Season 1, Mission 06: Lifeline

[Alexander Clarke]

Cortez smiled.

"A relief. Yes, sir. I'm just we have you back"  he replied, with a grin on his face.  "As for the replicator, I'm fine thank you. I just finished a mug of Albarian Cocoa.

Cortez stepped further into the room and extended his arm containing the data PADD that had been given to him just moments earlier.

"Repairs and maintenance are coming along well. Engineering estimates we should be ready to depart somewhere in the region of twenty-four to forty-eight hours time, sir."

"Good, good," Clarke said as he turned toward the replicator. "Albarian cocoa, hot, and Kava juice." He took the mug of cocoa and the glass of juice once they materialized and brought them over to the couches. "Not sure if the replicator meets your standards for the cocoa, but it's hopefully a reasonable approximation."

After seating himself and taking a sip of his Kava juice, Clarke set his glass down on the table. "It seems we're going to have to push for the twenty-four hours, if not better. Command--or rather Intelligence--wants us patrolling the Procyon system as soon as possible. Intelligence suspects a possible attack on the shipping lanes in the area, though Command...disagrees with that assessment and hopes to get us out to the border worlds soon to deal with the pirates there."

Clarke paused to take another sip of his juice before continuing. "I'm not sure what to make of these pirates. They've vastly expanded their operations since my kidnapping, capturing or destroying enough supply shipments to cripple operations in Cardassian and Romulan territory. Of course, it doesn't help that our president has insisted on sending all available personnel, ships, and supplies to those areas, leaving no one to guard the shipments themselves and only a skeleton force to guard the Federation's borders. In fact, from what I've read, it seems that in the outer worlds having one ship dedicated to a single sector is considered a luxury, with most being forced to guard two or even three. I can't imagine what these pirates hope to achieve through their actions."

[Taras Cadenza]

Lance looked puzzled slightly, then dismissed this Mr. Soreka as some irrelevant nobody for the time being. He kept walking, with Taras trailing slightly behind him, then beside him. He didn't feel like talking, but social rules seemed to demand it, so he enquired "So, how's life been?" in a flat voice.

Taras detected the lack of emotion in the way Krol actually forced the words out. It wasn't the first time, nor would it surely be the last.

"Well... I can't complain. Well, I can, but I shouldn't. Still... It's tiring." he said, half-jokingly. Life on a starship was actually pretty good when they weren't being attacked by a hostile no-goodnik.

"What about you, if I may ask?" asked Cadenza, they neared the Turbolift. Social situations at their most casual. he thought to himself, stifling a chuckle.

[John Brown]

"Good, good," Clarke said as he turned toward the replicator. "Albarian cocoa, hot, and Kava juice." He took the mug of cocoa and the glass of juice once they materialized and brought them over to the couches. "Not sure if the replicator meets your standards for the cocoa, but it's hopefully a reasonable approximation."

After seating himself and taking a sip of his Kava juice, Clarke set his glass down on the table. "It seems we're going to have to push for the twenty-four hours, if not better. Command--or rather Intelligence--wants us patrolling the Procyon system as soon as possible. Intelligence suspects a possible attack on the shipping lanes in the area, though Command...disagrees with that assessment and hopes to get us out to the border worlds soon to deal with the pirates there."

Clarke paused to take another sip of his juice before continuing. "I'm not sure what to make of these pirates. They've vastly expanded their operations since my kidnapping, capturing or destroying enough supply shipments to cripple operations in Cardassian and Romulan territory. Of course, it doesn't help that our president has insisted on sending all available personnel, ships, and supplies to those areas, leaving no one to guard the shipments themselves and only a skeleton force to guard the Federation's borders. In fact, from what I've read, it seems that in the outer worlds having one ship dedicated to a single sector is considered a luxury, with most being forced to guard two or even three. I can't imagine what these pirates hope to achieve through their actions."

[Federation Personal Transport]

John sat in the back of the transport in front of him in his hands was the PADD detailing his transfer orders. He opted to leave in the night head to  for the Churchill in his mind he was sad a single tear wallowed in his eyes. Discovery! his home for the past five years is no longer his home, he is now heading to a new home and a new future. When John was called in the middle of the night he thought it was about his son but it was Admiral T'Por the last time he met the man, it was at the debriefing from the aftermath of the destruction of the U.S.S Discovery. The Admiral asked him to go over to the Churchill as they needed his experience with pirates. John thought it was something fishy with what happened with Admiral Grey

"Commander, were are docking now" replied the Crewman handling the flight controls
"Thank you Crewman" Replied John as he stood up and got ready for docking, several moments later the vessel docked with the Churchill with this John headed for the Bridge.
[Bridge]

John thought on the ride up on the turbolift that this would be a new experience but at least his good friend Mike Cortez was aboard

John exited the lift and entered the Bridge of the U.S.S Churchill he was amazed how big it was for a Intrepid Class. John looked the Ready Room Doors he smiled and walked over.

John then took a deep breath then pressed the Chime to speak to his new Commanding Officer.

[T'Ra Jones]

T'Ra began to doze off and her eyelids started to feel heavy. The stress from being new on the ship had finally caught up to her and left her utterly exhausted. She was fighting a loosing battle just to keep her eyes open. Normally she could go a week without sleep before becoming this exhausted, but the stress was just overwhelming. Finally, it became too much and she conked out.

Although T'Ra was asleep, stress still retained a tight grip on her mind, filling it with nightmares and other images of terror. One of the dreams was about her half brother, Elvin.

Elvin stood on the bridge. His shirt, bright and cheery, gleamed in the bright light. His face, however, depicted a more somber mood. Elvin's eyebrows furrowed deep in his face, his forehead smooth and without wrinkles. He just stood there silently, deep in thought, at least he was until the alarms began to blare.

"All personnel report to battle stations!" he cried over the intercom. "We're under attack." The sound of many footsteps could be heard as the crew rushed to their stations.

"Yes, Captain," replied a nearby ensign on the way to her post.

Suddenly, the bridge was aflame, smoke filling the air. Machines beeped chaotically as their circuits began to fry. "Abandon ship," Elvin declared. A cough began to rack his body, forcing him to kneel just so he wouldn't fall over. He wheezed and sputtered as he fought to regain his breath. "Abandon ship... abandon ship... go without me..." With one last breath, he  collapsed into an unconscious heap by his chair. Before anyone could act on his orders, the enemy ship fired on them, sending a bright scarlet beam straight at the hull. Elvin and his crew didn't stand a chance. Their ship was destroyed instantly, debris scattered in all directions.

T'Ra woke with a start, her heart throbbing. She had not seen her brother in five long years, and she missed him so much. If he were to die, her life would completely fall apart. T'Ra thought back on that horrifying nightmare. It seemed so real, but seriously, Elvin a captain? She scoffed at the idea and chuckled. He wasn't cut out to be a captain. He was just way too silly. T'Ra thought of all the practical jokes she helped her brother carry out, especially on their father. Her favorite one was when they hid a tomato in one of his shoes. Sure Elvin wouldn't make a good captain, but he did make a good Security Officer. He sent T'Ra a message to congratulate her when she graduated from the academy, as well as to tell her that he had been promoted to Lieutenant. That was the last time she had heard from him and he still hadn't told her which ship he was serving on.

Well, she finally thought to herself, you've been hiding in here long enough. It's time to get up and do something. T'Ra needed to stretch her legs anyway. The holodeck sounded like a lot of fun. She hopped off her bed and walked briskly toward the door, actually making it this time. Perhaps it was because her goal didn't involve interacting with actual people.

T'Ra stepped into the turbo lift and muttered "Deck five." The turbo lift hummed and whirled before it finally ground to a halt on deck five. The doors swished open and T'Ra gingerly poked her head out to see if anyone was near, but for the moment the coast was clear. T'Ra stepped out of the turbo lift and strode hastily across to the holodeck.

"Computer," she inquired, "are there any files on the knave Robin Hood?" The corners of her mouth  twitched as if she was going to smile. Growing up, Robin Hood had been one of her favorite books, something her dad used to read to her every night when she was little.

The computer hummed and beeped as it processed her question. "There is one program matching your description," the computer reported. "Do you wish to enter?"

"Yes, computer," T'Ra affirmed. "However, I wish to be Robin Hood, and I wish to have a couple of my friends incorporated as characters."

The doors of the holodeck opened and T'Ra stepped inside. She was instantly surrounded by large trees that were taller than any she had ever seen. The luscious green treetops loomed far above her head, as did the birds that fluttered their wings and chirped such sweet melodies. The air smelled fresh, and the suit of lincoln green that she now wore felt smooth against her skin. A slew of arrows was strapped to her back.

From a distance, her keen ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. To be on the safe side, T'Ra quickly scampered up the nearest tree and waited. After several minutes of waiting, the approaching strangers finally reached the tree where T'Ra safely hid. Oddly enough, they were all clad in lincoln green. Logically, they were Robin Hood's merry men, so T'Ra jumped down, landing easily on her feet. Much to her surprise, there were two faces that she recognized, her friend Buehler and her brother Elvin.

This made sense. They were the two people she had mentioned the most since joining Star Fleet. She knew it wasn't really them, that they were just something created by the holodeck, but she was glad to see their faces all the same. It was time for her adventure to begin.

[Lance Krol]

Taras detected the lack of emotion in the way Krol actually forced the words out. It wasn't the first time, nor would it surely be the last.

"Well... I can't complain. Well, I can, but I shouldn't. Still... It's tiring." he said, half-jokingly. Life on a starship was actually pretty good when they weren't being attacked by a hostile no-goodnik.

"What about you, if I may ask?" asked Cadenza, they neared the Turbolift. Social situations at their most casual. he thought to himself, stifling a chuckle.

Lance thought about that for a moment. Well, he'd been trying to start playing the piano again but if he told Taras that he'd have to explain how music is an alternative to suicide for him. He'd been writing a musical piece but the concepts going into that were much too high-brow for any human to really understand.

Well... "I've got promoted, as you can probably tell and had probably heard even before you saw the pips. And life's tiring, but I guess I can complain least of all," he finished, seeming not at all resentful of his situation for the sake of his newfound friend. He hoped he wasn't being weird, though once again it had probably happened already.

=/Masters to lt. krol, could you have someone look at the forward phaser relay? I grieve there is some sort of malfunction with it.=\ he said to the head engineer.

Lance tapped his badge without stopping and replied,

=/\=Krol to Masters=/\=

Got it, I'll get someone on it immediately.

=/\=Krol Out=/\=

He tapped his badge again, quickly.

=/\=Krol to Teele=/\=

Can you take a look at the forward phaser relay? Apparently there's a malfunction.

=/\=Over=/\=

=/\=Teele to Krol=/\=

Yes sir, I'll get right on that.

=/\=Out=/\=

He lowered his hand and looked at Taras as they both stepped into the turbolift. "Another day, huh? Deck one," and the doors whirred shut.

[Zuriel Soreka]

T'Ra began to doze off and her eyelids started to feel heavy. The stress from being new on the ship had finally caught up to her and left her utterly exhausted. She was fighting a loosing battle just to keep her eyes open. Normally she could go a week without sleep before becoming this exhausted, but the stress was just overwhelming. Finally, it became too much and she conked out.

Although T'Ra was asleep, stress still retained a tight grip on her mind, filling it with nightmares and other images of terror. One of the dreams was about her half brother, Elvin.

Elvin stood on the bridge. His shirt, bright and cheery, gleamed in the bright light. His face, however, depicted a more somber mood. Elvin's eyebrows furrowed deep in his face, his forehead smooth and without wrinkles. He just stood there silently, deep in thought, at least he was until the alarms began to blare.

"All personnel report to battle stations!" he cried over the intercom. "We're under attack." The sound of many footsteps could be heard as the crew rushed to their stations.

"Yes, Captain," replied a nearby ensign on the way to her post.

Suddenly, the bridge was aflame, smoke filling the air. Machines beeped chaotically as their circuits began to fry. "Abandon ship," Elvin declared. A cough began to rack his body, forcing him to kneel just so he wouldn't fall over. He wheezed and sputtered as he fought to regain his breath. "Abandon ship... abandon ship... go without me..." With one last breath, he  collapsed into an unconscious heap by his chair. Before anyone could act on his orders, the enemy ship fired on them, sending a bright scarlet beam straight at the hull. Elvin and his crew didn't stand a chance. Their ship was destroyed instantly, debris scattered in all directions.

T'Ra woke with a start, her heart throbbing. She had not seen her brother in five long years, and she missed him so much. If he were to die, her life would completely fall apart. T'Ra thought back on that horrifying nightmare. It seemed so real, but seriously, Elvin a captain? She scoffed at the idea and chuckled. He wasn't cut out to be a captain. He was just way too silly. T'Ra thought of all the practical jokes she helped her brother carry out, especially on their father. Her favorite one was when they hid a tomato in one of his shoes. Sure Elvin wouldn't make a good captain, but he did make a good Security Officer. He sent T'Ra a message to congratulate her when she graduated from the academy, as well as to tell her that he had been promoted to Lieutenant. That was the last time she had heard from him and he still hadn't told her which ship he was serving on.

Well, she finally thought to herself, you've been hiding in here long enough. It's time to get up and do something. T'Ra needed to stretch her legs anyway. The holodeck sounded like a lot of fun. She hopped off her bed and walked briskly toward the door, actually making it this time. Perhaps it was because her goal didn't involve interacting with actual people.

T'Ra stepped into the turbo lift and muttered "Deck five." The turbo lift hummed and whirled before it finally ground to a halt on deck five. The doors swished open and T'Ra gingerly poked her head out to see if anyone was near, but for the moment the coast was clear. T'Ra stepped out of the turbo lift and strode hastily across to the holodeck.

"Computer," she inquired, "are there any files on the knave Robin Hood?" The corners of her mouth  twitched as if she was going to smile. Growing up, Robin Hood had been one of her favorite books, something her dad used to read to her every night when she was little.

The computer hummed and beeped as it processed her question. "There is one program matching your description," the computer reported. "Do you wish to enter?"

"Yes, computer," T'Ra affirmed. "However, I wish to be Robin Hood, and I wish to have a couple of my friends incorporated as characters."

The doors of the holodeck opened and T'Ra stepped inside. She was instantly surrounded by large trees that were taller than any she had ever seen. The luscious green treetops loomed far above her head, as did the birds that fluttered their wings and chirped such sweet melodies. The air smelled fresh, and the suit of lincoln green that she now wore felt smooth against her skin. A slew of arrows was strapped to her back.

From a distance, her keen ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. To be on the safe side, T'Ra quickly scampered up the nearest tree and waited. After several minutes of waiting, the approaching strangers finally reached the tree where T'Ra safely hid. Oddly enough, they were all clad in lincoln green. Logically, they were Robin Hood's merry men, so T'Ra jumped down, landing easily on her feet. Much to her surprise, there were two faces that she recognized, her friend Buehler and her brother Elvin.

This made sense. They were the two people she had mentioned the most since joining Star Fleet. She knew it wasn't really them, that they were just something created by the holodeck, but she was glad to see their faces all the same. It was time for her adventure to begin.

The dull blaring siren forced Zuriel's eyes open, that sound could mean only one thing, something he would always learn to fear and hate, it was time to wake up. Sitting up in his bed he rubbed his eyes, pulling the hair out of his face he looked around his dim room. he could not understand it, why was that alarm set, he did not have a shift today, shrugging it off and blaming it on habit  rose out of his bed, made his way to his bathroom, here he enjoyed a relaxing shower  before putting on his civilian attire.  There wasn't much to do on the ship, so he planned on taking a stroll around the starbase, there he would be much more comfortable, as he spent most of his carrier on one.
"Computer Do I have any prior engagement today?" Zuriel asked  curious, but hoping he had a clean slate, as he waited for the answer he tied his hair so that it was in regulation. " No, All shifts accounted for, but you do have a monthly exam  in sickbay, it is possible to push it up."
"No that wont be necessary, Ill go there myself, they shouldn't have too much work considering we are in spacedock." Zuriel said rolling his eyes, grabbing his boots he exited his room and made his way to the turbo lift. "Deck five please." Zuriel closed his eyes completely disgusted with the idea of going to sickbay for no reason, he had always had a bad taste in his moth since he joined starfleet and his first chief medical officer  look a liking to studying him, claiming that  Zuriel could be the key to the fountain of youth, never listening  when Zuriel told him that his people  could and did die. Once off the turbo lift Zuriel walked proudly as if he was going to get over his fear once and for all, and he proudly walked right past the sickbay hatch, Finding himself in front of holodeck two. "Computer what program is running right now?" in just a few seconds and beeps Zuriel had his answer, "Current program is Robin Hood."

"Who is present on the holodeck at this time?"

" Ensign T'ra Jones Science Officer."

"Is said program Locked? If not give me a rundown on the programs premise."
"Program is currently open, Robin hood....Earth English folklore. Robin hood and his merry men, are one of the most famous stories ever to come out of medieval England, a majority if not are tell the stories of Robin hood and his band of outlaws who patrolled  Sherwood forest stealing from the rich and giving to the poor."

Zuriel  was immediately interested in the program, He did not know much about humans and there past other than it was a bit more violent than that of other races, he looked at this as a chance to live out some good fun and learn at the same time. "Computer prepare me appropriate clothing , and I'm assuming  weapons." Zuriel grabbed his new outfit and made his way to a empty office to quickly change. Off the bat Zuriel was a bit uncomfortable with the snuggness of  the costume, particularly in the crouch area. "Computer, who will I be playing?"

"Arthur a Bland, bests Robin in the Ballad 'Robin Hood and the tanner." his only appearance, it is implied that he joined the merry men after the encounter.
besides being a capable archer he preferred two short swords in close  combat, a match to your combat profile."

Zuriel was excited he proudly passed  people as he made his way back to the holodeck, "Computer I'm ready to enter the program." The hatch opened and Zuriel stepped in,  in front of him were three men on horseback with on dark grey horse waiting for him. "Computer who are these men?"

"Part of your current forest patrol, they await you to lead them back to the encampment, to meet Robin of the hood."

"Ahh Arthur, I see that boar got the best of you? we might as well be off, don't want to get caught  to far away before sunrise."

Zuriel had only ridden a horse  one  or twice during his time in the academy, but  taking in the entirety of the story he found new courage in himself. "well lets us be off..." Zureil climbed onto his horse, his excitement was only interrupted by a young boy running out of the greenwood. "Arthur! Arthur! King John has sent his men into the Greenwood, someone  they look for Robin, they well be on him in a matter of moments." Zuriel held a hand out for the boy, and pulled him onto the horse, he led his small detail  speeding into the greenwood  to aid his good friend Robin.

[cortez]

"Good, good," Clarke said as he turned toward the replicator. "Albarian cocoa, hot, and Kava juice." He took the mug of cocoa and the glass of juice once they materialized and brought them over to the couches. "Not sure if the replicator meets your standards for the cocoa, but it's hopefully a reasonable approximation."

After seating himself and taking a sip of his Kava juice, Clarke set his glass down on the table. "It seems we're going to have to push for the twenty-four hours, if not better. Command--or rather Intelligence--wants us patrolling the Procyon system as soon as possible. Intelligence suspects a possible attack on the shipping lanes in the area, though Command...disagrees with that assessment and hopes to get us out to the border worlds soon to deal with the pirates there."

Clarke paused to take another sip of his juice before continuing. "I'm not sure what to make of these pirates. They've vastly expanded their operations since my kidnapping, capturing or destroying enough supply shipments to cripple operations in Cardassian and Romulan territory. Of course, it doesn't help that our president has insisted on sending all available personnel, ships, and supplies to those areas, leaving no one to guard the shipments themselves and only a skeleton force to guard the Federation's borders. In fact, from what I've read, it seems that in the outer worlds having one ship dedicated to a single sector is considered a luxury, with most being forced to guard two or even three. I can't imagine what these pirates hope to achieve through their actions."

Cortez ignored the mug of Albarian cocoa Clarke had replicated. It was an extremely filling drink, at least for him, and the mug he had just consumed was adequate to satisfy him.

"They do seem to be brazen. The pirates, I mean."  he responded  "I just can't believe the combined force of Starfleet is insufficient to deal with the problem."

Cortez paused, looking out of the window at the many work bees and shuttlecraft flying around.

"But I'm sure Starfleet has a plan. All I know is that when it comes the Churchill's turn, we'll be ready, sir."

Before he could await a reply from Clarke, the two of them were interupted by the recognizable noise of the ready room door chime.

John exited the lift and entered the Bridge of the U.S.S Churchill he was amazed how big it was for a Intrepid Class. John looked the Ready Room Doors he smiled and walked over.

John then took a deep breath then pressed the Chime to speak to his new Commanding Officer.

[Taras Cadenza]

Lance thought about that for a moment. Well, he'd been trying to start playing the piano again but if he told Taras that he'd have to explain how music is an alternative to suicide for him. He'd been writing a musical piece but the concepts going into that were much too high-brow for any human to really understand.

Well... "I've got promoted, as you can probably tell and had probably heard even before you saw the pips. And life's tiring, but I guess I can complain least of all," he finished, seeming not at all resentful of his situation for the sake of his newfound friend. He hoped he wasn't being weird, though once again it had probably happened already.
Lance tapped his badge without stopping and replied,

=/\=Krol to Masters=/\=

Got it, I'll get someone on it immediately.

=/\=Krol Out=/\=

He tapped his badge again, quickly.

=/\=Krol to Teele=/\=

Can you take a look at the forward phaser relay? Apparently there's a malfunction.

=/\=Over=/\=

=/\=Teele to Krol=/\=

Yes sir, I'll get right on that.

=/\=Out=/\=

He lowered his hand and looked at Taras as they both stepped into the turbolift. "Another day, huh? Deck one," and the doors whirred shut.

Taras finally let out his stifled chuckle. "Aha, indeed. Well... I'm sure it's going to be as... Interesting as usual. Now that the captain's back and all."

Eventually, the Turbolift doors opened - though it was quicker than usual, Taras noted. "And to work we go." he half-smiled to Krol as he stepped onto the bridge, placing his hand on the railing.

Noticing Lt. Commander Brown at the doors of the Captain's ready room, quickly raised an eyebrow after noticing something rather peculiar about this...
Something that he'd never thought of before. And then it came to him.

He turned to Krol, his face beaming. "Looks like you, albeit temporarily, have the bridge... Lieutenant."

[Lance Krol]

Taras finally let out his stifled chuckle. "Aha, indeed. Well... I'm sure it's going to be as... Interesting as usual. Now that the captain's back and all."

Eventually, the Turbolift doors opened - though it was quicker than usual, Taras noted. "And to work we go." he half-smiled to Krol as he stepped onto the bridge, placing his hand on the railing.

Noticing Lt. Commander Brown at the doors of the Captain's ready room, quickly raised an eyebrow after noticing something rather peculiar about this...
Something that he'd never thought of before. And then it came to him.

He turned to Krol, his face beaming. "Looks like you, albeit temporarily, have the bridge... Lieutenant."

Lance blinked.

Lance looked around.

And suddenly, he realized Taras was right. He was the ranking officer.

Jesus, I'm the ranking officer.

He reached under his uniform and felt the little wooden crucifix there, older than him, worn and snarled with age. Not of any particular significance, but he felt like this was a scene God should witness. Everyone else had turned to face him, so maybe he could use someone that actually outranked him.

"...No."

"...No. I won't do it. I'm not the ranking officer, I won't take this amount of power and if anyone has any problem with that they can step into that ready room and tell the captain that his best and brightest engineering officer is refusing to rise any further," Lance's heart was beating. When did he start talking? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Everyone was staring at him. The regular beeping of buttons being pressed had absolutely stopped.

How loudly was I talking? Was I shouting?

"I'm sick of this. I am a god among you people. In six months I have gone from ensign to lieutenant and now I have no experience and control of the bridge. Do you people expect me to know what to do? Am I your messiah, that sweeps away error and sin like God? I've got nothing on God," and he realized he had raised his voice. He didn't know what he was saying.

"I don't know what you people expect, but I don't have it. I am smart, I know how to build a warp drive and I could God damn run the engineering department by myself if I needed to. But I won't rise to this. Not this," he killed his tears without feeling. Like beheading a child, like breaking a wooden toy box, his emotions died with a childlike scream. All the joy and all the pain went out of him, because if he allowed himself to feel anything now of all times then he'd collapse on the spot.

He looked around, and realized where he was. His emotions lay broken in the back of his mind. His eyes lost sharpness and his body sagged, then he stuck himself back together again and walked to the engineering console. "Mr. Cadenza, you have the Á¢â,¬"œ" his voice broke slightly. "Á¢â,¬"œ the bridge."

He touched the shoulder of the poor crewman at his console gently, kindly, suddenly feeling older than he ever had. These people were so young. They didn't stand a chance.

"I'm your relief, crewman," he stated, his blank tone not at all matching his tired, aged face.

He whipped his hand away from the crucifix and ended with an inaudible murmur to his own obsolete beliefs as he tapped at the console in the total, stunned silence of the room.

"...amen."

This day is going to be hell, and I know this because I've nowhere left to go.

Despite it all, he felt better. Free. He'd finally jumped off the chain of command, too late to simply exist but not too late to rebuild himself.

[Taras Cadenza]

Lance blinked.

Lance looked around.

And suddenly, he realized Taras was right. He was the ranking officer.

Jesus, I'm the ranking officer.

He reached under his uniform and felt the little wooden crucifix there, older than him, worn and snarled with age. Not of any particular significance, but he felt like this was a scene God should witness. Everyone else had turned to face him, so maybe he could use someone that actually outranked him.

"...No."

"...No. I won't do it. I'm not the ranking officer, I won't take this amount of power and if anyone has any problem with that they can step into that ready room and tell the captain that his best and brightest engineering officer is refusing to rise any further," Lance's heart was beating. When did he start talking? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Everyone was staring at him. The regular beeping of buttons being pressed had absolutely stopped.

How loudly was I talking? Was I shouting?

"I'm sick of this. I am a god among you people. In six months I have gone from ensign to lieutenant and now I have no experience and control of the bridge. Do you people expect me to know what to do? Am I your messiah, that sweeps away error and sin like God? I've got nothing on God," and he realized he had raised his voice. He didn't know what he was saying.

"I don't know what you people expect, but I don't have it. I am smart, I know how to build a warp drive and I could God damn run the engineering department by myself if I needed to. But I won't rise to this. Not this," he killed his tears without feeling. Like beheading a child, like breaking a wooden toy box, his emotions died with a childlike scream. All the joy and all the pain went out of him, because if he allowed himself to feel anything now of all times then he'd collapse on the spot.

He looked around, and realized where he was. His emotions lay broken in the back of his mind. His eyes lost sharpness and his body sagged, then he stuck himself back together again and walked to the engineering console. "Mr. Cadenza, you have the Á¢â,¬"œ" his voice broke slightly. "Á¢â,¬"œ the bridge."

He touched the shoulder of the poor crewman at his console gently, kindly, suddenly feeling older than he ever had. These people were so young. They didn't stand a chance.

"I'm your relief, crewman," he stated, his blank tone not at all matching his tired, aged face.

He whipped his hand away from the crucifix and ended with an inaudible murmur to his own obsolete beliefs as he tapped at the console in the total, stunned silence of the room.

"...amen."

This day is going to be hell, and I know this because I've nowhere left to go.

Despite it all, he felt better. Free. He'd finally jumped off the chain of command, too late to simply exist but not too late to rebuild himself.

Taras stood in stunned silence. Here he had just witnessed the mother of all breakdowns... From someone he had just spoken to civilly about a few minutes ago.

A part of him felt like extending his hand and shouting Lance Krol, ladies and gentlemen! to cut the rather tense atmosphere.

But his more sympathetic side simply guided his actions. He walked over to Lance, and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You know... it's really not that bad. I assure you... we'll talk later."

With that he walked down to the seat where the first officer would normally sit. He didn't sit down. It was too... tense to sit down.

Noticing the confused faces of the officers still reeling from the breakdown, Taras gently barked, "Well get on with what you're doing, then, kind sirs."

This is going to be a long day... he thought to himself.

[ThomasRiker]

Lance blinked.

Lance looked around.

And suddenly, he realized Taras was right. He was the ranking officer.

Jesus, I'm the ranking officer.

He reached under his uniform and felt the little wooden crucifix there, older than him, worn and snarled with age. Not of any particular significance, but he felt like this was a scene God should witness. Everyone else had turned to face him, so maybe he could use someone that actually outranked him.

"...No."

"...No. I won't do it. I'm not the ranking officer, I won't take this amount of power and if anyone has any problem with that they can step into that ready room and tell the captain that his best and brightest engineering officer is refusing to rise any further," Lance's heart was beating. When did he start talking? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Everyone was staring at him. The regular beeping of buttons being pressed had absolutely stopped.

How loudly was I talking? Was I shouting?

"I'm sick of this. I am a god among you people. In six months I have gone from ensign to lieutenant and now I have no experience and control of the bridge. Do you people expect me to know what to do? Am I your messiah, that sweeps away error and sin like God? I've got nothing on God," and he realized he had raised his voice. He didn't know what he was saying.

"I don't know what you people expect, but I don't have it. I am smart, I know how to build a warp drive and I could God damn run the engineering department by myself if I needed to. But I won't rise to this. Not this," he killed his tears without feeling. Like beheading a child, like breaking a wooden toy box, his emotions died with a childlike scream. All the joy and all the pain went out of him, because if he allowed himself to feel anything now of all times then he'd collapse on the spot.

He looked around, and realized where he was. His emotions lay broken in the back of his mind. His eyes lost sharpness and his body sagged, then he stuck himself back together again and walked to the engineering console. "Mr. Cadenza, you have the Á¢â,¬"œ" his voice broke slightly. "Á¢â,¬"œ the bridge."

He touched the shoulder of the poor crewman at his console gently, kindly, suddenly feeling older than he ever had. These people were so young. They didn't stand a chance.

"I'm your relief, crewman," he stated, his blank tone not at all matching his tired, aged face.

He whipped his hand away from the crucifix and ended with an inaudible murmur to his own obsolete beliefs as he tapped at the console in the total, stunned silence of the room.

"...amen."

This day is going to be hell, and I know this because I've nowhere left to go.

Despite it all, he felt better. Free. He'd finally jumped off the chain of command, too late to simply exist but not too late to rebuild himself.

Recalling being made an acting department head on his first day, he felt sorry for the man. He locked his board allowing the diagnostics to continue. He still had a few of the Sec Chief codes as he had not briefed the man yet, and he almost hoped that someone would try to decrypt the codes he locked it with. When he ran his diagnostics, he didn't like anyone to mess with it whether it was the Captain or an enlisted crewmen.

"Lieutenant" he called out looking at the man who had clearly just lost it. He hoped that the man would play along, if not, then he would look crazy too. "I know that you have been practicing hard on our holo play, and are anxious to show everyone how well you have gotten into you character, but we have to wait until we are ready to do the whole show." He said walking towards the man, slowly but pointedly. He wanted to make sure that Krol could see that he wasn't messing with him. Bugging out on the bridge, especially while they are in space dock.. that would just be embarrassing. He reached a hand out to put on the man's shoulder and try to lead him towards the turbo lift.

[Alexander Clarke]

Cortez ignored the mug of Albarian cocoa Clarke had replicated. It was an extremely filling drink, at least for him, and the mug he had just consumed was adequate to satisfy him.

"They do seem to be brazen. The pirates, I mean."  he responded  "I just can't believe the combined force of Starfleet is insufficient to deal with the problem."

Cortez paused, looking out of the window at the many work bees and shuttlecraft flying around.

"But I'm sure Starfleet has a plan. All I know is that when it comes the Churchill's turn, we'll be ready, sir."

Before he could await a reply from Clarke, the two of them were interupted by the recognizable noise of the ready room door chime.

"Come in," Clarke said, turning to the door. When he saw Brown stepping in, Clarke stood up. "Commander Brown, how have you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Setting his glass down, Clarke offered his hand for Brown to shake and added, "I'm in the middle of something right now, but I'm glad you came to see me. I believe you and Commander Cortez are already acquainted?" Clarke motioned towards Cortez with his other hand before turning back to Brown. "I'll give you a shorthand version of the current plans so that you'll have more time to familiarize yourself with the members of your department. Command is sending us to the Procyon system to do some patrolling of the shipping lanes there. They're not expecting any trouble, they just want to reassure people that Starfleet is committed to their security. We'll be leaving sometime in the next twenty-four hours, if we're lucky."

[cortez]

"Come in," Clarke said, turning to the door. When he saw Brown stepping in, Clarke stood up. "Commander Brown, how have you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Setting his glass down, Clarke offered his hand for Brown to shake and added, "I'm in the middle of something right now, but I'm glad you came to see me. I believe you and Commander Cortez are already acquainted?" Clarke motioned towards Cortez with his other hand before turning back to Brown. "I'll give you a shorthand version of the current plans so that you'll have more time to familiarize yourself with the members of your department. Command is sending us to the Procyon system to do some patrolling of the shipping lanes there. They're not expecting any trouble, they just want to reassure people that Starfleet is committed to their security. We'll be leaving sometime in the next twenty-four hours, if we're lucky."

Cortez smiled at the familiar face. He and Brown had served together on the Discovery. Back then, Brown was his superior. It felt strange now that the tables had turned. Nonetheless, he had a job that needed to be performed.

"We'll be leaving in 24 hours, Commander"  he said,  "Please ensure the security department has everything in order by that time." Cortez finished, looking across at Clarke for an approving glance.

[John Brown]

"Come in," Clarke said, turning to the door. When he saw Brown stepping in, Clarke stood up. "Commander Brown, how have you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I been good Commander, it's been too long but it will be good to serve with you again" Replied Brown as he walked into the Room

Setting his glass down, Clarke offered his hand for Brown to shake and added, "I'm in the middle of something right now, but I'm glad you came to see me. I believe you and Commander Cortez are already acquainted?" Clarke motioned towards Cortez with his other hand before turning back to Brown. "I'll give you a shorthand version of the current plans so that you'll have more time to familiarize yourself with the members of your department. Command is sending us to the Procyon system to do some patrolling of the shipping lanes there. They're not expecting any trouble, they just want to reassure people that Starfleet is committed to their security. We'll be leaving sometime in the next twenty-four hours, if we're lucky."

Lieutenant Commander Brown returned the hand shake and smiled at Lt.Commander Cortez and took a breath before speaking "I am sorry for troubling you, I wanted to speak to both you and the Commander as my transfer here was at the request of an Admiral T'Por. I am unsure if you are aware but Starfleet Command sent an Admiral Grey to review the command staff of the U.S.S Discovery shortly after that I was transferred here" Finished Brown as he looked out the window looking at the worker bees then looked back at Commander Clarke.

"From my experience, and I am sure Lieutenant Commander Cortez remembers the U.S.S Discovery Nova Class had a interesting adventure when it came to Pirates. I did review the official records on your recent missions, the thing that gets me is that the Pirates are so bold to go past Intelligence but this is normal. Intelligence has a hard time getting into the inner circle to get information and given your experience with them I doubt it will be a walk in the park. I think there will be an ambush it would be perfect timing to try to proof we are unable to protect the colonies .I believe that they want  the colonies to lose faith in the Federation or better yet to get them to revoke their membership this is the way to do it" Finished the New Chief Tactical Officer taking a long breath before speaking "I did take a look at the current specs of the Churchill, I can see ways to improve our combat effectiveness in a fight by 3%, and increase our early warning systems as they fight dirty a lot of this I did on the Discovery. It can work here a lot that was done was ideas and design changes made by Ensign Safi Larson if you get past her interesting personality she's a good engineer "Finished John

Cortez smiled at the familiar face. He and Brown had served together on the Discovery. Back then, Brown was his superior. It felt strange now that the tables had turned. Nonetheless, he had a job that needed to be performed.

"We'll be leaving in 24 hours, Commander"  he said,  "Please ensure the security department has everything in order by that time." Cortez finished, looking across at Clarke for an approving glance.

"We will be prepared" Finished Brown

[TLaina Mandlin]

Covering her mouth to let out a yawn T'Laina would smile sweetly at the man before her. Humming to herself she would place the PADD on the table and stare at him a minute before speak to the young officer. "You seem to be fine sir I'm not sure I want to know why you think you are sick all of a sudden when records here state that your fit as any space officer on this ship. " Eying the man T'Laina would nod her head letting the officer know she was down the exam and to be on his way. Smiling the officer whispered  a "thank you" and slipped out the door.

Spinning around T'Laina would slide over to her desk and place the PADD knowing she had a load of paper work to finish for it had been busy ever since they docked the ship with random officers coming in stating they caught something or another. Shaking her head T'Laina would start to blow spit bubbles as she scanned her desk. Still blowing spit bubbles T'Laina would smile as she noticed the torn old photo of her sisters and yearning for home a little.

Whipping the desk with her sleeve T'Laina would pick up her PADD and swirl around starting at the room noticeing the olive green chairs that where placed in the room for people to sit well they waited. "Comfort my butt" T'Laina would mumble as she stood up.  Crossing the room she would grab a cleaning cloth and whip down the half seat half chair the officer was sitting on and let out another yawn.

Looking up T'Laina noticed the hallways where just as busy with officers running around even in the sickbay area it was hard not to notice that everybody was glad to have the captain back even if she didn't know the ship without him she still felt the growing happiness like everybody else. Plopping back on her stool T'Laina would cradling her PADD in her lap and type in the password slowly going over the list of things she had to check with every medical exam from eyes to feet she had to make sure all her officers where fit as a fiddle and wondering when the next officer would wander in for whatever reason. Sighing T'Laina saw a list of names that had to be checked over for medical exams and then T'Laina looked at the growing files on her PADD and knew she better stop day dreaming and get back to work or they be taking off with unfit officers. Bouncing a bit in her chair T'Laina smiled and started getting ready for another long boring day.