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John Randall

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About John Randall

  • Birthday 09/04/1963

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  1. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11812.21) The mission came to a close, and the Challenger eased into the shipdock bay it had been assigned at the Utopia Planetia shipyards. John watched the docking over the ship's external cameras, and, as he always did, breathed a small sigh of relief when the big ship came to a complete stop safely inside the bay, and all the mooring lines were attached. Randall was about to address the crew in engineering when the ship's communication officer, Lieutenant Dvokr chim Hok's voice came over the ship's 'com. "All senior officers, report to the bridge," it said, and John sighed. He turned to his second-in-command, and his friend, Lieutenant Jeff Michaels, and raised his eyebrows. "Well, here we go again," Randall said in an exasperated tone of voice, and his long-time friend grinned. "Go do your duty, sir," he replied, and dodged a punch from Randall, laughing. "Get this department ready for the starbase maintenance team, Lieutenant," mock-growled the chief engineer, and Michaels came to mock attention, snapping off the Starfleet salute. "Yes, sir!" he exclaimed, and dodged another punch from Randall, who walked toward the engineering doors shaking his head. Randall walked through the doors, which swished open at his approach, and traveled down the corridor to the turbolift. A car arrived as he pushed the button, and he stepped in, saying, "Bridge." The door slid shut and the lift whisked him away. He arrived a few moments later, and stepped out onto the bridge to face a solemn-looking bridge crew. He was about to say something when his eyes caught the viewscreen, and the image displayed upon it. It was Fleet Admiral Nogura, the commander-in-chief of Starfleet, and Randall knew something was up. He walked over to stand beside the chief science officer of the Challenger, Lieutenant Caitlin Townshend, who gave him a brief glance as he took his place beside her, then both officers looked at the viewscreen. Captain Ja'Lale said, "My senior officers are all present, Admiral." Nogura nodded and looked frankly at them. "Captain, you and your crew have served Starfleet and the Federation well over the years," he said, and John suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "However, after much debate amongst the Federation Council, and us brass here at Starfleet, I have some bad news for you. It has been decided that the starship Challenger has seen its better days, and the mission you just completed will be its last one. The ship is to be decommissioned, and you and your crew will be re-assigned. The Challenger will take its place in history, a place that is well deserved. "This decision was not made lightly, and not without considerable protest, mainly from us here at Starfleet. But, and I dislike intensely saying this, the bureaucrats won the battle. The Challenger has undergone some extensive refits in the past few years, and the bureaucrats argued that the ship's time had come and gone. To our dismay, the Council agreed with them. I, for one, do not like the idea of breaking up one of the best crews, and ships, in the 'Fleet, but the situation is what it is, to coin the ancient phrase. Captain Ja'Lale, you will report at once to my office, and the rest of your crew will be given leave pending their next ship's assignment, if they decide to accept it. "Captain and crew of the Challenger, it was an honor to serve with you, and I wish all of you well in your future endeavours. Your service will not be forgotten, and you have benefitted the Federation greatly in your tenure of service. Nogura out." The admiral faded from view, and the bridge officers looked at one another, stunned. Captain Ja'Lale then walked to stand in front of the viewscreen, and turned to face them. "It has been a pleasure to serve with each and everyone of you," he/it said. "I hope our paths will cross again some day. We have been through a lot together, and I will hold your memories dear in my mind and heart. I also wish you success in whatever your future brings. Dismissed." With that, the captain strode to his ready room, and disappeared inside. The officers stared after him, then looked at each other. A few seconds passed with nothing being said, then John turned and headed for the turbolift. "Deck 3," he said as he entered the car, and the lift sped off. He arrived moments later, and stepped out of the car to hear the captain's voice on the ship's 'com, informing the crew of what had happened. John strode to his cabin, and went inside as the doors opened for him. He walked straight to the sofa and sat down, still not believing what had just taken place. **************3 DAYS LATER***************** John put the last of his possessions into the second duffel bag, then looked around the room. He still couldn't believe he was about to leave this place, and ship, forever. It had been his home for 7 1/2 years, and now it was over. When he left, he would no longer be the chief engineer of the Challenger; he would simply be Lieutenant John Randall, an engineer. He was about to pick up his bags when his computer terminal alarm went off, and he walked over to it. There was a live message coming in for him, and he activated the icon to retrieve it. When he saw who was on the other end, his jaw literally dropped, and he sat there staring at the screen. It was his lady friend T'Mira, the half-Romulan Vulcan who was a deep cover operative for the Vulcan High Command. John hadn't heard from her in months, and now she was on the screen smiling at him. "Hello, John," she said with a gentle smile. "I'm the last person you expected to hear from, I'm sure, but this is the first chance I've had to contact you. I hope it isn't a bad time." Randall said, "Well, you're lucky you caught me. I was just about to leave. I take it you've heard about the Challenger." T'Mira's face instantly fell as she nodded. "Yes, I did, John," she said sadly. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved that ship and loved serving aboard her." John shrugged. "Well, as the old Earth saying goes, all good things must come to an end." T'Mira looked at him intently. "You don't really believe that," she replied. "Well, it's happening now whether I want it to or not," Randall said. "I know you, John," the beautiful half-Romulan Vulcan female said. "It's killing you to leave; you just won't show it." John looked at her, then said softly, "You know how I feel," and T'Mira's eyes instantly shone with tears. "John, I contacted you because I have a proposition for you," she replied, and Randall looked at her. "It's not something I want to discuss over the airwaves like this, though," she continued. "I'm currently on Earth in San Francisco. Why don't you come down and we'll talk? Besides, I can't wait to see you again, my darling; it's been far too long." John grinned at that. "That it has, my dear," he intoned, and T'Mira smiled happily. "All right, I'll beam down to Starfleet HQ, then meet you at, say, the Presidio. How does that sound?" She replied, "Perfect, my darling. 15 minutes?" John nodded. "See you in fifteen," he said. T'Mira smiled and said, "I love you." "Love you, too," John replied. "Randall out." He broke contact and leaned back in the chair for a few seconds. His lady friend had found him again, and he was taking full advantage of this opportunity. He got up, grabbed his bags and strode toward the cabin doors. They sprang open as he approached, and he strode out into the corridor, heading for the turbolift. He got in as a car arrived, and said, "Deck 10." The car sped off. Randall later learned that the Challenger was NOT to be decommissioned, it would have a new crew and a new captain. Starfleet had won the fight to keep the ship in service with a massive appeal, and John wished the new crew and captain well. He was happy with his new life with T'Mira, whom he had married in an elaborate ceremony on Vulcan, and had no plans to return to Starfleet. END LOG
  2. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11806.20) The Challenger received word from Starfleet Command to travel to the Arcadian system to help establish trade and shipping routes with the non-aligned world. Arcadia was in Federation space, but was not a member, and, to anyone's knowledge, had ever asked to become a member. Captain Ja'Lale had the helmsman, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Hunter Matheson, lay in a course at warp 7 to the non-aligned world, and the ship sped off. Investigations into the planet of Arcadia had revealed that the natives of that world were a lot like the captain's home planet of Chelon. The Arcadians were mostly aquatic beings, and were just starting to venture out into space. They had been the ones who had contacted Starfleet about the possible trade and shipping routes, and some felt that the Arcadians were possibly on the brink of asking to become a full-fledged member of the Federation. During the trip to Arcadia, John was in engineering supervising his crew with the help of his two alpha shift command crewmates, Lieutenants Jeff Michaels and Susan Maloney. Maloney in particular had come a long way, John felt, and when he asked for her to take a supervisory role, she surprised him by accepting right away. Randall had been secretly pleased by Maloney's acceptance, and now knew he had two people on his alpha shift that he could trust to watch the crew. Not long after the ship got underway toward Arcadia, John noticed a strange sound coming from one of the warp engines while he was sitting at the main console. He immediately arose from his chair and went back to the warp core station, which was manned by Lieutenant Brad Mason. Randall nodded to Mason, then looked at the readouts on the panel. He instantly saw something he didn't like, and whipped out his communicator. "Randall to the bridge," the chief engineer said, and an answer came almost immediately. "Yes, Lieutenant, go ahead," answered Ja'Lale. "We have a problem with the starboard warp engine, sir," John reported. "Recommend we drop our speed to warp 5 until I assemble a team to check it out." Ja'Lale replied, "When will you have it fixed, Chief?" Randall said, "Depends on what I find, sir. I can give you an ETA in five minutes." The captain replied, "Very well, we will drop speed to warp 5. I will await your report." John said, "Aye, sir. Assembling a team now. Randall out." The chief engineer called Michaels over and gave him the conn. He then assembled a team and they rode the glass elevator to the top floor of engineering. He led them down the corridor to the starboard engine room, used his card to gain entry, and led them inside. He told the team to use their tricorders to amass information while he himself went to the panel at the readout station. After about five minutes, the team had the problem pegged, and Randall pushed the 'com button. "Randall to Ja'Lale," he said, and the captain answered immediately. "Yes, Chief, go ahead," he/it said. "We have a coolant problem with the starboard engine, sir," said Randall. "Nothing major, but it will take a few minutes to repair. ETA 10 minutes, sir." The captain said, "Acceptable, Chief. Contact me when you are finished." Randall replied, "Aye, sir. Starting work now. Randall out." John gave out instructions to his team, and they went to work. He stayed at the panel, making adjustments to the equations as needed while the team did their jobs. Ten minutes later, the job was finished, and the readouts showed the engine was back to nominal. John contacted Ja'Lale again and told him/it that the ship was safe to resume the warp 7 speed they had been traveling at earlier. The captain thanked him and signed off. Seconds later, the whine of the engine increased slightly, and John kept an eye on the readouts. Seeing everything was good, he nodded to his team, gave them a 'well done', and they returned to the ground floor of engineering. The team returned to their regular posts/stations, and John made his way to the main console. Michaels informed him everything was good, and Randall told him to keep the conn while he went into his office. The chief engineer made his way to his office and sat down at the computer. He powered it up and brought up some more information on the Arcadians, which wasn't much. He then had an idea pop into his head, and he composed, then sent, an e-mail to the science officer of the Challenger, Lieutenant Caitlin Townshend. In the e-mail, John inquired if she had recovered from her time spent aboard the Klingon vessel on their last mission. A few moments later, a reply came stating that, yes, she was; the food on the Challenger was much better, and not having to worry about getting a dagger slipped between your ribs was relaxing, also. She thanked Randall for thinking of her, then signed off. John laughed out loud at the food part, then sat back in his chair, smiling as he filed the e-mail from Townshend in his personal folder. He himself was very happy to be back on his home ship and in Federation space as well after their last mission. He then set to work logging reports onto the computer from the pile of PADDS on his desk. 'Some things never change', he mused to himself as he pounded away at the keyboard. END LOG
  3. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11805.25) The Challenger crew assisted the Klingons in hunting down some of their own. A renegade Klingon house had kidnapped a Federation starship crew and were holding them against their will at a secret base located deep inside an asteroid field. The officers of the Challenger set about learning their posts and stations aboard the Klingon bird of prey ship, the Klongat. The mission actually went fairly smoothly; the only outbreak of hostilities was when the Klingon search party, led by the Klongat, found the renegades' base hidden in the asteroid field. A battle ensued between the Klingon factions, and the Klingon search party emerged victorious. Several of the Klingons and some of the Challenger crew beamed aboard the base, where they found the Federation starship crew, captained by a Vulcan named Sivok, relatively unharmed. Everyone beamed back aboard the Klongat and the Klingon ship, along with the search party, returned to the Klingon homeworld of Qo'nos. Gronk, the H'oD (captain) of the Klongat thanked the Challenger crew for their help during the mission. Captain Ja'Lale acknowledged the Klingon captain, then asked his crew, when they all met in the quarters assigned to them on the Klongat, whether they wanted to tour the capital city of Qo'nos, or return to the Challenger. The crew elected to beam back aboard the Challenger, and John, for one, couldn't wait to get back aboard his home ship. The Challenger's chief engineer had not had an easy time of it in the engineering department of the Klongat, but he wasn't about to tell anyone that. Randall had been on guard the very instant that the senior officers had beamed aboard the Klingon vessel, and he relaxed only when he materialized on the transporter dais of his home ship. He stepped off the pad after a brief conversation with the helmsman of the Challenger, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Hunter Matheson, and exited the transporter room. He strode down the hall to the turbolift and stepped into a car when it arrived. "Deck 3," he said, and the lift sped off. He arrived a few moments later and made his way down the corridor to his cabin. He walked into the cabin and deposited his duffel bag on the sofa. He then let out a huge sigh of relief; he was home, and could relax again. He stripped off his uniform, which he vowed to trash, it still reeking of the smell of Klingon, and went quickly to the head. He activated the shower and stayed in it for 25 minutes, savoring the time spent. He then stepped out, toweled himself dry and went to his bedroom to put on civilian clothes. He then went to the computer terminal and pulled up the schedule for engineering. His friend Lieutenant Steve Davis was on duty, it being evening on the ship. He contacted Davis, informing him of his return, and said he would see his friend in the morning. Randall looked over the charts and graphs of his crew's performance while he had been gone, and sat back in his chair, pleased with what he saw. He then yawned hugely and got up from the chair after powering down the computer. He went into the bedroom and stripped off his clothing. He got into bed, told the computer what time he wanted to be awakened, and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. END LOG
  4. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11802.05) John packed a duffel bag with spare uniforms to take over to the Klingon vessel that the senior crew of the Challenger would be serving aboard. He then had the computer replicate a medieval-style dagger for him as a backup weapon, and for show to the Klingons, who respected strength above all else, or at least a show of position of strength. He inspected the weapon, nodded, shrugged, and clipped it to his belt. He then made his way out of his cabin and strode down the corridor to the turbolift. He rode the 'lift to deck ten where transporter room 1 resided. He exited the lift and walked down the corridor to the transporter room. He entered and strode straight to the transporter dais. He walked up on it and poised himself for the beamover to the Klingon vessel. The rest of the away team came into the room and joined him on the pad. Captain Ja'Lale then nodded to the transporter chief. The officer checked his panel, then looked up at the captain. "Energize," Ja'Lale ordered, and the away team shimmered out of existence. They re-materialized in a dimly lit room about half the size of the Challenger's transporter room. As they got their eyes acclimated to the lower light settings, a door slid open and in walked a group of burly Klingons. John immediately went on guard, his senses on full alert as the two groups studied each other briefly. Then, one of the Klingons stepped forward. "Greetings," he said into his universal translator. "I am Gronk," and he also told what house he was from, but John was tuning it out; his eyes were on the remaining Klingons. His right hand drifted down to rest on the butt of his phaser as he watched the Klingons stare at the away team. The captain of the Klingon vessel finished his introduction, and Ja'Lale responded for the away team. Gronk indicated that the Challenger officers would be assigned to their Klingon counterparts so they could learn the terminology and technology of the Klingon ship. The communications officer of the Challenger, Lieutenant Dvokr chim Hok, exchanged a few words with the Klingon captain in the Klingon vocabulary, and the Klingon captain was impressed by the Tellarite's capability to speak his language, though he took pains not to show it. Gronk invited the Challenger crew to dine with them in the mess hall, or if they preferred, to hone their skills in the sparring room. Most of the away team opted for the mess hall. John, on the other hand, wanted to get down to business, and not spend any more time on the Klingon vessel than he had to. He looked directly at the remaining Klingons and boldly asked, "Which one of you is the engineer?" One of the Klingons stepped forward and said, "I am Marek, chief engineer of the Klongat. I presume you are the engineer of the Federation vessel?" John nodded. "That is correct," he answered. "Are you on a dinner break, or shall we go to engineering so I can begin learning your technology?" The Klingon answered, "I am anxious to get back to engineering myself. Follow me." So saying, he turned and walked out of the transporter room. John fell in behind the burly Klingon, and followed him to a turbolift. They entered the car, and Marek rasped out a command in his language. The lift sped off and stopped only a few moments later. The two beings exited the car and walked down a short corridor where they entered the engineering compartment. John's eyes were instantly drawn to the double warp core setup in the middle of the room. The two tubes ran vertically up to another floor of the engineering compartment. John let his gaze roam for a few seconds around the compartment, ignoring the looks he was getting from the various other Klingons working in the compartment. John then turned to the burly Klingon. "I would like to begin immediately," he said. "My rank is lieutenant. How should I address you?" Marek answered, "My rank is jonpin, which I understand is the same as your rank in Starfleet." John nodded. "Very well," he replied. "I would like to begin learning your systems and terminology." Marek nodded and led him around the engineering compartment, pointing out various systems and controls. John pulled his tricorder from his belt, which made the Klingon flinch at first, but then he saw the readouts and the lighted buttons on the device, and knew it was not a weapon. He continued his tour with Randall around engineering, John recording everything on the tricorder. The tour continued for the better part of a half hour, then Marek announced the tour was over. "I think you would like to go over what you have recorded," he said to Randall, "so I will leave you to your device. There is a matter I need to attend to on the upper floor. It is an adjustment I have to make to the starboard nacelle. You may come along if you wish." John nodded. "I would," he answered, and the Klingon nodded. Marek took Randall over to the warp core and then walked behind the assembly. There was a lift similar to the glass lift onboard the Challenger, and the two beings stepped into it. The lift rose, taking them to the top floor of the engineering compartment. They exited the lift, and Marek led John to a panel located on the west wall of the room. John again took out his tricorder and watched the Klingon as he made his adjustment. Marek then nodded to him, and they returned to the ground floor. The Klingon led Randall to a panel at the warp core assembly, and pointed out the adjustment he had made. John nodded, recording everything with his tricorder. Marek then said, "I think that is enough for a while; you need to study what you have recorded, yes?" Randall nodded. "That is correct," he answered. The Klingon said, "I am now going to the mess hall to get some dinner. Feel free to join me." John answered, "I would like to know if it would be possible to convert one of your food replicators to Federation Standard. I mean no offense, but Klingon food doesn't agree with my body chemistry." Marek studied him a moment, then nodded. "No offense taken," he said. "You are a very straight talking human, which, to be honest, I find refreshing. We only have one food replicator, but most of what we eat is live food anyway, as you are no doubt aware," raising his eyebrows at the Challenger's chief engineer, who nodded in return. "So I will accompany you, and we will convert the replicator together," he finished, and John nodded again. "Your help is appreciated," he said, and the Klingon nodded. The two beings left engineering and rode the lift to the mess hall. They entered to find the away team sitting at one end of a long table, and a group of Klingons at the other end. The away team had food in front of them, and were eyeing it hesitantly, especially the young science officer, Caitlin Townshend, who had a plate of what looked like tomatoes in front of her. John suppressed a smile, and followed Marek over to a machine on the wall. He turned on his tricorder and brought up several food items to display on the panel, and the equations for the items. He showed it to Marek, who merely nodded, and the two engineers set about deciphering the other's technology and terminology. The two groups seated at the table watched the engineers work. END LOG
  5. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11801.29) The Challenger arrived at the Klingon world they were supposed to help. As the ship settled into orbit, John saw on his monitor that the starboard impulse engine had mysteriously slipped out of calibration, and the computer reported a 5 millicochrane discrepancy. The chief engineer then blinked as a directive came from the bridge over his monitor that he was to report to the transporter room to join an away team that was beaming down to the Klingon planet. John knew the captain wouldn't like it, but his first duty was to keep the ship running, and he couldn't be in two places at once. He also knew none of the other crew members in engineering knew the impulse engines like he did. He called his friend Jeff Michaels over, who was also John's second-in-command in engineering, and told him to report to the transporter room to join the away team. Michaels raised a mild objection, but John told him that he could not leave because of the problem with the impulse engine; that took priority. Michaels agreed, and John told him to report the situation to the captain. Randall also said, "Tell the captain I'll beam down ASAP. Don't worry, Jeff, he won't bite your head off." Michaels nodded, giving a small smile, then turned and left engineering. John then assembled a team, and led the way to deck 14 where the impulse engines were located. They walked into the chamber, and were instantly struck by a strange smell. Randall knew there was also a problem with the coolant flow, and that was probably the cause of the engine discrepancy. He pulled out his tricorder and scanned the engine. A few seconds later, the readouts he received confirmed his suspicions. He assigned the crew to different tasks, and put them to work. He himself oversaw the computer algorithms as each task was finished, inputting them into the computer. Around a half hour later, the work was completed, and John asked the computer to run a scan on the engine. A few seconds later, the computer announced the engine was operating within normal parameters, and the crew smiled at each other. John gave them all a 'well done,' and they returned to engineering. John went to his locker to get his toolkit and strapped on his phaser. He knew he was about to beam down to a Klingon planet, and knew he could not go unarmed; to the Klingons, that was a show of weakness. He told Lieutenant (j.g.) Susan Maloney that he was beaming to the planet, and she would be temporarily in charge until Lieutenant Michaels returned. She nodded and swallowed hard. John noticed it and told her to relax, it wouldn't be that long. He then left engineering and rode the lift to deck 10. He stepped out of the car and made his way down the corridor to the transporter room. During his walk, he contacted Michaels by communicator and told him to tell the captain that he was about to beam down. Michaels acknowledged him, and John entered the room. He walked up onto the dais and told the chief to transport him to the away team's location. The chief nodded, made a few adjustments on his console, then looked up at Randall. "Energize," John said, and shimmered out of existence. He materialized in a dimly lit large room, and the first thing he saw were Klingons, about twelve or so, and they were all staring at him. John instantly drew his phaser, but the Klingons made no hostile moves, they simply stared at him. Randall looked around for a few seconds, then slowly holstered his phaser. He looked at the nearest Klingon and activated his universal translator. "Where is the Starfleet contingent?" he asked boldly, and the Klingon motioned toward a small room located at the back of the building, which looked like an office of sorts. John nodded to the Klingon, who, to his secret surprise, returned it, and strode toward the office. He opened the door and entered the room. He saw a table where several people were sitting, including the captain, the acting science officer, Lieutenant Caitlin Townshend, the communications officer, Lieutenant Dvokr chim Hok, and a man in civilian clothes who was talking to Ja'Lale. John glanced to his right, and made eye contact with Marine gunnery sergeant Hunter Matheson. He nodded to the Marine, and Matheson returned the nod. John also noticed Lieutenant Dyan Sylvanis standing near a small window in the rear of the office, and knew the two Marines had the room secured. Randall walked forward and took a seat at the table, nodding to the man in civilian clothing, who returned it. John had seen in the mission briefing that the man in civvies was a Starfleet Intelligence operative named Jacobs; to Randall, the man looked vaguely familiar. John thought to himself, 'I think I've seen flashes of this dude around SI headquarters in San Francisco.' He wasn't sure about that, however, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Jacobs was wrapping up the meeting with the Challenger crew, and as they got up from the table to leave, Randall said to Ja'Lale, "Sorry I'm late, sir." The captain nodded, and gave him a brief outline of the mission, which made John raise his eyebrows. The Challenger senior officers were to beam aboard a Klingon Bird-Of-Prey, and help fly the ship to look for a renegade Klingon captain and his crew. Ja'Lale then said, "How are the engines?" Randall filled the captain in on the work that had been done, and Ja'Lale nodded. "If you can't go on the mission, that's fine; we can take Michaels instead," he/it said, and John replied, "That's all right, I can go on the mission, sir; Jeff can look after things in engineering while I'm gone." The captain nodded, then addressed the team. "Are we exploring the city, or beaming back to the ship?" The team responded that they wanted to beam back aboard Challenger. Ja'Lale nodded and said, "All right, then; let's beam aboard, grab something to eat, and get some rest. We'll be rather busy the next few days, I imagine." The away team returned to Challenger, and a discussion ensued as they materialized on the dais about the Klingon food dish named gagh. Jacobs had mentioned something about the food dish just after the meeting had ended, and John had overheard Townshend, Sylvanis and Matheson talking about it. He smothered a smile as the young science officer's face paled when she found out exactly what gagh meant. John leaned in and addressed both Matheson and Townshend. "Don't worry, I'll see if I can get permission to convert a food replicator." Townshend gave him a rather sickly smile, and the gunnery sergeant responded, "Thanks, sir," and John could hear the relief in the Marine's voice. Sylvanis then cautioned the team to arm themselves and make sure they had some kind of bladed weapon on their person. John nodded. "Klingons respect power," he said. "Don't go lightly armed." Sylvanis agreed. "John's right," she said. "You have to show a presence of strength." Townshend was clearly uncomfortable with the weapons talk, then her brow creased even more when John said, "One other thing. Klingons believe women are good for one thing, and one thing only. You'll have to earn their respect." Sylvanis nodded grimly at that, but said nothing. Matheson tried to reassure Townshend, but the young science officer was clearly disturbed. John then said good night to all of them and left the transporter room. He rode the lift to the deck which housed the officers' mess, and got himself something to eat. He finished his meal, dumped the remains in the recycler bin, and left the room. He strode down the corridor to his cabin and went inside. He went into the bedroom, stripped off his uniform and climbed into his pajamas. He went back into the living area and powered up the computer. He checked his mail and read a status report on engineering sent to him by Michaels. He powered down the computer, returned to the bedroom and climbed into bed. He told the computer what time he wanted to be awakened, and dropped off into sleep. END LOG
  6. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11712.18) The group sitting at their table in the restaurant received a message on their PADDs that told them to board the ship for their next mission. They all said goodbye to each other, and left the restaurant. John made his way to the starbase transporter room, and was beamed to the Challenger. He descended from the dais and exited the transporter room, heading for the turbolift. "Deck 3," he said as he stepped into the car, and the lift sped off. It arrived moments later, and he exited the car, walking briskly down the corridor to his cabin. He entered and went straight to his bedroom, where he changed into a duty uniform. He exited the bedroom and went over to the computer terminal. He powered it up and checked his mail. Seeing nothing for him, he powered down the terminal and exited his cabin. He walked down the corridor to the turbolift and stepped into the car. "Deck 12," he snapped, and the lift whisked him away. It arrived at its destination, and John stepped out of the car. He walked the short distance to the engineering doors, which slid open at his approach. He entered the department, nodding and smiling at the crew that were already present, and went into the CE's office. He went around the desk and sat down in the chair. He powered up the computer and pulled up the mission statement. The Challenger had been assigned to make a medical run to a planet on the outer rim of the Klingon Empire. John's eyebrows rose as he read that part, then sat back in his chair. He heard the warp engines increase in whine, and his eyes shifted back to the monitor screen. He read that the ship was to maintain warp 7 all the way to the Neutral Zone, and his eyebrows rose again. The Challenger was delivering medical supplies to the Klingon planet that was still feeling the effects of the explosion of the Praxis moon. John sat back in his chair again and a sardonic smile came over his face. 'Wonder what kind of reception the ship will get from the Klingons,' he thought to himself. He then brought up the engineering reports and nodded in satisfaction that they all seemed to be in order. He then powered down the computer and left the office. He made his way to the warp console where he joined Lieutenant Brad Mason, who was in charge of watching the engines while the ship was at warp speed. They exchanged pleasantries, and John watched the readouts on the console with him for a while. He was pleased to note that the enhancements and modifications he had requested had been approved and installed in the engines and the console, and the engines were performing nicely at warp. John then smiled at Mason, clapped him on the shoulder, and made his way back to the main console, nicknamed the "pool table" by the crew in engineering. A few hours passed as the Challenger sailed for the Neutral Zone. John informed his crew during that time as to the nature of the Challenger's mission, and noted with some amusement the looks of disbelief and even awe on the faces of some of the newer ensigns. The whine of the warp engines then began to decline, and the chief engineer knew the ship had arrived at the Neutral Zone. 'Well, here we go,' he thought to himself as he sat at the main console. 'It's always an....interesting.... mission when you're dealing with the Klingons,' he thought to himself, and waited to see how this one would unfold. END LOG
  7. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11712.11) John finished entering the pile of PADDs into the computer and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes to rest them for a few moments, then decided he would go aboard the starbase and see what it had to offer in terms of entertainment and cuisine. He arose from the chair after powering down the computer, and made his way out of engineering. Randall rode the turbolift to his deck and made his way down the corridor, entering his cabin. He went into the bedroom, stripped off his uniform, and donned civilian clothes. He then left his cabin and walked back down the corridor to the turbolift. He rode it to deck ten, where the transporter room was located. He exited the lift and strode to the transporter room. He entered, told the chief where he wanted to go, and ascended the dais. He then glanced at the chief, who nodded, and said, "Energize." He shimmered out of existence. John materialized in the starbase transporter room, nodded to the officer present, and descended from the dais. He made his way out of the transporter room and walked over to where there was a schematic of the starbase building plan on the wall, showing where to go in case of an emergency. He studied it for a moment, then walked to a nearby turbolift. "Deck 2," he said, and the lift whisked him away. It arrived at its destination and he exited the car. He began walking down the corridor and ducked into the first restaurant he came to. He sat down at a nearby table and ordered a chicken dinner from the pretty waitress. His food came a few moments later and he proceeded to devour the meal, not realizing how hungry he had actually been. During the meal, he looked casually around the restaurant, and spotted a very pretty redhead a few tables over. He considered going over to meet her, then a thought of T'Mira, his Vulcan-Romulan lady friend, popped into his head, and he thought better of the impulse. He finished the meal, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and sat back in his chair. He casually surveyed the room again, then his eyebrows rose as he saw SMC Sergeant Hunter Matheson and Lieutenant Dyan Sylvanis sitting together a few tables over from his location. They looked very cozy, he thought, then he raised his eyebrow again as Matheson had apparently seen him, and raised his arm to beckon him over. John smiled in return, and arose from his table, making his way over to where the couple was sitting. "Hello, Sergeant, Lieutenant," he said as he found a seat at the table, then noticed Lieutenant Dvokr chim Hok at the table as well, and nodded to the Tellarite. "Hey, Lieutenant," answered Matheson as Randall sat down. "What brings you to these parts?" Sylvanis said, "Hello, Chief," and John nodded to her. "Just finished a seminar back on Earth, and hopped a ship to bring me to the Challenger," Randall answered, and Matheson nodded as another female arrived at their table. John didn't know her, and so regarded her with mild interest until Matheson arose from the table, and got the new arrival a chair. She gave him a grateful look and sat down. She then held her glass up and gave a small toast to the military couple, and Randall's eyebrows rose. They all obviously knew each other, and he sat there sipping a glass of sparkling water he had brought over with him. He was then mildly surprised when the female turned to look directly at him. "Hi," she said. "I'm Lieutenant Caitlin Townshend." John's eyebrows rose as he thought, 'So this is Anastasia's replacement.' He smiled and replied, "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Townshend. I am Lieutenant John Randall, the chief engineer of the Challenger." Caitlin's eyes widened as she said, "Ohhhh, you're him. I'm the new science officer." Randall wasn't sure about the tone of her voice, so he kept his own carefully neutral as he answered, "Welcome aboard the Challenger, Lieutenant. I hope you enjoy your stay with us." She gave him a brief smile, then asked, "Is it true you once chased a Starfleet admiral through a wormhole?" John noticed Matheson and Sylvanis exchange glances at the question, then the lady lieutenant pilot answered, "It was actually a general," and her voice had a strange tone to it. The gunnery sergeant merely nodded. Townshend glanced at Randall, who said, "I........wasn't aboard the ship for that one. I was busy escaping the Romulans." Caitlin's eyes widened again, but she said, "I've often wondered what Romulans are like." John said, "Imagine a Vulcan with emotions, some darker than humans." The science officer shook her head. "I was raised on Vulcan," she answered, which made John raise his eyebrows. "It's.....hard to imagine a Vulcan with emotions," she finished. John said, "You could say the Romulans are the cousins the Vulcans don't claim," and that remark elicited a strange look from the young science officer. She then said, "It's been an.....interesting...... time aboard the Challenger so far. I'm not used to this much.......adventure." John smiled and said, "That's just the way things tend to run aboard the Challenger." He then addressed the table. "I'm sure the brass has some more....interesting.....assignments coming up for us." Everyone at the table nodded as John took another sip of his sparkling water. The conversation then lagged a bit as everyone seemed to direct their thoughts inward upon themselves. END LOG
  8. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11712.04) The USS Tobias docked at the starbase, and John made his way to the transporter room. "Energize," he told the chief, and a few seconds later, materialized aboard the starbase. He stepped down from the dais, nodded to the transporter officer, and strode out of the room. He made his way to a nearby turbolift, and stepped into the car. "Main Lobby," he snapped, and the lift sped off. He arrived a few moments later and stepped out of the car. He looked around for a moment, then made his way to the big circular desk in the middle of the cavernous room. He smiled at a pretty receptionist, and inquired about the Challenger. She consulted her computer terminal, then told him which dock the ship was berthed in. He thanked her and walked back to the turbolift. "Deck 4," he said, and the lift whisked him away. It arrived moments later and he stepped out of the car. He walked over to the huge port in the west wall, and gazed at his home ship for a few moments. Then he looked around and spotted a nearby airlock. He walked over to it and the door rolled itself open at his approach. He stepped into the airlock and pulled out his communicator. "Challenger, one to beam up," he intoned, and a few seconds later a reply came back. "Stand by, energizing," came the voice of the transport chief, and John slowly dematerialized. He shimmered into existence on the transporter dais, and stepped down. He then smiled at the chief as the officer said, "Welcome home, Lieutenant." John replied, "Thank you, it's good to be back." The chief inquired, "How was the seminar?" Randall said, "You've been to one, you've been to 'em all. Mostly sitting around shooting the bull, but we did learn one or two new things." The chief grinned. "I can imagine," he replied. "Good to have you back." John nodded and left the room. He strode down the corridor to the turbolift. "Deck 3," he said as he stepped into the car, and the lift sped off. It arrived a few moments later, and he exited the car; he made his way down the corridor to his cabin, and the door swished open at his approach. He walked inside and deposited his duffel bag on the sofa. 'Home again,' he thought to himself, and went into the bedroom. He stripped off his civvies, and went into the head to take a shower. 20 minutes later, he stepped out, toweled himself dry, and returned to the bedroom where he put on a fresh uniform. He then walked back into the living area, paused, sighed, and left the cabin. He rode the turbolift down to the engineering deck, and strode into his department. He nodded at the starbase repair team, taking pains not to get in their way, and strode into his office. He sat down in the chair behind his desk and reclined back in it. He was home; this was where he belonged. He then straightened in the chair and sighed as he saw the PADDs that had accumulated on the desk. He ignored them for the moment and powered up the computer. He pulled up the status report on the Challenger and sat there reading. After a few moments, he then pulled up the report on the ship's last mission, his eyes narrowing as he read. He then nodded and sat back in the chair. A few minutes later, he accessed his personal e-mail, and found a message from his Vulcan-Romulan lady friend, T'Mira, who was actually an undercover agent for the Vulcan High Command. John read the highly personal message, which brought him up to date on her activities, and she then told him she loved him and hoped to see him soon. He sat there a few moments, then wrote a return message and sent it to her e-mail inbox. He then thought of something, and pulled up the ship manifest. He had heard a rumor while at the seminar that the Challenger had undergone some personnel changes, and when the manifest appeared on the screen, he knew that the rumors were true. Commander Erica Rinax was gone, no longer the executive officer of the Challenger. And then, he saw that Anastasia Poldara was no longer even in Starfleet. She had resigned her commission. John sat there stunned as he read the script on the screen. The new acting chief science officer was someone named Caitlin Townsend. He read the meager information on the science officer, then sat back in his chair again. In his mind, he sent out a silent wish to Ana that she would be happy and safe with whatever she was going to do next in her life. He then set to work on the pile of PADDs sitting on his desk. The crew of the Challenger was on leave aboard the starbase, and John was looking forward to seeing his friends Jeff Michaels and Steve Davis when they returned to the ship. He noted with satisfaction that Jeff had done a good job in his absence, and entered a commendation for his friend in the engineering status report. The pile dwindled slowly away as he pounded away at the keyboard. END LOG
  9. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11701.16) John materialized on the transporter dais of the Challenger. He looked around for a moment, gratified to see the familiar walls, then stepped down off the dais, nodding to the transporter chief. "Welcome home, Lieutenant," said the chief, and John replied, "Thanks, chief, good to be home." The chief said, "You've been gone for a while, haven't you?" Randall replied, "Yeah, it's been an....interesting time." The chief chuckled. "I bet it has. Good to have you back, Lieutenant." "Thanks again, chief," said John as he strode toward the door of the transporter room. The door swished open at his approach, and he walked down the corridor to the turbolift. "Deck 3," he said as he stepped into the car, and the lift sped off. Arriving a few moments later, he exited the car, and strode down the corridor toward his cabin. He was met by various personnel who all greeted him enthusiastically, then he arrived and walked through the door as it swished open. He deposited his duffel bag on the sofa and just stood in the middle of the living area for a few moments, taking in the fact that this was his cabin. He had thought at various times over the previous 8 months that he would never see this cabin again, and he was greatly relieved to be back. He then gave a mighty sigh, stripped off his uniform and went to the head to take a shower. 25 minutes of heaven later, he stepped out, toweled himself dry, and went into the bedroom, grabbing his bag as he went. He put the various items of clothing he had into their proper drawers, then donned his pajamas, told the computer what time he wanted to be awakened, then climbed into his bed, and went to sleep. ************************************4 DAYS LATER*************************************************************** John awakened after 10 hours of sleep, sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He then climbed out of bed, stripped off his pajamas and went to the head to take a shower. The previous 3 days had saw Randall slip back into business as usual aboard the Challenger. His first trip to engineering had been a satisfying one for the chief engineer of the Challenger. He had been met with shouts of glee and a few hugs from some of the female ensigns and junior grade lieutenants. Susan Maloney had hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder, and John just held her for a few moments, weathering the emotional storm. Jeff Michaels also gave him a long hug, then told him it was about time he resumed command of engineering, which drew a laugh from the crowd. John laughed with them, then told everyone to get back to work in mock anger, and they all laughed and went back to their stations. Michaels brought John up to speed on the status of engineering, then told him about the recent goings-on of the Challenger. John nodded through it all, then stood back and watched the crew go about their business for a few moments, savoring the fact that he was back in his own engineering department on his home ship. The next 2 days were the old familiar routine for the chief engineer of the Challenger, although he did wonder if he would ever be called for a debriefing, then he reminded himself that this was Challenger, they would get around to it when they got around to it, if they ever did. He did make a brief trip to the bridge not long after his initial return. He had stepped out onto the bridge to be met by wide-eyed stares from most of the crew. He and the captain talked briefly, then as he turned to leave, got a 'welcome back' remark from Erica Rinax, the XO of the Challenger. He had then left the bridge and returned to his cabin. He stepped out of the shower after 20 minutes and toweled himself dry. He then went into the bedroom to put on a duty uniform. He then left the cabin and walked down the corridor to the officers' mess. He went in and went up to the ordering wall. He gave and received his order, then sat down at a nearby table to eat. He finished the meal and deposited the remains in the recycler. He turned to leave the mess hall and spotted the science officer of the Challenger, Lieutenant Anastasia Poldara, intently reading a PADD. He debated for a moment as whether to greet her or not, then squared his shoulders and went over to her table. It was the first chance he would have to talk to Ana since he had left her in the mess hall of Starbase 179 when he was undertaking the covert mission to find the Starfleet officer who had betrayed his father. She had told him, rather strongly, her feelings on the matter, then said she hoped he came back so he could put that part of his life behind him, and they could move forward, or there would be problems. John now intended to find out if there were indeed problems between himself and Ana. He cleared his throat as he arrived at her table, and said, "Hello, Lieutenant." She didn't move a muscle for a few seconds, and John thought, 'Well, guess she doesn't want to talk.' He turned to leave, and heard her voice say in surprise, "Wha--oh, John. I'm sorry, I didn't see you standing there." Randall turned back to her and said, "I'm sorry if I bothered you, Lieutenant. You look busy, so I'll see you later." Ana quickly shook her head, putting the PADD onto the table. "I'm not busy," she replied. "Do you have time to join me?" John regarded her a few seconds, then went to the chair across the table from her and sat down. "It's good to see you again, Anastasia," he said. "It's been a while since the last time I saw you on Starbase 179." She nodded quickly again. "About that," she began, then fell silent for a few seconds. John waited for her to continue. "I would like to apologize for the way I treated you," she continued, and Randall raised his eyebrows. "It's okay," he replied. "I actually took your advice, and it served me well on that mission. It ended badly, I'm sorry to say, but it was going to anyway, so no harm, no foul as far as I'm concerned." Poldara looked puzzled for a moment. "Advice?" she queried, and John filled her in. "Oh, that," she answered. "Right. I give good advice." John smothered a smile. "Coming from you, that's quite an admission, Lieutenant," he said, and Anastasia cocked her head at him. "Would you like to hear another?" she asked in a low voice, and Randall raised his eyebrows at her sudden change in demeanor. She told him about her misgivings on the past few weeks aboard the Challenger, then she suddenly went very quiet, and put a hand to her mouth. John sat up a little straighter in his chair, sensing he was about to hear or see something completely out of character for the science officer. Ana's dark eyes were moist as she stared at him, still with her hand over her mouth. "John, I tortured somebody for information," came the muffled remark, and Randall's eyes went wide. He leaned toward, speaking softly. "You did what?" he asked gently, and Anastasia nodded, taking her hand away from her mouth. "It's true," she said softly. "And, maybe the worst part is, I actually enjoyed it for a few seconds." She sat back and put her hands to her face briefly, then dropped them and looked Randall squarely in the eyes. "And I'd do it again to get the results I got," she said defiantly. John stared at her a few seconds, not believing his ears. "You must tell me about that sometime," he said. "And I'll tell you how I was on my way to rejoin Challenger at the Utopia Planetia shipyards when I was kidnapped by a Romulan ship." Her eyes went wide at that remark, but she only said, "Yes, I'd like that." John nodded and stood up. "Well, I won't take up any more of your time, Lieutenant. I need to report to the bridge." Ana quickly arose, grabbing her PADD from the table, and said, "It's time I was on the bridge as well, I will accompany you. I'm wondering what we're going to report to the Romulan ships." John stared at her. "We're contacting Romulan ships?" he asked in disbelief, and Ana smiled at him. "John, do you mean to tell me you've been back 4 days, and you haven't read the mission reports?" she asked. John turned toward her, but her eyes were twinkling now, and a strange smile played around her lips. Randall thought, 'She's actually trying to tease me. She has changed some.' He said, "Hm, maybe I shouldn't go to the bridge, the Romulans think I'm a Starfleet Intelligence operative." She turned toward him, her eyes widening again at his remark, then an announcement came over the ship's comm for all department heads to report to the conference room on deck 1. Anastasia and John left the mess hall and strode to the turbolift, riding it to the top deck. They exited the car and strode down the corridor to the conference room. END LOG
  10. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11612.29) The next day (ship's time), Randall was in engineering helping Ensign Taylor with some of the bureaucratic details that he would have to know to be the chief engineer of the Arizona. The young man from Sri Lanka, Earth, was a bit overwhelmed at first, but John showed him some shortcuts that he had learned, and Taylor began to catch on to them fairly quickly, leaving Randall satisfied he had chosen the right officer to recommend to Captain Russell as becoming the chief engineer of the Arizona. John was in the officers' mess just finishing lunch when he was paged by Lieutenant Alison Mays, the communications officer of the Arizona, to report to the bridge to see the captain. Randall acknowledged the message, dumped the remains of his meal into the recycler, and left the mess hall, walking down the corridor to the turbolift. "Bridge," he said as he entered the car, and the lift sped off. He arrived a few moments later and stepped out onto the bridge. He made his way to the captain's chair where Russell was seated. He raised his eyebrows at her in a silent question as the captain made eye contact with him. "Well, Lieutenant, we have good news for you at last," Russell said. "The XO of the Challenger just contacted us, and said that the Challenger has eradicated the virus inside the ship, and it is now safe for you to beam over. Your captain has requested that we beam you aboard ASAP. You're going home, Lieutenant John Randall, so if you need to do any packing, I suggest you get below and get it done." John stared at Russell for a few seconds, not believing his ears. He was going home. He was going to be beamed to the Challenger. He would finally rejoin his crew and his friends. He was speechless for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, and nodded. "Acknowledged, Captain," he said. "Permission to leave the bridge." "Granted, Lieutenant," replied Russell, and John turned to leave. "John," continued Russell, and Randall stopped, turning to look at her. The captain of the Arizona got out of her chair and went over to him, looking up at him. "It has been a pleasure having you on my ship," the lady captain went on. "You have been a tremendous help to my crew. And, you were absolutely unbelievable when we ran into the Klingons. I'm sorry to see you go, Lieutenant, and I hope we run into each other again someday. Safe travels, and good health, John Randall." She held out her hand, and John took it. They shook hands and Randall replied, "Captain, it was an honor to serve with you and your crew. I think Starfleet is going to have a good ship with you at the head of it. Safe travels to you and your crew." The bridge applauded as John strode to the turbolift. "Deck 3," he said as he entered, and the lift whisked him away. A few moments later, he arrived and stepped out of the lift. He walked down the corridor to his cabin and went inside. He quickly packed a duffel bag with his few clothes and uniforms, then left the cabin and went back down the hall to the turbolift. "Deck 10," he said, and the lift sped off. He arrived, exited the lift, and went down the corridor to the transporter room. As he strode inside, he was met by Captain Russell, who smiled at him as he came in; John noticed, however, that the captain's eyes were bright, and he steeled himself, having an inkling of what was coming next. "All set, Lieutenant?" she asked, and he nodded. She turned to the cadet standing at the transporter board. "I'll handle this one, Ensign," she said, and the cadet nodded and left the room. Russell waited until the door slid shut, then turned to John. "I wanted to say a private goodbye to you after my so-called 'official' one on the bridge," she said, and Randall nodded. "John, I'm saying goodbye not only to a valued officer, but, I hope, also to a good friend. You didn't have to come on our shakedown cruise, Lieutenant, but I was sure glad you did. I meant everything I said on the bridge, John; you have been valuable to this crew, and everyone on the bridge asked me to wish you well as you return to your home ship. "On a personal note, I will miss you, Lieutenant John Randall," she continued, and her eyes got even brighter as she spoke. "I would like to stay in touch with you, and any time you or the Challenger needs help, don't hesitate to contact the Arizona or myself. I mean that, John. Any time means any time. I will miss you, John," and she stepped forward, holding her arms open. John walked into them and they shared a long hug, then Randall gently pulled away, and Russell let him go. "I will miss you as well, Captain Amanda Russell," he said. "I think we've gotten to know each other pretty well over the last few days, and, as I said on the bridge, the Arizona is a good ship with a fine captain on her bridge. I would like to reciprocate your offer; if ever you or the Arizona need any help, don't hesitate to call me, and that means any time as well. Safe travels to you and your ship, Amanda, and it has been my honor to know you." She hugged him briefly again, then walked around to the transporter console. John ascended the dais and turned to face her. Russell consulted the board for a few seconds, then nodded. "Goodbye, John," she said huskily, and Randall replied, "Goodbye, Amanda. Energize." She held his gaze for a long second, then her hand slid the switches on the console. John's body shimmered, then disappeared. Russell watched him dematerialize, then dropped her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking. A few moments later, she looked up, dried her eyes with her fingers, then left the transporter room, all business as she headed for the bridge. END LOG
  11. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11612.19) The Arizona chased the second UFP ship for a few minutes, both vessels looping and circling through space. Finally, the Constitution-class vessel drew near enough where the weapons officer of the Arizona could use the phasers, as Captain Russell wanted the ship disabled, not destroyed. The phasers lashed out through space, and the UFP freighter stopped dead in its tracks with a direct hit on the engineering section of the ship. Russell then ordered the Arizona to rejoin the Starfleet barricade that had been formed in front of the Challenger to protect it from the other UFP vessels. More Starfleet ships were surrounding the nebula to guard against any back-door attempt by the UFP to fire on the Challenger again. The Arizona arrived at the coordinates of the Starfleet barricade, and Russell ordered Mays, the communications officer, to get her the Challenger. Mays nodded and sent out the hail that was answered almost immediately by Captain Ja'Lale. "Challenger here," he/it said, and Mays nodded at Russell. "This is Captain Russell of the USS Arizona," she said. "I have a sitrep for you, captain. We have disabled the two UFP ships that were firing on you, and the Starfleet armada has formed a barricade between you and the other UFP vessels. Your 24 hour mandate from Admiral Sanchez is in effect as of now." "Thank you, Captain Russell, that's good to hear," answered Ja'Lale. "We are very close to solving our virus problem aboard the ship, and being fired upon wasn't helping matters any. Thank you for your help." Russell smiled. "Our pleasure, Captain," she replied. "Lieutenant Randall has a request for you. He would like to know the second you solve your virus problem so he can beam aboard and help out." "We will do that, Captain," said Ja'Lale. "We are quite eager to have him back aboard Challenger as well, he has been missed. I can see why Admiral Baldwin keeps choosing him for missions, he's proven to be quite resourceful." Russell laughed. "That he is, sir, I can vouch for that myself," she agreed. "He's very eager to rejoin you and your crew as well. I must say, I am quite envious. John is a very good engineer, and I can see why you say you've missed him." "We will let you know something very soon, Captain," replied Ja'Lale. "My officers tell me they believe they have found a solution to exterminate the virus aboard the ship. When that is accomplished, we look forward to having Lieutenant Randall come home." Russell looked over to John, who had a smile on his face. "He heard you, sir, and he is looking forward to it as well," said the Arizona's captain. "We'll leave you to it, and stand guard for you. Arizona out." "Thank you for your help, Captain Russell, Challenger out," answered Ja'Lale, and the communication was cut. Russell sat back in her chair and ordered the helm officer to plan a sentry orbit. She then contacted Admiral Sanchez and updated him on the situation. The admiral gave her permission to begin her guard patrol, and Russell signed off. The Arizona began to patrol the area, and John went to the communications station to talk to Mays for a moment, then went back to the engineering station on the bridge. He pulled his communicator from his belt, and contacted his friend, who was currently the acting chief engineer of the Challenger, Lieutenant Jeff Michaels. "Randall to Michaels," John said, and the answer came almost immediately with just a hint of static. Randall knew the static was from the nebula itself, and had set his gain on the communicator to compensate. "Michaels here, go ahead, ol' buddy," the voice said, and John grinned involuntarily. "What's the story on the phasers, Jeff?" he asked. Michaels replied, "We just got through converting the first batch, John, and we currently have the device connected to the port nacelle plasma manifold for recharging. We should be starting the second batch of phasers in about fifteen minutes." "That's good news, Jeff," said Randall. "How you holding up?" "Pretty good, actually," Michaels answered. "The docs came through with some shots awhile ago, said they had improved the strength of the formula, and they were right; I feel like my old self, got just a hint of a headache." "That's great, man, I'm happy to hear that," John replied. "Okay, my friend, I'll shut up and leave you alone, you got work to do. See you soon." "Those are words I've been waiting to hear, pal," Michaels said. "Can't wait 'til you are back with us. Michaels out." John flipped the communicator closed, and leaned back in his chair. He was closer and closer to going home. He thought of the Challenger as his home now, and had actually been a little surprised by how much he missed being aboard her. It had been a tumultuous few months for the chief engineer of the Challenger, and he was very anxious to be back aboard his ship, and to be with his friends. He got up from the engineering station and stepped down into the well where the captain's chair was located. Russell raised her eyebrows as Randall stood beside her. "I believe I'll step back down to engineering and see about the crew," he said, and the captain nodded. "We'll contact you when we hear something, John," Russell answered, and Randall nodded. He walked to the turbolift and stepped into the car. "Deck 12," he intoned, and the lift whisked him away. The lift deposited him on the deck, and Randall strode down the corridor to engineering. He walked in, and was greeted with glad cries by the crew. He acknowledged them, then told them to resume their duties. He got an update from his assistant, then began circling the department, helping out cadets as he came to them. A few days went by, and Russell kept Randall apprised of the progress that the Challenger was making. John knew it would take a while to completely eradicate the virus aboard the huge ship, and was doing his best to remain patient. It was now at the point where the question was when he would go home, not if. Michaels contacted him from time to time as well, reporting on the status of the eradication. Commander Erica Rinax, the first officer of the Challenger, learned that Randall was onboard the Arizona, and contacted him to inquire if he had any thoughts on how the Challenger could destroy the virus in space. She told him via a coded transmission that the Romulan vessel that had brought the virus into Federation space to start with had infected the space around it all the way back to Romulus. John said it was what they deserved, which earned him a rebuke from Rinax, then told the first officer he would see about a solution to the problem. She thanked him and also said it would be great to have him back aboard Challenger, then signed off. John went to his cabin aboard the Arizona and studied Scott's records again. About 36 hours later, he thought he had the solution to the problem. The Challenger would need to build a bigger version of the device that it had used to clear the space around the ship, and had been modified to convert the phasers. The device would be built, then a magnetic antimatter/matter bottle would be attached to the device. That apparatus would then be strapped to a photon torpedo with a computer controlled timer. The torpedo would explode, and the apparatus would be incinerated, throwing out baryons into the infected space. John estimated the blast would cover nearly 1 A.U. in diameter, and would tell the Challenger to be at least .3 lighthours away from the blast, and to have the shields raised at full power to protect the ship from the shock wave the blast would generate. If need be, the process could be repeated until everyone was satisfied the virus had been eradicated. He made a full report to Commander Rinax about his solution, and there was silence on the other end of the communication for a full five seconds. Then the first officer asked, "Lieutenant, are you sure about this?" John replied, "No, Commander, I am not, but I wasn't sure about the first device either, if you recall." Rinax agreed. "No, you weren't, and that turned out alright," she said. "Very well, Lieutenant, I'll get with the captain and see what he/it thinks. Thanks, John. Rinax out." John closed the communication and awaited word from the Challenger whether they would use his solution or not. He went to the bridge and informed Russell about what was going on. She shook her head at him when he finished. "What an engineering mind you have," she said, smiling at him. "No wonder Captain Ja'Lale wants you back. I'll tell you right now, Lieutenant, I'm very jealous of that ship." John grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment, Captain," he replied. "I will tell you something now. One of my assistants aboard this ship, Ensign Taylor, has a pretty good engineering instinct as well. I devised a small problem in engineering the other day, and assigned him to lead the team to solve it. It didn't take him long at all to see the solution, and I didn't make it easy on purpose just to test him. I think you've got a good prospect for chief engineer in that officer." Russell nodded. "I'll make a note of that, John, and will probably promote him on your recommendation alone. If you like him, I'm sure I will." John smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Captain," he said. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep, so I'll see you later." "Have a good rest, Lieutenant, you've earned it," said Russell. "We'll contact you if any word comes in." John thanked her, said good night, and went to his cabin. He changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He gave the computer a time to wake him up, and was almost instantly asleep. END LOG
  12. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11612.15) The short range sensors of the Arizona were tracking incoming fire heading directly for the Challenger. John sat in disbelief on the bridge, not believing what he had just heard; Captain Amanda Russell had just been given an order to fire her torpedoes at Randall's ship. Almost immediately thereafter, however, another voice came over the 'com. The commanding officer of the Starfleet armada said that negotiations had been performed between the Challenger and the fleet, and Challenger had been given 24 hours to try to help itself. Russell answered back wanting to know who had given the order to fire her torpedoes, and the CO of the armada told her that had been a UFP commander; the United Federation of Planets had sent their own ships, and the commander had flatly rejected the negotiations between Starfleet and the Challenger. Russell thanked the CO, and not three seconds later, Randall's communicator beeped. He pulled it out of its holster on his belt, flipped it open, and heard the voice of Anastasia come over the 'com. "John, can you hear me?" it said, and Randall replied, "Affirmative, Lieutenant, go ahead." Ana said, "John, I think I've come up with a way to sterilize the inside of the ship using your technique. Is there a way we can fill our hand phasers with the same baryonic energy as we did with the ship phasers?" Randall's eyes widened, and he and Russell traded glances. "That's a hell of an idea, Ana," he replied, "and I don't see why not. You'll have to hook up a special cable to the phaser from the device to put the baryons into the phaser. Lieutenant Michaels can take care of that for you. It should work, Ana, that's a great idea." "Thank you, John," came the reply from Challenger's chief science officer. "Maybe we'll have you back with us real soon." Randall smiled. "I look forward to it, Ana, and I've got quite a story to tell you when I come aboard. Randall out." He replaced his communicator, and looked over at Russell, shaking his head. "I would have never thought of that," he said admiringly. Russell smiled at him. "Sounds like you two are friends," she replied, and John smiled again. "Yes, I have a lot of respect for her," he said. Meanwhile, while all that had been going on, the Challenger was trying, quite sluggishly, to maneuver itself out of the line of fire it was under. Radiation filled the space around the Challenger, however, just seconds later, as a couple of torpedoes exploded against the ship's shielding. John winced at the impact, he knew the shields had been weakened by that blast, and knew more fire would be coming. He suddenly became very angry; just as the Challenger was about to extract itself from its plight, some gung-ho commander wanted his fifteen minutes of fame by trying to take down a Starfleet ship. He wheeled in his chair and pinned Russell with an ice-blue glare. "Captain, we can't just sit here!" he cried, and instantly every eye on the bridge, including Russell's, were trained on him. "We have to DO something! We have to HELP her! This is no time to wait for orders! That's my ship being fired upon! We HAVE to DO something!" Everyone on the bridge then looked at Russell, and the female captain was staring at Randall. After a few seconds, she slowly nodded, and told the communications officer, Lieutenant Alison Mays, to get her the CO of the Starfleet armada. Mays made contact, and Russell asked permission to go help the Challenger. Before the CO could answer, Challenger suddenly spun in space, then took off to the right. A few seconds later, however, two vessels suddenly came into view, and they were in hot pursuit of the Starfleet vessel, firing as they went. The CO answered that the Arizona could indeed help the Challenger as it was the closest vessel, and Russell signified thanks. She began barking orders to her crew, and a few seconds later, the Constellation-class ship took off in pursuit of the UFP ships. John sat at the engineer's station on the bridge, keeping an eye on the engine readouts. He would turn every few seconds to look at the viewscreen to see if they were gaining on the UFP ships. Russell had her crew at battle stations, and the Arizona streaked through space chasing the UFP ships. A few moments later, a good-sized nebula filled the screen, and John smiled to himself as he knew where the Challenger had gone. The nebula would interfere with ship's instruments, and the UFP ships would have trouble locating the Starfleet vessel as long as it remained within the nebula. John was willing to bet that Starfleet Marine Hunter Matheson was at the helm of the Challenger, and he knew firsthand of the Marine's piloting skills. The UFP ships ad slowed noticeably as they came upon the nebula, and that gave enough time for the Arizona to suddenly drop from warp behind them. Russell gave the order to target the nearest ship, and a few seconds later, the ship shuddered slightly as a bright red ball erupted from the Arizona, heading directly for the UFP ship. Seconds later, there was a fireball in space as the first ship was blown apart by the Arizona's torpedo. John gave a silent whoop, then relaxed as Russell ordered a second torpedo be readied for the second UFP ship. That ship, however, had seen the blast, and was performing complex maneuvers, trying to put some distance between itself and the much larger Starfleet vessel. Then the officer watching the sensor array of the Arizona suddenly spun in his chair. "Captain, the entire Starfleet armada has joined us, ma'am," he reported breathlessly, and suddenly the immediate space surrounding the Arizona was crammed with Starfleet vessels. The ships then cut away from each other, and John realized they were forming a barricade in front of the Challenger (or at least where the sensors said the Challenger was resting). A voice came over the communications station a few seconds later. "Captain Russell, you have permission to engage the UFP ship," came the order of the Starfleet CO. "Good hunting." Russell glanced at Randall, who gave her a feral smile. "Thank you, Admiral," she replied. "Arizona out." She then looked around the bridge. "All right, let's do this," she gritted, and began giving orders. John again watched the readouts from the engines as the Arizona tumbled through space in pursuit of the second UFP ship. The chase lasted around five minutes, then the weapons officer announced they were in torpedo range, and Russell gave the order to fire immediately. The ship shuddered slightly again as the torpedo left the bay, and seconds later, there was another brief fireball in space as the UFP ship was destroyed. Russell sat back calmly in her captain's chair, and ordered the Arizona back to the barricade of Starfleet vessels. She glanced over to John, and he nodded respectfully at her. She gave him a brief smile, then returned her gaze to the viewscreen as they rejoined the barricade. END LOG
  13. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11612.05) John sat in the captain's ready room aboard the Arizona awaiting word from the auxiliary bridge of the Challenger where Lieutenant Jeff Michaels and his engineering team were waiting for science officer Anastasia Poldara to finish inputting an equation into the device the engineering team had built to try to eradicate the virus infecting the space around the Challenger. Poldara had suggested to John that an additional element be added to the equation Randall had gleaned from Montgomery Scott's notes. She had a good idea that the element would add extra punch to the baryons stored in the device, and help create "hot spots" in the space surrounding the Challenger, essentially "burning" the virus in space. The science officer completed her data input a few moments later, and asked Michaels how the relay connections looked. Michaels replied that, since he had never seen this done before, was as sure as he would ever be, but what did he know? Poldara gave a wry smile and answered, "Absolutely nothing." She then contacted ensign Dvokr chim Hok, the communications officer, and told him to tell Captain Ja'Lale the device was ready. Hok complied with her request, then connected Michaels with Randall aboard the Arizona. Michaels told John they were ready, and Randall gave Jeff the instructions on the firing sequence they were to use. Michaels acknowledged the instructions, and contacted the captain for permission to begin firing the phasers. Ja'Lale gave his consent, and Michaels, after checking that Lieutenant Poldara was ready on the short-range scanner (as per Randall's instructions), programmed the sequence into the computer, and pressed the firing button. Beams of red penetrated the space around the Challenger. From a port in the ready room of the Arizona, John could faintly see the beams stabbing in all directions from the Challenger. Russell had joined him in the ready room by this time, and she smiled at John as the light show commenced. "My goodness, John," she said, shaking her head. "Talk about a radical solution to a problem. How in the name of space----?" Randall quickly shook his head. "It's not my solution, Amanda," he replied. "This one's all about Captain Scott. How he came up with this, I will never know. The man is a legend in the engineering community. I'm just borrowing an idea of his." "Yes, but you had to get the idea to 'borrow' his idea, John, and that is what is getting me," retorted the captain of the Arizona. "I wouldn't have thought of this in a million years." John shook his head again. "If you had become an engineer, Captain, I believe you would have." Amanda smiled. "Well, we'll never know the answer to that question, because I absolutely sucked at engineering, Lieutenant." They laughed as the light show from the Challenger ceased. "What now, John?" she asked. "Lieutenant Poldara should be doing her scans here in a few seconds, then she will tell Lieutenant Michaels if a second volley is needed," answered the Challenger's chief engineer. Aboard the Challenger, Lieutenant Poldara was doing just that. She frowned at the readings she was getting, and looked over to Michaels. "I don't like the radiation levels, Lieutenant," she reported. "I would recommend a second round." "Acknowledged, Lieutenant," replied Michaels, and pressed the firing button again. Again the beams stabbed into the space surrounding the Challenger, and the display outside the ship this time was even more vivid than the first one. Crew members aboard the ship were mistakenly heading for their assigned battle station as they thought the ship was under attack. The second volley came to an end, and Poldara once again scanned the area of space surrounding the Challenger. When she looked up this time, there was a smile on her face. "The space surrounding the ship is virtually virus-free, Lieutenant," she reported, and Michaels grinned back at her. "Acknowledged, Lieutenant," he replied excitedly, and punched the 'comm. "Michaels to Randall," he said, and John answered him. "Lieutenant, it worked!" he cried, and John slumped in relief as Russell cried out and grabbed his arm in glee. "I don't know where you got that idea from, old buddy, but it worked," Michaels continued. "We can thank a Starfleet legend for this one, Jeff," replied Randall. Poldara then made a motion at Michaels, and he told John to stand by. "Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked. Ana said, "Now all we have to do is figure out how to sterilize the inside of the ship, and the space beyond ours." Michaels' enthusiasm dimmed a bit at her words. "Yeah," he said. "All we have to do." They had no way of knowing, however, that that particular problem might be one they didn't have to worry about. At that precise moment, an officer manning the long-range sensors on the bridge of the Challenger reported to Ja'Lale that incoming fire had been detected by the sensors, and was on its way to the ship. Aboard the Arizona, John and Russell had just rejoined the crew on the bridge when an ashen-faced Mays, the communications officer, turned in her chair. "Captain, the UFP has ordered all ships to fire on the Challenger!" she reported, and John went completely rigid at the report. Mays continued in a suddenly subdued voice, "Captain, you have been ordered to launch all torpedoes at the Challenger." Russell stared at her for a few seconds, then looked at John, who had turned white with the news. He had just helped his ship, and now all his efforts seemed to be in vain. END LOG
  14. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11611.26) John had downloaded several files from the Starfleet Archives library, and had gotten Russell's help on two or three files that Montgomery Scott had stated were in his personal logs that were stored at Memory Alpha. The chief engineer of the Challenger read the logs intently for several hours, only taking breaks when his body forced him to. Russell had to come get him twice to almost forcibly take him to the officers' mess to eat a meal. After a six hour nap (which his body had demanded as well), John felt he had comprised enough information that he felt he knew a temporary solution to try to clear up the infected space surrounding the Challenger. He contacted the communications officer aboard the Challenger, ensign Dvokr chim Hok, and through the Tellarite outlined his plan to Ja'Lale. The captain questioned Randall about some of the specifics of the plan, which John admitted were kinda 'out there', as the vernacular went, but he assured Ja'Lale Scott had made it work in the Enterprise's situation, and the captain granted Randall permission to try his plan out. John had Hok connect him with Jeff Michaels in engineering, and told Hok to listen in and also download to a wafer the schematics of a device Randall was going to have Michaels and his engineering team build aboard the Challenger. Michaels greeted Randall enthusiastically upon hearing his friend's voice, and assured him he and his team had just received a new treatment that the science and medical teams had just came up with aboard the Challenger, and they were ready to build the device. John transmitted the schematics of the device to the Challenger, and work began on the device. On the bridge of the Challenger, ensign Hok took to what amounted to be a crash course in engineering with Randall's help so he could try to understand the basic principles of the device. The device took several hours to build, but the team finally accomplished the task, and Michaels told John they were ready to implement the device. Randall told Michaels he and his team would have to go EVA for the first part of the plan; the device would have to be hooked up to the plasma manifold exhaust ports on the port nacelle of the Challenger. The manifolds would then need to be purged, and the exhaust particles from the manifolds would be absorbed by the ports in the device. The plasma particles would be changed into baryon particles inside the device, and the baryons would be used to (hopefully) neutralize the virus surrounding the space of the Challenger. After the device had been fully charged with baryons, the next part of the plan was to take it to the auxiliary bridge of the Challenger, where Michaels and his team would hook it into the phaser relays. The phaser beams would be neutralized, and the relays would be reconfigured to blast out the baryon particles into the space surrounding the Challenger, hopefully neutralizing the virus within 48 to 72 hours. Randall told Michaels he should enlist the help of the Challenger's science officer, Lieutenant Anastasia Poldara, and give her the formula for neutralizing the phaser beams, then reconfiguring the relays for the baryon particles. Michaels agreed, and after the team charged the device, Poldara was contacted by Michaels, and she agreed to meet the team in the auxiliary bridge. Poldara, upon arriving, insisted on speaking with Randall herself. Hok set up the relay between them, and John told Ana the specifics of the plan. The science officer, after several seconds of intense thought, recommended an additional element be added to the particles; she theorized that the element should add some extra punch to the baryons, making them more effective, and hopefully reduce the amount of time it would take for the baryon particles to neutralize the virus. Randall agreed, and Poldara began programming the element into the equation for the baryon particles while Michaels and the engineering team hooked the device into the phaser relays. After a couple of hours, Michaels informed Randall the device was ready to go. Poldara said she needed a little more time to get the equation right, and John told her to take her time, and be sure she was satisfied before they attempted the maneuver. Ana agreed, and John waited for the signal from the Challenger to begin the shots into space. He was hoping beyond hope that the plan would work, and he would soon be able to rejoin his friends aboard his home ship. END LOG
  15. OFFICIAL LOG LIEUTENANT JOHN RANDALL USS CHALLENGER (Personal Log Stardate 11610.25) The Arizona continued on its training cruise in the sector of Federation space governed by Starbase 179. John remained on the bridge helping out some of the cadets with their tasks. He didn't know that much about the stations on the bridge (having not really gone through the command school at Starfleet Academy), but Russell assured him his role as a supervisor would be well received by herself and the first officer, Thomas. John admitted to himself his knowledge of the bridge stations was surprising even him, but he knew he had his experience on the Challenger to thank for that; he had picked up a few tricks from various bridge personnel who had served on the Challenger's bridge, and was amazed he could remember what he did to pass on to the cadets. He and Russell decided to grab some lunch in the officers' mess, and the captain left Thomas with the conn. They made their way down to the lunch room and ordered from the vast selection. They sat down at a nearby table which was well within reach of an intercom. They were almost finished with their meal when the intercom beeped. The voice of the communications officer, Lieutenant Alison Mays, said, "Bridge to the captain." Russell raised an eyebrow at John and reached over to push the "talk" button on the 'com. "Russell here," she said, and Mays replied, "Captain, there is a transmission coming in from Starfleet Command. It's 'Eyes Only' for you, ma'am." This time both Russell and Randall raised eyebrows at each other, and the captain answered, "On my way, Russell out." The officers dumped the remains of their meal into the recycling bin, and headed for the turbolift. As they rode upward to the bridge, Russell cocked her head at Randall. "Wonder what this is about?" she mused. John said, half-jokingly, "Maybe they're gonna mess with our cruise a little bit." Russell rolled her eyes as the lift came to a stop, and replied, "Lord, I hope not, I have enough on my plate as it is without Command throwing a monkey wrench into things." John smiled as they exited the lift onto the bridge, and said, "All part of being a captain, Captain; no mission ever goes like it's supposed to." Russell made a face at him and replied, "You didn't need to say that, Lieutenant," and Randall laughed as Russell went to her chair where a text message was being written on the small screen on the armrest of her chair. After a few moments, Russell looked up and said in a very serious voice, "Commander Thomas, Lieutenant Randall, come take a look at this." The two officers looked at each other, then went to the captain's chair. The men read for a few moments, then looked at each other. Russell looked at John and said, "Lieutenant, it appears your ship is in big trouble for Starfleet to order something like this." John was shaking his head still over what he had just read when a very faint transmission came into the communications station. ".....This is.....Captain Ja'Lale....of the.....Challenger calling....the USS Arizona......come in, please," it said, and John made a beeline for the communications station as Mays answered the hail. "This is the USS Arizona, go ahead," she replied, and she looked at John with wide eyes. The entire bridge crew was watching Randall as he waited for the reply from the Challenger. Russell then cleared her throat and said, "Helm, set course to join the Starfleet armada at these coordinates, maximum warp." Heads turned on the bridge at that order, and the captain snapped, "Eyes on your boards, people!" The crew hurriedly complied, and Randall and Russell's eyes met briefly. The helmsman reported the course was set, and Russell gave the order to move out. The Arizona went to warp 9.7, streaking for the Neutral Zone. Then another transmission came from the Challenger. "Our ship....has been....quarantined by....Starfleet Command....an unknown virus....of some kind....has infected....our ship and....the space....around it. You are required to...stay 2.6 hours outside...of our coordinates....for your own ....safety. Do not....approach the Challenger," came the voice of Ja'Lale. John looked at Mays, and the communications officer nodded to him. She handed him an earpiece, which he immediately put on, then she indicated which tab he should push to talk, and he nodded thanks. "Challenger, this is John Randall," he said. "I am aboard the Arizona. Captain, can you hear me?" Mays whispered, "The signal should improve as we get closer to them." Randall nodded as Ja'Lale's voice came back over the 'com. "John? Is that you?....What are you doing aboard....the Arizona?" the surprised voice said. Randall quickly said, "It's a long story, sir, but rest assured I am in good health and eager to be back with you and the crew. Can you give me a little more detail about your situation?" The transmission from the Challenger was improving noticeably as the captain replied, "An unknown Romulan vessel came...into contact with us, and....a virus of some kind made its...way aboard the ship. It infected almost everyone....immediately, save for a few of us, and then...we learned the virus had also infected the....space around the ship, effectively imprisoning us. We have made some progress...at a treatment for the virus, but at this time, we are under quarantine by order of...Command. It's good to hear...your voice, Lieutenant." John smiled briefly and said, "Thank you, sir. We should be arriving at the coordinates sent to us by Command very shortly. Can you send us your coordinates as well?" A few seconds went by, then the helmsman nodded to Randall as the captain's voice said, "Done. It will be good to see you again, Lieutenant. I regret we can't meet under better circumstances right now. I need to check on some things, John, so I will end the transmission for now. Ja'Lale out." Randall said, "Acknowledged, Captain. I look forward to talking with you again. Randall out." He straightened from his position at the communications station, and smiled at Mays. "Thank you for your help, Lieutenant," he said, and she smiled, nodding at him. John made his way back to the captain's chair and looked at Russell. "Captain, may I talk with you, please?" he said, and Russell nodded. She looked at Thomas and said, "Commander, you have the conn, steady as she goes." "Aye, Captain," said Thomas, sitting in the chair as Russell arose. She and John made their way to the ready room, and she joined him as they sat on the small sofa. "Are you all right, John?" she asked with concern in her voice, and he nodded. "A virus that can infect space," he said, shaking his head, and Russell watched him. The captain knew the wheels were turning in the engineer's head as he was already thinking about the problem with the Challenger. She thought to herself, 'That ship is lucky to have a man like this, his loyalty is nothing short of amazing.' John then turned to her and said, "Captain, may I have access to the computer? I need to look at some files, and I believe they are available in the officers' section of the Starfleet Archives. However, there may be a time when I might need to access some potentially sensitive data, and I may need your passwords to do so. Will you trust me when I say it is absolutely imperative that I get access to those files?" Russell cocked her head at him, then suddenly smiled. "You've already got something in mind, don't you? About how to help your ship?" John shook his head. "I'm not really sure, Amanda," he said, staring at her for permission to use her given name, and she nodded. "But I remember reading about something kind of like this, and I want to know if I remember right or not." "Only one thing I need to know, John," Russell replied. "You mentioned the Archives. How far back are you going?" Randall said, "In the vicinity of stardate 3214. The planet Holox, and a race of beings who were widely known as the 'Sackers'. Their real species name was the Vinithi, and the Enterprise 1701 had a run-in with them."** Russell's eyes widened. "You mean, Captain James Kirk's Enterprise?" she asked with awe, and John nodded. "His chief engineer is/was a legend, Commander Montgomery Scott. I think he came up with a solution to the trouble the Enterprise was in then, but I need to look it up." Russell nodded. "Go ahead then, John. Do what you need to do, and when, or if, you need my help, just call for me. I'll leave you to it." John smiled. "Thank you, Captain," he said, and Russell waved a hand as she left the ready room. Randall went to the desk and logged onto the computer that was there, and in a few moments, the screen was crowded with information. John read intently for the next several hours, taking as few breaks as possible. His ship was in trouble, and he was determined to find a way to help. END LOG ** - This refers to the TOS novel "The Three Minute Universe".