Compile Summary ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades – 10 Forward, CO Captain Eva Straton, Day 1 – 1233) (USS Hades – 10 Forward, Captain Eva Straton and Dr. Riven Mias, Day 1 – 1235) (USS Hades – Deck 8, Counseling, ACSO Bracken – 1508) (USS Hades – Sickbay, CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere – 1909) (USS Onyx – Deck 3 – Nertalli diplomat's suite – Col Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt – 2008.5) (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes – 2025) (USS Onyx – Bridge – ACSO Bracken – 2025.5) (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes – 2026.7) (USS Onyx – Bridge – ACSO Bracken – 2027) (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes – 2032.5) (USS Onyx – Deck 4, en-route to Bridge – Col Drizzt – 2032.6) (USS Onyx – Diplomatic Area – CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere – 2036.2) (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes–– 2036.5) (USS Onyx – Bridge – ACSO Bracken – 2036.75) (USS Onyx – Deck 2 – SO Klar – 2037) (USS Onyx – Main Engineering – SO Lieutenant Baylon Trinin – 2038) (USS Onyx – Deck 2 – SO Klar and CMO Lt. Commander Angeni Windsong-Trommashere – 2040) (USS Onyx – Deck 08 – 2O/CTAC/SC Lt(jg) Lo'ren T'Vof – 2043) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Begin Compile (USS Hades, 10 Forward, CO Captain Eva Straton, Day 1 - 12: 33) Eva was sitting at a corner table eating her lunch and watching the stars was they streaked by as the Hades traveled as warp. Taking another bite of her grilled chicken salad she wondered what mysteries this new mission might hold for them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, 10 Forward, Captain Eva Straton and Dr. Riven Mias, Day 1 - 12: 35) Riven walked easily through the doors to the lounge and began looking about, this was his element. A half full lounge with mingling crew offered immeasurable enjoyment and energy. Moving into the chamber he was about to motion to a waiter when he saw the Captain sitting alone in the corner. His smile dipped a bit at the thought of the misunderstanding that had arisen his first day on the ship. A talk with Counsellor Ripley after Captain Straton had left her office had enlightened him on some judgemental mistakes he had made in her office, that was something he needed to get cleared up so with the notes of chimes in his wake he made his way to her table. Walking up he nodded as she turned her eyes to him. "I beg your pardon Captain, do you mind if I sit down?" ::You may sit,:: Eva sent as she motioned to one of the empty seats as she continued chewing her salad. She'd been expecting another visit from Dr. Mias. ::Thank you.:: Riven returned as he took a seat opposite her so they could chat. ::I owe you an apology Captain. Ana informed me of my error in judgement after you met with her. I normally do not go rushing about like a 'bull in a china closet' when I embark on a ship and I made a grave error. I hope you can forgive me.:: ::You are Alureshurite,:: Eva replied, using the ancient honorific name for his order.  ::An ancient and honourable order.  I found your words insulting indeed, not only in a professional sense but also in a personal one as well.  Apology accepted.:: Riven nodded as the waiter walked up. "Tellurian Iced Mocha." He said then turned his attention directly back to Eva before the man had even walked off. ::My words were not well chosen and their delivery out of line, it won't happen again.:: His eyes twinkled as he regarded her. ::That honorific is not generally known, shrouded in the mists of time and seldom used in our day. I see you know much of my order's history.:: ::Ancient Betazoid History was part of my education when I was young,:: Eva replied honestly, ::I know a great deal of your Order and it's history. Your Order was founded by the first Queen of Betazed the daughter of the Goddess Alura, goddess of the mind, over three thousand years ago.  Sworn to defend, serve and protect the children of Alura were your Orders basic tenants.  What else would you like to know?:: ::Oh so you studied it at one of the colleges or at a temple perhaps?:: He asked lightly. Genuinely interested and not intending to pry as the waiter walked up with his cold, caffeinated beverage. The tall glass had a light frost from its time in refrigerated storage while waiting for just such an order and it was invitingly cold to the touch, the body heat from his fingers already melting that rime away where it was touched. The ice clattered merrily as he raised it to his lips. ::One of the temples,:: Eva replied still eating her lunch, ::My parents were quite religious, still are as a matter of fact. They saw to it that my brother and I had a well rounded education.:: Finishing the last of her meal, she leaned back in her seat and looked around the room feeling the ambient mood of those around her before setting her gaze once more on Riven. ::Have you and Lt. Ripley been making any progress with the crew or Lt. Trinin?:: She asked allowing some of her concern for her crew to show in the sending. ::With the crew yes,:: he replied succinctly. ::With Baylon no. Our initial meeting was very enlightening, unfortunately though he has convinced himself that an oversight on his part led inevitably to the deaths of Sash and the men that he commanded on the planet's surface.:: He sighed. ::Baylon as you know can be very stubborn and he refuses to rid himself of the emotional baggage he has taken up. It is almost a messiah syndrome. He is sacrificing his mental and emotional well being, believing that in doing so he is forestalling any future mistakes he might make that would lead to other deaths. You are also well aware that I can not force healing on anyone. While he has been talkative about what he has thought and felt he refuses my offer of help ergo there is little I can do. Until he rids himself of what he is carrying it is my professional opinion that should he be given a position of authority he will be tentative and conflicted, possibly even freezing up and unable to make a quick and concise command decision which will lead inevitably to what he fears most; the deaths of others due to his inability to take decisive action.:: ::Ana's findings are another matter and as this is an ongoing case I cannot speak for her, only give you my own professional opinion and the conclusions I have drawn.::  Eva nodded in understanding. ::I see, perhaps when you and Lt. Ripley feel he is ready, we can return him to duty slowly in a lesser capacity. That in itself may be therapeutic, but I will leave that to the judgement of the professionals to make.  In time perhaps others of the crew will choose to come to you or Lt. Ripley as well and the wounds of Captain Sash's death can begin to heal.:: ::The workload of myself and Counsellor Ripley has been rather heavy, I would say there are no concerns in that regard. The crew has been responding very favourably.:: The waiter's arrival drew his attention and he ordered braised veal chops and asparagus, although a heavy meal late in the day was perhaps not good for his waistline he vowed to work it off by spending some time this evening  in the fitness centre. ::Do you have any other questions?:: ::No,:: Eva replied as she watched the waited deliver the doctors lunch before turning and leaving. ::I think that's should be sufficient for now. I should leave you to enjoy your lunch and I need to get back to the Bridge.  If there is nothing else Doctor, good day.::  Eva stood in preparation to leave.    ::And to you as well Captain.:: He sent in farewell as she turned away. :: I would love to meet your children some time, I am sure they are delightful.::   As the plate was set before him he took another sip of his iced coffee before setting the glass aside and looked about the room once again. tasting the emotional air of ten forward one more time he sighed with pleasure and picked up the knife and fork. Time for mingling later.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Deck 8, Counselling, ACSO Bracken - 1508) "Arguments such as the one you are speaking of aren't all that uncommon. It's how we handle them that determines if they will become an asset or a liability to us later in life. Do you see what I mean?" Dale sighed, the realization of several things coming to her. “You're right, I suppose I couldn't see past my own childhood, Too busy being angry about the lack of consideration that I felt I was being shown.” She sighed, “Selfish girl” She said to herself. She sat in morose silence for a few moments, the true gravity of what really bothered her coming to her, her own issues, and indeed those of her father were actually completely irrelevant at this time. Her own feelings about her father's approach were actually not important, the only thing that mattered at this point in time was her daughter, and the chance that neither of them would see Aimee's father again. “What do I say to Aimee if the Crew of the Onyx is MIA? Do I tell a version of the truth, or an outright lie until she's old enough to...understand?” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Sickbay, CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere, 19:09) Angeni wasn't sure if she wanted to grab a quick dinner from Ten Forward or to just go to her office and eat.  She didn't want to run into Harry if she didn't have to.  She knew they had to have a talk, but she just didn't feel like it at the exact moment.  She decided to return to her office and eat there before ending her shift in an hour...to go back to her quarters and spend the evening alone...again. She had just put a bite of spaghetti in her mouth when her comm badge went off. "Dr. Trommashere this is the Captain, we have found the Onyx, powerless and seemingly lifeless.  I have ordered the marines aboard to secure the ship and search for survivors.  I am initiating possible biological contaminate protocols.  Any survivors are to be beamed directly to the isolation ward in Sickbay for a complete work up by you and your staff.  I don't want to take any chances of a possible unknown contagion getting lose on this ship doctor.  Have your staff standing by." Angeni sighed and tapped her comm badge. "Right away, ma'am."  The young doctor shook her head as she shovelled in a few more mouthfuls of spaghetti.  Part of the message irritated her; the idea that any CMO would bring random things they picked up in the galaxy and not decontaminate them before they were allowed to interact with anyone was absurd.    She stood up, making sure she didn't get any sauce on her uniform; heavens forbid she may have a small little dollop of anything on her uniform hence the Captain made a spot inspection and found her uniform in violation.  She tapped her comm badge, trying not to let frustration show in her voice. "Doctors O'Neil, Dolphine, and Parker, please report to Sickbay immediately." As hard as she tried, she couldn't bring herself to sound authoritative; it just wasn't in her nature until something went south. "Alright, we need to get the decon hoods and trays set up for biological contaminants.  Set up observation as the full decon room, level ten decon and force field levels, please and thank you."   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx - Deck 3,Nertalli diplomat's suite – Col Leonal 'Spider' Drizzt - 2008.5)   "Thank you Colonel, I know you are doing the best you can. I and Doctor Bracken are going to the bridge to see what we can find now that you have it cleared. Hopefully until some power is restored here we can find something, data chips... anything that will give us a clue as to what happened on this ship. If we can find something it will at least give me a foundation upon which to build a working hypothesis. I've got my ACEO headed down to engineering to give your men a hand."   Drizzt nodded, "We've tried the trick of locally powering individual gear with our suits, but that only works if there's something there to help. Sir, this ship is bone dry. Our suits won't power entire systems, and that's exactly what is needed here - until we start pulling individual components away, that is."   "Thanks, keep me informed about what is happening down here. don't hesitate to pass along anything, no matter how negligible it might be. The Captain will be expecting to hear something soon."   The MCO nodded again, almost absently, as his Taccorder picked up yet another sensor ghost. He turned and pulled his rifle down. The ghost didn't last long, it disappeared from his sensors almost immediately, but it was enough to convince him to keep his lights on from now on.   "Gods of my fathers, take up arms in our cause." he whispered in Andorian, an old clan prayer.   (Reply: If desired)   Drizzt turned back, his scatter-gun pointed down. "If you'll excuse me sir, I'm going to go on my engineering patrol - the sooner we're off this ship, the better."   (reply: if desired) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes – 2025)   =^= Scanners have shown no life forms in the vicinity, so yes, prevailing conditions have to be the answer.=^= There was a short pause. =^=But how, or what, I’ll confess I’m stumped. My knowledge of neural science is very limited.=^=   "As is mine." Jack confessed. "However there are a number of conditions that can effect brain function. Pharmaceuticals, chemical imbalance, spatial distortions, radiation exposure, sleep deprivation and others. So what is it that we have here?"   She raised her tricorder so that he could see the readout. “We’ve got nothing...obvious, only the high levels of tachyons...but those in themselves shouldn’t cause anything like these sort of occurrences. No, there’s something...intangible, something we’re missing.”   She paused and shook her head   "Are you all right Lieutenant?"   =^=Another visitation. Okay.=^= She sighed. =^=Let’s go back to the beginning, what do we know?=^=   "Very little." He said. His focus causing him to overlook the creeping shadows. "A ship dead in space in an area of high tachyonic emission. Wait a minute." He cogitated on the thought that lurked at the edge of his consciousness, "Let's start at the tachyons since they were our initial clue to finding the ship."   " A tachyon is a quantum particle with infinite velocity and no or negative energy and tachyons are understood as signifying an instability of the system and treated using tachyon condensation, rather than as real faster-than-light particles, and such instabilities are described by tachyonic fields whose energy momentum relation is described in the following formula."   " E squared + Z squared x C to the fourth power = P squared x C squared."   "They have indefinite though theoretically infinite half lifes but normally disappear almost immediately upon discovery due to their FTL properties and are the basis for Bradyons, Tardyons and string Bosons." He stopped abruptly. "Wait a minute."   (Reply: Dale)   "An insability in the system ..., another name for distorted or unstable space/time." He paused. "And the readings ...."   He grabbed his own tricorder again and turned it on, particle filters to all appearances had remained unaffected to his knowledge. The 'corder hummed as it powered up and when it did so he immediately set the particle filter readout and tapped the initiate button when the tachyonic field dispersion readings came online. The reading pulsed for a second then settled into a near stable readout, varying only slightly from the readings of 1.3 to the 10th power squared per cubic centimetre.   "The readings are basically invariant since our initial scans. That is absolutely impossible unless we what we have here is an ongoing unbalanced space/time  event. And since ..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx – Bridge – ACSO Bracken – 2025.5) =^= A tachyon is a quantum particle with infinite velocity and no or negative energy and tachyons are understood as signifying an instability of the system and treated using tachyon condensation, rather than as real faster-than-light particles, and such instabilities are described by tachyonic fields whose energy momentum relation is described in the following formula:  E squared + Z squared x C to the fourth power = P squared x C squared." "They have indefinite though theoretically infinite half lifes but normally disappear almost immediately upon discovery due to their FTL properties and are the basis for Bradyons, Tardyons and string Bosons.=^= He stopped abruptly. =^=Wait a minute. =^= Dale had listened intently, following Haynes’ train of thought, beginning to see where he was going mentally, then he stopped “Problem Sir?” =^=An insability in the system ..., another name for distorted or unstable space/time. =^= He paused. =^=And the readings ... =^= He grabbed his own tricorder again and turned it on, particle filters to all appearances had remained unaffected to his knowledge. The 'corder hummed as it powered up and when it did so he immediately set the particle filter readout and tapped the initiate button when the tachyonic field dispersion readings came online. The reading pulsed for a second then settled into a near stable readout, varying only slightly from the readings of 1.3 to the 10th power squared per cubic centimeter. =^=The readings are basically invariant since our initial scans. That is absolutely impossible unless we what we have here is an ongoing unbalanced space/time event. And since ... =^= Dale listened to him, following his train of thought, catching up with him, “and since the tachyon field is constant then one of two things must be happening.” She ran things over very briefly, then continued, “One, tachyon is being maintained in a dynamic equilibrium, as they degrade they’re replaced by others from a source as yet undiscovered; or ... The tachyons are being held in some quasi-field, being prevented from energy degradation by something of such immense energy, that I can’t even begin to wonder what would cause it in this region.” (Reply Haynes) Dale grunted non-commitally at the reply, “I can think of a few things that would, quasars for instance, antimatter annihilations, who knows what else, but there’s nothing with a light year that even comes close to it.” (Repy Haynes) “Yes I know, scans are all complete, and mine concur with yours. Static levels of tachyons, spurious readings one moment and expected readings the next. Only way we’re going to find out any more is when we get some kind of power into the computer systems.” (Reply Haynes) Dale however didn’t hear the reply, a cold shuddering thought had run down her back, ending at a cold nasty place just below her stomach. “Oh my...Sir, I’ve just had a really wierd thought....what if the spurious readings...aren’t incorrect?” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes– 2026.7) Dr. Bracken answered his thought., “One, tachyon is being maintained in a dynamic equilibrium, as they degrade they’re replaced by others from a source as yet undiscovered; or .... The tachyons are being held in some quasi-field, being prevented from energy degradation by something of such immense energy, that i can’t even begin to wonder what would cause it in this region.” "Agreed." He grunted.  “I can think of a few things that would, quasars for instance, antimatter annihilations, who knows what else, but there’s nothing with a light year that even comes close to it.” He nodded, not speaking as she ran down the list of possibilities. “Yes I know, scans are all complete, and mine concur with yours. Static levels of tachyons, spurious readings one moment and expected readings the next. Only way we’re going to find out any more is when we get some kind of power into the computer systems." "That's the devil in the details." he answered, not immune to the irony of the comment. “Oh my...Sir, I’ve just had a really weird thought....what if the spurious readings...aren’t incorrect?”   "What do you mean? Are you saying the abnormal readings we are getting may be correct?" His disbelief was palpable, this place was getting on his last nerve.   (Reply: Bracken) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx – Bridge – ACSO Bracken – 2027)       "What do you mean? Are you saying the abnormal readings we are getting may be correct?" His disbelief was palpable, this place was getting on his last nerve.   Dale sighed, not really sure herself where she was going with this; “I’m saying i don’t know.” She stopped, “Sir, I’ve been in the fleet a long time, I’m a highly decorated Officer, filed papers on who knows what and I've seen things that would get us both shot if i thought about them too much, but i have no clue...no clue what the hell is going on, given a month and an empty lab you know..? But here and now?  I’m pretty good at wild ideas and who knows what, but I'd need a lot of time to prove anything.” She stopped, realizing that she was rambling nervously and indeed yelling at the FO.   “Sir...” She began “you know of course that the tachyon condensate results in positive quantum packets and so therefore rather than having D-Dt theta; have a positive mass-squared. Now, normally this means absolutely nothing...but here? You said yourself that it was unstable space/time. Baryon/Tardyon string pressure is irrelevant under these conditions sir...” She realized that she was waving her hands around randomly, as if to annotate her speech, then pulled herself together.   “I’ve not only been running active scans but also passive...albeit on a highly localized limited scale. Look at this,” she lifted her sciences tricorder to Haynes’ helmet. “The scans are identical, and that shouldn’t be. You know the scales yourself.” She stopped “Sir...these PTK peaks show that although at the time we see utter deprivation, there’s no discernible difference in B/T annihilation. In short...Its not an hallucination...” She stopped, albeit very briefly “I’m....I’m scared Sir.” She hoped that everything was inflected into that last sentence, three words, hopefully showing that an Officer of her calibre, had reached her end...had reached the last string of her resolve.   (Reply Haynes) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx – Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes – 2032.5)   His comm activated again.     =^=Drizzt to Haynes, we’ve got to get off this ship immediately – please respond.=^=   He dis so instantly. "This is Lieutenant Haynes. Report Major, what is wrong?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx – Deck 4, en-route to Bridge – Col Drizzt – 2032.6)   "This is Lieutenant Haynes. Report Colonel, what is wrong?"   Drizzt grunted as he slung his scatter-gun over his shoulder, moments before grabbing a swinging bar and swinging his lower body gracefully into one of the Jefferies tubes. "I'm either imagining things, or we've stepped onto a little piece of hell..."   The Andorian grunted again as he crawled at high speed to one of the ladders that would take him up to Deck 2, not far from the bridge. Before he could climb, though, he heard a whisper of movement behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and unconsciously gripped the ladder tight enough to begin bending the duterium. The tubes were pitch black, as was the rest of the ship - and his high power lights didn't seem to cut nearly as far as they should have. Just at the edge of his vision, the darkness seemed to roll like smoke, getting thicker and pushing against the circles of his light as though a living thing.   For all Drizzt knew, it might be. Just beyond the light were four sets of pin-point red lights. Drizzt reached down to his side arm, slung under his arm in a holster, and pulled it out. The lights moved slightly, and the MCO knew without a doubt that they were eyes - he was being watched. It didn't take much of his imagination to see them as mirrors, reflecting the Fires of Hell. In fact, he could even guess what they were, Andorian legend spoke to hounds that stalked the nightlands and dragged the trespassers in their realm down to the darkest depths of the hells.   The MCO's lip curled slightly, and he suddenly exploded in terror-fed rage. "COME ON THEN!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, amplified hugely by the suit's external speakers. His suit's auditory sensors dampened the return echo tenfold, not that he noticed. He took aim with his weapon, using his thumb to dial up the power as he continued; "THIS ANDORIAN IS READY FOR YOU! I AM LEONAL sa'DRIZZT! MY FAMILY HAS WALKED THE LIGHT FOR GENERATIONS. I DO NOT FEAR YOUR FIRES, I WELCOME THE BATTLE! YOU'LL HAVE TO WORK FOR MY SOUL!"   He took several shots with his weapon dialled up to level 16/narrow - several holes were burned in the metal of the ship, visible for only moments in the light of the tight phaser beam. In the light, he could only just make our the horrid bodies of the Hounds. They seemed to be made of liquid night, eating the light of the phaser shots as if hungry.   A voice, this time a female child, hissed in glee at him. In a voice loud enough to be heard through the suit, without any aid of auditory sensors, said: "Your bravery is nothing but badly trained fear, your piety is for naught. You left your family, you ran to your duty to avoid them - these sins, and others, eat at your soul. Your despair, ahh, it will feed me for centuries..."   Drizzt screamed, either in rage or fear - if there was even a difference, and fired in patterns he'd learned on the Island during training; patterns meant to keep several enemies away. The child cackled in hungry glee, and slowly the eyes disappeared.   His lights cut deeper into the darkness, illuminating dozens of holes in the corridors, and obvious damage to some of the inner super-structure of the deck. Spider, breathing heavily, wasted no time in stuffing the phaser in his holster and shooting up the ladder by his arms alone, not bothering to use his feet. The strength of the suit was more than plenty to support his weight, and this way was three times as fast as he didn't have to coordinate the use of his feet.   "I am Colonel Leonal Drizzt, Colonel of the meanest Marines in This Man’s Starfleet. I will not fear the dark, I have already walked the fires of hell, I will not fear the dark!” he almost chanted as he continued up, covering the three decks in a matter of heartbeats. “I’m not going crazy, Gods give me strength, but I can’t be. Give me strength to guard this crew, give me the fortitude to stand against the tide!" he suddenly cried out in quasi-prayer, whether to the Gods or the First Officer - he had no idea.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx- Diplomatic Area - CMO Angeni O. Windsong-Trommashere- 2036.2) "Are you well Lieutenant?" He asked as the sound of phaser discharges came from the room the marine major had ducked into.   Angeni looked at the Klingon Officer and she shook her head.  "I'm not going to lie to you.  I feel like hell, but that's besides the point.  There was something in that room...I think...I don't know if it was real or not.  It looked like something that could only be created by hell..."   Before she could finish, she saw Cawdill return into the room.  He had an unearthly look in his eye, but before she could say anything, Klar charged her, pinning her to the wall.  The bursts of the scatter gun startled her, and she had to keep herself from screaming.  She clung onto the hulking form over her for dear life.  She buried her helmet into his chest, shutting her eyes against the horror.  She wasn't sure if it was a hallucination or not, but since Klar had reacted, she knew it wasn't.  As the noise died down, she heard Klar talking to her.   "I trust I have not injured you."   Angeni nodded, and she pried herself off of him.  She did a quick survey of her body and his, finding no patches of blood or angulated body parts.  Even though they were both breathing fast, nothing seemed out of the norm. "Yeah, thanks.  If it weren't for you, I'd have a hole in me the size of your head."   "If the major returns in his current condition it is likely he may kill us both. I will however die a glorious death." Angeni raised an eyebrow to the Klingon.  The idea of dying, while not something that scared her, was unsettling.  She didn't want to see it coming.  To her, if he was going to come back, then she was watching her own personal stopwatch that would only have the opportunity to start at .5 seconds and count down from there. "Yes yes, you would die a glorious death."  She spoke hurriedly as she pried herself from under him. "I on the other hand, don't feel like going to the Happy Hunting Grounds in the next twenty minutes.  I understand the warrior mindset, but my goal is to make it back to the ship here soon..." She didn't want to go on about how she was going to find a certain someone and burrow her way into his arms and stay there for the next year.  She brushed herself off, and she looked into the hallway, trying to see if she saw any signs of Cawdill without getting a gunshot wound to the head. "Okay.  You're the one with the gun...lets get moving to somewhere safer...your lead..." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx –  Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes–– 2036.5)    Drizzt's reply was only half expected. The tension in his voice was unmistakable.   =^=I'm either imagining things, or we've stepped onto a little piece of hell...=^= The man's breath came in grunts as Jack was trying to hail him followed by the obvious clanging of metal. Booted feet on rungs possibly or something else. Followed by his challenging howl.   =^=THIS ANDORIAN IS READY FOR YOU! I AM LEONAL sa'DRIZZT! MY FAMILY HAS WALKED THE LIGHT FOR GENERATIONS. I DO NOT FEAR YOUR FIRES, I WELCOME THE BATTLE! YOU'LL HAVE TO WORK FOR MY SOUL!=^=   Jack's gloved hand grasped his phaser and ripped it off his belt at the danger tantamount in that sentence and he turned back toward the entryway once again, a cold sweat beading on his forehead. Somewhere sinister voices seemed to be snickering in thinly suppressed glee.   Then the whine of phaser fire came through the comm.    Jack turned to Dale. "Doctor Bracken be prepared for anything."   (Reply: Dale)   The screams seemed to shoot down his spine, the phaser fire was continuing so he charged for the door, not knowing how much help he could be to a marine in BDU.   "Colonel Drizzt! COLONEL REPORT!" He bellowed as he came to the doorway.   This reply was totally unexpected.   =^= I am Colonel Leonal Drizzt, Colonel of the meanest Marines in This Man’s Starfleet. I will not fear the dark, I have already walked the fires of hell, I will not fear the dark!=^= He was speaking in almost a singsong.   =^= I’m not going crazy, Gods give me strength, but I can’t be. Give me strength to guard this crew, give me the fortitude to stand against the tide!=^= The chant rose to a shout as he ended.   "Colonel Drizzt this is the First Officer speaking!" Jack barked with his best parade ground shout, trying to get the man's attention. "Colonel I order you to report now!"   (Reply: Drizzt, Bracken) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx –  Bridge – ACSO Bracken – 2036.75)    Drizzt's reply was only half expected. The tension in his voice was unmistakable.   =/=Jack turned to Dale. "Doctor Bracken be prepared for anything.=\=   Dale’s normally solid composure failed. She was an informal person at best, but now, in the moment of purest adrenaline, her attention to rank and such always went out the window, if Haynes was offended, she’d apologise later, now though, her father’s daughter disappeared, no longer was she the composed, self enforced stolid SO, she became her mother’s daughter, a genetic offspring of a hardcore marine, she could feel it in her blood, she could feel all those lessons her mother had drummed into her, she could feel what growing up she’d termed Marine BS, now though, she knew, it would save her life.   “Are you kidding? My mother’s a former marine SMaj, and became 2L, I was ready in the womb. Hooyah.” It was a horrifically bad habit, but she couldn’t help herself, she could almost feel herself smile against the danger, against the fear, the terror enfolding all of them. She pulled the phaser from her belt, and moved to a position at roughly 5’oclock from Haynes. She was no marine, no Tac/Sec either, but from here she knew that she both had his six and could assist with whatever happened in the corridor ahead of him. She’d like to think that her mother would be proud.   A blood curdling scream cut her introspection short, she’d heard it before, or thought that she had, long, long ago. Yes, she did know, and it was a sound that had emanated from her own lungs, it had been her own shrill tones that had cut through her, and she remembered when it had happened, she after all, did still have the scar in her right lower abdomen.   It was from the day her mother had died.   Died? No, that was the wrong word, but it had taken her 18 years to find that out. The story was long in the telling, and now wasn’t the time to be dwelling, suffice to say, her mother had chosen an SFI post, deep undercover, over the love and protection of her family   The screams encompassed her.   "Colonel Drizzt! COLONEL REPORT!" Haynes bellowed as he came to the doorway.   This reply was totally unexpected.   =^= I am Colonel Leonal Drizzt, Colonel of the meanest Marines in This Man’s Starfleet. I will not fear the dark, I have already walked the fires of hell, I will not fear the dark!=^= He was speaking in almost a singsong.   =^= I’m not going crazy, Gods give me strength, but I can’t be. Give me strength to guard this crew, give me the fortitude to stand against the tide!=^= The chant rose to a shout as he ended.   "Colonel Drizzt this is the First Officer speaking!" Jack barked with his best parade ground shout, trying to get the man's attention. "Colonel I order you to report now!"   She had thankfully kept a channel open to Haynes, an old habit. “Sir...” she yelled, “Not backing down repeat not backing down, recommend immediate RTB to secure repeat... recommend immediate RTB to secure respond Haynes.”   Slowly she began to become aware of one or two other marines appear on the bridge, each having their weapons point dangerously.   ~Now~...Dale thought....~begin standoff.~   “ACSO TO MARINE STAND DOWN..”   (Reply Haynes, any marine, any)  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx- Deck 2 - SO Klar- 2037) "Okay.  You're the one with the gun...lets get moving to somewhere safer...your lead..."   "I would suggest you give Lt. T'Vof a situation report before we move," Klar said as he adjusted the setting on his phaser. If they found the marine still in the depths of his blood rage and he did not recognize them then a phaser on stun setting would be of little use against the marine's BDU.   (Reply: Angeni)   As she reported in he took station just outside the door with the lamps of his EVA suit off and scanner operational in order to maximize the chance of spotting the marine first while remaining hidden from the man's view and give him the opportunity of initial action. He would have to assume proactive action would be necessary to protect his charge unless Cawdill commed ahead in advance. The drawback to this plan of course was that it left him in darkness with the whispered voices and he could feel unseen presences pressing close about him but at this time that danger seemed less real than the very present danger of a rampaging armoured and very heavily armed man.   The quiet of the corridor seemed to magnify the ghostly chatter and the air was heavy, his breath rasped within the confines of his helmet as he listened to the CMO talking on his comm with the second officer. After a moment he broke in. "As we are closer to the First Officer's team I suggest we link up with him and the MCO. Sergeant Major Cawdill is between us and the access tubes to the lower levels and we could use the jeffries tubes to gain the main deck. The danger he presents at this moment far outweighs our mission objectives."   (Reply: T'Vof, Angeni rfm)   He grunted and pulled up the schematics of the vessel's access points on his overhead display and found a route which would hopefully skirt the man. The marines would have to deal with their own as they had the capability of taking him down with more alacrity than he possessed though it would have been challenging to try. His own warrior instincts had to take on a less important role in order to fulfil his orders which honourable in itself.   Since they appeared to be in no danger at the moment he reactivated his suit lamps as the female emerged from the room. "This way."   He started down the darkened corridor to an intersecting branch that would take them to their objective, his blood burning with every step, trying to ignore the voices that beckoned him to Stovo Kor. They would have to wait, he wasn't ready to make the trip just now.   (Reply: Angeni)   As they turned right down corridor nine which would lead them to the jeffries tubes a creeping mist quickly engulfed the way ahead and he could hear the creaking of  rope against wood with the faint rustle of lapping waves. He stopped dead in his tacks and his right hand which held the phaser dropped to his side as a form emerged from the mist and stopped after taking one step. His lips pulled back from sharpened teeth and he uttered a feral growl as it swung a bat'leth into ready position.   "Are you warrior Klar or coward? Would you shame your honour and that of your house by running from battle?" The apparition solidified and he gave a shocked exclamation as he recognized the face and he took an involuntary step backward. It was his father! Dead these last seven years, lost on the Kel Pak with all hands.   "I will not allow you to shame my house. Fight and die as a warrior my son and receive my blessing!"   (Reply: Angeni) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx, Main Engineering, SO Lieutenant Baylon Trinin, 2038) Baylon once again replaced the EHA into the utility compartment of his EVA suit for what seemed to be the thousandth time since coming aboard the Onyx. His nerves were on-edge and as things were still unexplained, they weren't likely to get any better. He forced his heavily gloved fingers between the separated door panels and gave a grunt as he forced them apart enough to pass through. before moving onward, however, he collected the small mobile fusion generator that he was going to use to power some of the Main Engineering Subsystems. He bent down, grasped the device by it's carry handle and pulled it from the deck before turning to squeeze through the auxiliary Engineering door that led to the power distribution relays. While not an engineer, Baylon had more than his fair share of experience with Damage control and rescue and recovery from a security stand point. there wasn't much that they could do without power, and so it was logical that they should at least attempt to power some of the ship's systems with the mobile generator that they'd brought along. Eoin was still in the main bay, along with two of the marines, standing by to monitor the power-up sequence and make certain that nothing went so far awry that the ship exploded in a ball of energy, taking the inhabitants along for the ride. The auxiliary room was considerably smaller than the main engineering compartment. It was a vital area of the ship, although it wasn't exactly one of the most thought about. As with every other compartment, the place was empty. Thick ice crystals clung to the surfaces of all the equipment and consoles, making the compartment look more like a deep freeze than a starship. The Betazoid walked into the compartment warily, his nerves and his senses all but screaming at him to run in fear. It was only his implacable strength of will that allowed him to stay in place rather than give in to those baser impulses. It was, however, just barely that he was keeping his head together at all. He placed the mobile generator on the deck in front of the relay access points and reached up to brush the congealed frost from the surface of the relay with the palm of his gloved hand. he repeated this process a few times, until he found the correct access panel, then he simply reached up, grasped the cover panel and pulled it from the housing. He placed the panel against the base of the console and was preparing to grab the generator leads, when every hair on his body stood on edge and he felt a flush of strong fear flood over him. The affect was almost debilitating, his knees shook, his balance shifted and Baylon had to place a hand on the console to steady himself. "Help" he heard, just as clearly as if someone was standing right next to him. "Baylon, Help me." An even colder chill seemed to settle across his body as Baylon slowly turned to see Captain Devan Sash, laying on the deck injured. Blood flowed from several wounds on his body. The cruel scrape of claws and the terrible gnashes of powerful jaws were obvious; the cruelty of the Waagoshin carved into his flesh. Baylon stood stunned for a few moments. "Captain?" he muttered, "but how?" "Help me Baylon." The simulacrum of the Captain repeated. Baylon took a step forward, "Sir I did everything..." "You left me behind to die Baylon." The ghostly image accused. "I tried , sir. There was a transport inhibitor." Baylon explained as he knelt beside the nearly prone form of his prior captain. "Alpha one..." "You're incompetence killed me!" Sash continued, "You left me to die alone on that space station, surrounded by my enemies!" "I tried to rescue you. I nearly died." Baylon snarled back, some of the fear turning to anger. "You're a disgrace to the uniform, Baylon. A failure. You're not fit to be in the fleet." The Betazoid dropped his head into a sag and fell to his knees next to the phantasmal Captain. "I know sir. believe me, I know." "I trusted you. I counted on you. You let me down." Sash continued. "I know." the security officer muttered. "I'm sorry." "You're sorry and I am suffering alone. I can't even go to my wife and children like this. You've cursed me, Baylon Trinin." Sash's eyes seemed to burrow into Baylon's brain; leaving a cold pit of fear and despair deep inside him. He'd caused Sash's death as surely as if he had blown up the station himself, when he failed to prevent the captain and the others from being kidnapped in the first place. "I trusted you." Sash intoned again before fading away. Baylon remained on his knees in the middle of the compartment, quietly sobbing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx- Deck 2 - SO Klar and CMO Lt. Commander Angeni Windsong-Trommashere 2040) "Are you warrior Klar or coward? Would you shame your honor and that of your house by running from battle?" The apparition solidified and he gave a shocked exclamation as he recognized the face and he took an involuntary step backward. It was his father! Dead these last seven years, lost on the Kel Pak with all hands. "I will not allow you to shame my house. Fight and die as a warrior my son and receive my blessing!" Angeni's eyes immediately flew up to Klar. She looked around his hulking form and saw that there was no one there. She started trembling again, and found herself looking for an exit, but he was blocking her way, and there was no way on the planet that she was going to cross his field of vision. She knew what the apparitions could do to someone. She remembered watching Cawdill run off to who knew where, and it looked like Klar wasn't too far behind. She looked for something to hide behind, but everything had been blown to small pieces after Cawdills' rampage. This was not looking good. "I am no coward!" Klar spewed, his rage almost choking on the last word. The Klingon felt his blood turning red-hot at the accusation. "I've done nothing to shame our house father. I am a warrior. A Klingon." "Then prove yourself -- son." Hearing his father's voice sneering the last word, as if it were a shameful admission or even a mockery, struck the Klingon hard. He growled his rage and shame through clenched teeth. "Why does my father provoke his own son to anger without cause." Voices hissed eerily in his mind, taunting him toward thoughtless action.. ~Coward...coward~ Klar struggled to keep himself under control. The mist suddenly began to flicker as if from some internal fire, and it swirled about his father's image, as if caught in a strange vortex. The humanoid image darkened into a shadow as it began to contort and change, growing larger. Klar stood his ground. ~Coward! You will die without honour!~ The ghostly whispers rasped, stabbing into his soul like knives as they were spoken with agonizing repetition. To his dying moments, Klar never fully understood why his fingers flicked the power control of his weapon to maximum. Perhaps it was the first sign that his control was slipping. Perhaps it was his fear driving him as he watched the dark apparition grow to proportions that could not be ascribed to mortality. Within that dark form two fiery red eyes appeared, glaring at him with all the hatred of the underworld. Within the mesmerizing space of seconds, the form solidified. Fire seemed to leap from the deck-plates to surround the creature. "Honourless coward," a voice boomed, searing Klar's blood with the mockery of its immortal accusation. "Fecklar!" the Klingon hissed, horror now coupling with his rage. No sooner had he uttered the name of this dark apparition from the most ancient religious tomes than he began to see other forms skulking behind it. Klar could hardly focus on them through the blazing mist. All of them seemed shadowy and squat, like some animalistic demon-things from his childhood nightmares.. Each one was large with eight gnarled limbs, misshapen and tipped with horrendous claws. Klar quickly recalled what they were. The kwah-glar, pets of the underworld, only a few of the many tormentors of honourless souls whom Fecklar jailed for all eternity. They moved in and out of view snarling at him and bearing rows of bloodied fangs, growling with an insatiable hunger for the fear they invoked in their victims. Klar snapped his finger into the firing trigger of his weapon, howling with his horror and rage as he retreated backward. The apparition's hideous, mocking laugh trailed after him. More of the beastial abberrations seemed to stir in the shadows around him, teeth gleaming and snapping at him. Then they charged with hellish fury. Klar sprayed the room with his heavy weaponry.. Chunks of bulkhead, furniture and everything else flew in all directions. Some of the red-hot shards imbedded themselves in his suit. Suddenly, it all vanished. All he could see was a shattered room. AND A SINGLE FIGURE! Angeni inched towards the door, not sure if her mind was playing a joke on her or not. Nothing seemed real; for all she knew she was dead and stuck in a bad loop, reliving out the horrors of her crew mates as they died. As she moved, she backed into a table, the only thing that wasn't destroyed, and it hit the floor, showering her suit with dirt. The crash rang through the quiet room, and she looked up, locking her eyes onto Klar. What she saw terrified her; it was the look of someone who had nothing to lose. She had seen that same look on many psychiatric patients who were actually beyond help when she got to them. She put her hands down to her side and tried to look as submissive as possible. Her eyes darted back and forth to the scatter gun, but she tried to keep herself as calm as possible.  She didn't want to show just how scared she was, but inside, she couldn't keep herself from nearly vomiting. "Klar...listen to me. You're imagining this...this isn't real...nothing that you are seeing is real. You are fine...nothing to worry about. Come on, let's go and find Jack..." She held her hand out to him, a submissive look to her. "Come on, take my hand..." Klar growled deep inside himself. Then for a moment he began to calm at hearing the gentle voice. The sleek form seemed familiar - friendly, somehow. Then he remembered the image of his father. He grabbed the hand and pulled the being toward him, growling again. He grabbed his percieved enemy by the neck and thrust her against the bulkhead, his mighty grip trying to crumble the armor beneath his fingers. Angeni felt herself yanked forward, and as the massive hand clamped down around her throat she let out a scream that was quickly choked off.  Blood vessels in her eyes immediately began to rupture as she struggled weakly.  Black spots faded in and out over her vision, but she didn't strike him..  If he were in the midst of a hallucination, fighting him would only make it worse.  She felt him readjust his hand, and she gasped, taking in a breath of air before she was shut off again.  The alarms started sounding in her uniform, and she looked at Klar, a pleading look in her eye. "Fecklar! You will not deceive me again! You will not have me!!" he bellowed in Klingonese into the creatures' face. In some corner of his mind, he knew the horrified face behind the plate was friendly, but he could not trust anything here - least of all a supposedly friendly face. ~Coward.~ the voice taunted, like a serpent spraying it's venom into his mind. He jerked around, tossing the armoured enemy to one side. His weapon raised, almost of its own mind, to fend off another onslaught. "Fecklar!" His fingered jerked back on the firing trigger again sending out repeated bursts of phaser energy. The lights played an eerie strobe with the shadows, flickering like the demons' fire. Her body crashed against the bulkhead with a resounding thud. She inhaled deeply, but each breath hurt; her bruised hyoid bone and spasming trachea causing each gulp of life giving air feel like it was her last.  She rolled around, trying to figure out which way was up when everything came back to her in a rush; she was fighting for her life!  She flipped over onto her belly and she army crawled around behind him.  She reached up, shutting her head lamps off.  Each movement sent waves of pain through her body, but she continued to crawl across the floor to the door.  As she reached the arch way, she dragged herself up the wall and she pinned herself to the wall, trying to breathe. For the moment Klar did not regard the small lithe figure moving painfully beside him, nor notice the flickering headlamps of the environmental suit. "Oh my God...Jack! Help me!!! Klar is trying to kill me!!!!" She heard crackles and fizzles over her head set, and that meant her radio was out...but the speakers on her suit were still working.  She heard her own voice echo down the corridors, and she turned back into the room to see if Klar noticed. He did. Whether it was the last flicker of movement or the instinct of the predator honed over countless generations, he turned toward his quarry. A guttural snarl emitted through his teeth. Angeni met his eyes one more time, and she turned on her heels, adrenalin the salve to her wounds and she took off running. Another split second, and she would've been vaporized by the Marines massive weapon. Instead it struck the wall, sending up another shower of slag. Klar's first impulse was to chase the creature down and claim the head of his trophy. It was obviously wounded...he had gleefully noted the ragged pace of the creature's escape. But Fecklar was not an easy kill whatever form he might assume.. Ancient warriors had tried fight him. Kahless hadn't dared such a thing. But Klar would! He took one step then remembered he was showing his back to the demons. He spun around  and sprayed his surroundings again, hoping to catch one of the kwah-glar off its guard. There was no sign of them. "Who's the coward now, Fecklar!" he bellowed triumphantly at the doorway his quarry had retreated through. ~This might be an exhilarating hunt,~ he thought as he followed, ~or perhaps a good day to die.~ She had no clue where anyone else was, but she figured she had to run into someone.  She came to a T intersection, and she looked both ways.  Cawdill was still running around with his scattergun, and the occasional burst of fire could still be heard.  She slowly began backing down the left hallway, and she turned around and faced the demon. "Wind-dancer!"  The voice bellowed.  Angeni froze in place.  The demon reached out to her, its sinew covered claws touching her arms.  It moved closer to her, and she closed her eyes.  She didn't have the energy anymore.  She was being chased by a Klingon that could kill her with one hit, and she was facing the demon from hell.  She backed away slowly, and she turned on her heels, darting back down the other hallway. "Can anyone hear me!?"  She screamed into her headset.  Her voice was nothing but screeches of sheer terror..  "My god...help me please!!!!"   She kept running, looking over her shoulder every few steps.  She saw the looming shadow trying to catch up with her, and she tore off even faster.  She ducked into a room, knocking over a table and chairs, and she looked around for something to defend herself.  She found a heavy metal pole, just long enough to use as a club.  She held it in her hands, feeling the weight of the cold steel.  She backed into a corner and slid down a wall.   "I don't know if anyone can hear this..."  she started off, her voice wavering, "but I think I'm gonna die.  Klar is going to kill me, Cawdill has gone insane.  This is my last will and testament.  If I die, I just want everyone to know that I love you, all of you.  Jack, Lo'ren, Riven, Harry, Hawk, Haywood."    Her voice wavered and she sniffled.   "I'm gonna watch over you guys...I'm going to miss you so much.  Harry.  I love you, I never quit loving you.  I'm always going to..  Riven..."  She stopped and sighed, "If I could be your Imzadi, I would've been.  I love you, Riven, I do."   She closed her eyes, holding onto her pole as she waited to see who was going to catch up with her and deal the final blow.     (Reply: none) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Onyx – Deck 08 – 2O/CTAC/SC Lt(jg) Lo'ren T'Vof – 2043) She screamed. Dropping her weapon, she ran like she never could growing up. The Gul chased her, his eyes glowing with the life of the Pagh Wraith that possessed him. Lo'ren saw her reflection in the corridor panel. She was wearing the same rags she wore as a child; her face was smeared with dirt. A chill, ethereal hand brushed against her back, spurring her onwards. She let out another feral scream and bolted into a Jefferies tube. Slamming the latch shut, she managed to scrape her way into a junction and barricaded herself in. Curled into a foetal position, her breath came in ragged pulls as she recovered from the shock of seeing that carapace-like armour again. Once she was calm she looked up over her knees. She screamed and started scrabbling backward and away from the hideous, glowing red eyes. His grey skin was scaled, mottled and rotting. He looked like he ought to have been in a morgue for several days. The wickedness of his sharp-toothed grin made Lo'ren catch her breath. The evil thing in front of her stopped and let her continue her backward crawl. Lo'ren stopped, hampered by the bulkheads and watched the creature as it brought something out from behind it. It was Eshen Joser, the Bajoran boy killed in the mines because he showed the despised half-breed kindness. Lo'ren whimpered, “I'm sor-sorry Joser.” The boy stared at her, the same red eyes burning into her Pagh from his disruptor blackened face. Just then the Gul savagely jumped on the boy, ripping him to shreds and consuming him before fading out of existence. She screamed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End compile