Lost And Found (JM with USS Sentinel/Peacekeeper)

[Starbase 386 Crew]

<USS Sentinel, Shuttlebay, MD03, 1758>

As reality shimmered back into existence the pair found themselves in a Jefferies tube junction that was now part covered in Borg technology, it looked like the Borg had at least managed to spread as far as this deck, which possibly meant that their journey to the non assimilated part of the ship would be dangerous, if there was anything or anyone left untouched at all.

"I love what they've done with the place... technology meets sheik design. Fabulous!" Rhys quipped dryly.

Samas climbed a couple of rungs up the ladder and tried to open the above hatch, but it wouldn't budge, the manual release proved equally as fruitless, "Damn it, the nearest vertical tube that might lead us to the bridge is on the other side of this deck..."

"Well why didn't you beam us over there?" Rhys looked around apprehensively. "What's the easiest way to get to the other side without crashing the Borg tea party?"

Samas turned to his fellow office and cast a quick look up and down him, ?I thought you could use the exercise...? He shrugged and paused briefly then carried on, ?I don?t know about you but I don?t want to bump into El Borgo in a Jefferies tube so I say we just try and make our way through the corridors, least then if they start to object we can...ya know...run??

"Works for me," Rhys said, following Samas. "Wait a minute, what level are we on?"

Samas stopped as they reached the door to the main corridor, ?Deck 9, section 13, sub-junction 13b, to be precise...?

Rhys swore. "Rhyanna. We have to find my sister. Her quarters weren't too far, but I have to find her." His normal, cheerful demeanour was quickly being replaced with near-hysteria.

Samas picked up on the hysteria and paused before opening the door, ?Ok, we?ll find her, lead the way Monroe...?

--

To be continued....
_________________
Lt. Rhys Monroe
Chief of Flight Control
USS Sentinel
-
as played by
:Trent

[Starbase 386 Crew]

ON: <USS Sirion Bridge, 1740, Day 3>

"I'll check in with her after I contact the Captain," Kilana replied. She turned and tapped her commbadge, "Nira to Lange - the bridge team has some news for you when you get back to the bridge."

"Well, good thing I'm here then," Lange called out as he stepped through the doors on the starboard side of the bridge. He skirted his way around the Borg drone nearest him and headed to where Kilana was standing. "What have we got?"

Kilana looked at her fellow Engineering Officers, then back to James, "We were investigating which systems were assimilated and which weren't... Engineering and Navigation are a complete mess, but Shielding and Weapons are untouched..." She gave him a few moments to allow the news to sink in.

"That's... well... strange..." Lange thought about Kilana's statement for a moment, then a worried look passed over his face. "Do you think that means what I think that means?"

"We have a bad feeling that it may mean that the Borg here are expecting company...another Borg vessel, to be exact," she replied.

"Wonderful. And in this soup we'll never see them coming. How're the sensors. Can we get any usable readings from here?"

Kilana shook her head, "There's too much interference from the nebula and having the ship partially assimilated doesn't help either."

Lange thought for a moment. "So, we can't see them coming, we don't even know if they're actually out there, but we have to assume they are." Just as Lange reached for his commbadge, it chirped at him.

"Sentinel to Lange. Captain, we have a bit of an issue over here," Davenport reported.

Lange felt his blood run cold. It took him several seconds to force the words out of his mouth. "What kind of problem, Commander?"

"Captain, I'm afraid we've been boarded by the Borg. The is no response from Main Engineering and we are reading cybernetic signatures in the area."

Lange swore and drove his fist into a nearby support beam. "Commander, prepare to beam me back aboard. Red Alert. Notify the Malinche of our status and recommend that they keep their shields raised until the issue is dealt with."

"Aye, suh," Davenport replied succinctly.

Kilana froze as she heard Nigel describe what was happening on the Sentinel. Somehow she was numb at the report that there was no response from Engineering, but that would only last until the situation were over... The idea of James going over did not sit well with her though, "I'm coming with you."

Lange looked at Kilana, intent on ordering her to stay on the Sirion, then saw the look of determination in her eyes. He decided not to argue the point. "Make that two for transport, Commander."

"Aye, suh. Standing by."

"Alright, pack up whatever you need and we'll get going. We have some crew to save and a Borg infestation to get rid of, so I don't think either of us wants to dawdle." Lange gave a dry, humorless smile.

She nodded, "Just need to grab my kit." Her kit was still over by the Engineering console, so she walked over there and bent down to collect the tools on the ground. Neither task seemed particularly exciting - both involved the Borg. Standing she turned to Marc (NPC), "See what you can do here and find out if the other part of the team needs any help."

"Of course, good luck Chief," Marc replied.

"And to you." Kit in hand, Kilana joined James, "I'm ready."

"Lange to Sentinel," he said as he tapped his commbadge. "Energize." The Sirion's bridge faded out of view, to be replaced by the familiar transporter room of the Sentinel. As Lange stepped off the pad, the lights suddenly dimmed and flickered.

"Lange to bridge." No answer. "Lange to Bridge, Please respond." Still no answer. Lange turned to the transporter chief. "Check the comm system, would you?"

Kayla (NPC) nodded and tapped at her console. Frowning, she replied, "I'm sorry sir, but the comm system is down."

"Well, that's just wonderful," Lange growled.

"We need to get to the bridge," Kilana said. "There wouldn't be much for us to do from here even if we contact the bridge."

"Let's go, then," Lange said. "Much as I'd love to get rid of our infestation of Borg right away, we need to get communications back up first, or we'll be fighting blind."

OFF:

A JP With:

Commander Nigel Davenport III (NPC)
Executive Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673
As Played by Captain Lange

&

Ensign Marc Coburn (NPC)
Chief Systems Manager
USS Sentinel NCC-74673
As Played by Chief Nira

&

Crewman Kayla Oren (NPC)
Transporter Operator
USS Sentinel NCC-74673
As Played by Chief Nira

&

Chief Petty Officer Kilana Nira
Chief of the Boat & Captain's Yeoman & Acting Chief Engineer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673
_________________
Tony
AKA
Captain James Lange
Commanding Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673
Task Force 22, Horizon Fleet

[Peters]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 6, 1815, Day 3>

Peters acknowledged Akios? estimate with a nod of his head. He was deep in thought about how to keep the Borg drone traceable with all the communications channels jammed in the local area. Something was niggling at the back of his mind about a substance that lit up a sensor screen like a Christmas tree.

It wasn?t Beryllium? Although useful, that particular element appeared quite plain on a normal sensor sweep. It was also rather hazardous to humanoid life forms. It wouldn?t do to capture the drone and give it cancer in the process.

The sounds of movement down the corridor make Peters shove his thoughts aside and look in that direction. He had his hand on his phaser, just in case, when he saw two people in Starfleet uniforms come around the bend in the corridor.

Both wore the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade and the woman immediately asked if they could use some help. After Akios had introduced himself, Peters followed suit. ?Lieutenant Todd Peters, Chief Engineer of the Malinche.?

He briefly outlined Captain Kersare?s orders about the drone, indicating where said drone was standing at an access panel just before another bend in the corridor. Suddenly that thought at the back of his mind clicked into focus. ?Isolinear tags!?

Seeing the others giving him strange looks, Peters decided to elaborate. ?In an emergency a transporter can be configured to lock onto any object or person with an isolinear tag attached to them. If we can rig up a tag to attach to our friend the Borg over there, then when we jam the comm. signals it will be easy for the Malinche to detect him.?

OFF:

[Masterson]

ON: <<Operations Office, 1945, MD03>>

A chirping sound pierced the silence that followed Summers? (NPC) departure and Will set down the padd he had been reviewing to see that his computer screen had just activated. Incoming transmission for Lt. JG William Schulz the computer announced.

?Acknowledged,? Will replied, ?Voiceprint: Schulz-theta-tango-2.? The screen shifted to display the familiar Starfleet logo.

Voiceprint confirmed the computer replied as the logo vanished to reveal the beginning of the message.

?Will,? a familiar voice asked, ?I can?t believe I got through. They said the interference from the nebula would prevent transmission. When I heard that the Sirion had gone missing?well, I feared the worst. You won?t believe the rumors floating around. I?m just glad you?re okay.?

?I?m fine, Jake,? Will replied with a smile, ?I?m aboard the Malinche now. They rescued me from the Sirion a few hours ago.? He saw the boy?s brow wrinkle with concern at this.

?Rescued,? Jake (NPC) asked, ?What happened?? Will thought how to put it the best so as to not scare the boy or spread any more rumors. ?Come on,? Jake prodded, ?I?m a second year cadet now. I think I can handle it.? Will highly doubted that the statement was true, but he knew that he couldn?t lie to the boy, after all they had been through.

?Borg,? Will answered, getting the response he expected, ?They started assimilating the Sirion. I managed to lock myself in my quarters until the Malinche and the Sentinel showed up and rescued me.? It took a moment for the shock to disappear from the boy?s face, but he soon had his composure back. Will had to give him credit; Jake had come a long ways from the boy he had pulled from the wreckage while serving on the Honorio.

?So, what happens now,? Jake asked, ?Are you coming back to Earth??

?We?re still trying to find out what happened to the original Borg ship,? Will explained, not wanting to give away too much information, ?and I?ve asked Captain Kersare if she would allow me to transfer to the Malinche as Chief Operations Officer. It?s not official yet, but I?m sure it will work out.?

?Oh,? Jake said, ?I was hoping I would get a chance to see you when term let out.?

?Well, you never know,? Will told him, ?Next time I?m in the neighborhood, I?ll be sure to let you know.? Suddenly, a burst of static interrupted the signal before clearing up again.

?What was that,? Jake asked, checking his own equipment.

?Interference,? Will said, adjusting his own interface, ?We?re inside of a dense nebula at the moment.?

?Did you,? Jake began, but was suddenly cut off as the channel burst into static and the link was lost. The screen returned to the Starfleet delta and Will sat back in his chair. He jabbed at the control to deactivate the console, then picked up his padd. Pausing a moment, he tossed it back on the desk and turned to look out the viewport. When this was over, maybe he could have Jake come aboard for some space time.

OFF

[Akios]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 6, 1815, Day 3>

Suddenly that thought at the back of his mind clicked into focus. ?Isolinear tags!?

Seeing the others giving him strange looks, Peters decided to elaborate. ?In an emergency a transporter can be configured to lock onto any object or person with an isolinear tag attached to them. If we can rig up a tag to attach to our friend the Borg over there, then when we jam the comm. signals it will be easy for the Malinche to detect him.?

"Yes, sir. That's pretty much what I've been working on," Akios said, "though I don't have all the necessary components, so I'm making do with what's available. Even if Malinche's sensors aren't able to maintain a lock on the drone itself, they should be able to do a proximity transport of the tag's location. They might get sections of bulkhead along with the drone, but the done should make it. I've pretty much got the signal resonator together, but if anyone has any ideas where to get the rest of the necessary components, don't hold back."

He looked down the other direction in the corridor. "I think we need to move on, sirs, before the drone gets any further ahead." Akios wasn't anxious to enter the fully-assimilated section of the ship. As he'd mentioned earlier, as far as anyone on Aurelia knew, Aurelians were among the races that the Borg considered "unfit for assimilation." There weren't that many Aurelians serving on Starfleet vessels, but Aurelia did have its own civilian fleet of vessels. There had been a few occasions where the Borg had captured and assimilated passenger and cargo vessels, and the Aurelians in the crew had been killed or left for dead, instead of being assimilated.

He closed up his toolkit, except for a couple of tools and the parts he was working on, shouldered his baggage and got ready to continue down the corridor.

OFF:

[Quaid]

ON:

<USS Malinche, Transporter room 1, MD03, 1920>

Jack stood in front of a team of assembled security officers and a couple from his department, he had just finished briefing them on the basics of the mission ahead, he had opted to not mention the real reason behind the Captains request that they capture and bring back a drone. He had instead told the assembled masses that they were capturing the drone as it was believed he was the one responsible for assimilating the Sirions computer core and may have information about how to get through some of the encryptions in place.

Not the most foolproof cover story he would admit, but it would make more sense to the crew in front of him than the truth might. He turned towards the door when he heard it open.

Lt. Quaid stepped through the door, his personal Phaser rifle slung over his shoulder and his twin hand phasers adorning his belt. In his hand was a PADD, why he had to find the information on it was beyond him at that moment but he hoped that he'd be filled in soon.

He looked at the assembled team and nodded before looking at Jack. "I see you started without me, good. Sorry I took so long, but the damage to the ship and our location made it a little difficult to download the information you requested," he explained. "Now would you mind explaining why I had to look for it in the first place?"

Jack waiting while trying to work out the best way to explain, ?We?re going Borg hunting, we?re to head to the Sirion, find a specific Borg and drag him back here kicking and screaming...?

"Why a specific Borg?" Quaid's curiosity got the better of him. "What's so special about this one Drone?"

?Oh, they think it could have information in its neural processor about the encryption codes that are locking out some parts of the Sirion's computer.? He lied.

"There's no evidence to suggest that a Drone that carries out an assimilation will possess knowledge that the rest of the collective won't know... I have the evidence right here," Quaid replied as he handed Jack the PADD.

Jack shot Jake a look, a look that said ?I know that but for now play along? and took the PADD, he made a show of reading it before continuing, ?Well I guess we?ll find out for sure. I say we proceed as instructed to be on the safe side, if the drone does keep the knowledge then we have the information we need, if it gets spread across the collective then we can still get the information, win-win right??

"I... guess so," Quaid said reluctantly. They had been ordered to do a very dangerous thing, capturing a Borg and liberating it from the collective was hazardous and full of complexities. The records he had gathered on the subject had proved that, even though the reports on how it was done in the past weren't exactly in abundance.

"My people are preparing the Brig for our 'guest'," he reported. "As soon as we've captured the drone, our best course of action would be to get it in the brig as soon as possible. The forcefields are being modified to emit rotating high energy band frequencies. "Hopefully, this should block the signals being beamed to and from the Drone, essentially severing the connection... but it's risky. The Borg might come after their Done before we manage to sever it from the collective. There's no margin for error."

?Unfortunately there are about 4 pages of possible errors, not just a margin? Jake thought to himself.

?Ensign Firvan here,? Jack clicked his fingers and quickly pointed at the Andorian, which admittedly made the poor ensign jump, ?is our encryption and decryption expert. He?s thinking we might be about to get the communications system on the Sirion to interfere with the subspace link between the Borg, it might not last long but might be enough to stop Billy Borg from calling for help if he catches on?

"Then all we have to do is subdue the Borg. The enhanced strength of the Drone will make that difficult," Quaid stated before pausing briefly. "Do you know our target's original race?"

?Human as far as I know? he replied.

"Perhaps we could use a hypospray loaded with a strong neuro sedative..." Quaid began, his mind ticking over at a mile a minute, "the problem is, the Borg's nanites will seek the sedative out as soon as it gets into the Drone's bloodstream. It'd be rendered unconscious for a few minutes at most."

?And if not I?ll bring a big stick!? Jack joked, eliciting a nervous laugh from some in the room, it was clear many if not all of the assembled could see the danger in this mission.

"Speaking of big sticks, I don't have to tell you how effective our Phaser's will be," Quaid said, talking to everyone now. "Just be careful and remember your training. The Borg adapt quickly to our weapons, so keep cool heads and don't use 'em until absolutely necessary." As he looked around the room, faces he hardly knew looked back at him, but he memorised every face because he wasn't sure if they'd all make it back... he wasn't sure that he'd make it back. That's what made him question the plan they had been ordered to execute. Experience told him that when it comes to the Borg, it's best not to provoke them.

?When we arrive on the Sirion we should try and rendezvous with the engineering team already onboard and co-ordinate our efforts? Jack stated as a means of bringing the current phase of the briefing to an end, any further planning would need to involve the teams already on board.

"Well then, I guess we better get this mission rolling," Quaid explained as he grabbed the emergency medical kit fitted to the wall of the Transporter, opened it, and took out a hypospray and enough neuro sedative cartridges to knock out a herd of African Elephants.

OFF: To Be Continued

A Joint Post by:

Lieutenant JG Jonathan "Jack" Hawkins
Acting Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

[Foster]

[Auxiliary Craft Maintenance Bay One, MD03, 1900 hours]

ON:

?Ok, ok a little farther? got it!?

A loud clank could be heard reverberating off the deck as the bulkhead plate fell into place on the side of the shuttle. Rising from her kneeling position beneath the bulkhead, Chief Petty Officer Tak?lan?ravennik?fos?ter, (or Raven as her friends called her) Shuttle Maintenance Specialist for the USS Malinche surveyed her work with a practiced eye. She nodded once, satisfied that the seams were aligned properly.

?Not bad Chief, though I gotta admit I?ve never seen anyone physically position a hull plate that size with their hands,? came a voice to her left. Turning, Raven smiled down at her assistant, Petty Officer Mikel Garson as he ran a hand through his unruly mop of blonde hair. At six foot seven and nearly three hundred and fifty pounds, there was no one on the ship who could match the Chief for sheer size. That, plus her upbringing on a high gravity world, made normally difficult jobs, such as positioning hull plates, a bit simpler.

Raven simply shrugged. ?It?s heavy, but I like being able to do it manually like that. I get a feel for the position of the bulkhead and I can usually tell if it?s not sitting properly,? she said, nonchalantly, the barest hint of an unidentifiable accent colouring her words. ?Besides, Caroline deserves the best.?

Garson smiled at that. Raven had named every shuttle on the Malinche personally, regardless of their registries. This particular one was named ?Caroline?. The Chief hinted that it was her favourite. Mikel couldn?t quite understand the almost symbiotic relationship she seemed to have with the craft, but he couldn?t deny its existence either. He had seen her perform too many accurate diagnostics without a tricorder to deny her abilities. Some considered her methods odd, but no one on the Maintenance team questioned her abilities. Garson remembered when she first came aboard. The idea of a former Marine in charge of a mostly Starfleet team seemed incongruous at best, and he and the others had feared they would get a hard-nosed ground-pounder. When they first saw the massive woman, the team felt as if their worst fears were coming true. It wasn?t long at all however before they realized how wrong they were. Garson smiled slightly as he looked at Raven now, wearing duty pants, a tool belt, and a black t-shirt with the words: ?Kung-Fu Grrl? emblazoned across the front. Her massive arm tattoos could be seen peeking out from under her sleeves, and her waist length black-with-deep-purple-streaks hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her face (and shirt and pants) sported splotches of lubricant and other substances. Standing there with her hands on her hips staring at ?Caroline? with undisguised adoration, the Petty Officer thought he had never seen a person look happier. Suddenly she turned to him, an eyebrow raised and pale grey eyes regarding him.

?What say we go get some coffee?? she said. ?We?ve still got the refits for Norma Jean and Penelope to do, and that?s gonna take a while, so we should grab a break while we can.?

Garson nodded, checking his PADD. ?Sounds good to me. Though we still don?t have the new phase inducers for uhh? Penelope. Stores told me they were working on it, but?? he trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed.

?But Mr. ?Boorish-dolt-who-thinks-the-Federation-revolves-around-him? is stonewalling us again,? Raven finished for him. She sighed and shook her head. ?I?ll have a talk with him about it,? she said as the pair started to walk toward the turbolift. Raven cleaned most of the lubricant from her face and arms as they walked, pulling her hair out of her ponytail.

?Has Travers ever actually met you?? Garson asked.

The Chief shook her head. ?I?m sure he?s heard the stories, but I can?t say as I?ve had the pleasure. The few times I?ve talked to him, it?s been on the comm.?

Garson chuckled at the shock Travers would get when a 6?7? ?goth? marched into his office wanting to know where her parts were. He knew Raven was never the type to use intimidation with people unless there was no other recourse, but many times she didn?t have to. Some simply assumed she would beat them to a pulp if they didn?t do what she wanted. Those people didn?t know the REAL Raven Foster; The kind, competent, funny, intelligent and gentle person that she truly was. She was ?one of the guys?, more comfortable sitting back in the Enlisted lounge having a beer while watching her newest obsession: the Terran game of football. He wondered idly if it ever bothered Raven that people feared her due to her size.

As they entered the lift, Raven looked at her companion. ?What?s so funny?? she asked, her face alight with amusement.

Garson smiled back. ?Just thinking of the reaction Travers will have when you have a ?chat? with him,? he said after a moment. He watched her carefully, gauging her reaction.

The Chief seemed to focus inwardly for a moment and then chuckled herself. ?Well, I?m not going to threaten him or anything like that. I?m just going to explain in a calm and rational way that ALL requisitions must be met with the same level of efficiency, barring emergency requests,? she said. ?If that doesn?t work? THEN I?ll threaten him,? she added softly and gave Mikel a sidelong glance.

The silence lasted for about four to five seconds before both lost their control, filling the small turbolift with the sound of laughter.

OFF:

OOC: Hi all, I'm glad to be aboard!

[Hawkins]

<Medical Lab, MD03, 1930>

Erasmus Brooker leant forward in his chair and peered into the scope on the desk, he ?mmmm? softly and adjusted the magnification before peering again. After another ?mmmm? he reached for a PADD that was next to the scope and entered his findings, so far they hadn?t been good, he knew Starfleet medical had tried thousands of tests on Borg nanoprobes over the years and knew he was unlikely to make any important discoveries in a small lab on a combat ship but felt like he should be doing something.

He was contemplating what to try next when he heard the door open...

Britney (NPC) opened the door to the Medical Lab as quietly as possible, ?Sorry to disturb you, sir, one of the nurses told me I could find you here.?

?Hello!? He said enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face, ?What can do I do for you? Crewman...??

A little surprised at the happy greeting, she replied, ?I?m Crewman Britney Liras, sir, Captain?s Yeoman. She was wondering how things are coming along in Sickbay.?

?Nice to meet you Britney, I?m Doctor Brooker? He bowed his head slightly. ?The main rush has finished now, most of the rescued personnel were in a fairly good condition, mostly just cuts, bruises and malnutrition, I don?t care what they say, those emergency rations aren?t a patch on a proper meal.?

Britney gave a small smile, ?Counselling?s been a bit busy I believe though. What are you working on now??

?Oh the usual, trying to work out some way to stop nanoprobes, or at least slow them down. Once upon a time they?re were susceptible to omicron radiation, but it appears they?ve adapted to that now, I?ve been trying various other forms of radiation but so far no luck? He sighed.

"One of the Borg drones from the Sirion will be beamed over," she said. "So you'll likely have an opportunity to work on your theories." The Captain hadn't gone into too much detail about the drone and would be done with it, but Britney had a feeling there was something important about it.

Erasmus gave another ?mmmm? before continuing, ?Are sure that's safe? Oh yes, and why??

"I'm not entirely sure, sir. I just know that that's what is happening," Britney replied. "I don't mean to pry, but I'm curious...do you have other ideas that you'll be trying?"

?Well I guess that all depends on what they might want me to do with this Borg, at which point I?ll try and work out exactly what to do, there are few tried and true methods for dealing with them.? He picked up a 2nd PADD, ?I?ve already pulled up various notes, including those from Phlox on the NX-01, Dr Beverly Crusher and the EMH onboard Voyager, I?m hoping some of their methods might produce fruit.?

Britney nodded, "If I knew, I'd certainly let you know, but right now I only know that one will be brought aboard. And we'll probably try to save some of the Sirion crewmembers that were just recently assimilated..if that's possible." She paused, searching her memory of the manifest, "Have you been on the Malinche long?"

Erasmus checked his watch, then realised he was sure why he was doing so it wouldn?t tell him, it was more a force of habit than anything else, ?Since the ship left the Starbase, I was assigned to provide backup, given the...unique...nature of your mission, the powers that be decided you might need some extra medical staff. Yourself??

"Ah, good thinking on their part. I joined the Malinche after their last mission...they were on my planet, Direidi, and I wanted to go with them. The Captain spoke with my parents and the leaders...and now here I am," she smiled. "Is there anything you need for your lab or Sickbay?"

?Aside from an interior decorator and the big book of Borg cures you mean?? He smiled, ?I?m fine thank you crewman?

"Of course Doctor. I don't want to hold up your work, but if you do find you need something, please let me know," Britney said. "It was nice meeting you, sir."

?Likewise crewman, have a lovely evening.? He smiled once again before returning to the task at hand with renewed determination.

-----

A Jp by

Crewman Britney Liras (PNPC)
Captain's Yeoman
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

played by

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And introducing


Lieutenant Commander Erasmus Brooker[PNPC]
Doctor

played by

[Kersare]

ON: <Bridge, USS Sentinel, 1920, Day 3>

Lange gave the aft console a savage kick out of frustration and suddenly it lit back up like a Christmas Tree. "Finally! Give me a status report on the communications systems."

The young woman at Ops tapped a quick command into her panel and nodded. "Ship to ship arrays are functional. Intraship systems read functional above Deck 9. No readings below that. Sir, we're being hailed by the Malinche. Captain Kersare requests our status."

"Wonderful timing that woman has," Lange said before ordering, "On Screen." The screen flashed from the view of the blurry swirl of gases outside the ship to a view of Captain Kersare. "Captain, I'm sorry to say that the Sentinel has been boarded by the Borg. We currently do not have control of our Environmental systems and have no contact with anything below Deck 9. I have to assume that Engineering is overrun."

<Bridge, USS Malinche>

Isabel blinked. Of all things, that was one she hadn't expected to hear...especially the first words out of James' mouth. She was a bit surprised to find that she didn't know what to say...somehow 'Sorry about your ship' didn't seem quite appropriate. "How would you like to proceed?"

<USS Sentinel>

"As it stands, Captain, there's not a whole lot of options. The Sirion's Chief Medical Officer has been working in my sickbay to develop nanites that can retard or possibly reverse the assimilation process. Ideally I'd like to give that a test run on Borg that weren't originally Starfleet Officers." Lange sighed. "Unfortunately, we only have my ship and the Sirion."

<USS Malinche>

"True. You may want to try the Sirion - I imagine most of the ones on your ship were originally StarFleet officers... Is there anything you'd like us to do?" Isabel watched the other Captain on the viewscreen.

"Ma'am, the away team is getting ready to beam over," an Ensign informed her.

Isabel nodded and waited for James' reply.

<USS Sentinel>

"Keep your eyes open for Borg ships," Lange replied somberly. "The first Borg on my ship had to come from somewhere, and I don't think they came from the Sirion. And that means there's another Borg ship in this nebula somewhere. I hate to think about it, but they could easily be within our transporter range and we wouldn't be able to see them."

<USS Malinche>

"If they're there, why wouldn't they have attacked us already?" Isabel didn't like this new turn of events. They really didn't need anything else going wrong... "I just sent an away team of Intel and Security/Tactical personnel to the Sirion to assist with the Borg there. Luckily there don't seem to be too many, overall, but even a small number are bad. Have you scanned your ship to get an idea of how bad it is?"

The situation seemed to be getting worse and worse... And now they were dealing with two Borg-infested ships rather than just one. Not to mention the possibility of a Borg vessel.

"Ensign Stone (NPC), scan the area for Borg vessels," she ordered.

Anthony nodded and tapped at the tactical console in front of him. It took a couple minutes for the readings to come back - the interference from the Nebula slowed things down. "Nothing that our sensors are picking up, ma'am...but we wouldn't necessarily pick up anything in the nebula anyway, considering."

Isabel nodded, "See if Ms. Sovak can do anything to boost readings or suggest a different sensor setting."

<USS Sentinel>

"Sensors went down around the same time as communications did," Lange replied. He looked over at Ops to check if that had changed, but merely got a shake of the head in reply. "Still off-line."

<USS Malinche>

Isabel turned to Anthony, "Scan the Sentinel for Borg, Mr. Stone." She wasn't entirely sure how accurate the readings would be, but something was better than nothing at all.

"Yes ma'am. Scanning," he replied, tapping at the console. After half a minute, the readings came back. "Captain, it seems there are about twenty-five Borg on board. But if some crew have recently been assimilated, they might not be coming up in my readings yet."

Definitely not good... That was nearly the same amount that were on the Sirion - and the Sirion was a smaller ship, so it was easier to find them. "Captain Lange, we're reading about twenty-five Borg on board the Sentinel presently."

<USS Sentinel>

"That's not as bad as I'd feared... at least not yet," Lange said quietly. "Thank you Captain. I think I'd better get down to sickbay and see if we can't save some people from assimilation."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Captain James Lange
Commanding Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

and

[Peters]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 6, 1815, Day 3>

Peters quirked an eyebrow at Akios' suggestion that they move and then looked to see the Drone moving around the bend in the corridor. The Drone then stopped with parts of its arm popping in and out of view as it completed its assigned tasks. "Right... we'll move around that bend about ten to fifteen meters. We don't want to go too far in case that Drone decided to come back this way right after we set up camp."

Akios nodded and moved gingerly ahead, stepping as if he expected the deck to attack him. After moving ahead the indicated distance, he got back to work on the tag.

Mikaela (PNPC) nodded to Jon (NPC) in the direction of the drone. After making a slightly pitiful face, he reluctantly moved forward after Todd. Kit in hand, she followed suit. She wasn't quite sure why exactly they were even attempting this, but orders were orders... Luckily the corridor seemed fairly deserted other than the one drone, so perhaps it wouldn't be as dangerous.

Once Akios had his equipment set back down again, Peters looked around the corridor section they were in. He then looked at Breland. "Lieutenant, would you mind finding the EPS junctions feeding power to this section and
preparing a way to cut off flow through these bulkheads? Last thing we want is the edge of the transporter causing a plasma leak."

"Aye sir," she said. Setting down her kit she turned to Jon, "Help me find the junctions." This time he didn't argue, likely because it was something to do that would take his mind off of things. Mikaela's eyes scanned over the section...no junction. "Next one."

After taking off three panels, Mikaela and Jon finally found an EPS junction. "Alright, hold on. Let me take a closer look.... We got one. There should be one more on the other side, let's find that then we'll work on cutting off the flow." Moving to the other side, Mikaela started prying off the first panel, which nearly slipped out of her fingers. Luckily she caught it, and then eased it to the ground. Looking at the exposed area she said, "Okay, here's the second one."

Peters moved next to Akios as Breland and Waters went to work. "Alright, Ensign, if you're on top of the Isolinear tag, what should I do to get these Tricorders ready? We want them to emit a broad-band signal on all known subspace frequencies, right?"

"No, sir, they need to isolate the frequencies that have the least interference from the nebula, and broadcast the jamming signal on those frequencies. The interference that's already there should take care of the rest. You just need to configure them to scan continuously for clear channels, and then start transmitting the jamming signal.

"OK, I can do that." Peters picked up one of the tricorders and a small spanner. He sat down on the deck and propped his back up against the wall, taking a moment to get comfortable, and then popped open the tricorder's casing and started making adjustments to the circuits.

After a moment Peters snapped the case back shut and activated the unit. He then started tapping commands into the tricorder while whistling an old tune to himself. Peters had always enjoyed tinkering.

"So, to cut off the -" Mikaela began...until Jon suddenly interrupted.

"We're all going to die! Why was I ever put on that ship? Mother was right...I should've just stayed home. Those...things...they're all over and we'll never get off this stupid ship and.."

Shaking her head, Mikaela ignored him as his outburst quieted down into thankfully silent fear. "Now, to cut off the power, all we should really have to do is essentially break the circuit. No circuit, no power. Of course, the only ways to break the circuit would be to shut one of the breaker valves or actually turn off the power. The Borg would likely
either have control of the power itself or would certainly notice something happening to it. But she could perhaps write a program that would shut the breaker valves on her command.

Jon edged closer to her, "What are you doing?"

"Writing a quick program to shut those breaker valves to cut off the power flow to this section," she replied. It was something any first year cadet would do, and it was quick and dirty, but it would get the job done. "Take a look."

Half listening to the Sentinel's engineers chatter, Akios said, "If you come across a non-assimilated rectilinear expansion module, could you pull it for me?"

Mikaela turned back as she heard Turuas'ta speak, "I'll keep my eyes peeled, no promises though?"

Jon leaned over her shoulder to look at the program. It did look pretty simple, but seemed like it would do what she said. "Should we test it?"

"Could be a good idea, though I wouldn't want it to draw any extra attention to this section. So maybe we should wait until we're closing to being ready overall," she replied.

Nodding, Jon wandered back over to the first panel they'd taken off ? this side of the corridor seemed to be less assimilated than the other side. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted what seemed to be the rectilinear expansion module the ensign spoke of. Moving closer for a better look, Jon took out his tricorder. No Borg signatures. Ensign, I found one for you."

Akios came over from where he'd been working and took a look. "That will work," he said, safed the panel, and pulled out the module. "Thanks. I'll be able to get the tag together in a few minutes now."

Mikaela turned and raised an eyebrow. At least Jon seemed to be calmer now that he had an immediate task. Hopefully he'd be able to remain that way... "Lieutenant, how soon will you be ready? Is there anything else we're waiting for?"

OFF: To be continued....

JP brought to you by:

Ensign Turuas'ta Akios
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Chief Petty Officer Kilana Nira
Captain's Yeoman, Chief of the Boat, Acting CEO
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

and

[Kersare]

<<USS Malinche, Ready Room, 1930, Day 3>>

With the Away team safely, for the time being anyway, off to the Sirion, Isabel had retreated to her Ready Room. The situation was getting worse and worse... There was a big possibility that anyone that could be saved would end up on the Malinche, unless they were able to pull out a miracle and save one or two of the other ships.

On top of that, she was out a Chief of the Boat... Due to Tupalov's uncooperative and destructive nature, she'd had him removed from duty and in the care of one of the ship's counselors and a nurse - though she doubted it would do much good at this point.

For the time being though, she needed someone to take his place. Very few enlisted personnel on the Malinche had the experience to do so, but a recent transfer - Raven Foster, who'd joined them at Starbase 289 - seemed to be promising. Hopefully she'd be willing to take on the position. Isabel tapped her comm badge, "Kersare to Chief Petty Officer Foster - please meet me in my Ready Room."

Raven emerged from beneath a shuttle and stared at the ceiling for a minute before responding. "Aye Captain, I'll be right there. Foster out," she said, puzzled. She turned to see her team gathered around, looks of amused puzzlement on their faces.

"Ooooooooo!" they chorused, sounding like a group of gradeschoolers teasing a classmate who had been called to the Principal's office. "Looks like the Chief's in trouble already!" said Crewman Losinsky, the resident 'comedian'. The small group dissolved into chuckles just as quickly when they saw the look n Raven's face.

"Funny guy Losinski," she grumbled. "In fact it was so funny, you can finish Norma Jean's refit. By yourself," Raven added with a smile, enjoying seeing the grin drop from the crewman's features. The others surreptitiously backed away from Losinski, as if wanting to distance themselves from his punishment. "The rest of you jokers have got work to do, so move!" she roared, smiling as they scurried back to her work.

Turning on her heel, Foster made her way to the bridge, not bothering to change into a duty uniform. As far as she knew, the boss needed to see her right away, and it wouldn't do to keep the Captain waiting. She checked her hands to ensure they weren't covered in lubricant. The mechanic wore duty pants and an amply-equipped toolbelt, as well as a black t-shirt that had the words 'I know Kung Fu' written in stylized letters across the front. As the lift made its way to the bridge, for the first time Raven wondered what the Captain could possibly want to see her about. She has served on Starfleet vessels before, and had never actually met the Captains of any of them. As the lift doors opened, Raven stepped onto the bridge and nodded at the duty officer, choosing to ignore the look he gave her. Spotting the Ready Room, the young woman made her way across the bridge, silently ignoring the stares she was getting from the bridge crew, and rang the chime.

Isabel looked up from the PADD she'd been reading, "Enter."

Raven stepped into the nicely furnished room and on sight of the Captain, snapped to ramrod attention.

Seeing the woman she assumed was Raven, Isabel stood and extended her hand, "Chief Petty Officer Foster?"

For a split second, she didn't move, unused to such a greeting. After a moment however, Foster snapped out of her instinctive Marine training and smiled, extending a hand to the Kersare. She nodded in confirmation. "Reporting as ordered Captain."

"Nice to meet you, Chief," Isabel replied. "Please, have a seat." Sitting down, she waited for Raven to do the same before continuing, "How are things going in the Shuttle Bay?"

Raven watched this woman with curiosity and for the first time allowed herself to wonder why she was here. "Not too bad Captain. I've got a good team," she said. Suddenly a thought came to her. "Captain, if this is about Travers in ship's stores, it was a simple misunderstanding. He was stonewalling us on parts, and I decided to be a bit more... persuasive." Silently she made a note to wring the little twerp's neck for reporting her little 'prank' to the Captain.

Isabel's brow furrowed in confusion, "No, Chief, Travers hasn't said anything to me... I'm guessing by now you're aware that Tupalov has been removed from duty?"

Raven nodded, silently relieved and a touch embarrassed. "I heard. I never had the... pleasure of meeting him, but I heard the stories," she said honestly. "Has a new CoB been chosen?"

"Yes and no," Isabel replied. "I know who I'd like to have, but don't officially have one yet." She paused for a moment, finding what she hoped were the right words, "Chief, you've not been on the Malinche long, but you've done very well thus far and your team looks up to you, from what I understand. I think you can bring that team mentality to the enlisted crew overall as well. The Chief of the Boat position is yours, if you'd be willing to take it."

For a long moment Raven stared at Kersare, her mind racing. If the Captain had said she was about to give birth to a three-headed mulzhare she wouldn't have been any more shocked. When the young woman regained her voice she said. "Captain I... Thank you... I don't want to appear ungrateful, and my answer would be yes, but you are aware of my background right? I'm a Marine by training. My team and I get along fine, but how will a Starfleet crew react to a CoB who is just a GROPO in a new uniform?"

Isabel listened to Raven's concerns - in truth, she'd wondered the same thing herself. "I understand your hesitation, Ms. Foster. However, you are qualified for the position. Your team has accepted you and respects you - I'm sure the rest of the crew will as well. I think your marine training will actually turn out to be an asset for you in this position. No matter who I chose as Chief of the Boat there would be an adjustment period - I think you'll win them over in short order though." She paused, allowing Raven a chance to take in her words.

The young woman sat in silence, bringing her thoughts into focus. It was an honour to be sure, and she had few doubts as to her ability to do the job. The crew would be the question.

"If you'd like some time to think about it, that's fine. To be honest, I think things are going to get even uglier rather soon on this mission and I'd feel better with a Chief of the Boat in place, so if possible I'd like an answer in the next few hours," Isabel replied. She hated to put extra pressure on the woman, but it was the unfortunate truth.

Raven stood at full attention. "Captain, I've never been one to turn down a challenge. I wasn't originally trained to wear a Starfleet uniform, and if I'm to be honest, in my heart I'll die a Marine, but I will do all I can to earn the respect of the crew and the right to wear a Starfleet uniform," she said, looking Kersare straight in the eye. "...as the Chief of the Boat."

Isabel smiled, "I'm glad to hear that Chief - I'm sure you'll do wonderfully." She rose and extended her hand, "Congratulations Chief."

Raven smiled and shook the Captain's offered hand. "Thank you."

"Are there any questions you have?" Isabel looked at Raven.

"No questions, but I do have a suggestion if I may," Foster began. "When you tell the crew, be completely honest as to my background. If there are any 'problems', I'd like to deal with them sooner rather than later."

"Of course," Isabel replied. "I don't want to keep you from your work, but if you need anything I'll likely be here or on the bridge."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Chief Petty Officer Raven Foster
Shuttle Maintenance Specialist & CoB
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

[Hawkins]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 6, 1930, Day 3>

Peters snapped another Tricorder closed and looked around. What was taking the Security goons from the Malinche so long, he wondered. They'd been lucky so far in that the Borg drone hadn't moved from his position at the bend in the corridor. He almost seemed to be regenerating, but he was facing the wrong way and there was no alcove in sight.

A scraping sound from down the corridor caught Peters attention and he looked back down the corridor again in time to see a group of Starfleet officers, led by Lieutenants Hawkins and Quaid, coming around the next bend. "It's about time," he called out. "We were about to try and get this done by ourselves."

"I wouldn't have recommended that," Quaid replied as he opened his left hand and showed Peters the hypospray, "not without having this handy anyways."

"Plus Ensign Derrin here really wants some snaps for his photo album..." Jack said prompting everyone to look round at the Intelligence ensign who by now had a shocked look on his face and was unable to think of a way to respond.

Mikaela (PNPC) looked at the new arrivals, raising an eyebrow. She felt slightly better now that an actual armed away team with weapons training was around. Not that she didn't have any training at all with weapons, but she'd rather stick to what she knew best. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jon (NPC) - still looking rather nervous.

"What's our situation," Jake asked, his free hand resting on the grip of his type II phaser.

"Hmm, let's see..." Peters looked around. "We're on a Starfleet ship that's been partially assimilated, there are Borg nearby, and the Captain wants us to capture one of them... Specifically that one." Peters pointed at the drone in question.

While the others were talking, Akios opened the casing on the expansion module. Some circuit splicing, and he had converted it into a signal compressor. Some more work, and he had attached his newly-built resonator. Pulling the power cells from the remains of his magna spanner and coil resonator, he connected them into the device. Akios took the non-modified tricorder he had and did a minimal-power scan of the device. It appeared to work; the tag created a strong bounce signal that his tricorder picked up easily.

"I think it's ready, sir," he said to Peters. "It won't stand up to much rough handling, but it should hold together long enough to get the job done."

"Thank you, Ensign." Peters looked back at Quaid, who still seemed a bit dumbfounded by his response. "That should mean we're ready to go."

"I always say, if you're intent on doing something stupid its best to ready first..." Jack interjected shaking his head slightly at the whole state of affairs. He was having a hard enough time getting his head around it all, and he knew the full story, he wasn't sure how many in this group knew why this specific Borg was so important.

"Okay, I want a standard sierra four defensive pattern in this junction," Quaid told his security team, who immediately took up positions by each entrance to the corridor junction, the most important corridor being the one in which their target was currently situated. After checking his hypospray one last time, Quaid pulled his phaser from its holster and proceeded to walk steadily toward the Drone. "I think it's time we go introduce ourselves to our neighbour."

Mikaela raised an eyebrow and felt her muscles tense up. It was amazing how tension rippled through her in muscles she'd forgotten she had. As the Security/Intel team moved closer to the drone, she felt the anticipation building and the adrenaline ready to flow. Jon, next to her, had broken into a sweat. Luckily he seemed too afraid to go into hysterics. Gripping the PADD with the jamming program so tightly her knuckles began turning white, she turned to Jon and whispered, "Be ready..."

Nodding, Jon's eyes remained locked on the team approaching the drone. Why oh why was he here? He should've just stayed on the Sentinel and out of this awful, Borg-infested hunk of metal. His nerves didn't need this. Desperately he wanted to close his eyes and open them again to find that he was safe at home.

As she watched, Mikaela kept her finger ready to shut off the power in the area. All she was waiting for was the signal. After that, it was up to the others...and she hoped that it would go smoothly, without requiring an emergency transport for the rest of them... For a brief moment, her mind wandered to Kilana on the bridge of the Sirion - did she know what was going on? They hadn't had contact in the past few hours - was she even still on the bridge? Shaking her head, Mikaela knew she didn't have time to consider the possibilities - she had to focus on the task at hand.

The sights, sounds and smells of the corridor brought back memories of the hours of simulations Jake had to endure. While this ship wasn't originally Borg, it was hot, humid and smelt very much like a Borg ship, synthetic yet dank.

Akios watched the drone closely as Quaid approached him. His avian eyes let him see much more detail than human eyes could see at this distance, at least for the parts of the drone that weren't obscured. He put his tricorder away, to have a hand free to reach for his phaser if needed. In his other hand was the transport tag. It would be best to put the tag somewhere near the centre of the drone's body mass; the small of the back would probably be best. That way if they had to do a proximity transport, the tag would be centred. On the other hand, maybe he should try for the drone's head, since that was the most irreplaceable part...

Not that he wanted to be anywhere near a drone to begin with...

Jake reached out, his hypospray in hand, and was about to press the device to the ghostly grey flesh of the Drone's neck when it turned toward him rapidly, its cybernetic arm slamming against Quaid's chest. Jake flew back several feet, winded and somewhat dazed by the drone's rapid movement. The worst part was, the hypospray had slid from his hand. "Damn!"

Instinctively Jack hands shot to his phaser then back to the drone, aiming the emitter at the drones chest, he should have shot, his training had taught him to shoot, but he couldn't, not knowing who the Borg was underneath. Instead he aimed off to the side, sending a blast straight in front of the drone and into the wall, sparks showing for the collision and causing the Borg to take its eyes off Quaid, "Yoohoo..." he said quietly to himself.

Peters' first instinct had been to keep his head down until the drone was incapacitated. Then all hell seemed to break loose and he thought better of it. Keeping his head down might be the quickest path to assimilation. He shot out one sarcastic remark as he started moving. "Remind me never to attend any parties you plan, Lieutenant."

Jon's eyes widened to the point he was surprised they didn't come right out of his head. Watching the series of events unfold he froze, unable to move, unable to scream. Part of him wondered if that was what it was like to be drone and he shuddered.

Feeling a death grip on her arm, Mikaela looked over at Jon who was staring intently at the drone and Jake. "Ah-hem," she said, raising an eyebrow. Nothing. Shaking her head, Mikaela firmly removed the young man's fingers one at a time from her arm. It was no easy task ? something like that silly game of making sure your hand was on top. Not that she didn't like games - the PADD fight on the Hale came to mind - but this was neither the time nor the place. She had to keep her eyes and mind focused on the task at hand so she'd be ready to cut off power.

Still somewhat dazed from the Drone's punch, Quaid looked around frantically before saying, "We need to find that hypospray!" And then, he saw it. It had fallen behind the Drone! "There!" he growled, pointing at the tool.

Diving past the drone and Quaid, Peters scooped up the dropped hypospray and tossed it back towards Quaid's outstretched hand. He didn't wait around to see if Quaid managed to catch it or not, as the Drone had swung its attention suddenly towards Peters, apparently seeing him as the most immediate threat. "First it's parasitic aliens that want to steal my body and imprison my mind... now it's Borg... I don't see much of a difference..."

Quaid's fingers wrapped around the grip and he immediately jumped to his feet, albeit shakily. The Drone was almost on top of Peters, so Quaid charged at the cyborg, growling at it as he did so and used his full weight to push the drone to the ground, between Todd's legs.

"Bundle..." Jack said quietly to himself before he leapt on to the drones legs helping Jake to keep it pinned down.

As the Drone tried to get back onto his feet, Quaid struggled to press the hypospray to its neck. Its arms kept getting in his way. It's assimilation tubules began to flail around like a pair of vipers, trying to bite at their prey. "Peters! Kick it in the face!!!"

"Do WHAT now?" Peters exclaimed as he tried to scramble away from the drone.

"I SAID KICK IT IN THE FACE!!!" Quaid growled as he continued to struggle with the Drone.

Peters didn't like where this was going. But he also wasn't much of a soldier. With little other option, he did that Quaid asked and kicked the drone squarely in the jaw with his boot heel.

Success, Quaid pressed the hypospray to the cyborg's neck and activated the device. An audible hiss sounded, and a few seconds later, the Drone had stopped fighting and was unconscious. Getting to his feet, he offered Peters a hand up "We've got to get moving, his friends are probably on their way."

Akios finally moved in, and attached the transport tag to the drone's stomach. "The jamming should keep them from knowing what we're doing, sir. They might investigate the jamming, though." He stepped back, away from the drone. "OH, kark... I hope Malinche is able to scan this. With the jamming, we have no way of telling them we're ready..."

Jack was dusting himself off, checking to see if he had ruined yet another uniform. "Well I..." he was interrupted by a clang from down the corridor, it was followed by another, and another, he was beginning to thinking the jamming might not have been as successful as he had hoped. "Ok, that's not good..."

Seeing the drone subdued, Mikaela quickly pressed the button and cut off power to the area. A couple seconds later, the drone was bathed in a swirl of blue as he was transported to the Malinche - apparently they had been able to scan the area as Akios had hoped. Hearing the clanging she returned power to the area and turned to the group, "Maybe we should find a new place to play..."

OFF

A JP by

Lieutenant Todd Peters
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

Ensign Turuas'ta Akios
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

Lieutenant Jacob "Jake" Quaid
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And

[Tupalov]

ON: U.S.S Malinche. Enlisted Mess. 1940. MD3

Marco sat staring angrily into his now cold coffee as if it a) was at fault, and b) held the answers.

'Ah well' he thought to himself miserabley. He had a picture of walking down some Risian beach enjoying his retirement, assuming that cow of a Captain didn't get them all killed. At least Lange seemed to have some balls. Maybe it was a man thing, Marco had never particularly agreed with female or even female-ish CO's, it just didn't quite...'go' - 'sexist' was the label given to him. But of course it was 'socially acceptable' to have an opinion that cut the grain, but to disagree with the consensus on something, like female CO's, Cardassians and Jack Hawkins breathing...oh then you were sexist, you were racist you were...Hawkinsist... well no that was stupid, you had common sense.

Maroc mused how the arrogant bastard would soon be gloating over Marco's 're-assignment' as it had been worded. Word was the young Lieutenant was over on the Sirion. The musing swiftly turned to an assimilated Hawkins and Marco smiled, stood up, crossed the room and removed the CoB staph from the wall. He felt it in his hands for a few moments, lightly tossing it and rotating it. He would have to 'present' it to the new CoB soon.

He slowly made a motion of hitting a ball with it, bassball or whatever it was called, before dropping it to his side and walking out the mess and down the corridor to the CoB office. He whistled to catch the attention of at least one of the young lads that were milling around the corridor, he pointed at one of them who then pointed at himself and mouthed 'me?'

"No the snowman behind you..." Marco replied, thereafter mumbling some expletive in Russian. Marco motioned for the guy to follow him as he walked down the corridor, reaching the door to the office in a few moments.

"Hold" he said, passing the staph to the crewman, said crewman looked confused and Marco grabbed back hold of the staph and slammed it into the door, the crewman let go. "There" he said, waiting for the lad to take the staph back and hold it against the door.

Marco stepped backwards and levelled his phaser at the ceremonial object, firing, the crewman instinctively let go of the staph - it was funny, Marco hadn't actually given a seconds thought to the guy losing his hands, moreso he realsied after he had let go that it would have been enough time anyway, as the phaser beam would hit target before the guy could move out the way.

The beam struck the staph and instantly heated it to a glowing, throbbing red along with a good size chunk of the door behind it. Removing his finger from the firing stud, Marco holstered the phaser and continued on to the turbolift, knowing it would be only half an hour or so before the two sets of molten metal cooled and the staph became permantly 'presented' to the new Chiefs office door.

"Shove that up your arse and wiggle" Marco muttered as he stepped into the lift. "Shuttlebay"

OFF:

A grouchy return by:

[Starbase 386 Crew]

[Starbase 386, Lower Promenade]

ON:

Infinite diversity in infinite combinations. As she wandered through the bustling Promenade, Commander Kris Masakari wondered, not for the first time, if the Vulcans had perhaps foreseen a place such as this. The new Executive Officer of the USS Peacekeeper never ceased to be amazed by the sheer variety of life within the Federation. She looked down at her small companion, the littlw girl who held her hand, pale blue wings swishing softly as she walked. Kris couldn't help but smile at little Aya. As a hybrid of two nearly unknown races, and (so Masakari had been told) a genetic impossibility, the young girl represented the very ideal of IDIC.

As though sensing Kris' gaze, Aya looked up and smiled, her ice blue eyes staring sightlessly upward. After a moment, she crinkled her nose. "This placew feels strange," she said finally.

Kris pondered that for a moment, stopping at a nearby replimat so they could sit down. She had become used to statements like this, though rarely knew how to respond. Aya's innate 'sense' of people and theiur motives gave her an insight that most culd only dream of. A place as diverse as this must be like walking into a room where everyone is speaking at once -- just a din of sensations. "Well Starbase 386 has a big population," she began. "You're sensing a lot of different races, like the Ferengi over there, and the Ventaaran couple across the way, and--"

"That's not what I mean," Aya said suddenly. She sat for a monent in silence, and Kris knew the little girl was trying to articulate what she was sensing. "It's not the people, it's the place itself," she said finally. "It makes me feel... yucky."

Kris supressed a smile at her young ward's choice of words, partly because she knew Aya was being quite serious, and she didn't want Aya to feel patronized. She looked around at the hybrid design. The basic structure was that of a Cardassian Nor-class station, much like Deep Space Nine, but the consoles and interactive surfaces were entirely Starfleet. It made for a jarring combination visually, so Kris could only imagine what it would be like for Aya, sensing its 'psychic footprint' as a Betazoid friend had called it. Giving Aya a steady look she said, "Are you going to be ok?"

The young girl thought for a moment and then nodded gravely. "I think so, but I might meed a joom-ja stick just to be sure," she said. "We don't want to take any chances."

For a long moment Kris stared at Aya and then finally could hold her frown no longer, dissolving nto laughter. "You're going to turn into a joom-ja stick!" she said with a attempt at mock-disapproval. "Come on you, we wouldn't want you to suffer." The two moved toward a nearby stand that sold the sugary treat, still laughing. The sound blended into the pleaseant cacophany of voices on the Promenade.

OFF:

OOC: Hi all just a brief intro of your new XO and her 9-year old ward Aya. (Just to clarify: Yes she's blind and has wings) More to come, and it's great to be here!

Commander Kristianna Masakari
Executive Officer
USS Peacekeeper

Aya Masakari
Provisional Chief of Smiles
Joom-ja stick Quality Control Officer
USS Peacekeeper

[Hawkins]

<USS Malinche, Brig, MD03, 1940>

?How?s this Sir?? The engineer asked as he finished positioning the biobed.

?That?ll do ensign, but make sure there's enough space to get around the bed on all sides.?

Erasmus had moved to the brig where an engineering team was converting the cell area into a temporary sickbay, ordinarily he would have opposed such a decision but given the unique and dangerous nature of the patient he was willing to concede on this occasion.

While medical teams and some engineers were working on installing the diagnostic and surgical gear there were security teams and more engineers working on install dampening fields, back-up force fields and all manner of other things whose purpose was lost on the doctor.

The makeshift medical bay would be somewhat underequipped but he was doing his best to get everything he might need sent down from the main sickbay, there was anxiety in the room and he imagined in the whole ship, this whole mission had caused tension and now they were going out of their way to engage the Borg. He was involved and he still wasn?t sure they were doing what Vulcan?s would call the ?logical? thing.

While many were worried about the security, he was more worried that he might not be able to help the poor soul who would be beamed over, the short lead time hadn?t given him much time to research in depth and he yet to formulate a genuine theory on how to proceed.

He took a step back and out of the way as two medical technicians entered the brig lobby with a crate and placed it on the biobed, ?Surgical equipment for you sir!?

Erasmus took a breath and walked to the crate to inspect the contents...

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


Lieutenant Commander Erasmus Brooker
Doctor