Shakedown

Featuring the following NPCs:
jason-isaacs.jpg - S'Van
Vail.png
jenstar.jpg
FerrisJones-1.jpg - CPO Ferris Jones

Originally Posted by Torrik Nils/02-3-2009 04:30:22 PM

:: Deep Space Nine ::
:: Lower Docking Pylon 2 ::

"I feel like we're being given the runaround," Nils said very quietly to Harry as they rode the lift to the lowest section of DS9's docking pylon. After being shuffled from the transporter room, to the promenade, Ops, and finally the airlock on Pylon 2, the feeling that someone was 'messing' with them settled on the Starfleet Captain.

"No argument there," Finn replied, just as softly, though a part of his awareness was tracking another visit to DS9, some four years past by now. Shaking off images of the long-past chase, he raised his voice for the benefit of Lt. Commander Vail, who'd been asked to accompany them, "What does anyone know about this Commander S'Van?" And why did that name sound familiar?

Vail standing stock still and exuding silent wariness answered in his own hushed tone. "Less than I'd like to and more than I can share. He's definitely one to be watched." The sometimes mysterious El-Aurian's jaw clamped shut as if he were about to say more, but decided against it. His eyes moved from Finn to Torrik very slowly as if he were sizing them up. "Let's just say his section of Starfleet is not well known for working above the board in all circumstances."

Nils immediately picked up on Vail's thinly veiled 'hint' and nodded. "Well, I'll be glad when this is over," he said just as the doors to the lift opened to reveal a very short corridor leading directly to the airlock. On the other side of the chamber which protected the station from the vacuum of space, the USS Chimera clung to the pylon. The three men emerged from the turbolift and strode towards the doors.

As the three approached the airlock, it suddenly hit, "S'Van…" Harry turned to the others, "he's the one Gorsky said retrieved Janus' control device, a few months ba…" but his words were cut off as the airlock hissed open and, just beyond, a tall, lean and very sharp looking officer stood waiting, and watching, their arrival.

Taking point and moving on an intercept course, Nils locked eyes with the Commander. Vail's warning had him operating at an internal yellow alert. "I'm Captain Torrik of the Hawking. And these are Commanders Finn and Vail. We're reporting as requested…" He trailed off and let the officer take the lead. His lack of information on their current situation kept him from making too many assumptions, but he didn't want to appear unprepared for whatever lay in store for them.

"Sir," S'Van, who's features indicated either some Vulcan or Romulan in his heritage, nodded to the Captain, "Commanders."

"Commander," Vail replied coolly.

"Commander," chimed in Harry, just for the fun of it.

Rev S'Van smiled, "If you'll accompany me," he gestured towards the interior of the vessel, "I have a conference room waiting. There is coffee," his gaze rested briefly on Finn, "and a selection of teas," his eyes moved towards Torrik, clearly letting the two know he had prior knowledge of their tastes. Vail he ignored completely.

Resisting his initial gut reaction to question the purpose of the meeting, Nils nodded and followed S'Van as the doors parted behind him into the Chimera proper. The Bajoran cut his eyes to Harry and gave him a knowing look then proceeded onto the starship…

Which was dramatically different from the Intrepid class he'd called home for over a year. With stark white walls and angular corridors, the Prometheus class felt remarkably less 'comfortable.' The floors were uncarpeted and instead bore cold deck plating. Though more militant in feel it also felt distinctly more advanced than the Hawking. And it smelled different too. The three Hawking officers followed their host briefly through the corridor until he vanished into a room marked 'conference'. As Nils rounded the corner into the room S'Van was already taking a seat at the table in the center of the space.

"Please, be seated," the current CO of the Chimera invited. When Finn remained standing, he simply quirked a brow.

"Sirs," Harry began, responding to the pointed look, "not to be a complete buzzkill, but is it possible to move past the pleasantries and get to the point of this meeting?"

S'Van took in the expressions of all three of the Hawking officers, resting longest on Vail. "So be it," he murmured, leaning back in his chair, "then let us, by all means, get down to business." Leaning forward once more, "First and foremost," he began, turning his attention to Torrik, "Captain, I would like you to make acquaintance with your new ship. The Chimera, as of 1300 hours tomorrow, will be yours."

Close your mouth, Torrik, the Bajoran thought very slowly. No matter how prepared he'd wanted to appear, he knew that at the Commander's announcement, he'd blown it. "I'm not…" He shook his head and narrowed his eyes. Act like a Captain! "If I'm not mistaken this is a rather unconventional way to hear about a transfer. And I haven't heard anything from Admiral Corrigan or Admiral D'Rinax, who are my direct superiors in the Gamma Quadrant." He wanted to look to Harry for aid, or even Vail for that matter, but he didn't. Forcing himself to hold S'Van's eye, he set his jaw and steeled his nerves.

"These orders don't come from the Gamma Quadrant and, while I suppose it is unconventional," the Commander responded, pleasantly, "you'll soon find that in some cases, conventions must be eschewed in favor of practicality. For reasons I cannot yet divulge, yourself and the crew of the USS Hawking are to be reassigned to the USS Chimera. This vessel is particularly equipped for a… rather specialized mission which requires your crew. Here is the paperwork," he slid a PADD across the table towards the young Bajoran, "all properly authorized, as you can see." He offered up a thin smile, "Believe me, no one takes the distribution of a Prometheus class vessel lightly." He looked again towards Finn, where he stood, watching, "It will be rather like coming home for you, will it not, Commander?"

"Hold on," Nils interjecting raising his hand and preventing Harry from answering. "A specialized mission that requires a shipwide transfer? This is all very…" He grabbed at the PADD and began reading. From the first sentence his blood went cold. "A temporal incursion?" He sensed more than saw Vail lean into the PADD and try to catch a glance at the Intel. Nils shook his head and scanned the document a bit further. Indeed, their transfer had been penned, signed, and ratified. The crew of the Hawking had been transplanted.

"As you see," S'Van's eyes were hard and met the rising stare of Callan Vail without a glimmer of emotion, "the situation we face is somewhat complicated." He rose and drew the carafe of coffee towards himself and proceeded to pour a cup. "I'd suggest you make yourselves comfortable," he added, "this is going to be a very long briefing."

And the show begins anew…by Harry and Nils. Appearances by Rev S'Van and Callan Vail


Originally Posted by Tatiana Thorne/02-4-2009 02:05:56 PM

USS Hawking
Deck 5, Sickbay

"I heard a rumor from Jenkins," Crewman Wells said as Amy examined her. "Something about a ship transfer."

From her spot seated on a biobed, Tatiana gave an amused laugh, "If you heard the rumor from Tommy, I wouldn't quite take it as fact. She's has the ability to exaggerate," Her index and thumb came within centimeters of each other, "just a bit."

Wells nodded, "That's what I thought, until I heard it from someone else, who heard it from another person who overheard T'Landra talking."

"That is a lot of 'who heard it froms'." she said, her voice dragging off at the end when she noticed her pluralizing the phrase. "Well," Tatiana began, deciding to ignore whether it was right or wrong, "until I hear it from the Captain…" She didn't finish her sentence when she saw Vince entering Sickbay. She gaped silently, her thoughts jumbled as she began to feel panic rise within her. She wasn't ready to see him, to discuss the events that occurred in her quarters.

"Until you hear it from the Captain, what?" Amos asked, and turned to see what Tatiana was staring at. "Oh," she said when she spotted the Chief Helmsman, "never mind."

Vince walked into Sickbay, oblivious to the fact that Tatiana was there. He had ran down there to talk to Usha, but found himself in a different situation when he saw Tatiana. In truth he wasn't sure how he felt looking at her, but he knew that they'd have to talk now, mainly because Usha would make them if they didn't on their own. He stood there for a moment, thinking of what to say or do, frozen where he stood.

"Umm, hi," she said nervously, not meeting his eyes. "How…are you?" she tried, hoping it wouldn't lead to the conversation she wasn't ready to have.

Vince went from his unknowing state, to his old, before Charlotte persona, the one everyone enjoyed, especially himself," I'm good. I've sobered on up, and have decided not to drink anymore. I came to a few more thoughts during the last week or so to, kinda wiped a little somthing hampering me off my slate, became a new man in quite a short amount of time. How bout you?"

"I've just been working," she answered, finally looking up. "Haven't felt like doing much else." Tatiana picked at an invisible strand of fabric on her uniform, "What brings you to Sickbay?"

"Heard we were going to be transfering to another ship, possibly that Prometheus Class rested at one of the pylons, T'Landra wasn't very specific. So I came down here to get my physical done and out of the way, so I didn't have to do it over there," He lied to her, but realized what he said was a good idea, "Plus I wanted to talk to Usha."

She nodded, "I heard that too, but I'm not jumping on the transfer bandwagon until I hear it from the men at the top, if you don't mind. I swear lately I've heard more gossip and personal confessions than I could shake a stick at." Once the words flew from her mouth, she knew they were the wrong ones. Tatiana winced and braced for the very thing she had wanted to avoid at that moment.

Vinced raised his eyebrow, looking back at Tatiana, "Well, sounds like you've become a second counselor…not by choice either." He leaned against the nearest bio-bed, "But, sometimes you get to hear people say things that they really felt like saying at one moment, then in the next, they could care less what had been said, and throw it to the wind," He knew what kind of response she was waiting for, but after his reconciling with his past, he could see somthing had changed in how she was looking at him.

Tatiana's expression changed as Vince finished his sentence. She nodded slowly as what he was doing became clear to her. "Look, if you want to act like I wasn't there to witness whatever you were going through that night, that's your prerogative. I'll play along." she responded.

Vince looked at her, crossing his arms, giving a slight chuckle, "Truthfully, you weren't there, Tatiana, nobody was. You were the recipient of a drunk man's delusion that had faded just as quickly as the hangover that a two week binge created," He leaned off the bio-bed, his arms still crossed," At first I felt I really meant what I said, but in the last couple of days I've got to thinkin' bout some things, mainly the shocked look, and the avoiding this conversation that you've layed in front of me. It's taken me years to get over what has been haunting me, and just now, this very minute, I've realized who I need in my life, and you can just assume the list of who I don't need now," He turned towards his sister who had just walked into sickbay, "Oh hey Sis, what's up?," He turned back to Tatiana, "I'll make this short, forget what I said to you, it was a mistake…"

Her eyes narrowed, and her face burned in anger. This conversation needed to be ended fast, but she could not let it go. "So me taking time to think, much like you did for the weeks I didn't see or talk to you, makes me out to be the bad guy? Nice, hypocrisy is always so wonderful to hear during my day." She smiled coldly, "But I can thank you for one thing though. This little conversation has helped me realize that I was right from the get go about whatever it was that we were doing. I shouldn't have even wasted my time these last few days trying to decide if you were what I wanted. Obviously you aren't, men who can't see beyond their own bruised ego over the fact a woman didn't immediately swoon at drunken confessions of love really aren't worth my time."

Vince smiled and shook his head, "I'll admit the drunken thing was off, but what you just said was funny."

Usha Looked at him, then back at Tatiana, "Personally guys, this probably isn't a good place for this, don't you think?"

Vince looked back at his sister, "Yea, you're probably right," He handed her a PADD that he had been holding, "Thought you may wanna have this, and this conversation is over. I'm done." Vince walked out of Sickbay, leaving Tatiana and Usha standing there.

"Well, I'm sorry for you, but you just witnessed Vince coming back from the dead," She held the PADD up for Tatiana, "She was everything to him, and from what he said, he's starting anew, and you were too much of a reminder…or at least that's how I took it."

"Your brother is a d***," she responded to Usha, completely ignoring what the doctor had just said. She slid off the biobed to walk away, but stopped first at Usha's side, "If that was what he was like before, then good riddance."

JP with Vince Stryfe featuring: Amy Amos, Usha Stryfe


Origially Posted by Emily Star/02-4-2009 05:06:02 PM

"Mmmm bed!" she said, flopping down onto her blankets. So soft,so comfy. Her eyes slowly closed and she sighed contentedly.

Then her PADD chirped.

Emily lifted her head slowly and remembed there had been a message for her. Her curiosity peaked and with a lazy roll she flopped onto her back and sat up. Grabbing the PADD she opened the message and began to read.

Emily,

It's been a year since your fathers death and we haven't heard a single word from you. Missing his funeral hurt me in ways I cannot describe. I know you and he didn't get along but I thought you at least cared about me. I know I wasn't the best mother but I did a lot more than I should have at times. Emily stopped reading for a moment, "Well it's not as if I could just hope a transport home!" she murmured, "Take your guilt and shove it…"

Many things have changed since you were last here. Your sister flunked out of college, apparently due to her inability to convince her professors that she was a candiate for the medical field. I know you're probably laughing but I'm hoping that there's a part of you that understands how important this was to her. Your father filled her head with many stupid ideas but the thought she was invincible was the one that has now been shattered

"and about time too," she added.

So, on a whim she joined Starfleet.

Emily read the sentence over at least ten times before looking away from the PADD. Her sister…in Starfleet? Her sister had cursed her for even joinng up. Had poked and proded at her in ways that she still had nightmares about and yet now she was the same. It was a blessing the fleet was so large. There was no way she'd get a transfer to the Hawking. Not on such short notice…unless it wasn't short notice.

Don't worry, she's not transfering to your ship. She thought it would be funny but decided against it. She's on a new ship, the Chimera I think its called. Apparently she's waiting to board, hasn't left yet. I hope, if you do run into her you'll make room to forget the past and get to know each other. After all, you're both in security.

"She's in security? How many people did she have to sleep with to do that? She can't fight! She can't even run without complaining of blisters." she stopped talking. It had been awhile, perhaps things truly had changed. Or then again, perhaps she could just rely on what she knew and let it be.

"I need a drink, a large one." she said, leaving her quarters once again for some distracting company.


Originally Posted by Jenny Anderson/02-5-2009 09:38:31 AM

Deep Space Nine
Promenade - Level 2

"… so," Jenny was saying as she and Ben exited the 'lift, "all the Starfleet personnel on the visitation logs from our last stopover check out clean… well, on the first two levels of search I could run but," she paused, clearly excited by the 'chase' to which Harry had set her, "there were two civilian agencies who had reps on-ship… one to repair or replace furniture damaged by the IAS incursion," she stopped her hand from brushing over her side, where that incursion had left a pointed lesson, "and the second, IsoPrime, Inc., was brought on to reconfigure some of the non-essential systems which were left wonky from all the rift activity."

"Which means we get to strong-arm two separate sets of bozos before we decide which one is our palooka and give them two tickets on the midnight express!" Ben grinned at Jenny as he punched his right fist into his open left palm. Oh yeah, this beats the hell out of cleaning rifles. Or repairing a faulty uniform replicator. the Iotian surmised. "So what's our game plan? Just walk into their office and start twisting their arm? Or do we take a more subtle approach..like say we're a couple looking for some swanky furniture for our new pad or a..uh..I don't know what you would say to a non-essential systems salesman."

"The same thing we'd say to the furniture salesman," Jenny bit her lip at his enthusiasm, wondering if she might have been too rash asking Ben to come along as backup but, when the crap hit the scrubbers, he did make for incredibly good backup. Besides, it was Beta shift, the only one they both had free and so the only chance they'd have to see each other for who knew how long? "That is, we start with the tech company and nicely ask to talk to the employee who was on the Hawking. If the management isn't cooperative then we call in a higher ranking officer and maybe they call in the local security chief. Sorry," she added with a warm smile, "it can't all be a raid on the ice palace."

"I was gonna ask the Ice Twerp nicely, honest," Ben said returning her smile, "he just didn't want to see things my way. So then I asked him with the chopper." He let his hands fall back at his side, one arm brushed the phaser that sat at his waist. It felt different to always have a phaser with him. Different but somehow the same since he had always carried a heater at home. "If they give us the runaround, I bet a punch to the beak would loosen their lips quicker than calling a security officer.."

Jenny froze and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop, "This isn't Sigma Iotia," she said, genuinely worried, "and generally, in Federation territories a punch to the beak only leads to more punching more beaks… or a call to the constable's and people getting locked up and…"

"Hey, I was just sayin'; I ain't gonna go off half-cocked and make trouble," BHP reassured Jenny. He gently took hold of Jenny's arm and squeezed it lightly with his fingers. "We got a job to do. I'll follow your lead. I won't make trouble until they do and I ain't gonna look for a fight." Ben looked closely at Jenny's face, the worry was clear enough but there was something else. She looks tired. he thought. "No punching beaks," Ben promised.

"What more could a girl ask?" she said, tamping down the nerves. She'd gotten the go-ahead to meet with the civilian vendors from Jameson and didn't want to screw up… and beyond that, Ben's sheer verve was putting her on edge. Being around people who weren't shy of sleep tended to make her feel sort of transparent… more a shadow than a person. "Let's go make nice with the IsoPrime people, and see if anything smells off."

"Why would they smell..?" BHP asked in confusion before realizing it was probably 24th century slang. "Nevermind." He released his hold on Jenny's arm and they proceeded to the nearest station information console. After finding the location of both businesses the two security officers made their way to the offices of IsoPrime who had a spacious set-up in one of the upper docking pylons. Ben admired the view through one of the large windows until he realized it was nothing more than a viewscreen that projected an image of the wormhole on the office wall. He waited, carefully studying their surroundings while Jenny made her inquiries.

In only a few minutes, Jenny rejoined Ben, where he'd provided an impressive backdrop to her questions… the female receptionist had been more than happy to pass Crewman Anderson on to management while she took in the view of Security Officer At Rest. "I think we can postpone the furniture shopping… things just got interesting," she said under breath, tilting her head towards the promenade, indicating they should talk outside of the IsoPrime office.

BHP flashed the receptionist his Iotian million dollar smile before exiting the IsoPrime premises. Maybe we'll need more help from her, doesn't hurt to have a friend. he figured as he followed Jenny out onto the promenade. "So what gives?" Ben inquired once they were outside.

"So, there was one IsoPrime employee on the Hawking… by the name of Ross Treakle," she waited for the laugh to die down, "Yeah, I know but, get this… one week after finishing the Hawking, Mister Treakle walked in and gave his notice, said he'd come into some cash and was going to give the easy life a try but the next day the body of that same Mister Treakle was found in lower pylon three, under what looked to be an entire shipment of quintotriticale."

He had once heard this term and it seemed to fit the scenario Jenny had just described. "Poetic Justice," Pierce commented, "Or just someone trying to tie up all their loose ends," he thought for a moment then added, "or maybe both." Ben frowned because it seemed as if their investigation had suddenly hit a wall. Follow the money. The advice was from Don Morello, his boss from his homeworld, who on more than one occasion had given Ben advice on how to become a good earner. "Can we ask station security to look at his sudden increase in fortune? The dough had to come from somewhere.."

"Right," Jen agreed, grateful for his insight, "let's make the request… and beyond that," she ran a hand absently over her brow, "beyond that we need to start thinking who would benefit from this particular act? Not the murder," she added, closing her eyes so she could start to see the bigger picture, "the attempted murder… it was Commander Costala's voice that activated the code…"

"Yeah?" Ben's lips thinned down as Jenny nodded. It was a vindictive act and the act of a coward to kill someone through a program. "It has the feel of assassination to it, more than just a hit, like whoever did it didn't care if he knew it was them. They just wanted him dead." He had seen Jenny's hand pass over her brow and wondered if it was due to fatigue. He stepped in closer to her. "I guess we can ask the Chief who has it in for him." Ben placed his hand on Jenny's back, out of sight to anyone passing by them because they were close to the promenade's railing. "You look tired Jenny," he said softly, "are they pushing you real hard in training?"

Crap. "Hard enough," she smiled up at him, willing the tired away because, of all things, she was determined that Chuck, even the twisted nightmares of Chuck, not touch this part of her life. "I think, maybe, they want to be sure I'm… we're… prepared for the worst case scenario. And let's face it, I've run into a couple of pretty hard cases so…" Not caring that they were in uniform and in public, she let herself lean against him, just for a moment, "It'll be okay."

The knowledge that she was being pushed hard to prepare for an attack of any kind reminded Ben of his promise to Chief Costala. Before the Chief Engineer had signed off on Pierce's transfer he had been very forthcoming about what role he expected to see Ben move into. 'Jenny Anderson's welfare is partially your responsibility now Pierce, more so because you'll be her protector, comforter and confidant. It's not a task to take lightly and I hope for your own sake you'll strive for excellence in all three roles. If things don't work out the way you would like that's fine, but I will never release you from your responsibility as her protector. I made a promise to her fa..to Seth Anderson. You're going to help me keep that promise.' Ben had agreed and the transfer had been completed.

BHP's hand gently rubbed her back. "If you need to talk about it..we can make time. I hear Quark's makes a killer white chocolate mocha-raktajino. I don't think Chief Jameson would begrudge us a five minute coffee break."

As always, the invocation of Jameson stiffened her spine. Not gonna be the weakest link, "I'll take that offer… right after we start the local Security Chief running the financials." Which would give her enough time to come up with something to talk about.., after all, only so far a gal could go with mine defusions and avoidance techniques for knife attacks. "You get to do the talking this time, Mister Senior Officer." She grinned, pulling away so they could start towards the station security office.

"Or I could order you to do the talking," Ben teased, "Seniority has its perks, Crewman." He winked at Jenny then fell into step beside her. "Too bad I can't use my powers for evil, I'd order you to Stellar Cartography for a few hours."

Joe Hardy and Nancy Drew are on the job.


Originally Posted by Torrik Nils/02-5-2009 03:24:53 PM

Deep Space Nine
Lower Docking Pylon 2

"I hate spooks," Harry muttered as the airlock of the Chimera closed, cutting them off from Commander Rev S'Van's icy stare. Then he looked at Callan Vail, walking to his left. "No offense," he offered the Intelligence officer, who'd been remarkably quiet during the five-plus hours the three officers had spent in the Chimera's briefing room, learning a great deal about their new vessel and not nearly enough about the assignment which required an entire crew to move house.

"None taken," Vail responded, calmly.

Torrik Nils, striding purposefully just ahead of the two, said nothing so Finn pursued something that was niggling at his 'uh-oh-ometer'. "Did anyone else get the feeling ol' S'Van wasn't too happy when I asked for the Chimera's crew manifest?" he raised the PADD he'd demanded of the Chimera's pro tem CO.

"He knows you," Vail responded cooly, as the three approached the pylon's turbolift. "That is, he knows enough of you to know you'll run a background check on each and every member of his… soon to be your," the El Aurian nodded towards Torrik, "crew."

"And that we will," commented Nils as he walked. The entire thing felt 'uncomfortable' to him. Aside from the sheer irregularity of it all, the notion of leaving the Hawking behind made him feel very sad. The ship had become home. And it was Jillian's last dwelling place. Leaving it all behind would be like saying goodbye all over again. "Run a background check, I mean. Vail, if you would pool your resources and find out about every person that'll be on that ship. Harry… the same, only following your own methods. I'll be damned if we get played like a pawn for…" What had Harry called them? "Spooks. At least we get to take those we trust from Hawking," he added with a sigh.

"I just hope we can get the transfer completed on S'Van's schedule," Finn said, pressing the call pad for the 'lift. "His timetable is damned unforgiving."

"My assumption is there is a reason for the push. The nature of the mission makes everything time sensitive," Nils said seriously. "Anyone familiar with Terra Prime? Other than a paragraph in Federation History class I don't remember anything about them?"

"They are not too far removed from Bajor's 'Circle' actually," Vail commented from behind. "Similar interests and goals, but without the spiritual undertones and motivation."

"I've had just about enough xenophobic zealots for one lifetime," the Captain interjected, his tone dry and humorless.

"Ahh, but these xenophobic zealots go to eleven," Harry commented as the 'lift arrived and the trio entered. "The thing that's niggling at my brain is, why us? I mean, I don't think it's because we've done the zealot dance before… and except for a me and maybe one or two folks in Tactical, our crew won't be rated for one of the most tactically adept vessels in the 'fleet." His left hand clenched in a fist, "There are an awful lot of blanks in Mister S'Van's narrative."

"I don't like blanks," Vail said under his breath. His voice was as cold and hard as Nils had ever heard it, which lead him to believe their resident 'spook' would be doing some digging whether the Captain asked him to or not.

"It certainly doesn't make any sense to me. Pulling one of the few ships and crews from Gamma to man a different ship in a quadrant full of Starfleet crews is a bit suspect." The lift ascended to the main level and opened to the promenade. "Unfortunately, it is not ours to question." At least not yet. "So Terra Prime gathered up a bunch of alien hating humans in the late 2100's and set off to start their own utopian-one-race-centered society. Why are they stirring now and what's so damned important about this 'package' it has fallen to us to retrieve?" He raised the PADD he'd been carrying at his side and reviewed the data once more. "We've got two out of a suspected three pieces to this data and until we get piece three, we can't get a full picture of what is going on…or what went on. Or…what will have gone on. Language doesn't make many allowances for temporal incursions."

"We don't even have the background of the full picture," Finn pointed out as they wove their way through the station's populace. "But I'll bet you my last pair of boxing gloves that S'Van's got a line-drawing of the foreground that he's not showing us." And Harry was going to make it his business to find out just what that foreground was. He glanced to the right and almost missed a step as he saw, seated near the window of Quark's, Jenny and her shadow, Pierce, laughing over a couple of frothy-looking beverages, she's almost twenty, she's almost twenty…. "Meanwhile," he added, the sight of the two bringing another concern to light, "what are we supposed to tell the crew?"

"The next step," Nils answered with matter of fact resolve. "More than that and we start adding theory and supposition to orders and the two should not mix. We're intercepting the Terra Prime archaeological team's ship en route from Luna… Or 'The Moon,' as you humans like to call it," he added with a smile. He and Jillian had once had an entire philosophical discussion about why Earthlings spoke about the Terran satellite like it was the only one. But he pushed that memory to the back burner. He'd rest in it later. "If they've recovered the last piece of the puzzle and removed it without proper permission from Federation Antiquities we'll have legal right to seize it. And hopefully it will shed more light on the whole mission."

Harry slid a glance to Vail, who wore the same expression Finn knew he was wearing… the 'the only thing S'Van's light will reveal is more shadows' look. "We'll have to train on the fly," was all he said aloud. "I want our people versed in the Chimera's capablities before we run across the Terra Prime contingent… I'm not comfortable relying on the in-place crew if things get touchy." And they would get touchy; every previously broken bone in his body knew it.

And I'm not comfortable being in command much less commanding a ship that is a mystery to me, thought Nils, weighing his own inadequacies. "At least, you're familiar with the ship," the Bajoran said in genuine relief. "I'd like to add a shift to the rotation and shorten schedules to allow for more training time as well. Anything we can do to give ourselves an edge en route, let's do." Their 'to-do' list was already immense. "I'll make a ship wide announcement as soon as we get back home." Home… Not for much longer.

"I'll see what I can rummage through from my vantage and report as soon as the transfer is complete," Vail intoned softly. "I'm certain I can bring more information on Terra Prime to the table, if nothing else."

"I'll talk to a guy who knows a guy who knows some other guys," Harry added, "and, if it helps," he told Nils with the kind of smile that spoke of memory, "the Chimera will be able to help us out with that training." When the other man looked confused, the smile grew, "Tell me, have you ever heard of the three Fates?"

:: USS Hawking ::
:: Bridge ::

Not once since taking command had Captain Torrik made an announcement over the ship wide channel. He'd considered it once or twice, but always decided against it. In this instance, however, he felt it not only necessary, but appropriate. The Bajoran nervously rose from his seat and punched up the all call from the armrest console.

"Attention crew… This is the Captain. As per orders, I am hear by disseminating transfer orders to the entirety of the Hawking crew. Hardcopies and electronic notices will be issued through normal channels regarding your new post, which is the USS Chimera." Nils paused, realizing how clinical and out of touch he'd sounded. He took a deep breath and continued. "For over a year, the USS Hawking has been so much more than just a starship to me. She is a symbol of the unity in purpose that each of you serve so selflessly. Many of you have been on board longer than I, and the feelings that I have for this ship may even be amplified for you. Know that what you've done here, on this vessel, has made a difference… And although we say goodbye to the ship, we take the next step together." Another pause let him accept for the first time in a very real way what he was about to say. "And that is what's important. We are the crew of the USS Hawking. And we will be the crew of the USS Chimera. Fortune has allowed us to take 'home' with us. I'm proud to serve with each of you and look forward to the journeys ahead… Now pack your bags. Our new ship awaits…"

A JP with Harry Finn


Originally Posted by Emily Star/02-5-2009 04:17:10 PM

"Attention crew… This is the Captain. As per orders, I am hear by disseminating transfer orders to the entirety of the Hawking crew. Hardcopies and electronic notices will be issued through normal channels regarding your new post, which is the USS Chimera." Nils paused, realizing how clinical and out of touch he'd sounded. He took a deep breath and continued. "For over a year, the USS Hawking has been so much more than just a starship to me. She is a symbol of the unity in purpose that each of you serve so selflessly. Many of you have been on board longer than I, and the feelings that I have for this ship may even be amplified for you. Know that what you've done here, on this vessel, has made a difference… And although we say goodbye to the ship, we take the next step together." Another pause let him accept for the first time in a very real way what he was about to say. "And that's what important. We are the crew of the USS Hawking. And we will be the crew of the USS Chimera. Fortune has allowed us to take 'home' with us. I'm proud to serve with each of you and look forward to the journeys ahead… Now pack your bags. Our new ship awaits…"

The words ended, the reality of the situation causing a peak in the conversations around her. A few others rushed out to pack their belongings and some cried. Emily stood still, rigid and focused on the two words that stood out far more than any of the conversation.

The Chimera. Which meant her sister.

"She had to know…" Emily whispered quietly. Then again how could she have known? How could she possibly have had any idea? Groaning and walking rather slowly she joined her fellow crewmembers preparing for the move.

_(later on)_

"Emily Star", a voice said from behind as she left the Hawking. She knew it, she hated it and yet she still turned.

"Hello Jennifer. How's life in space?" she put her luggage down and stopped to look her sister up and down,"Nice outfit."

Jennifer smiled, "I know, the colors suck but the uniforms are quite flattering. At least on me, don't you think?" she did a twirl, "Can you believe it, we're on the same ship! How coincidental!"

"Uh huh," she picked up her luggage again. She had no idea why she'd even put it down. It wasn't as if they would hug, "Coincidental. Who'd you sleep with to get that information?"

"Ouch, that hurt." she walked beside her,"You haven't lost that sharp tongue have you?"

"Nope and I see you're as open for buisness as ever." she shot back.

"Now isn't that nice. I come here to greet you and in less than five minutes we're back to twenty years ago. You know, people do change." she put her hands on her hips.

"Yea, not in my world." she smirked,"Not in my family especially."

Jennifer raised an eyebrow, "Adopted or paternal family? I can never tell which you mean."

"Look, we're on the same ship, the same section…can't you just go away and give me some time to pretend you don't exist. I've done rather well so far." she turned and left, heading towards the security area where they were needed before boarding the ship.

Jennifer stood alone, looking around at the few people who'd noticed their conversation,"She's a little high strung. Needs less caffine…" then wandered off to get her own luggage.

Featuring the NPC Jennifer Star


Originally Posted bySimba Wekesa/02-5-2009 07:55:31 PM

USS Hawking
Wekesa/Hudson Quarters

Simba sighed as he flopped lazily back onto his bunk and looked around the spartan room. It seemed like just a few days ago that he'd been unpacking, trying to make the space feel like home, and now everything was going back into crates to be transported to the Chimera. Fortunately, he hadn't had time to accumulate too much stuff on the Hawking, so packing wasn't as tedious as it could have been. Nonetheless, he'd been packing for nearly an hour and it was time for a break.

The news of the crew's transfer had come as a surprise to everyone, and the ship's rumor mill had been in overdrive ever since the captain had announced it. Nobody really knew what was going on, though it seemed that everyone had a different theory. Simba, for his part, didn't really care. He hadn't been aboard the Hawking long enough to have any real attachment to the ship, and all of his new friends in the crew would be going over to the Chimera as well. Whatever the reason was, they'd find out when the time was right. Pondering the day's events, he let his eyes drift shut for a moment of rest before he would make himself get up and finish packing.

=/\=Chief Warrant Officer Raynes to Cadet Wekesa=/\=

Simba tapped his commbadge as he rolled onto his side and opened his eyes. "Wekesa here… go ahead."

=/\=You presence is required in the XO's office, best speed, Cadet=/\=

"Um… on my way," the cadet replied, nervously, as he quickly sat up and reached for his boots. He hadn't even met Commander Finn in his brief time on the Hawking, and being unexpectedly summoned to the exec's office certainly didn't put him at ease. Quickly, he pulled the boots on and headed out the door, zipping up his uniform jacket en route to the turbolift.

USS Hawking
Executive Officer's Office

"Come in, already," Harry called out as the door chimed, for about the thousandth time in the past two hours. "I already told you, I want the LCARS… oh," he backtracked from the rant he'd intended to deliver to Raynes as not-Raynes appeared at the door. "You're… Wekesa, right?" He tossed the PADD's he'd been shuffling through onto the couch and stood, waiting.

"Yes, sir," Simba replied, stiffly, standing at attention in front of the Commander's desk. "Cadet First Class Simba Wekesa, reporting as ordered, sir." Was he being too formal? Not knowing the purpose of his visit to the ship's second-in-command, he figured it would be best to stick to protocol.

Wasting no time on formalities, "What do you know about ablative armor?" Though Harry had gone over the cadet's files, he wanted to hear from the man himself how knowledgeable he was.

"A good deal, sir. The prototype for the technology was brought from the early twenty-fifth century by Admiral Janeway and the U.S.S. Voyager. The ablative armor generators are placed at various locations on the ship's hull, and when deployed encase the entire ship in a shell of adamantium which is nearly impenetrable by conventional weapons. Since Voyager's return, Starfleet engineers have been working to reverse-engineer the technology. The specific details of how the technology works are classified…" Simba paused, uncertain of whether or not he should tell Finn that he had, in fact, been part of the team who had worked on the technology and was very well versed in its specific workings. It was most likely in his files, but he chose to err on the side of caution. "The technology is considered experimental, and to the best of my knowledge it hasn't been deployed on any Federation starships, sir."

"So, you're… up on the shields… that's good." Finn took a moment and considered the young man before him, "And your specialty… while in engineering you've been primarily functioning in support of the Hawking tactical systems?"

"Yes, sir. My specialization is in defensive systems engineering." He looked back at the commander, who no doubt knew more about his background than he was letting on, still trying to figure out the purpose of their meeting.

"Okay," Harry let out a breath, "okay… two things: one, the highly experimental ablative shields have been deployed on our new home… the Chimera, well," he almost smiled reminiscently, "she's always had a few extra bells and whistles, but that brings us to the second thing," he eyed the young man before him, "I understand your choice was to be in engineering but, for the time being, I'll need you to take a transfer to the Tactical team of the Chimera."

Simba blinked a few times, surprised at what he was hearing. On one hand, he'd spent nearly two years working on the prototype shield generators, and the idea of actually using them in something other than a simulation was, to say the least, intriguing. On the other hand, he was an engineer. Developing or even maintaining a system was one thing, putting it to practical use was another entirely. "I understand, sir. But… with all due respect, sir, there must be other… officers." Hell, he wasn't even an officer yet. "Other officers who are more qualified to serve in that capacity."

"There are several… most of them are part of Chimera's crew," Harry growled. "Look, I'm not asking you to take point on Tactical during a firefight," yet, "but none of our team have the tech background on the kind of systems Chimera offers… most of them have been making the best of 'last year's model' for as long as they've been in the Gamma Quadrant. Fuentas has the most up to date technical know how of the group and I want as much brain power as possible from our ship walking onto that ship… because I don't know them, but I do know us."

The cadet nodded. "Yes, sir, I understand." Truth to be told, the first officer's orders did make sense. There were a lot of unknowns when deploying a new technology in the field for the first time, and a lot of limitations as well. If not used correctly, there was always a lot of potential to damage the ship or other systems. As an engineer, he probably knew better than most of the tactical officers how to get around those issues and avoid problems. "Of course, sir, I will do everything I can to aid the success of our mission. What are your orders, Commander?"

Adaptable… he liked that in an officer, "I've already got the go from Commander Costala and Chief Ibrahim, so as of this moment you're to
report to Lt. Fehr, currently to be found in Auxiliary Tactical, downloading all the ship's defensive maneuvers… just in case any of our old tricks can be adapted to the Chimera's capabilities. He'll put you to work… and I expect there will be a few meetings with the rest of the Tactical staff, ours and theirs… before we get out of the gate."

"Understood." This meeting hadn't gone anything like Simba had expected. Actually, since the meeting itself hadn't been expected, he wasn't really sure what he'd expected, but this was certainly turning into a day of surprises. He stood for a moment, letting everything soak in. "Will that be all, Commander?"

"Yes… no… one more thing. I understand you were with Hudson and Marsters, killing that holodeck program." Finn didn't wait for a response, "That was good work… all of you. Now," he nodded towards the door, "go do more good work." Then, when Wekesa had left the room, Harry let out a soft sigh, "Are they getting younger?"

A joint post with Commander Harry Finn


Originally Posted by T'Shaini/02-5-2009 09:10:20 PM

USS Hawking
Chief Engineer's quarters

"But I waaant Daddy! There was nothing she could do, the girl was inconsolable. T'Shaini relinquished the attempts at distraction and simply held Lia and let her cry. Javier was busy attending to the myriad of things that needed to be in place before they began the move to the Chimera, there was such a great rush that all non essential duties were suspended…which included her counseling sessions, so that once she, Leo and David had taken care of their own office, there was little to be done. Even before she had heard that Javier was going to be staying on after his shift was officially over T'Shaini had headed down to the school room, the children had been through so much recently, the Chimera move was certainly only going to add to their stress. And so she had found Katie and Baya surrounded by chaos…well that was generally the case when she entered the schoolroom, but this time it was not due to her entrance.

"T'Shaini, an extra set of hands would be great. Katie shouted over the heads of Samuel and Autumn who she was vainly trying to seperate.

Without hesistation the Vulcan swept in and scooped Autumn up in her arms, which was rather like picking up a squid in a blender. "I see your day is going well."

"THAT IS IT." The entire room froze…even the squirming bundle under the counselor's arm stilled with the force of Baya's voice. "Naptime for everyone!" T'Shaini had never heard the Bajoran raise her voice, it was perhaps that very fact that gave it so much power when she did. Children of all races, who had, moments before, looked like a ravening hoard, meekly followed her into the nap room and curled up on their mats. Katie and she exchanged a wide-eyed look as they waited for Baya to return.

"What are you two looking at?" The Bajoran smiled.

"I am pondering doing tests on that tone in your voice…I think perhaps we could use it as a defensive weapon." The Counselor said with a deceptively straight face…or it was until Katie began to snicker. Once the gentle laughter spread throughout the room, the three women moved as one into the next room and relaxed in the quiet, cupping their hands around the warm mugs of tea that Katie had brought them.

"And they have been this…rowdy…all day? Or did it start previously?"

"Oh Tee, they have been fine all week, it was today that it just errupted." Katie said with an exhausted tone while Baya nodded her agreement wearily.

"Well, as unsettled as the atmosphere is on this ship it is no wonder. No one is quite certain of the future and everyone needs to hurry to make deadlines for this rather hasty transfer. That the children are manifesting the disorder or the agitation of the adults seems…logical, if one may forgive the overuse of that word by my race." T'Shaini said lightly and was rewarded with a weak smile from the other women.

This conversation replayed in her head as she rocked the sobbing child in her arms. We all know how you feel…just most of us are not allowed to show it.


Originally Posted by Tatiana Thorne/02-6-2009 12:45:02 AM

USS Hawking
Deck 5, Sickbay

“Wow,” Amos said as the doors closed behind Vince, speechless as to the showdown that had just occurred seconds before.

“You can all go back to work now,” Tatiana announced, glaring at the Sickbay inhabitants that were staring at her in shock or waiting to see her reaction. “Nothing to see here. In fact, this is all a dream,” She continued wiggling her fingers in a feeble attempt to distract the onlookers. The doctor was still reeling from the event, trying to get her bearings and shake it off.

Amos stopped what she was doing with Wells and grabbed Tatiana’s arm before she could get away and asked gently, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Amy,” she answered and mustered up a smile for the nurse. “I’m fine,” she repeated her voice stronger; she was slowly working her way up to believing that she actually was. It shouldn’t have mattered and it would never again if she got her way. Before Amy could say more, the Captain’s voice flooded the comms.

"Attention crew… This is the Captain. As per orders, I am hear by disseminating transfer orders to the entirety of the Hawking crew. Hardcopies and electronic notices will be issued through normal channels regarding your new post, which is the USS Chimera." Nils paused, realizing how clinical and out of touch he'd sounded. He took a deep breath and continued. "For over a year, the USS Hawking has been so much more than just a starship to me. She is a symbol of the unity in purpose that each of you serve so selflessly. Many of you have been on board longer than I, and the feelings that I have for this ship may even be amplified for you. Know that what you've done here, on this vessel, has made a difference… And although we say goodbye to the ship, we take the next step together." Another pause let him accept for the first time in a very real way what he was about to say. "And that's what important. We are the crew of the USS Hawking. And we will be the crew of the USS Chimera. Fortune has allowed us to take 'home' with us. I'm proud to serve with each of you and look forward to the journeys ahead… Now pack your bags. Our new ship awaits…"

Wells piped up with an impressed, “Tommy was right.”

“For a change,” Tatiana responded. “She is going to take forever to get her stuff together. Have you seen her and Stephanie’s quarters? It’s a mess.”

The crewman nodded, “I’ve heard.”

“The Chimera, it’s a Prometheus Class,” she muttered, immediately drawing a blank on the details of that class of ship. Suddenly her eyes widened and she smiled. “It’s like God heard my prayers,” she said reverently, forgetting for a moment about the hassle of relocating. “Three sickbays,” she finished with a content sigh.

“Hallelujah,” Amy deadpanned for Tatiana’s benefit and patted the woman’s arm. “I’ll help you straighten up before I leave, alright?

Tatiana still caught up in the divine gift that was more than one Sickbay, smiled widely, “Thanks.”

Amos went to finish attending to Wells while Tatiana went to work putting away some of the extra equipment lying around. Before continuing she leaned against the side of a biobed and spoke, “Hey Amy, I’m thinking of going to Quark’s if I have some free time, Stephanie more than likely will to be there if I go, the mess in her quarters is mostly Tommy’s anyway. You should come too.”

“Let me know when you’re going, I’ll try to make it.”

“Great.” Tatiana straightened and went back to work, stopping half way to run her hands down her face and take a deep breath. She was thinking too much again. It shouldn’t have mattered and if she tried, it wouldn’t again.

Featuring: Amy Amos


Originally Posted by Javier Costala/02-6-2009 04:32:51 PM

::Observation Lounge::

"It reminds me of an arrow," Javier said breaking the stillness of the room. He and Mustapha were the only two people in the room and for the past fifteen minutes neither engineer had said a word. Both were studying the lines of the ship that half an hour before had been introduced as their new home. Their vantage point did not offer a full view of the Prometheus class vessel but the display on the information console projected a 3D holograph that gave the two engineers all the details they needed. "A big pointy arrow that is going to be fired at someone."

"You think we are going to war?" Mustapha asked Javier in his thick Somalian brogue. The Senior Chief frowned at the thought of battle. There had been a time when Mustapha would have felt excitement over the possibility of ship to ship action, but that was before he had Katie and Eli to think of.. Still, I will perform the duties that I have been given. the African noncomm decided.

"Well, it's a warship isn't it?" the Chief Engineer pointed out, "Why would Starfleet transfer us to a warship if they didn't expect us to go into battle?" Javier tore his eyes away from the extra two nacelles and punched a brief string of code into the console beside them. The holograph seperated into three distinct ship sections, the 'arrowhead' breaking away from the 'shaft' which also split into two sections. "A ship that becomes three ships..each battle-ready and can be flown as independently for as long as needed. Sounds like someone has violent plans for us."

"It would not be the first time," Mustapha agreed.

"Quantum torpedoes, Type XII phaser arrays, a tetryon warp core," Javier said as he listed off just a few of the technological advances of the warbird. "We aren't in Kansas anymore.." he mumbled as he perused the ship specs.

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," Mustapha offered as a smile slowly dawned on his face.

"Situation Normal All F**ked Up," Javier replied with a grin.

"We jumped from the kettle into the fire," the Assistant Chief stated.

"Uh..it's frying pan, from the frying pan to the fire," Javier informed Mustapha.

"You can't use mine."

"Yeah I mean..okay..our hair hangs like flax on a distaff..uh nevermind, we got work to do," the officer said as he conceeded the win to Mustapha. He started walking, beckoning to the Senior Chief to join him but not commenting on his verbal faux paux. The two engineers left the room and headed toward Main Engineering.

"I don't understand, flax on a distaff? What does that mean?" Mustapha asked once they boarded the turbolift.

"I don't know, it's T'Shaini's, just forget it, did we lose anyone this time?" Javier asked, hoping Mustapha would drop the questions. Half-way through the euphemism he had remembered what it really meant. "Besides Wekesa," the Chief Engineer added. Who isn't leaving so much as being reassigned.

"No, besides Wekesa, everyone is staying," Mustapha answered proudly.

"And they all get to go with us to a new ship, how nice for them, just when they thought they were getting settled. I wonder how many will stay now." The two men stepped out of the lift and made their way towards Main Engineering.

"Why would hair hang from.." Mustapha started to ask as they passed through the doors to Main Engineering. The place was a madhouse. The crew had to transfer over their codes and projects while orientating themselves with the more advanced systems on the Chimera.

"Chief!" It was Tehamia who interrupted the African man's curiousity. Javier reminded himself to put the Kriosian in for a commendation. "Command just forwarded our orders and a roster of the new crew that will be joining us on the Chimera," the vivacious woman said as she handed him a PADD. "Looks as if they have a full staff over there already."

"The old crew is staying with the ship?" Javier asked in bewilderment as he took the PADD from Tehamia and glanced at the names listed on the Engineering roster. One name stood out on the list.

Lieutenant Jonathan Foxe - Chief Engineer

"It can't be," Javier whispered. His commbadge chirped. =/\=Chief, it's Petty Officer Corin, we've received a transmission from a Lieutenant Foxe of the USS Chimera. He's asking for a Recruit Einstein. He says this person is an engineer..=/\=

Shit. It is him. =/\=There's no one here by that name Petty Officer, tell the lieutenant he must have made a mistake. Costala out.=/\= Javier turned to Mustapha. "I'll be in my office copying files and transferring codes, can you round up the engineers and have them put the old girl back as close to how we found her?"

"Certainly," the Assistant Chief answered. He was puzzled by the Chief's brief conversation with Petty Officer Corin. There will be time to think it over..and figure out why flax hangs from a distaff. Perhaps Katie will know.


Originally Posted by Vince Stryfe/02-7-2009 02:05:05 AM

.:: USS Hawking : Chief Helmsman's Office ::.

Vince sat at his now empty desk, his feet up on the top, his hands behind his head. He lloked around the empty room, smiling. Scott walked in, surprised to see Vince in such a good mood, given what had just taken place just over an hour ago. He sat down in the chair across from him, leaning on the table.

" Well, just heard what happened down in sickbay. I'll have to say I'm a bit surprised with the mood you seem to be in." Scott gestured towards Vince's smile.

" Oh, yea well, what can I say?," Vince dropped his feet down, leaning up," So how did you hear about the sick-bay ordeal?"

Scot grinned," How else, your sister talked to me almost immediatly afterwards, so what's up with the a-hole move?"

Vince gave a simple smirk," She didn't want to be locked up in a relationship. I read that much as soon as I was finished with my partially drunken barge into her room. Then she avoided me like crazy for days, and when I walked into sickbay, she had that Oh my god look on her face. So I decided that for the both of us, we needed to just end it and go our seperate ways. She may hate me for awhile, but that's nothing I can't handle, just so long as the two of us can be happy. And with the move over to the Chimera, we can all start with clean slates."

Scott sat back into his seat," Well, you're right about one thing, she hates you, but I can see where you were going with that. MAn, if only I could read women like that, sometimes you just amaze me."

" Well I can't always do that, just from time to time, on some gals that are easy to read. Tatiana just made herself easy to read, therefore I just made things easier for the both of us, and turned it into a one sided ordeal. If she hates me, she hates me, I'll live with it. Anyway, whatcha think of our new post?" Vince pointed towards the screen on his wall.

Scott looked back behind him," I'd have to say I'm excited. Personally I'd like to be back on a vessel that acthually reminds you of the ships of old. Enough of this carpeting all throughout the ship, give me plated floors, and other such things."

" Well I agree fully," Vince stood up, gesturing towards the door," Would you care to accompany me to our new home……"


Originally Posted by Harry Finn/02-7-2009 09:49:00 AM

::USS Chimera::
::Captain’s Ready Room::

“Is it gonna be a tough? Givin’ up command o’ the bird?”

Rev S’Van looked up from his desk… soon to be Torrik Nils’ desk, at Ferris Jones’ question. The Chief Petty Officer was awaiting the Security portion of the Hawking manifest S’Van had requested of the Hawking’s XO.

“Not in the least,” the Romulan hybrid replied, seeing no reason not to respond to the question. Particularly as, for Rev, the role of CO had been only one small move in a much larger game. “In fact, I shall cherish the freedom from command's onerous yoke." When that led to a quizzical look from the enlisted man, he clarified, "Captain Torrik is welcome to the Chimera…” should he and his crew succeed in their indicated tasks, Rev added silently. If they didn’t, well, who sat in the Captain’s chair wouldn’t be much of a concern to anyone. “The First Officer who shall be joining us, Harry Finn…”

Ferris let out a low whistle. “I’ve ‘eard of that one. They say there's a black mark or three buried in his records.”

“They say the same of you,” S’Van reminded, “and no doubt he’ll know of it. As will Lt. Commander Callan Vail. There will be, I fear, very few secrets between us, by the time the Hawking crew makes their way aboard.”

“Very few, eh?” Jones tilted his head, speculating, “Like, what’s in those cylinders we ‘retrieved’ a few months back?”

S’Van’s expression remained neutral. “Here are the Security and Tactical gains. See to it that Lt. Grimm receives them,” he held up a cautionary hand “after you’ve had the chance to… review… the data. And here," he offered up a second PADD," is the manifest of the rest of the crew to be joining us." At Jones' questioning look, he gave a small shrug, "Let's just say, I wouldn't take it amiss if, somehow, detailed copies of the oncoming crew’s records were to be transmitted to my private computer.” Time was short and S’Van a great believer in delegating.

“Right you are, Commander,” the disingenuous officer grinned at his superior. “Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if the people I touch for intel turn out to be the same ones Finn and Vail end up touching… it’s a pretty small galaxy, when it comes to breaking the ice,” using the colloquial for hacking into protected data, "and it sometimes happens that two sides end up making use of the same chisel, as it were."

“Then, Chief Jones, I would strongly suggest you sanitize your hands before reaching out.” S'Van rose, indicating the interview was at an end, “After all, the last thing we want is to leave any untoward fingerprints on said chisel.”

“No worries guv.” Ferris assured as he strode out of the room, “I’ve always been known for being quite hygienic.”

Featuring Commander Rev S’Van and CPO Ferris Jones


Originally Posted by Harry Finn/02-7-2009 01:14:26 PM

::USS Hawking::
::XO's Office::

…the financial run Pierce and Jenny requested on Treakle’s accounts have hit a wall. There was a deposit recorded the week Hawking was docked at DS9, then a second, much larger deposit, was received the day following the ship’s departure. However, the moneys were filtered through a dummy corporation, Avatar, LTD, which is no longer anywhere to be found. Most interestingly, the money has remained, untouched, in Treakle’s account… and it’s not a small sum so, whoever set this in motion is also very free with the ready cash.

Unfortunately, with the shift to Chimera and the blitz to be on the move within hours, there’s not much more we can do from our end. I’ve reached out to a friendly in the information field to look for anything related to your name. If we’re lucky, he’ll hear something on the waves that points a direction. Meanwhile, if you haven’t already gotten the word from Jen and Pierce, it’d be a good idea to make a list of anyone you’ve crossed in the past few years… anyone who has it in for you enough that they don’t care what it costs, or who else gets hurt in the crossfire.

Harry paused in his typing, thinking a moment. With the move to Chimera taking every minute of the senior staff’s time, and Harry’s own forays into whatever they believed S’Van might be hiding, he’d had no time to meet up with Costala over the now-stalled investigation of the holodeck incident. Best he could do was forward what little they’d found and hope that Mollin’s many contacts could pull up something useful. That done, the message still felt incomplete.

After staring at the text a moment, he let out a short breath and started typing again.

Just between us, I know how it feels to learn someone hates you; hates you enough to make you and those you’re close to a target. I also know you’ve put yourself in the line of fire on my behalf… though I question your judgment, I appreciate the act… so, just so you know, I won’t let this lie. I’ll keep my contacts on the lookout and forward any intelligence we catch. For the meantime, all I can advise is to watch your back, keep an eye on T’Shaini and make sure Lia’s looked out for. And if you find you need backup… I promise, I’ll be there.

Message complete, the former JAG investigator hit send, then returned to the numerous tasks involved in merging two crews onto one, very complicated, ship. I wonder if Attie remembers…


Originally Posted by Torrik Nils02-8-2009 09:45:19 AM

:: USS Hawking ::
:: Captain’s Quarters ::

Without the hum of the warp engine thrumming through the fifteen decks of the Intrepid Class starship, Hawking felt as if she’d fallen asleep… Or worse. Nils had ordered the warp engines taken offline as per his instructions, and the impulse drive had been powered down for maintenance. Most of the crew had already packed up and gone, but there were still a few familiar faces roaming the corridors. Deep Space Nine’s own docking crew had already come aboard and begun their own clean up operations, preparing for whatever came next for the ship.

Nils had delayed on purpose. The old adage about the Captain being the last to leave the ship seemed somehow appropriate in this instance. He’d been putting off transferring his command codes. With a deep and laborious sigh, the Bajoran picked up a picture from his nightstand and almost put it into his bag. But he lingered for a moment and ran his fingers over the glass.

nilsjlis.jpg

Another goodbye. Another wave of grief crashed against his chest as he closed another door to their past. Leaving Hawking would be leaving the last place she lived and served. Her sickbay… Her quarters… She’d given her life in the line of duty on board this vessel, and although that memory brought no joy, it did provide a connection to her - another connection that would be severed when he left.

The door chime rang and he stowed the picture and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Come in,” he called trying to restore his face by opening his eyes very wide then clenching the shut and rubbing them very hard.

An angry looking William Jackson stumbled into his quarters. He smelled of chemical intoxicants, most probably alcohol. “You didn’t even fight for her, did you?” His tone was edged with scorn and disdain. “They ordered you off the ship and you tucked tail and ran… Like ya do…”

Nils' expression darkened and he rose to his full height. “What are you talking about, Jackson?”

“A Captain should love his ship… A Captain and his ship should have a bond… But you’ve never been a god d*mned Captain.” He spat the word in Nils’ face. “You’re a lucky kid who has a polished record and you ended up in the right place at the right time… Except when it matters. And when it matters you f*ck up and people die!”

“That’s enough, mister,” Nils hissed, his hands forming fists at his sides. But instead of feeling anger, stark terror erupted in every vein. Jackson’s harsh sentiment confirmed every fear he’d been harboring since Admiral D’Rinax had given him command.

“It’s not near enough, Captain. You don’t know what in the hell you’re doing. Regulations… General Orders… Kissing Admiralty’s ass. That’s not how a man Captain’s a ship. You gotta have heart and a love for the thing… Nate Benjamin was ten times the man you are despite his age.”

“I said that’s enough,” interjected Nils one more time, this time he manufactures a harder edge. But still Jackson’s words rang true, while his own fell flat.

“I don’t know how you are supposed to protect a ship when you can’t even protect your woman…” The drunken man wobbled on his feet as he gestured around the room.

“You’re out of line, Chief,” answered the stricken Bajoran.

Jackson responded with laughter. “I’m no f*cking Chief! Not yours anyway. I petitioned the brass to keep me here, where I belong. Like you shoulda done if you had the stones for it. I always knew you were a worthless Commander, but when I heard you give up your ship with a whimper you sealed the deal. I can’t serve you. And sooner or later everyone else who serves under you will see the same light…” Jackson started to move forward into the room, wagging his finger at Nils as he spoke. “You think that XO of yours respects you? I was on the bridge when he tried to educate you about killing the enemy. And what did the little boy Captain have to answer with? A comic book philosophy! He thinks you’re weak. And so do I. And you are!” He almost pitched forward and fell, but Nils caught him by the shoulders and held him up. “You’re gonna get them all killed,” the old man said in Nils’ ear. “They’ll all be dead just like your woman.”

Captain Torrik steeled his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut before answering. “You’re drunk,” he finally said quietly.

He lowered Jackson down on his own bed and rolled him over on his side. The man was already snoring, proving the extent to which he’d been trying to drown his own sorrows. Nils found the peace that had overcome the Chief of the Boat enticing, and silently wished he could get lost in a chemical induced bout of unconsciousness. He sat on the edge of his bed for a moment and contemplated a break down.

Instead, the creature of duty rose from his spot on the bunk and stowed his emotions and the last of his things. There were orders to fulfill and a post to man. Jackson’s words, true or not, didn’t change his lack of alternatives. He’d attempted to turn down command from the outset, yet the orders had been given. And he stood where the boss said to stand. Doubt shadowed him as he gathered his things and left the man to sleep it off.

Something about the scenario felt poetic to him. Leaving Jackson in the Captain’s quarters of the ship seemed like a message from the universe. The man had refused to leave. He was committed to the ship in a way that Nils obviously was not. Hawking had never been Nils’ ship. He’d been a steward for the real captain all along. And now, one more time, he was heading out to step onto someone else’s ship to play at being in charge until they removed him again.

Melancholy and a deafening cry of internal inadequacy marched with Nils on his final tour of the USS Hawking. They followed him from station to station, section to section, until the three of them ended up in transporter room one.

“One to beam off the ship,” Nils said sadly, to the transporter operator he didn’t recognize. A new crew already inhabited her. She was slipping through his fingers all over again. He wasn’t sure if he was thinking of the ship or Jillian and everything bled together in his head.

“To DS9?” The operator didn’t seem to recognize Nils either.

“To the Chimera,” answered Nils stoically. The dark cloud hovered over him as he scanned the room for the last time, and uttered a silent goodbye to the ship… Nathan’s ship. He forced himself to breathe as he waited and he felt nauseated to the core.

Finally, the transporter energies grabbed him and cast him from the USS Hawking for the last time.


Originally Posted by Jenny Anderson/02-8-2009 06:01:08 PM

::USS Chimera::
::Main Security Office - Deck 4::

Crewman Apprentice Anderson approached the threshold of Main Security, feeling more than a little out of place. It was Alpha shift of the newly instituted four-shift day on a different ship and she was to report for assignment, where, as per Tenanji’s orders, she and the rest of Alpha would find a corresponding number of the Chimera’s standing crew, with whom the Hawking transfers would be teamed.

She had a weak moment of wishing Ben were on Alpha but Jenny knew it was unlikely she and PO3 Pierce would ever see the same duty shift. Even understanding the why didn’t make it easier to take… not here and now when everything was so different from what she’d known aboard Hawking.

It could be worse, Jenny told herself, remembering when word of the move had first come down. She'd experienced a bone-deep panic at the time, convinced she’d be considered too shy of experience for a vessel like the Chimera and thereby left behind on Hawking or sent to another posting altogether. Darby had told her she was being silly but nothing would do but that Jenny check with Jameson… and Indi Corin… and Harry… just to be sure.

T’Shaini might have indicated she was dealing with abandonment issues, if they’d been able to keep their appointment. But, along with everything else, the session had been shelved to make space for the mad rush of shifting personnel, data, equipment and households (up to and including the Quincy’s kittens and one mostly-dead bonsai) to a new home. Operations had been up to their ears in assigning labs, quarters and offices. Jen had, in the midst of transferring some of the crew’s personal weapons which were kept in lockup, been witness to a rant of near epic proportions by Chief Atwood. It had taken every millimeter of spine she possessed to remain in place, waiting for the transporter tech to call her name.

Now, entering this new office, she called on that spine once more. In this corner… we have the crew of the Hawking…

It might not have been quite that bad but, with the exception of Ellison, who’d not yet arrived, the two crews had each managed to ‘stake out’ a side of the room, their territory delineated by the office’s task desks.

“Anderson,” Govan greeted from where he stood with B’Naath, Rak’h and Drummond, apparently ignorant of the shadowed looks he was receiving from some of the Chimera crew.

“Petty Officer,” she nodded, standing uncertainly. She didn’t want to appear to obviously choose sides but at the same time, standing at the door, she felt rather like a target.

“Who’s the Li’l Bit,” one of the Chimera contingent spoke up and Jen’s eyes slid over to see a Human male of middle years, wearing a smirk which went undimmed even as a low growl arose from B’Naath’s general area. Next to Mr. Smug stood a tall Trill woman who gave up an eye roll and a wink to Jen, which eased the young woman no end. Please let her be my partner….

“Everyone’s here, I see,” Ellison, the Alpha shift lead, observed from directly behind Anderson.

Jenny stepped quickly aside to make room for the Chief Petty Officer, who stood a moment, considering the diametrically opposed groups. “I don’t think I need to tell you,” his soft, deep voice began, “that there’s no time for the usual measuring up of one another. We have an assignment and will be expected to perform as a unit from the get. So I am going to say this once and once only… we are now one crew.” He looked to the Chimera’s security noncoms, “Hawking has seen more than the usual action for her class and every one of this team has come to Chimera through heavy fire. We’ve had our share and then some of KIA’s and still, every one of the team has stood. We have nothing to prove, here.”

He then turned his attention to the former Hawking denizens, “The Chimera’s team know this ship. They are the ones with the background in functioning on a Prometheus class vessel and have also seen their share of action. I expect they have a lot to teach us and I fully expect us to learn. Now,” he raised the PADD he’d brought along, “Alpha shift assignments for the next rotation are as follows…”

Jenny, standing still, held her breath as, one by one, the Hawking… former Hawking… crew were assigned a partner. Her hopes were dashed when the Trill… Senior Chief Petty Martia Baat… was aligned with PO1 Govan and they were crushed to complete ruin when…

“… CPO Ferris Jones… meet Crewman Apprentice Jenny Anderson. You two are on phaser array maintenance. The starboard aft strip needs attention. And Anderson,” he added, “You’ll report back here, top of Gamma, for more unarmed training.”

“Chief,” she acknowledged the order with an inward sigh, then turned to face her destiny.

“Crewman Apprentice Anderson,” Jones - AKA Mr. Smug - gestured grandly towards the door, “shall we?”

Jenny settled for a simple nod and, as indicated, preceded her superior into the corridor.

“So tell me, Li’l Bit,” Jones began as the two made their way to the turbolift, “do they even make EV suits in your size?”

“No worries, Chief,” Jenny, who wasn't that much shorter than Jones, replied, “if they don’t, I’ll just borrow some vacuum canisters from one of the labs to stand on.” That earned a raucous laugh that did little to alter the apprentice’s perceptions that this was going to be a very long week.

Anderson and a handful of NPC's featuring CPO Ferris Jones


Originally Posted by Simba Wekesa/02-8-2009 08:34:06 PM

U.S.S. Chimera
Deck Three, Beta Section

Cadet Wekesa nearly jogged along the utilitarian corridor of the Chimera as he visually scanned the signs on each door he passed, searching for the ship's secondary bridge. It had been a hectic day so far, to say the least, and somehow he was sure there would be more chaos before it was over. He hadn't had a chance to unpack anything on the new ship yet. Hell, he didn't even know where they had transported his belongings or where he was going to be sleeping that night. There would be plenty of time to settle in, though, once everyone was aboard.

After his meeting with Commander Finn, he'd been ordered to report to Lieutenant Fehr in the Hawking's auxiliary tactical control center. His first order as a member of the tactical staff, directly from the XO no less, and he'd managed to fail at it. Between hastily finishing his own packing and a quick stop in engineering to let his colleagues know that they would need to finish tying up loose ends there without him, he'd arrived to find auxiliary tactical deserted and powered down. And so he rushed to the transporter room, said a quick goodbye to the ship he'd just begun to call home, and come aboard the Chimera to find his new superiors.

Finally! Simba thought to himself as he came to the clearly-marked entrance to the secondary bridge, where the computer had informed him he could find the tactical officers at the moment. He paused for a second to compose himself, not wanting to look like he'd spent the past fifteen minutes running aimlessly around the ship, then walked through the door and onto the bridge. The room, which would serve as the control center for the secondary section of the Chimera while in multi-vector assault mode and as the tactical hub during normal operation, was bustling with activity. A dozen or so officers in gold uniforms, both indigenous to the Chimera and newly-arrived from the Hawking, were hard at work preparing the department for action. The cadet took a moment to take in the scene. He'd never set foot on the Hawking's bridge and, while it might not be the main bridge, it was an impressive feeling nonetheless.

"Can I help you find something?" a human ensign asked as she approached the new arrival. She was shorter than Simba with long black hair pulled neatly back and evidently of Asian heritage.

Simba glanced around the room quickly, realizing that he actually had no idea who any of the tactical officers were and that he wouldn't know Fehr from any of the others. "I'm looking for Lieutenant Fehr… from the Hawking."

"Right over here," she replied, tipping her head toward the other side of the room and indicating for Simba to follow her. "Cadet…?"

"Oh, sorry. Cadet Simba Wekesa, I was just assigned to this division."

The ensign smiled and held her hand out. "Ensign Susan Chang, weapons specialist. Welcome aboard, Cadet."

"Thanks," he replied, shaking her hand. "You were part of the Chimera's crew?" He didn't recognize her from the Hawking, but then again he only knew a handful of the crew.

"Yes, for three years now." She paused as they approached one of the consoles, where two officers were engaged in what seemed to be an intense discussion, and cleared her throat. "Lieutenant, Cadet Wekesa is here to see you."

"Glad to see you finally made it," the Elasian said as he turned to face Wekesa, barely looking up from the PADD in his hand. "I was expecting you aboard the Hawking."

"Yes, sir, I apologize. The tactical department had already transferred to the Chimera by the time I was able to get there, sir."

"Mmmhmm…" Fehr replied, apparently focused on the PADD. He definitely gave off the impression of someone who was good at his job- and knew that he was. After a moment, he tapped something in and handed the device to Chang before turning his full attention to Simba. "Don't worry about it too much, Cadet, it has been a difficult day to keep on schedule. I understand you've been assigned to this department because of your background with the ship's defensive systems?"

Simba nodded. "Yes, sir. I worked on the ablative armor systems back on Earth."

"Good. The Chimera can definitely pack a punch, and take one too, and Commander Finn wants to make sure everyone is up to speed as soon as possible. We have a lot of work to do integrating our crews, and we don't have a lot of time to do it. I'm coordinating the former Hawking crew for now, but you'll want to meet Lt. Grimm, our chief tactical officer, as soon as possible."

"Where do you want me to start, sir?" Although he knew why he had been assigned to the tactical department, he still wasn't clear on exactly what he would be doing here.

"For now, head down to engineering, take a look at the ablative generators, and figure out if there are any complications that we need to know about. I assume you have never seen the technology in practical use before?" It wasn't really a question, since the technology had never been deployed outside of a laboratory simulation until now, so Fehr continued without waiting for an answer. "If we come under fire, we don't want any unexpected problems from the ship, so you'll need to isolate any and find a way around them."

"Understood," Simba replied with a quick nod. At least it looked like he was going to still get some hands-on time in engineering.

"Good. When you've finished with that, take a look at the rest of the ship's defenses. I want a full report by 0800 tomorrow before we depart Deep Space Nine."

"Yes, sir." Another late night. "Anything else?"

The Elasian nodded as he picked up another PADD and skimmed it briefly before handing it to Simba. "This is the department roster. I need you to work with Lt. Fuentas to coordinate a training schedule to get everyone fully rated on the Prometheus-class and its tactical capabilities. You've got your work cut out for you, so you'd better get to it Cadet."

"Understood, sir," Simba replied as he took the PADD and looked it over. It was a big roster, given the prominent role of tactical aboard a ship of this class, and that didn't even take into account the security staff that would need to be cross-trained. He knew he had a lot of work ahead of him, but it was also his first real responsibility since joining the crew, and that was exciting in and of itself. Quickly, he tucked the PADD under his arm and walked out the door to take on his new assignment.

Featuring NPCs Lt. Fehr and introducing Ensign Susan Chang


Originally Posted by Matt Hudson/02-8-2009 09:32:32 PM

| Sickbay | USS Hawking |
(Before the final move)

"Is he ready for transportation?"

"Yes, Deep Space Nine have confirmed and are waiting for his arrival."

"Good, make sure you contact them regarding a follow-up appointment, I want to keep an eye on his condition."

Whose condition? Matt could hear the slurring speech as though from a distance as he tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. He couldn't seem to open his eyes to look around, yet he could feel a strange tingle at the tips of his eyelashes. That same strange tingle also seemed to dance at the end of his finger tips and toes. Attempting to flex his hands amid the clouded haze, Matt almost groaned as his body ached, a sharp stabbing pain moved up his spine.

"What is his status?"

"Unchanged."

Matt could hear the movement of several individuals in the distance, several different conversations happening all at once, becoming a cacophony of noise all intermingled. What was he missing? Why couldn't he open his eyes? He could hear the swish of the doors as they opened to admit a new individual. In the far corner he could hear the tapping of something metallic as though something was being repeatedly dropped.

"Are we on schedule for the move to the Chimera?"

Chimera?

"Yes, as soon as we transport Cadet Hudson to Deep Space Nine's sickbay, the rest of the preparations will be complete."

Sickbay?

"Am I sick?" Matt could hear the croak in his own voice. It didn't sound like him at all, and it stung with each word that he tried to pronounce. Succeeding at another attempt, Matt's eyes flickered open, but shut swiftly, the light stinging. Slowly again, he tried to focus on the individual looking down at him.

Matt frowned. "What's up, Doc?"

Brought to you by the lazy Cadet Hudson, sleeping on the job…


Originally Posted by Ender Seldon/02-9-2009 01:03:47 AM

USS Hawking :: Sickbay
(before the final move)

Matt frowned. "What's up, Doc?"

Ender pulled back Matt's eyelids and leaned in close to examine, "What's up is you. What's the last thing you remember?" He asked.

Matt flinched at Ender's touch. "I-" He tried to search back, "I was in Sickbay- alone…no, wait, there was a girl, my d-" he broke off, trying to sort through the flash of images.

Ender turned around and quickly glanced over the biofunction monitor, "Vitals are stable except there's a…Hmmm…" Ender's break in sentence caused Nurse Nordin to look up, "What is it?" Ender tilted his head to the side, "I'm not sure…"

=/\= Computer, activate neural monitor. =/\=

A second screen flashed beside the one he was reading, "That's what I thought," he stated, "his nervous sytem is still out of wack." Ender turned his attention back to his patient, "Matt, didn't your mother ever tell you not to go around sticking forks in electrical sockets?"

Matt coughed out what barely passed as a laugh. "My folks were into the 'natural life', so no electricity." He replied, cringing as he tried to move a bit. He tried to focus once more on recalling what had happened. "The holodeck?" He asked, recalling they had been trying to save the Captain and other senior staff.

"Yep, you went and got yourself all blowed up," Ender rested his hand on Matt's shoulder, "the explosion sent you flying into a conveniently placed bulkhead, you suffered a pretty bad crack to your lumbar region. We were able to repair the damage but you've still got a little too much juice in your noggin." Ender picked up a hypospray and loaded it with 10cc of Kayolane, "Matt, I'm going to have to put you under. I need to monitor your brain activity while you are unconscious so that I can isolate the residual energy that is messing with your nervous system. Do you understand?"

Matt's brow furrowed. "Yes." He replied, "But first…Simba? Belle?" He asked, worried finally remembering they had been present. "Are they ok?"

Ender rested the hypospray against Matt's neck, "They're fine, Buddy. You just worry about yourself for now, alright? I'll see you in a few hours."

Matt sighed in relief. His memories were still very vague and couldn't pin-point exactly what had taken place. "Ok." He replied, nodding in understanding.

With that Ender pressed the hypospray against Matt's neck and watched as his eyes flickered beneath closed lids. After a few seconds his eyes came to a rest, Ender glanced up at Nordin, "Let's begin."

A JP by Matt "I like forks" Hudson & Ender Seldon


Originally Posted by Javier Costala/02-9-2009 02:30:45 AM

-USS Chimera-
-Main Engineering-

It's not that much bigger than the Hawking, the engineer thought as he paced about in Main Engineering, but it is more streamlined. He was trying to get a feel for the ship. Javier had been on the Hawking when the station support team had taken the core offline. Now he silently paced while the Chimera's tetryon warp core hummed with its own rhythm. Javier knew it would be another adjustment with which he would have to acclimate himself. The Hawking had been his home longer than any of his other duty-stations, he had grown accustomed to how the engines had sounded, to how the core hummed when running at peak levels and the atmosphere in Hawking's engine room. The Chimera was different, she had been designed with one word in mind: efficiency. He could see it in every aspect of the Chimera's construction, from her multipurpose consoles to the Quantum Field that the ship used to render travel through space almost effortless. But I have to make this ship home. Javier concluded. If I'm going to be of any use to anyone, I have to hit the ground running.

"Einstein! Hey Einstein!" a familiar sounding voice brought Javier from the depths of his thoughts. "I knew it was you! They said you weren't on the Hawking but I knew it was you!" The Chief Engineer turned to find Jonathan Foxe approaching him.

The man looked the same as he had in the marines only he was a little heavier and had longer hair. To say the two men had been friends would have been pushing it. They'd been in the same platoon and boot camp class, in fact Javier and Foxe and been on the same fireteam during training but neither had bonded with the other. Javier had attributed this to the fact that Foxe had gone out of his way to belittle him whenever the opportunity arose. And when Foxe had been promoted by a fluke and taken over as team lead, barely a day had gone by when Javier didn't get dumped on by the insecure NCO.

"Hey Betty Crocker, it's been a long time," Javier replied, using Foxe's bootcamp nickname. It was a name Foxe had loathed. From the change that the engineer's features underwent upon hearing the name again Javier could tell Foxe still hated the nickname.

"Why did you have to bring that up?" Lt. Foxe said in a disagreeable tone.

"I thought we were calling each other by our bootcamp nicknames," Javier answered innocently. "Anyway, do you need time to clean out your office? I was going to move in but noticed that you had left your stuff in there."

"Clean out my office?" Jonathan asked in confusion. "Why would I.." His eyes went to Costala's collar and then almost bugged out. "Lieutenant Commander.."

"Yeah, I guess I finally caught up with you on rank," Javier said in a matter of fact tone of voice. "Since I'm the Chief Engineer now, I'm going to need that office, Lieutenant."

"There must be a mistake," Foxe blurted, "I'm going to talk to the.."

"Captain? By all means, feel free Lieutenant Foxe, while you're there you might as well request a transfer off the Chimera," Chief Costala said, "I've developed a low tolerance for officers that disobey orders, as has my Captain, and my Executive Officer. So you can either give me the tour and start cleaning out your stuff or start packing."


Originally Posted by T'Shaini/02-9-2009 11:46:54 AM

::USS Chimera::
::Chief Counselor's Office - Deck 5::

Jenny approached the new suite of offices, dodging anti-grav sleds loaded with supplies from the Hawking and cursing techs who were learning the Chimera's schematics on the fly. The move was happening fast, but not necessarily seamlessly. Security was no better off. Though they'd gained staff in the form of several of Chimera's own force, the two teams had a lot of baggage, physical and emotional, to sort through as they merged into one, new force. 'Li't Bit' my…. she paused and took a calming breath before entering the Counselor's reception area.

"Anyone home?" she stepped into the reception area, looking nervously about. It was surprisingly warm, soft even… after the efficient angles of the rest of the ship.

"No, no David, I am fine." T'Shaini came out into the common area. "Jenny, it is good to see you." A squeaky noise had her smiling back in the direction of the room she had just vacated before turning back to the young woman. "I have no real need for four offices, so we are converting that one into a room for play therapy for the young ones." She shook her head at the roar, then crash that was the next thing that drifted from the aforementioned room. "And David seems to feel the need to double check each toy's effectiveness…by playing with it before putting it away."

"OH," Jenny put a hand over her mouth before the 'that's so cute' could escape and reach David's ears. She grinned at the Counselor, "He's very dedicated."

"That is one word for it." After both women bit their lips over a loud 'sproing' rapidly followed by a sheepish 'oops', the Counselor put her arm around Jenny's shoulders and led her toward the far end of the room. "Come, let me show you my 'new' office." When the door opened up, T'Shaini nodded in satisfaction. She had been insistent that her furniture and the color scheme had been brought over with her from the Hawking, there were enough unsettling things in her patients existence, if she could offer some continuity in her office then she would.

Jenny smiled as T'Shaini led her into… her office… the exact same office as had sheltered Jenny on numerous occasions aboard the Hawking. "It even smells the same," she murmured, wandering towards the couch and resting a hand on the throw she herself had made for T'Shaini.

"Do you like it? I was thinking it would be comforting to have something of home here…"

"Boy howdy," Jen replied, letting out an exhausted breath, "Darby and I lost our port… though we did get a couple more meters of space so, I guess…" she sighed, "It's all happening kind of fast… and, oh… I never congratulated you… on the thing."

"Ahhh, thank you…I think." T'Shaini gestured to the chair, then took a seat on couch. "I must admit it is all rather still in the conceptual stage for me. I have seen it written, but do not yet know what impact it will have."

Jen curled into the giant chair, which was sort of like getting a hug from a piece of furniture, "Well, from the trenches it looks like a pretty smart move. I mean, Harry alone is a walking intergalactic incident… don't tell him I told you that…"

"Client confidentiality…" The Vulcan returned with barely a hint of amusement. "what is most important to me is that I have the chance to continue to practice, which brings me to…"

The smile dimmed and Jenny's eyes dropped to her hands, "He's back," was all she said.

There was no need for Jenny to explain further. "You are dreaming of him?"

A short nod. "It's better than before," she added quickly, "I mean, now I only… it's only when I sleep and not even every time. Just… when he's there, I can feel him again. It's not like my other dreams… it's like it was, when… when he…" still, still the words backed up in her throat.

"Why do you think they are recurring?" The Counselors voice was low and gentle.

"I don't know," Jenny said automatically then let out another, rather damp, exhalation, "but he… it… started when Ben came back."

"Alright." Interesting. "Why do you think that could be?" There would be time for more leading questions if Jenny found herself unable to voice anything, for now she would rather the young woman came to it on her own.

"I don't know," she said again, "I think, though… I wonder… is it… is it me? Am I letting him in? Like I let him take me on the Constitution, let him… use me." Jenny curled tighter as phantom hands again traced parts of her she'd never shared with anyone. "I didn't even fight, not really. Not like I know I can…"

The counselor watched her, waited until she was sure that she had nothing else to say. "Jenny, this is unlike any fight you have ever trained for, it cannot be solved by a solid punch, an avoidance or sound military tactics…and therefore it will be much harder to fight." T'Shaini's voice grew stronger, making the young woman meet her eyes. "Are you 'letting him'? Do you wish this to continue?"

The question was harder to answer than Jenny would ever have thought but doubt, once planted, was proving a tough weed to uproot. "He says I do," she replied, her words so soft it was a wonder T'Shaini could hear.

Time to back up to hard facts. "Do you believe he is dead?"

"Yes… Lt. Hillman saw Ben… yes."

"Alright." She looked deeply into the troubled young woman's eyes. "Do you believe he can reach out to you after death?" One corner of her mouth turned up slightly. "I do not mean to sound as if I am mocking you, I am trying to determine possibilities, was it not a Terran character that said something akin to 'once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'?

Which, in a way, only confirmed Jenny's fears, "But if he's not… reaching out from the beyond," she offered, "and I don't believe he is… if that's not it, then… doesn't that mean I am responsible for this?" She felt the telltale thickening in her throat and turned her eyes downward, once more. Shame at the possibility she could be inviting her own humiliation, night after night coupling with shame over the tears which threatened, yet again, to dampen T'Shaini's office.

T'Shaini reached out to grab a tissue, then knelt in front of Jenny, not forcing herself into her field of vision, but wanting to close the distance…careful, too much involvement can be detrimental. "That would only hold true if you consider the healing of the mind and the emotions to be as simple as watching a small cut close when they run the dermal regenerator over it." She scooted the tissue under Jenny's nose. "Do you?"

Jen accepted the tissue with a sigh before giving a small nod. Hells, the knife wound from the IAS attack had only kept her off her feet for a few days… and that was a big knife.

T'Shaini rested her hands on Jenny's knees. "Well then, perhaps…just perhaps, the healing of such trauma might not be a linear process?"

Another nod, this time in reluctant agreement. "I'm just," the wadded up tissue waved feebly, "I'm just so tired." Jenny blinked away another surge of tears, "I'm afraid I'm going to screw up on duty… and this isn't the kind of job that forgives screwups."

The counselor felt an easing within as Jenny made that first hurdle. "Well then, let us work on that, I would say that sleep is a necessary component of healing…so we must find a way to make it healing and not something else to be feared." T'Shaini moved back to seat herself on the couch. "Would you consider a meditation session before sleep?"

Through the mess of tears, Jenny smiled, "Would this be the same meditation that Harry likes to call 'that woo woo while sitting like a pretzel'?"

T'Shaini smiled. "It would indeed, and if you think Harry was disincined to the process…you should have seen Javier's attempt."

Which earned a full on laugh, "I can't say I'll be a champ at it but at this point, I'd stand on my head and count targ backwards if I thought it'd help," Jen paused and looked a bit nervous, "There won't be any headstands involved, will there?"

There was a thoughtful pause, then another smile. "No, no headstands…that would wake you up. Just some simple guided meditation to relax you and hopefully aid in sleep."

Jenny felt the brief tremor of anticipatory fear which the idea of sleep had lately begun to raise but quelled it by straightening and fixing her eyes on the Counselor. "When can we start?"

"Tonight if you wish."

"Oh, thank you," the young woman began, then paused, "ahh… think you'll be able to work with Darby in the room?"

A slight frown creased her forehead as T'Shaini attempted to picture the always ebullant security officer in the room during a mediation session. "Well, either she can participate…or we can assure that she will not be in the room." The counselor said with an innocent air.

Sensing a call from Kal-El in Darby's immediate future, Jenny let out a breath of relief. She wasn't sure if meditation was the answer but, at least she wasn't in the fight alone, anymore.

Step into my office….


Epicenter 1944

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