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21
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Ch 3 : The Meeting of Heroes (or Villains) [ Day 1 | 1500+]
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Corridor Outside Conference Room | D. 1 | V. 1 | 1500hrs ] ATTN: @Brutus  @Stegro88  @GroundPetrel  @P.C. Haring  @Nolan   @Juzzie   @Eirual

Taking one last moment to collect herself, Natalie looked at her reflection in the refresher alcove attached to the Captain’s Ready Room. Her hair was in place, done up in a sensible bun. Her uniform was in order, and she’d reviewed the talking points long enough. There was no point in waiting any longer. Security had already notified her that Martok and his escort had arrived. She had debated meeting the man in the transporter room. Still, she had demurred in favor of remaining on station at the bridge until they arrived, instead entrusting Lt. Commander Akoni to the task.

Exiting the Ready Room, she entered the corridor around the bridge module and swiftly took her place at the doors to the conference center. She noted the presence of two diplomatic department members assigned to the meeting. She had limited experience with both, though she was aware of the Caitian Diplomat as Lt. Madsen had been using the Ensign as a diplomatic gopher across the Helmet.

A quick glance swept over them both, and finding nothing amiss in their bearing, the XO simply offered them a tight, quick smile before turning back to face the corridor, knowing she had scant minutes, if that, before their guests arrived.

[ Petty Officer 2nd Grade Abel J’olan ]

J’olan nervously tugged at the cuffs of his long sleeves. During the upcoming meeting, he would be sitting at the conference room’s monitoring station, meaning he wouldn’t likely be called on to say anything, but he would also be in the presence of high-value individuals. It’d been so long since he’d been given this type of task that he felt more than a little out of practice. But he was grateful the CDO had granted him this opportunity, even if his stomach was currently turning circles.

“They’re here.” L’Nari’s voice whispered low near his ear, pulled J’olan from his thoughts, looking up just in time to see Lieutenant Commander Akoni with a contingent of security personnel come into view.

“Game faces people,” she added, straightening up her shoulders and affecting a look of calm confidence that she wasn’t entirely sure she felt. In the wake of Akoni, she could see the muscled figure of the Chancellor of the Klingon Empire, head of the House of Martok, and hero of the Dominion War. No pressure at all she told herself.

”Chancellor. Welcome back to the USS Theurgy. It is an honor to see you again, though, as always, we could but wish for better circumstances.”

“To meet an ally tested in the fires of battle on the eve of another great battle is cause for celebration, Commander, not solemnity.” Martok bared his teeth at the redhead and the officers close to her in a Klingon gesture of bravado. “My people are eager to end the reign of those SI'neyq for good. No matter what it takes, we are here to ensure their destruction.”

Well, she couldn’t argue with that and dipped her head in agreement. ”I concur. Time is of the essence. Please proceed into the conference room and make yourselves comfortable. Though I do request that none of our guests carve their name into the tabletop with their d'k tahgs this time.” She flashed them a toothy grin and got a set of deep belly chuckles in turn as the party moved past and into the conference room.

[ Ensign Brad Bennett ]

He hadn’t meant to lurk in the corridor, but it certainly felt like he’d been lurking. Waiting until the Klingons and their aides and the bulk of the diplomatic department moved into the conference room, Bennett moved forward before the commander could likewise follow.

“Commander Stark,” Bennett fought the urge to blush under the beautiful woman’s scrutiny once he called her attention to himself, “I have an urgent update from the Intelligence Department.” Handing over the PADD of data, he glanced into the conference room at the men and women getting themselves seated before verbally adding. “We believe those sensor shadows reported a few hours ago are the beginning of hit-and-run tactics that others in the region have reported. We’re uncertain now if the Mo’Kai rebels are behind this or if it is someone else.”

Lucky for Ens. Bennett, Natalie was oblivious to the Ensign's internal struggles to maintain calm around the brunette Martian. She might have been horrified or flattered if she had the knowledge, but she didn’t and thus was unphased by any potential awkwardness. She took the PADD and looked over it as she listened to his report, a frown forming on her lips with every word. The news wasn’t great, but not liking the news didn’t change the news.

”Well, that ups the stakes some,” she concluded, handing the PADD back to the Ensign. Whether it was Mo’Kai or perhaps Romulans or even Orions inserting themself into the sector, Natalie couldn’t know. But she could do something about it. ”Very well. I’m going to be preoccupied here for the next little bit. Relay the following orders: Have Operations boost our sensor gain and extend the net as best as possible. Tachyon surges at random intervals. They know what to do. Interface with the Chancellor's flagship and suggest they do the same.” She waited until the Ensign nodded his understanding and added, ”Have the fighter screen mix up their patrol route. Prep a fast flyover of the last noted disturbance. See if we can shake something out. Other than that - maintain yellow alert. Dismissed, Ensign.”

With that, Stark turned on her heels and moved into the conference room. As the doors slid shut behind her, Ens. Bennet heard her say, ”If we are all ready, let us begin...”

Bennett made eye contact with J’olan, giving the aide a subtle thumbs-up as he passed by to follow Stark’s orders. Despite not being a pilot, Bennett would much rather be in the flyover than in that room right now.

[ Chancellor Martok | Conference Room ]

The young female commander made a brief speech of sorts to start the meeting, and before any of the other officers, especially those of a diplomatic nature, deemed it fitting to add in more useless prattle, Martok knocked his knuckles against the table.

“We are here because we want to eradicate the Infested from our people and prevent further incursions of their kind into the Federation. They have proven themselves capable of twisting even the strongest of alliances into potential bloodbaths and have no honor. The coming war cannot have quarter. We cannot waste time looking to ‘save’ those whom those snakes once inhabited. If we give into the Federation's tendency for compassion at this time, they will spread further. They know our weaknesses almost better than we know them, and they will prey upon those weaknesses.”

He paused, pleased when his men and even a few of the Theurgy crew nodded in agreement. The more highly ranked officers, those more skilled at hiding their true feelings, merely stared at him, waiting for him to finish.

“Empress Donatra is not someone to be trusted. She cares nothing for the Federation and despises my people. This alliance can only be temporary, and it would be foolish to think otherwise. Once this battle ends, we have no lofty goal of having open borders and trading with the Romulans. It is not in their nature to trade openly or share sincerely. Praetor Tal’Aura is no better, and the she-wolves are both baying at the moon for blood, destroying their people in the process. In this, I can empathize. My own people are still divided because of those traitorous Mo’Kai.” He scoffed. “But at least I don’t have a she-wolf nipping at my heels.”

Natalie took a moment to cut in at that point, careful with her words to avoid stepping on the Chancellor's heels. At the same time, she felt a need to channel the distrust and potential bloodlust. 

”While we may be fortunate to ring some longer good out of this moment, these talks with Donatra, one I would welcome if only because it would be one less knife at my back, Chancellor Martok is right. We have a common enemy. The infestation that worms its way, duplicitous and honorless, into the halls of power across our corner of the galaxy. From the highest chambers to the lowest chasms of society, they have wormed their way into attempting to use our own flaws against us. But we have faced a threat like that before. Many of you are brave survivors of the Dominion War. We know how to stamp out that kind of threat.

“So yes. We’ll strike a bargain with Donatra. We worked together to defeat the Changelings. This threat is greater. Make no mistake. They aren’t just replacing people, they are usurping their very being. We cannot allow that to spread any further.”
She felt a cold fire in her gut as she spoke. These were impassioned words and ones she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Not that she was saying them. But that she meant them. Her better angels were taking a back seat.

“Usurping or otherwise, we will not hesitate to use deadly force against anyone seen as a foe.” One of Martok’s chief aides leaned forward and growled his contempt. “We have no way of separating the snakes from their hosts and we cannot waste time in trying to figure that out in battle. So,” he wagged a finger towards the Starfleet crew, “if you have any desires to save those who’ve been overtaken, you best have people dedicated to finding out a way of doing so that can be shared across borders because until then, our policy is death, immediate and complete.”

Martak watched with vague amusement as the chief diplomat, if he remembered correctly, one of Colonel Hauq’s Starfleet contacts, squirmed in her seat and leaned forward to speak.

“You cannot be faulted for such a stance, especially considering how high up the Infested infiltrated before their truth was made known. We are still ferreting out those in Starfleet and, more recently, we have suffered from an attack from the Infested using Praetor Tal’Aura as a puppet. We will not seek to impose misguided morality upon you in a time of war,” Martok let out a breathy snort, watching his aide relax a bit at her words. “However, our science department is working on that very thing, learning how to separate the host from the parasite, and once we know how we will convey that to you and all the Federation.”

His aide nodded to Martok, signaling his satisfaction with the answer. The Chancellor looked at the rest of his aides, curious who else would speak up. He’d given them leave to speak their minds as openly with these Starfleet personnel as they had with him prior to arriving. He knew that there was at least one more matter…

“We don’t want any Romulans on our ships,” one of the captains in his armada said, breaking the momentary silence. “While we may be making a deal with them to fight a common enemy, they have proven themselves duplicitous enough over the years to merit such caution. Starfleet crew with proper clearance and accompaniment by KDF personnel may come aboard, but no Romulans. Period. If the Romulans have something to convey to us, they may do so through your people.”

Well, that will complicate matters a bit, but I’m honestly not surprised, the young Commander thought to herself, nodding slowly in acknowledgment of the words. ”In principle, that is acceptable. As you are undoubtedly aware, my crew consists of a few Romulan ex-patriots who have earned honorable commissions within Starfleet. I expect you to extend the courtesy to them that you would any other Starfleet officer with the appropriate clearance. But we will handle any direct physical contact with Donatra’s personnel and keep them off your ship.”

Natalie fixed the Klingon who had made the statement with a level look, jaw set, and placidly folded hands in front of her, as if daring him to counter her corollary agreement to his demands.

The chief diplomat leaned forward again, seeking to draw attention to herself as she spoke, “There will be a casual meal planned after Empress Donatra arrives.” She waved a hand to encompass the group. “Where we can all mingle and assess and begin the alliance, even if it is temporary, on equal footing.”

“Equally uncomfortable on this ship.” An aide grunted under his breath in Klingon. Martok snorted his amusement, not disagreeing with the statement but careful not to publicly condone it either by commenting on it.

“Very well, let us know the time.” The meeting over, Martok cleared his throat, nodding to his aides. They wisely stood and waited for him by the door. Using his body to create a semblance of privacy, he turned in his chair and leaned closer to Stark before he spoke.

“I will have my aide send what information we have on an encrypted channel, but I have reason to believe that there is a saboteur among our forces.” He shook his head at the commander when it looked like she wanted to say something. “We don’t know if it is one of those damned snakes, a remnant member of the Mo’Kai, or someone else, but we think that they will see to destroy our efforts to make an alliance with Donatra. As such, we need your people to look into the matter.”

The day just kept getting worse, and there was little she could say to make it better. Sensor ghosts, negotiations, and now potential saboteurs in the Klingon contingent. Given the serious nature of what was about to unfold, the negotiations Martok outlined...well, it made sense that someone would try to throw a wrench into the works. ”Consider it done, Chancellor. We’ll need access to your logs and ships, but we’ll do our best to be discreet about the subject. If it is our infested enemy, we can expose and deal with them now. And if it is one of the more disaffected members of Mo’Kai,” here she paused and allowed her expression to grow cold. ”They have attempted to test themselves against my mettle before and suffered the consequences. They are welcome to try again. The results will be the same.”

While Martok spoke with the commander, Colonel Hauq shifted away from the rest of the delegation to intercept the one officer in the room he’d had the most run-ins with, and not all of them particularly positive.

“Lieutenant Madsen,” Hauq gestured for the diplomat, or rather bedlam incarnate, to come closer once the meeting officially adjourned. “I am uncertain if I should bring this to your attention or to another department.”

The woman’s body immediately tensed, an almost predatory alertness dancing at the edges of her gaze as she stepped closer. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I will relay it to the correct people if necessary.”

“Indeed. Senator Ath’aK Noggra seems to have lost his daughter.” The diplomat’s eyebrows rose in mute question. “Although he hasn’t stated it outrightly, he seems to be blaming his alliance with the Chancellor for her disappearance. There are murmurings that he may distance himself and remove his forces from Martok if she cannot be found unharmed.”

“I see. That is indeed something that bears looking into. To be clear,” Madsen’s lips pulled upward in a half smile, “so we don’t have yet another misunderstanding, are you asking Theurgy to look into this covertly, freeing your people up to deal with other issues, or are we working on this jointly?”

Hauq sighed. “While it seems to be an internal matter, I felt it could do with an outsider’s perspective because of the upcoming council meeting with that Romulan leader. As you said, we have many other matters to attend to that are truly internal, and, frankly, the disappearance of a nobleman’s daughter is the least of our concerns.”

The woman laughed, swatting Hauq’s shoulder without warning. “No, we bleeding-heart humans will chase our tails looking for a lost targ, eh?” When he didn’t share her laugh or smile, she sobered, clearing her throat. “Send me what intel you have on the matter, and I'll consider looking into it. I’ll contact you if anything comes up that we can’t handle, at least not without causing you more stress.”

“Lieutenant, if you are not already aware of how stressful your mere existence can be on any system of government or protocols, then you have deceived yourself mightily.” He gave her a semi-formal bow, then turned away to file out with the rest of the Klingon delegation.

[ Lt. Enyd Isolde Madsen ]

Enyd rolled her eyes at the man’s departure, more amused than miffed—no point in trying to deny it when what he said was true.

“Commander,” Enyd crossed the room to stand next to the commander once Martok left with his aides, “One of my contacts in the KDF just brought some interesting leads and will send more intel later. I think some of it my department could take care of, but much of it, in my opinion, is better slated for Intelligence.”

”Oh great. You’ve been dragged into the cloak-and-dagger back channel mess as well? Something else?” Stark asked, then realized that wasn’t exactly the most tactful response considering she was the ranking officer aboard. Sighing, she put a better face on the subject.

Enyd nodded. “Since Pierce is away, who is the acting lead in Intelligence? I can have all the intel I get sent on to them.”

”Junior Lieutenant Dantius, if I recall,” Natalie said after a moment of reflection, pleased that she was able to remember the name. Another connection formed in her mind, recalling a conversation she’d had not terribly long ago that involved - indirectly - the intelligence analyst (and possible spy - she never did check to confirm that). Red creeped across her cheeks and down the back of the neck as Natalie remembered how very descriptive Lillee had been about her paramour and covered it with a small cough. ”Somewhat junior for the position, but Intelligence is spread a bit thin. The truth is, I have another matter I need them to poke into. Martok thinks he has a saboteur, and we’ll need to start a snipe hunt to find it. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and it’ll all be related.” Somehow, Natalie very much doubted that.

I’ll inform the Lieutenant of whatever details you pass along.”

“Very well,” Enyd smiled at the commander, “thank you for taking the lead. Technically, you had no choice, and it comes with the territory of the rank. But, truly, thank you. Please let me know if you need anything else or want me to take care of it before Donatra’s forces arrive.”

”I’m sure I’ll come up with something to keep you busy, Lieutenant. Not that you aren’t already,” She pursed her lips, longing for another cup of coffee and likely a dose of painkillers for the headache she could feel blossoming behind her eyes. ”Just keep the Klingons from causing any further problems before the Romulans show up. I need to go talk to Ops and see if they found anything on the raiders we’ve possibly been picking up. Good luck, Lieutenant.”

OOC: This post opens up the availability of a number of story prompts noted here (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Story_Prompts) that may be pursued with writing partners following the Ch # S  [ Day #  | Time  ] Title (story prompt title) for these supplemental threads. Stay tuned for another JP for Donatra’s arrival!
22
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 2: DIS Engage [ Day 1 | 1259 ]
Last post by Brutus -
[ Lt (jg) Sarresh Morali | Temporal Observatory | Deck 09| Vector 02|  USS Theurgy ] Attn: @rae @chXinya @RyeTanker @Nolan @joshs1000 @tongieboi 
[Show/Hide]

"Wait he's a what? Are you sure? Shit," Sarresh looked from the trill to the human and sure enough, he could see the third pip he'd missed before, his eyebrows shooting up. "When did that happen?" But the redhead was already off and others were falling in around Lt. Commander Arnold and Sarresh and he half missed whatever it was 'red' had shouted over her shoulder as she darted off to do whatever it was she was doing. He shut his eyes and mentally counted back from 10, then opened them once more.

By that point he was being addressed by the chief, who at-least knew of him, so point in that man's favor. Then again, Sarresh had briefed the senior staff on many of the parameters of the mission that had led to multiple efforts being coordinated at once across many of the local (and not so local) sectors. Gather wool later, Morali, he scolded himself, a frown growing deeper on his face as he listened to Arnold. Slipstream was not his area of expertise but there was a small chance that something would shake loose once he was looking at the drive, so he gave a terse nod and crossed his arms tight over his chest, chin dipping down as he tried to dredge up everything he knew about subspace radiation and slipstream drives (other than the fact that the Federation should have already had one) and hadn't - clear interference that they had managed to take advantage of).

A look of surprise flashed across his face as someone he actually knew joined in on the group. That was compounded twice over in fact, but for the initial briefing, it was the Andorian he'd worked with on the Savi ship, and had then spent some time in closer quarters than he'd like, under the 'tender care' of a pair of Aegis agents. He gave a sharp nod to Shall and turned his head to see if he could spot the redheaded Lieutenant - Ryn, Arnold had called her - in theory coming back from the QSD room. By that point more hands had joined in and Anrold was issuing orders at a rapid pace. Including, to his compounded surprise, PO Benmual. His eyebrows rode up his forehead and he blinked in visible surprise. Was that a smile? Yes I think it was, he thought and dipped his head in her direction, his own lips curling up at the corners.

"I have a feeling Lieutenant ...Ryn was it?" he had heard her name perfectly well, but it didn't hurt to be sure, so he looked to Lt. Commander Arnold for confirmation, "And I will need a steady set of hands for whatever is going on in there. And possibly someone to pull us out if it goes south." Subspace radiation was no laughing matter, and he hoped that his tricorder could pick up something useful about it, and if nothing else, determine if it was deliberately generated or not. "I can attest to the Petty Officers capability on that front. If you have no other use for her, I'd like to borrow Ms. Benmual."

Sarresh wasn't going to go into details about just what and when PO2 Benmual had done to demonstrate a steady nature but the fact was he'd grown to trust her at this point and there were precious few people aboard that applied to. If things were going to go pear shaped, having someone with security skills could be great, even if it was to just physically haul him out of the room if something bad happened.

23
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: PRO: S [D01 | 1130] Back to reality
Last post by rae -
[ Lt. Azrin Ryn | Engineering | Deck 26 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Relatively Insane @Galaxymind @Dumedion
[Show/Hide]
Azrin was very much not in sickbay, and definitely not asleep, thank you very much.

Instead, the engineer was deep in the power leads that connected the warp cores to the slipstream drive, humming happily to herself as her fingers shifted through cables, a wide grin nearly breaking her face in two, blue eyes so bright that they made her red hair look dull in comparison. They’d finally done it. The Theurgy had gone to slipstream and Azrin had been there for every second of it. She was still riding that high, buoyed by the warm glow of an absolutely perfect hour.

She’d known that slipstream would be nothing like warp. Read all the data, seen all the predictions. But nothing had prepared her for the feeling of the Theurgy shuddering beneath her feet, gathering all the power she could muster to breach the quantum barrier. It had been so beautiful. The only thing missing had been a window. Azrin had been humming ever since, doing her best to commit the ship’s slipstream resonance to memory, tone, rhythm, and frequency. A new way for Thea to sing that was completely different than the warp and impulse drives.

A ding from her PADD broke her concentration. Again. For the first time in hours, Azrin swiped it out of her pocket, just to turn the volume off so it would stop interrupting her. The most recent message was front and center, so she couldn’t help but skim it as her finger hovered over the mute button. From the looks of it, there were a lot more messages behind it.

“Nope! No! No way! You are not ruining this moment!” She told the PADD – and by extension, Arven – firmly, sticking her tongue out as though he’d be able to sense that from fifteen decks up. “I’m coming down there after you,” she repeated in a terrible and highly exaggerated version of his voice. “Again! Not again!” By the end, the imitation had turned into a groan. Arven she wasn’t super worried about, but he’d been annoyingly efficient when it came to keeping Commander Arnold up to speed on everything – and Frank definitely would send her back to sickbay now that the drive had been deactivated.

“Fine,” she muttered, dropping the PADD to the ground beside her. “Computer, begin dictation.” At least this way she could keep working while providing the proof of life he was looking for. “How does it make sense to come after me again when I’m in a totally different place? That you said I could go to? Have you ever been to engineering? Do you know where engineering is? Its where the slipstream drive is, which, by the way, should be the focus of way more interesting questi—hey, what am I supposed to be reporting to you anyway? You put this sensor node on me, you probably know more about my health than I do right now. Am I just supposed to report every ten minutes ‘hi my shoulder still doesn’t hurt’ because that seems like overki—ha! I knew it! You are interested in the slipstream drive, aren’t you? Who isn’t? You could have just said so, no need for pretense when cool science is afoot!

“Ok so first there was the benamite catalyzer—actually no, wait, do you know anything about music theory? I put a little microphone in the quantum matrix initiator and it sounded like huuuummmammmemmmmmhhh—”
Azrin paused, made a face, then continued, “Why are we talking in speech-to-text? Never mind, I’ve got it. Computer, attach audio file Ryn Gamma-07 to this message and schedule for automatic playback fifteen seconds after this message is opened, with the same settings I’ve been using. Listen to that and tell me what you think!

“End dictation and send to Doctor—”
Right before Azrin said his name, she tugged a bit too hard on a line and it came right out, sending a burst of transformer oil right into her mouth. “Pah! Puht! Ptui! Paaaaah!” She spat and spit and did her best to get it out. Too much of this stuff actually was toxic.

Somewhere along the way, the soft computer voice on her PADD asked politely, “Would you like to send?”

And Azrin, who was a bit busy, shouted “Yes!”

And the computer did the best it could parsing the incomplete information it had been given, forming language trees and comparisons to Azrin’s contact list for the closest reasonable match to ‘Doctor Pah!’

And that was how Doctor Verena Pax's PADD would ding as she received a very strange text message from her very (very) old friend.

Which soon after opening would start to play a recording that might have sounded like the ambient warbles of the warp core, a background white noise normally so unobtrusive that most people aboard starships never even noticed it. Except for the fact that this recording was playing at a volume that would have drowned out a Klingon heavy metal band.

But Azrin was oblivious to any chaos that might be going on decks away. She was already back to work.
24
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: An Assassin in Agra Fort
Last post by Dree -
 Ens. Sashenka Kreshkova | Holodeck 02 | Deck 08| Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz  @anyone

Sash had been sent a cryptic message that she was to arrive at holodeck 2 at an appointed time.  Her costume and assignment would be given to her when she arrived.  All five foot of her strode down the corridor where she would find holodeck 2.   Looking left and right before she entered to see if anyone else was coming, no one was in sight.  She tossed her green bangs out of her face and headed stepped up to the doors which opened for her.  The program had created an antechamber.  She received her instructions.  Her assignment was to take out the Sultan without getting caught.  “Zhat vizhout getting caught part iz vhere zhe problem lies.  Killing someone vould be easy, but zhis vill require finesse like a pilot zhreading zhe needle, and zhat I can do.”

After looking over the rest of the instructions, the character she would be playing - the Sultan’s oldest daughter - and the layout of the holoprogram, the anteroom provided her with an appropriate costume.  It was a harem style seafoam green dress, the opaque bikini style bodice was adorned with dangling gold disks which made plenty of jingling noises as she moved to put it on.  The lower part of the outfit sat snugly on her hips.  This was made of four overlapping triangles of opaque fabric covered with longer see-through silks of the same color.  The edges of the triangles were again edged with the same types of hanging gold disks.   The same types of disks created an ornate covering for her head from which the same shade of opaque scarf fabric created long trails from the sides and back of her head with a shorter veil that only allowed her eyes to be seen.  She took some time to outline her eyes with a dark eyeliner to help them stand out since that’s all of her that would be seen.  Her outfit was completed with a pair of stiff silk shoes for her feet and castinets for her fingers.

When she was finally appropriately attired, another door slid open into the program and she slipped into the next part of the program.  The first thing that hit her nostrils was the aromas that permeated the air and added to the ambiance in the torchlit hallway.  The light and shadows danced across the stone walls.  The hallway opened up into a large stone paved room.  The edges of the room were filled with tables laden with pungent smelling foods and sweet smelling drinks. 

Knowing what would be coming shortly, she made her way to one of the tables with drinks.  She looked around and made the choice of a smoking burgundy liquid.  Flames licked at the bottom of the container applying constant heat to the concoction.  She slipped a small cup under her veil and took a sip.  It was shockingly - despite the smoke and flames - not hot, but it almost had a cooling effect.  She drank deeply of the liquid and set the silver cup inlaid with jade on one of the trays for used eating accoutrements.

After setting that aside, she turned, and with confidence and long, smooth strides into the middle of the open floor and stood facing her ‘father’ the Sultan.  He gave two claps and those in the center of the room parted.  Another two claps and the musicians placed off to the side behind a row of pillars began a baleful tune.  ‘Very appropriate,’ Sash thought.  All eyes were on her.  The body moved in time with the music.  As she did the silks moved and floated gracefully in the air as her short, but slique limbs rolled and swayed with the tune.  The castinetes which she wore on her thumb and forefinger tinkled with emphasis as her body made certain moves.  Arms extended one way while one foot stretched out the other way rolling her leg high up in the air before circling back down to the ground.  With each beat her small form twisted, turned, rolled in time with the doleful music.  Forward and back, in and out, up and down.  And the melodic minor keys cressendoed until with a loud series of crashes on the drum brought the music to an end.

A several second silence was followed closely by a raucous surge of clapping.  Sash crossed her legs and folded herself in half with her arms outstretched.  The sultan motioned for room to be made one person away on the other side of his favored wife - her mother.  The young woman nodded and turned to make her way to the dias.
25
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 20 [0945 hrs] Wakey Wakey Hun
Last post by RyeTanker -
[ Lieutenant JG XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. zh'Ptrell or Zark) | Recovery Ward | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 2 | USS Theurgy] @Galaxymind

It wasn't especially taxing for the medic playing nurse to keep the doctor relatively upright while she worked her way from immobile, to wobbly, to merely shaky.  The Andorian's lips twisted when the patient had to settle herself into the walker and she watched with interest as red head made her way back to the biobed and insisted on sitting.  Lt. zh'Ptrell frowned a bit as she entered the information into the chart and an eyebrow arched as a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark popped up.  Mentally shrugging, she pressed the symbol and read the text box that appeared.  She considered the information for a moment before turning her attention back to the Doctor Pax.  "True enough." she agreed on the stamina statement.  "The usual recovery time is within a day or two.  The musculature protein treatment is lactic acid activated, which I'm sure you're feeling now after you walked around for a bit.  It'll bind to the protein synthates secreted through your muscle tissue and begin fortifying the fibres."  The Andorian smiled at the explanation. "Probably explains how I got back into shape so quickly after I was shot."  She shrugged once more and took a moment to scratch her nose before continuing.

"The process did mention that you will need to eat and soon since the repairs will begin consuming protein at significantly accelerated rates in order to provide the musculature building materials.  Also, since this has been used several times before, there's no need to monitor the repair process."  Zark shrugged her shoulders in doubtful acceptance.  "So I'll just go find another doctor to sign off on the release and we can get you out of here."  The Andorian bent down on the side cart and pulled out a drawer which held some clothes.  They were blue and loose and looked like scrubs, though much updated material wise for comfort, durability, and sanitation.  "I'll close off the curtain and take your time getting changed.  I shouldn't be too long and if you have any issues, let me know okay?"  The nurse offered another smile and pressed a button that closed a curtain around the bio bed.

Leaving to find a doctor, she found Doctor Hernandez looking through another chart in an office and handed the PADD to him.  He quickly looked it over and made a dubious grunt before thumb printing the release.  "Modern medical miracles eh Zark?" was his learned observation and she nodded in agreement before thanking him and taking her leave.  She made her way to another terminal and requested a vid call with the quartermaster. "Ah Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"  Zark smiled back. "I have a patient, one Lieutenant Verena Pax being released to today, and does she have assigned quarters?"  The harried looking enlisted man grumbled for a moment then began searching his records.  "Pax, Pax, uhm, Lieutenant Verena Pax right?" confirming he'd heard correctly looking up and back down when Zark nodded.  "uh, yeah.  Says her quarters are empty and I'll send someone to move her stuff to her quarters. Do you have a PADD nearby?"  The Andorian nodded after looking around a bit and seeing a stack of them.  "Okay, sending the information now.  The PADD beeped with the room and door combination. "Was there anything else?" he asked in the tone of the very busy. "Nope. That's it.  Thanks!"  Zark replied offering a brilliant smile and the quartermaster nodded before killing the link.  The Andorian's smile relaxed to a grin and she made her way back to Verena's bed with PADD in pocket.  "Doc, you okay?  I have your room information here, and uhmmm, where did you want to go to get food?"
26
Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: USS Theurgy: What if - The Public Baths
Last post by Krajin -
[ Dominic Winters | Public Baths | Vector 1 | Deck 12 | ATTN: @tongieboi @AbsintheDeux

Dominic looked between the two as they spoke, young Artemis putting on a virginal persona that he didn’t quite fully believe. She seemed to have far more experience behind her than what she gave on with just how comfortable she was sitting there and playing off that vibe. Dominic thought for a moment and then got a wicked grin as she began to tease poor Joe, a man he could easily sense as being flustered and rather curious about the whole thing.

Dominic got a thought crossing his mind and while the two spoke shifted his frame slightly to undo the towel and slipped it off from around his waist with a soft huff and a light sigh. Freeing himself from the confines of the towel, Dominic folds it and sets it aside and now settles back onto the chair completely nude. Showing off his incredible physique and nude form.

His fur was fluffed out to help aerate it and allow him to cool down just as much as he was getting steamed in here. Where his physical musculature was concealed beneath that thick, fuzzy pelt. His white underside is on full display with his black stripes fading off into it as they flowed around from his tan sides and went all the way down his body. The stripes on his thighs easily let the eye track its way toward his pristine white-furred groin where a heavy sheathe and furry sack were settled. Dominic had absolutely no shame of himself and what he had. After all, Kzint and some Caits did go around naked or in minimal clothing and didn’t find nudity in itself to be sexual. It simply just ‘is’ what it is.

“Well, Fraternization always happens on any ship. It’s the openness and degree of such that varies most. Especially on ships that see high conflict.” Dom commented off to the side as he watched the interactions between the two of them.
27
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH 2: S [Day 01 | 1435 hrs] When Trolls Dance, Vulcans Growl
Last post by EnigmaTales -
[ Lt. JG V'lana | Sickbay Lobby  | D. 21 | V. 2 ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

There was no other way to see the “stasis thing” than to say that it sucked. For everyone involved. It was something that was very present on V’lana’s mind, and something she didn’t mind sharing. It helped her to relate to how powerless patients felt when they lost control over something that always seemed a given, or what it felt like when ones head decided to simply not work any more.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to invalidate what Cross was going through. The two things were hardly comparable, and this wasn’t exactly a competition of “who has it worse”. 

“So far, I have two theories. I will say that they are theories, but something we can work with. On the one side, this might be a  neurovascular problem - we just don’t have enough comparative data. Essentially, changes in blood flow and corresponding blood vessel dilation in the brain can trigger headaches. Th neuro-pressure methods you mentioned could potentially influence the vascular tone.”



She tilted her head, regarding Cross for a moment.

“And then, there is stress. If you look at physical and mental exertion, it can lead to a phenomenon known as central sensitization. This would involve heightened sensitivity of the nervous system, where normal stimuli may be perceived as painful. And you… well, you seem quite stressed. Which is understandable, really.”

Perhaps looking at non-Vulcan meditation techniques wasn’t a bad idea. V’lana’s own species had several of them, but she hadn’t ever tried them with someone who wasn’t like her. It was a sort of harmony resonance Meditation, is a revered practice that utilized the inherent vibrational frequencies her homeworld to promote balance, healing, and spiritual alignment.

“We could try something else, but I would have to see what can be set up on the holodeck - It involves the deliberate manipulation of sound waves through specialized instruments and vocal techniques, so I am a little unsure if it would work.”, she pondered, and added with a smirk “And if it does anything positive to you, or leaves you with the need to strangle me because you hate it.”
28
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH 2: S [Day 01 | 1857 hrs] Expectations
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Arboretum Cafe | D. 20 | V. 3 | “Ranger” of USS Theurgy] Attn: @joshs1000

Cross nodded. “I’m more of a 19th- and early 20th-century Terran love song fan. They were more coy with their innuendos, and the tunes were more,” he gave a half-shrug, “more lively in a different sort of way.” He scoffed at himself almost immediately, mentally applauding the intelligence of his sentences.

“They’ve got good sandwiches and soups, but if you want something really hard and hearty, the lounges are better for that,” Cross answered Lok’s question as the Kzinti looked through the menu, “I’m getting the cheesesteak sandwich and a tomato soup.”

Almost as soon as he finished, the server arrived, and Cross repeated himself, adding another mint julip for his drink, with Lok quickly adding in his order as well. Cross had to duck his head to hide the bemused smile Lok’s “pot of coffee” order elicited. In truth, it didn’t surprise the Vulcan. Lok was the second Kzinti he’d ever met, and both were large men who undoubtedly burned through a fuck ton of calories merely by breathing. Watching the server wander off to complete their order, Cross frowned in thought. Surely, they had Kzinti-sized portions and utensils and other such things. While Winters was a transfer, Lok had been on the ship for some time already, long enough for the captain to have ordered stock to accommodate the much larger crewmen.

“I’ll check on that later.” Cross grimaced when he realized he’d spoken aloud, quickly adding. “The portions and sizes of things. You’ve been a crewman for a while, and whatever accommodations were slated to be set in place before you went into stasis should be put back in place now.” He waved a hand. “And since Winters transferred in, all the more reason to do so.”

Lok’s comments regarding the Valkyries elicited a few nods from the Vulcan, who almost immediately thought of the specs of the various interceptors and shuttles onboard.

"You're part of a good team. If you need any more resources or support, let me know." A small smile began to tug at the corner of his lips. “I’m not sure if you have a ‘favorite’ weapons unit among the crafts you service, but I have to admit I have a thing for the mass-driver twin-mount turrets, the M142 RF on the Knight and Valkyries, and especially the M158 on the Reaver." He leaned back as the server brought their drinks. “Have you had much experience working with the Reaver yet?”
29
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH 2: S [Day 01 | 2115 hrs] After Hours Consultation
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Temporary Quarters | D. 11 | V. 2 | “Ranger” of USS Theurgy] Attn: @Relatively Insane

Semi-obstinate or not, Murphy was the cheeky sort Cross was happy to have on the team. Cross leaned into the corridor to watch Murphy’s departure for a few moments before smiling to himself and retreating into his quarters. She was the second person he could recall that day who’d indicated acceptance for the “colorful language” he tended towards. While he doubted Ives or any of the higher brass of the fleet would take as kindly to prolific use, Cross was at least mollified, knowing he wasn’t going to be put on report for language unbecoming an officer.

One more look through of the PADDs and Cross headed towards his bed only to be halted by an urgent message from security. No breaches of any kind and an assumed residual issue from the earlier warp core problems, but it still warranted an investigation. Switching out to a clean uniform, Cross left his quarters and headed to the turbolift, curious if he would get any sleep during his "off” time.

FIN
30
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH 2: S [Day 01 | 1857 hrs] Expectations
Last post by joshs1000 -
[CPO Avandar Lok | Arboretum Cafe | Deck 20 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

“Coffee, black, the biggest size they have”, he responds simply before making his way over to the sink.

Having fur complicated cleaning a lot more than a non-furred person would probably think. However, Lok was used to it as he gently scrubbed his fingers, the black grime dripping off and down the sink along with the now gray tinted suds of soap. What took the longest was usually his forearms where his fur gradually thickened and got longer. Finally he finished off by cleaning his razor sharp claws, he didn’t want to risk getting an infection if dirt got trapped under them while retracted. After a quick dry with a handy towel Lok made his way back over to where Commander Cross had found a seat.

Curiously a woman had taken a seat in Cross’s lap and seemed to be playing with his ears. As he got closer he could sense the man’s slight embarrassment which left Lok with a small smirk. The flirtatious woman then turned her momentary attention to Lok, the large feline noted that while outwardly she was certainly flirtatious and sensual, her emotions were well guarded. He gave a kind nod to her as she departed and took his seat across from Cross, having to turn sideways because his knees would not fit under the small cafe table. He glanced down at his coffee, I guess they thought I was joking when I said the biggest size they have. Trying his best not to look disappointed, he picked up the steaming cup, it looked like a dixie cup in his large mit, and took a sip.

The familiar pleasant bitter taste and near scalding heat filled him. He always enjoyed coffee, particularly the bitter taste. It was always odd to him that most other humanoids would waste their time trying to mask it with sugars, creams, and other flavors; and then there was iced coffee, why bother drinking it at that point, he always thought. His moment of ritualistic coffee bliss was interrupted by the flirty woman singing some sort of love ballad. The Commander mentioned he didn’t care much for them and while Lok didn’t particularly like the song sung currently, he was a romantic, not that he would ever admit it to somebody like Cross, at least not yet.

“Eh, they're ok sometimes I guess”, he responded, “not this one though.” His bat-like ears folded back in response to try and block out some of the noise. He took another “sip” of his coffee leaving very little left. I should have brought my damn cup with me.

He picked up the menu PADD and started to cycle through it. “So what’s good here”, he asked Cross without looking up. He was greeted by an assortment of pastries and sweet items that he had no interest in. Hoping that perhaps they at least had a sandwich or like a cheese platter with an assortment of cured meats, he pressed on. Finally on the last page there was a section labeled, “hot sandwiches”. When the server came back over to see if they wanted anything else, Lok first waited for Cross to ask for anything then gave his order.

“Yeah I’d like an entire pot of coffee to drink and three -no- four hot turkey sandwiches.” The server looked a little perplexed by the order but left to fill it anyway. Lok turned his attention back to Commander Cross, sitting quietly. He really wasn’t sure exactly what he should say, what do the department heads talk about anyway? The only thing he ever knew that the senior staff did on any ship when off duty was when he served aboard the Helios, apparently they got together in the captain’s quarters to watch old Earth films. Glancing at the stack of grimy Kzinti fingerprint covered PADDs next to Cross, he figured he might as well just default to work.

“So uh”, he started, “Valkyrie 5027, the one for that other Kzinti pilot, Atlas, it's ready to go.” He thought a moment more then added, “Oh, so we had a small coolant leak on Valkyrie 5022, I think it’s reported on one of those PADDs, not a big deal, just a bad seal on the regulator for the upline.”
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