Compiled by Calvin Capps =========================================================================================== (Cataris 3 - Office of the Patriarch - ACMO Jared Keller- 0811 Stardate 2401.03.22) Jareds time on the Antares as an Assistant had begun only a few months ago and he was standing in the office of the Patriarch as a member of the Away Team investigating an outbreak of a virulent strain of retrovirus on Cataris 3, the day had been hot and the Patriarchs brow was beaded with sweat as he faced Commander Deneb and his small group. "We found something strange yesterday I thought you should be informed of Commander, a small craft of alien origin that had crashed into a remote canyon, it appears to have been there for several years." "Any evidence that anyone survived?" Deneb asked with an interested tone in his voice. The Patriarch shook his head sadly. "No, there didn't appear to be anyone on board from our preliminary investigations but it's possible I suppose that during the time it was there anything on board could have been carted off, we'll continue to check into it. I had the team that was checking it download the data and compile it. It was in a strange form. I have a PADD here with some of it if you would be interested in going through it." "Of course." Deneb said and took the PADD the Patriarch handed him. "We'll run it through the ships computer and see what we can come up with." (posted by Charles) ============================================================================================= (USS Antares - Observation lounge - ACMO Jared Keller- 1010 Stardate 2401.03.24) Jared sat back with interest as the Captain congratulated them on the Away Teams success, after awards were handed out he took a more sober tone. "We have broken down the script that was brought back from Cataris and taken out an important passage." He activated the display screen and the unfamiliar alien script came into view, Jared shook his head at the other wordliness of it. After it had been displayed for about 30 seconds Captain Drummond pressed a button and the mystery message was broken down in all its chilling glory. Day 18 We have sighted an unidentified alien ship drifting dead in space and have boarded it, no living life form was found on board however there were many husks of an organic material. We brought back samples of one and are studying it. Day 20 Our scientists have reported changes are occuring in the husk brought back from the alien ship. The organic material has been isolated for further study. Day 23 Members of the party sent over to the alien ship have been reporting dizziness, dry mouth and body aches, medical is looking into the matter. Day 25 Medical has reported members of the investigative team are undergoing physiological changes, efforts to halt or reverse the process have been fruitless and more of the crew have reported symptoms, I am at a loss to explain it. "And this," Captain Drummond halted the message at this point. "Is only the beginning. Jared felt chills at the last part of the message. "And I am fearful of what the future holds." (posted by Charles) ============================================================================================== Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 6 Stardate: 2407.01.09 ============================================================================================== (USS Paladin - Personal Quarters - Third Lt. Philip Hyde - 1412) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, Ensign (jg)Shran Me'levtel, 14:25) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller- 14:41) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - MCO Conner Tirrel - 14:41) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller- 14:42) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 14:43) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt (jg) Jared Keller - 14:44) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO - Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:44) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 14:45) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 14:47) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, Ensign Greg Dunn, 14:48) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 14:49) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:50) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 14:50) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 14:51) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller, 14:53) (USS Paladin - Conference Room - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1454) (USS Paladin - Observation Room - OPS Ensign Elizabeth Knightley - 1455) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 14:55) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CEO LT JG Steven Matrix - 14:55) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 14:55) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:55) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CEO LT. JG Steven Matrix - 14:55) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 14:55) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Zack Tristen - 1456) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CONN Lt. Max - 1457) (USS Paladin - Conference Room - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 1457) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor 14:57) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:57) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:58) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1500) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1500) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 15:00) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Lt. Cmdr Capps & Ensign Knightley - 1501) (USS Paladin - Turbolift - CMO Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 15:01) (USS Paladin - Turbolift - ACMO Ens. (jg) Shran Melev'tel - 15:01) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1502) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1502) (USS Paladin - Deck 13 - CMO Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 15:02) (USS Paladin - Sickbay - CMO Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 15:04) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:05) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15.07) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:09) (USS Paladin - FO's Quarters - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1510) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15:11) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:12) (USS Paladin - Personal Quarters - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1515) (USS Paladin - CSO's Office - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15:15) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:17) (USS Paladin - CSO's Office - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15:25) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - MCO Conner Tirrel - 15:30) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - Third Lt. Philip Hyde - 15:32) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - MCO Conner Tirrel - 15:33) (USS Paladin - FO's Quarters - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1545) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1554) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1600) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ops Ensign Knightley - 1602) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1605) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1606) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1607) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ensign Knightley - 1608) (USS Paladin – MCO`s Office – 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor & MCO Conner Tirrel – 18:30) (USS Disciple, Cockpit, FSXO, 1st Lt. Stephiea Rath, 18:35) (USS Paladin - Holodeck 2 - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 19:45) (USS Paladin - Personal quarters - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 19:50) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 21:50) (USS Paladin - Deck 16 Auxuliary Bridge - CEO Lt JG Steven Matrix - 21:50) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Joran's Quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 21:54) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Outside Straton's Quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 22:30) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:31) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Outside CO's quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 22:32) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:33) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Captain's Quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 22:34) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:35) ============================================================================================== Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 7 Stardate: 2407.01.10 ============================================================================================== (USS Paladin - Away team staging - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 06:30) (USS Daystar - Runabout Operations - Commander Rulestaad - 0910) (USS Daystar - Runabout Operations - Commander Rulestaad - 0945) (USS Daystar - Runabout Operations - Lt Kerge - 09:45) ============================================================================================== Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 6 Stardate: 2407.01.09 ============================================================================================== (USS Paladin - Personal Quarters - Third Lt. Philip Hyde - 1412) Philip had finally gotten out of the decon chamber just like everyone else. Senior crew members however weren't as lucky as he was. The senior crew that also included his commanding officer were to report to a meeting about the away mission. Philip on the other hand got to go to his quarters which was much needed and wanted. Philip walked into his quarters at a brisk pace. The first thing he did was to take the extra unneeded clothes off. For some reason it had seemed really hot every where he went. But he knew that it more or likely had to do something with his situation form the away mission. He thought he wanted to quit the Marines, but he was now second thinking that decision. He needed a shower, to clean himself and hopefully bring his body temperature down a bit. But first his stomach had started to tighten because the images from the away mission was stuck into his thoughts. He ran very quickly through his bedroom area and into the bath. He leaned over the sink and disbursed his insides out onto the sink. After a few moments of stomach sucking in and air barely getting through his nose and mouth, he had started to calm down a little bit. The air flow was getting back to normal. After wards he cleaned the mess and his mouth. He turned to the shower and ordered the computer to turn it on. He took the rest of his clothes off and jumped in. He needed to be cleaned, but he also had a lot of thinking to do about his career in the Marines. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, Ensign (jg)Shran Me'levtel, 14:25) Eva had just introduced Kyp and Shran to the senior staff. Afterwards the two of them left. "At least the senior staff didn't want to grill us over, too," Kyp said with a grin to Shran. Shran smiled "That I'm grateful for, but I'm somewhat afraid I hope the CMO approves of me" he said looking over to Lieutenant Keller, Shran couldn't put his finger it but something just wan't right about Dr. Keller, he seemed to be hiding something from the rest of the crew. But shran didn't pay much atention to it, he returned his attention back to the staff meeting. (posted by Justin) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller- 14:41) Jared smiled as the new crew members were introduced and nodded at them then listened closely as the FO gave his report. "Everything started fine. We landed in what looked like a shuttlebay. It was dark, we couldn't see. Team two job was to go down and search while team one was to go up the decks and search. While searching one room, we ran into an alien hostile being." He paused with a far off look as though remembering. "We ran for cover while security and the marines fought the aliens off. We then found our selves in a different room. We settled down, and came up with another plan. Ensign Dunn was injured and had one of the alien beings limb or bone inside of him. He then was contaminated and started to mutate. Minutes later we left the room and headed back for the shuttlebay. After passing some barrier that an alien being seemed to be blocking, everything seemed fine. Including the limb in Ensign Dunn's shoulder, but the mutation process was still tacking place. That was when communication was re established and we came home." Brownlees report was certainly informative. "Though Team 2 went to explore the lower decks, we found something completely different than Team 1. After the last radio from Team 1, we sent the Marines ahead to investigate. Once we got the all clear, we headed onward. After about a half hour, we found a Computer Access Point, and took advantage of it. From it, I was able to extrapolate a translation matrix through Romulan. We also found this." He held up the PADD, and interfaced it with the viewscreen. Text came up, but a text that no one understood. Esse Mesta 1. I yessessė Eru ontanė Menel ar Cemen. 2 Cemen né cumna ar lusta, ar engė morniė or i undumė, nan Eruo Sślė willė or i neni. 3 Ar equė Eru: "Eä cįlė!" Ar engė cįlė. 4 Eru cennė sa i cįlė né mįra, ar Eru ciltanė i cįlė i morniello. 5 Ar Eru estanė i cįlė Aurė, ar i morniė estanes Lómė. Ar engė sinyė, ar engė arin, i minya aurė. 6 Ar equė Eru: "Eä telluma endessė i nenion, ar ciltuvas nén nenello." 7 Ar Eru carnė i telluma ar ciltanė i neni or i telluma i nenillon nu i telluma. Ar engė siė. 8 Ar Eru estanė i telluma Menel. Engė sinyė, ar engė arin, i attėa aurė. 9 Ar equė Eru: "Na i neni nu menel hostainė minė nómessė, ar na i parca nór cénina!" Ar engė siė. 10 Ar Eru estanė i parca nór Cemen, nan i hostainė neni estanes Eär. Ar Eru cennė sa nes mįra. 11 Ar equė Eru: "Į colė cemen salquė, olvar carila erdi, yįvaldar colila yįvė nostalentassen, cemendė." Ar engė siė. 12 Cemen collė salquė, olvar carila erdi, nostalentassen, ar aldar colila yįvė yassė ėar erdentar, nostalentassen. Ar Eru cennė sa nes mįra. 13 Ar engė sinyė, ar engė arin, i nelya aurė. 14 Ar equė Eru: "Eä calmar tellumassė menelo ciltien aurė lómillo, ar nauvantė tannar asarion ar aurion ar coranįrion. 15 Nauvantė calmar tellumassė menelo caltien cemenna." Ar engė siė. 16 Eru carnė i atta altė calmar, i analta calma turien auressė ar i pitya calma turien lómissė, ar i eleni. 17 Ar Eru panyanė ta tellumassė menelo caltien cemenna 18 ar turien auressė ar lómissė ar ciltien cįlė morniello. Ar Eru cennė sa nes mįra. 19 Ar engė sinyė, ar engė arin, i cantėa aurė. 20 Ar equė Eru: "Į ėa śvė cuinė onnolķva i nenissen, ar į wilė aiweli tellumassė menelo." 21 Ar Eru ontanė i altė ėarcelvar ar ilya i śvė cuinė onnaiva i rihtar i nenissen, nostalentassen, ar ilyė rįmavoiti onnar nostalentassen. Ar Eru cennė sa nes mįra. 22 Ar Eru laitanė te ar quentė: "Na yįvinquė ar na rimbė, į quatė nén i ėarion, ar na i aiwi rimbė cemendė!" 23 Ar engė sinyė, ar engė arin, i lempėa aurė. 24 Ar equė Eru: "Į colė cemen cuinė onnar nostalentassen, lamni ar celvaller ar cemeno hravani celvar, nostalentassen." 25 Ar Eru carnė cemeno hravani celvar nostalentassen, ar i lamni nostalentassen ar ilyė celvar i vantar cemendė, nostalentassen. Ar Eru cennė sa nes mįra. 26 Ar equė Eru: "Alvė carė Atan venwelvassė, canta velvė; ar turuvas ėaro lingwi ar menelo aiwi ar i lamni ar ilya i cemen ar ilyė celvar i vantar cemendė." 27 Ar Eru ontanė Atan venweryassė, Eruo venwessė ontaneryes; hanu ar nķ ontaneryet. 28 Ar Eru laitanė te, ar equė Eru tienna: "Na yįvinquė ar na rimbė, į quatė cemen ar įsa panya nu le, ar į turė ėaro lingwi ar menelo aiwi ar ilyė cuinė onnar i vantar cemendė." 29 Ar equė Eru: "En! antan len ilyė olvar carila erdi, ilya i ėar ilya i palśressė cemeno, ar ilyė aldar carila yįvi yassen ėar erdi. Nas ya matuval. 30 Ar ilyė hravani celvain ar ilye menelo aiwin ar ilyan i vanta cemendė, ilya cuinan, antan ilyė laiquė olvar matien." 31 Ar Eru cennė ilya ya carnes, ar en! nes ammįra. Ar engė sinyė, ar engė arin, i enquėa aurė. Joran continued. "We've transliterated it, but still have to translate it. We don't yet completely know what it is, but we believe that it is a log of some sort. As work progresses, I will keep you informed. Besides the Computer Access Point, we found nothing. Contact was reestablished, and we returned to the hangar where we landed." Jareds brow wrinkled at the script but there was something familiar about it that nibbled at the corner of his mind, rather than cut that thought off he flowed with it trying to remember where he had seen or heard of such writings while the meeting went on around him. (posted by charles) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - MCO Conner Tirrel - 14:41) Once Cmdr Capps & Lt Brownlee had finished with their reports, the MCO tipped his hand & offered his own input. "That`s pretty much the way it went", said Conner, "I & two of my men however did encounter some strange metamorthing effects in the interior structure of the vessel", he added as the CO looked toward him with a look that said for him to elaborate. "The deckplating became soft, spongy, our feet were going into it", said Conner, "the wall became transparent & we could see through into what lay beyond", he added. "After that, we received a comms from Lt Brownlee to say that he was bringing a team to meet us so we remained on station until they arrived", said the MCO. (Reply CO, Any, IYW) "Like I said, the rest you know", said Conner as the Captain turned to the others for further reports. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller- 14:42) "Oh my god!" Jareds eyes were glued to the screen at the transliterated message. "It was a small craft, perhaps it came from this ship. It may have been drifting here for years!" (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 14:43) Eva was listening to the briefing carefully, considering options as her officers spoke then suddenly Dr Keller interrupted. "Oh my god!" Dr. Keller said, his eyes were glued to the screen at the transliterated message. "It was a small craft, perhaps it came from this ship. It may have been drifting here for years!" "You have something to add Doctor?" Eva said evenly, turning in her chair to face her CMO. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt (jg) Jared Keller - 14:44) "You have something to add Doctor?" Jared heard the Captain say. He turned toward her and realized he must having been giving off phermones carrying the dread he was feeling as some were fighting down expressions of fear; a blessing and curse of his half-Deltan heritage. He made a concious effort to shut that down before replying. "It was on Cataris three 6 years ago where the craft crashed and survived mostly intact, the Antares had been dispatched to treat the colonists for a retrovirus and as part of their thanks they turned over the records they had recovered, it was believed the lifeboat or whatever its function had been there for some time, perhaps even years." Jared looked back at the screen for an instant, suppressing a shiver. "An investigation showed no evidence that anyone had been aboard although records appear to have been updated and it was surmised the vessel had been prepped but had been prematurely launched for some unknown reason. The ship crashed on Cataris of course and when found had enough power left to keep the data intact." (Reply: Straton) Jared tore his eyes from the screen to look back at Eva. "When translated it detailed a horrifying account of the discovery of a dead ship, some kind of organic husks were on board though no beings were discovered. The investigating team brought one back to their ship and after a short time it began to go through changes and was isolated. A few days later the boarding party began complaining of illness, it was later discovered they were beginning to undergo physiological changes they were unable to halt and this later spread to other crew members. The craft itself possessed some remarkable technology the Antares science department investigated, if I remember there was one mechanism that gave off a null energy field and they found biochemical components in the control mechanisms, far more advanced than anything we have. When Captain Drummond reported it we were told to guard the site until the SFI got there and then were reassigned. I have heard rumors since that the SFI maintains reverse-engineering teams to break down such finds." (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO - Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:44) Kyp had sat down with the other engineering officers in the Observation Lounge. He wasn't entireley sure what was going on, but he was paying close attention to understand what had happened to the ship lately. Apparently, an away team had been sent to the alien ship and experienced major trouble. He didn't like what he was hearing, but Dr. Keller seemed to know something that the others didn't. The Captain had asked him what he knew, and everyone's heads turned to face the doctor. Kyp suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach, and that danger sense of his that he had been feeling since before he finished his training at the Academy was coming back, though a lot weaker and duller than it used to. He feared that the crew was about to go through something major, and he hoped that he was wrong... (posted by Ben) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 14:45) Lt T`Vhor was in a position where he was unable to really offer anything new to the briefing. He had been on the bridge the entire away mission & whatever he had been aware of, the Captain was also. He listened intently however to the reports that were being given, logging points of interest in a PADD as he did so. As the security chief, it was of course his business to know anything that might affect the ship or crew, either now or in the imediate future & being forarmed with all of the facts of their last away mission provided him with just that. Dr Keller`s report on past events however proved most intriguing, perhaps this was something that he should discuss with the good doctor later. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 14:47) "An investigation showed no evidence that anyone had been aboard although records appear to have been updated and it was surmised the vessel had been prepped but had been prematurely launched for some unknown reason. The ship crashed on Cataris of course and when found had enough power left to keep the data intact." "And you suspect that this ship is the mother ship of that ship?" Eva asked. "When translated it detailed a horrifying account of the discovery of a dead ship, some kind of organic husks were on board though no beings were discovered. The investigating team brought one back to their ship and after a short time it began to go through changes and was isolated. A few days later the boarding party began complaining of illness, it was later discovered they were beginning to undergo physiological changes they were unable to halt and this later spread to other crew members. The craft itself possessed some remarkable technology the Antares science department investigated, if I remember there was one mechanism that gave off a null energy field and they found biochemical components in the control mechanisms, far more advanced than anything we have. When Captain Drummond reported it we were told to guard the site until the SFI got there and then were reassigned. I have heard rumors since that the SFI maintains reverse-engineering teams to break down such finds." Eva frowned at her CMO's words. She looked over at Commander Capps then Lt. Brownlee. "Did either team find anything like these husks the doctor mentioned?" She asked (Reply Capps, Brownlee) She then looked back at Dr. Keller. "Let me make sure I got this straight doctor," Eva said, "you think that the ship the Antares found came from this ship? Or from another ship that had possibly found this same ship we are currently investigating?" (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, Ensign Greg Dunn, 14:48) Greg's stomach lurched when he heard the CMO's words. Then his thoughts began to go wild. ~ What if I am a risk? The whole room might be infected. ~ Greg coughed hoarsely and fidgeted nervously. "Erm... excuse me for interupting sirs but we came into close contact with the aliens during the away mission. Hearing what happened with the crew of the mentioned vessel I am feeling somewhat concerned." Greg licked his lips out of nervousness. "The investigation team of the said infected vessel would have done a decontamination process similar to our own... Getting to the point I believe we... the away team are still a risk to the rest of the ship." Greg coughed again trying to clear his throat. "Excuse me sirs." He got up and leant agaist the replicator and ordered a glass of water. He lifted the glass out with a shaking hand and took a sip. The water calmed his nerves down a little. He then knecked the rest but for a strange reason this time the water seemed to have an odd taste. ~Maybe the replicator is out of alignment.~ He blinked and sat back down as he thought he was imagining things again. (posted by Greg) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 14:49) Lt T`Vhor watched as Ensign Dunn drank the water, his face screwing slightly at the taste of it. "Ensign Dunn does have a point sir", said T`Vhor turning to the CO. "The alien vessel might harbour contaminents our own databanks have no knowledge of, meaning that the decontamination proceedure could quite possibly have been ineffective", he added as brows began to furrow all around the table as each crewmen allowed the facts to sink in. (Reply CO, Any) "The quarantine of a good portion of our senior crew would put us at a distinct disadvantage in our current battle status", said T`Vhor, "The only alternative would be to have all away team members contact with other crewmen restricted as much as is possible to prevent cross infection, although this would still have it`s disadvantages of course", said T`Vhor. (Reply Any) Lt T`Vhor then turned to the Doctor. "Some of the effects noticed have involved changes at a cellular level Doctor", said T`Vhor, "did you find any evidence of a mutagenic virus in any of the trace scans during decontamination?" (Reply Keller) T`Vhor raised an eyebrow & noted the fact in his PADD. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:50) "Ensign Dunn does have a point sir", said T`Vhor turning to the CO. "The alien vessel might harbour contaminents our own databanks have no knowledge of, meaning that the decontamination proceedure could quite possibly have been ineffective", he added as brows began to furrow all around the table as each crewmen allowed the facts to sink in. Kyp's faced screwed up in a semi-worried, semi-thoughtful expression. ~Hmm, maybe that's the danger that I have been sensing. But it can't be very dangerous if my senses aren't going crazy about it. I think that I should mention my danger sense to the captain. I will send her a message about it later. She will know what to do...at least, I hope she will.~ "The quarantine of a good portion of our senior crew would put us at a distinct disadvantage in our current battle status", said T`Vhor, "The only alternative would be to have all away team members contact with other crewmen restricted as much as is possible to prevent cross infection, although this would still have it`s disadvantages of course", said T`Vhor. ~Wow, just think about it. An entire crew affected, and we don't even know what we're infected with. I guess we may be in trouble. Hmm, this is an interesting way to start off my career. I must not panic: "Work the problem, don't let the problem work you..." I must trust in our medical staff to do their jobs well~ Lt T`Vhor then turned to the Doctor. "Some of the effects noticed have involved changes at a cellular level Doctor", said T`Vhor, "did you find any evidence of a mutagenic virus in any of the trace scans during decontamination?" (Reply Keller) T`Vhor raised an eyebrow and then he input some info on his PADD. ~I hope no one gets hurt. I need to tell the captain about my danger sense~ Kyp thought worriedly as he continued to listen to the meeting~ (posted by Ben) (USS Paladin, Observation Lounge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 14:50) Eva's frowned deepened as her officers talked back and forth. Her mind was taking in the situation and working on possibilities. ~I certainly do NOT like the idea of just sitting around and waiting for my crew to start to mutate.~ "Gentlemen," Eva said, to get everyone attention, "it is abundantly clear that we have more answers then we do answers. The answers are waiting for us on that alien ship. I am not inclined to sit around and wait for my crew to start mutating. We will work on solving this problem while we are still able. "Doctor Keller, I want you and Ensign Me'levtel to continue to pursue the cause of this mutation and if it is indeed still present in the away team members. If so, have they already contaminated the rest of the ship? Think outside the box, as we obviously left it some time ago. I need answers. "Lt. Matrix, and Ensign Durron, you two will work the power loss problem experienced by Commander Capps team on the previous away mission. Find the cause and a way to counter it. Ensign Rathyn, as the only person to actually get a look inside one of the alien consoles, you are our best expert on the alien technology. I'll need you to work with Lt. Brownlee on working on figuring it out. "Lt. T'Vhor, and Lt. Tirrel I want a joint security and marine squad prepared to join the next away team. Lt. Tirrel, you are hereby authorized to bring out heavy ordinance if you feel it necessary. "Lt Brownlee, you and your department will work with medical and engineering as well as continue pursuing the translation of the alien language. I need your best people in each area working on the problem. "Ensign Dunn, you had started a dialogue with these aliens. I need to know if you think you can continue in that regard? Work with Commander Capps, and Ensign Knightley on working up a first contact protocol. If we can establish peaceful contact with these aliens, maybe they will have the answers we need or at lest can help us find them." Eva paused and looked around at everyone present meeting each of their gazes for a few seconds. "The next away team will leave at 0700 tomorrow morning," She continued, "This gives everyone the rest of today to pursue their various projects, and to get a good nights sleep. I need all of you at the top of your game tomorrow. Lets get to work people. Dismissed." Eva leaned back in her chair as everyone stood and started to file out of the room. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 14:51) Jared heard the two officers reply negatively to the Captains question regarding their findings on the alien ship then she turned to him. "Let me make sure I got this straight doctor," Eva said, "you think that the ship the Antares found came from this ship? Or from another ship that had possibly found this same ship we are currently investigating?" Jared looked into her eyes without wincing and said. "Yes Captain. The transliteration that is on the panel is almost identical to that which Captain Drummond showed us on the viewscreen in the Observation lounge of the Antares and to be quite honest it might very well be, that was six years ago. And everything about the situation fits, the cellular restructering Ensign Dunn was undergoing and that we are within fifty light years of Cataris 3. I also had access to the tricorder given to me by Commander Capps which showed bio chemical compounds in the controls they were scanning and the record of the power blackout that the group experienced. Gregory Dunn cleared his throat and after fidgeting, spoke. "Erm... excuse me for interupting sirs but we came into close contact with the aliens during the away mission. Hearing what happened with the crew of the mentioned vessel I am feeling somewhat concerned." Greg licked his lips out of nervousness. "The investigation team of the said infected vessel would have done a decontamination process similar to our own... Getting to the point I believe we... the away team are still a risk to the rest of the ship." Greg coughed again trying to clear his throat then fetched a glass of water from the replicator, as he was drinking it... and obviously not enjoying the taste Lt. T'Vor spoke up. "Ensign Dunn does have a point sir", said T`Vhor turning to the CO. "The alien vessel might harbour contaminents our own databanks have no knowledge of, meaning that the decontamination proceedure could quite possibly have been ineffective", he added and paused as everyone considered the problem. Jared nodded. "My thoughts exactly Lt. It could be microbial, either bacterial or viral or it could be radiation... or an energy form that we have no knowledge of. There is so much out here we have never seen that who knows what we might find... or be in danger of and it might very well have remained after the decontamination procedures." Jared looked around the table. "We don't even know if Greg is cured or if the symptoms have gone dormant, he could still easily be a carrier." Jared was suddenly glad he had made a deal with the Ensign to report if he felt any ill effects though he didn't know how much it might help. "Quarantine of anyone possibly infected would be the first step in my professional opinion." "The quarantine of a good portion of our senior crew would put us at a distinct disadvantage in our current battle status", replied T`Vhor, "The only alternative would be to have all away team members contact with other crewmen restricted as much as is possible to prevent cross infection, although this would still have it`s disadvantages of course". "I would also recommend a scan of the air circulation mechanisms." Jared said, "If it's an airborne microbe we're going to have to isolate it." Lt T`Vhor then turned to Jared. "Some of the effects noticed have involved changes at a cellular level Doctor", said T`Vhor, "did you find any evidence of a mutagenic virus in any of the trace scans during decontamination?" "No I did not Mr. T'Vor.", Jared said. "I only noted the accumulating changes in Mr. Dunns biological structure that were the result of some sort of mutagen, Carmethzine gas seemed to have a beneficial effect but I couldn't be sure under the circumstances. It's possible it could have been a number of circumstances or as I said it may have gone dormant." Jared then looked around as Lt. T'Vor made some notes on his PADD. (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller, 14:53) After a while of the subject being debated the Captain broke in on their thoughts. "Gentlemen, it is abundantly clear that we have more questions then we do answers. The answers are waiting for us on that alien ship. I am not inclined to sit around and wait for my crew to start mutating. We will work on solving this problem while we are still able. "Doctor Keller, I want you and Ensign Me'levtel to continue to pursue the cause of this mutation and if it is indeed still present in the away team members. If so, have they already contaminated the rest of the ship? Think outside the box, as we obviously left it some time ago. I need answers. "Lt. Matrix, and Ensign Durron, you two will work the power loss problem experienced by Commander Capps team on the previous away mission. Find the cause and a way to counter it. Ensign Rathyn, as the only person to actually get a look inside one of the alien consoles, you are our best expert on the alien technology. I'll need you to work with Lt. Brownlee on working on figuring it out. "Lt. T'Vhor, and Lt. Tirrel I want a joint security and marine squad prepared to join the next away team. Lt. Tirrel, you are hereby authorized to bring out heavy ordinance if you feel it necessary. "Lt Brownlee, you and your department will work with medical and engineering as well as continue pursuing the translation of the alien language. I need your best people in each area working on the problem. "Ensign Dunn, you had started a dialogue with these aliens. I need to know if you think you can continue in that regard? Work with Commander Capps, and Ensign Knightley on working up a first contact protocol. If we can establish peaceful contact with these aliens, maybe they will have the answers we need or at lest can help us find them." Eva paused and looked around at everyone present meeting each of their gazes for a few seconds. "The next away team will leave at 0700 tomorrow morning," She continued, "This gives everyone the rest of today to pursue their various projects, and to get a good nights sleep. I need all of you at the top of your game tomorrow. Lets get to work people. Dismissed." Jared nodded and got up then moved toward the Andorian he had not had a chance to get aquainted with yet and held out his hand with a smile. "What a way to get welcomed to the ship ay? Welcome to the medical department of the Paladin Ensign Me'levtel, come with me and I'll get you set up, we have a lot of work to do." (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Conference Room - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1454) After Calvin had reported in what information he had the stick continued to move around the table in no apparent order. One officer spoke and another responded or told reported a different report. After a few minutes Dr. Keller believed that he was on to something. Something that he could remember. He let everyone in on the information and a discussion started to roll. During the discussion the First Officer pretty much stayed quiet. At the time there wasn't to much to say or ask. He simply needed to get the facts from the Dr's story. He keyed in a few important part into his PADD as well did Lt. T'Vhor Calvin could tell. The discussion continued on and the conclusion seemed to be only after a few minutes is that the decontamination chamber might not have worked, but it could have. The crew simply did not know for sure. Calvin looked toward the Captain. "What good is a ship with out a crew. I believe we should do whatever is necessary to solve and cure this. If we are affected at all of course." (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Observation Room - OPS Ensign Elizabeth Knightley - 1455) Elizabeth stayed seated pretty much in the far back of the table. She continued to listen to the reports and the discussion that had started about the Dr.'s information. She was waiting for the right time to offer something if she could. "Sir I could try to look up the records for the Antares and see how much information I can get?" Dr. Keller seemed to have remembered quite a bit about the ship and the affected officers of the incident he was telling, but Ensign Knightley thought that too much information couldn't hurt any one at this moment. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 14:55) As Doctor Keller discussed the virus with the captian and FO, Alura leaned nearer to Steve Matrix. "Chief if we could analyze data from the Antares CEO's encounter with the small craft and compare them to the tricorder data we took in from the alien ship, we might be able to find out if the two ships have similar technologies which would tell us if they were made by the same civilization." (Reply: Matrix) "I was able to get a good look inside one of the computer stations," she told him. "This alien technology was not wholly different from ours, but they had a few interesting little gadgets we don't have." (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CEO LT JG Steven Matrix - 14:55) As Doctor Keller discussed the virus with the captain and FO, Alura leaned nearer to Steve Matrix. "Chief if we could analyze data from the Antares CEO's encounter with the small craft and compare them to the tricorder data we took in from the alien ship, we might be able to find out if the two ships have similar technologies which would tell us if they were made by the same civilization." "That's a good idea Ensign. Where you able to get any glimpses into the alien technology?" Matrix leaned back in his chair while putting down the PADD here was reviewing. "I was able to get a good look inside one of the computer stations," she told him. "This alien technology was not wholly different from ours, but they had a few interesting little gadgets we don't have." Matrix sat back up, "What kind of gadgets? You know me, I love gadgets." (posted by Steve) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 14:55) As Doctor Keller discussed the virus with the captain and FO, Alura leaned nearer to Steve Matrix. "Chief if we could analyze data from the Antares CEO's encounter with the small craft and compare them to the tricorder data we took in from the alien ship, we might be able to find out if the two ships have similar technologies which would tell us if they were made by the same civilization." "That's a good idea Ensign. Where you able to get any glimpses into the alien technology?" Matrix leaned back in his chair while putting down the PADD here was reviewing. "I was able to get a good look inside one of the computer stations," she told him. "This alien technology was not wholly different from ours, but they had a few interesting little gadgets we don't have." Matrix sat back up, "What kind of gadgets? You know me, I love gadgets." "I scanned something that seemed to be an EM relay module connected to the central processors," Rathyn told him. "Didn't know what it was at first, but I remember the electro-magnetic wave pattern was very unusual. It's only a guess, but I would say its basic purpose would be for faster I/O exchange." (Reply Matrix) "I was able to get a fairly thorough scan of that one computer station in the time we were there," she said. "It might be possible to extrapolate more of the aliens' technology using that data." (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:55) The captain had just dismissed the meeting, and it was Kyp's and Lt. Matrix's job to work on the power loss problem experienced on the alien ship. Kyp wasn't there when that happened, so he mentally prepped himself for a major run over on the specifics of what happened on the alien ship. Ensign Alura was speaking to the Lt., so Kyp decided to hang back for a few minutes until they finished talking. Once they were finished, he walked up to Lt. Matrix and asked, "Sir, when would you like to begin working on our assignment from the captain?" (reply Matrix) "Understood, sir." (posted by Ben) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CEO LT. JG Steven Matrix - 14:55) The captain had just dismissed the meeting, and it was Kyp's and Lt. Matrix's job to work on the power loss problem experienced on the alien ship. Kyp wasn't there when that happened, so he mentally prepped himself for a major run over on the specifics of what happened on the alien ship. Ensign Alura was speaking to the Lt., so Kyp decided to hang back for a few minutes until they finished talking. Once they were finished, he walked up to Lt. Matrix and asked, "Sir, when would you like to begin working on our assignment from the captain?" Matrix was still processing all of the information when he noticed Ensign Durron approach them. Matrix turned his attention to the young Ensign. "I think as soon as we can get the engineering teams together to go over the assignment and get a good look, as a team, on this alien technology. Obviously you're going to be vital to this engineering effort." "Understood, sir." - Ensign Durron replied. Matrix looked at his now ever present PADD, "I'll schedule an engineering team meeting shortly. Check your schedules within the hour for assignments. In the mean time I'm heading to my office." Matrix smiled at the Ensign and made his way to main engineering. (posted by Steve) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 14:55) As Doctor Keller discussed the virus with the captain and FO, Alura leaned nearer to Steve Matrix. "Chief if we could analyze data from the Antares CEO's encounter with the small craft and compare them to the tricorder data we took in from the alien ship, we might be able to find out if the two ships have similar technologies which would tell us if they were made by the same civilization." "That's a good idea Ensign. Where you able to get any glimpses into the alien technology?" Matrix leaned back in his chair while putting down the PADD he was reviewing. "I was able to get a good look inside one of the computer stations," she told him. "This alien technology was not wholly different from ours, but they had a few interesting little gadgets we don't have." Matrix sat back up, "What kind of gadgets? You know me, I love gadgets." "I scanned something that seemed to be an EM relay module connected to the central processors," Rathyn told him. "Didn't know what it was at first, but I remember the electro-magnetic wave pattern was very unusual. It's only a guess, but I would say its basic purpose would be for faster I/O exchange." Matrix was intrigued by Rathyn's observation, "Well our task is to figure out the power systems on that alien ship, we should pick a system we find familiar and start there." The Ensign continued, "I was able to get a fairly thorough scan of that one computer station in the time we were there," she said. "It might be possible to extrapolate more of the aliens' technology using that data." "Get to engineering, pull any thing you need and tell astrometrics we need to use the primary scanners for the next few hours. I'd like to get a complete analysis using the ships scanners too. Dig into what you can with the manual scans. Use any resources you need. I'll meet you in engineering shortly. I think Ensign Durron wants to chat." Matrix was still processing all of the information when he noticed Ensign Durron approach them. Matrix turned his attention to the young Ensign... (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign Zack Tristen - 1456) Zack sat beside the new officer Ensign Durron. As both of them listened in to the conference meeting there was not a lot of information Ensign Tristen could give. He was not part of the away mission and he wasn't apart of Dr. Keller's crew on the Antares about 6 years ago. "The Engineering department was preparing to analyze the shuttles the away teams had taken over, but we were unable to begin. If we can get in there under the Dr.'s OK of course, that might be able to answer some questions?" (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - CONN Lt. Max - 1457) Max wasn't siting in the back, but he wasn't siting in the front either. He more or less was right in the middle of the table. His position on the ship was important just like all the others on the ship, but his rank is what gets him closer to the front. Max was very proud of his rank, but lately he hasn't really felt like he has done anything to have deserved it. He listened into the conference meeting, but Max had nothing to contribute. He wasn't on duty when the away team went over, he wasn't on the away team, and he did not have any current duties with the alien vessel at all. He wanted to help and contribute, but at the time he did not know exactly what that could be. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Conference Room - CMO, Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 1457) After Jareds talk with Lt. T'Vor a good discussion of their next moves kicked into gear following closely on the heels of Lt. Commander Capps short discussion with the Captain. (Reply: Straton) A young woman from OPS named Knightly was the next to speak up. "Sir I could try to look up the records for the Antares and see how much information I can get?" Jared smiled slightly over at her and nodded. "It should be listed in the database and readily accessible unless the SFI classified it but it would certainly be worth the attempt. Check stardate 2401.03 I believe" Jared said. "Toward the end of the month." (Reply: Knightly iyw) He then looked toward an Engineering officer who spoke up. "The Engineering department was preparing to analyze the shuttles the away teams had taken over, but we were unable to begin. If we can get in there under the Dr.'s OK of course, that might be able to answer some questions?" That was another good question. "As long as they use proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) under the circumstances I would allow it Captain." Jared said after looking over at Eva. (Reply: Straton) "I believe a fully self-contained environmental suit would be called for Ensign Tristen." He finished with a nod toward the ACEO. Jared noticed that two of the other engineers were putting their heads together over the problem being discussed. (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor 14:57) "Lt. T'Vhor, and Lt. Tirrel I want a joint security and marine squad prepared to join the next away team.", said the CO "Lt. Tirrel, you are hereby authorized to bring out heavy ordinance if you feel it necessary." Lt T`Vhor looked to the MCO & raised an eyebrow in typical Vulcan manner at the captains orders. Then he turned to face the Captain. "Sir, if we are called into battle whilst we have away teams on a possible hostile vessel, past experience has told us that we will not be able to recall them at will", said T`Vhor. "We may also lose comms as before", he added. (Reply CO) "Understood sir", said T`Vhor as he made more notes into his PADD as the Captain went around the table with subsequent orders. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:57) "Sir, when would you like to begin working on our assignment from the captain?" Kyp asked Lt. Matrix. "I think as soon as we can get the engineering teams together to go over the assignment and get a good look, as a team, on this alien technology. Obviously you're going to be vital to this engineering effort." "Understood, sir," Ensign Durron replied. Matrix looked at his PADD, "I'll schedule an engineering team meeting shortly. Check your schedules within the hour for assignments. In the mean time I'm heading to my office." Matrix smiled at the Ensign and made his way to main engineering. After the Lt. had left, Kyp headed back to his quarters to clean up and get a bite to eat. He didn't really feel like going down to ten-forward, so he went to his quarters. (USS Paladin - Crew Quarters - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 15:01) The first thing Kyp did when he went into his quarters was to take off his dirty uniform. He did not enjoy sitting in a meeting and making the place smell bad. After his shower he went to the replicator and asked for a bowl of chicken soup and salad. He was so happy to eat a meal after so many hours, and he savored every bite, though he ate quickly. Once he had finished his meal, he began looking over the schematics of the ship, since he was one of the engineers. He began to grow a little worried about what would happen to the crew as he was sitting at his terminal, because he still felt that little tingle from his danger sense. He decided not to raise a fuss about it, until he understood what his sense really did. ~Hmm, I wonder if I should go down to engineering or stay here. I guess I should stay here and take a break for a few minutes. I feel like I've walked a thousand kilometers.~ Kyp laid down on his bed and listened to some music as he waited for the message naming the time of the engineering staff meeting and read some technical manuals on the ship. (posted by Ben) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 14:58) With the meeting over, Kyp sat for about a minute to think over what he had heard at the meeting. Everything seemed to be a blur to him. He had come to a meeting after flying to save his life and the life of another person, and then found that the ship he was on was dealing with a potentially dangerous situation with an unknown alien species. He headed to his quarters to think his situation over. (USS Paladin - Crew Quarters - ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron - 15:02) The first thing that Kyp did when he went to his quarters was take a shower. He had dried sweat all over his body and he just felt filthy. After his shower, he had a small meal. He was starving, but he didn't really feel like eating after what he had heard happen to the away team on the alien ship. He just ate a bowl of chicken soup and had a drink of water. Feeling refreshed now, he sat down to send a message to the captain detailing his danger sense. His message read: "Sir, I have a danger sense that I obtained in an accident when I was sixteen years old from a subspace disturbance during flight training. The sense is normally a sharp jab in my mind that acts as a reflex to incoming danger (i.e. jumping out of the way of phaser fire that I never see coming). But ever sense I arrived on the ship, the sense has been dull, yet constant. I fear that the ship may be in danger, and I just thought that you ought to know about my sense. It's very useful at times, and I didn't think you would have time to read my personel file to read about it, though the doctor would. ACEO Ensign (jg) Kyp Durron)" He thought that the letter was straight to the point, and was pretty pleased with it, and sent it off to the Captain. (reply Straton) He then set off to Engineering to check in with the CEO and find out what he needed to do, seeing as the department was probably about to get really busy. (posted by Ben) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1500) "The next away team will leave at 0700 tomorrow morning," She continued, "This gives everyone the rest of today to pursue their various projects, and to get a good nights sleep. I need all of you at the top of your game tomorrow. Lets get to work people. Dismissed." Calvin was tired himself and he knew that the other team members had to be tired as well. He also felt like he was about to starve to death. He needed something to eat. Almost anything sounded good at this point. The Captain said her last words and dismissed the senior crew and everyone began to talk amongst themselves. "Aye Sir." Calvin first said toward the Captain. He stood up and walked over to Ensign Dunn. Lt. Cmdr Capps really surprised himself when he went to Greg first. He was sure of himself that he would have talked to Elizabeth first instead. "Ensign we have some work to do, and I am hungry. Do you mind joining me for a byte to eat as we talk about our assignment. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1500) Greg was surprised when the Lt Commander approached him. "Ensign we have some work to do, and I am hungry. Do you mind joining me for a byte to eat as we talk about our assignment." This surprised Greg even more but not as much as Ensign Knightley, as she walked accross to them with a look of annoyance. "Hello Ensign Dunn, Lt. Cmdr Capps," she said as she held her hands together behind her back. "I am glad that everyone made it back safely." She looked at Greg and Capps. "Hopefully anyway." Greg smiled to the best of his ability and he didn't find the joke funny. Somthing in his stomach lurched and he grimmaced slightly. "Thank you Ensign Knightley," Calvin said. "I was asking Ensign Dunn here if he would join me for a bite to eat while we talked over our assignment. I was sure that you would say yes." "I would love to join you two." Elizabeth said. Greg smiled again and began to feel somewhat uneasy. He looked at Capps. "Sure... why not," He looked at Elizabeth. "More the merrier and we can discuss the work ahead." The last part however was not in Federation Standard. He coughed and went slightly red. "Sorry... I meant to say: More the merrier and we can discuss the work ahead." ~What is going on? ~ (posted by Greg) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 15:00) As the senior crew filed from the room, Lt T`Vhor stood & stretched his limbs looking to Ensign Dunn as he did so. He felt for the guy, he looked as though he`d gone through hell but he seemed to perk up when approached by the FO for a bite to eat. T`Vhor picked up his PADD from the desk & then he followed the others from the room. Where everyone else was now going, he had no idea but he was going to freshen up & then get to work on liasing with the MCO on the upcoming mission. The thought of breaking out the heavy ordinance however caused T`Vhor to wonder a little. As a crew, they had seen a lot over the last few days & the thought of another pitched battle involving the Marines & their sometimes overzealous use of heavy artiliary filled him with nothing but memories of Cardassians carpet bombing Bajor in his resistance days. Whatever was to happen on the Alien vessel however would probably be more interesting than being stuck on the bridge & T`Vhor was looking forward to seeing the thing first hand & up close as he stepped into the turbolift & casually scanned through the data that had been automatically uplinked to his PADD from the last away mission. Almost as an afterthought, T`Vhor thought that he needed a workout to prepare himself, he made a mental note to book some time in the holodeck later that evening to do so as the doors slid shut & the lift began it`s decent. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Lt. Cmdr Capps & Ensign Knightley - 1501) Ensign Knightley bobed her head when the Captain was finished. She looked over at Calvin and watched him comming her way, but he actually headed toward Ensign Dunn instead. ~What~ Elizabeth thought. But she knew and reminded herself that Calvin was the First Officer, and that sometimes he had other things that needed to get done first. ~He must be talking to him about our objective.~ She was also assigned to the assignment by Captain Lowell so she walked over to Ensign Dunn and Lt. Cmdr Capps. "Hello Ensign Dunn, Lt. Cmdr Capps," she said as she held her hands together behind her back. "I am glad that everyone made it back safely." She looked at the two men. "Hopefully anyway." She tried to make a small joke, but knew the situation wasn't a funny matter at all. Mutating personel wasn't funny at all. (reply Greg) "Thank you Ensign Knightley," Calvin said in a professional manner. He knew when it was time to be professional and when it was ok to show the relationship between the two. "I was asking Ensign Dunn here if he would join me for a byte to eat while we talked over our assignment. I was sure that you would say yes." Calvin said bordering the professional and relationship line. "I would love to join you two." Elizabeth said. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Turbolift - CMO Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 15:01) "Ehh it could have been better, and thank you sir" Shran said as they walked to the turbolift. "So how long have you been with the Paladin?" He asked cheerfully. Jareds brow wrinkled a bit at the question as he stepped onto the lift. "Time seems to have blurred a bit on me, I'd say about six months now." The lift doors closed and he said. "Deck 13." (Reply: Shram) "Our first order of business will be to get you assigned to an office then we need to set our plan of attack on this mutagenic problem. I want you to go over the scans from the Biohazard chambers on deck 15 and see if you can come up with any abnormal readings." (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Turbolift - ACMO Ens. (jg) Shran Melev'tel - 15:01) Jareds brow wrinkled a bit at the question as he stepped onto the lift. "Time seems to have blurred a bit on me, I'd say about six months now." The lift doors closed and he said. "Deck 13." "Interesting" he said calmly. ~I only wish I could stay here just as long or even longer~ he didn't say much until they arrived to sickbay. "Our first order of business will be to get you assigned to an office then we need to set our plan of attack on this mutagenic problem. We will go over the scans from the Biohazard chambers on deck 15 first and see if we can come up with any reasons for the abnormal readings." Shran looked around "Sir the office can wait, I think it's more important we go over those scans first." Shran had always been a work first then play kind of person, even as a child he would never play with his friend unless he completed his work first. He hoped he hadn't already made a bad impression on his senior officer. (posted by Justin) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1502) "Sorry... I meant to say: More the merrier and we can discuss the work ahead." "Great," Calvin said. "I will see you both around 1600 hrs?" It seemed a little early to be eating, but the his stomach could no longer handle the pain. It felt as if it was eating it self. (reply Greg, Knightley) Calvin turned away from the two officers and walked out of the Observation Lounge. He really needed to get out of his clothes, and take a shower. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Observation Lounge - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1502) "Great," Calvin said. "I will see you both around 1600 hrs?" Greg smiled at Calvin and agreed. It was a bit early but it didn't matter. "Certainly sir." Greg said. Greg watched the FO turn and leave he turned briefly to Knightley. "See you at 1600." He turned on his heels and walked out of the door. (posted by Greg) (USS Paladin - Deck 13 - CMO Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 15:02) Shran looked around as the lift stopped "Sir the office can wait, I think it's more important we go over those scans first." Jared looked at him as the doors opened then turned and stepped out while speaking over his shoulder. "Very well then but don't push yourself too hard, after we go over the scans and come up with a plan of attack we'll take care of the matter, since you're new on board it's important to get you acclimatized to your new setting as quickly as possible." ~That's just what Talinna would say anyway, he'll be all right as long as he stays busy.~ (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Sickbay - CMO Lt. (jg) Jared Keller - 15:04) The walk to sickbay didn't take long and Jared whisked through the doors with his new ACMO on his heels, the on-duty nurse smiled as she saw him come in and nodded then headed his way with a PADD. "Sir I have a new patient here with flu-like symptoms, her scans were just finished and I was about to administer some Tropoline and send her back to her quarters." Jared stopped and looked over the PADD quickly and noticed the symptoms were symptomatic of a flu like virus, elevated fever, high white cell count, body aches and upper respiratory inflammation. "Proceed nurse Felton but I want a follow-up done tommorrow morning." "Yes Doctor." She smiled at Shran. Jared held onto the PADD and said. This is our ACMO Shran Me'levtel, nurse Felton, Shran you will be seeing a lot of Clarice and Dr. Maybrey when he comes on duty. I'll introduce you then. Follow me." (Reply: Shran) Jared entered his office and walked to the desk and said. "Computer display scans from Biohazard containment facilities on Deck 15 for today from the instant beam-in commenced until the system was shut down. I want full life signs, radiation, and micro organism signs as well as any unusual energy readings. On holo." The display appeared above the desk in muted blues and greens with the data on each crew members life signs appearing in exquisite detail, Ensign Dunn was the exception as his cellular structure at beam in was in red, the variant life signs setting off the alarms which caused his secondary beaming into an isolated chamber. "Now let's see what we have here." Jared muttered. (posted by Charles) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:05) Joran stared at the screen completely baffled at the text that appeared before him. Even though the computer was translating it word for word as it went along, ithad gone only partway through and this language was full of idioms. He couldn't make heads or tails of it. Then he thought of something. He tapped his commbadge. "Lieutenant Brownlee to Ensign Kaito." (reply Kaito) "Ensign Kaito, will you please report to my office?" (reply Kaito) "Very good. Brownlee out." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - Main Engineering - Rathyn - 15.07) ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn had been sitting in front of a readout screen for a long time looking over a variety of specification readouts derived from her tricorder scans of the alien computer station. The Paladin's computer had taken her raw data and broken it down into a a large spread of options: spectrographic, EM band, processing capacity and more. =^= Ensign Dunn to engineering. Can someone run a diagnostic on the shower in my quarters.=^= "Ensign Rathyn, here," the Bajoran woman called back into the comm. "What's the problem?" =^=It seems to be running hot, =^= the young said sounding more than a little flustered. Her brows raised, creating small ripples around the slight brow-ridges of her Cardassian parentage. For a moment she was tempted to pass the request on to one of the techs but sympathy for Dunn's condition, which was caused by his bizarre encounter with the creatures on the alien ship, moved her to take a direct hand in this small matter. "One moment, I'll check it." She put the alien specs on standby as her slender fingers swept across the panel before her, and called up the diagnostic subsystems then directed a quick check environmental check in Dunn's quarters. "Ensign Dunn," Rathyn said after brief moments. "Everything looks good down here. I've reset the computer to regulate the water temperature according to your body heat. That should make it comfortable. You can tell the computer to readjust the temperature to your liking. Rathyn out." She turned her attention back to the former task but had no sooner revived the alien specs when another voice interrupted her. =^=Lt. Brownlee to Ensign Rathyn.=^= "Rathyn here, lieutenant" the engineer answered. =^=I'm ready to help you with the alien technological readouts. If it would be better, I'll come to engineering, if that's what you think is necessary.=^= "That won't be necessary sir," Rathyn said. "I'll be right there." (Reply Brownlee) "On my way. Rathyn out." She shut down the readout files and climbed from her chair briskly. The muscles in her legs and hips protested the sudden movement which made her hesitate. "Must've been sitting longer than I thought," she said and moved toward the exit, walking the soreness from her shapely lower body. (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:08) When the door chimed, Joran answered with a very automated response. "Come in," he said. (reply Kaito) "Ah, Ensign Kaito, just who I wanted to see. I know that you're very good at interpreting idioms once they've been translated into English, am I correct?" (reply Kaito) "Well then, take a look at this." He flipped around the screen to show the young ensign the log in its semi-translated form. (reply Kaito) "I'll leave you to it then." Joran tapped his commbadge. "Lt. Brownlee to Ensign Rathyn." (reply Rathyn) "I'm ready to help you with the alien technological readouts. If it would be better, I'll come to engineering, if that's what you think is necessary." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:09) Joran tapped his commbadge. "Lt. Brownlee to Ensign Rathyn." =/\=Rathyn here, lieutenant=/\= the engineer answered. "I'm ready to help you with the alien technological readouts. If it would be better, I'll come to engineering, if that's what you think is necessary." =/\=That won't be necessary sir,=/\= Rathyn said. =/\=I'll be right there.=/\= "Very well. I'll expect you here in a few minutes, Ensign," Joran replied. =/\=On my way. Rathyn out.=/\= Joran tapped his communicator again to close the channel. He turned to Ensign Kaito. "Ensign, would you mind taking this back to your workstation? Ensign Rathyn and I will be needing to use the computer console you're working at." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - FO's Quarters - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1510) Calvin had arrived in his room, and instantly a sense of home poured on to his soul. He saw all of his familiar things. His books, music sheets, and favorite paintings. Before he proceeded to the bath he walked up to his most favorite painting of all. It was old, but it was an amazing site Calvin thought. Lt. Cmdr Capps stared at Picasso's work, 'Man with a Pipe.' He thought it was just a perfect reality of life. Colorful, confusing, but your can always make out at least a little bit of what is going on. He always believed if you focused hard enough you can see the what the reality is. That is how it worked with the painting. You have to stay focused to be able to see the man with the pipe. After Calvin had boosted his own morale up a little he made his way to the bath. He wasted no time. He was dirty and hungry. 1600 hrs could not come any faster. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15:11) Alura buzzed the door to Brownlee's office and entered at his bidding. She saw another officer in the room she didn't recognize and nodded to him as she approached the Chief Science Officer's desk. "Sir," she said, straightaway, anxious to get the official acknowledgements out of the way and start on the business at hand. (Reply: Brownlee) She called up a Bajoran beverage from the replicator then followed the lieutenant to the terminal he'd indicated. "I've been perusing some of the data from the Antares pertaining to that small ship Dr. Keller mentioned. The technology seems to be very similar to what we found aboard OUR alien ship." (Reply: Brownlee) "With what little we have," she told him, "it's difficult to say if we're looking at two ships built by the same people or not. The technology and the overall design would suggest they are. But no reliable conclusions can be drawn until we've combed through that ship more." (Reply: Brownlee) "Right now we don't know what drives that ship outside or the one encountered by the Antares," Rathyn said. "We've gotten no reading of anti-matter from the large ship, and the Antares CEO stated in his logs that he couldn't figure out what kind of FTL-drive, if any, the small ship had. He stated some of it's technology was similar to ours but there are significant differences. I couldn't go into my research as deeply as I wanted because of high security protocols." (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:12) As Ensign Kaito was starting to head out, the door chime was rung. "Come in," Joran said. Ensign Alura Rathyn stepped in. "Sir," she said. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ensign." (reply Rathyn) As soon as she had finished ordering her drink from the replicator, he indicated to her to the terminal at his desk. "I've been perusing some of the data from the Antares pertaining to that small ship Dr. Keller mentioned. The technology seems to be very similar to what we found aboard OUR alien ship." "Yes, Dr. Keller said he had seen similar technology, and the language also seemed familiar to him. Do you think that these ships were built by the same people?" "With what little we have," she said, "it's difficult to say if we're looking at two ships built by the same people or not. The technology and the overall design would suggest they are. But no reliable conclusions can be drawn until we've combed through that ship more." "Did you find out anything about its propulsion? That seems to be the most mysterious subject in the entire ship." "Right now we don't know what drives that ship outside or the one encountered by the Antares. We've gotten no reading of anti-matter from the large ship, and the Antares CEO stated in his logs that he couldn't figure out what kind of FTL-drive, if any, the small ship had. He stated some of it's technology was similar to ours but there are significant differences. I couldn't go into my research as deeply as I wanted because of high security protocols." "Well, let's see if we can get into the ship schematics." (reply Rathyn) Joran pressed a few buttons, and entered a few passwords. The screen changed to a set of schematics that were in the same foreign language as before. "Okay. We have it transliterated and a dictionary. Let's see if we can't find a translation for 'propulsion system.'" He pressed a few more buttons and the translation matrix popped up. He typed in the words, and the matrix spat back "Kara en Meste." "Of course, another idiom." (reply Rathyn) "Ah, this language is riddled with idioms. A direct translation of this phrase would be 'journey-maker.' Oh well, let's go with it." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - Personal Quarters - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1515) Greg peeled the sticky uniform off his body and a waft of body odur hit his nostrels. "MAAAN I SMELL BAD!" He exclaimed to himself. He quickly undressed and got a shower. The water seemed to burn and he screamed and jumed out. "Computer what is wrong with the shower." He balled at the computer. "The shower is running at normal parameters." Came the automated reply. Greg tapped his comm badge. =/\= Ensign Dunn to engineering. Can someone run a diagnostic on the shower in my quarters... it seems to be running hot. =/\= (Reply Any in Engineering) Shrugging he washed himself in the sink and still despite the water being cold it felt warm to his skin. "I have had a strange day." He mumbled to himself. Greg grabbed a fresh uniform and pulled it on. After adding the neccessary pieces to the uniform he looked at himself in the mirror briefly before leaving for ten forward. (posted by Greg) (USS Paladin - CSO's Office - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15:15) As Ensign Kaito was starting to head out, the door chime was rung. "Come in," Joran said. Ensign Alura Rathyn stepped in. "Sir," she said. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ensign." "All in a day's work sir," Rathyn replied. As soon as she had finished ordering her drink from the replicator, he indicated to her to the terminal at his desk. "I've been perusing some of the data from the Antares pertaining to that small ship Dr. Keller mentioned," Rathyn said very matter-of-factly as she moved abruptly into the business. "The technology seems to be very similar to what we found aboard OUR alien ship." "Yes, Dr. Keller said he had seen similar technology, and the language also seemed familiar to him. Do you think that these ships were built by the same people?" "With what little we have," she said, "it's difficult to say if we're looking at two ships built by the same people or not. The technology and the overall design would suggest they are. But no reliable conclusions can be drawn until we've combed through that ship more." "Did you find out anything about its propulsion? That seems to be the most mysterious subject in the entire ship." "Right now we don't know what drives that ship outside or the one encountered by the Antares. We've gotten no reading of anti-matter from the large ship, and the Antares CEO stated in his logs that he couldn't figure out what kind of FTL-drive, if any, the small ship had. He stated some of it's technology was similar to ours but there are significant differences. I couldn't go into my research as deeply as I wanted because of high security protocols." "Well, let's see if we can get into the ship schematics." "Rank hath its privileges," Ensign Rathyn murmured, remembering a time, not so long ago, when she wore a lieutenant's pip on her collar. "And makes it easier to get one's job done." Joran pressed a few buttons, and entered a few passwords. The screen changed to a set of schematics that were in the same foreign language as before. "Okay. We have it transliterated and a dictionary. Let's see if we can't find a translation for 'propulsion system.'" He pressed a few more buttons and the translation matrix popped up. He typed in the words, and the matrix spat back "Kara en Meste." "Of course, another idiom." Rathyn cocked an eyebrow at him. "You say that as if you've encountered a lot of them." "Ah, this language is riddled with idioms. A direct translation of this phrase would be 'journey-maker.' Oh well, let's go with it." "Sounds like an inefficient way to talk, but then again I'm not a philologist," Rathyn mused as Brownlee's fingers moved across the panel before them once again. More of the strange idiomatic verbage appeared. (Reply Brownlee) "This looks like a menu of some kind," Rathyn observed. "You know more about this language than I do, but I suggest we go down the list one selection at a time." (Reply Brownlee) The computer rewarded them with a schematic readout of some kind and more gibberish. Rathyn studied the screen carefully, quietly for several minutes as she tried to make out a familiar reference. Finally her accented brow ridges lifted slightly and she leaned back in the chair slowly. Her slender index finger ran down a spiraling line near the upper left corner. "This piece marked 'light-racers' could be an induction coil running between two switches." Her tongue stumbled a bit over the odd reference. (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Deck 7, CSO's Office - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 15:17) "Well, let's see if we can get into the ship schematics." "Rank hath its privileges," Ensign Rathyn murmured, remembering a time, not so long ago, when she wore a lieutenant's pip on her collar. "And makes it easier to get one's job done." Joran pressed a few buttons, and entered a few passwords. The screen changed to a set of schematics that were in the same foreign language as before. "Okay. We have it transliterated and a dictionary. Let's see if we can't find a translation for 'propulsion system.'" He pressed a few more buttons and the translation matrix popped up. He typed in the words, and the matrix spat back "Kara en Meste." "Of course, another idiom." Rathyn cocked an eyebrow at him. "You say that as if you've encountered a lot of them." "Ah, this language is riddled with idioms. A direct translation of this phrase would be 'journey-maker.' Oh well, let's go with it." "Sounds like an inefficient way to talk, but then again I'm not a philologist," Rathyn mused as Brownlee's fingers moved across the panel before them once again. More of the strange idiomatic verbage appeared. "All right. Here's what we've got," Joran said. "The first choice seems vaguely related to the warp nacelles," he said, indicating the choice marked liquid-light storer. "This looks like a menu of some kind," Rathyn observed. "You know more about this language than I do, but I suggest we go down the list one selection at a time." "I agree." The computer rewarded them with a schematic readout of some kind and more gibberish. Rathyn studied the screen carefully, quietly for several minutes as she tried to make out a familiar reference. Finally her accented brow ridges lifted slightly and she leaned back in the chair slowly. Her slender index finger ran down a spiraling line near the upper left corner. "This piece marked 'light-racers' could be an induction coil running between two switches." Her tongue stumbled a bit over the odd reference. "That may be true. Let me cross-reference it with other known propulsion systems." (reply Rathyn) After a few minutes, to Joran's great surprise, there was a similar system known to the Federation. "Have you seen this configuration before?" Joran asked. (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - CSO's Office - ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn - 15:25) "All right. Here's what we've got," Joran said. "The first choice seems vaguely related to the warp nacelles," he said, indicating the choice marked liquid-light storer. "This looks like a menu of some kind," Rathyn observed. "You know more about this language than I do, but I suggest we go down the list one selection at a time." "I agree." The computer rewarded them with a schematic readout of some kind and more gibberish. Rathyn studied the screen carefully, quietly for several minutes as she tried to make out a familiar reference. Finally her accented brow ridges lifted slightly and she leaned back in the chair slowly. Her slender index finger ran down a spiraling line near the upper left corner. "This piece marked 'light-racers' could be an induction coil running between two switches." Her tongue stumbled a bit over the odd reference. "That may be true. Let me cross-reference it with other known propulsion systems." After a few minutes, to Joran's great surprise, there was a similar system known to the Federation. "Have you seen this configuration before?" Joran asked. Rathyn looked it over a moment then nodded. "Old-style warp inducer module. That model is a hundred years old in Federation technology. Specific models varied somewhat but it was pretty standard in most warp-capable civilizations in the Alpha Quadrant: Romulans, Klingons, Orions. They stopped using it at the introduction of transwarp drive. The design doesn't match the alien ship exactly but I'm a little disappointed we didn't find something at least equal to our level of technology now." Then as an afterthought, "but appearances can be decieving. Any thoughts?" (posted by David) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - MCO Conner Tirrel - 15:30) Conner was kind of glad to get back into his office, with the meeting now concluded he now sat with his feet up onto the table, his eyes closed after just completing a report to send back to Marine HQ. The knock upon the door however startled him from the few moments he had spent relaxing. ~Damn, no rest for the wicked~ "Come", said Conner recomposing himself in his chair & placing his feet back under his table as a young Marine entered through the door. "Hyde", said Conner remembering that he`s asked the Marine to come see him soon. "Philip", he added correcting himself in order to make the marine feel more relaxed by the use of his first name. "At ease son, take a seat", said Conner as he removed a small flask of genuine scotch whiskey from the drawer at his side. Opening it up, he then took a glass & poured a small amount of the fluid into it before pointing the bottle towards Hyde. "Drink?", he asked as the uncomfortable looking Marine sat back into his seat. (Reply Hyde) Conner took a sip of the drink in his hand, closing his eyes apreciatedly as he did so before placing the glass onto the table again. "So, do you want to update me on the reasoning behind your current situation?", said Conner trying to be as understanding as he could be for the sake of Hyde. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - Third Lt. Philip Hyde - 15:32) Philip walked into the office where he saw his commanding officer seating. He walked up to Sandy. He stood in attention for respect. "At ease son, take a seat", said Conner as he removed a small flask of genuine scotch whiskey from the drawer at his side. Lt. Hyde was relieved the commanding officer allowed him to sit, because he wasn't for sure how much longer his legs were going to hold him up. After he had sit down his legs were still shaking a bit. He was hoping Tirrel haven't noticed. "Drink?", he asked as the uncomfortable looking Marine sat back into his seat. Philip thought for only a split second if it was even a thought at all. "Yes sir," he replied. He really needed something to drink, he didn't care what it was. Tirrel then laid a glass filled with scotch in front of him. Lt. Hyde picked it up and took a big gulp of it. His eyes squinted a little, but it had seemed to calm his nerves a little. "So, do you want to update me on the reasoning behind your current situation?", said Conner trying to be as understanding as he could be for the sake of Hyde. Philip did not know where to start. He had to look stupid sitting in front of his commanding officer not knowing exactly what to say to him. "Sir, at the time I had told you that I wanted out of the Marines, I was really in a state of shock. Once out of the decon room, and in my own quarters again sir. I was able to think a little bit straighter." ~I think.~ "Well sir, I don't want to quit. I have been doing this for only a short time and I love it. I enjoy it, but back there was something I'd never seen before. I wasn't for sure if I could handle it. I am not for sure if something like that the next time hapends if I can be totally dependable. I don't want to let any troops down in the field when it becomes a need of rescue, but I don't want to give up so easy." (reply Conner, iyw) Philip took a deep breath in. The glass in his hand still had one last drink inside of it. He placed the rest of the cold liquid into his mouth. "Sir, I am willing to go back through training, any thing sir. I want to stay with the Marines, and I want you to be my commanding officer. I will put in extra hours, more training in the holodeck sir. Anything." (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - MCO Conner Tirrel - 15:33) Conner felt for the guy, he really did. He had seen this before of course, young men signing up for the grunt, glory & fast paced action of the marine core only to find that it wasn`t exactly what they expected. It was actually hard work too.... He watched as Philip took a large gulp of the drink in his hand. ~Jeez, he`s tense~ "So what exactly are you now saying Philip", said the MCO. "Well sir, I don't want to quit. I have been doing this for only a short time and I love it. I enjoy it, but back there was something I'd never seen before. I wasn't for sure if I could handle it. I am not for sure if something like that happens again if I can be totally dependable. I don't want to let any troops down in the field when it becomes a need of rescue, but I don't want to give up so easy.", said the Marine. Conner took another swig of the whiskey from his glass & then leaned his forearms onto the desk before him. "Your concerns are quite normal you know", said the MCO, "a lot of guys feel the same way as you do but they say nothing, they just bottle it up", he added. "These are the guys that usually crack in the end & I for one would rather my men talked to me first if they are having problems", said Conner. "This was your first time after all, you didn`t know what to expect, your hackles were up, you were in an alien environment where quite literally anything could have happened & one in which all the safeties & references you normally rely upon were well & trully switched off", said Conner. (Reply Hyde, IYW) "I think your decision to push on is admirable Philip", said the MCO taking another swig from his glass as he leant back into his chair again. "This is the kind of man I want in my unit, one who goes the extra five yards even though they HAVE stood on the edge & faced their inner demons", he added, noticing as he spoke that the Marine in front of him seemed to draw some strength from what he had said. Philip took a deep breath in. The glass in his hand still had one last drink inside of it. He placed the rest of the cold liquid into his mouth. "Sir, I am willing to go back through training, any thing sir. I want to stay with the Marines, and I want you to be my commanding officer. I will put in extra hours, more training in the holodeck sir. Anything." "I don`t think you need to do anything more that what your already doing Philip", said Conner, "I`ve took the time to look through your service record this far & I see that in training you were a consistently high scorer", he added taking the last swig from the glass on the table as he spoke. "It`s just first time nerves, you`ll get through it just as I did", said Conner, indicating to Hyde that even he, their apparently indestructable commanding officer was once no different than him. (Reply Hyde, IYW) Conner dismissed the marine & watched as he stood & saluted & then turned about towards the door. "Philip", said the MCO has he made for the door. "My doors always open, remember that", he added as Hyde acknowledged the offer of help if he needed it again & then left the room. Conner then breathed a heavy sigh & put his feet back up onto his desk as before... (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - FO's Quarters - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1545) It felt like forever, but the time was drawing close to 1600. He finished putting his uniform on and connecting his two gold pips to his collar and then adding his black pip with gold rim around it. He was ready, he had been ready for along time. He walked out of the door and knew he would arrive at Ten Forward on time. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1554) Greg entered the mess area and headed to the bar. "Three glasses of whiskey please." The barman smiled at him and fiddled with the bottles behind the bar and eventually he came back and gave him three glasses with a brown liquid in the bottom. Taking the glasses Greg went and sat at a table next to a window. Greg closed his eyes and leant back in the chair, strangely he could feel every living organism in the room, even the fish that swam innocently in the tank behind the bar. He then felt an individual approach him. "Aaah Commander Capps. I got you a drink... hope you like whiskey." Greg opened his eyes and looked at Capps. (posted by Greg) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1600) Calvin was right on time just like he knew he would be. He walked through the Ten Forward doors and immediately started to look around He saw Ensign Dunn a table almost half across the room. He waved and said 'hello' to some officer as he walked passed them. He reached the table and noticed the drinks. "Aaah Commander Capps. I got you a drink... hope you like whiskey." Calvin really did not care for the taste of whiskey, but he knew it was synthaol so he picked up the glass and guzzled the contents down fast. "Thank you Ensign, but please let me order for my self the next time." Lt. Cmdr Capps sat down in one of the chair, and then scooted it closer to the table. "So do you feel better now that you have taken a shower and changed clothes. I know I do." (reply Greg) "Ensign Knightley should be here shortly. Then we can start the meeting and what I am wanting more than ever. FOOD! (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ops Ensign Knightley - 1602) Elizabeth entered Ten Forward late and she already knew that Calvin was going to upset with her. He wasn't the one for tardiness or excuses for that matter. And to make it worse he was hungry, and he wouldn't start with out everyone present. ~Stubborn~ Elizabeth thought, but she knew those little things is why she liked him so much. She really appreciated the respect he had for everyone. Most people Elizabeth grew up with would have finished eating before the rest of the party even arrived. Though she did not know Ensign Greg very well. Ensign Knightley has not had the time to meet any of the other officers that she worked with most. She hoped that this dinner would bring her a new friend or at least a better relationship with one of her working officers. It took no time to spot the two male officers. Before she walked over to the table she first went up to the bar to grab a drink. "Please let me have beverage number 33 please." The young man behind the counter got the drink for her and she then made her way to the table. "Hello gentlemen. How are all of you doing?" Ensign Knightley took a seat and looked at each of the guys. "So, where do we began." Calvin piped in quickly. "We eat!" (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1605) Every one around the table had ordered their drinks that would best fit with the food they each ordered. Calvin waited impatiently for his food to arrive. He looked over at Ensign Dunn. "So, I don't see why we can't get started. The first thing we need to know is what did the alien beings say to you? Please don't leave a detail out." (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ensign Greg Dunn - 1606) Greg was in a trance by the tiny bubbles in his drink, suddenly his train of thought was broken when Cmndr Capps spoke. "So, I don't see why we can't get started. The first thing we need to know is what did the alien beings say to you? Please don't leave a detail out." Greg narrowed his eyes and interlocked his fingers and went back to when he encountered what appeared to be the alien leader. He shuddered slightly when he remembered the slavering jaws and the piercing stare that the alien gave to him. He did not remember however how he had got the spine, self conciously he reached up and touched the spot where the spine had penetrated. He rubbed it hard, trying to regain feeling in that part of his body as it had been numb since he recieved the spine. Greg breathed out and leant back. "It is not so much as speaking. They put what they wanted to say into my thoughts. I remember the alien calling me its child and bearer (OOC: I cant spell)... I can also recall their screams of past pain when they became what the are...." Greg closed his eyes and a wave of sadness swept over him. He quickly opened them again and resumed. "I now recall the aliens curiosity as to who we were and why we were on their plagued ship..... what were peaceful attempts were derived by us as hostile. They only went on the offensive when I misunderstood their way of making peaceful contact." Greg drooped his head and held it in his hands, he felt solely responsible for what happened on that ship. He looked up slowly at Capps. "I will take full responsibility for what happened on that ship sir and I intend to do what I can to put it right." He said half resigned. (posted by Greg) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1607) "I will take full responsibility for what happened on that ship sir and I intend to do what I can to put it right." He said half resigned. Calvin looked into his officers eyes. He needed comfort and assurance. "I know you feel this was your fault, but you must remember that I was in command of the away team. I thought they were hostile as well. We all will work together to make this right," Calvin said calmly. Calvin now saw the waitress come to table with a tray in her hand. She started handing out the dishes on to the round table. Calvin turned his plate counter clock wise so that the meat was in front of him. He started to prepare his meal even further. "That is why we are here right now Mr. Dunn. Were hoping that you can make a peaceful contact with them when we go back tomorrow. Do you think you are up to it?" (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Ten Forward - Ensign Knightley - 1608) "I will take full responsibility for what happened on that ship sir and I intend to do what I can to put it right." He said half resigned. Ensign Knightely was not on the away team that went over to the unknown alien vessel so she did not know what really happened over there. She had quickly skimmed over the reports, but the reports left out the experience of the entire situation. However, she could not believe that the attack on the alien ship was due to the actions of Ensign Dunn. Calvin looked into his officers eyes. He needed comfort and assurance. "I know you feel this was your fault, but you must remember that I was in command of the away team. I thought they were hostile as well. We all will work together to make this right," Calvin said calmly. Elizabeth's body even got a tingly sensation after she heard the First Officers response to Greg's statement. It was of course a personal opinion, but she thought that Calvin was making Greg feel better. The food had finally arrived and Elizabeth could see the hunger in Lt. Cmdr Capps' eyes. She was as hungry too, but she did not just get back from an attack like Greg and Calvin just did. She adjusted her food and eating utensils to her liking. "That is why we are here right now Mr. Dunn. Were hoping that you can make a peaceful contact with them when we go back tomorrow. Do you think you are up to it?" "If you think you are sir, then we need to discuss possibilities of how we may calm the alien beings down and communicate with them. You could be our golden key." (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin – MCO`s Office – 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor & MCO Conner Tirrel – 18:30) “These are the details of the routes taken on the Alien Vessel is this correct?”, said T`Vhor sliding the PADD across the desk to the MCO. Conner took the PADD & looked through it. “Pretty much”, said Conner, “this is where we encountered the physical anomolies mentioned at the meeting”, he added pointing out the location to Lt T`Vhor as he spoke. “This was team one`s route, that`s where they encountered the hostiles”, he added indicating each area in turn as he spoke. T`Vhor looked at the PADD again, his mind working overtime now in an attempt to make sence of things. “What were you doing imediately before this happened?” said T`Vhor refering now to Conner`s mention of the physical anomolies they encountered. “Can you think of anything specific that might have triggered the effect?” Conner just shook his head. “It was just a routine recce, nothing out of the ordinary”, he said, “no proximity alerts appeared in our visor huds or on the weapons readouts, like I said, it was just routine” “We stayed put until Brownlee & his team arrived, then we moved on to the control room where the generators & the alien log were found”, said Conner sitting back into the backrest of his chair. “The ship is a strange one, it wasn`t right from the moment we dusted”, he added. “So I have been told”, said T`Vhor, “I am looking forwards to going over there myself”, he added. Conner raised his brow slightly at T`Vhor`s words. “I`ll be taking two teams in, one equipped for recon, one for forward assault & a third HA unit on ready one”, said Conner, “The Trojan will be on standby just off the hanger bay for a quick beam off if things get hairy, I figure it`ll be best to be ready for anything where this rig is concerned” “A wise precaution”, said T`Vhor, “Comunication with the Paladin might fail at any time as it did before, having the Trojan in position is a good move should such comms failure take place”, said T`Vhor. Conner simply nodded in agreeance. “I`ll feel better if it`s there that`s for sure”, he said, “the class VI relay you employed last time was good enough to re-establish contact so at least with the marine shuttle in place, we`ll have reliable comms & a means of getting off quick if we need to”, said Conner. Lt T`Vhor nodded & then he stood, straightening out his uniform & picking up the PADD as he did so. “I`ll arrange four man security details to complement each of your teams, I`ll see you at 07:00 hrs then”, he said, “I need to work on something in the science lab before I retire”, said T`Vhor as he then left the MCO to his office. (posted by Alan) (USS Disciple, Cockpit, FSXO, 1st Lt. Stephiea Rath, 18:35) With the meeting over and the rest of the senior staff assigned to various duties looking into solving the problems with the alien vessel, Steph had decided she needed to feel space under her and had gone out with the Fighting Whatever's when their shift at fly by came up. Now with two other fighters flanking her, Steph was leading a small recon of the Federation boarder to make sure nothing untoward was happening. The fighters, much smaller than a star ship where far harder to detect on long range sensors, but could still detect star ship movement from a considerable distance. "Whatever's 3 and 4," Steph said into the fighter only comm-channel. "Take up positions 10K km post and starboard and begin scanning. Lets keep our eyes peeled. We will make two sweeps then head back to the barn." =/\=Acknowledged.=/\= =/\=Roger=/\= "Alright Isis, start scanning," Steph said, pulling slightly on her stick to bring her fighter to a parallel course to the Federation boarder. "We don't want anyone sneaking up on us." (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Holodeck 2 - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 19:45) "Computer, end program T`Vhor Calisthenics three" The doors to the holodeck slid open with their usual mechanical pneumatic announcement & Lt T`Vhor walked from within. It was unusual to see him as he now was for he was stripped to the waist with a towel hanging loosely around his neck, his upper body showing the obvious signs of the extreme calisthenics workout he had just completed. T`Vhor took one end of the towel & then used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead, he then took a deep breath & walked off towards Turbolift 4. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Personal quarters - 20/TAC/SC T`Vhor - 19:50) T`Vhor was now standing in his quarters looking out through one of the observation ports at the inky void of space. His mind for the moment seemed elsewhere, he had contemplated a shower to freshen himself up after his holodeck session but now his mind was once again upon Krysta. The stars just seemed to do that. Perhaps it was the memory of their time on Bajor when they had layed upon the grass looking into the nightsky, perhaps not. T`Vhor turned his attention from the port & threw his towel upon his bunk, then, removing the small device affixed to the side of his right temple, he placed it upon the desk & sat down to make an entry into his personal log. "Computer, begin personal log entry, Lt T`Vhor, access code nine zero zero two four epsilon iridani", said T`Vhor & the computer beeped & acknowledged the access. T`Vhor then rested back on his bunk before begining diction. "I have now completed my modifications to the neural stabiliser, after testing the device in the holodeck this evening I have ascertained that when activated, the stabiliser will interface with the synaptic centres of the brain to maintain reality in the presence of false projections", said T`Vhor, pausing briefly to recompose his thoughts. "Hopefully, this will help our away teams to remain focused & undistracted by any anomolies that might occur or be projected whilst within the alien vessel", said T`Vhor as he stood up from his bunk. "End of log, archive & append to personal log", he added as he then went to take a shower. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 21:50) Following her own orders, Eva had retired to her quarters. Leaving the Bridge in the hands of a qualified junior officer with the explicit orders to call her and Commander Capps at the fist sign of trouble from either the alien ship or the presence of enemy ships. After showering and laying out a fresh uniform, Eva replicated a small meal for herself and Tearino, her pet. She placed Tearino's bowl of food on the floor next to his bowl of water before carrying her own plate over to her desk and sitting down. She ate quietly for several minuets, watching Tearino hungrily devour his food his tail wagging vigorously and purring loudly. After finishing half her food, Eva took a large drink of her cold tea and turned her desk terminal toward her and typed in a set of commands. "Computer, record personal log," She said, setting down her tea. [Recording.] Came the computers automated response. "Captain's Personal log, Stardate 2407.01.09," She began, "Today, the Paladin and our support craft found a drifting alien space craft of unknown design. The craft seemed powerless and adrift. Yet due to an unexplainable low power energy field surrounding the craft, we were unable to scan the interior. I couldn't let a possible threat cross into Federation territory, or worse yet, allow a potential weapon of unknown power fall into the hands of forces of Admiral Doenitz. So, I ordered an Away Team sent over to the alien ship via runabouts, as beaming on or off the alien ship is impossible. Now after battling hostile aliens, as well as malfunctioning equipment, the away teams may have very well brought an unknown mutagen on board and through decontamination. I have medical and science working on the problem now to see if that is so and how to stop it." Eva paused to take another drink of her tea. "On another note, we recently picked up two defectors from Admiral Doenitz's forces. An Ensign Sharn Me'levtel and Ensign Kyp Durron. After questioning both men rigorously I assigned them duties in medical and engineering respectively. I hope they prove worthy of the trust being placed in them. End log." The computer chirped as it stopped recording and filed the personal log entry. Eva leaned back in her chair and patter her lap, looking at Tearino. Tearino roared happily and jumped into her lap licking her hands and arms before spinning around and laying down, purring loudly. Eva stroked his soft fur slowly while sipping slowly at her tea. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Deck 16 Auxuliary Bridge - CEO Lt JG Steven Matrix - 21:50) "Impressive ship...70 decks and I've not yet seen them all..." Matrix said under his voice as he exited the auxilary bridge, heading toward a turbolift. Matrix had been all over the ship...he hadn't had time to really experience the Paladin, never seen all of the areas of the ship. He had time and wanted to get a better handle of this magnificent starship. Matrix almost always carried a PADD with him to review ships systems, status and personnel. Looking down at the PADD while in the turbolift, scrolling through crew the crew status page... "Kyp!" Matrix said aloud. ~Damn, I need to meet my new crew member.~ ~Damn it I'm so behind in crew schedules...well I'm going to remedy that right now.~ =^= Lieutenant Matrix to Ensign Durron. =^= (Reply Ben) =^= Ensign, I wonder if you'd have some time to meet with me? =^= (posted by Steve) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Joran's Quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 21:54) Joran had finally finished his duties in Science and got back to his quarters. He whitsled sharply. Immediately, a 2 year-old Siberian Husky trotted in from his bedroom and sat at Joran's feet. He knelt down and ruffled thet dogs face in greeting. "Hey, Ranger! How are you, boy?" Joran said to his beloved companion. Ranger barked in response. "You wanna go for a walk?" ranger pricked his ears up at the word. Joran got the leash and attatched it to Ranger's collar. They headed out the door and took a left down the corridor. They quickly brought the pace up to a steady jog and continued around the section for about a half hour. (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Outside Straton's Quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 22:30) After completing their tour d'pont, Joran and Ranger stopped off at the captain's quarters. Joran needed to talk to her about a few things before turning in for the night, and he thought he would do it while he was out anyway. He rang the doorchime. (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:31) Eva was dressed for bed, her long red hair flowed freely down over her shoulders and down her back. Tearino was curled up on the floor on her feet, purring loudly, with his eyes closed dozing. Eva was reading an old mystery novel while classical music played softy in the back ground. Eva looked up from her book and down at Tearino as he lifted his head suddenly and growled, his eyes on the door. "What's the matter boy?" Eva asked. Just then the door buzzer went off. Eva closed her book, rose and moved toward the door Tearino hot on her heels, jumping around vigorously. "Heel," Eva said sternly frowning at Tearino. ~He is acting odd.~ Tearino sat down and looked up at her before roaring and shaking his head. Then the door, sensing her presence, opened. Tearino bolted out the door roaring. Eva stunned looked out to see Lt. Brownlee and a Terran dog. Tearino was jumping playfully around the dog roaring and nipping at it's paws, trying to coax the animal to play. Tearino then nipped at Brownlee's heels and then Eva's before moving back to the dog throwing his much smaller, but still bulky body against the dog and nipping at it's ears. Eva sighed, moving to grab Tearino. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Outside CO's quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 22:32) As soon as the captain opened the door, a strange bear cub type creature raced out, and immediately tried to start a game with Ranger. Ranger sat there, but not for long. Joran laughed at the animal's behaviour. It was like watching two littermates playfighting. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Joran said. (reply Straton) "By the way," he said, indicating his dog, now romping about in the captains quarters, "this playful little guy is Ranger." (reply Straton) "Tearino? I don't think I've ever heard that name before. But that's beside the point. I wanted to talk to you about a few things." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:33) "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Joran said. Eva watched as the dog suddenly started to return Tearino's offer to play. The two rushed past her and began rolling around in the middle of her living room floor. Tearino was roaring playfully while the dog let off a few playful barks, batting at each other with their paws. Eva sighed. "Nothing important," She said, turning from the playing animals to Lt. Brownlee. "By the way," he said, indicating his dog, now romping about in the captains quarters, "this playful little guy is Ranger." "I wouldn't call him 'little'," Eva said, looking back over her shoulder at the two animals. "But I'm sure Tearino loves the company. He doesn't get the chance to meet other animals." "Tearino? I don't think I've ever heard that name before. But that's beside the point. I wanted to talk to you about a few things." "What might that be?" Eva asked, looking over her should now and again to keep tabs on the frolicking pets. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Deck 5, Captain's Quarters - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 22:34) "By the way," Joran said, indicating his dog, now romping about in the captains quarters, "this playful little guy is Ranger." "I wouldn't call him 'little'," Straton said, looking back over her shoulder at the two animals. "But I'm sure Tearino loves the company. He doesn't get the chance to meet other animals." "Tearino? I don't think I've ever heard that name before. But that's beside the point. I wanted to talk to you about a few things." "What might that be?" the captain asked, looking over her shoulder now and again to keep tabs on the frolicking pets. "Well, as you have probably heard by now," Joran began, "Rana and I are engaged. I was hoping that, with your help, we could set up a day for the wedding." (reply Straton) "We were talking about possibly having it on or around Stardate 2407.03.21, if that's alright." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Personal Quarters, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:35) "Well, as you have probably heard by now," Joran began, "Rana and I are engaged. I was hoping that, with your help, we could set up a day for the wedding." "No, I hadn't heard," Eva said, a little surprised, "Congratulations. When where you thinking?" "We were talking about possibly having it on or around Stardate 2407.03.21, if that's alright." "Normally I would say yes," Eva said, "However, Lt. have you taken into consideration that we are in the middle of a war? I can no more predict the future than you can. There is no telling where the Paladin will be by that time, or what condition we might be in. We could very well be in the middle of a major battle, or worse. We can try for somewhere in that time frame, but please be advised that it may not happen then. I take it then you are planning on having the wedding here on the Paladin then?" (posted by Wes) =================================================================================================== END OF COMPILE I hope you enjoyed it!