Katra POTM poll October 2020

[Tess tLhoell]

1) Solluk

IKS Lod Qan - Everywhere

Some parts of the Lod Qan's hull were thicker than others, and so the Gregari entered the ship sporadically depending on where they had latched onto the hull and begun to drill with Ion torches.  Kal's security teams were forced to spread thin, breaking up into twos and threes to cover all of the breaches where individual Gregari had penetrated into the ship.

The combat was fierce, frenetic, and final.

The Gregari moved with almost preternatural speed, and they had so very many limbs with which to eviscerate their prey.  Worse, standing off and firing at them was no assurance of safety, for the Ion torches which had cut through the hull were equally capable of cutting through brave warriors.

Sacrifice had become the necessary tool of victory.  One warrior charged forward in hopeless bravado, forcing a Gregari intruder to focus on him.  This stilled the boarder sufficiently for other warriors to destroy the enemy with their disruptor pistols and rifles.  It was an expensive way to win a fight, but the situation left few good options.  Some of the bravest and most determined Klingons in the security force- like Kost- managed to suffer many mortal wounds before finally succumbing to the inevitable.

There would be many songs sung of the sacrifices today... if anyone survived to sing them.

Outside the ship, it seemed as though the Gregari thinking was almost binary.  There was only room for one 'most threatening thing' and the machine intelligence had decided that it was the Lod Qan.  They ignored the shuttles, even as the shuttles proved why they shouldn't be ignored.   Careful firing was decimating the Gregari force before they could cut their way into the Lod Qan.  Many of the strange metallic beings made their way into the ship, but many more did not.

Thanks to the support, the Old Man might just have a chance at surviving the current crisis.

On the bridge, although the fires were out, the caustic smoke was thick.  The stinging smoke's effects were only compounded by the increased power to the gravity plating.  The precaution, undertaken to prevent officers from being blown into space, also strained muscles with the effort of merely standing upright.  Not quite as bad for Vulcanoids like Rayek and Solluk, whose genetic heritage harkened back to a high-gravity world.  But even they would feel the stress of carrying more weight on their bones than normal.

As if this wasn't bad enough, a loud crackling sound drew attention to the rear of the bridge, where an Ion torch began cutting through the turbolift door.  Clearly, a Gregari had made its way into the shaft, and was intent on murdering the bridge crew.  Perhaps, to the Gregari mind, taking out the command center was like disabling a CPU.  Or perhaps they just wanted a piece of whichever bastard had been shouting 'GREGARI' back at them.

"Arm yourselves!  Prepare to defend the bridge!"   An unnecessary order, surely.  Solluk noticed that his own disruptor had been tossed from his holster when he'd fallen, and scrambled to retrieve it from the deck.

In engineering, the core room had been purged, the doors were opened, and a force-field became the only thing separating the inner core from the outer control center.  Suited Klingons and at least one tough-as-nails human prepared to enter the inner sanctum where the Tholian ambassador had committed self-sacrifice to charge up torpedoes.

Everyone could sense it in the air, like the intensity of ionizing radiation:

This was the end game.  Win or lose, it would happen right here, right now.

2)

IKS Lod Qan - Crew Mess Hall

It had been about 3 hours since the Engineering shift change and the relieved team sat silently round one of the mess hall tables and waited.

Warp core specialists Harl'on and K'ahk came bearing trays of pitchers of blood wine, cold earth lager, a pitcher of fancy Earth cocktail that smelt of Earth tropical beaches and platters of cold sliced meats, pickles, bread and a rancid Targ butter.

In silence the 2 hunkering male Klingons laid down the trays and settled in the spare seats.

Everyone took their drink.

They stared at their drink.

They drank their drink.

The silence was broken by a large gaseous burp from Petty Officer Emily Parker who then slowly slid off her chair onto the floor where she started to snore quite loudly for someone so small.

"I told her... I told her not to mix her dinks.. Drinks... But did she listen?"  Ensign Timothy "Timmy"  Timpore leaned back in his chair and peered down at the sleeping Starfleet team member.

Harl'on tried to focus his eyes on the heaped pile that was Emily. "She is so tiny!! Where did she put it all?"

Timmy smiled and tried to keep his head steady. "Hollow legs... We earthlings got hollow legs..."

K'ahk leaned down and grabbed Emily's leg with his free hand, shook it and looked back up at the faces looking at him.  "No... She does not have hollow legs!  There is no sloshing sound and it feels.. Sturdy!"

Catherine Goodspeed threw her head back and started to laugh long and hard.

She hadn't laughed for days.  It sounded strange among the silence.

As Cat's laughter died down and she wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes Torpa began ripping at the almost raw Targ meat and chewed, her mind lost in thought.

She swallowed loudly and then Torpa finally broke her almost 3 hour silence.  "Eeklath and Jelkahl  were due to be wed on their return from this mission"  The Klingons cloak specialist's voice sounded softer than usual.

Torpa toyed with her empty drink mug and Cat leaned over and topped it up with more blood wine. Everyone waited in silence.

"Do you remember K'ahk?  When Jelkahl returned from Eeklath's Mother's House and made us Rokeg blood pie to show off her new cooking skills?"

Now it was K'ahks turn to laugh heartily.   "By the Gods it was foul. FOUL!"  Torpa joined in his laughter.  "We tried to eat it but we could not!"

He pointed at Torpa "She.. SHE buried it in the soil of a plant in their quarters!!  The plant... It DIED almost instantly!"

Torpa was snorting with laughter now.  "Her face!" Torpa was bent over the table now clutching the side of the table.  "She did not know why it died!!!"

The laughter from the 2 Klingons carried through the air for several minutes until Torpa stopped suddenly as if remembering something.

"Eeklath... He ate it all though.  Ate it and smiled and demanded a second helping.. Such was his love for her"

K'ahk leaned over the table and placed a mighty hand on her shoulder gripping it firmly.  "But they are together now Torpa!"  His face was proud.  "Together in Sto-vo-koh!  We made sure their spirits travelled safely whilst we watched over them both."

K'ahk locked his eyes with Torpa "They fought with honour and bravery! No greater gift could be given to them both.  To die fighting side by side!  They would have wanted nothing more Torpa!"

Torpa clasped the Klingon arms with her hand and smiled brightly.   With her free hand she raised her filled drinking vessel.

"For Eeklath and Jelkahl!!"

The others shouted in reply "Eeklath and Jelkahl"

They drank their drinks.

Harl'on was now focusing his attention on trying to butter a large chunk of bread, his tongue protruding in concentration. He gave up using a knife and began using his fingers to spread the yellowing fat.

Cat placed her empty pint glass down on the table and sighed "No alarms and no surprises now for them. A true blessing"

Timmy closed one eye so he would stop seeing double and looked puzzled. "What Chief?"

"it means no more horrible shocks, or surprises... No more pain for them"  Cat looked down at her hand, stilled covered in regen bandages.  Turns out an insulating glove is only good for so long until they burnt out when you are clutching a live cable.

Cat couldn't really remember the pain at the time, thank god.  The brain is a clever device sometimes for forgetting what you didn't need to remember.  And a mix of painkillers had taken the edge of the worst of it until the nerve endings had started to grow back.

But at least they were growing back thank the gods and now the mixing of alcohol on an almost empty stomach was numbing nicely the real and phantom pains she still felt.

Cat wasn't sure what pain was worse.  The phantom burning she was still feeling every now and then or the fact the actions that resulted in her injuries was in fact not needed.

Cat picked up the pitcher of Pina Colada with her good hand and poured it into her pint glass that had moments earlier contained ice cold lager.   Cat smiled and sang softly to herself   "I like Pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain... Never tried doing yoga and I have a whole brain... "

Torpa shook her head at the female human and let herself smile.  She was a strange thing.  Torpa drank deep from her refilled glass.

"I wonder what strange things they will find on the planet?  Eh?!  HUGE beasts to fight perhaps?  Priceless gems?!!"

The Klingons round the table bashed their mugs in delight as Torpa continued.

"Perhaps when they come and there is time they will let us go and see what they have found?  We should all go!  YES!  All of us!"

Cat made a disapproving noise "You can all go, I'm saying here thankyouverymuch"

"Cat lagh!?  You are afraid?!"  Torpa's tone was one of surprise.

"Bloody right I am!  I mean.. I'm all for a trip to a nice, already checked out planet for a visit but being the first down to an uncharted planet? You gotta be kidding me!!  Bugger that for a game of marbles".

Timmy, who had now decided to embrace the fact he could drunkenly see double screwed his face up in concentration and tried to focus on the real Cat; and failed.

"But why Chief?  To boldly go!  Isn't that what Starfleet is all about?"

Cat chuffed. "Your Starfleet perhaps; not mine."   Cat picked up a piece of meat, chewed then continued with her mouth full.

"Do you know what could be down there?  Big and small things with many pointy teeth that want to eat you... Look at the plants on that other planet!? Bubbling pits of melty tar under a wafer thin surface ready to swallow you slowly as you watch your bones melt... Volcanoes, acid winds to burn through your suits... Boiling or freezing temps.  Shapeshifting Vampires beings after your salt content?  And that's what you can see and feel!  What about the little things you might miss?"

Cat drank some more of the delicious and heady brew of coconut and pineapple and leaned in.

"Bloody things that crawl in your ear and make you go mad... Thingies.. Tiny thingies.. Bury into your skin to pupate and then eat their way out?!... Brain slugs.... Teeny weeny parasites that can access a cut or skin pore and work their way to your brain and take you over!! Tiny microbes that could bypass the biofilters of your suit and settle into your lungs?  Only to grow and sprout a year later, bursting though your lungs and chest cavity to release their spores like pointy evil mushrooms and infect the whole ship??!"

Cat leaned back in her chair as everyone stared at her in silence once again.

"Never talk about that in the briefings do they?  Noooooope! it all 'who wants to pop down to Planet possible death, it's perfectly safe don'tyouknow, honest guv' "

Timmy looked slightly crestfallen.  "Never thought about that...how do you know all that?"

Cat went to tap her nose and missed "Books.. Stories.. An unhealthy interest in reading up on weird and wonderful medical reports and watching old horror and sci fi programmes".

"Is that why you did not go then Cat lagh?  Fear of the unknown?"  Harl'on then studied the human.

"Well, yes, and this" Cat held up her injured hand "And also.. I build and fix non living things.  I'm an engineer, not a planet surveyor" Cat picked up something that looked like a pickled onion, hoped it wasn't an eyeball, popped it in her mouth and bit down.

No, it was a type of onion, so strongly pickled that it made her eyes and nose water.  Excellent.

Cat vaguely pointed down to where she guessed the planet might be  "The only thing I would be good at down there is getting in the way and filling up my suit's urine pad every 5 minutes from all the jump scares I'd be giving myself.  Safer for everyone I'm up here" Cat knowingly nodded to herself.

"But I chased the chickens!!"

Everyone looked at each other then; in unison, stared down at the drunken mutterings from Petty Officer Emily Parker.

"And why is there kittens in the toast?"

Torpa raised her mug once more  "To kittens in the toast!"

"Kittens in the toast!!!"

They all drank their drink.

3)

Katra Station - Meridian Embassy - Presidential Office

Rather than be upset at Tess' remarks, Tarin merely smiled as he extended his arm so that she could attach the armband.

"I'm afraid you are a tad too innocent to understand the political situation here, Commander," he said, somewhat condescendingly.  "I can't fault you for it.  You have a background in medicine, and it seems to me that Starfleet does not encourage social maneuvering.  But let me tell you, despite being on a stranded colony of only just over 30 people, politics has been my whole life.

You can't begin to imagine how much harsher a group of 30 can be, than a group of 3 million.  People see us, and they assume a friendly tribe of fellow survivors.  But it is more like 'Jagunda Island.'"

He saw a hint of confusion on her face, and tried again, "Lord of the Flies?"

Finally, he shrugged, "The point is, a small group can invoke harmful policies that change the entire course of a civilization overnight.  The former President Keshara smiled well enough, but she failed to grasp the precarious position we were in as a people.  That made her dangerous.  I do not suffer her limited vision.  And neither should you."

He eyed the armband device.  Such a small thing.  Such a big impact.

"Thirty people aren't typically allowed to own a whole world.  Never mind a solar system.  A powerful and capable administrative order had to be invoked immediately to protect ourselves.  That meant the Ferengi.  They were here, they were capable, and they were ready.  But they were never to be trusted.

This illness began as a danger to us.  But it has become an opportunity.  A good leader does not hesitate to seize an opportunity.  The tourism infrastructure on Meridian is already in place.  And now, this transporter theory gives me all of the excuse I need to break my contracts with the Ferengi.  This is good for the Federation, too.  I know you don't trust the Ferengi any more than I do.  And now, they are no longer necessary.  We have a much more trustworthy work force on their way to Meridian.  A grateful work force already accustomed to service.  What the Ferengi built, the Etrosians will maintain.

And so, no more Ferengi in critical affairs.  With the loss of such an important contract, Daimon Sorq will likely lose his monopoly on Sector Commerce within the alliance, increasing competition and lowering the cost of those products and services any Ferengi still provide in this area.  The so-called 'Meridian Plague' is just another step in our independence, prosperity, and security.  I could not have done better had I engineered the illness myself.  Keshara would never have seized this opportunity.  She would have found the firing of the Ferengi distasteful.  The scapegoating of an entire people would have smacked too much of bigotry to her.  And that is why I am the better President for my people.  I will always put Meridian first."

He stood, and Tess' communicator beeped.

"Commander.  This is Chief Engineer Grom.  I have completed my simulations.  Everything confirms your supposition.  We can stabilize the entire Meridian population by beaming them up to the station, using the armbands to enhance quantum stabilizations in transit.  This time, the stabilization should be permanent.  The modifications to the transporter are entirely software based.  I should have them ready to go in minutes."

Tarin smiled, "Well, there is the confirmation that so troubled you, Commander.  I hope you will join me as I speak to the Katra citizenry.  We can beam up my people as the finale to the speech, proclaiming the illness ended.  And then life can return to normal... only better."

4)

Lt. Eli Ferris|Main Shuttlebay|Katra Station

The slow crawl on the Lod Quan had perhaps pushed Eli to the point of near craziness. It was slow work, a bit hot, and he had done his best to maintain a sense of optimism. But, the news regarding the entity had not sat as well as he had thought. Eli had chalked it to fatigue, but he wasn't sure what was on his mind.

Only after arriving back at Katra, dropping his bag on the floor of his quarters, did it hit him. He was homesick.

To many that would seem obvious, even stupidly so, though he doubted most would say that to a person's face. But, for Eli, home had felt very differently since he had joined Starfleet. He simply had thought of each station as a duty station, a place to stop, due his job, and continue forward. But, Katra was different. He had been through too much on this station, met too many people to think of it any differently.

So, bringing in the Lod Quan to the dock, Eli exited the ship and felt a great sense of relief, like he had been holding his breath the whole mission. And he could only attribute that to missing the Katra. So, he had made it a point to unpack, put his gear away and shower and sleep, feeling rested for the first time in a while.

Eli headed down to the main shuttle bay, eager to be back to the day to day routine and updating the scheduled maintain their equipment. His journey on the Lod Qan had illustrated that his efforts, though seemingly borderlining on paranoia, were at times necessary.

5)

Rayek sogh
[Katra Station - Saucer 1 - Customs] (early October 2398)

Benjin's animated answer was met with a smile and brief nod. Rayek then grinned when Tess recommended they meet on the Promenade.  He had been about to offer to cook up a vegetable stir-fry served with shrimp but Tess' idea seemed like a better plan.  Going out for dinner meant he wouldn't need to cook or clean up afterwards. He could simply enjoy the time with family.

"A wonderful idea, my dear." Rayek acknowledged his wife's suggestion.  Then at Benjin's remark about informing Fabiano, Rayek nodded gratefully.  "Thank you, Benjin.  We will see you at 1900hrs."

With plans made for dinner later that evening, Rayek escorted Tess back towards their quarters.   Along the way Rayek, decided to bring up a subject that had last been mentioned 3 months prior.    He had promised then that they would attend to it when he got back, but at the time had no idea that he would be gone so long.  It was possible that Tess had dealt with the matter on her own in his absence.  If so Rayek needed to know.

"E'lev, this may sound a bit sudden of a question, but have you spoken to President Tarin in my absence about the idea of building a home on Meridian?" he queried before explaining further in case she had forgotten - human memory was fallable. "You had mentioned your interest in having a 'second home' a day or so before I shipped out;  yet rather than deal with it immediately, as I perhaps should have, I suggested we speak to him together after I returned - that was 3 months ago. "  He stated these details almost apologetically.  He should have spoken to the Meridian President that very next day - but he hadn't. Nor had he planned any contingency should he not return.  A fact that he would need to rectify.    "I would understand if you had already spoken to him."

Lt Cmdr Rayek tr'Lhoell
[Katra Station - Deck 2 - Sickbay  -  Two Weeks Later...]

As usual Hrafn and the children were a whirlwind of conversation that Rayek had difficulty in not getting lost amid.  Yet Lamar's 'boo boo' was an opportunity for Rayek to practice his 'fathering' skills, so at Hrafn's permission, Rayek crouched down in front of the boy who was wailing unhappily.  The Romulan carefully picked up the crying child and sat him on his knee to try and reason with the three-year-old.  While Rayek had helped raise his brother and sister, he had little experience with non-punitive methods.  The Federation mind-set suggested that reasoning with the child would be acceptable though so he tried that first rather than follow through on Hrafn's suggestion. "Lamar, your wailing is out of balance for such a minor injury, and inappropriate merely because your siblings are older.   That cannot be changed - so crying will make no difference.  If you must cry, you need to lower your volume, and keep it to yourself."  That was how he'd been raised.

It was only as he said the words aloud that he realized how wrong they sounded.  Was that not one of his most troublesome issues discussed with Beja and other counselors?  His internalizing of his loss and pain?  Perhaps if he'd been permitted to wail out loud and then been comforted, he wouldn't have the issues he had now.  "Actually Lamar, forget I said that.  Cry if you need to.  Your mother, siblings, Crista and even Auntie Tess and I are all here to support you though whatever you are feeling. I can't change the fact that you are younger but I can tell you that you are loved regardless."

With that Rayek, held out his arms offering a hug.   Afterwards, he directed the boy's attention to Tess and the plan set forth by the little boy's mother.  "Would a kiss to your scraped knee help you feel better?"  The affirmative answer prompted Rayek to pick up the child into his arms to carry him over to Tess, where she kissed the 'boo-boo' better.    Rayek chuckled as Tess followed up her kiss with a suggested a bribe of a treat.  No wonder the child stopped his fussing for her and not him!

After Lamar had settled down and Rayek was able to put him down without at fuss, Hrafn handed Tess a gift for the baby.   Hand-made clothing.   Rayek smiled in appreciation as his wife offered a hug to the Trill.  "Thank you, Hrafn.  The outfit is lovely."

When it was Lamar's turn at the examination, Rayek and Tess both received brief hugs and kisses, which made the Romulan forgive the boy for responding to Tess more than him.

With the distraction of the cat gone, the twins seemed to realize Tess and Rayek were present as well and Rayek was greeted enthusiastically with hugs that nearly unbalanced him.   Thankfully the pair were gentler with Tess.  As typical for the Tekin children, Nerys and Tidu were ever finding ways to warm his heart and that was case when Tidu suggested a way for them to hug Tess in tandem - gently.   He chuckled at the antics.  It made him smile to see Tess so well loved and taken care of.

NPC Councilwoman Keshara
[Katra Station - Deck 11 - Dord Embassy - Reception Hall]

The Tholian discussion was difficult to make out since Keshara was technically eavesdropping on the conversation.  But an acknowledgement of her presence by Zex and the Republic of Kahless Ambassador made such subterfuge unnecessary.

"Greetings Ambassador Kol, Ensign Zex.  Yes, most of our daily encounters with other species are new and mysterious -  Tholian's included.  But my people are learning quickly.  Besides which in this amiable atmosphere it is easier to befriend others and come to agreement, especially since we have no former history souring our relations." Keshara remarked in answer to the Ambassador's comment.

[Kirok]

voted!

[Solluk]

Congrats to Catherine Goodspeed, who will be our submission for Post of the Month!

Where does she put all of that talent?   Hollow legs.

[Kirok]

Congrats Ms. Goodspeed!

[Paul Wessex]

Congratulations, Goodspeed!

Not only did your post have humour and heart, but it really built a deeply realised world around your character.

KITTENS IN THE TOAST!

[Rayek trLhoell]

Kittens in the toast!

[Catherine Goodspeed]

"Kittens in the toast" LOL

Thank you so much everyone and sorry for being late to the party xxx