Star Trek: Season 4 - Family Matters

[Jen]

I joint post by Duffster and Jen
---

The human man disguised as a Romulan, had taken it upon himself to program a few training scenarios for Sevryll and her away team. He'd be going on the mission too, but if it got messy he'd need capable individuals... her team would need to be trained to survive hand-to-hand combat. The agent had yet to try any of the programs himself, and thought he might as well burn off some steam in the holodeck as he tested the programs' effectiveness.

David's plan to spend time with his family the night before, had fallen flat thanks to the stranger his daughter M'rynn had taken a fancy to. As he watched from afar, he sensed Sevryll's reaction to the vulcan girl who favored his wife in almost every way. Through his bond with her, he could tell that Sevryll was angry and concerned. Her attempt to hide this fact from her husband was unsuccessful, and he moved closer to listen to their conversation. It was at that point that he determined the girl was not a long lost sister...but Sevryll's daughter.

Since that evening, David had done everything he could to learn more about the girl and where she came from, but even his clearance as an operative of Section 31 could not gain him access to the records that he knew would reveal her identity...which was somehow tied to the Aurora Project and Lieutenant Areic James.  He decided the lieutenant was his only hope of uncovering the elusive details, he needed to figure things out. David couldn't just walk up to the guy and ask him; he'd have to be a bit more creative than that and creativity didn't exactly flow when one was ticked-off. A little skull bashing with a mob of burly holodeck creations was just what he needed to gain the creative inspiration he currently lacked.

Colonel Khev, stood before the control panel of Holodeck Two—evidently, it was still in use. The glossy black screen indicated that it's current program had run past the allotted time and well into the time that he had scheduled the day before. Khev anxiously waited ten more minutes before deciding 'enough was enough'. "This is getting ridiculous," he said as he keyed a command into the panel.  The doors opened with a mechanical whine and "the jolly green giant" walked out. Well, he was a green giant, but jolly... he wasn't.

Preoccupied, Tain walked out of the holodeck. Lost in his thoughts he didn't even noticed as he barreled into the Colonel. Caught off guard, Kehv almost fell, but caught his balance at the last moment.

"Errgh... ya bloody dunderhead, what the heck are you do'n stand'n in the doorway like that!!!", Tain blurted without thinking.

Tain looked at the man he just ran into, and finally noticed the rank insignia on the officers uniform. He sucked in his breath as he
watched the Marine officer straighten his uniform and look up athim.

"Bloody Dunderhead? Don't you know any proper profanities?" The Romulan maintained a straight face for all of ten seconds before cracking a wry smile. "At ease lieutenant...no harm no foul." He noticed the Orion's bruised knuckles, "what have you been doing in there, smashing rocks with your fists?"

Tain looked down at his hands and sheepishly grinned at the Colonel. "I think the Captain would rather I take my aggressions out in the holodeck, instead of my shipmates. I've tweaked a holo-program over the last few years. Whenever I need to ... umm...well, work some things out. Sometimes it gets a little intense."

Lieutenant Tain noticed the ships time, "Ahh, I see why your stand'n here. I took up more than my scheduled time didn't I!? I can give you some of my upcoming Holodeck time, if that will make amends."

"Oh, that's not necessary lieutenant."

Tain held out his hand, "my name is Cedric Tain, and I apologize to ya. I hate it when I don't get all my time in, and I can't blame you if you hold it against me"

David shook his hand, "I'm Colonel Khev, pleased to meet you lieutenant—you're security, right?  Don't worry about the holodeck time." David glanced once more at the Orion's battered hands, "I don't think I'd want to hold anything against you anyway...that would be a dangerous grudge to maintain." The Romulan chuckled as he stepped in side of the holodeck. "If you don't have any place to be Mr. Tain, I'd like to see your simulation. I've been working on one myself, maybe we could compare notes." If this officer was as skilled as David suspected, he definitely wanted Tain to be apart of the training he planned for the away team.

[Jen]

"Computer, begin program Kaleh One".  In an instant, the empty hologrid transformed into a street, crowded with stern Romulan men and women, bustling on foot to various destinations. "Keleh? I assume it's Romulan. What's it mean?" asked Tain as a grim faced, elderly man bumped into his massive left shoulder and continued on. Without turning to face the security officer, Colonel Khev began pushing through the current of on coming Romulans and replied,  "dagger." A devious grin slowly spread across Lieutenant Cedric Tain's green face ,as he followed the marine toward a darkened street.

The quiet splash of water echoed in the alleyway, as their boots traversed the cold, wet pavement. "When does the fun start?" asked Tain, gripping the hilt of his blade with uninhibited eagerness. Khev looked back at Tain and then up, "now!" he grunted,  as a shadowy figure landed on him from above. Just as Tain stepped in to help the marine, six more figures entered the alley to challenge them. His green face contrasted with the white of his clinched teeth as Tain waded through the mob, menacingly brandishing his blade.

Khev threw his assailant and drew his honor blade from its sheath in his boot. The aggressor hit the ground and rolled back on this feet drawing his own dagger. The light glinted off the flat of blade, as he arced it towards Khev. The Starfleet marine blocked the downward strike and parried the attack, catching the attacker in the neck. The man fell in a slump to the ground, but not before Khev kicked him backwards into a puddle of water. Then the tall, Romulan, Starfleet marine joined Tain in his fight against the other six aggressors.

One particularly brutish foe caught Khev in the face with a knee, causing him to stumble backwards. The human disguised as a Romulan, saw a blaze of white and heard the ring of a thousand bells as he fell towards the pavement. Tain pushed the man off of Khev and helped the dazed marine up. Though the alley still spun, Khev was able to burry the point of his honor blade into the left kidney of his would-be-assassin. The man gasped and crumpled to the ground as Tain threw another Romulan atop of him.

That left them with three shadowy assailants. As the blade wielding Romulan assasins encircled them, Tain and Khev maneuvered so that they stood back to back. Just as another attacker lunged for Cedric he shouted, "computer, freeze program!" Instantly, the man halted in mid strike, his face contorted with furry, his dagger bent towards Cedric's blocking forearm.

"Why did you stop the program!?" Khev asked panting hard.

"It's all wrong," replied Cedric disappointedly.

[wraith1701]

As the turbolift sped its way towards the bridge of the Tiberius, K'Tan cleared his throat. "Computer; what is the current time?"  After an acknowledging electronic chirp, the computer replied "The current time is 1445 hours."

Fifteen minutes until my shift begins, K'Tan thought.  Not as early as I'd like, but acceptable. 

The turbolift slowed, then came to a halt.  The doors whisked open, revealing a room whose occupants emanated a sense of cool competence and professionalism. In the center seat, Capt. Quinn was studying a PADD.  Behind him, to the right, a human woman with short, reddish-blonde hair was manning the tactical station.

As K'Tan snapped to attention, the Captain gave him an encouraging smile.  "I appreciate your promptness, Lieutenant."  The captain gestured towards the woman at tactical.  "This is Commander Westling, my Second Officer.  Commander Westling?"

"Yes, sir" the woman replied, and stepped from behind the tactical station.  As she walked towards K'Tan, she locked his eyes in a steely, emerald stare, then gave his hand a surprisingly firm shake. 

"Welcome aboard.  As your immediate supervisor, I'll be in charge of seeing to it that your acclimation is as painless as possible."  She gestured towards the elevated interface terminal behind and the captain's chair.  "Man your post, Lieutenant." 

"Yes, Sir", K'Tan replied, then walked briskly to the Tactical Station.  As the Commander moved to join him there, K'Tan marveled at the officer's commanding presence.  Though somewhat small in stature, Commander Westling projected an aura of quiet confidence that made her seem larger than life.  The top of her head was barely level with K'Tan's shoulder, yet when speaking to her, he couldn't escape the sensation that he had to look up to meet her eyes.

With a tap, Commander Westling activated the station's LCARS panel.  "I know that you are familiar with a standard tactical station layout, but the Tiberius is a rather unique vessel.  We have had a number of modifications and upgrades; the most notable being the installation of several cutting edge, experimental reactors.  I won't bore you with the details, but I can tell you that our new quantum generators roughly double the amount of power available to all ship systems."

K'Tan started to nod in understanding, then froze and slowly turned back to the commander.  "I'm sorry, sir; It sounded like you said that the ship's generator output has been doubled," he said skeptically.

Commander Westling nodded her head and gave K'Tan a knowing smile.  "You heard me right, Lieutenant.  You'll come to find that the Tiberius is quite a special ship."

As she headed back to the center seat, the commander paused and turned back to K'Tan.   "Take a few minutes now to familiarize yourself with the ship's systems.  You can also reconfigure the station's LCARS layout to a configuration that you are comfortable with.  When you are done, save your settings; You can restore your preferred layout whenever you come on shift."

As his fingers flew over the glowing LCARS interface, K'Tan's eyes grew noticeably larger.  He almost felt intoxicated as he contemplated the ramifications of having this much power available to be routed to shields, phasers, or any other system.   As panel after panel flashed by on the screen before him, K'Tan had to bite his tongue to keep from breaking out into a childish grin.

[X]

Joint post by X and Jen

Red lights pulses as Aeric and Sevryll entered the control tower. Aeric quickly settled into his chair as the main viewscreen switched to a display of the two scoutships still in orbit. Commander Sevryll observed the situation as she took position behind Aeric's chair.

"Situation report," Aeric demanded as he manipulated the controls of his LCARS panel.

"Sir, we just received a distress call over emergency channel. The Aurora away team in under attack," Jaxa said as she turned slightly in her chair to face him.

Aeric nodded. "Open up a secure channel to Aurora and escorts."

"Channel open." Jaxa replied after inputting a few commands.

"Aurora Taskforce, this is the Tiberius control, I need a status update." Aeric said as the viewscreen shifted to display the faces of Aurora, Thane and Carson in separate windows. Tiny flares of energy rotated the craft as they took position to prepare to enter lower atmosphere if necessary.

"Away team is currently pinned down by enemy combatants," Aurora said calmly as she manipulated the tactical console of the ship. "Request rapid deployment of recovery teams."

"Understood," Aeric said as he looked to his two flight control officers. "Jaxa, Tenmei, calculate flight paths for scouts to make an overhead pass over combat site."

"We're on it," Tenmei said as she reviewed the telemetry data the ships were providing.

"Commander, I need authorization to deploy the units on the scoutship and to go hot with weapons," Aeric said to Sevryll as he sent a message to the commander of the marines on a potential battle situation.

The Vulcan First Officer was doubtful that such a defensive tactic could lead to anything other than a galactic incident, which was the last thing her father would want. It would be better if they simply avoided being pinned down in the first place. Despite her misgivings, Sevryll allowed Lieutenant James to continue with the demonstration, and stepped to his side to give the authorization. He looked up in time to see her give a terse nod, signaling her consent.

On getting the consent, Aeric wasted no time in giving his next command. "Tiberius command to taskforce. Permission to unlock weapons granted, but keep to the plan. We need our people off planet and back home."

"I can't get a pattern lock on the away team," Aurora said as she brought defensive systems online. "I've located three beacons surrounding their location that's generating a scrambling field."

"Noted Aurora," Aeric said as the control operators were already generating navigational data to the locations.

"Tactical objectives updated. Our scouts have their targets." Tenmei said as she turned to Aeric.

"Scout One, deploy your team to site A. Mission objective, shutdown site A and rendezvous with Away Team. Scout Two, deploy your team at site B. Mission objective, shutdown of sites B and C. Once field is down, recover all away teams and return to ship." Aeric ordered as the ships broke orbit.

"Aurora, I need you to transmit a tight band communication of the plan to Aria. Have her tag any additional targets that we need to transport. Have her also attempt to shut down site C if she is in range." Aeric said, knowing the risk of putting his daughter on the frontlines.

Commander Sevryll would be apart of the ground operation being played out in the Holodeck, and as she listened to the chatter between the escort and her away team, her mind flashed through the proper ground procedures for situations such as these.  Despite her specialization in science, the academy prepared her for firefights and skirmishes, as it did for all its students. But this scenario was more intense than any she had been trained to survive. This demonstration was, of course, an example of how the escort would react under extreme circumstances. Yet, Sevryll understood that the survival of her team and the success of the mission required her to be prepared for anything...including this situation. She clasped her hands behind her back and lifted her chin as she took a breath to settle her nerves.  The light from the monitors danced over her face as she wondered if David and his "fellow marine" would be accompanying she and the admiral on the operation.

"Change of plans Lieutenant," Aurora said as she rapidly entered in a series of commands. "Aria has tagged all key personnel with locator beacons. She requests a switch to the Tartarus protocols. She believes that she can open a thirteen second window in the interference grid."

Aeric hesitated for a second. "Agreed. Scout One and Two move into short ranged transporter distance after deploying the marines and ready for emergency beam out of key personnel. Aurora move into position to recover non-key personnel as soon as scouts are away."

"Aria will go to ground with remaining forces until I can get into position to extract them," Aurora said as she powered up the ship's systems.

"Tactical data updated," Carson said over the open channel. "I should be over target area in 90 seconds."

"Agreed, will reach target in 90 seconds," replied Thane as he adjusted his flight pattern to move in tandem with his wing mate. "Make sure that the field is down."

"Lieutenant James," Jaxa said. "Tartarus will begin in 90 seconds. All assets have reported a ready status."

"Engage," Aeric said as the viewscreen transformed its view to that of a tactical battle grid, displaying the location of all assets and enemies.

Ninety seconds later, the field surrounding the extraction site shuttered and the biosigns of all the Tiberius' ranking officers, the admiral, and the ambassador faded from the surface battle and reappeared within the scoutships. There were still others on the ground including Aria and the admiral's security detail. Moments later, the field restored itself, preventing the extraction of the others.

"Recovery success," Thane said. "In route to Tiberius."

"Passengers confirmed," Carson said. "Heading for Tiberius at maximum warp."

"Aurora to Tiberius," Aurora said as she appeared on the view screen. "Aria and remaining away team are still pinned down. Entering interphase mode to being rescue. Will maintain com silence until the mission is completed."

"Confirmed Aurora," Aeric said. "As soon as that field is down, get our people home. Tiberius will be waiting."

Aeric leaned back in his chair. While the had who they came for, they still need to get the birds back home and rescue their remaining team members.

"Commander, now we need to wait." Aeric said as he turned to Sevryll. "Ground forces are instructed to shut down field and acquire a means to escape Romulus undetected. Aria should be searching for cloak-equipped shuttles, for undetected means of escape. Once the field is down, Aurora will begin transporting those left planetside to the ship until they can recover the necessary equipment to escape."

Aeric didn't even want to say that it might require the theft of a cloaking device from one of the shuttle and the time it would take to modify the Aurora to support the technology. He had to place his faith in the team and his daughter. They would find a way home.

Sevryll shifted her weight and narrowed her eyes.  She was quite aware of what the Lieutenant meant by, "acquire undetected means of escape". And in truth, she did not care as long as it meant her father's safe return and ensured that the Romulans had no proof of their role in his recovery.

Various melodic chirps and chimes, emanating from the control tower's array of computers, highlighted the comm silence. Sevryll watched the pilots via the split screen display, as they monitored their controls and awaited orders. She looked down at the Lieutenant as he patiently awaited Aria's reply.

Taking a deep breath, Aeric turned to Sevryll. "Aria and the remaining team members will rendezvous at the Aurora and from there, they will maintain their covers as they acquire a means to escape Romulus undetected. The mission to recover Federation citizens shall be completed when the scouts return. Should they be further compromised, Aurora will enter auto destruct and prevent the recovery of her technology."


"Computer, pause program. The stranded team will have access to Aurora's medical bay and resources as they come up with a plan for escape. Aria isn't going to leave the planet until everyone is accounted for. It's now up to the ground forces to do their part to complete the extraction." Aeric said softly. "This is not a perfect outcome, but when you review the data of this simulation or any other we have run, you will see that the Aero Group and controllers have done everything that they can to make the mission a success."

Sevryll nodded in agreement. "Thank you for the demonstration... your team is well qualified." She paused a moment before continuing, "Lieutenant, this mission falls into the category of plausible deniability—the Federation will claim no responsibility for our actions if we are detected or captured." She gestured towards the split-screen display, "in the event that such an extraction becomes necessary, no evidence of our presence should remain behind. If our withdrawal becomes impossible...you must regard the awayteam as you would the Aurora.  Our recovery is secondary to Krell's recovery and the mission's secrecy...." She swept her eyes over the split screen display before meeting the Lieutenant's. "Aria should remain aboard Tiberius."

Aeric thought about her words as he dismissed the control officers. Once they left the holodeck, he turned to Sevryll.

"That would be a problem commander. Only Aira and myself know the systems of the Aurora well enough to pilot it on a mission. I can take her place, but she naturally looks the role and can serve as a field medic if need be. I don't see how I can ask my team to continue the mission if I pull Aria. She has put in more time on the Aurora than anyone. She has been training for this with every available minute. The Aurora needs one of us there to complete this mission and I have no problem saying that she is more qualified for what might be needed. To pull her from the mission implies that I don't think the mission will succeed."

Sevryll took a undetected breath before addressing his comment. "We must be prepared for any situation, including failure, Lieutenant. If we are captured..." she  paused to steel her voice with cool impassivity, "the Romulans will not abide by the conventions of the Federation—they revel in their abilities to wring information from unfortunate captives."

Aeric worked his jaw as she continued, "your demonstration has reminded me of the dangerous position I may will be placing your young daughter in... I should have considered this before suggesting her inclusion to you. You are correct, her abilities are complementary to this operation and her appearance further separates her from additional candidates." She leveled her gaze and softened her tone, "but she must clearly understand those hazards before she accepts the mission. If she is not already familiar with the psychological torture that Captain Picard endured as a Cardassian  captive, she should view his report." She turned towards the door and they made their way into the busy corridor together.

"I will speak with her, but she is aware of the risk. Torture is something that we considered and she still wishes to go." Aeric said as they walked. "I don't think that Aria is unprepared for this, but I will speak with her again. I am also going to work with her to make sure that her enhancements are fully functioning. I don't plan on losing her again and she has more than enough motivation to survive."

They parted at the turbolift, "I will await her decision before I submit my recommendations to the Captain."

[3 Ducks in a Man Costume]

"What a strange human," he thought to himself after the new arrival, K'Tan, got up and left abruptly. He was, at this point in his career, used to the often fickle and temperamental nature of humans, but sometimes they could still surprise him. And given the look and behavior of this man, Remor thought it wise to look into his background. After finishing his milk, he got up and went back to his quarters.

Sitting at his desk, retuning a subspace shunt, Remor felt the satisfaction that came with the challenge of breaking into the Tiberius' databanks and main communications array. The real challenge wasn't extreme, though. If it were, he wouldn't risk working on the equipment in his own quarters. A real challenge, for example, had been forging and updating his medical records every year, and then planting them in the Tal'Shiar archives. This made sure he never had to attend a single yearly medical examination. And it gained him access to the records of those who occasionally got too close. The Romulans are not particularly fond of traitors, and it seemed that during his stint on Romulus, they "uncovered" many. Even then—perhaps a result of the fiasco in the Gamma Quadrant—the Romulan government performed random screenings of all its personnel. Those had been harder to get around, and he had been relieved when he learned he would be sent off into the Federation. Perhaps this was the reason they sent the one who called herself Brandt—to look after him.

When he had finished modifications to the electronics he had scavenged from various parts of the ship on his "tours," he found Dr. Lucas' quarters. Lucas, he knew, would be on duty in Sickbay for another few hours, so he didn't bother to ring before running the descrambler on the lock. The doctor's quarters were neither neat, nor in disarray. There was a careful balance of order and disorder at work here, and Remor admired its aesthetic properties. Sitting at Lucas' personal desk, Remor set to work. From the onboard database, he brought up K'Tan's personnel record and personal logs and committed them to memory. Normally, he would have broken into the communications array with the intention of sending out a coded subspace link, but with Brandt loose on board, he had become concerned that there were possibly more operatives on the Tiberius than there were telepaths. No, breaking into the communications array was a feint, a false trail that would lead whoever was expert enough to actually notice the break-in into a dead end. The real signal was coded and disguised as subspace distortion from the warp engines.

"Well," said the one-armed Ferengi, who leered back at Remor over the comm screen. "If it isn't my favorite peeping Vulcan. What's the job this time?"

"Nothing major," Remor said. "I just need you to get some information for me."

The Ferengi looked disappointed, but sighed and said, "OK. Send me the specs and I'll see what I can do."

Remor hit a button, which sent the basic information on K'Tan to the Ferengi, who looked at his screen and smiled. "You want me to break into the Klingon Central Computer?"

"I thought you'd appreciate it," Remor said, returning a cold Vulcan smile.

"Shouldn't take a minute," said the Ferengi, still smiling. A fake Orion Syndicate "stand by" message accompanied by turbolift muzak replaced the Ferengi's image, and Remor chuckled at the tongue-in-cheek goofiness of it, given the high stakes. After a few minutes, an archive file appeared on screen and Remor downloaded it to a padd.

The Ferengi's image reappeared on screen. "That's everything they have on him. Not too exciting, I have to say. Seems like just another Klingon," he said, and then added, "except human."

"Like I said: nothing major."

"I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I've got a Breen privateer on the line," said the Ferengi. "And you know how they hate to be kept waiting. So, should I take the fifty strips of latinum from the same account as last time?"

"No," Remor said, hitting another button. "Take it from this one."

"Autorization," said the Ferengi, obviously looking at another screen that was no doubt keyed to the Bank of Bolias. Remor hit another button. The Ferengi fiddled around with the other screen for a bit, and then looked back up. "A pleasure, as always, mister . . . mister . . . what did you say your name was, again?"

"I didn't," said Remor, flatly. The Ferengi smiled a toothy grin, and then the screen went dark.

After erasing the evidence of his tampering and wiping down the computer display to remove evidence of his physical presence at the machine, Remor stepped out of Lucas' quarters and back into the hallway, relocking the door behind him. Now, he had to get rid of the equipment he had used, but that would be easy.

[X]

"Are you going to let me die?" Aria asked as she adjusted the sleeves on what could only be disguised as a tactical cat-suit.

"No," Aeric said as handed her a newly modified equipment belt. In it were various engineering tools and replacement micro-electronics. She had a newly redesigned phaser that had a pistol design that looked closer to earlier phasers, but something decidedly different than current Starfleet aesthetics. "How is the new phaser design?"

"A return to the pistol design seems more efficient and accurate," Aria said as she pulled a romulan cloak over her other clothing. "As I was saying before, I have no intention of dying and you have no intention of letting me die. Beyond that, there is a job to do. I have run the simulations and I know the risks. I might be young for the standards of our species, but I am as old as many of the human officers on this ship. This mission will be successful."

"Is that your opinion or do you have some fact to base that on?"

"My parents won't let the mission fail and will be motivated to greater levels of success because of the presence of family on the mission," Aria said with a slight smile. "It also helps that we have included replicated equipment from the new uniform prototypes. That will further distance me from being a member of Starfleet. I conquered death, with your help of course. I will not fail my role in this mission. "

Aeric nodded as he moved his tricorder over her form. Despite the delicate elven appearance, she inherited the dense musculature of a vulcanoid and the enhanced strength to go with it. Various nanite clusters that were distributed throughout her body were designed to heighten muscle reaction and efficiency. Other clusters were designed to regulate and enhance other biological systems. Aeric had spent years studying and reverse engineering every piece of Borg technology he could get his hands on. The mark III nanosystems were the finest that he could have designed, but they still didn't offer all of the abilities of Borg systems.

"If you really wanted to ensure the success of the mission, you would finish those Borg inspired personal shields," Aria said with a grin, knowing that her father's creation did not have the ability to generate personal shields. That would require implanted hardware that was beyond the scope of his project. Nanoclusters were as far as he was willing to go in terms of hardware above the nano scale.

"You should be happy to know that while shields are beyond the project, I am only a year or two away from creating a modified field that will allow you to bypass traditional shields." Aeric said.

"There's no way to get a rush job on that in the event of capture and incarceration?" the young hybrid asked as she double checked the fit of her clothing and the access to her equipment that it provided. "I'm going to need a field kit, but I will need the equipment to have a similar non-federation design and it would help if they received their power charge from the quantum technology. Not only will it allow for us to continue distancing our mission from Starfleet, the power signature would be decidedly different from standard Federation power signatures."

Aeric nodded. "I will see if engineering can cobble together some of the standard away team technology into the clothing hardware. I'm sure that someone has thought of a way to trim the equipment one needs to carry on an away mission."
"I agree. I was also thinking about adding a data storage device to my new girdle. I can access it without need for other external hardware and if I link it to my senses, I can create a detailed log of the events. If we outfit someone else with a similar girdle and one of the noetic communicators, we might be able to create a new standard in away mission equipment."

"The noetic communicators aren't ready for field use. If not configured precisely to the neural patterns of the user suffers from headaches and other potential neural trauma. We're going to have to hold off on issuing them to the away team. I doubt that I could attune more than one or two before you set off for the mission."

"I could do the same. That would give us four communicators that are nothing like the Federation standard. Do you think that the Romulans can decrypt digital transmissions on a psionic bandwidth?" Aria asked. "Two to four additional communicators would be a significant asset to the mission father."

"Speaking of parents," Aeric started. "Commander Sevryll doesn't want you going on the mission. She is acutely aware of the dangers that we are placing you in and I don't think she wants to risk you to that danger."

Aria smiled deeply. "That's the best news I've heard in some time, but I'm still going. I've been training for this. I know the risks. I know what to do if I get captured. My equipment is set. I'm going to take off my equipment and take a shower. Please inform the commander that I am aware of the requirement of the mission and the events to take should we encounter mission failure. Having been reminded of the potential danger, inform her that I am still committed to the success of the mission and the necessary actions should failure occur."

Aeric nodded. He didn't want to voice what would need to be done. Aria would destroy the Aurora, herself, and the away team if the mission required it. She knew the importance of the mission and the necessity of keeping their involvement secret. Part of him saw this as a young girl's attempt to impress her mother, but going on a mission together might give them the chance to bond in a way that that just passing each other on the ship prevented. Perhaps the potential of death would allow them to establish the bond that they were missing.

[Duffster]

"Well first of all we are going to need to tone things down a bit.", Tain said. "I mean this is all good fun for us Colonel, but after all we already have a lifetime of close combat fighting to fall back on."

Khev looked at the Orion barely able to hide his surprise.  Did Tain really think what they just went through was fun??

Tain looked about the simulation.

"The setting for this sim is pretty good, but I think we need to start from scratch on the attack strategies. Have ya ever heard of the Stymian training technique? I've had really good results with it when I need to get some grunts trained quickly. The best thing we have going for us is that at least the party members already have some close combat training. Let me show ya an example"

Tain ordered the computer to modify the simulation, limited to one attacker with Stymian interaction. As the Romulan formed and attacked Tain, Khev noticed that for a brief moment before Tain struck the attacker, the exact spot where Tain struck him had been highlighted by a pulse of light.

Tain looked over to Khev.

"I see ya noticed the Stym target. That is the beauty of this training technique. Once the computer has been instructed to use Stymian protocol, it evaluated by hand to hand expertise from previous data, and quickly hightighted the best target for me. The Stym target will vary in it's duration and location dependent on the trainee's expertise."

Khev looked excitedly at Tain.

"I see, and the computer will adapt as the trainee improves?"

"Exactly.", Tain nodded. "Like I said I have had good success turnin maggots into men quickly using this technique."

"Well Mr. Tain, I think we need to contact Lt. Manrique right away. It looks like the three of us have some work ahead of us."

"Ya we do Colonel, we certainly do." Tain looked down at the Colonel and smiled evilly.

"Computer, restart program."

Tain roared in laughter as he dispatched his assailant, and saw the Colonel knocked to the ground, surprised by the sudden restart of the sim.

[Jen]

Sevryll entered the lift and turned to face the entrance just as the door closed ahead of her. "Deck 1," she ordered. After a few seconds of staring at the flashing lights, pulsing through the frosted lift panes, Sevryll remembered yet another engagement. "Computer, what is the current time?" she asked in a smooth, inexpressive tone. The computer met her impassiveness and raised it —responding in a pleasant yet detached feminine alto, "ship's time is 1100 hours."

Soon her children would have their midday meal, and their teacher had promised Sevryll a chair at their table. She planned on keeping that appointment and would watch the time closely to ensure that she did.

The lights slowed as the lift eased to a stop and the door swept open. The bridge was alive with the hum of the ships engines and the melodic tones of commands being keyed. She stepped out and someone announced, "commander on the bridge."

As she made her way to the First Officer's chair, Sevryll watched the viewscreen. A current of stars streamed passed them—they were headed for the neutral zone.  Captain Quinn turned when he heard the announcement and greeted the vulcan, "hello Commander."

"Captain." She nodded as she took her seat beside him.
"Are we on schedule?" She was referring to the rendezvous with the caravan of star ships, headed for peace negotiations. The head of that cavalcade was the USS Titan, and its Captain William Riker.

Will Riker...the man was known throughout the Federation as a valiant and dedicated officer. Unfortunately he also had quite the reputation as a ladies man, though Sevryll never could understand the fascination with the smug Terran. She reflected on her husband's overconfident nature... maybe she could understand the allure after-all.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

"Nice of you to join us Ensign, so glad we promoted you to Chief Ops. Take your station Ensign". Starstriker gave Quinn a slight smile and took over at Ops. 

I'm sure my tardiness is great reassurance that my promotion is deserved, he thought to himself as he tried hard to hold his emotion at bay.  He could tell that the Captain understood that he was just going through a rough period and that he still believed Isaac could pull through.  I will come through this,  he thought to himself...I'll make him proud of me.   

As he glanced down at the ops board, Isaac heard the turbolift doors open. He turned to see a human walk onto the bridge. The man just had a presence about him... one of a warrior.  He dared not read the human's mind, after the Captain's reprimand.  Yet, if my mind wasn't in its current shape, no one would ever know.  He was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to, but supposed that his current condition was a lesson in humility. 

The feeling of the crew's presence gave him comfort.  Instead of probing individual thoughts, he merely wrapped their collective presence around him. It was at that point he realized why it comforted him... as long as he felt the crew, he was no longer alone. 

He turned back around and began to configure the board to his personal settings.  Since the battle with Acamarians, his settings had been lost and he hadn't had a chance to save new ones.

Would people distrust me after the stunts I've pulled?  He knew the senior officers would not speak to any of their subordinates regarding the incident  at the briefing, but he had also probed the thoughts of many outside the briefing. If they had detected him, their accounts of the young ensign's actions would spread across the ship like a wildfire.  Would they fear him or be angry with him?  Would they ever forgive him for his mistakes?  All he could do was wait and see. 

He saved his settings just as Quinn gave him a course heading.


King Linksr

[Jen]

Curious about her new home, Sareth desired to learn more and departed her quarters in pursuit of knowledge. Wrapped in an ornate robe, typical of Vulcan fashion, the professor casually wandered the corridors in search of interesting subjects with which to observe.

Diligent crew members brushed past her with unknown objectives, towards unknown destinations. She pondered the faces of those who indulged her with a courteous nod—each one distinctly different from the other. It was not unexpected to find an especially diverse crew serving aboard Tiberius; she was after all a professor at the Starfleet Academy and was accustom to the variance of species on campus.

Sareth entered a turbolift with two yeomen, who obviously were quite taken with each other. Though she stood beside them, they paid her no regard—each seemed disoriented by the company of the other. Sareth shifted uncomfortably as the couple preformed their ballet of coy conversation and she was thankful when they left the lift together at the next deck.

Unsure of where she was going, Sareth remained aboard the turbolift. A Terran-looking man entered soon after, and turned to face the door. Creases formed around his brown eyes as he greeted her with a friendly smile. "Deck 11, " he said. She nodded politely and wondered at the memoir of personal history scribed in lines upon his bronze face. When she looked away, he addressed her again, "we don't usually have many passengers aboard professor," he said in an attempt to make conversation.

"Indeed?" she replied inclining her head. The fact was not known to her, as she was not familiar with Akira Class vessels. "Are there no families aboard?" she asked. "Well, a few, but not many." He said, waiting for her to recognize him.

When she didn't, he introduced himself, "I'm Lieutenant Enapay Tashunka Witko. I was once a student of yours." She lifted an eyebrow in response. She never forgot her students...ever. She and her daughter were gifted with photographic memories, but somehow Sareth had managed to forget this man. "Forgive me, Lieutenant...."

He quickly interrupted, "Sioux tribal names are often difficult to pronounce. Call me Enapay ma'am," he replied with another quick smile.

The disturbing dreams I have been experiencing recently, must be disrupting more than just my sleep, she thought. She had tried in vain to contact her husband Krell, to verify that he was safe. Yet, not a single one of her messages had been answered. Sevryll had promised to look in to this for her and she was anxious to know what her daughter had learned. Sareth shook the image of Krell's bruised face from her mind and met Enapay's gaze.

"Forgive me Lieutenant Enapay, I had forgotten you until now. Yes, I remember... Your last name means 'Crazy Horse', does it not?"

"Yes it does. We once discussed my family lineage following class. I am glad you remembered me. By the way, you were my favorite professor."
She nodded at his complement. "What area would you suggest I visit next Lieutenant Enapay?"

"Oh, uh...I could show you the Machine Shop, but somehow I don't think you would be very impressed with it," his eyes were framed once more by deep creases as his grin pushed his cheeks upward. "The Primary Maintenance Support Center, Upper Flight Deck, and Flight Operations are  located on that level as well...I could direct you towards the areas that aren't restricted."

"I would like to see your machine shop first, Lieutenant Enapay," she replied.

"I'd be happy to show you ma'am...and please, just call me Enapay."

"Thank you, Enapay."

As they made their way through the corridor, Sareth's eyes fell on a young woman in the distance. Aria, stood in a door way, talking to a man. Before the girl looked up, Enapay showed Sareth through the entrance of the machine shop. "Here we are, "the Primary Machine Shop." The room was filled with equipment, operated by focused individuals. Periodically a crewman would look up from their project, to watch the lieutenant educating his guest on the function of a gadget another crewman was utilizing. She admired the care a particular ensign took as she tenderly repaired a segment of a damaged shuttle part.

Enapay lifted the part to inspect it, "Well done," he exclaimed as he handed it back to her.

[Geekyfanboy]

"Hello Commander," said Nathan.

"Captain." Sevryll nodded as she took her seat beside him. "Are we on schedule?"

"Yes we should be rendezvousing with The Titian at 1600 hours," he replied.

Sevryll turned slightly to him, "I have compiled a short list of candidates for the away mission. Yet, I am sure that the Admiral has additions of his own; perhaps we should meet with him to discuss the mission further, so that our choices will be better suited for the operation. "

Quinn nodded his agreement, " I would like to take care of this before we meet up with the Titan. Let's set up a meeting at the Admiral's earliest convenience."

"Very well... I will inform him," Sevryll said as she stared at the stars stretching in bands of light on the viewscreen

As Sevryll stood, she turned her head to face Nathan, "there is another matter I would like to discuss with you sir; it involves my mother and father." She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze back at the viewscreen.

Quinn nodded and began to stand, " let's discuss this in my ready room. Lieutenant Tucker you have the bridge."

Sevryll followed as he made his way towards the room. Quinn entered and  walked over to the replicator, "Raktijino please, would you like anything Commander?"

"Vulcan Spice Tea," replied the first officer equably as she seated herself on the small sofa near the door. He gave the order and a glittering array of light particles formed a cup in the replicator nitche. Instantly, the scent of fragrant spices began to fill the room.

"What would you like to discuss?" asked the captain as he handed her the cup and saucer.

"My mother came to my quarters late last night, in an uncharacteristically, disconcerted state. She described a dream, in which my father appeared beaten and in much pain. I believe my parent's bond has enabled her to sense his condition."

Quinn sat down his cup and gave Sevryll a concerned look. "Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare?"

Somehow managing to intercept her surfacing emotions and inter them deep within, she replied, "My mother and I are certain it was a vision."

Quinn stood "Does she know if he's still alive?"

Her voice trailed as she answered, "she does not know."

Quinn looked down at Sevryll and wanted give her a comforting hug, but knew hugging was not a custom to the Vulcan culture, so instead he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze , "I'm sure he's fine, have you told Admiral Talbot about this vision ?

As a contact telepath, she felt an instant gale of sympathetic emotion surge through his hand, and she stiffened slightly as he placed it on her shoulder. He noticed her reaction and removed it quickly. "I'm sorry, Sevryll..."

She held up a hand to still his apology. "No, please... it is alright, I am fine. I appreciate the gesture Captain. "

Quinn started to pace the room and she watched as he moved restlessly back and forth across the floor.   

"We may have to set our plan into motion ahead of schedule," he said.

"I agree. Lieutenant James demonstrated his department's training SIM in the holodeck. I believe his flight crew to be prepared, but there is much I must do to ready the individuals who will join the away team. I know you are aware of the  precarious nature of this mission. If we are discovered, or worse yet, captured, the peace negotiations will fail and the responsibility will rest squarely on our shoulders." Quinn stopped his pacing and sat on the edge of his desk. "Yes, I know," he replied in a voice laced with disquiet.

[iceman]

The doctor had worked the night shift and was ready to end his duty, the shift had been filled with the usual scrapes, sprains strains and usual work related injuries and a few sports related injuries from the holodeck that happen from time to time. He gave the day duty nurse, the day duty list and headed to the bridge.

It had been awhile since he had been their and he had a few special emergency beacons that he thought Commander Sevryll might be able to use in case of an emergency to beam personnel to the ship if it was in range. In any case, it would be an excuse to go some where other then 5 forward and sickbay which had been his life for the last few days.

He entered the turbo lift and headed towards deck one.

[X]

"Status report," Lieutenant James asked as he reviewed information on his PADD.

"Everything is a go," Chief Grant said as she closed a panel on one of the scoutships. The rest of the aero group waited to hear their commander's report on their inclusion on the mission.

"As you all know, the XO has sat in on one of our many training sessions and pending the captain's approval, it looks like we will be taking part in the mission." Aeric said. Smiles erupted around the room as they took pride in the success of their demonstration. "We will still need to go over our plans and equipment list with the marines in the event that they need to be deployed. I also want everyone assigned to the mission to get comfortable with the new uniform upgrades that we have been putting together with the aid of the science and engineering departments.  I'll speak with Commander K'arath on the possibility of including an emergency transporter system in the field gear."

While not an actual part of Starfleet, Aria stood with the members of the Aero Group as her father spoke. She was a key part of the plan and even with the Aurora's incursion technology, the addition of the escorts made her feel more comfortable about the success of her mission. "Are we going to have time to retrofit the scouts with the incursion technology?"

"No," Grant answered. "While the ability to generate a holographic exterior would have been an asset on this mission, we just don't have the time to upgrade the power and computer systems to support the technology."

Aeric nodded. "The chief and I reviewed the addition of the incursion technology to the scouts and we just don't have the time to complete the upgrades. I've prepared the reports that need to be submitted and if they are approved, we can complete the upgrades at the close of the mission. In preparation for the upgrades, I want Thela to work with the other pilots on the use of the technology."

Ensign Thela nodded. As one of the two andorian pilots of the alpha team, she had wanted to be in on the mission, but she took pride her new assignment. Since the lieutenant had taken over the department, he had been working with each of the team to make use of their individual talent. He had also been teaching them the basics of the technology and systems of the ship he brought with him. "Sir, do you already have a training program for the incursion system?"

"Yes," Aeric replied as he stood before the dozens of people that made up the aero group. "We need to modify it to better represent the scout systems, but I don't believe that will be a problem.  In other news, we are ahead of schedule with the other aspects of our mission. I am granting every team member two rotating duty shifts off. We have put in more work in the last few days than in the last few weeks.  Until the mission starts, everyone but essential personnel should take some time to relax. I would personally like to thank the pilots, flight controllers, and support crew for doing your parts to get us ready for the mission."

Cheers resounded on the flight deck as the lieutenant gave his orders. He had been working them hard to prepare for the mission. They needed time to refresh themselves and he would be a poor commander if he didn't take that into account.  Having said what he needed, Aeric turned his attention to Grant "Chief, after the break, I want you to begin a JAD session with the pilots on how best to implement the incursion and quantum technology into the scouts. Once that is done, put together a proposal on parts and time needed to upgrade the scout fleet."

"Aye lieutenant," Grant said with a smile. She had been waiting for a chance to get under the hood of the Aurora and using her as a template to adapt the two technologies was a good a reason as any to do that. "I'll assemble a JAD session and then we can see how to plan the upgrades. We can start by striping the current power systems from the remaining scouts and being fabrication of the new power core and holographic emitters."

"After you take time off," Aeric said. "I know that everyone on my team is dedicated and there will be a time when I need you to all pull double shifts for a mission. Enjoy the break now because we don't know when there will be another. Dismissed!"

Aeric watched as his crew began to disperse. He had been doing things alone for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was to be a part of a team. He watch as his daughter mingled with the other member of the crew and smiled to see how well she was integrating with them. Aeric knew how much she longed for a relationship with her mother, but he also knew that she needed to start being a part of this universe. Aeric glanced at his PADD and resolved himself to make an effort to become a true part of the crew.

Aeric tapped his communicator as he exited the flight deck. "Computer, send all department heads and senior staff the following message: Attention senior staff and department heads as we prepare to undertake a vital mission, I realize that we have yet to get to know each other. To remedy the situation, I suggest that we get together for a game of velocity or even poker, if the telepaths are willing to leave their talents at the door. I know that this is short notice, but I would enjoy meeting you all on a more casual level. Please let me know if your schedules will permit such an activity either before or after the current mission."

[Jen]

After her meeting with the Captain, Sevryll left the bridge to speak with Admiral Talbot.  Quinn was calling for another meeting concerning the mission, and she was on her way to personally request the assembly. There was still much they did not know with regards to Talbot's plans, and the Admiral had promised he would tell them more when they approached the neutral zone. The Tiberius was now only hours away from the border and more information was required in order to finalize away team choices and mission strategies.

Sevryll entered the corridor and strode with purpose towards the Admiral's quarters on Deck one. Talbot was toweling his hair when the chime sounded, indicating there was someone outside his door.

[PepperDude]

Johnny Manrique enjoyed his dinner with the doctor. Now with a full stomach, he satisfyingly walked down the corridor toward the holodeck to meet Lt. Tain and Colonel Khev. He was a bit excited to hear about working on a training simulation for the upcoming mission. However, he also needed to know what information Tain had found about the Vulcan civilian aboard the ship. Manrique entered the holodeck but did not have time to greet the two officers as he was charged by a Romulan wielding a dagger aimed at the lieutenant's head. Manrique prepared himself to neutralize the Romulan. Just before the dagger reached Manrique's head, Manrique saw two pulses of light appear on the Romulan's body—one was the Romulan's wrist wielding the dagger the other was on his face. Manrique leaned forward, raised his left arm and struck and blocked the Romulan's wrist with his left forearm while simultaneously striking the Romulan's face stunning him. He then pushed the attacking arm to the Romulan's body and saw two more pulses on his adversary. This time Manrique was instructed to attack the abdomen and the groin. Manrique violently raised his knee connecting with the Romulan's abdomen twice while still holding his arm. He was then going to kick the Romulan's groin and proceed to the final step of disarming him. But suddenly his attacker disappeared.

"Hahahaha. Sorry Lieutenant—I think you were having a little too much fun!" exclaimed Lt. Tain as he exited the front entrance of a Romulan house along with Marine Colonel Khev.

"I was just getting started! What'd you that for? We're gonna have to talk about you having fun at my expense Tain."

"Actually, I told him to stop the simulation Lieutenant," said Colonel Khev. "I just wanted to show you a little bit of what we've been working on. It was a little amusing though."

"Since you put it that way sir, then I'll say that it's looking good so far. I like the Stymian training technique. It's a great idea."

"Yes, it is. It was Lt. Tain's idea. I want the three of us to work together on the ground training simulation for this mission lieutenant."

"Sounds good to me. As you can already see, Tain is an excellent fighter and trainer. So do we know how many people are going down to the planet? Who is going? How will they be armed?"

"No not yet. However, we should know that shortly from Captain Quinn and Commander Sevryll," answered Khev.

"I think they should be armed with phasers if the mission allows it," said Manrique.

"If not then they'll have a good time using their fists and feet won't they?" remarked Tain.

"Yes they will. And  I'm confident that we'll train them well. However, we need to affirm that fighting for their lives is what they will strive to avoid. So we need to teach them to stay invisible in a sense," said Khev.

"Somewhat like Recon Marines sir?" asked Lieutenant Manrique letting the the Marine Colonel know that he acknowledged the expertise and exploits of Reconnaissance Marines.

"Yes, similar to Recon Marines," said Khev as he stared at Manrique with a glint in his eye.

For a moment, it appeared to Manrique that Khev did not mean to mention Recon Marines but rather something or someone else. Then he finally remembered to ask Tain about the strange Vulcan. "I almost forgot; I need to ask Tain about a security matter before we continue. Tain, what did you find out about our mysterious Vulcan friend?"