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Prologue: Homecoming

Episode 04: Simulcast | Prologue "Homecoming"



[ USS Resolve | Main Bridge | Deck 01 ] Attn: All

The distant lights of Starbase 84 were a flickering beacon of hope on the view-screens. Even seeing them like this, Captain Tristan Kendrick struggled to believe they were real. He was sure that until he was finally beamed aboard he would not believe it, and even then he would have doubts. Simply put, there had been too many horrible events over the past three years to just idly believe that something good was at last happening to him and his ill fated crew.

The terrestrial planet filled the screens, but Kendrick and his utterly silent crew only had eyes for the Starbase. Shaped like nothing so much as the toy his grandfather had given him to play with once on a visit, it was both awe-inspiring and terribly mundane. A wonder of the ages, but one of ordinary purpose. It would do though to receive them, the Ithaca to their Odysseus. He just hoped for a better reception than a house full of suitors.

"Low impulse Mr. Veradin. Take us in slow, I don't want us rattling apart on the doorstep. Wouldn't be seemly." A faint chuckle came from his crew. A sign of life at last from them. The past months had been torture, and the crew had become as ghosts it seemed, afraid to show emotion. Too many lost friends over the years. Showing a little emotion was a recipe for a breakdown. Better to be spectres. To say nothing of the condition of the experimental Luna-class starship, Resolve. The man made a mental note to send a 'thank you' note to the designers of the vessel. He doubted few ships could have made the perilous trek and survived the things they'd encountered.

Now though, they could begin to let go of the horrible burdens. The yawning mouth of the Starbase opened wide to take them in, blindingly taking in three years of anguish. He hoped it wouldn't get indigestion, a silly thought that at last brought a smile to his face. Rising from his chair he stood, arms crossed behind his back. The view-screens showed a long double row of shuttles and fighters lining their path to their docking station. An honour guard welcoming them home. It looked to be shuttles from every ship in the yard, a tip of the hat from the other captains for doing an impossible job. Kendrick felt his throat grow tight, and he knew there were likely many a damp eye amongst his crew. But to a man they kept their composure, returning with heads held high. They had done it.

Each shuttle and fighter flashed lights as they passed, and then fell into line behind them, a sort of orbital parade. Since Kendrick had seen wars end with less fanfare, it seemed their story had quickly made the rounds once they had re-entered Federation Space and restored contact. He felt embarrassed at the production, but was simultaneously glad for it. His crew needed this.

When they at last docked, they all began heading to beam aboard the station. Kendrick was the last to leave the bridge. The last to beam away after making sure every other crewman was safely away. He gave the Resolve's bridge one last look before beaming, and then a heartbeat later, he was engulfed in a wave of cheering and cries of joy. Captain Ian Hawthorne - the Base Commander - was there to personally receive them. The black man came forth, a wide smile turning into a welcoming laugh, and with all eyes upon them, Hawthorne was soon pumping Kendrick's hand firmly. Later, on the banquet, he would formally welcome the Resolve's Captain and his crew aboard. The bay was filled with over a thousand shouting crewmen from the station and other ships, each cheering the crew that refused to give up. Kendrick at last allowed himself to believe.

And it felt good.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #1 –
[Lt. Komial Dotnihl | Main Cargo Bay | StarBase 84]

It was all that Komial could do not to pick at the stiff neck of her grey/teal on white dress uniform. Yes, this was an important occasion. Yes, she was excited to be there - how could she not? A lost ship was coming home. She would be on hand not only to ensure that security was maintained - who knew what had happened to the crew of the USS Resolve - but she would get to welcome them back home, back to the Federation. Given all that the Federation currently suffered though, a moment like this was something that everyone - not just the crew of SB84 - needed. And the crew of the Resolve deserved nothing less than the best that she and her fellow officers could give.

But none of that made the standard Starfleet dress uniform any more comfortable. Sure, it fit closer to the skin than her daily duty outfit would have. Komial liked that well enough. She especially liked the variant that allowed her to wear a skirt. Some of the other female officer's she'd served with had looked down on anyone that wore the skirt option. Something about 'unprofessional.' Komial chalked it up to the fact that most of them had legs that simply kept them from pulling the look off. The reddish brown haired woman was certain that she did have the legs to pull it off - including the telltale spots that marked her for a Trill. Between the skirt and the high boots that went with it, well, she was noticeable as could be, while still being completely within regulations. Another skill she prided herself in, as much as her hand to hand combat, or keen eye for spotting trouble.

Another strike against the formal dress uniform - in her mind - was that the confining nature also made it difficult to hide any useful weapons. She didn't have her type two sidearm on. There wasn't a proper holster for it, and this was, officially, a welcome home moment. No one on the returning ship was - officially - considered a threat at this time. Unofficially, it paid to expect the unexpected, and the worst of people that should be given the most benefit of the doubt. Lessons that Lt. Dotnihl and the SB84 Security department had learned the hard way. That was what the type one cricket phaser in the holster positioned inside her right boot was for. Same with the set of stun-knuckles tucked discreetly into the hem of her skirt against the small of her back - the only place such a slight bump in the uniform would go unnoticed.

Better safe than sorry.

Her attention was drawn back to the windows ringing the large room, that looked out into the even larger primary docking bay for the Starbase. The bow of the Luna-class starship had entered through the wide open spacedock doors, and in windows all thorughout the starbase, crew and visitors pressed to the glass to look as the name Resolve came into view on the battle scarred hull. This was not a ship that had endured an easy journey home, by any stretch of the imagination. For a moment, she watched, wondering what it must have been like for the crew. She repressed a small shudder that threatened to run down her shapely back, as the starbase tractor beams pulled the returning ship into its assigned docking bay.

In a normal docking procedure, the ship would have been tethered to the Starbase and then the crew would have come across though one of the airlocks. This wasn't the case today. For one, the primary airlock on the USS Resolve, the one that would allow the maximum number of crew to disembark at a time, was damaged and inoperable. Secondly, every man woman and child on that ship had been through so much, that it was quickly decided to get the crew over as fast as possible. Working with the starbase ops team, Cpt. Hawthorne had arranged to beam over using the massive cargo transporters of the starbase. And so there they were, standing by the large cargo bay transporters, as one group after another beamed over into a hastily converted reception bay. Any injured personnel in need of immediate assistance had already been beamed aboard to the starbase hospital facilities.

The parade of crew seemed to take forever, but with the high capacity transporters the reality of it was that everyone from the Resolve transferred over in just under 15 minutes. And then it was time for the last man to beam over - the ships commanding officer. Ensuring that full honors and tradition would be followed, Lt. Dotnihl stepped forward, looking out across the bay and meeting the eyes of her commander. Her own gaze softened, almost imperceptive, before she schooled her expression at his answering nod. She snapped a quick command to the COps - manning the transporter for this historic occasion - and then turned to face the pad.

"USS Resolve Commanding Officer arriving. All hands, Atten-shun." She barked out the order as Cpt. Kendrick coalesced in a blue white swirl, a 'small' form on the over-sized pad. The boson's whistle -blown by one of her enlisted personnel - sounded afterward, as the security honor guard snapped to. There was a moment of silence, and the bay errupted into a roar of joyus noise. The crew of the Resolve, as well as a mix from the other docked vessels and the starbase itself lost almost all decorum. They wanted to make sure that this man knew, truly knew, he was home.

Komial watched, at attention, dark eyes darting about, as Cpt. Hawthorne mounted the small steps up to greet Cpt. Kendrick. Saw him grip the mans hand with his own artificial one, and give the most enthusiastic handshake she'd ever witnessed. Those full lips of hers curved upward in a smile. They'd earned their heroes welcome, and Komial was proud to be a part of it.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #2 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Main Cargo Bay | StarBase 84 ]

As the Resolve had drawn closer to the Federation Starbase F'Rell was perhaps the only entity on the ship whom was not excited. Perhaps it was the fact that as they grew closer to the starbase she knew that she was getting farther from her homeworld and her people. She had not told a soul on the ship the location of her homeworld or any information about her race. She had allowed them to run tests on her and the remains of her small shuttle, he majority of it's most critical and interesting components either destroyed in the crash or used to build the transmitter she had used to call for help, she had even gone so far as to delete all of the data from what remained of the shuttles computer with a localized electromagnetic pulse.

This secrecy was perhaps the cause of much of the distrust she still sensed from the crew. It did not help that she was perhaps the most alien sentient lifeforms most of them had ever seen. Her long slender body with it's many appendages dwarfed the much small humanoids that populated the ship. She had even been denied the ability to communicate for some time as the sounds she created with her tendril like whiskers did not at first come across as language to their more primitive universal translators.

She would have helped with this translation process, but the amount of time the crew had spent being attacked by hostile alien life forms had left them all far too shaken and distrusting of outsiders. In fact they had kept her in a holding cell barely large enough for her for almost two weeks after she was recovered from the barren planet. And after they had managed to get their toy translators to work her refusal to provide information about the shuttle systems and her race meant that the ships captain decided to keep her there until they could rendezvous with another ship and decide what to do.

They turning point had come when the ship struck cloaked tricobalt mine and the barrier shield of holding cell collapsed. based purely off of the sound of the ship F'Rell managed to find the main engineering section. She found the section flooding with warp plasma coolant, killing the crew who were knocked unconscious by the shaking or the ship and some panels blowing from the overload that followed.  The mine had destabilized the ships warp core intermix chamber and with the warp plasma filling the engineering section a core breach seemed inevitable. There was one chance. F'Rell was near certain that though the Carbon based humanoids were in great danger her slightly more resilient Nitrogen based biology. It was a risk, but one well worth it as she knew that no one on the ship including her would survive for long in the vacuum of space, to say nothing of the matter/antimatter explosion if the core breached. After pulling as many still intact humanoids as she could out of the engineering section as she could and sealing the doors she set to work preventing the breach.

It was lucky that the core was not nearly as complex as some of the prototypes F'Rell had worked on. After a number of tense minutes she managed to stabilize the reaction enough to power down the warp core and vent the plasma coolant. In the toxic environment she had only sustained some minor surface burns, her nitrogen based biochemistry had saved her from complete molecular degeneration.

It was after this she was allowed to aid the ship. Their survival was linked to her survival and there was no alternative. She promised to get them home, though she was not at all certain of how this would help her get home, it would however provide her with a degree of safety and allow her the ability to return home eventually. It was also thanks to her matter/antimatter intermix knowledge that the ship was able to restore to full power and achieve warp speed at one third of the amount of fuel it would otherwise take.

And so, with some help from her, they made it to Federation Starbase number 84.

It was not exactly home for many aboard the ship, but it was so close that there was no doubt that they would make it the rest of the way. F'Rell herself did not leave the ship until the second to last trip through the matter transporter and as she materialized in the cargo bay and lifted her body above the heads of the rest of the crew of the Resolve she knew that once more she was a stranger in a strange land. Though the crew of the ship had grown accustom to her appearance in the months she had been on the ship the crew of the station were obviously not prepared for her appearance. Her long body moving through the air with with ease, the glowing biolumencent points on her body glowing an otherworldly shade of blue. To them she looked more like a deep sea monster than a highly trained warp field theorist. She knew looking at their faces that another barrage of medical tests would soon transpire. Hopefully this time there would be no issues with her soft nitrous oxide filled body.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #3 –
[ Krystal "Meony" Tancredi | Main Cargo Bay | Starbase 84 ] Attn: F'Rell & Others

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While in her heart, she was jumping and screaming for joy, Ensign Krystal Tancredi maintained a calm, composed exterior. Her smile and posture was casual, slightly seductive-but-not-even-trying-to-be, as one had once called it. While she was friendly and seemingly open, and can be the life of the party, this was one very carefully guarded girl. The truth was, she was afraid, many times, and so full of pain and bitterness. But she hid it all away. Her reasoning being that no one needed to put up with her vulnerabilities, and that perhaps she deserved the suffering for unspoken sins. Her body was riddled with scars from the years of violence while lost in space with the crew of the Resolve. The doctor on board often described her body as resembling a war zone of horror. But it was nothing compared to scarring and fractures of her mind. It was a wonder that Captain Kendrick still even trusted her to "lead" the "fighters" in battle. But then, she never gave him any reason to doubt her ability to fight a battle. It was all she lived for, it seemed.

She wore her standard uniform, but she deliberately left it open at the top, and her rank insignia hung at an odd angle, as if put on as an afterthought. She hooked her thumbs into her belt, and stood in a swaggering posture as she beamed aboard Starbase 84. She squinted her eyes and peered at the surroundings of the place, almost completely ignoring the gathered individuals there to greet them.

"Quaint li'l place, ain't it?" she whispered to F'Rell, the alien they had picked up along the way in their journeys. She didn't particularly mind the being, as long as she didn't try to hurt Tancredi, or any of the Resolve's crew, she had nothing against her. "Ah reckon ya don' p'ticularly find an appeal to it, but we like ta call dis 'ome. Oh..."

She leaned closer towards the alien, her eyes now scanning the onlookers, "...don' worry too much if they ask o'er an' o'er what ya are. We got scans o' ya already, sure'n da cap an' Ah will make sure of it. Y'know, so ya don' get probed and prodded again an' all dat."

She stepped off the platform and glanced back at F'Rell, inviting her silently to follow along. If nothing else, Krystal would step between her and anyone that might do something untoward to the alien. Sure, this was a Starbase, full of the Federation's people. People who have long since shed their brutality. But three years fending for ones self and living with nightmares can do unpleasant things to a person's sense of trust. Even as she smiled and maintained the allure of a happy, pretty face, her eyes broiled with paranoia and a sense of unease, that was compounded by the fact that she was told to put away her conventional weapons when they came aboard. Kendrick might be fine with trusting these folk, but Tancredi felt the hair on the back of her neck rising, and her thumbs were still hooked into her belt as she walked because she always had her hands close to her weapons, concealed and revealed. The little knives in her belt, boots and several other places weren't much, but she at least didn't feel so naked and helpless.

She eyed each and every person there that wasn't part of the crew. There were humans and familiar aliens, but to her, everyone was a potential threat. She didn't know how the rest of the crew felt. She supposed they were glad, but not her. She wouldn't get any sleep in the Starbase, that was for sure. If she had her way, she'd be in her quarters on board the Resolve even as they conducted repairs. She'd sleep more comfortably with her hands on her custom-modified phaser pistols. The girl sighed and used one hand to push out strands of her long fiery hair from her eyes and brushed them to be held back by her ears. Maybe she should have a drink, or something. She only hoped they didn't ask her to talk to a counsellor or something. The only person she talked to in such a personal manner was Captain Kendrick, so she wasn't about to start opening up to some stranger just because of their profession.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #4 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | Main Cargo Bay | StarBase 84 ] Attn: Krystal & Others

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Seeing little to no point in loitering in the cargo bay for any length of time, the ceremonies and Traditions of the Starfleet crew meaning nothing to her F'Rell decided to follow the human fighter pilot. Her bandages moving easily through the air slowly propelling her forward, she could move faster, but she saw no need. When she did at last speak the voice that come out of the small communicator she held in one of her many appendages was not her own, it lacked the majority of the lyrical finesse of her true voice, but it did however translate that voice into something most could understand.

=/\= It seems as if I am not the only member of the crew who is not comfortable with this gathering, =/\= F'Rell mused, her long whisker like tendrils giving off a deep rich array of sounds. The voice that spoke in Terran was soft and polite, though a little too mechanical for most. She had figured that when she had time she would perfect the voice modulator into something a little less primitive, but she had so little free time over the past few months. She paused for a moment and turned to the rest of the crew. Her inhuman eyes seeing more of the energy spectrum then most humanoids could easily see what so many were hiding under the thin layer of fabric they wore as uniforms. =/\= So many disobeying orders and sneaking weapons aboard. I see that the fear and paranoia is still fresh in so many of your minds. An incident waiting to happen, methinks. =/\=

OOC: A little short, but I wanted to give people something to reply to. I figure F'Rell isn't far enough away that people won't be able to hear her, so really anyone can reply, even though she is directly speaking to Krystal.
Also I'm not using standard quotation marks for F'Rell because it isn't her talking it is the communicator translating, hence the =/\= (it looks like a communicator to me lol).

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #5 –
[LT Keval ch'Rayya| Main Cargo Bay| Starbase 84] ATTN: All

The Andorian was the next to beam over onto the starbase after his captain, Ensign Tancredi, and F'Rell but like every other location that he had beamed into over the past couple of years, he looked at everyone that he didn't know with a cautious look.

Inwardly he was glad to be back in Federation space, who on the ship wasn't, but that didn't change the facts of how he felt as he kept his light blue eyes alert scanning the room for any signs of trouble, it would be a hard habit to break in the long run but he couldn't help but to be safe then sorry.

"You must be giddy to soon see your family and friends again, Miss Tancredi." Keval said as he placed his hands at the small of his back lightly while looking at the shorter human in a respectable and kind tone. "I hope that they will be proud of how you were able to hold your people together in your department during this...voyage."

But when F'Rell made her comment, his antenna twitched slightly as he picked up the undercurrent of her meaning. "I agree with you on that one, Miss F'Rell. But you can't change the habits of a people who've been through what we have and expect the habits to die easily."

Keval's eyes kept scanning the room until he came up the sight of what appeared to be the station's chief of security and he arched one slender, ghost-white eyebrow at the Trill as he studied her body language but lowered the eyebrow then as well.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #6 –
[Ensign Six | Security Level: Security Station | Starbase 84]

The computer chimed at Six for the millionth time today, letting her know that yet another report had been completed and filed in the appropriate spot. Normally saying it was the millionth time might have been an exaggeration, but for Six, it wasn't all that far off. Well. Not really. There were however thousands of reports that got filed every day. Most of which involved some kind of local, civilian dispute over who has the right to this and who has the right to that, or she did this to me, or he stole that from them. It was mundane and boring to say the least. But it was everyday work for her and for someone like Six, despite the monotony of it, it was usually finished with quickly. 

The fact that it was everyday was starting to take its toll on her though. It was menial and boring, and nowhere near putting her abilities and skills to use. She was a problem solver, a puzzler, and she would be better used to investigate and come up with truths based on evidence rather than sitting at a desk, inputting reports that she couldn't do anything about. It was mind numbing to say the least.

Sitting back she took a moment to herself, stretching out in her seat.

Her thoughts wandered like they usually did as to why she was given such chores over others. Even though she knew it was because she was still a rookie, she felt she had proven her skill-set enough to be given more than she was. She often wondered if the prejudice she endured at the academy had followed her here. It likely had. Not too many were welcoming of a Borg, even an ex one.

Her thoughts then wandered to the fact that a good portion of security on the Starbase was in the cargo bay turned reception hall, greeting the return of the USS Resolve. 'I should be down there...' she thought to herself, more than a little cross that she had not been issued a station there. Her optic implant alone was enough to make her more than qualified to be there as an observer. And she felt this new crew might need to be carefully observed, especially considering what they had all gone through.

There were high hopes among the rest of the starbase that the crew of the resolve would just be relieved to be closer to home and out of immediate conflict, but one never knew what might have happened to turn any one of these individuals away from protocol. Human minds, Six found, were easily damaged and coerced into doing things they ought not to. And Six could definitely come on hand to be able to see it coming.

The sudden swish of doors to the security office snapped Six quickly from her thoughts though, and she sat up straight and stiff like she normally did, the emotional expressions she had shown in her solitude quickly replaced with that of indifference to her crew mate and focus to her task at hand. As the crewman passed her, he took a moment to glower in her direction, something she pretended not to notice.

She pretended a lot. She pretended to not notice the stares at her leftover implants and the stares at her body suit that she preferred over her uniform and that she normally wore when she was off duty. She pretended that it didn't bother her, pretended that she had no emotion toward it one way or another, and sometimes, she pretended so well that even she believed it. But deep down it hurt. Deep down she missed the camaraderie that she had enjoyed while on Voyager and had lost as soon as making it back to Earth.

Right now though, she hid herself like she always did, showing the crewman nothing in return, her fingers flying at the module as she returned to working on the reports she had been tasked to organize and file away for the day.
"You wish to knock over cows? What is the significance of this? Do you derive pleasure from such things?" - Ensign Six

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #7 –
[ Krystal "Meony" Tancredi | Main Cargo Bay | Starbase 84 ] Attn: All

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Krystal's left eyebrow curved downwards at the ridge of her brow, while her right eyebrow went up, and her lips went lopsided as F'Rell fearlessly declared how more than one person had brought weapons with them. Well, on one hand, it told her that she was not alone in her guarded, self-sustaining nature. For their three years lost in space, the captain had found it prudent and more practical to ensure that every individual was armed, sometimes to the teeth at any given time. More than one occasion proved this to be a necessary precaution against boarding parties. No one would be defenceless. No one outside of the Resolve put in as much training time with ranged and melee weapons as the crew of the battered vessel. It was the only reason why they were still alive.

Taking a calming breath, the red-haired young lady slowly turned to look at the female alien, "F'Rell, Ah'd really be much obliged if ya wouldn't go declarin' such things at yer current volume. And ta be quite honest, years livin' on edge'll make anyone paranoid. Ah would have thought ye'd unnerstand dat by now."

Then she listened to the Andorian, ch'Rayya. Her expression darkened for a brief second, when thoughts of her biological family came up at the mention of it, but she forced the memories aside quickly, and gave ch'Rayya a gentle smile, "Ye're mah family, Lieutenant," she said quietly, "da crew of the Resolve are mah friends and family. Mah home is wherever you lot are."

And it was true to her. This was her family. The Resolve was her home. She wouldn't be comfortable anywhere else.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #8 –
[ Captain Hawthorne | Docking Bay | Starbase 84 ] Attn: All

Before the eyes of thousands - the feed being broadcast across the entire starbase - Ian Hawthorne shook the hand of Captain Kendrick, and while the cheers were deafening in the docking bay, he spoke to the returning officer with a voice loud enough to let him hear.

"Welcome to Starbase 84, Captain," he said with the corners of his eyes creased by his smile, "and while it isn't Earth, I hope it is close enough to let you find some respite at long last. I am sure you have stories to tell, and I will send for you, but let me allow you and your crew to come aboard and away from the crows first." Ian eventually let go of Tristan's hand and gestured for the entire crew to step forth with a welcoming gesture with his arm. He would shake their hands, all of those that approached him, and he would welcome them in person. Even the... new additions to Kendrick's crew, species as of yet unseen in the Alpha Quadrant. The sight of the flying creature had brought gasps of awe from the crowd, and Ian had looked at it with an intrigued expression on his face.

Behind Ian, thirty people from his staff awaited them all to help the Resolve's crew. For while the parade was over, the entire crew had personal needs that needed to be seen to and arrangements to be made. The staff would help everyone find their accommodations aboard the starbase, new messages would be forwarded to loved ones, saying that they had made it. While some might need to visit the Infirmary, it had been reasoned that while a few of the Resolve's crew would prefer to sleep in their own quarters on the ship, the absolute majority would be ceasing the opportunity to sleep elsewhere and enjoy facilities that were a bit more extravagant. Therefore, the entire diplomatic wing of the starbase had been reserved to house the surviving crew, where the accommodations had running water, bath tubs and balconies with a view over the open-air community area.

Eventually, the last of the Resolve's crew trickled past Ian and into the welcoming arrangements set for them, which left Ian standing alone next to Lieutenant Dotnihl with his hands folded behind his back and the applause from the crows slowly beginning to abate. He turned his clean-shaven head towards the Trill and nodded to her with a small smile. "Your people handled this well, Komial. There were a few surprises," he said, referring to the creature that had appeared, "but they had their wits about them and did not let any fright overcome them. The crew looked weary, some of them armed, and any provocation might have resulted in a scandal. I am sure you are concerned about them after having seen the state they were in, but I think we should allow the past three years drain from them rather than subjecting them to closer surveillance. If you think it is necessary, then deploy more people to the surveillance centre rather than lining the corridors with security teams. If we show a little trust, then they will come to trust that they are - indeed - back in the Federation again."

And if their trust proves too hard to earn, he thought with quiet certitude as he watched the crew filter into his base, then there is no saying what kind of alliances they had to forge to cross Romulan space, and what kind of evidence might be planted on that wreck of a ship. After all, they would not be the first starship crew that betrayed the fleet and defected to the Romulan Empire...


[ Two Hours Later | 1200 hrs. | Promenade | Circling the Executive Office Complex ] Attn: F'Rell, Six & Tancredi

Unlike the Promenade of DS9, Starbase 84 had its own street lined with lounges, tailors and shops on one side, where the Executive Office Complex soared towards the top of the great dome that was the Recreation Module. The outer side of the circular board-walk overlooked a vista of parks, rivers and even an amphitheatre. Therefore, it was only natural that the lounges had seating areas overlooking the sight of the green areas.

At 1200 hours, the new guests at Starbase 84 began to leave their luxurious state rooms, travelling up via the Travel Core from the residential levels to the dome. For a certain T'fanrell visitor, the dome would provide ample room to soar and enjoy the open air, especially after spending such a long time in the close quarters of a starship. The T'Fanrell was not alone, however, since given F'Rell's unique presence, the crew of the Resolve was keen to protect her from the impulses of those who bore witness to a T'Fanrell for the first time.

This was also the time when a certain Ensign Starfleet officer from the Security Department was allowed to leave her duties and experiment with her eating. While Six, being ex-Borg, still regenerated in order to sustain herself, she had come to find appetite in regular cuisine. It was also her only time of the day when she could leave her lab for an extended period of time.

Imagine her surprise, however, when she saw the T'Fanrell, since she had been absent when the Resolve docked with the starbase.


[ Meanwhile | Executive Office Complex | Base Commander's Ready Room ] Attn: Kendrick & ch'Rayya

"Thank you both for being willing to meet with me so soon after your arrival," said Ian as he seated himself behind his desk. He had greeted them as they stepped through the sliding doors to his office, and he gestured towards the replicator. "Please, help yourselves while I give you an update about current affairs in the fleet."

The room was situated in top floor of the offices, which also overlooked the recreation area with its circular Promenade around the Executive Office Complex and the adjacent park areas. Ian's desk was facing away from the panoramic windows, and besides the regular sights of a Commanding Officer's ready room, Ian also owned a large glass display cabinet with hand-painted models of centuries-old spacecrafts of all manner of origins across the Galaxy. Those who knew Ian would not be surprised at the sight, for even those who had never met him might have heard about his hobby and his displays.

The two men present before him were Captain Kendrick and his Chief Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Keval ch'Rayya. The latter had been invited because of the matter that Ian would bring up. "I am curious, however, before we tend to the business at hand, if you have received news about current state-of-affairs in the Alpha Quadrant?"

Ian expected Komial to arrive shortly with the intel he had requested, but first, he wished to know what they had heard so far. That way, he would know exactly what to say, and how he would say it.

OOC: Quick note about armament on a Starbase. It was established in DS9 that bladed and small weapons could be brought aboard, but that phasers were a violation of security protocols. So, knives are fine, but the phasers remain on the Resolve.

Starbase 84 Blueprints:

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Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #9 –
[LT Keval ch'Rayya| Executive Office Complex| Base Commander's Ready Room| Starbase 84] ATTN: Kendrick & Hawkthorne

Krystal's expression darkened for a brief second and then slowly her face turned into a gentle smile, "Ye're mah family, Lieutenant," she said quietly, "da crew of the Resolve are mah friends and family. Mah home is wherever you lot are."

Those words had stuck with Keval for a long time after the various officers, crew and passengers of the Resolve stepped off of their tired ship and onto the nice, clean star-base and those words were still at the forefront of the Andorian's mind as he followed his captain to a meeting with the base's commander, his face pensive and thoughtful while his eyes were always scanning the area for hidden threats or lurking dangers.

But his thoughts kept going back to Krystal's words and he kept asking himself why didn't he have a good response to the young Texan's comment.

Did he have a real thought about returning to a sector of space where he had fought so long and hard to maintain the peace the he actually enjoyed being stuck on a Luna-class ship away from his own people..

Maybe.

Ever since they had returned, he had found his eyes wandering all over the place with questions like the strange woman who was referred to as "Six" who apparently was apart of security along with the rather interesting Trill but was different in a way that made his antenna twitch as he could pick up strange energy fluxes from her every time that she went past which had a couple of people do polite coughs at Keval because they assumed that he was looking at the woman's ass in the tight non-standard uniform.

However despite the best efforts of the base's staff, Keval was a creature of habit and that habit told him to make sure that the pair of QIS that an old shipmate from the Black Hawk had given him for a birthday present was strapped securely to him and ready at a moment's notice...not that he honestly thought that would be necessary..

When Hawkthorne offered them a drink, Keval quickly got a glass of water from the replicator before moving to stand to Kendrick's right side as he shifted his face to thoughtful. "To be honest, Captain. I was curious about that myself along with where does one find a proper game of Kotra around here?"
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OOC Note: A "QIS" is a small, Klingon weapon, specifically a knife with a curved or wave-shaped blade. It was introduced in the reference book "Klingon for the Galactic Traveler" and was pulled by B'Etor on Tolian Soran in "Star Trek: Generations" for reference.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #10 –
[ Tristan Kendrick | Executive Office Complex | Base Commander's Ready Room | Starbase 84 ] Attn: Ian Hawthorne & Keval ch'Rayya

[Show/Hide]


Captain Tristan Kendrick was careful to maintain his composure and keep from expressing any signs of discomfort. Having come from a medicinal line, and having a mild interest in psychology, he knew that there was bound to be...discomfort and difficulty adjusting from a three-year long journey where there was no one to rely on but each other and those within the vessel of the Resolve. So when the commander of the Starbase, Captain Ian Hawthorne, greeted him, and the entire docking bay burst into a deafening cheer, the man was ramrod straight, stiff, and formal. Personally, he would have preferred to avoid all this. Noise of such volume only brought flashes of terrifying moments in countless battles. Explosions, death, screams of the dying, blood, the scent of burning flesh, the taste of blood. He blinked once, the only indication of something amiss. He could still hear, see, smell death around him. He needed silence, he needed...what did he need?

"It's more than anyone could ask for." Kendrick said to the captain of the Starbase. He allowed himself and the rest of his crew to be guided by the staff. He made sure the T'Fanrell wasn't harrassed or cornered without any of the Resolve's crew nearby, but he smiled when he saw that young Krystal Tancredi had taken it upon herself to personally safeguard T'Frell as she glided about. The young woman was quite horribly affected by their journey, both physically and a mentally, yet, she somehow held on to her sanity despite the numerous times she had been wounded, captured and tormented, broken, restored, and over and over again. She bore it all. It gave him a sense of hope that they could make it through all this.

One thing was for certain, Kendrick was not looking forward to the debriefing he would have to give. How was he going to put it gently to the people who would be sitting there, looking at him, and asking a battery of questions? The answer was simple: He couldn't. There was no way to state all that had been endured by the Resolve and her crew nicely. They were extremely lucky to have survived at all.

He almost wondered if they would have been better off just dying out there. Everything looked so foreign and different to him. Three years was all that was needed to make him lose his sense of identity.

So when he stood there in Hawthorne's Ready Room, hands clasped behind his back at parade rest, relaxed, thoughtful, Kendrick mulled over the last moments that led to them approaching the Starbase. ch'Rayya's presence was welcoming and reassuring. He didn't fancy being anywhere on this place without at least one familiar face. His lip quirked up on the right side. While Kendrick carried no conventional weapon, unlike many of his crew, who while keeping away their phasers and ranged weapons, still carried traditional, melee, or small concealable weapons, the captain was by no means defenseless. Lining his pockets and strapped on his person all along his arms, waist and thighs were all manner of equipment, mostly medical tech and some scientific gadgetry that he had innovated for use in his journey.

When they began to encounter continuous situations that required crew to be able to defend themselves physically or to switch to aiding one-another in battle, Kendrick saw fit to make certain changes to operational norms, including every one carrying weapons, ordinance and gear at all times. So that was why Kendrick had a small wrist-strapped medical tricorder, glowing with a faint blue holographic projection of a screen on his palm. Still not quite ready to relax, the ship captain declined the offer for refreshments. He noted the man's extenssive collection of ship models put on display, and observed this, making a mental note.

When Hawthorned asked what Kendrick and his people might know about the current state of affairs, he shook his head. Stepping forward, he turned his head slightly when ch'Rayya spoke first, and requested to know where to find a game of kotra. Kendrick smirked, then turned to look back at Hawthorne, "As the lieutenant says, we haven't been kept up to date. I'm hoping you wouldn't mind bringing us up to speed?"

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #11 –
[Ensign Six | Quarters/Lift/Promenade | Starbase 84] Attn: F'Rell and others

At 1200 hours, Six had finally been relieved of duty. She had finished her reports long before that time, and had busied herself with other mundane tasks, such as checking the weapons station, checking in on individuals that might be in the brig, and other menial work that her superior had made her responsible for. All in all it was grunt work. She had better skills that could be put to use than just this, but even on a starbase as large as this, the need for a forensics officer was actually quite rare here. They had little in the way of severely violent disputes, and even less in the way of unusual reports that would lead to the need for her to solve any real puzzles.

It was entirely frustrating. Six had even gone as far as to contemplate a transfer to someplace that would hopefully use her skillset as intended. But she had only been here a short time. She was determined to wait it out if she could, to see if perhaps she might be able to earn the trust of her peers.

Six took the lift up a few decks to her quarters first, eager to change out of her uniform. She rather hated her uniform if she was ever at all honest about her feelings. They were stuffy and confining, which would sound funny when compared to her normal dress which was a full bodied bodysuit. Originally, like her friend and teacher Seven of Nine, she had to wear it to protect her skin and help it heal after having the majority of her implants removed. But after a while of having to wear it, it just became normal and functional, so wearing anything else seemed, unnecessary.

The difference between her uniform and the body suit was that she had more maneuverability in the suit than she did with her uniform. It was lighter weight as well, almost as if she were wearing nothing at all, which, in the privacy of her own quarters, she wasn't opposed to at all. But out and about, when she wasn't on duty at least, she wore her suit usually in neutral or cool colors, like black, grey, silver, and blue. When she changed, it hugged at her every curve, contoured and tight. It didn't take her long to change though, and soon enough she was back in the lift and heading up more decks to the promenade.

When the doors hissed open and she stepped out into the larger open area of the Starbase she was greeted by a significantly bigger crowd than normal. This was her first... event... as it were that she had been part of on the Starbase. Before this, the regular drum of humans and aliens had become a normalcy for her. She knew every regular face in that promenade, the shop keepers, the residents, the frequenting traders that often came and went. It was almost too easy for her to pick out the new faces in the crowds, many of which were likely from the Resolve.

Without thinking much of it, she took notice of all the new faces from an analytical perspective, much like she usually did, logging each face into her photographic memory along with any information she might overhear or any observations she might make about each individual. She took note of names, species she recognized, species she didn't, weapons and lack thereof ~including some of the less 'legal' ones~, mannerisms and movements, attentiveness and nature. She observed all of it, even some of the quizzical or offhanded looks that were directed her way.

As casually as a Borg could, even an ex one, she strode to her favorite vendor in the promenade. This was one person that was actually quite kind to her, a Betazoid by the name of Daanal Gei that made the most delicious food she had tried. And she had tried many. But the more she tried, the more she became partial to plants, fruits, and vegetables, not finding a taste for meat. Daanal made something called an Uttaberry Crepe with a cream that was sweet and palatable. As much as she liked to experiment with new food, Six had found a favorite here with Uttaberries.

Daanal smiled at her like he usually did, quickly preparing her what he knew she had come for. They spoke briefly for a time, about nothing in particular, despite the fact that he was rather good at telling what sort of mood she was in even though she was very good at hiding it. As she ate and spoke softly with the man something caught the corner of her eye, something blue, and fluid, but the glimpse was so small she couldn't place what it was.

Moving from the vendor to look around where she had seen the blue being, her eyes searched the crowds, her calm, quiet voice asking, "What was that?"
"You wish to knock over cows? What is the significance of this? Do you derive pleasure from such things?" - Ensign Six

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #12 –
[ Ian Hawthorne | Executive Office Complex | Base Commander's Ready Room ] Attn: Kendrick & ch'Rayya

When the Andorian officer asked about where he might play Kotra, Ian appreciated the humour and chuckled. "I am sure you'll be able to find it somewhere along the Promenade, Lieutenant," he said, and then turned more serious. "I suppose you better hear it from me, and you can chose how to best break the news for your crew."

With a deep breath, Ian moved to the transparent aluminium panels that overlooked the view of the Recreation Dome, and he spoke with his hands folded behind his back. "You arrived here through Romulan space, so I am sure you have witnessed their civil war first hand. Senator Tal'aura is the new Praetor with the support of Fleet Commander Tomalak, having eatablished the Imperial Romulan State. Commander Donatra, the CO of the Warbird 'Valdore' openly opposed Tal'aura's new reign, and she rebelled with the accumulated force of the Third and Fifth Fleets. Then you have the the Reman people, who have laid demand for a continent of their own on Romulus - finding it due compensation for hundreds of years of slavery. In answer, Praetor Tal'aura put a blockade on Remus, cutting of food and medical supplies. Three factions are now at each other's throats, and the outcome yet unsure."

Ian turned to face his two guests with a concerned frown, eyes lowered to the floor. "If it were only so well that the Romulan situation was confined to their side of the Neutral Zone... It isn't, unfortunately. Back in 2379, led by the USS Titan, five starships were dispatched to the Neutral Zone in order to begin diplomatic negotiations with the Romulans, trying to mediate an end to their Civil War before it gained any kind of traction. The USS Theurgy - a Theurgy-class ship just out of the fleet yards - was one of the ships. The Commanding Officer was a Chameloid by the name Jien Ives, and during this one and a half year of diplomatic talks, it is believed that the shape-shifter defected to the Romulans."

Pausing, Ian walked over to his ship models, and he looked at a Theurgy-class ship sitting there. "The diplomatic talks failed, and our ships returned to the Sol System. Whether or not this was Ives' fault or not, it is impossible to say, but an investigation on Captain Ives was already underway - Starfleet Intelligence providing Command with reports on their findings. The information is on a need-to-know basis because of the sensitive nature of one of our Commanding Officers defecting, and I was granted the same information as I am now providing you." Carefully, he opened the glass cabinet and picked up the Theurgy-model in his hands. "This past November, the Theurgy fled Earth at maximum warp. Captain Ives must have caught on to the investigation, and Starfleet Command immediately ordered pursuit. Yet when intercepted, the Theurgy opened fire against us. If there was any lingering doubt about the shape-shifter's innocence, it died when the starships that came in the Theurgy's was way not only disabled... but even destroyed."

There were hundreds of lives on a single starship, and Ian let the gravity of what he was saying settle in.

"As the extended pursuit failed, and the body count rose, the security clearance of any kind of information rose with it. The original ambition was obviously to circumvent media attention, but the Federation News Network got a hold of the story anyway. It's kind of hard to cover up the death of so many of our officers. The Theurgy-class was a testbed for the Federations most cutting-edge technology, and it has shown just how sharp it is when it was turned against our own. After two months of pursuit... The Theurgy got away, leaving behind thousands of mothers, fathers and children in grief, the FNN having Starfleet Command in a proverbial guillotine and the President demanding that we get our house in order. Captain Ives whereabouts is currently unknown."

As he had said this, Ian had walked back to his desk, and he set down the Theurgy-model on the desktop. He jabbed a finger towards it. "This is now the fleet's top priority. Evidently, Ives has been falsifying records for months and sending encrypted messages to the Romulans. Our hidden weapon silos have been compromised, with the Theurgy supplying the Romulan factions their coordinates. Military research labs in the Alpha Quadrant have increased their security tenfold, but still the Romulans have gained access to high-grade tech and weaponry. The media is conducting its own investigation at this point, and all sorts of rumours and reports are flying about in public. At this point, even I can't tell you how many ships have been destroyed by the Theurgy, but images of the dead and reports of the damage are detailed. Some of the damaged ships even made it here to Starbase 84, and I have seen the destruction... and the bodies... with my own two eyes."

Falling silent there - with the ship model on the table before them - Ian let the two returning officers digest what he had said... and ask their questions.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #13 –
[ Tristan Kendrick | Executive Office Complex | Base Commander's Ready Room | Starbase 84 ] Attn: Ian Hawthorne & Keval ch'Rayya

[Show/Hide]


Kendrick's posture started to become more rigid and guarded again as he glanced at his tactical officer, then looked back at Captain Hawthorne. He suddenly realized that the situation was more precarious than he could believe. Maybe they weren't really home yet. After all, they had encountered all sorts of things in their journey, including things that could make people see and believe in illusions completely. But there were things said that he didn't know about, and those beings that made illusions could only use what was already in a person's head.

"Seems like we've jumped out of the fire into a volcano...I've heard about the Theurgy," said Kendrick, "that's beyond terrible. And if this Captain Ives has already exposed so much, have we got any kind of countermeasures in place?"

His mind began working over, and he watched Captain Hawthorne carefully, and the little model of the Theurgy-class ship which he'd set down on the desk, "We'd seen some signs of the Romulan problems, but you have to understand, with our ship practically limping along, we did our level best to stay out of sight, and out of detection by Romulans, so that meant we gained very little intel on them as well."

Kendrick had to mind his words carefully. He just realized that Hawthorne was talking about a captain who'd defected to the Romulans and had been causing so much grief for the Federation as a whole, and then the Resolve came limping out of the Romulan Neutral Zone? It wasn't lost on him how easy it would be for the man to point a finger at him and have him and his crew incarcerated. It didn't help that a lot of them were carrying weapons of one form or another. No, now he really had to thread carefully. He didn't want to sound like an easily-manipulated zealot, nor did he want to sound unconcerned.

"Captain, considering what you've just told me, I would like to request priority on the repairs for the Resolve. We're practically located at the border of Romulan space, and if Ives is transmitting information to the Romulans, there's a high chance the Theurgy would be coming here, or at least passing close by. I don't particularly like the idea of being caught with my pants down. My crew and I have developed some interesting tactics over the last three years. I'm sure the Resolve can surprise Ives and his ship if they show up here."

While he spoke, he was already formulating plans in his mind. It bothered him a little how quick and easy it was for his mind to shift into battle-readiness. Maybe he was too used to it. But he was also certain about his ideas. After all, he didn't know too many ships that could match Tribble Squadron, his personal band of fighter shuttles. No doubt anyone who heard the name of the squad over communications chatter would find its name laughable, but that was what they relied on, for people to underestimate them. He also planned to talk to ch'Rayya as soon as they had time alone. They weren't out of the woods yet.

Re: Homecoming

Reply #14 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Brig | Starbase 84 ]

Drauc paced his cell muttering to himself, his voice sounding like gravel being crushed.

The thoughts of those damn guards were so loud, he could have been asleep and still heard them. Drauc stopped pacing stood up straight as he watched the opening as a guard came into view.

'Ah jeez, he is staring again i hate it when he does that and i think he knows it.' thought the guard, but said, "What are you looking at, you Romulan trash? I think the captain should've just launched you out an air lock."

Drauc made no response, but he derived some kind of entertainment from the way the guards looked at him when he laid his eyes on them. Drauc twisted his face into a kind of grin as he began to slowly walk towards the guard and the force field. He reached his scarred right hand up and stopped it just inches away from the force field, just as he could feel the faint buzz and crackle of the energy on the palm of his hand.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #15 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | 1200 hrs. | Promenade | Circling the Executive Office Complex ] Attn:Six & Tancredi

After several months of being cooped up in the Resolve it felt good to be able to stretch out a gain some real height as F'Rell flew around the center of the promenade. It also gave her the ideal view to look down at all of the people, the humanoids staring up at her as she moved through the air with ease. Though it was comforting to not need to be put through another barrage of tests, the looks of the people below reminded her of how alien she was to them. It made her want to fly higher, out of their grasp. It was her own degree of paranoia, left over from years of carefully observing these humanoids, she had seen the darkness these beings were capable of.

Then she spotted a being that she had not expected to see. A pang of fear shot through her and she almost fled, but instead controlled herself. Everyone seemed to be looking at her and not at the being that in her eyes was the truly dangerous one.

The Borg had never attacked the T'Fanrell home world, whether it was because of the extreme degree of biological differences between the T'Fanrell and the Borg's usual prey was unknown. However as the T'Fanrell had been able to observe the Borg for some time they knew how the cybernetic lifeforms operated, and rightly feared them. It was lucky that most T'Fanrell ships were so fast as it prevented any degree of contact with the Borg beyond simple observation on both sides.

In any event when F'Rell saw the Borg on the promenade she could not help but both be terrified and curious. She found herself drifting down toward it, moving in closer to get a better look. Her curiosity had obviously won over any fear or hesitation. Her long whisker like tendrils began to vibrate and less than a moment later words came from the small communicator she held. The voice from the communicator was articulate, but emotionless. =/\= Greetings Borg =/\=

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #16 –
[LT Keval ch'Rayya| Executive Office Complex| Base Commander's Ready Room| Starbase 84] ATTN: Kendrick & Hawkthorne

When Keval heard the news, his antenna flattened somewhat as his eyes narrowed in thought because this was dire news indeed and already the part of his mind that was always in a tactical mindset was already weighing in what he knew about the standard class of the Theurgy' ship and everything.

Keval simply downed the rest of his drink before returning it to the replicator and moving back to stand next to his captain, both of his hands at the small of his back as he continued to process the information. "Captain Hawkthorne, I must concur with my captain on his request. While the Calamity class is capable of a multi vector combat situation, the Luna class' sensor suite is rather more adapt at tracking multiple combat vectors than say an Intrepid or Galaxy class ship." the chan explained, weighing in with what he knew from memory.

At this point he turned to face his own captain, "If I am provided with the most current tactical information about the Theurgy and her crew before she went broken arrow, then I might be able to help formulate a much more..stronger situational plan." he said, his face turning into his usual Cheshire Cat smile when he was onto a thought process.

But the smile went away just as quick as the phrase he used really started to sink in.

Broken Arrow.

Once used by the military of the United States of America to describe the situation when they lost or had one of their nuclear weapons stolen which was then adapted by the United Earth Starfleet, the Coalition of Planets and then the United Federation of Planets as the situational code name for when one of the capital ships of Starfleet went renegade or was stolen.

The most famous case of this was in twenty three eighty eight when Admiral James T. Kirk with the assistance of some of his senior staff stole the USS Enterprise and while the original NCC One Seven Oh One was lost, Kirk's mission was a success...

This thought made Keval's eyes narrow somewhat and that was never good.

Keval's attention flicked back to his captain and nodded in quiet agreement. "I can only give possible tactical outcomes, nothing major at this time. Apologies, my captain."

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #17 –
[ Krystal "Meony" Tancredi | Promenade | Starbase 84 ] Attn: F'Rell & Six

[Show/Hide]


Tancredi's head craned to follow the T'Fanrell's movements or flight pattern rather. She smirked at the alien's expression of joy. Well she assumed that F'Rell was a little happier, being able to go higher than a few meters as she was constricted to in the Resolve. Then the alien was suddenly drifting downwards. She had heard a voice questioning what the T'Fanrell was. But considering that she suspected it wouldn't be the last time she'd hear that question, she hadn't paid it too much mind, until her eyes settled one a Borg. Her eyes widened. Her thumbs instinctively hooked back into the front of her belt as she sauntered over to get closer. The Borg was clearly not an assimilated drone. She was talking, of her own free will, from what she could tell.

"Heh," she grinned at F'Rell, who greeted the Borg woman by identifying her race. "That, ma'am, is a T'Fanrell, doubt ya'd find another like 'er 'round these parts. Ye're a liberated Borg, eh? Nice ta meetcha. Name's Krystal Tancredi, Or Meony. Ah'm from the Resolve. That's mah friend, F'Rell."

She nodded her head at the T'Fanrell when she introduced the alien to the Borg. While F'Rell was no doubt more than capable of communicating on her own, Tancredi wanted to assert her sense of unity and closeness to anyone who was crew, and therefore, family. She didn't trust anything outside of the Resolve, and certainly not a Borg.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #18 –
[Ensign Six | Promenade | Starbase 84] Attn: F'Rell and Tancredi

As the blue creature came into sight once more and lowered herself toward her, Six immediately recognized the species, but even still her curiosity did not ebb. The borg had a designation for the species, but that was all they had on the species, a number, nothing else. As the being came closer, Six handed back her plate to Daanal, thanking him softly before turning her attention back to F'Rell and the other woman that was fast approaching her.
 
With hands firmly clasped behind her back she stood straighter, her head high with a blank look upon her face. The blue being spoke first, and shortly after the other woman spoke as well, Six's gaze following from one to the other as they each spoke in turn.

When the latter had finished Six responded coolly, "Yes, species 7176. I admit I know little about them, but that will soon be rectified." She glanced back over at the being a moment before speaking again. "I see you have no bone structure to speak of, and according to my readings you consist of mostly nitrogen." Cocking her head to the side a little she looked almost puzzled for a moment, as if she were trying to compare the T'Fanrell to something perhaps familiar to her. Her eyes glimmered a bit as she seemed to find something within her memory to do so with. "You remind me of an Earth species. Something called.. a jellyfish," she finally finished.

Without thinking, and not by any means to be threatening, she reached out with a hand toward F'Rell as if to touch her with a fingertip, her face etched in curiosity as she moved to answer a query in her mind. "I do wonder, do you have stingers like a jellyfish?"
"You wish to knock over cows? What is the significance of this? Do you derive pleasure from such things?" - Ensign Six

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #19 –
[Lt Hi'Jak| Promenade | Starbase 84] Attn: F'Rell, Tancredi and Six

"Actually F'Rell is a lot more like an eel than a Jellyfish Notice that F'Rell can direct flight and The lack of bone structure usually means a planet with a higher gravity, which would also explain the evolutionary traits of floating through the use of Nitrogen, darker or aquatic worlds often develop the luminescence." The voice came from the table beside Six's and belonged to a young half Klingon male who turned watching the conversation unfold. The assistant chief science officer for Starbase 84. He turned to join the table putting his plate down next to Ensign Six, and across from the member of the Resolve crew.

"Greetings, I'm the assistant chief science officer aboard Starbase 84, Call me Jack." He gave everyone a rather happy smile, as he looked between everyone at the table, and then his eyes linger on F'Rell he had been trying to figure out the mysteries behind her for about as long as he had been having his meal and watching her. It had purposed a great challenge though his years of studying alien wildlife and animal behavior across worlds had certainly helped him pin down some of the more genetic traits, the one he was struggling the hardest on was gender. Of course he could figure out that the race had genders, it was usually a mated pair one to lay the eggs, the other to inseminate. "I'm gonna make an educated guess that you are a girl F'Rell." Assuming this because he didn't see any way that she would inseminate an egg, so that meant she had to lay them...

He shook his head and turned to face the other two members of the conversation. A rather attractive human red head, and of course Ensign Six, the borg on the station. He knew her, mostly because she was the forensics officer aboard the Starbase and he had the keys to all of the labs, and kept tabs on the various teams that worked them. That and Six being a reformed Borg was a bit of a station celebrity. "How have you been today Six?"

"And nice to meet you as well Tancredi." He gave the red head a soft but what he thought counted as charming smile.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #20 –
[ Krystal "Meony" Tancredi | Promenade | Starbase 84 ] Attn: F'Rell & Others

[Show/Hide]


When the Borg moved, Tancredi's body very subtly tensed, and she stopped moving, but her hands were positioned, so she could withdraw her belt buckle knife in a flash if she needed, buying her time to reach for her much more dangerous dagger concealed behind her. Only her attempts at placating herself stopped her from actually withdrawing and exposing her armaments. After all, Borg or not, if she were truly a threat, then would not the people of Starbase 84 mentioned something about it? And furthermore, she had never seen a Borg that ate food. Watch the paranoia, watch the paranoia...repeat until physically ill. She thought to herself.

Her eyes narrowed into slits, but her gentle and warm smile remained, while she analyzed every action that the Borg took. She let out a soft snort when the Borg, she later learned was named Six, inquired if F'Rell had stingers like a jellyfish. She had been about to make a comment when she heard a voice, and whirled around quickly, this time her left hand clearly whipping out from her belt to reach behind her, only stopping herself just milliseconds from grasping the hilt of her dagger. Since she was still standing, she had unhindered reflexes. It was another man belonging to Starbase 84, and her smile, with warm and inviting eyes, remained. She did her best to pass her action of reaching for a concealed weapon as an attempt to scratch her back instead, while watching the two Starbase personnel like a hawk, all while looking like a friendly young woman. But she was on high alert now, and feeling a little outnumbered.

She listened to the man called Jack, who was the assistant chief science officer. So he had a scientific curiosity for F'Rell. Tancredi hoped the T'Fanrell was doing okay. Being non-humanoid, she had a hard time reading her friend's state of mind. But she was protective, maybe overly so, for the alien, and she eventually might give warning signs of high paranoia and post traumatic stress disorder if she flinched and reached for hidden weapons every time a voice surprised her, so she forced herself to take even, calming breaths. Not once did her smile and warmth lessen, deceptive though it may be, the young woman had years to practice smiling even when great pain was inflicted on her, or when she was frightened. Never would she show how she felt inside. Too often she had been betrayed, or her trust used against her. Save for the crew of the Resolve They were the only people she trusted. And Captain Kendrick. She wished he'd brought her along with him to wherever he was now. Most likely he was hobnobbing with the Starbase commander at this moment. In which case, bringing her would probably be a bad idea. That thought made her smile a little more genuine, as she thought with amusement how much she'd easily rile up the station commander.

"'owdy, Jack. Real nice to meet'cha," said Tancredi, "could'ja point a gal ta somethin' strong enough ta knock a bull over? Ah'd be much obliged."

She figured she'd need a drink at this point, and if anyone else was going to join the gawkers, Tancredi was going to have at least a good pint before she got hauled to the nearest brig...or airlock. She mentally shook her head. The paranoia was getting bad. She was assuming the worst of every situation, even here.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #21 –
[LT Komial Dotnihl | Docking Bay| Starbase 84]

Komial felt, more than saw, Cpt. Hawthorne step up next to her, as they stood, watching the bay empty out. She had her hands clasped behind her back, oddly reflective of the way Ian stood, though not in the slightest bit intentional. She nodded her head, demure, accepting his praise in stride. She was proud of her peoples performance. And well aware of their public roles, she kept it at just that nod, and the smallest of smiles. The trill followed her Captains words, drinking in the sound of his voice while keep her expression steady. A wonderful tenor, always inspiring, something she'd felt from the moment she'd set foot on SB84. Ok, maaaaybe a little hero worship.

And now was not the time for that. Her smile slipped, returning to a professional neutral. "They're armed to the teeth, as much as they can get away with, Sir." She was less then pleased about that, but she understood it. Or at least she liked to think that she did. This was her starbase, her home, and not all that long ago, terrorists had snuck primitive gas propelled projectile firearms - guns, in short - onto her station. None of the Resolves crew had gone that route - the base sensors would have lit up like a Terran Christmas Tree - but it still set her on edge.

"Discretion, sir," she said softly. "We'll keep a discreet eye on them, I promise. Nothing overt, and nothing to make them feel like caged animals, just a few more eyes, like you said. They're heroes, they deserve better than that." Maybe put that rookie on it she thought, something to keep the wet behind the ears Borg out of her hair.  With that thought, the two stayed standing, watching as the cleaning crews came into the bay, before they both went their separate ways, one leaving a few minutes after the other.

[Two Hours Later | Executive Office Complex| Base Commander's Ready Room| Starbase 84 ]Atten: Hawthorne, Kendrick, ch'Rayya

Once more in her regular duty uniform - not that damn stiff necked dress tunic - Komial stood with her lips pursed as she tapped the PADD against her hip, riding the turbolift up from the Security section towards the Base commanders office. Captain Ian Hawthorne's office. An office she had been in many a time before, to be sure. A place that, at first, had always felt like going to the principles office. Now though. Confidence teased a smirk onto those lips, instead of the thoughtful pucker they'd had before.

The smile betrayed some of the thoughts running through her mind - single mind, no sharing here, thank you very much. A multitasking mind to be sure, but there was just Komial. No past lives or experiences trying to crowd out her thoughts.  But as she exited the turbolift and headed across to Cpt. Hawthorne's office, she pushed any of the more personal thoughts and reflections away, and focused her mind instead on the intel she'd been asked to bring. It was...not as complete as she'd like, but then, given the subject matter, there was only so much that they could put together.  Truth was, it had her on edge, the content of that PADD, and rightly so.

She walked into the office like she belonged there, all confidence and swaying hips. Her eyes glanced at the two new men, Captain Tristan Kendrick, tall, light of skin and dark of hair, and then to the Andorian Lt. ch'Rayya with the red collar next to him. "Reporting as ordered, Captain," she said to her superior, then, when his head nodded, she then addressed the guests. "Captain Kendrick, Lt. ch'Rayya, good to see you both again. Welcome aboard." Komial was a diligent officer, and had take her time to review the personnel files on hand for the crew of the wayward starship, from the moment it came into sensor range and made contact.  The former, was easily recognizable at this point. The latter had drawn her gaze two hours before, briefly, during the transfer to the starbase. Two warriors sizing each other up, neither found to be wanting, at least at first blush.

Short pleasantries were exchanged, and then, at a word from her CO, she approached his desk and handed over the PADD she'd brought up with her. "As requested, here's all the Intel we have on the...current state of affairs, sir." Discreet applied not only to her observation of the Resolve's crew, but to what she felt comfortable saying, even in Captain Hawthorne's presence. She didn't know what Cpt. Hawthorne had already told his two guests, but she knew the data she'd passed on just now was anything but good. The situation with the Theurgy had compounded, and add to that, certain raids...

"Shall I stay for the debrief, or...?"

"Thank you Lieutenant, that'll be all. We'll meet again later to go over this in detail ourselves," Captain Hawthorne said, dismissing her as he settled the PADD she'd delivered down on a corner of his desk.

"Aye aye sir," she replied, perfectly satisfied with the bald shaven officers response, "Gentlemen," a nod to the two officers from the Resolve, before turning on her heel and marching back out of the office, with a slight sashay of her hips. It was only once she was back in the turbolift heading for Security to check up on one of the Starbase's less heroic guests, that she let herself smile that secret little smile.

[Two Hours Later | Security Level: Brig | Starbase 84]Atten: Drauc

Komial came into the brig and frowned at the scene, her eyes darting from the man at the security station to the one standing closer to the force field than she liked. What was the name he gave...oh yeah, Drauc. The fact of the matter was, having that Romulan on her station had set the Trill on edge.  The recent raids on Federation stores, the defections - plural, all of it rattled around her mind, and despite how much she was looking forward to the debriefing later, the sight of the prisoner just irked her.

Bad enough the poor Resolve came limping back out of Romulan space, but with that traitor Ives and his stolen Theurgy having defected... Visibly shaking her head, Lt. Dotnhil marched across the room. "Don't antagonize the prisoner, Mackenzie," she told the guard, rapping him on the shoulder with the edge of a PADD, that she scooped off a table on the way across the room. Then, pointing the same grey data slate at the man currently under guard, she snapped off, "And you. Be careful, or I will arrange that second trip out an airlock, just you watch."

She crossed her arms under her breasts, boldly eyeballing the man. They sure botched the cosmetic surgery she thought to herself, eyes lingering now on the surgical scars on his forehead. When the man had first boarded the station, he'd come off as a Vulcan.  The timing of it all was just too much. Her grip tightened on the PADD now tucked under her arm. It wasn't just the Theurgy they had to worry about, not any more. Ian will not like the summary on that report She kept going in circles, playing it all over in her mind, Theurgy, Harbinger, missing stores.

"You'll be pleased to know, Mr. T'Laus, that your stay here in these wonderful accommodations offered by Starbase 84 has just been extended," her tone was pleasant, but her thoughts were anything but. "Unfortunately, you're ride has been delayed. Something about a blown plasma transformer. You and my officers here will just have to suffer on somehow."

OOC: every chance I have missed something here, or have Komial knowing more than she should. Please let me know if anything needs to be changed, much appreciated.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #22 –
[ Drauc T'Laus | Brig | Starbase 84 ]

Drauc pulled his hand back from the field, and stared at the new advesary, giving the female a dead pan stare.

"I suppose you meant that as a joke, and you can stop pretending to be nice." As he spoke he started to file all the information he heard from her in his head stuff to look over later. He stared at the female on the other side of the field, not bothering to try and hide it. Was that her smell?

It reminded him about someone, though it was no Trill. An image flashed before his eyes.

T'Mei.

Drauc eyes widened. As the image started to fade, he jumped forward with all his strength, smashing himself up against the force field. He found himseld screaming in rage and started to beat his fist against the field.

Then... Drauc stopped. He turned suddenly and threw himself head first into the wall to stop the pain he knew was coming. Oblivion was preferable. The last thing he heard before he hit the wall was the surprised intake of breath from outside the force field.


OOC Note: Jack ass thinks he is so tough is the last thing he heard from the one that killed his brother he was caught off guard.Also it should be noted that he is just going to pretend to be unconscious.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #23 –
[ F'Rell of the 12th House | 1200 hrs. | Promenade | Circling the Executive Office Complex ] Attn:Six, Tancredi, & Hi'Jak

F'Rell's silvery eyes studied the humanoids as they spoke. The translator in her appendage vibrated softly as they spoke, translating their words into her own language. She had picked up some humanoid words, but she was not so good as to be able to fully understand them without the small device. It was a crutch, but one she still required.

When she at last spoke again she decided to address the questions directed at her first. Her long tendrils vibrated and the voice came from the translator. "I am what you might consider female, though gender is different in my race than in yours. And no, I do not have any sort of self defense mechanism akin to a stinger. On my home world there are very few natural predators as the unique makeup of the planet does not allow for much diversity."

In an instant she reacted to something. Her eyes seemed to darken slightly and the lights on her sides flashed. A moment of panic, though it quickly faded. She had spoken of her home world and given away what could be valuable information. Around a Borg, even a liberated one and humanoids with minds bright enough that given time they could figure out a great deal about her home world. Though as she relaxed she realized there was not any information that could give an exact location.

Though as she looked around she worried that her panicked display might have caused more stress to those around her. So she lied. "Sorry, that was what you might call a sneeze." The voice showed no emotion and she was pretty sure that those around her would not be able to tell the difference in the vibration of her whiskers like tendrils for it to matter.

Re: Prologue: Homecoming

Reply #24 –
[ Ian Hawthorne | Executive Office Complex | Base Commander's Ready Room ] Attn: Kendrick & ch'Rayya

When Captain Kendrick had asked about what kind of countermeasures had been set in place, Ian Hawthorne raised a hand to casually indicate a round shape. "This station had been fitted with a tachyon defence grid, which will effectively alert us of anyone trying to come close to the station, and give us plenty of time to scramble our defences, not to mention alerting the entirety of Starfleet about the threat. This is a border station and we are fitted with the latest communication tech. We are the last line of defence against a Romulan invasion, so if we would call for help... rest assured that our call will be heard and that all available fleets will come to our aide. Yet as for the threat of Ives handing out classified information, you better ask Starfleet Intelligence what kind of counter-measures they are resorting to in order to preserve the integrity of Starfleet's research and weaponry."

Of course, Captain Kendrick and his Tactical officer both asked to have the Resolve repaired as swiftly as possible in order to lend a hand in the rare event that the Theurgy would opt to try and pass one of the fleet's Orunal-class starbases on his way into the Imperial Romulan State. Ian was already one step ahead of them both. "The Resolve needs sufficient repairs in order to return to Earth's space dock for a complete refit, so you needn't worry, your ship is a priority. Propulsion, shields and replenishing your photon and quantum magazines are measures already scheduled to commence today. I doubt, however, that Ives would try to take on a station of this size."

The Andorian asked about information on the Theurgy, and that was - of course - something Ian would provide. It was essential to the pursuit of the renegade Captain, and the whole fleet knew the technical specifications of the Theurgy by heart at that point. "Naturally, I will send you both the specs and the logs from all incidents where-"

Before he could finish, Ian heard the chime of the door and he gave the two gentlemen an apologetic smile before he bid Komial to enter. He had asked her to bring the latest intel report, and she was a welcome sight... in more than one way. After she had exchanged pleasantries with the returning Starfleet officers and given Ian the PADD, he dismissed her kindly with a perfectly veiled invitation - face straight and he even frowned after he picked up the datapad and began to peruse the data.

"I have just received verification on something that has been running rampant all over the news across the Federation," he said, and he sighed - going to his chair to sit down. He ran a hand over his face, and the obvious agitation he should be feeling easily showed. "Evidently, Captain Ives was has not been working alone. The classification barriers were raised swiftly after the first battles and sent the body count over the hundreds, but now, we know for certain. An Akira-class ship commanded by Captain Declan Vasser, the USS Harbinger, has also defected to one of the warring Romulan factions, working together with Ives to keep their traitorous enterprise running. It makes sense, I suppose, that Captain Ives has managed to slip out of our grasp. He had help, and Task Force Archeron just confirmed it."

Lowering his hand, Ian leaned back in his chair. He raised his brown eyes to look straight at them. "Admiral Sankolov and his Sovereign-class ship - the USS Archeron - has been the lead hunter pursuing the Theurgy, and he has been commanding a whole fleet solely dedicated to the apprehension or destruction of Ives and his crew. He has been hounding Ives since the beginning of December, fought him dozens of times, and he has managed to sustain heavy damage on the Theurgy before Ives managed to vanish in the Borderlands."

Gesturing towards the PADD in his hand, Ian continued to tell them what had happened not even two weeks past. "This says that Sankolov managed to intercept the Theurgy at Theta Eridani IV, and that the Harbinger was sighted right there by its side. It is official now. Captain Ives and Captain Vasser are in this together. Even worse, they managed to get away from the Archeron and Sankolov's entire fleet - almost completely undamaged. The fighting began, and then - without warning - the entire fleet was forcibly powered down - left adrift. All bays and hangars were de-pressurised, shedding personnel, fighters and shuttles to the solar winds. Life support systems were restored with auxiliary systems, but it was only today that they managed to re-establish communication with the rest of Starfleet - having spent over a week in the dark. Ives and Vasser's whereabouts are still unknown."

As if that was not ominous enough, Hawthorne wasn't even finished. He set his hands on his armrests, as if securing his balance before he continued. "Ives and Vasser are not just sending coordinates on to the Romulans. They must be raiding research labs themselves. Either that or the Romulan faction they are taking orders from are providing them with unknown technology. How else could they pull something like that off?" Gesturing towards the PADD on the desk, clearly upset, he continued. "Evidently, they used Task Force Archeron's sensor data exchange network to spread a virus through the entire fleet - disabling every starship and killing everyone in all those shuttle bays without firing a single torpedo. Yet as if to put insult to injury... both the Harbinger and the Theurgy had vanished before the virus took effect - raising state-of-the-art phasing cloaks to escape the single barrage that the Archeron managed to launch at them."

Ian let the implications sink in, letting them animate his face as they came to him. "They broke the Treaty of Algeron. The Romulans that Ives and Vasser aren't working for will know about it sooner or later. There is no question about it. The civil war beyond the Neutral Zone won't remain there. The Romulans are coming, and if the wrong side looses over there, they will come here claiming that Ives and Vasser weren't traitors at all, but working for the Federation all along - preserving our interests in the outcome of the strife in Romulan space. That two Federation starships broke the Treaty might just be the catalyst for the next Galactic War."

Ian covered his eyes with his hand, a slight tremble to his fingers. "My apologies, I-" he swallowed and put his hands down on the desktop, straightening himself in his seat. Eyes lined with worry, he looked at the two officers before his desk. "It is better I tell you than you hear it on the news. I am somewhat personally invested in this development. Both my daughters were on those ships, and I have no idea what has happened to them. I refuse to believe they are traitors, and the alternative is that they were killed. All I know is that Lisa was on the Theurgy, and Cameron was on the Harbinger. I have not heard from them since this whole nightmare started."
 
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