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INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

OOC: this topic begins 30 minutes after miles left Transporter Room 01 in the Epilogue.  Characters who are invited are any members of the Lone Wolves and anyone who wishes to visit the below decks area during that time so the thread is technically open to anyone who wanders in  except Khorin since he is still unconscious in the sickbay at this time .  Remember this is taking place 30 minutes after the transporter room scene so if your character is on duty at this time they probably won't be wandering in.

Below decks was a complete mess. Unlike other parts of the ship, this was one of the least critical and, as such, had received little to no repairs since the chaos that had taken place.  Tables were moved around, chairs askew, and the bar was a scratched up from what appeared to be scuff marks and fingernail scratches.  "The hell happened here? Th'Place looks like the site of a Klingon orgy!  Or a average Vulpinian party," he thought aloud looking at the state of the place.  It had been cleaned somewhat, that he was sure of.  The bar looked wiped down, the floors were near immaculate, but no one bothered to reset the tables and chairs. It was like someone had just moved things out of the way to clean up spilled drinks and food residue from a wild party and never bothered to put the stuff back up.  Nor, did they bother to restock the shelves of broken glassware and missing bottles.

The Vulpinian himself had shown up in his natural, more animal like and furred, form wearing his off duty clothes which was the flight jacket variant of his attire.   He began to move one of the larger tables over to  one of the simulated windows and sat four chairs around it.  He looked at the simulated windows noticing them slightly malfunctioning from some visible damage done to them. 

He walked over to the replicator and he pressed a few buttons giving him a display of his replicator rations.  Unfortunately it showed none and showed him still on the record as missing and or killed in action. This wasn't surprising to him.  There were more pertinent things to deal with on the ship than update crew logs with his recovery.  Remembering the shower he had taken earlier,  he felt he was extremely lucky to have found his quarters in the state he had left it in.  "Computer update log, Lieutenant Miles Renard recovered from MIA. Location while missing, Theurgy transporter buffer. confirm recovery by scan of transporter logs and await update of Lieutenant Miles Renard access codes," Miles said then waited a few seconds. 

The computer responded with a chime as a display came up stating for him to update his access codes. "Lock below decks doors for security of authorization code. Lieutenant Miles Renard authorization Beta Sigma Four Two Eight Four. Log code."  The computer seemed to chime its response updating information and showing Miles his updated replicator rations.  "Thanks Thea, I knew you'd understand."  he said quietly before continuing "Unlock the below decks doors." 

He walked over to the area behind the bar and looked around as he found what he wanted.  He grabbed the bottle of Vulpinian hard cider and was thrilled to see that in whatever chaos had came it had remained unscathed. He also picked up three traditionally shaped earth style wine glasses.  Finally he took it all back to the table and sat down to wait for the others who would arrive.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #1 –
Technically Skye was off duty now so since the meeting was over and she'd been dismissed otherwise, she headed straight for her cabin.  It was small with just her bunk, dresser, desk, small closet, and tiny bathroom with sink, toilet, and shower.  In a way she'd had more space on the Valkyrie which wasn't saying much and in just the short time she was there to change into some jeans and a t-shirt she was already feeling like the walls were closing in on her.

With that feeling came the images of Andrus and his suite that would easily take up half a deck here, the deep tub and huge bed with silken sheets.  Her days had been filled with healing and relaxation while her nights had been torrid, always falling asleep in his arms and waking up next to him in some wonderful fashion.  Once she'd left, there'd only been an aching loneliness though the time away had allowed her to realize it wasn't really love she felt for Andrus, only comfort and lust.

It could have easily turned to that if she hadn't kept thinking about her fellow Wolves and felt the instinct to get back to them, even if she hadn't gotten to know any of them that well yet.  Loyalty was just something that came easily to Skye and once she'd been accepted into the ranks she could never give them less than her all.  Coming back to the mess and finding out some of them had been lost hurt more than she'd thought it would but now another was home again.

There was no time to be mournful or give in to the rising phobia though and she gave herself a mental kick in the ass.  Skye didn't really walk, more stalked through the walkways with a light sway of hips yet too powerful to be called a saunter, to the turbolift that would take her to Below Decks.  Once there, her eyebrows rose at the destruction.  "I've only gone to the mess hall for meals and other times been working on the ships," she stated to Miles.  "While necessary, the fun parts are always left for last."

Turning the chair around, she swung her leg over and sat there with her arms propped on the back.  "I can't imagine what it was like for you stuck in the buffer all that time," she stated.  "Glad you're back, just wish things weren't so fucked up in so many ways."  Glancing at the bottle he'd taken, her curiosity got the better of her.  "So ... no Jim Beam huh?" she asked with a grin.  "Though a welcome back should be done with something more sophisticated than old earth bourbon."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #2 –
[Nathan Isley - Below Decks]

Isley had returned to his own quarters to change out of his uniform and into something that felt a little more comfortable.  A pair of dark jeans and a navy blue t-shirt proved perfect, the shirt displaying his hardened, toned physique in a way he liked.  He worked hard on his body, and liked to display it in a way that caught the eye of the opposite sex.  Their glances, paired with a suggestive smile, was often enough to tell him his efforts were worthwhile.  That body had proven capable of interesting at least two women on-board the Theurgy so far, with Nathan having a romantic encounter with the former Commander Nerina, as well as the female form of Jien.  Part of him was still undecided how to feel about that one, given the fact that the shapeshifter was either genderless or both genders.  While in female form though, she was all woman.

The doors of Below Decks slid open, and he got his first look at the aftermath.  Between the damage the ship took while inertial dampeners were running at a bare minimum, and whatever might have occurred inside with infected crewmen, the social centerpiece of the Theurgy wasn't in the best shape.  Bill Regal would have made it a mission to get the place fixed up, but he was in stasis following the outbreak, leaving Below Decks without a proprietor.

"So ... no Jim Beam huh?"  He heard the voice of Skye, stating her own preference of drink, as he caught sight of the bottle being held by Lieutenant Renard.  "Anything is good, just so long as it isn't Klingon Blood Wine," Isley stated, walking over to join the pair for the drink.  He drink he mentioned was about the only one he had ever found he didn't like.  Everything had to be an endurance match for Klingons, even as far as their alcohol, which proved a chore to ingest at best.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #3 –
He laughed softly as he looked at his bottle, "Trust me this is far from sophisticated. Also this this is part of my personal stash that I had them keep in here.  Seems senior officers are the only ones allowed to keep the real stuff hidden in their own quarters.  The rest of us either have to make due with synthahol or hope that below decks has something real. "  he smirked as he handed her the bottle he had. "I found that a way to bypass those rules was to make sure to know where your ship's least heavily regulated lounge is and see if the bartender will accept a donation of whatever you have in private and make sure you have some extra stored in the cargo bay under the allowed regulations just in case the crew takes a liking to your stuff.  Given that after whatever happened in here, that it's still here, should give you a clue as to its reputation."

He smirked as he opened the bottle and an intense smell like rotten fruit seemed to wash over the table as he laughed softly,  "Vulpinian Cider, If you can stomach a glass of this, then nothing aerobatic will make you blow."  He said softly as he poured a bit of the stuff into a glass.  The color was a color like a dark apple juice and the smell was a horrible kind of rotting, sweet, fruity, smell, "Basically its made in the most primitive method of fermentation.  I won't bore you with the details, but if you have heard of an alcoholic drink jokingly called fox piss.  Well lets just say, we even call it that now.  It only even exists on our world still because well let's just say boneheaded pilots love their initiation rites."  he said with a shrug. "so you two, up for a challenge?" He then added, "And, trust me After you get a sip of this stuff you'll be praying to be allowed to wash it out with bloodwine."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #4 –
[Nathan Isley - Below Decks]

The way he described it, it certainly didn't sound like anything that a person would want to drink.  The heightened Vulcan sense of smell didn't make matters any better for him.  At the founding of Starfleet, a Vulcan could hardly tolerate a human's scent, let alone the powerful concoction that Renard had opened.  Still, Isley wasn't the kind of man to back down from a challenge, be it a death defying maneuver in a fighter or just drinking something which had at least put hair on the chest of the Vulpinians.  "So long as it isn't fatal, I don't see why not," he stated, looking to Miles for some sort of confirmation that it wasn't.  He was serving it, so it shouldn't have been . . . yet Isley needed some kind of comforting confirmation.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #5 –
When Miles opened the bottle, one side of Skye's nose curled upward but otherwise she seemed to be keeping an open mind.  She'd smelled worse that's for sure though there was no doubt this wasn't going to be pleasant.  "People back home tended to call beer cow piss and there's a few things that tasted like old jet fuel.  I've had Gagh a couple of times which definitely takes a bit of getting used to," she said with a bit of a shiver.  "I'm afraid my joke of 'slimy yet satisfying' didn't go over so well," she quipped.

Holding the glass up close to her eyes and looking at the liquid rather dubiously, Skye sniffed it and it certainly didn't get any better.  "Kinda wish this was in a shot glass and I had some salt and a wedge of lime," she stated.  "Well Sir," she said lifting her glass to Isley, "I'd say toss it back and pray it stays down."  Without hesitation, she did just that to take the challenge.  Maybe it was partly because she was female or just that she didn't want to be the last one but as usual she charged right ahead.

In an instant the glass was at her lips and the fluid splashed back with a quick follow through of a hard swallow.  Slowly the glass descended to the table and she sat there with an expression reminiscent of someone about to start a fist fight but she remained quiet as she waited for the other two to take their drink.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #6 –
Miles smirked, "this is weak stuff, it just tastes like what would happen if an apple could piss in a bottle.  As for safety, it's been boiled for inoculation and there is nothing dangerous in it Its basically just really really bad cider."  he said taking the glass then drinking the whole thing and swallowing it with a half disgusted look and putting the glass down calmly to walk away from the scene of the crime so to speak "I think its worse when you already know what it tastes like." 

He smirked to himself as he looked around the back side of the bar and smirked seeing a small compartment and opened it, "Jackpot." He said as looked towards the other two, "You know I should'a known that jackass Regal would try and hide away the good stuff from my stash."  He said looking into the stash that regal seemed to have kept as more a private reserve at least 75 percent of which Miles had actually gotten into the bar on the ship rather than Regal owning it.  "So any requests so far other than Jim? Cause I unfortunately don't have that label in here.  As for Whiskys, looks like I have one of Jim's brothers from the Kentucky region.  I have Jim's cousin from Tennessee as well, a distant relative from Canada, and a one of his ancestors from the Highlands.  Any preference Ma'am?"

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #7 –
After a bit Skye didn't have quite the fetid taste in her mouth, deciding she would leave the Vulpine drink to the Vulpine who could appreciate it more though she did glance toward Isley wondering if he was ever going to take his drink.  A nasty sounding snicker erupted when Miles said it tasted worse once you knew what it tasted like and she nodded with a crooked grin.  "Aye, I think you're right about that one, Sir," she stated and licked her lips to try to rid the taste but was obviously unsuccessful.

Watching Miles duck behind the bar gave her a chance to look in a direction that kept Isley in her view, not a bad thing at all.  She knew what those broad shoulders looked like uncovered, the way he tapered down to those powerful hips.  The glance on the view screen of the Captain's Yacht had been enough to set her imagination into warp drive of things she hadn't seen.  Unconsciously her thighs tightened along the chair she was straddled, almost as if she were riding the object of her sudden daydream.

When Miles started spouting off the drinks he could find behind the bar she snapped out of the haze, very conscious that the tip of her tongue had been prodding the tip of her little finger which she pulled from between her teeth as she sat more upright.  Off duty or not, this was not the time for thoughts like that and especially not about someone who wasn't interested in her in the least.  "If you don't have Jim, then Jack'll do.  If it's not Jack, hell I'll take any of those right now." 

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #8 –
[Nathan Isley]

"Pour me a shot of something strong to chase this with," Isley stated, figuring any of the Earth liquors named off by Miles was well suited.  When the shot glass was in front of him, and the liquid beginning to pour, he tipped back the Vulpinian concoction and ridded the glass of it's contents.  No sooner did the wine glass touch the table did he grab the shot and tip that back as well.  As a result of quick reflexes, he had only about a half second of tasting Renard's personal drink before his throat was set on fire by a more traditional human drink.  A deep breath exhaled from Nathan's nose as he set the shot glass back down.

"No offense, Renard, but I think I'll leave the Vulpinian drinks to the Vulpinians from now on."  He looked over to Skye, to see if they were in agreement on that.  The glance gave him a moment to check her out in the process, admiring the fine figure she had in her possession.  Sturdy yet sexy, not some skinny little model like the 21st Century had come to hold as a standard, but a voluptuous sight to behold.  Years of checking out women allowed his glance to pass by quick enough to not seem unusual.  He wasn't staring, but merely acknowledging her presence for a moment.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #9 –
Skye had taken the shot as soon as Miles set it on the table in front of her and tossed it in her mouth but let it rest there with her head tilted slightly back, eyes closed as she let the alcohol swirl over her mouth and tongue to burn away the now dubbed 'apple piss'.  Then she took a deep chest expanding breath and swallowed, her nose wriggling slightly as she felt the burn all the way down to her stomach before allowing the breath to exhale slowly and steadily out her pursed lips.  "Mmmmmm, much better," she stated with a little huskier tone as she set the shot down with only her thumb and middle finger creating a soft tick.  "Now if I just had a quarter," she chuckled and flicked her fingers.

A lopsided smirk formed at Isley's glancing inquiry and her head was nodding agreement with him before she even spoke again.  "Sad to say it Miles ol' buddy but yeeeaaaaah ... gonna leave that one juuuuust for you," she winked at both men.  "There are all sorts of horrid drinks and one I was introduced to at the Academy is the one I think you should try next," she stated as she gave a little shiver.  "It's a shot of Bailey's and before you swallow, bite into and suck the juice out of a wedge of lime," she stated.  "If you can swallow that, you can swallow just about anything.  Just don't drink too many different things in one sitting though ... hell of a hangover the next day."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #10 –
Miles had brought over a couple of drinks for them to chose from. Out of what he had mentioned he brought over the bottle of the Famous old number 7 as requested as well as a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label.  He poured a shots worth of the Jack for each of them, which they both drank imediately to chase the awful cider like liquid.  He himself had begun pouring himself a tumbler of the scotch and smirked having brought over a couple extra tumblers and shot glasses for them to use.  He Looked at the two as he walked over to the waste bin and threw the whole bottle of what remained of the cider into it.  "Trust me I don't think I'll even be touching that crap again. That was my third glass ever and it's my last... Ironic that I said that the first two times as well."

He had noticed the way the two seemed to eye each other and smirked, "So what happened while I was gone. For some reason people seem to be acting very awkward around each other since I came out of the buffer.  What happened, someone leak medical files on what everyone looked like naked or something?"

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #11 –
[Nathan Isley]

"If only it were that simple," Isley responded, giving another look to Skye, this one more of a shared acknowledgement of what they had gone through to save the Theurgy from the Outbreak.  "You might wanna pour yourself another drink, this is a long story."

Nathan took Miles through the details, starting with the discovery of the planet Niga, and explaining the symptoms of the viral infection, how those taken by it roamed naked through the halls, copulating indiscriminately with one another.  It must have sounded like the plot of some erotic Holonovel, but what made it so disturbing was having to work alongside those same people again, almost none of them able to remember what they done, or who they were with.  Skye and Nathan were among the rare few uninfected, retaining perfect memory of everything that occurred, though at least Skye got to spend it in the cocpit of her ship, safe from the hungry eyes and arms of the infected.  Isley had to evade a very tempting Andorian on two separate occasions.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #12 –
Seeing the look pass from Isley to herself from Miles, Skye poured herself another shot and downed it to occupy a moment of time.  They were there to celebrate Miles' homecoming and not cast glances like junior high students.  His comment about awkwardness and then naked was enough for a snicker to slip and she looked away from both men and then turned back without too much of a smirk herself.  She didn't really feel awkward around anyone but of course hadn't been naked with anyone here either.

So she let Isley take the lead on the story, letting him know she'd tell about her time away some other time.  "Yeah, I was pretty much spared everything about the virus other than a bit of viewing of Isley and said blue bi--"  A pause then "Pardon me, Than'ida," she said and looked around the empty room double checking to make sure she wasn't around to hear the almost-insult.  Even when not infected, the little before she went MIA, the Andorian had always seemed to look down on her which rankled.

"I was literally not involved until the last ... shit it seemed like it took forever but it was probably only about thirty minutes to an hour.  When it was over the Relativity wouldn't even let me near any ships and I guess in a way they spared me.  I know I didn't want anywhere near Than'Ida," she said with a bit of an embarrassed laugh.  "I'm still trying to avoid her because I doubt she appreciated me calling her Smurfette and a great many other things I was saying to try to distract her from ... Mr. Isley here."

After all that time alone she'd wanted desperately to at least stand next to someone and yet she'd been forced to cool her heels on Kestrel for three more hours until they deemed it safe for her to dock.  Even then people had either acted as if she weren't there or scampered away from her.  It had hurt and since then it had still been lonely as hell.  No wonder she was acting like a school girl at the moment.  It felt like a school dance where she was waiting by the punch bowl for someone to just talk to her.  Another bit of whiskey was poured but this time she sipped as she worked at the sore spot within her.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #13 –
Miles looked over, "Well at least now I wont be shocked when i read about what happened in the debriefing." he said suprised at the events then smiled, "Good thing i was trapped in the buffer then, plants with pheromone based scents, yeaa..."  He paused.  "As you can tell my species is very, well, canine in nature, by Terran terms.  As such we have very good senses of smell.  If it was hard on you as a Vulcan to control your passions in the field of scents, controlling my own arousal would have been near headache caused insanity inducing.  also what, a Timeship, seriously.  That's just not right, I have been working on my "Doctor" for years in-case I ran into a temporal scenario."

He then heard he reference to the Andorian deputy security chief and laughed. "Wait, are you saying that You watched on a view screen as The deputy security chief in an hormone frenzy made the Vulcan-boy strip, and then attempted to literally try an fuck his brains out.  Its worse than i thought.  No wonder there's a sexual tension between the two of you that's so thick a knife can cut it."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #14 –
Skye had only known miles for a very short time before he disappeared and had forgotten how blunt he could be at times.  His observation voiced was timed perfectly as she tried to take another sip of whiskey and caught her completely off guard, sending her into a coughing and sputtering fit that made her rise from her chair and stalk away for a minute while she got the spasms to stop.  She stood there a few moments more, fanning herself and clearing her throat a few times to at least work the raw sensation even distributed rather than the one line of the alcohol's trail.

Finally she was able to regain her composure and returned to the table, sitting rather carefully and like she just might bolt if necessary.  "First of all," she whispered hoarsely and then cleared her throat again with a shake of her head.  "He was clothed until a point when he got her to agree to help release the clamps to eject the warp core and then it was only his shirt.  Apparently her blue ass hit the panel and turned the view screen on because I seriously didn't want to see her naked.  Sorry, it did absolutely nothing for me ... except make me want to vomit."

Taking a different angle to avoid the at least one-sided truth that had set her off in the first place, she focused all of her attention on Miles.  "That plant thing was some nasty mojo," she said reaching and tossing back the shot.  "If everyone was acting the way she was, and from what I heard some things were actually worse and deadly, then I think you and I are both mighty lucky to have been out of reach.  That planet was in serious need of some Weed B Gone or a troop of huge bush hogs, I'm tellin' ya."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #15 –
[Nathan Isley]

"It wasn't easy.  I'm sure some will joke about all they missed on-board eventually, but for those who went through it, it was no laughing matter.  Knowing that all it took was one kiss, one wrong bit of contact to make you lose control of yourself and become like everyone else . . . I'd imagine there will be some members of the crew unable to face others for some time."  It was one thing to go into an act willingly, but to be infected by something that made you hunger for it over all logical thinking?  To make you walk around naked, just looking for another piece of flesh to meld with?  It was like losing yourself to some purely-organic version of the Borg, assimilating all the matter it could find to make itself grow and give access to more orifices to plug.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #16 –
He nodded, "I didn't mean to make light of it.  I just meant to say that It's no wonder that the two of you seem to have a degree of tension that is more unusual than in most times.  That, and it does seem to explain the degrees of apprehension among others on the ship towards each other.  What I was basically saying was that I understand why there could be a degree of sexual tension and possible curiosity between the two of you.  I don't know if I am correct in this assumption but based on the two of your body languages over the last few minutes the two of you seem very possibly interested in each other."  he then added.  "In other words, I think both of you should stop flirting around the issue and start flirting with each other.  Of course I could be dead wrong."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #17 –
If ever there was a time to bolt, now would be a good opportunity.  She'd danced away from the subject and he'd brought it right back which left her feeling distinctly awkward.  No matter what she said it would be incriminating or used against her in jest.  They were her teammates and she expected having a bit of the mickey taking out of her but this was touching something very personal for her, yet she knew she couldn't run from them.

With a bit of a pursing of her lips, she rolled the shot glass between her fingers.  "You were in the pattern buffer a long time but it seemed like only seconds," she stated quietly.  "I was out in the black for weeks with no one around, wanting and needing somewhat just to talk to me.  Hearing just the hum of the ship ... it's hard to take right now and when I could finally be around the crew they couldn't tolerate closeness because of what they'd been through."

Looking at Isley, she gave a soft half-smile.  "You were the first person I had contact with even if it was a bad situation.  When I wanted to fly away, I knew you were struggling and needed help and I couldn't leave you behind, especially knowing what Than'Ida was trying to do to you.  When you agreed to be with her to get her help, I felt like I'd failed anyway and the thought of being alone again absolutely terrified me."  It cost her to admit these things, knowing how weak she looked.

"I haven't been able to sleep much since I got back, mostly catching naps in the mess hall when there are others around or sleeping in Kestrel where I can hear people working on third shift.  I'm sort of at a point where I don't know if I'm reaching for attraction or reaching for comfort," she stated and then looked at Isley again.  "You are quite an attractive man ... the beard and all," she added with a wave of her hand indicating those broad shoulders.

"God I look and sound like a loon about now," she half-laughed and looked away with a shake of her head.  Where was the Skye that would have made passes and outright offers?  Where had her personal confidence gone?  Now that she'd admitted her attraction, she turned back to Miles.  "Besides, we're supposed to be celebrating you being back and not talking about love lives or lack thereof," she snorted trying to regain some of her usual brashness.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #18 –
Nathan could never understand the loneliness that Skye must have endured.  He always managed to find himself some company, to the point where he had gained a reputation on most of the ships and colonies he had lived on.  He was a player, finding himself in a strangers bed more often then not.  He had never gone long without human connection, able to take something as simple as a conversation for granted.  That was something Ensign carver couldn't do, not as she was now.  She craved to have people near, someone to tell her she was alone again.

"I can't say I personally understand that kind of loneliness, Carver, but I can understand why you want to stay close to other people.  It couldn't have been easy."  He took a drink from his shot glass, downing one of the Black Label this time.  "I'll thank you for the compliments too, beard and all.  I'll also shoot it back at you, and say you are definitely an attractive woman . . . worth more then the brief glance I got earlier."

Looking back to Miles, he tapped the table in front of him, asking for a refill on his drink.  "Now, I don't think you want to listen to me and her flirting, so maybe we should steer the conversation another direction.  How about a toast to the squad members who can't be here drinking with us tonight?"

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #19 –
Miles smiled, "Now that I can get behind." He poured them each a small bit of scotch and raised his glass, "To the lone wolves, those who are on duty, those off duty in stasis or recovering, and lest we never forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for Lady Thea."  he said raising the glass in a traditional human style toast.

((OOC: sorry for the short post))

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #20 –
Skye's eyes glazed over as Miles toasted, the mention of those lost taking her mind back to the day she watched her patrol partner's Valkyrie explode and the concussive force disabled her own ship leading to a moment of bliss then weeks of solitude.  Lt. Josh Reynolds, rash and yet a fast friend would never return and when she raised her glass, her lips uttered "to Josh."  She felt the sting of the different drink but it was a reminder she was still alive and able to continue her service to her team and the Theurgy.

The impromptu celebration of the three of them, while at times embarrassing or brought up harsh memories, had turned out to be quite a therapeutic meeting for Skye.  It had offered her at least a little time of companionship but also a chance to finally admit to some things that were deeply affecting her, the inability to let down her guard had been compounding her feelings of isolation.  She trusted her teammates on duty but now she was slowly starting to trust the people behind the visors out of the cockpit.

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #21 –
"Let's keep 'em coming," Nathan agreed, seeing no point in stopping the drinks now.  They could find their small talk to fill things out, but the important part was to just enjoy their drinking, to know they earned it by living to fight another day.  For Skye and Nathan, it was questionable if they would have made it through the Outbreak, but they had done it, and that alone was worth celebrating.

As the party continued, he brought up something they could all share in common.  They were all pilots, and they all used the same machine.  "I wanna know, you guys think the Valkryie is good enough?"  He had joined the Theurgy simply to fly the most advanced fighter in the Federation, but now that Starfleet was their enemy, would it be enough?  They could build more Valkyrie, outnumber them entirely.  If they upgraded the machines, or even found a successor to the fighter through original design, it could give them an advantage.  "We've all flown one, so we should ask ourselves what needs to be better.  That's how things improve around here, right?"

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #22 –
He nodded, "I had thought about it myself.  I was one of the test pilots when these babies were in development.  I may sound a bit defensive of them, but I don't know many ways they could be improved on. Not without sacrificing the necessary power from other systems that in testing we found the power was needed in.   For instance, the warp engines are a little lacking, but that's because if you tax them much further then you don't have the power to immediately be in combat as soon as you exit from warp.  They are very agile but I do think that there is room for improvement in, but that would require diverting power from either the weapons systems the shield grid or sacrificing impulse for tighter cornering.  If there were anything I would advocate it would be a more intuitive means to shunt power between systems to have the power where you need it on the fly."  he said as he took a few sips of his scotch and sighed. "Frankly It would be hard to improve on the fighter.  At least given current Federation technology."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #23 –
"Maybe we have to start thinking beyond Federation technology."  That kind of thinking was more suited to Engineers, but they could only find a way to make it work.  It was the pilots who had to fly the things, so they had to have some input on what could make the Valkyrie fly better.  "They say when Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant, it had a lot of new technology on it.  Some of it had to be locked away by Starfleet Intelligence.  Dunno why, but the rumors say it had to do with the Temporal Prime directive.  Either way, I heard talk that Federation shipyards were already starting work on a successor ship to the Intrepid-class, and who knows what else?  The Theurgy-class could be yesterday's news before we know it."

Isley put forth a theory, though it all hinged on what the science teams had done during the aftermath of the Outbreak.  "If there are scans of the USS Relativity when it was here, who knows what we might learn from it.  This was a ship five hundred years more advanced then our own.  Technically, I don't think it would be a violation of the Prime Directive if we figure out the scans on our own.  We could need every edge we can get if we are making an enemy of Starfleet."

Re: INTERREGNUM EP 01-02: Return to the Den

Reply #24 –
Miles shook his head, "As tempting as that sounds, no.  I was there when voyager returned.   The tech it had was a kind of ablative armor.  It was unlike any I had seen.  Rumors say it was indeed from a different timeline of the Federation's future.  However, the less classified augmentations were not from the future.  They were Borg augmentations."  he said tempted to agree but knowing messing with temporal incursions was an area that was treading on very thin ice. 

He finally smirked as he spoke up again. hearing the statement that the Theurgy-class could be yesterdays news. "Far from the opposite, the Theurgy-class is still experimental tech as far as the Federation brass goes. They are still trying to figure out how to make bio neural packs cost effective, and how to make MVAM cost effective given the duplicate bridges, XO quarters, captains quarters, and multiple med bays.  The Theurgy-class is too expensive to mass produce in the end. We are on board a warship that belonged to a fleet of exploratory and science vessels.  We do have a lot to worry about in that way, But I agree and we should always improve.  However, the method you are suggesting is unethical, and, well lets face it, don't you think a time-ship would have tech to cloud sensor readings to prevent such a thing?"
 
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