compile summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate: 2413.10.21 (USS Hades, Counseling Department, Dr. Riven Mias, 1243) (USS Hades, Counseling Department - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin -1440) (USS Hades, Counseling Department - COUNS Ensign Anamitra Ripley - 1443) (USS Hades, Counseling Department - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin -1457) (USS Hades, Counseling Department - COUNS- Ensign Anamitra Ripley- 1505) (USS Hades, Counseling Department - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin -1510) (USS Hades, personal quarters, SO, Ensign T'Sol, 1645) (USS Hades, personal quarters,Dr. Chase O'Neil , 1724) (USS HADES- Personal Quarters- ACMO Ensign (sg) Hawkeye Dolphine-1725) (USS Hades, personal quarters, SO, Ensign T'Sol, 1730) (USS HADES- Sickbay- ACMO Ensign (sg) Hawkeye Dolphine-1732) (USS Hades, Chief Tac/Sec office - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1737) (USS Hades, Sickbay,Dr. Chase O'Neil , 1738) (USS Hades-Sickbay-ACMO Ensign Hawkeye Dolphine-1739 (USS Hades, Personal Quarters - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1742) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stardate 2413.10.23 (USS Hades, Bridge - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1059) (USS Hades, Bridge - FO/CSO Jericho Haynes - 1101) (USS Hades, Arboretum - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1935) (USS Hades, Arboretum - FO/CSO Jericho Haynes - 1938) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2413.10.24 (USS Hades – Marine Staging Area, MCO’s Office – Lt Col Drizzt - 0939) (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof -1839) (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - Dr. Riven Mias -1842) (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof -1845) (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - Dr. Riven Mias -1910) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2413.10.25 (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1144) (USS Hades, - Main Engineering - aCEO- Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1145) (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1146) (USS Hades, Main Engineering - aCEO Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1147) (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1149) (USS Hades, Main Engineering - aCEO Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1150) (USS Hades, Main Engineering - aCEO Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1230) (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1235) (Shuttlecraft Feynman – Ass CSO Bracken – 1400) (USS Hades, Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes and ACOPS David Adams – 1405) (USS Hades, Bridge, CO Captain Eva Straton, 14:06) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- begin compile Stardate: 2413.10.21 (USS Hades, Counseling Department, Dr. Riven Mias, 1243) He caught her confusion as he returned the subject back to their inital line of conversation along with a hint of suspicion, that was out of place. While she was answering him he couldn't help but wonder if there was something she was hiding from him unknowingly... or even herself. Unknowingly because she answered him honestly, he was confident in his ability to detect obfuscations and untruths. A hint of a smile returned to her face again as she answered him. "Riven. I don't think that you've been insensitive at all. I know that you were once assigned to this ship and that there must be a number of memories that have come flooding back to you since you've returned. The ship has changed a great deal since your last visit and it would be unfair for you to not have feelings about that." "Since your service here, there are very few of the original crew left. Adams, Baylon, Maraht, Zzt, and Angeni to name a few. But that's about all that remains of that original crew now. Certainly you must feel that something is missing?" He found his eyes breaking their reciprocal gaze as she mentioned Angeni and that confused him even further, it was a movement that could hardly have gone unnoticed by such a perceptive individual. He returned his eyes to hers with a steely resolve. "It's that same sort of feeling of change that is affecting the crew, although a bit more acutely than it might be affecting yourself. Members of the ship's crew and officer's core feel as if they lost a vital part of this ship when they lost Captain Sash. It's an incredibly complex weave of interdependencies and familiarities that comprise this crew. " "Baylon seems hit the hardest, then Angeni, and poor Maraht who has chosen to bury himself in his work with a renewed vigor. And though she would probably not admit to it, I think even Eva is affected. I doubt very much that she wanted to become Captain in this manner, and that he may have some doubts about her ability to garner the same levels of loyalty and commitment that Captain Sash and captain Saleke had before her." ~Angeni?~ He had detected nothing of the sort when he had spoken with her but then again there had been no mention of that earlier event during their short meeting which would if Ana were correct then surely have elicited some kind of reaction. Then again her apparent pleasure at seeing him again might have masked or submerged any such difficulties for a short time. Still he trusted her analysis unless and until it was proven to be faulty. He planned on observing the captain informally then in an attempt to certify if that was true, he had already planned on checking in with Captain Straton after leaving Ana's office. "As for me..." She confided, "It hurts.But I'm not depressed over it, I've moved on past that. I'm beyond the anger stage and the denial stage of grief. Now I notice little things that remind me of the Captain. We were never particularly close. In the years I served with him, I only managed to get him to see me twice, and both of those were...complicated. We didn't have much of a relationship otherwise." Now that was unusual and not just in his estimation, one of the duties of a counselor was to act as captain's advisor and confidante. Riven himself had taken a firm hand in that role when advising Saleke to modify his behaviior after he had become CO due to the the incapacitation of Captain Vanyssa Winters. The vulcan had led a veritable hermits lifestyle when not on duty because he had been so focused on every small detail of the ship during his off hours and when not in meditation during his time as first officer and that could not be allowed to continue. Saleke had heeded his pleas and made mingling with the crew at least once a week a part of his regimen. That he had apparently thought of it as part of his duty hadn't mattered, the crew had responded to him more favorably because of it. A Counselor was an individual trained in insights on behavior and motivations, it was a rare captain in the fleet who didn't make use of their skills. The pressure on commanding officers was immense as well and having someone to whom he could express his frustrations and talk through to a more penetrating conclusion who could be held in the strictest confidence was an invaluable tool for a CO. He shook his head in disbelief that this captain he had not met could have so recklessly disregarded the expertise and advice of an accomplished individual. She smiled at him then and he caught a warning flash suggesting she was about to turn the tables on him which was immediately proven to be accurate. "And you? How do you feel about seeing Angeni again? Or the others?" That she had particularly chosen Angeni out of the others for emphasis was no surprise to him after his earlier reaction. Riven raised the cup of tea to his mouth as he framed his reply, It had cooled somewhat during the time she had been talking but was still pleasingly warm both to his touch through the ceramic and to his palete. No doubt his pause to imbibe had been noted as well. He took a long sip of the smooth beverage, enjoying the blend of mild honey and full bodied tea. After the mouthful had been swallowed he lowered the cup and spoke. "First of all let me say while it has been only about a year for those who are left it has been over five years for me and I have been out of starfleet and back working in the temple of Alura for three so yes things have changed greatly, even in your more condensed timeframe. Being back aboard a starship will take a bit of readjustment." He set the teacup and saucer back upon the table and gave her a penetrating glance, while Riven himself had not changed his effusive jocularity was gone for the moment leaving him very businesslike and introspective . "But yes I have noticed a difference in the crew from the instant I stepped aboard her, the command crew has changed completely and I have noticed very few familiar faces, it is like a completely different ship altogether. It's still the same ship though, there are many small nuances in its makeup that give it away, some are almost subliminal and I have caught myself expecting to see a particular ensign or Lieutenant in certain areas as I walked through them. The first thing though that caught my attention immediately upon beaming aboard was the mood of the ship, the crew are anxious and frustrated, It caught me quite off guard for a moment by its intensity." He leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs as he continued, looking across the room at the checkerboard table as he gave her questions his most undivided attention. "Just talking with Lo'ren, herself a new officer brought back a number of memories of earlier missions in bits and pieces but very vibrant, as though they had only recently happened along with memories of some of the other officers who have remained here. Which brings us to your last question." He took a deep breath, his confusion mirrored in his eyes which were turned away from hers but it occured to him she would probably get hints from the timbre of his voice and why should he try to hide it anyway? The best thing for him to do right now would be to get this out in the open where he could have someone to help him sort through the tangled web it had woven in his mind. He turned back toward her, willing his eyes to meet hers again. "I had already been provided a crew manifest as you know since you forwarded it to me while I was enroute and I knew those you have mentioned from previous experience. When Lo'ren offered to give me a tour of the ship I accepted and talked with her as we walked to sickbay, I wanted to look up Angeni and see how she was doing. Now ..." He resettled himself comfortably in his seat. "I had counseled her extensively while here and had intended for some few days to meet with her to gauge how much progress she had made while I was gone. She and Zzt were in sickbay." His lips curled back in a smile at the memory of the Gerratlian's reaction. "While I talked with her I noted she had made quite a bit of progress, so much so that at least as far as her past is concerned I wasn't needed." He shook his head in disbelief. "I actually had mixed feelings about that, overall I am very happy for her but deep down..." He opened his eyes wide in a 'What the hell was I thinking' look. "... deep down I was a bit disappointed that we wouldn't be spending as much time talking together." "Let me be quite specific Ana..." He couldn't have been more sincere if he had tried. "... I maintained a proper relationship with Angeni while I worked with her and never once violated the counselor, patient etiquette required by both your profession and my own as a mind healer. She was my guest and I was her counselor and I held myself rigidly to that even though it occured to me it could possibly have developed further had I been willing and it was that way till I left the Hades for the Potomac. I did not contact her and did not see her again after that. Just before I left sickbay I noted the mental residue of another mind emenating from her and my initial thought was that she had been mated and my reaction was immediate and shocking to me, I promptly turned on my heel and left after bidding them a short farewell." "I was pondering on my own behavior in the hall and on the way here when she caught up with me and invited me to dinner to talk and catch up on what has been happening with one another and I accepted." He pursed his lips as he pondered his next words. "Obviously my emotions are all in a tangle about her right now which is unheard of for me. I have never had anything like this happen before. There is one obvious conclusion though that is inescapable and that is there is no way I could possibly be trusted at this point to remain objective, I would be happy to offer any advice and support needed but should the subject ever be broached I would have to recuse myself from being her Counselor." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Counseling Department - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin -1440) Arysha screamed, her voice feral and angry and upset. It felt strange to her and must have sounded hellish to the woman in the room with her. The words grated as they came out of her. "MA FALT!" She gripped a pillow and flung itaway from her, trying in futility to release her frustration and pain by violence to inanimate objects. (reply Ana) Arysha's hands shook as she tried to get everything out in a blur of signs, {{Faultmine.Can'tfastmoveenoughforpulloutSash.Courtmartialshould e.}} Herface was wet with hot tears. Arysha knew she could have gotten past that inhibitor - but she'd missed it and Sash was dead because of her. (reply Ana) Arysha screeched again, this time grabbing her glasses and flinging them across the room, effectively cutting off verbal-linguistic communication before collapsing on the floor, hugging a pillow as she wound herself into a fetal position. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Counseling Department - COUNS Ensign Anamitra Ripley - 1443) Arysha's sudden scream form the depths of her should had caught Ana enough off guard that the Counselor had started at the sudden outburst of sound. The words were rich with emotional energy, the sort of thing that created the best channels for healing and the sorts of emotional catharsis that all counselors strove towards. Without that feral most basic of emotional releases, there could not be recovery. There would be only pain and anger and hate. "MA FALT!" The young woman in front of her screamed as she gripped a lime and lemon colored pillow and flung it across the room and into the wall. It was apparent that she was trying to release the pent up frustration, guilt and pain through that one explosive act. Ana remained silent as the woman bore her soul. There would be no interruptions. She was in the process of expelling all the negative emotions and the pain that she had carried deep inside herself, these many months, since the incident with the Waagoshin. Arysha's hands shook as she tried to get everything out in a blur of signs, {{Faultmine.Can'tfastmoveenoughforpulloutSash.Courtmartialshouldme.}} Her face was wet with tears. There was a wellspring of grief in this woman's soul that was overflowing with a need to be expressed. "Arysha..." Ana began, but said no more as the woman screeched again, this time grabbing her glasses and flinging them across the room, effectively cutting off verbal-linguistic communication, before collapsing on the floor, hugging a pillow as she wound herself into a fetal position. Ana had seen this many times before. Her youngest brother had been born with a birth deficiency that had left him deaf and beyond the ability of medical science to aid. There was a frustration that he bore, when trying to communicate a complex thought or emotion, that seemed to leave him exasperated. It was that same frustration that Arysha was feeling presently, except in her case it was exasperated by grief. The counselor rose from her chair and moved over to the young woman huddled in the floor at the foot of her own chair. Ana reached out, pulled that chair out of the way and then just sat down behind the engineer. She understood the frustration, she'd seen it so often in her life. It was enough to tear out your heart if you let it, but Ana knew that she could help this woman, just as she'd always helped her brother when he'd faced similar crisis'. Settling down on the floor behind her, Ana placed her right hand on Arysha's head and gently stroked her hair. It was a simple act, one that conveyed the concern that the counselor felt for the stricken woman. It was amazing how something as simple as personal contact between two people could assuage guilt, pain, agony and emotional morass. She shifted her position and before long, Arysha's head was sitting in her lap as she silently sobbed and trembled. She wasn't sure how long they sat there, Arysha sobbing gently as the grief began to subside while Ana softly stroked her hair and cheek. But eventually the young woman began to quiet and Ana just remained quiet until she was ready to sit up and for them to continue with their session. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Counseling Department - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin -1457) Arysha wanted to crawl under a rock. She hated herself. Hated what she was forced to be by genetic misshap. Hated that she'd been unable to bypass that transporter block. Her body shook with the emotions she'd held inside for months. She hurt -inside and out - wanting to bring back Captain Sash, knowing it wouldn't happen, wishing she could be Vulcan and remove from herself the emotions that were now assailing her. She felt the hand stroking her hair and her tears came anew - for a Deaf person, touch such as this was more than just a touch. Each motion, each touch held such power and meaning. There was deep meaning, there in the hands of the counsellor. Deep caring, concern and an understanding that was hard to miss. She let it calm her until she felt ready to make some move. Arysha loosed her grip on the soft brown pillow and brought her hand up to her head, sitting in Ana's lap. She grasped the hand that had spoke volumes without a single word or sign and held on until she was in a seated position, crosslegged, knees touching Ana's. She locked eyes with Ana and unabashedly left the tears where they sat. {{First-time bridge duty. Loose Captain my fault.}} She wasn't wearing her glasses, but could read lips well enough to comprehend if spoken to directly, besides which her gloves were still on and she assumed her VOX was still funtioning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Counseling Department - COUNS- Ensign Anamitra Ripley- 1505) Arysha loosed her grip on the soft brown pillow and brought her hand up to her head and grasped Ana's hand. She held on to it tightly until she was in a seated position, crosslegged; her knees touching Ana's. She locked eyes with Ana the tear tracks still clearly outlined on her face. {{First-time bridge duty. Loose Captain my fault.}} Ana smiled slightly then. Without making a sound, Ana freed her hands and fell back on her ability to use sign to convey her words to another. It was something that she had not used in a long time, at least two years, and so her hands didn't move with the speed and grace of a full-time user. They did however remember what they were supposed to do and conveyed her thoughts as clearly as if she had never stopped using the language in the first place. {{Arysha}} Ana began, using the letter 'A' held over her heart to signify the young engineer with her, {{No one blames you for what happened to captain Sash. There are always things that we can not expect. There are always instances where the universe throws things at us that are beyond our ability to control. For all of our technology, skill and understanding of the universe, we still don't have the answers to all the problems, questions and puzzles that are all around us. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. It's just the way things are. It wouldn't have made any difference who would had been manning that station. It would have turned out as it was meant to turn out. Nothing that we do can alter the laws of physics that drive the universe. The mind is only capable of processing information so fast, and although you have an exceedingly sharp mind, you are still limited by biology, just like we all are.}} Ana took a breath. {{There are always risks associated with being an explorer; with making a first contact; or beginning a new scientific study. Sometimes the costs are huge, like losing the captain, sometimes they aren't. But let's look at how things turned out.}} {{Captain Sash was lost, true. But lieutenant Trinin was brought home, as were all of the slaves that would have died on that station if you hadn't done everything that you'd done to save them. Hundreds of lives were saved, and an entire populace freed from slavery because captain Sash destroyed that station. If you had managed to pull him out, what's to say that Alpha One could not have prevented the station's destruction and then used it to destroy the Hades? How many more lives may have been lost?}} {{The captain was a great man, but in the end he made the decision. He knew the odds of his escape were slim when he decided to destroy the station. He sacrificed himself to free all those people, to protect the crew of the Hades and to usher in a new era of peace between the UFP and the Tch'Kairn. It was the legacy that he was meant to have, and no one, not you, I, nor anyone else could have denied him that legacy, because it was meant to be the way it was.}} {{Besides, The captain could not be happier now. He was an explorer above all other things and he is now exploring the last great frontier. He is exploring the state of things beyond the veil of death. He's moved on to join his wife and children, and to heal the rift in his soul in his own way.}} {{You and I have to understand that despite the pain that we feel and the guilt that we may think we have a right to, that we really don't. We all pass on. It's the natural way of things. Some believe that we return in another form, others that we simply transition to another place, and some believe that it is final. Whatever it is, death is natural. It comes for us all. It's not always that a man or woman chooses to give their life for the benefit of others, or to decide the manner of their sacrifice. We have no right to blame ourselves for the loss of the captain. He made his choice and we can not cheapen it, by feeling that we should have prevented it's completion when in reality that choice was never ours to make.}} {{Consider this; as long as the Captain remains here.}} Ana placed her hand over Arysha's heart then pointed to her head, {{and here, then The captain lives on through us. He can never truly die when we consider that he will never be forgotten.}} ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades, Counseling Department - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin -1510) Arysha watched as Ana explained something that to date, she'd been unable or unwilling to comprehend. Her face continued to drip with her tears, but she was able to accept what the darker woman was telling her. She never wanted to degrade Captain Sash's memory. She touched her own hands to the places touched by the counselor and let Sash's face swim into her vision, remembering his words to her when she came aboard. "I don't care about recommendations, Miss Tethlin. You are a programmer, and I need the best programmers I can get - Are you the best?" She'd been so proud that day to say yes. She shared this memory with Ana,confessing that she felt her programming skills weren't up to the task. {{L-Music trust-me finish. I miss important-top piece. Want impress-superb-be - because here not-should. Lucky me.}} (reply Ana) Arysha choked up at the suggestion, feeling like she ought to crawl into a hole somewhere. {{Parents love me, why say-that?}} --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, personal quarters, SO, Ensign T'Sol, 1645) T'Sol stopped outside the doors to the quarters assigned to Ensign Heywood parker, the Assistant Medical Chief aboard the USS Hades. Her purpose here was not personal nor was it medically related, it was in fact completely professional from a security standpoint. Ensign Parker, a recent enough arrival, less than six months, had not reported for duty in the sickbay this afternoon as he had been scheduled. When he had failed to report or log into his system to report a medical orduty officer release, the ship's computer had sent an alert to the Security office for follow-up. Apparently the Security Officer monitoring that particular system from the Security display monitors in the Brig, was even less disciplined than she had thought. A slovenly man by nature, Ensign Joseph Baranovichi had decided to allow Lieutenant Trinin's personal issues mark a personal benchmark for his own lack of discipline and effort. As a result, the notification that normally would have been handled only a short twenty minutes after the start of the shift had dragged on until forty-five minutes had elapsed. If it had not been for the fact that T'Sol was returning to the brig to check on the duty rotation for a member of her squad, she would not have noticed the red blinking tell that indicated a low priority request for security assistance. One beratement and a threat to place the nearly lethargic duty officer on report, finally allowed T'Sol to gather the nature of the alert and to give her all the excuse that she needed to investigate. The Vulcan officer had checked with the ship's computer to verify that Haywood Parker, ACMO was indeed ensconced in his private quarters. Attempts to raise him by commbadge had proven futile, and so T'Sol had ordered another security officer to accompany her here to the door outside the errant Doctor's personal quarters. Both security personnel drew their phasers before T'Sol reached out to press the door chime. A few moments passed and there was no response. T'Sol pressed the chime a second time. Again there was no response. With a quick nod of her head, Ensign Travers quickly entered his security override code and actuated the door. It slid open with a near silent swish. T'Sol stepped through. "Ensign Haywood. T'Sol here. I am with a security detail are you here?" she asked, knowing full well that there was a chance that only the ensign's Commbadge might be in attendance in his quarters, which meant that the computers would be unable to accurately denote his location on the ship. There was no answer. T'Sol motioned to Travers to spread out and the two of them began a simple search of the small quarters. She began in the small common area, by looking first in the closet. "Ensign T'Sol!" Travers voice called out. "He's here!" The Vulcan woman spun on her heels, noting the concern in the other security officer's voice. It was apparent that he had moved into the ACMO's bed chamber. T'Sol headed that way as well. The room was even more cramped than she would have thought. An archaic looking device of some sort lay sprawled across the bed, where it had obviously been discarded. Travers stood kneeling over the still body of Haywood parker. The Latter officer's head framed by a coagulated pool of red blood. "Is he alive?" T'Sol asked. "I can't tell. He's lost a lot of blood." Travers replied. T'Sol did not hesitate. She tapped her commbadge, "T'Sol to sickbay. Medical Emergency. Ensign Parker is badly injured with cranial trauma. Beam him immediately to sickbay. He's lost a great deal of blood." (reply Sickbay) Travers stepped back from the body as the transporter sounded and the body disappeared, leaving only the blood smeared on the floor. The Vulcan officer looked at Travers. "Did it appear that he was attacked?" Travers shook his head, "Not likely, the ladder was laying atop him. It looks like he may have fallen." The Vulcan nodded, "I want you to arrest Ensign Baranovichi, pending a complete review." Traver's eyebrow shot up, but he nodded and replied, "Aye Ma'am. "Also we will seal this compartment. Until I know for certain this area is now a crime scene. Full forensics protocols are to be established immediately." T'Sol followed Travers out of the room and then locked the door, she then tapped her commbadge. "T'Sol to Ensign T'Vof. Can you please meet me at the door to the personal quarters belonging to Ensign Haywood Parker right away? It is an urgent matter." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, personal quarters,Dr. Chase O'Neil , 1724) Chase busied himself getting refreshed from his shift. A wave of the Terran Stomach flu had been washing between crew members, and he wanted to make sure he didn't get it. He was just about to hop in the sonic when he heard his comm badge beep. He took a pair of forceps and rumaged through his clothes, pulling out the badge. He sprayed it down with his can of Lysol 2400, then he held it with the forceps, clicking it. "Yeah?" =/\= It's Nurse Able, Chase. Hey, Haywood still hasn't shown up for beta shift. I tried getting a hold of Ang, but she's in the sonic, that's the only reason she wouldn't answer. Haywood isn't answering either. Can you go see what's up? Please?=/\= "Of course, ma cher. In the mean time, I'll get a hold of Hawkeye and send him your way. Chase out" He walked to his dresser, pulling on a new uniform. The sonic would have to wait. It wasn't like Haywood to not show up for his shift. He hoped Haywood hadn't been put off by his attitude and was afraid to work along side him. He re-attached his comm badge, hitting it once. "Chase to Hawkeye." (Reply Hawkeye) "Hey, could you go to sickbay and play doctor? Haywood hasn't shown up yet for his shift? I'll owe you a dry martini." (Reply Hawkeye) With that settled, Chase set off out the door. He was headed straight for Haywoods' quarters. He furrowed his brow the whole way. Chase knew that Angeni was going to be indisposed of for a while. Reaching Haywoods' quarters, he knocked gently on the door. "Haywood?" He heard nothing. He rang the doorbell, and he began pounding on the door. He paused for a moment, then he walked to one of the wall consoles. "Computer, Locate Haywood Parker." =/\= Parker, Haywood, Ensign is in his quarters. =/\= "Crap" Chase ran back to Haywoods' quarters, tapping his badge. "Dr. O'Neil to security!" (Reply anyone in security) "This is Dr. Chase O'Neil. We have what I think is a medical emergency in Ensign Parkers' quarters. He is said to be in his quarters, and he missed his shift. I can't get an answer. I need someone to come up and get this door open, like, now!" (Reply Security) "Haywood...we're comin' for you, buddy, I promise. Just hold on." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS HADES- Personal Quarters- ACMO Ensign (sg) Hawkeye Dolphine-1725) Hawkeye was just coming off 16 hours after two surgery sessions and an emergency medical conference with his old boss on Earth. He had just walked into his quarters and collapsed on his bed when he heard his comm badge go off. -/\-"Chase to Hawkeye"-/\- Hawkeye opened one eye and raised an eyebrow.~He can't be serious~Hawkeye thought to himself. He let out a sigh and hit his commbadge. "You're violating the dead Chase, this had better be good or I'm coming down there and sealing your lips with a laser scalpel." -/\-"Hey, could you go to sickbay and play doctor? Haywood hasn't shown up yet for his shift? I'll owe you a dry martini."-/\- Hawkeye thought for a moment. It wasn't like Haywood to not show up for the duty shift. Whatever was keeping Haywood couldn't be good. "Yeah I'm on my way. Any Idea what happened to him?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, personal quarters, SO, Ensign T'Sol, 1730) T'Sol stopped outside the doors to the quarters assigned to Ensign Haywood Parker, the Assistant Medical Chief aboard the USS Hades. Her purpose here was not personal nor was it medically related, it was in fact completely professional from a security standpoint. Ensign Parker, a recent enough arrival, less than six months, had not reported for duty in the sickbay this afternoon as he had been scheduled. When he had failed to report or log into his system to report a medical or duty officer release, the ship's computer had sent an alert to the Security office for follow-up. Apparently the Security Officer monitoring that particular system from the Security display monitors in the Brig, was even less disciplined than she had thought. A slovenly man by nature, Ensign Joseph Baranovichi had decided to allow Lieutenant Trinin's personal issues mark a personal benchmark for his own lack of discipline and effort. As a result, the notification that normally would have been handled only a short twenty minutes after the start of the shift had dragged on until forty-five minutes had elapsed. If it had not been for the fact that T'Sol was returning to the brig to check on the duty rotation for a member of her squad, she would not have noticed the red blinking tell that indicated a low priority request for security assistance. One beratement and a threat to place the nearly lethargic duty officer on report, finally allowed T'Sol to gather the nature of the alert and to give her all the excuse that she needed to investigate. They were just rounding the corner when T'Sol's commbadge chirped, =^=Dr.O'Neil to security!=^= The signal indicated that it was rerouted to the security team closest to the Doctor's location. Didn't tap her commbadge as she could see doctor O'Neil just ahead of her in the Hallway. "Doctor!" she called, but the Doctor kept talking over his commbadge,perhaps unaware that T'Sol was within normal earshot. =^=This is Dr. Chase O'Neil. We have what I think is a medical emergency in Ensign Parkers' quarters. He is said to be in his quarters, and he missed his shift. I can't get an answer. I need someone to come up and get this door open, like, now!=^= As she reached his quarters the Vulcan officer used her PADD to check with the ship's computer to verify that Haywood Parker, ACMO was indeed ensconced in his private quarters. Earlier attempts to raise him by commbadge had proven futile, and so T'Sol had ordered another security officer to accompany her here to the door outside the errant Doctor's personal quarters. "Doctor O'Neil please stand aside until I am able to assess the situation."T'Sol ordered. (reply O'Neil) Both security personnel drew their phasers before T'Sol reached out to press the door chime. A few moments passed and there was no response. T'Sol pressed the chime a second time. Again there was no response. With a quick nod of her head, Ensign Travers quickly entered his security override code and actuated the door. It slid open with a near silent swish. T'Sol stepped through followed by T'Sol and O'Neil. "Ensign Haywood. T'Sol here. I am with a security detail are you here?" she asked, knowing full well that there was a chance that only the ensign's Commbadge might be in attendance in his quarters, which meant that the computers would be unable to accurately denote his location on the ship. There was no answer. T'Sol motioned to Travers to spread out and the two of them began a simple search of the small quarters. She began in the small common area, by looking first in the closet. "Ensign T'Sol!" Travers voice called out. "He's here!" The Vulcan woman spun on her heels, noting the concerning in the other security officer's voice. It was apparent that he had moved into the ACMO's bed chamber. T'Sol headed that way as well. The room was even more cramped than she would have thought. An archaic looking device of some sort lay sprawled across the bed, where it had obviously been discarded. Travers stood kneeling over the still body of Haywood Parker. The Latter officer's head framed by a coagulated pool of red blood. "Is he alive?" T'Sol asked O'Neil who was already looking at the injured man. It wasn't O'Neil that answered but Travers. "I can't tell. He's lost a lot of blood." Travers replied. T'Sol did not hesitate. She tapped her commbadge, "T'Sol to sickbay. Medical Emergency. Ensign Parker is badly injured with cranial trauma. Beam him and Doctor O'Neil directly to sickbay. He's lost a great deal of blood." (reply Sickbay) Travers stepped back from the body as the transporter sounded and the body and the Doctor disappeared, leaving only the blood smeared on the floor. The Vulcan officer looked at Travers. "Did it appear that he was attacked?" Travers shook his head, "Not likely, the ladder was laying atop him. It looks like he may have fallen." The Vulcan nodded, "I want you to arrest Ensign Baranovichi, pending a complete review." Traver's eyebrow shot up, but he nodded and replied, "Aye Ma'am. "Also we will seal this compartment. Until I know for certain this area is now a crime scene. Full forensics protocols are to be established immediately." T'Sol followed Travers out of the room and then locked the door, she then tapped her commbadge. "T'Sol to Ensign T'Vof. Can you please meet me at the door to the personal quarters belonging to Ensign Haywood Parker right away? It is an urgent matter." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS HADES- Sickbay- ACMO Ensign (sg) Hawkeye Dolphine-1732) Hawkeye got up and put on his t- shirt, Uniform pants, His red bathrobe with commbadge, and cowboy hat and headed for sickbay. When he got in he saw nurse Able tending to patients. She noticed him walk in and signaled him to head into his office and that she would be with him in a moment. He went into his office, tipped his cowboy hat over his eyes, put his feet up on his desk and reclined in his chair. a moment or two later he heard a rap on the office door. "Come in" He said without moving from his relaxed position. "Hawkeye it's Able. I have a list of patients currently in sickbay recovering. Most of them presented with flu like symptoms and are now receiving hydration treatments. Your two patient's from earlier are now in the post op ward and are recovering nicely." "Thank you Nurse Able. Any news on Haywood's status?" Hawkeye was worried about Haywood. Since Hawkeye came aboard, he felt a kind of friendship with Haywood. Maybe it was just a co worker type friendship, but a friendship nonetheless. Able shook her head, and told Hawkeye that she was worried as well. He tapped his commbadge and tried to get ahold of Angeni and Chase. "Hawkeye to Chase and Angeni" (Reply Chase and Angeni) "Any news on Haywood?" (Reply Chase, Angeni) "Ok, I'll get set up here and I'll see you down here" Hawkeye tapped his commbadge again and closed the link. He had to start setting things up for what was about to come. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Chief Tac/Sec office - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1737) Lo'ren was sitting in her office, trying to sort out new rotations for security, so that she could implement a new training regimen. There were entirely too many of the department who were testing at less than 70% accuracy in the advance target range. She wanted a minimum of 85%, but her ideal was closer to 95%. Among the worst offenders were Baranovichi and Stewart, the former was at a paltry 65% in the advance and scraped only 75% in the basic range. She had more than half a mind to bring him on the carpet. Her commbadge chirped and T'Sol, who'd been pretty much a gift from the Prophets, came over the connection. =/\=T'Sol to Ensign T'Vof. Can you please meet me at the door to the personal quarters belonging to Ensign Haywood Parker right away? It is an urgent matter.=/\= She was moving before she answered, "I'm on my way, can you give me any information before I arrive?" (reply T'Sol) Lo'ren nodded, even though she knew the Vulcan couldn't see her."Understood, I'll be there directly." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Sickbay,Dr. Chase O'Neil , 1738) Chase suddenly materialized kneeling on the floor in sickbay. The murrmur of voices that was originally heard playing chess dissolved into nothing. Nurses and medics stood up, jaws agape. No one moved an inch. To an outsider, it would have looked like a medical emergency had materialized in front of lay persons who barely had an understanding of how to put a band aid on, let alone take care of a major injury. To those who knew, it was the feeling of absolute, abject terror. Emergencies were easier to deal with when you knew they were coming. A doctor calling down to let them know that something was coming was easier to deal with than the same doctor dropping the same complaint in their lap. Chase looked up at the gawking crew and he pointed at Nurse Able. "I don't care what you do, I need you to get Ang down here, NOW! Break into her quarters if you have to. I also need Hawk here, yesterday." He looked down at Haywood, and he leaned over his body, looking him over. The blood oozing languidly from his nostrils and ears looked oily. Chase took the hem of his lab coat and touched it to the blood from his ear. Unfolding the corner, Chase swore under his breath. "Bullseye......" "Get him on a table, now. Hang some solu-medrol. Get him naked, put a clamshell on him, come on, quickly now!" Nurse Able ran into the office where Hawkeye was getting ready. "They're here. It doesn't look good." (Reply Hawk) "Battles sign and Cushings' Triad. I'm going to go get Ang now. Chase has a mix of Solu-Medrol and saline going. The CSF fluid test is positive. Anything else?" (Reply Hawk) "Then get your ass out there and help them!" Nurse Able ran from sickbay, trying to hail Ang on her comm badge. Chase began running through protocol, trying to stabilize Haywood. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades-Sickbay-ACMO Ensign Hawkeye Dolphine-1739) Hawkeye heard the all too familiar hum of the transporter beam in the main sickbay. A second later he heard nurse Able running into his office. "They're here. It doesn't look good." Able told Hawkeye. "Ok what's the story? How bad to the injuries look?" Hawkeye asked while getting changed into a pair of scrubs. "Battles sign and Cushings' Triad. I'm going to go get Ang now. Chase has a mix of Solu-Medrol and saline going. The CSF fluid testis positive. Anything else?" "No, go get Ang" Hawkeye replied as he finished putting on the scrubs. Hawkeye went over to the bio bed that Haywood was lying on. He took a moment to survey him and then turned to Chase. "What happened do we know?" (Reply Chase) "Ok people lets go to work. Chase go set up in OR 1, Im gonna need a hand with an exploratory. From the looks of it hes got some increased ICP as well. I'm thinking a couple of burr holes to at least release some of that pressure. A second bag wouldnt hurt him either." (Reply Chase) "John get over here. Put a second large bore IV in place and run a liter of half normal saline with D5W at a wide rate. Make sure his pressure doesnt get too high, but I need that line in on the off chance we half to get more meds into him. Also run a full panel on him, skull, chest and pelvic series. I want to make sure we dont have any serious complications from the flail segment I felt during assessment. Run a CBC while your at it, just in case". Once he gave the orders he headed to the scrub sink with Chase. "What do you think?" He asked Chase. " It looks to me like he's got the ICP and mabye some more internal spinal damage. I just dont think were gonna have a clear picture untill we get inside and look around" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Personal Quarters - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1742) Lo'ren arrived to see T'Sol standing exactly where she had said. "Report."Lo'ren didn't like mysteries, and she wasn't fond of the mess that had unfortunately cropped up since Baylon spiralled. (reply T'Sol) She sighed, perhaps an object lesson would go far to restore discipline amongst Security. "I want James up here, under guard." (reply T'Sol) She shook her head, "I trust your judgement, T'Sol. I will not rescind that order, but Mister Baranovichi will be inspecting Doctor Parker's quarters. He is to be treated as a working prisoner. He is to do the entire investigation alone, without aid, while under guard. Perhaps then he will understand what he is responsible for." (reply T'Sol) Lo'ren tapped her commbadge, she felt that for this to be fully effective, the orders would have to come from on high as it were. "T'Vof to Travers." =/\=Travers here.=/\= "Please escort Mister Baranovichi up here to the Doctor's quarters." =/\=Yes, Ma'am.=/\= ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate 2413.10.23 (USS Hades, Bridge - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1059) "Not in a million years, even at twenty four he's still wet behind the ears." He chuckled. "Besides I'd wreck his life if he tried." He winked."I've got a little pull in stafleet now, I could tell them some goofy tale like he's always fantasized about starting an interstellar war." Lo'ren made a mock face of horror before flashing him a brilliant smile."You wouldn't dare. Besides, another Haynes in the fleet would be good. Keep the admiralty on their toes." She winked back at him, teasing. "You'll probably pass out when you hear this but I need to speak to the counselor, it seems like a good time for an apology." Her eyebrow couldn't have gone any further into her hairline if he'd have told her he was planning on growing a tail. After regaining herself, she placed a hand on his chest briefly, aware of the eyes watching them. She leaned in, not quite leaning against him but coming in close. "I'm proud of you Jack." She whispered to him before she pushed herself back and away again. "We can talk more about this later, join me for supper in the arboretum?" (reply Jack) She smiled, "I thought you might. For now, we have to get back to work." She gave a shrug that said she was sorry they couldn't have their meal now and walked over to the Tactical console. Back to business, she was thinking of running some drills to improve accuracy for both Tactical and Security - she was fighting an uphill battle with Security. Baylon had been so far into depression that discipline and training levels had become appalling in the department - except for a few select officers like T'Sol. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Bridge - FO/CSO Jericho Haynes - 1101) Her surprise shot through their emotional link like a low voltage electrical current, causing a subliminal tingle in him in response and showed on her face as well. He was accutely aware of her as she leaned in close to him and placed a hand gently on his chest. "I'm proud of you Jack." She whispered then moved back. "We can talk more about this later, join me for supper in the arboretum?" "I'd love it." He answered in a quiet voice as he fought and forced down the urge to openly embrace her here on the bridge. "I'll have a picnic basket prepared later along with a nice wine and a blanket." The twinkle in his eyes was for her only. She smiled, "I thought you might. For now, we have to get back to work." She gave him a shrug of apology and walked over to tactical. His gaze lingered on her for an instant before he turned back to his own duties. The apology to Counselor Ripley would have to wait until later that day, right now they had to finish preparations to leave the starbase. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Arboretum - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof - 1935) Lo'ren had changed into civilian clothes. Uniforms were serviceable, but were really unsuited to picnics in the arboretum. She wore an emerald green outfit that brought a magic light to her eyes and she'd styled her hair in a somewhat upswept, fairy style. Jack said he'd bring the wine, picnic basket and the blanket, so Lo'ren had dessert in hand. She'd sent him a note earlier to tell him to leave out dessert. That was her contribution. She waited on the bench near where they'd come on their first excursion together. The slight knoll was covered in soft grass and the nearby flowers were varied and aromatic. Lo'ren hummed a tune she'd been practicing - it was a tune she'd found that she felt appropriately commemorated her father,solemn and stately, but not quite as dead as a funeral dirge from Vulcan. (reply Jack) Lo'ren smiled, "Well, I could choose something more lively, but I just couldn't do it. I need someone who can make me smile before I can do that." She kept her movements small, though what she really wanted to do was run into his arms. ~No sense in spilling the wine.~ (reply Jack) Once the place was set she did wrap her arms about him, absolutely too happy for words to simply be near him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Arboretum - FO/CSO Jericho Haynes - 1938) Jack entered the arboretum with a whistle on his lips and arms full of blanket, basket and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from California on Earth. North American vintages had quite overtaken their European counterparts in the last several hundred years and their quality was comperable. The vineyard label he was carrying of red wine had quite a history as well, having been started by a movie director who had made quite a name for himself in his time. His steps took him unerringly to the spot where he knew he would find her and he was not surprised to see her sitting upon the bench looking upon the knoll where they had first reclined, soaking up the ambiance of the lush foliage. The only thing missing to Jack about the lush greenery was to not see birds flitting about and singing. All things come to those who wait though after all. She was holding some dessert dish and looking quite beautiful as well as pixie'ish, he smiled at the memories this place held as well as the sight of her. He couldn't help but note as he drew nearer that her thoughts were in a somber mood, ~No doubt missing her father.~ It had been a decided blow to her when they had returned to 'normal' time only to find out her only remaining relative, the one whom she held in such high esteem and love had passed in their abscence. "I remember that tune," He said as he walked up behind her. It is very lovely though a bit sad." She turned toward him and smiled, "Well, I could choose something more lively, but I just couldn't do it. I need someone who can make me smile before I can do that." She gave the impression she wanted to sweep into his arms in a hug but held back until he set the blanket out and laid the basket and bottle down, the glasses and corkscrew were inside the basket.. Once that was done she swept into his arms and pressed in close, he held her tightly as she clung to him and nuzzled the crown of her head for a moment. "Is it just me or are you becoming more lovely by the day? I have no doubt he was extremely proud of what you have accomplished in starfleet not to mention how resilient and talented you are." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2413.10.24 (USS Hades – Marine Staging Area, MCO’s Office – Lt Col Drizzt - 0939) "Col. Drizzt, Thank you for seeing me." Drizzt looked up at the officer, then gestured to a seat across from his desk as he turned back to his paper work. He remained silent for several more long moments as he put the finishing touches on a munitions report for Starfleet Tactical and the Marine Command Center. By the time he looked up again, the Ensign had taken a seat. “All right, Ensign.” He said as he pulled his side arm from his under-arm holster and laid it on the desk, for comfort. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together, “What can I do for you?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof -1839) "Of course, I love a good cup. I'll be right back. Any particular brand? Ana introduced me to a really good tea when I came aboard. and what would you like with it?" He asked as he hurried to the replicator to order them up what she asked for as well as for himself. "If you want to recommend something - by all means. I am open to trying most anything edible once." Lo'ren had almost missed putting on that last word -there were things outside the realm of food she really wasn't willing to try, like living in the vacuum of space, but food - she'd try anything -though she was wary of gagh, despite Jack's attempts to get her to try it. She returned to the conversation, feeling like nothing could surprise this fatherly figure - and she was in need of a fatherly figure. As they spoke, she relaxed a little, but she guessed 'flashbacks' wasn't the word to use in her case. At least Riven was playing ignorant so she tried to be more accurate. "Well, it's not just what I see. It's what any telepath near me gets innundated with. You see..." She shifted uncomfortably, frustrated by the knowledge within her of her own inability to cope with the projections. "You see, when I experience a flashback, any telepath nearby experiences it too. Captain Straton and Baylon could both tell you intimate details about my past - not forgetting Jack, who's experienced more than his fair share since bonding with me." She stared down at her cup, at the floor, at the wall paintings, anywhere but at Riven while she waited for his response. (reply Riven) She felt relieved that he didn't judge her by this and a weight left her shoulders. "I don't know if you've looked at my file yet, but I am 47... 52 years old." She smiled slightly - the time-jump had made everyone a little older and none the wiser. "I was born into the Occupation of Bajor to an independently operating Vulcan Doctor and a Bajoran woman. Father had come to Bajor," She smiled a little at the memory, "his words were that 'it was the only logical thing todo'. He met, mated and bonded with my mother and never left." Lo'ren didn't bother to wipe the tears that were now beginning to flood her face. ~And now he never will, and I never really got to say goodbye.~ (reply Riven) Lo'ren nodded, "Most of my flashbacks concern the timeframe from before Bajor was liberated." A tear dripped right into her mug and Lo'ren watched the ripples as she let down her barriers a little more. Her voice was quiet,"I hate talking about it." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - Dr. Riven Mias -1842) "Well, it's not just what I see. It's what any telepath near me gets innundated with. You see..." She squirmed a bit in her seat. "You see, when I experience a flashback, any telepath nearby experiences it too. Captain Straton and Baylon could both tell you intimate details about my past - not forgetting Jack, who's experienced more than his fair share since bonding with me." He nodded sagely at the insight she gave him that dove-tailed with his own earlier, preliminary diagnosis which he had formed while they had talked during their time spent trundling through the ships corridors. "I understand completely, please continue." His voice held no condesencion or judgement, only concern. Her relief at his words were palpable. "I don't know if you've looked at my file yet, but I am 47... 52 years old." She gave a shy smile. "I was born into the Occupation of Bajor to an independently operating Vulcan Doctor and a Bajoran woman. Father had come to Bajor, his words were that 'it was the only logical thing to do'. He met, mated and bonded with my mother and never left." Her tears came with the rolling wave of sadness that flooded from her. Some issues could only be dealt with after they had been exposed to the light so he made no move toward her, instead asking the question to which he already knew the answer but needed to be asked as he gently steered the conversation. "And what do those flashbacks concern?" She nodded in resignation, "Most of my flashbacks concern the timeframe from before Bajor was liberated." She looked into her mug of tea as she spoke quietly,"I hate talking about it." "I comprehend completely," he replied, not pressing. "Take your time. The occupation was a harrowing experience for the Bajoran populace and I am not going to press you about it. You must understand though that these things you experienced are at the very root of the control issues you confided to me about and in order for you to take a step forward they will have to be dealt with and I have lots of available time." Having said that he reclined in his chair and picking up his cup took a sip of the delectable tea, allowing her time to gather her thoughts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - CTAC/SEC Ensign Lo'ren T'Vof -1845) "I comprehend completely," he replied. "Take your time. The occupation was a harrowing experience for the Bajoran populace and I am not going to press you about it. You must understand though that these things you experienced are at the very root of the control issues you confided to me about and in order for you to take a step forward they will have to be dealt with and I have lots of available time." Lo'ren squeezed her eyes shut as she listened, letting the grief wash through her. She'd warned Jack that she would be with Riven and so hopefully he wasn't anywhere where he could be compromised in his work by her emotional torrents. She started with the first thing that came into her consciousness. Shock and devastation of a four-year-old mind trying to understand why her friend was killed - and why it was claimed by the adult in the room as her fault. She told the story and as she finished her chin trembled, much like all those years ago. "That is only the first day of 5 years of horror. Some days were better, but..." Lo'ren could not hold back any longer - she had just the presence of mind to place her mug on the side table next to her chair before she dropped her head in her hands - caring little for the where's and why's of anything. (reply Riven) Lo'ren understood this cleansing - while she'd never wanted to purge the emotions themselves, the facing of them was cathartic. She went through all those things she could remember. Occasionally she felt herself project an image, she made no apologies and continued on. For Riven to understand he needed anything he could get out of her. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades - Deck 8, Personal Quarters - Dr. Riven Mias -1910) Riven felt a wave of grief wash through Lo'ren and she began telling him of the horrors she had experienced firsthand, his first time aboard the Hades he would have been hard pressed not to go right into his mind healing disciplines quickly as they were what he was most knowledgeable of. Time and experience however had taught him the value of being a listening ear rather than a searching mind. Counselor's knew that instinctively and were taught to harness their instincts, drawing the words from their guests and thereby drawing with them the poison that those experiences had stained upon the souls of those they counseled. Riven had been forced to learn that on the job as it were but had learned that lesson well. It was now indelibly ingrained on his conscious as well as unconscious mind. In the same way he remained silent as images leaked from her mind though he was hard pressed at times not to let his emotional filter react to what he saw. Horror was a word that seemed not to completely convey the brutality and sexual exploitation this woman had experienced as a little girl. Every species at times spawned the sexually promiscuous and perverse who were only too happy to act out their perversions upon others, the Cardassians were no exception. This knowledge did not however in any way detract from the malicious and sadistic nature of the individual nor minimize his culpability in the crimes he had committed as a member of the occupation. That Lo'ren had not only survived that exploitation but had risen beyond it and thrived in one of the most demanding careers in the Federation spoke volumes of her resiliency and strength of character. Individuals of times having gone through such revolting crimes ended up being warped and twisted by it themselves or paralyzed with fear and indecision. All eventually, even those that had defeated it had eventually to face it, just as now... and expunge it. His empathic talent however was constantly active, drawing off the negative energy in the room she was emitting. Later after she had reached a catharsis he would reinforce that with positive energy, now however there was still much listening to be done. "That is only the first day of 5 years of horror. Some days were better, but..." She hastily placed her mug upon the table and burying her face in her hands began sobbing. Riven did nothing to dissuade this, instead he took the opposite and wise approach as he remained easily in his seat. Though he didn't move the charms about his person seemed to chime with a soft melody. "Go ahead, do not be afraid to let them out. The tears are bitter to you now but they will cleanse what they touch in their wake." The images became more vivid as she released years of pent up anxiety, fear, guilt and anger. He assimilated them all, letting them flow around and through him. Being able to talk them through with him would allow the healing to begin in her mind, some aspects would heal faster than others but in due time all would fade, not forgotten but no longer a danger to the present. And after she was finally able to face and conquer them all, after she was strong enough the teaching would begin. Tonight though would be devoted to laying the groundwork for what was to come, it would become a new beginning for her. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stardate: 2413.10.25 (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1144) Arysha walked into Main Engineering and looked around. She spotted Lt. Wright at a console and went over, careful to signal with a hand wave in the woman's peripheral vision. (reply Darla) {{Hi-hi, D-Boss. Heard maybe help-you need for-for code-fix scan m-a-g-n-e-t-a-r.}} She spelled out the last word usign the manual alphabet, the monotone voice of the Vox repeating each letter - Arysha hadn't figured a proper sign for it yet and so she had little choice but to do this. She hated it, as it slowed down what she was able to say and it frustrated many other officers who then had to take the extra time to figure out what she'd spelled. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, - Main Engineering - aCEO- Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1145) Engineering teams were crawling all over the Hades sensor systems, power distributions systems and warp plasma generators, like a swarm of ants who had found a tasty looking picnic unattended. It was a very complex ritual that would hopefully result in the shielding of critical warp components, increased powerful capabilities to the sensor pallets and arrays and a properly calibrated sensor capability. At least that was the idea. She stood tapping out commands on the main display, noting inconsistencies and aberrations in the work as it was relayed back to her in real time. It was a very large job, requiring dozens of personnel working on at least six major ship's systems. {{Hi-hi, D-Boss. Heard maybe help-you need for-for code-fix scan m-a-g-n-e-t-a-r.}} She suddenly heard off to her left. She had seen someone approach, but had been so focused on her work that she had not really denoted that individuals identity. "Arysha" Darla said with a smile in her voice, glad to have another top-notch mind working so closely with her on this project. She glanced up at the chronometer and realized that the senior programmer had just come on shift a short while ago. "Thank goodness that you're here. You're just the woman I was looking for." She gestured the woman over to stand beside her and then gestured to the master display. "We are in the process of shielding the warp critical components from possible subspace interference, which ironically enough has caused a degradation in the computers ODN operations buss. We're hoping that some new code dictating how the computer should communicate with the shielded components might repair that latency." She explained. "And then there's the sensor calibration as well. The system override protocols need to be re-written. The sensor pallets and the subsystem assemblies keep trying to go into shut down mode whenever we start even the most basic diagnostic. It seems to think that it's receiving enough power to fry the components despite our efforts to tell it otherwise and despite the system upgrades." "Until we can fix that issue, there's no way for us to test the system configurations, so that we can start writing the new calibrations algorithms. What do you think? Are you up to it? We're not exactly sure in which programming node the fault lies, so it could take a while to get it fixed and the captain wants it all done before we're on site." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1146) Arysha stood near the Chief Engineer and paid close attention to the details that were being laid out for her. Between new components, shielding sensitive ones and faulty coding telling the computer there's too much power it looked like quite the morass on the surface. Her quick mind danced through the possibilities before she offered her thoughts. {{Think first-critical must-be override protocols. Mistake coding maybe cascade-influence ODN-buss. Because shield sensitive must, possible calibrate-matrix read-search shielding for power?}} Arysha's face made it clear that opinion was welcomed at this stage. (reply Darla) {{Search-test overrides for-for possibilities can. Think-not problem have continue-forward shielding. Ignore ODN degrade up-until one-hour.}} Arysha was shaking her head slightly as she spoke, her face a carefully crafted mask of informed dismissal at the concerns. (reply Darla) {{Inform-let-you-know coding find, will. No problem.}} Arysha grinned at Darla, showing the Chief a confidence she wasn't quite sure of, but was ready to jump into anyhow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Main Engineering - aCEO Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1147) Arysha gave due consideration of the fact that Darla had presented before offering up a suggestion about how the problem could be rectified. {{Think first-critical must-be override protocols. Mistake coding maybe cascade-influence ODN-buss. Because shield sensitive must, possible calibrate-matrix read-search shielding for power?}} Darla considered the engineer's words for a moment before nodding. "Yes I suppose it is possible, the shield could be causing a false internal energy flow to the power flow regulators." {{Search-test overrides for-for possibilities can. Think-not problem have continue-forward shielding. Ignore ODN degrade up-until one-hour.}} A lot could happen in an hour if they disregarded the ODN degrade routines and the problem turned out to be something other than a faulty sensor reading routine. Still Arysha had a working theory that seemed sound enough and it was better than pulling everything apart and reassembling it piece by piece until the exact problem was worked out. She had to trust her engineers to do the best that they could or when the real pressure was on, they'd hesitate instead of acting without her consent. That sort of activity could be fatal. "Okay." She finally said after weighing the risks, "take a look at the coding and let me know if it can be fixed or adjusted. I don't really want to let the captain down before we've even reached the mission site." {{Inform-let-you-know coding find, will. No problem.}} Arysha grinned at Darla. There was confidence behind her eyes. "Alright, well let's get to it shall we?" Darla asked with a wink. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1149) "Alright, well let's get to it shall we?" Darla asked with a wink. Arysha's grin burst out wider and she nodded back. She grabbed a nearby station and quickly set it up to monitor power fluctuations alongside her fast-paced run through the coding. She lined up three seperate frames - each with a different pile of coding. The Ops Buss for the ODN relays seemed to be the biggest snaggle in their way so that took centre stage and on either side she had the coding scrolling line by line for the shielding itself and the sensor calibration matrix. Below all this she called up her personal coding configuration next to a diagnostic energy projection - outside the system so that her coding experiments wouldn't cause the whole ship to brown out if she made a wrong move. Her glasses slid down her nose as she worked and Arysha simply ignored them.Her eyes flew back and forth reading code at a speed that rivalled any android. Her fingers - while not quite as speedy as a mechanical man's might be - blurred across the touch pads, the test coding flashing the diagnostic panel green, white, red, blue, black or yellow depending on what the coding did to the hypothetical systems. Eventually, she caught a strange recursion algorithm that was, simply put, infinite and the ODN relays attached to it were having to feed power to it to keep it moving, which in turn was causing the relays to degrade. She tested the coding and added an else if clause to the instructions before she turned back to Darla, who was still nearby looking at something else. Arysha waved frantically, {{Hey-hey-hey, D-Boss. Think have-finished ODN-crumble smooth-dust-gone. Check before toss-into system, please.}} (reply Darla) Arysha nodded, happy that she'd helped solve a major issue, but her mind was already working on the next piece to the puzzle. {{ODN steady will-now. Search shut-down block will.}} ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Main Engineering - aCEO Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1150) Darla watched for a few moments as her master coding Engineer set up her work area. How the woman could monitor four continual feeds at one time was well beyond Darla's understanding. The Acting Chief had enough problem dealing with more than two issues running concurrently. With a shake of her head, Darla turned back to another minor issue, with a harmonic fluctuation in the ventral shield emitters. She suspected that it had something to do with the ODN problem but had not yet been able to confirm her suspicions. She sifted through the power relay data, beginning with the end point and then tracing it backwards through the system conduit by conduit, EPS Relay, by EPS relay. It was a long process, but one that usually proved to be the most accurate for locating a small localized fault. ~Bingo!~ She thought as she found the EPS Power relay that had a magnetic field dissonance misalignment. She tapped her commbadge. "Wright to MacLiam" (reply Eoin) "I've located an EPS Power relay in Junction thirty-eight-Bravo that is showing a 0.54 milligauss dissonance outside of tolerances. As this relay is responsible for shunting power to the Ventral Shield generator, I'd like for you to go and either adjust it or replace it as soon as possible." (reply Eoin) "Thank you Ensign, Engineering out." ~One down, a few hundred more to go...~ She thought as she started on her next problem. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Main Engineering - aCEO Lieutenant Darla Wright - 1230) A few problems later, Darla was interrupted by Arysha's good news. {{Hey-hey-hey, D-Boss. Think have-finished ODN-crumble smooth-dust-gone. Check before toss-into system, please.}} Darla smiled, and gave her a quick nod. "Transfer your test code to my console." She said and then started digging through the adjusted code a few moments after it arrived. The new code was a simply brilliant. A simply statement had been added that had allowed the system to bypass the apparently infinite loop which had been causing the degradation of the Busses processing capabilities. Darla ran a couple of isolated simulations and finding no problems with the code gave Arysha the thumbs up. "This looks great." She added a moment later, "Go ahead and push this out for immediate implementation." Arysha nodded, seemingly happy that she'd helped solve a major issue, but it was apparent that she was already working on the next piece to the puzzle. {{ODN steady will-now. Search shut-down block will.}} Darla nodded one, and rather than disturb the young engineering officer further allowed her to do her thing as the Acting Chief went back to looking at the other minor issues that had cropped up. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Main Engineering - Engineer Ensign (jg) Arysha Tethlin - 1235) Arysha stopped for a moment, the pressure behind her eyes was building -always a sign that she needed to look away from the screens for a moment. She felt like she was close to the answer, but it was frustrating sometimes when she had to stop and rest her eyes, which were also her ears. She removed her glasses, closed her eyes and rubbed her eyelids gently, sighing as she did so. ~Close, close, close. Can do this - almost destination reached.~ She gave her head a shake and returned her glasses to her nose. She went back to the screens, now displaying the shutdown protocols that were so troubling the engineers crawling through the systems. Something was nagging her about the way the normal systems and the shielded systems were interacting. There was a strange jump mechanism that was causing the computers to think shutdown was needed. She tried a few failsafe codes on her isolated test code that didn't quite work before her brain finally clued in to the actual problem. Chuckling to herself she tapped in the filtering mechanism that would return the language to it's proper configuration before it reached the target systems. After she checked her code one last time she turned and looked for the Chief Engineer again. {{D-Boss, think problem resolved.}} She said no more, letting her work speak for her, which she indicated with a point to the station she was working at. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Shuttlecraft Feynman – Ass CSO Bracken – 1400) Dale stretched slightly, as the ETA edged ever closer. It was ridiculous, but she was nervous again, feeling just as she had when she had graduated the academy how many years ago. She had been so nervous that on reporting in to the captain of the Dennison, she had announced herself as Cadet Bracken, rather than Ensign. Dale was certain that she wouldn’t do that again, but she was on edge nevertheless. Travelling with Aimee hadn’t helped. The poor girl was bored out of her mind, but had been very patient, and had slept a lot of the journey, content with looking out of the windows, and playing with a very small selection of toys that Dale had allowed to be removed from one of the cases. The last two days had been a real blur, and had, sadly, begun rather badly. Dale had had an almighty argument with her father about being reassigned. Her father was a former MCPO, but had left the fleet when Dale was 12. Now he felt that She should be concentrating on raising her daughter, remaining as a civilian. He was possibly correct, but it smacked of gross hypocrisy on his part. He and her mother had given Dale no such consideration when she was born and growing up. It seemed that the rules had changed now they were grandparents. The argument had not ended well. Dale resolved to contact him at the earliest opportunity. Trouble was, Dale mused, she could rather see his point, and didn’t really disagree, perhaps a fleet ship wasn’t the best of places to raise a 3 year old. Admittedly though, there were far worse. Impatience was beginning to set in, Dale felt the old, all too familiar itch, the one that frequently had her up all night, pulling double shifts, not being able to sleep. The feeling of being truly alive was returning, she had hardly noticed how sedentary she had become, barely giving credence to evidence that she had almost become a completely different person. Of course Aimee had changed her, that wasn’t what she meant; the real Dale was waking up again the uniform had been the final piece of what had been missing. Dale allowed a smile to creep across her face, ~Home~ she thought ~we’re going home~ She turned her daughter and smiled, the smile was returned. Aimee seemed as excited as she was, shuffling impatiently in her seat. ~Too much like her mother~. “ETA One hour Sir.” The pilot’s voice called back from the cockpit. “Contacting the Hades now. It’s going to be tricky Sir, I won’t lie to you. She’s in orbit around a sizable magnetar, it’s going to have to be a rapid, long range transfer. No way I’m taking this any nearer than I have to.” “Understood Ensign. Do your best.” Dale answered standing up from the chair to tidy up one or two things that remained. “Aye sir” The pilot tapped a quick combination on one of the screens, hailing the Hades. “USS Hades, this is Shuttlecraft Feynman, Come in over.” (Reply Hades) “ETA One hour. Hades this is going to be difficult – I can’t get much closer than 75% of maximum transfer range, gravity well is far too strong.” (Reply Hades) “Understood. That we can manage. Manifest is one Officer, one civilian minor, and two standard cases.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Hades, Bridge – FO/CSO Jericho Haynes and ACOPS David Adams – 1405) Nearly a full shifts worth of readings were being logged in the science database but much remained unclear of course, thermal, gravitational flux and magnetic scans were a high priority at the moment along with ambient radiation. Gamma and X-Ray readings were from 35.1 to 43.4 Kev at 9.5 million kilometers from the subject of their investigations. Particle shifts and other radioactive isotope readings had been made but would be studied further in depth during tomorrow's sweeps. Starfleet was being kept us to date with all readings being sent through a subspace telemetry channel opened directly to the labs on Geneva. The blip of an incoming object on proximity alert interrupted his train of thought and he transferred the signal to a secondary screen where he calibrated one of the long range scanners and trained it on the vessel. "Captain I have a small incoming ship." "Acknowledged Captain, navigational transponder shows it to be a long range transport shuttle, the Feynman." David Adams piped up from the OPS console. (Reply: Straton, any) "We're receiving a hail now, The Lieutenant replied. =^= USS Hades, this is Shuttlecraft Feynman, Come in over.=^= "Roger, this is the Hades, Lt. Adams speaking. "David replied as he leaned back in his chair, "Go ahead Feynman" =^= ETA One hour. Hades this is going to be difficult – I can’t get much closer than 75% of maximum transfer range, gravity well is far too strong.=^= Jack tapped into the comm. "Acknowledged, We are in geostationary orbit with shields up, we will have to rendezvous at a distance of approximately 12.2 million kilometers at coordinates 50346823 to affect the transfer. That will also place us safely outside the primary effects of the gravity well, who do you have aboard?" =^= Understood.=^= Came the reply. =^= That we can manage. Manifest is one Officer, one civilian minor, and two standard cases.=^= Jack turned to Eva. " Permission to proceed sir?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (USS Hades, Bridge, CO Captain Eva Straton, 14:06) Eva was sitting in the command chair watching the magnetar on the screen as the science department continued their scans. At present there wasn't much else for to do, but wait for the science department finish their analysis. "Captain I have a small incoming ship," Lt. Haynes reported suddenly from Science One. "Identify," Eva ordered, her gaze going to Lt Adams at OPS. "Acknowledged Captain, navigational transponder shows it to be a long range transport shuttle, the Feynman." David Adams replied. "Hail them," Eva said. "We're receiving a hail now," Adams replied. =^= USS Hades, this is Shuttlecraft Feynman, Come in over.=^= "Roger, this is the Hades, Lt. Adams speaking. "Lt. Adams replied as he leaned back in his chair, "Go ahead Feynman" =^= ETA One hour. Hades this is going to be difficult – I can’t get much closer than 75% of maximum transfer range, gravity well is far too strong.=^= "Acknowledged, We are in geostationary orbit with shields up, we will have to rendezvous at a distance of approximately 12.2 million kilometers at coordinates 50346823 to affect the transfer. That will also place us safely outside the primary effects of the gravity well, who do you have aboard?" Lt. Haynes said tapping into the com. =^= Understood.=^= Came the reply. =^= That we can manage. Manifest is one Officer, one civilian minor, and two standard cases.=^= "Permission to proceed sir?" Lt. Haynes asked turning toward Eva. "Granted," Eva replied looking at the shuttle on her arm rest terminal. "CONN move us to the coordinates provided by Lt. Haynes, three quarters impulse. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- end compile