NDak

Mission Briefing: Laehval's team is moving forward removing more of the traps and moving further into the building whild tKsa has returned to the ship to work on the injured R'mor whom we just found out was also poisoned. tRexan plans to return to the ship to check in with tKsa, while NDak oversee's the work on the planet and the rest of the teams investigating the ruins 041609.txt

February 26-April 16 The away team discovers the remains of a massive volcanic eruption, leaving a giant seaside caldera. The readings Talon had been receiving indicating the ruins of an advanced civilization are buried underneath of a cave. t'Rexan calls down science and digging teams when it's discovered the ruins are covered in gold-pressed latnium leaf. Leave in put on hold as a massive excavation involving all major departments aboard Talon begins. During the excavation, t'Rexan places N'Dak in charge of the integrity of the site as they worry someone could try and steal some of the latnium. Anyone caught doing do so is subject to death under the orders of the command staff. One of the disheren maeneks (R'More) was nearly fatally injured when she snuck into the excavation site and tripped a booby trap of a poison dart. Medical rushed her back to Talon where they stabilize her, but were unable to properly treat for the poison without a sample. If one isn't found, she will likely die. Meanwhile, while clearing the site of any more traps to avoid further injury, security/engineering/science found another area of the ruins with the ash shells of the people who'd once inhabited the area, while a reconciliation of sorts occurred between t'Aehjae and N'Dak.

MISSION BRIEF: The Talon crew continues to excavate the site, while Medical is dealing with the aftermath of an injury to their crew. 040909.txt

The wall screen continued to rotate between the actual news coverage and the editorialization of the various talking heads that formed the supposed expert opinion that the Federation viewers were supposed to listen to when they formed their own opinion. Thomas scowled as the live feed of the event on the adjacent screen showed crowds lined along the ancient streets of the Romulan capital city cheering as the kannsa drawn carriage made its way towards the towering monument to S’Task. “I guess he got what he wanted,” he said gruffly. A few chairs over, a medium built human male with slicked back blonde hair adjusted his glasses before looking over to this partner. “He was running for election, I can’t imagine he wanted to lose.” Thomas huffed and ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair before leaning back in the stiff, composite chairs that surrounded the small silver table that sat at the center of the sparse room hidden away in a facility located somewhere near the Romulan border. “Of course he wanted to win,” he said, a bit disdainfully. “Just most people aren’t so craven about it.” The expression tightened on George's face. “So you think he had her killed?” “You don’t?” For a moment, George considered his response carefully before putting it into verbal form. “I am honestly not sure… have you read his file?” “Yes, but humor me; what in his file makes you think he’s not a craven, ambitious man hell-bent on becoming a tyrant?” George had, of course, committed the Starfleet Intelligence dossier to memory and took only a few moments to recall the pertinent details. “He comes from a line of military leaders who all had opportunities to make power grabs and didn’t,” he started off. “He graduated just as the Romulans were getting involved in the Dominion War – got involved in an operation with the Tal’Shiar and Starfleet Intelligence while he was serving as a liaison – but other than that, his early history is of a model officer who wanted to serve his Empire.” “Right,” Thomas said. “But then…” George sighed. “Right, he was posted to the Talon as an assistant security officer.” “Where he gained a reputation for being…” Sighing again George finished the sentence, “…ruthless, cutthroat, ambitious and occasionally reckless… “ Thomas nodded for George to continue. “Still, according to the reports our agents have on him from those days, his superior officers regarded him as capable – they did promote him to Chief of Security over a more experienced candidate and the finally to First Officer over the course of just a few years.” “You’re glossing over the fact that most of the people who were in between him and the ex-oh position mysteriously died or ended up in stasis.” Protesting George scowled. “Given how limited our intelligence is during that time, I don’t think you can really make that assertion.” “No,” Thomas conceded, “but it is something to think about.” Another heavy sigh escaped George’s mouth. “Yeah, but everything we have on him during the Civil War paints a picture of a loyal patriot, fighting for his country. Hell he went from a Sub-Commander to one of the higher placed Admirals in what two, three years? Not to mention, he spent considerable amounts of his own money to help finance the Galae forces before the Klingons and us got involved.” “I don’t see how that precludes him from just being an opportunist.” “Yeah, but an opportunist doesn’t make him an assassin.” “You think he’s just the lucky recipient of chance that in the last year, the Praetor who may or may not have been going to endorse him ends up nearly dying in attack by alien terrorists working with Romulans and now can’t even flutter his eyes open, and that the only person standing between him and the Praetorship ends up mysteriously poisoned just weeks before the election, the day after the deadline to put someone else on the ballot passed?” “When you put it that way…” “Starting to see why we think he’s a craven bastard?” George frowned. “I don’t know, I just can’t see someone like him… someone as proud as he is bringing himself to eliminating his opposition so… dishonorably.” Returning the frown, Thomas nodded. “That is one of the main issues,” he admitted. “But then, if you deal with the Romulans very much you learn that they rarely act directly. If he was behind the assassination of Donatra, he certainly didn’t order the hit himself.” “You think he’s working with someone?” “I am not sure.” “But if Intel is soo sure on this, why aren’t we doing anything?” “The devil you know…” George tipped his head. “Huh?” “For whatever other faults he has, we can be reasonably sure he’s not working with the Tal’Shiar and that he generally wants to keep the status quo, or at least has made strong enough overtures. The real question though, is how much knowledge does he have about those terrorist attacks…” A burning image of Earth, her skies ablaze, after the Solton attack instantly hit at George’s heart and he felt his throat go dry. “We think… we think he’s connected to that?” Thomas looked back to the live feed where Destorie Ma’lyn Sheuji of the House s’N’Dak was beginning his acceptance and victory speech in the looming shadow of the founder of the Romulan Empire, S’Task. “We just don’t know. We just don’t know.”

Ie. Jolan Tru and Aefvahd. Always good to have another io with pointy ears and superior green blood, even if she is a yy'a io. :o

MISSION BRIEFING: As daylight broke, the Away Teams mad etheir way down the crevasse To the exposed front of the building while the tide was out. Engineering teams were ready to being the excavation, but in the same Light, everyone wanted to get inside the first building. 032609.txt

“Commander,” the alarmed voice of his engineer screamed. “I told au that the engines could na take the stress. They've blown.” Fvadt! Commander Raekal thought and spoke the obscenity almost simultaneously. He should have known better than to trust the Klingon-designed impulse engines. He took a very deep breath and considered the situation. His mission had been completed, but they needed to return to the information to Romulus, and he would prefer not to have to explain to his commanders why a Federation vessel was towing them to the edge of the Neutral Zone. Of course, that brought about an entirely different issue. The Lloann'na commander would surely question why a vessel flying the t'Liss was so deep into their space. “Orders,” the calm voice of his sub-commander came, interrupting his thoughts. Frowning, Raekal leaned back into the command chair. He steepled his fingers and furrowed his dark eye-brows. This was not a man accustomed to being so helpless, nor was he used to having to wiggle his way out of compromising situations. “We're still moving at around 300 hakinas,” his engineer, Centurion Dajaeli t'Sshav chimed in, running a hand through her long hair as she glowered at the status monitor blinking bright green, the color the Klingons had chosen to indicate 'the impulse engines just blew up in a blaze of glory, let's drink bloodwine.' “The Lloann'na vessel will easily be able to catch up to us.” “Ie, Sub-commander.” A moment passed and a thought occurred to him. Given their proximity to Klingon space, the shape of their vessel and the fact that the Federation didn't exactly have a database of Romulan Star Navy ID tags, it was entirely likely the Commander of the Federation vessel was unaware of the nature of the prey he tracked. “Estimated time till they enter sensor range?” “Three minutes.” “Prepare a message buoy for launch, upload our mission logs and include a status update for Galae Command. Inform them we are attempting to evade a hostile Lloann'na vessel but have been damaged and may require assistance.” “I will alter the logs accordingly,” the Sub-commander added as he did as ordered. A few more moments passed before the buoy was ready for launch. Once prepared, it streaked harmlessly off towards Romulan space to deliver the news of Firewing's mission. On the Oira, Raekal considered his next move. “Open a channel,” he said. “We might as well use our element of surprise now.” – The afternoon sun had risen high in the late spring afternoon. A flitter glinted as it's silvery hull caught the rays of sun that bathed the Two Worlds in life giving heat. The fragrant scent of haenin blooms swirled in the wind. Anaeris tr'Raekal sat the earthen ceramic mug down on the terrace table and took in the moment. There were few sights and smells as pleasant and heart warming to a battle-hardened Romulan Commander like springtime on Romulus. For Raekal, the month-long repair and refit that his command, the warbird Firewing, was undergoing had been a most welcome change of pace after a grueling ten-month tour patrolling the Outmarches, or as the Lloann'na called it, the Neutral Zone. In years past, such an assignment was occasionally interesting as they often got to play cat and mouse with whatever Lloann'na vessel was stationed their opposite. However, with the Lloann'na attention turned to Qo'Nos, rarely anything was happening in the Outmarches – maybe a stray comet or an anomaly, but nothing worthy of a veteran commander and crew. Spending time on the homeworlds during the rebirth of nature and getting to see his three children, who'd grown much taller and mature since he'd last been home, was entirely pleasant and kept him distracted from the dangerous mission he and his crew were to undertake once the refit of the nearly fifty year-old Firewing was complete. Firewing, like, nature was in part, being reborn. To complete their dangerous mission, they would require a number of sensor improvements and the computer upgrades required to run them. She had been a marvelous ship, despite her origins as a stripped down, aging Klingon cruiser. It was ironic, Raekal thought, that command would choose such a vessel for the mission at hand. Like all the D7, or as the Romulan designation went Hakari'Kli, vessels under the operation of the Galae, Firewing was acquired as part of the alliance with the Klingons. The Klingons, as one of his fellow commanders had once put it were 'terrible shipwrights, but they did build good weapons platforms.' And thus, Firewing had served in the Galae for many years hence. The reason they had been purchased was two fold. The Klingons had all but extorted the Senate into buying them and secondly because the technical issues surrounding the Romulans own warbirds and their fusion drives. While the Empire and her Scientists possessed ample knowledge of how to create a Matter/Anti-Matter drive similar to the ones the humans and Klingons used, the supply of dilithium required to control such drives was limited in Romulan space and Klingon ships came pre-supplied with the required drive. Hence it was advantageous to buy the more complex and efficient drives from the Klingons as opposed to using their own bulky, inefficient simple fusion drives which powered Romulan-designed warbirds, as they'd grown increasingly larger to produce warp speeds comparable with their enemies. Which brought about Firewing's next and possibly final mission. As it became clear that the alliance was one sided and little more than scam intended to sell the Romulans cheap, mouldering scrap heaps unfit to fly the t'Liss, the Senate and the Galae began looking into alternate methods of powering vessels. One such experiment had been the Obelisk Project; using a particle labeled N-3, Obelisk had the potential of unlimited energy. However, it had quickly been shown to be extraordinarily unstable and extremely dangerous. The research facility that had been leading the Obelisk Project was utterly obliterated, and entire five light year area was laid to ruins. Officially, it was the work of terrorists and the entire area was cordoned off with a punishment of death for any who entered. It was most curious then, when a similarly described area appeared in Federation space. That the Federation scientific community would be capable of developing such an advanced form of energy was surprising for such a primitive, child-like race, but as Raekal had reasoned, even a blind nnarni occasionally found a nut. Curiosity piqued, Raekal and his crew and Firewing were chosen to investigate and confirm whether not the Federation had dabbled in N-3 production, a most troubling conclusion for the Senate. On Romulus the sun had began it's slow decent behind the Arkal Mountains. The wind had died down and only the vestigial remains of the poignant haenin scent remained with Raekal. To get to the Lantaru Sector they would have to cross into Federation space, undetected and then proceed for many light years deep into Federation held space before they could begin their mission, which itself would take several days of stationary scans in hostile space, all while trying to avoid detection. In the back of his mind it occurred to him that the rebirth of Firewing could very well be too short a season.

Mission Briefing: A large portion of the crew has been brought down to assist with the exploration and excavation of the city that we've found buried in ages hardened lava from an ancient blow out. Many of the team is staying at a base camp we've set up to be near the work, to ensure nobody gets...grabby fingers, and also....a chance for the crew to get some time off of the ship. A force has been left on board, to ensure our safety down here. 031909.txt

I have a feeling we won't be running that Thursday...

Mission Briefing: The Talon, exploring and trying to keep up with theLloan'nah and Kll'inghannsu that are doing the same in the Gamma Quadrant have been ordered to map, find unclaimed resources and to try to get some sort of strategic footholds if necessary while here. We have been mapping a small system and have turned our scans to a small world ahead where we've just picked up a very strange reading 022609.txt

One of the major issues with going so far off- to a version put forth that Duane's novels don't exist and that the Romulans live on some world called "romii"--is the vast disparity between the accepted canon of the people who play Romulans and that versionis that the two versions utterly incompatible and makes my brain hurt trying compromise the two into a workable canon. That said, not to be too much of a massive grouch. When I play Romulans, I think Duane is especially helpful because it's a very deep look into their culture. I always draw on too historical sources for my inspiration, though. Japan/China and Rome/Greece. We've seen from the Romulans, and this in both canon and Duane which for Talon we consider canon, that the Romulans do have a highly developed sense of honor. Even in the abomination that was Nemesis, they ultimately turn against Shinzon because of the great dishonor that his actions would have for "on them and their children for generations." That, I think, is the biggest misconception, that Romulans are creatures without honor, or that they're savage beasts. They most certainly are brutal and savage at times. They, by their own admission, are passionate people prone aggression, but they do have a highly developed sense of honor. Granted, it's not honor in the Klingon-sense. It's something deeper. The other bit is their massive superiority complex, and it's related, somewhat to their outside perceptions. To a Romulan, in my opinion, because the other races are beneath them, few of them... if any... are worthy of being honored. Back to my inspiration, I draw heavily from Japanesse culture because of the similarities in notions of honor and personal conduct (the Bushido code is a great example), while the Roman and Greek cultures I think provide an excellent frame work for the social structures of how the Romulan Empire works. You have clans, houses... an entire social structure built on various relationships between them. Another, I think, misconception is that they're entirely war like, especially if you're given to the notion that they're base on Rome and Greece. While they were certainly inclined to war, neither culture devalued the arts. Likewise, the Romulans, as I envision them have a great love for the arts. Again, the difference, as I see it, between Vulcan and Romulan cultures is that they both of the same potential, but the Romulans embrace their passionate side, while the Vulcans suppress it, muzzle it. Put into maxim, I think the best one to ever describe the Romulan way of life is: "Life burns, ale burns, politics burns--but cold would life be without them."

February 19 Destorie begins a conversation with t'Aehjae on her continued defiance of his authority while t'Temarr and t'Ksa discuss the on going issue with tr'Pexil, who spends his time listening to Lloann'na music and attempting to sing it. t'Rexan consults Issaha on the unusual readings from the planet, which seem to indicate the remains of an advanced culture nearly intact, but no signs of warp trails that would indicate recent activity. Curiosity piqued, t'Rexan leads an away team to the surface to investigate herself, leaving the Oira under the N'Dak's command.

Mission Briefing: The Talon has decided to investigate a small planet that had not been previously noted on the sparsely filled maps that they had of this quadrant. While beginning preliminary scans from the ship, medical had been checking on Pexi's abnormal behavior while the command staff were having general discussions with other members of the crew (tRexan and Laehval, and NDak and trKhev). 021909.txt

Mission Summary | January 29-February 12 As Talon begins to scan an uninhabited M-class planet, the command staff host separate dinners with crew members.

Mission Briefing: As we continue to explore the Gamma Quadrant we have come upon an M Class system, that seems idea for setting up a colony with the exception that it is quite far off any regular flight paths. Initial scans and mapping of the planet need to be made, while t'Rexan has an appointment for dinner with t'Temarr. 020509.txt

Mission Summary | January 22 2009 Talon heads towards it's new destination while Khev and Destorie share dinner to discuss the former's proposal for additional training, while Laehval consults t'Ksa on the invitation from t'Rexan for dinner.

Mission Summary | January22 2009 Talon, free of the leaches, is headed towards an uninhabited M-Class planet. t'Rexan commended the entire crew on their hard work getting Talon up and working. Life has resumed semi-normal status. http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17709

MISSION BRIEFING: The Talon has been rid of the petulance that infected it and the little buggers killed with the deflector dish trick. With that said, Talon maneuvers out of the system and head towards the next point of interest as her year-long mission continues. 012209.txt

Mission Summary | January 15 2009 Engineering begins the procedure to cleanse the ship of the leaches, while Science and the Oira staff concoct a way to eliminate the leaches once they've been removed from the ship. To everyone's pleasure, both plans work and the Talon is free to continue her mission of exploration of the Gamma Quadrant. http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17661

MISSION BRIEF: Engineering is making preparations to start weening the transdemisnional leach things off our power sources while Destorie plots ways to destroy them once they're loosed from the AQS unit. Sar'vek is sleeping one off, while Khev rests. Questions? 011509.txt

MISSION BRIEF: The Talon AT has returned unharmed, however the sensor failures have continued and the ship, specifically the AQS is beginning to grow colder, and other systems are starting to become effected. Engineering believe they might be near finding a cause of the problem, and thus solution... 010809.txt

Mission Summary | December 18 2008 - January 8 2009 t'Aehjae, N'Dak and t'Ksa embark on an rescue of the away team. Upon transporting them to the RAC safely, N'Dak is rather unamused that tr'Jhiin and Issaha are drunk, while playfully chiding tr'Khev for not shooting his drunken brother. As punishment, Destorie ordered Ksa not to administer any detox drugs. As threy returned to Talon, Engineering began to confirm their theories on the cause of the malfunctions -- a transdimensional leach that absorbs radiation and have attached themselves to the sensor nodes. With the away team returned, Destorie delivered his report to t'Rexan, which shielded the AT from criticism (though his motives remain as yet unclear) and Engineering developed a plan to rid the ship of the leaches by shutting down the power-grid and attracting them to another source of energy, such as a weapons discharge. http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17609

MISSION BRIEF: The AT has escaped from their 'captors,' and the rescue opperation is leaving the Talon's RAC bay as we open. Engineering is getting closer to finding a solution. 121808.txt

RES Talon will not run Christmas or New Years, have a safe and happy holiday.

Mission Summary | December 4-11 2008 The away team has been captured by the natives while things continue to fail. The natives have propped them up as gods, while things aboard the ship continue to deteriorate as sensor nodes continue to fail. A rescue team is readied and disembarks as the AT manages to slip away in the night. Aboard the ship Engineering feels they're making a breakthrough in the source of the radiations. http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=17484