From:	JoGoodman2@aol.com
Sent:	Friday, 6 June 2003 4:54 AM
To:	up_rpg@freedom-squadron.com
Cc:	fs-command@the-fgn.org
Subject:	compile UP May 24-June 1, 2003

Mission: Medicinal Tonic, Day 1 
Stardate 24.03.06 
May 24-June 1, 2003 

(Starbase Valhalla, FO/Counselors office, TSO, Lt. Percival Bellephoron II, 14:48) 
(Starbase Valhalla, FO/Counselors office, Kahila Lono, 14:50) 
(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay One, Admiral Jopek - 20.10) 
(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay one, Kahila Lono/Marianne Anmec, 20:15) 
(Starbase Valhalla: Shuttlebay One - Pierce Horatio Orde - 2016) 
(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay One, Admiral Jopek - 20.25) 
(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay One, Ensign JG Saurik Rak'han - 20:30) 
(Starbase Valhalla: Corridor - Lt. Pierce Orde - 20:34) 
(Otono Underground Medical Facilities, SPC Science Officer, Ens Morag MacRath, 20:35) 
(Probe, nearing Martian surface, Kahila Lono/Marianne, 20:45) 
(Martian surface, Probe, landing field outside StratOps, Kahila Lono, 21:30) 
RSE Imperial Warbird K'alism, Bridge, Commander R'Liast - 22.00) 
(Martian surface, Probe, landing field outside StratOps, Ensign(jg) Hank Longfellow - 23:10) 

(Starbase Valhalla, FO/Counselors office, TSO, Lt. Percival Bellephoron II, 14:48) 

"No. We can consider the evaluation concluded." 

Percival nodded when the Counsellor smiled. 

"But, now, back for a moment to the upcoming social event. I want to make clear that I haven't made a firm decision about the luau. It was something that occurred to me. But I'm certainly open to other suggestions. I haven't given any particulars to Admiral Jopek yet. Would you perhaps have an alternative to add?" 

Percival frowned for a moment. 

"Oh dear," he finally said, " I hope Madam will forgive me for my unprofessional conduct. One can only assume that by displaying one's discomfort with an idea, one would give rise to the notion that one would want to try to steer a senior officer towards a different disposition. I can assure Madam that that was not the case. I will fully comply with Madam's wishes regardless of my own disposition. Madam has, as she has stated, experience with said venue and from what I could observe, those experiences have been positive. Hence I will accept Madam's disposition. My 'lack' of experience with said venues should not hinder Madam in her choice. In fact, on many occasions have I observed that if one is making a decision the first decision that comes to mind will be the best decision. This notion of instinctive decision-making is quite valid in my honest opinion." 

Percival shrugged. 

"Madam has seniority therefore Madam has a more complex set of information and a better overview. One's inadequacy, or indeed, one's own disposition should not be allowed to take precedence over it. It is my duty to assist Madam, not to berate her on her choices. I am here to serve Madam and serve Madam I will. Madam can rest assured that I will not be found wanting. As indeed, I showed when it was required of me to 'mate' with a Lizard Queen because that was part of the 'requirements' to establish good relations with another race. The fact that said experience was less than....enjoyable does not matter. Like I informed Madam previously, it is my duty to assist, to ensure that the 'job' as it is vulgarly known was done to satisfactorily standards. In my mind, THAT, and only THAT, is of any importance." 

(Reply Kahlia) 

(Otono Underground Medical Facilities, TSO, Lt. Percival Bellephoron II, 20:30) 

"There is power here." 

Percival turned round to face Morag. 

"Evidently" he replied as he turned his gaze towards a group of medics who rushed through the corridors. 

"The only question is: why?" 

Percival regarded the area they were in with caution. 

"And indeed the next important question would be... for how long? Let us see if we can get a link to the computer systems down here. it might help us solve the riddles of our time." 

Percival smiled at Morag as he started off following the medical personnel. The soft stench of chemicals, emanating from his and Morag's hands started to annoy him, but not nearly as much as the fact that their hard work creating perchlorate pots to be used as oxygen supply had been hard, and, as it turned out, fruitless. Because the results of their hard work, the first attempts to use some of the chemicals they found on the base to produce heat and basically everything that the two Science officers had done when they were caught up in the disaster after coming down for a medical check-out were all to be found upstairs. 

And even if they had wanted to, there had been no way they would have been able to bring down the twenty nine barrels of hydrazine. Or indeed the two hundred jars with perchlorate. No, they had to remain 'upstairs' and with the shuttles falling all over the place, it was clear that they would probably have been obliterated there. 

It only required one little spark to ignite a barrel of hydrazine and a crashing shuttle would have created quite a large number of sparks. Luckily the barrels with hydrazine had been placed inside a solid bunker at the outskirts of the base because of their inherent instability so even if they would go up it would not lay waste to the whole facility, only to a quarter of it. 

Percival wondered who had been so stupid to place such a large quantity of dangerous chemicals in a base. If he had had his way, he would have had them placed for out of harm's way. But then he shrugged. It was of little consequence at the moment. 

"Engineering console," Morag broke his chain of thought as she pointed towards a console in the far wall. 

Percival nodded as they made their way to it. It was operational and would give them some possibility to check out this underground facility. But instead of accessing the console, Percival went on his knees to look at the panel underneath it. With a bit of difficulty he was able to pry it open. 

"Excellent," he exclaimed as he took out the standard Engineering repair box. Upon opening it he took out two tricorders and gave one to Morag. 

"At least we won't be half blind anymore," he mused to himself. "Ok, let's see what the console can tell us." 

He got up and accessed the computer looking at the general base information. 

"Power outage 2834.67 TeraWatts, power efficiency 99.976 percent. That should be well within standard procedure," he said to Morag as he looked away. 

"Quite a miracle, wouldn't you agree? There we are, suffocating, freezing and generally dying and suddenly we are all saved. Full life support, full heating, full medical facilities. A wonder." 

Percival rubbed his eyes. 

"Unfortunately I don't believe in miracles." 

He sighed as he called up the log. 

"Hmmm," he said after a while. "Can't really say that it shows any impending disasters. No significant change since power up. The power efficiency has dropped one thousandths of a percent but the power generators added a few watts to compensate for it. No, no problem whatsoever." 

Percival sighed again then pushed himself away from the console. 

"And here we stand, insignificance in all its splendour. Watching the wonders of the universe unfold and weave its intricate design of ...of...nothingness? God, isn't life great? There we are, living life to the fullest, just waiting for the Gods to fart in our face." 

Percival shrugged 

"I'm off," he said. 

"Where to?" he heard Morag ask with a strange undertone. 

"To eternity, dear Morag, to eternity and back. We are obviously superfluous in this grand scheme of things. Hence I will set off to enjoy myself. Once more unto the breach, dear friend, Once more! To be or not to be, the universal question of mankind. Creep in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools, The way to dusty death! OUT! OUT, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon stage, And then is heard no more, It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. Signifying Duty! The Duty to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing them, end them. To die...to sleep, for in that sleep of Death what dreams may come, dreams of the undiscover'd country, from whose bourn, No traveller returns." 

Percival fell silent, shaking his head. 

"From nothingness we were born, to nothingness we will return." 

He then grinned. 

"But my road to nothingness will pass Sector 65. That's where the loss of power was found. Might as well find out what caused it, seeing that there is nothing more for us to do here. My dear old mother always told me that the devil makes work for idle hands. And she should know, she was one." 

Again Percival grinned. 

"So, once more, dear Morag? Until we can find use for us again?" 

(Reply Morag) 

(Otono Underground Medical Facilities, Medical sector 65, TSO, Lt. Percival Bellephoron II, 20:42) 

"There it is! You see? The node in the data acceptance stream? That's where the power loss occurred! The game's afoot, dear Morag!" 

Percival gesticulated as he accessed a nearby console. 

"Oh dear, it looks like the efficiency has dropped again." 

Percival pulled up the log of the small station and examined it closely. After a few minutes he called Morag over. 

"I told you there is no such thing as a miracle," he said whilst biting his lips. 

"Look, that dot in the upper right hand of the screen? That's the place where the power loss first occurred. And look at that area now." 

Percival changed the settings and the dot grew slightly in size. 

"Apparently just before the power loss occurred this station was used to upload information into the base system from a PADD by a medical officer. Oh, and look at this!" 

Again Percival changed the settings and the dot changed into a donut-shaped object. The hole in the donut was black, the donut itself was light brown. 

"This is the power-distribution inside the dot," Percival said. "The black area in the middle is black, meaning that there is current flowing, the brown shape is where the power flow is diminished but still active." 

"Which means," he added with a tone of secrecy ," that something is absorbing electrons, the elemental particles that make up electrical currents. And that something seems to be growing. Does that mean that that something is feeding on our power? Could be, could very well be. Could it be alive? Again, possible but not yet established. All we know is that there is something inside this section that 'eats' our electrons whilst at the same time extending his area of influence. And whatever it was, it came from a PADD so probably from upstairs." 

Percival shook his head. 

"But it doesn't seem to 'like' organic materials. Look, where there is a sub-organic interface with the node. Power loss happens everywhere apart from where it is close to organic materials." 

Percival went silent as he regarded his tricorder, then used it to do some calculations. 

"In one hour the spot will have grown sufficiently to cause this node to fail. The growth that we observed is exponential, so the more it 'eats' the more it grows and the more it can 'eat'. We should not notice anything peculiar until two seconds before failure time. But by then it will be too late to do anything. Not that I can see us do anything at the moment anyway apart from shutting this whole section down. The way the powernodes are integrated, it will be impossible to single out one node and shut that one down, whilst keeping the others online. I guess we could class it as a miracle that only this insignificant node is affected." 

Suddenly Percival threw his head back. 

"A miracle," he said to himself softly then accessed the console again. When he looked up, his face was paled. 

"Miracles obviously do not exist. I made a system wide scan for 'blackspots'. They are appearing all over the system! And every time they are near data-input-nodes!" 

Percival cursed as he tapped his comm-badge. 

"TSO to CMO and ACMO. I command you shut down ALL non-essential equipment immediately! I have found evidence of system invasion by power-consuming entities. The longer they are allowed to consume power, the faster they will grow and infect the whole system! If no action is taken, I estimate the whole base will be without power within 75 minutes! The more power a system requires the more it will contribute to shutdown and the faster it will occur. If we shut down ALL equipment we will be able to stem the growth and hence keep this base active. I have several oxygen creating devices upstairs so that we can dispense with life-support once we bring them down at least for the time being. I will go upstairs and see how many devices I can bring down. Until then I would suggest the power consumption to be investigated rigourously . I have no information on how it actually spreads or grows or indeed on what it is. I only know that organic materials seem to hinder their growth for whatever reason. Percival out!" 

Suddenly filled with renewed vigour Percival looked at his second in command. 

"Morag, take this tricorder to the CMO and ACMO and assist them with further investigation. I will organise a workparty to retrieve the perchlorate pots." 

(Reply CMO, ACMO, Morag, any) 

(Otono Medical Facilities,, TSO, Lt. Percival Bellephoron II, 20:46) 

Percival regarded the four medical technicians as they stood in front of the final airlock. He checked his Evac suit again. 

"Ok, so we are all clear on this? " he asked again, "Since the quality of the air on the other side of the door is questionable at least only one will go in and retrieve the pots. And since I know where the pots are, I will be that one. I will try to use some trolleys to facilitate transport, since we are talking about a considerable amount of jars, but I am afraid you will have to carry them downstairs. If you haven't returned yet when I bring in the next load I will place them inside the airlock and return to retrieve the other pots. Once we have them all, I will make one last sweep of the area and then return downstairs on my own. To mark the last of the pots I will place this red piece of paper on them." 

Percival regarded the four people again, then nodded. 

"Let's get this show on the road, then," he said as he closed the visor of his suit, thus activating the suit. 

He opened the inner door of the airlock, closed it behind him and waited until the air was exchanged. He opened the outer door and smiled. He could not explain it but he felt exhilarated. He had a duty to perform again, an important duty as well. 

He hummed inside his suit as the door swung open, treating Percival with a view of a wasteland. 

The walls were still standing, the windows were still in place but apart from that, the place was strewn with debris. Percival walked over to the windows and looked out. The north wing was completely gone, which was not that strange considering the barrels with hydrazine had been stacked on the outside of the north wing. The west wing still stood, if only partly. Here and there some shiny bits could be seen, debris from the crashing shuttles. 

Percival shook his head as he turned away from the window and walked towards the east entrance. Walking was slightly hindered by the amount of rubble and fallen down equipment on the floor but overall it was not as bad as Percival had feared. The fact that the artificial gravity was out didn't help much either. 

As he shuffled his way through the debris, he started whistling, only to be stopped by a yell of appreciation when he found a large number of boxes, just the right size to hold ten jars. He picked one up and took it with him as he entered the small laboratory where Morag and himself had done their handy work. The glowrods they had used as light source were still strewn across the floor. 

With an appreciating nod Percival noticed that nothing had happened to the stack of jars they had created. He picked one up and regarded it for a second. It had taken quite some time for them to work out the right mixture of perchlorate and metallic Tellamurium. When the lid would be taken away, the carbon dioxide in the air would slowly bind with the Tellamurium, creating heat which would break down the perchlorate ions to produce oxygen and chloride ions. 

Smiling Percival started to pack the jars into the box. He found he could easily pack twenty jars in one box and once he had filled the first box he made his way back to the airlock. He looked at his watch when he placed the box inside the airlock and bounced on the inner door to warn the others that the first delivery had been made. It had taken him six minutes to get the first box, the others would take less. He estimated five minutes per box, making it a total of 51 minutes of work in total. Having an hour of oxygen in his suit meant that he could do it in time but not if he kept on dawdling. Grinning, Percival set out to get the second box. 

(Otono Medical Facilities, TSO, Lt. Percival Bellephoron II, 21:39) 

With a grand gesture, Percival placed the red card on the box inside the airlock. Although he was by now sweating through all pores he grinned boyishly. Somehow he knew that he had made a difference that day. He stepped outside and closed the door so the others could retrieve the box whilst he made a last sweep of the area. 

He grinned as he sat himself down to take a breather. He imagined how downstairs they would open the jars and breathe the fresh clean oxygen. 

"So this is what doing one's duty feels like," he mused, "not standard day, run-of-the-mill duties but one you can be proud of, fulfilling one's potential, making a significant difference to others." 

Percival felt awash with a strange feeling, a feeling that he had never experienced before. He had never before felt good about doing his duty, it was just something that you did, no questions asked. Percival sighed and stood up to make his way towards the airlock outer door. 

"Back to mediocrity," he thought with a sour smile, "back to nothingness. I have done my share and it is now for others to continue where I have stopped. Time for me to return to oblivion, But this time I have tasted nirvana, I know how it feels to REALLY make a difference., GOD, the things one has to give up to do one's duty." 

Percival sighed and opened the door. He noticed the jars when it suddenly struck him. 

That oxygen was there so that others would survive. And it had been his duty to provide the lifeline for the others. But that was only part of the duty, an important part but still just a part. To REALLY fulfill it, to ENSURE best chances for those who were to survive. 

Percival sighed and walked out of the airlock, closing the outer door. He looked around and pulled some debris towards the door. He didn't know why he actually had done it, perhaps it was to show the others that he had done it out of conviction, rather than by accident. 

"The ball's in your court now, Morag." Percival said softly as his hand reached up to his visor. "but don't screw up your life as I did." 

Percival snarled then smiled. She wouldn't, he knew that for sure. 

Percival blinked as his hand snatched open the visor and he smelled old air. He took a deep breath in imagined himself to smell the carbon monoxyde. But he knew that monoxyde was tasteless and odourless. 

Percival suddenly felt tired and sat down on one of the chairs in the office. He started to whisper: "To die...to sleep, for in that sleep of Death what dreams may come, dreams of the undiscover'd country, from whose bourn, No traveller re......." 

Percival's head fell down. 

(Reply by all mentioned above, any) 
(Posted by Adrie Geuken) 


(Starbase Valhalla, FO/Counselors office, Kahila Lono, 14:50) 

Kahila had completed Percival Bellephoron's psychological evaluation, then turned the conversation back to the upcoming social event the Admiral had asked her to plan. She'd sensed his uneasiness with her suggestion of a luaou, and told him she hadn't made a firm decision as yet, then asked for his suggestions. He was silent for a few moments, then: 

"Oh dear," he finally said, " I hope Madam will forgive me for my unprofessional conduct. One can only assume that by displaying one's discomfort with an idea, one would give rise to the notion that one would want to try to steer a senior officer towards a different disposition. I can assure Madam that that was not the case. I will fully comply with Madam's wishes regardless of my own disposition. Madam has, as she has stated, experience with said venue and from what I could observe, those experiences have been positive. Hence I will accept Madam's disposition. My 'lack' of experience with said venues should not hinder Madam in her choice. In fact, on many occasions have I observed that if one is making a decision the first decision that comes to mind will be the best decision. This notion of instinctive decision-making is quite valid in my honest opinion." 

Percival shrugged. 

"Madam has seniority therefore Madam has a more complex set of information and a better overview. One's inadequacy, or indeed, one's own disposition should not be allowed to take precedence over it. It is my duty to assist Madam, not to berate her on her choices. I am here to serve Madam and serve Madam I will. Madam can rest assured that I will not be found wanting. As indeed, I showed when it was required of me to 'mate' with a Lizard Queen because that was part of the 'requirements' to establish good relations with another race. The fact that said experience was less than....enjoyable does not matter. Like I informed Madam previously, it is my duty to assist, to ensure that the 'job' as it is vulgarly known was done to satisfactorily standards. In my mind, THAT, and only THAT, is of any importance." 

Kahila had followed his conversation and reasoning as quickly and thoroughly as she could, until he mentioned the "lizard queen", then her mind went blank with startlement for a few moments. ~I haven't thoroughly read his records. I must do so -- see if what he's stating as fact, really is factual.~ Then, with a bit of effort, she brought her attention back to the rest of his speech. After a moment's consideration, she replied, 

"But I don't feel in this instance that I have a more complex set of information. And an "overview" is what I'm searching for. I'm sure the Admiral wants the gathering to be such that everyone will have positive feelings about being there. 
That's certainly my own feeling about it. Are you familiar with the elements of a luaou?" Noting his hesitation, she smiled and continued, "In general, it's a beach party, usually accompanied by a meal of whole smoked pig. Traditionally, the pig was buried in the ground, surrounded by large leaves, and roasted, with water being added occasionally. Of course, our luaou will be by Holodeck, so we won't have the real pig. But I can program in the appropriate scents and visuals. Then I'll have replicated tid-bits of pork and fish and poi. And I can program authentic Hawaiian music, and of course, a twilight ocean view." 
~Perhaps I won't mention my hula dancing expertise just yet.~ She smiled, waiting for his response. 

(reply Bellephoron) 

"But again, I haven't made a final decision. So if you think of any suggestions, please leave a message if I'm not available. Then I'll get back to you, and we'll discuss further." 

After Bellephoron had taken his leave, Kahila brought his file onto her screen, and began scrolling. 

(reply Bellephoron) 

(posted by Josephine Goodman) 

(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay One, Admiral Jopek - 20.10) 

Jopek waited for a moment, the probe needed two people, one to fly, one 
to deploy the cable, who on the station was brave and crazy enough to do 
it? 

"Yes?", said the Vulcan in response to a raised hand. 

"Sir, if I may I would like to volunteer, sir.", said Longfellow. 

"Very good Ensign, anyone else?", said Jopek, waiting for the second 
person to come forward. 

"I'll volunteer to pilot the craft!", a voice boomed across the room, it 
was Lt Lono and it took the Vulcan by surprise for a moment. 

"Understood, thank you Lieutenant.", he said nodding as he led the 
assembled gathering over to where some of the Engineering staff were 
working on the modified probe. 

"Sir, I suggest that we move as many people as possible to the sun-side 
of Valhalla. We should put them between enough shielding so that they 
don't fry and they don't freeze. Also, there may be materials here that 
we can rig into solar panels or a solar sail to get power. That would go 
a long way to making this station a little more self-sufficient." 

"Very well, see to it would you Pierce?", said Jopek and sensing another 
question, looking at the Second Officer. 

"Admiral, where's the Galadriel?" 

Jopek took a moment before looking back and saying, "The Galadriel is 
currently in the Beta Quadrant if memory serves, why?" 

(Reply from Orde) 

"We have to get on with the mission, Lt Lono; I'd begin suiting up and 
familiarising yourself with the controls, Ensign Longfellow, locate the 
required cable and hook up this end into the emergency relays. You 
launch in 15 minutes." 

Jopek left the assembled group and had nagging doubts in the back of his 
minds; he was sensitive to telepathy and had noticed more than the usual 
flying around recently, "Ensign Bonn, would you come over here a 
moment?" 

The Ensign, secretly the SFI Agent Ensign Dupree obediently came over to 
see the CO. 

"Ensign, we need backup plan in case this goes wrong, also, I am worried 
about this lack of electricity and the makeup of the biological. I want 
you to go and find the most senior Medical Officer you can and take some 
readings of the crew. I don't know how you are gong to do it without 
power, but we even a general physical would be a good start." 

(Reply from Dupree) 

"Good luck Ensign." 

Jopek turned back to the crowd around the probe; he could see that 
someone outside had retrieved the cable and attached it to the station, 
that person was returning through the airlock. 

"Admiral, the probe is ready.", said one of the Engineers as all could 
see the probe floating outside the main hatch through the quite large 
window. Attached the rear of the probe was a very large bundle of 
electrical cable. 

"Good luck to you both.", he said, watching both officers head for the 
airlock in their suits and seconds later, they were floating along the 
cable to the probe. 

Chemical rockets fired and the probe was turned on its axis and slowly 
moved away. before a few more moments had passed, it was clear of the 
station. 

(Reply from Probe Team, Dupree, Lenox, Any) 
(Posted by Anthony Keen) 

NRPG: Well, this probe trip should be interesting, I am going to allow a 
cable to be hooked up between the probe team so they can talk to one 
another, so you can use that or not, but if you want to talk, I think 
that's the best way. 

<> 


(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay one, Kahila Lono/Marianne Anmec, 20:15) 

Marianne was surprised at the strength and vividness of the impressions she telepathically felt from Havok. ~Funny, I don't recall such strong rapport.~ She also became aware that she could sense the people around her, and even objects, though in a much less distinct way. ~I guess seeing in the dark will come in handy. Wonder how it happened?~ Then she turned her attention back to Havok, who hadn't yet gotten up, though several people were aiding him. She heard his thoughts: 

~I feel like swallows have been dropping coconuts on my head.~ he thought back... ~Are you feeling okay?~ He bottled up his concern and lobbed it over the link. 

~I'd feel better if it wasn't so hot in here. But guess what - I can see in the dark, suddenly, just like that. Not bad, huh? Now, after I take back Small Blade, I'll be back for you. So be ready.~ 

Their mental conversation was interrupted by the Vulcan who seemed to be in charge here. For a moment, Marianne felt confused. ~Isn't this a Klingon world. Why is a Vulcan giving orders? 
Unless he really isn't a Vulcan.~ Then she realized he was addressing her, talking about the mission she'd volunteered for, as a means of getting into Small Blade again. 

"We have to get on with the mission, Lt Lono; I'd begin suiting up and familiarising yourself with the controls, Ensign Longfellow, locate the required cable and hook up this end into the emergency relays. You launch in 15 minutes." 

~Lono. That's what they call me here.~ She didn't have time to reflect on that, to wonder why it was so, or how she knew. Someone handed her an EVA suit, and she struggled into it, only then realizing that she wore the uniform of a Starfleet officer. Memories struggled to surface, but Marianne suppressed them. She noticed the other volunteer nearby, giving instructions, and she listened in. Then, when he too was suited, they walked to the hatch. Suddenly she saw their craft floating outside the hatch, and noted the bundle of cable attached to it. ~What have they done to Small Blade! I don't even recognize it, yet it has to be our shuttle. Doesn't it? ~ The presence of the cable, and the instructions she'd overheard from the other volunteer, all at once clicked together. Despite the heat, her body suffused with cold, and she shivered. She realized how dangerous their situation was, that she might not be coming back from the mission. 

She followed a tether from the bay to the craft's hatch, and tumbled inside, aligning herself to the pilot's seat, grasping a handhold and sinking down, strapping in. ~Such a small space. Can't help bumping my arms and legs into this other guy~ she thought. 

The controls of Small Blade had been changed too. But Marianne had flown many kinds of craft through her years with the mercenary groups. Her eyes and mind immediately took in the overall design of the controls, and her hands ran through a couple of practice motions. 
Her companion attached a narrow cable between their helmets for communication. She was puzzled by that for a moment, then recalled that ordinary electrical power didn't seem to work in this strange section of space. "Let's go." She said. 

Then the rockets fired, and she cleared the station, heading planetside. "I'll make it a smooth ride," she promised. 

Marianne had the odd feeling there were two of her, right inside her own head. But that seemed okay, no problem. They both knew how to fly. 

(Reply Longfellow) 

(Posted by Josephine Goodman) 



(Starbase Valhalla: Shuttlebay One - Pierce Horatio Orde - 2016) 
::Are you really not feeling well, or just pretending?:: 
~I feel like swallows have been dropping coconuts on my head.~ he thought back. Funny, Kahlia's presence felt.. different - more predatory. Despite the heat and the sweat on his body, he felt chilled. ~Are you feeling okay?~ He bottled up his concern and lobbed it over the link. 
(Reply Kahlia, any) 
(Posted by Lenox) 









From:	JoGoodman2@aol.com
Sent:	Friday, 6 June 2003 5:04 AM
To:	up_rpg@freedom-squadron.com
Cc:	fs-command@the-fgn.org
Subject:	compile UP (part 2) May 24-June 1

(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay One, Admiral Jopek - 20.25) 

Jopek watched the small probe vanish with its two riders head off 
towards Mars, he imagined it would take a few more hours before they 
made it to the surface, even longer before the power transfer could be 
initiated. 

"Okay, all remaining staff, clear the deck and report back to your 
stations.", he ordered, returning all staff to duty. A few of the 
engineers were rigging more probes and they headed for shuttles and work 
bees that had operational thrusters, some of them were to be brought 
back to the station and some of them were going to be taken back to 
Valhalla for further uses. Trips to Earth were out of the question but 
the Moon was an option to see what is going on. 

"Assistant Tactical Chief Saurik Rak'han reporting for duty Admiral." 

The CO turned around calmly to see the new officer who had appeared in 
the cargo bay. Jopek caught sight of a Federation shuttle attached to 
one of the external doors. 

"Ensign, welcome aboard. I take it you are a new arrival from Earth? 
Well, we don't have time for formalities, Ensign, dump your gear in the 
corner and report to the Second Officer and Security Chief, Pierce. He's 
just heading back that way, he'll bring you up to date on the situation, 
I have to return to Operations.", said Jopek, taking his leave of the 
new Assistant Tactical Chief. 

~ Perhaps Earth isn't as defenseless as we'd thought, if they are still 
sending in cadets, don't they know what's going on up here? ~ 

"Crewman, take a shuttlepod and get yourself to the moon. Make sure they 
know what is happening up here. It'll take a while, but if we leave now, 
the fewer problems it'll cause later." 

NRPG: 

That has to be the single strangest order I've ever given! 

RPG 

(Starbase Valhalla, Operations, Admiral Jopek - 21.30) 

"Admiral.", called out the newly admitted Ensign from Starfleet 
Intelligence. 

Jopek was brought up to date on the probe; apparently, they had managed 
to track it using visual devices, impressive given the distances 
involved. However, it was still going to be a few hours before they made 
the surface of Mars. The Admiral hoped that whoever was down would be 
able to connect up the power to the newly provide cable. 

"Can you find the Second Officer and see what the medical Situation 
is?", he asked, looking around at the increasing madness that was 
befalling his officers, though he seemed unaffected, perhaps the 
remaining medical personnel had an idea on what was going on? 

(Reply from Rak'han, Any, Mars?) 
(Posted by Anthony Keen) 


(Starbase Valhalla, Shuttlebay One, Ensign JG Saurik Rak'han - 20:30) 

"Ensign, welcome aboard. I take it you are a new arrival from Earth? Well, 
we don't have time for formalities, Ensign, dump your gear in the corner and 
report to the Second Officer and Security Chief, Pierce. He's just heading 
back that way, he'll bring you up to date on the situation, I have to return 
to Operations." 

Saurik saluted and headed off after the tall figure that the Admiral had 
indicated, the newly graduated officer slung his luggage-tube into a vacant 
corner of the cargo bay before putting on a spurt of speed to catch up with 
the Chief TAC/SC Officer. As he drew level with him he introduced himself, 

"Evening sir, Ensign Saurik Rak'han reporting for duty - Rear Admiral Jopek 
said you'd fill me in on what's going on." 

~So, this is the gaffer? Seems a bit eccentric, I mean - glasses? A bit out 
of date isn't it? Hope he doesn't expect us to throw pointy sticks at the 
Romulans.~ 

(Reply Pierce) 
(Posted by Owen) 

_________________________________________________________________ 
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(Starbase Valhalla: Corridor - Lt. Pierce Orde - 20:34) 

Pierce halted as he heard quick-paced footsteps behind him. He 
turned around to see an officer getting ready to speak. By the light of 
his glowrod, he could see the officer's pips. An ensign. 

"Evening sir, Ensign Saurik Rak'han reporting for duty - Rear 
Admiral Jopek said you'd fill me in on what's going on," the ensign said. 
Pierce considered the ensign for a moment. He didn't quite trust 
himself at the moment, what with the odd flashes he had been having. 
"Ensign Rak'han? Welcome aboard, I guess. Well," he said, pushing his 
eyeglasses farther up on his nose, "do you want the long or short 
version? Wait - I don't have time to give the long version, so I'd best 
get you the short. A few hours ago - I don't know how many, because I 
haven't seen a chono since it happened - at about eighteen-thirty, all 
power on Valhalla cut. We don't know why. Right now, the first officer 
and Ensign Longfellow are trying to tow a cable planetside to borrow a 
few joules. Security is still handling itself well enough. And it's been 
getting hot onboard - I don't know why. What department are you assigned 
to, Mr. Rak'han?"\ 

(Reply Saurik) 

"Right. Then I have your immediate orders right now. Report to 
the Security Office and pick up a pistol and spare glowrods, get a status 
report from Mr. Maxwell, and then meet me in the infirmary," he finished. 
"Any other questions?" 

(Reply Saurik) 
(Posted by Lenox) 

(Otono Underground Medical Facilities, SPC Science Officer, Ens Morag MacRath, 20:35) 

"Unfortunately I don't believe in miracles," Percival said as he called up the log of the engineering console they were examining. 

"Me neither," Morag stated. "If I believed in miracles I'd no' be a scientist. *Not* be a scientist, that is," she added conscientiously, mindful for once of Percival's strictures on using standard Federation. 

"Hmmm," Percival said after a while. "Can't really say that it shows any impending disasters. No significant change since power up. The power efficiency has dropped one thousandths of a percent but the power generators added a few watts to compensate for it. No, no problem whatsoever." 

He sighed again then pushed himself away from the console. 

"And here we stand, insignificance in all its splendour. Watching the wonders of the universe unfold and weave its intricate design of ...of...nothingness? God, isn't life great? There we are, living life to the fullest, just waiting for the Gods to fart in our face." 

Morag stared at him. This was a side to Percival she had never seen before. In fact she was pretty sure that the word 'fart' had never crossed his mind never mind his lips before now. It would not, she thought, have been one of the words encouraged by his dear departed mother. 

Percival shrugged 

"I'm off," he said. 

"Where to?" Morag asked, her voice sounding falsely casual even to herself. She was beginning to wonder if the events of the last few months had finally become too much for Percival. 

"To eternity, dear Morag, to eternity and back. We are obviously superfluous in this grand scheme of things. Hence I will set off to enjoy myself. Once more unto the breach, dear friend, Once more! To be or not to be, the universal question of mankind. Creep in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools, The way to dusty death! OUT! OUT, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon stage, And then is heard no more, It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. Signifying Duty! The Duty to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing them, end them. To die...to sleep, for in that sleep of Death what dreams may come, dreams of the undiscover'd country, from whose bourn, No traveller returns." 

Morag stared at him, aghast. ~He's no' in his right mind!~ she decided. 

"From nothingness we were born, to nothingness we will return," continued Percival, then he seemed to brighten up, because he grinned. Although Morag found that even more worrying. Percival did not grin. He might allow himself a polite smile if the occasion demanded it, but a grin? Never! 

"But my road to nothingness will pass Sector 65. That's where the loss of power was found. Might as well find out what caused it, seeing that there is nothing more for us to do here. My dear old mother always told me that the devil makes work for idle hands. And she should know, she was one." 

Again Percival grinned, scaring the living daylights out of Morag, whose spine was tingling as if someone were holding a sharp blade to it. 

"So, once more, dear Morag? Until we can find use for us again?" 

"Och, aye, Sirr. I mean, of course, Sir. I'll stick - I'll go with you, Sir!" 

~Anywhere and everywhere till I'm sure ye're no' off ye'r rocker, ye puir wee lamb!~ 

She smiled at him, unobtrusively wiping her damp palms on her uniform trousers. She felt hot, she could even feel her face flushing slightly with the heat and wondered if the air conditioning was working at the correct temperature. But Percival hadn't mentioned anything amiss, so she decided it was just stress. Worry about the others back on Valhalla and worry about someone a lot closer to hand. And, she had to admit it, to heart. If something had happened to Valhalla then Percival was the only family she had left, and she had no intention of losing him. She was tempted to hang on to his hand but in the end decided not to. That might worry him, and he was acting oddly enough without her worrying him any more. 

(Otono Underground Medical Facilities, Medical sector 65, SPC Science Officer, Ens Morag MacRath, 20:45) 

Percival pulled up the log of the small station and examined it closely. After a few minutes he called Morag over. 

"I told you there is no such thing as a miracle," he said whilst biting his lips. 

"Look, that dot in the upper right hand of the screen? That's the place where the power loss first occurred. And look at that area now." 

Obediently Morag looked, glad that Percival was behaving more normally. Or what passed for normal with him, she reflected, as she listened to what he had to say about the power losses he had detected. 

"In one hour the spot will have grown sufficiently to cause this node to fail. The growth that we observed is exponential, so the more it 'eats' the more it grows and the more it can 'eat'. We should not notice anything peculiar until two seconds before failure time. But by then it will be too late to do anything. Not that I can see us do anything at the moment anyway apart from shutting this whole section down. The way the powernodes are integrated, it will be impossible to single out one node and shut that one down, whilst keeping the others online. I guess we could class it as a miracle that only this insignificant node is affected." 

Suddenly Percival threw his head back. 

"A miracle," he said to himself softly then accessed the console again. When he looked up, his face was pale. 

"Miracles obviously do not exist. I made a system wide scan for 'blackspots'. They are appearing all over the system! And every time they are near data-input-nodes!" 

Percival cursed as he tapped his comm-badge. 

"TSO to CMO and ACMO. I command you shut down ALL non-essential equipment immediately! I have found evidence of system invasion by power-consuming entities. The longer they are allowed to consume power, the faster they will grow and infect the whole system! If no action is taken, I estimate the whole base will be without power within 75 minutes! The more power a system requires the more it will contribute to shutdown and the faster it will occur. If we shut down ALL equipment we will be able to stem the growth and hence keep this base active. I have several oxygen creating devices upstairs so that we can dispense with life-support once we bring them down at least for the time being. I will go upstairs and see how many devices I can bring down. Until then I would suggest the power consumption to be investigated rigourously . I have no information on how it actually spreads or grows or indeed on what it is. I only know that organic materials seem to hinder their growth for whatever reason. Percival out!" 

(Reply Mac, Rain, Any) 

Percival looked at Morag, seeming almost his old self. 

"Morag, take this tricorder to the CMO and ACMO and assist them with further investigation. I will organise a workparty to retrieve the perchlorate pots." 

"Oh but -" Morag began. Then she stopped. The words 'I want to stay with you,' remained unsaid. How could she possibly explain that she wanted to stay with him in case anything happened to him or in case he went completely round the bend? She didn't have the words, not in any language. 

~After all~ she reasoned to herself ~He's only going to get the perchlorate pots and he'll have a whole workparty with him. What could possibly happen? It's no' like he needs you to hold him by the hand, now~ 

But as she looked at Percival's bright eyes, glittering with - with what, she didn't know - Morag felt uneasy. 

"I'll do as you say, Sir," she said finally, and returned with Percival towards the others. 

(Otono Underground Medical Facilities, SPC Science Officer, Ens Morag MacRath, 20:47) 

Morag stood in front of Drs Cambridge and Anderson, feeling acutely uncomfortable. She was sweating slightly and she wished she could take off her uniform top. But neither of the two doctors seemed to notice anything odd about the heat, or if they did, they weren't mentioning it. 

~Maybe it's the effect of being underground?~ Morag wondered to herself, again surreptitiously wiping her damp palms on the seat of her trousers. 

"I canna help it," she said. "That's what Lt Bellephoron said. And he doesnae say things for fun." 

She considered this last statement for a moment. Normally it would be completely true but then again Percival's behaviour hadn't been completely normal the last hour or so. But then again, she reasoned, that didn't mean he wasn't right. 

"So, since he's awa' getting the perchlorate pots from upstairs, I'm supposed tae assist the two of ye in ye'r investigation intae the wee entities. I'm nae medic and I'm nae engineer, I'm just a theoretical science officer so ye'd better keep it simple." Morag grinned. "Mind ye, I'm no' saying I'm simple, ye ken? Just that all this is a wee bit oot o' mae league. But Perky - that is, " she corrected herself hastily, "Lt Bellephoron has gi'en me his tricorder wi' all his readings on it. He's a giy bonny lad," she added fondly, with what her mother would have had no hesitation in describing as a daft smile on her lips. 

(reply by Mac and Rain, Any) 
(Posted by Liz Geuken) 

Captain Susan Rivers, CO, USS Nimitz 


From:	JoGoodman2@aol.com
Sent:	Friday, 6 June 2003 5:13 AM
To:	up_rpg@freedom-squadron.com
Cc:	fs-command@the-fgn.org
Subject:	compile UP (part 3) May 24-June 1)

(Probe, nearing Martian surface, Kahila Lono/Marianne, 20:45) 

Marianne barely noticed her companion etching something into the panel of the craft. She guessed he was nervous, rightfully so. She said, "I'll try to give you a smooth ride." 

He replied "Ma'am, yes ma'am," in soft tones, but with a 'barking out answers' style. "With all due respect though it isn't the ride that worries me, It's that sudden stop at the end," he stated with a sideways glance over to her before slipping the tool back into the pocket. 

She gave a quick brief laugh, but he gave no indication of amusement. Then she turned her attention fully to her piloting. She'd never had a job like this one. The further they flew from the starbase, the greater the pull of the cable. ~It's like being caught in the funnel of a tornado that twists us one way, then the other. No, it's worse than that, because the funnel has become part of the ship.~ 

She kept her hands on the controls, maneuvering one, then another, nudging the thrusters again and again, but mostly in small increments of motion. Finally, the planet filled the viewscreen, and she dove directly for the only spot of light. Then they entered the upper atmosphere, straightened, descended. "Where the hell's the port? That light doesn't show much, they need . . .Chaos!" She swerved, barely missing the side of a bubble dome attached to one side of the complex. The probe touched ground, but the cable tugged, and it lifted, fell back to the ground, and bounced before coming to rest. 

Marianne struggled to keep her head upright; though she wasn't entirely sure which way was up. 
The cord that connected her helmet to that of her companion had ripped from its jack, and she saw that he was trying to repair it. She suddenly thought how strange it was that the glittering sand that had been blowing all around the starbase had followed them into the craft. She hadn't paid it any attention while piloting, but now the stuff glommed onto her helmet, making it hard to see. If she could get her hand out of the rigging, she'd knock it away. But . . . 

Kahila swung her hand in front of her eyes, trying to clear her sight. For a moment she had no idea where she was. Then she remembered the flight — she'd piloted a weird rough ride, the cable swinging them around, thrusters needing adjustment after adjustment. She did remember it, even remembered watching Longfellow carve something into a panel. But she knew she hadn't been quite herself, her thinking had been strange. She'd actually thought the probe was the shuttle Havok/Pierce had named Small Blade. Something was not right with her. But she had no time to think further. She was no engineer, she didn't know how Longfellow would do what needed to be done. But now he had the cord repaired, and she asked him. "Is there a way you can signal for help from the base?" 

(Reply Longfellow) 
(posted by Josephine Goodman) 
(Martian surface, Probe, landing field outside StratOps, Kahila Lono 21:30)

Kahila found it hard to focus on Longfellow's face, as wisps of glitter seemed to be cohabiting her EVA suit. She asked him if he had some way to signal StratOps that they'd arrived. 

"Ma'am, I am unsure of the functionality of the probe's systems at this time nor do I recall seeing them putting in a proper communications system," Hank said as he looked to her then glanced around for a moment and back to her. "And while the mission status is still, go, I however seem to be having problems that I have neither time nor inclination to currently go into," he said before looking to meet her eyes. "I yet stand ready to serve the Federation," he reported, "and while I thank you for the ride I believe it is time I connected that cable to something down here while I still have enough slack that it's workable." Pausing he nodded towards the base. "If you believe it would be prudent then you are welcome to obtain assistance for the mission from there and I would suggest you hunt cover regardless," he stated as he reached up to undo his end of the linkage and got mentally ready to grab hold of what cable landed with them. 

Kahila unfastened her harness and tried to keep her attention clearly on the needs of here and now. ~From what he said, it seems Longfellow is being affected too. Nevertheless, he shows great spirit and determination. He'll certainly deserve some commendation— when and if we get through this.~

After he'd struggled out the hatch and moved onto the surface, Kahila inched herself around the seats and harnesses, grasped the hatch edge and leaped down. Martian gravity grabbed her, and she stood for a moment, gaining balance. Then she loped around the probe, toward the nearest entrance to the complex. Glancing behind and up, she could see the dark strand of the cable, where it eclipsed the light of the stars. 

She entered the airlock, waited through its cycle, then rushed through into an anteroom. She started to remove her helmet, then thought ~No— can't do that! All this glitter might be more than my imagination. I've got to keep it from escaping.~ She went to the keypad on the locked door that led to the inner corridors, and tapped in the emergency code. When two crewmen came into the room, she flipped on her helmet communication, assuming it would work here, since their power source seemed unaffected. "I'm Kahila Lono, FO of Valhalla. We've brought a probe with a cable attached to the station. We need a team to help attach the other end to your power source." 

One of the crewmen began to suit up, the other spoke into his combadge. Only a few moments later, three more crewmen rushed in, already wearing EVA suits. Kahila watched as they hurried into the airlock. There was nothing else she could do at that moment. She had none of the skills needed for that part of the mission. There was no viewport or screen in the anteroom, and she could go no further into the base, knowing she must be affected— or infected— with the mysterious fever.

With the thought of fever, she instantly recalled her odd experience back in her office. It was like remembering a dream— but more real. More like a holodrama. In her memory, a sandy, windy beach superimposed itself onto her office. Tumbling along with that image, came the memory of piloting the probe — again it felt like something she'd done in a dream, or on a holodeck. But now, she was going to have to find a way to keep an alert state of mind, and not drift to and fro. She decided to count her breaths: . . .one, two, three, . . . 

(Reply Longfellow, crew on Mars) 

(Posted by Josephine Goodman) 

(RSE Imperial Warbird K'alism, Bridge, Commander R'Liast - 22.00)

The Romulans weren't stupid, not like the weak Federation. Over the
years, various confrontations had not gone well for his people;
nevertheless, they maintained a watch on key installations of Starfleet,
even from inside the Alpha Quadrant, around the sensor nets were
possible and using scans, probes, sensors or anything else they could
find to see what Starfleet was up to.

True, Romulan history showed they never were the aggressors, never
initiating anything, watching, waiting was the name of their game.

However, events had been unfolding that demanded they took a keener
interest in affairs of the quadrant. Disappearing starships, stations
and facilities, time travel incidents and who knows what else was
happening at an alarming rate.

"Bring us to course 125, mark 250.", he ordered.

The cloaked vessel was manoeuvring between the latest Federation Tachyon
sensor grid, this one was a long way inside their space but the ship and
crew had mastered the art of moving silent between them.

"In range, Commander.", reported one of the Officers on the Bridge.

"Proceed.", he ordered, turning his attention to the main viewscreen.

They were attempting to access a long range unmanned sensor array,
operated by one of the allies of the Federation, K'alism had forgotten
who they were.

The visual winked on, and it was clear what they were looking at, a live
feed of Earth.

"Impressive.", he said, as officer changed the inputs.

Then a picture of Mars appeared, looking like someone had pulled the
plug on the base. There were no lights, no ships, nothing was going on.

"Interesting, can you see what is going on there? Looks to me as if the
shipyards have lost all their power?"

As the viewscreen changed many more times to various places within the
Federation, the Commander couldn't stop thinking about Utopia Planitia,
was it possible to penetrated one of the most heavily armed
installations in the Federation and never be detected? 

(Reply from Any)
(Posted by Anthony Keen)

(Martian surface, Probe, landing field outside StratOps, Ensign(jg) Hank Longfellow - 23:10)

After undoing the linkage Hank reached up and pulled himself unsteadily through the hatch. While the pure muscle of him was there enough to allow him to push himself out the rest of his body fought against it as bone almost seemed to rub against bone in a grinding motion sending pains shooting through his arms. Shifting to hop onto the side of the probe he ignored the ache and the wave of heat washing over him and he simply slid the rest of the way off the small craft until he had to jump down. Gritting his teeth he felt it even in the strange gravity of Mars as his hips, knees and ankles protested that move painfully, but he staggered awkwardly to his feet and moved back towards the cable they'd towed down.

"Why would you trying so hard for them," whispered a voice and Hank ignored his father. It was one thing to respect the dead but another if they sat around all day annoying you with mindless chatter. Thinking of the dead though he paused and glanced to the probe for a moment where it rested. Reaching out he patted its side with almost affection. 

"You did well Rocinante," he whispered softly with the hand rested there, "You did your worth, but next incarnation perhaps you will stay clear of owners with a penchant for windmills."

"Why," whispered the ghost insistently.

"Because you hated them and even from the grave you have to rise to protest their existence," Hank muttered as he stepped around to uncouple the cable from the attachment hook on the back. Looking over he could see Lono as she lopped around the probe and towards one of the closest entrances. "Goodluck Starfleet," he whispered softly. 

"NO," shouted the phantasm. 

"Yes," whispered Hank as he glanced skyward to see the length of the cable stretching upwards. Dark and black it rose up twisting and swaying with the momentum of the ride down and the brush of wind and gravity. It shut out some of his precious stars and for one moment there as doubt that it could be done at all.

"Give it up," the phantasm asked, no it demanded, "Stop this foolishness and come back with me. There is still a place for you."

"If you are afraid, away with you..," Hank said softly as he looked back down and hauled on the latches to unlock the cable from the hook. One had dented slightly inward. The suit.. no the uniform he wore under it seemed to burn for a moment in heat and he shook his head to clear it. 

"Discard them and that vile uniform," whispered his father. "Take back the spirit of the Marquis and know vengeance for the family they destroyed," he asked as Hank slumped for barely a moment against the fatigue of the heat with in him.

"Sir, this is not an area designated for civilian personnel please leave," Hank said evenly before rearing back and kicking the stuck linkage as hard as he could. The motion sent a shot of pain up through his leg and Hank held onto it. Pain had been the only thing he'd held onto for so long that it seemed like the right thing to do now. 

"You would deny me," the fever ghost whispered in threat.

"Why not, you did me throughout most of my life," he said as he kicked once more but the stubborn machine wouldn't let go.

"Never. I did it all for you," whispered the voice once more. The whisper seemed to echo inside Hank's helmet and he longed to simply take it off.

"Name one birthday you were home for besides the first," Hank demanded as he wrestled with the cable. "One time we worked together on something that didn't explode or do damage to Federation or Cardassian property or citizens," he asked as he kicked the hook once more. "No, you and your precious Spirit of the Marquis can take this heat and go back to 'your new home' in the afterworld," Hank growled as he let the anger and heat build within him then reached out to jerk as hard as he could on the hook. Finally with the working of it back and forth the hook gave and slipped free in his hands causing him to stagger back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do," he stated firmly and evenly as he turned towards the nearest structure and shifted the cable over his shoulder. 

Lono had landed them close, but as Hank shifted his full weight to haul on the cable he wasn't sure if it would be close enough or not. Closing his eyes Longfellow hauled as hard as he could and took trudging step by step. Then he felt it as a hand rested on his shoulder. His father had returned and was more then spirit. Without opening his eyes he shook his head as he took another step. "Ghost! Don't make me beat you back into your coffin," he growled firmly and the hand slipped back quickly. "I don't have time for it," he muttered.

"Um..er.. sir," said a voice in askance and Hank opened his eyes to glance over to the man in the EVA suit.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else," Hank explained apologetically. "There is an other officer around here. Kahila Lono..," he started to say as the other man grabbed part of the cable to pull.

"She's inside already and I'm sure she's being seen to," the crewman said. "She has already informed us of the situation," he added as Hank nodded in silence then as they both pulled the cable closer to the structure. Hank watched as three more people in EVA suits came out of the airlock.

~Looks like the Federation wins this one. This one's for you dad,~ he thought with a malicious grin. "One more nail to keep you in place," he whispered softly and tiredly.

"Excuse me sir," asked the crewman. 

"Sorry, I tend to mutter aloud sometimes," Hank said as he shook his head tiredly. Between the heat moving through him, the ache of his joints and the exertion of moving the cable along with the fact that it had been a morning meeting and gotten him up far earlier then normal, he was now a bit fatigued. ~When this is over. I'm going to just curl up somewhere and sleep,~ he thought to himself silently.

(Reply any)
(Posted by Mark)

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