Lost And Found (JM with USS Sentinel/Peacekeeper)

[Peters]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 3, 1655, Day 3>

Peters frowned at his tricorder as he tapped the display lightly with one finger. Naturally it would be too easy to be able to scan the ship and say 'The Borg are here, here, and here.' No, he had to get fuzzy readings that didn't even tell him definitively where the Borg weren't.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think it was a conspiracy," Peters muttered to himself. "Spooky, mostly deserted ship... check... misbehaving equipment... check... dumbass engineer who willingly separates himself from the rest of the boarding party... check... all the makings of a cheap horror movie."

Peters scanned the area ahead of him again and sighed. The sensor clarity probably wasn't going to get any better. And that meant that it was time to start transmitting. He hoped the Captain liked pictures of empty corridors, because that was all she was going to see from his tricorder for a good while.

Looking around, Peters shook his head. "Next time they tell me they're transferring me to a cutting edge ship of the line that draws all the best missions, I'm telling them to send me to a garbage scow instead. This is too much excitement for me. If I'm not careful I'm going to end up talking to myself, too."

A sudden noise made Peters jump before he realized it was the transporter. It seemed that Akios had finally tracked him down. Or at least he hoped that's what it was.

Turning around, Peters saw that he had guessed right. As soon as the beam released the large bird, Peters lobbed one of the un-modified Tricorders at him. "Welcome to the Sirion. See if you can find a way to scan anything more than half a dozen meters in any direction, would you? And start transmitting with one of the modified units, in case we end up splitting up."

OFF: Tag Akios

[Kersare]

<<USS Malinche, Ready Room, 1705, Day 3>>

The day wasn't going all that well for Isabel or her crew. She tried to remain positive that things would work out, but it was still difficult to combat the negative thoughts that were still deep down inside her - haunting her since Derek's death. Hopefully the Engineering team was about ready to finally get over to the Sirion and help with the efforts there. She was also anxious to re-establish communications with the Sentinel, which were unfortunately still not working even after the restart.

Kara stood outside the ready room for a moment, she'd met many COs, and each time she hated it. First impressions are the best and she knew that the next few minutes would make or break her stay on the Malinche. What haunted her most was her sister, she'd hoped that her sister's rep wouldn't hinder her this time around. She pushed a button on the wall and waited for a reply, or permission to enter.

Isabel's eyes moved towards the door, "Enter."

It seemed like only a few seconds and she was walking into the Ready Room for the first time. "Captain Kersare," she asked, "My apologies for not getting up her sooner to introduce myself. Things have been a little out of control," she nodded. "Lieutenant Kara Li, ship's new Chief Medical," she offered her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant," Isabel replied. Apparently Kara's transfer orders were in the stack of PADDs she hadn't gotten to yet. Then again, it was rather difficult to keep up with the personnel changes, especially lately. "No need to apologize - things have been hectic here...I haven't even gotten to read your transfer orders yet. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you Captain," the younger lady sat down in the nearest chair facing her new CO. She seemed like a very nice person, and someone that she would like to work with.

Isabel smiled at Kara, "Where was your last assignment?"

"I served aboard the Lighthouse, as Assistant Chief, then before that I was a Medical Officer aboard the Encounter," Kara explained. "The Encounter wasn't my cup of tea, enjoyable but too slow, the Lighthouse, much more fast paced and such. But this ship seems to have beat the rest with first week activities."

"Partially that's because of when you joined us, but yes, the Malinche generally has a lot going on," Isabel replied. Thus far she liked her new Chief Medical Officer.

"Well it has been interesting," she smiled.

Isabel nodded, "I can only imagine. And I'm sure it'll get even more interesting, considering our current mission. Have you dealt with the Borg before? Or had any assimilated patients?"
"I actually haven't had the chance to deal with them," she grinned, "That is a good thing, I hear they tend to be a problem." She adjusted in the seat, "I've had several friends who've dealt with them, but I think it is something to stay away from."

"Well, I'm afraid you may be dealing with some with this mission. A good portion of the Sirion crew have been assimilated from what we've learned thus far - likely we'll get some of the patients and the others will go to the Sentinel," Isabel replied. "Do you think your staff will be prepared?"

"My staff and I may not have the experience but I can assure you we will be 100% ready, when the time comes," she replied. "I will pull up the current manifest from the Sirion, and needed documentation for research."

"It might be a good idea to contact the Sentinel's medical staff in case they worked anything out," Isabel said. At this point she was sadly lacking in information... Hopefully Todd and Turuas'ta would be able to transmit some images and the Malinche would get some updates from the Sentinel.

"Yes, Ma'am," she added, "Any other business or whatever, you need from me," she asked, being new she needed to find her place on this ship.

Isabel shook her head, "Not at the moment. I believe Commander Hunt was going to be starting up some search teams - looking for more injured crew, so you might want to touch base with him. Do you have any questions I could answer?"

"Not at this time, Captain," she smiled, standing up, "Thank you for the welcome, I will locate Commander Hunt for assignment on a team," she stood there waiting to be dismissed.

"Very well, dismissed Lieutenant. Glad to have you aboard," Isabel replied. At least StarFleet was transferring in capable officers... Time to get back to the bridge.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Kara Li
Chief Medical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

[Starbase 386 Crew]

ON: <USS Sentinel. Main Engineering, 1659, Day 3>

L'Rek (NPC) stared at the console in front of her, debating whether to check once again to see if Kevin (NPC) had finally fixed the Environmental Systems settings. With each minute that passed by, her anger grew.

She should have known better than to send the power specialist to work with a delicate system like environmental controls. Though she also had much more important things to do than to investigate why the controls were locked out...

Just thinking about it made her want to lash out. If only she could just leave and take some swings in the holodeck with her bat'leth. L'Rek growled.

Looking up from the console she noticed several nearby crewmembers watching her silently. She sneered and turned to pick up her own tool kit. Apparently she'd have to fix it herself.

Muttering curses in Klingon under her breath, L'Rek made her way to the ladder. A cadet moved to help her, but she merely walked right by him, brushing him aside. She didn't need anyone's help.

With the toolkit clutched firmly in her fingers, she ascended the ladder and quickly pulled herself into the jeffries tube access. The Klingon crawled along a few feet before coming to a junction and quickly took the left one.

"Kevin! What's taking you so long?" L'Rek crawled deeper into the accessways, finally drawing near to where the manual controls were.

Rounding a last corner, she paused, seeing Kevin's tool kit. It was open, but seemed to have been knocked over - tools scattered nearby. Her eyes narrowed; what could have happened?

Claustrophobic? If so, why hadn't he returned to Engineering? Probably too ashamed to admit it to her. Didn't want to give her the pleasure of knowing his weakness. Coward.

Shaking her head in disgust, she pushed his tools out of the way and opened her kit. Her eyes went to the panel in front of her - it looked like he hadn't gotten very far.

L'Rek turned around quickly - hearing a noise in the junction ahead of her. "Kevin?"

Keeping still for a minute, she listened carefully but heard nothing else. She went back to her work.

What had happened to the controls? They were an absolute mess and had been bypassed in some odd way she'd never seen. Who would have done something like that?

She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't hear the noises behind her until they were close....

Quickly she whipped around, her eyes going wide as she scrambled back the way she had come. But it was too late - one of them grabbed her ankle and two pulled her back while she kicked violently. A third jabbed a needle into her calf.

L'Rek tried to scream, but her body was in shock, feeling the nanoprobes streaming into her body.

As they dragged her away, she felt herself slipping away...."No....Honor..." she whispered.

OFF:

Crewman Apprentice L'Rek
Environmental Systems Specialist
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

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

[Akios]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 3, 1700, Day 3>

"Hello, sir, good to see you haven't been assimilated yet," Akios said as the transport cycle completed. He squatted, setting his carrying case on the deck and opening it, catching the tricorder Peters threw at him. Presumably, Peters himself still had a modified tricorder with him. "Anyplace you'd recommend I set up the relay station for the tricorders?" The unit wasn't big, but to work best it would need to be left stationary on a flat surface. He pulled it out of the case, switched it on, and closed the case again.

Before getting to work, he looked up and down the corridor, and the sections that had been assimilated, and those that hadn't. Not exactly what Academy holodeck scenarios led you to expect from the Borg.

He took a look at the readouts on the standard tricorder. "That's a lot of emissions," he said, looking at the tricorder. "And I was just about to say the ship didn't look that bad. The temperature's going to mask any thermal readings... Should be able to get a little more range with narrow-band scans, maybe on a rotating cycle..." It was obvious that the aurelian was thinking out loud. "What do you want to concentrate on, sir? Life signs? Movement? Borg?"

The thumbed the modified tricorder at his belt to activity, slung the case over a shoulder, and rested the relay unit on the case. With his free hand he pulled his phaser from its holster, checked it, and put it back.

OFF: Tag Peters

[Hawkins]

<USS Malinche, Sickbay, MD03, 1737>

Kara was currently in sickbay currently enjoying one of her most inactive days yet. The ship was a mess and for some reason over the past few days, people felt the need to stroll in and out of Sickbay, for a variety of reasons. She leaned back in a chair, holding a glass of iced tea, and took a deep breath, "Peace and quiet," she smiled, at the fairly empty waiting room.

She was just about to take her first sip, when a nurse's voice from the other room, caught her off guard, "Doctor, you are needed in here quick."

Kara sighed setting down the glass and walking into the main room she saw a man laying on the floor out cold. A fairly attractive man at that. She walked over to him, with 4 other staff members and lifted him to the nearest bed. She rested her hand in his neck and rubbed his collar bone, an old trick that one picks up after a few years in the medical field, "Lieutenant, you are in Sickbay, can you hear me," she asked. Applying enough pressure as to seriously annoy the man.

The darkness receded, replaced by a dim light that proceed to get brighter and brighter, it was a shapeless light, Jack had no idea where it was coming from, but it was light. His eyes grew accustomed and he could make out fuzzy shapes standing over him, still not clear enough to make out but slowly coming into focus.

He blinked his eyes several times, helping to bring the picture into focus, it was a sight he recognised from several days earlier, the ceiling in sickbay, the figures around him were various members of staff, he could barely remember the journey to get here, let alone where or when he collapsed.

His head was throbbing, he still couldn?t focus properly, the room was spinning and he really wanted to just roll over and go to sleep but he became aware of something pressing against his shoulder, he raised his arm, which itself seemed to take more exertion than it should, and grabbed on to what was causing the discomfort, he had grabbed someone?s wrist.

Kara gently released his grip from her wrist, "Welcome to the living, Lieutenant," she picked up a bio scanner, "You seemed to have hit your head fairly hard, have a run in with a bulkhead," she smiled. Running the scanner several more time, then she looked to her nurse, "Prepare a hypo," she gave the list of medicines. "I'm gonna give you something for your head, and the dizziness ok."

?Oh, you should have seen the other guy...? He stared off into space for a moment, ?Ok admittedly he came off surprisingly well...? Jack made a move to get up, but nausea didn?t allow him to get very far and he promptly collapsed back down. ?Just do what you have to to patch me up Doc?

Kara gently, but forcefully made sure her new patient understood to lay down. "Listen, you aren't going anywhere, you've managed to get a serious case of whiplash, a serious concussion, so until those meds kick in, you are mine." She ran the scanner over his head and neck, "So Lieutenant, do you have a name, or do I have to call you Lieutenant forever?"

?Shakespeare, William Shakespeare, but my friends call me Bill...Look Doc, the ships a mess and we could have Borg on our collective asses any second, I can?t lay about here with a headache.? There was moments silence, ?Oh and pardon the pun...?

"So, real name, or I don't allow you to leave the room," she said seriously, walking off, "Have a good night in my Sickbay, Bill." She turned and walked off, waiting for a response.

He sighed, ?Jack Hawkins, Acting Chief Intelligence Officer, and you are??

The Doctor smiled, giving away that this had been more of a game. She looked at him for a few moments, "Lieutenant Kara Li, Doctor. Ship's new Chief Medical Officer, Mister Shakespeare." She bowed slightly, "Welcome to my Sickbay."

?So can I leave yet? I?ll promise to drink plenty of fluids and have some chicken soup.? He again made to get up, this time the meds taking the edge off the dizziness but not enough that he felt comfortable in standing.

"Listen Shakespeare," she'd taken to the new nickname, "Like it or not, you've hit your head fairly hard. Give my people time to tend to you, then you can be off, ready to inflict more bodily harm on yourself later." She ran the bio scanner over his neck and head area, "Give me 5ccs Hydrocortalene, that will help with the dizziness and pain. Shouldn't be enough to hinder your work either. Just be very careful to avoid any serious head or neck injuries for a while."

?Damn, and there goes that hobby! Seriously Doc, who doesn?t try and avoid them?? Jack replied rhetorically.

"You'd be surprised," she commented, stepping aside, "Stupid people do stupid things, present company excluded of course," she laughed.

?I once called a Nausican fat...? he paused, ?that was a bad day...?

"Seriously Shakespeare, skull fractures are nothing to joke about, even with the modern level of medicine, the brain can only handle so much, before you hit the final curtain call," she stressed.

?Huh? Thought you said it was whiplash and concussion?? Jack said slightly confused.

She added, "You've been so determined to leave, I haven't been able to give you the full details, but if you are in such a hurry, go ahead." She walked over to the panel display on the wall, "I am sure we can squeeze one more in the morgue, maybe if we double stack," she rambled on, to herself ignoring her patient.

?Doc if the injury was that bad I?d imagine I?d be much worse off than I feel,? he said hauling himself up and sitting on the edge of the biobed, the room spinning still but no longer as fast or violently as it was. ?And since I?ve never fractured my skull your tricorder must be broken?

"Meds, does wonders doesn't it," she replied. "While seems like we have two choices, you can either give my people a few moments to tend to you; or B, you can leave, and pray that you don't come back in a body bag," she turned with a smile, "So Shakespeare, which one, hurry up I have several injured here and times a wastin?."

Jack sighed as he unzipped his now dirty and blood stained jacket he was feeling a little warm and just wanted to be out of the room, ?Do your worst Doc.? He had to wonder what had been meant by the Skull fracture comment, he knew he probably wouldn?t have walked out of the turbolift with an injury that severe, but he also knew he had never fractured his skull, he figured Li was maybe exaggerating in an attempt to get through to him.

"Much better," she pointed to her nurse and a med tech to return, "Let these people finish, and you should be out of here within 10 minutes, I will be back to check on you later. It was nice to meet you, Shakespeare."


----------

A JP by

Lieutenant JG Kara Li
Chief Medical Officer

and

[Li]

ON:
[USS Malinche, Near Sickbay]

Hunt gathered his gear and left the bridge via the jefferies tubes. Even though ship's systems were online and the lifts were available he really couldn't put his trust in the computer when repairs were still underway. After nearly five minutes in the tubes he finally made it to sickbay where a short line had formed just outside the door. He was glad he wasn't having his physical that day. Walking in making his way threw the crowd there stood the CMO in the middle.

"Doctor, busy are we?" he asked smiling.

Kara turned to look at the men, after meeting the CO, treating a famous playwright, she really didn't seem in the mood. She looked over the man for a bit, "Why Commander, yes I am busy," she smiled, "thank you for asking. What is it about events like this, everyone and their uncle seems to come down here."

Mason was rather shocked by the cold reception he had received. It took him a moment to think about his response so he looked at two nurses bringing in a ensign in suffering from radiation burns. "I am sorry doctor no pun intended, i have orders from the Captain to draw up rescue plans. That is if you have a few moments to spare." he said catching a smile that was making its way to his face.

Kara nodded, "Yes, the Captain told me you would be looking for help," she forced a smiled, "Let me just grab my gear and I will be ready," she followed him into the main waiting area, "so what is the plan," she asked?

"We can head on over to the briefing room, our team will be leaving shortly. Basically there is little tine to go into everything so I will give you the rundown."

He pressed the button for the lift to stop at their location. "Ok, in a nut shell we have teams over on the Sirion a missing ship that was declared missing for sometime now. We have been on an exhausting search and now that we have found it only to see that borg have been aboard her. We believe that some of it compliment have already been assimilated other maybe hiding. Our job is to find those who are critically wounded or need medical attention and beam them out. Also not to get assimilated." he said with a smirk.

"Oh is that all," she smirked lightening up a bit, "My apologies, since my sister and I joined, this ship has been a zoo. I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier." She paused for a moment, "Have we had any contact with the Sirion, or survivors yet ?"

The XO smiled and was relieved that the high barrier of ice was now broken. "Its ok really, so far no contact but reports are being sent in every hour so it gives us something to sink our teeth into at least. Sensor scans are vague at best but we have reason to believe that there are some survivors although not confirmed. Have you had any experience with the borg in your time with starfleet?" he asked as the lift continue to move on.

"I haven't had the privilege, yet," she replied, "While I know many friends, and family who've run into them, my experience is only what they teach you at the Academy," she smiled, she felt bad that she had bit his head off, he was rather handsome, cute even. She smiled, stepping back, "But I am not afraid to get into it, there is plenty of research material out there to help when with just about anything."

"Just watch your back when we go over there. Reading about them and experience them first hand believe you me are two different things. Now here is a schematic of the Sirion. These are areas highlighted in green are sections filled with radiation and hydrogen. Our teams our here(pointing to three red dots on the padd) in areas where the radiation is tolerable. No doubt there will be teams going into the heavily populated sections of radiation. Based on this data do you have any recommendations?" asked Mason.

She looked over the details on the padd, "I would recommend a simple injection, nothing fancy, but it will help with the radiation just in case. Other then that, maybe a triox solution if the air is thin, the crew might get light-headed, among other things." She studied the plans, this wasn't going to be an easy Away Mission, for the first time she actually wished she had some borg experience.

"Is it possible for the radiation to have borg nano probes within it? Or even something designed to cause havok with our biological structure."

"I suppose anything is possible, I haven't heard of it," Kara commented, "But you never know." She opened her med-kit pulling out 2 hypos, "Here it is a mix of a tri-ox compound, and Hyronalin, it will help when we get over there."

She lifted the hypo to her neck, then looked at the XO, "You know you bring up a scary point, who really knows what those nanoprobes can do."

"To be honest I'm a little on edge about being around anything borg. Just gives me the creeps."

The XO leaned over and Kara gave him a hypo too, "You and me both; just cause I have to deal with it, doesn't mean I want to." She laughed, "I don't want those creepy little things running around my body."

"Oh it might not be so bad i could use some extra help in reading my reports. He said laughing, The lift soon slowed allowing the two to exit. Mason taking the lead walked into the briefing room first the good doctor behind him. The rest of the medical and security team had already assembled and were standing at attention.

"Alright folks here is the plan our job is to come up with sound and tactical ways of getting the injured and non assimilated crew of of the Sirion. There are several shielded areas with high levels of bio electric energy which we believe the borg have no defense from. Its reasonable to assume that these areas are where we may find some of the crew. Teams are already over there now in the non effected areas. Now I wil hand this over to our new CMO. Doctor."

"My part in this is simple, to treat the injured or infected, and keep you people from harm," she pointed to a few nurses, who were walking around the room, "These nurses will inject you with a tri-ox compound and a dose of Hyronalin, we have reason to believe that several areas of the ship are high in hydrogen and radiation; these drugs will help you do

"How long will these injections last and how of them can we take if it becomes necessary to need more."

"I wouldn't worry about that, these will work for a while, if the need comes that you might need more, or something stronger, we will cross that bridge when it arrives," she turned the floor back over to the XO.

"Alright we leave within the hour. Dismissed. Doctor we need to find out which team we will be on? Let' head to the bridge."

TBC...

Commander Mason Hunt
Executive Officer

and

[Hawkins]

<USS Malinche, CIO Office, MD03, 1750>

Jack slumped down into the chair behind his desk and held the glass of water against his forehead, the ice had made the glass cold and condensation had formed on the outside leaving him with a wet head but the cold glass felt good against his skin, the doctors had done a good job patching him up but his head still throbbed.

His discarded jacket was strewn across the desk meaning he had to slide it into a mound on the floor before he could place the glass on the table, he activated the computer as he did so, more out of habit than any genuine need for it to be on.

He took a sip of the cool water as the LCARs interface appeared on the screen, he entered his access codes, finding there were no outstanding messages or notes for him, ?Popular guy...? he said quietly to himself.

He sighed and then decided to log into the Malinche?s Medical Database and look at the scans the doctor took, the computer wouldn?t let him look at anyone else but would allow patients to see most paperwork relating to them. After being granted access he pulled up the tricorder scans which the computer displayed as a spinning 3D representation of the inside of his head.

He leant forward and paid close attention to the screen, sure enough there looked to be a mark on his skull, he was no Doctor but it certainly looked nasty, but there was absolutely no record of the injury being caused today by the turbolift mishap.

?Computer, bring up the scans taken when from 5 days ago when I was last in sickbay and display the results side by side...? he instructed, the computer beeped confirmation a second later and his last scans appeared on the screen, sure enough the scans matched, save for the injuries he suffered today, the mark was present on both scans.

It was a mystery, Jack had no memory of suffering any serious head trauma, nor any known time where he received treatment for any, he called up his complete medical records since joining Starfleet and found they agreed with his memory, no serious head injury or mention of any treatment.

Something was indeed up, but at this point he certainly wasn?t sure what....

[Akios]

ON: <USS Sirion, Deck 3, 1700, Day 3>

Akios temporarily set the relay unit (for the modified tricorders) on a convenient surface, and gave it a scan with a regular tricorder. It seemed to be functioning properly.

Before Peters could respond to the aurelian's questions., Akios's tricorder beeped with a combadge signal.

After checking that his modified tricorder was transmitting, he said, "Akios here. I've activated the holographic relay. Are you receiving the visuals?"

"Yes, Mr. Akios," the response came back immediately. "We're receiving the visuals as well as the transmissions from the units carried by yourself and Lt. Peters. The holographic signals we're receiving are configured to a radius of eight feet. The visuals are oriented to the tricorder scan heads. When will you start distributing the rest of the modified tricorders?"

"It's just Lt. Peters and me here right now," he answered. "I don't know who else is aboard, but as soon as we locate anyone else, I'll make sure they get a tricorder."

OFF: Tag Peters, Malinche Bridge

[Thundera]

ON: <<USS Malinche>>
<Science Lab, Day 3, 1705>

Cheetara walked around the science stations looking at the collected data while beginning to explain the dark matter theory. "The basics of the dark matter theory is that something from the anomaly caused mass confusion with our systems as we transferred data from one section to another during the MVAM. I had sent algorithms from the gamma section to beta section to be entered into the ship's systems in order to penetrate further into the dark matter in order to get more accurate readings of what was going on inside of it. However, it caused ship systems to start malfunctioning. However, as I was going through the algorithms to see what happened, it appeared to me that it was sabotage. The captain doesn't think that or doesn't want to think that someone would. So we now have to investigate to see if it was actually the dark matter that interferred, or if it really was sabotage."

''I know what dark matter is,'' Regina smiled and followed Cheetara around with her eyes only. But the sabotage, that was new to her. ''Correct me if I'm wrong, but dark matter is supposed to be everywhere, right? There's more dark matter then the usual, visible mass, so there should've been more 'accidents' like this one through the history of Starfleet,'' Regina wrinkled her forehead and looked at the Vulcan, to see in the expression if she's on the right track. Naturally, the Vulcan face was impossible to read.

"In my personal opinion I believe that it was more likely sabotage. Because I know the crewman was more than capable of being able to put my algorithms in properly. But I am open to other possibilities." Cheetara added her own thoughts.

Roberts nodded when she turned back towards Cheetara, her hand reached up to play with the rank button. ''Can you tell if the data you sent to the crewman was received the way you sent it, if it isn't possible that it was interfeered in between the transport. If it wasn't, maybe it was really only a human error, it is possible...''

Cheetara tapped some buttons on the console in front of her. "Come take a look at this you two. Tell me what you see."

Along with Solvak, Regina leaned a bit forward and frowned: ''That's interesting, what is it?''

"It appears to be the data streams as they enter and exit the dark matter", Sovak(NPC) spoke up after observing the readings.

"Correct", Cheetara replied. "See these fluctuations here?"

''Yeah, they're pretty awkward,'' Regina frowned a bit and bit her lip, trying to make some sense of them before she got everything explained.

"They are in fact the readings taken during the time before the upgrades I added to the system. These here are the upgrades I used after the first time adding them to the gamma section, and here are the ones after they were added on beta section." Cheetara stated flatly wondering if anyone was noticing the difference.

"Why do they look so different Ma'am?" Sovak asked showing no facial expression.

''They look like something shuffled them around a bit, completely at random,'' Regina commented and tried to find any familliar patterns in the data streams.

"I'm not positive yet. That is part of the reason why we have to figure out this dark matter. I find it strange that the readings would be this different." Cheetara retorted.

''The dark matter issue was hoping to be solved in 21st century, now it's a couple've centuries later and there's still no real answer. And for that matter, what if we're dealing with dark energy or just a passing space anomaly that's been gone since then?'' Regina shrugged, which suggested that she really wasn't sure what basis her assumptions had.

"This doesn't seem to be your usual dark matter", Sovak commented.

"Yes, it appears to be more than just dark matter. There is a strange energy eminating from it. I have been compensating as much as possible to cut through it", Cheetara answered back.

''Assuming that whatever changed the algorithms is still around and that we figure out how it did it, we should be able to do some backwards engineering and look for it on correct frequency. What do we do if we find out that dark matter is the real issue?''

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. First we need to figure out how to get it out of the way entirely while searching for the reason it's here. Roberts, I want you to use astrometrics to gather all the information you can on the size of this dark matter. Sovak, I want you to start monitoring the enery being emmited from it", Cheetara spoke up. "I'm going to cross scan these readings."

TBC........

JP By:

Ensign Regina Roberts
Anthropologist/Assistant Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38897-B

and

[Peters]

ON <USS Sirion, Deck 2, 1630, Day 3>

?Anywhere is better than here,? Will said as they climbed through the Jefferies Tubes, ?I?ve been trapped on this ship for I don?t know how long and I am about ready to get off?sir.? Given the current state of things, he had almost forgotten that he was talking to a superior officer.

Lange nodded as they reached the access he and Daggerd had entered though. "Understandable. We'll get you off the ship as soon as possible, if that's what you want...."

Lange was interrupted by the sound of someone running down the corridor, heading towards them from the forward section. He instinctively reached for his phaser and held it up as a form came around the next bend in the corridor.

"There you are!" Peters exclaimed as he slowed to catch his breath. "Your people on the bridge told me you'd headed this way, Captain, but the closest the computer could pinpoint commbadges that weren't assigned to this ship was on Deck 2."

Lange relaxed and put his phaser back in its holster. "Good to see you, Mister... ah... Peters, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, Mister Peters, meet Mister Schulz, The Sirion's Chief Operations officer. He'd like a lift to your ship whenever you can arrange it." Lange gave a dry smile. "I can't say that I blame him... This ship gives me the creeps."

?Lieutenant Peters,? Will said, wiping off his hand on his uniform, ?Lieutenant Schulz. The sooner I get off this ship, the better. I would give just about anything right now for a nice, warm meal and a clean uniform.? He offered the somewhat cleaner hand to Peters with a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant," Peters responded. "I'm sure we can arrange to get you to the Malinche in short order. And we can use your help. We're short an Ops officer at the moment."

?Well, I can certainly be of assistance in that area,? Will said, ?What?s she like? The Malinche I mean.? Will was certainly intrigued, particularly since he might be able to land himself another posting and not have to go through the ordeal of waiting for reassignment. He had just gotten out of a six month wait to get aboard the Sirion and he wasn?t about to go through that again.

"Have you ever served on a Prometheus Class ship?" Peters asked.

?No, nothing quite that top of the line. Closest I got was an Intrepid-class, the Honorio,? Will replied.

"Well, it's a bit different from most other ships, especially in terms of resource management. Essentially you have three ships to take care of rather than one, even in docked configuration." Peters smiled. "That challenge aside, she's a good ship."

"You had something for me, Lieutenant," Lange interjected.

"Oh, yes sir," Peters replied, holding out the tricorder he'd been carrying.

Lange took the tricorder and raised an eyebrow. It looked just like the one he already had, so why would he need another one? "What's this?"

"It's specially modified to transmit holographic quality data to a rebroadcast unit. That unit, once we have it installed, will then transmit visual and audio to the Malinche and Sentinel while storing the holographic records for later access, so there will be a record of everything we see over here." Peters flipped open his own tricorder and pulled up a status report on the unit's configuration. "As you can see, we had to gut most of the storage space, but it'll have enough internal memory to store about ten to fifteen minutes' worth of data."

Lange nodded as Peters explained the modifications. He was glad this had been thought of, but one question did come to mind. "How soon will the receiver unit be in place?"

Peters grinned. "As soon as Ensign Akios gets over here... within the next half hour or so, I would assume. The tricorder is programmed to search for the unit, so it will let you know when you can start using it."

Lange nodded once more. "Very well then, Lieutenant. I'll let you take your new charge to wherever you need to. Try not to have too much fun."

"Yes sir," Peters responded before turning back to Schultz. "So, any other questions?"

?Do you think your captain would let me transfer to the Malinche after this is all over,? Will asked out of curiosity, ?I mean, I?d be looking for a new assignment, given the state of the Sirion here.?

"Well, you?d have to ask her that. Speaking of which, let's get you over to the Malinche."

Peters tapped his commbadge. "Peters to Malinche. I have a member of the Sirion's crew here who would very much like to come aboard."

"Acknowledged," came the transporter operator's voice. "Specify coordinates."

"He's a meter to port of me. He'll need quarters and an introduction to the Captain or XO, if you could arrange that, as well." Peters gave Schulz a wink as he spoke.

?Thanks,? Will told him, ?This is Lieutenant Schulz. I?m standing by for transport.?

"Good luck, Lieutenant. I guess I'll see you back on the Malinche in a few hours," Peters said, giving the other man a clap on the shoulder.

Will had time to give Peters the thumbs up as the cool wash of the transporter swept over him and whisked him away from the nightmare that had been his home to an entirely new future.

Peters waited for the transporter effect to dissipate before opening his tricorder and beginning to take a few readings. He was limited in what he could record for now, but he wanted to get at least some data before he began transmitting to the Malinche.

OFF:

This has been a Joint Post by:

Lieutenant Will Schulz
Chief Operations Officer
USS Sirion

&

Tony
AKA
Captain James Lange
Commanding Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

&

[Kersare]

<USS Malinche, Approaching Bridge, MD03, 1704>

Rhys and Samas were standing in the turbo lift, heading for the bridge. They had parted ways with their new Malinche friends after sharing a quick plate of fried mozzarella cheese sticks on the shuttle, and been briefed in full on what had been happening.

"This is one messed up situation," Rhys commented, his head leaning back on the wall of the turbolift car. He had been slightly anxious about getting into the 'lift, as he wasn't sure if the ship was truly back to normal operational parameters, and that they wouldn't get stuck. But in the end, Samas had gently convinced Rhys it was okay? by kneeing the back of Rhys's leg and shoving him into the car. "My leg is still somewhat numb, by the way. Though, go figure? I wouldn't have figured an old timer like you to have that in you."

"I don't, you're just remarkably feeble..." He smiled as the turbolift slid to halt and the doors opened, he stepped on to the bridge of the
Prometheus class ship before Rhys could fire off a comeback.

It was certainly more artistic in its design than the Defiant and Intrepid bridges he had served on lately, it was bridge of light colours and sweeping curves, the conn station was a large console recessed into the floor, all others surrounded the edges of the room, giving the
bridge a very clean appearance, also the captains chair stood alone in the centre of the room, and uncommon sight in the current day and age.

Rhys looked around. It was too foreign for him. He preferred the more homely feel of the Sentinel. This was too big? too? shiny. He shrugged, locating Captain Kersare, and led the way to stand before her at attention.

"Captain Kersare," he said. "Lieutenants Monroe and Merot of the Sentinel, ma'am."

Samas slapped Rhys shoulder with the back of his hand, "Don't embarrass me in front of the Captain" He glared mockingly at the Lieutenant before turning back to the Malinche's Captain, "Lieutenants Monroe and *Marot* of the Sentinel

Isabel turned around to see the two officers, "Good evening. My apologies - I didn't know you were on the ship..."

Rhys coughed. "That's because it wasn't? erm? a planned or announced visit, ma'am. We sort of? broke in."

"Well...." Samas said, "I wouldn't go that far, I mean we did um...well, y'know..."

The pair of Lieutenants looked to one another and almost instinctively picked the next word, speaking it in unison, "...knock?..."

Quirking an eyebrow, Isabel looked a little closer at the two officers, "You knocked?"

Rhys looked at Samas, motioning for him to feel free to continue.

"Ok...so maybe it was one loud knock....with a shuttle...." Samas said, "but it was careful landing..."

"Were you sent here by your Commanding Officer, or did you just decide to pay us a visit?" Isabel asked.

"We were sent to find out what had happened once we lost communication, ma'am," Rhys said. "We tried to call and tell you that we were coming, but we got the answering machine and, well, Lt. Marot doesn't like leaving messages."

"I get all flustered...end up rambling on about nonsense..." Samas added.

"I...see..." Isabel looked from one man to the other, not quite sure what to make of them. "So you 'knocked' on my ship, landed the shuttle, then made your way here?"

"First we made our way to the outer hatch, which, if I may say so, you should really look at. It was all too easy to just open it and come
right in." Rhys shook his head disapprovingly. "Then we went to the shuttle bay to try and hook up communications through your shuttles, but right after that you restarted the ship and completely made this entire trip pointless." Rhys almost sounded irritated. Samas quickly cut in to keep Rhys from shooting himself in the foot.

Samas cleared his throat, "*Ahem* Which is of course testament to your crew, it's impressive they managed to get everything up and running so promptly, you have a fine ship and crew Captain."

"Thank you Mr. Marot," Isabel replied. "Sorry to disappoint you and make your trip pointless. Next time we'll try harder to ensure that the problems stick around until after you've gotten to look into them," she said, addressing Rhys. A half smile played on her lips.

Rhys started to say something that suspiciously looked like a thank you, when something hard connected with his shin, causing him to wince quietly and discreetly in pain, biting the inside of his lip. He glared at Samas.

Samas looked back innocently, ?...What??

Allowing them their exchange without so much as a word, Isabel waited a few extra moments before saying, "What are you doing next - will you be returning to the Sentinel?"

?Well I guess it?s a choice to either stay here and help out or return to the Sentinel, what do you think Lieutenant?? Samas asked Rhys who now seemed to have recovered.

Rhys glared at Samas. ?Either way works for me. Flip a coin for it.?

?Oddly I left my wallet in my other 24th century uniform...? Samas replied with a mock patronising smile on his face.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Rhys reached into his pocket and flipped Samas a silver coin. At the bewildered looks from all the onlookers, Rhys simply shrugged and said, ?Don?t ask.?

Samas continued the quizzical look as he took the coin and flipped it, catching it and placing it on the back of his hand, ?...Wait, shouldn?t we assign something to it??

"Heads we stay, tails we high-tail it to the Sentinel." Rhys shrugged.

?Well in that case...? he lifted one hand to unveil the coin, ?looks like we?re heading back to our shuttle...?

Isabel nodded, "Have a safe trip back. Pleasure to meet you."

The pair said their goodbyes, thanked the Captain for her hospitality and made for the turbolift, upon entering they both turned back to face the bridge and the Captain who was watching them depart Samas pressed the button to close the doors.

The last thing the Captain saw as they did was Samas turn to Rhys with a faked deadly serious look on his face, ?Do you remember where we parked?...?

OFF: A JP by

Lt. Rhys Monroe
Chief of Flight Control
USS Sentinel

And

Lieutenant Samas Marot
Chief Operations Officer
USS Sentinel NCC-74673

and

[Hawkins]

<USS Malinche, Medlab, MD03, 1805>

?Computer Activate the Emergency Medical Hologram...?

Jack waited as the program initialised, an elderly gentleman with grey hair materialised in front of him, ?Please state the nature of the medical emergency...?

?No emergency doc, just in need of a second opinion I guess??

?Ok Lieutenant....??

?Oh, Hawkins, Jack Hawkins.?

?Ah! Acting Chief Intelligence Officer! I?m Doctor Troy, what is it you need a second opinion on??

Jack walked over to a console on the wall and brought up the scans that the CMO took earlier as well as the others he found from his earlier visits to sickbay. ?I?m just wondering what you made of this??

?Hmmm...? The doctor said as he looked over the scans, Jack had had run ins with older models of medical hologram and had to admit so far this newer model was a more polite individual.

?It looks like a healed skull fracture; I must admit I can?t understand why you need a second opinion??

?Well that?s the weird thing Doc, I can?t remember ever having a fractured anything, let alone my skull, and it?s hardly something I?m likely to miss.?

The doctor spoke without facing him, ?No, you?re probably right there.? The doctor continued to work on the control panel, ?Well this is indeed weird, when you said you couldn?t remember it I assumed it could the injury could also have lead to amnesia, but there?s no record in your medical files of any such injury.?

?Like I said, weird? Jack replied. ?Can you tell from looking at the scans how old the injury might be??

The doctor stood back and looked at the scans on the wall screen once again, ?I?d say maybe 3 years? And it shows signs of having had some treatment to heal?

?Ok? Jack wasn?t quite sure what else to say, he had no memory and no records of anything happening 3 years ago, ?Thanks for the info Doc?

?No problem Lieutenant, I hope you find some answers? The doctor said smiling.

?Me too Doc . Computer, deactivate medical hologram.?

[Masterson]

ON: <USS Malinche, Transporter Room 1, Deck 2, MD03, 1645>

Will was happy to see a clean transporter room materialize around him and took a deep breath of clean, shipboard air. ?Welcome aboard, lieutenant,? the man behind the controls greeted, ?I bet you?re glad to be out of that crypt.?

?It certainly wasn?t my first choice of accomidations,? Will replied, stepping off the transporter pad, ?Lieutenant JG Schulz, former Chief Operations Officer, USS Sirion.? He held out his hand for the man to shake.

?Lieutenant JG Summers(NPC),? the man replied, giving Will?s hand a firm shake, ?I?m one of the operations officers here on the Malinche.? Will nodded at this and took another moment to look around the room.

?Lieutenant Peters informed us of your situation,? Summers continued, ?I can show you to your quarters if you?d like.?

?I?d like that very much,? Will answered, ?but I was hoping to meet with the captain when I came aboard.?

?Captain Kersare is a bit busy at the moment,? Summers explained as the two headed out into the corridor, ?I?m sure that she?d be happy to meet with you when she has a free moment. I?ll be sure to pass your request along.?

Will was thinking about what he was going to do once he got to his quarters and almost missed following Summers around a corner. He could not wait to clean up and get a new uniform on. A trip to the sonic shower would be enough to remove the grime and visible memories of his time trapped on the Sirion. Another thing he was looking forward to was a fresh meal. Ration packs were great for energy, but they tasted horrible.

<Crew Quarters, Deck 4>

Soon, the two of them were standing outside a set of doors. ?Well, here they are,? Summers said, indicating the doors, ?I hate to just leave you hanging, but I?ve got to get back to work on some repairs the captain asked me to finish up. If you need anything, just let someone know.? Summers smiled and headed back down the corridor and disappeared from view.

Will watched his tour guide depart, then turned back to the doors, which swished open at his presence. He stepped across the threshold and let them close almost silently behind him. Pausing for a moment, Will allowed himself to take in how clean and fresh the room looked. Outside, he could see the same soup of gasses that he had watched for some time from the Sirion. Now it was different, though. Here, he was safe and able to move about.

?Computer, activate sonic shower,? Will said with a smile. There was a slight chirp and Will heard the shower activate. It was time to let the past few days go and start over again.

OFF:

Lieutenant JG Joey Summers(NPC)
Operations Officer
USS Malinche

-and-

[Zeral]

<<USS Malinche, Sickbay, MD03, 1730>>

"He was there for how long?" Nora crossed her arms across her chest, regarding her friend and colleague with a stunned expression.

"Several days, I think," Counselor Ellie Neil (NPC) replied, mimicking her stance. "It's amazing, isn't it? I can only imagine... Anyway, I just thought you should be aware. You might even want to speak with him. I think his name is Schulz."

Nora laughed humorlessly, running a hand through her long blonde hair. "Don't you think he'll want to rest a bit first? If he only just arrived, I doubt he'll enjoy being bombarded by a counselor first thing."

"You make a good point," Ellie laughed. "But this is the only free time you've had in a long while, Nora. When else are you going to get a chance? You wanted to speak with all of the Sirion survivors." Without waiting for a response the counselor said a quick goodbye and turned away, heading for her own scheduled appointment.

Nora knew she was right. The Betazoid had been up to her neck in appointments, meeting with various members of both the Sirion and Malinche crews and spending much of her remaining time wandering through Sickbay. If she was going to meet with the newly arrived survivor, even for a few minutes, now would be the perfect time. "Just a quick visit," she promised herself, asking the computer for directions before exiting Sickbay and heading for the turbolift.

Will had finished his shower and managed to procure a clean uniform, though it didn't seem to fit quite as well as the old one. Tugging at it for a few minutes, he finally gave up and crossed over to the replicator. "Chicken Parmesean and a glass of root beer," Will ordered. The requested meal materialized before him and he picked up the tray. Taking a whiff of the aroma, he carried it to the table, sat down, and began to eat his first warm meal in almost three days.

The closer she got to his quarters, the more uneasy Nora felt. This was one of the reasons some crewmembers disliked counselors; their persistence at times, no matter how well-meaning it was, was not always welcome. Still, she was the Chief Counselor now, she reasoned with herself. She needed to act like one. Arriving at his quarters, she waited for the door chime to announce her presence.

Will heard his door chime sound and set down his fork, used the napkin to wipe his mouth, then set that next to his plate. "Enter," he called, rising to his feet as he did so. He turned to face the doors as they swished open.

Nora stepped through the door, smiling warmly, if perhaps a bit guiltily. "Lieutenant Schulz? I'm Counselor Nora Zeral, Chief Counselor here on the Malinche. It's a pleasure to meet you. Don't panic just yet. I'm not here to commit you," she teased lightly. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Not a problem," Will replied, offering her a chair, "I have all the time in the world at the moment. Can I get you anything?" He moved towards the replicator as he asked this.

"Wonderful. I'd love some orange juice, actually. Thank you." She accepted the chair gratefully, relieved to be off her tired feet for the moment. "It looks like you're settling in nicely," she commented, glancing towards the remains of his meal set on the table. "Are you sure I'm not interrupting?"

"Just my first warm meal in a few days," Will replied, bringing the glass of juice back and handing it to her. He took a seat across from her. "What can I do for you, counselor," Will asked.
"Just," she laughed after taking a sip from her glass. "Well, I'm here to make a bit of a house call, you might say. I understand you've had quite the experience over the last few days. And here comes the dreaded question now," Nora grinned. "How are you feeling, Lieutenant?"

"Refreshed," he replied with a grin, "and a little relieved to be off that floating ship of horrors. Reminds me of the haunted house my dad took me to one Halloween." Will glanced out the windows, but the gasses obscured any view of the Sirion.

'A little relieved' sounded like a vast understatement to Nora. She was keeping her telepathic abilities in check but she could still sense some emotion emanating from the man sitting across from her.

"I'll be frank," she explained, still smiling. "Do you want to talk about it at all? Being marooned on a dead ship can be a bit traumatic, to say the least, and I'm here to help if you need it. You certainly don't look worse for wear, I'm happy to say."

"Counselor, I thank you for your concern and I know you're just doing your job," Will replied, turning back to face her, "But I was there when the Breen attacked Earth. I had just finished my entrance exams for Starfleet Academy. Sure, it was unsettling to be on a 'dead' ship, but I knew that Starfleet wasn't going to give up on us. To be honest, I wish that there was some way I could help. That's why I'm hoping to see the captain. If I don't get a position here, then it'll be back to the transfer pool for another six months or so and I really don't want to do that again." He paused a moment, then continued, "I really didn't have much time to get to know anyone over there. I came aboard, we set out, the Borg attacked, and here I am. I'm sorry for what happened to them, but I'm sure it isn't as hard for me as it was for the others."

"Well, I guess I don't need to worry too much about you," she smiled, hoping that she was emanating the understanding she truly felt and not any kind of patronization. He was not in a fragile state of mind like some of the other survivors she'd met with, that much was certain. Truth be told, she was relieved. "I just came out of the transfer pool myself," she confessed, smiling grimly. "I think I can commiserate with you on that count. I can't speak for her, of course, but Captain Kersare is an excellent leader. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you."

"Thank you, counselor," Will said, "I appreciate the gesture. It seems hectic over here and, like I said, I am eager to get involved. If I start to have problems, I will be sure to let you know."

"Please do. Helping you is the least I could do after barging in on your first good meal in...two days? Three days?" She finished her orange juice with a little sigh, enjoying the refreshment after the frantic day in Sickbay she'd been having. "You'll probably want to be getting back to it. But it really was nice meeting you, Will--is it all right if I call you that?"

"Certainly," Will replied with a smile, "I was almost finished anyway. Did you want another glass?" He pointed to the empty one in her hand.

"Thank you, no. I really shouldn't indulge anymore in my addiction for fruit juices. Once I start, I may never stop. And besides, it's back to Sickbay for me. Like you said, things are hectic around here." Nora rose smoothly from the chair, glancing around uncertainly and finally setting the glass down on the table. "I'll just leave this here, I guess. Enjoy what's left of your meal, Will, and welcome to the Malinche." She extended her hand in a farewell gesture. "I hope we can meet again sometime. As friends, of course, and not as a pesky counselor and an ambushed Lieutenant."

"I would like that, very much," Will replied, shaking the woman's hand, "Thank you for stopping by."

"And thank you for not throwing me out first thing," she joked. "Bye, Will, and good luck."

As she left, Will returned to his seat and looked down at his almost empty plate. He had already made two acquaintences from the Malinche. Maybe this was his lucky day after all.

Walking back to the turbolift, Nora reflected on what a relief it truly was to speak with a survivor who wasn't overly traumatized or struggling to recover from his experience. If anyone had a right to be upset, it was probably Will. As far as she could tell, though, there was certainly no worrying over his mental and emotional health. "Thank the Four Deities," she sighed, and stepped into the turbolift.



OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) William "Will" Schulz
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche

-and-

[Hawkins]

<USS Malinche, Deck 5, MD03, 1825>

He had been walking in circles it had just occurred to him, doing large laps of the deck for the last 15 minutes, he thought he had a destination in mind when he left the medlab, but as he passed the crew lounge for the 3rd time he realised he no longer had any idea what that destination was.

Ever since he arrived on the Starbase for his assignment on the Malinche something hadn?t seemed right, the cryptic PADDs, the shadowy meeting on the Starbase, the mystery word in the Intel report and now the skull fracture, it was adding up to something. Jack felt like he was grasping for the answer, that it was somehow just out of reach in his mind, something that would connect the pieces of information and help him understand who was trying to mess with his head.

The wandering wasn?t doing any good so Jack decided to take a break, he was off duty and figured he would pay a trip to the Holodeck to unwind, he diverted from his repetitive pattern around the deck and walked towards Holodeck 2, the panel next to the door told him it was unoccupied, ?Computer, activate Hawkins program 3.? The computer beeped, confirmed the program was running and opened the door.

As Jack walked in he was hit by a blast of cold air, the door had appeared in the place of the entrance to the seating area of an ice rink, he walked onto the steps that bisected the seats and lead to the rink, the door closing and vanished behind him as he did so...

OFF:
To be continued...