USS Spectre Compile - April 1st-30th 2014 by Alan Reading ===================================================================== Mission: Inimicus Invisa, Part Two – Fallen Comrades Day: 5 Stardate: 2414.10.15 (USS Spectre - Deck Four, Astrometrics - Science Officer, Lt (JG) Kenneth McKenzie - 16:51) (USS Spectre - Deck Four, Astrometrics - Security Officer, Lt (JG) Jo Smith - 16:53) (ATV Garallon - Bridge - Academy Cadet Porsa - 17:42) (ATV Garallon - Deck 12, Hanger Deck - Academy Cadet Porsa - 17:50) (ATV Garallon - Deck 12, Hangar Deck - Academy Cadet Twinnings - 17:59) (ATV Garallon - Deck 12, Forward Torpedo Launcher - Academy Cadet Porsa - 18:09) (ATV Garallon - Deck 10, Galley - Academy Cadet Porsa - 18:15) (USS Spectre - Engineering - Medical Research Dr. Michaella Kirien - 18:52) (USS Spectre - Deck 13, Engineering - Ensign Marianne Yelic - 19:05) (USS Spectre - CEO's Office, Engineering - Ensign Marianne Yelick - 19:13) (USS Spectre - Engineering - ACEO, Ensign (jg) Marianne Yelick - 19:22) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – Mark the Bunny - 19:30) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – TAC/ASC, Ensign Will Frost - 19:33) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – ACEO, Ensign Marianne Yelick - 19:34) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – TAC/ASC, Ensign Frost - 19:35) (USS Spectre - Marine Staging - MXO, Major Bruce Kowalski - 20:15) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – ACMO Ens. A.O Windsong-Trommashere - 20:20) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, Lt Remae Ktell - 20:22) (USS Spectre - Marine Deck – FO/CEO, Lt Remae Ktell – 20:26) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, Lt Remae Ktell – 20:30) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, LT (Sg) Remae Ktell – 20:35) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – CMO, Andrew Williams - 20:36) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – ACMO Ens. A. O. Windsong-Trommashere - 20:38) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – CMO, Andrew Williams - 20:41) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – ACMO Ens. A. O. Windsong-Trommashere - 20:43) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, LT (Sg) Remae Ktell – 20:45) (Marine Trojan - Troop Compartment - First Lieutenant, Kenneth Smith - 20:46) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – CMO, Andrew Williams - 20:46) (Marine Trojan - Crew Compartment - MXO, Major Bruce Kowalski - 20:47) (ATV Garallon - Deck 14 - MXO, Major Bruce Kowalski - 20:55) (USS Spectre - Engineering - Medical Research Dr. Michaella Kirien - 20:55) (USS Spectre - Sickbay - ACouns Dr. Riven Mias - 20:58) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, LT(Sg)Remae Ktell – 21:00) (USS Spectre - Sickbay - CMO, Andrew Williams - 21:02) (USS Spectre - Bridge – CO. Captain T'Vhor – 21:02) (USS Spectre - Ten Forward - TAC/SC, Lt Kerge - 21:05) (USS Spectre - Turbolift – ACMO Ens. A.O Windsong-Trommashere - 22:14) (USS Spectre - Personal Quarters - ACMO Ens. A.O. Windsong-Trommashere - 22:16) ===================================================================== Mission: Inimicus Invisa, Part Two – Fallen Comrades. Day: Day: 5 Stardate: 2414.10.15 (USS Spectre - Deck Four, Astrometrics - Science Officer, Lt (JG) Kenneth McKenzie - 16:51) “Lieutenant McKenzie, this is Jo Smith from security” McKenzie heard the COMM, but he didn't reply right away. He knew that someone from Security would come to check on him, but he didn't plan on it being so soon. He still needed time to set up defences. He knew that he had been discovered and he needed to try and cover his tracks and not get caught, or their plan would not be stopped. he decided to reply after a few seconds delay to try and buy some time. "McKenzie here. I'm a... a little busy right now." “We have had reports that you have shut yourself away in there and that you do not seem yourself. Are you okay?” Yes, they were on to him, and he could not let her inside. He had to stop her entry as she would have a security override code. He was unsure how he would tackle his, but he had to stop her getting in somehow. If that failed... well, he'd have to stop her by other means. He could not have her stopping his work. "Yes... I'm fine. Just... I have a lot of work to do, and I'd rather not be bothered right now." (Reply Jo Smith) (Posted by Gavin Work.) (USS Spectre - Deck Four, Astrometrics - Security Officer, Lt (JG) Jo Smith - 16:53) =^=Yes... I'm fine. Just... I have a lot of work to do, and I'd rather not be bothered right now=^= Jo grinned to herself. “I am sure that you are but as the ship is going through problems I would like to see you in person.” “Can you open the door please.” (Reply McKenzie) (Reply McKenzie, any) (Posted by Robbie) (ATV Garallon - Bridge - Academy Cadet Porsa - 17:42) Udet had seemed distant, his replies unconstructive and a tad, delayed. Porsa eyed him curiously wondering as she did so whetehr he was once again coming under the influence of the mind-bending influence of the void, and then she glanced around the bridge herself pondering the notion that she might soon be seeing Dragons again as well! "Well, I'm going down there to check it out", she said, "I still think that Twinnings and Kurrik may have come back on board by now, and if I'm right then we need to know what's been happening. You can stay here or come along, I really don't mind" (Reply Udet) NRPG: Assuming a yes here, but can change if need be. RPG: Porsa brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes once again, thinking as she did so that she really should use a grip or something as it was becoming annoying. Almost as annoying as Kurrik's incessant ranting about his Mothers Plommik soup! Had he stopped now, she wondered moving towards the turbolift. She certainly hoped so... (Reply Udet) (Posted by Alan) (ATV Garallon - Deck 12, Hanger Deck - Academy Cadet Porsa - 17:50) Ships on emergency backup had a tendency to prioritise systems accrding to importance, that was the spiel from Johnson at the Academy. 'Never trust the turbolifts to arrive in a timely manner whilst life support is in danger of being compromised' What the hell was all that about anyway? Surely if life support was in danger of becoming compromised, then the last thing anyone would want to be doing was to be getting stuck in a lift! As it was though, it seemed that Johnson had given good advice because the turbolift had stalled three times on its journey, and now that it had arrived, they had had to hand-crank the doors open, which worried Porsa somewhat. Did it mean that their life support was about to fail? Stepping out into the corridor, Porsa brushed the thought aside, sighed heavilly and then glanced both ways before calling out. "Kurrik! Twinnings! Are you guys down here?", she shouted expectantly. Suffice to say, there was no reply. That didn't mean that they would be giving up so easily though, no, Porsa was optimistic and with a cursory nod to Udet, she beckoned him onwards. (Reply Udet, Any) (Posted by Alan) (ATV Garallon - Deck 12, Hangar Deck - Academy Cadet Twinnings - 17:59) "Kurrik! Twinnings! Are you guys down here?" Twinnings paused as he heard Porsa’s voice and turned to Kurrik as they moved through the hanger deck. “I think that’s Porsa. We need to meet her and bring her up to speed.” (Reply Kurrik) He started to move across the hangar deck as he called out. “Porsa, Porsa, where are you. Its Twinnings and Kurrik” (Reply Porsa) (Reply Porsa, Kurrik, any) (Posted by Robbie) (ATV Garallon - Deck 12, Forward Torpedo Launcher - Academy Cadet Porsa - 18:09) Porsa had by now grown a little tired, the sweat forming upon her brow and the staleness of the air being an indication that life support might now be becoming compromised. Hardly a promising indication at all. Udet though had been his usual distracted self and Porsa was beginning to worry that he might be falling deeper under the influence of this strange place once again. Ducking down to enter the torpedo control section, she looked left and right to scan the immediate area before looking directly at the racks themselves, now empty from being scavenged of useful munitions by the crew of the Tempest. "No torpedoes", said Porsa, "they took them all. What in the hell are we to do if we need to defend the ship?", she said. (Reply Udet, IYW) It was then that Porsa heard Twinnings voice echoing down the corridor. "“Porsa, Porsa, where are you? Its Twinnings and Kurrik” Porsa broke into a smile as she slapped Udet playfully upon the arm. ~About time too~ "Twinnings!", she exclaimed. "We are at the forward torpedo launcher. Where are you?", she asked, expectantly. Curiously though, there was no answer... NRPG: Remember, there is an approximate time delay of around 10 minutes here, which means that Porsa is answering Twinnings calling out at around 17:59. Consequently, this means that Twinnings and Kurrik will not hear Porsa's response until around 18:20 RPG: Porsa furrowed her brow in response to the silence. Why weren't they answering? It sounded as though they were less than a few sections away! "Twinnings, Kurrik. Are you there?", she said, this time stepping out into the corridor and moving down the length of it. Still though there was no response which only served to confuse the Cadet even further who turned to Udet quizzically. "I heard them. Tell me I heard them and that I'm not hearing things", she said, slightly aggrieved now. (Reply Udet) Porsa sighed deeply. Udet had heard them as well, of course he had. But why were Twinnings and Kurrik not answering her? The Cadet reached to her temple and then began rubbing at it, her eyes closed now as she attempted to rationalise the unrational, the sweat beginning to build up once again so as to cause her hair to mat slightly and stick to her fingers. "This is not making sense", she said. "I have to get off this ship soon or I'm going to go completely crazy" It was then that she heard the sound of claws scraping against etal once again! Porsa drew herself upright, her expression one of cold, unrelenting fear. "Dragons!" (Reply Udet, Any) (Posted by Alan) (ATV Garallon - Deck 10, Galley - Academy Cadet Porsa - 18:15) Porsa rushed into the galley with all the finesse of a fleeing Impala knocking trays and cuttlery flying as she did so. Was Udet even with her? She wasn't quite sure, but his confusion when she's seen the Dragon implied that he could be anywhere right now. Needless to say, Porsa had not stood about, prefering the option of making as much distance from her and the scaley winged creature as was possible. It was only then that she realised that Udet wasn't with her. "Oh that's just great", she cried, looking all about the galley, her mind making subconscious assessments of the area, which places she might hide, which might afford her a good defencible position. And then she shook her houd, thinking out loud. "No no no no no, wait just one moment little lady. A GOOD defensible position against a fire breathing dragon!", she cried, realising in her statement that it was as preposterous as it sounded. "I need to get me to the armoury", she said, breathing heavilly now, the perspiration still matting the hair at her brows as she felt the sweat trickle into her right ear. "Surely there must be something better than a hand phasor there" Sounds of crashing pots and pans from beyond caused her to bolt once again, the Impala within her speeding out the door and heading fast down the corridor. ~Get away, get away. Must get away~ All thoughts of Udet had now left her.... (Reply Any, None) (Posted by Alan) (USS Spectre - Engineering - Medical Research Dr. Michaella Kirien - 18:52) Michaella had dutifully followed Haltom around, assisting the CEO with his troubles, injecting him with a hypospray that would help with the disorientation. They couldn't afford for the CEO to be incapacitated while this crises was going on. Then Jake had shown her to an out of the way but central. Michaella turned the lights down and settled herself on a floor in the lotus position, taking slow deep breaths in the twilight darkness. Her eyes fluttered as the deep breaths centered her, and the consciously she opened her telepathic centers. Her mind expanded, touching the various people around her with quick thoughts, soothing away the terrors she encountered, one by way. She had trained with Riven but she wasn't the mind healer that he was. She wasn't even as good a counsellor as Elani though she had worn that hat in the past during emergencies. It wasn't one she particularly enjoyed. Her mind expanded, brushing against other telepaths on the ship, then she withdrew back into herself and tried to copy Riven's techniques. She was tired, and so her control wavered. A quick snap out of trance brought her fully awake, a bit of a headache forming behind her eyes. She reached out and pulled the medkit close to her pulling out the ampule and replacing it with a combination analgesic and stimulant. She thumbed up the dial to another dose, injecting it into her own arm. Soon enough her focus sharpened and she sighed, the stimulant giving her another, false boost of energy. She closed her eyes again, going easier into the meditative trance. She copied Riven's technique and her gentling sanity spread out in a radius around her that reached most of engineering. She hoped that it would be enough to help as she wasn't entirely sure of how long he could do this. The stimulant was rated for 3-6 hours of heavy use. Her thoughts wandered and she recentered herself and kept the trance up. (reply engineering if you wish) (posted by Melinda :-) (USS Spectre - Deck 13, Engineering - Ensign Marianne Yelic - 19:05) Ah…” Jake opened then closed his mouth before replying, with a sigh. “A huge black dragon from a holodeck game I enjoy.” He paused, perhaps to consider his words. “Creature of prophecy and immense power etc. A real wimp though for the well prepared since the game gives you allies to kick his butt with.” Marianne didn't quite understand the holo-ventures that many went on, but she could see how some might like it. She knew plenty who would think painting or decorating cakes would be the most boring thing in space and she enjoyed it just fine, after all. Before Marianne could come up with a witty reply, she was saved by Jake turning to the waiting doctor. . “Come on Doc, let’s get you to that vantage point you wanted. I’m ready to take a break from the Void for a while.” Marianne wasn't quite sure what that meant at all and decided it was more than time to turn back to her duties. Injured bosses, strange voices and invading dragons was making for an interesting shift, but it wasn't getting iso-chips maintained. She got as far as picking up her toolbox when the computer informed her the Chief wanted to see her. She let out a sigh and turned on her heel to head to the chief's office. Apparently today's shift was get nothing done shift. (Reply any) (Posted by Lorna) (USS Spectre - CEO's Office, Engineering - Ensign Marianne Yelick - 19:13) "I want you to know that if you need anything, you can just come to me but I won’t make you uncomfortable. No-one likes talk to the boss!”, he said and gave her a quick smile. Marianne was obviously startled by that, she'd never had a boss she'd had a problem talking to. "Uh, if you say so, Sir." She's been under the impression it had been an open door policy, she'd just never had anything she needed to talk to the Chief about. Apparently her being bounced to ACEO without notification or want also came with the expectation she'd had stuff to report to him about. "Anyway, as for Engineering, please carry on your routine work but I will have larger projects for you in the near future, I can see several looming problems that we’ll have to address… not only with the warp core but also parts of the Plasma Transfer Conduits.”, he said and then added, “Let’s worry about that later… unless you have anything further, that’ll be all for now.”, he said sitting down as his desk once more. "Just let me know what you want fixed and point me in it's direction when you want it fixed," she said with a smile. Fixing things she could handle, she could even muck her way through paperwork, but being a superior officer to people? Now there was something that gave her the hives. She was barely repsonsible enough to handle herself - she'd ditched husband and kids for a career with strangers, hadn't she? That hardly spoke of great leadership abilities. With a look of angelic innocence, she saluted the chief engineer and got out before he could throw something at her. She'd yet to meet an engineer who liked being saluted at. Now, where the blek had she left her toolbox this time? (Reply Any) (posted by Lorna) (USS Spectre - Engineering - ACEO, Ensign (jg) Marianne Yelick - 19:22) With no one calling her name or having breakdowns of physical or mental nature, Marianne finally managed to get back up the access tube and back to scanning chips for cracks, resistance, or general wear and tear from having energy blasted through them as part of the daily routine of a starship. She kept catching herself listening for her daughter. It was like when they'd all lived together and she'd kept an ear out for bad dreams. She kept expecting to hear her daughter's voice again, but whatever had caused it seemed to be gone. Marianne wasn't quite sure if she was disappointed or relieved. She just knew at the end of the shift - if this shift ever ended! - she'd have to send a message to her daughter. This continued silence had to end. Maybe she could invite Casi to come visit the ship? She wasn't quite sure how she would go about getting proper access for that, but surely it was allowed? Marianne let out a long breath as she switched out a chip. Maybe it wouldn't be allowed, who knows what security clearances were and when they'd be at dock long enough for Casi to get there in time to meet them. If only they could develop stable wormhole technology, travel would become so much faster and easier. Wanted to go halfway across the known galaxy? Great, just impulse engine out of the system, or at least a safe distance from pesky gravity wells called planets, open a worm hole and zooom, you'd be where you want to be. Of course, it would make raiders and pirates even harder to catch and prosecute, but you took the good with the bad didn't you? Or should that be bad with the good? Marianne let out another long breath. She was thinking too much, maybe she should go find that list of the Chief's and see if there was something good and fiddly and mind consuming that needed doing. (Reply Any) (posted by Lorna) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – Mark the Bunny - 19:30) Frost whispered to the little bunny, "You can't talk I hope, you are just a little normal fluffy thing. But if the rabbit invasion is coming. I am on to you, and I will stop you." There was probably a universe where Mark was sapient and would understand such threats. In such a universe he was probably leading such an invasion if not plotting the domination of the galaxy. This universe, however, had to settle for a vaguely sentient rabbit who just expected for everyone to do what he wanted and had no real way to enforce that expect through passive aggressive peeing and general stubbornness. It was ridiculous how disorganized two foots were and Mark was forever trying to train them to the bunny method. He was carried to a different part of Engineering and the two foot sat down, giving Mark the opportunity to wiggle around so he was resting against the two foot's chest, his chin on the two foot's shoulder. NRPG : http://tinyurl.com/ktvbzlq is how I mean. RPG : This gave Mark the ability to get pet, to watch the room for dangers and not to have any bits dangling with indignity. Some two foots just didn't know how to hold a rabbit properly! Time passed. Mark was starting to get bored. He nibbled on the two foot's artificial fur for a bit, but it didn't taste very good so instead he settled for squirming around, wriggling out of the two foot's grasp, and jumping down to the deck. He picked a direction mostly at random and made a dash for it. (Reply Any) (Posted by Lorna) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – TAC/ASC, Ensign Will Frost - 19:33) Will was calmly petting the little bunny, which seemed to have a calming effect on his mind. However, it seemed that after awhile, the little bunny had designs of its own. He scurried away from Will, while leaving a nice little hole in his uniform jacket. As he got up to look for the bunny, he saw the little guy scurry into main engineering. He quickly exited the security station with intent to find the loose bunny. Not seeing him, he ran to the first engineer he could find, Ensign Yelick. He meant to ask her if she had seen the bunny, he had meant to enlist her help, but for some reason, his mind thought one thing, but his words, they were twisted again, his mind flashed, he was on a pier, engineering kept flashing in and out. He looked at the ensign, but he no longer saw her face, she was there, but he was seeing someone else. "How could you betray me like that," he said angrily, "How could you just stab me in the back like that!" (reply Yelick) (reply Yelick) (posted by WB) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – ACEO, Ensign Marianne Yelick - 19:34) She was trying very hard not to mutter to herself. All she wanted to do was finish the maintenance and go back to her quarters, put on scrubs and flomp on her chair to watch FNN and be a slob. But, no, someone had apparently not put all the proper tools back in the toolbox so now she had to scramble all over frakking engineering to try and find the hypohizinator. She was giving it another search through the 'I found it' bin before she just and went and found something heavy and blunt to apply with force to the problem piece. "How could you betray me like that," he said angrily, "How could you just stab me in the back like that!" "I didn't stab you in the back, I hit you upside the head with a book." Marianne said back, point black. Great, another round of hallucinations. At least this one didn't seem to be chasing big dragons or wanting a phasor to shoot at the ceiling. (Reply Frost) Marianne was distracted from the angry security officer, by a dash of white fur with floppy ears. "Did you see a rabbit? Please tell me you saw a rabbit." she said to the apparently wonky officer beside her. (Reply Frost/Any) (Posted by Lorna.) (USS Spectre - Main Engineering – TAC/ASC, Ensign Frost - 19:35) "I didn't stab you in the back, I hit you upside the head with a book." "A book?" Will asked, he was for a brief moment back in engineering, and in front of him stood Ensign Yelick, he was back in the real world, for the moment. "Did you see a rabbit? Please tell me you saw a rabbit." "Yeah, Mark, Mark the Bunny, he umm, he put this hole in my uniform." Will replied in a brief moment of sanity. He got out of my arms, and I came out to look for him." (reply Yelick) However, the moment she spoke, the clarity was gone, "Don't change the subject, alright, I know what you did, I know who you've been hanging around. Do you think I wouldn't find out." (reply Yelick) Will knew in his head he was wrong, his mind wasn't right, he knew that he shouldn't be here, having this conversation again. She didn't look like her, yet she did, this was the pier, yet it wasn't, everything wasn't as it was supposed to be. He knew it, yet it was like he couldn't control it, one of the worst days of his life and here he was playing it out again. "Damn it Celia, I leave for two months, two months, and you go straight in to the arms of the first guy you meet in a bar." (reply Yelick) "Lies, Lies, I don't want to hear it." ~Help me, help me get back to normal, I don't want to live this again. (reply Yelick) (reply Yelick) (posted by Will Banowsky) (USS Spectre - Marine Staging - MXO, Major Bruce Kowalski - 20:15) Bruce strode into staging with all the finesse of a raging bull in a china shop. The CO had just given the marines the go ahead to prepare a boarding detail upon locating the striken training vessel, and it was now Kowalski's job to assemble the usual suspects and ensure that they all knew that Rameriz, yes, Rameriz was to be the anchor on this mission, something that even the MXO was feeling a little edgy about. I mean, giving command to a photonic? Not good. At least from Bruce's viewpoint anyway. "OK ladies, listen up!", he hollered, waking them from idling states. "Time to get your sorry tushes spaceside and into action. The CO has given us a go as of now. Ten minutes to departure, let's fire up the Trojan and go find us some younglings", he added, referring to the Academy Cadets of course, if indeed there were any left alive over there. "Sir?", came a query from a Marine now in the process of prepping his III-C in readiness. "Is it true that we gotta take orders from Rameriz on this one?", he added. Kowalski took a deep breath. Rameriz had clearly been bragging about the MXO's ealier recommendations.or so it would seem. It was typical of course, but then Kowalski had not specifically forbade him from saying anything. Bruce answered forthright and without taking his eyes from the Marines own. "Yes we do, Marine, and not just you", he said. "Rameriz will have carte blanche to override my own commands if they are in conflict with the goal in question", a response which seemed to cause just a little uncertainty in the Marine, and probably a few others also now that the brags and chinese whispers had been confirmed. "Seriously? A Hologram?",asked the Marine, to which the XO responded appropriately and brusquely. "If you have a problem with that soldier then you can return to your bunk right now. Have the Nurse fetch your slippers and a warm blanket. Make sure she tucks you in and gives you a goodnight kiss to boot!", he snapped, glancing about the staging area at his team accordingly. "If anyone else has a problem with that then they can return to their bunks also", he added. Nobody moved... "I don't need to tell any of you that this place we are in is messing with our heads", said Kowalski, pacing left and right now with his hands clasped behind his back. "Rameriz is the only one aboard that will not be affected by that messing, and as bizarre as that may seem to you all right now, he is therefore our common reference on reality", he added, registering the low giggles that were already in evidence at that announcement. Rameriz? A reference point for reality? Even kowalski could see the irony in that. Nevertheless, he continued on, coming to a deadstop before them and then turning once again to face them... "I will of course be the commanding officer on this mission, but if my own judgement becomes affected, or it conflicts with anything that the Hologram says, then Rameriz is the one that you listen to if things go awry. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?", said Bruce. Everyone of course, nodded, a chorus of 'yessir' echoing around the walls as they did so, some perhaps still a little unsure of just what they were all letting themselves in for. "Good.", said Kowalski. "God help us all if we do have to follow him", he added, lightening up just a little as the giggles began again and giving the Hologram himself a wink as he did so. It made sense, he knew it made sense. Now all he had to do was keep telling himself that. "Any question?", he asked. (Reply Any) (Posted by Alan) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – ACMO Ens. A.O Windsong-Trommashere - 20:20) “Right then let’s get going.” Angeni watched as Andrew made quick work of the woman in front of her. It was skilled, but quick. It reminded her of watching the 20th century C-Section movies; the doctors worked with skilled hands and knowledgeable minds, but the slicing and dicing of the woman made her queasy. She quietly spoke with those around her, making sure they knew their jobs. Angeni moved her hands back and forth, miming the motions she was going to use. Symbiots were difficult to work on under normal circumstances, but they never seemed to fair well after trauma. She pulled up one of the only cases she knew of Symbiots surviving trauma and she studied the process. She waved her hand over the holoscreen, making the images move around and reading over the procedure. Andrew's voice snapped her out of her concentration haze. "I’ve got the symbiont. Bring it out.” Angeni nodded. She moved the container close to the bed and she re-sterilized her hands. She took over, holding the abdomen open, mindful of the hastily placed clamps. She admired Andrew's work; quick and dirty, but extremely skilled. What he could fix, he did...the other things he seemed to leave until after the Symbiot was out. "It's just like birthin' a baby..." She smiled at him and winked. She watched as he moved his hands around it cradling it gently. Angeni moved her hands under Andrews and she gently took the Symbiot in her hands. She hated the color and just feeling around she could feel lacerations and wounds to the outer layer of skin. “All yours.” Angeni nodded and set the Symbiot down. She closed the lid and turned on the stasis. "Thirty minute timer, please." Angeni set to work. She slipped her hands through the portals and began to stem any bleeding. "Thirty milligrams of TriOx and Ten micrograms of Rumazicon..." The nurse slipped her hand into the other side and administered the medication. The Symbiot's life signs started to flux and she began to work harder and faster. "I...I can't figure out where the bleeding is from..." She rotated the Symbiot, still feeling around it. She couldn't feel any defects, but the color was even worse than when they started. She couldn't use Nano-Machines as the effects were unknown. "You have fifteen minutes left, Angeni." Angeni nodded at the nurse. As she rotated again, she noticed a small brown spot near the brain stem of the Symbiot. She gently touched it and the spot got bigger. "Got it!" Angeni looked up at Andrew. "How are you doing over there?" (Reply Andrew) Angeni nodded and she looked at the nurse across from her. "Laser scalpel and a half microgram of Clotter." The nurse nodded and ran over to one of the cabinets, she came back with a hypo that had a red solution in it. Clotter was an agent used to stem internal bleeding in Mass Casualty situations. It released what amounted to microscopic beads full of platelets that, when released to the point of bleeding, would stop it immediately. The Clotter would dissolve as the wound healed, so there was minimal chance of reaction. It was also something that had never been done before. She attached the micro needle to the Hypo and she stabilized the Symbiot with one hand. Slowly, she made the smallest incision she could and blood began running out over her hand. She used a piece of cloth to hold pressure and sop up the blood. As she pulled the towel away, she saw the tiny vessel that was causing all the problems. She pressed the needle against the vessel and the small river of blood stopped almost immediately. "Another thirty milligrams of TriOx and fifteen grams of packed RBCs..." The nurse's hands moved from the incubator, then reappeared. Next thing she knew, the Symbiot's color improved dramatically and the life signs improved. She looked up at the timer; she still had a few minutes left. She glanced at Andrew with a smile. "I'm done. Are you doing alright over there?" (Reply Andrew) (Posted by Kari) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, Lt Remae Ktell - 20:22) “Engineering, transfer to Bridge.”, said Remae walking out of the Ready Room. He was now the First Officer and the Chief Engineer but he had no idea what had been happening beyond Engineering and even in there, he had missed a lot. He walked up to the last science station that had changed its configuration to Engineering on his command… accessing quickly the last filed mission reports, he began to read. In the corner, a little indicator flash up that his access has changed… the computer had received notification of his new position and upgraded his access accordingly. It seemed, it had no problem with an Ensign being the First Officer. He envied it. Rejecting the idea of booming a broadcast to all hands confirming his new position, he simply sent a message to all hands indicating he had taking over First Officer duties for now and that all senior officers should forward him their latest reports and he was available. He would have to catch up with the department heads when everyone was back on board. (Reply None) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (USS Spectre - Marine Deck – FO/CEO, Lt Remae Ktell – 20:26) Remae had bolted from the Bridge when he caught up on the mission logs… speed reading wasn’t his area of expertise but he had to see the Marines head out and if nothing else, to catch a glimpse of this Marine Hologram he had just read about. He had arrived just in time to see them depart… they were away but he didn’t get a chance to speak to any of them. ~Good hunting~ (Reply None) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, Lt Remae Ktell – 20:30) Back on the Bridge, Remae headed down to his new chair next to the CO. “Ensign Smith.”, he said addressing the officer at OPS, “Can you give me a general status report on the Garrallon?” (Reply from Smith, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, LT (Sg) Remae Ktell – 20:35) Remae had asked for a report from Ensign Smith. “Sir the ship’s at high readiness. We have a sizable blob on the sensor that could be Garrallon which is full of students. Medical is ready for mass casualty.”, reported the Operations Officer. Remae then ordered the viewscreen to be turned on. He wanted to see the marine shuttle and its departure angle. The viewscreen was spotty and it was clear they were about to lose the signal with them, "Wish them well, Ensign.", said the Bajoran, thinking it could be a long time before they heard or saw them again. “Aye sir.” Robert opened the comm link to the marine Trojan and said, “Good hunting.” =^= Marine Trojan to Spectre. Acknowledged =^= The signal died and the viewscreen winked off. “Maintain a signal lock on the Trojan.”, ordered Remae. He had to try and keep some kind of contact on their people. Robert pulled power from the reserves and boosted the sensors as the lock began to degrade as the Trojan moved further away. “What is the status of the transporter and communications?”, the FO asked but Remae had a fairly good idea of the reply but perhaps it would be possible to do some tweaking. He scanned the information in front of him before he answered. “We can move the probe closer to give better communication but it will be heavily distorted. We have got transporters but the cloud is throwing off the targeting sensors. I would only suggest their use in emergency situation but if we move closer it should clear a bit.” “Go ahead. See what you can do.”, said Remae ordering the probe a little closer, it wasn’t a lot but if it was the best they could do, they needed any help they could get. (Reply from Any) (Posted by Robbie and Anthony) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – CMO, Andrew Williams - 20:36) Andrew paused for a moment and looked at the wound in front of him. ~Lucky for her the phaser cauterizes the wounds or she would be in more trouble~ "How are you doing over there?" Andrew looked over at Trommashere. “Getting there should be finished shortly.” He saw her nod and then turn back to the symbiot. He gave himself a quick mental shake and pulled himself back to Kindell. He picked up the dermal regenerator and began to heal the phaser burned tissue. He marveled not for the first time that what a wonder of modern medicine the dermal regenerator was. it gave him the ability to heal tissue and cells in a few seconds something that might have taken weeks and months to heal properly could be done in almost instantly. As he closed the phaser wound and looked at the clean healed skin that showed no sign of the gaping wound that had been there a short time before. "I'm done. Are you doing alright over there?" Andrew looked over at Trommashere. “Already here. we can put the symbiant back in whenever you are ready.” (Reply Trommashere) (Posted by Robbie) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – ACMO Ens. A. O. Windsong-Trommashere - 20:38) “Already here. we can put the symbiant back in whenever you are ready.” Angeni nodded and quickly slipped the Symbiot back into its spot. She quickly repaired the vasculature and tendons that held the Symbiot in place. She worked in silence along side Andrew and as she closed the incision with the dermal regenerator, she let out a huge sigh and rolled her shoulders around. "I'm thinking ten milligrams of TriOx every four hours until her pressure stabilizes along with a gram of Ancef. Am I missing anything?" She looked towards Andrew with a smile on her face. (Reply Andrew) Angeni nodded and she signed off on the medical chart, "You heard the man." She smiled at Nurse Abel and she watched as the woman smiled back and walked away. She ran her hands under the table top sterilizer, then she took two steps to the left, washing her hands in the sink. There was something about the process of the scrub down that helped to center her after a surgery; wet hands and forearms up to the elbow, leaving the arms at a 90 degree angle in the sink. Scrub each finger for ten seconds, making sure to get between the fingers and under the nails. Scrub the palms in a circular motion while holding the arms up to let the water drip to the elbows. She slowly worked the soapy sponge down her forearms, making small, concentric circles as she moved. Once she was fully scrubbed, she ran her lathered appendages under the water, making sure she didn't allow the rinse water to run backwards but allowed it to flow down her arms and off her fingertips. As she dried up, she turned again to the CMO. "Hungry?" (Reply Andrew) Angeni walked into the office and she quickly made herself a pot of tea. She made sure to prep another mug just in case Andrew wanted a bit. She sipped at her mug, a sigh escaping her lips. "Are we done yet?" She sat in her chair. "I don't know about you, but I just feel...numb. It's like my brain isn't functioning well enough any more. I don't know if I'm just tired, or if the good juju brain waves Riv...Dr. Mias is sending out is making me feel funny or what." She rubbed her face and she caught her reflection in the blank screen of the computer console; she looked old. "Would it be okay if I took a shower and a nap? I know we talked about rotating so that one of us were always here, but if I don't get a minute to shut my brain off, I'll be of no use. I can work on signing off on PADDs until the patients go to sleep, then I'll slip out for a bit. Once I get back, you can go and clean up if you'd like." (Reply Andrew) (Posted by Kari) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – CMO, Andrew Williams - 20:41) "I'm thinking ten milligrams of TriOx every four hours until her pressure stabilizes along with a gram of Ancef. Am I missing anything?" Andrew shook his head. “No it looks good to me.” He saw Angeni nodded and signed off on the medical chart. “You heard the man." He followed her to the sink as he washed his hands and forearms. He went through the task almost on autopilot leaving his mind worked on other things. ~Need to make sure everything is ready in case we have problems with the cadets~ "Hungry?" Andrew pulled his mind back to Angeni. He smiled at her and nodded. “When am I not.” He saw Angeni walked into the office return a few moments later sipping a mug a smile danced across his face as a sigh escaping her lips. "Are we done yet?" As Angeni sat in a chair he dropped into one beside her. "I don't know about you, but I just feel...numb. It's like my brain isn't functioning well enough any more. I don't know if I'm just tired, or if the good juju brain waves Riv...Dr. Mias is sending out is making me feel funny or what." He picked up the other mug as Angeni rubbed her face. "Would it be okay if I took a shower and a nap? I know we talked about rotating so that one of us were always here, but if I don't get a minute to shut my brain off, I'll be of no use. I can work on signing off on PADDs until the patients go to sleep, then I'll slip out for a bit. Once I get back, you can go and clean up if you'd like." He knew that he should probably go first as he was almost dead on his feet but that would be mean and not the sign of a good boss. He smiled at her and nodded. “Not a problem. Go now I got it here. Go and take a brake. I am so wired on caffeine that I could not sleep even if I wanted to….” ~Give me a few minutes and it will be true~ “.....I don’t want to see you back here for at least two hours minimum okay!” (Reply Trommashere) (Reply Trommashere, any) (Posted by Robbie) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – ACMO Ens. A. O. Windsong-Trommashere - 20:43) “Not a problem. Go now I got it here. Go and take a brake. I am so wired on caffeine that I could not sleep even if I wanted to….” Angeni smiled at Andrew. She really enjoyed working along side him. It helped that he was an incredibly decent person that she enjoyed being around. She thought of some of the other CMOs and Medical Officers she worked with in the past and none of them charmed her like he had. She was used to calling all the shots and while she worked well within a team, she never liked doing it. Whether they were too slow, or not experienced enough, she always found herself bristling about having to work with others. The medical crew onboard the Spectre had exceeded all of her expectations and she hadn't felt this happy to work with a team outside of the Tactical Team in a very long time. “.....I don’t want to see you back here for at least two hours minimum okay!” She waved a few of the PADDs off the stack on the deck. "Not until I do some of this scut work and feed you." She smiled at him. She reached under the desk and pulled out her lunch basket. It always held more food than she would ever eat on her own. "Let's see what we have here..." She moved some of the ice packs aside and she set the warmer on the desk. "I have Cilantro Rice with baked Chicken or Beef Stroganoff." She held up two plastic containers. "I also have the normal biscuits, honey, and deer jerky. Pick your poison." Angeni said with a smile. (Reply Andrew) She broke a biscuit in half and she nibbled on it as she went over the PADDs in her hand. "Thank heavens these are easy. Seems like all we've had are minor bumps and bruises, which is a good thing. Do you think we should flag some of these for Counseling? I know it's just The Void, but...I dunno...what do you think?" (Reply Andrew) (Posted by Kari) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, LT (Sg) Remae Ktell – 20:45) Strumming his fingers, Remae had a new bad habit to share with the Bridge crew... “Engineering, this is the Bridge.”, said Remae to his console next to his chair. He felt a little useless sitting on the Bridge and waiting. He would have preferred to have a hypo-spanner in his hand, repairing something… anything. =^= Engineering... =^= NRPG: Whoever picks up first... RPG: “The viewscreen is non-operational in the void. Interference is limiting its use to under a minute. Can you take a look please?”, he said to the engineer on the other end of the channel. They acknowledged and Remae then opened another channel, after he had examined the duty roster. “Bridge to Ensign Diliucca. Please report to the Bridge.”, he said to the on-duty Science Officer. He wanted another pair of hands to help out. The void was presenting challenges to their systems and they had the time to work on them. (Reply from Engineering, Diliucca, Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (Marine Trojan - Troop Compartment - First Lieutenant, Kenneth Smith - 20:46) Kenneth steadied himself against the restraints as the Trojan sped through space towards the Garrallon. He had been ready to coordinate the mission from the Spectre but as Lieutenant Kindle was in sickbay he had been tagged for her spot on the mission. He brought up the deck plans of the Garrallon on his heads up display. The ship was big but not impossible to search and clear. They were going to do a combat clear which would be fast and aggressive clearance of the ship to make sure that they got all the cadets and any enemies that were on board. He felt the Trojan bank sharply and it manouvered in for final approach. He looked over at Lieutenant Jackson smiled through his faceplate. He felt the Trojan settle onto the deck plate. “See you at the rendezvous point Joseph and don’t get hit.” He said with a grin. (Reply Jackson) (Reply Jackson,any) (Posted by Robbie) (USS Spectre - Sickbay – CMO, Andrew Williams - 20:46) "Let's see what we have here..." He watched as Angeni moved some of the ice packs aside and she set the warmer on the desk. "I have Cilantro Rice with baked Chicken or Beef Stroganoff." He watched as she held up two plastic containers. "I also have the normal biscuits, honey, and deer jerky. Pick your poison." Angeni said with a smile and Andrew smiled back. “You do realise that I am going to have to spend more time in the gym with all the food you're feeding me.” He picked up a piece of deer jerky and some of the Stroganoff as Angeni broke a biscuit in half and nibbled on it. "Thank heavens these are easy. Seems like all we've had are minor bumps and bruises, which is a good thing. Do you think we should flag some of these for Counseling? I know it's just The Void, but...I dunno...what do you think?" He nodded and signed. “Yeh and its a good idea we can’t have all the fun. We should give the counseling department some work.” He gave a slight grin. “Seriously I think that the void brings peoples issues to the front and they all had these problems deep down. I think we should flag anyone that seams in immediate danger and the others put them on their to do list. Thats almost 200 crew glad I am not them.” (Reply Trommashere) “How are you doing at the moment?” (Reply Trommashere) (Marine Trojan - Crew Compartment - MXO, Major Bruce Kowalski - 20:47) So far, so good. The Marine Trojan had successfully traversed the space between the Spectre and their target, locating the Garallon, performing a single circuit of her to check the ship out, and then swinging around to her rear so as to gain access via the curiously opened hanger deck! Why was it open? Normally, in a situation that had left the ship compromised, all external doors would be closed. OK, so the forcefield would maintain an atmosphere, assuming that is that the ship still had enough power to maintain it. Initial scans had shown her to be running on backup power only, all non essential systems then should have been shut down, and yet.... Kowalski had eyed the space door as the Trojan flew through it and then settled on the deck plate. Immediately he then gave out the orders to back up the plan that had been formulated before they had left the Spectre. Rameriz was point of reference, Houseman had been placed on point duty, and Riverman along with Stevens were bringing up the rear. The plan was a standard 'Combat Clear', working from the rear of the ship forwards, and then up a deck until each were secure. What none of them had expected though was to be finding a ship that was apparently short on lifesigns, a worrying observation indeed! Leaving the Trojan, the first thing that Kowalski did was access the ships computer, which responded in what sounded to be Japanese! "Right", said Bruce with a nod, clearly wondering what the hell was going on here and then concentrating on their earlier findings. "No lifesigns. Let's find out if that's because there is nobody actually on board, or that the ship is full of dead people", he added. Gesturing then towards Houseman to head out as he shouldered his III-C... (Reply Houseman, Rameriz, Any) (Posted by Alan) (ATV Garallon - Deck 14 - MXO, Major Bruce Kowalski - 20:55) All at once, someone was shouting from beyond, shattering the silence and causing panic and furore amongst them all. The marines dropped to the floor, their III-C assault rifles trained on anything and nothing in particular. Right now, anything that moved was a viable target and although as yet not one person had fired, tension was clearly high. And one Marine remained standing, his rifle slung low, both hands scraping at his BDU as he struggled to remove 'something' from his body. "Shit! Shit! Get them off me! Get them OFF ME!" Immediately two of their team were at the mans side, confused, still scanning around and attempting to calm the man. There wasn't anything at all on him of course, it was just the void playing tricks, messing with his head. "It's just the void man. There's nothing there, nothing there", said one of the Marines attempting to reassure the man. "Just the void! The man then eased slowly, the faceplate on his helmet raised now, his eyes darting from the left to the right as he closed them and then attempted to slow his breathing to regain his composure "Yeah. Yeah, just the void", he muttered to himself, realising that there was nothing eating through his BDU. "Are you gonna be OK, Carter?", queried the MXO. "If not, get back to the Trojan" Carter nodded, although clearly unsure himself as to whether he actually would be. "Rat's sir", he said, still nodding and glancing about. "I hate Rat's" The Marines resumed their course, albeit aware now that the enemy within them was as dangerous as any other that they might find on this aging hulk. Kowalski looked to Rameriz, their reference. The notion still seemed strange to him, a photonic in such a position of power. Still, they had seen stranger things. "Are you OK?", he asked. "I mean, apart from Carter and the Rat's, anything else here making YOU skitty?", he added, wondering if perhaps the void might even be able to mess with light as well. (Reply Rameriz) (Reply Any on Team, IYW) (Posted by Alan) (USS Spectre - Engineering - Medical Research Dr. Michaella Kirien - 20:55) Michaella stretched and wondered how much time had passed. It hadn't seemed like a lot of time, but at the same time it had seemed like an eternity. "Computer, time." she barked, her voice raspy with fatigue. =^= The current time is 2055 =^= Shortly enough the computer chirped again. =^ Incoming message =^= "What?" Michaella managed to rasp out. "We can't get messages here, can we?" The fact that only about two hours had passed in her meditation didn't seem all that important at this time. The computer chimed again, chirping, =^= Incoming message. =^= ~What harm could it hurt?~ She thought to herself while speaking in a slightly firmer tone, "Route message to this terminal, Computer." Michaella walke over to the small replicator and ordered a glass of orange juice. She knew that part of her fatigue was a nutritional imbalance and the sugars in the juice should help her focus. "Computer play message." Feeling a sense of dread in her stomach the viewscreen flickered on, a dim, poorly lit video of one of her twin girls. By the light blue piping on her academy uniform, this must be Gabriella. "Mother, I hope this message finds you well. I'm..." Ella's face crumbled. "You must have heard...about the attacks..." Michaella's stomach plummeted and she felt severely nauseated. "Beth..Elizabeth was training...and she took a hit ... and her ship...her ship." Gabriella began to sob openly as a Commander in full starfleet uniform stepped into the frame. "Commander, I regret to inform you that at 2104 Jupiter time on 2417.9.7 that your daughter, Cadet Elizabeth Wilson-Kirien fell in the line of duty defending the Academy from the Hjorn Invaders. Her sacrifice will be noted. Leave has been granted for both yourself and your remaining daughter to return to Betazed for whatever cultural traditions you deem appropriate. Ma'am, the Fleet regrets the loss of your..." Michaella's orange juice had fallen out of her hand, splashing on the floor and covering her right pant leg in pulp, the glass shattering as she began to scream and scream, unaware of the loud keening she was putting out both telepathically and vocally. She wasn't even aware that the name she kept shouting was 'Riven' or that the message's stardate was several years in the future. This was real. This was her worst fear. Her brave, half betazoid, beautiful, adventurous daughter was dead. Gabriella was going to be half a soul without her twin. This was her worst nightmare. Michaella slid down the wall, sobbing, sitting in the shards of glass as she continued to sob, still keening Riven's name over and over. (reply Riven, Engineering if you wish) (posted by Mel :-) (USS Spectre - Sickbay - ACouns Dr. Riven Mias - 20:58) The Betazoid was stolidly meditating now after nearly three hours but of course he was largely unaware of the passage of time. He was still strong and the shielding which he was maintaining over the minds in his area of influence unaffected at this point. At various times he was aware of telepaths joining the chain that had been formed then fade as their own energies waned and they were replaced by others only to reappear again later after they had rested. It wasn't that he was so much more powerful and with greater mental reserves than they though he was accounted by some as one of the more powerful telepaths currently in existence but he certainly had a decided advantage over them at this point. It was that while in many instances they were having to perform other duties he was still and concentrating only on this one thing. His meditative state both sustained him and greatly lessened the amount of energy he was expending. He was like a spider in the center of a gossamer web, quietly spinning and maintaining the fabric of glistening threads. Those threads were extensions of his own mind linking him with the others and forming a soothing mental net which enveloped a good portion of the ship now, perhaps two thirds or more and others had been extending that as they continued to spread out amongst the crew. Michaella was one of those, she had joined the chain from engineering and her presence in his mind he found to be both pleasant and bolstering. At various times they had spoken mind to mind and shared thoughts. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link however. Not that Michaella was weak, far from it but if you were one that believed that a sentience was behind the malevolence of the Void then you would certainly swear that it had finally found a way to affect the group that was fighting it. Yes you would say that it had been seeking such an entry point and when it found that entry.... it struck. Quickly and ruthlessly. Michaella's scream in his mind shook the mind healer to his very core and that scream continued unabated until the chain shook from its reverberations. It vibrated like a high line wire in a high wind, thrummed like a plucked guitar string then shattered. Riven's vital signs shot up from their relaxed state and his eyes opened wide. His mouth opened as he pushed himself up from the chair. "MICHAELLA!" He shouted as he gained his feet. His eyes were wide as he barreled through sickbay then out the door. (Reply: any in sickbay) As promised the Void did not immediately savage the minds of the people he left behind in his wake, their own eyes wide at his sudden expostulation and exit. It would be a while before it could bring its full force to bear on them again. But the Void had been patient thus far and its patience had been rewarded, it would continue its insidious attack until it broke through and could once again enslave the minds it hungered for. Of course this was only if you believed that the Void had sentience, if you didn't well then it probably already had you. Riven didn't give a damn whether the Void was sentience or merely a mind effecting energy, all he could think of right now was that Michaella was in trouble and he was going to Engineering to help her. He could easily have done it from Sickbay but then again when someone you love is hurting the last thing you want to do is help them from a distance, you want to be there to hold and soothe them and all he could think of right now was taking her in his arms and telling her everything was all right. (Reply:Any) (Posted by Charles) (USS Spectre - Bridge – FO/CEO, LT(Sg)Remae Ktell – 21:00) Remae was at the Engineering station at the back the Bridge, or more accurately, he was underneath it with half of the innards across the floor. Just because he couldn’t leave the Bridge, didn’t mean he couldn’t attempt to fix some of the problems with the viewscreen. The viewscreen flicked into life at the press his Hyperspanner to the sensor feed. He was attempting to return the feed through one of the secondary signal processors. “Better than nothing.”, he said talking to no one. The small pile of electronics were quickly scooped to the side of the engineering station, he would deal with those later. He returned to his seat saying, “Let’s take a look at the Garallon, on screen. (Reply from Any) (Posted by Anthony Keen) (USS Spectre - Sickbay - CMO, Andrew Williams - 21:02) "MICHAELLA!" Andrew spun around as he heard Mias. He saw Mias get to his feet and dash through the door and out of sickbay. He looked at Angeni. “Looks like the brake is over. Michaella must be in trouble and lets get after Mias.” (Reply Trommashere) He headed across sickbay and scooped up a medipack from a nearby table. “Douwsy prepare two bio beds we may get two casualties.” “Yes Doctor.” He looked over at Angeni as he headed out of the door. “Mias is going to be in state when we find him and Michaella's condition is unknown.” (Reply Trommashere) He ran into the turbolift and slammed the button for engineering. “I will be so happy to get out of this void.” (Reply Trommashere) (Reply Trommashere, any) (Posted by Robbie) (USS Spectre - Bridge – CO. Captain T'Vhor – 21:02) The lack of a correctly functioning viewscreen and sensor grid was not the best thing to have been suffering in a place that defied logic and messed with your mind. Indeed, to a Vulcan it perhaps represented the ultimate loss of control. No vision, and no science to back up what was out there short of looking out of a window! The CEO/Acting FO, had been doing his level best to correct their short comings of course, but with the added disadvantage of a mind unencumbered by phantoms and spectres, he was blowing in the wind. That said though, the man had apparently worked his magic under the consoles and had managed to get something worthy of a visual feed from the monitor. "Let’s take a look at the Garallon, on screen.", he had said upon returning to his seat, the Captain himself hopeful now that they had their eyes back. Initially, static filled the screen, shades of Orange and Purple swirling ahead of them with a darkened object immediately ahead. Was it the Garallon, or just a sensor ghost. And then the screen cleared to reveal the answer. Dead centre of the viewscreen, the listing hulk of a Constellation class starship, the Garallon had appeared, various rocks moving to and fro with the eddies as they passed the ship by, one or two of the smaller ones actually bouncing off of the hull plating! "She appears intact at least", said the Captain, noticing that almost all decks were showing no lighting at all now due to the minimal power levels aboard. Further thoughts on their Marine away team then surfaced in his mind, the complete loss of comms having been a worrying development to say the very least. Science had also reported a temporal flux earlier which seemed to be surrounding parts of the ship, the effects of which they could only hypothesise upon. "Try and hail the Marines again", said the Captain, directing his order to the tactical officer beyond. (Reply Tactical/Security, Any) The Captain then turned to Remae beside him. They still had the recovered warp core in tow via a tractor emmiter of course, its attachment tenuous given the properties of the void itself but enough to keep it with them at least. "Do we risk trying to re-dock the core in such circumstances, or do we wait until we can get the ship away from the void itself?", he asked, trusting to the Bajoran CEO's experience on this one. (Reply Ktell) (Reply Tactical/Security, Ktell, Any) (Posted by Alan) (USS Spectre - Ten Forward - TAC/SC, Lt Kerge - 21:05) Kerge, had taken a break from his office and department. An unusual occurence, the Security chief was now standing looking out into the void through one of the port observation windows of Ten Forward. There were few people around right now, most of the crew engaged in something or other or in sickbay complaining about flying fish, or some equally ridiculous notion. It seemed though that Klingon resistance to emotional stress was more robust than most other species, for Kerge was yet to feel the full effects of the voids ability to bend minds. Klingons though did not usually take too kindly to being thrust into dangerous environments only to be told that they were not allowed to smash somethings skull in, and Kerge was no different. His resolve was beginning to break, his right fist clenched tightly and tapping against his thigh as his frustration rose. He had watched the Marine Trojan depart from the same window what seemed like hours ago, and yet it was not really that long at all. He had even asked the CO if he could tag along, anything other than remaining on a ship that could do little more than fight an enemy that attacked them from within. But it wasn't to be. The Captain had denied his request. Order had to be maintained aboard the ship in an environment that was now occasionally turning hostile, and as the Sec Chief, Kerge had to be there to oversee that. The Captain was right of course and the Klingon knew it. But that did not help with his desire to smash a skull or two, and let's face it, a Klingon smashing skulls was not a pretty sight to behold. Right then though, a pretty young Ensign in medical teal tapped him upon his shoulder from behind causing Kerge to turn abruptly and partially unsteady her as she drew back. "I'm sorry Lieutenant", she said, startled. "I was just wondering if you were OK. You've been standing there for quite some time" "I'm fine", snapped Kerge. "There is no cause for concern. Be on your way" The Ensign furrowed her brow, confused at the Klingons angst, but understanding nonetheless. After all, Klingons wereKlingons, and as such they were generally not the most hospitable of people to be engaing in casual chit chat with. "Like I said, I'm sorry", she said beforfe turning about and heading towards the meal counter. Kerge sighed heavily, inwardly cursing himself at his manner. Then he followed the Ensign, tapping her upon the shoulder as she had done beforehand. "It is I who should be sorry, Ensign", said Kerge. "My behaviour was unbecoming. Please, perhaps you might join me for a light beverage", he added, hoping that his attempt to put things right might be accepted. The Ensign paused briefly, clearly unsure, but then smiled. "Of course. Perhaps I could pick your brains on exactly what the hell it is we are stuck in here", said the Ensign, "It's driving me nuts" Kerge nodded. "It would seem that it is driving many people... nuts", he offered, thinking back to the episode with one of his team and the flying fish. The young Ensign nodded back and then after selecting a drink, she gestured towards the many tables. "Do you have a preference?", she asked. Kerge pondered briefly, and then motioned towards the window seating. "I feel a need to be gazing right now. Out there, into the... whatever", he answered. "Fine", said the Ensign, and then she headed towards the indicated seating whilst Kerge selected his own beverage and then joined her. It was going to be a long night, the Klingon was sure of it. But why would a little light discussion with a fellow comrade hurt? (Reply Any) (Posted by Alan) (USS Spectre - Turbolift – ACMO Ens. A.O Windsong-Trommashere - 22:14) Angeni stood in the turbo-lift in silence. She was so tired she could barely stand. The emotions of the day had taken their toll; her eyes were red and she had tears streaming down her face. The Void began to whisper to her...faint breaths of words she could barely hear or comprehend. She slipped her lab coat off, draping it over her arm as she walked sleepily to her quarters. She just needed a shower, something warm in her belly, and just a few minutes of sleep. Andrew had given her a couple of hours to collect herself; they had decided on just switching on and off for coverage of Sickbay. She liked how he had the same mentality as her; neither one would ask anyone to do something they wouldn't do and they were in the trenches along with them. Since she figured sleep would be hard to get, she was taking the overnight shift. (Reply, Any) (Posted by Kari) (USS Spectre - Personal Quarters - ACMO Ens. A.O. Windsong-Trommashere - 22:16) As the doors slid closed behind her, she slowly began to strip out of all of her layers, leaving each item of clothing in a puddle on the floor. She made it to her night stand, the cool air of her room washing over her body, causing goose flesh all over her body. Angeni brushed her hair out, staring in the mirror. Pervasive thoughts started infiltrating her mind and she closed her eyes, humming softly, trying to drown out the noise. She stood up, opening one of the canisters on an end table. The smell of rose, lavender, and crystalized honey filled her nose. She scooped a bit of the mix into a tea ball and she carried it over to the replicator. "Water, hot...please." The cup materialized in the machine. "Thank you." She dipped the tea ball in the water and she walked into her bathroom. Sipping slowly, she turned on the faucet to run a bath. She sprinkled dried lavender in the tub and she sat on the edge, examining the chipping paint on her toe nails. ~Gotta paint those...~ As the water reached the level she wanted, she slipped in the tub with a sigh. "Oooooh...!" She moaned softly. She added a drop of rose oil to the water and for the first time in a while, a smile crept across her face. She thought of how Harry would draw her a bath in just about the same fashion. He'd sit on a stool next to her and they would just talk about their day, making plans for the evening, or just sitting quietly; him reading a book, her doing the same as they held hands and just enjoyed each other's company. She slipped her head under the water to get her hair wet and as she came up, she heard footsteps in her quarters. "Hello?" She called out. No answer. She pondered for a moment and she leaned over the side of the tub, trying to get the door to slide open, but she wasn't close enough. The footsteps drew closer to the bathroom. "Hello? Jake? Wai?" She didn't hear anything so she settled back in the tub. She leaned back, closing her eyes, but the flew open only moments later at the feeling that someone was staring at her. She was looking into the eyes of Nun'Yunu'Wi. She pressed her back against the tub and she gasped, but her gasp was cut short by the Woman's cane pushing her below the surface of the water. She flailed about under the surface, trying to hold her breath. The pressure on her chest was insurmountable and it wasn't letting up. She kicked and splashed, her head popping up above the surface. She gasped loudly. "HELP!!" She gurgled. Her head dipped back under the surface and she continued to fight against it. Angeni could no longer hold her breath and she inhaled a mouthful of water. Her lungs burned like the surface of a new star and her vision began to hazy. Her last image was Nun'Yunu'Wi reaching towards her bare chest to steal her heart. Her eyes closed, but the searing pain of her heart being torn from her chest caused her to gasp one more time.... And she found herself sitting straight up in the tub, gasping for air. She pawed at her chest, feeling for a hole and there was none. Adrenalin and fear propelled her from the tub and she stumbled out, her heart going a mile a minute. Suddenly standing up combined with her heart going a mile a minute caused her to go off balance. She flailed through the air and she struck her head off the corner of the sink where she left flesh and blood. Angeni hit the floor with a dull thud and she laid there, a trickle of blood mixing with the water from her hair and puddling on the floor. NRPG: She wanted a nap... ;) (Reply Any, None) (Posted by Kari) =====================================================================