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Parallel Universes - "What if?" / Re: USS Theurgy: What If...? A Winter Wonderland
Last post by Dumedion -
[Ens. Talia “Shadow" Al-Ibrahim | Campsite Gamma | Theta Sigma VI] Attn: @RyeTanker
[Show/Hide]
Shadow stood shivering as the other Andorian introduced herself and the pilot’s dark eyes widened a bit in recognition of the name. Uh oh, Talia’s mind instantly whispered in worry, mostly because she didn’t have the best reputation with security, but also because she couldn’t be absolutely sure she hadn't literally run into the Deputy during her and Ghost’s drunken romp through the ship. Needless to say, Talia’s nose and cheeks – already rosy and stinging from the cold – turned a shade darker under the Deputy’s scrutinizing gaze. Wonderful, Shadow grimaced mentally, but any further self-chastisement was interrupted by Zark’s hands and mouth, which prompted a muffled moan of surprise, followed by an alarmed blink. Whether the medico mistook said moan as encouragement or was simply being her usual sensual self – Talia couldn’t tell – but her leg raised of its own accord from Kali’s grip on her ass cheek. Physical contact had always been Talia’s weakness, a fact very few people knew; Zark, of course, was one of them.

But even as her body melted into the kiss, which was lovely and reciprocated before Shadow even realized what she was doing, Talia’s mind was screaming in opposition, as always: Not in front of the Deputy! What are you doing?! Control yourself, Talia scolded herself. But Zark’s lips and tongue, effortlessly sensual, overruled her own mental programming; the pilot’s mind blanked, for a brief, blissful moment – she simply responded bodily, as everything else faded away.

Once the brief make-out session was over, it took several blinks for Talia to reorient herself while she licked the taste of Zark from her numb and stinging lips. While the Deputy continued, the pilot looked from Zark to her and back again, relatively sure she'd interrupted something between the Andorians, and also relatively sure the Deputy wasn’t like Zark at all, and didn't approve of her or Zark’s behavior. Talia’s stunted and underdeveloped social intuition deduced that her presence wasn’t entirely welcome, either, which set her mind churning once again, especially after such an amazing greeting from Zark. It was almost comically awkward, and Talia had no idea what to do.

Should I go? Stay? Feel's like I should go, Talia debated internally, but outwardly nodded and opened her mouth to speak; something along the lines of: Well, nice meeting you Deputy, again, or…whatever – I’m going to run away now, but once again, Zark was Zark, and Talia found herself being dragged along as the pair conversed. She hadn’t intended on staying long, and the thought of reserving a cabin had never entered the pilot’s mind; Talia only wanted to breathe some fresh air and enjoy being somewhere other than the ship for a few hours – she certainly didn’t plan on fighting anyone, or swimming for that matter. (She wondered briefly how people got in and out of the spring without freezing, but assumed the Andorians were probably immune). Unsure what to say, Shadow just nodded along and tried to ignore the cold and her own self-conscious thoughts. How am I supposed to stay on her good side, Talia wondered, brow creased. She’s probably waiting for me to screw up and kick my ass straight back to the ship. Talia’s head and attention snapped up at the mention of fire though.

She saw it then, a short walk from a large pool of steaming water. Heat, her body and mind called, oddly in agreement for once.

“W-wait, uhh…I didn’t reserve a cabin,” Talia explained in a shivered whisper. “I d-didn’t plan on staying long, b-because I have to go on duty in a couple hours,” her dark eyes flicked from Zark to the Deputy and back again. “F-fire sounds nice though. I’ll just… w-wait there for awhile while you two do your thing. S-sounds nice, getting painted. I’m sure it’ll be g-great,” the pilot offered a shy but sincere smile to the Deputy as she headed towards the warm glow of the fire; it felt like a good time to leave the two of them to their plans, and not risk the ire of the entire security department.

“N-nice meeting you,” Talia nodded politely as she backed away, then offered Zark her best smirk. “Have f-fun, try to stay still. I’ll b-be around, if you two w-want more company.”

With that, Talia made a bee-line for the fire and promptly began to rotate herself like a rotisserie. Hm. Hot chocolate sounds delicious, she mused, and soaked up the heat. Movement off in the treeline, back the way she’d come caught her eye suddenly – a phantom, really – just a blur of black that flitted between the trees. Talia frowned, then shrugged and went back to spinning herself around, doing her best to avoid the popping embers from the crackling fire.

OOC – just a placeholder post, as I prep for the move. I have every intention of continuing once life has calmed down a bit. (sorry it took so long to reply)
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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Ch 4: S [Day 1 | 1810 hrs] A Friend Indeed...
Last post by TWilkins -
[ Ensign Sylvain Llewellyn-Kth | Maintenance Tube | Biological Laboratory Quintus | Aft Tertiary Research Deck | Erudite ] @Dumedion

Cora’s question hit Sylvain like a deluge of cold water, his mouth opening and closing in a somewhat stupefied state, as the woman put her hands on her hips, her objection ringing clear in the cramped space of the access tube. It was true, that his crudely constructed plan hadn’t exactly gone through the rigorous stages of processing that Sylvain’s decisions usually did, something he attributed to the borderline delirium he was experiencing, but still, he found it hard to stomach the words that were coming out of Cora’s mouth… Surely she was being facetious, some clever sarcastic comment that he hadn’t quite grasped? His confusion transitioned into a brittle tension that hung around them, his concern growing under the weight of Cora’s expression, its heft hanging in the air for a few moments, before she turned her attention back to the Savi PDA in her hands, and left the boy to flounder.

Sylvain swallowed around a rather dry inhale, ears ringing with the sound of Cora’s murmuring and the clacking of her fingers tapping against the screen of the stolen PDA… Still, the woman’s words bounded between his ears as Sylvain stood rigidly, his face contorted in rather mortifying patterns of guilt. Perhaps he had been a trifle hasty in voicing such a ludicrous plan, after all, he was well aware of how utterly insane it was… But still, it wasn’t so disturbing as to put him on the same level as the Savi they’d just been so openly criticising… Right?

The Ensign’s idea had been born of two things; a somewhat revenant sense of rage over the discovery of a living bioweapon, and a watery and somewhat deluded attempt to shoehorn his mindset into alignment with the rest of the Theurgy’s crew. Sylvain knew his strengths and weaknesses. He was an Ensign who’d spent his entire career chasing renegades and ghosts at the Talarian border, he knew that he was out of his depth aboard the Theurgy, heading a department aboard a vessel that had survived insurmountable odds more times than Sylvain had been in battle… Admiral Anderson had told him the truth about the Theurgy’s endeavours long before he’d come aboard, the USS Calamity, the Theta Eridani IV incident, Starbase 84, the conflict in the Azure Nebula… He’d have been intimidated to try a holodeck programme with such content, let alone reality…

Yet, he was here now, and he was conscious that there was a certain amount of reallocation he would need to apply to his mindset, in order to fit-in aboard the Theurgy, much less survive. He’d been contemplating as much back in the Common Area, before Cora had roped him into the mess he was now embroiled within… And that reminder that Cora was the source of all of their current problems, helped the Ensign return to a state in where he could think a little more clearly about the connotations of her questioning. How did using the genetically modified Moopsy against the Hobus Station, make them better than the Savi? Cora seemed sure that it didn’t, and that stung coming from the woman who had so easily endangered both of their lives, but Sylvain was certain that it was a sound tactical decision, ethical, even…

He just had to work out how.

And his mind was just beginning to formulate such a conclusion, when a hand crunched his arm with surprising force, and he felt that familiar weightless twist of a transport. Unfortunately for Sylvain, he was part way through exclaiming his displeasure at being manhandled once again, so when the pair of them arrived inside a tank of viscous chartreuse fluid, his mouth became flooded with the most rancid tasting gunk imaginable. He clamped his eyes shut for a moment, blocking away the liquid as it burned against his retina, feeling sensations of warmth and coolness buffet his body in quick succession, lost in a miasma of transport sensations as Cora apparently dumped them on each and every deck of the Erudite...

Still, he kept his eyes clamped tightly shut, conscious that there was slime coating against his eye sockets, and that he was transporting far too rapidly to have a chance to cuff it away with his sleeve… He made a little progress with each jump however, and had managed to swipe the sludgy liquid away from his right eye when he heard Cora’s voice call out in exclamation, his eye opening just in time to see the inside of some sort of Savi wardrobe, shiny and glossy uniforms lined neatly amidst what he assumed to be dressing aids, before his surroundings were gone again. He wondered why Cora was so concerned at the insides of a Savi closet?

It took a moment before his new environment was clear to him, his open eye observing the new space as Sylvain materialised within it, dozens upon dozens of stasis pods, each one containing clusters of little white bodies, flailing around somewhat lackadaisicaly as he and Cora stood in relative shock. She spoke first, Sylvain politely but somewhat jarringly twisting his own bicep out of the grip of Cora's fingers, a lasting impression of heat and discomfort broiling through his arm, his chest, a sharp feeling that made him shiver uncontrollably... Though, that might've been the slime he was coated in. It was almost a welcome distraction however, almost, as it shrunk in comparison to the weight of horror that suddenly descended onto his chest, at the realisation of just how many Moopsy seemed to be occupying the room with them... 

What now indeed.

“There must be hundreds of them in here…” Sylvain breathed somewhat tenuously, between the gagging noises fleeing his lips as he tried to cough the remaining residue from Cora’s transport adventure out of his mouth… He was willing as much saliva as possible to coat the inside of his cheeks as his eyes scanned around their newer space and took it all in, hands producing a crumpled tissue from his pocket as he spat a mouthful of disturbingly yellow phlegm into it; his mouth still tasted foul. However, even the taste could not distract him from the macabre surroundings for long, and the Engisn quickly redoubled his efforts, attempting to search for a solution to their rapidly-expanding problem, and finding nothing; there were certainly more Moopsies than his slapdash plan to beam them onto the Hobus Station could accommodate for…

The Ensign still couldn’t help but turn to Cora for a moment, brow somewhat furrowed in doubt.

“The Savi have to be breeding these Moopsy with the intention of using them... They could wipe out an entire species if they wanted to, they could hit Earth, or Vulcan, or Denobula..." A densly populated planet such as Denobula, wouldn't stand a chance...  He stepped forwards to peer through the row of tanks next to them, heart shrinking in dismay as he saw yet more rows of Moopsy bobbing gently within their tubes, their white bodies contrasting with the metallic pinpricks that ran along their spines. “And the Savi on the Hobus Station are trying to detonate a star; Romulus would be gone within a heartbeat... That’s both sets of Savi with planet-destroying potential at their fingertips…” Sylvain moved slowly as he spoke, his pilot mind trying to calculate an estimate of how many Moopsies might have been in the room with them, quickly establishing that there were probably close to eight-hundred of them… More than his transporter plan would entertain…

“I understand that my suggestion of transporting the Moopsies aboard the Hobus Station was pretty radical… Probably worse-much worse than radical...” He paused his somewhat stammering speech, as the Moopsy floating in the nearest tank seemed to notice him, his lips curling into something sombre as he watched the round little creature start to waddle in his direction, face bearing the same wide-eyed stare that Potato had given him back in the maintenance shaft... “But you can’t say that it’s safe to leave this sort of weapon in the Savi’s hands… And I know beaming them aboard the Hobus Station would be somewhat controversial, but the chaos might buy some time for our boarding teams to do their jobs, keep the Savi distracted and keep our people safe...” He knew that he was clutching at straws to justify what was possibly a pretty heinous plan in reality, he wasn't even sure why he was so set on it to begin with; it was totally out of character for him... But Sylvain knew that he couldn't justify any course of action that led them to do nothing.

He didn't want the victims of the Erudite's next genocide to be on his hands...

“Moopsy…” A little voice echoed somberly down from his side, forcing Sylvain to tear his gaze away from the Moopsy that had locked eyes with him from inside the tank.

“Believe me Cora, I am so out of my depth with this, it’s unimaginable. I wish that we had the luxury of going to Commander Leavitt and letting him make the call over what to do about this, but we just don’t…” Sylvain breathed slowly, as his eyes scanned the room, his head filled with the large-eyed stares of a dozen Moopsy as he did so, prompting him to direct his gaze to the floor. “If we don’t do something now, we probably won’t get another chance to, Commander Leavitt won’t be able to take any action without revealing that we’ve been snooping, and that would jeopardise our alliance, so…” Sylvain began speaking increasingly fast as his thoughts began to overlap within his head. “It means that we're on our own right now, and we've got to make a call...”

The Ensign's thoughts felt numb for a moment, trembling with a distressing cocktail of adrenaline and downright terror running through his veins, as he approached a nearby panel, staring at it somewhat unhelpfully, as if its Savi-specific interface would suddenly conform with the Starfleet standard if he glared at it for long enough. Perhaps they could rig something up through the Savi’s own transporter systems? At the very least they could try and delete the data that the Savi had recorded on their genetic modification process; that would slow them down at least. He glanced mournfully out at the rows of tanks that stretched out before them, considering that the most humane thing to do might be to disable the power, make it look like an accident, to kill all of the Moopsies himself without involving anyone else.

“Moopsy…” The weakening little voice bubbled up from his side, twisting Sylvain’s heart into a knot. He couldn’t do it himself… Even if they were dangerous creatures, genetically modified to be the perfect genocidal tool, he couldn’t bring himself to actively kill them, to pull the proverbial trigger and end the lives of eight-hundred-odd little creatures… He supposed that was hypocritical, considering that his first thought was to beam them aboard the Hobus Station, which would no doubt involve even more deaths. No, it wasn't hypocritical; the Savi aboard the Hobus Station were actively plotting the extermination of entire star-systems, genocide on a planetary scale! The Moopsies hadn't asked to be turned into a weapon, he couldn't just murder them with his own hands...

He just couldn’t do it.

“Cora-a…” He stumbled, steeling himself up, repositioning himself as a figure of authority in their circumstances, rather than a snivelling, indecisive wreck. “Do you think you could hack into the Savi’s systems and at least erase the data concerning the genetic modifications? Perhaps that will set them back…” He turned back to the console before him, considering their options, before he flopped his hands down to his sides with a sigh of defeat.

No.

This couldn’t be about pride, or rank, or authority; it didn’t matter that he had something to prove, something he was afraid of... Realistically, he was a pilot. This was Cora’s expertise, not his. He couldn't do it alone, and more importantly, he shouldn't have to. Cora had gotten them into the situation, and she would have to shoulder the burden of whatever decision was made; he couldn't unanimously decide something for the both of them, not without consulting her expertise on the matter at least. He might have been the senior officer, but he wasn't a tyrant. 

“Look, this is your area of expertise Cora.” He turned back towards her, running a hand up through his hair and grimacing as his fingers peeled thick and sludgy waves through his usually soft fringe. “We need to do something, I know that much. But, I’m a pilot…” Sylvain took a step towards her, flicking his slime-clad hand to the side and splattering gunk onto the floor. “What are our options here, realistically?” He paused once more, straightening up as he looked around at the tanks surrounding them a final time. “What can we do that will stop the Savi using these Moopsy as weapons, without jeprodising our alliance, or impeding our efforts to stop the Hobus Station from eviscerating half the sector?“
4
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 1: The (hopefully) Great Romulan Smash and Grab [Day 1 | 1800hrs ]
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Riov Vrikol i-Dorvik tr’Khev’ | Command and Control Center | Aboard the Tal’Shiar Ihnerha Faehht Emaifha Laeosa Mniohr (Tal’Shiar Second Secret Disease and Weapons Research Space Station) |  Romulan Space, approximately 24ly from Romulus ]  @Stegro88  @RyeTanker  @P.C. Haring  @Sqweloookle  @Hans Applegate

Damage reports and casualty reports were pouring in from all over the station without an end in sight. Although he’d initially thought the infiltration team small, perhaps he’d underestimated their foe’s numbers. Miscalculated his response. Vrikol inwardly groaned, already curious which of his underlings would seek to assassinate him to take his place should he not succeed in curtailing this chaos.

“Sir, the Khetor and Kririr have engaged a cloaked vessel orbiting the station.” There was a pause before the uhlan added. “The Kririr is coordinating an attack grid for any who try to escape.”

Vrikol smiled. Finally, some good news.

“Order all our forces to disengage, let the cowards flee to their deaths. Send an updated report to headquarters on Romulus. If these Starfleet vermin were bold enough to seek out our tech here, perhaps they were foolish enough to try for our homeworld.”

The uhlan nodded and turned to relay his message. It would only be a matter of time before the winner of this unexpected encounter was declared, and Vrikol intended on being that very man.

TBC...

Please direct any of your on-station posts to the first objective on the wiki, and also, please continue to chip away at the objectives that haven't already been touched on the wiki as we seek to shut down these chapters and reunite at the Triangle for the final space battle of this episode!
5
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 1: Triggered Much? [ Day 1 | 1800hrs ]
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Pilot Xikam | RSE Khetor, Snakehead class Romulan fighter | Approaching the Tal’Shiar Ihnerha Faehht Emaifha Laeosa Mniohr  |  approximately 24ly from Romulus ]  ATTN: @Stegro88  @Number6  @Nesota Kynnovan @Dree

His orders had been to investigate the coordinates relayed by the Kirir and report back his findings. However, in the time it’d taken Xikam to board his vessel and launch, approaching said coordinates, chatter over the comms indicated Starfleet infiltrators on the station. He was no longer interested in merely investigating. Xikam was invested in destroying. However, he wasn’t about to damn himself by going in without proper authorization, just in case he was to survive this attempted infiltration by the conniving Federation.

[ This is the Khetor, in a favorable position near the station at the end of the travel trajectory of the anomalous coordinates. Request permission to fire at potential cloaked vessel. ]

[ Sub-lieutenant Ennarrain t’Radaik | Aboard the warbird Kirir ]

Her blood boiled. How dare they slip past them and hit the station! How dare they seek to steal what was rightfully theirs–whatever it was they were obviously seeking to steal. t’Radaik’s vision was red as she continued to issue orders to what ships were outside the station, coordinating a counterattack to any who sought to flee the iFLEM with stolen ships or cargo. She heard the incoming request from the Khetor and smiled.

[ This is the Kirir. You have permission to lay down a grided fire pattern in the following coordinates around the station. ] t’Radaik signaled Uhlan  tr'Llhweiir to send the coordinates as she continued. [ Your efforts will be supported by a few scout ships. Report if there is any indication of impact or damage on a cloaked vessel. ]

[ Lt. Carson | onboard the formally cloaked Apache ]

Cradling the unconscious form of Saresh Morali in his arms, Lieutenant Carson blinked at the various consoles as they fired off warnings left and right, the reports of the skeleton crew coming in one after another as the ship continued to receive heavy fire from the attacking Romulan ships. Although the ship was still capable of sustained flight, its cloak had been damaged in one of the earlier grid-like bombardments and that had been enough for the enemy to concentrate fire on them. Their orders to remain where they were until the teams were done were going to get them killed.

Carefully placing Morali’s head on the deck, Carson moved back to his seat. He hated his job, but he wasn’t going to abandon the crew. Issuing orders to repair and improvise as needed, Carson directed the ship closer to the station. Almost to the moment of Morali’s grievous injury, he’d heard the report of successful trigger scanning, with the crew ready for pick up. Damned terrible timing for Morali.

[ Get transporters ready. ] He called over the comms. [ And secure the hatch area. Open it up for any in the EV suits who can get in while we swing by. ] He grimaced as the ship gave any lurch from attacking fire. It would be a miracle if any of them survived this.

TBC...

Please direct any of your on-station posts to the first objective on the wiki and also please continue to chip away at the objectives that haven't already been touched on the wiki as we seek to shut down these chapters and reunite at the Triangle for the final space battle of this episode!
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Main OOC Board / Re: Main OOC Thread
Last post by Brutus -
NOTIFICATION OF RULES UDPATE!
We've gotten some questions about AI use lately. While we do allow the posting of AI Art (see channels in discord) we are a writing simm at our heart. If you made it in the door here, then you are already more than good enough to write here, and don't need to use AI. As such, we have updated the rules accordingly to include the below.

Quote
AI Use
Any use of AI writing software is prohibited. This includes any program that writes text for you, or takes your text and rewrites it for you.
Editing software like Grammery, Prowriting Aid, and built-in spell check may still be used to check posts for errors.
Any posts made with AI will be removed by the GM.

We never want to stifle creativity here. But using AI to write for you is stifling your own creativity. AI assisted (or wholly created) writing is jarring, and it's obvious that you didn't write it yourself. Don't use it.

A final note: we are not going to call anyone out over past use of AI writing. Anyone who has used it prior to this announcement should go remove the content and replace it with an originally written post instead.
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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Ch 5 S [ D02 | 0600 hrs.] Old Friends Die Hard
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Belas i’Mirek tr’Rehu | Personal Solarium | Kir Baratan | Romulus ] @rae   @Pierce

Once he arrived home, sending tr’Ethien to meet up with their Reman allies in preparation for what would undoubtedly be a complicated mess to clean up regarding tr’Aimne and his Starfleet infiltrators, Belas sent a message to the senator.

[ Made contact and secured tentative support from the unexpected visitors. Contacts became compromised, likely captured. Will require follow-up. ~ B]

The senator’s reply was equally short, received mere minutes after Belas’ went out.

[ Also made contact with another group, likely connected. They interrupted assassination attempt. Also compromised and taken to Citadel. Will send support to rendevouz point for the follow-up. ~ V]

Belas shook his head at their luck. On two fronts, they managed to secure an audience with members of Starfleet, and on both fronts, their new contacts and potential supporters were captured by the Tal’Shiar. Belas frowned. Most likely, this was the work of General Jeiai, a man with a personal vendetta against the Federation and the tr’Aimne family.

Switching screens on his console, Belas accessed the supposedly secure planetary reporting system. If there were two teams captured, that could mean that a third team was lying in wait, cloaked somewhere. All he needed to do was find anything out of the ordinary and dispatch teams to those locations to find any remaining allies who could help their teams get the Starfleet personnel out from under Jeiai’s clutches. He found six potential sites and quickly sent the coordinates to three of his undercover agents, sending the rest to the rendezvous point as the senator indicated.

Undoubtedly, this was all a trap, and it was Jeiai’s hope that Belas and the senator would hang themselves. But, if things took a turn in their favor, it wouldn’t be the first time the trap maker became the victim of his own trap.

FIN

Writers can presume they were either apprehended or got away, as deemed in the joint post currently ongoing (to be posted as a thread once complete). Please continue to write either on the story prompt JP "No One Left Behind" and/or continue to peck away at the objectives in the chapter 5 wiki so we can resolve our chapter and reunite without fellow crew at the Triangle.
8
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 5 S [D02 | 0740 hrs.] We The Disgruntled
Last post by Ellen Fitz -
[ Senator Vkruvux | Personal Chambers | Hall of State  | Kir Baratan | Romulus  ] ATTN:  @P.C. Haring  @Griff  @chXinya  @Dumedion

“Colonel Xiomek,” Vkruvux nodded to the newcomer, gesturing for him to sit. Using a telepathic link, he added, “What news do you have?”

The commanding presence of the fierce Reman seemed difficult to contain with uniform or chair, yet the colonel managed to seat himself in a civilized manner. Xiamek had been with Vkruvux when the Praetor negotiated to lend Reman resources to stabilize her government in exchange for his provisional seat in the Senate. Xiamek had also been with Vkruvux when the “Empress Donatra” had basically promised the same thing, alongside full citizenship for all Remans. Without having to hear the colonel’s words, Vkruvux understood the man’s frustrations well: both self-declared leaders desired their resources and were willing to make them puppets, but neither had any plan to treat them as equals.

“One of my men made contact with Starfleet infiltrators.” Xiamek’s voice sounded in Vkruvux’s mind. “They managed to interrupt a plot for your assassination, although it doesn’t seem like they realize that’s what they did.” He shifted in his chair before speaking audibly, “My lieutenants wished to extend their thanks for your recent gift.”

“Let me serve you some tea,” Vkruvux spoke aloud as he waited for the colonel to go on, standing and moving to the replicator. “You should tell your men that it was a gift that barely did the work justice. They are true representatives of the spirit of our people.” He waited until the first tea cup was filled before he spoke along the telepathic link. "That was most fortunate that they interrupted the attempt. Do we know which of our fair leaders sought my demise?"

“No, we don't have definitive proof of which made the attempt and before my man could establish a firm connection with them, relaying our desires, the group was taken to the Citadel. Though my man is remaining in contact. The last I heard from him, General Jeiai seems to be behind this, both their apprehension and the plot on your life, though he is always merely a puppet for the one he deems strongest at the time.” He accepted the tea from Vkruvux. “Do you wish me to extend these sentiments, or are you willing to visit the barracks to speak for yourself?”

“I’ll contact a friend and have him send a contingency to the rendezvous coordinates we spoke of to collaborate with your men. These Starfleet infiltrators may yet be our best option for ridding our people of the chains both bitches wish upon us, no matter their promises. And any opportunity to undermine Jeiai should be thoroughly pursued.” The senator took a long sip before he replied for any listening ears to pick up, “I shall accompany you, colonel. I believe it would boost morale.”

The colonel and the senator nodded mutely to one another, sipping their tea and contemplating the hurdles ahead.

FIN
Writers can presume they were either apprehended or got away, as deemed in the joint post currently ongoing (to be posted as a thread once complete). Please continue to write either on the story prompt JP "No One Left Behind" and/or continue to peck away at the objectives in the chapter 5 wiki so we can resolve our chapter and reunite without fellow crew at the Triangle.
9
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 15 [0823 hrs] Starships Aplenty
Last post by tongieboi -
[ Ensign Joseph Adams |Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Pierce ]

At her words, he couldn't help but raise a slight brow, craning his neck to look at the Martian behind him. How had she been able to tell what he was thinking at that moment?

"What, are you a mind reader?"

He asked, a wry grin tugging at his lips. Had he been that obvious with what was on his mind? Or perhaps she was thinking something similar?

"I'm not sure the holographic museum would appreciate a joyride, but if Kirk can get away with it..."

He mused, turning his attention directly in front of him. To the great beyond that stretched out in front of them on the viewscreen ahead.

"I suppose straight ahead would be as good an idea as any."

He just hoped there was no chance of hologram Starfleet chasing them, the real thing had been traumatic enough! Looking down at the Captains controls embedded within his armrest, and after wondering how one didn't accidentally press one of the buttons whilst resting their arm or elbow against it, he began to decipher their purpose.

"I don't suppose any of these happen to be helm controls embedded in the chair, would they?"

It would be a tad anticlimactic, if after Lauren's encouraging speech, he'd have to get out of the chair anyway to fly the bloody thing out of the museum. His fingers hovered over the controls for a moment as he decided which of these buttons he'd have to press first. The ship still needed its moorings released and who knows what else? Did they need to stock holographic provisions too?

'Nah, the trip probably wouldn't last that long.' He reasoned to himself as he pressed the button he thought most resembled what he was after.
10
Director's Cut / [2381] Operation: Firewall
Last post by Nesota Kynnovan -
Stardate 57680.35
April 28, 2381
2000HRS

[Ensign Jaya Thorne | Holodeck 01| Deck 8 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy]

Ensign Jaya Thorne woke up to a sharp ringing sound in her ears. The sound perfectly synchronized with the painful, throbbing pressure which seemed to originate from her temples and somehow spread throughout her entire forehead to link up with increased intensity just behind her amber eyes. When the brunette Denevan tried to open her eyes, her already bad case of tension headache only got worse; for a brief moment, it felt like her eyes tried to burst out of her skull through her barely opened eyelids. It drew a painful gasp from the Assistant Chief CONN Officer’s chapped lips and she immediately squeezed her eyelids shut once more before bringing her right hand up to shield her eyes from the light.

Or rather, she would have if her wrists hadn’t been bound to the bench she was sitting on. Surprised to find that her wrists were bound this time, Jaya briefly struggled against her binds in an attempt to slip out of them, but she couldn’t muster the strength to even properly raise her sore arms and the chafing of the metal handcuffs against her already painful wrists caused her to give up relatively quick. Instead, the Ensign let out a deep sigh and, ignoring the painful protests of the sore muscles in her neck, slowly tilted her head backwards in an attempt to alleviate some pressure from her forehead.

It were the kind of movements which drew attention onto her though because, mere moments after her feeble attempts at slipping out of her binds, Jaya could hear a voice coming from directly in front of her. ”Hey, you. Ensign.” While she attempted to regulate her heavy breathing, the brunette Ensign slowly opened her eyes as far as the pain allowed her to. The searing pain immediately flared back up but Jaya managed to fight through it and, through her eyelashes, could see a young, blonde-haired man staring back at her. He was wearing a red Starfleet uniform and his hands were similarly bound. Out of habit, Jaya quickly looked at his collar to see what she was dealing with and saw the two gold pips of a Lieutenant attached to the right side of the man’s collar. ”You’re finally awake.” While he spoke, the Lieutenant’s voice was friendly enough and Jaya just barely managed to present the man with something that somewhat resembled her signature smirk. Everything was sore, painful and hurting; even something as routine as smirking was painful at that moment.

For a brief moment, Jaya closed her eyes once more to ease the pain. Even though she was just barely gazing through her eyelids, the light almost felt like it was burning through her eyes and into her skull. It didn’t seem to bother the Lieutenant in front of her though, as he paused just briefly before continuing, but now on a somewhat more remorseful tone. ”You were trying to cross the border, right?” Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the pain to come, Jaya slightly opened her eyes once more to look at the Lieutenant. Contrary to before, his face now held a more serious expression which matched the tone of his voice. ”Walked right into that Cardassian ambush, same as us…” The Lieutenant tilted his head to the left and Jaya could hear the distasteful undertone in his voice. ”…and that thief over there.”

Jaya slowly followed the Lieutenant’s tilt and, fighting against the sore muscles in her neck, turned her head to the right just far enough to see a dishevelled man wearing dirty civilian clothes. Just like her wrists and those of the Lieutenant, the wrists of the thief were bound to the bench in front of him. The haggard expression on the man’s battered face betrayed that he’d been through a lot even before the obvious beating he’d clearly received quite recently. In response to the Lieutenant’s voice, the man spit onto the floor of the transport before mumbling something that Jaya could barely interpret as ”Damn you, Starfleet.” As he spoke, the thief turned his attention towards her and the sheer hatred on the man’s bruised face was enough to make the hairs on the back of Jaya’s neck stand up straight; there was no doubt about it that this was a dangerous man and a part of Jaya actually felt relieved that he was restrained. ”The Stormlands were fine until you came along, the Cardassians and their Vex cronies were nice and lazy.”

While she was listening to the thief, the transport they were in was suddenly rocked to the left. Almost out of instinct, Jaya held her breath and tried to remember what would happen next. This was the second time she’d played through the opening sequence of Operation: Firewall after all. The first time she had been so preoccupied with her own physical condition that she failed to pay close attention to her surroundings, and that had cost her dearly. Game over. It was the beauty of this program and the reason why it had become so popular amongst the enlisted since someone found it in the library; the higher science behind it was lost on Jaya, but the program somehow tricked the mind to make a player believe that they were truly injured and, as such, forced anyone who played this program to fight both a physical and mental battle.

As Jaya was holding her breath, she heard how the thief continued talking as if nothing was going on. ”If they hadn’t been looking for you lot, I would’ve been halfway to Andor by now.” The thief spit on the floor once more, adorning the already dirty floor of the transport with a combination of phlegm, blood and what looked like one of his molars. In response to the thief, the Lieutenant spoke up once more but on a somewhat more solemn tone; almost as if he had accepted his fate. ”We’re all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief.” Jaya remembered those words from her first playthrough and, suddenly remembering what was about to happen, felt how the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up straight. Ignoring the painful protests of her bruised body, she began to brace herself like she’d learned during flight training. She pulled against her binds to tighten them as much as possible and leaned forwards as if bracing for a crash landing. It caused both the Lieutenant and the thief to fall silent and look at her in surprise but, as if on cue, she could hear a loud banging against the transport’s interior wall followed by a cold and disdainful voice. ”Hey, shut up back there!”

Twenty-one…

Twenty-two…

Twenty three…

And then it happened. A loud explosion ripped through the transport and threw the heavy vehicle onto its side. Jaya, who had been bracing herself for this particular event, felt how she was suddenly thrown backwards against the wall behind her. This time however, unlike the previous playthrough where the simulation had abruptly ended (most likely because the sheer impact with the wall had broken her neck), Jaya managed to survive. Regardless, the Assistant Chief CONN Officer felt how the air was painfully forced from her lungs and her legs immediately went numb as a burning feeling, emanating from her tailbone, raced up her already sore spine.

Given how the simulation had ended right there the previous time, there was nothing that could have prepared Jaya for what happened mere moments later, when the transport rolled onto its roof before flipping over once more and coming to rest onto its other side. At some point, while she was thrown around, the restraints that bound her wrists to her chair snapped free; sending her rag dolling through the back of the transport before coming to rest with her legs across the thief and her head resting onto the chest of the Starfleet Lieutenant. While she painfully groaned in response to her painful… well, everything, she could feel the Lieutenant’s laboured breathing before he began to cough directly into her brown hair. Behind her, somewhere where her feet were at that moment, Jaya could hear how the thief also grunted before summarizing their predicament in the only way it could be summarized.

”Fucking hell…”
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