Compile# May 15-16 (USS Rosenante & USS Boudicca Joint) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission: Once More Into the Breach Day 2 Stardate: 2414.01.16 Compile Summary (USS Rosenante Observation Lounge - ACOPS - Ensign Smith - Day 2 0004) (USS Rosenante - Engineering - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma - 0137) (USS Rosenante - Engineering - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 2 - 0140) (USS Rosenante - Engineering - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma - 0141*) (USS Rosenante - Engineering - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 2 - 0143) (USS Rosenante - Engineering, CEO's Office - CEO Lt Steven Matrix - Day 2 - 0144) (USS Rosenante - Engineering - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma- 0145*) (USS Rosenante - Engineering - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neil - Day 2 - 0150) (USS Rosenante - Weapons Control - CEO Lt Steven Matrix - Day 2 - 0151) (USS Rosenante, Armory, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma, 0153) (USS Rosenante - Deck 18, Aft Photon Launchers - CEO Lt Steven Matrix - Day 2 - 0210) (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Rose FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 0211) (USS Rosenante Ready Room Lieutenant Tom Jackson 2O/COPS Day 2 0240) (USS Rosenante - Transporter Room - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0255) (USS Rosenante - Engineering Support Lab - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0305) (USS Boudicca - ATT Lab, Deck 13 - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0541) (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0547) (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering - ACEO Ensing(jg) Henry Jacobs - 0551) (USS Boudicca - FO's Personal Quarters - ACMO - Dr Candle- Day 2 - 0611) (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC Office - CO Captain Durand - 0612) (USS Boudicca - Trei's Office - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 0615) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 0620) (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CO Captain Durand - 0825) (USS Rosenante - Observation Lounge - 2O/COPS Lt Tom Jackson -Day 2 0838) (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay Lab - ACMO - Dr Candle - Day 2 - 2218) (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay Lab - ACMO - Dr Candle - Day 2 - 2357) ======================================================= Mission: Once More Into the Breach Day 3 Stardate: 2414.01.17 Compile Summary (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Durand - 0001) (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay - ACMO Dr Candle - 0004) (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay Lab - CO Captain Durand - 0005) ======================================================= Mission: Once More Into the Breach Day 4 Stardate: 2414.01.18 Compile Summary (USS Rosenante, Bridge, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma, 0003) (USS Rosenante, Bridge, Lieutenant jg Sanok, 0004) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Durand - 0005) (USS Rosenante - Bridge -2O/ COPS Lieutenant Tom Jackson - Day 4 0007) (USS Rosenante - Main Engineering - CEO Lieutenant Steven Matrix - Day 4 0011) (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Durand - 0012) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante Observation Lounge - ACOPS - Ensign Smith - Day 2 0004) Robert watched as Tom and Phil teased Jackson about being a married man as he took a seat in their midst. "Well, when you got it you got it" Robert grinned and shook his head at Jackson’s reply. He pulled his mind back to the moment in hand as the captain called the meeting to order. He watched in mild fascination as the senior crew from the seamed to appear in the room with them due to some fancy holo-projection. "As you all know," Durand began, "just over two hours ago, we received joint mission orders from Starfleet... of the very highest priority. Admiral Richardson sent us this data packet. I warn you, the implications are disturbing.” Robert looked at the images that had been projected into the room. Durand continued, "These images came from the Darson Deep Space Array….” Roberts face dropped all the joy and happiness that he had experience moment earlier evaporated in a second and all he was left with was gut churning fear. ~Ow my god No~ "….I suspect most, if not all of you, recognize the image to the right... that’s a Borg Tactical Cube. For those that don’t, it’s an upgraded, specialized for killing starships version of the ‘ordinary’ Borg Cube." "The *worse* news, is that pyramid shaped vessel that is with it. We have no idea what exactly that is... beyond the fact that it is a Borg vessel. No one in Starfleet, nor any of our allies have ever encountered this design before. Command is rather imaginatively calling it a ‘Borg Pyramid’. Let’s not ever say that command lacks creativity," "Both of them are on a course to the Dovek system, which is in the Beta Quadrant just outside Romulan space. As to what they are up to, Captain Salid will address that issue shortly. Any questions thus far? Comments?" ~Yeh I’ve got one where’s our battle fleet~ "The apparent destination of these Borg ships is what makes them a significant threat. The Dovek system is located just 15 light-years spinward outside of the border of the Romulan Star Empire. The second planet Dovek II, is believed to be one of the last surviving member worlds of the long extinct Tkon Empire." "For those of you who don't know much about the Tkon, you're not alone. Even after six decades of research by Federation Archeologists, we know very little about them." ~That’s a bit slow even for us~ "What we do know is that they were at least as advanced as the Federation in most fields, and that in a few others, they are known or believed to be well in advance of our own technological developments." "There has been a long debate about what happened to them. The theories range from self-destruction, to civil war or massive galactic catastrophe. Of the theories, the one that is most widely accepted is that the seat of the empire was destroyed by a super massive super nova 60,000 years ago, during the Age of Makto. Archeologically we can watch the destruction of Tkon worlds as a wavefront expanding from a single point. Those closest were completely pulverized by the energy wave, while those farther away were cooked by radiation or gamma ray bursts, at least in the latest models." ~Marvellous death by supernova that would have been nasty~ "Now if you consider that the Tkon were highly advanced technologically, you could easily imagine the interest that the Borg may well have in the Dovek system." ~That’s a no brainier for sure~ "If the Borg have some sort of indication that advanced Tkon technology could be assimilated at Dovek II, enough so that they have sent two ships, one a tactical vessel and the other a specialized ship of some sort, then you can bet that we are going to have our hands full dealing with them here." ~Nice to see command are thinking with there head by sending just us~ "We have never seen a specialized Borg vessel escorted by a Tactical cube before, at least not in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. That in itself tells us that the Borg are fully committed to their mission, what ever it may be. Because of that commitment, we must be even more committed to putting a halt to their plans. That's our mission." "We will assess the situation, try to determine the Borg intent and then if we determine the situation to be warranting, we shall interdict with extreme prejudice." ~They are Borg they assimilate that is there intent~ "Make no mistakes, this mission will push us all to our limits. There is no single lifeform that inspires more fear than the Borg. They are relentless, calculating and purpose driven. They are strong, well-organized, and adaptive. Whatever they are looking for is something we can not allow them to have, even if it means the complete destruction of both these vessels to prevent that acquisition." Ahmed sighed. "That said, we're not going to go in there phaser banks blasting. It is a preference to avoid armed conflict for as long as possible. We fully expect the conflict to happen. The Borg are nothing if not predictable. Admiral Richardson, from whom our orders derive, has placed me in overall command of this mission. I will be deferring to Captain Durand's experience with the Borg and his tactical experience as well. He will retain command of the Boudicca and will be operating in a cooperative manner with the Rosenante. He is an experienced officer and I welcome all input and advice that he may have. The respective chain of command for both ships will remain the same, with Captain Durand taking his orders directly from myself, Should I be incapacitated in some means, Captain Durand will then assume command of the mission." ~I want the fleet. Lots of ships masses of fire power. Not always the best idea but for this situation would be nice to have a lot of back up~ "First order of business is preparation. All tactical and engineering teams will be tasked with making adjustments to the phaser, torpedo and shield modulations. Sickbays will convert at least one public space into an emergency triage and treatment area. All security teams will distribute phasers to every crew member and establish weapons and power pack caches at fortified strongpoints in anticipation of possible boarding by Borg drones. Starting immediately for all ship's personnel, sidearms are required to be worn with your duty uniform. All security teams will be issued phaser rifles. I want double patrols on both ships." "Operations, You will place mobile fusion generators and power pack recharging stations in key locations through the ship. You will also facilitate all logistical and supply requirements made by other departments. In addition, I want encryption capability for the ship's main and secondary computer cores prepared should it be needed, The encryption will be turned over to the respective ship's Commanding Officer and First Officer." ~Right something for me to do apart from worrying. Thank you~ "Engineering, I need a complete check of all life-support modules and emergency systems. Also stage damage control equipment at key locations to facilitate a quicker response to any engineering emergency. "We will arrive in the Dovek system in 48 hours, and the Borg will have been there for at least 24 before we arrive." "Does anyone here have any questions or concerns that they need to voice?" ~Grate 48 hours we really have not a lot of time ~ (Reply any) (Posted by Robbie) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma - 0137) "Well, I've already got the computer generating a random automodulation sequence for each shield generator. The number generators will be placed in each shield generator's central processing unit, which is accessible through..." he tapped a few keys on the screen, "this program here. All we have to do is select all of them..." he did just that, "And then apply it. The whole thing will be done in seconds. Though I've got to write up a memo about this and send it to everyone in the engineering department, because once we click 'apply', people are going to notice some very strange readings coming from the shield generators. And then there's about a half hour of work ahead of me, to make sure this doesn't conflict with any other systems before we actually apply it." Ben considered Eian's response, he hadn't expected it to be that easy or quick. "Sounds good, the quicker we get everything set up the better I'll feel about it." Ben replied. The the conversation took and unexpected twist. "So... thought you mentioned before that you had some kind of experience with the Borg?" Ben didn't know exactly how to take the question. "My experience was indirect." Ben began. "My parents freighter was assimilated by the Borg." Ben took a to compose himself. "I was supposed to be on the Soma's Pride when she left Earth, but my father convinced me to remain behind and compete in a tournament." Ben added. (reply O'Neill) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 2 - 0140) He copied and pasted the information in a memo and sent it to Matrix for approval, and then added in a condition response that should Matrix OK the plan, it would automatically be sent to everyone's screen in Engineering as a memo. Once that had happened, Eian would go ahead and activate the program, but he planned to use the time between Matrix's approval and now to check for any compatibility issues. As he typed on the computer, he asked Ben about his experience with the Borg. Ben's response made him freeze. "My experience was indirect." Ben began. "My parents' freighter was assimilated by the Borg." Eian turned and faced him before he continued. "I was supposed to be on the Soma's Pride when she left Earth, but my father convinced me to remain behind and compete in a tournament." Ben added. "Wow," Eian said. "I'm sorry," he added. Eian could tell Ben was upset by the subject, and he was sorry that he brought it up. He wondered if Ben's parents were assimilated or killed, and why the Borg would target a freighter...but he decided to let Ben choose whether or not to elaborate. (reply Soma) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma - 0141*) "Wow," Eian said. "I'm sorry," he added. Ben could see the genuine concern on Eian's face as he extended his apology, the can of worms had been opened now and Eian was no doubt curious as to why the Borg had targeted a freighter. Though it was a painful subject it was becoming slightly easier to talk about it. "My parents held a few contracts with the Federation, from time to time they were called to ferry various non essential cargo to outlying colonies." Ben explained. "This time they had the hold filled with replicators and various power generators. The Borg must have noticed the increased energy signature and deemed the freighter and her crew as being worthy of assimilation." Ben paused for a moment remembering the report he had received over a decade ago informing him of his parents probable fate. "The Galahad investigated the distress call and found no wreckage, the official report listed the Soma's Pride lost with all hands." (reply O'Neill) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 2 - 0143) "My parents held a few contracts with the Federation, from time to time they were called to ferry various non essential cargo to outlying colonies." Ben explained. "This time they had the hold filled with replicators and various power generators. The Borg must have noticed the increased energy signature and deemed the freighter and her crew as being worthy of assimilation." Ben paused for a moment before continuing, "The Galahad investigated the distress call and found no wreckage, the official report listed the Soma's Pride lost with all hands." Eian shook his head. What horrible luck--to encounter the Borg and just happen to have something they wanted. It reminded Eian of his maternal grandfather. When Grace O'Neill was eighteen, her father Patrick, a history buff, was at a war museum in Dublin at the same time a murderer was being apprehended around the corner. The murderer managed to escape and ran into the museum and right into Patrick, who sensed something was wrong and tried to intervene. He was killed in the process. Wrong place, wrong time. And now Ben was facing the very enemy that had killed his parents--it would be like Eian facing Doenitz's forces, who had killed his mother. He was about to respond when the console beeped, and informed him that Lt. Matrix had approved of his plan. (NRPG: Can change if you want, Steve) Now all that was left to do was check for the compatibility before it was implemented. He turned to Ben. "Let's get these bastards, huh?" ~Or at least put a sizable dent in their plans...before they get a hold on some technology that gives everyone a story like Ben's.~ (reply Soma) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering, CEO's Office - CEO Lt Steven Matrix - Day 2 - 0144) Matrix was already reviewing the ship readiness report and the various tasks and projects his teams were embarking on. Anytime the word Borg was mentioned it invoked a fowl taste in Matrix's mouth. He had never had direct interaction with the Borg, but it was a dark part of the Federation's history. Matrix had friends who lost loved ones or friends to the Borg. Their pain was shared by everyone Matrix knew in or out of Star Fleet. Matrix rubbed his eyes and rested briefly when an audible beep notified Matrix of a message on his yellow PADD. Matrix picked it up and read over O'Neill's program request. Matrix looked up and noticed Mister O'Neill in the main engineering section. Matrix got up walked over to Mister O'Neill. "Mister O'Neill I just received your request and thought I would just talk with you about it." said Matrix. (Reply O'Neill) "I like your approach with this. Do you require anything else from me or of any further resources other than you've indicated in your memo?" asked Matrix. (Reply O'Neill) "If you need me I'll be helping Lt. Cohen in weapons control. Nice work Lieutenant." replied Matrix with a smile. (Reply O'Niell) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma- 0145*) "Let's get these bastards, huh?" Eian said as he turned to Ben. "Or go out in a blaze of glory." Ben replied. There was much controversy over assimilation, a drone was still a living being or was he. Didn't the removal of individuality end one's life as they knew it. Sure they could be recovered and restored but what was left after, would they be human or still Borg. Ben had heard of stories of people being recovered and restored to humanity, some took to thier old lives and others sought the Borg to go back to being drones. It all depended on the time they had spent as a drone and how strong thier will power was. Ben hoped none of the crew would have to experience assimilation, he would prefer death himself. The conversation would no doubt bring the nightmares back, they always came back when the spoke about his parents now there was extra fuel for the flames. Soon they would encounter the Borg first hand, would they survive the encounter? The memory of feeling the drone's hand on his shoulder and looking up to see his fathers face was unpleasant to say the very least, in the dream he was unable to kill his father and it always ended when he was injected with the assimilation tubules. (reply O'Neill iyw) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neil - Day 2 - 0150) Eian had just started going over the compatibility issues for the shield generator idea when Matrix approached him. "Mister O'Neill I just received your request and thought I would just talk with you about it." said Matrix. "Absolutely, Sir," Eian responded. "I like your approach with this. Do you require anything else from me or of any further resources other than you've indicated in your memo?" asked Matrix. "Nothing that I can foresee at the moment, Sir, but when I finish looking into the compatibility issues, I might need a hand doing a bit of reprogramming." "If you need me I'll be helping Lt. Cohen in weapons control. Nice work Lieutenant." replied Matrix with a smile. "Thank you, Sir," Eian said, feeling rather proud. He got back to work as soon as Matrix walked away. (no reply necessary) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Weapons Control - CEO Lt Steven Matrix - Day 2 - 0151) "Peter, give me a status report." said Matrix. Peter turned to see Matrix walking toward him with the infamous PADD in hand. Peter thought, it had to be Matrix. "Sir, we're about to button everything up. Ensign Michael's, crewman Tate, Johnson and Little have completed the upgrades and we're just about ready to run a level 2 diagnostic to confirm functionality. Everything checked out during the install. I suspect we'll see a 30% increase in transfer efficiency in phaser energy." replied Cohen. "I'm impressed LG. How are the photons looking?" asked Matrix. "Quantum photons are ready, replicated just short of 150 and we're storing them in the various cargo holds for now. I've completed a sight to sight transport to get them to launchers as needed in a moments notice. I think we're ready chief." replied Cohen. "Very well. If you haven't already, work on getting armament procured within 15 seconds to their destinations. I don't want any delays as a result of lack of preparation. Make sure you have a backup plan to get those to the launchers if needed. Even if you have to hump them to the launchers physically." said Matrix "Understood Steve...we'll be ready." replied Cohen. "Good. Thanks Peter. I'm off to engineering to help Mister O'Neill...if you're not careful he'll be CEO in now time. He's got some great ideas and is a very sharp kid." said Matrix with a smile. Peter winked, "The best man for the job Matrix...the best man..." (Reply none required) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante, Armory, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma, 0153) Ben listened as Narvak explained her plan, it was an offensive plan and one that might work. The quantum torpedos could do a lot of damage to anything if enough of them were used in conjuction, but would they be enough to take out a Borg tactical cube with one shot. They would only get one and the Borg would adapt, if it worked against one vessel it wouldn't work against the other. Sanok looked at Ben. "What do you think?" Ben considered the idea for several seconds before speaking. "It might work, I'll include it in my recommendations to Captain Salid. It wouldn't hurt to have a couple back up plans in place." Ben said. "The only down side to it is it is a one shot deal, if we're lucky enough to take out one of the ships with it the other will adapt to the tactic." Turning to Narvak he said. "It's a good idea Ensign. Hopefully we won't get to the point of conflict but if we do you've given us another hole card to throw out." (reply Narvak, Sanok) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Deck 18, Aft Photon Launchers - CEO Lt Steven Matrix - Day 2 - 0210) =^= Matrix to Lieutenant O'Neill. Checking in...are you making progress on the holoemitters?" asked Matrix. (Reply O'Neill) =^= Oaky Lieutenant keep after it. Pull any resources you might need including personnel to help with assembly and testing. =^= replied Matrix. (Reply O'Neill) =^= ...I'm working with crewman Baker on the after photon launchers...the new mark fives are slightly longer than the standard versions so we need to alter the firing sequence so they don't jam up in the launch tubes. We're short a SIF module here...have maintenance send down two SIF modules if you would please. =^= asked Matrix. (Reply O'Neill) =^= Thank you Lieutenant. Matrix out. =^= replied Matrix. "Okay crewman...lets see if we can't get this SIF blank removed in time for the new one to arrive. Hand me that torque wrench and have engineering shut off the main power feed to section 18, forward section, 114G." ordered Matrix. (Reply O'Neill) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Rose FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 0211) Alan nodded. “Yup, we could do that. However I’d be a bit leery about using a capital ship in such a way if we have other viable options. What about a shuttle craft, or a probe. The Lorimar class runabouts are quite capable vessels in their own right, and can be configured for very specific mission profiles. An auxiliary craft or a probe or two would be more acceptably risked, I would think. Do you think we might get an equal risk/benefit outcome that way?” "While both ships do have ample axillary craft, I think it might be difficult finding a volunteer that Captain Salid will let attempt the mission. The chances of a smaller vessel making it back intact however are less likely. We are more likely to get a probe disguised as a passing asteroid comet or other piece of high-speed moving space debris. Would that be a better use of resources?" “Captain Salid will be the final arbiter as mission commander of course... but I’d like to be able to present the man a range of options. Hopefully he will find some merit in them." he said. "A photonic pulse to knock out their sensors?" she offered. “An excellent suggestion, Commander... though they might well perceive an attack on their systems as a general assault. Unless we could disguise the source of the pulse that is... Along those same lines, what about a tetryon burst? Because of the unique nature of their existence in subspace, I wonder if we might rig something to bypass the Borg shields and armor, at least until they adapt. As you suggest, any of these ideas might just be a single shot effect, but that might give us enough advantage to keep them reacting to us. If we could direct a high energy tetryon pulse at something vital... say, the Vinculum aboard the tactical cube? What do you think?” "That may have considerable merit. If we had an engineer that specialized in Borg theorem we would know more concretely what would affect them. However if we effected such a system it may take them considerable time to recover." (Reply Captain Durand, room for more) "A verteron pulse generated by both ships at different frequencies, channeled through the main deflector as a beam to knock out all of their subspace-based technology, sensors, shields, transporters and communications and hopefully what ever the pyramid is trying to do." He nodded vigorously. “I like all the concepts Commander. Unfortunately, I’m an engineer and tactics man, not a scientist. I’m a bit out of my depth with some of the theory... so I’m relying heavily on those of us with a greater breadth and depth of science behind them.” "Then perhaps weaponized as a torpedo? That would allow us to be farther away from the verterons to ensure we are not disabled as well." she offered back. He rubbed his hands together briefly, speaking as he did so. “Again, I like the creativity. From the research I’ve done, none of these have been tried before. I’m hoping that our engineers and tactical people can work with the scientists and quickly sort the wheat from the chaff here.” He stopped a moment as a thought occurred to him. “Commander, how much do you know about phasing technology? What if we could adapt a torpedo casing to shift it’s phase to penetrate the Borg defenses, then detonate inside near something vital. I vaguely recall rumors of something... I was having a few cocktails after a symposium a couple of years ago with a Master Chief from fleet tactical. He was pretty drunk and I had gotten him talking about the Borg... and he mumbled something about ‘transphasic’ weaponry, but then he shut up and left. Have you ever heard of any such thing? Or if you haven’t perhaps Captain Salid might?” he offered. "I've heard of theories. All of which are sound, however most are not resource effective. Miniaturized versions of the Pegasus phase-cloak experiment. I am unaware of any insights Captain Salid may have." she said. (Reply Captain Durand, room for more) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante Ready Room Lieutenant Tom Jackson 2O/COPS Day 2 0240) Tom looked across into the face of his oldest and dearest friend. It reflected worry, hope, fear. Jackson knew he had to make sure his friend was taken care of! Ahmed's next words touched Tom's heart. "Just like I knew that talking with you would be a tremendous help. Thank you Tom. I think I've got my mind straight now. I appreciate your advise. I'll see you at the briefing at 0830." "Aye, aye Captain" and exited the Ready Room. (Reply: none) (Posted by: Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Transporter Room - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0255) Matt nodded. "I've been give the permanent use of one of the Engineering Support Labs. We can talk there, it's private." Bob nodded, that would certainly suffice. “Guid enough Matt, lead on if ye please.” "Okay, let's walk." Matthew replied. The habit of command died hard in an officer, Bob supposed. His demeanor was still, and he suspected would always be as befit the student in the company of the master. The truth of the matter was, Bob had never been able to step out of Matt’s shadow. The senior officer’s skills, personality, and sheer force of will were impossible to ignore. And of course, there was also the fact that Lorimar had still not forgiven himself for the crippling injuries McLaren had sustained and lost his CEO spot as a result. Such were his thoughts as they walked quietly to Matt’s Lab. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Engineering Support Lab - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0305) "Okay Bob. Get it off your chest." Matthew began, "then we can talk shop." ~What?~ he almost blurted out, but caught himself. ~Spit *what* out?~ He gazed at his old friend with undisguised confusion. “Spit *what* out, Matt? Why ah’m here?” (Reply McLaren, Room for more) Bob smiled thinly when his friend was done, a twinkle making his eyes dance under the light of the lab. “Nothing could have been further from mah mind, mah dear friend. Ah’ve been working non-stop since tasked by our Captain. Captains? Ah ken that yer man Captain Salid is runnin’ the show anyway. They’ve got me buildin’ a great big bloody antimatter bomb, actually.” He took a PADD from his jumpsuit pocket and offered it to Matt. "It’s a basic design, really... but ah’ve added a few unique kinks. In case we need tae use it, ah dinnae want those bleedin’ Borg tae counter it afore it can go ‘BOOM’... but truly, that isnae why ah’m here.” (Reply McLaren iyw) “All the thinkin’ ah’ve been up tae working on this project inspired another thought. In order tae beat back these infernal buggers and stop whatever evil hijinks they’re plannin’, the more -- less, rather -- conventional the better, aye? Better tae hit them wie somethin’ they’ve not seen before, ah’m ah right?” (Reply McLaren iyw) “Anyway, ‘tis why ah came tae ye. Yer the only man alive wie the experience and knowledge ah’m lookin’ for. Ye’ve been aboard the Planet Killer...” He paused a moment, all the awful, tortured memories flooding back... all the guilt for what had happened to his friend came back with a vengeance. He felt physically sick, and he supposed it showed, but he cared little for appearances. “... Yer the only man ah know who has first hand experience wie antiproton weaponry. Mah point is simply this: Is there any way ye can think of that we could utilize that technology against the Borg? If this mission is as desperate as ah think it is, then even a one shot device might be important. Critically important.” (Reply McLaren, Room for more) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - ATT Lab, Deck 13 - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0541) Bob had returned to the lab after his meeting with Matt, and was working on the Antimatter device as ordered by the Captain. He dearly hoped it wouldn’t be used, but he was certain that he would have it ready before it was needed. He was reviewing the intricacies of the redundant detonation circuit while he waited for the industrial fabricator to work its particular magic on the previous run of components he had input. A chirp from his commbadge broke the quiet of the lab. =^=Jacobs to LT. CMDR Lorimar=^= ~Ah. The new engineer. Well... he isnae so new anymore, but...~ “Go ahead lad.” =^=Yes Commander would you mind meeting me here in Main Engineering? I have a few questions about the secondary shielding system you installed a while back. Hopefully it will help us in the upcoming encounter with the Borg.=^= ~Secondary shie-- ah, right. Almost forgot, we have had but one fight where we used it an’ all~ He checked the replicator before replying. There was at least another thirty minutes before the current run of components would be ready to test and assemble. Plenty of time. “Aye, nae problem Mister Jacobs, ah’ll be there directly.” (Reply Jacobs iyw) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering - ATT LCDR Lorimar - 0547) Bob made his way down the three decks quickly, mentally reviewing the secondary system that he and McLaren had come up with as he did so. He wasn’t certain what Jacobs might need, but he was confident that he could field whatever questions came up. Lorimar threaded his way past the busy engineering crew as only someone intimately familiar with the operation could. He smiled a greeting at those few who did look up, but he had no intention of interfering with the work going on. It was strange, indeed. He felt like a visitor -- which in truth he was -- to the very department he had worked in for years. He sought out the single figure that he recognized as a stranger. He had seen Jacobs at the recent briefings, but that was the limit of their interaction thus far. Time to change that. He approached and extended his hand. “Bob Lorimar at yer service lad. What can ah dae for ye?” (Reply Jacobs, Any) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Main Engineering - ACEO Ensing(jg) Henry Jacobs - 0551) Jacobs looked up to see Lt Cmdr Lorimar walking in his direction. It would have been the first time the two men had met formally even though they have seen each other in passing. Henry looked up from his station again and the man was directly infront of him. "Bob Lorimar at yer service lad. What can ah dae for ye?” "Great to meet you sir, I'm the ACEO Ensing(jg) Henry Jacobs. It an honor to meet you and partly take over where u left off down here in the pit of the ship. I asked for your presence for a reason. I wanted a first hand breakdown of how this shielding system worked and what kind of beating it could take in case primary shielding failed. Do you have the time to give me what I need? I for one don't want the Borg shooting through the shields or beaming on board" (Reply Lorimar) (posted by Darryl) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - FO's Personal Quarters - ACMO - Dr Candle- Day 2 - 0611) Commander Caskie smiled at him after his question and he was genuinely surprised to find it quite pleasant. In the short time he had worked for her when she was the Chief medical officer he had known many of her faces, angry, frustrated but never the smiling one. He tucked into his omelette as she spoke, "Well, that depends on what you want to know. Firstly the Opthidians are not immune to being assimilated they simply came up with a way to remove any Borg *infestation* was the word I believe they used. Basically they came up with a bio weapon that killed all life in the *infested* sector of space thus making sure that the Borg nanites could not survive and replicate." ~Damn so much for the immunity idea~ “A weapon? How?” he asked "As to how they delivered it.." Josh smiled. "It was very low tech and totally foolproof. Three man suicide squads. Each Opthidian had a sac containing the biotoxin placed inside their bodies set to degrade at a timed rate. Terrorism 101 pure and simple. There was no antidote and no stopping it." ~Sounds similar to an idea I’ve been brewing~ he thought “Usually the simple way is the best. Take the borg and their Assimilation tubules. They tend to grab a person and inject in the neck. Maybe we should all wear metallic collars or send out of subspace blocking signal to prevent those newly assimilated communicating with the collective.” He shrugged, took a sip of his coffee, ” Sorry please continue” “The EMH and I managed to extract the sac from the last surviving Opthidian and once engineering had placed in into a torpedo we exploded it in the atmosphere over the planet making sure that nothing would survive there for a very, very long time. Believe me I've already thought long and hard about using it as a means to defeat the Borg this time around and I will be bringing it up at the joint Command meeting soon." “To tell you the truth it was the first thing that came to my mind. The borg have already encountered a variety of toxins used against them, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were ready in some way but despite that it is the first thing on my list of potential solutions” "You also mention something about the Borg's potential motivation...." she asked Putting his cup down Basil said, “One thing that initially struck me was that this was a trap. I am sure the borg would know that their encroachment would be picked up and that someone would be sent. Despite the main reason why they are there, they are expecting trouble. To risk, if it can be called that, being spotted then whatever they are after is too important.” (Reply Caskie, iyw) “But I also asked myself why there? The area is linked to the T’kon empire and when I looked up researchers into the T’kon I discovered one that travelled to a system not to far from here that, according to records, was assimilated by the borg. I only have a title, so far, of his research something about a seventh age of T’kon. What he meant by that I need to find out but, and I am speculating here, if its some secret age, that the T’kon were ashamed of, then what can a culture that theoretically could transport systems, could be ashamed of?” (Reply Caskie, iyw) Commander Caskie asked about his observations on the ships. “It did strike me strange that there are two borg ships. If the prevailing assumption that the tactical cube is their for protecting the pyramid then to me that means the pyramid is vulnerable. If it could handle itself then it wouldn’t need the other ship, unless my previous point of a trap is correct. (Reply Caskie, iyw) “As to its nature again, to me, it can sere two potential purposes, one it’s a device not really a ship. Its whole being is to do one thing and whatever it is doing in that area aids or supplements that one goal. The other option is a science or factory ship. Its purpose is to analyse and build … no assimilate technology into the borg collective. Nothing ground breaking I admit but hopefully it helps” (Reply Caskie) (Posted by Warren Simkins) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - TAC/SC Office - CO Captain Durand - 0612) Durand listened to both his tactical officers without comment, absorbing and collating in his mind before commenting. He answered Lt. Trei first, as his had been the first proposal made. “Lieutenant, I presume you are speaking about the events aboard the Enterprise-D, when Captain Picard had been recovered from the Borg collective?” (Reply Trei iyw) “Odd that you should mention that, as that was one of the encounters that I’ve just reviewed for our tactical planning. My understanding of it was slightly different than what you are presenting. The account in the tactical database indicates that Captain -- excuse me, Lieutenant Commander then -- Data was able to establish a link between himself and the Borg collective through Picard. They were successful at accessing only non critical command systems. Data was able to send a command causing the Borg to regenerate, which caused a cascade failure and resulted in the destruction of the cube. If I understood the account correctly, it was a connection that was established in a technological fashion, not a telepathic one.” He paused a moment, considering. “Having said that though... if you have an idea for telepathic communication with them, I’d need to see a detailed plan so that we could present it to Captain Salid. This is his show, as the mission commander. I suggest you work with the medical department and whomever else you may need to come up with a workable plan we can present. Please do so, Lieutenant.” (Reply Trei, Room for more) After Trei replied, he turned to Signos. “Alright Ensign, let’s take your points in order that you presented them. First, in principle I have no objection to using the holo-marine program. My objections are purely technical in nature. I’m sure you realize that the energy consumption in having so many active holo emitters would be enormous; that’s the reason most vessels don’t routinely employ holographic crew, and why holodeck operations are immediately curtailed during alert situations. There is also the additional consideration of tactical practicality. Consider what would happen if a holographic marine or marines were securing your flank, and a sudden loss of power eliminated them. Not only would you be immediately outnumbered, but it would be difficult in the extreme to adjust to a tactical disadvantage such as that. Unless you can prove to me you have a solution to these issues, request denied.” (Reply Signos, Trei iyw) “As to your second point, the battle bridge is always manned during red alert situations, and selected others as well. I can say with absolute certainty that it *will* be staffed during our encounter with the Borg.” (Reply Signos, Trei iyw) “Third point. I’ve never heard of the transporter system being used in quite that fashion. Automatic settings are generally limited to a one person beam out, or situations of that sort. Not to say it couldn’t be done of course. However, we are up against the energy issue once again. Transporters as you know are one of the most energy intensive systems aboard, so they might not be practically employed that way, particularly if we have battle damage or reduced energy supply. In addition, even if we could set the transporters to operate that way, I’d be hesitant to do so lest some of our people accidentally were beamed into space. Your concept is intriguing though, I’ll give it that. You might consider setting ambush points as you’ve indicated, and utilize some lower yield photon or plasma grenades. The application would have to be careful of course, as the damage to critical ships system could be crippling if not done with caution.” He thought a moment, then went on. “Of course... the transporter idea might well be employed with an operator at the controls. Keep in mind that Borg drones can and have survived in vacuum. But, if a group could be beamed into space, using a wide angle of dispersion... I seriously doubt that they could survive having their molecules scattered in that fashion. See what engineering can come up with along those lines... I don’t think its been tried before, so I think you might have a winner there Ensign.” (Reply Signos, Trei, Any) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Trei's Office - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 0615) Detron listened to Durand's response to his proposal. Durand suggested that he take it up with CPT Salid. Detron mentally noted that and responded. "Good. I think I will go to CDR Caskie with this and she can coordinate it with CPT Salid. Lets hope it works." Detron turned to Durand and Signos giving them the proper gesture upon leaving. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Bridge - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 0620) Detron walked up to CDR Caskie and stated he had a proposal. "Sir. I have a proposal for the encounter. It will involve a telepathic connection to the Borg with help from a Vulcan to send a suggestion to the Borg of bugs crawling all over their ships prompting them to fight each other. Please relay this to CPT Salid and inform me of how implement the action.." (Reply Caskie) (Posted by Edward) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Observation Lounge - CO Captain Durand - 0825) Durand listened quietly as the assembled (holographically or otherwise) command staffs began the brief. He was surprised at Commander Caskie’s mention of a biotoxin; she hadn’t seen fit to mention it to him. Evidently the trust issues they had discussed were a one way thing. So be it. “Captain Salid, this is the first I have heard about the ‘biotoxin’,” he didn’t so much as glance at Caskie, hiding his irritation at being surprised by the revelation. “I can’t comment on it except in the general sense, which is to say that whatever measures we must take to stop the Borg, I would conditionally approve.” (Reply Any in meeting, room for more) “Having said that sir, Commander Sullivan and I have some concepts ready for your consideration. Some of them of course are pending consideration from engineering and sciences; as most if not all of them have never been tried before, and we are not positive about the feasibility of implementing them.” NRPG: Not going into specifics as Todd and I haven’t actually completed the discussion, but I would say its safe to assume that anything he and I have posted so far would be fair game for discussion. RPG: (Reply Any at meeting) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Observation Lounge - 2O/COPS Lt Tom Jackson -Day 2 0838) Tom Jackson had not said anything so far The talk had been in terms of possible scenarios Most seemed desperate gambles at best He had been wrestling with an issue that worried him Jackson decided to ask a question he considered important "Sirs, assuming we will be in contact directly with the Borg, what is our policy concerning crew that have been assimilated?" TJ bluntly asked Would they try and save them or destroy them? The conversation suddenly centered around his remark He wasn't liking the attention but his question was a valid one and needed to be asked. (REPLY: any present) (posted by Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay Lab - ACMO - Dr Candle - Day 2 - 2218) Basil had issued an order not to be disturbed at all. He had explained albeit vaguely that what he needed to work on needed no interruptions at all. He hoped his staff would consider what he was doing was dangerous but it wasn’t, not in this century anyway. No he needed the no interruptions for secrecy. He needed the next few hours to be solely based on his little project to deal with the borg. Basil looked at the lab around him, the lab was empty, no-one needed to know what he was doing and when someone had to know it was only going to be a particular person. What he needed to synthesize what he needed was right in front of him. He had spent most of his time after his sleep looking up chemical structures, dronaminol, ergotamine, hydroxy-saponin to name a few. The plan that he had was something that was in the back of his mind right at the start. What made it stick was breakfast with Commander Caskie and their conversation. It was a desperate ploy and one that if it was needed could possibly work but Basil didn’t know for how long. That, luckily, was not going to be his decision. With a shrug, Basil went to work --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay Lab - ACMO - Dr Candle - Day 2 - 2357) Basil was finished, the product of his labours was before him. Three bracelets, of his own design, and a combination of a variety of liquids. With all that done there was only one thing left to do. “Dr Candle to Captain Durand. Can you meet me in the secondary sickbay I have something to show you” (Reply Durand) (Posted by Warren Simkins) ======================================================= (USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO Captain Durand - 0001) Alan had been spending all of his time checking with the various departments, in conference with Captain Salid and his command staff, conferring with Commander Caskie, and pouring over all the tactical information he could get his hands on. Something had been nagging at the corner of his consciousness, but he couldn’t quite pin it down. His eyes were tired, but his mind was racing and his senses fully alert. He had allowed himself a moment of self indulgent (necessary, he told himself) downtime. He had made his way to the couch in his ready room where he lay in the darkness, eyes shut. The ache was just subsiding when his commbadge chirped. =^=Dr Candle to Captain Durand. can you meet me in the secondary sickbay I have something to show you=^= ~Hmm. Not even a ‘sorry to disturb you at this hour, Captain’? No preface or preamble at all?~ The mental flag he had set for himself the last time he dealt with the doctor waved back into the forefront of his mind. ~Is he just the aloof physician, or is there something more that I should know about?~ He opened his eyes to the soft gleam of streaking starlight coming in the viewport, which was the only illumination in the ready room. “I gather this is urgent in nature, Doctor?” That was half question, half statement. He rubbed his eyes briefly as he waited for the reply. (Reply Candle) “Very well Doctor. Three minutes.” (Reply Candle iyw) He rose from the couch and made his was to the small sink in the corner alcove of the compartment. Commanding Officers did have some perks, such as this little accoutrement. He relished the sensation as he splashed a handful of cold water on his face, easing the dull ache of fatigue as he did so. When he finished, he blinked several times to clear his vision, then wiped his face and hands with a small towel. He stopped at the replicator just long enough to get a steaming mug of coffee with cream, and headed out. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay - ACMO Dr Candle - 0004) =^=I gather this is urgent in nature, Doctor?” That was half question, half statement. He rubbed his eyes briefly as he waited for the reply=^= “Yes sir, it would be more prudent to discuss this now” ~When most of the ship is asleep~ Basil thought =^=Very well Doctor. Three minutes=^= “I’m in the secondary sickbay, sir, I’ll await your arrival” Basil could do nothing but wait. Again it seemed very clandestine to do it this way but it would be better this way. It hinged on secrecy. The captain stepped in, mug of coffee in hand, steam rising into the air. “Good morning, Doctor. What brings us together at this hour?” he asked as he took a long pull of his coffee. Basil pointed to the tray he had laid out earlier. “Sir, I am unsure if you are aware of my tests with a portable medical-emitter. The idea was … is, if there is no contact with a ship a medical officer could monitor peoples life signs from quite a long distance away with the possibility of simple medical ‘quick fixes’ without being near to the person. These three ‘bracelets’ are my modified version of this.” He paused, he could smell the coffee and it distracted him, the pungent aroma reminding his mind and stomach that he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since he stepped into the lab. “These ‘bracelets’ can now contain two liquids. I have made three. Two of these liquids, when combined, will induce a state of synaesthesia neurologically changing the cognitive pathways of whoever the bracelet is attached to. The third is a necrotic bio-toxin, simple yet effective.” (Reply Durand) “My idea is that the bracelet can detect when a person is being assimilated, or even if a person is already assimilated. Once that criteria is reached it will release the liquids chosen. The synaesthesia state will cause communication to be, putting it mildly, very confusing. If you choose the bio-toxin and one of the other liquids then what will happen is the individual will experience what late twentieth century people would call a ‘trip’. Both liquids are essentially enhanced synthesized hallucinogenic compounds with a few tweaks of my own, this will hide the fact that the bio-toxin has entered the bodies system and will start attacking the flesh around any metal implants. It was used around the early 22nd century - ,think of it as a sort of internal maggot, and was banned because of its inherent nature to gorge itself. Once gorged it hibernates in the skin in the form of pustules then spread when the pustules explode.” Basil looked at the Captain, “How effective they will be I am unsure but if they give the borg pause, a brief moment in time for you to be able to do something then it is worth it. The reason why I am telling you this is that you are going to be the only one that will know of this. This is why I dragged up out of bed, why I locked myself here and focussed the last few hours just on this. You will be the one to decide on how you will use the bracelets, give them to yourself, stick them on a borg whatever. Think of it as a secret weapon, something that only you will know about. The choice will be yours, for once I leave here I will erase my memory of the last 6 or so hours." (Reply Durand, any) (Posted by Warren Simkins) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Secondary Sickbay Lab - CO Captain Durand - 0005) He stepped in, still steaming mug of coffee in hand and made his way to where Candle was standing near a workstation. “Good morning, Doctor. What brings us together at this hour?” he asked as he took a long pull of his coffee. (Reply Candle) (Posted by Russ) ======================================================= (USS Rosenante, Bridge, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma, 0003) With all the preparations completed Tom began calling for status updates from all departments after the ship had gone to yellow alert. One by one the 2O sent a request to each department and waited for the replies. A request came to tactical and Ben responded. "Tactical stands ready Sir," He stated. "Weapons are charged and ready and shields are at 100 percent." He waited with the rest of the bridge crew as the rest of the reports came in. Everyone was ready for what was coming, physically anyway, mentally was another story. They were about to face off against the greatest threat to the Federation, very few on board had done so in the past. They all knew the stories and those with the proper clearances had gone over what ever they could find related to the Borg and every engagement with them. All reports seemed to offer the same conclusion, the Borg adapted quickly and offered little in the way of mercy. Every threat was eliminated and they assimilated everything they wanted. (reply any) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante, Bridge, Lieutenant jg Sanok, 0004) Ben Soma said, "Tactical stands ready, sir. Weapons are charged and ready, and shields are at 100 percent." "Secondary tactical position also functioning at 100 percent," said Sanok. While each station gave their status reports, Sanok remembered for the first time since learning of the oncoming encounter with the Borg, that Ben had lost his family to them. In the rush to prepare, Sanok had forgotten about it. In the past, he and Ben had spoken very little about it, but now, when on the verge of facing the Borg, Sanok began to feel guilty for not talking with his friend. He had to do a quick meditation technique to push those feelings as far from him as he could. Every part of him would need to be focused on the task at hand, and there was no place in him for emotions or feelings of any kind. Still, his thoughts drifted back to Ben and how he must be feeling. Irritated with himself for allowing distractions at this crucial time, Sanok took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There would be time to talk once this mission was completed. It was time to face the Borg. (reply any) (posted by Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Durand - 0005) After acknowledging Salid’s orders, Alan gave several of his own. “Go to Red Alert, all hands to battle stations. Raise shields, ready all weapons. High security alert all decks. Match course and speed with the Rosenante, alter formation as ordered. Commander Caskie, select a team of officers and crew to staff the battle bridge, and stand by to do so.” (Reply Caskie, Any) He tabbed a control on the arm of the center seat. “All hands, this is the Captain. We are entering the Dovek system. We are going to avoid contact with the Borg if possible, and attempt to determine the reason for their presence here. Hostile action may occur at any time and with little warning; all personnel must be vigilant and be prepared for any eventuality. If we do engage the Borg despite our best efforts to the contrary, I’ll be asking a great deal from each one of you. In the time I’ve gotten to see this crew perform, I’ve come to realize that you make the difficult merely routine, and the impossible simply difficult. I know you won’t disappoint, and we shall not falter, nor shall we fail. I trust in all of you to do your duty, as you must trust each other. We will keep you advised of directives and intentions. That is all.” He tabbed the channel closed and turned back to Caskie, giving her an exaggerated wink. (Reply Any/All) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Bridge -2O/ COPS Lieutenant Tom Jackson - Day 4 0007) Tom's heart was pounding so hard that he was sure everyone heard it. The two ship formation dropped out of warp drive. Tom brought the Rose to Red Alert status. They were ready for whatever came next. "We are at Red Alert. All areas report readiness Sir" Jackson reported. (Reply: CO) Tom hoped Ben Soma, Chance Raschen and Steve Matrix had prepared well. The thought of combat made Jackson a tad afraid. Dahlia's image flashed into his mind. Tom became very sad. ~Surely the Great Being who controlled the universe would not deprive them of a life together~ he prayed. Jackson re-checked his readouts. There was no more anyone could do except wait. (Reply: any on bridge) (Posted by: Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Main Engineering - CEO Lieutenant Steven Matrix - Day 4 0011) The ambient lighting in engineering glowed red with the alert status of the ship. Matrix hadn't slept for nearly 36 hours in anticipation of what awaited them next. The Borg were not to be under estimated despite the advances made in weaponry and defenses since Star Fleet's first engagement on Farpoint. Matrix was relatively relaxed as he knew his crew had prepared well. He was confident that their efforts were precise, focused and would produce the results everyone had hoped for. Operations worked closely with engineering and all system were at the ready. Matrix glanced up at the status board now referred to as "Q Status." All ships systems were depicted on the primary status board along with defense and offensive posture conditions. ~Warp drive and weapons at optimal efficiency...shields ready...spiral drive ready.~ thought Matrix "Matrix to bridge. Engineering reporting. Weapons, shields and propulsion at your command. Spiral Drive on standby." reported Matrix. Matrix sat back in his chair and tried to brace himself for the chaos that was sure to follow. Still he felt an overwhelming sense of calm for whatever awaited. ~Bring it on!~ he thought. (Reply Jackson. IYW, Bridge, IYW) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Bridge - CO Captain Durand - 0012) Durand listened passively to the conversation between Captain Salid and their unexpected Romulan ‘guest’. He harbored a distrust, and dislike, for Romulans. He had neither respect nor admiration for their race or culture. In fact he had an open disdain for their methodology; the whole ‘cloak and dagger’ nature of their society as he understood it was something that made him very uncomfortable. However, being the professional he was, it would not cloud his judgment. But it would lay firmly in the back of his thoughts. ~Thanks a lot Captain... stick us with the Romulan. I’ll remember that,~ he thought half seriously. Time for his reply. “Lieutenant T’Rillian, this is Captain Durand of the Boudicca. We will take you aboard our Main Shuttlebay as directed. Approach as vectored and standby; we will tractor your ship aboard.” (Reply T’Rillian) “Security, this is the Captain. We have a Romulan ‘guest’ coming aboard. Send an appropriate reception to the main shuttlebay, and escort her to the Observation Lounge.” (Reply Trei and/or Signos) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- End Compile ---------------------------------------------------------------------