ILLUMINARRPG: (5- 0900, 0930, 0940)- CO - Captain Sekal, Commander Sienna Verin and Commander Jason Nesmith

[Charles Gatling]

Mission: Death in the Shadows
Day: 5
Stardate: 2446.02.05

(USS Protector - Deck 1 - Captain’s Ready Room - Commander Jason Nesmith -
0900)

“That’s right Admiral, the repairs are progressing. The Illuminar will be
right as rain.”

The Efrosian nodded. “Excellent. Any additional information on this new
weapon?”

“Sorry Admiral, you have everything my team has been able to glean from
examining the damaged freighter and the information provided by the
Illuminar.”

Zh’am shook his head slowly, “It seems such a simple concept, but clearly
has devastating effects.”

“It does. The Illuminar CTO was able to modulate the shield frequency to
reduce the missile's ability to penetrate the shield. It is too bad we
didn’t recover one to examine in detail. I bet the tech boys would have a
field day.”

“I will reach out to the Illuminar as well, we need to develop a fleet
information sheet so that we don’t lose a ship to this weapon,” Zh’am said.
“Have you had a chance to speak to Captain Sekal yet? It would go a long
way to improving your political life at StarFleet.”

“You know Admiral, I never had political aspirations. All I ask for is a
tall ship and a star to sail her by.”

“Well my dear commander. You need to care.  You’re on a thread right now.
We still need aggressive captains, such as yourself, on the borders dealing
with the threats both known and not.  However, you’ll never get that next
pip if you don’t do something to clean up your image.  Remember, the
Illuminar has some very powerful allies in the Admiralty.”

“I know that, Sir.  However, I have a peace offering, of sorts, for Sekal,
and our aiding them is not an accident.”

Zh’am nodded.  “Good.  Perhaps there is hope for you after all.”

“That’s what you said on the Agamemnon after the incident at Starbase 12,
as I recall,” Nesmith replied.

“And it is still true today as it was then.  Let me know how your meeting
goes with Sekal.  Zh’am out.”

(USS Illuminar - Deck 4 - Transporter Room 1 - Commander Jason Nesmith -
0930)

Jason stepped off the transporter pad. “Permission to come aboard,” he
asked formally.

The transporter chief nodded, “Permission granted.  Welcome aboard the USS
Illuminar Commander.  What brings you here today?”
Jason patted the wooden box under his arm, “I was hoping to get a few
minutes with the Captain, assuming he’s well enough to receive visitors.”

The door opened and a massive Klingon security officer entered the
transporter room. He was wearing a full pip. He stopped and gave Nesmith a
quick once over. "Commander if you will come with me please, the Captain
and Commander Verin are waiting for you in the Captain's dining room. My
name is Galk and I was asked to escort you."

Jason looked over the Klingon. If this was Sekal’s way to intimidate him or
put him off balance.  It didn’t seem logical but still.  Putting a smile on
his face, “Excellent!” he said, “Galk, is it.  Well then, my good sir,
please lead on. “

As they turned left and walked down the corridor Galk replied. "The Captain
was released from sickbay one half hour ago and mentioned meeting you in
less formal surroundings. And you can relax, I was sent to insure your
protection. After the Captain was attacked things have been a bit…tense.
All visiting VIP's will have a security retinue as a matter of course until
we are sure there will not be a repeat."

“Most thoughtful.  I too would like to avoid being attacked.  It has to be
difficult, walking around your own ship with a shadow.” Nesmith replied,
“However, one cannot be too careful these days.”

  Galk grunted as they came to the turbolift. "The Captain is not pleased
by the idea but the chief of security made him see reason to an extent.
Deck 4, Explorers Lounge." He said as the door closed and the lift hummed.
Galk was relaxed until the lift stopped. As the door opened he exited first
then blocked the entrance and looked both ways. There were two crewmen
leaving the lounge ahead that turned and walked away from them, talking
excitedly.

The Klingon nodded, moved away from the door and waved Nesmith out. "The
Lounge is just ahead."

(USS Illuminar- Deck 4 - Explorer’s Lounge - CO - Captain Sekal, Commander
Sienna Verin and Commander Jason Nesmith - 0940)

Sekal was sitting easily in the chair at the head of the table sipping a
glass of OJ. A pitcher of water and three glasses were on the table which
itself was immaculately covered with a white tablecloth. The Vulcan was
much stronger today thanks partially to 2 meals at dinner rather than just
one and a hearty breakfast. The dish that resembled oatmeal sent in after
the tray ordered by Sienna had been slowly added to his fuel reserves.

Sienna sat beside the Captain, missing her shadow in T’Mur. But she had
gotten  a sufficient amount of rest for the first time in a few days and
smiled as Nesmith entered. The bruises under her eyes were fading and her
colour looked better, not as pale.

“Commander, thank you for the assistance.” She spoke first, taking the
initiative. “Would you like some refreshment? We have fresh squeezed orange
juice from the small grove in the arboretum, one of the Captain’s
favorites.”  Sienna was being over protective of Sekal and she recognized
that, but it would not be changing in the near future.

Nesmith took in the scene.  Sekal didn’t look bad off, a complement to his
medical team for sure.  Commander Verin’s guard was nowhere to be seen.
Either this was a trap or they trusted him enough.  Still there was a
Klingon nearby.

 “Before we get started, a gift to you, Captain Sekal,” he said.  “Vulcan
Brandy, from the master distiller V’Lelvuk.  This is from his 2380
vintage.”

Nesmith handed the box to Sekal who took it with an upraised eyebrow. "I
regret that I have nothing to give in return Commander, either for this
rare gift or the service you have rendered to my ship." He set the box down
to his right and looked toward the door. "You may wait outside with the
others Mister Galk."

The Klingon nodded, gave Nesmith a long look then walked through the door
into the lounge where two others were standing at ease outside.

“I go where Star Fleet sends me.  We were close and I am glad we could
render service.  Our last meeting was, shall we say, strained.  I hope we
can put that behind us.”

Strained? A good word to use. While the Vulcan had not gotten inflamed
emotionally about the incident he had also been very vocal about his
concerns over what could be and was a dangerous maneuver with 3 ships in
close proximity and engaged in warfare activities. Some had been court
martialed in their respective services over less and consequently relieved
of duty permanently. Some whose consideration of their ships and crews were
less might have let the matter go uncontested. Sekal however placed a high
value on both. They were not easily replaced or expendable. Most including
Luma were sentient life forms. The ship could be replaced but the
individuals could not … ever. The Vulcan remained silent as Nesmith turned
his attention to Sekal's first officer. He was being gracious and cordial
but the only thing that concerned the Captain was whether the depth of his
error had been learned and his outlook corrected.

Turning to Commander Verin, “You are most welcome, Commander.” Taking a
seat, “Fresh squeezed orange juice would be quite the treat,” he added.
“Replicators just never get it right.”

 She smiled and rose, moving to the sideboard to pour two fresh glasses of
the tart treat. She then refilled Sekal's glass as well before sitting back
down in her seat. "Your people have been amazing.  With your help we got 4
days of repairs done in about 30 hours. Our… computer has stopped spitting
error codes at us, much to the relief of our engineers. Were there any
problems?" She figured that the compliments would make Nesmith feel more at
ease.

Jason took the glass and tasted the juice.  A smile came over his lips.
“No problems at all.  The two crews worked on the problems and with twice
the supplies, made it easier to get the necessary parts for the repairs.”

"You asked if any of the ordnance had survived, and Ensign T'Mur said no.
While I knew vaguely that something had been found, we did not know exactly
what. Now we do.  There were two hell missiles recovered. One is fully
armed, the other is in some state of repair." She pushed a PADD across to
Nesmith, the images and rough schematics on it. "A copy of the recovered
information archive is also on there."

Jason leaned forward and took the PADD.  Opening the data, he glanced at it
quickly.  “This is a huge find, Commander.  And your ship is ideally
equipped to study these weapons. Have you notified StarFleet about this
yet?” he asked  “I know a few folks in Tactical Engineering who will
salivate for a live missile.”

"As I have just been released from medical I have not had the opportunity
to issue a full report." Sekal left the refilled glass on the table for
now. "That will be rectified shortly. There is a lot of information on many
levels they will wish to be apprised on of which the weapon is only a
part." Sekal was content to remain an observer for the most part in this
conversation, only adding what was necessary. Sienna had been coordinating
with Nesmith since the arrival of the Protector while he sat on the
sidelines.

“Indeed.  I know Admiral Zh’am is very interested.  I spoke to him before
coming over. He gave me an overview of your mission as well.  Not sure we
can be of help, as I have orders to escort the freighter to Earth.  Seems
the cargo is important to the powers that be there,”  Jason said. “I wonder
how these pirates knew about the freighter.”

The phrase "an overview of the mission" left broad territory open to
interpretation. Just how much he knew and the Vulcan could say about it was
irreconcilable therefore he chose to say little. "As the exact details are
classified I am not authorized to discuss them. Suffice it to say they will
have much to ponder."

“Operational security and all.  I understand,” Nesmith replied.

It appeared the Commander had now turned his attention to him for better or
for worse. "Indeed." Sekal raised the glass to his lips and drank.

Sienna looked up at the interchange between the two men, “It was my thought
that we separate the hell missiles so that there is more chance that one of
them gets back to Starfleet for study. It’s up to the Captain, though.”
She knew that she would have given Nesmith the one that was armed and
active while letting her people play with and dissect the remaining one.
But she was not the Captain and after the last few days, she was so pleased
by this.

“Well then,” Nasmith replied, “What do  you think of that idea Captain?
Shall we take one of the missiles back to Earth, since we’re heading that
way?”

Sekal nodded. "I concur. While one is not completely in working order we
can study it as well as complete it if necessary. The Protector can take
the completed but unarmed missile back to command. Should this ship be lost
it logically needs to be studied back at base."

His head tilted slightly as he gazed at Nesmith. "During the battle
Commander Verin had a probe prepared for launch should it become necessary
inspired by the one you launched against Illuminar."

Jason looked surprised.  “Imitation, they say, is the highest form of
flattery,” he replied.  “Sun Tzu, the military strategist from China once
said, ‘Know thy self, know thy enemy.  A thousand battles, a thousand
victories.’” he paused.  “It is always good to have a surprise, an ace in
the hole, as it were.”

 Sekal picked up the glass of juice again and took a contemplative sip. "I
would concur when in an actual battle not a wargame where StarFleet
personnel may lose their lives in the event of the press of an errant
command or an error in communication." He set the glass back down. "Let me
be frank Commander. You have an excellent service record and are known for
aggressive action. On the frontier highly desirable qualities that will
stand your crew in good stead in the event of hostilities and those
qualities should not be stifled. But every starship commander also has to
learn restraint when warranted. I took no personal umbrage against the
tactic and have no quarrel with you. I did however register my concern over
the action. While your gift is appreciated it was not necessary. I am not
your adversary."

Sienna wanted to put her head in her hands and hold it there, making sounds
of sadness. What was Sekal thinking? Things had been going so well. A more
emotional, tactful being would have realized that the matter was settled.
Instead she leaned comfortably back and kept her frozen mask of politeness
on her features.  Sekal certainly was not the worst Vulcan about his
ability to read the more emotional species. He really should have known
better.

“Nor did I consider you an adversary, Captain Sekal.  The gift is an
exchange between colleagues.  From the war game, my team gathered a great
deal of information that is helping us formulate new attack strategies,
because out on the frontier, we need to keep our powder dry, as they say.
It also helped remind my crew of the maxim from Moltke the Elder that no
plan survives contact with the enemy, it is how we react to the changes
that are the difference between living to fight another day or not.”  Jason
replied.

Sienna decided to intervene carefully, “I just received information that
the last of your crew will be done in 75 minutes. I know that you are to
escort the freighter and the captured pirate ship, but not to where?”

“The cargo on the freighter is critical for Earth, so that’s where we are
heading.  Slowly, with the tugs if we make warp 5, it’ll be a good day,”
Jason replied.  “It will give my crew time to run some drills, and some
downtime as well.  This is really a milk run, but someone at StarFleet is
really eager to get their hands on that freighter.”

“I wonder why. If you hear who… clue me in?” She smiled kindly.

“I understand it is carrying needed supplies.  I’m guessing metals and
minerals, but ours is not to reason why,” Nesmith replied.

"Scientific Research and Development on Mars will be expecting the missile
and handle its study on that end. I am unfamiliar with those you mentioned
but if they are interested in digging into it I would recommend contacting
Admiral Saleke." He set the glass of juice aside and poured water from the
pitcher into the 3 glasses. Picking up one of them he took a long drink to
balance the natural sugars he had consumed.

"Has there been word on a proposed timetable for having the Protector
upgraded? There have been a number of breakthroughs you would be interested
in. While Utopia Planitia is in a building cycle one dock is kept clear for
refits."

“I know that we are in line, but the orders have not been cut yet.  Of
course, my other concern for a refit is that personnel will take the
opportunity to shuffle my crew around,” Jason replied.

"A refit of the engines would require three months, two if I have the
engineering schematics submitted beforehand with enough available
preparation time. The new drive has been proven on Illuminar and the weak
links in equipment identified and retrofitted. With the new drive as a base
all of the upgrades would be available."

“I know a lot of the tech in the Illuminar is still being kept quiet, but a
better engine output and some upgraded phasers would not be remiss,” Jason
replied.

Sienna simply smiled, a genuine, real smile.  She looked down and let the
Captain talk about his beloved ship. It was also true that those upgrades
would give the Protector some badly needed teeth for these battles.

"A full refit including all upgrades would be 5 months with a margin plus
or minus of 3 weeks depending on disposition of the dock engineering
complement at UP."

“With the emphasis on rebuilding the fleet, I’d plan for half a year.
Maybe they’d let me go teach at the academy for a semester,” Nesmith
replied.

"Instructors with recent experience are always highly prized as I
understand it." Sekal noted. "If you have the time an early lunch will be
served shortly."

“That would be nice,” Nesmith replied.

(Reply: None)

(Posted by Charles G (Sekal)
Tim Bushnell (Nesmith) and
Melinda Gatling (Sienna)

Charles Gatling
Commanding Officer
USS Illuminar
NCC 61240


"The light shines brightest amidst the deepest darkness."
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