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Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

[ Lt.Com. Vivian Martin | Martin’s Quarters | Deck 15 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Kaligos
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The doors of the stateroom swooshed shut behind Martin as she stepped into the surrounding corridor. Already absorbed in her thoughts as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, Martin set off down the corridor and towards the turbolift. As she yawned, she reflected on the day before and the events that lead up to it. She had been witness to chaos on an almost unprecedented level, performed intercourse with more partners than she had ever had on the Resolve, and found herself in a position of power on a starship that was of a level of scale and familiarity that she was wholly unprepared to deal with.

As she stepped into the turbolift she thought about what treasure could await her in the geological lab. Mister Hi'Jak had been scanning a curious artifact which had been recovered from a site in the Alpha Quadrant. What this artifact held within was a mystery to them, and it was Hi'Jak's rather ingenious solution which was to give them the first inkling of what could possibly be within its depths. Martin wondered what it could be. Was it bigger on the inside? Or was it simply a child's puzzle box left behind by some incomprehensible being? "Deck Nine" She said, as the turbolift kicked into gear. She idly wondered whether or not it had anything to do with the creators of the Armus being that was encountered by the Enterprise.

When she finally arrived in the geological lab she looked around and noticed that Hi'Jak was already present "Alright Mister Hi'Jak," She said, announcing her presence. "What have you got for me?"

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. JG Hi'Jak | Geological Lab] Attn:  @Hastata-Nerada @Auctor Lucan
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Jack woke up  a bit early. The last two days aboard the Theurgy were a blur of work, and sex. Jack now had three different partners he could call up with confidence, more people knew him here than he had on 84, and dare say it the post was actually intelectually challenging. If it wasn't for the looming threat of war, and the constant danger that this rag tag crew seemed to be in than he would dare say that this posting would have been a dream job. Not to mention the other revenues of exploration that it provided him with.

Walking through the halls with his cup off coffee, and morning cut of Targ Jerky he was packed and ready to go on the away mission he just wanted to make sure about the device he had set up to scan last night. 84's computer core had completely failed to scan this thing, and he was hoping that since Thea was a state of the art warship that she would have more luck with the tools in her disposal.

Walking into the geological lab the process was about 98% finished, but it also seemed to be stuck tripple checking something. Tapping on the panel to bring up some information to help the scan process he looked over to Martin as the door opened.

"Good morning commander." Martin was an interesting one, he didn't dislike her company, far from it she seemed more friendly than he had originally assumed her to be, she also seemed to have a good head on her shoulders which was important. She was also positively attractive, though he would need to transfer to another department if he was ever to act on that line of thinking. Martin was his boss, and crossing work with pleasure was rarely if ever a good idea. It would also lead to further attatchements if he ever needed to leave this place. Something which was on his mind now more than ever with the apparent away mission.

"I'm just getting the final results now, the data should be compiled..." He paused for a moment looking at the screen it was frozen. "Now?"

The screens around them went blank, the door shut and locked with an automatic hiss, the lab was locked down, and a forcefield went up around the scanning bed preventing Jack from accessing the toy he had been playing with for the past three days. "What?"

When the screens rebooted, they were all over taken with a single blue character, the greek symbole of Omega, but remained locked, and unresponsive. "The."

The lights around them dimmed and turned to red as if going to red alert, and the two members of the science division were locked inside the room unable to do anything. Thea's voice spoke over the intercom. "Be advised, all exits from this room have been sealed, and forcefields have been raised over the bulkheads. Please wait patiently for the captain. Omega Directive in effect."

"Fuck?"

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #2 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: 1) @Hastata-Nerada 2) @Kaligos 
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Whatever the two scientist reaction might be, and what their speculations were, Ives didn't know. Thea had told him what had happened, and he was on his way from the Spearhead Lounge - his pace brisk but unhurried to not raise any attention.

A lot of things were running through his head, teachings at Starfleet Headquarters from the time he became the Commanding Officer on the Theurgy. He had not gotten the briefing about the Omega Directive on the Imperator or the Vendetta, yet now, he knew, and he hoped the alert had been erroneous. The lock-down was locally made in the Geological Lab, and when he got there, he was relieved that there were no officers outside the sealed doors. No witnesses to what had happened. Without delay, he dialled his security clearance into the control panel and entered the lab.

Inside, he found the new Chief Science Officer, just like Thea had informed him, along with the scientist from Starbase 84 that Carrigan Trent had briefed him about. Jien sealed the door behind himself, but before he could ascertain the threat-level, he did not  deactivate the force-fields set up over the apparatus next to the two officers. Quietly, he folded his arms, regarding the two with an unreadable stare, he gave them a faint smile to alleviate some worries they might have had. He looked towards the ranking scientist that had come aboard from the Resolve, and who's quick thinking hadn't just saved her crew, but also let them flee Starbase 84.

"I will tell you what I am at leave to divulge in a moment," he said to Lieutenant Commander Martin, and then added, in a firm but non-threatening tone, "but first, I need to know exactly what you did, and what that thing comes from. It is of utmost importance that you are as clear and detailed as possible."

He could but hope the scans were mistaken...

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #3 –
[ Lt.Com. Vivian Martin | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @Kaligos 
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As soon as the screens began to change, Martin backed up in surprise. What could this be? What on earth had they just tripped in the sensors?  "Be advised, all exits from this room have been sealed, and force fields have been raised over the bulkheads. Please wait patiently for the captain. Omega Directive in effect." Martin blinked in confusion. "What the actual hell?" Martin exclaimed.

Martin immediately made her way over to the nearest console and attempted to interface with it as best she could. No matter what the console refused to respond, still coldly displaying the stoic omega symbol upon its surface. "What..." Was all Martin could say, as she attempted to  press anything at all on the consoles around her. "Okay..." She said, stepping away from the console. "Okay, don't panic, this is clearly something incredibly secret that we weren't supposed to see, something that I feel like only the captain was supposed to know about." She looked around. "They're probably on their way here now."

And, as if the words themselves summoned the captain, so entered Jien Ives, with an unreadable expression upon his face. His tone seemed to be non-threatening, but Martin regarded him with caution nonetheless. "I need to know exactly what you did, and what that thing comes from. It is of utmost importance that you are as clear and detailed as possible." He said.

Martin stood up straight and elected to immediately relay what she knew about the box in question. "Well..." She replied. "What we have here is an artifact recovered from an off-ship site. It's exterior has so far been resistant to our scans and its material composition is unknown to us. We were hoping to get a look inside, and so Mister Hi'Jak here has erected a form of resonance scan to take a look at its interior. The data has just finished compiling and..." Martin gestured around her. "And this happened, sir. Mister Hi'Jak here knows more about this artifact and where it comes from than I I'm afraid."

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #4 –
[ Lt. JG Hi'Jak | Geological Lab] Attn:  @Hastata-Nerada @Auctor Lucan
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Jack blinked when the doors around them locked, and the room was sealed, aside from his initial utterance of fuck he understood that there wasn't anything he could really do and pounding on the doors seemed like a waist of energy when the captain would be here soon to sort this out. No his eyes were scanning over the omega protical.

Whatever the fuck he had found himself in this was clearly top brass shit. It was the type of thing that he would have drooled over if he could have been a part of it a mere six days ago. If this would have happened while in service on 84 it would have presented the perfect kind of opertunity for him to have actually done something with his life. Here on Theurgy however? it was probably the kind of thing that was more likely to get him killed.

When Ives entered the room he wisley shut his mouth and let Martin do the initial talking, letting her deal with the initial talk, and allowing him to provide details about the device and how it had come to be on his ship. When Martin indicated him Jack began to give information on it.

"The item in question was found by Sera Vers Aldnoah on a digsite on Tartaras V. It was mixed in with a bunch of other small trinkets from the ancient long dead Rokian city. This one however didn't scan like the others the computers on eighty four didn't recognize the build of it, so in the chaos of the attack I obsconded with it."

Jack pointed to the triangular puzzle box deciding that since the captain had asked him to be detailed he would go into as much as he could say, and remember. "I didn't believe it harmful so I did not check it into the manifest or my personal logs until yesterday as when i scanned it on 84 it did not seem to emit any radiation or have any harmful effects.  When I asked Martin if we could run a few scans on it at which point I officially entered it into my proffessional log as a scientific curiosity.  before that it never actually left my person i've been holding onto it and playing with it see it has a really intricate locking mechanism like a puzzle box, and I like puzzles, so i've been using it as a stress toy."

"Baised on how it was crafted with undetectable metals, the symbology on the device is outside of Rokian design, and the advanced locking mechanism, and a small trace of temporal radiation, i believed the device a childs toy from a rift in time." He supposed believing it to be a childs toy was incredibly niave at this point, but it had been his original theory and thus had to be included in his report, with his report finished he looked at the captain eyes wide and excitable.

"So Omega Directive what's that?" Jack clapped his hands as he looked towards Ives his eyes almost like that of a puppies begging the captain not to push him out of the room, this was the kind of juicy science he craved in his life. He felt kind of like he had to beg in some way to let him stay. 

"Is it species 8472? It can't be a temporal code i memorized like all of those and plus i got briefings from~" He cut himself off his eyes straying towards Martin, how much did he really want to say in this instance?

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #5 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: 1) @Kaligos 2) @Hastata-Nerada
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While the three of them were bathed in the light of the locked LCARS screens, the white Omega symbols dimly shining on their faces, Captain Ives had his arms folded while he listened, slowly pacing the room and taking in what the Chief Science Officer explained first, followed by the Imperial Intelligence operative.

Their account was satisfactory, and Jien doubted there could be ought else to learn, but when the junior officer had said that he'd been using it as a stress toy, idly trying to open its mechanism while he'd been aboard the ship, Ives had ceased breathing, several things at the tip of his tongue. When the young man had finished his account, Ives slowly let out the breath, and while his stare had been flat and unreadable, the lingering pause after the operative spoke was telltale of how the fault in his actions with the 'toy'. Still, Ives knew well enough that the man wasn't to blame, since he hadn't known the peril he'd put the ship and the mission in by handling the box so carelessly. When the cold shivers had run their course through Ives' assumed form, he took a deep breath and spoke in answer.

"The Omega Directive contains information about a dire threat to the entire galaxy... of the magnitude that Starfleet has chosen to suppress all details of the phenomenon," he said quietly, and let them read whatever they wanted into that sentence, because that was just about all that he could tell them. Having said so, he stepped up to the console, and spoke again, but not to the two scientist. "Please turn your backs to the console and step away."

"Thea," he said and began typing into the console, "I want you to set up a containment field at these coordinates aboard the ship, with the isofrequency one point six eight terahertz. Three cubic decimetres will do." The field was based on the Omega molecule's own resonance field, which was a recent addition to the Directive after the Voyager returned to Federation space.

[Containment field set, Captain.]

"Good, now beam the object that gave the Omega reading into the containment field, unseal this lab, and wipe your logs of all actions executed pertaining to the Omega Directive today."

[Aye, Captain,] said Thea, and the puzzle box vanished before Jien's eyes. The symbols all around them winked out, the lights returned to normal, and the forcefields vanished. There was a chirp, before Thea spoke anew on the intercom. [Tasks complete.]

Only then, Jien turned around to face the scientists. "At ease," he said, and changed... to her female body, feeling stagnant in her form and wanting to look ahead, instead of fretting on what could have happened if the Klingon operative had managed to open that box. "The two of you are hereby ordered to not mention what happened here in any way... to anyone. I do not want you to discuss it with each other either," she said, and there was no difference to which form she used in terms of how crystal clear her tone and authority was in this matter. "Is that clear?"

Then, her oaken eyes turned to officer Hi'Jak. "You may leave now for your away-mission," she said quietly and folded her arms underneath her breasts, "just remember your orders, and listen to Deputy zh'Wann's instructions. Dismissed."

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #6 –
[ Lt. JG Hi'Jak | Geological Lab] Attn:  @Hastata-Nerada @Auctor Lucan
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He had found something? Jack had never actually found anything in his long career, be it as a member of Imperial Intelligence, or as a scientist on 84. The thought that the puzzle box had somehow contained some threat to the entire universe was something that made Jack's body shiver. immediately he wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything, and immediately those hopes were dashed when he and Martin were told to turn their back.

Jack was to say the least infinitely curious, and slightly perturbed wanting to know more about what was going to happen next. But did as he was bidden and turned his back listening to him as Ives set up the containment field. He was dying to know where the device was being sent or what it was but for now he just had to remember the one point eight six terahertz isofrequency. Any scans with the equipment on Theurgy would probably trigger a warning to the captain, and that meant he couldn't do anything to find it, but he was dying to know more.

Unfortunately, by the time they were allowed to turn back around and were at ease there were orders to be silent about the ordeal. The look on Jack's face was pure disappoint as he was dismissed. He wanted to stay he wanted to site precedent that he could be useful to this investigation most of all he wanted to know more, but the voice of the captain and her steel glare all made him shut his face, a small cloud of darkness hanging over him as he was told to leave.

"Yes captain." Jack said looking at the ground avoiding eye contact. It was the logical calculating decision to exclude him from this information.  But it was also exactly what he had come to expect from Starfleet after years of having his work stolen by Simon Walt. Course if this was an IKS ship and they had stumbled across such information they would have been either murdered or had to murder the captain and gain their clearance.

So maybe Federation policies were for the best. He spared one more pleading glance towards Ives and Martin, one more wide puppy dog beg to say 'let me help'. but when such looks were ineffective he took his exit from the room.

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #7 –
[ Lt.Com. Vivian Martin | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Martin could do nothing but stare at Ives as they explained the situation to her. What threat could possibly be so severe that all details of its existence and nature had to be suppressed? Martin was now acutely aware of the object which Hi'Jak had referred to as a "toy" and so casually tossed around. What was inside the box that warranted such caution? What had they so narrowly avoided unleashing as they had casually handled it like some children's puzzle? Whatever it was, Martin was now keeping as best track of it as she could from the side of her vision, as her imagination played host to any number of possibilities.

Martin made sure to follow Ives' direction to step away from the console and turn her back to it, ensuring that she did not witness whatever procedure Ives had chosen to undertake. Strange, they were setting up a containment field instead of outright destroying it? Martin's curiosity grew with every passing word, and the urge to sneak a peak at the object grew in turn. Nevertheless, she resisted this urge as Ives completed the last of their preparations for the source of the omega readings. As Ives finished and informed them to be at ease, Martin turned back to see the captain in their female form, and received the crystal clear order to never mention what they had witnessed to anyone. Martin simply nodded in response.

As Hi'Jak was dismissed, Martin feared that he would have a poor response to the dismissal, much akin to a veiled threat, or masked plotting to undo captain Ives. But no such threat came, and instead all she got was a sad look from Jack as he departed the science lab. As he did so, Martin gulped in guilt, but remained as stoic as she could in the presence of Thea's captain. "Aye sir," she said. "I will not speak of it to anyone else."

Martin paused, and hesitated before she continued. "Is there anything else you need of me sir?" She asked.

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #8 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: 1) @Kaligos 2) @Hastata-Nerada
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Watching the young scientist leave, Jien hoped he would take her orders to heart, and send the message that she had prepared for the away-mission. She knew she could rely on the Deputy, her having proven herself since her fall from grace during and just after the Niga Incident.

Meeting Lieutenant Commander Martin's eye when she asked her question, Jien's reply was instant. "Yes, please,' she said and walked to another science console available in the room. There, using her authorisation, she keyed up another thing that had been added to the Omega Directive since the Voyager returned to Federation space. It was an object of very precise specifications, with all relevant data for its assembly made available, without revealing what it was for, of course.

"This is a harmonic resonance chamber," said Jien and looked towards Martin while the device - the smallest of the available versions - slowly spun on the screen. "As much I can tell you, but I cannot reveal its purpose beyond how it can neutralise the threat I just mentioned. While you are not allowed to discuss its purpose with anyone, I task you to use whatever available staff or resources you need to make this, and it is now your top priority."

Jien picked up a PADD from underneath the console and downloaded the schematics of the spherical chamber - no more than two feet in height and width - while she continued speaking. "As you can see, the software has been made available, but the device itself needs someone from Engineering or Operations to replicate the parts and to put it together, unless you feel confident to assemble the hardware yourself, of course."

Turning towards Martin with the readied PADD, Jien handed it over to her. "If anyone asks, you just tell them you are under direct orders from me, and should they need to, they can verify this with my yeoman, Ensign Henshaw. I cannot stress enough how important it is that this device assembled as soon as possible." she said, and then folded her hands behind her back. "Any questions?"

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #9 –
[ Lt.Com. Vivian Martin | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan 
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As Ives met her gaze and answered her question, Martin's heart skipped a beat. There was something that the captain needed her for, and she certainly wasn't about to let them down. Martin watched as Ives keyed in something in a nearby console, and observed that they drew up a very specific schematic, something to do with this "omega directive". Curious, this was a harmonic resonance chamber, a kind which could disrupt and dissolve covalent bonds. A device such as this one could be extremely lethal to whatever was inside it. This could only mean one thing: that Ives wished to, and knew a way to destroy the source of the omega reading, whatever it was.

As Ives made her request, Martin contemplated the device slowly rotating on the screen before her. Was omega so dangerous that it could not simply be contained, or disintegrated by phasers? Did it really warrant such methods of complete and total destruction? Martin could only ponder. Regardless, her thoughts were irrelevant at the moment, and she refocused her attention to the task at hand. She needed a couple of engineers for a task such as this. While she was an accomplished scientist in her own right, she was a biologist at heart, and the engineers aboard were likely far more adept at the assembly of devices. Her thoughts wandered to who she could trust with this endeavor, and before long they landed on Sithick, whom she had met the day before. Martin could probably do with one more to be sure, but that was something she must take more time with deciding.

Nevertheless, the captain asked a question of her, to which she simply responded, "No sir, no further questions." whilst standing stoically at attention.

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #10 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: 1) @Kaligos 2) @Hastata-Nerada
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Glad to hear that the Lieutenant Commander understood the import of the task, Jien nodded to her.

"Very good. Thank you for your discretion in this matter. I wish I could tell you more, but if I am to adhere to protocol in this, I have already said too much. Please make sure to keep me posted on the time-estimation of the assembly, and when it is ready to use," she said and turned towards the exit, leaving the woman behind in the lab. "As you were."

As she left the lab, Jien couldn't stop thinking about the ramifications of the find, and the potential disaster they had carried aboard. Much less could she rid herself of the image in her mind where the scientist from Starbase 84 had handled the box so carelessly. This, added with Trent's report... it painted Junior Officer Hi'Jak in an unflattering light. She always refrained from letting her own opinions be coloured by the words of others, and in this case, young Hi'Jak had not known what it was he'd found in Sera vers Aldnoah's care. The very same Câroon that were going on the away mission with him, no less.

And as to what Trent had written about Hi'Jak's threat towards Martin, it seemed plain the two had put whatever differences had been behind them and worked well enough together. Hard to tell if that was Martin's credit or not, but at least she appeared to have forgiven the young Imperial Intelligence operative.

Ives could but hope he would understand the import of his tasks at the Coreless Moon.

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #11 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Sinead's Quarters | Deck 07 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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She was home. Not New Mariposa, not the Resolve, but actual home. She was back on Bringloid V. The cold air kissed whatever bare skin that was not under the covers of her fur blanket. Her back felt warm bare skin pressed against her, and she smiled, knowing who it was, and as she turned around languorously, she was not disappointed to see Tristan Kendrick, and he was smiling back at her, already awake. She couldn't take it, and leaned forward to kiss him, he didn't resist, and wrapped his big strong hands around the back of her head, deepening the passionate kiss. Their children were not far away in the cave home, and after three children, she was far from satisfied with the number, “Woul' ye be opposed t' havin' our fourth child this year?” she asked boldly, and he chuckled at her, flashing white teeth.

“I'll have as many kids as you want to have with me, Sin,” he said, stroking her hair lovingly, “we'll save humanity with our kids.” He winked and kissed her again.

She felt such happiness in her heart that she thought she would burst, and then she felt the wrench. A terrible ache that was soul deep, and she saw Tristan's visage fading, and he looked at her, perplexed, and she remembered...

Tristan Kendrick was dead.

He did not love her, or ever knew. They didn't have children together. Bringloid V was toasted by the solar flares from the planet's sun.

This was a dream.

Worse still, his death was on her. She was in Security, and she had evacuated, foolishly believing that the captain had been amongst those that evacuated with the rest. But she knew the man! She knew his heart, and his nature. She knew him very well, and she had just obeyed orders the one time she should have disregarded his orders and been there at his side. But he was now gone, and she lingered on.

She never even told him how she felt. The Bringloidi who was renowned for speaking her mind.

When she opened her eyes, her pillows were soaking with her tears. Before she took her usual meditation, she decided to indulge in the grief, and wept bitterly and openly, in the privacy of her quarters aboard the Theurgy. When she had cried and cried until there were no more tears left, she rose and did her morning routines. Naked, she performed her meditation, holding the IDIC icon. When she emerged from her quarters, dressed and ready, her impassive mask was back on, and the near-emotionless Sinead O'Riley that most people were accustomed to was all they could see, no traces of her tears of her inner pains and struggles.

In a calmer state, she processed things more analytically, and considered her failure to Captain Kendrick. She did not want to repeat this failure ever again. So, she made a point to learn everything she can about Captain Jien Ives.

She would never fail her captain ever again. Or her life was not worth living.

To that end, she followed the captain of the Theurgy discreetly, putting all of her skills in stealth to good use, she stayed out of sight, but kept hir within hers. Jien Ives was such an enigma to the Bringloidi. She couldn't tell whether s/he was male, or female, or neither. And that was very odd to her. At the moment, Ives was a male. Sinead approved.

She had prepared a logical reason for seeking him out as well, should the question arise, or should she be noticed. Using the events of the day before and holding a PADD with the necessary information. Strictly speaking, it was probable that the man called Billy Bob could have submitted this, but Sinead saw an opportunity and insisted on being the one to deliver the signature request.

[ Outside the Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ]

She had trailed him going into the lab, and bided her time, as there appeared to be something important and she felt it illogical to barge into the lab to ask for the captain's signature, best to wait until he came out from there. So she waited in the corridors, a respectable distance away, PADD clutched in her left hand. The second she saw the doors hiss open, she started walking towards it, as if she'd already been on her way to the lab. She did pause for a moment when she saw a woman, but her eyes narrowed on the rank pips and saw the rank of captain, along with her memories kicking in that this was the face of Jien Ives in her female form, and she continued on her walk, confident and sure as ever.

In her female form, Ives was about the same height as Sinead, so the auburn-haired woman kept her gaze level, and performed a crisp salute and clasped her feet together once she stopped walking, and stood at parade rest, “Captain,” she said, “g'morning, I have a report that requires your personal signature and approval.”

She presented her with the PADD, holding it for her to read, “Petty Officer Dylan Cobb was found wi' pro'omatter, some o'which he possibly meant t'use in explosives. Highly regula'ed material under Starfleet regulations, section six'y-seven, article nine. Th' Devoted had their hands on a grea' deal o' illegal or dangerous ma'erial. If ye be needin' more information, I was part o' the incident in Engineerin' and can provide necessary testimony or account.” She looked at the captain whilst she spoke, studying her features and trying to get a read on the Chameloid.

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #12 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: 1) @Kaligos 2) @Hastata-Nerada
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When she was approached outside of the lab, so shortly after having set up the measures for the Omega Directive, Jien schooled her face to not betray that she'd been up to anything in particular. It felt silly that she had to, but she kept her face unreadable, and looked towards the PADD in the Junior Lieutenant's hand when it was presented to her. She did pause when she took it, however, when she happened to glance at the woman's face - seeing the curious colouring of her eyes. The pause didn't last, however, since there were quite a few curious people serving on the Theurgy.

"At ease, Lieutenant, and good morning to you too," said Jien idly as she glanced down to the contents of the PADD, listening to the woman's explanation. The Devoted were seldom far from Ives' thoughts, and especially not after the attempt made to give command to Sarresh Morali the day before. Reading the contents of the report and hearing the woman's words, it seemed that Dylan Cobb and his likeminded would have had something of a secondary plan in the works, hadn't the majority of the leaders either died or been detained in their quarters. As for Cobb himself, he was still in Sickbay, as far as Ives knew, restrained and without being allowed visitors. His radiation exposure had been quite serious, but chances were that he'd still survive.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention," he said, certain that the woman was from the Resolve, but not knowing much else, "officer....?"

Such an odd thing, to be the Commanding Officer of a ship where people died and new people came aboard, making it impossible to keep track of all the hundreds of new names that circulated. "Please, do give me your account of the event, and also, who it was that collected the protomatter."

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Corridors | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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At the captain's statement, Sinead's posture immediately shifted to a more relaxed one, but she remained alert as ever. She briefly acknowledged the return greeting and watched her attentively. Apparently her eyes caught the captain's attention, albeit briefly. It was rather unusual for a Human, but the Bringloidi surmised she was better classified as a Near-Human or a Offshoot race at this point, after three centuries away from Earth or any influence from the Federation. She still recalled her conversation the day before with Selena and Thea while they worked on the mobile emitter. She wondered if Thea was enjoying herself and her new found liberty.

“Ye be most welcome,” said Sinead, “Lieu'enant Junior Grade Sinead O'Riley, formerly Security an' Ops on th' Resolve.”

Her facial expression was neutral friendliness and she betrayed no thoughts on the fact that the captain needed clarification on her identity. On a ship this big, with this many souls on board, it was hardly surprising that there was some people Jien Ives might not know by name at a glance. “Th' protomatter was foun' 'n'collec'ed by Lieutenant Junior Grade A'vura Zeshryr and one Chief Warrant Officer First Class Sten Covington. It do seem a logistics misdirection was in play t' allow members o' th' Devoted t' attempt buildin' a dirty bomb wi' th' protomatter. At th' time, I be par' o' th' repair crew with Lieutenant Junior Grade Suq-Reylin-Efreya Xan when Sean McGee,” she did not hesitate to omit any rank for him, since she considered the man a criminal, “threw in his lot wi' th' Devoted an' nearly detonated a bomb, most likely wi' th' same material as the pro'omatter found in the Figh'er Assault Bay. Thea assisted in dispatchin' Mr. McGee with alacrity. A very excellent and efficient takedown.”

There was the slightest hint of awe in her tone as she imagined a man being taken down physically by a ship. “Th' followin' were since placed under arrest, but there do still be a wee bit more searchin' t' do t' ensure nothin' been left unaccoun'ed for.” She clasped her hands behind her back, having concluded her report.

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #14 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Triage 
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Some of what the engineer was saying was known to Jien, but hearing the expanded details made it evident that she had yet to get the full scope on what the Devoted had been planning - how far they had been willing to go to give command of the ship to Sarresh Morali. It was a bit reassuring, however, that her crew were on top of things.

"Thank you," she said to the engineer as she finished reading the PADD, signing it with her index finger and handing it back to the woman. She glanced at O'Riley again and nodded for her to accompany her. "Keep me posted on how the continued search goes. There is still no telling how many more of the Devoted there are, and if they are planning yet another mutiny. Please, walk with me."

As Jien stepped out of the Science Department's area of the deck, she changed... to his male form, as if turning a page on the Omega Directive, despite how it lingered in his thoughts. He hoped to distract himself with some brief conversation, if nothing else to forget the notion that the troublesome officer Hi'Jak had been toying with the device after he'd come aboard the ship. Jien could only presume that the solving of that puzzle would trigger the molecule, and given the properties of Omega, the chances of the result being beneficial was unlikely.

"How are you settling in aboard the Theurgy, Junior Lieutenant?" he asked, letting his attention to the woman and her words preoccupy his mind. "There are plenty of repairs to be made, and essentially three ships to distribute repair teams across, so I can imagine you are all working quite hard. Still, it is important that you find time to recover after what happened to the Resolve. I would also imagine that the news about Captain Kendrick has affected the crew, but even if it has, it would seem the adjustment is going better than I had initially thought. Do you think it is a testament to how well he taught you all to adapt; to survive the uncharted space from whence you came?"

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #15 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Corridors | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Sinead's eyes took on an intensity that almost made their silvery shine almost evident even under brighter lighting before she had control over herself again. Her heart beat loudly as she felt an irrational adrenaline rush and a powerful desire to protect the captain from any threat that may come. She knew how to address threats, and ensure they never rose ever again. But she knew why her emotions were so intense today. The dream, and her new objective in life standing before her. Where she failed with Captain Kendrick, she would not again repeat her mistake.

“Of course, captain,” said Sinead, and turned to follow along beside the Chameloid, she took the PADD back and clipped it to a small hook on her uniform's side. She looked nonchalant when Jien Ives shifted into her male form, and the Bringloidi quietly approved of the more appealing form. She held nothing against the captain's female form, but to her, this just made more sense as a better form to hold. Her hands clasped behind her back, Sinead tilted her head to look at the captain, then back to the path before them as they walked, and she answered, “Well enough.”

She had an answer ready for him in regards to repairing Thea, which she certainly agreed was of utmost importance, but when he brought up Tristan Kendrick, she faltered visibly, and nearly lost control. “......”

She couldn't find the words for a moment. All she wanted to say, and all that she ought not to say, lest the captain think her unstable and ill-suited to any task, were on her lips at the same instant, wanting to come out. She finally settled on an honest yet safe answer, “Thea do indeed be in need o'repairs, and we be willin' t' do what needs be done until 'tis complete. As for Trist...Captain Kendrick...” she kicked herself for slipping on his rank, “it be more than what he taugh' us. It be who he is, and what he is; everything.” And more besides, she did not say. But she also failed to notice that she had identified Tristan in the present tense.

“I believe some o' us do be adjustin',” Sinead turned her blue eyes on the Chameloid, “and others jus' acceptin' the situation. Where do we go from 'ere? If I might ask...”

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #16 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Triage 
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Hearing officer O'Riley speak was a painful reminder about the night before, when he had come to sickbay and seen Nicole Howard pass away. It was the Irish accent that Nicole and Sinead O'Riley shared, making the memories return.

Jien knew it was not healthy to blame himself, even if while Cala had almost killed her on the bridge, Jien had been the one to order that she'd been taken out of stasis. It had led to complications, and it could have been avoided if he'd let Doctor Nicander do his job. The mission had required shirking some medical ethics in restoring Sarresh Morali to life, but Nicole? That had merely been him wanting her back, justifying it in how Engineering needed a woman of her experience and rank to lead them. He should not have given Trent the order, to have him make the request to Nicander, demanding her brought out of stasis. She might not have been with him... but at least she wouldn't have died.

The fact that Sinead spoke of Tristan Kendrick in the present tense made Jien turn his head towards her, but seeing her profile in the artificial light of the corridor, Jien decided against correcting her. The reports were unanimous in how Captain Kendrick had taken the Resolve's aeroshuttle into Starbase 84. It had been a bold move to reach Ian Hawthorne, but at least the man had been able to contain the warp core detonation within the superstructure of the EOC tower. The loss of Starfleet officers in the building would have been in the hundreds, but at least the residential module and all the civilians aboard the starbase had been spared.

"I think I once met Kendrick during the Dominion War, back when he served on the USS Wikersham. He was a medical officer aboard, and it was early in 2373. The Wikersham was one of the first ships on the scene after the Imperator was destroyed in an ambush by the Klingons, and I had managed to extract as much of the crew as I could when Kendrick's ship showed up."

Jien paused as the memories returned, images of the wounded, and the desperation. "He was there in sickbay, I remember, tending to the injured from my ship while his Captain chased off the surviving Klingon ships. I never spoke to him, but I believe I met his eye in the turmoil, exchanging a glance of mutual accord, that I could leave my crew in his care, and go search for more survivors. There was no more to it than that... but I remember thinking, when I was given the Starfleet Medal of Commendation, that I had much rather wanted to pin it on the officers that took care of the Imperator's surviving crew."

Despite the grimness, and the recent loss, Jien smiled faintly at the irony.

"It seems I have now returned the favour, taking care of his crew instead."

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #17 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Corridors | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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Following Jien Ives along the corridors, Sinead felt a faint smile play on her lips as the Chameloid recounted his personal encounter with Tristan, and she occasionally turned her head to look up at him, studying the contours of his face. The male form was the face of a focused, grim and serious man with decidedly oriental features. Appealing to a great deal of people, she was sure, and her Bringloidi nature was wont to respond to him should he give her signs, and yet, the ache in her chest would have made her a terrible companion at the moment. No, her heart belonged to but one, and the dream she had was still too fresh, and the days not nearly long enough for her to fully process her thoughts, to...move on, as some would call it.

“Aye,” said Sinead quietly, when Jien Ives finished speaking and expressing how he felt, “That ye have, captain...”

She gave him a wan smile, her eyes glinting oddly under the lights, “From what ye tol' me, tha' do very much be our captain. He never wavered, an' never compromised when it came t' protectin' th' crew, of any vessel in Starfleet. We served proudly on th' Resolve. Now tha' we are part o' the Theurgy,” she paused in her steps to turn and look at the captain, “I will extend th' same regar' t' ye, captain. So long as I do live, I will give me life t' ye an' th' ship.” Her tone was with absolute conviction and without hesitance. Along with a look of determination and surety of self. But even so, there was a brief look of fear behind the bright blue eyes. Fear not for herself, but for the Chameloid captain before. As she imagined death and destruction all around him, and she was unable to prevent it.

Never again...

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #18 –
[ Captain Ives | Geological Lab | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Triage 
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To hear such a thing in the midst of all that had happened, it was almost as if Jien couldn't give it any credence. After the months of fleeing through Federation space, and all the challenges put before him... not to mention the loss of people he'd grown dear to, it was easy to become cynical - disillusioned to any such pledge. How easy it was, to dismiss those words when heard from someone who so recently stepped aboard the ship.

Yet even though it was somewhat of a threshold, Jien chose to believe what the Irish woman with the startling eyes said. To uphold the morale aboard, and to believe in something that actually gave him faith in the mission, that was too important to dismiss or give a sidelong glance of suspicion.

"Thank you, Lieutenant O'Riley," he said with a faint smile and turned to face the woman, "and I will do my utmost to try and live up to Kendrick's image. In terms of dedication, and still living up to what Starfleet used to be, I hope that I have proved where my heart is at. The battle at Starbase 84 was unfortunate in how it did not turn out the way we'd planned. I regret the fate of the Orcus, having hoped that Captain Slayton would have listened to reason, and the fallout for our Asurian allies. In the former case, Slayton's shield-overloading firing technique was formidable enough to threaten the survival of both crews that now serve on this ship, and in the latter, the Asurian fleet underestimated Task Force Archeron and Admiral Sankolov."

Frowing, Jien looked to the side. "They cast the blame at our feet, yet if only they had continued using the tactics they had begun with, instead of gathering in one place the way they did... Then the Asurian Queen would not have sanctioned her marshals to seek blood for blood if they so craved. I regret it now, and I will regret it the day the Asurians catch up with us, and make that claim. I will be forced to defend this crew against them, even if we owe them our lives. Had the Asurians not been there, I doubt we would have been able to reintegrate Thea and go to warp in time."

Re: Day 03 [0600 hrs.] Beginning of the Day

Reply #19 –
[ Lt. JG Sinead O'Riley | Corridors | Deck 09 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan
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She studied his micro-expression as much as she could. Years of observing expressions gave her some experience in reading people, but it was only based on what she could see. She didn't have a Vulcan's natural intuition or subtle telepathic talents, but she could guess that he was weighing her words very seriously, before formulating his response. It meant he had multiple choices that he considered giving to her, and she considered that probability, and what kind of choices he had considered. She remembered that he was also an accomplished diplomat.

“Ye have more'n proven yeself,” said Sinead, continuing to walk once more, “but aye...” she looked crestfallen, quite openly, “...the losses suffered by everyone in tha' battle be a heavy bur'en on every soul.” Especially you, she didn't add out loud.

She considered the reports and accounts she had read in her free time since she'd been on board and assigned to her quarters. What she knew of the Asurians were greatly limited, but she supposed there would be time enough during their repairs here to figure out more about everything that transpired two days ago, as much was still being collated and input as data. Plus they had so much problems to deal with, just a day ago they had to handle the Devoted. Who knew what today was going to bring. She regarded Jien Ives with a look, and said, “We do what we must, t' safeguard those we care for.”

She paused at the intersection of the corridors and looked at the Chameloid captain, “When ye have th' time t' spare, I woul' very much like t' meet with ye again, perhaps for a meal.” said Sinead, “I be goin' t' Engineerin' now, an' will be on th' bridge later t'day. Farewell for now, Captain.”

She bowed her head in respect, and turned to leave.
 
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