Compile#9 December 12-19 (USS Rosenante) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission: The Gilded Man Day: 7 Stardate: 2413.11.07 Compile Summary (Irlix, Khoda City, Third District, Outside Hotel Voltul, ACEO, Lieutenant Steven Matrix, Day 7 1245) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - ACSO Louis Remey - 1520) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - CIV Ios Malinae & SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1521) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa – COPS Lt Tom Jackson - Day 7, 1540) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa – ACSO Louis Remey - Day 7, 1541) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa – COPS - Lt. T.J. Jackson - Day 7, 1542*) (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, Outside the Villa, Ensign sg Sanok, 1545) (Irlix, Oustide Khoda City, Ensign Eian O'Neill, 1547) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - AFO - Lt Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 1548) (Irlix - Khoda City - Second District - The Villa - AFO - Lt Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 1550) (Irlix- Khoda City- Third District the villa - ACMO Ensign Sam Lopez-Day 7- 1552) (Irlix - Khoda City - Second District - The Villa - ACEO - Lt Steven Matrix - 1553) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1555) (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, Outside the Villa, Ensign sg Sanok, 1556) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1620) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - ACEO Lt. Steven Matrix - Day 7- 1622) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1623) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - ACEO Lt. Steven Matrix - Day 7- 1625) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - aCMO Kimiko Ichijo - Day 7- 1626) (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, The Crash Site, Ensign sg Sanok, 1627) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second  District - The Crash Site - ACEO Lt. Steven Matrix-Day 7- 1628) (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, The Crash Site, Ensign sg Sanok, 1629) (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - ACMO Ensign Sam Lopez-Day 7- 1631) (Irlix, Outside Khoda City, Ensign Machaire Rabhartaigh, 1635) (Irlix, Outside Khoda City, Ensign Eian O'Neill, 1636*) (Irlix, Khoda City, Police Headquarters, Senior Detective- Vilox Nigo, Day 7- 1645) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Khoda City, Third District, Outside Hotel Voltul, ACEO, Lieutenant Steven Matrix, Day 7 1245) Matrix was surmising an escape route, but the options were very limited. Two things crossed his mind as options. First, hoping their sniping teams were bad shots. So far that seemed to be the case. Second, luck would be with the away team. So far that was evident in their progress to this point...it could have been worse, but the day is still young. Jackson called him over to his position. "Sanok, Matrix - over here please" Jackson shouted. Matrix made his way over to Jackson, no more than a few yards. The pop of laser rifles filled his ears. As he made is way debris from the ground and surrounding structures flew freely in the air. Matrix hit the ground with a thud and rolled the remaining yard over to Jackson and listen to his plan. "Be ready to execute in" Tom paused and looked at his chrnometer and said"60 seconds"."Any questions?" he asked. ~Here we go.~ though Matrix. (Reply none, any) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - ACSO Louis Remey - 1520) Louis cocked his head as he listened to Sullivan's reply. "Your thought and insight is well appreciated. I wasn't clear and concise enough. Deleting the files should have no appreciable effect on the general populace. All the technology will have hard ware programming allowing it to function. They may loose some exotic dishes from the food replicators, but that is all. Any programming they added making replicators and medical instruments work on Irlixians will be un-touched because their origin will be on Irlix. I want the phasers disabled. Unfortunately it will not leave the police and military unarmed, they will probably have back up weapons firearms or the like. The shields seem to be keeping the piece between the powers, keep those active, but put them all on the same shield harmonic, that we know that way we can easily by-pass them. Leave the replicators unharmed as they feed the populace, we don't want famine just because we couldn't keep control of our own vessels. Their power sources, allow them enough for the equivalent of emergency power. This should run the shields, the replicators and any medical equipment. As for the irrevocable damage to their culture. That has nothing to do with our mission, which is to remove the two derelict vessels with out a warp core breach and rescue our captured comrades. We will leave that piece as the purview of the diplomats. Have I missed anything?" she asked. "We're on it Commander. We'll come up with something appropriate" Lt. Jackson replied. That opened the floodgate though as the Irlixian Ios rose to protect her people. "Actually you have." she stated,flatly, with her words conveying the distinct impression she was thoroughly prepared to argue the point. "Please speak your mind." Sullivan answered. Louis rocked back on his heels as he gave her his attention. "I think I should have at least a partial say in all of this don't you. Since I'm one of the Irlixians that will be affected. From what I understand of the federation, your people don't just make decisions about other species without at least giving them the opportunity to represent themselves. Therefore, I want to represent the interests of the People of Irlix in this discussion." "That is one of the reasons you are here. You are not a tour guide, we need your input." The Commander said. "The truth is, any technology can be used for good or evil. It doesn't matter if it's a phased weapon or a stone knife. But if you go around starting to shut down technology on this world, you're going to do a lot more than simply cause a few disruptions." She paused a second and continued, "You're going to start a war. Or rather restart it. Consider this. The only thing that is keeping the peace at the moment is that the Rhone Union has a distinct technological advantage. They don't have the manpower to press that advantage and so the balance of power and peace is maintained for the moment. If you take away that advantage,even for a little while one of two things is going to happen. Either the Rhone Union is going to be forced into action against their enemies, and I assure you they have the technological knowledge to build antimatter weapons even without your technology, or they're going to be seen as weak and their enemies are going to attack." "If you're goal is to kill my people, then that's exactly what you'll do if you shut down that technology. And if that's going to be a part of your plan, I can't help you. I won't help you kill people indiscriminately. I only agreed to help you because I thought you were noble beings, because I'd seen your computer files. But maybe I was mistaken." "You are speaking of your planetary politics and I hadn't thought of that, but please let me explain myself. My thoughts in the planning of this leg of the mission were to bringing my crew back to their families and completing the mission. My plan gave us the most likely chance of succeeding. The strife of your world at this time, a cold war, is not something I'm used to acting in. When you boil myself down to the very core, I am a soldier. I am not a diplomat, or a politician, but it seems that I will have to become more then I am at present to complete this mission with all our objectives and not spiraling this planet into a longer drawn out war then it was in when our technology first appeared on your world." "Our overall mission in Star Fleet has always been one of peace. We also recognize that there is a time when societies are ready to deal with technology of this level. Usually we don't even open up diplomatic relations until they've managed to travel faster then light, and obtain a stable world wide government, the Irlixians skipped the latter when they gained the former." "You've pointed out that my plan is very likely to plunge your planet into war, famine, pestilence and death. I can ensure you that my plan was not to bring about the forces to end your people's lives. If we wanted to do that, we would have showed up with a fleet, instead of one rescue vessel. It is an old tradition in one of our originating member planets that one doesn't offer a problem with out at least offering one solution. " Commander Sullivan replied. "Sullivan is correct in that she is working within the scope of her orders." Louis addressed Ios. "And I can assure you that she in addition to her orders she is taking the matter of your people in a very serious context. You were right about the federation, our government highly prizes peace and our orders and protocol demand that great care be taken in the context of relations with other cultures especially those who have not been deemed fit in any area for first contact no matter their choices or missteps in our estimation." "That is why I spoke up on the matter of taking the greatest care and most surgical approach in disabling only the technology necessary for the fulfillment of our mission. You can be assured that the steps we take will only be what is necessary to get our people out and limit the overall impact of our mission on your society. It will undoubtedly be painful in some ways for all concerned but if we do not succeed you run the greater risk of further involvement of other forces and other missions which could ultimately jeopardize your society. Better to end it here then than to risk those possible alternatives." (Reply: Ios) "Situationally we are out numbered." Sullivan replied. " Judging from this phaser rifle, the technology point your people obtained was approximately twenty years behind our current or more, but that isn't going to make enough appreciable difference. We will need a way past those impressive shields your scientists and engineers have managed to erect, and any other technological wonders they have managed to reverse engineer or even improve on the original design." (Reply: Ios, any) (Posted by Charles) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - CIV Ios Malinae & SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1521) "You've pointed out that my plan is very likely to plunge your planet into war, famine, pestilence and death. I can ensure you that my plan was not to bring about the forces to end your people's lives. If we wanted to do that, we would have showed up with a fleet, instead of one rescue vessel. It is an old tradition in one of our originating member planets that one doesn't offer a problem with out at least offering one solution. " "Sullivan is correct in that she is working within the scope of her orders." Louis addressed Ios. "And I can assure you that she in addition to her orders she is taking the matter of your people in a very serious context. You were right about the federation, our government highly prizes peace and our orders and protocol demand that great care be taken in the context of relations with other cultures especially those who have not been deemed fit in any area for first contact no matter their choices or missteps in our estimation." "That is why I spoke up on the matter of taking the greatest care and most surgical approach in disabling only the technology necessary for the fulfillment of our mission. You can be assured that the steps we take will only be what is necessary to get our people out and limit the overall impact of our mission on your society. It will undoubtedly be painful in some ways for all concerned but if we do not succeed you run the greater risk of further involvement of other forces and other missions which could ultimately jeopardize your society. Better to end it here then than to risk those possible alternatives." "So why don't you sneak into the facility and you rescue your people clandestinely. You won't need to interrupt any of the technology outside that area and the majority of the people won't suffer." Ios paused for a few moments, wrapping her arms around her as if she was trying to get warm. "It's not a perfect plan, but you've already proven resourceful enough to escape the Special Police. That has to count for something. And I think I can help you get inside. I know how the security works and I know where the starship is. I can even make a pretty good guess as to where the prisoners, your people, are. Once inside I have a great deal of access to the data systems and can probably help you find them." "Situationally we are out numbered." Sullivan replied, " Judging from this phaser rifle, the technology point your people obtained was approximately twenty years behind our current or more, but that isn't going to make enough appreciable difference. We will need a way past those impressive shields your scientists and engineers have managed to erect, and any other technological wonders they have managed to reverse engineer or even improve on the original design." "Don't you understand the way the shields work?" Ios asked in confusion, "They're made from your design, just upscaled and linked to huge antimatter reactors for power. They take the shields down every time a ship goes to the facility, you just need the correct access codes. Once you have them the shields are easy." She pleaded. It seemed that the discussion was over, when a few minutes later TJ announced that he was detecting some sort of emergency signal. That started an entirely different debate on the possibility of a trap. Mike came in and verified that he'd seen a ship, called a Runabout, rushing through the atmosphere waiting to crash. He joined in the discussion with, "He's right. it could be an elaborate trap to draw us out, although I would think they'd have better ways to do so rather than wasting a potentially valuable runabout." Ios nodded. The alien technology was so valuable here that there would be no chance that the government would risk losing or destroying it. That's when Kimiko chimed in. "I'm sorry, sir, if I may?" The doctor asked (reply Sullivan) "Normally I would lead the charge to rescue injured personal; but, perhaps being shot at, makes me a little more suspicious," Kimiko stated . "I find it unusually coincidental that a third federation vessel has come to its end in this unincorporated world, and a runabout, no less. However it would be something that would be able to attract our attention anywhere in the city, requiring us to investigate" She paused a moment. "A thought as occurred to me, would the Irlixians have access to the specifics to duplicate the runabout?" Kimiko asked. "Good Question." mike stated before continuing. "Regardless of whatever class of ship crashed here before, a Runabout wouldn't have survived, and I'd think we'd be seeing a lot more of them if they had the ability to manufacture them. They're just too useful for a large number of reasons." "And I know for a fact that Mission scouts don't carry runabouts, so there's no way they could have captured one. And there's certainly no way they could manufacture one in the short time they've had the Bohrs." Ios nodded and added, " Mike is correct, I used to be the Master archivist, and I've never even heard the term runabout, so I don't think it's something we've seen before." At least for what it's worth." "I don't see a choice, we must investigate." Sullivan added a moment later, " If there is a possibility that one of our officers is stranded in the Irlixian wilderness, we must make every reasonable effort to rescue them. Steve, Mike, Sanok, Sam make your way to the coordinates." She tossed the Irlixian phaser to Rosenbauer. " Take this, it's not as sophisticated as you are used to but you'll have more energy then our clandestine versions. Steve, you are senior, take charge let Mike lead you to the coordinates. Anyone that you find that isn't Starfleet stun them. Take what you can from the runabout, rations, medical supplies, anything we could feasibly use, then render the craft unsalvageable. Once you are far enough away that you are sure you aren't being followed, make the quickest route back here. We should have a plan of attack for the main mission by that point. Any questions?" "Okay Commander, we'll get all we can carry and I'll rig a feedback loop in the runabout's propulsion system. They won't be able to recover anything bigger than a bolt." replied Matrix "Okay lets get going." said Matrix Mike nodded. "One last thought Sullivan, Steve." He added. "At the speed that that runabout was coming down, it's likely that our officer is seriously injured if not dead. I would recommend that Kimiko go along also. I'd rather that we had more doctors than too few." (reply Sullivan) Matrix nodded his agreement and added, "Okay lets get going." I'll let Sanok know, he's still on post outside. We'll assemble in five minutes out front, so use that time to get your gear together, eh?" Mike stated and then headed outside to find Sanok. (reply Matrix, Lopez, Ichijo, Sullivan) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa – COPS Lt Tom Jackson - Day 7, 1540) Tom listened as T'Larah, Rosenbauer,Sanok spoke about going to check out the distress call Jackson had picked up. It was entirely possible the call ws legit. But T.J. had become something of a skeptic and was wary. "Sir" Jackson interjected during a lull in the conversation, All the eyes turned to the OPS Chief. "I agree we need to investigate on the off chance this Ensign O'Neill is legitimate. I would suggest we add one of the medical folks in case the Ensign is real and is injured" Tom added. (reply: any present) Cmdr Sullivan added Sam Lopez to the rescue team. ~I'd be worried too in a similar case~ Jackson thought somberly. Jackson had hoped to go along but realized T'Larah had picked the best qualified people to attempt the rescue. He turned his attention to Robbie and Louis. "o.K. Louis and Robbie what should we first focus on?" he asked. (reply: Robbie, Louis) T'Larah had given them a tall order and that concerned him. He hoped they got the program ready the first time as he doubted that there would be a second chance. (reply: Any) (posted by: Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa – ACSO Louis Remey - Day 7, 1541) Louis listened attentively as the Commander, Ios and Rosenbauer discussed the tactical situation. The possibility of using a vehicle with the proper command codes had of course been considered by him but it was risky. Firstly they would have to steal a vehicle that would be proper for the job but that carried inherent risks in itself, a vehicle like that would be immediately missed and carried with it the risk of instant detection. Then a distress call had come in, he didn't think it likely that it would be a trap but then again he didn't have the sharpest tactical mind on the planet which was why he wasn't picked for the rescue party, that was okay with him though since they had a lot of planning to do for their part of the mission. After the rescue team had moved out Lt. Jackson turned to him and the few that were left behind. "O.K. Louis and Robbie what should we first focus on?" "How we are going to access their network would be the first order of business." Louis replied. "And from where. On the off chance that our attempt to hack it is discovered we don't want to be doing it from our safe house, that would be suicidal. I recommend we pick some out of the way place, preferably far from here where we might have some privacy or failing that in a public place where they would have a hard time picking us out of the crowd and we could use the sheer number of people as a screen to melt away." "After we settle on that item then we need to come up with a good spy program that will locate and isolate their command and control network and datalink it. At that point we can either fabricate the worm then or bring the data back here and work on the program. I recommend the latter since we don't want to stay on their uplink too long, the longer we are up the more likely they will be to lock onto us." "After the worm is ready then we can uplink it anywhere, it shouldn't take us more than a few seconds to download it. Again though I would recommend someplace else to do it, we needn't go more than a couple of blocks from here to be safe." (Reply: Tom, Robbie, any) (Posted by Charles) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa – COPS - Lt. T.J. Jackson - Day 7, 1541) Tom, Louis Remey and Robbie Smith huddled together in an attempt to figure out what their program needed to do to accomplish Sullivan's orders. Louis spoke first "How we are going to access their network would be the first order of business." Louis replied. "And from where. On the off chance that our attempt to hack it is discovered we don't want to be doing it from our safe house, that would be suicidal. I recommend we pick some out of the way place, preferably far from here where we might have some privacy or failing that in a public place where they would have a hard time picking us out of the crowd and we could use the sheer number of people as a screen to melt away." Tom scratched his head and thought. "I guess we should see if there is somewhere public like an information kiosk and try there?" Tom said out loud. (reply: Louis or Robbie) "I think the sheer numbers of a public place is the way to go. I want us to scan the escape routes thoroughly as I plan on living to a ripe old age myself" Tom said chuckling slightly. (reply: Robbie or Louis) Louis went on to explain his thoughts a bit more "At that point we can either fabricate the worm then or bring the data back here and work on the program. I recommend the latter since we don't want to stay on their uplink too long, the longer we are up the more likely they will be to lock onto us." " I think we should also do the latter - the less time on the uplink the better" Tom added. (reply: any present) "Should we make a copy of the databases before we 'neutraliz them? We might find some tricks that would also benefit the UFP. I am sure SF Intel would like to get their hands on it as well" Tom threw out, thinking his last brush with SF Intelligence. (reply: Louis or Robbie) "We could simply try and overwhelm the system and let it literally blow its own mind or delete everything - a full wipe" Jackson added thinking out loud a gain. (reply: Robbie or Louis) The three men continued to discuss various possibilities. (reply: any in Villa) (posted by: Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, Outside the Villa, Ensign sg Sanok, 1545) Sanok and Rosenbauer had gone outside to keep watch, with Rosenbauer covering the front and Sanok in the back. It was still raining, so he had found a small clump of shade trees and was standing under them. He was hidden well, but had a good view of any approach from the rear. After a short amount of time had passed, Sanok felt a vibration, followed quickly by a faint, but deeply-pitched, sound. Looking skyward at the gray clouds, he noticed a small glow that was quickly getting larger. As it continued downward, it got larger. Something was coming, and it was coming hard and fast. After another few moments, he recognized the configuration of a Starfleet Danube class runabout. That couldn't be good. Sanok activated his tricorder, recording the descent of the runabout. If Commander Sullivan decided to go after it, something Sanok felt would be illogical and unwise, they would need to know where it was, though it was almost a certainty the Irlixians would find it first. With this mission, there was one complication after another. After the sound of the runabout hitting the ground had passed, Sanok deactivated his tricorder and stepped out from under the trees. Looking at where Rosenbauer had been positioned, he saw that his fellow officer wasn't there. He had probably entered the villa and reported what had happened. Returning to his trees, Sanok waited for what was coming next. (reply any) (posted bu Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Oustide Khoda City, Ensign Eian O'Neill, 1547) In the ten minutes since he had crashed, Eian had put out two fires, powered down the shuttle for now to prevent any future fires from starting, and managed to dig out his surviving belongings from the shuttle's cargo hold. Some were singed from the fire but still useful, such as his Starfleet-issued raincoat. It was still hot in the shuttle, despite the fact that he had kicked the door open and allowed some ventilation to come through. It was no longer smoke-filled. As the adrenaline wore off, Eian noticed that his head was not the only place that was hurt. He was sore and bruised from being thrown around and knew he would feel twice as bad tomorrow morning. He had a few cuts and scrapes but nothing that terribly concerned him. He had found the first aid kit but the dermal regenerator was in pieces and the rest of the supplies were destroyed in the fire. There was still no response to the emergency beacon. He had pulled a few more things out of the cargo hold, such as his holo-imager that had all his family pictures on it, his tiny model starships, and his Bible. Miraculously, all were untouched by the flames and impact. The same couldn't be said for his hockey gear. ~And that was my favorite stick, too,~ he thought glumly when he had found the remnants of the stick melted onto the cargo hold floor. He had secured his surviving stuff in his singed duffel bag and tossed it near the door of the shuttle. When he failed to find a water canteen in the emergency supplies, he sat down to take a break and give his now spinning head some rest. He felt a little dizzy. He heard a noise from outside, and stood immediately. There were two phasers that had survived the crash. The phaser rifle was damaged in the second fire. He pulled his raincoat on quickly, grabbed one phaser, and leaned against the bulkhead to the side of the half-open hatch. He heard people talking faintly through the rain, and then heard the distinct blip of a Starfleet tricorder. Although he had no working tricorder himself and couldn't determine his 'guests'' species, he didn't think the indigenous people on Irlix had Starfleet technology. The Starfleet brief he had read on Irlix had been extremely vague but didn't mention anything about a warp-capable species. Only a Starfleet tricorder made that noise when it was scanning for life signs. Still, he didn't know what happened to the Rosenante and it was possible someone could have attacked the crew and taken their technology. He crouched down, and was able to spot two pairs of legs through the rain. Their pants were black but that told him nothing. He needed to get out of the shuttle to see if they were in Starfleet uniforms. He waited until the pair of legs walked away slightly, and then squeezed out of the opening. He clung to the edge of the shuttle and stepped carefully over the displaced dirt. Then he got a good look at one of the aliens. Unfortunately, the alien got a good look at him, too. The man raised his phaser rifle, and Eian dove. They yelled to each other and through the rain Eian couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Instead, he fired at one and managed to drop him, and then he squeezed back into the shuttle as more fired at him. One phaser blast grazed him on his calf muscle, cutting through his uniform and leaving a nasty burn. He cried out but pulled his leg inside the shuttle, and then stumbled over to the main controls. He took the chance that the damaged shuttle would catch fire again and powered it up. His weapons were down and his shields were badly damaged but with a bit of tweaking he could easily make an EM frequency pulse that would disable their weapons. At least until they re-calibrated them. It would buy him time. He heard their phaser fire on the shuttle, and knew it wouldn't be long before they could cut through the damaged bulkheads. A new noise caught his attention and he turned quickly as one of the attackers tried to gain entry to the shuttle. Eian fired his phaser directly at the woman and watched as his blast hit her face, dropping her before she could even yell in pain. Eian didn't have time to reflect on what setting his phaser was on. He just turned back to the control panel and started typing quickly, then dropped to his knees next to the panel, ripped it out of the bulkhead, and began pulling wires. A moment later, he looked behind him and shot an attacker in the hand, then twisted two wires and one current sensor together. He stuck the combination into a gel pack and pressed a button on the panel, and then waited. The phaser fire stopped. Eian stumbled back over to the hatch and pulled with all his might until it was forced closed. Then he recalibrated his phaser to a frequency he knew the code would allow, and sealed the hatch shut. If a fire broke out, he was literally toast. He fell back against the opposite bulkhead, and looked at his calf. It wasn't a pretty sight, but he figured he could probably run on it if he had to. He exhaled, and rested his head gently on the back of the bulkhead. Closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths. ~Come on, get your bearings. You need to figure out what to do next. Maybe if you sent a message to these people they would know you're friendly. You've only got so much time before they recalibrate their weapons. Or this shuttle catches fire.~ He opened his eyes, and stood slowly. "First order of business," he said aloud, a tactic that let him organize his thoughts. "Fix whatever's making the shuttle catch fire. Second...make an "I come in peace" message." He limped over to the shuttle's aft, where both fires had started, and got to work with his investigation. Thankfully, the situation was exciting enough that his brain was stimulated and he didn't need any of his tactics to calm his ADHD--he could focus perfectly. But even still, he used the time to say a prayer to God that He allow Eian to make it out of this situation alive. "And an answer to my emergency beacon would be nice, too," he added aloud. (reply any) (Posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - AFO - Lt Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 1548) Dr Ichijo spoke at that time. "I'm sorry, sir, if I may?" The doctor asked. "Go ahead Kimiko, that's why we are gathering we need all the input we can get." she said. "Normally I would lead the charge to rescue injured personal; but, perhaps being shot at, makes me a little more suspicious," Kimiko stated . "I find it unusually coincidental that a third federation vessel has come to its end in this unincorporated world, and a runabout, no less. However it would be something that would be able to attract our attention anywhere in the city, requiring us to investigate" She paused a moment. "A thought as occurred to me, would the Irlixians have access to the specifics to duplicate the runabout?" Kimiko asked. "Good Question." mike stated before continuing. "Regardless of whatever class of ship crashed here before, a Runabout wouldn't have survived, and I'd think we'd be seeing a lot more of them if they had the ability to manufacture them. They're just too useful for a large number of reasons." "And I know for a fact that Mission scouts don't carry runabouts, so there's no way they could have captured one. And there's certainly no way they could manufacture one in the short time they've had the Bohrs." Ios nodded and added, " Mike is correct, I used to be the Master archivist, and I've never even heard the term runabout, so I don't think it's something we've seen before." At least for what it's worth." "I don't see a choice, we must investigate." Sullivan added a moment later, " If there is a possibility that one of our officers is stranded in the Irlixian wilderness, we must make every reasonable effort to rescue them. Steve, Mike, Sanok, Sam make your way to the coordinates." She tossed the Irlixian phaser to Rosenbauer. " Take this, it's not as sophisticated as you are used to but you'll have more energy then our clandestine versions. Steve, you are senior, take charge let Mike lead you to the coordinates. Anyone that you find that isn't Starfleet stun them. Take what you can from the runabout, rations, medical supplies, anything we could feasibly use, then render the craft unsalvageable. Once you are far enough away that you are sure you aren't being followed, make the quickest route back here. We should have a plan of attack for the main mission by that point. Any questions?" "Okay Commander, we'll get all we can carry and I'll rig a feedback loop in the runabout's propulsion system. They won't be able to recover anything bigger than a bolt." replied Matrix "Okay lets get going." said Matrix Mike nodded. "One last thought Sullivan, Steve." He added. "At the speed that that runabout was coming down, it's likely that our officer is seriously injured if not dead. I would recommend that Kimiko go along also. I'd rather that we had more doctors than too few." "Also I understand that with limited medical supplies that some life-saving procedures are more readily applied with a second pair of hands. I agree Mike, I want this officer to have the maximum chance of surviving. Kimiko goes too. " She turned to Sam and Kimiko, "I know that as surgeons the two of you may have reservations about using weapons. If it came down to you choosing stunning an inconveniencing an Irlixian officer or that same officer capturing or killing you, I hope you choose the former." she finished. (Reply any) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix - Khoda City - Second District - The Villa - AFO - Lt Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 1550) "Commander Sullivan, I have intercepted what amounts to a general call from what appears to be a SF officer that has crashed on the planet" told told the First Officer. "I can confirm that Sullivan." Mike offered. "I just spotted it coming in hot, moving westward at about Mach three or four. I figure it'll hit somewhere maybe 5-6 kilometers northwest of here. The pilot might survive it, they appeared to have shields and it was flattening out its angle of entry as it traveled." "Suggestions?" she asked. She wanted all the pertinant facts and sometimes especially with humans she found their opinions carried facts that they themselves might be conciously un-aware. "Commander, I see two possibilities here first - this is a trap and second this Ensign is legitimate. How would you like to proceed?" Tom asked. Mike looked at Jackson, then simply added, "He's right. it could be an elaborate trap to draw us out, although I would think they'd have better ways to do so rather than wasting a potentially valuable runabout." "I don't see a choice, we must investigate. If there is a posibility that one of our officers is stranded in the Irlixian wilderness, we must make every reasonable effort to rescue them. Steve, Mike, Sanok, Sam make your way to the coordinates." She tossed the Irlixian phaser to Rosenbauer. " Take this, it's not as sophisticated as you are used to but you'll have more energy then our clandestine versions. Steve, you are senior, take charge let Mike lead you to the coordinates. Anyone that you find that isn't starfleet stun them. Take what you can from the runabout, rations, medical supplies, anything we could feasabley use, then render the craft unsalvagable. Once you are far enough away that you are sure you aren't being followed, make the quickest route back here. We should have a plan of attack for the main mission by that point. Any questions?" (Reply Mike, Steve, Sanok, Sam) (posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Third District the villa - ACMO Ensign Sam Lopez-Day 7- 1552) Sam had finished going over the supplies and had double checked everything just to make sure.Then out of nowhere a slight rumble went through the floor and was gone.It felt as if something had blown or hit the ground with force to make that happen. Sam secured and put all the supplies away and headed to the rest of the away team.The bulk of the team had gathered and were discussing the incident and the strange transmission.This was something very unexpected to the away team that a starfleet officer would crash land. All the options were being passed discussed by the team.It was possible that this very unexpected shuttle was in fact a trap or it could be very real.This was going to be a hard choice in the end of it all.~if it is real then a rescue would be something i go on~ (Reply by away team) (posted by shawn) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix - Khoda City - Second District - The Villa - ACEO - Lt Steven Matrix - 1553) Commander Sullivan continued with his plan for the team. "Steve, you are senior, take charge let Mike lead you to the coordinates. Anyone that you find that isn't starfleet stun them. Take what you can from the runabout, rations, medical supplies, anything we could feasabley use, then render the craft unsalvagable. Once you are far enough away that you are sure you aren't being followed, make the quickest route back here. We should have a plan of attack for the main mission by that point. Any questions?" "Okay Commander, we'll get all we can carry and I'll rig a feedback loop in the runabout's propulsion system. They won't be able to recover anything bigger than a bolt." replied Matrix "Okay lets get going." said Matrix (Reply any, none) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1555) Mike stepped out of the Villa and into the rain which was still coming down harder than he would have liked. It didn't take him long to spot the Vulcan security officer standing near the trees that offered him an excellent view of the approaches to the villa. He shrugged into his Irlixian jacket a little deeper, pulling the collars up in an effort to keep the water from running down the back of his neck and trudged across the open area to Sanok. "Sanok," Mike began. "Looks like we have a rescue mission. Commander Sullivan has order you, I, Matrix, Lopez and Ichijo to investigate the crash. Jackson detected an emergency signal, so there's a chance that we have a survivor." (reply Sanok) "Did you manage to get a reading as the Runabout came down?" Mike asked. (reply Sanok) "Good." mike replied with a nod, "Our further orders are to salvage anything we can from the wreckage and then matrix is to disable or destroy whatever remains of the runabout. The team is assembling at the doors in a few minutes, we should go ahead and wait for them." (reply Sanok) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, Outside the Villa, Ensign sg Sanok, 1556) Rosenbauer said, "Sanok, looks like we have a rescue mission. Commander Sullivan has order you, I, Matrix, Lopez, and Ichijo, to investigate the crash. Jackson detected an emergency signal, so there's a chance that we have a survivor." "I understand," said Sanok. He was going to suggest that there was the possibility that this was a trap, or that it was almost certain the Irlixian authorities were already at the crash site, but that had most likely already been discussed inside the villa. The decision had been made and orders were given. It was now time to get it done. "Did you manage to get a reading as the runabout came down?" said Rosenbauer. "Yes, I did," said Sanok. He tapped his tricorder and brought up the results of his scan and showed it to Rosenbauer. "Good. Our further orders are to salvage anything we can from the wreckage and then Matrix is to disable or destroy whatever remains of the runabout. The team is assembling at the doors in a few minutes. We should go ahead and wait for them." Sanok nodded and followed Rosenbauer to meet the rest of the recuse team. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1620) It hadn't taken too long for the rescue team to assemble and for mike to lead the way towards the wreck site. With Sanok taking an occasional bearing reading to verify that they were on track the team was able to move double time through the rain slicked streets. Mike was breathing hard by the time they arrived near the site. He was a regular runner, unlike a few of the other members of the team and the toll of rapid movement over unfamiliar terrain had left a number of them winded. Mike brought the team to a stop near the end of a large landscape wall which seemed to be the normal means to separate one's upper-scale property from their neighbors. Sanok's readings had indicated that the runabout had crashed just beyond the wall, landing in what appeared to have been an upscale public garden of sorts. It appeared that some of the local military or police forces had arrived within minutes of the crash and had selected to surround the crash site. They were not however, anything like the numbers of Special police that Mike had seen at the hotel earlier that day. He gestured for everyone to stay low and motioned for matrix to join him. He then pointed past the end of the wall and spoke softly. "Looks like we have about two dozen Irlixians around the crash site and a couple of vehicles." Mike explained, and then traced his invisible pointer westward along a deep furrow which had torn through the grounds coming to rest against a massive pile of upturned soil. "And there is our runabout. It appears to be relatively intact, so we'll need to gain entry to it." He paused and then said, "But however we're going to do this, we'd better do it fast, because I'd gamble that the locals have already called this in and it's just a matter of time before we end up with more special police on the scene." (reply matrix, All on rescue team and O'Neill if you think it's reasonable.) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Villa - ACEO Lt. Steven Matrix - Day 7- 1622) The trip back to the runabout was exciting and dangerous, but the group had made it together without any causalities. Matrix caught his breath. He pressed against the bandage on his left shoulder. The bleeding had stopped, but the pain hadn't. It was clear that the shoulder was severely burned and might be dislocated. There wasn't time to worry it now. Once back aboard the Rosenante he would be whole again. Rosenbauer set the plan into motion, "But however we're going to do this, we'd better do it fast, because I'd gamble that the locals have already called this in and it's just a matter of time before we end up with more special police on the scene." "Agreed, we need to strike fast and hard, surprise them and violently. We need to get to the runabout, get what gear we can and destroy it so it can't be researched." said Matrix. The pain paused Matrix's response. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "I suggest we move two teams of two or three, one flanking them on the far side. We converge and stun them quickly. We should be able to cover the distance in about 10 to 12 seconds. The frontal team will be the distraction, the flanking team will hit them with phaser stun. I suggest you don't miss." said Matrix. (Reply any, all on rescue team) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - SO Mike Rosenbauer - Day 7- 1623) "Agreed, we need to strike fast and hard, surprise them and violently. We need to get to the runabout, get what gear we can and destroy it so it can't be researched." said Matrix. Matrix closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. "I suggest we move two teams of two or three, one flanking them on the far side. We converge and stun them quickly. We should be able to cover the distance in about 10 to 12 seconds. The frontal team will be the distraction, the flanking team will hit them with phaser stun. I suggest you don't miss." said Matrix. Mike nodded. "Okay, my suggestion then would be to have Myself and Sanok act as the distraction force. We can use this wall for cover. Then yourself, Lopez and Ichijo can flank right, cross over the wall about 25 meters south of here and come around into position to the aft rear of the group." Mike considered his next thought for a moment before voicing it. "If you can make your position in eight minutes from your departure time, we'll open fire, and draw them here. Then you and your team can cross the opening and using the runabout as cover attack them from behind. It won't take too long that way." (reply Matrix) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - ACEO Lt. Steven Matrix - Day 7- 1625) "If you can make your position in eight minutes from your departure time, we'll open fire, and draw them here. Then you and your team can cross the opening and using the runabout as cover attack them from behind. It won't take too long that way." said Mike. Matrix peered over the wall and looked at the terrain once more. "I think we can make that." replied Matrix. Matrix ducked down below the wall again and took off his jacket. He took out his phaser and checked its charge. ~Good to go.~ he thought. "Okay, Lopez and Ichijo get your weapons ready. We'll move slowly away from the rest of the team for about 10 meters so we don't kick up any sand or dust to give away this position. Once we get out and away we'll double time it for another 15 meters and find a good spot to cross over. Mike, I'll signal you with my combadge that we're starting our flanking maneuver to the runabout. It looks like we'll have some cover while we're moving around the security team. Once you open up we'll come up behind them. Ichijo will cover us if they come back. Lopez and I will gather what we can and I'll set up a feedback loop in the runabout's propulsion. I'll then signal Mike then we'll hightail it out back the direction we came from. The feedback loop will take about 45 seconds before it causes an explosion. Whatever happens don't move back toward the runabout. Move parallel to the runabout and make as much distance as you can. If all else fails, get low and cover the team and try to make your way back here. Any questions?" asked Matrix. (Reply any) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - aCMO Kimiko Ichijo - Day 7- 1626) "Okay, Lopez and Ichijo get your weapons ready. We'll move slowly away from the rest of the team for about 10 meters so we don't kick up any sand or dust to give away this position. Once we get out and away we'll double time it for another 15 meters and find a good spot to cross over. Mike, I'll signal you with my combadge that we're starting our flanking maneuver to the runabout. It looks like we'll have some cover while we're moving around the security team. Once you open up we'll come up behind them. Ichijo will cover us if they come back. Lopez and I will gather what we can and I'll set up a feedback loop in the runabout's propulsion. I'll then signal Mike then we'll hightail it out back the direction we came from. The feedback loop will take about 45 seconds before it causes an explosion. Whatever happens don't move back toward the runabout. Move parallel to the runabout and make as much distance as you can. If all else fails, get low and cover the team and try to make your way back here. Any questions?" asked Matrix. Kimiko responded "No, sir" She viewed the perimeter and wondered why they haven't stormed the shuttle. Obviously they had tried to previously, judging by the prone bodies near the shuttlecraft; but not now. The doctor pulled out her phaser and checked the charge. "Ready when you are, sir" (Reply Matrix, any on rescue team) (Posted by Jack) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, The Crash Site, Ensign sg Sanok, 1627) Sanok kept watch over the wall while Rosenbauer and Matrix planned the assault. Sanok did not believe in luck, but if they were able to succeed in taking the runabout and rescuing whoever was inside, he just might start. There was something about the crash that didn't seem quite right, and Sanok realized what it was. Though it was raining, and though the local authorities had surrounded the site, where was the mob of curious civilians that would normally be crowding around to see what was happening? There were always 'Lookie Loos' when something like this happened, as a friend from his last assignment would say. Odd. It was decided that Sanok and Rosenbauer would provide a base of fire, while the others would assault the runabout. As the assault team moved off, Sanok prepared for yet another firefight. Perhaps he should ask for a raise. (reply any) (posted by Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second  District - The Crash Site - ACEO Lt. Steven Matrix-Day 7- 1628) Matrix took a deep breath, peered over the wall then back to Shawn Lopez and Sg Ichijo.  Crouching and moving quiet they headed down the wall. It took only a few moments for the three of them to cover the first 10 meters. Matrix paused the team, looked back at the rest of the away team. "Okay...I don't think we gave away our position." said Matrix as he looked over the wall toward their target. "Lets double time it for another 15 or so meters. Stay with me, but move a quietly as possible." (Reply Lopez, Ichijo) "I don't think so. If we can keep the element of surprise I don't see us having a problem with our plan. Okay...check weapons and lets get moving." said Matrix has he moved out in a full sprint. A few more moments and Matrix signaled the group to stop. There was a break in the wall where they could get over without too much concern of being spotted by the security team guarding the shuttle. There were three guards about 45 meters to the west of the shuttle. Out of breath, Matrix couched over and rested. He looked back at Lopez and Ichijo and gave a thumbs up. =^= Matrix to Jackson...we're making our way over the wall now....we should be able to make the shuttle in a few minutes. If you don't hear phaser fire that's a good thing. I'll signal you again once I get in the shuttle and have the feedback loop engaged. Matrix out. =^= (Reply Jackson IYA (able)) "Ichijo make your way over to that crest of sand just about 10 meters toward the west of the shuttle. That should keep you covered and close enough to provide support if we get discovered. Lopez and I will head over to the runabout after you're in position. Stay low and don't fire unless you discovered or we are. Got it!?" asked Matrix (Reply Ichijo) "Shawn get ready...stay near that small tree line...once we get to the runabout gather up all the supplies you can carry...I'll start the feedback loop in the propulsion system. I'll tap the commbadge and initiate a low, three-beep signal. That will mean to head back to this location, then back to the rest of the away team. If the security forces start firing keep parallel to the runabout." said Matrix. "You two ready?" asked Matrix. (Reply Ichijo, Lopez) "Okay Ichijo...go go!" said Matrix Ichijo traversed over the wall quickly and made his way to the sandy area without incident. Matrix and Lopez followed and headed toward the runabout as quickly as possible. As the two approached Matrix could make out another security guard on the backside of the runabout. ~Damn it.~ Matrix signaled Lopez to drop and take cover. Matrix continued to run toward the runabout. The other security guard was facing east, away from Matrix. He slowed his approach and moved slightly west in case the guard suddenly turned toward him, he would try to keep the runabout between him and the guard. In just over 20 seconds Matrix closed the distance and stopped at the nose of the shuttle craft. The guard was still on the east side with his back facing Matrix. A phaser blast even on stun would alert the other guards and the rest of the away team so shooting the solo guard was out of the question. The other security guards were only about 40 meters away toward the west. Matrix looked at Inchijo and at the guards just beyond his location. He wasn't spotted. He decided to try and surprise the loan shuttle guard and swung around the front of the craft. The guard still had his back toward Matrix. With a quick sprint Matrix made the short distance and jumped up in the air slightly with his elbow bent and came down on the guard's right shoulder, just below the his neck. The force of the lieutenant's momentum and body weight knocked the to the ground unconscious. Matrix took the guards weapon and signaled Lopez to proceed. The door into the runabout was open and for a moment Matrix's heart skipped a beat. What if there was another guard in the runabout? Matrix leaped into the craft with his weapon ready. No one. A few moments later Lopez entered the runabout. "Shawn priority is food stores and medical...then grab anything else of use. Then make it back to where we entered the wall, then back to the rest of the way team. I'll get started on the feedback loop." said Matrix. (Reply Lopez) Matrix punched up the command console on the port side display and entered the cyclic propulsion command and engaged the countdown timer. He set it for 4 minutes. "Okay Lopez, four minutes get back to the away team. Go GO!" shouted Matrix. (Reply Lopez) Matrix watched Lopez sprint out toward the break in the wall. Inchijo was still in position wondering what to do. Matrix tapped his commbadge and the the three-beep signal was transmitted to everyone on the away team. Time to head out. (Reply Lopez, Inchijo, Jackson anyone else on the away team) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Khoda City, Second District, The Crash Site, Ensign sg Sanok, 1629) Sanok watched the assault team move out and cover their first patch of ground. So far, so good. They stopped near a break in the wall and discussed their next move. A minute or so later, one of them went over the wall and the other two followed. He then watched in disbelief, as the team actually made it without being seen by the men guarding the downed runabout. He wondered how this civilization ever made it past stone knives and wooden clubs. Sanok looked around behind him and back up the street. There was still no gathering of onlookers, and no reinforcements yet. He was beginning to think they would accomplish this near impossible task. Returning his eye to the men on his side of the runabout, he remained silent, watching carefully for any sign of trouble. (reply any) (posted by Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix- Khoda City- Second District - The Crash Site - ACMO Ensign Sam Lopez-Day 7- 1631) Sam had been following the rescue team to the outskirts of the city into a small forest.Sam saw that the natives had already started moving and surrounding the site.The plans were being drawn up by the rescue party to make the rescue. The plan was for the team to split up into two different groups and attack from two ways.Sam was assigned to the group that would be getting to the shuttle first.This had to be timed perfectly or it could all fail in an instant. The weird thing was that no one was firing at the shuttle.Sam would have thought that the natives would try to force the shuttle open and take it away.This is going to be a very interesting rescue with probably more then one surprise. (Reply by Rescue team) (posted by shawn) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Outside Khoda City, Ensign Machaire Rabhartaigh, 1635) Pain, it was never welcome addition to life but considering the alternatives, one could but smile, so Machaire smiled broadly. Taking stock of the various pangs of pain with overly long list he decide the best end result was to just simplify it all. It hurt like feargac capall had kicked him to groin, repeatedly. ~ Quite a similar feeling, I would say, maybe just bit more copper in taste this time. ~ He slowly tested his limbs and could not detect any broken bones, probably a new set of hairlines but no major breakage. Fumbling along his torso he found painful spots but none were close to important internal organs, with luck no internal bleeding just a second set of bruises, these under the skin. ~ Black and blue all over and grateful about it. I must be madder than evaluator Tosk judged me to be. ~ When Machaire's checkup reached the face he uttered one word with gusto, "MOGLAI!", and winced a bit. One teeth was missing but that was one that he had lost several times already. The reason for his annoyance was the nose. It was broken and that was starting to be annoyingly regular occurrence. "By the thrice cursed son of a one eyed cur with gout ridden legs and pox to him.", Machaire cussed to pump up his adrenalin levels and stood up in one determined fumble. An effort leaving him on one knee and one more injury detected on his list, sprained wrist. "Next time, I fly first class, no more economy for me." (Reply any) (Posted by Kateb Nadel) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Outside Khoda City, Ensign Eian O'Neill, 1636) Eian had successfully found out what had caused the fires several minutes ago. It was a tractor beam power transformer that, during the crash, had been fused to one of the directional control gel packs, which in turn had been ruptured. The conductive fluid had spilled all over the electronics, including the transformer. It was heating up to the point of sparking the conductive fluid, which quickly spread to the cabin of the runabout. Eian had neutralized the situation by cutting the power flow to that entire module. He doubted they'd be needing the tractor beam, directional controls, or transporter anyway. He had limped back over to the cockpit and checked on his emergency beacon, which now had a bi-directional message. One went directly to Starfleet on a Starfleet-encoded channel and was a detailed message regarding his and Rabhartaigh's situation. The other was fed through all frequencies and was a general "we come in peace" message. Unfortunately, Eian hadn't heard anything from those who had fired on him, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before they figured out what frequency got past the EM jamming field. Suddenly, he heard a sharp, "MOGLAI!" followed by, "By the thrice cursed son of a one-eyed cur with gout ridden legs and pox to him!" as Rabhartaigh fell to one knee. "Next time, I fly first class. No more economy for me." ~He can curse better than Grandpa Ronan~ Eian thought, turning quickly to his companion. "We're ensigns. We don't have enough miles to move up," he said with a smile, and made his way over to his comrade. "You shouldn't be standing so soon," he told Rabhartaigh, and helped him to sit in one of the still-functional passenger seats. "You took a nasty hit--several nasty hits. You've been out since we crashed." (reply Rabhartaigh) "Well, we've been attacked by the locals. I went to introduce myself and this was the welcome I got," he indicated his phaser-burned calf. "So I set up an EM field so they can't fire their energy weapons. But I still set up a peaceful message on the off chance we just spooked them. And one emergency beacon on Starfleet frequencies. We're safe for now." (reply Rabhartaigh) "No, still no communications from the Rosenante or any indications they're anywhere near the system. I've been waiting about an hour, and still nothing. But while I had the chance I stopped the shuttle from catching fire again and I also managed to pull a few of our personal items out of the cargo hatch. I took what wasn't destroyed and stuck it in that duffel bag," Eian pointed to the small bag near the hatch. (reply Rabhartaigh) "So that's what that was. I didn't know what it was, but I stuck it in the bag because it didn't look broken." He got up and walked over to the hatch, grabbed the duffel bag, and handed it to Rabhartaigh as he sat next to him. "Look...we've gotta figure out a plan. I don't think the Rosenante's going to respond sooner than the welcoming committee out there figures out how to get past the EM field, and you need medical attention. We're sitting ducks here. I think we oughta try to get the weapons working on the runabout...just enough to fire an encapsulated repulsing field in their direction and get them far enough away that we can get out of the shuttle and get away from this area. Hide somewhere with the Starfleet beacon until they pick us up, or try to find people on this planet who woke up on the right side of the bed." (reply Rabhartaigh) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Irlix, Khoda City, Police Headquarters, Senior Detective- Vilox Nigo, Day 7- 1645) There were not words to describe the nearly irreconcilable anger that coursed through Vilox's veins. His blood pressure was up and his temples nearly pulsed with the beating of his heart as he stalked into the central command center for the Special police, Section 21. He stalked through the double glass doors, slamming them open with enough force to cause the left one to shatter. The small cubic shards of safety glass skittered across the floor in a glittering cascade of energy and a tinkling of sound. The several dozen officers who had been standing nearby immediately took notice and scattered from his path like so many brojal bugs caught in the center of the floor when the lights came on. "How in the world he ever managed to make a special tactics team leader I'll never know!" he bellowed to his partner who was just a few steps behind him. "I think sometimes that I'm surrounded by complete and total imbeciles! My grandmother could have built a better perimeter than that man did." "I hate to tell you this sir," Gaz said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "But your Grandmother was an elite operative during the war. I have no doubt she could have carried off the mission without a hitch." Vilox stopped and spun to face his partner and tried to scowl at him, but the look of irritation just faded and was replaced by a slightly upturned smile on his face. "Yeah, well. " He said, "That is a good point." Vilox and Gaz reached their shared office and traipsed inside to settle into their respective chairs. Vilox slumped forward, resting his elbows on the desk, while Gaz booted up his console. " So where do we look now?" Gaz asked as he started looking for any video surveillance from the Hotel and it's immediate environs. "Got me." Vilox said in a low growl. "We found them the first time by accident and I somehow doubt that they'll make another mistake like that one." "True." Gaz replied. "We don't even know who they are or what they are after." Vilox nodded, then picked up a writing stylus and started spinning it through his fingers. "Well we can make some guesses." he started. "First, there's the fact that they showed up too soon after the military claims to have snagged that alien starship." Gaz nodded. Even though that information wasn't officially released, both he and Vilox knew some very well connected military personnel. "then it goes to reason that they're going to try to steal it." Vilox continued. "Or destroy it." Gaz added. Vilox nodded. "Yes that's a possibility as well. Destruction of the vessel would make the technology unavailable to us." There was a sharp rap at the door. "What?" Vilox bellowed. "Something I think you should see here sir." a younger officer responded and then stepped forward bearing a data PADD. "Is it an ID on any of the spies at the Hotel?" Vilox asked pointedly. "No sir." "Is it information telling us where they are? Where their going or what their after?" he continued. The young officer stammered, "no sir." "Then why in the world do you think that it's something I give a Ropak's ass about?" Vilox all but shouted. "It's a crash sir." The junior man stated, "some sort of aircraft just west of the city. Near district 23." Now that was something that caught the senior detective's interest. "Did you say sector 23?" he asked, all traces of hostility leaving his voice. "Yes sir. We're just getting the call in. The local constabulary for that district responded and called in the emergency units. Stated that they think the ship was quote, alien in design' unquote." Vilox was out of his chair almost immediately, Gaz was right behind him. "Give me." he said holding his hand out for the PADD even as he was headed for the door. He grabbed the data PADD and tossed it to Gaz. "Looks like it may be our lucky day partner." (reply none) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- End Compile ---------------------------------------------------------------------