The Journeys of the USS Thunderchild (Episode One: Loose Strings)

Re: The Journeys of the USS Thunderchild

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (Playing Captain Campbell), Aipsylon (Playing Commander V'rol)


Into the Past
On station at Starbase 74
USS Thunderchild
Captain Jackson Campbell, Commanding
Stardate: 53832.05


Commander Bonham followed the Captain in to his ready room. There was a serious tone the Commander's voice as he spoke, "Okay Sir, I have the results of my research in to your background." He paused as he activated the PADD and started to read his notes,

"My first stop was to speak with your father. I discovered that he is currently serving the Federation Humanitarian Relief Effort in what remains of the Cardassian Union. I made an attempt to reach him, however I learned that he had led a team of humanitarian workers in to the devastated northern region of Cardassia Prime a few months ago. I spoke with a member of the HRE staff on Cardassia Prime. I was assured that he is well but does not have access to a sub-space communicator. They said that they will relay a massage to him for me. As of this date, he has not had a chance to reply or is unwilling to reply to that message."

"Instead I did manage to reach his secretary on Mars, a Mrs. Liliana Elder. Based on my background search, she has worked with his department for the past twenty five years. From what I have found out, when your father took over the department some fifteen years ago he made Mrs. Elder his personal assistance. So the information that she offered should be considered reliable. She remembered the year that your parents moved to Mars. She had the date on file, Stardate 35077.08. She recalled at first you hated Mars and had always talked about going back to Earth. A few months after your family moved to Mars you ran away from home. Your father searched with the local law enforcement till you turned up back on Earth. He skipped an important meeting to make sure you were okay. A few months after that, your parents were investigated for a crime. She didn't know the nature of the crime but was able to give me the name of the Chief Investigator from a Federation Grand Jury. Mrs. Elder said that nothing official came of the investigation, as the case was closed."

"She did say that during that time, a Vulcan by the name of L'tus came to see your father. This stood out cause your father cleared his calendar for the entire day. Something that he only did on very rare occasions. The two of them left the department to speak in private. Shortly after that meeting, the Chief Investigator informed your father's boss that they were dropping the charges due to the case taking a different course. Your father's boss was informed that your parents aided in the investigation greatly and they had the thanks of the Federation Grand Jury."

"After that everything returned to normal. One thing that stuck out in our conversation was how she made sure to point out how caring your father was towards you three. He always took time off during the months of January, April, and May. She had been tasked on a number of occasions to get birthday gifts wrapped. Gifts that your father hand picked for each of you. A task he never trusted with anyone else. The running joke around the department was that he had a son and two daughters."

"When I showed her a pictures of the three of you. Maura, Seona and you sir, she was able to correctly identify all of you as early teens and up. However she said that she never personally met Seona. She mentioned that you had shown up at the department a few times. She said she only met Maura once. It was sometime during Maura's Marine training. She mentioned how sharp Maura appeared in her dress uniform. Your father introduced Maura to everyone around the department as one of the daughters he always wanted. She remembered how proud your father was of Maura. But the visit was a surprise to your father. As you know, your father had always wanted to keep his family and professional lives separate. Maura showed up unannounced because she had gotten entangled in a legal issue. Your father suggested a personal friend who was an attorney and who could help her. When Maura left, Mrs. Elder noticed the two in a loving embrace. It was clear that he felt deep emotions for Maura. I looked up this attorney, he specializes in family law."

"Regarding what she knew of your father's personal life. On his desk, he has a number of pictures of you three. His most favorite picture is of you three as teens sitting on a rock. She thinks it might be somewhere on Earth. The picture always goes with him when he leaves for assignments. He also has the graduation pictures of each of you when you graduated Starfleet. She often said how he speaks so highly of you three. I believe her when she says that he is very proud of you and the MacConnell sisters. Yes, I know how close you are to your mother and the rift that was caused by your joining Starfleet."

"From a distance, he is so very proud of you despite his displeasure that you joined in the first place. It is my assumption based on what Mrs. Elder said, that it was his personal desires that you not join Starfleet. Though Mrs. Elders couldn't explain why he didn't want you to. He didn't really want any of you to join Starfleet. Regarding your father's relationship with your mother, Mrs. Elder did say that for as long as she could remember your father and mother were always estranged."

"On the surface, everything seemed normal. They made a point to keep this from you. But he never took time off for her birthday nor could she ever recall one time he spoke of his wife in casual conversation. There was a researcher in your father's department who made it clear she had personal interest in your father. Despite not showing any love for your mother, he never once cheated on her. The research eventually transferred out after being rejected a number of times by your father. Mrs. Elders didn't know the reason behind the rift between your mother and father but she often suspected it had something to do with the MacConnell sisters. The majority of their arguments that Mrs. Elders witnessed seemed to circle on them."

"Those arguments came to a head shortly after Maura's unannounced visit. Mrs. Elder recalled the argument as did your father's staff. The argument took place in his office behind closed does. It was so loud and heated that they could hear through the closed doors. If anyone knew what the nature of the argument was, they did not tell me. It was the last time, Mrs. Elders noted that your father spoke of your mother and the last time she saw your mother visit him at the Department. However your father did keep in contact with Maura and Seona on a regular basis. Even reaching out to them when they were stationed on Deep Space Nine."

"The last bit regarding your father. When Muara and Seona were laid to rest, Mrs. Elder accompanied your father to both funerals. She said that he was shaken very deeply at their deaths. For days before and after, witnesses said that he often cried deeply and was visible depressed. He mourned their loss for days after the funerals. When she asked about why your mother or you didn't attended either funeral, he said that it was better this way for everyone. He confided in her saying that your mother had created this rift in their family that it could never be healed. In a one of the very rare times, he took to drinking during this time of mourning. Aside from this moment, he never once took to drinking."

"During that night on Earth, in a drunken state, he said he blamed your mother for everything. It was because of her they had to deal with the devil himself. Your father didn't go in to detail as to what was done or why. He only said it was a dark family secret that was finally put to rest. He had told her that he wanted to do it all over again. But she could explain what he was talking about. She did tell me something that was meant to be a secret till your father returned from his current assignment. Before your father left for his humanitarian mission to the Cardassian Union, he instructed Mrs. Elder to search and retain for a good divorce attorney. He told her that he could no long bare to be with his wife."

"After my conversation with Mrs. Elder I reached out to Severus Couture, the Chief Investigator of the Federation Department of Justice. To my surprise, I learned that he filed for early retirement in 2357. He is currently living on Risa with his family. I was told by his predecessor that Mr. Couture had taken a Orion Gambling Cruise and won big. When I inquired about the case against your parents, they said that it was in regards to stolen regulated genetic material back on stardate 19530.28. The case had been in an ongoing investigation for nearly eighteen years without any leads. The case led them to your parents because of a credible lead but didn't inform me about that lead."

"However, shortly after they started to look deeper in to your parents. Then some time after, Mr. Couture ordered that the case against your parents be closed and no charges were filed. Newly uncovered evidence turned the investigation towards a researcher who was already in custody. When presented with the evidence, this researcher confessed to the crime. He was charged and sentenced for that theft as well. This researcher had since been release from custody after serving his time. I attempted to contact Mr. Couture, in hopes that he might have some more details for me. I tracked him down and attempted to follow up on this. At first he was pleasant and open to talk. However he seemed to become difficult when I pushed the questions regarding this one case. He informed me that your parents were not guilty of any wrong doing and disconnected the channel with me."

"I dug in to your supposed life on Earth. I found at least two dozen people who all correctly identified you within age appropriate photos. What the Priest told us seemed to be accurate to the most part. There were dates and times where he was most likely confused about. I do not suspect that this was done out of any attempt to mislead us. The Priest is well known for his failing memory. Still, many people do remember you. I spoke with a neighbor how could recount a story of how you injured your arm during a horse back riding accident while out with the MacConnell sisters. You had gloated that you were attempting to impress Maura with a new trick. Your medical files from Starfleet supported the childhood injury.

"Everyone I spoke with was more than familiar with the fact that you had an illness, which you shared with Maura. No one knew just what the nature of the illness was, but it was serious and often required Maura to be hospitalized. There were a number of times where Maura barely made a recovery. As I spoke with them, I noticed a pattern forming. While each separate story seemed to be unlinked, I noticed that Maura's hospitalization occurred roughly the first week of the month. Though she could go two to three months without needing to be hospitalized. But when she did, it was always right around the first week of the month. These visits and the severity of her illness increased over time till they stopped all together around stardate 30158.64. It would appear that your mother was the only treating Doctor for both you and Maura. Confusingly, your medical reports do not support these facts. I would suggest that the Doctor perform a much more deeper investigation in to this matter as well as in to your own health."

"I also looked in to this Krussk Syndrome. It is a very rare genetic disorder that is nearly always fatal to the new born child. The child's death is a very painful and is a drawn out ordeal that can last up to five years after birth. There has been a few reported cases where the child survives the first five years. However those cases are rare and far between. Even less cases were reported where the child survives in to adulthood. Those that do survive, the effects of the illness are crippled. Loss of eye sight, motor controls, limited mental capacity and weaken physical structure. You clearly do not have any of these symptoms, so I am not sure what to say about these findings or how much trust we should put in to them. Aside from the Old Priest, I have been unable to locate anyone that can confirm that you had this genetic disorder. Even your medical records from your place of birth do not reflect this."

"Everyone in the little village you grew up in outside of Edinburgh can confirm that you and Maura were sick. But none of them can tell me what the illness was. Everyone did seem to hold the impression that you and Maura got better around the same time. I spoke with the local hospital and asked for your medical records. At first they were not going to release them to me. However after a long and rather painful conversation, I finally got them to agree to at least gather some information from your files to be forwarded to your own doctor here aboard the Thunderchild. I told them that this was just in case of future remissions. However to their surprise, the files they had on record had all been cleansed. I do not suspect that they had anything to do with these missing files."

"Lastly, I found that the Priest was mistaken about one major detail. I am not sure what to make of this, but the estate that he mentioned where Seona grew up after you were moved to Mars wasn't what he said it was. I asked the local magistrate to take a drive out there and report back his findings. He reported back that the family that lives there now were pleasant and open about what they knew. They said that from what they were told, the place had been vacant for decades before they bought just a few years ago. Without a much more deeper investigation, I don't think we will be able to learn much more. However based on what I saw so far, I am not sure what there will be for us to find anyway. When I searched the Starfleet Medical database, according to their records they never had or operated any facilities in that region of Scotland. I have no reason to discount this information nor that the priest was being dishonest to us. I suspect that he was telling us what he knew to be true. I suspect that the estate was abandon after Seona 'escaped' by who ever was operating it at the time."

"I searched and found your original birth certificate. You were born Jackie Fionn Campbell on Apr 06, 2340, Stardate: 19976.19 in Edinburgh, Scotland. What I found for the MacConnell sisters was a bit more surprising. I did locate two Federation Report of Birth Certificates. These are different from birth certificates as it is only a report that it happened. The signing doctor or agency didn't actually verify the birth or the information given in the report. Maura's Report placed her birth on Jan 12, 2340, Stardate 19763.26. The location of her birth was reported outside of Federation space. Though it was not stated where. Seona's report of birth is more strange. Her first report of birth was much the same as Maura's and both were signed on the same date, stardate 24808.17. Seona's Report placed her first birth date as May 09 2345, Stardate 24650.38. However I found a second actual birth certificate placing her birthday as May 09 2351, Stardate 30158.64. This certificate placed her place of birth as occurring in the city of Edinburgh."

"When I contacted the hospital of her birth, I was unable to find anyone that could recall her birth. This doesn't prove anything though but the documents do give rise to some questions. The attending Doctor who signed all three documents for the MacConnell sisters was killed in action during the Dominion War. So I was unable to find any more answers to these questions. I will tell you this, your mother was well known in that hospital. She worked there for nearly ten years and her romance with your father up to the day you were born is the subject of fond memories."

"One such tale was when your father showed up out of the blue a few years before you were born. He had hidden a puppy in the pocket of his jacket and pretended to be sick. Your mother went out of her mind thinking he was infected with a massive parasite. When she discovered the puppy, there was a ring tied to his collar. Most of the older staff recall the story with great fondness. It was assumed shortly after your birth, you had passed away from Krussk Syndrome. I spoke to a nurse who worked with your mother during her time there. The old nurse told me that when your mother learned that you had Krussk Syndrome it destroyed her. Your father was off world and your mother choose not to tell him about it. Your mother and father moved from Edinburgh shortly after the time of your birth. It was assumed to give you all their attention during the final months of your life. They broke off contact with their former lives around the same time."

"As I dug in to your mother, I found some strange things. Your mother is not only one of the best geneticist on Earth. She is most likely one of the most brilliant geneticist of her time. She wrote a number of papers regarding the endless possibilities of curing genetic diseases and disorders through gene therapy. She is hailed as one of the most brilliant scientists of her time. However her potential was always cut short by Federation laws that banned genetic research on sentient beings. Her political career took off when she lead a major push by the Federation science community to get some of those laws limited to allow genetic engineering to correct existing genetically related medical conditions. While these were huge steps, according to a paper your mother wrote, she claimed these new limitations were nothing more than drops in the bucket that was the Federation's potential to end suffering from disease."

"While your mother may have opposed these restrictions on moral grounds, she supported the law passionately. In the same paper as well as many others, she stated that to disregard the laws of the Federation simply because one doesn't agree with them would open the flood gates to chaos. She called on all members of the scientific community to support the laws while still fighting in the political areas to change them. She led two major organizations which were paramount in changing Federation law regarding medical research. Their single claim to popular support was that they practiced what they were preached. Support the law while striving to your convictions. Your mother also worked closely with the Federation Science Council to help locate persons known to be genetically enhanced who were serving in Starfleet or within Starfleet Medical. She personally help bring dozens of offenders to justice and ended their professional careers."

"Roughly around the time you were born, your mother quit both of her organizations that she help build. However she never stopped working with the Federation Science Council to locate genetically enhanced persons serving in Starfleet. Due to her determination in this service, she earned herself the nickname, the witch hunter. Her case files reads as if she was an uncaring and harsh woman. But I am sure you will agree with me that this is not the case. In fact your mother worked hard to find these persons new gainful careers in other endeavors. She never supported the mind set that enhanced persons should be allowed to serve in Starfleet. Based on her papers that she published, she was very outspoken against enhanced persons serving in Starfleet."

"Your mother took over the leadership of the Mars Institute of Science in late 2356. While she continued to worked with the Federation Council of Science as a adviser, she all but quit her duties as lead investigator for the Council roughly around the same time."

"Talking with your mother's staff, I found that she was referred to as a lonely woman. Working late in to the nights on a regular basis. Though, as you know Sir, she was very proud of you. As a teen, she loved parading you around the Institute. Her office is lined with photo's of you throughout your life. When I asked them about Seona or Maura, no one seemed to know who they were. No one seemed to recognize either of them from photos. Your mother only spoke of one child, you, her son. She rarely spoke of your father and there are even those in her staff now that were surprised to find that she was even married. No one ever claimed to know of any affair or other intimate relationships your mother had or were having at the time. Those that did know, knew your mother loved your father very deeply."

"Most surprising was on Stardate 53619.47 (Nov 25, 2376) during a critical stage of an experiment carried out by her protégé, she received a communication. I could find no record of this communication but a number of people there recalled that she was called away to answer it. After that communication, your mother left the institute claiming she would be right back. After she left it was discovered that several data chips from the institute's mainframe had been removed. These data chips contained personal files and logs belonging to your mother. She contacted the institute the next day claiming she was taking a sabbatical for the next few months. No one from the institute has heard from her since. I checked with Deep Space Nine and they have confirmed the message your received from your mother last month as authentic but currently no one can locate the point of origin of those messages."

"Off of a hunch, I asked a friend of mine who is stationed a Utopia Yards to check out your mother's home on Mars. At first he found the place secured but after he moved around to the backyard, he discovered a broken window. Through the broken window he noticed your mother's home had been ransacked. He suspected foul play and contacted Federation Security. They took his statement and gave him no details on what happened. My own requests have been stonewalled by a Mr. Orellana. He is running the investigation. This is all I have been able to uncover. It might be helpful to have our Chief of Security conduct a separate investigation over what happened at your mother's home. His background might give us some new and different details. I hope this is helpful Sir." On that, Commander Bonham handed the PADD over to Captain Campbell and waited to be dismissed.


The Captain did his best to sit, unflinching, during the briefing. But the barrage of information, being of such a personal nature to the Captain was unsettling. Thinking of Seona, even if he did not remember her, made him feel as if someone had stolen a baby sister from him and then ripped the memory of it from his mind. The old priest was right and he couldn't help but feel pained by this news.


He felt betrayed. He looked over the PADD for a moment to mask his pain, he would not allow his emotions to dictate his actions. A Starfleet officer had to duty to fulfill and for the time being it should not make a difference who the suspect was or who persons of interest might become, even if he became one of those people. In this moment he tried to imitate the Vulcans rather then the Klingons but the confirmation that half of his life was missing from his memory only to be replaced by a lie, spilled over into his eyes, faint but present.

He looked up from the PADD to Bonham, who was sitting uncomfortably in the chair across from the Captain. Within moments the captain's mind switched to V'rol and knew that this had to be above board. The Captain knew V'rol would have no guilt about speaking up towards him or Starfleet Command if the Vulcan suspected him of being a collaborator. 'I'm going to have to share everything with the senior staff' he though, 'Let there be no doubt where my loyalties lay'. The Captain tapped his com-badge. "Mr. V'rol to my ready room please."


V'rol tapped his com-badge. "Understood I'll be there as soon as I have concluded my current activities." He said before as he concluded his work at the Security Station.

With that, his eyes fell back on to the commander, "Good work, Commander", the Captain said as Lieutenant Commander V'rol entered the room.

"Thank you, sir" the Commander Bonham answered turning to great the Vulcan with a nod.

"Is there any thing else that did not make it into this report? Minor details you might have excluded?" the Captain asked causing Commander Bonham to shift his eyes back towards the captain. The captain wanted to make sure to keep the anger he felt out of his voice. The question was not an accusation but permission to talk in front of the Vulcan. When he asked Bonham to look into this he had expressed his expectation of discretion.

Command Bonham shook his head, "No Sir. I left nothing out. All the contacts I made were recorded on that PADD as well. Just in case you wanted to follow up personally Sir."

The captain nodded, "Thank you again commander." He then turned his attention to Commander V'rol and handed the PADD over to the Vulcan. "Mr. V'rol, I want you to take over this investigation. Within that PADD is all that Commander Bonham found. I need to make sure that this investigation is completely above board. Because of resent events, I do not want to appear as if my judgment is compromised. I will trust whom you report to, to your discretion. That said, I would like to know more about my past that has been taken from me. I would ask that you find out what happened to my mother's and at my childhood home. I assume you have contacts that can get us more information about what is going on?"


Commander Bonham nodded as he looked to the Vulcan, "While the Captain might feel that he would like his personal life exposed. I expect a level of discretion. Report only what you feel is relevant to what is going on right now. Everything else you discover you can share with the captain only or keep it hidden." He turned back to the captain, "I sense that there are some family secrets that are buried deep here. We all have our family secrets that were never meant to see the light of day."

He turned back to V'rol, "Only what is relevant" he paused a moment before adding, "Am I clear on this?"


Commander V'rol nodded, "understood sir" he said speaking to Commander Bonham.


Captain Campbell shifted his eyes to a series of images before him. They were taken from the holovids which were sent to him presumably by Seona. In one image she was dressed in blue out fit with funny appearing ears. They were too large to be Vulcan. On her back were arrows but she carried no bow. He couldn't help but feel as he knew this young girl in the image before him. His mind wondered a bit from the moment as he could almost recall the custom which she was wearing. 'Was it a childhood game we used to play?' he couldn't help but wonder. In the back of his mind he could hear the laughter of children playing. A voice calling out from his memories. It was of his own voice, one filled with joy. 'What was her nickname' he questioned his own memory. Then without reason he knew the answer. 'Link' from an old game they used to play. There were so many unanswered questions.

Without warning he spoke up just as Commander Bonham finished, "no" he proclaimed. Standing up from his chair and walking around his desk. "Commander V'rol, you have my orders. Follow this where ever it takes you. Be thorough and enlist any member of the crew you need to get to the bottom of all this."

Captain Campbell sighed as he rested a hand on Commander Bonham's shoulder, "i appreciate your concerns but I don't have this luxury. Seona has planned all this out. Each step has been by her design. I am sure of it. My past seems to be involved in all of this. I don't know how, but it does. If we are to get ahead of Seona than we have to look at this from all possible angles."

He turned to V'rol, "would you agree?"

He waited for the Vulcan to reply than added. "Commander" he added still speaking to V'rol, "Make your reports to Commander Bonham as you would in any investigation." He paused for a moment and then added, "On another note. Dr. Vanlaere has requested that she be allowed to remain on Starbase 74. She told me that her intentions are to leave the Thunderchild and transfer to Starfleet Medical. Let the record show I am assigning Dr. McCoy as the Thundershild's official Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately."

On that he nodded to both of them. "Number One, continue to get the rest of our people aboard. Something tells me that Seona isn't done yet. Keep the ship at yellow alert for the time being. You both have your orders. I am going to sick bay for some long over due tests. Until I have a clean bill of health, both mental and physically from our CMO, the ship is your's Number One."


Just as he was concluding his orders a call from the Bridge came in, "Sir, we have an urgent call from the USS Repulse. It's Admiral Tate."

 

Re: The Journeys of the USS Thunderchild

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (as Captain Campbell),
Kunanaki (As Lieutenant Junior Grade Mordecai Noonia)


Coming aboard
On Station at Starbase74
USS Thunderchild
Captain Campbell, Commanding
Stardate: 53832.05


Gripping the handle of the compression Suitcase, Mordecai Noonia prepared for the transport that would take him to the USS Thunderchild. The belongings were sparse on his person, only a simple P.A.D.D, some addition to uniforms and some civilian attire. Smartly dressed with a fresh haircut that tamed the crimson mop of hair, Lieutenant Junior Grade Noonia prepared for beaming aboard. The warning hit him, and it was like stepping through a door. A curious experience that left his eyes sparkling when the transporter room of the USS Thunderchild came into view. The transporter technician smiled as he greeted the six new crew members, "Welcome aboard the USS Thunderchild, guys!"

However this was not just any normal greeting for standing next to the transporter console was a massive, well dressed Klingon. Unlike the rest of the crew, she was sharply dressed in a traditional Klingon uniform. What drew everyone's attention was the large knife on one side of her body and the Klingon disrupter on the other. The look on her face was one of intimidation and caused fear in those onlookers.


A gentleman whom Mordecai had meet while on shore leave at Starbase 74 called himself Micky piped up. The man was from an affluent family lineage that clung to the rambunctious nature of getting his way. Noonia's experience with him had been short, though amusing watching him barrel about in an attempt to impress. While Micky surely had his moments, Mordecai had found that under all that was a good person. The two had become pretty close while on Starbase 74. "It appears that my reputation proceeds me!" Ensign Mikey Townsend stated. It was clear that he had planned to say more but her hand raised cut him off.

With a perk of the eyebrow and a slightly disappointed expression, Lieutenant Kinchlirah stated. "I am Lieutenant Kinchlirah and I am looking for a Lieutenant Mordecai Noonia." Professionalism oozing from the Klingon woman, it appeared business was at hand.


A slightly uncomfortable tickling in the palms reminded Mordecai that this was an unusual approach, but it never crossed his features. He simply stepped off of the teleporter pad and stated. "I am Lieutenant Mordecai Noonia."

Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded, "Good" she said and then motioned over to Ensign Townsend, "You there Ensign. Take his bag to his room. Is that clear?" Both Noonia and Townsend looked at each other for a brief moment as the suitcase was exchange. After all, who would dare question such a powerful woman.


Townsend nodded as he took the case from Mordecai. Mordecai then turned to the large Klingon and asked, "is there something wrong?" He knew that he wasn't in trouble but such a greeting could only mean that there was something larger going on.


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded as she motioned for him to follower her. She started to explain as they walked out of the transporter room, "There is Lieutenant. A few hours ago the ship was attacked" she explain. The look of distraught on his face was clear as she continued to explain the situation. "One of the few clues we have is series of hologram. Based on your personnel file, you are well versed in holo-programming."


Mordecai nodded as he followed Lieutenant Kinchlirah from the transporter room in mild long legged haste. Her pace was much faster than what Mordecai would call a normal walk. He was determined not to be flustered, Mordecai made an effort to match her pace while his eyes flickered about. It was a whirlwind moment, the introduction to a starship like this. The Thunderchild was the first of a kind. This was the reason why he volunteered to be part of her crew. He wouldn't deny that he was excited over what adventures laid before him.


The ship was appearing to operated in a very efficient order. Everything from the slight gravity variances to the way the lighting hit the walls, to the people coming from or going to duty. It seemed currently to be in a state of well oiled machinery, meaning the engine room seemed to be supplying power with little variance.

All of these things were crossing his mind as he was guided to the Hololab. "Well yes Lieutenant. I did study holo-programming back at the Academy. But I am sure that there are more qualified crew members aboard. I mean, after all...." His statement was cut off when the doors to the holo lab whisked opened. The entire room was filled with at least twenty crew members working over a series of holograms at various stations. Mordecai stood there for a moment with his mouth open as he took in what he was seeing. He could hear more crew members over open channels from the holodecks going over the same holograms. 'Was the entire crew working on this' he questioned himself.


Lieutenant Kinchlirah turned to face him. She motioned towards a console where a team was waiting on him as her words melodiously slipping from her lips. "We are seeking for a pair of fresh eyes to take a look at these Holovid Matrices." She motioned him over to the console.

Mordecai looked around at the group of crew members waiting on him. They were a mix from the Science department, Engineering as well as one from Operations. He nodded as he walked over to the console. "Okay, so the attacker sent us these holograms?"


A male science officer stepped forward, "Yes, and no" he said and then motioned to the files on the console. The Science ensign continued, "So it would appear that these files were waiting for the Captain to contact someone back on Earth, so yes they were meant for the Captain. But we already discovered that they continued a very advanced virus that could have left our ship powerless. The virus has been neutralized thanks to a program that the attacker left aboard when she attacked the ship. However the Captain suspects that there is something more to these holograms than meets the eye. He believes that this was hinted at as part of a message that was left with the holo-programs." He showed Mordecai the message that was left with the holograms.

Mordecai nodded as the situation was explained. They were right, the virus was very advanced. He had never seen anything like it before. Had the anti-virus not been uploaded before hand, he couldn't imagine the damage that could have caused to the ship's computer. But as the situation was laid out Mordecai scanned the matrix. Instead of searching through one at a time, he brought up all five side by side. He listened carefully as his team explain the situation as he continued to go over the holo matrix of all five holo-programs. What surprised him was that each matrices had this line of code that was like a timing sync. Each timing sync almost mirrored the others, but they were different enough to be over looked. The line was designed to sync time with each other. 'Why would someone want five programs want to run at the same time' he thought.


He saw the level of programming that went in to each holo-martrix. It was nothing less than an expression of art. The flow of the lines of code were beyond efficient. They seemed to flow with some degree of personal expression. He couldn't help but think of how they resembled the flow of musical rhythm. But what caught Mordecai off guard was the degree of knowledge that Lieutenant Kinchlirah seemed to master as she spoke. He couldn't help but turn and look at her as she explained the mathematical approach that the programmer took in modifying these programs.


Heavy sense of science and higher education was pouring from the lips of this Klingon woman. A shocking thing for Mordecai to behold. It stood clear defiance of all that he had come to know about Klingons. All his experience seemed to generalize them as brutes with naught but honor spouted. However, the efficiency of the fingers and manner of speaking belied a heart of someone dedicated to the craft of science.


It was a moment of epiphany for him as he thought about it logically. They build warp driven warships and a wide range of highly technician weapons and weapon systems. They had to have scientist somewhere in the Empire coming up with these new weapons of war. In that moment he almost felt foolish not ever considering that Klingons had their own degree of scientists around. He shook off the thoughts as he continued to go over the issue with the holograms. He nodded his head as he wanted to go out on a limb. He started to apply his focus wholly to the task at hand. His eyes were running over the details line by line.

As she continued to explain the mathematical equations of the holo-matrices Mordecai noticed something within the equations. "Have you noticed that the variables seemed be very similar between the five different matrices" Mordecai asked.


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded, "It is not that they are similar, Lieutenant, but let me show you what I found. Even though they are created to appear different. If you change the variables along this line" she explained as she worked. "The equations all but mirror each other but inverted along this one variable."


Lieutenant Noonia looked at the new equations. It was so elegant that he was shocked, "What is the variable that the five matrices are looking for."


She brought up the line of code. "I am not sure, but I suspect that it has something to do with these two sub-routines."


Lieutenant Noonia nodded, "this is timing sync. I am sure of it. So they have to be run at the same time."


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded, "Ah I can see that. So the sync creates a lock when all five are running." she ran her hands over the controls while the others watched the pair working over the holo-matrices. It was clear that the two Lieutenants were talking on a level that the rest couldn't keep up with. Working in tandem, the pair pushed through lines of code as such a speed that the others almost became lost. Carefully peeling the layers back, there was a Stardate encoding within the matrices of the five holograms. This stardate created another security hurdle for them to clear. What ever was hidden was not designed to be revealed till after a stardate. The pair compared notes, five hours ago.


Mordecai looked up, "so the lock couldn't be opened until five hours ago and will forever be sealed by this line of code here after twenty four hours beyond that time set." Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded as Mordecai continued, "so what ever is hidden, has to be unlocked in eighteen hours before. After that time, we will loss what ever is hidden."


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded, "multiple locks and time frames. What could be hidden within these holograms that is so important" she questioned as her frustration could be heard in her voice. "Here!" Lieutenant Kinchlirah almost shouted in excitement. "Here is the way the key is inserted in to the locks. It ties in to the security protocols for the room. Namely the physical sensors. It is searching for a specific user to run these programs."


Lieutenant Noonia noticed that in this, that discovery which was made by the Klingon woman, that the lock hid something remarkable. Something he had never seen before. There was another buried holo matrix in the Mathematical equations of the matrices. Run the five holograms together at the right time, by the right viewer the new holo-matrix would show its self. "It appears Lieutenant, that the hidden holo-matrix was created for a single viewer. Though our efforts to compile it are turning up for naught, that much data has been gleaned." No matter their efforts to run the new program, it simply refused to run. Their attempts to hack in to the matrix were met with a nasty self destructing virus.




Lieutenant Noonia scanned the lines of code before him. "I wonder what lurks in it" he offered a question. Mordecai's voice was normally emotionless and hinted at the intelligence that lurked beneath. He gazed at the lines of code and found them a lot like he was. The pair were like a many layered ball of twine with a prize inside. The more you peeled back, the more was revealed how intricate. These matrices were truly fascinating him, so much that he was becoming animated and excited. Barely a time spent, and already a wondrous journey. Perhaps this starship would be the experience he had dared dream of?


But one question remained unanswered, how can this be unlocked. Till both shared a moment of revelation. They turned and looked at each other and spoke at the same time, "THE CAPTAIN!"


Captain's Quarters
Deck 2, USS Thunderchild
Captain Campbell, Commanding
Stardate: 53832.05


With the events that had been happening, Jackson found it hard to sleep. Once more he found himself laying in his bed looking up and out the large windows next to his bed. He had often wondered why Federation ships had thes large windows all over the ship. He had served aboard a number of Klingon ships during the war and noticed that there weren't as many windows on the ship. Instead their ships were built to take a brutal level of damage. Were Federation ships just designed poorly or was there something reassuring about looking out in to the vastness of space. Was it more emotional or spirtial. Maybe the windows were meant to act as a distraction. Or maybe they had no real purpose for being other than to fill the space of a wall. As he tried to calm his mind, he thought about the window and the void beyond it.


Many looked out in to space and saw little. But for him, he saw how this galaxy was connected on levels many over look. He often looked out the windows of what ever ship he was on and saw the massive dance between the bodies of the galaxy. He found it almost comforting as he closed his eyes and imaged the dance taking place in his mind. Still as much as he tried, he couldn't get his mind off the events of the past few hours. His ship was attacked, some unknown person was claiming to be some long lost friend, and now, Admiral Tate's task force had been crippled. All the while Seona was still at large.


But now the situation was grown dire. In light of her threat against the Cardassian Union, Starfleet Command is demanding her capture. Before her run in with Admiral Tate, this threat was hardly seen as credible. But now, she had the ability to take on and best not one but three large Starfleet ships and their experienced crews. Starfleet was no longer taking any chances. With dozens of Starships on the move to protect Cardassian worlds, the pride of the 4th Fleet, the USS Thunderchild had been called up to trap and capture Seona. But for some reason, Jackson didn't think she would be so easy to capture. Not after what she has shown so far. Each step she took had been planned and executed with great care. Anything that appeared to be a chance encounter couldn't be trusted.


The door chime broke his concentration as he lifted his head up. The chime rang across his room once more as he slowly rolled over and shifted his feet towards the floor. "Hold on a damn minute" he yelled at the third chime. He got up and grabbed his rob and walked over to the door. "I am telling you, this better be important!" he snapped as he opened the door.

Before him he saw members of his flight crew. Judging by their flight suits and some in their civilian clothes it was clear that they had all just gotten aboard. Leading the pack was Lieutenant Rebecca Paxton in a pair of blue shorts, white shirt and brown vest. Lieutenant Paxton was the Thunderchild's Senior Flight Deck Officer. She was the only M'bwa M'witu (or more commonly known as Wolfen because of their appearance), aboard, but to Captain Campbell she brought back some emotional memories. The two had shared a strong and passionate love affair during the war when he was just a Lieutenant in the Operation's Division aboard the Thunderchild. Truthfully he had not thought he would ever see her again. He must have missed her name on the crew manifest.


For M'bwa M'witu, they create life long romantic relationships that often survive even after death of one of the pair. For humans, these relationships were not completely as life long. So when duty took him else where, the break up was hard for her. Looking in to her eyes brought a degree of pain to Captain Campbell. He never meant to hurt her but he was given a choice between his duty and his love of her. It was by far the hardest choice he ever had to make. But in the end, his love for Starfleet was just to great to ignore. They had agreed to still be friends after the break up, but he knew deep inside that he had hurt her. It was that guilt that he was feeling now.


Next to her was Lieutenant Arron Duncanson, a combat veteran Marine turned Starfleet Deck Officer. The man was harden by the Dominion War but the kind of leader that came up through the ranks of the enlisted. Because of this, he had to trust and respect of those he served around. Between him and Lieutenant Paxton, they ran the flight deck of the USS Thunderchild with the level of efficiency that any starship captain would envy. The two made for a hell of a pair, and Campbell wouldn't trust his flight deck to anyone else.


Just behind them stood Lieutenant, Junior Grade Paula K. Pander one of the best pilots he had seen coming out of the war, but her mouth and attitude was her biggest problems. The woman could fly, but didn't understand how to just shut up. Next to her was Lieutenant Josef Ferrer, the most senior flight officer aboard. Captain Campbell and Ferrer went back to when Ferrer had come aboard as a cadet. Captain Campbell watched as Ferrer rose up through the ranks during the war. Ferrer was one of the surviving members of the original Thunderchild's fighter group. Now Jackson was considering Ferrer for squadron leader of VF-84 Squadron also known as the Jolly Rogers.


Next to him was Lieutenant Abd, he was one of the few Deltan fighter pilots in Starfleet. While with limited Combat experience Lieutenant Abd was more than proving himself to be a strong leader of VA-164 Squadron, more commonly known as the Ghost Riders.


Next to Lieutenant Abd stood Lieutenant Junior Grade Etxebarria, a Caitian combat pilot from wealth and prosperity. She had fought at the final battle of the Dominion War earning herself fame and honor. Clearly one of the most experienced veterans in the group, she had planned on leaving Starfleet but changed her mind. Lieutenant Etxebarria is debated having the second highest kill record aboard. That place had been long debated between her and Lieutenant Pander. This playful rivalry had brought to the pilots so close over the past year that they were more like sisters than competitors. Both Lieutenant Pander and Etxebarria along with Ferrer made up half of the Thunderchilds elite fighter squadron, the Jolly Rogers. All four pilots were still dressed in their flight suits.


The group as a whole made up the most experienced officers from the flight deck. It only begged the question from the Captain, "Okay what can I do for you guys?" He knew damn well that what ever they wanted, it was important enough to bring all of them here at the same time. He motioned for them to enter as he turned and walked over to his table. The group followed their captain in as the door hissed closed behind them. "Lights" he commanded the computer and the lights to the cabin illuminated the room.


It was Lieutenant Paxton who spoke up first, "Sir" she said with respect, "We heard that Commander Ponic has given up his role as Commander Air Group?"


Captain Campbell turned at the title. It was a title that Commander Bonham had pushed for due to his historical heritage aboard carriers. It still took a bit of getting used to. But much of all of this carrier business was new and took a lot to get used to. Captain Campbell found a chair and took his seat. "Yes that is correct, Lieutenant" he said. He didn't want to look at her in the eyes as he feared what he would see in those large brown eyes. He didn't want to see the pain of their lost love. Pain that he had caused. Still, he looked at the group as a whole. "Commander Ponic notified me just before the Thunderchild pulled out of drydock and resigned his role aboard our ship" Campbell explained.


Lieutenant Pander smiled, "Good riddance" with disrespect dripping from her voice.


"Mind your mouth Lieutenant," snapped Lieutenant Ferrer.


Pander shot a glare at her squadron leader, "What? I am only saying what we all know to be true." Her strong south western accent was impossible to miss. Raised in the heartlands of the American continent, Pander was as rough as they could come to Starfleet. She turned to the Captain, "Sir, I am sure in some other world he is a fine officer. He would make for a great tactical officer or even first officer. But we need someone who knows carrier operations. Someone who knows what it means to be a pilot. Hell our cadet pilots had more stick time than that old fool."


Once more Lieutenant Paxton moved forward and silenced them, "Sir" she said trying to look him in the eyes. But Captain Campbell just scanned the group instead of making eye contact. In the face of that failed attempted, she frowned only slightly as she continued, "As harsh as Lieutenant Pander put it. She is right. Commander Ponic simply didn't believe in what we could do. Instead he wanted us to act in support of starships. Not carry the battle beyond the reach of starships. We need a CAG that believes in us."


Lieutenant Ferrer stepped forward, "Captain. Listen to us. We know who we need to lead us. That man is aboard right now. But we also know that Admiral Tate wont allow it. The two had many words during refit. But the Admiral is wrong."


Captain Campbell knew all to well who they were talking about and raised his hand. "So you mean to tell me that you would rather have him over even you, Ferrer?"


"Without a doubt" Ferrer said with a nod, "I am a good pilot. But I don't have what it takes to lead this Air Group in to battle. Sure I can fill in, but lead them. No. I am not your man, Captain. We need, we want Commander Bonham to lead us."


Captain Campbell leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before speaking. "He abandoned your friends at CMO-26 Ferrer and now you want me to allow him to lead you in to combat?"


As Paxton backed up Ferrer took her place before the captain. "Sir, Bonham did what he had to do because he trusted them to do their job. Each time we suite up, we know it could be our last time aboard this ship. No one understands this better than Bonham. We know that the crew could never understand this about us. They live in a world that is completely different than the one we live and fight in. But in that battle, our duty was to defend the ship at all costs. I should know, I was out there during the battle. The crew could never understand that leaving them behind was the best course of action for the ship."


Captain Campbell nodded as he listened. He knew that what Ferrer was saying was true. But Bonham had burned his bridges with Admiral Tate. The two had always had a long heated relationship since the battle of Velos. Bonham had disobeyed direct orders given to him by Tate. As a result twenty people lost their lives. Even though Bonham had saved over a hundred former POW's it didn't matter to Tate. One thing that Tate demanded was loyalty and blind obedience. What saved Bonham's career back then was that he was granted an award for valor during that daring rescue mission. But it wouldn't be the last time that Bonham and Tate would bump heads.


When the Thunderchild was tasked with running behind enemy lines and carrying out deep raids with its newly formed fighter wing, Tate had his vision of these raids should look like while Bonham and the rest of the wing had their's. Within these debates, Bonham acted as a lighting rod becoming the most vocal against raids that would place the wing in harms way unnecessarily. Unlike Tate, Bonham was never too prideful to admit when he was wrong. The feud between the two men seemed to die down when Tate was promoted up to Admiral Ross' Staff. But now that the Thunderchild was back under Admiral Tate's command it was only a matter of time before this feud would surface again.


Captain Campbell couldn't ignore his flight Division either. He looked around at them. "Tell me, does he know you guys are here?" he asked


It was Lieutenant Abd that spoke up next. "Sir with all do respect to the Commander. He doesn't know that we have done this. And we all have agreed to keep this between us. We do not want him to know that we came to you. During refit, we all heard the rumors that Admiral Tate was just looking for a reason to sake him. Bonham is one of the best pilots any of us had seen. Most likely the best that Starfleet has. We need him and we know that you can make this happen."


Captain Campbell nodded, "Okay. I will speak with Commander Bonham later about this. As for Admiral Tate, I will explain my reasoning personally with him." As he spoke he could see the group getting excited. He calmed them down with a hand motion, "BUT!" he said then allowed them to silence before continuing, "If the Admiral pulls him. My hands might be tied. All I will promise is that I will speak with the Admiral." He didn't want to promise them anything beyond that. But he knew in his heart that Tate would give Jackson what he wanted. Even if it had to do with Bonham. For all of his anger towards Bonham, Tate needed this project to succeed. And Bonham was the man they needed for the job. The only problem now was Captain Campbell needed to new First Officer. His com-badge chimed, "No rest for the damned right?" he said then activated it. "Campbell here!"


It was the voice of Lieutenant Kinchlirah, "Sir, we need you down in the holo lab. We have unlocked the holograms."


"I am on my way" he said as he rose up out of his chair. "Everyone dismissed" he ordered motioning them out of the room. He didn't even bother to change in to his uniform as he ushered them out. He followed them out in to the corridor and rushed down the the hololab. All he could do was think of what secrets were about to be uncovered now. He didn't even think that he was wearing a rob and his underwear as he leaped in to a lift along with a pair of crew members. He nodded to them, "morning" he said calmly as his mind raced.

 

Re: The Journeys of the USS Thunderchild

Contributor: Vertroue (As Doctor McCoy)


Medical Bay
USS Thunderchild
Doctor Erica McCoy, Acting Chief Medical Officer


Arriving back to the Thunderchild, Erica knew that she had her work cut out for her. She knew that she needed to get a hold of the Captain and brief him on what happened with Gul Bolon, but all she could think about was the manner in how that interview went down. So she decided to head to her quarters, she needed a chance to just be alone. Her emotions were running high and she needed to just collect herself before moving forward. It was her first time coming aboard since the refit was completed, so much of this massive starship was still very new to her. During refit, she and much of the crew were stationed on Mars its self. Like many members of the crew, she worked closely with the design teams to guide the refit of the ship. Erica had served aboard other starships before and the first thing that caught her attention was the size of the corridors of the Thunderchild.


For a ship this large, everything seemed so compact. The corridors were less than half the size of normal corridors on other Starfleet ships that she had been on. As she made her way down the corridors of the ship, she found it odd to see six enlisted crew members sharing a single room. Again unlike other starships were the rooms were lush and spacious, these rooms were tight and forced crew members to even hot cot their beds. When she volunteered for this assignment she knew that this was going to be a hard tour, but she never realized how hard it would be. Even a junior officer had to share a room with three other junior officers. By the time she reached her own quarters, she was not surprised to see how small it was. Because of her rank and position aboard the ship, she was lucky enough to have her own quarters. But still, she had to take it all in as she stood at the door. These quarters were barely what she had expected.


There was a simple bed that doubled as a couch. Next to it was a table and across from the bed and table were a pair of chairs. She had given Commander Bonham explicit instructions on the lay out of her room so that she could conduct sessions in her quarters. It was if Commander Bonham and those design teams barely paid attention to her requests. She smiled as she saw five simple flower pots filled with different colorful plants on the far side of the room. She remembered the argument she had with Commander Bonham as they were talking about her room. He had asked out of anger if she wanted a garden too, and her replay had been and anger filled yes! So he ensured her garden was included in her room. She couldn't help but laugh at the plants. She knew that the design teams were pressed with an impossible situation.


They had to clear just over half of an entire deck to make room for a fully functioning Hanger Deck and support bays for the new craft. The critics of the Thunderchild Project had demanded that the Thunderchild still be able to carry out scientific research as per Starfleet's original mission, so they couldn't just remove the science bays as originally desired to make room for the hanger. This placed a tremendous strain on the design teams and Commander Bonham to gut the entire ship and put it back together while making everything fit. She had often seen how the refit of this ship had caused a massive amounts of stress on Commander Bonham and the design teams. But against the odds, they had managed to take the same class starship and give it a rebirth in to something more than it ever could have been. She walked in to her room still taking it all in. She had expected it to be small but this was half the size of what she had expected. But she could make it work. "Well, its not the Enterprise. That's for sure" she said remembering her short time aboard Starfleet's most renowned starship.


As she walked over to her bed she placed her suitcase on the bed and took in the view of Starbase 74 through her large window. The massive Starbase seemed so large from this point of view. It gave her such a moment to reflect on how small she was compared to the greater things in life. But her role aboard this starship was critical and she knew it. Serving aboard this ship was made to be completely voluntary due to its mission and living conditions. There were no families aloud aboard, nor were civilians aloud to serve as part of the crew. The living conditions were made even harder when they had to assign an entirely new division to the ship. This drove up the crew complement on a ship where space was already a premium. As if hardships on the ship were not enough, there had been a growing rivalry between the Engineering Division and Flight Operations Division during refit. The hardships of this tour were clear to Doctor McCoy. So she knew that one thing this ship badly needed was going to a counselor.


Turning off all but emergency calls she disrobed and cut across her small room and entered her bathroom. Like her room, it was only barely what she had expected. Tight was not the right word for this. She slipped in to the shower trying to use the water to wash away the feel of what Gul Bolon had done to Major MacConnell. As the steam slowly rose around her, she tried to put the emotions of the highly charged meeting out of her mind. She knew what she experienced was important to their over all mission but it left her feeling dirty. The kind of dirty that didn't just wash away. She just stood there in the shower letting the heat and the steam wash away the feelings of what she had experienced. The darkness of his mind was something she never wanted to explore again. He was cold....and......evil....There was no other way to put for her. After 15 minutes of standing there in the shower the water came to a stop. With a heavy sigh she rested her head up against the side of the shower before moving again. Her mind coming back under control once more. His mind was becoming a distant memory for her.


She slipped out of the shower not feeling much better than she had before she had entered the shower. But still she had to a duty to preform. She walked over to her suitcase and opened it. She picked up a picture of her and Leana from her suitcase and walked over to the dresser. She gazed in to the image and remembered that weekend they had enjoyed at Risa. "Oh Leana, this was supposed to be our tour together" she said softly. She placed the picture on the dresser and took in a deep breath. She returned to her suitcase and pulled out a fresh new uniform and got dressed. She walked over to her small desk and started to read through her messages.


Her heart almost stopped when she saw a message from Leana. She set there and read it carefully and smiled. A tear slipped from her eye as its meaning became realized. She wasn't sad for her friend, as this letter explained much of what happened in the last twenty four hours. Most importantly, Leana had stated in her message that she was going to be returning to the ship after a few months. This gave Erica something to hold on to. But in the end of the message, Leana explained how important Erica was to her. This filled Erica with a sense of happiness. Bolon was all but forgotten in that moment.


But there was still duties to be done. Originally she wanted a full staff of counselors to help her deal with the stress of this kind of tour. However space simply wouldn't allow for it. So she was the only member of the counselor department aboard. This meant that she had a mountain of work before her and no one to assist her. But she noticed something odd in the messages. A simple message from Commander Bonham that read, "Need some help? Ask for Cary"


Erica leaned back in her chair as she looked at the message. "What could he mean by that" she said softly she added, "who the hell is Cary."


A voice from behind her spoke out, "I am Cary."


Erica turned around in surprise to see a woman standing in the center of Erica's room. It didn't take long for Erica to realize that she was looking at a hologram. After all for an empath, it was easy to sense the lack of emotions from the figure. The woman was of small build, with medium cut sandy blond hair. She was pleasant on the eyes and professionally dressed. Erica let out a laugh, "So you are a hologram?"


Cary smiled and nodded, "yes. Commander Bonham had me commissioned by Doctor Lewis Zimmerman to serve as your professional assistant. Originally my matrix was designed as a test bed for Doctor Zimmerman's own assistant Haley on Jupiter Station. However some modifications were added to both my physical appearance and knowledge base. It was Commander Bonham and the Design teams hopes that by adding me to your staff that it will make up for crew short falls."


Erica looked around, "But you are not in the medical bay or in one of the holospaces aboard the ship."


Cary nodded, "yes, that is correct. Based on the Prometheus event in 2374 the design teams added holo-emitters to strategic locations within the ship controlled by a separate independent security protocol. It was not a far reach for the design teams to add my own holo-matrix to these systems. Because of your wishes to use your quarters as your personal office, holo-emitters were added here as well. Thus, I can cross the ship to serve as your assistant where ever needed or remain here to schedule your work.


Erica got up and smiled, "well well this ship is full of surprises." Erica walked around the holo-assistant and nodded her approval.


Cary nodded, "indeed Doctor."


"I have noticed that I have a full list of requests for appointments. Can you tend to this for me?" Erica said as she walked over to her bed than stopped, "hold on. What about when I want privacy?"


Cary turned and followed the Erica a few paces behind. "I can be turned off and switched to privacy mood. If I am simply turned off, my monitors will continue to monitor your office and waiting for you to summon me. However in privacy mood, my program will be taken completely off line and I will be completely unaware of what is going on till reactivated. I can be reactivated by the Security Protocol though should a ship wide event occur."


Erica turned to Cary, "tell me about this protocol please."


Cary nodded, "after the Prometheus event, the design teams wanted to make sure that the Thunderchild could never fell in to the wrong hands. To this end, they created ten Security Protocol Programs that are designed to protect the ship against hostile action if the crew were other wise removed from control of the ship. Their actions in protecting the ship can range from counter boarding operations to damage control. Their actions are monitored and controlled by the Thunderchild herself to protect the ship as a whole. However woven in to their matrices, are the ideals of the Federation to include the Prime Directive. These act as safe guards to ensure that the ideals of the Federation are protected even if the crew can't."


"I am not so sure I like the idea of holograms protecting the ship. But it was said that this ship was going to be testing some radical new technologies." Erica said as she picked up her PADD. She turned back to Cary, "None the less, Cary, I am grateful that Commander Bonham and the design teams included you. I was worried I would have to tend to this entire crew by myself."


Cary shook her head, "No doctor, you will have me to help you."


Erica nodded as she waked for the door, "thank you Cary. Could you please review my schedule" she paused. "Cary tell me something. What did they include in your matrix regarding training for psychology?"


Cary explained, "I have been included with access to all medical files and databases within the USS Thunderchild and all supporting databases within Starfleet Medical. Unlike previous matrices that suffered from Data Corruption Syndrome, my matrix allows me a complex search algorithm that allows me to search billions of files within seconds for the data on any given subject. This way as Starfleet Medical learns, my own knowledge grows. As I learn, I automatically upload what I know to the Starfleet Medical Data base and or to a special data holding area within the Thunderchild's own computer. This protects my matrix from Data Corruption Syndrome and extends my operation life almost indefinitely. It was originally intended that my matrix would act as a test bed for permanent holograms to serve along side their Starfleet crews on much longer tours in to deep space."


Erica looked puzzled at the hologram, "Originally?"


Cary nodded, "yes, however after the melt down of the EMH Mark 1's my program was canceled. And my design teams were shifted to other projects."


"So Cary how did you end up here" Erica asked.


"Because the first running of my matrix, Haley, was so successful for Doctor Zimmerman personally the frame work of my matrix was not decompiled. Instead, he continued to make improvements to my frame work as he further enhanced Haley. When Commander Bonham came to Doctor Zimmerman and explained your special needs on this ship and the crew limitations, the two decided that this would be a prefect opportunity to test my improved matrix on an official tour. The design teams pushed the idea up through Starfleet Command and with the backing of Admiral Tate, the project leader, my matrix was approved as part of your official staff. If successful, other Cary programs could be added to other Starfleet ships in the future."


Erica nodded, "Well Cary, it looks like we have our work cut out of us. I have some files for you to go over" Erica said as she handed over her PADD to Cary. Cary looked at the PADD and smiled with a nod. "In the mean time, I have to meet with Doctor Bell. Could you please contact him and let him know to meet me in his genetic lab."


Cary nodded, "Yes Doctor McCoy."


Erica shook her head, "My great grandfather would have thrown you off the ship back in his day."


Cary nodded, "Indeed, your great grandfather, Doctor Lennard McCoy, has a well recorded distrust of technology."


Erica smiled and nodded, "don't worry Cary. It doesn't run in the family." She turned and walked for the door and paused once more. Once more she turned back to Cary, "so do I turn you off or what?"


Cary shook her head, "no Doctor, I am capable of turning myself off when my services are no longer needed."


Erica nodded once more, "yea, machines that can turn themselves off, think for themselves and learn. This is not my great grandfather's Starfleet anymore." She gave the hologram a nod, "thank you Cary. we are going to have a great time on this tour."


Cary returned the nod, "I am sure of it Doctor McCoy."


Erica turned and walked out of the room and headed for the Genetics Lab. She had a spring in her step once more as she continued walking down the corridor. "I have my own hologram" she said while shaking her head and laughing. "Okay Bonham, you surprised me" she added with more laughter.


It didn't take her long to find her way to the Genetics Lab and Doctor Bell was waiting for her. She took her seat at a desk. Already the entire medical staff had been informed that Doctor McCoy was now the acting Chief Medical Officer. "Please sit, Doctor Bell." Motioning to one of the leather chairs in the room as she readied a new PADD. She shifted the monitor over for Doctor Bell to see what was on the monitor. "I take it you have read the files that were sent to you of Gul Bolon?" He was nervous and his emotions ran high but he was one of the smartest beings on the ship.


"Yes Doctor" he said. His lack of social skills was well known but he did his best to hide them. He continued, "So we double checked our finding and if we eliminate the fact that the suspects are dead, then we have matches. Plus, by broadening our search parameters we can also match our own Captain to the DNA samples."


Doctor McCoy went over the results. She took in a deep breath, "This is remarkable work, Doctor Bell" she said. The man was clearly gifted at what he did even if he had the social skills of a cactus. "I think the senior staff needs to know this information" she added as she slowly rose up. "I also think it would serve you well to give this presentation to them."

He shook his head, "I...." he said as his eyes shifted, "I don't think so. I just don't know how to talk to them" he added.

She smiled, "Don't worry Doctor, I will be there with you." Normally Doctor Bell would have very limited social contact with the crew as he was in charged vast medical labs of the Thunderchild. While his follow laboratory techs have learned to coup with him, other crew members view him as standoffish. Something Doctor McCoy wanted to help him with. She could not deny what he was able to do. In just a few short hours he had been able to do something that would have normally taken a lab twice the size of what the Thunderchild had days if not weeks to do.

She tapped her com-badge, "Doctor McCoy to the Captain" she said softly and waited for a reply. "Could you please summon the senior staff for a briefing? Doctor Bell would like to give you his findings." She said with a soft smile to the older Doctor next to her. "We will meet you in your ready room."


Captain Campbell's voice came over the channel, "Really? when it rains it really pours. Okay listen, I am in the hololabs right now. This will have to wait till I am done here. Okay?"


Doctor McCoy nodded as if the Captain could see her, "Yes sir. We will set up and wait for you."

 

Re: The Journeys of the USS Thunderchild

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (As Captain Jackson Campbell), Kunanaki (As Lieutenant Junior Grade Mordecai Noonia)


Holographic Surprises
Hololab 1
Deck 3, USS Thunderchild
Captain Campbell, Commanding
Stardate: 53832.05


Captain Campbell tapped off his communicator as he turned to Noonia and Kinchlirah, "Okay, so let me get this right. Run all five holo-programs and this should unlock some secret holo-program?"


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded, "yes Sir, that is correct."


Captain Campbell shrugged his shoulders as he turned, "Computer load all five holo-programs within secured folder Seona One. Run them under secured protocol Alpha Two" he ordered the computer. The protocol ensured that the program wouldn't have access to any other system. He wasn't about to give any of these programs a chance to run wild all over his ship. Already Seona has proven to be too good at surprising Starfleet. He didn't want to take any further chances with her.


It took no time for all five holo-programs to load and then to start running. As each one ran, they started to sync with the other programs till they were running in prefect unison. However to Lieutenant Kinchlirah's and Lieutenant Noonia's surprise, nothing else happened. Captain Campbell turned to his two Lieutenants, "Okay so what now?" It was clear that they didn't understand why it wasn't working correctly.


Kinchlirah turned her attention to her console and started to test the system to figure out what they missed. "I don't know sir. It should have worked. The files are all in sync. It has tapped in to the sensors and confirmed you. But nothing else." She activated a channel, "Lieutenant T'lora, we ran the five programs but it didn't unlock the hidden files."


While both Noonia and Kinchlirah worked on their end, Lieutenant T'lora answered, "understood. We observed the same thing here. The files attempted to access subroutines outside of the hololab but we blocked them." Noonia shifted his eyes over the console as well as Lieutenant T'lora spoke. It was clear that both were stumped as to why the program wasn't working. "We suspect that it was attempting to run hostile programs" Lieutenant T'lora added.


Captain Campbell turned his attention back to the five programs as they played through their musical presentations. Each showed off a stage in Seona's life. Each holovid showed her playing a violin in different settings. Before him he could see her early teenage years as she played in some silly little blue outfit with large pointed ears. There was a second vid of her exploring a large ice castle. Next was of her playing in what appeared to be some sort of captivity. Her loneliness struck him like a cord as he watched her playing her violin in her little prison. Then it was of a time when he figured she had broken free of her captivity. Her youth and happiness seemed to explode before him as she danced across the hololab. Lastly was the one that had been altered the most. Of her looking back on her life as she was trapped in her glass snow globe. So much stood before him as each told a story.


He couldn't help but think that she was reaching out to him in these videos. She needed him to see something within them. Something in her that others couldn't see. That other wouldn't ever see in her. She needed him to trust her. 'why trust her' he asked himself. "Tell me something. Why are we suspecting that these subroutines are hidden viruses," he asked turning back to his lieutenants.


Both Lieutenant Kinchlirah and Noonia looked up from their console. It was Lieutenant Kinchlirah that answered, "Um, yes. We have identified a number of possible hostile programs that could be traps or distractions. Sir, this Seona, she is a remarkable programmer. Even Lieutenant T'lora was impressed by the level of programming that went in to these files." Lieutenant Kinchlirah explained citing the ship's own resident expert on computer programming.


Captain Campbell turned back to the programs as they restarted and played over again. He looked at each one and remembered her words that came along with these files. 'She needed me to see her as something more than what others saw her as right now' he thought. "Computer stop all programs" on that command the five programs came to a stop as they froze in mid motion. "Computer remove all barriers between the hololab and the ship's main computer pathways" he commanded. He turned to face the two lieutenants who were looking at him as if their captain had just gone off the deep end. "Listen, so she is an expert programmer. What is to say that she couldn't have caused us a lots of serious issues already. These files were sent and stored in the mainframe before we started to play with them. If they were meant to cause of harm they could have done so already," he explained.


He turned back to the frozen holograms as he thought silently to himself, "no they are not hostile. They were meant for me. I have them for a reason" he explained. The work that went in to all of this was almost remarkable. She was on the run, didn't know where she was going but knew enough to plan ahead. "Security has already proven that she was aboard the Thunderchild a week before the ship sailed out of dry dock," he said as he walked around the frozen holograms, "I know that she wont harm us. She needs us to trust her. She needs me to trust her."


"Sir! With all due respect" Lieutenant Kinchlirah said. While on her station, she had already prevented the Captain's orders. The holograms were still isolated as the debate continued. "She crippled Admiral Tate's task force. Hacked our systems and no one knows what else she is capable of."


He nodded as continued to he walked between the images. He took a moment to pause before one of the images of Seona in mid dance with her violin in hand. "I know" he said trying to find the logic that would support his gut feeling. "I know that these holograms were used to that end. But I don't think that this is part of her plan for us. If not in her, trust in me Lieutenant. This feels right."


With a nodded she and Noonia opened the pathways between the hololab and the mainframe of the central computer. They were taking a big risk because up to this point, Seona had proven to be a threat to Starfleet. Reports have now linked her to an attack on members of Starfleet in San Fransisco. During her escape from Starfleet Medical, it was reported that she murdered the medical staff and crew that were transporting her. As far as Starfleet Command was concerned, Seona had become public enemy number one over the past twenty four hours. The number of starships hunting her was growing by the hour and even bounty hunters were starting to take notice of the sector wide hunt going on. Captain Campbell returned her nod with a smile and the words, "trust me. I know I am right."


He walked once more to the center of the room and cleared his through. He closed his eyes and offered a slight moment of silence before taking this leap of faith. If he was wrong, there is any number of ways this could go wrong. Seona had already proven herself to be one hell of a programmer and that she could plan ahead far beyond the sight of where others were looking. It was clearly her best trait. To set in motions plans weeks if not month ahead of time. She lured Admiral Tate and his group in to a trap that she had clearly set for them and bested them. Was this now just one of those traps that she had built weeks ago? The firewalls and barriers were there to protect the mainframe from what she had been known to do. "Seona, god I hope you don't burn me" he said placing his trust in a woman whom seemed to be part of his past. A past that he simply didn't have any memory of. "Computer reload and run all files within secured folder Seona One. No Security Protocols."


On that command all the files vanished as the computer reinitialized the programs. They returned moments later and started up normally. But this time, the files only ran for a few seconds before vanishing again. The files had linked to subroutines beyond the hololab and a new file started right before Captain Campbell. It was an image of Seona dressed in a white pair of skin tight paints with a brown skirt. She wore military style boots that came up over her calfs. Her top was a white shirt with brown pockets and brown leather straps on it. Under her white shirt she wore a black undershirt. A large brown leather shoulder bag hung off of her left side. Her medium cut pink hair pulled over her left shoulder drew the eyes up to her face. Carefully placed makeup did a reasonable job of concealing resent bruises about her face and just below her turtle neck black undershirt. The hair and the style of clothing didn't match the images that Starfleet Medical had on Petty Officer Traver, but Captain Campbell looked in to her eyes and knew they were the same person. Her eyes showed a woman who has been on the run for some time and has reached the end of her options.


Behind her was a snow covered scene with high mountains that reached far beyond the cloud cover. In the distance was some kind of temple that had heavy Indian influence. Captain Campbell couldn't place it but the scene looked a bit familiar to him. He wasn't sure but he thought he had seen it before. Behind Captain Campbell, the console lit up as a message came in from the Computer Control Room. Lieutenant Noonia answered, "Hololab, Lieutenant Noonia speaking"


"Lieutenant Noonia" spoke the calm and steady voice of Lieutenant T'lora. "Watch your monitors" she instructed as their monitors lit up with activity. The Bio-neural circuitry of the USS Thunderchild was lighting up like a Christmas Tree. It was if the program running in the hololab was only being used to access a much larger program that had been hidden within their systems at a later time. "Do you see what we are seeing?"


"Yes Lieutenant" Lieutenant Noonia said as he scanned the console. "Look at those pattern as they are accessed"


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded as T'lora answered, "We are not detecting anything harmful at this time. However what ever she is planning, we might not be able to stop it in time. We will continue to monitor the situation from here."


Lieutenant Kinchlirah nodded to the console as she watched what was going on. "Understood. Thank you for the update."


Noonia just looked at the large Klingon standing next to him as if he was seeing a ghost. He couldn't get over how she was a Klingon yet spoke the way she did. He only shook his head and returned to his attention back to his work. 'Mordecai Noonia, you learn something new everyday about people around you' he thought to himself.


Captain watched the program take full effect before moving. He looked in to her eyes as if he knew her all his life. But at the same time he knew that he had never seen her before. She opened her mouth and spoke to his surprise, "Jack?" Her voice caught him by surprise because in her tone and expression she acted as if they were old childhood friends. There was no fear in her eyes just that strong emotional bond between two close friends. He couldn't understand why. "Oh Jack" the hologram leaped forward and embraced him in a hug. "I have missed you so much. I feared you couldn't trust me."


The action caused both Lieutenants to reach the commands that would end the program but the situation seemed to resolve itself as the hologram of Seona pulled back. "Jack, I don't have much time as your security teams will be closing on me soon. I'm sorry that it has to be this way. But HE is too powerful. Too well connected and I can't trust anyone. I will do my best to explain why I have done what I have. I will answer your questions as long as time permits, but Jack, understand, we are all in so much danger.


Once more, T'lora's voice came over the channel to Noonia as the Captain and Seona spoke to each other, "The image of the background you are seeing is fake. We are suspecting that she recorded this holoprogram here on the ship. We are trying to filter it out."


Lieutenant Noonia answered this time, "Okay but be careful not to harm the program. The captain is engaging with it now."


Captain Campbell nodded, "Okay, I understand I don't have much time. But please tell me what is going on."


The hologram Seona nodded, "The Federation has been lured in to a state where it is about to be attacked" she said. It was clear that the events that led her to this moment when the hologram was record had taken their toll on her. Her body seemed weak from the fatigue of a dogged pursuit. "The Dominion has not given up their war. I saw it. They are going to attack us. The Federation will be over run and millions will suffer if we are not prepared for this war, Jack."


Captain Campbell raised his hand, "hold on. The war is over Seona. The Dominion have retreated back across the wormhole. They have even retreated back to their original boarders. I know I have seen this."


The hologram shook her head, "Jack, its not over. I have seen starships burning in space behind waves of Jem'hadar fighters. War will engulf worlds, millions will suffer." Captain Campbell couldn't help but see how determined she was in what she was saying. She believed everything of what she was saying.


But he couldn't believe it. The Dominion were gone. Captain Campbell shook his head as if he wasn't sure if he could trust her as a source, "Seona try this from the beginning. Can you tell me what is happening?"


Seona nodded, "if it will help you understand. I remember that day so clearly. My group from the hospital were out on a planned picnic. Everything was so wonderful. It was if I could finally see the world for what it was. But then without reason, something happened. I can't explain it. I don't know how to even describe it. But I saw HIS thoughts. I saw them planning the destruction of the Federation."


As she was speaking Captain Campbell caught Kinchlirah attention who motioned him to keep her talking. The hologram of Seona continued, "I saw them around a large table with Cardassian marking on it. Fleet locations, ships to be targeted. Worlds that would fall before them. I saw them talking about the coming war." Captain Campbell listened to her as she explained herself. At the same time he recalled her medical reports from Starfleet Medical over the past year. She had suffered from delusions and on more than one occasion, lost all but her complete grip on reality. This wasn't the first time she had claimed that the war wasn't over. But back then she suspected that it was a rouse to get her to violate some great secret. The two events seemed similar on the surface but each time she lost her grip on reality, she would be able to work herself back in to the right frame of mind after a few days. This time something else was at work. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like it. Still her medical records as Petty Officer Traver didn't help her. It recorded that she even attempted to commit suicide on two occasion. "Jack, I know you don't believe me. No one does. I tried to tell them at Starfleet Command, I even saw HIM there among them. But they wouldn't listen to me. I called HIM as the traitor he was, but they didn't arrest HIM. Instead that tried to arrest me."


Captain Campbell remembered reading the report regarding the event she was talking about. Petty Officer Traver, well it was assumed that was who it was at the time. In truth it was Seona hiding under the assume identity of a dead woman. She had managed to slip past security and crashed a lunch party at Starfleet Command. The event was filled with a large number of captains and admirals as well as Federation Council members. According to the reports, she ran around screaming of a coming invasion and accused those admirals of failing to see the coming attack. During the altercation she went after a few guests calling them traitors to the Federation. She became so disruptive that it took five security officers to subdue her. After she was physically restrained a Vulcan Admiral had to render her unconscious. The report clearly showed a woman that had lost all touch with reality.


"Jack, I know I over reacted at the party. I...I can't explain how I know these things. It all happened so suddenly. It was like a door or window was opened up to me and I alone was able to see in to it. I was so scared of what I was seeing. The fires, the suffering, the death, the coming war. I saw it all. I knew that HE was responsible for it. I had to stop him. But I failed to stop him. Because of me, the war is still coming. Millions will suffer because I failed to stop HIM" she explained as tears started to slip from her eyes.


Her lips trembled as she spoke, "Please Jack, believe me." She stepped closer to him with her hands out reaching out to him. It was strange for her hologram to behave like this. It didn't make sense to him, it wasn't like she was here. But the hologram seemed so alive. Why was it so important for her to have his support. In that moment even he was fooled by what he was seeing. "Jack, I told the doctors back at Hospital what was going on. But they put me to sleep instead. They wouldn't listen to me. No matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't listen to me. The Dominion are going to attack Jack, and no one is watching for them."


Again Captain Campbell remembered reading the report of that night as well. Without warning, Seona woke up again as they were just getting her back to the medical facility where she was staying at. According to the report, she was unruly once more as she screamed out and lashed out yelling as she claimed that the Dominion was about to attack the Federation. They had to give her a powerful sedative, nearly three times the normal dosage, just to get her back under control. After the sedative took hold, she was placed back in her room to rest. It was assumed that her issues would pass in the morning. No tests were ordered and only the attending Doctor at the time glanced her over. Her own full time Doctor was not brought in during this moment. Captain Campbell had suspected had her own Doctor been called in, that none of this would have happened.


Sadly, the call rested on a Doctor who happened to be on call from a nearby hospital. Seona's event would slip through the crack. It was that night that she again tried to commit suicide. However unlike before where she attempted to overdose on medication, this time she attempted to hang herself using torn pieces of her bed sheets. A nurse discovered her kicking and thrashing as Seona hung from ceiling. According to the nurse, Seona was trying to call out for help or was lashing out to keep others from helping her. The attending staff were of different opinions on this. Once she was cut down and before she was sedated again, she claimed that Starfleet had tried to murder her. That there was some conspiracy to murder her. To silence her from warning others about the attack.


"Then there were those murders. Jack, I know what has been said about me. I know what you are thinking. I didn't do that. I had come a long way from the first days when I returned to Earth. I was getting better Jack. You have to believe me" hologram once more pleaded. It was hard for him to not believe this brilliant created hologram.


Captain Campbell didn't say anything as he listened to the hologram speak. But she was right, according to Seona's own full time Doctor. When she first arrived back from Velos just over a year ago it was like a nightmare for Seona. She couldn't coup with the change from captivity to life in a medical facility. Physical contact would send her in to traumatic flashbacks. She had to be treated for a number of sexually transmitted disease. Her own doctor wrote of Seona, 'of all the cases I have treated this one case has to be the most complex and heartbreaking. The horrors this woman faced were truly those of nightmares. That would be describing this situation lightly.'


However Captain Campbell knew that these reports also offered hope for Seona. After months of hard work and one on one help from her Doctor, Seona was finally coming out of the woods. But she didn't trust the Doctor or the medical staff completely. Or at least that Seona's Doctor assumed based on months of getting to know Seona. While Seona's Doctor didn't know what it was, she knew that Seona was keeping a major secret. Captain Campbell knew now that that secret was her real identity. But the morning before all this happened, the pair were talking just before Seona's group left for that group outing. Seona confided in her Doctor that she was ready to let go of her last secrets. Seona's Doctor thought that this was a massive step for Seona. A step which showed remarkable growth. Due to this, her Doctor almost canceled a planned vacation with her family. It was Seona that urged her Doctor not to cancel. Seona had promised that they would talk after the weekend. Fate turned Seona on to a new path that day.


The hologram looked around as if she heard something, "Jack, I woke up as they were trying to murder me. I saw them. They were Starfleet, but I know they work for HIM. They told me so, that I brought this on myself. I know HE is trying to keep me silent. I can't trust anyone Jack. I tried to tell everyone but no one would listen. So the following morning they put me on that transport. That was when HE sent murderers after me again. They were surprised I was still alive. They joked at me as I was tied down. I couldn't move, Jack" her tears were flowing more freely now. "I didn't kill those people Jack. I wouldn't do that."


Again Captain Campbell remembered the reports of how she escape Starfleet Medical's custody. According to the reports, she broke free from her restraints and attacked the shuttle's crew. This forced the shuttle to crash. The five personnel on board were found after the crash murdered. She was seen by eye witnesses fleeing the area as two Starfleet Security officers were in close pursuit. If anything of her story might give it some credibility. It was the official report by Starfleet Security. None of their responding personnel came in contact with Seona at the crash sight or afterwards. But this didn't mean she was being hunted, However Captain Campbell couldn't ignore other facts of what was going on. The two men who questioned Father McLeod. Could Seona and the priest, both be in on this together. He didn't know, but his gut was telling him to keep her talking.


"Okay Seona, I am listening to you. So you escaped them in San Fransisco, what happened next," Captain Campbell asked.


The Hologram of Seona nodded, "they chased me across Earth. A few times they caught up with me, but I got away. They didn't something to me in that shuttle, Jack" she explained as she shook her head. "I don't know what it was Jack, but my thoughts, I had these horrible thoughts. They took me back to nightmare places. Its so hard to control them, Jack. I tried to find your father but he was no where to be found. These thoughts, they are my own, but they are out of time. I am not that person anymore. I can't control them, Jack. I tried to find your mother, but again, she was no where to be found....."


On that note said, "Hold on" as Captain Campbell rushed his pace over to the console. He looked at Lieutenant Kinchlirah, "Contact Doctor McCoy. Tell her to cross reference the blood samples we have from the intruder and of Gul Bolon." He had a hunch based on what he had read from Commander V'rol's report of their meeting with the Gul. He turned back to Seona. "Seona, I need to know more" he said and added, "tell me of this attack."


She nodded, "I saw starships burning in space. The Federation will be burning Jack. Breen, Cardassian and Jem'Hadar ships in waves reaching out...." she paused as the hologram shook. It was if when she was recording this, that she herself was in pain. "Jack the plan is so prefect. You will never see them coming Jack. No one is looking out for them and here they are coming cause they know where you are. They will always know where you are but you wont see them." She looked around once more as the image shuttered a bit. Her rambling seemed to be driven by some kind of madness. Or was she just so bent on getting her message across that it just came out that way. He couldn't tell. "They are coming now Jack. I have to go."


Lieutenant T'lora spoke over the comlink, "we are filtering out the background now."


As the background of the image shifted around the hologram of Seona, she reached in to her bag. "Jack I don't know if you trust me or not. But trust you. I will light the spark with my own death. That spark will ignite the fires of hell. In my death, Jack, I will show them to you." she pulled out a phaser and tapped a command in the control pad of the phaser, "Be ready for them, Jack." She pointed the phaser upward and fired a steady wide beam from the phaser, "this is what they wanted the most. I don't know what it is. But I know it is important to them. HE gave it to them. But I saw it in HIS mind that day. Come find it. Trust in me Jack and together we will save the Federation."


The background of the image faded and was replaced by an image of a section of a ship. Campbell turned, "locate that section NOW!" He turned to the hologram of Seona as she started to fade, "Seona no....I need to know more."


"I can't Jack. My time is up" she said softly as the hologram faded.


Captain Campbell turned back to the console, "Computer reload holographic program that was just running!"


The female voice of the computer echoed in the room, "No holographic programs were running. Unable to comply."


T'lora's voice came over the channel for all to hear, "Sir, the program launched a self destruction virus. We tried to stop it but we caught it too late. The file is gone. The section of the ship is Deck Seventeen, section G Nine.....Sir, its the Brig?"


Captain Campbell remembered the building schedule and realized what a prefect location that could have been for her. During refit this entire section of the ship was pretty much devoid of life and activity. "Damn! Notify Commander V'rol, I want that area secured now" he said as he started to make his way from the hololab. "I want Commander Bonham there as well. Tell them I am on my way." Captain Campbell didn't wait for a reply as he ran out the door.

 

Re: The Journeys of the USS Thunderchild

Contributors: aipsylon (Playing Commander V'rol), A_Magical_Taco (Playing Captain Jackson Campbell)


Lost and Found
The Brig
Deck 17, Section G9
USS Thunderchild
Captain Campbell Commanding


During refit, much of the focus was on the new Hanger Deck and the modifications to the flight deck. Despite new paint, an upgrade to sensors deck seventeen was pretty much left untouched by the work crews. The year long refit saw this section become more like a ghost town. It was rumored that this area was hunted by those who had been held here during the war. These rumors even come along with 'eye witness sightings' of figures drifting through the shadows of these halls. However none of these rumors ever panned out to anything.


Despite the rumors, the Brig of the USS Thunderchild was a place built for a purpose. The section was designed to hold some of the most dangerous POW's of her time. Modified right before the outbreak of war, the cells were reinforced. The brig laid on the outer layer of the deck with two rows of ten cells, holding a total of twenty four person cells. Between the cells a simple corridor divided them. Unlike other ships that relied on force fields to secure their cells, the Thunderchild's cells used a thick of transparent steal as well as a force field to secure the cells. Within the walls, there were force fields as well and dampening fields. The idea was to prevent even the most daring of escapes. Because of this, the Thunderchild was called upon to transport POW's from the front lines back to POW Camps around the Federation.


Within each cell, there were beds in the shape of double bunk beds. Either side of the cell had one pair of bunk beds. The beds could be activated to come out of the wall for sleep or remained hidden in place. Against the far wall was a simple sink and toilet. During the war, many Cardassians POW's were brought here and interrogated under the watchful eyes of Commander Binici. Commander Binici, of Turkish ancestry, was the Thunderchild's Chief of Security. During the war, Starfleet found its self pressed between its ridged rules and moralities and an enemy that was growing more powerful with each victory. As in war, those moralities seemed less important when the fate of the Federation was placed in harms way. Some officers like Commander Binici crossed the line and surrendered their moralities in the name of victory.


Like many Starfleet officers, Commander Binici started off as a good person with good intentions. However as the war took its tool on him, his moralities became blurred and his desires to save the Federation took over. The brig of the USS Thunderchild would take on a new, darker role during the war. POW's would be brought in and questioned by Commander Binici's security staff. While nothing compared to the methods of their enemies, still the methods used aboard the Thunderchild would have turned any Federation citizen in shook and horror. Captain Hoffman and First Officer Zdenko committed the greatest act of betrayal to the Federation in turning a blind eye to what happened in their own Brig. The cries of the suffering fell upon deaf ears as the drumbeat for victory continued its pace.


The names of those military and civilian Cardassians that found themselves here would all but be forgotten as the Federation attempted to forget the real cost of victory. Commander Binici pushed the limits of acceptable torture to gain valuable information and to save lives in the Federation. Never once was it brought up, that these very practices were turning Commander Binici and the security staff of the Thunderchild in to the very thing they were protecting the Federation from. When a pair of Cardassian prisoners managed to get their story out of what happened to them while under Commander Binici custody, the outrage was hardly even a whimper against the anger over the recent attack on Earth. Commander Binici and his staff managed to keep the flow of useful information flowing from POW's coming and because of this, the out cry was drowned out by the cry to protect the Federation.


But what no one bothered to question was how useful was this information. There were no grand reviews of the rumors regarding what happened in these cells. No one bothered to ask about the information. Just as long as the flow was not stopped or hampered. Instead, each time a fragment of information was somewhat helpful was paraded around as a show of how useful these tactics were. It was largely ignored that much of the information gained was largely useless. All that suffering was for nothing, but Commander Binici and his teams were successful just enough of the time to protect their little operation of horrors. The sad fact was, Commander Binici and what happened on the Thunderchild was not uncommon to the rest of Starfleet. As it was in wars, moralities took a back seat.


Among the crew, Commander Binici was well liked and seen as a real hero. A man who did was was necessary for victory. After the Battle of CMO-26, it was widely suspected that Commander Binici was in line for the center chair. However that would not come to pass. After the war, to most of the crew's surprise, Commander Binici was transfered to Starfleet Intelligence. Many suspect that this transfer was not at Commander Binici's request. Right before the battle of CMO-26, Commander Binici and Captain Hoffman had a major falling out when a civilian POW had died in the Brig. The cause of death was ruled indirectly caused by interrogations conducted by Commander Binici's staff. While the death was largely forgotten in the wake of the fateful battle, rumors have it that it was Commander Bonham who pushed for Commander Binici's transfer.


When a copy of files landed on the desk of a Justice sitting on the Federation Supreme Court the cat was out of the bag. With no war to hide behind, the horrors that were committed in these very cells were brought back to the surface. In a deal to avoid a long drawn out trial, Commander Binici retired from Starfleet with hardly any notice for his actions during the war. While the issue wasn't dead, Commander Binici's career was. To this day, rumors suggest who might have copied those files from the Thunderchild's computer and sent them to the Federation Supreme Court but no one knows for sure. One of many careers that had been forever altered by a war that changed the Federation for years to come.


Captain Campbell rushed up to the entrance to the brig complex of the Thunderchild with Commander Bonham in tow. Commander V'rol and a pair of security officers were already standing by at the main doors to the brig. Commander V'rol reported, "Sir, the entire brig complex has been secured. There are no personnel within it."


Captain Campbell nodded, "good Commander. No one enters expect for us," he ordered the two security officers. "I don't know what she left behind for us, but I mean to find it." Captain Campbell motioned for the two commanders to follow him in.


"Sir" Commander V'rol seemed to question.


Commander Bonham pulled out his tricorder, "I don't know either."


As Commander V'rol drew out his own tricorder they followed the Captain in to the section. Campbell explained, "she left us something in this section. According to T'lora, it is in one of these cells but I don't know what or where."


Commander Bonham nodded, "During refit this area was nearly forgotten by the work teams. So much of this area was powered down including internal sensors. This area would have given her prefect access to the ship."


Both Captain Campbell and Commander V'rol nodded as they walked in to the main corridor of the Brig Section. On either side of them were interrogation rooms where Commander Binici over saw the brutal treatment of POW's accused of any crime. Echoing in Commander Bonham's mind, were the screams of POW's begging for mercy or willing to give up anything just to have the interrogations come to an end. He personally hated this part of the Thunderchild's legacy. From his own point of view, what happened here took away from the courage of the crew. The three man scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary. "Captain" said Commander Bonham, "I am picking up a security monitor that is malfunctioning."


Commander V'rol nodded, "my team detected the malfunction right before we were contacted and informed to secure the area. We didn't have a chance to investigate before hand."


Captain Campbell motioned for the two to follow him as they moved towards the malfunctioning sensor. "Hey Bonham, tell me something. You give any thought to a Commander of Air Group?"


"Sir?" Commander Bonham said in a bit of surprise over the change of subject. "Um, are you sure this is the right time for this conversation?"


Captain Campbell smiled as he led his team down the corridor, "Commander, I asked you a question."


"Aye Captain" Commander Bonham nodded, "I have a few names. Some of them are part of the crew already but the rest will have to be transferred over to us. I think that each would make for a good CAG for you and the flight crews."


Commander V'rol only raised an eyebrow as he listened to the conversation. Captain Campbell motioned for them to search a cell as he spoke, "well Commander I stumbled across a name that is more than qualified to lead my fighter wings in to combat than anyone else I have seen." Captain Campbell explained as he searched a cell.


Commander Bonham carefully scanned the cell he was in as he listened to his Captain. The malfunctioning sensor was in this area but beyond that it was hard to locate what was hidden. "Well sir, I would have to make sure that he or she has the combat experience. No insult intended Sir but we need a CAG that will act to serve our Air Group, not some political agenda by the Admiral."


Commander V'rol scanned the cell across the hall, "Commander Bonham, the Commander of Air Group will serve a political agenda rather he or she likes it or not. The post would be the very first that Starfleet has ever had. Therefore it would only be logical that the person to hold that position be experienced in both the political fields as well as the fields of space combat."


Commander Bonham sighed searching his own cell, "I understand what you are saying V'rol. But far too often, I have seen these political minded officers come in with their grand plans and ideas. Only rarely have I seen them succeed. More often than not, good people died instead. No, I don't want the CAG to get caught up in some political dance. Let the Captain and the Admiral handle that. The CAG needs to focus on his people and ensuring that they win in combat. Bringing his people home alive should be his primary mission, second only to protecting the ship. These thing should be important for the next CAG."


Captain Campbell turned to face Commander Bonham as the Commander exited the cell, "well spoken Commander. That is why YOU will be my CAG, Commander."


Commander Bonham looked surprised to hear those words. He had hoped that his role aboard the ship would have some lasting impact but he never dreamed that Admiral Tate would allow the position to come to him. "Sir" Commander Bonham said in shock. There was another reason why Bonham couldn't accept the offer. "Sir.....I don't......."


"Excuse me gentlemen" Commander V'rol said calmly as he moved in to a new cell. "I believe I have found something"


Captain Campbell motioned for Bonham to follow, "Commander I said I want you. That is final. Like it or not Bonham, you are our CAG. I already notified Admiral Tate, is that clear?"


Commander Bonham remained outside the cell as Captain Campbell slipped in to the cell behind V'rol. "Aye Captain" Bonham finally said. What could he say, the Captain gave his order. But Bonham knew he couldn't keep this post. No matter how much he wanted it. Still he just shook his head and attempted to refocus his attention to what was going on.


Captain Campbell scanned the room as Commander V'rol motioned for the captain to look at his tricorder. "Sir, I believe that this is what we are looking for."


Unseen by the naked eye, it was burned in to a sublayer of the metal plating above the cell. What showed up on the tricorder was twenty nine letters and numbers in some seemingly random fashion. But it was the format of the string that caught Captain Campbell by surprise. He made no effort to hide his reaction, "Son of a bitch!" Campbell said then ordered, "tricorders off" as he took Commander V'rol's own tricorder. He double checked the scan to make sure that what he was seeing was true.


Commander Bonham turned his tricorder off without question but was unsure of what was going on. "Sir?"


Captain Campbell motioned for V'rol to back out of the room as he looked up at the metal plating. The code was completely hidden to the naked eye. But the tricorder could easily detect it. This was by far the single largest security breach he had ever heard of. And the only reason why he knew what it was, was due to his time serving as Admiral Tate's personal Adjutant. There was no doubt in Campbell's mind what he was looking at. "Commander Bonham, please delete everything on your Tricorder" Captain Campbell ordered.


Bonham looked just as confused as before but obeyed the order. As he started the deletion steps, Commander Bonham spoke up, "Sir, what hell is going on?"


Captain Campbell just looked up at the ceiling of the cell and thought about his next action. "Commander" Captain Campbell said still looking up. "Did you ever wonder how the Subspace network actually works."


Bonham nodded, "Well everyone knows this. The subspace network uses Starbases, relays and ships to send messages over vast distances. Each station in the net is connected to the vast network so that messages can pass seamlessly," Commander Bonham said as he completed deleting all files from his tricorder. "Everyone knows that. Even school children know that Sir."


Captain Campbell nodded, "True, but ever wonder how the network knows where a given starship or civilian ship is to use that ship as a relay?"


Commander Bonham just looked a bit puzzled, "I just figured it sent out a wide beamed signal. Actually sir, I never really thought of it. It just worked."


"The power requirements for such a omnidirectional signal would not make the network very effective," explained Commander V'rol. He continued, "the messages would have be directed at a point in space."


"Right, and most people don't really think about it Mr. Bonham," Captain Campbell spoke up. "And you are right Mr. V'rol." Captain Campbell started to explain, "the network knows where the ships are because of a protocol that allows the ships' computers to communicate their locations to the network even without the crews knowing that this is going on."


Commander V'rol spoke up, "The Federation Communication Protocol Code."


Moving back and turning to face the two commanders, "yes, the FCPC. A secured protocol that allowed the Subspace network to know where each ship is at any given time. This why the network could route messages from one point in space to another through the fastest possiblest means. The Federation Communication Protocol Code or FCPC is one of the most protected and guarded secret codes within Starfleet. But what the code is no one really knows. It is randomly created by Starfleet Command and issued out to the fleets and independent ships via an update to the ships. The crews and captains don't even know when the code is updated. It only survives for a few weeks before being replaced by a new code. Even the time frame that one code if valid for is completely random. I only know about it because I served as Admiral Tate's Adjutant."


Commander V'rol nodded, "Yes, I recall hearing about the Federation Communication Protocol Code when I was serving within Starfleet Intelligence. With this code, anyone could track any Starfleet or Federation vessel no matter where it happens to be."


Commander Bonham looked up at the thick metal ceiling, "Oh my god, its the Holy Grail of locator beacons" he said in distress. He turned to Captain Campbell, "so Seona stole the code?"


Captain Campbell shook his head, "I don't think so" he answered. Turning back to Commander V'rol, "Phaser" he commanded. "No, she is the one who told us about the code. I don't think she even knows what it it." Taking Commander V'rol's phaser, he tapped some codes in to the phaser. "I need to make sure that this is what I think it is first. But I don't think she took the code from Starfleet. I don't know how she got it, but this just proves what she said" he explained as he turned the phaser up to the ceiling and fired the phaser. The entire section of armored plating glowed red and then vanished leaving behind a thick section of missing plating. "She said that the Federation is about to be attacked. With this code in an attacker's hands, our defenses would be all but useless."


He handed the phaser back to V'rol as he exited the room, "Mr. V'rol, I want engineering down here to repair that hole. Mr. Bonham, assemble the Command Staff, there will be a meeting in my ready room in one hour. As it stands right now, neither of you may speak about what I just told you to anyone. That is an order!" Captain Campbell didn't wait for them to reply. He knew both men and understood that they would not violate this order. He looked at the tricorder in his hand as he walked down the corridor. He had to verify these findings because if he was right, he really didn't want to think about what could happen. But if Seona was right, than the Federation was indeed in a dire situation. All of this had started out with just an intruder coming aboard and now the fate of the Federation could be in his hands. As he walked passed the security personnel that protected the section, the weight of the center chair pressed down on his shoulders. He took in a deep breath as he realized that he was not the first to feel that weight. And if he had anything to say about, he wouldn't be the last.


Later, Captain Campbell set at his desk with Admiral Tate on the monitor. The two men were talking over a secured channel regarding the most recent events. "David" Captain Campbell said to Admiral Tate, "I ran the code through the computer. It will be becoming active in just under twenty four hours. We have a crisis growing on our hands."


Admiral Tate didn't appear to like what was being said, "Jack, how the hell did this happen? No one was suppose to know about the code."


Captain Campbell leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily, "Sir, I don't know. But we have a serious breach of security in our hands. Starfleet Command has to scramble the code. If not, our ships locations will be known by this attacker."


Admiral Tate nodded, "I will make sure that the code is taken care of. You can trust that Jack. But do you know anything more about this attacker? Who are they? Where are they coming from? Or when?"


Captain Campbell shook his head. As much as he trusted Admiral Tate, the code revealed that there was a massive leak in Starfleet and he couldn't take any chances. Seona had also warned that there was a traitor out there trying to silence her. As much as it pained him to do so, he had to keep his trusted friend in the dark. "No, I don't know anything. My source only gave me the code and informed me that it was compromised. beyond that, I can only suspect that the attack will come sometime in the near future. Sometime after the next twenty four hours."


Admiral Tate frowned, "I will alert the rest of the fleet and pass the word on. I want to know this source. Starfleet Command is going to have questions. Lots of questions. Jack I need to have answers. I want to talk to this source."


"David" Captain Campbell said with the most serious tone in his voice, "listen to me. Please I need you to trust me on this." Jackson felt almost like a hypocrite for suggesting that his friend trusted him but he was unwilling to trust his friend. But the fate of the Federation was in his hands and Captain Campbell wasn't about to allow friendships to come between him and doing the right thing. "Look you can tell Starfleet that a crashed shuttle was the reason why the code was exposed. Or tell them that there is a leak and you are looking in to it. I don't know. make something up. But what ever you tell them, keep me out of this. I need space to chase this down."


Admiral Tate didn't like it, but knew his friend all too well. "Okay Jack. I will do my best to protect you. But tell me the truth, was this revelation due to the code being exposed by espionage?"


Captain Campbell looked down as he thought, "David," he said. He didn't want to let too much out. But he did owe his friend the truth to this question. Campbell looked up, "yes" he said in a flat emotionless tone. His eyes betrayed the seriousness of the situation. Admiral Tate knew not to ask any more questions. "David, I am sorry...."


Admiral Tate raised his hand, "I got it. Don't..." he said ending Captain Campbell's statement. "I will take care of Starfleet Command. You find the traitor, Jack."


Captain Campbell wasn't sure if Admiral Tate believed him or not, but as long as the code was taken care of it didn't matter to him. The rest would fall in to place.

 

Contributors: aipsylon (Playing Commander V'rol),
Nightmares Echo(Playing Lieutenant Increase Amadaeus)

Meeting with Lieutenant Increase Amadaeus
Heading towards Science 4
USS Thunderchild
Captain Jackson Campbell Commanding


V'rol walked calmly through the corridors as he thought of his conversation with the Captain. The events that have taken place have been curious to say the least. The entire 4th Fleet was now on alert, with ships searching for the stolen Susquehanna across multiple sectors. Even the Cardassian leader Elim Garak has ordered his own ships to help search for the stolen runabout. Based on the information that the captain gave him, Seona was completely convinced that the Federation was about to be attacked by the Dominion. Prior to today, Commander V'rol suspected that Seona might be suffering from another delusional attack. However, now there was the revelation of the Federation Communication Protocol Code being aboard. As he wondered how she came about having the code in the first place his suspicions about a delusional attack faded.


With Starfleet on high alert and the same with the Cardassian Defense Force, it did appear as if the two powers were preparing for war. V'rol couldn't help but come to the conclusion that it seem likely that Seona expected such events to take place even if she did not intend to cause them. He finally concluded that without further evidence further supposition would be superfluous. He simply didn't know enough about her to reach any further conclusions. Dangerous or not, she did reveal the code. Unto its self this was a major security leak and she revealed it.


In that moment his PADD chimed alerting him of an income message. He pulled up his PADD and noted that the incoming message was from Mr. Orellana. A member of the Federation Security team on Mars. It was thanks to Commander Bonham's own investigation that V'rol had reached out to Mr. Orellana in regards to what had happened at Doctor Selina Campbell's home. To his surprise, V'rol found out that Federation Security were unaware of the break in at Doctor Campbell's home till he asked them to look in to the case. V'rol paused along the side of the corridor to read the new message.

Commander V'rol closed the message and thought of how all this changed the situation. It was clear that Seona was running for her life. This much has proved what Captain Campbell has said. It was also clear that Admiral Tate's office has more information about Seona than they are telling. This information only further supported her claim that someone was out to murder her. Someone with power to silence her. With these new facts, it only raised the question in V'rol's mind as to if the Federation was indeed about to be attacked. The whole situation with Seona was becoming more complex was more facts of the situation were becoming realized.


Remembering that Chief Amadaeus wanted to speak with him, V'rol made a point to search out the new Chief Science Officer. "Computer, locate Chief Amadaeus" he said softly.

The female voice of the ship's computer answered the request, "Chief Amadaeus is located in Science Lab 4."

V'rol straightening his uniform as he proceeded toward the Science lab with his PADD in hand. When he arrived, V'rol slipped through the open door to the lab. "You requested my presence, Chief Amadaeus?"


A simple, soft hum and music filled the otherwise quiet Lab. Everyone in the lab had been allowed a few hours of extra rest before returning to duty, allowing them the ability to recover from their leave before taking on their duties aboard. The action had been in clear defiance to the Captain's orders, but Lieutenant Amadaeus ran his Science department the way he wanted to. Something that Lieutenant Amadaeus had done at his last posting. It had often gotten him in more than one tight spot with his former commander, and was not looking too good with his new captain today.


The tune being played across the lab was an old song, forgotten by most on Trill. But it was a long favorite song of Increase Amadaeus. Lost in the moment, Increase didn't notice the hissing of the door behind him. Instead Increase was alone, lost deep in the project that he was working on. The melody filling the air around him. Often times like this gave him the time he desired to focus deeply, and with the hum of the lab equipment....it almost seems like he enters a trance.

While the rest of the ship was attempting to unlock the secrets of the past few days, the vast majority of the Science Department were off thanks to Lieutenant Increase Amadaeus. Most of the science labs were shut down, minus the work station Increase had open. With PADD in hand and data base of the ship opened up to his current project. His eyes danced between the two, along with his fingers over the buttons on both devices like they were moving with the music. Today's mystery was the relationship of the Jem'Hadar and their dependency on ketracel-white. Increase was determined to unlock the secrets hidden within this relationship.

Increase had been on board for only a few hours and was already lost in the trance as he focus his current experiment. Commander V'rols entrance and words went unnoticed. Between the screens before Increase were the images of a Jem'Hadar soldier and their complete detailed history as known by Starfleet. He was mostly just reading...history.


V'rol waited for a few moments to pass as he took in a deep breath. After realizing that his appearance had gone unnoticed he walked over to the Chief Science Officer speaking with no sign of any irritation in his voice. "Chief Amadaeus, traditionally on Vulcan as well as Trill it is considered in-courteous to call someone to meet with you and then engage in other activities. If this activity detains you, however, I will come back at another time. When will be an appropriate time?"

He held the PADD against his chest as he glanced over what the Chief was working on, and listened to the music for just a moment. It was clear that the Science officer was not helping the investigation. Once V'rol had concluded his statement, he simply returned his view towards the Chief's direction, his face a blank slate as it always was. Simply seeming to wait for the reason that he had been called down to the science lab to be given.


The Commander had arrived before Increase had realized it. He was so deeply lost in his own studies that it was the word 'traditionally' is what broke him of his trance. Increase slowly turned from his monitors as if to gain the last bit of information as he slowly inhaled. Increase spoke plainly and calmly "Apologizes Commander V'rol. Old habits die hard." The Chief Science officer chuckled softly to the clearly inside joke. Increase turned in his chair as he put down his PADD. He pressed a few buttons commanding the monitor to displayed the recording of a meeting that Increase had had with Doctor Bashir over subspace. "Sir...since I have been given the assignment to look in to these DNA samples, I decided to speak with an old friend that I have with about this matter...I think the person in question, is Major Maura MacConnell or possible Seona Melville, is either no longer dead, saying she may have been dead and returned her to life."


It was in that statement that it was clear to Commander V'rol that Lieutenant Amadaeus had clearly not been reading the updates that he had been submitting to the rest of the Command Staff. Instead of interrupting, Commander V'rol allowed the Chief Science officer to continue, "...Or, She was never dead in the first place and the CMO's report of the time was a lie...both of those lead me to saying next, that I think she is either, without memory of her previous life and is doing things unknowing of who she is, or She is brainwashed and doing things she think is right or.." a moments pause came before he spoke again"..she is some sort of secret agent trying to use her background to get information to someone."

Increase took in a long deep breath before continuing, "I come to this after talking to my friend, Bashir from Deep Space Nine." There was a momentary pause as Increase realized that Commander V'rol might not know who Bashir was. "Bashir is the Chief Medical Officer on Deep Space Nine...."


Commander V'rol finally interrupted, "I am well aware of who Doctor Bashir is. Please continue Lieutenant." Commander V'rol felt as if the Chief Science Officer didn't truly understand the situation at hand.


Increase nodded as he changed metal gears. "Sir, Doctor Bashir said someone from Starfleet Command came by a few weeks ago and took all of his Records on Major Maura MacConnell and Seona Melville. I believe that this further supports my theory that this intruder is in fact a spy." Increase leaned back in his chair and smiled with a sense of self fulfillment. He did all of this in just a couple of hours of coming aboard. Increase added, "Doctor Bashir is a close friend of mine, and I would like to further include him in the research on this...we just need to release our files to him. That, and if he is working on this with us and the woman somehow...shows up on DS9 we have eyes there already." He didn't voice it, but Increase really didn't know anyone on the ship yet. He only had a chance to meet with a handful of his own staff, so having a familiar voice to bounce ideas and thoughts off was most welcomed. "Your thoughts, sir," Increase finally said after a moment of silence.


V'rol listened to the chief as he went through what he had to say, processing the logic of each statement before speaking. The first thing he noted was that the Chief Science officer had failed to follow the orders of the Captain regarding keeping the crew focused on uncovering these mysteries. The entire Medical Division was working nearly twenty four hours on the DNA samples. Even the Hanger Deck was going over the assumed modifications to the USS Susquehanna. In short the entire ship was focused on a single goal while the Science Division was lacking in direction. A mistake that V'rol was about to correct.


First though, V'rol decided to address the statements, "Chief Amadeus, in your eagerness to communicate information I believe you have over summarized the information to little more than potential conclusions. You have failed to become fully aware of the situation at hand hand have not followed up on reports submitted by your fellow Senior Staff members. I understand that you spoke with Doctor Bashir, a close associate of yours, on DS9. During this conversation you spoke of individuals whose records were confiscated. Whose confiscated said records you are referring to? Did Doctor Bashir give any specific information on who took the information specifically? What was the information taken? Finally, do you have any other supporting evidence for the conclusions you drew?" V'rol watched carefully what the chief did when the questions were asked, his tone that same plain flat wording, waiting for a response to each before continuing on to the next inquiry. Already, Commander V'rol was not impressed with the new Science officer.

Increase blinked for a moment as if he was not ready to field these questions nor was he prepared to have his conclusions to broadly dismissed like this. During prior assignments, he would offer up his findings and that was it. This redirection of questions surprised the new Chief Science officer. Increase looked at V'rol taking in the rather plainness of the Vulcan. As his mind raced, he started to straighten his shirt thinking carefully of the questions.

Increase's tone slight shifted as V'rol could sense the struggle within. "Apologies Sir. Doctor Bashir said that a pair of Starfleet Security officers were the ones who came and took those records. Bashir said that they claimed to have orders from Starfleet Command for said files. When he protested, the two officers left but the next morning, Bashir found that his computers were hacked and the files were taken. DS9 Security has not been able to identify who the men were." He pauses a moment "this happened in mid December. I believe that these men are working for Starfleet Intelligence and are trying to catch Seona or Maura or maybe even both as they believe that the two are spies. More so, maybe they had been brainwashed and don't know what they are doing."

He took a moment to let his attention drift off towards one of the turned off terminals near by. Increase almost felt as if he had been run over by a starship. He slowly allowed a breath to slip past his lips as he smiled turning his attention back towards Commander V'rol, "These are theories I am working on at the moment. I am reporting, that I am moving forward with looking into these possibilities. I am requesting any and all information on Seona so I may further my inquiry, as well share said information with a trusted friend and fellow Star Fleet officer, to further assist me in this," he explained. After all this was his department and he was going to run this investigation in the direction that he felt it should go. Carefully Increase watched the Vulcan.

Commander V'rol didn't show his disappointment in the actions of the new Chief Science Officer. "Chief Amadeus, I find it unlikely that your conclusions are accurate. While the evidence you have reported suggests a cover-up it is highly unlikely that this is a case of mind control. More so, you findings are completely rebuffed by the facts that have been discovered to this date. I suggest that you spend less time reading files about the Jem'Hadar and more reading the reports on this crisis. You were given your orders by the captain as to focus your team on the holoprograms, unlocking the computer viruses as well as assisting in decoding the DNA that was recovered from the intruder. The fact that you have allowed your staff extra time off while the rest of the ship is working nearly nonstop on this crisis reflects a lack of using your resources efficiently."

While Commander V'rol was bothered by the actions of the Science Department, he didn't allow his emotions to control his actions. "You will call your staff to work. You will refocus your staffs and your own efforts on the task at hand. Logic dictates both that the simplest solution is correct most frequently, and that the most efficient means of investigation is to focus on the most likely explanation. As for further investigation, I am currently running an investigation of events surrounding Seona and the attack on this ship. To prevent an overlap of investigations that will harm both investigations, I will require that you report to me all intended changes in the courses of your investigation as well as their results." As pointed as his statements were, his voice and mannerism didn't show any emotions.

Commander V'rol watched the Science officer carefully than added, "is this clear Lieutenant."

Increase felt as if he had taken a phaser to gut as the Vulcan spoke. Slowly he nodded as he listened carefully. 'Slow and steady breaths' Increase reminded himself. Increase didn't know how to answer what was said. He felt dressed down before the Commander. Finally Increase spoke after he took in all that was said, "Indeed. Understood." He reached over, picked up his data PADD. "If you will excuse me, I will go summon my staff" Increase said softly as he got up from the chair. Commander V'rol didn't say anything as he watched the Chief Science Officer leave the Lab.

 

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (Playing Captain Jackson Campbell), Vertroue (Former player, playing Doctor Erica McCoy), Aipsylon (Playing Commander V'rol)

Captain's Briefing (Part One)
Captain's Ready Room
Enroute to the USS Repulse
USS Thunderchild
Stardate: 53833.02


Captain Campbell set back in his chair as Commander V'rol concluded his briefing. All the details of the break in at Doctor Campbell's home was now revealed to the Captain. The evidence was becoming more and more compelling in support of Seona's claims that someone powerful was attempting to murder her.


Around the table sat Commander V'rol, Doctor McCoy and the Captain. It was Commander V'rol's suggesting that this briefing be kept small due to the nature of the information being revealed. Commander V'rol wanted to ensure that if there was a spy at large who intended on murdering Seona, then he wanted to keep the flow of information limited to only those that needed to know. Another revelation that was becoming clear to the Command Staff of the Thunderchild was that Seona had no intention of harming anyone. But it was clear that she was driven on some mission and that mission involved Starfleet in some way. The mystery was trying to figure out what that mission was and how it effected Starfleet.


"Thank you Mr. V'rol" Captain Campbell said. "So it would appear that with each new discovery that we make, more of this puzzle is becoming clear. I don't know if I should be relieved or bothered by these findings. After all now we have to consider that the Federation is in danger and that there is a spy out there. More so, how did Seona know to look for my mother's home on Mars? Yet I still have little clue as to who this woman is and how she knows me so well," he commented. It was true he really disliked the situation. "Mr V'rol, tell me something. Is it possible for the memories of an entire childhood to be lost."


Commander V'rol nodded his head, "yes Captain. There are a number of recorded cases where spans of memory were erased."


"I see" Captain Campbell said with a frown on his face. "Could such memories be recovered?"


"That is something that is unknown at this time, Captain" Commander V'rol admitted. "However there are methods of discovering if they can be or not."

Captain Campbell nodded, "before we move on. I want it known and clear to everyone. What we are learning now remains behind closed doors. Clearly there is a spy out there. I believe this. Lets not tip our hand just yet." He paused before continuing, "Doctor McCoy, I am told you have information about the DNA that you said I need to know?"

Doctor McCoy nodded, "yes Captain. To present this vital information, I would like to invite Doctor Bell in. But first, I need to include something to be considered. Seona appears to see in you a level of trust that at first wasn't completely understood. That was until Doctor Bell made his discovery" she explained. She leaned forward, "Sir, you have to understand that regardless of how you feel or remember. It is highly likely, that her memories are most likely intact. Meaning her feelings for you are pure."


Captain Campbell nodded, "I know and that is what bothers me so much."


Doctor McCoy nodded, "If you will Captain, I will call in Doctor Bell." The Captain nodded and motioned for Doctor McCoy to allow her fellow Doctor in. Doctor McCoy got up and walked out of the Ready Room. A few moments later she returned with a much older man behind her. "Everyone, this is Doctor Motya Bell. He is the Thunderchild's most senior Researcher and Genetic Specialist" she motioned towards Doctor Bell as she lead the Doctor in to the room. The older man walking in behind Erica was clearly a man out of his element. While his Starfleet uniform was neat and fresh, it didn't seem to be the man wearing the uniform. Some how the appearance just didn't fit him. His eyes shifted uncomfortably as he followed Doctor McCoy in to the Ready Room.


"Please Doctor Bell, tell them what you found," Erica McCoy said as she walked around the table and took her seat next to the Captain and opposite the table from Commander V'rol.


Dr. Motya Bell shifted nervously as he walked over to the large forward monitor. He tried to carry himself with some measure of pride but his discomfort showed through instead. He fumbled a bit with his PADD as he spoke softly, "Thank you Doctor McCoy for inviting me to help you out on this remarkable project. And for you Captain for allowing me to speak at this meeting," he said looking around the table. It seemed as if he was going to say something to Commander V'rol but a motion from Captain Campbell prevented further delays. Doctor Bell turned towards the monitor as he started to program his briefing. "Captain, I promise that my findings, while shocking, are accurate. I have had them doubled checked by Doctor McCoy and two other members of our staff."

Doctor Bell paused as he took in a deep breath, "I must ask Sir, that you hold all of your questions till I am finished." The statement seemed to strike a nerve with the Captain but Doctor McCoy motioned towards the Captain. The pair exchanged a glance as Doctor Bell continued.


Doctor Bell continued not realizing the effect of his statement. He turned to face the table once ore as he spoke, "I know that the data might be hard for you to follow." As he spoke he walked over and handed the Captain a PADD, "so I have supplied a data pad so you can take notes and ask me your questions at the end of my presentation." It was clear why Doctor Bell was not a department head. While the man was extremely intelligent, he lacked people skills. The kind of skills that Doctor McCoy had more than enough of to keep the aggravation of the ship's captain at bay.

Doctor Bell walked back over to the main terminal and activated it. "So we will break this down in to three separate parts. First we will look in to your own genetic makeup and the history of those genes that created you. Next we will dive in to your not so distant relative, Major Maura MacConnell. And lastly, we will spy in to the world of the all mysterious Lance Corporal Seona Melville." While lacking people skills, the subject was nonetheless exciting to the old man. On the main screen were three different strands of DNA. The three strands were highlighted and identified as to who they belonged to.


"But before we begin, Sir. I know what your first question will be. Why are we only learning of this now? Normally the level of these screenings are time consuming and take up a considerable level of man power to complete. My entire section worked on these screenings for nearly forty eight hours straight to have what we have now. So for these screenings to be done at all, there has to be a reason to do them. And sadly there just hasn't been any reason to complete them on the three of you till now. Other factors played in to this but that will be discussed later in this discussion." He paused and brought up the first display of a genome.

"SO....." he said dragging out the ‘oh’ sound. It was clear that he didn't have experience in speaking before people, let alone superiors. "I will begin with saying this. You have a mother and father. And they are who you think they are," he said then paused to make sure he worded that right. After ensuring his statement was correct he continued, "yes, your parents are who you remember them to be. Yes, you were also tested positive for Krussk Syndrome. I was able to pull your medical reports of the blood tests while you were still in your mother's womb. There was a second opinion and a referral within those medical reports that indicated that abortion was being considered. However as we all can tell that didn't happen." He almost laughed at the slight little joke. The glare in Captain Campbell's eye snapped Doctor Bell back to his presentation.

Doctor Bell brought up a new image but did little to explain this one just like he failed to explain the last one. "What I found was that your genome was over written after birth. I mean, I can see what the original genome was supposed to look like during the pregnancy. But I can also see where it was played with slightly before or after your actually birth." He explained as he turned and looked at the large image of the genome before him. "I mean, when I look at this, I see art before me. The level of detail given to even the simplest of sequences is incredible." He paused almost if he was lost in the image.


He snapped himself out of the image and turned to face the table once more. "At first I was not sure why these changes were done in this way. There appeared to be no pattern to these over writes or what they were supposed to do. I have dug in to a number of simulations only to have my simulated Captain Campbell die between ages of two to five" he said looking at the Captain. "I created a test simulation of a baby Captain Campbell to test my ideas."


Once more he paused and turned back to the image behind him. "Now I did discover that you share common markers with both MacConnell sisters. Meaning that your parents are their parents as well." he turned back to the Captain, "yes Sir, they are your blood sisters." He seemed almost pleased to deliver this information. "But each of you also share genomes with other species as well. I was able to identify four other unique genomes in each of your make ups. But most fascinating was the discovery of a genome that didn't show up in the Federation Data Base. We will call this genome, Mr. Unknown" he explained and turned to face the three officers once more. "Don't worry, Mr. Unknown only accounts for less than four percent of your over all genome, Captain."

Doctor Bell started to get a bit excited as he continued, "now this is where it gets really cool, Sir. So you share markers with your mom, which would be expected. But you also share markers that would indicate that Major MacConnell is your mother. But it doesn't stop there. She also share markers with you that would make her your father, sister and cousin and so. Sounds crazy? Yeah I know." He turned back to the display and brought up two images of Major MacConnell and Captain Campbell.


He started to explain, "so you see when you make a baby, both mother and father's genes are used to create the baby. Leaving markers of both on that little baby. Sometime after birth, Major MacConnell's genes were used to over write your own genome. But not just in paternal order, but in a much wider scope. Major MacConnell shared the same illness as you did, and I suspect that this played a part in what happened." he turned back to the group, "but we will get to that in a moment."


Winded from the long statement, he paused once more to take a breath before continuing. "Now, allow us to look at Major MacConnell. As you know, she is your not so distant relative. But what you don't know is that she had no parents. I know, the reports called her an orphan. And this is more truth than you will ever image," he said laughing as he found something humorous about all of this. Captain Campbell only rolled his eyes at Erica.

Unaware of the Captain's actions Doctor Bell continued, "I have never seen this before. Forgive me but I never even considered it possible. But her genome clearly shows no common markers for any mother or father. Her genome does have links to yours and your parents but not like that of a child. Once more we find Mr. Unknown here in her genetic makeup filling in the gaps. Now at first we thought that Mr. Unknown was there from the beginning. But in Major MacConnell and as we discovered in your own, we find that this isn't the case. In fact, Mr. Unknown was added to both of your make up when you were older. I suspect around nine or ten."


"Like you, she shares much of the same mix match genetic make up. But Mr. Unknown accounts for closer to ten percent of her genetic make up. I also found that she too had Krussk Syndrome. More than that, her strain of this genetic disease was completely identical to your own. It was if the disease was cloned from you and she was infected with it. But this is incredible! I found in Major MacConnell's genes the ability to create a protein that seems to lessen the effects of Krussk Syndrome. Far from a cure, Major MacConnell was resistant to this deadly disease. I think this is why we found her genetic code within you. Your code was over written to allow her protein to be used within your own body. Kind a protein farm, she was used to help you survive the disease. Again, far from a cure she was created clearly as a treatment for this disease.


"So as we have learned, her genome has markers that seemed to be able to fight the disease. Simulations shows that her body was much more resilient to fighting off your strain of the disease. But like our simulated Captain Campbell, our simulated Major MacConnell also died around age thirteen. The fate of both of our simulated children were not so bright. Something had to be done to save both of them."

He nodded and turned to back to his monitor as he changed the image, "So enter Corporal Seona Melville. Like her sister, she too has no parents within her genetic make up. And shares many of the same markers with you and her sister. But this is where it gets really amazing, cause we find Mr. Unknown in her genetic make up much more than others. Unlike you two, Mr. Unknown was there from the very beginning. In fact she shares nearly forty five percent of her genetic markers with this unknown subject. She doesn't share your infection with Krussk Syndrome. As my team and I dug deeper we found that entire sections of her genome was used to over write your and Major MacConnell's genome. Once more, this is art at it's purest form. Who ever did this, is much smarter than I am. I can't explain why this was done. But I can guess that this was done to cure you and the Major from Krussk Syndrome."

He turned back to the group as he continued, "There are a couple of notes that I should share with you about your combined genetic make up. Maura's genome showed a heavy influence in the same area as would be expected from Betazoids and Vulcans. So I can verify that Maura was most likely telepathically strong. While Seona does share the same level of influence in these markers, it is not as strong. There is a likely hood that Seona might be telepathic, but more so kind of like an empath. Also, we discovered that both sister's Starfleet Medical files as well as sections of your own were sealed by the orders of an Admiral L'tus." He turned back to the monitor brought up a picture of a Vulcan Starfleet officer, "While we can verify that he is a Vulcan officer that once served with Starfleet Intelligence, we could not locate him," he paused a moment and collected his thoughts, "Lastly Captain" he said turning back to the group.


"There is something you need to know. Seona has been infected with the same Cal'ix drug that we discovered in Gul Bolon's blood. Unlike the professionally create drug, this street version can have wildly different effects. Normally this drug can be used to block memories. In this case, the drug is having the opposite effect on both of them." As he spoke he gave a nod to Erica, "thanks to the help of Doctor McCoy, we were able to discover that the effects on Seona are creating waves of memories that her own empathic mind are projecting around her. We believe that she is aware of this and is trying to treat this with a powerful toxin. We found traces of it in her DNA left aboard the ship. This toxin was not found in the DNA left behind at your mother's house but the Cal'ix poisoning was. So at one point she had to have realized what is happening to herself and is trying to control it."


He frowned as he spoke, "here is the problem. Cal'ix is self replicating in her system. The more the toxin she uses, the more Cal'ix will affect her. Thus causing her to use more toxin. So either the toxin will destroy the ability for her mind to function or Cal'ix will drive her in to a delusional world that she will not be able to recover from. Either way, I don't know if we can save her." He looked down for a moment.


Doctor McCoy stood up and walked over to Doctor Bell, "thank you Doctor Bell." She said placing a hand on his shoulder. She turned to the table, "before we move on. Did either of you have any questions for Doctor Bell?"

 

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (Playing Captain Jackson Campbell), Vertroue (Former player, playing Doctor Erica McCoy), Aipsylon (Playing Commander V'rol)


Captain's Briefing (part Two)
Captain's Ready Room
Enroute to the USS Repulse
USS Thunderchild
Stardate: 53833.02


Beyond the wall of the wooden home, the rain outside pounded against the windows. The sound filled the room with a steady drum like sounds. The wind howled causing the old wooden shutters of the farm house to rattle. A sudden flash of lighting illuminated the night and the small room with a ghostly white aura. The lighting was followed shortly by a clap of thunder that jolted the room causing the artificial lights to flicker. Beyond the room and this little farm house, the storm raged on with its unrelenting sound and light show. It was mother nature at her best. Proving that regardless of what year it was, Mother Nature was still a force on this world or any other.


A faint whimper from a young girl who was startled by the thunder could be heard just under the sounds of beeping in the room. The young blond girl rested in the arms of a teenage boy who was dressed in a patient's outfit. The strange sounds of a number of medical machines beeped and flashed to their own rhythm. Outside, the storm raged as a timeless struggle for survival was being fought inside the room. Strangely enough, this was a struggle that was common to this very room and took place almost monthly. Drifting over the room, hung the specter of death, who was an all too familiar visitor to this place. The thunder clapped once more as the lights flickered again while the view changed as if the observer drifted around and above the room like some unseen specter side by side with death himself as a guide.

Within the room, the lights were dim while all power was diverted to the medical equipment. A deep steady thumping sound pulsated across the room to the rhythm of a weakened heart slowly dying. Despite having the most modern medical equipment available to a Federation, the medical team fought desperately to save the teenage girl who was laying on a bed. The equipment gave a sharp contrast to the attic room of this lowly simple farm house. In the center of the room were two large medical beds with enough space between them for doctors to move freely. Four medical specialist worked desperately as the focus was on one bed while the other remained empty. It was clear by the sheets of the second bed that it had recently been vacated.


The other bed held a small framed dark haired girl. The entire focus of the room was on her as monitors and the four medical doctors attempted to save her life. The girl wore a patient's gown and a clear mask over her face that helped her weakened body breath. The lights flickered once more casting shadows high in to the vaulted ceiling. A tree near one of the windows cast a hand like shadow over the girl's body as if death himself was reaching out for her once more.


A portable generator in the corner offered just enough power to the room for what was needed. While they could have easily tapped in to the planet's power grid, fear of detection forced the medical team to use a portable generator instead. The girl's eyes drifted as she followed the shadows as keeping her eyes opened seemed like such a difficult task. Each breath for her was a struggle for life. A male doctor injected the girl with a hypospray making the breathing just a bit easier for the girl.

A third doctor who was dressed in a bright blue surgical gown, worked at a station near the girl's midsection. After the girl's breathing seemed to steady, the female doctors in blue nodded. At the head of the bed stood a third, holographic, doctor running his hands over the controls of the bed. At a far wall, a second holographic doctor monitored a medical device as he called out the vital signs of the patient. A new clap of thunder caused the lights to flicker and the pair of holograms to also flicker. Despite the storm, this was the timeless struggle between mortal doctors and death himself. A struggle that currently had no clear outcome as the doctors fought to save the girl's life. Would Death leave tonight with his prize in hand or be driven back by the science of mortals, once more.

Sitting in a far corner near the power generator, the younger girl rested her head between her legs while that teenage boy tried to comfort her. The young girl shook from fear as she heard the storm outside and watched the struggle within the room. She pulled her knees up tightly with her little arms as she whimpered under the sounds of the thunder. Her voice filled with fear and sadness as she whispered, "please don't be real........Maura, please wake up......"

Comforting the younger girl, the boy rested his arm around her and pulled her in tightly. Dressed in a medical gown like the girl on the bed, he looked back to the twin beds. He held the little girl tightly as he tried to calm her. There were no words one could possibly say in times like this that would remove the fear of death from the room. Even though this was a common event for the children, each time the room was filled with fear. Each time, death waited in the shadows. Waiting for his prize. Each time, mortals would attempt to fight the specter back. No one knew if this time they would win or if Death would leave with his prize in hand.

The male doctor bent over and picked up a medical kit. He pulled a few hypospray bottles out as he spoke, "We have to get her to Edinburgh's medical facility!" His voice was filled with concern for the girl's life. Realizing the female doctor wasn't paying attention he took her arm, "Selina! my god, she IS dying."

The female doctor, Selina, looked up and snapped, "No! I can stabilize her." She jerked her arm free and then snapped the medicine from his grip. "If you don't want to help get out of my way!" Selina grabbed the hypo from his hand and injected the girl with it. She then turned her attention to the medical device at the midsection of the teenager. "We have to finish the harvest" Selina said as she resumed her work. "If we don't complete the harvest now, we wont be able to till next mouth. Jackson will suffer like her" Selina said as she continued to work. "Doctor Alpha, increase the stimulants" Selina said as the holographic doctor at the head complied with her orders. "We can save her, but we can't stop the harvest."

Turning her head slowly from the shadows above her, the teenage girl looked over at the pair of kids in the corner. She reached up with her weakened hand and pulled off the mask. "Seona.....its okay....." she said coughing and added, "I....will be fine...." There was such struggle in her voice.


The male doctor looked disgusted with Selina's actions and statements. Instead of fighting, he reached over and returned the mask, "Maura, you have to keep this on" he said with such compassion. "It will help you breath" he added. Regardless of his tone or words, the truth was in his eyes. He couldn't be sure that she would survive this night.

Seona looked up with tears in her eyes, "Please...."

"shhhhhh" the boy whispered as he comforting the girl. "It will be okay. You'll see. My mom will save her" he said drawing the girls attention while gazing in to her soft eyes. Her bright eyes filled with tears as he felt her pain. Being old enough to understand the nature of the struggle, he too feared the possible outcome of this night. He hated these treatments, he hated the doctors that caused them. For him, Maura only got sick during harvest. Her life was always placed at risk because of him. He knew that they were needed for him to survive. This much was made clear to him. But he hated what they did to Maura. If it was up to him, he would stop them all together. The anger in his eyes at the doctors was clear to see as the younger girl dropped her head between her knees. The whimpering of the girl was heard just under the rain outside.

"Captain...." The voice of Doctor McCoy echoed across the room. For a moment the images seemed to be real, then once more it was nothing more than a ghost in the back of Jackson's mind. He fought so hard to try to keep hold of the images. Was it his memory or just his imagination, he wondered. Captain Campbell didn't answer as he just set their searching his own mind for any clue to the short memory that took hold of his attention.


Once more, "Captain?" Doctor McCoy said as her voice snapped Captain Campbell completely back to reality. He looked around his ready room to notice that all eyes were on him. Doctor Bell looked as nervous as he did when he started speaking. Jackson realized that he must have appeared confused or distracted cause once more Doctor McCoy spoke up, "Captain did you have any questions?"

Captain Campbell looked down to his data pad and saw that at one point he had typed something on his PADD. He seemed so confused by the statement. The statement seemed so familiar but he knew he never heard it before. He read the message carefully, 'Don't be pushed by your fears. Be led by your dreams.' He couldn't tell what it meant or why he had typed it. As the images faded back to the darkest corners of his mind like specters of yesterday, Captain Campbell looked up to the three officers before him. He didn't want them to see that his hand was trembling. The fear which was triggered by the memory had washed over him with such intensity that he found it so hard to control it. He closed his fist to regained his control as he took in a deep breath.


"Captain?" Doctor McCoy said with concern in her voice this time. She would sense the emotions washing over him like a water fall. "Are you okay" she asked knowing all too well that something was wrong.


Captain Campbell nodded as he slowly let out his breath, "Yes...Yes, Doctor, I am fine." He slowly rose up and walked over to one of the large windows of his ready room. He looked out in to deep space as stars zipped by. "Doctor Bell, what else can you tell us about this unknown subject, surely the available information can tell us something about the individual" he was still struggling to keep his voice calm. He knew that Doctor McCoy and Commander V'rol might be able to detect the struggle but he wouldn't allow fear to control him. After all, he was a Starfleet Captain!


"Sir, all we know is that this unknown subject is most likely human. But there is something to the genetic codex that makes finding more about this person so hard. There are no matches in the Federation Database. We even searched non-Federation databases in hopes of a match and found nothing." Doctor Bell seemed to be grasping at the sudden turn of events. Doctor McCoy smiled to him gently as she rested a hand on Doctor Bell's shoulder. Bolstered by Doctor McCoy, Doctor Bell took a deep breath as he continued, "I don't want to make any assumptions and end up being wrong."


The Captain turned from the stars and looked at Doctor Bell for a moment before turning his attention to Doctor McCoy. "I realize I am only a Starfleet Captain with little knowledge of science or its mysteries but are you really telling me that you cannot even tell if its human or alien?" The annoyance was obvious in his voice. Doctor Bell started to speak but the Captain held up his hand to silence Doctor Bell. The move clearly had an effect of the older Doctor. Captain Campbell snapped, "Doctor McCoy?"

Doctor Bell lowered his head in disappointment but accepted the motion from Captain Campbell. Doctor McCoy turned to Doctor Bell and smiled, "you did a great job. Why don't you return to the lab and continue those tests. We need to know if there is any way to save Seona from the poisoning." Her words were soft and supportive.


Doctor Bell nodded as he spoke, "yes Ma'am." The man couldn't have left the stress filled room fast enough as he gathered up his PADD and left.


Doctor McCoy watched Doctor Bell leave with a soft smile on her face. She turned back to Captain Campbell and Commander V'rol, "Captain, please don't be disappointed with Doctor Bell. This was his first time speaking before people. The man is a wealth of knowledge. He has over twenty years of experience in genetics as well as exobiology. He just doesn't work well outside the lab" she said as she walked back to her seat. Captain Campbell on the other hand turned his attention back to the stars.


"That being said, I think I can help answer your questions Sir" she explained as she set down. "Normally it would be easy to tell what genome a being came from. However this level of splicing has made it almost impossible to tell. I understand that you might not be impressed with Doctor Bell or his finding, but you have to understand that what he found was remarkable. Something where others had long over looked. What we found was a marker that is a key to your question. I almost missed it myself" she explained.


Taking in a deep breath Erica continued, "Sir, the level of splicing that we see in these three samples has never been done before. Well not by the Federation that is. We searched some of the most advanced medical databases we have access to. I had to go back nearly two centuries till I found a match in the techniques used. Have you ever heard of the Suliban Cabal? They were an interstellar terrorist organization active in the 22nd century. According to sealed Starfleet records that predates the Federation its self, The Cabal took their orders from a mysterious figure who was humanoid and rumored to communicated to them from the 28th century. The report goes on with this outlandish story that this person was a representative of a faction in something called the Temporal Cold War. This individual used the Cabal as his foot soldiers in his attempts to alter history towards his own ends."

Erica took a moment to allow the information to sink in before continuing, "Now I do not suspect that this Temporal Cold War is behind what is going on. Truthfully, I don't even believe such a thing actually ever existing. But within this file, were details of very similar techniques in gene splicing as we have seen in the three samples. It is my opinion that this sealed file was used as a frame work to create Maura and you, and then later Seona. We saw how Maura had base line techniques that almost mirrored those from the sealed files. Your genes showed a bit more improvements in the splicing. While in Seona's case, the techniques were widely improved upon using more modern science. What we found surprising was that the genomes were designed in such a way that they were receptive to being overwritten by each other. So that one improvement would carry over between the others. How this is done, we don't know, but we know it was done."


She took a break once more, "Based on this, we was able to narrow down what we can know from the genes used from this unknown subject. This unknown donor you are asking about, Sir. Well, the closest thing that we can be assured of is that there is a 60% accuracy that it was male and a 43% that it was from Indo-Asian region of Earth. However there is something you need to know. But it can't leave this room."

Looking back at Doctor McCoy from the window, Captain Campbell sighed before saying, "Doctor, we have not known each other for long. But I am starting to lean on you more and more heavily." He turned from the window to face both of them. "What is said here, doesn't leave here. This is an order"


Erica nodded, "Sir, as you know, my great grandfather is Leonard H. McCoy. He was a Medical Doctor within Starfleet and noted physician and scientist of the 23rd and 24th centuries. My great grandfather was an accomplished surgeon, physician, psychologist, and exobiologist, and was also considered an expert in space psychology. As ship's surgeon and chief medical officer, he served aboard the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise-A for a combined twenty-seven years. It is important that you understand this because what I am about to tell you has to be taken as fact."


She took a pause before continuing, "The Enterprise discovered an old DY-100-class interplanetary sleeper ship in the Mutara sector back in 2267. Aboard that ship were a large number of humans in stasis. One of those sleepers was a man known as Khan Noonien Singh or more commonly known simply as Khan. He was the most prominent of the genetically-engineered Human Augments of the late-20th century Eugenics Wars period on Earth. My great grandfather took a genetic sample of Khan during the first hours of bring him aboard. That sample was recorded and sent for further research to Starfleet Medical. Khan on two separate occasions attempting to murder Captain, then later Admiral Kirk. After his death and because of the path of destruction he left behind the sample was considered so dangerous that further research on the sample was halted."


She took a breath as she continued, "my great grandfather wanted the sample destroyed thus ending any possible dangers it could cause in the future. However it was decided by the Federation Science Council, and against my great grandfather's wishes, that the sample would not be destroyed but secured in a hidden location somewhere on Earth. My grandmother had done some limited research on a computer simulation of the sample. But even this was done under the very closely watchful eyes of the Federation Science Council. When I saw the pattern in Seona's DNA, I had a feeling that I knew what I was looking at. I sent a coded message to my grandmother who confirmed my fears. She and my great grandfather both confirmed these fears. This unknown genetic sample that was used in Seona is from Khan Noonien Singh. Based on my family's opinion, someone used the entire sample to create Seona. Her own genome was used to overwrite yours and Maura's. This is the reason why you both had limited traces of Noonien Singh's DNA in your system. However Seona's was much higher."


Commander V'rol spoke up adding, "your mother and father were investigated in a case of stolen genetic sensitive material. This does fill in some of the gaps of what we discovered so far."


Captain Campbell looked shocked at the revelation as he turned back from the window. He waved off Commander V'rol's statement as he looked right at Erica. "Let me get this right, I am an Augment? More than that, I am an Augment using one of the most dangerous subjects in human history?"There was anger in his voice.


Erica pulled out a PADD from her uniform, "yes and no. By Federation Law you are. But because of the amount of DNA in your and Maura's genome, you two are more like a distant relatives of Noonien Singh. Much like how some humans were relatives of Genghis Khan during the 17th and 18th century even though he lived during the 12th and 13th centuries. However for Seona, this is not the case. Her genome makes her a much closer to the original, thus meaning a larger threat. I don't think that Starfleet or the Federation would see this any other way."



"So let me get this straight," Captain Campbell said flatly still in disbelief over what was just exposed. He made his way back to his chair and flopped down in to his chair. "Even though she served during the Dominion War with honor and courage. Even though she risked her life for the Federation time and time again. Up to today where she is attempting to expose a spy. All you are telling me is that she is a threat due to her genetic make up?"


With a heavy sigh, Doctor McCoy looked in to Captain Campbell's eyes. "Sir, its not that simple. Augments by their nature are ambitious and crave power through that ambition. It is who they are. Or at least this is the common belief. Historically, even the Klingons were unable to control Augments. Throughout history this has been the case. Seona's genome comes from one of the most dangerous stocks there could have been. I don't believe that Seona is inherently dangerous. Her service with the Starfleet Marines proves this. However all things are not equal. The poisoning running through her vines as well as the toxin to counter it could have unpredictable results on her mental abilities and her judgment."


Captain Campbell looked to V'rol hoping that the Vulcan would offer something, anything. However the Vulcan only remained silent as he paid close attention to what was being said. Campbell knew that the Vulcan wouldn't offer a comment unless asked or felt it was needed to be said. Jackson only shook his head as he looked down, "no Doctor McCoy. I can't believe this. A person's genetic make up doesn't make them who they are." He lifted his head and caught her eyes in his, "Does it help out. Yes, I am sure it does. But look at Lieutenant Kinchlirah. She was born a Klingon and trained to be a warrior. Yet her heart took her on entirely different path. Seona might be kin to Khan, but that doesn't mean that she is dangerous because of it."


Erica nodded, "I understand Sir. But I don't think Starfleet will see it this way. Not after what she has done so far."


Captain Campbell turned to Commander V'rol once more, "I have a order for you Commander. Watch carefully the events as they unfold. If you feel that Seona is the threat that Doctor McCoy fears Starfleet will see Seona as. Then act on your own to ensure that...." Jackson couldn't believe what he was about to say. He didn't believe that Seona was a threat. Something in his heart was telling him this. He couldn't explain it, but knew it to be true. "Make sure, that Seona is neutralized as a threat."


Erica placed a hand on Captain Campbell's hand, "Sir, I don't believe that she is a threat. I just think that Starfleet will see her like one."


"I know Doctor" Jackson said calmly. "But I am a Starfleet Captain" he said. In his heart, he knew that this situation was more than just duty. But it was true, he was a Starfleet Office. This is what has defined him for his entire adult life. He knew that Seona wasn't a threat. He just couldn't take this chance. "I have a duty to Starfleet, to the Federation." He turned to Commander V'rol, "I don't want to allow my judgment to become compromised on this Commander."


Commander V'rol nodded, "I understand, Sir."


Doctor McCoy leaned back in her chair as if trying to figure out how to continue. "Captain," Doctor McCoy said calmly as she looked at him. "There is more that needs to be mentioned."


Captain Campbell turned in surprise, "There's MORE!?" His voice filled with frustration now.


Doctor McCoy nodded as she took in another breath and continued, "the interview with Gul Bolon prove to be...interesting. I reviewed his medical file and found that when he was apprehended there were doses of a drug called Cal'ix in his system. Cal'ix was developed by the Cardassians to destroy memories of a subject. It was highly effective in causing victims to suffer from a calming effect and euphoria. Yes, I understand that this doesn't match the behavior we witnessed during the interview. However that answer came when Doctor Vanlaere took a blood sample during our interview with him. Within that sample we found in his system not only Cal'ix, but also a street drug version of the designer drug called, Cal'ex. Unlike Cal'ix, Cal'ex stimulates the mind's memory nodes and creates powerful hallucinations from them. With Cal'ex, the victim are forced in to reliving heightened emotional scenes from their past. Pleasure or pain, it is a toss up. That is why most on the street call this drug Pandora's Box. These two drugs differ only by a small margin."


Captain Campbell raised his hand, "we already know this Doctor. Doctor Bell already briefed us on this."

She paused a moment before continuing, "Yes I know. But if you will, Sir. I had a hunch and had my team run tests on the Gul's blood sample as well as that of our intruder. The Gul's blood has both Cal'ix as well as doses of Cal'ex within his system. The intruder has only Cal'ex in her system but at a nearly five to one ratio of that of Gul Bolon. So to my surprise, the Cal'ex in both Seona's blood as well as in Gul Bolon were created by the same black market lab. I spoke with Law Enforcement experts on this street drug. They knew the drug in question as well as the supplier who created it. The man who created this drug was arrested on Earth back in November, 2376. His black market lab was seized and shut down as well. They had matching samples of this drug in their own evidence lock up."


She paused once more to take a breath before continuing, "After speaking with them, I came to this conclusion. What ever someone wanted Seona to forget would be nearly impossible for her to ignore now. Based on what experts have told me about this street drug, with this amount of drug in her system it is possible that the damage to her mind could be permanent. Just like with Gul Bolon, it is my belief that with that little bit of drug present he is going to be reliving those final scene with the Major for a very long time." She paused a moment to make sure she had the Captain's full attention, "BUT if we could ask the local law enforcements to help us track down who he sold the drugs to, that maybe we can find out who poisoned Seona and Gul Bolon."


Captain Campbell nodded and turned his attention to Commander V'rol, "make that happen, Commander."


Commander V'rol only nodded his understanding as Erica continued, "Sir, I can't help but feel for Seona after learning what I have about this drug. There is little doubt that our intruder is Seona. After reading the reports of that prisoner of war camp she had survived. It is most likely that she is reliving the waking nightmares of whatever hellish past she suffered through. Gods save her because I can't imagine a fate worse than those nightmares of that POW camp. A fate that I would have rather chosen death over."

 

Pit Stop (Part One)
Ruins of Logan City
World: Terra Nova (Eta Cassiopeia III)
Location: Eta Cassiopeia star system, Sector 004, Alpha Quadrant
Stardate: 53832.8


Located less than 20 light years from the Sol system, Terra Nova was an inhabited M class planet with two moons. As their first extrasolar colony, Terra Nova was colonized by Humans in 2078, who would later refer to themselves as Novans. There were several native animal species on the planet, including a type of burrowing animal, referred to by the Novans as a digger, as well as flying animals.

By 2069, Humans had already established themselves within their own solar system, having founded New Berlin on their Moon, Utopia Planitia on Mars, and a few asteroid bases. Deep space became the next frontier for the species, and the question began to be asked: 'Could Humans colonize deep space?'

Terra Nova was discovered in the mid-21st century by astronomers working for the Space Agency. Due to its proximity to Earth, the decision was made to establish a colony on the planet. The success of such a colony was considered uncertain from the start, and the expedition became known as 'the Great Experiment.'

Captain Mitchell was selected to lead the expedition. Nearly two hundred colonists, made up of specialists and families, would be selected to join him on this mission. The journey to Terra Nova from Earth would take nine years at the warp speeds attainable in that period. The SS Conestoga was commissioned for the task, and was specially constructed so that it could be dismantled on arrival to serve as homes and service buildings for the colony.

The Conestoga arrived at her destination on June 23, 2078. Captain Mitchell oversaw the groundbreaking for the colony shortly thereafter. The very first transmissions from the colony were broadcast worldwide on Earth, and the population watched entranced as Humanity made its first claim on the cosmos.

The colony proved to be amazingly successful, a fully-functioning community on a world in deep space. Earth grew interested in repeating the experience. Working from the position that 'nothing succeeds like success,' the heads of the Space Agency announced their intentions to launch a second ship full of colonists to Terra Nova.

The colonists already living on Terra Nova were not amenable to the idea of now having to share the home they'd struggled to build. An organized opposition arose, led by a man named Mark Logan. By 2083, relations with Earth became severely strained, culminating with Logan's transmitting threats of violence upon any ships that entered the planet's orbit.

Tragically, that was the last message received from Terra Nova. Earth lost contact with the colony shortly thereafter. The Space Agency decided that it didn't have the resources to launch an investigation, and it was decided that the fate of the Terra Nova colony would have to remain a mystery. However the colony was rediscovered In 2151, by a landing party from the NX-01 Enterprise discovered the irradiated remains of the colony, and it was determined that the colony had been destroyed by a meteor strike, scattering toxic debris over the region. After a tense situation, Terra Nova allowed United Earth to help rebuild the remains of the colony.

The colony would once more thrive with the help of United Earth. Years following 2151, Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) established a forward training and sentry base on Terra Nova. As the surrounding space joined the Federation so did Terra Nova. Efforts were set out to clean up the world. As United Earth slowly gave up its own independent military to the Federation, it finally turned over its MACO base on Terra Nova to the Federation. The base was abandoned but later reactivated as a state of the art training center for the Starfleet Marines. Throughout the twenty third century, Terra Nova remained Starfleet's primary Marine training center. During the early parts of the twenty forth century, Starfleet Marines moved their basic and advanced training back to Earth. Terra Nova's training center was converted to support Marine Special Operation Training.

During the Dominion War, Terra Nova was hit by Breen after they made their attack on Earth. The attack destroyed the Special Operation Training Center and decimated the world's population. After the war, Starfleet and the Federation pushed hard to get much needed supplies to the survivors of Terra Nova. However with so much suffering going around, the Federation's resources were being pushed to their very limits. A large number of worlds like Terra Nova were left with only enough to survive as the populations were forced to stand alone while they rebuilt their shattered homes. With only suffering in abundance, Terra Nova and its people had little choice but to struggled on.

Through the thick overcast clouds a Starfleet runabout swung downward in to the rain. Its lights illuminated the rain and the darkened ruined city below. Slowly the USS Susquehanna hovered over the remains of the capital city of Terra Nova, Logan City. Its large search lights illuminate the destroyed city as if searching for something. The thick rain bouncing off the runabout and combined running lights and search lights cast dancing shadows over what was once a proud city. Slowly the little Starfleet runabout continued its low pass over the city till it finally turned towards the city center. Through the heavy rain it started to make its descent in the city's central park.


The Susquehanna hovered over the grass and mud filled fields as it seemed to search for the best place to set down. Its landing struts slowly started to show as the runabout lowered its self to the ground. The rain continued to wash down over the runabout as its struts sank in to the mud. Within seconds the little runabout concluded its landing by powering down its engines. The rain water washed over the runabout as the hum of the engines slowly started to trail off. Without warning the side lights lit up the side hatch and the area around the hatch.

The hatch opened up and within moments, out stepped Seona with a sense of wonder and joy on her face. She was dressed in a deep blue shirt that almost looked black in the rain and darkness. She wore a pair of tight form fitting pants that matched her shirt. Around her waist she wore a light blue flowing short skirt. She twirled in the rain with her arms stretched outward and laughed up in to the rain. "Oh Maura its almost like home" she said with a joy filled voice. The air was cool and the rain felt almost cold as it washed over her clothes.

"Really Seona?" Maura said as she walked up to the side hatch but remained well inside the doorway. Being pure Starfleet Marine Officer to heart, Maura was dressed in her Starfleet Marine combat uniform. "What am I going to do with you" Maura said as she leaned up against the side of the hatch. "You are going to get sick" Maura added as she searched the area with her eyes.

"You worry too much" Seona cried out almost laughing while she twirled as if she was standing on a stage conducting a performance. "Oh the rain feels so good. I can't believe how long it has been since I felt rain" Seona said closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the water washing down over her. "All that time on the run, I never had a chance to just enjoy the rain" she explained without looking about. Her attention was clearly focused on the rain and the feelings it brought.

Maura rolled her eyes as she looked disappointed in their location. "Why did you bring us here anyway?"

Seona laughed as she continued to twirl in the rain. She took a moment to paused as she turned back to her sister and smiled, "Anyway?" Seona answered as she laughed and resumed playing in the rain. "We are needed here, Maura. So, we need to be here."

Maura's sight changed rapidly as she scanned the surrounding area. Her years of training had taught her to be on guard in situations like this. It was the slight change that triggered the warning in Maura. "Seona we're being watched" she said with warning in her voice. Maura was going to say something more but her sister cut her off.

Seona nodded, "yeah I know." Seona turned and reached her arms out as she allowed her head to raise upward towards the falling rain once more. "Goddess be loved, for I love the rain so much" she said softly as she spun around a bit more. Then she suddenly stopped facing the runabout and Maura, "they're scared of us, Maura."

Maura looked back at her sister confused, "how can you know that?"

Seona shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I just know. I can feel their fear. It covers the city like a thick blanket. Hundreds of them in hiding, suffering. Oh goddess, the suffering Maura." There were real tears dripping from Seona's eyes as the rain washed those tears away. The sadness on Seona's face was clear to Maura. Even though the rain was washing away the tears, Maura knew the pain that Seona was feeling.

Maura looked concerned but didn't move from the doorway, "are we in danger?"

Maura didn't like the idea of having no personal weapons. In fact they were near defenseless as it stood even with the runabout. The runabout was taken from its scheduled maintenance and because of that, there were no supplies that would have been normally stored aboard the ship. Their supply of mirco-torpedoes had been nearly depleted during their clash Admiral Tate's small battle group. For the most part, the Admiral and his crews saw the battle as largely one sided because the Susquehanna didn't have the fire power to defend its self against the three larger starships. It was because of this perception the crews allowed themselves to think the battle was over long before it ever began. Already the best minds were going over the three ships and would have discovered the virus that had been uploaded to the Repulse hours before the battle began. From the Repulse, the virus infected nearly half of the ships of the 4th Fleet. As the review of the battle continued, there was no doubt that this battle was all part of Seona and Maura's over all plan.

Their plan was to spread out the ships of Admiral Tate's battle group to a point that they could not support each other. She had wanted to engage only Admiral Tate's flagship, but it didn't unfold like that. Still the virus was her ace in the hole. The virus played its part perfectly, but they can't depend on it any more. Even as the Susquehanna was making its approach to to Terra Nova, they assumed that the virus was being cleaned from the infected ships. It didn't matter though, the damage had been done. Seona's name was on the lips of Admirals and Captains across five sectors. Seona had transformed herself in to a lighting rod and everyone was talking about what secret could have happened on Velos. The genie was out of the bottle. Seona knew in her heart that the next step by those out to silence her would have to be, to kill her. And in that attempt they would expose themselves for the traitors they were.

Seona turned and glanced at the Susquehanna resting in the mud. Rain water ran down her hair as her eyes drifted over to her sister Maura. Maura was standing there just within the doorway of the runabout, doing what she could to remain dry. It was a strange feeling for Seona, knowing that her life was on a fast track to being over. Seona wasn't scared of what was to come anymore. She knew back on Mars that this had to be the logical final act in the play which she had crafted so carefully. But at the same time, she worried about Maura. Seona knew that her older sister simply wouldn't be able to understand why the play had to end this way or why Seona didn't tell her the truth about the ending. Seona didn't say anything as she scanned the area once more with a soft smile. She was comfortable with the fact that her death would be coming soon. With that death would also come the end of the pain that she was suffering constantly. She simply didn't want to remember anymore.

But for now, the play had to continue through its acts if she was to stop the attack on the Federation and expose the spy. Seona turned around once more and looked up at the mighty Susquehanna. In silence she walked over to the ship as her clothes continued to get soaked and her leather boots became logged with water and mud. She ran her hand over the ship and sighed heavily. The battle had played out just as Seona wanted it to go. That was except for a last lucky shot from the Valley Forge. A torpedo had nearly crippled the Susquehanna and almost destroyed Seona's plan. Had Maura not thought quickly and fired a last minute mirco-torpedo at the incoming torpedo, the Susquehanna could have been destroyed.

Instead the explosion occurred so closely that the shock wave impacted on Susquehanna's shields. The blast was so close that it nearly knocked out their shields and caused critical damage across Susquehanna's systems. Using all of her skills, Maura was able to out pilot the pursuing shuttles through a near by asteroid field and escape. Luckily, a series of well placed target decoys, programmed to simulate the Susquehanna, left the impression that the runabout was still hiding in the asteroid field. This allowed them to escape the area without further pursuit from Admiral Tate or his ships.


Escaping the system was a stroke of brilliance on Maura's part. She turned the runabout for far side of the system and maxed out the warp engines. The inversion field masked their escape through the system. Using the gravity field of the star, Maura was able to pick up much more speed than what the Susquehanna was capable of at the time. Using the star, Maura was able to sling shot the runabout out of the system at near warp nine. As they approached the edge of the system, Maura killed the warp engines but maintained a stable warp field. This kept them at slowly decelerating warp speed while not leaving behind a warp trail.

With their engine effectively off line, the Susquehanna was able to coast her way out of the system and well past where Starfleet would be scanning for a warp field. This left Admiral Tate and his group chasing target drones in a system where sensors would be weak at best. Maura hoped that this would buy them enough time to find a place to set down and conduct repairs. Maura was able to pilot the crippled Susquehanna to the nearby Eta Cassiopeia system. It was here that they were hoping to put down for repairs. Still it was only a matter of time before Starfleet would expand its search to include this system.


The sisters knew all too well that this would be the first time since they began this play, that time was no longer on their side. It was the closest that Starfleet was from capturing them since they began this play and they knew it. Maura had not wanted to set down at all. She had wanted to use a rouge asteroid or something to conduct repairs, but Seona insisted that they set down here. Despite some sense of purpose here, Seona knew that they had to work quickly to get ahead of Starfleet once more. Everything depended on keeping ahead of Starfleet till the bitter final act was to play out.

Seona turned back towards the ruins of the city and took in a deep breath. Her body shivered a bit in the cold rain. "Maura, they mean us no harm" Seona said as she looked around. She couldn't see them, but she felt them out there watching the sisters. She wasn't sure how but she knew they were there. "Actually they fear that we mean to hurt them. They hide because they fear us." Seona explained. She suddenly turned her eyes back to Maura with a smile on her face. It was clear that Seona had an idea as she almost skipped through the rain back to the door of the runabout. Seona playfully kicked up her right foot slashing water towards Maura. In turn Maura retreated deeper in to the runabout to avoid the water allowing Seona to pass. Seona boarded the ship once more as she pushed her way past Maura, "I have an idea."

Maura remained at the door and watched the surrounding area. She couldn't see them either, but her instincts told her that they were out there. Her tricorder hidden behind the wall of the ship confirmed that the Susquehanna was nearly surrounded by fifty to sixty humanoid lifeforms hidden in the ruins around them. She continued to scan the area with her hidden tricorder as she acted as if nothing was wrong. "We need weapons Seona. I told you we should have kept those phasers" Maure said. There was no hiding the fact that Maura was concerned about their safety. She didn't like the idea that they traded their only stash of phasers to an Orion trader for components to build Seona's dampening device.

"Maura, how many times do I have to tell you. We don't need weapons" Seona laughed from somewhere deep in the runabout. Her voice carried through the small ship as she continued. "We got this far without them and we will finish this without the need for them. You have to have faith in the goddess to see us through this." There was a pause as it sounded as if Seona was looking for something. "Anyway we did pick up those Klingon weapons for you, a few days ago." Seona added as things were being bumped around.

"Oh great, a bat'leth, a pair of mek'leth and a d'k tahg," Maura said with sarcasm. She added, "When they start shooting at us from range, those will serve us well" Maura said coldly. She didn't like being unarmed like this. She took in a deep breath as she watched the rain wash down the area. There was this cry of victory from Seona causing Maura to say, "what do you have up your sleeve sis"

Seona laughed as her voice drifted through the runabout leaving Maura only to guess what her little sister had in mind. Finally Seona called towards the door, "oh, you'll see." Seona returned with violin in hand and looked almost as if she was glowing with pride. Seona smiled to her as she pushed passed her older sister and in to the rain once more.

Maura rolled her eyes as she pointed to Seona's bare feet, "Where are your shoes!?"

Seona laughed as she turned to face Maura and kicked up water back towards the runabout. "I love the feel of the mud. Oh there is grass under the water and mud. I can feel it." She let out a joyful laugh as she spun again. "Tell me sis, can you name one invader who invaded with no shoes?" She half danced half twirled as she readied her violin.

Maura continued to look unamused as she shook her head, "I can name a few!" she yelled then lowered her voice to a mumble again "This wont work."

Seona whispered just over the rain "yes it will. Trust me." she closed her eyes as she pictured the music in her mind. She could feel the violin and bow in her fingers as the rain washed down over them. Carefully she plucked at the strings causing the violin to make its music heard. Seona lifted her head to the clouds above as she felt the rhythm building in her mind and heart. She brought the bow across the strings of the violin slowly causing it to let out a soft cry that echoed across the park. The runabout's exterior communication systems amplified the music while adding back up sounds to her violin's music. She didn't rush the tempo of the song as she allowed the wind and rain to pace her music. Slowly as the music built, her body started to sway and move with each new sound that the violin made.

Her body might have been here on Terra Nova, but her mind was lost in memory. Beyond her mind she could see the snow capped mountains and forests of her childhood home. The sounds of the rain melded with those of a nearby river as her mind created the illusion of home. In her mind, she became lost in that illusion of the past. In her heart and in the present she played to the fullest that her very soul allowed. The violin's music was nearly intoxicating as its notes soared over the sounds of the rainfall. Seona moved around in her dance while she played, kicking up the water on the ground. The water from the rain flung from her body as she spun around. She moved with all the grace of a professional dancer as her song was on par with a major performances of history.

On the wind the sound of the violin called out for hope as the Susquehanna played its part in the song. Maura watched her tricorder as the numbers around them slowly rose. Across the air, everyone heard the promise of a new day within Seona's song. Seona' just kept her eyes closed as she continued to play while moving further and further away from the safety of the runabout. There was no fear in her heart as she approached to less then a few meters from the onlookers. Her song reached behind their walls and invaded the shadows that they were hiding in. The music reached out to them and touched their hearts. Before them, Seona played without care for her own safety or what harm they might intend for her. Before them, they could easily see that this lone woman was no invader.

It didn't take long for a few locals to come out of hiding to see with their own eyes the source of such lovely music. In groups of two and three more locals started to show themselves as Seona continued to play. Children with their parents close behind lead the wave of locals coming from their hiding place. Seona continued to dance almost like a ballerina with her violin on her shoulder and her bow easing each note from it. She danced as the rain washed down on her never letting the joy in her heart slip free. That passion could be felt in her music as she drifted from one point to another like a swan gliding over a lake. She moved with no care, no fear. For Seona, there was only hope and promise of tomorrow. A tomorrow that her death would assure would be safe and free of suffering. Soaked and feet covered in mud, Seona didn't stop playing till her song was over.

Maura blinked her eyes in disbelief, "Son of a bitch, it worked."

As Seona brought the last movement of her bow to a close, one of the locals moved up slowly to her. Seona slowly lowered the violin as she watched the man. She made no movements to startle him or the others. He stopped about two meters from her and she made no attempt to close the distance. For a moment the pair remained silent as she allowed him to scan her soaked body with his eyes.

"You are no Starfleet" he finally ask.

She shook her head as she replied, "No, sir. We are not."

He nodded, "Starbase 74 sent out a warning about you and your stolen ship. They said you are very dangerous."

She nodded her head as the rain continued to rain down on them, "Its true" she said honestly. "I had stolen that runabout and they do see us as a very dangerous threat" she explained and allowed her voice echo the truth of her heart. "But we mean you and your people no harm. We need to make repairs and gather some things before moving on." Seona looked around, she could feel their suffering. "What can we do to help you?"

The question clearly surprised the man and nearly knocked him off guard. However he recovered and narrowed his eyes, "you mean, what can you do to buy our silence."

Seona shook her head, "No, that's not what I mean" she said truthfully. "Call Starfleet if you must and let them know that we are here. Within hours starships will be in orbit. Not much later we will most likely be captured or killed. Then they will leave your people in peace." Seona said calmly. She took a moment before continuing to consider her words carefully. Her eyes shifted over each face around her. "Call them, if you must or if you already have we wont hold that against you. This doesn't matter to us. You will do what is best for your people and I don't fault you for that. But your people are in need. So I ask again, what can we do to help?"

Maura, listening to the conversation shook her head, 'great' she thought. 'just go ahead Seona and temp them to rat us out' Maura thought as she stood silently watching the conversation. Her hand slipped to the handle of the hilt of the Klingon knife in the small of her back. Just cause they were near defenseless didn't mean they couldn't go down fighting. While Seona didn't fear them, Maura was taking no chances.

The man looked at Seona with the strangest of looks. He has dealt with fugitives seeking refuge before. For some reason, Terra Nova seemed to attract all kinds of fugitives from the law. Terra Nova had always had a loose style of government making it a place where many thought they could hide. But this pair that washed up on their shores were different. For some reason, he didn't have the same sense of warning as he had with others. Normally he could sniff out a criminal with the greatest of ease. But not this time.


He nodded as he listened to the woman speak. He didn't detect any lies from her, and this made his choice that much harder. Because she was truthful with him, he choose to be truthful with her. "Yesterday, we got raided by pirates. They hit us so fast we couldn't even call for help. They took most of our supplies and destroyed our subspace communication uplink. We are not expecting our next relief ship for weeks. Sadly, we simply don't have the supplies to make it that long. We were hoping a ship will come by before then. But the truth is, we can't call for help even if we wanted to," he explained.

Seona nodded. "Do you mind if we help" she asked softly as she shifted her feet in the mud. As much as she loved travel, she hated space travel. This had been the first time in months that she could actually feel mother earth beneath her feet. She tried to hide her happiness as the mud pushed up through her toes.

The man looked deep in to Seona eyes. She couldn't help but see the doubt in his eyes as he spoke, "what do you want from us in return" he asked then added, "our silence maybe?"

She smiled softly as she shook her head, "No, Nothing really. Regardless of what you do after this moment, we will do what we can for you and your people. That is, if you don't mind. We would like to stay for a day to make some repairs," she said softly. Realizing an important detail, she added, "with your permission that is. And if you are willing, we could us some help. When Starfleet arrives, tell them we were here and held you hostage or whatever you wish. However if you desire us to leave, we will. But we would still like to help before we do leave. Just tell us what you need."

"You know, I could have my people rush you and your friend over there" he pointed out. "Then I could use your own ship to call for help. And collect what ever reward there is on your head."

She knew he couldn't do that. She had already encoded the command controls of the runabout. It was what had protected them from Admiral Tate's attempt to take over their computer. But there was something else to his voice. She knew that he wouldn't do that. Once more, she couldn't explain it, but she could feel that he was a good man at heart. "You could order such an attack on us, Sir. While I am unarmed, you will find that my sister would put up a struggle. You could possibly capture us. But I don't think you are that kind of man. You know the difference between justice and what's right. We have not wronged you or your people. Nor do we intend to."

He nodded, "One day" he asked softly.

She nodded, "And if you can spare it, some help. It will help us get out of here faster."

He nodded as he stepped forward and reached out with his hand, "Fine, one day. No more."

"Deal," she said as she smiled and took his hand and shook it. On worlds like this, a hand shake was more than enough to seal a deal. Seona smiled as the two locked their eyes. He reminded her of a man that was like a father to her when she was younger. She motioned for him to follow, "My name is Seona and over there is my older sister Maura." Seona said as she motioned over to Maura who still remained in the shuttle.

He looked at Maura, "My name is Ricard Belluomi. I am mostly all that remains of the Law on this world. After the Dominion attacked our world, I was the one that everyone looked to, to rebuild. So I guess I speak for the people of this world. And this is the first time I have ever seen Starfleet Marine without a weapon." He commented as he pointed out Maura's lack of a weapon.

Maura gave a half smile with a nod. "Never allow what you see to confuse the situation" Maura said as she let go of the knife's handle. She moved to allow her whole body to be seen.

Ricard laughed, "aye, I'm sure Over Worlder." He turned as he motioned that it was all clear. Soon the park was filled with people. "We have a few thousand here and another hundred thousand scattered beyond what remains of the city. We plan to rebuild."

Seona nodded as she looked around. "Maura, can you take a few of them to the replicator and replicate as much medicine and food rations as we can. Bleed our deuterium dry if you have to."

Maura didn't like the idea of using up their reserves but she trusted her sister judgment. With a motion a few locals started to move forward towards the runabout. Ricard also motioned for a few to come forward towards them. "We have a couple of technicians that can help with your repairs. Their not like the kind that Starfleet has but their still pretty clever."

Seona nodded, "thank you for your kindness" she said as she lowered her head in respect. Then turning back to Maura, Seona could see the disapproval on Maura's face. She knew that Maura hated to be put in a tactically disadvantaged situation. Bleeding the runabout's Deuterium reserves dry like this was dangerous. With their Deuterium low like that, if they ran in to even a Starfleet shuttle they could easily be over powered and captured. Speed was their only advantage and now Seona knew that she was putting that at risk. Seona nodded to Maura as she said softly, "Maura, please trust me. Please."

Maura rolled her eyes as she motioned for the colonist to follow her in to the runabout. "You know sis, Robin Hood was a ENGLISH Story!" she said with her thick Scottish accent. With that, she vanished in to the runabout as a few colonist followed her in to the runabout.

Seona laughed as she turned to Ricard, "Don't mind my sister. So much of this has been hard on her." she shifted her eyes back to the runabout, "I would have never made it this far without her." Seona said softly with almost a tear in her eye. She knew that there was far more truth to that statement than anyone would ever dream. But she could never admit any of it. Nor could she ever tell Maura the truth of her plan. If the Federation was to survive, Seona knew that she had to die.




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Author's notes: When I first wrote this scene for my game, I was asked what my inspiration was. The answer is the same as it was then. This scene and Seona's song/dance was inspired by Lindsey Stirling and her video Elements. If you haven't had the chance to listen to this remarkable violinist, I highly suggest you check her out. Some of the Seona Character was inspired by this woman.

 

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (Playing Captain Jackson Campbell)



Admiral On Deck!
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Captain Jackson Campbell, Commanding
Stardate: 53832.8

Hours before linking up with Admiral Tate and his group, great relief came to Captain Campbell when he contacted Starfleet Command about the stolen Protocol Code. He wanted to give his friend a chance to report to Starfleet Command that the Code had been compromised. So when he called Starfleet Command they notified him that they were already aware that the vital communication protocol was compromised. The only person that could have known was Admiral Tate. For Captain Campbell, the report of the leak was more important than the actually discovery of itself. This told him that his friend was not the traitor that Seona was talking about. Still, his office was still involved and Captain Campbell had to figure out how.


Campbell was also relieved to hear that the protocol had been quickly and silently removed from circulation hours before it was due to go active. According to Starfleet Command, the leak revealed an extremely serious threat to Starfleet communication security as well as security of Starfleet ships. They had already begun a separate investigation as to where the leak might have originated from. But this was the extent of what Captain Campbell could find out. Still, just knowing that his long time friend was not a traitor was more than enough to take a great burden off his shoulders.

Upon arrival to the star system named UIH-0351, the USS Thunderchild found the USS Repulse barely under her own power. While the ship didn't appear to have suffered much physical damage during her short but intense battle with the fugitive runabout, the damage to its computer systems had been extensive. While the warp core had been restored, the Engineering Computer were so badly off that the Repulse couldn't start up her own warp reactor.


The Valley Forge and Potemkin had taken up positions on the far sides of the system conducting patrols. Their mission was to ensure that they cut off any chances of escape for the Susquehanna. On the outskirts of the system, Admiral Tate had formed up his shuttles to create a network of sensor stations to lock down the parameter of the system. Reports from patrolling shuttles indicated that the Susquehanna was still operating within the system as it tried to test the limits of the patrol ships and shuttles. With long range sensors nearly all but useless, as they could not penetrate the natural inversion field of the system, tracking the Susquehanna's movements was nearly impossible. Each time a shuttle responded to a sensor contact, the Susquehanna was long gone. The situation turned in to a system wide cat and mouse chase.

The transporter room of the Thunderchild was filled with its senior staff. It was not every day that a Vice Admiral was coming aboard, let alone the man who personally had the vision to create Starfleet's very first carrier. Because of the situation, it would normally be all hands on deck in their dress uniforms, however Captain Campbell knew his friend better than that. Instead of summoning his crew to their parade posts, he summoned his command staff and a select few officers to the transporter room. Still protocol was in order and because of that, everyone had been ordered to be in their dress uniforms. Admiral Tate, for all of his vision was still a man of traditions and believed heavily in military respects and honors.

Crewman Travert turned his head to Captain Campbell. "Sir, the Repulse is signaling that they are ready to beam the Admiral and his staff over." With a nod from the captain, Crewman Travert activated the transporters and beamed the Admiral and his staff aboard.


In tradition, Commander V'rol, now the acting First Officer of the USS Thunderchild called out, "Admiral On Deck!" Like prefect clock work, everyone snapped to attention in respect for the man known throughout the Federation-Cardassian War and the Dominion War simple as the Bull Dog.

Without moving Admiral Tate smiled to his old friend, "Permission to come aboard, Captain Campbell." Admiral Tate stood just over two whole meters tall. Despite being in uniform, it was clear by his thick neck that the old Admiral was still in prefect physical condition and health.

Captain Campbell nodded, "Permission granted, Admiral."

With that Admiral Tate stepped off of the pad and walked over to Captain Campbell. The long time friends shook hands, "Good to see you again Jack" Admiral Tate said calmly and motioned back to the rest of those standing on the transporter pad. "Allow me to introduce," he said motioning to a tall but skinny human male that Captain Campbell knew very well, "Captain Phillips, my Adjutant." Captain Phillips, Captain Campbell and Admiral Tate went back years and were often referred to as the three musketeers. Captain Phillips stepped off the pad as he nodded. Captain Phillips took a few short steps across the room and stood by a near by wall.

Shifting his hand over, Admiral Tate directed the attention to a Vulcan Captain, "this is Captain Vakath, commander of the Repulse." Like Captain Phillips, Captain Vakath stepped from the pad and took his place next to Captain Phillips. "Those pair" Admiral Tate said directing his hand at a male and female pair of Andorians, "are Commanders Thorta th'Regda and Gevan sh'Faila." The Admiral said with pride, "They are my strategic advisors, fresh from Starfleet's War Collage." As they walked off the platform, Admiral Tate turned to Captain Campbell and joked in a whisper, "If I had listened to them, I don't think I would have needed your help today. This old dog had been taught a bitter lesson yesterday" he explained with a wink and smiled, "One I will not soon forget."


Captain Campbell smiled as Admiral Tate introduced the members of his staff. Jackson knew all of these people very well. He served with them before taking command of the Thunderchild. During those day, Captain Campbell had served as Admiral Tate's Adjutant while Captain Phillips was the Admiral's Intelligence Liaison Officer. Now, Captain Campbell was just a Starship Captain and the Admiral's staff were his personal guests aboard.

He motioned to the last person standing on the transporter platform. A tall male Klingon stood there waiting for his time. "Lastly, we have the honorable Brigadier Kaho. Our Klingon liaison officer from Deep Space Nine." Admiral said as the Klingon stepped off the platform. Admiral Tate added to Captain Campbell, "Thanks to Kaho, we will have three Birds of Prey here by morning to help corner the Susquehanna. But for now, your ship, Captain," Admiral Tate said as he rested his hand on Captain Campbell's shoulder, "is the single most important ship in Starfleet."

With that Admiral Tate turned and smiled, "Computer, Let the record to show, I am transferring my flag to the USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549." With that the Computer acknowledged that the Admiral was now commanding the 4th Fleet from the USS Thunderchild.


Captain Campbell nodded as the announcement was made. He knew Admiral Tate well, he hated giving up control to anyone. Even to his own Captains, "Sir, you will find that the Thunderchild is ready and able to locate the Susquehanna. However I had to report that we only have half of our fighter compliment."


Admiral Tate looked at Captain Campbell with concern. "Really? what happened," the old Admiral asked.


Captain Campbell motioned for Admiral Tate to follow him as he led his friend out of the transporter room, "The other wings had not been outfitted with their fighters. Plus, the Valkyrie mark two's were not ready, so our Jolly Roger Squadron is still using their original training fighters." As Captain Campbell explained the situation there was something under the conversation that seemed to be bothering Jackson. The announcement that Tate had transferred his flag could mean several things. He had seen this before a number of times. If Tate didn't feel the situation was going the way he wanted it, he would usurp command right out from under the ship's own Captain.


Because Jackson knew his old friend, there was this unasked question that he hesitated to ask. Regardless of the answer Campbell knew his friend, it was only a matter of time before Seona would drew close again to them. And when that happened, Tate could just take command out from under him.
A very real situation that Jackson simply didn't like to consider. The Thunderchild was his ship and he didn't want to have to have a battle over authority on his bridge with the man he respected the most.


Then again, Seona offered an entirely different perspective to this whole situation. Jackson couldn't ignore her skills and executions. From the first time she came up on his sensors, she was flawless in her plans. She knew every detail and how his own crew would react. When she lured Tate's group in to her trap, she knew how to play Starfleet against its self using its own procedures to assure victory. She had bested Tate in a battle that he shouldn't have lost. A lose like that last one would not be forgotten by Tate. Jackson even figured that they might even make a simulation out of it at Starfleet for future Captains to explore. But beyond all this, Jackson knew Tate. This defeat would rest heavy on his soul for a long time.


As the two men walked out of the transporter room, everyone else tailed behind. He was happy to see his old friend but the announcement that the Admiral was transferring his flag could mean one of several things. He just wasn't sure how to ask his old friend what his intentions were.

"Say it Captain," Admiral Tate commanded suddenly out of the blue. Clearly Admiral Tate knew his friend just as much as Jackson knew Tate.

"Sir?"

"Jackson, haven't we played this game before. You have something to say, so say it" Admiral Tate said as he came to a stop and turned to face Jackson.

Jackson gave up his silence and nodded. "Do you intend to take command of the ship, Admiral?"


The situation was clearly a rare one for Admiral Tate. In a battle that he had no business losing, he lost. He had tried to deny it after it first happened, but now he had come to realize that his ego took a major blow. He faced that demon, now it was time to put Seona behind bars where she belonged. During the past few hours, Admiral Tate had a lot to consider. Taking command of the Thunderchild was one option, but not one that he wanted to take at this moment. He shook his head, "No Jack. The ship is yours to command. But I will be commanding the efforts of the 4th Fleet from here" he explained and gave a moment to allow the statement to sink in. He turned and continued to walk down the corridor as he continued to lay out his thoughts.

"However Jack, lets get one thing clear. Seona has to be stopped. While the Repulse is fifty percent faster than other ships of her class, she lacks the flexibility of your fighter wings," he started to explain. "I understand that you have named Commander Bonham as your CAG. Regardless of what I think of him, I think you are right. He is the right man for this job. So I need him to take command of your fighter wings and prepare to head out. By morning we are going to start to herd the Susquehanna out of that system and capture her." His voice drew down almost in disappointment as he added this part, "Or destroy her if the fugitive will not surrender. Either way, Seona's flight of terror comes to an end."

He came to a stop once more and turned to face Captain Campbell, "Listen Jack, I can't tell you how important it is that we stop the Susquehanna. What remains of Cardassia wont be able to survive a terrorist strike like this. Starfleet Command has ordered that we do not allow the Susquehanna to carry out her plans. There are already factions brewing all over Cardassia that would use something like this to attempt to gain control. It could spark a civil war and unrest within the Cardassian Union with Starfleet caught in the middle."

As the Admiral turned to continue to walk down the hall, Captain Vakath, commander of the Repulse lagged behind the group. His face was blank but to another Vulcan, it was clear that he was in deep thought. Without notice from the others in the group, Captain Vakath caught the attention of Commander V'rol. Slowly the two Vulcans pulled away from the rest of the group.


The Captain suddenly found that he did not like to hear Seona labeled a fugitive. She was part of Starfleet, part of his past, and she had gone though so much already. Still he couldn't deny that she had done a lot to make Starfleet believe that she was dangerous. He just couldn't understand why she made herself in to a lighting rod. While he knew that she wasn't about to attack a Cardassian world or anyone she felt was innocent, he couldn't see her end game yet. This bothered him greatly. Normally when it came to strategy like this, he was the go to man. He could see the plans before him woven out like a tapestry. But Seona's plan surprised him.

"Sir" the Captain began, "we have discovered that the fugitive may have been drugged with a compound that leave her in a state of a waking nightmare of her past memories. This woman was already disturbed. The addition of the drug might imply at least part of her story is true, especially if you consider Gul Bolon a prisoner at Starbase 74 was drugged in much the same way. I'm also not fully convinced that Seona's plan is to attack Cardassia. I can't say what I suspect her plan to be, but I know in my heart that she wont attack people."

Admiral Tate listened to what Captain Campbell said with a very thoughtful look on his face. The group continued to walk through the corridors of Thunderchild with Admiral Tate in the lead. "Jack, I understand what you are saying. However our little fugitive here has stolen a Starfleet runabout and now is armed herself with more than enough anti-mater to make good on her threat. At least two times, she has attacked Starfleet personnel. Once aboard this very ship, if you would recall. Starfleet Command can not take the chance that she might be bluffing. Hell Jack, the Cardassians are at the verge of Civil War as it is. Garak and his Detapa Council are barely hanging on to power. This is just what Starfleet can't afford to happen. We must stop the Susquehanna within Federation space."

Following just behind Captain Campbell and Admiral Tate, Captain Phillips spoke up, "Captain Campbell" he said in his ever professional and steady voice. "With the balance of power within the Cardassian Union shifting away from the Detapa Council, something like this could expose them as being too weak to protect their citizens. Despite the Federation's efforts at rebuilding and support, discord across the Cardassian Union has spread steadily over the past year" Captain Phillips explained.

At the rear of the group, Captain Vakath walked with his hands behind his back. There was deep thought on his face. As the group turned a corner, Captain Vakath spoke in Vulcan to Commander V'rol. "At some point, Commander I must speak with you" he said plainly without further explanation. There was no emotion in his voice or on his face. Commander V'rol nodded as they slowed their pace even more.

At the front of the group, Admiral Tate continued "we simply don't have the resources to fend off a full scale civil war Jack." The Admiral stated after Captain Phillips finished his statement. The group in the front were unaware of the statements being made at the rear of the group. "Jack, I have to ask because some troubling news has come up. I have been informed that you and this fugitive might share a common past. I have never had a reason to doubt your loyalty in the past and I am not doubting you now. But IF there is something that has been left out of your official reports, I need to know." There was a stern glance in the Admiral's eyes as he spoke. The statement seemed to come out of no where but at the same time it was something that was due to come up.

Luckily for Captain Campbell answering the statement would have to wait as the group turned a corner, they ran head long in to Lieutenant Kiera Medart and the cup of hot coffee that she was carrying. The impact sent burning hot coffee all over the front of Admiral Tate's uniform ripping a very loud, "SON OF A BI......" from his lips. He leaped back in to Captain Phillips causing the group to come to a halt.

Lieutenant Medart's eyes grew wide as she stumbled back from the impact, "OH MY GOD!" the shock was in her voice and clearly all over her face. The now empty mug held tightly in her hands. "I thought maybe the Admiral wanted some coffee when he came aboard."

The anger in his eyes was clearly seen by those in the front of the group. "Damnit Lieutenant, why they hell are you carrying coffee around the ship like that! Haven't you ever heard of a replicator?" he said out of anger. He stepped back and paused for a second regaining his temper. "Jack, I take it my VIP Quarters are on Deck Two?" he asked waiting for a nod from Captain Campbell.


Captain Campbell fought hard to hold back an outburst of laughter at the scene. It was only a day after his first run in with Lieutenant Medart and a mug of hot coffee. She had wanted to bring him a mug of coffee when he first came aboard. Her heart was in the right place but her execution was horrible. The result was a first degree burn on his gut and upper legs and a need for a change of uniforms. Admiral Tate was on the verge of explosion when Commander Bonham slipped forward and took Lieutenant Medart by the arm. "Sir, I will take care of the Lieutenant" he said pushing her back from the now enraged Admiral.


Captain Campbell nodded, "Yes Admiral" he answered placing himself between Admiral Tate and Lieutenant Medart. "Here let me show you the way" Captain Campbell said motioning to a near by lift.


Admiral Tate's face was flushed with red as he spoke, "I am going to go change. Captain Phillips, make sure that the staff is assembled in the CIC in thirty minutes. I want all Captains on line and ready for my briefing once I get there. Explain why the briefing was delayed." Captain Phillips nodded his understanding


Lieutenant Medart lowered her head as she spoke from behind both Captain Campbell and Commander Bonham, "Admiral, I am so sorry" she said with a stutter in her voice. "Is there anything I can do?"

Admiral Tate shook his head, "No Lieutenant, you have done more than enough." He ringed hot coffee from the front of his uniform. There was clearly anger in his voice.

Captain Campbell shot a glance to Commander Bonham. Almost as if answering an unspoken statement Commander Bonham said, "I got this, Captain."

With that, Admiral Tate nodded his head. "Captain" he said speaking to Captain Campbell, "Please lead the way" he said as he motion. "We have a lot to talk about before the briefing anyway." With that, Admiral Tate and Captain Campbell stepped through the door of the lift. As the doors closed, all eyes then fell upon the young lieutenant who brought the group to a stop.

 

Contributor: Kunanaki (Playing Mordicia Noonia)


Heroism or Cowardice
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Location: Personal Quarters
Stardate: 53832.8

Laying in his bed, Mordicia looked up at the bunk above him. He reflected on his first twelve hours aboard the USS Thunderchild. So much had happened, so much was going on. This ship seemed to have activity all around it. Something that Mordicia simply wasn't used to. His last posting didn't have anything close to this kind of excitement going on. But there were also issues with the crew. So many simply didn't want to be part of this crew. Most didn't see this assignment as going anywhere. After all, even Mordicia wondered how successful a carrier could be in combat with other starships. But for Mordicia, this was a dream posting that he couldn't believe he got. After all, this ship was filled with new technologies and it was going to be testing completely new tactics. This was where he wanted to be. With a smile he thought back to his first encounters while aboard.


The meeting with the captain seemed very well over all and Lieutenant Noonia was positive he had made a great first impression. The captain seemed to be an admirable fellow, one that tolerated freedom of thought whilst encouraging his officers to come to him with ideas. Not wanting to abuse said first impression, Lieutenant Junior Grade Noonia stayed in the positive background while Lieutenant Kinchlirah did most of the talking. She seemed highly efficient and very well qualified as the Chief Science Officer. Surprisingly, she was very different than other Klingons he had met in the past. She had this way of talking that was very....un-Klingon like. Noonia also had thought that Klingons tended only to be assigned as Tactical or Security Officers aboard Starfleet ships.


After the meeting with the Captain and Lieutenant Kinchlirah, Noonia had asked Lieutenant Kinchlirah for the specifications of her project. He had heard rumors about the revolutionary point defense system. But due to security protocols he never really got a chance to explore the finer details about it. The more that they talked about the system, he started to realize that the system was much more complex than he had realized. With that complexity came some surprising drawbacks. Ever the engineer, Noonia dove in to the system to explore what made it work. Taking things from an Engineering standpoint might benefit some of the core fundamental current drawbacks that are proposed.


For example, one of the largest things that was noted was the power drain to the ship once the system became fully powered. The system is designed to transferred nearly two thirds of the ship's total power output to the point defense system. This system was large too. Due to this size, the Thunderchild had to give up almost half of its traditional weapon systems. What came with this sizable weapon system was comprised of a series of multiple pulse phasers mounts around the ship. Each were powered with their own high output capacitor and independent tracking system. To Noonia's surprise he each weapon mount had its own short range sensor suite. Noonia couldn't understand why the system was built as complex as it was. That was till Lieutenant Kinchlirah explained how the system worked.


As Lieutenant Kinchlirah explained, the targeting computer would open up a file for a given target and the phasers of the mount would fire a broad spectrum pulse at a target. The sensors would scan as the weapon is firing and record the energy that was reflected off the target's shield. The targeting computer of that mount would calibrate the phasers and fire again. Once again the sensors would record the energy that the target shields reflected. The goal of the firing computer was to reduced the amount of energy reflected off the shields. Each time the pulse phasers were calibrated to reduce the amount of energy reflected. This meant the more energy that would be able to bypass the shields and hit the target ship. This would continue till the targeting computer would record zero energy reflected back.


If the ship is destroyed, than the file was deleted. If the target ship was not destroyed, than the mount would keep firing till it was or till it left its firing arc. Then at such a time when the target moved beyond the firing arc of one weapon mount, that mount would pass on the targeting data of that target to the next mount in the targets flight path. This allowed multiple mounts to engage targets while sharing data on those targets. All this occurred in milliseconds! That was a computer programming feat that Lieutenant Noonia was impressed by.


That and each mount created a massive amount of heat. All of this took energy. Thus creating the massive energy drain on the ship's resources. What excited Mordicia was the fact that this was the first time the system would be tested in the field. According to Lieutenant Kinchlirah, there are a series of tests planned after the Promotion Ceremony at the end of this week. She seemed really excited by the upcoming first full scale test of the entire system. So far, only one firing zone had been tested at a time. She had very high hopes for her new system.

Lieutenant Noonia spent his first shift on duty getting into the instrumentation, learning his fellow Engineer names, and more importantly listening. Lieutenant Noonia's official posting is as a Engineering Bridge Officer, meant his place of duty was going to be on the bridge. Lieutenant Barclay Aling was Noonia's immediate supervisor but the man was far from the leader that Noonia really hoped for. After the first hour of meeting Lieutenant Aling, Mordicia already had an impression of the man. He was by far the oldest Lieutenant Mordicia had ever met. The man was actually retiring in a few months after a long and hardly eventful service with Starfleet. Mordicia figured that Lieutenant Aling was embittered because his planned retirement had been pushed back a year and a half to fill empty postings aboard the Thunderchild.


The man knew his stuff but simply was not in the mood or couldn't be bothered to teach. Mordicia was lucky enough to get a duty roster from the man let alone any real detailed training on the post or the responsibilities that would be expected of them. Aling pushed that off on to Ensign Jain, the Second Shift Bridge Engineer Officer. Now Ensign Jain was a God Send to Mordicia. Not only did she know the duties for a bridge officer, she had taken the time to explain everything to Mordicia in detail. Long after her duty shift was over and Lieutenant Aling's shift started, she continued to help Mordicia learn the engineering station on the bridge. The two took the lesson to the ships lounge, Upper Five. Over mugs of coffee the two talked in to the night about the workings of the bridge's engineering systems. There was a lot that he needed to know about the Thunderchild and its complex split bridge operations.


The fact that Command and Control was split between Flight Operations and the Bridge made manning the bridge post more complex than Mordicia had first expected. Not close to be considered a leader in her field, Ensign Jain never stopped reading and expanding her understandings of the systems aboard the ship. Despite his short tenure aboard the ship, he knew without doubt that Ensign Jain was one of those officers that cared about her duties and fellow shipmates. And with thanks to the hours of crash teaching from Ensign Jain, he felt far more comfortable on the USS Thunderchild than on his prior ship.


Still, he found himself unable to sleep after the events of today. He rose up from his bed and tapped his com-badge, "Noonia to Townsend."


"Hey Noonia," The voice came over the com-badge was of his friend Michael Townsend. A transporter tech that Noonia had met while on leave at Starbase 74. "What has you up this late. Don't you have duty in eight hours?"


Mordicia nodded, "I do. But I can't sleep. What are you doing?"


"Ah, I am in Holodeck three with Jordan" he said speaking of Jordan Habachi, another mutual friend and security officer. "Come down and join us" the voice added.


"Thanks, I will be right down" Mordicia said getting up out of bed. It wouldn't take him long to get dress and head out for Holodeck Three.


In a short time, Mordicia found himself locked in a very taxing game of three person bo staff training. Each wielded a large formed stuffed staff with large padded ends. They moved around with great care watching the others while plotting their own strikes. Knowing when to strike while another opponent was stalking you was as important as knowing how to strike. In this, this was as much a test of patience as it was a test of skill. As it was expected, Ensign Jordan Habachi was well in the lead. But Mordicia was determined to learn this game. Ensign Townsend wasn't much better than Mordicia was and less excited about the pounding he was taking.

Soaked and feeling exhausted, Mordicia had put his all in to having as much fun with this. He knew that this would not serve him well if he only committed part of himself to it. Though he wasn't one to take credit for things by nature of being a team player, he did try to excel when it came to personal growth. After the heated match, the three junior officers laughed as they made their way over to a small water keg. Despite bitter blows, the three were still strong friends as Habachi passed out cups of water.

Ensign Townsend took a deep drink of water then asked, "so why do they call him Commander Coward," his voice winded from the work out. But it was clear that he was speaking of Commander Bonham, the ship's XO.

With a nod Ensign Habachi lowered his cup of water from his mouth, "so here is what I heard from a previous roommate that my roommate had while the Thunderchild was back at Utopia Yards. During the final battle the Thunderchild was in, this guy was on the bridge and witnessed the whole thing. The story goes that, Commander Bonham had a chance to save members of the fighter wing, but instead during the heat of the battle turned the ship around and fled instead. And in doing so, left those pilots behind to die. And this is why they hate him and call him Commander Coward. While most of that crew left the ship, some have remained aboard."


Mordicia listened to the synopsis of the Commander, and frowned a bit. Not saying anything, Noonia moved his knuckles and pressed against his own hip bones. He quietly thought to himself about what was said and what he knew of that battle as his head dropped down. After a bit, Mordicia finally lifted his head up as he inquired. "What was the Tactical Situation during that battle? It's all well and good to sling that sort of thing about, but what details are we lacking? Abandonment is a serious thing to consider for a leader." Noonia then smiled. "That and it's easy to judge a man by hindsight. Let's form our own opinions with a clean slate. If it comes to it, at least we're informed no?"


Ensign Townsend looked around and sighed heavily. "I know what you mean about a clean slate. But there is other things that we should consider. I don't think you ever met her. The former Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Luther, I think was her name. She left the ship because she felt he was a coward. And that is not the only one. A lot of the crew left because they thought he was going to become the next captain. All of them hated the Commander because of what he did. Or at least that is what I have heard. I have heard a lot of roamers floating around the transporter techs." he paused a moment as he was in deep thought before continuing, "I just don't know. I met him once and he seemed like a nice guy. I guess."

Ensign Habachi got up and his frustration was clear by the way he carried himself. He walked over and picked up the weapons from the mat, "I don't know what you all think. But I can't think of a situation where I could ever justify leaving someone behind" he explained as he carried the weapons over to their stands. "I could never leave either of you on the battle field. Not while their was a chance of saving your life. Even the smallest chance. One of those he left behind to die was his closest friend. He didn't even give it a second thought as he ordered the ship to warp. In my book, based on what I know so far, that man is a coward and not worth wearing that uniform." He turned and looked right at Noonia, "Tell me something. You are my friend and my superior. I would gladly take a phaser for you. Any time, any where. Would you so easily follow a man that would leave me behind to die without a second thought?"


Mordicia had a peculiarity way about him when he focused on a job related tasks. He tended to get excited, but tempered it back until it was his turn to speak. In this case, Noonia did not have that same excitement, for the reason was that his friend and junior officer was asking him a question that could impact the relationship between them, as well as his professional growth in the future. In that, Mordecai would treat the situation as delicately as he would treat a Bonsai tree and pruning. "If life was as simple as black and white, then the Federation wouldn't need to exist."


Habachi shook his head as he walked back, "Mordicia, it is simple. All my life, I dreamed of that one moment in time when I would be a hero. Where I could rise up in defense of my shipmates and lay down my life for them. I mean don't get me wrong, I am not suicidal but to know that I have this in me. The ability to do what must be done for my shipmates, fills me with pride. I would never act like a coward in that situation. I would have pushed to save the lives of those pilots, just like I would do anything possible to save your life."


Mordicia smiled as he nodded, "If you want to relieve that moment, with all the information that was given, I can make a holo program based on the recordings for us. When one is in command of the ship, they don't get to have the luxuries of what ifs or second guessing."


Ensign Habachi nodded with a smile on his face, "Fine, that is a great idea. And when I prove to you that saving those pilots was possible, we will put to rest that Commander Bonham is a coward."

Noonia walked over to the computer while shaking his head as his friend spoke. Mordicia opened up the programming functions of the holodeck. He linked the files of the battle of CMO-26 to his program. Mordicia took his time while Habachi and Townsend were talking about the upcoming holo-battle. Mordicia wanted to see WHAT really happened during that battle for himself as well. Even though he had been aboard less then twenty four hours, he had heard the rumors about Commander Bonham. The questions behind that battle were clouded by the rumors and it was time to shed some light on that.

Within minutes, the Holodeck would change to all available information, a carefully recreated scenario but where one of them could play the role of Commander Bonham. Though the computer was relentless in the facts, flexible as their technology was it was all a game of percentages. "Go ahead Ensign Habachi. Start the Holo program Mark-44H. Now we'll all see what the Commander was up against. I want to see it, and I want you to take his position as Commander of the ship temporarily."


With a smile on his face Habachi walked towards the center chair of the USS Thunderchild "Computer, over cast a Starfleet Commander's uniform over me." In that second, his gold uniform change to red and his rank was now that of Commander. Habachi turned to his friends and held his hands out to his side, "Like the promotion?"


Townsend laughed, "So fitting of you Jordan"


Habachi nodded and started the program. And right away the battle was brutal as wave after wave of Jem'Hadar fighters made their attacks on the ship. While the fighter wings of the Thunderchild fought them back, the acting Captain, Ensign Habachi was forced to deal with a pair of Jem'Hadar attack cruisers. The battle was clearly pushing the young ensign to his limits as the damage reports keep coming in and the losses were mounting. It didn't take long for the holographic bridge of the Thunderchild to become a nightmare to any seasoned officer. For his credit Ensign Habachi held his cool much better than Lieutenant Noonia might have suspected. There were moments when the young ensign became flustered but he was able to regain his composure as the next wave of attacking Jem'Hadar fighters came in.

The young ensign was neither brilliant nor gifted, but using hind sight of the battle gave him prefect vision. Using what he knew of the battle and how it played out, he was able to keep the ship alive. To even his own surprise, he was able to hold the lines long enough for the Thunderchild's wayward fighters to fight their way back from behind enemy lines. Keeping the fighters protected, he gave them a chance to land safely back aboard. The pounding that the Thunderchild took during the simulation was the same as of what really happened. With only a few more casualties, Ensign Habachi was able to save the five pilots before withdrawing from the battle ahead of the Breen warships' arrival.

As the simulation ended Habachi smiled while he turned to Noonia, "See, it was possible to save the pilots" he said with that mater of fact tone in his voice. It was clear the battle had taken its toll on him. But the look in his eyes only solidified his opinion of Commander Bonham. He picked up his things and walked for the door. "It was an eye opener Noonia, I will give you that" he said pausing at the door, "The next time you are on an away mission and your life is on the line. You should pray that Commander Bonham isn't the one you have to count on to save your life. I got duty in two hours, so I have to get going. Take care guys."

After Habachi left, Ensign Townsend looked to Lieutenant Noonia, "So those pilots could have been saved?"

Not wanting to let the experiment go on that, Lieutenant Noonia walked over to the control panel as he spoke, "I am not so sure. I can't say that I know so much about combat. But I know plenty about probabilities." He started to rewrite the simulation, "we will allow the battle to play out using a randomizer to decide if our holo-Bonham will attempt to save the pilots or not."


Mordicia stepped back and ran the program sixteen times. They watched battle after battle unfold as their holo-bridge was blasted to peices. Each time the randomizer decided rather to go after the pilots or not to. To Mordicia's surprise, there was no sure path to saving the pilots. But half of the times the holo-Bonham attempted to save the pilots, both pilots and ship were lost. Just over half of the times that the holo-Bonham didn't attempt to save the pilots, the USS Thunderchild was lost with all hands.


Townsend turned once more to Noonia, "So it wasn't possible?"


Mordicia shook his head, "Hold on." Once more he reprogrammed the holo-program. "Allow us to change the parameters of what happened. Lets allow both sides of the combat to learn off of each other and see how the combat then unfolds."


Once more Mordicia ran the simulation sixteen times but to another surprising result. Each time the battle was waged something strange occurred. While both sides were learning off of the previous battle, it was the Dominion forces that seemed to be gaining the upper hand faster. Which made no sense to Mordicia because both sides should be increasing their advantage at the same rate. Mordicia called out, "computer freeze program" and on that the fires across the bridge of the Thunderchild froze in place. "Computer reload program but use all known tactical and strategic data available that the Dominion had on the USS Thunderchild based on previous encounters."


The computer chirp and answered, "new parameters loaded."


Mordicia nodded, "restart the simulation."


On that, the battle reset. The battle played out as expected but this time the Thunderchild didn't take as much damage and it was able to save the fighters. Wanting to make sure Mordicia ran the simulation over sixteen times. The results confused him as he watched battle after battle. There was more than seventy percent probability that the ship should have been able to save those pilots. It simply didn't make sense to Mordicia as he watched the battles over and over again. Hours passed as he watched each battle unfold. Saving the pilots should have been a simple task for the Thunderchild. But for some reason it wasn't. Mordicia couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off.


"Computer, freeze program" Mordicia called out. He turned to speak to Townsend but noticed that his friend had fallen asleep just inside the arch of the holodeck. "Computer reload the program using what we know of the battle and restart the program."


Once more Mordicia watched the battle unfold. And he started to notice something and this time he called out to the computer, "Freeze program!" Mordicia walked across the burning bridge, "Computer change view to exterior of the ship." With that command, Mordicia was walking in the stars of the battlefield. He walked over to a group of Jem'Hadar fighters, "computer these fighters changed course to intercept a flight of our fighters. Why?"


The computer's voice echoed in the holodeck reminding him that he wasn't actually walking in deep space, "unknown."


He looked around at the scene, "computer, analyze. could these enemy fighters know that that flight of fighters were there?"


"No, the starboard warp nacelle of the Thunderchild block both visual and sensor contact" The computer's voice answered.


Mordicia leaned back on the side of the holographic Thunderchild as he thought, "so why did they change course just at the right time to intercept this flight of fighters?"


"Unknown"


"Computer, tell me how long have we been working on this holographic program" Mordicia asked as he walked back to the arch.


"five hours, twenty one minutes, fifty three seconds.


"How long did the actual battle take?"


"Thirty six minutes, forty one seconds."


He nodded as he noted that his first official shift on the bridge was to began in less than an hour. "So how long was Commander Bonham in actual command of the Thunderchild?"


"Commander Bonham assumed command of the Thunderchild during this battle for the last twelve minutes, fifteen seconds of the battle."


Mordicia leaned up against the wall and sighed heavily. "So something had changed in the tactics of the Dominion and Bonham noticed it. What should have been an easy retreat, was an unpredictable tidal wave of chaos. The Commander wasn't willing to bet the lives of the whole crew and ship on this battle. He hedged his bets to increase survivability for as many people as he possibly could."


Ensign Townsend moaned as he slowly set up. "So the Commander is not a coward after all" he said softly rubbing his eyes. "Sorry I drifted off."


Mordicia shook his head, "don't worry about it. But I have learned something. I am not ready to lead a ship in combat. At least not yet."


Townsend nodded, "me either. But you know that no matter how this played out. Habachi would have never changed his mind. In his eyes, the Commander will always be a coward." He paused to take a breath before adding, "nearly his entire family had been killed by Cardassians."

He paused and turned to face Noonia, "Habachi never really talks about it. I only know because we were friends when it happened. So I had the sad fortune of watching first hand what it did to him. We were in the Academy together when his family had been murdered. His mother and father were doctors before the formation of the Demilitarized Zone. His family used to live on Juhraya. When the former Federation colonists were run off of world by the Cardassian Government most of them joined the Maquis resistance. His mother sent him and his younger sister to live with their aunt back on Earth. His two older siblings stayed with their parents and all joined the Maquis. No they were not foot soldiers. They provided medical services to the wounded. His older sister and brother acted as medical assistants. He told me that his parents resented violence, but couldn't turn a blind eye to the suffering going on around them."

Townsend continued what he was saying, "thanks to the help of the Dominion, Cardassians were able to hunt down the group of Maquis that his family belonged to. They located their medical station within the Bad Lands. The station had minimal protection and the few Maquis ships that protected it were quickly out matched. I read the reports, it was a slaughter carried out by the Cardassian 41st Militia. Some two hundred wounded and medical staff were all murdered by the Cardassians that day."

Ensign Townsend looked down, "I can't imagine losing my whole family like that. But I understand where his hate comes from. Sadly, it fills and consumes him. When word of the murders reached him, he changed his classification from the Medical Field to Security and Tactics. He used to keep me up late in to the night studying battles and tactics. He was actually disappointed when the end of the war came before he could join the fight. Though he never mentioned it, but I think he is actually hoping that Seona will be successful in her attack on Cardassia. You know, I don't think he is the only one either."

Ensign Townsend looked back up at Noonia "however, what you showed me today has changed my opinion. There is no doubt for me anymore. The commander is not a coward. I have no idea what I would have done in his shoes. And I am glad I will never be in that situation to make that call. To hold the lives of others in your hand. That's just too much for me." He stopped talking as he scanned the space battle scene before him. He took in the whole scene and sighed heavily, "no, not for a long time. I hope."

 

Contributor: aipsylon (Playing as Commander V'rol)


Stardate: 53832.8
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Captain Vakath and Commander V'rol
Corridor of the Thunderchild


V'rol had barely had a chance to look into the information that he had been sent regarding Seona and what was happening and it seems that already more was happening. For a ship that still had three weeks left for her refit, there was so much going on. It was by special, personal, request of Admiral Tate that the ship be rushed through the last of its refit to make his promotion ceremony in just a few short days. V'rol had been taking time to learn about his new ship and its crew back on Vulcan when he got the orders for him to report to Starbase 74. He had thought that this was going to be nothing more than a short trip to Deep Space Nine than back to Utopia Yards for space trials. However all that change because of Seona's actions.


Now, like many other department heads, V'rol had much more to do beyond his normal duties. He had finally gotten his security staff on the rotation that he wanted, and had rearranged the shifts to rotate to his liking. Checking over several reports he made sure to schedule duty shifts to check all the security measures of the doors, making a mental to speak to engineering to be certain that the electronic security codes were correctly configured. For all that she had done, her rouge file explaining in detail how she was able to bypass their security was very informative. While these holes were gaping, they were holes nonetheless and V'rol ensured that they were corrected.


But there was still a lot left to be done, most importantly with judgment of some of his security staff. He had read the reports of what took place on this ship during the war. He found no logical reason why such actions were allowed to occur on a Federation ship. However with both the former Captain and First Officer killed during the battle of CMO-26, that question would forever remain unanswered. After long hours of studying reports and reviewing personnel files, V'rol removed those who were beyond saving. With a quarter of his staff replaced, he focused his efforts on those who he suspected could be turned back to the ideals of the Federation. It would be a long road for many of them, but he suspected that their love for the Federation would help steady their course.


Now, V'rol had been called down to the Transporter Room to meet the admiral and his senior staff. V'rol saw the entire event as a wasteful time when time was a luxury that they simply didn't have. Already he was considering the fact that Seona had already moved on. He couldn't discover how she had managed to flee the system undetected, but that didn't change his logical assumption that she had fled. He stood their allowing his strategic and logical mind to go over ever detail of this system and her actions to this point. She choose this location to engage Admiral Tate for a reason. That system gave her something she needed to forward her plans. He just couldn't figure out what that was.


As he stood there, he give a nod of greeting as introductions proceeded he remained silent allowing things to proceed. He took in all that he saw and all that he heard around him. As the group moved for the corridor, he noticed that Captain Vakath seemed in deep thought as he trailed behind the group. He paid careful mind to the conversations going on given what he had been sent, however, remained passively stoic his arms folded behind his back. He followed just in front of Captain Vakath but kept an eye on the Vulcan Captain.

When Captain Vakath spoke to V'rol, he gave the slightest nod to the Captain. If he had intended to say more it would only be logical that the captain would speak more if he intended to. Clearly the matter was sensitive so he would not push for more information. Though it seemed that was like to come faster than he thought, the over eager Lieutenant once more failing to make quite the impression that she had intended. Commander V'rol recalled how she had 'assaulted' the Captain just hours after he had come aboard. V'rol only shook his head but this turn of events was fortunate for him, however. As the Admiral departed, the rest of his staff continued on for the briefing room. V'rol turned to Captain Vakath. "Would this be a good time Captain or should we wait until after the briefing?"

With a nod, Captain Vakath slowed his pace "it would appear that the actions of your Chief Engineer has bought us the distraction that we required." On that note, he slowed his pace and allowed the rest of the group to move further ahead while he and Commander V'rol lagged behind.

Speaking in a lower voice Captain Vakath started to explain, "A few hours before your ship arrived a Transporter Tech brought to my attention a issue with our transporters. At first she thought that it was only a maintenance issue. However as she dug deeper she discovered that the issue was with all of the main transporters buffers across my ship. These systems are not linked and only an intentional act could cause this kind of issue between them. Suspecting something larger going on, she called me down to look at the issue. However by the time I go a chance to follow up with her, the issue had somehow repaired its self."


He paused only for a moment to take a breath then continued, "I have no reason to suspect what I am being told from my crewmen. Had the transporter been activated to beam the fugitive aboard there would have been what appeared to be a simple malfunction within our systems. As a result the fugitive would not have survived the transportation. I suspect that this act of sabotage due to its location would have been very difficult for my security teams to uncover. Which is what I suspect was the intention. That the death of the fugitive would have appeared to be nothing more than a tragic accident."


"I personally decided to dig deeper in to this behind the Admiral's back," Captain Vakath explained. "When questioned, none of my engineering staff reported any issues with the transporters nor did any of them have any information about repairing such an issue." Captain Vakath came to a stop and turned to face V'rol, "Logical would only dictate that this was not just a simple act of sabotage upon our transporter systems, but a murder plot against the fugitive waiting to unfold."


On that note, Captain Vakath turned and continued down the corridor with V'rol following silently, "I suspect that this person will attempt to strike again once the fugitive is in our sights. I have my own security team working discretely on an investigation aboard my ship. To our surprise, the person behind this plot has covered their tracks very well. We currently have no evidence to who it might be or that such a plot was actually set up in the first place. Currently, there are only three members of my crew and myself that are aware of this investigation. I suggest that you keep your own security personal appraised of the situation."


V'rol listened to Captain Vakath carefully, raising an eyebrow when he heard that the error had vanished after the encounter. "I assume that you have checked to see if somehow they affected anything else on your ship." The question was one he was fairly sure of a negative answer, however, it was important to address the frequency. His own voice was kept at the same volume as the captain's. As V'rol listened to Captain Vakath's answer, he pulled up a PADD and made a note to speak with chief engineer about implementing real time scanning for these sort of changes.


The seasoned Vulcan Captain nodded as he listened to the question. He understood the importance of not making assumptions. "Yes I had my people check to see if any other modifications had been discovered. Aside from a virus which was uploaded in three parts. One part was uploaded while the Repulse was in Utopia Yards for engine refits a few weeks ago. A second part my science and security teams have been unable to identify how it was uploaded, but our suspicions are that it came in to contact with our computer systems via a holographic recordings. Though we have been unable to identify who or when the upload actually occurred. The third part of this virus was uploaded when we attempted to recover the stolen data from the USS Susquehanna. The data stream was used as a carrier for the last part of the virus. Then it infected our two sister ships before becoming active."

He paused a moment, "Its strange, my staff came to the conclusion that the two issues were not linked. We found that it was in the technique where they differ. The virus was very cleverly designed to remain hidden till it was too late. The modifications to our transporters seemed more rushed than well planned. This explained why we found them in the first place. Do you have information that might help our investigation," Captain Vakath asked calmly.


V'rol nodded as he spoke, "only that a number of ships belonging to the 4th Fleet that were at the Utopia Planitia shipyards during the same time frame seemed to have similar problems. We found the same virus in a group of holovids that the Captain received from a Catholic Priest on Earth." V'rol knew more about the holovids but at the same time, wanted to protect the Captain's privacy. Now it also appeared that he was going to have to make efforts to protect Seona from some unseen murderer. Instead of going in to details he changed subject, "Also, be wary, the one that beamed aboard our ship, Seona is her name, was quite skilled in combat. Beyond that I have only supposition."

V'rol showed no emotions as he spoke softly and calmly. The calm manner with which he talked about the issues that must have been frustrating. It was fortunate the other captain was Vulcan, as he had observed others often found the neutral state indicative of indifference.


"Indeed Commander," Captain Vakath said calmly. "Admiral Tate will be briefing Captain Campbell about how Starfleet Intelligence has been able to locate her virus on a number of ships that were undergoing maintenance at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards and Proxima Maintenance Yards. According to reports from Starfleet Intelligence, only select ships were targeted with this virus. The latest report that we were given about an hour ago give little details on the over all intentions of the virus. These were very different than the ones that infected our ship."

His voice was calm and detached from the topic as he continued to explain the information. "While its functions are still uncertain at this time what is certain is that it is part of the larger program. What is known, is that our teams are finding it very difficult to remove these virus." He raised an eyebrow as he added, "the confusing issue about this other virus is that it was not designed to infect Starfleet systems. Our ships were only meant to act as carriers of the virus."


Commander V'rol stop and faced the Captain, "Sir, you said Utopia and Proxima Yards? Do we know which units these ships belonged to?"


Captain Vakath nodded, "I came to the same conclusion Commander. Because of this, I searched for a link between these ships. While on the surface, some ships didn't seem to have a link to the others. However nearly half of them belonged to the 4th Fleet, while the rest were of independent commands. But all shared one thing in common. All of them are currently serving within Cardassian space right now. Either part of the 4th Fleet or conducting refugee support and reconstruction efforts."

On that note he paused for a moment before continuing, "This virus had been designed to infect other near by ships through communication channels. According to Starfleet Intelligence, it seemed that she was targeting Cardassian ships specifically. Starfleet Intelligence fears that the virus may have already spread beyond containment thanks to the current situation. Estimations place well over half of Cardassian ships could already be infected thanks to the joint operations to stop the fugitive before she carries out her threat against Cardassian Prime."

He paused once more to allow the information to sink in before continuing. "Admiral Tate will be informing the Detapa Council once more information regarding the nature of the virus can be discovered. However he feels that giving too much information to the Cardassians too soon could lead them to overreact. Thus risking the safe capture of the fugitive. In this I agree with the Admiral. If we are to be able to undo what she had done, we need to fugitive alive."


Captain Vakath nodded as he continued, "already the Admiral seems to fear for her safety as it is. Somehow word of the manhunt has reached bounty hunters. There are a number of reports that multiple groups have taken interest in this manhunt. I will not hide the fact that at times I am confused by the Admiral's actions verses his words. Admiral Tate is a very emotional and passionate man. I generally believe that he means to have the fugitive captured alive despite his anger filled words."

On that note he turned as Commander V'rol followed. The pair continued their walk down the corridor, "your teams are to be commended. Without your crews' discoveries, the second virus would have gone undetected." With a nod he added, "however, it still does not indicate her over all goals in all of this."


"Understood." V'rol gave a short nod, "Thank you for the compliment. The crew has been performing admirably under difficult circumstances. If you have nothing else you need me for, it would be prudent for me to prepare for the briefing.


Captain Vakath nodded, "then I will see you at the briefing." The two men parted ways as Commander V'rol turned and walked in to a lift while Captain Vakath continued down the corridor.

 

Contributor: A_Magical_Taco (Playing Captain Jackson Campbell)


Stardate: 53832.8
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Admiral Tate and Captain Campbell
Turbo lift

Admiral Tate waited till they were alone in the turbo lift before speaking, "Jack," he said ringing the coffee from his uniform, " don't care about this." He half laughed, "remember when that Cathen delegation came aboard. I was so sick with the flu, I vomited all over one of them." He smiled at the memory of years ago, "we both told the Captain that I shouldn't had been made to attend, but she insisted. Oh the look in her eyes when I vomited was priceless." The two laughed for a bit before a more serious look came over him.

He looked at his soaked uniform and sighed heavily. "We have been through a lot together, Jack." He said with that tone in his voice that the subject just changed to something very serious. "Jack, what I need to know is why this person is gunning for you. Her attacks started with your ship. Then these holovids and some secret message seemed to be pointing at you, personally. How do you play in to all of this," he questioned.

He continued with renewed breath. "A source in Starfleet Intelligence suggests that they had been on the trail of a traitor back from the invasion of Velos. Is this what she is talking about regarding this whole Velos issue?"

He paused and turned to face his old friend, "Jack, I can protect you. I have my own sources and contacts. Just be truthful with me. I can talk with them on your behalf. They might be willing to go easy on you if you just cooperate. That is, if you are involved in something. Let me help you, Jack" he said with a sincere look in his eye and a friendly touch on Captain Campbell's shoulder.


Jackson kept his eyes on his friend. He had already planned to reveal to him everything that he had learned thus far, even being genetically enhanced. He hadn't even considered keeping it a secret from this man who had been like a father to him during his entire career. Jackson had known Tate since he was in the academy. Back then he had been a mentor to Jackson, teaching him everything he knew about being a tactical officer. Jackson worked hard to impress his mentor, never willing to do anything to tarnish the man's reputation.


For David Tate, he had seen through a facade of arrogance Jackson had when he enter the academy. That arrogance was an attempt to hide how nervous Jackson really was back then. Thanks to Tate, Jackson became the youngest tactical officer in Starfleet. He had been the Tate's Adjunct before being given this command, his own ship. Now his mentor was Jackson's best friend, his brother for all the ways he could figured it.

The accusation took the Captain in the stomach and twisted, actually forced him to take a step back to steady himself. He had expected the Admiral to question him, to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. The Admiral wasn't stupid, a little hot under the collar at times, but not foolish. What he had not expected was for his best friend to accuse him of treason. To suggest that he had somehow managed to betray the Federation. The captain opened his mouth but his words stuck in his throat so instead he took a breath, trying to lower the volume of the ringing in his ears. The captain closed his eyes for a moment, afraid he might take a swing at the man. Then he took another breath and opened them.

Without warning, Captain Jackson Campbell reached out and punched Admiral Tate right in the jaw. "How dare you accuse me of Treason!"


The blow caught the older Admiral by surprise as he stumbled backwards. However he wasn't called the Bulldog for nothing. Reeling back he quickly regained his footing and balance. With great power he lunged forward unleashing a combination one, two punch to Captain Campbell's gut then to the side of his head. The twin powerful blows were each like ten pound sledge hammers slamming in to Captain Campbell's body. The twin blows cause Captain Campbell to fall back against the wall of the lift. With the blows delivered, Admiral Tate lowered his guard once more as anger filled his voice.


"Damnit JACK! You are as hot headed as I am!" The Admiral cursed as he backed up. The two men had been close personal friends longer than either cared to admit. This was not unusual behavior for either of them. Admiral Tate had actually gone to bat for Captain Campbell in securing the command of the Thunderchild out from under Captain Phillips. "Computer, pause lift" he ordered and in that second the lift stopped. Tate touched his now bloody lip as he paused his own actions to get his anger under control.

As both men paused their actions, Admiral Tate continued, "You don't understand Jack! That girl for some reason thinks YOU are a traitor to the Federation. I heard it myself from her very mouth a few months ago." The shocked look on Captain Campbell's face was enough for Admiral Tate to continue. "Jack I was at a party on Earth when she broke in and started talking crazy. Saying things like the Dominion War wasn't over. She lunged at me with a knife calling out for the one closest to me. Saying how he was a traitor. Jack, that person she was talking about was you! Hell if it wasn't for Phil" he said using the nickname of Captain Phillips. "I would have been killed by that crazy knife waving woman. When she was stun, she collapsed in my arms." There was no doubt that the Admiral was telling the truth as far as he knew it. "I heard her say your name. She called out for you by name. Then uttered the word traitor."

Admiral Tate leaned against the opposite wall as he pulled out a clothe. "I would have spoken to you sooner but Phil assured me she was lying. He told me that there was no way she could possible know you. You two had no history together. Hell, from what he found out, you two never once crossed paths. We both agreed to keep your name from any official records. Something like that could have cost you your command, Jack. But that is all a lie isn't it Jack. You know this woman. You and she were very close."


He explained while whipping the blood from his busted lip. Admiral Tate turned to face Captain Campbell once more, "Damnit Jack, I am not your enemy. And if you are innocent of this, then I will not stop till I can prove your innocence. But you need to be truthful with me. What ever it is, it wont leave this lift." Admiral Tate paused long enough to look at the blood on his lip, "you have my word, Jack" he knew it wasn't necessary but he wanted it said nonetheless.


"Honestly Tate, the only thing I am sure of is that I am not a traitor, that I am not involved with this...whatever is going on". Campbell took a deep breath. His body screamed out from the two painful blows. He continued to lean back against the turbo lift wall as he scratched his chin. While the pain from the assault of the Admiral was still steady, the friendship remain just as strong. But Jackson was going to be truthful. "Running an investigation on this Seona has lead us down some paths that I'm not sure I completely understand yet. But you have MY word..." he said poking himself in the chest with his thumb, "that before the attack on my ship, I have no memory of ever meeting Seona MacConnell and all I knew of Maura MacConnell was that she was some hero I enjoyed reading about in the intelligence reports". The Jackson paused but the Admiral didn't respond, perhaps the Jackson hadn't really given him much time either as he continued to speak. "Tate, if you really want to help me then help me get in contact with my father, he should have some of the answers I am looking for, they might be able to explain what is going on." Jackson called out to the computer to resume the journey.


David listed to his friend while he wiped the last of the blood off his lip. The bruise was already starting to turn colors. "Jack, you tell me your no traitor and I believe you." David Tate said after waiting for his old friend to finish. "hmmmm" he mumbled softly. "Seona MacConnell?" he said almost seeming more puzzled than before. "I was under the assumption that her name was Seònaid Melville" he added truthfully. Captain Campbell knew his friend well enough to know that the man was speaking the truth.

Just in that moment the lift doors hissed open on deck two. Lieutenant Kinchlirah was standing just off of the doorway as the doors opened. Her eyes quickly scanned the captain then the admiral. Her mouth opened as if to say something but Admiral Tate cut her off as he motioned to leave the lift, "at ease lieutenant." On that note she closed her mouth and moved aside. Admiral Tate and Captain Campbell moved from the lift and continued down the corridor. Once they were clear of the lift she stepped in tot he doorway of the lift and watched the doors closed. Just as the doors were closing, she commented about Captain Campbell, "no wonder why he wanted to fight me. He is more Klingon than I am."

Admiral Tate continued to his VIP quarters while he spoke. "Jack, you have no idea how this has gotten Starfleet Command up in knots. The fact that she impersonated Yeoman Traver all this time was just the tip of the ice brig. That act blasted all kinds of whole in our security. Jack all this time she was hiding on Earth waiting to strike. That is how Starfleet Command sees this situation. Thanks to your Science and Engineering teams, we now know what we are looking for. Her little viruses have popped up in ships at New Berlin, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards as well as Proxima Maintenance Yards and across Cardassian Space." He explained as he turned to enter his quarters.

He moved through the quarters as the door closed behind the two men. "Hell Jack, wherever this Melville...." he said then paused and turned to face Captain Campbell, "Melville?" he said again almost questioning the last name. "Whatever her damn name is" he added in frustration not waiting for a comment from his old friend. He then turned and continued over to his closest. His staff had already moved his clothes over prior to coming aboard. He continued as he reached in and pulled out a new uniform. "Wherever she has gone, Starfleet Intelligence has been able to trace her steps from Earth across ten other worlds to this point here. But no one can tell me where she is right now. Everyone is hoping that somewhere in that system is the Susquehanna."

Jackson knew that this issue was more than what it seemed as the Admiral continued to speak, "Starfleet Command has put the pressure on me. They want her stopped. Jack it was made clear to me that the 4th Fleet has to stop her and bring her to justice. If we can't do this, than" he paused and shook his head, "Starfleet Command might loss faith in us." There was more that Admiral wasn't saying. Jackson could hear it in what his friend wasn't saying.


Jackson listened to his friend, especially what he wasn't saying. Jackson might not know exactly what Starfleet was saying but if Tate was concerned, he should be too. That didn't mean he would let his friend know he was concerned, "I don't know what exactly you are keeping to yourself but I do know Starfleet and those stiffs are always knotted up about something. I don't intend to change how I operate, how you taught me to operate, just because they have concerns. Between the best tactician in Starfleet and the Bulldog, I have no doubt that we will bring her in, David, and we will bring her in alive. Jackson smiled at his friend who didn't look as confident at the statement as the Captain was. "Ok David, maybe you should tell me whats really going on."


As Jackson spoke, Admiral Tate removed his shirt and tossed it on the replicator so that it can be recycled. He pulled the fresh shirt over his head and started to fasten it. There was a lot going on in both the Admiral's mind as well as beyond the Thunderchild. It was clear by the look in the Admiral's eyes. Admiral Tate set done on the bed and let out a heavy sigh as Jackson said, "Ok David, maybe you should tell me whats really going on."

Admiral Tate didn't bother to look up as he starred in to his hands, "Jack, you have no idea how this Melville business is fueling the critics regarding the Thunderchild Project." The Admiral was speaking of the project that was centered on the Federation's first experimental carrier. The project had been years in the development and Admiral Tate had been pushing since the raise of the Maquis. Had it not been for the Dominion War, the project would have never gained needed support in the Federation Council. Admiral Tate had banked his entire career on this project. The earlier successes of the Thunderchild prior to her refit help secure the resources needed to conduct a complete overhaul of the ship and rebuild her in to a fully dedicated carrier. Jackson knew that the project had its opponents all the way up through the Federation Council.

With a heavy sigh, Admiral Tate continued "I was informed this morning that the planned overhaul of the USS Shevardnadze has been placed on hold." he explained. The USS Shevardnadze was the second Akira Class ship set for refit to become another fully functioning carrier. The Thunderchild and the Shevardnadze were to be the test ships of the over all project. Aboard these two ships, new technology would be explored and those results would then fuel the design of a new class starship. Once the new class went in to production, it would be called the Thunderchild Class in honor of this remarkable hero ship. This was Admiral Tate and his supporters loftier goals. A completely new designed starship that brought new tactics to the battlefield.

Admiral Tate continued, "it would appear that once word got out that your ship was vulnerable to a lone small craft, the critics jumped at the chance to suspend the program. Their arguments are questioning how could a lone small craft like the Susquehanna sneak up on a carrier that was designed to combat such craft." He lifted his head and looked right at Jackson, "hell Jack, that is what that new point defense system was suppose to have prevented." There was more frustration in his voice than simple anger.

He rose up from the bed, "Damnit Jack, that is why your ship is so important in her capture." He checked his uniform once more before adding. "Jack, if she is in that system you and your fighters have to find her. Prove to the Federation Council that your ship can fill the role it was intended to. Because if you can't prove to them that this ship is capable, than the Thunderchild will be ordered back to Utopia Yards for decommissioning."

He paused a moment and recalled the request. His mind wondered a bit before saying, "The USS Ramstine is one of the ships in orbit over Cardassia Prime. I will have them locate your father." He said knowing that Jackson's father was on assignment there.


Jackson signed as he knew about some of the pressure Tate had received over this project, even if he didn't know the extent. Anyone with any sense could see that the critics were doomed from the start. That the failures up until this point were lack of security at the shipyards and not lack of ability of his ship. Jackson clenched his fist and smoothed the wrinkles out of his uniform. Getting upset at this stage wouldn't do any good he need to collect his thoughts and be patient. The Admiral hadn't said anything else, he was waiting for Jackson to respond. Finally he stood and walked over to Tate and put a hand on his shoulder, "I know this is huge, I know the weight you carry for it, and now I know my career is on the line as well. So I will say this to you my old friend, I do not intend to lose. You know me and you know how very much I hate to lose. Now maybe I would compose myself with a little less grumpiness than you IF I did happen to lose, but I have no intention of letting that happen. I will find her David! I will use this ship and track her down. No matter where she hides, I will find her and bring her in alive. Then together we will get to the bottom of this whole spy mess. We will find out who is running around with restricted Starfleet command codes running though their heads. Trust me, David, they will see the inside of my brig."

The Admiral smiled and nodded. Jackson knew the Admiral had faith in him, he just needed to be reminded of it sometimes. Tate headed for the door but Jackson grabbed his arm. "David, there is something you need to watch before we head to the briefing". The Captain hands him a PADD.

"What is it" Admiral Tate said confused.

"It's a conversation I had with a priest" Jackson said as he placed the PADD in Admiral Tate's hands.


With a nod he took the PADD, "Okay I will watch it." The two men headed for the door, "I will contact the USS Ramstine before I hold the briefing. Don't worry Jack, they will get your father on the horn." He paused at the door and turned.

 

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (Playing as Captain Jackson Campbel) aipsylon (Playing as Commander V'rol)


Stardate: 53832.94
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
4th Fleet Command Briefing, Admiral's Briefing
Briefing Room of the USS Thunderchild

The main briefing room was filled with the command staff of the USS Thunderchild and Admiral Tate's official staff. In attendance via subspace communications are the senior staff of every ship within the 4th Fleet. The man commonly known as the Bull Dog got up and walked towards a large central monitor. "Now that everyone is here, let us begin" he said motioning towards the monitor. "This briefing is about our little fugitive, Seònaid Melville, the runabout USS Susquehanna which she had stolen from Proxima Maintenance Yards. Might I add, up until six hours ago, they were unaware that they had actually lost the Susquehanna. This is an important fact because it shows us how much detail our fugitive goes through in carrying out her plans."


He paused and activated the monitor showing a image of Seònaid Melville side by side with an image of the Susquehanna, "After the Dominion War, Elim Garak with the help of Starfleet was about to take power and reform the Detapa Council. His control is not as sure as the Federation would like it, but he is our ally and we have to support him. I will allow my staff to explain the finer details of the instability in the Cardassian Union in a moment. However allow me to tell all of you, should this fugitive be allowed to carry out her attack on any Cardassian world then this could trigger civil unrest that the Detapa Council might not be able to control or contain. It is Starfleet Command's orders that we find her and stop her. Now this fugitive believes that there is some spy within Starfleet and that this spy is linked to the failed invasion of Velos VII."


He paused a moment before continuing. Like most who were part of that invasion, Velos VII often stirred deep and powerful emotions. "Starfleet Intelligence informed me that they are on the trail of a Dominion Spy that was linked to that invasion. Our fugitive has all but called out this traitor. A few months ago before she began this path, she crashed a party on Earth. I was there. I saw her running around ranting about a spy. I can tell you that this woman is unstable. Which makes her that much more dangerous. Starfleet Command has ordered us to use what ever we can to stop her from carrying out her attack on the Cardassian Union. What was made clear to me and now I am making clear to my commanders is this. Seònaid Melville must be stopped at all costs." He motioned toward Commander sh'Faila, "With that said, lets get some more details on our fugitive and her tactics."


Commander Gevan sh'Faila, stood up and walked over towards the large screen as she took Admiral Tate's place. Her counter part, Commanders Thorta th'Regda, got up and moved along the opposite side of the table towards the front of the room. She changed the image to one of a section of Cardassian space. Her female Andorian features seemed to glow through her Starfleet uniform. Her long white hair hung down past her shoulder blades. Despite her natural attractions as a female, her mannerism and tone was completely professional. Her antennas moved about slowly as she spoke, "despite what our sensors are telling us, we don't believe that the fugitive is within this system anymore. Further more, after reviewing all the available data and considering the Fugitive's goals and abilities we have realized that the fugitive will most likely make a run for Cardassia Prime via the Badlands."

Commander sh'Faila shifted the map from a full view of the Cardassian Union to the region of space known as the Badlands. Everyone in the briefing knew what the Badlands were and how hard it was to track a ship through them. It was a region of space located in Sector 04-70 of the Alpha Quadrant. A segment of the border between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union which was located in this region. The Badlands were known for intense plasma storms and gravitational anomalies. For this reason, it was commonly avoided by most interstellar traffic. It was prefect for small craft to use to cross the boarder without much detection. Due to war losses, there were limited ships currently patrolling the badlands. Because of this, this region of space has become a haven for black marketeers, pirates and smugglers.

Commander sh'Faila continued, "that is if we can not stop her before she reaches this area. If she reaches the Badlands, then stopping her plans will become much harder for us. She could easily strike any number of Cardassian worlds with little warning." She paused to allow her male counterpart to speak.

Commanders Thorta th'Regda stepped forward as he motioned at the changing map. The new map showed the UIH-0351 system and the markings of the ships in the area. His voice was steady and clear as he spoke, "while we concede that the fugitive might still be in the system, we do find this to be highly unlikely. It doesn't make tactical sense for her to remain here. But in the off chance that she has not managed to escape this system we most contain her within this security zone. However we must warn the Admiral and the 4th Fleet not to become fixed to the fact that she must be here. Based off of what we have seen, the fugitive has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to the ever changing situation within this pursuit. This has made her far more formidable than expected."

"This is correct" Commander sh'Faila followed up with and added, "While all the evidence suggests that the fugitive has remained within system. It would be wise to conduct a search beyond this region of space as if she has somehow already found a way to escape."

Captain Kailash Sharma of the USS Valley Forge spoke up. "With all due respect to the Admiral's strategic advisers" he said with a bit of harshness in his voice. It was clear that he didn't agree with their assessment. "We put a full powered torpedo in to the Susquehanna's nose." The view screen focused on him and his command staff for all to see. Captain Sharma was a dark tanned human who was born on the Indian continent of Earth. His thick English accent rang through as he talked. "Our own sensor data showed that the impact had to have all but crippled the runabout. Even if the ship avoid critical damage, our own tactical officer has assured us that the ship would be crippled beyond field repairs." He said over a subspace communication link from the bridge of his own ship on the other side of the system. He continued, "Hell when our shuttles were in pursuit of the runabout, she was only able to manage a speed of speed of .0629c" he explained pointing out the speed that was just over one quarter impulse. "If it wasn't for that asteroid field this chase would have been over right then and there. The fact is, she need to set down to conduct major repairs. Repairs that will take days if not weeks to complete. My shuttles have been closely watching the only two planets in system with any measurable atmosphere. Once the Susquehanna lands, this chase will be over."

Captain Luce Beauchene of the USS Potemkin followed up with her own statement, "we have been scanning the system since our shuttles lost contact with the fugitive." The view screen changed to show her own bridge so that everyone could see her give her own statement. Her Russian accent was hard to ignore. Like Captain Sharma and many of the other commanders of the 4th Fleet, she earned her command during the height of the Dominion War. Of all of the commanders of the 4th, Captain Beauchene was one of the most skill military officers of the fleet. She was right behind Captain Campbell, who was still recognized as the most brilliant strategic mind in the entire 4th Fleet. Maybe even in all of Starfleet. Unlike the majority of the Captains of Starfleet, the Commanding officers of 4th Fleet were nearly made up of officers with a strong military background and combat experience. This made the fleet prefect for combat situations and why they were assigned to the volatile region of the Cardassian Union. "We can see the energy signature of the Susquehanna popping up in the asteroid field. We know that she is hiding in there somewhere. Admiral, why can't we just rush the field and capture the stolen runabout? We need to put this to an end."

Admiral Tate looked down as if to consider the question before he spoke. Finally he lifted his head up as he slowly stood up from his chair, "I won't lie to any of you. I feel that in the last encounter we got off lucky. Had the Susquehanna wanted to push her attack, we could have suffered heavy losses. I take full responsibility for that. We were arrogant in both our planning and actions. I will not underestimated this fugitive again. We will do this by the numbers. Listen to me carefully because I want each of you to understand this. It is my order that we conduct ourselves in such a way that we don't rush head long in to any encounter with this fugitive. I want no unnecessary risks!" he paused a moment to take a breath before adding, "I am not so sure that she has managed to escape this system. As long as she is contained, we wont need to act recklessly."

It was clear to Captain Campbell as he set and listened to the briefing that Commander Bonham didn't like the situation or the Admiral's words. Captain Campbell knew that Admiral Tate and Commander Bonham had a bitter history. That history started during the failed Velos Operation. Commander Bonham at the time was in charge of leading the evacuation shuttles during the invasion. As Cardassian and Dominion resistance grew, the order was given to halt further attempts to rescue a besieged marine unit. Bonham disobeyed the order and led a handful of shuttles on a last attempt to rescue the survivors. While they were able to rescue an addition personnel, two shuttles were lost in the operation. It was if the Cardassian leaders had read Commander Bonham's mind. The fight in to the landing zone was brutal and much worse leaving. The trip pushed the pilots of the shuttles to their limits. The fact that the remaining shuttles and Bonham's runabout made it back was a testament to Bonham's leadership ability and piloting skills.

Bonham spent the next several weeks in the brig for disobeying orders. Tate lead the charges against Bonham and wanted to drive the man out of Starfleet. Despite the fact that the eighteen personnel who took part in the unauthorized mission all volunteered for the mission at Bonham's request, Bonham accepted full responsibility for the mission and the lives that were lost as a result of it. At the time, Bonham had out ranked Campbell. After the hearing, Bonham faced the loss of his rank and a career ending letter of reprimand in his personnel file. Had it not been for later actions during the Dominion War, Bonham's career in Starfleet would have been finished.

Since that event, the two Starfleet officers maintained a kind of cold war between themselves. They respected each other enough keep their issues out of further professional encounters. In fact it was Admiral Tate that suggested that Bonham over saw the refit of the Thunderchild. But behind closed doors, Tate simply doesn't trust Bonham. Nor has the Admiral forgave the hot headed pilot for the deaths back on Velos. Outside of Bonham and Tate, Captain Campbell was one of a very few who knew of the bad blood between the two men. This fact is a testament to both mans' ability to maintain their professionalism in keeping the issue between them silent.

Commander Bonham held his tongue as the Admiral continued, "Now that the Thunderchild is here, we will use her fighters to track and isolate the runabout for the capture. Lets box her in and cut off her chances to flee. As long as we can contain the fugitive here, we have all the time in the world. With that said, I am not blind to the possibility that the fugitive has indeed managed to escape the system. But I want to hear more." He motioned for the Andorians to continue as he took his seat.

Commander sh'Faila nodded, "Admiral, you must be carefully. The evidence around this fugitive's behavior does not suggest that she would take to hiding out while we encircled her. Remaining hidden within this system would not support the her goals and only will end in her capture. Neither of us can believe that this is where she had planned to end the chase. We suspect that this is why she chose this system to have her encounter with us. To ensure that she had a path to escape should things go wrong."

"That is ludicrous" Captain Sharma spoke up again. "There is no supportive evidence that the Susquehanna has managed to escape this system. While there IS sensor data from more than a dozen contacts that would support that she has in fact remained within the system. Clearly crippled by our encounter." Like many officers of the 4th Fleet and tempered by the war, Captain Sharma has been known for being hot headed. It was this trait that managed to save his ship during many battles. Captain Sharma was considered the standard officer that grew out from the Dominion War. Many within the Federation have stressed their concerns that Starfleet was becoming too populated with warriors and less like those officers before the war, who were explorers. Captain Sharma is just one example of those battle hardened warriors that some worry about.

Commanders th'Regda nodded as his counterpart allowed him to defend their statement, "we do not dispute what you have said. However the absent of data does not mean that the fugitive has not found a way to escape undetected. We urge that the commanding officers of the search ships do not become fixed on the illusion that the fugitive must be in this system. It is just as likely, if not more likely, that she has already escaped undetected."

"With all respects to the commanding officers of the 4th Fleet," Commander sh'Faila finally said calmly, "we are only trying to point out a base line that has already been shown to be a truth. This fugitive has shown a remarkable ability to surprise us at each turn," she said as her male counterpart stepped back and allowed her to continue. "Captains of the 4th Fleet. If we do not start to learn from our own mistakes that were birthed out of our own over-confidences, than this fugitive will continue to surprise us. The chances of causalities will then drastically increase. She wanted us here, and here we are. Now we must start to wonder why here?"

The room fell silent as the words were taken to heart. The pair of Andorians moved from the large main screen as Admiral Tate slowly stood up once more. There was a since of weight on his shoulders as he moved from the back of the room towards the main screen. He paused a moment to study the map carefully. "Each of you have offered up sound arguments to support your own positions here. However, as I said we can not afford to underestimate this fugitive again. Alpha Squadron," he said speaking of the three Excelsior class ships and the Thunderchild, "will remain here and continue our search of this system for the fugitive. Thanks to the arrival of the Thunderchild and her fighter wings, we have more than enough support to find the fugitive IF she is hiding here. The rest of the search ships, continue along your current search grids. Lets act as if she is here and at the same time lets assume that she has escaped. We have the resources to do both, so lets do just that."

On that he turned to Brigadier Kaho, "Brigadier Kaho, can you have your Birds of Prey patrol the space near the Badlands?" With a nod from the Klingon, the Admiral turned back to the rest of the briefing. "Moving on to the next topic, allow me to point out the political situation within the Cardassian Union and how this crisis is effecting our efforts. AND more importantly," he paused just a moment to take a breath. "How our efforts are effecting the political situation within the Cardassian Union. A political situation that is shaky at best. I have assurances from Garak that his government will assist us in stopping the fugitive once she crosses in to Cardassian space. Because of this, all of his commands have been placed on high alert. However if his ships spots the Susquehanna within their space, then I can not promise her safe capture. I can not tell you how important it is that we stop her from crossing in to Cardassian space. Because of this, I have ordered two thirds of the 4th fleet to patrol regions within the Cardassian Union that she could use as approaches and the rest will be searching the Federation side of the boarder. She can not be allowed to cross. And IF she does, we have to find her first." he motioned to Captain Phillips, "For more information about the social issues of the Cardassian Union, Captain Phillips."

Captain Phillips nodded as he moved forward and replaced Admiral Tate at the center of the briefing, "Thank you, Sir" he said with more than a hint of respect in his voice. Admiral Tate moved to sit down once more. Captain Phillips and Admiral Tate went back nearly thirty years, even before Starfleet. They had been best of friends and have served together on over a dozen ships. Captain Phillips followed his best friend all the way to the top. Their friendship was well known within and beyond the 4th Fleet. Behind closed doors, Captain Phillips was one of the Admiral's closest advisors right behind Captain Campbell. "Allow me to introduce Korinas" he said as the image on the screen shifted to that of a Cardassian female. "Starfleet Intelligence has named her one of the most politically dangerous figures within the current Cardassian Government. Her previous connections to the Obsidian Order is only the tip of the ice berg. She currently sits on the Detapa Council and has been a outspoken voice against the Cardassian-Federation Alliance for nearly a year now."

He paused allowing the map to change reflecting a system within Cardassian Space, "Three months ago, acting on a tip, Starfleet sent the USS Venture to investigate the Orias system. It was rumored that a radical group were amassing warships within the Orias system. These same rumors hinted at an attempt to launch a coup against the Detapa Council by that very same radical group. The USS Venture was prevented from entering the system by a pair of Cardassian Warships. The situation was resolved when the Detapa Council ordered their ships to stand down and allow the USS Venture to search the system. The tip turned out to be a red haring as the USS Venture found no evidence of any warships or build up within the system. Korinas has been using that incident during a number of speeches to fuel the flames against the Alliance and against an increase of Starfleet ships within Cardassian space. Starfleet Intelligence suspects that Korinas had some how managed to orchestrate the incident with the intentions of using it to fuel dissent against Starfleet within the Union. However, it is unclear as to how she managed to pull this off."

Captain Phillips paused a moment before continuing. "As it stands right now, Starfleet Intelligence can confirm that at least ten former loyal Cardassian warships have switched their loyalties to Korinas. Should she make a move on the Detapa Council, the Council would be able to count at least four times as many ships. The remaining ships would most likely want to remain out of any power struggle during a conflict. It is suspected that they would offer their loyalty to the victor. Starfleet Intelligence also suspects that Korinas has agents aboard Deep Space Nine where Starfleet has been organizing the relief efforts. It is important that you remember that Korinas is not some fringe radical figure. She is manipulative, intelligent and a member of the Detapa Council. She has risen through the ranks of the Obsidian Order on her cunning and ability to survive. She has some popular support among the average Cardassian. Enough support and influence that she can not be ignored. Though it must be noted that it was through her help that Starfleet has been able to help some hard to reach communities. Which means she is willing to show like she is working with us only to strengthen her own position. These are the reasons that make her very dangerous."

Admiral Tate nodded and motioned for Captain Phillips to have a seat, "Thank you Captain. Now before we have any more questions or statements. Commander V'rol, I would like a assessment of this fugitive's personal combat abilities. What will our boarding parties have to face when they make an attempt to apprehend her. Also, I don't want anyone to forget that we are dealing with a woman who is a hero to the Federation. This person has served the Federation with honor and courage. She is more than just some fugitive. Lets allow Captain Campbell to put a face on this fugitive."


V'rol stood as he nodded, opening a file on the PADD he had and forwarding it to all those present as well as those on the other vessels. "What I have sent is a report on her training as of the last known evaluation of her capabilities. This has shown itself to be inaccurate. Her combat capabilities have shown themselves to be superior to what was expected. She showed an ability with martial prowess equal to that of an instructor. She also seems to have showed superior piloting abilities, far more able to act in that regard than her file shows. I have begun an investigation on where she would have accumulated this skill set, however as of now I have not been able to account for these new skills. Though after comparing them with her sister's skill set as part of another investigation I would add to the potential repertoire any of the skills listed in this report."

"Her behavior has also shown that she is willing to inflict damage, she is also attempting to spare as many lives as possible. In the attack on our computer room she took the time to contact our medical center and in the recent encounter she left once the damage needed had been done. For this reason I would expect that behavior to continue. One last capability to mention is that she is an empath. Know that in any encounter there is a small chance that you will be able to successfully deceive her. Beyond that she has shown exceptional skill in engineering. She carries a device that will mask her image to sensors serving like a weak dampening field." He tapped the PADD again sending to all of them the specifications on a tagging rifle. "You should be able to replicate these, tagging her will allow a successful transporter lock at which point she can be safely captured. Were there any questions from the floor on her capabilities?"


Captain S'Lava looked up from her data pad, "I have an inquiry Commander V'Rol." Captain S'Lava's ships, the USS Zhukov a Ambassador-class ship, was speeding its way to Trill to tighten the search grid for the fugitive. She was attending this meeting like most other captains via subspace.

She raised an eyebrow as she politely waited for the attention to shift to her. Her straight black hair was pulled tight behind her head revealing her pointed ears and her Vulcan heritage. However, Captain S'Lava was only part Vulcan. Her parents were both human. Only on her great grandmother's side did her dominate Vulcan genes shine through. This didn't stop her from attending higher education on Vulcan during her teen years. Captain S'Lava was a seasoned officer within the 4th Fleet and die hard explorer. Once the attention was shifted to her, she spoke once more, "In reviewing the files you sent Commander. I concur with your findings regarding her skills regarding computers and engineering."

She moved her fingers over the PADD, "In reviewing the files, I see that she was being treated with Starfleet Medical under the assumed name of Petty Officer Dolores Traver. Under this name, it indicates that Starfleet Medical listed her ailment as multiple personality disorder induced by extreme post traumatic stress disorder. This would support your divergence of skills findings."

She paused for a moment to review her PADD once more before continuing, "In reviewing the medical history while she was being treated under Starfleet Medical. I find myself wondering if this personality disorder might cause a shift in her behavior. Based on your investigation, do you feel that there is any significant threat to ship or crew who attempt to capture this fugitive? If so, what course of action would you suggest in getting close enough to use these rifles to tag the fugitive."


V'rol nodded as he turned to answer, "That ours an assumption that has insufficient evidence to produce a reliable answer. The danger would be a function of the amount she desires to achieve her objective, compared to the amount that she has planned for the encounter, and her control of the situation. From past examples all that can be predicted is that she will attempt to minimize collateral damage."

"Recommendation for approach is a communications blackout on approach, disable the vessel and beam a decoy aboard the vessel to trigger any effects that are ready for those that beam aboard, along with a stun grenade. Then a minor variation on standard boarding procedures."


Admiral Tate moved forward and gave Commander V'rol a nod. "Thank you for your insight Commander. I find that your statement supports my current plan of action in capturing this fugitive. We must use caution when making our approach. Let us not be lured in to any false sense of security in our planning and based on our superior fire power. Simply because this woman is alone, doesn't make her disadvantaged against us. Our strength comes from our ability to share what we have gathered and that we can call upon each other for help. Communications black out with the stolen runabout is here by ordered. Lets not give her viruses the method to infect our computers again. Also take caution with planning the final capture. It is most likely assured that she has planned for such an event."

"Captains, you all have your orders. Do not make any attempt to capture without considering what has been said here. Search ships, lets avoid being lured in to established traps."

He paused and waited for any questions. After a few moments, he nodded once more. "Okay, lets get this fugitive and bring her in." On that note he ended the meeting. The main view screen went off as the subspace link was cut.

As everyone started to stand to leave the briefing room, he turned to Captain Campbell, "Captain, I want your fighters to start eight hour patrols for the stolen runabout." he paused and looked at his old pocket watch, "I want the first wing on station at twelve hundred hours Captain" he said putting his pocket watch away. "We need to find out if the runabout is actually here or not. The order is to ensure that no encounter is left to the situation. Once a positive sensor contact is made, wait for support before moving in for visual conformation. I will not loss any ships or crew to this fugitive." He turned to the rest of the senior staff of the Thunderchild and added "unless any of you have questions. Lets go find this woman and bring her in."


Captain Campbell had remained silent during the meeting. He listened to the other officers for any thing that might be of use but the meeting had been a whole lot of guess work. The Captain hated meetings that could be summed up in a subspace communication. Campbell had his suspicions about Seona's current goals and her motives but he wasn't ready to share them yet. These suspicions would most certainly require more than a memo. The information he had received from Dr. McCoy, his crews own investigation, the priest, and Seona's holovids had produced enough data to start putting the pieces together but right now it was speculation, he need something more concrete. There was also the spy that was still out there, he still needed to be careful about who to trust and a room full of battle hardened warriors was not a place to go spilling secrets that could raise doubt about his own loyalties or abilities. He was going to have to talk to Tate again though, especially after giving him the record of Campbell's conversation with the priest.

Now that the meeting was wrapping up, Campbell's mind came back to the present. "Commander Bonham, please see that the Admiral's orders are carried out immediately. I want the shift schedule submitted within the hour. Dismissed".


Commander Bonham didn't speak, as he just gave a nod and turned to walk away smartly. Captain Campbell turned to the Vulcan, "V'rol I would like to have a word with you in my ready room, I will contact you when I am ready."


Commander V'rol nodded his understanding as Captain Campbell walked over to Admiral Tate, "Admiral, if you could review the information I gave you" he said indication the PADD in the Admiral's hands, "Please let me know if you have any question."

The Admiral nodded, "count on it Jackson."


The two stood for a moment before Campbell held out his hand and Tate shook it. "It's good to see you, David." He then added, "if you will excuse me Sir." Captain said then after Admiral Tate dismissed him, headed for his ready room. There was an important call to make.

 

Contributor: A_Magical_Teco (Playing as Captain Jackson Campbell)


Secured Subspace Communication
To: Captain Jackson Campbell
USS Thunderchild, Commanding
From: Dr. Kennard Campbell
Federation Relief Effort, Cardassia Prime
Stardate: 53834.05


"Captain, secured subspace channel coming in from Cardassia Prime, It's Doctor Kennard Campbell" spoke the voice of Ensign Hendril came over the comlink.


Captain Jackson looked up from the desk of his ready room, "thank you Ensign. Please send it to my desk." Across his desk were maps of the local area, specs on the Susquehanna, as well as notes of what they knew of Seona.



"Yes Sir," she replied and in a few seconds the monitor on his desk lit up showing that the message was waiting for Captain Campbell to answer it.

The image of Doctor Campbell flickered as the link was created. Behind Doctor Campbell was the image of the inside of a shuttle as one of the leading minds in the Federation got comfortable in front of the monitor. Behind Dr. Campbell and through the rear opened door of the shuttle, the scene of a ruined town or smaller community could be seen. While the war was over a year ago, here the suffering is just as bad today as it was a year ago. Within that image of a burning out, ruined community, a few Cardassians moved about tending to what was left of their shattered lives. In the center of the shattered community was a large white prefabricated shelter with the United Federation of Planets flag waving next to a flag of the Cardassian Union flag. It was meant as a symbol that the Federation was here to help them, not take over.


Doctor Campbell's clothes were covered in dirt and his face told of the hardships that the relief effort was facing on Cardassia Prime. In those first few seconds, the weight on Doctor Campbell's face seemed to be lifted as the image of his son came in to clarity. "Ah Jackie, how are you doing boy" he said with happiness in his voice. Using a cloth, he cleaned some of the dirt and sweat from his face.


"Sorry it was so hard getting a hold of me. The norther reaches of Cardassia were some of the hardest areas hit near the end of the war. A year later and there are still areas of the planet without clean water, let along power," he explained. He took a second to dust off his clothes, "No one back home really understands that if it had not been for these proud people, the Dominion War could have lasted much longer. The toll that was taken on them is unspeakable. Yeah I know that they were the first Alpha Quadrant powers to ally with the Dominion. But that doesn't change their finally sacrifice to the war effort and the victory that came. I could go on for hours, but something tells me this is not why you want to talk to me. Judging by the way this shuttle appeared at our camp that you don't want to speak about the work I am doing here. Jackie, you pulled an Admiral's string to speak with me. So what is so important that it can't wait?"


Listening to his father Jackson could only smile. He knew how his father felt about helping people, it didn't matter who. If he though he could ease the suffering of the Founders he would have volunteered for that job too. "Hey dad" Jackson said when his father finished.

"Hello, son".

"You know I understand. You being there I mean."

"Aye. You always did, didn't you" He said smiling again. He waited a moment before adding, "Well, What has happened? Is you mother alright?"

Jackson consider the question for a moment. As far he he knew his mother wasn't in trouble, she wasn't even technically missing. It was just that no one knew her current whereabouts. No reason to worry him, Jackson thought, keeping the information to himself. "She's fine Dad. I spoke with her a couple of weeks ago and she seemed like business as usual."

"That's good to hear" his father replied.

"Dad, I know about the MacConnell sisters. I know that I was with them on Earth. Worst, I know that someone stole the memories of my entire childhood from me. Dad, I need to know what the hell is going on before I start to think that I've just started to go mad". Up until now, Jackson had intended to yell those words at his parents, but now with his father in front of him. Instead of yelling, Jackson sounded almost as if he had trouble getting the word out at all. The words were sticking him in his throat. He didn't look at his dad while he said this and for a few moments afterwards he only stared at his hands. Finally, he looked up at his old man.


The change in conversation was clearly something that was uneasy for Doctor Campbell as he shifted in his seat, "Son, you are not going mad" he managed to work out as he cleared his voice. It was clear that a long family secret was on the verge of coming out. "If there is one thing you need to remember from all this, it is this. Your mother and I loved you so much that we would not allow anything to happen to you. Son, what I am about to tell you can not be repeated to anyone. There is so much more at stake here than you can imagine." He paused for a moment as a tear appeared down his face, "Son, the MacConnell sisters deserve to rest in peace. Not to have their memory tarnished by all of this."

On that note Doctor Campbell paused as he shifted in his chair once more. "Well hell Jack, I....I knew that this day would come. I had often warned that this day would come. At some point I even welcomed it. Call it, if you will a chance for me to come clean for my sins. It was because of this secret that we didn't want you joining Starfleet. Son, you need to understand that what was done was for Maura, Seona and your own sake. To us, nothing else mattered. No matter what you might think of this, please know that this was done because we loved you so much.

He paused a moment as he thought about where to begin the story. "Well I guess I will begin the story where you need to know it from. Your mother and I had been trying for some time to have a child. Your mother had a genetic disorder that prevented her from carrying a child to term. All we wanted was to have a child to carry on our name. A child that we could love and cherish. But the fates of the galaxy had stacked the deck against us. But we would not be denied, so we worked together to correct her disorder. We were both young and arrogant, we were so arrogant. We thought we controlled the powers of creation, but son this was only an illusion." Captain Campbell knew that his father was a very spiritual man and now the core behind those beliefs were coming to the surface.

"We were about to cross the line from science in to a realm that we had no business being involved in. We created a codex that would allow your mother to carry you to term. However a breakout on Trill took me away from her when she would need me the most. If I had known the nightmare that she would be forced to face I would have never left her side. Your mother knew this and this was why she kept the truth from me while I was helping the sick on Trill. When I returned home shortly after your birth, you were so much what we wanted. Damn it son, I was so proud of you. To my surprise, I met Maura also. She was as much your sister as much as she wasn't. It was only then that your mother explained to me what had happened."

There as embarrassment on his face as he continued to explain, "I was mad at your mother for what she had kept from me. I was mad because of what she had created and why. She had created a life form simply for the sake of harvesting proteins from it. The genetic disorder that had infected you would kill you without this mad science treatment. Maura could fend off the disorder but she was not immune to its effects either. There were so many times, I thought Maura and you would die from this horrible disorder. Your mother never lost hope in you two. God son, looking back on those times. I remember how your mother would hold you and sing to you. You were our son and Maura was our daughter, My God son, I had a son and daughter. There were moments when I would sit by the window looking in and watched you two sleeping in your crib. Or watching while your mother would be lost in some latest paper on genetic disorders as you and Maura would be playing by the fire."

"At the time, I never really understood how much you two really meant to your mother. How much she had given up for you two. Back then, we were living on Earth, she gave up her work, her career and her friends just to continue the research to cure your disorder. With Maura's birth this bought your mother time to cure both of you. She poured her heart and soul in to finding a cure for this horrible disorder that threatened both of you. For the first five yeas son, your mother gave up everything for both of you."

His face twisted with feelings that has taken him years to cope with. "I never forgave your mother for what she had to do that saved your life. Maura was create knowing that she would suffer from the harvesting that she would have to go through to save your life. But I can't deny the fact that you are alive become of what your mother did. You are here today because of her undying love for you. Never forget that son, her love for you made this remarkable thing happen. Back then, I was filled with anger on the point of hatred for her. But today, I admit I was wrong. And I wont take that away from her. She saved your life. She save both you and Maura."

He took in a deep breath, "as the years dragged on, your mother worked harder than I have ever seen her work before or since. Twelve hour days were light days for her son. As I said, Maura bought you time but didn't cure the disorder. The harvesting only kept the monster at bay. Now there were two lives at stake and I wouldn't allow your mother to forget this fact. The fights we had always turned to this one simple fact. I would make every attempt to throw it back in her face that she created a life for the sake of making Maura suffer."

The pain in his eyes told the truth of what he was saying. The kind of pain that came from finally accepting when a person was wrong on every level. "Looking back son, I was wrong. I was wrong in all that I did and for the pressure I put on your mother. I never really understood how much pressure she was under at the time. I was not the man I should have been. There were times I wanted to report both of us to Starfleet Medical and let the chips fall where they would. But I didn't son. Cause I knew that would be a death sentence to you and most likely Maura as well. As much as I hated it, your mother had to continue her work. The secret in saving both of your lives was hidden in her mind."

He leaned back in his chair as he got more comfortable within the conversation. While his body might be at rest, Captain Campbell knew that his father's soul was in turmoil as this family secret still had much more to come forward. "As it would, fate would intervene when a person crosses a line. In this case, a close personal friend and colleague of your mother made an unannounced visit to our home. God, you and Maura were just a young children and didn't know any better. Maura answered the door with you. When asked, she said that she was your brother. We had over looked something so simple as a record of birth. I told you son, we were arrogant and now fate was about to show us our place."

"We had explained that she was only confused and that she was a daughter of a close personal friend who was in the Delta Quadrant. We explained that we were only watching Maura while her father was away. But our visitor was always to much the skeptic. When he returned to work after that visit, he started to do some digging and discovered our secret. Your mother and I knew that it was only a matter of time till the authorities came knocking on our door. Once more my anger was leveled at your mother for creating all of this. She should have never temped the powers of the universe. If I had only known what monster would walk in to our door next, I would have turned us in to the authorities that night."

"I had a old phaser ready and had planned on giving my life so that your mother, you and Maura could escape. The plan was simple, they would take a shuttle to New Berlin and then make a run for the Delta Quadrant. At least your mother, you and Maura would have a fighting chance. Don't think my actions were noble, son. As they were the actions of a coward. Dying like that only meant leaving your mother to answer for her actions alone. It would deny you and Maura the father you deserved. Fate however had other plans for us, son. The following morning before we could act on my plan, a Vulcan came to visit. His name was L'Tus and claimed to be an Admiral with Starfleet but we knew differently. We suspected that he was from the authorities, maybe even Federation Intelligence. We had expected to be arrested that morning."

"If we only knew what fate had in mind for us. You see son, I truly believe that L'Tus was a servant to the devil himself. With his kind helping demonic hand came a lifetime of service for us to his master. He told us that the authorities were only hours away and that our freedom was about to come to an end. It was only a matter of time before you and Maura would both be dead from your illness. He seemed to know everything about us and what was going on. He assured us that Starfleet Medical would do their best to save you two but that it was unlikely they would be able to. I remember that morning like it was yesterday. I held your mother tightly as I knew that she had no care for our fates. She only feared for you and Maura. She had done so much to save your life up to this point. L'Tus offered us a way out."

"He said that if we worked for him that his people would make all this go away. That he would be able to give your mother access to research material that she could use to save your life. See he told us that they had been watching us for a distance for some time. They knew about you and Maura and the secrets behind your remarkable birth. Your mother didn't care the cost, the idea of being able to save your life was more than enough to for her to ally with this monster."

"I was skeptical and asked what would come of your mother's friend. He assured me that no one would be harmed from this. I didn't trust the man, and I shouldn't have. But what choice did we have. We knew the men and women at Starfleet Medical. Hell, I trained some of them. They were all smart but didn't have the kind of mind your mother had. Sure they would do what ever they could to save your life, but we both knew that they would fail. Son, what choice did we have? Make a deal with the Devil or watch you suffer and die within a year's time. No, son, I don't fault your mother for this." Tears welled up in his eyes, "I couldn't condemn you to death either. So I agreed."

The tears slowly retreated as he continued his story, "the authorities never showed up and your mother was allowed to continue her work. I think the greatest crime was in changing your memories. We ensured that your history would never be known. We altered your memories so that you two would not think you were brother and sister any more. We created a illusion for Maura that she was an orphan."


He paused a moment then added, "As for our new Masters, there were tasks that they would come to us with. Samples to take apart, things to create. At first none of these tasks were hardly worthy of the kind of help we were getting. But like all things with monsters, this was just to start us off with. While Starfleet were just looking at what made the Borg Hive Mind work, your mother and I had already unlocked the secrets with their nanoprobe technology. We had become puppets to a demonic master. This was the price for our freedom, we were part of their scientific research team. But that would not be the limit of our debt to these devils. I wont take this away from the devil, his organization had untold resources. I never could have imagined what they were capable of till your mother went to L'Tus for help about your disorder."

"Your mother couldn't solve the problem of a stable genome that could resist the disorder. Maura was getting worse and your treatments were taking a toll on her young body. You were needing more and more treatments. It was only a matter of time before the treatments would not have any effect on you. The fact was that it was just a matter time till you both would die. Your mother begged L'Tus to help her. She knew what she needed but needed their help to get it. Months later, L'Tus gave your mother a gift. A genetic sample from the Federation Science Vault. Just having it outside of the Vault was a crime unto its self. A sample that I never knew even existed before that moment. But it held all the answers that your mother needed. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was the genome of an augment. The genome was so aggressive that it was able to actually destroy the disorder in both of you and Maura. However it had to be harvested from another living being. Much like Maura was helping you survive to this day."

He nodded noting that Captain Campbell knew what was coming next, "Yes, Seona was created to be this method of harvesting. But she was so much more than just that. The augment genome in her, guided her development. My God, I never seen anything like it. It unlocked so much in Maura and even in you. Maura started to show telepathic powers and your own mind leaped in higher thinking. It wasn't long till you started to demonstrate that remarkable strategic ability that you are known for today. Before the treatment you could never beat me at chess. Now you couldn't be stopped. Maura's mind exploded with powers. I won't lie to you son, I was worried over what we had created in you three. But God, how I loved all of you. Even Seona. She was my youngest little girl." There was a smile on his face that reflected pleasant memories. "How much I loved all of you" he added.

"Seona was more an augment than you and Maura were but by rule of law each of you were augments nonetheless. And we were reaching a point where we couldn't hide it. L'Tus made sure that these fact was concealed and finally you were free from the disorder. But we would never be free from L'Tus or his masters. We continued to work for L'Tus conducting research for his Masters. We moved from Earth at L'Tus instructions after Seona's development was becoming harder to hide. L'Tus moved Seona to a secure facility where she could be raised safely and her augment genome would not become a threat to those around her. Maura would stay with a close friend of mine where L'Tus people could keep a close eye on her. You, your mother and I were moved to Mars."

"The move broke your heart. I never realized the telepathic connection that you and Maura had till you ran away. I guess I should have known better. You and Maura were always so close. You two shared a connection that couldn't be broken. You even took my Grandmother's ring and gave it to her. You wanted to make her your wife and she wanted nothing less than to be yours. For as much as she had your heart, you had hers. I think if we had not intervened, you two would have lived a happy life back in Scotland. But once more Fate stepped in."

"In running away, you tripped a sensor in London. Before we knew about it, Starfleet Security were on the trail of a unidentified human augment. It was L'Tus' people who found you first and made sure that you made it to Father Douglas safely. However there were deaths involved that you were unaware of. A pair of Starfleet Security Officers were on your trail. L'Tus told us that his people had little choice than to kill them both. The whole situation was a mess. Despite assurances that this would be covered up, I couldn't help but feel as if those deaths were my fault. Maybe if I had fought the move more. I don't know."

"It was decided that the girls would remain separated and your memories would be alerted again. However, the alerted memories on Maura and Seona didn't stick this time. By now, their mental powers had grown beyond our science. There were fears that yours would not stick either. I guess they didn't, did they?" While it was a question, he didn't pause long enough for Captain Campbell to answer.

"But I would not allow the girls to be cut completely from our lives. I demanded that I be allowed to keep in contact with them. They needed a father and I loved them son. As much as I loved you, I loved both of them as well. As much as you are my son, they were my daughters" The emotions were pure as he spoke, "They were my daughters and I don't regret them. I couldn't abandon them. Again son, a deal with the devil has its price and my would come much later."

"During the years that followed, I remained close to Maura and her sister. I wont lie, it was hard. They had questions that I could never answer truthfully. They asked about you and your mother. I did my best to keep them informed. They never forgot about their mother or you. Maura couldn't understand why you turned your back on her. I tried to explain without telling the truth but she couldn't understand. I don't blame her for not understanding. How could she, son? She loved you."

"Time passed and we did all we could to keep you three from Starfleet. But you and Maura were drawn to it like a moths to the flame. We had our concerns but L'Tus made sure that nothing would stand in the way of your careers. He said that this was actually good for both of you."

He rested his face in his hands, "this was such a mess that we had created." He paused a moment before continuing. He took in a deep breath as he lifted his head, "When Maura wanted to follow you in to Starfleet, I was instructed to convince her to go in to the Marines. That this would be safer for both of you. Like a good puppet, I did as I was told."


He paused a moment as his face twisted, "Shortly after that, I learned of Seona and her real fate. The child that was forgotten in a world of luxury. She had everything her heart desired but her family. It was the plan of the Devil to us Seona to create a demonic army of spies. I stumbled upon their secret when I was visiting Seona one summer. She was so sad being cut off from her family. But I would lie to myself saying how this was for the best. But now, her life was in danger. They planned to take her apart and use her to clone a vast numbers of spies. I didn't know their whole plan, but enough to know that I had to get Seona out of there. The Devil had shown his hand and I had to act. I decided to reunite the sisters. Working that close with the Demon of Secrecy himself, I learned a thing or two. During my visits, I started to hatch my plan to free Seona from that secret research center."

"I didn't care the cost to me any more. It was the least I could do for them. God, I loved you three so much. I remember teaching Seona how to ride a horse. Teaching you how to play chess. Teaching Maura how to fish and camp. I was powerless to help you, but I could reunite the sisters once more. I managed to get Seona out of the Estate. I only had moments before they would realize what happened. My plan was to make it appear to Father Douglas that he helped her escape and made Seona promise to never tell anyone who really helped her escape." he laughed a bit, "Poor Father Douglas thought he was the one who solely helped her escape. But in truth he helped me free her. He never knew what they had planned for her. I couldn't ever tell anyone out of fear of what they would do to Seona if they knew that their secret was out. If we hadn't gotten her out of there, she would have been killed to forward their own demonic plans."

"I watched her walk in to the church when L'Tus caught up to me. By that time, there was nothing he could do to change the situation. Seona would safely be on her way to her sister." He laughed more as he continued, "Oh how L'Tus was upset. I think his green blood was actually boiling at that point. He told me that he was very disappointed in my actions. For L'Tus, that was pure anger. He accepted the situation for what it was and told me that there was more at risk then I knew. I am sure that if it wasn't for the fact that I was still needed my life would have ended that day. Son, I really thought I was dead that day. But I guess I was more valuable to them than I suspected. They couldn't afford to make me disappear like the others who failed them." His voice lowered as the dark joke came to mind. There were clearly darker memories linked to that joke than he was willing to admit.

He paused a moment as he looked down, "as the Dominion threat loomed over the Federation, your mother and I were brought before L'Tus to help them deal with this threat. I joked at them as I asked what could a pair of scientists do against the might of the Dominion. It was then that we noticed the list of names who would be part of our team. L'Tus and his masters wanted us to create a morphogenic virus."

"It went directly against to everything we both stood for. But what choice did we have. We helped them." Once more the tears welled up, "God we helped them create a weapon that would murder an entire people." This time the tears made their way down the wrinkled face of Doctor Campbell. Regardless of his actions, the guilt was clear in his eyes. "We loved you three, but your mother and I were not mass murders. Not before that day."

The toll of the memory was more than enough to break his train of thought, "This was the cost son. This was the cost for their help in saving your life. We were told to help create this weapon. If we didn't help them, then our secret would become known. Each of you would see an end to your careers at the very least. At the worse, all of you would be locked up for being augments serving in Starfleet. I am sorry son but we didn't have a choice but to help them. I told you son, the kind helping hand of the devil comes with a life time of servitude. Never forget this son. There is no dealing with the Devil on equal terms. It was then we learned the name of the Devil that we were serving. God, if we only knew. But I don't know if we could have ever changed what had happened or what was going to happen. We learned that day that the Devil's name was Section 31!" Tears filled the man's eyes as he looked down and uttered, "I am sorry son for failing to be the man I should have been so long ago." The tears continued to wash down his face as he ended his statement.


Captain Campbell listened to the long life time story as his fingers dug into his knees, his knuckles threatening to tear at his skin. It should have hurt, his fingers digging into the skin around his knees, it should have at least been noticeable. Instead his mind raced at speeds that made remembering his body impossible. There was to much information to process. How could he even begin to make sense of what he was learning? 'This is crazy, it isn't possible' he kept telling himself but he knew that that was a lie.

Jackson tried to make sense of it. Of Maura or Seona. I fell in love with my sister? he thought to himself, that's a little strange. For a moment Jackson was amused that this was his first thought. Unfortunately, it was the only clear though he would have for several moments. It was as if for some strange amount of time only the words flashed across his him, no definition or context, just the words. Created, link, Khan, mass murders, genocide, sister, L'Tus, virus, death... The words just poured into him. Eventually he began to process them and they finally began to make sense.

Jackson looked up to see his father and suddenly realized he did not know this man on the screen. Honor may be something that Klingon's made sacred but that did not mean that it was not admired among the human race and this man had none. A coward who justifies the most horrific crimes with the excuse that he did all of it for love. The weakness of this man would have been laughable if not for the seriousness of his crimes. Jackson looked at his father. Searched his mind for words to say. He tried to find some shred for light that could have one day grown into forgiveness or understanding. His father said that he was wrong for not believing in Jackson's mother but he was wasn't. He should have put a stop to what they were doing when he first discovered Maura. Youth and arrogance did not excuse what they had done.

As he watched his father weep into the monitor and he lost the last of his feelings for this man, he had nothing to say. Jackson reached up and flicked the monitor off cutting off the transmission just as if he was closing a badly written book. Jackson took in a deep breath as he tapped his com-badge, "Captain Campbell to Commander V'rol. Please report to my ready room"


V'rol's voice came over the link, "Yes Sir"


Captain Campbell leaned back in to his chair. Anger filled his heart and mind. He didn't realize it but a tear rolled down his face. His life was a lie and he could no longer serve while their were shadows of the unknown around him.

 

Contributors:Kunanaki (Playing as Lieutenant Jr Mordecai Noonia), NinjaPanda127 (Playing as Ensign Lylliana Skytower)


Its all in the HoloVid
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 5, The Lounge
Upper Five
Stardate: 53834.05

It has only been a few days since the USS Thunderchild has left dry dock, already the crew and ship have been pushed to their breaking points. At first there was more mystery than any facts about what was going on. Like all ships of Starfleet, rumors had already started to fly as to what was really going on. Everything from another Borg invasion to a Coup within the Federation were being whispered among the crew. As word of the attack on the Repulse and her sister ships spread, the rumors continued to grow in complexity and in wildness. One thing did remained true. Regardless of what was going on, the crew were unified and determined to see this through to the end.

One of few refuges for the crew aboard the USS Thunderchild is the lounge call Upper Five. Located on Deck 5, Upper Five offered the crew a place to escape the duties and stress of the ship while enjoying a number of games, food and drinks. During refit, Commander Bonham knew that the over all design of the ship would require that space aboard would become a premium. With crew quarters moved and compacted to make room for the new expanded hanger flight decks, it was clear that places like Five Forward and her sister location near main engineering, Fifteen Aft, would be vital to crew moral.


Normally Akira Class ships only had one lounge. However not only does the Thunderchild have two, both are larger than normal lounges on her sister ships. And the design teams spared no comfort in design or activity. Booths lined the starboard and port sides of the lounge so that crew members can meet for a private meal or just to hang out. Central tables allowed for more public activities. Holoemitters allowed for the crew to enter act with a wide range of 'visitors' to the lounge. During the final days of refit, the Thunderchild hosted a Chess competitions between members of the crew and hologram masters. It was Lieutenant T'lora who claimed the prize of Chess Master of the Thunderchild.


Six massive floor to ceiling windows at the forward section of the lounge gave a commanding view of the forward section of the ship and the forward section of the Flight Deck. From here, the crew could enjoy watching flight operations launch from or land on the Flight deck below. It has become a crew favorite watching the Aces of the ship, the Jolly Roger Squadron perform acts of piloting skill during landing and departures from the ship. One such favorite has been called the Dead Head Faint. Mastered by Lieutenant Pander and her wingman, the pair would conduct their forward approach landing as normal.


Then at the last very minute, the pair would break formation and pulled up. The two fighters would rocket pass the Lounge windows showing the underside of their fighters as well as the Skull and Cross Bones symbol of the squadron. The action would fill the view in the windows with the two fighters and often fill the lounge with cheers from their fellow crew members. The pair of fighters would conduct a loop mixed in with a series of tight barrel rolls before vanishing under the lounge on the Flight Deck. The maneuver would often land the pair of pilots in disciplinary actions but it didn't stop them from preforming for their crew mates.

As it became realize the actually size of the crew would grow steps were taken to make room for the increase. One salutation was that lower enlisted were required to 'hot cot' their beds with other crew members. This allowed for three crew members to share one bed on a three bed bunk. Each room was fitted with a pair of three bunk beds. This allowed for nine crew members to share one single room. Unlike other ships where a person's cabin was more like a home while on deployment, aboard the Thunderchild rooms were only designed for sleeping. Each enlisted section had a central shower and restroom area that the crew members of that section were responsible for maintaining. A small room was dedicate relaxation. Not a full lounge, these rooms were meant to give crew members a place to go when their own beds were in use by another crew member. The hardest hit section by the cramped living situation were those of the Flight Operations. But they were the least to complain about it.


Petty officers were required share quarters with three other petty officers while even junior officers would share their quarters with three other junior officers. It was expected by the officers to make the best out of a tight situation. After all, the Thunderchild was an experimental ship testing new technologies, philosophies and tactics. The ship was never designed for prolonged missions as she was meant to remain near a Starbase where it would deploy out of for a short mission to conduct a test. The crew were never meant to be in their quarters for longer than a few weeks at worst.


Another change to the ship's over all design was the location of crew quarters. Normally quarters would be centrally located in one area on the ship. This concept centered on the idea that during a catastrophic emergency, this section of the ship could be protected and act as a lifeboat for the survivors of the crew. However after studies proved that in nearly every situation, these 'life boats' did not increase the over all survivability of the crew. In fact, in most cases, during catastrophic emergencies, the entire ship was lost with all hands. Thus, these life boats proved all but useless to the crew. Only on a very few occasions did these life boats within the ship actually prove their usefulness.


With these studies in mind, it was decided during refit that location of the crew quarters would be moved closer to their work locations. This was done with the mindset that the crew's ability to react to an emergency could increase the chances of avoiding a catastrophic emergency all together. So instead of the crew quarters being locate in one section of the ship, the crew quarters were set up to be close to area where the personnel worked. Tests during refit proved that the move cut down on the response time during alerts. The move allowed for a number of repair shops that could be added to the Hanger Deck. This gave the Thunderchild remarkable ability to maintain her fighter wings beyond the designers own vision.


Senior Officers and Department Heads would be the only crew members with their own quarters. However while these quarters were a bit larger than others aboard, they were vastly smaller than those officer quarters on other ships. Many even claimed that a Klingon crew had more space than those about the Thunderchild. Even for the Captain of the Thunderchild service aboard this ship would take some getting used to.


Because of the restricted space aboard, no family members or civilians were allowed aboard the ship during deployment. While the ship was on station at its home base, tours were planned to help raise support for the experimental ship. Another issue that came up was the lack of space for the ship's stores. While she was never meant to be on deployment for longer than a few weeks, if need be the Thunderchild could stretch that to as long as a year deployment. Despite her vast Science Departments, this short fall fueled the critics claiming that the ship was a break from Starfleet's primary mission of exploration. While the Thunderchild's supporters claimed that this mighty ship was a warship at the core. Despite the lack of supplies, as a carrier, a wide range of new missions had become possible for Starfleet.

The last change was in an area that was hardly ever considered but where a massive amount of wasted space occurred. The normally wide corridors that most Starfleet officers took for granted were made more narrow aboard the Thunderchild. First time crew members often had problems moving about these tight corridors as supports of the ship were moved from behind the walls to within the corridors. An added safety feature was air lock style bulk heads would safely divide the ship in to over a hundred air tight sections during an alert. This was added in addition to force fields that were normally found on all Federation Starships. However once these armored bulkheads were sealed they required no additional power to maintain. This meant that more power could be diverted to the defensive systems of the ship during combat.

Even the VIP Quarters were not left untouched as they too were cut down from their original size and numbers. While the VIP Quarters themselves were still on par with most Federation starships, they were fewer in numbers. It was Commander Bonham who had a mind for using space to its fullest who came up with a clever solution to a issue with moral. In an answer to what he saw as a possible issue with moral, Commander Bonham created the Lottery. Any lower enlisted who showed sound responsibility to their duties and had no reports in their records for a month was automatically entered. The ten winners of the weekly drawn Lottery would get a rare chance to have their quarters moved to the five VIP Quarters for one week. While they had to share their VIP with another winner, it was a far cry from having to share their room with five others.

The Lottery was already a big hit among the lower enlisted, and thus bringing a sense of pride to the ship as no other Starfleet vessel had such a Lottery. Granted, that the Lottery would only be in effect as long as there were no VIP's aboard and the winners must leave the VIP Quarters in the same way that they were given. The first ten winners of the Lottery came from across the ship and were already enjoying the luxuries of their prize.

Even with the Lottery, the quarter situation aboard the ship was clearly a moral issue that would not go away. The fact that unlike other Starfleet ships, the Thunderchild had two full service lounges and another 'unofficial' lounge on deck eleven (where the flight crews and flight deck personnel tend to hang out) helped the crew coup with the tight living conditions. It was seen by over half of the crew as a small price to pay to serve aboard the Federation's first official carrier. This prestige was enough to satisfy those members of the crew in dealing with the quarters issues. But there were those aboard who saw this as a waste of time. Despite her role, the experimental technology, there were those die hards who would desire the role of a explorer ship instead of this assignment. It was because of this, that recruiting the best crew possible for the Thunderchild was a challenge at best.

The scene in the Upper Five was busy as usual when Commander Bonham walked in. A large number of crew were already enjoying dinner as those on Alpha Shift were getting off and unwinding. Beta Shift had already taking over. The Thunderchild ran three shifts around the clock. Alpha Shift started at 0600 and ran till 1400. Beta Shift picked up at 1400 hours and ran till 2200. Delta Shift would pick up at 2200 and run till 0800 in the morning. Because of the requirements of the ship and the limited quarters, each crew member was expected to stand watch during deployment for six days and have one day off. Thanks to the current situation, the tension aboard the ship were already high. Because of this, the lounges were already in high demand.

The day had already been long for Commander Bonham as he saw a flight of fighters from the large windows of the lounge. He knew that they were departing for their search grid. He had just returned from his own mission just a few hours ago and was expected to be back in the pilot's seat in a few hours. He tapped the PAD in his hand against his other palm as he scanned the room. He spotted the person he was looking for with two other junior officers. It was clear that they were enjoying their meal and having laughs over some tail from their Academy days. Commander Bonham stood there for a moment remembering how he and his own friends used to laugh and tell their own stories. That time seemed so far away today.


Oh how his life was so different before that battle. Before he had to leave one of his closest friend's behind. Without realizing it, a frown crossed his lips as the sour memory took hold. The voices of the past echoed back in to his memory. Just as if it was happening again, he could hear his best friend calling out as the battle raged around him. Bonham closed his eyes as he tried so hard to shake off that feeling. Taking in a deep breath he let out the pain in a long slow exhale.

Before the thought could fully come in to being, Commander Bonham willed the memories from his mind. He had new duties now and he would not allow mistakes of the past to cloud his actions now. He walked up to the table and took note of Ensign Townsend, Ensign Habachi, and Lieutenant junior grade Noonia enjoying conversation over dinner. He stopped just short of the table and waited for them to pause their conversation. "I am sorry to interrupt your dinner gentlemen," Commander Bonham said calmly and in a soft voice. "I need to have a word with you Lieutenant," he said speaking to lieutenant Noonia. Then he added, "Do you mind if I join you" he asked motioning for the empty chair.

Ensign Habachi grabbed his tray, "Take my chair, Commander" the statement was made with clear intent in his voice. "I lost my appetite" the Ensign said as he got up and took his tray. Without even paying any further mind to the Ship's XO the young Ensign turned and walked away.


Mordecai who had been buried in his PADD polishing the works of what he had done in the Holosuite 3. Smiled as he nodded to Commander Bonham "Hello Sir. I was wrapping up a small project. By all means, please join us." He knew his friend Habachi's point of view about Commander Bonham and choose to ignore the man's departure.


Across the lounge another crew member was walking in. Working her way across the lounge, Ensign Lylliana Skytower had planned on grabbing a quick bite before heading to bed. However the lounge had proven itself the worst place to go when a moments time for peace and quiet was required. She had already tried the other lounge, but it had seemed that the space was already taken for some unofficial movie watching marathon. She had even tried sneaking out to deck eleven, but the flight crew were pretty exclusive. She could have retired to her quarters, however her roommates were more than a bit of a chatter box. Taking a deep breath, Lylliana walked in. 'Why did I ever get sent out to the fleet?' she thought to herself as she manages to keep her tray from being bumped away by a passing lieutenant.

Her insides coiled as she scanned the room, trying her best to stay hidden from prying eyes. Unfortunately she knew that she stood out like a sore thumb. 'come on.?? there has to be an empty chair, anywhere, somewhere...' With a quick glance she spotted a small table aside the windows over looking the flight deck. 'Bingo!'

With tray of food in hand, and her data pad, she pulled her ball cap down over her eyes and tried to seem smaller as she did her best to duck and dive between the tables. She passed another ensign and got turned around bumping into them. In a slight moment, she lost her balance and twirled backwards. Struggling as she stumbled to regain her balance, her back collided into a solid figure causing her to drop her tray, and data pad. The cap on her head fell to the ground revealing short tendrils of snow white encircling stormy blues.

The clattering scene caused a silence to fall upon the lounge as all eyes fell upon the poor young ensign. Crimson flushed her face as she turned to see whom or what she had so carelessly bumped into. A lump formed in her throat as her eyes widened. It was the ship's First Officer, Commander Bonham. Or as her roommates call him, Mr Perfection, 'Can I be invisible now...?' she begged of fate.


The impact came right before he could actually explain the reason of his visit to Lieutenant Noonia. Commander Bonham slowly stood up after being bumped in to. Food and drink now covered most of his back. He turned around to see Ensign Skytower looking horrified. He glanced at the food and drink scattered across the floor. In that moment he started to laugh as he regained his composure, "it's not a hot burning cup of coffee in my lap Ensign" he said resting his hand on her shoulder.


She stood there a moment in the silence, all eyes on her as Command Bonham turned around. The air was thick about her and in that moment she could only think of spontaneous combustion as an easy way out. While he might have his own negative reputation among some of the crew, many of the female crew members who were from the Academy saw Commander Bonham as the most eligible bachelor aboard the ship. While Skytower didn't share the same feeling, her roommates would have murdered to trade places with her right now.


But then he laughed and the tension seemed to ease around her. Her bright flush faded a bit as the eyes turned away, everyone shrugging it off and returning to their conversations. She scrambled to pick up her tray and what remnants of food could be saved. "Yes, thankfully it wasn't a hot cup of coffee.." She was rather quiet in tone, but surprisingly not meek despite her previous composure. Already the rumors had spread around the ship about how the Chief Engineer had caught both Captain Campbell then later Admiral Tate with each hot cups of coffee. At first she had thought that the rumors were just that, but sadly she found out they were truth. Thus earning the Chief Engineer the nickname, Lieutenant Fumbles.


"Ensign Skytower?" He asked then added, "don't think about. Trust me, I am still ahead of the Captain and our visiting Admiral." He turned and motioned to the empty chair at their table. "Join us, Ensign. Would you?"


She managed, bending to pick up her ball cap. His hand having come to rest on her shoulder caused a shudder to roll down her spine. She tried her best to hide this fact, keeping her posture firm.

She looked forlornly at the spot she had originally planned on sitting, as others had come in and taken residence. She sighed inwardly, and tried to put on a smile, "Well, if I'm not intruding. "

Fact was she had no comrades to sit with, and now that she's made a fool of herself, might as well endure. 'lucky me' she thought.


Looking over at Lieutenant Noonia, who nodded his approval, "Not at all. Please set with us."

Ensign Townsend motioned over to a chair next to him, "Lylliana right?" he said pulling out the chair for her. "You were in my Federation Law 101 class. The silent girl in the back. Am I right?"


Lylliana looked between all the faces who were at the table, before directing her attention over to Townsend. She slides into the chair, setting her tray down as he mentioned how he knew her. To her surprise she did recall him in her class as well. The Cadet that was such the joof trying to earn her attention. "Ah, yes well, not all of us are eager beavers Mr.Townsend. I preferred more perspective, it was Federation Law 101 after all." 'There, that should quiet him.' she thought.

She turned her attention to what food remained, thankful the lieutenant seemed completely uninterested in her as he redirected his attention back to Commander Bonham. She came off a little agitated, but why wouldn't she be. These people were nothing more than shipmates. They ate, the slept, they worked, nothing more nothing less. They spoke so personable to her, like they were friends or something. She doesn't make friends, never had the time nor the care. Yes she is quiet and seemingly meek, but that wasn't the whole truth.

She stewed in her own thoughts for a moment, remembering her assignment to bring back a sense of home for the crew. 'Recreation's Officer' she thought with disdain. She had degrees and was highly qualified to serve as a Science Officer but some how Starfleet Command's wisdom placed her here as a Recreation's Officer. She goes to reach for her PADD, realizing she never picked it up after having dropped her tray. Her eyes go wide and look about, "Anyone see my data pad?"


Townsend smiled at the comment, "perspective" he said softly then added forcing her attention back on him. "If you say so." He wasn't completely convinced by her statement. "I didn't realize you were assigned to the Thunderchild." His voice was filled with that same silly voice that she remembered back at the Academy.

Commander Bonham broke in on that note. "Originally Ensign Skytower wasn't suppose to be assigned to our ship. When I was going over the new recruits that we were getting with Rear Admiral Brand." He paused a moment than added, "superintendent of Starfleet Academy" on that note he continued shifting his eyes from one person at the table to another. "I saw then a cadet Skytower across the quad. She was sitting in a grassy field all by herself. I inquired and was told that she was being assigned to the Pathfinder Project at Starfleet Communications." His attention fell on to Ensign Skytower, "After reviewing your personnel file, I knew we needed someone like you. Sometimes there is more to a strong cadet than just scores and reports. I asked the Admiral if she would include you in our new run of ensigns. It took some doing but in the end, Pathfinder was one less ensign. Captain Jurnell at Starfleet Communications, was pretty upset that I was able to snake one of his recruits like that."

Lylliana stopped mid bite as he talked. She knew her assignment had changed last minute, but hadn't a clue as to what happened or why she was reassigned to the Thunderchild. She blushed a little, "I ... I bet the Captain was, however I'm sure they were full equipped to handle their mission without me," she chimed hiding her anger over the last minute change. Pathfinder was a dream assignment for her. A project that was going to make history. She could almost laugh as she thought, 'yes, no need for an over trained recreations officer enroute to pathfinder. No, lets put her on an Akira class vessel and see how she fairs.' It kinda felt like a cruel joke to her as she shrugged. She was a strong cadet, and didn't need to prove it.

She turned her attention to Townsend in an attempt to avoid furthering the conversation as to why she was here. She didn't want to hear how this man ruined her chances at that dream assignment. "And what about you?" she asked Townsend. "Weren't you always a bit of a goof through the academy? " she took a bite of her food, smiling softly to change the subject off of her, eyes still searching about for her data pad.


Ensign Townsend smiled, "I never thought you noticed" he said with slightly more of a blush. "Yeah I used to get in trouble around the dorm for my pranks. But I grew out of them" he explained. He had been more like the class clown then just a goofball. During the many classes that they shared, he had somehow managed to draw attention to himself. But in truth it was all for her.

But now he had her attention, he seemed a bit uneasy. Townsend turned back to Lieutenant Noonia, "I would like to introduce a good friend of mine. This is Lieutenant Mordecai Noonia" he said motioning. "He has been showing me the ropes around the ship since I came aboard last week."


Lylliana finally caught sight of her data pad, it had somehow gotten kicked under the Lieutenant Noonia's chair. She cleared her throat, "Uhm, Well, pleasure to meet you, but Lieutenant Noonia... my PADD ended up under your chair... do you mind? " she asked motioning for it...


As for Ensign Townsend, Noonia's eyes slipped over and noticed how nervous his friend was. "You do me a great service, but you pick things up so quickly that you've taught me as well." His eyes finally meeting what appeared to be the newest of Ensigns. The woman seemed quite excited to be here, and the conversation that he vaguely overheard was amicable enough between everybody. So When she pointed out that her PADD was beneath him, he carefully moved to put his PADD down. Then reaching under while balancing himself with his left hand and bent over to the right, the PADD under his chair was retrieved. Straightening himself back up and handing it over with only a cursory glance on the way up for what was on it.

"Here you are Ensign Skytower." It was handed back with a firm grip, or at least offered. "A pleasure to meet you." Wondering if everyone was seated, as he had been sort of daydreaming while playing with the program.

After the introduction, Ensign Townsend refocused his attention back to Skytower, "So tell me, were there any truths to those rumors that you were dating that upper classman? Cadet Stains, I think was his name" he stumbled through the statement. Than added almost as a defensive statement, "your roommate had made a point to let everyone know that you were single."


Listening Ensign Townsend mention Cadet Mitchel Stains all Lylliana could think was 'Oh, why?' She kept her composure as though the name didn't bother her, but it really did. "I wouldn't call it dating, Ensign Townsend." she remarked firmly, "instead I would refer to it as tutoring the specially challenged and leave it at that.." she snapped.


Fact was that Cadet Mitchel Stains had woo'd her along, using her smarts and talent to secure his spot in the top ranks of the class. She was grateful that he had gotten his dream assignment thanks to her help, but he had betrayed her in the end. In the way that only a betrayal of the heart could heart beyond healing. He never loved her as she had wanted him to love her. She was momentarily worried when she was told that she was being reassigned. That fear was that she would end up there along side him again. She knew, however, that the next time she ever ran into him she would be ready.

Townsend watched her carefully trying to read the young Ensign as the moment passed, "well seeing how he is stationed on the Fairwind. Your roommate had said that you were seeming kind of lonely so I thought I would ask." There was a weak attempt to appear sly, but his lack of cunning showed the attempt for what it was. Attempting to kindle some kind of relationship with her. Despite his attempt, he knew that his was fumbling.


Lylliana could have died right there, "No I am not lonely." However her roommate on the other hand, that was a different story. Lylliana would see that the chatter box would secure her lips tighter than the brig holding cell if she wished to keep them attached firmly to her face.

Beyond the conversation between the pair of Ensigns, Commander Bonham waved Noonia's attention, "I've heard that Lieutenant Medart has you guys running pretty hard in engineering nowadays. I wanted to talk to you about your hologram that you made. I have heard it was worth watching. And trust me, I did. Pretty impressed Lieutenant" he explained.


Mordecai smiled slightly at the Commander's comment about how his work was impressive. That was a warm feeling. "Thank you Sir. I just wanted to do the situation justice. As for Lieutenant Medart, she is definitely pushing to get things done." A vague statement of the situation, but it wasn't appropriate to say anything more in the middle of this developing conversation. To Mordecai, the Engineering section was being used inefficiently, using manpower thrown against an issue instead of proper training and teamwork. But it was teamwork that bothered Mordecai the most. There was a rift between the Engineering Division and the Flight Operations Division on the ship.


Instead of working together along a common goal, the two Divisions often had a bitter rivalry that could hamper the over all mission of the ship. Mordecai had noticed that Lieutenant Medart didn't have the leadership skills needed to bring her own division under control which meant that the rift was going to only get worse before it got better.


Commander Bonham nodded, "the simulation in its original form was impressive. I also had a chance to review the version with the randomizing algorithms. Your execution was near flawless. But I have to ask you a question. Of the two versions that you have been working on. Which do you think would offer more of a learning advantage to young cadets?"


While Commander Bonham and Lieutenant Noonia were talking, Ensign Townsend realized an opportunity to get Ensign Skytower alone. His eyes fell back on to Ensign Skytower as she directed her attention back to her PADD. "SOOO" he said attempting to get her attention once more. "Have you had a chance to tour the ship yet? The flight deck is rather impressive. But the view from the Weapon's Pod on the Main Sail is truly remarkable at warp speed." He said as she eyes glance up at him.

She hardly even looked up from her PADD as she answered. "Uhm, no, however I do have a full schematic of the ship, so I'm sure I can manage to find my way around." She wasn't really paying attention, nor picking up on the not so subtle hints dropped by Ensign Townsend. She merely thought him as being amiable, and seeking friendship, something she really never had any time for.


However when the word of simulation was offered, she lifted her head from her PADD and focused her attention on Bonham and Noonia's conversation. 'A fight simulation..?' she pondered. This had peaked her interest as she had been spending her wee morning hours in the holosuites since she arrived on the ship. She began to wonder if she could sneak a peak at what they were discussing.


Mordecai considered Bonham's question thoroughly. It only took a few moments, but there was no knee jerk reaction of words. Jaw was shifted slightly to the side, as he put a bit of thought to his answer before speaking. "The randomized version. While historically the raw data feed is good for learning how precisely events unfolded, for practical training purposes the Randomized version simulates the way that every little decision snowballs." Upon speaking these words, it really did feel like it made a lot more sense. Life wasn't predictable, and while the unmodified provided a good message it wasn't the best training tool.

Mordecai continued, "I was intending once it was complete to ask for your blessing for submission to the Starfleet Academy. I feel as though Cadets could learn from the desperation of a near dead ship and the strains of command."


Ensign Townsend shifted his eyes towards the table and took in a deep breath as he thought of his approach to the situation. "Yeah" he said softly, "you are probably right." He lifted his head back towards her but didn't make eye contact this time, "the layout of the ship is pretty much the same as all other Akira Classes minus some changes on the Flight Deck and Hanger Deck" he added with a hint of defeat in his voice. His voiced trailed off as he focused his attention on the conversation between Commander Bonham and Lieutenant Noonia.

Commander Bonham listened to Lieutenant Noonia's statements very closely. He nodded as he spoke, "I had found out about this simulation through," he said then paused, "unofficial channels." He wanted to make sure that Noonia understood that there was a reason why he had chosen to speak to the young Lieutenant like this. After all the ranting of one junior officer in security was enough to catch anyone's attention.

"Lieutenant, I agree with all that you have said about the two versions of the same battle. Historical battle data does show how events unfold. And random generator can reflect how each command decision could snowball. However anyone can create a holo-simulation about past battles with randomizing algorithms. To take a battle and twist it to show new possible outcomes is not why we study battles of the past. What I am looking for Lieutenant is something else. Let me put my question like this. As a commander, you can only be prepare for any given situation by so much. Consider the battle in question. If you were the commander of the Thunderchild during that battle, would you have attempted to rescue the flight crews or not. Please Lieutenant explain your reasons behind your command decision."

 

Contributors:Kunanaki (Playing as Lieutenant Jr Mordecai Noonia), NinjaPanda127 (Playing as Ensign Lylliana Skytower)

USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 5, The Lounge
Upper Five
Stardate: 53834.05

Lylliana listened in closely and figured their conversation was in fact about a simulation over Commander Bonham's previous victory. Well, what some called a victory at least. The Commanders call to sacrifice a few to save many was what some called brilliant and a great sacrifice. However others called the battle shameful. In leaving some behind to save the rest had been seen as an act of betrayal. Lylliana just wasn't sure of how to take the battle. She had read the reports of the battle. But it wasn't even that, one of the pilots he left behind to die had been one of his closest friends. She had heard that some members of the crew saw this the ultimate form of betrayal. While it seemed possible to save those crew members and the ship at the same time. But at the same time, she knew that hind sight was always twenty twenty.


Leaning back in her chair a moment, Lylliana's mind wondered over that battle as she seemingly played on her PADD. 'What would I have done?' she thought to herself. Making an extreme call like that under such circumstances, she doubts any person would come out of that sane. "Commander.." she interjected, "What you are asking is a no win situation. If there was even a fraction of a chance that everyone could make it out alive, I don't think any sane person would make that choice." She looked back down at her data pad, "Its like asking if its better to let poison sink in and kill me slowly, or cut off the limb and bleed out. Either way there is going to be a loss, and all you are wanting to test at that point is how do we survive the loss."


"You are correct Ensign," Commander Bonham said softly as he smiled and nodded. "As Starfleet Officers there will come a time where you to face that no win situation. Someone will die. Someone will not come home. That someone could be a close friend. It is not getting in to that situation but what we do to survive this situation will define us as who we are," Commander Bonham explained.

Lylliana sat silently, having spoken her mind. She played out a scenario in her head, much like the one Commander Bonham had been in. There were simply too many variables. If you look statistically at the choice that was made, the numbers weigh in the favor of Bonham's decision. But, just but, what if he had gone after the pilots? She wasn't sure, she too would have to run the simulation. Would they have lost the entire crew and the flight crews or would there been minimal damages and loss whilst saving their comrades. She closed her eyes and rubbed her head a little. 'And this is why you don't have any friends... statistics. Numbers. These are your friends,' she thought to herself.

She opened her eyes and spied Ensign Townsend out from the corner of her eye. Lylliana could see the defeat written all over his face. She couldn't help but sign in a bit of annoyance. Carefully she gathered up her things and started to stand up. She was a recreations officer after all and her job was to keep the spirits up of the crew. What could it hurt to let him show her around? "Ensign Townsend... " she spoke rather sharply to get his attention, and then cleared her throat to make her approach softer, "as a matter of fact, I have yet to see the flight deck. I had tried earlier, but they are pretty exclusive out there. Perhaps you could show me sometime... or the weapons pod... " she choked out.


Ensign Townsend was half listening to the conversation as he went over what he had said and where he thought he had gone wrong. Since second year at the Academy, he had been trying to get her attention. It was fate that placed them on the same ship. 'How could I have possibly screwed up fate' he thought disappointingly. However when Ensign Skytower spoke he brightened up and smiled, "Really?!" he said almost in disbelief. "That would be great!" he added and before he could say more was cut off by Lieutenant Noonia.


Mordecai had heard the question, and realized what was being asked of him at this point. Mordecai Noonia sat back with his spine straightened and folded fingertips together, placing the interlocked thumbs just beneath his lips as he thought. A very complicated question of course, but there wasn't a hint of pressure on the facial features. Inwardly of course was a different story. Fingertips unlocked and palms pressed against the table as he spoke. "There are always what ifs Commander.... However, there is one known fact I'd keep in my mind if in command. Structural integrity was severely compromised on the ship. The time needed for the fighters to dock, those ten souls who fought bravely, would have been ended with one torpedo if they were docked. If the ship was destroyed while they were in route, they'd have been swept up and killed regardless. Life doesn't have a restart option. So yes, I'd have left them behind to save the hundreds aboard the ship, regardless of how bitter of a pill that is to swallow."

Commander Bonham nodded to Mordecai's answer and motioned for him to hold on. "Before you leave Ensign Skytower" Commander Bonham said in that deep commanding voice of his. Despite his reputation aboard, those deep soft blue eyes and his devilish smile was already a big hit among many of the junior officers. The scar on the side of his face only added to the mystery behind the man. "I have spoken with Lieutenant T'Lora. I have asked her to place Lieutenant Noonia's simulation, in its original format, on the Junior Officer training schedule. That is depending on what Lieutenant Noonia says next."

Turning his attention back to Lieutenant Noonia, "I know that you had intentions of sending it off to Starfleet Academy. However they already have two holo-simulations of the same battle." He said with a smile and added, "I should know, I help them write both." he waved his hand, "Do not mistake this. I am no holo-writer. I was only involved to ensure facts were not mistaken or left out" he explained while holding his smile. "Now yours on the other hand is more than what I think I could have created. If you don't mind, I would like to allow Lieutenant T'Lora to use this simulation aboard to further the command experience of the Junior Officers. I am sure you will agree that your fellow officers could benefit from your work. I understand that this is not Starfleet Academy, but the benefit closer to home will be much broader. If it pans out there might be other simulations that you could help with creating. That is considering if you can work it around your new duties" he said as his smile broadened.


Mordecai was patiently listening to Commander Bonham as he spoke to the ensign just before she left the table. The question hadn't even gotten around to him as of yet, and yet his eyes did a slight widening at the edges. Apparently the Commander was an affable fellow after all. There are quite a few Junior officers aboard the USS Thunderchild and Mordecai felt the honor of being part of their learning process. As a bit of an addendum, the Commander turned his focus back towards Mordecai.

After a few moments of consideration, Mordecai smiled and commented. "Thank you Commander. I'd be honored to have my works assist the growth of my fellows aboard the Thunderchild." As of hearing of the questioning of further works, that was open ended enough that he had answered it wholly with his statement back. Of course he wanted the crew to be the top and as strong as possible in as many fields as possible. It would require a lot more researching into the Holosuite and Holodeck with a rich broad range of subjects. A perfect pass-time but then the comment about other 'new' duties came up. "New Duties Sir?" Mordecai said as his smile remained of course, but bowels inwardly felt a bit watery. Mordecai hadn't heard anything about new duties as of yet, but this was the Commander hinting at something.


Commander Bonham continued that sly smile and nodded, "Yes Lieutenant, it would appear that your work has impressed the new Commander of Air Group or CAG as the nickname of the position is. I recall the words used were that you were a sound candidate for command level training. However Lieutenant Medart didn't want to loss you in Engineering. So there was a request to the Captain to have you pull double duties on the Flight Deck. The Captain agreed with the new CAG and so you will pull your AM Engineering on the bridge and you will pull a second over night shift on the Flight Deck. There you will learn everything a young eager officers like you needs to know to command flight operations. Here your command skills will be perfected and broadened." He explained with a bit of a commend tone in his voice, leaving no room for discussion on the matter.

He looked at his own PADD, "your first shift on the flight deck begins tonight at twenty three hundred hours. Don't worry, you will be babied tonight. But tomorrow night you will be expected to be at your fullest. Oh and don't worry about your AM shift on the Bridge, the Flight Deck office will be cutting you loss two hours before your shift so you can shower and prepare for your Bridge shift."

He looked up from his PADD and caught Lieutenant Noonia's eyes, "is there any questions Lieutenant?"


Lylliana smiled from the surprise. She turned back towards the table and surprisingly for once, it was a genuine smile that sort of made her face just light up, "Congratulations Lieu.... Commander Noonia." she corrected herself. "I will be looking forward to participating in your simulation on the holo deck." and she meant it. Training was one of her favorite recreations. If she had no need to eat or sleep, she might find herself on the holo deck on a constant basis between duties.

She turned her attention to Commander Bonham. She had been caught up in his gaze before and found herself studying him for a short period. She could see what everyone was blathering on about. He was kinda, sort of handsome.. in a rugged and mysterious sort of way. 'If you're into that sort of thing... ' she chided herself. She had to purposefully turn her gaze down to her data pad, realizing now that she had been lost in thought, just staring away at him. She flushed crimson again, 'Ugh, how embarrassing. Get a hold of yourself Lylliana, you are no longer a dewy-eyed, love struck, crazy academy cadet!' She cleared her throat, "Well, Commander, if that is all... " She paused a moment from pretending to be ensued with her data pad.


Commander Bonham laughed turning to face the young female ensign, "Hold on Ensign. Junior Lieutenant Noonia" he said with an inflection on Noonia's current rank. He continued, "has not been promoted. This is only to expand his education to cover leadership development."


Smiled pathetically, "Oh, well, my mistake. Congratulations Lieutenant Noonia." Lylliana corrected herself.


Just as Commander Bonham was about to turn away from her, he caught her eyes and that soft flush on her face. He couldn't help but smile as she looked down to her PADD. He was sure she was still watching from the upper parts of her eyes. He wouldn't lie, she was attractive and had youth on her side. 'If things were different' he thought as he knew his heart belonged to someone else.


Had Mordecai been a lesser man, he'd have shown the crestfallen look of doom. This was precisely what he had been trying to avoid this entire time! Dammit, it all started as just trying to help his friend out. After that, a blissful bit of relaxing and some Holosuite chilling between Engineering Shifts. Young eager officer was about as opposite of what Mordecai was looking for as possible. This had spun wildly out of control, yet there was no wiggling out of it. On the other hand, it would develop skills and give him more access to things he hadn't yet touched. Part of him was excited, the other part of him wanted to run screaming. What he managed outwardly was a slight smile. "No Sir, no questions at this time. Thank you Commander."

Checking the time from now and with prior experience of double shifts on his prior ship, Mordecai decided that some Carbs and sleep was in Order. "With that in consideration, I should be preparing myself for my new duties, Sir. If I may be excused?" Of course inwardly it was more of a 'Oh God Why Me!', but that was wholly inward and had no bearing on that smooth outward appearance of calm, collected lack of panic. "Ahh, Actually Sir I did have one question before I go. What's the Commanders of the Air Groups name so I know who to report to?"


He picked up his own PADD and rose up from the table. "That is a good question, Lieutenant" and held a hand out for Lieutenant Noonia to shake, "This morning, I was officially assigned the CAG of the USS Thunderchild's flight group by the Captain. And might I say, welcome to Flight Operations Division." he said taking the Lieutenant's hand in a firm yet respectful shake. "However you will not be reporting to me as I have a patrol to lead in a few hours. You will be reporting to Lieutenant Paxton" he said as he backed up. "I will let her know that you will meet her in the hanger deck for your introduction to flight operations."

He turned once more to catch Ensign Skytower still intentionally playing with her PADD. Now looking down at her, he couldn't help but noticing that she was reread the same page over and over again. "Sometimes those make for poor distractions" he commented as he watched her reread the same paragraph over again. Before she could reply he turned to Lieutenant Noonia, "I know you will do everything in your power to shine Lieutenant. Medart may not want to accept it, but your time in Engineering might be coming to an end." He said to him then turned and walked away without adding another word.


She didn't look up from her PADD as he spoke. She had been rereading the same paragraph over and over, working to refocus her thoughts and do something productive instead of standing there like an idiot. Slowly she looked up as the Commander commented but before she could respond he was walking away. 'A poor distraction?' her inner child stuck out her tongue. She couldn't help herself. She respected authority as people, most of the time, had earned their place. However, that didn't always mean she liked it, but god he was attractive...she'll give him that. Her mind wondered for just a moment of what the two of them could do together. 'No... no he's not! Stop that!' she scolded herself.

With a sigh, Lylliana grabbed her cap and pulled her PADD close to her, "Well, it was a pleasure sitting with you all. Again, congratulations. " she nodded to Lt. Noonia and Ensign Townsend. And without much more to say, she turned to leave the overly embarrassing experience behind, wanting nothing more to do than bury herself knee deep in some holo training.

With now just Ensign Townsend and Lieutenant Noonia alone at the table, it was Townsend's turn to speak, "Oh my gosh!" It was if he was holding in an explosion. "This is great Mordecai!" he said slapping Noonia on the back with laughter in his voice. "You must have really impressed him." He paused for a moment, "you know what this means. Not just anyone can get assigned to the Flight Operations. They have some really high standards down there. That is if you can survive Paxton. I hear that she is a real ball buster. During refit I heard that she was called the Cadet Slayer. Two guys in my section were ran off of the flight deck because of her." The excitement seemed to overwhelm him as he continued to speak. "Did you know that she was in charge of the flight deck before the big refit. And they have these direct wired transporters there. Oh wow I would love to get a look at those things." The lack of air in his lungs forced the young ensign to silence. But just long enough to utter "WOW! This is great....."


Mordecai set back in his chair trying to coup with the drastic change in his life that had just occurred. Getting on to the Flight Deck was a big deal. Because of the rift between Engineering and Flight Operations, getting a position on the flight deck was hard. Keeping that position was made even harder because of the demands that came with the job. Still, Mordecai would coup with it. He took in a deep breath and went over what this meant. It meant more work, but at least it was something to whittle the hours away. Of course Mordecai hadn't heard much of Lieutenant Paxton off the top of his head, but he supposed it'd be alright.


He couldn't help but think of the embarrassment of Ensign Skytower. It was pretty obvious the way that she tried to hide it. Of course the self defensive mechanisms of digging herself into the PADD did little to distract the Commander from jabbing lightly.

Mordecai was a bit aghast, having spent a lot of energy not shining and being told TO shine! Training was always taken seriously however, and the thought of his life being lost due to a petty reason was squashed immediately. There was no way Mordecai was going to compromise his chances of success by breaking his own morale from the get go. He reflected back on that brisk handshake between the two of them. Commander Bonham had made a point to hold back details till they were ready to be revealed. Mordecai noticed that there might be something more at work here than just what seemed obvious.

Mordecai turned to Townsend and laughed. It was the first chance he had to express his pleasure over the rare chance. "Thanks, I'm going to do my best to learn from this opportunity." deciding to give him a little rib back. "Cadet Slayer? I'm a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Ensign" teasing him right back. Not making light of the woman, but rather keeping the image of the confident young Lieutenant. Of course Mordecai inwardly had his own fears of inadequacy, but what mattered was his intent! And he intended to kick butt! "Let's finish our Chow, It might be some time till I have the chance to relax."

 

Contributors: A_Magical_Taco (Playing as Captain Jackson Campbell) aipsylon (Playing as Commander V'rol)


In to the unknown past
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 53834.15

Jackson set silently in his ready room with a great sense of dread on his face. His entire past was a lie. His own parents had stolen his memories from him and he had to find a way to get them back. The door chimed breaking his thoughts, "Come in Commander", The Captain said as if knowing it was Lieutenant Commander V'rol. He never really thought about it before that moment but for the first time he actually questioned how he knew who it was. 'You called him Jackson' he thought almost foolish of himself as he watched Commander V'rol walk in to the room.


Jackson shook his head as he smiled to himself, "Please take a seat", he said gesturing to the couch on the right side of the room.


Commander V'rol's eyebrow raised as he asked, "something humorous, Sir." V'rol took the short few steps over to the couch and took up a seat at the end of the couch.


Jackson rose up from his desk as he shook his head, "no, yes, hell I don't know Commander." He walked over to a cabinet and opened it. He pulled out a bottle of brown liquid along with two glasses. "This is why I need your help," He continued as he walked over to the couch. He placed both glasses on the table and pulled the cork out of the bottle with a popping sound. V'rol politely waved off the liquid as Jackson continued, "I don't know who I am Commander." Jackson didn't pour the second glass as Jackson sat in one of the armchairs next to the couch. He knew better than to push the issue of drinking with a Vulcan.


"Captain, before you begin" Commander V'rol said calmly, "I would like to state that the admiral's conclusion that I supported his position was incorrect. I, in-fact, believe that it is the least logical assumption to assume that they did not escape, and operating under that assumption is what you would call wishful thinking. I would like your permission to work with engineering to purpose the deflector array with the subspace antennae to emit a pulse that will resonate with the hull composition of the Susquehanna. I doubt it would be expected. If they are in range of any subspace antenna, it will give away their position. As stated in the briefing she must have set down for repairs and from the damage, likely not far from here. We can do this while simultaneously following the directives given to us."


Jackson crossed his right ankle over his left knee and place his glass on top of his calf. He considered what V'rol had recommended and figured it was as good a shot as any. "If you think it will speed along this search I'm all for it." The captain took a drink, it was smooth and sweet on his tongue and warmed his belly. "I also find it difficult to believe she is still in this area. She seems too smart to be trapped so easily. Honestly, I think we're wrong about her entirely but that will be a discussion for another time."

Jackson leaned forward, "I called you in here for a very personal reason" Slowly he raised his glass and gazed in to the golden liquid before taking a sip of it. "I need you to preform the Vulcan mind meld on me" he said with a sense of determination. Jackson had heard all about mind melds and hoped that this would help him recover those missing memories. "There are memories from my past that I do not have access to. I need to know who I am."


V'rol looked and listened carefully to Captain Campbell as spoke. Once the Captain was done, V'rol spoke softly and with a level voice. "In regards to a Vulcan mind meld, are you aware of exactly what such a process entails? Doing such would involve me delving with you into your memories and removing any blocks there. During the process you will have little privacy as to the events. I will do my best to be discreet, but I cannot guarantee I will not catch glimpses of your history."


Jackson sat his glass down on the table as a look of stern, almost angry emotion crossed his face, "I do not need you to be discrete, I want answers. I trust you are not one to gossip?"Jackson posed this as a question but did not wait for an answer. "Besides, I refuse to let some medical officer play inside my skull before trying to make me a new subject in a science journal. Not when I have another option available to me," he almost spat. Jackson hated the idea of having more doctor's digging around in his head. For a child of two renowned Doctors, his dislike of them never really made any sense to Jackson. But maybe once this was over, it would. "Doctors" he said once more with a hint of anger in his voice.


V'rol gave a curt nod, "I am not one to gossip." V'rol noted the emotional stress that the Captain was in. But he understood the man's desire for answers. "Do you need time to prepare or are you ready to begin immediately."


Jackson reached over and picked up his glass once more. He finished off the glass in one long drink and returned the glass to the table. "I'm ready" Jackson replied, "how do we proceed?"


V'rol moved over toward Captain Campbell, "Captain, this is a very intimate process. What is about to happen will be unsettling. Especially for the first time it can be a very unsettling experience to go through a mind meld." V'rol carefully waited for the Captain to prepare himself as he himself cleared his mind and prepared himself for what was about to happen. Once Captain Campbell nodded that he was ready, V'rol carefully lined up his fingers on one side of Captain Campbell's face. Then with the greatest of care, the other side. "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts..."


Jackson closed his eyes and felt V'rol hand touch his face. Slowly he started to breath deeply. He wouldn't admit it but there was fear about what was going to happen. He didn't know what to think or expect. The first memory struck him like a fist to the midsection. There was a house in his mind. He could see a child playing and Maura was there, the two were just about the same age. They were playing together, his parents had come into the room and were watching them. His father was smiling, but his mother seemed more aloft, more cold to the situation. Jackson felt happy and safe in this memory. But then unexpectedly, more images and memories flashed through his mind. He could remember the day that Seona was brought home. She was not an infant but as a little girl only a few years younger than him and Maura. She was instantly seen as his sister, he remember his desire to keep her safe. As a child he couldn't understand it, but he knew her and felt her thoughts.


Now that connection was fully realized. They were always connected in this way. But when his memories were taken, that connection was broken between them. The pain of that brought tears to Jackson's eyes as he set there in his ready room. He tried to hold it back but he loved them. "How could I forget them" he all but muttered as he started to sob like a child.

The memories did not stop there. He remember all the times they had to go to the doctor and being sick. The Doctors were his own mother and father. Maura had been so much worse than him, each time he felt that fear that she would die. He hated the doctors for hurting her, but he could do nothing to stop them. A whirlwind of emotions slammed into Jackson again and again. The love he had for Maura and Seona, the fear that something might happen to them. He remember the connection he had with both of them, it was almost as if he knew when they were sad and they knew when he was. He couldn't help but become focused on how much he loved both of them. This is what hurt him most now. How much he had loved them and someone had stolen that from him. 'Not someone, my mother and father' he thought.

He remember everything. even the day they were stolen from him. That and so much more. When V'rol pulled his hand away Jackson tried to stand but his legs were shaky and he almost fell. V'rol stood with him and kept him from falling. Tears rolled down Jackson's face as he looked at V'rol, "Thank you" the words were barley a whisper and Jackson wasn't sure they had passed his lips at all but the Vulcan nodded.

Jackson would be indebted to this man forever, the memories he had return to him were invaluable and he would not soon forget this day. When the room stopped spinning so fast Jackson released V'rol. "I'd like to be alone for a little while: he said then paused. "Please see that I am not disturbed" and with that Jackson walked through the door to the right of his desk and was gone.


**************************

 

Contributor: Kunanaki (Playing Mordicia Noonia)


Welcome to Flight Operations Mr. Noonia (part one)
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
AKA: The Dragon's Lair
Stardate: 53834.29

The hanger deck of the USS Thunderchild in almost every way looks like nothing else on any other starship. Taking up well half of the entire deck, this is the heart and soul of the ship. Large air tight doors led from the Hanger Deck to maintenance shops just beyond this area. In one such shop, a Peregrine class fighter had its warp engine pulled while service was being conducted on the fighter. Along both sides of the hanger, slits for fighters,runabouts and shutters were set up. Clear markings along the floor of the hanger seemed to set everything in a precise order. What was so amazing about this deck was that like the one directly above, were devoted only to Flight Operations.


Unlike her sister ships, the Thunderchild gave up much of her main armaments to bluster a diverse strike fighter capability. This freed up weight went towards its impressive hanger and flight decks. It has become a matter of debate within Starfleet if the Thunderchild would be able to deliver the same level of strike capability as her sister ships. The answer to this debate would be found in the Thunderchild's flight and hanger decks.

Another difference between the Thunderchild and her sister ships is the designed of the flight deck. Her sister ships have their flight deck serving as both flight and hanger at the same time. The Thunderchild's Flight deck serves as only a flight deck thus increasing the volume of craft that it can service at one time. Also the Thunderchild has a fly through flight deck. These changes made it possible for the Thunderchild to deploy up to sixty fighters (Five wings of each of the two current models that the Federation employs) plus supporting craft. As one walks through the hanger and flight decks, it would appear that the two decks were well staffed. However, this is only an illusion as the ship only has less than half of its full compliment.


Stepping on to the hanger deck everyone is greeted by a large painted pennant hanging high over the center of the hanger deck. In the center of the pennant coiled around a symbol of the Federation was a large dragon. Along the sides of the Pennant were the words, "The Dragons of the Federation". On either side of the large pennant were proudly displayed battle ribbons from the Dominion War. Such were well known battle ribbons from Velos, Operation Return, and Chin'toka. Along side of these well known battles were dozens of other battle ribbons that were not as familiar. While these battles were far less well known, they were no less important to the proud heritage of this ship. Hanging with pride next to the rest was one ribbon with the name of CMO-26 on it.


This highly charged battle took place in a region of space where the USS Thunderchild was jumped by overwhelming odds. It was there at that battle where ten pilots were left behind as a crippled Thunderchild made her retreat amid superior forces. There had been rumors of this ship's heroic battles, but no one could truly feel the pride of this ship till they walked along the hanger deck. It was this pride that was common among the Flight Operations Division. This was clear by what someone wrote on that battle ribbon, 'Tested in Fire and Reborn Stronger than EVER.' This was the motto of the Thunderchild's Flight Operations Division.

Long before the Federation officially decided to explore fighter operations, the Thunderchild and her flight crews were proving the value of the concept up and down the Cardassian Front. With little in terms of support and using tactics that had been long thought dead, the Thunderchild was a thorn in the side of the Dominion for over two years. Using older modified craft to act as space fighters, those brave men and women took the fight to a level that the rest of the Alliance couldn't. When those pilots stepped aboard their make shift fighters, many knew that that flight could be their last. Today their pictures lined the starboard wall of the hanger deck as a silent reminder of the courage that made this carrier possible. Today, their memory proudly fuels these two decks with a since of heritage that no other ship could muster.

While courage was in an abundance, actually fighters on the other hand were not. The first wave of fighters that took off from this ship were heavily modified shuttles. Then the Thunderchild was given a wing of Peregrine-class couriers. After more modifications, these fighters become the first official fighter wing of the Thunderchild. As their experience grew so did the modifications to their fighters. Lacking any real training, it was the brave men and women of the flight crews that turned tests these crafts at their limits. Within the Thunderchild's hangers civilian couriers were turned in to formidable fighters under the watchful eyes of the Flight Deck Officer.


For Mr. Noonia, stepping on to the hanger deck of the USS Thunderchild was like walking among legions. In the beginning, standing there in his star fleet uniform, Mordecai immediately felt out of place. This cavernous and busy deck seemed to be the representation of potential and untapped power. Space that hinted towards rows and rows of ships that had yet to be picked up. From one end to the other, the Flight Deck was all about Efficiency. His eyes traced along the finery hanging upwards, a sense of pride hitting his chest. For whatever purpose that brought him to the Flight Operations, it resonated in him something he hadn't felt before. Engineering was an automatic thing for him. A tinkerer by nature, it felt natural and pleasant but hardly thrilled him much anymore. It lacked a sense of purpose and direction. He knew that was about to change.


As he looked around, it was clear to him. If he had any doubt of the loyalty and courage from these men and women, he only needed to look up at those battle ribbons or to their Wall of Heroes. The first thing that Mordecai noticed was the uniforms. Aboard most Federation starships, a crew person would wear one of three basic colored uniforms. This would reflect his duties aboard. However on the hanger deck, the personnel moved about in a multitude of colored vests. The vests were worn over what appeared to be specially made EV Suites with Starfleet markings on them. Which seemed odd as there was a breathable atmosphere in the hanger deck, yet still every member of the deck crew still wore an EV suites.

Standing at the entry way of the hanger deck, Mordicai couldn't help but be impressed by the chaos of what was going on. A flight of six Attack Fighters had just returned from their patrols and were having their weapon systems made safe as other crew members were tending to their own tasks. Hand signals were flying about as crewmen wearing colors of Red, White, Green, Yellow, and Brown were buzzing around doing their own task. It appeared that the whole chaos was under control of a pair of officers in the center of the hanger deck. These officers were green armored EV suites with purple vests over top of them. Both wore some kind of headset with a microphone which hung from the headset and covered their mouths. They were giving hand signals as that flight of fighters were 'beamed' down from the flight deck above. One was a human male. Mordecai recognized the female as a wolfen but had never seen one in person before. Before he often thought them more to creatures akin to a beasts of Legend.


The woman at the center of the hanger had a short snout that had a very slight raise from her lower jaw giving her a mild over bite. Her lower parts of her chin and neck were covered by a white fur while her upper head and back of her neck were covered by a brownish fur. Her thick bushy tail flipped about from the back side of her EV Suit as she moved. Surprisingly she had thick long reddish colored fur along the top of her head and down her neck. She had this 'hair' pulled tightly in to a pony tail that ran down inside her EV Suite while the top flopped of her hair flopped about. She stood just short of two meters and clearly smaller than her human male counter part.


The federation had a bewildering mix of species that made dating rather interesting. Just upon his prior ship he had attempted to date a female Andorian that had worked in Security. Rejection had been swift, but Mordecai was not one to dwell in failure. The Wolfen female was quite lovely, as her movement seemed almost graceful with the activities around her. However his attraction to her, Mordecai was professional enough that it never crossed his features.

Mordecai had read up on the Wolfen race while at the Academy. They had a rather remarkable history that brought them to the Federation. The actually name of Wolfen in their native language was M'bwa M'witu. Most humanoid races often referred to them as Wolfens as taken from the English language meaning "of" or "pertaining to wolves". However based solely on their physical appearance they appear more closely kin to foxes rather than wolves. The common knowledge of the M'bwa M'witu (AKA: Wolfens) was that their fleet of ships carrying hundreds of thousands of their species washed up in the Boreal system in 2367. It was discovered that their home worlds had been attacked and conquered by the Tholiens during a sector wide invasion. While the M'bwa Mwitu had created stable Republic with a sizable military they were incapable of stopping the Tholien threat. All that had remained of their once proud Republic that spanned a handfull of solar systems had been reduced to a small refugee fleet. When they arrived in the Boreal system, their fleet had been wondering space for over a year. Many of their ships were not designed for such long space travel. While all of their ships were warp capable, their most advanced technology was on par with twenty third century technologies. When compared to Starfleet the M'bwa M'witu were considered primitive, but to the Boreal they were more than a match.

The leaders of Boreal III were concerned about the M'bwa M'witu and the handful of warships that had escorted the refugee fleet. The Boreal demanded that the fleet hold its position at the edges of the system with the promise of welcoming arms and supplies. However in secret the Boreal readied their own military in hopes of driving the refugees off. Even though they were in desperate need, the M'bwa M'witu honored the request as they didn't seek hostile engagements with the Boreal. Instead of aid, the Boreal met the fleet of refugee ships with a number of warships. A brief battle was joined that ended with the Boreal being tossed back by the determined defending M'bwa M'witu warships.


During a critical point in the battle, the M'bwa M'witu were able to capture a number of Boreal ships after a series of daring boarding operations. Of those ships that were captured was an aging refitted Constitution class starship which the Boreal had bought from the Federation many years ago. With their home guard fleet scattered, the Boreal prepared for a second engagement much closer to their home world. No longer honoring the request to remain out of the system, the M'bwa M'witu fleet closed on Boreal III. An armed stand off began as the situation became desperate on both sides.

It didn't take long for the arriving M'bwa M'witu ships to out number the Boreal. With their most powerful ship in the hands of the M'bwa M'witu, the Boreal called on the Federation for help. The Boreal demanded that the M'bwa M'witu leave their system. The M'bwa M'witu claimed that they needed supplies and time to rest before moving on. Both claimed that the combat was the other's faulted and each claimed that they were only defending themselves. After months of intense negations, the M'bwa M'witu were allowed to resupply in return for the release of most of the Boreal ships and their crews. The peace that was brought through the Federation was bitterly accepted by the Boreal and by many hardliners of the M'bwa M'witu, who saw the cowardly attack as an open invitation to lay claim to the system as their own.

After they resupplied and with the help of the Federation the refugee fleet was able to travel to the Federation. Finally after months of travel their search for a home world came to an end on a Federation world near New Xendus. Here on a continent of this new world the M'bwa M'witu were able to rebuild their culture. However other families choose to continue deeper in to Federation space where they were invited to set up colonies on other worlds.


Once more, the M'bwa M'witu thrived under the protection of the Federation. They called their new home, Nyingine Nyumbani which translated in to Other Home. During much of the time they rebuilt, their new home was protected by their small fleet of warships headed up by their new flagship, the Kuongeza Matumaini or Raising Hope (the refitted Constitution Class they took from the Boreal). Even with their new home, this never diminished the dreams of many M'bwa M'witu of returning and reclaim their original home worlds from the Tholians. With the situation as it was, the vast majority of the M'bwa M'witu saw the Federation as their only hope for the future of their people. Still, hardliners continued to push agendas regarding building a more modern fleet that could oppose the Tholians and reclaim their homeworlds.


Mordecai found from his studies that most M'bwa Mwitu in general could be classified as hard working, law biding people. Their concepts of no gray issues give them a pure black and white outlook of the universe as well as of the Federation. Despite even the most stubborn of the hardliners, the M'bwa M'witu view loyalty and service as life long commitments. They can be easily angered over slights and have a all or nothing out look on combat. They are not held to any measure of a code of honor when it comes to war. They will fight without end or limits till the war is over. This made them vital soldiers during the Dominion War.

When the Dominion War started, hundreds of M'bwa M'witu answered the Federation's call to arms and fought along side Starfleet. During the war, most only held honorary ranks and returned to their home fleet after the war. Though some M'bwa M'witu did actually officially join Starfleet and remained after the war was over. The Kuongeza Matumaini and her fellow M'bwa M'witu warships fought along side Starfleet's ships and all but three were destroyed during the war. The Kuongeza Matumaini met her fate during the second battle of the Chin'toka system. Something that Mordecai found interesting was that the M'bwa M'witu see death in the service of the Republic as a means to cleans one self of any crimes or sins. Because of this, all M'bwa M'witu have no fear of death in the name of the Republic.


While the female Wolfen had attracted his attention, the human male was also someone of interest. He stood just over two meters tall and seemed to have this rugged appearance to himself. His brown hair was neat and his face was cleanly shaved, but he was not overly attractive. Both of them wore phasers on their hips but the male had a Starfleet Marine Patch on his shoulder. He was the one that took notice of Mordecai and waved at him to hold his position. As he motioned to the female wolfen, he placed a large metal PADD under his arm as they started to walked towards Mordecai.


As the pair calmly moved under the wing of a passing Attack Fighter they continued their way over towards Mordecai. The helmets to their EV suites were hanging by straps that went over their shoulder. It was strange for Mordecai to see everyone in EV suites as normally force shields would protect crew members from a loss of atmosphere. Mordecai realized that in time all would become known and waited for the pair to approach him.


The pair walked up to Mordecai as the male spoke, "Welcome to the Hanger Deck, Mister Noonia" he said holding out his hand. "I am Lieutenant Arron Duncanson. This is Lieutenant Rebbecca Paxton." He added as the pair shook hands. Mordecai found the name of the Wolfen strange and wondered if all Wolfens had taken human names. Lieutenant Duncanson handed Lieutenant Noonia a life support belt, "you will need this during our tour. However before your next shift here you will need to speak with the quarter master and have a pair EV suites issued to you."

With a nod, Lieutenant Paxton took over. "So Lieutenant, you are the one that has impressed the CAG so much" she said in surprisingly fluent English. Her voice had this kind of growl to it that could be heard over the sounds of the hanger deck. She moved closer to Lieutenant Noonia as to ensure that she was easily heard. "I am dying to see if you live up to your reputation Mister Noonia" she said looking up in to his eyes.


Mordecai couldn't help but think, 'Impressed Commander Bonham?' For some reason, that comment filled him with a sense of pride.


She twitched her nose from side to side as if she was sniffing him. As her snout shifted so did her whiskers. "I want you to understand something Lieutenant. These are my decks! My rules are not to be compromised!" she said poking him in the chest, "rule one, safety! We have almost a hundred rules that govern safety on these two decks. It ensures that everyone goes home at the end of the day. You will be tested on them daily till I am sure you know them by heart."


Her canines flashed at the end of her snout as she continued to speak. "So for you to even be here with the understanding that I have to cut you loose before your shift is over should tell you something. You have a lot to live up to Mister Noonia" she said as she looked him up and down once more, "I expect you to live up to this" she added then motioned to Duncanson. "Duncanson, lets show Hollywood our home" she said as she turned and started to walk away.

Duncanson nodded and motioned for Noonia to walk along side. "Make sure you turn your belt on" he said motioning for the belt and added, "Look Lieutenant Paxton is beyond intense, but you would never find a more loyal officer on this ship." Then lowered his voice greatly to a whisper as he leaned in close to Mordecai, "Oh and no dog jokes. She takes real offense to them."


Snapping on the Life-Support belt and quickly activating it, he wondered 'How curious, Mr. Hollywood.' Despite the intense introductions, Mordecai couldn't help but consider how impressed the Commander was with his program, that he had talked about it to those he trusted. As they started to walk from the entrance he noticed the deck crews watching closely. The prodding and words were not lost, but it was more the body language of those around him. Here he was an intruder, a stranger that had been endorsed by the Commander to receive training in an exclusive club of highly decorated people. This made him feel like a ball of energy about what was to come.

Mordecai nodded to Lieutenant Duncanson and whispered, "I wouldn't dream of it. The worst I've got is a pun-ishing habit of bad humour." He paused a moment before adding, "Sir, I am curious. What did the Commander say to grant me such a warm reception?" Not a stupid man, Mordecai figured that the woman who had stalked away before hand had great hearing with those agile canine ears.

 

Contributor: Kunanaki (Playing Mordicia Noonia)

Welcome to Flight Operations Mr. Noonia (part two)
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
Deck 13, Hanger Deck
AKA: The Dragon's Lair
Stardate: 53834.29

Lieutenant Duncanson laughed as he patted Mordecai on the back as he said, "You have a lot to learn here. Paxton can't be persuaded by words. When she says these are her decks, she means it. And in a kind of a way, we are all her family" he said motioning to the rest of the crew along the hanger deck. "The CAG and her go way back. He saved her life during Operation Return," he explained then continued, "so he when this all was being talked about, he called her debt in exchange for allowing you this chance to serve here."

Mordecai listened as the two men walked behind Lieutenant Paxton, he thought of it rather hard actually. The Commander had quite a rough time aboard the ship with the stigmatization of his crew that could or would never understand. Now knowing the close relationship of the Flight Crew and the Commander, Mordecai could appreciate that bitter pill more fully. As he listened, Mordecai figure he needed to appraised the Commander as he is, not some projected demon like so many of the crew had.

Mordecai nodded, "can you tell me what was said that got me here?"

Lieutenant Duncanson shook his head, "what was said during that meeting, I could only guess. All I know is that her debt to him has been paid." He paused a moment and turned to looked in to Lieutenant Noonia's eyes, "so if I were you, I would really think of what you did or said that impressed the CAG so much that your future in this division is worth a life debt."

Lieutenant Paxton came to a stop just ahead of them as she turned to face both humans, "Or better yet, Hollywood. I would ensure that your performance here reflects the costs that has made this possible." She waved a hand to silence both men, "But Lieutenant Duncanson is right, you have a lot to learn." She pointed to a pair of crewman wearing white vests who were carefully going over an Attack Fighter that had just beamed down from the flight deck. It appeared that the craft was damage in someway. "See those two crewmen with the white vests."

Mordecai listened carefully as she spoke as her words sunk in. He had a lot to live up to and now the expectations were made clear. He turned his head as his eyes locked on to the two crew members in white vests.

"They are Deck Safety Officers" she explained. "The last time an Admiral from Starfleet Command visited my hangers deck at Utopia, one of my safeties ordered him to stop what he was doing. There were some hurt feelings and much yelling after that. But I stood behind my safeties without question. They are the final authority on these two decks and everyone, even me, will follow their instructions without question." There was a sense of pride in her voice as she spoke. "If you ever ignore one of them, even once. I will bounce you off this deck faster than you could realize." She turned and raised a finger before him, "and you will not be back. Understood?"

Mordecai nodded as Lieutenant Duncanson turned to face him and speak, "it is something that we pride our selves on here in Flight Operations. Engineering had five recorded incidents last month that were all safety violations. One such incident led to a power coupling shorting out and an engineer was injured."

Mordecai nodded as he remembered reading about the incident. It was a foolish mistake that should have been avoided. The engineer was rushing to complete too many tasks at the same time and over looked a overloaded power coupling. Lieutenant Duncanson continued, "In the past two months, Flight Operations has had zero violations. We owe Lieutenant Paxton for making this place the safest place to work on the ship. It is something that she and all of us take very seriously here."

Mordecai frowned as he heard the poor stature of the Engineering Department lead credence to the rumors that the Lead Engineer was on thin ice with the Captain. Some even state that there was a spilling of Caffeine upon the visiting Admiral! Mordecai didn't put much credence into rumors. Else he'd have written off Commander Bonham based on hearsay.

Lieutenant Paxton nodded and followed up these words, "listen, look around you. A mistake here at the very best could only damage a fighter. And at the very worse could cause critical damage to the ship. Hundreds of lives depend on our ability to do our job and do it safely. Four months ago, before I was allowed to take over Deck Operations, we had the worst safety record on the ship. That Deck Officer is gone. Now we have the best record on the ship. On this deck" she said moving up closer to Lieutenant Noonia so he could hear her better, "You are one of my own, Hollywood. Just like each of them" she added waving her hand around. "At the end of your shift, you WILL be able to return to your world of glitter and fame down in Engineering, unharmed. I will promise you that."

Mordecai noticed the use of the word Hollywood. It kept echoing in their conversation. He didn't rise to the bait as it didn't seem to be used in a manner of disrespect. He made a mental note to inquire more about the nickname when he had a chance.

Paxton took a step back she motioned to a group of crew members wearing red vests heading over to that damaged fighter. "See those guys in red" she asked pointing at them and Mordecai nodded, "they are fuel and ordnance personnel."

Lieutenant Duncanson took over almost on cue, "ordnance and fuel personnel ensure that each craft leaving is fully prepared for their mission. They also ensure that fuel transfers are handled with the up most care. Arming, disarming weapons on craft that are departing and arriving falls to them as well. No craft is aloud to move to the hanger deck with any weapons that are still active. These crew members ensure that these weapons are safe before the transfer." Taking note of the two green vested crew members joining the group he added, "Green vests are our Support and Maintenance personnel. It is their job to ensure that any and all craft are mission capable at any given time."

In that moment of a timely pause Paxton took over. "Down times for my craft are simply not allowed. Need a part, we'll replicate it. Need help, we'll assign it to you. No matter the effort that is needed, the repairs will be completed as safely as possible AND in a timely manner. We have one simple philosophy down here. We support the pilots completely, so they can do their job. If one fighter can't take off during a crisis then we have lost part of our combat efficiency. This is why we can't afford down times."

She motioned to a group of crew members in yellow vests as she continued, "yellow vest are your craft handlers." It appeared that they were getting ready to use an anti-grave sled to move the wounded fighter.

Lieutenant Duncanson followed up, "these personnel take charge of the craft whenever any craft moves. They will escort the craft from point A to its final destination. No matter where that destination happens to be. Rather its either to one of the maintenance bays or up to the flight deck, no craft moves without a handler. They also ensure that craft are moved in the fastest but safest possible way. Only when the craft is either secured at its destination or if he is relieved of his charge, meaning his craft, by a Deck Captain will the handler leave his craft."

Paxton pointed to a Andorian in a brown vest, "Nothing moves on either the hanger deck or the flight deck without the permission of that Deck Captain. There will always be one on duty for each deck. During times of crisis there will be four on duty on each deck. The Deck Captains maintain constant communications with Flight Operations two decks above. Vital information is relayed between Flight Operations and the deck crews via the Deck Captains. Each Deck Captain answer to me personally. So you can be assured that they will not bend or break my rules."

She paused as they watched the wounded fighter being moved towards one of the Maintenance Bays. "Then we come to the purple vests. We are the Deck Commanders or Deck Com. It our responsibility to run both decks and answer for any mistakes that might happen. There are three of us and each of us answers directly to the CAG." she paused a moment then added, "Lieutenant Duncanson is currently on duty as Deck Com. Even though he works for me, unless I have good reason to relieve him, his word is final till the end of this duty."

Duncanson nodded, "Now, what is important for you to understand Lieutenant is that each person here is expected to not only know their job. But that of his fellow deck hands and to be able to perform that duty with the same level of experience. Cross training here is the norm. Unlike in Engineering where you guys have a million and one specialists who each have pretty much one job. Each of us, including you, will be able to do all duties that come with working in the Hanger Deck, on the Flight Deck and Flight Operations." He smiled with a warm and friendly smile, "don't worry. A large number of files have already been transferred to your person data terminal in your quarters. There will be a lot of studying for you in the near future. And yes, you will be tested. We all are. No one is allowed to stagnate here in Flight Ops."

Lieutenant Paxton stepped in, "We don't expect you to learn this over night Hollywood. But you will have to learn it if you plan on proving that the cost for you was worth it. Down here we speak our own language" she said motioned to the group moving that wounded fighter as she continued, "and even have our on sign language." The group were communicating in both hand jesters as well as over voice. The move seemed largely complex but they were able to move the wounded fighter across the busy space without coming close to anyone or anything else.

She turned back to Lieutenant Noonia, "Okay before we move on, any questions?"

Mordecai listened to them explain the different colored vests and their duties. So far that was White was for Safety, Green were the Mechanics, Red were the fuel and weapon handlers, Yellow moved everything around, Brown ran each of the two decks, and Purple controlled it all. However there was one important thing that wasn't covered, so when the opportunity arose Mordecai did have a question. "What color is for Pilots on Mission or otherwise?"

The question was short, sweet and to the point. They had talked a lot about training, but Commander Bonham had also mentioned taking a craft out. Which meant that if all the pieces were running together, there was one critical missing there. His gaze didn't catch any immediate sign of one he didn't understand before asking the question. Actually, Mordecai had a fairly good suspicion that they had left that out to see if he was paying attention, or taking it all in. It wasn't insulting, just a trick of trusting the information, but verifying attention. Of course until he had his hands dirty with all the roles, he'd grow more familiar. Hence the cross training.

Paxton nodded as she pointed to a pair of pilots departing from their Attack Fighter once it was secured in its location on the hanger deck. They were wearing some kind of armored flight suit. "Pilots have no colored vest, Hollywood" she pointed out. "Their flight suits set them apart from deck hands" she explained then paused. "That being said, look closely" she said drawing his attention to the color lines along the floor. "Each mark indicates your free access zone" She started to explain.

Lieutenant Duncanson picked up the answer from there, "Along the 'Pits' where the fighters are secured when not in motion or on mission, is a free access area. Pilots can come and go to their craft as they wish," he explained and knelt down as he motioned Noonia to follow suit. Lieutenant Paxton also joined them on her knee as well. They were standing in a 'Free Access Zone' as Lieutenant Duncanson motioned and showed the lay out of all the different colored lines across the deck.

"This rainbow ribbon indicates that only those with color vests can cross this line" explained Paxton. "This is how we keep visitors safe from moving equipment. Each Deck Captain and Deck Com ensures that at no time moving equipment comes within five meters of this line" she explained and pointed to a ling that was clearly marked by another rainbow line. However this new line excluded the color green. "See that line there marks the barrier for all Green Vests. For a Green Vest to cross it, he must have permission from the Deck Captain or at times a Deck Com. It is my order that even though a Deck Com can give that permission, that they must seek approval from the Deck Captain prior to issuing it. This insures that the Deck Captains can maintain awareness of what is going on along their deck at all times."

Lieutenant Duncanson nodded as he picked up the explanation, "see Lieutenant, here we can move freely without permissions. However should we cross that line, we would have to seek approval from the Deck Captain first," he said pointing to the Crewman Third Class standing at the far end of the deck. The Crewmen was very observant of what was going on and was issuing commands to crewmen as they moved along the deck. It was clear that he was 'speaking' over a mic next to his mouth while giving hand signals to a pair of green vested crewmen and a pair of pilots returning from the maintenance bay. "Each time the Deck Captain issues permission or as a craft is in motion, he is communicating with the Flight Operations team. From there, they monitor all activity here and on the flight deck."

Paxton interjected with "we don't rely on sensors or computers down here. Its eyes on, all the time, Hollywood."

Mordecai nodded, "How does rank and vest work?"

Duncanson nodded, "Good question Lieutenant. By special order of Admiral Tate and Starfleet Command, these two decks are allowed to deviate from the protocol of rank. That crewmen" he said pointing at the Deck Captain. "He might only be an enlisted crewman, but he is the voice of authority on this deck till his shift is over. Nothing moves on this deck without his permission."

As Mordecai took it all in, he could see the deck laid out in a very deliberate action. Lines along the deck were clear to see and now their meanings had been explained in detail. The large open deck was sectioned off in to areas of free access based on responsibilities. To cross the lines required that the next higher authority knew what was going on and was able to track the activity. It was clear to him that this was fundamental to the orderly operation of the deck. While the deck was only partial used, already the system was showing how it ensured safe and expedited operations. Rank on this deck simply didn't matter. What did matter were the vests, a critical piece of information.

Over seeing the entire operation across the hanger deck were a small group of crewmen wearing white vests. Their rank were that of only enlisted, however they commanded this deck and the safe operations that were going on. Ownership of safety was clearly something that was stressed within this Division. One of the crewmen in white vests waved a Vulcan pilot who happened to be a lieutenant to stop. With respect to the authority of the white vest, the pilot stopped his crossing of the deck and waited till the white vest cleared him to continue. Once the wounded fighter had cleared the area, he waved the Vulcan lieutenant on. Mordecai could easily see that rank held no special privileges here when it came to safety.

Paxton slowly stood and looked at Lieutenant Noonia and with a nod, "Okay lets continued. We have six in-line cargo transporters. Three starboard and three port" she explained motioned to the large cargo transporter pads that were near the center of the Hanger deck. "Craft are beamed up to the flight deck from here and beamed down. These transporters are not like the others on the ship. These are in-line, meaning that they can only operate within this network. They are hard wired between these six pads and the six directly above us on the flight deck. It is only one of two ways to reach the flight deck from this hanger without leaving it."

Lieutenant Duncanson picked up from there, "There are six MagLev lifts along the center of the hanger deck that can be brought down and raise fighters up to the flight deck should we suffer power failure to those transporters. However these lifts are not air locks. Both flight and hanger decks must be of the same atmosphere for those to be used. Or else we will suffer loss of atmosphere down here. It is the order of the CAG that the Flight Deck be kept at a state of Zero Atmosphere during flight operations. Just as it would be during combat operations. While there is armor and a shield grids between this deck and the flight deck, the risk of decompression is too great. This is the reason why you have to wear that belt and we are all in EV suits."

Lieutenant Paxton nodded, "It takes all of thirty seconds for this deck to completely depressurize. Long before that happens Hollywood, emergency bulkheads will seal this deck off from the rest of the ship. As long as this deck is depressurized, Only the First Officer or the Captain can open one of those bulkheads. Survival of those within this deck depends on being ready for that event. During tests, it was discovered that in the event of a crisis which included catastrophic structural failure, half of the deck's personnel would be at risk of death. Chances are that they would be unable to reach safety before the atmosphere was vented in to space and the bulkheads sealed this deck. This is why everyone on this deck wears either a life support belt or EV suit. Regardless of rank" she said hinting to the issue during the past visit from that Admiral.

Lieutenant Duncanson took over, "Your records didn't show anything more than basic Zero Atmosphere Training. If you don't have much experience, don't worry. You will get it here. As we said, everyone learns everyone else's job. You never know where you will be working from day to day. Last month, I was helping out repairing one of the Valkyries. Unlike other departments, we are jack of all trades here."

"But we are also expected to be masters of those trades as well" Lieutenant Paxton interjected. She paused a moment before continuing, "this is a completely new Division among Starfleet Operations. We don't even have specialized schools at Starfleet Academy for our roles here." She pointed to one of the Red Shirts, "That is Crewman Blake, a communication's specialist before he came here to work. Working here is as much voluntary as it is a privilege."

"Crewman Blake just started training for Deck Captain. Next week he will be assigned to the Flight Operations where he will over see the Flight Deck Operations. Once he tests out of that position, he will be able to be assigned as a Deck Captain." There was a sense of pride as she watched the young crewmen in the red vest escort a anti-grav sled filled with mirco-torpedoes across the hanger deck. She turned back to Lieutenant Noonia and looked him in the eye, "I can't afford to loss one of my crew members to anything, if it can be avoided."

Lieutenant Duncanson nodded, "This is why Lieutenant Noonia, we train so hard down here. We work long ten hour shifts. The shifts over laps one hour on each side for maximum coverage. We all work seven days on while on mission. However once the Flight Deck is secured from operations, Lieutenant Paxton doesn't want to see anyone on her decks. But until then, she runs this deck as if we are at a state of emergency at all times. Its hard on us. It forces us to step up and better ourselves." he half turned to her and as he smiled, "but it also forged us in to a tighter family." She didn't reply as she started to turn to continue the tour.

Mordecai listened carefully to what was being explained to him. Each and every single word was categorized into it's appropriate box for later retrieval. Honestly though, it was boiled down to important information. Mordecai got it, it was a new section. New rules, new way of doing things. So new that even Starfleet Academy hadn't caught up to them. Here on this ship, they were pioneers. Everybody was cross trained so they could take the pressure off their fellow deck hands in an emergency.

At first one would think that nobody was vital so that if death happened, they could be easily replaced. This was the impression that those down in Engineering had of how this Division was run. It was a pragmatic and a little saddening. But seeing the hanger operations now, he knew that wasn't the case. Everyone here was vital, because there were no replacements coming from Starfleet Academy. As Mordecai looked around, he could see how vital each member of Flight Operations were to each other. It was almost as if they were family down here. A sense of family that Engineering simply lacked.

As the tour continued, Paxton continued to explain, "During combat simulations, this hanger deck is expected to turn around fighters at an incredible rate. Refuel, Rearm and conduct light repairs all during combat. So each person has to do their tasks. Once the rest of the fighters come aboard, we will be short staffed. We simply don't have the room for errors that could damage fighters or worse hurt personnel." She paused and turned to him, "listen, I have my standards here. I have the complete support of the CAG in these standards."

Before she could continue she was interrupted by a call over her headset. She turned to the direction of the wounded fighter. One of the crew members in white were making hand motions towards them. She nodded and gave an answer in her own hand motions. "Duncanson, we are needed," she said and then turned to Lieutenant Noonia, "Please remain in this safe zone. We will be right back."