Mission: Into the Darkness, Go I Day: 12 Stardate: 2408.08.12 (ISS Rosenante - Main Computer Core - 2O/CTAC - Lt Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 1532) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO- Captain Ahmed ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1600) (USS Furious- Deck 8, galley- CO- Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1605) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO- Captain Ahmed ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1606) (USS Furious (Vigilant) - Aux. Bridge- CTSO- Ensing Andrus Williams - Day 12 - 1607) (ISS Rosenante - Bridge – FO - Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 1609) (ISS Rosenante - Bridge – COPS - Lt Tom Jackson - Day 12 - 1609.75) (ISS Rosenante –Security Chief’s Office – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1612.5) (ISS Rosenante- Sickbay- ATRADOC - Ensign Marta Nunez -Day 12- 1613) (ISS Rosenante –CSec Office – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1615.4) (ISS Rosenante –CSEC Office – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1645) (USS Rosenante- Brig- CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid (MU) & Ensign Nunez - Day 12 - 1646) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1704) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1705) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1710) (USS Rosenante - Ready Room - FO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 1714) (USS Rosenante- Captain's Quarters– CO- Captains Ahmed Ibn Salid & Salid (MU) - Day 12 - 2100) (ISS Rosenante - Captain's Ready Room - FO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 2115) ------------------------- (ISS Rosenante - Main Computer Core - 2O/CTAC - Lt Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 1532) While there was a lull in the activity in the computer core, and the area was secure, T'Larah took the opportunity to write her log. [ 2nd and Chief Tactical Officer's Log - Lieutenant Commander T'Larah Sullivan - Star Date 2408.08.11 The ISS Rosenante is secure. Original away team has briefed their relief, who has taken over. Only the senior officers of each team had stayed, all the security personnel had been relieved by the second shift. The USS Rosenante still has her weapons trained on her ISS counterpart, that much I can tell from the sensor readings. The ISS sensors weren't as finely tuned as our own vessels, but I can only assume that damage control teams are hard at work making repairs and patches through out the vessel, getting her ready to go home at the end of the mission. The Furious had fared badly as well, having lost over one third of her ship and it's crew. No doubt if their weapons aren't aimed at the dark mirror ship, then at least they are weary of it's actions, probably keeping close watch of her every move. I have examined much of the ISS Rosenante's computer core, and through it much of the technology available in the Mirror Universe. Our scientific and technological progress is much the same, however their leaps and bounds were not brought on by peace and unity but by conquest and subjugation, and center on the martial aspect it all. Having just a single set of mores and values juxtaposed couldn't have that much of an impact on a society could it? The first hand study of such a culture probably has the sociology and counseling sections reeling with activity and information, having theories becoming realities and the opportunity to study will probably keep them busy for weeks if not months. I for one am glad I did not delve into the social sciences. I find myself from time to time thinking of my own counterpart here in this universe. Asking myself (quite literally) what steps had lead myself up this so different of a path. Which path did she follow, her Human or Vulcan? or a blending of the two? What would I look like cast in an eldritch light? I for one am glad I don't know. I am taking no steps to meet my counterpart in this world. Such an encounter would probably end with one of us not walking away. END LOG] ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO- Captain Ahmed ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1600) Ahmed stood, holding a PADD in his left hand as he gazed out of the windows of his ready room. A few kilometers away, the red tinted Mirror Universe version of his own ship was keeping station to the port of his own ship. Beyond that vessel were the two remaining sections of the USS Furious. All three ships, were swarming with Federation engineering teams, patching holes in the hulls of the ships and repairing what damage they could as the commanders of the Federation Starships took stock of their status and weighed their options. ~So much death.~ Ahmed thought as he considered the casualty list that he clutched in his hand. Seventy-five crew killed in action, 22 in critical and likely fatal condition, and another one hundred and eight injured. Those reports were of course, only the losses that had served on his ship. He knew that the Furious had also suffered terrible casualties when they had lost the Courageous. And then there were the losses on the ISS Rosenante. Ahmed somehow felt that all those losses were his fault as well, and in a strange sense of things, they were. It was after all, his Mirror Universe self that had caused things to escalate this far in the first place. There was an insight into his own soul that he wished that he'd never seen, the darker side of him that was a fundamentalist to his ideals, whatever those ideals may be. It was the kind of ruthless fundamentalism that had caused him to join the 52nd Fleet during the civil war, and so he could recognize the signs of what that deep belief in the Federation could become if he chose to ever let it rule him completely. The captain sighed, imagining a phantom pain, in his left shoulder where his collar bone had been broken the day before. he knew that there was no longer any injury and that the pain was merely a trick that his mind was playing on his body, yet somehow he couldn't shake the fact from his mind that he had almost been killed. Three times in his life he had been at that point. The first was in Egypt, when the archeological opening of a newly discovered tomb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh had turned terribly wrong and the small corridor had collapsed. Then there was the battle on Djorn Major when a Marine had tried to drive a knife through his heart. The injury had been less severe, but it had been the first time that he had actually experienced death first hand. The Marine had died so close that he had felt the man's last breath on his face as he expired. And now the battle yesterday. He hadn't even come this close to death during the Battle for the MDP. It was somewhat unsettling, how luck played such a strong role in deciding who would live and who would die. Another sigh escaped Ahmed's lips as he forced the thoughts of his close calls from his mind. Instead he decided to focus on the situation that he still faced, namely what to do with the Mirror Universe vessel and their crew. His guts told him that he should take them all back to face trial. That they should be interred into a penal facility for the rest of their lives. But at the same time, he knew that if they were treated that way, that they would escape someday and return on a rampage of revenge that would lay entire ships and maybe planets to waste. He could understand well enough the way that he would react if he allowed himself to simply let go of the morals that kept him in check. He wouldn't stop, not until he had done everything in his power to get revenge. Nothing and no one would stop him, and the words that his alternate had given to his Commander Caskie held that same edge that Ahmed knew he could have if he was ever pushed too far. He could kill his alternate self, but then he'd be no better than the very thing that he was destroying. So that option was not available to him either. That left only one real option. One that could also benefit the Federation as a whole by revealing the conspirators that allowed the crew of the Imperial ship to do as much damage as they had done. It left a bad taste in his mouth to think that he was being manipulated into doing something as morally bereft as allowing these murderers to go free. They'd return to their brutal universe unpunished, but in return Ahmed would receive information that would reveal the conspirators and potentially save billions of lives and the Federation as well. The only real question was could he live with himself for sacrificing his beliefs for the benefit of some many? He had always been a firm believer in his morals. They had been challenged before and remained intact along with his dignity. He had never had a regret when he had stuck by his morals. But now, it seemed that he would have to bend his morals and make a deal with the devil in order to fulfill an oath to the Federation that sat at the core of all that he was. For the first time in his career he was questioning his ability to make this decision. There was, of course, one other factor to consider and that Was the involvement of Captain Saleke. The Vulcan captain was just as dedicated to his own set of ideals. He had taken the same oath, had bled just as much as Ahmed had and was in the same position. They would need to make the decision together. It was too large for either of them to make alone, and so they would have to meet. Ahmed finally turned away from the window in his ready room and took the chair at his desk. He raised his monitor and opened a priority channel to Saleke on the Furious. It took a few moments for the communication to connect. The image of the logo for the United Federation of Planets was replaced by the calm composure of the Vulcan Captain. "Captain Saleke, how is everything going on the Furious?" he asked in an attempt to put himself more at ease. (reply Saleke) Ahmed nodded. "I wanted to convey my deepest condolences for the loss of your crew. Their sacrifice won't be forgotten." (reply Saleke) "As you probably suspected, that isn't the only reason that I'm calling. I think it's important that we should discuss the disposition of the ISS Rosenante and her crew. I'd prefer to do that in person if at all possible. Can you make time to come aboard the Rosenante?" (reply Saleke) Daniel Greene ------------------------- (USS Furious- Deck 8, galley- CO- Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1605) Saleke was in the galley, a room nestled between the crew lounges on the deck. Ten forward was now no more, it had been on the Courageous which was lost in the battle. The two crew lounges were outfitted with tables and comfortable benches for seating where the crew could take their meals while watching vid screens for entertainment. These could be rigged for simulations or gaming depending on the mood of the compartments inhabitants at the time. The crew lounges were much less formal than ten forward amd tended to resound with the sounds of jocularity and conversation when occupied. That was prior to the battle with the ISS Rosenante however, now the occupants who were taking their meals were much more subdued and the vid screens of the lounge he had passed through on his way here had been either shut down or were playing news broadcasts from various planets which had been approved by the Federation. Crime and the continuing settling in of the current Federation government as well as the rebuilding which was in process on several member worlds held primary spots in the current coverage. Weather forecasts had no benefit in space however they allowed the crew to 'lock in' on what was happening back home and gave them a lifeline of normalcy which being on a ship tended to blur. The other five men and women who preferred the quiet of the galley which was small and with limited seating along with the Captain were paired off at other tables except for one Efrosian who had been alone until he had joined her. A brief conversation had ensued after preliminary greetings and had tapered off quickly, the normally voluble native of Efros had placed her fork aside after a moment. "I'm sorry Captain if I seem moody but I don't feel much like talking today, I hope you understand." He nodded. "Completely." His agreement was not just out of politeness, he had lost a great many crew including a ships complement during the war, the weight of lives lost could be stifling. One hundred and forty five men and women who's lives had been suddenly and irrevocably extinguished along with forty three heavily injured friends and compatriots tended to dampen spirits and depress normal crew interaction. They had eaten generally in silence after that. Doctor Gralen was currently manning the watch on the bridge, as Lieutenant Commander and being familiar with the class of ship on which he was serving it had been logical to promote him to acting first officer until they could reach the nearest starbase. Captain Haverly had also been certified fit for duty and with the danger to his safety now past was serving as XO, he would be taking the next watch. Because of damage to the aft of the Furious which was in process of repair the Vigilant was still running on her own, repair estimates had been whittled to just under twelve hours. If that goal was met she would be docking at start of shift the next morning and would add her crew and power supplies to the repair effort, the compromised hull on decks seven and nine of the Furious needed to be closed off before the ship got under way and limped to a facility where she could undergo refit. The Rosenante had also been heavily damaged and with no pressing orders he would not leave her here to attend to the ISS Rosenante alone, to do so would be illogical. Beyond logic though he did not intend to allow for the possibility of intrigue on the ISS to take control of or further damage the Prime Universe Rosenante. He would board or destroy the marauding ship first to protect Captain Salid and his crew and a score of quantum porpedoes had already been modified for that contingency. The prescence of the Mirror Universe ship and crew was a notable complication to the continued normal flow of space/time in the prime universe, as of yet he had not spoken to Captain Salid about the problem owing to the state of their ships, that would have to be discussed soon, before the danger escalated. He was nearing the completion of his dinner when his combadge chirped. =^= Captain we're receiving a transmission from the Rose.=^= It was the voice of Holis. "One moment Commander. Pardon me." He said to the yeoman who nodded as he rose from the chair and made his way to the lounge where he took an empty table of which there were many and activated the vid screen then accessed the communications feed. After the stylized blue field had faded the visage of Captain Salid appeared. =^= Captain Saleke, how is everything going on the Furious?=^= The face and voice of the other Captain were strained which was to be expected, the Rosenante had suffered as much as the Furious and it showed on his countenance. "The Vigilant should be docking at 0600 tomorrow morning." Saleke said calmly. "The Furious will remain in the area until the disposition of the mirror universe Rosenante is resolved and will escort you to starbase fifteen when you are ready to get underway." The other captain nodded. =^= I wanted to convey my deepest condolences for the loss of your crew. Their sacrifice won't be forgotten. =^= "Nor will those of your crew." He replied. "They fought valiantly for what they believed in and helped our ships to be successful." Saleke was content to make conversation as long as Captain Salid wished, he would not have contacted him unless there were some pressing issues he wished to make known. =^= As you probably suspected, that isn't the only reason that I'm calling. I think it's important that we should discuss the disposition of the ISS Rosenante and her crew. I'd prefer to do that in person if at all possible. Can you make time to come aboard the Rosenante? =^= Saleke settled back in his chair, this meeting was vital as he had already noted, he would make whatever time was necessary in order to facilitate it. "Of course Captain, I am available whenever you are ready. When do you wish for me to beam over?" (Reply: Salid iyw) "Acknowledged." He agreed. "I will have the Furious close on your position and transport over at 1700 hours." After the transmission had ended he contacted the bridge. "Have the ship moved to within transporter range of the Rosenante, I will be transporting over shortly. Notify the transporter room to input the coordinates used on my first visit and stand by." =^= Will do Captain.=^= Holis replied. =^= We'll be ready.=^= "Thank you Commander, Captain out." (USS Rosenante- Transporter Room 2 - Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1700) After the transporter effect had subsided Saleke nodded to the technician who returned the nod and came to attention. "Permission to come aboard." "Absolutely sir and welcome, Captain Salid is awaiting your arrival." As he stepped down from the pad the tech was speaking to the bridge. "Captain Saleke is aboard Commander." (Reply: Caskie) "Understood sir, I'll send him along." (Reply: Caskie) After speaking with the bridge the man looked to the vulcan. " Captain Salid is in his ready room sir, would you like an escort? Our crew are currently engaged in repairs but I can send for one if you like." "Unnecessary." Saleke replied. "I know the way." At the mans nod he turned and moved to the door. (USS Rosenante- Ready Room - Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1705) Saleke stepped through the open door and nodded at Salid as he entered. "Captain." He said as he moved toward the desk. (Reply: Salid) (Posted by Charles) ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO- Captain Ahmed ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1606) The first thing that Ahmed noted was that Saleke was most assuredly not in his ready room. It looked more like one of the common compartments of the Prometheus Class, but he couldn't quite determine where. =^=Of course Captain, I am available whenever you are ready. When do you wish for me to beam over?=^= "How does roughly 1700 sound?" I would like to speak with Commander Caskie before our meeting to get an update on the ISS ship's status. =^=Acknowledged.=^= He agreed. =^=I will have the Furious close on your position and transport over at 1700 hours.=^= "Thank you Captain for taking out the time to discuss this with me. I know that you have a lot of work to do on the Furious. I'll see you when you beam over. Salid out." Once the channel was closed, Ahmed took a deep breath in an attempt to stave off the growing apprehension that he was feeling. He knew what needed to be done, but it didn't mean that he would have to like it. After a few more deep relaxing breaths, he was ready to contact Jennifer and get a status update. He pressed the control on his desk and said, "Bridge, connect me with Commander Caskie on the ISS Rosenante." The reply came quickly, =^= I have commander Caskie, Sir=^= "Please patch it through to my ready room and make certain that we are on a secured channel." =^= connecting you now, sir. It's confirmed that the channel is secured.=^= A moment later the familiar blue background embalzoned with the UFP logo was replaced by the familiar face of his first officer. "Commander, how are things progressing on the ISS Rosenante? Are you having any difficulty with their crew?" (reply Caskie) "That's good to hear." he said with a weak smile, ~At least there's some good news to be had.~ "I've asked Captain Saleke over to the Rosenante to discuss the disposition of the Imperial ship and it's crew. I'd like for you to attend. Can you make time say 20 or twenty five minutes before 1700?" (reply Caskie) "Very good, Commander. I'd like as detailed report as you can assemble concerning that vessel's operational status. I also want you to make arrangements to have Captain Salid, transferred to our Rosenante's brig. I would like Lieutenant Raschen to personally see to his safety and security. It is very well known how officers advance there and I'd like to see to it that we don't have to deal with an upstart this late in the day." (reply Caskie) He gave another weak smile, still trying to shake the feeling that he was about to make a terrible mistake. "Be prepared Commander to lend your opinion on our discussion. I'll see you soon." (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO- Captain Ahmed ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1637) Ahmed glanced up from his desk monitor, where he was displaying a schematic for a series of interphasic generators that he hoped would be the solution to the vermin infestation that his universe was presently facing. The experimental devices predated the Phase cloaks used by the USS Spectre by roughly a decade. They were fairly large, power-hungry and difficult to operate and maintain. They did have the benefit of being able to shift objects from one quantum existence to another, and if Ahmed's calculations and understanding was correct, they were just what the doctor ordered. The door had slid open, as it always did when he was not meeting with someone and Commander Caskie stepped through the doors. She looked tired, and Ahmed could understand her fatigue. He hadn't slept well at all the night before, plagued by the memory of Ensign Midas' melting and peeling face. "Commander." He said in greeting. Even now after all this time, he rarely used anyone's actual first name. His demeanor had always been one of a fellow officer, dedicated to the same ideals as those that he served with. The lack of familiarity with someone to share his burdens with on a personal, rather than professional level, however, were starting to take their toll. To further complicate things, he knew that things were only going to get more complicated now. "Have a seat. Care for some Turkish coffee?" he said gesturing towards the still steaming coffee service that occupied the corner of his desk. (reply Caskie) He regarded the woman sitting across from him. The curves of her cheek, the tilt of her head, the slight crows feet at the corners of her eyes. For the first time, Ahmed realized exactly how attractive his first officer really was. ~What a time to think of such things.~ He mentally chided himself and took a deep breath to help him refocus. "So Jennifer," he began trying to be more personable, "what's the detailed down and dirty concerning that ship? Where are we on the critical repairs?" (reply Caskie) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO- Captain Ahmed ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1701) Their conditional briefing on the ISS Rosenante almost complete, Ahmed was considering all the data that he had recieved when Commander Caskie's commbadge chirped. =^=Captain Saleke is aboard Commander.=^= Ensign Dawson reported from the Transporter room. (Reply: Caskie) =^=Understood sir, I'll send him along.=^= (Reply: Caskie) Once the channel was closed Ahmed nodded and said, we can continue this report after the briefing. We have a lot of things to discuss with Captain Saleke. (reply Caskie iyw) A few minutes later the enunciator to the ready room chimed and Ahmed reached over and opened the door. Saleke stepped through the open door and nodded at Salid as he entered. "Captain." He said as he moved toward the desk. "Welcome back aboard the Rosenante Captain Saleke, Ahmed said as he came to his feet. "I presume that you remember Commander Jennifer Caskie?" (reply Saleke, Caskie) "Please have a seat." he added and gestured towards the other open chair at the desk. "Would you care for some Turkish Coffee, before we begin?" (reply Saleke) An uneasy silence settled over the group as Ahmed prepared to start the discussion concerning the ship and Crew from the Mirror Universe. He was still conflicted morally, which is why he had asked these two to join him. "There's a lot weighing on my mind about everything that has happened in the last several days." He finally began, " There is no longer any reasonable doubt that there is an active Conspiracy within the Admiralty to develop and potentially use an Omega device for unknown ends. As you both know this weapon could destroy everything that we've fought for in the civil war. It could undo all the progress that we've made since the founding of the United Federation of Planets and that to me is completely unacceptable." "This is further complicated by the presence of a duplicate Rosenante from the Mirror Universe. A ship and crew that are responsible for hundreds of deaths here in our own universe. They would have been responsible for billions had our combined efforts not been successful here." "Their presence has clearly displayed the danger that we're facing here. The hazardous nature of the Omega Device, as well as showing us how close the conspirators are to completing one of their own. It is my opinion that we can not allow them to succeed. the problem that we face is that at present we only have a few solid leads to their identity. Even if we are vigilant, we could spend years rooting them out and by that time they could have finalized a second device." "We have a unique, if not unsavory option open to us however. Captain Salid of the Imperial Rosenante is offering us a trade. He has suggested that we return his ship and crew back to their own Universe and in return, we will receive detailed data that will significantly aide us in dealing with the Conspirators. He claims that he got this data from the facility he destroyed at Kabor, before they left the system. He also claims that was where the conspirators had performed the majority of the work on the Omega device in his universe." "The fact that he was able to trace a direct path through our universe to the exact locations of component construction and research points that corresponded with those in his universe, lend a great deal of weight to his claims." "The answer seems apparent, but I'm having some apprehension because of the morality of that decision. I think that we can fulfill our end of the bargain using this device, which we can construct aboard the Rosenante." Ahmed tapped a few keys on his desktop and a holographic image of the generator appeared, hovering between them. (reply Saleke) "That's right." Ahmed replied with a nod. "Normally it wouldn't work, but the ISS Rosenante has two warp cores and therefore can generate enough power to operate two of these generators, which by my rough estimates will be sufficient to realign the ISS Rosenante back to their quantum universe." (reply Saleke, Caskie) "I can't guarantee that it will work, but Doctor Gralen and Commander McLaren are among the Furious crew, between them, Benoit and Maddox I would think that they could verify or refute my theory and if needed make the adjustments needed to carry it out." he replied. "Matrix and Rixx could to the installation work." (reply Saleke, Caskie) "Technical aspect aside. I have a personal problem with letting these people off the hook Scott free. I'd much rather lock them up forever and disintegrate the key, but I know that if I were in Salid's position, I'd make certain that data would never be found without my immediate assistance. If we want to get the data and use it to stop our conspirators, we'll have to deal and that means sending them home despite the things they've done." (reply Saleke, Caskie rfm) "Of course, well, have to see to it that the generators are destroyed immediately after they have done their job. I don't want to provide them with a means to skip back and forth between universes. I'll leave that task to Sullivan and Raschen." He took a sip of his now cooled coffee. "I'd like your feed back on everything I've just said. Pros and cons, opinions and concerns." (reply Saleke, Caskie) Daniel Greene ------------------------- (USS Furious (Vigilant) - Aux. Bridge- CTSO- Ensing Andrus Williams - Day 12 - 1607) Andrus was on the bridge of 'his' first command. Prior to the Furious assignment, the Bolian had been at the Academy and on a distant starbase. He had never been in a battle or made decisions that had life ending possibilities. His selection to command the Vigilant segment of the USS Furious had been a surprise. Andrus silently thanked Captain Saleke once again fro allowing him to bring K'tar and Fred Jones with him. Those two men had been great help. The fact that the three got along well was another blessing. K'tar and Jones were compiling a repair report to be sub,submitted to the Furious as soon as it was possible. They had been very fortunate casualty wise. Several broken bones and gashes and a few concussions - no fatalities. His thoughts turned to the Courageous. Cmdr Sloane and her crew had died in service to the Federation. Andrus thought about that - K'tar would say they died with honor. He had to agree with the Klingon on that point. Was it worth it though? True they had destroyed the device and defeated the MU vessel. Andrus had to admit he still wanted to punish the crew and vessel severely and without mercy. The vigilant and Furious had not yet re-joined.Each ship needed repairs. Andrus and his crew kept close station to the Furious - between the ISS Rosenante and the Furious. Andrus was not taking any chances. Sir" K'tar began " have a have a preliminary damage control report for you". "Thanks K'tar"the Bolain replied and took the padd. He began to read. He sighed as he read. ~Shields were low, weapons stock low...~ he thought to himself. "OK K'tar, when it is finalized - send it to Captain Salek with our complements" Andrus ordered. The Klingon nodded and turned to his task. (reply: None) (posted by: Bill) ------------------------- (ISS Rosenante - Bridge – FO - Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 1609) Josh had spent the last 24 hours in charge of the ISS Rosenate and to be honest, all she wanted to do was run away as far as she could. Only her Command Training kept her sittting in that centre seat, kept her sitting there giving orders and running this ship, when all she wanted to do was run far away in the opposite direction, very quickly and very quietly. She hated these people.. No, that was not true, she utterly despised these people. She found it hard to conceive of any universe that simply allowed these people to function as people and to be honest she also pittied them for having to live in that universe. Most of all she wanted them gone out of her universe. She wanted them gone so much that as the FO she would quite happily have blown up their ship and that scared Josh, since she had never been that kind of person before. But all of a sudden, as the FO, she could see herself doing it. She knew exactly how to do it and what scared her the most was that she was considering it as an option." =/\=Commander, how are things progressing on the ISS Rosenante? Are you having any difficulty with their crew? =/\= Finally reality asserted itself when Captain Salid contacted her. Josh took a deep breath and let it out. "Actually Sir we are not. They have been very communicative. In fact this Captain wishes to speak with you and Captain Saleke." "That's good to hear." he said with a weak smile, ~At least there's some good news to be had.~ "I've asked Captain Saleke over to the Rosenante to discuss the disposition of the Imperial ship and it's crew. I'd like for you to attend. Can you make time say 20 or twenty five minutes before 1700?" Josh nodded. "That will not be a problem sir." "Very good, Commander. I'd like as detailed report as you can assemble concerning that vessel's operational status. I also want you to make arrangements to have Captain Salid, transferred to our Rosenante's brig. I would like Lieutenant Raschen to personally see to his safety and security. It is very well known how officers advance there and I'd like to see to it that we don't have to deal with an upstart this late in the day." "Be prepared Commander to lend your opinion on our discussion. I'll see you soon." Josh simply nodded. "Aye Sir." Tapping her comm badge she contacted Cmdr Sullivan and Lt Raschen. "Cmdr Sulllivan please report to the Bridge. "You will be taking charge whilst I report to the Captain. Lt Raschen, our Captain has requested that you personally make arrangements to transfer the ISS Captain across to the brig on the Rose." (Reply Sullivan and Raschen) Turning to Jackson Josh smiled. Mr Jackson. You have the bridge until Mr Sullivan arrives. Have someone trustworthy meet us in Transporter one so that, Raschen. his prisoner and I are able to beam over. Notify the Rose that we are ready and have Mr Dawson organise it from his side. I prefer to trust him rather than anyone on this ship. (Reply Jackson) (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– FO- Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 1638) "Commander." "Have a seat. Care for some Turkish coffee?" he said gesturing towards the still steaming coffee service that occupied the corner of his desk. Josh shook her head. "No thank you Sir, however if you could indeed scrounge up a cup of Lapsang Suchang I would be eternally grateful." "So Jennifer," he began trying to be more personable, "what's the detailed down and dirty concerning that ship? Where are we on the critical repairs?" Josh took a deep breath and then smiled. "To be honest sir far, far better than you would think. We shut down all of their critical systems, but restarting them won't be such a serious problem as we thought. That ship is a nasty piece of work, but getting it up and running again will be fairly easy Sir." Just as she was ready to depart her comm badge chirped. =^=Captain Saleke is aboard Commander.=^= Josh tapped her badge in return. "Thank you Dawson, please make sure that he makes his way to the Captain's Ready Room. (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– FO- Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 1703) A few moments later Captain Saleke entered the room and Josh greeted him. An uneasy silence settled over the group as Ahmed prepared to start the discussion concerning the ship and Crew from the Mirror Universe. He was still conflicted morally, which is why he had asked these two to join him. "There's a lot weighing on my mind about everything that has happened in the last several days." He finally began, " There is no longer any reasonable doubt that there is an active Conspiracy within the Admiralty to develop and potentially use an Omega device for unknown ends. As you both know this weapon could destroy everything that we've fought for in the civil war. It could undo all the progress that we've made since the founding of the United Federation of Planets and that to me is completely unacceptable." "This is further complicated by the presence of a duplicate Rosenante from the Mirror Universe. A ship and crew that are responsible for hundreds of deaths here in our own universe. They would have been responsible for billions had our combined efforts not been successful here." "Their presence has clearly displayed the danger that we're facing here. The hazardous nature of the Omega Device, as well as showing us how close the conspirators are to completing one of their own. It is my opinion that we can not allow them to succeed. the problem that we face is that at present we only have a few solid leads to their identity. Even if we are vigilant, we could spend years rooting them out and by that time they could have finalized a second device." "We have a unique, if not unsavoury option open to us however. Captain Salid of the Imperial Rosenante is offering us a trade. He has suggested that we return his ship and crew back to their own Universe and in return, we will receive detailed data that will significantly aide us in dealing with the Conspirators. He claims that he got this data from the facility he destroyed at Kabor, before they left the system. He also claims that was where the conspirators had performed the majority of the work on the Omega device in his universe." "The fact that he was able to trace a direct path through our universe to the exact locations of component construction and research points that corresponded with those in his universe, lend a great deal of weight to his claims." "The answer seems apparent, but I'm having some apprehension because of the morality of that decision. I think that we can fulfil our end of the bargain using this device, which we can construct aboard the Rosenante." Ahmed tapped a few keys on his desktop and a holographic image of the generator appeared, hovering between them. (reply Saleke) "That's right." Ahmed replied with a nod. "Normally it wouldn't work, but the ISS Rosenante has two warp cores and therefore can generate enough power to operate two of these generators, which by my rough estimates will be sufficient to realign the ISS Rosenante back to their quantum universe." Josh sighed. "That is all well and good but what stops them from simply setting it up again and this time sending a fleet through. They have already proved that they can. What will stop them if we send this ship back? (Reply Salid and Saleke) (Posted by Marilyn) ------------------------------ (ISS Rosenante - Bridge – COPS - Lt Tom Jackson - Day 12 - 1609.75) Arrangements had been made for the MU Salid to visit his Federation counterpart, Saleke and Josh Caskie on the Federation Rose. Josh turned to Tom Jackson and ordered "Mr Jackson. You have the bridge until Mr Sullivan arrives. Have someone trustworthy meet us in Transporter one so that, Raschen. his prisoner and I are able to beam over. Notify the Rose that we are ready and have Mr Dawson organize it from his side. I prefer to trust him rather than anyone on this ship". Nodding back,"I'll cover it Commander" as Tom assumed the Center Seat fro only the second time since his assignment to the Rose. Even though this wasn't the federation Rose, the center seat was still the center seat. He liked it a lot. Dismissing those thoughts, Jackson began to implement his instructions. Looking over the controls, Jackson was relieved to see they were almost exactly the same as the ones on his ship. "USS Roseneate - Mr Dawson this is Lt Jackson on the ISS Rosenate" and waited for a reply. He figured he'd be asked to authenticate who he really was. His id now verified, Tom explained what their FO wanted and asked Dawson to personally handle it. (reply: Dawson) Tom closed the link and reported to Josh "All Set Cmdr Caskie". He turned his attention back to the console around him. (Reply: Cmdr Caskie) (Posted by: Bill) ------------------------- (ISS Rosenante –Security Chief’s Office – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1612.5) =^=Cmdr Sulllivan please report to the Bridge. You will be taking charge whilst I report to the Captain. Lt Raschen, our Captain has requested that you personally make arrangements to transfer the ISS Captain across to the brig on the Rose. =^= Chance slowly shook his head from side to side and muttered “How in the hell am I going to pull that off?” then tapping his comm.-badge stated “I’ll make it happen ASAP ma’am.” Then he tapped his badge again “V’Shera, Nunez report to the CSec’s office immediately.” (Reply V’Shera, Nunez) Once they arrived, Raschen looked at them both “We have to conduct a very tricky prisoner transfer so I hope you both feel like running this evening?” he rhetorically asked them. (Reply iyw V’Shera, Nunez) Looking back and forth between the two, he began explaining “Our skipper wants Captain Salid moved from this brig to the one on our Rose. To pull this off, we are going to use an old pirate escape trick.” (Reply iyw V’Shera, Nunez) “It’s easy enough to do, but harder than just beaming from one Rose to the other.” He then handed a PADD to V’Shera “Hurry down and prep the captain’s yacht for immediate launch. On here is all the access codes you need as well as clearance for takeoff.” He paused when he noticed a subtle change in her expression. (Reply V’Shera) “Let us just say that as Chief of Security it is sometimes amazing what I can actually do. As for the yacht, unlike the other support craft on this ship, none of the systems on the it can be controlled by remote. So after you are ready to launch I want you to then have a lock on us so you can be ready to transport Nunez, Salid, and myself from the pad in transporter room 1 to the yacht at the last possible moment.” (Reply V’Shera iyw) Chance then turned to Marta “As soon as she lets us know that she is ready, you and I are going to rush into the brig and put a cloth black bag over his head and put him in cuffs. Then we each grab one of his arms then we start running with him toward the transporter room.” (Reply Nunez iyw) Then looking back and forth between the two powerful females, he continued to explain his plan “The moment we are all four on the yacht, and as fast as possible, we get underway and hightail it over to our Rose. Using the magnetic landing skids we land on the hull directly over the brig and beam straight in. Any questions?” (Reply V’Shera, Nunez) (Reply V’Shera, Nunez) Posted by Charlie ------------------------- (ISS Rosenante- Sickbay- ATRADOC - Ensign Marta Nunez -Day 12- 1613) Sleeping in the EVO/C was not even remotely comfortable, but Marta had decided that it was most assuredly necessary. She didn't dare take the chance that one of the Mirror Universe get a hold of her armor and run amok throughout the ship. The fact that many of them seemed surprised by the appearance of the armor was enough of a reason for Marta to believe that they had never developed that particular technology themselves. So she had put Mac on alert, while she caught a few fitful minutes of sleep. Fitful because dozing while standing in a locked suit of armor involved remaining in the suit harness that was anything but comfortable. The straps were chafing her thighs, and were a constant reminder of the seriousness of the situation. Mac had recently brought her around by pumping stimulants through the biomonitor link in the suit. It had also activated the waste collection and reclamation systems much to her immediate relief. The EVO/C could run independently for weeks without any need for the marine to ever exit the armor, provided that they didn't take any serious damage to the power supply. Now awake and alert, thanks to the stimulant and a semi liquid food substitute with the consistency of tapioca pudding, Marta was once again on guard in the Sickbay, watching as Doctor Lopez made his rounds. They still hadn't found the CMO, and that bothered Marta to no ends. A thorough shipside search had yielded no sign of her, and a subsequent search of both the Rosenante and the Furious had also turned up nothing. Perhaps the woman had died, or maybe jumped ship, but whatever the situation, Doctor Wyler, of the mirror universe Rosenante was no where to be found. Mac chirped as he intercepted a communications from Lieutenant Raschen. A still image of the man's face appeared to the left of her visor display, and detailed record data began scrolling by as he spoke, =^=V’Shera, Nunez report to the CSec’s office immediately.=^= Marta nodded, assessed the security team in Sickbay and deciding that they were sufficient for the task they had been assigned, toggled her comm unit to respond, "On my way Lieutenant." (ISS Rosenante- CSEC Office- ATRADOC - Ensign Marta Nunez -Day 12- 1614) Marta chimed the door and stepped into the office immediately after it opened. She stepped forward and falling into the old habit of the marine Corps, stopped and snapped to attention. With a quick salute, one of the traditions that was not commonplace in the fleet but still in practice by Marines, she reported, "Ensign Nunez, reporting as ordered Sir." She was told to stand easy, which she did, although the armor made it much less apparent that she was actually relaxing, since it remained very stiff. After a few moments, V'Shera arrived. Once they were all together Lieutenant Raschen told them why they had been summoned. “We have to conduct a very tricky prisoner transfer so I hope you both feel like running this evening?” he rhetorically asked them. (Reply iyw V’Shera) "I'm game sir." Marta responded, although she knew it wasn't necessary to do so. Looking back and forth between the two, he began explaining “Our skipper wants Captain Salid moved from this brig to the one on our Rose. To pull this off, we are going to use an old pirate escape trick.” (Reply iyw V’Shera) “It’s easy enough to do, but harder than just beaming from one Rose to the other.” He then handed a PADD to V’Shera “Hurry down and prep the captain’s yacht for immediate launch. On here is all the access codes you need as well as clearance for takeoff.” He paused when he noticed a subtle change in her expression. (Reply V’Shera) “Let us just say that as Chief of Security it is sometimes amazing what I can actually do. As for the yacht, unlike the other support craft on this ship, none of the systems on the it can be controlled by remote. So after you are ready to launch I want you to then have a lock on us so you can be ready to transport Nunez, Salid, and myself from the pad in transporter room 1 to the yacht at the last possible moment.” (Reply V’Shera iyw) Chance then turned to Marta “As soon as she lets us know that she is ready, you and I are going to rush into the brig and put a cloth black bag over his head and put him in cuffs. Then we each grab one of his arms then we start running with him toward the transporter room.” Marta nodded, exaggerating her movements so that the helmet would actually move. "Sounds easy enough, but you'll have to handle the bag and the cuffs, I don't want to break him. Carrying him is no problem, but that sort of stuff is tricky to do in EVO/C." she explained. Then looking back and forth between the two women again, he continued to explain his plan “The moment we are all four on the yacht, and as fast as possible, we get underway and hightail it over to our Rose. Using the magnetic landing skids we land on the hull directly over the brig and beam straight in. Any questions?” "Just one sir," Marta spoke up, "Have you let our Rose know about the landing portion of your plan, yet? because I get a funny feeling that they wouldn't like it too much if they weren't informed ahead of time." (reply V'Shera, Raschen) Daniel Greene ------------------------- (ISS Rosenante –CSec Office – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1615.4) Then looking back and forth between V’Shera and Nunez again, he continued to explain his plan “The moment we are all four on the yacht, and as fast as possible, we get underway and hightail it over to our Rose.. Using the magnetic landing skids we land on the hull directly over the brig and beam straight in. Any questions?” "Just one sir," Marta spoke up, "Have you let our Rose know about the landing portion of your plan, yet? Because I get a funny feeling that they wouldn't like it too much if they weren't informed ahead of time." Raschen put a mischievous smirk on his face and just simply said “Oops, slipped my mind.” He then held his hands up with a more serious expression on his face said “I promise that I will see to it that our CO knows before we touchdown. Now let’s get to work.” (Reply none) Posted by Charlie ------------------------- (ISS Rosenante –CSEC Office – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1645) V’Shera finally sent word from the captain’s yacht that she was ready to get underway and that she was maintaining a transporter lock on Raschen, Nunez, and Salid in the brig. Chance looked at Marta in her battle gear, holding the cloth black back that Chance was going to put over the Imperial captain. “You ready for this Nun?” he asked her as he took a deep breath himself. (Reply Nunez) “GO!” Raschen bellowed as the door to the main security area opened and he bolted through and ran toward the cell that held Salid. He slapped the button to drop the force field to the cell and charged in. The Chief of Security unceremoniously maneuvered the alternate Salid up against the bulkhead with his hands behind his back. (Reply Salid (MU) iyw) Once Chance got his hands cuffed, he reached toward the cell opening with one arm and used his other forearm at the base of the captain’s skull to keep him pinned against the bulkhead. Once Nunez gave him the black bag, Raschen quickly put it over the other man’s head and tied it tight enough that the hood won’t come off, but loose enough that the man could breathe and not choke. (Reply Salid (MU) iyw) Taking hold of one of Salid’s arms, Chance started to forcefully lead the man out of the cell when he heard some commotion and foul language from the next cell over. It was Caskie’s cell. (Reply Caskie (MU) iyw) As Raschen and Nunez started heading for the door out of security, they each held one of Salid’s arms and practically dragged him with them. Chance just looked at her and smiled as he showed the ISS FO what his mother jokingly referred to as the British Three-Fingered Salute. Then the door closed behind them as they entered the passageway running. (Reply any who wish) (ISS Rosenante –Transporter Room 1 – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1651.7) Chance was scared to say anything about how good things were going thus far.. During the run from security to the transporter room, the three passed several of the ISS crewmembers, most of which hit their comm.-badges. Along the way, anyone that didn’t simply move out of the trio’s way, simply got stunned with a phaser and stepped over. Chance saw the door and suddenly became very concerned about whom, or what awaited them on the other side simply because he couldn’t see through the door. He looked at Nunez and then the hooded man and asked “Well, the first hard part is over. How are you two holding up?” Chance asked sounding more than slightly winded from the run. (Reply Nunez, Salid (MU) iyw) Raschen then acknowledged that he heard them, after reassuring his grip on the captain’s arm, he stepped forward and the door to the transporter room opened to reveal a half dozen ISS crewman working diligently at assorted open panels. “Damn it, there’s always something.” He muttered as he and Marta both headed toward the transporter pad with the captain in tow. (Reply Nunez, Salid (MU) iyw) “What the hell is this work crew doing here?” Raschen asked rhetorically he and Marta positioned themselves on the pad with Salid between them. Just then the Romulan female in charge of the detail, walked up to the trio and grabbed Nunez by the arms and adjusted her position slightly away from Salid. Chance looked at her rank insignia and smirked, because what he first thought was Warrant Officer rank research showed it to be Brevet Commander Rank. “Pardon me Commander, but what is going on here?” he asked her. “Don’t worry Lieutenant, after your Commander Caskie arrived safely onboard your Rose, sections of this transporter started to malfunction. I assure you, there is very little risk to your security.” T’Lela explained as she then passed the hooded captain and moved to Raschen to guide him slightly away from Salid just like she did with Nunez. (Reply Nunez, Salid (MU) iyw) T’Lela softly kissed Chance before whispering in his ear “You know Raschen, I wish Temerarious was standing here instead of you. I will miss the warmth of the fire in your eyes.” And then she walked out of transporter room with a strut that caused the security chief to focus on her posterior. Chance turned and just looked at Marta and shrugged “What can I say, she is my late wife?” (Reply Nunez, Salid (MU) iyw) Just then some movement caught his attention. The ‘repair crew’ began to line up like a firing squad. “Nun, call the ship” was all Chance said as he took aim at the senior ranking person standing in front of the trio. Just as Raschen started to feel the transporter effect grab hold of him, he yelled “FIRE” and began sending stun beams as he started to dematerialize. (ISS Rosenante –Captain’s Yacht – CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1653.6) As soon as Raschen, Nunez, and Salid rematerialize on the yacht, Chance bolted to the cockpit area as he shouted back “Get the Captain strapped in, then V’Shera get up here!” (Reply Nunez, V’Shera, Salid (MU) iyw) Chance was hurriedly punching in commands at the yacht’s helm controls when he turned his head in time to see V’Shera take the seat next to his. Chance hit the final command and the ship dropped from its socket on the underside of the saucer section and quickly throttled up to full impulse. The trip only took a handful of fretful minutes to travel from Rosenante to the other. V”Shera, open a channel to the USS Rosenante please. Tell them that you will be conducting a close proximity flyby in order to beam me and the prisoner directly into the brig area. Then I want you and Nunez to take this back to the ISS.” He calmly directed before getting up out of his seat and headed toward the back of the craft. (Reply V’Shera) Once again in the presence of Nunez and Captain Salid Chance started undoing Salid’s safety restraints and moving him to the transporter platform. After taking another deep breath he said “When y’all get back, get checked out just in case, get a bite to eat, and catch some zees if you can. Alright ladies, we are as ready as we’re ever gonna be.” (Reply V’Shera, Nunez) As the yacht flew over the section of the primary hull of the USS Rosenante, the yacht vanished. (USS Rosenante –Brig– CSec- LT Chance Raschen-1703.9) Raschen and Salid rematerialized directly in front of a vacant cell. Raschen quickly removed the prisoner’s cuffs and unceremoniously shoved him into the cell and activated the force field. “You can remove the hood yourself sir. Well, you are still alive and aboard the USS Rosenante captain, would you like a drink? God knows I could go for one.” (Reply Salid (MU) iyw) As he tiredly strolled to his office, Chance looked at the crewman manning the main desk and said “I will be in my office, inform the skipper that the prisoner he wanted is safely aboard as directed.” The crewman just nodded and began sending the CSec’s message to the bridge.. As Chance entered his office, the door closed, shutting out the prisoner’s ranting. (Reply Nunez, V’Shera, Salid (MU)) Posted by Charlie ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Brig- CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid (MU) & Ensign Nunez - Day 12 - 1646) Marta was standing by when the word came form V'Shera that all was ready. Chance gave her a look and said, "You ready for this Nun?" She smiled at being called by her old nickname again. It brought back some of the better memories from her Marine days. "You bet, Chance." She replied. "GO!" Raschen bellowed as the door to the main security area opened and he bolted through and ran toward the cell that held Salid. He slapped the button to drop the force field to the cell and charged in. The Chief of Security unceremoniously maneuvered the alternate Salid up against the bulkhead with his hands behind his back. The Imperial captain seemed to have been taken completely by surprise. The anger that flooded into his face when he hit the wall would have melted solid Duranium and Marta had no illusions that Salid would have killed Raschen without a single thought if he had just had the time to react. The Security chief cuffed the prisoner and when he reached his hand back to her, Marta simply handed him the black hood that he had asked her to carry. While she wasn't too clear on the purpose of the bag, she supposed that the Chief knew what he was doing. "I'm going to see you dead Raschen!" the captain growled from under the hood. But Chance didn't seem to worry too much about the threat instead, he indicated that Marta should take his other arm and the two of them should then proceed to get him out of the brig and to the transporter room. (USS Rosenante- Transporter Room 1- CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid (MU) & Ensign Nunez - Day 12 - 1651.9) When they reached the Transporter room the first thing that Marta Noticed was the work crew at the panels. This seemed to surprise the Security chief as he muttered "Damn it, there's always something." What happened next was well, strange. They took their positions, and Romulan Brevet Commander explained that there had been some transporter problems. But assured them that there wouldn't be any problems. ~Well, if there are, it's gonna be a short f***ing trip.~ Marta thought. The woman softly kissed Chance before whispering something in his ear, then she turned and walked out of transporter room with a strut that caused the security chief to focus on her posterior. Chance turned and just looked at Marta. He had that "hand caught in the cookie jar look on his face. He shrugged "What can I say, she is my late wife?" "Uh-huh..." Marta teased him, I'll just bet she is..." Suddenly the 'repair crew' began to line up like a firing squad. "Nun, call the ship" was all Chance said as he took aim at the Group. "Marta to V'Shera energize now." There was the familiar pull of the transporter beam as Chance began to fire at the assembled personnel. (USS Rosenante -Brig - CO- Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid (MU) & Ensign Nunez - Day 12 - 1705) Marta smiled at the scowl that the imperial Captain was wearing when Chance finally allowed the captain to remove the hood from his head. If his eyes could fire phasers, Chance would have been disintegrated instantly. "Well, you are still alive and aboard the USS Rosenante captain, would you like a drink? God knows I could go for one." The imperial captain's demeanor changed after that however, and he simply nodded and said, "Have you got any whiskey?" As the two men spoke, Marta turned and headed for her quarters. It was time to take a shower and get some much needed rest. (reply none) Daniel Greene ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1704) "Welcome back aboard the Rosenante Captain Saleke," Captain Salid spoke said as he rose to his feet. "I presume that you remember Commander Jennifer Caskie?" At seeing Commander Caskie was present Saleke raised his hand in salute. "Commander it is good to see you again, we did not have time for the proper amenities when I first came aboard. Live long and prosper." Her nod was pleasant but the lines of her face were tight which attested to her tension, he was certain she had been overseeing the repairs to the ISS ship and it seemed to be conflicting with her personal ideals. Dealing with a crewful of officers from the Mirror Universe while watching your back as well as those of your own crew would logically wear on any officer. "Please have a seat." The captain said and gestured to a chair after introductions were completed. "Would you care for some Turkish Coffee, before we begin?" Saleke took a second to consider it before nodding in acceptance then reaching for the caraffe and a cup before he sat. "Thank you, I will. I admit to being curious as to the flavor." As he poured he noted that BOTH command officers of the Rosenante appeared uneasy, events of the past days had taken their toll. The coffee steamed as it streamed into the cup, when it reached one half inch from the lip he replaced the caraffe, settled into the chair and picked it up. As silence settled over the gathering the vulcan took the opportunity to sip the hot beverage, the coffee was sweet but strong with a smooth aftertaste, Saleke decided that it was not unpleasant. This action gave Salid time to organize his thoughts and begin an unpalattable subject. "There's a lot weighing on my mind about everything that has happened in the last several days." He spoke after a moment, " There is no longer any reasonable doubt that there is an active Conspiracy within the Admiralty to develop and potentially use an Omega device for unknown ends. As you both know this weapon could destroy everything that we've fought for in the civil war. It could undo all the progress that we've made since the founding of the United Federation of Planets and that to me is completely unacceptable." This was both logical as well as apprapo. The vulcan listened intently as he continued. "This is further complicated by the presence of a duplicate Rosenante from the Mirror Universe. A ship and crew that are responsible for hundreds of deaths here in our own universe. They would have been responsible for billions had our combined efforts not been successful here." "Their presence has clearly displayed the danger that we're facing here. The hazardous nature of the Omega Device, as well as showing us how close the conspirators are to completing one of their own. It is my opinion that we can not allow them to succeed. the problem that we face is that at present we only have a few solid leads to their identity. Even if we are vigilant, we could spend years rooting them out and by that time they could have finalized a second device." "We have a unique, if not unsavory option open to us however. Captain Salid of the Imperial Rosenante is offering us a trade. He has suggested that we return his ship and crew back to their own Universe and in return, we will receive detailed data that will significantly aide us in dealing with the Conspirators. He claims that he got this data from the facility he destroyed at Kabor, before they left the system. He also claims that was where the conspirators had performed the majority of the work on the Omega device in his universe." "The fact that he was able to trace a direct path through our universe to the exact locations of component construction and research points that corresponded with those in his universe, lend a great deal of weight to his claims." "The answer seems apparent, but I'm having some apprehension because of the morality of that decision. I think that we can fulfill our end of the bargain using this device, which we can construct aboard the Rosenante." Ahmed tapped a few keys on his desktop and a holographic image of the generator appeared, hovering between them. "The device you suggest using." The vulcan remarked. "Is noted for its power intensive nature. The phase cloak employed on the Spectre is far superior, smaller and much more reliable however it would be counterproductive to use it for such an event. If the Mirror Universe does not have the technology to employ it giving it to them would be highly illogical as would placing it on thier ship and having them replicate the design. While I find it unlikely they would employ it to use against the prime universe the possibility cannot be overlooked." "Also the device in question is difficult to operate and unreliable however I assume you have already taken that into consideration." Having spoken he raised the cup to his lips once again and took a sip of the beverage. "That's right." Captain Salid nodded. "Normally it wouldn't work, but the ISS Rosenante has two warp cores and therefore can generate enough power to operate two of these generators, which by my rough estimates will be sufficient to realign the ISS Rosenante back to their quantum universe." Commander Caskie gave a tired sigh. "That is all well and good but what stops them from simply setting it up again and this time sending a fleet through. They have already proved that they can. What will stop them if we send this ship back?" "I can't guarantee that it will work, but Doctor Gralen and Commander McLaren are among the Furious crew, between them, Benoit and Maddox I would think that they could verify or refute my theory and if needed make the adjustments needed to carry it out." he replied. "Matrix and Rixx could to the installation work." Saleke nodded. "Between the individuals mentioned I trust an answer can be found to the problem of its stability and use. But that is not the only problem you have called me here to discuss." He could see it in Salid's eyes, the aforementioned moral dilemna was weighing on his mind. "Technical aspect aside. I have a personal problem with letting these people off the hook Scott free. I'd much rather lock them up forever and disintegrate the key, but I know that if I were in Salid's position, I'd make certain that data would never be found without my immediate assistance. If we want to get the data and use it to stop our conspirators, we'll have to deal and that means sending them home despite the things they've done." "If I may interject Captain," Saleke said as Captain Salid looked across the desk at him and his own first officer. Saleke rasied an eyebrow. " Morality may be used by many as a compass during normal and everday events however the dilemna facing us has little to do with morality but everything to do with logic if we consider not only the events that have transpired but their impact on the future. It has already been duly noted in starfleet annals of the destabilizing nature of crossing dimensional boundaries and their relation to future events. The ISS Rosenante though we may find their conduct reprehensible in the Prime Universe is needed in their own and their absence from the mirror universe could have adverse repercussions." "The question I entertain is not in whether it is right or wrong to send them back but the disposition of the generators after they have returned." "Of course, well, have to see to it that the generators are destroyed immediately after they have done their job. I don't want to provide them with a means to skip back and forth between universes. I'll leave that task to Sullivan and Raschen." He then took a sip from his cup. "I'd like your feed back on everything I've just said. Pros and cons, opinions and concerns." Saleke looked across at the commander and noted she appeared to have nothing to interject therefore he spoke. "If we do the morally right thing as you suggest and punish them for their crimes two problems appear. One we have a shipful of alter reality crew that are needed in their own universe and the loss of such a powerful vessel could be a blow to their own government, we therefore possibly punish not only them but their entire civilization. That they are using an omega device denotes they are quite logically in dire straits, even the mirror universe civilization would be aware of its detrimental effects and loathe to use it except as a last resort. The loss of navigation across the area so destroyed due to its catastrophic nature and the spread of the device's use might well destabilize whole continuums if used extensively. The loss of their own Rosenante might compel them to continue and expend its use." "Then there are other future events that might be changed which cannot be forseen including those in our uwn universe by their very presence." (Reply: Salid, Caskie) "The second of course is that while we may punish the crew of one ship now the whole of the Federation could be placed in jeopardy by the cadre that is attmpting to fabricate these weapons of mass destruction. Both of you are aware as am I that such a program of terror and destabilization can not be allowed to succeed according to the omega directive as well as being logically prohibitive." His eyes moved over the both of them. "While lives have been lost at their hands and they are reprehensible criminals in our own universe we have an obligation to insure the viability and well being of the Federation. In times such as this *the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.*" (Reply Salid, Caskie) (Posted by Charles) ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid - Day 12 - 1705) "If I may interject Captain," Saleke said as Captain Salid looked across the desk at him and his own first officer. Saleke raised an eyebrow. " Morality may be used by many as a compass during normal and everyday events however the dilemma facing us has little to do with morality but everything to do with logic if we consider not only the events that have transpired but their impact on the future. It has already been duly noted in Starfleet annals of the destabilizing nature of crossing dimensional boundaries and their relation to future events. The ISS Rosenante though we may find their conduct reprehensible in the Prime Universe is needed in their own and their absence from the mirror universe could have adverse repercussions." Ahmed's eyes narrowed as he considered the Vulcan Captain's words. "The question I entertain is not in whether it is right or wrong to send them back but the disposition of the generators after they have returned." "Of course, well, have to see to it that the generators are destroyed immediately after they have done their job. I don't want to provide them with a means to skip back and forth between universes. I'll leave that task to Sullivan and Raschen." Ahmed replied. The Egyptian man then reached out and picked up his still steaming cup of coffee as The Vulcan Commander continued. Commander Caskie was also listening intently as she cradled her cup of tea in her hands. "I'd like your feed back on everything I've just said. Pros and cons, opinions and concerns." Ahmed finally concluded. Saleke looked across at the commander for a moment before continuing. "If we do the morally right thing as you suggest and punish them for their crimes two problems appear. One we have a ship full of alter reality crew that are needed in their own universe and the loss of such a powerful vessel could be a blow to their own government, we therefore possibly punish not only them but their entire civilization. That they are using an Omega Device denotes they are quite logically in dire straits, even the mirror universe civilization would be aware of its detrimental effects and loathe to use it except as a last resort. The loss of navigation across the area so destroyed due to its catastrophic nature and the spread of the device's use might well destabilize whole continuums if used extensively. The loss of their own Rosenante might compel them to continue and expend its use." ~Good point~ Ahmed thought. "Then there are other future events that might be changed which cannot be foreseen including those in our own universe by their very presence." "A valid point," Ahmed agreed. "The second of course is that while we may punish the crew of one ship now the whole of the Federation could be placed in jeopardy by the cadre that is attempting to fabricate these weapons of mass destruction. Both of you are aware as am I that such a program of terror and destabilization can not be allowed to succeed according to the Omega directive as well as being logically prohibitive." His eyes moved over the both of them. "While lives have been lost at their hands and they are reprehensible criminals in our own universe we have an obligation to insure the viability and well being of the Federation. In times such as this the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." It was those words, just spoken, 'the needs of the many...' that personified the entire crux of Ahmed dilemma. When, if ever did that maxim not apply. And at what point would he know that it didn't apply? "As much as I may dislike the decision," Ahmed replied after a moment, "I can not find any fault in your logic. I myself have come to the same conclusion. He looked at Jennifer. He knew that she more than anyone else understood these people for what they truly were. She was a moral compass as far as he was concerned. That's one of the things that made her such a damned good First Officer. "There will be a great deal of discussion over this decision as well as the handling of the conspirators as well." he said finally, not certain why he chose to do so, "But we all know what has to be done, and sometimes the burden of command is doing something that isn't pleasant, but is entirely necessary." The words were as much for his benefit as they were for the other two officers in the room. "If we're all in agreement then, I say we get this nasty bit of business underway and finished. It will take a couple of days to get everything done and I don't want to take any more chances than necessary. Captain Saleke if you would be so kind as to put mister Benoit, Gralen, matrix and McLaren onto the task of replicating and installing those generators, I'll have Ensign Rixx join them and see to it that the system won't allow operational control of the Imperial ship until after they have returned home and the generators are destroyed beyond repair or inspection. I think a phaser set to disintegrate inside the housing should do the trick, but I'll let Sullivan and Raschen come up with whatever solution works best." He finally stated. "Once that's done, we can return Captain Salid to command of his vessel, and send them home. I'll see to it that the data is procured before then and that everything is ready before that time comes. once I have the data, I will be sending you a copy Captain, so that we increase the chance of being able to utilize it." (reply Saleke iyw) "If you can have the Furious repaired well enough to dock together, I suggest that we then tow her, through the conduit back to Geneva station, with the intent to start repairs and to make the needed arrangements to deal with these conspirators. And of course we'll have to deal with a formal inquiry, concerning the loss of the Courageous and the rest of the mess associated with my ship's status. It's my belief that we can have everything wrapped up in three to four days." "In the meantime, commander Caskie will retain command of the Imperial Vessel until we're ready to turn it over to their Salid." (reply Saleke, Caskie iyw, but not necessary) Daniel Greene ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Ready Room– Captain Saleke - Day 12 - 1710) "As much as I may dislike the decision," Ahmed replied after a moment, "I can not find any fault in your logic. I myself have come to the same conclusion." "There will be a great deal of discussion over this decision as well as the handling of the conspirators." he said finally, "But we all know what has to be done, and sometimes the burden of command is doing something that isn't pleasant, but is entirely necessary." "If we're all in agreement then, I say we get this nasty bit of business underway and finished. It will take a couple of days to get everything done and I don't want to take any more chances than necessary. Captain Saleke if you would be so kind as to put mister Benoit, Gralen, matrix and McLaren onto the task of replicating and installing those generators, I'll have Ensign Rixx join them and see to it that the system won't allow operational control of the Imperial ship until after they have returned home and the generators are destroyed beyond repair or inspection. I think a phaser set to disintegrate inside the housing should do the trick, but I'll let Sullivan and Raschen come up with whatever solution works best." He finally stated. "Once that's done, we can return Captain Salid to command of his vessel, and send them home. I'll see to it that the data is procured before then and that everything is ready before that time comes. once I have the data, I will be sending you a copy Captain, so that we increase the chance of being able to utilize it." Saleke concurred completely, if by some chance they were intercepted by rogue elements during their return to starbase the probability that one would return with the information was doubled. A 'logical' decision. "If you can have the Furious repaired well enough to dock together I suggest that we then tow her through the conduit back to Geneva station with the intent to start repairs and to make the needed arrangements to deal with these conspirators. And of course we'll have to deal with a formal inquiry concerning the loss of the Courageous and the rest of the mess associated with my ship's status. It's my belief that we can have everything wrapped up in three to four days." "In the meantime, commander Caskie will retain command of the Imperial Vessel until we're ready to turn it over to their Salid." Saleke nodded as the meeting came to an end but he had one last item to set forth, he turned to the Rosenante's FO. "Commander I have one of the mirror universe's casualties in cryostasis on the Furious which I believe should be returned to his shipmates, a Lieutenant Tom Jackson. With your permission I will have him transported to the ISS ship after I have returned to mine." (Reply: Caskie) "Final identification was made only within the last three hours, the body was quite... I believe the term is ... a mess due to its time spent in space outside Hexicor Alpha. Final ID was acquired using the crew manifest on this Rosenante and through DNA and dental records. The match is quite solid." (Reply: Caskie) "Very well Commander, Captain." With a slight bow of his head the vulcan captain took his leave. (Reply: Caskie, Salid iyw) (Posted by Charles) ------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Ready Room - FO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 1714) Josh had listened quietly, barely saying a word as the two Captains continued the discussion around her. She knew in essence that they were correct in their decision, it was just that so many people had died at the ISS Rosenante's hands and it seemed to Josh, and she knew that it would seem the same to a lot of other people, that they were merely sending them home with a slap on the wrist and telling them not to do it again. Captain Salid finally stated, "There will be a great deal of discussion over this decision as well as the handling of the conspirators. But we all know what has to be done, and sometimes the burden of command is doing something that isn't pleasant, but is entirely necessary." Sighing deeply Josh simply nodded. Captain Salid then continued, "If we're all in agreement then, I say we get this nasty bit of business underway and finished. It will take a couple of days to get everything done and I don't want to take any more chances than necessary. Captain Saleke if you would be so kind as to put mister Benoit, Gralen, Matrix and McLaren onto the task of replicating and installing those generators, I'll have Ensign Rixx join them and see to it that the system won't allow operational control of the Imperial ship until after they have returned home and the generators are destroyed beyond repair or inspection. I think a phaser set to disintegrate inside the housing should do the trick, but I'll let Sullivan and Raschen come up with whatever solution works best." "Once that's done, we can return Captain Salid to command of his vessel, and send them home. I'll see to it that the data is procured before then and that everything is ready before that time comes. once I have the data, I will be sending you a copy Captain, so that we increase the chance of being able to utilize it." In the meantime, Commander Caskie will retain command of the Imperial Vessel until we're ready to turn it over to their Salid." Saleke nodded as the meeting came to an end but he had one last item to set forth, he turned to the Rosenante's FO. "Commander I have one of the mirror universe's casualties in cryostasis on the Furious which I believe should be returned to his shipmates, a Lieutenant Tom Jackson. With your permission I will have him transported to the ISS ship after I have returned to mine." Josh nodded. "I'll be returning directly to the other ship. I'll let Lopez know to expect him." "Final identification was made only within the last three hours, the body was quite... I believe the term is ... a mess due to its time spent in space outside Hexicor Alpha. Final ID was acquired using the crew manifest on this Rosenante and through DNA and dental records. The match is quite solid." Josh nodded again, "Understood. It might be wise to have your transporter operator contact Dr Lopez in Sickbay direct. I'm not sure that we need to let our Mr Jackson see his remains." Draining her cup and placing it on the desk Josh rose. "Now Sirs, if you will both excuse me I had better return. Goodnight Captain Saleke, Sir." (No reply needed) (Posted by Marilyn) ------------------------- (USS Rosenante- Captain's Quarters– CO- Captains Ahmed Ibn Salid & Salid (MU) - Day 12 - 2100) Ahmed looked up from his copy of The Temptation of Faust when the chime to his personal quarters chirped for attention. A quick glance at the chronometer confirmed that it was 2100 ours and that the visitor he'd both been dreading and excited to see was now here. He placed the book on the table, rose to his feet and turned to face the door. "Enter" he called out. The door slid aside with a barely noticeable hiss and Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid of the Imperial Starship Rosenante stepped through the door flanked by no less than six security guards and this universe's Chance Raschen. "You wanted to see me captain?" His counterpart asked in an almost bored tone. Ahmed just nodded once and decided to address his security chief first. "You can removed the restraints, lieutenant. Then please have yourself and your squad wait outside in the corridor." (reply Raschen) Once the prisoner had been unfettered, and the security personnel had stepped out into the corridor, the federation captain regarded the man standing before him. He was the same age, similar build, although he looked a little stronger. his eyes held a cold distant look, like a man who had seen too much. But he was fundamentally the same man that Ahmed encountered in the mirror every morning. His doppelganger stood gently rubbing his wrists where the shackles had been just a few minutes earlier. "Please have a seat captain." The Prime Universe Salid offered, "I've made Turkish coffee. We have a lot of things to discuss, you and I." The man took a long look around the room, his eyes settling on the massive silk scroll that held this universe's Salid's family lineage. Now there's something I haven't seen in a very long time." he commented and stepped across the room to stand in front of it. He regarded it intently for a few moments, before turning back to face his Prime Universe counterpart. "My copy was lost at the Battle of Caanae Majoris, I was stationed on the Horatio there, a lieutenant Commander." he said as he strode across the room to take a seat across from the captain of the federation Rosenante. Ahmed had already prepared a cup of the coffee for his mirror universe Counterpart. He handed it across to him as he spoke. "I've found it's a good thing to have around. It reminds me of the people who came before me, keeps me on task." He took a sip of his own coffee. "I'll have a high quality replica sent over to you, my compliments." The Mirror universe man simply nodded, took another sip of his coffee and settled into the chair. "Things are very different here. They're calm. It's unsettling." he finally offered. "Yes, I suppose they would be, just as I would find things in your universe very hectic and chaotic." "Are we really so different, you and I? Or are we the same man?" The Mirror Universe version asked. "That is a question for philosophers to debate. But for my opinion I believe that we are the same man, but with different life experiences, that have shaped our behavior and our thoughts." "The brutal nature of your universe has made you strong and ruthless physically. cold and calculating, while my own experiences have been tempered with diplomacy and moral concerns. I could become you, or you could become me, if the situation was right I suppose. We are aspects of each other, and by observing, we can learn something about ourselves." The Mirror universe officer nodded, then placed his cup on the table between them, "I took and oath to protect the Union." he finally said, "I intend to fulfill that oath." "I completely understand." the prime universe Salid replied, "I took the same oath to protect my federation. There is nothing that is more important to me than my word." There were a few tense moments of silence between them. "I lost the only man that I could really call my friend in this universe." Salid said then, "He has been with me a long time, and I never told him that he was important to me. That I trusted him. I even went out of my way to punish him so that others wouldn't think that he was a favorite and bring him harm. Now he's dead. After twenty three battles and six campaigns, he dies because of a Bynar." "Who was he?" The Prime Universe Salid asked then, "Tom Jackson." was the simple reply. "He was a hard man, but a strong one. I respected him." Ahmed nodded. He and this universe's Jackson had known each other for a while as well. Ahmed considered him among his friends. "Jackson is a good friend to me also." Ahmed said, "I'm sorry that your universe's Jackson was lost." "nothing to be done for it now, but I'd like to honor the man, if I may." This caught Ahmed's attention, "How so?" He asked. "I have some things that belonged to my Tom Jackson, I'd like to leave them with your Tom. I think he'd understand them better." "What sort of things?" "His officer's dagger, his personal logs, and his medals. Jackson had quite a few medals given to him by the Imperial Command." Ahmed considered it for a moment. "Alright, I'll permit it. But don't make me regret it." "You won't." "So how are you getting us home?" the Imperial officer finally asked. "Pretty certain that's why you're here, aren't you? To discuss your situation about getting you home and turning over the data?" "If that's not why you wanted to talk, I doubt you'd be so civil. I understand you better than anyone, Ahmed." There was something unsettling about seeing yourself call you by name. It was almost like referring to yourself in the third person in a room full of people. "I suppose you have a point." he finally replied, "Here's the deal. You provide me with the data and we'll install two interphase generators aboard your ship to return you home. Once they're done, the generators will self-destruct to prevent your return. You get to go home and I get the data that I want." "How do I know that I can trust you?" he asked. "It's simple, really. I'll give you my word. As long as you and your crew don't attempt to harm anyone else in this universe, or escape, or hinder us, and you provide the data as promised, we'll send you home safe. You have to give me your word, because I know you won't break it." The Imperial Captain looked at Ahmed then. His eyes were like dull cinders. "I suppose that you know me better than anyone else also, don't you?" he asked. "I'd like to think so. Give me your word and turn over the data. Then we'll sit and talk for a while, before I get things started to send you home. It's not often that you get to learn about what you would be like under entirely different circumstances." The man looked at the federation captain, then gave out a single tense nod. "Alright. You have my word, my binding oath. I'll have the data provided to you and we won't get in your way, but I leave this universe in command of my ship, with my crew at their stations. I need to be prepared for whatever we might face when we get home." "Agreed, on my word. I'll send you home if the conditions of your agreement are kept. And if they aren't I won't abide you to live." Both men locked gazes then, testing the resolve of their counterpart. It was the Mirror Universe Officer that looked away first. "Understandable." he said. "Make a list of things that you want to give Jackson. I'll have them retrieved and scanned. When I'm sure they are safe, I'll have them shipped here to you. You can give them to him yourself, tomorrow. But he'll be visiting you in the brig. This will be the last time that you're free until you're ready to return home." The mirror universe Officer looked at his counterpart and smiled. "Captain Salid, that is the most sensible thing you've said all day." he commented. "Now let's discuss things shall we, tell me about your life." (reply Raschen, None) Daniel Greene -------------------------- (ISS Rosenante - Captain's Ready Room - FO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 2115) Once back Josh had left Mr Sullivan in charge of the Bridge and headed for the Captain's Ready Room since she wanted to do a little quiet research of her own. She was just about finished when her commbadge chirped. =/\= Security to Cmdr Caskie. =/\= Josh tapped her badge. "Caskie here. What can I do for you?" The line had remained open and Josh could indeed here a lot of noise in the background. ~Oh dear lord, please don't tell me someone's escaped.~ she thought. The Captain had given his word, but Josh wouldn't put anything passed any of this crew. Suddenly the original voice came back. =/\= It's Johnstone here in the brig Sir. It's the other Caskie. She insists on speaking to you. In fact she is being very vocal about it Sir. Very vocal. =/\= As he finished speaking Josh could indeed hear just how vocal. =/\= You tell that ginger haired witch that she better haul her skinny carcass down here right now. You hear me. =/\= Josh sighed, she had hopped that she wouldn't have needed to have a face to face with the other FO, but seemingly it was not to be. She tapped her badge once again. "Yes, I can indeed hear her Mr Johnstone. I'm in the Captain's Ready Room. Bring her here please. Oh, and Johnstone, tell her if she doesn't pipe down you have my permission to gag her. Caskie out." (ISS Rosenante - Captain's Ready Room - FO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 12 - 2120) The chime sounded and the door slid open to reveal a security detail escorting the Commander. Josh looked up from the desk and smiled at Johnstone. "Thank you Mr Johnstone, you can wait outside until we are finished." As soon as they had left she regarded the other woman briefly and looked down at the desk again. "Well, you wanted to see me. What do you want?" As soon as the Security goons left Jennifer marched straight over to the desk slammed both her hands down on it and leant over almost right into Josh's face. "I demand to know exactly what you have done with my Captain. He was violently removed from the brig by your goons and we haven't seen him since." Josh glanced up at her and then casually leant back in the chair. A small smile lifted one corner of her mouth. "Why Commander I didn't know you cared so much about your Captain. Or is it more of a case of you want to know if he's coming back or not so that you can secure your position." Josh's smile widened as she watched the play of emotions flit across the other Commander's face. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you Jennifer, you don't mind if I call you Jennifer do you?, but your Captain is simply meeting with my Captain and he will be returned to you very shortly. Oh and the next time you want to talk to me I suggest you simply make a dignified request. I've heard Klingons use politer language than you employed. Now, if there's nothing else?...." She watched as the other Commander sat down opposite her and raised an eyebrow as she made herself comfortable before asking another question. You're just letting us go then?" Josh sighed and straightened up in the chair. "Not precisely, we have a plan to send you back. That is all I am prepared to say about it at the moment. No doubt your own Captain will explain it to you when he returns." Jennifer tilted her head to one side. "And your Captain, is he an honourable man? Will he keep his promise?" Josh simply nodded her head and asked a question of her own. "It seems that your CMO Dr Wyler is missing. She has not been seen since we boarded. Do you know what has happened to her?" A wicked grin spread across Jennifer's face. "Really, that's the best news I've had all day. I do still have some allies in Sickbay and if we're really lucky she's probably had a slight accident. But, no. I have no idea where she is." It didn't escape Josh's attention that her counterpart hadn't entirely answered her question, but she let it drop since she simply wanted her to leave. Jennifer however seemed in no hurry and asked another question of her own. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your Captain earlier. Tell me, what happened to your Donald?" Josh regarded her cooly trying not to let her annoyance show. "He died." Jennifer shook her head. "Too bad. Mine died too you know. It was such a shame. He lead a revolt against the Union. Doenitz ordered me to deal with him." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Unfortunately it was him or me. I chose me." Josh sat there chilled to the bone at the casual way this was said and was just about to call Security to have her removed when Jennifer continued. "Iain has gone the same way now. Taken over his ship and declared for the rebels. If this ship returns to our universe Doenitz will give me the same order. I pledged my life to him. He's taken that, he's taken my husband's and now he wants my son's. It would be better if this ship never made it back in my opinion. Better for Iain and better for me." Jennifer suddenly stood. "Well, I've probably taken up enough of your time. Thank you for seeing me it's been interesting." She made her way over to the door but stopped just before it opened and turned round smiling at Josh. "You know something. I actually like you, but one word of advice. For goodness sake loosen up. I guarantee you'll have a lot more fun." Josh watched as she disappeared through the door and simply put her head in her hands and took a deep breath, not sure whether to laugh or cry. (No reply needed) (Posted by Marilyn) ---------------------