Brian Graham

I am not a Bolian but my skin is blue, so I figured that was enough to at least post. *Topic Hijack Warning* So, not very many Bolians, how about Andorians?

Another interesting quality of the turbolift is that it times its route so that arrival time coincides with the ending of the conversation in the turbolift.

Chief Security Officer’s Duty Log Lt. Cmdr. Brian Graham Recording USS Excalibur Stardate 200508.01 Brian sat on his knees and looked down at the unconscious figure before him, then stole a look back at the group moving along the path. There was no doubt, the “prisoners” with the tattered clothes were identical to the uniformed officer laying in the dirt, the officer that they had been interacting since his rescue from the wreckage of the Novgorod. It didn’t make any sense… Wrong! Brian’s instincts yelled, seemingly clubbing Brian’s uncomprehending brain with the explanation clearer than Tamarian crystal. Years of Starfleet Academy security training and indoctrination of seeing the worst possible scenario kicked in, unfolding a plot in his mind’s eye as all the information that had been gathered on this planet alone fit into place, and then added plausible extrapolations of his own. Baund, a Starfleet officer, lone survivor of a crashed Federation ship, miraculously rescued from a lonely death by the Excalibur. Such a situation has happened before, but now there is a whole slew of Baund’s on another planet light years away from where the crashed ship was layed to rest. A planet controlled by Romulans, the prize from an aggressive preemptive land grab. And, this planet does not only have Romulans, but a representative of the Hundred, an offshoot of the Dominion, a government built and maintained through the use of cloning technology. And now, it appears that such technology is not used only for Jem’Hadar and Vorta. Capable now of breeding infiltrators of other governments, able to seamlessly blend into the ranks. They pass the only test Starfleet has been able to devise, the blood test, because they aren’t Founder’s impersonating officers but actual officers with that species’ permanent biology. And now the Romulans are in collusion with the Hundred, taking full advantage of this tool the Hundred has developed for them. Hundred…developed… The Hundred Loyalists have access to cloning technology! They can build their up their own military without having to resort to defecting Jem’Hadar and Vorta from the Dominion. As long as they can support those forces and keep them hidden (which apparently, they have become quite good at) they have an unlimited supply for their war machine which could rival the Dominion, if used in conjunction with the Romulans. And possibly more… True, who knows how many different governments were in on this plot, a plot that may not stop with the Dominion, as the appearance of Federation sleepers has become realized. This changes everything, meaning there is … His thoughts were brutally interrupted mid-sentence when a hand forcefully clamped onto his right shoulder. “Surrender!” came the order. Outmaneuvered! Brian realized. Paying no heed, Brian grabbed the wrist and forearm attached to the hand on his shoulder. Tugging with all he had, the figure was caught off balance and landed on his back in front of Brian. The visual wasn’t totally recognized by Brian until after he had driven his open palm into the uninvited guest’s forehead. Unconscious now, not a threat, but the features unmistakable. Pointed ears, pointed eyebrows, distinctive broad shouldered uniform, not Vulcan. Romulan! Brian moved to get up and spin around to face the additional attackers that certainly were there, but never had the chance. Something hard and unyielding made direct contact with the back of his head, which was not as hard and unyielding as the object, and stole Brian’s thoughts away, sending him into darkness.

Plus, if you get boarded, you're stuck in your seat and easily dispatched.

Chief Security Officer's Duty Log Lieutenant Commander Brian Graham Recording USS Excalibur Stardate 200507.16 The beamdown and been pretty uneventful as far as Brian was concerned. They had made it to the coordinates they needed to, Chen was able to get everyone onto the planet safely and the team was now making their way to the Romulan garrison, about five kilometers away. The trick was to get there without being spotted. At this point that danger was remote, as they were far enough from the base that a foot patrol wasn't practical. However, statistically, the danger of Romulan eyes (or disruptor beams) finding the awayteam increased with every step the awayteam took toward the Romulans. Scanners shouldn't be too much of a problem either. The environment the Romulans put their base in was thoroughly jungle. This allowed for the unprecedented amount of wildlife which provided enough natural sensor noise to pretty much mask their whereabouts. Covert insertion, covert reconnaissance, covert extraction, foreign powers, license to kill. It was practically a James Bond movie that Brian had watched with his dad in the years of his adolescence up until he had left home for Starfleet. Being a devout admirer of the days when "Rule Britannia" and "For Queen and Country" were still household terms, before "that whole Earth unification business" his father had put it became reality, Brian temporarily reflected on those days, pretty much summed up by the old Union Jack flag in the front lawn and the way the Bond collection practically had a spot at the dinnertable. Though the Bond stuff didn't really catch his attention till he was about 15 seeing as the plots were a little too involved and the movies too long to hold his attention, after that they were always something to look forward to watching at home on breaks from the Academy and catching up on things with his dad before the break would end and he would head back to San Francisco. It was those images of the fictional series that somewhat invaded his mind at the moment, except for the fact that he was in a Starfleet uniform instead of a tux, carried a Type I phaser instead of a PP7 pistol, was walking instead of driving an Aston Martin, and the only woman for miles was Doctor Delgado. Arg, get back to reality, Brian berated himself for the irrelevant piece of nostalgia. If he didn't keep his thoughts on the here and now the repercussions could be unthinkable. The things that would transpire in the next few hours could end up in the Academy History classes of the future alongside Pearl Harbor or the Tiernar V Confrontation. Good heavens, if there's an Academy left after this... More thoughts to be banished. Everyone on the awayteam would do their utmost to prevent such a thing and behind them every person in the Federation if the worst did happen. Such was the truth surrounding such things as galactic espionage. Moments before, as the team had been planning, Brian had looked at everybody just to remember who was with him as well as to get some perspective over what was at stake. He had been trained to be a protector, it was his duty, and with Brian, nothing came before duty. Just to remind himself, he had mentally cycled through everybody. Chen, of all the people here, Chen was the one Brian worked with the most so far. Mostly because the current mission had required the coordination of Science and Security. Irregardless, Brian respected the guy, despite some of the prejudices he had encountered at the Academy. The Science cadets tended to look down on most of the other divisions, especially Security. Many a lounge brawl was broken up with a blue-tinted uniform in one corner and a gold-tinted uniform in the other corner. Situation was always the same too, Science guy had thrown some words, something about sub-standard cranium or whatever, but Security guy had thrown the first punch. Brian had heard the same story a thousand times the semester he did his Security internship his final year and grew to dread Saturday nights. Sometimes he just saved time and waited outside the lounge instead of waiting for the call to show up. Delgado, showed up at the last minute, but it never hurt to have a Doctor around on a mission like this. All Brian had seen of her was routine check-ups and attention from work-related Security dealings and the occasional Senior Staff meeting. Not much to go on with her personally, but her profession said a lot. Doctors, despite doing a job that was completely opposite of his, were an admirable corps. Usually non-combatants, they still went into combat for the purpose of helping those who did and putting themselves in the same dangers just because they wanted to help people. It had been done for centuries and would be done for centuries more. Their field of study was pretty intense and they usually just went through the motions of combat training, passing but giving it the least attention just because it went against practically all they stood for. Then there was Baund. Brian knew the least about him since they had only met when Baund had been rescued, and at that time Brian had considered him a threat, just because there was the possibility. Even though he had no real knowledge of him, and hadn't got to know him, Baund wore the uniform and that was all Brian needed to care. If the Romulans did injure, or worse, kill any of the awayteam, Brian would tear them all to pieces, and enjoy it. Well, at least till the disruptor beams hit me. That would be how it would end, but Brian wanted to take a few with him. Leaving the violent and impulsive thoughts behind, Brian continued to move through the assorted branches and undergrowth making up the path, hoping the last five minutes of his brain wanderings were just that.

=/\=Chief of Security's Citation=/\= Starfleet Officer EJ Pilot has completed certification trials for the Excalibur's defensive and offensive systems (Tactical). As required, he meets the criteria to fill in on this post if such action is warranted.

Reed: Starfleet Regulation 34 sub-paragragh 3 specifically states... ::pauses then tosses book behind shoulder:: Ahh, what do books know.

That analysis could rival even Data.

They must not have done that in my district. They never made me say the Pledge the whole time I was in public school, though they did have it every morning I just stood there....actually, kind of like what I do on Excalibur... Kidding, I do work, I do work.

This has the potential for a Calvin and Hobbes moment. Bill Watterson, please come out of retirement and take advantage of this moment!!

Kirk: ::annoyed:: Uhura? Uhura: Yes Captain? Kirk: ::annoyed:: Did you put this plant on my head?

"Performing the Impossible. What else?" A Chen and Graham Joint Venture USS Excalibur Star date 200506.21 Moments after the intriguing events that unfolded in space over the Romulan-occupied planet in the Gamma Quadrant, Commander Corizon wanted concrete information as to what was happening down there. That could only mean an away team, on a planet, filled with Romulans, armed with disruptors. But the trick was getting down there without the away team, or Excalibur being detected. This fun task fell to Zack Chen and Brian Graham, either because the Commander thought them capable, or hated them. Brian and Zack hadn't decided which was the more prominent factor, but sincerely hoped it was the former. They had moved from the Bridge to the conference room, mostly because it was easier to concentrate without the numerous noises characteristic of a Federation starship bridge, but also when their idea didn't work, no one could know about the failures, instead only the final product; if the thing would present itself. After close to thirty minutes of offering several proposals, each being shot down by the other or by the one making the proposal by the characteristic stopping in mid-idea and saying, "Wait that won't work," both would grumble in frustration, and the exercise would repeat. Things were not going well, and at the moment, both would have settled on jumping out a window with a parachute to make the trip to the ground. And already they had talked about calling sickbay to get something for the headaches that were beginning to manifest themselves. Zack had long since got up and was continuously pacing the conference room. He repeated the problem, hoping it would conjure fresh ideas. "A huge Warbird is out there and we have to sneak past it." Brian was still sitting at the conference table. Sitting in the third chair from the head of the table, sitting on the side facing the windows, Brian looked out across the spatial void, except when said void was interrupted by Chen's form as he made another lap. They were getting nowhere, so Brian thought maybe starting at the beginning again would help. "Alright, what are our options? It's either shuttlecraft or the transporters, so it's just those two." "Right," Chen said, still pacing. "Those are probably the only ways of getting off this ship." Chen stopped suddenly, "unless we take Excalibur in." Brian could see Corizon's reaction to that idea and he suddenly felt ill. "Ooh, I don't think the Commander will like that idea." Chen stopped the pacing that he had resumed again. "Probably not," he said as he manipulated one of the consoles on the table, activating a viewscreen on the wall. He brought up an image of the planet and the Warbird's position relative to the spatial body. "Ok, a shuttlecraft would be immediately detected, so that's out. Do you know of any way we can use the transporters without being caught?" Brian asked. Zack felt his legs go numb, either because he had been pacing too long or Graham having given him another problem to deal with. Sitting down across the table from Graham. "Well, to transport we'll have to drop the shields and deactivate the cloak, which would not be good at all. Did the Commander have an exact location on where to go?" Now it was Brian's turn to have an additional question thrown at him. Brian considered opening a window to let some of the questions floating around the room out, but the thought of being blown into space killed that idea. Besides, starship windows didn't have a way of opening. Thinking back to what the Commander had said, Brian replied, "No, he didn't specify. Though since the planet is occupied, just about anywhere would suffice. Probably somewhere near a Romulan garrison, but outside the base's sensor range. From a staging area, it will be easier to determine the Romulans' armament and disposition." With that to go on, Chen needed more information. "Computer, display Romulan-controlled territory on the planet's surface." The computer chirped and complied, showing the topography and shading the areas where the Romulans were. The current view showed the northern hemisphere of the planet. Chen looked over the display. "Ok." Pointing to two regions on the display, Chen commented, "Like all sensors, they can't penetrate deep rock, like these two places here. Otherwise, they see about half of the planet with no problem. Well, that certainly narrowed down the possibilities Brian mused. "Alright, so we have two options for insertion. Now we just need transportation." Chen sighed. "Well, first of all it's going to be difficult to slip by that Warbird and drop our cloak unless we can come up with some reasonable distraction." Chen looked on the display again. "That ship is currently holding position, and it's not in orbit. So, if we can keep them there, we might be able to slip over to the opposite side of the planet, transport an away team down, and get out without them ever knowing." Chen stood up to pace again. "Though I do wish we had a cloakable shuttle." Brian thought about it, and the idea seemed feasible. "We might be able to persuade the Klingons." That thought was interrupted, "Bother, it would show up once it started to enter the atmosphere though." That meant they came back to Excalibur slipping by. "How about those Romulans on the planet, would they be able to detect Excalibur even if that Warbird can't see us?" Chen grumbled, "Good point, they would likely be able to." Brian switched gears back again. "Fine, but you might be on to something with that shuttle idea. We won't be able to use on that cloaks, but shuttles do have their own transporters, and their energy signature is far smaller than a Sovereign-class starship." Chen immediately snapped his fingers as he mulled over the possibilities in his mind. "That's right! And we don't have to drop our cloak to deploy a shuttle. If the shuttle can just get clear of the Excalibur, transport the team, and then re-enter the docking bay, they wouldn't show up as more than an optical illusion or some minor subspace noise!" It seemed settled, as long as the shuttle would appear as anything more. "Sounds great. How long would we have to get the shuttle out, transport, and get it back before we turned into an actual thing instead of an illusion?" Chen picked up one of the PADD's scattered on the table and did some calculations, factoring in sensor gathering, data processing, computer display, Romulan reflexes, and shuttle energy output involving engines and transport. "I'm glad this is a planet since the transmission of sensor data will be slower. I'd say we have about ten to fifteen seconds to do this since their sensors would pick us up in about twenty. It will be close." "15 seconds, huh?" Real close, Brian thought, considering the operations involved, but it could work. "Alright it can work, as long as there isn't a Warbird somewhere else on the side of the planet we need to be. If there is one cloaked, would they pick up the shuttle faster?" "Yeah. Haven't thought of that," Chen said, almost throwing the PADD away in frustration, but instead he just put it back on the table. Brian leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and covered his face with his hands. "I am really starting to hate the Romulans." Brian had never really liked them, but this strong negative emotion was getting more prominent with each throb of his aching temples. Chen started his pacing again to combat the frustration. "Hide and seek. It's all about who decloaks first." The idea had come along so far, and Brian didn't want to throw it away and start all over again. "Ok, ok, we have a way down there. We have a method of doing it, we just have to give that shuttle more time and keep it hidden without a cloaking device." "Thanks Brian, don't make it sound too simple," Chen quipped, testament to the difficulty of figuring out that one. Brian let it pass without firing a jab back, besides Chen hadn't given him much ammunition to use against him. Instead, he had an idea, "Hey, what's the engine output of a Romulan Warbird?" Chen was confused at this piece of irrelevant trivia, and it was too broad a question for a definite answer. "Output as in warp speed or sub light?" "More like orbit speed" "Hmm, regular orbit speed for this planet at about 8000 kilometres in altitude. Approximately 28,000 kilometers per hour. Why?" Brian did not want to know how Chen had just done all that in his head, but answered, "Well, I asked because I remembered my Senior AP Pilot class at the Academy. On the Io course near Jupiter I followed the lead too close. His engine wash blinded my sensors so I had to back off really quick so I could get my bearings back. I lost points for that dumb move too, but with that, do you think that a shuttle could hide in the engine trail of the Warbird?" "Oh definitely. Engine backwash for a ship that size would be pretty great." "Ok, now we might have something. Look at this." Brian said as he typed away at a console. He brought up a starboard view of a Romulan Warbird and had the computer display and highlights the engine trail. A cone unfolded behind the Warbird with different sections colored to indicate the respective energy output in relation to distance from the Warbird. "So, if we can get the Excalibur close enough so a shuttle could leave and get right in that engine trail, it should be able to stay there without being detected. Could it do that, or would its energy signature from the transporters be too strong?" Chen studied the model for a moment. "It could hide in there if Excalibur doesn't hit the Warbird and we stay out of the engine trail. If we get mixed up in it, it will interfere with the cloak." Chen brought up the wave emission on a sine-analyzer. "Computer, bring up Excalibur issued transporter and cloak frequencies and overlay that data to the current analysis." The computer overlapped the corresponding information onto one graph. "Drat," Chen lamented, seeing the display. "It would really interfere with the cloak." Chen indicated the fluctuations displayed on the graph. "The frequency is halved inverse with our own. But Engineering may be able to fix that." Brian now could picture Crispin's reaction. "More work for Crispin? He's not going to like that. Himself and his whole staff will probably be working like mad while this operation is being carried out." Chen thought about that too. "Yeah, but look who gave us the impossible task first, not to sound disrespectful, of course," Chen added, hoping the room hadn't been bugged. "Once our cloak frequencies directly equal that with a slightly smaller amplitude, we probably can do this. At least it's an option. Neat idea Lt. Graham." Brian almost laughed at the statement, considering he had almost failed his exam when he had done that manoeuvre a few years ago, and that grade had cost him a few slots into where he had graduated in the class. "Well, the idea almost got me an F a few years ago." Brian suddenly thought of another aspect of this stunt. "How about the transporter, will it be able to operate through all that interference the Warbird will be putting out?" Chen thought a moment. "They should be able to. Yeah, they would." Chen quickly double-checked the transporter specifications of the shuttlecraft. "The team would be limited to about five people. Anything larger would be pushing it." Brian was relieved that it could be done; their idea had come too far to be ruthlessly murdered by a transporter limitation. "Sounds great, the Heisenburg Compensators will probably be pulling overtime during the transport. The away team would be able to make it back too right?" Brian quickly asked, hating the thought of being stranded on a planet full of armed Romulans. "That depends on the situation when they want to return. If it's not too tight, there shouldn't be a problem hopefully." "Yeah, that's the keyword of the day. I guess we'll be sure when the team transports down. Maybe we should limit the transport operation to groups of two. That way we won't tax the transporters too much doing the whole team at once." Chen concurred with the precaution. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. We'll know what the Commander thinks of this idea soon enough..." Brian sighed. "Well, I hope he likes it because that's the best we have come up with." "Yeah," Chen agreed, "but I've got a bad feeling about this."

Yeah, a culture that worships Andorians. Ha-cha-cha!!! Hey, I'm here all night folks!

Chief of Security's Log Lt. Brian Graham Recording USS Excalibur Stardate 200506.08 Brian was still sitting in one of the chairs surrounding the Round Table, listening to all of the conversation going on around him. There was a lot of news being reported, however none of it was good. Romulan treachery (figures), Vorta underhandedness, Vorta death, Klingon aggression. Jeez, does everyone decide to kill each other whenever the Excalibur is not around? Thoughts began flashing through Brian's head. Some he was able to swell on, others just presented themselves and then moved along for others to take thier place. The Romulans. How could they expect to carry out an extensive campaign on the Dominion's side of the galaxy? Especially when this, so far, appeared to be a unilateral undertaking? Heck, even the Dominion had made alliances and pacts instead of taking on the Alpha Quadrant by itself. The Romulans must have something brilliant planned, because Brian doubted the Klingons would let the Romulans expand. The Federation...that could go either way. having just come off of an extensive conflict, the Federation Council may oppose any conflict. On the other hand, if the Romulans made any move toward any Federation territory, they would undoubtably get involved. The Federation may not even wait for that, since this overly aggressive posture was not acceptable, at least to Brian it was not, and he didn't occupy any seat in the Federation Council. Then there was the Dominion. Perhaps with their trouble with the Hundred, the Romulans gambled that the Dominion would not get involved. But Brian beleived that there was no way the Dominion would tolerate this kind of behavior from an Alpha Quadrant power. It had already been difficult getting them to agree to allow the Allies to use the Avalon system, and that was through negotiation, not distruptors. They had even responded violently to the colonies that founded whent eh wormhole was first discovered. Therefore, the Romulans had to face a war on two fronts, minimum, and Brian hated to admit it, but that was a pretty tall order, even for the Federation. The Romulans may have dug in one the one planet they were able to take, but the Dominion still commanded a formidible force in this quadrant, and if they could mobilize it entirely, the Romulans would have a difficult time holding on. But if the Dominion did get involved, Brian hoped they wouldn't use this as an excuse to clear everybody out of the Gamma Quadrant. The death of a Dominion administrator at the hands of a Klingon, preepmtive seizures by the Romulans; if the Dominion felt this wasn't working, they'd close the Gamma Quadrant for business if foreigners got too annoying. Unless there was more to it than Romulan plans for territory, power, and glory. This didn't sit right. What did the Romulans hope to gain? How could they expect to make any headway in a conflict with the Dominion, in their home territory even. Unless this really wasn't a Romulan decision. Brian reflected on the Founder's ability to sway public opinion of their enemies to make them do what they wanted, placing operatives, even sometimes in the upper echelons of the governments, to influence others to suit thier ends. Brian wasn't sure if the Dominion was involved in this. The Hundred seemed more likely. Perhaps the Allies were getting close to finding them, and wanted to lose the pusuers. They knew the Dominion couldn't find them on their own, otherwise they would not have allowed the Allies to aid them in the search. Turning the Allies against one another would break the partnership, possilby convincing the Dominion to make the newcomers leave, taking the Hundred back to the situation it had been dealing with before, just concentrating on their activites aginst the Dominion without the interference of these Alpha Quadrant solids. It was only a theory, of course, and may not be what was happening at all. He shouldn't let his imagination run away too much, and keep everything in practical terms. In fact, this whole operation may be a 100% Romulan controlled initiative, in which case the situation was just made worse.

A Joint Duty Log brought to you by Lt. Chen and Lt. Graham USS Excalibur Stardate 200506.03 Brian Graham walked through the corridors of Excalibur. He was currently en route to Main Engineering where Chen was working on some of the equipment he and Cougar had salvaged from the Novgorod. The mission had gone quite well. No renegade Jem’Hadar, the ship was neutralized, and they had rescued a survivor, a Lt. jg Baund. More would have to be done with him later, though Brian doubted he would have much to offer. The poor guy had been marooned for quite awhile. Plus, as a bonus, this mission Brian had been able to breathe normally the whole time, which is always an added plus. Brian turned a corner and was met by the twin doors leading into Engineering. Not stopping, Brian walked as the doors opened and he stepped into the large room, confronted by a mass of engineers all going about their duties. Brian stopped and scanned the room for Chen, since he didn’t want to have to do an orbit around the room. Spying the distinctive blue of Chen’s uniform in the sea of yellow, Brian made his way over. Chen was hunched over a console, scrolling his eyes over the data the console was displaying. Sensing someone stopping near him, Zack looked up to see the distinctive Andorian features that could only be his colleague Brian. “Hey there,” Chen began, “like the crowd? It must be an engineer’s party of something. It had been pretty quiet a moment ago.” Brian looked back at everyone walking around, checking workstations, typing commands, performing maintenance, etc, etc, and etc. “Yeah, Lt. Xavier keeps his people pretty busy.” Brian returned his attention to Chen. “How about you, how are you making out?” “Well…” Chen said, and turned around, gesturing to the dissected modules laying on the table, surrounded by numerous PADD’s all displaying all sorts of notations. On top of that, there were sticky notes everywhere. Brian was surprised these things still existed, but he figured that when there are Replicators, there is a way. “Cougar and I were able to extract the data in usable form.” Brian was still stunned by the plethora of materials laid out on the work station. “Great, how did you manage that?” From what Brian saw, the data looked like it had been dragged out of the modules, kicking and screaming. But that was dumb since data didn’t do that. Chen gestured to each step of the process, giving the commentary of how each operation was accomplished. “Hmm, well this computer terminal extracted the raw data into this segmented info recorder. Then…well, it gets complicated after that. Basically, the data is checked for errors, blah blah blah, uncoded segments are deleted, and the finished data is transferred to the PADD here.” Chen gestured to the PADD sitting off all by itself. Brian relieved Chen had told the short story, was impressed with the work involved. “Great, so what have you been able to find out? Oh, and I don’t tell me you need anything else, because we have already gotten rid of the Novgorod.” Chen shrugged, “No, that’s fine. Pretty much that hulk of metal is trash material. From what the logs have told us, Novgorod was indeed attacked by a squadron of Jem’Hadar fighters. The polaron blast residue confirms that. The Captain maintains through his logs that the ship was scouting the area for Dominion activity.” Brian nodded, “That reinforces the data Starfleet sent us on the ship’s mission. I guess it is pretty obvious they found some Dominion activity.” Chen sighed and shook his head at the comment, “There newer technology wasn’t a match for brute force apparently.” “It wouldn’t be,” Brian replied, still looking at all the stuff. He remembered studying about Norway-class vessels, as well as a whole mess of other vessels in the Advanced Starship Recognition and Capabilities class at the Academy he took in his third year. “Norway-class vessels aren’t combat oriented. Mostly science and diplomacy, and the already advanced sensor capability they were outfitted with was a likely choice to get augmented and make them a candidate for the mission. But yeah, they still could have used some better weapons.” “Indeed,” Chen replied, looking at a PADD that contained some data on Novgorod’s condition. “The battle didn’t even end in space, but they did put up a nice fight. They were able to dodge the fighters to a rocky planet near the initial battle when, then, well…they pummeled planetside.” “Yeah, that much is evident. The Jem’Hadar vessels must have assumed the ship destroyed then? Since the ship wasn’t found, it couldn’t be salvaged.” “That…is the mystery. Normally they would pursue the ship the ship below, check for any survivors and take them prisoner. However, we have no evidence that they did or didn’t. For one, there were no other crew alive and their bodies weren’t around to be seen when we were there. Another, the Jem’Hadar’s sensor lock on the ship would sure be lost if the ship separated into a couple of pieces, which it did. That leads me to conclude that most of the crew died or vaporized on impact and the Jem’Hadar left the scene quickly.” “That conclusion seems accurate, based on the number of grave markers we saw, vaporization of the majority of the crew explains why there weren’t as many as the crew’s manifest would suggest.” Chen nodded at the morbid facts of the situation. “Terrifying experience for the man. I would think his nerves would be a little fried now. Brian nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I would hate to be the Counselor that would have to tackle all that emotional baggage. Dr. Delgado will more than likely give him a psych evaluation to see what shape he is in, and prescribe treatment if needed.” Chen gave a nod, “Well sir, that’s all I have for you right now. Is there anything else I could do for you? Brian pulled at his chin somewhat, thinking if there was anything else, and came up empty, and so shook his head. “No, nothing I can think of. Nice work salvaging that information Chen. It filled in a lot of spaces in Novgorod’s record. If you see Cougar around before I do, pass the commendation on to him as well.” Chen nodded, “Of course I will.” “Good, thanks,” Brian said, finishing up and turning to go. He stopped himself though and turned back. “Oh, Chen…” Chen turned back as well, wondering what else Graham had to say. “Yes?” Brian extended his hand, “I want to say this before I forget. Congratulations on your promotion, Lieutenant.” Chen smiled and took Graham’s hand and shook it in the time-honored traditional fashion. “Thank you sir, though I would have preferred a few more senior science officers. Hopefully soon…,” Chen added with a chuckle. Brian smiled at the comment as well. “Yes, well, we may suffer some manpower problems on this mission, seeing as the Academy is in another quadrant, but we will make it through alright I’m sure. I know, my security roster isn’t as full as I would like, but it does keep us busy, leaving less time to worry about being so separated from the Federation. Although the extra work has cut into my model-building hobby. But in retrospect, I probably have too many already.” Chen quickly stifled a laugh, remembering the model aspect of Graham’s life. He saw, as he had started calling it “The Gallery” a month ago at the post-awayteam get-together that had been held in Graham’s quarters. “Oh yes…yes indeed, they are good models.” Unable to hide it any longer, Chen just smiled wider than a Galaxy-class saucer section. Unable not to notice, Brian remembered Chen’s reaction to the model collection when he had saw them, and the jabs Chen had thrown at him as well. Brian pointed a finger at Chen mockingly, “Don’t start! I can stop whenever I want.” Chen threw the smile away and nodded as seriously as he could. Brian decided this was a time to make a quick exit, “Good, I’m glad you agree. I’d better get out of here before you jab me again. See you later Lieutenant. Chen nodded again, making Brian wonder if he had some muscle problem. He dismissed it, knowing Chen didn’t really talk much, and turned toward the doors of Engineering to leave. Surprisingly, he made it to the doors without running into anyone. Not wanting to take the chance of getting hit, he quickly left through the doors he had come in earlier. Chen returned to the console, distracting himself momentarily by pondering about what it would be like to turn into a console.

Just for the record, I have seen this Monty Python sketch, among several others, and it is hilarious!

Get used to it. :P J/k

I can't get enough of things like that.

Ok, me next!

immediate family, and close friends, and my boss. And, of course, all you members of STSF!

Acting First Officer's Duty Log Lt. Brian Graham Reporting USS Excalibur Stardate 200505.02 The senior staff of the Excalibur had gathered in the briefing room, waiting to hear about the information regarding what was going on. Brian wasn't too keen on having to brief everybody, he always found these situations quite intimidating, and that was just briefing junior officers. Regardless, if no one knew what was going on, they wouldn't be able to take action, and based on what might be happening, action was needed. The Hundred was on the move again, and this time they might snag an important prize. Everyone had sat down, Admiral Day beginning the meeting the way he always did, then turning it over to Brian. Brian swiveled his chair to face everybody at the table and forced himself to speak. "I'm sure you've all had an opportunity to review the message we've intercepted. Lt.'s Chen and Xavier were able to decifer the information, giving us an idea of the Hundred's next move." Brian hit a button on one of the small control pads on the table, activating a viewscreen on one of the bulkheads. An image came up, displaying a picture of a Starfleet vessel, more specifically a Norway-class. "This, is the USS Novgorod, NCC-64956. As you can already determine, it's a Norway-class. From what we've been able to determine from the data provided by Starfleet Command, Novgorod, during the Dominion war, sometime around Starfleet's retaking of Deep Space Nine, had been sent on a information gathering mission into the Gamma Quadrant. The purpose was to locate the new Founder homeworld, since after the Omarion Nebulae incident, Starfleet wasn't sure where the Founders had relocated to. I'm guessing that some sort of Doolittle-type raid would have been planned, but anyway, to complete the mission, the ship was outfitted with an extensive sensor capability, obviously to aid in its search. From what we can determine, Novgorod was attacked by the Dominion. The fact that it still exists tells us the ship was able to dispatch its attackers, but not make it back home. It crash landed, we think here..." Brian tapped the control again, bringing up a map of the Gamma Quadrant. "Starfleet had received some data from the ship at its first few waypoints. Data had been interrupted mid-stream from its fourth waypoint, here in the Torga system." Brian highlighted the appropriate star, zooming the map in. "Starfleet had sent a team to investigate, but they were intercepted by a Dominion patrol. Plus, by this time the Dominion in the Alpha Quadrant was working on a new offensive, so Starfleet's attention was elsewhere. But, now it's important we find it, since the Hundred already has. Their necessity at this time to remain nomadic gives us some opportunity to catch up to them while any other ships of theirs respond. Torga is about 200 light-years from Dominion space, so they are going to keep their activity small, lest they are detected by the Dominion. They probably have the capability of monitoring Dominion frequencies, so an interception by Dominion forces would be difficult to accomplish, but we might be able to catch them. If they can procure the equipment from Novgorod, and figure out how it works, it will give them an advantage in avoiding any Allied vessels. Pretty much, they will always be two steps ahead of us." "But like I said, they don't know that we are coming, so we have surprise. We also have superior knowledge of Federation technology and the layout of Norway-class vessels. If it comes to battle on the ship, we could have the upper hand. All security officers are refamiliarizing themselves with said layout in case it does come to that. Our main goal is to stop the Hundred from getting the Novgorod, and anything on it. I also recommend destroying it. Salvaging a crash landed ship is a big operation and we don't have that kind of time. At least this way the Hundred won't be able to get its hands, pseudopods, whatever they use, on Federation technology." Brian turned and faced everybody in the group around the table. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Security Chief's Personal Log Lt. Brian Graham Recording USS Excalibur Stardate 200504.15 The text on the PADD had started to blend together. Brian tossed the electronic device onto the small table that sat next to his couch. Brian had been sitting there for the past two hours catching up on the security reports that were fled daily by that particular division of labor on the Excalibur. Mostly routine information: crew rotation logs, phaser diagnostic results, weapon inventory reports, progress trackers for training. Sometimes there was a report filed that involved a need for actual security involvement. There was some noise-related disturbance, but these were usually easily taken care of. Some officers showed up late for duty shifts which had been logged. There was one file about suspicious noises in the Jeffries tube on deck 7. Founder or Hundred involvement was suspected, until Brian had turned a corner and a cat leaped out at him. Ensign Folmore was happy to get her pet back, but it didn't have any significant contributions to the overall mission as capturing one of the Hundred would have. Then again, he wasn't sure what the outcome would have been had there been a Changling there. In the confines of a Jefferies tube, not good he surmised. All in all, maybe the cat wasn't a bad alternative. He had become somewhat attached to it on the trip to Folmore's quarters, but gladly handed it over to the Ensign. Brian did like cats, but didn't quite care for them inside. His family on Earth had one, but it was primarily an outside animal, which suited Brian just fine. He'd hate to stand a watch on the Bridge and be distracted with cat fur all over his uniform. Brian rubbed his eyes. Yes, he had been reading too long; he needed a break. It would be several hours before he and Crispin would meet to discuss the security provisions for the listening post, so Brian needed something to occupy himself. He did not want to sleep, and he wasn't hungry... He'd been to the gym today already, but after reading those reports, he had a extreme desire to be active. "Computer, are any of the Holodecks being used at the moment?" "One Holodeck is currently active." "Are there any scheduled users for one of the vacant Holodecks for the next two hours?" There were a few chirps as the computer consulted the Holodeck schedule. "Affirmative. Holodeck three is not scheduled to be used until 1900 hours." "Excellent, thank you computer." Brian said as he got up, stretched, and headed to Holodeck 3. Arriving, Brian quick checked the LCARS display near the door to confirm that the room, was in fact empty, input one of his saved programs, and entered after the computer informed him that he could. The doors opened onto a pristine landscape. A sprawling lawn opened before him, a few trees dispersed throughout. Clear sky, sunlight beating down on him. The temperature was 72 degrees Fahrenheit, quite comfortable. A breeze was programmed to blow through on a variable frequency. There was a house located somewhat off-center of the property with two small sheds placed somewhat close to it. There was a significantly larger building 150 feet to his right, containing some equipment. Brian knew this place quite well, it was obviously his house. At least as close as a Holodeck could simulate it. Brian walked over to one of the sheds, noticing how the grass as he walked through it came a few inches up the boot of his uniform, though Brian would remedy that in a few moments. Opening the door to one of the sheds, Brian wheeled out the lawnmower he'd used for the past 18 years of his life. Well, it was simulated too, but it ran pretty close to the real thing. It looked pretty authentic, circa the year 2000, like most of the equipment his parents had, minus the replicator and a few other things. Brian grasped the pull cord and started the thing up. Coming to life almost instantly, the mower's blades underneath whirled at a fantastic rate, cutting down the grass and blowing it out the one side. At about this time the computer decided to activate one of the random breezes, throwing the grass clippings all over Brian, covering his uniform and hair. Deciding that it made it seem more real, Brian pushed the mower along. The landscape was pretty much flat, so pushing the mower wasn't too difficult. He remembered the first time he mowed, he was 8 years old, and it seemed like torture pushing this piece of machinery all over the property. But, as he got older, Brian learned to enjoy it. There was a satisfaction of looking over a freshly mown lawn, all the grass cut to the same length. It was aesthetically pleasing, though he doubted anyone would appreciate it. He even considered locking the door to the Holodeck, fearing that someone would walk in and see him. All the hobbies in the galaxy and Brian Graham chooses lawnmowing, that would make great news around the Excalibur. Brian decided to take the chance and just continued with the activity. Maybe he was just a boring person. He directed the mower around a rock that protruded just enough from the ground to cause a problem. His first mowing experience, he took the machine right over it, bending the blade all to heck. He'd gotten quite a lecture from his dad on being more attentive, even though all that really had to be done was replicate a new blade. He'd learned both how to mow that day, and how to replace a blade. It wasn't really much of a mentally stimulating activity, but it was good exercise. Plodding along in one direction and then heading back in the other. With the blades the size they were, it took some time to mow the whole thing. Three hours had gone by before Brian finished the place. Putting the mower back in the shed, a really stupid thing to do actually since he would just stop the program in a few minutes anyway, Brian looked over the freshly cut grass. The cut grass smell filled the Holodeck. The computer did a satisfactory job of recreating the aroma, but his Andorian olfactory senses detected that it wasn't totally the real thing. Pity really, but it gave him an excuse to mow the lawn at home if the Excalibur ever got back to Earth again. "Computer end program and reset" Brian said. The surroundings faded to the interlaced emitters that generated the holo-environment. When Brian activated the program again, it would look the same as when he had first come in. The grass clippings faded from him as well, which was an advantage to using the holodeck. He still needed to get cleaned up though, so he hurried back to his quarters. After reading those reports about those who showed up late, he'd hate to have to write one for himself.

You still didn't answer the question... :blink:

Money is tight for me too. Perhaps in a few years... That' means, don't stop the tradition, I'll show up someday! <_<

=/\=STARFLEET PERSONNEL FILE =/\= Personnel Disciplinary Record Stardate 200103.11 Freshman Cadet Brian Graham, along with Freshman Cadet Jerry Roberts were charged with violent conflict on Starfleet Academy grounds on this stardate. The altercation occurred after Cadet Graham and Roberts were provoked by Sophmore Cadets Michael Schroder and Judson Erics. Academy security broke up the conflict. --Medical Report-- Dr. Sharon Mcarthy, Medical Officer, Starfleet Academy Medical Section Brian Graham sustained minor injuries in the altercation including one black eye and two bruised ribs. --Disciplinary Action-- Commander Benjamin Riley, Dean of Students, Starfleet Academy Brian Graham and all participants received two weeks of Delta Shift drills and were required to attend four seminars on "Resolving Issues Diplomatically" Stardate 200310.29 Senior Cadet Brian Graham was charged with 3rd Dergree Reckless Endangerment during an Advanced Placement Piloting exam on the Io Training course near Jupiter. During maneuvers, Cadet Graham brought his craft in dangerous proximity to the flight leader's shuttle. This caused engine backwash from the leader's shuttle to interfere with Brian's sensors, temporarily blinging his flight instruments, putting the entire wing in jepordy. Disciplinary Action Cadet Graham received a D grade for the exam in question and was required to perform three separate flights through the Utopia Planetia Yards in Mars orbit under the direct supervision of Eric Solovsky, the Academy Professor teaching the class, demonstrating efficient and safe shuttle piloting skills. Stardate 200511.20 Lt. Cmdr. Brian Graham was severely disciplined for violating the restricted Al-Ucardian zone on Al-Ucard. Disciplinary Action Offical report and demerit logged by Commander Corizon to Starfleet Command