Mission 3: "Pilgrims"

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Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Jul 27, 2014 23:25:49 GMT

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Post by Alenis Meru on Jul 27, 2014 23:25:49 GMT

The final journey...
Torpedo Bay 1
USS Portland
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Rouse, Lt. (JG) Jason Beauvoir, Lt. (JG) Brad Silverton

Alenis knew that this day would come. The galaxy was still a dangerous place, and it was only a matter of time before one of her crew made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

But, she didn't think it would happen so soon.

With her first and second officers by her side, she looked over the crew, all assembled in full dress uniform. Some of them were taking it better than others, or at least were better at hiding it. Arvel would be busy; to have a senior officer killed while doing a mundane prisoner escort, especially so soon after launch, would cause serious damage to the morale of the crew. No doubt, there would be people who served with him who would need his counsel to get them through these dark times.

It was a standard Starfleet burial in space, in accordance with Tobin's last wishes. Alenis had authorized full military honours, feeling that nothing less would be appropriate for a fallen comrade.

Something about it seemed wrong, though. For Daniel to survive New Algiers, one of the bloodiest battles in recent history, only to end up being stabbed to death in a corridor by some lowlife Syndicate assassin just wasn't right. Alenis had read the coroner's report; she shuddered just thinking about his final moments, bleeding out alone on a space station far from home. No one deserved that.

"We are assembled here today, to pay final respects to our honoured dead..."

Jena stood among a sea of dress uniforms. She didn't need to be here, she wasn't a member of the crew and she didn't know Lieutenant Tobin, but since Jason had served with the man and was unable to make it to the funeral, she felt it was her duty to attend in his place. She felt a little out of place in her aquamarine ball gown, but it was the only formal wear she owned. She'd attended two of these ceremonies before, one for Peter and one for her mother, but this was different, she wasn't the next of kin. This didn't prevent her from feeling bad for his loved ones, in fact she knew all too well what they must be feeling. She looked around recognizing the odd person in the crowd of faces, most were solemn, while some showed clear signs of grief.

"...Daniel Tobin was a fellow officer, a comrade, and a friend to us all..."

Brad was lost in his thoughts and not really paying attention though the Captain hadn't started talking and there wasn't much to pay attention to. He had been lucky so far saving himself and Jena. Tyrlai had been hurt that he attended too after the diplomatic reception battle. Would it always be this busy on an active ship? The U.S.S. Paul Revere was the only other ship he had served on and it was so dull compared to the Portland.

"...and though he was only with us for a short time, I know he served honourably in the fleet that he dedicated his life to, and gave his life in service of..."

His thoughts drifted to his sickbay. All the equipment had been delivered and installed thankfully. Still a good deal of work to do to get everything settled in but the worst was behind him. He never did get a chance to find some authentic Bajoran sheet music that would have been nice. Music how could he think of something like that at a time like this during the funeral of a fellow crewmember, a senior staff member at that. True he hadn't even met Tobin but still. A doctor can't just keep himself detached like that from his patients, Tobin was a sentient being. Brad would have to meet everyone else properly.

"...and though our comrade steps forward into the valley of the shadow of death, his soul is not lost. He shall be with us evermore. It shall be our most solemn duty to carry forward his memory, in our hearts. To finish his unfinished business, and to pick up what he leaves behind. Our comrade -- our friend -- Daniel shall not be forgotten."

As she finished those words, the casket slowly moved forward towards the firing chamber. The anthem of the Federation filled the room as everyone stood at attention, saluting their former comrade as he made his way forwards, into the chamber. As the breech closed, Alenis lowered her arm, paused for a moment, and then signaled the crewman at the firing controls to launch the casket.

With a flash of light, the torpedo blasted forward, and Lieutenant (J.G.) Daniel Tobin left the Portland on his final journey.

Alenis stood silently at attention as the anthem wrapped up, allowing the assembled mourners a moment of reflection. With a lump in her throat, she managed to utter the word "dismissed."

As the remainder of the crew filed out, Alenis stepped forward to a small viewport and looked out at the stars. She could barely make out the faint glow of a torpedo arcing around the moon of Jeraddo. She stared at it as long as she could, before refocusing on the stars. "Vike, you're out there somewhere," she muttered. So much of Daniel's life was spent trying to atone for the things he had done while under Vike's influence; Alenis knew that his biggest regret would have been not finishing that work. "Vike, I don't know how, but I will make you pay for this, and pay for all the other people you've harmed over the years. I'll chase you round the stars, round the moons of Orion, and round the flames of perdition before I give you up." She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Alenis, we should get to the reception," said Tim in a warm voice.

"Yes," replied Alenis, wiping a tear from her eye. "This isn't over."

"I know, Captain, I know."

Last Edit: Jul 28, 2014 21:27:12 GMT by Alenis Meru

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Timothy Rouse
Executive Officer

Posts: 249

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Jul 29, 2014 6:23:29 GMT

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Post by Timothy Rouse on Jul 29, 2014 6:23:29 GMT

Timothy's Quarters - USS Portland
Authors: Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Rouse and Cmdr. Alenis Meru

Tim was lying with his hand behind his head and eyes closed on a lounger when Ellen entered his quarters. “Hello gorgeous” He said with a wide smile. Ellen looked nervous, twitchy. “What’s up?” he asked as he held out his hand.

“We need to talk!” she said as she paced the room. Tim laughed soft. A few weeks back he was the one doing the pacing. “We do?”

“I uh….we uh….Oh dammit, this is difficult” she exclaimed. Standing still and looking at Tim she blew out a big breath. “I’m being serious.”

Tim lifted a brow and again held out his hand again, hoping she would come towards him.

“Ok, I’m pregnant. What will we do know?” She had continued pacing, this time even in a higher tempo. “What will people say.” Putting a hand for her mouth. “Oh no, what will my father say?"

Tim walked to her and put his arms around her waist. “Calm down sweetie,” he said as he lifted her chin so her eyes would meet his. “Just go back to the first part”

She looked up at him and repeated the sentence. “I’m pregnant.” Softer this time.

The smile appeared on his face again. Tim had always wanted to have children, but he never expected things to happen so fast. “This is wonderful! A boy or a girl? I can put in a request for family sized quarters, and we can use the extra room as a nursery. We can paint it, and put up posters of starships and nebulas. I think my mother still has my old stuffed tribble in her attic! I can get her to send it to us; this is going to be so wonderful!”

“Calm down, honey,” replied Ellen. “This is going to be a big change. We’re going to have to take care of him together. And what about our careers? It’s going to be hard to raise a child when I’m down in sickbay and you’re on the bridge.”

“We’ll find a way, don’t worry. Besides there are more important things in life than work. I can be pretty flexible with my schedule, or I work from our quarters. I don’t need to be in my office to read reports. And we can get one of those holonanny’s. For if we need to work at the same time.”

Ellen let out a deep breath and held Tim’s hand in hers. His excitement was so reassuring. “But what are we going to tell people? It’s against the rules for a senior officer to fraternize with a junior officer; what’s the Captain going to say when she finds out?”

“She’ll probably ask me if I don’t know of the existence of birth control, then lecture about fraternizing, but she has no leg to stand on, as I happen to know about her dealings with a certain counselor on this ship. Besides your not a Junior officer, but enlisted. So no problem there. And even if there was, we’ll find a solution somehow. Our child won’t be the first child born on a starship from to crewmembers.

Ellen couldn’t stop herself from giggling a little when Tim mentioned the counselor. She’d definitely have to keep this little secret under wraps and not tell anyone -- not even Maria. “I just hope my father will understand.”

“And if he doesn’t? What then?” he asked. He knew how much her father’s opinion mattered to her.

“I… I don’t know.” Ellen looked down at her stomach, and then back up at the face of her lover. “He’ll just have to, I guess.”

Last Edit: Jul 29, 2014 6:40:08 GMT by Timothy Rouse

Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Andrew Rouse
Executive Officer
USS Portland

Maya of Psychon
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Posts: 165

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Jul 30, 2014 0:51:03 GMT

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Post by Maya of Psychon on Jul 30, 2014 0:51:03 GMT

Main Airlock, USS Portland
Authors: Tyrlai Zade and Novia Yenn

Novia stepped through the causeway generally following the other kids but actually looking around as much as possible. There was a corridor of sorts stretching a dozen yards or so between the space station and the ship. The idea that there was nothing but this lone corridor between her and space was a little scary. The adults were walking back and forth like it was no big deal so she also pretended to be unimpressed, as much as she could.

She had not been thrilled when her parents had surprised her with this thrilling opportunity. She had been two weeks removed from an equally ‘thrilling’ junior expedition to the ice caves. There had been seventeen different kinds of ice and a series of experiments to show how they were different. She had spent six weeks wanting to go home, and two weeks later she was outbound for the space station. She had hoped her mother would have been able to make the trip with her, at least as far as the station but a symposium had broken out somewhere and Novia had to be a ‘brave little scientist’ and make the trip on her own.

Still, as much as she hadn’t wanted to go, the station had been pretty impressive and now the ship. She looked back and forth, it was one of the smallest ones. She supposed the bigger ones probably had important things to do. More important than shuttling around kids at any rate. Still it was far and away the biggest ship she would ever have been on.

The teacher was very pleasant. Her parents wouldn’t approve at all; teachers were to be stern, disciplined and Novia’s job was to mind them. They most certainly were not to color their hair, it was frivolous and unproductive, like the liberal arts.

Novia was to concentrate on science and engineering. She mustn’t waste her aptitude, children her age were already doing the bulk of their best learning and she was to strive to use her time effectively. It was a thrilling opportunity she was to receive, learning aboard ship. She walked through the far end of the corridor through the main airlock and onto the ship.

A friendly looking crewman who had been assigned to the class was walking next to the teacher and rattling on about ‘egress’ and ‘station-keeping’ and something about ‘emergency procedures.’ Novia was sure it would all be available on her datapadd later. She looked around at the crewmen. Darting back and forth with purpose, there was a buzz of activity, even more than she had expected. Twice pallets of supplies were pushed pass the kids and into the ship. Everyone was moving quickly streaming past each other and around the class.

Except for one. She had a different uniform from the others, it was purple, her pants were black but they were kinda tighter than the ones the other people were wearing. She had some sort of black brace around her tummy but the thing that had caught Novia’s attention was the fact that she was a Trill. She hadn’t even figured there would be another Trill on board, the Federation was such a big place after all but there she was. Not darting around at all like the others.

“Hey, kid. Welcome to the Portland.” Tyrlai Zade smiled at the girl looking up at her, she then glanced at the others, before returning her gaze to the first girl. “Do you know what a Portland is?”

Novia shook her head, she hadn’t heard of a Portland and expected it was named after a Vulcan city or something.

“It’s an old Earth sea creature, with three segmented pods with nine tentacles each and row after row of sharp bristling teeth.” Tyrlai looked at all of the children and winked at the teacher. Many of the kids seemed to realize the story was just that. She suspected they were a gaggle of little geniuses, just the sort of snots who used to tease her when she was growing up. ‘Tyrlai’s too athletic to assemble her beam harmonic generator properly.’ She still remembered the teasing vividly.

“I will program one for you on the holodeck. It will be fun, most of the kids survived the last time.” She grinned a toothy smile at them glaring wickedly.

She walked away before any of the kids had time to remember that Earth morphology wasn’t trimodal. What school years Tyrlai had had had been pretty much a nightmare for her. The smarter kid’s constantly ganged up on her and teased her for being tall and good at sports. She ran her hand through her long raven hair and smirked. Trill schools were kind of weird. From what she learned at the academy, that sort of thing did not happen on Earth.

She walked past the ladder, the Portland was old enough to still have some of those, and stepped into the lift to go up the single deck to the sickbay. She needed her dressing changed, she didn’t want any scars, she had the one from joining and that was it, end of her collection.

She smirked a little at the notion that she had probably exceeded most of the little Vulcan wannabee’s in her class back on Trill. It helped to have a symbiont who had already learned everything take your tests for you.

Last Edit: Jul 30, 2014 0:53:31 GMT by Maya of Psychon

Maya of Psychon
Science Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Jul 30, 2014 21:03:19 GMT

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Post by Alenis Meru on Jul 30, 2014 21:03:19 GMT

Family size
Alenis' Quarters, USS Portland
Evening, MD1 - the day after the banquet
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru and Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Rouse

Tim entered Alenis’ quarters with a grin on his face from ear to ear. He still couldn’t believe it, but at the same time he was delighted. “Busy?” he asked after she had let him in.

“Never a dull moment,” replied Alenis, not even looking up from her PADD. With all the excitement as of late, she was falling behind on some of the more unexciting tasks of being a captain - crew transfers, reports, and other mundane paperwork.

“Great, I have a question, and it may sound strange. But… can I have family quarters?”

"Why do you need family quarters? Those are for people who have children or are expecting…” Alenis placed the PADD in her hand and looked up at Tim. He was still smiling. “Ellen? Please don’t tell me you knocked up the admiral's daughter?!"

“Don’t sound so negative.” Tim said, trying not let that sentence kill his mood. “Be glad! I am!”

“I am,” replied Alenis, feigning a smile. The words of Admiral Washington only a few short days ago ran through her head. ...and if anything happens to her while she is under your command, I will personally make sure you spend the rest of your days flying a cargo ship full of rubber dog toys out of Bolarus IX! “But how… how did this happen?”

Tim raised an eyebrow. “You want to know how it happened? Didn’t they teach you that at school?”

“Never mind, I don’t need to know the details,” replied Alenis, cutting him off. She knew this was going to be a hard one to explain to the Admiral. Though she had had a fair bit of experience in explaining tricky situations to the man in the past few days. But on the plus side for her, it would likely supplant her alleged romance with Jason as the gossip of the week on the ship. She looked up at Tim, who was still smiling.

“You know what? If you’re happy, I’m happy,” she said, getting up from her desk and swiftly walking over to the kitchen. Her smile was genuine this time. She opened up a cupboard to reveal a wine rack with a modest collection. “We must celebrate,” added, examining a bottle of wine in her hand. “Bajoran Spring Wine, from the Kendra Valley. 2371 -- a very good year.” From another cupboard she produced two glasses.

“I like your way of celebrating” he said after accepting the glass she offered. He smelled and tasted the wine. “Indeed a good vintage.” He sat down on the couch and let out a deep sigh.

“Cheers,” replied Alenis, clinking glasses with Tim. “To a new addition to the Portland family. May he or she be as smart as her mother, and as cute as her father.”

“Don’t you mean the other way around?” Tim said with a laugh.

Alenis lowered the wine glass from her mouth and winked at Tim. “I know what I said.”

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Brad Silverton
Chief Medical Officer

Posts: 225

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Jul 31, 2014 11:30:51 GMT

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Post by Brad Silverton on Jul 31, 2014 11:30:51 GMT

Sickbay
USS Portland
Mission 3: MD1
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru, Lt. (JG) Brad Silverton

Clutching her side, Alenis made her way to sickbay. Since the show must go on, she decided to "play through the pain" at the reception, and the morning later, she was feeling it. "Doctor," she called out, upon seeing Brad in his office, "My apologies for the late cancellation last night; I hope you didn't fill my appointment slot so quickly?"

"No no not at all Captain come over here." Brad walked over to the newly installed biobed. "The DS9 crews have pretty much installed everything so your timing is perfect." As Alenis walked over to sit down he noticed her holding her side and he started to scan her. "Captain I hadn't noticed last night you were injured this badly. From the way you were acting and withstanding the pain I had thought it was just a light stun shot that the XO hit you with."

"Yes, well, I was injured..." Alenis cleared her throat, trying to think of the most diplomatic way to put it. "... before Mr. Rouse decided to shoot me."

Though trying to hold it back, Brad let out a quiet chuckle. "Well all things considered his plan worked. This won't take long at all." He grabbed a dermal regenerator and started passing it over Alenis where the phaser hit her. "So about that growth I'm afraid I still don't understand what you were trying to tell me last night."

"Doctor, it's..." Alenis paused for a moment to organize her thoughts. No matter how she put it, she knew it would sound crazy. "It's the shard. I snuck into the science lab the other night to consult the shard; to try to make sense of everything that is happening. The prophets came to me in a vision; they told me not to reject their gift. So you see... I can't go through with the procedure."

"So its a Bajoran religious thing then? Why would they give you a cancerous growth as a gift that makes no sense?" Brad sighed deeply. "I apologize if I sound disrespectful about your beliefs I'm honestly just trying to understand, though from what little I know of the prophets trying to understand them is sort of the point."

"They work in mysterious ways," replied Alenis. Brad was right; trying to understand the often cryptic messages of the prophets had taught the Bajorans more about reflection than to simply tell them in a straightforward manner. "I don't know what it is, but they obviously have some sort of plan for me. Have you ever heard the story of Tyka the boatbuilder?"

"No I haven't but I enjoy the history of various cultures. Whats Tyka's story?"

"Tyka was a simple man, a boatbuilder from Ashalla. One day, he had a vision from the prophets so profound that he dedicated his life to figuring them out. He abandoned his career and traveled far and wide, to every corner of the land. For decades, he wandered the lands, consulting Vedeks and trying to find answers. Eventually, he found his way to the low-lying areas of the Dhakur province. But just as the old man was about to give up, something happened that made him understand the meaning of his vision."

"Sounds like he spent his life searching everywhere. What finally gave him insight?"

"A flood," replied Alenis. "A great flood threatened the city of Tempasa and the people of the city needed to build an ark. Tyka saved the people and died a hero."

"So his vision was to spend his entire life searching for an answer that landed on him, saving others, and killing him? I hope there aren't any parallels with your vision here Captain." Brad sighed lightly and quickly.

"I hope not, but if I'm destined for something, who am I to argue?"

"I'll respect your decision Captain but I want to keep an eye on it regularly for any change. There really is no telling what will happen with it. REGULAR exams Captain I won't budge on this one."

"As you wish, doctor," replied Alenis. "On another note, have you ever seen anything like what happened to Lieutenant Beauvoir?

Brad snickered lightly. "I haven't seen it myself but as a doctor yes I have studied and know what he is going through. I don't mean to make light of it Captain as its very serious its just that... well its kind of funny in an odd sort of way seeing as how they pride themselves over controlling their emotions and urges. To put it simply, every seven years a Vulcan has to have sex or he dies. Its barely controllable barely more then delaying the urges at best but Lieutenant Beauvoir is going to need to... release those pent up urges."

Alenis nodded along, "And by 'release those pent up urges,' you mean..."

"He has to have sex. Usually they try to target people they respect and care for. At least that's what the medical class covered. This is really the first I have encountered it. I am not sure if a holodeck simulation would work but it would be worth a shot. One final thing, Captain. For as inevitable as this pon farr is you'd think they would just accept it but they don't. Its very embarassing for them even though its purely biological and natural. I'd be ready for the Lieutenant to come to his senses after this and be shaken up about it."

"Well, in that case," replied Alenis, "work with Dr. Darze to find him a suitable holodeck program. I'm sure there is something in the database that you can, ahem, prescribe."

Last Edit: Aug 25, 2014 4:12:52 GMT by Alenis Meru

Lieutenant JG Brad Silverton
Chief Medical Officer
USS Portland

Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Jul 31, 2014 20:37:29 GMT

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Post by Alenis Meru on Jul 31, 2014 20:37:29 GMT

Visiting Hour
Brig, USS Portland
Mission 3: MD1, morning
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru, Lt. (JG) Jason Beauvoir

Alenis was hoping to get some shore leave in on Bajor, but things are rarely that simple for a Starfleet captain. Instead of returning to her hometown, she found herself busy taking care of ship's business. And the first order of business was dealing with a certain romantic encounter from the night before.

"How is he?" she asked the officer on duty in the brig.

"Well, he was screaming and bouncing off the walls earlier, but I think he's tired himself out, ma'am." The security officer blushed slightly. "Ma'am, if I can speak freely for a moment..."

"Go ahead," replied Alenis.

"Ma'am, he's been mentioning your name."

"Oh?" Alenis raised her brow, feigning shock and confusion. The last thing she needed right now was for rumours about their encounter to start floating around the ship. "In what context?"

"Well..." the guard's face turned bright red. "I'd rather not say, ma'am."

"I see," replied Alenis, sparing him the embarrassment of having to recount the details to his superior officer. "May I talk to him?"

"Go ahead, captain."

"Jason, are you all right?" she asked, approaching the cell containing her Chief Science Officer.

Jason perked up when he saw the object of his desire. "I am now," he said with a wolfish grin and hunger in his eyes.

"Jason... what's going on?" asked Alenis, a look of confusion in her eyes. She didn't know what had caused Jason to start acting erratically on the planet, hoped he understood that she only brought him to the brig for his protection. "Why are you acting like this?"

"In a word, biochemistry, ma'am." Jason said clearly battling hard to stay coherent. "I need you, Meru. I need you to save my life."

"To save your..." Alenis furrowed her brow. "I'm afraid I don't understand. Jason, what is happening?"

"It's the Pon farr, the Vulcan drive to mate..." He winced in pain. "My body is burning itself up, if I don't mate in the next few days..." He winced again. "My body will succumb to the stress, and I will...die." His breathing was laboured and his voice was almost a whisper, when he added "Meru, please help me."

"But, Jason, I'm seeing some--" Alenis cleared her throat, she nearly let her and Arvel's little secret slip. She looked him up and down. He was an attractive man, and he had a lot of good qualities. But still, she couldn't break Arvel's heart again. In another universe, one where he wasn't in the picture, perhaps. "I mean, I can't be your mate." The security guard in the background winced, his face turning beet red. "Jason, you're a good man, and perhaps if circumstances were different, we may be together, but not now. And definitely not like this."

Jason gave an feral yell, his animalistic nature supplanting reason again, he began bash his fists against the force field.

Alenis stepped back. "Jason, I'm trying to help you. I only have you locked up in here for your own protection. I'm sure Dr. Silverton and Dr. Darze can get you the help you need. I'm not going to let you die in here." With that, she turned and left. She wasn't sure anything was getting through to Jason anyways, and she wasn't sure he wanted her to see him acting like an animal.

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Timothy Rouse
Executive Officer

Posts: 249

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 1, 2014 13:29:48 GMT

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Post by Timothy Rouse on Aug 1, 2014 13:29:48 GMT

Teens getting in Trouble, part 1
Deck 6 - Gymnasium
MD 01 - 13.30 hrs
Authors: Jason Beauvoir as Coln Jena and Timothy Rouse as Devon Avit.

Devon was training in the gym. He had finished his homework ages ago and his classes weren’t until later this afternoon. He was bored, so he had decided to get rid of the boredom by working out.

Jena was exploring the ship again. As a civilian she was officially restricted to certain areas of the ship, but she didn’t let the rules get in the way of her curiosity. After a while she found herself at the gym. There she found a young man working out and decided to watch him for a while.

“Lost?” he asked the girl standing in the door. “The gifted kids class is on deck 10.” He was the only child, so far he knew, on this ship that wasn’t part of the new program. Not that he regretted it much, he never liked school. But to be the only sane kid on the ship did have its down sides.

“I’m not one of them, I’m a Starfleet Brat, my father’s the Chief Science Officer.” Jena told this rude boy.

“That can’t be.” Devon said as he stopped the treadmill he was using. “I thought I was the only brat on board.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and threw it over his shoulder. “Devon Avit. Mother is the Master-at-Arms.”

“I’m Coln Jena.” She said.

“Nice to meet ya, Coln”

“Coln’s my family name, my given name is Jena.”

Devon looked closer and only now noticed the earring and wrinkled nose. “My bad. Nice to meet ya, Jena. So, what are you doing here at this time of day. Finished your lessons too?”

“Yeah, I’m a genius, school’s a breeze for me.” She said with a smile.

“Jeh, I know the feeling. Normally I would say that you don’t need to be a genius to excel in school here, but after those smarties got here that’s not the case anymore.” Devon said with a smirk grin on his face. “Wait a minute. Didn’t you say your father is the Chief Science officer? The same guy that’s in the brig now?” When he saw the smile disappeared on her face he said “Sorry, news travels fast, especially when you’re bored.”

Jena scowled at Devon. She was frustrated at not knowing why her father had suddenly been thrown in the Brig and didn’t like being reminded about it. “So what have you heard about it?” She asked figuring it was better to know what was being said.

“Nothing much. I tried to learn more, but all the adult stop talking about it when they see me. You mean you don’t know either why he is in there. But he is your father. Why hasn’t anyone told you?”

“They probably think they’re protecting me.” She said with a half smile.

“How can they protect you by ignoring you?” He said. “You know what, we could try to find out some other way. I know my way around a computer. I can try to find the information in there for you. Someone must have added something in the computer about it” He said with a wicked grin.

“I like the way you think, Devon.” She said returning his grin.

“The computer core is located on deck 10 and 11. With the school now being on 10 I would suggest to go there. They won’t notice us there, as they probably think we are part of the smarties.” Devon said. “Meet me there? I need to shower and pick up a few things first.”

“A sound plan, Mr. Avit. Make it so.” She said mimicking a Starfleet officer.

===========================

Deck 10 - Computer Core Upper Deck
Ten minutes later

A few minutes later Devon approached the door to the computer core and saw that his new friend was already standing there. “Great, let’s get started.” he’d changed into some human clothes. He liked that better than the clothes his people wore on Tomorela. Especially something called jeans. He opened his bag and removed a padd from it.

“My, you scrub up well.” Jena said.

He looked at her for a second and raised his eyebrow. Returning to his padd he typed a few commands on it and spoke “Computer, “ His voice sounded way different now. “open door.” and the door opened. Something it wasn’t suppose to do with their clearance level.

Now it was Jena’s turn to raise a quizzical eyebrow, there was definitely more to this boy than it first appeared.

“A few weeks back I was in the gym with some Security crewmen” Devon started explaining. “They were talking about some flaws in the system and hadn’t noticed me. So I accepted the challenge later, used those flaws and created a profile of a fake security officer. Installed a program on my padd to change my voice. Gave my alter ego enough clearance to do something, but not high enough to get noticed. I normally only use it to watch movies and play games that I’m not suppose to have access to. Never knew it could come in handy. Shall we go in? This door doesn’t stay open forever.”

Jena smiled and then slipped through the doorway.

Inside Devon immediately walked to the closest console he could find. “Computer,” he said in his other voice, “access personnel file on the Chief Science officer.”

=/\=”Accessing”=/\= the familiar computer voice spoke. =/\= ”Information in currently not available.” =/\=

Jena frowned, but before she or her new friend could say anything further, the door closed behind them and the clang of a maglock was heard. Then the lights in room dimmed and a klaxon sounded. Jena tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. They were trapped. Devon had probably tripped something when he was trying to be clever.

Last Edit: Mar 16, 2015 9:51:38 GMT by Timothy Rouse

Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Andrew Rouse
Executive Officer
USS Portland

Jason Beauvoir
Chief Science Officer

“Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out.” ― G.K. Chesterton

Posts: 245

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 1, 2014 16:09:17 GMT

Quote

Post by Jason Beauvoir on Aug 1, 2014 16:09:17 GMT

Teens getting in trouble, part two
Deck 1 - XO’s Office
MD 01 - 1400 hrs
Authors: Jason Beauvoir as Coln Jena, Ensign Rizzoli and Timothy Rouse as Devon Avit, CPO Syalla Coren, Maj. Judith Rouse.

Jena stood with her hands behind her back, staring at her shoes, while the XO gave her and her companion a dressing down.

Tim was staring at the kids continuously. He had heard of the situation almost right away, and even though he understood why they had done it, he couldn’t condone it. =/\="Mrs. Coren has arrived." =/\= Ina’s voice sounded through the comm. “Let her in.” Tim replied while he kept staring at the children. His office door opened, revealing Devon’s mother. The woman looked rushed and even slightly imberred.

“Sir, I’m so sorry, sir. I leave him alone for a few hours, and then this.” turning to her son she said. “Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to hear that not just someone broke in the computer core, but your own son.”

“He did it for me, ma’am.” Jena said sticking up for Deven.

The door opened again to reveal Major Rouse, Tim’s sister and the new Security Advisor. Syalla let out a soft sighed and look at her son even madder. She hadn’t met the captain jet, but her son had just shown why exactly they needed a security advisor.

“It seems we have two problems here at hand” Tim started. “one boy that has too much time on his hands and a girl that has been completely forgotten about after her father's accident.”

“And what about the Security problems?” Syalla said, using this moment to address a problem that’s been there for a while.

“I’m fully aware of the situation with Security” Tim said, remembering the lecture he had gotten from Judith hours earlier. He glanced at his sister. “But they are being handled. That’s not why I called you.” The last was meant for Judith, who was still standing inches away from the door.

“You young man,” he looked in the direction of Devon. “You will lose all privileges you currently have, and will have to earn them back by doing chores for various departments. Starting with the Operations department. Lieutenant R’havis will be expecting you tomorrow at 0800 hours.” Tim handed the padd he was reading from to Devon. “This contains your work schedule for the next few weeks.” He looked at Syalla and the woman actually looked relieved. “This should make sure you don’t get bored anytime soon.”

Devon let out an audible sigh as he glanced over the padd. “But this is not norm..” a soft slap to his head from his mother prevented him from saying anything more.

“I will keep an eye on you, young man.” Tim said. “That’s it for now. I’d like to talk to Jena in private. You are dismissed.” he saw his sister starting to move too. “Not you, Major.”

Devon stood up and followed his mother out of the XO’s office. Turning back just before he left the room to wink to Jena and say. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Jena said though she believed he needed it more than her.

Tim signaled his sister to take the now empty seat before he started talking to Jena. “Jena, am I correct in thinking no one has spoken to you since your father is in the brig?”

Judith looked up at that remark. She hadn’t found time to figure out who was in the brig, but she had heard that it was the most important topic on the gossip channels. Hearing that the young girl’s father was in the brig hurt her heart. She decided that she would investigate why as soon as she could.

“That’s correct, sir and Devon was just trying to help me get some information.” Jena replied.

Tim shook his head and felt guilty. He pressed his combadge. “Commander Rouse to the Brig”

=/\=“This is the Brig, Ensign Rizzoli, here, sir.” =/\= Came the South Bostonian voice of the Brig Duty Officer. In the background could be heard the sound of mournful animalistic calling something that sounded like “Meru.”

“Ensign, is the Lieutenant able to talk to his daughter.” The calling became louder and the ensign’s negative was almost drowned out. “Thank you, I know enough. Rouse out.”

A look of fear and sorrow crossed the young woman’s features. She recognised the sound as coming from her father, but it held none of his personality only longing and pain. “What have you done to him?” She demanded to know.

“Tim?” Judith asked, totally ignoring protocol. Protocol left the window the moment that girl had to heard those awful sounds. “What is going on?”

Tim looked at his sister for a mere second before returning to Jena. Great, now he was the bad guy, all he wanted to do was have the girl talk to her dad. “I think you deserve to know.” He paused for a second. Oh how did he wished Ellen was here to explain to the girl. “What do you know about Pon Farr?”

Judith raised her eyebrow and let out a soft “Oh,”

“It’s the Vulcan drive to mate, isn’t it?” Jena asked. She’d read about it, it didn’t sound like fun and she knew that she’d experience it herself someday.

Tim was relieved to hear he didn’t have to tell the girl about the birds and the bees.

“Is that’s what’s going on?” Judith asked to what she got an affirmative nod. “And nobody bothered to tell you about what’s going on?” she asked. Then she realized something. “Where did you sleep last night? Not all by yourself did you?”

“That’s right and yes I slept in our quarters, mine and my dad’s, that is, by myself. I had the Computer play music until I fell to sleep.”

She looked at her brother. Again. Angry. And took a decision. “That’s it. I’m going to look after you. I’ll stay with you in your quarters and we can watch a movie or something else. I do have to work tomorrow, but you can come with me.”

Jena looked at this woman, who had just offered to be her, what? Babysitter. “Thank you, Ma’am, but I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Who said anything about a baby?” Judith asked quickly glancing over to her brother.

Jena caught the glance, but had no idea what it meant. “I mean, I’m okay on my own.” The girl explained.

“Your only what, 15 years old. You can’t stay on your own. Hey, I’m not such a terrible roommate. We can raid the replicator. Ice cream, Pizza.” Judith tried to convince the girl.

“I’m 14, but a very mature 14.” Jena said in a childish manner.

“But still 14!” She thought a moment. “I’ll just grab my bag and see you in your quarters in half an hour.” Not giving her a second chance to deny.

“Hey.” Jena said, but it was too late, Judith was already gone. ’Well, looks like I’ve got a new roomy.’ She thought to herself with a sigh.

Tim couldn’t help but laugh about his sister’s actions. At moments like this he loved her even more. “Sorry kid, when my sister gets something in her head, there’s no getting it out again.” he said. Thinking of when she had decided to become a Marine. A decision that had cost her her health and almost her life.

Last Edit: Mar 16, 2015 9:54:43 GMT by Timothy Rouse

Lieutenant Jason Anderson Beauvoir
Chief Science Officer
USS Portland

Timothy Rouse
Executive Officer

Posts: 249

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 4, 2014 19:01:01 GMT

Quote

Post by Timothy Rouse on Aug 4, 2014 19:01:01 GMT

USS Portland - Captain’s Office
Authors: Maj. Judith Rouse and Cmdr. Alenis Meru

“...and so, I think your expertise would make you a valuable addition to the crew,” said Alenis. “I’m sure that you’ll have no problems with--”

Without warning, the door opened, revealing a disgruntled Tellarite in yellow. “Captain, what is the meaning of this!” shouted Grel. “I don’t need some jarhead coming into my department and telling us what to do. This is absurd! I’ve been in security for six years! What does some Marine Corps reject know about--” Grel’s voice faltered; he was so angry that his brain did not initially process the image of the woman in green sipping coffee at Alenis’ desk.

Judith looked up at the man with a curious look in her eyes. “Mister Grel, I presume?” She tried very hard not to show that his words hurt. A reject. If it wasn’t for her accident she would still be working with the Marines.

“And you must be Ms. Rouse,” replied Grel in a sneering voice.

“The one and only.” she said with amusement in her voice. “But if that is too difficult for you to remember, Jarhead will do”

“A Tellarite never forgets, Ms. Rouse.” Grel turned to Alenis. “Commander, why do I have some jarhead--”

“Enough!” shouted Alenis, interrupting the Tellarite. She knew how to deal with their type; her arguments with Gran, the Chief Tactical Officer on her previous assignment, were legendary and were often the stuff of gossip on the ShiKahr. “Major Rouse is your superior officer and you will give her the respect she deserves.”

“But--”

“But nothing!” Alenis slammed her fist on the table for good measure, nearly spilling her tea. “If you wish to be rude and insubordinate, that is your choice, but that will leave me with no other choice than to relieve you of duty until you can keep a civil tongue in your head. Is that clear?!”

Grel smiled. The captain was bold and had some moxie. He respected that. “Yes, captain. Now, Major, why are you here?”

Judith put her coffee mug down. She blinked for a second. “The reason for my presence here is related to the Portlands upcoming mission and to review and report on your department's performance. Now, I understand that a couple hours ago, some fourteen year old kids broke into your computer network? How was that possible?” Every sane person could see that lots of things were going wrong there. She was only on board a little then 24 hours and she noticed right away.

Alenis stifled a laugh; Judith was quickly learning how to deal with Tellarites.

“Some wannabe hacker kid tried accessing the network.” Grel was on the defensive. “He tripped an alarm right away and we caught him and his little accomplice.” He let out a grunt and turned towards the captain and sneered, “but if I were you, I’d be more concerned about the conduct of your senior officers. What do you plan to do about the Lieutenant in the brig who won’t stop moaning your name?”

Jason, thought Alenis. She had to do something for him; she could only hope that Brad and Arvel had something up their sleeve. “That,” started Alenis, speaking slowly and deliberately, “is none of your concern. Your job is to simply make sure that he doesn’t escape and doesn’t hurt himself for the time being. I trust you are competent enough to manage that.”

“Quite,” replied Grel. “Now, Major, when would you like to start this ‘training’?”

Judith chuckled at Grel’s confirmation. She heard other things. “Training?” That’s one way of calling it. “I’m currently assessing the situation. I’ll probably need a few day to complete that. After that we will work on a plan to improve things.”

“Well, I look forward to hearing your suggestions,” replied Grel in a sneering tone. With that, he turned and left.

“I’m sorry,” started Alenis. “Grel is… well, you know how Tellarites are.”

“I hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms anyway.” Judith said. “Risk of the job”

“True, consultants tend to be vastly unappreciated by the people they are consulting.” Alenis took a sip of her tea. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” she asked, changing the subject. “All I know about you is that you’re a marine and you’re Tim’s little sister.”

She took a small sip from her coffee. “I use to be a fighter pilot, but my plane crashed three years ago. After learning to walk again i worked as a MCO for a while on a vessel, but on an away mission I hurt my back again and… well, lets just say that I am lucky to be still walking. I can’t stand for long periods or walk long distances. So I needed to change profession again. I just got some bad luck.” with the last she sighed softly.

“I see,” started Alenis in an empathetic tone. “Well, if you are half as talented as Tim, I’m sure you’ll do well here on the Portland. If there’s any special accomodations you need, don’t hesitate to let myself or Tim know.”

“About that.” Judith started. “Uhm.. I haven’t told Tim about the second accident. He would go completely nuts if he hears. He still sees me as his little sister.”

“Well, it is not my place to tell you to whom you divulge your personal medical information to,” though she was an only child, Alenis could sympathize with Judith. She never wanted to show weakness to anyone; it’s why she tried to hide the mental health problems that she suffered from ever since the destruction of the Gol. Only Arvel and a couple others knew about that. “That said, he’s your brother. You can’t hide this from him forever.”

“I can try” she joked. “I just don’t want him to worry even more then he already does. Especially now.”

“Tim is a big boy,” replied Alenis, jokingly. “I’m sure he can handle it. Now, I’m sure you have some funny stories for me about growing up with him.”

“Well, there was this one time…”

Last Edit: Mar 16, 2015 9:56:46 GMT by Timothy Rouse

Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Andrew Rouse
Executive Officer
USS Portland

Timothy Rouse
Executive Officer

Posts: 249

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 4, 2014 23:02:28 GMT

Quote

Post by Timothy Rouse on Aug 4, 2014 23:02:28 GMT

USS Portland - Holodeck 2
Authors: Alenis Meru as Maria Hill and Timothy Rouse as Ellen Washington.

Ellen and Maria were in the holodeck for over an hour. They had tried out several program, but hadn’t found the perfect one. They were currently walking through a Tuscan piazza at dusk. The shimmering of the sunset on the hills gave the surroundings an even more romantic feel. Ellen was hungry; she hadn’t eaten anything today. Well, actually she had, she just didn’t manage to keep it in any longer than 15 minutes. That was why they were doing this now, and not in the morning at planned. She was too nauseous to function, let alone walk around romantic holodeck programs.

“Don’t you think we should test out the food here?” she asked. “I’m starving. Computer, display waiter.” And an older Italian man appeared next to the restaurant. “Buonasera signorinas, come stai? How can I help you?” the latter part was asked with a very thick Italian accent.

“Yes,” started Maria, “We are looking for a romantic dinner, and--”

“Ah, say no more. Luigi will take care of you, signorinas. I have the best cannelloni in all of Tuscany.” The portly, moustachioed chef pulled a chair back for Maria to sit down. “Sit, sit, please. Is it just the two of you?”

“Yes… well, it’s complicated,” said Maria.

“I see. It is hard to imagine that two bellisima signorinas like yourselves are single. Enjoy the piazza; I shall return with your menus.”

“Computer, play full program” Ellen said. And the whole town came to life. Answering the risen eyebrow of her friend she said. “This is my favorite program. It feels so real. At least I think. This is exactly how I would imagine a small Italian town. From those grandpa’s sitting near the fountain. To the mothers playing with their children.” the last was accompanied with a few shouts of vieni qui as a child was running away from its mother. “Or those teenagers sitting on the church steps.” Ellen continued.

“It’s wonderful,” started Maria, taking in the Tuscan scenery. “So romantic; I’m sure they’ll love it.”

“Ah, signorinas, allow me to get you started,” said Luigi as he reached over to light the candles and fill their glasses with water. “We have a spinach and ricotta cannelloni that is just--” he kissed his fingers, emphasizing the deliciousness of the food. “Shall I get you started with a glass -- or perhaps a bottle -- of wine?” he asked, placing two menus on the table

“Do you want real wine?” Ellen asked her friend.

“No, I’m on duty in a couple hours,” replied Maria.

“Per me, un bottiglia di acqua e un bottiglia di vino Chianti, syntahol.” she asked, showing off the little Italian she had learned. “And you?” she asked Maria.

“Make it two,” said Maria, not knowing precisely what her companion had ordered, but not wanting to look foolish in front of her or the holographic waiter.

“É per mangiare,” she looked at the menu, but then decided to go for the day special/ “I’ll go for the Canneloni with Spinach.”

“And you, signorina?” asked the waiter.

“Um,” started Maria, feeling a little intimidated by Ellen’s relative mastery of Italian. “I’ll have the special as well.” She scanned the menu. “And can we have this artichoke salad to start?”

“Of course, signorinas. Luigi will be back with your wine.”

“I really am starving. I never understood how a pregnant woman could eat so little at one point in the day and then suddenly be so hungry the next.” she grabbed a peach of bread and put some olive oil and salt on it. “Ok, so what do we think? Will we use this program? I think it is the best we have seen today.”

“I think so,” said Maria. “Though I do also like the Martian sunset”

“No, too alien,” replied Ellen. “This is the one. Though, I’ve been talking to Judith yesterday and I think we need to change one big thing in our plan if we want this to work.” Ellen continued. “Judith is not the kind of woman that goes to a blind date. She has ignored every attempt of her brother to set her up with anyone. Therefore I think we need to change tactics. I was thinking: What if we let her believe she has a secret admirer? Send her flowers, chocolate, and of course notes. Then after a while one of the notes will have a invitation to this.” She waved around her with her hands. “I’m just not so sure about the other person, how we are going to get him here.”

“I’ll think of something,” replied Maria.

Last Edit: Mar 16, 2015 9:57:36 GMT by Timothy Rouse

Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Andrew Rouse
Executive Officer
USS Portland

Maya of Psychon
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Posts: 165

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 8, 2014 0:53:29 GMT

Quote

Post by Maya of Psychon on Aug 8, 2014 0:53:29 GMT

Swimsuit diplomacy...

Docking Port 1, USS Portland

MD1, morning

Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Rouse, Lt Tyrlai Zade

“I see you’ve dressed up,” called out Alenis as she saw her first officer approaching, in full dress uniform. Normally she would be in full dress uniform for an occasion like this, but with replicators down while retrofitting and repairs were wrapping up, she didn’t have much of a choice.

"Well, someone has too." he said with a smirk.

I’d have worn mine as well, but… well, you were there, you saw how it got ruined.” Unable to replicate another dress uniform, Alenis figured that standard duty uniforms would have to do.

"I'm sure they'll understand. And if they don't, well to bad for them." he answered while he shrugged. He still wasn't going to let anyone ruin his good mood.

"Tora Celes and her entourage should be here any minute,” added Alenis. “Have you seen Lieutenant Zade?”

Present, as ordered, ma'am," Tyrlai piped up from behind the Captains shoulder. Alenis turned and rolled her eyes.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

"Its a dermal regenerating brace. I don't want scars, swimsuit season you know." Tyrlai was otherwise dressed in workout clothes, a purple top that would otherwise have displayed as much midriff as was possible if it went for a tight assortment of vertical black straps secured from her ribcage to her hips which actually seemed demure next to the pants, black and skin tight like the old Vulcan uniforms of the 2100's.

It was at that moment that the airlock doors opened with a whoosh. “Ah, Ms. Tora,” said Alenis, stepping forward to greet the Foreign Minister that she met the night before and offering her a smile. “Welcome aboard the USS Portland. I hope you enjoy your stay; if you need anything, feel free to contact my associate, Lieutenant Commander Rouse.”

Tim stepped forward at the mentioning of his name. Tyrlai for her part slid back a half step.

Tora raised an eyebrow. “No dress uniform, Commander?” she asked, her severe tone mixing frustration and disappointment.

“Ah, yes,” Alenis’ face turned red. “My dress uniform was… er… ruined… last night, and I hadn’t had a chance to replicate a new one,” she said feebly.

“Right,” replied Tora in a stuffy tone. “These are my associates, Mr. Fero, Mr. Rass, and Ms. Iyso. I trust you have appropriate quarters prepared for us?”

"VIP Quarters have been prepared for each one of you." Tim said.

"I should hope that these quarters are... sufficient," replied Tora. "I can not believe that Starfleet would send such an archaic vessel on a mission of this importance."

"The Portland may be old," started Alenis, "but she's been retrofitted many times with up do date technology. I assure you, she will get you there in one piece, and that we will be travelling in style."

"Right," replied Tora, almost rolling her eyes at the captain. She gazed upon a young woman in purple. "Is this the so-called diplomatic officer that I will be working with in these negotiations?"

"Tyrlai Zade at your service." Tyrlai smiled and stepped forward extending her hand as the woman's eyes widened at the first glimpse of her attire.

"Is this a joke!? A child as a diplomat???" The ambassador glared angrily at the Captain before turning her attention back to Tyrlai. "A holomodel in her underwear no less, I should,... wait." Anger turned to a brief moment of recognition and then back to anger. "Zade did you say?"

"I was called Eledzar when time was."

She took another look up and down Tyrlai. "They did this to Eledzar!?"

"Hey, no call for rudeness, you little snip." Tyrlai glared a little herself. "I had quite enough of that attitude on Trill,..."

Alenis stepped between them, trying to defuse the situation. For a diplomat, Tora Celes wasn't very diplomatic. "Enough, the both of you!" she shouted, her voice projecting authority while conveying frustration at the same time. Both Tora and Tyrla were staring at her. "What I mean to say is, we've both had a lot of excitement last night, and I'm sure our guests would like to unpack and settle in. Mr. Rouse, why don't you show our guests to their quarters?"

"Ladies and Gentleman, would you please follow me?" He said as he guided them to the hallway.

As the guests walked by, Alenis gently grabbed Tyrlai's arm, a non-verbal cue for her to stay. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned to the Trill and sighed in frustration. "You know, if it weren't for my clothing replicator being offline, I'd chew you out for not being in full dress uniform."

Tyrlai looked over at the Captain and whispered so the others couldn't hear. "I have a Doctors excuse. Tissue regeneration takes precedence over stuffy diplomatic outfits."

Realizing that it was better to pick her battles and that Tyrlai's dress and deportment was the least of her worries on the Portland, Alenis changed the subject. "Am I to understand that you have some history with Ms. Tora?"

"Not that I remember. When I said that stuff about Trill I was talking about the attitude, not so much the speaker." Tyrlai waited looking over her shoulder until the turbolift doors had closed. "I suppose it is time you knew." She stepped over to a wall display and tapped in the files shed been working on with the new Engineer. "We've traced the reptillian's comm signal far enough to be reasonably sure its going to the same world we are. Somebody there went to a lot of trouble to steal a holy book and if I am going to go looking for it I am going to need to be thought of as unreliable by one Tora Celes."

Last Edit: Aug 8, 2014 0:54:34 GMT by Maya of Psychon

Maya of Psychon
Science Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 10, 2014 5:22:45 GMT

Quote

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 10, 2014 5:22:45 GMT

The First Minister
Captain’s Quarters, USS Portland
Afternoon, MD1

Taking a break from her busy day, Alenis decided to return to her quarters to check on Ko-ko. She had been rather testy in the morning, so Alenis decided to let the bird take the day off from accompanying the captain on her shoulder and just relax in her cage. As she entered her quarters, she whistled a little bird call. “Ko-ko, I’m home,” she called out. But instead of getting all excited, Ko-ko just stood on her perch and stared at Alenis. “What’s the matter, Ko-ko, are you hungry? Tired? Not feeling well?”

Ko-ko simply tilted her head at Alenis’ query.

“I see,” replied Alenis. “Well, I’m having one of those days as well,” she said as she examined her feeder. “My, aren’t you hungry today,” she added as she walked over to the cupboard to get some birdseed. “Keep it up and you’ll get so fat you won’t be able to fly.”

As she was refilling Ko-ko’s feeder, Alenis’ comm badge chirped. “Captain, I’ve got an incoming call from Gamia III for you.” It was R’vahis; she could easily tell by the feline accent.

“Patch it through to my quarters, I’ll take it in here.”

“Roger. R’vahis out.”

As she sat down at her desk, Alenis activated the monitor. A middle-aged Bajoran woman, dressed in conservative garb, appeared on screen. “Greetings, Commander Alenis. I am Anjohl Kabia, First Minister of the Holy Republic of Gamia.”

“Commander Alenis Meru, USS Portland” she replied, adjusting her hair. She hadn’t been expecting a call from a First Minister.

“I thought that was a Bajoran name,” Kabia said, her suspicions confirmed. “I see the Federation saw to it to send a Bajoran captain to assist with the negotiations.” Seeing Alenis touch her hair prompted Anjohl to wave an errant curl behind her ear, an ear adorned with a Bajoran earring, but one not quite like any Alenis had seen before. The blue gem and silver chain was unusual on Bajor, but it did match her greying hair.

“Oh, I’m not going to be a part of these negotiations, First Minister,” replied Alenis. “My Chief Diplomatic Officer, Lieutenant Tyrlai Zade, will be representing the interests of the Federation. Diplomacy is not my forte; I am simply here to transport Ms. Tora and her delegation and assist in whatever way I can.” As she spoke, she detected Anjohl’s lips curl slightly downwards in disapproval. “But I like to think that Starfleet chose me because of my talents and qualifications rather than my race.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure their trust in you is well placed. When will you be arriving?” asked Anjohl, changing the subject.

“Five days from now. Our ETA is the evening, approximately 1800 hours.”

“Excellent,” replied the First Minister. “I will inform my aides and we shall plan a small reception for you and your delegation. We will secure your landing site, simply contact our traffic controllers when you arrive.”

“Secure?” asked Alenis, her eyes narrowing as she picked apart her words. “I trust there is no danger down there.”

“Of course not, Captain,” replied Kabia, trying to brush away her concerns. “There has been a little unrest as of late, but nothing too serious. Just standard precautions, you know how it is.”

“Right. Well then, I shall see you in five days. My aides will be in contact with you and your crew to make detailed arrangement for your arrival.”

“I look forward to it, Commander. Gamia out.”

As the screen went blank, Alenis pondered her first impression. Kabia seemed sincere enough, but there was something unsettling to her about the discussion of securing a landing site. She suspected that there was something that Kabia was trying to keep from her; perhaps some danger that the Gamians were reluctant to talk about. Of course, it made sense from a diplomatic standpoint – one should not tip their hand prior to negotiations, and admitting that you really need the help of the other party can easily weaken your position.

“What do you think, Ko-ko?” she called out. “Can I trust this Anjohl Kabia?”

For a second, Ko-ko looked up at Alenis. But just as quickly, the bird turned her head and started pecking away at the few seeds remaining in her feeder.

“That’s what I thought.”

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 14, 2014 21:54:49 GMT

Quote

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 14, 2014 21:54:49 GMT

A mother's love...
Alenis' quarters, USS Portland
Afternoon, MD1
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru and Lt. Jason Beauvoir

Finally getting Ko-ko to come out of her cage, Alenis carried her around on her wrist. "Come on, Ko-ko, what's the matter? You can't sit in your cage all day." As Alenis brought the bird up to her shoulder, she reluctantly flapped her wings and perched herself on her shoulder. But instead of nuzzling herself up aside her owner, Ko-ko pecked at Alenis' head a couple time. "Ow! What's the deal, Ko-ko, you used to like sitting on my shoulder."

As she wrestled with Ko-ko, Alenis' comm badge chirped. "What!" she shouted, answering the call.

"Captain, another call for you. A Captain Anderson of the USS Canterbury."

"Patch it through to my quarters, Mr. R'vahis," she replied in an exasperated tone. Sitting down at her desk, Ko-ko still on her shoulder, she pressed the button to activate the comm link. She recognized the Vulcan from the banquet the night before. "Ah, Captain Anderson. It is not every day that I get a call from the mother of one of my senior officers. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

T'Lisa face was impassive as she spoke. "This is not a social call, Commander. I have a delicate matter to discuss with you regarding Lieutenant Beauvoir's condition." Although this was a very serious matter, she couldn't help herself from raising a questioning eye brow at the bird perched on the Commander's shoulder.

"I see," replied Alenis, trying to transfer Ko-ko to the desk. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about with a fellow captain who happened to be the mother of her Chief Science Officer. "Well, I can assure you that he is safe and that we have our best people working hard to get him whatever medical help that he needs."

T'Lisa found herself conflicted between keeping a private matter private and straight talking, as her mother would call it. 'Straight talking' won out. "Jason is experiencing Pon Farr, is he not?"

"That is what I'm told, Captain." Alenis didn't know much about Pon Farr, and truth be told, she didn't particularly want to know more. "I'm sure you're more familiar with this... condition... than I am," she added, choosing her words carefully.

"Where is he, Sickbay?" T'Lisa inquired.

"Actually, he's currently in the brig.

"A wise precaution, under the circumstances." She said. The closest she ever came to a compliment. "Has he chosen a mate yet?"

Alenis took a deep breath. For a moment her eyes wandered to Ko-ko, who simply stared back at her for a moment before turning away to peck at the side of the monitor. "Yes, I believe so," she started. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, her voice getting unusually meek as she winced in embarrassment. "I think he has chosen... me."

"How unfortunate for you, Commander." T'Lisa said.

"Yes, well, perhaps you can offer us some advice on how to handle this delicate situation." Alenis could detect some disappointment in T'Lisa's eyes. "Surely there are other ways to satiate his wants and desires."

"There are only three ways to break Pon Farr, intense mediation, the sexual act or ritual combat." The Captain informed the younger woman in a matter-of-fact manner. "It's probably past time for the first, besides, Jason lacks the mental focus, which leaves sex or combat, but bear in mind combat is often fatal, for at least one of the combatants. Is that of any assistance?"

Alenis frowned. T'Lisa's advice wasn't much help. "Not really. Of those last two suggestions, the first is out of the question, and the second is too dangerous."

"Since he hasn't formed a psionic link, there is another thing you could try, I did not mention it earlier, because the possibility of it being effective is a long shot. You could create a holographic mate for him on the holodeck, but bear in mind, it has to be complex enough for Jason to form a psionic link with it through a 'mind meld'." She turned to consult briefly with someone off screen before continuing. "My CMO tells me that cortical simulator could be programmed to simulate the required brain patterns."

"Will that work?" asked Alenis, her eyes lighting up at even the possibility of a third option.

"It will certainly increase the chances of a favourable outcome." T'Lisa told her.

"One other question." Alenis looked up at Ko-ko, who by now had perched herself on top of her monitor, for a moment and shook her head as her eyes returned to T'Lisa's. She thought she was ready for everything the job of captain would throw at her, but discussing holographic mates for a senior officer with his mother was one thing that she didn't anticipate. "This holographic companion. Does it have to be a..." she cleared her throat, "...a representation of his chosen mate?"

"It would not hurt." The former Science officer replied.

Alenis sighed and rolled her eyes, holding one hand up to her head. So far, the best idea they had to save her science officer's life was to create a holographic recreation of herself and... the thought made her skin crawl. "I'll get someone working on the program. Have your CMO liaise with mine on this procedure. Is there anything else, Captain?"

"I will have Dr. Th'Zal contact your Sickbay, now. Commander please give my son, my best." T'Lisa said at last showing a modicum of emotion. "Good Luck, Commander."

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 14, 2014 22:00:40 GMT

Quote

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 14, 2014 22:00:40 GMT

Privileges of command...
Capain's Office, USS Portland
Right after A mother's love

Returning to her office with an armful of PADDs, Alenis had a lot on her mind. She had diplomats to deal with, a sick bird to take care of, and worst of all, a holographic recreation of herself to create. Qucikly, she burst through the door, only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of an unfamiliar man wiping down her desk. A PADD clattered to the floor.

“Allow me to get that,” said the tall, swarthy young man, placing the cloth down on her desk and quickly rushing over to retrieve the dropped PADD. “Personnel reports; shall I file this for you, ma’am.”

“Well, that depends,” started Alenis. Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

“You really are behind on those personnel reports,” he replied, smiling at her with his glistening white teeth as he placed the errant PADD on her desk. “Crewman Abdel al-Nablusi.” Seeing no response from the captain but a blank stare, he continued. “Your yeoman? I just arrived on board this morning.”

“Well, in that case, welcome aboard!” Alenis offered an enthusiastic greeting, trying to brush off her inauspicious start. “I guess you already know who I am,” she added, her lips curling into a slight smile.

“Captain Meru, I presume,” he said, coming to attention.

“At ease, crewman. Actually, it’s Captain Alenis. Bajoran names, you know.”

“My apologies, ma’am. May I take those PADDs off of your hands?”

“Yes,” replied Alenis, loosening the grip her arms had on the bundle of paperwork as the yeoman plucked the PADDs one by one out of her hands and placed them underneath a muscular arm. Clearly, he enjoyed working out. “You know, I’ve never had a yeoman before. To be honest, I’m not even sure what you’re supposed to do.”

“Consider me your personal assistant.” Abdel began sorting through the PADDs under his arm. “Filing, paperwork, preparing transcriptions…” he paused. “Fetching coffee, and anything else you need or desire.”

“Anything?” she asked, stifling a schoolgirl giggle as an inappropriate thought ran through her head. He didn’t look older than 25; perhaps if she were ten or fifteen years younger and single... “Well, there is one thing you can do for me,” she said, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Yes, captain?”

“File this paperwork for me,” she said, waving her arm over the giant pile of paperwork on her desk. She was going to enjoy having a yeoman.

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Alenis Meru
Commanding Officer

Posts: 756

Mission 3: "Pilgrims" Aug 17, 2014 22:48:34 GMT

Quote

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 17, 2014 22:48:34 GMT

Tea Time
Captain's Office, USS Portland
MD1, a little before lunch
Authors: Cmdr. Alenis Meru and Lt. Parker Hudson

Looking at his tricorder Parker frowned, his furry eyebrows showing confusion at what he was reading. The tricorder showed that the systems analysis was at a 38 percent functional level. He didn't know why. The replicator terminal was at the end of a relay eps and shouldn't be on a fluctuating power level. Parker was slightly embarrassed inside that Captain Alenis' replicator was not functioning! This was something he could have prevented beforehand from engineering.

Punching in a few codes into the user interface he didn't know what to bring up. Parker didn't know what Alenis' favorite drink was, he wish he did, as he wanted to get the isolinear chips process right.

Stepping back from the replicator service panel that was flipped open revealing all of its shiny, flickering, colored parts Parker said "You know I think it could be the diode phase enhancer..." He spoke aloud.

He took his metal federation tool box and set it atop the glass and wood veneered Captain's Desk. Parker then slapped at his com badge "Parker to Riley... I want you to take a look at Deck 1 the Captain's Ready Room. I'm siphoning the eps... Tell me degradation rate."

"Got it. One sec." Riley replied.

Punching in a few commands Parker said "Green Tea. Hot." This would be able to show engineering any field loss in the distribution eps.

What started as a swirling silver glitter soon formed into a warm cup of Green Tea sitting in the replicator. Reaching forward and then taking a sniff of it... "Damn hot water to me..." He muttered. Parker didn't understand tea drinkers, it always tasted like nothing to him.

Setting the cup down on the desk next to his tool box the assistant engineer replied "Riley here. Yeah, can definitely see some sort of a discharge on Deck 2 interrupting."

Nodding Parker replied "Sounds good. I'll be down to grab some insulators and meet me on deck two." He then slapped his com badge.

Grabbing for his tool box at the edge Parker's large hand grasped at the metal handle sliding it along only before he realized, the cup of Green Tea slid off the glass Ready Room table and onto Captain Alenis' chair.

Parker's face was priceless. What was a cocky confidence instantly turned into complete horror. "NNNNNOooo!" He spit out. "What the heck!!!!!!" He growled immediately reaching into his tool box for his mechanic rag. "Why does this crap always have to happen!?"

As he leaned over to sop up the tea with his rag, Parker heard the whoosh of a door opening behind him. "You must be here to fix my replicator," said a female voice from behind the mechanic's back, "but what are you doing with my chair?"

Parker stood at attention rigid. His tall stance in front of the Commander's Desk. Uncomfortable was......... An..... Understatement!

"Ma'am. Commander. Lt. Parker here, I thought I would fix your replicator...personally."

"Lieutenant Parker..." Alenis paused for a moment; she knew she had seen that name on the personnel files somewhere. "Ah, you must be our new Chief Engineering Officer." She could tell that he was nervous about something, something bigger than simply meeting his new captain. "At the risk of betraying my lack of aptitude with engineering, what does fixing my replicator have to do with my chair?"

Parker felt like he was being interrogated by a former girlfriend. "Yeah." He turned looking at the chair, and then swiveling it around to show the stain in the seat. "See. Umn, had a 'little' accident testing the replicator. Not red alert." He grunted as he used his strong muscles to wipe and then vaporize the liquidation with a ionizer.

"I see," said Alenis, stepping over to examine the chair. "Well, it seems you managed to get the stain out."

"Commander, I am sorry. It will not happen again." He nodded. "On the bright side your replicator is fixed!" He gestured from cleaning the seat at the wall replicator. "Alenis' specialty #2." He had access into the records of the replicator.

Expecting some hasperat to appear Alenis walked over to the replicator. She had been on the go since she got up, having only consumed a little bit of mapa bread and a lot of tea so far in the day. But instead of a meal fit for a captain, the replicator produced a bowl of cat food.

"Yeah. That wasn't supposed to happen." Parker furrowed his eyebrow, blue eyes pleading at the Commander for forgiveness at this horrible, awkward first impression. "I swear, I did graduate Star Fleet Engineering." He winked.

"Relax, Lieutenant," replied Alenis. "Don't worry, I don't use it that often anyways. When it comes to tea, I only drink the real deal." Alenis turned on a kettle on a counter off to the side of her office. "Sit down, Lieutenant, I'm sure we have much to discuss. Care for a glass?"

Parker took a seat and nodded his head a 'no thank you'. So far Commander Alenis' was rather accommodating to the situation. This was Parker's first time meeting the Commander in the flesh. She looked rather striking as to what she had in some of the Federation Fleet communications in the News Services. She was young to be commanding her own Federation starship, but that was something of an accomplishment. Parker was here to learn and if he was wise he would let her do the majority of the talking.

"So, Lieutenant," started Alenis as she poured herself a glass of tea. "I see you've already gotten settled in. I trust the repairs and refits are coming along well?"

Parker took out his Engineering padd and punched in a few keys, a diagram executing showing the propulsion stats of the Portland. "You would be impressed to know that the phase variance levels within the core matrix are double efficiency now." He paused. "I wish I could say I am solely responsible but I am not."

"That is good," replied Alenis in an unexcited tone. It wasn't that she meant to be dismissive of his work, it had more to do with the fact that engineering simply wasn't her forte. "Just make sure the phaser coils are ready to install by the time we leave port. I don't want to be caught without them again."

Parker nodded, "I will keep on top of that Commander." Alenis' showed no mercy, as he was warned. However Parker thrived on it. "Commander I have quarter of the Engineering staff working on the coupling sensors. I will have to shut down Deck 9 Stellar Cartography. This will complete the retrofit. Do you wish me to proceed?" Parker asked the Commanders permission.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant. But first," Alenis took a sip of her tea, looking the gold-shirted officer up and down, "Tell me a little about yourself." She always made sure to ask this question of new officers. Despite appearing at first glance to be a simple friendly question and a genuine interest in the junior officer - which to some extent, it was - there were also some ulterior motives behind the query. First, a little conversation would help her match the name and any distinctive qualities to the face. Secondly, an open-ended question would help her find out how the younger officer would respond when the answer isn't right in front of him.

Parker was taken back at the Commander's question. It had sounded like she wanted to know about him, but something more to it. Most of his Senior Officers of the past cared more about his service records, not his family background. To be honest he rather thought of the question at hand and then began to answer as if it was an exam question. Rather clinical but efficient.

"Myself..." He looked at Commander Alenis' "I grew up on Akaria Base." He began to slightly breathe inward. "My Parent's are mechanical engineers themselves in Star Fleet. My parents work on an orbiting facility the Remmler Array."

"Ah, yes, I've been there." Alenis could see signs of nervousness on the junior officer. That was to be expected, and it may have been for the best; she didn't like cocky department heads anyways. "A few times, in fact. The Array is neat, but the planet is a fun little destination, always full of drunken officers looking to blow off some steam. Can get a little rowdy at times, though."

"Yes that is it." He was surprised that Commander Alenis' had been to the station for ships she had served on in the past. Ask any Star Fleet Officer of the Remmler Array and they would equate it to a nice week long shore leave while the vessels were de-ionized from dangerous warp drive build up particles.

"I had been heavily influenced by my parents growing up, their skills, their enthusiasm." Parker looked at his engineering box now on the floor beside his seat. "I wanted more. I didn't share their... same aspirations." He didn't feel he was better than them, he wanted to explore.

"And what are these aspirations of yours?" countered Alenis. For her, this was the most important question of all. One could tell a lot about a person by their aspirations - and whether or not they were honest about them. Not only that, but as a commanding officer, she could be a big influence on whether those dreams were to come true.

"I want to create." He replied enthusiastically. "I want to be a part of the collaboration that is Starfleet. Being from Akaria, Commander, you don't have too many chances from Star Fleet asking you to take on, oversee the installation and monitoring of prototypicial technology." He looked at Commander Alenis' with a slight sigh of relief and smile that he knew he was where 'he' had wished he would be in the fleet. "You can't ask for any better assignment than the USS Portland, Commander."

Alenis smiled at the compliment. Mostly she was glad that someone saw it her way; many an officer would take one look at the Portland and write it off. They'd want something bigger, newer, faster, or more powerful. There wasn't a lot of prestige in commanding an archaic second-line light cruiser. "She's a great little ship," Alenis said, some affection in her voice for the ship that had already saved her life once in her first two weeks of command.

"May I ask a personal question Commander." He was not sure if Alenis was the type of Commander who allowed such a dialogue with the crew, at least not yet. She didn't know him all that well.

"Of course, Lieutenant."

"What gets you up each morning to command a vessel?" Parker had wanted to know. He felt he deserved to know, a crew would of their Commanding Officer. As an Engineer directly reporting as head to the Commander, he wanted to know who she was as well.

Alenis stood up and turned to gaze out her window. It was a difficult question, and it was one that she asked herself nearly every day since that fateful day at New Algiers. "Many reasons, Lieutenant. To explore the galaxy, to advance the cause of science, and to preserve peace." She closed her eyes and momentarily she was back in Sector 282, helpless at the tactical station as the green plasma torpedo closed in on the USS Gol. She shook away the vision and opened her eyes, turning back towards Parker. "But most of all, to protect those who can't protect themselves. I was a refugee from the occupation, so I know how badly people need to be protected from the dangers of the galaxy. Bajor wasn't able to stop the Cardassian occupation by ourselves, and we suffered 50 years of an incredibly brutal military occupation for it. Even with all the isolation and hardship of growing up as a refugee on earth, I was one of the lucky few who was able to escape the brutality of the Cardassians."

After taking a sip of her tea, Alenis continued. "And then... then came the Borg attack three years ago and Starfleet's defensive action at New Algiers. I was on the USS Gol, are you familiar with the vessel?"

Parker noted the Commander's reply. Underneath it all he sensed a deeper purpose one more personal. He was almost certain it would perhaps have to do with the Bajoran Occupation, a terrible event for a race to have to endure at the hands of such brutality.

"Thousands died that day, 486 on the Gol alone." Alenis stared down into her tea, stirring it and watching the greenish brown liquid swirl in the mug. "I was the Chief Tactical Officer, and the highest ranking officer to get off. I don't know if you are a religious man, Mr. Hudson, but I've come to the conclusion that be it the will of the prophets, the Judeo-Christian god, or the First Mother of Bolarus, that everything happens for a reason. To me, commanding a starship is not just a job. It's a calling. And commanding the USS Portland is a culmination of my whole life - hardships and all - up to this point."

Commander John Koenig
Commanding Officer
Moonbase Alpha

Quick Reply

Tolaran Kian: Brian, can't reply via pm on the new forum or message you! Yes please to your pm! Will start something up asap!

Apr 7, 2015 18:28:00 GMT

Jason Beauvoir: It didn't make much sense that the Voyager crew couldn't make more torpedoes, after all the created a new shuttle (the Delta Flyer) as well as as some new probes, that weren't on board in the beginning. Apr 2, 2015 2:41:40 GMT

Alenis Meru: I suppose it's like Voyager -- how they fired 123 of their 38 irreplaceable photon torpedoes during the show's run Apr 2, 2015 2:22:49 GMT

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Mission 3: "Pilgrims"

Post by Alenis Meru on Jul 27, 2014 23:25:49 GMT

Post by Timothy Rouse on Jul 29, 2014 6:23:29 GMT

Post by Maya of Psychon on Jul 30, 2014 0:51:03 GMT

Post by Alenis Meru on Jul 30, 2014 21:03:19 GMT

Post by Brad Silverton on Jul 31, 2014 11:30:51 GMT

Post by Alenis Meru on Jul 31, 2014 20:37:29 GMT

Post by Timothy Rouse on Aug 1, 2014 13:29:48 GMT

Post by Jason Beauvoir on Aug 1, 2014 16:09:17 GMT

Post by Timothy Rouse on Aug 4, 2014 19:01:01 GMT

Post by Timothy Rouse on Aug 4, 2014 23:02:28 GMT

Post by Maya of Psychon on Aug 8, 2014 0:53:29 GMT

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 10, 2014 5:22:45 GMT

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 14, 2014 21:54:49 GMT

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 14, 2014 22:00:40 GMT

Post by Alenis Meru on Aug 17, 2014 22:48:34 GMT

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