Star Trek: Season 1 - Flash Point

[iceman]

My message padd beeped indicating a message was waiting from Lt. Commander Severyll which held the completed questionnaire which i added to her and her children's medical record with that updated I gladly accepted Lt. Commander Severyll invitation for coffee in 5 forward.

I looked forward to the distraction as my eyes needed the rest.

Before leaving I sent a message to Counselor Margon indicating he was overdue for an eye check up and asked him to set an appointment at his earliest convenience, I also asked him to meet me and Lt. Commander Severyll in 5 forward.

I felt that this would be a good time to show Lt. Commander Severyll and Counselor Margon my Iconian artifact and get their impression and see if Lt. Commander Severyll could decipher the ancient writing which looked similar to ancient Vulcan. This could be an important discovery as it would link the Vulcan's with the Iconians somehow.

I was also interested in Counselor Margons input in perhaps using this artifact as a teaching tool for his older students and thought that perhaps it would be a great educational experience for all involved.

After all messages were sent I left for 5 forward wondering what my colleague thought about my research on Iconian history and its ancient civilization and looked forward on discussing her views on my research.


Lt. Commander Dr. Casey Peterson
Chief Medical Officer

[moyer777]

The Counselor finished using the replicator and looked up.  His information padd was beeping and being pushed across the desk by a Tabby cat.  "Hey that's mine!" He said.  He loved watching these Earth animals.  They were sleek, personable and quite curious.  He sat down the food for his felion and watched as Mr. Mouser ate.  He reached down and scratched the ears of the orange animal and it did what he liked the best.  "Purrrr!"  He stroked the back of the animal and realised how glad he was that he had sent for his pet.

He picked up his information padd and began to read his messages.  "Oh, this is fascinating!, I love the Iconian culture, so much to learn and use in our quest for exploration and knowlege!  I'm glad I brought my files with me."  He put a fresh info pad down next to his computer console and brought up two sets of information.  "Computer, load information on Charlong Troleen." 

"Working"

"Oh, and my studies on Iconia"

"download complete"

The cat nudged Margon's hand as he picked up the padd.  "Don't worry Mr. Mouser, I'll be back later"  The cat looked at him as if to say "What?  I'm not the center of attention anymore?"

That reminded him...

" I need to find Ensign Armus, he postponed his meeting with me this morning- something about a diagnostic program he had to run.  I think he is avoiding me, he has nothing to fear though.  I am certain we will get a long just fine."  the counslor muttered.  He sent a quick communication to the ensign with some questions and awaited his answer.

He turned toward the big orange Tabby....

"Now, don't get into any trouble."  The cat ingnored him and hopped on to a bookshelf.

The counselor adjusted his uniform, sometimes it was uncomfortable at the neck line, what with his ridge and all.  He walked out of his quarters and started toward five forward.  On his way he bumped into many of the crew.
Some of them greeted him with a smile, others went out of their way to walk on the other side of the corridor.  He was used to that, not only being Bolian, but a counselor.... "Blue scares people.. " he chuckled, "but no one thinks they need a counselor!"

He was aware of the anticipation in the air.  Space dock was O.K. but these people wanted to get on with their mission. Something the counselor was ready to do too.  The exploration of space is what fueled such rich and diverse backgrounds working together on a single ship.  The dynamics of a crew under this kind of pressure could not be duplicated anywhere else.  Each starship had it's own unique and intriguing personality, made up of the crew who served her.

The USS Tiberius with Captain Bell, this was going to be an incredible experience.

The door of five forward opened...

[Jen]

Sevryll had completed half of the volume before Dr. Peterson and Counselor Margon joined her in Five Forward. Only 20 minutes before, she had ordered her first latte and sat to gaze out the observation ports. Now, Dr. Peterson sat across from her and his eyes were alive with anticipation. He had brought a relic of great interest for her to examine, and his excitement was palpable.

She eyed the ancient text carved crudely into the surface of the artifact. "I believe it to be FthinraKathi, a distantly-related, yet extinct Vulcan language." She said, while pushing a lock of raven hair behind her right ear. Sevryll leaned closer to the relic with her magnifying device to inspect the object. The elements, coupled with the ravages of time, had cooperated to wear away a few characters, yet the majority of the text was well preserved. Because of its condition, she was able to translate the ancient phrase to Modern Golic Vulcan.

She squinted before slowly uttering the phrase: "I'poprah fasei setebihk t'ovsotuhl-ozhika." The Chief Science Officer slowly lifted her gaze from the artifact to meet the doctor's expression of expectation. She moved her eyes to the counselor who was enjoying a frosty rootbeer, while staring back at her with marked curiosity. The foam from his drink clung to his upper lip and he whipped it away with the back of his blue hand. He was not a linguist, therefore, for his benefit, she translated the phrase to English: "Now receive from us this symbol of total logic." She arched an eyebrow as she completed the sentence.

"Remarkable." Replied Doctor Peterson.

"What does that mean Commander? What do you think its purpose is?" asked the Counselor.

"It means it is an Iconian artifact of great historical significance Counselor." she replied.  "As to its purpose, one can only speculate. Further study would be required before I could offer a hypothesis." She straightened her posture before inquiring:  "May I ask how you came to possess the artifact Doctor?"

---------------------------------------------------------------
Lt. Commander Sevryll
Chief Science Officer
USS Tiberius

[ryanlb]

After spending considerable time going over Lt. Commander K'arath's phaser modifications, Ensign Morgan reached the conclusion that he would not improve upon the design the first day.
He finished the notes he was making on his studies, and went to talk to his superior.

"Commander, I've gone through all your modifications and see no reason why they shouldn't perform as predicted, and every reason that they would.
I wonder, though, the power that the engines would no longer be delivering to the phasers could be put to another use, such as boosting sensor strength, or shield strength, depending on the situation.  Since it's usually held in reserve for phaser use, it's also possible that it could be used temporarily increase the top warp speed."

[Bryancd]

After spending considerable time going over Lt. Commander K'arath's phaser modifications, Ensign Morgan reached the conclusion that he would not improve upon the design the first day.
He finished the notes he was making on his studies, and went to talk to his superior.

"Commander, I've gone through all your modifications and see no reason why they shouldn't perform as predicted, and every reason that they would.
I wonder, though, the power that the engines would no longer be delivering to the phasers could be put to another use, such as boosting sensor strength, or shield strength, depending on the situation.  Since it's usually held in reserve for phaser use, it's also possible that it could be used temporarily increase the top warp speed."

K'arath smilled at the younger man, "Excellent Ensign!" He delivered a congratualtory slap to the Ensigns shoulder. "I have Gorjano working with Op's trying to correct an issue with secondary engineering sub system access. Mr. Morgan, once we are under way I want you to spend some time at the secondary engineering station on the bridge, give you a little hands on time to see how the various command stations interact. Who know, perhaps I can convince the Captain to let you particiapte in the battle simulation drills he has been running."

[iceman]

As the words spoken by Lt. Commander Sevryll resonated in my ears  " Now receive from us this symbol of total logic "

He told Lt. Commander Sevryll that this was given to him by an old colleague who had passed away and who was his mentor and good friend.

His name was Professor Conrad Lovenski, The most revered authority on Iconian culture. It was his and my theory that the Vulcan culture was actually much older then most people thought. In previous archeology digs we had found reference to an Ancient Vulcan Language. We have been looking for some proof to verify this connection for years.

I spoke to him weeks before he died when he told me that he thought he had found the proof we had been looking for.

It is very important that you try to carbon date this to verify its authenticity and try to find out what it is. Is it purely just a symbol of logic or does it truly have a purpose?

This could be one of the greatest finds in federation and Vulcan history. But before i present this to the Vulcan academy of science I must Know if it is a true artifact or a well designed fake.

Counselor Margon You have been very quiet. What is your impression of this find.

Lt. Commander Sevryll I would be most appreciative if you would help me with further investigation in this matter, and will give you equal credit for your help along with my dead colleague Professor Conrad Lovenski.

Once are findings are verified we must inform Captain Bell of our findings.

Until then I ask you both to keep these findings quiet until we know more.

By The way Lt. Commander Sevryll what do you think of my research on the Iconian Civilization.. One more thing Lt. Commander Sevryll. Do You think the device is dangerous or poses any danger to the ship.?

Counselor Margon What do you think of using this artifact as a teaching tool once we find out what it is.

I will go back to my quarters and bring the other Iconian Artifacts I have found down to your science lab Lt. Commander Sevryll along with the video files that show the ancient writings that link the Iconians to Vulcans.

I will meet you in the science lab in an Hour.

Thank you both for coming I hope that this find will truly be a great historic find it would be a great end to my dead colleagues life long work.

[MrOsterman]

Lt. Li Sameria
Cheif of Operations, USS Tiberius

Scene:  Engineering

Li looked back at Ensign Gorjano.  She forced a polite smile and pushed her glasses back up her nose.  He seemed eager to help.  She turned to the cheif engineer, the Klingon.

"Thank you, Chief."  She nodded, starting to blush a little.  She was not usually this forward with people, let alone those that tower over her.  "I think that your idea might work, though I have to confess I'm surprised that it would take something so ... extreme as to use the Holodeck systems."

She stepped back meaningfully from the larger officer.  "I hope I didn't overstep anything.  Ensign Gorjano and I will keep you posted on any major changes."

[moyer777]

"This is quite a find if it's the real thing Dr."  said the counselor.  "If it's not, then I suspect a cruel hoax that I hope isn't the case, either way, it is very interesting.  If it is a fake, who would create such and artifact?  What would be the purpose?  I suspect that this could upset many people if it is real or a counterfiet." 

The counselor took the last sip of his rootbeer and said, "As far as a teaching tool, it would be great for those cultures that consider logic to be the fundemental stability of their society.  In my experience though, just as many culures that don't aspire to pure logic wouldn't be too excited about it.  None the less, it will be a remarkable historical artifact if it proves to be authentic." 

The counselor turned to the Commander and changed the subject, "So, here, let me send you the information on your new nanny."  He held the information pad and hit the screen, the information transfered to her device.  "He should be on board in the morning.  With your permission I will have you meet with him and make your final decision." 

The Dr. sat quietly and stared at the Counselor.  Was he intentionally changing the subject?  Wasn't this important to him?  The Dr. thought to himself, "The Counselor seems a little to Happy go lucky", he seemed to talk a lot, and switch subjects frequently.  He wasn't used to working with Bolians, it would take some getting used too.  He had really never seen a Bolian counselor before, a barber yes, a bartender yes, but a counselor?  Curious."

Just as quick as the counselor shared his information with the Commander, he turned to the Dr.

"Dr. it is getting late and your hopes to view the artifact in more detail may have to go on hold, the commander has a set of little ones that need her attention. The nanny isn't here till morning."  He smiled.  "But no worries, I would suggest that our mission is going to give us plenty of time to explore our hobbies!" 

As the counselor stood up. He jumped because of a crashing sound right behind him. 

[Trekkygeek]

Lt. Peters was exhausted. He had overslept and his thumping head was obviously a consequence of the previous night. Too many strong beers, he told himself. It was many years since he could drink all night and not suffer the next morning.
  Today had been the worst day to be hung over. He had finally moved into his new quarters on the Tiberius. His living quarters was located on deck 15, the same deck as the Brig and security mess hall and was fairly sparse as he had no special requirements except for a large section of living area for Phil and Grant. He had decorated their living space with ladders, ropes, hammocks and many other toys for them to alleviate boredom. They loved their new home and were settled immediately.
  After he had moved his stuff in, he tried to familiarise himself with the ships layout, he was not used to travelling in a ship and he was constantly aware of movement, or was his mind just playing tricks? He met up with the various heads of departments and found them all to be pleasant. He then walked aimlessly around the ship and eventually met up with Lt. Talon Bowers.
"Ah Lieutenant" Rhys said. "How are you settling in after last night drinks?
Lt. Bowers groaned "Well, apart from my head pounding like a Klingon opera, pretty good".
"Lieutenant, have you met the rest of the security staff yet?" I haven't seen Ensigns Manrique or Stormshield yet."
"No sir, neither have I,"
"Very well," Rhys said, "we will look for them together. Its time we all got to know each other. I trust that this time, there will be no alcohol involved in our meetings?"
Bowers groaned again, "I quite agree sir".
"Come on then, lets get moving, my head insists it should be an early night and I'm not in the mood for arguing with it."

[Jen]

Sevryll folded her hands and placed them on the table in front of her. "Radiocarbon dating is only practical in dating organic matter— this particular artifact is made of an inorganic substance. Given that there is an obvious lack of associations built from an archaeological body of knowledge, I will instead defer to Thermoluminescence as an  alternative dating method. I believe the artifact is mostly ceramic. If I am correct, I may be able to approximate the date of the last firing and determine whether the relic is a skillfully crafted fraud, or an object of great historical significance." She took a sip of her latte and turned the cup in her hands before continuing.

"I would be pleased to assist you in your studies doctor, but the counselor's comments regarding my current situation are correct. I will be returning to my quarters within the next hour to prepare dinner for my children. My shift begins tomorrow evening, perhaps after I have met with the... nanny " Sevryll disliked the term 'nanny' but she could not think of anything else to call the man other than 'caretaker' and that was her title not his. She almost coughed on the word as it moved across her lips "...I will be free to run the tests you require after I have met with him. When I have a conclusion, I will arrange a time to reveal my findings with you. Will this time frame be suitable?"

She had sensed the doctor was distracted, he was a bit confusion at Morgon's apparent lack of interest in the conversation. The counselor seemed preoccupied as well. She suspected that the two were well on their way to becoming good friends, and determined that his current uncertainty would be soon be forgotten.

"Regarding the text you have loaned me, I have just begun to read the volume. I have a great deal of experience in Iconian studies, perhaps we can discuss our knowledge in the coming days, once I have finished with the Thermoluminescence tests? I am most certain that my science officer, Ensign Morgen, would be interested in joining our discussion. Perhaps we can meet to exchange ideas over dinner."

---------------------------------------------------------------
Lt. Commander Sevryll
Chief Science Officer
USS Tiberius
http://www.treksf.com/forums/index.php?topic=1572.0

[iceman]

That would be quite satisfactory, I would also like to include the Cousillor in the dinner if that is ok as he also shares are interest in Iconiann artifacts. I will patiently await your findings, shell we say a couple of hours after your shift so you have time to deal with your childrens needs and your caretaker situation.

You can send me an email with the time, but please allow me to make dinner in appreciation for your help. as this will allow us some privacy to discuss your findings and plan our next step in our investigations.

Until tommorow then, I take my leave Counsellor and Lt. Commander Sevryll

[moyer777]

The commander was right.  The counselor WAS distracted.  It was Brex, he had dropped a tray.   His son had been serving drinks during the meeting and every time he looked up they seemed to meet eyes.  Usually he would be engaged in the conversation, and most of the time interupting because of his talkative disposition.  But tonight he was having a problem focusing.  He was going to have to confront his son.  They were going to be on this ship for an extended time and they couldn't be at odds with each other the entire time.  Five forward was the perfect place for the counselor, people were comfortable in this place, and that is when Margon could really get a feel for who people really were and what they were going through. He was looking forward to his new found friendship with the Dr., and he was already very fond of  the Vulcan Commander and the twins.

With all these thoughts flooding the counselors mind, he quickly dismissed himself and decided to look around the ship.  Perhaps he could get his thoughts together and check out some of the new crew.  "I need to visit the bridge and see how our new first officer is fairing."  he thought.  The captain often spoke of his desire to work with Nathan.  His name had come up during conversations in the past, and the Counselor had not yet been able to spend any time with the man.  "Captain Bell is a good judge of character, I'm sure this man is a good officer." Besides, First officer Quinn had also served as a counselor at one time.  Maybe he would be someone that Margon could discuss his particular situation with his son to.

[keozen]

"Now dearie, if you play this chord while keeping your right hand playing th.... No no no. Look I'll show you."

Mrs Badcrumble took the piano chair from Gilbert. He had been meaning to learn the piano for years now and, in a rare hour away from duty, he was starting his lessons.

"Now, you play with you..."
The image of the elderly Scottish music teacher paused as the computer's voice intervined.
"The time is now 15:00, reporting timestamp as requested."

"Computer, arch."

The archway appeared in an instant as Bell strode from the holodeck.
"Save program and end."

Walking down the corridor he started makin his way to the observation lounge just off the bridge. When he was in a silent stretch of coridoor he tapped his comm badge.

"Bell to senior staff. I recieved note from the refit and drydock crews not one hour ago that they believe us to be ready to leave dock. We have only one or two civilian crewmembers awaiting arrival who can meet us en-route so I see no reason not to get our mission underway. Please report to the observation lounge at 15:30 for a briefing. Bell out."

Captain Gilbert Bell
Commanding Officer
USS Tiberius

-------------------
OOC: Just a note everyone. I will be posting more today and will be posting the briefing a little later on this morning. I think everyone seems to be settled in now so it's time to start some story!

[keozen]

Bell stood at the head of the conference table in the observation lounge as the last of his senior staff filed into the room.

"Afternoon Ladies & Gents,
Firstly I want to thank you all for your patience and understanding over the last few days of refits. The 'getting to know each other' experience is always one that I like to get out of the way before we leave on any mission and in this case we have had the perfect opportunity. If we had more time I would have liked the starbase to take some more time on the engines but alas that is not possible. We have a mission."

Looking around the room he could see every eye focused on him. He cracked a smile to show his softer side.

"Now, when you joined Starfleet it may have been for a multitude of reasons. For me it was to make a difference. I wanted to go out and see new life, new civilisations, I wanted to push back the boundaries of known space and see who and what I could find.


My last mission, as no doubt you will know if you have tried to skim my file, has been deemed classified by Starfleet Command. In large parts, for now at least, it will stay classified. But many aspects of my previous mission relate directly to the reason you are all here, aboard this ship."

Bell pushed a button on his Padd and a logo appeared on the main room viewscreen.

"Now, as I'm sure at least a few occupants of this room would be able to tell you, this is the logo of the Iconian Empire.

For those of you who didn't pay attention to your history classes in the Academy I will give you a little background.

The Iconian empire exsisted over 200,000 years ago and spanned much of the known galaxy. They were a highly advanced race, having technology well in advance of our own. Many texts refer to them as "Demons of Air and Darkness" and write of their heavy handed rule. But that has been thrown into question from other texts and references.

Either way, their civilization was destroyed 200,000 years ago when their homeworld, Iconia, was decimated by an orbital bombardment, resulting in the assumed extinction of the entire race.

Now, the history lesson is all very well and good but what, I hear you say, is the point of today's lesson I hear you say? What does it matter to us if this race was destroyed all that time ago?

Well. Last year, I met an Iconian.

Or more accurately I met an Iconian clone. There have been theories for centuries that some Iconians may have survived their homeworld & fled into hiding using their gate travel system, we have proved this to be true.
Over the next few days we will be traveling to the Teldra Nebula where we plan to meet with a delagate of the new Iconians. We will be discussing possible trade and diplomatic relations and this is to be treated like any other first contact situation would.

The one difference is that we will have company. This is not a simple trade summit, the Iconians have insisted that they also meet with several other representitives of this region of space, we will be joined by a ship from the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, the Cardassian Union and the Ferengi Alliance.

We will be meeting our fellow delegates and their ships en-route. As I'm a careful Captain where I can be I would like ship security on it's toes, everyone else better brush up on their Iconian history.

I will be taking questions from each of you individually, if you have them, over the comm. For now the first course of action is to get your teams assembled and to get us out of spacedock.

Number one, that's your first job. Take us out.

Everyone else, dismissed."

Captain Gilbert Bell,
USS Tiberius,
Commanding Officer

[Elizur]

Ensign Enoch Iblis, Helmsman
Observation Lounge
Immediately after the Captain's conference

Enoch was surprised at the importance of the ship's first mission. 

The Iconians!  What military secrets would they have, would their technology be beyond our own, or were these clones starting over?  The Iconian military was legendary. 

Different races would be coming.  Troublesome races.  The Klingon ship would likely not cause much trouble, although when you throw in the Ferengi and Cardassians, not to mention the Romulans, anything could happen.

Enoch looked around.  Everyone had been pretty shocked by Bell's announcement.  People were getting up, and talking rather quietly among themselves.

Enoch found K'arath and approached.  "Do you know what class of Klingon ship and who is commanding?"  Enoch asked.

K'arath looked up at Enoch.  "You are always to the point, Ensign.  Enoch, I must reflect on this because I have been hearing things, whispers, and how suddenly things are falling into place.  If I am correct, the Klingon vessel will be of a heavier class, and we will be faster.  As to who is Captain, well, a few names pop to my mind, as I am sure they do to yours.  We will have to wait and see."

Enoch knew that the Tiberius would be more manuverable than any of the ships that were coming, which was good because he knew they all played games.  Sometimes it was a battle of wits, positioning and posturing, especially during delicate negotiations. 

Enoch smiled.  The other delegates would not expect to find a Klingon helming the Tiberius, and Enoch knew these games well from his days in the Klingon military.