From: Joy Phillips (jkphillips82_at_googlemail.com)
Date: Sat Feb 23 2008 - 11:34:27 PST
"Crossfire?"
(Cont'd from "Service to what?")
Location: ATLIV II the Salarian Sector
Scene: Palace complex
Stardate: 2.80223.1922
The ground moved, the whole world seemed to shake under three loud booming
noises. Xoron lay silently for a moment while he opened his eyes; and looked
up at the ceiling unwilling to blink for fear of missing whatever had shaken
him awake. He only had to wait for a moment before once more the entire
palace complex seemed to vibrate.
"DAD!"
He was already moving before he heard his sons worried shout, scrambling out
of bed to get dressed he grumbled over the interrupted sleep. Trousers
already on he shrugged into a robe and entered a seating area, his son was
stood half leaning out of a window that had once been a bulkhead.
Xoron paused taking in the scene, in his still sleepy state it took him a
moment to realise what was wrong as he watched his boy silhouted against the
night sky by green lights. Then his sleep filled eyes took in the lights
coming directly towards them.
Prince Xoron's eyes widened but he threw himself across the room colliding
with the boy as phaser fire scored a direct hit on the personal quarters of
the crown prince.
=[/\]=
TI: moments later
"Xor!"
A noise filtered into his consciousness, he opened his eyes to see where it
came from and found himself in darkness.
"Dad?"
"Xraxin." Xoran tried to call back and found his mouth full of dust;
he coughed and discovered his chest hurt. Wiggling his hand he
realised he was trapped. The elder Modarny managed to choke back a
moment of fear as he finally recognised his brothers baritone voice.
"Xoron, are you down there?"
"Yeah." He answered weakly and then groaned as something shifted and a beam
of light broke the darkness.
"How come in the most sterile of environments there's still dust." L'illat
quipped as she helped her brother and nephew move the rubble. They struggled
with some of the girders until between the three of them the royals managed
to haul the crown prince from under half his room.
Xordin let out a sigh of relief as he checked his older brother over. "Close
call there bro, I thought I was next inline for the throne." He gave a
little shudder and got a pelt in the side by his sister.
"Where's dad?"
"Already on the Comms." L'illat answered as Xraxin gave his dad a brief hug.
"What's the damage?" Xoron asked as the four moved out of the ruined
quarters.
"Five of the fighters didn't come back." Xordin answered his brother
stiffly. "We scrambled as soon as the system alerts went off." The Naval
commander sounded sad as he continued, "but those five where the only ones
to get a good look at whatever came through."
"It moved on?"
Xordin didn't answer as they arrived in the throne room that had once been a
bridge it now acted as a command centre for an entire planet. Cadrin glanced
sideways and his relief was evident when he saw his eldest son, walking with
a slight limp and sporting some cuts and bruises but otherwise unharmed.
=[/\]=
Location: GATEWAY OUTPOST
Scene: Ops Centre -> CO's ready room -> Ops Centre
The OPS officer was monitoring communications, the chatter over the comm.
Links were louder than ever, a lot of personal information was being sent
between ships and back through the once again opened wormhole.
She paused when she noticed an SOS on an old frequency coming through below
the usual chatter.
"This is the GATEWAY OUTPOST." The young woman began as an older man
appeared onscreen flanked by two almost identical younger men.
Cadrin gave the young woman a pained smile. {{Could I speak to Kat Potter
please?}}
The Ops officer fidgeted at her console. "Commander Potter is no longer
stationed here."
The king paused before he went through the senior staff that he remembered.
{{Can I speak to the Commanding officer?}}
The woman shook her head, "I'm sorry sir, no ones available at the moment, I
can take a message."
Cadrin sighed and shook his head. {{Young lady this is an emergency, we are
a federation protectorate and we've been attacked, we can't handle the
amount of injured here without some outside aide.}}
The young woman paused her lips pressed so tightly together they turned
white. "I'll put you straight through to Starfleet Command sir."
=[/\]=
Location: USS STONEHENGE
Scene: CO's ready room
{{And that was around an hour ago. Starfleet had a quick look and you're
currently one of the few ships fast enough to make a difference not already
engaged in a mission.}} Admiral Halle finished, {{Supplies are already on
their way to you and as always you can take whatever you think you might
need from E4.}}
"Are you sending us into battle Admiral?" Rharn asked quietly her eyes
briefly flittered to Peter the tall Briton stood out of sight of the view
screen his arms crossed across his chest.
{{No captain, that's the last thing I intend, this is one of our colonies,
these are people we swore to protect. They need our help, now you have the
cloaking device; you're one of the hardest to detect ships.}}
Rharn pursed herim's blue lips, "this is a rescue mission, under the radar."
{{exactly.}}The admiral answered. {{You need to leave as soon as the
supplies catch you which should be within an hour, it should only take you a
day or so at maximum warp to arrive.}}
"Sir, if we're to protect these people then may I ask, why did we allow them
to colonise in the gamma quadrant?"
Admiral Halle paused and shrugged his shoulders. {{That's a long story; if
you need anything contact me.}} He closed the connection before Rharn could
take him up on the offer of needing anything.
"It was the Klingons." Peter said finally. Rharn looked up furrowing her
brow. "It's a long story, but one that I know."
"Prepare the ship for departure and then call a staff meeting, you can tell
us all at once."
=[/\]=
Scene: Observation Lounge
Peter and Rharn were first in the lounge, the two had their heads bowed
together and were chatting in hushed voices, Peter held a coffee cup firmly
in his hand as the Captain's eyes drifted to it from time to time.
He glanced up as people began to traipse in. Aerdan took his seat as CMO,
Mathew settled down into the security chief spot, Phia seemed to leave the
bridge grudgingly but sat quietly her hands folded into her lap.
Karn took the engineering seat and Rose Jarvis stepped up for the science
department. Lynette left the helm with regret but took part in the meeting.
At each place was a PADD that the senior staff looked at but no one moved
towards them.
Rharn looked around at her senior staff. "I'm sorry to interrupt the
celebrations." She began and then turned her attention to the XO, her tone
becoming much more business like "We're about to leave E4 for the Salarian
system; we're around a day away at high warp and not wholly aware of the
situation when we arrive. Pol'gra says that we will be in communications
range in around 7 hours after we leave and once there we'll be able to find
out more." The Nocturian explained, "So far we know we're on a rescue
mission, the ATLEAVKITH took heavy damage, they were attacked from the air,
rumours speculate the Dominion but we can't be sure; before we get there
though Peter can explain a bit more."
The Brit nodded and stood up, eyes shifted to him. "Around ten years ago the
ATLEAVKITH arrived in the alpha quadrant, they were looking for somewhere to
settle, to call home, and they found a planet within the Klingon borders and
tried to land. When the Klingons tried to forcibly remove them something
happened."
He sighed. "It was decided the royal family had committed some kind of
insult, the crown prince was arrested by the federation as a way to stop a
war before it started, he was incarcerated in SING SING II where he met some
of the command crew from the old GATEWAY station," he watched some of the
looks on his senior officers faces and hid a smile.
"Due to a favour Prince Xoron did for the XO of the station, Kat, Commander
Gorman, called in some favours, both within the federation and the Klingon
high command. Eventually a relocation site was agreed upon that suited
everybody's needs, unfortunately this was in the gamma quadrant, the GATEWAY
had a large hand in helping them set up home there around 3 years ago."
Peter took a breath and looked to make sure he still had everyone's
attention, "Over the last 3 years communications stayed strong, the GATE
helped the Atleavkith out a few times. The last time I spoke to Kat about
them they were under pressure from the Dominion to leave the federation and
join them, the commander at the time was sure they wouldn't be swayed.
Anyway that's kind of where we're up to, the full story including logs from
Commanders Bonviva, Potter, myself, Lieutenant Peri and Doctor McNeil as
well as other members of Starfleet that have had contact is in the PADD."
Phia raised an eyebrow. "You mentioned a Prince?"
"Yes, the Atleavkith is ruled by a royal family along with a team of
democratically elected spokespeople. Xoron, since being the first to make
contact with Kat Potter has always been a kind of ambassador and I would
assume will be the person we'll be most in contact with. He's the crown
prince, his information and the royal families is again in that PADD in
front of you"
The counsellor was quiet as she mused over a people governed by a monarchy.
Mathew looked up, "We're not sure that this was a Dominion attack?" the
Security officer asked quietly.
"It looks likely; although that's something we need to be certain of, did
the dominion at some point between retreating from the GATEWAY and now
decide to attack a federation protectorate world."
Mathew scowled. "If they did they're as likely to come back and finish the
job."
Rharn shook her head, "that depends the ATLEAVKITH are newly settled and not
in any position to be a threat to the Dominion."
"What is their medical tech like?" Aerdan asked.
"Behind ours," Peter answered quietly "although they do have healers and
some tech, also they worked closely with the doctors on the GATEWAY for a
while so they won't back away from technology if it's the only way to help
them, but don't expect the equipment you're used to."
Aerdan gave a grim smile. "I never do."
"Security wise we have nothing to worry about from the ATLEAVKITH
themselves, but since we don't know what's going on in the Salarian sector
we should remain on our toes."
Everyone nodded in agreement and the comm. Link suddenly sparked into life.
"Captain Alcedo, the supplies have arrived."
Rharn nodded and stood up. "Prepare your departments; we'll leave as soon as
the supplies are on ship."
**
NRPG: Mission opener part 1, part 2 will come in a couple of days to give
you all chance to post either anything you where writing for R&R, reaction
to the promotions or something to do with the prep for this mission.
Congratulations Sarah and Jamie :D
Following this are 2 NRPG's one with info on the Atleavkith race and the
second with some people we've used before. Please feel free to use whatever
inspires you and discard what doesn't.
Joy Phillips
The madness behind
Lt JG Izshlana Vort
aSec/Tac
USS STONEHENGE
And
Commander Katlina Gorman
XO
USS MCINNIS (novella Unit)
From HyperNews_at_youth.net
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