compile summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2408.07.12 (USS Hades, Holo Deck 2, FO Commander Eva Straton, 0655) (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, aTAC/CSEC Lt. Baylon Trinin and SO- Ens, T'Sol- 0658) (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, ATAC Ensign (jg) Lo'ren T'Vof and SO Crewman Ilis - 0713) (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, aCTAC/CSEC Lt. Baylon Trinin and SO- Ens, T'Sol- 0720) (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, ATAC Ensign (jg) Lo'ren T'Vof and SO Crewman Ilis - 0721) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2408.07.13 (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 11:25) (USS Hades, Main Engineering, ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam, 11:26) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 11:32) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam, 11:33) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton 11:34) (USS Hades - Deck 8 , Holodeck 2 - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes - 1300) (USS Hades - Deck 2 , Outside FO's office - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes - 1320) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1321) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes, 1322) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1323) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes, 1324) (USS Hades - Deck 9, Personal Quarters - Ensign (jg) Lo`ren T`Vof - 1430) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1436) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1437) (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1438) (USS Hades - First Officers Office - ATAC Ensign (jg) Lo'ren T'Vof - 1439) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- begin compile Stardate: 2408.07.12 (USS Hades, Holo Deck 2, FO Commander Eva Straton, 0655) Eva watched impassively as first Lt. Trinin then Ensign T'Vof take their turn with the Mark III-C before the rest of the squad took their turns one by one. As each member finished taking their turn they returned to their position in the formation. Eva took the weapon from the last member firing as he moved back into formation. "ATEN-THUN!"Eva snapped sharply, as she moved back over and replaced the rifle back on it's pedestal without taking her eyes off the squad in front of her. "Computer, initiate phase two," She said, stepping back to directly in front of the formation. The weapons and firing range disappeared to be replaced by a large room with benches along the walls at one end with two large double doors at the opposite end with two racks of Mark III-C Rifles along the walls next to the doors. "This next phase will be much more difficult," Eva explained. "Random alternating obstacle course. You will enter in pairs 15 minutes apart. The computer will time your entrance and announce when and who the next pair is to enter. You are limited to one rifle each for this training exercise." She paused and she moved over to the double doors. "And don't expect to complete the course in 15 minutes. You will soon learn why the marines refer to their holo-deck as a 'hell-deck'. Lt. Trinin, Ensign T'Sol you two are first. Everyone else, fall out!" "Computer, begin!" Eva snapped as she stepped through the double doors and the timer above the double doors started to count down. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, aTAC/CSEC Lt. Baylon Trinin and SO- Ens, T'Sol- 0658) After all the members of the squad had taken their turn firing, Eva retrieved the weapon from the last member of the squad. She replaced it in the weapons rack all the while regarding the squad. "ATEN-THUN!" Eva snapped sharply. Baylon and the rest of the squad snapped to the position of attention without delay. "Computer, initiate phase two," She said, stepping back to directly in front of the formation. The weapons and firing range disappeared to be replaced by a large room with benches along the walls at one end with two large double doors at the opposite end with two racks of Mark III-C Rifles along the walls next to the doors. "This next phase will be much more difficult," Eva explained. "Random alternating obstacle course. You will enter in pairs 15 minutes apart. The computer will time your entrance and announce when and who the next pair is to enter. You are limited to one rifle each for this training exercise." She paused and she moved over to the double doors. "And don't expect to complete the course in 15 minutes. You will soon learn why the marines refer to their holo-deck as a 'hell-deck'. Lt. Trinin, T'Sol you two are first. Everyone else, fall out!" Baylon replied with a crisp, "Yes sir," then he and T'Sol immediately made their way to the closest weapon rack. He handed T'Sol a III-C, which she quickly inspected as Baylon did the same. They moved to the doors, T'Sol on the left side, Baylon on the right. "Computer, begin!" Eva snapped as she stepped through the double doors and the timer above the double doors started to count down. The doors slid open, and Baylon and T'Sol went in low and quick. The Vulcan woman shifted to the left to the closest point of cover, while Baylon took a similar action on the right side. The scene was something from a version of hell. It reminded him of the bombed out ruins of a few cities on Andoria, only warmer. Buildings had been reduced to piles of rubble, some of their structural skeletons reached upwards towards the sky, but even they were twisted and deformed. Baylon glanced at T'Sol, the Vulcan woman was already checking her Tacorder, Baylon noticed movement in the rubble behind her. He raised his weapon and fired, just as a Nausicaan broke from cover charging her. The bolt from the Phaser rifle Mark III-C struck him dead center mass and sent him wheeling backwards into the pile of shattered building materials. Baylon turned to look to his right and rear, even as T'Sol raised her head just enough to acknowledge what had happened. The right flank was clear of any would be aggressors, so he turned and gave T'Sol hand motions as she returned to a more watchful state. He indicated that he was moving forward, towards the ruins of what appeared to be a more intact structure. She nodded and indicated that she would follow after he had arrived at his destination. He dropped into gear, staying close to the rubble, until the pile no longer offered him sufficient cover. At that point he lowered his body into a crouch and rushed across the opening as quickly as possible. Bursts of disruptor energy criss-crossed the distance. Some narrowly missing him as he cut across the opening in the ruined remains of the city. He didn't slow down as he approached the partially intact structure, instead he sprung upwards into a flattened trajectory and through the remains of a broken window. He landed in as close a resemblance of a tucked roll as he could manage. The floor was made of stone, and much to his disappointment, Baylon found himself in a room with three Nausicaans. They were working on or using some sort of equipment. His unorthodox entry had caught them by surprise, but he only had enough time to raise his weapon and fire it once. The closest Nausicaan, was struck in the face by the snap shot. The other two charged Baylon a moment later. He tried to twist his rifle barrel towards the second assailant, but they were just too fast. The Nausicaan struck him with enough force to bear him to the ground. The air was forced from his lungs as he landed, partially crushed by the weight of the Nausicaan soldier. The other jerked the rifle from his grip , although not before dragging the security chief and his partner across the floor for a few feet. The foot stomp to the front of his Pallus helmet disoriented the Betazoid somewhat, and he lost his grip on the Rifle. Realizing that he was disarmed, Baylon dropped his hand to his belt, and pulled his Chakra from it's sheath. With a twist of his arm to orient the blade, he drove the blade point of the weapon into the Nausiccan's throat. Meanwhile, T'Sol had issues of her own. After seeing the sheer volume of disruptor fire that had crossed the Lieutenant's path, she had logically concluded that she would not make a similar sprint to his location without more preparation. Instead of moving forward, she moved upwards. Her superior strength allowed her to make quick work scaling the pile of rubble that they had claimed as a position. As she crowned the pile, behind the partial remains of the building's facade, she took a quick note of her surroundings. She brought her rifle's scope to her eye and quickly scanned the window where Trinin had gone to avoid the incoming fire. It took her a moment to adjust the magnification to a suitable level and focus on the window. What she saw there prompted her to immediate action. She controlled her breathing and took a controlled squeeze of the weapon's trigger. Baylon pushed the now dead Nausicaan off him, and twisted over to bring himself to his feet. As he rose, the last Nausicaan rushed forward swinging the rifle as if it were a club. Apparently he could not figure out how to make it work, besides the weapon was chipped to prevent it's use by non-authorized forces. Baylon threw up his left arm. The Rifle stock slammed into his blocking arm with a sharp pain. He staggered under the force of the blow, but stopped himself using the wall near the window. The Nausicaan was far from finished however, and moved forward, swinging the rifle in a manner to build momentum with his body. Baylon realized that he wouldn't be able to move out of the way fast enough and so he threw his arms up in a defensive movement. The Nausicaan's blow landed with a much more diminished strength than he had anticipated. The large being crumpled at Baylon's feet, a neat hole burned through his chest. The security chief sheathed his chakra, grabbed his rifle and spun to look out the window and take stock of their situation. He spotted T'Sol at the top of a large pile of rubble. She was just looking up from her scope. Baylon quickly dropped his line of sight to ground level. He knew that if he could see her, then so could the Nausicaans. He spotted the first one, trying to creep up the side of the rubble pile. Baylon's bolt caught him under the chin and knocked him from the mountain of broken stone. His partner took a shot through the ribs. There was a low rumble as some sort of ship was approaching low and fast. T'Sol turned to look at the sky. A Nausicaan support ship was coming in fast; Lining up for a strafing run. The Vulcan woman, quickly came to her feet, and half-ran half-slid down the pile of rubble where she had taken up a position a moment before. Disruptor blasts slammed into the broken stone behind her. The shockwaves from the impact, pounded her body, even through the BDUs and staggered her a little. Small fragments of stone bounced from her helmet and back. Then the ground fire started. Baylon saw T'Sol break cover and head in his direction. He couldn't see the impetus for her decision, but a moment later as the heavier blasts slammed into the rubble around her, he understood that she had made the correct decision. The clearing lit up with disruptor fire, and Baylon turned his rifle on the closest of the firing positions and began to suppress the troops hiding there. The action had some immediate affect, as the volume of the incoming fire diminished a little. T'Sol closed the distance and Baylon withdrew his weapon into the room just in time to allow the Vulcan woman to jump in through the window. "Are you alright?" he asked her as she scrambled to her feet. She gave him a typical Vulcan look, "I am unharmed," she replied. "Good, "Baylon replied with a nod, "we'll make our way through the building and out the far side." T'Sol nodded, then took the lead. Baylon put a few more shots out the window to prevent the Nausicaans crossing the clearing to do so unmolested. He hit one of them in the leg and a second in the groin. They both fell in the opening and their compatriots immediately moved to take cover and return suppressive fire amidst the howls of their wounded. T'Sol had left the room by the time that he turned away from the window. He reached the door and looked from left to right. logically there was only one direction to go, and so Baylon turned to his right and the innards of the structure. T'Sol had cleared the hallway without incident and had reached a doorway at the end of the hall, she glanced through the opening quickly. Beyond the opening was a large room, perhaps once styled as a grand ball room of some sort. There were piles of shattered furniture all around the space and T'Sol thought she had seen the remains of a Terran Grand Piano in one corner. She stepped out into the room, rifle at her shoulder and spun quickly checking her left and right. She could hear Lieutenant Trinin, still putting fire down through the window behind her, and so she wanted to make certain that there was no way that the room was occupied by possible holographic assailants. The left side was clear, the doorway there, completely impassible due to debris from the collapsed upper level. To the right side, there was a door, slightly askew; a result of a broken hinge. She approached the door cautiously. She closed the distance silently and then quite suddenly kicked the door free of its mounting. Baylon had reached the end of the hall and had spotted T'Sol as she kicked in a door. The Vulcan woman raised her weapon and fired point blank range into the chest of a Nausicaan warrior who had been preparing a disruptor grenade. The warrior fell at the Vulcan's feet, the grenade bounced past her and into the grand ballroom. She had seen it, as she suddenly pushed her way past the debris in the doorway, and Baylon realizing that he didn't have much time either, ducked back into the hallway. The grenade went off with a shrill pitched while. The shockwave tore through the wall, sending plaster and other debris flying in every direction. Baylon was coating in a thick layer of dust and as he turned to move back into the grand ballroom, he was not surprised to find that a large portion of the floor had collapsed. A portion of the wall dividing the grand ball room from the next room to the right hung suspended above the gaping hole. T'Sol was moving amongst the debris below, obviously she had been standing on a portion of floor that had collapsed in the blast. "Are you injured?" he called down to her. "I am ambulatory." she replied. "Can you get up here?" he asked her. T'Sol looked around her before replying. The area was apparently a basement of some sort. A single tunnel led out obviously below street level. She studied the floor above her for a moment before replying. "I do not believe so, however there is a tunnel here. Perhaps I can take it to the street level." Baylon nodded, "Make way, I'm coming down." T'Sol shifted her position and Baylon jumped down to the lower level. The two officers moved forward slowly to the mouth of the tunnel. It was long and foreboding in appearance. "Well, here goes nothing." Baylon said and set off down the tunnel, T'Sol following close behind him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, ATAC Ensign (jg) Lo'ren T'Vof and SO Crewman Ilis - 0713) [Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof, prepare for combat simulation. Crewman Ilis, prepare for combat simulation.] The computer flashed a 60 second countdown over the doorway to the "hell-deck" as Lo'ren moved to the rifle rack. She picked a gun, gave it a quick check and passed it to Ilis. It would be his gun, so he would make the full check and she needed the maximum time she could get to check her own weapon. Lo'ren hefted the gun and swung the strap over her shoulder so that it wouldn't be too easily knocked free. She checked the sight, the power gauge, made sure the gun strap wouldn't tear her mek'leth away at the same time if it was knocked free and then moved to the door. Lo'ren felt Ilis step in to her right and slightly behind, right where a wing man ought to be. The larger male presence made Lo'ren feel safe and yet she knew that as the ranking officer, her safety and his relied on her, not the other way around. [Entry in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.] The doors opened and Lo'ren moved into the hell-deck. She was crouched slightly, her senses alert to any movement or sound. She could feel Ilis glide in behind her. ~For a big guy, he's certainly nimble.~ It was night, it had to be night. She spoke only two words, "Night gear." and watched as the Pallas VISOR read the light levels and activated the low-light systems. She heard Ilis utter the same words in response and saw his BDU shift to a darker, varegiated black, the grey shoulders fading to a deeper charcoal and his Pallas Helmet took on a flat black appearance instead of the usual gloss. The only colour on either of them now was the gold of their standard issue division shirts. and that was minimal enough not to be noticed easily. Lo'ren could make out the shapes of crumpled, bombed out buildings. The phaser fire and other weapons flashed just over the next rise, so Lo'ren headed that way to assess the situation. The sounds of phaser weapons and concussion grenades were getting a bit close for comfort. Lo'ren spotted cover and quickly altered course to come to rest behind it. Ilis stayed behind her. He was a practiced rear guard and would watch out for her while she had to make the descisions. Among the distant sounds of weapons-fire and explosions Lo'ren began to hear a high whine steadily becoming louder. She realized the missile was headed towards them. She barked into the helmet's mic, "Missile. Separate. Cover!" as she made a quick move to get on the other side of the rock she had spotted. The Andorian crewman only grunted as he quickly moved in the other direction. Lo'ren heard him grunt a second time and felt her own wind get knocked out as the missile landed. She was thrown as the shockwave hit her in the back, but she managed to turn it into a diving roll. "Ilis, report." =/\=I'm fine, checking Tacorder now,=/\= came the gruff reply. Ilis wasn't the most sociable of fellows but he could be counted on in a tight spot. Lo'ren activated her own Tacorder and did a quick scan.Seeing that his choice of cover against the missile had brought him too close to the enemy she barked again, "Ilis, watch your back!" There was an unknown enemy coming up to the spot that Ilis had holed into. She dropped herself into a one-kneed stance and brought her weapon to bear, setting the sight to magnify and lock onto the target closest to her teammate. She took in a sharp breath as she observed grey scales and a hard exo-skeletal style of armour sneaking up behind Ilis. It took all her will not to jump up and run over so she could strangle the Cardassian with her bare hands. Instead she took his head clean off with a shot from her Mark III-C. Lo'ren was seeing red and almost didn't hear the crunch behind her. Being already down low, she at least didn't have to do as much movement. Abruptly she swept her foot out and twirled, making solid contact. She heard the startled cry as the soldier behind her fell. Forgetting her rifle and letting it dangle, Lo'ren's mek'leth was out in an instant. She locked onto those beady little eyes - the eyes were the worst - and under her helmet her face locked into a passionless mask. Those black, little eyes were glassed-over and lifeless before he even knew what had happened. Being momentarily in the clear, Lo'ren shook her blade to get the lion's share of blood off it, reseathed it and retook her rifle. "Ilis, move now. Re-group target, due west. 150 metres. I'll cover you to next safe haven." The grunted reply came yet again and she watched the blip that was Ilis on the Pallas VISOR. He varied his approach several times before he found a suitable cover spot. Lo'ren kept her weapon up and her senses out as he moved. =/\=Your turn.=/\= Lo'ren could have chuckled, you never could get much more than that out of him. She moved out of her cover and started an erratic course to pass and get ahead of Ilis. About halfway between the two points Lo'ren was surrounded by weapons fire. ~They found us.~ She turned torso towards the fire, even as she continued to zigzag across the open spaces. She let off several shots, feeling the rifle recoil slightly. ~Damn marines, always need the extra bit of realism to their weapons. Give me a non-recoil, standard rifle any day.~ A couple of small flashes and cries rang out, letting Lo'ren know she had hit home - she would grin later. She noted the welcome cover fire Ilis was laying down for her and dove behind the boulder he was pinned behind. "Wide dispersal, try to knock out the squad so we can get to the re-group location." Ilis nodded and tapped the command into his gun, prefering thhe tactile over the command. Lo'ren's rifle was already prepped as her Pallas CPU had made the adjustments on the integrated systems grid. "Up in 3, 2, 1, go!" Lo'ren popped up around the right side of the partial wall and Ilis took the left as they both fired in tandem, sweeping the weapons and the wide phaser beam away from each other's beams. "MOVE!" She bellowed at Ilis and they both ran full-barrel to the small hut, now only 50 metres away. Lo'ren reached the doorway and slid in on her back, firing her phaser ahead of her one more time to knock out anyone who had made it into the hut before they arrived. Ilis came in almost on top of her and spun to guard the door. Chiding herself after the fact, Lo'ren realized that the little hut didn't have any other exit. Just as she was going to turn to Ilis to plan a way out, Lo'ren noticed an odd reading. ~What's that? Tacorder's reading open space underneath us.~ She slung her rifle and started feeling along the walls as she let her Andorian partner know what she was doing. "Got a strange reading here Ilis, empty space below us. I'm looking for an access panel or something." Another grunt, followed by =/\=Be careful.=/\= was all she got out of the taciturn Crewman. A metallic click sounded as Lo'ren pressed her hands against one wall panel, followed by a short swishing sound. She turned and was faced with a spiral staircase. ~Well, I'll be.~ "Ilis, last cover fire. We are going underground." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, aCTAC/CSEC Lt. Baylon Trinin and SO- Ens, T'Sol- 0720) The damned tunnels had become a veritable maze of intersecting hallways and small open rooms. There must have been something in the soil or walls that prevented their taccorders from working properly, because they were unable to get a clear direction or orient themselves in any way. They were effectively lost. "I believe that we have already traversed this particular corridor, Lieutenant," T'Sol said in her usual Vulcan tone. He would have thought it smug, except for the fact that she always spoke in that same tone of voice without fail. "Yes, I'd say you're probably right T'Sol. Any idea where we are?" he replied with a sigh. "I am sorry to say, that I am not privy to our exact whereabouts." "We'll that's helpful," Baylon replied sarcastically. T'Sol raised an eye brow at the remark, before continuing, "may I suggest an alternate route? "Certainly, why not?" Baylon replied, he was getting frustrated at being lost. T'Sol took it all in stride. "I have noted that at the last seven intersections we have been bearing to the left. Might I suggest that we deviate from that pattern by bearing to the right at the next junction?" "Fine, works for me." The CSEC replied, then said, "Let's get moving." The pair moved forward, taking the first right at the intersection, rather than a left and then choosing to ignore other intersections completely, instead running on the same course and heading. After some undetermined length of time, T'Sol, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped and indicated that Baylon should do the same. They both froze for a moment and Baylon could just make out some sort of sounds coming from somewhere ahead of them. He quietly approached T'Sol. "What is it?" he whispered. "Unclear, but I do not believe it to be Nausicaans." she replied. Baylon nodded. "We should investigate." he stated. "Agreed." The moved slowly and quietly down the tunnel until the source of the noise became clear. Ahead of them, there was a group of holographic refugees, huddled in one of the larger open subterranean rooms in the tunnel complex. Baylon looked at T'Sol who made no outward comment or movement. They both knew that the rules of the simulation had changed. Baylon lowered his weapon and headed towards the group of refugees, T'Sol behind him. As he stepped into the room, there were a few gasps of surprise and a few other's of fear. It became readily apparent though, that these people expected Baylon and T'Sol to aid them. They appeared to be Federation Citizens. "Who's in charge here?" Baylon asked once the group had settled down enough to allow him to do so. There was no answer. "Okay, does anyone know exactly where we are and where the nearest exit is?" he asked. A mousey looking man stepped forward, his hand raised as if he were a student in a class room, "I do," he muttered. Baylon nodded. "Okay mister?" "Caposa." he replied, "Edward Caposa." "okay Edward. Please tell me where we are and which direction the nearest exit is." The man nodded meekly, then he pointed to one of the tunnels. "The exit is maybe a half a kilometer down that tunnel, but that area is controlled by some big ugly guys with guns." "Nausicaans" T'Sol commented. "Maybe, I don't know. I've never seen them before." Edward replied. "As for where we are, I think we're in sector seven." Baylon nodded, "Thank you Edward. Does anyone know if there is a federation secured sector near here?" There was some conversation before a young boy of maybe 10 years spoke up. "My dad said that sector one was safe. Then we got separated. He said to meet him there." Baylon nodded. "Okay, listen up everyone. My name is Baylon Trinin and this is T'Sol. I'm a lieutenant with Starfleet and she's an ensign. We're going to do our best to keep you safe and to get you to Sector one. But first I need to know how many people there are here and if anyone is injured. Ensign T'Sol will be coming around to speak with you all. Please assist her by providing any information that she asks for." He turned and nodded to T'Sol. She returned the motion then went to work counting the refugees. ~Just what we need.~ Baylon thought as he considered their next course of action: how to get these people to sector one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Holo Deck 2, ATAC Ensign (jg) Lo'ren T'Vof and SO Crewman Ilis - 0721) Lo'ren inspected the seam from the door now over their heads. It was a very tight seal and not easily detected from either side. Except for the lever down here, one would never know that there was an access located here. She activated her Tacorder and got nothing. ~Prophets help us, looks like black out conditions.~ She turned to Ilis, who had his weapon trained down the hall in case something chanced past. "Ilis, check your Tacorder." She was gruff in her words, frustrated that she had walked them into a blind situation. Ilis shook his head, =/\=Nothing Ensign.=/\= "We're working blind then, Ilis. I think we need to maintain radio silence for now, hand signals only. If our equipment is dead, that could mean we are being watched more closely than we thought." The stoic crewman nodded his head. From here on out neither would say a word except in an emergency, or until Lo'ren gave the all-clear. Raising her hand, Lo'ren indicated that she would take point for the time being. She made it clear that Ilis was to stay close and not to hesitate if he noticed anything to tap her. Heading off down the hall, Lo'ren was keenly aware of the silence. She could hear her boots scraping against the floor and Ilis' coming up behind her. After a few turns Lo'ren gave up trying to move by landmark, the walls were entirely too uniform - to the point that all the intersections they came up to were equi-distant apart. She forced herself to stay alert but was getting increasingly agitated. ~You've made a big error here, Mutt. Straton's probably ready to ream you out right now.~ Lo'ren felt a tap at her shoulder and turned, Ilis signalled that something was odd about the last hallway. Lo'ren tilted her head slightly and thought for a second. There was something wrong with that stretch, she just couldn't place it. She signalled Ilis to lead the way back through the hall, slowly. About the middle of the hallway she reached over and stopped the creeping crewman half way down the corridor. She pointed at the walls but Ilis could only shrug. Lo'ren moved close to a wall and lifted her hand. She moved on a hunch and tried to touch the wall. Her fingers sank into the non-descript material. She pulled her hand back and grabbed a photon grenade. Ilis, reading her alarm by her rapid movement, did the same. She set hers to a low stun and Ilis copied, twisting the ring on the compact device only two notches. Lo'ren checked the opposite wall and found it solid. She pointed away from herself down the hall, indicating to Ilis that he should take cover in that direction, while she would head back down they way they came. She hooked her arm around her gun, slinging it in such a way that when she lowered her arm it would land in the palm of her hand. She lifted three fingers and slowly dropped each one in a count-down. They both tossed their grenades through the false wall and moved away from the blast. Lo'ren felt thhe air move from the concussed air and hefted her gun, aiming at the newly opened doorway. She motioned Ilis behind her and walked in, scanning around as she walked into a hangar sized room. "AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!" Lo'ren turned just as a slight, civilian clad male burst out from behind some large equipment. Rather than stun someone obviously frightened into overdrive Lo'ren ducked and let him barrel past her. Ilis caught him and held his arms in check. Lo'ren took charge, "I'm Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof from Starfleet, the fellow holding on to you is Crewman Ilis. Please explain why you tried to attack me." "I'm Hos Ea, this is my home and YOU have invaded. I must defend myself, I can't see that you are not with those creating the mayhem above us!" The man struggled against Ilis' string grip to no avail. Lo'ren scanned the room one last time. Hoping it wouldn't be her last mistake, she removed her helmet. The slight man stopped struggling and stared at her. "You are not with them?" He looked confused. Lo'ren shook her head. "No, we are here on reconaissance from Star Fleet. Now, I'd like to tell my compatriot to let you go. Will you attack me again?" Hos Ea shook his head, "No, I will not. You are not the cause of the strife of my people." Lo'ren nodded to Ilis and the strong man let go, taking his own turn to remove his helmet. He reached up and massaged his antennae, wincing as they slowly gained life. "Helmet's no good for me." Ilis grimaced. Lo'ren chuckled and addressed the slight man again. "Please tell what you know." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2408.07.13 (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 11:25) Eva placed her glass of iced spiced tea down on her desk as she sat down and picking up the PADD laying on her desk with the list of names of the senior officers she planned on meeting with today. Picking one of the names at random she tapped her com-badge. "Commander Straton to Ensign Mac Liam." (Reply Mac Liam) "Report to my office Ensign," She said waiting only long enough for him to confirm the order before closing the channel. She sipped her tea and read over the Ensign record while she waited for him to arrive. "Enter," Eva said when the door buzzer finally sounded. She looked up from her reading to watch the Ensign walk in. "At ease," Eva said, putting the PADD down. "Help yourself to something to drink from the replicator if you like and have seat Ensign." Eva motioned to one of the seats in front of her desk. (Reply Mac Liam) "As First Officer one of my duties is personnel reviews of the crew," Eva explained. "And make recommendations on promotions and the like to the Captain. It would help if I knew a little more about the officers under me. Tell me about yourself and how your settling in on the Hades so far?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades, Main Engineering, ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam, 11:26) Eoin locked down a third set of backup systems, making sure they were as assimilation-proof as possible. He chuckled to himself. ~Translating the codes into a rare language like Irish the Borg don't know wat actually a good idea. Why didn't anyone else think of it before?~ It was then that he heard the beeping from his commbadge. He pressed it. =/\=Commander Straton to Ensign Mac Liam.=/\= "Mac Liam here." =/\=Report to my office Ensign.=/\= "Acknowledged. On my way." He tapped his commbadge again, and logged out of his console. He mused to himself as he walked toward the office. Of course, he had heard the horror stories about how rigid Eva Straton could be, but her tone of voice told him she wasn't cross today, nor was he in trouble. That was reason enough to feel lucky. Soon enough, he had reached her office door, and pressed the doorchime. "Enter," came the answer from inside. Eoin walked in, but remembering who he was dealing with, snapped to attention. "Reporting as ordered, ma'am." "At ease," she said, putting the PADD she was looking over down. "Help yourself to something to drink from the replicator if you like and have seat Ensign."Eva motioned to one of the seats in front of her desk. "Thank you, ma'am." Eoin felt his heart start pounding softer and softer as he confirmed to himself that he was not in trouble. He took the commander up on her offer, and got himself a cup of tea. "As First Officer one of my duties is personnel reviews of the crew," Eva explained. "And make recommendations on promotions and the like to the Captain. It would help if I knew a little more about the officers under me. Tell me about yourself and how your settling in on the Hades so far?" Eoin sat back, wondering where exactly to start. "Well, ma'am, I was born and raised in the west of Ireland, on Earth, on a farm. I was the only one in my family to go into a career other than the arts, and it caused quite a stir in the family. Then again, I never quite fit in. As you might have read from my service record, I was raised bilingually, in Standard and in Irish Gaelic, as you can probably tell from my name. With that in mind, I attended University College in Dublin for a year, studying Exolinguistics, thinking maybe I could get a job working for the Federation Council. Then I decided Starfleet was a more useful place for Exolinguistics, so I joined the Academy." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 11:32) Eva sipped her tea quietly while she listened to Ensign Mac Liam talk briefly about his college studies and what had motivated him to join Star Fleet. Eva nodded putting her glass down on her desk while turning to fully face the Ensign. "Very interesting," She said pleasantly. ~Not that I give a Ferengi's a$$.~ Her eyes narrowed suddenly as she stared at the Ensign from across her desk. Her voice took on it's typical hard edge once more. "Have you and Lt. Wright worked out your 'differences', or will there be more unpleasant surprises in store for her in the future?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, ACEO Ensign (jg) Eoin Mac Liam, 11:33) Eoin finished his life story, and Straton turned to face him. "Very interesting," She said pleasantly. Her eyes narrowed suddenly as she stared at the Ensign from across her desk. Eoin knew that what was in store for him next was not going to be good. "Have you and Lt. Wright worked out your 'differences', or will there be more unpleasant surprises in store for her in the future?" Eoin sat wide-eyed, unable to speak for a minute or so. ~The horror stories were true! And now I'm in one!~ And after that, all he could do was sputter like the Dulcinea in calm waters. After a full ninety seconds of Eoin just sitting there dumbfounded, he was finally able to speak again. "What do you mean by differences?" Eoin was able to get out. "Lt. Wright and I haven't had much trouble working together at all." He reached for his cup of tea, trying to make it seem that he had recovered from his episode, but the clattering china betrayed the fact that he still felt like the rug had just been pulled out from under him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton 11:34) "What do you mean by differences?" Ensign Mac Liam finally managed to sputter out. "Lt. Wright and I haven't had much trouble working together at all." He reached for his cup of tea, trying to make it seem that he had recovered from his episode, but the clattering china betrayed the fact that he still felt like the rug had just been pulled out from under him. Eva sighed, having lowered her shields only long enough to verify that the Ensigns little show was genuine and not a show to try and garner sympathy, before locking them back in place. "So" She said in a more casual tone, taking another casual sip of her drink. "I take it then that you still haven't told her about your holo-engineer idea and that you've already run the idea past Captain Sash? That you talked to Captain Sasha BEFORE talking to her? I understand she really doesn't like that. When people break the chain of command like that and go over her head. Is that true?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 8 , Holodeck 2 - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes - 1300) Jack was facing off against one of the better fighters in the dojo today which was unusual for him, for some reason he had been in the "zone" for the last couple of days despite the distractions caused by the mission they were on. ~I wonder if it has to do with being more relaxed?~ He wondered for the umpteenth time. This program was about as real as you got, before he had been able to get into the fighting portion of it he had not only had to learn the moves but had gone through a serious instruction in breathing, posture, balance and focus. The mental part then had been dedicated toward internal "peace and harmony" and being one with your surroundings. As Jack had been through serious emotional trauma he had struggled with that part of course initially but it had certainly helped him along with the counseling to gain some sort of equilibrium. And considering how far he had been gone when Shilae had been killed that was saying something. The man bowed low before him and Jack did the same in return, both men however kept their eyes on the other as they did so, the oriental wasn't particularly tall nor slim compared with the others who stood outside the circle watching and his shaved head and face were nondescript. His gi was white as was Jacks and his belt was the same color, appearances however can be deceiving and much of his martial training had been mental, Jack knew not to underestimate his opponent. "Prepare yourselves." Jack nodded slightly toward the referee who was standing on the edge of the circle to his left as he brought his hands in to the center of his chest and placed them palms together there, he closed his eyes for a moment and took a cleansing breath as he emptied his thoughts, he could feel his mind and focus sharpen as he did so. He held that position and took several more breaths before the next command. "Ready." Opening his eyes he brought his hands out and slightly down with his palms out toward his opponent then turned in slightly as he shifted his balance to the balls of his feet, the left moving about four inches ahead of the right which was turned at a 12 degree angle to his right. His opponents eyes narrowed as he took almost a mirror image of the stance, his however was near perfect. Jack was aware of that and adjusted his stance a bit, bringing it in slightly till he found the center as the master called it. His opponent smiled a bit and gave a nod of appreciation as he did so, whether that would be enough would soon be known. "Fight!" Jack exploded from his stance but found his opponent was quicker so as he whipped out an arm in a feint he dropped to his left knee as he swept his right leg around which never touched the other fighter, he launched himself into the air, spinning once before coming to a landing on the balls of his feet beyond Jack, his arms out lightly as he touched down like a great bird coming to roost. Jack reversed the spin but the other flipped backward, this time facing Jack as he once again landed beyond him. The oriental gave a great shout as he came at Jack with several sweeping kicks from the floor, had Jack not been rolling he would have been lifted from the mat by the force of them. Since he couldn't roll from the mat he timed the others kicks, reversing the roll when the third swept harmlessly past him and collided with the other mans left leg while his right leg was still in the air. The oriental was caught off balance and fell heavily beyond him allowing Jack time to flip to his feet using one leg and both arms in a sort of side vault. The oriental came up with his eyes narrowed as he sized up Jack again, before they could close though he was once again interrupted during a match. [Lt. Haynes, Commander Straton has called a meeting in her office. Your presence is required.] "Computer halt program but do not save." The last thing he wanted to do was try to start cold in the middle of a fight. "I wonder what's so important that she has to drag me out of my workout?" He grumbled to himself. [I do not have that information.] The computer interjected cheerfully. Jack scowled in the general direction of where the invisible gate was and was about to say. "I didn't ask you." But thought better of it. ~Last thing I need is an argument with a computer.~ "Open gate computer and end program." He was shaking his head as he walked out of the holodeck. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Deck 2 , Outside FO's office - CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes - 1320) He had taken just enough time to freshen up and get into his uniform which he had adjusted along the way. His hair wasn't perfectly in place but then again it was cut short so who could tell? He swept his right hand once again through his hair just in case though and they seemed to fall into place. His workout had been cut short so he hadn't sweated... much. At the moment he still felt flushed though but that was to be expected. Stepping up to the office he pressed the bell and waited for admittance, crossing his arms as he did so. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1321) Eva was still reading over Lt. Haynes record, interesting reading to say the least, when the door buzzer finally chimed. Eva looked at the time to see that the Lt. had kept her waiting a good 20 minutes. Eva scowled putting down her PADD. "Enter," She said, grabbing her glass of iced tea and taking a sip as Lt Haynes walked into the room. The glass stopped half way to her lips and her eyes narrowed even further at the sight before her as Haynes entered the room. His hair was in complete disarray, something only a marine might have noticed, and his uniform looked like he had thrown it on at the last moment. Eva took a deep breath, held it for several seconds before letting it out slowly her eyes boring holes into the Lieutenant standing in front of her desk. "Am I disturbing you Lieutenant?" She asked harshly, while putting her drink down. "You take 20 minutes after my summons to show up, and when you finally do you look like this?" She motioned at his appearance with one hand. "Sloppy! Is that how you run the Science department as well? Sloppy. Explain yourself Lieutenant." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes, 1322) "Enter," Jack walked through the door into the FO's office and found her raising a glass of amber liquid in ice toward her mouth, he had seen iced tea often enough to make an intuitive leap... unless it were some exotic drink of which he were unfamiliar. It was the look growing in her eyes though that as much as anything else made him pause for her to speak first, he had heard about the FO's mannerisms in the past and it appeared as though he was going to get a good look first hand. The glass hovered halfway, never making the final leg of the trip. ~So it's going to be like this...~ He thought as she caught and held her breath and gave him an impressive glare. "Am I disturbing you Lieutenant?" She spat while setting the glass upon the desk. "You take 20 minutes after my summons to show up, and when you finally do you look like this?" She gestured at him with a hand. "Sloppy! Is that how you run the Science department as well? Sloppy. Explain yourself Lieutenant." Jack crossed his arms and returned her stare levelly but without a challenge, this wasn't his first rodeo. If she wanted to play the part of military by-the-book Mr. Haynes then nothing he said was going to suffice except the plain, unvarnished truth which might or might not satisfy her. He had run into the type before and he felt sorry for the newbies who had to deal with such, it was always a traumatic experience. To quail would only invite more of the same treatment, to bluster would be seen as threatening her authority so he made sure to walk the middle ground but without apology which could be construed as a sign of weakness. "I was in the middle of a strenuous workout when I got your summons Commander and left immediately, only stopping long enough for a shower and a change. If you have a complaint about my uniform in its present condition I can only assume you would have been less than happy had I arrived sweaty and still in my Gi." He shifted his head slightly. "As far as my department is concerned I have heard no complaints about either my performance or that of my subordinates beforehand from either yourself or the captain, if however you have any detailed concerns you wish to express then I am all ears." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1323) Lt Haynes crossed his arms across his chest and met her gaze evenly before speaking. "I was in the middle of a strenuous workout when I got your summons Commander and left immediately, only stopping long enough for a shower and a change. If you have a complaint about my uniform in its present condition I can only assume you would have been less than happy had I arrived sweaty and still in my Gi." he shifted his head slightly. "As far as my department is concerned I have heard no complaints about either my performance or that of my subordinates beforehand from either yourself or the captain, if however you have any detailed concerns you wish to express then I am all ears." Eva leaned back in her chair, unimpressed. Why she accepted his explanation, his arms crossed over his chest was a clear sign of disrespect, not to mention completely against protocol when reporting to a senior officer. "Lt. Haynes," Eva said, crossing her arms over her chest in imitation of his own body language. "I was a marine for close to 20 years you don't think in that time I ever saw a hot and sweaty human male? When a senior officer summons you it 's not a request it's an order. Is that understood? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, CSO, Lt. (jg) Jericho Haynes, 1324) Jack noted the superior officers' subtle change of posture immediately of course, going from a confrontational pose to one more 'laid back' during the course of him making his point. Not that he necessarily thought she agreed with him completely or that they had become drinking buddies as she kept the disapproving look but some of the animosity appeared to be draining away. "Lt. Haynes," she said then crossed her arms over her chest as well. "I was a marine for close to 20 years you don't think in that time I ever saw a hot and sweaty human male? When a senior officer summons you it 's not a request it's an order. Is that understood?" Jack willed his facial muscles to relax as she imitated his stance as much as could be expected from a sitting position, it appeared they now had a bit of common ground to work from. Sometimes you ran across the oddball extreme-military that couldn't let go of an offense and thought the whole universe should kowtow to them like Lieutenant Jabel, fortunately his tour on the ship hadn't been long else Jack might have been court martialed and cashiered out of the fleet long before his career really got started. Getting chewed out for a mistake was to be expected but for a fresh-faced Ensign to be snarled at continuously for ten minutes for a very minor infraction was far above common sense or decency. ~At any rate it appears my point was noted if not accepted.~ He gave a slight nod as he went to attention, showing her the respect she was due. Different command crews sometimes had different policies on such things and his former ship had been one such but that was no excuse, ~I should always assume the strictist interpretation applies unless otherwise instructed, my fault.~ "Understood Commander, you have my apology then for the lapse in judgement." He blinked his eyes as he let out a breath silently. "It will not happen again." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 9, Personal Quarters - Ensign (jg) Lo`ren T`Vof - 1430) Lo'ren was absorbed. She could barely write fast enough to get the notes onto the page. The harmonies and dissonances clashed, crashed and scintillated in her brain. She could only hope that she could find people who would treat this piece the way it sounded in her head. ~C, A, minor shift, G chord, no, G major 7 chord rolled up....~ [Ensign T'Vof, Commander Straton has called a meeting in her office. Your presence is required.] Lo'ren looked up, annoyed that the computer would interrupt her in the middle of her work. She sighed and gathered the scattered pages, ordering them into a scruffy pile and depositing them into the folder she picked up from the floor where it had fallen. Lo`ren straightened her uniform as she headed towards the door, wondering what the FO might have called a meeting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1436) Eva watched the ATAC walk into the room and snap to attention in front of her desk. "Ensign T'Vof reporting as ordered Commander." Eva nodded approvingly. ~At least some of the senior officers know how to report in to a senior officer.~ she thought "At ease Ensign," She said, "help your self to something to drink from the replicator, if you like, and have a seat." Eva motioned toward one of the vacant chairs in front of her desk. (Reply T'Vof) "As First Officer crew performance reviews are one of my duties, so I'm taking some time to get better acquainted with some of the senior officers on board," Eva explained, "Tell me what you think of the ship and crew so far." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1437) "At ease Ensign, help your self to something to drink from the replicator, if you like, and have a seat." Straton stayed seated in her own chair, but motioned to the one across the desk. "Thank you, ma'am." Lo'ren ordered a spiced jumja tea, hot and positioned herself across from the senior officer "As First Officer crew performance reviews are one of my duties, so I'm taking some time to get better acquainted with some of the senior officers on board," Eva explained, "Tell me what you think of the ship and crew so far." Lo'ren sipped her tea, giving herself time enough to form an answer. "The Hades is an enviable posting. I've not been on her long enough to be in a real combat situation," Lo'ren thought privately that that may change very shortly, "but from the training simulations I've done the TIHS is a remarkable system. As for the crew, I've got a personal interest in linguistics and I rather enjoy the ecclectic mix of species. My ears have quite enjoyed the interpretting challenge." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, First Officers Office, FO Commander Eva Straton, 1438) "The Hades is an enviable posting. I've not been on her long enough to be in a real combat situation, but from the training simulations I've done the TIHS is a remarkable system. As for the crew, I've got a personal interest in linguistics and I rather enjoy the ecclectic mix of species. My ears have quite enjoyed the interpretting challenge." "A personal interest in linguistics you say," Eva replied, taking another sip of her tea, "Then why did you go into Tactical and Security instead of Science?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - First Officers Office - ATAC Ensign (jg) Lo'ren T'Vof - 1439) "A personal interest in linguistics you say," Eva replied, taking another sip of her tea, "Then why did you go into Tactical and Security instead of Science?" Lo'ren wondered how much she needed to delve into with the former marine. Was name, rank and serial number the most she wanted or did Eva Straton want the whole iceberg uncovered. She decided to uncover just a small amount of the iceberg. "I took up linguistics at my father's behest, Commander. Music at my mother's and Starfleet at my own. I love both music and linguistics and my abilities in those areas come with ease; however, I find Starfleet to be more of a challenge. "I grew up during the tail end of the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, ma'am," her voice strained around her emotions just slightly, "I remember the Starfleet officers that appeared in the camp I and my parents lived at. They were saviours to us then, and I continue to hold Starfleet in highest regard. That, in part, is why I serve. As for choosing Tactical, I was actually set to graduate approximately 3 years ago as an Operations and Engineering major with secondary studies in diplomacy. "I was approached nearing my graduation. The question posed to me then was that of taking the Advanced Tactical Training programme. The explanation given me was that my scores in the areas of Tactical and Security were higher than the norm and I was recommended to the programme. "I was intrigued, because I had found the required Tactical and Security courses at the Academy to be among my most taxing. I chose to welcome the challenge." Lo'ren sipped at her tea and gave the Commander a chance to process this information. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- end compile