RPG Star Trek: Brightstar [PG-V]

[Jokopoko]

[CENTER][IMG]http://yerocsoor.250free.com/brightstar.jpg[/IMG]

[COLOR=TEAL][SIZE=1][I]Starring
[B]Jokopoko as Andrus Hagen[/B]

Also Starring
[B]Kane as Ventarris Aside
Corey as Allen Baroner
Kittychanann as Trinity Marley
Boba Fett as Jack Lightstar
Balmon as Liaran Ikor
Kitty as Azalee Watterson
Vicky as Tolaris[/B][/I]

-===========================-
[I]Several days ago the U.S.S. Vigilant picked up a distress call from one of the long-range colonies that have been set up deep into the Beta Quadrant in recent years. The Vigilant, being only an Oberth class, was unable to aid the colony, codenamed J-27. The ships Captain instead relayed the message to Starfleet Command and resumed their mission. Command looked through the list of available ships and found only the newly commissioned U.S.S. Brightstar was able to handle the situation even though she was still awaiting a crew. Vice-Admiral Andrews set orders via encrypted Sub-Space to the Captain of Brightstar with his orders.[/I]
-==============================-[/CENTER]

There were warning klaxons going off all around the base but they did little to diminish the noise of phaser and torpedo impacts against the reinforced walls of the colony. Amongst the rubble there was a lone figure, a human, staggering through the explosions and flying sparks in an attempt to reach the Communications console and send off a distress signal. As suddenly as the bombardment had started it stopped, there was a lull in sound which was akin to what humans would call the eye of the storm when things are about to get a lot worse. The klaxons fell away and the only sound was the burning fires and random explosions of consoles.

Fighting his bodies fatigue and broken arm the young Ensign brought himself to the communications panel and activated the general distress signal for the Federation and began talking in an attempt to keep himself awake more than anything else.

[B]Ensign:[/B] ?This is Colony J-25 calling for aid from any Federation ship receiving this message. We have been attacked by an unknown group of aliens; we don?t know why they have attacked us or what they want. The colony cannot last much longer, any ships please respond to this message......contact Starfleet.....send help?

The signal degraded into static as the transmitter lost power making it useless for message reception. The young man hoped against all hope that his message had been received but he would never know for the noise of a transporter filled the room and before the Ensign could turn he was hit by a stun blast and forced into the console behind him and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. The reptilian like alien looked down at him with contempt.

[B]???:[/B] ?Bah, these humans are as weak as they were when they awakened us in the Delta Quadrant, they will learn to fear us for we are strong again.?

[CENTER]-==============================-

[U][B]STAR TREK BRIGHTSTAR
Episode One: Dragon Breath[/B][/U][/CENTER]

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Captains personal log, Stardate 65248.8, I have just been given command of the U.S.S. Brightstar, an Insignia Class and she seems to be a sturdy ship. I feel that this is assignment is somewhat over due after my service with the Khitomer and her crew but I felt, and so did the Admiralty, that it was time for a change and I finally received the 4th pip on my collar. Even though it has been sometime since the Federation has seen a major conflict I cannot help feeling apprehensive about the coming mission. As far as Starfleet can tell the Colony was attacked with no warning and no indication of who was behind the attack and I feel this situation would be better served with a more seasoned crew as opposed to one that has just meet but I cannot go against the choice of the Admiralty and I mean not to. Computer, pause recording?.

[I]Computer: Affirmative, recording paused.[/I]

The newly promoted Captain reclined in his chair until he could see the ceiling of his new ready room, yawning loudly he straightened himself out and walked over to the food replicator.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Tea, Peppermint, hot?

With the usual electronic glow and hum the replicator created the order in a standard Starfleet cup. Thanking the tea for its warmness and sharp taste Andrus felt re-charged enough to continue with his long entry.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?The Brightstar is currently docked at Starbase 959, one of the furthest points from the core of the Federation and, due to the nature of our mission, it will likely be the last point of Federation influence we see in the next few months. I?ve been reviewing the crew manifest and the senior staff seem to be highly capable and my first officer is also a Betazoid so it will be an interesting command match up, I hope the crew is able to develop a working bond in the coming weeks. Computer, end log entry?

[I]Computer: Affirmative, recording ended.[/I]

Andrus made his way out of his ready room and out on to the bridge [The Bridge is the same as a Intrepid Class] he sat down in his chair and activated his command console, browsing the ship-to-station boarding logs he saw that several of the senior staff had come aboard. He turned to the Chief Operations Officer, Lieutenant Azalee Watterson.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Lieutenant, what?s the current status of the ships systems??

[B]Azalee:[/B] ?All systems are at operating standard but we?re still using the Stations life support system sir until we leave so we can conserve power. There seems to be a glitch in the Transporter controls in Transported Room 2 but it should be fixed within the hour.?

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Very good. When Commander Aside comes aboard send a message for him to report to me directly?

[B]Azalee:[/B] ?Yes sir?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Corey]

[size=1][i]OOC: Mmmmm... Peppermint tea...[/i]
???
Allen stepped off of the transporter pad a little weary. He'd never really liked the things, even though they were completely safe. He hoisted his bag over his shoulder and walked over to the ensign operating the controls.

[b]Allen-[/b] "Ummm... Turbolifts?" She smiled.

[b]Ensign-[/b] "To the right sir." He nodded thanks and exited the small room. The corridors all looked the same no matter what ship you were on. Grey with the occasional clump of color from a control panel. He sighed as the turboifts came into view. He'd been looking forward to a nice bit of vacation after the last incident. Maybe a trip to Canada or Risa. He walked into the lift and watched the doors close.

[b]Allen-[/b] "Ummm..." He looked at the doors, realizing that he didn't know where his quarters were. "Ummm... Computer... Allen Baroners quarters." The turbolift hummed to life and moments later he was looking out of an open door. He blinked and walked through, noting the deck. With a shift of the weight from his bag, Allen made his way to his quarters where he'd be spending a hopefully uneventful few months.[/size]

[Jokopoko]

[COLOR=TEAL][SIZE=1]Andrus was just getting out of his chair when his command console showed he had an incoming message from Starfleet command coming in on a secured channel.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Lieutenant Watterson, re-route the message to my ready room?.

[B]Azalee:[/B] ?Yes sir. I?ll be done once you get in? .

He nodded in thanks toward the Operations Officer and walked at a brisk pace to his ready room. Andrus sealed the door behind him, he had a feeling it was one of those calls, and proceeded to sit down and activate the comm. channel.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Starfleet Command code Hagen 5-9 Delta Charlie, activate secured channel?.

[I]Computer: Channel opened and secure.[/I]

[B]Admiral Reeves:[/B] ?Good morning Captain. I hope I find you well?.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Of course sir, what can I do for you Admiral??.

[B]Adm. Reeves:[/B] ?Actually Andrus it?s more of what we can do for you. We?ve received the long range sensor sweeps from the [I]Vigilant[/I] after they detected the distress call from the colony and we?ve been able to match the ship signatures to a race of aliens that the original [I]Voyager[/I] mission encountered during their stay in the Delta Quadrant, the Vaadwaur?.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?But sir, that was nearly ten years ago. If the race were aggressive toward [I]Voyager[/I] then why have they waited till this long to strike out at the Federation, what?s been stopping them??.

[B]Adm. Reeves[/B] ?They didn?t have the ability to, something about failed stasis pods, for a more detailed account I?d access Janeway?s log entries but they?re going to be out of date for the Vaadwaur?s current level of technology. According to our sources in the Delta Quadrant in the after-math of the Borg Collective?s breakdown the Vaadwaur swooped in took several pieces of advanced technology and began to rebuild their empire from there?.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?I see, are we going to be receiving additional support from the [I]Samurai[/I] and the [I]Indefatigable[/I], they?re both docked at Starbase 959 as well?.

[B]Adm. Reeves:[/B] ?Unfortunately no, both of them already have prior engagements that cannot be ignored so we?re sending over a team of engineers and tactical specialists to give the [I]Brightstar[/I] some upgrades, I just hope your Chief Engineer and Tactical Officer don?t mind? He said with a small smile.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?I?ve yet to meet them sir but I?m sure they will understand, thank you for the information and help, Hagen out?.

The small screen went black and was quickly replaced by the Starfleet logo, taking a deep breath and letting out an equally long sigh Andrus got up to get his second tea of the day.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Anne]

Trinity had found her quarters fairly easily. Taking out her belongs she placed them randomly throughout her quarters. Lots of the things were things she collected when she was placed on other starships. Yet most of her belongs were books, which were stacked randomly about.

[B]Trinity:[/B] Well now that is done.

She went over to a smaller pile of books and looked down the spine of them. Trinity ran her index finger on each on look for the right book. At the bottom of the pile she found the book she was looking for "The Culture and Language of the Baneans ". A red leatehr bound book with gold lettering. Trinity moved the six other books from the top of it and placed it on the floor. Picking the top book up she read the cover.

[B]Trinity[/B]: "War and Peace" I thought I lost this.

She placed it back down on the pile and grabbed up the read book. On a small table she grabbed a small bowl of takka berries with cherel sauce. Trinity sat down indian style in the chair with the bowl in her lap. Trinity opened the book to were a page was folded over.

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1][i]Ventarris smiled and drew in a breath as he exited the turbo-lift onto the bridge, he noted that most of the Senior crew had yet to board as most of their stations were manned by Ensigns. A young Human Lieutenant strode up to him standing to attention before her superior officer, he sensed beaming pride from her though it was as obvious to him as non-empaths. He chuckled softly to himself reminded of his first time aboard a vessel as an Ensign, the [B]U.S.S. Ulysses[/B], he remembered the pride, the joy and a huge sense of duty.[/i]

[b]Ventarris:[/b] At ease Lieutenant, I'm just here to get the first look at my berth same as anyone else.

[I]He walked over to the First Officer's chair, the bridge was quite different to anything he'd served on before but then of course the Brightstar was the smallest ship he'd served on so far. The Ulysses, the Atlantis and the Pendragon, three fine ships, three fine Captains and three fine crews, he hoped to be able to do as good a job now that it was his turn. Running his hand along the leather of the chair he felt a number of hairs on his arms raise in anticipation, he'd done covert work all across both Quadrants but this was truly exhilarating. The young Lieutenant had been watching him and chuckled just loud enough for him to hear, he withdrew his hand slightly in embarrassment before turning to her.[/I]

[b]Ventarris:[/b] Lieutenant, please tell the Captain I'm ready to meet him.

[b]Lieutenant Watterson:[/b] He's in his ready room waiting for you Sir.

[I]He nodded before striding across the room towards the Captain's Ready-Room, a million thoughts entered his head at once before the door opened to reveal the Captain sitting behind his desk, a wry smile on his face. Standing to attention himself, Ventarris wondered what kind of a man the Captain was...[/I][/SIZE]

[Jokopoko]

[COLOR=TEAL][SIZE=1]Andrus leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea thoughtfully. Just as a thought was becoming fully formed within his head the door chime went and his concentration was gone, he voiced his approval for the person to come though. Taking a quick glance at the Officers collar he saw that it was the First Officer, Ventarris Aside. Andrus had know he was a Betazoid but he noted the confused expression on the commanders face as he realised his Captain was his kin, getting out of his chair Andrus extended his hand mimicking the terran custom.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Commander Aside, welcome aboard the [I]Brightstar[/I]. I hope you find her well and that you yourself are in as good shape and spirits as the rest of the crew? The commander took Andrus?s hand and shook it as he replied.

[B]Ventarris:[/B] ?Yes thank you sir. The ship seems in order and I am ready to get under way when you give the order? He said with a broad smile on his face, Andrus was about to reply when the his comm. badge was activated.

[I]=/\=[/I][B]Azalee:[/B] ?Captain sir. The remainder on the senior staff have arrived and are awaiting your orders.?

[I]=/\=[/I][B]Andrus:[/B] ?Thanks you Lieutenant. Bring yourself and the others to the conference room and we?ll begin the briefing in a few moments, Hagen out. Commander if you would join me and the others?.

[B]Ventarris:[/B] ?Of course sir? He said and the two Betazoids exited the ready room and headed over to the conference room where the senior staff would be waiting. Upon entering one of the officers stood up sharply and stood at attention. Andrus wasn?t sure who it was but he noted he was only a Lieutenant which meant that he still had some cadet lingering in him.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?At ease Lieutenant. As you all know I am Captain Hagen and this is the first officer, Command Aside. Before I take questions let me brief you on our mission and what we know about it so far.?

Walking over to the computer screen on the right-hand bulkhead Andrus activated it bringing up the relevant mission information for the senior staff to view.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?As you know the colony J-25 was attacked by an aggressive alien force several days ago and Starfleet picked up the distress call, we now know the ones responsible for this. They call themselves the Vaadwaur, they come from the Delta Quadrant but for more detailed information I suggest you read the logs of Captain Janeway during the original [I]Voyager[/I] mission. According to Delta Quadrant sources the Vaadwaur have access to Borg technology and are on the war path against the Federation, we still do not know why. The mission is to search for survivors of the colony attack as well as gathering information on the Vaadwaur and the reason for their aggressive motives. Due to the nature of the mission we are having an advanced weapons pod attached to boost our fire-power should we be drawn into a battle. That is all I know for now, are there any questions??[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Boba Fett]

[color=green]Lt. Lightstar walked hurriedly through one of the many identical corridors in Starbase 959, towards the transporter room where he'd be relocated atom by atom to his new assignment aboard the U.S.S. Brightstar. As he stepped through the auto-opening doors into the transporter room, he hoped that his stop in the bar hadn?t cost him too much time. It'd be terrible to be late for his first ever staff meeting?

[b]Jack[/b]: "Energize"

The officer at the controls nodded to him and moved his fingers down the transporter control panel. As he did so, he sneezed and his hand slipped.

Lt. Lightstar materialized on the transporter pad of a starship, he could tell by the design of the room, but the lights were off and many of the transporter chips were lying on the floor amongst several tools. It was obvious that this particular transporter room wasn?t in use. Hopefully this wasn?t someone's idea of a practical joke.

He hated practical jokes.

Jack walked out of the darkener transporter room and into a hallway. After a brief search for a lift, he found one and stated the deck on which the briefing room was located. Hopefully he wouldn?t be late for the briefing?

Jack was the last of the officers, besides the Captain, to enter the briefing room and he'd only just sat down when his new commanding officer entered. Jack stood instinctively to attention.

[b]Andrus[/b]: ?At ease Lieutenant. As you all know I am Captain Hagen and this is the first officer, Command Aside. Before I take questions let me brief you on our mission and what we know about it so far.?

Jack sat, blushing slightly, as the captain explained their mission.

[b]Andrus[/b]: "That is all I know for now, any questions?"

Jack waited, but nobody asked anything. A slow, awkward silence fell over the room. Surely [i]someone[/i] had a question?[/color]

[Kitty]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]Azalee quietly look around. Surely SOMEONE would speak up. Apparently, nobody wanted to ask a question, afraid that they might sound amatuer or stupid. Azalee, on the other hand, had no questions. But if she did, she would probably have kept it to herself.

[b]Andrus:[/b] "Is there no one with a question? Or no one with courage to ask a question?"

There was a slight shift in movement from most of the crew standing in front of the Captain. He raised an eyebrow, slightly confused as to why he seemed so frightening to the new crew.

[b]Andrus:[/b] "Come now, shouldn't someone here have a question? What about you, Lieutenant Watterson?"

[b]Azalee:[/b] "Captain sir. No questions about our mission, sir."

Azalee spoke truthfully. She understood the mission the crew was given. Her task was even more clear. She was to keep the ship in tip-top condition for her entire period onboard. She was not going to let it fall into disrepair nor was she going to let the crew meddle in what was her job and her job alone. Of course, she would be in charge of the crew that worked in the operations "department".

She snapped out of her deep thought to notice a young nurse pipe up. She hadn't heard most of the question, but she heard enough to know that the young woman wanted to know if she would be able to visit Earth occasionally on this vessel. Andrus thought for a moment before answering.

---
OOC: Sorry for taking so long Jokopoko. ( :sweat: ) I hope this is okay for a first post. >.<[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Corey]

[size=1][i]I hope you don't mind Bill.[/i]
???
[b]Andrus-[/b] "I'm not completely sure when," barely steifling an if, "we'll be returning to Earth. The mission is pretty far out." He scanned the room again, taking in the faces of his senior officers. "Anyone else?" Allen shifted in his chair.

[b]Allen-[/b] "Yes, actually." He shifted again, propping his chin on his hand, elbow on the table. "You said that that was all you knew." He winked at the Captain. "So why should we ask questions? We now know everything you knew, so now we are just as informed as you are." Andrus took this into consideration, then smiled slightly.

[b]Andrus-[/b] "Baroner I presume?" Allen nodded. "Yeah, I was warned you were a bit of a smartass." Allen did a kind of hat tipping gesture and smiled back.

[b]Allen-[/b] "I am what I am, and that's all that I am." A few smiles broke through the officers, but not as many as he was hoping.

[b]Andrus-[/b] "Yes. Well then, if there aren't anymore questions I guess you can all take your tour of the ship and your stations before we leave." He looked around. "Dismissed."[/size]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]In the final line I?ve used the underline format to distinguish where telepathy between characters occurs.

[I]Ventarris had been sitting silently in his seat, waiting to either have a question directed at him or to be excused from the briefing. Baroner's comment slightly irked him, but then again if he'd made that kind of a comment on an Intelligence mission he'd more than likely have a disrupter blast marking his skull by now. The Commander had his fingers arched together, his eyes flickering from one member of the crew to the next, there were only five of them all together still a few of the Command Staff missing. It would be a few hours before they departed and they still had that Advanced Weapons Pod to integrate into the ship though it wouldn?t take all that long. He knew that the Captain knew more than he?d let on, Ventarris was his both XO and a fellow Betazoid so there were few secrets between them.

He decided that as XO it was his duty to be the bridge between the Captain and his crew, in this case Ventarris would somehow have to convince them that they were not flying into certain death against hoards of Vaad?waur ships. He rose from his seat and coughed respectfully interrupted the silence that had perpetrated this stoic atmosphere, he couldn?t help but notice the difference between being a First Officer and being a Chief Intelligence Officer. Everyone?s eyes had fallen on the Betazoid XO, he could read their minds but living on Earth for so long he had learned not to do it automatically as most humanoids found it uncomfortable. The main emotion emanating from everyone was anxiety, he couldn?t exactly blame them but it was his job to get them into a working, productive mood.[/I]

[b]Ventarris:[/b] [[I]With resolve[/I]] As the Captain has already stated it may be sometime before we get home. For some of us Home is Earth, for myself and the Captain it is Betazed, an old saying I heard from my father is that ?Home is Where the heart is?. This ship will be our home, it will be our guardian on this voyage and it will be our instrument in solving this mystery that threatens the Federation. We have all grown up seeing and hearing about the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the mighty Flagship of Starfleet herself, now I ask you what is the difference between the Enterprise and the Brightstar ?

[I]Ventarris waiting for a response, there were some differences between the legendary Enterprise and the newly built Brightstar but there was one detail he listened for beyond all others. Waiting a number of moments he heard no response, his Second Officer sat thinking some witty response no doubt, but Ventarris would give his the opportunity.[/I]

[b]Ventarris:[/b] [[I]Defiantly[/I]] We are. We are the difference, the Enterprise is a ship like the Brightstar, sure the Enterprise has had a few more incarnations than the Brightstar but give her time. It is her crew that makes the Enterprise different, [[I]Looking to the Captain[/I]] Kirk. [[I]Pointing to himself[/I]] Riker. [[I]Looking to Baroner[/I]] Spock. [[I]Looking to Azalee[/I]] Data. [[I]And finally Jack[/I]] Scotty. Yes the are legends, but they are men too just like us, except for Miss Azalee of course, what made them legends is their actions, Let us do the same !!

[I]Ventarris could feel a great well of pride swell up in the crew, the Captain as a fellow telepath gave a more personal thanks to his First Officer.[/I]

[b]Captain Andrus:[/b] [u]Nice job...[/u][/SIZE]

[Jokopoko]

[COLOR=TEAL][SIZE=1] Ventarris and several crew members were going about their business on the bridge when Andrus came through the Turbo-Lift after his meeting with Commodore Rygiel, the commanding officer of the Starbase. He sat in his chair with a cheery expression and turned to the First Officer.

[B]Andrus:[/B] ?Commander, everything went fine while I was gone I trust??.

[B]Ventarris:[/B] ?Course sir, you were only gone for thirty minutes, though some of the senior staff have yet to make an appearance Captain? He said indicating the ?ship-to-shore? transfer list, several seniors names remained unchecked.

[B]Andrus:[/B] [U]On worries, it?ll be sorted after we?ve departed just ignore it for now[/U] ?Well the Commodore says we should be able to depart within the hour and I?m sure our people would have turned up by then.? Andrus said with a smile.

[B]Ventarris:[/B] ?I?m sure of that sir but if you would excuse me, I need to set my quarters in order before we leave? Ventarris gave a courteous nod before walking briskly to the Turbo-Lift and disappearing from view.

Andrus sat in silent thought for a few moments while he considered the character of his first Executive Officer. He seemed keen to get going and had a thirst to prove himself, Andrus felt he could relate to this for he had gone through the same experience during his first few weeks aboard the [I]Miranda[/I]. Chuckling softly he leaned to his left and inspected the list of senior officers now aboard and awaiting arrival.

[B]Andrus:[/B] [To himself, softly] ?Aside, Baroner, Marley, Lightstar and Watterson. Hmmm, I wonder where Mr. Ikor could be, Computer please locate Lieutenant Liaran Ikor aboard Starbase 959?

[I]Computer: Lieutenant Ikor is in corridor 28, section 5 heading toward docking port 8[/I]

That was where the Brightstar was currently docked; at least the man was on his way. Pondering on how he should deal with this, if at all, Andrus decided he would go with the moment though it might not be the Starfleet way, but it was the Betazoid way. While reviewing the status report for the ship he tapped his comm. badge.

[I]=/\=[/I] [B]Andrus:[/B] ?All senior staff report in, status of departments and time to system readiness?[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1][b]Edit[/b] After posting the tech-specs of the Advanced Weapons Pod I came back here and altered my post to get rid of the old specs I'd written.

[CENTER]-------------------[/CENTER]

[I]The Commander had been in the Turbo-Lift heading for his quarters when the Captain has ordered all the Senior Staff to report in, he wondered whether he should use his comm. badge or his Betazoid telepathy in order to contact him. In the end his chose the former and tapped his own comm. Badge lightly[/I]

=/\= [B]Ventarris:[/B] Captain do you want me to report in or shall I continue to my quarters ?

=/\= [b]Andrus:[/b] Continue to your quarters Commander it'll be a while before your needed so take this time to get settle in.

=/\= [b]Ventarris:[/b] Understood Aside out.

[I]Ventarris continue down to corridor to his quarters on Deck 2, he was tired from supervising to integration of the Advanced Weapons Pod and the new Phasers, but for their mission it was definitely worth it. He found himself going over the new armaments of the in his head, the math was nothing compared to the piece of mind he felt about going into this mission with a ship that now stood on par with the firepower of the [B]Enterprise - E[/B]. He pushed those thoughts out of his head as the hum of the transporter sounded in the room, Ventarris walked over to examine what had been beamed up from the Station.

He smiled going through all his personal objects, he'd had most of this stuff a long time and it brought back both good and bad memories. He began sorting and unpacking most of his different possessions, pictures, books, pieces of art and most importantly his saxophone. Ventarris laughed softly as he rubbed one hand down along the side of the instrument, his father had bought him just before his first year of Starfleet Academy. He placed it delicately on it's stand on one corner of his room before moving on to unpack the rest of his mess. 30 minutes and a tiring affair later he sat on his bed admiring his work.

He lay back staring up at his ceiling, there were still some work going on in the different section to get everything ready but the Captain had given them plenty of time so he wasn?t worried. He decided the best course of action was a Sonic Shower and then maybe a quick bite to eat from the replicator before taking a trip to one of the Holodecks. Sighing he got off the bed and headed towards the shower, it was a comfortable way to clean himself and one of the few things that relaxed him. He walked out with nothing more than a towel to find Lieutenant Watterson peering in his door with a look of shock on her face...[/I][/SIZE]

[Boba Fett]

[color=green]Jack took the turbolift directly to Engineering, eager to inspect the warp nacelles and test all of his new toys.

As the lift hummed softly, its sole occupant replayed the second officer?s speech in his mind. It?d been mildly inspiring, but had come off more cheesy than anything else. Well, it was a good start anyway.

[I]Cheesy? Speaking of cheese, he was feeling hungry?[/I]

The doors slid open with a soft whoosh of air, and Lt. Lightstar walked out onto the darkened floor of the engineering room. In its center, a throbbing blue ribbed warp core glowed neon blue, casting a ghoulish glow over the darkened data stations that lined the walls.

[b]Jack[/b]: ?Computer, Lights.?

[I]The lights automatically blinked on around the cylindrical room, making it suddenly appear much larger.[/I]

Activating the nearest terminal, Jack ran a system diagnostic. While the computer processed this large request, Jack walked over to the nearest replicator.

[b]Jack[/b]: ?Cheeseburger, salted potato rectangles and carbonated drink three?

[I]A soft white glow filled the replicator and swirled away, revealing his order on a plain white plate, next to a clear glass cup.[/I]

Jack carried his food back to his workstation and checked the diagnostic readout. All clear. He then ran the last of the tests, activating the battle systems. Each and every one of them checked out perfectly. This ship truly was top of the line.

As the last defense system activated, a force field surrounding the warp core, Jack smiled. He?d done years of research on force fields and shield technology. It?d be interesting to tweak their arrays once the ship was out of stardock.

[b]Jack[/b]: ?Engineering to Captain Andrus?

[b]Andrus[/b]: ?Go ahead.?

[b]Jack[/b]: ?Engineering is in tip-top shape. Performance will be tweaked once we leave stardock, and I?ll bet there are a few bugs here to sort out that we haven?t found yet, but the ship is in overall stellar shape.?

[b]Andrus[/b]: ?Very well, make the necessary adjustments as you see fit.?

Jack grinned, and set to work.[/color]

[Balmon]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]Liaran Ikor could barely contain his excitement. ?I could kiss the person who filled out the paperwork for this baby?? he said to no one in particular. Engineers had been pouring in and out of the Armaments Engineering Bay of Starbase 959 all day, and most had been kind enough to ignore Ikor as he inspected the new toy.

He had spent the last 14 hours poring over every inch of the Advanced Weapons Pod ? a gigantic monstrosity of artful design, sleek metallic sheen, and sheer destructive power - destined for the Brightstar. Even the thought of roasted Gwork with a side of Keklash couldn?t draw him away from the bright, shiny gleen coming off of a quantum torpedo unit. However, despite his fascination, he constantly had this nagging feeling that there was someplace he was supposed to be just then? he remembered someone coming over the comm. Badge a few hours ago? something about a meeting? not wanting to be disturbed any further, he removed the badge and had placed it somewhere in the bay.

It had only been a month since his leave of duty from the Bellerophon, an assignment that left many memories: some good, some not so good at all. He had been issued an order to make his way to Starbase 959, where a vacation awaited him, but once he got there, he saw that he had serious work to do: the majority of the security personnel there barely understood the basic mechanics of the weapons they were using, let alone how to use them efficiently (or accurately), and the most simple of scans on the weapons systems revealed a dozen or so problems linked to half of the aft phasers and two-thirds of the starboard shields projectors? this was one station badly in need of his help.

However, after a month of his ?vacation?, he was issued another order, this time from his acquaintance, Admiral Locke, from Starfleet HQ. Apparently there was a new ship, the U.S.S. Brightstar, in need of a Chief of Security/Tactical. Despite the innumerable officers and Lieutenant Commanders with years of experience above his, all available for (and dying for) transfers to a new Insignia class ship such as this, Locke almost insisted that Ikor be given the position. Frankly, given his pull in the ranks of Starfleet, Locke?s ?recommendation? was more of an order.

Also not one to question too many orders, Ikor began re-packing his belongings and meticulously reviewing the available personnel files for the crew currently aboard the Brightstar, as well as all the technical specs sheets. It was in one of the files on the technical bits that he found the issued order for the Advanced Weapons Pod. He had been viewing the files on his screen as his latest romantic entanglement, Sarah McInnis, sat on his lap and fed him his dinner, when the image of the A.W.P. appeared. Her head barely missed the corner of a desk as he suddenly burst out of his chair, practically launching her to the floor, and ran to the door of their quarters. He paused momentarily at the door, looked back at Sarah and saw her sprawled ass-backwards on the floor, and was suddenly caught in a moment of indecision: help her up, or rush to the magnificent piece of design waiting?. Referring to his tactical training, he decided on the following: For fear of future retribution from this suddenly hostile creature, he called for an immediate ceasefire and helped her up. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and pulled back slightly from her face so that she had ample room to slap him. As he ran towards the nearest turbo lift, he made sure to only nurse the red welt when there wasn?t anyone nearby.

Many hours later, as he touched his hand to the red cheek, it all suddenly raced back into his mind. ?SHIT. A meeting? something important? of the Senior Officers? ahhhh crap!? He pulled his head out of a phaser unit, smashing his head on the top side in the process, and made a mad dash for the bay doors. With any luck, the Captain? what was his name? Andrus! With any luck, that Cap? Andrus hadn?t filed an official request for a court martial yet?[/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Well might as well keep up the steam as we've got this thing moving. [i]You can see the run-down of the new Weapons Systems in my latest post in the[/i] [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=41724][b]Underground thread[/b][/url].

[CENTER]---------------[/CENTER]

[I]Ventarris watched as Lieutenant Azalee covered her eyes as the Commander walked out, at first he'd been tempted to rush back into the Bathroom and try and find something to put on, however since everything had already recycled his dirty clothes he was stuck. Feigning confidence he strode over to the replicator and ordered a new uniform while the Lieutenant was still standing with her back to him, he decided it was rude to leave her waiting in the hall, even if he was half naked.[/I]

[b]Ventarris:[/b] [[I]Calmly[/I]] Lieutenant, you can come in if you wish.

[b]Azalee:[/b] [[I]Somewhat hesitant[/I]] Thank you, I though you'd like some privacy first.

[b]Ventarris:[/b] [[I]Jokingly[/I]] Well I didn't expect anyone to be standing in my doorway.

[I]Ventarris quickly ducked into the bathroom and changed into uniform, he came close in ending up on the floor several times from his haste though he managed to avoid such an embarrassment. Striding back out to the Lieutenant he found her admiring one of the pieces of artwork on his walls, a Mediterranean scene from Earth. It was a painting he'd found in the computer database on Jupiter Station that he'd taken to, he couldn't remember the title or the name of the artist but it was still a lovely piece of work.[/I]

[b]Ventarris:[/b] [[I]Sincerely[/I]] Lovely isn't it ?

[b]Azalee:[/b] [[I]Honestly[/I]] Yes sir, very peaceful looking.

[b]Ventarris:[/b] [[I]Inquisitively[/I]] Can I do something from you Lieutenant Azalee ?

[b]Azalee:[/b] [[I]Dutifully[/I]] The Captain requests your presence of the bridge, the Tactical Officer has just reported in and since you were to one who supervised the integration of the Advanced Weapons Pod as well as the new Phasers he'd like you to brief Lieutenant Ikor.

[b]Ventarris:[/b] Of course, please lead the way Lieutenant.

[I]Ventarris followed the Azalee into the Turbo-Lift until it reached the bridge, there were still some of the Starbase?s Engineers at different consoles which lead him to believe they were making some minor tweaks to the new Weapons. The Captain was sitting in his chair speaking to an Engineer in regard to their Chief Medical Officer, he found it odd though let it go by for now, the Engineer had obviously finished as she walked quickly into the Turbo-Lift. Ventarris wondered what that was all about though the Captain answered the question before he could even ask it...[/I][/SIZE]

[Anne]

Trinity's eyes scanned across the pages of her book. She turned the page of her book and reached her hand down for another takka berry. When she placed her hand down she felt nothing but the cherel sauce. Her eyes glanced down and saw none left. Trinity let a sigh and licked the sauce from her fingers. She burried her noise back into her book sometimes mummbling something to herself.

[B]Trinity[/B]: (Mummbling) So thats why. I alway put the emphazises on the worng part.

She scanned through some more of the page and turned it again. Trinity looked at the book and noticed that she had almost finsihed reading it. She folded the top corner of the page and closed the book. She placed the book and empty bowl on the table and streched. She strachted the top of her head messing her curly bacl hair up. It than hit her she had been reading for a couple hours now.

[B]Trinity[/B]: Geezzz I do it this all the time, I am so messed up this time.

Her door slid open and she poked her head out into the halls. She didn't see anyone move about the rounded halls or come out of any other door. She made her way to the Turbo Lift hoping not to be seen. She went over in her head wait she was going to tell the Captain.

[B]Trinity[/B]: (Thinking) Yes well I was reading a book and I lost all track of time.

Though it was true she just felt silly even thinking it. She rubbed herthe temple of her right forehead. She felt the Turbo Lift lift stop annd open up to the bridge. She could see some of the other senior officers standing there. She could see Captain Andrus talking with Lieutenant Ikor, Lieutenant Azalee, and Commander Aside. A couple of starfleet engieers working on different consoles. Trinity caught the glimps of the main transmission console. She smiled that was like her second home.

[Vicky]

[SIZE=1]The apartment was small, and dimply lit, so it was hard to see anything in there. In fact, the lights were most likely off, and the only light was coming from the outside city. A man, well, Klingon Vulcan hybrid to be exact was sat at the back of the room, with his feet up and staring into space. He was told by the Admiral he wouldn't have any assignments for alongtime, and currently had no projects to do with Starfleet, so tomorrow he would meet up with a few friends. But that wasn't on his mind right now, on his mind was the past. He was remembering his last encounters on a Starship. He did enjoy them... but he wasn't kneen on stepping on a Starship for awhile...

Even though Tolaris grew up on one.

Right now, Tolaris felt like he made some big mistakes in the past. He went over events, and daydreamed about what he could have done instead. Tolaris seemed to be so deep in thought, it was like meditation, which he did not do, even though he was part Vulcan. Tolaris sighed heavily and moved his hands behind his head. Suddenly, there was a crashing noise.

It made Tolaris jump out of his thought, and straight away he found himself yelling for maxium light to the computer. The room lit up quickly, making Tolaris squint to see who was there, or what. A sigh of relief feel through him when he noticed something had fallen off the shelf.

"Maybe I should call it a night..." He muttered to himself. He sighed heavily again, and shook his head as he sat down once more.

[CENTER]--[/CENTER]

For the first time in awhile, Tolaris found himself reporting to Admiral Reeves, who was in charge of the mission concerning Brightstar, not that Tolaris knew much about it, just that Brightstar was on a mission and Admiral Reeves was in charge. Tolaris had no idea what was going on, but if it had anything to do with Tolaris joining the Brightstar, then he wasn't happy to do it... Tolaris felt like he needed to stay away from Starships for a little longer.

"You wanted to see me, Admiral?" Tolaris said when coming to the Admiral's desk. He stood with his hands behind his back and waited for the Admiral to reply. Admiral Reeves turned around and smiled.

"Ah yes, Lieutenant," The Admiral began, pausing briefly too look at Tolaris. "We have an assignment for you." He finally finished. Tolaris raised his eyebrow.

"Sir?" He asked. Admiral Reeves sat down at his desk and looked up at Tolaris. "You yourself said I didn't have any assignments, I already made some plans."

"Cancel them. This is more important." Admiral Reeves snapped. Tolaris lowered his eyes to the ground as if saying 'Yes sir'. The Admiral briefly glanced down then continued. "I'm assigning you to the U.S.S. Brightstar, who is-" The Admiral was cut off by Tolaris.

"A Starship? Sir, I don't think I would b-"

"Who don't have time to find a new Chief Diplomat, and from what I heard you're good at your job." The Admiral said, getting slightly annoyed by Tolaris. He looked down, and picked up a datapad, giving it too Tolaris. Tolaris took it, but didn't glance at it once. "All the information is there, any question, just ask."

"...Yes sir..." Tolaris mumbled. He couldn't believe it. Tolaris sighed heavily as he was dismissed.

--
[B]OOC: I hope this was okay.[/B][/SIZE]