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Dr Amber Fox
USS Kemo Sabay

Duty Log: SD9707.09

Amber trudged back to her quarters, her exhaustion keeping three steps
ahead of her the entire way. She stumbled in through the doorway, squinting
as the lights glared into her eyes.
She collapsed into the chair at her desk, laying her arms flat out in
front of her, and lowering her head to rest on them.
"Computer." Amber mumbled. "Open duty log."
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head up and leaned back in the
chair. "Today was a quiet day in sickbay. At the end of my shift, we
received a call about Lt Falken. He had been injured inside one of the JTs
and was unreachable by comm."
"Doctor Vendetta went after him and brought him to sickbay where we
treated him for the plasma burns."
She blinked, trying to remember what else happened that day. "Umm....
computer, close log."

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To: Captain Ultimo Hebein
From: Doctor ni Sil Xix S'Vannis ni Ryr
Re: Mission Brief issued 9707.08
Subj: FORMAL PROTEST

Captain,
Re: Assignment for Mission Team One in your brief dated 9707.08, to wit:
TEAM 1 WILL REPORT TO THE SURFACE AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR FRIEND TAV CUNANE
WILL BE GIVEN A PROPER BURIAL AS HE HAD ASKED. I hereby lodge formal protest
regarding this proposed action. Tav Cunane died defending us. His last
request was that his body be returned to *Bajor* for burial, as he had come
to realize that it was Bajor, not Romulus, that he truly felt was his home.
Honor demands that we fulfill his request. To use his corporeal remains
in the fashion you suggest both desecrates his memory and calls our integrity
into question. Doctor Fox gave him her word <pertinent section of her report
dated 9706.05 appended below> that his final wish would be carried out and
she notified you of it as well, sir.
As she was speaking as an officer under my authority and, ultimately,
your own, I intend to do my utmost to see that the promise she made be
fulfilled as I too am bound by it. If this most recent mission brief is an
example of the honor of the Federation, I hope I never am forced to rely upon
it myself.
Submitted this date 9707.09,
Dr. ni Sil Xix S'Vannis ni Ryr

Addendum: Section of report submitted by Fox, Dr. Amber, on SD9706.05:
"Please make note and forward this notice to Captain Ultimo Hebein: Tav
died in the line of duty, in front of your eyes and mine in an attempt to
overcome the intruders on the bridge. He made a dying wish that I intend to
see through, as I hope you will as well."
"Mr. Cunane asked me to see that his body be returned to Bajor, and laid
to rest where he belongs......."

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A Formal Protest: The Next Step
(Taken from a mini sim with Captain Hebein, Commander Habrandonda and
Doctor S'Vannis ni Ryr, written up by the Doctor.)


Having filed her official protest, Dr. S'Vannis ni Ryr has turned her
attention back to her patients and is working away in sick bay, oblivious to
the goings on in the Captain's ready room.

Trista looks at the Captain after reading the doctor's protest.
"All right," Ultimo sighs, "let's call her in."
Trista nods.
He raises his voice slightly to activate the comm system, "Ultimo to
Vendetta. Doctor, would you report to my ready room immediately?"
"At once, Captain." She replies, evincing no surprise. Turning, she
hands the report she is working on to Jal'thel who is standing beside her.
"Put that in my office, please, and advise Doctor Fox that I was called away
and may not be back in time for Ensign Porter's physical. She can do it, if
so."
Jal'thel nods, takes the PADD and walks away. Vendetta watches him for a
moment, pleased with his efficiency, and then heads out of sick bay. She
strides out the doors, down the corridor, onto the bridge and up to the door
of Ultimo's ready room. Ignoring the curious glances of the bridge crew, she
keys the chime.
"Come in."
Trista looks over as the doors open and Vendetta steps in. The Doctor
looks directly at Ultimo. "You wished to see me, sir?"
He glances at Trista and then back to the Vendetta as Commander
Habrandonda says, "Come in, Doctor."
"Yes," Ultimo adds, "We did. Concerning your formal protest here." He
taps the display on his console.
Vendetta moves further into the room and stands before the desk. "Yes,
sirs?"
"Please sit down, Doctor." Trista murmurs.
"Thank you, Commander." She sits gracefully.
Once she is seated, Trista continues, "Based on your protest, it would
seem you have some concerns about the disposition of Mr. Cunane's body."
The Doctor nods. "You interpret my motivation correctly, Commander."
Ultimo looks up, "There is a good chance that we will never make it back
to Bajor..." he begins, just as the Commander says, "I understand that it was
Mr Cunane's dying request to be returned to Bajor, but under the
circumstances, I don't see us ever being able to do that."
Looking from one to the other as they speak, Vendetta waits to see which
of them she should address first. Ultimo nods to Trista, deferring to her for
the moment. Seeing the motion and correctly interpreting it, the Doctor
focuses on Commander Habrandonda, "And why is that, sir?"
"We are headed away from Bajor, Doctor."
"I assume there is nothing wrong with the ships' maneuvering
thrusters...? Or the helm console?"
Vendetta's expression is inscrutable and her tone contains no inflection
that makes it clear whether she is serious or mocking. With a sharp look at
her, Trista ignores the query, saying instead, "Our resources are slim,
Doctor."
Agreeing, the Captain elaborates, "We don't have the time or the energy
to divert our course."
She shifts her attention to Ultimo. "We just acquired plenty of
dilithium, Captain, and what time constraint are we operating under?"
"The time constraint regarding the morale of the crew; the longer we
remain out here, the more their hope falters."
"If it's crew morale you are concerned about, Captain, this plan to
debase Mr. Cunane's memory will hardly improve it."
Trista shakes her head and steps in, "I realize that under normal
circumstances we'd do everything within our power to honor someone's last
request, but our circumstances are far from normal."
Vendetta nods. "I realize that, Commander. However, his request was not
unreasonable. Especially in view of his service to us."

<continued in next posting>

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A Formal Protest: The Next Step
(Taken from a mini sim with Captain Hebein, Commander Habrandonda and
Doctor S'Vannis ni Ryr, written up by the Doctor.)

<continued from previous post>

"You feel it reasonable to put this ship in jeopardy to return a dead
body to Bajor?" Trista says, disbelievingly, "We've made enemies there.
Returning there would hold a great deal of risk for all concerned. I'm not
prepared to do that at this time."
"We have made no enemies on the planet that are powerful enough to put
us in any real danger... and a simple covert mission to a less populated
area of the planet will fulfill his request admirably, with minimal risk, if
any, to us."
"At this point, any risk is too much."
"Yes, we've discussed it and we've decided not to do so." Ultimo adds.
"In that case, sirs," Vendetta continues relentlessly, "our pirate
contacts could probably be bargained with to undertake the mission for us.
Putting us at no risk whatsoever."
"You mean to deposit the body with them?"
"Not deposit it with them; make a deal with them to bury it on Bajor,
Captain," she clarifies.
"I'd trust the Romulan government to follow Mr. Cunane's request to
return to Bajor more than I'd trust those pirates," Trista says, "We can pass
along his last wishes to them."
Before she finishes speaking, Vendetta has already begun shaking her
head, "I wouldn't, Commander. Mr. Cunane was quite clear in stating on many
occasions that he and his people did not get along. That is why he was on
Bajor in the first place, if you will recall.
Pressing her momentary advantage, she adds smoothly, "Besides,
Commander, if it is risks you are worried about, this whole Romulan plan is
nothing but a risk."
Frowning, Ultimo objects, "A risk that might get us home."
"What point is there to returning home if our honor is not intact,
Captain?"
"Doctor, I currently am bound to honor my promise to what is left of the
crew and those who have died during this mission. I am afraid that promise
outweighs ours to Tav at this time."
"Sir, your reasoning is faulty."
~At this time?... You could have ended that better,~ Ultimo thinks to
himself. Aloud, he says, "Is it? So whenever I can risk more of my crew and
break my promise to them, their dead compatriots and Starfleet I should do
so? I'm starting to wonder if maybe your reasoning is less than realistic and
practical, Doctor."
Trista backs him up, "Right now our duty lies in saving the living."
Undeterred, Vendetta forges on, "Sirs, there is no reason to use Tav's
remains in this deplorable way. There are other ways we can approach the
Romulans."
"Such as?" Trista asks. "I'm willing to entertain other suggestions,
Doctor."
At her words, Ultimo's left eyebrow rises upward, seemingly of it's own
volition, and he eyes Trista a bit confusedly.
"Such as engine trouble... diplomatic mission... a resupply stop...
shore leave, even..." she shrugs, indicating how little it matters to her
which of the myriad excuses they use. "He is no returning hero to them that
his funeral will be such a big distraction. If anything, it would likely be
the reverse. They'd look at us and our motivations far more closely if we are
returning a dissident's remains to them."
"You mean you want to hold on to his body?" Ultimo rakes his hand
through his hair, exasperated. "And hope that we might happen to be back in
the area of Bajor?"
"I think it would be the more honorable course, as well as being less
likely to focus unwanted attention on us."

<continued in next posting>

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A Formal Protest: The Next Step
(Taken from a mini sim with Captain Hebein, Commander Habrandonda and
Doctor S'Vannis ni Ryr, written up by the Doctor.)

<continued from previous post>

"So you propose that we pull up to the planet, make a friendly hello and
hope that we can convince them to let us stay?" Trista stared at the Doctor,
wondering if she had thought this through. "If they say no, then we have
nothing to work with."
Adding an unexpected comic note to the interview, Ultimo appears to be
imitating a spectator at a tennis match, looking first to Trista and then to
Vendetta, waiting to see if she can make a successful return.
"As opposed to stopping by with a dead romulan that the government has
no reason to want back on the planet in any condition?" She asks wryly, "Yes,
infinitely so.
"And what sort of bargaining position," Vendetta continues mildly, "are
we in if they have reason to question our obviously close association with
him?"
Sounding lame even to his own ears, Ultimo offers, "They might see it as
some sort of peaceful offering."
"Captain, with all due respect, that's absurd."
Trista sighs, trying one more argument, "Doctor, if we find a way back
to our universe before we get back to Bajor would you suggest we bring his
body back with us?"
"There is a Bajor in our reality as well, Commander, so my answer is
yes."
Ultimo shakes his head, seeing that they don't appear to be resolving
anything.
"And, Commander, it is one thing to be unable to fulfill a promise;
quite another to willingly break it."
With a sarcastic edge to her voice, Commander Habrandonda responds, "Oh,
I'm sure that the Bajoran government would love for us to drop in with a
Romulan body to bury."
Attempting to break in as things seem on the verge of degenerating,
Ultimo says, "Well thank you for your insight on this, Doctor..."
Vendetta begins speaking at the same time he does, so they end up
talking through each other's sentences. "That is a very weak argument,
Commander. In matters of honor, you do not turn aside because the path is
difficult."
~She's worse than a klingon!~ Ultimo thinks, raising his voice to talk
over her, "Trista and I will discuss this again and come to a decision. You
are dismissed, Lieutenant."
Vendetta focuses in on the Captain. "As you will." Ultimo starts to
relax at her words, feeling a bit relieved. The feeling evaporates as she
stands and continues, "My protest is a matter of record."
Ultimo hops to his feet also, "Lieutenant, I said you are dismissed!"
Without further acknowledgement of him, Vendetta turns on her heel and
walks out.
Captain Hebein and Commander Habrandonda exchange glances. Ultimo just
shakes his head.

Complacently, Doctor S'Vannis ni Ryr retraces her steps: through the
doors, onto the bridge, back down the corridor and into sick bay. She nods to
the seemingly omnipresent Jal'thel. "You may advise Dr Fox that I will be
able to see Porter after all."

<TBC at the sim ;) >

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Lieutenant Commander T'Kala Jahanari
Chief Science Officer
USS Kemo Sabay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All In A Day's Work (Part 1)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[This series of logs takes place all within about the same 24-hour period.
But it will probably takes a week or so for the whole story to come out.
Just didn't want to confuse anyone on the timeline. :-) Joint log by
T'Kala and Alidar.]

-------------------------------------------------------

T'Kala sat in her office going over TE's reports about the data that was
retrieved from Romulus. She studied the compilations closely, noting the
frequency of a certain name.

Alidar stepped up to T'Kala's office door and rang the chime.

T’Kala glanced up as she heard the chime. “Come in!”

Alidar watched the doors open and stepped in through them, looking at T'Kala
as he did so. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

T’Kala noted with interest that his file had been correct, his eyes were
indeed different colors -- one a crystal blue and the other a crystal green.
“Yes, Lieutenant, please have a seat.”

Alidar walked over to the chair in front of her desk and sat down, wondering
just why he was called here.

“You're probably wondering why I called you here.” She glanced down at the
PADD in her hand.

Alidar wondered if she had just read his mind and turned his glance to the
PADD in her hands. “Actually.... I was...”

T’Kala smiled slightly and set down the PADD. “I want to talk to you about a
possible mission, Lieutenant... which will be strictly voluntary on your
part.”

Alidar nodded lightly, watching T'Kala, wondering just what this mission
would be. “Alright, sir.”

T’Kala leaned back and tried to size him up... wondering whether or not he
would go on the mission once she told him about it. “Let me start at the
beginning.....”

Alidar noticed her sizing him up, but stayed with his normal calm look on his
face while he listened for her to continue.

“As you know, our recent visit to Romulus was more than just a polite visit.
We were also there to gather information.”

Alidar nodded, knowing the mission the other team was sent to do.

“Well, that mission was extraordinarily successful. We were actually able to
collect 85 percent of the data on their computers. My assistant and I have
been working steadily ever since sorting through the data.”

“I'm glad to hear that it was such a success, sir.” He smiles lightly
again, waiting for the reason he was called.

T’Kala nodded. “We were able to find some information about an anamoly right
here in Romulan space. Not much, you understand.... just a veiled reference
here or there.”

Alidar leaned a little closer, interested in the thought of a possible way
home. “Ie.... and what of it?”

T’Kala saw his interest and was encouraged by it. “It seems the Romulans
have discovered a wormhole and they are hiding its location even from their
own allies.”

“Sounds like typical Rihannsu tactics......”

T’Kala thought she heard a tone of bitterness in his voice but decided now
would not be a good time to question him about it. “And that brings us to
the reason you are in this office, Lieutenant.”

Alidar thought he knew the reason by now, but decided to ask anyway. “Which
is, sir?”

“One person's name kept coming up again and again in connection with this
wormhole. It seems he is in charge of some top secret project in connection
with it. Recognize the name?” She handed him the PADD and watched for his
reaction.

Alidar took the PADD and raised his eyebrow. He looked up at her a bit
suprised. “Me?”

T’Kala nodded. “Yes, you. Well, technically not you... but the Alidar
tr'Jarok of this universe. Apparently your alter ego has managed to attain
some rank in the Rihannsu military.”

Alidar thought to himself that if he hadn’t left Romulus when he did, that he
probably would have achieved the same rank in his universe. “And just what
type of position does he have in their government... or do you know that?”

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T’Kala shook her head. “That's not clear... a lot of secrecy surrounds this
man. But he's our key to finding out about this wormhole.” She looked
directly into his eyes. “And that is why I called you in here. Do I need to
explain further?”

Alidar fully understood what she wanted him to do in this mission. “Na....
you don't..... but I was wondering... will I be doing this alone?”

T’Kala raised an eyebrow. “No, of course not. But I want you to understand
how dangerous this might be. If the Romulans catch you impersonating one of
their officers..... Well, you probably know better than I what will happen.
You are under no obligation to go, Lieutenant. As I said before, this
mission is strictly voluntary.”

Alidar nodded. “Ie.... it's not very pretty when they find a spy.... but if
this will help us to possibly get a way back home, then it is well worth the
risks that are involved in it. So.... I do accept the mission, sir.”

T’Kala stood up and grinned broadly. “Excellent! I was hoping you would say
that. I look forward to working with you.” She held out her hand.

Alidar rose up from his seat and smiled at her. “I look forward to working
with you, too, sir. He took her hand in his and shook it.

T’Kala leaned back against her desk and crossed her arms. “Take that PADD
and study it... there is a bio on your counterpart. His life was probably
close enough to yours, but there might be major differences you need to be
aware of.”

Alidar smiled lightly and nodded, putting the PADD down to his side. “I
will, sir... I shouldn't have too much trouble acting the same as him.”

“That's what I'm counting on. You'll need to replicate an appropriate
uniform of course... and whatever else you think you might need. You're the
expert here, Alidar. I'll meet you here at 0800 tomorrow morning. We'll go
to his office and see what we can find.”

Alidar thought about being in a Rihannsu uniform again. “Ie, sir.... I shall
be ready well before then.” He smiled. “If that is all, sir.... I think I
should go get started.”

“Yes, of course. You're dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir.” He paused for a couple seconds just to watch her, then
turned around and walked out of her office.

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Trista walked off the TL and headed for Ultimo's Ready Room. The shuttle she
had ordered was ready and the mission team was assembling for their scheduled
departure in 15 minutes. Trista wanted to make sure Ultimo understood her
plan before they left.

The Ready Room door slid open, responding to the signal from Ultimo inside
and Trista walked into the room. The captain watched his XO enter and sat
back in his chair, running a hand through his hair absently. Trista walked
up to his desk and stopped. "Sir, we'll be departing shortly. I'm taking
three other officers with me; Dr. Vendetta, Falken, and a Lieutenant from
security. The science dept has linked their computers with the Potemkin's
and is working on that wormhole. T'Kala will keep you
informed of any breakthroughs. As long as we're here, we might as well
check for any other possible exits that are out of sensor range. We'll check
in every 15 minutes with a signal just to let you know we're okay. If we run
across anything interesting, we'll let you know about that as well."

Trista waited for an acknowledgement from Ultimo, who appeared to be lost in
thought. "Sir, did you hear what I said?"

Ultimo looked up. "Yes, of course. Make sure you let OPS know to be
expecting your signal. We'll see you back this evening. Good luck,
Commander."

Trista and nodded and turned to walk out of the room. She was looking
forward to this little bit of exploring. It seemed as though her
administrative duties had been keeping her from doing anything in the science
labs. This shuttle mission would be a nice diversion.

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Trista left her office and made her way to the shuttle bay. She entered the
turbolift and called out her destination. “Shuttlebay.”

T’Kala walked around the shuttle she had prepared for the mission to Romulus.
She had arrived there a little early in order to do a last minute check of
the systems and a small modification. She tugged at her unfamiliar Rihannsu
(Romulan) uniform and then picked up some supplies and placed them in the
shuttle.

Alidar stepped out of his quarters, wearing a Rihannsu uniform. He also
entered a turbolift and announced his destination. “Shuttlebay.”

Trista exited her turbolift and walked down the corridor. She entered the
shuttlebay and walked over to T’Kala. “Are we ready?”

T’Kala looked up and saw the XO. She nodded. “Yes, sir, as soon as
Lieutenant Alidar gets here.”

As if summoned by T’Kala’s words, Alidar stepped out of the turbolift and
walked into the shuttlebay.

T’Kala saw him enter. “Ah, here he is now!”

Trista turned and looked at Alidar. She smiled. “Perfect timing,
Lieutenant.”

Alidar smiled back. “Thank you, sir.” He adjusted his uniform, getting used
to wearing it again.

T’Kala glanced at Trista's Federation uniform. “I would suggest a change,
Commander....”

Trista nodded. “I'll be changing.”

“Of course... “ T’Kala suddenly remembered Trista's ability to morph. ~~I
always forget about that.~~

Trista looked at the two other officers. “Well, since we're all ready, let's
do it!”

T’Kala glanced at Alidar. “You take the helm, Lieutenant.”

Trista walked into the shuttle. She settled herself down in a seat and got
comfortable.

Alidar nodded to T'Kala. “Ie, sir.”

T’Kala jumped into the shuttle and sat down in the co-pilot's seat.

Alidar stepped into the shuttle and moved to the pilot's seat. He sat down
and started up the shuttle's power systems.

T’Kala pushed a button on the comm system. “Shuttle to bridge. We're ready
to launch.”

A bridge officer responded. “You’re cleared for launching. Good luck,
Commander.” The shuttle bay doors started to open immediately and T’Kala
nodded to Alidar to go ahead and take off.

Alidar waited for the doors to open fully, started up the engines and took
the shuttle out into space. He glanced at T'Kala. “How do you plan on
getting us down to the planet undetected?”

T’Kala leaned over and pushed a button on the panel. “This will emit a
Romulan signal... they will think we're one of their own shuttles.”

Alidar smiled and nodded. “That should work.” He plotted a course to
Romulus.

T’Kala turned to Alidar. “You'll have to get the landing clearance
though....”

Alidar piloted the shuttle towards Romulus. “Ie, sir... I know...”

During the short ride to the planet, Alidar tried to remember all his
Rihannsu. Trista picked up a PADD and reviewed the recorded information that
T’Kala and Jack had obtained from Romulus. T’Kala monitored the scans,
looking for signs of any nearby ships.

As Alidar brought the shuttle close to Romulus, he glanced over at T’Kala.
“They should be detecting us any moment now. Let’s hope that signal of yours
works.”

“It should work if that information we obtained from the base was any good.”

Alidar nodded and looked back through the viewport of the shuttle.

Trista looked up, glad that the others had everything under control.

T’Kala glanced at the console. “We're being scanned.... I think we've been
spotted.”

Almost immediately a deep male voice spoke to them in Romulan. “This is
ch'Rihan flight control. Please identify yourself.”

Alidar looked up from his console and whispered. “Let’s see if I remember my
Rihannsu...”

T’Kala looked at him anxiously as he hesitated. Trista whispered. “Hurry
up, Lieutenant...they're going to get suspicious!”

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Alidar tapped the comm button and answered in Romulan. “Ch'Rihan, this is
Daise'Erei'riov (Commander) Alidar tr'Jarok.... requesting permission to land
at the Haakona military base.” Alidar waited for the reply, hoping he had
said everything right.

The Romulan’s tone of voice became more respectful. “Daise'Erei’riov
tr'Jarok..... of course, sir. I just need your landing code.”

Trista whispered. “Lieutenant, if you were making a code, what would it be?
Trust your instincts.”

T’Kala’s mouth went dry as the seconds ticked by while Alidar tried to think
of the landing code.

The Romulan asked again. “Sir, your landing code?”

Trista waited for what felt like an eternity and finally Alidar responded.

“Ie, of course, my landing code is Jol (love).”

The three officers waited in tense silence for the reply as the Romulan
checked his computer. “Ie, sir. You are cleared for landing. Transmitting
authorization codes now.”

“Hann'yyo (thank you).” Alidar cut the transmission and everyone in the
shuttle breathed a sigh of relief seemingly at the same time. T’Kala smiled
at Alidar. “Great job, Lieutenant! All right.... we're past the first
hurdle.”

Trista got up and walked to the back of the shuttle. She morphed into a
Romulan. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and then came back up to
the front of the shuttle.

Alidar brought the shuttle into the atmosphere of Romulus. He concentrated on
landing the shuttle, bringing it to rest on the landing pad.

T’Kala waited for Alidar to land the shuttle and then glanced back at Trista.
“Umm... Trista....”

Trista looked up, wondering what was wrong. “What?”

“You forgot to make the left ear pointed.” She tried not to laugh.

Trista reached up and touched her ear.

Alidar powered down the shuttle and glanced back at Trista, chuckling
lightly.

Trista blushed slightly. “Ooops....” She quickly fixed the ear.

“That's the most important part, you know!” T’Kala winked.

Alidar grinned at at T'Kala as he rose from his seat.

T’Kala grew serious again and looked at Alidar. “Wait a minute, Lieutenant.
You got us past flight control and that was great. But now you have a bigger
challenge.”

Alidar nodded lightly, waiting for her to continue.

“You have to convince these people that you are Daise'Erei'riov Alidar
tr'Jarok. Remember..... you are a Commander... in the Rihannsu fleet.”

~~Now we'll see if I studied my notes well enough.~~ “Ie, sir... I
remember.”

“Act like it. No hesitations. You don't make requests... you give orders.
And you expect those orders to be obeyed.”

Trista nodded. “Excellent advice, Commander.”

Alidar wondered if that meant he could start giving orders now, but decided
against it.

T’Kala looked at Trista. “We need a reason for the two of us to be here.”
She looked down at her uniform. “I'm dressed as an Enarrain -- a Commander
in the infantry.”

Alidar nodded approvingly. “The Galae has more power than the infantry
does... so your rank should fit.”

T’Kala looked appraisingly at Trista's uniform and Trista did the same thing.
“Trista, you should change that rank insignia to this.” She pointed to her
own uniform.

Trista nodded and changed the rank as T’Kala had suggested.

T’Kala responded to Alidar’s comment. “Exactly.... if anyone asks, we're
consultants from the infantry planning some top secret project with you.
Need to know basis.... I doubt anyone will ask much more than that. They
are probably used to the Commander having secret meetings.”

Alidar nodded. “I understand, sir.”

T’Kala looked at Alidar and Trista. “Ready?”

Trista nodded again and walked over to the door.

Alidar answered crisply. “Ie, sir.”

T’Kala grinned at Trista. “Oh, by the way, you're my aide. So you open the
door.”

Alidar followed Trista to the door and chuckled lightly at T'Kala's words.

Trista pushed a button and then stood aside. “Yes ma'am!” She chuckled.
“Just don't lose yourself in the part, Commander!

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T’Kala tried to stifle a laugh as she walked out the shuttle door.

Alidar stepped out of the shuttle and couldn't help but laugh a little as he
passed by Trista.

Trista walked off the shuttle last and followed behind the other two.

T’Kala approached the gate of the compound and hoped it wasn’t guarded by the
same man she had taken out of commission yesterday.

Alidar glanced at T'Kala and spoke to her quietly. “You had better follow
me... or it might look suspicious.”

T’Kala slowed down and got behind Alidar. “Of course... sorry.”

“Just want everything to go smoothly.” Alidar smiled lightly and stopped at
the gate.

A guard stepped out of the guardhouse. “Halt and be recognized!”

Trista stopped and watched, trying to look important.

T’Kala stopped and tried to look nonchalant.

Alidar looked at the guard and answered him disgustedly. “You should know
who I am, so let us pass.”

The guard looked surprised. “Daise'Erei'riov! Back already?” He looked
confused. “But I thought you were going to be gone for awhile, sir?”

“I should not have to explain why I have come back early, now should I?”

The guard looked at Alidar nervously. “Na... of course not. It was just
that I was surprised....”

Alidar nodded sternly, not really paying attention to him. “Now open the
gate!”

T’Kala looked casually at her fingernails and then impatiently at the guard.
She raised an eyebrow. “Really, Alidar.... my troops are much better trained
than this!”

“Ie.... I saw.... maybe we should give this one to the fvaiin (dogs)."

T’Kala grinned and looked the guard up and down. “Not a bad idea!”

The guard hurriedly opened the gate.

Alidar grinned and looked back to the guard. “Took you long enough! Don't
let it happen again!”

“Ie, sir... I mean.. na, sir!”

Alidar began to walk through the gate as the guard saluted and waited for
them all to pass through. T’Kala walked in without looking at the guard
again and Trista scowled at the guard as she walked by.

Once they were well past the guard, T’Kala whispered to Alidar. “At least we
know that the Commander is not here!”

Alidar whispered back. “Ie... so we won't get caught having him still here.”

T’Kala looked around, noticing guards everywhere... probably as a result of
their break-in the day before. “Where do you suppose his office is?”

Alidar walked down the large hall of the base. “I have no idea.... did we
get any plans for this base when we accessed their computers?”

“Sure... but the plans don't say where the office is!”

“Can I see them.... I could probably pick out the room they are in.”

“We can't stand here and look lost! It would raise suspicions.”

Trista had an idea. She saw a young officer approaching and picked up a
large heavy statue. As the officer neared her, Trista stopped him. “You!”

T’Kala turned to see what Trista was doing. Alidar glanced at Trista,
wondering what she was up to.

Trista watched the young officer. “Stop! Commander Alidar has decided to
have this moved to his office!” She handed him the statue. “Move!” Trista
watched the young officer start off down the hall.

Trista turned to point the way. “Your office awaits, sir.”

Alidar smiled to himself at her idea, stiffling a laugh at the poor officer.
He nodded to Trista. “Very good.” He followed after the young officer.

T’Kala leaned over and whispered to Trista. “I guess that's why they pay you
the big bucks, huh?” She followed quickly after Alidar. Trista followed
behind the others, watching the young officer struggling with the statue.

Alidar started to catch up with the officer because he was moving so slow.
“Hurry up! What is taking you so long? I've seen kllhe (worms) move faster
than you! Now get a move on!” Alidar wondered how much farther down the hall
"his" office was.

T’Kala thought the young lieutenant was starting to enjoy his role and
glanced with amusement at Trista. Trista winked at T'Kala.

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Trista watched the young Romulan officer approach a door and stop. She
nodded. “Put it down over there!”

Alidar watched the officer stop. ~~I guess this is it.~~

Trista watched him set it down and then shook her head. “No...a little more
to the left!”

Alidar held in another laugh at Trista's orders.

Trista nodded her head in satisfaction. “That is all, you are dismissed!”
Trista waited until the officer had disappeared back down the hallway and
then looked at the door. Alidar walked over and stood next to her. She
glanced over at him. “Alidar...it has a retinal scan lock.”

“Should be easy to get by then if Commander Alidar and I are the same
person.”

“We're about to find out! Go ahead.”

T’Kala watched Alidar move up to the retinal scanner. He looked at it for a
moment. “Here goes nothing.” He leaned over and moved his head down to it,
placing his eyes over the scanner. There was a brief humming sound and then
Alidar pulled his head back from the scanner. He smiled as the door opened.
“Told you it would be easy.

Trista watched the door slide open and then gestured for the “Commander” to
enter his office. The three of them entered a very spacious, although a bit
spartan, office. One wall held a display of weapons and there was a display
shelf on another wall with some items on it. Trista watched the door slide
shut behind her. “Okay...let's see what we can find before the real
Commander Alidar decides to return. T’Kala, see if you can access anything
on his computer.”

“Right away.” T’Kala walked quickly over to the computer, turned on the
monitor and started looking through the information that was displayed there.
She looked surprised. “It didn’t even ask me for an access code.”

Alidar walked over to the desk and looked over it. “Well... I guess I'll
start searching the desk.” He walked over to the chair behind the desk and
sat down. “Hmm... very nice.”

Trista glanced over at Alidar. “Don't get too comfortable, Lieutenant.
We're not staying long.” She walked over to the shelf which had various
objects displayed on it.

Alidar slid the chair up closer to the desk and began to look over the
various PADDs on it. He glanced at Trista and smiled, then went back to
looking over the PADDs.

T’Kala glanced quickly through a couple of screens of information on the
computer. “This is just general orders and stuff.... nothing classified
here.”

Alidar went through a set of PADDs. “Nothing in here except for schedules.”

“Anything in the drawers of the desk?”

“Let me take a look.” He slid open one of the drawers.

Trista picked one of the objects up to look at it. “What an interesting
artifact. This looks like it should belong in a museum, but it’s in perfect
condition. I wonder where he got it. I know I've seen one of these before
in an exhibit, but it looked much older than this.”

T’Kala looked at the object in Trista's hands. “That's odd.... it looks
Vulcan.”

Alidar glanced over at Trista to see what she had. He finished searching one
drawer and went on to the next one.

T’Kala walked over and looked at the object closer.

Trista showed it to her. “This one looks like it could have been made last
year! Very curious.”

T’Kala nodded. “Yes.. that's an astronomical instrument.... the ancient
Vulcans used them to pinpoint their location by the stars about 2,000 years
ago. But, you're right, that one looks brand new.” She shrugged her
shoulders.

Alidar finished with the other drawer and looked up at Trista and T'Kala.
“Nothing in the drawers either.”

Trista looked at T'Kala. “He must have had this one replicated.” She laid
the instrument back onto the shelf and walked over to the desk.

T’Kala looked around frustrated. “We can't have come this far just to come
up empty handed!” She walked back to Alidar. “All right... think.... if you
wanted to hide something important to you, where would you hide it?”

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Alidar looked up at T'Kala. “Probably in a safe... or a hidden compartment
or something like that. The Rihannsu are a suspicious people. They don’t
even trust each other.”

Trista looked around the room for artwork on the walls.

T’Kala snapped her fingers. “Of course!” She looked around. “Maybe behind
a wall or in the floor?”

Alidar nodded. “Exactly.”

She frowned. But we don't have enough time to search behind every panel in
this room!” She glanced at Trista. “Can you morph into something and look
behind the walls?” Alidar glanced over at Trista as she nodded. “I was just
about to do that.”

T’Kala watched Trista morph into a gelatinous creature and seep through one
of the panels in a wall. She looked at Alidar. “Amazing how she does
that....”

Alidar nodded to T'Kala. “Ie... it is.... but I don't want to know what she
morphed into that time.”

“Me either.” She walked over to the shelf and noticed more Vulcan artifacts.
“This just doesn't make sense. Why would Alidar keep replicated Vulcan
artifacts in his office?”

Alidar rose from the comfy chair and walked over to T'Kala to look at the
artifacts. “I have na idea... maybe he just wanted to study them.”

“You have any interest in ancient Vulcan history?”

“Na a great interest like it seems this Alidar has.”

“Strange that your alter ego does then.....”

Behind the wall of the office, Trista worked her way along and then suddenly
reached a room. She morphed back into a humanoid to look around. “Well,
isn't this interesting.” She turned back to the wall and looked for a
control panel which she figured would be visible from this side. She found a
keypad. “Oh great....” She tapped on the wall. “Uh.... can you hear me?”

T’Kala and Alidar heard the tapping and Trista's question. “We can hear
you!”

“There is a keypad on this side. It has Romulan numerals on it. What would
the code be?”

T’Kala looked at Alidar. “Any ideas?”

Alidar knew she was going to ask him and tried to think of something.

T’Kala tried to be helpful. “What's your birthday in numerals?”

“7004.25”

T’Kala called out loudly to Trista. “Try 7-0-0-4-2-5.”

Trista pressed the buttons hoping that she remembered the symbols correctly.
Nothing happened. “Well, either I'm not doing this correctly or the code is
something else.”

T’Kala turned to Alidar. “What else could it be? Some important date.....
or an important number.... something you wouldn't forget?” She looked around
the room, trying to get an idea.

Alidar tried to think of another code, something that would be important to
him.

Trista decided to look further into the room while waiting. She walked over
to a computer console and accessed it. She looked unhappily at the computer,
wishing she could understand Romulan. She wondered what was taking them so
long and walked back to the wall. She tapped on it again. “Have you come up
with anything yet?”

Alidar thought of something. “Maybe the year the.... experiments... began on
me...”

T’Kala looked at him curiously. “Experiments?” She decided to ask him
about that later. “Never mind... what was the date?”

“I would guess the year.... possibly 2383.”

T’Kala called out to Trista. “Try 2-3-8-3.”

Trista keyed in the numerals 2, 3, 8 and 3 and waited. “Nothing is
happening.”

T’Kala looked at Alidar. “How about the year these..... experiments ended...
wouldn't that be a better date? More memorable?”

Alidar nodded. “Ie... that may be it. He called to Trista. “Try 2-3-8-7.”

“Okay.” She pressed the keypad once more

Alidar glanced at T'Kala. “And they never ended.... I had to escape from
them.”

T’Kala gazed back at him and whispered. “You'll have to tell me about it
sometime.”

Alidar sighed quietly. “Maybe someday....”

Trista stepped back as the panel slid to the side. T’Kala turned in surprise
as the panel opened. “Ah... third time's the charm!”

Trista stood there smiling. “That was a very good year, Lieutenant!”

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Alidar looks back to the panel as it opened. “About time.” He smiled at
Trista.

T’Kala walked into the small room with Alidar close behind. The lights
automatically turned on as they entered.

Trista motioned to the others. “There is another computer in here. Try it
out, Alidar.”

Alidar nodded and walked over to the computer to try to access it. Without
any trouble at all, he quickly brought up a set of secret plans and began to
scan them.

T’Kala noticed a chart on the wall and walked over to it. “This is a star
chart.” She pushed a button on the wall next to the chart. “Look at this.
It looks like the location of the wormhole!”

Trista stepped over to look at the chart to take a closer look. “And not far
from here either.”

Alidar arched an eyebrow as one of the plans caught his eye. “Sirs... I
think I know why he has all those Vulcan artifacts out there...”

Trista and T’Kala both turned to look at Alidar. “Really? Why?”

Alidar brought it up fully onto the screen. “It seems a wormhole was
definitely found near here...”

Trista nodded, hoping they had found a way to return the Kemo to the universe
where she belonged. “Go on...”

Alidar sighed. “But this particular wormhole is not a spatial anamoly, sir.
It’s a temporal one -- it won’t get us home, Commander, I’m sorry.”

Trista’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “I see... A temporal anomoly
you say? That could be a dangerous thing in the hands of the Romulans. How
long have they known about this, can you tell?”

‘Yes, sir. It looks like they’ve known for a couple of weeks at least.” He
continued to read the information on the screen in front of him. “It seems
this wormhole is a portal to the past.”

Trista looked astonished. “Back in time?”

“I'd guess about 2,000 years into the past.... judging by those artifacts out
there. They must be the real thing after all.” T’Kala leaned over Alidar’s
shoulder and looked at the screen. “It says here that the Commander has been
working on a top secret plan to use the wormhole somehow. Its code name is
Project S’task.”

Trista peered at the unfamiliar Romulan letters. “What is the project? If
the Romulans are planning something, it won’t be good.”

T’Kala tried to figure out why the name S'task sounded so familiar. She
shook her head. “It doesn’t give any details. It just says that the project
takes place on the planet Vulcan two centuries ago.”

Trista tried to remember her Federation history classes. “2,000 years....”

Alidar searched his memory as well. “2,000 years ago.... what important
thing happened back then on Vulcan...?”

A sudden memory flashed in T’Kala’s mind of a trip her father had taken her
on when she was young. They had visited a memorial to the Vulcan leader
responsible for the founding of the Vulcan belief in logic. His teachings
had allowed the warring factions to finally settle their differences and
brought peace to the planet. She looked at the others. “Of course!
Surak..... that's the timeframe when Surak was alive. I don’t remember the
exact year... but it was about 2,000 years ago.”

Alidar nodded. “Ie... now I remember....”

Trista frowned. “That could be significant. Do you realize the danger if
the Romulans have decided to go back 2,000 years and change the past somehow?

Alidar glanced at Trista. “Too much danger, sir... “

T’Kala started to get worried. “See if you can find out anything else,
Alidar. What exactly is the Commander planning to do?

He looked back to the computer screen, tapping on the keys, searching for the
information they needed.

T’Kala looked at Trista. “If the Romulans go back in time before the Vulcans
had warp drive, they could easily take over the whole planet.”

Trista nodded. “Most of the planets in this quadrant were still fairly
barbaric. Humans hadn't even mastered sailing vessels for their oceans.”

T’Kala shook her head. “No wonder this is being kept secret from their
allies!”

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Alidar looked over the screen again and arched his eyebrow more. "I’ve found
something and you're not going to like this at all.”

Trista thought that there hadn't been much that she had liked on this
mission.

T’Kala leaned over. “What is it?”

Alidar pointed out something on the screen. “Project S'task is a plot to
kill Surak.”

T’Kala blanched visibly. “What?!”

Trista leaned against a wall to think. ~~I never did like temporal
mechanics.~~

T’Kala looked puzzled. “Why would they want to kill Surak?”

Alidar turned to looked at T’Kala. “Think about your Vulcan/Romulan history.
Why did the Romulans leave Vulcan in the first place? Surak taught that
logic must prevail over all emotion -- only then could the people stop the
endless cycle of killing and revenge.”

T’Kala nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Trista listened fascinated.

Alidar continued. “The movement caught on quickly. But there were some who
did not want to let go of their emotions. These people objected to the new
way of life and revolted against the new government. This rebel group was
led by a man named S’task -- a student of Surak's. He went against Surak’s
teachings and eventually those who followed S’task left Vulcan and colonized
the two planets -- which we know today as Romulus and Remus.”

T’Kala nodded. “So if Surak is killed, then the Vulcans as a separate race
will never exist. The Romulans will remain on Vulcan. But I still don’t see
how that will help the Romulans.”

Alidar continued to search through the information and then frowned. “The
Romulans don’t know about this project either -- at least not the real
project.”

Trista raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

Alidar pointed to the screen. “Commander Alidar told the Rihannsu high
command that the wormhole is too small to get a ship through and too unstable
for safe travel. That much is apparently true. The project was considered a
failure and Alidar’s superiors ordered him to monitor the wormhole until its
collapse. What Alidar failed to report to them was that he had successfully
navigated through the wormhole in a small shuttle. That must be when he
retrieved those artifacts we saw in his office.”
Alidar turned to look at T’Kala and Trista. “And now I know where
Commander Alidar went. He's gone back through the wormhole to kill Surak
himself.”

T’Kala shook her head. “That’s crazy! Why would he do that if he is acting
on his own?”

Alidar glanced back at the monitor. “According to this, the Commander
believes that if he returns and kills Surak, then the teachings of logic will
never exist.... the Vulcans will never exist. He plans to then use his
knowledge of warp engines and phaser technology to eventually conquer the
entire planet.”

T’Kala leaned against the wall and shut her eyes. “It just might work.
Without logic to bring them together, the warring factions on Vulcan would be
easy to conquer -- one by one.”

Alidar nodded, his face serious. “Exactly. Alidar would set himself up as
their leader. And once he had the planet, I’m sure he wouldn’t stop there.”

Trista turned to T’Kala. “If the Commander succeeds with his plan while we
are in this universe, just how much will this affect us?”

“If Commander Alidar succeeds, then there will be nothing to stop him from
taking over this entire quadrant. There won’t be any Alliance... it will all
be the Romulan Empire.”

Alidar shook his head and frowned. “We need to beat him to the wormhole
before he can get through it.”

Trista frowned. “But this is not our universe. The Prime Directive is still
in effect here.”

T’Kala looked shocked at Trista’s retinence. “Does that matter? This is
wrong.... he is plotting to change history!”

Trista nodded. “This is wrong.” She looked from one officer to the other.
“You realize that interfering with this plan could be construed as breaking
the Prime Directive?”

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Alidar stood up and faced Trista. “And not interfering it could change
history as we know it.”

Trista looked calmly at him. “I'm well aware of that fact, Lieutenant.”

T’Kala interjected. “The Prime Directive doesn't apply here, Commander. It
was set up for non-interference in the natural order of things.” She pointed
to the computer. “This is not the natural order....”

Trista interrupted her. “It may be for this universe.”

T’Kala shook her head. “I just don't believe that.”

Alidar glanced back and forth between the two. He then pulled out a
carefully hidden tricorder and downloaded some information from the computer.

Trista looked eye to eye with T'Kala. “I can't order you to stop this.

T’Kala evenly returned her gaze. “But will you stop me from going?”

Trista paused and then slowly shook her head. “I will not stop you from
going. But as far as the record will show...this never happened. For the
record, you're going to investigate a possible wormhole in the vicinity.
Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I understand, sir. Someone will have to notify the Kemo where I've gone.”

Trista nodded. “I will.”

Alidar tapped a few commands on the tricorder and closed it, putting it back
in its hidden spot. He looked at T'Kala, then Trista. “Sir.... I request to
accompany T'Kala on this mission.”

T’Kala looked at Alidar. “Lieutenant, that isn't necessary.”

Trista glanced at T'Kala. “You can't do this alone.” She looked back at
Alidar. “Permission granted.”

Alidar nodded to Trista. “Thank you, sir.” He looked to T'Kala. “I feel
it my duty to help, sir.”

T’Kala hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “All right.... I could use the
help. And the fact that you look like the Commander might give us an edge.”

Trista looked at the computer and then back to Alidar. “Do we have all the
information we need recorded?”

Alidar patted the spot in his uniform where he had hidden the tricorder.
“Ie, sir, we do.”

“All right. Then I’ll return in the shuttle and report this to the Captain.
I’ll explain that you are going to investigate this possible wormhole.”

T’Kala turned to Alidar. “You'll need to order us another shuttle, Alidar,
and we'll try to catch Commander Alidar before he enters the wormhole.”

Trista looked at them both. “If you are successful, no one will ever know
the difference. If you're not....well, I hate to think of the implications.”

T’Kala looked determined. “We'll stop him.”

Alidar glanced at T'Kala and smiled. “Ie... we will. We better hurry
though... he already has a head start.” He quickly turned off the computer
and they all left the office.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Captain Ultimo sat at his Ready Room desk reading over the mission reports
from the senior officers. He glanced at the death certificate of Ltn Bishop
and ran a hand through his hair. Setting the PADD down he got up and walked
over to the view port and glanced out at the planet that had caused such
problems for his ship. Despite nothing unusual being detected on the planet,
he retained a gut feeling that there was more to this planet than me the eye.
It was just too much of a coincidence that both
the Klingons and Romulans happened to be hanging around this same planet;
not to mention how insistent the Romulans were about not having them take an
away team down to investigate. Despite the Romulan's statement that they
were leaving, Ultimo had no doubt that they were somewhere out there, close
by watching to see what the Kemo's next move would be.

Ultimo turned and began walking towards the bridge when he was contacted from
the bridge. "Sir, we are receiving a message from the Romulan ship." He
nodded absently to himself and smiled feeling a sense of satisfaction in
being able to read these Romulans so well. He walked back to his desk and
sat down. "Pipe the message through to me here, Lt." Ultimo watched the
small screen in front of him, putting on his best poker face, and waited for
the Romulan to appear.

The face of a Romulan Subcommander appeared on the screen and stared cold
eyed at Ultimo. "Captain Hebein, I think it is time for us to talk face to
face. You and your First Officer will beam over to my ship."

Ultimo leaned forward slightly. "Well, I appreciate the invitation, but my
XO and I are busy at the moment. I think we'll pass this time, perhaps the
next time we're passing through the neighborhood."

The Romulan took a step forward. "I don't think you understand me, Captain."

The Sub Commander nodded to someone offscreen, and within seconds a hail came
from through from the Kemo's bridge. "Captain, three Romulan warships have
just decloaked."

Ultimo stared at the Romulan on the screen. "Understood, Lt. Stand by." He
paused. "Well, maybe I will take you up on that offer after all. But I'm
coming alone."

"No Captain. The invitation is extended to both of you. Surely you can
understand that I want you both to hear what I have to say at the same time.
I want no misunderstandings. We'll be awaiting your arrival in 10 of your
minutes." The image of the Romulan disappeared from the screen and Ultimo
was left to consider his next move.

+Tap+ "Ultimo to Trista. Commander, please come to my Ready Room."

Ultimo walked back to the viewport and stared at the Romulan ships that only
minutes before were hidden from view. He waited silently for Trista to
arrive. He turned at the doorchime sounded. "Come in."

Trista walked into the Ready Room and noticed Ultimo standing by the
viewport, his arms crossed in front of him. He nodded out the viewport.
"We've been invited for a visit."

Trista walked further into the room. "Indeed. And what was your reply to
them?"

"They haven't left us much choice. We are out manned and out gunned and I
don't think we are in a position to say no. They want us to beam over
together. I suggested that I come alone, but they wouldn't accept that
either."

Trista furrowed her forehead. "I don't like this Sir. For the two command
officers aboard the ship to both beam over to an enemy vessel is not exactly
protocol."

"It's not necessary for you to quote protocols to me, Commander. I'm well
aware of them. But if they had wanted to just destroy us, they could have
done it already. They want something more, and perhaps we can turn this
around to our favor." He glanced at his chronometer. "We beam down in 5
minutes. Dismissed."

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

Intership Memo
To: Captain Ultimo Hebein
cc: Commander Habrondona, Doctor Vendetta
From: Doctor Amber Fox
Re: Crew Counselor

Captain, it is due to unfortunate circumstances that I bring to your
attention the lack of appropriate personnel on board. That personnel is a
counselor. In our recent predicament involving individual crewmembers
including the entire command crew, it is my professional opinion that a
counselor should be appointed.

I believe it is vital for several reasons, the first of which being the fact
that we are stranded in this universe. Many officers have gone through bouts
of depression because of this. I've seen numerous physical manifestations of
their mindset. It would do them good to have a counselor to deal with the
problem.

The fact that we are losing crew members little by little is taking a toll.
The crew is shrinking through accidents and other unfortunate occurances.
There is fear of this going around that can, will, and has affected work
performance. A counselor could successfully deal with this, and boost
morale.

I formally request the position of ship's counselor in addition to my duties
as Assistant Medical Officer. My position allows me to observe those who are
most likely to require counseling: those officers who have been injured in
the line of duty, or those who are close to the injured officers. Also, I am
one of the few telepathic individuals on board, therefore, I have the ability
to serve as a more effective counselor. You should also be aware that
counseling was one of my two minors at the academy.

I urge you to look over this request as soon as possible. This ship needs a
boost in mental health. The sooner this happens, the better.

~Dr. Amber Fox~

[Return to Archives | Return to Listing ]

...Swish. The two gray steel doors close behind a giant figure. Quietly he
just listens to the quite of the room which are his quarters. After a moment
he steps over to a chair that sits next to a computer console.

"Computer," in a harsh voice he commands, "music selection; Earth, late 20th
century, metal band - Slaughter. Random selection."

With a somewhat annoying chirp the computer plays the music over the hidden
speakers. With a sigh, he slumps into the chair. With a quick dance of his
fingers over the computer console the lights dim and an eerie red glow
engulfs the room.

"Log entry", he begins, "StarDate 9709.15 At that point he pauses, as to try
to figure the right words to use. His fingers tap his top part of his mouth.
The touch reminded him of his scare over his eye that was earned in his vIHay
or Truth duel when he was accused of cheating the test of the betleH (Sword
of Honor) .

******

The room was dark, only the sound of his breath could he hear, and yet with a
sixth sense and the blood of Kahless which flows through his vains alerted
his to sudden danger. Quickly he ducked. A frustrated cry escaped into the
darkness as the sharp song of a blade played over his head.

"Not fast enough qoreQ (Korax). You fight like a ferange!" chonnaQ yelled as
he swung in counter strike.

With a sickening wet thud the blade found it's mark in qoreQ leg. With
extreme effort qoreQ didn't yell out.

"You strike like human!" qoreQ managed to reply. With that he fell to his
knees, and with only a short pause face first into the floor. The lights
flash on and the blood body of qoreQ lies at the feet of chonnaQ, with a
dagger in his the base of his skull.....

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As the day began, i decided to familerize myself with my suroundings and
security stations on the ship. I started with the brig. I looked at the
control panel, the cells, and other parts. Sumhow, i managed to have myself
locked in one of the brigs (note to self: no bottons until a tour is given).
I called 1Lt Tomalak to come to the brig. He let me out and i went to see
Marcus. we talked the rest of the sim, mostly about what i would do with my
claws.
i decided i would sleep on the floor to avoid any mishaps with the padded
beds. As for climing the walls, i have no idea how to be able to get around
this. I hope the rest of the crew dosen't mind my extending and retracting my
claws. I get nervous, itchy, and cramped if I don't. After that, Marcus was
called for processing. from there i went back to my quarters for ome rest.

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New Responsibilities
Log by Trista and Carova

Trista walked slowly down the corridor of deck 2. She entered what had been
her office for the last 10 months and made her way to sit down at her desk.
In her hand she carried a pip; the pip that Ultimo had left for her in an
envelope under her chair. Trista dropped the pip onto her desk and sat
staring at it, not quite certain what she should do next. Trista stood up
and walked over to look out the viewport.
Looking out the observation window, Carova wondered where the Captain was.
Sighing, he turned from the vision of space and exited the lounge. He
entered the corridor, just walking. He wasn't sure when he entered the
turbolift, or how many corridors he transversed as he stayed in his thoughts.
But he looked around finding himself standing out in front of the XO's
office,....soon to be his office....but somehow it still felt strange to him.
He
stepped through the door, seeing Trista standing there gazing out of the
viewport...the XO that was now the Captain..and he the Chief Engineer now the
XO. Hearing the door open, Trista turned to see who had entered. Carova
leaned against the wall just inside the door, watching her for a brief moment
afraid of breaking the silence. Smiling slightly, she stepped away from the
viewport. "I'm sorry...old habits I guess..."
He offered a slight smile, "It's ok some things are hard to get use to."
Trista nodded. "I haven't even been able to bring myself to add the pip to
my uniform. I keep thinking that we'll find the captain's shuttle and he'll
be back."
His violet eyes just watched her, not sure of what to say. It had been hard
on everyone. First Amber and the Captain and not to mention all the others
since they have been here.
Trista glanced at her chronometer. "It's late, you know you don't have to
work the gamma shift any longer."
Nodding a little Carova stepped forward, "I know..and either do you ."
She looked around the room. "Well, like I said...old habits.... I felt like
I ought to be doing something, so I thought I'd start packing up my things."
He followed her gaze, "No hurry ..I haven't even started on my things."
"Plus, they needed someone to cover sickbay tonight so I am going to fill in
for a few hours." Trista walked to the replicator. "You want something to
drink?"
Carova shook his head, "I don't think that is a good idea, Trista."
She glanced over her shoulder. "That's fine...if you don't want anything,
you don't have to." She knew what he had meant and avoided his glance.
"You know what I mean and I am not talking about a drink."
"Computer, tea..hot." Trista picked up the tea and walked over to sit on
the couch. She sat down and took a sip of her tea.
Walking over to the desk, he leaned against it. Crossing his arms ,his eyes
took on a serious expression, "You are on bridge duty now whenever you are
needed ...we don't need a tired Captain giving half awake orders."
"Well, unless you have a better idea, I don't know what else to do. We are
short handed in all departments, especially sickbay."
"Looks like I have a lot of work to do as XO then..."
"I don't require as much rest as most, and unless you've been studying to
get a medical degree, then that duty falls to me." Trista took another sip
of her tea, hoping that he would drop the subject.
Carova smiled, "Nope you are right I don't have a med. degree...but I have
an engineering one..." He waited for a moment to let her wonder what he was
talking about, before he continued. He noticed the puzzled expression on
Trista's face. "I have reconfigured the EMH and added some to his
programming. He is quite capable of handling a shift now."
Trista smiled. "That's great! That will leave me more time to work in the
lab. We still need to figure out the last piece of the guardian and search
for the other pieces."
"Trista," Carova shook his head, "You are Captain now....it is time to let
go a little and let the crew do their work..."
"I'm not stopping the crew from doing their work, I'm just not going to ask
them to do anything that I'm not willing to do myself." She took another sip
of her tea and set the cup on the table.
"No one is saying your not, but your workload has increased and you need to
focus on those responsibilities first."
Trista scowled slightly. "I know what I need to focus on, Carova."
He nodded, "So do I..and as XO it is my duty to make sure you stay in
optimal health and I will make sure of it Trista....not just because I am
XO," he sighed, "but also because I care about you." He smiled, "Besides I
plan on having regular meetings with the CMO about crew exhaustion and
health."
Trista got up from the couch and walked over to where Carova was leaning on
desk. Carova watched her intently as she approached. She stopped in front
of him and looked up into his eyes. "You told me that you wouldn't make an
issue of my extra duties."
He nodded, "I know....but things have changed and you can't deny that." He
gazed back into her eyes evenly, letting her know he was serious..but there
was still a softness there that was reserved for her eyes only.
She nodded. "Yes, some things have changed, but not our shortage of crew.
Unless you can create holographic programs for every department, then people
are going to have to keep working double shifts."
He didn't know why, but he knew he wasn't going to win, "Ok ..so we are both
right so I think we need to make a compromise here."
She took a step closer and smiled. "Okay, a compromise...let me hear your
terms."
"I will quite buggin you about working extra shifts....if you schedule them
through me. That way I can be sure that you aren't exhausting yourself
beyond your limits. Or trust me Captain..this XO will hound you ever
second."
Trista raised her eyebrows and considered the offer. "That almost sounds
like a threat!"
He shrugged, smiling, "Take it anyway you like."
"Carova, there is a lot you don't know about me. I really am capable of a
lot more than you give me credit for."
He moved away from the desk, "We have all been taxed Trista...I am not
selling anyone short, I just want to make sure you are around for awhile."
His violet eyes stared into her eyes. He grabbed her hand and pulled her
along with him towards the viewport.
She looked over at Carova as they walked. "No one knows for sure what the
next moment might bring for us...but I have no intention of going anywhere.
Not anytime soon, anyway."
"If you would have told me a month ago Amber wouldn't be around I would
have scoffed at you. If you would have told me Captain Hebein wouldn't be
here today..I would have not believed you...and now you say you aren't going
anywhere...let me do a little to make sure that is true...let me" His eyes
looked to her pleadingly.
Trista looked out the viewport for a moment and then turned to face Carova.
He watched the stars race by in Trista's eyes as she turned to him. "Okay, I
accept your compromise, at least for now."
He nodded in relief, "Good..and one more thing Captain...when is the last
time you have eaten."
Not really certain, Trista thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it,
I am a bit hungry."
His face softened as he smiled, "Good....shall we grab a bite to eat then."
Trista sighed and looked at her chronometer. "I have precisely 52 minutes
until I need to be on duty in sickbay." She grinned. "I guess our deal will
have to start with next week's duty schedule."
He smiled, "Then maybe we should dine in the Jefferies Tube between here and
there."
She stepped closer to him. "I think I'd like that."
He lost himself in her gaze as he gently wrapped his arms around her. "Or
perhaps we could just dine here."

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Ens Pardek's logs for SD9802.25

Computer, open duty log for SD9802.25.

It started out and i was at the tactical station on the bridge! I was very
excited. It was my first time on the bridge AND using a major station for the
computer. It was quiet for a while, but it was still fun. Then Marcus came
on the bridge. He also looked excited. but the Captain and Commander were
busy, so he had to wait. He had an engineering PADD. Finnaly he got to give
it to one of them and left. Soon after we made contact with the planet,
two ships decloaked. On my watch!!! They were friendly though, and were there
to escort us. We decided to go down to the planet. And jsut when it couldn't
get any better, I wast part of the away team! I didn't take a phaser, but i
still got to go.

Personal log for SD9802.25

Well, before my shift, I spent some time in the holodeck. I went
tree-climbing(yes, i know it sounds wierd, but i am kinda like a cat, and my
claws won't work on rock). It was fun, and I haven't done it since we left
new earth. I'll have to invite Marcus to the holodeck and we'll fight
together.

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INTERSHIP MEMO
USS KEMO

TO:Captain Hebein From:Lt Devarough
Commander Habrandona

I am submitting this memo in request for some serious
maintenance down time for the Kemo.Well the ship is performing at adequate
levels it is not performing at its peek.There as been an .1 pecent drop in
power levels plus our warp level has tapered plus a lag time of a hundredth
of a second is occuring.Standard warp cruise for the time being is
recommended to be mantained at 6.6 and Maximum Warp should be held at 9.5.
Well these seem minor drops ,the longer these are ignored the
worse these conditions will become.After extensive diagnostics and scans it
would appear that the warp core has contaminants along with the plasma
injectors.The core needs to be purged,the injectors need to be pulled
apart,and the primary magnetic coils are due replacement. The calculated down
time for this maintence work and overhaul is approximately 10 hours.While the
coreis being purged and worked on it will be taken off line for 3 hours of
the 10,which means be running on generator and emergency power for that
period.With this down time the Engineering Department will also beable to fix
other maintenance problems.
I and the engineer department await your response with a
time that we will be able to begin.

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Log for SD 9803.06

Duty log.

Nothing to report. I was on leave.

Personal log.

Marcus and I went to the surface to go tree climbing. He had to use tools and
was slower for that. I, of course, used my claws. There isn't much to report,
it was a short leave, so I will try my best. I jumped from tree to tree while
Marcus stayed on the first desperately trying to keep up. I made it to the
top and decided to go back down to see how he was coming. I let go of the
tree (yes, I was free falling). Then I sunk my claws in and skidded to
a stop. To answer Marcus's question again, it does hurt to do that, but it is
fun. And I do get my claws chipped and broken. But they always grow back.

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This is No Place Like Home
Log by Trista and Carova

Trista sat in her Ready Room looking over the reports that they had managed
to retrieve from this Earth. She knew she should probably be on the bridge,
but right now she didn't feel as though she could face her crew. In her
attempts to get the crew home, she had quite possibly made their situation
worse. Why was it that everytime they got their hopes up, their goal was
snatched from their hands? Trista got up from her
seat and made her way to the viewport to look out at the planet in the
distance.
Looking over the screen, Carova waited patiently for the next download to
complete. Picking up the PADD, once the computer signaled its completion, he
smiled, "Well at least this will be a little relief for Trista," he said more
to himself than to anyone. Taking one last glance at the PADD, he turned
making his way across the bridge towards the ready room. Approaching the
room, he almost just entered ...but knew he had still better follow
protocol. Reaching up, he activated the chime to the Ready Room door.
Hearing the doorchime, Trista turned. "Come in."
At the sound of her voice, the door opened and he entered, glancing about
noticing the dim lighting. He stepped in waiting for the doors to close.
"Trista is everything ok?" He moved towards the view port, a concern in his
voice.
Trista nodded, smiling weakly. "Do we have any further information?"
"Well as a matter of fact we do," He strode towards her purposefully. He
studied her for a moment before he continued, his violet eyes watching her.
"Good news I hope?" She attempted to disguise the strain in her voice as
she watched him studying her.
"I went back over the scans when we entered the wormhole. I was curious as
to why it collapsed at almost the exact midpoint through." He raised the
PADD to offer as evidence.
"What have you discovered?" She moved over next to him to look at the data
on the PADD. "It would appear carrying a dimensional device, our pieces of
the artifact, through the wormhole caused it to collapse once we hit midpoint
..the threshold between the two realities. They cancelled each other out in
a manner of speaking."
Trista considered this new information. "I had no idea that the guardian
pieces would have that kind of influence on a wormhole."
He smiled to her, "No one would have Trista, and I can only come up with one
possible solution as to why it did." He knew his line was getting old, but
still he said it, "Its only a theory mind you."
Trista leaned back against the wall as she listened. "Well, your theories
have proven correct in most instances. Let's hear it."
"Since the artifact has some control over dimensions and since it is with us
aboard the ship we will say it is positively charged and we are bringing it
into a alternate universe in which the artifact also exists, but it is
negatively charged and with the two entering the same place they reacted to
one another." He looked to Trista waiting for her to respond.
She considered the theory for a moment before she looked up into his eyes.
"Well, if this is true, then we can continue our hunt for the missing pieces
of the guardian. The question is though, where in this universe do we look?
Will the same clues that we've been following hold here?"
"Yes," He gazed at her for a moment, "And there is a down side to the
theory, also." Trista didn't want to hear a down side. Just once, she
wanted something to be a positive outcome for this ship, but she listened as
he continued on. "The down side is the pieces we already have. We can not
let them come into contact with their opposed identicals in this reality. It
could by theory cause a rip in the space time continuum."
"Well then, I suggest we make sure that doesn't happen."
Carova sighed, "In theory, though, the pieces we don't have will be alright
to add to our existing ones." At least he hoped they would.
"Problem is, we are dealing with a technology so alien to our own, we really
have no idea how it will respond to anything. Perhaps we can keep the
current pieces in a stasis field to shield them from outside forces until we
can be certain."
Carova nodded, "A wise move.."
"So, the big question remains, what do we do next? I have been reluctant to
bring the ship into orbit around this Earth. I do not want to appear
hostile, but at the same time, we need to know whom we are dealing with
here."
Carova's eyes wandered to the view port. "Well, we do know that we have
been actively scanned and we were able to get some info off of there news net
before they locked us out..which means they might already view us as
intruders."
Trista turned to look back out the viewport. "Well, the fact that no one
has fired on us I'm taking as a good sign. We know they have the technology
to do it if they had wanted to."
"Or," he shook his head looking away from the viewport, "they are waiting
for reinforcements."
Trista nodded. "That is a possibility as well."
"And we do know that while their technology is a little different, it is
quite comparable to ours."
Trista nodded again. "I'm going to take a chance here. We know that they
are aware of our presence and if we turn and leave without making contact, it
might be viewed as an unfriendly act...possibly covert. I think we should
take the ship into orbit, in as friendly a manner as we can."
Carova turned the PADD referencing the data the crew had retrieved, "Here is
the data too... I think you ought to look at first before making your
decision
Trista took the PADD from his hand and began reading the data on the small
screen. Carova gave her a quick break down of the data as she read it,
"Cochran didn't event the warpdrive. Here, someone named Alfrimier did." He
took a deep breath, "It would appear by the library data that first contact
happened like it did on our Earth, but it ended in a bloodbath with the
Eastern Coalition stealing the Vulcan technology and using it to take full
control of the Earth."
"But that was a long time ago. Do you really believe that they are still
hostile after all this time?"
"Of course, in their text it reads more pleasant and romantic telling about
how the villainous Vulcans tried to annihilate the inventors of warp drive
and so on." Trista scanned forward in the data to see more recent events in
this Earth's history. He moved next to her. "It is hard to say Captain..we
didn't get too much history, but if it is all sugar coated like their account
of their first contact then what we do get we can not take at face
value."
Trista glanced up from the PADD. "Propaganda has long been used to
influence the thinking of the masses. But, Carova, there is the possibility
that in this universe the Vulcans are indeed a hostile race. We just don't
have enough data to begin making value judgements as to who was right or
wrong."
Carova nodded, "True, that might be a possibility..until we know...I just
thought you should know about the data...what ever you decide, Trista, you
know I am behind you no matter what."
"We are the outsiders here and the friendlier we appear, the better. Let's
not begin our stay here by making enemies." He nodded silently, knowing she
was right. "The universal translator can be used to transmit our messages in
Russian. We can transmit a friendly message and see how they respond. If
they seem reluctant to have us visit, we'll move on without making contact."
"Trista," his violet eyes flickered looking back to the view port, a silence
fell across his lips.
She moved up next to him, leaning against him slightly. "What are you
thinking?"
"I have never been to earth, have you?" he said quietly as he watched the
tiny planet.
She nodded. "I left home at the age of 16 and wandered around for a couple
years. I ended up at Earth. I was an angry, misdirected teen who luckily
made friends with a person on Earth that steered me in the direction of
Starfleet."
He smiled softly, "For a planet that has been on the brink so many times it
is hard to believe that it looks so beautiful." His eyes moved back to
Trista just letting the moment pass by as he took her in, before snapping
back to reality. "I will get to work on that message right away."
Trista sighed and then stood up straight. "Let me know if you get any reply
from them."
He stepped back, he hoped time would never run out for them as it had for
Ultimo and Amber...he let his thought trail off, then he stepped forward,
kissing her softly.
She smiled as the kiss ended, his presence giving her a sense of comfort and
security. "You'll let me know if you think I'm making the wrong decision,
won't you? I'm still trying to figure this job out, and so far I don't seem
to be doing a very good job."
He stepped back, "You know I will..." Spinning about he headed towards the
bridge. He looked back over his shoulder, "You are a good captain Trista,
never doubt that." Trista nodded to him but said nothing. He let the doors
swish close behind him and sighed as he looked across the bridge; it was time
to get started.
She watched him leave the room and then turned back to look out the
viewport once more. She looked at this planet Earth, looking like a small
blue jewel in the distance, and wondered what awaited for them there.

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Duty Log

After much training and simulations, we were arriving close to Vulcan. I was
running some personal battle simulations at my station and deactivated them
when we detected ships. There was a Vulcan ship being attacked by a terran
ship. They attacked us. I got the order to fire back. I only reduced their
shields. the seconed time, I disabled their torpedoes. Then, they retreated
from the mighty wrath of PARDEK( ok, ok, the
mighty wrath of the Kemo, but i fired on them.)!!!! We then decided to escort
them to Qo'nos.

Personal log

After the battle and escort, i was still pumped(from the healing power of my
special organ) so i went to the holodeck to fight some romulans.

End Log

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Pardek's Logs for 9803.18

Duty log.
As my shift began I was at tactical despite a new security officer. I was
then handed a PADD with coordinates where the medical supplies were to be
picked up. I then reported to sickbay with PADD in hand. While we were
waiting to leave, I got my physical over with. When we were to leave, Marcus
met us in the TL on they way to the SD. When we got there the place was
deserted. Marcus and I joked around while the two doctors sat in the
background
shaking there heads at us.

Personal log.
The Tree, the Square and the Kat. Marcus, Arianna, and me. I love when we are
together. It may take us longer when we are together, but we still get things
done. After we got back to the ship, I had a few favors called in and had
Trees put all over Marcus's quarters. That'll teach him to threaten me with
catnip!

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Captain's Log SD9803.24

After receiving a promise of assistance from the Klingon High Council, we are
returning to Vulcan at best possible speed with the Klingon fleet following
closely behind. We have been unable to reach the Vulcan ship on which we
left Cmdr. Carova Devarouh and Lt Hawk and I can only hope that this is due
to a problem with the Vulcan ship's communication system.

The Vulcan ambassador has informed me that the Vulcan's have a limited fleet
of ships used for exploration and research and that the weapon systems aboard
these ships is very limited. Apparently the Vulcans felt it was illogical to
put weapons on scientific research vessels and consequently have only limited
phaser capability.

While on Qo'noS, we took aboard a full compliment of torpedos (the first time
we have been able to restock our depleted supply in over a year) and
engineering and tactical crews are now working on converting them for use on
our ship. The torpedos' casings are slightly too large for our launchers as
well as them being slightly unstable for prolonged storage aboard a starship.
Either the Klingons use these torpedos up quickly or the torpedos'
instability is not a concern for our new allies, but either way they pose too
large a hazard to our crew in their present state. While a slight decrease
in power will result from the weapons' modifications, they should no longer
pose a threat to the ship.

We are traveling at Yellow Alert and all sensors are scanning for any sign of
the Eastern Coalition fleet at which time orders are to go immediately to Red
Alert.

Side note: One of our new crew members that we picked up on New Earth, Jon
Maxwell, has been taken into custody for insubordination and is currently in
the brig until such time as I can determine what to do with him. I realize
that he is new to our crew and unfamiliar with Starfleet protocol, but his
behavior was inexcusable by any standards.

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Pardek Personal log for SD 9809.25
(There was no sim but I thought I'd like to write a log anyway)

As he entered his quarters he was mad. Really mad. Everyone teased him about
cat food and milk. He knew that he teased people too, and that it shouldn't
bother him too much. Still, he thought, maybe I should try it.
So he walked up to the replicator and asked for cat food and warm milk.
Marcus's little gadget went to work, recognized his voice, activated, and
gave him nothing but cat food and milk, just as planned. <<Hmmm, maybe this
isn't to bad after all. I guess I could like this. >> After his cat food and
milk, he asked the replicator for a steak. Again, the gadget responded with
cat food and milk. <<Odd, I thought I ordered a steak. >> Again he asked for
a
steak. It worked again. <<Marcus. I will have to devise an evil plan to get
him back. >> So he used the touch PADD and got a steak from the replicator
and started thinking. <<Perfect>> He went to Marcus's quarters while he was
away. The he got into the computer system in his room. <<Now, every time we
have a red alert, the computer will scream, "Tree alert, Tree alert! All
hands to branch stations.">>

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Pardek's logs for SD 9804.08

Duty Log

As we neared Vulcan, there were 13 EC ships around the planet. Four broke off
and started the attack. The Vulcan ship didn't last long. We had to maneuver
around the ship for a while before we got everyone off. After that, the ship
blew up. The Klingons and I easily took down the last remaining ships (the
last two ran and were left for the KlingonsL). I had forgotten about the new
torpedoes during the rush of the battle. After being reminded about
them, they only speeded up the destruction of enemy vessels. We then returned
to Vulcan. I escorted the ambassador to the transporter room and he beamed
down.

Personal log

Nothing to report on the Marcus front, seeing as how he hasn't retaliated
yetJ. Captian granted shore leave for everyone on Vulcan, and I decided to
beam down. I didn't find to much to do, so I beamed back up. I spent some
time in the holo-deck. Sharpened my claws, polished my weapon(in the
lockerL). Teased Marcus a little. Basic day.

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AN INVITATION TO AN ALLIANCE

LOG BY CAPT TRISTA AND CMDR CAROVA

Carova glanced over at the artifact, then he moved back to the
task at
hand. Flipping through the data disk, Carova wondered how the other crew
members were making out. Carova was glad that he had talked to the curator,
somehow these data disks entered into the conversation and decided to check
them out.
Trista walked down the corridor back towards the lab where she
had left the away team. She entered the lab and looked around. Seeing
Carova standing over by the artifact, she walked over to join him. "Where
did everyone go?"
Carova glanced up and smiled. Straightening himself he looked
to
Trista, "The Ryans have beamed out to the excavation site, Arianna and Pardek
are taking a look at the pieces we have gathered to see if they match or can
be put together with this one and Marcus is also aboard the Kemo scanning the
surface to see if he can find the piece that joins with this one." Carova
smiled again, "It took some work but I managed to get us alone." The
commander moved over to the artifact.
Trista smiled. "It sounds as if you have the situation well in
hand, Commander." She stepped closer looking at the artifact, purposefully
leaning her body against his.
Carova shook his head, "I wish I did."
"What have you discovered about it?"
Trista and Carova hadn't been this close in a long time, and he
found his mind becoming distracted. "Well umm Marcus, solved the riddle on
this one. The vulcan curator for the museum, he ah pointed out that this
piece was purposely seperated into two pieces..Trista this might be a main
center piece of some kind." Carova gazed back up into her eyes, unable to
look away for the moment.
Trista looked up into his eyes as she listened. "Well, if it is
a key center piece, then we've made a significant step forward." She lowered
her voice to almost a whisper. "I've missed you."
Carova nodded silently, as he softly placed his hand into hers.
"I know it seems the closer we get the harder it is to actually see one
another."
Trista leaned forward to kiss him but stopped when she heard a
voice behind them. The curator of the museum cleared his throat and
approached the couple. Caravo sighed, they never seemed to get a break as he
looked over Tristas shoulder. She turned to look at the elderly vulcan.
Carova stepped over towards the curator, "Mister Arock, I would
like you to meet my captain Trista Habrandona."
The vulcan scientist nodded to Trista. "Greetings, Captain. I
trust you are finding what you came to see?"
Trista nodded back. "Your museum is quite impressive, Mr. Arock.
We appreciate the cooperation that has been provided to us. "Trista gestured
towards the artifact. "In our travels, we have found several other artifacts
similiar to this one.
Arock, closed his eyes and nodded, " So I have been informed
Captain Harbandona, that is why I have come to seek you out." Carova
listened on as Trista and Arock talked.
Trista looked curious. "What is it that you want, Sir?"
Arock stepped to the oppisite side of the artifact as the two
stood on, "Captain you would have to agree that this is a very important and
intriguing scientific discovery." The captain nodded, but added no comment
as she waited to hear what he had to say. He waited for a moment to
continue, "I would like the opportunity to study the pieces you have
collected....like your crew has brought a different perspective to our
studies perhaps I
could do the same to yours."
Trista considered what he said. "Mr. Arock, we have been studying
these pieces for reasons beyond just simple scientific curiosity. We have
reason to believe that they can help us find our way back to our universe."
She glanced at Carova. "I was hoping that you would consider allowing us to
add your piece to ours."
Arock nodded, "Be assured Captain that all of our research has
also indicated the same thing, But as for letting this leave this museum
knowingly we could not allow that."
"We would of course be willing to compensate you for the piece."
"Captain the piece is not for sale, its scientific knowledge
alone.." The curator caught himself. "It has long been contemplated seeing
the device whole. All history indicates though the device had to be
deassmbled out of neccessity." He shook his head, "I have discussed this
with my colleges already Captain, we would like to see the the artifact
placed together, but once you have completed assembling it and go home there
will be no
one there to monitor the artficial gate, incase history repeats itself and it
needs to be unassembled again."
Trista nodded. "I have considered this same thing. I had not
been able to come up with a satisfactory decision on what to do about it."
Arock steepled his finger tips in thought, "Logically Captain you
should assemble it here on Vulcan, We both want it together and you wish to
use the gate
and we wish to monitor and study the artifact."
Trista paused before answering. "I would like time to consider
your offer before I make my decision."
"Of course Captain, "He nodded briefly. "I shall await your
decision." With that the elder vulcan departed the room.
She turned and looked at Carova. "Can we trust them?"
Carova stepped forward, "Do we have a choice..unless we are
planning on stealing it." He winked to her in his joking manner, "The only
drawback I can see Trista is that we seem to have habit of hopping to
alternate universe and if we leave it planetside then if some strange anomoly
should occur again then we would be without the pieces."
Trista took a deep breath. "We'd be back where we started at the
beginning of all this and be no closer to home." Trista turned to look at
the artifact. "But right now I don't see that we have any choice."
Carova rasied his brows as he nodded, "True and it should be
monitored, it would be irresponsible in our rush get home to ingore the
warnings and history of the item
The captain nodded. "I don't want to be the cause of a galactic
incident in any universe."
"I agree," Carova looked to Trista. "Besides it would be nice to
have a safe port to return to once and awhile even if it is vulcan."
Trista reached up and rubbed her eyes and temples. "It does feel
good to have made an ally." She smiled. "I just wish it were a bit cooler."
He nodded and smiled, "Yea...would you care to go to get something
to drink."
"I think that sounds wonderful."

TBC

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I assisted Ens. Pardek on a away mission to rescue LCdr. Jack Ryan from a
lava tube in which he had fallen, we ahd no communication with him but we did
have a com badge signal, so we followed that. Ens Pardek skillfuly climbed in
the tube, while I remained outside. Maintaining communication was a difficult
task, for some reason there was some kind of interferance, I then
recalibrated the com chip and was succsesful for a period of time, then Ens.
Pardek reported he had found the com badge belonging to JP Ryan but he was
not in sight. I tried reporting our findings to Capt. Trista, I was
unsuccsesful. Ens. Pardek decided to go even further, we started having
difficulties with communications as he went in further, this is when Ens.
Pardek came up with a brilliant idea, he made a link using JP Ryan's
communicator and this solved all communication difficulties until he was able
to reach JP Ryan
and for some reason they have not yet come out

Anastasia T'Kull