USS Feynman SEP 1997
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September 1997 Posts
TOTAL SEPTEMBER 1997 POSTS: *TBD*
GRAND TOTAL POSTS: 816
Posts By Each Year
- 1996 Posts - 642 Posts
- 1997 Posts - 174 (Jan-August) Posts
- 1998 Posts - TBD Posts
- 1999 Posts - TBD Posts
USS FEYNMAN: Meleah's Input
by Melanie Pocknall 9-1-1997
SD: 90901.0638
>> He paused before continuing. "The gist of it is this. Even though we
>> beat the attacker’s back we did not win the battle, the real battle.
>> Neither did they but they are certainly on the edge of doing so. The
>> whole thing was a diversion for one action. They wanted the DEFENDER
>> to fire on them. They needed the massive amounts of energy that DEFENDER
>> had to trigger their plan. To power a jump back in time." Again the
>> captain paused to let the magnitude sink in. "They have gone back in
>> time to disrupt a trial of a Starfleet admiral, their god. If they
>> are successful then this time-line will end. We are going back in time
>> to stop them." He gestured to Cardiff. "Lieutenant." All eyes turned
>> to the older officer for the details.
Meleah, if she was capable of it, would have been in shock at the suggestion of time travel. Sure it had been done before but at what cost to the actual time line? It was all very well to say that it was alright because the Feynman was going to stop some other race from disrupting the time line but what happened if they stuffed things up? Although it was a logical, if albeit unusual, course of action, Meleah couldn't help but feel that it wasn't quite right. But if they didn't go, what would happen to their time line???
<<SNIP>>
> Cardiff did not even look to see who had asked the question. "No.
>He made contact of his own initiative and recruited the race. He gave
>them ships and lifted them up to our tech level in a less than a year.
>He was revered on that planet. He cured seven major diseases,
>negotiated a world wide government, brought replicators down and pretty
>well broke every rule in the book in doing so. Or at least he shattered
>the biggest rule."
That was unthinkable. An Admiral who would actually break the Prime Directive to satisfy his own ego, it appeared, and no-one did anything about it. Meleah's moral program couldn't comprehend why such a thing would have happened.
<<SNIP>>
> He straightened up and looked the Captain in the eye. "I'm going
>back with you because I know the layout, who was where. I know the
>players and will know if something new has been added."
>
> Zane kept eye contact and stated. "We _are_ talking 43 years ago."
>
> "Sir, I have relived those events ever since. I'll know."
"But you will not know everything," Meleah stated. "You will know about the general events and anything you were directly involved in." That was logical. Even Meleah, who had a perfect memory, would not have know everything about events that she was involved in. And then there was the question which many temporal physicists had been grappling with for many years. "What if that race was supposed to go back and attempt an assassination? If you assume that time is linear, then the event will have already occurred because it is illogical to assume that the same event can be repeated."
"But if time isn't linear," one of the others spoke up, "and events can be repeated, then it's possible that they weren't there originally."
"And if they were," someone else said, "then maybe we were part of those events too."
"That is a possibility," Meleah conceded. "If that is the case, then history shows that we succeeded."
"So if we don't go back, events might change."
"Not necessarily. The assassination may have been stopped by others in that time period."
-------
NRPG:
The scientist's point of view <G>. Feel free to contradict Meleah <G>.
Sincerely yours,
Lt Meleah
Chief Science Officer, RDMMS
USS FEYNMAN, Silver Fleet
Melanie
USS FEYNMAN: Maril's Comments
by Max Felsher 9-3-1997
SD: 90903
> Maril paused. “And another thing: several of us would look rather
> strange in the mid-2360’s. The Federation didn’t break the language
> barrier with the Tamarians until the late 2360’s. The Captain would
> have a hard time explaining who he was. Lieutenant Meleah, while
> appearing human, would probably be shown to be an android to a scan.
> As the only known sentient android at the time was the then-Lieutenant-
> Commander Data, it would pose some serious problems.
LT Jerran rubbed the ridges on his nose self consciously, "And as far as I know, there were no half Bajoran officers in Starfleet at the time, as Bajor itself was still under the iron fist of Cardassia. Those Bajora that were in Starfleet were considered outsiders by our people because the consensus was that they should be helping to wrest our planet free rather than exploring the galaxy with the Federation."
Capt Zane nodded and said, "Good points from both of you. We'll definitely have to take that into consideration."
Jerran nodded as the briefing continued. He was curious to hear how they planned on making the trip back in time. Back in the Academy, he had done a senior project involving recalculating the equations Captain Spock had invented for first the original Enterprise and then the commandeered Klingon Bird of Prey christened the HMS Bounty for use in time travel to the late 20th century. He had managed to fine tune some of the trickier variables, such as ship mass and how much time was to be traversed. His equations could theoretically send a ship back in time with a temporal accuracy of a couple of months. Of course, when trying to pinpoint a certain event in history, that required quite a bit more accuracy.
Jerran smiled inwardly to himself as he remembered the Vulcan professor he had on his thesis committee was rather perturbed at the variable in the equation which expressly involved the user making a guess, as Captain Spock himself put it. He had even managed to program the Kobyashi Maru simulator to accept the equations. The simulation would probably have turned out fine if Jerran hadn't neglected to remove the three Klingon battlecruisers from the original simulation programming. The end result, to say the least, was one less star in the Klingon Neutral Zone.
***************************************************************************
- job...@chuma.cas.usf.edu * jba...@deans2.cas.usf.edu *
***************************************************************************
- Joseph Baker *
- University of South Florida *
***************************************************************************
- Daisemi'in rhhaensuriuu * Of the Chief parts of the *
- meillunsiateve * Ruling Passion only this *
- rh'e Mnhei'sahe yie ahr'en: * Can be truly said: *
- Mnahe afw'ein qiuu, * Hate has a reason for everything *
- rh'e hweithnaef * But love is unreasonable *
- mrht Heis'he ehl'ein qiuu * --Rihannsu Proverb *
***************************************************************************
USS FEYNMAN: Question About Mental Stability
by Kristen Gant 9-4-1997
Stardate: 90904.1145
Scene: Holodeck
Krysa was trying to pay attention to both the strangeness going on across the table from her with Lt. Landers and the CMO as well as the mission briefing. It wasn't easy.
She knew something big was bothering the counselor .. something more then just the normal temporal jitters one got from thinking to much about possible anomalies associated with time travel.
And Dr Mac .. she seemed more then concerned about the counselor as well. As Krysa watched her it seemed her concern had turned into some sort of mental link as her focus left the briefing. Krysa was sure she wasn't even aware of what was going on around her anymore. She wondered it she should bring the doctors condition to the others attention. However, this was a mission briefing and they needed to have their minds on what was going on.
She murmured a quiet 'excuse me' as she stood pushing her chair away and made her way to the end of the table where Dr. Mac and Lt. Landers sat. She pulled up a chair next to the CMO as unobtrusively as possible. The last thing she wanted was to disturb the meeting.
She gently grabbed the CMO's elbow to try and ground her to reality. She noticed that Loren was doing the same thing.
Mary seemed to come out of whatever had grasped her, though her eyes darted around the table and her breath came in short quiet pants.
"Are you all right, Doctor," Krysa whispered.
Dr. Mac nodded slowly, not saying anything as she began to realize what was going on around her. She didn't want to make a scene in the middle of a briefing.
Krysa noticed Zane's eyes on them and she smiled to let him know that things were okay. This was going to be an extremely sensitive mission. If the doctor and the counselor were having problems with it, they may have to be left behind.
However, Krysa knew they were both professionals.. as well as trained Starfleet officers. She had full confidence in them .. Well at least in the counselor. The CMO was still to new for her to have a complete opinion of the woman, though she had proved herself more then competent.
There was a bit of a lull in the conversation and Krysa saw that others were beginning to notice the CMO's slightly frazzled condition. She quickly stood pushing her second chair back in and spoke, drawing everyone's attention to her, "The doctor and I were discussing another question," she said as she made sure she had the eyes of their guests caught in her questioning gaze.
She stopped behind her original seat, "Do we have any idea what they will do .. or have done.." The various discontinuities were giving her a headache, ".. to disrupt the trial? I mean I understand that the Admiral is ill. Why is it that he is ill and no one else that was there .. or is there someone else?"
Regards,
Lt. Cmdr. Krysa Jenn
Ops/2O, USS FEYNMAN
***
NRPG: David, I wasn't sure what you were planning with Mac, but I figured it probably wasn't a good thing to have her faint or scream or go into some psychotic coma just before a delicate mission like this :) Hope you don't mind Krysa's help.
Should be interesting to see Mary and Loren work this out ..
Kristen
------------------------------------
Kristen & Scott Gant
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sgant/gant.htm
USS FEYNMAN: Getting Underway
by Andrew Catterick 9-5-1997
SD: 90905.1200
>The silence from the CSO was broken, "Majors, recalling the mission of
>stardate 3134, the crew were lucky to be transported back just seconds
>after the left, subjective time, and not forced to live out their lives
>300 years out of time. I'm curious what assurances we have been given,
>if any. If we do in fact halt the tampering, what will become of us,
>Sirs?" J.C. felt all eyes on him, but had no real desire to serve the
>rest of his career in the old pioneer days of the 'fleet.
Major Flint smiled. "Don’t worry son. Getting back is the least of our worries."
"All the same major I would be curious to know just what the procedure is." Zane said.
"The Guardian will be connected to all of us in the same way a transporter keeps a lock on an away team if need be. Once the Guardian notes that the timeline has been secured, that is to say our mission is complete we will automatically be drawn back to the present…our present." The last came out with a distracted tone as he watched the FEYNMAN’s operations officer rise from her seat and move around to choose another. He exchanged a glance with his partner who appeared not to notice.
>She stopped behind her original seat, "Do we have any idea what they will
>do .. or have done.." The various discontinuities were giving her a
>headache, ".. to disrupt the trial? I mean I understand that the Admiral is
>ill. Why is it that he is ill and no one else that was there .. or is there
>someone else?"
"They must stop Lt Nicholas from testifying. He was the one to put a stop to the admiral. If he does not testify then the admiral will be acquitted and the timeline will change. As for stopping him it could be through assassination or something as simple as kidnapping."
"And the illness?"
"Until the mission is either a success or failure any who were involved will become ill as their grip on our timeline slowly slips." Before the obvious could be asked Flint answered it. "As Nicholas is the focal point he is more prone to the effect. We’ve had reports that others at the trial are feeling the effects. None, though to the extent of the admiral
"And you Lt. Cardiff?" Zane asked wondering if the almost cadaverous look him was due to the present situation.
"I am as of yet unaffected. But I’m sure you will understand the urgency involved."
Zane nodded. "On that note if there is nothing else…." A quick look around the table showed nothing was to be added. "We’ll depart immediately. I’ll see you all on the bridge in 10 minutes. Commander Maril, if you’d get things rolling. Commander Jenn a word."
As the rest filed out Zane and Jenn met over by the buffet table where they nibbled on the remains. As the arch disappeared Zane gave her a questioning look. Kyrsa shrugged. "I don’t know, I noticed the doctor’s state and moved to help her. Loren seemed to have his hands full."
"State?" Zane asked concerned.
"She seemed to be somewhere else. It didn’t appear to be a simple case of distraction or daydreaming something was having a profound affect on her."
Zane sighed loudly a variety of thoughts running through his mind with concern being the strongest. Concern for the doctor and concern for the mission. This was the most delicate mission they had ever faced and he needed everyone at 100%. "Any evaluation?"
"I don’t really know enough to say either way. But I think the counselor may be more helpful."
Zane nodded clearly not happy with the situation. "You ever have one of those days?"
---------------------------------
Scene: Bridge
MD: 1.1600
As Zane slid into his chair Maril reported that all was ready for departure. "Thank-you Commander. Mr. Allard my compliments to the dock master and request departure clearance."
"Departure clearance received sir."
"Thank you lieutenant. Mr. Jerran take us out.
<<<NRPG>>>
An away we go….Mission clock is up and running. - - I imagine the Guardian is a way’s a way so lets say at warp 8 we’ll get their on MD:10…Jason sorry about the stress on the engines. Fate of the galaxy and all that;)
Kevin: Zane will want a meeting with you over the CMO. What’s going on? Prognocis? Recommendation as to whether she should be on the mission or not etc.
All: Please do me a big favour and go directly to your mailing list. If the NG is their pat yourself on the back. If not add it. If you have problems getting things to the NG tell me and I will forward it.
Respectfully,
Andy
__________________________________________________
-Captain Zane, Commanding, USS FEYNMAN
-Commodore Robert Steele, Commanding TF ZINDERNEUF
-Commander Horatio Sinclair, Currently Unassigned
USS FEYNMAN: Temptation
by Kevin Thigpen 9-7-1997
Stardate: 90907.0200
Scene: Captain's Ready Room
MD: 1.1800
"Come," stated Zane, still reclining in his chair staring out the single viewport in his ready room.
The FEYNMAN's counselor strode into the room. "You wanted to see me Captain?" queried the young-faced counselor.
Zane swiveled his chair to face the man, as thoughts ran through his mind, about how it seemed that officers coming out of the academy were getting younger every graduating class. Quickly he reminded himself that this particular young officer had been through a couple of missions now, and that young look he'd originally possessed as an ensign had seemed to fade.
Strangely enough, Loren's face seemed even a lot less younger now, after the urgent mission to save the timeline had been revealed to them. Betazoid eyes never revealed anything about a betazoid's emotional state, and Zane was far from qualified to speculate.
"Yes, counselor. Have a seat," offered Zane moving over to the replicator. "Can I get you anything?"
"I'll have peach tea, warm....Thanks," stated Loren taking the proffered cup.
"I need to know about Mary's condition, her mental state to be specific. At the meeting, she seemed visibly shaken about something, and Lt. Jenn did mention that she, herself was worried about Mary."
Loren, sitting opposite Zane, shifted slightly. Zane narrowed his eyes. For half-a-second, Zane could have almost thought that the counselor was uncomfortable.
"Sir," began Loren deciding to put all cards on the table. *Zane deserves that much.* "Mary isn't the problem, I am."
Zane remained rock solid. "Elaborate counselor."
"Mary's discomfiture at the briefing was partly her fault, yes, but mainly mine. As of late, we've become...close." The two officer's eyes met and immediate understanding was achieved on this subject without further words.
"Is she Imzadi yet?" queried Zane.
Loren looked a little surprised at Zane's knowledge of Betazoid culture, before remembering that Krysa was becoming rather important to the Captain.
"No, sir. Close to that stage but not quite there yet. But there's is something more that I think you should know about. When, Mary reached out to me with her formidable telepathic abilities, I was somewhat absorbed in thoughts that might disqualify me from participating in the upcoming mission. They came as somewhat of a shock to her."
Zane placed his cup on the desk, now intent on Loren's words.
"As you know, I was orphaned at an early age by unexplained circumstances. I know nothing of my origins, much like yourself, but this time travel mission opens possibilities. Going back in time, there might be evidence of the ship on which I was found. I could stop the construction of the ship, or do something to prevent whatever happened to the PURUL from ever happening."
Zane got up and walked over to his display stands, thinking about this officer who was contemplating the unthinkable. "We're going back a long time, over 40 years. Suppose you did find this ship. Could you live with the resulting altered timeline? Could you live with the fact, that you not only changed your life, but those of possibly every single being you've ever come into contact with?"
Loren cast his eyes down. Looking Captain Zane in the eye was not possible for him, now. On the surface, he couldn't imagine himself being that important, but as every cadet knew, timeline changes affected everyone. "No, sir. I couldn't."
Zane continued, moving back over to his viewport, with his back to Loren. "Temptation could be one of our greatest challenges during this mission. We have to overcome that obstacle and many more, remembering that there's more than our own existences at stake here. Now, Mr. Landers. Should I place you on a shuttle back to Zinderneuf, or are you capable of handling this mission?"
"I am, sir," stated Loren with the clarity that comes about maybe twice in a lifetime. "The rest of the crew are as well, even though many still are unaware of the mission specifics."
"Good, dismissed counselor," softly stated Zane, still staring into the streaking stars.
Ever the counselor, Loren could feel the mental tremble come from Zane during the discussion of parentage. "Sir," said Loren, getting Zane to turn around. "Are you?"
Respectfully submitted,
Kevin Thigpen
Lt(jg) Loren Landers
USS FEYNMAN CNS
[NRPG: Andy, feel free to have Zane respond or 'flesh' this post out. Consider the 'evil thoughts' banished from Loren's mind for the time being <EG>. As Zane's parentage is shrouded in mystery as well, I figured he'd be having certain thoughts of his own, not that he would act on them of course. I apologize if I'm way off with this one.]
***********************************************************************
"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small
piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."
---Richard Feynman
Is there evil in the universe?
---Anonymous
***********************************************************************
USS FEYNMAN: Warm Fuzzies
by Kristen Gant 9-7-1997
Stardate: 90907.1427
Scene: Holodeck
MD: after Briefing
>Zane nodded clearly not happy with the situation. "You ever have one of those days?"
Krysa smiled gently as her eyes filled with sympathy. She didn't need to say anything, she simply reached out and took one hand in her and held it tightly. Sometimes captain could be very alone in their jobs .. and in their duty. But this captain wasn't alone he had friends who loved and cared for him even through hard decisions.
She knew it hadn't been easy for him to ask Bat to leave .. or to accept a mission such as this .. or to learn that even before heading out, there could already be problems within the senior staff. But despite this all, this was the FEYNMAN, and the ship and crew had never yet failed to do what they needed to in order to complete a mission. She doubted they would start now.
Finally she spoke, "I think our 10 minutes are almost up."
He let out a short, quiet chuckle, "Wouldn't be right to have the Captain be late, would it."
She shook her head, "Nope. " She released his hand and motioned to the arch, with a gentle quirk to her lip, "After you, sir."
***
MD: 1.1530
It had taken several hours after the briefing, before the Feynman was ready to go. Engines were prepared, systems checked .. and all civilian's deboarded, and moved to temporary quarters on Zindernuef.
Kyrsa had stopped by 10-Forward to see if she could catch a word with Bat before he left. But apparently the FEYNMAN's barkeep had left shortly after Zane had ordered him off the ship. Krysa frowned, hoping the two men would be able to work this out. Both of them meant a great deal to her and to each other .. they couldn't lose that because of Starfleet.
Now as she threw a quick glance toward Zane as they waited for clearance to leave, she could see no signs of the strain he had shown her in the holodeck. Once again he was the professional, just doing his duty. Maril, sitting beside him, also had a determined look on his face .. actually as she scanned the bridge, everyone seemed focused on their duty. The FEYNMAN crew was ready .. as always.
She could see that with her own eyes. As for those she couldn't see .. she could imagine Tarrant roaring at his staff as he mothered his engines to their topmost working condition .. and Loren and Mary .. She sighed, feeling a heavy weight surround her as she remembered the briefing. She quickly threw it off. No they would be fine. Mary was probably already trying to find a way to make a Tamarian look like something that would likely be found at their destination in the past.
The thought of Maril as a human .. or Vulcan .. or something other then what he was lightened the weight she was feeling. She continued to ponder the possible appearances the XO might take on as she continued to wait.
Regards,
Lt. Commander Krysa Jenn
OPS/2O, USS FEYNMAN
***
NRPG .. I'm in a warm fuzzy mood, so this is kind of a warm fuzzy post :)
Kristen
*************************************************************
.^. Kristen Gant
.-----' `-----. (AKA: Lt. Cmdr. Krysa Jenn, OPS/2O, USS FEYNMAN
| [##' `##] | Cmdr. Y'lonna Dyvian, XO, USS VICTORY
`---' __ `---' Capt. Gabriel Faison, XO, TF ZINDERNEUF
| .-' `. | Dr. Janna Swansen, CMO, USS PHOENIX
|' `| Lt. Faith Donaven, Inst., Camp Venture
Cdor. Ainese Kev, COMPA
Lt.(j.g.) Roana Shan, (unassigned))
http://homepage.interaccess.com/~sgant/Kris/kris.htm
USS FEYNMAN: Arrivals & Departures
by Melanie Pocknall 9-8-1997
SD: 90908.0548
Place: SF Academy, San Fransisco, Earth
Timeframe: Several days previous to the meeting on the FEYNMAN
The small class of 2409 - those who were graduating early - had just been out celebrating their graduation. They were only now, after only two hours of sleep, returning to the Academy to find out where they were to go.
Ens Lianna West was back in a red cadet uniform, wondering whether her request to rejoin the Feynman would be granted. She had made many friends there, and really wanted to return. However, she would willingly go where Starfleet sent her.
Her arrival at the Commandant's office was somber and she entered with some trepidation. "Ens Lianna West reporting, sir."
The Commandant looked up at the young officer. Lianna had been one of the youngest officers in her class to graduate, however, she had put in some good performances during her time aboard ship.
"Ens, you have been requested by the Chief Science Officer of the FEYNMAN, and the request is backed up by the First Officer. Therefore, I am recommending you be placed as a science officer aboard that ship, which is currently docked at SB Zinderneuf. You will travel immediately there in a D-warp shuttle. Good luck!"
***************
MD: day one, just after the meeting...
"Noooooooooooo!!!!!!! I don't want to go," cried a youngster in transporter room 3.
That set up a chorus of other young children saying the same thing, their parents as upset as they were. All except one.
"Cadence, you must go," Meleah was saying to her young charge.
Cadence, dressed in her miniature Starfleet uniform, was clinging desperately to Meleah, her arms around the android's neck. "I(hic).. don't (hic)... wanna (hic)... go," she sobbed, not releasing her grip for anything.
Suddenly, Cadence's sobbing struck a chord in Meleah. She was reminded of the death of her human sister all nearly thirty years ago, sturck down by a deadly disease with no hope for survival. A wave of sadness swamped Meleah, and she struggled to cope with it. Such intense emotions were unusual for her, and she hoped that it didn't overload her positronic brain. "I don't want you to go either," she stated with a little bit of emotion in her voice, using a contraction for the first time.
Cadence looked up at Meleah's use of emotion, not being used to hearing it. "Don't be sad," she said in her child-like way. "I'll be good." She loosed her grip on Meleah and leant backwards to get a better look at her guardian's face. Impulsively, she then leaned forward again and planted a kis on Meleah's cheek.
This stunned Meleah, and again she struggled to control her emotions. "You
make sure that you are good. And I'll be back soon for you, I promise."
Hesitantly, she placed a kiss on Cadence's cheek and then lowered the
youngster onto the transporter pad. When the other children were simlarly
placed, she told the transporter chief to energize. When the last images
of the children had faded away, Meleah slowly moved out of the room.
***********
A little while later......
Science Lab 1
".... And we welcome Ens West back as a graduate of the Academy," Lt(jg) Kentin Greene stated. "She will be looking after our second physical science department from now on."
Lianna smiled demurely at her colleagues. Instead of being the new kid on the block, she was now more senior than most of them, even though she was only 19. She was wondering about the upcoming mission. No-one, save Meleah, had any idea of what was to come, and the CSciO didn't look like she was going to tell anyone. Lianna presumed that since all non-essential personnel, including Bat, had left the ship, it wasn't going to be an entirely safe mission.
**********
MD: 1.1600
Bridge
Meleah say at her normal station, watching as the FEYNMAN left the base and headed towards the Guardian of Forever. But her thoughts were engaged more on the young child she was leaving behind for the second time in three missions. Cadence was growing up so fast but Meleah was missing a lot of it. As Jerran engaged the warp engines, Meleah felt a pang of regret, and that regret was etched onto her face. Loren accidently glanced that way at that time, and saw the emotion which he had come to realise wasn't entirely normal for the science officer, and decided that more attention may need to be paid to what Meleah was doing.
--------
NRPG:
More fluff :) I've decided that I need to develop Meleah a little more, so watch for an increase in emotional intensity from her during this mission.
Sincerely yours,
Lt Meleah, CSciO, USS FEYNMAN, Silver Fleet
Ens Lianna West, SciO, USS FEYNMAN, Silver Fleet
Melanie.
USS FEYNMAN: Preparations and Goodbyes
by Andrew Catterick 9-10-1997
SD:90910.1300
>Zane continued, moving back over to his viewport, with his back to Loren.
>"Temptation could be one of our greatest challenges during this mission.
>We have to overcome that obstacle and many more, remembering that there's
>more than our own existences at stake here. Now, Mr. Landers. Should I
>place you on a shuttle back to Zinderneuf, or are you capable of handling
>this mission?"
>
>"I am, sir," stated Loren with the clarity that comes about maybe twice in
>a lifetime. "The rest of the crew are as well, even though many still are
>unaware of the mission specifics."
>
>"Good, dismissed counselor," softly stated Zane, still staring into the
>streaking stars.
>
>Ever the counselor, Loren could feel the mental tremble come from Zane
>during the discussion of parentage. "Sir," said Loren, getting Zane to
>turn around. "Are you?"
Zane turned to look at Loren and raised an eyebrow while he considered how to answer. "Even I succumb now and then counselor but I am aware of the stakes involved and can avoid temptation."
"There is temptation and then there is temptation."
"If you are alluding to the fact that my surrogate father will be in his third year of the Academy while we are there…yes it has crossed my mind. I don’t think it would be possible for it not to have done so. But if your worried that I’m going to tell him that in twenty years he’ll take command of the REPULSE and twenty years after that it will be destroyed with all hands." He paused. "Rest assured, while I would like nothing more than to do so I have no desire to change the lives of billions to save the lives of a few hundred. No matter how important they are. And on a more practical level. Warning him may have ramifications on the REPULSE finding me. If they do not then we have paradox and that cannot happen either." He turned back to the stars. Forty years in the past. His ship would just be entering the Sagittarius arm of the galaxy after its long dark journey through the Great Rift that separated this arm of the galaxy to the next. "That will be all counselor."
"Yes sir." Loren replied before the sounds of the doors marked his departure.
For a few more moments Zane stared out at the retreating stars before pulling himself away from the descending mood of melancholy. It was time to get to work. "Coffee, black, hot." He ordered from the replicator before sitting at his desk and turning on his terminal. He glanced over his logs and notes that he had made after the briefing. The mission objective was clear enough but the ‘how to’ was still fairly vague. They would need a definite mission plan as well as a back up before they stepped foot through the Guardian or they were doomed to failure. He opened up his email.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Intraship Communiqué<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
TO: CDR Maril, LCDR Jenn, LT Cardiff
FROM: CAPT ZANE
RE: Mission Planning
PRIORITY: High
There will be a mission planning meeting in the Observation
Lounge on MD 3:1200. I would like to begin mapping out
options and strategies for the protection of LT. Nicholas as
well as put into place any safeguards and failsafes as needed.
Come as you are.
Zane
<END>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Hitting the send button he leaned back in his chair and began to consider the problem at hand. Who were they protecting Nicholas from? Obviously the attackers from the Sack but surely some of the admiral’s own staff would want Nicholas silenced. How where they to know who that might be? Cardiff might be able to name some, but all? And how did a group of sight-seeing ‘civilians’ block Starfleet personnel without drawing attention to themselves? Surely they couldn’t just wander around in the woods picking people off.
His thoughts were interrupted by a call from the bridge. "Captain a priority call coming in from OZ." It was inevitable that the new base would be given the nickname of OZ but from what little he had seen of Commodore Steele he could guess that he would not be to pleased with it.
"Put it through ensign." Encrypted? "Begin communication authorization Zane theta-omega-one-seven-five." Instantly the jumble of characters on the screen swirled to form the familiar United Federation of Planets logo before dissolving into the face of Robert Steele. Zane listened in shocked silence as the news was delivered bluntly in a terse tone. When it was over Zane had it run again and this time he examined the technical information that had been attached. He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and send a silent prayer of condolence to all involved. He then reached out and hit his comm-panel. The bosun’s whistle rang out through every terminal on the ship. "Attention all hands this is the Captain. I regret to inform you that on Stardate 90831 USS HAWKING was attacked and disabled by a Xanthandi mutagenic weapon. To prevent capture the HAWKING was scuttled after the crew escaped to a nearby planet. Following a brief skirmish with Xanthandi ground forces survivors were rescued by USS MANTA RAY, ZINDERNEUF’s special operations scout. Please join me in a minute of silence to honour our fallen comrades." Zane rose from his seat and closed his eyes. He wondered who had made it. He had friends on the HAWKING, friends he’d known since the Academy. This was the fourth ship in SILVER and was the third of the four FEYNMAN class destroyers to have fallen. Only the namesake survived and once again he wished Fleet would authorize an upgrade to a larger class vessel. Surely with the technology at hand they could design a cruiser that could withstand the turmoil of the Sack. If they didn’t then the Xanthandi would never be stopped. "Thank-you Zane out."
Sitting back down he made the decision of not to dwell on what had happened. FEYNMAN had enough of her own problems to face. Instead he forwarded the commodore’s message to all the senior staff and flagged the technical information describing the mutagenic weapon for Koreth and Meleah. He wanted to make sure that when they met with the Xanthandi they would not be an easy target.
Respectfully,
Andy
__________________________________________________
-Captain Zane, Commanding, USS FEYNMAN
-Commodore Robert Steele, Commanding TF ZINDERNEUF
-Commander Horatio Sinclair, Currently Unassigned
USS FEYNMAN: Some Thoughts are a Terrible Thing
by Kevin Thigpen 9-10-1997
Stardate: 90910.1309
Scene: 10-Forward
MD: 3.0800
"Tell, PO Dobbs that I can reschedule her for 1100 tomorrow. Oh, wait a sec. Make it 0100. Greiger is at 1100," stated Loren.
"Okay, Dobbs at 0100. Anything else?"
Loren leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and taking a deep intake of air. "Not that I can think of. Have I forgotten anything?"
"Come to depend on me that much, huh?" jokingly spoke Amber.
Loren took a long look at his ACNS. Ever since coming aboard the red-headed demure looking, soft-spoken ACNS had been a definite find. Her organizational skills were beyond comparison, not that Loren kept poor files, but every semblance or order helped when one person was charged with the psychological health of over two hundred persons.
"Well, yea. But I still wish you'd put ashore to use up some of that vacation you've earned."
"Still talking about me using up my shore leave. What's with that? Is this mission going to be dangerous? No. Wait. Need to know basis."
"That's right," stated Loren with a pained look on his face. "I can't say anymore than that Amber. Sorry."
Amber silently shook her head. "You officer types are all the same. So secretive. I'd rather stay an enlisted," she added smiling. "Go get some rest counselor. Something's been on your mind for the longest, and I think you should do something to change that."
"Doling out orders now?" quipped a surprised Loren.
"You bet," Amber retorted before heading out the door.
There was something that Loren did need to take care of though, and right now, the time was as good as any.
[SNIP]
Mary walked quickly down the hall headed for ten-forward. Loren had been avoiding her for the past day, after the meeting. Now he'd sent a cryptic message saying he needed to see her.
Thinking about the meeting sent a slight shiver down her back. She'd seen things so horrible in design as to be nearly unspeakable, but somehow sharing those thoughts that Loren had at the meeting disturbed her at the core. To think that one knew someone, and then to experience thoughts that contradict those assumptions.
Even so, Mary knew they were only thoughts, more like afterthoughts as she felt them in Loren's mind. Deep down, Mary also felt the sense of strength that came as she touched his mind, bolstering both him and her. It felt almost renewing.
Still though, there was the issue of Loren dealing with his own thoughts, thoughts which contradicted his very soul. Mary knew this, but she could sense that Loren did not, at least not yet.
Stepping up to the doors to ten-forward, she almost bumped her nose. The doors didn't budge until she heard a muffled voice from inside.
"Sorry about that."
And then the doors parted to reveal a completely empty room except for one person. Stepping through the doors, they sealed shut behind her.
"I talked to Bat just before he left, and he told me to keep an eye on the place. Most of the crew has been busy keeping the ship running at warp eight, so the place is deserted until about 1700 hours or so," stated Loren. "When they do trickle in, it's all self-service."
"I hope you haven't eaten breakfast, yet. I took the liberty," began Loren gesturing to the table over by the most frequented viewport on the ship. Beyond the protective glass, the stars streaked by, light trails casting their light on the dishes of food covering the table.
Quietly Mary took her seat, looking intently at Loren. Silence was the only thing that filled the room as the two sat. Nearly a minute passed before Loren gave in.
"Some thoughts are a terrible thing, huh?" stated Loren.
"That's not the issue and you know it," retorted Mary.
"Hmph. I'm a counselor. I know what the issue is. I have trouble trusting others intimately. You took that step towards trusting someone, namely me. I more or less swatted you away at the first sign of trouble on my part."
"That why you've been avoiding me?"
"More or less..." answered Loren.
Mary glared at him.
"Well, more than less," he finally admitted. "I tried to assume that I knew what was best for you, by excluding you from my little problems. I was very wrong," he added twisting a fork over and over in his hand.
"Mary, what I'm trying to say is that I care for you, and know what you've been through in your past. I've seen it. I would hate to drag you down a similar path with me."
"Sounds like that's my decision to make," Mary stated.
Loren took his eyes off the fork. Looking up he smiled slightly, the first time in the past day or so. "You're right." All the while, he could sense what that decision was, and it brought a little more warmth into his darkening soul.
Respectfullys submitted,
Kevin Thigpen
Lt(jg) Loren Landers
USS FEYNMAN CNS
[NRPG: Just a little something from my end, David. Flesh it out as much as you want. ]
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"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small
piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."
---Richard Feynman
Is there evil in the universe?
---Anonymous
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