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41
Interregnum 02-03 S2 / Day 02 [0815 hrs] We're Good, For Now
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Chief Diplomatic Officer's Office | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Brutus  @pertinent writers

The bloodstones were in a bowl on her desk now. All of them, or nearly so. It had taken three attempts and a replicator-printed bowl with higher sides than any bowl had a right to need, but they were contained, and Enyd counted that as a personal victory for the morning. She was still collecting a few here and there where she could find them, and was always surprised that they could continue to elude her for so long, considering her officer wasn’t really that large.

Enyd looked away from the mountain of stones back to the PADD on her desk. She read through it again, because she was thorough and occasionally hoped that rereading something would change what it said. It didn't. The D'ravsai Coalition's fragile new architecture was already showing cracks she hadn't expected to appear this quickly — not from Romulan resistance, which she'd mapped and planned for, but from within the Reman factions themselves. Two of the three bloc leaders who had backed Senator Vkruvux at the founding announcement were now exchanging communications that, according to the intelligence summary Lieutenant Commander Pierce's department had quietly routed to her, suggested significantly different interpretations of what "coequal status" was meant to look like in practice.

That was a problem. A patient, long-game problem, but a problem.

The second issue on her desk was less patient. K'Temak. Enyd set the first PADD down and picked up the second. The High Council member's sympathies toward the Mo'Kai weren't new intelligence — Martok had obliquely referenced internal pressure in their last exchange without naming names, which in Klingon terms was practically a formal briefing. What was new was that K'Temak had apparently begun making specific arguments against the new Romulan-Reman alignment in terms that the younger Houses were finding persuasive.

Not arguments about tactics or territorial integrity. Arguments about identity. That was harder to counter than a border dispute. You could negotiate a border. You couldn't negotiate someone's bones. And these arguments were picking away at Martok’s legitimacy as Chancellor and were starting to erode at the alliance the Klingons had with both the Federation but also with the Theurgy crew directly.

Her door chimed. "Come in," Enyd looked up in time to see the assistant diplomatic attache, Faye, enter, her dark hair pulled back in an attractive style. "Thank you for coming. Sit down." Enyd gestured to the chair across from her desk, the one she hadn't replaced yet after Hauq's visit. "I have something for you.” She slid one of the PADDs across the desk. "The K'Temak situation and the Coalition fracture lines are connected. Not obviously, but if K'Temak successfully reframes the D'ravsai as a Federation maneuver rather than a Romulan-Reman one, he gives every House with Mo'Kai sympathies a reason to read Martok's cooperation with us as capitulation." She folded her hands on the desk. "Which destabilizes the Chancellor at exactly the moment we need him stable."
She let Nysari/Faye take that in, watching her read.

"I need people in those spaces. Listening. Building trust with the factions on both sides that are still persuadable, before the ones who aren't persuadable finish setting the terms of the conversation. This extends beyond our department as I see it as " She leaned back slightly. "We will be working on the D’ravsai side of the coin at the same time.”

The bowl of bloodstones caught the light from the viewport, scattering small red points across the ceiling. Enyd looked at them for a moment, then back to Faye. "Any questions?
42
Interregnum 02-03 S2 / Day 02 [ 945 hrs ] Everything's Fine, So Far...
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen | Chief Diplomatic Officer's Office | Deck 08 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @rae  @pertinent writers

Enyd had three PADDs open on her desk and a fourth balanced on her knee, which was not how she'd intended to spend the early hours of the morning, but heavy was the crown. By now, Faye would already be well on their way to leading a team to Qo’Nos to address the K'Temak situation. Which meant she needed to build a team to work on the D'ravsai Coalition situation.

Senator Vkruvux had the Reman backing and Romulan acceptance and Senator Belas had the Romulan institutional credibility to keep the more conservative elements from dismissing it outright. The provisional transit corridors had been authorized and already working. The request for a Federation merchant-based envoy had come through official channels, which meant someone on the Coalition side had done the political work of making it look like their idea rather than a concession, which was exactly the right instinct and boded reasonably well for their long-term competence.

The Federation's response, pending Council ratification, was a single envoy. One. To Romulus. In the immediate aftermath of the most significant shift in Romulan governance since Shinzon.

Enyd set down the PADD she was holding and looked at the ceiling. One envoy. As if they were sending a letter. She understood the reasoning. Send too many, and the Coalition reads it as annexation pressure. Send the wrong person, and the Tal'Shiar remnants have a target. Send someone too senior, and it becomes a Federation statement rather than a soft diplomatic contact, which would hand K'Temak exactly the narrative he was already trying to build — that the D'ravsai was a Federation construction wearing a Romulan face. The constraints were real and that didn't make one envoy feel like enough.

The envoy needed specific qualities. Fluency in the culture — not just the language, but the subtext. Enough personal credibility to be received as a genuine contact rather than a surveillance mission in diplomatic clothing. Enough flexibility to operate without real-time support from the Theurgy, because communications through the provisional corridors were going to be monitored by everyone simultaneously and therefore useful to no one. Enough composure to function inside a government that was, by any honest assessment, still deciding whether it wanted to exist.

The team Theurgy was sending was acting as escort and liaison between the contact they already had within the Coalition and the new envoy. Enyd looked at the PADD of information regarding the envoy and was trying to decide how she felt about them when her door chimed, and Nysari walked in, ready to take up the baton of the mission.

After their briefing, and Nysari continued on her way, Enyd tried to smother the inner hope that a certain frustrating Romulan presently on board the ship might choose to remain on Romulus instead of returning.
43
Interregnum 02-03 S2 / Day 01 [ 0800 hrs ] Maybe By Next Tuesday
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Starbase 234 | Docking Ring — Level 7] Attn: Open

The starbase smelled like every other starbase. Recycled air, industrial lubricant, the faint mineral tang of reprocessed water. She'd spent enough time on facilities like this during her early career to find it almost comforting. Almost. The smell was familiar. The way the dock crews stopped moving when the Theurgy's team stepped off the airlock was not. She counted three full seconds of silence before anyone went back to work.

To their credit, most of them did go back to work. A few didn't. She kept moving, PADD in hand, security detail a half-step behind her. She had been called a traitor by the Federation's own newsfeed for the better part of a year. Three seconds of dock workers stopping to stare was, by any reasonable measure, progress.

Chief Warrant Officer Delas met them at the junction to the supply corridor. He was a compact Bolian with a clipboard he clearly preferred to a PADD and the expression of a man who had been given three different instructions by three different supervisors and had decided to simply wait and see which one showed up first.

"Commander Stark." He said it the way someone might 'say so it's true, what they say'. "CWO Delas, Materiel and Logistics. I've been assigned as your liaison."

"Assigned or volunteered?"

"Both, more or less." Something shifted in his face. "My sister served on the Resolve. I heard you had some of her crew aboard."

Natalie held his gaze. "We do."

Delas gave a short nod and turned toward the corridor. "I've got four engineers who've agreed to cross to your ship for the EPS relay assessment. Two more who said they'd think about it. And one section chief who filed a formal objection with the station commander on the grounds that cooperation with your vessel constitutes a conflict with his oath of service."

"And what did the station commander say?"

"He's still deciding." Delas didn't slow his pace. "Commander Reyva is careful."

Natalie translated that without difficulty. Careful meant watching to see which way things settled before committing to anything that might end up in his service record. Bacco's pardon was on record, but certain Council delegates were already making noise about challenging it, and a starbase commander in a contested region had every professional incentive to wait. That didn't mean she had to make it easy for him.
44
Interregnum 02-03 S2 / Day 01 [ 0700 hrs] The Salvage Job
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[Lt. Cmdr. Cross | XO Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @RyeTanker  @pertinent writers

Cross stood at the viewport rather than at the desk, which was still technically Stark's desk. Through the reinforced transparent aluminum, Starbase 234 and all its expected beehive-like activity continued without a care for the problems the Theurgy’s crew faced. It was surreal, being positioned here after being on the run from the Federation for so long. He didn’t know about Stark, but he certainly had more than once already wanted to raise shields just in case someone on the starbase or any of the surrounding ships coming and going wanted to take a pot shot at them in skewed retribution for past sins they presumed Theurgy had committed.

He pulled his eyes back to the manifest displayed on the PADD held in his prosthetic hand. The salvage team roster was manageable. Not the largest away team organized, and likely not as large as it should be considering the mission, but they still hadn’t received new personnel to replace those they’d lost, and he was very limited on who he could afford to send. As it was, he hated sending their chief engineer while they were sitting here so vulnerable, but Arnold made the most sense to lead the Cayuga salvage mission.

The Cayuga wouldn't be pretty. They had no notion of how damaged it was by the Scion/Romulan attack, and ships left to drift were never stable. And, worst-case scenario, pirates could have already arrived and begun the salvage, adding in another risk the away team would have to contend with. But the data cores were there, the salvageable components were there, and they’d been directly ordered by the president to retrieve everything they could from the ship before standard salvage cruisers arrived to tug the husk back to the boneyard. Official sanction had a way of giving the work clout and could, perhaps, win their way back into good graces in certain circles.

Cross turned the PADD over. The Starfleet supply channels had always been slow, and given their circumstances, he fully expected the repair efforts for Theurgy to be even slower. Already, preliminary communication with Starbase 234 had made that clear enough — not in what was said, but in what wasn't, in the particular bureaucratic silence that meant someone further up the chain had decided the Theurgy could wait. He’d always hated bureaucrats.

He tapped his combadge, “Cross to Arnold. Shuttlecraft Maslow and your away team are cleared to launch."
45
Main OOC Board / Re: Interregnum Season 2: 02-03
Last post by Dumedion -
*Update*

Not sure what I want to do with Talia yet - keeping options open for now.

Arven is up for grabs, waiting for starter posts before I commit him anywhere. I'd also like to crack the Savi intel/tackle the screening problem with him and someone (science and/or engineering, if anyone is interested).

I've also acquired a third, Vanya; not really seeing a place for her yet but I need to get her established first anyway.

Feel free to reach out if yall have any ideas/wanna parlay.
46
Main OOC Board / Interregnum Season 2: 02-03
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
Here is a dedicated OOC thread for writing ads and requests, allowing you all to plan supplemental threads. In this thread, you post your ideas for your characters and enlist other writers in partaking in the events.  You can also post open requests, simply asking if anyone cares to write something (specific or general) in:

This is also where we will post open threads that the GMs would like participation in to further the storyline, which can support only x writers per thread. Your character would only be assigned to the following missions if they have the skillsets for it, so think realistically about what your character(s) would be called upon to do, and don't be a glory hog (^__~):

•    Day 01 [ 0700 hrs] The Salvage Job – Away mission to salvage the Cayuga led by Chief Engineer Frank Arnold, needs writers from Engineering and Ops, and 1 from each of the following Security, Medical, Science, TAC, and CONN. This will last until Day 02 1700 hrs.

•    Day 01 [ 0800 hrs ] Maybe By Next Tuesday – Now that Theurgy is at Starbase 234 for repairs, crew members are working with and among members of Starfleet and are exposed to civilians from the Federation who have mixed feelings towards the president’s pardon. Open to all departments, as it should encompass both repair-work tension and political and social tension/fallout. While this opener thread will last the full day of Day 01, this concept can be touched on in supplemental threads throughout the week.

•  Day 02 [0815 hrs] We're Good, For Now – Diplomatic Attache Faye leads an away mission to Qo’Nos in an effort to counter the pushback the recent acceptance of the new Romulan-Reman faction has on the alliance between the Klingons and the Federation and the Theurgy direction. Needs Security, Intelligence, TAC, CONN, Ops, Medical, TAC CONN, and some other writers can join if it fits with that character’s past connections to the mission and its location. This will last a full day with the option to go into the wee hours of Day 03, depending on how writers approach it.

•   Day 02 [ 1100hrs ] Everything's Fine, So Far... - Assistant Chief Diplomat Nysari leads an away mission to Romulus to act as escort and liaison to the new Federation envoy sent to pave the way for a more official relationship with the new Coalition. Needs Security, Intelligence, TAC, CONN, TAC CONN, Ops, and Medical, and some other writers can join if it fits with that character’s past connections to the mission and its location. This will last until the evening of Day 03.

•   Day 03 [ 1330hrs ] Back Channel Operations – Lt. Cmdr. Cross leads an unofficial away mission via civilian transport to back channel connections in the hopes of procuring more supplies that the bureaucratic monster of the Federation continues to block Theurgy from having. Needs Security, Intelligence, TAC, CONN, Ops, Engineering, Medical, Science, and some other writers can join if it fits with that character’s past connections to the mission and its location. This will last until the morning of Day 04.

Please read the thread starters for these threads before you sign up for them. And you need to reply to this thread with which character(s) are going to which threads as each of those threads does have a limited number of slots open.

Some additional thread ideas for the Interregnum that anyone can grab and play with:
•  Ongoing anyonic screening and figuring out how to make it to larger scale
•  Sankolov and the Archeron — location, intentions, next move
•  Dewitt intelligence verification and response
•  Star chart border discrepancy investigation
•  The Savi data chip contents
•  Crew communications/interactions with families/friends following the pardon
•  Secondary psychological impact wave as deferred processing begins

So, please go ahead and post your brainstorming or requests here!
47
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: EPI S: The curious case of Humpty Dumpty [Day 03 | 2330 hrs]
Last post by Dumedion -
[LT Arven Leux | Main Sickbay | Biolab 2 | Deck 11 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]
Of course, Arven mentally kicked himself; if not for Ehfva’s painful vocalization of what should have been obvious to him – they'd have wasted precious hours trying to program the implant using less than accurate data. Yes, he was tired – but that mistake could have been disastrous.

Hirek decided to reappear just then, which broke the Doctor’s momentary bout of self-criticism; Arven's eyes darted from the Romulan’s to the container that held the stimulator and back – blinking with confusion before his irritation-flushed mind caught up. A spotted hand reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose then swipe down Arven’s face as he took a deep breath to steady himself, then nodded.

“Thea, kindly grant full temporary lab access to Mr. tr’Aimne as a proximity user to myself under direct supervision,” Leux spoke to the air as he turned back towards the holoprojector. “Authorization: Leux, acting CMO, Two-Six Echo Sierra.”

“Access granted within designated parameters,” a feminine, disembodied voice announced almost instantly.

“Thank you for the reminder,” Leux continued, directed at Ehfva in a quieter, calmer tone. “You might have just saved your own life.” As the workstation directly in front of Hirek beeped, followed by a chorus of similar alerts from all the other equipment in the lab, the Doctor’s fingers danced across the LCARs display.

He addressed the Romulan’s ignorance of Federation data-sharing while accessing the stored medical files synced from the Cayuga:

“Under normal circumstances, every ship holds its own internal database which is constantly uploaded in backups to Command; these can also be shared ship to ship, in the event that contact is lost with Command. Theurgy severed that link after she fled Earth for obvious reasons; but we can still sync with friendly ships.” He wondered, briefly, when Thea would reestablish contact with Starfleet HQ, as a series of files popped into view: all four distinct shifts – complete full body biological scans.

Arven snapped his fingers. “Got them,” he clapped, then set about stripping each set down for data integration into the three dimensional holographic imagery. The tempo of his fingers taps increased, violet eyes narrowed in focus.

“I want a full analysis of the device before implantation; blueprints, diagnostics, everything,” Arven announced suddenly, addressing Hirek while his attention remained on the screens. “We’ll run a full simulation once the device is reprogrammed,” he paused, head lifted fractionally. “Thea, can you assist?”

“Of course,” the ship’s AI intoned. “Analyzing,” a pause. “This device is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition that I’m aware of, Doctor.”

Arven forced himself not to sigh out loud. “We’re improvising, Thea,” he said instead.

“I see. Standing by,” Thea replied evenly.

After another moment, Arven tapped all four images and flicked his fingers to the projector using the haptic interface; then observed as each one melded into complete biological synchronization with the real-time upload image. He took a breath, then flicked off layers one by one, until only Ehfva’s neurological core remained. It looked monstrous, a brain linked to too many structures – too many pathways – like the twisted, overgrown roots of an ancient tree.

“Don’t see that everyday,” Arven muttered, equal parts amazed and concerned. He turned to Hirek then. “The specific pheromone keys for each shift are color-coded in the morphological matrix; I cracked them —” he stopped once he realized the Romulan had already accessed the biochemical compounds and had begun coding them into the neurological output transmitters of the device.

The Doctor cleared his throat with a shrug, then moved to observe the Romulan's handiwork. "Not used to working with others, are you," he wondered aloud, without really meaning to.
48
Interregnum 02-03 S2 / Day 01 | 2200 hrs | The hunt is on
Last post by Nesota Kynnovan -
[Ensign Jaya Thorne | Upper Gymnasium | Deck 06 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy]
[Attn: @Pierce]

Ensign Jaya Thorne was sitting cross-legged on one of the yoga mats in the large, otherwise empty Upper Gymnasium. While she often frequented the cardio area of the Upper Gymnasium during her off-duty hours, her current presence in the room was strictly professional and entirely against her will; Ensign Llewellyn-Kth, dishonour on him and dishonour on his cow, had assigned her to assist the Science Department with a delicate task that required the utmost proficiency. Or so she was led to believe.

In reality, it was a vole hunt.

The Assistant Chief CONN Officer scoffed as she leaned back on the yoga mat, supporting herself with the arms which she’d placed behind her. She had been briefed by the senior Xenozoologist, Lieutenant Junior Grade Zarqan, who had shared his theory that the vole could be anywhere on Vector 02. He had explained that the Xenozoology Team had already ruled out Vector 01 and locked down the Jefferies tubes leading onto that Vector to prevent the critter from making its way up there. In theory, that only left them with twenty-six decks’ worth of Jefferies tubes they had to comb through, with Jaya and some Lieutenant Junior Grade Kerina tasked with entering the Jefferies tube system on Deck 06 and working their way down, while two other eggheads, Ensigns Dunne and Sikia, started on Deck 32 and worked their way up.

Jaya grumbled a little and once again cursed Ensign Llewellyn-Kth, the Chief CONN Officer, while she looked at the small, standard-issue backpack that was laying on the yoga mat right next to her. It was bound to be a very, very long day so she’d prepared sandwiches, two bottles of water and plenty of energy bars that would hopefully keep her going. She hoped that her egghead, Lieutenant Junior Grade Kerina, would be pleasant company at the very least while she waited for the woman to arrive. She mused that, since the Upper Gymnasium had escaped the last Battle relatively unscathed, she would have plenty of opportunity for cardio training if Lieutenant Junior Grade Kerina wouldn’t show up.

Part of Jaya hoped that she wouldn’t, so she could go back to more important tasks.
49
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: EPI S: Two sides, same coin [Day 03 | 0930]
Last post by Dumedion -
[Colonel Hauq | Diplomatic Suite | Deck 2 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

Her ‘arrangement’ earned a noncommittal grunt as Hauq continued to collect stones; he had moved behind a workstation, shoved the rolling chair out of his way, and knelt to sweep several dozen out from the cubby within. Funneling them all into the flask took a few moments of focused effort.

Enyd broke the silence again with another question; the Colonel looked to her, bearded features pulled in a frown where he knelt – eyes narrowed in something close to wariness.

“Nothing verifiable – yet,” he answered carefully, then stood tall. “There was a brief transmission just before the Chancellor’s meeting with the President, from General Krarrax; the contents of which I was not privy to; I know the warrior that sent it, however. I know where he and his battlegroup operate. One can deduce he’d seen something in the area,” he shrugged. “Once I have something, it will be forwarded as agreed.”

Not an affirmation nor a refutation, simply an honest answer.
 
While Hauq was intelligent enough to connect the dots utilizing reasonably deductive logic, he knew they both knew that Klingon Intelligence would never operate on the same wavelength as the Federation, and certainly not the Romulans. At best, the KDF operated as an immense, broad network that possessed a minority fraction of captains and commanders that took the effort to forward detailed information. At worst, they were lucky to see an attack coming before it happened.

He strode to her desk, to deposit more stones within the sack – then looked at her squarely.

“I can only assume you know more than you let on. If you intend to get involved in the area,” he warned, chin lifted fractionally, “I’d advise caution – mostly due to the reasons we already discussed – but also because the Breen can, and will, fight like bloody bastards when they wish to. Martok is already stretched thin,” he grunted, “too thin to help, most like,” his arms folded. “I can try to reach out to General Krarrax, perhaps,” he added aloud, almost to himself.

“Is there anything else you wish the Chancellor to hear?”
50
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Epi: S [Day 03 | 0145] By these wounds...
Last post by Dumedion -
[LT Arven Leux | en route to Cryobay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Krajin @Eden  @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]
Oh, you'd be surprised, Arven answered silently, too focused on the task at hand for idle banter. The plasma burns were severe enough, but if he didn’t seal the leak in the Feresan's chest artery – the one that ended in the cauterized remains of the armpit, just below where it joined to the cybernetic limb – things would hardly improve enough to treat the burns.

Minutes ticked away as Arven struggled to get the proper angle into the wound, growing more frustrated by the second. Once the patient’s head and neck were sealed up enough to minimize the risk of tearing more wounds open, he changed tactics.

“Rotate to you,” Leux grimaced and nodded to the Vulpinian, and together they rolled the patient. “Hold,” the Doctor grunted, batting away the limp prosthetic to jab the business end of a regenerator into the wound.

Minus a little squirming, some growls, and a tail lashing, the Feresan took it like a champ.

“Got it,” Arven nodded again after another minute, and they rolled him back; after a quick follow up scan to check for more internal bleeds – he allowed himself to take a deep breath. “Vitals leveling out,” he nodded, then looked around and spotted Nurse Brown headed towards them. “Stretcher,” he called, then looked to the Vulpinian. “Nicely handled. Stay with him while I –“

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Vi-Nine push her own patient out of surgery, seated in a lift chair. “…some time for the musculature and nerves to recover naturally; ultimately, that depends on you,” the android was saying.

“Vi,” Leux called, then gestured to the Feresan when her domed head swiveled towards him. “Got another customer – scans are already uploaded.”

“Oh, I see,” the droid nodded after a second, ocular light flickering with processed power. “Trade,” she gestured a hand to Valin, and Arven nodded to the Vulpinian.

“If you’d be so kind,” he thumbed towards Valin, “find him a bed, or something close enough. I’ll get this one a stretcher and into surgery.”

Arven stood and took off to the closest closet without looking back. Behind him, he heard Vi-Nine’s servos whine as she approached the prone Feresan.

“Now, you wouldn’t object to a tickle test, would you,” the droid asked teasingly.

Leux rolled his eyes as he grabbed a stretcher, then headed back. Around them, the ward and greater sickbay carried on – still treating injured around the damaged sections – still working through the chaos. His eyes found Valin’s, then wolf-lady’s; the latter stood next to the former’s bed. He offered a single nod, before turning to deal with one silly android and her freshly thawed Feresan.

Today was worse than yesterday, he sighed silently and carried on.

~FIN~
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