Compile#14 June 16-19 (USS Rosenante & USS Boudicca Joint) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission: Once More Into the Breach Day: 4 Stardate: 2414.1.18 Compile Summary (USS Rosenante, Bridge, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma, 0920) (USS Rosenante, Main Engineering, Lieutenant Steven Matrix Day 4 0921) (Lorimar Runabout, Science Officer Ensign Maria Holly, 0923.5*) (USS Boudicca, Transporter Room, Lieutenant jg Sanok, 0924) (USS Boudicca, Transporter Room, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4 0925.5*) (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room - CO Captain Durand - 0926) (USS Rosenante - FO's Office - Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 0927) (USS Rosenante - Main Engineering - CEO Lieutenant Steven Matrix Day 4 - 0933) (USS Boudicca, Corridor, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4 0934) (USS Boudicca - Corridor - CO Captain Durand - 0935) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 0936*) (USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4 0938) (USS Rosenante - Bridge - 2O / COPS Lieutenant Tom Jackson Day 4 - 0940) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ATAC/SC Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 0941) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CO Captain Durand - 0942) (USS Rosenante - Bridge - FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 0943) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ATAC/SC Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 0945) (USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge, Lieutenant jg Sanok, Day 4, 0947) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CO Captain Durand - 0948) (USS Rosenante - Bridge - 2O/COPS - Lieutenant Tom Jackson - 0956) (Runabout Lorimar- CSec- Lt Chance Raschen- 1015) (Runabout - Science Officer Ensign (jg) Joseph Willowbrook - Day 4 - 1020) (Runabout Lorimar, ATT Cmdr Matthew McLaren- Day 4, 1035) (Runabout Lorimar - Science Officer Ensign Nickolas Romanoff - 1038) (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering – ACEO Ensign (jg) Henry Jacobs - 1046*) (Runabout Lorimar- CSec- Lt Chance Raschen- 1051*) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante, Bridge, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma, 0920) Salid had left the bridge taking Sanok with him, time to find out what was going on and who was responsible for contacting the Borg and placing both crews in peril. Ben was left to hold the fort as it were, Tom had been left in command of the Rose and quickly went about issuing orders. "Lieutenant Soma, I want to know the moment the Borg do anything - understood?" "Understood Sir." Ben replied. He kept his eyes on his scanners to see if the Borg had adopted a tactical stance, from this distance and considering the interference it wasn't an easy task. They may not get a warning until the Borg were on them, Ben wanted to give as much notice as he could so he concentrated on his scans. He hoped that the Captain and Sanok wouldn't come to any harm while they were on the Boud, though he currently wasn't the chief security officer the obligation wasn't gone. Should something happen he would still feel responsible. Tom the requested updates from Engineering and sickbay, everyone was busy making final adjustments and preparations. No one wanted to confront the Borg, history recorded such encounters having ended poorly for all involved. Wolf 359 had been a disaster, the Borg were a destructive force that apparently couldn't be stopped. (reply any) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante, Main Engineering, Lieutenant Steven Matrix Day 4 0921) "Engineering Lieutenant Jackson. What's your status?" Tom asked. Matrix paused as the comm request chirped. The main display was clear; status, capacity, readiness. Engineering was humming like a well oiled machine. =^= Yea...Tom...we're five by five down here. Fully operational. Warp and spiral drive at your command. Weapons and environmental systems at the ready. I'd prefer not to tangle with the Borg, but if we have to we're ready here. =^= replied Matrix. (reply any) (posted by Steve Smith) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Lorimar Runabout, Science Officer Ensign Maria Holly, 0923.5*) Maria was glad she had something to do, She was relieved to have something concrete to do. Scanning the sparse data, she saw something unique. Again, she reviewed her readings. "Commander, I've found something odd about the drone's on the surface" she spoke up. (Reply: Commander) Maria Elena Holly spoke again. "Sir, it appears the drones have a new addition to their gear." She paused for a moment as if to check herself. (Reply: any on shuttle) Maria plunged forward. "Since they are partly biologic organisms, I have detected some type of add-on that 'appears' to provide protection the radiation levels of the planet's surface". (Reply: any) Nap: I took this concept from a site that describes the factors in radiation shielding. "I've noticed they seem to follow the three factors in radiation protection: 1. Time exposed to the surface levels 2. Proximity to the radiation hot spots 3. Shielding The shielding is something new and light" she added. (Reply: any on-board) Maria listened to the debate she sparked. (Reply: any) (Posted by Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca, Transporter Room, Lieutenant jg Sanok, 0924) While listening to the tense exchange between the two captains over the Boudicca officer that had contacted the Borg, Sanok could till only wonder how such a thing could have happened. What was the officer thinking? Was he indeed a traitor, as Captain Salid had called him? Was an overzealous attempt at doing something to help? It was quite an illogical situation, as even if it had been an attempt to help, what could it have truly accomplished? He supposed that only time would tell. After closing the comm channel to the Boudicca; Salid was going to the other ship to talk with the wayward officer, Sanok wanted to stand up and volunteer to go, too. Though the two ships were on the mission together, there could be the possibility, however remote, that Salid might be putting himself in harm's way. Sanok wanted to insure that someone was watching his commanding officer's back. Unexpectedly, Salid spoke first on that matter. "Sanok, you're with me." As he stood, Sanok did three things. He acknowledged the order, glanced at Ben and nodded, and ran his hand across his waistline to assure himself that the cricket phaser he kept there, was in easy reach. Now, standing on the transporter pad on the Boudicca, he went into full alert, insuring that Salid would be safe. “Sir, the prisoner is in the observation lounge under guard," said Captain Durand. "It’s the former TAC/SC of this ship, Lieutenant Trei.” If Sanok had been prone to emotional displays, even though his old emotions did come out from time to time, he believed he would reacted in a way that was unbecoming of him. Lieutenant Trei? What was he doing? What was happening here? Instead, Sanok showed nothing on the outward, though there was a fleeting moment inwardly, where he envisioned tossing Trei out an airlock. Dismissing that thought quickly, he stood by his captain's side and waited until he was given an order. This was going to be interesting. (reply Salid, Durand, any) (posted by Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca, Transporter Room, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4 0925.5*) “Sir, the prisoner is in the Observation Lounge under guard. It’s the former TAC/SC of this ship, Lieutenant Trei.” Durand said as soon as they had materialized. Ahmed sneered inwardly, although he suspected that some of that made it's way to his face despite his best efforts. "Permission to come aboard captain?" He said, in an attempt to let Durand know that Salid understood that he was still in command on his own ship. It was a small concession to the junior captain, but one that Ahmed hoped would still show him that Ahmed still had faith in his abilities to command. (reply Durand) Ahmed nodded and stepped down from the platform. He gave Sanok a glance. "Take us there captain." Ahmed commanded. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Transporter Room - CO Captain Durand - 0926) "Permission to come aboard captain?" ~I’ll be lucky to be in command of an ore freighter after this. Assuming there is an after this.~ “Granted, sir!” Durand felt like a cadet again... and on his own ship too. Salid was trying, he noted, to be diplomatic and respectful. Alan made no special efforts in that regard. He was in a rage. Full out, wide open, homicidal rage... which was barely contained by his veneer of professional conduct. His face was a mask of stone, but his eyes burned with a fire they hadn’t shown in a very long time indeed. He contained the lengthy and profane string of invective to his ‘inner monologue’. Had he let it out it would no doubt have made an ancient sailor blush. He wanted -- needed -- to release the emotions, but he couldn’t. ~You’re in command, moron! At least for now. Act like it!~ The lash of failed responsibility he laid on himself stung. Hard. He *was* responsible for the conduct -- in this case, misconduct -- of the officers and crew under his command. A Starfleet Captain was perhaps the closest thing to a Dictator -- in both breadth and depth of totalitarian authority -- that existed in the Federation. Empowered to make war and peace, arbitrate life and death, the power granted and accepted was awesome indeed. As the saying went, however... with great power comes great responsibility. He had read a personal log once, from the early days of the fleet, recorded by a then Captain who would later become legend. He recalled the exact text of it, but not the context. That man had complained about being tired of the responsibility... tired of deciding which mission was too risky, and which wasn’t... tired of deciding who went on the landing party (the precursor to the more modern ‘away team’, he reminded himself). And most serious of all... who lived. And who died. Thanks to Trei, both crews might die. Squarely in his lap... most directly at least, lay the responsibility to make it right. He wouldn’t let them down... not a single one of them. Starfleet demanded it. The mores and morals were such that there *was* no alternative. All these thoughts swirled through his mind in a cacophony of memories and ideas as he led the way to the Observation Lounge at Salid’s command. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - FO's Office - Cmdr T'Larah Sullivan - 0927) Sullivan finished the proposed avenue of attack / approach for all the plans the Captains had green lighted. With back up plans on contingencies of what was likely to happen if each order was given. She sent those items encoded to Captains Salid and Durand, and Commander Caskie as well. She hoped the modifications made to the phasers would hold out. All simulations said that they would but a simulation was whole orders different then actual practice. T'Larah stood and made all due haste to the bridge. When she arrived however she saw a sight she did not expect. In Captain Salid's place was their newly appointed Second Officer Lieutenant Tom Jackson. Mister Jackson was exuding waves upon waves of fear. It was so powerful that T'Larah felt the emotion herself, but she quickly recovered. ~Dangers of receptive empathy.~ There were rumors and superstitions about the Borg, that how like bees and Terran canines they could smell fear. Which would not be outside of the realm of possibility, except for the fact that the superstition insists that they can 'smell' it through the view screen as well. T'Larah knew that was physically impossible and that even a witnessed reaction to fear was probably explained better by non-verbal or voice pattern cues rather then an odoriferous quality. None the less, the center seat was no place for a nearly frightened officer. "Mister Jackson." she announced stepping foot on the bridge. (Reply Lt. Jackson) "Where is Captain Salid?" she asked simply. (Reply Lt. Jackson) "As I am now finished researching my recommendations, Mister Jackson you may resume your duties at OPS as soon as you fill me in on ship's status." (Reply Lt. Jackson, IYW room for more) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Main Engineering - CEO Lieutenant Steven Matrix Day 4 - 0933) Matrix tapped off his commbadge after a lengthy discussion with LTGJ Peter Cohen. Peter was diligently working on shoring up the deflector efficiency with his handpicked team of engineers. An encounter with the Borg meant everything had to be a better than spec efficiencies. Matrix and Cohen weren't known to be fanatics with efficiencies or by-the-=book procedures, but they agreed any edge to complete a mission was worth the time and effort involved. "Matrix to O'Neill please report your status." said Matrix after tapping his commbadge. (Reply O'Neill) "Mister O'Niell, please select a crew of your choosing and get to work on double checking the aft Quantum torpedo launchers. I'd like you and your crew to enhance the guidance systems. I'd like to offer the Captain the ability to put a QT up the Borg's tailpipe in a firefight. We may need to put one through a gap in their shields, weak area of their ship." said Matrix. (Reply O'Niell) "Excellent, keep me posted on progress. Matrix out." replied Matrix. Matrix turned around from the main console and was greeted by no less than a dozen engineers and technical specialists standing a few meters before him. "Sir, all shift engineers and technicians are ready to assist in any way we can." said the senior chief petty officer. Matrix smiled and looked around at the crew before him. "I greatly appreciate the dedication and commitment. You all seem to understand what we're likely to face." said Matrix. "YES SIR!" said a voice from the back of the group. The second class petty officer stepped forward. "Sir, I was aboard the USS Lolo when we were attacked. Perhaps my experience could help." "Mister Sisko, yes your experience would be greatly appreciated and should be very valuable." replied Matrix. "You should all know that while I don't under estimate the Borg and their technology, we too have a few surprises of our own. Our technological advances have improved greatly since Star Fleets last encounter." Matrix paused. Matrix continued, "I would like to think we can more than hold our own out here if need be." "Okay...since you're all here and eager to get to work here is what I'd like us to get started on..." continued Matrix. For the next 34 minutes Matrix orchestrated the eager crew into multiple tasks throughout the ship. Many assisting operations, life support, damage control, propulsion and weapons. With the crews dispersed Matrix took to his office and sat back in his chair and contemplated what the next few days would be like. ~Lets hope we don't have engage these nimrods.~ thought Matrix (Reply O'Neill) (posted by Steve Smith) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca, Corridor, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4 0934) =^=Captain Durand, Ensign Signos here, prisoner update...=^= She paused for a moment =^=Prisoner shows little remorse or care for action committed against the ship, seems to blame the Borg for his being under custody. Prisoner is currently Shadow boxing and has been isolated to the far end of the observation lounge for safety of security staff.=^= Ahmed raised an eyebrow as the report came through. He looked at Durand as the man answered. (reply Durand) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Corridor - CO Captain Durand - 0935) The three officers made their way silently toward the Observation Lounge. Durand was struggling mightily to contain his emotions and hide his professional shame, while Salid and Sanok -- whom Durand had never interacted with, only during the briefings -- kept their own counsel for their own reasons. He wondered briefly at the control Salid was displaying. He admired it; and he dearly wished he could share a measure of it... for he needed it now more than ever before. =^=Captain Durand, Ensign Signos here, prisoner update...=^= She paused for a moment =^=Prisoner shows little remorse or care for action committed against the ship, seems to blame the Borg for his being under custody. Prisoner is currently Shadow boxing and has been isolated to the far end of the observation lounge for safety of security staff.=^= Without conscious thought he reached for his comm badge to reply, but stopped short. ~Say again? Shadow Boxing?~ he very nearly asked that question aloud, but instead he glanced at Salid and Sanok for the first time since they had left the transporter room. He drew a breath and then answered in a deliberately measured tone. “Very *well*, Ensign. Ensure that he causes no *further* harm to himself or anyone else. We will be there directly.” (Reply Salid, Sanok, Signos, iyw) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 0936*) Detron heard Durand command him to drop the weapon and stand at attention. Detron slowly placed the Batlath on the deck and turned to face Durand as well as Sarock and Signos. "It is a good day to die sir. If you want to make me an example for the crew then send me alone to fight the Borg. I will be a scapegoat in their eyes either way. The one I contacted is named One of Seventeen. My father trained me well to fight as a Klingon Warrior and I intend to rip as many Borg as possible." (Reply Durand, Signos, Any others) (Posted by Edward) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4 0938) Despite their hurried pace, the boudicca was a large vessel and it took them some time to traverse the vessel to the observation lounge. Outside the door, two Boudicca security officers waited. They stood aside as Salid, Durand and Sanok entered. What Ahmed saw was disturbing. At the far end of the compartment, Lieutenant Trei was moving while making motions as if using a Klingon Bat'leth against an invisible foe. The remnants of Gagh and Blood pie still sat on the table and the latter was still letting off steam. A Rage was building up inside him that Ahmed had never really experienced before. It was the deep desire to do this man harm, a thought that violated his moral and religious beliefs. He took a deep breath as he watched for a moment. Signos was nearby, and had been paying close attention to the actions of the man before them. Mentally, Ahmed had hoped that she was somehow overstating the situation, but it was readily apparent that was not the case. He looked at Durand then at Sanok. There were two silent orders there. One to get started on a questioning program with Trei for Durand. The other was an unspoken order to Sanok to be ready for trouble. With a momentous act of will, Ahmed waited for Durand to start the questioning process. (reply Signos, Durand, Trei, Sanok) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge - 2O / COPS Lieutenant Tom Jackson Day 4 - 0940) "Mister Jackson." The First Officer announced stepping foot on the bridge. Jackson turned at the sound of the First Officers voice. Tom stood and replied "Aye Commander Sullivan". "Where is Captain Salid?" she asked simply. Tom walked towards his superior officer, tacitly acknowledging his removal from the responsibility of command. He hoped his face did not show his deep disappointment. Assuming a rigid attention, Tom replied " The captain has beamed aboard the Boudicca. It appears someone on the Boudicca has tried to contact the Borg" Jackson stopped speaking, awaiting her response. (Reply FO) "As I am now finished researching my recommendations, Mister Jackson you may resume your duties at OPS as soon as you fill me in on ship's status" the First Officer ordered. Tom went on "all departments report 100 % readiness. However one of the probes has been taken by the Borg. I have asked Mr Soma to let us know if the Borg so much as twitch. Mr Yalix has a course prepared to keep us hidden Jackson replied. (Reply Commander Sullivan) When Jackson finished he assumed OPS. (Reply: FO) (Posted by Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ATAC/SC Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 0941) Jessica heard the door slide open and immediately knew who entered, she had left orders with the door guards that none where to enter the room besides the Captain and those that entered with him, and the members of team Theta316 had never given her the reason to question her orders. "Welcome Captain Salid, Captain Durand." She motioned to both the Captain's had they entered, and showing respect to the senior Captain by addressing him first. She saw Sanok enter with him but was unfamiliar with his name, so upon his entrance Jessica responded with a "Sir" has she nodded in greeting. (reply Durand, Salid, Sanok, if you all wish) Her eyes went back to Lt. who continued to fight some unseen assailant. Soon the questioning would start, Jessica glanced at the two door guards that also shared the room. It was the kind of glance that made them slightly lift there phase rifles and bring there backs more straight. You did not have to be telepathic to read the thoughts behind those icy blue eyes. ~Be ready, and don't you dare screw this up or It will be your fifth point of contact to pay.~ She watched what was bound to be an interesting change of words, If that was the Captains wish she also was prepared to leave it they felt it prudent for her to do so. But one thing was for sure Trei was not going to harm anyone if she could help it. (Reply Durand, Salid, Sanok) (posted by Matthew Locke) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CO Captain Durand - 0942) Durand gave a withering look at the security guards in place outside the compartment as they entered, but otherwise made no comment. He had thought he was prepared for any eventuality, but the startling tableaux before him came as a rude and unpleasant shock. Trei was indeed doing exactly what Signos had said. He appeared to be sparring with an unseen opponent at the far end of the room. What she had left out in her report, however was that he was armed. An armed, erratic acting Klingon was *not* what he wanted to see. Rather than return Signos greeting, he spoke the obvious question. It came out as a sibilant sound indeed. “Ensign Signos. *Why* is this man *armed*?” (Reply Signos, Any) Not waiting for a reply, he recovered quickly and barked sharply at the other end of the room, his hand dropping to the phaser he wore on his hip. He knew one thing for certain: Trei was going to cause no further harm. If he so much as twitched the wrong way he was going to be stunned immediately. “Mister Trei. YOU ARE AT ATTENTION. THERE ARE COMMANDING OFFICERS PRESENT. DROP THAT WEAPON IMMEDIATELY... TURN AROUND SLOWLY AND FACE US. NOW!” His thumb had slid the adjusting wheel to a very heavy stun setting. He didn’t have to visually verify that; long practice was more than sufficient. One brief shot at this power level would bring the most raging Klingon to the deck. He found himself almost wishing Trei would do something foolish. Almost. (Reply Trei, Signos, Salid, Sanok, Any) (Posted by Russ -- More to come) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge - FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 0943) Assuming a rigid attention, Tom replied " The captain has beamed aboard the Boudicca. It appears someone on the Boudicca has tried to contact the Borg" Jackson stopped speaking, awaiting her response. T'Larah observed Tom's demeanor, "Mister Jackson, relax." she said. Her hazel eyes focused on him. She motioned for him to move off to the side, her voice lowered so only the keenest of ears beside their own could hear. "Tom, you aren't on report, you've done nothing wrong, be at ease." she said. (Reply Tom) "Incompetence is not why I removed you. Before you were appointed to your position the Captain and I had a long discussion about you and your abilities. We wouldn't have appointed you if we didn't believe that you were the man for the job. You are an exemplary officer and your record and actions speak highly of you." she said. (Reply Tom) "It's not just because I'm the senior officer on the bridge. When I stepped on the bridge I noticed certain signs that you are exhibiting great fear true?" she asked. (Reply Tom) "Yes, that is true. But courage is not the absence of fear, it is what one does even though they are experiencing it. I know that confidence comes from doing your duties in the face of adversity, but in our current situation we cannot afford someone in the center seat who is not in complete control of emotional faculties. This is not the time for you to get your feet wet or to try out command of a starship. Too much is at stake." she explained. (Reply Tom) "Yes exactly. The Captain and I need you where you are at your best." she said. "As I am now finished researching my recommendations, Mister Jackson you may resume your duties at OPS as soon as you fill me in on ship's status" the First Officer ordered, now in a voice loud enough to be normal conversation volume. Tom went on "all departments report 100 % readiness. However one of the probes has been taken by the Borg. I have asked Mr Soma to let us know if the Borg so much as twitch. Mr Yalix has a course prepared to keep us hidden." Jackson replied. "Very well Mister Jackson, I have the bridge. Mr. Yalix, coordinate with the Boudicca and make the course correction, and Tom..." (Reply Tom) "I hadn't taken the center seat until I was second officer either." she said and almost smiled. (Reply any on bridge) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - ATAC/SC Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 0945) Captain Durand, rather than return Jessica's greeting, spoke the obvious question. “Ensign Signos. *Why* is this man *armed*?” Came the harsh sound of the Captain's voice. Jessica realized then that she was in a damned if you do and damned if you don't kind of place. ~ If I try to disarm him people will get hurt. If I stun him then take the weapon we will have to wait till he wakes to get the answers to needed questions, a waste of time we can't afford. I did what I thought was prudent in this case to try to preserve what, I felt at least, was in the best interest of both ships. He was covered by three phase rifles set at heavy stun, if he became a threat he would of been taken down. ~ But this was not what Captain Durand wanted to hear. So she kept her answer to his question bottled up safely with in her internal monologue. Has her glare at Trei intensified ~ How dare you make me the fool, in your game. ~ There was a subtle shift in her stance barley noticeable, save to those that have had seen it before. ~ I might not have the time under my belt, but I will be damned if I will play the part of the fool for this idiots transgressions.~ Her grip tightened on her phase rifle, her knuckles turning white. ~ ATTACK,~ came a voice from deep with in ~You know you want to... Deep down your the same killer I am sister.~ To voice came at her again. ~No, for now I will let justice run its course.~ Jessica could feel the disappointment of her other self, so close to blood but being denied. (reply none needed.) (posted by Matthew Locke) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca, Observation Lounge, Lieutenant jg Sanok, Day 4, 0947) During the long trip through the corridors of the Boudicca, Sanok had taken the time to observe both captains. Though nothing was said most of the way, both communicated volumes. Both captains were angry. Both were concerned for the crews of the ships. Captain Durand, however, was also bearing the shame and embarrassment of the incident. Sanok knew and understood that commanding officers, whether of a department or a ship, were held accountable for everything that happened in their command, but there were many times this position simply wasn't fair. How could Durand have foreseen something like this? When the men entered the lounge, they were met with an unexpected sight. Trei was practicing with a bat'leth, the remains of a Klingon meal on the table. Reacting before he had time to ponder this unusual situation, Sanok grabbed his cricket phaser and aimed it directly at Trei. Shouting and demanding to know why the prisoner had a weapon, Durand also readied his weapon. A quick glance at Signos told Sanok that she was now in a sticky situation. Trei lowered his weapon and asked to be let loose upon the Borg so he could atone for his lapse in judgment. Sanok felt this was probably the best thing to do, if the chance arose. Otherwise, Trei would be forced to commit ritual suicide because of the shame and dishonor of his mistake. Not yet lowering his phaser, Sanok waited to see what would happen. At that point, he mused, he wouldn't have been surprised at anything odd, unusual, and outright unbelievable, happening next. It had been that kind of day. (reply Salid, Durand, Trei, Signos, any) (posted by Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CO Captain Durand - 0948) Durand was still furious, but he was thinking rapidly. He understood -- now -- what Signos had likely been thinking. Better to observe, contain, and report, rather than confront Trei. ~Good move, given the circumstances. Better, in fact, than my reaction...~ He was relieved to see Trei comply with his order to drop the weapon, as he slowly placed it on the deck. "It is a good day to die sir. If you want to make me an example for the crew then send me alone to fight the Borg. I will be a scapegoat in their eyes either way. The one I contacted is named One of Seventeen. My father trained me well to fight as a Klingon Warrior and I intend to rip as many Borg as possible." Durand moved his hand as slowly away from his phaser; Trei was well covered, he noted by Lt. Sanok, Ensign Signos and the others. For the moment, Trei was not an active threat. But the damage had already been done, perhaps irreparably. “Mister Trei. This is *not* just about you. There are several hundred crew aboard these two ships, and untold billions in the Federation. Just what the Hell were you thinking? You *know* we were under strict communications blackout. You were at the ‘all officers’ briefings. Did you... do you... not get the importance of what is going on here? Exactly who do you think you are to undertake such an ill considered action as you did?” He didn't wait for the reply, but pressed on. "Have you any inkling of the damage you may have done? Compromised our mission... perhaps beyond our ability to overcome? If we were at war, you could be executed for treason due to your actions. Do you understand that? Do you realize that we just launched an away mission in a runabout... and your actions, by revealing our presence may well doom that mission?" Once again he could feel his anger building, and struggled mightily to control it. "You had best have a logical explanation for your actions Mister... and don't give me the 'falling on your sword' routine. You'll not be escaping culpability that easily. Not on *my* ship. Now let's hear it." (Reply Trei, Any present, Room for more) (Posted by Russ ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge - 2O/COPS - Lieutenant Tom Jackson - 0956) Jackson stood at attention. T'Larah observed Tom's demeanor, "Mister Jackson, relax." she said. Her hazel eyes focused on him. She motioned for him to move off to the side, her voice lowered so only the keenest of ears beside their own could hear. "Tom, you aren't on report, you've done nothing wrong, be at ease." she said. Tom assumed a position of at ease. The First Officer continued in low tones explaining her relief of Jackson. Tom considered her words for a moment. Taking a deep breath he plunged on. "Commander, yes I am scared as is about 99.9 % of the crew. Maybe I need to work on my command 'face' a bit more. Courage is the ability to act in spite of one's fears." Tom smiled and took his place at Ops. He hoped T' Larah understood. (Reply: Commander Sullivan) Tom felt strangely at peace. (Reply: any on bridge) (Posted by: bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Runabout Lorimar- CSec- Lt Chance Raschen- 1015) "We've lost contact with the ships." Matthew said nonchalantly, as if it happened all the time, "The antiproton beam's subspace interference has overcome our communications integrity threshold as expected." Just then Raschen lost his tactical uplink with the Boudicca. "Sir, we have lost more than just comms." Then he looked around to the other stations that received uplink data also showed messages of uplink unavailability. "We have lost the data uplinks as well. Initiating back-up recorders." When he looked out the cockpit at the Borg ships, Chance's heart sank when he noticed that the Tactical Cube seemed to be shifting their position. Realizing that the cube was moving away from the runabout and into an even higher polar orbit over Dovek II. Raschen had seen this type of situation before; "Commander, the cube is the mission lead ship. She is changing orbit in order to get a better tactical view of the situation." After so many years as a ship's captain in his own right, Chance sometimes had trouble keeping the skipper in him at bay. "Brandy, make us into a leaf on the wind." He mumbled under his breath. That was all Raschen let slip from his mouth. Shea whispered in reply "Watch how I soar." As she manipulated the runabout's controls. The Pyramid remained geosynchronous over their activity zone, their antiproton beam scouring away a tremendous amount of planetary build-up over what appeared to be an ancient city site. Lt. Major Shea was a steady hand at the stick, making the Lorimar almost float towards their target area. Matthew glanced at his console and noted that the Lt major was allowing the ship to coast in on their own inertia rather than actively engaging their impulse drives. That significantly reduced their energy signature and Matthew nodded in satisfaction at the shrewd ability of the Flight Command pilot. Around him the science teams were working feverishly to gather as much data as they could. It was obvious that the subspace interference wasn't making things easy for them. Suddenly there was a spike in subspace activity followed by a deep decline in interference. The hairs on the back of Raschen's neck stood on end, he was so scared. Things had become easier by a factor of ten, and that is what scared him. "The Borg has disengaged their Antiproton beam." He reported. (Reply Lorimar) That still didn't make things easy, they still couldn't reach the ship in the heavily disrupted area of space that they occupied. Then Chance listened in as one of the folks off the Boudicca reported "Commander, I'm picking up a huge number of individual energy signatures on the surface of the planet. It looks like the Borg are transporting down Drones." (reply Lorimar) "Hard to tell sir. perhaps a few hundred maybe as many as a thousand. The interference is making it hard to be certain. I'm also detecting a moderately powered energy signature on the surface. It is distorted, but it seems to be emitting an unknown particle and Seylerions as well as chronometric particles." Chance dropped his head in mild frustration before he adjusted his double shoulder holster that held his personal disruptor pistols and his twin Bowie knives. He also adjusted his belt that held two standard Starfleet Phaser pistols and a tricorder. The Rosenante CSec knew Ahmed would be upset with him for bringing his personal weapons, but Chance figured 'The Borg' fell under 'Mitigating Circumstances' and hoped his skipper would forgive him on this one. Raschen raised his hand like a kid in school and said "For those of us not really all that scientifically inclined; what the hell does that mean?" (Reply Holly, any iyw) (Reply Lorimar, Holly, any iyw) Posted by Charlie --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Runabout - Science Officer Ensign (jg) Joseph Willowbrook - Day 4 - 1020) “Any station wie information, report immediately, please," Lorimar ordered. "I can confirm those readings as well, Sir," Joseph brought himself to say after Holly had spoken. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was able to rationalize the idea of being assimilated before...but now that they had been silenced and isolated out there, the reality of it presented itself right before his face, and he couldn't ignore the horror any longer. “Can ye refine that scan at all without going active?” Was the next question, and Joseph thought about it. He hated to theorize without definite information, but he offered his thoughts nonetheless. "I believe if we switch our frequency to a rotating polarization and then localize the particle beam instead of a normal stretch, then we may be able to get a clearer picture of the surface. But there's no way of knowing that it won't alert the Borg to our presence," Joseph said. (room for more) "Would it be possible tae launch a recorder marker/comm beacon on a low energy trajectory to clear the interference and report back tae the ships? Without givin’ away either our position or that of the ships?" Joseph frowned at Lorimar's question. Then he said, "It would be possible, Sir...but I can't guarantee that our sensors will be able to clear anything up. We might need the Rosenante or the Boudicca's power in order to read it. Effectively, I believe it would send the signal to them but not to us. And if the Borg happen to switch to a low energy frequency pulse scanner, we'd be detected immediately. I'm not intimately familiar with their tactics, and I don't believe that's a common assimilation tactic, but if they were to use it, it would severely jeopardize our position." A highly scientific and rational response, Joseph thought. But what he wanted to do was scream, ~This is INSANE! We could all be ASSIMILATED!~ Instead of voicing his emotions, though, he kept them quiet as usual as he tried to control his breathing. (reply any) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Runabout Lorimar, ATT Cmdr Matthew McLaren- Day 4, 1035) “Can ye refine that scan at all without going active?” Lorimar asked. "I believe if we switch our frequency to a rotating polarization and then localize the particle beam instead of a normal stretch, then we may be able to get a clearer picture of the surface. But there's no way of knowing that it won't alert the Borg to our presence," Joseph said. Bob mused aloud. “Does anyone have any ideas? Even speculation at this point? And why would that cube be moving into a higher orbit? A tactical move? High cover position?” (Reply Any) "The cube could be moving into a location that allows it to use its sensors more effectively. The planet's magnetic poles seem to be shunting some of the antiproton interference away from the cube's current location." Matthew reported. "In effect I think they are trying to get a better look around. They may have detected the probes, although I don't see any sign of that at this time." “Would it be possible tae launch a recorder marker/comm beacon on a low energy trajectory to clear the interference and report back tae the ships? Without givin’ away either our position or that of the ships?” Bob pressed, after absorbing the report. "It would be possible, Sir...but I can't guarantee that our sensors will be able to clear anything up. We might need the Rosenante or the Boudicca's power in order to read it. Effectively, I believe it would send the signal to them but not to us. And if the Borg happen to switch to a low energy frequency pulse scanner, we'd be detected immediately. I'm not intimately familiar with their tactics, and I don't believe that's a common assimilation tactic, but if they were to use it, it would severely jeopardize our position." Willowbrook replied, all business. (reply Any, Willowbrook room for more) "I concur." Matthew added, "I find it unlikely that the Borg would use such a low frequency scan. It's much too low-tech for them. It may be our best option." Another series of beeps emanated from his console and Matthew swung around to take a good look at the display. "I've managed to get a topographical scan of the area where the Borg are operating, sir." He reported, "The area shows a clearly delineated hemispherical object roughly 300 meters in diameter. It seems to be comprised of a high concentration of Iridium as well as a tritanium compound that is phase bonded to some unidentified alloys." He paused for a second to review even more data as it scrolled across his screen. "The alloy structure and molecular composition strongly indicate that the object is actually a perfect sphere, and that the lower half of the object is sitting in a manufactured depression on the newly revealed surface. The Borg appear to be removing additional debris from the immediate area of the device." Matthew looked up from his console. "They are uncovering it." he added. (reply Lorimar iyw) "Mister Romanoff, please run a thermo-molecular scan and see if you can identify whether that device is hollow or solid. Also conduct a thorough scan of the surface and see if you can quantum date it. I'd like to know if it dates back to the Age of Makto, when the Tkon Empire collapsed roughly 60,000 years ago." (reply Romanoff) "Mister Holly, see if you can run a particle density scan. It looks like the Borg are managing the radiation in the area well enough, but I'd like to know what sorts are present, and how deadly it is to non-Borg." (reply Holly, Romanoff, Willowbrook, Lorimar) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Runabout Lorimar - Science Officer Ensign Nickolas Romanoff - 1038) This mission was underway and all the scientist aboard the runabout began to pull there ideas together to achieve their goal. It had been confirmed that communications with both the Boudicca and the Rosenante had been lost and would remain that way until the runabout returned to their location. The Borg wasted no time and by the time the runabout made it to their location drones by the hundreds if not thousands had beamed down to the planet surface. Romanoff looked up just in time to hear a request of him. "Mister Romanoff, please run a thermo-molecular scan and see if you can identify whether that device is hollow or solid. Also conduct a thorough scan of the surface and see if you can quantum date it. I'd like to know if it dates back to the Age of Makto, when the Tkon Empire collapsed roughly 60,000 years ago." "Starting scan," he replied as he swiveled around back to his station and began the key sequence to start the thermo-molecular scan. "Preliminary scans are coming in, yes sir it indeed is solid. I am registering a concentrated alloy composition. Even though the Borg did not completely unearth it the majority of the sphere is still buried." Changing command sequences he scanned the surface area of the planet. "Again the reports on the surface area are conclusive. By the amount of corrosion on the object and erosion of the planet surface itself quantum dating puts the objects construction at 61,344 years ago. Well within the time the T'kon empire occupied this area of space." (Reply any) (Posted by Darryl) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering – ACEO Ensign (jg) Henry Jacobs - 1046*) Jacobs hadn’t left Main Engineering since the Boudicca lost contact with the runabout Lorimar. Since Ensign Gesar was on the bridge Jacobs was running the shift at this time and if any battle were to ensue then he wanted to make sure the Boudicca was ready for the dogfight. As capable as the engineering teams were Jacobs began to relax as stations began to anticipate what was expected from them while the ACEO was in charge. This left him time to go over some schematics for a proposal to Captain Durand when time permitted. Jacobs knew that one could never know too much about his own field and that input and ideas from others was as good as gold. Since both ships had been maintaining there location hidden from the Borg there was no immediate danger and therefore not much was going on. Jacobs felt this time good as any to have a chat with engineering on the Rosenante. “Computer open a channel to the Rosenante’s Main Engineering section.” [Channel open] “Ensign (jg) Jacobs to Rosenante Engineering” (Reply any in Engineering) (Posted by Darryl) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Runabout Lorimar- CSec- Lt Chance Raschen- 1051*) As Raschen watched his tactical sensor data, he was amazed at the number of Borg Drones that were being beamed to and from the planet surface. He had absolutely no idea what the subject of the excavation project was; Chance figured that the science guys had that well in hand. What he did know was that the project was HUGE. Then out of the corner of his eye he caught a red flash. "Oh Crap! We got incoming from 3 points off the port bow, relative up 40 degrees!" Raschen reported as he turned around at his station to look out the cockpit at the incoming fury. (Reply Lorimar, any) Raschen wanted to make the decision to raise shields and begin evasive maneuvers, but knew that he wasn't in command. (Reply Lorimar, any) Posted by Charlie --------------------------------------------------------------------- End Compile ---------------------------------------------------------------------