Mission 12: When In Rome

Posts for the USS Malinche's missions

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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2671Post Kersare
Fri Sep 04, 2009 7:54 am

ON:
<<Counselor's Office, 1224, Day 4>>

Though it was only a few minutes at most, the time spent waiting for Captain Kersare seemed to drag on for Nora. The tension in the room was certainly palpable, and there was little that could be said since 'Caleb' had declared he would prefer to answer to the Captain alone. Settling into her chair for the wait, she did her very best not to dwell on the disturbing thoughts 'Caleb's' little revelation had inspired.

Alexis still didn't trust this...whatever...to be as truthful as she would like. Hopefully, having the Captain here would help.

Having rushed to Nora's Office, Isabel hurried inside, Jason right behind her. She'd assumed that it was regarding Caleb (NPC) and the possessions on board the ship. Isabel slowed slightly and glanced back at Jason before entering the room. Inside, Nora was seated at her desk; Alexis and Caleb were also seated, but seemed to be warily regarding each other. Apparently that portion of the questioning hadn't gone so well.

Jason wasn't sure what was going on but the wayward looks the two officers were giving each other led him to believe that it had something to do with the strange happens that had been going on.

"You asked for me?" Isabel said, addressing Nora for the moment. Technically Nora hadn't asked for Jason as well, but he was the Executive Officer and at this point she trusted him and trusted that he was not possessed
.
Rising swiftly from her chair, Nora had moved to meet Isabel and Jason at the door. "Yes, Captain. Thank you for coming so quickly." She turned slightly towards Caleb, inclining her head in his direction. "Caleb Corrin, or at least the former Starfleet officer currently inhabiting his body, has requested to speak to you," she said by way of a very brief explanation, having very few of the facts herself.

Isabel raised an eyebrow as she turned to face "Caleb", "I'm listening."

Alex hesitated slightly - this wasn't how it was supposed to be. Yana should certainly be here, at the least. Looking at the Captain, he said, "Based on what the Counselor has already said, I'm guessing you also realize some of what's happening. I have already confirmed for Ms. Rho and Ms. Zeral that there are indeed lifeforms aboard this vessel and that I am one of them."

Alexis spoke up from her chair, never taking her gaze from Caleb. She wanted to judge his reaction to her statement. "Lifeforms that are allegedly former Starfleet Officers," added Alexis. "However, that has yet to be confirmed."

"What proof can you offer that you are Starfleet?" Jason asked. He didn't really like the direction the conversation was already taking. Way too many lifeforms had used the Starfleet officer ruse before.

Alex turned to the Executive Officer, "I don't know what kind of proof I can give you that would satisfy you, sir. I was an Engineer prior to my death, but I only have StarFleet Engineering knowledge that even some other species might have; I didn't have enough clearance for more "top secret" information." He paused, then continued, "Obviously I know enough to have been able to do my duties in Engineering while inhabiting Caleb's body, though. And I assisted in the effort to get us away from the subspace rupture."

"I want to believe you but you have to understand our hesitation in the manner," Jason said, looking at Isabel. "Things like this tend to end very badly for those aboard."

"How many of you are there," Isabel asked him. Hopefully if she started with some simple questions, he would get more comfortable and share more.

"About a half dozen, ma'am," Alex replied.

One thing Alexis liked was being a living lie detector. His movements and emotions indicated he was telling the truth...to her dismay.

From her position near the door, Nora remained silent and aware, feeling marginally relieved that they at least had a somewhat solid number of the lifeforms aboard the ship. Now all they needed was a reason for their presence and, even more importantly, to find a way to free crew members like Caleb and Emily.

Jason arched an eyebrow at that comment; they were being pretty respectful and candid. Then again, he reminded himself that there were many other instances where the same things were said. He wouldn't allow himself to relax until he was sure there wasn't a threat to the Malinche. The lifeforms willingness to answer questions prompted Jason to ask another question. "Why didn't you come forward right away?"

"We've tried several times before this to get the attention of a StarFleet ship. At first, we could only move small objects, which didn't get our point across. Last time we tried and told the Commanding Officer sooner, the results were...not so good. Besides, we were getting settled into those we were inhabiting, had to deal with the subspace rupture, and we felt that if we started the ship back in the right direction, the Captain might be more inclined to help us," Alex said.

"She probably would have been more inclined to help had you been more honest," Jason stated narrowing his eyes. "Are you ones that tampered with our systems? Because that was very unfriendly like."

Isabel watched him quietly a few moments before speaking, "What is your name?"

He turned, looking her in the eye, "Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand, ma'am."

As soon as the man gave his name, Isabel caught Alexis' eye - this was something she could confirm. Well, at least the Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer could confirm if someone with that name had ever existed and served in StarFleet. Really though, they didn't have much time for that - they needed to get to Ivor Prime. "And what ship did you serve on, Mr. Dormand?"

Alexis nodded toward Isabel, confirming that the entity was telling the truth concerning his name. She had still been searching, or listening to, the outer edges of his thoughts. Any standard research would take too much time.

Alex remained silent a few moments before replying quietly, "The USS Rome."

"The Rome?" Jason asked. As far as he knew that ship had disappeared exploring the Taevon Expanse. Maybe there was some truth to what he was saying.

"Yes sir," Alex replied calmly.

"Isn't that the ship that disappeared? Last I recall they called off the search due to tensions with the Elyshan Empire."

Alexis tapped her combadge, “Rho to Derrin (NPC).”

“Derrin here,” he replied.

“Get all the recent information Starfleet Intelligence has on the USS Rome and it’s disappearance in 2383. And I want a crew roster available immediately. Just contact me when you have it and I’ll run some names by you.”

“I’ll get right on it, ma’am.” Derrin (NPC) replied. “Derrin out.”

Alexis turned toward the XO, “Sir, if we can get the names of the other entities, I can confirm if they were indeed crewmembers onboard the Rome as soon as Ensign Derrin gets the ship’s roster from SFI.” She knew a little about the Rome, but that was it. Starfleet Intelligence had been tasked with gathering any pertinent information concerning the disappearance and cataloging what Starfleet had found. One of her compatriots had been pulled from his normal duty for an infiltration mission to gather that pertinent information. That’s how she knew.

"Sounds like a good idea," Jason agreed.

Alex listened quietly as the Officers spoke. He had no idea what had happened in the rest of StarFleet and wasn't sure who the Elyshans were. Not that it mattered... All he knew was what he had experienced.

At least this partially would answer the question of what had happened to the Rome for StarFleet. Isabel wasn't sure how comforting it would be, though. "Since you're here, I have to assume that the Rome isn't simply 'disappeared' at this point."

Nodding, Alex replied, "Correct, Captain. We were damaged pretty severely while going through the asteroid field; our sensors were offline, shields were down to 31%...we were pretty much blind and defenseless. From what the others tell me, we were also drifting. Another asteroid hit us and...well..."

"I think we all know what happened from there," Jason stated. "You’re sure it was an asteroid?"

"Yes, it was definitely a collision," Alex said.

"I’m just saying that with as close as we are to Elyshan Empire it's not entirely unbelievable that they may have had something to do with it? If we do decide to venture back in there we should be extremely careful captain."

Isabel nodded thoughtfully, "We will certainly be careful, Lieutenant. However, I seriously doubt it was the Elyshans. They were still unknown to us at that time; I'm not an expert, but I don't think it would have been possible."

"What is it you want from us, Mr. Dormand?" Isabel turned back to him, raising an eyebrow.

He took a deep breath before replying, "Ma'am...we were able to launch a log bouy; it contains the information we collected during our mission." Alex's eyes turned to the floor for a moment, "I know by now they may be obsolete, but it would mean a lot to us, to the crew of the Rome, if it could be delivered to StarFleet - to complete our mission. And...our families. While it's certainly not happy news, we don't want to leave them wondering what happened."

“You want closure for yourself and your loved ones,” Nora commented, nodding slowly. Glancing at Isabel and Jason she added, “I’ve heard of cases with some similarities to this, but never to this degree. Though it sounds somewhat morbid and surreal, it does make some sense.” She turned her attention back to Alex, tilting her head quizzically. “If and when you are able to accomplish such a thing, will you and the others leave your...hosts?”

Alex nodded, "Absolutely. We have no intention of permanently inhabiting their bodies; this just seemed the best way to be able to communicate."

Alexis’ commbadge chirped. <i>“Ensign Derrin (NPC) to Lt. Rho.”</i>

“Rho here.”

<i>“I have the USS Rome’s crew roster in front of me, ma’am. Ready whenever you are.”</i>

Alexis looked at her commanding officers, waiting for a nod from one of them.

Jason turned toward the nearest display. "Alright go ahead."

Instantly names began to scroll down the screen. Jason scanned down the list, finally locating the name of the man that appeared to be inhabiting the other officer. He appeared to be telling the truth; at least in the respect that there was a Starfleet officer that had that name.

Isabel turned to Alex and handed him a PADD, "Names of the others?"

Gingerly Alex took the PADD and inputted the names of the other five Rome crewmembers. As a gesture of good faith, he added a little more information before handing it back to her, "Here you go, ma'am. I also included their ranks and positions on the Rome. ...And I added the names of your officers they were inhabiting the last I knew. They may have moved to someone else by now though."

Taking the list from Alex, Isabel said, "Thank you, Mr. Dormand." She glanced through the list, raising her eyebrow slightly. Jack's name was on the list, as was Emily's. Isabel gave the list to Jason so he could check it against the list of Rome crewmembers.

Alexis thought she had done her job pretty well, considering Lt. Grayson hadn’t been there for the whole ordeal. She did look forward to giving him the report once she had been released to do so. Of course there was that little exchange with Alex earlier. But she was an Intel officer; it was her job to be suspicious. And in this instance, she was an interrogator…that was her job. Hoping for no hard feelings was not her way of things. As the only junior officer in the room, she faded into the background and let the senior officers decide Alex’s fate and whether to go back for the log buoy.

Isabel watched as Jason checked the names against the list of crewmembers from the USS Rome. Seeing him nod that that had checked out, she tapped her comm badge, "Kersare to the Bridge, prepare to go back into the asteroid field."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Nora Zeral
Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant Jason Barrett
Acting Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand (NPC)
played by Captain Isabel Kersare

and
Image
Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2674Post Kersare
Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:11 am

ON: [[Main Bridge, USS Malinche, MD04, 1345]]

Will sat in the center chair, staring at the viewscreen with a slightly confused look on his face. "You want to do what," he asked, wondering if he had heard the captain correctly.

<Corridor>

"Go back into the asteroid field," Isabel repeated over her comm badge.

<Bridge>

"That's what I was afraid you said," he muttered under his breath at the captain's reply. He looked again at the asteroid field before them. It was still a fine ribbon of dust from this distance, but within the next five minutes, Will was certain it would be much bigger than that. Whatever had made the captain leave the bridge in such a hurry had evidently precipitated this decision, but the reasoning still eluded him.

"Aye, ma'am," Will replied after a moment's hesitation, "We should be reaching the field within the next five to ten minutes. Shall I hold position?"

<Corridor>

"Yes, for now. Lieutenant Barrett, myself, and a...guest, are on our way," she replied. Isabel glanced over at Alex (NPC) and nodded for him to continue.

"You aren't going to throw any more surprises our way, are you?" Jason asked, looking at Alex.

"I've already told you everything I know," Alex replied. "If there are any surprises, they aren't something I or the others came up with."

<Bridge>

Will shook his head in bewilderment. Here they were, back where they started and, except for whatever new information the captain might have obtained, completely in the dark.

Peters stepped onto the bridge, rubbing one eye. He yawned, then took another drink from the coffee mug that may as well have been attached to his hand. Walking towards the Center chair, Peters stopped just to the left and looked at Schulz. "Did I sleep longer than I thought or are we running out of officers that are awake?"

"The captain left me in charge of the bridge," Will explained, "She and Lieutenant Barrett wanted to check something, I guess"

"Right," Peters said, taking another drink of coffee. "Well, I’m here to help out, Cap’n Schulz."

Isabel walked onto the Bridge, Jason and Alex slightly behind her. She noticed Jack, well, Yana already on the bridge. "Report."

"We've arrived at the edge of the asteroid field, ma'am," Will said, jumping out of the center chair, "I've ordered the helm to hold position here."

Isabel nodded, "Thank you Lieutenant."

Alex glanced over at Yana. The other man already knew that they'd been discovered and would assume that Alex had already told them everything.

Turning to Alex, Isabel said, "Do you have coordinates as to where we should be searching?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am," he said nervously. "I was busy in Engineering trying to work on repairs while we were in the asteroid field. I don't know the exact coordinates." Alex looked at Yana - if anyone, he might know where to look.

"Umm, if I might make a suggestion, Captain," Peters said as he looked at the screen. "My memory of the past 36 hours is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to remember that the first indication of trouble we had in engineering occurred at about 0230 yesterday morning. Perhaps we should head to where we were then and start our search from there?"

Will slipped into his position at Ops and immediately set to work. His hands danced expertly across the console, pulling up the current sensor sweeps. Still, there was a lot of interference from both the asteroids and the odd EM field that had given them trouble the last time.

"That's as good a place as any," Isabel replied. Taking a seat, she scanned through her logs to find the position Todd was speaking of, "Flight Control, I'm sending you the coordinates of our new heading, when you're ready, let's start with half impulse power and bring her up to full impulse power." She didn't want to take any chances on hitting an asteroid...

At this same moment, Kaylee entered the Bridge from the aft turbolift, if a little short of breath. She had just come straight from her discussion with Aaron Steele in Stellar Cartography. Not wasting anytime, she quickly made her way to her console and relieved the Junior Officer in charge. As she slipped into her seat, she looked at Will, who was seated next to her on Ops. "Will," She said. "Lt. Steele and I think the sensor interference you're gett'n is coming from Polaric Radiation- this expanse is riddled with high concentration of polaric ion energy. You might need to recalibrate the sensors."

Surprised, Will made a few adjustments to the sensor display. Sure enough, there was polaric radiation in the mix that may have been sufficient to interfere with the readings. A few simple adjustments and the interference from the polaric radiation was minimal. "Thank you, ensign," Will said briefly as he continued he search sweep. The EM radiation was still giving him a problem and he glanced over his shoulder, hoping to hear something from the captain that might give him a better idea of what he was looking for.

Kaylee turned in her seat, to face the Captain and the XO. "Capt'n, ma'am, permission to speak? I think the Chief of Science and I found out a few interesting facts..."

Isabel raised an eyebrow, "Go ahead Ensign."

Kaylee rotated in her chair, so that she could face the Captain full-on. "I was down recalibrating the Nav Sensors, and Lt. Steele told me that his initial scans picked up a high concentration of Polaric Ion Energy." She licked her lips, and continued. "It's no secret that Polaric energy is extremely unstable- like a monkey near a prox mine. The Federation won't go near its research, it's too darn unstable, it causes subspace disturbances. Its presence explains the subspace rift that we had to just outrun. It explains why so many ships go missing in this Sector."

Quietly listening to the Ensign, Isabel nodded, "Go on."

Kaylee nodded. "Well, another offset from Polaric Ion Energy is that it plays blinkers-and-pretty-lights with your Sensor array. Captain, if the person responsible for rewriting our Nav Array wants us to head back into the Asteroid Field, I can't stress how dangerous it'll be."

Peters frowned as the Flight Control Officer spoke. Yes, polaric ion energy was nasty stuff to deal with, but it certainly didn't fully explain the sensor issues they'd been having, nor did it cover a lot of the problems ships reported having in this sector. While it could explain the anomaly, the anomaly could just as easily explain the polaric radiation and ions. Stepping over to the Engineering console, Peters pulled up the current sensor readings and a map of the local area of space, while keeping one ear open to the discussion going on behind him.

Isabel replied, "That's exactly what they want and it's exactly what we're going to do - we're already entering the field. We know the dangers, but it still must be done." She glanced over at Alex.

After listening to Lauren, Alex slightly rolled his eyes. It hadn't been any Polaric energy that had played with the Malinche's sensor array or other systems - it'd been them. Not that going back into the asteroid field wasn't dangerous - any asteroid field was certainly not the safest place to be, but a good Flight Control Officer could handle it and as long as they monitored the polaric energy, they'd be fine.

Seeing the expression on Alex's face, Isabel addressed him, "Something to add?"

"It wasn't polaric energy that caused issues with your sensor array and other systems, ma'am. It was us. I won't lie and say it's not dangerous to go into an asteroid field - everyone knows it's risky," Alex replied, shrugging. "And you already know why we're here."

Peters could tell, though he wasn't sure how, that that wasn't WO2 Corrin speaking with Corrin's voice. The "us" comment piqued his interest, but he could get answers after he figured out exactly what was what in this asteroid field.

Kaylee frowned. "Us, sir?"

Jason could see that it might be time to start explaining things to the rest of the crew. You only had to look at the faces of the bridge crew to see that they were completely confused as to what was going on, as far as they knew everything that had happened was the result an equipment malfunction.

Alex glanced at the young woman who was, apparently, a Flight Control Officer. He looked back at Isabel, wondering if he should respond.

Isabel shook her head slightly, "It'll be explained later, Ensign, in the debriefing. For now, suffice to say that we know what happened to the USS Rome and are going to retrieve its log buoy." Right now they needed to concentrate on getting to the coordinates, finding the buoy, and retrieving it. That warranted their full attention, which she didn't want to muddy with a lengthy explanation of what they'd found.

The mention of the USS Rome clicked something in Peters' brain. They hadn't returned from a survey mission, but on their outbound trip they'd sent back several reports and some detailed charts of parts of what was now called the Taeveon Expanse. That part happened to coincide with the area the Malinche had been forced to detour into by the ion storm.

"If we’re worried about the asteroids I suggest that we reinforce the shields, we could pull power from the secondary impulse reactors and shunt it too the shield generators," Jason stated. "That should shore them up against any asteroid impacts and stray radiation leakage."

He knew that technically speaking that wasn’t something that was usually done on a starship; mainly because you risked the chance of blowing out relays throughout the entire ship and causing a feedback loop that could seriously damage both systems. Although given their situation, he really didn’t see that they had much choice.

Will gave Hawkins a glance over his shoulder. The man's suggestion was sure to keep him and Lt. Peters up half the night replacing a dozen relays and repairing the affected systems. Somehow, Will had a feeling that "Mr. Murphy" was playing cruel tricks on them again.

"With due respect, Lieutenant," Peters said as he turned around, "I'd rather not do that at this point."

"I know its risky but we may not have any other choice," Jason responded.

At this, Will looked to the captain. It was her decision and, since he wasn't sure what was going on here, he figured the safest course was to default to authority. Like others, he'd heard the story of the USS Rome, even researched the official record before their mission. How it had a connection to the EM radiation that was scrambling their sensors and the odd behavior of the crew, he had no idea.

"Yes sir, however, that's not my objection. The Polaric Ion readings and the radiation emanations are concentrated int he direction of the Subspace fissure that we so recently escaped from. I don't think we need to worry about that, and I believe Ensign Kaylee should be more than capable of avoiding any asteroids large enough to penetrate our shields." Peters looked around and saw that most eyes were on him now. He took a gulp of his coffee to steady his nerves, then continued, "My main concern with this asteroid field is the pulsar at bearing 119 mark 3. It's emitting massive amounts of EM radiation, which will mess up our sensors more than Polaric radiation ever could. It's not the asteroids we need to worry about, it's our own blindness in parts of the field where the asteroids, due to either lack of mass or different composition, don't block out most of the EM radiation."

Seeing the strange looks Schulz, Barrett, and Kaylee were giving him, Peters shrugged. "I was a stellar cartographer and a Chief Science Officer long before I was an Engineer."

Kaylee looked at him. "The high Schiller Rating doesn't necessarily concern me, sir. I'll get the Malinche to dance around those asteroids- as long as I can see 'em, of course."

Isabel gave a brief nod to Todd; his background in Science had come in handy it seemed. The EM radiation would also explain difficulties in pinpointing some of the issues they ran into. As the attention turned back towards her, Isabel addressed the current bridge crew, "Let's continue on to the coordinates I gave. I want Science to be ready for adjustments to sensors and Engineering and Operations should have repair teams standing by. Also, Mr. Peters, you might work with Mr. Hawkins to see if there's anything that can be done to increase our shield strength while we're here."

Kaylee nodded. While it was obvious that the Junior Staff were being kept in the dark- for one reason or another- she knew better than to go against the Chain of Command. It was obvious there was some extraordinary, or paranormal, explanation to all the happenings on this mission- which discounted the scientific and practical explanations that she and Steele had come up with.

Kaylee slowly turned back in her chair back to her conn. She inputted the coordinates that the Captain had forwarded to her console. "Confirming last orders, Capt'n. Ahead, half impulse power, aye."

OFF: Alrighty everyone, I'm going to start a JP about retrieving the log bouy, so while we work on that, feel free to post about anything leading up to that.

JP brought to you by:

Ensign Lauren Kaylee
Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Will Schulz
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

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

and

Lieutenant Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand (NPC)
played by Captain Isabel Kersare

and
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Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Steele
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2676Post Steele
Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:23 am

On:

ON: [[Stellar Cartography, USS Malinche, MD04, 1345]]

After Kaylee left, Aaron found himself staring at the star charts, momentarily lost in his own thoughts.
"Computer display last known course, heading, and track of the USS-Sentry."

As he had expected, it showed them heading towards the Tolente region of space and then abruptly ending; apparently the area where all contact was lost with them. He than realized he forgot to include the information from the Tempest which the Sentry was tracking.

"Computer display last known course, heading, and track of the USS-Tempest; overlay it with that of the Sentry"

The last leg of both ships was the same although the Sentry disappeared about one-hundred kilometers beyond the Tempest. There were no storms or anomalies reported in the area which could have accounted for the disappearance but then again much that region was still unexplored. Attempts to access information about either ship were restricted to what was public knowledge which only served to add to the mystery. Once the Malinche's mission ended, Aaron still had a few contacts in SF Intel that might be able to help but until then he could do no more.

Bridge

Arriving on the bridge at the end of the conversation, Aaron was able to hear the Captain's instructions.

"Let's continue on to the coordinates I gave. I want Science to be ready for adjustments to sensors and Engineering and Operations should have repair teams standing by. Also, Mr. Peters, you might work with Mr. Hawkins to see if there's anything that can be done to increase our shield strength while we're here."

"So does the Captain agree that the polaric radiation is a likely cause?"

The Snr. NCO at science II shook his head as he proceeded to explain what had just occurred.
"…Apparently whatever is going on is on a need to know basis and those who don't already know don't need to know until after the mission is over. Lt. Corrin said 'they' were to blame but didn’t elaborate. If you ask me, we may have a severe security breach."

Coming from a more junior officer and under different circumstances Aaron would dismiss the statement as groundless paranoia. However, this time he was inclined to agree.
"If that's the case, all we can do for now is our job and keep this to a trusted few. Inform Dr. Trout of what has happened but tell no one else."

As the enlisted officer left, Aaron turned his attention to the task at hand.

Off:
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Lt. Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Kersare
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2681Post Kersare
Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:42 pm

<<Bridge, 1400, Day 4>>

Once the ship got started again, Britney (NPC) watched Isabel head over to her Ready Room. Slowly her eyes drifted back to Caleb (NPC). What he'd said had unnerved her a little - what exactly was going on? She'd told Isabel her thoughts on Caleb acting differently, but since then things had been a blur.

Britney hadn't had an opportunity to speak with Isabel and she was growing more concerned. A nagging feeling was pulling at her from the pit of her stomach.

Suddenly he looked at her and she quickly averted her eyes. How long had she been staring? Her cheeks flushed.

When she finally stole a glance back in his direction, she was startled to see that he was nervously making his way over to her.

Caleb/Alex slowed as he neared her, stopping a few feet in front of her. "Ms. Liras?"

Britney was a bit surprised at his formality, "You know you can just call me Britney - I told you as much before."

"It's not proper decorum on the bridge," he replied, his voice growing softer.

Considering his explanation, Britney finally nodded - they'd never both been on the bridge at the same time. Speaking of which..."You aren't usually on the bridge, Caleb - er...Warrant Officer Corrin."

He smiled slightly, "No, I was usually rather busy in Engineering."

Britney was about to speak when she paused, "Was?"

"I think I've said too much....Captain Kersare will explain everything later, like she said," he told her. He turned to walk away, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

She couldn't be sure, but something told her she should ask, "Are you Caleb?" Britney had lowered her voice, so only he could hear her.

His face softened, "I'm sorry Britney, for everything. You'll understand soon, I promise. Just know that what you feel is real and everything will be fine very soon."

Confused, Britney frowned slightly, blinking back a traitorous tear. "But..." She wasn't sure what else to say. "Caleb" gave her an encouraging smile before walking away, over towards where Nora had just taken a seat. More confused than ever, she sighed, taking a seat in an unoccupied chair.

OFF:

Warrant Officer Second Class Caleb Corrin/Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand (NPC)

and

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

played by:
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Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Zeral
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2689Post Zeral
Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:17 pm

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Bridge, 1402, Day 4>>

Nora had made her way to the bridge a few minutes after Captain Kersare and Lieutenant Barrett had left her office with Caleb/Alex, taking a moment to collect her thoughts over the recent possession-related revelations. Although extremely relieved that they at least had some answers, she still wished that she had only caught on sooner, acted more quickly.

Taking her seat beside the Captain’s chair, her eyes were drawn to Caleb…Alex…as he moved to speak with the young woman Nora recognized as the Captain’s yeoman. Though she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could read their body language well enough. Her heart went out to Britney; the poor woman likely didn’t know yet that Caleb was not really Caleb at this moment.

But as Alex turned away from her and came closer toward her own seat, Nora realized that the conversation must have been just as confusing and uncomfortable for him as it had been for Britney. Acting on impulse, she turned in her chair to quietly address him. “Caleb? Are you all right?”

Alex (NPC) frowned as neared the Counselor's chair. Glancing over, he noticed her looking at him and realized she'd called him by...well, the other person's name. "I suppose so, ma'am.."

“Hmm,” Nora murmured, unconvinced. Glancing around to ensure they were mostly out of earshot, she turned back to Caleb/Alex with a sad smile. “You don’t look all right,” she told him frankly, hoping her smile softened her words.

"Well, I feel bad for Britney - she doesn't realize what's going on and thinks Caleb's been treating her this way," he began with a sigh.

Nora felt a pang of guilt at his admission. Before learning the reasons behind Alex’s possession of Caleb, she’d felt almost hostile towards him, or at the very least, fearful of him. It was all too clear to her now that with or without his own body, Alex was in essence only human.

“You’ve been distancing yourself from her. Under the circumstances, it seems like the right thing to do,” she concluded aloud. “She may not understand now, but I’m sure she’ll understand once you…well, once Caleb is Caleb again.”

Alex nodded quietly, "She's a good person, I think she'll understand..." His voice trailed off as his thoughts wandered.

Watching him closely, Nora let her thoughts wander as well. After a few moments of silence, she carefully asked him, “Was there someone special in your life? Someone you’ve had to leave behind?” It was dangerous ground she was treading upon, and she knew it. But if Alex and his companions were looking for closure, Nora was willing to take a gamble in an effort to help him.

Bowing his head, he nodded silently. Several moments later, he finally replied, "We've been striving for this for a few years now...but now that it's here... I'm sure Julie knows, deep down, but I won't get to actually say good-bye. Well, ma'am, I'm afraid of what's next...I don't know what will become of us."

Unbidden, tears filled Nora’s eyes. It was a poignant statement that Alex had just made, and though she wished she could assure him that he had nothing to fear, she simply didn’t know if she could. “I believe you’ll be happy,” she finally told him, voice choked with emotion. “If you were to stay in the state that you’ve been in… Well, I think that would be far more frightening. You’re supposed to go on, Alex.”

"Yes, I know..." Alex smiled wistfully, "It's ironic...we spent our lives exploring the unknown, but now that the ultimate unknown is here, we're reluctant to go forward."

Blinking rapidly to banish any lingering tears, Nora nodded slowly. “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” she smiled back. “I don’t know if this would help, but if you like, I could contact Julie. If there’s anything you wanted to tell her, I could tell her for you.”

Alex smiled at the counselor, "I would certainly appreciate it ma'am. Her name is Julie Dormand - the last I knew she was Assistant Chief Medical Officer for the USS Visionary. Tell her...tell her I loved her with all my heart; that I'll always be with her and tell her I want her to be happy."

Nora committed his message to heart, her smile growing as she nodded again. “I’ll tell her exactly that, Alex. You can count on me.”

He smiled, feeling more at ease after speaking with the Counselor, "Thank you."

OFF:

A JP brought to you by:

Warrant Officer Second Class Caleb Corrin/Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand (NPC)

Played by:

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

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Commander Nora Zeral
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Discovery

Post: # 2693Post Kersare
Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:22 am

<Bridge, 1428, Day 4>>

Isabel emerged from her Ready Room, having been notified that they'd reached the specified coordinates. She made her way past the Flight Control Console and arrived at her chair. A little too anxious to sit, she stood behind the chair instead.

Jason took note of the captain's apparent uneasiness to sit down. Then again he wasn't the picture of calm himself, although it appeared that the man inhabiting their crew members body really didn't mean any harm, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up every time that he even thought about it. He settled instead for leaning on the operations station as Will worked his magic.

Her eyes moved around the room, noting how full it was at the moment. Nora had taken a seat in the chair designated for her or the Mission Advisor and Alexis was at the Mission Ops console. Caleb/Alex (NPC) was still on the bridge - staying fairly close to Nora. Britney (NPC) was there as well, glancing over at Caleb. Emily and Jack...well, those who were inhabiting them, were also present. "Any sign of debris from the USS Rome?"

Aaron still wasn't sure what all was going on, but hopefully the information retrieved from the Rome would help explain things. He looked up from his console at the Captain's inquiry. " I believe we have found the debris field. However, finding the log buoy is a whole 'nother issue. We could try and pick up the transmitter but I'm not sure it's still working."

"Initiating sensor sweep," Will announced from his station, "Expanding the search pattern." Following standard procedure for such a search, Will had established a specific pattern that would enable them to efficiently check every area with accuracy.

Isabel nodded, waiting to hear the results. She hoped they would find the debris and bouy soon - the sooner they did, the sooner the possessions would end and they could be on their way...

Jason glanced at the display; still nothing. Looking for the log bouy among all the constantly changing back drop if radiation and other interference was going to take time and time was something that those in Ivor Prime didn't have in abundance. There sensors were good but even as good as they were it was taking more time then he would care to admit. It was then that a thought occured to him; it was a long shot but it just might work.

"Captain," Jason said, turning toward Isabel. "I think that I might have an idea that could cut down on the time it will take to find the bouy."

Isabel looked over at Jason, raising an eyebrow, "What is it Lieutenant?"

"They're called whiskers, or at least thats what I think they are called. Maran Naval vessels use them in deep water environments to get hyper accurate readings by cross polarizing an inverse graviton field. Pretty much anything and everything shows up. If we launched two probes and programmed them to stay to the fore port and starboard side of the Malinche, we could do the same thing. In theory the bouy should stick out like sore thumb."

Alexis stopped what she was doing long enough to consider the idea. If this actually worked, she would have to remember it for future use, thinking specifically of the old beetle depot for Intel gathering purposes. Yeah…if she could just acquire a few Class 10 Long-Range Multi-mission Probes, hide or disguise them, strategically place them around the depot…talk about a security net. Her console beeped, bringing her back to the current situation. It was Ensign Derrin (NPC). He had just transferred SFI’s info on the Rome Rescue Operations to Mission Ops.

Considering Jason's suggestion, Isabel addressed Aaron and Will, "Mr. Schulz, Mr. Steele - thoughts?"

"An interesting proposal, sir," Will said, recalling a similar tactic using multiple starships, "It would certainly enable us to get a better idea of what we're looking at."

"It should work in theory. I know the civilian authorities on Atlantis used similar technology for their maritime patrols." Aaron wasn't sure exactly how the technology worked as they weren't too keen on sharing with Starfleet.

"Theory is better then nothing at this point," Jason stated. "And at least this time my suggestion won't have the two of you up until the wee hours of the night repairing dozens of burned out relays."

Isabel nodded, "Make it so." Hopefully this well help them find the Rome debris, and the log bouy, faster. It sounded like it should be fairly effective. Taking a seat, Isabel pondered the polaric ion radiation Aaron and Lauren had picked up on. It seemed rather odd - all the material she'd seen indicated that polaric ion particles could be used as a power source or in a weapon, and were known to have temporal effects. However, it could have been that one of the Rome crewmembers had inhabited a Science crewmember and inserted incorrect data to throw things off until their objective was reached.

"Launching probes," Will announced as the two small devices shot away from the Malinche and took up position to port and starboard, "I'm establishing the network link now." His hands danced across the console as he set up a dual-feed sensor relay network with the two probes. That way, if one feed was interrupted, they'd have a back-up. Almost immediately, the results were evident.

"Readings have improved by nearly 20%," Will reported, scanning the readouts and narrowing down the search parameters.

"Try increasing the upper EM bandwidth by 10%," Jason reported, looking at Will's displays. "That should give you an even clearer picture to look at."

Taking the XO's suggestions into account, Will pushed the upper bandwidth by 10% and was not surprised to see that Barrett had been right. Now he had the opposite problem...there was too much detail that it was difficult to pick out exactly what they were looking for. It would take a few moments, but he was certain that he could add a relatively simple filtering routine to the scans that would highlight anomalous readings.

Jason could tell that Kersare was thinking about something; then again when weren't starship captains thinking about something. Moving away from Will he headed over to her, standing so that only she would be able to hear him talk. Given everything else that was going on the bridge right now everyone else seemed fairly distracted. "Sir, permission to speak freely."

Isabel nodded, "Granted."

"I was just thinking about the source of the polaric radiation; do you think its possible that someone," Jason stated, indicating the possessed crewmen. "Tampered with the sensor banks and placed it there? I only ask because I've never seen such naturally occuring levels."

"That's what I was thinking. Otherwise there hasn't been any indication of temporal disturbances, nor another ship that would be using the polaric radiation for weapons or a power source," she replied.

"Well, great minds do think alike," Jason smiled, looking at his captain. "While everyone is busy I'd like to run a back check through the computer access logs with the help of intel, maybe see if anyone sliced into it recently, I don't think they mean us any harm...just as precaution, thats all."

It would certainly solve one of their mysteries and, once the Rome debris was found, they'd still need to locate the log bouy and bring it in. "If anything, I'm sure it was just to divert our attention or keep us goign where they wanted us to, but go ahead Lieutenant."

Jason nodded and head off to a secondary operations station. It wouldn't take much to check for breaches to the core and after a few moments, Jason was satfisfied that this was the real thing. Looking over at the Captain he nodded. She nodded as well, turning her head back to the screen.

It pays to consciously be aware of where everyone is at any given point in any situation. Since her back was to the rest of the Bridge, Alexis relied on the empathic impulses that she had sensed from, and mentally assigned to, crewmembers. Kind of like a blind person knowing where people are in a room based a unique smell or sound that person has; strong perfume, jangling pockets, that sort of thing. Now, the empathic impulse she’d mentally assigned to Lt. Barrett had moved to the secondary ops station. Interesting, she thought.

"And the plot thickens." Aaron said more to himself than anyone else. He wasn't buying the fact that the polaric energy readings had been planted in the computer bank for the sole purpose of confusing the rest of the crew. Were this any other time he would have pointed out the flaw in that theory. While it was true a polaric explosion could have temporal effects, the opinion of most the scientific community was that the radiation lasted much longer than the temporal effects. As for the source, the Romulan neutral zone proved that asteroids could be used for deep space installations provided one didn't mind spartan accommodations. Besides if there really was a security breach/conspiracy than it was highly probable that the XO was a part of it.

Kaylee was also thinking along the same line as Aaron. As a navigator, she knew off the top of her head that Polaric Radiation- a long-lasting by product of Polaric Ion Energy, was known to interfere with sensor readings. It was text-book knowledge in her first year at the Academy. She gave Aaron a sideways glance, realising that the Command Officers were again trying to quash their theories- the theories that they had come to with only half the proper Intelligence to begin with.

"I think I may have found something, ma'am," Will called out from ops. He focused another, more detailed scan on the area and was pleased to see that the results were confirmed. There was certainly something of artificial construct out there.

Isabel turned towards Ops, "Can you tell what it is, Lieutenant?"

"Not at this distance," Will said, "There's still a lot of interference out there. It is definitely artificial in origin...could be debris." As he spoke, he was running a cross comparison in the Malinche's main computer to see if there was any possibility of identifying the object sooner.

"Ensign Kaylee, move us in closer - one quarter impulse," Isabel ordered.

"Just make sure to mind the big rocks," Jason said with a smile.

With a flick of a few buttons, Kaylee eased the Malinche forward into the Field. Even through the still murky sensor readings, she was able to avoid the largest of asteroids. She compensated for some of the smaller debris by reallocating more power to the forward Deflector Dish. She crept the Malinche forward several hundred meters at a time, periodically allowing for the jerry-rigged Whiskers to catch up and sufficiently scan the area.

Isabel waited until they were in position, "On screen." As she looked at what was before her, she knew it had to be the Rome's debris. Looking back at "Emily" and "Caleb", Isabel gathered from their faces she was correct. "Any sign of the log bouy?"

"Its like looking for a needles in a haystack," Jason commented, standing next to the operations station again. Will was doing a good job of picking through the debris but there was a lot out of there to sort through.

"I think so ma'am, I'm having trouble separating it from the debris." Looking out at the debris field Aaron was reminded of the many times he saw it during the war. It was a sight he didn't think he would ever get used to seeing.

"Confirmed...it is the remains of the USS Rome," Will said, checking his readouts, "There are numerous pieces of debris scattered across the area. I am picking up a faint transponder signal. It could be a log buoy." He looked up at the viewscreen in amazement. Provided the log buoy had survived, they might get a better idea of what had happened out here.

Isabel nodded, then turned to look at Alex - he seemed a mixture of relief and sadness. "Can you bring it in?"

"I'll have to recalibrate the tractor emitters," Will replied, "Shouldn't take more than a few moments." His hands danced across the board again as he compensated for interference from the asteroid field. With any luck, they'd have the answers they were looking for soon.

“Captain,” said Alexis, “is it possible that the crew of the Rome encrypted the log buoy before deploying it to protect Starfleet information? If so, I’d like to be in the cargo bay when they bring it in. I might be of help.”

Isabel glanced over at Alex, who shrugged - he wasn't sure. "I don't think that's necessary at the moment. Right now our goal will be to make sure the buoy is intact, ensure we can get power to it, and check to see if there's any data. The actual data retrieval will take place once that is completed. I'd like Barrett, Steele, Schulz, and Zeral to head to the Cargo Bay. Lieutenants Steele and Schulz, when you're ready to retrieve data, inform Ms. Rho so she can join you."

She watched as they started for the turbolift, and addressed Jason, stopping him before he left, "I want to know when it's confirmed that the buoy data is present and when the possessions are over. Take those who are possessed with you - they'll likely want to see that we really have the buoy."

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Ensign Lauren Kaylee
Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And

Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And

Lieutenant JG Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And

Lieutenant JG Will Schulz
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And

Lieutenant Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

And
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Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2696Post Kersare
Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:20 pm

<<Bridge, 1535, Day 4>>

Once the buoy was aboard, Isabel sent most of the bridge staff to the cargo bay. Truth be told, she wanted to go as well, but she couldn't leave the bridge completely empty. A few officers had trickled in to take the places of those who'd left. The only person who remained, other than herself, was Ensign Kaylee.

Glancing around, Isabel eventually took her seat. They needed to be on their way to Ivor Prime as soon as possible, but she couldn't give the order until the buoy information had been confirmed and the possessions were no more. She'd asked Jason to confirm when both were true. To that end, each of the possessed crewmembers had been sent to the cargo bay - she'd spoken briefly with Alex, taking the chance to say goodbye and promise that the Rome's mission had not been in vain. .

In all the confusion, she hadn't had much of a chance to visit with Derek (NPC). Hopefully that could be remedied in the coming days. She was rather curious as to how he was getting along and what, if any, effect the Rome crew had had on him. Perhaps, with time, there would still be hope for them.

Isabel looked up as Britney (NPC) approached. Raising an eyebrow, Isabel said, "Crewman Liras, what can I do for you?"

Britney frowned, "Ma'am....I know right now I'm on duty.." She hesitated, biting her lip, "But right now my head's not very clear...I'm just...." Unable to find the right words, she simply looked at Isabel.

Though she couldn't be sure, Isabel guessed that Britney's unease stemmed from the conversation she'd had with Alex (NPC), who she still thought was Caleb. Technically she probably could tell her Yeoman what had been happening, but Isabel doubted it would help clear her head. "Take the rest of the day off. Tonight or in the morning I'll stop by and bring you up to speed."

Nodding, Britney said, "Thank you, ma'am." She hesitated only slightly before heading for the turbolift.

The encounter with Britney brought up a good point - Isabel still needed to brief the crew on what had transpired. Likely now would be as good a time as any to start jotting down notes on what to tell them. Standing, she headed for her Ready Room to retrieve a PADD.

As she passed the Flight Control console, Isabel paused, "Ensign Kaylee, lay in a course for Ivor Prime. I'm waiting for word from Lieutenant Barrett, then we'll be on our way."

OFF:
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USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2697Post Barrett
Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:39 pm

<<USS Malinche>>
<Adam and Jason's Quarters, 0100, Day 4>

The doors opened up and Jason walked in, stripping off his outer uniform shirt as he went. His back and neck ached with tension; this was supposed to be a simple delivery mission and had turned into one wrong turn after the other. He had forgotten what it was like on a starship to a certain degree. Heading toward the living area he caught site of Adam (PNPC) passed out on the couch. No doubt he had tried to wait up for him.

"I left you some mashed potatoes and corn that you can reheat."

Jason jumped, he thought that Adam was asleep. He often had a very uncanny way of making you think that and then liked to startle you completely. They did have a replicator in their room but Adam also had a very small kitchenette installed so that he could make food from scratch. Jason loved his cooking ten times better then anything the replicators could come up with.

"Aren't you suppose to be sleeping?" Jason asked.

"I could say the same thing to you," Adam shrugged, getting up. "But we both know that we both aren't good at following rules like that."

"You're right on that account," Jason sighed. "You eat already?"

"Duh, of course I did. I told you when we started dating, when it comes to food I wait for no man."

Jason leaned forward and grabbed Adam around the waist pulling him close and giving him a kiss.

"I can think of something else I would rather do then eat though," Adam smirked.

Jason just smiled.

OFF:
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2700Post Kersare
Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:57 pm

ON:
<<En Route to Cargo Bay, 1525, Day 4>>

A bit nervous, Alex/Caleb (NPC) followed the Executive Officer through the corridor. Isabel had stayed on the bridge to get the ship underway, though it had seemed to him that she would have preferred to go with them to see what information the buoy would provide. Alex knew that soon his reason for staying would be over, which made him anxious, yet relieved. He was also glad to see that the Counselor was coming with them.

Jason had to admit the possessed crewmen walking behind him was putting him slightly on edge. He wasn't sure why, if they had wanted to harm the ship already they would have. But that still didn't stop the situation from being rather creepy. He really wasn't looking forward to the report he was going to have to write after this mission.

His commbadge beeped, prompting him to answer it. "Barrett."

"The buoy is aboard, sir," spoke one of security team members. "We're standing by for your arrival, all the scans came up clean."

"Understood." At least that was something.

Will was just a few steps behind the first officer. As soon they had retrieved the probe, he'd left his position on the bridge to see if Peters needed a hand in the cargo bay. Part of it, he admitted to himself, is that he was just as curious as to what the buoy contained.

Aaron followed the team as they made their way to the cargo bay. If there was any scientific data to be retrieved from the log buoy, hopefully it would help explain what happened to the Rome. It might also shed light on the events on the Malinche over the past few days and especially the last few hours.

<Cargo Bay, 1534>

Peters looked up from his tricorder as the troop coming from the bridge entered. The buoy was damaged, but the data storage medium seemed to be intact. It helped that this model had been made after the Federation switched to Isolinear crystals as the primary data storage media aboard starships.

The buoy certainly looked like it had seen better days; the entire surface of the once gleaming canister was pitted and scarred.

"Is it still functional?" Jason asked Schulz.

Will stepped over to the freestanding console where Summers (NPC) was already working to establish an interface. He watched the readout display for a moment to get a better idea of what he was dealing with. "Mr. Summers," he inquired, hoping the lieutenant had a better picture of what was going on.

"It would appear that the buoy's data storage is mostly intact, though I can't say how much damage has been done to the contents by all this radiation," Summers explained as he continued to work.

"It certainly looks like it's been beat-up pretty badly," Will commented, "But if we can get some power to it, we should be able to access the logs and sensor data." At this, he looked over to where Alex/Caleb was watching their progress.

"I'll need to replicate an adapter. The interface on this model is older than anything we keep in stock these days. Not by much, though." Peters shrugged and headed towards the replicator near the door. He knew exactly which model of interface was needed. It remained to see how hard it would be to convince the computer to make it.

Alex didn't want to be in the way, yet he wanted to see the buoy. Mostly he stayed back, but more towards the side so he could see what was happening. There seemed to be an assortment of Engineers and Operations personnel in the Cargo Bay - likely due to the arrival of the buoy.

Eying the buoy curiously, Nora was equally relieved and saddened by its presence in the Cargo Bay. Soon enough, Alex and the others like him would be able to move on, or so she hoped, but the buoy itself was a stark, tangible reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the other ship.

Noticing that Alex was keeping himself apart from the group, Nora quietly moved to stand beside him. She offered him a brief smile but said nothing for the moment, turning her attention back to the others examining the buoy.

As he stood watching the others work on the buoy, Alex noticed Nora move beside him. She was a Betazoid, he knew, so he was sure she could sense the emotions inside him. For the time being, he decided to simply let her presence be something of a comfort to him.

Nora thought it was odd that she could sense Alex’s emotions at all. It was likely one of the reasons it had been difficult for her to discern Alex’s presence in Caleb to begin with. His emotions were like any other living human being’s, even if the body he was, for lack of a better term, occupying was not his own.

Leaving Summers at the workstation, Will pulled out a tricorder and approached the buoy. He waved the device over the surface of the recorder and watched as the readouts scrolled across the screen. He could feel Caleb/Alex watching him as he did so.

Will paused and turned toward the man. "Would you care to assist me," he asked. He didn't know what part Caleb/Alex had to play in all this, but he did sense that there was something to his being there.

Alex hesitated - based on what he'd said before, he guessed that the others didn't know what to think of him. But this could be his last opportunity to physically help. "Of course, sir. What do you need me to do?"

Smiling softly, Nora was pleased that Will had invited Alex to assist him. She wasn’t surprised by his hesitation. After all, she could hardly imagine what it must be like to come into physical contact with some of the last remains of the ship you had lived and died on.

"Can you open the access panel here," Will asked, pointing to the panel on the side of the recorder while he continued to scan.

Alex nodded and moved towards the panel Will had indicated. He didn't have Caleb's kit, but there was open one nearby where he found the correct tool. Able to move fairly quickly, he soon sat the panel on the floor, "Done, sir."

"Lieutenant Peters," Joey said from his place at the workstation, "Are we ready to attempt the power transfer?"

Peters held up the coil of power conduit with the adapter already connected to the free end. "Yep. Give me a moment to get this plugged in and we can start feeding it all the power it desires."

Aaron watched as the others set up the buoy for the transfer. The actual physical process was beyond his expertise. Everyone seemed to be acting normal considering the circumstances, if they were up to something they were good at keeping it hidden.

Jason watched the process with a keen eye; half his vision was busy paying attention to the levels that indicated the amount of power that they were trying to transfer. The buoy had been out there an awful long time, the last thing that they needed was the thing blowing up in their faces. And then there was the possessed crew; they were looking as calm as ever. Jason had decided that they probably didn't mean them any real harm but would be much happier when everyone was back in their rightful bodies.

"Looking good," Will said, monitoring the buoy's status with his tricorder, "I'm definitely getting something." He ran the instrument closer over the outer hull of the buoy and watched the readings appear on the small screen.

"I think we can go ahead and try to pull the data from the memory chips," Peters commented. "This thing has taken enough damage from meteoroids that I'd rather not push our luck with how long we keep it powered up."

"Agreed," Will replied, nodding toward Summers at the workstation, "Let's start by establishing a primary data link." He held the tricorder out, keeping a close eye on the status of the buoy. Meanwhile, Summers set to work, inputting commands and preparing to establish the primary link.

"Got it," he exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically, "Primary link established. There's certainly a lot in there." Joey watched as the first lines of data began to scroll across his screen. Surprisingly, it was very well preserved for what it had been through. There wasn't
Closing his tricorder, Will moved to stand behind Summers as the data download continued. He monitored the screen over the lieutenant's shoulder, pleased to see that things were running smoothly.

"Lieutenant Steele, would you mind if we began processing some of this data in astrometrics," Will asked.

Aaron had been watching the initial data from the buoy and as a result was a little distracted. "Astrometrics? Ah sure."

"If you wouldn't mind assisting me, lieutenant," Will said as he started for the door.

"Of course, hopefully we can now get some real answers to everything." Not all of the scientific data so far had made sense, but Aaron hoped that the influx of new data would be the final puzzle piece.

"Download 38% complete," Summers announced to the remaining officers, "I may be able to speed up the process if I established a secondary transfer." He looked over to Peters, then to the first officer for confirmation or some sign that he was allowed to proceed.

"Just don't blow it up, I hate to think that we went through all this trouble just to have it explode in our faces," Jason stated. "I would hate to remind them of what happened on the Hale that one time."

"One mistake," Joey muttered, as his hands flew across his instruments.

"Kersare to Barrett, how are things looking down there?"

Jason tapped his combadge, opening a channel to the bridge. "So far so good sir. We've started to download the data, Schulz and Steele are headed down to astrometerics to start processing it, we should have the files transferred in," Jason looked at Joey a confirmation of when they would be done.

"8 minutes," Joey responded.

"Did you get that Captain?"

"Understood."

And with that said, the channel was cut.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Will Schulz
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Nora Zeral
Chief Counselor
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

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

and

Lieutenant Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand (NPC)
played by:
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Captain Isabel Kersare
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USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2701Post Zeral
Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:01 pm

ON:
<<Cargo Bay, 1610, Day 4>>

As the Malinche Officers began the process of retrieving the log buoy's data, Alex (NPC) stepped back slowly. He could tell they were excited to have found the information and didn't want to disturb them - most didn't know who he was anyway.

Having watched their progress from a little ways off, Nora now stepped closer to join Alex again. Perhaps she was being unnecessarily protective, but she simply didn’t like the idea of his facing all of this alone.

Alex looked over at the Counselor as she moved beside him, giving her a faint smile. "They found it."

“They did,” Nora agreed quietly. “Is this…how you imagined it would happen?”

"Well, it's what we've been waiting for for a long time... We wanted to be sure that someone found it - to make sure that our mission was not a waste," he said. His eyes moved slowly around the cargo bay, taking everything in. Some of the Malinche's crewmembers reminded him of his own colleagues.

Nora nodded. “If anyone could do it, it’s Captain Kersare and her crew.”

Glancing over at Nora, Alex said, "They seem to be a good crew. They work well together."

Smiling her agreement, Nora turned back to watch their progress. “I haven’t been aboard the Malinche for very long, but I have certainly been impressed by what I’ve seen so far. I’m very happy to be serving with them.”

He nodded, "Don't take them for granted. You never know what will happen. If only there was more time...but I suppose that's what everyone wants at the end...more time."

Nora looked to Alex, frowning slightly as she did. “Are you still worried about…about moving on, Alex? I know it can’t be easy for you, but as you said yourself, you have been waiting for this for a long time.”

"Well," Alex began, but then paused, mulling over his thoughts, "I've accepted that it's time to move on. I know it's time. But it's okay to be sad about it, isn't it?" He looked over at her, a bit unsure.

Offering him a reassuring smile, Nora absentmindedly folded her arms. “You’re absolutely right, Alex. I confess that I’m not really an expert in any of this. Life after death, I mean. I have my own experiences and beliefs, but… Well, regardless, I do know that I’d be sad too. I think it’s only natural.”

Considering what she said, he finally nodded. "I am relieved that someone will finally know what we learned, and what happened to us. I think it's a big part of the closure we needed. I hope it'll be enough closure for our families..."

Nora cleared her throat, glancing around to ensure that they would not be overheard by the others. “What about Caleb? He will be all right after this, won’t he?” She hated to change the subject so abruptly, but she couldn’t help her concern over Caleb and the others like him. She needed a little more reassurance about their situations, especially now that she had grown to trust that Alex was who he said he was.

Alex nodded, "They'll all be fine. They may feel slightly disoriented at first, but not for long. I know they may be upset with us...I just wish we could apologise to them; I hope they understand."

She exhaled slowly, very much relieved at Alex’s assurance. “I’ll tell them for you,” she promised. “I was…suspicious of you at first, as I’m sure you were aware. I was frightened for Caleb and the others, and I’ll admit that that made me angry. But I think I understand now.”

It wasn’t that she condoned what they had done, but she could see that Alex and his companions had been left with little choice in the matter. As far as ethics went, it was somewhat of a mess, but she no longer felt animosity towards the entities she now knew were passed on Starfleet officers.

“I hope they’ll understand too,” Nora added, gently squeezing Alex’s arm in a way she hoped was reassuring.

Quietly he looked at her and gave a brief smile before looking over at his fellow crewmates - well, those they were inhabiting. His eyes met with Yana's (NPC) and both nodded. Alex turned back to Nora, "It's time for us to go. I'd like to thank you, Lieutenant, for taking the time to understand and for helping us. I wish you safe journeys and many adventures..."

Following his gaze, she looked between Alex and Yana, nodding slowly as she returned her full attention to Alex. “I understand,” she said simply, feeling unaccountably sad now that the time had finally come. “Thank you, Alex. I wish you well, too. I really do.” Blinking back tears for the second time that day, she added with a watery smile, “I will speak with Julie. You have my word on that.”

Alex smiled thankfully, "Thank you, I appreciate it; it means a lot to me... Goodbye Nora."

“Goodbye, Alex.” Taking a step back, Nora raised her hand in farewell.

Feeling more at peace than he had in a long while, Alex took one last look around, a single tear escaping and sliding down his borrowed cheek. Gently he released his hold on Caleb (NPC) and slipped out of his body. As the others did the same, they gathered one last time before fully letting go and crossing over.

OFF:

A JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Alex Dormand (NPC)
played by:

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

and
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Commander Nora Zeral
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Barrett
Senior Staff
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:33 pm
Location: Omaha, NE
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2703Post Barrett
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:34 pm

<<Cargo Bay, 1610, Day 4>>

Jason watched Nora and Caleb (NPC), they appeared to be locked in what looked like a pretty intense discussion. Nora looked upset but there was a look of calm on Caleb's face as the crew worked. There was also a faint buzzing that seemed to fill Jason's head, he wasn't sure what it was, probably the start of a headache. He refused to beleive that the symboite was acting up again.

"Download is complete sir," Joey (NPC) stated. "Tranferring the completed files to astrometrics."

"Good job, you didn't manage to blow anything up this time."

"I'll remind you that I only did that once your orders," Joey scowled.

"And I only authorized it on your recommendation," Jason smiled. "You need to learn to relax or did you completely forget about the time that I fried the shield grid trying to save us from that ion storm."

"But you and the engineers saved the ship."

"And Nerwal was still pissed," Jason smiled. "You want to join me and Adam (NPC) for dinner tonight? I think he's making some sort of cajun shrimp."

"Sure."

"Good, finish up here and then you are free to go."

OFF: Alright, lets get this mission wrapped up people!
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Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Zeral
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2705Post Zeral
Wed Oct 07, 2009 6:38 pm

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Mess Hall, 1550, Day 4>>

The ship seemed awfully quiet to Fira (NPC) as she walked into the Mess Hall. Counseling especially had been rather quiet, and after realizing that she had already missed breakfast, Fira had happily decided to seek out a late lunch.

Most of the tables were unoccupied, yet one woman sitting by herself immediately caught her eye. Forgetting her original intention to eat for the moment, she approached the table and slid into an empty chair.

“Well, if it isn’t Britney (NPC) Liras,” Fira grinned, propping her elbows onto the table’s surface. “I haven’t seen you in ages! How have you been?”

Britney looked up sharply, startled from her thoughts. "Fira? I...well, yes, it has been awhile." She hesitated slightly; apparently Fira hadn't heard about the crewmembers acting strangely...or at least, she hadn't heard that Britney was nearly dating one of them. "Busy mostly, what with the problems we've run into in the Expanse. Yourself?"

“Counseling’s been a mess,” Fira sighed. “Up until a little while ago, we were pretty swamped. Now it’s completely dead in there.” Drumming her fingers on the tabletop, she peered at Britney a little closer. “Now, when you say busy, how busy is busy, Britney? You look a little tired to me.”

"I've been running quite a few errands, trying to keep up with everything that's been going on, collecting reports for the Captain, and trying to figure out why people are acting strangely," Britney replied. "How's that for busy?"

“I’d say that’s very busy,” Fira agreed. “Counseling has been trying to figure out what the strange behavior is about, too. From the way Dr. Zeral’s been acting lately, I think they might have been on to something.” Fira herself wasn’t privy to the details, but she did hope that this was the case. She didn’t like the strange symptoms and behavior any more than anyone else.

Britney nodded, "Have you talked to any of the crew who have been acting strangely?"

Fira shook her head. “Not personally, no. I’ve met with crewmembers having headaches and the like, but I only recently heard about crewmembers acting even more strangely than that.” Giving Britney an assessing look, she pursed her lips before asking, “Are you sure you’re feeling all right? I know I haven’t seen you in a little while, but you just don’t…well, you really don’t seem like yourself,” she finished honestly.

"I'm just worried about Caleb (NPC)," Britney admitted. "He's not been acting like himself, or at least I kinda hope that's the case and it's not that I've done something wrong."

“I see,” Fira said, nodding slowly. “You know, things have been hectic for everyone. He’s probably just feeling a little overwhelmed with the problems we’ve had. I’d be willing to bet that he’ll be back to his usual self once things calm down a bit.”

Britney frowned, "I'm not so sure. The other day he didn't have his usual breakfast....in the evening we were supposed to meet and he never came..."

“You’d be surprised what stress can do to a person,” Fira murmured. “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

"A little, yes. But...I don't know. Maybe I should just try again after this mission," Britney sighed.

Fira grinned encouragingly. “That’s the spirit. A good man is worth holding on to, if you’re asking me. I don’t know Caleb very well myself, but Myrna (NPC) seems to approve. And if Myrna approves, then he must be something special,” she laughed.

Britney managed a smile, "Yes, I think so. Maybe once he seems to be himself again, we could get together and play cards or...visit the holodeck...or...something."

“All great ideas. I haven’t had the chance to beat someone at cards in a long time,” Fira teased lightly. “Well, I should grab something to eat while I have a chance,” she said, rising from her chair. “But seriously, Britney; try not to worry too much, okay? These things have a way of working themselves out. An honest conversation can do wonders for a relationship.”

Nodding, Britney replied, "I'll do my best... The 'funny' thing is that we aren't even officially in a relationship yet. But I'm hoping we can work it all out. Anyway, I don't want to keep you. I'd stay and keep you company, but I'm afraid I have some errands to run. Enjoy your meal, Fira." Britney smiled at her friend as she stood.

Fira paused, placed her hands on top of the chair. “Ah, errands. I understand. I’ll stop by your quarters one of these days so we can catch up. Then you can tell me all about Caleb and your budding romance,” she said, smiling back at Britney. “Take care for now. I’ll be seeing you soon,” she promised, and turned to leave.

Britney smiled, "Sounds good; I'll look forward to it. Thank you, Fira." With that she left her friend to her meal and headed for the door.

OFF

A JP by:

Crewman Britney Liras (NPC)

played by:

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

and

Warrant Officer 1st Class Fira Mestor

played by:
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Commander Nora Zeral
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Masterson
Senior Staff
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 9:39 pm

Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2706Post Masterson
Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:10 pm

ON: [[Astrometrics, USS Malinche, 1608, Day 4]]

Will looked up at the large, curved viewscreen and the data that was currently being displayed on it. It hadn't taken that long for the first download from the buoy to become available for analysis and, based on what he was seeing at the moment, there was a lot to go through. The data on the local region alone composed a significant amount of the record. They were going to have to go through it piece by piece. No doubt Starfleet would do the same thing again, under greater scrutiny, but this was their opportunity to learn about what had happened.

"Let's stay away from the logs for now," Will suggested, filtering out a portion of the information, "Just focus on the sensor data to start with." It didn't feel right to immediately go pouring over the logs of the people who had died on that ship. He was much more comfortable sticking to data.

Aaron followed the Operations officer into the lab. "Agreed, in this case the sensor logs will be more useful than anything else. Assuming they ran into some of the same problems we did, this could tell us how we survived when they didn't."

He watched as Will filtered the information. "It might be advantageous to create some sort of timeline as to what happened and why. Chronologically how much data are we looking at here?"

Alexis entered Astrometrics a few minutes after Aaron. "Hey, fellas, what did I miss?"

"Glad you could join us, lieutenant," Will said over his shoulder as he continued to filter through the sensor data first. He turned his head to look over at Steele and replied, "I figured we could start by laying out a three-dimensional chart of the region based on our current scans and add the Rome's data to it to get a better idea of the area. From there, we could take a look at some of the more detailed analyses of the region."

“Sounds good,” Alexis replied. She looked up at the large Astrometrics screen. A smile crawled across her mouth as she remembered the night terror she’d helped Pa’raak have the night before she boarded. She imagined him being sucked right out into space. Yeah, that little stalker learned his lesson.

Coming back to herself, she said, “I don’t think SFI’s intel reports have anything different in them that what the Fleet has, but if you think it’ll help, I’ll bring it up after you’re done. You’ll have to input the info, though; astrometrics data never was my forte.”

"Lieutenant Steele, would you care to assist her," Will asked, his main focus still on retrieving the initial sensor data from the Rome's buoy.

"Not a problem." Aaron moved over to where the Intel officer was. "Can we access the information from here? You're correct in thinking it's similar information but you Intel types usually have a slightly different focus in regards to what you deem important."

"Sure," answered Alexis. Her fingers moved gracefully over the console as she called up the necessary information. "You're right," she said, "SFI does focus on things a little differently. Now that you mention it, something does come to mind that I read in the report. According to the initial Intel report, one thing in particular stood out about the Rome operation. How could a highly trained Starfleet Captain and crew succumb to such an end at the hands of an unexplored region of space?"

She paused for a second as she brought up the astrometric data and in depth sensor scans and studies of the area. "As a result, in depth sensor scans were taken of the entire region and everything in it, and then scrutinized by scientists and tactical officers. And here they are." She stepped back and allowed Lt. Steele to do his job. Maybe Steele and Schultz could make something out of it all.

"Well, it looks like the Expanse baffled the spooks at SI as much as it does officers in the field," Will said, watching as Lt. Rho added what little data Intelligence had managed to glean on the region. While it paled in comparison to what they might learn from the Rome's recorder buoy, it was still a valid piece of the puzzle. Will had always been in favor of sharing information to the benefit of all. That way, everyone could learn from it.

Aaron entered the data from the Intel department comparing it to the information collected from the Rome as well as that the Malinche had collected during their initial pass through the region.

"I'm not seeing any hazards that would be dangerous to a fully operating starship. How much time elapsed between the last sensor scan on the Rome and their destruction? Their last scan may tell us what lead to their demise."

"I hate to disagree, lieutenant, but we did find this thing inside an asteroid field masked by high levels of EM radiation," Will said, looking at the science officer, "If I were a betting man, I'd wager that she fell victim to an asteroid hit...maybe more than one."

"In a field this size, it's entirely possible," added Alexis.

"Than I guess it's a good thing for me we're not betting because that is a very likely scenario." Aaron was glad to find a little humor in such a grim situation.

"Hmm...I've managed to isolate some of the last sensor readings obtained by the Rome before she was destroyed," Will said, bringing up the data on the main viewscreen, "Looks like they took a hit from a meteoroid. An impact of that size could have easily disrupted major systems. Without engines or sensors..." He paused as the last sensor record appeared on the screen.

The display confirmed Will's theory in its record of the Rome's last moments. While there was no visual record, Will could almost begin to imagine what might have happened as the large masses of solid rock tore through the starship's hull, compromising structural integrity. There would have been no escape from the vacuum of space. In precious few moments, the entire crew would have been dead from exposure.

"I guess we have our answer," Will said grimly, shutting off the display. He glanced at the console in front of him, taking a moment to say a silent prayer for the men and women who had been on that ship, even though the events had happened some time previously.

"And the families have closure at last." Aaron said softly.

"I'll get started on a report for the captain," Will said, looking at the others, "We'll see from there what she wants us to do. If she thinks it's a good idea, I suppose we'll be writing a report for Starfleet too."

Aaron simply nodded in agreement. He knew it was only a matter of time until the media caught wind of what happened. He was going to have to talk to the Captain in that regard for he knew his friend David Babienko would properly close the final chapter of the Rome.

Will slipped past Lieutenant Steele and headed for the door to the lab. As he left the room, he started thinking about how he was going to write that report for the captain.

OFF

A JP by

Lieutenant JG Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche

Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche

and
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Lt. JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer & 2XO
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Kersare
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Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:14 pm
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Re: Mission 12: When In Rome

Post: # 2707Post Kersare
Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:14 pm

<<Kersare's Quarters, 1744, Day 5>>

Finally finished with her main tasks for the day, Isabel entered her quarters. She took off her jacket it and tossed it onto a chair before moving over to the couch. Changing her mind, she went to her replicator; Isabel could use something comforting.

"Hot chocolate," she ordered. Waiting the brief time before the steaming mug shimmered into existence. She picked it up and returned to the couch, settling onto it.

Exhausting. That was the main thing she felt. On some levels, Isabel felt she shouldn't be this exhausted - after all, during their last mission, they'd had to deal with the Borg...who seemed to be more frightening and dangerous. At the same time, during this mission most of what was happening was unknown, which was stressful as well...plus, they'd nearly been sucked into that subspace rupture.

The bright spot in this mission was retrieving the log buoy. Will, Alex, and Aaron had sent their report to her the previous day. The scientific data gathered by the Rome was intact and there was finally an explanation as to what happened to the Rome. Certainly finding it in one piece would have been preferrable, but at least the families would no longer wonder what had happened.

Earlier in the morning, she'd set up a meeting with the Senior Staff to explain what exactly had been going on to those that weren't aware. Isabel didn't like leaving out information during a situation, but at the time hadn't wanted to lose time explaining what had been discovered. She hoped her staff would understand. Some seemed surprised by what she had to say, but overall there weren't many questions.

Will had also sent her a message that would be sent to StarFleet once they were out of the Expanse, detailing what had occurred. Now they were finally truly on their way to Ivor Prime.

OFF: Okay all, I'll be opening up the shoreleave thread....more details will come in an e-mail, but anything you want to pick up from this mission, we can write in the shoreleave thread.

Nice job everyone!
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Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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