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STAR FLEET: ORIGINS | STAR FLEET: ORIGINS | ||
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Your I== | |||
===by Harry Iha=== | |||
SD: 2261.209 | |||
SCENE: Bridge | |||
After suddenly being transported away from a pleasant rugby game in | |||
San Francisco and receiving an uncomfortable grilling by the XO, | |||
Tamura and all the bridge officers returned to their stations. | |||
Mind control? It seemed unreal to the young officer. But then | |||
again, until 20 minutes ago he would have sworn on any number of | |||
affidavits that he was on leave on Earth. It was all very | |||
confusing. | |||
There was talk about a theta field, and how it was protecting them | |||
from the thought control process...and how it was scrambling their | |||
brains. Biology was never Tamura's strong point, and he had a | |||
growing headache to contend with. | |||
One thing for sure, there was definite tension between the XO and | |||
LT ARr'Rhiana. Although they kept it short of outright insults, | |||
even a geek with zero social skills like Tamura noticed it. | |||
His headache was getting worse. | |||
A comm signal from a Star Fleet communicator hailed the ship, but | |||
Tamura's mind was beyond effective processing, courtesy of the | |||
theta field. The comm officer stared blankly at the panel while he | |||
tried to remember what all the dials and gauges meant. | |||
Fortunately, the computer recognized the incoming hail and | |||
automatically terminated a connection. While Tamura stared, the | |||
computer took the captain and CMO's orders and began executing | |||
them. | |||
The barbs between Merrick and ARr'Rhiana grew heated and louder, | |||
pulling Tamura out of his stupor. The two were practically | |||
shouting at each other. "Shut up!" roared Tamura. "Damn, I can't | |||
think with you two bitching at each other." | |||
The XO's attention shifted to the comm officer. "You shut your | |||
mouth, Mister, before I come over there and shut it for you." | |||
Tamura pulled the Feinberger from his ear, slammed it on his | |||
console, and jumped to his feet. Merrick responded in kind. "You | |||
and what army, you..." Tamura racked his brain for the worst | |||
insult he could find. "...you...End User!" | |||
"End user?" LCDR Merrick had had many insults hurled his way | |||
throughout his career, but that was a new one. He paused a moment | |||
to consider its implications. That pause was long enough for his | |||
temper to subside and for him to regain his composure. Were he and | |||
Tamura just about to have a brawl on the bridge? "What the frak?" | |||
Appalled by his behavior, Tamura stepped back. "I'm terribly | |||
sorry, Commander. I don't know what just came over me." Tamura | |||
dove back into his chair. He still had a headache, but the little | |||
episode cleared his head enough for him to function again. | |||
"Commander, we have a transmission from the captain. He's accessed | |||
the computer using his ALPHA code." | |||
The XO stepped up to the comm console and looked over Tamura's | |||
shoulder. "What's he doing?" | |||
The feedback from the XO was helping his thought processes and | |||
focus; too bad it was not helping with the headache. "I can't | |||
tell, Sir. Just that he's given the computer instructions which | |||
are executing now." | |||
"What if the captain's under mind control and they're tricking him | |||
into taking control of the ship?" asked ARr'Rhiana, joining Merrick | |||
behind Tamura. | |||
"Just like my rugby game," confirmed Tamura. "I had no idea I was | |||
flying the ship. Should I close the channel?" Tamura's hand | |||
reached over to the switch that would break the circuit with the | |||
captain's communicator. | |||
"Can we talk to him?" | |||
Tamura shook his head. "Not until he disengages the computer." | |||
Merrick made a snap decision. "If the captain's under mind | |||
control, we're already too late. We've got to hope that he's | |||
holding up okay and trying to help us. Leave the channel open." | |||
"Aye aye, Sir." | |||
With their fate resting squarely in the captain's hands, the XO | |||
took another moment to ponder Tamura's unusual insult. "End user?" | |||
he asked again. | |||
Tamura shrugged. "That was the worst thing I could think of at the | |||
time." | |||
"I don't get it." | |||
About a minute had passed since the two men had just about come to | |||
blows. | |||
The comm officer laughed at his own strange humor. "There are two | |||
types of beings in this universe, Commander: techs...and end users." | |||
Instead of laughing, the XO's face grew dark with rage. "Why you | |||
insubordinate piece of...." | |||
NRPG: | |||
No, it's not bipolar disease. It's Corbett's alternating tones. | |||
Brian: Here's Sean's chance for payback. | |||
All: Sorry, not much in the way of plot advancement. | |||
Respectfully Submitted, | |||
ENS Yoshi Tamura | |||
Communications Department Head | |||
USS HOOD NCC-1703 | |||
http://boi.alt-starfleet-rpg.org/ORIGINS:_USS_Hood | |||
Harry I. Iha | |||
hiha_asr@... |