Compile break down: Day: 183 (USS Dennison - Ready Room - CO, Captain Archibald Stakes - 2048) (USS Dennison - Ready Room - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes - 2207) (USS Dennison - Bridge - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes - 2245) (USS Dennison - Bridge - MCPO Freeman - 2248) Day 184 (USS Dennison - Briefing Room - Commander Trevan West- 0641) (USS Dennison - Briefing Room – CSO/a2O Dale Bracken - 0643) (USS Dennison - Briefing Room - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 0647) (USS Dennison - Deck 7- ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 0755) (Dennison, Security Office, ATac Ensign (jg) Sanok, 0756) (U.S.S. Dennison - Brig - Ops - Ensign Chance Raschen - 1000) (USS Dennison, Bridge, Commander Trevan West, 1100) (USS Dennison - Bridge - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 1101) (USS Dennison - OPS Chief's office - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 1120) (U.S.S. Dennison - Brig - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes & OPS- Ensign Chance Raschen - 1125) (U.S.S. Dennison - TAC/SC Office - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes & OPS- Ensign Chance Raschen - 1130) (USS Dennison - Deck 10 - Sickbay - CMO Dr Nymes and CO Captain Archibald Stakes and Yeoman Esme Stakes- 1358) (USS Dennison - Sickbay - Dr Nymes and Archibald and Esme Stakes - 1405) (USS Dennison - FO Office - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes - 1425) (USS Dennison - FO Office - Commander Trevan West- 1426) (USS Dennison - Shuttlebay - CMO Nymes - 1430) (USS Dennison - CO's Yeoman's Office - Yeoman - PO2 - Esmeralda Stakes - 1725) Day: 185 (USS Dennison - OPS Chief's office - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 0613) (USS Dennison - Briefing Room - Commander Trevan West - 0650) (USS Dennison - Bridge – CSO/a2O Dale Bracken - 0652) (USS Dennison- Bridge- ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 0653) (USS Dennison, Intelligence Office, Commander Trevan West, 1000) ********************************************************* Healer in the Tower Star Date: 2408.01.08 Day: 183 ********************************************************* (USS Dennison - Ready Room - CO, Captain Archibald Stakes - 2048) "Of course, sir. I shall serve you and Starfleet to the best of my ability." Shrekt replied. Archibald nodded. "Of course, Lieutenant. You wouldn't be here now, if I had thought you would react otherwise. As I am going to tell your officers, you are going to be my arms with which I am going to enforce the rules and regulations. But for that your mind has to be clear of any confusion. The war has caused great distress, pitting human against human, neighbour against neighbour, sister against sister." Archibald regarded her for a second. "We can not allow the past to dictate the future, Mister Shrekt. Have a word with Mister Alosar, our chief counsellor." The look he shot her should have made it abundantly clear that this was not a loose remark, but an non-given command. "Any questions, Lieutenant?" (posted by Adrie Geuken) === (USS Dennison - Ready Room - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes - 2207) Archibald raised his eyes in response to the Counsellor describing the CMO. For a moment he wondered, if the Vulcan was aware of the reason why there would be counsellors on board a Star Ship. He saw the Vulcan shift uncomfortably in his chair and knew that the Vulcan knew that there was a problem. However, the Lieutenant quickly discussed his dealing with Raschen. "His solutions to problems are usually successful, but also require a certain amount of... luck. And so far he has been quite lucky." Archibald narrowed his eyes. He was surprised at that statement coming from a Vulcan. They didn't believe in luck, did they? Then Archibald shrugged. It could as easily have been that the Counsellor used a platitude to describe a situation that he could not understand himself. In the end it did not gave him that much to go on. But then again, didn't he like that better? With enough manoeuvering space to go his own way? Archibald nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant, that was most enlightening. As I expect to see Doctor Nymes relatively soon, I will remind the Ensign of his failure to comply with a Star Fleet directive. I assume that you will wish to engage me in a one to one, which is acceptable to me. Unfortunately I have to request to postpone it for a few days, starting on a ship generally leaves little time for less immediate requirements." (posted by Adrie Geuken) === (USS Dennison - Bridge - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes - 2245) "Sir. Master Chief Freeman reporting." Archibald nodded at the senior Engineer. "At ease, Mister Freeman," he said as he accepted the PADD to review it. As he read it, his eyes darted from the PADD to the Engineer and back. "That seems to be well in order," he finally said as he gave the PADD back. He waited a second to see if the Engineer would say anything, but as that did not happen he started himself. "Mister Freeman, do you know of any particular reason why the Dockmaster would contact me mere minutes ago, assuring me that all repairs were done to the appropriate standards?" Archibald raised his hand when the engineer tried to speak up. "Not that it matters, I understand you are to be confined to quarters as soon as you leave the Dennison. Pending an investigation, apparently. Not that it has anything to do with me," Archibald continued. "Since I was not informed of the reason for the investigation I could not possibly interfere. Nor would I want to, my only concern is the ship." Archibald gave the engineer a stare. "Now I could mention that my experience tells me that few people will tell an outright lie to a commanding officer. So, if someone, needlessly, informs me that the repairs were done to the appropriate standards, I can't help myself wondering how appropriate those standards are. Why else use those platitudes? And whether the standards would be appropriate for our situation. Truth is, I don't know. And that concerns me. So, I thought by myself, how can I ensure that the appropriate standards were indeed appropriate? And I realised that I can't. I have neither the knowledge nor the background to make that decision." Archibald shot Butch a humourless smile. "But you have. In short, Mister Freeman, you are hereby drafted. Until the Dennison has undergoing all required trials, you will remain on board here and you will be tasked with repairing everything that is not up to my exacting standards and you will not be allowed to leave this ship until you have completed all outstanding repairs to a satisfactory standard. That is another of those platitudes that people use. But in this case, Mister Freeman, I *can* inform you that I am not easily satisfied." The CO shot the engineer another sharp glare. "Or you can decline your temporary assignment and I will inform the Dockmaster that you will be leaving this ship within minutes. The choice, as they say, Mister Freeman, is up to you." (Posted by Adrie Geuken) === (USS Dennison - Bridge - MCPO Freeman - 2248) "Or you can decline your temporary assignment and I will inform the Dockmaster that you will be leaving this ship within minutes. The choice, as they say, Mister Freeman, is up to you." Butch could feel his face coloring slightly. His anger was rising with it. He took a deep and audible breath, not speaking for a moment. He looked around, ensuring that no one else could be in earshot; what he had to say was for Stakes' ears alone. ~Okay... at least something of what I heard about this guy is accurate, he's a hard case and by the book. Fine, birds of a feather we are... but he'll find out I respond to orders just fine... arm twisting is another matter entirely!~ When he did speak at last it was in a very quiet and measured tone, the one he reserved mostly for Captains. "Captain Stakes. If you wish my services aboard your vessel, we must first come to an understanding. I must say sir, with due respect, that you are neither the first Captain I have dealt with, nor is this my first day out of the Academy." He stood at rigid attention, never having assumed the 'at ease' position. His gaze bored directly into Stakes's eyes, no doubt both taking, and being measured. He continued in his same quiet and direct tone. "Sir, your conclusions about my threatened incarceration, if you have made any, have been made without all facts in evidence. Whether I come under your command at the end of this discussion or not, your rank and position demand that I be totally honest and forthright with you. The Dockmaster and I had a disagreement earlier today. It was over my analysis and report of the repairs done to your vessel at the Callisto Yards. If you would care to read it in its finished form, I brought a copy for your perusal." He paused, and handed the second PADD he carried to the Captain. "In summary, sir, the repairs performed were inadequate, incompetantly done, and shoddy in the extreme. My report details that, along with procedural recommendations to ensure it does not happen again. The Dockmaster *asked* me to quash my report, as he did not wish to place anyone's career at risk. Just prior to meeting with you Captain, and I suspect just prior to the Dockmaster's call to you, I did in fact transmit that report to Engineering Command. I am quite certain that prompted his call to you sir." He took a breath, then continued. "The Dockmaster's assurance of the quality of repairs, that is, those done here at Geneva, can be taken at face value. I personally signed off on those, just before I called you. My imprint is at the bottom of the repair summary I gave you. Let me assure you Captain: I have no doubt that your standards are quite rigid and exacting. When it comes to engineering, you will find mine are far higher, and nigh impossible to meet. Just ask anyone that works for me... they will testify as a group what a ba**ard I am to work for. I am. I drive my crews almost as hard as I drive myself. I suspect that you of all officers can understand that, if half the reputation that proceeds you is true." Butch looked at Stakes again, not even trying to read his mood. He had been in no way disrespectful, simply honest. If the Captain didn't like that, so be it. Butch had been around far too long to mince words, Captain or no. The rank and position were always respected; and he worked very hard to earn respect in turn. "Sir. If you can accept my frank assessments, clearly stated opinions, and dedication to duty, then in return I offer you my skill, experience, and dedication. You may find sir, that I respond exceptionally well to orders. ~Arm twisting is something else entirely,~ he thought but did not say aloud. "As master of this vessel Captain, the choice is in fact entirely yours. If you still wish to have me attached to your command, then I am proud and happy to accept. If not, would you kindly notify security to come and escort me to my quarters aboard the station, sir?" (Reply Stakes) (Posted by Russ) ********************************************************* Healer in the Tower Star Date: 2408.01.09 Day 184 ********************************************************* (USS Dennison - Briefing Room - Commander Trevan West- 0641) Having finished his look around, Archibald nodded. "I am thankful for the assistance that Star Fleet Intelligence has provided Star Fleet Science. But whilst they continue to assist us, we will pick it up and do our duty. Star Fleet Intelligence may or may not have ulterior motives. But we do not. And I have confidence in Commander West and Lieutenant Bracken's abilities to guide us through this mire of conflicting information. We *will* have our work cut out for us but I am confident that this ship, this crew will do their utmost to ensure the mission will be completed successfully as requested by Star Fleet Science. Commander West, please continue." Trevan nodded at Stakes, "Thank you sir," he replied and directed his attention back to the room at large, "Any other questions?" "Very well, Lieutenant Bracken do you have anything further to add?" he asked. "Ok then, that's all the information we have for now. Again, I thank you all for coming this morning, this concludes the briefing." (posted by Kerry Fletcher) === (USS Dennison - Briefing Room – CSO/a2O Dale Bracken - 0643) Having finished his look around, Archibald nodded. Trevan nodded at Stakes, "Thank you sir," he replied and directed his attention back to the room at large, "Any other questions?" "Very well, Lieutenant Bracken do you have anything further to add?" he asked. “Yes Sir, I do. The information is now available to all in this room. Though it’s classified, and not to be discussed outside of those in this room, it has been made available to all of you, and you will be updated, when and if we receive any more information. Yes, Fleet Intel is rather keen on us obtaining technologies, but this is primarily a contact mission ordered down from fleet Science. We are not, and I repeat not, about to steal anything from the Maltorians. I need not remind anyone of the weaponry that they have available to them; caution is the order of the day, at every step. Beginning to steal from a race such as this, either by actually taking things or by discrete scans, will bring disaster that none of us need.” She paused, hopefully letting this sink in. “Now, we touched on how to defend ourselves from the antimatter torpedoes, Engineering, we’re going to need all the help that you can give us. What we’re going to need is some way, anything that you can give us; you’ll naturally have the help of the entire Science department. There may be nothing, but you never can tell. (Reply Engineering.) Dale nodded. “CONN, when we get to 4502, we’re going to have problems manouvering that I don’t need to elaborate on. All the data from our scans is available, and has been programmed into a simulation for any extra training that you and others may want. (Reply CONN) “Okay.” She turned to West, “That’s all I have Sir.” "Ok then, that's all the information we have for now. Again, I thank you all for coming this morning, this concludes the briefing." (posted by Mark) === (USS Dennison - Briefing Room - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 0647) Kit had lingered until the only two people left in the room were Captain Stakes, who was reviewing the data that he had seen for the first time that morning, and herself. "Excuse me, Captain," she said, slightly nervously. "Might I have a word?" (reply Stakes) "Sir, I would like you to grant me access to the original data. I would like to work on a translation matrix for the Maltorian language and the universal translator before we reach them, but I will need the original files to do so. I cannot work from the data on the PADD, I need the original language files, and any recently transmitted data." (Posted by Liz) === (USS Dennison- Deck 7- ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 0755) Ben stood outside the Chief Security Officers office. He wondered what Lieutenant Shrekt would be like. Would she get right to business or would she preamble a little. He reached out and hit the doorchime to announce his presence to Lieutenant Shrekt and waited to be call into the office. He was eager to find out his exact duties aboard the Dennison and hoped the lieutenant would include that information in the meeting. He also hoped that he would be given a duty schedule as well. A voice sounded from within the office telling him to enter. Ben stepped inside the room and as the doors closed behind him said, " You wanted to see me Sir." (posted by Milo Young) (Dennison, Security Office, ATac Ensign (jg) Sanok, 0756) Sanok was a few steps behind Soma, arriving at Shrekt's office just as the door slid shut behind Soma. Continuing onward, he entered the office as well, stopping next to Soma. "Ensign Sanok reporting, sir." (Posted by Robert Brown) === (U.S.S. Dennison - Brig - Ops - Ensign Chance Raschen - 1000) After security officers threw the inmate uniform at Raschen’s bare feet, who stood just inside the holding cell stark naked. He put on the pajama style pants of the uniform and tossed the top onto the sleeping platform with the intent of using it as a pillow. After listening to comments and gasps of surprise concerning the total number of scars as well as how many of what kind of scars from the security staff in the brig; Chance decided to hold his arms out to his sides and turn around so they could see how some of the scars were from entrance wounds and that some of them had coinciding scars from exit wound on the other side of his body. “Heaven’s sake; what kinds of scars are those?” a young petty officer asked. Chance shrugged his shoulders; “I have scars from holes put in me slugs, shrapnel and blades. I also have phaser, chemical and electrical burn scars.” he said answering her question. Chance then took a step further into the cell as he lowered his arms and courteously requested “Ladies and gentlemen; if you would be kind enough as to seal my tomb, I’m sure there will be those on board that would be eternally grateful to you.” Once the door closed on the cell, Chance balled up his pajama style shirt to use as a pillow and laid down on the sleeping platform. He then lay down and dozed off thinking of all the terrible things he had wanted to do to permanently damage, but not kill, the man he maliciously, and privately referred to as Commander Mc ’Dumb-Mutt’. === (USS Dennison, Bridge, Commander Trevan West, 1100) Trevan had arrived on the Bridge, just having come from his office, with PADD in hand. Scanning around, he saw Ensign Spero at the OPS station and made his way over to her. "Ensign, I was made aware that you needed more data concerning the universal translator and the Maltorian Language?" he asked. (reply Spero) Trevan smiled, "Well, you're in luck. This PADD has the most up-to-date information to help the universal translator lock onto the Maltorian syntax. I went back through the logs from the previous contact, I was wondering how they managed to communicate with us if the UT didn't work. Well, it seems that the Maltorians themselves picked up our language and used their own translator to understand us. Now, that doesn't help much, but at least we know they have the ability to communicate. At least the government does anyway." Handing the PADD to her Trevan spoke again, "Do what you can, there should be enough in there to at least get the basics into the UT. If we have dealings with anyone that doesn't have a UT, I want to make sure we are saying hello and not I want to kill you." he laughed. (reply Spero) "Thanks Kit," he said to her and moved to the aft station behind the Captain's chair. The station was usually not occupied, but Trevan made it his today. Grabbing the chair and sitting in it, he made himself at home by bringing up a standard ship display of all duty stations, who was on them and what they were currently doing. He could see that Engineering was continuing to refine the ship's plasma flow as they moved along at warp, the Science department was using the long range array to collect data from the Hermes probe, and there was a scheduled medical emergency drill for later in the day. Tapping a few buttons, Trevan brought up the latest scans of sector 4502. Nothing new had been added to the scans, but at least there weren't any surprises for him to worry about. Looking at the time display on the sensor data, he could see that it was at least five minutes old. That was odd since they were close enough to get real-time data, even though it wasn't going to be at a great resolution due to the limited range of the sensors. "Engineering this is the Bridge, why am I not getting any real-time sensor information up here? Is there a problem with the sensors?" he asked. (Posted by Kerry Fletcher) === (USS Dennison - Bridge - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 1101) "Ensign, I was made aware that you needed more data concerning the universal translator and the Maltorian Language?" he asked. "Yes, Sir, I do. I requested permission from the Captain to access the original data in order to work on a matrix for the Universal Translator." Commander West smiled. "Well, you're in luck. This PADD has the most up-to-date information to help the universal translator lock onto the Maltorian syntax. I went back through the logs from the previous contact, I was wondering how they managed to communicate with us if the UT didn't work. Well, it seems that the Maltorians themselves picked up our language and used their own translator to understand us. Now, that doesn't help much, but at least we know they have the ability to communicate. At least the government does anyway." He handed her the PADD he was carrying. "Do what you can, there should be enough in there to at least get the basics into the UT. If we have dealings with anyone that doesn't have a UT, I want to make sure we are saying hello and not I want to kill you." he laughed. Kit smiled briefly. "I'll do my best, Sir, thank you. And if you don't mind my saying so, I'd rather we had our own independent verification of what the Maltorians are saying to us, not just what *they* want us to know." "Thanks Kit," he said to her and moved away. Kit sighed. When she had asked the Captain for permission to use the data she had thought she'd be able to use the original files, but it seemed that SFI was touchy about letting a mere ops ensign look through them. ~SFI probably wouldn't like it if I came up with something better than their boffins back home~ she thought. ~Probably told West he wasn't allowed to give me the real data.~ And since Raschen was now out of it, she had to do it alone, as under the orders from West and Bracken yesterday, she couldn't involve any of the other ops staff. They had both been very specific about it being a big secret. ~Well let's see what I can do with this.~ === (USS Dennison - OPS Chief's office - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 1120) Kit had appropriated the Chief's office to work in, since there was no C-OPS at the moment. Logging on to the terminal, she uploaded the data on the PADD to the Universal Translation matrix and studied it. There were a lot of gaps. And she had no data to run against it... or did she? She retrieved the PADD that she'd been given at the meeting earlier and flicked through, looking for the information with the blanks and coded out words then muttered a curse as she remembered that it had only been on the viewer, not on the PADDs. Kit sighed again, and went back to the matrix. There seemed to be some kind of pattern there, as though the matrix were attempting to fit the Maltorian syntax to a known pattern. Knowing she was in for the long haul, she began to run grammar and syntax comparisons against as many languages as she possibly could. As the first comparison began to run, she got the first of what she was sure would be many cups of coffee from the small replicator in the office. === (U.S.S. Dennison - Brig - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes & OPS- Ensign Chance Raschen - 1125) Archibald regarded the man in front of him for a second then waved the security guard away. "Mister Raschen!" Archibald called out to the apparently sleeping Ensign inside the force field. He waited for the figure to stir, then turn and get up on one arm looking up at Archibald. After Chance recognized that it was the new skipper that was calling his name; Chance sat up, put the shirt on, and came to his feet placing his hands behind his back as the captain spoke to him. "I have been informed of the 'altercation' that took place in the FO's office Mister Raschen; and I have reviewed the logs. Now as I see it, you have two choices. Either you let me pass judgment on the case or you can opt for a court-martial. The first option is quicker, much quicker. But if you wish to place your trust in our official judicial system, be reminded that they will review all relevant information including past behavior. And if they rule unfavorable, they could very well remove you from Star Fleet altogether. I do not have that ability. But the choice is yours, Ensign." Chance remembered his grandfather once told him “The eyes are the window to the soul boy.” With that in mind, Chance took a step closer to the force field and looked into the captain’s eyes for a brief moment before answering the man’s question “Sir, I am yours to judge.” Chance had already seen an example of the skipper being hard, but even handed at the Intel brief earlier that morning. Chance wasn’t afraid of hard; but he thanked God for the captain’s fairness. Archibald simply nodded then looked back and called for the guard. "Release the prisoner," Archibald commanded and gave the man a stare when he didn't follow the command immediately. But finally it dawned on the guard that a CO could override anyone on a ship and he did as he was told. "You're with me, Ensign," Archibald commanded the OPS-officer as he made his way out of the brig. === (U.S.S. Dennison - TAC/SC Office - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes & OPS- Ensign Chance Raschen - 1130) With a few guards in tow the duo had made it to the offices of Shrekt. Upon entering, Archibald nodded to the woman who sat behind her desk. "Lieutenant, I will require your office for a few minutes. I will let you know when you can return." (Reply Joan, iyw) As the TAC/SC had finally left the room, Archibald installed him on her still warm seat and signaled Raschen to sit down on one of the chairs. He drummed a short march on the desk as he gathered his thoughts. Finally he looked up. "Mister Raschen, as I said, I reviewed the logs regarding the incident. I could say that I was shocked, and probably should say that I was shocked, but I am not shocked that easily. I may have a few questions and I certainly have a few comments to make. And I will address those points with who-ever I feel they should be addressed with. For you it is mostly comments." "Yes sir." Chance said quietly and reserved. Archibald regarded the man. "I, no, Star Fleet, considers it the duty of every officer that they maintain a state of calmness, a state of tranquility wherever they are. When you heard of the rumours in Ten Forward being spread about, it was your duty to step in and defuse the situation. There are always rumours on a Star Ship but only the ones that are being continuously fed have a change to spread. I would have expected you to step in, quash them but not too harshly, as rebuking a rumour seems to be a surefire way to rekindle them, and then notify the people involved that they were the target of slander." Archibald nodded to himself. "I guess you did, in a way, do that. What I find hard to take is that you then followed on and decided that the rumours must be true without having any credible evidence and confronted the officers to give them guidance. By doing so, you yourself rekindled the rumour and let it grow to unallowable proportions. *That* if nothing else, is what I class as conduct unbecoming a Star Fleet officer. The altercation that followed I can only see as a result of your incorrect behaviour. And for that I feel you should be punished. Therefore it is my decision that you are demoted to Ensign junior grade with a reduction in pay and pension provision, according to the appropriate pay scales." Archibald looked at Raschen and sighed. "I have seen things on the logs that I did not think possible, Ensign," he continued. " However, it did show me that you were right in your previous assessment about your position on this vessel. I have therefore instructed BUPERS to search for an alternative position for you. There is a spot available for Assistant Operations Officer on board the USS Rosenante under Captain Rivers. I have met her on previous occasions and overall I think her to be an accomplished commanding officer. But I have to warn you, she may come from a similar background, but she will not allow the showing of any disrespect, as you showed Commanders West and McDermott." "I understand sir, and thank you." Again Archibald sighed. "I have arranged for a shuttle to pick you up today at twelve hundred hours to take you to the Rosenante. I understand that the ship is about to engage on a mission, hence there will be little time to get you on board. My apologies for that, but I *do* think it is the best solution for all concerned." Archibald got up and offered the OPS-officer his hand. "Good luck, Ensign. It was .... interesting to have you on board." "Thank you again sir" Chance said as he stood up and shook the captain's hand "I'm sorry it wasn't a good kind of interesting. I do have one small request sir; may I take the Star Hawk?" Archibald narrowed his eyes and looked at the Ensign before shrugging. "It was my intention to remove it from the vessel anyway," he responded. "Whether it was going to be sent back to Earth or you take it, I do not see a great deal of difference. As long as you understand that the ship will be made available to you on loan. The Rosenante does not have that much space for secondary craft so there will be a good chance that Captain Rivers will not allow it on board. In which case it might be abandoned or brought back to Star Fleet storage, as she pleases." Archibald nodded. "You have my permission, Ensign." "Thank you sir...for everything, and again...I'm sorry." Chance said as he released his skipper's hand so he could leave to pack for his upcoming voyage to the Rosenante; once he was dismissed of course. "I would expect so," Archibald said with a last nod. "You're dismissed, Mister Raschen." (Reply by Joan, iyw, none) (posted by Charlie Raschen and Adrie Geuken) === (USS Dennison - Deck 10 - Sickbay - CMO Dr Nymes and CO Captain Archibald Stakes and Yeoman Esme Stakes- 1358) "Captain on Deck!" Nymes heard the call from outside his office, and stood up from his desk, meeting the Captain as the frosted glass door slid open. "Doctor," Archibald said, " We have come for our examination." "Can I go first?" The crewman that had been at the meeting, at the Captain's wishes, had piped up. Nymes waited, the question was obviously not aimed at the Trill. The man nodded before continuing. "Yes," he said with the slightest of sighs, "you can go first." "As you wish, sir." Nymes replied. "If you would like to wait in my office, sir?" Archibald nodded and sending one last glance to Esme he nodded to the CMO and entered the room, looking around, examining the room. Nymes looked at his new patient, trying to place her without resorting to looking at the PADD. "I'm Lewis Nymes, CMO, Yeoman...?" Esme shot her father a look then courteously smiled. "Stakes," she responded. "Esmeralda Stakes, Yeoman to the Captain." "If you would like to take a seat here? Do you have your transfer orders?" Nymes had led her to the main biobed bay, a place now devoid of activity, but soon to be overtaken as a waiting room by the new staff looking for the CMO and ACMO of the ship. "Now, Could you tell me about yourself?" Esme shrugged as she lay herself down. "Not much, I guess. Always have been in good health, always doing my exercises regularly. Never failed a medical exam." She shot the Trill an uneasy glance, not too sure what he was actually after. "Any medical issues that I should know about?" Esme thought for a second the shook her head. Somehow she didn't think that her father would class as one. "What about family? Any conditions that run in families?" ~What, like rigitus?~ she could not stop herself from thinking then sighed. "My grandparents from mother side died from phaser blasts," she said, half annoyed at the question as it opened a still fresh wound. "My grandparents from father side are still alive and fit as a fiddle as are my great grandparents from father side and both my parents are in active service in Star Fleet. So I guess no. Unless being shot at counts." "What about sports and interests?" Nymes asked, looking up from taking notes. Esme shot him a look. This Doctor sure asked some weird questions. "I just need to know if I'll see you with sports injuries from the holodeck," Nymes said with a smile. ~With him around?~ she thought as she imagined for a second what would happen if her father caught her messing with the safety settings. But she shook her head. "As I said, I am doing my regular exercises in the gym and never found the need to do anything foolish on a holodeck," she finally replied. "I'm not into macho-ism. Sensible activities are enough for me." "The war took a lot out of everyone, how are you after the war has finished?" For a second, Esme frowned. "Glad it's over," she then replied. "But isn't everyone? I saw some things that I never believed possible and I lost things that I always considered to be eternal. But I guess I was lucky to survive. Although luck didn't have much to do with it, looking back at it. Just having someone close by who knew what to do." Esme sighed. She had gone through so many trials yet here she was, relatively unharmed where-as her brother had been in relative safety but look where he had ended up. "Well, thats enough questions, Yeoman. I just need a bioscan and we'll see what we can do from then." Nymes tapped the biobed, starting the scan. As the sensors coccooned the crewman, he asked one final question. "Do you have any questions for me?" Esme nodded. "Do you do house calls, Doctor," she asked. "You see, my brother... Bill .... he was ... captured .... by the others .... during the war ..... and they did not treat him well. And when he was rescued he was pale and weak. But that was weeks ago and his still is pale and weak. He's now in my mother's quarters on the base and nobody seems to be able to improve his condition. In fact I think he is getting worse." A tear started to trickle down her face as she contemplated the ending fate might have in store for him. "Could you ....... please?" she pleaded. === (USS Dennison - Sickbay - Dr Nymes and Archibald and Esme Stakes - 1405) [....Beep...] "The scans completed." Nymes stated with a smile as he overviewed it, looking for any red flags against her serving on a space-bound vehicle. "And I'm happy to pass you fit to fly, Yeoman." Esme nodded, but she never had expected any other outcome. There had never been a different result. But at least it had given her time to wipe away the tears and looking into a shiny peace of equipment she saw that there would be no signs of her emotional weakness a few minutes ago. Nymes walked over to the CMO office, ready to ask the Captain to start his medical. Archibald looked to the side, still standing near the desk where he had been left and nodded. "Just this way, sir." Nymes said, leading him to the opposite biobed. "Now, sir, I have to ask you some questions. Are there any medical conditions that I should know about?" Archibald stepped up to the bed and looked over to Esme, who had just stepped of the other one. His eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on her face and she felt the stare penetrate her. Suddenly he sighed and he shook his head slightly. "Your mother is waiting for you," he reminded her softly, his eyes suddenly warm and soft. He blinked twice, and then turned his hard gaze upon the doctor as Esme stepped out past him, confused by his, apparently new found, empathy. "No, doctor, not that I am aware of. There are some phaser burns but they are all completely healed and give my no trouble." Archibald said as he lay himself on the bed, staring straight up. "Could you tell me about your family, sir?" Archibald shot the Doctor a quick glance then stared ahead again. " I have a wife and two children. My parents are still alive as are my grandparents. All are doing well, considering their age." "Any medical problems that run in families, sir? Diabetes, or similar?" "No, Doctor. Although my grandfather is bald and my grandmother is getting deaf." "What about family stresses? Its difficult to have a family life during a war, sir. How are you coping post war?" Archibald narrowed his eyes as he considered the question and a possible motive to ask them. Had he been a 'private' patient he might have told about Bill, the search for him, the battles at planetside, the joy of finding him still alive, the desperation as they realised the state he was in. But Archibald was *not* a 'private' patient, he was the Captain. "There is always stress in a family, especially when the kids are growing up. That some of that happened during the war is regrettable but unavoidable. As for me, I am coping post-war as well as I was coping pre-war or coping during the war. I was coping, the family was coping. What is this, are these questions really necessary?" "The questions are as important as the scans, sir." Nymes said, tapping the console to begin the bioscan. "It won't be more than a few minutes, Captain." Archibald nearly sighed. "If you say so, Doctor," he said. He suddenly heard a priority message beep and from the side Nymes' voice said: "Sorry, Sir. I have to go for a moment." Archibald refrained from frowning. "I'm not going anywhere, Doctor," he said as he heard the Trill's footsteps leaving him. === (USS Dennison - FO Office - CO - Captain Archibald Stakes - 1425) As Commander McDermott was carted away, Archibald looked around the office and sighed. After a period of inner consultation, Archibald tapped his badge. "Stakes to Commander West, please meet me in the First Officer's office, immediately." (reply Trevan) Archibald sat himself down on the desk and studied his fingernails, as he waited for the Commander to arrive. "Sir?" Archibald looked up and nodded to Trevan. "Come in and close the door, Mister West," he said as he got up. "Commander McDermott was carted away about ten minutes ago. He had apparently undergone some new treatment which did not go as well as expected. The Commander is now on his way back to Earth to receive vital treatment. He will therefore not join us on our mission. I am afraid that you will have to replace him as my FO. I can do without an XO but the ship can't do without an FO. Inform the crew. Oh, and you may wish to consider making Lieutenant Bracken's 2O status permanent. With 1400 hands on board you will need a permanent and official 2O." Archibald eyed the Commander. "But only if you consider her suitable enough. I hate to throw somebody in at the deep end but I feel we have little choice now." (Posted by Adrie Geuken) === (USS Dennison - FO Office - Commander Trevan West- 1426) As Commander McDermott was carted away, Archibald looked around the office and sighed. After a period of inner consultation, Archibald tapped his badge. "Stakes to Commander West, please meet me in the First Officer's office, immediately." Trevan wondered what that was about, perhaps Eric got himself into something, "On my way sir," Archibald sat himself down on the desk and studied his fingernails, as he waited for the Commander to arrive. "Sir?" Archibald looked up and nodded to Trevan. "Come in and close the door, Mister West," he said as he got up. "Commander McDermott was carted away about ten minutes ago. He had apparently undergone some new treatment which did not go as well as expected. The Commander is now on his way back to Earth to receive vital treatment. He will therefore not join us on our mission. I am afraid that you will have to replace him as my FO. I can do without an XO but the ship can't do without an FO. Inform the crew. Oh, and you may wish to consider making Lieutenant Bracken's 2O status permanent. With 1400 hands on board you will need a permanent and official 2O." Archibald eyed the Commander. "But only if you consider her suitable enough. I hate to throw somebody in at the deep end but I feel we have little choice now." ~How did that happen, I knew he wasn't in good shape, should have said something to him~ Trevan was shocked to hear the news about Eric, but, even more so on the movement up to the First Officer spot, again. "Thank you for considering me sir. I won't let you down," replied Trevan, then added, "As far as Lieutenant Bracken goes, she will be made permanent 2O sir. She is more than up to the task, a very capable officer and would be my choice. I'll make sure she learns the ropes as fast as possible in any area she needs it, but again, I don't think that will be needed." Trevan's mind was reeling about this whole thing, "Is there anything else sir?" he asked. "Permission to be dismissed and speak to Lieutenant Bracken?" asked West. (Posted by Kerry Fletcher) === (USS Dennison - Shuttlebay - CMO Nymes - 1430) Nymes watched as the grav stretcher was lifted into the Topaz shuttle, which was gleaming from the repair work that had been done on it. Depsite being a unique design, it had survived everything that Doenitz had thrown at it, and managed to still be in one piece, a feat that the rest of the Dennison had not managed. And it was the fastest shuttle that they had. "Dr Wallace, thank you for your prompt arrival." "Yes sir. I was ordered here by the CMO..." "You are herbey transferred to the Dennison effect immediately. You have one job, to look after the patient that is on board that shuttle, and with 'Az' to make sure he survives long enough to make it to Earth. Watch his Calcium levels like a hawk, use whatever modulators you can to preserve his cortical functions, and maintain pain control and anaesthesia as stated on this full briefing. "Notify Palm Springs CR&MO IMMEDIATELY if things start going wrong. After sorting it out, then contact me. Understood?" "Yes sir." "Good. No time for questions, so its just as well. Fare winds, doctor." "Aye sir. Az, lets get the durable kit on board, now!" Wallace replied, turning and ordering his nurse to get on board. As the Topaz, flown by a Geneva pilot, left the shuttlebay, Nymes nodded in grim satisfaction. Wallace was capable, and McDermott should survive the trip, even if it was sheer stoic luck on his body's part to not succumb to the autoimmune disease his injuries had inflicted on him. (posted by GC) === (USS Dennison - CO's Yeoman's Office - Yeoman - PO2 - Esmeralda Stakes - 1725) "Hello, Yeoman Stakes," Mei Ling said with a smile. "Good to see you again. I'm sorry to disturb you, but would it be possible for me to see the Captain? It doesn't have to be right now," she added. "I know he must be very busy but I need some authorisations from him." Esme looked at Mei Ling and nodded, with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry to hear about the restaurant on the starbase," Esme started but then fell silent as she suddenly realised why her father would have notified his daughter in the morning of the fact that Mei Ling Hikaru had decided to leave the restaurant business and would be returning to Star Ship 'duty'. " I believe he is expecting you, or perhaps hoping," she said then smiled apologetically. "Unfortunately he isn't here at the moment. He is in a meeting with the Dock master on the Starbase. But what authorisations would that be? If they are purely administrative ones, I am supposed to handle them." (Reply Mei Ling) Esme peered at Mei Ling then tapped the button on her desk. "Yeoman Stakes to Chief Edwards. Chief, you are aware that Miss Hikaru and the Captain are well acquainted, aren't you? They served together on board the Boudicca. In fact I know that he holds Miss Hikaru in the highest of regards. Never the less I am sure he will be happy to follow the procedures and sign her request forms but he might wonder why you would need signed request forms for an important place like Ten Forward when there were none needed for the refurbishment of the Ensign's poker room not to mention the, possibly illegal, installation of the ships' distillery kettles." Apart from a sharp intake of breath nothing was heard through the loudspeaker of the comm system on Esme's desk. Esme smiled. "I knew we could come to some kind of understanding. I will tell Miss Hikaru that you will be more than pleased to assist her, shall I?" Esme flicked the switch and the comm system was deactivated. "He won't give you any more trouble, Miss Hikaru," she said with a nod the suddenly remembering she pipped up: "Oh, does that mean that Tommy is here as well?" (reply Mei Ling, any) (Posted by Adrie Geuken) ********************************************************* Healer in the Tower Star Date: 2408.01.10 Day: 185 ********************************************************* (USS Dennison - OPS Chief's office - OPS - Ensign Cattia Spero - 0613) Kit yawned widely, stretching her arms and leaning back in her chair. She drained the umpteenth cup of black coffee she'd got from the replicator. Pulling an all-nighter wasn't new to her but it was a while since she'd done so and she was feeling the effects. Still, it had been worth it. She was certain she'd found something - not the whole thing, but definitely something. She encrypted her findings to be on the safe side, and downloaded them to a PADD. Pleased with what she had, given the limited resources and the fact that she hadn't had the data to test it fully, she tapped her commbadge. "Ensign Spero to Captain Stakes and Commander West. Sorry to disturb you so early, sirs, but I have something I'd like to show the two of you. Would it be possible to meet in the Briefing Room in ten minutes?" (Posted by Liz) === (USS Dennison - Briefing Room - Commander Trevan West - 0650) Having followed the Captain back out onto the Bridge, he could see most of the staff taking their duty stations. Trevan walked down the steps and stood by his Captain, directing his voice to the helm, "Helm, lay in a course for sector 4502 and engage at warp 8." A moment later the Dennison's warp drive came online and the blur of light was visible on the main viewer for a moment, replaced by the standard rainbow effect of warp streaked stars, "ETA to sector 4502 is seven hours Captain," he said to Stakes. (reply Stakes) "Aye sir. Science, are we still receiving telemetry from the probe the Hermes left?" (reply Bracken) "Excellent, let's keep that coming. New information before we get there would be nice to have." === (USS Dennison - Bridge – CSO/a2O Dale Bracken - 0652) "Helm, lay in a course for sector 4502 and engage at warp 8." A moment later the Dennison's warp drive came online and the blur of light was visible on the main viewer for a moment, replaced by the standard rainbow effect of warp streaked stars, "ETA to sector 4502 is seven hours Captain," he said to Stakes. Dale only half listened to the rest of the conversation as her attention returned almost fully to the main science station in front of her. Briefly she flicked through the newest data from the rest of the department. Then she returned her attention to the matter of the sector of the galaxy where, hopefully, they would learn something more of the Maltorian mystery. "Science, are we still receiving telemetry from the probe the Hermes left?" Dale looked briefly at the screen in front of her, “Confirm sir, data stream is still live and updating, one or two little questions we had are now all but sorted out. We’re all good to go Sir.” "Excellent, let's keep that coming. New information before we get there would be nice to have." “The subspace map is now complete sir, and newest data has now been forwarded to CONN. Possible fine tuning once we get properly in range, but we now have enough information.” (Posted by Mark) === (USS Dennison- Bridge- ATac Ensign (jg) Ben Soma- 0653) Ben looked towards the main view screen as he exited the breifing room. The stars were stretched by warp effect, a comforting site. Ben remembered the same view from his parents freighter, although the stars seemed to be stretched a little more now than they were then. Officers were taking stations around the bridge so he wandered over to tactical for a look. Commander West announced that it would be seven hours before they reached sector 4502. ~ Seven hours and well be face to face with a race no one has seen in a century, hope they are friendly~ Ben thought to himself as he reached the tactical station. He looked at the various dislpays, everything as it should be; phaser batteries at full charge, full complement of photon and quantum torpedos. Weapons systems were currently powered down as were defensive sheilds, the ship was green. After the meeting with Lieutenant Shrekt Ben figured he would have a duty schedule to follow, for now he just monitor the system for a while and get used to the layout of the tactical panel. ( posted by Milo Young) === (USS Dennison, Intelligence Office, Commander Trevan West, 1000) The day was still young and the morning not even close to being over. The incident with Chance and Eric was still fresh in his mind, and it was bothering him to the point of distraction. Trevan tried to put it in the corner of his mind for the time being as there was still so much information coming in from the Maltorian message and he needed help to get it all done before the arrived in 4502. Most of the information was just extensions of what they had already learned about these people, but some of it was new, but there wasn't much. "West to Doctor Nymes, new medical information is in your secure database." Then Trevan contacted the Captain, "Sir, Commander West here. New information from Starfleet regarding the Maltorians, you should see it sir." (reply all) (posted by Kerry Fletcher) ******************************************************************** Th.th.th.th.th.th.th.th.that's all, Folks!