STSF_Scooter

 

Now, wouldn't this be an interesting scenario for our valiant crew?

Santa Monica, CA (October 24th, 2011)

 

Bellwether Pictures proudly announces the completion of principal photography on

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, a modern version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy

adapted and directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel’s upcoming THE AVENGERS, “Dr.

Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”). Filmed in just 12 days entirely on location in exotic Santa

Monica, the film features a stellar cast of beloved (or soon to be beloved) actors – some

of them veterans of Shakespearean theater, some completely new to the form. But all

dedicated to the idea that this story bears retelling, that this dialogue is as fresh and

intoxicating as any being written, and that the joy of working on a passion project

surrounded by dear friends, admired colleagues and an atmosphere of unabashed rapture

far outweighs their hilariously miniature paychecks.

 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is the first feature from Bellwether, a micro-studio

created by Joss Whedon and Kai Cole for the production of small, independent narratives

for all media, embracing a DIY ethos and newer technologies for, in this particular case, a

somewhat older story.

 

Shot in glorious black and white by Jay Hunter (PAPER HEART, “Dollhouse”), the film

stars Amy Acker (CABIN IN THE WOODS, “Alias”) and Alexis Denisof (“How I Met

Your Mother”, “Angel”) as Beatrice and Benedick, the world’s least likely lovers headed

for their inevitable tumble into love. As Joss Whedon puts it: “The text is to me a

deconstruction of the idea of love, which is ironic, since the entire production is a love

letter – to the text, to the cast, even to the house it’s shot in.” The supporting cast

includes Nathan Fillion (“Castle”, WAITRESS) as Dogberry, Clark Gregg (AVENGERS,

IRON MAN) as Leonato, Fran Kranz (CABIN IN THE WOODS, “Dollhouse”) as

Claudio and Reed Diamond (“Franklin & Bash”, MONEYBALL) as Don Pedro.

The film was produced by Whedon, line-produced by Nathan Kelly and M. Elizabeth

Hughes, and co-produced by Kai Cole and Danny Kaminsky. The super-impressive cast

is listed below. Full tech credits (for the extraordinary crew) will be up shortly. The film

should be completed by early spring and headed for the festival circuit, because it is

fancy.

 

The Players:

Amy Acker - Beatrice

Alexis Denisof - Benedick

Nathan Fillion - Dogberry

Clark Gregg - Leonato

Reed Diamond - Don Pedro

Fran Kranz - Claudio

Sean Maher - Don JohnSpencer Treat Clark - Borachio

Riki Lindhome - Conrade

Ashley Johnson - Margaret

Emma Bates - Ursula

Tom Lenk - Verges

Nick Kocher - First Watchman

Brian McElhaney - Second Watchman

Joshua Zar - Leonato’s aide

Paul M. Meston - Friar Francis

Romy Rosemont - The Sexton

And introducing Jillian Morgese as Hero

BBC News

 

What if particles really can exceed the speed of light?

 

It is a fascinating and provocative question.

 

But first, it should be said that Thursday's news that physicists have seen subatomic particles called neutrinos exceed the Universe's speed limit is a picture of science still at work.

 

The researchers at Cern in Switzerland and Gran Sasso in Italy have tried really hard to find what they might be doing wrong - over three years and thousands of experiments - because they can hardly believe what they are seeing.

 

The publication of their results is a call for help to pick holes in their methods, and save physics as we now know it.

 

"The scientists are right to be extremely cautious about interpreting these findings," said Jim Al-Khalili, a physicist from the University of Surrey, who suggested that a simple error in the measurement is probably the source of all the fuss.

 

But he has gone further.

 

"So let me put my money where my mouth is: if the Cern experiment proves to be correct and neutrinos have broken the speed of light, I will eat my boxer shorts on live TV."

 

Let us be clear: it would be a tremendously exciting time for physics, and a daunting one for physicists, but it is not going to change the price of milk.

 

Perhaps the most exciting thing is that time travel would look more feasible.

 

 

The speed of light is the cornerstone in Einstein's theory of special relativity, which is what gives us the concept of causality: causes precede effects, wherever you are.

 

Remove that requirement, and time becomes a much more fluid thing than the one-way arrow we think it to be.

Don't go buying one just yet

If an effect can precede a cause, showers of neutrons might arrive here on Earth before a supernova actually kicks off on the other side of the galaxy.

OK, here's what we really want: Back to the Future-style popping around in time might be within our reach.

It gets weirder. Einstein may not have been wrong if we concede that there are extra dimensions of space that particles can nip into and out of, and some theories have already been around a while that suggest it.

"They're not mainstream theories, but they're fine," Brian Cox, a physicist who has worked at Cern, told the BBC.

"Let's say you go from London to Sydney - you fly around the Earth," Prof Cox explained. "The other way to do it is to go through digging a big tunnel straight through the Earth, and that's the shortcut.

"In some ways extra dimensions can behave like that and ... the neutrinos could be taking a shortcut through another dimension."

That leads neatly on to the "wormholes" popularised in science fiction, connecting one place in space to another vastly distant one.

Quantum questions

The list goes on - and there is a host of other implications, most of which arise because the speed of light figures in so many equations in science.

Neutrinos are already unusual-

they are often called "ghost particles"

 

It holds all of quantum mechanics together, for example, and that has given us the modern era of electronics, the internet, and the gizmo on which you are reading this.

Get an information-carrying particle going faster than light, and you change computing altogether. How about solving tomorrow's problems today?

This, again, is all speculation. But even Cern's director of research Sergio Bertolucci briefly got into the game.

"We all like the idea of travel in time, but it would be very difficult," he told the BBC.

"You can imagine: we'll never get old - politicians would stay young forever."

But Antonio Ereditato, part of the Opera collaboration that found the curious result, is holding fire on what it all might mean if true.

"I would prefer not to elaborate on that," he said.

"I'm sure that there are many, many colleagues in our community who will start to elaborate, but our task for the moment is one step behind: to make sure - absolutely sure - that this is a real effect and as solid as we think.

"But this must be confirmed by other colleagues. This is the way our work is done."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shuttlecraft Fleming

 

Nova AC swung into view as the shuttle cleared its last navigation point. The massive city portion of the planet glittered along the terminator, a million diamonds in the night. But that wasn't where Audraya was interested in. It was about thirty degrees west of the terminator, in a large belt of mixed farmland and forest that the Fleming's sensors showed an abandoned city/industrial center. Power readings were showing that it was occupied though. Audraya, though didn't see any of this. She was sacked out, having exhausted herself through the past two days of dealing what had happened.

 

A memory tickled the back of her mind, and became dream- of a large, muscular Orion with a predatory look on his face, and a lithe, Orion female looking far too much like Litasha, coming aboard the Audacious. It was as though looking through a child's eyes, like Audraya was a toddler. The Orion male was boasting about his "hunting" expeditions and his latest acquisition- a fair sized industrial complex that he was having his engineers convert into a multi-environment hunting preserve for the most elusive and challenging of sport: sentient beings. His female companion, however, had a disgusted look on her face. Morohtar, however, took over the memory and the last thing was sudden pain in her hair roots, and the two Orions moving down the corridor of the ship.

-=-=-=-

 

Having entered orbit on autopilot, and the alarm buzzer waking her, Audraya took the shuttle down. Diving steeply into the planet's atmosphere, mimicking a piece of space debris plummeting to the surface, she attempted to evade the sensor nets that kept poachers from stealing back what the Black Kris had already...acquired. The shuttle's sensors also showed that the Blood Prince had already gone to ground near the complex.

Touching down in a nearby forest, she moved quickly and as steathily as she could, all the fieldcraft taught to her by the Marines on Sherman's Planet. Her ardor was tamped down to a banked burn, and while she regretted coldcocking Crash and stealing the Fleming, Audraya did put some faith that the crew would find her. Of course, it helped that she'd set both the shuttle's distress beacon on discrete frequency hop that only Starfleet vessels would look for.

 

Her plan was, of course, rather simple: infiltrate the Maze, rescue Tifa and T'Aral, and get the hell out of Dodge, let the rest of the crew deal with Litasha. And in the event of their capture/recapture three bullets were already earmarked to prevent Morohtar from getting his grubby hands on any of them. A .45ACP round didn't leave a pretty corpse.

 

Sunset was coming, and with it her infiltration of the Maze.

From NASA.gov:

 

NASA’s Kepler Mission Discovers a World Orbiting Two Stars

 

The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth.

 

Unlike Star Wars’ Tatooine, the planet is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it.

 

"This discovery confirms a new class of planetary systems that could harbor life," Kepler principal investigator William Borucki said. "Given that most stars in our galaxy are part of a binary system, this means the opportunities for life are much broader than if planets form only around single stars. This milestone discovery confirms a theory that scientists have had for decades but could not prove until now."

 

A research team led by Laurance Doyle of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., used data from the Kepler space telescope, which measures dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars, to search for transiting planets. Kepler is the first NASA mission capable of finding Earth-size planets in or near the "habitable zone," the region in a planetary system where liquid water can exist on the surface of the orbiting planet.

 

Scientists detected the new planet in the Kepler-16 system, a pair of orbiting stars that eclipse each other from our vantage point on Earth. When the smaller star partially blocks the larger star, a primary eclipse occurs, and a secondary eclipse occurs when the smaller star is occulted, or completely blocked, by the larger star.

 

Astronomers further observed that the brightness of the system dipped even when the stars were not eclipsing one another, hinting at a third body. The additional dimming in brightness events, called the tertiary and quaternary eclipses, reappeared at irregular intervals of time, indicating the stars were in different positions in their orbit each time the third body passed. This showed the third body was circling, not just one, but both stars, in a wide circumbinary orbit.

 

The gravitational tug on the stars, measured by changes in their eclipse times, was a good indicator of the mass of the third body. Only a very slight gravitational pull was detected, one that only could be caused by a small mass. The findings are described in a new study published Friday, Sept. 16, in the journal Science.

 

"Most of what we know about the sizes of stars comes from such eclipsing binary systems, and most of what we know about the size of planets comes from transits," said Doyle, who also is the lead author and a Kepler participating scientist. "Kepler-16 combines the best of both worlds, with stellar eclipses and planetary transits in one system."

 

This discovery confirms that Kepler-16b is an inhospitable, cold world about the size of Saturn and thought to be made up of about half rock and half gas. The parent stars are smaller than our sun. One is 69 percent the mass of the sun and the other only 20 percent. Kepler-16b orbits around both stars every 229 days, similar to Venus’ 225-day orbit, but lies outside the system’s habitable zone, where liquid water could exist on the surface, because the stars are cooler than our sun.

 

"Working in film, we often are tasked with creating something never before seen," said visual effects supervisor John Knoll of Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., in San Francisco. "However, more often than not, scientific discoveries prove to be more spectacular than anything we dare imagine. There is no doubt these discoveries influence and inspire storytellers. Their very existence serves as cause to dream bigger and open our minds to new possibilities beyond what we think we 'know.'"

Pistol Packin' Momma

 

This also takes place during our 48 TBS and immediately after Crash gets slugged

 

STSF_Scooter -> Have you ever been unable to help someone you loved, Crash?

Capt Calestorm -> No. I haven’t. Never been in that sort of situation, thank God.

STSF_Scooter -> Then you have no idea what I'm going through.

Capt Calestorm -> No I don't, but if you head off, try and rescue Tifa, you put us all at risk out here. We'll get her, and the Doc, you just have to trust me. Scooter, yer not thinking with yer head, you’re thinking with your pheremones girl.

STSF_Scooter -> ::turns around quickly, the right hook blindsiding Crash, knocking her Southern derriere to the deck in a cloud of dust, both ship and planet::

 

-=-=-=-=-

 

Audraya stalked through the corridors of the Imperious on her way to the first of two destinations—Main Security's arms room—with random crewmembers getting out of her way, as quickly as they could scurry. Either they unconsciously knew not to get in front of a pissed off Orion first officer, or it was the M-1911 slugthrower drop-holstered on her right thigh and the all black outfit. Of course, woe betide the hapless Security officer on arms room duty when she entered. “Mr Uzumaki, I need to draw out a phaser.”

 

“Uh...Commander,” the blonde redshirt stalled. “You're not on landing party detail now.”

 

“Mr Uzumaki, I will not repeat myself after this one time—I need a phaser, and you will provide requested item. Do I make myself clear, or would you like to be busted down to Spaceman Apprentice?” Of course, when her hand is also resting on the grip of the slugthrower, that's usually a decent enough incentive.

 

“Yes ma'am...right away, ma'am.” The blonde security NCO went scurrying back into the vault and pulled Audraya's pistol and holster. He came back, set it on the counter between them, and slid a padd through the grate.

 

“I just need you to sign for it, ma'am.”

 

She looked at him. “I don't need to sign for it.”

 

“You...don't need to sign for it?” Uzumaki's eyes never left the black maw that now appeared before him.

 

“I can leave.” Click, as the hammer was drawn back.

 

“Y-yes, ma'am...s-s-sorry...you can leave.” The hammer was released, and the pistol lowered and holstered.

 

Securing the the phaser's holder on her hip backwards, Audraya left Security and headed for the shuttlebay. Crewmembers continued to get out of her way, as she stalked from lift to corridor and back again, heading aft.

 

Entering her overrides, Audraya managed to acquire the shuttle Fleming*, open the doors and get out, before the bridge could override her and lock her out. As soon as the Fleming jumped to warp she sat down heavily, the adrenaline leaving her body. Tears began to leak from her eyes, as the shuttle zipped through subspace. “I couldn't provide cover for Xiao, when she needed it most (http://www.stsf.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=20991). I had my own flight of fighters to deal with and couldn't get her out of there.” The tears came freer as she remembered hearing her lover's cries cut short over the wireless as the her Goshawk erupted into a short lived ball of plasma. The canopy had shattered, but the vacuum suit had held integrity protecting her up until the fuel cell exploded. “I can't let that happen to Tifa. Not again. Never again. I'll resign my commission after this, if I have to. I'm not going to let her or the Doc fall prey to my brother and his bitch boss.

 

“Thinking with my pheremones? What the vith does Crash think? She's never been in this position before, she as much as admitted it.

 

“Vith OSI, vith Morohtar, to hell with it, vith nindel vith'ez bunjiro Nero and his quest for vengence and destroying a portion of the fleet, and lots of decent crewers. Morohtar is dead when I get my hands on him. And I'm going to take Tifa, and head to some nice, quiet, deserted tropical beach somewhere, and apologize to her for getting her into this mess.”

 

Audraya's tears would continue long through the flight to Nova AC...

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Shuttle Fleming- Named after British author and SIS agent, Ian Fleming.

Vith- Bad word in Drow (which is substituting for Low Kolari)

vith nindel vith'ez bunjiro- Really Bad Phrase in Drow (as above)

Pistol Packin' Momma- WWII Glenn Miller song, describing a mission aboard a fictional(?) B-17 Flying Fortress over Berlin of the same name

Abducted!

A Wesley/Calestorm/T'Aral/Kvar Collaboration

 

 

Morohtar lurked in the shadows of J’bba’s. Log’n and his bouncers were keeping an eye on Litasha’s senior lieutenant. When “Sally Sugarsweet” and her “mother” entered the Palace, a glimmer of evil smile appeared on his face. It twisted even further when he noticed the teenybopper’s display of shock at Audraya’s performance. “Khy’ron, Dol’za, when you get the chance, I want you to abduct Miss ‘Sugarsweet.’ She will bring my dear sister to us.” The two hulking brutes of muscle nodded, and left the Orion Lieutenant. “Soon, ‘sister dear’, I will destroy your happiness. And you will return to the family. Voluntarily or not.”

 

-=-=-

Marie Lightwind, formerly known as Crash Calestorm, had moved slightly off from the gathered group, listening to instructions filtering through her ear bud comm.

 

‘Mom’ threw a glance towards Wesley, Kvar, and TAral; Kvar - ‘Sugarsweet’ - was just plain happy to see the missing XO again. TAral had concerns for Wesley’s safety for reasons of her own. Crash just wanted to kick some OSI rear clear into the next galaxy. For whatever reasons (and she was sure it had something to do with ‘galactic security’) the clandestine Fleet group had approached and deployed the commander, undercover as a dancer in the Palace. Putting aside the fact the deployment might have derailed their overall mission...

 

“Fine. Relay my acknowledgement to the contact. I’ll be at the designated meeting area in a few. Thanks for the ping Ra’gaar.” She purposely used Granger’s undercover name over the encrypted wireless.

 

Turning back to Audraya, Tifa and TAral, Cale remained silent and kept glancing about to ensure no disturbances. Tifa and Audrya continued talking in ‘code’, and Tifa played the part of a starstruck teen well, though it was still obvious the young communications officer was thrilled to be reunited with the formerly missing XO...and her lover.

 

Now, if Crash could prevent the Fleet OSI offices from pilfering her officers for undercover assignments concurrent to the original assignment in the future...yeah, she had some hunting to do once they got back to Fleet Command.

 

T’Aral stepped out for a moment, looking about to see if their group had drawn interest as of yet. Seeing no one, she slipped quietly into the staff locker room to retrieve her satchel. The inside was heavily padded to prevent any sound from the contents - all she had to do was to carry it as if it were light. If anyone suspected that the contents had significant weight, they would think nothing of stopping her. T’Aral was not gifted in making up stories, and explaining a disassembled lirpa would require quite a story.

 

Returning to the room, she frowned to find the group still there. “Audraya, we really must go. I do not consider it prudent to explain at this time, except to say that your life is in danger the longer you remain on this planet. At the very least we must leave this facility.” There was much that T’Aral had learned in her brief time among the staff, but it was enough to know that time was not in their favor. J’bba’s was a trap, and they needed to get out of it as soon as possible.

 

Crash winged a curious look at the CMO and raised an eyebrow. It wouldn’t due to speak of any concerns now, but TAral was very rarely that forward unless she had reason. Explanations could wait for when the lot of them returned to the Imperious.

 

She lowered her voice, making herself heard as best she could, leaning in to the gathered group. “Folks, I suggest we begin to haul out,” she nodded to TAral, “since our Palace guide has concerns.”

 

Crash glanced over her shoulder before speaking again. “I have some business to attend to. Sally, stay with Miss Audraya.” To the CMO, and still bypassing the use of real names she said, “Miss, thank you for the escort; will you continue to see to these two?”

 

She lowered her voice. “I expect y’all to be back aboard the ship before me.” That was an order, no negotiation.

 

Once “Lightwind’ was satisfied with her people’s acknowledgements, she moved away and melted into the crowd...

 

Audraya nodded at Crash’s subtle order. Tickling the back of her mind was something that her dear brother had mentioned..."Are you referring to your little Centauran toy Tifa? Oh yes, we know about her. How she really doesn't like being in space, or in combat situations. You always did like the little girls, Audraya...” And yet, Tifa was here, in a potential situation that none of them were truly suited for. Morohtar would get his revenge on his sister for threatening his life, and it would probably be through her. Audraya shuddered inside her robes, and it wasn’t caused by any sudden temperature changes. “Xal l'Phraktos xxizz jivviimir ilta,” she muttered in Low Kolari.

 

‘Sally’ was happily walking with Audraya, and she didn’t seem to care about anything else for the moment. Not even the fact she had to wear this silly outfit to get in. She had done what she came to do. She had her personal “Mission Complete.”

 

Noticing the shivers from Audraya, Tifa looked up at her. If anything it should have been Ms. Sugarsweet doing the shivering considering her getup. “Are you ok? You seem a bit quiet now.”

 

Audraya lowered her voice, just loud enough for Tifa to hear. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. As if we’ve got trouble coming up behind us. I should have asked Log’n or his two boys to come with us.”

 

A few hundred meters behind the group of women, Khy’ron and Dol’za looked at each other and smirked. All they needed to do was get the young looking Human girl separated from the rest of the party, and bring Audraya’s playtoy to their superior. Morohtar had a habit of finding pretty young things as well and breaking them, physically and mentally. If they pleased him and were pleasing to the eye, they were placed in his own harem--Human, Orion, Vulcan, it didn’t matter. If they failed to please him, they went to the Maze...and if they were lucky enough to survive that horror, mentally reprogrammed and sold to the slave markets. A neural neutralizer, invented by Dr. Adams and...acquired by the Black Kris from the Tantalus Penal Colony made the reprogramming that much easier and cost efficient. The Federation, in rescuing the that shipment of Vulcan colonists, had disrupted the Black Kris’s delivery schedule and inventory, and the Cartel was just now trying to fill that backlog. And it was the Morohtar’s bonuses, and Litasha’s profits, that were suffering from that loss of inventory.

 

T’Aral led them down a service passage she had scouted earlier. As she did so, she methodically removed spars from her satchel, locking them together. Within moments her lirpa was assembled, and she was more suitably armed. However, as they approached a final bend she motioned for the others to stop. Setting the lirpa aside, she turned a corridor to approach a guard. As he saw her and straightened she snapped out in a single fluid motion.

 

Most Vulcans did not approve of the more aggressive aspects of Suus Mahna, but T’Aral kept herself beyond such thoughts. All things had their place: in many cases the Navorkot was preferred, but to clear the corridor the lightning strikes of the Tykuonliep were best. Her right leg shot upwards, connecting the anterior of her foot with the guard’s temple. He was rendered unconscious instantly.

 

Stepping back, she gathered her lirpa and gestured to her companions. “Quickly, the exit is here.” The sooner they were all out of the ‘palace’ the better. They would have more room to maneuver in the back alleys of T’tooine than in these tight corridors.

 

Two oblong canisters were dropped from an overhead duct, landing close to the group; immediately, thick green colored clouds began seeping from the grenades to envelop the escaping officers.

 

As the green colored gas creeps it’s way up into the air, Tifa began to cough violently. “Wha...what...is...that....” Gradually, the little Ms. Sugarsweet began to get drowsy. Her walk turned into a crawl as she was getting heavy on Audraya’s arm.

 

T’Aral turned about as she heard the canisters fall. The green gas was a substance familiar to most Starfleet medical officers prepared for border duty: ‘Pea Soup’. It was a combination of substances: Klingon Theragrin, Orion neural paralizers, and a mixture of other exotic chemicals design to incapacitate a wide range of races without killing them.

 

While a human might find some relief in the fact that it wasn’t lethal or prone to long term effects, T’Aral knew that the trap had been sprung - in many ways attributed to her own incompetence. The need to get the others out of the building was even greater now, but the challenge had become extreme. Even as she reached out to pull Tifa and Audraya to the door, her own vision blurred, and every part of her body was becoming numb. Soon she was on her knees: focused on succeeding, yet increasingly aware that she would not do so.

 

Once the gas dissipated, Khy’ron and Dol’za came up on the slumbering Federation trio, as a third Orion dropped down from overhead, landing lightly in a crouch. “Azonia,” Khy’ron growled. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Making sure you two mental midgets completed your mission,” she replied. “You you two had used the gas canisters that Roma had developed for capturing live prey, then you would have had not only these three, but that older human female as well. And Comanche Creek would have been decapitated with capture of her captain, first officer, surgeon and communications officer.

 

“But nooooooo, you two estrua just had to let one of them get away. I don’t know why Morohtar keeps you two around. Besides for laughs. Now, take the female Vulcan and Human. Morohtar wants his sister to suffer, much to the Mistress’s ire...so, by the time Audraya wakes up, her Centauran toy will be on her way to the Maze.”

 

“What about Audraya?”

 

“Leave her,” Azonia ordered, as she crouched down and retrieved the Vulcan weapon.

 

“We could...break her and then leave her.”

 

“No, you fools. That would force her to regress into her mind. Audraya was never one to be successful at pleasing male clients when she was a slave. Morohtar wants his sister mentally sharp. He has plans for her.” She eyed the two males. “And that includes not touching Kvar or T’Aral.

 

“If they survive the Maze, then they’ll broken and sold. I hear Koloth is looking for a matched set of Federation playthings. And a Vulcan will ensure an exorbitant price on the block.

 

“Now, get moving before that simpleton Log’n comes sniffing around.”

 

 

Changing Tide

 

 

A familiar group of workers spilled out of the lifts that serviced the docking rings, a reminder that Aegis’ presence in the sector served more than the often-petty interests of Starfleet. They came from the Romulan mining ship Narada,one of many currently operating in the asteroid belt. Kirel stopped to let them pass, greeting their captain before moving on. He had proven himself a more than worthy adversary both at the gaming tables and in political conversation and Kirel had no doubt that he would be a formidable adversary on the field of battle. She silently thanked whatever force ruled the universe that he was an ally.

 

 

USS Kelvin survivors, 2233 & Starfleet Command, 2258> You have no idea.

 

(Nice log Captain C!)

 

 

For now... ::cues the foreboding music::

Comanche Creek will be running if there is sufficient players. Otherwise, have a safe, sane, sober holiday.

Update. Revised Next of Kin, History, Qualifications; added Other Skills

Audraya could hear the band warming up with Schwarze Augen in a swing tempo ((Schwarze Augen, Das Boot Soundtrack)). "It's almost time, Miss Audraya," T'Sunade said, as she tightened the Commander's corset laces. The Vulcan was always diligent in her duties as Audraya's dresser, in the brief time that the Orion has been singing and dancing at the club.

 

A knock was heard at the door, followed by it creaking open. "Miss Audraya, five minutes until the opening curtain."

 

"Thank you Skúter." The irony wasn't lost on the Orion...considering her callsign. A thought percolated through the back of her mind. Skúter needed lime green baseball jacket. Something to think about after the show.

 

"Anytime, Miss Audraya," the small orange-skinned alien replied, before closing the door.

 

"You're all done, Miss Audraya. I'll wait for you here."

 

Pulling the cloth of her bustle skirt close, Audraya left her dressing room,the distinct sounds of upbeat music coming from the stage. Scribbling a quick note to the band director, and passing it to a stagehand, she waited in the wings until the comedic duo of Ab't and Cost'llo finished their opening routine. The stage lights dimmed, plunging the stage and bar into darkness. She took her position center stage, as the orchestra began the intro to her lead in song...something different, and slightly darker than normal. Her encounter with Morohtar darkened her mood considerably. And her opening number reflected that change. ((Rain, from the Cowboy Bepop OST))

 

"I don't feel a thing

and I stopped remembering

The days are justlike moments turned to hours"

 

The spotlight came up, highlighting her, as she continued to sing, swaying slightly in tune with the music.

 

"Mother Used to say

if you want, you'll find a way

Bet mother never dancedthrough fire shower

 

"Walk in the rain, in the rain, in the rain

I walk in the rain, in the rain

Is it right or is it wrong

and is it here that I belong

 

"I don't hear asound

Silent faces in the ground

The quiet screams, but I refuse to listen

 

"If there is a hell

I'm sure this is how it smells

Wish this were a dream, but no, it isn't

 

"Walk in the rain, in the rain, in the rain

I walk in the rain, in the rain

Am I right or am I wrong

and is it here that I belong

 

"Walk in the rain, in the rain, in the rain

I walk in the rain, in the rain

Why do I feel so alone

For some reason I think of home"

 

There was scattered applause as the lights dimmed again. Her song definitely wasn't something they were expecting. As she returned to her dressing room to change for her next number, the stage manager intercepted her. "What was that?" A high spirited number from the band filtered to through the back of the theatre.

 

"Marv'n, what I sing is none of your business."

 

"Don't you take that tone with me, missy. I've been in this business 45 years."

 

"And? I've got genetics. Besides, they pay you to see me. And you'll recoup whatever you'll lose tonight in bar revenue." Which was true. The octopod bartender could easily have six different drinks being made at the same time, and put Bryan Brown and Tom Cruise to shame with his/her/its bottle acrobatics. "Now, if you'll excuse me,Marv'n, I need to change for my next number."

 

"We're not done here, Audraya," the club owner growled.

 

"Yes, we are. How many nights have I given you a packed house? I think that alone more than makes up for allowing me to sing what I choose to."

 

Closing the door behind her, Audraya sighed. "I swear I'm getting too old for this crap." The high paced tune began to end, as a stooped human comedian wearing grease pencil eyebrows and moustache began his stand up routine.

 

"What was that about, Miss Audraya?"

 

"Just me, getting old, T'Sunade," she replied, as her dresser helped her out of her current outfit. "And not catching a break. And no latex tonight. The ECU in the main room is barely functioning...like this one. Its too damn hot. The red gown tonight." T'Sunade nodded, and pulled out the gown, and helped Audraya into it. "Hopefully this'll be the last time of the night."

 

Skúter knocked and stuck his head back into Audraya's dressing room. Schwarze Augen filtered in from the stage. "Almost time, Miss Audraya."

 

"Thanks Skúter. Tell the band Mon Gars."

 

"Gotcha."

 

-=-

 

Audrayastood behind the curtain, an old carbon microphone before her. As the curtains opened, she began singing, in French, which had patrons scrambling for their translators, Mon Gars ((MonGars, DasBoot Soundtrack. And translation gratefully provided by Jed)).

 

"Come on buddy, life takes you up in its arms

a little ride, 1, 2, 3 a little shot you and I

It's not more difficult than that, only need to believe and here we are

It's all honey, all sky, dream and sunshine

 

"Come on buddy, come right here, Time doesn't wait

Come on buddy, come right here, as long as my arms are opened for you

Come on buddy, come right here time doesn't wait

Come on buddy, come right here hold me close

Kiss me

 

"Ah, how good is it to feel your hungry mouth on my neck

Ah, how crazy your wolf teeth on my knees (doesn't make more sense in french!)

Go for it darling, go all the way and all at once you big bad wolf

Don't be scared, I feel good, what a feast, come on

 

"Come on dear, come right here, Time doesn't wait

Come on dear, come right here, as long as my arms are opened for you

Come on dear, come right here time doesn't wait

Come on dear, come right here hold me close

Caress me

 

"Put your tools away, I already put out the fire,

A little ride, finished at once and thank you

I had told you, not for life, only for one night, a little craziness

Poor dear, you didn't understand, oh well

 

"Get on your way dear, time doesn't wait

Get on your way dear, there's other girls than me

 

"Get on your way dear, time doesn't wait

Get on your way dear, you'll forget me

Life goes on"

 

With the last note, the curtains closed. At least there wasn't a riot, although it sounded like one coming from the other side of the curtains. "They want an encore," Marv'n called from the wings.

 

"Ok...tell the band I'm Tired. And get those four stagehands into costume." Audraya said...and was, yeah, actually tired. As the band warmed up, the set dressers brought in a chaise, chair, and dressing divider. The curtain opened, and with opening bars, Audraya stepped out from behind the privacy divider. ((I'm Tired, Blazing Saddles))

 

"Here I stand, the goddess of Desire

Set men on fire

I have this power

 

"Morning noon and night it's drink and dancing

Some quick romancing

And then a shower

 

"Stage door johnnies always surround me

They always hound me

With one request

 

"Who can satisfy their lustful habits

I'm not a rabbit

I need some rest

 

"I'm tired

 

"Sick and tired of love

I've had my fill of love

From below and above

 

"Tired, tired of being admired

Tired of love uninspired

Let's face it

 

"I'mtired

 

"I've been with 1000's of men

Again and again

They promise the moon

 

"They always coming and going

Going and coming

And always too soon

 

"Right girls?

 

"I'm tired,

Tired of playing the game

Ain't it a crying shame

 

"I'm so tired

God dammit I'm exhausted

 

"Tired, tired of playing the game

Ain't it a crying shame

I'm so tired"

 

Four of the stagehands, dressed in period Prussian army costumes came out.

 

[soldiers:]

"She's tired (She's tired)

Sick and tired of love (Give her a break)

She's had her fill of love (She's not asnake)

From bellow and above (Can't you see she's sick)

Tired (She's bushed)

Tired of being admired (Let her alone)

Tired of love uninspired (Get off the phone)

She's tired (Don't you know she's pooped)"

 

[Audraya:]

"I've been with 1000's of men

Again and again

They sing the same tune

They start with Byron and Shelly

And jump on your belly

And bust your balloon

Aye!

 

"Tired, tired of playing the game

Ain't it a freakin' shame

I'm so...

Let's face it everything below the waist is kapput!"

 

[soldiers:]

"Tired!"

Audraya collapsed into the arms of the stagehands, and they carried her offstage, then back onstage to thunderous applause, then back offstage as the curtains came down one last time for the night.

 

----

 

Youtube searches:

 

Schwarze Augen, Das Boot Soundtrack

Rain, from the Cowboy Bepop OST, Female version (Sung by Mai Yamane)

Mon Gars, Das Boot Soundtrack

I'm Tired, Blazing Saddles

J'bba's Palace

Ankorhead, T'tooine

1530 local (2345 SFHQ)

 

Audraya sat in her dressing room, mopping a slight sheen of perspiration from her brow, her dressing gown open in an attempt to cool off. The room's environmental control unit wheezed in one wall, blowing barely cool air out of it. T'tooine, that "shining jewel" in the crown of the Orion Cartel was, to be frank, a desert wasteland. Moisture vaporators dotted the landscape, trying to pull out what little humidity there was in the air. J'bba's was a dump, but a well maintained dump. A "No Energy Weapons" policy was strongly enforced, especially by one particular bouncer. Log'n had a "throw out the door first, as questions later, and if you're dumb enough to continue, it's your funeral" philosophy. Granted, the neko-te (cat paw/claw) that could be consciously protruded from between his knuckles seemed to support that philosophy. The Augment was also the unofficial guardian of the girls that worked for J'bba along with his two lackeys, W'dje and B'ggs.

 

There was a knock at the dressing room door. "Miss Audraya, there's someone here to see you."

 

"Who is it, Juverna?" Audraya stood, pulling her dressing gown closed. "And get in here."

 

"He didn't say his name, but he's Orion, Miss Audraya, like you," Juverna replied, slipping into Audraya's dressing room.

 

Pursing her lips, Audraya looked at the waif of a girl. Juverna was a good girl, a bit clumsy but she was only 14 Standard years old, as far as Audraya or anyone else could tell.

 

"I take it, then, that Log'n cleared him."

 

"Yes, ma'am."

 

Audraya sighed. "Alright, go get him." As Juverna left, the Orion Starfleet Commander reached into her makeup table drawer, pulled out a Walther P5 Compact and slipped it into a pocket of her dressing gown. The 9mm pistol didn't violate the "No Energy Weapons" policy of the club, and still provided her with a level of protection should Log'n, W'dje or B'ggs not be around.

 

The door opened again. "Morohtar," Audraya hissed.

 

"Hello, dear sister," her brother snarled. "I'm surprised to see you here."

 

"If I'd known it was you, dear brother," the sarcasm was thick in her voice, "I'd have made sure to have Log'n gut you."

 

"Come, come. That isn't nice to speak of to your brother like that. Besides, this makes for a touching family reunion."

 

"That's bull and you know it, brother. Why are you here?"

 

Morohtar sat on the chaise, unbidden. "You never were one for small talk, sister. You forget, once a slave, always a slave. Your sale to Commander Wesley brought in a pretty credit." Audraya's flinch didn't go unnoticed. "Touched a nerve, did I? Oh yes, that's right. He died at the Battle of Vulcan. One of the first, I believe. Touching, in a way. Starfleet officers rushing to save a planet of logic-bound pacifists, only to sacrifice themselves attacking a vessel loaded with technology one hundred or more years advanced. Even that wunderkind Kirk and the vaunted Enterprise couldn't defeat Nero without the aid of future technology."

 

"I am not a slave, Morohtar, nor am I an animal. I'm a free woman, my own person. Bob Wesley released me, brother dear, of a life of servitude and adopted me into his family, where I was treated with more respect and compassion than by my own blood. His ideals and honor is what prompted me to join Starfleet. And despite my skin color, and what my own people do, I've found acceptance, honor, and even love here."

 

"Are you referring to your little Centauran toy Tifa? Oh yes, we know about her. How she really doesn't like being in space, or in combat situations. You always did like the little girls, Audraya, and I could cite chapter and verse on your bedro…" Morohtar trailed off, as there was a loud CLICK of a hammer being drawn back filling the dressing room. Well, it was either that or the fact that he was staring down the barrel of his sister's Walther, and her finger was on the trigger.

 

"You whipped me and beat me when I was under your 'care' as a slave, sold me to be used as a living, breathing sex toy, passed around males of various species from the time I hit puberty until the day you sold me. Is it any wonder why I find comfort in the arms of another woman? Give me one good reason why I should let you live, and not blow your brains all over the walls of this room.

 

"Can't think of any, can you? Get out of here. I'm not a cold-blooded killer. But if I ever see you again, I will kill you. And it won't be a simple, quick, clean execution. The human poet William Congreve penned a line that is most appropriate: 'Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a fury like a woman scorn'd'."

 

Her eyes tracked down, and she snorted. "Can't even control your bladder in the face of death, can you? You're pathetic, Morohtar. How you were even our overseer growing up is beyond me. Get lost, brother dear."

 

Audraya sat down heavily in her seat, decocking the pistol and sliding it back into the dresser drawer. Log'n stuck his head in her dressing room. "Everything alright, 'Draya?"

 

"Yes, it is, Log'n," she sighed. "Thanks for checking in."

 

"He do anything to ya?" There was an almost animalistic growl around the cigar clamped in his mouth.

 

"No...just reminded me of my past."

 

Log'n nodded. "We all have our skeletons, 'Draya. Best you not worry about that bub. I'll let B'ggs and W'dje keep him from coming in. And if he gets two pushy..." a three foot and a half metal coated claw slid out from between the middle and ring fingers on the Augment's right hand. "I'll just gut him like a fish. After all, I'm the best there is at what I do, but what I do best isn't very nice."

 

"Thank you, Log'n."

 

"Feh, think nothing of it, 'Draya. Besides, Mareena's not gonna like some other Orion family muscling in on her staff."

 

As Log'n closed the door, she gave the mirror a puzzled look. "Where have I heard that name before?"

Maggiano's Little Italy

Philadelphia, PA, USA

1630 local (1330 SFHQ)

 

Audraya had just settled down for an early dinner of some good old fashioned Italian food. It was something she had learned to love while growing up as part of the Wesley family in Pittsburgh and visiting Bloomfield, and missed while in deep space. Although the Science Department's garden may start to make up for that lack. The garlic and hot pepper in her linguine di mare tantalizing her taste buds, a glass of Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro chianti next to her plate. As she stabbed her fork into a particularly juicy mussel, she couldn't help but feel a shadow standing over her.

 

"Commander Wesley," the goon in a black uniform said more than asked.

 

"Yes," she replied, setting her fork down. "And just how do you know who I am?"

 

"Commander, just how many Orions are there in Philadelphia?"

 

"You have, unfortunately, a valid point. And an advantage over me, Mr?"

 

"You can call me Major Mulder, Commander, Starfleet Office of Special Investigations." Mulder pulled the empty chair across from Audraya and sat down, uninvited.

 

"May I offer you something, Major? A glass of wine or water? While you give me an explanation of why OSI tracked me down on my leave?"

 

"Commander, we have a special mission for you. One that requires your...special skill set."

 

"Major, if you stop speaking obliquely, I'm going to take this spoon and gouge out your heart, damn the consequences."

 

"Forgive me, Commander, but I can't speak out loud in public regarding this. Given the recent activity of certain elements within and without the Starfleet, you should understand. There will be a briefing packet delivered to your hotel room tonight."

 

"Major, I haven't said whether or not I will volunteer for this screwball assignment."

 

"Commander, there is no need. You have just been...what's that phrase from the early 21st Century? Ah yes...'volun-told'. Everything you will require to have will be in that briefing packet." Mulder stood, and pushed the seat back in. "Don't bother confirming this with your chain of command. This mission has the authority from the highest levels within the Starfleet.

"Good afternoon, Commander. Enjoy your meal," and with that, Major Mulder was out the door of the restaurant.

 

-=-=-=-=-

Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA, USA

2130 local (1530 SFHQ)

 

A knock at the hotel room door was followed by a more insistent knock...which managed to pull a sopping wet Orion commander out of her shower, and wrapped in a bathrobe. Opening the door, no one was there...except for a large parcel with a thick manila envelope sitting on it. Growling in Low Kolari, Audraya dragged in the parcel and envelope. Flopping on to her couch, she tore open the top of the envelope. Briefing flimsies slid out, along with a set of orders.

 

Commander Wesley:

You are required to meet the Centennial Hawk at Philadelphia Interstellar Spaceport for passage to T'tooine. Once there, you will apply as a dancer at J'bba's Palace...

 

 

"I am so going to kill Mulder when I get back from this mission. And whoever thought to do this to me. 'Special skill set' indeed."

It's about time SyFy made another Dune miniseries.

 

Have at it, VR

Starfleet Headquarters

San Francisco, CA

0830 Local

 

Audraya knelt in front of her father's grave marker, the breeze beginning to tear the fog away. She leaned forward and wiped away some of the grime that started accumulating. "Hi Dad. I know its been quite awhile, but we're out on the Rim. Border Patrol doesn't exactly get back into Earth Sector very often. No, its not like we can just drop in any time we want. Yes, I know. But we've been busy. The Cartels are taking advantage of the chaos caused by Nero. And, while I probably shouldn't mention this, but there've been some sort of power struggle within the Starfleet itself. I'm as shocked as you are. I figured on dealing with Romulans and Klingons and Orions ((oh my!)), but Starfleet? The very organization chartered to defend and uphold the Charter of the Federation? Its unreal.

 

"So, enough about work. I've been seeing someone again, a cute young brunette. You're probably going to want to come down and kick my ass, but its our communications officer. We're really into each other, and I'm happy again, and I think she's really happy with it too."

 

Smoothly, she moved out of her seiza position. "I need to go, I'm catching the transcontinental transporter in 20 minutes, to go see Mom and the boys. I'll send them your love."

Have at it

Thanks!

 

Took me a bit, but I found one that I hope is worthwhile ...

 

 

 

As seen at San Diego Comic Con...

 

 

Not quite a Kelvin...but more a "Blast from Scooter's Past" with the old Goshawk fighter; Scooter in an orbital power dive for WGR (Warren Grove Bombing Range):

 

Cockpit shot.

 

Wingman's view

(Alphasim's very nice F4D-1 Skyray doing double duty as the Goshawk fighter)

What format for stardates is most commonly used? I know that there is really no set standard, I am just curious to see what is most commonly used here.

 

Most of the advanced sims use a 5 digit number, usually XYYMM.DD, where X would be standard for TNG to Post Voyager timelines. Hood and Comanche Creek use the YYMM.DD startdate, since they're based in the TOS timeline, (Prime for Hood, JJ-verse for 'Creek). From what information I was able to glean from Star Trek (2009), the JJ-verse Stardate convention is 4 digit Year.Julian Day- so today would be SD 2011.192. Hope this helps, or increases your increases your confusion.

Comanche Creek will not sim 4 July. Have a safe, sane, sober holiday folks.

I've no problem with it.

Since its been over a month, and Sovak seems to have forgotten all about this, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with Sumo, with T'Aral a close runner up.

 

Take away, Sumo.

 

I just wanted to throw this up here and see if anyone had any comments about the idea and topic. I know there are those who are just yearning for the day that starships can blast across the galaxy at FTL speeds, but the likelihood of that in the near future is certainly slim-to-none.

 

 

Only if something (Star Destroyer/ha'tak/NX-01/etc.) falls into our laps. :D

A 'Duh’ moment has been considering a zombie virus infected Rottweiler dog as the captain’s pet, but Commander Wesley wouldn’t let me bring him on board during the undead mission. Thank you Scooter

 

Damn skippy, Crash. I don't need an undead rottie rotting in the corridors of my ship.

Click. Click. Click. Click. The sound of an adjustable metal cane bearing weight had become a recent background sound in the past month, as the owner of the cane walked through the corridors of the ship. It couldn't be called stalking, since the cane takes away the body language needed. Of course, the cane also improved the Commander's reach. Some pros, some cons. Both sides of the coin to be considered.

Audraya made her way, stalking as best as she could with the cane, towards the lift that would take her back up to the bridge. Crash had yet to be seen, but the XO just chalked it up either a really late night down in the back alley establishments of New Topeka, or wanting to sleep in. Of course, the Orion's mind wasn't on what was going on with Crash, but how efficient the grapevine on the Creek was—especially with the small size of the crew, they were more family than bureaucratic organ. She'd heard whispers of rumors about her and Tifa in the open mess. Normally, she was above such rumors, but after the disaster on Wei, she really didn't need such grief. With Tifa, Audraya had found a sense of contentment that had been lost since the Battle of Vulcan; her nightmares about that disaster had been diminished. Of course, there were also rumors abounding about Commander Spock and Lt Uhura on the fleet flagship, but it was interesting that it wasn't James “Tomcat” Kirk that wasn't factoring in them. Other than he'd been busy with a girl in every port.

The lift doors opened, Ens. Philips still at the communications station, which was to be expected, since Tifa was still getting ready in Audraya's quarters. The Orion's eyebrow quirked up when she saw two new officers sitting at the navigation console.

One officer, a tall female human Marine warrant, had turned at the soft swoosh of the lift door opening. As soon as the commander stepped out, she snapped to attention, eyes front, but her peripheral vision brought home the damage that what some casually called a “hit” could do. Cass put her bets on a mine, given the area and extent of the damage.

At the helm sat a young man who was cheerfully whistling while reviewing the controls. The tune was known as either ‘Whistle Stop’ or the ‘Hamster Dance’ tune - depending on who you asked. Ensign Shan Shalin had come across this old song during his time at Starfleet Academy, and he had never quite been able to let it go. At least, he couldn’t let it go without taking hold of another song, such as ‘Merry-Go-Round Broke Down’. Perhaps it was his Argelian heritage, but if he wasn’t wholly occupied with some task he couldn’t help whistling, humming, or otherwise finding some way to amuse himself. That was, after all, the point of life for an Argelian - to enjoy one’s self as much as possible.

Click. Click. Click. Click, went the cane against the deck of the bridge, as Audraya limped her way to the command pit. Her eye quirked. An Argelian, who appeared to be humming, and a Marine warrant occupied the nav console. Audraya sighed internally. Well, new crew was always appreciated, considering they’ve lost more than they gained in the past year. Somehow it seemed to her that Starfleet was beginning to consider Creek a ship of fools. Let’s hope they last longer than our last four officers. She turned, and limped her way towards the front of the bridge, she could feel the eyes of the blond Marine tracking her as she made her way around the command pit.

As the Commander made her way about the bridge, the tapping of her cane eventually caught Shan’s attention. Stiffening quickly, he made a point of checking his status board: phaser charge, torpedo chamber status, impulse and warp engines, thrusters, auxiliary reactor output, battery charge … the works. They were still docked, so everything was on standby and nothing was happening. It was best to be ready for launch, though, just in case a squadron of pirates warped in out of nowhere.

The thought gave Shan a shiver. While it was true that he was far too ambitious for life as just another Argelian, it was also true that he had never actually targeted a ship with living beings in it before. He occasionally excelled in the Academy, but everything in the Academy was a simulation: he had never killed, and he didn’t know if he had it in him or not. He did his best to calm the shake, remembering a mantra Sadun had taught him. Starfleet does not kill - it defends. That lives may be lost in the process is regrettable, but the lives saved by our actions shall certainly outnumber them. The needs of the many must always outweigh the needs of the few, or the one. The memory was reassuring; Vulcans always had a practical way of approaching problems. Maybe not the right one, but always practical.

Looking over the readouts on the main screen, and noting that everything was in proper order, including a note that one of the ship’s Tomcats was back, she turned, and fixed violet eyes on the new officers. “Welcome aboard the Comanche Creek. I’m Commander Audraya Wesley, the executive officer. I’m not one for long winded welcoming speeches, but I will let you know that we tend to run into some rather...unique situations in the Border Patrol. Its to your advantage to be able to be flexible...to have an anything goes approach to the situations we may encounter.”

Shan listened intently, stifling his own internal dialogue. ‘Anything goes’ was an approach he would most certainly not take, because for a helmsman that wasn’t true. Training for ship piloting in the Academy took two separate branches. Attack ship pilots were trained to push their ships and themselves beyond their limits; they were to do the impossible. For shuttle and starship pilots, on the other hand, everything was about grace and elegance. Technique was about getting the feel for subtly maneuvering 900 kilotons well enough to stop it all on a dime. Weapons control had one purpose: to fire at what the Captain wanted, when she wanted it. Shan was a helmsman - his job was to follow all legal orders, not to come up with his own clever way of solving a problem.

“The Chinese have a saying, that is both curse and blessing--’May you live in interesting times.’ Since Nero, we have, indeed, been living in interesting times.” Especially on this ship, she added mentally. Her eyes twitched to the blond sitting at the Nav station.

Cass waited patiently for the commander’s eyes to fall on her, letting her know an introduction was in order. “Warrant Officer Cassidy Granger, ma’am. Navigation.” To the rest she reserved comment.

“Welcome aboard, Ms. Granger.” Marine...joy. Here’s to hoping Crash and I aren’t bailing her out of Wiley E’s brig every shoreleave. Or any brig for that matter. Memories of her time with 2d/Bravo, 3/113 Marines flashed behind her eyes...and usually having to bail out her platoon members on the Fed controlled towns on Sherman’s Planet. “I hope we won’t be having any problems while you’re under our command.”

Taking that to mean problems with navigation, she replied, “My hope as well, ma’am.”

Audraya noticed that Tifa had just entered the bridge and relieved Philips. She withheld her grin, and shifted her gaze to the Ensign at helm.

Shan shifted uncomfortably, suddenly realizing that the commander’s eyes were locked on him. His attention had been drawn to the Navigator when it dawned on him that she was a Marine. It had been the one compensation that he thought a starship bridge assignment would give him: not having to work with Marines directly. He had encountered more than enough of them during his shuttle and patrol ship assignments, and still bore a bruise from his last encounter with one.

“Ensign Shan Shalin, Ma’am.” He didn’t bother identifying his assignment - the fact that he was brash enough to sit at the Helm station of a starship should have made the fact that he had orders to do so. Otherwise his next seat would be a nice, smoothly polished bunk in the ship’s brig.

“Welcome aboard, Mr. Shalin. Again, let’s hope your tenure aboard will be free of problems aboard.”