S2- M2 - Shatterpoint

[Non-Playing Character 1]

[As Rear Admiral Paul Sandstrom]

Admiral Sandstrom tapped his fingers anxiously. Given the reports about the annihilation of the Hephaestus, he had every right to be. Weird rumors kept popping up that this ship had intentions to claim the Federation for their Empire, and with the firepower of that cannon they had, it could easily happen. He breathed in deeply. He always hated sending crews to what could potentially be their certain deaths. Yes, it was part of the risks of being in Starfleet, but he still didn't like to do it.
Collecting himself, he began the transmission.

"We have an urgent order from Starfleet Headquarters. Recently, reports have come in about a ship totally annihilating the USS Hephaestus in your sector. From what little we know about it, it appears to be an incursion from a parallel mirror universe. Be extremely cautious. This ship has the potential to wipe out everything. I wish you all good luck. You're going to need it."

[Michael Ferdinand]

[Bridge: ISS Extinction]
[As Captain John Everts]
Breathing heavily, John felt the razor-sharp blade bite against his skin. He liked being close to pretty women and all, but this was not the way he had imagined it.  "What do you want?!" He asked the two women who he assumed were the commanding officers of this vessel. Staring at the viewscreen, he saw his ship, sitting there, no firing,  nothing.

The ship shook from the sheer energy output, shattering the Hephaestus like an egg. When the flash of blinding light faded, there was nothing left, save a few.  glinting fragments of metal, barely bigger than a quarter,  catching the light of the nearby sun. It was gone.

[as Ardyn]
The captain of the now-destroyed ship crumpled to the floor in a heap. Letting go of the man, she grinned an icy grin. The cannon worked better that she could have possibly imagined. This mirror "Federation" wouldn't stand a chance against them.

She picked up the devastated man by the collar. "Be lucky you get off with a better fate than your crew."� She held up her right hand, the one missing a pinky from an unfortunate raptor-feeding accident. "Don't try to fight. I have a little Velociraptor friend named Steve. He's still a little guy, but  by eight months he was quite deadly, and I do mean deadly. Do you understand?" The frightened man nodded fiercely. Dropping his collar, she came up to the captain. "He's all yours."

[ISS Extinction-Bridge]
Alyssa took hold of the Starfleet Captain and smiled. "Don't worry Captain, I've got something special planned for you." She chuckled at this. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me. Ardy, you have the bridge."

[James A. Hawke]

[Rebel Ship Aeries, Bridge]
James finished his statement as he looked at the ship. He figured there would be enough time before the Empire did anything.

He heard his wife say

"That depends My Love!" She purred. "Will you be waiting with me?" She asked in a low, seductive tone.

James approaches his wife and said "Yes, I will be there, I would not miss you for anything in the world"

As he finished he kissed her forehead as he heard a report "Colonel, the Extinction is shooting

James looked at the view screen and noticed an explosion appearing

James looked at his wife and said "Poor Devils"

"Colonel, what do you think after seeing that?"  James asked

[Kachina Filitov]

[Rebel Ship Aeries, Bridge]
James finished his statement as he looked at the ship. He figured there would be enough time before the Empire did anything.

He heard his wife say

James approaches his wife and said "Yes, I will be there, I would not miss you for anything in the world"

As he finished he kissed her forehead as he heard a report "Colonel, the Extinction is shooting

James looked at the view screen and noticed an explosion appearing

James looked at his wife and said "Poor Devils"

"Colonel, what do you think after seeing that?"  James asked

Rebel Ship Aeries - Bridge

Katcha looked at the viewscreen and shook her head slightly at the explosion.

"I can only say that it is a good thing we have brought it here. While that vessel, I believe they call it a Galaxy class from what I've read, was powerful, the Extinction made quick work of it. There was something strange too. The Federation ship did not even get a shot away." She scowled before turning to one of the Bridge officers.

"Check the sensor logs. I want to know if there was anything unusual happening on the Federation craft before the shot was fired?" She demanded.

"Yes Ma'am!" The man replied nervously as he reviewed the logs.

Katcha drummed her fingers impatiently as she waited for the report. It did not take long.

"Ma'am. It appears that in the time between the Extinction arriving and the shot being fired, the Federation ship experienced a series of power spikes before a cascade failure of all their major systems. The Federation ship was completely helpless and unable to defend itself. None of the escape pods were even able to be launched." The man reported, panic clear in his voice.

Katcha immediately turned to James.

"I was concerned about this. We have had reports that the Empire has been designing an AI, with the sole purpose of hacking into and taking over an enemy ships systems. Until today they were thought to be months, if not years away from success. Though, from what we have just seen it appears that is not the case." She said. While most would not have been able to detect anything, James would be able to detect the trace of worry in her voice.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[ISS Extinction-Bridge]
Alyssa took hold of the Starfleet Captain and smiled. "Don't worry Captain, I've got something special planned for you." She chuckled at this. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me. Ardy, you have the bridge."

[Bridge: ISS Extinction.]
Ardyn nodded as the Captain took the man to her Quarters, an icy smile still crossing her face. "Helm, take us to the nearest So-called Federation planet . Sam will provide the coordinates. Warp 7." Glowing contrails of stars lit up the viewscreen as the ship headed into Warp, illuminating the woman faintly as she paced the deck of the bridge. They would feel the might of the Empire.

Feeling the ship slow, she saw the blue and green marble coming into view . Her next target ."Load the cannon, And fire when ready." She ordered. A few moments later, the ship shook and the blinding light glowed through the screen as the surge pummeled the planet.

When she looked at it again, a noticeable chunk of planet was gone, and the once pristine planet in flames. "Long live the Empire." She smirked.

[James A. Hawke]

[Prime Universe Á¢â,¬"œ Holodeck 1]
James looked at the crew was working on  set on the Volleyball routes.  He then noticed Dr. Meadows coming in.  With a child.

"Come on, Stephen." she said as she sped down the hallway. "We are going to be late."

"Mommy, where are we going?" Stephen replied. "You are walking to fast. I'm tired."

"You can rest when we get there. Ah, here it is." She arrived at the doors of the holodeck. She stopped walking and extended her arm so that Stephan could hold her hand when he caught up. It took the kid a good moment to do so, however, as Alyssa forgot that children could only move so quickly. "Ready?"

The doors to the holodeck opened and Alyssa stepped through with Stephen in tow.

"WOOOOWWWW." Stephen said rather loudly. "Look, mommy, we're at the beach!"

Alyssa smiled. "I know sweet heart." She took a look at her son. His dark brown hair glimerred in the sunshine where small flecks of red broke through. He had a huge smile plastered on his face and she could only imagine what his little mind was thinking of.

"Come on, I want you to meet some people before you go play."

Stephen sighed. "Okay, mommy."

Alyssa and Stephen walked towards the volleyball set up. "Hey everyone." she said with an actual smile. "I want you guys to meet my son, Stephen."

James looked at Meadows and walked in.  He moved his head slightly sideways in confusion and he see Meadows with a child.

James approached the child and bended to one knee.  He extended his hand and  said "Hi Stephen, my name is James.  I work with your mom, you should be proud of her, she helps to take care everyone on the ship."

James smiled as he finished the statement and stood up.  As he was clearly taller than the child he took the time to mess the child hair.  He looked around and then continued

"C'mon, let's play"  James said and he encourage everyone to play at their post.

. " Let's get this game started!" She laughed, as she got into position.

James smiled and then continued "Garrison, you don't need to be to be formal in this ship, just do your job.  Speak your mind

. "Hey! The game's just started there's still room!!"

James continued the smacktalk to Ardy and just replied "Watch it! With Age and Rank comes wisdom!"

James then noticed Will asking for a Bar lucky he did plan on having a bar with drink. He noticed the new Chief Science Officer talking to Will.

, "Sir...I understand you wanted everyone here, but I truly don't think this is a good idea for me. Outside of engineering, I'm horribly uncoordinated. I don't really think it would help morale for the crew to see a member of the command staff in such a manner. Is there any chance I could keep score or try to monitor the rules? I have a PADD in my bag, I could easily look it up."

James smiled and tried to approach his XO, he gave her a pat in the back and said "Part of growing up is by tunings you self in uncomfortable situations.  Just try and if you fail, then laugh moments like this can be few and far between"

Before he finished he said "All right, LET'S GO!"

As he finished yelling he heard a message in the comms.

"All  bridge officers are asked to come to the bridge. We just got an urgent message from Starfleet Headquarters that you should see."=/\=

As he was waiting the serve James just yelled "C'MON YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME?!"

With that he shook his head and said to himself "Why does this always have to happen?"

With that he left the Holodeck to the bridge.

[Bridge]

James entered the bridge and ordered "Report"

A officer responded "We have a message from Starfleet, Sir!"

James sat on the Captain's Char and said "Alright let's hear it"

"We have an urgent order from Starfleet Headquarters. Recently, reports have come in about a ship totally annihilating the USS Hephaestus in your sector. From what little we know about it, it appears to be an incursion from a parallel mirror universe. Be extremely cautious. This ship has the potential to wipe out everything. I wish you all good luck. You're going to need it."

James then stood from the chair and ordered "Helm, plot of a course to that system Maximum Warp" James said

He then looked at the XO and said "Take us to Yellow Alert"

He looked toward science and asked "Scan for any anomalies"

He turned to ops and said "Will, I want to know everything about the ship...how competent they were the CO and XO...look to see if there are any clues"

He looked at Ardy and said "Take control of the Shuttle Area, we might need them"

Finally to Medical "Dr. Meadows, find if there are any major illness in the area that might explain this, let's not take the risk that we are getting into a plague"

"Everyone, let's figure this out"  James said to everyone outloud

[Kachina Filitov]

[Prime Universe Á¢â,¬"œ Holodeck 1]

James then stood from the chair and ordered "Helm, plot of a course to that system Maximum Warp" James said

He then looked at the XO and said "Take us to Yellow Alert"

He looked toward science and asked "Scan for any anomalies"

He turned to ops and said "Will, I want to know everything about the ship...how competent they were the CO and XO...look to see if there are any clues"

He looked at Ardy and said "Take control of the Shuttle Area, we might need them"

Finally to Medical "Dr. Meadows, find if there are any major illness in the area that might explain this, let's not take the risk that we are getting into a plague"

"Everyone, let's figure this out"  James said to everyone outloud

Bridge

Katcha nodded as James gave his orders.

"Da Keptin." She replied.

She then turned back to her console and activated the course at maximum Warp.

"Ve are at maximum Varp Keptin. ETA von hour seven minutes." She reported.

[Fala Awen]

[Holodeck 1]

As she waited for James to respond, Caelene glanced around at the rest of the crew who were gathering in the holodeck. Alyssa had brought along a boy - her son. She hadn't had a chance to be introduced to him since the crew had been brought back together and apparently she'd been so concerned about this entire idea that she hadn't seen the two enter.

James smiled and tried to approach his XO, he gave her a pat in the back and said "Part of growing up is by tunings you self in uncomfortable situations.  Just try and if you fail, then laugh moments like this can be few and far between"

Caelene was startled back out of her thoughts as James patted her back. Frowning, she nodded reluctantly. In her life, the Trill had already been exposed to situations like he mentioned numerous times. It never got any easier, not for her. She'd always tried her best, but being laughed at when she did something clumsy was still never an enjoyable experience; she was more ashamed of herself and embarrassed. After awhile, Caelene had just done what she could to avoid those types of situations. Until now anyway.

=A="All bridge officers are asked to come to the bridge. We just got an urgent message from Starfleet Headquarters that you should see."=A=

Hearing the call for officers to return to the bridge, Caelene breathed a sigh of relief. She was saved, for the moment anyway. And to be fair, she had no idea what was going on. The situation they ended up in might prove to be even worse. For now she had somewhere else to be.

Moving back over to the tote bag, blanket, and sandals, Caelene quickly packed up her things. She tried to quickly shake off the towel, but frowned as bits of sand still stuck to it. Sand everywhere, just as she feared. Caelene frowned, but did her best to roll the towel up and stuff it into the tote before heading out the door.

[Bridge, 5 minutes later]

After quickly stopping in her quarters to change into a uniform, Caelene had quickly made her way to the bridge. She hesitated a moment, then moved over to the seat next to James. Although she was now technically James' Executive Officer, since T'Ra left, Caelene was also still Chief Engineering Officer. Depending on what the situation was, it was more likely that she would be needed at the Engineering console. For now, though, she felt it best to be at James' side.

=A= "We have an urgent order from Starfleet Headquarters. Recently, reports have come in about a ship totally annihilating the USS Hephaestus in your sector. From what little we know about it, it appears to be an incursion from a parallel mirror universe. Be extremely cautious. This ship has the potential to wipe out everything. I wish you all good luck. You're going to need it." =A=

Caelene raised an eyebrow as she listened to the Admiral's rushed report to them. A Mirror Universe ship had made its way here, somehow, and destroyed one of their vessels? Not destroyed, 'annihilated' was the word the Admiral used. With that terminology, it didn't sound like they'd had an actual fight...it sounded as if the ship had simply used something to wipe the ship off the maps, so to speak.

He then looked at the XO and said "Take us to Yellow Alert"

Hearing James' order, Caelene nodded. Her fingers tapped quickly at the small console on her chair as she brought up the yellow alert. She patched herself into the ship's comms and said, "All hands, we are now at Yellow Alert. Report to your assigned areas and be prepared in case we increase our alert status. Bridge out."

"Captain," she said, "If there's anything you need me to do, tell me. For the moment, I'm going to move over to the Engineering station - I'll be right behind you." Giving him a brief nod, she turned and walked over to the familiar Engineering console. Caelene put in her code and brought up the Engineering overview, looking over their current status. Everything seemed well within normal parameters.

When she heard James order scans of the area, the Trill rerouted some additional power to the short and long range scanners, just in case. Glancing over at their new Chief Science Officer, she said, "I've give you a little extra power, Commander. Hopefully it will help with your search."

Caelene turned back to her screens, methodically going through standard checks and a few basic diagnostics, just to be safe. Her mind wandered as she did, wondering what exactly they were supposed to do against a Mirror Universe vessel that was obliterating starships. Of course, they had to find it first...

[William Waring]

[Prime Universe Á¢â,¬"œ Holodeck 1]
James looked at the crew was working on  set on the Volleyball routes.  He then noticed Dr. Meadows coming in.  With a child.

James looked at Meadows and walked in.  He moved his head slightly sideways in confusion and he see Meadows with a child.

James approached the child and bended to one knee.  He extended his hand and  said "Hi Stephen, my name is James.  I work with your mom, you should be proud of her, she helps to take care everyone on the ship."

James smiled as he finished the statement and stood up.  As he was clearly taller than the child he took the time to mess the child hair.  He looked around and then continued

"C'mon, let's play"  James said and he encourage everyone to play at their post.

James smiled and then continued "Garrison, you don't need to be to be formal in this ship, just do your job.  Speak your mind

James continued the smacktalk to Ardy and just replied "Watch it! With Age and Rank comes wisdom!"

James then noticed Will asking for a Bar lucky he did plan on having a bar with drink. He noticed the new Chief Science Officer talking to Will.

James smiled and tried to approach his XO, he gave her a pat in the back and said "Part of growing up is by tunings you self in uncomfortable situations.  Just try and if you fail, then laugh moments like this can be few and far between"

Before he finished he said "All right, LET'S GO!"

As he finished yelling he heard a message in the comms.

As he was waiting the serve James just yelled "C'MON YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME?!"

With that he shook his head and said to himself "Why does this always have to happen?"

With that he left the Holodeck to the bridge.

[Bridge]

James entered the bridge and ordered "Report"

A officer responded "We have a message from Starfleet, Sir!"

James sat on the Captain's Char and said "Alright let's hear it"

James then stood from the chair and ordered "Helm, plot of a course to that system Maximum Warp" James said

He then looked at the XO and said "Take us to Yellow Alert"

He looked toward science and asked "Scan for any anomalies"

He turned to ops and said "Will, I want to know everything about the ship...how competent they were the CO and XO...look to see if there are any clues"

He looked at Ardy and said "Take control of the Shuttle Area, we might need them"

Finally to Medical "Dr. Meadows, find if there are any major illness in the area that might explain this, let's not take the risk that we are getting into a plague"

"Everyone, let's figure this out"  James said to everyone outloud

[Bridge]

"Consider it done sir!" Will said as he retrieved the last backup of the USS Hephaestus' logs. Once the logs were in front of him, he isolated those pertaining to the Captain and First Officer. After a quick look at the relevant logs he spoke up "Captain John Everts, Commanding Officer and Commander Jacob Talbot, Executive Officer. Both men had served together for many years, an efficient duo." Will did a little more digging into the files and came across something "Sir... these men were war heroes. They served during the Borg and Dominion Campaigns. Both were Christopher Pike Medal of Honor recipients with more awards then I care to count. They didn't deserve this." He took a deep breath and continued looking at the surrounding sector "The only lead so far is a communication from the USS Hephaestus to an unknown vessel. It was picked up by a listening post not to far away, luckily."

[Kalro Zolarim]

Crew Quarters

Kalro had arrived on the Shran only a few hours ago on a runabout that had also transported a few other personnel.  On a ship like the Shran, with about 1500 officers and crew aboard at any given time, people were always arriving or departing.  So far, everyone he'd met- from the transporter officer to the quartermaster- had been friendly and easygoing.  He had the impression from the smiling faces he'd seen that the Captain of the Shran kept a relaxed discipline style that warded off excessive rigidness or anxiety.

Kalro's arrival by runabout had given him a fantastic view of the massive Odyssey class vessel as it had come in for a landing in the main shuttlebay.  One of the newest and most powerful types of ship in the fleet, the Odyssey class was also a veritable work of art.  Despite its size, the sleek hull-form managed to make the ship look like it was going fast even while it was standing still.  And the Shran herself had already begun to collect a formidable reputation as an exemplar of the class.  This was a prime posting, and a good start to his career as an officer in Starfleet.

As Kalro finished stowing the last of his gear into his quarter's dresser drawers, the yellow alert lighting came on, accompanied by a characteristic alert tone.  It looked like he'd be starting his first shift a little bit early.

He paused briefly to look at himself in the room's mirror, straightening his uniform and smoothing out any creases he found.   Like many Zakdorn, his face belied his age.  Humans tended to perceive him as having at least five or six decades under his belt.

"Aren't you a little old to be an Ensign?" had been a common phrase from those who'd been undiplomatic with their observations.  To a Zakdorn, whose culture valued experience over youthful vigor, the faux pas had actually been a compliment.  In fact, his appearance and those of many of his countrymen probably owed something to millenia of natural selection.  With a distinct preference in their society for senior mates, those with signs of age had greater reproductive success than those without.

Of course, it was a deceptive trick of evolutionary genetics.  His looks were not yet earned.  People in their thirties were considered to be barely mature in his culture:  Just out of university, working their first jobs, and with a lot left to learn.  Still, he wasn't about to complain about winning the proverbial genetic lottery and having a nice, bald, experienced-looking face.

Satisfied with his appearance, he made his way out of his quarters and to the nearest turbolift.  Other officers and crew joined him in the lift, anxious to report to their duty stations.  Kalro was the only one of them headed to the bridge, though.

When the turbolift finally brought him there, he stepped out and scanned the command center of the ship.  The decor was beautiful, spacious,
and modern.  His gaze lit briefly upon the faces of the colleagues he'd be working for and with.  Then, finally, he announced himself to the officers in charge.

Bridge

"Ensign Kalro Zolarim reporting for duty," he said simply, and waited to be acknowledged and given his orders.

[William Waring]

[Mirror Universe - ISS Extinction - Weapon Control Montioring Systems]

It was almost time to set his plan in motion. After digging around in the computer and getting access to files he wasn't supposed to see, Will had made up his mind. He only needed to get one other thing completed before he would even think of doing it though.

"E-e-excuse me ma'am" he said to the woman in blue "Y-your latest readings from the weapon."

Looking away, he handed a PADD to her. He wasn't here because he was competent, everyone knew it. Honestly, he was surprised he made it this far without being caught.

[Kinley Garrison]

[Prime universe:Bridge]
Kinley immediately sat down at the science station and immediately began manning the scanners on multiple frequencies. "Thanks for the extra power." She said, smiling to the XO before turning back to her work. Fingers flying across the computer, she attempted looking at the immediately vicinity, especially in consideration of the last known coordinates of the Hephaestus, but didn't see anything too out of the ordinary. Certainly, there were the warp signatures of several ships in the area but none that seemed to scream like it came from an opposite dimension. Pausing a moment, she brought up known current locations of Federation ships and did a cross reference. There was definitely a Warp trail that she couldn't recognize. And it was pretty big. "I think I might have found it."

[Kinley Garrison]

[Mirror Universe - ISS Extinction - Weapon Control Montioring Systems]

It was almost time to set his plan in motion. After digging around in the computer and getting access to files he wasn't supposed to see, Will had made up his mind. He only needed to get one other thing completed before he would even think of doing it though.

"E-e-excuse me ma'am" he said to the woman in blue "Y-your latest readings from the weapon."

Looking away, he handed a PADD to her. He wasn't here because he was competent, everyone knew it. Honestly, he was surprised he made it this far without being caught.

[Deck 19: ISS Extinction]

The second firing went along just as well as the first one did. Kinley noted with a clinical nod. Of course, power would have to be regenerated as there was significant drainage on the systems, but by and large, this was a very successful test. One that would be repeated. Calculating the minute changes that would have to be adjusted
to compensate for the energy fluctuations, she delved deep into her work before being interrupted by someone very familiar.

"Indeed. Thanks, Waring." She noted, giving the crewman one of her rare smiles. The guy wasn't good for much, but he was surprisingly endearing to the young CPO, so she kept him around. "Make sure the calibration is exactly to my specifications. No more, no less. Is that clear?"

[William Waring]

[Deck 19: ISS Extinction]

The second firing went along just as well as the first one did. Kinley noted with a clinical nod. Of course, power would have to be regenerated as there was significant drainage on the systems, but by and large, this was a very successful test. One that would be repeated. Calculating the minute changes that would have to be adjusted
to compensate for the energy fluctuations, she delved deep into her work before being interrupted by someone very familiar.

"Indeed. Thanks, Waring." She noted, giving the crewman one of her rare smiles. The guy wasn't good for much, but he was surprisingly endearing to the young CPO, so she kept him around. "Make sure the calibration is exactly to my specifications. No more, no less. Is that clear?"

[Deck 19 - ISS Extinction]

Will couldn't believe it! She smiled at him! He couldn't help but stammer a near endless line of gibberish before regaining himself. "A-actually ma'am" he began nervously, silently hoping that smile didn't fall to a scowl "Your assistance is needed in Access Room Three" he finished looking towards a set of doors that led to a room that no one was in. He only had one chance, and it was now or never.

[Bradley Miller]

[Main Engineering]

Bradley was busy checking things over on his station when the call to Yellow Alert went out. Although he once had known both many people and many things, his years out of Starfleet had left him slightly out of touch with both the personnel and the consoles.

Transitioning onto a starship was often without fanfare, as any ship in the fleet that wasn't bustling with activity was a ship that wasn't doing something that could be done. As a result, the returning Engineer was simply minding his own business and re-familiarizing himself with the layout of the console ... and then the lights shifted to yellow alert.

Okay ...
He thought for a moment, waiting a few seconds for something to happen.
No? ... Nothing? ... Well alright then. If somebody needs me, they'll come and find me, and if something explodes, then I'll know something's wrong.

It wasn't his first time being onboard a starship for the first time, and from his experience, his first mission with a new crew often had him being in the dark regarding the specifics of what was going on. That being said, he'd always gotten through before, and he figured he probably would now.