Mission 2.1 Plague Lords

[Alexander Wu]

[Ready Room]

As the door slid shut Constance put on her "teacher face" once again. Down to business.

"Not at all Mr. Wu. The Athena has a... unique environment. Back when I was an executive officer on the Fleetwood I learned that, particularly with smaller ships, there needs to be transparent... or at least as much as a Captain can afford. Unless you have ulterior motives, a JAG officer can only help that." She explained with a calculated nod.

"You are aware of my track record, my numerous dissertations on Federation law and policy- I'd have applied to the JAG office myself if I hadn't been offered the chair."

Her tone was a little more informal but she still composed herself like the stoic Captain she was.

"Most would treat you like an inquisitor come to judge them but I prefer to think of you as an open law book- someone who can help us work within the system to come up with creative solutions to sticky problems." She explained, "And your experience, not to mention your exceptional track record, will be a boon to everyone on the ship if you're willing to share it."

Then, she paused as if to decide something and when she spoke again her voice was a little lower- more critical.

"That is, of course, unless you have some other mission. If you do- I'd appreciate being dealt into the conversation so I at least know what game it is we are playing."

She really hoped it wasn't one of those- she didn't mind oversight but she also didn't like someone throwing sand into the lubricant of her well-oiled machine.

[Ready Room]

Allowing the faint smile to reappear, Alex glanced at the tea tray. "May I?" He inquired, leaning forwards to serve. Recognizing the strong aroma and gingery scent instantly as it poured out, he placed the dish and cup infront of the Captain before serving himself, a simple earl grey with a splash of milk. "That takes me back to my childhood." Alex confided, indicating her choice of beverage while settling back in his seat. "Captain, my first ship was a small Nova class called Gibson. She wasn't fast, she wasn't roomy, and she had a talkative family. Rumors would spread from bow to nacelle within half a day. Alot of those rumors could've caused more harm than good, especially in a broken telephone chain."

He took a careful sip of his tea, and placed it back on the table. "Your track record notwithstanding, what you did with that Borg ship was near miraculous. That by itself has earnt you my respect, and I'm not going to try and belittle you or your crew by being untruthful." Alex considered Lafayette momentarily, fully aware he was entirely bypassing the processes set in place. Stay in the background, observe, and report, they had told him. The level of deceit required left a bad taste in his mouth, a point which he had argued to no avail. She deserves the truth. It's not like I can back out now.

"Captain, my role onboard your ship is simple." He continued, body at ease though his eyes were fixated upon her. "Starfleet Command gave you this ship as an accolade to your accomplishments. They knew that if this technology was to be pushed to it's limit, they would need a Captain whose tenacity and perseverance were proven traits. Someone who wouldn't back down at the first sign of trouble. Maybe even the second, or third sign. At the end of the day, a majority of the deciding counsel voted for you."

"There were those that remained concerned, however, about your physical and psychological stableness after what happened. Medically, they had all the data they needed. What they needed to now ascertain was your ability to command in stressful situations. Not in a simulation or scenario, but in the real life environment. They needed to know that they weren't entrusting the Federation's newest and fastest starship to someone who wouldn't be able to make difficult choices when it was required."

And the clincher. Alex leaned back forwards, all traces of mirth having long vanished from his expression. "Captain, I was ordered to perform several tasks while onboard. Some of those include observing and reporting the decisions and actions of yourself, Commanders Carter, and Torngate. There are many others who would've been better suited for those duties, perhaps someone from Medical or Intel. I've been a bridge officer for my entire career, and they chose me for one very specific duty; if at any point, I feel as though you've lost the ability to make cogent and conclusive decisions, I am to take command and return Athena to the nearest Starbase."

[Constance Lafayette]

[Ready Room]

An inquisition it was...

"Ahh, you are refering to my recent... modification."

It was still a painful subject to breech for her, having happened only two weeks ago. As she spoke she adjusted something on the bottom left part of her occipital bone and a small "click" could be heard. Her skull gave way and a small positronic chip. The borg implants had caused... problems.

Her left hand had been entirely removed for a borg sensor probe attachment, a multi spectrum scanner replaced her eye, and internally several of the organs had been effectively crippled by several brog modifications. Even with the advances in modern medicine the human body couldn't regrow that much tissue. The surgery had replaced her left eye, left hand, and added the back of her skull with synthetics. The small positronic dataport had been added at her request. Without it she would have been fine, but her skull would have been a little lopsided. They'd done a fantastic job- if you didn't know she'd had 15% of her body reconstructed you'd not even notice.

"I understand the need and appreciate the compliments, but I can't say I like the notion of a noose hanging around the neck of my command staff." She explained in a rather droll fashion, replacing the small brain interface device. The sensation still made her skin crawl a bit...

"However- I'd rather see this as a positive. Inquisitor or not- you are part of this crew. Your life, my life, and the lives of the rest of this crew rest in our collective hands." She explained as she flexed her left hand. It... felt real. If she hadn't seen the surgical tapes herself she would have thought it was. It... itched a little and she knew it felt... new but, beyond that, she could have mistaken it for her own hand.

"Trust them and they'll return the favor." She said, nodding and offering a small smile that served as her way of beaming. She was very proud of her crew, even if her tempered personality never let her show it in the expressive fashion it deserved.

[Alexander Wu]

[Ready Room]

An inquisition it was...

"Ahh, you are refering to my recent... modification."

It was still a painful subject to breech for her, having happened only two weeks ago. As she spoke she adjusted something on the bottom left part of her occipital bone and a small "click" could be heard. Her skull gave way and a small positronic chip. The borg implants had caused... problems.

Her left hand had been entirely removed for a borg sensor probe attachment, a multi spectrum scanner replaced her eye, and internally several of the organs had been effectively crippled by several brog modifications. Even with the advances in modern medicine the human body couldn't regrow that much tissue. The surgery had replaced her left eye, left hand, and added the back of her skull with synthetics. The small positronic dataport had been added at her request. Without it she would have been fine, but her skull would have been a little lopsided. They'd done a fantastic job- if you didn't know she'd had 15% of her body reconstructed you'd not even notice.

"I understand the need and appreciate the compliments, but I can't say I like the notion of a noose hanging around the neck of my command staff." She explained in a rather droll fashion, replacing the small brain interface device. The sensation still made her skin crawl a bit...

"However- I'd rather see this as a positive. Inquisitor or not- you are part of this crew. Your life, my life, and the lives of the rest of this crew rest in our collective hands." She explained as she flexed her left hand. It... felt real. If she hadn't seen the surgical tapes herself she would have thought it was. It... itched a little and she knew it felt... new but, beyond that, she could have mistaken it for her own hand.

"Trust them and they'll return the favor." She said, nodding and offering a small smile that served as her way of beaming. She was very proud of her crew, even if her tempered personality never let her show it in the expressive fashion it deserved.

[Ready Room]

"Captain, the only reason why I'm telling you all this is because I trust you and your crew." Alex quirked an eyebrow. "I tend to do that with most people, until I get burnt. And I would appreciate it if you didn't send a comm straight to the Admiralty, seeing as how I wasn't supposed to say anything."

He picked up his tea again, watching the ripples flow across the opaque surface, dissipating against the thin porcelain walls. "In my personal opinion, I'm not here to be a thorn in your side, nor do I wish to interfere with your crew. I've been in your position before, and..." Alex grimaced, indicating his collar. "Well, let's just say I'm not keen on having someone else go through all that. I'll be a fly on the wall for a mission or two, and then I'll be out of your hair. If you need a hand anywhere, just let me know, I'm happy to pitch in. At the end of the day, I'm hoping we can shake hands and part ways amiably."

[Dylan Torngate]

[Bridge]

Dylan wandered around the bridge, taking in the area. Though it was similar, it was still different. Not everything was the same, and Dylan wanted to memorize every detail. He found himself wandering over to the dedication plaque on the wall and observing it, taking it in as the bridge went about it's regular tasks behind him.

He turned and looked over to Leonard Scott, not noticing Ashlynn enter and exit the Bridge. The captain he knew was talking with the meddler from JAG corps, but other than that all was quiet.

He meandered over to Scott. "How's the helm?" He asked, smiling as he approached.

[Constance Lafayette]

[Ready Room]

Constance took it in stride and nodded politely.

"Of course Mr. Wu. And I expect you to be more than fly on the wall. I expect you to be a member of this crew while you are here. There are no spare parts on my ship- everyone pulls their weight or has to hoof it back to the nearest Starbase on foot." She smiled coyly. it had been meant as a joke, clearly, not a threat. She expected he would prove her assumptions about him right- he was going to improve this crew, not destroy it.

There was some racket going on outside- someone yelling with an Irish accent but Constance ignored it.

"More tea?"

[Main Viewscreen]

"Hey there @#$%-face." An alien with massive shoulders and torso covered in thick armor, a small worm-like head coming out of the large collar, with a sprig of green hair standing up like cotton candy, and a circular maw of pointed teeth like a lamprey that contorted itself into a set of humanoid lips while forming words said. It had a slow, angry, permanently annoyed, tone to its voice, a slight Irish brogue, and it eyed James with a rather bemused expression.

"Yer late! Firs' you had us meet in the asteroid field but NOOO, you lot canceled! Then there was the time on the bloody Orion starbase an' you chicked out! Ever go through one of dem' with a case full of synthetically engineered SOOPAH' viruses? It ain't easy or CHEAP ya' fool!" The worm-headed man ranted, clearly pissed at someone else. They had obviously mistaken this Federation vessel for their client...

"So what's it gonna' be this time lad?! Yer' mother have the Durellian Pox Flu? Yer' pet targ ran away and you have to go look for it? Or is it that you just can't find your [reproductive glands] today?" The language translation matrix had a hard time finding a correct word for their equivalent of reproductive glad as their species was not know. The creature was on a tirade, clearly quite pissed about this client they mistook the Athena for.

"Or, if it suits ya, could we do some bloody business! The price is 49 karnex! You either pay up or we go to the Orions with this!!!!!!"

If the creature could turn red in the face, it would have but spittle was flying out of it's ringed mouth by the end of it so it was about the same.

[Ashlynn Ren Morgaine]

[Savar's Quarters]

Savar found himself at a loose end. He'd got his quarters squared away and fresh uniform on and having discovered whoever was the Chief Engineer was on the bridge, he realised he couldn't exactly report in. This however lead naturally into a second realization that he was not technically as yet on duty, due to not being received into active duty at a new posting by the department head or higher. Which lead even more tenuously, or perhaps tenaciously, to a third realization that this was a new ship that as yet remained unchristened by him: whilst off duty an initiation of synthehol couldn't hurt, as well as some socialization with a new crew.

[Mess Hall]

With such a firmament of logical thinking lodged in his mind, he made his way to the mess hall, smirking as he called out his destination in the turbolift. Had he known anyone aboard (aside from Captain Lafayette of course) he would have waited to drink in the ship with them. As it was however, he did not. And being as such he wouldn't wait. Striking as the iron was hot he passed into the mess hall as the doors slid open with their hushed hiss, and he found himself in an empty mess hall. He sighed a little and slipped into a seat at the counter, before shrugging and instructing the computer to play some mid-tempo swing. Not too mellow but not too jaunty. With no one there to argue he upped the volume a little and sat, drumming his fingers in time as he eyed the shelves of synthetic liquor.

After a minute or two of deliberation he exhaled a laugh and wondered what the mess-manager might keep below the bar. 'Given that this is a simple shakedown and I'm off duty' he mused internally 'One shot of something stronger couldn't hurt, could it?' he smirked visibly to himself. Besides, it would mean more the ship that way, what with it risking itself for the crew, the least he could do was give his liver a little surprise in return. Being a tall man, he didn't feel the need to leave his seat, and rather stood on the stool's footrest and laid his abdomen on the bar as he reached over to open a cupboard and assess its contents.

[Mess Hall]

Ash took her time walking back to the mess hall, enjoying the familiar layout of the ship. If she didn't pay very close attention, she could almost pretend she was walking the halls of the original Athena. She was pulled from her nostalgic reminiscing, however, as she approached the mess hall and could hear faint strains of music drifting out from the closed doors. Eyebrows raised, she quietly walked through the sliding doors and scanned the mess hall, which appeared to be empty with the exception of an unusual scene at the bar.

As Ash took in the man sprawled across the bar's counter, the expression that settled on her face was somewhere between amusement and annoyance. Just what exactly does he think he's doing? Shaking her head slightly, she made her way to the end of the bar in silence and watched as this man continued to fish around behind the counter. Seeing as he was absorbed in his task, Ash didn't feel any guilt over shamelessly staring at him; she was fairly certain she hadn't seen him before.

Figures. She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the end of the bar with her arms folded across her chest and a slight smile on her face. "Can I... help you, sir?"

[Malcolm Adeyemi]

[Main Viewscreen]

"Hey there @#$%-face." An alien with massive shoulders and torso covered in thick armor, a small worm-like head coming out of the large collar, with a sprig of green hair standing up like cotton candy, and a circular maw of pointed teeth like a lamprey that contorted itself into a set of humanoid lips while forming words said. It had a slow, angry, permanently annoyed, tone to its voice, a slight Irish brogue, and it eyed James with a rather bemused expression.

"Yer late! Firs' you had us meet in the asteroid field but NOOO, you lot canceled! Then there was the time on the bloody Orion starbase an' you chicked out! Ever go through one of dem' with a case full of synthetically engineered SOOPAH' viruses? It ain't easy or CHEAP ya' fool!" The worm-headed man ranted, clearly pissed at someone else. They had obviously mistaken this Federation vessel for their client...

"So what's it gonna' be this time lad?! Yer' mother have the Durellian Pox Flu? Yer' pet targ ran away and you have to go look for it? Or is it that you just can't find your [reproductive glands] today?" The language translation matrix had a hard time finding a correct word for their equivalent of reproductive glad as their species was not know. The creature was on a tirade, clearly quite pissed about this client they mistook the Athena for.

"Or, if it suits ya, could we do some bloody business! The price is 49 karnex! You either pay up or we go to the Orions with this!!!!!!"

If the creature could turn red in the face, it would have but spittle was flying out of it's ringed mouth by the end of it so it was about the same.

[Bridge]

Mahak raised an eyebrow at the alien's sleazy sales pitch. He quickly checked the Athena's sophisticated computer. Yes, it was working perfectly, but little of what the alien said made sense to him.

"...sir?" The Vulcan said to Commander Carter, what passed for confusion among Vulcans evident in his tone.

[Savar Dorran]

[Mess Hall]

Ash took her time walking back to the mess hall, enjoying the familiar layout of the ship. If she didn't pay very close attention, she could almost pretend she was walking the halls of the original Athena. She was pulled from her nostalgic reminiscing, however, as she approached the mess hall and could hear faint strains of music drifting out from the closed doors. Eyebrows raised, she quietly walked through the sliding doors and scanned the mess hall, which appeared to be empty with the exception of an unusual scene at the bar.

As Ash took in the man sprawled across the bar's counter, the expression that settled on her face was somewhere between amusement and annoyance. Just what exactly does he think he's doing? Shaking her head slightly, she made her way to the end of the bar in silence and watched as this man continued to fish around behind the counter. Seeing as he was absorbed in his task, Ash didn't feel any guilt over shamelessly staring at him; she was fairly certain she hadn't seen him before.

[Mess Hall Bartop]

Her stealthy approach coupled with the music left Savar unaware of Ashlynn's approach, his attention focused on not overbalancing and finding a nice bottle to sample. He hummed absent-mindedly to the music, engrossed as he was on the tall green bottle of absinthe he'd just spotted at the back of the cupboard. His eyebrows raised as a smirk spread across his face, the sight conjuring memories of his time on Earth in the academy. Strong proponents of 'Work hard; Play hard.' he and his friends would host parties of around 20 to 30 people at their friend Mikhail's spacious accommodation. As a die hard Russian he had a plentiful cabinet of vodka to ensure the party kept ticking over, however, being the curious Trill he was Savar had managed to come across a bottle of the pungent aniseed drink during some pre-celebratory research.

It was vicious, yet highly entertaining stuff when used with an element of relative caution. Plus it had added sentimental value. So with a degree of clinking and maneuvering he managed to slip the stuff free. Holding it up to the light to examine the ornate label he got the fright of his life.

Figures. She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the end of the bar with her arms folded across her chest and a slight smile on her face. "Can I... help you, sir?"

Savar's head snapped round, the very image of surprise and shock. The bottle slipped from his grasp as he realized he was rumbled. With the lightning reflexes of only someone with two brains could muster, Savar's other hand lanced out and caught the precious vessel. That hand had however been holding his chest about a foot off the bartop, on to which he now slammed, wheezing as the air was knocked out of him. The absinthe however, was saved. He looked round sheepishly at the civilian, doubtless the owner of his folly "You know..." He sucked in a breath "You know, about 30 seconds ago I was alright on my own. But now...? I think I might be stuck..." He chuckled a little awkwardly.

[Leonard T. Scott]

[Bridge]

Dylan wandered around the bridge, taking in the area. Though it was similar, it was still different. Not everything was the same, and Dylan wanted to memorize every detail. He found himself wandering over to the dedication plaque on the wall and observing it, taking it in as the bridge went about it's regular tasks behind him.

He turned and looked over to Leonard Scott, not noticing Ashlynn enter and exit the Bridge. The captain he knew was talking with the meddler from JAG corps, but other than that all was quiet.

He meandered over to Scott. "How's the helm?" He asked, smiling as he approached.

{Bridge}

Leo was a bit startled as he was lost in thought when Dylan spoke to him.

"Oh, not much change between this and the old one," he said a bit distractedly. "I see you've got the engines purring like a kitten as usual."

[Dylan Torngate]

{Bridge}

Leo was a bit startled as he was lost in thought when Dylan spoke to him.

"Oh, not much change between this and the old one," he said a bit distractedly. "I see you've got the engines purring like a kitten as usual."

[Bridge]

"Well..." Dylan said, shrugging. "I wouldn't call it purring like a kitten... they came this way. Nothing to fix and I'm giving them a bit of runtime before I start taking them apart and puttin' em together again all the time."

Just then, the alien voice came over the comms. He frowned, and looked around, blinking at the Commander, confused. "Uhm?" he asked aloud, shooting a questioning gaze toward Carter.

[Leonard T. Scott]

[Bridge]

"Well..." Dylan said, shrugging. "I wouldn't call it purring like a kitten... they came this way. Nothing to fix and I'm giving them a bit of runtime before I start taking them apart and puttin' em together again all the time."

Just then, the alien voice came over the comms. He frowned, and looked around, blinking at the Commander, confused. "Uhm?" he asked aloud, shooting a questioning gaze toward Carter.

[Main Viewscreen]

"Hey there @#$%-face." An alien with massive shoulders and torso covered in thick armor, a small worm-like head coming out of the large collar, with a sprig of green hair standing up like cotton candy, and a circular maw of pointed teeth like a lamprey that contorted itself into a set of humanoid lips while forming words said. It had a slow, angry, permanently annoyed, tone to its voice, a slight Irish brogue, and it eyed James with a rather bemused expression.

"Yer late! Firs' you had us meet in the asteroid field but NOOO, you lot canceled! Then there was the time on the bloody Orion starbase an' you chicked out! Ever go through one of dem' with a case full of synthetically engineered SOOPAH' viruses? It ain't easy or CHEAP ya' fool!" The worm-headed man ranted, clearly pissed at someone else. They had obviously mistaken this Federation vessel for their client...

"So what's it gonna' be this time lad?! Yer' mother have the Durellian Pox Flu? Yer' pet targ ran away and you have to go look for it? Or is it that you just can't find your [reproductive glands] today?" The language translation matrix had a hard time finding a correct word for their equivalent of reproductive glad as their species was not know. The creature was on a tirade, clearly quite pissed about this client they mistook the Athena for.

"Or, if it suits ya, could we do some bloody business! The price is 49 karnex! You either pay up or we go to the Orions with this!!!!!!"

If the creature could turn red in the face, it would have but spittle was flying out of it's ringed mouth by the end of it so it was about the same.

{Bridge}

"What the bloody hell?" Leo exclaimed, letting his accent slip. "What is this chav babbling on about?"

He had no idea what or where this creature came from. He had an uneasy feeling about what was going to happen.

[Constance Lafayette]

[Ready Room]

"Pardon me one moment Mr. Wu." She said polity, sipping a bit of her tea.

"Lafayette to Mr. Warez. I would like you to investigate the deflector array when you have a chance. Supposedly we have some new technology stored there. An experimental system based on the Borg adaptive shielding. Could you and your team take a look at it and evaluate it for me? I want to know it's capabilities. If you gauge it to be safe for use, I'd like to test it out in a few hours and take readings."=/\=

[James Carter]

[Main Viewscreen]

"Hey there @#$%-face." An alien with massive shoulders and torso covered in thick armor, a small worm-like head coming out of the large collar, with a sprig of green hair standing up like cotton candy, and a circular maw of pointed teeth like a lamprey that contorted itself into a set of humanoid lips while forming words said. It had a slow, angry, permanently annoyed, tone to its voice, a slight Irish brogue, and it eyed James with a rather bemused expression.

"Yer late! Firs' you had us meet in the asteroid field but NOOO, you lot canceled! Then there was the time on the bloody Orion starbase an' you chicked out! Ever go through one of dem' with a case full of synthetically engineered SOOPAH' viruses? It ain't easy or CHEAP ya' fool!" The worm-headed man ranted, clearly pissed at someone else. They had obviously mistaken this Federation vessel for their client...

"So what's it gonna' be this time lad?! Yer' mother have the Durellian Pox Flu? Yer' pet targ ran away and you have to go look for it? Or is it that you just can't find your [reproductive glands] today?" The language translation matrix had a hard time finding a correct word for their equivalent of reproductive glad as their species was not know. The creature was on a tirade, clearly quite pissed about this client they mistook the Athena for.

"Or, if it suits ya, could we do some bloody business! The price is 49 karnex! You either pay up or we go to the Orions with this!!!!!!"

If the creature could turn red in the face, it would have but spittle was flying out of it's ringed mouth by the end of it so it was about the same.

[Bridge]

To say James wasn't interested would be a blatant lie. His head tilted to the left slightly like it always did when his interest had been peaked. In a brief moment he came up to a stand and thought over every word carefully. "Bloody hell mate settle down. Actually...wait...if you are who you say you are who's our mutual friend that sent us away?" Someone from the federation was supposed to be coming for a super virus. He didn't really want to know why, but he certainly wanted to know who it was.

[Constance Lafayette]

[Viewscreen]

"You bloody well know who! Commander Sherman! That sodding rump-sniffer owes me my 49 karnex and I'll be damned if I won't take it out of her hide if I don't get paid today!"

The ship of the odd worm-headed alien was a bit smaller than the Athena, but did seem to pack some weapons. A scan would show it to be woefully outgunned and under shielded when compared to the Intrepid refit, but there was still a bit of fight in her.

"Now we gun' do this or do I got'a give the Orions a call!!!"

[Ashlynn Ren Morgaine]

Savar's head snapped round, the very image of surprise and shock. The bottle slipped from his grasp as he realized he was rumbled. With the lightning reflexes that only someone with two brains could muster, Savar's other hand lanced out and caught the precious vessel. That hand had however been holding his chest about a foot off the bartop, on to which he now slammed, wheezing as the air was knocked out of him. The absinthe however, was saved. He looked round sheepishly at the civilian, doubtless the owner of his folly "You know..." He sucked in a breath "You know, about 30 seconds ago I was alright on my own. But now...? I think I might be stuck..." He chuckled a little awkwardly.

[Mess Hall]

Fortunately, Ash's appearance had the desired effect in startling the man. Unfortunately, startling him caused him to drop the bottle that he had just fished out. She started, expecting to hear the glass shatter upon the floor, but somehow he managed to catch it... crashing to the counter himself in the process. Ash tried to maintain a straight face as the man turned to look at her, but she couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled past her lips. The cheerful sound rang through the mess hall for a brief moment - something that hadn't happened for a long time.

Bringing her laughter under control she moved around the counter and leaned against the counter by the would-be liquor thief. "Stuck? What a shame." She made no move to help him and instead plucked the bottle of absinthe out of his hand, grabbed a glass, and poured the drink in one smooth motion, setting it on the counter next to his face. Only then did she offer him a hand and a lopsided grin. "I'm Ashlynn Morgaine, mess hall manager on the Athena. Although I'd prefer if you call me Ash."