remaining crewmember. We continue to investigate,
as best we can, how the Rhyne ended up in the mirror universe and returned to our universe
and now back again. The loss of Lieutenant Alyl has hampered our scientific investigation.
From the stories that the Rhyne crew tell, we don’t want to get caught by what seems to be an
unholy alliance between humans and Vulcans. They seem to be fighting an alliance between
the Klingons and Cardassians, something that was reported around 2375 or so. What I would
give for a cloak.”

“We still are having intermittent issues with the crew, seeing random things in the hallways.
Strange sounds, and more. They occur with enough frequency that they are not a simple
hallucination because of too much work and not enough sleep. However, we have been unable
to figure it out.”

“Our ship mascot, Leeza Pel, is settling into a routine. She won’t let P’Rah leave her side, and
he’s been very protective of her. I have assigned him to keep her safe. She is a mystery. It's
clear that the symbiotic joining has not completed, and occasionally the Pel symbiont is able to
reach through her, but it’s not enough for me to talk to him, and learn what he knows. Leeza’s
comfort on the bridge, playing with her PADD suggests that Pel has intimate knowledge of
starships.”

“The current problem is our dilithium crystals. A commendation to our engineers for keeping us
going in this state. We are limping along at warp 3. Based on the information we were able to
piece together, and some guesses, we are heading to the Gamma Hromi system, or what
should be the Gamma Hromi system. In our universe, it was inhabited by nomadic marauders
that I hope will have some dilithium they wish to trade. Here, who knows, so we’ll need to be
prepared for anything.”

Gregory pauses, “Computer end recording, lock under captain's seal.”

Standing up, he walked out onto the bridge.

(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Bridge - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory, aXO Michael Weston -
0915)

Gregory looked around, “Report,” he said to the officers of the alpha shift.

Weston nodded to the CO as he stood up from the command chair. His seat was currently
occupied by a sleeping Leeza Pel, so he moved behind his seat. P’Rah hovered nearby his
charge.

“So far, so good,” he reported. “If I get out and push it might help us get there faster. But we’ve
managed to maintain warp three.”
“Aye,” McGyver said from the engineering station, “and we may need that push if we don’t get
some new crystals soon. That warp core’s bein’ held together with duct tape and a ball of
string.”

“Excellent, when we need that push, you can lead the away team,” Gregory said. “Mr. Taylor,
anything on our sensors?”

“Negative,” Taylor replied. “No sign of any movement. Which is weird in and of itself. Weapons
are up and shields are at full power.”

Turning to the helm, “How long till we reach our destination?”

“At warp three,” Corday said, “it should take us about six hours to arrive at Gamma Hromi II.
That’s assuming it’s in the same place, still exists, and is where the Acamarians still have a
base.”

He looked around the room at the irritated eyes looking at him.

“What? I’m just saying,” the pilot half apologized.

“It is what it is, Mr. Corday. Thank you for your update,” Gregory replied.

Lee stepped forward and shook his head, “All that being said, I’d be a little concerned about
meeting the Acamarians in our universe with such a small show of force. From what I
understand about this universe,” he paused slightly, “I can only imagine what they will be like.”

Gregory looked at his security officer, “I understand Mr. Lee, but I didn’t think we could make it
to the badlands, where the resistance, well, the resistance in 2375, was located. So I am
gambling that the Acamarians are enemies of the major powers, and the enemy of my enemy is
my friend,” he replied. “You will have Mr. Devers, Mr. Dogan and Mr. Ambrose with you. I am
considering having a fighter team provide escort to you. But first we need to get there.”

Leeza stretched and started to open her eyes. She sat up and looked around. “Still in bad
space?” She asked with both her hands facing palm up. Leeza hoped everytime she woke,
they would be out of the area. Leeza looked around for her PADD. “PADD, Peas.”

“Yes, Leeza, we are away from that space. We’re on the way to another planet to see if they
can help us,” Gregory said as he sat down. “Are you sleeping on your PADD? Maybe Baby
Leeza is using it?”
Leeza looked around and could not find it. She stood in her seat and looked around. She
looked straight at Weston. “You got it. You have fun with me. Where my PADD?” Leeza was
pointing her finger at him.

Weston smiled an evil grin. Leeza had become the little sister he had never had. He had a
younger brother, but thanks to the circumstances of his father they never had the playful
relationship that he’d been enjoying with Leeza. He never passed up an opportunity to tease
her mercilessly. Of course she also never passed up the opportunity for sweet revenge.

He looked at her in mock surprise, “Meeee? You would accuse moi. What would I do with your
stinky old PADD? All you have is kiddie games and gobbledy gook on it.”

“You are always playing my games. You beat all my scores,” Leeza turned to P’Rah. She gave
him the look. “Kitty, Peese. Time for Mikey’s innogation.” Leeza started to jump up and down.
“Ip Search! Ip Search!”

Gregory looked bemused at the exchange, “Mr. P’Rah, you have five hours to find Leeza’s
PADD, but hopefully Mr. Weston has not hidden it too well.”

The Caitian smiled, his teeth showing, “Yes, Captain,” he replied as he eyed the XO. Turning
around, he offered his back to Leeza, “You ready for the hunt?” he asked her.

“And no,” Michael warned, “there will be no ‘ip search’ young lady. My clothes will stay on my
body this time. Last time you got P’Rah to send all of my clothes into the meat locker and it took
me three days to thaw them out. “ He gave P’Rah a quick look, that was half serious and half
play, as if to say, “Good one.”

There was a chortle from the helm as Arthur recalled Weston walking onto the bridge in his
shorts. At least he wasn’t too shy about the situation.

Leeza’s scrunched fact together. “I need my PADD.” Leeza then jumped again getting ready to
leave with P’Rah but she tripped on her blanket. She fell back and rolled off the chair and hit
the floor.

Michael moved with a speed that took the others by surprise. He picked the girl up, checking to
ensure she was unharmed, then pulled her in for a hug. “Are you ok?” He was genuinely
concerned.
P’Rah rushed to grab the bridge med kit and returned to Leeza’s side. Opening the kit, he
looked at the XO as he handed him the medical scanner.

Leeza was crying, She had bumped her head. She held tight, and she calmed. “Who pushed
me?”

Michael ran the scanner over Leeza’s head to find nothing more than a slight contusion, and
swelling at the sight. Armed with the knowledge that she was basically unharmed he said
“Nobody pushed you, sweetie, you tripped over blanky. It was an accident, and you are quite
alright.” He kissed the bump gently. “There, that should make it feel better.”

Then it was back to game on, “Now go find your PADD and stop being a baby.”

P’Rah looked daggers at Weston. The sides of his mouth curving up to reveal his canines.

“Yes, Miss Leeza, let's go find your PADD,” he said.

Leeze moved to P’Rah’s arms. She looked at the Captain, “Mickey called me a baby. Mickey
in trouble.” Leeza turned back to P’Rah, “But, Kitty. PADD is not allowed to leave the Bridge.”

“That will make it easier to find,” P’Rah replied.

With his seat now vacated Michael came around and lowered himself into it. Suddenly he
stopped moving and closed his eyes. He slowly reached under himself and pulled out a
flattened, and now oozing, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He took a deep breath and looked
at Leeza through narrowed eyes. “Leeza!” His voice was quiet, but threatening.

Leeza giggled.

Once the pair had left the bridge Michael opened Leeza’s secret compartment and pulled her
PADD from it with a triumphant smile. He and the Pel symbione had begun a little game of their
own. They would change the passcode and it was Michael’s job to decrypt it so he can open
the device and play the games downloaded. At first it had been simply codes, but as time
progressed the codes became more complex. Michael enjoyed the challenge and it occupied
his active mind when he had little to do in his down time he’d been required to take. He looked
over at the CO who was giving him a look.

“You have something to say, sir?” he asked.

Gregory chuckled, “Not at all, Mr. Weston. Not at all.”
Turning to Operations, “Ms. Z’h’qaolorh, open a shipwide channel.”

“Yes Sir,” the Andorian replied. “Channel open.”

Gregory stood and began to pace, “It has been a tough month. We’re alone in a universe where
everyone wants to kill us. We’re understaffed and yet we are here now. Our mission is to stay
alive, rescue the remains of the original crew and find a way back to our own universe. No
small task, but I have the utmost confidence in each and everyone one of you to do your duty.”
he paused.

“We are taking the first step in that mission. In a little less than 6 hours we will be in the Gamma
Hromi II system. In our universe it is where the Acamarians operated from. They were pirates
and marauders. What they are here is unknown, but it is our best guess where we can get
some more dilithium for the warp engines. With new dilithium, we will have the power to
complete our mission. So get your rest now. In five hours we will go to red alert. Senior staff
assemble in the conference room in two hours. Gregory out.”

“Close the channel Ms. Z’h’qaolorh.”

He looked around at the crew on the bridge. “I have the upmost confidence of each of you.
Remember your training, rely on your crewmates. I expect you to speak up and share your
ideas.”

(reply none)
(posted by Al, Kris and Tim)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Briefing Room - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory - 1045)

Gregory sat at the head of the table. On the screen behind him was what they knew about the
Gamma Hromi II and its inhabitants. Of course, this was from their Universe, and there was no
telling what they would find here. He looked over the PADD with scenarios and projections. Of
course they were useless without more information.

He was looking over the manifest, and one solution to his problem stared at him in the face. He
wanted to smack himself. Too busy playing captain, he forgot to engage his brain. Looking in
the inventory, sure enough they were. Three lovely beautify Cass VIII probes. He did a quick
calculation, at max warp, the probe could be in the system in less than 10 minutes. They could
start to gather more information.
He continued to make plans, keeping his mind occupied as he could. This was a risk, a big risk
and if it went sideways, there weren't a lot of options. Had he a full crew, the Akira class was
deadly, but that was not the case. ~If wishes were horses and all that.~ he thought to himself.
Damnit, he wasn’t going to lose, this was not an option. Gregory admired Admiral Kirk's solution
to the Kobayashi Maru. Don’t be afraid to bend the rules. Looking out the window, he
remembered a quote attributed to Admiral Picard. ‘There is a way out of every box, a solution
for every puzzle; it’s just a matter of finding it.’. Well he was going to have to change the rules
of the game and hope his crew, such as they were, would follow his lead.

(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Briefing Room - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory, aXO Michael
Weston,Lt. Arthur ‘Snoopy’ Corday, Leeza Pel, Dr. Kyllee Stev, Outrider 1 - 1100)

Gregory nodded as the senior staff, such as they were, entered the room. He had to chuckle as
little Leeza came into the room, P’Rah trailing behind her.

Leeza sat in her usual chair in the Briefing Room.

“Well Leeza, did you find your PADD?”

“Mikey hid it. He wanted my chair.” Leeza said. “Captain Eggy, What wrong?”

“What do you mean Leeza? What is wrong?” Gregory asked, smiling softly, “We will talk about
it at the meeting.”

Weston had entered, Leeza’s PADD in hand and a huge smile on his face. He placed the device
on the table in front of Leeza and went to his seat saying, “I beat your high score.”

This left the inference that he had also beaten Pel’s latest encryption puzzle. He nodded at
Gregory, “Commander.”

“Morning X. It seems you found that which you hid,” he said with a chuckle. “She is a crafty
one, our Leeza.”

The next to arrive was Dr. Kyllee. He looked a little haggard, but wore a smile of someone that
had just won his own battle. He nodded at both Gregory and Weston.

“Somebody swallowed a cat,” Weston commented.

“I think I’ve finally cleared out sickbay,” the Bajoran said. “A reason to celebrate.”
Suison wound up being the ranking engineer, so the S’ti’atch had been made CEO. He was also
more knowledgeable about the ship's systems than anyone else. He moved to a chair and
easily clambered up it. His small, blue, furry body had to stand to be seen over the table.

“I want a damn chair that I can sit in if I have to come to these meetings,” he growled.

The last to enter was Cal Dogan, the ranking Brikar security officer. The deck plating rang
slightly as his made his way into the room. He had found his gravity belt that helped reduce his
body weight in the typical gravity of the ship, but hadn’t quite adjusted it perfectly yet. He looked
around the room and opted to stand. Then he nodded at the CO.

“Sir,” was all he said with a deep gravelly voice.

Leeza took her PADD. She knew Weston had it. She went to open it and of course he changed
the code. She looked up at him and back at her PADD. She said as clear as day, “You’re
slipping, old man.” but then she went back to her normal voice, “Who cue inn ah?”

Michael’s eyes narrowed, looking the girl over, cautiously. “A friend,” was all he would say.

Outrider One entered and took one of the chairs, not senior staff technically perhaps but as the
only representative of the Operations department on the ship his presence was mandated by
default. “Good morning.” He said as he sat down and looked about the table.

Gregory spoke, “As you heard, we will be in range of Gamma Hromi II system. We are looking
for dilithium, which we desperately need if we are going to survive here. First order of business.
I need a Class 8 probe prepared and launched as quickly as possible. We need a full sensor
pallet. At warp 9, it should be in the Gamma Hromi system in short order, and I want Science
and Engineering all over the scans. Find me some dilithium. Any other information will be
valuable. I want a picture of what we may find before we get there.”

The science officer, Lieutenant Cavenaugh nodded, “Yes Sir,” she said as she started making
notes on a PADD. “I think we have just the package in stores.”

Gregory turned to his Chief Engineer, “Any miracles you are saving there Mr. Suison? I could
use one or two now.”

The S’ti’atch smiled a big toothy grin, his sharp teeth almost glinting, “I eat miracles for breakfast
so I can pull them out again later. This baby has a few tricks left in her that might surprise you.
We made some modifications during our time here.”
“Ensign Dogan, you are acting Chief of Security until Mr. Lee finishes his assignment. You will
assemble a team to escort Mr. Weston to the surface of any plant where we find dilithium and
provide security. Non-lethal methods are preferred, but keep your team safe by any means
necessary.”

The Brikar adjusted his weight and took a deep breath, “Non-Lethal? How disappointing. My
team, such as it is, will be ready.”

Gregory paused. “Mr. Taylor, the same goes for you. Keep the ship safe at all costs. This will
be good preparation before we decide to tickle the tail of the tiger.”

Taylor nodded, “It’s not the tail I’m worried about. I’d rather grab him by the… sensitive parts.
We’ll be ready. We certainly have the teeth for it.”

“Mr. Corday, what are our assets. How many pilots? Fighters? Ordnance?”

“Four pilots, five of you include me,” Arthur said. “The ships are… well… old for us, but they’ll fly
well enough. We’ve got plenty to spare with only five pilots. We’d be untried as a team, and that
would concern me, but could probably run a couple of sims and get some fly time while we’re
hanging about.”

“Since I don’t have a plan developed yet, we will meet back here in 3 hours to review what data
we may have and finalize our entry into the system. Questions?”

Leeza raised her hand. She had a question but not sure if she should say anything but she
needed to know. “Captain Eggery. What is Di…Di…Di…ithum?”

“Mr. Suison, how would you describe dilithium to a 3 year old?”

Suison rubbed his chin with one off his four arms thinking, then a glint came in his eye, “Shiny
rocks that hold so much energy that they could cook you so well that I could eat your barbecued
flesh.”

He looked around the room at the others and shrugged. “Perhaps three year old S’ti’atch are a
little more hardened to the reality of their universe.”

“Ahh we need hot rocks.” Leeza picked up her PADD and started looking but saw nothing.
“Sorry, I know none.” Leeza looked at Dieter, “But Captain Eggery, Mikey will find it. Next to
Rah, he best finder.”
(Reply none)
(Posted by Al Tim and Kris)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Bridge - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory - 1455)

On the viewscreen was the Gamma Hromi system, with the data that the probe had collected
and Science had collated. They were fortunate, as this system appeared to be similar to what
they knew about it in the prime universe, as Gregory had begun to think about it.

The probe had indicated there were lifeforms on the second planet, and they were a spacefaring
race. Depending on how the people had been treated would make their mission either very
easy or a smash and grab.

“Mr. Taylor, Shields up. Phasers charged.”

Taylor tapped the controls and a circle of dots surrounded the image of the ship to indicate the
shields up. There were 100%s at all of the axes.

“Shields up,” he echoed, “phasers on standby,”

“Even in our universe, the Gamma Hromi people, the ‘gatherers’ were aggressive. Better
prepared than not,” Gregory said before others could ask questions.

He tapped his COM badge, “Flight Ops, have fighters on ready alert.”

=^= Roger. Flights Icarus-1 and Icarus-2 can launch on your command. =^=

“Mr. Corday, take us in.”

“Aye, sir,” Corday nodded, adjusting their position and bringing the ship on a course to orbit
GH2. “Standard orbit in two minutes.”

“Ops, scan the planet for communication bands. Science, find me that dilithium.”

Gregory stood up and began to pace. They had been lucky so far, not to be detected by either
of the warring alliances in this mirror universe. How much longer would their luck hold? Would
he really be able to find a way back to their universe? Taking a deep breath, he calmed his
mind. One step at a time.
Weston sat back in his seat, appearing relaxed. He had no idea what to expect, but to be
honest, he had spent a lifetime not knowing what to expect next, so this was almost normal for
him. Except that about 40 other lives were dependent on the decisions he made over the next
several hours.

Suddenly he noticed something uncomfortable under his left buttock. He reached under to pull
out the stuffed symbiont from Baby Leeza. He’d not noticed before how hard the center of the
stuffed organism was. Of course he’d never sat on it before.

He’d spent the last couple of hours with the security team going through several contingency
plans. The bottom line was to get the crystals and get the hell off the planet. The sooner the ship
had full power the better.

Looking over at Dogan you wouldn’t have believed he was as inexperienced as he was. His
stoicism rivaled the most staunch Vulcan. Michael suspected that in a stoic stand off he could
out passive Sekal.

Finally the tension got to Michael and he stood up and moved behind Mr. Bill at Ops, stuffed Pell
still in his hand.

Gregory paced over to the science station and stood there looking over the Science Officers
shoulder. “Anything?”

“Working on it Sir,” she replied. “If you’ll let me work. Please.”

Taking the hint, he moved over to operations. Picking up an earpiece, he listened in while the
Android worked the controls.
“Sir, I do not detect any significant radio communications on the planet,” Bill said. “Mostly
pre-22nd century levels of radio waves.”

“Well that is odd,” Gregory said.

“Sir,” Tonya called. “Got it.”

Gregory stepped back and sat down. “On screen Ms. Cavanaugh,” he said. “Scan the
surrounding area Mr. Bill. “

On the viewscreen came a region of the planet. “Magnify the area we are interested in.”
The view switched to a smaller region, “There is an interconnecting set of caves, Sir,” she
begins. “I am working on mapping them now.”

“There is still no response from hails to the surface,” Dogan said. “Our hails are being received.
No sign of humanoid life around the cave system.”

“Mr. Weston, assemble your team. As soon as Ms. Cavanaugh has the map, she can send it to
your tricorders. Mr. Dogan, keep trying. I’d rather do this peacefully than not.”

Turning to Weston he spoke softly, “Do what you must to keep the crew safe first. Dilithium
second.”

Michael nodded and tapped his comm badge, “Weston to away team, meet me in transporter
room 1 in five minutes. It’s showtime folks.” He nodded to Dogan who followed him onto the
turbolift. The lift groaned slightly as his weight transferred on to it.

(Reply none)
(Posted by Al and Tim)
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(Gamma Hromi II - Outside Caves - aXO Michael Weston, Lt Cal Dogan, PO3 Hercules Devers,
Lt. Suison, Dr. Ambrose Harris - 1500)

The shimmer of the transporter effect dissipated and the team spread out, tricorders in hand and
scanning for life signs and energy signatures. Weston pulled up the map and re-examined their
path. Tonya had found the power signature that might be dilithium and identified where in the
maze of caves they would be.

Doctor Harris had brought as much of his medical supplies as he thought reasonable. He’d
kitted out a heavy backpack and had several medical devices strapped to his duty belt as well.
He’d learned on more than one away mission that being over prepared as a medical doctor was
the better choice. He was cautious about the crew from the USS Illuminar but he had no
illusions - they didn’t have much of a choice. They needed each other to either get back home
or find a corner of space to hole up in.

“Stay close,” he ordered. They still had no idea what to expect from the Acamarians. In their
universe they were pirates and rogues, balking against authority of any kind. In this universe
that could have gone a few ways. One would be that they were staunch believers in the
Alliance and their methodology, or if they were opposite, they could be freedom fighters. There
was just no way of knowing until they ran into them. He hated going into an Op without all of the
necessary information.
He moved over to Dogan. The Brikar turned off his tricorder and shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Weston said, with a wry smile. He thought of a humorous retort to that report, but
knew it would be ineffectual on the stoic Brikarian. He knew what the report intended. ‘No sign
of humanoid life.’ “Well, I’m not sure if that is disconcerting or a relief.”

Dogan nodded, which entailed the tipping of his entire body forward and back, “I understand
and agree.”

The planet itself was a rocky, mountainous place, with sparse vegetation with small leaves that
preserve the plant's water. Weston thought that Jaton Alyl might have found the geological
structures interesting, if he were still alive.

“Okay,” Weston called out, “circle up. The entrance to the cave system is over there,” he
pointed to an outcropping of large boulders. “I want to get in and out of here as quickly as
possible. I don’t want to be caught as an uninvited guest.”

As they moved to the entrance, they found it protected by a steel door. Weston turned to the
small S’ti’atch. “Suison, see what you can do. We need that door opened.”

The small furry engineer sneered, “Should be pretty easy, At least, the tech doesn’t look that
top of the line.”

He moved over and pulled tools from his pockets with two of his arms as the other two explored
the panel at the side of the doorway. After a minute the panel fell to the ground with a clang.
He turned and looked at the group with a shrug, “Oops. What I wouldn’t give for an extra set of
arms.”

He reached into the panel and a few moments later there was a spark and the doors opened.

“Open sesame,” the S’ti’ach said.

Harris had his medical tricorder in one hand and had been scanning around the area. There
was a conspicuous absence of life aside from plant life. His surface level inspection of the
leaves found no concerns for their health. The alternate universe had been a conversation
piece at the academy and had always been a lively discussion over lunch or dinner among the
cadets. As the door opened he turned, focusing the medical tricorder’s sensors on the doorway.
He let the others lead through the door as he craned his neck to look at the door construction
and signs of life.

As they passed through the door and into the dimly lit corridor, Harris frowned at his readings,
“Mr. Weston…”
“Dr. Harris,” Weston looked at the medical officer.

“Medical tricorder isn’t showing any lifesigns per se…but there are heightened readings on
bodily fluids further down this corridor and forward. It’s a mix of blood…vomit and other
assorted still to be identified.”

Weston paused for a moment, closed his eyes in contemplation. He took a sniff of the air, but
couldn’t discern any of the odors that the doctor had mentioned, however they were too close to
the front door, and the fresher air was too prevalent in his nostrils.

“Let’s not share that with the group,” he said softly. Everyone was skittish enough, they didn’t
need to give them any more reason to be on edge.

The doctor shrugged, “Given what you say about these people in our reality they may have
taken a turn for the more violent.” He’d seen his share of violence on the Rhyne, but this
discovery unsettled him. What it meant he could not portend. He wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Weston nodded and began to move again. The doors suddenly closed behind them with a loud
clang. Suddenly the air became stale.

“What in God’s name is that stench,” Suison said. “Makes me want to barf.”

Now Weston could catch the scent of what the doctor had been talking about. Weston looked at
Dogan, who shrugged.

“I can’t smell anything,” the Brikar said. “Unless you mean the smell of blood and waste
materials.”

Harris nodded, “It’s pretty consistent as far as the medical tricorder can read. This facility is not
abandoned given the age of the readings. Still nothing solid life signs.”

Suddenly a small door opened to the left and the silhouette of a woman appeared in the door
frame. The light behind her was blinding. She beaconed for the group to follow her through the
door. “Mok to ma” she said as she motioned for them to come.

Weston looked over at the doctor with a question on his face. So much for solid life forms. There
had to be some kind of dampening field that masked life signs. The woman was humanoid, of a
species he wasn’t familiar with. She was covered in filth, and her clothes, sparse as they were,
were torn and dirty.

The figure beckoned for them to come again, “Mok to ma.”

“Never one to turn down the invitation of a lady,” Weston said. He turned to the team. “If nothing
else, this woman needs our help. We’ll follow her. She may lead us to the crystals.”
The woman stood to the side to let the others in.

Dogan looked at Weston impassively then shrugged. He pushed by and entered the corridor.
His massive body filled it. Nobody was going to get past him to the others. Weston followed,
then Suison, Harris and Devers.

The woman closed the door behind them. “Mok to ma.”

Weston shrugged, assuming what she was saying. He smiled, “I’d say lead the way but…,” he
indicated to Dagon. “Mr Dogan, let’s move out.”

As they moved through the rocky corridor the smell of waste and death grew until they emerged
into an opening. Once he got past the smell Weston saw a series of cages. Most of the cages
were empty. On the ground were dark stains, and what looked like fecal matter.

There were also cages that were occupied. Two cages had about six females in various stages
of impregnation. One cage had almost twenty naked children ranging in ages from, most likely,
three to early teens. The rest of the filled cages had adults dressed similarly to their hostess.

“What is this?” Weston asked. “It looks like… a breeding center.”

The woman’s attitude changed to a more aggressive tone, “Mok to Ma.”

Weston noticed an area at the far end of the cavern that was riddled with bones. Some were
obviously old, others still seemed to have trace amounts of flesh on them.

“Sweet holey…,” Weston whispered.

“MOK TO MA” The woman said. “KEP TIN AH” She said. With her hands she indicated for
the group to leave their possessions in the pile.

Michael shook his head and smiled, “Yeah, I don’t think so. Sorry, but we cannot do that.”

Suison looked around with shock and disgust, “I’m not sure if this makes me hungry or turns my
stomach. I may be a carnivore, but I prefer to hunt my prey rather than grow it on a … farm?”

“It's always the pretty ones,” Devers muttered, phaser out and pointed at the woman. “Weapons
free?” he asked.

Michael put his hand up, Easy there Mr. Devers, she’s not threatening us. I’m not even sure
she’s capable of it. However, stay vigilant.”
A group of the woman’s friends came behind the group. The woman then turned to them again.
“KEP TIN AH”

Weston frowned, “Well, that might be a bit more threatening. Stun setting only, and only if
necessary.” Then he turned to the woman, and shook his head. “No, we need these.”

As they continued their approach he pressed the discharge button of his phaser… and nothing
happened. He tried again, with the same result. He looked at the power source and saw that it
had been deactivated.

“Well that’s not good,” he said.

The Horde closed in on the group. They beat their clubs together in a tribal rhythm. Suddenly
one hit his club on Devers. A shock went through his body that incompacitated him. The Horde
did the same with the rest of the group. The woman spoke up, “HEU FID MA” instructing the
men to cage them and prepare for dinner.

The club tapped Dogan. He turned and looked at his assailant. “Don’t do that. It tickles.”

With that he reached out with a speed that belied his size and grabbed the club, crushing it.

The Mass of the Horde upped the power on their clubs and attacked Dogan simultaneously.
Dogan was distracted, a couple of the lesser males came in and started to drag off the subdued
team into individual containers.

A smile grew on the Brikarians face, which might frighten some people, “Now that is more like
it.”

He grabbed one of his attackers by the leg and swung him around, releasing him into the crowd.
They all fell into a pile of tangled bodies. Then he reached down and turned off his antigrav belt
so the ground bore his full weight. He figured if they managed to topple him at least they’d have
trouble moving him.

Suddenly the Horde backed away from the solid strong man then abandoned the room. The
woman looked at the man before she lit the stone walls with fire and left the room.

Dogan looked at the flames and then at his companions and said, “Well that was unexpected.”

(reply none)
(posted by Al. Kris and Tim)
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(USS Rhyne - Deck 1 - Bridge - Captain (acting) LCDR Dieter Gregory, Lt. Arthur ‘Snoopy’
Corday, Lt.(jg) Tonya Cavenaugh, Ensign Andy Taylor, Ops crewman Outrider 1, ship mascot
Leeza Pel - 1530)

Cavonaugh had been tracking the landing party as they entered the caves. Suddenly it looked
like they walked into a wall then disappeared. She recalibrated the sensors and checked again.
They were gone.

“Captain,” she called out, “the away team has … disappeared.”

Leeza stood in the XO chair and glared at Cavenaugh, “You lose Mikey?”

Gregory looked at Leeza, “We’ll find them, don’t you worry,” he said to the child.

“Find them. Try a narrow beam scan, focus on finding the power signatures of their
communicators,” Gregory said. “Engineering, see what you can do to boost the sensitivity of the
scanners.”

There was a beep on the tactical station and Taylor announced, “Incoming vessel. I can’t make
out the configuration but it is clearly NOT federation. Sending out standard hail. Shields are up.”

Leeza jumped out of her seat, grabbed her blanket and hid behind the seats where she could
not be seen.

“Mr. Corday, make sure those fighters are ready to launch. We can’t be too sure of our welcome
here.”

‘Mr. Taylor, put the ship on screen. Time to intercept?”

“At current speed and course, three minutes,” Taylor said. “Red alert?”

“Thank you Mr. Taylor. Yes, sound Red Alert,” Gregory replied

“They are responding to our hail,” Taylor said.

The screen changed for the star field image to that of the inside of a ship, although it did not
look as though it had been cleaned in a while. In the middle of the screen was a late middle
aged Acamarian, although he looked a little different than the average Acamarian in their
universe. First, and most notably was the guantness of the creature. His facial tattoos were
nearly hidden by the scraggly beard and his red rimmed eyes were sunken.

“I am Lieutenant Commander Dieter Gregory, USS Rhyne. With whom am I speaking?

=^=My name is Ply Phemys. I am the leader of this… ship.=^=

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Gregory said. “We have been trying to get a response from the
people on the planet, but to no avail. We are looking for dilithium,” Gregory began.

Phemus seemed to be a dry and humorless person as he looked at Gregory with complete
dispassion. =^=They will not speak to the likes of you. They do not know you. They will not trust
you. They have been instructed not to.=^=

He then touched the beaded necklace around his neck and looked thoughtful. =^=Dilithium?
Hmmm… we may have some. You know, we are not the pirates that others make us out to
be.=^=

“We are willing to pay, perhaps you would come over and we can negotiate an equitable deal.”

Phemus’ eyes narrowed, =^=Trust is not something that comes so readily to my people. I
suggest you come over to my ship.=^=

Gregory made a motion to cut the audio. “Mr. Taylor, scan their ship for weapons. Ms.
Cavonaugh, find me a place where we can meet our counterparts. Something flat, with a good
view of the surroundings. Quickly.”

Turning back to the screen, he motioned to open the channel. “I propose we meet on the
planet, you and I, with one aide each, to discuss terms. That way we will be on equal footing,
and trust can be earned.”

Phemus reached his hand to his face and scratched at his beard. His hand moved to the hair on
his chest as he pulled at them absentmindedly, in thought.

=^=A wise and prudent suggestion,=^= he said, his red rimmed eyes looking carefully at the
crew on the strange ship. Then he looked over his shoulder. =^=Brontes, do you remember the
old stone table lodge?=^=
An older, and even more drawn man stepped into the view. He had a big toothy smile. His teeth
had an odd shape to them, as though they’d been filed.

=^=Indeed Sovereign,=^= he said. =^=That place has been abandoned for decades. But we had
times there.=^=

Phemus nodded, =^=Indeed we did. Send the strangers the coordinates.=^= He turned back to
Gregory, =^=Feel free to scan the territory. You will find it is quite devoid of all life.=^= There
was a round laughter behind him, which quickly ended with a look. =^= If it is acceptable to you
we can meet there in one hour.=^=

“One hour it is,” Gregory said. “I will see you there.”

The channel closed, he looked around, “OK, get me everything you can on the meeting place.
And get me some alcohol. Something good. Oh, and see if we have any bars of Latinum.”

Outrider 1 turned and moved to a vacant station and began scanning the area around the
coordinates. "Mean temperature 23 degrees Celsius, small animal life and insects only. No
higher life forms within 30 kilometers of the site, sir. I am however picking up some latent energy
readings which could be a side effect of dilithium mining. There are no current active energy
sources. I would suggest exercising caution in the area due to geothermal vents below the
surface."

Gregory nodded. “Mr. Bill, you are with me,” he said. “I think your unique abilities will be
beneficial on this adventure. With these geothermal vents, come up with a plan to use them if
we need to make a quick escape.”

"Understood sir. I will be considering the problem as we gain a first hand 'lay of the land', it's
impossible to currently compute a scenario that will cover every eventuality."

“I understand. But remember, the first step in avoiding a trap is knowing of its existence.”

"Of course, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. The geothermal activity would be a convenient
method for a surprise attack if it could be properly directed and controlled. It could also be
turned against anyone attempting such if we have a counter-measure. Such as blocking a shaft
to redirect the energy release. With that in mind I request permission to take two photon
grenades with us. We could easily block the route of an intended release or make our own trap
if necessary."
“Granted,” Gregory replied. Turning to his science officer.

“Ms. Cavonaugh you have 45 minutes to find the away team,” Gregory said.

Leeza reached her little hand out from behind and under the command chair. The thought that
maybe that would keep Dieter from going.

Dieter took Leeza’s hand and knelt down to see her.

“No go,” Whispered from under the chair. “No go.”


“I know Leeza, but this is important. P’Rah will be here with you and you can sit in the
command chair to keep an eye on everything. Mr. Bill is coming with me, and he’s very good
and fast and strong.

“They scare me, Captain Eggery.” Leeza whimpered.

Once the commotion died down, Taylor spoke up, “Sir, that ship, it is no match for the Rhyne.
They may have a surprise or two up their sleeves, but nothing I can get a lock on right now.
However, I will say that they have formidable shielding. It still won’t stand up to what we have to
order, and the fighters might do as much damage without destroying the ship than we can with
the big ship.”

“See, Mr. Taylor knows a thing or two about ships and if anything starts to get bad, he’ll make
sure to take care of the ship and get Mr. Bill and myself back. And we’ll get Mr. Weston back
too, promise.”

Leeza slowly crawled out from behind the chair. Leeza looked over at Taylor with a stern look,
“You promise?” Her little hands were on her hips like she meant business.

“I need you to be a brave girl, Leeza,” Gregory said. Dropping his voice, he whispered, “And
keep an eye on Mr. Taylor, he gets trigger happy sometimes, don’t want him blowing up too
many things, unless it’s called for, of course.”

(Reply None)
(Posted by Al, Charles, Kris and Tim)
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