Mission: You can't go home again Day: -4 Stardate: 2444.05.28 (Earth, San Francisco - Starfleet Academy - Personal Quarters - Ensign JG Keira Merek - 1733) (Earth, San Francisco - Telegraph Hill -Commercial District - Keira Merek - 2105) Mission: You can’t go home again Day: 1 Stardate: 2444.06.01 (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – PO3 Castile- 09:15) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – MO Ailynn Bracken – 09:20) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – Jaton Alyl – 09:21) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – MO Ens(jg) Ailynn Bracken – 09:30) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge –CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 10:04) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge – Sec Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 10:07) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge –CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 10:10) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge –Sec, Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 10:12) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 12:14) (Star fleet Martian Ground Facilities, Officers Mess, Engineering, Officer Ensign(JG) Grk, 12:25) (Mars Surface - Officer's Mess - Ensign (Jg) – CONN - Ire Williams - 1230) Star fleet Martian Ground Facilities - Officer's Mess - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 12:31) (Mars Surface - Landing platform- Science officer - Ensign (jg) Sekal- 1259) (Mars Surface - Landing platform- Science officer - Ensign (jg) Sienna Williams-Verin - 1302) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 13:09) (Mars Facilities - Counseling Center - ENS jg Counselor - Ariel Trei - 13.25) (Mars Facilities - Counseling Center - CONN, Ens JG Trip Williams - 13.26)) (Mars Facilities - Counseling Center - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams 1 - 13:23) Ensign Garek Darpeg, 1339 (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - TSC – Sec, Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 13:42) (Mars Surface – Around the station – Medical -- ENS JG Quinna Solice – 13:50) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral ENS JG Quinna Solice – 14:10) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 14:25) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 15:15) (Mars Surface – Landing Pad- Ensign (Jg) – CONN - Ire Williams - 1550) (Mars Surface – Landing Pad- CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 1552) (Mars Surface – Landing Pad- CONN - Ensign JG – Ire Williams - 1554) (Mars Surface –Hanger Bay 2 Alpha – CONN - Ensign JG - Ire Williams - 1559) (Runabout - Rear Cabin - Engineer, Ensign JG Keira Merek - 1602) (Peregrine Class Attack Fighter 02 - Cockpit - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 16:02 (Runabout, Rear Cabin, Eng, Ensign Grk, 16:05) (Peregrine Class Attack Fighter 01 - Cockpit - CONN - Ensign JG - Ire Williams - 16:06) (Peregrine Class Attack Fighter 02 - Cockpit - CONN - Ensign JG - Trip Williams- 16:08) (Runabout - Backcabin - Engineer - Ensign JG Keira Merek -1622) (Runabout - Backcabin - Engineer - Ensign Janey Cheif Briwn -1625) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 16:35) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities – Main Weapons Locker – Sec Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 17:00) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities – Main Weapons Locker – TEC/Sec Ensign JG Jacob Jackson - 1703) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities – Main Weapons Locker – Sec Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 1705) (Mars Base, Security Center, Sec/Tac Ensign jg Sanok, 1713) (Earth, San Francisco - Starfleet Academy - Personal Quarters - Ensign JG Keira Merek - 1733) REBOOTRPG: Castile (1-1920 Sickbay) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - outside personal quarters – Ops, Janey Brown– 2030) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – MO Ens(jg) Ailynn Bracken– 2032) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – OPs Ens(jg) Janey Brown– 2034) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – MO Ens(jg) Ailynn Bracken– 2035) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – OPs Ens(jg) Janey Brown– 2037) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams- 20:58) (Mars Surface -Officers Quarters- Science officer - Ensign (jg) Sekal- 2100) (Earth, San Francisco - Telegraph Hill -Commercial District - Keira Merek - 2105) (VSRS Sinya - Somewhere in Federation Space, Undisclosed vector- Ready Room- VDF Commodore Saleke- 2120) Mission: You can't go home again Day: -4 Stardate: 2444.05.28 (Earth, San Francisco - Starfleet Academy - Personal Quarters - Ensign JG Keira Merek - 1733) Keira couldn't believe it, she made it! She was an officer in Starfleet. She read the PADD aloud again to ensure she was not dreaming, in her most official sounding voice: "To whom all who should see these presents greeting. Know ye that the President of the United Federation of Planets has reposed special trust and confidence in the knowledge and abilities of Kiera Valora Merek as such she is granted commission Ensign Junior Grade of the Engineering and Operations Corps, with all the rights and privileges there to...."she trailed off as she just received a document attached to her diploma. "What's this?" She said to herself. She opened the official document that sent a receipt acknowledgement to HQ. "Bull crap bull crap bull crap Ensign Merek is to proceed on permanent duty assignment to Mars Station, Sol system, member is authorized movement of personal effects not to exceed 3 cubic meters of space or not to exceed 500 kgs of displacement whichever is less..." she trailed of again. "I'm going to Mars," she said plainly. There was silence for a moment. "I'M GOING TO MARS!" She said at least 3 octaves higher. She fell back onto her bunk, eyes wide clutching her PADD to her torso. ~At least I don't have that much to pack.~ She made the decision to go out and celebrate. (Earth, San Francisco - Telegraph Hill -Commercial District - Keira Merek - 2105) Keira admittedly didn't get the chance to get out much during her time here on Earth. Didn't get much of a chance to unwind, and now it showed. The spring had now sprung. It was still early in the night, she had no intention of stopping soon. She was wearing a green sparkling "cocktail dress" she believed it was called, with short matching heels. It was important that it had freedom to move, because that's what she intended to do. "Saurian Brandy!" she yelled ordering over the music which was loud enough she could feel it vibrating her shoes. The bar tender quickly handed over the drink which paid for leaving a tip and she downed quickly. Her Romulan metabolism was serving her well, someone of her weight would probably be on the floor at this point with the amount she had imbibed. She moved out onto the dance floor. Her body moving with the music. Several songs later she went to get another drink. Someone tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. Standing there was a tall human man, clean shaven, dark hair. Attractive, but that could have been the brandy talking. "Hello." she said. "A pretty girl like you," he said smiling, "When's your next Pon Far?" He immediately lost all hints of being attractive to her. She rolled her eyes, "I'm NOT Vulcan." "Wait." he said "If you're not Vulcan, then you're....Romulan?" "What of it?" She said annoyed, and started to leave, not really wanting to continue a conversation. He followed her outside into the now that the sun had went down, cooler night air. "Stop." he said. She against her better judgement, did. "Would you know where a guy like me could score some blue stuff?" he tried a what could have been a winning smile if he didn't come off like a creep. "Blue stuff...." she was not following. "You know that alcoholic beverage, one would probably call it an ale.." he elaborated. "GRRR." she actually growled, "Not all Romulans are carrying around a liter of Romulan Ale!" she turned to leave again. "Wait." he said and touched her shoulder. Instinct now kicked in. She grabbed underneath his wrist and shoved her elbow into his abdomen pushing him back as she let go of his wrist. She unleashed a double kick hitting his knee then groin. Causing him to double over in pain. She walked away quickly to put some distance between herself and him. She hailed a shuttle to take her back to her room. As the shuttle flew away the man struggled to finally get to his feet. He tapped just below his left ear lobe. "Contact established, mission failed. Williams out," he said as he hobbled away. (Reply none required) (posted by Todd) Mission: You can’t go home again Day: 1 Stardate: 2444.06.01 (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – PO3 Castile- 09:15) “Computer, activate EMH” “¿Cuál es la naturaleza de la emergencia?” the Mark III Hologram spoke as it appeared. Ailynn stood, open mouthed. “Are you serious?” Her tone was incredulous, anything around here do what it was built to?” She shook her head. “Si Seniorita.” “Computer deactivate EMH. Petty Officer run a full diagnostic please.” "You got it sir, up and we will have it up and running in an hour." Castile sighed, tapping his combadge, =/\= laChance its Chris, grab a programming specialist and reroute the EMH into the Engineering lab. Somebody taught it spanish... at least it had pants this time. =/\= The EMH deactivated. Castile rubbed his leg for a moment old injuries haunting him. The Petty officer left the scene quickly feeling like it was going to be a pain. Castile turned back and gave Bracken a salute and then looked at the Trill, "I will get the pod you were found in sent to security." The gave the trill a salute as well and reached into his toolkit he took out a pristine white shirt in a wrapper. "Might be a little big on you but here, I always keep one on me just in case." He set it down. (Spencer, Bracken responses IFW) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – MO Ailynn Bracken – 09:20) "At least my first day in the mid-25th century," Jaton said. "In any case I suppose if I'm going to be stuck here, I might as well catch up on what's happened in the last 25 years. Before you leave, could you bring me a PADD?" “Of Course,” Ailynn said smiling despite the confusing scans that she was looking at. “I’ll have one sent to you straight away. Castile turned back to them and gave her a salute and then looked at the Trill, "I will get the pod you were found in sent to security." The gave the trill a salute as well and reached into his toolkit he took out a pristine white shirt in a wrapper. "Might be a little big on you but here, I always keep one on me just in case." He set it down. “Thank you Petty Officer, you don’t need to salute here. This isn’t the Marines, and we have far too much to do to worry about that nonsense. If you’re after being formal, ‘Ensign or Dr. Bracken will be more than sufficient’” She smiled gently knowing that he would possibly carry on doing it anyway. “Dismissed Petty Officer. Thank you for your assistance. I won’t keep you from looking at our Spanish friend.” (Reply Castile IYW) A nurse came up to her a few minutes later, and handed over a PADD. “these are the preliminary results, other scans still ongoing.” Ailynn nodded, puzzled. “This machine calibrated?” A few things were slotting into place. “Of course Doctor.” Sighing, Ailynn handed the PADD back. “Odd. Pick another machine at random and recalibrate. Then redo the scans please. I’m doubting the kit, not you.” The young nurse then left the bay to commence her duties. “So. Mr Alyl.” She motioned to the empty bay. “It’s just us. Dr-Patient privilege. However, bearing in mind I have a full report to the big man to make, what can you tell me? Leave out nothing if you can.” She smiled warmly, but firmly, perching again on the side of the Biobed. (Reply Alyl) (Posted by Mark) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – Jaton Alyl – 09:21) "At least my first day in the mid-25th century," Jaton said. "In any case I suppose if I'm going to be stuck here, I might as well catch up on what's happened in the last 25 years. Before you leave, could you bring me a PADD?" “Of Course,” Ailynn said smiling despite the confusing scans that she was looking at. “I’ll have one sent to you straight away. Castile turned back to them and gave her a salute and then looked at the Trill, "I will get the pod you were found in sent to security." The gave the trill a salute as well and reached into his toolkit he took out a pristine white shirt in a wrapper. "Might be a little big on you but here, I always keep one on me just in case." He set it down. “Thank you Petty Officer, you don’t need to salute here. This isn’t the Marines, and we have far too much to do to worry about that nonsense. If you’re after being formal, ‘Ensign or Dr. Bracken will be more than sufficient’” She smiled gently knowing that he would possibly carry on doing it anyway. “Dismissed Petty Officer. Thank you for your assistance. I won’t keep you from looking at our Spanish friend.” (Reply Castile IYW) A nurse came up to her a few minutes later, and handed over a PADD. “these are the preliminary results, other scans still ongoing.” Ailynn nodded, puzzled. “This machine calibrated?” A few things were slotting into place. “Of course Doctor.” Sighing, Ailynn handed the PADD back. “Odd. Pick another machine at random and recalibrate. Then redo the scans please. I’m doubting the kit, not you.” The young nurse then left the bay to commence her duties. “So. Mr Alyl.” She motioned to the empty bay. “It’s just us. Dr-Patient privilege. However, bearing in mind I have a full report to the big man to make, what can you tell me? Leave out nothing if you can.” She smiled warmly, but firmly, perching again on the side of the Biobed. Jaton sat up again, but with some effort. It's not that he was tired or weak. It was simply that the weight of the situation he found himself simply made everything harder. He took the shirt that Castile had left for him and put it on. He was right; it was a little bit big on Jaton, but he didn't care too much. He'd rather not appear immodest any longer than was necessary. "The last thing I remember was Stardate 2418.12.19. We were investigating some connections between Dureth Station and the Orion Syndicate. I was taken hostage. They beamed me into a room with my captor and the rest of the away team. He held a phaser up to my temple." Jaton could still feel the barrel of the weapon pressed up against his temple and instinctively put his hand on his temple. "The last thing I remember was him saying 'Don't mess with the Syndicate.' Then I woke up here, 25 years later." (reply Bracken) (posted by Spencer) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Sickbay, Intensive Care – MO Ens(jg) Ailynn Bracken – 09:30) "The last thing I remember was Stardate 2418.12.19. We were investigating some connections between Dureth Station and the Orion Syndicate. I was taken hostage. They beamed me into a room with my captor and the rest of the away team. He held a phaser up to my temple." Jaton could still feel the barrel of the weapon pressed up against his temple and instinctively put his hand on his temple. "The last thing I remember was him saying 'Don't mess with the Syndicate.' Then I woke up here, 25 years later. As Jaton recounted his memories. Ailynn recalled what she knew of the same instance, her mother had told her bits of the story over the years. Now she thought about it, her mother had opened up about a lot more since Ailynn joined Fleet Medical. She looked at his temple, perhaps expecting to see something…anything at the place that he was indicating that the shot was fired. Of course, there was nothing. Ailynn looked at him kindly, whatever the truth of the matter, the next day or two was going to be difficult, for everyone, but especially Jaton. “Leave it with me. Between us, we’ll find out what happened. My first job is to make sure that you are medically well, I can see from the somewhat limited scans so far that things are looking pretty good. I’m going to keep you here for tonight. I have a full report to make to the Admiral, and I don’t as yet have all the information that I need; so please, I know that this isn’t ideal, and I really wish I could discharge you, but at the moment, too many scans are owing. Maybe tomorrow, but I can’t promise at the moment. The nurses are around, and are under my direction to keep an eye on you and monitor your stats regularly. Speak to any of them if there’s anything that you need. I’ll come back in as soon as I can, but in all likelihood, it won’t be until this afternoon.” She slid herself off her perch on the edge of the bed. “Try and get some rest. Answers will come.” Ailynn smiled to him as she left the unit, and nodded to the nurse who was just returning to repeat the scans. (Reply none needed) (Posted by Mark) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge –CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 10:04) Rebecca winked back to him “Yes, someone strong and fit to help with my tension. I sure you going to have the same problem from time to time. What do you say?” Trip wasn't sure, he didn't really know how. At this moment he kind of felt like a lost little puppy. "Ummm, I guess so." He said sheepishly. Rebecca leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush. “You going to be very special to me and we’re going to have fun together.” she said. He felt as if he was in a trance, almost as if he had been placed under the spell of a siren's song. "I like fun," he said in a low voice. Everything was buzzing and he didn't quite know what was going on. His heart was beating faster, but he was ok with it. He was letting his guard down and it felt natural. Rebecca slowly got up holding Trips hand genterly pulling him to his feel. “I hope you can dance as well.” "Yeah, I can dance," he said confidently. He was lying of course, he couldn't dance, but right now, something was tellling him to just let Rebecca lead and follow wherever it would go. Rebecca pulled Trip into her and started to say as a very slow dance as she started to gently sing into his ear, Rebecca vice was like silk. “Love me tender, love me sweet Never let me go You have made my life complete And I love you so……..” Trip smiled and brought Rebecca in closer so that she could rest her head on his chest. He felt safe with her in his arms, he felt comfortable, he felt like he could let his guard down, and he felt like all the pain he was carrying had no sting, that he did not need to feel the hurt of his memories, of his sins. She was a witch, and he felt himself under her spell. She was like the magic woman from that Old Earth film, Mary Poppins. Yeah, she was like a sexy Mary Poppins. Her voice was a spoonful of sugar. "You have a beautiful voice," He said smiling, "Very calming, very smoothing, makes me feel like I don't have a care in the world." (reply Flagg) "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to put a spell on me." (reply Flagg) (Reply Flagg) (Posted by Will Banowsky) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge – Sec Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 10:07) "You have a beautiful voice," He said smiling, "Very calming, very smoothing, makes me feel like I don't have a care in the world." Rebecca was used to hiding her past that still troubled her deeply, but apart from that it was true. As they swayed, she slowly shifted Trips hands onto her bottom. “I don’t, I just enjoy life and what it brings me.” "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to put a spell on me." Hold Trips head to her shoulder, Rebecca’s smile could be heard in her voice as she whispered into trip ear “A little one never hurts. I know you can’t dance but I still don’t want this to end, but maybe we should get you a shirt.” (Reply Trip) “Anyway, it only fair you get to see my scared shoulder.” (Reply Trip) (Posted by Giles PJ) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge –CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 10:10) “A little one never hurts. I know you can’t dance but I still don’t want this to end, but maybe we should get you a shirt.” "Seems, like a good idea," He said with a sweet smile. "It does feel a bit cold in here." “Anyway, it only fair you get to see my scared shoulder.” "Our scars are part of our story, they are punctuation marks in the legends of our lives." Trip wasn't a dance, but he did fancy himself a poet. (reply Flagg) "You, know, I could stay here all day. Still I wonder what time it is." Trip then smiled as he said out loud. "Computer, what is the current time?" =/\=The current time is 10:10.=/\= ~Shoot, I need to get showered in changed before the 11:45 meeting. Don't want to risk being late.~ "Becks," he said shortening her name, "I really would like to stay here longer, but I need to rain check, I need to get back and get ready for the meeting., all my uniforms are still packed and I know I'll need to press them before hand." (Reply Flagg) "But maybe we can get together later tonight? My room number is 104. I share a suite with my sister, but knowing her, she'll probably be out anyways." (reply Flagg) (reply Flagg) (posted by Will Banowsky) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Gymnasium Lounge –Sec, Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 10:12) "Our scars are part of our story, they are punctuation marks in the legends of our lives." Trip wasn't a dance, but he did fancy himself a poet. Still swaying Trip gently as she gave out a little chuckle and then start to hum to their moment. "You, know, I could stay here all day. Still I wonder what time it is." Trip then smiled as he said out loud. "Computer, what is the current time?" =/\= The current time is 10:10.=/\= "Becks," he said shortening her name, "I really would like to stay here longer, but I need to rain check, I need to get back and get ready for the meeting., all my uniforms are still packed and I know I'll need to press them before hand." Rebecca let her head drop onto Trips shoulder, she knew that it was going to end but she had hoped for more. “You can’t be late.” "But maybe we can get together later tonight? My room number is 104. I share a suite with my sister, but knowing her, she'll probably be out anyways." “That would be nice.” “Until tonight.” Rebecca gave Trip a long deep kiss before turning and slowly walking away giving him a chance to ger a good look. In her mind she started to count down with each step for trips last question. “What time?” Trip called after her. Rebecca smile at herself as the count was nearly perfect. “2100 hours and I would suggest your alone.” (reply none) (posted by Giles PJ) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 12:14) There we just the two science officers on their trip around Mars; Admiral Remae had remembered about a report regarding Ensign Jaton Alyl having to spend time in sickbay; he made a mental about dropping in to see him when he could. Remae had spoken to the science officers about their duties and what was expected of them. During their runabout trip, they had the time to ask questions, and the Admiral wasn’t disappointed as they have begun in earnest. He listened to Ensign Sekal speak for a moment. The Vulcan mentioned that he had access to something that could help while also mentioning a possible problem and the need for careful information sharing. “Sounds intriguing Mr Sekal, I am eager to hear more. Please proceed, I may drop in on you tomorrow for an update.”, said the Admiral. He didn’t expect specifics, this was a briefing flight but he was also eager to hear from his other passenger, Ensign Williams-Verin. He had overheard her initial introduction and this was also the point of the run-around on the runabout. “Ensign Williams-Verin. I overheard you mention that you specialised in botany. I was hoping that I can persuade you to take up a different kind of challenge. I’ve recently learned that our other senior science officer, Ensign Alyl is in sickbay so I am afraid you are both more short handed than before.”, he paused for a moment before adding, “I am afraid this particular area of science is a little bit out of my league but I’d like you to investigate setting up a Life Sciences Department on Mars. Some goals could include improving our food supplies. Plant sciences could be a focus, as we’re receiving large numbers of new staff, I’d like them to not rely on just replicators or shipments from Earth.”, he said and he paused for a moment. “I am also open to any suggestions from you about our environmental impact on Mars. It has been partially terraformed, as you know but the environment impact of our increasing its population is something I know little about. Could you help with that?”, he concluded what he wanted to say but then added, “Of course, we need your expertise on the environmental systems of all our ships, stations and base facilities. We need to bring them up to speed.”, he said finally finishing. “Finally, just let me know if you need anything, I am here to help.”, he said smiling at the Science Officer. The runabout continued its tour around Mars as the three of them continued to talk. (Reply from Sekal, Williams-Verin, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (Star fleet Martian Ground Facilities, Officers Mess, Engineering Officer Ensign(JG) Grk, 12:25) Grk approached the replicator's deciding on what he wanted. "Yo Grk, when you are done getting food come join us here at the table," one of the men said from behind him. Grk put in his order and set down his tool-kit. leaning it up against the wall. He picked up the first platter of food that materialized in one paw as a second platter appeared next to it. With a platter in each paw, Grk turned back around and made his way back over to where the others were seated. He placed the two platters, both piled high with slabs of raw meat, down on the table while pushing the chairs out of his way with one large leg. He then sat down on the floor allowing him to be more face-to-face with the others. Stabbing one claw into a slab of meat, Grk lifted the bloody slab up to his mouth and ripped off a large bite and started chewing oblivious of the blood dripped everywhere. "Grk decide go old favorite," he said between bites. He looked at the others to see what they were talking about. (Reply Williams, Kental, Williams, Any) (Posted by Wes) (Mars Surface - Officer's Mess - Ensign (Jg) – CONN - Ire Williams - 1230) "Flight operations?" Ire smiled and nodded. “Yes me and Trip are both flight ops. Looking forward to getting our hand on the Republic.” “Are do you have specific aspect of engineering or do you cover everything?” (Reply Kental) (Reply Grk, Kental, Trip any) (Posted by Robbie) Star fleet Martian Ground Facilities - Officer's Mess - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 12:31) "Grk decide go old favorite," he said between bites. He looked at the others to see what they were talking about. "Old favorites are good, at least I'd say that." Trip said with a smile, "You seem to have a pretty big appetite there buddy." (reply Grk) "Anyways, the name is Trip, this here is Ire, and the other fellow R'vek." (reply Grk) "Anyways, enough of the pleasantries, have you guys noticed how in disrepair this place is?" (reply Grk, RVek, Ire) "I mean, base in disrepair, staffed by nothing but ensigns and NCOs. Kinda interesting huh, do you think they just didn't know what to do with us that they just created a dead end assignment to keep us busy?" Trip was smiling when he made the question, so that people could tell he was being slightly and sarcastic and was just joking around. At least a little bit." (Mars Surface - Landing platform- Science officer - Ensign (jg) Sekal- 1259) Sekal stepped down the boarding ramp, as he reached the tarmac he turned and addressed the female following him. "At the risk of appearing *forward* I would suggest we take lunch together so that we can discuss the repercussions of what we have seen and heard as we plan our steps going forward." (Reply: Sienna) He shortened his stride so that she could more easily accommodate the pace. Sol was now high in the Martian sky and the chill of the morning was a distant memory which suited the Vulcan. He knew that shipboard life would necessitate being exposed to sub normal temperatures for his race as well as prolonged stays on Utopia Planitia. The Martian summer as well was sub optimal not to mention the winter which would see temperature plunges he had never been exposed to. He had no doubt that his quarters and personal space in the labs would have to be bastions for him to retreat to. The next group of chattering officers passed them on their way to the runabout also wearing teal which would be the medical division. He inclined his head to them in an informal greeting and acknowledgement before addressing her again. "You said you had been to the Arboretum, was there power?" (Reply: Sienna) He was already prioritizing the order of steps that would need to be taken to get the labs up and working again as she continued speaking. When there was a pause he noted. "The officer's mess is a possible destination but I would recommend a lounge in one of the residential hubs. It should be quieter there and we will be able to plan more freely without shouting over the cacophony." (Reply: Sienna) (Posted by Charles Gatling) (Mars Surface - Landing platform- Science officer - Ensign (jg) Sienna Williams-Verin - 1302) Sienna followed the vulcan off the runabout, her mind spinning with ideas and thoughts, and she really needed to find a place to ground herself and get her thoughts in order. So when the intimidating vulcan looked back at her and spoke, she swore that he was being sarcastic. "At the risk of appearing *forward* I would suggest we take lunch together so that we can discuss the repercussions of what we have seen and heard as we plan our steps going forward." "Uh, sure. There are lots of places to eat. The officers mess is where my brother was eating and he said the replicators were working there." "The officer's mess is a possible destination but I would recommend a lounge in one of the residential hubs. It should be quieter there and we will be able to plan more freely without shouting over the cacophony." "Or we swing by the mess, get our lunches to go and we could head over to that park and sit and talk. I need some greenery about me, ah, I guess it's the betazoid side. It helps me to think." She smiled at him, and then closed her eyes for a moment, touching her brother's mind. ::Trip, I'm going to go have lunch with Sekal, my other science person. Willingly, at that.:: Trip could likely sense that Sienna was intimidated by Sekal. (Reply trip) (posted by mel) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 13:09) The runabout was flying around Mars and the Admiral was talking with his Security and Tactical Officers. Ensign Jackson spoke first and he wanted to highlight making a review and dividing the work up between them. “Sounds perfectly logical to me, Ensign. Please proceed and keep me informed.”, said the Admiral making notes on his PADD. Ensign Flagg had a question about rules of engagement, “So we can act as needed with seeking your authorisation for your every infraction.” “Of course Ensign, we’re keeping it standard. You have the right to defend yourself at all times, but we’re not at war with anyone. Treat all persons with respect but be prepared to defend yourself.”, answered the Admiral. He was sure they weren’t at war with anyone. She had a follow-up question about additional resources and Remae adjusted his position, “At the moment, Ensign, I am afraid we have what we have. Maximise our resources, if you find a broken fighter, get it fixed and flying and I’ll keep working on getting you the resources you need.” Ensign Darpeg had comments about munitions and specifics of weapons, Remae had no comment for him but a nod for encouragement. Ensign Peters started to speak, he agreed with Flagg and he also added that he wanted to strip other parts of the base to assist. “Mr Peters, you can pull anything you feel can help but I think you will find derelicts in the spacedocks around us; take whatever you want but please check with Engineering, you don’t want to upset them!”, he said, approving the idea, “I wouldn’t count on major shipments of just whatever you order coming… Starfleet’s resources are not what they once were.”, he added, slightly apologetically, realising he was putting one arm behind their backs. The conversion had come to a bit of a pause and Remae look at Ensign Sanok, “Mr Sanok? Comments/Suggestions?”, he said to the Vulcan, interested in hearing what officer shad to say. (Reply from Flagg, Jackson, Darpeg, Sanok, Peters, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (Mars Facilities - Counseling Center - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams 1 - 13:23) "I don't have a set style. I let the patient talk things out the way they are comfortable to do so. I will offer comforting when needed. Is there anything specific you need to talk about?" "Yes, there are specific things that I need to speak about, our at least somebody does, but for me, before I start spewing, I like to get to know what my counseling options are.@ (reply Ariel) Trip then smiled a friendly smile, "One of the most important thing for me when working with counselors is trust. I need to know I can trust the person. What is something that you feel is essential for developing trust with a patient?" (reply Ariel) (reply Ariel)] (posted by Will Banowsky) (Mars Facilities - Counseling Center - ENS jg Counselor - Ariel Trei - 13.25) She was asked of a way she gained trust with the patient. She usually conducted therapy one on one if possible. With talking one on one with the patient, she could control the environment. "I usually conduct therapy one on one if possible. The therapist/client relationship is best established one one one. If you need to set up an appointment with me, we should do it this evening. I have to be at the runabout for the medical run-through at 14.00." (Reply Trip iyw) (Posted by Edward) (Mars Facilities - Counseling Center - CONN, Ens JG Trip Williams - 13.26)) "I usually conduct therapy one on one if possible. The therapist/client relationship is best established one one one. If you need to set up an appointment with me, we should do it this evening. I have to be at the runabout for the medical run-through at 14.00." ~Well I'm not looking for group therapy.~ He thought to himself. He had hoped to get a little bit more about Ensign Trei's counseling style, but I guess if he wanted to figure out what it was, he would need to make an appointment. But that would need to wait, he had the feeling that there would be a lot of work to do and he might not have time to figure out a counseling schedule until the dust settled anyways. "I don't know if I will be able to set up an appointment today or in the next few days, lots of work to do and I don't know if I'll have time to breathe." He said with a laugh, "And I'm sure y'all will have your hands filled getting everyone here set up with whatever there needs may be." (reply Trei) Trip then nodded to the counselor and smiled, "Have a wonderful afternoon, and thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I don't want to make you late for your run-through with the admiral, so I'll get out of your hair." (reply Trei iyw) "Be seeing you around." Trip said with a friendly wave as he then turned and exited the counseling offices. (reply Trei) (posted by Will Banowsky) Ensign Garek Darpeg, 1339 Darpeg was going over the Tactical systems command system to see if he could find out what actually worked. At present, the deflector screens main plasma conduit was the only problem. The primary junction box had to be replaced. Easy fix. The part had to be found, but it could be powered up to 15 percent for ten minutes without it. The primary phaser turrets targetting system and focusing coils were shot. But the secondary could be targeted manually, if power could be supplied to them. The phalanx gatling phasers for close in defense were operational, but they had to plugged into the power systems; however, their backup battery power was seventy percent charged. At least the Mars base could defend itself for a few minutes in its present state. He was just starting on the torpedo launching systems when he heard someone walking into the room and he heard a throat clearing. Darpeg turned and asked, "What are you doing here?" (Reply anyone) Posted by Gary (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - TSC – Sec, Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 13:42) Darpeg turned and asked, "What are you doing here?" Rebecca was glad to spend some time with Darpeg so she could work him out, she did not like not having a measure of someone that she was going to be working with. She moved forward and smiled at Darpeg "I am hear to help." (Reply Darpeg) The mix of vulcan and Klingon seemed very much like yin and yang to to Rebecca but she wondered how well they were balanced. "Well, I do know my way around weapons esp, torpedos. After a serving as an EOD specialist in Starfleet marines before joining the feet." (Reply Darpeg) She flashed a smile at him not sure if she should use logic or stand up to him to flirt with him. "If I check warheads and you take the launchers, maybe we could get something that would not blow up as we fire." (Reply Darpeg) (posted by Giles PJ) (Mars Surface – Around the station – Medical -- ENS JG Quinna Solice – 13:50) It did not take long for Quinna to find her way around. Shortly after arriving, she was given her orders as both a counselor and a Medical Officer. She made her way to a quiet corner where she could have a small meal of a cup of soup. (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral ENS JG Quinna Solice – 14:10) Quinna sat quietly, as the Admiral spoke. Now she understood what her orders meant. She knew that she would most likely do both jobs at the same time. “Questions, Ensigns? Now is the time to ask.”, he said, sitting back in his chair. At this point, Quinna looked up. She had many questions on her mind but choose that now was not the right time ask them. She needed time to think things out. “I’m not sure if either of you have looked at the medical unit. I have only had a small look myself, but from what I saw it is not a ‘Major hub’” Kasian said looking back to their CO. Quinna shook her head. She did not take the time to look at the medical facilities. It was once said that Deep Space Nine was the outpost for frontier medicine, but the way it sounded, this place was the mecca for outdated medicine. (reply Bracken) “I’m assuming our first major assignment will be to fix it up.” Kasian couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or excited, but he had a bit of an extra twitch that wasn’t Poldan. (Reply Ktell) “We will probably need to have a look at out medical supplies take inventory. It is a fairly big unit I’m sure there and outdated supply closet or two somewhere.” Kasian was now trying to make more mental notes and just forgot to keep them in his head. “The sooner the better,” Quinna replied. “First thing on my list would to see the space. I really want to know what we are looking at.” She had no idea what she was getting herself into. (reply any, Medical) (Reply from Bracken, KTell, Trei, Poldan, Any) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 14:25) Remae was listening to his medical officers… boy, did his knee ache! Counsellor Trei was introducing herself, not a bad way to break the ice. As a former Counsellor, Ktell always feel back on his Counselling training when a difficult situation arose. Making CO, was, to be honest, a big deal and he had to give up that part of his life. He respected Counsellors and always understood the difficult job they had to do. The Ensigns were talking and perhaps not aware of the Admiral sitting there listening to their conversation. “I’m assuming our first major assignment will be to fix it up.”, said Ensign Poldan to the Admiral. Was he excited? Or just an overstimulated Trill? “You assume, Ensign? Mars is a big place and it’s going to be a central point for the Federation. There is nothing else in this part of the galaxy, this is it.”, he said before adding, “The engineers will take care of the mechanics of making everything work but you need to be ready for anything, from a swollen knee to a starship full of wounded coming in for help.”, he said before listening to Ensign Bracken and Ensign Solace, who were mirroring the needs for supplies, personnel and other logistics. “I am asking for more resources as fast as I can, you can expect some more supplies over time but for now, what we have is what we have. A major injection of personnel and materials has already been given and that could well be all for now. There are literally thousands of non-commissioned officers around, please make good use of them and remember, we also have the civilians on the surface. They have access to medical facilities.”, he said and then added, “When others have asked me this, I am also saying this : we have a shipyard full of spare-parts waiting to be used and salvaged, all the ships, the base and anything else is waiting to be salvaged. The Engineers will be helping but make a survey, see what is around and make the best use of it.”, he said finishing up his thoughts on the matter. (Reply from Bracken, Poldan, Trei, Solace, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 15:15) Remae was flying around in the company of his two senior pilots, having delivered the news that they were going to be responsible for flying around the entire Sector, keeping an eye on things, the Admiral thought they took it pretty well. “Sir do you know if we will get access to more modern fighters down the line?” Ensign Ire Williams made the point, and before the Admiral could answer, he asked about pilots too. “Good questions, Ensign, the quick answer is no, not through official channels but there are other fighter wings around… perhaps we can appropriate them. As for pilots, we have many enlisted people around, but as for officers like you, for now, no.”, the Admiral stopped and paused for thought for a moment, but before he can continue, Trip Williams jumped in. "Also, do we expect to do much exploring or is the Republic merely here for defensive purposes?”, he asked, while quickly following up with, "What about star charts, navigational data, and the like, are they up to snuff or do we need to do some mapping?", and "How soon would you like the first patrol to commence after we get everything organised and how many patrol sweeps per day would you like?”, he concluded taking a breath. The Admiral smiled at the quick barrage of questions. “We’re not going anywhere in the Republic for a while. My preliminary data shows she doesn’t even have the ability to use her thrusters, so exploration is off the table for now. She’ll be used as a test vehicle for the scientists and engineers, and they can use her to test their new gadgets.”, he said considering the next question. “Sector 001 is very well mapped Ensign, you won’t have any problems.”, he said, and finally he said, “I’ll leave that up to you – it’s going to depend on your squadrons, the capability of the fighters, if they fly or, you can get them up and running.” He added after a moments thought, “We have other ships around… talk to the Engineers, see what you can find inside our spacedocks. Maybe, you’ll get lucky?”, he said, finishing what he had to say. (Reply from Williams x 2, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (Mars Surface – Landing Pad- Ensign (Jg) – CONN - Ire Williams - 1550) Ire looked back at the shuttle as he walked across the landing pad. ~Getting a full fighter squadron up to speed with all its support elements and then there is hanger space and then there is the Republic which would be a mammoth task on its own even without its own fighter element~ His heart sank as he realised that there was a lot to do. ~Come on get your arse in gear and suck it up~ He then glanced back at his PADD which was full of the information that the admiral had told them. ~No one said joining the fleet would be easy~ He turned back and walked towards the building. ~We have a lot to do before we leave~ He looked over at Trip as he waved his PADD at him and grinned. “Well it could always be worse.” (Reply Trip) “How do you want to tackle this Trip? Together or split up?” (Reply Trip) (Posted Robbie (Mars Surface – Landing Pad- CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 1552) “Well it could always be worse.” Trip smiled and jokingly replied, "Wait, there is something worse than making two inexperienced, fresh academy graduates organize and entire fighter defense and patrol squadron? Well I kinda would like to know what that is." He then let out a laugh so that Ire would now he was joking. “How do you want to tackle this Trip? Together or split up?” "I think it would be best for us to stick together on this one, at least in the beginning until we figure out what the hell we are doing." (reply Ire) "I think the first thing would be to see what we're working with and if things work. How bout we head to the hanger and go for a little flight and see what the fighters can do? Maybe a little race, from here, to the moon Phobos and back." (reply Ire) (reply Ire) (posted by Will Banowsk) (Mars Surface – Landing Pad- CONN - Ensign JG – Ire Williams - 1554) "I think it would be best for us to stick together on this one, at least in the beginning until we figure out what the hell we are doing." He gave Trip a glance. “You think we will figure that out?” "I think the first thing would be to see what we're working with and if things work. How bout we head to the hanger and go for a little flight and see what the fighters can do? Maybe a little race, from here, to the moon Phobos and back." Ire nodded and smiled as he tapped his PADD. “It says here that there are some fighters in hanger bay 2 Alpha and that there are at least two craft in there that can fly.” (reply Trip, more IYW) (Mars Surface –Hanger Bay 2 Alpha – CONN - Ensign JG - Ire Williams - 1559) There was desolate feel to the hanger bay like they were intruding on some old house which had been boarded up for years. There were half a dozen fighters in various state of disrepair scattered around the hanger but there were two on the alert ready pad spots which looked like they could at least get them into orbit. He indicated to the two fighters “Looks like these are our rides.” (Reply Trip) “Any preference to which one you want?” (Reply Trip) Ire smiled and nodded. “Okay let’s go.” (Reply Trip IYW) He walked over to his fighter and took a slow careful walk around it is checking if there were any obvious problem that would make it unflyable. Once he was happy, he pulled himself into the cockpit and began the powering up sequence. He pulled out a small cable out of his uniform pocket and fitted one end into a small micro data port at the base of his skull which had been hidden in his hair line. It gave him the ability to get instantaneous data from the fighter’s system, but he still had to fly the fighter the old-fashioned way. ~Okay let’s get this show the road~ His fingers found the controls and began to move over them as he opened the fighters comm system. “Trip this is Ire. I am ready to go when you are?” (Reply Trip) (Reply Trip, any) (Posted by Robbie) (Runabout - Rear Cabin - Engineer, Ensign JG Keira Merek - 1602) She wasted no time boarding the runabout. She noted the vessel was in the passenger configuration plenty of seats to be had, she grabbed one and stayed mostly silent taking in the tour portion. As she had executed a fly by of Mars earlier that day. The arc by the docking facilities however got her attention, until just this afternoon that had been labelled as a "no fly" zone. The USS Republic was impressive on size comparison to the D'deridex Warbird her Aunt had served on before Hobus. "Not only is it a mess across the board, on all facilities, the station, the surface, its also now your job to check out all 30 spacedocks and see where we are at.” the Admiral stated. Keira's pad chirped indicating she had just received a file. She thumbed through the list of the vessels docked there, or was interred a more correct descriptor? “We are very much behind in our technology. As you may know, our Andorian agreement on their departure from the Federation meant we had to return their technology to them. We’ve been developing replacements but we’re done a less than stellar job. However, as our research on Mars comes to bear fruit, it’ll be up to you to make those inventions come to life, we’ll be testing on the USS Republic, and all being well, we’ll be deploying to the rest of the fleet.”, he said then paused for a few moments before he again starting speaking.“On top of all that, you can expect any number of ships to come to us for repairs, upgrades and who knows what else. However, I will tell you this, the USS Republic is going to be top priority for the Engineers, we need a working Starship. I’ll be heading over there tomorrow.” ~ I look forward to it.~ She thought to herself over the silence of the moment. “The station is also available but…”, he warned. “Its not a priority, it needs work too but with no command staff, I have no intention of sitting there alone…”, he added seeming a little annoyed. “Questions, Ensigns?”, finished the Admiral. "Sir, what exactly are your intentions, this list alone is too much for us, you want the fleet up and running but we can't do that without a full task force let alone the Republic, I'm aware of the Odyssey class problems, but throw in a Galaxy Class and a Sovereign, when exactly do you want us to finish, another 25 years? Further more, you can't complete the task without the station operational, some of these ships don't have working life support I can't pull apart a computer core in an EVAC suit. We need to prioritize I understand but" ~What are you doing?~ Keira thought as the man stopped his rant, maybe realizing what he was doing. "Sir, what I'm saying is, I think we need to split the team and make the station and the Republic our priority" the enlisted man finished. "I Have to agree but i do think we need to take a close look at everything we have and prioritize and assign based on peoples skill sets. we have 6 of us here even splitting in teams of 2 we could bring get the surface, the station, and republic up to date" said R'Vek "Sir how many enlisted members are in the engineering department?" The Reman asked. ~Reman, I've never seen a Reman before.~ Keira liked the much, older Remans points that he brought up. Well she guessed he was older, he just seemed that way, given she had never seen a Reman to compare to before. "Then maybe we prioritize?" Ensign Merek said finally speaking. "We get a broad but thourough inventory of what we have, extrapolate what we need to get those things functioning, then establish priority of work. Assign enlisted technician work crews with an officer or senior enlisted leading the effort, check back periodically with regular reports up to the Admiral." (Reply Remae, R'Vek, any) "That inventory is going to be important to get the Republic back on her feet. We can salvage parts from the other vessels and get something together to get her moving again. We may need to make some adjustments, and we probably won't have her up to specifications quite yet, but we can put something together." she offered. (Reply Remae, R'Vek, any) (Posted by Todd) (Peregrine Class Attack Fighter 02 - Cockpit - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams - 16:02 Trip sat in the cockpit of the Peregrine and began pre-flight checks. The peregrine was capable of being flown by a crew of one, but was designed with two crew members in mind. Trip figured this might need to be taken into consideration when assigning roles. Maybe the fighter's should have a pilot and gunner. He put in the flight plan, and given atmospheric conditions, required safety protocols, shipping lanes, and accounting for the Admiral's flight tour, it would probably take anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes to complete the flight. As he buckled in for safety, since he planned to push the fighter as hard as she could go, he heard Ire over the comm. =/\= Trip this is Ire. I am ready to go when you are?=/\= "Just a second, needing to do some last minute things before I'm good to go." (reply Ire) "You know if we are going to do this for real, we probably should have call signs right? Since we're now real fighter pilots." Trip then laughed as if he was amused with himself. (Reply Ire) "I guess, I could go with Ace of Spades, but that seems to long, or Ace but that seems too cocky." Trip stopped to think for a moment, "Hmm, you know what, nah, we do this the old fashioned way, were your call sign was given to you by your wingman. How bout this Ire, if you'll take it, your call sign is here by Road Runner, you know cause that's the ship your folks served on." (reply Ire) "Copy that" Trip then pressed a few buttons on the console and pulled up a playoff consisting of all things human alternative rock, Bajoran rock, and of all random things Vulcan Heavy Metal. "Alright I'm good to go, I'll let you give the countdown," (reply Ire) (reply Ire_ (posted by Will Banowsky) (Runabout, Rear Cabin, Eng, Ensign Grk, 16:05) Grk was stuffed into a corner of the Runabout's passengers compartment. He's seated himself in a corner with his knees up in his chest so there was room for everyone else. He really didn't like being stuffed into such small craft. but he'd manage. The admiral was right in front of him to his right and Grk was nervous being so close to him. He was trying to listen to what the admiral and everyone else was saying and ignore the painful stabbing sensation in his back. ~Is that a seat strap buckle digging into my back?~ he thought wiggling back and forth trying to relive the pain. He scooted forward slightly trying to get the buckle out of his back. He tried to twist and reach behind him and grab the strap but it was just too cramped and he couldn't reach behind without moving into the middle of the compartment and disrupting everyone. He growled softly in frustration. "Ad-meal Kettle," Grk said when there was finally a break, trying again to ignore the pain in his lower back. He held a PADD out toward the Admiral. "Grk work on station MSD table. Grk get largely working. Grk got list of current system status. Grk hope you no mind." Grk suddenly fell forward onto the floor pulling the admiral and several others from their seats and down on top of him. Someone's booted foot was now in Grk's face as several people, including the admiral were now piled on top of him. ~At least the buckle isn't digging into my back any more.~ Grk thought with a resigned sigh. (Reply Ktell, Any Engineer on Shuttle) (Posted by Wes) (Peregrine Class Attack Fighter 01 - Cockpit - CONN - Ensign JG - Ire Williams - 16:06) =^=Just a second, needing to do some last-minute things before I'm good to go=^= Ire smiled. “No problem take your time.” =^=You know if we are going to do this for real, we probably should have call signs right? Since we're now real fighter pilots=^= Ire frowned a little. “Call signs!” =^=I guess, I could go with Ace of Spades, but that seems to long, or Ace but that seems too cocky=^= =^=Hmm, you know what, nah, we do this the old fashioned way, were your call sign was given to you by your wingman. How bout this Ire, if you'll take it, your call sign is here by Road Runner, you know cause that's the ship your folks served on=^= ~Ow great what am I going to say. Come on think logically. Okay he said that he did Stellar Cartography. Okay they look as stars…. Stargazer that’s cool, go with that~ “Okay how about Stargazer as for stellar cartography that’s what you are doing?” =^=Copy that=^= =^=Alright I'm good to go, I'll let you give the countdown=^= “Understood. Will get clearance.” He blinked clicked changed comm channel. “Mars Orbital Control, Mars Orbital Control this Dark Star flight. Dark Star flight of two is wanting a least time transit for planet side too orbit, then to Phobos and back again. Dark Star flight will consist of a flight of two being Road Runner and Star Gazer are Dark Star Flight one and two respectively.” =^=Understood Dark Star flight. You can proceed when ready.” “Thank you Martian Orbital control Dark Star flight out.” He changed the comm channel back. “Okay Trip we are cleared to go.” (Reply Trip) “Okay Star Gazer. Let’s go in three, two, one.” As he counted down, he increased the engines power. He came screaming out of the hanger bay and pointed the nose of the fighter in wards the sky as he powered towards orbit. (Reply Trip, any) (Posted by Robbie) (Peregrine Class Attack Fighter 02 - Cockpit - CONN - Ensign JG - Trip Williams- 16:08) =/\=Okay Trip we are cleared to go.=/\= "As long as we're in the fighters don't use trip, use Stargazer." =/\=Okay Star Gazer. Let’s go in three, two, one.=/\= Trip gunned the engines and left the hanger. He didn't think he could beat the small craft specialist in a straight race, so he knew he was gonna need to take risks, if the chance came to do something risky he would. He was competitive and that was just how he was. As the two fighters cleared the hangar Trip increased the speed of his fighter to mach 5. Once they cleared the atmosphere he'd be able to go faster, with the impulse engines being around 1/4 of the speed of light. Still in atmosphere it was better stick with breaking the speed of sound and not trying to get closer to the speed of light. The peregrine could do up to Mach 8.5. Eventually he would throttle up to that speed, but right now he was just trying to match Ire's speed. He didn't want to push the fighter too hard too fast. The lyrics blared around him through the speakers in the cockpit. It was from a San Francisco indie band called Alien Sons, a metal band made up of a group of guys who were half human and half something else. Most of their music dealt with the realities of being children of two cultures and that really spoke to trip.Trip sang a long with the chorus. "Don't know who I am. The twin suns sit in my heart, The darkness to overcome, This life will tear me apart. I don't know How to survive, I just know know I need to strive, Trusting in where i've gone Soaring high, like a red dragon." ~Red Dragons~ Trip thought to himself as a little light bulb went off. ~Has a catchy ring and we are on the red planet.~ Getting back on the comms he spoke to Ire, "Hey so, I think I just figured out the mascot for the 1st Fighter Wing of Mars. And it comes with a really sweet tattoo idea." (Reply Ire) "Red Dragons, just a long serpentine red chinese dragon. It could be epic man, could be epic." (Reply Ire) "I've been thinking about a new tat, we could commerate the start of the wing with tattoos of the chinese dragon either coiling around are right forearms or on our backs. What do you think?" (Reply Ire) (Reply Ire) (posted by Will Banowsky) (Runabout - Backcabin - Engineer - Ensign JG Keira Merek -1622) The craft listed sharply and tumbled the occupants like rocks bouncing around in a bucket. Keira could feel herself lifting off the seat, she tried gripping the chair cushions to keep seated but wasn't fast enough. The one with the most mass Grk, went first carreening into the center. As the artificial gravity finally re-initiated everyone came straight down. As it seemed Grk had broke many people's falls. (Reply Admiral Remae, Grk, any) "Pilot all stop!" She shouted toward the front cabin as she scrambled to her feet. She made haste to the engineering station. She tapped in a few query commands. "It seems we had a momentary failure of the inertial dampers and gravity plating." She said worry crossing her face. "The problem looks like it's coming from access panel Fox-seven over there." (Reply another Engineer, room for more) The engineer accessed the panel and assessed the problem. "My readouts agree with that assessment." Keira agreed with her fellow engineer. (Reply, any present) (Posted by Todd) (Runabout - Backcabin - Engineer - Ensign Janey Cheif Briwn -1625) Before the Admiral could answer her questions she, along with everyone else, was thrown to the ground as everything settled she heard the commotion and shouts of the younger officers, she stood and moving over to the side panel pulled out a tricorder as one officer made their way to engineering ~damn party flights~ she muttered to herself as she clambered over the giant bears paws. "It seems we had a momentary failure of the inertial dampers and gravity plating." She said worry crossing her face. "The problem looks like it's coming from access panel Fox-seven over there." "Understood", Janey called pulling out an Engineering kit from the locker this time. She opened the unit and scanned. "It would appear we've managed to burn out a few stembolts, the coupling from the main EPS flow has, somehow, dislodged temporarily cutting power to the grav plates. Not a problem, give me a second." "My readouts agree with that assessment." Keira agreed "Won't be long, could you power down the manovering thrusters please?" (Reply Keira) "Just a trick is oldies know" ~and ship designers~ Janey tinkered for a second "Ok, power everything back up, the thrusters will be a little sluggish but this should get us safely back to dock" Janey said handing Keira the burnt out unit "a little momento of your first interstellar problem" She said winking as she sat down. (Reply Keira, any) "Oh and Admiral, this proves my point this is going to take a while." She smiled, not enough to appear smugish, but enough to make her point. (Reply, any present) (Posted by Mat) (Runabout – Rear Cabin - Admiral Remae Ktell – 16:35) The taste of bear fur still in his mouth, the Admiral was glad they were underway again and he was sitting upright again. "Oh and Admiral, this proves my point this is going to take a while.", said the Chief. “Understood Ensign.”, he said, and he showed his newfound appreciation for the Engineers by thanking them all. Together, they all got as comfortable as they could, “Ensign Grk, are you okay? Do the best you can… we’ll get everyone back as fast as we can.”, said the Admiral. “Ensigns, I didn’t get a chance to answer your questions.”, he said and looked at each of them. The questions from the Engineering officers had been flying around and like any group of creative types, it was disjointed, free-flowing and exactly what the Admiral expected. He had spent enough time as a Chief Engineering Officer on the Prometheus Class, USS Athene to understand the process. He sat back and remembered, Ensign Janey Brown had mentioned that the Republic and the Station should be a priority. Ensign Janey Brown enjoyed the reputation of knowing her stuff. She could fix anything but her psychological profile had piqued the Admiral’s interest when he reviewed her biography. “I agree with what you said before, Ensign.”, he said to her. The Admiral wasn’t going to debate her wisdom, Ensign Kental had more ideas… Remae wasn’t lost on the fact it was a Reman in a Starfleet uniform but if there was any surprise on his face, it was hidden. Too many years of surprises had given him a perfect poker face. The Reman had ideas about splitting up the teams, the Admiral nodded in understanding, but he didn’t speak, or give approval. “To answer your question, Ensign Kental. How many Engineers do we have?” NRPG: THE question I’ve been waiting to be asked! RPG: The Admiral looked at his PADD for a moment, “646 Enlisted Engineers are on the surface at the moment. Mainly located in the enlisted quarters. Each department has a similar amount.”, he said casually. He looked around for a moment… they did get the idea that Mars could hold tens of thousands of Starfleet Personnel, and the Ensigns were their superiors? “I am sorry… Ensigns, you are trained for this. I’m going to have to ask you to take on this responsibility, sooner than you may have liked.”, he added apologetically. NRPG: Star Trek 2, anyone? RPG: Ensign Merek wanted to do an inventory, Remae was impressed, they were solving the problems as Engineers did. Ensign Grk had mentioned that he was working on the MSD table, “Ensign Grk, please continue with your efforts.” The inventory was something the Admiral was looking forward to seeing. As the runabout limped back to Mars, Remae thought about his Engineers for a moment. “Everyone is going to be relying on you… you are the glue that is going to make or break this venture. I have full confidence in you. You let me know if I can do anything else for you.”, he said, reaching behind, he tweaked a bolt and stopped a small release of coolant without looking. “Not always an Admiral.”, he said, looking at them all. “Carry on.” The runabout continued to limp back to Mars. (Reply from Grk, Jacobs, Kental, Merek, Brown, Castile, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities – Main Weapons Locker – Sec Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 17:00) Like everything else in the facility everything that was not nailed down and been removed and everything that was had seen better days, with her weapons knowledge it made sense that she doubled as the master-at-arms until a permeant one was found. Also she wanted to give the engineers time to install some of the scanners before checking them herself. As well as cleaned, she had put a few Flagg touches like a few nicely painted Tessen around the place to give it colour and just in case. Rebecca had sent out a message to all the crew that every personal weapon needs to be checks, logged and possibly secured. They where take no chances with weapons around the base. They had been supplied with a few weapons that she took out of the shipping constrainers checking them before locking them in place. She was obviously more use to handling weapons that an average feeler let alone one just out of the academy. Rebecca was hoping to get her job finished so that she could get some time on the targets. As she worked Rebecca sung to herself her vice carried around the room into the hallway, it was obvious that her voice was trained. “It's been a long road, To get from there to here. It's been a long time, But my time is finally here. And I can feel a change in the wind right now. Nothing's in my way. And they're not gonna hold me down no more. No they're not gonna hold me down… (Reply any) (posted by Giles PJ) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities – Main Weapons Locker – TEC/Sec Ensign JG Jacob Jackson - 1703) Jake was helping inventory any available weapons. The TEC/SEC ensigns had been assigned thr task of beefing up the Mars Defense Platform. The uproar raised by the departure of several former UFP members left things in a mess. What they had to work with was a mishmash. Jake found several crates of what looked liked self replicating martial mines. This would prove useful to securing large patches of space. Jackson called Ens. Rebecca Flagg to get her thoughts. "Ensign Flagg, could you come here?I think I've have something we can use". (Reply Flagg) (Posted by Bill West ) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities – Main Weapons Locker – Sec Ensign JG Rebecca Flagg - 1705) Jackson called Ens. Rebecca Flagg to get her thoughts. "Ensign Flagg, could you come here?I think I've have something we can use". Still sinning Rebecca made her way over the Jackson as soon as she saw the crate of mines she stopped singing and moved over like an excited kid. “And it is not my birthday you should not have.” (Replay Jackson) Starting to look through the crate “There is not many hear but if we reprogram them to replicate into a field them, we should be talking.” (Replay Jackson) Taking one of the mines out and looking at it closer, Rebecca knew that they where fully safe to handle as the power cores where fully depleted. Tossing one to Jackson and she picks up another. “We need to slow down the replication at first, so they don’t run out of power. They were designed to fill in gaps left by use, but they could grow the field in size until it is usable.” (Replay Jackson) (Posted by Giles PJ ) (Mars Base, Security Center, Sec/Tac Ensign jg Sanok, 1713) The security department briefing with Admiral Ktell had ended and they were back on the base. The first thing Sanok did, was begin touring the facility. He wanted to commit the layout to memory, which took several trips. He noted key areas, such as weapons storage, emergency shelters, and vital areas of operations. If there were ever emergency situations, he would also need to memorize the quickest routes to get to where he needed to be. Sanok ended his trek in the main security center. The place was in disarray, but not as bad as other areas. There were already personnel there cleaning and putting things back together. Sanok procured a standard phaser and a tricorder to add to the PADD already in his possession. He noted there were five offices, number one being the largest and most likely for the department chief. He chose number five, the smallest. A desk, a computer, and a replicator was all he needed. Setting his equipment on the desk, he turned on the computer. Doing some quick dusting and cleaning, he was about to sit, when he saw a large, hairy arachnid sitting in the middle of a web in the corner of the ceiling. Sanok hated arachnids. The creature seemed content to remain where it was, so Sanok sat down. Bringing up base records, he accessed the crew roster. As he perused the names, Sanok would frequently look over his shoulder at the arachnid. It wasn't moving, but he still felt tingling sensations. He saw several names he recognized, but with the distraction in the corner, he couldn't concentrate. Something had to be done. Sanok picked up his phaser, placed it on its lowest setting, aimed it at his foe, and fired. The spider was gone, most of the web was gone, and the weapons alarm klaxon began to blare. Now he could get to work. (reply any) (posted by Rob) Castile (1-1920 Sickbay) Castile blinked at the doctor, "We may not be marines, but its a formal way to informally show respect. But gotcha, Okay Ensign.. I am going to take the EMH offline and get laChance in here with a freestanding holoprojector with an EMH in it that I know hasn't been messed with. besides his spanish is a little off." ~Dios mio what a day!~ He slipped out before things got any more odd. He had been lectured about being too informal in the past, now he is getting lectured for being too formal. All he could think of was that line from that old Sci fi program. ~Zathras used to being beast of others burdens, have very sad life, probably going to have very sad death at least there is symetry.~ "Before I do go.. Get I get a sign off on my paperwork that says I am fit for ship duty?Or else the Bosun who is doubtfully far less informal then you is going to stick me on fiesta deck if I don't get this stuff filed in a timely fashion?" He held out his PADD for the Doctor to sign off on. (Reply to the Doc) (Posted by Robert H) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - outside personal quarters – Ops, Janey Brown– 2030) Janey stood outside the door, this was the entry to one of many ghosts she would have to face. Being back on Mars was the biggest one so far, she hadn't been since he had died, too much pain and too much fear. She knew her way around her childhood home, each corridor was a memory. She fidgeted and shifted a little having stood there for at least five seconds longer than expected. Taking a deep breath she fiddled with her hair, age was thinning it slightly, as her hand fell she felt the wrinkles that time had left, a pang of saddness that she was only one of few left, most her crewmates had retired, some up the ranks, some had died. Enrolling in the Academy was her nod to them all, finally moving from enlisted to officer was hard, but she had finally done it. Leaning forward she pressed the buzzer. Pulling the usual strand of hair forward she covered the scar, 30 years later and she still hated it. As the doors opened she looked up "Are you ever going to stop growing" (Reply Bracken) (Posted by Mat) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – MO Ens(jg) Ailynn Bracken– 2032) Ailynn was just pulling on her spare Academy gym kit, and have a quiet evening, to allow her mind to mull over the sheer enormity of the task in front of them. In truth the scale of it made her feel so alive, she could barely contain all her thoughts. She was aware, all too aware that when there was a task like this in front of her, she did tend to throw herself into it heart and soul. The door chime pulled her out of her reverie, and after pulling her top over her head and tying back her long, dark brown hair, she opened the door. "Are you ever going to stop growing" Her heart both skipped and sank as she saw the figure in front of her, looking older than the last time that they had met, but she carried her age well, Ailynn could still see the attractive blonde woman that she had known back when she, Ailynn, was in her mid teens. “AAAAAAAHHHH! Auntie Janey!” Ailynn couldn't help but be filled with happiness, and excitement at yet another face from her past. (Reply Janey) Ailynn flew forward and wrapped her arms around the older woman, crushing her in a fierce hug. “I’ve missed you…Come in come in. I’ve a bottle of something fabulous that we can open.” (Reply Janey) (Posted by Mark) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – OPs Ens(jg) Janey Brown– 2034) A scream emitted from the room and Janey flinched back, however the energy of youth filling the corridor “AAAAAAAHHHH! Auntie Janey!” Ailynn said not containing her energy Janey held a wrinkling hand "calm down dear, it's only been a few years" Janey said as the woman's strong arms flew round her. Ailynns height meant that Janey was slightly lifted from the ground in the embrace. "I’ve missed you…Come in come in. I’ve a bottle of something fabulous that we can open.” Janey followed her friends daughter into the quarters. "How is your mother? Still working away? More importantly how are you....." Janey was stopped dead as Ailynn pulled out the bottle her eyes Lit up. "Are you planning on reporting to duty tomorrow? Oh I baked your favorite, I say baked I'm lucky if I can heat enough to warm and ants pants so they're replicated but almost as good" Janey smiled helping herself to a seat and pulling out the small paxkage of cookies. (Reply Bracken) (Posted by Mat) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – MO Ens(jg) Ailynn Bracken– 2035) Janey followed her into the quarters. "How is your mother? Still working away? More importantly how are you....." Janey was stopped dead as Ailynn pulled out the bottle her eyes Lit up. "Are you planning on reporting to duty tomorrow? Oh I baked your favorite, I say baked I'm lucky if I can heat enough to warm and ants pants so they're replicated but almost as good" Janey smiled helping herself to a seat and pulling out the small paxkage of cookies. After opening the bottle, and pouring a respectable, but not overly large glass for each of them, Ailynn sat down on the couch near one of her mums oldest friends. “I always loved these…Aww.” She opened the package and took a bite, forgetting the crumbs, which tumbled down her front. “Mmm” she grunted, brushing the crumbs off her chest. Leaning back into the couch, she looked over at Janey, “Mum’s…” she sighed. “…working all hours. Fighting inane, useless bureaucracy. After the Incident…She cried for weeks. You remember how much she threw herself emotionally into things. It was only Dale being around that kept her sane. (Reply Brown) “Me?” She smiled. “I’m good.” She paused, and sighed, the façade falling. Ailynn had always been able to open up to Janey, when she couldn’t sometimes to Aimee. “That’s a lie. Auntie J…I feel…on my own, and no matter how good I am, I feel compared to mum, like I’m in her shadow, and I’m almost scared to come out of it.” (Reply Brown) (Posted by Mark) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters – OPs Ens(jg) Janey Brown– 2037) Janey took the glass and a cookie and sipped. It was odd watching the young woman, it was almost as if she was back on the ship, sat with the department heads relaxing after the day. Ailynn looked like her mother but there was a hint, a nod, to her father. Janey remembered Mil with great fondness, she smiled as she watched. “Mum’s…working all hours. Fighting inane, useless bureaucracy. After the Incident…She cried for weeks. You remember how much she threw herself emotionally into things. It was only Dale being around that kept her sane." Janey felt the pang of pain "that sounds exactly like your mother. Too much of an empath without the mind reading. How are you finding things?" “Me? I’m good.That’s a lie. Auntie J…I feel…on my own, and no matter how good I am, I feel compared to mum, like I’m in her shadow, and I’m almost scared to come out of it.” Janey placed her glass down and put a comforting hand on Ailynns knee. "I had the exact conversation with your mother when she came back, always concerned she was in your grandmother's shadow. She never was and neither are you. Your mother is very special and very different, but that doesn't make her the only serving Bracken in the Federation. She found her own route and so will you. Now if your father had been here do you honestly think he would let you use that as an excuse for not getting on with the job at hand, let me tell you he wouldn't." Janey let go of her leg and picked up her glass to cover the small tear that had formed af the thought of Mil once again. (Reply Bracken) (Posted by Mat) (Starfleet Martian Ground Facilities - Personal Quarters - CONN, ENS JG Trip Williams- 20:58) Trip sat on the couch of his suite's living room patiently. He hadn't really had much time to unpack or get ready for his evening appointment. He barely had enough time to eat. Getting a fighter wing together with minimal staff and resources felt like a herculean challenge, but he was never one to shy away from a challenge. It was because of that he was even having this rendezvous. He found Rebecca intriguing, with a mysterious hold on him, and it would be a challenge to figure out how she figured into his life, and he was curious to meet the challenge head on. His room was a bit of a mess, as he hadn't had time to really put things from his bags up in their proper place, and there was some dirty clothes strewn around his room and his private bathroom. He was thankful for the fact that he had the private space. He was given a family suite to share with his sister, and it had a largeish common are for entertaining, eating, and well hanging out, and there were two bedrooms on either side. Each bedroom were identical with a full sized bed, a desk in one of the corners, a lounge chair, and clothing storage. The bathrooms were pretty standard. Though the one peculiaratiy was that there was no guest bathroom, so in order for a guest to use the restroom they'd have to enter into one of the rooms. His sister was gone and he didn't know when she'd be back, but he told her to at least give him until 2200 hours. Sienna's cat was safely secure in her room and hopefully she wouldn't escape. Of the few things he had unpacked was his alcohol collection. It was all real, no synthehol in the bunch. He only had a few bottles but he hoped to grow it. He had Irish whiskey, Kentucky Bourbon, Aldeberan whiskey, Saurian Brandy, Bajoran Rum, Ferenginar Vodka, Romulan Ale, though it was labelled as Ricky Blue's Blue Stuff since it was illegal, a Betazoid drink that kicked like whiskey but tasted like chocolate, and a bottle of stuff that the only way he could describe it was by the fact that it was green. He hadn't really unpacked his clothes, and he was running out of time to change, so given that Rebecca had already basically seen him without a shirt, he kind of just didn't care, as long of course as he was wearing clothing. His boots were off in the corner, but he was still wearing his uniform pants. The Jacket and tunic of the uniform were tossed somewhere on the floor of his bathroom, and he was wearing the gray standard undershirt that was normally worn underneath. He should have been more excited about Rebecca's arrival, but all he could think about was what he saw when he toured the Spacedock earlier. A project that he couldn't wait to work on. Something he was in his head referring to as, Operation God of War. He looked at his watch, it wads almost 21:00s, and he couldn't decide what was more beautiful, the red head who would soon be at his door, or the Sabre class escort that he found in the Spacedock that was just begging for some TLC. (reply Flagg) (posted by Will Banowsky) (Mars Surface -Officers Quarters- Science officer - Ensign (jg) Sekal- 2100) He entered his room and the door shut behind him...almost. A one quarter inch gap between the leading edge and frame remained though he didn't notice it just yet. Sekal's mind was preoccupied with the details of tomorrow's work which was going to require extensive inventory and testing of any functional equipment that could be found. And there was another detail to be taken care of. The study in his immediate future... or at least as immediate as it could be made was slowly revolving in the air over the right side of the desk. And it was time for a transmission. Would the subspace transmitter be operational? Logically so since it would be impossible to bring together such a disparate grouping of beings from all corners of Federation space without it. Looking away from the crystal he moved to the chair. "Activate monitor." The monitor came to life and slid to its preassigned position. "Open a subspace channel to the VSRS Sinya, personal designation Captain Saleke." He set his PADD on the left side of the desk, once again carefully aligning its edges with that of the desk surface. It took a moment before the screen shifted and his father's visage became visible. "Sekal." "Father." His eyes had fastened on a new pip attached to his father's collar and he cocked his head. "It would appear congratulations are in order Commodore. it was my understanding you had been resisting the promotion." Saleke nodded then picked up a glass and took a sip from it. "That is correct however my objections were recently disregarded and their reasoning is logical." Sekal leaned forward just a bit. "A research vessel is not the logical posting for that rank." "No it is not," His father agreed "but in the event of hostilities my command can be easily transferred to a more fitting vessel for my combat experience but in the interim the project continues." Sekal was well aware of the project. Saleke set the glass back on the desk. "I assume you are reporting your new posting." "It has to do with my new posting yes." Vulcans must always be precise. "And that is?" "Mars base and Utopia Planitia." He could see his father's interest in the now upthrust eyebrow. "Indeed. Then your assessment was correct. Your mother will wish to hear of this." But very little escaped his father's notice. "You said this is in reference to your posting." "Yes, it is about the object." Saleke's right hand came up in a silencing gesture but Sekal had already ceased speaking in anticipation of this. He had used the reference knowing Saleke would catch the inference instantly. Saleke was speaking. "Computer encrypt this transmission. Code Ceti three nine Alpha five. Sekal's own monitor shortly began speaking. =^= Downloading code profile Ceti three nine Alpha five. Stand by for initialization.=^= It wasn't until the word "Encrypted" began flashing in the lower left of his screen that Sekal began speaking again. He was well aware that the news he was bringing might incite his father to cut him off from further contact. "The Federation is in need of the technological advantage that the object may provide in order to propel StarFleet back to its mission in space. For that reason I will be focusing all of my efforts toward it and bringing in any who may be useful in divining its 'enigma' as you once called it." Saleke's expression had not changed but he nodded slightly. "The Andorian technological purge." "Precisely." What position would his father take? Saleke had formerly been with StarFleet but now his loyalties lay elsewhere. "Your assessment?" Saleke's position softened and he reclined back in his chair. "You are a commissioned officer in StarFleet now and it is your duty to make a complete report on your researches and all conclusions drawn from them to your immediate superior officer. Who is your superior officer?" Sekal relaxed, it appeared there would be no immediate repercussions. "For now none. All officers report directly to the Admiral." "Who is?" "Ramae Ktell." Saleke nodded in satisfaction. "I know of him, Captain of the Spectre when I served." "You never told me where the object was found." Saleke inclined his head. "No I did not." The question would not be denied though the answer was obvious. "And if I ask you now?" The answer was immediate. "I am a commissioned officer in the Vulcan Defense Fleet as you are one in Starfleet and as it is your duty to report to your superiors all information you gather about the object it is my duty to withhold certain information. I cannot tell you unless my orders are changed." Saleke leaned forward meaningfully. "I expect nothing less from you than to do your duty. I will also expect to hear from you if a breakthrough is made." "You will." Saleke nodded. "You may purge the encryption if you wish but it is a disposable code and will not be used again." He held his right hand up in the ancient Vulcan ritual with center fingers spread. "Live long and prosper Ensign Sekal." "And you as well Commodore." Sekal returned the gesture. The transmission ended on his father's satisfied nod. (Reply: Any eavesdropper) (Posted by Charles Gatling) (VSRS Sinya - Somewhere in Federation Space, Undisclosed vector- Ready Room- VDF Commodore Saleke- 2120) Saleke was motionless for a moment in introspection after the screen had faded to dark. When he moved it was to pick up the glass of replicated orange juice which program he had entered into the computers himself. Without pulp. He had picked up a taste for the beverage during his Academy time on Earth. After taking another sip he spoke. "Computer open a channel to Fleet Command, Admiral Kiska. Command code Tau eight four black." =^= Stand by. Connecting with Fleet Command. Command code accepted. Encryption activated.=^= When the screen changed it was to show the Admiral in question, he had a mug to his lips. And now Saleke had access to a secure channel. "Admiral." Saleke dipped his chin in deference. "Commodore." Kiska replied as he set down the mug. "My sleep cycle was interrupted." "My apologies." "None necessary. It was an observation rather than a complaint." He looked closely at Saleke. "You are not due to reach your destination for three more days," his tone became curious "what is the purpose of your report?" "I have spoken with my son." The other Vulcan cocked his head a bit. "Sekal... yes. His choosing StarFleet is a loss, he has a rare intellect from the reports I have seen. But why does speaking with your son warrant a transmission to command?" The tone in his voice had ratcheted up a shade. "I presented him with a sample of the crystal for his own research but the state of StarFleet is so gutted of technology and outdated that he will be researching it in conjunction with others at his posting on Mars." "Their main research facilities and the Utopia Planitia shipyards. This information is ... interesting." The Admiral had dropped the peckish tone completely. "Which brings up the logical question of if they are able to complete the research and apply it. What will we do?" This was the question uppermost in Saleke's mind. "Nothing." The Admiral noted the tint of Saleke's confusion in his quirked eyebrow and elaborated. "You have not had access to the reasoning behind the decision to keep the Anelurian Crystal behind a curtain of secrecy.," he began "...as you know knowledge of it is restricted to the highest levels of the government and Fleet. You also know that it has been withheld from the public to the extent its atomic weight is not even listed on the periodic table of hyper elements." Saleke nodded. "Well I am giving you the reasons now." Admiral Kiska took another drink from his mug and returned it to the table top. "Consider recent history, symbiotes infiltrating the highest levels of StarFleet command, a powerful weapons system project unexpectedly shut down because of an overheating issue rather than being redesigned, the civil war followed by the shuttering of StarFleet itself by the body politic of the UFP. The continued implosion of the Federation from within because of political decisions more egregious than the interference that caused you to leave the Fleet." The Admiral paused causing Saleke to consider him finished but he was just getting started. "Consider the political machinations of illogical beings who would trade knowledge of such a powerful technology for political or personal concessions, for power or profit." He steepled his fingers in front of him. "Or even the possibility of its existence being sold or traded to the enemies of the Federation in exchange for a cowards peace which would last only as long as it took for that technology to be developed and integrated." Saleke had already presumed much of this. "However it must be stated that the intent was not to hold back the technology itself but to unveil it to Federation member worlds after it was developed. The reasoning being that Vulcan would develope it, the Federation as a whole would benefit and its enemies would be unaware of its value until they had already been surpassed." That ultimate purpose was certainly news to the Commodore but was also very logical. "So if they develope it..." "Then they keep it." Kiska finished for him. "Logical, very logical." Saleke nodded in approval. "And if they ask where it is to be found?" "That is another matter. I presume from your report that the information I have received is verified and the Fleet is under preliminary expansion." "It is." "Who is commanding it?" "Admiral Ramae Ktell." "What do you know of him?" Saleke considered the question. "Hard driven, open, loyal to the Federation and StarFleet. And could be trusted to keep the enemies of the Federation from learning of the Anelurian Crystal's properties to the limit of his abilities." He paused. "But that was decades ago and life grows and evolves... or decays over time." "Yes." Kiska nodded. "We will look into Ktell and determine if he can be trusted with the location should they be successful. At one time we had another Admiral in the Fleet who was our contact... Jopek but he is since deceased. As for the political leaders of the UFP." He shrugged. "The current president is an unknown as his her administration. it will take time to determine how much credence we can put in her efforts... or whether they will be successful." "It is possible it can be investigated by tracing the logs of the Nahru, my son knows of it." "No." Kiska shook his head in finality. "The public logs were purged long ago. They only exist in our most secure database." "Understood Admiral then my orders are unchanged." "Yes." Kiska replied. "But now you know the reasons behind them Commodore. I will expect your report on the new site in four days. Kiska out." Saleke picked up the glass again and took a long drink this time. When he returned the glass to the table he steepled his fingers as he considered how much Ktell could be trusted in the current political climate and whether he had come through the storms the Federation had suffered with his honor and goals intact. (Reply: None) (Posted by Charles Gatling)