NRPG: Compile Index: Day 185 (USS Dennison – Primary Engineering – MCPO Freeman 2102) (USS Dennison- Torpedo launch control- Crewman Morgan Randell- 2104) (USS Dennison- Primary Engineering- Crewman Morgan Randell- 2108) (USS Dennison – Bridge – ACEO Lanista – 2202) (USS Dennison – Primary Engineering – MCPO Freeman 2202) (USS Dennison – Turbolift – ACEO Lanista – 2203) (USS Dennison - Bridge - TAC/SC Lt (sg) Joan Shrekt - 2203) (USS Dennison – Main Engineering – ACEO Lanista – 2205) (USS Dennison – Primary Engineering – MCPO Freeman – 2206) (USS Dennison- Primary Engineering- Crewman Morgan Randell- 2207) (USS Dennison - Sickbay - OO Petty Officer 1st Class Chrystine Nicklaus - 2210) (USS Dennison - Sickbay – CMO Dr Nymes -2211) (Maltoria - Power Station - Ensign jg Sanok - 2217) (Maltoria - Power Station - Security Officer Crewman Abu Nighy - 2219) (Maltoria - Power Station -Commander Trevan West 2222) (Maltoria - Power Station - Ensign jg Sanok - 2224) (Maltoria - Power Station – CSO/2O Dale Bracken – 2225) (Maltoria - Power Station - ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 2226) (Maltoria - Power Station – Commander Trevan West – 2227) (Maltoria, Power Station, Ensign jg Sanok, 2228) (Maltoria - Power Station - ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 2229) (Maltoria - Power Station – CSO/2O Dale Bracken – 2230) RPG: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Healer in the Tower Stardate: 2408.01.10 Day: 185 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (USS Dennison – Primary Engineering – MCPO Freeman 2102) Butch was absorbed running transporter simulations. He had the computer checking all the possible, likely, and even some speculative variables which may/might have affected the transporter system. He couldn’t assume outside interference; but it was, he admitted, the safest bet. His musings were interrupted by the commbadge. =^= Morgan to Chief Freeman, the probe is prepped and ready for launch. I'm on my way back to Engineering.=^= Butch checked his chronometer; that was fast work indeed by Morgan. He tapped his badge to reply. “Fast work, Mister Randell… I’m impressed. We still don’t have clearance from the bridge for launch, but at least we are ready.” ~When they get their act together up there~ he thought but didn’t say. “I can use you back here to keep trying on the sensors. We’ll work on it when you get back here.” (Reply Morgan iyw) As he waited for the crewman’s return, Freeman returned to his calculations. (USS Dennison- Torpedo launch control- Crewman Morgan Randell- 2104) =/\=Fast work, Mister Randell… I’m impressed. We still don’t have clearance from the bridge for launch, but at least we are ready.=/\= Came Freeman's reply.=/\=can use you back here to keep trying on the sensors. We’ll work on it when you get back here.=/\= "Understood, Chief. On my way." Morgan said and closed the comm link. He exited the launch control room and made his way to a turbo lift. Stepping inside he said "Primary Engineering." As the turbo lift made its way to the destination He thought about what could be done to overcome the dampening field on the planet below them. His efforts so far had not been favourable. These Maltorian's knew how to block their scans with this perfect dampening field. (USS Dennison- Primary Engineering- Crewman Morgan Randell- 2108) Morgan entered the heart of the ship and nodded to a few Engineers as he made his way to his work station. He brought the terminal to life with his access code and once again began working on the sensor array. He boasted the signal gain as far as it would go, refocused the array and used the overload power to try and beat the dampening field. He set the scanners to the area of the general area of the planet he had previously tracked the signal to. Activating the sensors he waited for the results, but again the scan failed to penetrate the field on the surface. On the display in front of him was a graphic representation of the planet, on the northern continent was a glowing red oval. This oval was his nemesis, the dampening field that was beating him and the rest of the Engineering staff. Morgan ran a few computer simulations trying to find some way to get a scan of the surface. Rerouting power from non essential systems did not help, combining the active and passive scanners in tandem would not work. Launching an orbital sensor array as a means of boasting the scanners strength would not work, even using a shuttle craft as a means of boasting signal strength from a lower altitude failed to pierce the dampening field. That frustration was creeping back and Morgan was at a loss. He was beginning to think there was no getting around the dampening field. He hated admitting defeat but as it stood all his attempts had failed, the field was intact the away team was still MIA. He took a couple deep breaths and returned to his task, there had to be something he missed some way to get through the dampening field. He continued working at his computer models trying anything that came to mind no matter how ridiculous it seemed. (reply any) (posted by Milo Young) (USS Dennison – Bridge – ACEO Lanista – 2202) “Get down to engineering and talk with Chief Freeman…” Shrekt commanded. “Aye, aye!” Lanista barked and she made for the turbolift. (USS Dennison – Primary Engineering – MCPO Freeman 2202) Time was passing quickly… and Freeman and the rest of engineers were making little progress toward piercing the damping field in an attempt to locate the missing landing party. He was getting frustrated at the lack of action from the Bridge. Their next step or steps could not be carried out without getting approval from the command staff. ~Who are pretty damned silent at the moment… I’m sure they have ‘officer business’ to take care of, but still…~ Diplomacy was not his strong suit, as either of his ex-wives might attest to, given the chance. They had been rather vocal at his divorce proceedings, after all. His musings were once again interrupted by his commbadge. =^=Shrekt to Chief Freeman.=^= ~The tactical officer? Guess the Captain doesn’t do late evenings? Rank hath its privledges, I suppose.~ “Freeman, go ahead Ma’am” =^=What is the ship's status, Chief?=^= ~There’s a loaded question~ “Ma’am, we have repaired all but the most superficial damage sustained in the transition from… where we were, to where we are. All systems operational. Since you called, let me brief you on our efforts to locate the away team.” He went on to relate their efforts thus far, including the modifications to the Class III Probe. After he had outlined the work done, he voiced the proposals they had come up with. “Ma’am, it’s up to you people on the bridge, which, if any of these routes we use. The probe is the most immediate, and least likely to be detected. If that doesn’t work, my next suggestion would be to try the transporter testing that we proposed.” (Reply Shrekt, Any) (USS Dennison – Turbolift – ACEO Lanista – 2203) “Main Engineering,” Lanista said, and the computer started the turbolift moving. Lanista, as ACEO (of which there seemed to be at least two aboard, the other being Darsons), had taken the time to review the dossiers on the Engineering crew after coming aboard the Dennison. There were, of course, many persons assigned to the heart of the starship, but there were four particular noteworthy staff members: Atwood, Darsons, Freeman, and Randell. Lanista ‘ranked’ Freeman and Randell. However, the other two notables were senior to the newly arrived Ensign. During the turbolift’s transit, Lanista called to mind the important aspect of the profiles she’d reviewed. To begin with, these significant people were all Human. tlha'nISta’ hoped that these veterans would not object to the Way of the Logical Warrior – that being the modus operandi of a Vulcan/Klingon officer. Darsons, it seemed, had more in common with Lanista than just gender. The Lieutenant had served on a non-Federation vessel and was raised as an Engineer by her father. Lanista could not find anything in Haley’s file that suggested the Human woman had been born on the Rosen. Lanista claimed no world as a personal homeworld, though the Chalche’yon (“Satisfied to rule the sky”) was in orbit around ‘erlIghan at the time of Lanista’s birth. And, while Darsons’ homeship had been destroyed, Lanista’s was still plying the space lanes under the command of her own father QolloH. ~I wonder if her background and mine are the root of creative solutions.~ Lanista thought. Asking Darsons about further details might have to wait, though, as it appeared the Human lieutenant was off the Active Duty list – something about nightmares... The other Human lieutenant was Atwood – a smooth-foreheaded pretty-boy, in Lanista’s estimation, a man with few if any battle scars, likely disinclined to engage in battle, though professionally competent. His file stated he had talents at starship construction and team-building. ~Both will serve us well,~ Lanista thought. She recalled that Atwood’s first posting – the State – had been destroyed, just as had been Darsons’ Rosen. Lanista pondered involving these two in Prayers for the Dead – or perhaps a few tankards of bloodwine. Ship’s personnel – officer or enlisted – were less effective when they hadn’t put their ghosts behind them. Atwood enjoyed singing. Perhaps he could be encouraged to compose a few dirges for his and Darsons’ fallen comrades. That left Freeman and Randell – from whom, of the Enlisted engineering staff, Lanista could probably expect the best. Randell, Morgan, Crewman First Class was a mixed blessing. He was small, but athletic. Nothing in his profile stood out as significant. That brought Lanista’s train of thought to Freeman – the Engineer Lanista most wanted to meet, and the one most recently mentioned (by Lt. Shrekt, on the Bridge). Master Chief Petty Officer Freeman was, what Lanista liked to call “facially experienced” – or kaz’thaldim in one of the dialects of the Klingon hinterland. And the man sported several scars, indicating he wasn’t one to shirk physical risks. His file stated he was not one to shy away from mental conflict either – and he was not above using intimidation. Lanista liked Freeman. Failing to use intimidation, if it would work, was a Human failing. It didn’t make any logical sense to Lanista’s Vulcan side. Use the tools at hand. Still, Freeman was a by-the-book NCO. That brought Lanista’s thoughts full-circle – Freeman’s regs vis-ŕ-vis Darsons’ innovations – as the turbolift reached Engineering. (USS Dennison - Bridge - TAC/SC Lt (sg) Joan Shrekt - 2203) Shrekt's brow furrowed as she listened to the doctor's report. She was concerned that he was not more forthcoming with information. As the acting CO, she needed as much information as he could give regarding the captain's condition. If he required more urgent medical assistance, assistance that could not be given on the Dennison, then it affected the ship's ability to complete its mission. As the chief of security, she needed to know more about the nature of the injuries so that she could take the appropriate action against the crewman's assailant. She would speak with the doctor in person at a later date, as she continued her departmental check. Her conversation with the engineer was more enlightening. She was encouraged that the progress was proceeding so well. If they needed to depart, at least the ship itself shouldn't be giving them any problems. At least she hoped so. "Thank you, Chief. I shall make note of your excellent progress. At this point, I am going to wait before launching any probes, as it could be misinterpreted by the Maltorians as a sign of aggression. But have them on standby if it comes to that. Shrekt out." she said, as she closed the line. (Reply Any) (posted by Kaweo Kanoho) (USS Dennison – Main Engineering – ACEO Lanista – 2205) tlha'nISta’ had been on the Bridge to hear Freeman’s report to Shrekt regarding the ship’s status. Freeman would be easy to pick out – he was 6’4” – the tallest in the Department, save herself, Lanista knew. She went to him directly. “Any further progress?” she asked him. (Reply Freeman) “Ah,” she responded. “Can anyone be spared to work on some Shuttlebay modifications? And how many of each of these do we have in inventory: Christoffel distance minimizers, Hamiltonian flow regulators, Hopf-Rinow bundles, Intrinsic Frobenius meters, Jacobi vector field generators, Levi-Civita connections, and Riemannian manifolds?” Lanista asked – enumerating the list of devices needed for the polyhedral deployment pattern of a swarm of microsensors. “We can add to the effectiveness of this even more – when we get final clearance – by having the Dennsion use its multi-vector mode at that time.” (Reply Freeman, any else in Engineering) “We’re to notify the Bridge when we get this ready to launch.” Realizing this was her first opportunity to visit Main Engineering, Lanista took a moment to relish the feeling. The engine room was larger than that of a Bird-of-Prey. ~Room to grow into,~ she thought, remembering her father’s likely-incorrect theory that her extreme size was due to her hybrid heterosis and that she would likely grow throughout her life. QolloH, though, was not a scientist. His supposition that Lanista’s jak’tahla was perpetual was almost certainly wrong. Still, Lanista smiled – for two reasons, recollections of her father always brought a curl to her lips, and the steady thoom-thoom-thoom of the warp core made Lanista think of the sound of the drum that kept the oarsmen in rhythm aboard the Barge of the Dead. “And, if we can also get the Advanced Neural Pathway Formation online, the two systems can work well in concert. Advanced Neural Pathway Former, or He chenmoH chung, or sahrauk raf-kuvtra burun-yut shidorayek, or whatever we wind up calling it.” Lanista preferred the second term – which could be abbreviated H’ch’H’ch – but she would defer to the mostly Human crew on the final naming. The Deck-23 Project would be of great advantage – and this mission might provide the best opportunity to test the technologies involved. If H’ch-H’ch and the rapid-bloom microprobe systems worked well, a recommendation could be made to the whole of the 52nd Fleet! Lanista started tapping the thumb of her left fist against the side of her left thigh – a mannerism she only indulged in when she was very pleased. She noted she was doing this in-sync with the drumming of the warp core, and she smiled very broadly. (Reply Atwood, Darsons, Freeman, Randell, any else in Engineering) (Posted by FT) (USS Dennison – Primary Engineering – MCPO Freeman – 2206) After his discussion with Lt. Shrekt, Freeman could hardly help but notice the swift approach of a very tall (taller than he was by quite a bit) Klingon officer. Headed to see him, evidently. “Any further progress?” she asked him with neither introduction nor preamble. ~And you are?~ He wondered silently. ~Probably a new ACEO, judging by the pips. An officer. A junior one to be sure… but still an officer.~ “Well… ma’am. Any further progress since what or when, I feel compelled to ask? If you mean since my progress report to the bridge, then negative. If you heard my report to the bridge, you know what we are working on.” (Reply Lanista) “Ah,” she responded. “Can anyone be spared to work on some Shuttlebay modifications? And how many of each of these do we have in inventory: Christoffel distance minimizers, Hamiltonian flow regulators, Hopf-Rinow bundles, Intrinsic Frobenius meters, Jacobi vector field generators, Levi-Civita connections, and Riemannian manifolds?” Lanista asked – enumerating the list of devices needed for the polyhedral deployment pattern of a swarm of microsensors. “We can add to the effectiveness of this even more – when we get final clearance – by having the Dennsion use its multi-vector mode at that time.” ~Multi-vector mode… one of Starfleet tacticals most ill considered ideas. You do not break up a perfectly intact starship. The one who came up with that separate attack vectors idea ought to have his pension removed… with someone’s boot.~ He said nothing of the sort however… you don’t broach ideas like that in front of officers… especially ones you don’t know. He answered in measured tone. “Ma’am anyone can be spared that you need… in view of the fact that you are now in charge here. As far as inventory – “ he reached to his left and tapped a series of commands into the terminal – “that’s our inventory currently. If memory serves, we have multiples of most of those in our standard parts loadout. My memory, sadly is not as good as a computers ma’am. Will there be anything else I can do for you?” (Reply Lanista, Any) (Posted by Russ) (USS Dennison- Primary Engineering- Crewman Morgan Randell- 2207) Morgan looked up and noticed Chief Freeman speaking with someone he did not immediately recognize. She appeared to be Klingon but something about her was different. Taking a moment to bring up the crew roster he now knew she was the new ACEO, an Ensign Lanista who was a Klingon/Vulcan hybrid. The new ACEO was apparently looking for some parts to make some modifications to a few shuttles. Morgan over heard her ask Freeman if he could spare anyone to assist in the mods. Not wanted to seem to forward in front of the new ACEO Morgan resisted the urge to walk over and offer his assistance. If Freeman could spare Morgan the Chief would let him know, otherwise Morgan would keep his place. He decided to run a diagnostic on the sensor array. The dampening field on the planet below the Dennison had him stumped, no matter what he tried he could not cut through it. Most dampening fields could be overcome with boasting gain augmenting power or some other method, but not this time. The diagnostic showed everything was operating as well as it could under current conditions. Another mystery that nagged Morgan was the loss of reserve power from the passage through whatever it was they traversed through to get here. Right now that was not the main concern, the main concern now was tracking down the missing away team and he figured the modified shuttles had something to do with it. Morgan waited to see if he would be included in a team to help Ensign Lanista with modifying the shuttles. I was possible that Freeman would require his assistance here, time would reveal what task was in store for him. (reply any in Engineering) (posted by Milo Young) (USS Dennison - Sickbay - OO Petty Officer 1st Class Chrystine Nicklaus - 2210) Chrystine had been sitting in sickbay for nearly twenty minutes waiting for someone to see her. She sat her head against the wall and her eyes closed, trying to keep her head clear. Occasionally she opened her eyes as someone passed her, either leaving in frustration or entering in need. She tried to smile, as best she could, trying to be as comforting as she could to the others around her, but her head kept hurting. She was slightly bemused by watching the EMH trying to handle the influx of patients. Finally, the doctor called her in. “What can I do for you today?” he asked. "I have an incredible headache," she answered, as she entered the examination area the doctor entered. "I know, I know, I should have just taken something, but I....." Chrystine was at a loss as to how to describe what she was feeling. It wasn't a normal headache, but it was hard to quantify it or put it to words. "I don't think this is a normal headache." she finally said. (Reply Nymes) (Reply Nymes, Any) (posted by Kaweo Kanoho) (USS Dennison - Sickbay – CMO Dr Nymes -2211) “What can I do for you today?” he asked. "I have an incredible headache," she answered, as she entered the examination area the doctor entered. "I know, I know, I should have just taken something, but I....." Christine tailed off, showing the doctor that she lacked the words to describe exactly what she felt – a common affliction in Sickbay. Nymes waited, listening with empathy, trying to gleam any useful information that the patient was ready to offer. "I don't think this is a normal headache." she finally said. Nymes nodded, tapping at the PADD as he started to speak. “Could you tell me more about the headache? Where it is, what kind of pain are you in – is it dull, or sharp, generalised or pointlike?” Nymes waited, giving the patient to fully answer the question, and offer more than he had asked, before continuing. (reply Chrystine) “Any problems with your vision? Your arms or legs? Is the pain worse standing up or lying flat?” Nymes asked, trying to differentiate between raised ICP and less severe headaches. Any red flags would suggest an acute pathology, such as a SAH, and would require immediate attention – and a rewrite of the EMH so to not miss it again. If it wasn’t due to ICP, then Nymes would focus down the less severe – but by no means less debilitating avenue of acute headaches, migraine, etc. Either way, his patient needed a tricorder scan; but that would wait until she finished the history. “any nausea or vomiting? Are bright lights hurting your eyes?” (reply Chrystine) “And could you tell me what you’ve been doing today – work-wise, and out of hours?” (reply Chrystine) “Well, sometimes headaches can be caused by the most innocuous things, so it’s worth running through things. Did you hurt yourself in the transition to Maltorian Space?” (reply Chrystine) ~Okay... Bleeds, Migraines, Trauma. Time for a Scan.~ Nymes took his medical tricorder from his hip, a quirk that he had kept over from the days in the war – he would frequently be on 24-hr Crash cover, and regularly slept in his uniform with the tricorder still in his belt, and during peacetime he had still not managed to rid himself of not carrying the basic kit with him at all hours, and ran the scan. (reply Chrystine) <...Beep...> Nymes looked at the tricorder, and nodded – not surprised by the findings, but also intrigued at how they had come about. “Any problems with your sense of smell, PO?” (reply Chrystine) “Well, the tricorder suggests that we need to get a proper scan of you; and then we will take it from there. I want to make sure I haven’t missed anything, so I’ll get the bioscan for you now.” (reply Chrystine) (posted by GC) (Maltoria - Power Station - Ensign jg Sanok - 2217) Sanok heard something. Peering below, he saw Crewman Nighy approaching. He watched as the man ascended the steps, then stop before him. Nighy seemed to be nervous. "Is it really safe to wait here for them, Ensign?" said Nighy. "I mean, look what happened here. What if we're next? Are we just going to just wait?" "Yes, Crewman, we're going to wait for the Maltorians to arrive," said Sanok calmly. "There is no reason to be concerned." From his own experiences with emotions, and from how badly he had felt after the final battle of the war, Sanok understood that Nighy was close to losing his composure. If that happened, the crewman could endanger himself or the others. Sanok reached out and placed his hand comfortingly on Nighy's shoulder. "We are a well-trained team that knows how to handle unexpected situations. We protect one another. We watch each other's backs. Just remember your training, follow orders, pay attention, and you'll be fine. We'll get through this." (Reply Nighy) (Posted by Bob) (Maltoria - Power Station - Security Officer Crewman Abu Nighy - 2219) Abu stared a bit at the reassuring Vulcan. It seemed so odd to be hearing the words coming out of his mouth, after his own experience with Vulcans. They weren't terribly comforting usually. Normally they were quite cold actually. So he blinked a bit, as he listened to the words. Without really paying attention to what was going on, he followed Sanok downstairs as they had been ordered. His mind was still racing and warring with itself as to whether or not they were doing the right thing. He wasn't sure that the Maltorian's were who they said they were. He was also less than confident that the transporter accident was just an accident. But the higher ups seemed convinced that there was nothing sinister about what happened. It was Abu's job though to think about those things. Although truth be told, he normally didn't. He was usually more pre-occupied with what his next meal would be or making sure that he didn't shoot anyone else by accident or keeping his uniform on at all times. Captain Stakes had been quite insistent on the last. Abu was brought out of his reverie as he realized that he had been left with Ensign Soma, as Ensign Sanok had returned upstairs. The ensign gave Abu some orders that Abu mindlessly carried out. He retrieved his tri-corder and set it as he had been instructed. He nodded acknowledging the orders, when Ensign Soma asked him about his service in Starfleet. "I, uh, I've been in Starfleet, maybe," started Abu, as he thought about the answer he wanted to give. "Suh... six years, sir." (Reply Soma) "I, uh, know that I'm not the best security officer, we have." said Abu. "But I won't fail you, sir. I... just don't understand how we can trust the Maltorians after finding out we've been breathing them in." (Reply Soma) (Reply Soma, Any) (posted by Kaweo Kanoho) (Maltoria - Power Station -Commander Trevan West 2222) =/\=Bracken to West, I’ve got what appears to be a small, but very powerful subspace array here sir. It’s a good possibility that it’s this that’s interrupting out communications with the Dennison. Now, I think that it’s using a semi-adaptive phasing field, seems to respond to and cancel out our frequencies. Now, if we alter our signal, so that it’s in phase with the field itself, I think that we can use it to amplify our own signal rather than cancelling it out, In short sir, I think that we’ll be able to hail the Dennison.=/\= As usual, Trevan just shook his head when she started talking like this. Although he understood what she was talking about, some of it was over his own head, "Well, whatever that is and I am sure you know more than I do about it," he said to her over the comm, "Good job, how reliable will it be?" he asked. Dale smiled slightly at the remark, =/\=Perhaps, all that said, it’ll still be horrifically weak, and it’ll be a racing certainty that we still can’t transport out.=/\= "Well," he said thinking, "it's something anyway and I have no intention of transporting back to the ship until I have a word or two with these Ministry people. Do what you need to establish contact with the Dennison." “Understood. It’ll take a couple of minutes to fully adapt the signal.” Dale stopped, suddenly, a thought that had begun to niggle a while ago suddenly coming to the fore. “Sir, I’ve just had a really weird thought. You know there’re two options to explain our presence here, why we ended up here rather than in the office of the president, discounting accident I mean.” “Well,” She began “either someone didn’t want us to get there, and sent us here to try and keep us out the way....or....well, or someone wanted us to find out what we just have.” That thought had crossed his mind about fifty times since they beamed down and he couldn't come up with a single answer. Perhaps both were correct, or neither. He wasn't sure yet, but he was sure they would find out in time. "I am on my way to you now," he said and backed away from the console and left the room. He headed back out towards the main entrance area where they had arrived earlier, and then proceeded to head up to where Lt. Bracken was. Upon entering the room, he spotted her standing near some sort of device, which he assumed was the array that she was talking about. "How long will this take?" he asked his Science Officer. "Good." was all he replied to her. (reply any) (posted by Kerry Fletcher) (Maltoria - Power Station - Ensign jg Sanok - 2224) Bracken said, “Head downstairs. I want as much warning as possible of their arrival. I’ve got an idea here, but I’m afraid you guys can’t help. You’ll be better off keeping guard downstairs.” Sanok did not like the sound of that. Though Bracken had agreed to not open the door and enter the area of the EM interference, he had a nagging feeling, yes, a feeling, that was exactly what she was going to do. "You'll get as much warning as we can give, which probably won't be much time, thanks to the dampening field. As soon as we see them, we'll give you a heads up," said Soma. He and Nighy started down the steps. Contemplating what to do, Sanok looked into Bracken's eyes, then glanced at the others as they descended. Sighing inwardly, he followed suit and went down to the main level. "This mission has been full of surprises, wouldn't you say?" said Soma. "Indeed," said Sanok thoughtfully. He looked up at Bracken and saw that she was talking to someone through her comm badge, probably Commander West. He still didn't like the idea that she was going to try to enter the room. It was clear she didn't want to endanger anyone else, but it was foolish not to have backup. He would be derelict in his duty, if he allowed that to happen. He took Soma aside. "Ben," said Sanok in a quiet voice, "stay here and watch for the Maltorians. Also, make sure Crewman Nighy is okay. I believe Lieutenant Bracken is about to do something dangerous, so I'm going back up to make sure she isn't alone." Giving Soma a look that he hoped was assuring, he quietly started back up the stairs. (Reply Soma, Nighy) (Posted by Bob) (Maltoria - Power Station – CSO/2O Dale Bracken – 2225) Dale didn’t turn as she heard the footsteps, she didn’t need to. She heard the signature sound that the Commander’s footsteps made even before he reached the door to the room where she now crouched hurriedly reprogramming the tricorder to adapt the signal from the commbadges. She had discovered that the machine itself was pretty secure. Given time Dale was sure that she would have cracked it, but time was one asset that she didn’t have. "How long will this take?" he asked his Science Officer. “Nearly done, I’m just finishing the subroutine that will adapt the signals, the signal itself will route through the tricorder, and the range will be limited for the moment. At least until we move out of the range of this dampening field.” "Good." was all he replied to her. A few moments later, the adjustments were made, Dale hit the last few keys that would finalise the adjustments, the tricorder flashed a combination showing that the program was running as she had hoped it would, Dale then turned to West. “Good to go. Dennison should receive us now. The honour’s yours sir.” (Reply West) Dale stood up, stretching herself as West began to try and hail the Dennison. She stepped away from the machine, the cramp in her legs beginning to wane. Slowly she stepped toward the door the slight ache in her back now disappearing, it was then that she saw Ensign Sanok making his way back up the corridor. She was annoyed. The good feeling that she had had moments ago after managing to circumvent the dampening field had now all but disappeared. “Mister Sanok...” She turned to him, allowing a sigh and a frown to flash across her face. “How many Maltorians are currently coming toward this position? Can you see the road from here?” (Reply Sanok) “You have your orders Mister Sanok, kindly return to your position, I have reasons for you to be on watch. We’ll discuss this later. Dismissed Ensign.” She turned away, irritated, but subjective. She didn’t doubt that Sanok had had his reasons for disregarding her specific orders and no doubt she would hear them later when she spoke to him, no though, there were more important things to hear. “Commander, any luck?” (reply West) (Posted by Mark) (Maltoria - Power Station - ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 2226) Sanok answered with a simple indeed, but seemed slightly distracted. The Vulcan had seemed reluctant in leaving Lt. Bracken in the corridor even though it was her order that they return down the stairs to keep a watch for the Maltorian's. Ben was surprised when Sanok pulled him aside after they went a couple of steps. "Ben," said Sanok in a quiet voice, "stay here and watch for the Maltorians. Also, make sure Crewman Nighy is okay. I believe Lieutenant Bracken is about to do something dangerous, so I'm going back up to make sure she isn't alone." Ben considered his fellow security officer for a moment before responding in a low voice, " You cover Lt. Bracken and I'll keep an eye on Crewman Nighy, I'm sure he'll be fine. Good job with him back there by the way. I'll give you as much advance warning as I can." Sanok gave Ben a somewhat reassuring look which Ben returned with a nod and watched as he climbed back up the stairs. Ben turned to head back down to the main floor where he caught up with Nighy. ~Maybe if he had something to concentrate on it would help~ "Mr. Nighy, start scanning for Maltorian life signs and keep a watch for them. I'm not sure what Lt. Bracken has in mind but she needs whatever time we can give her. When you have something report it to Lt. Bracken." Ben said as he removed his own tricorder and began to scan. He moved beside the Crewman and said," How long have you been in Starfleet Mr. Nighy?" Ben knew from his record that the crewman had served aboard six different vessels in the past for various lengths of time, mostly around six months or so. He just wanted to keep the Crewman occupied so he would not have time to think about what they had learned. (reply Nighy) (posted by Milo Young) (Maltoria - Power Station – Commander Trevan West – 2227) A few moments later, the adjustments were made, Dale hit the last few keys that would finalize the adjustments, the tricorder flashed a combination showing that the program was running as she had hoped it would, Dale then turned to West. “Good to go. Dennison should receive us now. The honour’s yours sir.” Trevan smiled and gently nodded at her. Tapping his badge he hoped to hell someone on the ship was paying attention and monitoring all communication channels. "West to Dennison, come in Dennison." he said firmly. There was no reply, only static so he tried again, "USS Dennison this is Commander West do you read me?" (Reply Dennison) "Good to hear your voice. Communication is....spotty.......at.....est....not........how long.......it will last.." he said through the hissing static and radio interference. Trevan explained their situation, stating that they are safe and secure in a power facility and that transport was completed but they arrived at the wrong location, but had made contact with the First Minister and they were awaiting a rescue team. Trevan then asked for a status report from the Dennison and asked them to be quick about it. "Understood, I am uploading as much information as we can through the weak channel." replied Trevan and pressed the upload to ship button on the tricorder, "Field still preventing us from normal operations, and to confirm my identity open file alpha four seven, code knight to queen's level three." Trevan hoped that when the file was opened, his failsafe log playback would inform the crew "I am safe, all is well and I am who I say I am." At least he hoped for that. “Commander, any luck?” "Yes, thanks to you. Comm. is spotty, but I managed to transmit as much data as I could on everything we have thus far. I have also given them a status update and told them our current situation." "If we remain here and not move until the rescue party comes, how long with this patchwork hold out?" (reply Bracken) Trevan then noticed she looked a little perturbed, "Problem?" he asked her. (reply Bracken, Dennison) (Posted by Kerry Fletcher) (Maltoria, Power Station, Ensign jg Sanok, 2228) "Mister Sanok," said Bracken with a sigh. "How many Maltorians are currently coming toward this position? Can you see the road from here?" "We have not seen any Maltorians yet, Lieutenant. We cannot see the road from this position," said Sanok. Bracken was irritated that he was there. Apparently, Sanok had been mistaken about what he thought was going to happen to her once she was exposed to the EM radiating from the area behind the door. "You have your orders, Mister Sanok. Kindly return to your position. I have reasons for you to be on watch. We’ll discuss this later. Dismissed, Ensign." Sanok turned around and headed back down the stairs to the lower level and stopped beside Soma. "It would seem that I made an error in judgment," said Sanok. (Reply Bracken?, Nighy?, Soma) (Posted by Bob) (Maltoria - Power Station - ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 2229) Ben listened to Crewman Nighy as he responded to his question. Nighy seemed a little tongue tied which under the circumstances was understandable. "I, uh, I've been in Starfleet, maybe," started Abu, "Suh... six years, sir." Ben considered the Crewman's reply a moment before responding, "Six years, I've just started. I only have a couple days of active duty under my belt." "I, uh, know that I'm not the best security officer, we have." said Abu. "But I won't fail you, sir. I... just don't understand how we can trust the Maltorians after finding out we've been breathing them in." Ben thought about what Nighy had said, maybe he wasn't the best but that could be the result of many different causes. Maybe when all this was over Ben would try and help the crewman if Nighy would accept that help, it was important for him to feel like he was a part of the team regardless of what he felt his importance was. Ben walked over and stood next to Nighy and said, "Mr. Nighy you don't have to be the best security officer to be vital link in the chain. Just remember your training and focus on your tasks and the rest will fall into place." Ben then placed a reassuring hand on Nighy's shoulder and added, "Between you and me, I don't trust the Maltorian's either. I don't know about you, but when I found out what we were breathing I lost my lunch." Ben said hoping that revelation would ease the tension the Crewman was feeling. Ben looked Nighy in the eye and said with a slight smile, "Let’s give Lt. Bracken and Sanok as much of a warning as we can. Keep your eyes peeled and your tricorder focused." (reply Nighy) Ben turned his attention to his tricorder and made an adjustment to increase the devices gain which hopefully would give them an extra minute or two. Nothing was registering as a life form within the tricorders scanning range which at the moment was alright with Ben. He needed a few minutes to devise a plan for handling the Maltorian's without causing trouble or appearing aggressive. Ben again turned towards Crewman Nighy and asked, "Mr. Nighy, how would you suggest we handle the situation once the Maltorian's arrive?" (reply Nighy) Ben listened to Nighy's response. The crewman had potential he thought, he just needs a little nudge in the right direction and a little attention to some extra training, he may not think he is the best now but with a little help he would make a good security officer. When they returned to the Dennison Ben would speak with Lt. Shrekt about the situation. (reply Nighy/any) (posted by Milo Young) (Maltoria - Power Station – CSO/2O Dale Bracken – 2230) “Commander, any luck?” "Yes, thanks to you. Comm. is spotty, but I managed to transmit as much data as I could on everything we have thus far. I have also given them a status update and told them our current situation." "If we remain here and not move until the rescue party comes, how long with this patchwork hold out?" Dale rubbed her temples slightly, “I’m really not certain, it should be permanent, unless the signal adapts itself more than my subroutine can compensate for. Trevan then noticed she looked a little perturbed, "Problem?" he asked her. Dale sighed, “Ensign Sanok. Saw fit to ignore my order to head downstairs to keep watch for the Maltorian rescue party, returned back up here almost as soon as he’d reached the bottom of the stairs. Nothing I can’t deal with, I’ll have a word with him later.” (Reply West) Dale nodded, “I understand.” Dale paused, then continued, “So, presumably we’re going to be lead toward the Maltorian First Minister, how are we going to handle this with what we know now?” (Reply West) (Posted by Mark) -USS Dennison Star Trek: Freedom - http://www.startrekfreedom.com