Compilers Notes: Geneva Compile 12 – Street Date May 21, 2005. We had more posts this week than we have in a long time. Keep up the good work everyone! THANK YOU to everyone who has read this section and made steps to fix things before they get to me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Fixed timestamp errors… much better! Good work guys! Fixed spelling errors… please try to spell check your posts before you send them! Fixed formatting errors… Don’t forget, computers speak in square brackets. [ ] 27 pages of compile in total with 32 posts in total. Total compile time: 1 hrs 17 minutes. Your compile wombat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mission: Go Forth, Shadowy Future, Day 1 Stardate 2407.01.01 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary of posts: Stardate: 2407.01.01 (Starbase Geneva, Main Ops, CO Lise Arianna, 1245) (Starbase Geneva, Outside Admiral LoDona's office, CO Arianna, 1250) (Starbase Geneva-Deck 8 Officer's Lounge-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1327) (Starbase Geneva, Admiral LoDona's Office, CO Arianna, 1340) (Starbase Geneva- Deck 8 Officer's Lounge- CMO -Admiral Gr'iann- 1341) (Starbase Geneva, Main Ops, CO Lise Arianna, 1245) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1348) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, helm/counselor, Ensign(SG) Kassia Marta, 1349) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1351) (USS Mithrandir-Bridge-ACMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-1352) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1353) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, helm/counselor, Ensign(SG) Kassia Marta, 1353) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, ATAC Ensign Dorrin Klars 1354) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1355) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1356) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1357) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1358) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops- CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1359) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, ATAC Ensign Dorrin Klars 1400) (Starbase Geneva, Main Operations, CO Arianna, 1401) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1402) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely 1403) (USS Mithrandir-Bridge-ACMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-1404) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops -CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1405) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1409) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, Helm/counselor, Ensign(SG) Kassia Marta, 1410) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1413) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1415) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Dorrin Klars, 1417) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1419) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1420) (Starbase Geneva, Main Operations, CSO, Ensign {SG} Doctor Engtamn-Jensi, 1420) (USS Mithrandir-Bridge-ACMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-1421) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1421) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1424) (Starbase Geneva, Medical Centre, Ensign (JG) McLaren, 1744) Mission: Go Forth, Shadowy Future, Day 1 Stardate 2407.01.01 (Starbase Geneva, Main Ops, CO Lise Arianna, 1245) Lise was watching the frenzy occurring on the main ops deck. Everyone had a purpose and they were all trying to figure out what it that was happening. In front of them, floated the most mysterious planet the one that had appeared before them this very morning the one that had caused them so much shock. It was true, there had been no evidence that any such planet existed. None. Period end of story. Lise had done an in-depth review of the subspace scans surrounding Geneva from both this date and also when Geneva was first established -- nothing. There was no sign that the planet was even cloaked. It was a mystery, and one that would need explaining. Lise breathed a silent sigh of relief. Luckily she'd not been called upon yet, to explain to her superiors precisely what was happening. Because, at this moment -- neither she, nor any of her other crewmembers were precisely sure what that was. They had a mysterious planet and a communiqué to go on. And neither of them made a drop of sense. ~Not good odds~ The Klingon/betazoid thought to herself. And then any positive feelings she could have had regarding the situation sank as an ever-familiar voice rang out over the comm system. =^=Captain Arianna -- Report to my office immediately=^= Lise motioned to Casely to continue with the meeting without her, he was more than capable of gathering together everyone's findings and she would have to deal with this one situation first -- Admiral LoDona. (Posted by Katherine Mazurok) (Starbase Geneva, Outside Admiral LoDona's office, CO Arianna, 1250) Lise felt her inner self shiver. The Admiral did not sound content. She replayed one of the last conversations she'd had with him through her mind, basically stating that no 'funny business' was to occur on Geneva. She had a funny feeling that this would classify itself as 'funny business' AND furthermore, she'd had nothing to do with it. She pressed the enunciator and was bid entrance. The Admiral sat behind his desk, his towering figure somewhat obscured by the dimly lit room. He cracked his neck as he directed his gaze out of the window at what Lise could only assume was Geneva's newest neighbour. "Report." He said succinctly. Lise took a deep breath: ~short, sweet and to the point. Hopefully it won't piss him off~ She thought. A wave of worry threatened to wash over her. But her Klingon pride beat it down. This had not been her doing and her crew was doing everything they could to discern precisely what was going on. "At 08.30, a planet appeared next to Starbase Geneva. They hailed us and spoke a variant of English that we were not quite familiar with and have as of yet not been able to translate. We are currently in the process of learning what we can about the planet." LoDona scowled. "You realise, this comes at a very bad time..." He motioned for Arianna to sit, but she remained standing. ~Always on guard~ She reminded herself. LoDona brought his hands up and lightly rubbed at his Borg implants as he spun his chair around slowly to face her. "Let me tell you a story..." (Posted by Katherine Mazurok) (Starbase Geneva-Deck 8 Officer's Lounge-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1327) Gr'iann sat in continuing discomfort, next to Kaitlyn. She was enrapture by the conversation, but he had trouble focusing until he forced himself to. Casely was giving a preamble to the reports but first he had something for them to listen to. It was a series of long and short tones. Gr'iann's ears twitched as he listened intently, now fully focused. "Ideas?" asked Paul. "It seems like an ancient pre-warp code. I think it was called Marconi Code, but I seem to remember it was a series of three dots...." Rogers stated. Gr'iann raised an eyebrow and his tail curled up in a curious gesture. ~Marconi? As I recall he was the propagator of radio waves on earth.~ Casely corrected him. "I don't know of a Marconi Code Ensign, I do, however, recall a Morse Code, developed by Samuel Morse. A series of dots and dashes to create letters and symbols. A space between signals denoted a space between letters," "Computer, decode the signal from the planet using Morse Code," stated Paul. [Complying... The signal translates to H H using Morse Code configurations.] "Well, it was a good thought Rogers," Casely offered, "there still may be some merit to it. There is still, obviously, something not right about this code or our translation of it. People, think about this, its important to crack it. I'll return to it again at the end of the meeting. At this point, I'd like to hear some of your reports however. Doctor Mackenzie, do you have anything to share with us?" . Gr'iann sat up a little straighter and listened with an air of interest. His eyes kept wandering over her body. And her scent..., he forced himself to maintain his focus. She reported her theories of a dual species, one humanoid, one unknown. Then she went through her findings after the microprobes. It seemed that the two species were genetically related. Whether it was through mutation or mating she wasn't certain. Gr'iann's nostril's flared at the talk of mating. "Admiral Gr'iann, Doctor Engtamn-Jensi, how goes the probe modifications?" asked Paul. Gr'iann shook himself, as if waking from a dream. "Ah, yes, well, I believe the mmodifications to be mostly commplete. They have been designed to scan and storre enough genetic inforrmmation to clone one of the aliens. They have also been prrogrrammed to scan forr culturral inforrmmation that mmight prrove useful to ourr culturral anthropologists, if they everr arrive." He turned to Engtamn. "Do you have anything to add?" Engtamn softly began to speak, "The probes are more or less ready for manufacture. We just need Engineering to begin working on them to mass produce them." "I see... Chief, is Engineering ready to work on the probes?" asked Paul. "Yes Sir, we are ready. Ensign McLaren had finished setting up the programmes before his accident. We can begin production as soon as ordered. We’ve also been trying to find a better way to bypass the shield... but that could take some doing," stated Alan. "Understood Chief. Keep us abreast of what's going on," said Paul, "Ensigns Marta, Klars and Rogers, how are we doing with that language?" Brian looked for the others to respond, and then decided to answer for the group. "Well, sir, I....uh....we ran a cross-section search of all pre-warp files in the database." Brian said. "Can you make any guesses at all based on what you've found so far?" asked Paul. Rogers and Klars ran through what they had from their review of the recorded message. Mostly they seemed to have historical references. ~Historical references. Why does this seem so familiar.~ But like the Klars and Rogers, the connection was not there "Now, getting back to that code... any ideas folks?" asked Paul. "Sir," Klars spoke first, "I don't pretend to have any true skill in this area of expertise, but is it possible that because it was Morse code, which was most certainly pre-warp it was somehow distorted or something because of its trip through space or some affect of sub-space or something of that effect?" When Klars finished Rogers began. "Well, they aren't fluent in the language. Maybe they aren't good at Morse Code. They certainly made some errors in their message earlier." "Here's my issue," Casely said, "I can check Ensign Klars' hypothesis but I cannot test the supposition of Ensign Rogers. So... lets check Ensign Klars' idea and go from there. Computer, are there any distortions detected in the code received from the planet?" [Affirmative] "Computer, screen out all distortions and replay the signal," stated Paul. [Working... dot dot dot/dash dash dash/dot dot dot] "Computer, translate from Morse Code and extrapolate," stated Paul. [Working... translates into SOS... Save Our Souls... a universal Earth signal requesting aid used from the 19th to 20th Century.] Gr'iann agreed that this has caused as big a mystery as it had solved. What emergency? Brian thought and then spoke up. "Well, I think that in our research, we noticed a very similar pattern. In the original transmission, they said 911, which is an old emergency communication channel. Airbags, which is another safety device and now SOS. I think they're calling for help." Brian said and waited for the others to say something. Then Kassia Marta spoke. She went through her interpretation of the message, which was about the same as the others. She was just a little more thorough. But as she went through it something began to click for Gr'iann. His mind began to form an idea. His fur stood on end. How could he have not seen it before. He blamed it on advanced age, although he was still middle aged, even by Caitian standard. "Why didn't I see the connection beforre," Gr'iann stated out loud. The others turned to look at him. "The Tamarians." He said it as if everyone should have understood. "The last time we met the Tamarians, Admiral Picard was still captain of the Enterprise. He and his people discovered that their mode of relaying information was relating information to historical and mythological stories. Darmok and Jelad at Tenagra. Denar and Picard at Eladril. That's what their doing. They've just found human references to convey." (posted by Al Muir) (Starbase Geneva, Admiral LoDona's Office, CO Arianna, 1340) Arianna listened patiently to LoDona's 'story' as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. ~I need to be doing something, I can't be stuck in this bloody office!~ She thought becoming more and more infuriated with the Admiral by the moment. Not that she didn't realise the gravity of the situation he was describing to her. She did -- but it seemed to her, in that moment that if she wasn't out there doing something about the situation they were more immediately facing -- then -- anything in the near distant future, would be inconsequential. At that moment, her fears were confirmed. =^= Captain Arianna, this is Ensign Yalrath, this is a priority alert. We have a shuttle disembarking with shields up. We can't figure out who cleared it and the vessel doesn't seem to be on the station manifest. We tried to tractor it in but the tractor beam is not working. They aren't responding to our hails. Lt. Casely and an away team have gone to the Mithrandir to pursue the vessel and I have been ordered to notify you immediately. =^= Arianna touched her comm badge. "I'm on my way." "Go" LoDona said. Lise spun on her heels and exited the Admiral's office without saying anything. She started for Main Operations as quickly as she could run. (Starbase Geneva- Deck 8 Officer's Lounge- CMO -Admiral Gr'iann- 1341) =^=Lieutenant Casely, this is Ensign Yalrath, this is a priority alert. We have a shuttle disembarking with shields up. We can't figure out who cleared it and the vessel doesn't seem to be on the station manifest. We tried to tractor it in, but the tractor beam is mysteriously not working. They aren't responding to our hails.=^= ~A shuttle leaving? That's not so unusual for a starbase. But for them to leave without hailing. I wonder what's in their cargo hold?~ “Ensign," Casely said, "fire phasers to their side. Don’t hit them, but make sure a clear warning is sent." =^= I’m sorry sir, they’ve wrapped around to the other side of the planet… they seem to have been moving in an orbital pattern, probably because they expected us to do something like that. If I fire, I might be able to get close to them, bit it seems more likely I will hit the planetary shield.=^= Casely went into action. He stood giving orders, “Never mind that then. Put the general order through. I want the Mithrandir prepped and ready immediately, pull the auxiliary crew and have them ready and at their stations. Alert the Captain directly and immediately and please let her know that I’m taking a contingent of crew off the station to deal with this problem." Then he addressed the meeting. “It seems people that our meeting will have to be cut short. Klars, I want you to take the tactical position on the Mithrandir. Mackenzie, take medicine and biological science. Rogers, operate the sensors and communications and keep main OPs running. Rourke, go directly to Engineering. Marta, according to your record you have some piloting skill, think you can handle a Defiant Class ship?” Gr'iann began feeling anxious. The idea of Kaitlyn going into a possibly dangerous situation without him there. How could he protect her? How could he keep her from harm. He wanted to protest, to demand to go with them. After all he is an admiral. he could pull rank. “Admiral, if I may impose," Casely's voice cut through his thoughts, "please watch Main Operations on the station for me? Take Doctor Engtamn-Jensi with you and monitor our progress. Ensign Yalrath is very capable, but also very new. Please also alert the Captain to the entire situation as soon as she’s available." Then the reality of the situation hit him. He was an admiral and they wouldn't want HIM to be in danger. So instead, put him in charge. How could he refuse. "Of courrse Lt." He turned to Engtamn. "Shall we doctorr?" The Grazerite joined him and they headed for main ops center. It had been a while, but Gr'iann had run a starbase before. He had control of DSG1 for a while. It wasn't exactly new, but he would have to remind himself to stay on top of things. In the back of his mind he continued to worry about Kaitlyn. (posted by Al Muir) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1348) Gr'iann stepped off the turbolift, with Engtamn following. He made his way to the command area. "Ensign Yalrrath," he said, coming up behind the young officer, "wherre's the ship now?" (reply Yalrath) "I want to be continually updated on the prrogrress of the ship and of the Mmirrthrrandirr." (reply Yalrath) "Dr. Engtamn," he turned to the CSO, "I want you to worrk yourr magic on the commputerrs. I want to find out who that shuttle belongs to and what they mmight of on it? And why they mmight be going to the planet." (reply Engtamn) "We have a mmysterry to solve gentlemen," Gr'iann said, "and I amm not to fond of mmysterries." In the back of his mind he was thinking, ~Comme back to mme Kaitlyn.~ (posted by Al Muir) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, helm/counselor, Ensign(SG) Kassia Marta, 1349) Kass had only became proficient on standard shuttles, but, she was not so sure that the Defiant class was any harder. She knew that it was a bit different, but, they still had basically the same directional controls albeit more power. She had acknowledged to Paul that she indeed could pilot or at least had some piloting skills that could help out. Besides it would be a chance, that may not come often, to expand herself outside of the Counseling department. Also, it would let her show that she was willing to help out in any way she could. After leaving the meeting she had quickly reviewed the controls of a Defiant class starship, so, that when she sat down she would not be totally confused. By the time she sat down at the Defiant class controls, she knew exactly where each control was that made the Mithrandir so maneuverable. She even maneuvered it away from the station without even a slight miss beat of the heart. She had smiled inwardly at the skill that she had brought with her from the Academy and thanked her instructors for being so dogmatic about proficiency. As she piloted the craft where Paul had wanted it, she listened to the bridge chatter and watched the view screen. She also thought who might be behind the shuttle even after the order to keep all craft from launching. There was only one thought that kept coming into her mind as she continued to control the ship; Dean. She knew that he had something to do with this, but, she could not figure out how he had gotten any information on the planet, so, why would he be so concerned. She would have to figure that out later as at the moment she was busy with something else. "Mr. Marta, how long before we reach the craft?" She heard Paul ask with a tent of urgency in his voice. After entering a few commands, her console came back with the estimated time of contact with the vessel Paul was speaking of. "Sir, approximately 4.36 minutes at our current speed." She had replied to his request. "Mr. Klars, when we get into range, I want you to target the engines but don't fire until my mark. Ensign Rogers, pause the pre-recorded hails and put me on the blower in a few seconds. Doctor Mackenzie, I believe that you'll have your chance to get a few better scans of the planet. Do what you can, but I do feel that taking care of any injured comes first," stated Paul (posted by Frank) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1351) Paul sat in the command chair as the Mithrandir neared range of the vessel. Ensign Rogers was waiting to patch him through to the ship directly. As they entered into this potential combat situation, Paul's mind flashed back to his first combat. His new tactic had saved the ship, but the memory of the crushed saucer section of the USS Savana and the dead floating in space still haunted him. The 'Casely Maneuver' was a success, he had been awarded a medal for it, but he still felt the guilt and the regret. This was his first combat engagement since. He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs and regaining his composure. ~No time for this now.~ Paul cleared his throat. "Unidentified craft, this is Lieutenant Paul Casely in command of the USS Mithrandir. You are ordered to power down your weapons and surrender or we will take direct action against you," stated Paul on the ship to ship channel. Paul then motioned to Rogers to cut the channel. He didn't expect a reply, he could tell by the ship's behaviour that it had penetrated the shielding and was working on making the hole large enough to move through. "Ensign Klars, fire a warning shot off their starboard nacelle. Doctor Mackenzie, it seems they've made a hole, it should be large enough to do a limited sensor sweep through. Mr. Marta, keep in weapons range, but not too close. I don't know what that ship is packing if it decides to turn and fight. Ensign Rogers, I want you to jam communications coming to and from the shuttle just in case they're getting orders from the Starbase," said Paul. He hoped that combat wouldn't be necessary, he didn't want any more blood on his hands. (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (USS Mithrandir-Bridge-ACMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-1352) "Unidentified craft, this is Lieutenant Paul Casely in command of the USS Mithrandir. You are ordered to power down your weapons and surrender or we will take direct action against you," stated Paul on the ship to ship channel. Kaitlyn awaited the response of the other ship, but didn't necessarily expect one. After Rogers closed out the channel, Kaitlyn went back to trying to penetrate through the planetary shield. She was hoping that she might have some way to break through it with the sensors before the shield was literally broken though by weapons fire. "Ensign Klars, fire a warning shot off their starboard nacelle. Doctor Mackenzie, it seems they've made a hole, it should be large enough to do a limited sensor sweep through. Mr. Marta, keep in weapons range, but not too close. I don't know what that ship is packing if it decides to turn and fight. Ensign Rogers, I want you to jam communications coming to and from the shuttle just in case they're getting orders from the Starbase," said Paul. Mackenzie listened as Casely spat out orders. Busy with the sensors at science, she suddenly wished she knew better things in the operations area as well as medical. Glancing up for a moment, Kaitlyn noted how everything seemed to be quiet, except for the bustle of the crew. There were no weapons fire happening anymore. But Kaitlyn didn't have to be told twice to take this chance before it slipped away. Using the sensors, she was finally able to get a small amount of information gathered. It was tricky, but she was trying to get all she could before the weapons fire started back up, or they had wounded, whichever came first. "Yes....," she said quietly to herself as they seemed to be cutting through the small hole in the planetary shield. "Come on, come on...." She was hoping to pick up all they could use. "RED ALERT! All hands to battle stations!" called out Casely. As if right on cue, the ship rocked hard right after he called out the alert. She held on to the edge of her console tightly as she was bounced around in her chair. Finally getting back to normal, she tapped at her console, happy that the hit didn't knock their sensors offline. "Continue monitoring the planet through that hole, but be ready to get to sickbay." "Aye sir," she responded as she monitored the planet. "Geneva, this is Lieutenant Casely, they have decided to attack. We are currently attempting to disable their engines. They should be no match for the Mithrandir, but we have no idea what weaponry it has onboard. Has anyone been able to find anything on this ship?" asked Paul. Mackenzie listened at the response that came back from Geneva in hopes they would have some good news. (Posted by: Stacey) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, helm/counselor, Ensign(SG) Kassia Marta, 1353) "Ensign Klars, fire a warning shot off their starboard nacelle. Doctor Mackenzie, it seems they've made a hole, it should be large enough to do a limited sensor sweep through. Mr. Marta, keep in weapons range, but not too close. I don't know what that ship is packing if it decides to turn and fight. Ensign Rogers, I want you to jam communications coming to and from the shuttle just in case they're getting orders from the Starbase," said Paul. "Aye sir, keeping us just at weapons edge and waiting for further orders." Kass replied her palms sweating from the excitement. This was the first time combat situation that she had ever been in, except for the academy training sessions. She was highly excited and worried at the same time, she did not want to make any mistakes. She knew that mistakes in battle caused lives and she did not want to be the cause of any lost lives on the Mithrandir. She had read that Paul had been awarded several medals for his time in battle and the quick thinking that saved the USS Nimitz from certain destruction. So, she trusted Paul to lead them into battle and out the other side once again. (posted by Frank) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1353) Right when Lt. Casely started speaking, Brian hit the command to begin transmitting the message. "Unidentified craft, this is Lieutenant Paul Casely in command of the USS Mithrandir. You are ordered to power down your weapons and surrender or we will take direct action against you," said Lt. Casely, then motioned for him to cut the transmission, and Brian did so. Rogers listened has the lieutenant gave out orders. "Ensign Klars, fire a warning shot off their starboard nacelle. Doctor Mackenzie, it seems they've made a hole, it should be large enough to do a limited sensor sweep through. Mr. Marta, keep in weapons range, but not too close. I don't know what that ship is packing if it decides to turn and fight. Ensign Rogers, I want you to jam communications coming to and from the shuttle just in case they're getting orders from the Starbase," he ordered. Brian began jamming the communications channels. He then watched all the sensor readings on the ship and noticed a slight power flux in the warp drive, but ignored it and watched the view screen. (Posted by Kevin Schram) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, ATAC Ensign Dorrin Klars 1354) "Unidentified craft, this is Lieutenant Paul Casely in command of the USS Mithrandir. You are ordered to power down your weapons and surrender or we will take direct action against you," stated Paul. ~Maybe I'm wrong, but I think they are ignoring us.~ "Ensign Klars, fire a warning shot off their starboard nacelle." Dorrin took careful aim and fired. It hit exactly where the Lt. ordered him to hit. But besides that nothing else happened. "It seems sir, that they aren't going to power down, or register are presence in any other way," said Dorrin grimly. (posted by Dan Black) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely 1355) Paul sat and waited, no response. He looked around the bridge and saw everyone busy at their duty stations. The craft had stopped firing at the shield and it seemed that the hole was big enough, yet it wasn't moving in. ~Curious...~ and then it hit him. "RED ALERT! All hands to battle stations!" called out Casely as the ship swung around to bring whatever weaponry it had to bear. The shot came quickly and it rocked the small ship hard. ~What the heck is that thing packing? Its so small, is it just stripped down to weapons and armour?~ Paul felt his face become an emotionless mask as he began to experience some of the same sensations when he had first gone into battle against the USS Georgia and the USS Savana. (Reply any, reactions anything?) "Mr. Klars, target their engines only. Phaser and phaser cannons at your discretion. Ready torpedoes but do not fire unless I tell you to," said Paul with an eerie, cold calm. It was almost as if he was ordering lunch instead of going into battle. (Reply Klars) "Mr. Rogers, what did they hit us with? Give me a status report immediately on our shields and any other damage and patch me through to Main Ops on the station, coded signal," stated Paul flatly. He knew that there should be no direct battle damage as the ship didn't penetrate their shields, he could feel it by the way the Mithrandir responded. The shields should have lost some effectiveness, he hoped that they hadn't dropped too much. (Reply Rogers) "Ensign Marta, evasive action, your discretion," Paul said in his frigid monotone. (Reply Marta) The cold, steady voice continued as he spoke to Mackenzie, "Continue monitoring the planet through that hole, but be ready to get to sickbay." (Reply Mackenzie) "Geneva, this is Lieutenant Casely, they have decided to attack. We are currently attempting to disable their engines. They should be no match for the Mithrandir, but we have no idea what weaponry it has onboard. Has anyone been able to find anything on this ship?" said Paul in a calm and controlled manner. (Reply Gr'iann) (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1356) By the time Gr'iann realized that the fleeing ship was turning to attack, it was too late. All they could do on the starbase was watch. The Admiral couldn't help but wonder what the ship was doing, or its captain thinking. They were greatly out gunned by the defiant class warship. =^=Geneva, this is Lieutenant Casely, they have decided to attack. We are currently attempting to disable their engines. They should be no match for the Mithrandir, but we have no idea what weaponry it has onboard. Has anyone been able to find anything on this ship?=^= "Dr. Engtamn is still working on it Lt," Gr'iann replied. "Dr. have you gotten anything so far?" (reply Engtamn) Gr'iann stepped over to the terminal next to his and called up the same information. he used his admiralty code to get anything that might have been a little reluctant to show up earlier. Nothing. Not even a registration number. "Did you catch that Lt.? " Gr'iann asked. "I know it's not much but apparently there isn't much to find. We can't even find how it got to the station." (posted by Al Muir) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1357) Brian watched the communications channels trying to see if the shuttle was going to try to communicate with the station when suddenly, Casely yelled out, "RED ALERT! All hands to battle stations!" And just at that moment the Mithrandir was hit and rocked the whole ship. Brian began working, calling up a status report of all ships systems. Brian listened while hw worked to Casely handing out battle orders to Klars and then Brian spun around in his chair to face Casely when he received orders himself. "Mr. Rogers, what did they hit us with? Give me a status report immediately on our shields and any other damage and patch me through to Main Ops on the station, coded signal," Lt. Casely asked of him. Brian quickly worked and came up with an answer. "Well sir, judging by the effect on the Mithrandir, I would have to say it was a quantum torpedo set to low-yield setting. The setting used for clearing asteroids or minefields and such. They must think we're weaker than we are, or some sort of warning shot. Has for the status report, shields are still at 95% operational ability. All other systems are go. Also, sir....I noticed a slight disruption in the warp drive's power output. Nothing important yet, but we're losing roughly 0.00005% of ship's main power every minute, sir. I noted it before the attack but chose not to report it. It shouldn't be a problem unless we start to lose more power. We've got an open secured channel to the Starbase when ever you give the word, lieutenant." Brian said has he finished the full report and hoped he didn't give too much information to the acting first officer in time of a battle. (Reply Casely, iyw) Brian watched has the other bridge crew reported their situation and soon Geneva reported also. (Posted by Kevin Schram) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely 1358) Paul listened as the Admiral reported. =^=Did you catch that Lt.? I know it's not much but apparently there isn't much to find. We can't even find how it got to the station.=^= Paul swore to himself. "Please hold Geneva, I'll try to get you more information," said Paul. (Reply Gr'iann) Paul listened to Brian's report. It was thorough and complete. It seemed like the Ensign was getting into the game and realising that it was a team effort. Paul considered the possibility of a quantum torpedo. ~What is something the size of a Runabout doing with quantum torpedoes?~ That just served to confirm his earlier concern that it was stripped down and filled with weapons and armour. Not a good overall situation to be in. "Good work Ensign. Contact main engineering and let them know about the power loss to the warp engines. We want to make sure they keep an eye on that, just in case it becomes problematic later," stated Paul. (Reply Rogers) "Casely to Geneva, whatever that thing is, it seems to be packing quantum torpedoes. Please add that to your search in terms of trying to match configuration. It seems to be heavily armed and armoured," stated Paul evenly. (Reply Gr'iann) With that, Paul turned back to tactical. "Klars, be ready to use our torpedoes on a moment's notice. Until then, target those engines and their weapons systems and commence firing. I want that ship dead in the water, but not destroyed. You can't question the dead," said Paul without blinking an eye. He was also security after all and wanted to know what they were up against. (Reply Klars) This little craft was beginning to annoy Paul. He knew that he had to hold all those emotions in check. He didn't want a bloodbath like he'd created on the Savana when he was on the Nimitz, however his first duty was to his ship and crew. (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops- CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1359) They now had continuous contact with the Mithrandir’s comm signal. Whatever was going on over there, they'd be able to hear about it. Gr'iann's claws extracted and retracted as he listened nervously. When he heard that there was a shielding hole around the planet Gr'iann turned to Engtamn. "If there's anything we can do to scan through that hole let's do it now." (reply Engtamn) Then Casely's voice came over the channel direct at them. =^=Geneva, this is Lieutenant Casely, they have decided to attack. We are currently attempting to disable their engines. They should be no match for the Mithrandir, but we have no idea what weaponry it has onboard. Has anyone been able to find anything on this ship?=^= Gr'iann was looking at the scans that Yalrath had just run on the ship. "Little inforrmmation on the ship, but Yalrrath herre has rresults of a scan of the ship. Apparrently it has nothing of significance. It's weapons systemm seemms to have been slightly mmodified, but not to the extent that it would need. Their only chance of defeating the Mmirthrandir would be to rramm it. In which case it too would be destrroyed." He thought about what he was saying, and the actions of the ship, and then the thought that that course of action might be a possibility. "As mmuch as I hate to say this, it would be rreally good if we could take the crrew alive, Lieutenant." (reply Casely) (posted by Al Muir) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, ATAC Ensign Dorrin Klars 1400) "Klars, be ready to use our torpedoes on a moment's notice. Until then, target those engines and their weapons systems and commence firing. I want that ship dead in the water, but not destroyed. You can't question the dead," commanded Paul. Dorrin nodded and started to fire the phasers. He had noticed what could be a critical difference between him and his superior. Paul was attempting to hold his emotions in check, of that Dorrin was sure. But Dorrin was actually devoid of any emotion at this point, he was thinking all in logic. Hopefully, Dorrin and Paul could balance each other out. He saw that his firing affected the ship and reported to Paul, "sir the ship is slowing down from our blasts, but at this point, they will be able to get through before we can stop them completely. I recommend that we fire torpedoes." (posted by Dan Black) (Starbase Geneva, Main Operations, CO Arianna, 1401) The doors swished open and Arianna stepped out to find Admiral Gr'iann and Dr. Engtamn-Jensi. The comm system sparked to life: =^= Geneva, this is Lieutenant Casely, they have decided to attack. We are currently attempting to disable their engines. They should be no match for the Mithrandir, but we have no idea what weaponry it had onboard. Has anyone been able to find anything on this ship? =^= Lise listened carefully to the Admiral's reply. It was indeed a good idea, to have the crew taken alive. (Posted by Katherine Mazurok) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1402) Brian worked and contacted the engineering room and ordered the acting chief engineer to run a level-2 diagnostic on the warp engines. After engineering said they would get on it, Brian noticed that their shields had dropped again. "Sir, the ship is slowing down from our blasts, but at this point, they will be able to get through before we can stop them completely. I recommend that we fire torpedoes," said Ensign Klars. Brian was studying his console watching the results of Engineering's automatic computer diagnostic but listened to the lieutenant scold Klars. "Ensign Klars, of course they've slowed down. They turned on us to fire, meaning they haven't advanced through, or towards, the hole. I would imagine that their plan is to do us in before entry so we cannot follow. Continue the phaser barrage unless they intend to try to enter the hole directly," Casely said. Brian was taken aback has the computer's automatic diagnostic told him that the 'warp drive power output system was experiencing a slight power loss caused by years of service'. Brian shook his head and entered the results into the ships log and quickly wrote it off has Lt. Casely started speaking to him. "Mr. Rogers, please reinforce our fore shields. They're in a bad position to fire anywhere else. Start sending the 'stand down' message again. Maybe they'll start to notice their shields buckling and come to their senses. Why do I get the feeling that they thought we'd come after them in a Runabout instead of the Mithrandir?" Lt. Casely wondered out loud. Brian nodded and began working quickly. Rogers fractioned off power from the warp drive (hoping it wouldn't add to the extremely small power loss from the warp drive) and added it to forward shields, which boosted them up to 99% for the time being, and readied the computer for more power to be added to the shields in case they dropped below 95% again. "Shields back at 99%, sir." Brian reported. (Posted by Kevin Schram) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely 1403) Klars began firing at the vessel. Paul saw several direct hits and noticed their shields were being worn away, as were theirs. The Mithrandir shook again, shields had fallen to 92% now. Luckily the unknown vessel was definitely falling faster than theirs. "Sir, the ship is slowing down from our blasts, but at this point, they will be able to get through before we can stop them completely. I recommend that we fire torpedoes," stated Klars. Paul suppressed a grim smile. "Ensign Klars, of course they've slowed down. They turned on us to fire, meaning they haven't advanced through, or towards, the hole. I would imagine that their plan is to do us in before entry so we cannot follow. Continue the phaser barrage unless they intend to try to enter the hole directly," said Paul. There were two types of tactical officers, those who wanted to try to take an enemy with as little collateral damage as possible and those who just liked to blast away at things. Paul hoped that Klars wasn't the second type or there would be a definite problem in the future. Paul looked at the view screen at the plucky little craft. He definitely wanted it in one piece, he couldn't wait to start going through its technology to see where and how it was made. "Doctor Mackenzie, you might be able to scan through the shields on that ship now. I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about it, if possible," said Paul. Any sense of panic had fallen a good deal as soon as he saw they were battering its shields quite harshly. It just didn't make sense, why weren't they standing down? (Reply Mackenzie) "Mr. Rogers, please reinforce our fore shields. They're in a bad position to fire anywhere else. Start sending the 'stand down' message again. Maybe they'll start to notice their shields buckling and come to their senses. Why do I get the feeling that they thought we'd come after them in a Runabout instead of the Mithrandir?" mused Paul aloud. He had obviously upset someone's plan by taking the Mithrandir for a spin instead of taking a Runabout to retrieve such a small craft. (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (USS Mithrandir-Bridge-ACMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-1404) "Doctor Mackenzie, you might be able to scan through the shields on that ship now. I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about it, if possible," said Paul. Nodding her head, she tapped a few buttons on her console and started to try and scan the ship. As she did so, it quieted down a bit as the ship was not currently firing on them. Her scans coming back, she looked up toward Casely, and said, "Lieutenant, I have those scans you've asked for." Seeing him turn around to face her, she started in. "I'm picking up 12 life signs, all human. Also, I have some engine specs....their warp drive is capable of warp 6, they have 2 phaser arrays and 3 photon torpedo launchers. Sir, I would say these people are very close in relationship to our own species." <> Seeing that he was happy for the moment, Kaitlyn turned her attention back to the scans and awaited for the next move of the other vessel. (Posted by: Stacey) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops -CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1405) Gr'iann looked over to Lise Arianna standing there. He nodded to her, wondering where she'd been. Casely had said she had something to do with Starfleet, which usually meant Robert LoDona. She didn't look very happy. "Captain," he said, "Lt Casely has gone out to investigate an unrregisterred ship." He then went through the sequence of events since the notification of the ship leaving. The Caitian stepped back from the main command center. "Ops is yourrs captain." (posted by Al Muir) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1409) Paul listened as Doctor Mackenzie reported on the weapons strength of the unidentified craft. He knew it was more than it seemed but his mind kept rolling over the same thing. ~Human... they're all human...~ he mused over that for a few moments, considering it. ~No other species... just human... BENFORD.~ Paul would definitely be paying the station's local bigot a courtesy call when he got back. He wasn't sure how he could make a case, but he just knew that Benford was involved. With that thought, he turned his attention to the rest of the ship's specs. "That ship is armed to the teeth people. Luckily they most likely had to modify the torpedoes and launchers to make them fit on that craft. If we were in a Runabout we'd be debris hanging in space right now. I don't think they expected us to take the Mithrandir. We seem to be just trading jabs right now. Options?" Paul called out, hoping that one of the other officers had an idea besides destroying the ship. He knew they should be able to disable the engines, but he also knew they wouldn't go easily if his suspicions were correct. (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, Helm/counselor, Ensign(SG) Kassia Marta, 1410) "RED ALERT! All hands to battle stations!" Paul called. She saw in the view screen that the ship they had been trying to stop swung around as if to bring whatever weaponry it had to bear. Then the shot came quickly which rocked the Mithrandir hard. Kass had to hold on to her console to remain in her chair. She also thought what kind of weapon could have hit them that hard from just a shuttle and what are they trying to hide. She quickly forced the ship to remain steady and readied it to maneuver as quickly as a command could be given. She also listened to the reports that Paul requested came in. "Ensign Marta, evasive action, your discretion," Paul said in a frigid monotone that she had to guess would be the one that he used on the Nimitz. Kass entered codes for her evasive maneuver as fast as she could, just as another torpedo went through where they were. She was surprised as to the nimbleness of the Mithrandir and was glad that she had not broke it in half. She hoped that the rough ride that she put everyone through would not cause Paul to remove her from the helm. While keeping the Mithrandir's weapons facing the shuttle for Klars attempts to disable it, she managed to keep from getting a sure lock on from it. "That ship is armed to the teeth people. Luckily they most likely had to modify the torpedoes and launchers to make them fit on that craft. If we were in a Runabout we'd be debris hanging in space right now. I don't think they expected us to take the Mithrandir. We seem to be just trading jabs right now. Options?" Paul called out. "Sir, how fast could an EM Burst be set up and sent to them? That should disable them long enough for us to beam them aboard in a secure area." Kass ask hastily. (posted by Frank) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1413) The counsellor/helmsperson was the first to speak up, "Sir, how fast could an EM Burst be set up and sent to them? That should disable them long enough for us to beam them aboard in a secure area." Paul mulled this idea over for a moment. He had used similar tactics, but it had taken him the better part to a day to work the EM pulse generators into probes. Paul began to think it would be wise to get the Mithrandir equipped with EM technology for future events. It wouldn't always work, but for small craft it would be useful. "Its an excellent idea Ensign, however we do not have the time to set up the pulse generators," said Paul as the ship rocked again, "Otherwise I would agree with you that it would be an excellent move. Others?" Paul looked at the shield levels, they weren't going down real soon, and the enemy craft's shields were in decidedly bad shape. He wondered how long it would be before the craft would either turn tail and run through the hole it had made or just take off period. He scanned his bridge calmly and waited for other suggestions from his crew, if nothing else this was an excellent way to test the 'green Ensigns' on their creative thinking skills in battle. (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1415) Brian listened to Kass' ideas and thought up a more cruel plan, but it was his only idea so he spoke up. "Sir, we could make them keep firing and disable their shields. Then lock on a tractor beam and fire a phaser array at their cockpit, slowly burning a hole in the hull, and transmit the order to surrender. They'll slowly watch their hull burn away in a single point. Of course we'll be scanning their ship to make sure they don't have a hull breech and lose any possibility of an interrogation, but still it might make them come over on their own good will. If it doesn't work we could always use Ensign Marta's idea, sir." Brian said to Lt. Casely. Brian finished his idea and waited to see everybody’s reaction (Posted by Kevin Schram) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Dorrin Klars, 1417) Dorrin listened to Brian's plan and shook his head. "It is sound in theory, but sir if we even damage them enough they may decide to try to retreat into the hole, going into the planet. Or we may be forced into destroying them, leaving us without any answers at all. " Dorrin paused a minute before continuing,” Sir if we could hit them with a big enough hit, that not only their shields go down, but the ship is shaken, stunning those in board for a second, could we beam ourselves on board take an advantage of their surprise as a countermeasure to their superior numbers, and capture. Is that possible?" (posted by Dan Black) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1419) Paul listened as options came through from both Ensign Rogers and Ensign Klars. He frowned slightly. Rogers seemed to be taking what could only be called unnecessary risks, especially after being told that the people were wanted alive. Burning a hole in the hull WAS a hull breach and that was a dangerous thing to cause, that could kill the entire crew and result in no living suspects to question. Paul began to feel his concern about Rogers rise now, he seemed unnecessarily violent. What's more, it seemed like the Ensign didn't really listen, as he had already explained the problem, in this situation, with Ensign Marta's plan. Once again, he found himself having to go with his ATAC. "Mr. Klars, we only have a small security contingent in the crew. Make sure they know to heavily arm themselves. You need to batter down their shields, have the security team in the transporter team and ready to beam over to secure the ship," stated Paul definitively, "Mr. Rogers, continue your sensor sweeps. As soon as their shields drop I want to know about it. Ensign Marta, keep doing what you're doing, I'm very impressed with your conduct under fire right now. In fact, I'm very impressed with ALL your performance." (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, COUNS Ensign (JG) Brian Rogers, 1420) Brian was disappointed has to how quickly Klars and Casely dismissed his idea. He must of explained it incorrectly. Brian shook his head and went back to his sensor sweeps and watched the useless information pour in on his console like data on solar emissions and such. (Posted by Kevin Schram) (Starbase Geneva, Main Operations, CSO, Ensign {SG} Doctor Engtamn-Jensi, 1420) The air had been tense in Main Operations. Engtamn had been manning the science station and was happy to see Captain Arianna return. So far, very little had changed. The Mithrandir was beaming its data directly to the station from the planet. It would have to be sorted out later. Right now, the key focus had to be on the conflict. So far, the Mithrandir was not having any trouble, the smaller craft was getting buffeted fairly soundly, but it did seam that the crew had done a good job of not fatally damaging the enemy craft. Engtamn was happy that the crew was sensitive enough to try and preserve life in the course of their duties. It made him feel better about being involved in a combat intense activity. Suddenly, Engtamn noticed something wrong. "Oh! My! My! Oh no!" exclaimed Engtamn in a worried voice. (Reply Gr'iann, Arianna) Entamn felt a bead of perspiration on his brow. "This is not right at all. The enemy craft is showing an intermittent spike in the energy output of the primary coil injector. The intermix seems to be buffeting to the primary control juncture. The lateral circuitry is at risk of fusion in the matter/antimatter coil," stated Engtamn feeling a pure sense of panic. (Reply Gr'iann, Arianna) "They have purposely caused a situation that will detonate their craft into a matter/antimatter explosion of such an intensity that it will take the Mithrandir with it," stated Entamn, "The crew must be warned, they must leave the area." (Reply Gr'iann, Arianna) "I believe the event will take place in approximately 7 minutes," stated Engtamn softly with a concerned tone, "and there is nothing anyone can do about it." (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (USS Mithrandir-Bridge-ACMO Lt. Cmdr. Kaitlyn Mackenzie-1421) Kaitlyn listened to Klars' idea, as did the rest of the crew. It seemed plausible, but since they were fresh out of time they had to act quickly. She herself had not yet thought of anything, so she just listened. "Sir, we could make them keep firing and disable their shields. Then lock on a tractor beam and fire a phaser array at their cockpit, slowly burning a hole in the hull, and transmit the order to surrender. They'll slowly watch their hull burn away in a single point. Of course we'll be scanning their ship to make sure they don't have a hull breech and lose any possibility of an interrogation, but still it might make them come over on their own good will. If it doesn't work we could always use Ensign Marta's idea, sir." Brian said. She thought of what Brian had suggested. It seemed a bit risky, but his heart was in the right place. "Mr. Klars, we only have a small security contingent in the crew. Make sure they know to heavily arm themselves. You need to batter down their shields, have the security team in the transporter team and ready to beam over to secure the ship," stated Paul definitively, "Mr. Rogers, continue your sensor sweeps. As soon as their shields drop I want to know about it. Ensign Marta, keep doing what you're doing, I'm very impressed with your conduct under fire right now. In fact, I'm very impressed with ALL your performance." During the time it took for Casely to deal out the plan, Kaitlyn watched the sensors, and suddenly something hit. "Sir, I wouldn't recommend beaming a team over there right now." She pushed a few buttons, then said, "Sir, they've initiated a warp core breach.....they're trying to self destruct their ship." She paused and looked at Casely. <> It was then obvious that there would be no sending of an away team over there. At least not unless they had enough time to get them back anyways. She noticed how the tension on the bridge just rose as everyone was in a hurry to figure out how to get them onto the Mithrandir. Tapping a few more buttons, Kaitlyn spoke up. "Lieutenant, it will explode in approximately 7 minutes....we don't have much time." Frowning, she thought for a moment. ~That doesn't make sense. Why would they set the self destruct for an odd amount of time?~ <> Sensor sweeps were not becoming pointless as their main objective had not changed to saving these people's lives. Kaitlyn glanced towards Rogers. He seemed caught up in the tension as well. She noticed how he seemed like he was disappointed each time he made a suggestion that was turned down. She hoped he understood why Casely had to turn some of them down. Changing into her doctor mode, she asked, "Sir, should I get to sickbay in case there are wounded?" (Reply: Casely, any) (Posted by: Stacey) (Starbase Geneva-Main Ops-CMO- Admiral Gr'iann -1421) Gr'iann had stepped back to let Arianna take control of the situation. He knew how it felt to have someone looking over your shoulder, and he certainly didn't want her to think that he wanted command of the starbase. Suddenly he heard Engtamn-Jensi call out. "Oh! My! My! Oh no!" he cried. Gr'iann stepped over, "What is it doctorr?" "This is not right at all," the CSO explained. "The enemy craft is showing an intermittent spike in the energy output of the primary coil injector. The intermix seems to be buffeting to the primary control juncture. The lateral circuitry is at risk of fusion in the matter/antimatter coil." Gr'iann tried to look like he knew what had just been said but failed. He had just doubled his knowledge in engineering techno babble. What he was sure of was that it didn't sound good. His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Could please explain what that mmeans. "They have purposely caused a situation that will detonate their craft into a matter/antimatter explosion of such an intensity that it will take the Mithrandir with it," stated Entamn, "The crew must be warned, they must leave the area." Gr'iann absent mindedly stepped past Arianna. ~Kaitlyn! No!~ "How long?" "I believe the event will take place in approximately 7 minutes," stated Engtamn softly with a concerned tone, "and there is nothing anyone can do about it." The Caitian spoke even as Arianna opened her mouth. "Paul, you need to get out of therre, now. They've initiated a warrp corre brreach. Get Kaitlyn... I mmean get the Mmirrthrandir out of therre. That's an orrderr!" (posted by Al Muir) (USS Mithrandir, Bridge, AFO/TAC/SC, Lieutenant {JG} Paul Casely, 1424) Paul listened to Mackenzie's concerns and felt his eyes widen. ~Idiots! What do they think they're doing?~ Suddenly, the Admiral's voice broke onto the airwaves. =^=Paul, you need to get out of therre, now. They've initiated a warrp corre brreach. Get Kaitlyn... I mmean get the Mmirrthrandir out of therre. That's an orrderr!=^= Paul rolled his eyes. It was relatively clear why he was breaking command structure. This problem was going to have to be dealt with, later when he was back on the station. Gr'iann's personal feelings were interfering with his objectivity. ~Nice to know the rest of us matter too...~ Paul looked over at Rogers, "Don't bother with a reply Ensign. As if we're going to stay here and get caught in a warp core breach anyway. However, we are going to try and get some of those people off their ship before it goes." With that Paul tapped his comm badge. (Reply Rogers) "Casely to Engineering," said Paul. =^=Yes Sir!=^= came the now familiar voice of CPO Rourke. "Chief, I need you to scan for life signs and beam the people on that ship over to our brig. Immediately!" said Paul. =^=I'll try Sir.=^= stated Rourke. "Ensign Marta, I need you to turn away from the warp core blast, make sure we offer as little resistance to the concussive force of the blast wave as possible. Prepare to go to warp," stated Paul. He knew they wouldn't be able to completely outrun it, they were losing time with every second and there was no exact way to calculate when a warp core breach would exactly occur. They could lessen the effects by turning either into or away from the wave, coupled with movement away from the event horizon, they should be able to survive. (Reply Marta) "Ensign Klars, as soon as we beam those people on here I want you to move power from our other shields to our aft shields and fire two torpedoes directly into the engine core on that vessel. The torpedo blast should work to dissipate the matter/antimatter explosion slightly. You'll have to be quick though," said Paul. (Reply Klars) "How are we doing for time Doctor?" Paul asked Mackenzie. He was sure she was feeling more than a little embarrassed by the Admiral's communication to the ship, he hoped by redirecting her back to her duties it would get her mind off that situation and allow her to realise that he didn't blame her for the Admiral's attentions. (Reply Mackenzie) Paul nodded, "Doctor, I think you more than realise that we may have a few bruises and broken bones soon. Do what you feel is appropriate." (Reply Mackenzie) Suddenly, the chief's voice broke into the communications system of the bridge, =^=Sir, I can't get a lock on them. They all seem to be wearing some form of pattern distorter purposely so we can't pick them up. I'm sorry Sir.=^= Paul swore under his breath, all those people were going to die and there was nothing anyone could do about it. It would also hinder any chance at all they have of solving the mystery of where this craft came from... although Paul already had a fairly decent idea. (Posted by Jeff Bergeron) (Starbase Geneva, Medical Centre, Ensign (JG) McLaren, 1744) Matthew awoke sometime later. The throbbing in his head was considerably less then it had been before and he could now think clearly. "Computer, time?" He called into the air. [The time is 1744.] Matthew rolled over onto his back. "Computer begin log recording for Matthew McLaren." [Recording.] The computer replied. "Personal log, Stardate 2407.01.01: Can't believe it. Third day on the job and I’m in the medical centre. I don't even know what’s wrong with me yet but my head almost exploded this morning. Iv never felt so much pain since I got my implants. I can't see at the moment and don't know where anyone is. I need to get back to engineering, I have to finish the work I was working on. The station is undermanned as it is and they need everyone on deck so I hope I can get out of here ASAP. End log." [Log recorded.] The computer said. Matthew rolled onto his side, a wave of dizziness overtaking him and soon fell back to sleep. (posted by Matthew McLaren) [END COMPILE]