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==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Deus ex Machina==
===by Scott Lusby===
SD: 2261.059
MD: 1.1907
Setting: Main Engineering, O-Deck, TSS HOOD
Gar Th'elenth holstered his phaser without so much as an acknowledgement for
the life he had just char-broiled.
"Anyone else want to tell me what we can't do?" he growled as he punched
buttons on his status display.
No one said a word, and instead simply just scurried off to their duty
stations.
"And take this carcass with you!" Gar shouted, nudging the blackened lump
that had been one of his warp systems ratings.
A couple of his staff quickly ran over and carted the body away, not daring
to make eye contact as they did, lest the temperamental Andorian shot
someone else.
He adjusted his eyepatch, and began to study the readings in front of him.
Unfortunately, they were the same as they had been a minute ago...and unless
the properties of physics were significantly different in this universe than
his own, they **wouldn't** get any better on their own...
Exactly as he and Zade had planned.
<<snip- from Steve's "Another You Another Me" with a change in perspective>>
Suddenly, the comm panel chirped. [[[Gar,]]] came the Captain's icy voice.
[[[Status report and none of your bullshit this time.]]]
Gar's lips pursed tightly as his antennae swept dangerously back. "The
dilithium chamber took a hit when we activated that Tholian device. It sent
a power spike through the antimatter chamber and fused four of our crystals.
All that's left of them is a charred lump."
The captain's response was predictable- immediate, angry and stupid. [[[I
don't think I need to tell you your job mister. Utilize the crystals we
keep for backup.]]]
Gar fought back the urge to curse the idiot in command. "I would sir, but
you traded them to the Cardassian slavers in exchange for information on
that damn ship's whereabouts." The Andorian knew he was pushing the
Captain's buttons by mentioning "that damn ship," but Gar didn't care; it
was his glory-seeking that got them into this mess in the first place.
<<end snip>>
He awaited a response, but when nothing came, he closed the channel.
Gar touched a few buttons on his console again, sending out work orders to
the damage control teams dispersed throughout the ship; there would be
meters of fried conduit to replace, overloaded junctions to fix...
However, he knew it was, essentially, all for naught, a thought which made
Gar very happy. It was only a matter of time before Steele did something
monumentally dumb in an effort to either grab more power or take out one of
his rivals...
...And they'd be ready for him. Everything was in place; next time they
went to red alert, Steele, Merrick, DeSimms- all of them- would get a nice
surprise...
Andoria, Trill, Tellar, Cait- all would shake off the noose of Terran
sovereignty that had slowly strangled them for decades.
Turning his head, making sure no one was watching, he pressed another
button, one which would let Cedria Quell and Hemux that all was ready on his
end without anyone being the wiser.
<<TIMELINE>>
MD 1.1907: The anti-Gar muses over their current situation on the TSS-HOOD.
<<NRPG>>
I know Dave said he was going to re-post his "triad" posts because of their
mentioning of Veld, but I thought the premise was solid and wanted to tie
into it. This also tied into what Dave has Hemux doing. So...I guess we're
all conspirators together.
Viva la Resistance!
I did have to stop here, as I'm still piecing things together in OUR
universe.
Respectfully Submitted,
-- Scott Lusby
/\ LCDR Gar Th'elenth
Chief Engineer
TSS HOOD NCC-1703
STAR FLEET: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Triad part one==
===by David Kiel===
SD 2261.060
Scene: TSS HOOD
Cedria stepped over the scorched debris. The charred remains of plasma conduit
crunched to a powder beneath her boots as she walked along exterior corridor
four on deck eleven. The damage to the Hood from transit had been profound but
just about perfect. They were perhaps still a match for Constellation, should
she try to follow, but most definitely not a match for the denizens of the new
universe.
She passed one of DeSimms lackeys stationed near the turbolift. Hood always had
goons patrolling the corridors, making everyone's job a little more difficult,
especially hers. The redshirted human leered at her, his eyes tracing the
pattern of spots between the skirt and the top of her duty gold. On Trill just
that look would have cost him an eye, but here she had to watch her step. A
woman's place shipboard was not usually outside the sleeping cabin. She was
fortunate to get a pilots cert and even more fortunate to land on Hood.
Well the second part had taken no small amount of string pulling back on Terra
Three. But still, a lot of people had stepped out on the plank to get her here
and she wasn't about to risk that by eviscerating some mindless thug. She gave
him a cold look, something less than a challenge but enough to let him know that
she was far more trouble than she was worth. Cedria knew she was here because
she was smart, not because of her skill with a blade.
Cedria kicked a burnt section of insulated tubing out of the way as she stepped
into the turbolift. There were a few others on board just as smart. Jeri
Merrick was one, one she had to watch out for. The Merrick name alone may have
saved the woman when the Tholian device had devastated Hood's systems in
transit. Fortunately the damage had obliterated all trace of the truth.
Jeri's work wiring the device into Hood's warp core had been perfect. It took a
mathematical genius to manage the cross patching of such wildly different power
systems. It had taken a second genius to tamper ever so slightly with those
settings and shift the balance just far enough out of phase to cause the ships
current predicament.
"Ensign Quell!" The order was barked in Zade's clear and sharply venomous
voice. Cedria turned to face him. Hood's NAV was a tall, angular Trill with
dark black hair and cold blue eyes. The Zade symbiont was legend on Trill,
three times monarch and still alive to tell the tale. It amused her that he was
on the ship as well, it made her mission that much more delicious.
"Yes, lieutenant Zade." Cedria Quell stood at attention, of all the people she
had to be careful of this one was the easiest to fool. Zade was historically
arrogant, he knew Cedria had failed out of the symbiosis commission and that
made her nothing in his eyes. Nothing but a functionary, nothing of
consequence, nothing to worry about, exactly the notion she prefer he kept.
"Make sure our fighter-transports are spaceworthy. If we need them I don't want
any suprises."
"Already done sir, five has some denting on the port nacelle, I have engineering
teams on it. The others are fine and ready to go."
"Good." Arctura Zade scowled and turned, his mind clearly on more important
things than the lowly Ensign Cedria Quell. Cedria kicked a section of burnt
conduit insulation from the lift entrance and stepped inside the turbolift.
With a little luck her plan would work, the quiet ambition of it would bring her
glory within the movement. Constitution class ships were the power of the
Sovereignty, and for them to lose the Hood would weaken the Sovreignty. If the
strike team in the other universe had succeeded then Constellation was burning
in space as she walked. Two of the twelve missing might just give the
resistance a chance, it would certainly give it momentum. Cedria smiled as the
lift rose, whatever it took she would ensure that the Hood died here in this
backwater universe.
Long live the resistance.
NRPG: Slight changes made to leave Connie in the alternate universe.
Respectfully submitted;
David Kiel
Ens Cedria Quell
Pilot, USS HOOD NCC-1703
Sovereignty Fleet
ASR: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Triad part two==
===by David Kiel===
SD 2261.060
Scene: TSS HOOD
Arctura Zade scowled as he left the simpering fool Quell in his wake. She was
smart enough to fill the functionary role she served on the ship, and useless
enough to not be a threat to his place on Hood.
He had just finished his bridge shift, it had been as pleasant as always. Zade
walked towards the observation deck to try and clear his head, a short interval
of medative rest always helped after any exposure to the Hood's unstable
captain. The psychopathic Steele had ranted and screamed and raged his way
through four hours of threats and insinuations. How the man had risen to his
station was beyond Zade. But it would end in this place.
Arctura had not joined the Sovereign fleet to be a glorified chartkeeper. Zade
had been Monarch of Trill when his homeworld had been conquered by the
Sovereignty. And twice before he had managed to grasp the throne in hands still
stained with the previous Monarchs blood. Now he had his sights set a little
higher. Trill's oldest living symbiont had forgotten more about assassination
than any living human could ever hope to accomplish in a single pathetic
lifespan. Hood was a rung, the fleet was a means to power and once he had that
he was in range of the Terran throne itself.
He had struck a deal with Veld, a man who looked stable only next to the Hoods
sadistic taskmaster. Hood would suffer a tragic failure at the least opportune
moment. Unfortunately Constellation had not been in any shape to fight
following its re-transit. Nevertheless, small victories could still be had.
There was no reason Steele had to survive this dangerous gamble, with some luck
he would die in this strange universe and Arctura Zade would take one more rung.
Merrick was an obstacle of course. The mans senseless devotion to Steele was
mystifying. He couldn't be removed until the last moment though, it was only
Merricks steady hand that kept Hood from the abyss. It was critical that
Merrick live so long as Steele did.
If only Merricks fool wife hadn't botched the transition, a fully powered Hood
might have taken care of both birds with one photonic blast. There would have
been no need for DeSimms subterfuge and the Connie would be breached and
bleeding atmosphere back in the Sovereign universe.
One photonic blast.
Arctura Zade smiled and looked out at the starfield of this strange and timid
universe. A new order would most certainly arise in the Sovereignty fleet in
the next few days. Forty lifetimes of experience had taught him to recognize an
opportunity when he saw one. Glorious and rarefied blood would soon flow.
Long live the Sovereignty
NRPG: Slight changes made to leave Connie in the alternate universe.
Respectfully submitted;
David Kiel
Lt Arctura Zade,
NAV, USS HOOD NCC-1703
Sovereignty Fleet
ASR: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Triad part three==
===by David Kiel===
SD 2261.060
Scene: TSS HOOD
Cedria Zade tapped a series of keycommands into her console and logged off
station just as Hood slid into orbit around Celes II. She already missed having
Steering to talk to, she was piloting a shuttle full of Nausicans to the local
Federation outpost. The duty shift replacement was an officer Perkins who
seemed to be tireless in his appreciation of his career arc thus far and
describing his triumphant rise through the ranks, well at least the one so far,
to anyone who would listen. And to anyone who sat next to him on the bridge for
four hours and had no choice but to listen.
Krista Anderson took Cedrias chair, she was a bright young woman from some
arctic part of Earth that Cedria had never heard of. A good officer and not at
all crazy which put her in the top fifty percent of the officers she had met
thus far.
She tapped a few keys on her hand comp and perused the daily reports. She
walked to the side of the bridge as she perused, looking up at the emerald world
on the viewscreen. Celes II was an odd combination. A tropical world lush with
life and also a mineral rich world. Generally Starfleet found all the ore it
needed in asteroids and dead worlds. Celes was an odd exception, the world had
been dead eyed by Eta Carinae's magnetic pole in one of its episodes. A wave of
gamma particles had scorched the world some 80 years before. Life had recovered
quickly enough and the ferocity of the radiation bath had left the planet
exceptionally rich with rare isotopes.
Mining here was essential and lucrative. The many unusual isotopes present in
the rock layers on Celes II could be duplicated in labs when needed but often
only with staggering effort and associated costs in energy and raw materials.
Here you just had to dig them out and ship them off. There was a formidable
population of miners and engineers on the world, and for each living person
there were perhaps a hundred automated machines of various shapes and sizes
actually doing the heavy lifting.
Cedria looked around the bridge realizing she was the highest grade present and
technically in charge. She smirked at the thought of having a go in the
Captians chair before deciding shed rather not. The Trill woman opened the
ships com and announced their arrival and summoned senior officers to the
bridge.
"All hands, we are in orbit of Celes II. Command staff report to stations,
orbital protocols are in effect."
She walked over to the duty officer at the science console. "Full report on
planetary operations, let me know if anything unusual shows on the scans. The
Nausicans did something to earn their gemstones and we have a rogue ship still
unaccounted for. Look for,… fires." She said tapping her chin with one long
finger.
NRPG: So here we are, Celes II. I decided to leave any fires that might be
happening up to others.
Respectfully submitted;
David Kiel
Lt Cedria Zade,
NAV, USS HOOD NCC-1703
ASR: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Everyone Has a Plan==
===by Brian V. Mansur===
SD 2261.063
Scene: TSS HOOD
Commander Sean Merrick of the Terran Sovereignty Ship HOOD bellowed angrily at
Gar's engineering team. The estimated repair time for the Tholian device had
been 3 hours. That deadline had ended 20 minutes ago. Looking over the crew's
work, it was plain that their haste had made them sloppy. On any other mission,
it would not have mattered to him. He would have excoriated the guilty for
being less than perfectly efficient and then he would have seen to it they got
done the job right. Punishments would have been dealt out none too kindly
afterward, but under Merrick, none too harshly either.
But there was much more at stake this time. For both he and his wife Jeri. Her
attachment to the project made her a target of Steele's legendary wrath. It had
been all Merrick could do to redirect the Captain's suspicions of sabotage or
ineptitude to Gar's people. The thought of it all made Merrick huff in
frustration. Merrick always marveled at what a complicated and convoluted man
his Captain was. Warm and hearty when things went as expected. Vindictive and
cruel when they did not. But unlike other superior officers that Merrick had
known, Steele at least knew what realistic expectations were and what weren't.
It was a quality that had endeared Merrick to Steele. It was possible to please
him and that was good. And Steele did not forget his friends nor favors done
him.
Were it not for the horrific temper the Captain commanded, Merrick would have
truly enjoyed serving him. In the end, however, Steele's harshness was just one
more reason that Sean and Jeri had conceived, among other things, their
desperate plan of escape.
Jeri had sabotaged the Tholian device deliberately.
They had no intention of leaving this mirror universe. The plan, they both
knew, had been a desperate gamble all around. They hadn't known if this mirror
universe would be a better place than their own. But given the corrupt,
psychotic hell that was their world there, it was a risk they had agreed to take
together.
When the ship had jumped, Merrick's heart had lept at the blaring alarms and
desperate reports coming up from engineering. But when he went down to survey
it himself, he saw the misty eyes of his darling wife. The truth was there.
The plan had failed. The device could be repaired and would be. They needed
only a little time and those dilithium replacements. But Merrick had not become
the first officer of a ship like the HOOD by giving up at every little setback.
They would simply have to find a way to get off the HOOD *before* she left for
the Sovereignty while making sure that the device really was destroyed after the
second jump. Even if it took a miracle, he intended to find a way to make it
happen. He would not see his unborn child raised in the Sovereignty. Not that
place of end war, treachery, cruelty and murder.
NRPG: Everyone seems to have a conspiracy going on this ship, so I figured I'd
throw in one more. Background: Corbett knows about Merrick's plan, was a little
pissed about the unilateral nature of it, but understands Merrick and Jeri's
reasons. He will support their escape attempt, but not go with them. Assuming
any of them survive the other threads tightening around them ;-)
Respectfully Submitted,
Brian V. Mansur
LCDR Sean Merrick
FO, USS HOOD NCC-1703
ASR ORIGINS
==[ORIGIN] USS HOOD: Join the Resistance!==
===by David Kiel===
Let me tell you a story about Ensign Jimmy.  Jimmy was a good boy growing up, helped his father with the farm work, helped his mother with her hovercycle repair business and pitched in with the chores all while retaining the 98th percentile rate that got him into the Sovereign academy.  He married a nice Australian girl named Bekka while at the academy and graduated with a degree.  They had a sun, Jimmy Jr who came down with an unfortunate case of space polio for which the treatments are very expensive.
Jimmy was assigned to the USS Bonhamme Richard as a conduit specialist in the engineering department.  On his third duty shift he accidentally repolarized an aft biometric relay juncture in a redundant parallel capacity matrix of network junction 13. And who hasn't made this particular mistake, really?  He realized his mistake right away and corrected it immediately.  But shift duty manager Lt. Crux Deathsparkle found out and stabbed Jimmy in the spleen with a thin blade poisoned by an exotic toxin that caused Jimmys spleen to explode and for him to die an agonizing death on the floor of Jeffries tube four.  He then had Jimmy's head hung from a pike in the mess hall and had poor Bekka gang-assasinated by Nausicans.  Little Jimmy Jr now has to crawl on his hands to the tricobalt mining machine he operates in an Orion slave camp.
Life doesnt have to be like this.  The resistance promises that no longer will you be assinated for one simple mistake.  It will take three such errors before vaporization is even on the table.  Isn't that a much nicer world??  So if you are tired of spending four years in the academy learning the finer points of power matrices maitenence only to have your foot phasered off for crossing a red junction cable with a reddish orange alert cable, why not join the resistance.  Cedria Quall is currently skulking about the lower decks on USS Hood trying to gain control of the main shield array and would be happy to sign you up, administer the blood oath and talk to you about the Resistance dental plan.
So throw off the yoke of your oppressors and join the team working to bring about the slightly more tolerant new galactic order.  We will make better worlds, all of them, better worlds.
signed;
The Resistance
==[ORIGIN] USS HOOD: The Sovereignty's Response==
===by Steve Apple===
SD: 2261.064
MD: N/A
Scene: Sovereignty PBS Station
"It's a beautiful day in the Sovereignty, a beautiful day today.  Oh hello there I didn't see you come in. Well now that you're here why don't you sit down by the fire and get warm. It's too cold a day to be outside, so get comfortable while Mr. Roberts tells you a story." The middle aged man in a dark blue sweater smiled as he finished tying his sneakers.
"Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a sector you just might have heard about, there lived a boy named Jimmy. Jimmy was a good boy growing up, but a bit lazy. Now Jimmy lived on a Co-op that provided food for many citizens in the Sovereignty. Can you say Sovereignty? Sure you can.
[Sovran… Sovranty,] the unseen audience of youngsters shouted.
"Nice try." Mr. Roberts smiled and continued with his story.
"Sometimes Jimmy was selfish and didn't want to help his father with the farm work, so he had to be motivated with a big stick and even then he was slow."
[booooo, boooo]
"Oh now don't be too harsh with Jimmy as he didn't really understand what a responsibility his family had to the Sovereignty. If anyone was to blame it was his mother. She was a bad influence from the start, always making poor Jimmy work like a slave for her hovercycle repair business, just so she could turn a profit."
[booooo, booooo, booooo, boooo] The cries of the unseen audience were coming to a fevered pitch
"Now now boy and girls." Mr. Roberts said while pushing his hands down to quiet them. "Let's be good citizens of the Sovereignty and see how this story plays out shall we."
"Life went on like that for some time until Jimmy was about to turn 18 and become a man. Remember Jimmy as I said was a bit lazy, which as you might well have imagined turned him into a rather poor student. He scored in the bottom 98th percentile of his class, which meant that only 2% of students were even lazier than he was. What was to happen to poor Jimmy now? With scores so low and a lazy disposition to match this meant Jimmy was going to be a burden to society."
[Oh no,] gasped a tiny young girl's voice from the unseen audience.
"Now don't you worry Molly," Mr. Roberts chuckled. "Because the Sovereignty has a place for everyone. As it turned out Jimmy could perform certain complex tasks very well when properly motivated. The Sovereignty felt he could serve society best in Star Fleet, a place where Jimmy could be nurtured and corrected as needed."
[Yea, yea, yea,] the unseen audience cheered.
"Settle down now boys and girls and let me finish my story." Mr. Roberts said taking a sip from his tea.
"Jimmy did very well in Star Fleet and graduated with a degree, finally his life was starting to turn a corner. He married a nice girl named Bekka from a place called Australia. Can you say Australia? Come on don't be shy, we'll say it together."
[Au-strale-ya] They said together.
"Wow you're all smart little Sovereigntists aren't you." Mr. Roberts praised. "Ok now let's get back to Jimmy. It didn't take long for Jimmy and Bekka to do what all good citizens of the Sovereignty do and have a child, a male child they called Jimmy Jr. Unfortunately Jimmy Sr.'s laziness never quite went away and he forgot to get his little boy protected against space polio. Poor little Jimmy Jr. got very sick and the treatment to make him well was very expensive and he became a burden to the state" 
[Did they kill him?] A little boy's voice asked.
"Now Tommy don't you start with those rumors again." Mr. Roberts admonished. "The Sovereignty took care of everything, which you'll find out about in a moment when I finish the story."
"Jimmy was assigned to the USS Bonhamme Richard as a conduit specialist in the engineering department, a good assignment for someone as slow and lazy as Jimmy. Well it seems that on his third duty shift Jimmy repolarized an aft biometric relay juncture in a redundant parallel capacity matrix of network junction 13." (Lifted completely from Dave's Post "Join the Resistance)
[Gasp] Came from a horrified audience
"Yes children it was bad and could have cost many brave men and women of Star Fleet their lives. If that wasn't bad enough he tried to cover up his mistake and blame it on his superior, whom we'll call Lt. Crux Deathsparkle."
[The Lt. killed Jimmy right?] An overzealous boy asked.
"Now who's telling the story here Franky?" Mr. Roberts said with a gentle laugh. "Of course he did. Now remember Jimmy had been given every chance to prove he was a useful and productive member of the Sovereignty and he failed and what happens when we fail."
[The Sovereignty suffers.] The unseen audience of children said as one voice.
"That's right the Sovereignty suffers. Any way our hero Lt. Crux Deathsparkle had Jimmy's head hung from a pike in the mess hall as a lesson to the other crew members who might follow Jimmy's example and become lazy and slow."
[What happened to Bekka and little Jimmy Jr.?] A girl shouted out.
"That's a good question Susie." Mr. Roberts smiled. "Bekka was handed over to our good friends and allies the Nausicaans to help her adjust to life without Jimmy. Alas Jimmy had been too strong of a negative influence on her and she died screaming curses at everyone, very sad. Now for the good news, the Sovereignty didn't want poor little Jimmy Jr. to end up slow and lazy like his father. No they had special plans for him, so they took him to a reeducation camp on Orion where he is learning all kinds of new skills to better serve the Sovereignty."
[Wow] The audience shouted.
"Well it's late and you kids better get on home and do your chores. Remember you need to do your part for the Sovereignty too. When you give to the Sovereignty I promise it will give back. Why if you work hard you can be as famous as Captain Black Jack Steele from the TSS-Hood. Remember our forces have more soldiers, more ships, and a unity unmatched in all of human history, the Sovereignty marches on!
[The preceding public broadcast was underwritten in part by a grant from the Sovereignty Department of Information, The Sovereignty Star Fleet and The American branch of the "Sons of Tara" party]
<<NRPG>> Dave I couldn't help but give the Sovereignty's response. If it wasn't for your great post I wouldn't have been able to write this one. I hope you and everyone else enjoyed it in the spirit it was intended.
Respectfully Submitted
Steve Apple
Stile Corbett, MD
CMO, USS HOOD-1703
ASR Origins
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: First Command==
===by Andy Catterick===
SD: 2261.067
MD: 1.2300
Scene: Bridge, Nausican Freighter RAPIER
The Nausican freighter lumbered along at a painfully slow warp 3.56 but Lieutenant Kim Steering found that not only did she not care she was having the time of her life.  Which considering the ship was cramped, dark, smelled like a sewer and was on a direct course with no plans for adjustments, was quite a feat.  She never had been in command of anything larger then a 5 member landing party and that was on a training mission on an ‘unknown world’ that had been part of Academy training for six decades.
But now she found herself Mistress under God of the late Nauscian ship RAPIER.  She chuckled as she thought of Mark Compass and his days of command aboard HOOD.  She could see how this could go to your head if you let it, and his command was a bit more prestigious then her current one.  Of course she had a larger crew to contend with then he had.  Security Chief DeSimms had seen fit to assigned almost 30 security ratings, 4 noncomms and a lieutenant (jg) to ride herd on the 23 Nauscian prisoners that were secured in the ship’s hold.  Commander Gar had assigned an engineer team led by one of his best chiefs and the rest of the detail was topped out with the helmsman, navigator and a joint comm and sensor operator she had tapped to be her bridge crew.  It was quite the merry little ship.
“Anything to report?”  She asked the rating manning the sensor display. 
“All clear.”  He reported with just a little exasperation in his voice.  It was the 4th time she had asked in the past hour.
She fought down the urge to apologize to him.  She knew she was pestering her people needlessly but just as the giddiness from the power of command floated around in the back of her head so too did the responsibility.  It was one thing to understand command responsibility when you are sitting in a classroom or even when you are watching your superiors wield it.  It was quite another thing when you actually had to carry that weight.  She was responsible for a megatonne freighter plowing through the frontier.  But more importantly almost 100 lives depended on her to get them to their destination. A frown crossed her lips as she realized that was more melodrama then actually truth when she considered the ‘mission’ she commanded but still it had the foundation of truth.  If anything happened, a malfunction, a chance encounter in space, they would look to her to lead them through.  She knew she would be ready for the challenge but she knew even more that she hoped it would not come.
“I’m going to head down and check on the prisoners.”
The navigator and helmsman exchanged a look of relief as she stepped off the bridge. 
<<<NRPG>>>
Not looking to have any disasters befall the ship as it sails away from the system, just wanted to get something out…its been way too long. 
Respectfully,
Andy
LT Kim Steering
Commanding Officer, RAPIER
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Ready to Beam Down==
===by Andy Catterick===
SD: 2261.69
MD: 2.0800
Scene: Transporter Room one, TSS HOOD
Jack Steele of the Sovereignty ship HOOD looked down at his uniform with bemusement.  “I feel like I should be climbing into bed not going on a mission.”
His three companions chuckled as they stepped up onto the transporter while he leaned over the transporter console and opened a channel to the facility below.  “HOOD to Director Ambrams.”
[Abrams here.]
“As promised director we are ready to beam down.”
[Fine captain, that’s fine.  I’m looking forward to meeting you.]
“And I you.  See you shortly, HOOD out.”  Jack looked up and smiled at his officers.  “One big happy family.”  He added as he joined them on the transporter pad.  He had initially thought Merrick’s suggestion had been foolish but now he was seeing the wisdom in it.  For the thousandth time he promised to remind himself just how valuable his friend was next time he considered killing him.  Afterall as good as Merrick was he wasn’t the best first officer in the fleet by any means but he was undoubtedly better then whatever crap command would dump on him.  And there was no way anyone would sign off on promoting Gar to first officer on a starship.  He was lucky his Andorian ass was even aboard.  It didn’t matter that he had the skills and experience to be here he was still from a barely tolerated planet.  Feeling magnanimous he slapped Merrick on the back as he took his place.  “This was a good idea exec.” 
Sean bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement not exactly sure the best way to answer.
“By the way.”  Jack continued taking the phaser from his hip.  “How do these compare in terms of power to our own weapons?”
“These models are not nearly as powerful as our standard issue weapons.  They also have many more settings based around the two base stun and kill.”  Gar answered promptly.  His answer was in fact the truth but he was certain that the real phaser weapons from this multiverse were likely more powerful and dependable then their own.  But he wasn’t about to volunteer that information.  The captain was in a good mood and there was no reason to jeopardize that over something that really didn’t matter.
“Stun?”  Jack asked incredulously.  “Why would you ever need to that?” 
“Standard procedure over here.  Killing is a last resort.  They prefer diplomacy first and last.”  Stile explained.  “Even when they have to use force they tend to temper it.”
The grin on Jack’s face grew wider.  “I’m really going to like it here.  Energize.”
<<<NRPG>>>
Just moving things along a bit.
I the MD makes sense.
Respectfully
Captain Jack Steele
CO, TSS HOOD NCC 1703
STARFLEET: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD/LEXINGTON: Transfer==
===by Andy Catterick===
SD: 2261.68
Scene: Port Aldeberean
It had been a long 4 days and as Lieutenant Kim Steering stepped off the transport pad her main thought was checking into a BOQ and having a very long sonic shower.  The excitement of her first command had worn off somewhere around Day Two and then it hit her that she was stuck on a cramped, dank Nauscian freighter that was basically flying itself to its destination.  There hadn’t even been a peep out of her prisoners to make things interesting.  It was surprising how disappointed she was with the whole operation.
But it was behind her now.  An official atta-boy would likely be placed on her fitness report.  But that didn’t matter.  All that mattered was a shower, a good meal and a long sleep.  She could worry about getting her crew back to HOOD in the morning.  They deserved 24 hours of what ever made them happy just as much as she did.  And that, she realized was probably the best order she had given in the last four days.
“Excuse me, Lieutenant Steering?”  A young rating who seemingly appeared out of nowhere asked breaking into her daydream of all things pleasurable. 
“Yes, I’m Steering.”
The rating nodded with a look that said he was surprised she managed to get that question correct.  “If you’ll come with me lieutenant you’re needed in BuPers right away.”
“Understood crewman.  I’ll just pause long enough to get my self cleaned up and put on a new uniform and be there presently.”
The rating shook his head sadly.  “Sorry Lieutenant.  Captain Nixon said immediately.  With the captain immediately means immediately.  Presently is never involved.”
Kim smiled serenely as she pictured herself throttling the crewman.  “Very well, lead on.”
Two minutes later Kim found herself at attention in front of Captain Nixon wondering if they way she looked or the way she smelled was worst.  Probably the smell.
“I appreciate you coming so quickly lieutenant but I would have understood if you’d taken a few minutes to make yourself more…presentable.”  Nixon looked like he had been about to offer Kim a seat but had thought better of it.
It was definitely the smell.
“My apologies sir but I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”
“Yes, well,”  He suddenly thrust out a red datachip.  “Your new orders.”
“Orders?”  She asked completely confused.  Lack of sleep had that affect, but so did BuPer offers who believed in few words.
“You’ve been transferred to USS LEXINGTON as her Navigator.  Effective immediately.”
“I’ve been transferred?”  She asked.  “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“LEXINGTON just got herself a new commanding officer and he apparently requested you specifically.”  Nixon shook his head surprised at the whole thing. 
“Who did sir.  Who is LEXINGTON’s new CO?”
“Couldn’t tell you.”  Nixon answered, his frown deepening.  “This whole thing seems to have been thrown together quickly.  I have no other information.  Now then, you’re transport leaves in 22 minutes.  Commodore Stockwell is aboard and I don’t know which he would find more annoying being forced to wait for a junior officer or being cooped up in a courier ship with someone as, well as dishelved as you are.  If you hurry you may be able to make sure you don’t find an answer to either choice.  Dismissed.”
<<<NRPG>>>
Hello LEXINGTON crew.  My rushed, on my way post.  If it wasn’t tonight it likely wouldn’t have been til Sun/Mon.
I look forward to writing with all of you.
HOOD: Sadly Kim will be moving over to LEX.  But don’t worry I will start up another HELM NPC with a name just as brilliant as Steering…maybe Driver.  Yes I am a genius! ;-)
Respectfully
LT. Kim Steering
ex-HELM, USS HOOD NCC 1703
STARFLEET: ORIGINS
And
LT. Kim Steering
NAV,  USS LEXINGTON NCC
STARFLEET: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Shadowcloak==
===by David Kiel===
SD: 2261.069
Bridge: TSS Hood
Arctura Zade stood on the bridge and watched the slow turn of the planet below.
Or rather the apparent spin caused by the ships orbit above. The Hood was
staying calm and silent, just like some friendly denizen of a foolishly friendly
Federation. The weakness of it all sickened him, but it did make it easy to
liberate the dilithium they needed.
He crossed his arms, eyes taking in the movements of the crew. Vigilance was
the assassins way, the Captain was in hostile territory and that was the
opportune moment for a craftily arranged change in the order of things.
Arctura was aware of this moment, a chance for him to take all the steps he
needed at once. But the opportunity was poor. A crippled ship in the wrong
universe with minimal resources and power was a small window with a limited
upside. So he waited and protected the Captains kingdom and bided time for a
better opportunity to arise.
"Incoming warp signature, sir."
Arctura turned, his mind rifling through probabilities. Whatever was incoming
would either be a match for Hood or it would get a distress call off before it
died and summon something tougher. The glory of conquest was of limited value
if it got you cornered or dead. "Take us up, into high orbit and cloak."
Hood shimmered and slid up to the high end of the gravity well and waited. A
few minutes later a second ship warped in within three standards of Celes II.
An arrogant flightpath but it had her below Hood already and that gave them a
tactical advantage should it be necessary. Arctura hoped it wouldn't be as he
watched the other ship, they were outgunned. By a strange joke of fate he
looked down at his own ship. The Federation also had a Hood in orbit of Celes
II.
Cedria Zade smiled at the viewscreen. The twinkling starry sweep greeting the
green and blue of Celes II as they merged halfway down the main viewer. It was
peaceful and beautiful.
Green eyes glittered as they traced the raw sensor readouts, her course had
dropped them smoothly into the lap of the planet. There was nothing amiss with
the surface, no catastrophes to interrupt their patrol with actual danger. The
orbital paths were clear, a pair of freighters outbound, one inbound and no warp
signatures. Four fresh ion trails and some plasma traces.
Cedria frowned as she waited for the Captain to arrive. Life was a strange mix
of twisty paths. She had been a police detective, she had made many enemies of
the folks shed sent to prison. But oddly enough the most danger shed ever been
in was as a pilot. Thirty five minutes in the vaccum it had earned her the last
time. She watched the sensor displays again, her eyes tracing the ion trails.
The plasma drift intersecting with the spare trail.
Ion trails dissipated quickly, there should be a warp signature but there
wasn't, and plasma leaks meant violence. You didn't run without those repairs
unless you had a very great need.
Cedria looked out the viewscreen at the starry sweep of twinkling black as it
met the green and blue of the planet below. "Raise shields." The helmsman
looked back at her surprised, questions in his eyes and she simply said. "Now."
There was something else in orbit of Celes II and it was cloaked.
Respectfully submitted;
David Kiel
Lt Cedria Zade,
NAV, USS HOOD NCC-1703
ASR: ORIGINS
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Mr. Abrams==
===by Steve Apple===
SD: 2261.069
MD: MD: 2.0800
Scene: Celes II, Mining Facility
Once the landing party had materialized and stepped off the pad, they were immediately met by the sweaty rotund figure of Director Abrams.
Steele tried to hide the revulsion he felt when he saw the man. The very fact that the man thought himself worthy to touch Steele made the Captain instinctively reach for his photon pistol. However, a look from Merrick stayed his hand.
“Nice to finally meet you in person.” Steele lied.
“The pleasure is all mine Captain.” The rotund little man gushed. “Are these your officers?”
Who else’s would they be, you ass, Steele thought to himself, but outwardly just smiled and said. “Yes sir my most trusted men. The one in the cowboy hat is my Chief Surgeon Dr. Corbett, the Andorian is my Chief Engineer Mr. Gar, and finally my First Officer and right hand Mr. Merrick.”
“This is indeed a pleasure for me to host such a prestigious group as yourselves. As the station is run by robotics I don’t get much of a chance to interact with people.”
Corbett pushed his hat to the back of his head and smiled. “So I take it you run this place all by yourself sar.”
“It’s not really that hard doctor; I’m mostly around to make sure the facility stays on line and to ship out any defective parts for repair.”
“So you don’t actually handle the delivery of crystals to your customers?” Merrick asked.
“I can that’s for sure, but mostly the robots take care of that task.” Abrams beamed.
“Your security looks to be top of the line.” Gar said looking around.
“Oh you do have an eye for that, eh Mr. Gar.” Abrams smirked.
“I am an Engineer.” The Andorian said trying to hide his revulsion at this decadent piece of flotsam.
“This is the finest system money can buy. The mine and refinery have motion detectors synched with phasers and we also have mobile robots with A.I. chips that patrol the facility. The owners have left nothing to chance.”
“That is gratifying.” Steele said nodding. “As I said earlier I was looking forward to talking with you as we’ve had a malfunction which you might be able to help us with.”
“I’ll do whatever I can.” Abrams assured them.
“That’s good to hear.” Steele smiled. “We’ve had a severe power fluctuation recently and well to make a long story short four of our crystals have been fused and are useless.”
“That is unfortunate, but I’m not sure how I can help you.” Abrams said wiping the sweat from his brow.
Corbett could see the anger and psychosis pass across Steele’s face. The Captain was at his breaking point, so he knew he needed to step in. “I don’t mean to be stating the obvious here Mr. Abrams, but this is a dilithium crystal mining facility and we are in need of dilithium crystals.”
“I understand that doctor, but as you should already know Star Fleet has already taken delivery of this quarter’s production. We are just now beginning the refinement process for the next load.”
“How very unfortunate for you.” Steele said with an evil grin as he pulled out his phaser and began adjusting the settings. “Because I have the feeling that a little weasel such as yourself has been stealing a few crystals here and there and has a couple stashed away nearby. Why don’t we all go into your office and discuss it.”
TBC
<<NRP>> I will try and have more out later tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
Respectfully Submitted
Stile Corbett, MD
CMO, TSS HOOD NCC 1703
ASR ORIGINS


==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Finding Yourself==
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Finding Yourself==
Line 103: Line 935:


ASR ORIGINS
ASR ORIGINS


==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Getting Down to Business==
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Getting Down to Business==
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