Mission 1: Changing of the Guard

**Mission 1, Day 1, 13:05 hours**

As the flesh ripped from the bone, an audible crack was heard. The leg bone was broken from the force of the tearing. Arron's eyes widened in surprise and he cursed. Panicking he looked around quickly for something to help. There on the table was what he needed. He quickly thrust out for the object, a dinner napkin, and was able to catch the fried chicken leg as it fell from his mouth, before it could leave a grease stain on his uniform.

“Next time I will just have a salad,” Drexel muttered under his breath. He stole a quick glance around to see if anyone had noticed his moment of sloppiness. The members of his crew that were in Ten Forward didn’t seem to be paying any attention to his eating habits, most seemed engrossed around a large view screen at the back of the lounge watching a news program intently. Curiosity got the better of him and Arron rose to his feet to move over to the group of officers watching the screen.

As he approached the viewer, he recognized the logo for the FNN or Federation News Network in the corner of the screen. He stopped behind a couple of officers, and listened in to what the man on the report was saying.

“-but that is exactly why this is the biggest election in Federation history.” Said a handsome human in an expensive looking suit.

The camera switched to focus on a Vulcan woman, also dressed professionally. “The human habit of gross hyperbole never ceases to amaze me. There is no greater value on this election than at any other time. It is-“

She was cut off by the human. “How can you sit here and say that! The Romulan problem is getting out of hand, the economy is not even close to the state it was in 10 years ago, and you know what they are saying about Gyntil Daala right? That religious kook from Bajor?”

David Mayne’s voice boomed out in the middle of the group. Arron’s eyes diverted to the outburst.

“Religious kook? What a self-righteous ass hat. Daala is the only one of the 3 front runners who isn’t corrupt!” David said, his face turning red.

Camille's head snapped around in David's direction, eyes glaring.

Mayne’s expression softened, though his voice still had an edge to it. “Sorry Ensign, I certainly didn’t mean to imply anything by that.” He said meeting her eyes.

Arron frowned at the officers, but returned his attention to the view screen, where the human, whose name and title were now flashing on the screen, ‘Travis Pedigree, special political correspondent’ was still ranting. “How could you come to any other conclusion? Take another look at this clip from the debate last night!” said Pedigree. The image flashed to a view of 3 podiums on a stage. On the left was a tall well groomed human, whose hair was just beginning to turn gray. Arron instantly recognized him as Jean-Henri Roux, Ensign Camille Roux’s father, and of course the Federation Ambassador to Earth. In the middle stood a shorter, yet no less sharp looking Gyntil Daala, whom up until 6 months ago was largely unknown. Daala was of course a Bajoran Vedik, a religious leader for the Bajorans who recently reported that he was visited by The Prophets, or the Bajoran Gods, and was told it was his destiny to lead the Federation back to a position of strength. That was his claim anyway, and for some reason Arron couldn’t fully comprehend, his message had been a popular one, and he had quickly become a serious contender for the Presidency. The candidate on the far right was a Bolian war hero, whom was instrumental in the last few months of the Dominion War in liberating the Betazoid home world from the clutches of the Dominion. His name was Raal Sh’ul, and while his campaign started strong, it had waned in recent months and if Drexel was current on his perception of popular opinion, was no longer considered a real threat to either Roux or Daala this late in the campaign.

Of the 3, Sh’ul was the only one Drexel had met in person, and while he had a great deal of respect for Sh’ul, Drexel had already made up his mind on who he would be voting for during the election tomorrow. Roux was the first Human running for President in 20 years, and Arron was a firm believer that the time was right for a Human president again.
He listened to the political show as it showed various highlights from the debate.

“-and it is for that precise reason why I think it is high time that the seat of Federation government be moved to a more suitable location,” said a very serious looking Daala.

Roux shook his head. “That simply is not an option Vedik, Earth is the historical home of the Federation. It began here, it has endured here, and it will forever stay here!” Roux’s voice crescendoed through his statement. There was thunderous applause to his quip from the audience.

“If the citizens of the Federation can stomach more of this recession, if they are happy with the status quo, and they feel that we are doing JUST FINE…” Daala emphasized the last words “Then please…do not vote for me. IF however you have found yourself suffocating in the slow rotting decay that is currently the Federation, than I implore you to give me your vote! A true change is necessary or we, like the Romulans will be the next great power to vanish from this quadrant.” An equally loud explosion of applause indicated a great amount of support for Daala's statement.

“Yeah you tell him!” shouted David Mayne.

Camille shot one last glare at Mayne before shoving past him and the other officers, storming off.

Arron noticed his young Ensign stomp off, shrugged and looked back at the screen, knowing he didn’t have long left before he needed to get back to the Bridge. Sh’ul was now commenting. “-61% of Star Fleet is staffed by Humans. Star Fleet headquarters is located here too. It would be a logistical nightmare to move all of that to any other location. There are more pressing matters that we should be attending to, I for one would like to know more about your alleged ties to “The Circle” and how that may influence your policies should you be elected.

Daala frowned in annoyance. “I have been over that already, and commenting on every tabloid rumor that pops up concerning my background is nothing more than slander, and quite honestly sir, it disgusts me that you would even mention it”

Arron smirked at the mention of “The Circle” a Bajoran terrorist organization that had caused some trouble for the Federation in the past, they were considered to be no more than a bunch of thugs and hooligans, but Arron had seen intelligence reports that the organization was much more than that. If anyone really put any credence into Daala’s alleged ties, it would certainly hurt his chances to win the election. But with less than 24 hours until ballots were cast…was there even time for it to make a difference?

One last check of the time confirmed he needed to get back on duty. “Don’t you all have some work to be doing?” Arron called out to the officers as he headed towards the door.

As he walked down the corridor towards the turbo lift, his communicator chirped.

=/\=Bridge to Captain Drexel=/\= It was the soft voice of his operations officer, Vestara Mayne.

Arron tapped his commbadge on his chest. =/\=Yes Lieutenant=/\=

=/\=Sir, Communications is reporting an incoming message for you from Star Fleet Command=/\=

=/\=Thank you Lieutenant, please patch it through to my office, I will be right there=/\=

=/\=Aye sir=/\=

Arron continued his walk now heading to the Captains office where he suspected he would be receiving a new mission for the ship.

****
This has been a joint post by:
Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Vestara Mayne,
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

And

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Thoris grinned, tipping his mug up to finish the last of his katheka. It wasn't what was on the viewing screen that amused him so much--he could care less about the politics of this election. Andorians had played a minor role in the past couple centuries in Federation politicking, probably mostly because of the few in number that were involved with Federation affairs anyway.

No, he was more interested in everyone's reactions. Although his eyes were fixed on the screen the whole time, his antennae were buzzing around, snooping into people's conversations, looking for movements, whispers, reactions... All he could sense were movements, colors, etc. Nothing very detailed, but it helped him nonetheless to focus on certain things with his other senses.

Mayne seemed to be one of the most passionate--something that Thoris could appreciate in a creature. That was before he suddenly backed out on his opinion. Thoris stood, the mug in hand, and shouted, "I wouldn't be surprised if they all were corrupt." He returned the mug and waited momentarily by the return to actually give some attention to the debate clip.

Mayne had shouted something again, offending the Ensign, who stomped off in a huff. That's it, he liked Mayne. The fool was a pot-stirrer. He watched a minute more of the debate (mindless mudslinging) until the captain mentioned something about working. He put on his best stoic face and, once the captain had left the room, he loudly pronounced, "My money is on Sh'ul! Sh'ul for president!" He made a fist and held it high.

Minutes later, Thoris arrived at his office in the science wing of the ship. The science division was overwhelming for him, much different than his experience on the USS Midway. Over 100 labs? More than enough civilians and officers that sent him requests day by day, mountains of paperwork that...

UURGH. Just thinking of it annoyed him. If it weren't for his regularly scheduled sessions in Holodeck 9, he'd have a breakdown daily. No one who went to the gymnasium wanted to participate in Andorian sport. He had to do with mediocre constructs.

"How far are you on processing the data from the Kupolinis Delta incident?"

"In the last two hours, we only made it through 15% of it. The data seems to follow Bayesian chaotic-"

Thoris held up a hand, interrupting the science officer. "Don't need that much detail. Get it done as soon as you can. Dismissed."

The officer stood there, puzzled, and returned to his lab.

Thoris turned to his console, expressing a sound of disgust. More paperwork. Or work. Sans paper. He checked the time. He had a shift on the bridge in fifteen, so maybe he'd get some of it cleared away before then.

Commander Thoris ch'Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 1 13:45 hours**

David was in a sour mood now. After the Captain had left Ten Forward, a small debate had broken out amongst the crew regarding the political candidates. Not one of the human officers in that room had anything nice to say about Daala.

It was extremely frustrating to David, as a man who was half Human and half Bajoran, that people would simply dismiss Daala because of his Bajoran background and automatically side with the human Roux. Of course politics had always been a volatile subject for hundreds of years, why would that change now in the 24th century?

Still, it pained David that people would be so quick to dismiss Daala and his ideas. The man obviously cared for the Federation, and was willing to do whatever it takes to save it...even if it was something as extreme as moving the government to another planet.

That thought intrigued him. Where would the capitol be moved? Perhaps Vulcan...it seemed the...logical choice. David smiled in spite of himself. What about Benzite, or Alpha Centauri...both were major population centers in the Federation, and could easily handle the influx of a larger government and military presence. Bajor too was obviously a large planet with a big population, though the chances of that happening were likely slim. Bajor was too remote, and not very centrally located within Federation borders. Though his heart swelled with pride at the thought of Bajor being recognized as the seat of power for the Federation.

He began to think about how much more quickly the planet would be able to rebuild itself from the decades of suffering that still scarred his people from the Cardassian Occupation. While it was true David was only half Bajoran...his upbringing had lead him to sympathize with the Bajoran cause, and obviously in marrying a Bajoran woman, he certainly felt like Bajor was more of a home than any other place he had been. Being the child of Maquis parents meant home was where ever you had shelter and food...a life he was glad to have left behind.

His thoughts now drifted to Vestara. He wondered how her shift was going on the bridge. He was working nights for the time being, the ships engines had been receiving a slight recallibration since their last mission, and the dead period they were in right now was perfect to spend his days lounging, and his nights working hard while the ship was quiet and mostly inactive.

It was almost 14:00 hours he noticed. Better to get some rest now, so he would be ready for his night shift at 20:30 hours. He headed towards his quarters to get some sleep.


****

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Day 1 1220, Deck 21 Vicinity of the Counseling Office

Camille kicked the wall of the turbolift as the doors shut. She didn't know who she was more infuriated with, Mayne or her father. She cursed inwardly at both, just to cover her bases. Upon arriving at her floor, she ambled through the corridor blindly until she entered her counseling office. She had a few minutes before her appointment with Lt. j/g Michael Luther, but she wished he was already here. She couldn't get the familiar rhythm and cadence outof her head of her father's voice.

Her thoughts tumbled to the past, waking the ghosts of happy memories that had drowned years ago when the relationship between father and daughter first became strained. It was a night she knew would haunt her forever. Unwillingly, she fell further into the specific memory. Suddenly she could smell the saltiness of the sea spray, feel it occasionally splash upon her skin. As the music of the band on the ship began to start, her door chimed, causing Camille to jump. The opening of the doors gave her just enough time to gain composure and look perfectly normal before Lt. Luther entered.

**********

Mike could just see her in his mind, her back turned to him in a tall square chair, furiously typing every time he answers one of her probing questions. He imagines her nosy..nose.. poking into all his business. “Tell me about your relationship with your Father?”, she would have to ask, because that is the stuff that they all HAVE to ask. He imagines her trying to deduce the relationships between all the snippets of information he provides so that they can be tied up into some conveniently clever summary, something that has a scientific name, that she would proudly show off to her superiors. Did he just inadvertently scratch his balls when she asked him about his mum? Oh great! Now She-Freud is nick-naming him Oedipus in her head. When she gossips about work to all her little friends she tells them about the patient who can’t keep his hands to himself when they talk about his mommie and they all laugh.

As he quickly rounded the corner and boldly pressed into the counseling office to see her sitting there, legs crossed professionally, looking real young, all the stifling anxieties gushing through his brain were immediately replaced with one important concept. “I wonder how she would look naked?”

Day 1 1222, Deck 21 Counseling Office

'Game face,' Camille chided herself before plastering on a very sincere-looking smile. If there is one thing you learn growing up an aristocrat, its acting.

"Lt. Luther, so glad you could make it, please have a seat," she offered, gesturing to a pair of armchairs opposite her desk. "Can I get you anything before we begin?"

“Uh...no”, Mike casually replied, then, not knowing how to best present himself to someone with such a reputed pedigree corrected himself, “I mean to say, no thank you, ma'am,” and then immediately wondered why he had bothered. Mike rubbed at his nose with the back of his finger while he sized her up. “Are you sure you belong out here? Way out here in space with all the lonely engineers and wackadoo aliens?" Camille's eyebrow shot up and her smile faltered slightly. She was too out of practice. "You look like you would be a lot more comfortable on a private beach while Daddy’s bodyguards fetched you drinks, not that I mean your daddy any disrespect,” he continued. Mike found himself smiling within as he wondered what kinds of wild problems She-Freud must have caused for her daddy to send her halfway across the universe to get her out of the picture for the most important human effort in the last 30 years. “Enough about that though. Who told you that you needed to see me? It wasn’t Arron was it?” Mike secretly loved using Captain Drexel's first name because it made everyone anxious, and he was delighted to see that it took her a moment to put the casually used name with the face of his long time friend.

Camille paused, reminding herself to remain calm, she'd dealt with this stereotype her whole life after all. Her smile was much more brief this time, before she began. "First off, this meeting is about you, not me, understood?"

Mike made a very slight inclination of his head, more challenging than agreeing, but Camille plowed on ahead anyway. "Great, now I really am just trying to work my way through the crew, so this really isn't much to fret over. The Captain," she stressed the proper title, "suggested that I take some time to spend with each member, get a feel for them, and what not. And here we are, your turn." Camille absent-mindedly twirled a long dark curl around her finger as she continued. "I've read a bit over your file," her eyes dropped to the padd sitting on the desk, "but it was rather, well....a bit small considering your time with Star Fleet. How old were you when you entered the Academy?"

Mike could feel the heat in his face and wondered if it showed. He wanted it to show because he knew it would scare the pants off of her. “Well, you jumped right in on that one didn’t you? You’re going to be awful popular after you ‘work your way through the crew’ getting a ‘feel’ for them. You have my file. Why don’t you look for my enrollment date there? If you wanted me to memorize my file before I came you should have warned me.” Mike did feel bad acting so intentionally belligerent in front of a good looking girl who was evaluating him, but this was lessened as he also considered how comical it would look if her pants literally got scared off.

'Oi vey,' Camille inwardly rolled her eyes and made a quick notation on her padd: 'Defensive much?'

“I’ve done just fine by the way,” he blurted almost randomly, noting her silence and the notation. “You can’t judge a man by the thickness of his resume. I have done one thing on this ship and I do it better than anyone else. Nobody knows the back end of the comms and sensor systems as well as me, and every communication on this ship passes through my hands.” Mike stared straight at her for effect and said, “I think I’m doing far better than you, Counselor,” making sure to emphasize the last word as if it was offensive. With the last word a bit of spit flew from his lip and landed on her leg. Mike fought the urge to laugh out loud. She was taking this like a champ, but inside he knew she was melting.

"Why did you join?"

Mike didn’t answer right away. A quick tilt of his head was his reply.

Camille waited.

Mike let out a long breathe for dramatic effect. “You know, my parents have land in Ohio. Every night after the sun goes down my brother and two sisters go sit on their porch with them. They sit there and listen to crickets, talk about the going-ons, and drink wine until its time to go to bed. Thats where i wish i was-enjoying the company of people that aren’t obsessed with command structure or humanitarian missions to people that aren’t actually human. In the end they need me here to make ends meet. The economy is in the crapper because we can’t even go to the john without consulting a gazillion other intergalactic organizations about how it will affect the water on a different planet.”

Mike glanced at the spittle which had only migrated about a millimeter down Camille’s pretty little leg and then stood up sharply and said, “It’s been fun. I hope your assessment will add another page to my strikingly thin resume, I am due at my station.” As he sauntered out the doorway he realized how happy this interaction had made him and hoped he would run into her again soon. Having dealt with the interview problem the only two things left on his mind were how long he had to nap before he was really due on station and that, yes, Camille would look glorious naked.

Camille's head sank to the desk with a thud as the doors closed behind Lt. Luther. "Good God, what an ass!" For good measure she smacked her forehead again a few more times. "What the hell am I doing here?" She whined into her arms. "Is there not a normal effing person aboard this stupid ship?!"


****
This has been a joint post by:

Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

Lt. j/g Micheal Luther
Chief Comm Officer
USS Yorktown

Rawnk hurriedly walked out of his room. Since being aboard USS Yorktown, he had finally got a group of people to join his Tongo group, and spend frivolous amounts of Federation money to pass their miserable time while deployed. The previous night had turned into quite a good sum of money for Rawnk, and he carefully hid his money in his quarters before leaving for his shift. His pedantic personality usually made him late to many events, and he would usually show up to a shift right on time - never before, but sometimes a little after. His tardiness never really seemed to bother anyone anyway, and why waste time with small talk with the other bridge officers if he had money sitting in his room?

As he entered the bridge, he walked straight to his station, not wasting any time to sit down and begin his shift. Courtly nodding to the Ensign leaving the helm post, he began to run through the ships systems and preparing for a long, and boring, day of monitoring this piece of metal hurling through space. I wonder what ridiculous mission we'll be given by Starfleet Command today, he pondered as he comfortably settled back in his seat.

Rawnk Bok
Lt. j/g
Helm Officer
USS Yorktown

**Day 1, Mission 1, 14:01 hours***

Arron rolled his eyes at the Admiral on his personal view screen.

“I used to spank the hell out of you for doing that” said the Fleet Admiral.

Arron couldn’t help it, he laughed out loud. “Now that is a form of discipline I am shocked you haven’t implemented fleet wide since your promotion” Arron said to his Father.

Admiral Drexel gave a mock serious look. “It isn’t from lack of trying Son. I’m hoping our new president will be a little more lenient when it comes to physical punishment.”

Arron grabbed the chance to change the subject, “Speaking of a new president, what is your take on the election? You are there in the belly of the beast, surely you know something”

“Well obviously here at Star Fleet Command, we are keep a very close eye on the situation. We have seen the latest polls numbers, they won’t be released to the press for several hours, but Roux has a 4 point lead, up 2 points from yesterday. It certainly is starting to feel like he will pull out a late victory.”

“That is good to hear!” Arron said enthused, “I must admit he has my vote tomorrow.”

“Mine too” Admiral Drexel said, and leaned in closer to the viewer, “frankly Daala scares the shit out of me.”

Drexel’s eyes widened at the revelation. “You’re kidding? You’re not buying all that relocation Hodge Podge are you? It will never work!” Arron said carefully watching his Fathers eyes.

“There is more to it than that. That crap about ‘The Circle’ has a lot of merit to it; I don’t want to go over details over official channels. I expect you back home in 2 weeks; I’d rather have this conversation in private…face to face.“

Arron nodded, “I understand Dad. So where are you sending us this time?”

Bill Drexel straightened up in his chair, taking a more official posture. “We recently had a freighter convoy take some food supplies to Cardassia, when they spotted a previously unrecorded nebula between Cardassian and Federation space. Unfortunately they didn’t have appropriate sensors to record much more than basic data, but what they did find has us very intrigued about some properties that showed up in their recordings.”

Arron raised an eyebrow, “What kind of properties?” he asked cocking his head ever so slightly to the side.

“Well I don’t want to get too ahead of myself here, but they convoy was reading large quantities of dilithium from the nebula.”

Arron whistled. “Talk about some good news”. He of course was referring to the massive dilithium shortage since the Dominion War ended 12 years ago. “Something like that could fire our economy right back up!”

“Exactly. The problem is it’s in unclaimed space, so whoever gets there first can claim the prize. That’s why we want the Yorktown there. Your ship has the science equipment of a pure science vessel, but enough muscle to make anyone think twice about getting aggressive.”

“I understand” said Arron.

“I am sending you the coordinates now. I don’t have to tell you how important this will be to the Federation. Try not to take long in getting there” his father said sternly.

“We are just finishing some engine recalibrations, and can be underway in a few short hours” Arron said with confidence.

“Glad to hear it son. I look forward to your shore leave in a few weeks. I will tell your mother.”

“Please do” said Arron. “Don’t forget to vote tomorrow!” Arron said brightly.

“Not to worry, I will be sending in my vote first thing in the morning. We must do everything we can to make sure Daala doesn’t obtain power. Trust me. It will not go well” Bill Drexel said, his gaze moving off screen.

“Alright Dad, I can’t wait to find out what all the fuss is about. Yorktown out.”

Arron leaned back into his seat, crossing his arms behind his head, thinking about what his Father had said, and what he could have possible meant about Daala. It was then that he realized a figure was standing behind him. Arron jumped to his feet. “What the Hell!?! Dammit Luther you can’t just walk into my office unannounced!”

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

**Day 1, Mission 1, 14:17 hours**
Mike made an attempt to dart out of the room before Arron, who looked like some deranged animal defensively reared up on its hind legs, was able to go on the offensive. Unfortunately he quickly found himself hobbled and on the floor, not by Arron’s excellent combat prowess, but by his inability to stop laughing. Curling his legs up and crossing he his arms in front of his face in a feeble attempt to protect his core he looked up at the looming Captain’s face and sputtered out, “Damn Arron! You just scared the shit out of me.”

“Get up!” Arron demanded, looking down at the pitiful form of a middle aged man wearing a starfleet uniform giggling on the floor of his office. Arron let his face show the revulsion he felt. “Your a damned disgrace in that uniform Lieutenant” Arron spat, “and what the hell are you even doing here?!” he added.

“I came by to thank you for setting up my hot date with the counselor, but in the end I was far too good looking for her.", Mike replied while standing up.

"You see, women get intimidated when they look at this sensual rock hard body’, he said slightly pursing his lips and grasping his left pectoral with his right hand and firmly shaking it, ‘and they can’t handle it. It drives them crazy.” He leaned back, placing his hand on his cheek and turned his head bashfully towards his shoulder, “In the end, she wanted me so badly that i had to put her down the hard way, poor thing.” Looking more serious now he dryly continued, “So, if you hear anything, well, then, that’s exactly what happened.”

Arrons blood was boiling. He was sure his face had turned a brighter red than the command red collar around the neck of his uniform. “Have you lost your mind?” Arron said through gritted teeth. He noticed his hands had clenched into fists, as he struggled to control his anger. While Mike was by no stretch of the imagination your typical Star Fleet officer, Arron’s patience with his shtick could only be stretched so far.

Acknowledging Arron's heated expression Mike changed the subject. “Been chatting with Daddy have we?", he asked brightly. "What’s he got to say? Will we be getting a Bajoran maid service? It’s not fun having a daddy for an admiral if you can’t get any favors.”

Arron was fairly certain that had he been holding a phasor at that moment, he would have shot Luther. This type of behavior was too much, even for Mike. “I am confining you to your quarters, effective immediately. For someone who has served under my command as long as you have, you should know better.” Arron made no effort to mask the irritation in his voice. “I will be holding a staff briefing at 20:30 hours. Be there. Until then, you are not to leave your quarters, I don’t care of the Borg start assimilating this ship deck by deck, am I understood?”

"Yes Sir, Captain!," replied Mike with his sharpest military salute, but figured this was the perfect opportunity to take another nap. Lt. Suval would love to have more time at the bridge comms, he loved it there.

“And furthermore, whatever you,” Arron emphasized the word, “think you heard, it was not for your ears, and any information you learn on the subject will be at my discretion. Is that clear?”

Mike did his best to puff his chest out as far as possible and not vary his gaze so that he would appear as much of an exaggeration of "at attention" as possible. Arron was sure on one today. The weight of command had changed Arron in Mike's perspective and he supposed Arron probably beat all the Ensigns with the exact same stick he had up his butt at this moment.

------

Mike didn’t feel like laughing much as he walked down the corridor from the captain’s quarters. It didn't matter what Arron said, Mike knew what he heard. If Daala is elected things will not go well. “Who was the Circle and why couldn't the Admiral talk about them over secure lines?” “Were The Circle listening to secure federation channels?” The thought of that infuriated him. The federation’s communication system security was top notch- best in the galaxy even. Another, far more disturbing thought occurred to him. “What if the Circle has infiltrated the federation?” That was the only logical answer. Mike cringed as he conceded that federation channels were no longer secure from the Circle and by extension the entire Daala campaign. Worse of all, he knew he couldn't talk to anyone about it. Mike was happy to break all kinds of rules, but he would not disobey a direct order from Captain Drexel.

As Mike walked down the hall progressively slower to his quarters he played the Admiral Drexels voice over and over in his head, “We must do everything we can to make sure Daala doesn’t obtain power. Trust me.”
Mike would have to buy the Captain a drink, or even a couple of drinks, to get him over this.

------

Arron had collapsed back into his chair behind his desk and sighed, hoping with the exhale that all of the tension he felt would leave with it. It didn't work. Arron winced as he slapped his Commbadge a little harder than he had intended, =/\=Ensign Roux, please report to the Captains Office immediately=/\=

********

This has been a joint post by
Lieutenant j/g Michael Luther
Chief Communications Officer
USS Yorktown
and
Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

**Day 1, Mission 1, 14:41 hours**

Camille had apparently nodded off during her moment of self-pity and realization of the lack of normalcy upon the ship. The chime of her comm badge startled her awake.

=/\= Ensign Roux, please report to the Captain's office immediately. =/\=

=/\= Yes, sir. =/\=

Camille stretched and popped her neck as she stood. This would be as good a time as any to throw that idiot Luther under the proverbial bus if the opportunity arose. That man had some serious issues.

**********

Arron made a conscious effort to regain his composure after the confrontation he had with Luther. He was glad to see the face of his newest department head, Camille Roux, his Head Counselor.

“Please come in Ensign, and take a seat," Arron said; motioning to a rather basic wooden chair in front of his desk. Arron didn’t believe anyone should be sitting comfortable when in the Captain's office, other than him. He had earned that right, and now his young junior officers were doing the same thing he had done 20+ years ago.

“How are you adjusting to life on board the Yorktown Ensign?” Arron asked with genuine curiosity

Camille inwardly scoffed as she sat, recalling her encounters with Mayne and Luther.....and those had just been in the last several hours! She decided to go a safe route with an unelaborated truth. "It's definitely different," she smiled warmly.

Arron recognized the non answer for what it was, and decided now was not the time to press for more information.

“Big day for your family tomorrow. You must be excited?” Arron stated the question almost like a fact.

Camille shrugged, "Just another regular day for me, Sir."

“I must admit I will be giving your Father my vote. He seems like a stand up guy, and the Federation could use him as a leader” Arron said honestly.

"Well I'm sure he'll be most grateful for your vote, Captain."

“Well Ensign, you certainly don’t seem one for small talk. I like that in an officer. I appreciate a seriousness and a sense of duty while in uniform. Unfortunately its a trait not common in every officer.”

"Yes, I've already interviewed a few of those, one just a few hours ago. He seems to be on rather friendly terms with you...."

Arron raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess...” Arron said already knowing the answer. “Michael Luther?”

Camille smiled genuinely for the first time in a while, "Quite a good guess there, sir."

“He and I have known each other for a long time. Unfortunately, our personalities are quite a bit different for me to consider him anything more than a colleague, however I think he see’s our relationship in a much different light. That is actually the reason I called you here. I am not exactly sure how to handle him.” Arron paused for a moment to consider his next statement. “...he saved my life once. And for that I will always be grateful...but at the same time I feel like I can't keep ignoring the fact that his behavior is quite unbecoming of an officer. Frankly it was much easier to deal with when I wasn’t his Commanding Officer.” Arron said with a half grin. “He wasn’t my problem...”

Camille nodded as she listened, "That does sound like quite the predicament. Be grateful you weren't present for our interview. His lack of respect for others seems to stem greatly from general unhappiness with where he is at in his life, whether he acknowledges it or not. He also seems to come off as the untouchable "golden child" in thinking his relationship with you is more than you claim it to be. And THAT is a scenario I'm all too familiar with myself." Camille inwardly cringed at the last sentence. When would she learn to keep her own experiences out. 'Stupid!' she berated herself.

Arron chuckled, “Well he certainly isn’t what I would consider ambitious...He has served on board the Yorktown for almost as long as I have, and yet he was only promoted one time. I have never seen someone serve in the military for that long without working to achieve something better. Most people in his situation would have left the service after their second tour of duty.” Arron thought back to his stern reaction to Luther and grimaced. “He means well...he really does, and I know he has taken to some sort of connection with me, but as Captain, I can’t afford to play favorites with anyone, let alone an officer who could set a bad example for the younger junior officers on board my ship. Any suggestions?” Drexel asked, unconsciously rising to his feet and walking over to the replicator. “A drink?” he asked.

"Just water, please." Camille was rather dry-mouthed from her spontaneous nap.

Arron nodded, “Iced tea, sweetened”’ he ordered for himself. The drink materialized in the replicator, and Arron plucked it out, feeling the cool condensation already dripping down the glass. “Ice Water” he said next, and watched as a second similar glass appeared, this time with water and ice inside. He removed it with his free hand, and walked back over to his desk, where he leaned over to hand Camille the water.

"Thank you, sir," Camille took the glass and proceeded to drain half the glass before she began.

Arron nodded and sat back down to listen to Camille’s answer. Arron took a quick sip of his beverage, relishing the refreshing feeling it brought him. Iced Tea was a favorite of his, dating back to his childhood. Some memories were always pleasant, no matter how old they were. Drinking Iced Tea always seem to bring those back to him.

Camille pursed her lips together, trying to gather her thoughts. "Well for starters, I would advise sitting down with him 1-on-1, preferably as his," Camille racked her brain for the term Drexel had used. "Colleague, not his Captain. Make him aware that any friendships must be kept distant for now, as not to jeopardize your position as Captain nor the safety and functionality of the crew."

Arron nodded as he listened to his Counselor's advice. Taking another sip of his tea and digesting the information Roux had sent his way. “Well that certainly seems a better alternative to the yelling I did not 15 minutes ago,” Arron said forcing a smile.

Camille out-right laughed, "Yes, though I almost chose your way during my interview with him."

Arron grunted. “Well the luxury of being Captain means I can get away with it better than a young Ensign” he quipped.

Nodding in agreement, Camille composed herself, "Very true. Though you may also want to switch to being his Captain and give him some sexual harassment advice."

Arrons eyes widened in alarm. “I will be sure to address that with him.” he said making a mental note.

"From the notes the previous counselor left me, it seems the required annual training on the matter was recently done before he left and I transferred in," Camille stated.

Arron recalled his previous counselor, Lieutenant Bwa’tu. “Yes, it was a real shame when that transporter accident claimed his life.” Drexel said solemnly. “No one expected him to be beamed inside the bulkhead. Poor Luther was in shock for quite some time after we realized the foul smell coming from his room was Bwa’tu's decomposing body inside the walls of his quarters. It was awhile before anyone wanted to use the transporter again. Lucky we have one of the best Engineers in the business, and Mayne got it fixed shortly. Still...a terrible tragedy. Nevertheless, I am pleased you are with us now Ensign.” Arron said and drained the remainder of his drink, paying little attention to the grisly details.

Camille shuddered slightly, "They didn't disclose the details when I was given the transfer. I'm sorry to hear that happened. Forgive me if I feel inclined to turn down an away mission.”

Arron laughed at the anecdote. “I will try to remember that. Well Ensign, I don’t want to keep you, I know you are scheduled to meet with Lieutenant Bok shortly. Thank you for coming to see me.” Arron said earnestly.

Camille nodded, "Nor I you, sir. Thank you for your time." She finished the glass of water in one final swig and stood. She crossed the room quickly to dispose of her glass in the replicator and came back to shake Drexel's hand. "Thank you, again."

Camille left the Captains office trying to recall the details she had read over in Lt. Bok's file. 'Ah, yes, the Ferengi,' she suddenly remembered. Camille was definitely going to be in need of some wine before the day was done.

******
This has been a joint post by:

Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

and

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

“I don’t want it just done, I want it done right the first time. So I suggest you run it again and make sure everything runs smoothly,” Bradley stated with a stern look on his face.

“Yes sir,” the ensign retreated out of Bradley office.

“I swear to god Karina do they let just anyone on here these days. I’m going to jettison his ass off the ship if our weapons aren’t kept up properly.” Karina laughed out loud bring a chuckle to Bradley face.

“Get me up to speed what’s the report look like today,” Bradley requested while staring at his screen.

“L’del reports one in the brig.”

“Who,” Bradley replied back

“Same one as always, he can’t keep his hands to himself after a few drink”

“I’m sick of this guy, until we get back those are his living quarters. What’s going on with Mr. Stone? I want the weapons inventoried. I don’t want to see anything come up missing,” Bradley still keeping his head down not looking at the Assistant Chief.

“Aye sir, I’ll meet up with him and see where we are at.”

“Thank you Karina your dismissed.”

Bradley finally lifted his head and leaned back in his chair letting out a deep breath. “Sooner this election get over the better.” Bradley look at the clock making his out his chair and toward the door.

Bradley Milligan
Chief of Security
USS Yorktown

Thoris entered into the counseling office immediately as the last crewman left. His eyes made contact with the ship’s counselor, and he felt a wave of hesitance come upon him. He first thought of stepping back out and making up the excuse that he had the wrong room when he first sensed a negative vibe on her, but he managed to pull through. “Counselor...ah, Ensign Roux? Could I have five minutes of your time? Or, if not, I can maybe just schedule a short appointment soon?”

"No, no, Commander, come on in, it’s no trouble. Please, have a seat. What can I help you with sir?” Camille gestured to the arm chairs opposite her.

“Yes, ah, do you know anything about--thank you, by the way. Do you know anything about Andorian physiology?” He eased into the chair across from Ensign Roux.

Camille smiled somewhat insecurely, “Just what the Academy drilled into my head, but I am by no means an expert. Enlighten me.”

“Let’s put it this way...Andorians, who...live life...like me, away from the, ah, terra firma Andoria, tend to have a violent disposition. Maybe I could compare it to the human reaction of depression.” He glanced back at Ensign Roux, making sure she was following what he was saying. “We as Andorians don’t have an established way of dealing with it, like, dare I even bring them up...” He paused momentarily. “We either tend to bottle it all up and let it spew like a geyser, or it heightens our senses, and we suffer from headaches and migraines.

“Now, before you think up some idea like this, do know that I’ve dedicated some of my free time in a Holodeck in a combat simulator, trying for that as a, ah, release for these tendencies. Now, Ensign, the problem is this: for the last 15 or about 15 years, this has been sufficient. Now I can’t help but wanting some members of the crew cut up into a bloody pulp.”

A small laugh escaped her lips and Camille felt her face redden in embarrassment, especially at the look on the Commander’s face. “I’m sorry, please forgive me. I mean no disrespect sir, I just find myself sharing some of your feelings towards the crew.” Camille coughed slightly, regaining composure, desperate to switch back to the original topic at hand. “Have you consulted any of doctors about the migraines?”

“Oh, yes,” Thoris nodded, feeling slightly irritated. “Me and the doc’ are best of friends. I’ve been seeing him too with the increased number of migraines. But it’s best to,” he gestured with his hands, “attack from both directions.”

Sensing Thoris’ irritation, Camille tried to diffuse him a little, secretly not wanting to be that first “bloody pulp”. “I couldn’t agree more. I may be a little wet behind my ears as far as my ‘official’ counseling but I have always preferred trying to find an alternative route to medicine when available. What’s the extent of your combat simulation? What exactly do you do in there for your ‘outlet’?”

“It started as unarmed combat: kharakom, hleshvalath. The sport aspect never did appeal to me, so...I begun playing for survival. Ushaan-thor duels. Chaka, hrisal. Of course, the routines are made to -never- kill a person, but as time went on, it became too easy for me. The routine didn’t dare do something as dangerous as, say, cut me. So, while I was on the USS Saratoga...” He paused a moment to collect his thoughts and emotions. “...I altered the subroutines to be more aggressive.”

Camille raised an eyebrow, "And have you....?"

“Yes,” Thoris admitted guiltily, “I have altered the subroutines of this ship too--but only to that program, mind you. Very rarely does anyone willingly participate in a simulation of Andorian dueling culture...”

"Well you sure chickened me out of participating with you," Camille teased.

Thoris was confused at her reaction. This was serious business to him. She didn’t try to change the subject to his wrongdoing--that was good--but her attitude seemed a little too accepting. He leaned forward onto the edge of the chair. “Then you are wise. I am quite certain that if I were to duel anybody on this ship, that their death will come by my hand, swift and inevitably.” He had said that last sentence a little too passionately, and checked Camille’s reaction to that. “What I’m really asking you, is, if you have any suggestions, counsel, to curb my aggressions. Last thing I or anyone on this ship needs is a hot-headed walking death threat.”

"Well I had initially thought of joining you, but it sounds like you'd demolish me before I knew what was happening. I agree though, it'd be nice to get this under control. Can you perhaps pinpoint certain areas, actions, words, people....anything that really seem to be your 'triggers'?" Camille was determined to help the Commander. His personality seemed similar to her own and frankly, besides the Captain, he was the first crew member she hadn't wanted to hit yet.

“I...I...” He was eager to speak, but already his temperament was flaring. For the moment, Thoris couldn’t think of anything “trigger”-like. He just seemed pissed at everyone and everything it seemed like.

Seeing him struggle Camille smiled gently, "It's alright, breathe. Close your eyes for me, okay?"

Thoris felt reluctant to do it--he felt like getting up and storming out, but decided to put up with her suggestion. “Fine,” he muttered in a quiet, irritated tone and closed his eyes.

Camille took a deep breath herself, sensing the continuing growth of frustration in Thoris. "Alright, now take three deep breaths. I know you're upset, but I really am trying to help."

He did so. With it, he felt himself gain a small bit of his control again.

"Great, now open your eyes and look at me," Camille smiled wide as his eyes focused on hers. "Feel a little better?"

“For now,” Thoris replied.

"I have a great idea for you, Commander. What if we take your feelings out of the holodeck? Put some real physicality into the frustration, anger, and tension within you. Have you utilized the gymnasium aboard yet?"

The Andorian stared at Ensign Roux skeptically. “You think that any of these...” What was the word? “...bozos...are any match for me?”

Happiness burst through Camille at his words, she knew she was on the right track now. "No sir, I don't! And I want you to show me, them and yourself what you can do. There's several different martial arts classes offered, I'm sure we can find your niche. This sounds like a great way to channel your energy and learn some self-control and discipline."

Thoris stood suddenly, temperament flaring after he saw the counselor’s reaction. “Do you take pleasure in my pain?” He turned to leave, but then he stopped. Three big breaths. “Sorry, that was...out of order.” He turned back to her. “Perhaps, that is a good idea.”

Camille rose slowly and came out from behind the desk, a little apprehensive due to Thoris' explosive reactions. She touched his elbow gently and looked up into his face. "Thoris, I'm on your side. My personal situation may be different, but my pain is very similar...." Camille sighed, ".....and very much hidden."

Thoris glanced at where she touched him. It felt--good. Much more like home. Humans, in his experience, had been great at distancing others. Human compassion was something that he had trouble relating with. “Forgive me then, if I come off too...cold hearted.”

Camille laughed, "Many would say I the same about me. But really, let's work on this together, okay? You're not alone. I think this could be really great for you....and you get to rough up some of the crew while you're at it!"

Thoris smirked a bit. “It sounds like you are wanting for some...accidents...to happen.”

"I'm not mentioning any names.....and if you mention mine to Dr. Wells if you get in trouble, this was all your idea," she teased.

“It would be unethical to place part of the blame on you,” Thoris reasoned. “So, sign up in some martial arts class and learn how to slaughter people socially. Doctor’s orders. Got it.” He glanced at Ensign Roux. “You are a doctor, aren’t you? Or is it not a comprehensive education?”

"Yes and no, it's arguable...mostly by those who went to school longer."

“I see. Anyways, I’m due on the bridge to relieve Lt. Jelo from his shift...one minute ago...”

"I understand, my quarters and a glass of wine are calling me. Let me know when you have a class, I'd love to see your 'energy' land a crewman on his ass. And Commander?"

Thoris silently looked at the Ensign.

"My door is always open, especially if you're feeling an extreme need to start slicing people to a pulp," Camille smiled.

“Extreme? Counselor, Andorians are passionate people. It’s always extreme or...nada.” He gave a slight smile, hoping he was showing he was kidding--partially--and stepped out the door. “Thank you, Counselor."

**********

This has been a joint post with

Commander Thoris ch’Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

Camille sat cross-legged on her bed, a wonderfully large glass of wine finally in hand, as she absent-mindedly browsed around on her computer. No new messages from home, not that it surprised her.

Her family was most likely out schmoozing around at some gala, working to score some last minute votes. Her heart sank with the thought of wishing she was there; the next minute she was arguing within about how she was glad she wasn't. It wouldn't be like the old days, even if she was back home. The food, the wine, the music, a gorgeous flowing silk gown, snug on her petite frame....that would all be the same. But then there'd be the "hidden" stares and glances, the whispers, the sudden silence as she walked up to a conversation with old friends.

A small tear snuck out of her eye and down her cheek. Angrily, she brushed it away and drained her wine glass, heaving herself off the bed to refill it. She was NOT going to do this to herself. She was strong, stronger than any of them knew. It's not as if they even knew the truth, no one did. No one even seemed to care about the truth.

As Camille emptied the bottle of wine into her glass, her thoughts turned to the events of the day. Not wanting to build her anger back up, she quickly made her mind skip over the debate in Ten Forward and interview with Luther. Lt. Bok had been a no-show after her talk with the Captain, she'd need to reschedule with him, and then there was Thoris. 'Commander Ch'Tell,' she corrected herself. It was one thing within the confines of her office, working on his personal issues....a whole different ball game everywhere else.

She couldn't shake her mind from re-playing their encounter, there HAD to be more she could do to help. She felt that their mutual feelings and frustrations weren't alone among the crew, especially at such a crucial point in history.

A decent portion of the crew were Bajoran....practically guaranteed votes for Daala. Then there were the humans, judging by how fanatical Daala's supporters seemed to be, she figured majority of the humans would lean towards her father, Ambassador Roux. As for all the other many races aboard....who knew! Tension seemed to be building and no matter how tomorrow went, it didn't look pretty in Camille's eyes.

Suddenly, her thoughts bouncing all around, stopped and an idea struck her. They all needed an outlet, just as Thoris did. Excitement filling her, she set the glass down on her table and jumped back onto her bed, scrambling at her computer. Starting a crew-wide message, she began:

"Come one, come all! Election Day Dodgeball!! Cast your vote and stop by the gymnasium for a friendly, stress-relieving, game of dodgeball with your fellow crew members! Teams will be chosen at random, upon arrival. Games start at 0900. Brought to you by the USS Yorktown Counseling team."

Hoping people would actually show.....hell, who doesn't like dodgeball?....Camille sent the memo out to every department and crew member.

Tomorrow held so much, she decided to go to bed early, she'd take as much sleep as she could get at this point.

**********

Ensign Camille Roux
Chief Counselor
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 1, 23:30 hours**

Vestara hauled herself into her quarters, tired from working the double shift due to Lieutenant Borlats sick day. While it was a long day it wasn't particularly strenuous, though she did find herself struggling to stay alert during the Mission briefing earlier.

She knew her husband David would already be back to work at Engineering, as he was currently taking night shifts to finish the engine recalibration, though now that the ship was at warp, she was sure that he had finally finished that project that took the better part of the last week.

Not feeling particularly hungry, and wanting to get as much sleep as possible before needing to report for duty tomorrows mission, and of course an early stop at the ships polling station, she decided she would just check her personal messages and then crawl into her empty bed. She sure hoped David would be able to return to a normal shift rotation soon enough. She hated sleeping alone.

She activated her personal computers screen to see 3 messages awaiting her. The first was from her mother Nara with a not so subtle reminder to vote for Daala tomorrow, and that through Daala, Bajor would finally regain a prominent place in the galaxy, and that it was duty of all Bajorans to promote such an opportunity.

Vestara rolled her eyes, not because she disagreed with her mother, but because of all people, Vestara was one of the last people who needed reminding of what a strong united Bajor would mean to the Federation, and perhaps more importantly what it would mean to any Cardassians still harboring any ill will towards Bajor.

The second message was from Ensign Roux, the spoiled politicians daughter who was no doubt under the false impression that her Father was going to win tomorrows election. Vestara didn't know what 'Dodgeball' was, but it sounded like a good opportunity to blow off some steam, so she accepted the invitation eagerly.

Her final message was an extremely dirty letter from David explaining in great detail what he planned to do her after his shift tomorrow. Vestara blushed and felt her body heat up, and quickly decided before she went to bed she would pull out her favorite Klingon bedtime toy.

*****

Lieutenant Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

**Day 1, Mission 1, 19:40 hours**

Arron was sitting in the Captains chair reading over the latest report from Engineering. It would not be long now until the warp engines were back online. Satisfied that the time had come to brief his crew regarding their next mission, he tapped his comm badge.

=/\=All Department heads, please report to the conference room by 20:00 hours for a mission briefing=/\=

Arron nodded to Zane Cross who had just entered the bridge. “Commander, you have the bridge. I will make sure you get a full report of the briefing so you can be caught up to speed”

Zane nodded, “Yes Captain”

While Zane was technically a department head as the Chief Intelligence Officer, he was also the Yorktown’s second officer, and there needed to be someone from the command staff at the bridge at all times.

Arron got up from his chair to allow Zane to sit down. “Should be a quiet shift Commander Cross. You can probably relax a bit tonight”

“I wouldn’t think of it Captain. There will be no relaxing while I am on duty”

Arron grinned at the younger man appreciating his dedication. “So be it,” and with that Arron turned to head for the conference room, where he entered, replicated himself some more Iced Tea, and took a seat at the head of the table to pour over some notes he made earlier for this presentation.

*****

Thoris was at his station when the captain made the announcement, and prepared the current routine to perform automatically. He sent word to one of the department ensigns to watch over the routine during the meeting, and minutes later he passed through the doors into the conference room.

*****

Vestara was sitting at her station in front and to the left of Drexel, so she signaled Crewman Saunders to report to her station on the bridge as soon as she heard the Captains announcement. She glanced over her shoulder as she saw him leave for the conference room as Commander Cross relieved him.

Cross had always come across as an arrogant punk ass, and Vestara was not fond of him at all. This wasn't exactly shocking however as Cross was a Human, and Vestara could count on one hand the number of Humans she considered to be on friendly terms with. Most Humans in Vestara's experience had led sheltered lives, and had no real understanding what other less fortunate species had suffered through for years. Arrogant, pompous, and born with a silver spoon in their mouths. The thought made Vestara's stomach churn. This was exactly why Daala was going to win the election tomorrow, and non-humans all over the Federation who hadn't always had the privileged lifestyle of those from Earth could feel like someone was finally looking out for their best interests...not just those of Earth.

Vestara was pulled from her thoughts by the approaching Crewman Saunders. A human of course. Vestara did remarkably well at hiding the contempt in her voice. A well practiced and frequently called upon skill. "Lieutenant Borlat is ill, and I have a mission briefing. Please watch my station until I return." Vestara said, making a mental note to disinfect the console once she returned.

"Yes ma'am" said the crewman.

Vestara rose and gestured to Saunders to take her seat, then walked off towards the conference room. She noticed Commander Thoris had beat her there, and while she didn't particularly care for any species that wasn't Bajoran, she preferred the Andoran to most of her human counterparts, and took a seat next to him.

*****

Camille cursed as her comm badge chirped and the Captain announced the meeting. She'd just gotten comfortable. With a great sigh, she heaved herself sluggishly out of bed and redressed in her uniform. Noting the time, she hurried out the door, attempting to run her hands through her hair. Being right on time was 'late' in her father's eyes, so punctuality had been drilled in from the beginning.

As she exited the turbolift onto the Bridge minutes later, she made one small adjustment to her uniform and proceeded into the conference room. Camille took a seat opposite Commander Ch'tell; nodding curtly in greeting to him, Lieutenant Mayne, and the Captain. "Good evening."

*****

Bradley was already on his way to the bridge when he heard the Captain’s message. Bradley didn’t mind most of the people he was serving with. He respected other crewmembers places of origin and their culture. What bothered him the most was species hating on other species because thats what they were taught to believe in their culture. Bradley had seen enough death and fighting over cultural differences to know how absurd it gets.

The door from the lift opened on to the bridge and Bradley saw Karina at his post. “I’ll meet with you after the meeting Karina.” he said. Bradley then made his way into the conference room and took his seat.

****

David was just getting dressed so he could begin his last night shift to finalize the work on the Engines. He missed his wife, and the schedule he had been working had not lent itself to much time with her lately, so he was looking forward to some private time with her. Feeling a bit flirtatious, he typed up a quick message to his wife, knowing she probably wouldn’t get to read it until tonight. Satisfied, that he had used every dirty word he could think of, he sent it. “Son of a bitch!” he cursed, realizing the message had been sent to Commander Sumo. How in the hell had he managed to do that?!? He quickly resent the message to his wife, then furiously tapped his commbadge.

=/\=Mayne to Luther, any chance you can do a favor for me?=/\=

=/\= “David, buddy, I’m a bit preoccupied here. Can it wait until this turd is jettisoned into space?”=/\=

David’s mind was in such a frenzy he didn’t even recognize what Luther had said. =/\=Well, the thing is, shit this is embarrassing…well I just sent a private message to my wife…however…and honestly I am not sure how this happened, but I sent the message to Commander Sumo instead…is there any way you can go into the ships computer and have the message deleted before he reads it…It would be highly embarrassing for me and my wife=/\= Mayne said and cringed waiting for the response.

=/\= “You want me to rifle through Sumo’s message center to extract a dirty message?” =/\=, Mike answered with a hint of eagerness in his voice.

=/\=Yes....that’s what I said=/\= Mayne said feeling an edge of irritation creep into his voice.

=/\=”I’m going to have to skip Arron’s staff briefing though. You are going to have to cover for me. Think of something creative. Arron thinks I’m restricted to my quarters right now though, so it better be good. I’ll need to work some front end magic to get access to Sumo’s message box before the meeting, then during the meeting I will work myself into Sumo’s backend..... Shut up.=/\=

****

Mayne had just left his quarters when his commbadge chirped again with Drexel requesting all department heads for a mission briefing. His heart was still racing from Luther’s response to his dire request, but he tried to calm himself as he boarded the turbo-lift and headed for the bridge. He quickly crossed the bridge and entered the conference room where he smiled nervously at his wife and a few other officers seated around the table. He took the empty chair next to Vestara, and looked around hoping his face showed no sense of the panic that had just gone through him minutes earlier.

Mayne cleared his throat, “Captain, I had just stopped by Luthers quarters to run some ideas I had about boosting the communications output, and he seemed really ill, I doubt he will be in any condition to show up for the briefing.”

Arron raised his eyebrows, “Oh? I just met with him several hours ago and he seemed in good health...” Arron said mulling over the real reason why his Chief Communications Officer was not showing up for the mandatory briefing. Perhaps he was embarrassed after their earlier altercation.

David felt his throat tighten as he could see Drexel working things over in his mind. “You know, Lieutenant Borlat was sick today, I had a repair crew working on his replicator this morning, he had gotten food poisoning over night. Perhaps Luther’s replicator is suffering from a similar malfunction.”

Arron’s eyes flashed with annoyance, “Are you saying we have a ship wide replicator problem to deal with right now?”

“Oh I don’t know if I would call it shipwide at this point sir. It could be just a localized issue, but I can run a diagnostic on the replicators as soon as we are out of here” David said brightly.

Arron looked at his iced tea, and pushed it away. “Please do, I don’t need my entire crew in sick bay with Doctor Wells.”

“Of course not sir, I will take care of it, and make a full report” Mayne said relaxing a little as he had bought Luther some time.

****

Bok looked over the flight control panel, made sure that the ship was in order, and looked over to the eager-looking Ensign sitting a few feet away, “Ensign, you have the helm.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” came the unpleasantly cheerful reply. Why do humans have to be so emotional all the time? Can’t they just do something without feeling obligated to show emotion?

Of course, in his own head, he was just annoyed. The life at Starfleet did not afford him as much opportunity to acquire even a small portion of wealth, and every hope to cash in on some big find had only been dashed to disappointment by some other useless effort in rescuing a useless colony, or interfering at another dispute. By his own standards, let alone the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition, he was a failure, and this seemingly futile space wandering only added insult to injury.

As he entered the room, he could see Drexel’s smug face looking over the crew and sipping on his... what did they call it? ...uhm yes, “tea.” He could still not understand why someone would choose to drink something that resembled their own body’s liquid excretion. Nevertheless, he took his seat around the table, thinking about tonight’s next game of Tongo - how much money would he be able to make? He admitted that for all of his own foolishness, he did know how to play Tongo fairly well, and that became his source of profit aboard the Yorktown.

Commander Sumo and Doctor Wells both shuffled in, the last of the officers to report for the meeting though they were a few minutes late.

“Nice of you to show up!” Arron said, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

Arron glanced around the conference table, the only notable absence was Luther who was apparently too ill to report.

“Thank you all for coming” Arron greeted the senior staff. “It has been a quiet week for us, so I hope you all have enjoyed the down time, however we have new orders and need to get back to work” Arron stood and grabbed the stack of PADDS that were sitting on the conference table. He walked around the room clockwise handing a PADD from the top of the stack to each officer as he passed their seat. When he returned to his chair, he remained standing.

“Star Fleet Command has tasked us with a priority mission, one that has the potential to usher in a new period of economic growth for the Federation.” Arron watched his officers react to that statement.

Arron pushed a button on the table console, and the lights dimmed and the viewscreen behind him flickered to life.

“Sector 585” Arron stated and glanced at the screen currently showing a 2D top down grid map. “This region of space is currently unclaimed, and sits roughly between Federation and Cardassian territory, though the Ferengi are relatively close by as well. So...” Arron said starting to pace back and forth “what is it about this region of space that is so important to the Federation?” Arron pushed another button and a bright baby blue cloud set against the dark expanse of space appeared on the screen. “This is a nebula that was discovered by a Federation supply convoy 48 hours ago. According to rudimentary long range scans of the nebula, there could be a massive deposit of Dilithium inside that cloud.”

"Wow, how much are we talking about here?" Camille inquired.

“Initial scans were inconclusive.” Arron admitted. “The convoy was not equipped with the type of equipment necessary to determine if this is from an asteroid formation inside the nebula, a planet that is forming in there, or it they are naturally forming particles in the cloud itself.” Arron said reading his notes from the PADD in his hand. “Obviously a discovery like this has the power to revitalize the economy of any power that stakes a claim to it.

Or any individual, thought Bok.

“That is why we are being sent instead of a science vessel. We have state of the art equipment on board to study it, a great science team lead by Commander ch’Tell, but more importantly, we are significantly well armed to the point we could hold our own against any Cardassian or even Ferengi aggressors.” Arron said confidently.

“I’m sorry Captain, but the Cardassian fleet is only a shadow of their former self,” piped Rawnk. “Besides, they’re too busy dealing with Ferengi smugglers in any case, I doubt they would pose a problem.”

Arron shrugged. “These are Cardassians we are talking about. It would be foolish to assume that despite the Dominion War sanctions that they are actually keeping their end of the bargain. And something as game changing as this dilithium could shift the balance of power to anyone in the quadrant.” Arron said seriously.”I want everyone to be on their guard.” he added.

“Commander ch’Tell” Arron said turning to face his Chief Science Officer, “given the limited readings on the PADD infront of you, is there any reason why the Yorktown would not be able to obtain all the necessary information Star Fleet is requesting from us?”

“Not at all,” Thoris spoke up, his antennae being unresponsive. “I am skeptical about the usefulness of the dilithium, especially if it be in a gaseous state, but if there are asteroids with deposits, it would be well worth our time. We’ll just have to see when we get there.”

Arron nodded. “Thank you Commander, I am just as curious as you are. You will have the full resources of this ship made available to you. Commander Sumo, please see that he gets what he needs”

“Consider it done Captain” Sumo said scratching the back of his head.

Thoris returned some Andorian facial expression as a response and began scribbling some notes on the PADD.

“If we are able to determine that this nebula is in fact of great value, we will begin by placing sensor buoys around the nebula to stake the Federations claim. We will likely be stationed at the nebula for some time if this all works out, though we can expect some construction ships to arrive shortly after to begin building a new space station for defense, mining, and processing operations.

Bradley repositioned himself in his chair, “ I believe we can hold this area for a certain amount of time,but can we expect any reinforcements within a respectable amount of time? I can’t see us being able to hold this area in the long run once the word gets out.”

Arron nodded appreciatively “You make a very good point Lieutenant.” Drexel said addressing his Chief Security and Tactical Officer.”If construction is going to begin on a new starbase out here, then yes, I would say we can expect a stronger military presence in this sector. Until such a time comes, it will just be us.”

“Lieutenant Bok,” Arron said turning to his Ferengi helm officer. “As soon as Engineering gives the go ahead on the Engines, set a course for sector 585, I don’t want to push the engines to the max so soon after they are repaired, so no faster than warp 7.”

“Aye, sir,” reluctantly replied the Lt. j/g.

“We should expect to arrive at sector 585 no latter than 1400 hours tomorrow. I want everyone to be at their stations ready for anything. Before we dismiss, are their any questions?”

Arron glanced around the table. When no one spoke up, Arron smiled. “Okay then. Make sure you all vote early tomorrow, I expect everyones ballot to be cast by the time they show up for their shift. Have a good evening, dismissed.”


*****

This has been a joint post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Thoris ch’Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Michael Luther
Chief Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Bradley Milligan
Chief Tactical/Security Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Rawnk Bok
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Yorktown

** Mission 1, Day 2, 0627 hours **

Camille jumped in her sleep, startling herself awake. She stared at the clock glowing to her right, blinking several times before the numbers became readable. Groaning, she threw herself back down and grabbed a second pillow to cover her face. There is nothing more frustrating than waking up minutes before the alarm goes off. It felt like quite the ominous start to a day. At least she didn't have any appointments, just needed to be sure she voted before heading down to the gymnasium to get everything set up for the dodgeball games. Her inner battle of staying in bed for 3.....no, 2 more minutes didn't last and she rolled out from under the warm covers, shutting off the alarm before it would sound.

She ambled slowly over to the replicator, trying to decide what she wanted. "Oatmeal, with bananas, strawberries and chocolate chips." The bowl materialized, warm to the touch. Just what she needed to start. She ate it quickly, wishing she had more time to truly enjoy it. It wasn't quite like home, but not too far off. She hurried into the bathroom to relieve herself and hopped in the sonic shower afterward. Feeling quite refreshed, she threw on a simple outfit, dodgeball was not exactly a uniform-friendly activity, and pulled her long, dark hair back in a ponytail.

She arrived in the main lounge, where one side of the room had been cleared of the typical table and chairs layout, and several isolated computer stations had been set up, in order to serve as the voting booths. Grateful she hadn't been part of the team to set it all up, she walked over to one of the booths and entered personal access codes, verifying her citizenship, and then found herself staring at the screen. Three names, four boxes, only one selection allowed, the fourth available for a "write-in" candidate.

Camille had gone over this at least a hundred times in her head. She knew who she would vote for, yet hated herself for it. Would he be the best for the Federation? Yes. Did she agree with him 100%? No. Would voting against him make her feel even worse? Yes.' Sighing, feeling as if she were silently agreeing with his original ultimatum, accepting his criticism and knowing that this could never change the past no matter how hard she wished, Camille marked the box with 'Jean-Henri Roux' next to it and hit the 'Finished' button at the bottom that sent her ballot to who-knows-where.

Shaking slightly, feeling as if somehow her father knew what had just transpired and of her inner turmoil, Camille found herself almost running to the turbolift, trying to get away from him.

Once in the gymnasium, Camille felt more secure and whole. She quickly found the cabinet in which plenty of good-sized rubber balls were kept, they were perfect. Unsure of how many would show for the games, or quite how the teams would be split....perhaps first come, first serve....Camille arranged six balls down the center of one of the courts and sat on the floor, waiting.


Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 2, 05:55 hours**

Thoris was nervous about the morning class. He really hadn’t practised another fighting style before, and fighting socially...again...would seem like a whole new experience.

Judo was his current choice of sport. It sounded interesting in the description, and probably a good start for hand-to-hand combat. He entered the gymnasium and looked around to see if he recognized any of the participants.

Arron yawned as he finished stretching. He was certainly feeling the effects of middle age more than he recalled. Perhaps that 2 week shore leave he had coming up was just what he needed to revitalize his body and mind. Until then, he would continue to let those serving under him to use him as a human punching bag. Arron was never much more than an adept when it came to hand to hand combat, but he always enjoyed training as it made him feel more deadly with his hands, but truth be told, in a fight he always preferred a reliable phasor.

“Ready to kick my ass again Nala?” Arron said to the ships Head Nurse, a relatively new member of the USS Yorktown, currently finishing her stretches next to him

“You bet I am!” said Nala, showing much enthusiasm. “Just don’t make it look so easy this time” she joked.

Arron laughed, “Well lucky for me, if I need medical attention, I won’t have to go far”

Arron looked up as Commander ch’Tell entered. “Commander!” Arron said waving the Andoran over to him and Koshka. “This is a first...what brings you here this morning?”

While his antennae were moving around wildly, Thoris turned toward Arron. “Captain! Good morning,” he greeted. “I decided to give this Judo a try. Partially, it was Counselor Roux’s idea to join more...social sports. With living people.”

Arron nodded, “Well Commander, you might be disappointed to know any holographic fighting program you have been using probably has a greater skill at his stuff than I do” the Captain joked. “Starting to get old...” Arron said muttering more to himself than anyone else.

“So how long have you trained in Judo?” Thoris wondered.

“Well, I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call what he does training...” Nala said, trying to stifle a laugh.

Arron smirked not bothering to rebuke the comment. “I’ve been doing this for about a year. I found it slightly more engaging than the last holonovel I was participating in...50 dark shades of Klingon red”

Thoris realized that most everyone had removed their shoes, so he removed his and placed them outside the mat area, and returned to Arron and Nala. He also noticed people bowing towards the center of the mat as they came on to it, something the Andorian clearly hadn’t done. He made a mental note to take such precautions in the future.

Arron led the trio to the mat to join the rest of the crew participating in this morning’s class, and they dropped to a knee to indicate they were ready to begin.

Once everyone was kneeling, one of the ranking members (indicated by belt color and the position he was sitting in with respect to everyone else) shouted, “Kamiza Ni Rei!” Everyone bowed towards an empty part of the room, the “Kamiza.” Then, “Sensei Ni Rei!” Everyone bowed to Lieutenant junior grade Creed Michaels, one of the security officers on the ship who was teaching the class. A number of formalisms were also done, and the class began with some “warm-ups.”

There was some jogging warm-ups, and some rolling warm-ups, and finally some falling warm-ups.

Thoris hadn’t stretched, so a lot of this felt really new and taxing. He wondered when the real fighting would start--seemed like a lot of time wasted on just warming up. He gave Nala and Arron a concerned look.

Nala glanced at Thoris and noticed he seemed rather anxious. “Believe me, these warm-ups may seem like they’re unnecessary, but I promise they pay off once we actually start practicing the techniques. Besides, a little exercise never killed anyone.”

Creed Sensei (that was what everyone referred to him as) commanded everyone to take seiza (kneel) and he demonstrated a technique he introduced as Seoinage. He then announced that everyone break into partners and practice the opening moves for the technique.

“Good luck with this one Commander” Arron said seriously to the Andoran.

“Seems easy enough,” Thoris confessed, his antennae also focusing on the teacher.

Creed Sensei requested that Thoris be partnered up with a more experienced student so that he could learn the technique properly and that his partner would have full control on Thoris’ falls. Thoris didn’t recognize him, however. His partner instructed him how to hold onto his arm before the fall and with which arm, and gave some pointers on how to fall softly. Thoris ignored all the advice and heaved himself over his partner and fell hard onto his back. He took in all the pain and tried standing back up as if it were nothing.

“Okay Nala, give me your best shot.” Arron said wondering if Nala could indeed toss him hard enough that it would actually hurt.

Nala, knowing her size made people doubt her abilities, proceeded to get into the correct position and easily hefted her commander over her shoulders. She smiled, knowing her many months of training were finally paying off.

Arron fell to the mat with what seemed like little effort on Nala’s part, then gave a curt nod to the Lieutenant. “Well done” he said, silently relieved the big thud he heard hadn’t come from him.

A loud popping sounded and eyes turned toward Thoris and his partner. Thoris had ignored again all the pointers that his partner had gave him and had, a little too violently, landed his partner on the ground with a dislocated shoulder. The officer cursed audibly.

Nala turned, assessing the situation, and reacted quickly. She rushed to the replicator. “Ice.” she said, grabbing the ice as she hurried over to the downed officer. Checking him, she realized that it was nothing too serious, only a dislocated shoulder. She gave the officer the ice, telling him to keep it pressed firmly on his shoulder until he reached the sickbay and get it looked at more closely.

Arron got to his feet as a small crowd began to gather around, he cocked an eyebrow at Thoris.

Creed Sensei was hovering over them in an instant, inquiring about the situation. “Please sit out for a while, Commander,” he said harshly. “I will discuss some...things...with you soon.”

The victim, whom Arron recognized as the ship’s Master at Arms, crewman Ryan Stone, was helped to his feet by a few fellow classmates. One of which offered to escort him to sickbay where Doctor Scott Wells would surely be able to repair the damage.

Thoris moved to the edge of the mat and sat down, confused, and observed the others practicing.

Nala could sense that Thoris was confused and slightly annoyed over what had transpired. Slowly, she eased down on the mat next to him. “I can see this is really bothering you, care to share what’s on your mind?” she asked.

“Isn’t that what you’d consider a victory? Why is everyone upset over a hurt shoulder?” Thoris muttered. His antennae had recently pulled back, revealing his internal annoyance.

“Well, the reason everyone is getting so upset is because while this is a form of fighting, we aren’t fighting to harm each other. We hold back, only using enough force to get the technique right.” said Nala, chancing a glance at Thoris.

“I still don’t understand the necessity of holding back so much--it’s not like I was going to kill him.” Thoris said

Arron came over to the pair of them, “Well that’s enough excitement for me. I’m going to go hit the shower, and cast my vote. I suggest you both do the same. We can meet up again tomorrow, and you can spar with me or Nala, I assure you, we will be ready for your aggressive nature” Arron said attempting to sound lighthearted.

“Will do sir.” she said, as she turned back do Thoris. “And I must agree, I definitely think you should spar with one of us. While you may not have been aiming to kill him, he wasn’t expecting to be thrown with that much force. We aren’t enemies here. We aren’t aiming to injure our partner. This is a way for us to safely work out our frustrations.”

Thoris continued scowling, but realized that maybe she had a point, even if he couldn’t understand what it was. He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths.



******


This has been a joint post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Thoris ch’Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

and

Lieutenant junior grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 2, 0709 hours**

Vestara and David were holding hands as they walked through the corridors of the ship heading towards Ten Forward where they would be submitting their votes for the election.

Vestara had a small round purple and red badge pinned to her uniform that said 'VOTE DAALA' in block letters.

David's eyes drifted from her face down to the pin she wore just above her breast. "You know...If Drexel see's that he will make you take it off...not part of the uniform"

"I don't give a shit what the Human thinks" Vestara said, surprising even herself with the hostility in her voice.

Mayne held up his hands in defense, "Whoa! Where did that come from?" He asked earnestly.

Vestara shrugged. "He is a walking personification of everything that is wrong with the Federation and Star Fleet."

David stopped walking and tilted his head to the side as he looked at his wife. "Okay, how do you figure that?"

"Well" Vestara began, "His Father is what, like the 3rd highest ranking officer in Star Fleet, and here Arron is Commanding a Galaxy Class star ship? That doesn't scream nepotism to you?"

David rolled his eyes, "I think you are reaching on that one. I have been serving under him for almost 2 years, and he is clearly a competent commanding officer."

"That's debatable" Vestara said, withdrawing her hand from David’s.

"Well… yeah, I suppose it is no more debatable than any other subject."

"I'm just tired of being on this ship, I feel like we are surrounded by Humans all the time. Don't you find that suffocating?"

David winced, "You know...sometime I think you forget I am half Human" he said.

Vestara's expression softened, "Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that"

"Well how did you mean it Vestara? Of course this ship is full of Humans, just like every other ship in the Fleet. More than half of Star Fleet is human, why would you expect a starship to be any different?" David said puzzled.

"I've been doing some research" Vestara said lowering her voice as a couple of enlisted crewman passed them by in the corridor. "There is a ship, the USS Aldridge, it has a Bajoran Captain, and over 75% of the crew is non-human. I was thinking we could apply for a transfer"

Vestara's piercing gaze made it difficult for David to look away. "I...don't know how I feel about that. " He said more to stall for a better answer. None came.

"Well just think about it, okay" Vestara pleaded, and resumed walking towards Ten Forward.

"Oh boy" David muttered under his breath.

Vestara changed the subject quickly, "So are you going to this dodge ball thing later?"

Mayne shook his head. "No chance, I just got off my 7th night shift in a row, and I have to be back at my station by the time we hit this nebula, so as soon as my ballot gets cast, I'm going back to our quarters to get some sleep while I can."

"Yeah, i guess you probably should" Vestara said agreeing with her Husband.

The pair of them crossed through the doors into Ten Forward. There was a decent amount of people there already, so they got into line to await their turn at the ballot terminals. Several view screens were turned on in the lounge, all tuned to FNN coverage of the election. David listened in to special political correspondent Travis Pedigree's report.

'-are seeing a record turnout at precincts all across the Federation. Here at Jalanda City, the Capitol of Bajor, where Bajorans are taking place in only their third election since gaining membership of the Federation, the lines literally go on for kilometers. Election officials here are predicting a voter turnout planet wide over 90%, which would shatter the previous record holder of Talos 4 who 12 years ago reached a stunning 68% of its entire population casting a ballot.

Of course this huge number can easily be attributed to the massive popularity of local challenger Gyntil Daala, a religious leader for the Bajoran people and was instrumental in the rebuilding efforts of the Jalanda Forum, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the Federation. The Forum is currently being used as the campaign headquarters for Daala and his staff."

The camera panned to the right to show another man with Travis. "With me now is the spokesperson for the Daala campaign, Kenth Solasar. Kenth, can you describe the mood inside the Jalanda Forum right now?"

Kenth smiled widely, "Well Travis we are very optimistic about things right now. Voter turnout has been massive in key areas for us like Andoria and Tellar Prime, both as you know, 2 of the 4 founding planets of the Federation. Trillus Prime and Rigel IV are also battleground worlds where we are seeing exciting results."

Travis nodded then asked, "and what about reports from Benzar and Ktaris that a group identifying themselves as "The Circle" has been using threats and violence to keep voters away from the polls."

Kenth waved his arm dismissively. "pointless allegations Travis. Anyone who knows Daala, knows he is a man of utmost integrity, and his campaign is run the same way he conducts all of his personal affairs. With honesty, and good will towards all"

Travis continued to press the point. "Both worlds have shown unusually strong support for Roux despite carrying mostly non-human voters. There are those who suggest that 'The Circle' is doing everything they can to limit the number of non-human votes that would go to Roux-"

"Travis let me stop you right there" Kenth said no longer smiling. "Daala believes in a strong and stable Federation. There would be nothing to gain by pitting worlds against each other like these allegations suggest. There is no-"

David's attention was pulled back towards Vestara as she he hissed, "I really hate that guy" her eyes fixated on Travis Pedigree’s image.

David realized that they had made their way through the line and were now next to take up some voting terminals that had been placed around the room.

"Okay, let’s go change history" Vestara said as two booths opened up.

David smiled, "Whatever you said my dear"

Both set off to different terminals. David blinked in surprise when he saw the actual display and how simple it was. "Well...this shouldn't be hard" he said, and made his selection for Daala.

Vestara felt a rush of satisfaction as she cast her vote for Daala. She really felt like she was making a difference in the Galaxy. If the video showing on the FNN broadcast was anything to go by, Daala would do very well today.

****

This has been a join post by

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

Travis Pedigree (played by Elijah)
Special Political Consultant to FNN
Jalanda City, Bajor

Kenth Solasar (played by Elijah)
Daala Campaign Spokesman
Jalanda City, Bajor

**Mission 1, Day 2, about 0800 to 1000 hours**

Thoris poked his head into the research labs to check on things, and then headed to the mess hall for breakfast where he had a large helping of Andorian "alardi partinna." He returned to the gymnasium to give dodgeball a shot, but found it unsatisfying. He nearly took off another crewmate's head with a ball when his temper had gotten too hot.

As he stood in the sonic shower, he realized the polls would be closing pretty soon. Although he had little interest in any of the candidates, he figured it was part of his duty to represent his people. Since Andoria had pulled out of the Federation, under normal circumstances, Andorians wouldn't be allowed to vote unless they were serving under the municipalities controlled by the Federation. Since Thoris was was just one of a dozen Andorians in Starfleet, his vote would have some sentimental value, although it was just a microasteroid in comparison--or what was the saying humans used...a drop in the ocean?

He got dressed in his uniform and entered the designated room for voting. Lines were short, and he silently cast his ballot for Sh'ul. He felt awkward for spying on others, his antennae moving wildly, and observing that it was largely a race between the Bajoran and the Human candidate. He rushed out of the room, trying to hide the fact that the color was draining from his face.

He checked into the science labs again and entered his office. A message for him was waiting on the console. Thoris sat down comfortably in his chair and opened the message. "Hm. Interesting..." he muttered, his eyes growing wider as he read through it.

Commander Thoris ch'Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 2, 0700 hours**

As Nala headed to the main lounge to cast her vote, her mind was running over everything that had helped her come to her decision. She knew she was making the right choice, but the emotions surrounding her made her think twice.

When she was young, her parents had helped her distinguish which emotions were hers and which belonged to those around her. It came naturally to her. Sure, there were times when it was hard to differentiate, but that only happened when emotions were high, or she was in a very large group.

Unfortunately for Nala, emotions ran wild the closer it got to election day. Most of the population on the USS Yorktown were either human or Bajoran. And seeing as how the two main candidates were a human, Jean-Henri Roux, and a Bajoran, Gyntil Daala, things were very tense.

Most of the Bajoran population felt that Daala would help the more oppressed races and species come up from that oppression. They believed that he would move the Federation government to Bajor, which wasn't very likely to happen considering the bigger portion of the Federation fleets were human. He was a religious leader, which Nala had no issue with. But there was something about him that made her very cautious of him, though she couldn't put her finger on what exactly that was. She just felt he wasn't as good a man as most seemed to think he was. Nala had always trusted her instincts, and this time was no different. Daala would not be getting her vote.

And then there was Roux. He would be the first human to hold this position in 20 years, which was a very significant thing to accomplish. Nala didn't know quite as much about him as she did Daala, but from what she did know, she had no reason to dislike him at all. He seemed to be a great leader, one who stood up for his people and for what was right. The human population took to him right away. He would be a very good choice. With that being said, he was not going to get her vote either. She felt that for her, only one would be the right man for the job,

Nala had always believed in the underdog. Ever since she was little, she always rooted for the person nobody thought would make it, especially if she felt that if they were given the chance, they would prove everyone wrong. Raal Sh'ul could do just that. He was a strong leader, but sadly had been lost in the race between Roux and Daala. Nala felt that he had the real life experience that would be needed to lead the Federation to even greater places. As with Daala, there was something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but in Sh'ul's case, it was something good, something great. Though she had never met the man, she just felt he was what the Federation needed. And as she always has, she goes by what she feels.

As she finally made it to the main lounge, she noticed the large number of people there already. She took her place in line and waited to cast her vote. When it was her turn to vote, she placed her vote for Sh'ul with confidence, knowing that even if he didn't win, she had made the right decision.

**Mission 1, Day 2, 0017 hours**

Mike Luther shuffled his feet down the slick floor that led to the engineering communication support room. As he entered the lights came on and the door quickly slid shut behind him. Mike had turned this comm room into his own space. Defying ship policy, he had attached pictures of his family; mostly of his mother and sisters, to the walls and console.

At Mayne's request Mike had tried to retrieve the "private" message that was inadvertently sent to Sumo. Ultimately he had been unsuccessful which led him to lock the message center until he could deal with it again.

=/\=Sumo to Luther, please respond immediately=/\=, came the First Officers voice through Mikes commbadge.

=/\=Yes, commander Sumo=/\=

=/\=Lieutenant, I still don’t have access to my messages. What the hell is taking you so long to get this system glitch fixed? I need my message center online now! I do not need an excuse. I need resolution. Now.=/\=

Commander Sumo had already requested a fix and had expressed enough frustration and urgency that Mike felt considerably anxious about his silent roll in the matter.

=/\=Yes Sir! Right away Sir!=/\=

=/\=Dammit Lieutenant, If I have to get the Captain involved at this hour, I will do it. Why don’t you just have Mayne send you a team of Engineers, surely they are more adept at the repairs necessary than a lowly comms officer=/\= Sumo said, making sure to emphasize ‘lowly’

=/\=No Sir! It will be resolved momentarily Sir! =/\=, Mike replied attentively while shaking his head in disbelief at the silliness of the predicament.

=/\=I don’t care what it takes Lieutenant, get my messages back up within the next 2 hours, or I will bust your ass so hard you will think you are a first year cadet again. Sumo out.=/\=

Mike started by simply removing the temporary lock on Sumo's account and a flood of messages poured into his message center. The previous evening Mike hadn't figured how to remove Mayne's sent message from the system in particular due to the urgent priority encryption that mayne had placed on the message. However, Mike, wanting to see the contents of the message, had spent considerable time finding a resolution. Simply he could trick the computer into thinking it had created a duplicate message, but this would force the computer to resend the message after it deleted the previous version, which mike would just reroute the replicated message to himself.

Mike liked Mayne as a shipmate well enough, but enjoyed him far more when he was a bit inebriated and finally put his guard down. They would probably spend more time together if Vestura didn't wear the pants in that household and if she didn't hate Mike with such depth that Mike could practically know wherever she was on the ship by sensing her loathing.

Mike finished his preparations to redirect Mayne's surprisingly, almost grotesquely, filthy note as he mulled this over in his head. Smirking he removed his name from the recipients line and entered, "Camille Roux", and executed the script sending the message intended for Vestura to She-Freud.

Still smirking Mike returned to Commander Sumo's message box to verify the message's removal. Scanning down the list of messages Mike stopped on a message that did not have a sender listed nor locations of origination or rebroadcast. Curiously he attempted to open the message which was an audio only file. The computer stated, "Access Denied. Please supply authentication protocol Alpha-Six, or designated security code”

Mike frowned. Encrypted messages were nothing unusual, however an encrypted voice-only recording with no traceable source was something else. The security code would have been assigned by Sumo He would have to guess the password to get access. "Dirty French Whores," Mike attempted out of futility.

“Access Denied. Please supply authentication protocol Alpha-Six, or designated security code”

"Ah hell, I don't know."

“Access Denied, Any Further intrusion will result in automatic packet loss, and message will be unrecoverable.” Repeated the computer.

Mike considered that he better stop as a message that was scrambled due to intrusion would not turn out well. Mike pushed away from the desk and kicked his feet up, now looking at Camille Roux message center. It looked like she had sent out a written message entitled "Dodge ball!!", to the USS Illinois which was currently deployed deep space. The message had only reached a handful of the crew on the York Town. Mike chuckled out loud at the ensigns error. As he strode up to retire he paused as he went to close the interface for Sumo's mysterious message, almost inaudibly he said, "Alex Banner."

“Code Accepted, beginning message playback” came the computers voice.

The message began in a soft, almost pleasant females voice. “My Child, the Prophets are calling on you to perform a great service for your Family. There are forces at work conspiring against the Will of the Prophets, and duty demands you answer the call. From this point forward you have been activated as an Emissary of the Prophets. Should you fail to perform your sacred service, it will likely compromise your Brothers and Sisters safety. In such an event, it will not be possible for you to return Home. You are to make the necessary preparations to perform the Sacrifice of Cleansing, once you hear the Prophets next call act without hesitation. Bless you Child. The love of the Prophets is a perfect circle. No beginning. No end.”

Mike frantically tapped at his chest, =/\=Captain. Captain. Where are you? We need to talk now! =/\=


****
This has been a joint post by

Lieutenant junior grade Michael Luther
Chief Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Sumo (played by Elijah)
First Officer
USS Yorktown

Voice of the Prophets (played by Elijah)
~~LOCATION CLASSIFIED~~

**Mission 1, Day 2, 1309 hours**

Stretching to pop her back after putting the last of the balls away, Camille let out a loud yawn. It hadn't been a total disaster. The turnout for the dodgeball event was decent enough, most people had enjoyed it, but there had been a few instances between crew members. Thoris' aggressive outburst was easily the worst of it. Her stomach growled and Camille headed towards Ten Forward as she tried to replay the particular scene in her mind. She recalled pulling him aside, reminding him to breathe and attempting to talk to him, but it had been too much for Thoris. She frowned as his retreating back, frame shaking with anger and frustration, seemed to be on repeat in her mind. Camille felt as if she had failed him. Halfway to the lounge she debated just going back to her quarters but her stomach growled once more and she was slightly curious as to how the results were going as far as the election. Food would be good to help push away the headache she felt coming on.

Camille quickly grabbed a chicken salad, banana and water before finding a seat away from any of the large groups but close enough to watch and hear the nearest view screen. Taking a few bites she turned her attention to the screen while she chewed.

The camera focused on Travis Pedigree who was standing in front of the Jalanda Forum with a setting sun glinting off the rooftops of the famous building. A scrolling bar of statistics was on the bottom of the screen showing reported votes from systems all over the Federation. Travis was in his typical sharp dress suit, wearing his trademark reporter smile.

“As darkness approaches here on the capital city of Bajor, the number of people still waiting to cast their vote is beginning to thin out, but the streets are still crowded with supporters of Gyntil Daala. With the latest poll closings the numbers currently favor Raal Sh’ul, which has been surprising to many. Sh’ul seems to be picking up votes from areas where Daala was assumed to be the heavy favorite.”

The screen switched to display a pie chart breaking up the votes that had already been counted.

“Sh’ul currently has 36% of the vote, leading Daala with 33%, and Roux, who up until yesterday was considered the frontrunner, currently trails at 31%.”

Camille's mouth dropped open momentarily before remembering she was in public and that she still had food inside. This was definitely not how she had foreseen the election going. Reminding herself it was still relatively early, she took a few sips and resumed eating, eyes more fully focused on the view screen.

The screen switched back to Travis who continued, “While an initial look at the numbers shows Sh’ul with a slight lead, there is still expected to be plenty of drama left, as only 28% of the vote is in for population centers with a heavy concentration of Humans. Roux can expect a heavy boost from those areas, while Sh’ul has likely already received the majority of his votes from places he was considered to win, many are wondering how many more votes he can steal from Daala. So, why has Daala been losing votes?” Travis asked. “With me again, is the spokesman for the Daala campaign, Kenth Solusar. Kenth, earlier today things were looking very good for Daala, but now those numbers have begun to shift towards Sh’ul, which has to be a surprise.”

Kenth shifted uncomfortably but managed to keep his confident smile. “At this point I would say perhaps we oversampled the exit polls this morning, but we have grassroots organizations all over the quadrant reporting long lines of voters in areas where we can still expect to pick up a lot more votes. We just want to encourage everyone out there to perform their civic duty and get out and vote!” Kenth said, raising his fist in emphasis.

“Most people expected Sh’ul to be out of this race, but the fact he is currently leading the votes has lead to speculation that the recent stories linking Daala to The Circle have damaged his campaign, and non human voters are going over to the Sh’ul camp.”

Kenth straightened, taking the bait. “There has not been one plausible piece of evidence linking Daala to that terrorist organization. We stand behind our statement that such attacks on our campaign are nothing more than an attempt to smear Gyntil Daala, and that can only be because our competitors fear that they have lost this race.”

Travis nodded listening to Kenth’s statement. “Our exit polls show that people who are voting for Sh’ul are citing trust as their primary reason. You can’t deny that the accusations against Gyntil Daala have hurt the publics ability to trust him.”

Kenth’s eyes flashed with anger. “I would hope most voters are more intelligent than to believe baseless accusations that have repeatedly been found false, regarding Daala's affiliation with The Circle. I am sure if your network spent any amount of time digging on Roux or Sh’ul, you could easily find questionable donations made to their campaign, or important issues they claim to support that they once opposed. It’s the nature of politics.”

“Are you suggesting the Daala campaign has information on the other candidates regarding these things?” Travis said, a hungry look on his face.

“Not at all” Kenth replied, “Just saying things aren’t always what they appear,” he finished cryptically.

Travis frowned. “Can you clarify that statement?” he asked.

“I am sorry Travis, we need to prepare Daala for a rally he has in an hour.”

Getting bored of the duo, the verbal hoops and shortcuts that were all too familiar to Camille, she closed her eyes briefly as she finished clearing her plate. The headache was well on its way. Knowing a nap was her next best option, she quickly disposed of her dishes and hurried back to her quarters, grateful to have the day free to go curl back up under her warm covers.

*****

This has been a joint post by:

Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown

Travis Pedigree (played by Elijah)
Special Political Consultant to FNN
Jalanda City, Bajor

Kenth Solasar (played by Elijah)
Daala Campaign Spokesman
Jalanda City, Bajor

Mission 1, Day 2, 1100 hours. Luther's quarters.

Luther had tried to Contact the Captain by Commbadge for at least an hour the wee hours of the previous night. He never did hear back and could only expect that the Captains come was diverted from non-command contact, a luxury to which the commanding officers only had access. Standard protocol in an emergency would have him contact the next in the chain of command, but that would infer running to Commander Sumo to suggest that Mike had compromised the security of a commander Sumo’s message center. That message, it was just crazy bajoran religious nonsense, “wasn't it?”, he questioned himself. He could imagine loads of message boxes filled with similar messages each of which suggests that not voting for dalla would be a violation of your religious duties, and that you would cause some sort of moral and financial apocalypse if you didn't vote Daala. But he could also not stop thinking about a line in Commander Sumo’s strange message. “Activated,” Mike said out loud, letting his thoughts spill out of his mouth, but instead heard “Apobated”. Mike had been drinking rather heavily from a personal stash which he kept in a shoe in his quarters, something he did frequently enough even when he wasn't caught up in such shenanigans. “What the hell does that even mean? ...Activated..” he thought to himself realizing that he needed to shake the booz off and cast his election vote before his afternoon shift on bridge.

Mike pulled on a crisp new uniform shirt and decided it made more sense to get coffee after he stopped by to cast his vote. As he checked in at the polling station concourse the polling attendant gave him a distrustful look as he provided him with voting instructions. Mike gave him the best shit-eating grin he had and figured there was probably no rule against voting drunk-ish.

As Mike stared at his computer station, left hand placed on the identity validation portion of the unit and right hand rested on the holographic touch screen, instead of political ballots splashed across the screen, all he could see, as if a reflection on glass, was Sumo’s blank message on Mike’s console in engineering. The sentence, “make the necessary preparations to perform the Sacrifice of Cleansing”, played through his head in the soft voice of the message giver. “This means he will be preparing for something before “The Sacrifice of Cleansing”, Mike considered. Resolving to not tel Arron that he broke into a commanders computer, he determined that he would have to find out more before jumping to such a dramatic conclusion as a Star Fleet commander being in cahoots with religious terrorists.

The console made a slight audible ding and the text that stirred Mike from his thoughts. “Thank you for voting!” appeared on the screen. As Mike trudge out of the voting concourse defeated he silently said a long string of the universes most offensive words to himself and deep in his right pocket angrily clenched the voting receipt that indicated he had inadvertently selected an “All Daala” ticket.

Lt. Jr Grade Mike Luther
Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

**Day 2, Mission 1, 0649 hours**


Arron smoothed the crease in his uniform, made one last check of himself in the mirror to ensure he looked like a Captain should, then left his quarters. He pressed the call button on the turbolift, and when the doors swung open he was surprised to see Lieutenant Milligan standing there.

“Good Morning, Bradley” Arron said as he stepped into the lift beside his Chief Security Officer.

“Morning Captain,” Bradley replied with a smile on his face.

“What are you up to this morning?” Inquired the Captain

“Time to cast my vote, trying to get it done before watch. Where are you headed today?”

“I’m actually heading down there myself. Mind if I join you?” Arron said

“Yes sir it would be my pleasure.”

“I’m glad I ran into you” Arron said. “Last night, God, I don’t even know what time it was, Luther commed me, screaming about some sort of conspiracy. I just ignored him and shut off my comms.”

Bradley laughed, “ With all the rumors that come with an election people tend to believe the

speculation that put out there during this current election, but if you look at it on the other hand the circle seems to be the real deal. I guess somewhere if you believe in that theory you would have to think a ship like ours would be compromised.”

“So I’m curious then, what is your opinion with the whole Daala thing...you know reports with his connection to The Circle...”

“I have heard, but you have to think how much of those are put out there by his competition to win an election. If I am wrong and he wins and he is part of that fraction there could be serious issues. We will really have to really watch the crew and make sure we aren’t overtaken.”

“Well, regarding last night... this is Luther we are talking about here, so..I don’t know if he is just off his meds again or what, but can you do me a favor and keep an eye on him?”

“Yes sir, we can’t have someone causing panic on the ship, but god forbid he is right. I am sure we have some crew members voting for Daala.”

The lift doors swung back open and Arron and Bradley stepped out onto the deck. They walked into Ten Forward and saw the voting booths set up on the far side. “After you” Arron said holding out his hand for Bradley to get in line.

“I can’t remember an election like this one” Arron said thinking back to all of the other ones he had participated in.

“Everyone is certainly more motivated to get their voice heard. All we can hope for is the right person gets elected. Hopefully,” Bradley repeated nodding his head.

It was finally Bradley’s turn as he stepped up to the computer and cast his vote for Roux. “Best of luck Captain hopefully we all get it right.” Bradley headed back to the bridge. “We will see you on the bridge Captain.”

Arron smiled courteously at Bradley then stepped past him to occupy the booth he just vacated. Arron glanced over the computer screen and his eyes found Roux’s name. He pressed a finger to it, selecting the candidate to cast his ballot for. He finalized his selection and unceremoniously departed, heading in the direction of the Bridge where he was anticipating a busy day.

*******

This has been a joint post by

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Bradley Milligan
Chief Tactical/Security Officer
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 2, 1600 hours**

Drexel sat in his Captains chair, staring into the viewscreen as the stars streaked by. His thoughts were on many things, the election, his Father’s warning about Daala, the strange outburst from Luther over his commbadge in the middle of the night. He had an uneasy feeling in the back of his head, and it wasn’t going away. He was pulled out of his thoughts by his Ferengi Helm officer.

“We’re arriving now sir,” said Bok, indifferently.

“Very well Lieutenant” Arron said straightening in his chair, “Bring us out of warp” he ordered.

“Aye, cap’n.” As the Yorktown approached the nebula, Bok’s eyes were fixated on the size and peculiar beauty of this floating mass in space. Beauty made even grander by economic benefits of such a find. It was so interesting that although most profitable ventures never start out so beautifully, the physical qualities of this nebula forebode the unimaginable fortune that it represented.

“Commander ch’Tell, scan the area,” Arron said over to his Chief Science Officer

“Already on it sir,” Thoris replied. “We had the long range scanners gathering information long before, but no new information.”

Arron frowned. “Suggestions?” he asked “Surely our equipment can get better readings than the convoy that came through here...”

“Better readings, yes,” Thoris uttered, his antennae twitching. “But nothing significantly new. I’m detecting traces of dilithium as reported, but there seems to be some sensory interference due to plasmon radiation.” He ran through the information scanning through the screen. “I don’t think we can fully quantify dilithium amounts, or understand the usefulness of the dilithium gas, unless we take a sample of the nebulaic dust from the interior.”

“Interior?” Arron asked. “I’m not sure how comfortable I am taking this ship inside a nebula when we don’t understand the nature of how this Dilithium is being produced...how certain are you that our impulse engines won’t ignite the whole damn thing once we get inside?”

“I...I’m not sure,” Thoris admitted. “If we could use one of the shuttles, I’d suggest it, but they aren’t outfitted for this sort of sampling.”

David cleared his throat, “I don’t think we need to go that route Captain. We would just need to raise shields, and I could set up a secondary shield around the core to prevent any radiation seepage from interacting with our engines.”

Arron considered what David and Thoris had said for a moment. “Okay...Commander” Arron said directing his attention back at Thoris. “Can you estimate how long we would need to be in the nebula?”

“By judging the size of this nebula,” Thoris said as he pressed buttons on the console, “it could take an entire week. If we do preliminary scans only, maybe twenty-four hours, but that would be useless to us in the long run.”

David whistled. Wondering if he would be able to hold shields up on the ship for that long.

“Vestara” he called over to the Operations console in the front of the bridge. “What systems can we take power from in order to reroute to shields for that amount of time?”

Vestaras lips tightened as she stared down at her console, making quick calculations. She wanted to suggest life support from all the humans quarters, but she doubted that suggestion would be welcome right now.

“Weapon systems, warp systems, and the Holodecks.” she said finally. “It’s not like we are going to be shooting in this gas cloud” she added.

Arron nodded, “Make it happen. We don’t really have a lot of options at this point.” Arron got up from his chair and walked over to Bok and placed a hand on his left shoulder. “Lieutenant,

we need to get sensor buoys set up around the perimeter of the nebula. I want you to take a shuttle out and deploy the buoys so we can stake the Federations official claim to this area.”

“Uhm, aye, sir.” The request almost came as a surprise to him, snapping him out of the trance, but his mind began racing now, thinking about all that he needed to do.

Arron stepped aside so the Ferengi could pass by and head towards the turbolift. “Lieutenant Luther,” Arron called out heading over to his station. “Please notify Star Fleet Command that we have arrived at the nebula, and are beginning our research.”

“Star fleet is already on standby Captain”, replied Lieutenant Luther.

Arron turned as the turbolift doors opened, and Ensign Tycho appeared, taking the empty helm station.

David let his fingers dance across his console as he rerouted power from sections of the ship that Vestara was labeling secondary to the mission. “I’m just about ready on my end Captain” Mayne said confident that the modifications would do the job.

Meanwhile, Thoris contacted Lt. Jelo with his commbadge. =/\= Lt. Jelo, we will be beginning to sweep the assigned nebula in a few minutes. I will direct the bulk of the data to you and your team. Get this data processed as soon as you can. From my calculations, we will raster over approximately 253 million discrete sites within the nebula, so allocate the resources in the computer system for that. =/\= After the confirmation, the link was closed.

“Raise shields” Arron said facing the viewscreen again. “Ensign” he called to Tycho. “Take us in, one quarter impulse.

“Aye sir - one quarter impulse” Tycho said activating the engines.

The ship started forward slowly. “We will be crossing into the nebula in 10 minutes” the Ensign informed.

“Plenty of time for Bok to disembark.” Arron said more to himself.

“Ready!” David declared. “At current power usage we can maintain shields for just over 9 standard days Captain.”

“Excellent work, Lieutenant Commander Mayne.” Arron said pleased with the speed in which his crew had worked to prepare for this.

Vestara glanced down at her screen as a message came across. “Captain, crewman Vela is reporting that we have a successful shuttle launch.” she informed after reading the message from the Shuttlebay Manager.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Arron said, and turned back to sit in his chair.

Minutes had passed as the blue nebula filling the view screen grew larger. “Crossing the threshold of the nebula in thirty seconds” reported Tycho.

David felt himself tense up. Hoping he hadn’t made a miscalculation about the shields ability to keep the dilithium gas from igniting.

Arron just sat and watched, and waited.

Lt. Luther jerked his head around to the captains chair, “Captain, we have lost our long range communications.”

Arron looked over at the man. “Can you get them back up Lieutenant Luther?”

“It does not appear to be a fault of the ships system, but rather the medium for the signal. Without further diagnostics we will not know the cause, but it would appear that within the nebula subspace communications are not behaving predictably. Don’t get me wrong, its not like the subspace phenomenon doesn’t exist, but that it might have small fluctuations in its quality that are additive over long distances. I believe we may have potential to maintain minimal short range communication by radio or, only if the nebula allows a direct line of sight, electromagnetic radiation.

Arron looked over at Vestara, “Is anything else being affected by the nebula cloud?” he asked her.

“Yes Captain” Vestara relied frantically trying to make sense of all the alerts she was receiving since the entered the Nebula. Transporters have also gone offline.”

“Well obviously we need to get our comms back up right away. Transporters are secondary.” Arron said. “Bok is out there and can’t hail us, and if our sensor buoys detect incoming hostiles, we will have no way to know about it. David, Mike, get down there and figure out what you can do”

“Lieutenant Suval has already begun a diagnosis series Captain. On my way,” mike replied as he was already turning to the bridge door.

“Yes Captain” Mayne said grabbing a repair kit that was stored under his console. “Lead the way Mike” David said.

******

This has been a joint post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Ensign Tahiri Tycho (played by Elijah)
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Yorktown

Commander Thoris ch’Tell
Chief Science Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Commander David Mayne
Chief Engineer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Rawnk Bok
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant Vestara Mayne
Chief Operations Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Mike Luther
Chief Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

***Mission 1, Day 2, 1700 Hours***

Nala was sitting at her desk, waiting for the end of her work day to finally come. People had been in and out of the sick bay all day, some with minor injuries, some majorly sick. She was ready to go back to her quarters, take a long shower, have a glass of wine and relax with her cat, Titan, for the night. Unfortunately, Dr. Wells had other ideas of what she should do.

While she was lost in thought, dreaming of the nice hot shower she was longing to take, Dr. Wells came over and set about 40 files and blood samples on her desk, informing her she needed to catalog them, and get familiar with all of the crew and their conditions.

“Great! This is exactly what I want to spend the next 2 hours doing!” she thought to herself sarcastically as he left for the night.

She started flipping through the files, looking to see who's body and overall health she would be getting to know tonight. None of the names really stood out, so she grabbed the file on top and started. She put the first slide in and started reviewing the file between glances at the slide through the microscope.

She had gone through about 15 files when she came across one for a Commander Sumo. She slipped the slide in, and began reading his file. Nothing of medical importance had happened to him since arriving on the ship, so she probably wasn't very likely to see much of him. About the only interesting thing in his file was that he was half human, half Bajoran. She glanced at the slide, then back to his file.

“What the....wait a minute” she said, hurriedly looking back at the slide. “This can't be right.” She switched the microscope to a higher magnification, thinking maybe she was just tired and wasn't seeing things right. There was no way something like this had been overlooked.

“What's going on here? Why isn't this in his file correctly?” she thought to herself, slowly trying to analyze what she had just discovered. There was no way Dr. Wells had missed this, no way at all. If he was one thing, it was a perfectionist. He would have looked this slide over a thousand times before putting it on file.

She quickly tapped her commbadge.

=/\=Lieutenant Milligan, this is Nala Koshka. I believe we have a potentially serious security threat involving Dr. Wells and Commander Sumo.=/\=

She sat there thinking, awaiting his reply, and slowly put the files up, making sure everything was back in his place. She could not let Dr. Wells know she had seen this.



****************



Lieutenant Junior Grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

**Mission 1, Day 2, 1754 hours**

Bradley couldn’t get it out of his head what the Captain had told him. On one hand Luther could be a total nut job and wouldn’t give it a second look. In Bradley’s past it’s usually the crazy story that turns out to be the true war story. With Lieutenant Koshka’s newly found evidence it helped give his story new weight. Bradley thought to himself that it was time to get the Captain involved to start piecing this puzzle together. Bradley tapped his comm badge =/\= Captain this Lieutenant. Milligan. Do you have a moment? =/\=



Arron was sitting at his desk in his office when he received the comm from Bradley. He looked up from data reports he was going over from the nearly 2 hours of telemetry his science team had already received from their thorough scans of the nebula. He tapped his commbadge to reply, =/\=Go ahead Lieutenant, I’m in a private location. What do you need?=/\=


=/\= It seems Luther’s story might have some legs to it. I believe we need to meet to figure out this potential risk. =/\=


Arron shook his head. Perhaps that uneasy feeling that had been bothering him was more than just a nuisance.


=/\=Okay Bradley, meet me in Holodeck 1. It should be quiet and has less of a chance of our meeting being noticed. If what you are saying is true, I want to draw as little attention to us meeting up as possible. And please have Nurse Nala come with you.=/\=


=/\= Understood. Milligan out. =/\=


Bradley tapped his comm badge again =/\= Lt. Koshka please meet the Captain and I in Holodeck 1. =/\= Bradley started to make his way to the turbolift, walking faster than normal. Hoping there was a logical explanation rather than thinking the worst.


Arron started to feel guilty for ignoring Luthers comm in the middle of the night. He would absolutely want him at the meeting. If Luther knew something...it could be invaluable. He tapped his commbadge. =/\=Drexel to Luther, how are things coming on the external communication fix?=/\=


=/\=The diagnostic series is still underway. Computer reports it will not finish for several hours yet. Preliminary data is supporting our theory on subspace disruption. It should only continue to affect subspace activities that travel a great distance. Theoretically we could really scramble somebody up if we ported them a long distance.=/\=


=/\=I need you to break away for a few minutes and meet me at Holodeck 1. =/\= Drexel said.


=/\=This is good. I really need to talk to you in private as well Arron.=/\=


=/\=It shouldn’t take long Mike, I appreciate it. Drexel Out.=/\=


Arron’s mind raced thinking over what little details he had already learned.Perhaps the one person who could provide more insight, was Camille Roux, the ships counselor. Again, Arron tapped his commbadge.


=/\=Drexel to Ensign Roux=/\=


=/\=Roux here, what can I do for you Captain?=/\=


=/\=I need your help with something. If you could meet me at Holodeck 1, and please bring your files =/\=


=/\=Yes sir. =/\=


=/\=I will see you there shortly. Drexel out.=/\=


Arron stood up from behind his desk and walked out of the office and onto his Bridge. He looked over at Commander Sumo, seated comfortably in the First Officers chair. “Commander, you have the Bridge. I’m going to go stretch my legs, and grab some dinner.” he said trying to sound casual. He could feel the Commanders eyes on his back as he walked to the turbolift.


***


Camille wondered what could be happening, let alone why they were meeting at the Holodeck. 'Crap, I hope this isn't about Thoris altering his own program. But who would've told the Captain?' As far as she was aware she was the only one Thoris had told that to. And she'd kept her mouth shut. It also didn't fit that he would confess to the Captain himself, nor that the Commander would drag her into it. Mind racing, she grabbed her PADD and walked briskly to the turbolift.


As she approached the doors of Holodeck 1, Lieutenant Luther appeared from the opposite direction, apparently also enroute to the Holodeck. It took every ounce of self-control not to visibly roll her eyes as he looked at his shoes trying to hide a sardonic smirk that had crossed his face. She kept a watchful eye on him as she entered. Camille made sure to keep as much distance as possible between herself and the Lieutenant that already made a small amount of bile rise at the back of her throat.


Mike Luther looked around the empty holodeck room and then at Camille who was anxiously looking in the other direction.


As Nala made her way to the Holodeck, she pondered on just how serious all of this could possibly be. When she walked through the doors, she noticed the others in the room, and silently questioned exactly what was going on that would make the Captain call in such a variety of people to discuss it. The emotions in the room ranged from tense to amused to disgusted, making her even more anxious to discover what was happening. She took a seat and waited for the Captain to arrive, hoping he would shed some light on this very confusing situation.


Arron walked in through the double doors to find he was the last to arrive. The expressions of those in the room betraying their thoughts. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Arron said as he approached the group. “Some of you are likely curious as to why you are all here,” Arron stated glancing at Roux and Luther. “Unfortunately, it seems as if Nurse Nala here has stumbled onto something nefarious. You are all here because I believe you have something to contribute to this investigation. Lieutenant.” Arron said now looking at Nala, “Please tell us what you have found.” Arron took a step back to allow Nala to be the focal point of the group.


Nala stood, facing everyone. “Thank you Captain, and yes, I have stumbled across something that I can’t overlook. I was doing some routine checks on blood samples that Dr. Wells had taken from the crew before I arrived on the ship,” Nala started, “And I noticed something that Dr. Wells could not have missed. Commander Sumo is not half human, as we’ve been told. He is fully Bajoran. Why Dr. Wells hid this from everybody, I don’t know, but nothing about this feels right. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on, or know anything that might help us find out what’s happening here?”


“Oh my god, this looks bad,” Bradley replied. “What’s next? Are the Maynes a secret death squad that haven’t been discovered yet?”


Arron frowned. “I just don’t like it. Sumo and Wells have both served under me for several years now. Not once has anything come up that would even hint at them having loyalties outside of Star Fleet.” Arron looked over at Camille. “Do you have anything in Sumo’s personnel file that suggests why he might have personal reasons for hiding his pure Bajoran blood?”


Camille quickly pulled her PADD up, doing a quick search to find Sumo's files instead of scrolling through the entire crew alphabetically. Her eyes flew over the words as she read through what was available. It seemed a bit truncated for being the file of a Commander. "Sir, there's really not too much here about Commander Sumo. After completing OTS he moved to Bajor, which looks like that's the first mention of the planet within his file here. Ummm," she skimmed through more. "Okay, he ended up becoming a personal guard for Daala. It has two different locations listed as his residences there. The latter being once he was with Daala. The first states he lived with his uncle....a Minister Jaro for some time before getting the position with Daala."


Arron’s eyes shot up immediately. “Minister Jaro? As in Jaro Essa, the ex LEADER of The Circle?” Arron could not hide the dismay in his voice. Years ago Jaro was involved in the temporary capture of Deep Space Nine as The Circle initially rose into prominence. They were eventually thwarted by Commander Benjamin Sisko and his crew, and Jaro was removed from office and arrested for his involvement in a failed attempt to take control of the Bajoran government. Arron was completely dumbfounded how that nugget of information made it through Sumo’s background security check. Of course on the other hand, simply being related to a villain wasn’t in and of itself a crime.


“Well, thats enough for me. Let’s put him in the brig, or better yet, we should eject him into space,” Luther interjected. “We could make a party of it. I will bring a kick-ass salad.”


Arron raised an eyebrow in Luthers direction. While his unprofessional outbursts weren’t out of the ordinary, seeing how this man had only received 1 promotion in 20+ years of service, they still tended to catch the Captain off guard.


“Captain...Arron. I would have rather dealt with this in private”


Arron winced at Mikes familiar use of his first name. He pushed his feelings down, and remembered his conversation with Ensign Roux yesterday. Arron had yet to sit down with Luther for a 1 on 1 conversation as the counselor had suggested. Knowing that further reprimanding Luther in front of his peers would likely cause more harm than good, he cleared his mind of annoyance. He thought he caught Nala’s eye. Was her empathic abilities attuned enough that she could sense the frustration in him? He tried not to think about it. “Lieutenant” Arron said addressing Mike with an emphasis placed on the rank. “Every officer here has valuable information to provide and I want us all on the same page working with as much information as possible. Now, I believe you also have pertinent information to this investigation, and I would like you to address the group.”


“Yes sir. I have reason to believe that Commander Sumo is receiving communications from a religious organization. A religious organization that is calling him to action.”


“Alright” Arron said calmly. “What IS your reason for believing this, and how did you come across the information?” Arron said watching Mike’s eyes.


“Yes sir, I overheard a message to Commander Sumo while we were in a communal restroom,” Mike lied letting his voice trail off as he realized how ridiculous it sounded. “It was full of metaphorical religious nonsense. Its The Circle Arron! They are infiltrating starfleet, and you know it. If we have one of their spies on our ship for several years, then they have to be all over the place in Starfleet, right? It’s just like your Dad was telling you. We can’t let Daala and The Circle win.”


Arron sighed at Mikes excitable outburst. “Let’s not jump to any hasty conclusions. First of all, I highly doubt any undercover agent would take a in a public restroom, secondly, just because Sumo has apparently covered up his pure blood Bajoran background doesn’t mean he has anything to do with the circle.” Arron saw the look on Mike’s face and added, “Obviously that combined with his family ties to Minister Jaro certainly raises suspicions, but we need more answers. The first step would be to find out what Wells is doing covering up information like this.”


Mike gathering himself again, apparently unphased by the captains response, and said “All I know is that our First Commander is lying about being Bajoran, he’s been ushered up to the high ranks of a highly armed vessel despite ties to religious extremists, and he’s receiving cryptic religious messages that are calling him into action! And you think that’s not enough to put him in the brig? He’s been Activated! Do you understand what that means? He will be doing something that he has not done before. Reviewing his past actions, and his clean record will mean nothing because he is doing something NEW here, something uncharacteristic of his previous actions. Arron, you can pretend your father didn’t warn you all you want, but you and I know that if we lose this election that bad things are going to happen. And you know what else,” Mike sputtered quickly scanning the bewildered crew, “some of those bad things are going to happen on this ship because Sumo is out there, and not in the brig where he belongs.”


Mike turned turned and headed for the door without waiting for a dismissal.


“Why stop at the brig? Let’s just kill them all and hope we have it right.” Bradley blurted out, getting tired of listening to Mike rambling on.


Arron smiled. “Yes, as easy as that might seem, the paperwork on my end would be insurmountable.” Arron joked.


“I think I should talk to him alone Captain. I’ll show him the evidence and see what comes from it and go from there.” Bradley managed to calm himself down.


“Are you referring to Commander Sumo?” the Captain asked.


“Yes sir”


“Other than the blood samples, the only other evidence is hearsay on the part of Luther. Let’s see if we can get him to open up more about his source for finding out this information. If there really is a transmission coming to him periodically, I would like to catch him red handed. Can you talk to Luther and see if you can convince him to open up more regarding how he found out exactly that Sumo is involved with The Circle. There has to be more to his story.”


“I’ll follow up with him momentarily. Hopefully we can find the truth before anything happens.” Bradley replied shaking his head.


“Thank you Lieutenant, please let me know what you find out. As for Wells, if these guys are working together we can’t really take one down without alerting the other, so when the time comes to apprehend them, we will do it at the same time. I will work with Bradley in private to come up with some methods of doing this, while minimizing the potential risks to the rest of the crew. I want you all to be on alert. Report anything out of the ordinary to either Bradley or myself. We don’t know how many others on this ship might be involved in something conspiratorial.”


Arron looked at each officer with a confident expression on his face. “Unless there is anything else, you are all dismissed.”

*******

This has been a joint post by:

Captain Arron Drexel
Commanding Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Bradley Milton
Chief Tactical/Security Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Mike Luther
Chief Communications Officer
USS Yorktown

Lieutenant junior grade Nala Koshka
Head Nurse
USS Yorktown

Ensign Camille Roux
Head Counselor
USS Yorktown