ࡱ> kmfghijo@ 5bjbj p p "oo-vvvvvvv0 \T0 \rrrrrrr $CR2vrrrrr2vvrrGrrrrvrvr rr r(rvvrP aer ]0r>vvvvV2vrrrrrrrr220 0 mwmr0 0 wStardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique, Ready Room, CO Captain Vanyssa Winters, 0955) (USS Mystique, Ready Room, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 0956) (Mystique-deck 4-conselor's office-Ensign Telan Raynar Counselor - 10:28) (USS Mystique - Bridge -CSO Ketal -1130) (USS Mystique - Bridge - Ensign Jason Dema - 1217) (USS Mystique - Bridge - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick - 1220) (USS Mystique - Bridge - Ensign Jason Dema - 1221) (USS Mystique,Sickbay, CMO, Dr. Kellita Weir, 1250) (USS Mystique - Sickbay; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1340) (USS Mystique - Sickbay; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1406) (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia & Darwin Kusogai; 1535) (USS Mystique - Personal Quaters; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1600) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique, Personal Quarters, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 0445) (USS Dian Chang, Bridge, CO Captain Jaelle Tambrick, 0800) (USS Mystique, Shuttle Bay, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 0900) (USS Mystique, Conference Room, TASC Ensign Travis Keswick, 1000) (USS Mystique -Conference Room - FO, Lt. Commander Peter Bellinia - 1059) (USS Mystique - Sickbay, - CMO Dr. Kellita Weir - 1108) (USS Mystique - Sickbay, - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick - 1110) (USS Mystique - Cargo Bay 2 - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick 1200) (USS Mystique,Sickbay, CMO, Dr. Kellita Weir, 1250) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- Begin Compile Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique, Ready Room, CO Captain Vanyssa Winters, 0955) "Come." came the muffled noise of a voice from behind the door. HHrilpushed a second button on the keypad and entered the room. "Captain," began the young Romulan. "I would like to add something to my initial idea on how to remove that ship from orbit, Sir. The procedure cannot be completed from the exterior of the ship alone.We will have to send people inside." Vanyssa nodded and listened to his idea. "I think it's a great idea,Lt. Unfortunately, Mr. Sarouk beat you to it." She smiled, showing him that she understood and wasn't angry with him, or disappointed. "You and He are leading a team over to the ship tomorrow at 0900. I believe Mr. Sarouk is going to contact you with the details. Ms. Tourana will be piloting, and Ensign Dema will be going along withyou. I am also sending along some of the combat engineers to help. Your mission is to stabilize the structural integrity field and reactivate it, if possible. We'll be moving the ship if the away team reports back that the natives do not know of it's existence. Otherwise we'll be stabilizing it in orbit." She got up and walked over to Hhril. "Mr. Hhril, I have been impressed with your work and dedication to this ship. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I want you to know that you are my number one choice for the second officer position on the Mystique. The outcome of this away mission will determine whether or not you make the move. I am confident that you will do well as you have always done." She said, smiling. "The reason I am breeching protocol and telling you this, is that something might happen there, or here, and I wanted you to know how proud I am of the work that you have done." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 23406.10.22 (USS Mystique, Ready Room, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 0956) "We will have to send people inside." Said the young Romulan. The Captain nodded at the words before saying. "I think it's a great idea, Lt.Unfortunately, Mr.Sarouk beat you to it. You and He are leading a team over tothe ship tomorrow at 0900." HHrilwas comforted by the smile she offered as she continued. "I believe Mr. Sarouk is going to contact you with the details.Ms. Tourana will be piloting, and Ensign Dema will be going along with you.I am also sending along some of the combat engineers to help.Your mission is to stabilize the structural integrity field and reactivate it, if possible.We'll be moving the ship if the away team reports back thatthe natives do not know of it's existence.Otherwise we'll be stabilizing it in orbit." The Captain stood and began to advance in his direction. "Mr. Hhril," she continued as she stoppeddirectly in front of him, her arms crossed in front of her. "I have been impressed with your work and dedication to this ship.I shouldn't be telling you this, but I want you to know that you are my number one choice for the second officer position on the Mystique." HHril couldn't believe his pointed ears. A slight smile played accross his lips, surely betraying the feeling of excitment he felt within himself. "The outcome of this away mission will determine whether or not you make the move." continued the CO."I am confident that you will do well as you have always done. The reason I am breaching protocol and telling you this, is that something might happen there, or here, and I wanted you to know how proud I am of the work that you have done." "Thank you, Sir." began HHril returning the smile. "It means so much to hear that I am a valued member of your crew. You have no idea what an honour it is to serve under your command. Iwill not let you down." "Very well then. Dismissed." said the Captain as she returned to her duties. "Aye, Sir." beamed the young officer as he turned to leave the ready room. As the doors opened, he stopped and turned to face his CO. "Sir," he said, once again getting her attention. "Thank you, Sir." And with that, he returned to his post. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (Mystique-deck 4-conselor's office-Ensign Telan Raynar Counselor - 10:28) Telan had finally finished unpacking his belongings and got everything put into place in his cabin, all but the one last crate and he would finish that tonight. His cabin wasn't as large as he had hoped for but that was OK, he liked small areas and he wouldn't spend a lot of time in his cabin anyway. Right now he was in his office looking through the widely varied crew manifest. ~A Hermat?~ He thought to himself.~ Ill have to look that one up. =/\=Computer, Request message to be sent to Chief medical Officer and senior Counselor. Message should read. This is Telan Raynar,2nd ships counslor. If it is possible I would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discus my duties and how I may be of best service to my new ship and crew. END MESSAGE. Send messages separately and with compliments=/\= ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Bridge -CSO Ketal -1130) After the meeting with Ambassador Tar-Tharian had ended Ketal had stopped briefly in the Officer's Mess for some refreshment then made his way to the Bridge. As he stepped through the turbolift doors he saw that it was abuzz with activity. Captain Winters was seated in the command chair with her ever presentCombat Engineer bodyguard standing behind her. The CE's eyes flicked in his direction and seemed toconsiderthe possibility of a threat for just an instant then returned to scanning the bridge again as he made his way toward her. Coming up besidethe CaptainKetal gained her attention thenheld out the PADD he carried and said. "Captain all sensors are working normally and this PADD contains a report on current planetary conditions. More data is being accumulated but will not be ready until late this evening therefore I thought it prudent to bring this to your attention." With that he handed the PADD over to her andcupped his hands behind himas he waited for her reply. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Bridge - Ensign Jason Dema - 1217) "So how come she is not with your mom and dad. I just ask because astarshipseams to be a dangerous place to rase a child more so this one". Jason got silent for a while, the painfull thought that he couldn'tsee hismother in her last days, it tore him apart. He then turned to Travis "Look, don't you think that if I had the choice that I would've lether onearth, now get back to work Ensign." Jason said with a annoyed voice,thenhe turned back to the console, continuing his work on the phasers (Reply Travis) Jason suddenly realised that he went out of the way, and he felt sorryaboutthat, he calmed down, and he started telling while still looking at theconsole, but without doing anything. "When we were young, our father was MIA, we haven't heard of him sofar. Butwe stayed on the farm, me, my mother and my 2 sisters. Then I startedworking here, I had to leave them all behind. Then, a few weeks agowhen Iwas still on the Nimitz, she suddenly stood there, Cassandra, alonewith herbags. I was so glad to see her, but the news she brought....... wasterrible. Our mother had died. Our sister went to live with her boyfriend,but Cassie hated the guy, and he couldn't stand her. So she asked if she could stay with me. So you see, I didn't have a choice." A tear fell on the console, slowly running down till the edge, were it wasleft alone to dry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Bridge - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick - 1220) Travis new by the look on Jason's face that asking him about his mom and dad was not a good idea. Then Jason turned to him. "Look, don't you think that if I had the choice that I would've let her on earth, now get back to work Ensign." Jason said with a annoyed voice, then he turned back to the console, continuing his work on the phasers. Travis was shocked when jason snapped at him. "Sorry I had no idea. I didn't mean to open old wounds." Travis turned and continued his work on the weapon aray. Then after a moment of silents jason started talking. "When we were young, our father was MIA, we haven't heard of him sofar. But we stayed on the farm, me, my mother and my 2 sisters. Then I started working here, I had to leave them all behind. Then, a few weeks ago when I was still on the Nimitz, she suddenly stood there, Cassandra, alone with herbags. I was so glad to see her, but the news she brought....... was terrible. Our mother had died. Our sister went to live with her boyfriend, but Cassie hated the guy, and he couldn't stand her. So she asked if she could stay with me. So you see, I didn't have a choice." Travis stood there looking at his console wondering what to say looking over at Jason he noticed he was crying. Travis put his hand on his shoulder. "Hay your lucky to have your sister they can be cool.When you look at her in a way your looking at your mom and dad so they will always be with you looking over you. and just think the way you bring up Cassandra in some respects is how your mom and dad brought you up so you will always have that part of them in your life so theywill always be with you. (Reply Jason) Then Travis turned to his console and went back to work. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Bridge - Ensign Jason Dema - 1221) Jason felt Travis's hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at him "Hay your lucky to have your sister they can be cool. When you look at herin a way your looking at your mom and dad so they will always be with youlooking over you. and just think the way you bring up Cassandra in somerespects is how your mom and dad brought you up so you will always have thatpart of them in your life so they will always be with you. "guess so, but believe me, I like to have my sister around, but if Ihad thechoice, I would rather leave her someplace safe." Then Travis turned to his console and went back to work. Jason also returned to his work. "So, how about your family?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- . Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Sickbay; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1340) As Peter entered sickbay he noticed that there were quite a number of surgical instruments that he had never seen before. He had spent little time in sickbay, both on Geneva nad now on Mystique, and it was quite novel to be there for something other than a physical. "Good afternoon Doc." Peters aid as he approached Dr Wier. (Reply Wier, iyw) "I hope that you will not be tempted to..add anything out of the ordinary!" He said with a smile. As she laughed he walked behind the screen and undressed. It was disconcerting that he would be naked in front of, not only a subordinate but also a pregnant lady. He lay on the bed, as he was instructed and pulled the blanket over his lower body. The team came from seemingly nowhere, the nurse gave him a hyposprayand then darkness befell his world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Sickbay; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1406) Peter awoke feeling numb. His face felt wrong and his skin felt restrictive. It was an odd sensation, one he hoped he would not be stuck with. He sat up slowley and felt the universe spin. The good doctor reasured him that he was fine and it would settlesoon. Eventually he stood and was handed a gown. Once he was 'covered up' he walked towards the full length mirror the doctor had placed so that the away team could see what the looked like. He glanced around to see if anyone was watching, when he saw that they were all busy, he opened up the gown to take a look at his temperary body. He was slightly green-blue, with brown mottling on his chest. His eyes were dark chestnut brown and his hair was white with a hint of red. His face, now covered in green-blue skin, looked quite distinguished and his nose was quite dainty, his lips were veluptous, full and slightly erotic. He was pleased with the facial structure, it gave the impression that he was strong, yet intelectual. As he glanced down the rest of his body it became evident that the good doctor had done some detailed research. His body continued the sea colour, with mottling all the way to his feet. His 'place' was still there, but had been covered in the green-blue/brown mottling that was evident over the rest of his body. It felt really odd, not to mention tight. ~I wonder what would happen if....~ His thoughts trailed off as he noticed the weight on his back. He did not have wings, but the little stumps required all of the muscle groups that the full wings did. And somehow the doc had integrated them into his body, he could move them - but it hurt. He just had to keep practicing. Just then he heard a cough, he turned to see a young nurse staring at him. It took him a few seconds to realise he was naked. The pooor girl blushed like a beetroot. He grabbed his gown, now furled at his feet and covered himself up. "I'm sorry Ensign, was there something you wanted?" He looked at this beautiful woman as she replied. ~Such a shame I'm the First Officer. But she has already seem me without my clothes!!~ He visibly shook himself, as he heard the trail end of her sentence. Once she had finished she almost ran out of the room. ~"They are over there"~ He remembered. He turned to face the direction she had pointed and saw a stool with a pile of clothes on. He clambered over and noticed for the first time that his feet were about 2 sizes bigger. ~Hmmmm....~ He dressed in his attire and again walked to the mirror to survey himself. He now wore a loose fitting suit made from what felt like acotton/wool mix. His trousers were a red-brown and were in the style of the 40's period in earth history. His shirt was white and made entirely of cotton, it felt nice against his new skin. Then there was his green waistcoat and re-brown jacket. They were all made from the same cotton/wool mix as the trousers. Then there were the cotton socks and the brown leather shoes. On the floor, next to the stool was a walking stick, with a hat, gloves and a scarve. Once he was dresssesd in all his clothes, he nodded to the doctor who was about to perform a new operation on someone Peter could not see. He left the room and headed for the mess hall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia & Darwin Kusogai; 1535) Peter walked into the mess hall with his new body and attire. People stared, but not in a negative way. Some even laughed. Peter walked towards the bar where he saw Darwin. "I hear that you have concocted some delicious fare from the surface?" Peter enquired. "Indeed, I have. It is a light curry with rice. It is still being cooked as we speak and I hope to invite all the senior staff to dinner, as well as those going on the away mission." Darwin replied. "Sounds delightful. How did you find it?" Peter was intrigued as to how exactly Darwin had come up with such a dish. "Well, I happened to be in the science lab when they were going through the transmissions. I saw one that cought my eye and had the whole thing transfered to my workstation. It was some sort of cookery program. I did not have everything they were talking about, but I approximated and I think you will be getting a genuine taste of their cuisine." Darwin looked nervous, as he was not sure how Peter wouldreact to him being in a restricted area. "Well, I look forward to tasting it. Yu haven't put anything....unusual in it, have you?" Darwin laughed. "Me, unusual ingrediants? Hah!" Then he walked away laughing. After that Peter walked to his quaters to get some sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Personal Quaters; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1600) Peter walked into his quaters, tired and sore. His whole body ached, especially his back. He took off his clothes and walked into his spacious bathroom. He wanted a bath. He turned on the taps, put in the plug and added some bubble bath. One of the perks of being FO was that the had luxuries in his quaters. He stripped and sat in the tub once it was full. He grabbed his book, 'Howard's End', which was sat on ashelf above the bath tub and started to read. Eventually he had to get out and dried himself off. He dressed in his bathrobe and walked to his bed. As he lay down he felt a strange sensation in his back. The little stumps, that he thought would be a pain to lie down on, had folded into his back. It was obviously something that the young ones of the civilization experienced before their wings became fully fledged. It was an odd feeling and he kept sitting up and lying down to feel them pop in and out as the muscles moved to accomodate his positions. Eventually he had had enough fun and lay down to sleep. It came easy, the first time in a long while and soon he was dreaming about a young nurse in sickbay. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique, Personal Quarters, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 0445) [The time is 0445 hours] HHril was already awake in his bed when the computer notified him of the time. The lights in his quarters slowly began to increase in intensity as he had programmed them to do. "Computer." he said as he rose and headed to washroom, waiting to hear the chirp of acknowledgment. "Activate the sonic shower." He loved water showers. He loved the feel of the liquid over his body. But he was afraid of becoming too accustomed to it again. In Starfleet, especially as part of what could be considered a rogue fleet, certain luxuries were bound to become more restricted. Besides, the sonic shower did the trick. And not having to dry ones hair could certainly be considered a plus. "Computer, de-activate the sonic shower." he said after about 4 minutes. The sensation of the sonic shower was much less desirable than that of itsliquid counterpart. He stepped back into his living quarters and approached the replicator. "Protein shake." he said. The hum of the replicator and lights that accompanied it began and ended, leaving a large glass full of a thick liquid. HHril took the liquid and headed towards his bedroom taking a large swig from the glass. Today, he would be in command of an away mission. It would be the first time HHril took command of a group of officers for an away mission, and he wanted to be certain that he prepared for the mission as best as could be expected. Sitting at his table, PADD in one hand, protein shake in the other, HHril went over known schematics for the Conestoga class of starship. Being modular ships, as they were, it was possible that this vessels interior was completely different than what was noted in the technical database. But non-the-less, HHril read over the files, knowing that even the smallest piece of information could be vital. "Computer," he said, "play back planet transmission referring to flying box of the forefathers." The computer replayed the transmission that the entire senior staff had gone over the day before. There was no way of knowing 100% for certain, but what else could the 'flying box of the forefathers' mean? It was more than likely that they would not be able to remove the vessel from orbit. Their task had therefore grown exponentially more difficult. How would they go about keeping the ship in a stable orbit? It was a question that begged answering. HHril quickly finished his drink and headed out the door for the zero-gravity gymnasium. Excercise ofter cleared his mind, helping him focus and come up with solutions to a variety of different problems. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Dian Chang, Bridge, CO Captain Jaelle Tambrick, 0800) "Captain, we are nearing the last known position of the Mystique." Captain Tambrick's Tactical Officer said, pulling up the view of the sector. "Obviously the Mystique is not here, Mr. Hatch." Jaelle said, displeased. She was under strict orders by Doenitz to destroy the Mystique. It had been hijacked by Rebels, and Starfleet considered it to be a loss. "Don't understand why the Maquis would be all the way out here."Jaelle's Counsellor spoke, voicing the concern that all of them felt at having to destroy a Federation Starship that had only been launched three months prior. "Nor do I, Mr. Tung. But we have our orders." The Captain spoke,frowning. "Captain, picking up a warp trail." Ops said. "Confirmed." Science replied. "Feed the coordinates into the navigation computer, and set a course, Maximum Warp." "Captain, at Warp 8 we will be there in 11 hours." Conn replied. "Make it so." Jaelle spoke, getting up and heading into her ready room. "As soon as we have the Mystique on the sensors, drop us out of Warp and inform me, Ensign." She informed Tactical. "Aye, Sir." Jaelle went into her Ready Room and put her head into her hands, trying to calm down. Akira vs Akira, and Jaelle had no doubt which of the two would win. The Mystique had been configured as a science ship, not a battle cruiser. Jaelle pulled up the file on the Mystique and began reading Doenitz'snotes again, hoping for something to resolve her dilema. She wasn't sure that she could destroy a starfleet ship. ~Maybe I am in the wrong business.~ The new Captain thought to herself, trying very hard not to begin crying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique, Shuttle Bay, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 0900) HHril had been the second to arrive. Ensign Tourana had been there first, running over the pre-flight and inspecting her craft. HHril was happy she had been assigned to the mission. Had she not have been, he would have asked for her. She had proven herself more than capable with a Runabout, and he wanted that assurance for this mission. The others continued to file into the shuttle bay. Each was provided with an environmental suit, all except for the CE's that Major Lee had assigned. They arrived in their BDU's. Pre-checks were run by each individual on their suits systems and their diagnostic and repair equipment. This was no simple beam in/beam out mission. If something didn't work, or was missing, it could take time for them to receive it. Time they may not have. HHril was off by himself, checking over his equipment when the Captain walked into the shuttle bay. He looked up and acknowledged her with a nod as she walked over to the pilot Ensign. What was said was between the Captain and the pilot officer. Knowing the Captain, it was a vote of confidence and a standing order. He watched as she then turned and headed in his direction. He rose from his crouched position and pulled the environmental suit up and fit it over his shoulders. "If there is any trouble," she beganas he lifter his gear and clippedthe various items into their places." "Your first priority is the away team, not the planet. Understand ?" HHril paused for a moment, knowing full well that as the officer in charge, he had to balance two very real and very important priorities. The safety of the men and women under his command, and that of the prime directive. "Aye, Sir." he said with a slight smile. "Understood." "Ensign Dema," she then said getting theaTAC/SEC's attention. "Is your team ready to go ?" "Yes, Ma'am." replied the eager Ensign. "We're ready to leave at any time." The Captain then nodded in the general direction of the CEO saying, "God speed to you, and good luck." HHril grabbed his phaser, the last piece of equipment he had to attach to his suit. He looked at the faces of the away team. They were eager to get underway. And the time had come. "Ladies and Gentlemen." he said with a sly smirk. "Start your engines." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique, Conference Room, TASC Ensign Travis Keswick, 1000) "I would be glad to speak with you, Mr. Keswick. Just let me know when." As the Ambassador smiled at him he could tell his face was turning red. "Well Ambassador I have to go see Dr Weir at 1100 for my transformation then I'm going to cargo bay 2 to practice flying and getting used to the wings. If you have time can you go to cargo bay 2 and see me so we can talk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique -Conference Room - FO, Lt. Commander Peter Bellinia - 1059) Peter was looking around the room, looking at his team in detail. The Captain had chosen well and he hoped that this mission went without a hitch, so that these fine examples of Starfleet could experience this civilization in all its beauty. Just then Travis spoke up. "Commander I only ask this as the security officer on this awaymission but what do we do if we are met with violence. and if we get separated. I ask this only because we don't know what to expect we know vary little about these People." Travis asked, Peter turned to face him. "Well, we will be carrying type one phasers, hidden but accesible.They are the absolute last resort. I will not tollerate ANY flagrant display of superiority. If we find ourselves in a hostile situation then we deal with it appropriatley. Mr Keswick, I want you to find out how they deal with violence. That is your little sub-mission. I would say, hand to hand, if it is nessecary, deal with it as an un-armed civillian would. Remember that we are historians and would not have knowledge of any tactical superiority above that of self defence." Peter was pacing the room. It had occured to him that they wouldencounter violence, but from what he saw of the broadcasts they were a peaceful species. "Also we will have comm badges, again they will be hidden. The Mystique will monitor our progress and will act accordingly if we are in any danger. That is also why we have marines accompanying us. My opinion is that we will not experience suchactivity, but it is good to be prepared. Just relax and enjoy the mission. What's the worst that can happen?" Peter started to laugh. The rest followed suit and then he headed back to his seat as more questions came in. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Sickbay, - CMO Dr. Kellita Weir - 1108) "Did you get a medical exam when you came on board, Mr. Keswick?"She asked, trying to sound both clinical and personable at the same time. "No not yet I have not had time". he sead as he finished getting undressed. "But we might as well get it out of the way if you have time." Kellita nodded and turned back around with a medical tricorder. She ran it over him and made some notes. "This won't hurt a bit." She said, taking some samples of his hair and blood and skin, and running them through the computer. She went back to the tricorder, then stepped closer to him, looking up his nose and down his throat. "You, Ensign, have a sinus infection." She said. "I bet you've been sniffling a lot." She said, running a blue beam over his nose. "That should fix that." She turned back to her tray and picked up the pigment stain she was using to dye the skin of the various crewmembers. "Something dark hmm ?" She said, with a grin. "How about a royal blue ?" She put the canister into the hypo and came over. "This will, actually hurt a bit." "Very nice." She spoke, looking back at the various images of people she had captured. "Now about your eyes...." And she rummaged in a drawer. "Look straight up at me," She said shining the light into his eye which altered the pigments to a dark blue tricolored with violet and streaks of gold. "Now your ears..." She said, picking up the implants and grafting them onto him. Then she changed the color to match his skin. "Wiggle for me, see if they'll fall off." She joked, turning back to her notes. "Nails....hmmm." She said, picking up the stimulator and encouraging nail growth. She then called one of her nurses in to file them into points. "Your hair is next, I think." Kellita injected a small dye packet into his neck, and the dye began to spread, changing the color of his hair to a deep midnight blue. "It needs to be much longer...." She said, picking the stimulator up again and 'encouraging' it to grow down to his waist. She motioned a nurse over to style it into abraid tied off with leather thongs. Once they were done, she nodded to the two nurses. "You absolutely can not strip." Kellita warned, helping the Ensign into the skin tight harness that held the wings, dyed to match his skin. "It will pass from far away, but not up close." She said in warning. "They are very heavy...I want you to walk around sickbay and get used to wearing them before going down to the planet." She said. "Think about flexing them." She ordered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Sickbay, - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick - 1110) "But we might as well get it out of the way if you have time." Kellita nodded and turned back around with a medical tricorder. She ran it over him and made some notes. "This won't hurt a bit."  She said, taking some samples of his hair and blood and skin, and running them through the computer.  She went back to the tricorder, then stepped closer to him, looking up his nose and down his throat. "You, Ensign, have a sinus infection."  She said.  "I bet you've been sniffling a lot."  She said, running a blue beam over his nose. "That should fix that." "Thank you doc" he sead as he scratched his nose. She turned back to her tray and picked up the pigment stain she was using to dye the skin of the various crewmembers. "Something dark hmm ?" She said, with a grin. "How about a royal blue ?"  She put the canister into the hypo and came over. "This will, actually hurt a bit." Travis looked into the doctors eyes as she injected him with the pigment not flinching. "Very nice."  She spoke, looking back at the various images of people she had captured. "Now about your eyes...."  And she rummaged in a drawer. "Look straight up at me,"  She said shining the light into his eye which altered the pigments to a dark blue tricolored with violet and streaks of gold. "Wow cool" he sead with a grin. "Now your ears..."  She said, picking up the implants and grafting them onto him.  Then she changed the color to match his skin.  "Wiggle for me, see if they'll fall off."  She joked, turning back to her notes. "Nails....hmmm."  She said, picking up the stimulator and encouraging nail growth.  She then called one of her nurses in to file them into points. Travis looked at the nurse as she file his nails. "your vary good at this" he sead to the nurse and the nurse smiled at him. "Your hair is next, I think."  Kellita injected a small dye packet into his neck, and the dye began to spread, changing the color of his hair to a deep midnight blue.  "It needs to be much longer...."  She said, picking the stimulator up again and 'encouraging' it to grow down to his waist.  She motioned a nurse over to style it into  a braid tied off with leather thongs. After the nurse finished styling his hair. "hmm maybe I should keep it this long". Then he sow his reflection in the console. "Then agen maybe not" he sead to himself with a chuckle. Once they were done, she nodded to the two nurses. "You absolutely can not strip."  Kellita warned, helping the Ensign into the skin tight harness that  held the wings, dyed to match his skin. "It will pass from far away, but not up close." She said in warning.  "They are very heavy...I want you to walk around sickbay and get used to wearing them before going down to the planet."  She said.  "Think about flexing them."  She ordered. Travis shifted his stance to adjust to the wings. then he walked around the bio bed and then out to the main area of sickbay. flapping his wings. he lifted a couple of centimeters of the floor. "Wow this is cool. can I keep it when the mission is over? he sead with a big grin. "This will work" he sead as he walked back to where the doctor was standing. Kellita grinned as the wings obediantly flapped. "It uses the electrical impulses from your brain, the transponder picks them up and translates them into commands that the harnass understands.  The wings are powered, so they should allow you to fly.  You'll have to practice that...."  Kellita's voice trailed off as she looked over the outfits.  "Here you go."  She said, handing him the rough woolen breeches and  silken tunic type shirt she had seen the others wear on the planet.   Kellita helped him put them on, since getting them over the wings was a challenge.  She belted it with the cord belts that she had seen others wear, then helped him get the sleeveless woolen jacket on.  She looked him over, then strapped these strange knife things to each arm.  She stood back and looked him over for a minute. "The ones without wings wear some kind of sword down their back, but the ones with wings just seem to use those throwing knives."  She shrugged as her next patient came in. "Please go get your balance with those wings and practice flying in the cargo bays to get the hang of it.  You are going to have problems going through doors...those wings are rather large...like all the ones I've seen." Travis walked over to the mirror spreading his wings then turning around. Well? she sead as travis folded his wings over his torso then crossed his arms. "Well doc you do grate work thank you. He sead as he made his way to the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Cargo Bay 2 - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick 1200) Travis Walked threw the big double and into cargo bay 2. "Well this is a better place the ever to stretch my wings. He sead to himself as he spread his wings and looked around to mack shoer that there was no one around.See no one around he started walking around jumping in place just to get the fell of the suit.Then he moved his body around stretching and bending to brake in the suit. "Well it is now or never" He sead to himself as he flapped his wings and began to lift off thefloor.When he got hovering then he started flying higher the around the cargo bay bumping in to thing but go better at it as time went by.After a little practice he was flying like a pro.He was flying around fast and making sharp turns and just having fun when he herd the doors open then he turned his head to see who it was he lost his focus and almost hit the wall he made a sharp tern and crash landed at the persons feet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique,Sickbay, CMO, Dr. Kellita Weir, 1250) " Hello, you must be Mr. Denton" said the man " I'm Sergei Radchenko lets just wait for Dr. Weir to get here and we'll start some tests on you." "Dr. Weir is here." Kellita said, coming into sickbay, somewhat sleepy. Her afternoon meal tended to make her tired. Kellita looked over the new Ensign. "Do you have any medical problems?" "Not that I know of, but I suppose doctor knows best right?" joked James Kellita frowned as she ran the scanner over him. "You broke your right arm at some point, about two years ago. How did it happen?" "Oh yes that, I was playing baseball with some of my friends, and when this smug Vulcan got a hit I jumped back to catch it and landed on my arm, thus breaking it." responded James. She continued to run the scanner over him. "Lets see" She said, taking samples and running them throught the computer. "Everything looks fine, Ensign. If you are heading down to the planet, then come back here and we'll get you ready." She looked over at the door where the Ambassador and Dr. Mias were waiting patiently. "Ambassador Tar-Thurian, and Dr. Riven Mias may I introduce you to the new ACEO, Ensign Denton. Dr. Mias is our Counsellor." Kellita explained, making the introductions. " Hello, my names is James is nice to meet the both of you." James said politely. "Well I'm sorry I don't have time to chat, I have to report to Engineering to receive a briefing. Nice meeting you." James left the room and headed towards a turbolift ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Deck 4, Counselor's Office -Dr. Riven Mias -1135) (USS Mystique -Ensign Raynars quarters- Ensign Telan Raynar-1136) (USS Mystique -quarters - Ensign Jason Dema-1305) (USS Mystique - Mess Hall- Ensign Travis Keswick- 1540) (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; FO Lt Cmdr Petre Belinia; 1545) (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; TASC Ensign Travis Keswick; 1548) (USS Mystique - Personal Quarters- Ensign Travis Keswick; 1800) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - quarters - Ensign Jason Dema& Cassandra Dema- 0453) (USS Mystique - Holodeck - Ensign Jason Dema & Cassandra Dema - 0501) (USS Mystique - quarters - Ensign Jason Dema & Cassandra Dema & Sarah Nevada - 0612) (USS Mystique - FO's Quaters; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 0730) (USS Mystique - Shuttlebay - Ensign Jason Dema - 0830) (USS Mystique - Bridge; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 0840) (USS Mystique, Shuttle Bay, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 915) (USS Mystique - Shuttle bay 1; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1330) (USS Gunnel; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia/Tashish Laoa; 1358) (USS Gunnel -CSO Ketal- 1359) (Planet: Raellus VI; Capital City: Matais; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia/Tashish Laoa; 1430/1755) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Begin Compile Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Deck 4, Counselor's Office -Dr. Riven Mias -1135) Riven was sitting at his desk sifting through recent events in his own mind. There were many things happening all at once and it would have been easy for his attention to be pulled in other directions but as it was he was thinking about the inhabitants of the planet below and what they must be like when the computer signaled for his attention. [Message for Counselor Riven Mias.] ~ This is extraordinary, who would be sending me a message? ~ " Computer play the message,"hesaid as he pursed his lips and gave it his undivided attention. [This is Telan Raynar, 2nd ships counslor. If it is possible I would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discus my duties and how I may be of best service to my new ship and crew. 2nd Counselor also sends his compliments.] Riven leaned forward and pressed the comm button on the computer panel and said. "Counselor Raynar, this is Dr. Riven Mias welcoming you aboard. I am currently in my office on deck 4 and would enjoy meeting with you at your earliest convenience. Please drop in as soon as possible." Having answered the message he smiled at the possibilities having a 2nd Counselor afforded, this could allow him to draw back some from normal routinewhile the other Counselor assumed the role thus placing him in the position he was most valuable in which would be his speciality; Mind healing and the dispensing of hi sustantialexperience and wisdom.His smile grew wider at the thought of the other things it would freeup time for. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Ensign Raynars quarters- Ensign Telan Raynar-1136) Telan herd the sounder go off on the terminal as he was headed to the sickbay to meet the CMO. He punched up the call code and replayed the message. =/\="Counselor Raynar, this is Dr. Riven Mias welcoming you aboard. I am currently in my office on deck 4 and would enjoy meeting with you at your earliest convenience. Please drop in as soon as possible."=/\= Telan touched his comm badge =/\= Dr. Riven, This is Ensign Raynar. I was just on my way up and if it is alright I will stop in for a visit now=/\= (reply Dr. Riven Mias) ~This ought to be an experience, I have wanted to meet this guy for a while~ Telan was thinking.He walked quickly to the nearest turbo lift and gave the command to go to deck four. a few short minutes later he was outside the DR.'s quarters pressing the entery chime. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -quarters - Ensign Jason Dema-1305) Jason was thinking about the mission all the time, and decided he should go over some specifics with Hhrilbefore they departed. After all, the ship was old, and a lot could go wrong. Jason arrived at Hhril's room and knocked on the door. (reply Hhril) "Excuse me Sir, I was thinking about the mission, and I wanted to go over the plan, to make sure nothing can go wrong.... or at least, as less as possible." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Mess Hall- Ensign Travis Keswick- 1540) Travis walked into the mess hall and looked around to see who was there he sow Commander Belinia over at the bar talking to Darwin Kusogal so Travis made his way over to the bar. "What can I get for you" Ensign Kusogal asked as he moved over to him. "Klingon Blood wine Please" Travis sead as Kusogal turned to get him his drink. "Thank you" He sead as Kusogal placed his drink infront of him. Taking a drink from his cup he turned to Peter. "Commander May I say I like the new you He sead with a smile," "Sorry I have not had time to talk to you much since we started thismission." "I just wont to see how you are doing and get to know you a little bit and seeing you here I thought I would just say hi." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; FO Lt Cmdr Petre Belinia; 1545) As Travis took his drink he started to talk with Peter. Peter turned to face Travis, who was looking quite different. It had been a long while since the two had talked, and he felt that it was time to get to know Travis better. "Commander may I say I like the new you. Sorry I have not had time totalk to you much since we started this mission. I just want to see how you are doing and get to know you a little bit and seeing you here I thought I would just say hi." Peter smiled. "I do look quite dashing!" He turned to survey the room, he saw an empty table by the window and headed in that direction. "I must say, Ensign, that you are coming on leaps and bounds since your commission to the Mystique. How are you finding it here?" (Reply Travis) They reached the table and sat. Peter noted that the stars were dancing, and it seemed to be a forboding symphony that the performed to. He noted it and turned his attention to the Ensign sat opposite him. "I am glad to hear that you like the Mystique so much. How do you feel about the away mission, are you apprehensive at all?" Peter wanted to know what his chief tactical officer was thinking. (Reply Travis) "I share your conscern, but I doubt we will be discovered. Just remember that you are in charge of our safety, and if you feel that we are taking unnessecary risks you should voice your concerns to me." Peter, who did not have a drink, waived down a waiter. "Green tea, sweet. Thank you." (Reply Travis) As the waiter ambled off to fetch Peter his tea, the two officers satand talked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; TASC Ensign Travis Keswick; 1548) Peter smiled. "I do look quite dashing!" He turned to survey the room, he saw an empty table by the window and headed in that direction. "I must say, Ensign, that you are coming on leaps and bounds since your commission to the Mystique. How are you finding it here?" Travis followed the Commander to the empty table. "Thank you Sr." "I find this ship and her crew to be the best in the fleet and I think that we can make history." Travis noticed the commander looking out the window and he look out as well. "The view is outstanding don't you think Sr?." Travis sead has he sat down with the commander. How do you feel about the away mission, are you apprehensive at all?"Peter asked as he looked back at him. "Yes I am a little apprehensive about this away mission we don't know much about this planet or the people how live down there". "And there is always a chance that we may be discovered". "But I understand why we must do it so I know we will over come any problems we might come across". he sead with a smile. "I share your concern, but I doubt we will be discovered. Just remember that you are in charge of our safety, and if you feel that we are taking unnessecary risks you should voice your concerns to me." Peter saed as he ordered a drink. Taking another sip of his blood wine she continued talking to the commander. "I understand Sr." "Do you see us coming across any problems on this mission. (Reply peter) "I have to agree I think if that comes up we will handle it no problem" Finishing his drink " Well commander i hate to cut this short it is 1600 and I need to do mysecurity rounds before I call it a night. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Deck 16 Weight Room- Ensign Travis Keswick; 1730 ) Travis Walked into the weight room to see Lt. Alesia and Sgt. Peters working on hand to hand combat drills. "Sorry to interrupt your training but I need to talk to you about the upcoming away mission. he sead as he walked up to them. (Reply Alesia and Peter) Travis Looked into the two marines eyes as they stood at attention."This is the final plan for the away mission." he sead as he handed them padds"Do you have any questions?" (Reply Alesia and peters) "Good now that that is out of the way." he sead after answering therequestions."Now for why I'm here". Travis sead his voice turning vary series.He looked them over as they where still standing at attention."As you know we are going down to the plant to wish we know varylittle about." "It is my job to make shore that we all make it back in one pice." "Your only job on this mission is to see that everyone stays safe." "Is that understood" he sead spinning to look into there eyes. "Good carry on then" Travis then continued his rounds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique - Personal Quarters- Ensign Travis Keswick; 1800) He walked into his quarters and kicked off his boots and removed his uniform jacket. He sat hat his desk and reviewed the notes for the away mission. After reviewing his notes he headed for the shower something he did every night to help him sleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - quarters - Ensign Jason Dema& Cassandra Dema- 0453) Jason was still sleeping, it was only a few hours before the away-mission. The room was quiet... Too quiet. Something in the room was moving, slowly, and heading to jason. Gazing at Jason, it got closer and closer, determined to reach him without him even knowing.... Just at the moment it was about to reach Jason, it fell, creating a loud noise wich woke Jason up. "Computer, lights on." The lights turned on, and as they did, jason looked at the position where the noise originated. There he saw Cassandra lying on the floor. "Cassie? What are you doing up this early." "I wanted to wake you up, you said we would do some exercises before you would leave for work." Cassandra, who was healing pretty fast, could allready walk and move, but she was still a bit restricted, but jason kept helping her, and encouraging her to keep going. They practiced every morning at the level that Cassandra could handle, the progress was good, and they predicted that she'll be fully healed in about 3 weeks. Also the help from Sarah was welcome, as she took care of her when Jason wasn't there. Sarah appeared at the right time. Jason was gratefull for what she did to help, aswas cassandra. "Come on let's go." Cassandra said. Jason got out of bed and put his clothes on and walked at the pace of his sister to the holodeck. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Holodeck - Ensign Jason Dema & Cassandra Dema - 0501) As soon as they arrived, Jason went over the list of excersises the doctor prescibed. he could notice Cassandra's progress, but they still had a long way to go before she could be like she used to be. The exercises went slowly, probably due to the early hour, but they didn't let them get discouraged. "Come on Cassie, I know it's early, but at least try to reach your last result." Cassandra gave everything she had, but she couldn't do it. She sighed. "Well, I guess we can't have the same result every day, you did your best, I can't ask you to do more then that." Cassandra looked at Jason and smiled, she knew how much jason cared about her, that alone gave her the spirit to keep on going, but she felt a bit weak, probably cause of the early hour. "I'm tired, can we stop for today?" "On last exercise, and we'll go back to our room." "Okay." Jason loaded the last exercise, but lowered the difficulty a bit without Cassandra noticing it, just to make Cassandra feel a bit better. Luckily it worked. Cassandra finished the last exercise and stood up. "Good job Cassie, now, let's go back, I'm starting to get hungry." "Your hungry? geez, you didn't do a thing and are nagging your hungry? Then what do I have to say?" "Your right, come on, let's go eat, or I'll have to live without you yelling at me all the time." Cassandra made a face, she knew he was joking, but she stuck out her tongue to tease him back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - quarters - Ensign Jason Dema & Cassandra Dema & Sarah Nevada - 0612) When jason and Cassandra entered their quarters, the table was set, and a soft music was playing. They looked in disbelief as they didn't knew what was going on. "Hey guys, have a seat." They turned to see who was there, and saw it was Sarah. "Go on, have a seat, I've made breakfast." Jason and cassandra looked at each other and walked over to the table. "I know you how you two like earth food, so, I've made something especially for you two." "What is it." Jason asked. "You'll see, now, close your eyes." They closed their eyes, and Sarah put a plate in front each of them, and joined at the table with her plate." "Okay, dig in." They opened their eyes, and saw a plate, with on the side 3 pieces of bacon, a pile hash brown, and in the middle a full stack, with butter on it, wich was allready melting and dripping over the edges. Cassandra saw it, and immediatly started eating, Jason couldn't believe what he saw. "You know, you really didn't have to do this." "But I wanted to, now, eat." So, Jason started eating. It was a while ago sonce he ate breakfast, he normally worked out and went to work straight after, but he couldn't refuse this time. "You know, you really didn't have to do this." jason said "But I wanted to." "Why? you allready did enough, even more then I can ask of you." "Just eat and enjoy, that's all I want you to do now." Jason looked at Sarah's face, and couldn't find anything else to say, so he gave up and continued eating. After it was done, Jason checked the time. it was allready 0701. He had to prepare for the away-mission. "Sarah, can I talk to you in private for a second?" "Sure." And Sarah went along. "I need you to take care of Cassie now, I have to leave on an away mission, and I can't say when I will return, so if I'm not back tonight, feel free to sleep in my bed." "Okay Jason, no problem." "One more thing, it can turn out dangerous, so I want you to look over Cassie when the worst happens, wich I hope won't happen." "You make sure you come back you hear, or I'll drag you back from the afterlife." Jason smiled. "I hold you to it." They walked back into the room where Cassandra was waiting. "I got to go now Cassie, but don't worry, Sarah will stay to watch over you, so you two have fun." "Will do." cassandra said. Jason stepped over to cassandra and gave a kiss on her forehead. "Be a good girl okay." "Yep, I'll keep my 'yelling' for when you come home." Jason smiled and walked to the door, and Sarah followed him. "Be safe, and come back okay." "I'll see what I can do about it." Jason smiled and gave Sarah a hug, and he then walked through the door. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - FO's Quaters; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 0730) Peter awoke to the sound of Mozart. He felt that the computer was too much to bear as an alarm and had changed it to play classical music instead. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, they felt strange. He slumped out of bed and sauntered into his bathroom where he started his water shower. The steam started to rise and he took off his night clothes. That was when it hit him, he was different. He looked in the mirrorand stared. It was odd, forgeting that you have changed, but he remembered what had happened yesterday and laughed. Once he had showered and had some breakfast, he bagan to read hisbriefing notes from yesterday. He started to think of what he needed to do before they departed in the shuttle. After his long personal briefing he dressed and walked out to the Bridge. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Shuttlebay - Ensign Jason Dema - 0830) Jason entered the shuttlebay and looked for his team. "Okay guys, be prepared for anything, remember what you learned, and listen carefully to my commands and we'll come back safely, any questions?" "No Sir." sounded from the team. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Bridge; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 0840) Peter stepped out onto the Bridge to see Herk in the command seat. "Report." Peter said as he approached Herk. They exchanged glances, Herk was obviously trying to hide hir ammusement at Peter's new 'look'. Peters look was more of a 'Don't say a word, or you'll be scrubbing plasma manifolds for a month!' ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique, Shuttle Bay, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 915) "Ladies and Gentlemen. Start your engines." HHril turned and headed towards the Runabout that would bring them over to the derelict vessel. The USS Fleet of Foot was a new Runabout that the Mystique had picked up during their stop at Starbase Geneva to replace the Hood that had been destroyed during their run-in with the Fairchild. It was a newly commissioned vessel that had seen little flight time, other than the preliminary testing. HHril was certain that Tourana wouldeventually put the new ship through it's paces. He hoped, however, that it would not have to be during this mission. HHril took a seat at his station. "Ensign Tourana," he began as his station flashed to life. "How long before we can be underway?" (reply Tourana) "Very good." he replied. "Mr. Dema, he said, turning to face the young Ensign. "I don't expect to encounter any hostile situations over there, but the fact is that anything can happen while on an away mission. I needyou to be our eyes and ears over there. I want a sweep done as soon as we dock. I will leave the logistics of setting that up to you. But I do want at least one of your men for both Mr. Sarouk and myself." (reply Dema) HHril turned to face his terminal and began bringing the systems online.Known deck layouts for the class of ship appeared on the screen. There were three main layouts that he had found in the database, and he quickly looked over them all. This was an important mission to say the least. If they were unsuccessful in their mission, it might mean the devastation of thousands of the planets inhabitants. Nothing could be left to chance. ~We will only have one shot at this.~ he thought to himself. ~We better make the most of it.~ "Mr. Sarouk." he said as he turned from his station to face the CEO of the Mystique. "Is there anything that we shouldbe made aware of beforewe depart?" (reply Sarouk) The briefing was conducted quickly and efficiently, as only a Vulcan was capable of doing. The signal was given that they were prepared for launch and that they had been cleared to take off by the Mystique. "Lt. HHril to the bridge." he said, opening a COMM channel from his station. "All systems are go. Fleet of Foot requesting permission for launch?" (reply bridge officer) "Very good. Fleet of Foot out." HHril closed the COMM channel and turned to face forward. "Ensign Tourana, take us out." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Shuttle bay 1; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1330) Peter was now in his element, he really enjoyed planning and preparing for missions. Now he was in the middle of stocking the shuttle craft. Ensign Jansen was also helping. There was not alot of material that needed to be loaded onto the shuttle, just some food rations and emergency gear. There were also some containers for any arifacts which they may discover or aquire. It had only taken fifteen minutes to complete. Peter turned to Jansen and smiled. "Looking forward to this?" He asked, making small talk. (Reply Jansen, iyw) "Good. Well, let's get prepared." Peter tapped the young man on theshoulders and walked to where he had left his bag, hat, gloves, scarve and walking stick. He had added some things to his attire and amended some others. Not too much, just a little so he was comfortable. he picked up his bag and checked its contents, one tricorder, one emergency ration pack, one emergency medical kit, sunglasses, wriingmaterials and a small holo-camera. He checked the postition of his type-I phaser and stood waiting for the others to enter the room. As it approached ten minutes to 1400 the entire away team were assembled. The Ambassador had been replaced by Ensign Telan Raynar. Peter looked over them and smiled, he liked the look of them. And he hoped that they would all fit in. "I am glad to see you all looking so.......different! Now, I believeEnsign Jansen has already prepared a flight plan and has already been through the pre-flight checks. I want continuous scans as we aproach the surface and I want to land somewhere completley out of the way. Once we land we will transport to our respective cities, and the computer will keep an open transporter lock on our bio signs. Please remember, this is not a first contact mission, we are not to reveal ourselves to the natives, I trusst we will all do our best to remain as discreet sa possible. Now I think you are all aware of yourrespective missions. Let's board and get on with it." Peter, having said his piece started towards the open shuttle entrance. He pulled Ensign Raynar to one side. "I trust that you are fully briefed on this mission, and your role in it?" Peter asked, hoping that the young officer had read up on their current mission. "Are you comfortable with it? It's not bad going, your first away mission so soon!" Peter patted him on the back as he answered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Gunnel; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia/Tashish Laoa; 1358) Peter sat in his seat, next to Ensign Jansen and watched as they left the Mystique. They were off. Peter started the scans as they descended. He was scanning primarily for more detailed maps of the two cities they were heading for, and any more information regarding the local geography. There was more information concerning the detail ofthe buildings and the flow of people, which was always handy when you need to beam into an alien city. As they flew down they conversed on how excited they all were. The marines kept stoutly silent, which was the cause of many a joke. To peter's surprise, one even smiled - well, if you can call a twitch of the mouth a smile, but it was all they could hope for out of one of Lee's marines. On the way down the computer started to beep, Peter was intrigued bywhat was displayed on his screen."Mr Ketal, what do you make of this?" Peter was looking at a schematic of a large structure, obviously designed by people who knew more about technology than the current inhabitants of this planet. And it had been built, and demolished, a long time ago. (Reply Ketal, any) It was 1415 when they landed in a small glade, in a forrest whichlooked like nobody knew of its existence. Jansen had picked the location well. Once they landed the people filed out of the shuttle and scanned their surroundings, there was nothing to give them away. There was a small family of what seemed to be deer over by the edge of the clearing, they were taking great interest in the newcomers. "Okay, you all have your missions. My team; Ensign Raynar, Ensign Jones, Ensign Ketal and Sargeant Peters. On the transporter pad. The team clambered back into the shuttle and assembled on the transporter pad. They looked like they would fit in with the locals. "Alright, I have located a spot behind a large building, it looks like a dissused alleyway, it should suffice. Once we have successfully beamed into our location, your team, Dr. should also beam to your location. Lets try to find out whether these people know what is outside these walls, I wonder what happened....nevermind, I'm sure we will find out soon enough. Energize." The team dissapeared ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.03 (USS Gunnel -CSO Ketal- 1359) Ketal sat quietly as the shuttle began its descent to the transport point, noting that except for the marines and himself everyoneappeared to beshowing slight signs of nervousness. When the computer beeped he saw Commander Belinia look at the screen, he then indicated indicated he wanted Ketal's attention to what was shown. "Mr Ketal, what do you make of this?" Ketal looked at the schematic shown on the screen and then punched in a command for the computer to date the structure by the information coming in on sensors, what it showed him confirmed his suspicions. "Commander, the structure as you can see is technologically far advanced over what the inhabitants of the planet currently have. There is a large impact crater on the other side of the planet (This he said knowing the FO already knew but he wanted to set his comments in logical order). According to our understanding the impact occured between 1,000 and 1,500 years ago. This structure falls well within thattime frameat 1,280 years. The impact from the meteor caused global weather pattern changes as well as widespread destruction over the entire planet. The technology of the natives was set back immeasurably and only now has reached it's current level of pre-industrialization circa Earth 1920's. The structure itself appears to be a storage or supply building of some kind and might perhaps hold something of historic value. It is highly possible that there are many other such sites scattered over the planet that could yield a large database of imformation on the culture and technology of the original inhabitants." Having given his treatise on the subject Ketal sat back and waited to see if Commander Belinia had any other questions or comments. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.03 (Planet: Raellus VI; Capital City: Matais; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia/Tashish Laoa; 1430/1755) They materialized behind a building, in a dissused alleyway, just as Peter had said they would. It was a dark and dank place, water dripped ceaselessly down a wall. The air was foul, the floor was strewn with rotting garbage, and it felt like it was moving. Then there was all the stagnant water and animal effluent. Somewhere in the darkness came a beastial screech, followed by growling and another screech. To say that the air tasted nasty was an understatement, Peter nearly vomited. It was clearly used as a rubbish tip by the building whose majestic shadow they now stood in. There was little light to see by, but enough to vaguley recognise shapes and features. And so it was that they fumbled and stumbled out of the alleyway. The street that they emerged onto was almost deserted, just the oddfellow entering or leaving a building opposite. Nobody noticed them. Peter glanced around the street, it was wide and cobbled. The pavements were clean and fringed by neat flower beds. The transportation of choice was obviously 'horse power', or whateverpassed as ahorse down here, as evidenced by the 'calling cards' of the animals. The air smelled sweet compared to that of the alley. The building opposite was the only other building they could see. It was surrounded by the neat flower beds and the roads seemed to wrap around it. "I think that may be a good place to start." Peter said as he turnedto the rest of the team. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Counselor's office - Dr. Riven Mias -1140) (USS Mystique -Counselor's office - Ensign Telan Raynar- ships Counselor-1141) (USS Mystique -Counselor's office - Senior Counselor Riven Mias -1145) (USS Mystique -Counselor's office -Ships Counselor Ensign (jg)-Telan Raynar -1146) (USS Mystique -Counselor's office -Dr. Riven Mias-1147) (USS Mystique- Marine Gymnasium - Lt Alesia Telnor - 1415) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique -Personal quarters - Ambassador Tar-Tharian - 1142) (USS Mystique - Shuttle Bay - Ambassador Tar-Tharian - 1245) (USS Gunnel- SeniorCounselorRiven Mias - 1410) (USS Gunnel - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick - 1411) (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais - Dr. Riven Mias - 1432/ 1757) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais - Ensign Travis Keswick - 1433) (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais -MO Lt. Alesia Telnor - 1435) (USS Mystique, Bridge, CO Captain Vanyssa Winters, 1440) (Raellus VI -Capital City, Matais-CSO Ketal- 1453/1818) (Raellus VI; Capital City: Matais; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia/Tashish Laoa; 1455/1820) (Raellus VI; Capital City: Matais - Town Hall; Sgt Peters; 1456/1821) (Raellius VI - Matais; Market place; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1500/1825) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Counselor's office - Dr. Riven Mias -1140) Riven stood at the sound of the chime and watched as the new counselor entered the office. As the young man entered Riven saw him do a double-take at his appearance which he had become used to. Riven was wearing a loose robe of irridescent green and thin sandals with silver charms, his waist length silver hair was also entwined with silver charms and while carrying a few extra pounds he was still well fit. Riven smiled at the feeling of surprise the young man was radiating and said. "Welcome to the Mystique Telan" as he stepped toward him with his hand outstretched. (Reply: Telan Raynar) "Why thank you Telan, you know the drill," Riven said pointing to the couch. "Sit down and tell me about yourself and would you like something to drink before we begin?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Counselor's office - Ensign Telan Raynar- ships Counselor-1141) Telan entered the councilor's office and hesitated for a moment at the figure he saw there.Dr. Mias was not exactly the way he had expected him. He had heard of some slight eccentric behavior but was still taken by surprise. The green robe was one thing and as ships counselor there had always been some allowance on dress. The silver charms did however surprise him. Telan hoped he had not made a fool of himself with the hesitation and quickly strode forward to offer his hand in greeting. DR. Mias. I am Telan Raynar. I so happy to be able to finally meet you. "Why thank you Telan, you know the drill," Riven said pointing to the couch. "Sit down and tell me about yourself and would you like something to drink before we begin?" "Brandy please, If you have it. The type isn't important".Telan waited as Riven walked to a cabinet and removed a oddly shaped bottle and poured two glasses then returned. "Thank you" replied Telan after accepting the glass.Telan started off talking about his life since joining Star Fleet but quickly found himself discussing his parents and siblings, he found the DR extremely easy to talk to.He ended up talking about being assigned to one of the latest away teams and his feelings about getting to go on the mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Counselor's office - Senior Counselor Riven Mias -1145) Riven sipped at his drink slowly as Telan spoke about himself, he normally didn't imbibe in something so heavy this early in the day so he was making his drink last. Telan had been through quite a bit in his few years as he was half Riven's age and the Betazoid enjoyed listening to his experiences.Riven was gaining quite an impression as the younger man talked, his surface emotions that Riven was picking up were calm and he seemed to have no problems opening up to another which was essential to a Counselor, that and his depth of training and experienceinterested Riven. By the time he had finished talking Riven had quite a favorable opinion of him. "You have had a very interesting life so far Telan, I noticed you said you had some training at mind healing which happens to be my speciality. Outside of your training in the Medical arts which I do not have our skills are quite similar. I would like to speak to you at more length when we have more time about that subject if you would, your medical training that is.I am sure the Captain will enjoy having someone else with that skill aboard." (Reply: CounselorTelan Raynar) "Good,since I heard you were aboard I have been giving serious thought to letting you take over the day to day routine while I concentrate on mind healing and take an advisory role. Howwould that suit you?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Counselor's office -Ships Counselor Ensign (jg)-Telan Raynar -1146) "You have had a very interesting life so far Telan; I noticed you said you had some training at mind healing which happens to be my specialty. Outside of your training in the Medical arts which I do not have our skills are quite similar. I would like to speak to you at more length when we have more time about that subject if you would, your medical training that is.I am sure the Captain will enjoy having someone else with that skill aboard." I hope so sir Telan replied. And I would be more than happy to discuss Mind healing with you when ever there is a spare moment. It really is a fascinating field although with the dual Doctorates I sometimes find I am able to help an injured individual from what ever physical problems he may have all the way through what ever mental recuperation he might require. "Good,since I heard you were aboard I have been giving serious thought to letting you take over the day to day routine while I concentrate on mind healing and take an advisory role. Howwould that suit you?" Telan replied , I wouldnt want to presume to take over but I would like to help out where I could. I honestly enjoy my work and enjoy helping others.Tell me something if you would. I notice that this ship has a wide assortment of different races, some I have only read about, anything special I should know? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique -Counselor's office -Dr. Riven Mias-1147) Rivensmiled as Telan repliedI wouldnt want to presume to take over but I would like to help out where I could. I honestly enjoy my work and enjoy helping others.Tell me something if you would. I notice that this ship has a wide assortment of different races, some I have only read about, anything special I should know? Riven chuckled and said. "Don't be concerned about taking my place my boy since this ship launched it has been rather short-handed and there will most likely be more than enough work for the both of us to do quite outside ofCounseling, that's whereyour multiple skills should come in quite handy. Besides I want to free you up to do what you were trained to do and thatis to be a shipscounselor. As forthe crew; they seem to be mostly a very stable group though there was a lot of anxiety and nervousness after the attacks upon the Captain which is to be expected.The greatest individual concern would be for Cassandra Dema, she was injured in an attack upon the Captain's daughter when she took the brunt of the phaser blast and received severe cranial injuries from which she is still recovering. They were worried about neural damage but from the strides she has made in recovery I would think that will not be a big issue. I have been watching Jennah as closely as possible and have seen no adverseeffects but she would bear monitoring. There is oneother individual you might watch also, the 1/2Vulcan CSO seems to have had some emotional issues, I saw it on the periphery one time and have heard rumors of some other episodes though he has appeared stable as of late. Outside of that Ican think of only one other thing that comes to mind I worked on in the past but hasn't been an issue lately though I have been watchful. I don't think it would be a good idea to discuss it at this time though. Are there any more questions you have thatI can answer? If not I would not want to hold you up any longer than necessary though I have enjoyed our conversation. As far as your work you can report to me in the morning and assume your Counselor's duties, feel free to take the rest of the day to get yourself unpacked and"dug in" so to speak." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.22 (USS Mystique- Marine Gymnasium - Lt Alesia Telnor - 1415) Alesia Telnor loved to work out against her good friend and occasional lover Peters. She ducked as he came at her, kicking his legs out from under him and pinning him down to the mat. "Beat you." She said, smiling down at him, letting her grip go for one second, then was flipped with him pinning her down. "No, I beat you." He laughed. They both looked up as they heard someone walk in. "Sorry to interrupt your training but I need to talk to you about theupcoming away mission." Alesia looked over at Peters. The two had been briefed already by the Boss-Man. "Of course, Ensign." Alesia spoke, nodding at him. Peters just rolled his eyes at the kids pompousness. Travis Looked into the two marines eyes as they stood there. "This is the final plan for the away mission." he said as he handed them padds "Do you have any questions?" Peters and Alesia looked them over and both shook their heads. "We've been briefed, Sir." She said aloud, internally laughing and trying very hard not to show. ::Stupid child.:: Peters sent to her, causing her mirth to spill over a bit. ::Yeah, an arrogant little worm, isn't he?:: She sent back to him. Both were trained CEs, both telepaths, both Betazoid. "Good now that that is out of the way." And Travis walked around them. "Now for why I'm here, as you know we are going down to the planet to which we know very little about." ::Tell me something I don't know or leave us alone.:: Alesia sent, angry for the first time. How dare he waltz into their area like he owned it and then act like he was better than they were ? Both of them were Officers, same as he, albeit a higher rank. Both had seen more combat than he ever would. And he saw fit to dictate to them ?? "It is my job to make sure that we all make it back in one piece." "Your only job on this mission is to see that everyone stays safe." With that Alesia did get angry. "Pardon me, Ensign, but why do you feel that you have to come tell us this ?" She asked. "We are not rookies" ::Like you:: "We know what to expect and plan for in unknown situations. Thank you for the Padds on the final mission plans, but we take our orders from our boss, not from you. And we'vebeen briefed on them. Technically the planet is our turf. But the boss has decreed that we all play fairly and happily together, and that means putting aside the idea that one group is better than the other just because of who they are and what team they are on." She sighed, asking the Goddess Allura to give her patience. "And for your information, our job isn't just to keep everybody safe. Both Peters and I are Betazoid, telepaths. Peters has a university degree in pre-space faring culture History, I have a similar one in literature. We were chosen for this mission not just because we were 'grunts' but because we have skills and knowledge that will come in handy. For instance, what if for whatever reason our communicators don't work?" She asked, reasonably. (reply Travis iyw) "As telepaths, as people incredibly sensitive to each other, Peters and I could find each other pretty much anywhere on the planet." ::We hope:: She added silently. "It's a skill that has come in handy before. We can also maintain a link with the ship, provided it stays in orbit.The Captain is a phenomenal telepath, as is Dr. Mias. Thank you for your help, but next time you come, please, leave yourattitude at the door." Alesia knew that if this Ensign chose to, he could have her on report, and then having to explain all this to the boss.... Her Betazoid temper struck again, over common sense, but she was tired of swallowing insults from starfleet security all of her professionalcareer. The Boss said they were supposed to work together. She was trying to do her part of it. ::I wonder whose team I'm stuck on.Hopefully not the arrogant child's one.:: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique -Personal quarters - Ambassador Tar-Tharian - 1142) Ana had been in her quarters preparing for her "Talk" with Ensign Keswick when the computer had signaled for her attention. Activating the screen she saw the image of the Efrosian Consulate symbol, after speaking the correct code phrase the secureconnection was established and she saw her Superior and old friend Senior Ambassador Kal. "This is unexpected Kal," She said. Kal was fifteen years older than Ana and his hair was heavily greying but he was a powerfully built warrior and very vital as she had found out upon occasion. She smiled at him and he returned it but only for an instant. "Ana it is good to speak with you but I do not have good news." He said flatly. Her smile turned into a frown at the worried tone in his deep voice."What is it Kal?" She asked, already suspecting the answer. "The situation has been deteriorating rapidly within the Federation Ana, there has already been a clash near the subspace river and events are sliding toward civil war." "Yes," She said as she nodded her head. "We have had some situations here as well." He sighed. "Yes I reviewed your report on the incident with the Fairchild and the attempted assassinations of the Captain and her daughter, those things happen in the dark but ship to ship battles with the loss of a warship along with her crew are on another level of conflict as you well know." Ana waited patiently for him to get to the point, things were becoming far more advanced than she had expected at this early point. "In short Ana I need all my best with me now if we are to have any chance of heading off full scale civil war. I need your constant input and point of view from the ranks of the 52nd and I can't have it with you on an exploration mission. I am told a shuttle has rendezvoued with the Mystique and I want you on it when it leaves. I will have a fast ship waiting at Geneva, transfer over to it when you arrive and I will see you within the week. Are there any questions?" "I have no questions Ambassador," She said it knowing that though he had couched it nicely she had just been given a directorder."I will take only what I need from the Mystique but you will owe me for this Kal." Her eyes twinkled as she spoke it and she saw his mouth turn up at the corners for an instant. "AgreedAna, I will see you shortly then and repay you for your promptness. Senior Ambassador Kal out." She saw him break into an easy smile just before he signed off. "Computer send a message to Captain Winters." There was a beep then she continued. "Captain Winters this Ambassador Anestasia Tar-Tharian. I apologize for my hurried departure Captain but Ihave been recalled to Efrosia and have no time to spare. I regret leaving a void in your survey party as well as in an observation and advisory role however I hope to see you again in the future under better circumstances. Ambassador Anestasia Tar-Tharian out." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique - Shuttle Bay - Ambassador Tar-Tharian - 1245) Ana boarded the shuttle that would return her to Geneva with regrets but excitement as she considered the monumental task before them. Things werestarting to slide out of control and it had to be stopped. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Gunnel- SeniorCounselorRiven Mias - 1410) Riven was comfortably settled in his seat as the shuttle moved toward the landing zone on the planet's surface. The mood was almost palpable in the vehicle and he didn't need to use his telepathic powers to know what the others were thinking. He had settled on a bright blue coloration with a natural silver color for his hair, his chains and jewelry unfortunately had had to be left on the ship. He had tried to fillthe lack of ornamentation with silver buttons andsuch on his clothing but the effect was far short of what he would have liked. The wings though he had found to be a nice touch and perfectly suited to one such as himself. After touching down everyone went outside for a moment and looked around then the FO and his group returned to the shuttle totransport to their destination. Riven followed them in and listened to the FO issue instructions. "Alright, I have located a spot behind a large building, it looks like a dissused alleyway, it should suffice. Once we have successfully beamed into our location, your team, Dr. should also beam to your location. Riven smiled at Commander Belinia and said. "Of course Commander, it shall be done immediately." Then he watched the transporter send them to their destination. Riven returned to the glade andlooked around at the group that was leftand smiled at them, he could sense tension and nervousness from their minds though he would have never tried to scan them without reason. "Shall we go?" He said after a moment and led them back into the shuttle and onto the transport pad. There was a muted hum andan instant of disorientation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Gunnel - TASC Ensign Travis Keswick - 1411) Travis sat throw the entire shuttle ride reading over all the data on this planet and there mission "Aright, I have located a spot behind a large building, it looks like a dissused alleyway, it should suffice. Once we have successfully beamed into our location, your team, Dr. should also beam to your location. Travis put down his padd and got ready to beam down ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais - Dr. Riven Mias - 1432/ 1757) The group transported into a small copse of bushes and trees that provided an excellent screen from the outside, the leaves of the trees had a slightly triangular look and were a muted chartreuse. The air was filled with the rich fragrance of the plant life and the sounds of activity in the distance. Looking from the screen of shrubbery several buildings with the shape of step-pyramids could be seen to the left set well apart from one another with a lot of traffic going into and out of them from the ground and air. Before them and to the right were many buildings setdensely together. Riven pointed to the pyrimidal buildinds and said,"Those would appear to beour destination. Shall we go?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais - Ensign Travis Keswick - 1433) The group transported into a small copse of bushes and trees that provided an excellent screen from the outside, the leaves of the trees had a slightly triangular look and were a muted chartreuse. The air was filled with the rich fragrance of the plant life and the sounds of activity in the distance. Looking from the screen of shrubbery several buildings with the shape of step-pyramids could be seen to the left set well apart from one another with a lot of traffic going into and out of them from the ground and air. Before them and to the right were many buildings set densely together. "Those would appear to be our destination. Shall we go?" Sead Dr. Mias pointing over to what looked like pyramidal buildings. " Dr. Mias I think I can get a good concealed vew point of the area from that large tree over and Travis sead has he pointed to a large tree 25 meters tall with thick branches and coved with bark leaves. (Reply Mias any ) "I will fly ahead and conceal myself at the top of the tree and get the lay of the land then I will report back to you". Travis few ahead about 30 meters to the tree and parched himself on the tallest branch concealing himself with the leaves Travis was looking over the city at the tall buildings shaped like pyramids people coming and going walking and flying. There where dark alleyways between the tall pyramids. The plaza was filed with shops and shopkeepers. Most of the people seamed to be well dressed as went about there day. Travis turned to find the grope and he sow them talking to a man and Mias and Alesia looked nerves as the man steeped closer to them . Travis shot out of the tree like a torpedo and landed in one of the dark alleys behind the man talking to Mias and Alesia.As he landed he sow the alleys reflection in a window. All Travis could see was he glowing red eyes looking back at him. Travis got ready to spring at the richly dressed man if he made thewrong move the team. When the man vanished into the crowed leaving the team standing alone he could see them ginning and laughing Travis slipped out of the dark alley and behind Mias. "Is every thing ok sr.?" Travis asked to mias how aparintly didn't see him standing behind him and was startled. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais -MO Lt. Alesia Telnor - 1435) Riven pointed to the pyrimidal buildinds and said,"Those would appear to beour destination. Shall we go?" Alesia nodded, following the Counsellor. She looked around her, with more than her eyes, and felt peace, harmony and contentedness, something that a city seemed to not usually hold. "Everyone here is so happy." She said, aloud. "Very pleased with themselves, and with the relative prosperity." She'd opted for half wings that a few of the ones around her sported, her skin a rich bronze, her hair now ankle length and violet, twined into an elaborate confection of braids and flowers and strings of gems. She wore a heavy gown of some sort of brocade material and satin, and under it three petticoats dyed to lighter shades of the gown's rich brown. Her feet sported tiny satin slippers, her waist cinched with a boned corset, pushing up her ample breasts. Around her neck she wore a dark leather collar, locked with a tiny lock in the back. As people walked by, they curtsied, and one took her and Riven aside. "Your courtesan is lovely." The richly dressed man spoke, eyeing her. "How much is she for an evening ? She must be new to the area." Alesia's cat eyes widened as she realized the role that she was playing, the man's thoughts easy to read, on how she SHOULD be acting. Alesia sank into a deep curtsy, baring the back of her neck. She tried not to wince at how exposed this made her feel. Her instincts were to punch this guy for his insults. Instead she was expected toact properly submissive. "What are her talents?" The man asked of Riven, and both realized that he wasn't referring to either sex or artistic talents. Before Riven could reply, the man walked over and seized Alesia's face in his leather glove forcing her violet cat eyes to look up at him. "Absolutely lovely, the violet eyes and hair. Quite unique. She certainly has the features of a Raellian. Pity about her wings, although they are quite lovely." His hands brushed over her wings and she realized from the expression on his face and his thoughts he expected her to act a certain way. She shuddered, shaking in his grasp as his thoughts touched hers. ::Very lovely indeed, little flower. What do they call you ?:: Alesia tried to hide the horror that she felt in realizing that this man was a telepath almost as strong as she was. "My name is Alesia, and my talent is empathy." She said quietly. "I hear your thoughts, my Lord, but am unable to reply to them." "Alesia, not an Earth name or a Raellian name." The guy mused. "And an empath. How extraordinary." The man turned to Riven. "Is her contract for sale?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (USS Mystique, Bridge, CO Captain Vanyssa Winters, 1440) Vanyssa, somewhat bored, was sitting on the bridge listening to the away team's open comm signal. They hadn't been there very long, but Vanyssa had nearly choked with laughter at the courtesan conversation that the poor marine had to endure. She exchanged a glance with Herk. Then she realized that the guy who was in this conversation was atelepath. "They're psychic ?" She asked Herk. "Where was THAT in our reconnaissance?" Vanyssa turned to the security person. "Send a wide range hail to the away team members informing them that it appears that some of the natives are telepaths." Vanyssa said, frowning. She felt suddenly chilled. "Herk, is there any word from the team on the Colony ship?" (reply Herk) Vanyssa resisted the urge to pace back and forth as the Bridge doors opened and the lovely but quite pregnant Dr. Weir walked onto the Bridge. "Sickbay was slow, so I thought I would come and visit." Kellita said, with a smile. "Has there been any word from the away teams?" "Not from the team on the colony ship, but it appears that the natives are psychic." "They are what?" Kellita's asked her eyes wide in shock. Vanyssa turned to her security guy. "Open a channel to Dr. Mias and Mr. Bellinia." "Channel open." "Gentleman, at your earliest convenience, please report in." Vanyssa shivered a bit, suddenly cold. Something bad was coming. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Raellus VI -Capital City, Matais-CSO Ketal- 1453/1818) As they moved toward their destination Ketal's eyes moved about restlessly, drinking in every detail. Because the Prime Directive did not allow for the use of advanced technology (and rightfully so among such a "backward" civilization) their only means of data gathering on the ground was their senses and he was using every bit of his training in logic to align what he was seeing and hearing with what little they knew of the inhabitants. The more he saw the more the gaping holes in their knowledge became apparent and he realized that to gain a firm grasp on this civilization would take more than one or two short term expeditions, the planet was a scientists dream and would need long term teams working years to do more than scratch the surface. Therefore he was soaking up everything around him, from the cobblestoned streets and carriages to the architecture of the buildings and the look and dress of the beings they passed. The building they were approaching was much like the rest which did not surprise the 1/2 Vulvcan in the least, if it had been radically different it would have been worthy of note.The team entered the building to find themselves standing in a huge lobby thatlooked as if it was made entirely out of marble. The ceilings were high above their heads and had a domed glass roof. All around the room, on everylevel, were depictions in the same stone, of Raelians and Humans and there were entrances on each wall. Ketal walked up to the statue set into the center of the room and was so engrossed in studying it he almost didn't hear the FO's question. "It's English. How odd." "'Divided we came, United we are. To find our future we must look to our past.' Mr Ketal, what do you make of this?" Ketal looked over at the Lt. Commander to find him looking askance at him and took his attention from the myriad of sensory input he was receiving. "Commander it has been obvious almostfrom the time we beamed down that the greatest influence on this city by far is human. Note the attention paid to the streets and conveyances as well as the buildings and inhabitants and a rough picture is beginning to form. All winged races that the Federation has encountered tend to build upward with sleek lines and with the preponderance of the entrances high since they only go afoot when in necessity but this city was built around foot traffic and almost all of the entrances are at ground level. Also the Raellian race, I say the name based on the recordings we have seen alongside the word Earthlian, has been shown to be highly artistic whereas the buildings in their simplicity and sameness speak of a less adventurous culture. I find it highly possible that the Raellian race was driven nearly to extinction by the meteor or asteroid strike on the far side of the planet and the colonists while interbreeding and multiplying the numbers of beings on this planet have carried the role of being the initiators in this culture. This hypothesis is based on this one city but I have no reason to doubt it will not hold true in the other cities as well. (Reply: FO Belinia, any) As far as the motto is concerned it would appear to be a reminder of the early days of the colonial period wherin they interbred with the other inhabitantsand looking back to their own origins. "That sounds plausible, lets see if we can find anything to corroborate this hypothesis. I suggest we all split up to get the most out of our time here. Mr Ketal, Mr Raynar and myself will go out to look around the city. Ms. Jones and Sargeant Peters, look around this building and see what you can find. Try and determine its function. We will all meet here at sixteen hundered. Feel free to move out when you have searched enough of the building." Peter said, looking at his team. Ketal nodded at the instructions then followed the FO to the entrance of the building then to the marketplace outside. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Raellus VI; Capital City: Matais; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia/Tashish Laoa; 1455/1820) As the team approaached the building Peter noticed that the whole thing was standing on a triangular roundabout. Stagecoaches and Barouffs stood still as their occupants conducted business in the builiding. The team entered the building to find themselves standing in a huge lobby. It looked as if it was made entirely out of marble. The cielings were high above their heads, and had a domed glass roof. All around the room, on every level, were depictions in the same stone, of Raelians and Humans. It was interesting to see, as everyone of thesmall carvings were in different positions, some were flying some were buying bread, and they went on and on. The room was peirced by numerous staircases. There were four enterances, one on each wall. In the centre of the room stood a large stone statue of a human. It was standing on a marble dias. Peter nodded towards it and they walked up to it. There was an inscription on the plaque. "It's English. How odd." Petre looked bemused, but took a step closer to read the inscription. "'Divided we came, United we are. To find our future, we must look to our past.' Mr Ketal, what do you make of this?" Peter turned to face the science officer. (Reply Ketal, any, room for more) "That sounds plausible, lets see if we can find anything to corroborate this hypothesis. I suggest we all split up to get the most out of our time here. Mr Ketal, Mr Raynar and myself will go out to look around the city. Ms. Jones and Sargeant Peters, look around this building and see what you can find. Try and determine its function. We will all meet here at sixteen hundered. Feel free to move out when you have searched enough of the building." Peter said, looking at his team. (Reply all, any) With that Peter led his small team towards the far enterance. The walked through it, and found that there was a market place opposite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Raellus VI; Capital City: Matais - Town Hall; Sgt Peters; 1456/1821) As the First Officer left with his team, Peters looked at the young Ensign. Part of him was angry at the First Officer for lumping him with such mission. ~Babysitting!!!~ He sighed internally and turned to survey the building, with the keen eye of a marine. He found a small side soor, under the staircase nearest to their location. He started towards it, forcing Ensign Jones to follow him. As he got closer tothe door he spun around quickly. "Why did you do that?" Asked the young Ensign Jones "I was scanning our environment, to check we were not being watched." Peters said, off-handed, he was now concentrating on getting the door open. It was not locked, and it opened with a light shove. He grabbed the nurse and thrust her inside. And then he closed the door. There was a chair behind a small desk, Peters grabbed it and thrust it underneath the handle, so nobody can enter. He looked around the room, it was tidy, with every wall covered in books. He strode up to the one nearest him and scaned the titles of the books. "they're in English aswell..." He muttered. "Go look through the desk for anything." He picked up a book 'University of Matais - Department of History; Origin of the Flying Box.' He opened it and read some of the chapter headings. 'First thoughts on the subject' 'Star of the day' 'Childrens story or science fact' 'Hypothesis' 'Arguments for the Hypothesis' 'Arguments against the Hypothesis' 'Conclusion'. Peters turned his attention back to the bookshelf, he saw more books on the subject of the 'Flying Box'. He picked up another 'Flying Box of the Forefathers - Fact or Myth', still another 'The Flying Box conspiracy'. He took the three books and placed them inside his bag. And then he turned his attention to the filing cabinets that werestanding next to the desk. "Have you found anything yet?" He asked Jones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2406.10.23 (Raellius VI - Matais; Market place; FO Lt Cmdr Peter Belinia; 1500/1825) As they started to cross the road Peters ear started to buzz. "Gentleman, at your earliest convenience, please report in." Came the Captains voice over the comm. Peter glanced at the two Ensigns flanking him. "Gentlemen, I need to find a small quiet spot. Lets get through the marketplace to see if there is anywhere we can hide." Peter strode into the street and headed owards the multicoloured rows opposite. The small team entered the market and Peter was struck by the smells and sounds. They were standing between two fruit sellers. Peter wandered to the fron of one of the stalls to peruse the merchandise. There were what looked like apples, oranges, pears, pineapples, kumquats, and mangoes. There were several fruits Peter did notrecognise and were obviously native to this planet. There were signs quoting things like '12RD' He turned towards Ensign Ketal. "I think we need currency. Where do you suppose we can get some?" Peter asked. (Reply Ketal) "Well that's no good. Lets us find some pick-pockets, they are always around, in every society." Peter wandered and started to scan the surroundings for young and unaccompanied citizens. It wasn't long before they found one, he was around 17 and heading down a small alley. Peter nodded in the direction and started running. Ketal and Raynar followed. As they approached the mouth of the alley Peter turned back. "Mr Raynar, keep watch. Ensign" He said as he turned to Ketal. "Follow me." Then he dived after the young fellow. They soon caught up with him. "I say, do you suppose you could give us what you stole?" Peter started. "My Lord, I aient doin' no theivin'. I 'ones'ly aient." the boy replied. "Now, son, that's not true is it?" Peter started to slowley walk towards the youth. "I aient, I go' theese coins o'nes'ly workin' through the markit, see." The boy started to back off. Peter grabbed the boys left arm, Ketal took his right and the youth dropped the sack of coins, struggled and ran off. "Good by young man." Peter said. "And thank you." He sighed, stealingwas not something that was encouraged in Starfleet as standard procedure. "So, how much do you make it?" (Reply Ketal) "Is that alot?" Peter asked, knowing that it could be less than whatit sounded. "Mr Raynar, come." As the team gathered Peter ordered the distribution of coins. "And keep some for Peters and Jones." (Reply Ketal, Raynar) With that he saw the opportunity to talk with the Captain. He tapped the comm link which was buried in his hand. "Commander Belinia reporting Ma'am." Peter said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Fleet of Foot,OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 950) (USS Fleet of Foot -Ensign Jason Dema -0956) (Conestoga Class Ship, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 1030) (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; ACEO Ensign Denton ; 1235) (USS Gunnel - Pilot- Ensign Bill Jansen- 1405) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais - Dr. Riven Mias - 1435) (USS Mystique- Bridge- Conn- Lt. Herkimer 78- 1442) (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais -Dr. Riven Mias - 1443) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais -Ensign Travis Keswick - 1445) (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais -Dr. Riven Mias - 1451/1716) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais -Ensign Travis Keswick - 1453) (Raelleus VI - Matais -Market place -CSO Ketal -1501/1826) (Planet Raelleus VI - City of Falais, Marketplace - Dr. Riven Mias - 15:32/18:57) (Planet Raelleus VI - City of Falais, Marketplace - Ensign Travis Keswick -15:33) ********************************************************************************************* (USS Fleet of Foot,OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 950) Ensign Tourana had performed an external sweep of the Conestoga Class ship and they had been able to find what they were looking for, and a whole lot more. The old ship was still intact, but there were many places where the hull had buckled leaving vast sections of the interior of the ship open to space. This would undoubtedly cause complications for the away team, and HHril had run scans in anattempt to discern the extent of the damage to the interior of the ship. At last, they had come across a docking port.Perhaps the term went a bit beyond whatitreally was. A simple air lock on the side of the ship. It would serve it's purpose, however, as their entry way into the vessel. "Takeus in, Ensign." HHril said asbegan scanning the airlock. "Very gently. We don't know what kind ofshape theinertial dampening systems are in. The last thing we want to do isknockher into the atmosphere ourselves." HHril monitored as the skilled pilot officer slowly guided the runabout into position using only the thrusters. "Lieutenant HHril to Mystique. We are 10 meters from the Conestoga Colony vessel. 5 meters. 4. 3. 2. 1." A slight nudge was all that could be felt as Tourana docked the Fleet of Foot with its target. HHril began tapping commands into his console, ensuring that the ship was indeed capable of attaching to the airlock. He found that it was. "HHril to Mystique. We have hard dock." The first part of the mission had gone precisely as planned. They had docked with the ship without knocking it out of its orbit. It was a good start to his first mission in command, but there was so much more to do. ~Better get on with it.~ he thought to himself as spun his seat around to face Ensign Dema. "You're up." he said to the young officer as he rose from his seat and headed to the docking door in the rear compartment. "Take your men and perform a sweep of the docking area. I want onto that ship as quickly as possible. Is that understood?" (reply Dema) HHril hit three keys on the docking door and it opened, showing the exterior hull of the colony vessel. A ship that had not beentouched by human hands in over 300 years. "Be safe." he said to Dema and his small team as he stepped back, allowing them to enter the airlock. He closed the door behind them and watched as their suit systems came online one at a time. They were about to enter a ship that left earth before the federation. Before the Earth Romulan war. What would they find on the other side? Only time would tell. HHril headed back to his seat in the front of the Runabout to watch the progress of the first wave of the away team. "Lieutenant Sarouk." he said as he spun around to face the Vulcan after receiving all clear from the security team on the ship. "We are next. Ensign Tourana." he said as he stood. "Keep your finger on the transporter button. I want to be able to get out of there as soon as possible." (reply Tourana) HHril smiled at her before he headed to the rear of the small ship and over to the docking door. But this time, it was so that he could step across and the unknown vessel. So many questions needed answers. What ship was this? What was it doing out here? Why didn't the colonists land the ship? Would they be able to save it? All these questions ran through his mind as he put his helmet into place. He heard the locks engage and all systems within the suit come on line. He stepped into the airlock, and this time was accompanied by Lieutenant Sarouk. Once inside, the door to the Runabout was closed and the door to the colony vessel was opened. HHril stepped through and into theworldof pre-FederationEarth. (USS Fleet of Foot -Ensign Jason Dema -0956) Jason was relaxing the whole flight, waiting for the dock to commence, he heard the pilot counting down the distance to the ship, and felt a soft shock when they docked ~perfect landing~ He thought. Then Hhril turned to Jason. "You're up, Take your men and perform a sweep of the docking area. I want onto that ship as quickly as possible. Is that understood?" "Yes Sir." Jason turned to his team. "Okay guys, this is it, let's go." Hhril already opened the airlock and Jason stepped in, followed by the rest of his team "Be safe." HHril said as they stepped in, and when everyone entered HHril closed the airlock. "Okay guys, turn on your suits, and watch each others backs." Jason decompressed the airlock, andturned tothe hatch to see how it would open. there was a sturdy wheel which didn't budge. "A little help here guys." A strong marine came forth and they put all their strength on the wheel, which slowly started moving. the more it moved the easier it got, and soon Jason could turn it alone. Then the wheel stopped and the door opened a bit. He pulled the door open and entered first, closely followed by the rest. When they entered, small corridor, probably to connect 2 large spaces with each other. He scanned for air and radiation, but the disturbances interfered. "Okay, I want this place secure as soon as possible." He divided the teamin 2, each to scan a different direction. Jason tookthe one leading to the back of the shipand went in front together with2 other marines while the other three went the other way. at certain points, the hallway was to narrow, so only one could pass at a time. they eventually came to a door and opened it, to see a large staging area, probably meant for housing colonists. =/\= All clear here Sir. =/\= sounded over the comms =/\= Same here.=/\= Jason said =/\= Ensign Jason to Lt. HHril, entrance is safe, it's safe to enter, we'll continue our search. I advise to keep your suits on at all time cause the scanners can't give a clear reading on the air and radiation.=/\= (reply HHril) "one of you stay here and provide escort for the Lt." Jason advanced, giving no attention to the mess in the room. he noticed some dead bodies but continued to secure the ship. He continued to the back of the ship scanning every part as good as possible. He entered yet another large area with many devices which looked like generators. he assumed he was in engineering. Just then HHril sounded over the comms =/\= Mr. Dema, Have you located the engine room of the ship? =/\= =/\= Yes, At least I think so=/\= Jason said. =/\= Excellent. Hold position. Lt. Sarouk and I are on our way. =/\= =/\= I've seen these devices before,they look pretty messed up, want me to take a look at them? =/\= (reply HHril) (posted by Anthony Struelens) (Conestoga Class Ship, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 1030) There was nothing particularly aesthetically pleasing aboutthe interior of the vessel. As could beexpected from a ship of this period, it was built for function, notcomfort. The hallway they were in wasnarrow,barely large enough for two people towalk side by side. There were no casings on the walls. They were the metal constructs that held the ship together, nothing more. At 10 meter intervals,bulkheads caused the corridor to narrow even more so that only one person could pass through at a time. At the end of the corridor, HHril could see a doorway that had been opened by the security force and one of the men standing at the door. The flash of the cells carried by the men ahead could be seen in the room on the other side of the door. HHril and Sarouk began to advance towards the room. Stepping through the door, they found that they were in the main colonist chamber. This room was the largest single area on the ship. There were still remnants of the colonists in the chamber. Makeshift homes littered the interior. Fenced areas where livestock would have been kept were off to one end. There were also chicken coops and storage pools where fish would have been kept. All were empty now. HHril began to walk around the chamber of the ship. He started with the small makeshift houses. The firsthouse seemed normal enough. A set of bunk beds against both walls in the first room would have been for children. This was also the main room of the house. A table and chairs still sat in the middle. A deck of cards scattered over the surface. Cookware hung on the walls and littered the floor as did the dishes. Some broken. Some intact. HHril approached the set bunk beds on the left wall of the house. Next to the pillow, a stuffed animal lie on its side. What had happened to make these people leave their ship in such a hurry. He approached the back room of the house. The door was closed. He pushed it open. What was waiting for him on the other side was not what he had expected. Layingon the bed in the middle of the room were the corpses of a man, a woman, and three young children. HHril was standing in a tomb. The mystery of this vessel had just gone to the next level. He tapped his comm badge as he exited the first house and entered a second. "Mr Sarouk. I think you bettercome overhere." (reply Sarouk) The secondhouse had been emptied of all its contents. A third house showed the same. Everything was gone. As they continued throughout the makeshift village, they came across several houses who's occupants had not left the ship and an equal number who had. Something had happened aboard this old ship that made half of the colonists stay on board while the other half left. The question was, what had happened? "What do you make of it?" he asked of the Vulcan. (reply Sarouk) He tapped his comm badge again. "HHril to Mystique." =/\=Go ahead Lieutenant.=/\= came the voice of the Captain. "We have located several corpses here, Sir." he said, shifting his weight as he spoke. "Approximately half of the colonists are still aboard this ship. They never made it to the planet." (reply Winters) "Once we have stabilized the vessel in orbit, I would like permission to stay and try to figure out exactly what happened." (reply Winters) "Understood. HHril out." "We will have ample time to figure out exactly what happened once we have stabilized the ship in orbit." he said as he led the way out of the small house they were in. "That is our mission. That is our first priority. We need to find engineering section." He tapped his comm badge a third time. "Mr. Dema." he said not waiting for a reply. "Have you located the engine room of the ship?" (reply Dema) "Excellent. Hold position. Lt. Sarouk and I are on our way." (reply any, all noted above) (posted by Matthew Elias) (USS Mystique - Mess Hall; ACEO Ensign Denton ; 1235) "Did the Captain say what she wanted your role to be during all this?" Peter sat back and wiped his mouth on his napkin, took a sip of his lemonade and waited for the reply. "No sir, I was not yet given my role for this mission. I am still supposed to report to the Chief Engineer for more information. Perhaps I should find out what exactly my post is from the Captain." suggested James. "Good idea ensign." James left the mess hall to seek out the CEO and Captain. (USS Gunnel - Pilot- Ensign Bill Jansen- 1405) Jansen sat at the controls of the shuttle silently.The orange fur that the doc had made grow all over him was starting to itch.He inadvertently reached up and scratched at the cat like ears he now sported.He suddenly became self conscious of the action and brought his hand back down, bristling the whiskers coming from under his nose.he remembered his first reaction as he saw a calico car staring back at him from a mirror. The doc had said that the natural color of his hair lent to the persona that he had created.Bill had to admit that it looked pretty exotic.He wondered if he'd e able to try it out to get a date before changing back. He heard that chicks really dig the interspecies thing. He looked around the cabin of the shuttle.The away team looked like the most rag-tag group of miss-crossed aliens he had ever seen.It was like something out of fantasy holo-novel he had read once.He fought the urge to lick himself and returned his focus to the flying of the shuttle. Jansen worked hard to bring the shuttle close to the ground, undetected, and he seemed to have been successful.He landed in the designated coordinates and turned to the team."Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the flight operation of our mission, please make your way to the nearest exit." Not everyone enjoyed his attempt at levity, but Jensen went on unperturbed. He led the way off the shuttle and jumped to the ground.He was followed by the silver and blue furred Mias, who was giving Jansen the willies.The pilot didn't like the idea that the counselor could know what he was thinking or feeling.Then he wondered if Mias knew of his unease, and tried to erase the thought from his mind. Jansen followed Lt. Cmdr Belinia and his crew back into the shuttle to transport them to their place in town.Then Mias came back in with the rest ready to be transported for their mission.Jansen hit the timer key and joined them on the pad, just as the transporter engaged. (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais - Dr. Riven Mias - 1435) Once again Jansen marveled at the leaves on the trees.Their colors were so vibrant and unique.For the first time he noticed their shapes.He picked a few leaves and put them in his pocket.~ A little souvenir~ "Those would appear to be our destination," Mias suggested pointing.Jansen looked as he continued, "Shall we go?" He saw a group of pyramidal buildings through the woods.It wasn't too far away, maybe 4 kilometers.His excitement was overwhelming as he almost ran to begin their journey.He heard a slight harumphing sound as Mias looked at him sternly.Jansen bowed his head and rejoined the group.He had to fight his exuberance. He walked the rest of the way in silence, pouting.That mood soon changed as they began to encounter others on the trail.They were as varied as the away team had made themselves.Jansen was marveled by the variety of beings that they saw.It certainly made him feel less self conscious about his own appearance. Then someone approached them.Who ever he was, he appeared to be quite wealthy."Your courtesan is lovely, how much is she for an evening ? She must be new to the area. What are her talents?" Jansen almost gagged, stifling his laugh.This being thought that this marine was a....He shook his head and smiled again.Well, she did look pretty good.He watched as the being tried to buy Trenor.He reached out and grabbed her.Jansen went to move but Mias was already on it.What the counselor did made Jansen step back in surprise. He had seen animals bare their teeth and growl in order to get a competitor for a mate to back down.It worked."We have an important appointment to keep, my Courtesan and myself and have no more time for talk," Mias told him. The native nodded and backed up while saying. "I understand and beg forgiveness for my trespass sir. " Then he melted into the crowd and was quickly gone. The action excited the young pilot even more.He smiled, seeing the benefit of "going native."Then Mias warned them, "I wouldn't recommend that for amateurs." And then laughed. Jansen couldn't wait for his first interaction with one of the natives.He wondered how animalistic they are.Then he began to wonder about their females.Oddly enough, he saw very few females out and about.The ones that were were kept close to the males they were with. Then Keswick came out of the shadows, apparently watching from there."Is everything ok sir?" "Yes Mr. Keswick, everything is fine now," he said."Thank you for your vigilance. We seem to have been accosted by someone who wished to purchase the talents of our lovely marine."Jansen snickered a little, but had to agree with the assessment of how she looked. "You are all right are you not my dear?" he asked. Jansen only smiled at her reply.She was, after all, a marine. The call from the captain to check caught them all by surprise.They were now just on the outskirts of the settlement.The traffic of natives had become quite heavy and they couldn't converse via the communicator without drawing attention to themselves. They headed to one of the pyramids and went inside. Mias began to explain something to them."I didn't realize what I was feeling before we were accosted by the gentleman outside earlier but it's starting to make sense. I believe that there more mental talents in operation around us than merely telepathy but I don't know what they might be though I can sense them being used. Ms. Trenor or Mr. Jensen do you have any insights on this?" "The man asked what her talent was," Jansen said."That must mean that there are a variety of mental abilities going on here.I can't even begin to imagine what they could possibly be."The idea was beginning to make Jansen feel very creepy.If he didn't like the idea of Mias peering into his thoughts, then how would he feel about these natives doing it.His attraction to the people suddenly became a bit soured. "You could be right," Mias agreed, "we are going to have to be very careful. Telepathy use by the natives alone could be harmful to us by penetrating our disguises but other talents could take us quite literally unawares." Jansen's biggest fears were suddenly becoming realized.His paranoia that everyone could tell what he was thinking was beginning to grow.He wanted to point at the marine and say it was her thought.she's the empath and she brought attention to them.But he held his tongue.He also knew that it wasn't right. Mias asked them to search the office while he contacted the captain.Jansen began to search but was soon distracted by the natives walking by the small window.He stopped to watch them, wondering how many of them knew who, and what he really was.Why hadn't they come to get them.He couldn't remember the last time he felt so vulnerable. (reply Mias, any) (posted by Al Muir) (USS Mystique- Bridge- Conn- Lt. Herkimer 78- 1442) Herk could sense the captain's agitation.S/he shared it, in fact.The Hermat was a pilot by nature and didn't really like the idea of sending another into possible danger in hir place.But s/he also understood the captain's position.If something happened on Mysty, as Herk had begun to call her, then s/he was the best equipped to deal with it. Tracing the away teams trek through brush and township was far from exciting, especially since it was all audio.Herk was definitely a visual kind of person.Still, s/he couldn't help but be intrigued by the conversation that was going on with the marine woman and the native.It certainly led Herk to believe these people were of a possible higher consciousness.Herk had an evil grin on hir face when s/he looked up at the captain. "They're psychic?"She asked Herk."Where was THAT in our reconnaissance?"Herk shrugged hir shoulders.That was the first s/he heard of it. "Send a wide range hail to the away team members informing them that it appears that some of the natives are telepaths,"the captain ordered. "Herk, is there any word from the team on the Colony ship?" Herk just shook hir head negative. Dr. Weir walked onto the bridge.Captain Winter's explained to her that the natives appeared to be telepathic.The doctor also looked surprised. ""Open a channel to Dr. Mias and Mr. Belinia," Winters ordered. "Channel open." "Gentleman, at your earliest convenience, please report in."Vanyssa shivered a bit, suddenly cold.Something bad was coming. Herk tried to fine tune the sensor array a little while the captain conversed with the away teams.The sight of the pregnant doctor caught hir attention."So doctor, when are you due?" (reply Weir) (posted by Al Muir) (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais -Dr. Riven Mias - 1443) After laughing off his nervousness Riven composed himself and was about to turn around when a voice from behind him made him start slightly. "Is every thing ok sir.?" Riven turned to see Ensign Keswick standing behind him and after his initial surprise he chuckled a bit. "Yes Mr. Keswick, everything is fine now," He said "Thank you for your vigilance. We seem to have been accosted by someone who wished to purchase the talents of our lovely marine." Riven glanced at her once again and was reminded of just how "lovely" this marine truly was. ~ If she wasn't less thanhalf my age... ~ "You are all right are you not my dear?" He asked the young woman. (Reply: MO Trenor) It was at this time a call came in from Vanyssa onthe Mystique. =^= Gentleman, at your earliest convenience, please report in. =^= "Hold your position for a moment Mr. Keswick." Riven said as he looked away from Trenor and at the surrounding buildings. (Reply: Ensign Keswick) The foot traffic was getting heavier in the plaza as the day got older, since it was now nearing late afternoon the vendors in the market were doing a brisk business. Fruits and vegetables as well as some small meat animals were in abundance and the din of conversation was growing . The smells were somewhat exotic because of the locale but not at all unpleasant. The nearest of the pyramidal buildings was only a few hundred feet away and the "Steps" of the pyramid were in three levels. The ground floor was of course the largest and had wide, heavilymotifed and burnished double doors made of some kind of reddish metal. There were no stairs or other means of egress to the second or third levels that Mias could see and so he assumed that they were for air traffic only and indeed could see many flying natives making use of several entrances on each level. It appeared as though few were entering the building at this time but there were many leaving. "We need to find a place where we can speak freely for a moment." Riven said."Perhaps there issomewhere inside that will do. Come with us into the ground floor interior Mr. Keswick so that we don't have to worry about regrouping later." (Reply: Ensign Keswick) Riven led the way to the pyramid, it's large doors opened easily at his pull. Inside it was very cool and well lit. The foyer into which they stepped was wide and tall and the lighting onthe walls was coming from intricate, ivy shaped settings. The walls were carved with swirlingpatternsandnatural scenes and were very beautiful. A short hall led from the foyer into a wide chamberwith a water fountain which had benches set around it and a lot of greenery. There weredoors along the walls of the same metal as the doors outside, one of which was standing partially ajar. Riven walked to it and since there was no one else around he opened it slightly and peered inside then motioned the others in. The room appeared to be an office of some sort with an oddly shaped desk and chairs and ornate cabinets on each of the three other walls. When everyone else had entered and the door was shut he turned to the others and said. "Ididn't realize what I was feelingbefore we were accosted by the gentleman outside earlier but it's starting to make sense. I believe that there more mental talents in operation around us than merely telepathy but I don't know what theymight be though I can sense them being used. Ms. Trenor or Mr. Jensendo you have any insights on this?" (Reply: MO Trenor or Pilot Jensen) "You could be right, we are going to have to be very careful. Telepathy use by the natives alone could be harmful to us bypenetrating our disguises but other talents could take us quite literally unawares. Mr. Keswick I am going to need you to be very vigilant as to threats you can see but use restraint as you did earlier.Do you have any suggestions to make as regarding our safety?" (Reply: Ensign Keswick) "Very good Mr. Keswick. While we are here let us make use of this opportunity to search these cabinets and see if there are papers with information we can use, shall we?" As the others were searching the room Riven said. "Captain Winters this is Riven reporting in. How may I help you?" (Reply: Captain Winters, Keswick, Trenor, Jensen, any) (Posted by Charles) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais -Ensign Travis Keswick - 1445) "Yes Mr. Keswick, everything is fine now." Mias said "Thank you for your vigilance. We seem to have been accosted by someone who wished to purchase the talents of our lovely marine." Riven said as he looked at her. Just then the captain voice came over the communicator. =^= Gentleman, at your earliest convenience, please report in. =^= "Hold your position for a moment Mr. Keswick." Riven said as he looked away from Trenor and at the surrounding buildings. "Understood Doctor" Travis said staying ever vigilant of the surrounding buildings and keeping a watchful eye on the team as foot traffic heavier. The nearest of the pyramidal buildings was only a few hundred feet away and the "Steps" of the pyramid were in three levels. The ground floor was of course the largest and had wide, heavily motifed and burnished double doors made of some kind of reddish metal. There were no stairs or other means of egress to the second or third levels that he could see and so he assumed that they were for air traffic only and indeed watched as many flying natives making use of several entrances on each level. The traffic coming out of the building was heavier then the traffic flowing in to them. "We need to find a place where we can speak freely for a moment." Riven said as he turned to the team. "Perhaps there is somewhere inside that will do. Come with us into the ground floor interior Mr. Keswick so that we don't have to worry about regrouping later." "That's a good idea he said. "Seeing that traffic coming out of the pyramids is heavier then the traffic going in so we need to move carefully as not to stand out". he added Travis followed Mias as heled the way to the pyramid, it's large doors opened easily as they walked in. Inside it was very cool and well lit. The foyer into which they stepped was wide and tall and the lighting on the walls was coming from intricate, ivy shaped settings. The walls were carved with swirling patterns and natural scenes and were very beautiful. A short hall led from the foyer into a wide chamber with a water fountain which had benches set around it and a lot of greenery. There were doors along the walls of the same metal as the doors outside, one of which was standing partially ajar. Travis was scanning the hallway as Mias motioned everyone to follow him into the room. Travis was the last one to enter the room and closed the door behind him. The room appeared to be an office of some sort with an oddly shaped desk and chairs and ornate cabinets on each of the three other walls. As Travis scanned the room he could see that the door they just walked throw was the only way in or out so he stood in front of it. blocking it so he could tell of anyone tried to enter. Mias Turned to the Team "I didn't realize what I was feeling before we were accosted by the gentleman outside earlier but it's starting to make sense. I believe that there more mental talents in operation around us than merely telepathy but I don't know what they might be though I can sense them being used. Ms. Trenor or Mr. Jensen do you have any insights on this?" Travis listened as they gave there thoughts on the peoples mental talents. "You could be right, we are going to have to be very careful. Telepathy use by the natives alone could be harmful to us by penetrating our disguises but other talents could take us quite literally unawares. Mias said as he turned to Travis Mr. Keswick I am going to need you to be very vigilant as to threats you can see but use restraint as you did earlier. Understood Sr.Travis said still scanning the room. Do you have any suggestions to make as regarding our safety?" he asked "Just be aware of your surroundings and over all just be careful". he said ass he looked at the team. "Very good Mr. Keswick. While we are here let us make use of this opportunity to search these cabinets and see if there are papers with information we can use, shall we?" Travis watched as Trenor and Jensen searched the room looking for any informationthat would be useful. and Mias was talking with the captain. Travis turned and stared looking throw some files that on the desk. (Reply Mias, Trenor, Jensen, any) (Posted by Travis) (Planet: Raelleus VI -City of Falais -Dr. Riven Mias - 1451/1716) After speaking with the Captain, Riven looked about at the others. Alesia and Keswick were hard at work but he noticed the young pilot staring out of the window with a far away look on his face, Riven could sense a mixture of fear and dread emanating from himso he walked over to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder."Mr. Jansen is something troubling you? Do not hesitate to tell me what is on your mind." (Reply: Ensign Bill Jansen) "The talents of the natives as we discussed earlier are something we need to be watchful for Mr. Jansen but not feared. A telepath would not be searching everyone's mind indiscriminately so as long as we do not draw attention to ourselves we will be safe." (Reply: Ensign Bill Jansen) "That is quite understandable Mr. Jansen, I know this is your first away mission however it is vital that we find the information we are looking for, please attend to your duties." As the young man opened and then began searching the cabinet Rivenwent to the remaining cabinet and opened it. As he searched the cabinet hefelt with his mind every so often to check on Jansen's mental state, hewanted to make sure the young man didn't become unstable because of circumstances and do something rash which as Counselor he had seen happen several times on first timeaway missions; he was determined it would not happen this time. The cabinet when opened revealed several bottlesfilled with an amber liquid as well as numerous glassesin the top third of it. The lower two thirds of the piece of furniture however housednumerous files bundled together in two sections. Looking through the files he found that they concerned administrative trivia; the names and addresses of people, movements of foodstuffs and equipment and payment of revenues. The second sectioncontained reports on communications between departments and movements of supplies but nothing on the "Flying Box of the Forefathers." Closing the cabinet Riven sighed and turned to look at the others who were through with their investigations. "Did any of you find anything of value? (Reply: Any) "I was afraid of that. According to the files I went through we are in the administrative building for the local governmental structure meaning we are likely to find nothing of value here. I did see thoughthat there is a flow of materials and information to several other similar buildings that house the Arts, Sciences, Medicine and Research. We may find what we seek in any or all of these buildings. Since it is growing lateI recommend we break off our search for now and find a place wherewe may stay for the night as well as acquiring something to eat. We are undoubtedly going to need some of the local currency to do so. Does anyone have any suggestions on how toacquire some?" (Reply: Any) Riven rolled his eyes at Keswick's tongue in cheek answer. "No Mr. Keswick I am afraid that hiring out Ms. Trenor is not an option," And then smiled at the laughter that ensued. Before leaving the room he checked at the door and hearing nothing slipped through, they gained the door to the entrance walking quickly and stepped outside. (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais -Ensign Travis Keswick - 1453) Travis was looking threw the desk he opined the bottom right hand drawer and sow files that looked like government pay roll papers after examining them he decided that they where of no use to them and moved on. He opined the drawer just above that one and sow some blank forms that where of no use. He opined a big file lick drawer that had personnel file looking threw them he determined they where of no use to them ether. The top center drawer hand an small steal bottle in it so he opined it and sniffed it. The smell was vary strong and bitter Travis almost choked at the outrages aroma coming from the bottle he quickly put the cover back on. Just then Dr' Mias turned and asked. "Did any of you find anything of value? Travis seeped away from the desk covering his nose and recovering from the bottle. "Sorry Doc nothing here but Payroll papers and personnel files and what I think is there idea of a drink." After the others gave there reports Dr. Mias continued. "I was afraid of that. According to the files I went through we are in the administrative building for the local governmental structure meaning we are likely to find nothing of value here. I did see though that there is a flow of materials and information to several other similar buildings that house the Arts, Sciences, Medicine and Research. We may find what we seek in any or all of these buildings. Since it is growing late I recommend we break off our search for now and find a place where we may stay for the night as well as acquiring something to eat. We areundoubtedly going to need some of the local currency to do so. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to acquire some?" Looking over at Lt.Trenorsand giving her a wink "Well we could always hire outTrenors them men seem to like her. then he chucked as Trenors rolled her eyes at that idea." Riven rolled his eyes at Keswick's tongue in cheek answer. "No Mr. Keswick I am afraid that hiring out Ms. Trenor is not an option," And then smiled at the laughter that ensued. Then they all filed out of the room Travis being the last one out checking to make shore that the room was just as it was when they got there then closed the door and followed the group out of the building. (Raelleus VI - Matais -Market place -CSO Ketal -1501/1826) After leaving the building Commander Belinia stopped and paused for a moment then said. "Gentlemen, I need to find a small quiet spot. Lets get through the marketplace to see if there is anywhere we can hide." Ketal nodded andcontinued to follow him on his left flank as he moved into the market.He watched and made note of the items for sale there as the FO looked closely, and it appeared hungrily at the merchandise. The number followed by the two letters appeared to be the sale price. "Perhaps the letters stand for Raellean dollars Commander however I am not completely certain though it would fit our knowledge of the local culture and history." After a moment the young man turned to Ketal and asked, "I think we need currency. Where do you suppose we can get some?" Ketal considered the question for a moment; they had nothing on them with which to barter and couldn't have any money replicated by the ship until they had located some anyway. "I assume Commander that there are establishments where we can obtain local currency however we have nothing on us we may exchange in return." "Well that's no good. Lets us find some pick-pockets, they are always around, in every society." While the Commander was looking for a pickpocket Ketal was observing the actions of a Raellean couple on the far side of the market, the male was standing watch territorially over her as she stood in rapt concentration with her eyes closed and arms spread wide. The female was elaborately clothed as were all of the escorted women the group had seen in a dazzling array of layers of skirts and delicate footwear and jewelry as well as sporting what looked to be a collar, she also was extremely attractive and commanded the attention of more than a few of the passing males. As he continued to watch her the trilling of a flute broke out in the market from the area she was in and began playing a beautiful melody. While she had garnered a lot of notice before she suddenly became the center of attention though Ketal saw no instrument or recording device. Puzzled, Ketal turned in time to see the Commander nod in the direction of a youth and begin to chase him. Ketal and the Counselor immediately followed.As the youth sped into an alley Commander Belinia turned and ordered the Counselor to keep watch while Ketal and he overtook the youngster. Ketal stood back and observed their exchange as he considered the wisdom of using unlawful acts to acquire currency, if they were caughtby the local authoritiesthey would be put in an extremely difficult circumstance in extricating themselves without contaminating the culture. When the boy dropped his ill gotten gains and fled the FO turned to Ketal again. "So, how much do you make it?" "Approximately380 dollars in local currency Commander." "Is that a lot?" "Considering the prices posted in the marketplace Commander I would say no." Ketal said. "Mr Raynar, come." As the team gatheredhe ordered the distribution of coins. "And keep some for Peters and Jones." Ketal and the FO listened to the Counselor's reply and the 1/2 Vulcan nodded and watched as the FO hailed the Captain while still wondering about the display he had seen in the market. ~ Intriguing ~ (Reply: Any) (Posted by Charles) (Planet Raelleus VI - City of Falais, Marketplace - Dr. Riven Mias - 15:32/18:57) The sun was nearing the horizon as the group emerged into the marketplace, the crowd hadnot thinned at all buthad grown larger and the plaza was extremely crowded. The nativesappeared to be extremely excited about something that was about to happen. On the osiers of the plaza lights were being strung and areas were being marked off. A signthat they had not noticed earlieradvertised cash prizes for feats of strength or skill, wrestling and musical talents. An idea immediately began to form in Riven's head as he saw this and he smiled as he turned to the others. First place in the various contests was 500 RD, second was 200 RD and third was 100 RD. "It looks like they are setting up for the events. Would anyone care to try yourhand at something?" (Reply: Keswick, Jansen, Trenor, Any) (Posted by Charles) (Planet Raelleus VI - City of Falais, Marketplace - Ensign Travis Keswick - 15:33) The sun was setting as Travis and the groupwalked out of the building. Travis watched as the crowds got bigger and the Plaza was really coming to life with the people talking and getting existed. lights were being hung and and areas of the plaza where being marked off into tournament rings seeing that got Travis a little excited. Then he sow the signs Cash prizes for feats of strength or skill, wrestling and musical talents. First place in the various contests was 500 RD, second was 200 RD and third was 100 RD. ~ Oh ya a tournament I Live for this stuff~ he thought to himself as he smiled showing off his razor sharp teeth That Dr. Weirs was so kind to give him. Mias turned to the group. "It looks like they are setting up for the events. Would anyone care to try your hand at something?" With a big smile still on his face Travis said "Definitely where do we sign up" The group walked over to a table where People where sing up to enter the events. When the group got to the table Travis sow a list of events. Travis studied the list for a moment. Then he went up to a tall man who wassinging people up for the events. The Man looked at Travis how was standing at 7 feet tall and was 280lbs of soled Mussel. "Name your event" the man said in a loud dry voice. Looking into the mans eyes Travis said "I willwrestle" "You are kind of small to wrestle the tall man said to Travis as the other people started to laughing. "Just sign me up" Travis said raising his voice a little to get them to stop laughing. "Ok you will be in area 6 over there" he said pointing to where a larger group of people have gathered around a ring. "It starts in 30 mints be ready" Travis steeped aside as the rest of the group signed up and they met back up after they had all singed up. "So what are you guys going to be doing" he asked the group as they regrouped. (Reply: Mias, Jansen, Trenor, Any) "Well Good luck to all of you" (Dr. Mias do you have any finale thoughts before I go worm up) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Mystique, Holodeck 1, ACEO Ens.. Denton 0930) (Conestoga Class Ship, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 1040) (Conestoga Class Ship - OPS - CCE Roberts - 1041) (Conestoga Class Ship - Engine room - Ensign Jason Dema -1045) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais -Ensign Bill Jansen - 1452) (Raelleus VI - City of Falais; MnSgt Peters & MO Ens. Jones; 1500/1825) (USS Mystique,Bridge, CO, Captain Vanyssa Winters, 1510) (USS Mystique, Engineering, Plasma Manifolds, Ens.. Denton, 1520) (Raelleus VI - City of Falais-CSO Ketal -1528/1853) (Planet Raelleus VI - City of Falais, Marketplace - Ensign Jansen - 15:34) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza - Dr. Riven Mias- 1535) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza- Ensign Travis Keswick1535) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza - MO Alesia Trenor& Dr. Riven Mias- 1550) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza- Ensign Travis Keswick - 1600) ************************************************************************************* (USS Mystique, Personal Quarters, Lt(SG) Sarouk & Dr. Weir, 0400) Sarouk enter his quarters, letting the hot dry air wash over him. He always kept his quarters environment set to Vulcan norms.Yet on entering his quarters he immediately felt that the temperature and gravity had been altered.The room was exactly 3 degrees cooler than when he had left for his duty shift, and the gravity was exactly . 3 G less. Both were testament to the arrival of Kellita, his wife. Not that Sarouk need these clues, he had known the second she had set foot on the Mystique. Their bond was very strong, stronger than most Vulcan couples, due to Kellita being Betazoid and Sarouk's own above average telepathic ability. The current temperature and gravity settings where the compromise they had made not long after their wedding.Many times Sarouk thought marriage was nothing more than an exercise in the art of compromise. Quietly, he moved to the bed room where Kellita lay sleeping.He watched her sleep for a short time, aware that she was dreaming.Her emotions traveling along their link to him. Without a sound, he undressed and moved into the bathroom for a quick sonic-shower.Exiting the bathroom 4.56 minuets latterSarouk noticed that Kellita had rolled over onto her back, exposing her swollen abdomen.Sarouk's normally impassive face soften as his thoughts turned to their daughter, still in the womb. ~Her presence here is illogical.~Sarouk thought, turning.He grabbed one of his traditional Vulcan robes from the closest and moved into his study wrapping the robe around him.~We are in the middle of a war.Our survival uncertain.Yet she insists to be by my side.She should be on Vulcan.Her and our child would be safe there.Yet she refutes my logical arguments and chooses to remain.I do not understand her reasoning.~ Sarouk sat on his meditation stone and began to clear his mind of the days burdens.Seeking his calm center. Kellita was exhausted by the time she had stumbled into Sarouk's Quarters after managingto save both of the girls.Her superior, Dr. Radchenko, had fallen asleep at his desk, to which Kellita had just smiled and taken herself off to her Quarters. She'd managed a quick shower, feeling much better after washing off the sweat and grime of the last several hours, then changed into a nightgown and climbed into bed.That was when she had realized that the temperature settings were wrong, and had changed them to where they were supposed to be.She spared a shaft of love to her husband, who was busy working in Engineering, and fell asleep. She would know when and if he made it back to Quarters. She hoped. Kellita had slept deeply, then woken all at once when her husband had engaged his meditation techniques. "Of course."She said out loud. "Excellent timing as always, Kellita."She laughed, then snuggled down into the blankets.::Can't you meditate in here?:: She sent down their bond. ::Your emotional bundle of illogic needs a hug.:: Sarouk's brow rose as he heard his wife's 'voice' in his mind, but he did not immediately open his eyes.::I was not aware you had awakened,:: He replied, ::I shall be coming to bed momentarily.:: Sarouk quickly cleared his mind of distractions and preformed a quick mental technique to center his mind.Then rose and walked back into the bed room.Removing his robe, he slid under the covers next to his wife.Allowing her to snuggle up next to him, resting her head on his bare chest, his arm draped around her protectively.At the direct physical contact, their mental bond flared into full life and spoken words no longer became necessary. ::I am pleased to see you again, my wife, though your presence here is illogical,::Sarouk sent down the link, ::You put yourself and our child at undue risk.:: ::Don't care.:: She sent back, liking the feel of his arms on her. ::Want to be with you.There is no life without you. Being separated from you all this time was so hard on me.::She showed him how hard it had been. ::Don't leave me again, Sarouk.I am made to be with you.:: She showed him how much this was true then looked up at him. She showed him what was bothering her, the needless almost death of two children who had done nothing more than be with their parents. ::I don'tunderstand how an Admiral who claims to have Starfleet's best interests at heart can act the way that Doenitz does.I don't understand how he thinks he can gain anything.All he'll gain is the destruction of the UFP::She waited for her husband's wise answer to come and make things make sense.He truly was a good match for her. Sarouk's brow rose slightly at his wife's illogical arguments, but he had come to expect such things from her.::Admiral Doenitz has only his own interests at heart.He seeks to seize power for himself.He serves no one but his own petty desires, and he does not care who or what is harmed as long as his desires are met.:: ::But what are his desires?::Kellita asked, pressing the issue. ::To be supreme dictator of a world at war?How is that logical?:: ::That is an illogical question,::Sarouk replied, ::I can not say what his desires are.I can only hypothesize by the actions witnessed and the evidence presented. He is human.Humans are not known for theirlogic.Power is a drug, my wife, as intoxicating as any drink.Doenitz has tasted this drug and craves more.Logic does not dictate his actions.:: Kellita sent back an acknowledgment, beginning to fall asleep again. ::Promise me you won't leave me again ?::She asked through her sleepiness.This pregnancy was certainly taking a lot out of her. It was well known that pregnant women needed to rest more than others, but this was ridiculous.She yawned aloud and snuggled deeper into Sarouk's arms. ::We are never truly apart, my wife,:: Sarouk replied, gently stroking her hair.::I do what I must.Sleep now.We will talk more in the morning.:: She yawned and finally gave into his suggestion, the events of the day overwhelming her.Everything was right again. (reply none) (posted by Wes and Melinda :-) ******************************************************************************************* (USS Mystique, Holodeck 1, ACEO Ens.. Denton 0930) James had wanted to test his new program for a long time, his brother sent him over a month ago. He walked into the holodeck and said " Computer, run program Denton-Overlord. He and his brother had always been WWII buffs so he wanted to try a this program that was the Operation Overlord Scenario, where he would be the seargent of the 35th battalion. The program started and James was onboard a boat heading off to Normandy, he felt the boat tremble as a bomb went off to his right. He landed on the beach and the action began. By the time James was done he was glad he was not soldier , he had died 3 times while running the program. It was almost time for his shift to start sohe headed off to his quarters to clean up and grab a bite to eat. (reply none) (posted by Justin T) (Conestoga Class Ship, OPS, Lt (jg) HHril, 1040) "We have located several corpses here, Sir." he said, shifting his weight as he spoke. "Approximately half of the colonists are still aboard this ship. They never made it to the planet." =/\=Interesting, Lieutenant=/\= replied the Captain. "Once we have stabilized the vessel in orbit, I would like permission to stay and try to figure out exactly what happened." =/\=Your first priority is to get that ship stable.=/\=replied Winters. "But please, satisfy your curiosity as well.=/\= there was a pause beforetheCaptain continued. =/\=Mr. Hhril, was there a reason you waited several hours to reply ?=/\= A look of bewilderment appeared on the face of the OPS officer. He looked down at the display on the arm of his environmental suit. "I'm not certain that I understand, Sir." he replied, staring at his wrist. "The away team boarded the colony vessel at 1000 hrs. We have been aboard ship for approximately 40 minutes Captain." =/\=You've been gone 8 hours, Mr. Hhril.=/\= stated the CO flatly. HHril stepped over to the CE that had been assigned to watch over HHril and Sarouk. "What do you show for time on your HUD Roberts?" (reply Roberts) "Sarouk?" asked the Romulan, slightly confused by the situation they were finding themselves in. (reply Sarouk) "Negative, Captain. By all accounts, we have only been aboard ship for 42 minutes." HHril began punching commandsinto the tricorder. "I believe what we are experiencing is a time distortion." he said as he continued to amplify thesensors of his tricorder. "It appears that thisvessel is encompassed by what can only be described as a time bubble. The time where we are and the time aboard the Mystique are not in synch. If you imagine a subspace bubble. The space within the bubble is not the same as the space outside of it. This would work the same... except what is trapped within the bubble is time." (reply Winters, Any) "That could explain why we have found this ship to be in such excellent condition considering its age." continued HHril. It is trapped within a bubble where time is moving exponentially slower than it is in normal space. The thing is, Sir... I don't believe that this is a natural phenomenon. I believe that what we are experiencing has been artificially created." (reply any) "Captain." said the Romulan. "I will contact the Mystique at 30 minute intervals to update you as we progress." =/\=Be cognizant of more time distortions then, Mr. Hhril.=/\= replied the Captain, a hint of worry evident in her voice. "Aye, Sir. Away team out." he looked around at the engineering team and the CE that stood with them. "Answers, Gentlemen." said the OPS man. "What we need right now are answers that do not lead us to more questions. This ship is still falling into orbit. We are still here to stop that from happening. We will have ample time to figure out exactly what happened once we have stabilized the ship in orbit." hecontinued as he led the way to the center of the large common room. "That is our mission. That is our first priority. We need to find engineering section." He tapped his comm badge. "Mr. Dema." he said not waiting for a reply. "Have you located the engine room of the ship?" =/\= Yes, At least I think so=/\=came the reply over the comm channel. "Excellent. Hold position. Lt. Sarouk and I are on our way." =/\= I've seen these devices before,they look pretty messed up, want me to take a look at them? =/\= said the young Ensign. "Negative." replied the Operations chief. "Your primary concern is the safety of this away team. I need your head wrapped around that, and only that. I have no doubt that you are an efficient and competent officer," continued HHril. "But the fact is that the engineering team and the combat engineers are here for that. Hold position. We are on our way. HHril out." He tapped his comm badge to close the channel and headed towards their coordinates as indicated on the tricorder. The room they entered was a dark, dank recess of the ship. HHril lead the way in, his cell pointed forward to aluminate their surroundings. There was no mistaking it. They had found engineering. The fact was, it was a simple engine room. The design of the engine predated matter/anti-matter drives that the federation now used by centuries. For all intents and purposes, they were looking at a mock up of the engine used to power the Phoenix on humanities first warp flight. Slightly modified to say the least. He spun to face the engineering team that had followed him into the room. "Gentlemen." he said, smiling through the glass of his helmet. "Lets get to work." (reply Winters, Roberts, Sarouk, Any) (Posted by Matthew Elias) (Conestoga Class Ship - OPS - CCE Roberts - 1041) "What do you show for time on your HUD Roberts?" Roberts frowned and turned his eyes inward to look at the HUD, "Ten-Forty one hours, Sir." He said a moment later. What followed was a long discussion about what situation they were in and such. It wasn't pretty, and Roberts had nothing to add, he was a Combat Engineer: Not a scientist. The group had finally migrated to the Engineering room, and Roberts had to bite back a groan. He was a fully qualified engineer, and had been for two dozen years, but this was an antique. "Gentlemen. Lets get to work." Robert turned to look at the Operations officer, "Permission to scout the ship for possible subspace generators, or anything else that looks out of place in this style ship?" (reply: OPS) (posted by Trout) (Conestoga Class Ship - Engine room - Ensign Jason Dema -1045) Jason explained that he saw these kind of devices before, and asked if he was allowed to take a look. "Negative, Your primary concern is the safety of this away team. I need your head wrapped around that, and only that. I have no doubt that you are an efficient and competent officer, But the fact is that the engineering team and the combat engineers are here for that. Hold position. We are on our way. HHril out." Jason looked around the large room, looking at the large machinery, and thinking abouthow inefficient they seemed against the smaller, stronger devices that exist nowadays. He came to a door and had to force it open. As he entered a big space, he noticed lockers, and closets. ~this must be the maintenance area where they hold the tools and spare parts~. Jason opened the lockers to see all kinds of tools that would get a nice place in a museum. no laser-tolls, no tricorder, nothing. They didn't had equipment to scan for problems, instead, they had to search for it, andwork with their experience. Jason opened another locker. Looking inside, he saw smaller parts, which seemed to be spares for smaller parts, scrolls and a book. He took some of the scrolls, and noticed that they were marked with what they showed on the inside. There was fuel-controller, water-systems, etc. He also saw one with the blueprints of the ship. Then he took the book and the cover showed that this was the logbook from engineering. ~These I gotta show to HHril~. He took an empty toolbox, and inserted the scrolls and the books and brought it to the entrance through which HHril would most possibly enter. He saw lights searching the room and heard HHril talk "Gentlemen, Lets get to work." Jason walked to HHril. "Lt., I think you'll find this interesting." Jason opened the toolbox andhanded the book and blueprints over to HHril and left the rest in the toolbox. (reply HHril, any) (posted by Anthony Struelens) (reply Winters, Roberts, Sarouk, Any) (Posted by Matthew Elias) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais -Ensign Bill Jansen - 1452) "Mr. Jansen is something troubling you? Do not hesitate to tell me what is on your mind." The sound of the counselor's voice brought Jansen back to reality with a resounding thud."Ummmm..., well, no sir, it's just, the thought of these telepathic beings.It's kind of ... freshening." "The talents of the natives as we discussed earlier are something we need to be watchful for Mr. Jansen but not feared. A telepath would not be searching everyone's mindindiscriminately so as long as we do not draw attention to ourselves we will be safe." "Yes sir," Jansen replied, but in his mind he thought, ~Yeah, that's if they play by our rules.~"It still makes me a little uneasy." "That is quite understandable Mr. Jansen, I know this is your first away mission however it is vital that we find the information we are looking for, please attend to your duties." Jansen knew an order when he heard one and went back to work.He began searching the desks, but found little of consequence.Of course, it would have helped if he knew what they were looking for.What could they find that would help. Every so often he would feel a tingling in his mind, that kept him on edge. Then he would hear whispers, and turn around to see that nobody was there, or talking.This whole planet was giving him the heebyjeebies. "Did any of you find anything of value?" Mias asked. "Sorry Doc," Keswick offered, "nothing here but Payroll papers and personnel files and what I think is there idea of a drink." "Not really anything here either," Jansen admitted. Mias didn't seem to pleased.He reported that the building was obviously an administrative one and had the usual boring records. "Since it is growing late," Mias continued, "I recommend we break off our search for now and find a place where we may stay for the night as well as acquiring something to eat. We are undoubtedly going to need some of the local currency to do so. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to acquire some?" "Well we could always hire out Trenors," Keswick said with a chuckle, "the men seem to like her." Trenors rolled her eyes at him.Jansen shook his head, but thought that making an offer to her, himself, didn't seem like a bad idea.She did look very exotic. Riven rolled his eyes at Keswick's tongue in cheek answer. "No Mr. Keswick I am afraid that hiring out Ms. Trenor is not an option," And then smiled at the laughter that ensued. Before leaving the room he checked at the door and hearing nothing slipped through, they gained the door to the entrance walking quickly and stepped outside. (Raelleus VI - City of Falais; MnSgt Peters & MO Ens. Jones; 1500/1825) Peters opened a drawer in the filing cabinet. He glanced at the headers of the foolscap files. 'Damage Reports', 'Building Suppliers', 'Risk Assesment', 'Invoices', 'University Plans', 'Financial Statements', 'Financial Reports', 'Possible Locations'. He opened the 'University Plans' file and glanced at them. It seemed that they were on the outer edge of the University of Falais. The building looked like the central administrative building for the university. He saw that there were several buildings which would be of interest to the away team. He memorized the plans and carried on looking through the filing cabinet. Meanwhile Jones was standing in front of the desk, she had opened the only drawer and had found some interesting books and documents. The book titles were 'The history of Raelleus VI', 'The language of the Raelleans', Common usage of Raellean, 'Earthlian/Raellean language'. The documents were 'Interpretation of the law and freedom of speech', 'Guaranteed rights - Raelleans, 'Guaranteed rights - 'Earthlians, 'Ethnic cleansing - strategies and consequences', 'Life before and after the 'Great war''. Jones started to read some of the data in 'The history of Raelleus VI'. "The large spacial object came hurtling through the upper atmosphere and fell with such speed that, when it landed, the fallout catchments covered fully two thirds of the planet. This forced the indigenous population to flee their home towns and cities to areas which were not affected by this disaster. The Government was almost completely destroyed and the people were thrown into a Feudal system once again. The entire planet was flooded with toxic chemicals as the heat from the gigantic ball melted itself. The chemicals and gasses mixed with the atmosphere. The sun had been obscured from view, and its heat could not penetrate the cloud of dust that hung over the entire globe. It rained often, but only chemical laden water. It was a miracle that there were any Raelleans left to restart the population." She turned several pages to the start of the next chapter. "After the dust had settled, and the sky could be seen from the ground, the Raelleans returned to their once prestigious cities. It had taken 300 years to fully clear from the sky, only those who remembered the incident were aware of what they needed to do, now that it was safe to do so. One side effect that the Raelleans were not expecting was the sheer magnetic force which accompanied the object. Their technology was next to useless. And they began to notice that the entire planet was poisoned. They could no longer farm the land, fish the waters or even eat the birds or animals. Everything that had been exposed to the elements was useless." Again she turned to another chapter. "The population, while in hiding, eventually decreased in size. Almost the entire population died of disease or malnutrition in the first three years. It was a hard and lonely existence during this dark period. There were only 4,000 Raelleans alive, and after a few years they too began to decrease in number. It became evident to those who were medically trained, that the male population had become infertile, while the fertility of the females had increased. An odd side effect you will agree, and it baffles scientists to this day." There she stopped. Peters was still rummaging through the filing cabinets under the bookcases along the opposite wall to the door. "Found anything?" She asked. "Yeah, quite a bit. This office seems to belong to a professor or someone who is incredibly well read." He turned to face her. "There are loads of books here to do with history and politics. Plans for the university, financial statements and reports. In that cabinet there [he pointed] there are huge volumes of thesis' and dissertations on the history of the population. You?" "Pretty much the same, I found books on the native language and all sorts of files to do with history. It is really interesting." Here she recited what she had read and he moved towardsthe desk. He pocketed the book which still lay open and the language books. Then he took the files to do with ethnic cleansing and the great war. "I think we have spent too much time here. Let's get out." The two of them returned the office to its previous state and removed the chair from its position under the door handle. Peters looked out of the door and saw that the lobby was now full of people, whispering and shouting. Something was going on. It provided a good cover so they darted out of the office and into the crowd. They headed towards the exit that the First Officer had exited by and slipped unnoticed out of the billeting. They headed into the market as dusk fell over the city. It seemed to bring a carnival atmosphere to the area. Smells flooded their senses, divine perfumes mingled with fruits and flowers of unimaginable beauty. they came between two stalls selling meats and Jones began to get hungry. Peters was not really noticing the small details, like food, he was scanning for the First Officer. He couldn't see him so he walked forwards into the market proper. The hustle and bustle of the crowd was energizing and he started to get intrigued about the people. He stopped and turned back to find Jones staring at him. A man had accosted her and was trying to 'buy' her. Peters, not knowing the custom he simply ran up to the fellow and knocked him on the floor. His lip and nose bleeding, he simply scurried to his feet and ran away. "Are you okay?" He asked gently. "Yeah, just startled is all." She replied shaking. "Good, the sooner we find the FO the better." He grabbed her lightly, but firmly, on the arm and led her away. Soon he spotted Ensign Ketal and started towards him. (Reply Ketal, any) (pb John G) (USS Mystique,Bridge, CO, Captain Vanyssa Winters, 1510) Vanyssa had been pacing the bridge, wanting to hear something from the crew memebers. They were still alive, she knew that, the sensors told her that.Her telepathic senses told her that. =^=HHril to Mystique.=^=Vanyssa heard over the comm. She stopped pacing and said a plea to the Gods. "Go ahead Lieutenant." "We have located several corpses here, Sir." he said, shifting his weight as he spoke. "Approximately half of the colonists are still aboard this ship. They never made it to the planet." "Interesting, Lt."Vanyssa said, while he continued. "Once we have stabilized the vessel in orbit, I would like permission to stay and try to figure out exactly what happened." "Your first priority is to get that ship stable."Vanyssa stated. "But please, satisfy your curiosity as well."She sat down. "Mr. Hhril, was there a reason you waited several hours to reply ?" (reply) "You've been gone 8 hours, Mr. Hhril."Vanyssa stated flatly. (reply) "Be cognizant of more time distortions then, Mr. Hhril." "Understood. HHril out." Vanyssa looked up as the lights went off on the Bridge. "Mr. Herk ?"Vanyssa asked. (reply Herk) Vanyssa got up. "Mr. Denton, what did you do now ?"She asked in exasperation."I thought this was supposed to be a routine cleaning of the manifolds."Shesaid, as the computer reported widespread computer failures all over the ship. (reply Denton, Herk, Hhril, anybody who wants to be on the ship) (pb melinda :-) (USS Mystique, Engineering, Plasma Manifolds, Ens.. Denton, 1520) " Sigh... Nothing like cleaning the plasma manifolds. Oh well I guess it could be worse, I wouldn't want to be on that planet." James continued to work when he saw something to be wrong with an EPS conduit. He went over to check what was wrong with it. It was just a minor problem that he could fix easily. James thought to himself ~ I don't have what I need for this... oh well I guess I can wing it with a hyperspanner.~ James started to repair the problem and was almost done. " Woops" The lights had just gone off and just as James was reaching for his kit and grab a tricorder. =/\= Mr. Denton, what did you do now ?" She asked in exasperation. "I thought this was supposed to be a routine cleaning of the manifolds.=/\= " It was Captain, but thee was a small problem in the EPS conduits, I must have overloaded it when I was attempting to repair it." (reply Captain Winters) "I think I can repair it but it may take some time to do" James said a little nervously. (reply Captain Winters) (posted by Justin T.) HYPERLINK "http://www.spicyhumor.com/taf.php" \o "http://www.spicyhumor.com/taf.php" \t "_blank"  (Raelleus VI - City of Falais-CSO Ketal -1528/1853) Ketal was standing near the mouth of the alley where they had cornered the young thief talking to Counselor Raynar when he saw the two marines making for them. The 1/2 Vulcan noticed that as the couple passed the crowd it was as though a ripple seemed to move through it as themalesturned to look toward the young woman. It was obvious that they noticed it as well because they quickened their step in order to get to his proximity as quickly as possible. Please stay here and keep watch Mr. Raynar." He said. (Reply: Telan Raynar) Ketal looked around and quickly spotted a door to a small shop nearby, he moved quickly to the door and found it locked. The lock was simple and with his strength he managed to force the handle until he heard a sharp snap as the lock gave way. Turning around he motioned the two inside and when they had entered he shut the door to the dark shop behind them and stood guard at the door. There was a little lightfiltering through the drapes on the wall farther down but it was hardly enough to see well by. Ketal looked at Ms. Jones and said, " I mean no offense Ms. Jones," then turning to Mr. Peters he said. "The presence of a female among us isbringing unfortunateattention on us. I have been watching the interactions in the marketplace and the few females there areclosely watched and jealously protected by their male consorts. The males here are very territorial and aggressive toward any females found." (Reply: Jones, Peters) "Commander Belinia is in the marketplace buying food.I see your bag is well laden. You have found some information that will be of help?" (Reply: Peters, Jones, any) (Posted by Charles) (Planet Raelleus VI - City of Falais, Marketplace - Ensign Jansen - 15:34) As they stepped out of the shade of the building Jansen shielded his eyes from the setting sun.The whole town seemed somehow different.More crowded.That nagging feeling at the back of his mind returned.It was like he had ants in his head.He was having a little trouble focusing.He tried to shake the cobwebs loose a little.Then he heard a voice, as if it had been whispered in his ear.He didn't quite catch what it said, but there was a warning behind it. Jansen noticed the sign everyone was looking at.It was advertising several contests in which there was prize money offered.He could see the look in Riven's eyes. "It looks like they are setting up for the events," he said."Would anyone care to try your hand at something?" Keswick was the first to say, "Definitely where do we sign up" Jansen shrugged his shoulders, but he thought he might be able to impress Ms. Trenor. "Why not?" The man signing them up was large and loud.He laughed, causing the crowd around him to laugh with him, when Keswick signed up for the wrestling tournament.The ASC seemed a little put out by their attitudes.Looking at the size of the natives he could understand it though, since Keswick was atleast a full head shorter than the shortest of them. This did not look like the kind of activity that would suit a young pilot. He wandered the tables looking for something else, then he saw people playing a game of chance, with some odd looking numbered cubes.When he looked closer he noticed that the cubes were actually multifaceted, perhaps more at the level of twenty surfaces.As he watched the game seemed simple enough, and so he signed up. The only thing that worried him was the caveat by the sign in sheet. "Cheaters will be dealt with severely and swiftly."Well, he hadn't planned on cheating, so he had little to loose.He stood around for a while just watching, to make sure he had all of the nuances of the game.When he felt comfortable he pulled himself up to the able and pulled out the oddly shaped pieces he found in a desk, that he had assumed was currency.He put them down on the table and waited for the game to begin. (reply none) (posted by Al Muir) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza - Dr. Riven Mias- 1535) Riven watched proudly as Keswick and Jansen signed up for their particular events of interest then realized with the crowd that was gathering he was not going to be able to keep an eye on the young pilot as he wished to do. Mr. Jansen was obviously green and more than a little overwhelmed by what he was experiencingand Riven hoped he would keep his wits about him. While Mr. Keswick was taking the good natured hoots and cackles of several men about his size in reference to the wrestling matches the Counselor motioned Alesia Trenor to follow him and made for an officious looking being watching the sign ups. As had been aptly demonstrated both by observation and practical experience Riven knew it was not a good idea to allow her tomove aroundon her own, she was the one he was going to have to watch carefully in case she attracted the interest of the males and as he looked around he saw the eyes of many following her. The being turned out to be a judge as he had hoped and the man gave him a breakdown on the rules for the wrestling matches which eased Riven's mind, he returned to the young Tac/Sc immediately to let him know what he had found. Ensign Keswick noticed him and spoke as he walked up. "So what are you guys going to be doing" "Mr Jansen appears to be involving himself in a dice game Ensign and I will look around in a moment. I am not sure my particular skills will be of any help in this matter however Ms. Trenor might find something of interest as we walk about the festival. "Well Good luck to all of you" The young man said. "By the way Mr. Keswick I spoke to one of the judges and he gave me the rules for the wrestling matches. There is no biting or clawing allowed and you can't use your wings to advantage by fighting in the air or diving down upon a grounded opponent or you will be disqualified. He didn't rule out using them however to buffet your opponent, that is apparently one of the legal moves so watch out for that from your opponents. And one other thing," Mias pointed to one that looked extremely powerful that wasnearly a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier than Keswick with black and grey horizontal stripes. "That one seems to be the local champion and a very strong wrestler but I am confident with your Star Fleet training you can beat even him. Just be careful of their fangs and claws, just because they can't legally do it doesn't mean they might not try if they feel they can't be detected in the act." He slapped the Tac/Sc officer on the shoulder and said. "We're going off to look around now, good luck to you." With the young marine in tow he then looked in on the pilot who was starting to accumulate a small pile of winnings. Riven smiled at him and nodded when he looked up then moved toward some more booths on the outskirts that looked promising. (Reply: Any) (Posted by Charles) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza- Ensign Travis Keswick1535) "By the way Mr. Keswick I spoke to one of the judges and he gave me the rules for the wrestling matches. There is no biting or clawing allowed and you can't use your wings to advantage by fighting in the air or diving down upon a grounded opponent or you will be disqualified. He didn't rule out using them however to buffet your opponent, that is apparently one of the legal moves so watch out for that from your opponents.And one other thing," Mias pointed to one that looked extremely powerful that was nearly a foot taller and 100 pounds heavier than Keswick with black and grey horizontal stripes. "That one seems to be the local champion and a very strong wrestler but I am confident with your Star Fleet training you can beat even him. Just be careful of their fangs and claws, just because they can't legally do it doesn't mean they might not try if they feel they can't be detected in the act." He slapped the Tac/Sc officer on the shoulder and said. "We're going off to look around now, good luck to you." Thank you and be careful out there and watch your back. I will meet you back here after the tournament. Travis said to the Dr. Mias as they headed out to look around. Then he sow him the 8 foot 5 in tall400 lbs monster with black and grey horizontal stripes. Sharp razor claws and Big black wings and a tale about a footlong that came to a point like an arrow. ~ Well this is going to be fun~ he thought to him self as he walked down to the ring. (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza - MO Alesia Trenor& Dr. Riven Mias- 1550) Alesia saw eyes following her and felt the lustful thoughts of the people around her. She stayed close by Riven, wanting to be anywhere but here. ::Riven!!!:: Alesia called as she saw two people striding purposely towards them. Alesia knew that she could take them on single-handedly, but that wasn't her role. Riven heard Alesia's mental call and thought back to her. :: Don't worry, everything is under control.:: Riven turned to see the two young males bearing down on them and shook his head. ~ These natives are certainly aggressive if nothing else. ~ He opened his mind to the beings around them and began picking up a myriad of thoughts and impressions. To this point he had shut himself off for the most part from them and was now regretting that decision, he should have picked up on this some time ago. If they ran true to form from what he had seen he was about to be challenged for his territorial rights. As the males came closer he could smell the heavy scent of alcohol moving with them and he smiled, this would make things much easier. Alesia stood behind Riven, and frowned at them. She took his hand, which would allow him access to her telepathic abilities if needed. "Hey!!" One of the guys shouted as Alesia sank into a curtsey. She bristled and stayed firmly behind Riven. "We want to play with her." Alesia sighed as she saw that they were gathering a crowd. The crowd cat-called her , and someone grabbed her, holding a knife to her throat. As she prepared to get herself out of this situation, a richly dressed gentleman with long white hair and beautiful white wings walked up to them. "What is this?" He asked, and waved his hand at the guy holding her, who passed out. "I think we should talk." He said, eyeing Alesia, not hiding his thoughts at all. "I have a proposition for you. You are a stranger, and I am the Master of this town, Prince Hanaldine, and I wish to buy her." Riven folded his arms as he turned toward this new addition to the scene, together he and Ms. Trenor could have handled the situation but that would have meant exposing themselves to some degree and he was not ungrateful for the being'sintervention however he was also not about to give in to yet another proposition. Since he was a being of some importance Riven first bowed respectfully before speaking. "Prince Hanaldine I thank you for your assistance however I must tell you my courtesan pleases me and I do not intend on selling her contract rights. If there is anythingelse I can do in repayment of your kindness please speak it but this is the one thing I must insist on.I have already had one offerfor my beautiful companionand turned him down as I must you." As he was speaking Riven was reading the thoughts of the other creatures around them, their emotions ran from fear to respect to near outright worship, whoever and whatever this being was he had the crowd completely cowed. Riven used a subtle trick he had learned by insinuating his thoughts through the mind of another who had no mental control or abilities nearby to gauge the mental power of this creature and was astonished at what he found though he kept it offhis face. The Prince stood there for a moment. "I am unaccustomed to being refused, Mr. Mias." The Prince spoke. "Ms. Trenor certainly pleases me. She is obviously high class." The Prince spoke walking around her. "And quite well trained." ::Riven he's strong!:: Alesia sent in fear as the Prince broke into her thoughts, causing her to scream in pain and clutch her head. Riven immediately lashed out in reflex though he knew he alone couldn't overpower the creature, focusing his thoughts rather than in a blanket attack to strike hopefullyat the being's weak spot. Riven knew his only chance was to divert the creature's attention from Alesia long enough for her to channel her abilities to him, from that point he believed they would have a fighting chance. His attack caught the Raellean by surprisebut not enough to overwhelm him though it did cause him to withdraw his attack on Ms. Trenor. Riven took a step back as theRaellean brought it's full attention on him. Riven was slowly being overwhelmed by the power of it's mind as he felt the young woman begin to strengthen and move behind him. ~ Thepower of this being's mind! ~ Riven thought. ~It's notpossible.~ :: Alesia I need your help and I need it now. :: He thought at her before the world began to close in on him. Alesia dived at the Prince, knocking him over and pinning him down into the dirt. She punched him as she tried to focus through the power of his thoughts. She reached out to Riven, who was reputed to be one of the strongest telepaths. ::RIVEN!:: Alesia cried as the assault stopped and two angelic beings walked up to them. ::Be at peace.:: They spoke to the two and Alesia felt herself relaxing. ::Come with us. We know who you are, beings from another place. You are like those that came before but not:: Riven felt her mind begin to strengthen his against the assault thenheardher mental shout as the attack ceased and he felt a peace well up in him renewing his strength and focus. He looked up to see the two unusual beings standing before him.He turned to check on Ms. Trenor and saw that except for getting her clothing a little mussed in her attack on the Raellean she was unharmed which caused him to relax even more, it had become his responsibility to watch over the young lady and he realizedhe had become extremely protective. ::Thank you for your help, I am Riven Mias and my companion is Alesia Trenor however we are constrained by our laws from telling you more than that. Where are you wanting to take us and why?:: Alesia looked at him out of the corner of her eye, focusing on the beings in front of her. The crowd had thinned, those that were still here, bowing in deference to the beings. ::We know your laws, bright one, healer of minds. We know why you have come.:: Alesia realized that it felt like their voices were echoing in her head, a chorus. ::We wish to take you someplace safe, healer of minds. Your companions will be safe. Trust us. We bear no malice towards you.:: Alesia looked at Riven helplessly. Riven considered their proposition only for an instant then looked at Alesia.::They know far too much about us as it is while we know very little about them.As far as the Prime Directive is concerned it appears as though ourbeing here has already destroyed whathope we had of beingunnoticed.:: He then turned to the Raelleans. :: Very well we will go with you. I will enjoy speaking with you about your culture and history, first though I have to contact my Captain and let her know our situation.:: As the Raelleans nodded their acceptance Riven spoke where the implants would pick up his voice. "Captain Winters this is Riven, our attempts to be unobtrusive here have failed and the Raelleans know of our purpose for being here." Vanyssa tried very hard not to curse. First her new engineer made the ship collapse around her, then her team on the colony ship was part of some kind of temporal distortion, and now her team, who was under orders not to reveal themselves had. "Riven..." She said in warning. "It is their telepathic nature Captain, they took the information from our minds without our knowledge. They have offered to take us to another place and I will report to you all I learn." "Be careful." Vanyssa said, the Captain side taking over again. "Find out what you can, and don't reveal anything that you don't have to." "Acknowledged Captain, Riven out." Riven then looked at Alesia Trenor and gave her what was meant to be a comforting smile but for the sharpened teeth and held out his arm for the Marine to take. "Shall we go Ms. Trenor?" Alesia looked at him strangely, then brushed the grass and dirt from her skirts. "Yes, Dr. Mias." She said, taking his arm. The beings looked on in what could only be termed benevolence. ::We find it interesting that you chose to come here as a Courtesan. And you, her Master. Women are very precious here... For all that our men are infertile, and our women terribly fertile, there are very few born.:: The one being said, differentiated by the other only by her slightly more golden hair. The other, with the almost white golden hair said ::We doubt you understand what it means. She is worth five times her weight in precious metals and jewels for her fertility, her beauty and her empathy. That was why so many were after her. The purpose of one such as her is to ensure that those men who are particularly infertile are.... capable of continuing the race. Children are prized here, for there are few, even with our intermingling with those who came from the stars.:: As they began to walk with the Raelleans back toward one of the central pyramids Rivenconsidered how to best explain their situation. :: That was rather a gaffe on our part. We came down hurriedly without a thorough knowledge of the local history and customs. The role of "Master" fell to me by default because of my position when the first gentleman tried to purchase Ms. Trenor's services. Were the circumstances different and our mission less urgent we would have taken the time to make better arrangements before trying to blend in with the locals.:: He noticed that the wrestling matches had started as they passed by the venue but couldn't see the young Tactical/Security officer because of the crowd. Everywhere these beings walked the crowds parted like a wave and the local folk were left bowing and paying homage in their wake. ::From what you say I assume you are pure descendents of the original inhabitants of this planet and telepathically powerful, since you say you know why we are here then you likely know the danger that is even now hovering over your planet. Am I correct in assuming this?:: The golden being spoke ::We know that there is a monster that lives upon that ship, that killed many of the original star-people. We barely saved half of them.... The monster causes our planet to remain hidden. Is this what you speak of?:: ::It isn't.:: The silver one replied. ::The healer of minds shows that the ship with the monster will come to the planet and destroy everything.:: Both of the beings stopped and turned to Riven and Alesia. ::We can not move the ship, there are too few of us left.:: ::And healer of minds, you are wrong. We are the original people. We are not the children of them. Both Lilia and I participated in the bringing of the star-people to the planet before the monster consumed them all.:: Alesia looked between the two women. ::We are not women like you are, young Courtesan. We are...different. We are neither and both.:: The golden haired one finished. As Alesia wondered what to call her, the thought came unbidden into her mind. Cecillia, daughter of the sun and Lilia's mate. Riven's eyes widened at the age of the beings but he said nothing, after all there are several long lived races known by the Federation but the thought of a monster... In some ways these beings were highly advanced but in some ways they were like children~ No innocents ~ he corrected himself in their way of thinking. :: What do you mean by a monster? Was it a disease or some type of parasite carried by the colonists that was killing them? Help me to understand what you mean. We have some men even now that are working to move the ship away from your planet, I am sure it will be taken care of and you will be safe.:: ::They brought diseases with them, the original star people, Master Riven. Those are what killed most of us. But no, the monster...it was like us, but not like us.:: Cecillia said, looking somewhat scared. Lilia chimed in, ::It has our abilities, but it is not a people. It is .. a thing.... It kills by aging and fear, and it eats souls.:: ::We trapped it in the ship, with no food. We hope it is dead now. It is evil. And not many things are, healer of minds.:: Riven stopped dead in his tracks near the wall of the first pyramid and said. "Captain Winters we may have a problem. I am talking to two of the inhabitants of the planet when the colonists arrived. They transported the colonists off and trapped some sort of creature onboard. They say it has very potent abilities and hope that it is dead but they don't know. The repair team may be in danger!" Vanyssa froze on the bridge. Riven and Alesia heard the Captain talking with Herk. "The away team reports no danger, Dr. Mias. Do you have any specifics on this creature?" "Cecillia and Lilia say that it's a monster, Captain. The image that they have in their minds is of a non-corporeal being that eats souls, Captain. I don't know if that is what they mean, or just that the thing causes death." ::We mean, little Courtesan, that the thing eats souls. As in they do not reincarnate.:: Riven raised an eyebrow, and Alesia tried not to cough. "Captain, Lilia says that the 'energy' that they call a soul does not go back into space, it's just...gone. She says that they don't reincarnate." Alesia finished. "Good work." Vanyssa said tersely. "We're still working on restoring power here. Give my thanks and warm wishes to the two you are working with." ::Healer of Minds.:: Lilia said to him alone. ::You are attracted to the Courtesan, yes ? :: Silvery laughter filled his mind. ::I am a maker of couples among my people. It is a fair enough question.:: Many others would have blushed at the question , even many youngBetazoids might have been taken by surprise but Riven was unfazed; he turned to Alesia with an apologetic smile on his face then turned back to Cecillia and Lilia. ::Of course I'm attracted to the young woman, very few virile heterosexual men I know would not beand as your own people have amply demonstrated she is very beautiful. The choice for being a pair however should be left up to her with no outside help.:: Riven then laughed aloud. ::I am after all old enough to be her grandfather though I am very fit for my 60 years.:: This last Riven thought while throwing a wink at the young woman. ::My Captain has asked me to thank you on her behalf for all your help and the information you have provided, hopefully there will be nothing there but in case there is we are forewarned. Thank you Lilia and thank you Cecillia.:: he bowed to each of them in turn. "Captain do you have any further instructions?" "No." Vanyssa replied to them. "Mystique out." Vanyssa turned away to face the planet. ~Be safe, Riven.~ She thought, well within her shields. ~Oh, Ketal...~ She missed him a lot. Alesia, not privy to Lilia's first thought, blushed when she realized what had been asked. She eyed Riven in his current state, then thought about how he normally looked. He was much older than her. She thought about Peters on the other team. While they were close friends and sometimes lovers, they had never become partners. She blushed as they continued walking towards the pyramids, then behind them to a building enclosed in a dome. Alesia moved closer to Riven, and brushed his hand with her elaborately manicured nails. She lookedat him in confusion for the way her emotions felt. She hadn't been at all attracted to him before, but now, after being on the planet amongst all the men that wanted to own her...she felt...strange. Riven had stood up for her, and taken care of her, which might have been because he was team leader. She felt so young, and very alone. ::I'm sorry Riven.:: She sent very closely and carefully along the bond that the skin to skin contact made. Somehow thoughts about the other two members of the team didn't enter into her thoughts. ::There is nothing to be sorry for Ms. Trenor, your confusion is quite understandable. The situation is highly irregular and besides you do not owe me anything, I was just being honest.:: Riven said while patting her hand soothingly. ::There is something aboutthis placethat is veryconducive to amorous thoughts,perhaps it is related to thefrenzied mind set of the inhabitants.:: (Reply: Any, none) (Posted by Charles and Melinda) (Planet: Raelleus VI - City of Falais, plaza- Ensign Travis Keswick - 1600) The referee Stood in the middle of the ring raising his hands to get every ones attention. Ones the crowd quieted down He started the tournament. For those of you who may not know my name is Gorgon and I will be head referee for this tournament. "This tournament is broken into groups andyou will wrestle based on your size and you will only have to wrestle once and if you win that match you win 500 DT ."Gorgon said reading from a peice of paper. " Then Gorgon seeped aside and the other referee where paring people up based on there size After all was said and done Travis was look into the eyes of the man he was to wrestle and that man was Zeus. Then Gorgon said "let the wrestling begin." Before Travis had a chance to movie Zeus had grabbed him By the shoulders and picked him up over his head. ~oh man what did I get my self into~ Travis thought to himself as Zeus threw him on the ground. Travis hit the ground on his side vary hard. As Travis was trying to get to his feet Zeus grabbed Travis in a bear hug and was flailing him around like he was a rag doll. as Zeus applied that bear hug tighterTravis could feel his rib cage cracking under Zeus's huge tree trunk like arms. Travis head butted Zeus in the head that made him let go of the bear hug. Travis sow that Zeus was rubbing his head after that blow Travis tried to capitalize on that by kicking Zeus in the lag and then Zeus fell on to one knee Travis then Grabbed Zeus around the neck in a sleeper hold trying to where him down Zeus stood up with Travis on his back Zeus the flexed his wings throwing Travis on the ground again This time Travis landed on his chest. Getting up to all fours and spiting blood out of his mouth. Travis rolled to his back as Zeus can charging after him and jumped on top him with his knees on Travis chest. Zeus was kneeling on his chest with all 40lbs so Travis could not breath. Travis was almost out cold when he sow small red spots on Zeus's neck and with one last ditch effort Travis punched Zeus in the neck as hard as he could. Zeus Stood up fast grabbing his neck and his face was turning red. Travis got back to his feet and was ready to fight tooth and nail with Zeus. But Zeus just fell on the ground face first. Travis stood in the ring as Gorgon declared that he was the winner. Gorgon gave Travis the 500DT then Travis slowly made his way threw the crowed to abench next to one of the pyramid buildings and sat down. Travis was having a hard time breathing and was spiting more blood. "Well I have to say that was fun" He said to him self as as he sow Zeus walking towards him. Travis Got to his feet and put his hands up to protect him self. "No nomy friend I'm not here to fight you I just wonted to sat that you where grate Zeus said holding his hand out. Travis shock his hand "Thank you, you where not so bad your self" "Letsgo celebrate your victory there is this nice tavern a couple of blocks from here I'm buying Zeus added "Thank you my friend but my friends will be her soon". Travis said holding hid ribs. "Ok then when your friends get here maybe you will come to tavern. 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