I liked the Ferengi--a competent and intelligent daimon who doesn't mind tangling with Romulans--the man's something of a gambler too. And Ashok has some serious daddy issues here. Assuming Verrik is a "traditional" Vulcan, that should bring about some interesting fireworks when he meets up with the new XO--although--there might be more there than is beneath the surface--could Verrik be a v'tosh ka'tur who's still "in the closet"? And if so--is this a more common phenomenon amongst Vulcans than is generally thought?
I thought about that too! T'Ser is generally pretty easy going and would likely give Verrik every opportunity to be a team player. However, the first time he tried to get "more Vulcan than thou," she would get in his face and tell him where he could shove his logic! Yep, she's gonna have loads of fun as the new XO! I can hardly wait!
I think I'm noticing a much-more character development oriented bent to this story so far, and I'm liking it a lot. Not that you aren't always excelent at character development, but it seems very focused on that right now. I love the little bit of insight into Ashok's past, and I cannot wait to see where Juneau's psychological travels may take her. Interesting choice for a new security chief. Seems he couldn't be more different from Lar'ragos ... so far.
I too enjoyed the focus on your characters here - especially onthose that haven't had much stage time so far such as Ashok. Juneau is probably one of the most fascinating characters on board and I hope to see much more of her. As for the Ferengi antagonist (if that's what he's going to be), I like how you are playing against stereotype. This is bound to be a ton of fun.
As always a detailed and complex weave of characters and their backgrounds impacting possibly on a mission for the Gibraltar. Excellent segments setting up a lot of conflict and possible cross purposes.
"Let's go jump some Romulans." I love it!! <-- (He's laughing too--only because he doesn't know what's about to hit him. ) I also like seeing a Xindi in a different setting than from Enterprise. And while I'm very glad to see Pava off the ship (think he was too much of a loose cannon that just brought out the worst in Sandhurst), I'm definitely wary of yet another "painfully average" individual on the Gibraltar. Sandhurst needs somebody VERY strong, but also of a steady and not overly ambitious personality, to back him up. Let's hope he can get that, and soon.
I have to agree with the other comments here. Some strong character development going on. I’m interested in seeing how Gibraltar’s new crew mix develops and how they’ll mesh when meeting their next crisis. Also, the other characters you’ve created are intriguing. Looking forward to more!
Just caught up. I echo the praise of just about everyone else. So far, this story is starting off pretty good. I like the different angle-the financial/corporate sabotage thing. I also like the atypical Ferengi Junt, as well as delving into Juneau and Ashok's characters. Verrik seems like an interesting addition. Can't wait to see how that plays out.
I think everyone beat me to the punch, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of Junt. He just seems like fun.
Gravity - Chapter 2 continued Hades' Apex Station, in orbit of Planet Acheron Barisa System Yarliss navigated his way along the narrow corridors that snaked their way through the ceiling-high stacks of cargo modules. He finally arrived at his destination, a cramped island amidst the sea of crates that was occupied by two men and a half-dozen compact cargo cylinders arrayed on the floor. Johannes Kubler and Dwight Savron, both representatives of the Jovian Miner's Guild, squatted next to the cylinders as they examined an array of foreign small arms. Klingon disruptors, Ferengi phasers, Angosian pulsers, and Nausicaan slug throwers all gleamed with newly minted lethality, packed into tight rows within the cargo containers. Yarliss sighed and shook his head, "I didn't think you'd actually do it." Kubler looked up, surprise and annoyance warring for dominance on his features. "I told you to stay out of this." "Fortunately, you have no authority to tell me to do anything," Yarliss replied evenly. Kubler grimaced in frustration and went back to ogling the weapons cache. "I'll expect you to keep your mouth shut about this, Yarliss." "And once again you interpret my disagreeing with you as disloyalty to the union," Yarliss sighed again. "This is foolish, Johan. If Ramirez's security people found out about this, we'd all find ourselves locked up." "That is precisely the point!" Kubler stood suddenly, his face flushed. "We're at the mercy of Ramirez and his armed thugs. If the negotiations break down and he decides to tighten the screws on us, we've got no one to turn to. He controls the station, the transports, even the communications grid." Yarliss rolled his eyes, "Overdramatic much?" He stepped forward and gazed down at the crate of disruptors with barely contained disgust. "Or has that been your plan all along? Are you going to start something with Ch'har and his security goons? You provide the spark that starts the fire so you can blame the inferno on the company after the fact?” Yarliss turned to examine Kubler. The older man’s receding hairline and sallow complexion gave him a bloated, haggard appearance. His usually listless eyes now sparkled with an unsettling enthusiasm as he examined the weapons. Yarliss admonished him, “This is a labor negotiation. Try to remember that.” Kubler’s jaw twitched with tension, “Walk out of here. Now.” With a sad shake of his head, Yarliss complied. He called back over his shoulder, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Johan. At least Ch’har’s uniformed goons know one end of a phaser from the other. You’re going to get a lot of good people killed if this goes badly.” The lack of a reply from Kubler was telling. ***** USS Gibraltar Ashok stood uncomfortably in the doorway to the captain’s cabin, though for once it was not his size in the comparatively narrow hatchway that made his presence at the threshold awkward. Sandhurst looked up from the desk situated just below the outer bulkhead and turned in his chair to face the reticent engineer. “Lieutenant, please, come in.” The Bolian entered reluctantly, then settled onto the couch at Sandhurst’s bidding as the captain rose and moved to the replicator station. “Can I get you something?” “Altair water would be fine, sir” Ashok replied distractedly. Sandhurst returned with a glass of greenish fizzing liquid for Ashok and a cup of his ubiquitous Rigellian spice coffee for himself. “I asked you to my quarters because this conversation doesn’t fall within the confines of official duty, Mister Ashok.” Ashok sipped at his beverage and remained his stoic self as Sandhurst took a seat across from him. “I’ve received a communiqué from the Bolian ambassador, Lieutenant. He’s formally requested that I detach you from your duties briefly to return home.” The enormous engineer choked on his drink and was momentarily overwhelmed by a fit of coughing. If it were possible, he now looked even more uncomfortable than before. He struggled to find a response as he regained his breath. “I... that... I--” Sandhurst waved him off, “You’re a very private person, Lieutenant. I get that. If this is something you don’t want to discuss, I completely understand. However, I wanted you to know that someone is putting some serious pressure on the Bolian government to make sure you get to this... celebration... or whatever it is.” Ashok winced as though in actual physical pain. “It... it is a dedication ceremony of the Tramordian Spire, a trans-atmospheric structure that is part arcology habitat, part space port. My father was the chief designer.” In a purely unconscious reaction, Sandhurst’s face went slack with surprise. “Your father... was Hakaseus of Bolarus?” Sandhurst had studied the noted architect and engineer’s designs while at Starfleet Academy. He had even written papers on the man’s ingenious use of sublimated tri-crystalline lattices in structural engineering. Sandhurst had never picked up on the relation between Ashok and Hakaseus, as the lieutenant’s service jacket contained only a brief, generic biography. Additionally, as the people of Ashok’s ethnicity on Bolarus eschewed surnames, there had been no recognizable familial associations. Ashok shot to his feet and turned his back on Sandhurst in a reflexive gesture of shame and frustration. He walked to the viewport; the bulk of his shoulders blotted out the streaking starscape beyond. “I don’t feel it’s my place to be there, sir.” As he fought the urge to rise to his feet, Sandhurst asked quietly, “May I ask why?” “Legacy,” Ashok answered simply. “I am not the son my father would have wished for.” Sandhurst frowned, “He told you this?” “He didn’t have to,” Ashok replied tightly. Sandhurst found himself perched on the verge of rising from the chair and sat back as he pondered the larger man’s words. “I’m sorry to hear that. It can’t be an easy burden to live with.” The Bolian lieutenant continued to stare silently out the viewport. “I can’t make you return home, nor would I ask you to. If you need an excuse, I’ll tell them that due to the extenuating circumstances of this mission that I need my chief engineer onboard. Given our present orders, it wouldn’t be a lie.” Ashok turned towards him, his face once again a mask of carefully studied control. “I appreciate that, sir.” Sandhurst suppressed a sigh and gestured towards the door, giving his engineer the escape he so obviously craved. “Dismissed, Lieutenant.” As Ashok fled the cabin, Sandhurst reflected mordantly that his new security chief was perhaps not the only Vulcan in his senior staff. ***** Her hands flew across the console as she entered a series of commands and cryptic subroutines that would eliminate this entire input record from the ship’s database. She expertly constructed tiny programming vacuoles that contained customized invasive data worms that would track down and eliminate certain aspects of the holographic psychologist’s expertise. If all went as planned, the holo-shrink’s exploration of Juneau’s memory lapses would be fruitless. Olivia stood from the desktop console and turned to direct a smile at the blank expression on Verrik’s face. He sat on a chair near the door, immobilized, his features even more expressionless than usual. A tiny blinking device was attached to his temple, the innocuous looking thing worked to establish a beach-head of sorts within the Vulcan’s psyche. It was the beginning of a potential home for the Operative, should it prove necessary for her to switch hosts. This was a dangerous proceedure, even at the best of times. However, hiding within the mind of a Vulcan had certain advantages, chief among them being that no one would question his returning to his homeworld on leave. Once there, she could take Verrik to Mount Seleya, to the very place where her unlikely journey had begun. Juneau removed the device from Verrik’s head and patted him gently on the shoulder. “Now, isn’t that better? I think we might be getting to know each other much better in the not-too-distant future, Lieutenant. I might be wearing out my welcome in here,” she said as she tapped her temple playfully. With that she exited Verrik’s cabin and returned to her own before she released control of Olivia Juneau’s body to its rightful owner. *****
Re: Gravity - Chapter 2 continued EEEK! Man, the Operative creeps me out. There's something I'd like to get some more backstory on--exactly what kind of person is willing to become a mental computer virus, and exactly how that was accomplished.
Re: Gravity - Chapter 2 continued "A mental computer virus" now, there's some imagery for you! A small bit but very important , me thinks!
Geez! And just when I thought things were going to settle down a bit on Gibraltar. Poor Verrik - he has no clue what he's in for! You know things are grim when you have to bring a Vulcan XO on board to liven things up! Nice interchange between Sandhurst and Ashok, btw - you've turned the taciturn Bolian into quite an intriguing character! And Hells-a-poppin' on Hades Station! Bad stuff on the horizon, for sure!
This is a situation that can get from worse to catastrophic fast. You're really plumbing Ashok's depths here--a lot boiling beneath that exterior. And as for Juneau...YIKES! A mental computer virus...why do I think this might have come about as a result of some of the research on the Borg? And poor Verrik--well this is what happens when you come on board Gibraltar. If I were T'Ser, I'd check to make sure all my insurance is paid up!
This S31 shadow operative is quickly becoming the most dangerous quasi-member of Gibraltar's crew. And now he/she/whatever is getting ready to body jump like The Thing. Not good. But pretty darn exciting, I say. I too am looking forward to learn more about the operative. The why's and how's and so on.
I really like how you're focusing more on Ashok and Juneau. You're really taking them both into interesting places. Poor Verrik. The man just got onboard and already become a victim.
I second, or third, what's been said. I've always loved the 'operative.' And knowing now that 'it' originated on Vulcan is fascinating (pun intended).
Gravity - Chapter 3, Part 1 Chapter 3 Ferengi brigand ship Prince of Profit The search for the Romulan scout ship had taken longer than expected, but the ensuing battle, if it could be called that, was mercifully brief. The scout had been built with stealth and reconnaissance in mind, not combat. The ship was quickly overwhelmed by the far superior firepower of the D'Kora-class marauder. DaiMon Junt sat comfortably in his quarters as two of his hired hands dragged the semi-conscious Romulan officer into the compartment. Rather than the typical broad-shouldered and severe looking Romulan military uniform, the man was clad in a utilitarian jumpsuit, his rank insignia worn sloppily as if by afterthought. They left him facedown on the expensively plush Denobulan carpet as Junt looked on, drink in hand. He dismissed the mercenaries with a wave and then busied himself with sharpening his teeth until the Romulan came to. Finally, there was movement from the man. "You've looked better, Trivius" The Romulan's response was a low moan, followed by a coughing fit as he tried unsuccessfully to inhale the thick weave of shag beneath his face. "You didn't exactly make it easy for us to find you." There was an edge to Junt's voice, the merest hint of irritation. "I call, you answer. That was our arrangement. When you don't answer, it makes me... cranky." Sub-Commander Trivius climbed to his feet slowly, one hand held to his aching head. He staggered over to support himself on a set of ornate cabinets fashioned from extinct dotha-wood that ran along the bulkhead. He fumbled for a decanter of Saurian brandy and poured a shaky glass full of the bracing spirit. His first draught brought on another coughing fit that finally ceased as Trivius lowered himself into a chair across from Junt. "You might have exercised some patience..." he muttered hoarsely. "I didn't have time to go through the usual song and dance, Sub-Commander. I know you intelligence types love your traditional signs and counter-signs, your delicate little ballets of secrecy, but in my universe time is latinum." Junt looked down and blew across a freshly painted fingernail. "What have you heard?" Trivius waved his hand in the air and gestured to their surroundings. "All this... this mess, this will cost extra. How am I supposed to explain this to my crew, to my superiors?" Junt smiled toothily, "Tell them you were hunted down and captured by one of the foremost privateers in the quadrant. It's a bit dramatic, I'll admit, but it has the benefit of being the truth. I might even give you a portion of whatever ransom the Romulan government chooses to pay for your return." "You've killed me, Junt. That's what you've done. You might as well have simply blown me out your airlock." Trivius took another drink, grimaced, and glowered at the DaiMon. "Captured by a Ferengi? My career is over and my life is forfeit." Junt appeared unmoved. "That's your problem, Trivius, not mine. Would you prefer your superiors discovered that you've been funneling classified information to me for over a year?" Trivius' face darkened, "Not Romulan secrets, Junt. Federation and Tzenkethi intelligence only, I'm no traitor." Junt conceded the point, "Perhaps not, but your indiscretions are enough to warrant a death sentence, should they become known to your government." Trivius brooded in sullen silence as Junt stood and walked around the exquisitely decorated stateroom. The Ferengi motioned to the luxury on display, "Does none of this appeal to you, Romulan? If you brought your talents to my employ, you could live like a king. Instead, you spend your days inside a cramped scout ship, toiling over sensor returns and snippets of decoded secrets. And for what? The greater glory of the Romulan Star Empire?" The Ferengi refilled his glass at the cabinets. "We both know your precious empire is on its last legs. You can either sink into chaos with your countrymen or stay ahead of the curve by putting your skills to better use." As he threw back the rest of his brandy, Trivius sneered, "You speak out of turn, Junt. The empire is forever." Junt turned back to face him; amusement creased his features. "Of course it is. That's why the Romulan government is turning over the Cardassian territory they captured in the war to the Federation and the Klingons. Handing it over, Trivius. Territory purchased with Romulan blood and treasure, and you're simply surrendering it without firing a shot. That's shocking. It's unprecedented." Trivius flushed an ever deeper shade of green. "We haven't the resources to fight a protracted war with Cardassian insurgents. Let the Federation and their misbegotten Klingon lackeys suffer those losses." "If that were the whole issue, I might agree with you." Junt returned to his seat. "However, you and I both know that your government is crumbling as we speak. Certainly, there are a handful of powerful people holding the empire together by their fingernails, but your economy is collapsing, and your subsidized social welfare system for your planet's teeming billions is coming apart at the seams. What happens when the food riots start, eh? Will you send Reman shock troops to pacify your own citizens?" The Romulan stared into his empty glass and said nothing. Junt leaned forward, “You can have more, Trivius, you can be more. The empire will fall, almost nothing could stop that now, but you need not tumble into the abyss along with it. I can get your family out of Romulan territory before the Imperial Navy even realizes your ship has gone missing.” Junt’s gaze was steady, so unlike the darting, evasive nature of most Ferengi. “Join me,” he offered. The other man’s distant gaze appeared to suggest that he was looking into that yawning chasm even now. “No,” he whispered finally. “I may be opportunistic, but I am still Romulan. Come what may, I will face the same fate as my brothers and sisters back home.” Junt nodded once, decisively. “Very well. Tell me then, what have you found out about Aldo Ramirez and his new device?” ***** Hades' Apex Station, in orbit of Planet Acheron Barisa System A phalanx of security personnel pressed through the surly crowd of workers and formed a barrier between the mob and the lone figure of Aldo Ramirez. The main concourse was effectively shut down, as the gathering of company employees had choked the mall area. Ramirez and his retinue pushed their way into the offices of the Jovian Miner's Guild, the union to which most of the company's employees belonged. Awaiting him were lead union representative Johannes Kubler and a host of men Ramirez regarded as little more than obsequious functionaries. Kubler was already red-faced and his agitation was evident. Ramirez set a padd atop the table in front of the man and slid it towards him, "This is all we have on the incident." Spittle flew as Kubler snarled in reply, "This incident, Aldo! This is the fourth disappearance of company personnel in three weeks!" "I'm well aware of that, Johan" Ramirez answered patiently and refused to be goaded. "What the hell are you doing about it?" Kubler appeared on the cusp of an apoplectic fit. Ramirez's unflappable demeanor seemed to press even more of the union man's buttons as he replied quietly, "Ever resource the company can bring to bear is being focused on this. I've even asked the local authorities on the Federation colony for help. They're sending a investigations team out later today to gather forensic data on these... phenomena." "Every resource?" Kubler's voice was drenched in incredulity. "You've just pulled another engineering support team off the line and reassigned them to your particle fountain. The rest of the mining operation is grinding to a halt because of these vanishings, but by God you'll keep that fountain rig fully staffed, eh?" Ramirez shook his head slightly and evidenced grim amusement, "The fountain rig is going to save this company, and your precious jobs, Johan. If we can't bring it online as soon as possible, this whole company goes under. Would you prefer that?" Kubler's only response was a baleful glare. Ramirez continued, "Or perhaps you'd like working for the Chrysalians better? How generous do you think their employee compensation packages would be? Or better yet, the Orions? When they break union strikes, people just up and van--" he tried to catch the errant expression in time, but it was too late. "Vanish?" Kubler finished for him. The union rep's eyes narrowed and his lips pulled in to a humorless smile. "Yes, imagine that. People disappearing without a trace just weeks before contract negotiations begin. Shocking, that." Ramirez, now on the defensive, closed his eyes briefly. "That was a poor choice of words on my part. We're doing everything we can here, Johan, but I need the guild's cooperation on this. If we're exhausting our resources scheming to outmaneuver one another, we'll never get to the bottom of all this." Kubler leaned forward and raised a hand that hushed the flurry of conversation from the union leaders behind him. "Unless 'all this' has been arranged intentionally to throw the Miner's Guild off balance prior to negotiations." The bald-faced accusation was so incendiary that it silenced the entire room as if the atmosphere had been sucked out. Ramirez blinked, and though he appeared outwardly shocked, he was secretly relieved that Kubler's return salvo had just undermined any momentum he'd gained from Aldo's earlier misstep about the vanishings. He chose his next words carefully, "I trust the other union representatives will be more balanced in their outlook?" Without awaiting a reply, Ramirez turned his back on Kubler, "I'll keep in contact as to what the forensics team discovers." ***** USS Gibraltar He had awoke with a start in the middle of the night. It was time. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did just the same. There was no rhyme or reason as to the schedule of things. The reckoning was at hand, and he would find no peace until he had crossed this final bridge. It had been a long time coming. "Company... dismissed." He had given the order quietly, so as not to upset the reverent atmosphere in the cargo bay. The two security personnel on duty about-faced smartly and marched out the exit in unison. Sandhurst was left alone with Ramirez's casket. He regarded the torpedo casing for a long moment before he finally spoke. "I've been avoiding this for weeks, Liana, but it's got to the point where I have to clear my conscience." Sandhurst walked a slow circuit around the casket, his hands clasped behind his back. "I don't know that I'll ever be completely free of what happened at Velkohn, I but I needed you to know I'd reached some conclusions on that score. "I've had a lot of experts crawling around in my head this past year, so many so that I sometimes have trouble telling where they end and I begin. Be that as it may, I've come to the difficult realization that despite everything I've been through lately, I'm still the same person inside. I was worried for awhile that I'd been changed irreversibly by all that's happened, but things are clearer now. " He stopped and stared at the flag draped coffin. Moved by a sudden impulse, Sandhurst stepped forward and placed a hand atop one end of the casing. "I sent you down to Velkohn, Liana. Not just the me that the Baron twisted, not just the me that was still brooding over Lakesh, and not just the me that's been angry at Pava for being a blunt instrument that I'd helped to forge. It was the Donald Sandhurst from before the war, before Gibraltar, and before you. The immutable me at my center. "Had we been aboard the Venture, or the Chevalier, or the Cuffe I'd have sent you down there all the same. The mission was too important to ignore. Pell was wrong about that, and so were you. It was my call to make, and I made it." He had worried about maintaining his composure on the walk from the turbolift, but now Sandhurst found his eyes were clear and his voice steady. "I'm sorry you died. I'm sorry your life and career were cut short, and I know you'd have made a phenomenal captain. But... if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I'd send you anyway. It's the price of the uniform, Liana. We've all been sent into harm's way more times than we can count, and not all of us come back. We both knew and accepted that fact when we took our oaths." He moved back a pace and brought himself to attention. "It was an honor to command you and serve along side you, Captain Ramirez. I owe you my life as well as my sanity, and I know that you wouldn't want me to squander either of those in recriminations about the past. God speed." The doors parted and Sandhurst stepped through into the corridor. He inclined his head towards the honor guard members who now stood watch on either side of the hatch. "Thank you, gentlemen. You may resume your post." His stride down the corridor was strong and purposeful, as if the weight of the universe had just been lifted from his shoulders. *****
Re: Gravity - Chapter 3, Part 1 Beautiful and essential scene here with Sandhurst making his amends. It's the mark of a true captain to accept what has happened and to understand that it was in a way inevitable. It would have been much easier for him to wallow in self-pity over Ramirez's death. I think Sandhurst will actually come out of this episode as a better man and better captain. A real shame that it had to cost Ramirez her life but in the end she died an honorable death. Great segment all around.
Re: Gravity - Chapter 3, Part 1 I agree that this may turn out to be a source of newfound strength and growth for Sandhurst as he deals with this. I literally almost cheered for him at the very end! Ohhh, and I really am liking this Junt guy. Something tells me he would've been a hell of an asset during "The Magnificent Ferengi"--but with his skills, I doubt Quark could afford him!