Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo - Bridge - CO, Captain Henre LaBeau - 10:53)   Henre looked at the chronometer on the arm of his chair and then back over his shoulder at Galk who was still standing watch over the bridge, the Klingon was tireless it seemed. Henre had tried before to outlast his First Officer on everything from Holoprograms to real  life battle situations and was never successful, he was thankful for that now, Galk was going to have to watch his back as he plotted his next chess moves on the board. Some things were painstakingly obvious to Henre and not to his liking. First in order of importance was that for LoDona to send out a starship to hijack a trawler of antimatter the 52nd had to be in desperate need of it and the second was that Sash would have been told to do anything to protect it.  In a battle such as this had Henre been captaining the Nimitz and had he been able he would have pressed the attack until he had destroyed the smaller ship which Sash had declined to do; it occured to Henre that Sash was allowing him the breathing space he needed hoping he would give up and go away which Henre would not do, this had become a fight to the death unless he could disable the Nimitz and regain control of the Archimedes and considering Henre didn't have sufficient crew to man the trawler and it was probable many of those on the trawler had been killed it was not a likely alternative. As long as Henre confined his attacks to the Nimitz their situation would remain much the same but if and when LaBeau had to turn on the Archimedes to keep it from entering the subspace river Sash would have no choice but to try to destroy him. Henre spoke to his tactical officer. "Mr. Calder, a report on the weapons systems if you please and also an estimate on how much longer it will take for the Archimedes to get to the subspace river."   (Reply: Lt. Calder)   Henre digested the report for a long moment then noticed Lt. Damas had turned toward him, there was a look on her face he couldn't read, Andorians could sometimes be very mysterious, it looked like concern but Henre wondered for who. "Lt. Damas give me a report on the status of the Nimtz and the Archimedes. I want to know as much about their current capabilities as you can give me."   (Reply: Lt. Damas)   He turned to Galk again. "Mr. Galk get on the board and tell me our current engineering repair status.   Galk nodded and leaned over the board and typed in the commands, he studied the screen for a moment and rumbled low in his throat before speaking. "Power levels are at 85% Captain but the cloak is only at 63%, there is no way to tell yet how it will hold up until we actually need it unless we test it first."   Henre shook his head. "No Mr. Galk that will not be possible." He tapped the intercom again. "Mr Vandergriff I see your repairs are proceeding according to schedule, I want a thorough inspection of system integrity for the cloak while you are at it, we are not going to be able to test it before use and I need you to narrow down all the possibilities, also send someone to check number four torpedo tube, Mr. Calder reports it is slow in responding."   (Reply: Lt. Vandergriff)     (USS Larkspur -Bridge - CO, Captain Henre LaBeau - Stardate 2400.08.06 -1814)   Captain Henre LaBeau of the USS Larkspur was waiting impatiently for the report from the cargo transporter station and when it came he almost breathed a sigh of relief.   "Final load of artifacts has been beamed aboard Captain and are on their way to Cargo Bay 2."   "You are sure Ensign Temple? I don't want to leave any behind, our orders were most specific."   "Quite sure Captain, the scans verify their claim."   "Very good." Henre tapped the switch to close the intercom and looked at the screen which showed Keltai Helmas watching the proceedings nervously. "Well Keltai it looks as though our business here is finished."   The Heloi forced himself to stand up straighter as he looked at one he now considered little more than a bandit and an outlaw. "Actually Captain Labeau I believe you are wrong, I think there is a lot left to be said between the Heloi and the Federation that will not be repeated here."   Henre gave him his most charming smile and said. "Perhaps Keltai, perhaps. Captain LaBeau out." As Henre signed off he looked about for his First Officer.   Galk walked up to his Captain and while standing close by handed him a PADD. On the PADD  were the targets that would not only completely destroy the power grid but also the targets for all planetary defense systems, power reactors, planetary computer cores, telecomm systems and a hidden bio weapons lab. "Sir by hitting these targets we can completely destroy this entire civilization with their own radiation fall out and what ever bio weapons they might have developed. Also," (he tapped a button on the PADD and the screen changed) "If shielded torpedoes were launched into the larger volcanoes listed on this map the resulting explosions would not only reignite them with the almost certainly of starting a global cataclysm but would also possibly cause the destruction of the planet. I do not know the extent of our orders but am making a guess that the Federation would rather not let it be known what is happening here and so am providing "options". These attack patterns have already been set and can be initiated on your orders sir."   Galk stepped back and awaited his Captains reply.   Henre looked the PADD over thoroughly and nodded slightly at Galk. This was the part he had been dreading since the first shot had been fired.   "Initiate firing sequence Mr. Galk." Then he stood up from his chair and walked to the Ready Room to report to Admiral Doenitz on the success of their mission.      (USS Alamo - Bridge - CO, Captain Henre LaBeau - 10:55)   Henre wondered if Sash had ever had to do something he would never be able to forget.   (Reply: Calder, Damas, Vandergriff, any) (Posted by Charles) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Main Engineering – CEO- Lt. James Vandergriff - 10:54) James had the notion to ask Captain LaBeau after this battle royale to recommend special commendations for his team. It was a wonder why James was able to pull miracles out of his hat; it was all his team’s doing and those congratulatory awards were in order. James was in his own little world when the captain’s voice came over the COMM speakers. "Mr. Vandergriff,” LaBeau called out. James was startled by the captain’s voice, but responded. “Vandergriff here, Sir.” LaBeau continued on. “I see your repairs are proceeding according to schedule. I want a thorough inspection of system integrity for the cloak while you are at it, we are not going to be able to test it before use and I need you to narrow down all the possibilities, also send someone to check number four torpedo tube, Mr. Calder reports it is slow in responding." Knowing that his repairs were holding and ahead in some aspects of schedule, James wanted to celebrate by opening his family’s vintage Scotch whiskey bottle, but it would be his last if the cloaking device issue were not a thorn in his backside. “Aye, already running a level 5 system diagnostic as we speak, Sir, so far everything seems to be in order, but wait until we are hit again and then we’ll see what we have left down here.” James finished up by saying; “I’ll be sending my best person over to fix the number four torpedo tube for you and Mr. Calder so we won’t be going back into the fight with one less torpedo tube.” A chuckle came from James as if he was having his our little party and he was the honored guest. (Reply LaBeau, anyone) (Posted by Nathan M. Williams) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Bridge – CO, Captain Henre LaBeau - 10:56)     Henre listened as his CEO finished acknowledging his orders.  =^= I’ll be sending my best person over to fix the number four torpedo tube for you and Mr. Calder so we won’t be going back into the fight with one less torpedo tube. =^=   A chuckle sounded from the intercom before he signed off and despite himself Henre grinned.   "Captain, the Archimedes has dropped out of warp!" Shouted Belite, Henre jerked his mind back to the matter at hand and looked over at his CSO.   "Readings!"   "There was a fluctuation in her shields for a moment Captain then the ship dropped quickly out of warp, they're running on impulse drive only now."   "And the Nimitz Belite, what is she doing?"   "The Nimitz has dropped out of warp also Captain, I'm reading communications traffic between the two ships now."   Henre's grin widened at the opportunity he now saw before him. "Mr. Jennings plot a course for the Nimitz, Mr. Calder raise shields and ready weapons and prepare for manuever Alpha, Mr. Galk stand by on the cloak and Ms. Damas prepare to divert auxiliary power to the cloak on my order."   (Reply: Calder, Damas)   He then thumbed the intercom, "Mr. Vandergriff we are going in, secure engineering for the battle, you have approximately 6 minutes to finish up those repairs."   (Reply: Lt. Vandergriff)   "Course plotted and laid in Captain."   "Thank you Mr. Jennings, initiate and continue current speed, prepare to drop to warp two and initiate turn for Manuever Alpha on my order."   "Acknowledged Captain." Henre sat back in his seat and smiled, this would be a good test of his favorite manuever against Sash's experience. ~ It will be interesting to see how well he has read my dossier. ~   (Reply: Calder, Damas, Vandergriff, any)   (Posted by Charles) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Main Engineering – CEO - Lt. James Vandergriff - 10:59) James had the idea that a little humour would perk up the bridge crew a bit especially Captain LaBeau. Back to work and finalizing his repairs, James scanned all aspect of the main engines and the cloaking device, which were purring like an earthling kittens. James was about to caress the engines as to let them know he was there to protect them and render the tender loving care from his expertise and wisdom. It seemed as if all is well for James and his team, but the captain voice was heard again through the comm speakers as the warp core reduce from a high energy purr to a low hum as the Alamo drop out of warp to impulse. "Mr. Vandergriff we are going in, secure engineering for the battle, you have approximately 6 minutes to finish up those repairs." James accessed the comm console at his station and answered with a reply. "Aye, Captain, the section ready for the return into the hornet's nest!" James was concerned about the time on finishing the repairs. Six minutes was cutting it close even though the cloaking device was still fluctuating. James winged a response. "6 minutes that's nothing. I'll do it for you in 4 minutes with time to spare for adjustments!" (Reply LaBeau, anyone) (Posted by Nathan M. Williams) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Bridge – CO, Captain Henre LaBeau - 11:03)   "Closing in on target Captain, we will be within firing range of the torpedoes in 30 seconds." Galk reported   "Very good Mr. Galk, Mr. Calder I want a full spread of torpedoes as soon as we come within range."   (Reply: Lt. Calder)   Galk had put the time till weapons launch as well as the decreasing distance on the screen, Henre watched as the Nimitz grew larger and the time till launch grew shorter, as they passed the 3,000,000 kilometer mark he barked, "Fire torpedoes Mr. Calder!" There were multiple thumps as the quantum torpedoes left the tubes and Belite shouted.    "Return fire from the Nimitz Captain, impact in 15 seconds."   "Initiate Manuever!" Henre shouted. Galk activated the cloak as Lt. Jennings was initiating a sharp turn at warp two. Henre had done this innumerable times before in battle and knew the limits of his manueverable ship, after the Alamo blinked out of sight on the enemy sensors she was turning to port immediately. There was a whine from the inertial dampeners that were struggling to keep up with the g-forces being created by the high speed turn and Henre felt as though a large hand was pressing him into his seat which was one of the things about the opening shots of a battle he had grown to love.   As they were well into the turn Henre considered the possibilities. ~If they fired with their torpedoes on a straight impact fuse they'll keep going until they run out of fuel but if he's anticipated my manuever we might get a little turbulence.~   Sure enough the ship began to rock from the explosions of the enemy torpedoes but none were close enough to do any significant damage though the ship was shaken, "Lt. Damas give me a prelimianary damage report." Henre said while expecting nothing major of note.   (Reply: Cithy Damas)    "Thank you Ms. Damas, Mr. Jennings bring us underneath the Nimitz at a distance of 15,000 kilometers, Mr. Calder rake her with phasers as we come out of cloak."   (Reply: Lt. Calder)   Suddenly they were beneath the starship and Galk had killed the cloak. "Fire Mr. Calder!" Called Henre.   (Reply: Lt. Calder, Cithi Damas, any) (posted by Charles) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Main Engineering – CEO, Lt. James Vandergriff - 11:05) By the way the engines and power relays were acting; James was already making the last minute adjustments knowing that Captain LaBeau was positioning the Alamo for an immediate strike upon the enemy, the Nimitz and Captain Sash’s pride. The weapon systems were already engaged with a volley of quantum torpedoes seeking its target, which put James in a rush of fury in maintaining the current power levels for phasers. As the cloaking device was activated from the bridge, James crossed his fingers hoping that his modifications and repairs were worth the sacrifice of a few relays and power conduits. James looked at his engineering console for any signs of power drain or fluctuation in the power grid. ~ All appears well for now. ~ James thought. A sudden banking maneuver caused the inertial dampers to whine. James, for a brief moment, was unable to move or to reach his console panel to stabilize the dampers to ease the strain of the engines. James was about to get on the comm channel to let Captain LaBeau know that his engineers were getting facelifts from the erratic maneuvers, but then several explosions shook the ship. James grabbed his repair kit as to expect the worst and begin immediate repairs service. Shocked and amazed James wished the world had ended instead of this scare tactic. James accessed his console to get the internal damage report, but only saw a bad relay to the inter-mix chamber, which was quickly fixed. (Reply anyone, if ya'll want to) (Posted by Nathan M. Williams) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Bridge – OPS, Lt. Cithy Dumas - 11:07) "Lt. Dumas give me a prelimianary damage report." Henre asked. "Nothing of note, Captain." She said. "Engineering is already taking care of it." She replied, her fingers flying over the keys of her terminal. "Thank you Ms. Damas, Mr. Jennings bring us underneath the Nimitz at a distance of 15,000 kilometers, Mr. Calder rake her with phasers as we come out of cloak." Cithy's eyes widened, as she relized they were under the Nimitz, and they could seriously hurt her if given the chance too. She hit a key at the top of her control panel initiating the other program that she had been given. "Fire Mr. Calder!" Called Henre. The programmed dimmed the lights on the Bridge completely, halting the alamo. "Power drain coming from Main Engineering, plasma fire decks 3 and 4, blown out relays in the phaser banks." Cithy said, hitting more keys. She knew that Galk would found her out, but she couldn't let them hurt the Nimitz like this. That shipment was too important. "Casualty reports decks 2 through 4 Captain." She finished, initiating the commands to put out the fires since the computer didn't do it automatically. She cried out as the Nimitz punched back with phasers and a panel exploded to her right, covering that arm and hand with burns. Still she kept to her post. (reply LaBeau, any) (posted by Melinda :-) Stardate:2406.10.06 (Risa - Lt. Cithy Dumas & 'Mr Rick' - 1400) Cithy was between assignments and on shore leave. She loved Risa. Everything about it was meant to induce pleasure. She'd just finished a fast paced volleyball game and was relaxing in a lounge chair when one of the players walked up to her with a drink. "You were pretty good out there." He said, handing her the cool fruit juice concoction that Risa was famous for. She took a sip and noticed that it was slightly bitter. "The replicator must be malfunctioning." Cithy remarked, taking another sip. "These are the bitterest riserch I've ever tasted." She looked up into his big brown eyes. "Thanks for the compliment. You weren't bad yourself." She tasted his body scent and he was nervous about something. ~Silly humans and their mating rituals.~ She thought with amusement as she began to feel sleepy. "I'm sorry; I must be more tired than I thought from the exercise. I think I'll just go back to my hostel." She said getting up as she began to be dizzy. She turned the corner with the human male chattering worriedly at her before everything went dark and she passed out. The male looked around and signaled, another man walked up. "The lady has had too much to drink," he said in a toneless voice. "Take her to the room." "Right away Mr. Rick." He stood and walked out, letting the male carry the Lieutenant away, to where he would be waiting. (Risa - Somewhere Dark and Quiet - Lt Cithy Dumas * Lieutenant Commander 'Rick Vinon' - 1640) Richard, called 'Rick', sat down next to the prone officer just as she groaned and placed a small glass next to her bed. "Good morning, Lieutenant Dumas." he said in an even tone. Cithy looked up at the man who she had been playing volleyball with. "Who are you?" She asked, looking around and not recognizing the space. "What happened to me?" She asked, her head feeling fuzzy and none too clear. Rick sat down, "I'm afraid I had to talk to you, I needed your utmost attention." he said as he tapped the glass. "That's water, nothing else, it will help clear your head. The drug I had to use is notorious for dehydrating its recipients." He sat back, out of immediate reach, but close enough to show that he wasn't worried about her. In psychological warfare, appearances were everything. She shivered, and drank down the water thirstily. "Your one of the ones they warned me about. One of the traitors." She said, nervous and more than a tad bit scared. Rick grinned at that, "Praise be and hallelujah for that, too." he said as he folded one leg over the other and placed his hands folded on top of the knee in perfect view. "That depends on your point of view though. According to my information, you are someone not quite innocent, yet fully ignorant, and working for the true traitor. I would imagine none of that got through to you however." He cocked his head at her, "I can't fault you for doing your duty, nor for reacting as you have. I can assure you that I am not a traitor however, and neither is my cause." He took a breath, "Would you be willing to believe your eyes and ears if I gave you proof, or are you utterly brainwashed and a hopeless lapdog to Admiral Doenitz by now?" he looked at her closely, betting on his prior research of her. Andorian's tended to love the straight-on approach. That, and being a warrior race themselves, they hated being called lapdogs of any sort. She frowned at him. "I don't understand humans. Why do you give praise to this God?" As her mind was furiously thinking. "It is possible to turn anything to make it look like the truth. And how do I know it IS the truth?" She demanded glaring at him. "And just what is your name." "Any name I give you is circumspect, as you well know." he said easily, "But you can call me Rick. More Specifically, Lieutenant Commander Richard Vinon, of Starfleet Intelligence." He made himself comfortable. "And yes, the truth can be covered, smudged, made dark. It has been done for years now under Admiral Doenitz." He pulled a small PADD out of his holiday-wear and tossed it onto the bed beside her, "But command codes that can hack into the central database of Starfleet command make it rather easy to see the truth, right out of the horse's mouth. You can confirm everything I say later." Cithy looked down and saw the command codes in the PADD. "Why are you telling me this?" She asked suspiciously. "It's because of my assignment to the Alamo. I was told we were on a top-secret mission, but no one told me what." She sounded rather peeved by this. "They told me that you would come and try to pervert me to your side, and that you would threaten my family and kill them if I didn't do what you said. That's how you threaten people to be on your side, isn't it?" She said, rather passionately. Her blind devotion to LaBeau arose. After all, he was her first Captain and the one most responsible for her rise through the ranks so quickly. "Only on Tuesdays, and only if they agree to hold themselves hostage willingly." he said lightly. "Misinformation and bully tactics, no, we haven't been following them with a couple notable exceptions." He flicked a finger in her direction, "I had to have you manhandled here so I could have a private chat. However, after we are done talking, you are perfectly free to leave. I can't promise you won't be approached again, but we won't be pulling out your mother's antenna to get you to cooperate. Forced Cooperation does neither of us any good, we are in this for the Right, not for the power. If we were in it for the power, we already would have had Assassins knocking on every important admiral's door from here to the Klingon border." He took a breath and looked at her, "The Alamo is escorting anti-matter, by the way." He smiled lightly, "Very nice assignment, very plush, yet very dangerous." She flushed. "LaBeau asked for me specifically." She said, looking down at her hands. "He was my first CO and he's guided my career. I don't know if I could betray him. Not that you've convinced me to!" She said looking Rick in the eye. He bowed his head slightly, "I haven't told you anything yet," he said. "But your good Captain is not nearly as good as he would appear." He left that subject, not wanting to attack her loyalty directly. "Tell me, Lieutenant, what do you know about operations in this part of the galaxy?" She shook her head. "Not much, other than what they said. They told me that the 52nd had turned Maquis and that you were all traitors. That you wanted to overthrow Starfleet and set up your own government in which your Admiral would be supreme dictator. They said that most of your people didn't realize that they had defected with your renegade Captains." He smiled, almost sadly. "All of our captains were aware of the situation before we pulled out." He tapped the PADD again, "And the supposed Dictator's information was good enough to get the 15th Stationary and the 60th Exploratory to both pull the plug and withdrawal as we did. We are no longer the only 'rebel' fleet." he finished. "Doenitz's lies begin to run thin" She shivered, knowing friends in those fleets. "Doenitz is a great man, trying to save Starfleet from traitors like you." She said, spouting the propaganda line, but not sounding at all convinced of it. "No," he said quietly, yet solidly. "In six months, perhaps a year, he will move to replace the Council and take military control of the Federation. The 52nd's defection bought a little bit of time, he can't take care of us without major rumors making it to the council and calling his own actions into the light." He smiled, ironically, "I don't suppose there has been any news about this defection coming from the Federation Council, hmmm?" Cithy looked down at her hands. "No. There wasn't. I was told it was because if the news got out it would cause a panic in the member worlds. And invite the unaligned races to make war on a weak Starfleet." She was suddenly becoming very uncomfortable. "That would strengthen the fleet, actually. With real evidence of duplicity, membership into the Fleet would double and every fleet within a months travel would already have descended onto our new location and have destroyed us. That is simply psychology at work Lieutenant, and it's a simple matter of numbers. If this was a real power play, LoDona and all 200 captains would be truly stupid to make a move, much less the 400 from the other two fleets that have since joined. In a real power play like this, the Starfleet could have destroyed us in no-time. Instead, it is being kept quiet, everyone in power is being kept in the dark while Doenitz scrambles to complete the circles of power he had started, the circles of power that LoDona uncovered only After Doenitz tried destroying the USS Nimitz for having seen too much during one of Doenitz's standard power plays, a grab at more power from ancient alien sources." Cithy thought for a moment, his words were definitely true. They made sense. "Well, what do you want from me?" Rick turned and picked up a second drink from slightly behind him, and swirled its contents for several long moments before he answered. He studied her, her appearance and all the small physical cues she was giving. He wasn't sure he had her; he hoped she would confirm his information, still... "You are going to be escorting a shipment of anti-matter, very powerful stuff." He took a sip of the drink, though his eyes never left her. "The lifeblood of the space fleet, in fact." He said as he put the mug on the table beside him. "We need that antimatter, we need it badly. We can get it by simply forcibly taking over the ship and escort and killing the crew, but that is what we really do NOT want to do." He folded his hands back over his knee, "We do not want to kill our own, not unless we are absolutely forced too. If we had someone inside, someone that could push the appropriate buttons at the appropriate time, we can take the shipment with a zero body count." Cithy froze. "Go against LaBeau? He will kill me if he finds out that I did something like that. He would turn me over to his FO, Galk, and let Galk kill me." She shivered, her body temperature dropping.. Rick picked the drink back up again and swirled it, though his eyes never left the Andorian. "Your safety can be assured, as long as you are inventive enough to stay out of their way for a couple minutes. You will know the time to act; you will have plenty of time to keep yourself alive if you act under your training." "Training?" She asked, not comprehending. "I'm due to report in within three or four days. What training can happen by then? Are you saying you will offer me a position in your fleets for turning my Captain and his ship over to you?" She looked back down at her hands. "You don't know LaBeau, he'll kill whatever is taking that shipment, or he'll die trying. He's a fanatic about his loyalty to Admiral Doenitz." "I know," Rick said. "I've met him, and I was one of the few who ever placed a demerit in his record." He smiled grimly at her look; no Lieutenant Commander would ever have had a chance to touch this Captain of hers. Operational Security was important at this point, 'Rick' was a fairly high profile target. His face melted back into serenity, "I will give you a few tools and pointers you never would have received in the Academy, plus you have your own intelligence to fall back on. The answer to your question is yes, I will give you a position within the fleet if you desire it. You will not be welcome on Earth again until this mess is cleaned up." He leaned forward, "Don't mistake me Lieutenant, I am not asking you to do an easy job. I took the same oaths you did, I serve the same uniform. Rather, I am asking you to sacrifice for that uniform, for the ideals we have lived and defended our whole careers. I am asking you to put yourself against a canny foe, followed fanatically by zealots, who will stop at nothing for power. He has murdered thousands with his orders; he is trying to systematically take my fleet apart. And he is trying to sojourn the very Federation that we both believe in so strongly. I am asking you to forsake everything but your duty and your honor, only to be called a traitor in public by those who don't know what we know." He leaned back again, "I ask much, I offer you only work in return. Work... and the chance to set things straight again." She flushed, asking the question she had to ask. "You aren't a Commander are you? And... What about my family? Will they be punished for my deeds?" "Not until Doenitz goes public," the officer said. "And by then our underground will be operating full strength, especially for those who go over in the mean time. Your family will be as safe as they can, that I can assure you." He folded his hands together again after taking a drink and placing the mug aside. The chair creaked under his weight as his full seven foot frame filled out the chair. "My name and rank, for the moment, are unimportant." She shook her head. "Not to me. If you aren't playing fair, why should I?" She asked stubbornly. "I can't say yes. I need to see proof." She looked up, her eyes wide, "Did Captain LaBeau ever do anything wrong? Does he know the whole story? That Doenitz is evil, or so you say? I can't reconcile in my head the Captain that I know and the vague evils. I need specifics." Rick smiled, grimly. "I was an acting adjunct head to Strategic Operations, Lieutenant. My name wouldn't mean anything to you anyway, but I was one of the poor fools that helped Robert dig up his information about Doenitz and his activities." He half-closed his eyes, and quoted from memory. "On Stardate 2402.05.09 Captain LaBeau was brought up on charges for forcibly detaining five members of Starfleet and having them executed on charges, Starfleet covered this by having him go on 'leave' from his ship and conducting the Inquiry then. Admiral Doenitz was head of the council, and was the only one to rule him innocent. The other two Presiding officers were over-ruled on basis of bias using laws 150 years out of date. Two years before, Stardate 2400.10.04 he changed his entire crew in what was becoming a common move in the fleet. Only his first officer, Conn officer, and Security Officer remained aboard. Of that crew, nearly half have been killed due to accidents on away teams and over so-called 'engineering' mistakes. The other half has found their way back onto other ships commanded by crews known to be loyal to Admiral Doenitz." He opened his eyes, "The reason for the switchover, as discovered in sealed logs, was the mass-murder of an indigenous population on a remote planet that had the benefit of holding one of the few known untouched Inchon civilization remnants. That planet was later blasted into oblivion by way of photon torpedo." He gestured to the PADD, "There are a few other examples, he has been a busy beaver. He has changed his whole crew, or moved ships, no less then four times. The Alamo is his most recent command, with a hand picked crew, you included." Her eyes widened. "Because I've served under him in the past." She shivered. "I remember when he left for that leave. Those people were Maquis traitors. They were taken back to Starbase 622 for trial!" She said, scared, and cold. "And they are all dead?" Her mind reeled with the thought that someone could just kill an entire civilization...for no reason. "Is there anything else?" "They were not raiders; they were dissidents to his cause." Rick said coldly. "They never made it to starbase 622." He took a breath, "There is a lot more, involving a slew of Captains and crew and ships. The list is overwhelming, though it was cleverly concealed. Ships, squadrons, loyal captains have been shifted closer to Earth over the last two years. Certain command officers were shifted out further, or removed, or killed when it was discovered they would not turn. LoDona had been in command of the Academy on Earth; he was reassigned for no known reason to the out-most fringe, over a simple squadron. Doenitz was the only one who argued against his assignment of Fleet Commanding Officer when he was up for the 52nd, but he couldn't argue hard because the whole of the Council's eye was on those proceedings, as they are with every fleet appointment." He spread his hands briefly, "It is obvious, Lieutenant." Cithy shivered again. "I need to see those records. If you are telling the truth, you've found your...operative. One question, though, how do you plan to get me out of there. LaBeau would rather kill me than let me go." Rick's smile didn't reach his eyes this time, "He won't have a choice, we will be making him an offer he absolutely can't refuse." She was suddenly cold at the look in his eyes. "Tell me what I need to do. Show me how to do it. And keep me alive. I don't want to kill my friends." She said looking down at her hands. He looked at her again for long moments, "Go to the bartender and ask for a very cold acturian ale. He will say 'very cold, that's odd', to which you will reply 'I learned it in the academy.' After that, he will hand you a PADD with instructions on how to get to where you need to go, a beam out position." "I can do that." She said, looking at her hands. "I don't know much about sabotaging systems. I have a good idea of how they work, but not how to make them not work." "You will learn, Ill make sure of that." he said. "Then show me your proof." She said, scooting closer to him and relaxing her posture a bit. He gestured to the PADD, "That's a start; it has some of the basic information along with command codes. The rest is on my ship." She looked at him strangely. "And what ship would that be?" She asked somewhat suspiciously "The Night's Watch," he said. The ship wasn't well known, neither was it precisely hidden, mention of it might have gotten out over the last couple years as a Stratops command ship. She shook her head. "I've never heard of it." She looked him directly in the eye. "What happens now?" "We get you prepared well enough that you don't get yourself killed, nor the shipment destroyed." He replied, "And I fully convince you that I'm not lying through my teeth." "My antennae tell me you aren't lying." She spoke sincerely. "I suppose that you could be so used to lying that your body doesn't betray you, but you don't seem like that kind of guy." ~In fact, he looks kinda cute.~ She thought to herself. He took his drink again, "We can continue this conversation on ship, this room is clean for the time being, but one never knows when that will change." He balanced it on his knee with one hand holding it, "I will see you... shortly." She looked at him confused. She didn't mind going on board a ship, but she didn't know how she was going to get there. Obviously by transporter, but wouldn't the Risan authorities detect it? He noticed her confusion, "Just follow my directions, you won't be seen nor found." She nodded to him, and listened carefully. Rich gestured, "We have a limited window, go quickly." "Where do I go?" She said, memorizing. She went quickly and followed his directions, surprised to find herself on a ship. The agent watched her leave with mixed feelings, then picked up his glass and swirled the contents for a few moments before slamming the rest down his throat and tossing the empty mug on the bed. Slowly, Captain Richard Ian Lee stood; he had an appointment to keep and a war to run. (reply: none) (posted by Melinda Martin * Trout) Stardate:2406.10.06 (USS Alamo – Bridge – Co, Captain Henre LaBeau- 11:08) ~ A Perfect opportunity and manuever. ~ Thought Henre as his Tactical officer once again pressed the button to fire the phasers but yet again disaster struck.     "Power drain coming from Main Engineering, plasma fire decks 3 and  4, blown out relays in the phaser banks."  Cithy Damas shouted as the lights on the bridge dimmed yet again. Casualty reports on decks 2 through 4 Captain."    Phaser fire from the Nimitz hit the Alamo's shields and the ship shuddered, a panel blew out close to OPS and scorched the Andorian. Henre couldn't contain the words this time. "Damn and blast! Mr. Galk where is my saboteur?"   Galk steadied himself at his station and read the readings from the snooper program he had running. Blinking in disbelief he turned towards the Ops station. “Captain, I have located the traitor” he said with the sound of venom dripping from each word as he slowly reached behind his back then suddenly flung his right arm forward. The wickedly sharp, serrated blade flew through the air and buried itself to the hilt in the lower left abdomen of Lt. Cithy Damas. The impact of the 14 inch long knife spun her around and she fell to the floor breathing weakly as shock started to overcome her. “Rerouting control for Ops to this station and beginning repairs Captain.I am sending the last commands from the ops consol to engineering so they can neutralize the damage as quickly as possible”. He hit the button to transfer the data and began entering the commands into the system that would reroute power and undo much of the damage she had caused. "Mr. Jennings evasive manuvers!" Henre shouted as another phaser beam struck the ship and it bucked. As the CONN officer put it into a series of turns and variations in speed Henre looked coldly down at the Andorian who was moving weakly. "Mr. Calder have someone from security get this flotsam off my bridge!"   (Reply: Lt. Calder)     "Shields at 68% Captain!" Galk called  as he finished typing and the bridge lights brightened. "I have power for the phasers Captain."   "Lt. Jennings head for the Nimitz!" Henre ordered as the ship turned toward it's prey he cried. "Fire!"   This time the phasers pulsed and the searing energy struck the Nimitz's shields followed by another salvo of quantum torpedoes as the Alamo closed in. Henre grinned as the Alamo dodged another phaser burst. ~ This is what combat is all about. Have at you Sash! ~ As two security officers entered the bridge and began attending to Lt. Damas he tapped the comm button. "Hold us together a while longer Mr. Vandergriff."   (Reply: Lt. Vandergriff)   (Reply: Lt. Vandergriff, Calder, any) (Posted by Charles)