Star Trek: Frontiers.

[faith]

The Haven...

It must be time for the shift change…the evening crowd is coming in. New stories are circulating. Speculation is the game of choice tonight. Talk of a possible first contact situation in med bay is the main topic of conversation. Smiling, I see the Ferengi, Dentoitnem, slip in the door. Laughing to myself, I wonder if I shouldn’t go chat with him. I annoy him so much with so little effort and it’s so much fun. He reminds me so much of a young… Pulled from my thoughts, I see Ensign Onyx heading for the bar…Rock and Onyx at the bar together…Possible problems there. He has a major chip riding on his shoulder right now. She’s on the edge right now. So much high intensity, emotions floating around the ship must be playing havoc with every empathic being aboard ship. How her Betazoid and Vulcan sides must be warring.

Listening to the quiet conversations around me, I start hearing details…Stasis pod….Black hair…Blue….Tail…Three digits…. No matter how large a ship, it was still a very small place.

 

[Ravenloft]

Alien:

The alien began to stir, waking slowly, he folded an arm over his head, his forearm across his eyes as he opened them. His breathing was calm and rhythmic. Through squinted eyes he looked about the room, letting everything sink in. There were a hand full of people in the room with him, and he found himself laying on a coushined table. He was about to sit up when a somewhat short, bald male approached him. In this strange place, the last thing he wanted to do was give any of these people cause for alarm. So he lifted his head slightly, blinked a couple times to fully adjust his eyes, and then spoke in nearly perfect english. "Where am I?"

 

[poohlive]

The doctor barely looked up, hearing the question.
"I doubt it, even if there was a quantum disturbance, it wouldn't affect an alien life form on the genetic level. Unless of course, there was some sort of radiation in the pod or nearby space itself. But... there hasn't been a report of that from the..."
He looked up seeing the science officer looking at him, "... a report from you yet, so it is unlikely."
With that, he looked up the organs. Hah, he knew it. Almost the same as a humans. It was beginning to look like this creature wasn't artifically created at all. He began looking up the chromosomes.
When it suddenly sat up and began talking.
Fascinating. He check the brain scans. It seemed as if the creature already had kown english for years. Not a brain cell struggling, from what he could tell. Well, at least that explained where all the downloaded knowledge from the ship had gone.
He kept running the scans, letting someone with a little more diplomacy handle talking to it.
There was something different. A second liver. Wasn't that odd. He began running up a chemical diagnosis of it. It seemed to be made to work rather quickly, although for some reason it was lying dormant right now. That meant it was only used for certain circumstances. He wondered what those would be.
There was something else, an extra valve in the heart. It too was lying dormant, not moving at all with the succession of the heart. They must work together for some reason. Perhaps in a flight or fight situation. An extra heartbeat would help in the matters greatly. That wouldn't explain the liver though, in heightened situations like that the liver and kidneys and such were normally shut down. Leaving blood flow for other important things.
He supposed he would have to get a closer look at that valve and the liver, to see exactly what was going on.
Before he did though, he wanted to look at those chromosomes.

 

[AmenRa]

First Contact

Savok nodded. There were no initial scans reporting radiation fluxes beyond normal.

Savok raised an eyebrow, looking at the alien. He touched his comm badge.

"Captain Emerson," he said, "please come to the Medical Bay. It is most urgent. Our.....visitor is awake."

"You," Savok told the alien, "are aboard Federation Starship USS Hera." Savok wondered if 'Federation' would need more explanantion. Savok remembered what Spock had reported about first contacts: "most often, lifeforms unaccustomed to the various species within Starfleet find themselves full of questions. The logical course, in this case, is to proceed with letting them ask the questions. "

Savok waited patiently for the alien to begin. Vaik vuhnaya va-vaik terish. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.

 

[poohlive]

Argos

There, he had it.
Argos looked carefully at the back of the space pod, seeing the tinty hole. That tiny hole was cause for nearly the entire engine of this thing. He couldn't believe it, who could manufacture a space pod with warp technology that wasn't even as big as a human?
More answers were needed.
Wait.
A warp drive meant a warp trail. An ion trail to be exact. He pulled out a tricorder, looking for the stuff. It wasn't there. He sighed, another dead end.
No, that wasn't true. What if the warp core didn't rely on dylithium fuel? He began scanneing the vessel for a fuel supply. Ah, there it was. Tetrion? He scanned again, just to make sure he was correct.
Yes, the space pod's fuel came from Tetrion crystals. That couldn't be though, Tetrion was a gas, if it could be called that. It was closer to a gas form than a crystal form. He quickly put up a level four force field around the space pod. Tetrion radiation was highly deadly.
He would have to inform the entire crew. Perhaps a quarantine would be needed. He didn't think anyone had been called in sick yet.
He checked himself. No, no signs of radiation whatsoever, and wasn't that odd. He had been closer to this than anyone. Scanning the entire room he also saw no sign of decay. Well, don't that just beat all. The Tetrion radiation was harnassed. Somehow, the species made it so that it couldn't leak out and become toxic.
This was good though, it also meant that the radiation itself had left a trail. A Tetrion trail to wherever this creature originated from.
With this new knowledge in hand, he began walking up to the bridge. He knew the captain wouldn't be there, which was just as well. The truth was, he would rather solve this mystery himself.

 

[Honey_B]

Councelor Gor

Septana watched the Vulcan follow first contact protacol to the letter. However, she sensed trepidation coming for the alien and compassion for it whelled up in her. If there was any truth to the dreams she had seen, this creature had been through a great deal.

She stepped forward.

In her low, soothing voice, she added, "I am Septana Gor, councelor aboard the Hera. Let me tell you that you are safe and that we mean you no harm. Please feel free to ask anything you wish."

Septana's smile softened her strong features.

 

[Ravenloft]

Alien:

Sitting up slowly after coming to find these people seemingly non violent, the alien regarded all in the room one by one. The one who spoke first had a calm stoic look about him. The other was looking at him with soft compassionate eyes, he noticed the subtle ridge lines marking her forehead. Somehow, without having to ask, he knew what they were, a vul-can, and what seemed to be a half klin-gon. Reaching up slowly, the alien rubbed the back of his neck with his three digit hand.

"Is the second pod aboard?" He asked, a sudden wash of worry filling him. If it wasn't, the fate of his race may very well be sealed.

 

[Honey_B]

Counselor Gor

The counselor picked up the feeling of worry and the question made Septana close her eyes. She remembered its dream. The impression of a female disappearing before the dreamer's eyes. She remembered the smile....

Her eyes snapped open.

"No, we do not have a second pod aboard. But we shall endeavor to find it."

"Savok, we need to perform a long-range scan immediately for another pod. I believe the alien may be referring to his mate or at least another from his home planet. Unless I am mistaken, does not rescue supercede the first contact protocol?"

 

[AmenRa]

Savok was not surprised by Septana's knowledge of Federation protocol. He had learned that his Klingon/Betazoid friend was indeed a well of knowledge.

"Indeed," Savok stated. "I will take my leave," he nodded to her. He parted the fingers of his right hand in the Vulcan gesture, nodding to the lifeform.

Savok was now enroute to the bridge. He touched his comm badge. "Captain," he said, "Savok here. I am enroute to the bridge. There is a second pod."

A second pod, Savok thought as the turbolift ascended. A mate, perhaps? It was logical. If the alien was indeed a refugee, then another of its kind would obviously be necessary to reproduce. Of course, that would also assume that the species reproduced sexually, and not asexually.

But, a refugee from where?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Ben

On duty 24 hours, and my body hung on me like a heavy coat, weighing me down. I wouldn't leave yet, though. I was determined to see as much f this situation out as I could, just to be certain no one, including members of my own security team, would be injured unnecessarily.
THe Doctor and Science Officer Savok were examining the creature when it spoke, tryig to sit up. "Where am I?"
I stepped forward immediately, joining Savok and the Doctor at the alien's side. The being appeared harmless enough, not as healthy as it could possibly be, but harmless still, which lightened my thoughts for the moment.
Science Officer Savok and Counselor Gor spoke with it briefly, but I paid no attention. I stared at the creature, examining it for any biological feature that might be used to cause harm.
The tail, perhaps...but I wasn't convinced that I should be concerned and couldn't force myself to take further guard. My exhaustion was no doubt taking an effect on my efforts. Soon, I would be equally as effective as my human counterparts. By then, I had to stop and rest.
FOr now, however, I was remaining where I was, my attention focused solely on the alien on the table, and I was trying to look more cautious than I really was.
Counselor GOr and Science Officer Savok were speaking to the alien, telling him where he was and inviting any questions he might have. I was storing the words away in a part of my brain that still held a computer chip, doing so subconsciouly, without effort.
I began to inquire about another pod...Another being...a mate.
Search and rescue, I thought, that would require even more security attention.
Science Officer Savok excused himself then, and I decided that I would need to be refreshed if this second pod were to be found. One non-security human in the room. No better time to log out.
I waved my hand, indicating that the other officer, Security Ensign Pfife, to step forward and take my place. He'd drawn his phaser, but kept it at his side. I stepped backward, leaving him next to the alien and walked to the doors, stopping and saying, "Computer, open doors, Security code 21258996."
"Access granted," the computer blandly replied. THe doors opened and I walked out into the hall, running a quick inquisition through my current on-duty security logs to see who was available to take my place until i'd rested a few hours.
I stopped outside the room, in the corridor, and turned to Stone.
"I will require a few hours of rest," I explained. "As the highest ranked officer currently on duty, You will take command of the security team while i rest. Please inform me when news of the second pod arrives."
I didn't wait for a response. I stepped away from him and tapped the com-link on the chest of my uniform and said, "Captain. I will be off-duty for a few hours, but Lt. Stone will take over my duties."

 

[True_Life]

Stone listened as the Borg issued his commands and walked off. Without much thought, he turned and entered the med bay. After the door closed behind him, he turned to face the doctor. 'Hrmph, another damn automation.' he thought bitterly. "Evening Doctor, Counselor. I'll be in charge of secruity until the Chief returns." With that, Stone took a position up beside the alien to get his first good look at him.

'So, this is what we are securing? So small, why do they want us look like we're scared of it?'

Stone took a look around the room to asses what the worst case senerio would be. 'The ensign,' he thought, 'with the phaser. If thing gets violent, he might try to grab it.' "Ensign," Stone stated as Pfife looked over,"Put that blaster away and take up position outside the door. Allow no unathorized personel in here with the Captians or my permission."

Pfife nodded and walked out, sealing the door behind him. Stone continued to watch the doctor, counselor, and alien.

 

[bobo_daclown]

My shift ends and a young leiutenant takes my place. I scuffle back to the turbolift in need of some synthahol. "Deck 6!" I yell at the closing doors. (apparently 10-forward isn't on deck 10, forward section on this boat ;-) ).

The doors open whosh open and I commence my scuffle toward the only transparent doors on the ship. The transparent aluminum (see ST:IV) doors part. I see that woman bar-keep. We have a mutual understanding: neither of us like the other. I veer far to the other side of the room, looking for someone else to get me some synthahol. Realizing that no other person will take care of me, I sit at the bar, resting on a stool, and awaiting the barkeep's attention.

__{past}
I remember when Counselor Gor tried to counsel me last year. She told me that she recognized some stress between Astra and myself. "Lucky for me," I remarked snidely, "I'm a Ferengi." I knew that she could not read my four chambered mind.
__

Nodding at Astra, I signal her. She recognizes that I need some assistance. Otherwise, it is likely that I would crawl over the bar to get a drink.

 

[Mistress]

Searching.......

She drifted along, peacefully sleeping, not aware of her surroundings....

He was out there somewhere; she could feel him in every bone of her body. His lifeblood pumping through his veins creating a signal, a beacon for her to follow so that she would always know where he was. Her heart was connected to his, her soul intertwined with his, she was part of him, and she belonged to him and he to her.

A purring echoes through her pod as she sleeps, a smile forming on her blue features as her thoughts and dreams are of him....


And yet, she had never seen him but once in her life.

 

[Angelus]

Talnek

After what seemed like days of standing there on the bridge, looking at the view screen and seeing nothing but stars and more stars Telnak thanked them that her shift was finally over. She needed to have a rest, it was something she had been looking forward to for most of the day, even with the advent of the pod. She hated to think that she was so selfish but she hadn't had that much sleep the night before as she had had nightmares of what would happen to her should Captain Emerson and the rest of the crew find out who she really was.

She had woken up covered in a cold sweat when her alarm had gone off and she didn't want to do anything at all but her pride told her to do her job, it was in her blood. She looked at the officer who was taking her place and said, "Everything is in order. There is nothing to report."

The officer opened his mouth to say something but before he could get the words out of his mouth Telnak was in the turbolift. As soon as the doors closed she sagged against the wall and said the level to her quarters then closed her eyes, hoping that she wouldn't fall asleep before she got there.

 

[poohlive]

Argos.


He stepped onto the bridge, going to the science officer's station. Quickly, he began searching for a tetrion ion trail. Indeed there was one, right where they had beamed the thing aboard.
"Mike, bring us out, impulse."
The woman at the helm gave him an odd look.
"Mike's not on shift."
He sighed, that man was their best pilot. Although, it was technically only a short flight. It wouldn't do much harm.
"Ok then, ensign. Take us to the last known coordinates of the pod."
The ship lurchd forward slowly, before stopping a minute later.
"We are there sir."
The tetrion radiation trail appeared on screen. He pointed at it.
"Follow that trail. Warp 2."
The ship was off, following the path of the space pod. He wanted to see it's last known coordinates. Perhaps it was from a planet not too far away from here. It might even be from a space station or a ship that had to be abandoned. They were, after all, dealing with tetrion here. The worse radiation there is, besides that Omega shit.
That was some powerful shit too.
The trail abrupted suddenly. He cursed, looking at the end of the trail.
"All stop."
The ship dropped out of warp, a few hundred kilos from where the tetrion began. It was in the middle of space? How was that possible? Unless a ship had dropped it here.
"Computer, long range scans for any vessels, and add your search to include tetrion radiation."
The computer gave him a description of empty space, and besides the tetrion he had followed, there was no other signature out there.
This was not going to let him have an easy way out was it?
"I'll be in astrometrics, going over some charts and planetary systems. You have the bridge Ensigm."
With his head hung low, he went into Astrometrics. At first, he didn't do anything. Tired from his day at work. He should have gone to sleep nearly two hours ago, but when he was working on something he wouldn't give up. Not for all the sleep in the world.
As he began punching up the trail they had just followed, he found some renewed strength, and continued.

 

[poohlive]

The doctor felt relived as people began leaving the medical bay. It felt too crowded in here anyway. He didn't care for it one bit, he had a job to do, it didn't help him any to have people looking over his shoulder as he did it.
Didn't hurt him any either. After all, he was simply a hologram. His personality subroutines did help with this. He supposed that was the only reason he didn't like it so. Made him feel good though, more human.
Nice touch.
He continued his examination with a more physical one. The doctor took a pice of the blue fur, for further examination. He also began feeling and probing the animal, seeing if things were just as they seemed in the medical scans.
After that, he smiled.
"All right," he checked in one of the ears, shining a flashlight in there, then the other.
"I want you to do one simple thing for me," he held a tongue depressant in his hand, "Say ahhh.... "

 

[Ravenloft]

Alien:

Lifting his gaze toward Septana apriciatively, the alien formed a soft smile. "If your cap-tain allows, I can offer a quick way to find the second pod... If it still exists..." The alien said, his words flowing smoothly, save for a single word, and even then it was not clear what caused him to stumble over the word, captain.

noticing the guard leave and another take his place, the alien lowered his eyelids to mere slits. This new guard lifted his weapon from his waist. Without another word, the alien looked up at Septana and the doctor each in turn and asked. "Do you two distrust me?" His hand waved toward the man with the weapon drawn just as another man seemed to be chiding him for it.

The doctor had been checking him over this entire time, asking him to say ahh. Again, without knowing how, the alien understood what the doctor ment and acted apropriately, hoping it would instill some trust in these people. He didn't even think what reaction his two perfectly formed white fangs would garner from the people still in the room.

 

[Inkubus]

Captain Emerson

I looked over the dispatches dealing with starfleets concerns in this godforsaken sector. We werent needed as of yet but If tensions heighetened our refit warp drives and our batteries of proton torpedos were a stones throw away from any of the locations we were to be dispatched to. For now I had bought us time from Admiral Crenchen. He owed me a couple favors and first contact was a precedent for starfleet.
As I was finishing up I heard the message that Our Guest was awake. I made my way to med bay two.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Lt. Denoitnem:

Glad, yet unhappy, that Astra is finally back behind the bar, I ask her for some Romulan Ale, hoping to keep conversation to a minimum.

 

[AmenRa]

Savok noted that the bridge was quiet. The captain was not there. Perhaps he had taken the secondary lift to the medical bay. It was of no matter, even if he missed Savok's communication, Septana or the Doctor would inform him.

Savok took his science station, relieving the crewman who was there. He bent over the scanner screen, adjusting the controls. He noted that the ship was at the coordinates where the first pod was picked up.

The ship's powerful sensors performed a long range scan. Savok had uploaded the pod's unique signature from his tricorder. It wasn't long before he located an identical signature.

"Councelor, this is Savok," he said, touching his comm badge. "I have located the other pod. The bearing has been marked. We are twenty five point six minutes from it, at warp speed."

Savok then detected another signature on the scanner screen. The unmistakable flash of a trans-warp conduit closing. Then, another contact. Metallic mass, large power source, moving qith great speed. Lifeforms were present. Thousands of them.

"Also," he said to her through the comm channel, "inform the Captain that I have detected a Borg cube enterinng the quandrant. I estimate twenty-six minutes until it is within transporter range of the other pod."

Savok suddenly realized that the Security Officer would now be in danger. If the Borg detected him, they would note his dislocation from the collective. They would want him back. Ben must be protected. The discipline of Kohlinahr did not prevent Savok from grimacing when he relieved his station to head back to the medical bay.

 

[Inkubus]

Captain Emerson

Since the awkening of our 'guest' weve had one officer go into labor, a malfunction in one of the transporter rooms and a diplomatic dispatch from selkis 5. All in all a normal day. I realized I was falling behind in my duties and once again made my way to med bay two when I was informed of the 2nd pod and the possibility of borg intervention. "Savok ... get Ben to a containment field independent of the Heras modulation... If it allows for free movemnt aboard the ship all the better...Get a science team to meet with tactical I need a multi variance modulator for our phasers and a entire modification on yield and payload for every other torpedo...Argos recall the primary crew I want them on the bridge and go to yellow alert configure the shield for a multi variance harmonics and find me that pod!" I raced to the bridge...I found it odd that the only time I truly seemed alive was when the ship was in danger....

 

[Cryo]

The ship went into yellow alert. Mike was sitting at the bar enjoying the view down the line (3 women in a row, all facign the same direction) when he noticed the change in status. Sighing to himself, he put down his fork.

they would probably need his expertice soon, so he slowly made his way to the turbo lift. the talk of the alean became louder, and talk of a second pod showed up. What was their problem?, mike thought to himself. You guy's allready have Feranghi, Vulcan, Klingon, Betazoid, even borg aboard this rotten, stinky, hell-blown bucket of a ship. What's the difference with one more? "Bridge" he said when he reached the turbolift.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Ben

Sleep had come quickly, as I'd expected. A first, my rest was dreamless, sending me into a deep abyss of blackness that was lonely yet comfortable. THen, as quickly as I had fallen asleep, the black abyss was disturbed by sudden images...the flash of light and the sight of a ship ahead of me...as seen on a view screen...OUR ship...the Hera...but from far away...a flash of light, then the inside of Med Bay 2, the alien still sleeping on the bed...flash...a female Borg, standing with her face pointed forward, totally unaware of nything around her, unaware, I knew, of anything that they all were not aware of...flash...again, the Hera, but closer, now visible as more than a speck...flash...the alien in Med Bay 2...body twitching as it dreamed...
My body twitched as well, I could feel it even in deep sleep.
...flash...the Hera, even closer, but this time, i could see the frame of the viewing screen, and the heads of many people, decorated with matel and wiring, instruments of great use to the Borg...eye visors and aiming devices...I heard a rant then, mild at first...then steadily getting worse, louder, more clear...Hera...Hera, Hera, Hera...even in a rant, they were monotone...flash...an explosion, from space...the Hera exploding...
I opened my eyes and began to pant, seeing the room infront of me and realizing then that I had already sat up...they were coming, my internal sensors told me that...another little toy Starfleet didn't want to be without, my ability to find a hive at any time...should the Federation intend to destroy the Borg, I would be their primary weapon.
They were coming, and they were very close already...they wanted the alien, they wanted either to destroy it, or to destroy the Hera after they captured it, but in spite of the dream's ending, the Hera hadn't been destroyed. I'd only captured the image of wht they intended, the thought the collective was sending to each of its drones...
Less than an hours rest...but four hours would have me wide awake and set for another 24 hour shift. I stood, removing the links to my energizing system and immediately dressing. I could consume food, but I couldn't use the food the way a human could to attain energy, not yet...I still relied on artificial stimulation in the form of a battery system.
Once dressed, I went to the door, intending to go immediately to the bridge after contacting the Captain. I'd just touched my com-link when I reached the door and it opened for me, revealing two of my officers behind it. I stopped, then tapped the link to end the transmission, and looked to them, knowing what was coming.
"Sir, um..." They were both young, one blonde and one brown-haired, both weary of telling me what to do.
"Sir," the brown-haired took over, "We...must request that you come with us...the Captain..."
They looked at one another.
"By Captain Emerson's request..." I concluded.
"Yes, sir."
We stood there for a moment, me waiting for them to lead me to where I was to go, and them just looking at me, as if they felt I would scold them.
I tried to smile, but smiles aren't natural expressions for the Borg. They stepped back when they saw it. I let my face fall slack again and made the suggestion:
"Perhaps it would be best if you led the way..."

 

[Honey_B]

Counselor Gor

For the time being she ignored the alien's question. Savok's voice came over her comm link.

"Acknowledged, Savok."

As she heard the yellow-alert sound, she fought the urge that any being with a drop of Klingon blood always felt when battle was near. The need to drop everything and fight. Septana knew she had a job to do.

She turned to the alien.

"It is not a mattter of trust but of mutual protection. We have located another pod similiar to your own and we should reach it shortly. Is there anything you can tell us about it? Anything at all? Because I fear it is in danger from the Borg if we don't reach it in time."

 

[Ravenloft]

Alien:

"There is a female in the other pod, she and I are the only ones of my kind left that I know of. There were a hundred of us that escaped before... Before the borg destroyed our home world... We were scattered throughout a multitude of galaxies..." The alien said as he got to his feet, his tail swishing through the air slowly as he took a few slow, dignified steps forward, nearly collapsing, catching himself only a moment before he crumpled to the ground. His body was not used to movement, he had been in stasis for so long...