rosetto

QoB was quiet. He assumed that Troy had retired as he climbed the gangway up to the main galley. In his hand was a Q-pad on which he had downloaded the Phantos documents as well as the data that he had collected on his own back on Tranquility. The galley awoke with light as he entered and he noticed that dishes had been left from the last meal that the crew had shared. Sal sighed. He was not in the mood to play man-servant. Instead he walked straight to the food replicator and requested a Romulan Ale which appeared shortly after his command in a frosty mug. He smiled to himself as he reached in and grabbed the handle. There was a small group of sofas on one side of the room and he plopped down on one near a table, setting the mug down and activating the Q-pad. It sprang to life and displayed the first map of Zoalus that Dr. Phantos had provided. Sal was not unfamiliar with planetary evaluations. He had led teams many times back in the day and he knew the pitfalls. The biggest dangers were always the unknowns and this mission was replete with unknowns. The older sites interested him and he imagined that from a “collection of data” point of view, these would be the most beneficial choices. They would most likely find artifacts that span the Zoalus’ history, giving them a clearer picture of who these people were. Still, his boss was a man who seemed to have his own agenda and he was the boss. Sal knew that any plans that he would present to the group would remain fluid unless the captain had agreed with them. Right now Sal had no idea what Joe had in mind. Tapping on the pad the display advanced through the other maps. He continued to tap and then paused on one of the images that his deciphering program had analyzed. It contained several groupings of the alien glyphs and he stared at them as he lifted his mug of ale with his left hand. ‘THIS was the key to exploring the planet safely’, he thought. The analysis had determined that these groupings were instructions; to exactly what he had no idea at the moment. There had to be more at the site that would help them understand. The language, according to Dr. West, was extremely formal and it was difficult to determine the role that these nuances played; these ‘helper symbols’ that accompanied the high order life characters. There was no point of reference provided by any documents as to how these modifiers acted upon these base terms. In one of the groupings, the harmony symbol appeared frequently with the symbol for hard work and the companion. Sal saw ‘beauty’ and ‘flair’ in the text but it was right next to ‘trust’, ‘harmony’ and ‘hard work’. He sipped his ale again and looked up when he heard a noise that he didn’t recognized right away. It was simply one of the fabrication processors routinely cycling in the other room. QoB, unlike the Federation vessels, provided little sound insulation between the decks. If he listened closely he could actually hear deuterium pumps that kept pressure stable on the impulse engines. When the ship was alive; the crew active, these subtle noises were easily ignored. Now, however, they were a cause of distraction to Sal. He shook his head, annoyed and took another swallow of ale in a feeble attempt to refocus his attention. ‘That’s what was missing!’ he thought almost uttering a sound himself in his epiphany. In all of the images and documents that Sal had seen thus far there were no pictures, no captured images of the Zoalus race. It had been determined from the architecture that they were bipedal humanoids but he had seen absolutely no actual images of specific individuals. This was very unusual for a culture that appeared to be as advanced as this one did. Perhaps he had missed them, skimmed over the data unknowingly dismissing them. He wasn’t sure and now it began to bother him. He tapped on the Q scanning image after image and still no pictures, no family portraits, no vacation photos of the kids playing in the water. He and Harry had literally thousands of pictures of Joia while she grew. He had a portrait of her displayed on his desk in his quarters downstairs. Sal opened a new document and verbally dictated these points quietly so that he could bring them up later to Troy. He was thinking that there had to be a reason why something as commonplace as photos was overlooked. Maybe there were photos but they simply had not been provided to him. There could be any number of viable reasons but the facts remained. There were absolutely none in the documents he had on hand.

I am currently attempting to add attachments to my posts however, of the 2MB allotted I seem to have only 8.12K left for ANY post. I am very confused because this message has absolutely NO attachments to it and yet has 1.99MB used... Can someone explain this to me?

Sam, et. al: For future reference... My Controls Menu -> Options -> Manage Your Attachments Select attachments to delete then GO.

Thanks Sam.... hmmm... now I have to find all of my posts that have attachments...

Okay, I understand that. But now I guess my question is, How do I detached the other file(s)?

Amen Brother. So nicely put. I will point out, however, the recent event of the "new and improved" Bible on the bookshelves now. It, too, is subject to revision. This is for differering reasons though. But for good reason nonetheless. The original script is written to a people who lived so long ago that it might as well be an alien language.

Frustrated with the badgering he’d received from planet-side, Sal poked at the console in front of him in an attempt to isolate the fleeting malfunctions that had interrupted his language deciphering routines. The errors pointed to outside interference however if it was their Bynar visitors then they had cleverly disguised their intrusion. Regardless, he documented his findings. Perhaps he’d run it by Pher later, he thought. This was, after all, a security issue. His curiosity of his results thus far was too great and Sal began poking around that data. The symbols had been broken down into two groups of complexity and one group most definitely of a form of punctuation. The first 20 simple characters also were associated with the 20 amino acids. He was wondering whether the Zoalus had established its alphabet based on this coincidence then dismissed it. ‘They were simply enumerating the acids sequentially using their alphabet, A through Z methodology’, he thought to himself. Another item that kept reappearing was a mandala-like shape that contained all 50 of the characters. It was divided into 64 wedges. Sixteen of these wedges contain a binary sequence of the two most complex characters. The other wedges simply contained one of the other 48. The computer had not attached any meaning to this arrangement but gave references to several cultures that had used mandala-like symbolism to describe such concepts as ‘Life’, ‘Space-Time’ and ‘Metaphysical Realities’. Again, Sal determined that this was more coincidence than significance but thought the crew would enjoy the beauty of the artwork. The language itself seemed to be associated with the complexity of each symbol. The more simple symbols were strung together in longer sequences, some numbering in the 40 to 50 character range, where the more complex symbols were a part of shorter, more compact sequences of three or four characters in length. Although the symbols most likely originated from an ancient representation of some items the people found in nature, their original meanings were lost forever. There were also several examples of these textual streams used in diagrams and line-drawings of various alien objects. It was sketchy at best but the computer had established such concepts as ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘father’, ‘mother’, ‘family’ and ‘God’. He was looking for concepts that might help them to determine who these people were and what’s more, where they went; why they suddenly disappeared without a trace. The analysis was definitely incomplete and Sal had his work cut out for him. After separating and saving off a few select items for his report to Manning, Sal reinitiated his deciphering routines. The Bynars appeared to be behaving themselves, occupied by Troy’s clever diversions and so Sal turned to preparing his report. He sipped his cold tea and tapped feverously at the console. Every so often, he’d look up, glance at the monitor in the science lab and then at the orbital status displays. It became routine for a period of time and he was able to focus on his work. He wondered how long the administrators on the planet would wait for a message from Troy but what he really wanted was to hear from Manning, to inform him of their unexpected guests. He had his suspicions but this was Manning’s ship. He alone would have to make the decision as to how to handle their return. Sal knew that Troy’s action was simply following his lead and containing the Bynar, preventing them from leaving.

Sal heard the com from the planet and thought carefully about his discussion with Joe prior to them arriving at Xorax. Although he was reasonably new to this crew, his experience told him that Captain Manning kept himself well informed and didn't like to jump into situations unprepared. The longer Sal pondered, however, the more suspicious their present situation would become and so Sal had to respond with something quickly; something that would ease the concerns of the Colonial Administration without losing their current level of trust. He touched the com link and began to speak, "This is the navigations officer onboard QoB. I can assure you that we are in full control of QoB's orbit and attitude...." He paused. He had to be really careful here because he had no idea what these Bynar had in mind and with whom they were working. "Our shields have been raised to contain a non-threatening experiment currently being conducted by our chief science officer. This experiment will be concluded in two standard hours with no residual effects when our shields are lowered then. We apologize for not notifying you prior to initiating this experiment, however, at the time we did not see it as a threat." The com crackled back almost immediately, "QoB, we don't understand. You reported 'system fluctuations' just a minute ago, now you're revealing an experiment that is so 'non-threatening' that you need to raise shields? This is highly irregular." Before Sal could respond, a different voice cut into the comm. "QoB, our records are showing that you have colonial personnel aboard your ship. Three of our scientists transported aboard almost two hours ago for ... 'inquiry purposes?' Can you confirm this?" Sal again thought before responding. "Both statements are true. At the time of the first transmission we were experiencing fluctuations in our systems and the source of these fluctuations has yet to be determined. They will require further evaluation however they have not affected the stability of this spacecraft. The shields were raised for the purpose stated, an experiment being conducted by our chief science officer. They will be lowered in approximately 1.75 standard hours." He then paused but before the ground station could respond he continued, "Could you please get a message to Captain Manning? He was supposed to check in a half hour ago." From the Planet, "We are attempting to make contact with Captain Manning, but he is in a meeting with one of the administrators. In the meantime, as long as you are experiencing unspecified system abnormalities, we must insist that you return colonial personnel to the planet and relocate your ship from orbit. Will this be a problem?" Sal was beginning to get upset with these administrators, "I am confused with your request. Captain Manning and the other members of the landing party were beamed to the surface using your planet-side system. As Captain Manning will attest, regulations are quite clear which prohibit any Erickson-Transport capability on QoB. If there are indeed colonial personnel present on QoB then QoB is not responsible for their transport and cannot render support in returning these persons. We recommend that you contact these persons directly to resolve this issue.” He continued after a quick breath, "Since our 'unspecified system abnormalities' have, like I have assured you, no connection to or effect upon this vessel's navigation or guidance, your request for us to leave orbit with our own personnel still on the surface will have to be taken up with this ship's commander who is currently, as I have also revealed, conducting a scientific experiment. He will be in touch with you as soon as I can get this message to him. QoB Out..."

Sal had oddly chosen to remain on QoB. The captain was aware of his reasoning, however, the rest of the crew, save Parsons, had not been informed. After the crew had been swept away by the transport beam, Sal walked quietly to the forward compartment of QoB where several banks of sensor panels lined the wall. In the center of the room was a circular gangway which led down to the torpedo launch bay. Sal walked around it and sat at one of the consoles and began typing. When Sal saw the 'blip' that Troy had seen, he immediately started a sensor record of 'intruders'. Basically, it was a jerry-rigged tricorder interface that enabled them to track every action taken by the Bynars with them being unaware that they were being scanned. To them it would appear to be a routine synchronous function of QoB as it orbitted the planet. One thing was certain. Manning trusted no one and this ideology was now becoming reasonable to Sal as he glanced up from his work every few seconds to watch the Bynars like a fly on the wall. He chuckled quietly to himself as Troy toyed with them. Sal had encountered the Bynar on Titus V during one of the Federation's many failed campaigns. They always seemed to have an agenda of their own which, albiet logical, was usually not obvious. Sal continued recording and typing away. Several sub-routines started up and his displays now filled with artifacts of the Zoalus. One such routine was analyzing the hundreds of samples of glyphs in an attempt to make sense out of the language. It was not simply a matter of determining individual characters or words but to give meaning to their content. The archaeologists had established few frames of reference from which to work which was why, Sal thought, they had made such little progress in ten standard years. It all seemed to be jibberish and non-sensical. Sal's program, he'd hoped, who derived a pattern which would lead to a better understanding of their language; a clearer picture of what had actually happened to them.

Hi gang.... Can anyone help me with getting this CHAT to work again. I have had to reload my system from scratch and so any additional updates that are required are most likely not here... As I do not wich to load a bunch of crap I don't need simply to fix the things not working, I would prefer to know exactly what I'm loading and why....

Thanks Joe... Doing Java Updates...

Here is what Windows does.... sigh

Looking like Sean Penn in 'most' of his roles, Jean receives his 'leg up' for the season...

Sal had had little time to concentrate on anything since his arrival on QoB. He wasn't used to interfacing with so many lives, so many events all coming at him at once. Back on K'Normia he had aides that managed the day-to-day business. He only had to attend himself to the major movements of the chess pieces, sit back and study the play and his oponent and develop his next strategic counterplay. He enjoyed the fact that he was no longer making decisions but this next mission, if one is to refer to the last adventure as a mission, was something that had intriged him since his first encounter of the Zoalus race back on K'Normia. Several years had past and he knew exactly how many because that was the year that his daughter was born. It had been six K'Normian Annuls since her birth and that was about 14 standard years. He also remembered exactly where they were; the strange continent of Westen. He'd went to a local exihibition where artifacts that were recovered had been displayed. 2406 -- Robinson Bay: The Zoalus IV Exhibit The room stood and applauded as the viewers fell away and the stage opened up into a great room that had a looming statue of a humanoid figure that was twenty or so meters high. It was dimly lit from below show it appeared in high contrast and the details of the sculpture were visibly enhanced. The room settled and the people who attended slowly walked toward the exhibition. Sal and Ceri followed as they walked up on stage from either side and then past through a grand archway that was decorated with these pictoglyphs that the speaker had mentioned. They were very strange and Ceri raised a hand up to touch the arch. It was just out of her reach. The glyphs were very strange looking and almost insect-like with their wispy antennae that seemed to sprout from differing appendages of each odd shaped body. None appeared to be humanoid form however some seemed to resemble plant or animal life forms. With no frame of reference all reasoning was pure speculation. Sal and Ceri gazed at them silently and then slowly proceeded into the main exhibition area. They came upon a table that displayed what looked like utensils of sorts. Some hand sharpened ends while others were more rounded but all seemed to have what appeared to be a handle or grip. Some were organic while others metallic. Sal read the inscription plate and it simply said ‘dinnerware’ with no details at all. The next display contained crystal pieces of varies colors and shapes. Like the dinnerware each piece seemed a bit larger than life. They were not excessively larger but simply bigger. Sal and Ceri were silent as they read the inscription and pressed on. There didn’t seem to be much detail and much of what they saw was simple tools and implements. The oddest items were the five solids that had glyphs on their faces. There were all made of a translucent crystal material and varied in color as well. The tetrahedron was yellow, the octahedron, blue. The hexahedron was green and the dodecahedron was red. The icosahedron with its 20 faces was perfectly clear. “I wonder what this represents?” commented Ceri. Sal studied the solids and the markings. He noted that every face had a different glyph on it. He counted in his head and spoke, “I think it’s their alphabet, Ceri. Each one of these faces has a different glyph on it, see?” “Yes. I see. How many faces are there?” “Well, from my basic elementary geometry I recall that there are only five solids.” He began mumbling and counting, “four… and six and eight is eighteen. Then twelve and twenty is thirty-two. So, thirty-two and eighteen is fifty.” He added and then continued, “So what does the plaque say?” “Represented here are the five elemental solid forms. On their surfaces totally fifty in all there appear to be symbolic glyphs whose meaning at present is a mystery.” She read. .... Sal thought deeply about that day from time to time trying draw his own conclusions from what he had seen. He always felt that this culture was much more advanced than what the archaeologists had proposed; that there were meanings within meanings; things that had been overlooked. Now Sal was in the science lab on QoB at the main library console tapping away and perusing the available data that he had attained via the Tranquility Public Network. This was difficult work; every few minutes, the data on the screen flickered, the letters jumbling together into a line of static. This was compounded with the steady influx of promotional advertisements provided by questionable sources in an attempt to make a fast buck. The static, Sal attributed to the state of the QoB interface which he was constantly reconfiguring. The isolinear chips on QoB were not in the best of shape and he thought serious about making an investment and upgrading them in the near future. To do this, however, he would have to be more solvent. He still had not heard back from K'Normia concerning the finalization of those deals. He decided that he best send another message off to his lawyer. To: Bill Swanson From: Sal Via: SHJ-Rosetto Personal Network Bill: I have not heard back from you concerning the Douglas & Dawson agreement. I am still very concerned about the sale to Danberry Industries as well. The issues with the October account have seemly resolved themself though. I am not sure whether thanks are required but it is much appreciated on this end. I shall be out of contact for the next few weeks due to the expanse that we are about to enter out here. The Xorax colony is on the far side of the cluster an not well netted, so I'm told. Therefore, I will be making a large transfer of funds to bide me over.

Sal was happy that his first mission, as it was, was at least over. After finishing his work on the bridge, he decided to do a general systems check which was periodically required and long overdue on the QoB. Not that the QoB wasn't in working order, sure she could fly; maneuver quite well for the old bird she was. She had just been neglicted for several years. Sal recalled his father used to get after him about plow maintenance. Being exposed to the Martian atmosphere, there was always some kind of suspension coil or chamber seal that needed to be checked for wear. He pored over the reports and schedules, updating them and running the required diagnostics. There were quite a few of these routines that looked like they had not been run at all. They were not important routines, and he knew from experience that a vessel could operate perfectly fine without ever running them. But he also knew that things tended to go bad at just about the time you needed them the most. He had noticed a slight response delay in the flight controls which had caused some instability while they were flying. This was most likely due to a slowing of data thoughput and he purged the old data from the active system storing it on off-line isolinear chips. Happy with the new reports, Sal shut down all of the systems and started to return to his quarters to check on things on the "Home Front". Now that was an interesting term, he thought. Where was his home? He surely missed his wife & daughter but this, the QoB, was his new home. This is where he wanted to be. He passed the science lab where all of the commotion had occurred earlier. It was dark and silent now. In fact the entire vessel seemed ghostly silent but it really didn't bother him. He was actually thankful for the stillness. It was a welcomed change and he headed up stairs to the galley to see what they had on hand in the way of intoxicating beverages. What he would do for a nice glass of Southgate, he could not imagine. He'd thought about having some shipped in but had no way of knowing exactly how long they'd be here. Perhaps Pete could use some at the maze, he thought as he began rummaging through the various cabinets and finding most of them stocked with anything except food. All he found were two unopened bottles of Klingon beer that looked like they'd been in the back of this cubboard for at least three years. Klingon beer was actually better with aged because it was not carbonated. One could hardly comment on the malt or other particular ingredients. In his opinion, Klingon taste buds were an oxymoron. He'd heard that it was best served at room temperature and well, this was a room with temperature and he cracked one open. There was, of course, no action and when he did find a glass and poured the brownish liquid it produced no head. Sal looked at it as he held it up to the ambient lighting. Apparently the Klingons never invented a copper; just tossed the hops in the masher, because there were what Sal liked to call 'floaties' in the glass; particulate matter floating freely as if weightless in the viscous brew. He shook his head and took a large drink. It was extremely bitter and a little grainy but otherwise quite tasty. He nodded his head and took another long draw from his glass. After finishing his beer Sal headed back to his room to get cleaned up before meeting up with the guys at the Maze. They had to get Joe back somehow and then find work. Sal didn't really know what his part would be in all of this but was willing to work with whatever was presented to him. He was actually enjoying not having total control of every aspect in his life. There was a certain freedom that he felt. No worries...

Albiet temporary, I have been able to succesfully log into the CHAT WINDOW using my sister's laptop. My computers are both still in the shop. Return date is currently unknown... BUt at least I will be able to participate tonite at Red Star and tomorrow in QoB.... Woo Hoo (please hold the applause until I get my own stuff back) rosetto

Welcome aboard newbee! And good luck in the Academy...

Finding Joy She came in through the bathroom window. In her hand was a silver spoon. This was a new experience for her. She'd never even been off-planet. Now, on a strange world several days travel from everything ever known, she stepped down and entered the room. The cold night air followed her in and was visibly curling in condensation. There was nothing left behind and this was where she felt she belonged. With her trailing hand she pulled the window closed and then listened for any recognizable sound from the other room. There was no sound. It was that time of year again and won't they all be surprized. They probably wouldn't even noticed that there was an empty placemat and she didn't care if they did. She was convinced that no one was that really concerned about how she felt anyway. Her big brother was always winning a new trophy or passing yet another class at the academy; like THAT was so hard. And her little sister was worse. She never did anything right but always seemed to get exactly what she wanted when she wanted it. In the dark she fumbled for the door at the opposite side of the room. She only had assumed that it would be there. Where else would it be? There was a smooth surface that she believed to be the shower stall and a light panel or what looked like one to her right. The door could only be forward. Stepping slowly with both hands waving she reached into the nothingness. Her left foot suddenly slipped and gravity brought her abruptly to the floor. The lights were certainly out now. After an unknown moment she was unconscious. This was not in the plan. "Julia! Breakfast!" cried out Mrs. Bennett as she flipped the pancake over and sipped her morning tea. "Hurry up! Your brother Tom will be arriving soon." Julia rolled over in her soft bed and struggled to open her eyes. She was caught between a dream and chilly sunrise that was peeking through her window. As her head emerged from beneath the bed spread Julia rubbed her eyes and opened them for the first time that day. It was definitely morning and she was excited. Her brother, whom she adored, would be home from the academy that morning. He be there for a whole two weeks over the Holiday. This was a special time of year. Everyone wore their best smiles and put on their prettiest clothes. But best of all was Christmas morning. Then there was the smell of fresh baked cookies throughout the house and the scent of the everygreen sprigs tht her mother had crefully placed on nearly every wall had time to settle into every piece of fabric. But this wasn't Christmas. This was just a weekend morning for her. She had to get up and get dressed and get on her com to Kendra Lewis. Not that Kendra was her best friend or anything but she needed to find out what had happened yesterday after she had left school. "Come on Julia! And find your sister. I haven't seen her all morning!" Julia really wasn't putting her heart into it but she looked none the less. She looked in the bathroom and then quickly brushed her teeth and ran a brush through the mop on her head. Julia's hair was short, pixie style and she found it very easy to manage that way. Her sister's hair was long and always clogging up the plumbing. After a quick nod of approval to her mirror image, Julia was off to the den which was dark and quiet. She then made her way into the kitchen where her mother was busy setting the breakfast table. Her chair was near one end and she slipped into it with a smile on her face. Her mother looked up as she entered, "Well?" "What?" "Where's your sister?" "I don't know? I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?" "Did you even look?" "Yes, mom..... jeez.... I looked! She's not around... Maybe she went over to the park to sit alone by the tree like she always does. What's for breakfast? Kendra wants to meet me at the DAX in an hour..." Mrs. Bennett placed a couple of pancakes on the plate in front of Julia. "Did you forget that your brother will be here anytime. I don't think it's a good idea for you to not be here when he arrives." "Oh, yeah.... I forgot!" Joy opened her eyes but it was still dark. She struggled to remember exactly where she was and then she did remember and got up on her feet rubbing her head. The door knob was right there in front of her and she turned it slowly and listened. There were voices in the other room but she couldn't make out what was being said. "Trepan id mando shint necked soddong?" "Killip woo daster jub onk fluter.." "Ja, blamit vellum" Joy cocked her head. She wasn't sure that she wanted to be here now but was realizing that it was a little too late. Creeping down the hallway which was dimly lit, she quietly hugged the walls and drew closer to the voices. What she would find wasn't really clear to her but what ever it was, she knew it wasn't home. "Kypain und loop, Gil." "Sook lin wheep sandal curic. Dangil unti sway lambit gronersum." She poked her head around the corner and looked into the lighted room where she found two greyish aliens sitting on what appeared to be chairs of a sort. There was a warm glow beyond them nd they continued to chat in their language. Joy's presence was unknown to them, she thought and she dared to look longer and watch their actions. They were not so alien that in their actions and it seemed to her that they were just two foreign people chatting and sharing a story. They looked harmless. Still, she was frightened and didn't want to be seen and so she remained cuddled closer to the wall near the floor in the dark hall. One of them rose and walked into the other room as he spoke. She did not know the genders of these aliens but assumed that the one with the deeper voice was masculine. He spoke louder as he walked and when he returned he had two cups of warm liquid. He handed the other one, the woman, one cup and returned to his seat sipping his own. She sat hers down and said something quick to him. Now she went into the other room and a moment later she returned with another cup. She was heading right for Joy and Joy ducked behind the wall as not to be seen. The woman paused at the corner, bent down and set the cup on the floor. She then returned slowly to her seat, picked up her cup and took a long sip and then smelled the rich aroma. "Lickle dom dinter annuze on i bloom!" He chuckled at her comment, "Lickle dom!" Joy could smell the aroma for the liquid and it smelled really good. She wanted to reach around and grab the cup but was still pretty frightened by her situation. Perhaps just a quick whiff she thought and she spun around the corner slowly and took a deep slow breath through her nose... She'd never smelt anything like it but it was very pleasant. She was kind of cold and she could feel its warmth on her chin. Looking up she noticed that the aliens were not paying her any attention at all. They were busy with their own strange conversation. Joy reached quickly and grabbed the cup, pulling it to her side of the wall. The aliens chuckled but made no motion to indicate that they knew she was there. 'They had to know', she thought. 'Why would she have put the cup there if she didn't know?' Joy sipped the liquid. It was warm and creamy and she could feel it all the way through her as she sipped some more. It reminded her of hot cocoa though it tasted nothing like chocolate. It was lighter and creamier and had a lingering bite tht tickled as she drank it. "Cull mider soffin, dingaloo..." And then he repeated, "Cull mider soffin" They both turned and looked directly at her as she hungrily drank the warm liquid. They both arose and slowly approached her. Joy froze in mid-sip and watched them cautiously. Their arms were open in a welcoming manner and they both had smiles on their faces. Slowly a smile came across Joy's face too and she continued to sip her creamy stuff. "put e woon, dingaloo" 'dingaloo?' she thought. It was increasingly obvious THAT was her! She was a 'dingaloo!' She squeak out, "Hi!" and then pointed to the cup, "This stuff is really good!" "Lickle dom, dingaloo" "Hinack eh Bratin." She motioned as if introducing him and continued, "Ink hinack eh Gleni." "Do kontif e roonie, dingaloo?" "uh, Joy... My name is Joy, Joy Bennett..." "Puntin will sic trunnet, d'Joy..." she replied. (to be continued...)

Welcome back Lil-one.... Always enjoyed fresh blood.... LOL

Scotty (thinking): If Bill finds out that "I'M" the one who opened his fan mail, I'm dead!

Mustache... 5 credits.. Spectacle... 15 credits... Top hat... wrong color... 10 credits... Another shoreleave WASTED entertaining the boss... priceless. Where's Deanna? I need a Drink....

Oh My T'Aral.... You are definitely a breath of (fresh) air..... Can't wait to get back here on a regular basis...

THUNDERBIRDS ARE go?

You should know better than to bring up this topic because I have (for years) been accused of as well as relied upon 'creating a REAL warp drive'. LOL The whole concept has intrigued me for many years and I still hold that the observation of Einstein's Speed Limit is merely 'that'; an observation. In every case where his equations and theories are used there are observers. The end game is simply that FTL travel cannot be observed. So, the question remains, if we cannot observe a thing, can it exist? And this sounds like a topic that I do not DARE bring up in open forum. I do have some theories on FTL travel and why we observe its impossibility that I would be happy to post if there is interest. My theories, however, are my own and I have no method proposed to prove them. Also, many will refute them with published theories that are also as yet proven. So, double-dog-dare me and I'll post them... :P

Hi All: I'm back.... After some life-changing events (packing everything you own, driving across the country, and then dealing with the death of my father and my laptop harddrive failing while trying to create a memorial video as well as keep family members updated on the services). I am back starting tonite and will be at Red Star to enjoy the comaraderie.... I missed you all. rosetto/sal/pete/rosie/me me me